Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Palestinians React to Attack on Eve of Eid al-Adha; Ebola Outbreak Is Moving Faster than Response; Texas Senate Candidates Shift to General Election Mode; French Open Highlights; Dead Sea Slowly Dying. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 27, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Lynda Kinkade, live in Atlanta.
President Trump is set to convene his cabinet next hour, bringing top officials together at a pivotal moment in the U.S. war with Iran.
A string of red state primaries underscores Trump's firm grip on the Republican base, with voters showing a strong loyalty and a will to turn
against those he deems disloyal.
And the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea, where Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories meet, is facing a crisis of its own as this natural
wonder continues to shrink at an alarming rate.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: We begin with breaking news. Iranian television is reporting new details of the memo of understanding being negotiated between the U.S. and
Iran. It says it will call for U.S. military forces to withdraw from the vicinity of Iran and lift the blockade of Iranian ports.
Tehran will in turn commit to restoring commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month. We're waiting to hear from the
U.S. about this report. Let's bring in Ali Vaez, who is the Iran project director for the International Crisis Group.
Appreciate your time today.
ALI VAEZ, IRAN PROJECT DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Good to be with you.
So I want to get your reaction first to the Iranian state television report about this draft agreement, including major concessions, the withdrawal and
reduction of U.S. military presence and, of course, changes to maritime restrictions.
How much of this reflects Iran's framing of a proposal rather than an actual negotiated draft?
VAEZ: Look, it is most probably framed in a way that is tilted more to Iran's interests than is truly the case. I'm sure the Iranians are also
making a lot of concessions that are pretty painful in order to get this memorandum of understanding. Both sides have done one key important thing
here, which is to prioritize the urgent over the important.
The urgent is reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and removing both the Iranian blockade and the U.S. Naval blockade. The Iranians would need it
because they are not able to export their oil.
The United States needs it because the energy prices are -- keep hiking at this moment and would affect the president and his party's electoral
chances in November. And so overall, this is in the interest of both sides.
And then they are giving themselves time and space to negotiate over the next 60 days about the important issue of the future of Iran's nuclear
program.
KINKADE: To ask you about that, because the Strait of Hormuz certainly seems to be the centerpiece of this draft framework, why is maritime access
being prioritized ahead of that key, very sticky issue of Iran's nuclear program?
VAEZ: Look, because experience shows that given the degree of mistrust between the two sides, given the complexity of these issues, it is going to
take quite a bit of time to negotiate a nuclear deal.
Whereas, you know, a lot of countries in the global south are going to run out of fertilizer if the Strait of Hormuz does not open in the next few
weeks. Basically hundreds of thousands of people might lose their lives around the world because of food security concerns. So this is a major
problem and it has to be resolved as soon as possible.
But then, of course, Iran and the U.S., there's been 20 years of history of negotiations over the nuclear issue. This is going to be addressed over
time. Look, it is not an ideal outcome but it is the best offramp from a road that should not have been taken to begin with.
KINKADE: There are reports that Iran has allowed 25 or so vessels through the strait in the last day or so. But Iran says hostile vessels are still
blocked in the Strait of Hormuz.
If a deal is reached, which countries would those refer to?
VAEZ: Well, the United States and Israel are the two countries that launched a war against Iran. I think the Iranians are not going to allow
U.S. warships to pass through or are not going to allow vessels associated with Israel to pass through. But that really doesn't exclude the rest of
the world.
[10:05:02]
And again, here we're talking about 20 percent of global energy flows, 20 percent of fertilizer, helium, urea. So the things that are essential for
the global economy. And if they don't pass through, we are going to have a global recession in the coming months.
KINKADE: Are any of the Gulf nations likely included under the banner of hostile nations?
VAEZ: Well, so far, despite the fact that tensions really were pretty high between the UAE and Iran, the Iranians have not framed the UAE as a hostile
nation. And at the end of the day, the UAE is part of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
And Oman, which is also in -- the Strait of Hormuz runs through its territorial waters -- is part of this understanding with Iran about the
future framework of the Strait of Hormuz. And I'm sure that Oman is not going to throw another fellow GCC state under the bus.
So if there is some a framework that emerges out of this for the strait, it is going to be inclusive and it is hard to imagine that it would come at
the expense of any of the littoral states.
KINKADE: You helped bridge the gaps that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
What is fundamentally different this time?
VAEZ: Well, a lot is different. You know, in 2015, there was basically political will on both sides to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. It
did not follow a war of aggression. It did not follow, basically, demands of capitulation from one side or another.
