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One World with Zain Asher

IRGC Warns It Will Retaliate Against Any Ceasefire Violations; Train Hits School Bus in Belgium, Two Children Among the Dead; W.H.O. Chief Says Ebola Outbreak is Outpacing Response Efforts; CNN Explores Developments in Ukrainian Deep Strike Drone Unit; Cornyn, Paxton Battle in Texas Republican Senate Runoff; 79-year-old President Trump Given His Annual Medical Exam. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired May 26, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Right, the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire coming under more strain, even as negotiations for a peace deal continue.

"One World" starts right now. Iran vowing to retaliate after the U.S. launches strikes on missile launch sites and mine-laying boats near the

Strait of Hormuz.

Plus, chaotic scenes outside an I.C.E. detention facility in New Jersey, protesters clashed with I.C.E. agents while the state's governor is refused

entry. And they were among the most fearsome predators to roam the earth, except for one drawback that has been the butt of many jokes.

We'll look at why T-Rex had tiny arms. Right, come to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. This is "One World". Iran's powerful Revolutionary

Guard is threatening to respond decisively to ceasefire violations by the United States as the supreme leader warns that America will no longer have

a safe haven in the Gulf region.

It comes just hours after the Pentagon carried out what it called self- defense strikes on Iran, targeting missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to upend a very fragile truce right now.

On Monday, both sides signaled progress in negotiations, even as Tehran complained of what it called institutionalized instability from the U.S.

side and contradictory messages.

President Trump, meantime, complicated discussions by proposing that, as part of any deal, Gulf nations should join the Abraham Accords, a demand

that was met with overwhelming silence. U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, have insists the peace deal is within reach. It all comes down to

just one word.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: With something like this, it's going to take a couple days to settle on even down to the disagreements over a

word sentence. So, we'll have to work through that. If there's going to be a deal, we're going to have to work through that, but this is, you know,

it's either going to be a good deal or there isn't going to be one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Zachary Cohen joins us live now from Washington. So, Zachary, the U.S. is calling these strikes self-defense. Firstly, what does the U.S.

mean by that? And second of all, how will this impact negotiations?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah Zain, this is a good example of how precarious of a moment we're in, even as there were

signs of some progress toward an incremental deal or agreement, sort of a deal to set the stage for a deal.

But U.S. Central Command saying yesterday that it did conduct these strikes that they're framing as defensive in nature, targeting first two IRGC boats

that they say were attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and then secondary destroying missile sites that they say posed a direct threat

to American forces in the area.

So, this is a very intentional effort by the U.S. to frame these strikes as isolated, as limited, and as responsive rather than part of a broader

planned operation. That's what a U.S. official was stressing to me in the aftermath of this, but still to your point, it raises key questions about

the impact it may have on negotiation.

We have already seen the Iranians respond by warning the U.S. that it will retaliate for any violation of the ceasefire, and we also heard those

recent comments from the new supreme leader, who vows to essentially attack U.S. forces in the region, wherever they may be, and even in allied and

partner military bases, they are not safe.

So, the two sides do appear to be further apart, perhaps than they were previously, when President Donald Trump was really voicing optimism about

the prospects of a deal, but those two things can be true at the same time as well. We've seen military back and forth like this happened during the

ceasefire, including back at the beginning of May.

You may remember that, but this is a little bit different, given the context of where we are with the negotiation process, and given where we

are in terms of Iran's effective control of the Strait of Hormuz, and that is really the big issue that Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed to when

he was asked about these strikes, while on his trip abroad.

Take a listen to what Rubio said when he was asked specifically about the U.S. military strikes on these IRGC boats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: Well, the straits have to be open, they're going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open. What's happening there is unlawful,

it's illegal, it's unsustainable for the world, it's unacceptable. I don't know of any country in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:05:00]

COHEN: So, Rubio saying the strait will be open one way or another. That does run counter to what we've heard from current former U.S. officials,

who say a diplomatic resolution, a negotiated resolution, is required in order to effectively open the strait. It is ironic, Zain, because the

allegations that the U.S. is making that these IRGC boats were attempting to lay minds in the Strait of Hormuz, obviously comes as the Strait of

Hormuz and its reopening are a key term in the ongoing talks as well.

So, a little bit of both sizing happening here, but the Trump Administration continuing to project optimism about the prospects of at

least an interim agreement.

