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Source: Potential Iran Deal Will Unfold In Two Phases; Man Shot & Killed After Opening Fire Near White House; At Least Two Killed, Dozens Wounded In Overnight Strikes On Kyiv; Crews Race To Prevent Chemical Tank Explosion In California; Oxford Developing New Ebola Vaccine For Rare Virus Strain. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired May 24, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:07]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is "CNN Newsroom."

Inching closer to a deal, we'll look at what's included in the potential new agreement between Iran and the U.S.

Plus, D.C. on lockdown. We have the latest details on a deadly shooting outside the White House.

And Ukraine is under intense fire. We'll go to the region for an update on the impact of Russia's latest barrage.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin with a potential breakthrough in the talks to end the Iran war. We're now getting new details about a potential agreement that Washington and Tehran may be close to signing. A regional source familiar with the negotiations tells CNN the potential deal is expected to unfold in two phases.

Now, in the first phase, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to its pre-war status with shipping security in the region ensured. Iran would also provide assurances that it won't pursue nuclear weapons.

Now, those are claims that Iranian state media are refuting. The second phase would involve a 30 to 60-day ceasefire extension and focus on detailed negotiations over the nuclear issue. CNN Producer Sebastian Shukla joins us from Berlin. So, Sebastian, plenty still unknown, but take us through the reporting on this potential deal.

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah, good morning again, Kim. What we have here is the framework to bring about this nearly two months long war to an end, which, given the diplomatic wrangling that's been going on in that time and particularly over the last month and the rhetoric coming from Washington in the last week, feels like a pretty seismic moment. This feels as close as we've ever been to really being able to bring a full stop to the end of this war.

But as you say, the devil in this appears to be lying in the detail. We have both sides saying that, yes, there are frameworks of an agreement here. But what is within those frameworks appears to be differing.

On the U.S. side, we heard from the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who's traveling in New Delhi, and the most senior official that we've heard from since these lines came out from Washington overnight. He seemed to strike a much more definitive and optimistic tone, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Take a listen to what he had to say.

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MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We've made some progress over the last 48 hours working with our partners in the Gulf region on an outline that could ultimately, if it succeeds, leave us not just with a completely open straits, and I mean open straits without tolls, and with addressing some of the key things that underpin what has been Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions in the past. So, we think we've made some progress on the outline of something that, if it works, could give us that outcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUKLA: And I think outline there is the key part here. For the Iranian side, Kim, what they are saying is that the U.S. blockade by U.S. naval assets on Iranian ports has to be lifted before any discussion about reopening the straits can begin in earnest. And then the Iranians have gone one step further. They've even doubled down on what they claim to be their sovereignty claims over the ownership of the Strait of Hormuz.

So, those two things seem to be already a little bit of a sticking point, or at least not totally clear, as to what exactly has been agreed. And I'm sure that those will be parts of the discussions that are thrashed out over the coming hours and days. And something else that Iranian state media are reporting is that no discussions can begin at all, period, until there is the unfreezing of Iranian assets held in other banks around the world, effectively a form of lifting of sanctions. And all of that is before you get to the thorny issue, the thorniest issue of them all, which is the status of Iran's nuclear program and their ability to enrich uranium.

"The New York Times" reported CNN has not been able to independently verify that they will be prepared, Iran will be prepared to turn over its stockpiles of uranium.

The Iranian state media is reporting that that has not been discussed at all and that any further discussions around the nuclear agreements and anything to do with uranium has to come after a further 30-day implementation of which, once the agreement, a framework agreement is signed, a ticking clock starts for another 30 days for those issues to be negotiated.

[05:05:03]

So, Kim, it feels like one big step forward. And now it's about trying to figure out, cross the T's and dot the I's to get the final framework in place. And as we can tell, there may still be some daylight between the two.

Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll be following the story closely throughout the day. Sebastian Shukla in Berlin. Thanks so much.

Joining me now from Cairo is H.A. Hellyer, a Senior Associate Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.

Good to see you again. So, we heard President Trump says a deal has been largely negotiated. How close are we, do you think, given that Iran is already pushing back on some of his key claims?