It was a positive, constructive process; whereas now we are in a situation that, basically, mistrust is at the highest level it has ever been. And
until recently, at least the United States still expected Iran to surrender to its terms.
And also in that case, in 2015, it took 2.5 years of very arduous negotiations to reach a deal. So this is not going to be easy.
This memorandum of understanding doesn't really fundamentally resolve issues but it gets us to a more stable situation and buys time and space to
then -- for the hard work of diplomacy to begin to try to address the longer term problems.
KINKADE: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Ali Vaez, we appreciate your analysis, as always. Thanks so much.
Well, in the next hour, the U.S. president will convene his first cabinet meeting in two months as he faces pressure to resolve the war with Iran.
And we've been reporting, Iranian media says the framework of a deal is still not finalized and that it's adding to political uncertainty and
division at home, especially ahead of the midterms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA), RANKING MEMBER, SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: 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)
KINKADE: Kevin Liptak is at the White House with more on what we can expect from president Trump's cabinet meeting in the next hour.
Kevin, great to see you. So the president has said that a deal is close, while other officials suggest that sanctions relief and, of course, the
nuclear issue are still major sticking points.
How wide is the gap between political messaging and the actual state of negotiations?
And has there been any early reaction to the draft of this deal that's being discussed on Iranian state television so far?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right. Officials have been largely mum on that report, although I think it's -- there are not huge
differences between what the Iranians are saying in that Iranian state TV report and how the White House has described the deal.
I think the difference is our biggest in emphasis. You know, the Iranians are talking exclusively about the Strait of Hormuz and what this deal would
mean for the blockade that the U.S. has put into effect and for Iran's effective closure of the strait.
What they haven't mentioned at all is Iran's nuclear program, which we know to be a major point of contention between the U.S. and Iran, as they try
and finalize this deal, or the financial relief that Iran could expect as part of this agreement.
You know, the lifting of sanctions or the unfreezing of assets, they haven't mentioned that at all. And so it does seem as if it's a difference
in emphasis.
You know, we just heard yesterday from Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, that the difference is now come down to individual words and individual
sentences as they try to complete this agreement. It was just on Saturday that the president said that the deal had been, quote, "largely
negotiated."
[10:10:00]
And we're now several days past that. And it does, I think, remain to be seen just how much longer they expect this to go on.
You also have the complicating factor of the U.S. and Iran trading fire over the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. detected Iran trying to lay mines.
And it seems clear that every day longer that this goes on and every day that the U.S. and Iran are squabbling over words allows for something like
this to come in and upend the negotiations.
And so president Trump, I think, very eager to get this finished, even though he says he's under no pressure to finalize it. This cabinet meeting
today will be a combination of foreign policy, domestic policy.
They're, at this point, quite intertwined as higher gas prices pose political problems for the president and create some urgency to try and get
this deal finished.
You know, this meeting was actually supposed to take place up at Camp David. That's the presidential retreat in Western Maryland. It takes a long
time to get out there in a car. So normally the president flies in a helicopter.
But he's not able to do that today because it's so cloudy in Washington. So he has moved the whole thing back here to the White House.
KINKADE: All right. We will be tuning in next hour for that cabinet meeting no doubt. Kevin Liptak for us outside the White House. Thanks so
much.
While the U.S. pushes for a peace deal with Iran, Israel is expanding its military operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. And it comes as
Lebanese families continue to pay a heavy price.
Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli airstrikes killed at least 31 people and wounded 40 others on Tuesday, including children. They call it one of
the deadliest days since the ceasefire began last month. Well, CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now from Jerusalem.
Oren, good to have you with us. I want to start with Israel pounding Lebanon Tuesday, what's being described as one of the heaviest days of
bombing in weeks.
Has Hezbollah responded today?
What can you tell us?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, it very much looks like the strikes we saw on Tuesday are continuing
into today as we see what very much looks like an escalation between Israel and Lebanon; that is, between Israel and Iranian proxy Hezbollah.
There, Israel announced several hours ago that it was carrying out strikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley as it tries to go after
Hezbollah infrastructure sites that include striking the city of Tyre and the city of Nabatieh, as well as other issues -- as well as other areas.
And then two major evacuation warnings for both of those areas, Nabatieh and Tyre, both of those north of the so-called yellow line, which is the
northern boundary of the area occupied by Israel in southern Lebanon.
Israel is now pushing beyond that yellow line as -- again, as it tries to go after Hezbollah. But Hezbollah has continued to be able to fire back
with drones and rockets. Some of those fell in northern Israel today and landed in what the Israeli military described as open areas. Several of
those were intercepted.
