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People Found Alive in Laos Cave; Iran Funds Could be Unfrozen; Trump Critics Could Seek Money; Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ) is Interviewed about ICE Facility Conditions. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired May 27, 2026 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to be talking about that. There's even some people who say, look, they might deserve a piece of it but they're not going to apply. We're going to explain why.

And then we want to bring you an update on that search for people trapped in a flooded cave. Survivors actually have been found. So, we're going to talk about what's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:02]

CORNISH: So, we're following this breaking news. Divers say five people trapped in a cave in Laos have been found alive.

CNN's Will Ripley joins us now.

Will, what can you tell us about the people who have been found?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Audie. Good morning.

Yes, some extraordinary images just coming in within the last hour or so from this cave in central Laos. Basically, they had -- there were seven villagers who went inside the cave. And this is the first picture that's just come in of five of them who are alive, trapped underground in a flooded cave. They've been there for a week. They went in there mining for gold.

Then, this is the rainy season in this area. There was a massive monsoon rain and it flooded the cave and the cave remains flooded. So, you've had a team of about 100 rescuers that have had to go in there, and they've been spending the last week looking for these seven people. They found five of them. Two of them are still missing.

And what's extraordinary about this is how small they've actually had to pass through to get to these miners. You're talking about a space that's about 23 inches wide. So, one of the rescuers, who's about 5'11," said he actually had to exhale, remove his equipment, wiggle through to get into the next area of the cave. It's about 1,000 feet of flooded tunnels. The water is muddy. It's pitch black. So, if you don't have your headlamp on, you can't see anything.

But they were able to use special technology, including radar, to scan the inside of the cave and figure out that there is, amidst all that flooding, an elevated air pocket where these five were able to sit and were able to breathe in air that is still breathable because of other openings, small openings in these tunnels, these mining tunnels, that have allowed oxygen to get in.

So, now that they've located these five, step number one, they have to still locate the other two. Then they'll start getting in things like fresh water and they'll start getting in food and they'll start to make contact. They've actually already set up internet service inside some areas of the cave. That's how we're able to get pictures out so quickly. It's really extraordinary, the technology they've been able to use. The fact that we can show you these images from underground, just minutes after they're taken, but it's still a tremendously dangerous task ahead for the rescuers because, as I mentioned, it's rainy season and every day there are -- there are storms in the forecast. They often happen in the late afternoon and evening hours. And it is now evening in this part of Laos. So, there could be storms that could develop overnight. And when those storms break out, all the rescuers have to get out because water can rush back into the cave very quickly.

But they do believe that where these five survivors are sitting, this is a safe zone. It has an oxygen pocket. And they will be able to, at some point in the coming days, get them out alive. It could take quite a while. Remember back in Thailand, in 2018, you had that soccer team that was trapped in a cave and it took 18 days to rescue all of them safely and alive. Back in India in 2023, it took 17 days to get a group of miners who were trapped in a tunnel to get them all out alive. But now we know that of the seven people in this cave in Laos, five of them are alive. They're still searching for two more. An extraordinary piece of good news to share with you this morning, Audie.

CORNISH: It is a long road ahead, but good to hear. Again, five people found still alive. Will Ripley, we'll be checking with you today. Thank you.

Now, I want to turn to the potential deal to end the war with Iran. Both sides hammering out details on a memorandum of understanding for further negotiations. One line in the memo deals with unfreezing $24 billion in Iranian assets in exchange for Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz. That's according to an Iranian-linked media agency. Recent airstrikes in Iran show that the U.S. calls -- that the U.S. calls self-defense are complicating things. Iran's military calling it an act of, quote, "deceit and treachery."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large part of the issues under discussion. However, no one can make such a claim to say that this means the imminent signing of an agreement. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now, Bobby Ghosh, geopolitics analyst and former senior editor at "Bloomberg."

Good morning, Bobby.

So, first, we just saw someone from the Iranian government speaking. But I want to play for you Senator Mark Warner. He's a Democrat from Virginia. And he's sort of raising questions about even who's at the negotiating table. Who are we dealing with when the U.S. is dealing with Iran? Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): How can we be claiming we're close to a deal and then we are striking Iran militarily? Part of that is due to the fact that the secretary of state, I think, is negotiating with the Iranian foreign minister that has some power. But the real power in the -- Iran now resides with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who has control of the military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I want to leave time for the details of the deal, but can you tell me, do you see the same discrepancy the senator's seeing?