H.A. HELLYER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE AND SECURITY STUDIES: Thank you very much, Kim. Always a pleasure to be on your program. So, I think that we are close. Both sides say that a framework could land today. We have seen last minute collapses happen before. I think that this time we are closer than we've ever been in regards to this particular war.

You've had very strong statements, again, from both sides. You've also had the involvement of others in the region. But this is also why there needs to be a little bit of caution here.

In particular, the Israelis are very keen not to have this deal. And reporting that we saw indicates that Netanyahu was very, very much against having a deal, that the Israelis wanted to go back to war. But they've seemingly been outmaneuvered, simply because the White House doesn't want to continue this anymore.

And the Gulf, more generally, also wants a deal. Even those who are very concerned about the Iranians in the Gulf, who have very good concern to be concerned about the Iranians in the Gulf, they also want a deal. They don't see that given where the U.S. is at and where Iran is at, that it would be beneficial in any shape or form to continue along this route.

So, I think that we're in a much better place than we've been previously. But as your report said, there are some very serious sticking points. And I think that the critical one --

BRUNHUBER: Let me ask you about that, because you say we've been closer than we've ever been. But as you were about to go on, I'm sure, I mean, we're talking about some of those key issues, those red lines that basically haven't moved much. And we hear that there's going to be that window between 30 and 60 days to talk about those harder nuclear negotiations. I mean, is that really enough time to make any progress on something that has, to this point, been the biggest sticking point from the start? HELLYER: So, there are two major sticking points that I think are really on the table right now. One of which is an actual sticking point in the sense that right now it's got to be included in the deal. And that's Hormuz, how Hormuz gets open.

The Americans are saying that it will become completely open, it will revert back to pre-war levels. The Iranians, at least in the press, are saying that that's not the case, that it would be some sort of administrative arrangement that the Iranians and the Omanis would do. And there's been, you know, back and forth misinformation, disinformation on this point over the last few weeks.

So, we really need to see where they land on that. I think it would be very difficult for the Gulf, more generally, to have lobbied for a deal without having had Hormuz really, really clearly opened.

On the nuclear file, I think what they've agreed to do is kick it down the road. And I don't think that there's any chance that they're really going to come to a real resolution on that in the short term. I think what the White House is looking to do is shelve it without saying that it's been shelved, defer it to later on in the negotiation period, and then try to move around it and maybe divert attention elsewhere. They haven't been very clear on this point.

It's very clear that the Iranians are not interested in adhering to what the Americans regard as red lines on this. But the Iranians have stood their ground in this regard, and I think that the Americans have decided that they want to shift a little bit. I do think that there will be more discussions on the nuclear file, but it won't be the nuclear file I think gets actually wrapped up sooner rather than later. I think it'll take a lot more time.

BRUNHUBER: So, kicking the can down the road, as you say, I mean, given that the nuclear issue was, you know, what the war was all about, it leads to my next question, I guess. We don't have all the details about the deal, but based on what you're hearing so far, which side do you think will be happier with what we're seeing, Tehran or Washington?

[05:10:00]

HELLYER: So, from Tehran's perspective, they're in a victorious position, OK, because the bar of victory for them has been set in a particular way. They simply needed to survive, and they did. And there was talk of regime change. There was no regime change. There was no regime collapse. There was no state collapse. The Iranians are still standing and on the contrary have new leverage that they did not have before the war, which is over the Strait of Hormuz to the point where they were even claiming maritime control over maritime domain of not just Iranian waters, but Omani and Emirati ones as well.

So, in that regard, they're going to see themselves as having come out victorious. Now, of course, their economy is in tatters. Their military capacity has been significantly undermined and destroyed. But that's not the bar that they set. The bar that they set is that we need to survive. On the American side, they set a whole bunch of different goals from the outset. As you know, they changed multiple times, but they did talk about regime change. They didn't get regime change. They talked about settling the nuclear fire. Well, they haven't done that, OK.

And now more attention has gone on to the Strait of Hormuz from the American point of view, which wasn't even an issue before this war began.

So, I don't think that from the Americans' own definition of what success looks like, it's going to be very difficult to portray it as successful. Having said that, I'm sure that both sides are going to claim victory at the end of this. That's part of the game.

