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U.S. Launches "Self-Defense" Strikes On Iran Amid Deal Talks; Trump Says Physical Went "Perfectly" After Exam At Walter Reed; Texas Voters Head To Polls In Test Of Trump's Endorsement. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired May 26, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: But they will bite if they feel threatened. And Boris, I'm no herpetologist ...

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes.

KEILAR: ... but I don't think that's how you hold a snake. I think ...

SANCHEZ: It -- he -- he apparently gets bit ...

KEILAR: Oh, gosh.

SANCHEZ: ... because he -- he shows his hand several times. I'm not sure if this is an attempt to be initiated as a Florida man, but you don't actually have to do that to be in Florida or enjoy the nice speech behind you. At least, it's -- it's brave, a brave way to resolve this. I don't know.

KEILAR: He loves animals.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

Testing the Talks: Iran threatens to retaliate after the U.S. carries out what it calls self-defense strikes near the Strait of Hormuz. Ahead, how this could impact negotiations to end the conflict.

SANCHEZ: Plus, after a three-hour visit to Walter Reed Medical Center, the President Trump says his physical went perfectly. What we know about today's medical exam.

And later, we'll take you to the front lines in Ukraine, a CNN team going alongside Ukrainian troops as they open fire on Russian drones attacking their positions.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: Negotiators are navigating new tests to the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, and it comes at a pivotal moment for peace talks that have been weeks in the making. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps now threatening retaliation to any violations in the ceasefire after the U.S. launched fresh attacks near the Strait of Hormuz that U.S. Central Command says were self-defense strikes on Iran missile launch sites and boats that were dropping mines. KEILAR: Discussions around a potential peace deal have intensified in

recent days, and now we've learned that President Trump is expected to convene his entire Cabinet tomorrow at Camp David. CNN Senior National Security Reporter Zach Cohen is here with us now.

Zach, the President clearly wants to make a deal here. This is pretty complicated, though, after these strikes, considering Iran is threatening retaliation. Where do things stand?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: It's messy, and these strikes really do show how precarious the situation is at the moment, even as we've seen signs of some progress in negotiating an interim agreement, really a deal to agree to what to talk about in terms of a deal finally. But look, CENTCOM is clearly framing these strikes as defensive in nature, saying that they were conducted to protect the troops in -- the American troops in the area.

But at the same time, they are accusing Iran of actively laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz as these negotiations are ongoing. So, those are sort of counter forces to each other there. And then at the same time, we're seeing Iran respond to these strikes by threatening retaliation, by threatening not only U.S. forces, but also U.S. military assets across the region if the ceasefire is deemed to be violated.

So, we do have this sort of murkiness, this added murkiness after these strikes. And it remains unclear exactly where this leaves us, though it does appear that there is still room for negotiation. Neither side has really walked away from the table, so to speak. And -- but it does raise questions about what is the priority here now. There's a lot of agenda items and terms the U.S. has been trying to push on Iran to try to get them to agree to.

But at the end of the day, the Strait of Hormuz reopening that key waterway is the top priority. And that's something Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on the plane just yesterday. Take a listen to what he said and listen to the urgency in his voice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, the straits have to be open. They're going to be open one way or the other. So, they need to be open. What's happening there 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 does it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, Rubio says the strait will be opened one way or another, but we've been told by current and former U.S. officials that a diplomatic negotiated resolution is essential to actively give the shipping industry the confidence to transit that waterway. So, without one, it really does leave the situation as status quo.

But as Rubio is saying, that agenda item number one is reopening the Strait of Hormuz. We're also told by U.S. officials, though, that there are two other, kind of, key sticking points here. One is the language around Iran's nuclear program. The other is this issue of lifting of sanctions.

And it's interesting because we saw Donald Trump demonstrate some flexibility on the nuclear issue just yesterday in a Truth Social post, saying that he might be okay with a scenario where Iran either destroys the highly enriched uranium that it has buried deep underground inside Iran or ships it to a third country.

He'd previously insisted that that material be sent to the United States. So, perhaps the President trying to demonstrate some goodwill there, showing that he's willing to meet them halfway. But still, this meeting at Camp David, another sign that Trump convening his National Security team, his Cabinet and trying to figure out a path forward.

