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Former Cuban Leader Raul Castro Faces Indictment for His Responsibility in Taking Down Two Planes 30 Years Ago; Elon Musk's SpaceX Plans to Go Public. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 21, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hey everybody, this is "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York and here's what's coming your way.

A vaccine for the new Ebola strain may still be months away. We'll be speaking to a doctor in the Democratic Republic of Congo about efforts to contain this outbreak.

And Cuba's former leader facing murder charges in the U.S., a move that the Cuban government calls a provocation. This as it faces the possibility of U.S. military action.

And we'll check in on the Doomsday Glacier, scientists say, may be melting faster than previously feared.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from New York, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Welcome everybody.

Let's begin with the growing concerns about the deadly Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. The World Health Organization says that the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is spreading and it's spreading fast.

And this as it possesses a high risk at both the local and regional level. But so far, global risks, those remain low. And the CDC says, I should say that the DRC says that at least 148 deaths are thought to be linked to the outbreak with hundreds of suspected cases.

The WHO is considering two experimental vaccines at the moment as possible options, but those could possibly take months to develop. And residents entering Goma in eastern DRC are now subject to tighter health checks at the border after authorities confirmed an Ebola case in that area.

Let's go live to Paris now and CNN senior international correspondent Melissa Bell for what's happening right now in the efforts to contain that outbreak. Melissa, what more do we know right now about the timeline of the outbreak?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're getting a better idea of exactly what happened, that a health worker was the first, was the first to die. It was established after a while that this was Ebola and then that this was this particular strain of Ebola with all of the complications that go with it. It is less deadly than others per load, but it is harder to contain because there is no vaccine and there aren't simply the tools that they have for other strains given its rarity.

There is the added complication of where this outbreak has begun in Ituri province and now spreading to North Kivu. We know a couple of cases in Kampala across the border in Uganda now, but that center, the epicenter of the outbreak, is particularly difficult because of the resources that the people have in order to try and prevent its spread.

So, for instance, we've been hearing from a lot of local health workers in the region who speak of clinics that are overrun, they have more patients than they have beds and not even the protective gear that they need to protect themselves and go about trying to treat the patients they have, which gives you an idea of the difficulties that are also presenting themselves in terms of preventing the outbreak and the population at large being able to protect itself. Have a listen to what the World Health Organization says now about when they believe this started.

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ANAIS LEGAND, WHO TECHNICAL OFFICER, HEALTH EMERGENCIES PROGRAM: We are thinking that it has started probably a couple of months ago, but investigations are ongoing and our priority is really to cut the transmission chain by implementing contact tracing, isolating and caring for all suspect and confirmed cases.

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BELL: The suspicion sadly, Polo, that this is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better.

SANDOVAL: Melissa Bell in Paris, thank you so much for that.

We mentioned containment measures in Goma. Let's go to the region now and Dr. Abdou Sebushishe with the International Medical Corps. He's currently helping with the mobilization of those critical medical teams in the DRC and surrounding communities. Dr. Sebushishe, thank you so much for joining us for an update.

DR. ABDOU SEBU.S.HISHE, SR. GLOBAL HEALTH ADVISER, INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: Dr. Sebushishe, the CDC counting this Ebola outbreak as the 17th in the DRC just in the last five decades. The last one late last year, which according to the CDC was stopped within weeks. So why is that, from your point of view, why is containing this outbreak proving to be a greater challenge?

SEBU.S.HISHE: Well, the situation on the ground remains serious.

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This outbreak, as you mentioned, is the 17th in the DRC, but particularly this one is caused by a strain of the virus that does not have any approved vaccine or specific treatment. This is happening within the context of a humanitarian situation and other related access issues. It will be more complicated to handle than the outbreaks.

Right now, the International Medical Corps is expanding and operating Ebola treatment centers with sufficient isolation capacities, including the unit for suspected confirmed cases, but also enforcing infection and prevention control measures in health facilities to safely protect healthcare workers, patients, but also the wider community.

At the same time, also delivering psychosocial support for patient families who lost their loved one, but also our own response team who are working under stress. We are also providing (inaudible) tools to be able to identify quickly and care for our patient-seeking services in our treatment centers.

