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Rubio Says, Iran Deal Down to Disputes Over a Word, a Sentence; Soon, Polls Open in Texas for Critical Primary Runoffs; Protesters Form Human Chain Outside ICE Detention Facility. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 26, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, new U.S. strikes on Iran with new threats on the U.S. from Iran's supreme leader. So what does this mean for the progress the president has been touting on the peace talks?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Chaos erupts between protesters and federal agents outside of an ICE facility in New Jersey where hundreds of detainees are reportedly on a hunger strike, even the governor being denied entry. What we know about what's going on there.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. A man is rescued after six hours wedged in a rock crevice, trapped in total darkness until rescuers literally chiseled him out.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: And breaking this morning, the United States has launched new strikes on Southern Iran. U.S. Central Command says it was self- defense, targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz to, quote, protect troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.

Still, senior U.S. officials say a peace deal could be close at hand. This was Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: With something like this, it's going to take a couple days to settle on even down to the disagreements over a word sentence. So, we'll have to work through that. If there's going to be a deal, we're going to have to work through that. But this is -- you know, it's either going to be a good deal or there isn't going to be one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, we have heard that a deal was close before, many times before. And there is also this, a new statement attributed to Iran's supreme leader saying that U.S. bases in the Middle East are no longer safe.

So, let's get to CNN's Kevin Liptak live at the White House this morning for where things stand after a night of new attacks. Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And, you know, these negotiations were already extraordinarily fragile even before the U.S. and Iran began trading fire, and I think it just lends to some of the uncertainty around all of this.

And just to run you through exactly how this played out yesterday, the U.S. detected two Iranian boats that they say were laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S blew up those boats. The Iranians responded with surface-to-air missiles, and then the U.S. took out some of those missile launch sites. So that's sort of how this all played out.

You know, it's not the first time that the US and Iran have traded fire over the course of this ceasefire, and what U.S. officials say is that the truce does remain in effect. But it just, I think, complicates these ongoing negotiations. You know, every day that the U.S. and Iran are going back and forth over a single word in the document, which is what Marco Rubio says they're doing, is another day that something like this could come in and threaten to upend the negotiations.

Now, that hasn't happened just yet, and, in fact, before this took place yesterday, there were some signs of progress. You had an Iranian delegation visiting Qatar. You know, Qatar has been a mediator in all of this, but they're also, I think perhaps more importantly, the site of where billions of dollars of frozen Iranian assets are held. And as the Iranians look to get more clarity in what financial relief they'll get as part of this deal, I think those conversations will be very, very important.

You also had President Trump yesterday demonstrating a new level of flexibility in one of the very key issues in all of this, which is what happens to that stockpile of highly enriched uranium, a thousand pounds of it that's believed to be buried underground. President Trump before yesterday had been insistent that the U.S. take possession of it.

In a Truth Social post late yesterday, he seemed open to some alternatives, including that it be destroyed inside Iran or that it be moved to a third party. So, the president seeming open to some flexibility in these negotiations.

Iran, for its part, has seemed relatively unyielding in its rhetoric, and this message that we got today from the Supreme Leader I think just underscores that. You know, it's a written message. We haven't seen or heard from him since he was elevated to this position but it was an address to mark the start of the Hajj season.

[07:05:06]

He offered a warning to the U.S. He said that the hands of time do not turn backwards, and that, the U.S. not only will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region.

So, quite an emboldened message from Iran at a very fragile moment in these talks. John?

BERMAN: Yes. It's very interesting to see which side seems to be giving up more during these talks as they progress.

Kevin Liptak, great to see you at the White House, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, John.

It is Election Day again in Texas, and there is one race that has the attention of everyone, including President Trump, the primary runoff battle between longtime Republican Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The race was already highly competitive, but President Trump's endorsement of Paxton last week has effectively launched him to frontrunner status. This is all part of the larger effort by President Trump to purge his own party of incumbents he sees as not quite loyal enough, even though Senator Cornyn touts voting with the president 99 percent of the time.

Joining us now is Andrew Desiderio, a senior Congressional reporter for Punchbowl News. Good morning to you. Thank you for being here.

We read you every morning. Look, Cornyn got the most votes in the initial primary by like I think it was, like 2 percent, but not enough to avoid this runoff. Is the Trump boost for Paxton really going to be the key here to see him being pushed over the line to become the next senator?

ANDREW DESIDERIO, SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Well, look, a Trump endorsement in a Republican party is the golden ticket usually, right? And the president doesn't usually endorse someone unless he's very, very confident that that individual is going to win the primary. He likes to tout his you know, 97, 98, 99 percent track record, whatever it is, of picking the candidate who ends up winning the primary.

In this case the president had decided very late in this process to weigh in, obviously. I think it was -- you know, it was probably going to be the case that Ken Paxton was on track to win this runoff regardless of a presidential endorsement. But remember, Senate Republican leaders had been pleading with Donald Trump for over a year to endorse John Cornyn early on in this race in part as a business proposition, right?