And all of this is taking place while there is an ostensible ceasefire that was extended by 45 days just a couple of weeks ago by president Donald
Trump. So you see that that term, "ceasefire," not really having an effect on mitigating what's happened on the ground.
Even if the Israeli military isn't directly carrying out strikes in Beirut or in northern Lebanon, there is very much an escalation and an ongoing
conflict there between Israel and Hezbollah.
And you pointed out the deadly nature of this. In fact, on Tuesday, the Lebanese ministry of public health said at least 31 people had been killed
across southern Lebanon and other parts. And we're waiting for an update on that as this conflict very much continues here.
KINKADE: And, of course, Israel is still carrying out strikes in Gaza. We understand they say they've killed the newly appointed military commander
of Hamas.
What do we know about how he was killed and trapped?
LIEBERMANN: Well, Lynda, it was just 12 days ago or so that Israel killed his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who was the commander of Hamas'
military wing, the Qassam Brigades.
Now Hamas had never officially announced that Mohammed Odeh had been the replacement for Izz al-Din al-Haddad but that was one of the expectations.
Israel carried out a strike last night, killing Mohammed Odeh in or just west of Gaza City. A number of others killed in that strike, according to
Al-Shifa hospital.
Israel's defense minister and prime minister said he was the commander of the military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades and making clear that
anybody in that position and whoever comes into that position next will be a target for Israel.
Meanwhile, the strike itself happening on the holiday of Eid al Adha in Gaza. Here's how people reacted right around the strike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): People were shopping in the market and were happy about Eid, that Eid was the following day. So they
wanted to shop for the children, be happy and joyful. Then the strike came and it caused a kind of shock for the people. It caused panic.
[10:15:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is the Day of Eid. It is a holy day. And yesterday was Arafah Day. People were happy and some people
forgot about the war. But after what happened, people were shocked completely. They couldn't take it anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: It's worth remembering that, even in Gaza, Lynda, there's supposed to be a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in place.
KINKADE: Yes, hard to believe. Oren Liebermann, as always, we appreciate you. Thanks very much for joining us.
Well, more aid groups are sounding the alarm, saying that the response to the Ebola virus is not keeping up with its rapid spread. I'm going to speak
to a doctor who worked on the 2014 outbreak next.
And later, a look at one man's 30-hour journey on an inflatable boat so that he can be reunited with his family.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: Aid groups are warning that the Ebola virus outbreak in eastern Africa is moving faster than the response. The International Rescue
Committee says that the rapidly escalating epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could become the deadliest on record without
urgent international action.
More than 200 people have died across the DRC and Uganda, with more than 900 suspected cases identified. Dr. Oliver Johnson is a global health
expert at King's College in London and worked on the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. He joins us now live from Johannesburg.
Thanks for your time today.
DR. OLIVER JOHNSON, GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERT, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON: (INAUDIBLE).
KINKADE: So aid agencies and the World Health Organization are certainly warning that the current Ebola outbreak is spreading much faster than the
response systems can keep up.
What typically drives that kind of imbalance that we're seeing in terms of the spread of this disease and the response?
JOHNSON: Well, a real challenge with this outbreak has been that it seems to have started a couple of months ago and it was a while before it was
detected.
There's a few reasons for this. It's partly because of the context where the outbreak is taking place. It's on the border of three countries. It's
in an area with significant conflict, movement of people and the health systems there are not strong.
So the context is a challenge and one reason. But the other is that this particular strain of Ebola, it's not the strain that many of the tools
we've developed over the last 10 years are designed for.
And in particular, many of the laboratory tests that are in the field, that are in the regions where the cases are, they don't detect this strain.
And that, coupled with potentially the impact of aid cuts over the last few years, that's led international and national organizations to close down or
to withdraw the scale of their work or contributes to the fact that the outbreak got a real head start and has spread significantly in the region,
in DRC, also to Kampala and to Uganda.
[10:20:00]
The fact that we're slow to detect it, although I should say that the national governments in the region of the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, having
detected the virus, have moved very quickly to respond, as has the Africa CDC and WHO. And -- but also this particular strain creates real challenges
for us.
KINKADE: Yes. I want to get some more information from you about those challenges.
Given your experience in Sierra Leone in the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, what happens when an outbreak potentially crosses the line from being
containable to outpacing the response?
JOHNSON: So one thing to keep in mind is that the cases we know about, those are the ones that have essentially kind of appeared on our radar
screens. But there are likely to be many cases that are still undetected.
Ebola can appear like malaria. It can appear like other common diseases, diarrhea. And so there are probably affected towns or villages that we
still don't know about.