[06:40:04]

BOBBY GHOSH, FORMER SENIOR EDITOR, "BLOOMBERG": No, not really. It is true that the -- we're dealing with the foreign minister, but at the same time, it's clear that the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is well connected both with the IRGC and the political wing of the regime, is running the negotiations.

Now, the regime has always had factions, but it is also able, despite all those factions, to present a unified -- a unified -- a sort of unified decision-making process. So, I'm not concerned that the U.S. is negotiating with the wrong people. My concern is that we have so little insight into what is being negotiated.

CORNISH: Yes.

GHOSH: We've got these sort of -- we've got what each side is claiming to be the key points. But, of course, we can't know that until the end game is played out. And that is where my concern lies. That -- I'm pretty confident that whoever is representing Tehran has got the authority -- authorization of the IRGC, otherwise they would not be allowed to get on a plane to leave the country for the negotiations.

CORNISH: So, to this point, we know that Iran wants sanctions lifted. We also know that Iran wants some money, right? They want unfrozen assets.

GHOSH: Yes. CORNISH: Can you talk about this? Because this is like one aspect of the deal that maybe is somewhat similar to what President Obama negotiated. What is the role of this money? Is it a sticking point?

GHOSH: Well, the -- because Iran has been under sanctions, quite a lot of Iranian money, assets have been frozen for many, many years. And that number only grows exponentially with every passing year. And so, at the moment, there are all kinds of different numbers floating around. Some Iranian sources talk about $100 billion. Some say something closer to $20 billion. And so there is Iranian money that is sitting in international banks that has been frozen. And Iran thinks that it has -- it should now be allowed access to that money. Remember, they're going to need quite a lot of money to repair the enormous damage that has been done to the country, to its infrastructure because of the war.

The risk, of course, is if you release that money, will it actually be used for reconstruction or will it be used to rearm Iran? That has always been the conundrum that international -- that the other side of the negotiations -- with any negotiation with Iran, that's always been the concern, that if you give them the money, will that money wind up in the pockets of the IRGC? Will they spend it on more missiles? Will some of it go into the nuclear program? That's been the concern.

And the money exists. There's no -- there's no ambivalence about that. And the only question is, can this regime be trusted to use that money for the purposes that it claims to want it?

CORNISH: OK, one of the many sticking points on what we're learning out of this proposal.

Bobby Ghosh, hope to have you back. Thank you.

GHOSH: Any time, Audie.

CORNISH: So, I want to turn to the Justice Department's $1.8 billion fund. They're calling it the anti-weaponization fund. There's some, like, interesting takers. In fact, some of them are actually Trump opponents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: I'm guessing I'll be in line. I hope I'll be ahead of those who savagely beat police officers and sacked the Capitol.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Are you going to apply?

COMEY: Well, I'll talk to my lawyers, but it certainly sounds intended for someone like me.

TAPPER: Do you really think Donald Trump's going to want you to have any money?

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER TRUMP LAWYER: Ah, probably not.

TAPPER: OK.

COHEN: But wouldn't that be something if he actually decided to do it?

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I mean, if Hunter Biden wants to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK. So, the group chat is back.

You know, I love a good Comey roll. Always be trolling. A judge actually just delayed his trial date, so his legal troubles are going to drag on through the fall. I'm sure he's going to be out there talking about this.

I want to ask you about the backlash to this, which has been non- partisan in some ways, and the reluctance of lawmakers.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

CORNISH: What are you -- why this thing?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, because, I think, you know, this is a -- again, a distillation of a larger theme in the Trump presidency. I mean, what is the core Democratic argument in 2026 that Republicans are worried about? The core Democratic argument is that you elected Donald Trump to solve your cost of living problem and all he has done is made it worse while enriching himself, his family, and his allies. And --

CORNISH: And to note how this works.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

CORNISH: There's no partisan requirements.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

CORNISH: The attorney general appoints the board, even though Trump can fire anyone. And the thing I love about it, no claims after I leave, December 1st, 2028.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. It's, look, it's a -- it is a very tangible symbol, along surprisingly with the ballroom, I think, and as well as some of the self-dealing of the family of this argument that Donald Trump took his eye off the ball of what he was elected to do.