Because you saw Senate Republican leadership and the super PAC aligned with them and other Republican-affiliated super PACs spend almost $100 million to boost Senator Cornyn throughout this primary. And they believe that if the president had simply endorsed Senator Cornyn early on in this process, that would have essentially dispatched anyone any sort of challenge, potential challenge to Senator Cornyn. And in the process, they would have saved all that money that they could have used on some of these other states, like North Carolina and Maine and Georgia and Michigan.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, there's a lot of talk about this particular race because it is Texas and the likelihood is the Republican, whoever they're up against, even though Talarico is very popular with Democrats will likely win.

I do want to ask you about Paxton because he was brought up on criminal fraud charges. He paid like $300,000 in restitution, did some community service to have the case dropped. As the Texas attorney general, the Texas House voted to impeach him over bribery and abuse of office, and his wife went public accusing him of adultery, and yet the president endorsed him. Is this because, as you said, he sees him as the next winner, or is this really about a fight with the Senate?

DESIDERIO: I think this is something that Donald Trump views as a proxy in his war with the Senate right now. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been very adamant that the Senate is going to maintain its prerogatives on things like the filibuster and something called the blue slip policy for federal judge nominations.

That has not satisfied Donald Trump, obviously, and he's been trying to prod John Thune, the Senate majority leader, over those issues for a long time now. And it became obvious really a couple of months ago right after this Texas primary that the president was trying to use this as a cudgel against John Thune and really against John Cornyn.

Cornyn ended up switching his entire position on the filibuster. He wrote an op-ed in the New York Post saying that he no longer supports the filibuster and that he would support getting rid of it in order to pass the Save America Act. Ken Paxton has been sort of on that train all along. And so Cornyn was trying to prove and show his bona fides to Donald Trump in that respect.

SIDNER: Andrew Desiderio, thank you so much for coming on and walking us through all that. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Chaotic scenes are seen outside an ICE detention facility in New Jersey. Protesters clashing with federal officers there, and the state's governor also denied access to the site. We've got an update on what is going on there right now.

And next hour, President Trump heading out -- heading to the Walter Reed Medical Center for his third health checkup this term.

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What we could learn.

And a race against the clock to rescue seven people who have been trapped for more than a week in a flooded out cave. Just video of the rescue efforts is panic-inducing enough.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BOLDUAN: There's new video in overnight showing protesters forming a human chain outside an ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, the site of pretty chaotic scenes for days now, with crowds gathering to protest allegations of poor conditions inside.

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That's some of what we're seeing. Protesters have been there all weekend after reports of a hunger strike unfolding inside the facility. The Department of Homeland Security says about 125 protesters surrounded the facility, blocked people from entering or exiting, so they suspended visitation out of a, quote, abundance of caution.

New Jersey's governor and some Democratic lawmakers were among those denied access.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ): Everyone, regardless of their status, should be treated with dignity, making sure that you make your doctor's appointments, that you get your medication. We're having reports that women who are menstruating have to ask every time they need products. That's humiliating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Gloria Pazmino is tracking all of this for us. She's here with us now. What is the latest here?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And this is not the first time that we're seeing this kind of chaos outside Delaney Hall. This is an immigration detention facility located in Newark. It has capacity for about 1,000 people. It has a little over 300 detainees there right now. And for several days now, there have been demonstrators that gathered outside of the gates of Delaney Hall to protest conditions inside.

This is the same detention center where, about a year ago, we saw members of Congress, Monica McIver, taken into custody after she attempted to get access into the facility to do an oversight visit, and we're seeing similar interactions last night. Protesters continue to be there this morning, and I'm told by advocates who are on the ground that this is all in response to poor conditions inside the facility. Specifically, things got heated over the weekend when protesters tried to intervene when they were moving a detainee from inside that facility to another facility.

I'm told by the advocates that they believe this is retaliation by federal officials and the staff inside the detention center because detainees are holding this hunger strike to call attention to their conditions. This is one of the attorneys that's representing many of the detainees that are in custody there told us that the conditions are, quote, brutal. People just sleep on the floor, overcrowded rooms, cold showers, no food, extremely cold in the cells with no blankets, not sound conditions to live in. We've also heard from Congressman Andy Kim, who was actually able to access the facility late yesterday. He told us that part of what they saw was spoiled food, people not being able to access medical care, including women, some of whom are pregnant, inside that facility. So, that's what's bringing attention to the facility in the past few days.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security has denied that there is a hunger strike going on, and they've also said that conditions are not as described by the detainees and the advocates. This is part of what they had to say in response, quote, our law enforcement followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property. The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly, not rioting.

