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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Lebanon Reports 34 Killed by Israeli Strikes Overnight; Democratic Republic of the Congo Reports 1,000+ Ebola Cases; Five Trapped in Laos Cave Found Alive; Probe Claims E. Jean Carroll Committed Perjury; IRA-Style Children's Investment Accounts Available Now; U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Shrinking to Low Levels; AI Recreates the Genius of Moliere; New York and New Jersey Examine Ticket Pricing Practices. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 28, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm
Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6 in the evening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS (voice-over): Now, you're looking at a video of what Iran says is its response to a U.S. strike. This is a new video we're bringing to you
and we'll bring you the latest from Washington.
In Lebanon, at least 34 people have been killed by Israel's strikes in several cities, including in the first strike on Beirut in weeks.
And in Laos, rescue teams are working tirelessly to pull out five people found alive in a flooded cave.
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GIOKOS: Welcome to the show.
And exchanging fire during a ceasefire. For the second time in three days, the U.S. has conducted strikes, saying it attacked Iranian drones and
launch facilities near the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said they targeted a U.S. base. Donald Trump says he won't be rushed into a deal to end the war, even
if it comes at a cost politically.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They thought they were going to outwait me. We will outwait him. He's got the midterms. I don't care about the
midterms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, oil prices are rising again after falling on Wednesday. Washington is dismissing Iranian media reports that a draft agreement to
end the war includes lifting the U.S. naval blockade in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
I spoke to Kevin Liptak in the past hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, seems as if the deal is on extraordinarily shaky ground at the moment. You have this tit-for-tat
fire occurring in the Strait of Hormuz overnight. The U.S. saying that it detected Iranian drones headed toward a commercial vessel in the Strait.
They took down the drones and they also took out the ground facility that they said was preparing to fire an additional drone. And then you had Iran
responding with a ballistic missile and what Central Command said this morning was that the missile was successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti
forces and remember the U.S. has five military bases inside Kuwait.
Central Command calling this quote an egregious ceasefire violation and so you see all of these skirmishes, if you can call them that, going back and
forth, which do seem to undermine the ongoing negotiations, which were already in somewhat fragile condition even before all of this.
Now where all of this is headed, you know, I think is unclear. When I talked to officials this morning, they seem to suggest that the IRGC seems
to be trying to demonstrate some of their leverage, continued leverage over this Strait of Hormuz as these negotiations proceed.
And certainly, the ability to fire drones at commercial vessels in the Strait does seem to undercut somewhat President Trump's own claims that the
U.S. has completely obliterated Iran over the course of this conflict.
CNN reporting suggests that Iran has been able to dig out some of its missile capabilities along the Strait and obviously they're still able to
cause a degree of chaos in the waterway as these negotiations proceed.
Now when we heard from President Trump yesterday, he seemed reluctant to appear over eager to reach a deal, said he was under no pressure to
finalize this memorandum of understanding. And in fact, said that he didn't care about the midterms, suggesting that the economic fallout of this war
is not factoring into his decision making
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, in a bizarre moments during Wednesday's cabinet meeting, president Trump threatened to attack one of the U.S.' oldest allies in the
Arab world, Oman. The president was responding to a reporter's question about the strait. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Mr. President, Iran wants control of the straight over Moose. Would you accept a short-term deal that allows Iran and Oman to control the
strait?
And would they have to open it immediately or would you be open to that happening over a period of time?
TRUMP: The strait is going to be open to everybody. It's --
QUESTION: And who would control it?
TRUMP: It's international waters. Nobody is going to control it. We're going to watch over it.
[10:05:00]
We'll watch over it. But nobody is going to control it. Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. They understand
that. They'll be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, for more on this now, I'm joined by Middle East expert H.A. Hellyer, joining us from Cairo.
H.A., great to have you with us. I want you to just expand on Oman's role in this region and why that underscores the confusion around Trump's
comments and threats toward Iran, which I think has taken everyone by surprise.
HA HELLYER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE AND SECURITY STUDIES: Thank you very much, Eleni. Always a
pleasure to be on your program.
And to those celebrating Eid, saeed mubarak alaikum.
So I think the issue here is that Oman is typically thought of and is a very key U.S. ally in the region. It's a very important ally, not simply
for the United States but for many countries in the West. it doesn't have really enemies, to be quite frank.
I mean, Oman has managed to situate itself quite well in terms of being a country of mediation, of dialogue. So it's quite extraordinary to see them
being singled out in this way.
