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Isa Soares Tonight
Treasury Secretary Bessent Holding WH Briefing; WH Deflects When Asked About Progress in Iran Deal; WHO Calls for Ceasefire in D.R. Congo; Sources: U.S. Justice Department Investigating E. Jean Carroll. U.S. Officials Now Saying the Text of a Ceasefire Agreement Between the United States and Iran has Been Finalized; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Warns Oman not to Support an Iranian Bid to Permanently Impose Tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired May 28, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
MAX FOSTER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, welcome, I'm Max Foster in for Isa Soares. Tonight, breaking news in Washington. U.S. officials now
saying the text of a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran has been finalized.
More on that in a moment. While those fragile diplomatic efforts are going on, the U.S. and Iran are again trading military strikes, though. American
forces struck Iranian drones and launched facilities close to the Strait of Hormuz in what a U.S. official says was self-defense.
U.S. Central Command says Iran's Revolutionary Guard then launched a missile attack towards Kuwait, which was intercepted. The U.S. military is
accusing Tehran of an egregious ceasefire violation. And 24 hours after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to blow up Oman, another
administration official is threatening that Middle East ally.
Now, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent today warning Oman not to support an Iranian bid to permanently impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. Bessent
will give a briefing at the White House shortly, and we'll bring you that live as soon as it happens.
But let's go to Matthew Chance, who is joining us now from London. So, again, some progress in these talks. But crucially, we haven't heard from
the leaders of those two countries yet.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it may be a little premature given our recent experience, Max, of, you know, reported
progress in these talks. Because even though there may be a kind of provisional agreement between the various negotiators who are -- who are
face-to-face with each other, or at least, engaging with each other directly, it all comes down to the decision of the U.S. President, Donald
Trump, it seems.
And, you know, he's under an enormous amount of pressure, of course, having sort of launched this war along with Israel against Iran, to come out
looking like he's got a victory, something to show for it. And you know, it's not quite clear, you know, what the terms of this deal are. We'll come
back to that in a second.
But of course, the other issue is that the Iranians as well are under an enormous amount of political pressure from the hardliners there at the
IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the supreme leader do not want to be seen to be making concessions to the United States, particularly
after the conflict that, you know, took such a heavy toll on them over the past several months.
And so, you know, there's a lot of, sort of intransigence on both sides and reluctance to make the sufficient compromises needed to bring a deal. But
you know, they have been talking, there are -- there is word now of progress, but we'll wait to see what, you know, President Trump and what
the Iranians say about this later on in the hours and the days ahead, I expect.
FOSTER: Yes, and we'll hear from Bessent soon as well. But what do you make of these strikes and counter-strikes in the region? Is that both sides
just keeping the pressure on effectively?
CHANCE: Yes, I mean, look, I mean, the pressure is on and there's military pressure as well as political pressure. We've seen a couple of American
strikes in the past three days. And so, they've really been sort of ratcheting up that pressure as well.
And these latest strikes, which were basically carried out by the IRGC, the Iranian military basically in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on targets
in southern Iran. The IRGC, in a press statement to Iranian state television, basically saying they targeted the source of the U.S. strikes
on Iran.
And by that, they meant a U.S. air base in the Arab gulf state of Kuwait, which was -- which was apparently targeted. But yes, I mean, this military
pressure as it increases, it, you know, further kind of makes it, you know, much more unlikely that a political deal will be done in the short-term.
But you know, let's see what happens. We could be on the brink of a breakthrough or maybe not.
FOSTER: And just take us through this position that Oman finds itself in, because a very close eye -- ally of the United States now coming under huge
pressure from the United States.
[14:05:00]
The impression from the United States being that they are somehow working with Iran to try to control that waterway. But what's your understanding
about what's going on there?
CHANCE: Yes, it's an extraordinary sort of, you know, attack, you know, verbal attack by, you know, President Trump and by Scott Bessent; the
Treasury Secretary as well now. On this Arab gulf state of Oman, which as you say, has been a long-time sort of friend and partner and ally of the
United States.
They've got a friendship agreement that stretches back, you know, a couple of centuries. And of course, the Americans have a treaty by which they can
use Omani military bases in that gulf region. Look, I mean, the problem is a geographical one.
Both the Iranians and the Omanis, they're the only two countries that have a coastline that sort of borders, you know, on the -- on the Strait of
Hormuz. They're the littoral states of the -- of the Straits of Hormuz.
And what the Iranians have always said, and what the Omanis have always been potentially open to, is the idea of, you know, sharing managerial
control over the Strait. And potentially, you know, splitting any charges that are imposed on vessels that go through that state as well.
Well, clearly, that has provoked a massive backlash from the White House, from President Trump saying that, you know, essentially, he's going to blow
them up. I mean, I'm paraphrasing him a little bit, but that's essentially what he threatened to do yesterday.
And that's been reiterated by several of his officials as well. It's even more extraordinary because not only are the Omanis sort of close friends of
the Americans, but they've always played this mediation role as well.
They've always been sort of like in -- quietly in the background, trying to sort of, you know, forge agreement between the various warring parties. And
so, I expect this is a big sort of crisis for them internally as well.
