Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Ken Paxton Wins Texas Republican Senate Runoff; Iran Warns Of Retaliation, Says U.S. Violated Ceasefire; Trump To Hold Cabinet Meeting Amid Iran War Negotiations; Multiple Injuries, 1 Dead, 9 Missing After Chemical Implosion At Longview Paper Mill; Rescuers In Laos Trying To Reach 7 People Trapped In Cave; Chinese Dissident Arrives In South Korea After A 30-Hour Escape. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired May 27, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:00:27]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, everybody, I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, and this is CNN Newsroom. Here's what's coming your way the next hour.

A massive victory for Trump, bad candidate Ken Paxton in the state of Texas. And the U.S. President isn't the only one celebrating why some Democrats are now looking forward to a Paxton-Talarico showdown in November.

Plus, Donald Trump said to huddle with his cabinet in the coming hours at a critical stage in the effort to negotiate an end to the war with Iran.

And a little later, it is the lowest point on the planet. The Dead Sea is in peril and there's no consensus on how to save it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, this is CNN Newsroom with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: All right, everybody, good morning. Let's begin in Texas where voters are waking up today with a much clearer picture of what lies ahead in the race for the U.S. Senate this November. CNN projecting state Attorney General Ken Paxton will be winning the Republican runoff against incumbent John Cornyn by a wide margin. Corny Cornyn held that seat since 2002.

Paxton will be facing Democratic state Representative James Talarico in the midterm election come November. And he's thanking U.S. President Donald Trump for his endorsement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN PAXTON, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn't listen. Instead, he gave his complete and total endorsement. President Trump is the leader of our party and his endorsement in this most power is the most powerful force in politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Democrat James Talarico wasting no time taking on his newly minted opponent. He will be holding his first general election rally today in the city of Houston. He also posted this campaign ad on social media shortly after Paxton's runoff winning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES TARALICO, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE: The most corrupt politician in America just became the Republican nominee for the United States Senate.

For 50 years, mega donors and their puppet politicians like Ken Paxton have stolen from us. But that ends this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So what happens next for the outgoing Senator Cornyn? Here's CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju to explain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After decades in Texas politics and holding his United States Senate seat since 2002, Senator John Cornyn saw a lopsided loss ending his career after Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general won in a resounding fashion, following the support he got from President Trump in the final days of this bitterly fought primary campaign for Cornyn's seat.

Now Republican leaders had begged President Trump to get behind Cornyn. They saw him as far more electable in a general election than Paxton, who said to whether a scandal after scandal in Texas, impeachment scandals, personal scandals, he has survived from those scandals and also clearly thrived, winning the Republican nomination so handily, now facing James Talarico, the Democratic candidate in November, a race at which Democrats think that they can win because of those personal problems that Cornyn and Republican leaders were warning about.

But President Trump did not listen to those concerns. In fact, got behind Ken Paxton because he saw him as more loyal than Cornyn, even though Cornyn had boasted a voting record of nearly 100 percent of the time with Donald Trump. Though he did criticize Trump after January 6th and did not support Trump right away in the 2024 primary campaign, he ultimately did support President Trump in the 2024 primary, and he ultimately voted to acquit Trump in the January 6 impeachment trial. But nevertheless, Trump decided to back Paxton.

Paxton is now the nominee, and John Cornyn, even in the hours ahead of polls closing on Tuesday, was warning his party about the impact it would have if Paxton were the nominee.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): If he's a nominee, hundreds of million, several hundred millions of dollars --

RAJU: Versus you.

CORYNYN: Versus me. We can do it on our own. We don't need outside help. So the truth is that that's money that could be and should be better spent in places like Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan and New Hampshire.

If the Texas Senate seat is in jeopardy, that really jeopardizes our majority because it will take away necessary resources to win these other seats that we're depending on to maintain the majority and perhaps grow it.

