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GOP's Paxton to Face Democrat Talarico in Battle for Texas Senate Seat; Trump to Meet With Cabinet Amid Iran Peace Talks; Recovery Efforts Set to Resume After Chemical Tank Rupture in Washington State. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 27, 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]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump flexed in Texas and it worked again, but it's what comes next that will be something to watch. Did the president also just hurt his own chances come November?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news, we are just getting word that five people trapped in a flooded cave for a week more than 1,000 feet in, they have been found alive, and we got new video just emerging.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And a deadly home explosion caught on camera. Why police say they believe this was done on purpose.

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

BOLDUAN: Texas takedown. It's become the biggest Senate race of the midterm cycle. This morning, the already record-breaking Texas Senate race is about to get even more expensive after Ken Paxton, backed by the president, trounced incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn. The Texas attorney general won more than 63 percent of the vote from Texas Republicans.

The biggest factor, what Paxton himself called the most powerful force in politics, the president's endorsement. Clearly, voters followed the president's lead even after party leaders raised concerns, other party leaders, if you will, raised concerns about Paxton's viability in the general election.

The Cornyn campaign shined light on the controversies that have followed Paxton for years, including facing charges of securities fraud and accusations of accepting bribes, allegation Paxton dismissed as politically motivated. There's also his 2023 impeachment and subsequent acquittal, all of which the Democratic nominee, James Talarico, has made very clear that he will do his level best to now highlight.

Another big thing to watch, the money, Republicans already spent some $130 million, as you can see, I mean, on this primary. This is just the primary. The runoff alone saw more than $30 million. Talarico has been raising big money for the general, bringing in $27 million on the first quarter alone. That's more than Cornyn's $9 million and Paxton's $2. Politico reports that Talarico raised $600,000 in the first two hours after Paxton won last night.

Now, Paxton overcame that fundraising disadvantage once before, clearly. He's calling on supporters to help him do it again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN PAXTON (R), TEXAS SENATE NOMINEE: Some people know him as Tofu Talarico. Some people call him Six Gender Jimmy. I've even heard some people call him James Tala-freako.

He can never become our senator, but I need your help. We know James Talarico is going to raise more money than any Democrat in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This race now becomes a central focus for the Republican Party in trying to make sure they keep the seat, to try to also to prevent their now nominee from joining a list of what became doomed candidates that Trump has supported in the past, the likes of Herschel Walker in Georgia, Kari Lake, Blake Masters in Arizona, Mehmet Oz, when he ran for Senate in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, John Cornyn is now the eighth Republican incumbent to be pushed out by Trump-backed challengers this cycle. And while he started the day calling Ken Paxton an embarrassment, John Cornyn ended the night saying he will still support the Republican ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I've spent most of my time in the Senate building the Republican Party in Texas and in the U.S. Senate, and I've always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election.

I've said throughout this race that I trust the voters of Texas, and they've made their decision, and I must respect it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And with that, buckle up for a general election now. John?

BERMAN: Yes. I mean, Cornyn's also given James Talarico a lot of fodder for campaign ads going forward. I expect Cornyn will appear in them frequently.

BOLDUAN: Frequently, that's I think, a good assumption. J.B.?

BERMAN: All right, this morning, President Trump holds a cabinet meeting. The full cabinet will be there. This is generally a festival of adulation. There are growing questions about where exactly negotiations with Iran stand at the moment after the president seemed to shift on his position of removing enriched uranium from Iran.

[07:05:04]

Vice President J.D. Vance told NBC that he is, quote, extremely hopeful that Iran will agree not to develop a nuclear weapon as part of any deal.

Let's get to CNN's Kevin Liptak at the White House, where this meeting will be held in just a few hours. Kevin, what do you expect?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And it's coming at clearly quite a precarious moment. You know, it was only on Saturday that the president said this deal was largely negotiated. We haven't seen him discussing it on camera since then. And the two sides do seem to be bogged down on some of the finer points on Iran's nuclear program, about the Strait of Hormuz, about the financial relief that Iran will receive as part of this deal.

You've also seen the U.S. and Iran exchanging fire after the U.S. found the Iranians laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which, one, just underscores the military capabilities that Iran still retains, despite President Trump saying that they had been obliterated, but also just shows you all of the ways that this deal could be upended.

So, quite an important meeting, the White House says that both foreign issues and domestic issues will be discussed. Of course, they're intertwined, the war causing gas prices to spike, causing agita among Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. And so it will be important to see sort of how the president discusses that today.