SANDOVAL: Doctor, we're so grateful that you're with us, not just because you're in the region, but you also grew up in the region, so these efforts are certainly personal to you. You grew up in the DRC. Speak to the challenges of getting teams, but also information to some of the remote areas that are, in many cases, either caught in conflicts or experiencing insecurities.

SEBU.S.HISHE: Yes, you are right. For me, this is personal. I grew up in Goma and experienced at my early age one of the worst cholera outbreaks in the region, but also that memories keep coming back, especially when seeing the number of suspect cases that are being reported and seeking services.

Our priority currently is working with affected communities to ensure we have access to all the locations that are affected by this outbreak, provide necessary support in terms of contact tracing, facilitating the access to services, and ensure that the supplies that the healthcare workers needed to ensure their safety, but also the safety of their patients, but also the transmission gets to the right place, especially those areas that are hard to reach. Our close collaboration with affected populations allow us, but also in partnership with other humanitarian partners, allow us to even go beyond, even in hard-to-reach areas and areas that have access issues.

SANDOVAL: And, Doctor, you mentioned right now what are the current expansion of efforts to try to contain this, so it certainly speaks to that sense of urgency right now on the ground, especially given what we heard recently from the WHO that it was likely that this was spreading months before it was first detected.

However, with the potential of this being much larger than what the numbers are showing, as a doctor in the region, how worried are you that this could worsen and potentially even meet the criteria eventually of a pandemic emergency? We should remind viewers that so far, the WHO still considers this a public health emergency of international concern. But are you worried that this is likely to get worse?

SEBU.S.HISHE: Yes, but there are a lot of efforts from different partners and different communities, with focus on saving lives, limiting transmission, but also working closely with the community to understand the outbreak and how to prevent (inaudible) beyond its current hotspots. There is a need for more mobilization in terms of trying personal and protective equipment and stocks to maintain the momentum of this disease beyond the current hotspots.

I think that should be the priority of anyone, and at the International Medical Corps, we ensure that we coordinate with our different partners, essentially with the affected, so that they understand that they are key in stopping the spread of this outbreak and limiting transmission, whether in the community or in a facility, so that it doesn't cross the borders or go beyond its current hotspots.

However, there still needs to be a lot of effort, and we hope that the engagement that we are putting in place should be very quickly, even in the current hotspots.

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SANDOVAL: Yes, you're highlighting there the importance of protecting those who are currently in the frontlines of this crucial battle against this threat, including members of your organization that are there trying to help with those efforts. Dr. Abdou Sebushishe, your time is certainly precious during these moments, so thank you so much for sharing some of it with us to keep us up to speed. Our best to you.

SEBU.S.HISHE: Thank you for having me today. Thank you.

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CATALINA VAZQUEZ, MIAMI RESIDENT: We're enjoying the moment because it's one of the steps to the freedom of Cuba. The only thing that we want, that all the people of Cuba want, is freedom for all the islands, that the kids have medicine, that people can get food in the stores.

ANTONIO IGLESIAS, HAVANA RESIDENT (through translator): Every day they come up with a new excuse, a new argument, a new supposed reason to condemn Cuba, to attack Cuba, and to stir up trouble over something that happened a very long time ago, something that was known to have been a violation of Cuban airspace. And now, after so many years, to bring that up again is truly ridiculous to me.

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SANDOVAL: And that is just a small sample of some of the mixed feelings from Cubans in the country and abroad, and this after the U.S. indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro. The Trump administration has brought now charges against the 94-year-old for his alleged role in the fatal attack of two planes back in 1996. Specifically, there was a downing of a civilian aircraft that killed four people, including three Americans.

And this comes as the U.S. ramps up pressure on the island, including a crippling oil blockade that's been in place now for months, and it's also leading to blackouts and widespread protests on the island nation. President Donald Trump says that he will be making an announcement on the U.S.'s economic embargo against Cuba. He said that would happen pretty soon, but he also said that there would be no escalation against the island.

Here are some of the President's comments.

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REPORTER: Should we expect any escalation here, or should they expect anything?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: No.

No, there won't be escalation. I don't think there needs to be. Look, the place is falling apart.

It's a mess. And they've sort of lost control. They've really lost control of Cuba.

