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What We Know with Max Foster
Soon: Trump Expected To Announce "Golden Dome" Concept; UK Suspends Trade Negotiations With Israel; Two-Hour Call Between Trump & Putin Ends Without Ceasefire; Rubio Faces Tough Questions On Putin, Russia's War On Ukraine; Trump's Sweeping Policy Agenda Divides Republican Lawmakers; Sources: Trump Administration First Approached Qatar About Luxury Plane. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 20, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:46]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Welcome.
We're keeping our eyes on Washington. So, you know, this hour. U.S. President Donald Trump is due to discuss plans for his "Golden Dome"
missile shield.
This is WHAT WE KNOW about it.
Mr. Trump says he wants a protective dome around the United States, shielding it from long range missile strikes. He calls it the Golden Dome,
much like Israel's Iron Dome. But the U.S. is, of course, much larger, so we don't really know what this system will look like. It's likely going to
cost hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions, to build.
Is it possible? Why does the U.S. need one? We're about to find out, but there may be a bit of a delay, but we do have our cameras there at the
White House. The president, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, due to be speaking.
We'll bring you that as soon as it happens.
We're going to go to national security reporter Zach Cohen.
Because just to explain what we're dealing with here, when we say Iron Dome, Golden Dome, we do think of Israel and the system that they've got
there, that it seems implausible that you'd repeat that in the U.S. because it's so much larger, the cost. But are we actually talking about a similar
system?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Max, Israel is about the size of the state of New Jersey by comparison. So, to your point, the
U.S. geographically is so much larger than Israel, and it makes this task of developing a missile defense shield that can protect the entire country
much more difficult. And that is though, the task that Donald Trump has put to his secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, and the private sector here in
the United States, where they have been trying to come up with a plan for how they're going to develop this comprehensive missile defense shield.
And we do expect Donald Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to at least provide the initial framework for how they intend to go about
doing that. This is something that we've been expecting for a couple days now, and it's something that that Hegseth and private partners, including
Elon Musk, have been working on behind the scenes as they've tried to prepare some options for Donald Trump to choose from. One thing we do know,
though, is regardless of which option is presented, presumably today its going to be expensive.
The Congress and Donald Trump seem to have landed on an initial number of $25 billion in funding just in next year's budget, but the Congressional
Budget Office has estimated that this will cost over $500 billion to develop and implement. It could take over 20 years to do so.
So this is a network of satellites, sensors, space-based technology that's going to be very expensive to put into practice. And we'll have to see if
Donald Trump is capable of doing that before he leaves office.
FOSTER: Yeah. And there are some different options for it, aren't there? So, we'll see what they say when they come out and speak to the media.
Thanks, Zach. Back with you a bit later on.
Meanwhile, just a day after the U.K., France and Canada threatened concrete steps against Israel over the war in Gaza, the British government is
backing up those words with action. It's suspended trade negotiations with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador over what it calls the monstrous
escalation of war.
France, meanwhile, is urging an immediate, massive influx of aid. I spoke last hour with the French foreign ministry spokesperson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHE LEMOINE, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: We are considering other options and the discussions are still going on. Again, we
will privilege diplomatic tools and we will privilege diplomatic options considering that we've been calling Israel from the beginning to reach a
diplomatic solution to the -- to the crisis. So, we will use diplomatic manners to increase the pressure on Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Israel says it won't bend to external pressure. It's vowed to take all of Gaza and completely destroy Hamas. New strikes have killed dozens
more people, including women and children, amid the severe hunger crisis.
Israel is easing its 11-week total blockade on humanitarian aid, saying it will now allow a basic amount for Gaza's 2 million people. Israel saying 93
U.N. aid trucks entered Gaza from the Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday, carrying food and medicine.
But a U.N. spokesperson just said that no aid has actually been distributed to the people who actually need it. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESPERSON: Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kerem Shalom area
and collect the nutrition supplies.
[15:05:05]
Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse. So just to make it clear, while more supplies have come in to
the Gaza Strip, we have not been able to secure the arrival of those supplies into our warehouses and delivery points.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So, what we want to know, will European sanctions change Israel's behavior in Gaza? They're talking tough now.
Joining us now is Gideon Levy, columnist at "Haaretz".