There is, of course, this very clear concern around the Strait of Hormuz. It's a concern that the rest of the Gulf also shares, including Oman's
allies in the GCC. But the idea that they would be, you know, attacked or bombed, as a result of any of this is really quite extraordinary And really
came as a shock.
I don't think just through to the Omanis but to everybody in the region. I don't think people expect that this is actually going to be taken
seriously. But it's quite extraordinary to see it come out of the White House in any case.
GIOKOS: Yes, absolutely.
I want you to also to watch this. it's an exchange from yesterday's cabinet meeting, where Trump again urged regional players like Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
Kuwait to join the Abraham Accords as part of the Iran deal. Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'd like to have them join the Abraham Accords. It will be historic if they do it and I think they -- I think they owe that to us, to be
honest. I think because that really would be a tremendous sign. And I think those countries owe it to us.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Steve, are you going to get them to sign?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're definitely pushing it, Mr. President.
TRUMP: I'm not sure. I'm not sure we should make the deal if they don't sign.
QUESTION: But the Iran deal might be contingent on more countries joining.
TRUMP: I don't know. I don't want to say that. I'm not going to give, you know, what's contingent, what's not. I can say that, we can make a good
deal right now but maybe not a great deal.
And if it's not a great deal when I'm making it, because we can make a great deal with this guy right here and -- but it's, you know, it's a lot
nastier. Probably wouldn't go as quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: So president Trump, there he was pointing to Peter Hegseth, his Defense Secretary, alluding to military action. He kept on repeating, if
Iran doesn't make a great deal.
Here's the thing, Gulf states have been very clear that they're not going to sign without a credible path to a Palestinian state.
So why do you think he keeps pushing this?
HELLYER: Because it's Washington, D.C., quite frankly. The United States has invested a tremendous amount of political capital over the last decade,
pushing for the normalization of the state of Israel within the Arab world and the wider region.
And has hitherto been unwilling to see that that simply cannot take place without a Palestinian state. Incidentally, a path for normalization has
already been declared in the region more than 20 years ago -- 2002, 2003, 2002.
The Saudi-Arab peace initiative that the entirety of the Arab League upheld, that even the OIC, the Organization of Islamic Conference -- which
by the way, includes Iran -- they all endorse this initiative.
And this initiative was very clear. It was about a Palestinian state, having a just solution for the refugees. And very crucially, Israeli
withdrawal from the Occupied Territories that it has to do anyway, according to international law and the International Court of Justice and
so on.
And in exchange, they would get full and complete normalization. But because of the really bizarre misfocus when it comes to this question in
D.C., I think that Donald Trump thought that he could just throw that out there.
I don't think, frankly, anyone in the administration thinks that this is remotely likely. They would have been told multiple times that none of
these countries are interested in acceding to the Abraham Accords.
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Or normalizing relations with the State of Israel if they haven't done so already.
And, of course, you mentioned some countries that have already have diplomatic relations with the State of Israel, and are already part of the
Abraham Accords, which is a separate thing. It's in addition. I don't think that they're going to get anybody wanting to join an expanded version.
GIOKOS: Look, I've been on assignment for the last two weeks and, you know, coming back and just seeing that we're basically looking still at the
tit-for-tat between Iran and the United States.
Negotiations are still dragging on; an imminent, you know, potential deal, it's morphed into like focusing on the Strait of Hormuz.
What is the sense of play right now in terms of where it's going?
Because it just feels like it's dragging on at this stage.
HELLYER: Well, the tit-for-tat stuff, I think, is par for the course. I wouldn't say that that's necessarily going to derail the negotiations. I
think that that's -- you know, I'm not -- I won't say on the side because, of course, it could, escalate and it could spill out of control.
But I don't think that that's really a cause for concern in terms of whether or not a deal actually gets signed. I think there are other issues,
particularly with regards to Lebanon, because the Israelis have now escalated in Lebanon. And reports came out today saying that they struck
Beirut, which, which is really quite extraordinary. Right.
So the -- I think that that's where you look to see if there's going to be spoiler activity. The Israelis have made it very clear they don't want a
deal with Iran. They want to go back to full-scale war.
So I think that that's where you look at. But these attacks between the U.S. and Iran in the Gulf, in terms of those military forces, I don't think
this is good. I think it raises the tempo. But I don't think that it sets the negotiations off completely at all.
GIOKOS: Yes, a lot of questions there. H.A., great to have you with us. And Eid mubarak to you and your family. Good to have you on, my friend.
