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Cornyn and Paxton Face Off in Texas GOP Senate Primary Runoff; Iran Warns of Retaliation Over Ceasefire Violations; WHO Chief Says Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Response Efforts; Democratic Lawmakers, Jim Comey Among People Who May Apply for Fund Payment. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired May 26, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JEREMY SEWALL, CHEF, ROW 34: This is our warm butter lobster roll, which is by far our most popular lobster roll. So it's just warmed up in whole butter and stuffed into a toasted bun.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh my gosh, what do these go for?

SEWALL: Well, currently they're on the menu for $48.

KAYE: Does a higher cost change your mind about ordering lobster roll?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not in this case because it's a special treat, so I'm OK with it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to pay for gas, but I also would love to eat a lobster roll.

KAYE: It's a tough choice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is.

KAYE: In an economy like this, people may be choosing between a delicious lobster roll and filling their tank.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, and I would say go half a tank and come have a lobster roll.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, today one of the country's most closely watched primary runoffs has just gotten underway in Texas. It's another test of the president's power over the Republican party. Trump backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton battling longtime incumbent Senator John Cornyn.

Plus, Iran vows retaliation after new U.S. strikes on Iranian missile sites and mine laying boats near the Strait of Hormuz. What will this mean for peace talks that are underway? And right place, right time. Officers close by as an infant is in

danger of drowning in a car in flash flooding. How they rescue that child.

I'm Sara Sider with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So it is election day in America once again. Polls will soon be opening in Texas as voters get ready for what's become the premier runoff primary election of the entire season, perhaps. Longtime Republican Senator John Cornyn fighting for his political life right now.

He's up against the state attorney general, Ken Paxton. Now, this was already a must watch race. And then Donald Trump decided to jump in.

Paxton getting a major boost when Trump endorsed him a week ago. Here's what John Cornyn says now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Well, I don't know how much more with him I could be than 99.3 percent of the time. I can't interpret what's in the president's mind. But I have been supportive of him because I want him to be successful.

I want America to be successful and I want Republicans to be successful. But, you know, in the end, as I said, Texans are the only ones going to be able to make a choice. And I think Texans can be pretty independent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Ken Paxton, he now seems to be so confident that he's looking past Cornyn and to the possible general election fight ahead against the Democratic nominee unleashing a series of new attacks on that Democratic nominee, James Tallarico. Senator Cornyn, meanwhile, is also arguing that if Paxton wins the GOP nomination, he says Republicans could lose the seat altogether and then risk losing the Senate majority altogether. So, so much going on here.

Let's get to it. CNN's Arlette Saenz is on the ground in Texas for us this morning. Arlette, what's the very latest that you've been hearing as they now head to the polls?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, polls are officially open in most of Texas now as Republican voters are set to deliver their final verdict in this runoff between Senator John Cornyn and State Attorney General Ken Paxton. This has been an incredibly expensive and bruising primary for Republicans. And it has also roiled the Republican Party, not just here in Texas, but also on the national level.

And it has pitted the president against some Senate Republicans who have been frustrated by his decision to back Paxton in this race. Now, Cornyn is fighting for his political survival. He has stayed in this race and continues to slam Ken Paxton, warning that he would be a liability for Republicans in November if he does become the GOP nominee.

But really, after President Trump's last minute and abrupt endorsement of Paxton, a lot of momentum has been on his side, especially with the MAGA base. Now, we spoke to undecided voters throughout the day yesterday, and there had been a mix of sentiments, with some saying that they were sticking with Cornyn despite President Trump's endorsement of Paxton, and others saying they were with Paxton all along. But take a listen to one of those undecided voters I spoke with, who said she was still making up her mind heading into runoff day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNDEE BOLDUAN, UNDECIDED TEXAS VOTER: There's some things on Cornyn that I really like, but then there's some things on Paxton that I like. And then I'm trying to discern between the lies that are being told on both sides and the truths that are being told on both sides.

SAENZ: And what have you thought about the fact that President Trump did endorse Ken Paxton over John Cornyn?

[08:05:00]

BOLDUAN: I was a little shocked, to be honest with you, because I felt like Cornyn was a little bit more reserved than Paxton might have been. I'm trying really hard not to let the personal side of things filter what I'm going to do or filter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ (on camera): Now, for Paxton's part, he's already turned his focus to the general election. He and his super PAC had stopped airing negative ads against Cornyn after the president had given Paxton his endorsement. And on the campaign trail last week, he was really testing out some nicknames for James Tallarico, the Democratic nominee.

But this is promising to be a very expensive general election matchup, no matter who the Republican nominee emerges tonight. But Texas voters will make their final decisions on whether to extend, potentially extend Senator John Cornyn's time in office or turn to a new face in the state attorney general, Ken Paxton.

