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What We Know with Max Foster

Man Pulled Alive From Rubble In Miraculous Rescue; Russia Unleashes Deadly 11-Hour Barrage Of Strikes On Kyiv; Security & Logistical Headaches Ahead Of 4th Of July; U.S. Economy Added 57K Jobs In June, Below Expectations; Punishing Heat Wave Affects More Than 160M People In U.S.; Now: Favorites Spain Play Austria In Round Of 32. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 02, 2026 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:30]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Eight days trapped in a miraculous rescue.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Beginning with that powerful symbol of hope and a remarkable story of survival -- eight days after Venezuela was rocked by back-to-back

earthquakes, a man was pulled out of a crushed building alive.

An international team of rescuers finally reached a security guard trapped in the ruins of a shopping mall, 70 hours, would you believe, after they

first located him? Despite that ray of hope, so many other families are still enduring the unthinkable, though. Officially, the death toll stands

around 2,300 now, that number is certain to rise as more bodies are uncovered.

My colleague Isa was at the scene of that miraculous rescue today, and she filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After so many days of loss and sadness, a moment of celebration here in Playa Grande in La Guajira, when rescue

workers from all over the world were able to rescue 44-year-old Hernan Gil. He was a security guard in the shopping center just behind me. He was on

level minus two.

For days, they have been talking to him, keeping him alive. They have been passing him water. They've been giving him baby food, giving him medicine,

communicating with him.

I spoke to one rescue worker who had that task of keeping his spirits up. Have a listen.

ARMANDO MARIA, MEMBER, PORTUGUESE RESCUE TEAM FEPC: He was a very cooperative victim. There were times when we had to keep talking to him

continuously. At other moments, we had to stop talking in order to work. Partially because of the noise we ourselves were making.

Following medical guidance, we constantly provided hydration, including isotonic drinks and water, as well as all the food he needed to maintain

the minimum conditions necessary to survive and endure the entire rescue operation.

SOARES: Football, that's how they connected and it was a miracle rescue, something this country so desperately needs after so many deaths here,

rescue workers have been celebrating. They've been hugging. They've even been exchanging country patches because this was a huge global effort from

teams all over the world.

His wife, meanwhile, had been waiting every day here, waiting to hug him. We're told by the Red Cross, he's making his way to Caracas. And besides, a

bruise in his eye and maybe a lesion on his arms, he's doing incredibly well.

Isa Soares, CNN, Playa Grande, Venezuela.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: After weeks of Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, Russia struck back overnight with a massive barrage aimed at

Kyiv, hitting many civilian sites. The bombardment included nearly 500 drones and more than 700 missiles, lasting for 11 hours. It killed at least

21 people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been warning that Russia was preparing for a major strike. He said he wants U.S. negotiators to come to

Ukraine so they can see the damage firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: They have to come to see, to understand and to explain to President and then to answer in a very polite

manner how Steve Witkoff can go to Russia, what they have to do, quickly sit, negotiate, stop this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, Nada Bashir now has more on this attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The moment of impact in yet another round of deadly Russian strikes. The night sky over Kyiv

illuminated as fires tear through the city into the early hours of the morning.

Hundreds of Russian missiles and drones are said to have been intercepted. But officials say at least 33 made impact, killing more than a dozen people

and wounding at least 86 others.

IRYNA MOSKAEVA, KYIV RESIDENT (through translator): My kids and I wanted to get out of the room. We jumped out of the bed and started running. But

there was nowhere left to run. All the windows in the room were shattered and the door was jammed. I couldn't open it.

BASHIR (voice-over): This latest attack came with some warning. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling on civilians to heed the sirens and

take shelter in anticipation of an extensive Russian attack.

[15:05:03]

More than 50,000 Kyiv residents are said to have packed into metro stations across the city Wednesday evening, preparing for a long night.

Russia's defense ministry claims precision weapons were used to target Ukraine's military and energy infrastructure. But local officials in the

capital have condemned what they've described as significant direct hits on residential buildings across the city.

In this Kyiv neighborhood, families wait anxiously for news of their loved ones as emergency services search through the rubble of destroyed homes for

casualties.

IHOR KLYMENKO, UKRAINIAN MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS (through translator): A miracle happened here today, thanks primarily to the work of the rescue

teams. This is the first time in Ukraine that seven people have been rescued from under the rubble.

