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CNN International: Marco Rubio Says Iran Deal Being Held Up By Disputes Over Wording; Ukrainian Troops Take CNN Along "Road Of Life"; John Cornyn And Ken Paxton Battle In Texas Republican Senate Runoff. Pope Leo Issues Start Warning Over Artificial Intelligence; U.K. Tries To Keep Cool Under Record High Temperatures; Spaniard In Cruise Quarantine Tests Positive For Hantavirus; WHO Chief To Visit D.R. Congo To Assess Ebola Outbreak; Worst-case Blast Threat Eliminated In Chemical Tank Crisis In Southern California; ICE Agents Clash With Protesters Outside Detention Facility; Trump Phone Will Start Shipping Following Months Of Delays. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 26, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:39]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, and from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, President Trump lays out his plan for Iran's enriched uranium. Why some Republicans are calling it worthless.

Russia warns its massive bombing of Kyiv was just the beginning. What the Kremlin says is coming next.

And the Pope takes on artificial intelligence in his first major theological document. What he says about A.I.'s use in warfare.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. And we begin in southern Iran, where earlier U.S. Central Command says the U.S. military conducted self- defense strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks come as Washington and Tehran are engaged in negotiations to end the war.

But disputes remain over Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions. President Donald Trump laid out his plans for destroying Iran's enriched uranium, or nuclear dust, as he calls it, saying it will either be transported to the U.S., dealt with on site, or taken to another acceptable location.

Meanwhile, some Republican allies of the president, who support a hardline stance against Iran, say the pending framework to end the war puts the U.S. at a disadvantage. The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Trump was, "Being ill-advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on. And that ceasing military action risks a perception of weakness."

So, let's bring in CNN's Mike Valerio, who joins us live from Beijing. Good to see you, Mike. So, we've heard from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about this. What's he been saying?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, so we're expected to hear from him again, but I thought it was really interesting when he told reporters on his plane to Delhi that negotiations are down to, "A word or a sentence," that's where, from his point of view, disagreements lie, and he said, Rosemary, that it could still take a couple of days to settle those disagreements, which, again, he told reporters this morning are over a word or a sentence.

So, let's go to some other sound bites that he said on the plane this deal, specifically with the Strait of Hormuz, reopening it, and then we'll talk more on the other side. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: 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. The Russians are not in favor of a tolling system. The Chinese are not in favor of the tolling system.

I mean, there's no country in the world that's in favor of the tolling system, except the regime in Iran. So, that's not acceptable, that cannot happen. Straits need to be open, unimpeded, without tolls, and obviously that needs to happen to me as soon as anything's agreed to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So, almost everybody in the international community seems to be on board with that, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, zero tolls as part of that reopening, with the exception of Iran.

The big question is how, and the other big question is whether or not these strikes, which are leading the shows, which are leading our journalism, are these strikes going to potentially derail American and Iranian talks to end the war.

And Marco Rubio seems to be saying no, that he has optimism that they're not going to be ending the talks. So, let's get into it a little bit. What in terms we're looking for for our reporting targets, and as Washington D.C. wakes up in the next couple hours, American officials are stressing that there have been fire traded that both sides have exchanged fire during the ceasefire period, most recently in the earlier part of May. So, they are expecting optimism, at least in D.C. and our sources in the State Department, that this isn't going to derail talks.

And Trump's position on removing enriched uranium, as we showed the truth post at the top of the show, it seems to have been shifting from his first position when this war began of the potential of U.S. troops going into Iran to remove the about 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium. Now he's saying that, well, potentially could be moved to some other country.

[02:05:10]

Russia, China have been mentioned as part of those hypothetical efforts, perhaps the United Nations, the Atomic Energy Commission could be part of those efforts, and the Iranian team, even though these strikes have happened, the team is still in Qatar right now. The discussions are still ongoing. They haven't stopped, and they're in Qatar in part because Qatar has been a mediator, and in part because they still have funds, the Iranians in Doha, that have been frozen by the Americans when this war started.

So, we're expecting more details from D.C. When everybody starts to get back to work in D.C., Maryland, Virginia on Tuesday morning, but interesting comments from Marco Rubio saying that even though these strikes happened, talks are still going, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Mike Valerio in Beijing, bringing us that live report. Appreciate it.

