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CNN This Morning

China Coal Mine Blast Kills At Least 90, Leaves Nine Missing; Trump Met Top Advisers On Iran As He Weighs Return To War; Storms And Heavy Rain Threaten Flooding Across The East; LaGuardia Airport Runway Reopens After Sinkhole Is Repaired; Gas Prices Surge Nationwide, Putting Pressure On Drivers; Tulsi Gabbard Resigns As U.S. Director Of National Intelligence. Atlanta, Houston Join List of Airports That Can Receive Passengers from 3 Countries Amid Ebola Outbreak; DOJ Calls Biden-Era January 6 Press Releases "Partisan Propaganda"; White House Clashes with GOP Over Controversial $1.8 Billion Fund. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 23, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:32]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to CNN This Morning. First up, we're following breaking news. At least 90 people are dead after an explosion at a mine in China. We're going to be live in Beijing with the latest on what happened.

Plus, we have new reporting on President Trump huddling with his top national security officials as delegations from Qatar and Pakistan are in Tehran hoping to avoid conflict starting up again.

Meantime, President Trump will soon be without a director of national intelligence. We'll tell you what we're learning about Tulsi Gabbard's decision to leave the administration. Plus, weather.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is going to be a soggy start to the holiday weekend. We've got rain in several areas. We'll take a look at the few states that could end up having rain every single day this holiday weekend.

FREEMAN: And a very good morning to you all. It is Saturday, May 23rd. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Danny Freeman in for Victor Blackwell.

And we begin with breaking news out of northern China. A frantic rescue operation is now underway after a gas explosion at a coal mine killed at least 90 people. State media calls the blast the deadliest mine disaster in more than a decade. And at this hour, hundreds of emergency responders are currently at the scene.

And for more of this, we want to go straight to Mike Valerio in Beijing, China with the latest. Mike, what can you tell us?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Danny, you know, I know there's a lot going home back in America, but this is so notable because Xi Jinping, the leader of China, is getting involved here calling for an all-out rescue to help anybody who may remain unaccounted for.

Our CNN reporting is conveying that not many people may be unaccounted for at this moment. 90 people, though are dead. When you can think of the scale of just how huge this mine blast was when this happened, 7:30 yesterday night, Danny, there were about 250 people who were working underground.

A person who survived told state media CCTV that he thought he heard what sounded like fireworks, smelled sulfur, saw this huge plume of smoke and then was unconscious. So was everybody else who were around him. So, to think of how many people evacuated about 200 people from the complex before sunrise.

Now, it's a question of how exactly this happened. This is about an hour Shanxi Province, which is about a seven and a half hour drive if you get in the car and, and just drive south of where we are in Beijing. And this is where China gets most of its coal. Of course, China runs about half of its energy portfolio on coal. And this is an area where there have been so many industrial mining accidents in the early 2000s.

There's been a lot of pressure from the government here in Beijing for mines to get their acts together, to put in more safety precautions. Things had looked better up until this happened. So pressure from the very top here in Beijing to figure out what exactly happened. And of course, we'll let you know.

We'll also update on CNN.com if this death toll rises. But a real extraordinary moment here in China with people hundreds of miles away on the streets here of Beijing stopping what they're doing, looking at their phones just to take in the totality of what has happened here. Danny?

FREEMAN: Yes, just a shocking situation, a massive loss of life already from what we just know at the moment. Mike Valerio, thanks so much for that reporting. Appreciate you.

Switching gears now. The Middle East is on edge this morning as the world waits for the White House to decide on a path forward in the war with Iran. Sources telling CNN President Trump met Friday with his national security team and the meeting ended with no decision made on next steps.

But President Trump is even skipping his son's wedding this weekend citing, quote, circumstances pertaining to government and my love for the United States of America. The U.S. and Iran are not close to making a deal. Meanwhile, that's according to Iran's Foreign Ministry and U.S. intelligence reports the Iranians are rebuilding their military industrial base faster than expected and already producing more drones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They're not going to ever have a nuclear weapon. They're never going to have a nuclear weapon. And we'll have that over with soon. It'll be over with soon. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: CNN's Seb Shukla is tracking the latest developments live for us from Berlin. Seb, where do things stand right now?