So a real challenge at the beginning of this is the fact that you're trying to catch up and detect those. And so I think that's kind of driving,
certainly in Sierra Leone, that's driving the challenge.
And at a certain point, there are so many cases being detected in so many places that the very focused forms of outbreak control, where you're able
to follow every case and do contact tracing for family members or health workers who had contact with them, it's a lot of resource to follow every
case.
And when there's so many cases, that becomes very challenging and you have to rely on broader public health measures to try and get a handle on
things.
KINKADE: And when it comes to considerations regarding travel in the upcoming World Cup, how should public health organizations and World Cup
officials coordinate balancing international travel with the heightened Ebola surveillance?
JOHNSON: So, of course, Ebola is a disease that captures public imagination, that can cause public fear. And it's understandable that
people, be it in the U.S. or around the world, with the World Cup coming up, are concerned.
That said, the WHO and others have pointed out this is highly unlikely to cause an outbreak at an international level, certainly a pandemic. This is
a disease that is spread from close contact with an infected patient.
And in high income settings it's normally quite quick to identify and to treat and to provide management for. So I think we shouldn't be overly
concerned.
That said, there will inevitably be restrictions in terms of airport screening and other things that will be introduced. But I think what's
important here is that when we think about this, our temptation with a disease that scares us is to think about how do we contain this outbreak.
But, of course, the communities that are at the center of this outbreak in the DRC, in Kampala, they don't want to be contained. They want to be cared
for. They want to be supported.
And so I think it's really important that while we, of course, think about public safety globally, our first instinct has got to be deep empathy and
support for the health workers on the front lines, for the national leaders and the DRC and Uganda, who urgently need support to care for patients and
manage the outbreak locally.
KINKADE: Yes, because it is often the health workers on the front lines that can contract the disease too.
The U.S. is reportedly planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola to a quarantine facility in Kenya, as opposed to bring them home.
How unusual is that?
JOHNSON: Well, certainly historically, cases like this and certainly in the Sierra Leone outbreak I was part of, we saw cases referred to the U.S.
and treated in, you know, very advanced facilities. There's been a lot of investment in advanced facilities, be it in Atlanta or Nebraska or
elsewhere. So this is a break from precedent.
And I think it's important to ask questions about why that's taking place. That said, that the flight from central Africa to the United States, it is
a very long flight. And it is difficult to provide high level care on very long international flights where patients can deteriorate.
The real question is, what is the reason why the U.S. government has made this decision?
What is the level of care that's being provided?
That said, of course, I think the temptation, understandably, is for us to focus on a small number of international doctors, people like the role I
was in Sierra Leone. But that is a tiny number of cases compared to the huge number of cases that are taking place amongst Congolese and, to a
smaller extent, Ugandans.
And there are sometimes attention to focus very much on how do we provide care to international colleagues but how do we contain the outbreak in
Africa?
We need to provide high level care in the front lines in the DRC. We need to get resources, funding treatments to Congolese and Ugandan communities
as well.
[10:25:04]
And so that mentality of, where can people get the best quality of care, that's got to be true, I think, on the ground. And we have the resources
available, should we choose to use them to make sure people can get much better care on the front lines. And I think that's something we should
prioritize.
KINKADE: Dr. Oliver Johnson, you make some great points. We appreciate your time today. Thanks so much.
Well, a Chinese dissident has escaped to South Korea by an inflatable boat in a desperate bid to be reunited with his family. He has attempted to flee
the country three other times before but has never succeeded. CNN's Ivan Watson reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A Chinese dissident is in South Korean custody after making a dangerous escape by sea
from China to the Korean coast.
The dissident in question is 68-year-old Dong Guangping. And I spoke with a family friend and a fellow Chinese dissident based in Canada who managed to
speak to Dong by telephone 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: Dong Guangping was originally a police officer from Henan Province who lost his job decades ago because he co-signed a letter that was
commemorating the 10th anniversary of the deadly 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square and since then he's gotten in trouble and
been jailed for his human rights activism.
In 2015, he tried to flee China with his wife and daughter to Thailand and request asylum but Thai authorities returned him forcibly to China, where
he ultimately spent more than three years in prison. At the time, I interviewed his wife, who had been granted asylum in Canada and she
accused the Chinese government of kidnapping Dong.
He has made subsequent failed attempts to try to escape China, including trying to swim to an island off the Coast of Taiwan, where he lost his
bearings and was ultimately rescued by Chinese fishermen and returned to China. So now, after these repeated attempts and repeated jail sentences,
he's finally made it to the Korean Coast.