BASHIR (voice-over): A miracle moment for some but, for others, only grief.

Nada Bashir, CNN, in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now in the United States, multiple law enforcement officials tell CNN Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C., this weekend are

presenting major headaches across agencies, from security concerns, to shifting plans, to sweltering temperatures. Those in charge of keeping

America's 250th birthday celebrations safe still have details to iron out.

Kristen Holmes has more on what they are -- Kristen.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Max, this is a running issue for the Secret Service to protect a president who has had

multiple threats on his life. Two of them recently being when he had the UFC fight, there was a thwarted plan by the FBI for people to use drones

and snipers to attack the president and the guests. We also saw what happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Hilton when the

Secret Service stopped an armed man from trying to break through the doors and attack President Trump, as well as cabinet members.

And so, Secret Service has a heavy lift as it is when it comes to President Trump. And we are told that there is going to be enormous security presence

and footprint in Washington because of the Fourth of July celebrations. One thing that we've just learned is that the two parks around the White House

are going to be closed, actually, through the end of July. Part of this is done, was done at the request of the Secret Service. They won't say why,

but they said that they had information sensitive information that has led to those parks being closed down.

The other big issue here is what's going to actually happen on the Mall. For the people who show up to hear President Trump speak, it's already a

tough environment, having to sit there all day in the sweltering heat. But now, they're adding extra layers because of this TSA-style security,

because President Trump will be there. People will have to show up hours early for President Trump to speak. They will not be able to carry their

own water bottles, bottles or coolers, or have anything with them to cool off.

I've talked to D.C. officials here who are deeply concerned about the health ramifications of having this event on the Mall. It's likely around

going to be around 103, 104 degree heat. This is an area that is not covered. And how are those people going to make sure that they are

hydrated? Is there enough water for people who are coming down to the Mall?

Now, the shift in logistics that has made it harder for the Secret Service, for the security operation around Trump, to figure out what they are doing.

But I am told that obviously, this is an advanced operation. They are used to these kind of shifting circumstances. It's not as though they can't

handle it.

But one of the things that is outside of the security that's a concern is who's going to show up on the lawn, particularly given now that President

Trump is not going to speak until 9:45. So again, looking at a whole stretch of day in 103, 104 degree heat without cover, waiting for 9:45, and

now fireworks could be as late as 11:00, meaning you're taking out an entire attendee pool because of the fact that people with families are

likely going to be unable to go with fireworks that late.

So, there is still a lot of moving parts here. But President Trump has continued to bill this as one of the biggest rallies and the biggest

speeches he'll ever give.

FOSTER: This is a national event as well, isn't it? And it's going to be it's always busy this weekend for travel, isn't it? I mean, what a -- you

know, what sort of advice are people getting there? And is there a concern that, you know, they won't get the crowds that perhaps President Trump

expects?

HOLMES: Of course, it's a concern and part of it is valid, just given the outside extenuating circumstances that I mentioned, the fact that people

will have to wait outside for that long. The heat is unbearable. The fact that it is a huge spot to fill.

President Trump doesn't want any kind of space being shown. If there are aerial pictures, that's going to be a really heavy lift for these White

House officials. And to be clear, any White House would feel the same way that this one does, which is they want to protect their principal, the

principal being President Trump. He has billed this as a huge rally.

[15:10:01]

And all of these outside factors are going to potentially impact the crowd that actually shows up. Now, it will be interesting to see what kind of

advisories D.C. puts out, because they're going to be the ones having to deal with health crises on the Mall, if, in fact, it is that hot and people

are sitting out there and they have any kind of health issues, which we've seen this before.

And then additionally, the late night, the inability, the potential of the inability to fill that space, just given those factors, is a huge concern

for White House officials, in part because President Trump grew angry after his last speech on the Mall, which was just last week when an aerial

picture emerged and there were gaps in one area of the field that was surrounding President Trump. And he got mad that that photo was posted in

general. He complained about it. They don't want another scenario like that.

FOSTER: Okay, Kristen, appreciate it, from the White House there.

Now, the U.S. labor market adding far fewer jobs than economists had expected. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 57,000 jobs

were added in June, while the unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent. Some experts projected the World Cup would lift leisure and hospitality

jobs, for example, though Thursday's report reflects weaker than usual seasonal hiring.