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: Yes, good afternoon, Danny. Where things stand is the world is waiting with bated breath to kind of see what happens. There are two tracks that are going on right now. What we've seen in the last few hours is the Pakistani and Qatari mediators arriving in Tehran to have discussions with the Iranian regime about the proposals to continue this cease fire and even to be able to bring the war to an end in totality.

[06:05:17]

But what we've seen, as you alluded to coming from Washington, is feeding speculation that the U.S. may be looking to ramp up the military action again. That meeting held by the president in the Oval Office or in the White House with Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary Hegseth and Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs of the Joint Staff, suggests that was a military planning or at least a meeting where military activity was more likely to be discussed.

We don't know exactly what was said in that meeting, but the rumblings are that something appears to be afoot. The president, who will usually be spending the weekend away from Washington, is staying in the capital, where he said, as you said, that he's staying there because of his love for the United States. He's not going to his son's wedding in the Bahamas. And so that's feeding speculation that something is in the works here.

But Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is traveling in India has come out and said that there is a little bit of progress on the talks. Take a listen to what he had to say not too long ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We await word on those conversations that are ongoing. There's been some slight progress. I don't want to exaggerate it, but there's been a little bit of movement and that's good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUKLA: So they're looking potentially there will be some movement today. We know that President Trump is growing increasingly more frustrated by the slow progress of these talks by the day. Don't forget, Danny, earlier this week, he said he already canceled military action at the request of Gulf allies. Will there be a difference in chance or stance going into this weekend? We still await whether it will be military or diplomacy that wins out.

FREEMAN: Yes, the eyes of the world right now on both DC and the Middle East. Seb Shukla, thank you so much for that reporting. Really do appreciate it. And I want to discuss this further with CNN global affairs commentator

Sabrina Singh. She was a deputy Pentagon press secretary in the Biden administration. Sabrina, thanks so much for joining us early on this Saturday morning.

Let's start here. Iran says a deal is not close. And President Trump, it seems like he may be running low on patience. What's your perspective right now? Do you see the U.S. military campaign starting up again after the ceasefire?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: You know, I think it's a little bit of a mix. I do think that the president and this administration is leaning more towards military action. I think that the ceasefire talks have been going on for a very long time. I think the president is frustrated and this is a tactic that the Iranians have used before. They like to slow down the clock, they like to delay things.

And frankly, I do think that they have more time on their side than the United States does. I mean, every single day and here on CNN we talk about how gas prices are going up and every single day we get closer to the midterm elections. So there is a political and economic calculation that this president has to make and the Iranians don't have that. In fact, they're willing to shift the cost burdens to the population because they don't care.

So I do think strikes are leaning more towards imminent. I also do think that the president is trying to figure out if there is a diplomatic off ramp here. But these things take time. I mean, the first Iran deal negotiated under President Obama took nearly two years. So we're talking about three months right now. This is going to take a while.

FREEMAN: Yes. And it really does seem like things are stuck at the moment. And I think the question is, is whether it's diplomatic, whether it's by force, what is going to unstuck or get out of this current stalemate of the situation. Though, Sabrina, I'm curious because the president's team keep insisting that Iran's military has been obliterated.

You know, we keep hearing about the Navy, other different resources that Iran has that they say are gone. But U.S. intelligence is suggesting Iran is rebuilding its military industrial base faster than expected. How much do you think that's weighing on the president's decision?

SINGH: Well, this is one of the big concerns that many of us expressed. When Pete Hegseth after that first wave of strikes back in February came out and said that the Iranian military and Donald Trump too has said they've been completely destroyed and obliterated. And the reality is that battle damage assessment of Iran's capabilities take time. And they have been able to reconstitute their capabilities much faster than the intelligence community even thought.