He was elected to -- he was elected to solve your cost of living problems. Those are not getting better. If anything, they're getting worse because of tariffs and the gas prices in the war.

[06:45:02]

And you are seeing all of these actions that are designed to take taxpayer money and put it toward things that are important to him and not to you.

CORNISH: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: And that is a very powerful, political argument.

CORNISH: But at the same time, it does feel like people -- there -- the constituency that loves Trump also does firmly believe that the government was weaponized against him. This is like a core tenet of it. They do feel like they saw actions and law enforcement actions that were wrong.

And then something about this, for instance, the IRS provision of this, that says that neither he nor even his relatives, his family can be audited forever, is the kind of thing that drew intense scrutiny.

Here is Joe Rogan talking about this, you know, tax issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, HOST, "THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE": That is so crazy. Imagine like somebody accused you of murder --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

ROGAN: And it turns out you weren't guilty of that murder, and then you sue them and you go, you can never prosecute me for murder again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Literally.

ROGAN: And then you just go straight Uday Hussein.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And they're like, it's cool. Yes. It's fine. Now, here's the --

ROGAN: No, it's not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I always like to look at what he's saying as a kind of proxy for that undecided, maybe that voter who stays home, maybe that voter who's disaffected who went for Trump. What do you make of the way even he is talking about it? I mean his analogy is getting away with murder.

TERRY SCHILLING, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN PRINCIPLES PROJECT: Well --

CORNISH: That's for you.

SCHILLING: That's right. Well, I didn't know. You were looking back and forth.

CORNISH: No.

SHILLING: OK. Look, I don't know much about this provision. I'm just now learning about it for the first time.

But what I will say is, the government was weaponized against really good people. I have a -- CORNISH: But that's not the question. What do you make of Rogan, of all people, explaining it to his public in this way?

SCHILLING: Rogan does represent a significant portion of the swing electorate. There's no denying that. And there's going to need to be an answer to this. I don't know what that answer is, because I don't actually know what the real facts are here. But the government was weaponized against very innocent people. Michael Caputo had to move his family from New York to Florida. He has little girls. You had Mike Flynn had to sell his home and mortgage --

CORNISH: So, Cohen, Comey, you're into this?

SCHILLING: Apply for it. Great. They were -- they were the ones weaponizing the government against us and lying to the --

CORNISH: Apply for it. Great.

Antjuan, jump in.

ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, not only is this corrupt, that's -- not only is this corrupt, it's unconstitutional because Congress controls the purse. So, this MAGA slush fund was set to take taxpayers dollars and give to white nationalists and white supremacists who stormed the Capitol on January 6th.

SCHILLING: OK. They weren't --

SEAWRIGHT: On January 6th. That's number one.

Number two, the fact that you have a president who's willing to exempt his family for the rest of their lives from being audited for tax purposes, when this is the same man who tried to act as if people were behaving as if they were above the law, that's corrupt and it's wrong.

SCHILLING: OK.

SEAWRIGHT: And you would not be sitting here nodding yes to this if this was Joe Biden, Barack Obama or president Kamala Harris.

SCHILLING: So, what I want to say is that this government held thousands of people without charges in prison for years. That needs to be recompensed. These people were --

SEAWRIGHT: Who? Who?

SCHILLING: These January -- there were thousands of January 6th that were held, without charges, without the ability to even contest it. You're looking at me like I'm crazy, but -- but that's absolutely true.

CORNISH: No, no, no, I just want to get the facts on that. That is not something I have heard. I know there were people who went to jail because they were convicted and they have since gotten clemency.

SCHILLING: There were -- there were -- SEAWRIGHT: Pardoned.

SCHILLING: There were thousands of people that were put in jail without charges and were held there.

BROWNSTEIN: It --

SCHILLING: And those people need to be recompensed.

BROWNSTEIN: Defending -- look, this is kind of a new lost cause kind of, I think, kind of line of argument. But the fact remains that for the Joe Rogan constituents, the last seven, eight, nine points of the electorate that put Donald Trump back in the White House, the core concern is that they elected him to solve their cost of living problem. They do not believe he has. And this becomes a powerful symbol that he is more focused on himself, his family, and his allies than on them.