I don't think that there's any suggestion otherwise. And, frankly, the region and the world is going to take a sigh of relief just to see some sort of progress on this. I don't think this is going to be a deal. I think this is going to be an arrangement to get to a deal. The hard part comes later. Enrichment on the nuclear fire comes later. The stockpiles come later. And probably the sanctions, the permanent sanctions come in later. But it's not a return to war. And it's essentially going back to war off the table.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, we could see something announced today. But as you said, we have seen -- we have seen late collapses before.

H.A. Hellyer, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

HELLYER: Thank you.

Authorities in Washington, D.C., are working to determine why a man approached a checkpoint near the White House a few hours ago and opened fire. Secret Service agents shot and killed the man. "ABC News" Correspondent Selina Wang was filming a social media video when she heard a volley of gunshots. Look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SELINA WANG, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: -- for the two sides to remain far apart --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Sources tell CNN the deceased suspect is 21-year-old Nasire Best. Court records indicate he'd had previous encounters with the Secret Service as well as mental health concerns. President Trump thanked law enforcement for their prompt response in a social media post early Sunday. CNN's Julia Benbrook was there when the shots rang out and filed this report.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, scary evening here covering the White House Saturday. Members of the White House press corps, we heard what appeared to be gunshots, dozens of gunshots, it sounded like, and were rushed into the White House briefing room. That's where we were on lockdown for roughly 40 minutes.

Now, as Secret Service told everyone to get inside, to get safe, we have some of those moments of panic. These were captured by photojournalist Joe Wagner as he went to safety as well.

We now know that a shooting occurred at 17th and Pennsylvania, not too far from the White House grounds, that the suspect pulled out a weapon and fired at officers. They then returned fire. He was shot, taken to the hospital and is now dead.

Now, a bystander was also shot. It is unclear if that person was wounded by the suspect or by the return fire. President Donald Trump was here at the White House when all this took place. He was not impacted. We do know that he has been briefed on the situation.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Last hour, I spoke with Richard Kolko, a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, and he discussed what we know about the suspect so far. Here he is.

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RICHARD KOLKO, SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT, FBI (Ret.): You have to assume that they knew who he was, as we've heard from previous arrests, previous encounters with Secret Service. And it's likely that they've got a whole book full of photos of people they've got to be on the lookout for approaching the checkpoints or being in the area of the White House. Maybe on their phones, on an iPad, they get it during the shift change briefs, you know, who's latest that they need to be on the lookout for.

So, he is familiar to them, especially had that stay away order from the court. But approaching that checkpoint. Very interesting. At the end of the day, at least the security of the White House was not breached. So, from the Secret Service's perspective, that that's fortunate. But a difficult night, of course.

[05:15:14]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. Now, we don't know the motive, of course, but based on everything we kind of do know right now, do you think this was somebody who -- who actually wanted to harm the president?

KOLKO: No. While there have been recent attacks against president going back to Pennsylvania where he was shot at and actually hit, this is a very low chance attack. He was not going to get to the White House. He was not going to get to the president. This is a man who likely had those mental health issues and simply charged the gate without a without a real plan. He had a bag over his shoulder, took a gun out of the bag and just started shooting.

So, he was killed. So, they won't find out or have the opportunity to talk to him. But they're going to go back and see if he'd had any writings, see if he had any posts on social media. Of course, you know, with the mental health issues, how did he get the gun is going to be a significant issue. Did somebody have an idea that he was going to do this? And could somebody pick up the phone and said, hey, he's in the area. You know, watch out.

BRUNHUBER: Now, a bystander was also hit in the exchange of gunfire. Now, we don't know right now whether that was from the suspect or one of the agents. I mean, how does the Secret Service typically review an incident like that?

KOLKO: Well, there'll be a crime scene breakdown. We saw the crime scene folks there in the area immediately after the event. They probably took the weapons that were fired. That's standard in a police shooting to be analyzed. They've got the gun from the suspect. It'll go to a lab. They'll know pretty quickly who it was.

Initial reports was best. It only fired three rounds. But as we heard from that video showed and reports as it had been developed over the last few hours, it sounds like he shot a lot more shots in three, three. So, that all be broken down. They'll have that information. But, you know, was he radicalized or just a man with mental health issues who didn't know what else to do?