So I think all of this sort of weighs into the president's calculation. Iran's navy might be sitting at the bottom of the sea. Their air force might be blown away to smithereens. But that was never the capabilities that made Iran the power that can threaten the region.

[06:10:00]

It was always their ballistic missile program and their nuclear enrichment program, and both of those still remain intact. So I think the president has a real calculation to make. It's very clear that Iran cannot be bombed into submission. I mean, if that were the case, we would have had a ceasefire or an end to this war. The Strait of Hormuz would be opened and we would be looking at a much different scenario than we are now.

I do think that if strikes do continue back up. I think you could potentially be looking at more targeted strikes on senior leadership and probably some military capability facilities that house some of these ballistic missile programs as well.

FREEMAN: Yes. Although, I mean, the question still remains is how much senior leadership is still remaining for Iran or I guess it continues to change. Sabrina Singh, thank you so much for getting up early and for sharing, as always your expertise on this evolving situation in the Middle East. Appreciate it.

SINGH: Of course. Thank you.

FREEMAN: Let's turn now to more headlines we're watching this morning. First up, one person is dead after a fire and two explosions at a Staten Island shipyard in New York on Friday. Officials say at least 36 others were injured, most of them firefighters and other first responders. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani says the fire was still burning but under control last night with more than 200 firefighters still at the scene. An investigation into the cause of the fire is expected to begin in the days ahead.

And approximately 40,000 people in Orange County, California, are under evacuation orders today, authorities saying they're trying to prevent a tank filled with a toxic chemical from leaking or exploding after it began to overheat. Orange County fire officials say the temperature of the tank is decreasing and they are working to reduce it to at least 50 degrees. The industrial site where the tank is located is about five miles from Disneyland.

And a federal judge in Tennessee has dismissed the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He had been deported to El Salvador last year but the Trump -- by the Trump administration, despite a judge's order barring his removal to the country. Well, when he was transported back to the U.S. he was then charged with two counts of allegedly transporting unlawful migrants back in 2022.

Well, Judge Waverly Crenshaw says the investigation was, quote, tainted by now acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

All right. Coming up in just a moment, this Memorial Day weekend could be costly and chaotic, from high gas prices to the threat of severe weather. We're going to tell you how the weekend is shaping up across the country.

Plus, a key member of the president's national security team is out. We'll have the latest on Tulsi Gabbard's resignation and more questions following the sudden death of NASCAR driver Kyle Busch. Coming up, we'll tell you how fans are remembering him.

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[06:17:29]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mike, is that a tornado? Look at it. Is that a tornado? Yes.

(END VIDEO CIP)

FREEMAN: And sure looks like it. Severe weather slammed parts of Alabama with multiple possible tornadoes reported. In Holly Pond, one woman was on her back porch, you see, recording this scene with her phone when she caught the moment a twister touched down near her house.

Meanwhile in Vance, about 40 minutes from Birmingham, dash cam video shows a tornado crossing Interstate 20. And let's take a look right now at live pictures from Houston. More heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected across parts of the Gulf Coast. You've been seeing some lightning here on screen.

Look at that right there. All of this happening during the holiday weekend with flooding a major concern in some areas. Siemens Allison Chinchar is tracking. Who needs to watch all of this closely?

Allison, I mean, you see that video right there, the lightning and thunder. I mean, it's intense out there in.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Some places it is. And you mentioned the concern for flooding. That's going to be not just today, but also Sunday and Monday and then not to mention all the picnics and outdoor activities, graduations, everything that's expected to take place over the next few days and kind of deal dealing with Mother Nature at the same time. So here is a look at the live radar.

Yes, you can see those storms that are sliding into Houston. We also have some just east of Dallas kind of making their way over towards Shreveport. You even have some flash flood warnings across areas of Louisiana. But we also have some very heavy rain across areas of the Northeast as we kind of take a look into some of those particular areas, too.