Now, Kate, the question is whether or not some of these lawmakers, including the governor of New Jersey, who was denied access to the facility yesterday, will be able to get access today perhaps, and if we're going to continue to see this intervention by the advocates who have been -- you know, they've been blocking traffic and blocking vehicles from being able to access the facility, and it just certainly seems like a chaotic, dangerous situation between advocates and law enforcement officers.

BOLDUAN: And at the minimum, getting lawmakers with oversight responsibility in there may clear up this, what seems to be a dispute right now if there is a hunger strike going on inside. So, let's see what happens today, because it's been quite something each day since this weekend.

Thank you so much, Gloria, much more to come on this. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Ahead, this is a live picture here of the White House. You can see that large structure towering over the White House, built for, we're going to let you know, but we'll give you a hint, fight night.

We're also getting a new court battle court filing in a battle over Donald Trump's ballroom as well. The very latest on what's going on there in and around the White House.

Plus, the Knicks are going to the NBA Finals, people, for the first time this millennium. Their dominant sweep of the Cavs, those pictures ahead.

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SIDNER: For the first time since 1999, the New York Knicks are heading back to the finals, people. CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes is here now with more. Give it to us. We are happy to see you this morning.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Sara. See, we got the brooms out in the studio. What a time to be a New York Knicks fan right now. It's just fabulous for them. You know, after 27 years, the Knicks finally heading back to the finals. Yes, twirl that all day, you know?

And they're getting to the finals on a historic run, right? I mean, it's just been incredible what they've been doing. Timothee Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Spike Lee, loads of other Knicks fans were in Cleveland for game four. In New York, they would just once again hit the Cavs with an avalanche in the second quarter. Landry Shamet came off the bench red hot once again. He was 4-4 from downtown. Then Karl-Anthony Towns here, look at that pushback slam. That capped off a 20-0 run, and the Cavs, they pretty much just quit.

I mean, they were letting the Knicks run all over them. New York would end up winning 130 to 93 to complete the sweep. They're the first team ever to win three closeout games by 30 or more on the way to the finals. Jalen Brunson was named your Eastern Conference Finals MVP.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JALEN BRUNSON, NEW YORK KNICKS GUARD: It means a lot, but, I mean, I wouldn't be here without my teammates. The belief they had in me, this coaching staff, this organization, this fan base, I mean, without them, none of this is possible.

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KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS, NEW YORK KNICKS FORWARD: To have the greatest fans in the NBA show up here on the road, and for them to give us this kind of love everywhere we go in the world, we couldn't have asked for a better feeling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. Knicks fans partying like it was 1999 last night at the watch party, and just what a run these fans are on. The Knicks, they've won 11 in a row by a total of 226 points. It's the best point differential across 11 games in any point in NBA history, regular season or playoffs. The NBA finals, they don't start until June 3rd, so the Knicks are going to have a full week off.

Game three will be at Madison Square Garden June 8th, the get-in ticket price right now going for $3,500. That is one expensive ticket.

All right, in baseball last night, the Astros coming through with a no-hitter yet again. Tatsuya Imai walked three of the first four batters of the game, but then he pitched six hitless innings. Steven Okert then got three outs out of the bullpen, and then Alimber Santa making his Major League debut, pitched two perfect innings. Brandon Nimmo tried to challenge the final strike here, but he was wrong.

This is the first no-hitter in baseball in 630 days, which is the longest drought we had in 20 years. The Astros, they've now pitched five of the last 11 no-hitters. And, Sara, Santa is the first pitcher since 1900 to participate in a no-hitter in his Major League debut. So he set the bar pretty high for the rest of his career, right, starting, participating in a no-hitter there.

SIDNER: That was cool. That was really -- my arm hurts just watching him. But you know what doesn't hurt? My mind. I'm feeling good about the Knicks. I'm feeling really, really good. You know who else is feeling good? Our buddy, Sweet Lou. He's just busy doing his normal job. Just put it on Berman's feet. Yes, there it is.

BERMAN: All you -- I'm telling you, it's happy for the Knicks. The first time going to the finals this millennium, which means they haven't won --

BOLDUAN: I also think this is the first time that Lou has ever shown his arms on T.V., and hopefully the last.

SIDNER: Lou has got the guns out. He is ready. He's got his broom. And you know what? Berman has got something to say about this because --

BERMAN: All I was going to say is it's great to see him back in the finals for the first time this millennium.

SIDNER: Wow.

BERMAN: Which means they haven't won in 1,000 years.

SIDNER: Wow.

BERMAN: All right. Ladies and gentlemen --

SIDNER: Boston everybody --

BERMAN: Andy Scholes, our thanks to you.

SIDNER: There it is.

BERMAN: All right. We are standing by for President Trump to head to the Walter Reed Medical Center for the third time in 13 months as he approaches his 80th birthday. What are the lingering health questions?

And runaway cheese, the heroic pursuit of a wheel of cheese down a mountainside. Let's see A.I. try this, right? This is why humans will prevail.

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