Well, meanwhile, an Israeli source tells CNN the Israeli military is preparing to expand its operations in Lebanon in coordination with the U.S. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted this video on social media Monday on the plan to intensify strikes against Hezbollah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We are not taking our foot off the gas pedal. On the contrary, I said we need to push the gas pedal even harder. We will strike them, but what this now requires from us is to intensify the blows to increase the force. We will strike them decisively.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: We're also learning that Israel is pushing to renew strikes on Beirut to target senior Hezbollah figures there. A U.S. official has signaled that the White House supports Israel's continued operations against the Iran-backed militant group.

Russia says its bombardment of Kyiv this weekend was the start of, "Systematic strikes against military facilities in the city." Moscow fired more than 600 drones and 90 missiles overnight Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding dozens. The attacks destroyed civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings and shops.

Moscow is also warning foreign nationals, including diplomats and international organizations, to leave Ukraine's capital as soon as possible, but the E.U. ambassador to Ukraine said her team would stay in place, and the State Department spokesman said there are no changes to U.S. embassy operations. Here's what Secretary of State Marco Rubio says:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: Right now, there is no active scheduled negotiations ongoing with Ukraine, but the U.S. is always prepared to play a constructive and helpful role that opportunity presents itself.

Look, every time you see these big strikes from one side or the other, it's a reminder of why this is a terrible war that's now gone on longer than the Second World War, and it needs to come to an end, and the U.S. stands ready and prepared to help do whatever we can to help facilitate the end of this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: More than 70 diplomats visited a heavily damaged neighborhood in Kyiv on Monday, laying flowers and paying respect to the victims of Sunday strikes.

Well, as Russia sends a message with its ballistic missiles, it's also swarming the front lines with drones, but Ukrainian forces are proving their ability to adapt to new battlefield challenges. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh shows us how they do it, and gives us an up-close look at the dangers they face.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call this the road of life, but it's about survival. It is safest on foot under skies ruled by tiny killer drones targeting any vehicle.

WALSH: This now pretty much all over the front lines, tiny bits of fiber optic cable used to connect drones to their controller can go on for tens of kilometers, stopping the jamming before.

WALSH (voice-over): A Russian drone above, Ukrainians open firewall. They hit it.

WALSH: That's the impact. And you have to split out because the drone will try and target groups of individuals, sometimes one, two, three you find.

[02:10:02]

WALSH (voice-over): We're doing Sasha and Bogdan's (ph) usual walk along this road between two Ukrainian positions, but it takes five hours, and we are buzzed by attack drones 14 times.

WALSH: The battlefield has completely changed in a matter of a year. Nobody drives cars on this road unless you have to. Nobody drives.

That's an outgoing artillery. These robots used for resupply, up ahead we can see people repairing the nets, a kind of key protection, but these used to resupply food, ammunition all around the front line.

WALSH (voice-over): The next one is right on top of us, they hit it. That gray streak, and it falls worming down. But it hasn't detonated. Debris drifts. There's been no blast, so we are alive. It may have been a recon drone, but flew like a Russian attacker.

Down the road is the Kostiantynivka front, where the Kremlin's advance has been slowed to a crawl at the enormous cost across the front of 35,000 Russian dead and wounded a month, says Ukraine.

We arrive in the bunker to rest a moment and see the drone trophies, but we have to get back. As soon as we emerge, they are above us again. This is the new warfare, hide, shoot at the sky, run, fire drones back.

WALSH: We have to walk in, but also walk out.

WALSH (voice-over): The bus stays with you, ringing in your ears for hours later. No respite. The gray smoke perhaps it hit the net.

WALSH: That was close, loud. Could hear the shrapnel landing on the tarmac, clearly targeting that armored vehicle.

WALSH (voice-over): It is hard to see how this grind is a win, but it is. Ukraine on foot, robots in support, automation replacing scarce troops holding ground.

The drones never stop, but neither does Ukraine, adapting, learning, engineering this new warfare, and hoping any edge sustains long enough to put Russia in reverse.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (on camera): Look, we're not at the stage here where it seems as though Ukraine is actually winning the war, but the overarching sense of dread of the past year or so that they were losing inevitably, that's certainly gone, and it's their use of technology to bridge the acute manpower crisis they're facing. It's their deep strikes inflicting pain in the heart of Russia's motherland, and it's also, I think, at times Moscow's pain and problems appear to be acute, if not at times worse than that of Kyiv. A real sense of a change in the mood here in Ukraine's favor.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Later this hour, we will take a look at Pope Leo's first theological publication as Pontiff, a stark warning he issued to the world, and why he's taking aim at the rise of artificial intelligence.