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BRUNHUBER: All right, coming up, the latest on a terrifying night in Kyiv with residents spending hours sheltering from a heavy Russian barrage and a state of emergency has been declared in Southern California because of an overheating chemical tank in an aerospace facility. Ahead we'll look at the potentially catastrophic impact it could have on the surrounding community. Stay with us.

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[05:21:14]

BRUNHUBER: Rescue officials say at least 23 people have been killed and their bodies recovered in Pakistan's Balochistan province after a bomb exploded near a passenger train. More than 70 passengers have been injured and are being treated in hospital. Local officials say the train debrailed and they expect the death toll to rise.

Rescue teams are working to pull victims from the wreckage. Police say preliminary reports suggest the explosion may have come from a suicide attack. The Baloch Liberation Army Militant Group, which the U.S. has declared a terrorist organization, is claiming responsibility.

Ukrainian emergency crews are assessing the damage from one of Russia's largest ever aerial assaults on Kyiv. Explosions rang out into the early morning hours. Ukraine's Air Force says Russia fired 600 drones and 90 missiles overnight.

The vast majority were shot down, but debris struck residential buildings and other structures across the capital overnight. Officials say at least two people have died and dozens were wounded. Those comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of firing drones on a college dorm in the occupied Luhansk region, calling it a terrorist attack.

Ukraine denies those claims, saying they only target military infrastructure. Russian state media say 19 people were killed. The deadly Ebola outbreak now is Alexey Sorokin, the Deputy Chief Editor of the Kyiv Independent.

Thanks so much for being here with us. So, you're there in Kyiv. Walk us through what last night was like for people there.

OLEKSIY SOROKIN, DEPUTY CHIEF EDITOR, THE KYIV INDEPENDENT: Well, even during this full-scale war, last night was pretty insane. It was really intense. It started at 1 a.m. with some drones, and the attack continued throughout the night for five, six hours. We heard all types of missiles. We heard all types of drones staying in my apartment. The windows were shattering.

It was really intense. The videos from shelters and from metro stations, underground stations, we saw that more people came to the shelters. We know that after the most recent attack that killed 24 people in Kyiv, more people are taking shelter now, and you saw metro stations packed with kids, parents taking them to safety, and, yeah, it was -- it was pretty horrible.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I mean, the U.S. and President Zelenskyy as well warned that this large-scale attack would happen. I mean, how scared were people going into this attack, let alone when it was taking place?

SOROKIN: Well, unfortunately, people are used to Russian attacks. They happen quite regularly. The recent ones are more deadly, so people are now more cautious to take shelter because for a time when especially Kyiv wasn't targeted that often, you can see that people were hesitant to leave their apartments.

Now I think more people are, again, taking shelter, and we understand that this is going to continue. Nothing's going to change, so unfortunately that's the reality that people have to live with.

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine has been ramping up these longer-range strikes inside Russia, but I guess nights like tonight are part of the price that Kyiv pays for that. So, how do Ukrainians there weigh that trade- off?

SOROKIN: Well, the attacks on Ukraine and the full-scale war against Ukraine began before, right? So, if we look back at 2022, 2023, Kyiv was attacked. Russian troops were near Kyiv. Residential buildings in the city of Dnipro, for example, was hit and completely destroyed, still the largest attack on record.

[05:25:01]

So, Ukraine sees these long-range attacks on military and energy infrastructures in Russia as a response. It's the only way Ukraine can balance out the war, right? Because obviously Russia is continuing to advance on the battlefield, and the only capability that Ukraine right now has and is actively using is trying to bring the price of this war back to the Russians, back to the Russian economy. And I think Ukrainians are actually really proud that Ukraine has this capacity to strike back and to make Russians feel what they're doing.

BRUNHUBER: So, stepping back from last night, I mean, how would you describe the overall mood in Kyiv right now about where this war is heading?

SOROKIN: I think everybody understands that there is no peace in sight, right? There is no -- The war is not going to end anytime soon. So, unfortunately, what I got from speaking to people here, from speaking to my friends, to colleagues, that after this brutal winter that we had, war just became mundane, right? War just became something that you're used to. You know that there's going to be a mass attack, so you either go to the corridor, away from the windows, or to a shelter.