So the one thing to note is that when we zoom down, most of the thunderstorm activity is really focused closer down towards the Gulf Coast. You've got that line of storms right through here in Oklahoma and Texas. You've also got some on the coast of Louisiana and into Florida farther to the north. It's not so much the thunderstorms, but just how widespread some of these rain showers are. You've got Michigan, Pennsylvania, upstate New York, New Jersey, Maryland, all of these areas. Looking at some of those light rain showers that is expected to continue as we go through the day today. Here's about maybe 4 or 5 o'clock this afternoon. More of those thunderstorms are going to develop, especially along the Southeast.

But the rain continues into the Northeast as well. This will be the same thing as we head into Sunday, too.

FREEMAN: Yes, it's going to be wet all up here in New York this whole weekend. Allison, thanks so much for that update. Appreciate it.

To this now, a major travel headache at one of New York's busiest airports is now easing just as we enter Memorial Day weekend. LaGuardia has reopened a Runway after crews repaired a sinkhole that forced its closure earlier this week. Now the Runway shut down on Wednesday during a routine inspection, triggering hundreds of delays. Travelers should expect some delays as they work to figure out exactly what caused that problem.

[06:20:05]

And as things start to smooth out in the air, the focus now shifts to the roads. It's shaping up to be a busy Memorial Day weekend with millions of Americans traveling. And despite higher gas prices, many are still sticking with their plans.

According to AAA, the national average is now $4.53 a gallon. Incredible. And if you're driving in California, be ready to pay just over 6. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more on what exactly to expect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Danny. A record 45 million Americans are expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA. Despite higher gas prices, 39 million of those people are expected to travel by car, filling up at gas stations across the country, including right here in New Jersey. Heading into the Memorial Day weekend, the average price of gas for a gallon of regular was 4.55 a gallon.

That's up more than 50 cents from a month ago and up more than $1.50 since the end of February when the war started with Iran.

And this is the second most expensive Memorial Day weekend for gas prices, only to be beat by gas prices in 2022, when heading into the holiday weekend, gas prices were averaging 4.61 a gallon. But I've been speaking to drivers here at this New Jersey gas station who say some are just going to stay home, some are just going to bite the bullet, and some are making changes to the way they travel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not really, like, traveling a lot because of the gas prices, so, you know, just limiting my travel around New Jersey because it's too much, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, you know, depending on how expensive gas gets, like, probably I'd have to, you know, cut down on how much I'm going. I'd like to go like three or four times, but it might have to be a little less this year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw it was 4.62 and I passed a few places that were like 4.40. So I was like, I just kind of have to bite the bullet and get it here, but wish I didn't have to. For sure, it'd be nice if it was like 3.50 again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been thinking about the gas prices, joking that we needed to take out a loan for the weekend.

YURKEVICH: And for the first time in nearly four years, every state has an average of more than $4 a gallon. And seven states, including California, Hawaii and Oregon, have an average of $5 and above. It's worth noting that all of this is happening because of the war with Iran.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is pushing oil prices higher and thus gas prices higher. According to GasBuddy, if things stay the way they are, we could expect an average of $4.80 a gallon between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Now, we are not at that record set in 2022 of $5.02 a gallon, Danny, but we are certainly creeping up there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Just remarkable. No relief yet in sight. All right, coming up in just a moment, the U.S. is adding safety measures in response to the fast moving Ebola outbreak. We have more on the airports being equipped to screen travelers after a quick break.

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[06:27:33]

FREEMAN: Yet another member of President Trump's cabinet will soon be stepping down. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says she is resigning at the end of June. CNN's Camila DeChalus is live for us in Washington. Camila, what more are we learning about this sudden resignation from Tulsi Gabbard?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: Well, Danny, the news of her resignation first broke on Friday afternoon. And the reasoning, she says is deeply personal. She said that her husband has been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. And this is what we really know at this time.

As you mentioned, her resignation will be effective at the end of June. And in her letter to the president, she wrote, at this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle. Now, Trump took to Truth Social the same day, praising her service. In his post, he wrote, I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job and we will miss her.