I guess it depends on how tough these sanctions are. And they're not really going to disrupt the Israeli economy, for example, significantly or the way
politicians travel.
GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ: Look, it's a process and it's just the beginning. Until now, Israel enjoyed condemnation and hollow expressions
without any measures against Israel. Israel didn't pay any price in terms of its international status for the crimes of war in Gaza. And today, maybe
it is a beginning, but if it will remain in the in the framework of hollow condemnations, Israel can live easily with those condemnation, and the war
will go on and the crimes will go on.
The only hope is that today starts something else, which, by the way, never happened. Israel almost never faced real sanctions like, let's say, Russia
faced within weeks after the invasion to Ukraine -- to Ukraine.
FOSTER: I'm just wondering how much leverage Europe has. I mean -- I mean, America appears to have all the leverage. It could cut off arms, couldn't
it? Straight away. And that would have a huge impact on Israel. But what really can Europe do to get some leverage against Israel?
LEVY: It can do much more than it did until now, because until now, Europe was totally passive. We have to remember it's 19 months now. The world did
nothing to stop it.
Obviously, the biggest leverage is in the hands of the United States. I may even suggest that if the American administration would really like to see
the end of this war, it can do it within days or maybe even within hours.
Europe has a smaller leverage. Obviously, but it doesn't use it. Still, economically, Israel has many more ties with Europe than even with the
United States, suspending those ties can be fatal for Israel, but I don't see Europe doing much. I mean, let's not overrate the European policy
because until now, Europe was always very, very cautious when it comes to Israel.
Israel was the darling of Europe, the darling of the West. It could do whatever it wants, violate any international law and not pay anything for
it. How are we facing now a turning point? I'm not sure yet.
FOSTER: Is marked there, isn't it, to see the U.K., France and Canada issuing a statement? Didn't have more European countries in there, and in
the past it would have been a joint statement with the U.S., wouldn't it? So that was the leverage.
It was the U.S., but the U.S. also showing the whole of the West agrees with our position on this, and were not seeing that now. The West is
divided and that actually works to the strength of those within Israel who want to see the war continue.
LEVY: I'm not sure if the world wants to see the world, the war continue, but the world is not ready to put real sanctions over Israel for a long
range of reasons -- history. Guilt, feelings, interests and others. But there must be a moment in which the world has to wake up.
I mean, we have to be very clear -- this war will not end without the intervention of the world. Israel will not wake up and say, oh, this war
kills too many children. Let's put an end to it. This will not happen. Don't expect it to happen.
We have -- we need the world. I mean, Gaza needs the world to put an end to this terrible, terrible bloodbath. Gaza is a slaughterhouse, and the only -
- only the international community can put an end to this slaughtering.
FOSTER: Obviously, Israel made a big point today saying that all these aid trucks were allowed into Gaza.
[15:10:02]
But as we heard from the U.N. and all of the aid groups will tell you, the ones that can operate there, that that isn't the issue. The issue is
getting it to the people on the ground. And because logistics is so impossible within Gaza, they're not managing to get any aid that is allowed
in there anyway.
So, it's, you know, to say there's 100 trucks is almost disingenuous because the news should probably be reported when it's been delivered to
the people that need it, right?
LEVY: So, first of all, 100 trucks are better than no trucks over two months. But obviously, it's not enough. But more than this, I would like to
say -- I mean, humanitarian aid is vital and we need it. But if Israel continues to kill 100, 150 people a day, most of them children and women,
no humanitarian aid can cover this.
The main purpose of the international community must be, first of all, to stop the slaughtering, and the slaughtering will be stopped if the
international community will take some measures. Humanitarian aid is vital. I repeat it, but if Israel is enabling humanitarian aid and in the same
time continues with its policy of mass killing, then we did nothing.
FOSTER: Okay, Gideon Levy, thank you so much for your time today.
Now, I want to take a moment to tell you a personal story of a young girl desperately trying to keep her family alive in Gaza. She experienced what
no child should see, and no child should suffer either.
Abeer Salman has our report. We warn you it contains disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANA AL-SKEIFI, GAZA RESIDENT (translated): My dad has no one else. I'm the one who carries the water. We wait for hours just to fill up, and
oftentimes we only fill half a bucket. I want to be strong so my father doesn't suffer.