BOLDUAN: And they start voting right now. It's great to see you. Thank you so much, Arlette -- John.

BERMAN: All right, we are standing by for President Trump to depart for Walter Reed Medical Center for his annual checkup. This is his third trip to Walter Reed in the last 13 months.

Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed they just shot down a Reaper drone and opened fire on an F-35 fighter jet and another drone that entered their airspace. Now, Iran is warning it will retaliate for any ceasefire violations. The U.S. military says it carried out strikes in southern Iran, targeting what they call missile launch sites and boats, allegedly attempting to lay mines around the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM says the U.S. action was in self-defense. And yet Secretary of State Marco Rubio says a deal to end the war could be just days away.

Let's get to CNN senior national security reporter Zach Cohen. Zach, this is a lot of back and forth military action for a deal that allegedly could be reached within days.

ZACH COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, John, absolutely. It really does underscore how precarious the current situation is, even as we've seen some recent progress in these negotiations, at least to sort of come to a preliminary agreement to end this conflict. But U.S. Central Command, as you mentioned, is framing these strikes in southern Iran as defensive in nature, saying that they targeted two boats that were laying mines or attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz and then destroying various missile sites in that area as well that were posing a threat to U.S. forces. Now, it remains a big question here, what this ultimately will mean for those negotiations. A U.S. official really stressing to me that this was a limited strike, that it was reactionary, and it was not part of some planned operation. But still, as you mentioned too, Iran vowing to retaliate for any violations of the ceasefire.

Now, I want to listen to what Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, said when he was asked about these strikes yesterday while traveling abroad. Take a listen to the point that he really tried to hammer home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: The Straits have to be open. They're going to be open one way or the other, so they need to open. What's happening is unlawful. It's illegal. It's unsustainable for the world. It's unacceptable. I don't know of any country in the world that doesn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, we've heard from current and former U.S. officials that reopening the Strait likely requires some sort of negotiated resolution here. And that is something that President Donald Trump has really been projecting optimism about in the last few days, saying, quote, that they are proceeding nicely. And U.S. officials are saying that the two sides are really trying to work through some disputes over two key issues, the language around Iran's nuclear program, as well as lifting sanctions. Now, Trump has shown some flexibility on the question of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, shifting his language a bit in a True Social post last night, suggesting that he may be open to the idea of destroying that material inside Iran or transporting to a third country rather than having it come back to the United States.

BERMAN: We, of course, are watching that language, potential shifts in language very carefully as we are watching what happens very much on the ground and in the air around the Strait of Hormuz. Zach Cohen, thank you so much for sharing your reporting -- Sara.

SIDNER: Hello John.

BERMAN: Hi.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, global alarm as health officials try to contain the current deadly Ebola outbreak that has taken at least 220 lives.

Also, rescuers race against the clock to save seven people trapped inside of a cave in Laos, the latest on their dangerous mission.

Plus, a live look at the White House lawn. You're wondering what that thing is behind there. I got two words for you -- fight night.

[08:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: This morning health officials around the world are racing to contain the fast-growing Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organization is warning the current outbreak is now among the largest ever recorded.

Scientists are scrambling to find effective treatments for the rare strain now linked to more than 900 cases.

CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell tracking all of this. This is really concerning where we are right now.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. Over the weekend, we got an update from the WHO. The director essentially saying that this is going to get worse before it gets better.

So as you noted, there are more than 900 suspected cases now in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is really the epicenter here, 220 deaths. It's growing in Uganda as well, which now has reported seven cases and one death, including two additional confirmed cases in health care workers. So there's incredible concern about spread in health care settings.

The director general of the WHO, Dr. Tedros, talking about why we have such challenges here, essentially saying initially the delayed detection of this outbreak, that it's been spreading for a while. And now he says we're playing catch up, trying to even get a handle on its size and scope.

[08:15:00]

Also, the region where this is, they say there's intensified fighting in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces. And Ituri is where this is centered in the northeastern part of DRC.

So this is problematic as well, as well as the lack of trust among some communities in this area from outside authorities. And then, of course, they know the absence of approved vaccines and medicines because this is driven by a strain known as Bundibugyo, which has only been seen in two prior outbreaks of Ebola. There have been 17 outbreaks of Ebola in the DRC, and usually they are driven by a strain known as Zaire.

And so that is contributing to this issue that we don't have these vaccines and treatments right now.

SIDNER: So no vaccines and treatments. What is happening on that front, working towards that? Is there something good on the horizon potentially?

TIRRELL: Yes, the toolkit is not completely bare. They are working very fast to ramp this up. So they're talking about starting clinical trials of two monoclonal antibodies.

So these are medicines that they could use potentially for treatment. There's also an antiviral drug they're talking about called obeldesivir, and that's good because it's an oral drug. So these are given by IV infusion typically, which could be difficult in this setting.