HELLYER: And to everybody, thank you
GIOKOS: Thank you.
All right, so to H.A.'s point, Israel has carried out its first strike on Beirut. That's in weeks. The IDF targeted what an Israeli source described
as a commander in Hezbollah's missile unit.
Now the attack comes as Israel expands its offensive across southern Lebanon, striking the city of Tyre just days after prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu announced deeper military operations.
Lebanese officials say at least 34 people were killed and 77 wounded on Wednesday. CNN's Jerusalem bureau chief Oren Liebermann has the latest for
us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, that strike in Beirut is certainly noteworthy. As you pointed out an Israeli
source told CNN that
the target of that attack in Beirut, the first in three weeks, was a Hezbollah missile commander. Israel has largely refrained from targeting
the Lebanese Capital because the U.S. has insisted that the ceasefire remain in place and that limits Israel's ability to strike.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under increasing domestic pressure to strike the capital itself to widen Israel's offensive
in Lebanon, because of continued Hezbollah attacks with explosive drones and rockets. So this is a function not only of what Israel sees as a
target of opportunity, a high-ranking Hezbollah commander to target but also the demand on Netanyahu to widen Israel's ongoing bombardment of
Southern Lebanon and now beyond.
The Israeli source said the attack in Beirut was coordinated with the United States. The last time Israel struck Beirut was on May 6th. The
target there was the commander of Hezbollah's Elite Radwan Force but this isn't the only attack we're seeing. We've also seen wider waves of strikes
against the cities of Tyre in Southern Lebanon, as well as other locations.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, at least 34 people were killed in Lebanon in Israeli strikes on Wednesday and that means over
Tuesday and Wednesday we saw nearly 70 people killed in Lebanon in Israeli strikes, according to the ministry and that makes it two of the deadliest
days we have seen in the country since the ceasefire.
Now despite all this, the U.S. is still trying to push forward some diplomatic track to try to get to a broader ceasefire agreement. In
fact, an Israeli official told CNN a short time ago that there are in fact talks scheduled for tomorrow in the Pentagon between military reps from
Lebanon and Israel. This follows three rounds of direct meetings between the ambassadors of the countries.
Despite all of this, it hasn't brought the countries and the conflict any closer to a definitive conclusion. Trump has made clear that he wants to
see a meeting between Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun but from where we sit now, with ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon, with
ongoing Hezbollah explosive drone attacks on Israeli forces in Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon
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It's very difficult to see a real ceasefire coming to fruition here. Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right.
Well, the Trump Administration has claimed repeatedly that U.S. and Israeli strikes have
obliterated Iran's arsenal of missiles. But a CNN investigation using recent satellite imagery shows Tehran is quickly digging its way back into
underground stores of weapons temporarily blocked by air attacks. CNN's Tamara Qiblawi reports with analysis from Thomas Boudreau.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are recent satellite images of Iran's missile bases taken after the start of the ceasefire with
the U.S. and Israel. Dump trucks and excavators digging through piles of rubble along the mountainside but it's what lies beneath the surface that
makes this significant.
A vast stockpile of missiles trapped by U.S. bombs and likely intact, according to weapons experts, with satellite images showing Iran quickly
regaining access to them, casting doubts on U.S. president Donald Trump's claims of having all but vanquished Iran's formidable rocket arsenal.
TRUMP: Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed and their weapons factories and rocket launchers are being blown
to pieces. Very few of them left.
QIBLAWI (voice-over): CNN previously identified the pattern of U.S.- Israeli strikes to put Iran's missile complexes out of commission, not by
destroying them but by blocking the tunnel entrances leading in and out of them. Leaving the rockets trapped inside and severely hampering Iran's
ability to wreak havoc on U.S. allies in the region.
But that was only a temporary solution. Iran is already undoing the effects of that strategy. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that Iran
has been repairing the damage.
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them. You have no defense
industry.
QIBLAWI (voice-over): But the recovery is widespread and it is happening quickly. CNN looked at 69 tunnels across 18 underground missile bases. At
least 50 of those access points appear to have been cleared and many others are being repaired.
Take this base in Western Iran. Just weeks ago, U.S.-Israeli fighter jets destroyed all four entrances to the underground complex but now two of
them appear wide open. The roads needed to wheel out its trapped rocket launchers repaved and Iran is already in the process of clearing the
remaining two.
