Return to Transcripts main page
Isa Soares Tonight
WHO: Ebola Outbreak Likely Began a Couple Months Ago; U.S. Doctor Infected with Ebola Treated in Germany; Trump's Critics Face Angry Voters; Thomas Massie Loses Primary; Israeli official: ICC May Be Seeking Arrest Warrants for Ministers Ben-Gvir and Katz. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Announces the Indictment of Former Cuban Leader Raul Castro; W.H.O. Raises Alarm Over Scale of Ebola Outbreak As Numbers Continue to Rise. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired May 20, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News!
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome everyone, I'm Isa Soares. We begin this hour, breaking news from Miami. A
stunning indictment three decades in the making, one that could prove to be a tipping point amid heightened tensions between the United States and
Cuba.
Just a short time ago, as you were watching CNN, we've seen the acting Attorney General announcing that the U.S. has indicted former Cuban leader
Raul Castro, who is now 94 years old. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD BLANCHE, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We also do not forget the families, the loved ones and the friends who have carried grief and
heartache for 30 years.
For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior leadership of the Cuban regime has been charged in this country, in the United States of America,
for acts of violence resulting in the deaths of American citizens, nations, and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the charges against Castro include murder, conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, and the destruction of an aircraft. Federal
prosecutors say Castro, while serving as Cuba's Defense Minister, ordered the deadly shoot-down of two civilian planes from the Cuban-American exile
group brothers to the rescue. That was in 1996.
Four men were killed, three of them Americans. Those victims were honored today, some of their family members sitting in that front row. And it's not
a coincidence that the indictment was unsealed on Cuban Independence Day, as the Trump administration ramps up its pressure campaign on Havana as we
told you just yesterday.
Will it lead, of course, to Castro's arrest by U.S. authorities, similar to the operation carried out against former Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro? That is the question that many are asking this hour. Let's get to our correspondent here, senior U.S. justice correspondent Evan Perez was
listening in.
So, Evan, we'll talk about the timing of this in just a moment. But, you know, as we've just outlined there, Castro -- Raul Castro is 94 years of
age. He's no longer the president of Cuba. So, what are the next steps here? What are we likely to see from the DOJ?
Because of course, we were making that comparison with Nicolas Maduro. Actually, let me just stop there. They're taking questions. I want to go
back to Miami. Let's just go back.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there a breakthrough in this case? Can you speak to the evidence that leads you to believe that Raul Castro directly
participated in the deaths of those Americans who were killed? And I have a follow-up.
BLANCHE: Well, I cannot explain or justify why now, as opposed to two decades ago or 30 years ago when it happened. But what I can say is that
you just heard a lot of people talk about a ton of work that the FBI did, state and local Intelligence communities or U.S. attorney and the Attorney
General's -- state Attorney General's team.
And that evidence was presented to a grand jury in late April, and an indictment was returned. So, I can't -- as far as what the evidence is,
well, a lot of it is in the indictment, and it would not be appropriate or fair to comment outside of the indictment about the evidence.
But as you guys know, a grand jury is presented with evidence and then returns an indictment to the extent that they believe there's probable
cause, that a crime has been committed, which a grand jury certainly did hear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And quick follow-up. What are the prospects that you could get Raul Castro to the United States to face justice given the
situation there? And what steps are the U.S. willing to take to get him back here?
BLANCHE: Well, we indict men outside of this country all the time. And there's all kinds of different ways that we get them here. The reason why
we indict somebody is because we want them here to face justice in front of a jury of their peers.
(APPLAUSE)
BLANCHE: So, how we go about doing that obviously depends on the circumstances in the case. And I'm not going to go beyond that. But we
expect -- we didn't indict -- this isn't a show indictment. This is an indictment because we expect that there was a warrant issued for his
arrest. So, we expect that he will show up here, by his own will or by another way, and go to prison.
(APPLAUSE)
[14:05:00]
BLANCHE: All right, next question. Yes, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are any others in the Castro family potentially tied up in this? Could there be other charges from members in the Castro family,
from the Castro regime?
BLANCHE: Well, as you just heard, this is an indictment in some ways, 30 years in the making. There is not a prosecutor in this room or an FBI agent
in this room that ever stops investigating. So, whether there will be additional charges, whether our -- additional defendants charged, who
knows?
But this -- an investigation like this is never over. And so, I assure you, the men and women who have been working tirelessly on this case for the
past several months, years are not just going to retire. So, you just point to somebody. I don't --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good afternoon. Many Cuban-Americans are elated, emotional, hopeful on a day like today. What do you tell the Cuban
community who is happy about today's announcement, but is wondering how you pursue these charges? What comes next?