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SANDOVAL: The Trump administration is also laying the groundwork for military action. The U.S. military says that the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, it has arrived in the Caribbean.

Let's get to the latest now from Havana and CNN's Patrick Oppmann.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cuban officials are blasting an indictment announced on Wednesday in Miami that for the first time charges Raul Castro with the downing of two civilian aircraft off Cuba's coasts more than 30 years ago.

This is the Brothers to the Rescue shoot down, and it has trailed Castro for years as various U.S. administrations have considered indicting him, but only now has the Trump administration as part of its pressure campaign on Cuba decided to take the extraordinary step of charging the former Cuban President. While Raul Castro is officially retired, he remains the most powerful man on this island. He's handpicked many, if not all, of the top leadership here, both military and political.

And so when Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel says that Castro is not going anywhere, much less a courtroom in Miami, that carries a lot of weight with it. It is essentially the Cuban government's way of saying that if the U.S. were to try to seize Raul Castro, like we saw take place against Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro, who himself was under U.S. indictment, then clearly the Cuban government, the Cuban military would put up a fight.

Already we have seen the Cuban military carry out more maneuvers. We've seen Cuban officials tell the population here that they should prepare for any kind of military strikes or potentially a U.S. invasion. That is something that people take seriously here.

This is an island that for decades has lived under the fear of a U.S. invasion, one that is becoming more and more probable as tensions get higher and higher here. Cubans that I have spoken to, even those who don't support the government, say they are very concerned, though, that if there isn't an off ramp to this crisis, that any kind of military strikes that destabilize the government, cause it to collapse, eventually could lead to some kind of humanitarian disaster.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

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SANDOVAL: A phone call between the U.S. President and Israeli Prime Minister now revealing some fractures over the war with Iran. We'll go live to the region in a moment.

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SANDOVAL: We're now learning new details about what's being described as a tense phone call between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over how to handle the war with Iran.

A U.S. official telling CNN that the two leaders held an hour-long conversation on Tuesday when Mr. Netanyahu said that delaying a new round of attacks against Iran was a mistake. But President Trump says that the Israeli Prime Minister will do whatever he wants him to do.

Joining us now live from Abu Dhabi is CNN's Paula Hancocks. Paula, it's good to see you. What else do we know about this phone call between the two leaders?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, what we've heard from officials on both sides here is that it was an hour-long, tense conversation, really highlighting that there is light between the U.S. and Israeli leader when it comes to what to do about Iran.

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Now, we understand that on Sunday, President Trump had suggested to the Israeli Prime Minister that he was ready to push ahead with targeted attacks against Iran early in the week.

They even had a name for it, Operation Sledgehammer. And then approximately 24 hours later, that changed. And he said he was going to hold off on any attacks. Now, he had cited the leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar at the

time, saying that there were negotiations underway. Now, we have heard from a U.S. official that Gulf nations are in close contact with the White House and also with Pakistani mediators. President Trump saying he wanted to give it some more time to see if a deal could be done.

Let's listen to what he said when asked about that phone call with the Israeli Prime Minister.

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REPORTER: What have you said to Prime Minister Netanyahu about Iran and how long to hold off on strikes?

TRUMP: He's fine. He'll do whatever I want him to do.

He's a very good man. He'll do whatever I want him to do.

Hopefully, those people will make a deal that's going to be great for everybody. But I don't know.

If I can save war by waiting a couple of days, if I can save people being killed by waiting a couple of days, I think it's a great thing.

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HANCOCKS: Now Israeli sources have said that these ongoing negotiations have been increasingly frustrating for Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying that he has long advocated for a more aggressive approach when it comes to Iran, that Netanyahu believes that any delay will only benefit Iran and has been pushing the U.S. President saying that he believes it's a mistake to be holding off on continued attacks. But this is the state of play as we see it at this point.

When it comes to Tehran's point of view, we've heard from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson who has said that there is continuing messaging and to back and forth between the two sides via Pakistan. I'll read you part of what he said to state media, quote, "Based on Iran's initial 14-point text, messages have been exchanged on several occasions, and we have received the American side's viewpoints and are currently reviewing them."