It's also repaired some of the more than a dozen craters left behind by U.S.-Israeli munitions. The craters indicate that a large amount of
firepower was used to destroy just two tunnel entrances and all Iran needs to reopen them: dump trucks and bulldozers.
As Iran rallies around the missiles that survived the war, weapons experts say it will continue to come up with new ways to protect its arsenal from
any renewed U.S.-Israeli bombing. Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, now to the fight to contain the Ebola virus epidemic in eastern Africa. Uganda has temporarily closed its border with the
Democratic Republic of Congo and is asking people to be vigilant.
Ebola response teams, cargo and security teams will still be allowed entry through -- will need to pass additional health checks. Rwanda has similarly
closed its border to the DRC last week. The DRC has now reported more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and more than 230 suspected deaths as the virus
is continuing to spread.
Last hour I spoke to Dr. Petra Khoury, global director of health and care at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
And she told me about the impact of the border closures and the efforts to combat misinformation about the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PETRA KHOURY, INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES: Border closures do not end epidemics but stops the epidemic
from spreading is the work that we need to do at the community
level. The borders, the cross-border collaboration is highly needed to ensure that the flow of humanitarian work aid, as well as movement of
people, is well coordinated and the Red Cross is present at both ends of the border.
We're working with authorities to help screening, testing and supporting communities and people as they cross the border but this is not what's
going to stop the epidemic. What's going to stop the epidemic is going into communities, speaking, listening to communities, answering to their fears,
and explaining to them how can they put prevention measures and how they can abide and protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus.
GIOKOS: Yes, OK. So let's talk about that, because we've also heard reports of some community members.
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Some family members trying to get access
to loved ones who have passed away that were also being treated.
There are reports of some site, a site being set on fire. Can you talk to me about that?
And what kind of interventions you're thinking about already
embarking on to ensure that you know there's a sense of how dangerous this is in terms of getting exposure to Ebola?
KHOURY: Mistrust, conspiracy theory, fabricated rumors is a normal aspect of every epidemic. However, it's the job of the front-liners to go within
communities and reinstate trust. We work with these communities, we listen to them, we get their feedback and we adjust our operations and our
response accordingly.
These communities have chronically been underserved. There has been a chronic underinvestment in their structures and building trust does not
come overnight. We cannot show up in communities overnight and ask them to trust us. The Red Cross is present in these communities before and during
and after a crisis and an epidemic.
Our tools have been tested through multiple epidemics in the past and we continue to use them at the moment. We have more than 180 volunteers going
around within communities, they've done more than 4,000 door-to-door visits, talking and listening and engaging with communities to answer to
their
fears and to rebuild trust in the system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Right. That was Dr. Petra Khoury there for us.
Now we're following joy and relief in Laos after five people are found alive in a flooded cave. Now comes the difficult process of pulling them
out. A look at the challenges rescue teams now face. That's coming up next.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
Now 16 students have died in Kenya's Rift Valley after a fire in the dormitory of a girls' school overnight. The blaze broke out just after
midnight and students say it started in the upper part of the building, blocking the exit for some of the girls; 79 others were injured and taken
to hospital, though most have now been released.
The country's education minister says the cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Rescuers say they are elated. They found five people who had spent a week trapped deep in a cave in Laos but they're warning it will be difficult to
get them out. The rescue effort, complicated by flooded passages, narrow tunnels and low visibility. CNN's Will Ripley has the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the moment rescuers found five villagers alive, trapped for a week in a flooded cave in central
Laos.
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The men say they're not sick, just weak, exhausted and desperately hungry.
Officials say they entered the cave a week ago searching for gold. Heavy rain and flash flooding sealed the exit behind them. Seven days later their
first taste of fresh water and soon food and first aid. But the danger is far from over.
Some of the same elite cave divers who helped rescue a soccer team in Thailand in 2018 are back working on this rescue, including Finnish diver
Mikko Paasi. He's helping lead the search and rescue operation, crawling through claustrophobic caverns full of muddy water.
He says getting the survivors out alive will be extremely difficult and extremely dangerous.
MIKKO PAASI, ELITE CAVE DIVER: It's extremely small, tight complex of tunnels. Tight spots in this mine are so tight that you need to exhale to
wiggle through.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Some tunnels are just 23 inches wide, forcing divers to crawl sideways, flat on their stomachs. They leave the cave covered in
mud, exhausted from searching around the clock, all during monsoon season.
In this mountainous jungle region near Long Tieng, once home to a secret CIA base during the Vietnam War, flash floods can happen in minutes.