FOSTER: OK, Matthew Chance, appreciate it, thank you so much. Now, Israel, meanwhile, further tightening its grip on Gaza in defiance of a shaky
ceasefire that took effect in October. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has directed the military to take over 70 percent of Gaza.
That's a dramatic expansion of the demarcation line brokered under the deal. It's a move that will force even more of Gaza's 2 million
Palestinians into an ever-shrinking area of land, and it may not stop there, either.
At a conference earlier, Netanyahu insinuated Israel's territorial takeover may continue. Israel is also expanding its military operations in Lebanon,
pushing far beyond the occupied buffer zone. The IDF says it's striking Hezbollah infrastructure despite an April ceasefire and the attacks in the
ancient city of Tyre are -- were carried out shortly after Israel issued large-scale evacuation orders.
So, Lebanese authorities say dozens of civilians, including children were killed in Israeli air strikes on Wednesday. Now, Israel also launched its
first strike in Beirut in weeks. One source tells CNN, the IDF targeted a commander in Hezbollah's missile unit and the Iranian-backed group has been
launching drones at Israeli forces on both sides of the border between the two countries.
The view now from Jerusalem and CNN's Oren Liebermann. Oren, if we could start with Gaza, 70 percent control is an expansion, but could potentially
include the whole of Gaza. What are we talking about here?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't very specific in his wording. It's worth noting that
Israel already controls about 64 percent of the tiny coastal enclave that's been shattered after more than two years of war.
And that's from a map that was distributed to international aid organizations by the Israeli military. But here, Netanyahu is talking about
expanding that further, taking over 70 percent, and he hints that Israel could go further than that.
But he says we'll start with 70 percent as Israel forces the population of approximately 2 million Palestinians in Gaza into a smaller and smaller
area. Fundamentally, this makes the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that much harder to turn into reality.
Hamas calls it a blatant violation of that ceasefire agreement because the agreement itself had a yellow line, which left Israel with some 53 percent
of Gaza, and Israel was supposed to withdraw from that 53 percent when an international security force deployed to Gaza.
Well, here we are months later, there's no sign of that security force. And Israel is seizing more territory in Gaza as the Israeli military carries
out daily or near-daily strikes in Gaza. In fact, over the course of the past week-and-a-half or so, Israel carried out a targeted assassination of
the leader of Hamas' military wing.
And then just a couple of days ago, killed his successor as the head of Hamas' military wing. So, Israel has continued its military operations in
Gaza and its seizure of land there.
[14:10:00]
FOSTER: Yes, so these ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, I mean, they don't feel like ceasefires.
LIEBERMANN: No, not at all, certainly not on the ground. Israel has at the order of Netanyahu, deepened its military operations in Lebanon as well,
striking the cities of Tyre and Nabatiyeh. The strike in Beirut is significant.
As you pointed out, an Israeli source told CNN that they went after a commander in Hezbollah's missile unit, the last time they struck Beirut was
on May 6th. So, some three weeks ago when they targeted the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Unit or Forces.
So, you see here a willingness, and the Israeli source says the strike in Beirut today was conducted in coordination with the United States here. But
you see Israel pushing deeper and expanding its operations there.
Nevertheless, the U.S. is still trying to push forward diplomacy, and in fact, military reps from Israel and Lebanon will meet tomorrow at the
Pentagon, even though a broader ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, just like in Gaza, one that's truly comprehensive, seems incredibly difficult to
achieve at this point.
FOSTER: OK, Oren, appreciate it, thank you so much for the view from Jerusalem. Let's get more on the state of play with Iran and the
intensifying situation then in Lebanon. We're joined by Firas Maksad; the Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia
Group.
Thank you so much for joining us. This agreement we've been hearing about this initial agreement between the U.S. and Iran, does it stand for
anything if we haven't heard from the leaders of those two countries yet?
FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA, EURASIA GROUP: Well, Max, I think that both sides have clearly been making
progress. This first emerged earlier in the week, on Tuesday, there was a draft that was -- that surfaced from the Iranian side.
It was denied by American negotiators. But nonetheless, it seems that a good core of what we expect now of an MOU, a Memorandum of Understanding,
was in fact, what the Iranians had floated earlier in the week.
We also know from just talking to various policymakers in the region that are involved in the mediations, that progress is gradually being made.
There are many pieces to this. There's the lifting of the blockade and the opening of the Strait.
There certainly are some of the financial compensations that Iran is demanding in response to this. So, Qatar, in particular in the GCC, has
been involved in hosting, mediating in that regard, again, some progress there.
And then, finally, coming to a broader understanding of what to do about the nuclear issues in Iran. And that is very clear, is something that's
going to have to wait for coming 30 to 60 days of negotiation.
So, what we're really looking at here, Max, is an extension of a shaky ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. and the reopening of the Straits as
negotiations continue.
FOSTER: OK, we're going to actually go to Scott Bessent at this point. Thank you so much for that, because he is taking the White House briefing
today. So, let's hear what he's saying.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Find this for all those Americans so that it's not just for one class of people, but all Americans can have it.