Plus, Tuesday is decision day for Republicans in Texas. Voters will decide who will take on Democrat James Talarico in the very expensive Senate race there, back in just a moment.

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[02:17:59]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie is weighing his political future just days after losing his primary to a candidate backed by President Trump, but the big question now is, what office will he run for? Massie kept it vague in a post about his 2028 campaign filing writing, and I'm quoting here. "This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations, supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office. I haven't made a final decision about which office to seek if I run." Those words come just a day after he repeatedly refused to rule out a bid for the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS HOST: Are you considering a run for president in 2028?

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): I will not rule out anything, and right now I'm not going to rule in anything. I'll take some time and decide what's next, but I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape.

WELKER: Congressman, I hear you not ruling a potential run for president out. Would you run as a Republican?

MASSIE: I won't rule anything out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, Republican voters in Texas will soon cast their ballots in the runoff between incumbent Senator John Cornyn and State Attorney General Ken Paxton, an endorsement from President Trump, and a string of new nicknames for the Democratic candidate are shaking up the race. CNN's Arlette Saenz has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Republican duel in Texas heading to its final face-off.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I think Ken Paxton's flaws and the baggage he brings to the general election is going to be exploited to the fullest by James Talarico and by Democrats.

SAENZ (voice-over): Senator John Cornyn in his last stand against State Attorney General Ken Paxton, who received President Donald Trump's endorsement despite concerns raised by GOP leaders in Washington.

[02:20:01]

KEN PAXTON, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: I don't know if you all notice this, but Donald Trump endorsed me this week.

SAENZ (voice-over): In a Sunday appeal to Texas Republicans, the president, writing on Truth Social, Paxton was very loyal to your favorite president, me, while Cornyn was very disloyal to me as president.

Despite Trump's opposition, Cornyn is pressing forward to keep the Senate seat he's held since 2002 insisting he's on the president's side.

CORNYN: I really don't think it was about me. I think it's very different from the Cassidy and Massie situation, because I've been a Trump ally. I think he got frustrated with the Senate not able to get what he wanted when he wanted it.

SAENZ (voice-over): Many GOP senators are not falling in line with Trump's support for Paxton, who has survived a series of personal and political scandals.

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): This guy is an empty suit, and will do us no service by being in the U.S. Congress.

SAENZ (voice-over): And some Republican voters say they're not swayed by Trump's pick.

RANDY MARSHALL, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I'm going to stay with Cornyn and vote for him. I think stability is the name of the game right now.

SAENZ (voice-over): Paxton is ready to turn the page. He stopped airing negative ads against Cornyn, and is targeting James Talarico, the Democratic nominee.

PAXTON: Look, the party is an open door. We have to unite. We have a common enemy, James Talarico.

SAENZ (voice-over): The GOP is testing out lines of attack against Talarico, starting beef over a common breakfast taco order. And his past comments about reducing meat consumption.

PAXTON: How about tofu Talarico? How about Telefrico? Telefrico?

TRUMP: And he's a vegan. He's a vegan in Texas, and you can't get elected as a vegan in Texas.

SAENZ (voice-over): Talarico, who is not a vegan, has pushed back and argued Texas is primed to turn blue in November.

REP. JAMES TALARICO (D-TX): They're going to throw everything they have at us. They'll call our movement un-Texan, un-American. They'll call us a threat. The only truth is we are a threat. We're a threat to their corrupt system.

SAENZ (voice-over): For now, Republican voters, even Cornyn supporters, still feel confident Paxton would defeat Talarico.

BOBBY WALTE, CORNYN SUPPORTER: I think we're ready enough that it doesn't matter whether it was Paxton or Cornyn, whoever the Republican is, is going to win.

CYNDEE BALDWIN, UNDECIDED REPUBLICAN VOTER: I think he would fare well against Talarico. I think, it would be a good race. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and the co-author of Campaign of Chaos: Trump, Biden, Harris, and the 2024 American election. Good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Larry, in the coming hours, voting gets underway for the Texas Republican primary runoff between incumbent John Cornyn and Trump-endorsed challenger State Attorney General Ken Paxton. Who do you expect will secure the nomination?