David Goldman, live from New York.

I mean, we watch these figures, don't we, to see how people are doing across America. I mean, what's the big picture here, David?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, the big picture is that we didn't get the kind of job growth that we were really hoping for.

Economists are not going to be happy with this 57,000 number, because we had been adding around 120,000 jobs over the course of the last few months,

and this was expected to be around 100,000. So, certainly disappointing there.

This is also an interesting number. Now this went down. This was 4.3 percent in the previous month. So you think unemployment rate is falling.

That's good news.

Well, this is because about 700,000 people left the job force. They just said forget it. I'm not interested anymore. I can't find a job. I'm out of

here. That's why that number fell. That is something to watch as well.

Now, health care has been supporting this entire U.S. economy. People are getting older and they need looking after. But this number is a

disappointment. This is normally around 38,000. That's the average over the past 12 months. So we're at around half of that the last month.

One month is not a trend. Let's be very clear. We don't really know if this is a new problem or just one month. But this is something to watch, too,

Max.

Leisure, this is what you were just talking about. We thought that the World Cup was going to create this enormous jobs boom, temporary jobs boom,

but a jobs boom nonetheless. We didn't get that.

We got minus 61,000 jobs in that sector. That is a huge surprise. There are a number of economists who tell me that they don't believe what they're

seeing, because we can see with our own eyes that the economy created this enormous jobs boom for the World Cup and summer festival season. This might

change as we revise these numbers in the months to come.

And speaking of those revisions, we lost 74,000 jobs over the past two months. So that's April and May because the surveys came in and showed that

we actually didn't create as many jobs as we thought we did. So as we're doing these comparisons, we need to keep that in mind, 57,000 jobs now

doesn't sound like quite as bad as it did before.

Here's a little bit of good news for Americans: wages grew 3.5 percent. Now that is up from 3.4 percent in the previous month. And why does that number

matter? That's the paycheck growth over the past year.

And you're combating this inflation. We were at 4.2 percent in May. We're about to get that June number in a couple of weeks. This is expected to

come down as gas prices came down.

And so the number to contend with is 3.5. We want this number to be higher than that number, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Appreciate it. David, thank you so much for that.

Still to come, yesterday, a young couple were quite literally on top of the world. Today, they've landed in court. Find out what's next for these lofty

lovers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:33]

FOSTER: More than 160 million people in the U.S. are under some form of heat alert heading into this Fourth of July weekend. Some cities, including

New York, Washington, Philadelphia, will see days of temperatures at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That's around 38 degrees Celsius. Dozens of

records are set to be broken, and Washington could have its hottest Independence Day on record.

Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar for more on this heat wave.

And, you know, this is a challenge, isn't it, Allison, because it is the holiday weekend. And a lot of people will want to be outside

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Sorry, can you say that one more time?

FOSTER: Yeah. It's just such a challenge, isn't it? When this is a holiday weekend and people want to be outside, they want to be traveling.

CHINCHAR: They do. Yes. And it's very hot.

And the key thing to note is that it's going to be hot for multiple days. We're not just talking a few degrees above average. In many cases, you're

looking at record-breaking heat.

Now we're here in Atlanta, which is called the City in a Forest. We are surrounded by trees, which the good news there is that it actually provides

relief in the form of shade.

The other thing to note, though, is that there's a lot of events taking place around this weekend because of the holiday weekend.

Now, one thing we are talking and we're learning about is the fact that a lot of these events that are taking place on July 4th, some of them now are

either being canceled or we're starting to see changes be made. We have heard that different parades are having their routes shortened. Other

events are being outright canceled. Some are starting earlier trying to deal with the heat and keep all of these people safe over the next few

days.

And it's not just the high temperatures. Another thing to note is these low temperatures. In some cases, these cities aren't dropping below 80 degrees.

That's a concern. It doesn't give your body a chance to cool off at night and rebound for the next day. When those temperatures go right back up

again.

The key thing to note here is that a lot of areas are under an extreme risk. That is the highest risk possible that the Weather Service can issue

for a lot of these areas. And it really has to do with the prolonged nature that these heat alerts are expected to be. Some of these areas, as we

mentioned, the records could be setting records two, three, even four days in a row.

Again, it's more the toll that it takes on your body. That's really what's the big concern. And again, not just for today, not just for Friday, but

there are so many outdoor events that are taking place on Saturday in honor of July 4th.