ASHER: Right, Zachary Cohen, live for us there. Thank you so much. Let's bring in CNN Global Affairs Commentator and Former Deputy Pentagon Press

Secretary Sabrina Singh, joining us live now. So, it's interesting just listening to Zachary Cohen there. This administration is continuing to

express optimism about a potential deal.

However, they did conduct these strikes in the middle of very fragile negotiations, is exactly what you're saying, and Marco Rubio. The fact is,

the U.S. does, of course, want to get the Strait of Hormuz open, that is, of course, a priority. But still, just explain the strategy here, why

conduct these strikes right in the middle of such fragile ceasefire negotiations.

SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, the administration is in a bit of an awkward position. On the one hand, you know, the strait

remains closed. They've secured this temporary ceasefire, potentially extending it for 60 days, and yet we've seen the Iranian regime laying more

mines and possibly launching missiles towards our naval destroyers that are in the region.

So, these were defensive strikes. It's something that the U.S. has done throughout this war. It's basically done to protect U.S. assets if they

feel that the threat is incoming and imminent. Now, of course, there's the question of does this violate the ceasefire. I think if you know an IRGC or

an Iranian-backed group is launching a potential missile at U.S. forces.

I mean, the U.S. has to respond, so that's why you're seeing this kind of awkward play happening in real time on the ground or in the waterways. But

on top of that, I mean, yes, there is this ceasefire, but also you have to remember that the U.S. has a naval blockade, which is an act of war.

So, even though there might be this type of pause in the war, this is still a war, and it has not come to a close, as we can see this administration is

working towards every single day, but it is proving very, very difficult to get to that end and close of how this war actually wraps up.

ASHER: Yes, and there is still apparently a lot of optimism that some kind of deal can be reached. One of the things that Donald Trump just recently

talked about is the fact that he believes that any agreement his administration reaches with Iran would be the exact opposite of the JCPOA,

the agreement that was reached under President Obama.

And what's interesting about that is that any agreement the U.S. makes with Iran is, of course, always going to run into the same key issues, the issue

of uranium enrichment, the issue of what Iran gets in exchange for limiting uranium enrichment, including sanctions relief, economic benefits, et

cetera.

So, how could a deal that the Trump Administration reaches with Iran end up being drastically different from what we saw a decade ago?

SINGH: Well, this is very difficult, and I think that's why you're seeing so much criticism from both sides of the aisle, because there's not a clear

idea of what a deal with Iran could look like when it comes to the key components of why this administration launched this war in the first place.

Basically, what you have this administration negotiating is a deal to get to the deal. The deal that gets kicked down further down the road, maybe in

60 days, would potentially address the nuclear uranium, enriched uranium that's still sitting in Iran and Iran's ballistic missile program.

Those are the two key issues that remain sort of this cloud hanging over the administration. Right now, they just want to get the strait open. The

JCPOA, the Iran deal that was negotiated under the Obama Administration, took nearly two years to negotiate. And there were very strict guidelines

and monitoring requirements that Iran agreed to that were put in place.

So, can the administration get something even close to that? I mean, that took a lot of time, many at the table. You don't necessarily have that with

this administration, so you know it remains to be seen how this is going to be a better deal than what was negotiated under the Obama Administration,

let's hope it is.

But the nuclear program and the ballistic missile program is basically the status quo that it was before this war started on February 28th.

ASHER: Yes, and the last thing this administration would ever want to admit is that this war was a complete and total waste of time.

[11:10:00]

Just in terms of one other thing that the Trump Administration also came out with this idea that as part of any deal with Iran, various Gulf states

should sign up for the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel. He talked about Saudi Arabia signing up first and Qatar signing up

immediately as well.

And obviously, for the Saudis, the key issue just is always going to be the Palestinian issue. Just explain the strategy, what Trump is trying to

achieve with this, and how likely. I mean, as I understand it, this policy announcement was met with cricket. So just explain to us what the strategy

is, and why Trump would announce something like this?

SINGH: I mean, the strategy is a bit difficult to decipher. It's sort of like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. I mean, the

idea that these countries are now just going to enter into the Abraham Accords, while in theory that would be great for a normalization of ties,

that's going to take a lot of time, and we have an immediate problem right in front of us right now, which is the war.

I think this administration needs to focus its efforts on ending the war, and particularly opening the strait. I mean, Iran is willing to run down

the clock, and frankly has the time on its hands to do so. This administration, and I think you know, certainly Donald Trump is going to

does not -- not only does not have that time, but is facing the midterms come November, and this is a deeply unpopular war.