BLANCHE: I mean, that's the same question I just answered. I think that there's a process that happens, right? And so, what's the first process --
it's a charge. It's an indictment. And that happens all across this country constantly. And then the next question is, OK, so, one, is this guy going
to show up and, you know, appear in court and have a trial or what have you?
And I would say to those that wonder whether this is just an indictment or we're going to go away, we're not. So, go ahead. Yes, the blue shirt. Yes.
I'll go to the middle next.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Attorney General Blanche, we would like to know what would be the next step to -- a lot of people are wondering if there will be
any sort of attack, military response from the United States if this now indictment gives permission for the United States to be closer to Cuba. And
again, get Raul Castro and those others implicated here to the United States.
BLANCHE: So, I'm the acting Attorney General, the Department of Justice. We bring charges. So, the question you asked is a question that involves
the department, the President of the United States, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of State, and doesn't involve the acting Attorney General.
So, all -- what I can tell you is that, this is -- this indictment, as we've said a bunch of times today, is a result of a lot of hard work. And
what we believe is an important step in bringing some semblance of justice to the families of -- and friends and loved ones of these men who were
murdered.
But beyond that, I'm not going to talk about what could happen with Cuba beyond that. Yes, go ahead.
GLORIA ORDAZ, TELEMUNDO CINCUENTA UNO: Attorney General, Gloria Ordaz from "Telemundo Cincuenta Uno", thank you for this opportunity. The next step is
going to be an arrest warrant. And I ask you this, because the Cuban exiles would love to see Raul Castro in the same position of Nicolas Maduro --
(APPLAUSE)
ORDAZ: And a lot of legal experts that we have interviewed during these days have said that Raul Castro, that this indictment will be more symbolic
that -- than practice, and that Raul Castro should probably die in Cuba. What is your message for them?
BLANCHE: Well, I'm not going to compare cases for one, for two. Like I said a few minutes ago, we indict men who are not physically within the
United States all the time. This is not a new endeavor or venture adventure for us.
And so, the way that we get people here who are charged with a crime varies. There's all kinds of different ways. And this is not -- you know,
there's an arrest warrant issued for a reason, because we certainly expect and believe that Mr. Castro is entitled to his day in court right here in
Miami. Suit, yes.
JESSE KIRSCH, REPORTER, NBC NEWS: Thank you, sir. Jesse Kirsch with "NBC News". You mentioned that the grand jury approved these charges weeks ago.
Curious to know what if any role the CIA director's visit to Cuba in recent days played in deciding to move forward with announcing this indictment.
And one -- oh, I'm sorry --
BLANCHE: I'm not going to get into why we decided to unseal the indictment today, except to note the place that we're standing and the important day
that today represents. But yes, you're right, there's a lot of factors that go into when a sealed indictment is unsealed if ever.
[14:10:00]
And so, beyond just the fact that -- look, by the way, it wasn't that long ago. It was late April, it's mid-May. So --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. One other question. When -- if people look at this and say this is at least, partially just a pretext to push for
regime change in Cuba, what would you say to people who take that perspective?
BLANCHE: I don't care what people look at and think. I mean, we returned an indictment, and that's what we're here to talk about. If people want to
speculate or think what they will, I don't -- I don't care. OK, one more question -- blue.
DEBORAH ACOSTA, REPORTER, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Hi, so, the final speaker - - oh, thank you. Hi, I'm Deborah Acosta with the "Wall Street Journal". The final speaker mentioned or hinted at a potential team of people that has
been put together to lead the country.
Who are those people? Are they in the United States? Are they in Cuba? Is it a mix of both? Can you share a little bit more about that team?
BLANCHE: I'm not sure what you're talking about. Can you say it again.?
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: At the -- the final speaker mentioned that there was a team of people that's going to lead this forward.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Final speaker.
BLANCHE: So, why don't we let the final speaker address that?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And thank you for the new nickname.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, very good --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He'll ever be known as the final speaker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's probably easier to pronounce than my last name, Outhmire(ph) --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think I referenced what you're saying, where I talked about people spread across the state. I was talking about the spies
and the criminal conspiracy that the evidence has revealed took place.