They are anticipating so many people at these parades, at these races. Atlanta hosts a very famous race on July 4th.

[15:20:00]

But other cities are also hosting 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, some of them starting earlier, others even just opening up more water stations, things

like that to help ensure these people stay safe in the heat.

FOSTER: Okay, Allison. Appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thoughts with everyone there this weekend.

Now, for most of America, the Fourth of July weekend is coming up. But for fans of Taylor Swift, the wedding of the year is this weekend. Here's a

live look outside Madison Square Garden, where the wedding festivities for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly getting underway.

According to Associated Press, the application for a special event at MSG was approved on Wednesday night. Sources tell CNN a rehearsal event for

about 100 guests will happen tonight. The wedding is expected to take place tomorrow around 5:30. A reception will follow and go into the early morning

hours.

So, what we want to know is, is this wedding actually happening?

Joining me now, Brynn Gingras outside Madison Square Garden. I guess you're not going to know until you see her go in. I mean, can you get across all

of the, you know, entrances?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can I try to get in? Is that what you're asking, Max? I'm sorry. It's so loud here. No --

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: We're not going to really know, are we, until she's actually in.

GINGRAS: Yes. You're right. And we -- yes. No, you're -- you're -- you're exactly right about that. Everything is so top secret. We really won't know

anything that's happening inside.

And they wanted it this way. You can imagine they wanted a private event. And that's what they're getting just in the middle of New York City.

So, yeah, we are on Seventh Avenue in front of Madison Square Garden, where these two days of events are expected to take place, the first one being

the rehearsal dinner that's expected to happen tonight. Like you said, Max, to your guests and watchers, that is going to happen around 6:00 tonight.

Actually, just a half a block, New York City block from where I'm standing, they have erected a giant tent, one you might see at the Met Gala or some

big red carpet event, and that is for the guests to arrive and go undetected. And really, the paparazzi not going to get their shots, or they

might, but I doubt it. That's how much sort of cloak and secrecy is really happening around this event.

And then tomorrow is the big wedding day. We're hearing that there's a cocktail hour beginning around 4:00, 4:30, and then the wedding is actually

going to take place on the floor of the arena of Madison Square Garden, with 1,000 guests expected to be in attendance. We're hearing reports of

musical acts. You know, Taylor Swift has hinted before that maybe Ed Sheeran will perform.

So there's just a lot that is going to happen. In the meantime, we have been seeing security ramp up around this place. We are actually on this

major avenue that has shut down lanes of traffic. That's why you're hearing so much honking, because it's creating a lot of traffic headaches around

Madison Square Garden.

We've been seeing the barricades being put up along the streets as well, making sure people don't get too close to where this is all taking place.

And on top of that, it doesn't matter because Swifties are going to show up wherever they want to show up. And we've been seeing a lot of Swifties

super excited that Taylor Swift is finally not only met her prince charming, but is about to marry him -- Max.

FOSTER: Totally. I mean, what a weekend for Swifties. Brynn, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Still to come, the crisis in Venezuela being felt far beyond its borders. Ahead, how one community in Miami is answering the call and providing help

from hundreds of miles away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:44]

FOSTER: The daredevil couple who saw incredible views after scaling the Empire State Building yesterday, got to see the inside of a courtroom

today. The couple faced charges including burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. The judge released them under court supervision. On

Wednesday, they climbed to the very top of the iconic building right up there by the aerials, unfurling a banner about love, then appeared to get

engaged.

Officials believe they entered the building the day before as visitors, and they hid, John Miller, after it closed. I mean, this is the extraordinary

part of it, isn't it? They arrived with visitors and basically hid in the observatory. Is that correct?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, that's right, Max, they came in, they went through security screening. They

came in as regular visitors, when the place closes around midnight. Of course, they had disappeared. And, you know, then this is where you start

the "Mission: Impossible" theme music.

At 5:04 a.m., a hatch pops open in the floor and she comes out, followed by him, a security camera survey showed them -- images of them removing

barriers to a stairway by unscrewing brackets from the wall, then cutting locks from a door at the top of those stairs. And then at 12:00 noon, they

climbed the spire with their flag, which said, "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world will know peace." And then he did his

proposal down on the next level platform, asking her to marry him. And she said yes.