Now, since her resignation, the White House has announced that her principal deputy, Aaron Lucas, he will now serve as the acting director of National Intelligence. And what's really notable about this, Danny, is that CNN has been reporting that this has not come out of nowhere, that for weeks White House officials had been hearing that Gabbard was planning to hear till to leave, but nothing was official. And she was denying those reports as recently as two weeks ago.

FREEMAN: You know, it's interesting too is that, I mean, first of all, let's say we hope that Gabbard's husband gets better, but she is the latest cabinet member planning to depart and her messaging on the war with Iran at times it seemed made her relationship tense with the White House. So tell us more about that element.

DECHALUS: That's right. CNN has been reporting for months now that there was a lot of tension between Gabbard inside this Trump administration, especially around her messaging when it came to the US's war with Iran. And at times, this really did put her at odds with the White House. Now, CNN has reported that there were some points where her messaging felt off message and it was out of favor.

But it's also worth noting that she is not the only Trump administration official to have departed in the last few weeks. You have the former attorney general Pam Bondi, the former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and then you have the former labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

So you really can see that there has been a number of high profile departures from this administration in the last few weeks. And now you have Tulsi Gabbard now joining the list.

[06:30:02]

FREEMAN: Yes, a lot to watch when it comes to the Trump cabinet and what's turning to revolving door, at least, in the past few weeks. Camilia DeChalus, thank you so much for that reporting. Appreciate you this morning.

New today. There are now more airports that can screen passengers entering the United States from certain African countries amid a fast- moving Ebola outbreak. Airline passengers traveling to the U.S. who have been in the affected countries in the previous 21 days, will be able to land at international airports in Atlanta and Houston as well as Dulles Airport outside of Washington D.C.

Now, while the World Health Organization says global Ebola risk remains low, they say the disease is spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. My next guest played a key role in the Ebola outbreak of 2014.

Dr. Daniel Jernigan is the former director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the CDC. He was among a number of CDC leaders who recently left the agency under the Trump administration.

Doctor, thank you so much for joining us on. Really kind of an alarming week when it comes to the risk for Ebola, especially in the DRC. Listen, the W.H.O. said there, the risk is rising, but global risk remains low. I'm curious for your perspective, how concerned are you about this outbreak?

DANIEL JERNIGAN, FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EMERGING & ZOONOTIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES, CDC: So, we know that Ebola disease, especially this Bundibugyo is a serious disease. And it's definitely a high risk for the DRC and for parts of Uganda, Sudan.

However, in the United States, the overall risk is low. We see about over 700 cases so far have been reported, 177 deaths so far. And what this means is, we've identified something that's happened pretty quickly. And that means that we need to have the measures to respond as quickly to get in front of this virus.

FREEMAN: So, doctor, this is the first serious infectious disease outbreak since the Trump administration made cuts to both the CDC and international health programs. Some have been arguing that those cuts are risking undermining the Ebola response worldwide. I'm just curious, your perspective, what do you make of that?

JERNIGAN: Yes, I think it's hard to know exactly where those cuts are causing or related to this outbreak. But we can see that when you get rid of the United States Agency for International Development, you don't have those people on the ground, and CDC is down 25 percent of their staff.

You're not starting from a very good position when you have an outbreak that is this large. You need to get way out in front of it. And right now, the number of people and the resources is not where it needs to be.

FREEMAN: And again, the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, some organization that we've been talking quite a lot about since it was dissolved last year. Doctor, you were involved in the response to the last Ebola outbreak.

I'm curious, how important were the systems and international relationships and funding, frankly, to the response back then?

JERNIGAN: Absolutely critical. The way that, that big outbreak, almost 28,000 cases that occurred in West Africa, the way it came under control was through coordination at the highest levels. The United Nations provided coordination and a mission specifically for Ebola to take care of it.

They coordinated all the different U.N. agencies. We worked closely with W.H.O. We sent a lot of people and a lot of resources over there to make sure that we could contain it, stop transmission from occurring, and keep those cases from coming to the United States.