[04:05:00]

RAJU: Now after the election was called for Paxton, Cornyn came out to address reporters, talking to reporters who were invited to this small gathering at a hotel in Austin and talked about his career. His wife was by his side. His two daughters were by his side. He talked about the low turnout in the election, but he did acknowledge his loss and he said that voters have spoken.

He said he would support the Republican ticket in November, but he did not mention Paxton by name and he did not take questions from the reporters in the audience, perhaps in large part because this was such a bitterly fought campaign. Cornyn had criticized Paxton relentlessly for months, and now he's seeing Paxton win the nomination for his seat and potentially could take his seat in November. Manu Raju, CNN, Austin, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: All right, let's get some expert analysis on what will be quite a race now. Caroline Heldman is a Democratic strategist and professor of critical theory and social justice at Occidental College. She joins me live from Los Angeles, 1:00 a.m. where you are. Caroline, thank you so much for staying up late for us.

CAROLINE HELDMAN, PROFESSOR, CRITICAL THEORY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE: Good to see you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: How about we get your initial take and your initial analysis on this Texas runoff? What does it tell you about President Trump's power over the Republican Party? I mean, clearly it is not enough to dedicate 99 percent loyalty to him.

HELDMAN: Well, it really shows his power with his base, even though we have seen a bit of an erosion from about 38 percent diehard support down to about 33 percent nationally. Boy, is Trump endorsing candidates really making a difference. I mean, this wasn't just, you know, Cornyn losing to Paxton. This was an absolute blowout with Paxton at about 65 percent of the vote in Cornyn at about a third.

And this is someone who has been in the Senate for multiple terms. And if you remember from politics 101, incumbents in the Senate about 90 percent of the time they get reelected. So it really speaks to that. But it also, you know, Trump has set Texas up now to have a weaker candidate against James Talarico.

And I say a weaker candidate because while the MAGA base certainly decides who will advance to the primary election or to the general election from a primary, it is undecided voters who make that decision in the general election. And right now, the generic ballot nationally with independence, 33 percent favor Democrats.

SANDOVAL: We've heard from Democrats who call this really a gift that was delivered by Trump to Democrats, as it may certainly assist them when it comes to campaigning. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also responded to the Texas results, calling it, as he described it, a nightmare scenario for Republicans, but also a step closer to winning a Senate majority for Democrats.

In your view, Caroline, how likely is it that a Texas Democrat is likely to win a Senate seat?

HELDMAN: I still think it's a long shot, even though James Taralico would be the ideal candidate because he's actually not making much of a partisan pitch. This is a man, you know, a seminarian, young guy who's in the state legislature, who went on Joe Rogan show. And Joe Rogan, after a couple of hours of talking to Talarico, said, you need to run for president. So this is a man who can clearly reach across the party divide, certainly to independence.

With that said, you know, Texas is still a solidly red state, so I think it would take a bit of a miracle for Democrats to pick that seat up. Now, if it's a massive wave election, there's a possibility that could happen. I think, you know, race is like Ohio and Alaska and Maine and North Carolina are more likely. But I will say Talarico has a better shot against Paxton than he had against Cornyn. And I think that is why a lot of Democrats are celebrating tonight in Texas.

SANDOVAL: In the last hour, Republican strategist Katie Frost told me that in her view, Talarico is completely out of step with Texas values. We'll see how that plays out on the campaign trail.

But in your view, you know, what's your response to that in terms of the challenges that Talarico may face? He is not very well known, obviously, so that potentially may be a challenge, but then also perhaps even convincing viewers to see past some of his previous controversial comments.

I mean, that won't be easy for him, I take it.

HELDMAN: Well, let's see. I mean, I actually think he's ideally suited for Texas. Now, granted, there are older interviews where he talks about transgender issues that are not going to play well in Texas. He's got some liberal positions that are simply not going to play well with the electorate there.

However, he also is very much in sync with Texans in terms of his religious approach to things, and he's not making it partisan.