Now journalists asked China's Foreign Ministry about this at a regular press briefing about Dong's case and the officials there declined to
comment. South Korean authorities have confirmed to CNN that South Korean fishermen first spotted this small boat off of the coast and confirmed that
there was a Chinese man in his 60s that was on board.
His lawyer has confirmed his identity to us. The South Korean Coast Guard says that Dong is now arrested on suspicion of violating immigration law,
and his case will later be passed on to prosecutors. In 2023, there was another dramatic case of a different Chinese dissident who made a perilous
journey across the sea to Korea on a jet ski, at the time he was equipped with little more than a helmet, binoculars, a compass and five cans full
of fuel. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come, president Donald Trump flexed and it worked again. Another Republican incumbent is forced out by a Trump-backed
candidate, this time in Texas, where the biggest U.S. Senate race of the midterms is already taking shape.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here are the headlines.
In the next hour. Donald Trump will hold a cabinet meeting. He's under pressure to reach a deal with Iran to resolve the war. Iranian state media
says the draft memo being discussed includes an end to the U.S. blockade and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Britain and Poland have signed a new treaty to bolster cooperation against increasing Russian threats, although the two sides already share close
ties. British prime minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday the new challenges Europe faces warrant an even stronger partnership across defense
and cybersecurity.
A remarkable sight in Laos as five people trapped for a week in a flooded underground cave have been found alive. Officials say they are safe but
still stuck in the cave for now. They're being fed and medically assessed as specialist divers work to extricate them. The rescue mission continues
for two other people who remain missing.
Now what's shaping up to be a showdown in Texas?
Donald Trump threw his weight behind a Texas Senate candidate and it delivered. Trump-backed Ken Paxton has defeated incumbent senator John
Cornyn by a wide margin in the Republican primary. He'll now face Democrat James Talarico, with both sides already shifting their focus to the
midterms in November.
A source telling CNN that Talarico raised a jaw-dropping $600,000 in the first two hours after Paxton's runoff victory. Let's get the latest now
from our Arlette Saenz. She joins us now from Plano, Texas.
Great to see you, Arlette. So a sitting U.S. Senator losing in a primary runoff is extremely rare.
What does this say about Trump's hold on the Republican Party?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Texas is really waking up to a victory not just for Texas attorney general Ken Paxton but also for
president Donald Trump, who has really shown that his grip on the Republican Party remains incredibly firm.
Trump waited until the last week of the campaign to endorse Paxton, who many GOP senators have worried could drag Republicans not just in Texas but
also on the national level if he were to become the GOP nominee.
But the president defied those party leaders who had sided with Cornyn in this race and instead threw his full support behind Paxton, who was already
very popular with the MAGA base here in Texas.
So now we have this general election matchup. But that's set between Paxton, the state attorney general, and Democratic nominee James Talarico,
a state lawmaker who was giving Democrats a lot of hope that this could be the year that they finally flip this Senate seat blue.
Now last night, we heard from both Paxton and Talarico starting to lay out their general election arguments against each other, with Paxton painting
Talarico as too radical for Texas voters, while Talarico has said that Paxton is corrupt. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN PAXTON (R-TX), STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL: My opponent is the most extreme radical the Democrats have ever nominated. James Talarico is going to be
nothing more than a Texas based puppet for Chuck Schumer and the national Democrats.
JAMES TALARICO (D-TX), SENATORIAL NOMINEE: If we the people can come together to defeat the most corrupt politician in America, we can defeat
this entire corrupt system. We can start rigging this economy. We can start raising our pay, cutting our taxes, lowering our costs.
[10:35:00]
We can finally get ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now throughout this campaign, senator Cornyn and top Republicans had warned that the history of personal and political controversies that
have surrounded Paxton could be damaging in a general election fight.
And we've already heard from Talarico's campaign starting to roll out some of their attacks along those lines. His campaign released a digital video,
a digital ad this morning, highlighting some of those past scandals that Paxton has survived here in Texas.
Now a big thing to watch going forward is how expensive this race will be. Democrat James Talarico is an incredibly strong fundraiser. He brought in
more than $27 million in the first three months of this year. Compare that to Paxton, who only raised $2.2 million in that same time period.
So that is a lot of ground that Paxton will need to make up. He's urged his supporters to donate to his campaign. But there are also big questions
about how much the national parties will be spending here in Texas. Even Cornyn yesterday predicted that the GOP may need to spend hundreds of
millions of dollars to save this seat come November.
This will be one of the most expensive and certainly the most competitive matchups in this midterm cycle, as both parties are battling for the fight
for the control of the Senate majority.
KINKADE: Incredible. All right. Arlette Saenz for us. Good to have you with us. Thanks so much.