[15:05:03]

KEILAR: Yes, we'll be watching that. Zach, thank you so much for the latest on that.

Let's talk about it now with retired Army Lieutenant General Karen Gibson. She formerly served as director of intelligence for U.S. Central Command. Thank you so much for being with us.

As you're watching these strikes and the way Iran has responded with a threat, but the negotiations are still ongoing, which is very telling. Where do things stand?

LT. GENERAL KAREN GIBSON, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, so I'd say even under a ceasefire, any military unit still retains the inherent right to self-defense. And so, while the naval blockade has been going on, the U.S. military has probably been conducting additional refined military planning. They're doing intelligence collection. They're identifying potential targets for future operations. And at some point, someone probably, and at some point, someone probably, whether it was a fighter cap, combat air patrol over the blockade, whether it was some element of the blockade or some another military or intelligence unit, identified nefarious activity that Iran was conducting near Bandar Abbas, specifically the missile launch capability and laying mines, and determined that this was a threat to our U.S. military forces there.

I would just say, you know, even under a ceasefire, if you observe some kind of dangerous activity just outside your perimeter, you don't -- you're not constrained against striking against that. So, I think this is a sign that the ceasefire is still holding, perhaps fragile, but still holding despite Iran's rhetoric. I think they have to say that they're upset.

They have a domestic audience that they have to play to as well. And so, I think, you know, with both sides really seeking to bring this to some kind of resolution, I think the characterization as fragile but holding is probably pretty accurate.

KEILAR: On nuclear issues, Iran is saying they'll take up their nuclear program kind of sticking points in later talks. The U.S. says Iran has already made some key agreements, some concessions. What's your read on that?

GIBSON: Well, I think Iran has always sought to decouple the navigation and economic issues, specifically the Strait of Hormuz and the blockade, to get relief from the blockade and -- and coming to some kind of agreement regarding the straits in return for that, and then addressing the nuclear phase, which will take much longer and will be very extended, as we've seen with previous negotiations, like with JCPOA.

And if you could imagine that we retained a blockade and they had a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz while that was ongoing for weeks and weeks, maybe months and months, that would be really debilitating, not just to the global economy, but -- but to them as well. And so, always they've sought to kind of deal with that first to get our foot off their economic neck, so to speak, and vice versa, and then take the time that's required. They're very good at prolonging negotiations to come to some kind of resolution in their favor regarding the nuclear program.

KEILAR: General, do you think that Israel and the U.S. can get on the same page here? Because right now you have Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, sending drones from Lebanon. You have Israel pounding Hezbollah in response. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is meeting with his security cabinet today, and he's under a lot of pressure to resist the deal.

GIBSON: Yes, so I'd make two points there. One, I think it's not clear yet to what extent Israel's operations in Lebanon or the activities of Lebanese Hezbollah will be included in this kind of agreement. And the second thing is, while both the U.S. and Israel in general agree on what we want in terms of the nuclear program, on other areas, which I've not heard mentioned with this latest negotiation, specifically missiles and proxies, those are really important to Israel, largely because they are within range of the missiles and the proxies, and we are not.

And so, while we haven't heard about that lately from any of the U.S. negotiators, those are really important to Israel.

KEILAR: Trump told Arab allies that they'll have to normalize relations with Israel, that they'll have to sign on to the Abraham Accords when a deal with Iran is reached. Is that possible? And will that get Netanyahu's coalition on board, do you think?

GIBSON: No, I -- I see those as very separate. It was an interesting comment by the President. Certainly, he's always sought to include in his first term when they achieved the initial Abraham Accord agreements. He's always sought to include those other nations in the Abraham Accords. Adding that as one more difficult condition for these negotiations with Iran just makes it really probably, frankly, a bridge too far.

There are a broad variety of reasons why nations, particularly like Saudi Arabia, which may be aligned with us strategically, are not yet ready to come to that kind of agreement with Israel.

[15:10:08]

And, you know, if we think the negotiations have been difficult thus far, making that a binding requirement to come to some kind of solution will just make it that much more difficult.