SABATO: Everybody I know in Texas politics on all sides tells me that Paxton is very, very likely to win. I understand there sometimes upsets, and after all, John Cornyn is a long-term incumbent, both for the Senate, and he held statewide office prior to being in the Senate.

But I think Paxton's endorsement from Donald Trump has really put him on top of a rocket. It will be very difficult to stop him, even though he has many negatives, shall we say.

CHURCH: Right. So, if Paxton does win the runoff, does that give a considerable advantage to the Democrats' rising star, James Talarico, in the November midterms, given Paxton's personal and political baggage?

SABATO: It certainly gives Talarico, a real chance to win, and of course, you have to marry his advantages as a candidate and the disadvantages that Paxton brings into the race with the fact that this is basically a Democratic year.

Having said that, I think everyone will still be shocked if a Democrat is elected statewide, even one as able and as articulate as Talarico, because we've heard this year after year from Texas Democrats, and they haven't won a statewide race since 1990.

SABATO: And Larry, even some Republicans are unhappy with Trump's decision to endorse Paxton over Cornyn for what appears to be Trump's only reason, loyalty to him. So, how divided are Republican politicians and voters on this issue of Trump's endorsement choice?

SABATO: Well, since they're not all him, many of them are very unhappy. In fact, I would say probably a majority or a near majority of the Republican caucus in the Senate is furious at Trump, of course they won't say so publicly, although notice the ones who are being quoted, they're the ones who are retiring or forced retirement, in the case of Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who was basically forced to retire by Trump's opposition to him, Senator Mitch McConnell, who's as conservative as they come, but who was fought frequently with President Trump, these are the ones who are speaking out and are telling the truth about what's going on in Republican caucus meetings, and I don't think President Trump would be very happy to hear what's being said. [02:25:31]

CHURCH: Interesting, and of course, while all of this is going on, Republicans are attacking Democrat Talarico in Texas with new campaign ads trying to destroy his reputation and painting him as weak. Is that working?

SABATO: Well, it's working with Republicans and conservative independents, and normally they're a majority of the Texas electorate, but for the reasons I've just suggested, this may be an exception to the rule. Well, we'll have to wait until November.

But it is pretty harsh. But Texas politics always is, and I'm sure that Talarico and the Democrats expected this to come.

You know, they're calling him weak, you know, for superficial reasons, like they say he looks weak, and he looks very young, and apparently at one point he was either a vegan or a vegetarian, he isn't anymore. They made it very clear, and they posted photos to that effect.

But as you can imagine, being a vegetarian in cattle country in Texas is not very popular.

CHURCH: I'd imagine. And of course, meantime, Republican Thomas Massie is trying to mount a political comeback in 2028 after being ousted by a Trump-endorsed candidate in Kentucky. Does Massie have a path forward in a district where Trump won by 35 points?

SABATO: I doubt it. He was an incumbent this time, and Trump is weak. Trump is in the mid-30s nationally, and in a state like Kentucky, he's still below 50.

So, if ever Massie or any Republican was going to swim against the tide and win, it was probably this year, and as I said, Massie will not be an incumbent in 2028 Don't be surprised if the Libertarian party or others don't approach Massie about an independent run for president, and watching Massie and listening to him over the years, I wouldn't be surprised if he agreed

to do it.

CHURCH: Right, he certainly hasn't ruled it out, has he? Larry Sabato, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

SABATO: Always enjoy it, Rosemary. Thank you.

CHURCH: Pope Leo is tapping into the fight over the ethics of artificial intelligence, issuing a stark warning in his first theological publication as pontiff. We will get some expert insight into the Pope's arguments. That's just ahead. Stay with us.

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[02:31:07]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Pope Leo has issued a stark warning about artificial intelligence in his first major theological publication as pontiff. The text titled "Magnifica Humanitas," or Magnificent Humanity, calls for the disarming of A.I. to prevent it from dominating and degrading human life.

CNN's Vatican Correspondent, Christopher Lamb, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A pope weighing in on the debate over artificial intelligence. Leo XIV wants the church's voice heard on what he sees as a revolution, taking the unprecedented step of personally presenting an encyclical letter on the issues, one of the highest forms of papal teaching.

POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed. The word is strong, I know, but deliberately chosen because this moment needs words capable of attracting attention, awakening consciences, and indicating paths forward for humanity.