[04:10:02] And I find him to be, you know, like Paxton, frankly, very, very charismatic candidate. Right. So I think this is going to be a high interest race. He also has a fundraising advantage. You know that Paxton is not a great fundraiser. Cornyn was. This is the most expensive primary race in history, Senate primary race. And that's not because of Paxton. That was Cornyn.

So I imagine that Talarico, if there was a candidate to run in Texas and do well, it would be him. Let's see whether or not the wave is big enough for Democrats.

SANDOVAL: Yes, we're all anxious to see what kind of substance comes from the campaign trail beyond any name calling and really just those issues that Texans are truly worried about, including the economy. Caroline Heldman, as always, really appreciate the conversation.

HELDMAN: Good to see you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Great to see you. Let's take you to Iran now, which is accusing the U.S. of violating their ceasefire as the two sides strike to work towards ending the war. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is now threatening to retaliate after the U.S. Launched what it called self-defense strikes on Iranian missile sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran is claiming that the U.S. also breached its airspace and that its forces struck down a drone and opened fire on an F-35 jet.

Meanwhile, President Trump is set to hold a cabinet meeting at the White House in the coming hours. With the war now at a crucial juncture, a source is telling CNN that all cabinet members are expected to be in attendance. Salma Abdelaziz is joining me now from London as she follows developments not just in Washington, but in the Middle East as well. So where do negotiations right now between the U.S. and Iran stand?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Depending on who you ask, they are grinding on, but very slowly. It seems that both sides right now are at an impasse. Polo, in this morning, Iran is saying that America is carrying out unlawful and unjust actions along the Strait of Hormuz. As you mentioned, of course, the U.S. did carry out airstrikes in the region.

It says it was hitting missile launch sites and Iranian boats that were trying to plant mines. But Iran's government disagrees with that framing. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FATEMEH MOHAJERANI, IRANIAN GOVERTMENT SPOKESPERSON (through translator): It is not the first time we are witnessing these contradictions from the United States. In fact, one of the problems in our negotiations is the inconsistencies and contradictions in their behavior. This is not a new issue.

(END VIDEO CLI) ABDELAZIZ: Now it's very important to note, Polo, that there have been exchanges of fire in the past during this ceasefire and the truce has carried on and so have the talks. So it's very possible that this is simply a bump in the road on those negotiations which you asked about.

Of course, we know that talks were taking place in Qatar over the last few days. Now it's all down to the mediating nations to continue those conversations. We know that the Iranian delegation was returned to its country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio returned as well.

He was telling reporters that it's just a matter of a few words, a matter of a few sentences that these two nations are disagreeing over. But Iran seems to indicate that the gap is much wider. The two key issues here are enriched uranium, which of course, we heard over the weekend, U.S. Officials using that term, no dust, no dollars. They want to see the destruction of more than 900 pounds of enriched uranium in any deal.

And then, of course, the other key issue is the Strait of Hormuz. Will there be an agreement on a phased reopening? The United States says that is absolutely essential. But of course, Iran is digging its heels in as well.

SANDOVAL: And all this happening as we're learning, Selma, of a partial restoration of Internet for tens of millions of Iranians. What are you learning on that front?

ABDELAZIZ: A partial return after what is the longest internet blackout ever imposed by a nation, as far as we know, 88 days. But what we heard from Iranians on the ground is that this is, again, partial at best. They're saying that this is the return of what they call the filtranet. Essentially all those restrictions that are imposed by the Iranian government on what Iranians can and cannot see. There still remains critical restrictions on messaging apps like WhatsApp.

And even with that partial lifting, you still need to use a VPN. We're hearing from Iranians on the ground in order to be able to access everything. So the idea is, yes, there is this beginning of an opening which may allow us to get a clearer picture on what's happening on the ground.

But again, Iranians will need to set up any VPNs to have wider access. But we did see that glimmer of hope with people posting selfies in an act of defiance from inside Iran.