ABEER SALMAN, CNN PRODUCER AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the story of one 12 year old girl, Jana al-Skeifi and her family. But it's also
the story of so many others in Gaza today, where days are punctuated by the never-ending search for water and food, and where the death of one pushes a
family to endure unimaginable hardships.
J. AL-SKEIFI: My brother heard a woman begging for help, her children were terrified. He leaned down to point a way out and was shot by a sniper. It
entered into his chest and came out --
MOHAMED AL-SKEIFI, GAZA RESIDENT (translated): The bullet entered here in his chest, and it came out of his back here. We took off the coat and
buried him. He was our only son. His death broke us.
SALMAN: After her brother was killed, it was Jana who stepped up, becoming her family's caretaker and guardian.
J. AL-SKEIFI: My father is old and has heart disease. My mother has cancer. If my father tries to carry the bucket, he'll fall. I have to carry
all this and my dad does his best to help.
SALMAN: It's a burden made worse by Israel's punishing 11-week blockade of food and aid on the Gaza Strip. Israel says the blockade was designed to
bring about the release of all of the hostages and pressure Hamas. So far, neither has happened.
Instead, despite aid now trickling in, the U.N. says 20 percent of the population faces starvation, calling it, atrocious and beyond humane.
J. AL-SKEIFI: I used to play with my niece all the time. She was malnourished, and couldn't be treated here. They told us she had to be
evacuated. This is when she was dying. God bless her. I didn't even want to travel abroad. I just wanted someone to bring her milk. I stopped eating,
drinking, moving. I couldn't even go to the bathroom because I was afraid she would slip away.
At five in the morning, I realized she had passed, it felt like someone took my heart away, or stabbed me with a knife. I couldn't process the
feeling.
SALMAN: A baby born and perished surrounded by starvation; her three brief months of life, sustained by a child.
Before the war, Gaza survived on food deliveries from hundreds of trucks a day.
Now with the Israeli military pledging to take over the entire Gaza Strip, whatever makes it through will almost certainly not be enough.
Abeer Salman. CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Coming up, a two-hour phone call and still no ceasefire deal. We'll look at what's next for Russia and Ukraine's peace talks and the
reaction from European leaders, too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Ukraine and Russia accusing each other of launching attack drones overnight, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump had phone calls
with the countries' respective leaders after the U.S. failed to lock in that ceasefire. The European Union and United Kingdom are now hitting
Russia with fresh sanctions, which will target Russia's shadow fleet ships.
Nick Paton Walsh joins us live from Kyiv.
I mean, this phone call didn't really have the impact that we were hoping.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No, indeed, it seems to have had the added effect of causing U.S. president
Donald Trump to decide. It seems, rhetorically, from his statements immediately after it, that he wants some kind of distance between himself
and the White House and what comes out of this, indeed suggesting that it has to be Russia and Ukraine alone that discuss what Russia will call the
modalities of a ceasefire.
That's essentially what Putin thinks is the next phase of all of this, a document that might lay out what a ceasefire would indeed look like. That
is not the same thing as agreeing to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which was demanded 10, 11 days ago by European leaders and Ukraine,
originally, an American proposal.
That appears to have left Donald Trump saying that maybe the Vatican is a good venue for future talks between Russia and Ukraine. He repeated that
idea had a beautiful place. It would be to do that just today, and that sounds like the president of the United States no longer putting himself
into the ring as the potential mediator between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin of Russia.
[15:20:02]
And that's a sea change, certainly.
Added to that, to the fact that today, we've had the Europeans put forward their 17th sanctions package, a bit of a refresh of old ideas targeting the
shadow fleet that gives Russia a lot of income from selling oil and evading sanctions, 18th sanction packages.
What Zelenskyy demanded today, that's tougher sanctions that would hit the banking sector and energy infrastructure. Thats very much what was
threatened by the Europeans, claiming they had the support of Trump when they demanded a ceasefire two weekends ago. That hasn't happened. Trump has
said he doesn't think sanctions are a good idea right now. He said we'll see. When asked indeed if there might be some in the future.