So, time is not on this administration's side. I would work on getting an end, getting a deal to end this war, to open the strait, and dealing with

some of the thornier issues, like the nuclear program that Iran is, of course, developing, and its ballistic missile programs, you know, in the

immediate.

I think the Abraham Accords are going to have to wait for a little bit before we can wrap up what's happening with our U.S. military right now.

ASHER: Right, Sabrina Singh, thank you so much, appreciate it. All right, the U.S. says that a deal with Iran could come within days. But on Monday,

Tehran reiterated its demand to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon. While Israel is doubling down, the IDF says it struck more than

100 targets in Lebanon overnight, and Prime Minister Netanyahu is threatening to intensify attacks against Hezbollah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We are not taking our foot off the gas pedal. On the contrary, I said we need to push the gas pedal even

harder. We will strike them. But what this now requires from us is to intensify the blows to increase the force. We will strike them decisively.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: A U.S. official on Monday signaled Israel had Washington's support for action against Hezbollah. The Israeli Prime Minister is set to convene

a security cabinet meeting later today. Right, a small Belgian town is in mourning today after a train hit a school bus, killing two children, the

bus driver and a chaperone as well.

It happened near a level crossing. Local media reports the bus was actually transporting students from a nearby special education school just north of

Brussels. Nada Bashir is in London for us with more on this. Nada, do we know what happened here? What went wrong?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is still an early-stage investigation, according to authorities in Belgium, but we do understand at

this stage, according to police officials, is that at the time of the collision, which was just after 08:00 a.m. local time this morning, the

barriers for that train crossing appear to have been closed.

There had been a red signal, according to eyewitnesses, warning on carbon traffic not to attempt to, of course, cross that closed barrier, but

clearly it appears that bus, that school bus carrying children, went through the barriers through the crossing, according to police officials.

And, of course, then we saw that deadly collision. Now, at this stage, police say it is simply too early to tell what exactly led to this deadly

collision, but this is the area they are focusing on. Take a listen to this statement from a police spokesperson, just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AN BERGER, SPOKESPERSON OF BELGIAN FEDERAL POLICE: At eight past eight, bus school bus past here, it was driving along the railroad, the driver wanted

to cross the railroad, which was closed at that time, eight, eight past eight. A train came from Bruges and drove into the bus.

Do we know if it was a human mistake or maybe a decision by the driver?

At this moment, it's too early to say anything, so the only thing we know is it was 8o'clock, eight past eight, and that the rail -- the railway was

closed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: The too early to tell, that is the message at this stage from police officials. But we know that police investigations are underway.

Forensics team does have to be on the ground as well.

[11:15:00]

What we do know at this stage, of course, is little more details on the casualties and fatalities, as you mentioned, Zain, at least two children

were among the four killed in this tragic incident, a 12-year-old and a 15- year-old, including as well as a school assistant aged 27 and the bus driver themselves aged 49.

According to officials, at least five other children are said to have been injured in the collision. They are in hospitals, said to be in a stable

condition at this stage. And, of course, we are still waiting to hear more from police officials as they learn more during their investigation.

ASHER: Nada Bashir, thank you for that update. Appreciate it. Right, coming up, Ukraine fights back. CNN takes you inside Ukraine's fearsome Deep

Strike drone unit. Plus, health officials try to contain the Ebola outbreak while scientists race for an effective treatment. Latest just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: -- says the outbreak is outpacing the response. Health officials say that there are now more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths

from the virus in DRC. There are seven confirmed cases in neighboring Uganda and one death. This is, by the way, the 17th Ebola outbreak the DRC

has dealt with in the past 50 years.

Scientists are scrambling to find effective treatments as there are no vaccines for this particular strain of the virus. For more, let's bring in

our Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell. I mean, as I mentioned, 17 Ebola outbreaks, so the DRC is clearly no stranger to this, but what is unusual

about this particular outbreak is that it is so fast moving.

And part of the reason is that there was just quite a bit of a delay in terms of identifying the first cases.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You're right, and part of the reason there was such a delay is that this is not the usual strain of Ebola

that we see in most outbreaks, and that is making this a much more complex situation to handle. There was a delay in the detection of this, partly

because the tests were designed to detect that other strain known as the Zaire strain.

But also, this is a complex situation because we don't have the vaccines and therapeutics that have been developed for previous outbreaks of Ebola

against this strain, which is known as Bundibugyo.