SEAWRIGHT: But --

BROWNSTEIN: And that is why you see so many Republicans in Congress going, whoa, this one is just too much for me.

CORNISH: Yes. And then the other thing I want to say is, like, those people, you know, because I'm thinking about what you're saying, we're in pre-trial detention. They were going through the legal process, which, by the way, is not what this weaponization fund does.

SCHILLING: For years.

CORNISH: It does not go to court, meaning past settlement funds the government had --

SCHILLING: I just --

CORNISH: Let's say with Native American farmers. It actually went through the courts. This is not going to do that. The president is going to make a board, he's going to be in charge of the board, and then he's going to dole out money in a fund. He has complete control.

SEAWRIGHT: And then it ends at the end of his presidency.

CORNISH: I just want to know, what is the accountability mechanism that is comparable to a class action lawsuit or a government fund that's been approved by Congress? What is it about this fund that has those mechanisms for accountability?

SCHILLING: Congress is actually trying to put those mechanisms into legislation right now. That's why you just had legislation to keep the government funded and open failed just a few days ago.

SEAWRIGHT: Yes.

SCHILLING: This is being debated right now. They can't get to an agreement.

CORNISH: I thought it filed because they weren't into it?

SCHILLING: Some of them were, but they got to get to an agreement on it. They won't --

CORNISH: That' not what I heard.

SEAWRIGHT: But, Audie, can we -- can -- sticking to Ron's point, this unnecessary affordability crisis has gotten worse since Donald --

[06:50:05]

SCHILLING: It hasn't gotten worse under Donald Trump. It was worse under Biden. Biden had nine (INAUDIBLE).

SEAWRIGHT: Have you seen -- have you seen the Fox News polling? Have you seen CNN's polling?

SCHILLING: Yes, people are hurting. To blame it on Donald Trump --

SEAWRIGHT: They're talking about prices are up, from utilities, gas, groceries, goods and services --

SCHILLING: Antjuan. Yes. Yes, the system --

SEAWRIGHT: As a direct result of MAGA-onomics failing the American people. That had zero to do with Joseph R. Biden and his four years of the presidency.

SCHILLING: It has -- is has nothing to -- it has everything to do with Trump? Everything? He can't get legislation passed because there aren't even ten Democrats or seven Democrats who are willing to join him.

CORNISH: So, we're going to move to --

SEAWRIGHT: Republicans control the House and the Senate.

SCHILLING: They don't control -- they don't get to 60 votes. No one's willing to break the filibuster. You think we should break the filibuster?

SEAWRIGHT: Republicans control the House and the Senate and have put zero effort into lowering the prices of gas, goods and services.

SCHILLING: Should we break the filibuster? Should we break the filibuster? I'd like to break the filibuster. Do you want to break the filibuster?

CORNISH: Let me let Ron get the last word in. You guys have gone pretty far afield. One fact check, gas prices now at $4.50, are at the level they were in 2022. Let me just say an actual fact. This is where gas prices are. Argue all you want about the rest of the economy. But I just want to be clear to the audience who -- I don't want them to be gas lit about what they're paying at the pump.

BROWNSTEIN: Look, it's not Donald -- Donald Trump's problem on the economy is not only that he is there while people are unhappy about their cost of living, it is that majorities of the country believe his policies have compounded, not alleviated, the problem on both tariffs and the war (ph).

You look at that CNN polling, what was it, 77 to five people said that the war has directly hurt their financial situation. And the numbers on tariffs are in the 60s as well. It's not just that he's in -- it's not just that he's an innocent bystander. It is that they believe he is compounding the problem.