And Rubio, his -- Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, has suggested that, again, the United States feels that sanctions against Russia would inhibit
their ability to strike a deal with them or remain on good terms with them. And so, at this crux point, essentially where pressure from the Europeans
and Ukraine, supposedly with American backing, does not move the Kremlin, a direct talk between Putin and Trump does not move the Kremlin. They still
persist with their own notion of scheduling, casting and the agenda of peace talks.
Trump does not appear perturbed by the idea that Putin essentially brushes away most of his overtures during the last week or so, and now we're at a
point where it seems the U.S. is stepping back a little bit from this process, echoing the notion of J.D. Vance. If they keep trying. I'm
paraphrasing here, if they keep trying and trying and trying, they may just decide they don't want to do this anymore.
Now, that leaves Ukrainians very worried that when the U.S. decides they want to step back, it may involve military aid and diplomacy in general,
and even the Europeans accept that without the U.S. in the mix and all of this, it's going to be a very tough road ahead. And so, I think there are
worries about this in Ukraine, that diplomacy is really thinning out here as a viable way of stopping this conflict, stopping Russia's advance. And
indeed, Russia appears to be amassing its forces on the eastern front for a. Particularly potent, potentially summer offensive, Max.
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. Nick, thank you for joining us from Kyiv.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is facing some tough questions about the Trump administration's foreign policy agenda. He testified before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. America's top diplomat defended the Trump administrations deep cuts to foreign aid and his overhaul of the
State Department. Senators also asked him about President Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Listen to the back and forth between Rubio and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on that committee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): What Vladimir Putin is doing now is playing for time, and he's playing this president like a fiddle. And the more --
longer he plays it, the more opportunity he has to gain, territory in Ukraine, and the harder it's going to be to get him to the table. But what
we need to do is to put pressure on Vladimir Putin in every way we can to ensure that we can get them to the negotiating table.
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I disagree with this playing with the fiddle analogy, because the truth of the matter is, when Vladimir Putin
woke up this morning, he had the same set of sanctions on him that he's always had since the beginning of this conflict, and Ukraine was still
getting armaments and shipments from us and from our allies. What has Putin gained throughout this? He hasn't gotten a single concession. He hasn't
gotten a single sanction lifted.
SHAHEEN: He's got time, and the more time he gets without additional pressure on Russia, the more incentive he's got to continue to gain
territory and continue to play for time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: CNN's Kylie Atwood joins us now from the State Department.
I mean, it is fascinating to watch it all play out. I think the ranking Democrat had something interesting to say there as well, because this is
what you hear from all parts, isn't it, that Putin is getting time and that is going to be to his benefit and might actually be what he's after.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The secretary of state making the case that, listen, Putin is waking up today in a
situation that mirrors, the circumstances that he was facing before the Trump administration came into office in such that those sanctions remain
in place and the United States continues to military -- to militarily support Ukraine. But Senator Shaheen made the point that the administration
has taken off the table the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. And they have also given Putin this time to let the conflict continue playing out.
Now, the secretary then went on to say that President Trump believes that the threat of new sanctions right now effectively would be unproductive
because it would cause Russia to stop talking with the United States. And those are productive conversations for the time being.
But he did say that those sanctions might come into effect. Conversations, threats of sanctions might be a necessity. He didn't say when the timeline
would be for when that might come back into this conversation. And you have to obviously consider the fact that this is, as Europeans are trying to
figure out what the Trump administration's play here is going to be in these continued talks with Russia and Ukraine.
[15:25:07]
These are senators that the secretary of state knows very well, because he sat on this committee when he was in the Senate. These are people who have
known him for years, worked alongside him, questioned previous secretaries of state alongside him. And it was interesting to note that a number of the
Democrats on the committee who had voted in favor of the secretary, saying that he should be the secretary of state during his confirmation hearing
now on the record, saying that they regret that vote, with some members effectively saying that they believe that he would stand up for the
principles of human rights, of advocating for democracy around the world, for defending the U.S. Constitution, said that he has not done that.
The secretary of state just taking it in stride and effectively saying that their concerns mean that he believes he's doing a good job.
FOSTER: Okay, Kylie, thank you so much indeed for that.