SANDOVAL: Salma Abdelaziz with that live report from London. Thank you, Salma.

The Israeli military is also ramping up its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. It says that it struck more than 100 targets of the militant group overnight. All of this is a source telling CNN that the IDF is pushing to renew attacks against Hezbollah leaders in Beirut.

[01:15:02] With those plans, they are awaiting approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as his cabinet. Lebanon's health ministry now says that Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 31 people and wounded 40 others specifically on Tuesday. And this was one of the deadliest days since the ceasefire started last month.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military official says that IDF soldiers have expanded ground operations beyond the Yellow Line, which is a self- declared military security zone in southern Lebanon.

At least one person has died after a large chemical vat ruptured and then imploded at an industrial plant in Washington State. Nine people were injured and nine more are still missing. CNN's Sherrell Hubbard with the update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First responders rushed to the scene of a fatal implosion involving hazardous materials at a paper and packaging facility in Washington State.

MATT AMOS, BATTALION CHIEF, LONGVIEW FIRE DEPARTMENT: Emergency responders have confirmed that 10 individuals were transported to area hospitals. Eight were injuries, one was a firefighter injury and we have one fatality.

Officials can also confirm that there's currently nine employees who remain unaccounted for.

HUBBARD (voice-over0: The implosion happened around 7:30 a.m. local time at an Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company facility in Longview, about 130 miles south of Seattle. Authorities say a 900,000 gallon tank ruptured. It contained so called white liquor, a chemical mixture used in the paper making process. Officials said they were in the recovery phase Tuesday afternoon with firefighters and a hazmat team on site.

But by Tuesday evening, they said ongoing safety concerns at the Longview facility have complicated recovery efforts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that there could be a potential of 90,000 gallons remaining in that tank. The tank remains unstable, creating a dangerous situation for our personnel.

HUBBARD (vice-over): Authorities say crews are assessing the tank and are working towards stabilizing the tank before recovery efforts can proceed.

MIKE GORSUCH, BATTALION CHIEF, LONGVIEW FIRE DEPARTMENT: This is a tragic incident for our community. Our thoughts remain with the victims, their families, coworkers and everyone who has been impacted by it.

HUBBARD (voice-over): I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANDOVAL: All right. Now to a positive development out of Southern California. We now know that all evacuation orders related to the overheating chemical tank at an aerosp space facility have been lifted. Fire officials say that there is no longer a threat of explosion or fire and that there is currently no risk to the public and it's at its peak.

50,000 people were told to leave their homes after some evacuation orders were issued and this after a tank containing any highly flammable chemicals started overheating on Thursday. However, teams were able to bring the tank's temperature back down with cooling water and also a crack that was on that tank managed to help relieve the pressure. Hazardous materiel teams, they are still monitoring the situation out of an abundance of caution, we're told.

And we're following the latest developments out of Laos where a desperate attempt to rescue seven people trapped in a cave is still ongoing. We're going to get you to a live report in just a few moments.

And a little later, people in western Europe, they are sweltering from a scorching heat wave. We'll go live to Rome for an update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:22:15]

SANDOVAL: Natural dangerous operation that's underway in Laos to reach six seven people who've now been trapped in a cave for a week. Cave divers say have been battling bad weather and some treacherous conditions, all while trying to navigate narrow, muddy tunnels underground to try to reach that group.

The seven villagers had gone searching for gold, but reportedly were stranded in that cave after heavy rain triggered some flash flooding and then sealed off that exit. Let's go back to CNN's Will Ripley following those developments out of Taipei.

Will, rescuers have been unable to make contact with this group, I mean, how confident are they that they're still alive?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERANTIONAL CORRESPODNENT: Well, they're certainly hopeful, Polo. And there is reason to be hopeful historically, because so far, this group of seven have been trapped in the cave for a week. And we remember back In India in 2023, it was 17 days before they were rescued in Thailand. In 20 -- I'm sorry, in 2018, it was 20 or is 18 days.