There were spies working from Miami all the way down to the Florida Keys, gathering Intelligence and providing it to the regime to figure out where
these aircrafts were going to be and put them in harm's way. As far as other geopolitical things, I'm going to stay in my lane for now. Thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
SOARES: Well, we returned there to Miami where we've been listening to the acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, take questions in the last what?
Forty-five minutes or so. We've seen them announce U.S. indicting former Cuban leader Raul Castro, who is 94 years of age.
I was speaking to my colleague, Evan Perez just before we took to the questions. I want to return, I'm hoping that Evans is with us, so, is
Patrick Oppmann, I believe our man in Havana. Great. I mean, the question there, Evan, was, he was asked -- Todd Blanche, exactly, not only about the
why now? But the question of the evidence. What stood out to you from what we heard?
PEREZ: Well, the -- that question actually was very operative, because as I was going through the documents that they unsealed in federal court,
there is very little new information about what they've -- they say they've uncovered.
Look, I think the answer is probably the one that Jason Reding Quinones; the U.S. Attorney in Miami said, which was, he took office last year. And
one of the first things he wanted to do was to redouble efforts to indict Raul Castro and to indict anybody else in the Cuban military who may still
be alive and who could be connected to the 1996 shoot-down of these brothers to rescue planes.
And so, that is probably the answer. The answer here in these documents is information that we already knew, which was that Raul Castro was the
defense minister, that there was this -- these meetings that the Cuban government was very upset about some of the activities of the Brothers to
the Rescue planes.
You know, in some cases, Jose Basulto who was the founder of the Brothers to the Rescue actually buzzed this -- the Havana skyline and released these
leaflets. It was very embarrassing, of course, for the Cuban military for that to happen.
And so, they were intent on stopping these flights. And so, the attack that happened that day, which according to, you know, the investigation,
indicates that it happened in international airspace, was meant to end those flights once and for all.
And so, that is what we're expected to see, what the -- what the prosecutors are going to lay out because, you know, whether these men had
done this in the past, what happened that day was, these were unarmed civilian aircrafts, and they were pursued by MiG fighters.
They were shot down. And one more thing, Isa, I should add is that in the six people that are indicted, there is one of them who is actually in U.S.
custody, and that is -- his name is Luis Gonzalez Pardo. He is a former Cuban Air Force pilot.
And apparently, he came to the United States a few years ago, applied for a green card and a bunch of people in Miami realized who he was. And so, he
was arrested for immigration fraud. And so, now, he is facing an additional charge in this -- in this indictment, conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals.
[14:15:00]
Apparently, according to the U.S. government, he was in a plane that pursued the planes that were shot down, but did not actually fire.
SOARES: Stay with us, Evan. I do want to go to Patrick Oppmann. And Patrick, I'm sure, you're hearing -- listening to that press conference
because what the Attorney General -- acting Attorney General said -- Todd Blanche is, "the reason we indict is because we want them here to face
justice."
He went on to say, "we expect that Raul Castro will show up here by his own will or by another way." That, to me, almost sounded like a threat or --
hey, comparisons as we've heard with Nicolas Maduro, who was yanked from his bed right in the middle of the night.
What has been the reaction? Or we'll talk to that point with Evan in just a moment. But what has been the reaction on this indictment? I know President
Canel has been speaking.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I should point out that I was able to watch the press conference and, you know, this
extraordinary indictment being announced. But because we have seen Cubans do not have CNN in their homes.
So, maybe they were able to follow us online somewhat. But if you're watching the Cuban newscast at 1 O'clock, you have this sort of surreal
news about Raul Castro's birthday being celebrated next month and the activities around that.
Only now on Twitter -- on X, have we got the first reaction from Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. And he is, of course, very angry and firing
back and saying that the indictment only, quote, "reveals the arrogance and frustration that representatives of the empire feel toward the unyielding
resolve of the Cuban revolution in unity and moral strength of its leadership.
And he goes on to say that the Brothers to the Rescue, you know, they were shot down in self-defense, as though, as Evan mentioned, they were unarmed
and civilian planes in international waters, according to the U.S. government at the time.
But he -- you know, justifies Miguel Diaz-Canel to shoot down Raul Castro's actions. So, you know, certainly what you'd expect from the Cuban
government that they are furious about this, and that if this is part of a pressure campaign to get them to make the concessions, that up until now,
they've refused to make, open up the political system, open up their economic system, kick out the listening posts that the U.S. government says
the Chinese and Russian governments maintain here.
You don't get any sense that this is going to work. If anything, the Cuban government seems more entrenched following the news of this indictment.