Teams are pumping fresh air underground, working to drain the rising water and even establishing an internet signal deep inside the cave using radar
technology to scan narrow, underground passages.
Rescuers in Laos are hoping for another survival story, like that Thai soccer team about eight years ago. They spent more than two weeks
underground and all made it out alive. But conditions this time may be even more treacherous. Rising water, tight tunnels and zero visibility putting
rescuers and survivors in danger.
What rescuers still don't know is exactly how stable conditions are deeper inside the cave system. Divers say even small changes in rainfall could
quickly raise the water level again during monsoon season.
And unlike the Thai cave rescue in 2018, this is an old, hand-dug mining tunnel with concerns about unstable passages, contaminated air and the risk
of collapse -- Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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GIOKOS (voice-over): I want to get you up to speed now on some other stories that are on our radar right now.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is traveling to Singapore to attend the annual defense and security forum, known as the Shangri-la dialogue. He'll
also have talks with Singapore's prime minister and defense chiefs from other U.S. allies.
Crews are racing to recover nine people who are presumed dead after a deadly chemical tank rupture at a paper plant in Washington state. At least
two people were already confirmed dead.
A 900,000 gallon tank imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility, sending hazardous chemicals into the nearby Columbia River.
The former U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi tells CNN she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after she left the Justice Department. Bondi says she is
undergoing treatment and had surgery a few weeks ago. She said she's still recovering and doing well.
Next on CONNECT THE WORLD, a CNN exclusive. The U.S. Justice Department goes after another accuser of U.S. president Donald Trump. What this latest
probe focuses on, we'll be back right after this.
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GIOKOS (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. Here are your headlines.
Iran says it has attacked an American air base after U.S. forces struck a military site near the Strait of Hormuz. An official says the U.S. targeted
Iranian drones and launch facilities. The U.S. president says he will not be rushed into a deal with Iran and doesn't care about the midterm
elections.
There's renewed hope in Laos, where rescuers say five men trapped inside a flooded cave for more than a week could be brought out within hours. Divers
are preparing for an extremely dangerous extraction through narrow, water- filled passageways deep underground. Two other people who entered the cave separately are still missing.
CNN has learned that the U.S. Justice Department is launching a criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll. Investigators are examining whether the Donald
Trump accuser lied under oath in her civil lawsuits.
Now it's focused on claims she denied outside funding, later contradicted by new disclosures. All right, let's get more on this exclusive reporting
from CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The Justice Department is focused on whether E. Jean Carroll may have lied during a 2022
deposition, where she said that she had received no outside funding.
Later, her lawyers told the judge that she had, in fact, received outside funding for her legal fees and other expenses from billionaire Reid
Hoffman.
Now when the trial began, the judge said that he didn't see any issues with her credibility. He even blocked Trump lawyers from being able to revisit
these questions around funding.
But it's clear that this investigation, which is, we believe, in its early stages, is just the latest example of the president's promised campaign of
retribution against his perceived adversaries.
Now under acting attorney general Todd Blanche, they've picked up the pace at the Justice Department of how quickly they are pursuing not only
president Trump's adversaries but also pet issues for the president, for his base.
But in this case, I'm told that acting attorney general Todd Blanche has recused from the Carroll investigation because he worked on the appeals.
I'm told he has not attended any meetings or been involved in any discussions about this.
Instead, it's being handled out of the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago. That's where Reid Hoffman's nonprofit is based.
Now I also want to note Carroll is embroiled with multiple ongoing legal disputes with the president. Juries have awarded her millions of dollars in
damages. The president has appealed that and has not paid her.
Now one of those appeals, Kate, is currently in front of the Supreme Court. But interestingly, 12 times the high court has punted on deciding whether
or not they want to take up that case.
So we're still waiting to see if they're going to take up this appeal or if another case gets to the Supreme Court, if they might take up that question
related to Carroll and the president. Now Carroll's legal team declined to comment for this story and attempts to reach Reid Hoffman were
unsuccessful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, earlier, Kate Bolduan spoke with CNN's senior legal analyst Elie Honig, about what's next in this case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: If there comes a day where E. Jean Carroll gets charged, she will have a very strong vindictive prosecution defense.
The textbook definition of vindictive prosecution is somebody asserts their rights, let's say by a lawsuit and wins and then gets punished with a
prosecution in return. And so she will have a very strong case.
And this, of course, is not happening in a vacuum, Kate. We've seen politically targeted prosecutions that have failed against Letitia James,
against Jim Comey, against Mark Kelly, against Elissa Slotkin, an investigation of Jerome Powell, on down the line.