FREEMAN: Well, so, now, when you look at the field of play, and you touched on this a little bit a moment ago. From your viewpoint, are there enough resources in play right now to manage this outbreak the way that it had to be done back in 2014?

JERNIGAN: Well, we know that the W.H.O. has had decreases in their staffing. They have decreases in their overall budget. Their footprint is not quite where it was before. Our own folks from the United States Agency for International Development or USAID, they are not on the ground.

So, I think there is a great need to increase the amount of funding, the resources, the logistical capabilities that the U.S. government can provide and the technical capacity that the experts at CDC can give.

FREEMAN: Doctor, of course, we don't want outbreaks, I mean, or epidemics ever. But is something like this potentially an opportunity for the U.S. to -- if they want to try and repair some of these relationships that have been broken over the past year or so.

JERNIGAN: You know, absolutely. I don't know that it's an opportunity. I think it's a necessity that they try and repair those. We are much better together when we're working with these agencies to stop these kinds of enormous outbreaks.

FREEMAN: Dr. Daniel Jernigan, thank you so much for joining us early on a Saturday to talk about a very important topic, and we hope that this outbreak gets contained and goes in that direction moving forward. Appreciate your time.

All right, to this now, the President's Anti-Weaponization Fund is hit with another legal challenge as it faces stiff opposition from some in his own party. We'll have the latest on the political fallout in just a moment.

[06:35:00]

And if you're heading out, remember you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. right from the CNN app. You can also go to cnn.com/watch. We're taking a lovely look at Philadelphia, a little wet this morning. My hometown. Stay with us.

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[06:40:00]

FREEMAN: President Trump's nearly $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is sparking conflict within the GOP. Yet, the administration is digging in, defending rioters who assaulted police as political victims. Take a look at this. In a post on X, the Department of Justice's rapid response account defended its decision to scrub Biden- era press releases about those convicted rioters from January 6th from its website.

The DOJ dismissed those official law enforcement records as quote, "partisan propaganda". Joining me now to discuss is congressional reporter for "Bloomberg", Erik Wasson. Erik, thank you so much for joining us on an early Saturday morning.

This is remarkable. We see this stunning move by the DOJ to scrub these past January 6th press releases amid an already challenging week for the administration when it comes to this Anti-Weaponization Fund. Is this only making life harder for some moderate Republicans out there? Is it putting them in a bind? ERIK WASSON, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, BLOOMBERG: I think it certainly

puts them in a bind. And certainly, stalls the President's agenda in the Senate. They were attempting to pass $72 billion of immigration enforcement funding.

They were going to have all night votes on Thursday into Friday morning. And that was scrubbed at the last minute. Totally, scuttled by this Anti-Weaponization Fund. Todd Blanche came and talked to Senate Republicans where he got an earful, especially about the idea of giving money to January 6th rioters.

You know, some of the moderates, the Susan Collins' of the world want to release some guardrails or restrictions on this fund to make sure those who assaulted cops do not get it. But there's no sign the administration would agree to that, and they're pretty much doubling down.

This came amid an already brewing controversy about providing up to $1 billion for ballroom-related funds, with the Democrats really pouncing on this, calling them ballroom Republicans saying there's nothing in the bill to lower costs.

It's going to be a really tough time after this Memorial Day recess for Senate Republicans trying to get this bill back on track. And meanwhile, you've got the war powers votes, you know, gaining steam in both the House and Senate, almost passing the House and Speaker Johnson having to remove the bill from the floor at the last second because it would have passed and created another embarrassment for the President.

You know, some analysts are saying that Trump is more focused on controlling the party, doesn't really care about this bill or short- term Senate moves. But at some point, he will need Congress. He'll certainly need Congress to fund the Iran war.

And that's not going to be easy both with the way he's handling this Anti-Weaponization Fund and the endorsement of people like Ken Paxton. John Cornyn, very popular inside the Senate Republican conference, and that had people very rattled toward the end of the week.