Now, was it a gift or not? Sources tell CNN that the potential deal for a new jet from Qatar's royal family isn't exactly like President Trump says.
That story just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: We're still waiting to hear from the U.S. president, Donald Trump at the White House, expected to announce plans to build a missile shield
over the U.S., and he's dubbed it the Golden Dome. Skeptics of the proposal have pointed to the colossal cost of any such project, as well as the
logistics. What we don't know, how much all of this will cost.
[15:30:01]
Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton is with me.
And we're at a disadvantage. We actually had the announcement yet, but there have been all sorts of leaks, haven't they, out of Washington. But
when we talk about Golden Dome, we think of Israel, don't we? Are we talking about the same system for a start?
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Not really, Max. And it's good to be with you again.
So, this system is designed to cover the gold dome, as its being called, is designed to cover the entire United States, supposedly. But that's going to
be a tall order because the United States is about 450 times greater in terms of its territory than the state of Israel is. And what would be
needed, of course, is something that requires not only a lot of money, but basically a whole series of new technologies that would basically take what
the Iron Dome does in Israel right now, plus the two other systems that are part of the Israeli missile defense architecture and put those together in
a kind of a way that would allow for the United States to at least defend its main cities from attack by an ICBM, an intercontinental ballistic
missile, or, you know, something else that would be deemed to be a threat of that type.
So, it's a very -- you know, if it does come into fruition, it would definitely be a very sophisticated system. Probably having around somewhere
around 16,000 interceptors that would be part of its architecture, some of which might be space based. So, it's not just a ground based system,
apparently. But we still are, as you mentioned, short on details, and we'll have to see exactly what kind of architecture they come up with here.
FOSTER: We've heard from another analyst as well, who will be speaking to you a bit later on saying that the Iron Dome defends about 45 square
kilometers of space. And they cost -- it costs $100 million apiece. It would cost $100 million to build that, and America would require tens of
thousands of them.
So he's putting the cost of this at $2.5 trillion. Does that sound about right to you?
LEIGHTON: Well, I think in the end, I don't think well be spending that much money on a system like this, at least in terms of the direct
investment into a system of this type.
And we have to keep in mind that the Iron Dome is just one component of the Israeli missile defense system. It basically takes care of the shorter
range missiles that are, you know, that would be a threat to his targets that are in Israel. But there's also something called David's Sling, which
handles the medium range missiles. And then on top of that there's the -- a series of Arrow missile systems, Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, which are designed to
handle intercontinental type threats and long range threats, such as the ones that you see coming from Yemen against Israel.
So that -- that's the kind of thing that would have to be built. It would have to be a multi-faceted system for it to maintain any degree of
effectiveness. Israel has, because of its geography, has a lot of threats that are short range threats, ones that come from places like Lebanon or
Gaza. And those -- many of those would be handled by the Iron Dome system. Longer range threats, such as those coming from Iran and Yemen, would be
ones that would be handled by either David Sling or by the Arrow missile system.
Plus, we also have to keep in mind that the Iron Dome system and the other two systems are based in part on American technology as well as Israeli
technology. So, it is being created here. Could be somewhat revolutionary, but it is also based on the kinds of things that we already have in our
possession, such as the Patriot missile system and the Aegis system, which the Israelis used, with the U.S.'s help to protect itself against Iran
during the past year.
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. We'll get you back, Cedric. Of course, when we get the announcement, we'll have a better sense of it. And how much of it will be
done from space as well, because that seems to be a big part of it, too. Thank you for joining us.
For now, though, President Trump was on Capitol Hill today trying to push his so-called big, beautiful bill. Meanwhile, past the finish line in the
U.S. House, sources in the room during that meeting tell CNN the president had a blunt message to those still opposing the legislation: stop
negotiating and move forward.
Mr. Trump struck an optimistic tone, though, outside after speaking with House Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNTED STATES: I think we have unbelievable unity. I think we're going to get everything we want, and I think we're
going to have a great victory. I think it was a really great -- that was a meeting of love, let me tell you. That was love in that room. There was no
shouting. There was -- I think it was a meeting of love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Clearly, not everyone in the president's party on board, though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NICK LALOTA (R-NY): I hope that the president's presence here today motivates some folks in the Ways and Means Committee and my leadership to
give us a number to which we can actually say yes.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You sound -- you sound pretty frustrated -- you sound pretty frustrated right now.