And then they did their next descent into the arms of waiting police, who offered them matching bracelets in the form of handcuffs, and then their

trip downtown.

FOSTER: It's the hatch that stands out there, John, from that narrative.

MILLER: It does.

FOSTER: What, they found a room underground? What was it? What do we know about that?

MILLER: So, I've been trying to get to the bottom of that. It seems to be some kind of crawl space that leads to a ladder that leads to the hatch,

that leads to that restricted area.

And I suspect, as any trained investigator would, Max, that that probably wasn't their first time at the Empire State Building. They had probably

visited that observatory many times to try and figure out where would be a good place to hide. When do they make the people leave? Which doors are

locked and unlocked if they had to go in?

Investigators believe that they hid in a utility room after all the guests and staff left.

FOSTER: I mean, lots of security flaws to worry about. Thankfully, no one was hurt. And it was. I mean, not quite a prank.

I mean, I think the police were talking about it being a monetization exercise, right, for the --

MILLER: Well, that's -- that's right. And I mean, these people are known.

FOSTER: Yeah.

MILLER: I mean, they have a documentary on Netflix, "Skywalkers: A Love Story", where they're climbing the tallest buildings and cranes, but

investigators believe this was to monetize their social media platforms and to try and get a sequel to the documentary, that this was more than a story

about love. It was probably about love and money.

FOSTER: And we're talking about it, kind of worked.

MILLER: Where we are.

FOSTER: John, thank you.

MILLER: Thanks, Max.

FOSTER: The Reflecting Pool in Washington won't be drained until after the July 4th holiday, we're told. But the controversy continues about its

renovation. A former Olympic canoeist has been indicted by a grand jury in Washington after being arrested last month for reaching into the pool. The

exact charges aren't yet available. David Hearn previously told CNN he was arrested after he touched a flap of blue material that had come loose from

the bottom of the pool. He denied any vandalism.

The U.S. attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro, held a news conference a short while ago, saying the U.S. was trying to tackle anarchy in the capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANINE PIRRO, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR D.C.: Our nation has weathered moments of anarchy and chaos in the past, and individuals have made a decision, many

of them to destroy and to damage national monuments, not taking into account the fact that the rest of the nation considers these monuments

important and necessary to our history. But this unchecked vandalism and civil disorder turns into criminal behavior. And that's why we're here

today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Katelyn Polantz joins me now because, Katelyn, there's still lots of people questioning whether this one incident really caused that much

damage. I mean, what do we know?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, we are getting a little bit more information. About what David Hearn, the former

Olympic canoeist, is charged with when he was at the Reflecting Pool in late June. We know because we have seen video of the day before him being

there.

That's when the Reflecting Pool, blue bottom, the sealant on the bottom was beginning to come up. Donald Trump was speaking about a 350-foot rip in it,

and now Hearn, who went to the Reflecting Pool, says he was just curious and that he had touched some of the blue, the blue sealant that was coming

up there.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is accusing him of maliciously destroying about two square feet of that pool, or of the pool bottom. They say that it's a

felony because they say the amount of damage is severe, more than $1,000 worth of damage. Of course, that was a million -- multi-million-dollar

renovation that they were doing on the Reflecting Pool by the federal government. But Hearn is charged with this.

Jeanine Pirro says there are witnesses. This went through a grand jury in Washington, D.C., local court, the Superior Court, and he has been

indicted. She says that there will be a trial where there will be more witnesses, but that he was doing it in a way that was violent. And he was

also being belligerent toward U.S. Park Police who were on the scene there and who ultimately initially cited him with much lesser charges,

misdemeanors.

I did also just get a statement from David Hearn's attorney, Norm Eisen. He says, "David Hearn is innocent. These charges are outrageous and should be

alarming to every American. The indictment reflects the administration, the Trump administration's effort to shift blame for their own failures," and

says that "on the eve of Independence Day, Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen."

Clearly, the U.S. Attorney's Office is trying to make an example of David Hearn by bringing a case this severe against him, a felony charge. In

court, he will be able to have proceedings to assert his innocence. A judge will be able to look at it, and then very possibly, very likely a jury.

That's a long time to come. As of right now, we just have that initial charge that is filed against David Hearn, the former Olympian who had been

cited for some property violations by the Reflecting Pool last month.

FOSTER: Fascinating. Katelyn, thank you.