SCOTT BESSENT, SECRETARY OF TREASURY, UNITED STATES: Well, that's a great question, because 38 percent of Americans have no exposure to equities.
They don't share in the great innovation. The machine that is the American economy or great capital markets drives the -- our prosperity.
So, if your child is born during President Trump's administration, Treasury puts in $1,000 as a seed investment. We've also created six learning pods,
so you can go online to the app that went up today and learn.
And I think that this is going to be -- you know, I've been a big proponent of financial literacy, and I think this is going to be one of the greatest
real-time financial literacy educations in history, because it won't be like -- there's a street in New York called Wall Street.
This is what I don't really understand what happens there. American families are going to be able to look on their phone every day and see,
and, you know, I think it's going to drive people to try to understand what they've got here. I think we're going to create a generation of
shareholders. So, Ed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I guess first, well, we're starting to see the disruption of the oil supply through the Strait of
Hormuz affect economic data. You know, first, is there a deal on the table for a 60-day ceasefire to continue that?
And then second, how fast could inflation then recede or retreat? Or is inflation sticky because the PCE was at a three-year high?
BESSENT: Well, first of all, PCE today, month-over-month was 0.2, which was -- you know, we're looking at decimal points, but the estimate was 0.3.
So, one month doesn't -- a trend make.
[14:15:00]
And what we've seen is actually oil prices are down about 10 percent in May. There are almost 2,000 ships waiting to come out of the gulf. And I
think the oil market is going to be very well supplied on the other side of this, and that we could see prices come down very quickly.
We saw the UAE leave OPEC, so, I would expect on the other side of this that gasoline prices will follow the --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is agreement on the table?
BESSENT: Sorry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there an agreement with Iran on the table?
BESSENT: The teams have been going back and forth, and President Trump has made it very clear, he talked about it at the cabinet meeting that he has
several red lines. And Iran has to turn over their highly-enriched uranium.
They cannot pursue a nuclear weapon and the Strait of Hormuz. Back to your question on energy, has to free transit. Navigation of the seas has to be
free and open as it was before. So, he's not going to take a bad deal. He's going to make a great deal for the American people.
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: So, Peter --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Bessent?
BESSENT: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long until we see your signature next to President Trump's face on a $250 bill?
BESSENT: Well, again, as Treasury Secretary, I have two mandates for U.S. currency. At present, there's no living person can be on U.S. currency, and
the currency must say "In God We Trust". So, right now, there is proposed legislation that in front of the House, in front of the Senate to change
the first requirement so that a living person, Donald J. Trump, could be on the $250 bill.
So, it's all in the hands of the -- it's all in -- up on Capitol Hill.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The President --
BESSENT: So, at Treasury, we prepare things in advance. So, we have prepared in advance that if the legislation is passed, but we will stick to
the law.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something that came up -- something that came up yesterday also at the cabinet meeting. President Trump said Oman will
behave just like everybody else or we will have to blow them up. Are you guys back there in the West Wing making plans for a new war with Oman?
BESSENT: Again, I think the President wanted to punctuate freedom of navigation in the Strait. I had a call with the Omani ambassador this
morning, and he assured me that there were no plans for tolling the Strait. As he said, our countries have had 200 years of good relations.
He wants to have another 200 more. And I told him that this was a nonstarter, and he did not want to risk either the Omani individuals or
Omani financial institutions there getting sanctioned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Bessent --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Bessent --
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Is it in the U.S. Interest to waive some sanctions on Iran or to unfreeze some of their assets before
Iran has made concrete promises about getting rid of their nuclear program?
BESSENT: Again, I'm not going to preview the deal, but I would think that the things would go very slowly. The -- in terms of that. So, we'll see.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Bessent --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to follow up on that, because it's our understanding that the U.S. has committed to discussing the matter of
sanctions relief during this negotiation period. So, just to be clear, is sanctions relief for Iran on the table?
BESSENT: Again, it is a multifaceted agreement, and nothing is going to be on the table until we see the Strait of Hormuz open and the Iranians agree
that they have to turn over the highly-enriched uranium, and that they can't have a nuclear program.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since they showing it is possible --
BESSENT: And to be clear here, that this administration, President Trump has done something that no other administration is able to do. We have
gotten the Iranians to talk about their nuclear program, and to perhaps commit to not having one. That has never happened before.
It had been off the table. So, I think, you know, when you look at the results of the kinetic action of our economic pressure, it has worked to
bring them to the table and have a discussion on this.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Secretary, thank you, Mr. Secretary. I just want to follow up. You said that the teams have been going back-and-forth, but can
you confirm whether or not a tentative agreement has been reached in these negotiations with Iran?
BESSENT: Again, everything depends on what the President wants to do. And President Trump is not going to make a bad deal for the American people,
for the U.S.., and he was very clear at the cabinet meeting on the -- yesterday, what he wants.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Secretary --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time to --
BESSENT: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Doctor, Carroll(ph) from "Lindell TV", I'm sorry, did I steal his question? Because I'm not that person.