So she'll have a powerful defense to be made but she can't do it now. She can only do it if and when there comes a day where she gets indicted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:35:00]
GIOKOS: Well, in a different case, the president unsuccessfully asked for the Justice Department to join as a defendant so that he could argue
presidential immunity. An appeals court panel of judges said the argument was raised too late in the legal process.
Now construction crews are back at the White House. A temporary cage fighting arena is going up on the South Lawn right now for a UFC event next
month on president Trump's birthday.
But the president is intent on leaving a far more permanent mark on Washington, D.C., from a new White House ballroom to plans for the world's
largest triumphal arch, which looks set to be at least partly funded by taxpayers' money. Now two U.S. military veterans are suing him over the
project. They explain why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAUN BYRNES, VIETNAM WAR VETERAN: I'm appalled. I lost a number of close friends and three shipmates in and around Vietnam. And I'm just appalled at
this massive vanity project going up on ground that is some of the most sacred ground to Americans without following procedures and the law in
building. And I just find it's appalling.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: So Jon, Trump says that the arch will be the largest in the world. That's what he says.
And when we show it here, it is going to, when it's done, according to the renderings, be 50 feet taller than the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang. It
will be 90 feet taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. And obviously, it dwarfs the White House and the Lincoln Memorial, as we can see that. It
will remake Washington, D.C.
So Jon, what statement do you think this makes to the world?
JON GUNDERSEN, VIETNAM WAR VETERAN: Yes, as Sean says, it's a vainglorious comment. It does not serve veterans. When you think about this arch, which
as you mentioned, Erin, is bigger than -- it's also much bigger than the Statue of Liberty.
And if you've ever been in Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, you have this sweeping, iconic view of Washington. You see
the Lincoln Memorial, you see the Washington Monument, the Vietnam Memorial, Korean, World War Two. This arch would block that view, which is
sacred.
And the Arlington National Cemetery, that was made after World War -- after the Civil War, as a sign of unity. What this does is it's not cleared by
Congress. It is not vetted by veterans. It is disgraceful for veterans and it doesn't go through the normal process.
All these other ones, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, passed by Congress, bipartisan support vetted by veterans. This is not. It's the
wrong arch in the wrong place. It's a bad idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: And starting today, the Trump Accounts goes live, giving parents the opportunity to create an IRA-style savings account for their children.
The U.S. government will also put c into every account open for children born between January 1st, 2025 and December 31st, 2028. The accounts will
open for investment starting July 4th. We've got CNN business senior reporter David Goldman in live in New York for us.
David, fascinating; $1,000 for each of these accounts.
I mean, essentially, are they going to be matching the $1,000 that you need to actually open the accounts?
Take me through how this will work.
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. This is something that I wish I had certainly going into college because, you know, $1,000 is pretty
meaningful to a lot of Americans. And a lot of folks have just been left out of all of those stock market gains that we've had over the past many,
many years, you know.
And it's created this wealth divide in the United States where we have people who have money in and we have people who just have money in cash, if
they even have any savings whatsoever.
And so putting some guardrails, around $1,000 in an investment account that has to be broadly invested in either an ETF, like, you know, where it's
based on multiple indexes or a single index.
But a broad one, that could be a really, really good thing because, if you take a look, investing $1,000 over the course of 18 years, even if you
don't invest a single dime in addition to the $1,000, you could come away with $5,500 if you get an average market return of about 10 percent. And if
you maximize your contributions at a $5,000 a year.
And clearly not everyone has that ability. But if you do well, your kids could come away with 20 -- with -- rather with $0.25 million.
[10:40:02]
That's $250,000, almost, once you become 18. And now these accounts can be used tax-free for education or for buying a first home or retirement.
Otherwise, pulling the money out, you get a 10 percent penalty on top of the taxes that you owe on it. But this could really give a lot of Americans
a leg up once they're at the age where they might be going to college.
GIOKOS: Yes. Yes. Really fascinating. I mean, you know, putting money aside for your kid as they're born changes the game. Definitely. But this
is a market-linked account. So it basically moves according to what happens to markets over the long term.
We know markets perform really well. But this isn't a savings account per se. This is a market-linked account.
GOLDMAN: That's right. So this isn't cash. So you know when you put money in your savings account, it might accrue some interest based on what the
Federal Reserve sets as the particular rate. And your bank is obviously involved in that as well.