We're going to go back to our top story now, though. An extraordinary rescue in Venezuela, where crews pulled a man out from under the rubble of

a nine-story building.

The 44-year-old security guard had been trapped beneath nine meters of concrete after a shopping mall parking lot collapsed during last week's

earthquakes.

Happening soon Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez is expected to give an update in the coming hours, holding her first press conference,

actually, since the earthquake struck eight days ago.

Joining me now from Caracas is local journalist Tony Frangie Mawad.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I mean, it's, you know, we want to see these stories of hope, don't we? But I mean, they are -- they're getting rarer all the time. And the reality is

it's the many families who are just giving up hope.

TONY FRANGIE MAWAD, CARACAS-BASED JOURNALIST: Yes. It's been a week since the earthquake hit, and that has drastically reduced the possibilities of

rescues and of finding a life, people under the rubble. There's even reports of people who were found alive by their relatives.

[15:35:01]

But the machine didn't arrive on time for them to take them out.

So, what we're seeing right now is clearly a massive collapse in the area of La Guajira. The collapse of some buildings in Caracas and also, a quite

chaotic humanitarian response. A civil society has moved towards, covering the vacuum left by the state, which has practically been absent since the

earthquake hit. The response has been quite timid and limited considering what was needed when the earthquake hit in Venezuela.

So, we now see thousands of refugees coming from other areas to Caracas. And this means that it's going to keep on going for weeks.

FOSTER: What do you expect Delcy Rodriguez to say? We haven't heard obviously from her, but you know, she's obviously been busy. But there's a

lot of criticism isn't there, particularly about machinery not managing to get to these sites. And the hospitals being in a very fragile state even

before this. So, what are you expecting her to come out and say today?

MAWAD: Well, Delcy Rodriguez, alongside her brother Jorge Rodriguez, who's the president of the National Assembly, and Cabello, who is the minister of

the interior, have given just a handful of communications through television channels of the state. And they just given the numbers of dead

people, which are expected to be an underestimation.

The government says that more than 2,000 people have died, but they even have recognized, although in a very indirect way, that at least 10,000 are

missing and the number might be higher, according to independent estimates. So, yes, we have to understand that when the earthquake hit, Venezuela was

already on a on a rough patch. We had experienced a massive economic contraction in the last decade, humanitarian crisis and a series of

institutional and social collapses that made the country totally unprepared for an earthquake.

So we found hollow out institutions. There's not enough equipment, there's not enough fuel, there's not enough skilled staff. So, Venezuela, you know,

found the earthquake in the worst moment it could. And the state was clearly not prepared for it. And then it didn't move the way it had.

So, civil society had to cover that. And civil society without any massive coordination effort, without a central government register, is trying to do

what it can, but in the end, this ends up being chaotic and insufficient without a state and a central program and strategy for it

FOSTER: Okay. Tony, thank you so much for that. We'll wait to see, how she's going to defend the government position.

Now it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street, and it's a mixed day for U.S. markets. The Dow is up heading for a record close in fact. But the

Nasdaq is more than 1 percent lower.

This is your Business Breakout. Iran has issued a fresh warning for ships planning to cross the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian military says ships

should only use routes designated by Tehran. At risk of, quote, "an immediate and firm response from the armed forces". This comes a day after

U.S. Central Command met with Middle Eastern countries in Bahrain to discuss the free flow of commerce through the strait.

A new trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom could lead to more than 200,000 unnecessary deaths in England. That is according

to new analysis in the British Medical Journal. The U.K. has agreed to double its spending on new medicines as part of the deal, the study says

that will cost the U.K.'s National Health Service an extra $60 billion over the next decade, diverting money from other areas.

The Japanese yen has fallen to a 40-year low against the U.S. dollar. The war with Iran, a strong dollar and the growing likelihood of the Fed

keeping interest rates on hold have all hurt the yen's value. Some analysts think the Japanese government may intervene to boost the yen as soon as

this weekend.

OpenAI could be about to get a very famous and controversial new shareholder, Uncle Sam. According to the "Financial Times", OpenAI is in

early talks to give the U.S. government a 5 percent stake in the company. Other A.I. companies could also do the same in a deal that could be worth

billions to the Trump administration.

Anna Stewart is here.

