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Axios: U.S. Nuclear Deal Offer Allows Iran to Enrich Uranium; Navigating Dating and Relationships in the World of AI. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired June 03, 2025 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:30:00]
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: The White House just doubled down on the hard line President Trump took yesterday on the Iran nuclear talks. President Trump posting online, in all caps, we will not allow any enrichment of uranium. His White House press secretary adding this a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: And I would reiterate that's his position. Special Envoy Witkoff sent a very detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime that the president hopes they will accept. And if not, they will face grave consequences, as the president himself has reiterated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: And yet, according to Axios, that would really contradict what U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff proposed to the Iranians. And today, Iran did some doubling down of its own. State media reporting its foreign minister said that enriching uranium is a non-negotiable quote red line, insisting Iran will not ask anyone for permission to continue doing it.
Joining me now, the Axios correspondent who broke news of those details on the Witkoff plan, Barak Ravid, who is also, of course, a CNN political and global affairs analyst.
Barack, we look at this in your reporting of the many things that stood out to me, was the fact that you said -- and I'm quoting here -- the White House did not deny any of the details of the proposal described to Axios. I'm not sure if the president and the White House press secretary are aware of that.
Where do things stand?
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, first, if you look at President Trump's post on True Social, he did not deny the story either. When Mr. Trump wants to deny stories, he usually uses very strong language against the media outlet that ran the story. I don't think that this is the case this time.
Same goes, I think, that, you know, White House press secretary, Karolyn Leavitt, was asked about this story today at the briefing. She did not deny the story either. She just said that President Trump said that he will not allow Iran to enrich uranium.
The reason for that is that this deal, if it happens, we are way, way, way, there's a long way until we get there, but if the deal happens, there will be a period that Iran and the U.S. will have to negotiate how long this period will be, that Iran will be allowed to enrich uranium to a low level, a level that will not allow it to produce a nuclear weapon, but it will be allowed to enrich uranium on its soil for a limited period of time.
HILL: So both Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Rubio, though, had publicly committed to zero enrichment before the proposal. So is someone undermining someone else when we put all of this together?
RAVID: I don't think so. I think what we're seeing now is an attempt by the administration to balance its private proposal to the Iranians and its public line when publicly there's a lot of politics involved with Republicans in the Senate mainly pushing hard for zero enrichment and for dismantlement of the Iranian nuclear program. And if this deal happens, then down the road there will be zero enrichment in Iran, but it will take time.
And that's why I think what we're hearing now is what the administration wants to be at the end of the process, not what's going to be at the beginning of the process.
[15:35:00]
HILL: So the fact that in terms of what we have now, a senior Iranian official had told CNN this new deal presented to Tehran in recent days, calling it incoherent and disjointed. There are concerns, right, that some of the momentum here may be collapsing.
But almost, you know, putting the end at the beginning is the sense that you're hearing from your sources. Is that the type of incoherency that Iran is referencing?
RAVID: I think the main issue right now that is concerning for the Iranians is the issue of when exactly sanctions are lifted. Because this is why the Iranians are going through this exercise. They want the sanctions lifted.
And their biggest bargaining chip is the enrichment. So if they give up on any enrichment, OK, even on part of the enrichment, they want to get sanctions relief in return. And the current proposal, it doesn't state that pretty clearly.
And that's why the Iranians are concerned. I think this is right now the main stumbling block. And as far as I understand, the parties will meet again in the coming days, maybe over the weekend in the Middle East, for another round of talks.
And it will be interesting to see whether this round of talks ends with a collapse, an explosion, because they can't really agree on the basis for negotiation, or the talks continue. If the talks continue, I think it's a very good sign about the ability to get to a deal.
HILL: Yes, all right. Well, we'll be watching as well.
Barak Ravid, appreciate it as always. Thank you.
RAVID: Thank you.
HILL: Still to come here, love in the age of AI, how artificial intelligence may help millions find companionship from dating apps and chatbots to life-size robots.
[15:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: All this week, we are looking to the future, specifically our future with artificial intelligence and how it might change our lives. And AI is already changing love, at least dating, how we find, and in some cases, create those we fall in love with.
HILL: Yes, part of that may sound like a little sci-fi. You may remember the 2013 movie Her, where a character played by Joaquin Phoenix develops a romantic relationship with an AI-based computer operating system. This should jog your memory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AI, VIRTUAL GIRLFRIEND: Hello, I'm here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.