BESSENT: That was you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, thank you so much. Thank you for taking my question. Carroll(ph) from "Lindell TV". I really wanted to get your
thoughts on digital currency.
[14:20:00]
A lot of our viewers are increasingly worried that digital currency could one day be used to track people spending or limit personal freedom. What's
your philosophy on that, and what safeguards is the Treasury and this administration putting in place to make sure new digital payment systems
protect Americans privacy and freedoms in the future?
BESSENT: Well, so this administration has been very clear. There will be no Central Bank digital currency, which I think there's -- would be the
first step toward tracking. So, we have taken that off the table. We passed Stablecoin legislation with bipartisan, and the Clarity Act is now up on
the Hill, and I think it has bipartisan support.
And the most important thing we can do is to make digital assets come into the United States, make the U.S. the home, our regulation, our best
practices are what will ensure good standards for these.
When you look at digital assets, all the nonsense that happens, all the things you read about. That's because it's a wild west offshore. So, we've
got to bring it onshore. So, I would encourage the House and the Senate to get clarity done.
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: Jack?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people talking about the IRS settlement and which has been rolled over now into this weaponization fund over at DOJ.
Wanted to get your comment on the decision process as much as you can tell how that settlement came to be, how it was rolled over to DOJ, and then the
process for how -- for those funds now as it's played out.
BESSENT: Good, so thank you, thank you for your question. This is going to be the only question I'll take on this matter today. So, there's ongoing
litigation. So, it would be inappropriate for me to comment. President Trump is a great American who has endured more than ten years, ten years of
nonstop harassment and weaponization from the federal and state government actors.
The -- a bad actor at the IRS leaked more than 400,000 tax returns, including the Trump family, all the employees, and that's how we got here.
Now, no American should be targeted for political reasons, and every citizen deserves fair treatment, full protection of the law.
The Department of Justice represented Treasury and the IRS in this matter, and I'm going to have to refer any questions to acting Attorney General --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Bessent --
BESSENT: Todd Blanche. So --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's two -- President Trump has said that we can expect interest rates to come down very quickly a number of times about
last week. But the market at the moment does -- broadly does not expect any rate cuts this year.
You know, JPMorgan said this, Morgan Stanley and so on. So, who is right? The President or the market?
BESSENT: Good. Well, I think, again, I believe that we will get through the -- this challenging period now, they are on higher prices. On the other
side of this, I've said publicly that I think we'll be back to substantial disinflation.
But most importantly, I think we've got the Warsh Fed now. It's a new day at the Fed. The Treasury Secretary and the Fed Chair have lunch or
breakfast every week. I had my first breakfast with Chair Warsh this morning, and I believe that he will do the right thing to balance inflation
and growth.
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Secretary, thank you Secretary Bessent. I think you were calling on me.
BESSENT: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I'd like to ask you if you could provide a little more detail on what you're doing to shut down Iran's airlines, and also on
sanctions relief. A senior administration official briefed reporters over the weekend that sanctions relief will be commensurate with nuclear
concessions.
But at some point, if the enriched-uranium is given up, should we expect pallets of cash to be flown to Iran? Could you describe how that looks?
BESSENT: Well, a couple of things. On the airlines, one thing that we're not going to do is restrict movement for religious reasons. So, Iranians
who want to make the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina will be allowed. We will also allow valid humanitarian reasons.
But the other thing we can do is that when these airlines fly, they have to be refueled, they sell tickets, they pay landing fees. Anyone who accepts
those, we will sanction. So, they should be very clear that the state-owned Iranian airlines, they are our outlaws and cannot do this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Secretary --
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: Right --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary Bessent, since you're the White House briefer today. I know you've been asked this already, but I'm wondering if you can
just confirm on the record that there is a tentative deal that has been agreed for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, and then a continuation of
nuclear talks.
BESSENT: Again, it's always a mistake to get out ahead of the President. So, it is all going to be the President's decision. I think that we can see
that the President very clearly stated out, stated his three -- open the Strait, highly-enriched uranium, no nuclear program. So --
[14:25:00]
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are those things part of the temporary deal right now, sir? Are those three aspects that you just outlined part of the temporary
deal that has been agreed upon?
BESSENT: But if there can be no deal without those, why would there be a deal without those?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But Mr. Secretary --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks so much for taking the time. President Trump at the cabinet meeting said he thought that reducing fraud would help to
balance the budget. You put out the goal of getting the deficit to 3 percent GDP.
What's your timeline for achieving that, and how do you think the -- what can you say to make the markets, given where rates are like kind of
process, kind of what your plan and agenda is?
BESSENT: Well, the GAO number is not my numbers. Believe that there's about 500 billion a year of fraud. So, could we very quickly get $250
billion of that, the budget deficit is approximately 1.8 trillion. So, that would reduce the deficit substantially.
If we could get that 500 billion number, you know, I think it would engender confidence. You'd probably also go into a virtuous cycle as the
budget deficit narrowed, interest rates would go down. No one reports it.