SOARES: Yes, let's then, Evan, speak to the timing of this before, of course, we were interrupted to go back to the press conference --
PEREZ: Yes --
SOARES: Is my question, because we have seen the director of the CIA in Havana. That was last week. We've seen that increased pressure that Patrick
was talking about on the island. I mean, is this indictment a kind of step then, towards regime change in Cuba?
Well, I mean, what are the next steps? What are we likely to see here, potentially, Raul Castro being extracted? Is this absurd? I wouldn't even
call it absurd anymore because we've been -- you know, we thought that was impossible, right? When we were talking about Nicolas Maduro. And yet it
happened.
PEREZ: Right, exactly. And that is exactly the playbook that some in the administration want to follow. If you remember, in that case, Maduro was
facing charges in the Southern District of New York. And so, now, for the first time, there are charges pending in the U.S. federal court.
And it gives the United States, the President, at least, the option to use the military, the U.S. military to try to snatch Raul Castro. Now, if you
notice, Patrick, I think has reported on this over the last couple of weeks. There's been an increase in U.S. Intelligence flights around the
island of Cuba.
It's not clear what they're listening for. What exactly they're looking for. But you can bet one of the things they are interested in is the
location of Raul Castro if the U.S. President makes that decision. One last thing is, obviously, the -- since the Maduro capture, things have changed a
lot.
The U.S. is now involved in this war in Iran that doesn't seem to end. And so, I'm not sure whether that calculation has changed all of this since
then.
SOARES: Yes, and of course, important to point out that for so many of those families of those victims, this was a moment to honor them. Of
course, as we heard four brave men were killed that day on a humanitarian flight mission as we heard from Todd Blanche, as I know some of the family
members were sitting in that front row.
Evan and Patrick, thank you very much to you both. We are going to stick with this breaking news story. I want to bring in Maria Jose Espinosa
Carrillo; she's the Executive Director at the Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas.
Maria Jose, thank you. Thank you for joining us in this breaking news. Just give me your reaction on this indictment. You know, 30 years in the making,
as we heard there from Todd Blanche. And really, the timing of this as my colleagues both in Washington and in Havana were talking about, you know,
the sanctions, the crippling or blockade, the CIA in Havana.
MARIA JOSE ESPINOSA CARRILLO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR ENGAGEMENT & ADVOCACY IN THE AMERICAS: Thank you, Isa, great to be here. Yes, the
indictment seemed to be part of a broader escalation strategy from Washington. Are your -- as your colleagues were saying.
Raul Castro is 94 years old, and one of the last living symbols of the Cuban revolution. So, indicting him is a major symbolic escalation and a
political message to Havana. It remains to see whether it becomes a bargaining tool, a symbolic pressure tactic, or actually a pretext for
further escalation, including a potential Maduro-style operation.
[14:20:00]
Even as we are also seeing direct channels between Washington and Havana open, and it comes after apparent growing frustration inside the Trump
administration that additional sanctions and a roughly four-month long oil blockade and diplomatic outreach from senior cabinet officials, including a
meeting with Raul's grandsons have not produced meaningful concessions from Havana.
I was recently in Cuba, and I think it's important to say that this is coming when the humanitarian reality inside the country is extremely
serious.
SOARES: Yes --
CARRILLO: It struck to me that it was not only material hardship, but exhaustion. People are organizing their lives around blackouts that are
lasting more than 20 hours a day. Hospitals are struggling, transportation is barely functioning.
Families cannot rely on refrigerated food or water. So, I encounter social exhaustion. This is a very --
SOARES: Yes --
CARRILLO: Dangerous moment for any society, and you see a lot of desperation on the ground.
SOARES: Yes, we've seen that frustration, we've been reporting on it as well. Blackouts the last, what? Twenty-two hours and the impacts, as you
say, Maria Jose, that this has had on everyday life and on in the health system as well, completely on its knees.
We did hear a message today. I want to go back to the politics, if you don't mind, for just a second, because we heard a message from U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a message, it seems -- it was a lengthy message, I believe, five and a half minutes in Spanish to the people of
Cuba. I want to play a little clip of it, and then we can talk afterwards. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: So, Maria Jose, really, I mean, do you know whether that message would have played out across Cuba if that indeed, that message was for the
people of Cuba, of Havana, and how something like that would be received. I mean, what is the U.S. trying -- wants to see here. People to rise up
against the regime?