LAMB (voice-over): Doing so alongside Chris Olah, a Co-Founder of Anthropic, the leading A.I. firm, which has been in a legal dispute with the Trump administration.

CHRIS OLAH, CO-FOUNDER, ANTHROPIC: Some might believe that matters of A.I. are best handled by computer scientists like myself. They are mistaken. The questions raised by A.I. are bigger than the A.I. research community, not just in their implications, but also in their nature.

LAMB (voice-over): An ethical and human-centered development of A.I. is a top priority for the American pope, who is known to be tech- savvy. At the heart of his plea, an insistence that technology cannot replace the, "grandeur of humanity," nor take the place of God or personal conscience, and that A.I. should not be controlled by a powerful few, and warning about its use in war.

Leo wants to influence those responsible for the new tech, after a ten-year dialog between the Vatican and Silicon Valley over A.I.

LAMB: The Pope sees A.I. as raising more than just technical questions. He sees it as asking profound ones about what it means to be human. Now, in the past, the Catholic Church has made mistakes entering into scientific debate, but Pope Leo believes that faith and science, while asking different questions, shouldn't be in opposition but help one another.

LAMB (voice-over): This encyclical likely to be a landmark text for Leo's papacy, a pope seeking to address a defining issue of the age.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: For more on Pope Leo's landmark publication, I want to bring in Charles Collins, Editor-In-Chief of Crux Now. Appreciate you joining us.

CHARLES COLLINS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CRUX NOW: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, in the first major theological document of his papacy, Pope Leo warns about artificial intelligence, calling for it to be disarmed, putting A.I. at the very center of his first encyclical. How significant is this? And how exactly does A.I. get disarmed?

COLLINS: That's a good question because no one really knows what's happening with A.I. This document was very open. He didn't throw A.I. out the window. What he said was, we have to make sure it is governed properly. And right now, technology seems to be working on its own.

You have people running companies, which is (ph) making decisions and seeing where they go. And I think that's what is concerning Pope Leo. He wants people to be able to make these decisions together, as opposed to being governed by the tech industry.

CHURCH: And in calling for A.I. to be disarmed, Pope Leo's aim is to prevent A.I. from dominating humanity, particularly when it comes to its use in warfare.

[02:35:00]

The Pope says A.I. should be subject to the most rigorous ethical constraints. And the Co-Founder of Anthropic, Chris Olah, echoed those same concerns at the Vatican Monday. But, are other tech bosses listening, do you think?

COLLINS: No, I don't think they're listening. I think they're fascinated by the technology and they're seeing what they can do as opposed to seeing if they should be doing it. He made this statement about disarming A.I. and I think people of my age at least remember that that movie "War Games" and that's what's concerning a lot of people, is when you put A.I. in charge, A.I. doesn't have a conscience, but sometimes we think it does because of the way it is programmed. It is programmed to look like it has a conscience but it doesn't, and I think that's the biggest concern that Pope Leo is raising.

CHURCH: And the Pope also touches on the 'Just War' concept, calling it outdated. He says military force should only be used for self- defense in the strictest sense. Is that a message specifically for President Trump and his war with Iran, do you think?

COLLINS: No, I think it's -- this has been done since World War II, the introduction of nuclear weapons changed the way Just War theory is observed in the Catholic Church. Because anything could rise to nuclear arms being used, we're very conscious -- you know, we don't want that to happen. And also you look at something like Iran, people will make arguments that we're trying to stop them from having nuclear weapons, but you look at the number of civilians who've been killed in these attacks, you look at how the negotiations are going right now, that they don't seem like they're actually preventing anything.

What was the use of that war? And I think that's what the Pope is saying, if we look at these wars, do the outcomes really justify the damage that's done?

CHURCH: And Pope Leo also offers an apology for the Catholic Church's delay in denouncing slavery, why do you think he's doing that now? And is he offering perhaps a path for the U.S. government to follow suit and do the same?

COLLINS: Well, I think he's offering it now because there is a new kind of slavery that is emerging, usually affecting women, but also affecting children. And how you define slavery has always been an interesting debate within the Catholic Church and the world itself. If you're being made to work for 12 hours a day in order to be able to feed your family, is that a sort of slavery? And these are the debates that people are having now and he wants to make sure the Catholic Church is on the right side of history.