CORNISH: We are going to bring more of this data in a minute. But I also want to turn to this because there's a fresh round of active protests outside a New Jersey ICE facility. There's a reported hunger strike inside. And I'm going to speak with a New Jersey lawmaker about what some are calling inhumane conditions at that facility.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:16]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know there's people with serious illnesses inside who have no access to medicine, or to be taken to a hospital, or to a nurse, or in the case of last week they found live worms in their food.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK. Tension builds over conditions at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Newark, New Jersey. So, protesters outside Delaney Hall showed up to stand in solidarity with detainees who have been holding a hunger strike. Lawyers say conditions inside are unacceptable, that they're -- these people are being served expired and spoiled food, being kept in cold rooms, that they lack access to medical care as well as legal counsel. The Department of Homeland Security denies that there's a hunger strike and poor conditions. They call it a political stunt. The problem is, if there isn't a hunger strike, why did we hear this from Trump's border czar?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: Hunger strikes never work. We're not going to change what we do because someone goes on a hunger strike. As a matter of fact, if it gets bad enough and the physicians feel like they're putting themselves in extreme danger, medical danger, then we'll force feed them. We'll get a court order and force feed them.

Hunger strikes do not work. So, they can -- they can, you know, put themselves in a position where they're, you know, not eating, but it's not going to cause them to be released. We are going to continue to arrest people. We'll continue to detain people.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: I'm going to bring in now Democratic Congressman Robert Menendez from New Jersey. You've actually been inside this facility.

We're learning about this hunger strike ostensibly because people's attorneys, right, are giving the information. What has it been like for lawmakers trying to get inside?

REP. ROB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): Well, first, thanks for having me.

And second, it's been a mixed bag. You know, we've been able to tour the facility, do our oversight visits on both an announced and unannounced basis. But over this weekend, I went there on Sunday evening to check in on a constituent around 8 p.m. and was denied access. Had to stay at the facility for over 15 hours before gaining access. So, it's been -- it's been a mixed bag and it's been complicated. But ultimately, my belief is that ICE wants to restrict peoples' access to the facility, including Governor Sherrill's, because they know what's happening inside would shock the conscience of any American.

CORNISH: Do you fear what Homan is saying, that at this facility they might force feed those who are participating in any kind of hunger strike?

MENENDEZ: Yes, I do, because I don't believe ICE has any limits on its cruelty. I wish they were more concerned with thinking about some of the concerns raised by the individuals in there, including a lack of access to adequate medical attention. But instead, they're thinking about the problem on their hands, which is that people are going on a hunger strike, which has been confirmed, even by Mr. Homan, because they want to raise awareness, yes, about the conditions that exist inside the facility, a facility the American taxpayer is paying $1 billion for.

But also, they want to raise awareness about who they are. You know, they're not violent criminals. Most of them -- hardly any of them, I should say, have any criminal record.

CORNISH: Right.

MENENDEZ: Most of them are married to U.S. citizens, have U.S. citizen children. These are their stories.

CORNISH: I think the argument from the administration is, by definition, if they are here illegally, they have committed a crime. And I want you to respond to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, because he has this threat for what he calls sanctuary cities like Newark.

Take a listen

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARKWAYNE MULLIN, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: If they're going to not allow us to go out and arrest the worst of the worst. And then when we call for assistance at the facilities, that the street, it belongs to the city. If it belonged to us, we would take care of it. But it belongs to the city. And they're barricading our employees from coming in and out of the facility. Then why are we processing international flights into the airport there?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Twenty-eight percent of your flights are international. You worried?

MENENDEZ: No, I think it's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. I mean, first of all, he's still talking about these people, the worst of the worst. That's just patently false by ICE's own data. Two is, you know, they're trying to make an issue on what's happening outside the facility because they don't want to acknowledge what's happening inside the facility. The president, this administration are already losing massive amounts of support on how they are enforcing our immigration laws. The more that people have visibility into what's happening inside facilities like Delaney Hall, that support, whatever is remaining of it, will continue to erode.

CORNISH: OK, that's Congressman Robert Menendez of New Jersey talking about the protests outside of that detention center, where currently it is reported people are on a hunger strike.

Thank you so much for being on. I hope we have you in studio.

MENENDEZ: Yes, we'd love that.

[07:00:00]

Thanks so much.

CORNISH: And you guys, thank you so much for being with me today. I love the discussion.

We've got a lot coming up I want you guys to stick around CNN for. There's going to be a cabinet meeting coming up later today, so we'll get to hear from the president there.

And we're also reporting the news that five people have been found alive in that cave. The gold miners in Laos. We're going to have reporting on that later in the hour.

I'm Audie Cornish, and the headlines are next.