But last year, we actually had a fiscal contraction. Just to remind everyone, we inherited the worst budget deficit in history, in history when
we were not in a recession or not at war, 6.7 percent, we brought that down to about 5.5 percent or 5.4 percent this year. I think we can stay on a
good trajectory --
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: You there --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary -- Mr. Secretary, without an executive order, does the U.S. government have adequate defenses in place to address
the risk created by Anthropic's new A.I. models?
BESSENT: We have great collaboration between all of the labs that have the large language models, but between the U.S. government, the -- and the
labs. So --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary --
BESSENT: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's me, OK, thank you, Mr. Secretary, I appreciate it. First, did you speak with the President before this briefing? Did he
show any willingness to this 60-day ceasefire extension?
BESSENT: I haven't seen the President today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to follow up. When can Americans, the average American, and can the U.S. economy work for the average American
without a deal with Iran?
BESSENT: Again, I believe we've already seen oil prices come down substantially. We are pumping more oil than we've ever seen before. And you
know, I -- as I said, these are short-term challenges that we will get over, and I think we'll move forward.
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: In the white.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary, just to follow up --
BESSENT: No, in the white.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, thank you, Mr. Secretary, appreciate it. Given how much this upcoming Midterm election will hinge on the economy, what did
you think about President Trump's comments in the cabinet meeting yesterday, saying he didn't care about the Midterms?
BESSENT: So, you're calling President Trump a statesman. You're saying that he's taken a statesman-like position, that he has a core belief, and
he believes that the most important thing is for Iran never to have a nuclear weapon.
So, I believe both things can be true, that we can do well in the Midterms, that we, you know, perhaps have the makings of a deal here. And you know, I
believe that -- and look, the economy that -- it is challenging now.
But unemployment is still low, tax refunds were high, and consumer spending is still quite high. So, you know, in my private business over the years, I
always looked at what were consumers doing, not what they were saying. And I'm in constant contact with the banks and every income quintile is still
doing well. So --
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: So, Haman(ph) --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, thank you, Mr. Secretary. On the $250 --
BESSENT: No --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the $250 bill, Mr. Secretary, you said the legalities of it are up on Capitol Hill, but I just wonder what your
opinion is personally. Do you think it's a good idea for the President to put his face on American currency?
BESSENT: Again, the President doesn't do it. The House and the Senate have to do it. So --
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: All right, yes, you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary Bessent -- right --
BESSENT: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary Bessent, what are the remaining assurances that President Trump needs to see in order for him to sign off on the
agreement with Iran?
BESSENT: I don't think it could be clear. So --
(CROSSTALK)
BESSENT: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're following in the footsteps, the podium there of Secretary Rubio and Vice President Vance. There's been quite a lot of talk
about the President -- possible presidential ambitions. Does your presence here today indicate that we might see you running in 2028?
(LAUGHTER)
BESSENT: No, I think it just means they've run out of things on the food chain. So --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There has been some back and forth over the last several days and also with the U.S. attacking Iranian drones yesterday.
This morning, CENTCOM put out a statement that Iran had launched its ballistic missile towards Kuwait, calling it an egregious ceasefire
violation. How can the administration still argue that a ceasefire is in effect?
BESSENT: Again, with the Iranian government, we did not have regime change, but we changed the regime. As President Trump said at the cabinet
meeting, as we've said other times, the first layer of leadership was eliminated, the second layer, and we're now at the third layer.
And, you know, the way to think about it is the Iranian government, such as it is, is three pillars. It is the elected government, it is the IRGC, and
it is the clerics. And they are having trouble communicating, so we are being patient. We do not have unlimited patience.
President Trump always prefers a peace deal, so everything we have done thus far has been defensive. And at present, that is what we will continue
doing. But if President Trump doesn't think he can get a peace deal, then Kinetic is back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Are you hopeful that the oil prices will go down once this conflict is over, given the fact that the
strait will remain closed, and by the time this oil gets to the major market, it will be two or three months?
BESSENT: Again, the -- you know, we see that the market, I believe, is very well supplied right now. The market seems to be going into balance
there for itself. So, you know, I think that as the strait opens up, we're going to see this burst of ships come out. So, you know, we may actually
see how quickly can it be refined, how quickly can it get to its destination.
ELINA SHIRAZI, DAILY MAIL: Thank you so much. Elina Shirazi from the Daily Mail. You wrote resilience on your Cabinet Note meetings. Several times a
photographer zoomed into it. Are you trying to keep the president calm? Are you trying to keep yourself calm? Why did you write all those notes?
BESSENT: So, people could look over my shoulder, photograph me, think they got a scoop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the United States considering a reconstruction program for Iran if a deal is signed?
BESSENT: Again, I think we've got to get to the deal before we get to the other side. Before we get to the other side. Before we get to -- you in the
pink.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary -- in the red?
BESSENT: No, in the pink.
CRISTINA LONDONO, TELEMUNDO NETWORK: In the pink. Thank you. Cristina Londono with Telemundo Network. Mr. Secretary, how effective do you believe
the current Treasury restrictions have been in pressuring the Cuban government? And also, if you're in the room when those talks are being
held, are there any plans to either tighten the sanctions or to ease the sanctions against the Cuban government to get some type of change?