CHURCH: And in the end, what impact do you think his encyclical will have ultimately on the population, certainly the Catholic population across the globe?

COLLINS: I'm not sure these documents ever have a lot of influence and this one was a bit verbose and tangential. He talked about a lot of things in it. He didn't really even get into A.I. until about this -- the second half of the document. I think what he said was we need to talk about it and it's how that conversation goes that people are going to be influenced by.

I'm not sure the document itself is actually going to be influential on its own. It's what happens in the next two years, five years, ten years, what does the church say and what does A.I. do in that time, and that's when we're going to find out what influence the church is going to have on the A.I. issue.

CHURCH: Charles Collins, thank you so much for joining us, we appreciate it.

COLLINS: Thank you.

CHURCH: In the U.K., people are searching for ways to stay cool while enduring their first heatwave of the year. On Monday, Britain broke its record for the hottest day in May with temperatures well over 30- degrees Celsius. Western London reaching nearly 35 degrees, which is over 94-degrees Fahrenheit and the coming day is also expected to be a scorcher.

Western Europe is also suffering through an early heatwave. Most areas in the region are experiencing temperatures 10 to 15-degrees Celsius above normal this week.

The death toll is rising as the Ebola crisis in Central Africa worsens. Still to come, the international response to stop the virus from spreading further.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:48] CHURCH: A Spanish national has tested positive for Hantavirus after two weeks of quarantine in Madrid. The country's Health Ministry says the person was aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship and had been monitored as a close contact case. The individual is now the second Spaniard aboard the cruise ship to test positive and has been placed under specialized medical supervision.

Officials say it could take up to six weeks for Hantavirus symptoms to appear, but are insisting that the newly confirmed case does not alter the current risk for the general public. The Ebola outbreak in Central Africa would likely get worse before it gets better. That is according to the World Health Organization's director-general who's expected to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday to assess the crisis.

Health officials say the deadly virus has killed at least 220 people with more than 900 suspected cases reported. Some reports suggest response efforts are being disrupted by regional conflict and violent public disputes over burials for Ebola victims. While the threat of local exposure remains high, the WHO insists the likelihood of a global epidemic remains low.

This comes as Italy's Ministry of Health says that two symptomatic people who recently returned from Uganda have tested negative for the virus in Milan.

Well, the threat of a catastrophic explosion of a chemical tank at a Southern California aerospace facility has been eliminated, but officials warn the crisis is far from over. Emergency crews say a crack in the tank has relieved a significant amount of pressure and that a constant deluge of cold water has brought down the temperature of the toxic and highly flammable chemical held inside.

Authorities have also significantly scaled back evacuation orders. About 16,000 of the nearly 50,000 people originally displaced will remain under evacuation orders for now. Earlier, we spoke with Interim Fire Chief, T.J. McGovern, for an update on the response efforts.

[02:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

T.J. MCGOVERN, INTERIM FIRE CHIEF, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: There's still a fire threat and we have to mitigate that. And so how -- what we're looking at is controlling the internal temperatures. We don't want those temperatures to rise and cause a fire. So, after the threat for the BLEVE was undone, now we can go in and we're starting to skin the outer shell of the tank.

And as we're skinning the outer shell, what we're doing is we're pulling away the insulation. And that's allowing us to use our copious amounts of water, our unstaffed deluge systems that we have. And now, we're able to focus our hose streams to cool more of the internal tank and watch those readings firsthand.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Protesters and politicians are denouncing the treatment of detainees at a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey. And those protests came to a head early Monday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (voice-over): This video shows masked armed ICE agents running toward protesters' barricades and then skirmishes breaking out.

The Department of Homeland Security says about 125 people were blocking the entrances and exits of the detention facility. This comes after months of accusations that detainees are facing inhumane conditions. They're now reportedly conducting a hunger strike.

DHS denies those claims, but Democratic lawmakers and the New Jersey governor say federal officials are keeping them from inspecting the facility for themselves. Other ICE facilities across the country have also faced accusations of subpar conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Just ahead, diving into a new mission, swimming legend, Michael Phelps is opening up about mental health struggles and why winning gold is, quote, "way less important than having a chance to save a life."

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[02:50:54]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Athletes who use performance enhancing drugs got to compete against one another over the weekend in Las Vegas. A Greek swimmer was the only athlete to break a world record during the controversial enhanced games. His time will not make the official record books, but he did earn a $1 million prize. The Enhanced Games endorses athletes who use substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the swimmers are also allowed to wear banned super suits.