In the morning, you still go to work. You see that nobody slept, everybody's grumpy, but that's kind of the reality. So, unfortunately, everybody is used to the war, which is really, really bad, I think.

BRUNHUBER: Listen, appreciate your time, and we assure you that you stay safe, as well. Alexey Sorokin, thank you so much.

SOROKIN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: The deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is growing worse by the day. Coming up, we'll have a closer look at how the world is responding to the crisis in Central Africa. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back, I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Let's check some of today's top stories: Authorities in Washington, D.C. are investigating after secret service agents shot and killed a man who approached a checkpoint and fired at them. A bystander was injured and is now hospitalized. President Trump was at the White House, but wasn't impacted.

President Trump says a peace deal with Iran has been largely negotiated. A regional source familiar with the talks tells CNN the potential agreement is expected to unfold in two phases. Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in the first phase. The second would involve a 30-to-60-day ceasefire extension and detailed negotiations over the nuclear issue.

At least two people have died in one of Russia's biggest ever aerial assaults on Kyiv. Ukrainian officials say Moscow fired 600 drones and 90 missiles across Ukraine overnight, with most of them targeting the capital. Dozens of people have been wounded. Ukraine's president confirms Russia fired a hypersonic Oreshnik missile against a city in central Ukraine. Emergency crews in Southern California are racing to prevent a potentially catastrophic explosion after a tank holding thousands of gallons of a toxic and highly flammable chemical began overheating at an aerospace facility in Orange County. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday as crews continue their efforts to cool and stabilize the tank.

CNN's Jenn Sullivan reports.

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JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Authorities in Southern California are desperately trying to cool off this tank that's full of a highly toxic and flammable chemical. If it gets too hot, it could explode.

CRAIG COVEY, ORANGE COUNTY DIVISION CHIEF: It's been averaging about a degree an hour increasing.

SULLIVAN: Orange County Division Chief Craig Covey says the tank should be at around 50 degrees. But Saturday, temperatures reached as high as 90. This is at the GKN Aerospace plant in Orange County. The company issuing a statement Saturday saying, in part, we are working tirelessly with all relevant experts to resolve the situation as safely as possible.

For the past two days, authorities have been spraying the tank with water to help cool it off. It's full of methyl methacrylate. It's a chemical used to manufacture plastics. It can cause skin irritation, respiratory issues and headaches if people are exposed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That's why authorities have evacuated thousands of people who live and work in the nine square mile area around the facility.

STEPHANIE KLOPFENSTEIN, MAYOR OF GARDEN GROVE, CALIFORNIA: We understand that this is frightening. We understand that people are worried about their homes, their businesses, their pets and their loved ones. Shelters have been set up to help people who had to evacuate and some hotels are offering discounts. Health officials say the air should be safe outside the evacuation area. Still, many residents say they're concerned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully they can do something because it's really dangerous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody knows anything. Nobody can really give us any details about what's going on.

SULLIVAN: Disneyland parks are just outside the evacuation zone in Anaheim. The mayor there says they are monitoring the situation very closely. I'm Jen Sullivan reporting.

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BRUNHUBER: A nine-story building under construction in the Philippines collapsed early on Sunday. Rescue operations are underway as emergency workers search for survivors. Philippine officials say 24 people have been rescued from the site in Angeles City, but local media reports say 30 to 40 people are missing. No word yet on what caused the collapse.

And search and rescue efforts are ongoing in northern China after a gas explosion at a coal mine killed at least 82 people. Emergency teams are looking for potential survivors nearly two days after China's worst mining disaster in more than a decade. They're entering the mine with water pumps and kayaks because of flooding in parts of the mine after the explosion. Rescue efforts have been complicated by an inaccurate map of the tunnels provided by the mining company. State run Beijing news says not all underground workers may have been wearing their required GPS trackers.

The Ebola outbreak in central Africa is now the second largest ever. Health officials there confirmed 91 cases alongside more than 860 suspected cases. Three Red Cross volunteers are believed to be among the earliest deaths after reportedly contracting the virus on a regional humanitarian mission in March.