[11:20:00]

However, we are hearing about plans to ramp up clinical trials, and it's going to be therapeutics that actually come into those trials first. So, we

have heard from the W.H.O. that they are looking at two monoclonal antibody drugs as potential treatments for Ebola, both associated with previous

outbreaks of Ebola.

So, trying to see if there are components of those antibody drugs that could work here against this Bundibugyo strain, and so that clinical trial

is sort of in the planning process right now. We have also heard that there's an antiviral drug known as Obeldesivir that they're looking at for

post-exposure prophylaxis.

So, if somebody's been exposed to Ebola, they could take this drug and potentially prevent themselves from developing the disease, and so that

could help stop the transmission. And what's important about that drug is it can be taken orally, so that could be easier to administer in this

setting than monoclonal antibodies, which often are given by IV infusion.

Now, there's also work underway on vaccines for this strain of Ebola, but those are a little bit farther off. We're looking at six to nine months to

ramp up production of sort of human-grade versions of a vaccine that's based on a previous technology of an improved vaccine against the Zaire

strain.

They're going to adapt that to the Bundibugyo strain, but it's going to take that amount of time even to be able to potentially start clinical

trials. There's other technology that could be ramped up faster, but there's less data supporting that. And so, we are looking at right now a

situation where they're trying to get these therapeutic trials underway.

But they're going to be relying on the tried-and-true ways of trying to contain an Ebola outbreak, which is identifying cases, providing them with

supportive care and treatment, and identifying their contacts and isolating those contacts. This, of course, is very complex and difficult to do,

particularly in this region, but that they say is really how you need to stop an Ebola outbreak, Zain.

ASHER: Yeah, all these reasons are why W.H.O. say that it's going to get worse before it gets better. Meg Tirrell live for us there. Thank you so

much. Systematic strikes, Russia is threatening fresh attacks on Kyiv, and it is warning foreigners to leave the city as well.

This comes after an intense few days, with the Kyiv region facing one of the biggest bombardments of the war. Russia's Foreign Ministry says the new

strikes are in response to what it calls terrorist attacks by Kyiv on civilians in Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is weighing in on

the escalation threats after earlier speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: Well they sent a notice to all the embassies and I think he was just calling the person to tell me they told all the embassies to keep them

going to be a very dangerous place, and he's been a very dangerous place, not for a number of years, but the danger in all these wars, as they

continue and they go on, is that they always have the threat of escalation of spreading into something new.

So, I spoke to him yesterday about that, and a couple other topics, and obviously that Putin wanted asked him to call me to relay the message

directly to the president, which I did, but --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: While much of the world's focus has shifted to Iran in the past few months, Ukraine has boosted its military capabilities. Nick Paton Walsh

filed this report from Eastern Ukraine with a closer look at one Deep Strike drone unit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): President Trump once said Ukraine had no cards, but now they have built themselves a new deck. We are now with perhaps Russia's most keenly

sought target in the war a Deep Strike Ukrainian drone unit launching this night a wave of 200 attack drones into Russia.

WALSH: The issue here is the scale, potentially 20 drones being launched just from here, and three or four other locations around here also involved

in tonight's attack. The sheer number overwhelming, it seems, much of Russia's air defenses and causing persistent embarrassment to the Kremlin.

WALSH (voice-over): Working fast in silence, knowing an error with the fuel or explosives or launch could kill them all.

WALSH: They are a key target for the Russian shahid drones flying overhead, constantly interrupting their work, which is going to go on all night.

WALSH (voice-over): Close to here, Russian strikes have just hit Ukrainian civilians, and in Russian Stavropol, these Ukrainian drones' hits. The

mayor, telling Russians there to stay indoors. In another field, another technological leap is at work. Jet boosters used to get drones to their 120

mile an hour speed in just seconds.

At their base, one screen is a glimpse of a world order turned on its head. Dozens of Ukrainian drones roaming inside Russia.

[11:25:00]

Code coordinates targets AI powered, pulsing on the screen faster than your eyes can read. Russia often seen as the third largest military power preyed

upon by a series of laptops.

VECTOR, DEEP STRIKE COMMANDER AT DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE OF UKRAINE: It's our biggest advantage, and why it's so hard for Russia to destroy this program,

because we split up. We don't have any common centers, and we use dozens of places. Also, this software gives us a chance to work with thousands of

UAVs.

WALSH (voice-over): The Liutyi drone can take a huge payload, over 1200 miles. There are decoys, and a jet-powered drone, they say, seems to appear

like a rocket on Russian radar.