If you can give an oral drug, they're talking about post-exposure prophylaxis. So prevention after you've been exposed to the virus, they could give this treatment and hopefully sort of stop its transmission. Of course, they're also developing vaccines.

Those, unfortunately, are farther off on the horizon.

SIDNER: Give us some sense of what the symptoms are because I think a lot of people, we have visions of what happened in 2014.

TIRRELL: Initially, it sets in with fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and unfortunately, that means it can be confused with other maladies like malaria that are circulating in the area, later stage symptoms, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and of course, this is a hemorrhagic fever. So things like unexplained bleeding also are seen in the later stages as well.

SIDNER: Yes, it's disturbing what is happening now because this is certainly not contained. We've already seen 220 people die and WHO is trying to figure this all out at the same time. Meg, it's always good to have you here.

I know you've been really studying this to see kind of what it looks like compared to 2014. Really appreciate it -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: There were chaotic scenes this morning outside an ICE detention facility in New Jersey. We continue to track what is happening here and also chaotic scenes yesterday and days before that. Lawmakers now demanding access there as there are disputes over is there a hunger strike going on inside and allegations of poor conditions there, what the Department of Homeland Security is saying.

And Ferrari goes electric. The luxury sports car maker unveils their first ever fully electric car. Of course, next question being what is the price tag? [08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: There's new CNN reporting this morning about a new group of people who could be filing claims now to win compensation out of President Trump's so-called anti-weaponization fund. That group, though, not Trump allies. Instead, the targets of the president's political retribution campaigns, former U.S. Capitol riot prosecutors, fired federal officials, and some journalists even now say they are the real victims and they may seek compensation.

Also debating whether to file claims now, the six Democratic lawmakers who were found themselves under investigation by the Trump administration after this video, you remember, urging service members to disobey illegal orders.

CNN's Marshall Cohen has this new reporting. He's joining us right now. Fascinating what you're learning and what people are telling you, Marshall, tell us more.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Kate, good morning to you. When the DOJ announced this fund last week, they said it was meant to right the wrongs of the past and they pointed to some of President Trump's longstanding grievances about the Russia probe, about the classified documents investigation in the raid at Mar-a-Lago, and about January 6th. But as you just mentioned, a lot of Trump critics who say that they've been targeted by the administration are now flipping the script.

They say they're the real victims and that the Trump administration is the perpetrators of these weaponization attempts. Some of them have said that they are strongly considering filing claims. Some of them have already sent letters to the DOJ outlining why they think they deserve money.

And there have also been some discussions among these groups, concerns that if they sort of play ball here, they might be legitimizing a fund that they think is brazenly corrupt.

So who am I talking about? Well, Kate, you mentioned a few, but there's also former FBI Director James Comey, who famously was in a significant battle with the president during the first term and was fired in 2017 during the Russia probe.

There's also Michael Cohen, the Trump fixer turned nemesis, as well as former January 6th prosecutors that were fired en masse last year after Trump returned to the White House. There are those six Democratic lawmakers that you mentioned who have been discussing whether to file a claim here. They were investigated by the DOJ over that video where they told service members not to follow illegal orders -- investigated but not indicted, I should point out.

And there's also Andy McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI that the president attacked repeatedly during the first term and fired in 2018, just hours before his retirement. McCabe is a CNN contributor, but his attorney, I spoke with him and he had some very, very strong words here. Let me read this for you.

McCabe's attorney said, quote, "The idea of this slush fund is crazy, ridiculous and illegal. There was weaponization in the first Trump administration and they have taken it to a whole new level in the second."

Kate, we did reach out to the DOJ for comment. They have not yet responded to us. But DOJ officials have previously said that a five member commission will go case by case and look at these submissions one by one.

BOLDUAN: Marshall Cohen, great reporting. Thanks so much, Marshall. It's good to see you -- John.

[08:25:00]

BERMAN: All right, we've got dramatic new video of an officer saving a baby from a car stranded in floodwaters.

And it's not official until this afternoon, but we already know this morning who will play for the U.S. men's national team with the World Cup, who was on the roster and who were the biggest snubs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: So poll numbers for the president sagging. And now, as they say in the horror movies, the call is coming from inside the House. If the House is the Republican Party in this case. Follow the metaphor.

With us now, Chief Data Analyst, Harry Enten. So there are some issues in his approval among Republicans. What do you see?

HARRY ENTEN, CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, OK. Why don't we talk about the key issue of inflation? You know, we're talking about houses, Johnny B and me.

And what are we talking about? We're talking about a complete collapse of the floor. Look at this.

Republicans' net approval of Trump on inflation. You know, you go back when he was running for re-election back in 2024 for term number one. Look at that net approval rate.

It was plus 68 points in terms of how they viewed, Republicans viewed inflation and Trump in term number one.

[08:30:00]