BESSENT: Again, that's going to be up to the Cuban government. That they can go up, they can go down. We've tried to get humanitarian aid in and the
regime rejected it because they wanted to go through their corrupt system. So, I -- you know, they could go up, they could go down. It's carrot and
stick. Secretary Rubio doing a fantastic job of managing this process. And, you know, we at Treasury are working with him. In the red.
REAGAN REESE, THE DAILY CALLER: Thank you. Reagan Reese with the Daily Caller. I want to ask you about Antifa. In October, the Treasury Department
started working with the FBI to investigate who's funding Antifa. Can you give us an update on that investigation? How close are you guys to finding
out who's funding Antifa?
BESSENT: It is ongoing. We've made substantial progress. And I think in the weeks and months ahead, we're going to have a lot to report. One thing
that did go underreported that I would point out to all of you is the IRS is now giving guidance on the Form 990, which non-profits have to file. And
we are going to encourage or demand that non-profits know their grant recipients. So, if a grant recipient is violent, if they are suppressing
people's rights, then you are responsible for that. And I think that's a very good first step. Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's new government data that shows that Americans are now saving a smaller share of their incomes than at any time over the
past four years. Are you seeing signs that American households are dipping into their savings to pay for the higher costs of things like gas and
groceries? And does data like that concern you right now?
BESSENT: Well, so, academic literature would tell you a lower savings rate can mean one of two things. Kind of the doomer view that you took, or that
people have more confidence, or it could be something else.
[14:35:00]
Because, you know, for instance, stock market gains or 401(k) gains might not show up in savings. So, they're looking at that to think that they can
draw down their household savings. Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're obviously concerned about the risks posed by advanced A.I. models like Mythos to critical infrastructure. The financial
sector is concerned as well. What types of changes are being considered to the A.I. executive order so it can pass? And do you believe that an A.I.
executive order needs to include the pre-public access for government?
BESSENT: Again, we're working very closely with the large language labs. They've been excellent partners. And we are going to get a solution that
solves for the maximum calculus. What we want to do, the U.S. is the A.I. leader in the world. We're an A.I. superpower. China is second. They are
trailing substantially. We want to make sure that we keep that lead. So, we are working on the exact calculus between innovation and safety, and we
want to optimize for that. You in the glasses. Yes. In the glasses. No. You don't have glasses on. You on the glasses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for taking my question. There was a report this morning that Justice Alito's son is working in your department. Can
you confirm that that's the case? And if so, do you believe that that means that he should be, that the justice should recuse himself from cases that
involve your department?
BESSENT: I am sure that Mr. Alito follows all legal and ethical guidelines, and I can assure you that at Treasury we follow all the legal
and ethical guidelines.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I have two questions for you. But just to follow what
you said about the $250 --
BESSENT: Well, you didn't call me doctor still. And you only get one.
COLLINS: Well, I'll shoot for two. You said that it's up to Congress if the president's face is on a $250 bill, but it is actually the Washington
Post that's reporting two political appointees from the Treasury Department who have asked agencies to be ready to do that. Do you think politically
it's a good idea to put his face on a $250 bill when people are struggling to afford gas and gas rates?
BESSENT: You know, I don't really understand this Washington Post article that -- who here is from the Post? Yes. Terribly written, terribly edited.
Because basically what it says is that Treasury is following the law and that we've created the bill and that it's up to Congress, but that we
follow the bill and it's up to Congress. I didn't really understand what the story was.
But anyway --
COLLINGS: So, you're saying that his appointees aren't involved in that, two of your political appointees?
BESSENT: Yes, of course. But we prepare for everything if it gets passed. Just like we were ready six months in advance for the one big beautiful
bill for tax guidance. So, we have to prepare in advance. You can't draw something up the day before.
COLLINS: Politically, do you think it's a good idea, though, when people are struggling to afford gas and groceries?
BESSENT: Look, I think it has -- I think that it's bifurcated that -- do you think we should have a 250th anniversary celebration?
COLLINS: Well, that's happening anyway, but putting the president's face on a $250 bill --
BESSENT: No, no, no, but, Kaitlan, it's not happening anyway. It's happening because it's being funded by private citizens, by the federal
government, by state governments, by municipal governments to celebrate our country. And I don't think that there's anything untoward about having the
president of the United States, the person who was president of the United States, on the 250th anniversary bill. So --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On Russia sanctions --
COLLINS: What you just commented on there, Mr. Secretary, about the $1.8 billion fund, is it accurate that the General Counsel of the Treasury
Department resigned over that? I will not be taking any other questions, ma'am. I will not be taking any other questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the sanctions, sir, given the scale of the assault from Russia on Kyiv in recent days and the fact that diplomacy seems to
have settled down, there is no diplomatic talks happening right now between Russia, Ukraine, or the U.S., what about sanctions? Is the U.S. considering
sanctions on Russia at this time?