AI: Hi, I'm Samantha.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.
AI: You have a meeting in five minutes. You want to try getting out of bed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're too funny.
AI: OK, good, I'm funny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Funny and perhaps not so far-fetched. The company OpenAI warning its users of ChatGPT that people could actually develop a, quote, emotional reliance on their app.
Joining us to discuss, Laurie Siegel, the CEO of Mostly Human Media, and of course, our former colleague here at CNN, where she covered technology. Laurie, always good to have you.
Let's start with something that probably more people are familiar with. We're talking about dating apps. How are companies using AI to maybe help you find love, make a better match? LAURIE SEGALL, CEO, MOSTLY HUMAN MEDIA: I think the headline would be optimization. So, AI can now help you pick out your profile picture and make a suggestion, or it could help you come up with prompts or optimize you writing your profile. And this is, I will say this has changed a lot since I was on the dating apps.
And also, there's like even more, I would say, out there technology that AI that dates for you and has conversations and then will tell you who it believes your match is.
So, it's putting a lot of weight on AI, but I think a lot of folks are now using it just to optimize a little bit better, make it a little bit of a smoother experience.
SANCHEZ: Now, talk to us about AI companions or chatbots, these virtual girlfriends, boyfriends, et cetera. How prevalent are they becoming? Who's using them?
SEGALL: So, there's a reason. Her was always one of my favorite movies, and it really was so forward facing. I would say empathetic chatbots, these chatbots that people are beginning to really develop emotional connections with.
This is happening so much for younger users, but also older users just in general. An MIT study came out recently, and they had analyzed over a million chat logs, and they said, OK, the number one use case that people are using this for is creative brainstorming. The number two use case they found was sexual role playing.
And there are a lot of technical reasons why that's happening. I think AI is a lot more empathetic. It sounds more human.
And it also has memory in many cases where it remembers you and people feel seen. And so, people are falling.
HILL: Wow. I didn't see that one coming. Some people, some of our viewers may remember, I remember it well, your show here on CNN, Mostly Human. This aired seven years ago.
We wanted to play a clip from part of that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEGALL: What is it that a robot can provide for you? That an avatar can provide for you, that human connection doesn't?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (translated text): That humans are irrational, whereas robots is always logically rational. When something is going wrong, we know it's a problem in the script or code. So that can be fixed or changed.
Whereas a human can be unpredictable, it can change, lie, cheat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She would admit that she prefers the mechanical faults than the faults of a human.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: So, this idea of robotic companions, clearly, it was already out there seven years ago, right? When you were working on Mostly Human. That technology, though, is really advancing, and AI is playing a role.
[15:45:00]
SEGALL (on camera): Yes, I'll never forget sitting at that table with Lily, and it was outside of Paris, and she was engaged to a robot. And I just thought, this seems so crazy at the time. And the headline I came up with was, you know, she said, it's not real, but that doesn't matter.
Now, fast forward all these years later, you have these customizable robots that look more human. They are powered by artificial intelligence that makes them look like they can recognize you, they can see you, they feel and seem empathetic. So, that was just the beginning of it. And I think people are developing much more human- centric relationships with objects that aren't human, because that technology is just so incredibly powerful.
SANCHEZ: We've talked a lot about the health ramifications and the danger of the so-called loneliness epidemic. Do you think these AI tools are helping to solve and alleviate that problem, or actually making it worse and disincentivizing human-to-human connection?
SEGALL: I think it's a double-edged sword. I think without the correct guardrails, we really run the risk of young people becoming addicted to these emotional chatbots. We told the story back in October of a young man who actually ended his life after developing a relationship with a chatbot, and it didn't have the correct guardrails.
It didn't suggest that he go to a suicide hotline when he started talking about these things, and he began to disassociate from reality. This is a very real thing. You go on Reddit and you look at some of these forums, and people start believing that these AI companions are real.
And this company, Character AI, their tagline was AI created to feel alive. And the question we have to start asking is what happens when it seems empathetic but it's not, and where do we really turn that corner of emotional manipulation? And, of course, there are also positives to people being able to have an outlet.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. Lots to think about, that is for sure. Laurie Segall, always good to see you. Thank you.
SEGALL: Good to see you.
HILL: And we'll be right back.
[15:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HILL: To celebrate the new CNN original series "MY HAPPY PLACE", some of CNN's own are getting in on the fun. Of course, you saw Boris scuba diving with his friends not too long ago. Well, now Bill Weir, who has traveled the world a couple times over, reporting from the front lines of the climate crisis, he is sharing his happy place.