CARRILLO: I think it was a very effective public message and strategy. Secretary Rubio seemed to be trying to speak directly in Spanish to
ordinary Cubans and to separate them from the Cuban state and from the military conglomerate, from GAESA. And a lot of what he said is right. The
Cuban government --
SOARES: Yes --
CARRILLO: Has failed to implement meaningful reforms, has restricted economic space, repressed dissent, and really prioritized control in ways
that have eroded public trust. So, it might resonate with many Cubans in Cuba and outside of Cuba.
The challenge is the strategy of maximum pressure without a clear end game. It is not entirely clear what the administration sees as a successful
outcome. What kind of transition it wants, and how stabilization would happen.
And it's also misleading to suggest that U.S. policy has nothing to do with Cuba's foreign conditions or the recent efforts to block oil shipments from
reaching the island are not directly affecting Cubans. That, a key point that have been living through severe shortages and blackouts for years.
So, the reality is that both government bear responsibility for the current crisis, and ordinary Cubans are paying the price. So, there is a visible
contradiction in the current U.S. approach. And for years, the United States has relied on economic pressure, brought sanctions, expecting
political change, but really has deepened hardship for ordinary Cubans, for civil society, for the private sector, and sort of reinforced the stage
mentality.
So, I think we're in a very dangerous deadlock. We have this external pressure without a clear roadmap and internal inflexibility that are
feeding off each other, while ordinary Cubans absorb the consequences.
SOARES: Yes, Maria Jose Espinosa Carrillo, thank you very much, Maria Jose, I really appreciate it. And still to come tonight, an update on the
deadly Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. We'll look at the healthcare workers, what they're really up against. That is next.
[14:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: A lack of medication, materials as well as manpower as the number of Ebola cases is expected to climb in Central Africa. The World Health
Organization says there are around 600 suspected infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with 139 suspected deaths.
It says the outbreak likely began a couple of months ago, meaning the virus was circulating well before the current epidemic was detected. The EU is
set to deliver around 100 tons of medical aid to the DRC. A doctor there says help can't come soon enough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISAAC MUGENI, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, RWAMPARA GENERAL HOSPITAL: Although, we keep receiving cases, we don't have enough space to admit and hospitalize
them. We have set up a tent right here already, and perhaps we will need another one to try to isolate patients in the immediate future.
There aren't enough medications, protective equipment or even staff. We will also need support to try and increase the number of staff who can
actually take care of these patients.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, our Larry Madowo is monitoring the outbreak from Nairobi while our Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin, where an American doctor infected
with Ebola is being treated after contracting the virus in the DRC as we've been telling you about in the last few days.
Larry, let me start with you. Just bring us up-to-date -- really, there's very latest numbers and speak to this kind of precautionary measures that
are now being put in place to try and stop the spread.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're putting in every effort to cut the transmission chain in the north-east of DRC, in Ituri Province, which
is the epicenter. They are doing isolation, contact-tracing, providing care for suspected cases and those confirmed cases.
And they're getting all this extra support material, equipment, personnel coming in to make sure that their treatment centers are properly provided
for. You heard the doctor complain about not enough PPE available, for instance, and they're making sure that all of this extra help from the
World Health Organization, from the U.S. CDC, from the European Union, from everybody else gets to the right people.
They're also starting to investigate exactly where and when this outbreak began. And that's where it gets complicated. But first, I just received the
latest numbers from the Health Ministry in the DRC. They say now 148 people have died, suspected to be of Ebola.
They're tracking about 847 contacts of people who could have come into contact with somebody who had Ebola. And the World Health Organization has
given us an explanation about what they think likely happened. Somebody died on April 20th.
Two days later, they were transported, and then there was a funeral on April -- on May the 5th. They picked up on social media that several people
from that funeral had died.
So, they suspect that May 5th event was a super spreader event and they sent some testing there and that's when they finally were able to confirm
that yes, there was an outbreak and not of the more common Zaire strain but of the Bundibugyo virus which is what they're dealing with right now, Isa.
SOARES: Seems they're targeting, of course, those key individuals was so important as you and I were discussing at this time yesterday.
Let me go to Fred. And, Fred, the doctor, of course -- the American doctor, I should say, that was infected with Ebola virus while working in the DRC
is now in a hospital in Berlin. I imagine he is in isolation. Just give us a sense of what you are learning.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very much in isolation and he arrived overnight, Dr. Peter Stafford and was
transported to this hospital in the north of Berlin, a big hospital compound, really in a convoy of specialized ambulances and also protected
by police as well because obviously, of course, this is being taken very seriously by the German authorities.