It's extraordinary. This -- just explain why they're willing to give away billions of dollars to the government.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aha. Well, it depends which view you take. Either. This is just being very altruistic and it's good for the

American public. They could get a real stake in artificial intelligence in a sort of sovereign wealth fund. That money could also be used to cushion

the blow of job disruption, and the other sort of elements around artificial intelligence, as the technology progresses.

The cynical point of view would say that maybe this is actually of benefit to OpenAI. Yes, they give away a $42.6 billion stake to the U.S.

government, but what might they get in return? Perhaps a sort of more clear political runway when it comes to launching new models, perhaps lighter

touch regulation or a bigger say at the table in terms of what the administration plans to do in terms of regulation, because that is an area

where it is really shifting at the moment and actually OpenAI's next model is currently under review by the U.S. administration, much like Anthropic,

some Fable Five and Mythos Five were earlier and were released yesterday.

So this is a story that we've had floating around for a while, Max. President Trump actually spoke on Air Force One nearly a month ago. He was

asked what he thought about having AI companies give stakes to the U.S. government in some sort of fund. And he said then that he had spoken with

all of the AI companies, all of the leading ones.

He was planning to meet with them in the near future. And he said then that it would be good for the public. He said it would be a, quote, beautiful

thing and it would make them rich.

So clearly, the president might be on board with this. Just a quick calculation, if other A.I. companies were to support this idea and join

OpenAI, and who knows how that would happen, OpenAI is planning to IPO. Some of these companies are clearly already listed. So how they would gift

a 5 percent stake, or whether the U.S. government would invest in it, is, you know, really for the birds right now.

But 5 percent in OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia that would total nearly half $1 trillion. That's some fund.

FOSTER: Yeah. Fascinating.

Anna, thank you.

Still to come, Pope Leo tackles a big challenge to his papacy after a rebellious Catholic group ordains four bishops without approval

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The Vatican is cracking down on an ultra-traditionalist group as Pope Leo pushes for unity. Certain members of the Society of Saint Pius X

are now excommunicated. This comes after the breakaway group ordained four new bishops without receiving papal approval. A new decree from the

Vatican's doctrinal office says the excommunication applies to those four bishops, along with other bishops who took part in the ordination ceremony.

It also warns all clerics and lay Catholics not to be part of the society, as they will automatically incur the same penalty.

[15:45:06]

Christopher Lamb joins us from the migrant hotspot of Lampedusa, Italy, where Pope Leo is set to make a visit on Saturday.

We'll be hearing more about the visit, won't we, on Saturday. But Chris, just explain what this society is about. And the issue the Vatican has with

it.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, Max, this was very tough action by the Vatican against the Society of Saint Pius X, which

is essentially a group, an ultra-nationalist group that doesn't accept certain reforms that have taken place in the Catholic Church over recent

decades.

They don't accept changes to Catholic worship, for example, the use of other languages other than Latin. They don't accept teachings on ecumenism.

That's the Catholic Church's relationship with other denominations, other churches, and also interreligious dialogue.

I mean, essentially, they don't accept some teachings of the Second Vatican Council, a very important event in the mid-'60s, which made a lot of these

reforms, including a strong condemnation of anti-Semitism.

Now, this group went ahead with the ordinations of bishops, despite Pope Leo's appeal to them not to do that. And the action by the Vatican is very

firm, because it's not just the bishops who are being excommunicated, it's the priests involved in the society and the members, the ordinary members

who formally adhered to it. And I think it also reflects Pope Leo's concern for unity in the church. That's something he's really prized very highly.

And this action reflects that. But also the pope's willingness to be firm when needed.

I mean, the pope has said about this group that if they want to go ahead with the ordinations, he's sorry about that, but the church must move

forward. And that's something he's trying to do. I think in Lampedusa, he's going to be continuing what Pope Francis began: a concern for migrants.

Pope Francis came here early on in his papacy, and the Society of Saint Pius X, seemingly wanting to -- for the church to be in a different era, to

go backwards, whereas Pope Leo saying the church must move forward. Hence this, I think, tough action by the Vatican.

FOSTER: I'm just wondering, though, Chris, you know, it's a society that many of us hadn't heard about. He's create -- you know, he, by -- by

throwing them out, they're not necessarily going to disappear. I'm not saying they're going to rival the Vatican or the Catholic Church, but they

are creating an outside issue when it could have been kept inside and maybe they could have had more control of it.