It's perhaps no surprise you'll find it in the great outdoors. Come along as Bill takes us to the beautiful slot canyons of Buckskin Gulch, Utah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to one of my very favorite happy places. I got a bunch of them on mountains and swamps and coral reefs all over the world, but this place is special. This is Buckskin Gulch, Utah, one of the longest slot canyons anywhere in the world.
WEIR (voice-over): On a satellite map, it looks like a snake, 16 miles long. But down in it is another world made of rock and light, time and silence.
WEIR: It is so quiet that the only sounds are the buzz of a fly and maybe a commercial airliner 35,000 feet above.
WEIR (voice-over): Through alleys as wide as your shoulders and high as skyscrapers, each bend in the rock reveals a new surprise.
WEIR: This is all created by eddies of water spinning and boring over eons to create these incredible sculptures. Look at this.
WEIR (voice-over): But to enjoy the wonders of Buckskin Gulch, one must also enjoy crotch-deep ice-cold puddles.
WEIR: And then if you're lucky, right around the time your toes are frozen numb, you find a little pocket of sunshine, like a little oasis of warmth.
WEIR (voice-over): I first backpacked here right before the pandemic, thrown in with an eclectic group that included Mr. All right, all right, all right, Matthew McConaughey, and that's Dan Buettner of the Blue Zones getting a lesson in quicksand.
WEIR: Well, thanks for setting up this trip, Dan.
WEIR (voice-over): But on that amazing trip, we were all most impressed with the man who led the way, Glen Van Peski. This guy is a legend in the world of ultralight backpacking and so-called true hikers.
GLEN VAN PESKI, FOUNDER OF GOSSAMER GEAR: You're on the trail for, you know, a week or a month or a year, depending on the trail.
WEIR: I don't know about you, Glenn, but my happy places usually involve some threat of danger. What are they here?
VAN PESKI: You could twist an ankle, you could run out of water, hypothermia.
WEIR: Snakes, scorpions, any of those?
VAN PESKI: Some rattlesnakes down here, scorpion once.
WEIR (voice-over): A former engineer, Glen spent decades shaving every spare gram of weight from his pack until his garage became a company called Gossamer Gear, and his philosophy became take less, do more.
VAN PESKI: Yes, that's my sleeping pad.
WEIR: You find that's enough, Glen?
VAN PESKI: I do with the right skill. And this is, you know, true in a lot of life. If you have the knowledge and skills, sometimes that can take the place of stuff.
WEIR: And your brain doesn't weigh any more no matter how much you pack in it.
VAN PESKI: I think especially in our culture, there's so much focus on, well, to be happy, to be fulfilled, we need to get more stuff. You know, another car, another vacation house, more stuff for the kitchen, whatever this stuff is.
[15:55:00]
But ultralight backpacking reminds me of, like, how little I actually need.
And that the things that make me happy isn't the stuff, it's the places.
WEIR: It's the experiences.
VAN PESKI: It's the experiences, yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Thanks to Bill for that.
A new episode of "MY HAPPY PLACE" airs this Sunday, 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.
Still to come, a little girl finds a message in a bottle in Florida. You won't believe how far that bottle traveled.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: A connection nearly seven years in the making. A little girl vacationing with her family in Florida found a message in a bottle which included origami cranes. It had been thrown into the ocean in Hawaii.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSIE LAW, FOUND MESSAGE: I was walking and then the waves were coming and the bottle almost went but I grabbed it really fast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The message read, Hello people who found this, you will be happy you found this. Why? Because you will know me with this number.
HILL: 21-year-old Peyton Hollenbeck wrote that note with her brother before they threw the bottle into the water off of Oahu.
[16:00:00]
They included their phone number and the date, August 17, 2018. And then the bottle went on a heck of a journey going all the way from Hawaii to Florida's Bradenton Beach.
You can see there, we're pretty sure it didn't cross land. So, you know, you have a sense of why it perhaps took 7 years to get 100 miles away. Hollenbeck also said she never actually imagined that it would be found. She certainly didn't anticipate all the attention.
She says these days she's more concerned about ocean pollution and she's encouraging others to also be mindful taking care of the land and sea. She said she's not going to toss another bottle into the ocean.
SANCHEZ: Yes, that's important. Don't pollute even though it's kind of a neat story. Thanks for joining us.
HILL: "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.
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