Now he also dismissed the U.S. plan of ultimatums and deadlines as, quote, ridiculous. Now, the latest proposal that that we understand from those familiar with what is going on still shows some significant gaps between what the U.S. wants and what Tehran is willing to give specifically when it comes to the issue of uranium enrichment, which Iran maintains that it does have a right to be able to enrich something which Washington and which President Trump has said is a red line. Polo.

SANDOVAL: And we'll see if those gaps, if there's a bridge over those gaps. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thank you so much for that live report.

Just ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," we'll switch to climate and a warning from scientists about an Antarctic glacier. We'll talk to an expert about the major implications that this could have on rising sea levels. Don't go anywhere.

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SANDOVAL: Scientists are currently warning that the so-called Doomsday Glacier could soon lose its critical ice shelf. The Thuides Glacier in Antarctica is shrinking rapidly. It's already responsible for four percent of global sea level rise, and that number is expected to spike as it further destabilizes.

Some scientists are warning that the glacier is already starting to break up. Christian Wilde from the University of Innsbruck over in Austria, he told NewScientist.com, suddenly large areas are just falling to pieces. It looks like a windscreen that's shattering.

Well joining me now from Los Angeles is Alex Gardner. He's a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He also studies Earth's cryosphere, including glaciers and ice sheets, as well as their impacts on sea levels.

Alex, thank you so much for joining us.

ALEX GARDNER, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, NASA'S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY: Yes, thanks a lot for having me.

SANDOVAL: Of course.

I wonder if you can help our viewers understand, and help me understand, the science behind what's happening right now to the Thuides Glacier. In fact, you sent us an image from February of last year as we share it with viewers around the world. Sort of walk us through it, interpret what we're seeing.

GARDNER: Yes, so maybe I'll just start by saying, you know, that the Thuides Glacier has been a glacier that has been studied a lot by scientists because it's one that we find that is quite concerning. It has the potential to contribute a lot to sea level rise. It's susceptible to something called a tipping point.

And a tipping point is where it can cross a certain threshold and beyond which it will kind of enter a phase of irreversible retreat. So that kind of sets the stage to why scientists are so fascinated by this glacier and have been studying it so intensely.

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And so what the new discussion about is today, it's really about this eastern ice shelf, the remaining remnants of the ice shelf that exist on the eastern part of the ice shelf. So if you see in the image there, you can see kind of a pointy part out into the ocean. And that's the ice shelf that is starting to detach from the mainland

and no longer providing buttressing or resistive force to the ice that's flowing down into the ocean. And so the concern is that if that ice shelf breaks up, that the ice could accelerate further and accelerate sea level rise.

SANDOVAL: So if I understand it correctly, you have this ice shelf that is almost serving as a kind of a retention wall for this massive glacier the size of Britain, I read. And it's holding it in place. And that ice shelf that you mentioned, it's basically breaking apart.

So when that happens, what happens next?

GARDNER: Well, that is something we're still studying. What we're seeing is that the ice behind the ice shelf is starting to accelerate. Exactly how it unfolds is still an area of active research.

But we do know that the further inland you go, the rock that lies below the ice actually gets deeper and deeper. And that's a troubling for these--

Go ahead. Sorry.

SANDOVAL: Sorry, Alex. I was also going to-- But please finish that thought. I mean, why is this so troubling to experts?

GARDNER: Yes. So the ice sheets suffer from something called a marine ice sheet instability. And that is when the bedrock that lies underneath the ice sheet deepens inland.

When these glaciers start to retreat, they can enter into a period of irreversible retreat and so this part of the ice sheet is particularly sensitive to those feedbacks. And right now, scientists are really trying to understand whether we've crossed that tipping point or whether we haven't crossed that tipping point. But the jury is still out.

If we do cross that tipping point, then it will be multi-millennial retreat of the ice sheet and disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet.

SANDOVAL: Yes, it sounds absolutely devastating. And you answered one of my other questions, which was if this was even reversible. It seems that the outlook is fairly grim on that front.

And we also mentioned some of the experts over at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. They also told new scientists that the glacier's flow rate also appears to be speeding up, in fact, tripling just in the last years alone. Just tapping into your expertise, what does that acceleration tell you about what is likely to happen with this massive glacier?