I was actually up at that compound a little earlier today and there's a new checkpoint that was set up there. There's signs that have been put up
everywhere around there as well, warning of infection risk in that area. Nevertheless, of course, this is one of the most professional institutions
of this nature, not just here in Germany, but indeed in the world.
I was also, Isa, in touch with the German health ministry and they say that the patient, as they put it, is currently in stable condition. They also
confirmed to me as well that the rest of Peter Stafford's family who were also in the Democratic Republic of Congo, that is his wife, Rebecca, who's
also a medical professional and their four children are now also being brought here to Berlin. They are going to be in the same isolation ward as
he is in as well.
However, of course, in separate rooms in that area, all of them are negative, have tested negative for the Ebola virus. However, because there
was that proximity, they are also going to be isolated as well. Of course, Isa, we have also heard that another American doctor who had contact with
Peter Stafford, Patrick LaRochelle, he's being brought to the Czech Republic to then be isolated and monitored there.
I was also able to contact the organization called Serge, which sent Peter Stafford to the Democratic Republic of Congo to provide medical assistance
to the folks there. They say that they're actually in contact with him, that he's actually in a state where he is able to text with them, in
contact with them. They say they see some encouraging signs.
They told me, and this was a couple of hours ago, they told me that he still has a fever, some nausea, a slightness of head, as they put it, that
he is indeed getting treatment inside that isolation ward, but they say that they are seeing some encouraging signs because he appears to be
stronger than he was yesterday when he went into a containment unit before going on the medical evacuation flight here to Germany. They say at that
point in time, he still needed some help to actually get into that containment unit.
So, certainly they say they see some encouraging signs. They, of course, understand that there is still a big risk there, but first and foremost,
they say, obviously for them, the big concern is also with the people who are in the area of that outbreak. Of course, that's a huge medical issue
for that part of the world, Isa.
SOARES: Yes, encouraging indeed. I know you'll stay on top of this, Fred. Thank you very much. Our Fred Pleitgen and our Larry Madowo in Nairobi.
And still to come tonight, the price of challenging Donald Trump. A look at how Republican voters are punishing politicians to stand up to the U.S.
president. That story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. It is becoming increasingly clear, if you are Republican, you cannot make an enemy of Donald Trump. On Tuesday,
Republicans in Kentucky voted for the president's hand-picked candidate over seven-term Congressman Thomas Massie.
Massie has clashed with the president over the release of the Epstein files and the war in Iran. Massie's loss is just the latest in a string of
defeats for the Republicans who refused to do Mr. Trump's bidding and then saw voters punish them for it. Let's get more on the story.
Larry Sabato is with me. He is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Larry, thanks for waiting for us. A lot of
breaking news this hour, so thank you for your patience. Let me start then with Thomas Massie and this defeat in Kentucky, because as I was saying,
this follows previous election losses for other Trump dissenters, including five lawmakers, I believe, in Indiana, the Louisiana senator, Bill Cassidy.
I mean, what kind of message, Larry, does this send?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: This is sending precisely the message that Donald Trump hoped it would, and the
message is to Republicans, Republican officeholders, the Republican electorate supports me between 80 and 90 percent, and if you challenge me
and if I decide to go after you, your public career is over.
And it's hard to dispute that. That's precisely the way it is. Some state Republican parties have encouraged this by shrinking their electorates.
They no longer permit independents, for example, to vote in their primaries. That way it's more purely Republican and more subject to Donald
Trump's directives or whims or whatever you choose to call it.
SOARES: And it does in many ways, Larry, like you're saying, it just shows how much he's still dominating the GOP and how much of a grip he has on the
Republican Party. And that is despite something that we've often talked about in the show, the economic concerns at home, the war with Iran that
hasn't ended, declining poll numbers.
In fact, let me bring up the poll numbers, the latest New York Times Siena poll that puts his standing in terms of approval rating at 37 percent
overall. How do we make sense of these things?
SABATO: We make sense of it because as I said, 80 to 90 percent of Republicans support Trump, but, and I'm not exaggerating, 1 percent of
Democrats support Trump. And what's really critical is independents that normally split 55-45 one way or the other, he's down to 30 percent support
or lower with independents. And that's why Republicans are going to have such a tough fall unless there's a dramatic change because of the end of
the war with Iran or gas prices fall, whatever it may be.
The fact that you lose independents by that kind of margin is deadly politically. So, we have a polarized electorate in a polarized country and
the polarizer is Donald Trump.