You know, this meeting was originally meant to be held up at Camp David, the presidential retreat in the Catoctin Mountains in Maryland. The president perhaps hoping to seize on some of the history of Middle East deal-making there. That's where Jimmy Carter brokered peace between Israel and Egypt in the '70s. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be, the president scrapping the trip out there because of the cloudy conditions today. He will meet the cabinet here at the White House.

It is the 12th cabinet meeting of his presidency so far. You will see some new faces around the table after the president fired Pam Bondi and -- as attorney general, and the labor secretary, Lori Chavez- DeRemer. We also are expecting Tulsi Gabbard, the director of National Intelligence, to soon leave her post to care for her husband, who is battling cancer. But she's not expected to leave until the end of June, so she will be in the meeting today. John?

BERMAN: Yes. All right, we'll be watching it closely. Kevin Liptak, thank you very much for that. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John. Ahead, one person is dead and nine people are missing after a chemical tank rupture caused an implosion at a plant in Washington State. The new details on that story this morning.

Also, this incredible video capturing a massive tornado up close, with severe storms also threatening parts of the U.S. today, and there is a risk of flash flooding. We'll take you there.

And breaking overnight, five people found alive after being trapped deep underground in a flooded cave for a week. We have brand-new video in from that area from those rescue efforts. Amazing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

SIDNER: This morning, recovery efforts are set to resume in Washington after a chemical leak ruptured at a paper plant in Washington State, killing at least one worker there. Right now, nine employees remain missing after an implosion.

And investigators are trying to figure out how all this happened. Officials say the ruptured tank contained a chemical mixture used in the paper-making process. They say there is no threat to the community at this time, but recovery efforts remain, quote, extremely complex due to the ongoing safety hazard.

CNN's Nick Watt has the very latest for us on where things stand at this hour. What are you learning?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, extremely complex you said there, Sara. The reason why? That gigantic tank that holds this substance called white liquor, they think that there might still be about 90,000 gallons of that material inside that tank. That's maybe like five or six average swimming pools. And this material, white liquor, is used in the paper-making process. It's an extremely caustic, strong alkaline that breaks down wood chips into pulp. So, imagine what happens if that gets on your skin, second to third-degree burns. That is a huge problem. So, right now, they're trying to stabilize that tank, trying to get the situation in place where they can actually go in and try to find those nine people that are listed as unaccounted for.

Now, one firefighter was injured, as you mentioned. We're told a chemical burn, treated and released, ten people in total taken to the hospital, one fatality.

Now, what we're talking about, this place is on the banks of the Columbia River on the border of Oregon and Washington, it's a paper pulp-making facility, employs about 500 people. The cause, Sara, is still indeterminate. We don't know. Initially, they were calling this a tank implosion. Last night when we got an update, they talked about it being a rupture. The cause, still unknown, but that's not the priority right now. The priority right now is to stabilize that huge tank that you see on the screen there so that rescue workers can get in and try to find those nine people still listed as unaccounted for.

This happened at about 7:15 Tuesday morning, West Coast time. Of course, now West Coast, it's still very early in the morning. We expect as the day goes on to hear updates about that effort to stabilize that tank and get in there and find those missing people.

[07:15:06]

It is going to be a very interesting day up there at that plant as they try to get in, stabilize.

But good news, as you mentioned earlier, Sara, they say there is no danger right now to the wider community. So, all efforts focused, we've got the Washington National Guard mobilized, plenty of officials on the scene trying to stabilize the scene and get in there and find those nine other people. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes. Looking at that tank, it does look like it sort of imploded in on itself, and you've got these nine people still missing. It's a terrifying prospect when you just look at where they might be in all of that.

Nick Watt, it is such a pleasure to have you this morning. Thank you for getting up bright and early there in Los Angeles for us. I do appreciate you.

All right, in Southern California, officials have lifted all evacuation orders, saying that the risk of a blast there involving a chemical tank has been averted. This is at an aerospace facility near Anaheim. The storage tank holds a chemical used in making plastics and is potentially harmful to anyone exposed to it. There was a crack formed in the tank, and has actually helped reduce the pressure inside of it. Crews are still on scene working to bring the tank's temperature down. John?

BERMAN: All right, a man thrown overboard as a boat crashes right in. Look at the chaos that ensued, two boats going where they're not supposed to right at that marina.

And if you're going to play in the French Open, you might as well dress like the Eiffel Tower. The outfit designed to look like the landmark at night. There we go. There's more of the actual outfit we're talking about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: Wild swings in the NBA Western Conference finals. Now, Oklahoma City one win away from facing the Knicks.