FREEMAN: Well, Erik, I just want to touch on one of the things you mentioned, because there was that meeting that you noted with the acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Republican senators about that fund. I want viewers to take a listen to how Ted Cruz described that meeting. Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Fiery does not begin to cut it. There are probably 45 senators in the room. At least, half of them were blasting the Attorney General, and they were pissed. Basically, the message they said is, you know what?

We were going to pass reconciliation this week. We were going to fund all of ICE, all of CBP, all of border control, and then you announced this judgment fund. The Republican senators were pissed. People were -- the entire meeting, they were screaming at the acting Attorney General.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FREEMAN: I mean, Erik, between that meeting and like you noted, the endorsement of some against some popular incumbent senators in the Republican Congress. I mean, it doesn't look like Trump has a lot of friends right now on Capitol Hill.

WASSON: I mean, certainly they're afraid of him. You know, a lot of what we're hearing is, you know, talk to people like Kevin Cramer -- oh, the timing was bad. They don't really want to come out and blast the President directly.

A lot of times they say he's ill-advised. We see that cropping up a lot in comments rather than saying he did something wrong or stupid. But you know, Mitch McConnell was very pointed, saying this was either stupid or morally wrong. Take your pick.

But he's been out there leading the charge. But now we've got people like Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, who is no longer going to be in office at the end of the year, really sort of free-ranging out there. You know, really able to find their voice and say things that they would only whisper before.

So, it's going to make the agenda very difficult. Now, you could say Congress doesn't have too much to do. The tax bill is already enacted. They will have to keep the government funded at the end of September.

But there is this idea they need $350 billion more for the military, and there was some plan to pack that together with, you know, cuts to entitlement spending. I think that's a distant pipe-dream at this point, given the atmosphere among the Republicans in Congress.

FREEMAN: Erik, last thing I only got about 20 seconds. What are you hearing from the other side of the aisle?

[06:45:00]

Is this a moment that Democrats could maybe try and pounce, given the Republican majority seems, at least publicly for the moment, fractured?

WASSON: You would see -- you would think it would be a prime opportunity, but the Democrats continue to be their own worst enemy. They had this --

FREEMAN: Yes --

WASSON: Botched autopsy released the same day, which clownishly had no real conclusions. So, yes, you know, the best thing, you know, going for Republicans is the fact that Democrats continue to be in disarray. So, you know, they could certainly seize on it.

They're attempting to. You know, corruption was a big part of how Democrats took back Congress 20 years ago. But you know, it remains to be seen if he'll succeed. FREEMAN: All right, Erik Wasson, thank you so much, as always, for

your expertise this morning. Appreciate it.

WASSON: Thank you.

FREEMAN: All right, coming up in just a moment, a successful launch for SpaceX and then an explosion. We'll have the latest on efforts to send humans deep into space after a quick break. Plus, comedian Craig Ferguson hits the road going coast-to-coast to uncover what it really means to be an American.

Today, Craig Ferguson, "AMERICAN ON PURPOSE" premieres next Saturday at 9:00 on CNN and streaming next day on the CNN app.

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[06:50:00]

FREEMAN: Let's check in on this morning's top stories. First up, SpaceX debuting its upgraded mega-rocket called Version 3 or V 3 with a test run from Texas on Friday.

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(CROWD CHEERING)

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FREEMAN: OK, so the craft still managed a controlled, upright entry into the Indian Ocean. But then, as you see, it fell over and exploded to the delight though, of cheering SpaceX employees at Mission Control, all in the name of science.

And to this now, a record-shattering curtain call for Stephen Colbert. Thursday night's late-show finale was the most watched episode of his 11-year run as host, with 6.7 million people tuning in. That's 200,000 more viewers than Colbert's premiere back in 2015.