SOARES: I do want to stick with Trump, but I do want to shift gears, Larry, because President Trump has entered into an agreement with his
justice department that shields him as well as his family and his businesses from investigations into their taxes.
[14:40:00]
Essentially, it prevents the IRS from auditing any current or past, I understand, kind of tax return connected to the Trump business empire. And
there are some tax experts who say this could be worth more than $100 million to Trump. How much, Larry, do you think of a blowback do you think
there'll be over this? And how can there be checks on a president when agencies like the Department of Justice and the IRS have no interest in
checking him at all?
SABATO: Yes, they have no interest because, of course, Donald Trump appoints the head of the IRS and he appoints the head of the Justice
Department. And there's an acting attorney general who very much wants to become the permanent attorney general. So, what do you think the odds are
that he's going to go along with whatever Trump wants?
Look, it's breathtaking. I've never seen anything like this. And I've been around a long, long time. They're sucking up the privileges of office, the
perks of office, the money that can be raised, not only at home, but abroad through his businesses and his sons and other family members. It is just
unbelievable. No one can believe it.
Now, how are we having blowback? Of course, all Democrats oppose it and they don't control anything. What's been interesting to me is that, again,
privately, senior Republicans are saying this is outrageous. We've got to do what we can to stop it. Even the majority leader of the U.S. Senate said
he wasn't a fan of it.
But, you know, Isa, it's a long way from saying you're not a fan of something to actually stopping it. And Donald Trump is at the peak of his
power with Republicans. With everybody else, no. A gold standard poll just came out today, more or less reflecting what was in the New York Times,
except Trump's popularity, his job approval was down to 34 percent.
SOARES: And look, it really is, and from this side of the pond, watching it, it is breathtaking indeed. Let's see if we hear anything from
Republicans. But given, of course, what we saw in Massey, I very much doubt we're going to see any commentary on that. Larry Sabato, always great to
get you on the show, Larry. Thank you.
SABATO: Thank you.
SOARES: We're going to leave the United States for a second and turn to Israel and to a growing outrage over a video of Israel's far-right National
Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. The video, which his office posted, shows him taunting, as you can see there, Gaza flotilla activists while
they are being arrested by police.
Israeli forces intercepted the activists on Tuesday in international waters. Ben-Gvir's video shows people being held in the stress position at
the port of Ashdod. At one point, Ben-Gvir calls them, quote, "terrorist supporters" and says they are not heroes.
In a rare rebuke, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is criticizing Ben-Gvir. He says the way the activists were dealt with is, quote, "not in
line with Israel's values and norms." There has been international, widespread international condemnation, including from Canada. Canadian
prime minister, as you can see there, Mark Carney, calls their treatment abominable. Earlier, Canada announced it is summoning Israel's ambassador
in protest over this very video.
Prior to this incident, an Israeli official told CNN the International Criminal Court may be seeking arrest warrants for both Ben-Gvir and Defense
Minister Israel Katz. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, seen here with Ben-Gvir, says he thinks the court is seeking his arrest too. Mr. Netanyahu
is already wanted, as you know, by the ICC for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
We're going to take a short break, but we'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: Well, this week, we are exploring the global rise of Korean food as part of "K-Everything," a CNN original series with Daniel Dae Kim.
Alcohol in South Korea isn't just a pastime, as some of you may know. It is a way to unwind in a society that's typically reserved and where hierarchy
rules. Daniel Dae Kim gets a refresher on Korean drinking etiquette with three legendary chefs and restauranteurs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD: Cheers.
DANIEL DAE KIM, HOST, K-EVERYTHING (voice-over): Korea's drinking culture, I can honestly say, is unlike any other I've experienced on Earth. For
starters --
KIM: Who's the oldest, who's the youngest?
KIM (voice-over): There are rules.
KIM: I'm sure I'm the oldest. I'm the oldest, I'm sure of it.
KIM (voice-over): One, respect your elders.
MINGOO KANG, CHEF (through translator): Usually, the youngest person would offer a drink to the oldest person first.
KIM: When the youngest pours, he pours with two hands to everyone as a show of respect.
KIM (voice-over): Two, respect your boss.
KIM: And then it gets more complicated if you're in a work situation, right? Because you have to know the job titles of everybody.
Wow.
KANG: It's like yogurt.
KIM: It's like yogurt?
KANG: Yes.
KIM (voice-over): And three, come prepared to drink.
KIM: Now, it's a party. Now, it's a party.
KIM (voice-over): A lot.
LUCIA HK CHO, CEO, HWAYO GROUP: Hi.