We're going to stay on this story. Ken Paxton is calling Donald Trump's endorsement the most powerful force in politics. It's coming out of what
some are calling the U.S. president's month of revenge against Republican incumbents he deemed disloyal.
Trump-backed candidates have continued to win across states like Indiana, Kentucky and Louisiana, reinforcing the reach of his political influence.
We're joined now by Maura Gillespie, a press advisor to former U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner and founder and principal of Bluestack
Strategies. She joins us now from New Jersey.
Good to have you with us.
MAURA GILLESPIE, FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL, BLUESTACK STRATEGIES: Thanks for having me.
KINKADE: So we're seeing this wave of establishment Republicans losing ground to Trump-aligned challenges in the primaries.
What does this say about where the power actually lies in the Republican Party right now?
GILLESPIE: When it comes to primaries, Donald Trump has a hold on it, right?
I think, you know, John Cornyn mentioned it during his concession speech last night. Such a small percentage of people, of the registered voters who
turned out for this runoff, dictated what happened in the overall primary and who goes to -- up against Talarico.
But really, the amount of money that's going to be spent on this race, you know, you could say that John Cornyn, had he won, maybe less money would be
spent because they felt a little more secure.
But with Ken Paxton, it's a big win for Talarico that he's going up again against Ken Paxton. But I think that the overall, what it says to me, is
that Donald Trump is very emotive when it comes to his revenge tour and shortsighted, because this isn't just about primaries and not going to look
at the larger picture.
The bigger picture, which is the general election months from now, when people are deciding how they feel then about their economic outlook.
KINKADE: And someone who's been speaking about that is senator Ted Cruz, sounding the alarm as to what this could mean later in the year. I just
want to play some sound.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, John Cornyn, Rand Paul, those are four senators. We have a 53-47 majority. If you lose four
senators, you're below 50 and you can't get anything done. That is going to be a complicating factor for the rest of the year.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KINKADE: So talk to me about the risk if these hardline candidates face off against Democrats that could take their seat later in this year.
I mean, how much of a threat is that to the Republican Party?
GILLESPIE: Very much so. Not only is senator Ted Cruz pointing out the current and the more short-term risk.
Where you have senators who no longer feel as though they have to abide by what the president wants and can actually vote their conscience and what
they think is right for the country moving forward and beyond. Donald Trump and the MAGA moment.
But I think also when you come into November, there are the fact that Texas is in play, is really just a complete misstep by the president to put the
Republicans in Congress in this position. Not only that but also for the spending for other races that could be used, the money that could be used
for other races that are in jeopardy.
And instead it's going to be going to Texas. I think that's a calculation that the NRSC, which is the Senate campaign arm, it needs to really think
about. You've already spent $200-plus million on a primary on a runoff.
So how much more money are you going to dump into this to, to save someone like a Ken Paxton?
Who I know many senators have already said is going to be a weight and anchor on their conference, going to drag them down. And so I don't know
that many senators really want to have him there as part of their chamber.
And so maybe it's an opportunity for the NRSC to put a little money elsewhere and not dump so much more in Texas. It's an egregious amount of
money.
[10:40:00]
When you were talking about affordability in this country and people are looking at the gas prices tick up and up and up and you're going to spend
over hundreds of millions of dollars on one race, it's an exorbitant amount of money. People just can't really wrap their heads around it. And
it's problematic at best.
KINKADE: Yes. So just quickly, you know what space, if any, is left today for moderate or institutional Republican politics?
GILLESPIE: It's a reminder of the importance of voting in the primaries. I mean, between the initial primary that pit Cornyn, Paxton and Wesley Hunt
against each other, that number dropping off into how many people showed up in the runoff is what led Ken Paxton to the win.
Because the voters who voted for Ken Paxton are Trump voters and will do what Trump says. And so for moderates or people who just simply are
frustrated with what's going on, your voice matters. And being part of the conversation, you can vote for a Democrat that doesn't change your
necessary your Republican status.
You can do so. You know, I think reminding voters that they can speak up and use their voice is really important, especially in these moments where
the smaller majority ends up having the largest voice. And that's not the case and doesn't need to be the case here in this country.
KINKADE: Maura Gillespie, great to have you on the program. Thanks for your time.
GILLESPIE: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, sweltering heat in Europe is hitting the clay at the French Open and pushing tennis players to the limit. We'll have the details after
the break.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: Well, it's a good time to be a New Yorker. Thousands are taking to the streets as their beloved Knicks head to the NBA finals for the first
time since 1999.