GARDNER: Well, it tells us that the ice shelf that was there was providing some resistance to the ice flow. And so as that ice shelf is being removed, we're seeing that resistance removed, and that's causing the ice to accelerate. And so that whole area of the ice sheet, it actually is transporting 150 cubic kilometers of ice into the ocean every single year.

And models project that within the next few decades, that might increase to around 200 cubic kilometers of ice per year.

SANDOVAL: Wow. And then in terms of just predicting when this potential breakup of the ice shelf is likely to happen, I assume that just that alone would be a challenge to predict.

But is there any idea that it could be months, perhaps years or decades? Where are we with that?

GARDNER: Yes, I mean, predictions is a dangerous business. Breakups of ice shelves is a little bit like earthquakes. There's a randomness to it to some degree.

There are a lot of signs that it is rapidly breaking up. And so I think that the betting man would say that it won't be too long before that ice shelf is gone.

SANDOVAL: That is certainly sobering. It is a fascinating but really a troubling conversation when we get a better picture of what's actually happening there.

And on that glacier, Alex Gardner, grateful for your time. Thank you so much for your expertise.

GARDNER: Yes, thank you so much for having me.

SANDOVAL: Of course.

Now still to come here on "CNN Newsroom," SpaceX officially filing for a public stock offering. We'll have the very latest on the company's future goals and also how much Elon Musk could stand to make out of this.

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back, everybody. Let's get your business headlines now.

A.I. chip maker NVIDIA reporting record earnings in the first quarter, the company making $81.6 billion in revenue, that's up 85 percent from a year ago. Their chips power major data centers around the world. NVIDIA says that the current quarter could be even bigger, forecasting $91 billion in revenue.

And the White House could issue an executive order focusing on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity as early as today. And that's the word from multiple sources who say that the order will be pushing for a voluntary government review of new A.I. models before they're released to the public.

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Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, laying off 8000 people, that's roughly 10 percent of its workforce and 7000 others have been reassigned to roles focused on artificial intelligence. Meta says that the job cuts are expected to help offset the costs of its investments in A.I., expected to reach at least $115 billion this year.

SpaceX filing paperwork for a public stock offering. It's a major shift for a company that has long kept much of its business out of public view. CNN's Paula Newton with more details on what you may expect.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're looking to own a piece of SpaceX, your opportunity is just around the corner.

The company filed the paperwork Wednesday afternoon to go public on the Nasdaq in what could be the largest IPO in history and put founder Elon Musk on track to be the world's first trillionaire. Reuters estimates a successful share offering could value the company at $1.75 trillion. Though SpaceX is known for its rocket launches, the company revealed it currently makes most of its revenue from the satellite internet business Starlink.

Now according to the filing, the company's mission is, quote, "To build the systems and technologies necessary to make life multi- planetary, to understand the true nature of the universe and to extend the light of consciousness to the stars."

Musk's future compensation is tied, among other things, to the establishment of a human colony on Mars with at least one million inhabitants. SpaceX will also continue to be firmly in the hands of Musk. He will have more than 85 percent of the voting rights in the company once it does go public.

Paula Newton, CNN, New York.

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SANDOVAL: Forecasters say that the heaviest rainfall has now finally moved out of the New York City area after thunderstorms triggered some flash flooding here. The storms, they dumped almost two inches of rain in less than one hour in some parts of the city. Also caused some flooding and downed trees in parts of Queens and Brooklyn.

And when you go down to Atlanta, there's some similar scenes also that played out there in Georgia. We understand that you can see part of the highway here that was flooded, that highway ramp. The storms, they are part of a larger system that brought flooding and tornadoes to the Midwest in recent days.

We want to leave you with this. Just how far do fans go to idolize their heroes? Well, that's a theme behind the Holy Pop Exhibit, which opened in

London on Wednesday. It shows off some objects, collections, shrines, and basically everything else that people keep to show their devotion to celebrities and icons like Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Princess Diana, also Prince, as well as some of the Harry Potter characters. There's Bowie himself.

One of the highlights is a piece of chewing gum from the late singer Nina Simone. Some fellow musicians also have some collections there, and it also inspired him to write a memoir titled, Nina Simone's Gum.

How about that? Thank you so much for watching this last 42 minutes of news, I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. We go now to "World Sport," then I'll join you again at the top of the next hour.

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