This comes amid growing public backlash in the Democratic Republic of Congo where a second Ebola treatment center was set ablaze on Saturday. 18 suspected Ebola patients are now unaccounted for after running away during the attack. The absence of approved medical treatments for this rare strain of the virus has sparked a global race to find a way to limit the outbreak.

Scientists at Oxford University are reportedly developing a new Ebola vaccine that could enter clinical trials in the coming months. A professor with the Oxford Vaccine Group explained the urgency behind their efforts.

[05:35:05]

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TERESA LAMBE, PROFESSOR, OXFORD VACCINE GROUP: So, normally a vaccine will take some time to get made and get tested, so typically it will take five to 10 years. We don't have that luxury here. So, what we're trying to do is do many of the steps that are routinely done, do it in parallel. So, we are working as hard and as fast as we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is closely monitoring the situation in Africa. U.S. bound flights from countries affected by Ebola are being diverted to three airports for public health screenings. These include Dulles near D.C., Hartsfield Jackson here in Atlanta and George Bush in Houston.

So, for more on this, I want to bring in emergency medicine physician Dr. Owais Durrani live from Houston, Texas. Good to see you again. You're in Houston, which is one of the cities, as I mentioned, where passengers from affected countries will be funneled for screening. So, what does that actually look like on the ground there?

DR. OWAIS DURRANI, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, on a logistical level at my hospital, you know, obviously the risk is still very low of me as a doctor encountering someone who's been exposed there. But what they are doing is refreshing our PPE training. So, that's something that we were very familiar with back during COVID. Obviously, it's something that you refresh every few years. But with kind of this on our radar, we are doing that.

We're also getting protocols on if there is a suspected patient that were to show up to my E.,R., what kind of the state official treatment facility for something like Ebola would be. When it comes to the actual airport logistics, obviously, this is something that was done during the previous outbreak, a little over a decade ago, where they funneled folks to a select number of airports. They answer a questionnaire and they are put into risk category.

So, if you are low risk, you essentially kind of go to where you're going to and your local public health officials and department will follow up with you. If you are kind of medium to high risk, then kind of other steps are taken. There are blood tests that they can do. They can isolate you and whatnot. Those high-risk folks are obviously going to be if you were, you know, they're on mission work and maybe treating patients directly. That kind of work would put you in that high-risk category.

BRUNHUBER: So, let's talk about the risks to Americans, you know, traveling. I mean, it's Memorial Day weekend, one of the busiest travel times of the year. I mean, should Americans who are flying this weekend be worried at all?

DURRANI: They should not, no. Ebola is scary and it is deadly. But at the same time, the threat to the American public is very low. So, both of those things can be true at the same time. And the reason for that is, A, you know, this is in a very isolated area. And even though there's a lot of local travel, there's not a lot of international travel in and out of that area.

Two, this is a disease that you spread when you are symptomatic. And if you are symptomatic, usually these folks are very, very sick. So, it's not like a viral illness like COVID where, you know, you can still power through it and go to work and whatnot.

You're too sick to be able to do that. And so, that in itself limits spread. And then, of course, we are having our antennas up about this and have, you know, folks funneling into these airports, have the public health officials aware about this. So, that is going to decrease the chance of this being a threat to the public health of Americans as well.

BRUNHUBER: Now, I mean, you said this is in an isolated area, but the Democratic Republic of Congo is actually playing in the World Cup this summer here on U.S. soil, which means fans and players traveling from one of the affected countries. So, you know, recognizing sort of what you said about transmission and so on, but how does that factor into to any concern level that you might have? And is the screening process that we have in place enough to handle that?

DURRANI: Yeah, well, you know, I wish it was better, right? We have had cuts to, you know, public health agencies, USAID. USAID is pivotal, was pivotal in monitoring Ebola and ensuring that when an outbreak is detected that the public health heroes on the ground have PPE, that they have testing kits, things of that nature to limit the spread. We're obviously late on that because of some of those cuts. So, I wish we were in a better place when it comes to the public health infrastructure.