But the city's police department says it can no longer support watch parties outside Madison Square Garden after the chaos from enthusiastic
fans at recent celebrations. The city's mayor spoke with CNN's Kaitlan Collins. He says there will be parties and they will be safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY), NYC: You know, I prayed for it, I hoped for it, but you know, I didn't want to jinx it. But it is incredible. As you
said, 1999, you know, the last time the Knicks were in the finals, Ricky Martin, "Livin' la Vida Loca" was the top of the charts.
And we are incredibly excited to be playing that song again here in New York City today because, we're hopeful, we're excited. It's truly an
incredible time to be a New Yorker.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Partying like it's 1999.
Well, the sweltering heat taking over Europe is making some tennis players in the French Open feel like zombies. That's what two-time finalist Casper
Ruud said after battling the extreme heat to advance to the second round at Roland-Garros. The Norwegian had to receive medical attention after the
first and third games.
Temperatures during the nearly four-hour match against Russian Roman Safiullin reached 33 degrees Celsius. That's about 92 degrees Fahrenheit.
CNN's Andy Scholes is following the latest developments and joins us now live.
Good to see you, Andy. So it is hot out there right now. Certainly not hot in Atlanta. But hot for the tennis players.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: And another hot one out there today in Paris. I mean it's around 90 degrees once again. But hey, four-time
French Open champion Iga Swiatek. She was able to beat the heat. She's on to the third round after a straight sets win over Sara Bejlek.
[10:45:00]
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, he's on the court right now in his second round match against Valentin Royer. He won the first set 6-3, so looking good for
him now.
While a lot of players struggling with that Paris heat wave, we were talking about, Lynda, defending champion Coco Gauff, she says she's
embracing it. Well, that's because she grew up and trains in Florida, where it's always hot.
Coco beat fellow American Taylor Townsend in her opening match. Coco had lost to her in her only career meeting but she cruised 6-4, 6-0 there in
Paris. And after the win, Coco, she was asked about playing in the heat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COCO GAUFF, TENNIS PROFESSIONAL: It's funny; when I saw it was going to be hot. I definitely think it's something that I do well in and can thrive in,
in a bit because of growing up in Florida. And I know some people try to practice early.
But I try to sometimes practice in the prime of the day, even if it's -- even if it's shorter, just to get used because you never know.
Also, I don't know, Europe, y'all don't like AC.
(LAUGHTER)
GAUFF: So I feel like I'm constantly trying to like, even at restaurants, everywhere, I'm like sweating. I'm taking like four showers a day. Like I
took a shower before this. I'm going to have to take another one after. So I feel like the problem is we can't escape the heat here.
And even like the coolers on court, the drinks don't get cold. So I think I'm going to have to request more ice for the next match.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. On the men's side, after French fan favorite Gael Monfils was eliminated in his final ever French Open, there's a new local
kid on the block, 17-year old Moise Kouame became the youngest male grand slam match winner 17 years on Tuesday after defeating veteran Marin Cilic
in straight sets.
Kouame, also the youngest male winner at the French Open in 35 years. After his match, he kind of downplayed the talk around his age.
MOISE KOUAME, TENNIS PROFESSIONAL (through translator): After all, I'm 17 and I've won one grand slam match. I don't think my opponent today thought
he's 17. He was trying to play his best and same for me.
I didn't care about his age. I just wanted to give him shots that were as complicated to play as possible. So for some, the age factor may play a
role. But as far as I'm concerned, I tried to focus and not to think about it because, in the end, when you're on court, you don't think about your
age or what you're going to eat.
You think about what you have to do to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. Finally, Naomi Osaka taking the court in round one in style there in Paris, walking down a sparkly top, big black skirt with the
-- with the heat there. Can't wear that too long.
So she took it off, revealing a brown and gold Nike dress. Osaka then won in straight sets. We'll see what she has in store for us in tomorrow's
second round.
She said her outfit, Lynda, coming out, was supposed to look like the Eiffel Tower at night.
KINKADE: I'm not sure about the Eiffel Tower but my girls love a sparkle. So they love tennis, too. Good to see you, Andy Scholes.
Well, Western Europe is also sweltering as a powerful heat wave sweeps right across the continent. And it's still spring.
On Monday, the U.K. endured what it thought was the hottest day in May on record, only for it to be broken again on Tuesday, reaching temperatures
that are higher than normal for May by about 15 degrees Celsius. CNN's Barbie Nadeau has more from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're used to this kind of heat in southern Europe in the -- in the height of summer, in July and August. But
we're talking about just the end of May here.
And what's really interesting, I think so many of these tourists have already reconfigured their travel plans to avoid that high summer heat by
coming to places like Italy and southern Spain and Greece in May.