LAMB: Yes. I mean, I think that's a good point, Max. And that, I think is, is the risk with taking such a firm stance as you highlight the issue.

The Vatican has, though, over recent decades tried to dialogue with the group, they've tried to bring them back into the fold. Pope Benedict XVI

even lifted the excommunications of some of the bishops that occurred years ago. It turned out, one of those bishops denied the Holocaust. He was later

expelled from the society, but it seems as if the Vatican's attempts to try and bring in the group has not worked, and hence this tough action.

The Vatican, though, have explained today how anyone who wants to leave the society, the conditions with which they need to follow to come back into

the mainstream Catholic Church. But it is a balancing act, and I think your point is well made. It could potentially generate more interest in the

group who do have a strong presence in the United States. And one of the bishops ordained is from the U.S.

So they are a group with several hundred thousand members, they say, and, you know, this latest action could bring more visibility to them.

FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. Christopher Lamb, thank you so much. Much more from you this weekend during that visit.

Still to come, it's been a long time since Spain has won a win-or-go-home match at the men's World Cup. An update on how one of the favorites are

doing in their first knockout match currently underway, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:14]

FOSTER: There are two historic streaks on the line today at the men's World Cup. Right now, Spain, one of the tournament favorites, are taking on

Austria. Spain are the reigning Euro champs, of course, but haven't won a World Cup knockout stage match since 2010, would you believe? Right now, I

believe they're just ahead.

Don, how are they playing?

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Absolutely right. You are correct. They are one-nil up at half time. And it is remarkable to think that they haven't

won a knockout game at the World Cup since 2010. It seems to be a bit of a recent curse.

By the way, Germany haven't won a knockout game since '06 -- sorry, 2014. Italy haven't won a knockout game since 2006.

Yeah. Absolutely, big, big game. This Spain, one of the pre-tournament favorites coming into this game. Mikel Oyarzabal is the goal scorer. He was

the man that scored the winner for them in that Euro final against England two years ago. He's now on a hot streak himself, 11 goals in 10 games.

Coming up later, huge game between Portugal and Croatia. You could bill this if you like, as the battle of the 40-year-olds. It's Cristiano Ronaldo

against Luka Modric. Quite possibly one of those is playing their last World Cup game today. And then later on in the nightcap match, we have

Switzerland against Algeria.

Algeria flying the flag for the continent of Africa, which did so well by getting nine teams through to the knockout stage. But of the five teams

that have played since, four are already out. So, Algeria will be hoping to keep it going.

A big narrative still today, spilling over from last night's game between the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ballarin Balogun -- Folarin Balogun

scoring one of the goals for the U.S., but then sent off for that challenge in the second half. It has really sparked fierce debate. Many people

feeling as though he was harshly sent off, and they'll now be missing him for the next game against Belgium. This is what the fans had to say to us

after the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The refs were probably being paid off. It was absolutely ridiculous. That red card was horrendous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll miss Balogun. I mean, his energy is just like peak. I mean, you saw it today. We heard it today.

When he's out on the pitch and he's just he's got the ball. People are just electric. So yeah, we're going to miss him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very disappointed about the red card that happened. Number 20 is a great player. We're going to be missing out on. But we're

ready for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Yeah. Balogun, big star, three games -- three goals already in this World Cup. But he's going to be rested for the next game. Well, not

rested, suspended.

Hopefully the American team will win that game and he can be back for the quarterfinal.

FOSTER: Yeah, absolutely. Watching Spain, seeing where theyre going.

Dom, thank you so much.

Now, it's a conundrum no British football fan wants to face. The country's next World Cup match begins long after last orders at the pub.

Fear not, fellow football fanatics. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has come to the rescue, announcing that pubs will have special permission to

stay open for the entire game is scheduled for Sunday night against Mexico at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, which is actually 1:00 a.m. on Monday morning in

the U.K.

Some very tired kids going to school that day, I imagine.

Finally tonight, Billy the psychic cat has a pretty good record of predicting World Cup winners. How many animals can we actually bring into

this?

So, we leave you with his pick for Austria versus Spain, currently playing out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the match between -- Spain.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: There you have it. Spain will defeat Austria. It's a dead cert, you know. Put your betting slips away. Billy has picked more than 90

percent of winners, according to his owner, although we haven't verified it.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Stay with CNN.

END

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