Let's get to CNN's Andy Scholes for all the action. Good morning to you, sir.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Good morning, John. You know, we haven't had a repeat champ in the NBA since the Warriors did it back in 2018, but the Thunder are now a win away from getting that chance as they took care of business in game five against the Spurs last night.

So, this series, it's just been an absolute battle, and the Thunder getting a big night from Jared McCain in this one. Here in the third, gets the shot to go, plus the foul, a little spinaroo action. Then moments later, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the step back three. Thunder were up 18 at that point.

After that, Wemby waves to the Spurs to come to the bench, and he starts giving them a speech, trying to motivate them. The Spurs would cut the Thunder lead to nine, but that's as close as they would get. Wemby was just 4-15 from the field. Thunder end up taking this one 127-114 to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

Now, Wemby did not speak with the media after the loss, but SGA did talk about getting a big bounce-back win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER GUARD: I think we just learned from our mistakes. We learned from what we talked about as a group, and we just applied it tonight. I think that is the most important thing. Like they obviously punched us really good in game four, and we got better than the team that played game four for game five.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right, elsewhere, it was a party in Vegas last night as the Golden Knights completed the sweep of the Avalanche. So, Colorado had the best record in the NHL this season, but they were just overwhelmed by Vegas in this series. Golden Knights won last night 2- 1. They're now onto the Stanley Cup final for the third time in their nine years as a franchise. They're going to await the winner between the Hurricanes and Canadiens. Game four of that series is tonight with the Hurricanes leading two games to one.

All right, the World Cup meanwhile now just 15 days away and we now know who will be on the US roster. No big surprises from Coach Mauricio Pochettino. Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie headline the team. 13 of the 26 players were a part of the '22 World Cup squad that made it to the round of 16. The other 13 will be making their World Cup debut. The U.S.'s first game, June 12th in L.A. against Paraguay.

All right, finally, Naomi Osaka heading -- where was she going here? Is she going to a gala or her first round match at the French Open? All sparkly she entered the court. She came out in style in Paris in a stylish black skirt before revealing a brown and gold Nike dress for her opening match. Osaka then won in straight sets.

What will she have in store for us, John, in her second round match tomorrow? It's always fun to see what Osaka's got for us.

What do -- John, I think you should have some sort of outfit reveal every morning. Like maybe come out in the A block at, in the 7:00 hour and then reveal what's really going to happen.

BERMAN: Like the Velcro? Like that, you know, like Thunder from Down Under right there, like rip the pants off.

BOLDUAN: God, yes please.

SCHOLES: Maybe not Thunder from Down Under, but --

BERMAN: All right. Well, you were mentioning. That's why I assumed that's what you were talking about there.

I thought, I think the dress is fantastic. She said it looks like the Eiffel Tower at night, which is --

BOLDUAN: Well, that is the color of the Eiffel Tower.

BERMAN: At night.

BOLDUAN: And it looks amazing.

BERMAN: Shimmery.

BOLDUAN: You know what is great?

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Having that kind of style and then being an absolute beast on the court.

BERMAN: That's right.

BOLDUAN: Right?

BERMAN: She played really well. Andy, thank you so much for that.

BOLDUAN: I will continue now with some pizzazz.

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Some pizzazz, or how about another animal encounter? Robert Kennedy Jr. chasing and grabbing snakes as his wife yells at him to knock it off. What is behind Secretary Kennedy's latest animal encounter? We will take a looky-loo.

And a California mom loses thousands of dollars after she says scammers used A.I. to mimic her daughter's voice saying that she had been kidnapped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, Mom. I'm so sorry. I'm so scared. And then they just cut it off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BOLDUAN: This morning, the Texas showdown became a takedown, State Attorney General Ken Paxton beating longtime Republican senator John Cornyn by a lot. Paxton called Trump's endorsement ahead of time the most powerful force in politics. He credits that for helping push him over the top. Nearly two-thirds of GOP voters in Texas followed Trump's lead there.

That trouncing is also giving Democrats new hope that they could flip the seat. Democratic Nominee James Talarico is raising big money on that hope, and on the hope that Texans will focus on Paxton's long history of controversies and scandals.

Here's what two Republicans told Manu Raju before the primary results came in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If Paxton wins the nomination, could you vote for him in the general election?

[07:30:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hell no.

RAJU: If he gets the nomination, Paxton, could you support him in November?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, absolutely not. No. Would you vote for Talarico?