LALOTA: I'm fired up, Manu.
RAJU: He didn't want to negotiate. He said, we're done negotiating with you guys, did he not?
LALOTA: What I took that is, hey, everybody figure it out. Everybody get in a room and figure it out for the country and for your district. That's
what I took from it. And I hope that my leadership took that message away as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Lauren Fox joins us from Capitol Hill.
It does feel as though, you know, obviously, Donald Trump putting this message out that his party's fully onside with him.
But some splits are really appearing now, aren't they?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And these have been divisions that. Have been really culminating for not just days or weeks but
really months. And leadership has put their party in a position where they have punted some of the most difficult decisions on this tax and
immigration and spending cuts bill until the very end.
I mean, we are less than 12 hours right now from a key committee basically having to come up with any changes that they want to make to this
legislation to get it across the finish line. And the speaker wants to vote on this bill before they leave for the Memorial Day recess on Thursday
afternoon. I mean, that just does not give you a lot of time to figure this out.
I talked to the speaker just a short time ago. He said that he is having a series of flurry of meetings in his office over the course of the next
several hours, as they try to find a path forward. Right now, he is meeting with one of those members that you just saw there, Representative Nick
LaLota of New York, as well as some other members who are fighting really hard to increase the local and state tax deduction that their constituents
can deduct from their federal taxes.
That is an issue that for someone like LaLota, someone like Mike Lawler, could be a winning or losing issue for them back in their states.
Meanwhile, you have conservatives who are arguing that this bill doesn't cut enough, that it's spending too much money. That is obviously in direct
contrast to what some of those swing district Republicans from the state of New York are asking the speaker for right now.
So, you can see the conundrum that the speaker is facing. And Donald Trump's right, you know, behind the scenes in this room, a lot of members
want to get on board with the president's bill. There are a lot of members I talked to who said, this isn't exactly the bill I would write, but we
understand that we need to stand behind the president or were going to see a huge tax increase by the end of the year.
But then, on the other hand, it only takes three Republicans to tank this bill. That obviously just does not give you that much leeway. If you're the
speaker of the house to bring these factions together. And that's the task ahead in the next couple of hours -- Max.
FOSTER: It's interesting, isn't it, because a very small number of Trump Republicans in the House have actually got a huge amount of control right
now.
FOX: Absolutely. And I think one of the most interesting dynamics you're seeing play out right now in the House of Representatives is that normally
it's the conservative voices who are the loudest, who are the ones who are dug in. Everyone else is just waiting for them to get on board. The speaker
has to give and give and give to the right of his flank in order to get a bill across the finish line there. They're upset. There are changes they
want to see, but some of the loudest voices were seeing are some of those swing district Republicans who are arguing we can't make any steeper cuts
to Medicaid, something the president agreed with today. And we want to see the state and local tax deduction issue dealt with once and for all.
And those are the members for whom Mike Johnsons majority is built on. These are the members who could win or lose against Democrats in
competitive races. The conservatives, they might face a primary, but they are not going to lose the Republican seat for Mike Johnson's speakership.
So that just shows you, you know, in some ways, its really interesting to watch these mods using their leverage at this really critical moment,
because it's just not something we see that often up here on Capitol Hill.
FOSTER: Lauren Fox, thank you. It's fascinating.
Now we've got new details on that luxury jet that U.S. President Trump said he was getting as a gift from Qatar's royal family. Now, four sources tell
CNN that it was actually the Trump administration that first approached Qatar that was to inquire about a Boeing 747 that could be used as a new
Air Force One plane. That's contrary to the president's comments that the Qataris reached out and offered the jet to him as a gift.
Joining us now, Alex Marquardt.
I mean, you know, it's interesting, isn't it, because it just -- it creates a completely different narrative and one that wouldn't work for Donald
Trump.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No. And the story has evolved over time, Max, to the point where it has seemed,
according to Trump and his closest aides, that this would be a present, a gift for free. This big 747-8 from Boeing that would simply be given to
United States.