And now they're faced with this heat. And it does become deadly. You know, there are a lot of places that don't have air conditioning. There are a lot
of elderly people, vulnerable, vulnerable people health wise, who just can't find the relief.
And, you know, everybody says, hydration; stay out of the sun. But if you're in Rome for a couple of days, you want to see the Trevi fountain
behind me or the Colosseum. You want to be among these tourists who are suffering in this heat right now.
And, you know, it's too early in the year, really, for them to have the sorts of situations in place. A lot of times they move in trees so that
there are -- there's shade, they give away free water. None of that's in place yet because, as you mentioned, summer hasn't really officially
started here.
So what we're looking at is hopefully not a relentless summer season, you know. But it's starting pretty hot. We've -- considering that we are not
even into June yet and the hot season generally starts in July, which is, you know, a month, a little over a month away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Barbie Nadeau.
Well, still ahead, the Dead Sea is slowly dying but few can agree on how to save the briny lake. What's behind the ecological crisis -- next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: Welcome back.
In the lowest place on Earth, there is an environmental crisis. The Dead Sea is dying. The lake's water level has plummeted in recent years, as our
Jeremy Diamond reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jake Ben Zaken is one of the only people licensed to operate a boat on the Dead Sea. And
for the last 12 years, that's what he's done.
DIAMOND: So you know it well?
JAKE BEN ZAKEN, FOUNDER, SALTY LANDSCAPES: Yes. I got to see all the faces.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Giving him an unparalleled view of one of Earth's natural wonders, the fast-moving environmental disaster threatening its
existence.
BEN ZAKEN: So every year, we get about new 7.5 meters of new shoreline because the sea is dropping.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Dead Sea is dying. Its surface area has shrunk by about one-third in the last 50 years and its salt-encrusted shores now
stand as a testament to the rapid pace of change.
BEN ZAKEN: This is last year, two years ago. Every step, it's here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Each step shows how much the sea level has dropped from one year to the next, at a rate of about four feet per year, like
nothing else in the world.
Dr. Yael Kiro has been studying the Dead Sea for over a decade.
DIAMOND: There's no other place on Earth like the Dead Sea?
DR. YAEL KIRO, GEOCHEMIST, WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE: No, no.
DIAMOND (voice-over): To understand why it is shrinking and what can be done about it.
KIRO: The main reason is because of the utilization of the water resources around the Dead Sea. This contributes around 60 percent of the drop.
And then there is the Dead Sea factories, both the Jordanian and the Israelis, that pump directly the brine and evaporate it in order to extract
minerals. And they contribute about 40 percent for the lake level drops.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Israel's Dead Sea Works and Jordan's Arab Potash Company pump tens of billions of gallons of water out of the Dead Sea each
year, evaporating much of that water to extract potash and magnesium, key fertilizer ingredients.
Some who want to save the Dead Sea have proposed building a pipeline and pumping water in from the Red Sea. Others advocate for replenishing the
Jordan River, allowing the water to flow naturally into the Dead Sea. But while ideas abound, government action is still missing.
The impact isn't just environmental. It's also financial. This graveyard of palm trees and graffiti buildings was once a thriving beach resort. The
road leading to it explains why it's been abandoned.
DIAMOND: Tourists used to take this road all the time to get to the Dead Sea but now sinkholes like this one line its path and the whole area has
been abandoned. And the concern is that more sinkholes will continue to happen as the Dead Sea drops and tourism will be severely impacted.
DIAMOND (voice-over): These sinkholes are caused by an underground layer of salt that is now dissolving.
DIAMOND: This sinkhole is a direct result of the Dead Sea water levels dropping?
KIRO: Yes. Since the lake level started to drop, this salt layer, instead of being exposed to the Dead Sea brine, it is exposed to more fresh water
and then eventually you get a collapse.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Aboard his boat, Ben Zaken says he sees new evidence of the Dead Sea's man-made decay every day and the uncertainty it spells
for its future and his own.
DIAMOND: What do you call all of this?
I mean, what we're witnessing, the way in which it's sinking, how do you qualify all of it?
BEN ZAKEN: You can say an ecological disaster, you know, because it is. And it's also a demographical disaster, because it is. And it's also one of
the wonders of the world, because it is.
[10:55:04]
You know, I qualify it as home.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the Dead Sea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: For tonight's parting shots, the joyous sound of Eid prayers. Mosques in Jerusalem, Mosul, Tripoli, Cairo and other cities across the
world filled with worshipers as Muslims mark the first day of the holiday.
So to those celebrating, from all of us from the team here at CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Lynda Kinkade. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thanks so much for
your company. Do stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
END