KIM: We're talking about drinking etiquette, right?
CHO: Oh, OK.
KIM: And who pours for whom. So, we've determined that Chef Mingoo is the youngest, so he's been pouring.
CHO: So, he didn't teach you that it's a lady first in Korea?
KIM: Thank you for breaking up this boys' club. Cheers.
CHO: Cheers.
KIM (voice-over): The other thing you should know --
KIM: Wow, this looks good.
KIM (voice-over): -- food and alcohol go together in Korea, even if you're full. Drinks come with anju, or snacks.
KIM: What is this? This is so good. Is this sangtae?
KANG: Like dry pollack, dry cod.
CHO: Korean people have a huge respect for our heritage, but when it comes to globalizing it, we're still figuring it out. Beyond music and beyond
fashion, beyond beauty, how do we actually not just make this popular, make this something, how do we create a global culture for longevity?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And you can stream the full series in the U.S. on the CNN app, and globally, of course, on HBO Max.
And still to come right here on the show, who owns this art? France embarks on a new report -- a new effort to find the rightful owners of artworks
that were stolen by Nazis. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: The famed Musee d'Orsay in Paris has opened a new gallery full of works containing beauty and creativity, but also a sinister past. The art
on display was all looted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. It is believed its rightful Jewish owners likely perished in Nazi concentration camps. The
gallery is part of a new effort by French authorities to trace the origins of these works and hopefully return them to the families who should own
them.
For more on this, I'm joined now by Ines Rotermund-Reynard, provenance researcher at the Orsay Museum. Ines, welcome to the show. Really good to
have you here.
Look, we know -- we were looking at some of the numbers. We know that about, what, 100,000 artworks were looted in France during the war, but
only 1,500, from what I understand, 15,000, pardon me, pieces were returned because the original owners' identities could not be established. So, just
explain to our viewers why the museum decided to display these artworks and why now?
INES ROTERMUND-REYNARD, PROVENANCE RESEARCHER, MUSE D-ORSAY: Well, good evening. Thanks for inviting me.
Yes, it was important for us to give more transparency about our research, ongoing research, which not started yesterday. It started many years ago,
of course. But I think it is very important to share with the public this character of a liberty to really show the people the backside of a painting
with all the inscriptions and the labels, which might give indications on a rightful owner.
And so, what we would like to do is to share this ongoing research with the public and to give more transparency on our work, trying to identify, on
one hand, the works and on the other hand, the rightful owners, if the work was looted during the war.
SOARES: Yes. And as you were talking, I think my producer can bring up, we could see, because some -- from what I understand, the paintings are
displayed so visitors, as we're seeing there, can examine their reverse side. So, they can see stamps, they can see labels, inventory marks.
I mean, how has this been received by those visiting the museum, by different age groups, and perhaps generations in us looking for answers?
ROTERMUND-REYNARD: It's pretty new. We only opened a few weeks ago, but it's astonishing to see actually the public is very much interested by the
subject, especially the young ones, which is very good news, because I think there's not always the knowledge of what happened during the
Holocaust. And so, it's also important to kind of, yes, bring back this horrible memory to our public through the story of an artwork.
I just have to precise that it's a selection of the works which don't belong to the French Museum. It's kind of recovery. It was restituted by
Germany after the war. And it's kind of this heritage of a selection of works which we show there. And of course, research is still going on to
identify a rightful owner.
But I also have to say, it's also some works were restituted where we know it was not looted to a Jewish family because it was very connected to the
art market, which was a very -- which was very important during the occupation in France.
[14:55:00]
So, Germany after the war restituted all these works with this coming from France. And we are trying to shed light on the history of each work if
possible.
SOARES: Ines, really appreciate you coming on the show. Of course, it's really important to see those arts and also see the symbolism and the
momentous it is for how momentous it is for France, of course, confronting one of the longest sinuses as we've seen there. Thank you very much, Ines,
appreciate it.
ROTERMUND-REYNARD: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: And finally, for you tonight, Arsenal are back on top of the English Premier League, in case you didn't know, winning their first
championship in more than 20 years.
Just in case you didn't know, you know, the team's big win led to celebrations, as you might imagine, across London. The Gunners now lead the
league standings by four points. This comes after Manchester City's must- win match at Bournemouth ended in a one-to-one draw. Congratulations to them, even though I'm not an Arsenal fan.
That does it for us for this hour. A very -- another very busy hour. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with my colleague Max Foster's up next. I
shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