That being said, I still don't think this is going to be an emergent threat to the public health of Americans because of all those reasons I listed earlier. And, you know, it's obviously something that we're going to have to closely monitor.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, you mentioned the last outbreak in 2014. I remember back then, I mean, the U.S. had thousands of personnel on the ground in West Africa, as you say, a much smaller footprint.

Now, you and I spoke a few weeks ago about Hantavirus and now we're talking about Ebola. Both of these are diseases that jump from humans, from animals to humans. So, what more could the U.S. be doing to sort of get ahead of these threats before they become outbreaks?

DURRANI: Yeah, and, you know, the best way to, you know, set up public health is prevention. And that means, A, funding for detection. And so, looking for a potential pathogen or outbreak before it gets to the point that this one has gone to, that means, you know, in this segment before, you mentioned Oxford University developing that vaccine, doing that work much, much before we need it on an emergent basis.

[05:40:18]

And then making sure that, you know, people want to go into these public health fields, that they want to do this mission work, that if they, you know, were to get sick, that they have the support of the government to bring them back home, all of those things.

And so right now, unfortunately, we have cut those things. And, you know, we're hearing from people on the ground that, you know, the healthcare heroes that are in the front lines, they don't have enough PPE. And that's absolutely unacceptable. And that's something that we have funded before. And as you mentioned, we had thousands of personnel before.

We have nowhere near the amount we had the military back then, as well, to help with logistical things, to get into isolated areas and rural areas and to have that public health education component. We don't have any of that.

And so we -- you know, I hate to use the word lucky, but I've gotten lucky that both the Hantavirus and Ebola, they are not going to be the next pandemic. But eventually, we are going to see a pathogen that has the potential to do that. And I'm afraid we're not in a good place to handle that.

BRUNHUBER: Still to echo basically the headline that you were saying, it's a very deadly disease, but you have a low level of concern right now for Americans, since that's important to highlight. Dr. Dr. Owais Durrani, thank you so much.

DURRANI: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, tensions remain high in Bolivia following weeks of protests over a cost-of-living crisis in the president's political reform agenda. Heading into the weekend, officials tried to clear blockades along major roadways leading to the western cities of La Paz and El Alto. The early morning mobilization on Saturday aimed to establish a humanitarian corridor for essential supplies.

Authorities ultimately failed to fully clear the roadblocks, despite deploying anti-riot units, armored vehicles and heavy machinery. Now, just south of La Paz, protesters blocking a convoy of heavy trucks were met with tear gas.

Earlier, I spoke with Christopher Sabatini, director of the Latin America program at Chatham House.

And listen to what he thinks is fueling Bolivia's political turmoil. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, DIRECTOR, LATIN AMERICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: What's happened is that Rodrigo Paz coming in discovered that the central bank was broke. He needed to raise revenue. Also, because of misspent investment from the oil wealth earlier in the 2000s, basically, it never became fuel self-sufficient.

So now, suddenly, they're confronting a country that can produce its own fuel. It's confronting fuel shortages. So, there's massive protests over attempts to roll back subsidies, as well as just basically seeing the fire there. Evo Morales literally fanning the flames for these three protests.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. And as you know, I mean, Bolivia has a long history of protests bringing down presidents. Is this something that Paz can survive, do you think?

SABATINI: It will be tough. But first of all, we see that Rodrigo Paz is already beginning to suffer some defections from within his cabinet. He had to reshuffle it. Even the other right-wing leader, more conservative leader, who ran against him in the second round of the elections, Tuto Quiroga, is already beginning to express some opposition. Some of the government thinks it's beginning to say openly that they need to meet with the protesters and resolve this. He's definitely going to get out of this weaker.

What it will mean in terms of his long term -- he's just only, what, six months into his term right now. What it will mean for his overall term, too early to tell, but it's clearly not an easy start.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Now, the U.S. secretary of state has already weighed in. He's called the protesters criminals and drug traffickers. And Paz was one of the first Latin American leaders to restore ties with the Trump administration after years of tension.

So, if Paz falls, I mean, what does that mean for the Trump administration's efforts to roll back the anti-American left?

SABATINI: It is difficult. And it's always going to be difficult, quite frankly, because this anti-American left likes to exercise their political power on the streets, in many cases. And Rodrigo Paz was seen as a -- because you had two conservative presidential candidates that made it to the second round.