BESSENT: Well, the U.S., this administration has put the hardest sanctions on Russia of any country. So, let's review what -- how the sanctions regime
has gone since the Russian action on Ukraine. The Biden administration put on very what I would call mild sanctions because they were worried about
gasoline prices going up into an election. It would be the -- an unstatesmanlike sanctions. Probably the worst national security advisor in
the history of the country, Jake Sullivan, in an act of bravery on his way out the door in January, they raised the sanction level on behalf of the
Trump administration.
[14:40:00]
We let those in Situ when we took office. Fast forward to October, and President Trump instructed me to sanction the two largest Russian oil
companies, Luke Oil and Rosneft, which we did. No other government has done that. So, no one has done more sanctions than the Trump administration on
Russian oil.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Scott Bessent taking questions for the White House this week. And obviously lots of questions about Iran. We are joined
by Alayna Treene, who is at the White House. But he deflected all of those Iran questions, didn't he, Alayna?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He did. He really tried to sidestep them, downplay some suggestions about sanctions, of course, which
we heard the president yesterday kind of ruling out as something that would be used in a potential agreement between Washington and Tehran. And really,
he also kind of declined to weigh in on the specifics of what our reporting shows about, essentially, that there is a tentative agreement now between
the United States and Iran on a short-term memorandum of understanding.
But, of course, the president has not signed off on that yet, something that the secretary was very adamant about repeating over and over again,
that really whatever deal, whatever form and whatever shape this agreement takes on will be something that needs to be approved by the president
himself.
A couple of other things, though, that I found interesting that he said. He did insist that any deal would have to meet President Donald Trump's red
lines. That includes, of course, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels, but also, he said, on the issue of retrieving the highly enriched
uranium that is still in Iran's possession, as well as this commitment that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon.
One thing in the course of our reporting, and this is from my colleague Kevin Liptak and I, on what's actually in this short-term framework that
they've been working on over the last several weeks is that a lot of the thornier details, including the specifics over what actually is going to
happen with the retrieval process for that highly enriched uranium, the enforcement mechanisms to ensure that if Iran does say they will not
develop a nuclear weapon, how does the United States and the Trump administration hold them to their word?
Those are things that have not yet been totally hashed out. We're told that that's going to come, the specifics of that in the 60-day period, that if
this framework is agreed to by both Washington and Tehran, there will be 60 days, then, for them to really work on the language of that. So,
interesting kind of to hear Bessent weigh in there.
Another thing I think that was worth noting is we, of course, heard a lot of criticism and kind of surprise yesterday after President Trump, during
the Cabinet meeting, threatened Oman, essentially saying that if they worked with Iran to toll, charge tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, that
potentially the United States would blow them up. That was the language that Trump used. Well, Bessent was pressed on that today. He said that he
had spoken this morning with the Omani ambassador and that Oman understands that they will not be charging tolls and that is not something that they
plan to do moving forward, so him trying to clean that up a bit as well.
But largely, you know, a lot of back and forth on Iran, Bessent not really wanting to get in the way of any decisions that have not been made yet by
President Donald Trump, Max.
FOSTER: Alayna, thank you. Still to come tonight, calls for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the deadly Ebola outbreak grows. We're live
in Goma, next.
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[14:45:00]
FOSTER: Now, the head of the World Health Organization is calling for a cease-fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a deadly Ebola virus
outbreak continues to spread there. The WHO chief said, well, he set to touch down actually in the DRC today to inspect the work being done to
contain this crisis. And unrest and political distrust in the region have been hampering those efforts with more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and
more than 230 suspected deaths in the DRC. Neighboring Uganda has temporarily closed its border with the country and is asking people to be
vigilant. Rwanda similarly closed its border to the DRC last week.
Let's bring in Dr. Abdou Sebushishe, the senior global health adviser with the International Medical Corps based in Goma in the eastern DRC. Thank you
so much for joining U.S., Doctor. Actually, you know, the fact that we've got a virus outbreak and fighting at the same time has been one of the core
problems with this disease, hasn't it? Because we haven't seen, we didn't catch it spreading early enough.
DR. ABDOU SEBUSHISHE, SENIOR GLOBAL HEALTH ADVISER, INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: Absolutely. This Ebola virus has happened in a situation where we
have a conflict across different hotspots of this outbreak, which hampered certain interventions that had to contain epidemics of Ebola, such as
contact tracing, where we need to follow the different contact of positive cases and follow them through 21 days to ensure that if they develop
symptoms, they are properly isolated to avoid further spread. And this can only happen if access to different hotspot area where contacts and suspect
cases can be currently.
FOSTER: Is there any suggestion from the, you know, the groups fighting here that they would allow that or even think about it or allow any access?
DR. SEBUSHISHE: International Medical Corps is a humanitarian organization which is politically neutral. We work directly with the affected population
to ensure the access to different affected area. And that has helped us to at least provide some level of response, including isolating quickly those
who are suspected, but also the confirmed case and provide them the dignified treatment that is needed. That engagement with the community is
key to ensure that access to different location is provided.
I'm quite sure that other organizations that work around access are also doing their best to ensure that all the areas or the hotspot where outbreak
is being spread are accessible by the responders.
FOSTER: I know you're not a political group, but it has become a political issue, hasn't it? Because there are many people on the ground who are
refusing to believe in this virus and, you know, resisting help from the authorities.