KEILAR: Yes. Way to increase the incline, right, on what is already going to be an uphill climb here. General Karen Gibson, thank you so much for being with us.

GIBSON: Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come, President Trump visiting Walter Reed Medical Center for the third time in 13 months. What we're learning about his annual checkups.

Plus, a key primary runoff in Texas, longtime Republican Senator John Cornyn facing an uphill battle after President Trump endorsed his controversial opponent, Ken Paxton.

And later, the race against time to contain the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. A top health official is heading there now and saying that the outbreak will likely get worse before it gets better. We have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:29]

SANCHEZ: In the next day or two, the White House is expected to release a report on the physical exam President Trump underwent today at Walter Reed Medical Center. The President gave a quick preview posting a few hours ago that it went, quote, perfectly. His visit to Walter Reed lasted more than three hours and also included meetings with troops and staff there.

KEILAR: This is the fourth medical checkup that the President has had since becoming the oldest president ever inaugurated in January of last year. In fact, next month, he'll be turning 80. The White House said today's checkup also involved a dental exam. So, let's talk about this a little further with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He's professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.

All right, Dr. Reiner, what questions do you have about the President's visit to Walter Reed?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: So first, what imaging tests did he have? Did he have follow-up CT scans from his testing in October? What consultants did he see? Did he undergo anything with unconscious sedation that would have required the institution of the fourth section of the 25th Amendment? Which consultants did he see? Did he undergo a cognitive exam during this? So, there were a lot.

And -- and -- and all -- and then finally, is there any other further information about the severe swelling in his ankles? Do they still maintain that the bruising on both his hands come from excessive handshaking? And why does it appear that the President has excessive daytime somnolence?

SANCHEZ: I wonder, Doctor, what kinds of medical evaluations President Trump could have at Walter Reed that can't be done at the White House? Because there are certain capabilities at the White House, clearly not what's available to the level of what's available at Walter Reed.

REINER: Yes, White House has a great medical capability. A colleague once told me that the White House, in an emergency, the White House can do basically the first 15 minutes of anything that can be done in an emergency room. And they have wonderful people, incredibly competent, skilled people who work there. And they can bring any consultant they want can come to the White House. And they have a -- a significant amount of equipment for routine evaluations. They can do dental work there. They can do eye exams there. They can do skin checks there. And further, more sophisticated testing.

But if you need a CT scan or you need an MRI scan or you need something like a colonoscopy or an angiogram, those kinds of things must be done at -- at Walter Reed. And what's also interesting is that in many of these yearly physical exams, much of this evaluation is done in advance of the day where the President actually goes to Walter Reed. So, we should have a readout about this pretty soon.

Often his -- his labs are -- are pre-tested. So, the White House often can generate a readout very quickly. One other interesting thing I noted was when the President -- when he was leaving Walter Reed, posted on social media that he had a -- a perfect physical, he called it his six-month physical. So, I guess, you know, what we're changing now from as a routine yearly physical for a president to, I guess, perhaps as a -- a nod to his -- his age, it looks like this president will undergo a -- a six-month cycle for evaluations.

KEILAR: So, I want to zero in on something you said, which was excessive daytime somnolence, which I'm assuming is the dozing off as we've -- the apparent dozing off. I just want to be clear about what we've seen because he has appeared to doze off in White House events. And when asked about a December Cabinet meeting where the President's eyes were closed for a prolonged period of time, multiple times, the Press Secretary maintained that Trump had been listening attentively and running the entire three-hour marathon Cabinet meeting.

Talk to us about that. I mean, I'm not a medical expert, but when I'm thinking of someone who's almost 80, I would think of a little dozing off here, there to maybe be kind of normal. Is that not normal?