And you're talking about single digits at best, right?
I actually think that the average rate for savings is under 1 percent right now. So the market has been averaging more than 10 percent over the past
many, many years. And so the estimates that I gave are actually kind of conservative, based on what we've seen in recent memory.
Now there is no guarantee that the market will continue to go up and up and up. We all remember what happened in 2022. The market lost a fifth of its
value. So there is risk inherent in stock investing. That is for sure.
But it's free money. For anyone who has a child, it makes a lot of sense. And, you know, potentially really helps a lot of people who need it.
GIOKOS: Yes, exactly. I'm just thinking about how much money I spend on random trends with my daughter. I should think about putting money aside
for her instead.
(CROSSTALK)
GOLDMAN: I'm sure she enjoys it.
GIOKOS: Yes. Well, I'm starting to count how many squishies I've been buying her lately and random toys. Yes. I've got -- I've got to think
differently. David, good to have you on. Really nice to see you.
David Goldman there for us. Well, ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD. As voter frustration grows over the price of oil, president Trump is rapidly
depleting the U.S. emergency oil reserve. We have more on this. Just ahead. Stay with CNN.
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GIOKOS: To the United States now, where the ongoing conflict with Iran has left the U.S. emergency oil reserve shrinking fast even as countries
scramble to replace oil trapped in the Persian Gulf.
The amount of Strategic Petroleum Reserve released by Trump has surpassed records while the crude oil reserve is reaching the lowest level it has
since the 1980s.
[10:45:00]
Now the aim is to lower gasoline prices and this is why there is, you know, release of Strategic Petroleum Reserves. We've got Matt Egan, senior CNN
senior reporter, joining us now.
Matt, I mean, you know, you tap into these strategic reserves to try and alleviate supply constraints.
But how much of a concern should this be for the average consumer seeing the SPR actually coming down?
MATT EGAN, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, look, we've got back to back major wars that have really put a dent in America's pile of
emergency oil. Right.
You recall that, four years ago, then candidate Trump, after Russia invaded Ukraine, he really blasted the Biden administration for aggressively
draining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve ahead of the midterm elections.
Flash forward to today, now you have president Trump draining the SPR at an even faster clip ahead of this year's midterms because of another war, the
war with Iran. So the SPR fell by almost 10 million barrels in the latest week that we have data on alone. That's the most on record, surpassing
anything the Biden administration did.
And it did leave the SPR about 10 percent lower than it was when the war started, to the lowest level in about two years. And yes, quickly
approaching the lowest levels since the 1980s.
Now look, this is what the SPR is designed to do. It's supposed to act like an airbag that cushions consumers and businesses in an emergency from even
higher gasoline, diesel, jet fuel prices.
It is still the world's largest emergency oil stockpile and it has been deployed by presidents of both parties during wars, during hurricanes,
during other break-the-glass moments.
But the fact that the SPR is getting drained right now at the fastest clip on pace, it really does underscore the magnitude of this energy crisis,
right?
There's estimates that more than 1.2 billion barrels of crude have been derailed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Some context: that's
enough oil to meet world demand for 12 days. But that's what's been lost so far during this crisis.
And what's interesting is that some of that crude, it's not actually just staying at home in America to go to U.S. refiners that are making gasoline
and jet fuel and diesel. About half of it, according to Kpler, about half is getting exported overseas.
And that's because countries in Asia and Europe and elsewhere, they've been hit even harder by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
But I would just note here, Eleni, look, this is obviously not a bottomless pit. There are limits here. And what you take out, you've got to replace.
Otherwise you're going to be facing an even bigger problem when the next crisis arrives and that emergency reserve fund is depleted. Back to you.
GIOKOS: Yes, exactly. And you know, the SPR is there as this buffer to try and, you know, shield from crises. If you draw that down, you're left
vulnerable. So the longer this drags on for, the bigger issues we'll have down the line. Thanks so much, Matt, for putting that into perspective for
us. Thank you.
Matt Egan. All right. We'll be right back with more right after this. Stick with CNN.
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GIOKOS: Playwright, actor and poet Moliere is considered one of the greatest playwrights and writers in French and world literature.
[10:50:02]
He lived and died in the 1600s but now artists are trying to recreate his genius using artificial intelligence. CNN's Melissa Bell has more for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The final touches as actors prepare for the premiere of the play the French
playwright, Moliere, might have written in 1674 had he lived a few more months.