Well, it's been nearly a decade since Michael Phelps dazzled on the Olympic stage for the last time, ending his Olympic career with 28 medals including 23 gold. Today, he's found a new purpose beyond the pool and has become an outspoken advocate for mental health. CNN's Coy Wire sat down with the swimming legend and here is part of that interview

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MICHAEL PHELPS, MOST DECORATED OLYMPIAN OF ALL TIME: What I've gone through myself personally has allowed me to learn more about who I am as a human. And yeah, it has been challenging at times and uncomfortable at times, of course, but, you know, again, like for me, I'm more comfortable being my authentic self and living my life how I want to live. And you know, I feel like everybody should be searching for what is our authentic self and what does that look like and live that because we are who we are for a reason. COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: There's this myth in sports that toughness means staying silent, being stoic, right? You helped change that conversation though. Was there a specific moment where you realized if I speak up, maybe I can help other people do the same?

PHELPS: I honestly think it's really when I got to that point of not wanting to be alive. You know, for me, I think once I got to that point, I was like, OK, something is wrong. I need to ask for help. And that was the first time that I ever asked for help because I just didn't know what to do. So I got help.

And then I think at that point, for me, just being able to find that kind of ground to stand on and be OK, sharing the stories that I talk about. I'm very thankful that I got the help that I needed and wanted because I wanted change. And yeah, I think with me being able to kind of implement the mental health into my foundation, along with swimming, it kind of gives me that purpose again, like I had when I was competing. You know, water safety, but also mental health, for me, those two things are who I am.

WIRE: Now, when athletes like you speak honestly about mental health, it gives other people permission to exhale a little bit. Have you ever had another athlete or maybe even a fan of yours who shared a story with you that reminds you just how impactful vulnerability can be?

PHELPS: I've had countless stories and, for me, those are the best moments. Because, for me, there are times where I feel like I'm on top of the mountain and no one is listening, where all I want to do is help, where I have then an athlete, a worker at a company, a CEO at a company walk up and they have that vulnerable moment with me, like I have chills right now talking about it because that's what it's all about, right?

Being able to open up like that, feel safe in the environment, in the space, and be who you are. I remember after the 2016 Olympics and I was at Microsoft, and this kid -- I mean I say he's a kid, like he was probably 25-years-old, right? And he stood up and he was like I have my dream job, everything I've ever wanted to do has happened, and I don't want to be alive anymore.

And I was like, bro, I was like, I hear you, like I've had those thoughts before. So, we had that moment where he was like you sharing that gave me the power or the confidence to open up and share. And again, for me, winning a gold medal is not as important, way less as important than having a chance to have that moment and to save a life, right? Like for me, like I -- again, I have looked at suicide and it is scary and I have had thoughts in the past.

But, you know, it's being able to open and talk about those moments because, it's like you said, that's how we're going to grow, going through those difficult times, those difficult moments, but building a team around you who can support you through these moments.

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WIRE: You helped create this movement that we're seeing. We just recently spoke with Simone Biles and she said that she's still not decided about the next Olympics, saying this is going to come down to her mental health. It's OK to not be OK, right? So how did that make you feel when you hear her say something like that?

PHELPS: I mean, when she says something like that, you know, it kind of reminds me back to what I was going through going into '16, right? Like that was kind of me opening up and really kind of sharing my story and wondering if it was the right thing or wrong thing for me to do. And you know, I think it really came down to what was in my heart.

So if I could give her a message, it's what is in her heart, whatever her heart is telling her, that's what the answer is, right? Like for me, it was, I don't want to have that 'what if' moment 10, 20 years down the road when it is too late. But if it is time to check out, then check out.

She's the GOAT, right? She's done so much for the sport. She's continuing to build the sport. So yeah, I mean, like for me, like, I can relate to her. I can relate to what she said.

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CHURCH: Incredible interview there. We finish here with the $500 gold- colored Trump mobile phone. It's finally in some people's hands nearly a year after it was announced and nine months after its original launch date. But the phone is not living up to some of its initial promises. The screen is smaller than what was originally advertised. And while it was touted as being made in America, it's now being promoted as "designed with American values in mind."

And we leave you there. Thanks so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church in Atlanta. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next, after a short break. Stay with us.

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