[15:40:02]
But what my colleagues Kristen Holmes, Natasha Bertrand and I have been told by a number of different sources is that when Trump came into office,
officials from the Pentagon went to Boeing to find out when the new Air Force Ones would be ready. And there are two that are currently being
built. They've been delayed for years, and the Pentagon was told they wouldn't be ready until 2027.
And so, Boeing gave the Pentagon officials a list of planes out there in the world that could work as an Air Force One. And this Qatari jet that you
can see right there was one that was on the list. And so, the Pentagon, with the White House's backing, with the Trump administrations backing,
went to the Qataris and said, would you be interested in selling this plane? And the Qataris said, yes, that is something that we could consider.
Steve Witkoff, the president's Middle East envoy was also involved. He had come up with a list of planes that could work. And because he's the Middle
East envoy, he also helped facilitate those first meetings with the Qataris.
But since those early conversations about possibly leasing or buying the plane, this has certainly evolved to what President Trump has called a
gesture, a contribution from the Qataris, he once wrote in all caps on his Truth Social, social media company account that this would be a gift free
of charge. Now, this could end up being something that is free for the United States. This is still being worked out by the two countries, but
certainly this, from what we've been told by these sources, this narrative that this was the Qataris reaching out to the U.S. is not true. It was, in
fact, the Trump administration, via the Pentagon that first reached out to Qatar -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay, Alex, thank you.
Four escapes and -- escapees rather arrested, still six on the run. And now one person, one prison employee is behind bars himself. The latest on the
New Orleans jail break when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:07]
FOSTER: A New Orleans jail employee has been arrested over last Fridays major prison break in Louisiana. An urgent manhunt has now expanded to
track down the remaining six out of ten inmates who escaped through a hole in a wall behind a toilet. On Monday, Louisiana state police caught a
fourth escapee who was serving time in -- on attempted murder charges. He's since been transferred to a secure facility.
Rafael Romo joins us with more.
I mean, a terrible mistake here by the authorities, but they are trying to make sense of it.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely, Max. And there's been a couple of major developments on this jailbreak in the last 24 hours. The
first one, of course, what you just mentioned, the capture of the fourth fugitive and the second one, the arrest of a man accused of helping the
inmates to escape. We're learning new details as to why that man, an employee at the jail, might have decided to turn off the water to the cell
from where the inmates escaped. He told investigators he was threatened.
CNN has obtained a copy of Williams' affidavit for arrest warrant, where investigators say that Williams willfully and maliciously assisted with the
escape of the ten inmates. It also goes on to say that if the inmates removed the sink in the cell and disconnected the rest of the plumbing,
with the water still on. The plan to escape, it says, would not have been successful and potentially flooded the cell, drawing attention to their
actions, according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, Williams was employed as a maintenance worker at the sheriff's office.
Attorney General Murrill also said in a statement that Williams admitted to agents that one of the escapees advised them to turn the water off in the
cell where the inmates escaped from. Instead of reporting the inmate, the statement says Williams turned the water off as directed, allowing the
inmates to carry out their scheme to successfully escape.
Earlier today, Max, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan or Susan Hutson, I should say, has said the investigation into the jailbreak is active and ongoing,
adding that she takes full accountability for this failure.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF SUSAN HUTSON, ORLEANS PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE: There were procedural failures and missed notifications, but there were also
intentional wrongdoings. This was a coordinated effort, aided by individuals inside our own agency, who made the choice to break the law.
One arrest has been made and we are continuing to pursue everyone involved. And that investigation is active and ongoing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: And, Max, the arrests of the parish sheriff's office employee comes after a fourth inmate who escaped from the jail Friday, was captured on
Monday. That happened in the New Orleans east neighborhood. Twenty-one- year-old Gary C. Price was flown to a secure state facility and according to officials, 200 local, state and federal law enforcement personnel
continue to work around the clock to locate the remaining fugitives -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay. Rafael, thank you very much indeed. We'll keep following it.
Now, still to come, the Hermit Kingdom might not be on every traveler's bucket list, but those wanting to visit are having a tougher time. We'll
show you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:00]
FOSTER: North Korea recently opened its borders to foreign tourists after keeping them tightly shut because of COVID-19. Now, doors seem to be
closing again, though.