BELL: It is here in the splendor of the Opera Royal at Versailles that the play will be put on tonight, in this very classical theatre, where Moliere
himself came and acted in some of his later plays. 600 people tonight will be able to decide what they think of this newest play in the style of
Moliere.
BELL (voice-over): For two years, more than a hundred people, scientists, historians and thespians have worked with AI, training it and correcting it
every step of the way.
HUGO CASELLES-DUPRE, MEMBER, OBVIOUS: Our vision is to use AI in a way that we could discover new things about Moliere and to make people enjoy
Moliere in a different way and to see that we can reconciliate art creation and history study with this new technology.
BELL: And tonight then, the important thing is to see the reaction, I guess, of the 600 people who will come to watch.
PIERRE-MARIE CHAUVIN, VICE PRESIDENT, THE SORBONNE: Yes, that's really the main verdict because we know that all the process, creative process,
scientific process was really stimulating for everyone, for researchers, for artists. But we don't know how public -- how the public, how the
audience will receive it.
BELL (voice-over): While the Oscars now officially ban AI-written scripts from contention, France's theatre world has no such rule but many remain
skeptical.
Like the philosopher Eric Sadin (ph), who says that, "Given how seriously generative AI threatens artistic creation, there is a moral duty not only
to avoid these systems but to categorically oppose their use."
Those behind this project, though, say that it has been a profoundly human endeavor, simply improved by AI.
Thanks to AI, the performance is as close to what you might have seen here in the late 17th century; the costumes, the set, brought back in time, even
the accents the actors use.
Really remarkable to a modern ear and as for the emotion --
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very moved because I felt that I saw, for the first time, a new play from Moliere, in this very same place where the king was
discovering the first play.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's great. We just -- we have been laughing and so on, as if it was a real Moliere.
BELL (voice-over): A little piece of the past brought back to life, thanks to the technology of the future -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Versailles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey are investigating the sky-high ticket prices for the upcoming men's football World Cup.
FIFA's ticket prices for group matches in the U.S. began at $60 for a small number of tickets and then went up to more than $600.
Face value tickets for the final were nearly $11,000. CNN's Brynn Gingras picks up the story for us.
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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we've been hearing about how these tickets are so expensive for the World Cup games. But what we're
now hearing through these investigations as announced is did basically FIFA violate rules when putting these tickets online, allowing for people to buy
them?
Now one person that I talked to, a lifelong soccer fan, basically says they feel like FIFA pulled a whole bait and switch. He described to me how he
waited online the FIFA Web site to purchase tickets for the World Cup, spent 12 hours online in a queue, waiting just to actually purchase
tickets, picked two seats next to each other, $515 each.
Good seats on the side of the pitch. And then when he spent another five minutes to get to the checkout, his ticket confirmation showed completely
different seats, seats that are on the opposite side of the stadium he wanted to go to, behind the goal.
So this is the kind of stories that we're hearing about. But also I imagine these attorneys general are also hearing and wanting to hear more about how
this could possibly be in addition to those high ticket prices.
Like I said, it's the New York and New Jersey attorneys general that filed the subpoenas requesting this -- some information, starting this
investigation. But just a couple of weeks ago, the attorney general in California sending a formal inquiry as well to FIFA asking for specific
details about their ticketing strategy.
Basically, what disclosures are given to people who purchase tickets, what are their maps look like when someone is on their website trying to
purchase tickets.
[10:55:00]
So a lot of fact finding, trying to figure out how this process goes. Unclear if there will be any restitution in this. Certainly the World Cup
starts in just a couple of weeks, so probably not likely before these games start but maybe afterwards. At least that's what one soccer fan told me he
hopes for.
But I can tell you that we did talk to some fans who are saying at least somebody is on our side because they do feel like they are getting a bit
cheated and losing this game for sure -- Brynn Gingras in New York, for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Yes, super expensive ticket pricing there.
All right. So a dark blue Arsenal-branded kurta with red stripes, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS (voice-over): That's the look New York mayor Zohran Mamdani chose for Eid prayers in The Bronx on Wednesday. Although the fashion police
might not be fans of Mamdani's style, you can certainly say it brings a mix of his heritage, his religion and his random -- and fandom, rather, for the
London team.
Would you wear a sports-branded kurta?
I mean, it's created a lot of debate here. Let me know. You can comment on my Instagram @EleniGiokosCNN or on my Twitter page.
Well, thanks so much for joining us for this edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. Stick with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next and I'll see you tomorrow. Take
care.
END