DR. SEBUSHISHE: And the key issue currently with the outbreak is the misinformation and rumors and stigma on isolation and Ebola as a whole that
is hampering the community trust toward the health system, but also the responders. And that it's something that needs to be corrected quickly with
different activities, engagement with media to spread the right information to the community.
[14:50:00]
And I think CNN has been doing this quite a lot this time. So, thank you on behalf of the team that is on the ground. We need more engagement with the
community, spreading the right information to them and ensure that they adopt the preventive measures and accept, when necessary, to be provided
care in dedicated facilities. That helps a lot when communities understand and are engaged. From the planning to the implementation of different
interventions related to the outbreak, that community engagement helps to contain the outbreak quickly because this is a community transmission.
And the input or the contribution and the engagement of the whole community is needed to make sure this is contained quickly before it crosses other
areas.
FOSTER: Are you clear on exactly which areas you need to contain? Because it is spreading rapidly, isn't it? There are even people outside the
country, people taking it outside the country. But are you clear on exactly what area you need to work in and focus your efforts?
DR. SEBUSHISHE: There are a lot of efforts to ensure that all contact, trust contact of confirmed cases so that they can be followed up and ensure
that whenever they develop symptoms, they are isolated properly.
Currently, the outbreak is spreading faster than the response capacity. And that is concerning. We ensure that a lot of preparedness activities are
being implemented, even in unaffected areas, the zones that are considered high risk, to ensure that we put in place preparedness measures that can
help to quickly detect the positive cases in new hotspots or emerging hotspots. But this is a work in progress. So, far, the outbreak is quite
progressing a little faster than the current response capacity.
FOSTER: OK. Dr. Abdou Sebushishe, I really appreciate you taking time out for your very important work. Thank you for joining us.
We do have some exclusive reporting for you now about U.S. President Donald Trump's quest for retribution on his enemies. Sources tell CNN that the
Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll. Carroll has won two lawsuits against Mr. Trump, accusing him of
sexual assault and defamation. The investigation into Carroll focuses on whether she lied under oath when she testified that she did not get outside
help to finance her lawsuits.
Let's bring in CNN's legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid, with some more. She is one of the people who broke this story for CNN. I mean, is the
suggestion here that she was in some way influenced?
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, no. Here, this is an ongoing criminal investigation. One of the things they're going to look
at closely here is the 2022 deposition that she gave, where she said that she did not receive any outside funding. Now, her later -- her lawyers
later corrected this with the judge, saying that, in fact, she had received funding for her legal fees and other expenses from billionaire Reid
Hoffman.
And then ahead of the trial, the judge weighed in on this again, said he didn't see any issues with her credibility because of this, and then
blocked Trump lawyers from even being able to ask about the funding. So, here they're looking at the possibility of perjury and why her lawyers were
prompted to correct the record.
Now, at this point, it appears that this investigation is in its early stages. It's not clear if this will actually develop into anything. But we
have seen efforts to pursue the president's perceived political adversaries accelerate under acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. But sources tell us
Blanche has recused from this specific investigation. He's not been involved in meetings or discussions about this matter. It is instead being
handled by the U.S. attorney in Chicago. And the connection to Chicago is Reid Hoffman's nonprofit, I'm told, is based there.
It's also important to note that Carroll currently has several ongoing legal fights with the president, including appeals of those multimillion-
dollar damages, assessments that juries have made. Trump has not paid her. He has appealed those. One has gone all the way to the Supreme Court. And
what's interesting about that is 12 times now the Supreme Court has deferred on a decision as to whether they want to actually hear that case
in full.
Now, there is another appeal pending at a lower court. That, too, could eventually get to the Supreme Court. Maybe they want to decide on these
kind of sister cases once they're both before them, whether they want to take up one or both. But that has certainly been lingering out there for
quite some time. Now, Carroll's lawyers declined for the story. And were also unable to reach Reid Hoffman.
[14:55:00]
FOSTER: OK. Paula, appreciate it. Thank you. Now, a rare medieval manuscript telling the stories of King Arthur, Merlin and the Holy Grail is
heading to auction, and it could sell for nearly $3 million. The handwritten book dates back to the 13th or 14th centuries, and it's
reportedly been in private hands for about 700 years, though we don't know whose hands they are.
Experts say it is one of the earliest known versions of the Arthurian legends, complete with gold-leaf illustrations and vivid scenes of Merlin
and the Knights of the Round Table. The condition is amazing. The manuscript goes up for sale at Christie's in London in July, if you're in
for bidding.
And finally, tonight, a rare albino buffalo has been spared from sacrifice due to a last-minute government intervention in Bangladesh. Now, the
buffalo gained viral fame thanks to what many say is his resemblance to Donald Trump. You can see the distinctive golden tuft of hair. The Trump
buffalo has been sold for the Eid al-Adha slaughter, but the Bangladeshi government stepped in, and now the golden buffalo is safely at the National
Zoo in Dakar for all to enjoy.
Thanks for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. I'll have more in "What We Know" coming up next.
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