So we're still well within the range where people could survive, even though they haven't been able to actually receive proof of life. And we've been speaking with rescuers on and off who've been in communication with us in these recent hours. And they've even sent us some videos where they're actually calling into the -- into the cave.

And you can see from the video there it's extraordinarily narrow. In some places there is pitch black water, so you have to kind of squeeze through, dive down one person at a time. And even though they've been calling, hoping for a response. They're still believed to be around 100 feet or so from this elevated air pocket where they are hopeful that these seven people may be still alive. And they're actually wearing these helmets that track the air quality inside the cave.

And they see the air quality today is good. Also, they've been pumping fresh air into the caverns. And that is important because what they're trying to do is get the water levels lower. And it's really crucial that they do that because this is the rainy season in this region.

Xaisomboun Province in central Laos. It's a mountainous jungle area known for gold, which is what brought the villagers into in there to that cave is actually near Long Tiang, which was a secret CIA hub during the Vietnam War. And so it rains often in the afternoon.

And in the forecast this week, it's rain every single day. And sometimes it's very heavy downpour. So there could be flash flooding at any moment in the cave. So they're having to monitor the weather conditions, pumping fresh air in there, monitoring the air quality, and continuing to make more progress to get into the cave. The rescue divers, you're also using drones, Polo, but as of yet, no contact with these seven people.

Obviously, we will break in and let you know as soon as that changes, as soon as there is an update, hopefully. Good news from this cave where there's a frantic around the clock rescue effort underway. And it is very much a rescue effort still at this point.

SANDOVAL: And we know that there are people around the world who are anxiously waiting for that positive development.

[04:25:02]

Will Ripley, thank you so much for monitoring that for us. I want to take you to South Korea now, where a Chinese dissident has arrived after a daring 30-hour escape. And this was already his fourth attempt to flee China and reunite with his family who have been granted asylum in Canada.

Let's get more now from CNN's Ivan Watson who's following the story live from Hong Kong. Ivan, tell us more about this just incredible escape and also what may happen next to him.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Chinese dissident in question is named Dong Guangping and he used to be a police officer from China's Henan province and he has repeatedly gotten in trouble and been jailed primarily for his human rights activism. He was first fired from his job as a police officer because he co-signed a letter commemorating the 10th anniversary of the deadly crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

So what we've learned is according to the South Korean Coast Guard, they got a call from fishermen who spotted a small unidentified boat. They said there was a Chinese man in his late 60s on board and that he is now in South Korean custody. His lawyer confirmed the identity of the dissident Dong Guangping. And I spoke with a family friend and fellow Chinese dissident who said she got to speak to the man by phone after he was in South Korea in custody and this is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHENG XUE, CHINESE-CANADIAN ACTIVIST: He spent more than 30 hours to cross the sea and he said, oh, I was almost passed out when I got here. He said thanks God. Because he said also the engine of his rubber boat was broken at that time and so it was very dangerous for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: A dangerous and desperate journey. But Dong has been committed to trying to escape China for quite some time. He fled in 2015 with his wife and daughter to Thailand, they requesting asylum in Canada and then Thai authorities handed him over to China. I covered the story at the time.

His wife said that he'd effectively been kidnapped. He served time in prison and then tried to flee again to Vietnam and then actually tried to swim to Taiwan and failed and was rescued by a Chinese fishing boat and now he is in Korea. The Chinese foreign ministry has been asked about this. They refused to comment when asked about this at a press conference briefing. Polo.

SANDOVAL: CNN's Ivan Watson with that live update from Hong Kong. Thanks Ivan. The field is now set for the U.S. Senate race in Texas. Ken Paxton with a decisive win in the Republican runoff. What his opponents in that primaries, it's now saying about who will get his support come November.

Also, protesters and lawmakers, they're demanding to know what's going on inside this federal immigration lockup in the state of New Jersey, and this after widespread claims about abuse inside.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]