Many people thought socialism was done and dusted, but obviously that isn't the case. And this is -- you know, he's -- there are other Trump-allied center-right candidates or presidents that are also doing quite poorly right now as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Thousands took to the streets in Serbia's capital, where a large anti-government protest turned violent on Saturday. Have a look.

You see it there, a video of riot police clashing with protesters in Belgrade's city center following repeated calls from Serbia's student- led movement for fresh elections and reform. It's the latest in a series of demonstrations against the president, which can be traced back to 2024, shortly after 16 people were killed by a collapsed awning at a railway station.

Big night for songwriters and composers, still ahead, we go to the red carpet of the Ivor Novello Awards for a conversation about A.I. and a critique of the music industry's uncreative leaders. Stay with us.

[05:48:15]

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BRUNHUBER: Linda Perry, former lead singer of the U.S. rock group the four nonblondes, won the special international award at the Ivor Novello awards this weekend. The prizes celebrate songwriting and composing. In addition to her own band, Perry wrote hits for pop stars, including Christina Aguilera, Pink and Gwen Stefani.

CNN's Anna Cooban spoke with Linda Perry on the Ivor's red carpet. The outspoken composer had biting comments about the uncreative people who run the music industry and how A.I. can't be ignored.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA PERRY, SONGWRITER, IVOR'S SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL AWARD RECIPIENT: I feel that, you know, we're living in a world where everything is fast paced and people think just because somebody wrote a couple songs that they deserve all these accolades. And it's like it's experience and time. But everybody wants everything right now. I've been in this business for 30 years and I'm being recognized, you know, for this award.

So, I think when you're supposed to be recognized, you will. ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: And A.I., how do you feel about that and how it's changing the industry?

PERRY: I remember when microwaves showed up and people thought people were going to stop cooking. We're living in a world where culinary is at its highest and most creative. I think that we just need to understand that we're moving into the future and we just have to monitor things.

And I believe that we're going to learn things and some bad things might happen as well. But I don't get afraid of things that are new.

[05:50:04]

COOBAN: So, are you embracing A.I. then?

PERRY: Not saying I'm embracing it. It's just the future. I don't think you can ignore it. And I don't think it's something that's going to go away.

COOBAN: Is there one thing that sticks out to you is what you would like to change about this industry?

PERRY: I would love for people to stop (bleep) and start being more honest and get to the point. The music industry is ran by corporate people. I would like to see the industry back to musicians and creative people. I think that's why we are in a decline in the music business because the people who are running it aren't musical and they're not creative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, the racing world is mourning the loss of NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch. Still ahead, what led to the sudden death of the racing legend at just 41 years old.

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BRUNHUBER: The family of two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch has announced that he died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis. CNN's Don Riddell has more on the passing of a motorsport legend.

[05:55:01]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: The NASCAR community is just reeling after Kyle Busch's death was announced on Thursday. And now we're learning more details about his final days. In a statement released by his family on Saturday, they said that the cause of death was sepsis.

Quote, "The medical evaluation provided to the Busch family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications," the statement read, it continued, the family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time. Busch, who was only 41, had asked for a doctor during his race and was

not given a doctor's appointment. At Watkins Glen, New York, two weeks ago. And according to a 911 call obtained by CNN, he coughed up blood and was experiencing shortness of breath while he was working in a racing simulator on Wednesday. Busch had been preparing for this weekend's race in Charlotte, the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race of the NASCAR season.

Ahead of the race on Saturday, his team unloaded his car, but with a new number, Busch's number eight has been retired. NASCAR says until his 11-year-old son, Brexton, is old enough to race, one of Busch's teammates will drive the car this weekend instead with the number 33. The Memorial Day race on Sunday is going to be a memorial that nobody could have ever expected or wanted.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, turning now to the NBA playoffs. New York Knicks appear to be running away with the Eastern Conference finals. Their 121 to 108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday is New York's 10th in a row this postseason, marking a new franchise record. The Knicks now hold a commanding three-game lead in the series and are just one win away from their first NBA finals appearance since 1999.

All right, that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber for our viewers in North America. "CNN This Morning" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "Blueprint."

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