CNN's Will Ripley explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY JAGGARD, YOUTUBER: All the Koreans are smiling and waving, heading to work.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): British YouTuber Harry Jaggard had never run a marathon, but when North Korea
announced a handful of foreign spots for the Pyongyang marathon --
JAGGARD: This is where all the military parades are.
RIPLEY: Harry hit the ground running.
JAGGARD: These are not paid actors. These are real people.
RIPLEY: Joining the first group of Westerners since COVID to visit North Korea's capital.
JAGGARD: Ten percent of the trip were athletes, runners, and then 90 percent were like content creators.
RIPLEY: Do you think the North Koreans knew that most of the people in your group were content creators like you?
JAGGARD: The tour guides definitely weren't expecting it. They said that the tour guides, they said that they'd never seen this many cameras, like
pointing at them.
Can we not mingle? Can we not mingle?
They're going to bring one actor.
RIPLEY: North Korea tries to carefully control every aspect of foreign tours.
JAGGARD: One of the rules they told us was just like, you got to ask your tour guide to film. If they tell you not to film, just don't film. And
people were like filming in places they shouldn't be filmed like --
RIPLEY: They could not control questions like this.
JAGGARD: But do you feel like you know him? Kim Jong Un?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
JAGGARD: He has a daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-huh, I think so.
JAGGARD: And she will be the next leader? Maybe?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure.
JAGGARD: Oh, okay. Okay.
RIPLEY: He looked pretty uncomfortable when you asked him that question.
JAGGARD: He was definitely uncomfortable. I found out after that, like, they don't really talk about the future, like the future leaders. They just
talk about the present.
RIPLEY: Soon after the marathon, North Korea hit the brakes, abruptly canceling foreign visas for its international trade fair in Pyongyang.
You guys already had flight tickets, hotels booked.
JUSTIN MARTELL, TOUR OPERATOR: We had our visas issued and then abruptly canceled. That wasn't just us. That was actually over 200 Chinese and also
Russian visitors as well.
RIPLEY: Did they say why?
MARTELL: They just said that it was in the national interest.
RIPLEY: Tour operator Justin Martell was supposed to lead a 20 person business delegation. He also led tours to Rason, North Korea's special
economic zone, earlier this year. Social media influencers quickly snatched up those spots.
MARTELL: Controversy creates clicks, that creates cash. The more sensational your video is, the more views you're going to get, the more
followers you're going to get.
RIPLEY: That reopening lasted less than three weeks. All trips suddenly canceled without warning or official explanation.
MARTELL: There are some people in Pyongyang or higher up in the North Korean government who looked at the footage that came out from those
YouTubers and thought that it didn't reflect positively. It's called the Hermit Kingdom for a reason. So all we can do now is hope for the best.
JAGGARD: These are the different haircuts we can get.
RIPLEY: The closures mean for now, none of this.
JAGGARD: Haircut like Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Un haircut.
RIPLEY: And more of this -- North Korea's carefully controlled state propaganda, a way to project power and military prowess without having to
worry about anyone going off script.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): It's important to keep in mind that North Korea doesn't really have social media like much of the world. They also have
been hermetically sealed off from much of the world for the last five years, all during COVID. So, it might be a simple case of authorities not
being prepared for the sea change that has occurred on these tourist trips, where now you have most of the people on the trips, content creators,
sometimes with millions of followers and just a handful of minders to keep tabs on what they're doing, as opposed to when journalists go to the
country, they have significantly more attention and focus to make sure they don't point their cameras in the wrong direction. That was certainly the
case for me on my 19 trips to that country.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
FOSTER: He has been there a lot.
[15:55:00]
Selena Gomez has made plenty of hit songs and now may be a hit Oreo flavor, too. The singer, actress, investor, now cookie maker has created a new
flavor inspired by her love of horchata, a cold, sweetened drink made from ground rice or nuts and flavored with cinnamon. It's one of Oreo's latest
partnerships to attract Gen Z eaters. The limited edition goes on sale online in the U.S. on the 2nd of June and will be released in other
countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada a few weeks later. Not here in the U.K., doesn't sound like.
I'm Max Foster. That is WHAT WE KNOW.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up for you next.
END
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