And the music world is mourning the loss of Hip Hop pioneer Rob Base, who died Friday just four days after his 59th birthday. A statement on his Instagram says he was privately battling cancer. Base was one-half of Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, and they helped bring Hip Hop mainstream, with their biggest hits being, "It Takes 2" and "Get on the Dance Floor".

And tributes are pouring in after the sudden death of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch. President Trump calling Busch a quote, "true talent who loved NASCAR and its fans." Those fans are mourning the man who died at the age of 41, and he leaves behind a wife and two children. CNN national correspondent Dianne Gallagher has more.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think about his kids and his wife. That's hard to think about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My prayers go out to the family.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sudden death of Kyle Busch at just 41 years old shattering the racing world. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion's family announced just hours before his death Thursday that he'd been hospitalized with a severe illness and would not be racing this weekend.

The "AP" citing several sources, reports that on Wednesday, Busch became unresponsive while testing a racing simulator. CNN has obtained a 9-1-1 call made from a motorsports training center in Concord, North Carolina, Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got an individual that's shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he's going to pass out, and he's producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.

GALLAGHER: NASCAR announced Busch's passing just 24 hours later. And no cause of death has been released at this time. Less than two weeks ago, during a race, Busch radioed for medical assistance.

KYLE BUSCH, LATE AMERICAN RACE-CAR DRIVER: Can somebody try to find Bill Heisel(ph)? He's the Kendrick doctor guy. Tell him I need him after the race, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, do you want Mr. Bill(ph) at your car in -- at your bus after the race?

BUSCH: Boss, I'm going to need a shot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy. Thanks so much, he'll be at your bus.

GALLAGHER: The broadcast noted he'd been battling a severe sinus infection.

STEVE O'DONNELL, CEO, NASCAR: To me, Kyle Busch just defines what it means to be a racer in NASCAR. Everything about it, the fire, the greatness, the heart that sometimes you rarely saw. The sport was truly lucky to have him.

GALLAGHER: The winningest driver in NASCAR history with 234 victories across the top three series, Busch was a polarizing figure nicknamed "Rowdy" or KFB, he often relished in being the villain. Fans either fiercely loved or hated Busch, but everyone had an opinion.

The Las Vegas native won the Cup Series title in 2019, and in 2015, famously, after breaking bones in both legs in a crash the first week of that season. Tributes pouring in from all over the sports world and beyond. Athletes, former teammates, rivals and others remembering "Rowdy".

This emotional post from teammate Austin Dillon, who wrote on Facebook, "I can't thank you enough KB, you're the ultimate racer and my favorite teammate and driver of all time. I always felt like I had your back and you had mine. I love you, brother."

But Busch's enduring off-track legacy, family. His wife, Samantha and two children, Brexton and Lennox, were his world. The couple struggled with infertility for years. In 2015, they started the Bundle of Joy Fund to increase awareness and help others offset the financial burden of fertility treatments, they told the Tamron Hall show.

BUSCH: When we were starting to go through it, we were trying to research and look about it and find out some information and, well, what does this mean? Where do we go? And there wasn't a whole lot out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And a bow in front of the fans.

BUSCH: Just one week ago, Busch took his signature victory bow after winning the truck race and reflected on his career.

[06:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do these moments never get old, Kyle?

BUSCH: Because you never know when the last one is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER: Donations have been pouring into the Bundle of Joy Fund since the news of Kyle Busch's death, and most of them are in denomination combinations of 8, 18 and 51. Of course, Kyle Busch's numbers on the track.

Richard Childress Racing announced on Friday that it would be suspending the use of Kyle Busch's number 8, instead using another number both at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend and beyond. But they did note that it would be reserved and ready for Kyle's 11-year- old son Brexton Busch, who is already a formidable driver of his own at just again 11 years old when he is ready to go NASCAR racing. Danny?

FREEMAN: Diane Gallagher, thank you very much for that thoughtful reporting of such a sad loss. All right, thank you for joining me on this Saturday morning, I'll be back again in about an hour for more CNN THIS MORNING. But "TABLE FOR FIVE" is up next after a quick break.

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