[15:20:00]

REINER: Well, we've seen the President appear to rest his eyes when someone is talking directly to him, and that is distinctly abnormal. It's unusual to be surrounded by people in the Oval Office and you fall asleep. We know the President is up late at night using social media. That's -- that's not really in question. And it may be something as simple as he just has poor sleep hygiene. You know, when we -- when we're trying to get people to sleep better, we tell them not to do any work in the bedroom, to put down -- put down, you know, their -- their phones, try and get a consistent time to go to sleep. You know, the President has incredible demands on his time. I mean,

and, you know, he's almost 80 years old, and even more reason for the President to get some rest. Insomnia is a dangerous thing for an older person. It -- it increases the risk of cardiac events. It increases hypertension. It increases the -- it increases the risk of dementia and depression. And often, when an older person doesn't feel right, one of the first questions we ask them is, tell me about your sleep. How much sleep are you getting?

And if you've ever seen an older person in a hospital where it looks like they're losing it, it's often because it's very hard to sleep in hospitals. So, we -- every American should want this president to -- to work efficiently and effectively during the day. And if I -- if I was part of his medical team, I would really urge him to try and get more effective sleep. It's part of -- it's part of overall wellness.

SANCHEZ: We'll see if the White House addresses those episodes in this readout. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, thanks so much for the expertise.

REINER: My pleasure.

SANCHEZ: Coming up, voting is underway in the Texas primary runoffs as President Trump's sway over the GOP is once again put to the test. We have the latest there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:33]

SANCHEZ: At this hour, voters in Texas are heading to the polls to decide the political fate of incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn. Despite his 24 years in office and conservative voting record, President Trump has thrown his support behind Cornyn's challenger, State Attorney General Ken Paxton. The endorsement has pushed the scandal-plagued Paxton to front-runner status, and Republicans worry that it might make the seat harder to defend come November when the general election takes place. Let's discuss with former Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona.

Senator, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

Why do you think President Trump endorsed Paxton to begin with?

JEFF FLAKE, (R) FORMER U.S. SENATOR FOR ARIZONA: Well, I think he followed his MAGA base, and they wanted Paxton. Obviously, the Senate Republicans didn't, but he went with his MAGA base. And so, it looks like I'd be very surprised if John Cornyn survives.

SANCHEZ: Cornyn thinks that Trump's Paxton endorsement is meant to send a message to the Senate to get Trump's agenda done quicker. I wonder how you think Republicans are going to receive that message.

FLAKE: Not well. I think you've already seen evidence of that. You know, after the Cassidy loss and then the endorsement of Paxton, you saw a number of Republicans turn against the President's agenda, particularly that big slush fund, frankly, so -- and then the -- the ballroom as well. This will make it far more difficult for the President to get an agenda through the Congress.

SANCHEZ: I wonder if you think it also makes it more difficult for Republicans to hold on to control of the Senate, because if you look at the broader map, they're going to have to spend more money in Texas, at least according to experts to defend Paxton. Doesn't it make it more difficult to keep the majority?

FLAKE: Immeasurably more difficult. You know, Texas is Texas and it may go Republicans way. It probably will. But now Republicans will have to spend, you know, hundred million dollars and a lot of resources and time that they wouldn't have to spend there. And that's time and money that can't go into other races in Ohio or Maine or elsewhere.

So, yes, it's going to be immeasurably more difficult. And if you -- if you don't think it is, just look at Arizona, where I come from. Arizona is a red state and we have two Democratic senators, Democratic governor, Democrat attorney general, you know, Democrat just -- just everywhere, just in the statewide offices, because we nominated a -- a MAGA type and he was too conservative or she was too conservative to win the general.

SANCHEZ: You got to serve alongside John Cornyn for some time. I wonder if you think he might go in the direction of other Republicans who have decided to retire, such as yourself or those who have lost in primaries, folks like Thom Tillis and others who have become outspoken critics of President Trump.

FLAKE: Well, certainly it makes you less likely to feel that you have to be with the President on every issue and -- and -- and things like that slush fund. There is no way John Cornyn and others are going to support that going forward. That's difficult enough for sitting senators who are wanting to curry favor with the President. So, yes, it's going to be more difficult. It's going to be a tough few months for the -- the President as these primary filing deadlines go past and the primaries themselves, then the President loses more sway.

[15:30:00]

And it's likely -- it's obviously a difficult map for Democrats in the Senate, but in the House, it's likely that Democrats will take control.