VECTOR: Those are decoys. We send hundreds of them, some are empty, some with a payload. The payload is small, but it's enough to destroy air

defense systems.

WALSH (voice-over): It is dizzying the speed of evolution, adaptation, ingenuity. Ukraine, two years ago, begging for old American missiles to hit

just inside Russia's borders, but now it builds itself and launches so many drones, often as deep as Russia and Siberia. Even Kremlin loyalists are

questioning Putin's end game.

Now the West wants to learn from what Ukraine had to do to survive when it didn't get the help it needed. Each leap advantage lasts just months before

the other side catches up. Ukraine is ahead for now, but only because it's learned it will likely be on its own when it's not. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN,

Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Right, still to come here, Republican dual in Texas heads to its final face-off. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn faces Texas Attorney General

Ken Paxton, who has Donald Trump's backing, details ahead. Plus checking in for his annual physical, an update on the aging president's health, just

ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

ASHER: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching today. Tehran is threatening to

retaliate following what the Pentagon calls self-defense strikes on missile launch sites of Iran and boats around the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Supreme Leader also warning the U.S. will no longer have a safe haven in the Gulf region. President Trump, meantime, is expected to convene

a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Wednesday. Belgian police say that it's too early to tell if a school bus driver deliberately drove through a

closed railroad barrier earlier.

A train hit the bus, killing four people, including two children, ages 12 and 15. Several others are being treated for injuries. Rescue teams are

racing against the clock to get seven people trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos, cave divers are squeezing through narrow flooded corridors in a

very delicate operation.

Villagers went into the cave looking for gold nearly a week ago, but were trapped when flooding blocked the exit. Voters in Texas are heading to the

polls in a high-stakes primary election, that's become another test of Donald Trump's influence in the Republican Party.

Longtime Republican Senator John Cornyn is fighting for his political life. He's up against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who got a major boost

when President Trump endorsed him just last week. CNN's Arlette Saenz is following that primary battle in that Texas Senate runoff. She takes a

closer look now at the Republican rivals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Republican duel in Texas heading to its final face-off.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I think Ken Paxton's flaws and the baggage he brings to the general election is going to be exploited to the fullest by

James Talarico and by Democrats.

SAENZ (voice-over): Senator John Cornyn in his last stand against State Attorney General Ken Paxton, who received President Donald Trump's

endorsement despite concerns raised by GOP leaders in Washington.

KEN PAXTON, TEXAS REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE: I don't know if you all notice this, but Donald Trump endorsed me this week.

SAENZ (voice-over): In a Sunday appeal to Texas Republicans. The president, writing on Truth Social, Paxton was very loyal to your favorite president,

me, while Cornyn was very disloyal to me as president. Despite Trump's opposition, Cornyn is pressing forward to keep the Senate seat he's held

since 2002 insisting, he's on the president's side.

CORNYN: I really don't think it was about me. I think it's very different from the Cassidy and Massey situation, because I've been a Trump ally. I

think he got frustrated with the Senate not able to get what he wanted when he wanted it.

SAENZ (voice-over): Many GOP senators are not falling in line with Trump's support for Paxton, who has survived a series of personal and political

scandals.

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): This guy is an empty suit, and will do us no service by being in the U.S. Congress.

SAENZ (voice-over): And some Republican voters say they're not swayed by Trump's pick.

RANDY MARSHALL, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I'm going to stay with Cornyn and vote for him. I think stability is the name of the game right now.

SAENZ (voice-over): Paxton is ready to turn the page. He stopped airing negative ads against Cornyn, and is targeting James Talarico, the

Democratic nominee.

PAXTON: Look, the party is an open door. We have to unite. We have a common enemy, James Talarico.

SAENZ (voice-over): The GOP is testing out lines of attack against Talarico, starting beef over a common breakfast taco order.

JAMES TALARICO, TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINEE: -- breakfast tacos.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Potato, egg and cheese?

TALARICO: That's right.

SAENZ (voice-over): And his past comments about reducing meat consumption.

PAXTON: How about tofu Talarico? How about Telefrico? Telefrico.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And he's a vegan. He's a vegan in Texas, and you can't get elected as a vegan in Texas.

SAENZ (voice-over): Talarico, who is not a vegan, has pushed back and argued Texas is primed to turn blue in November.

TALARICO: They're going to throw everything they have at us. They'll call our movement un-Texan, un-American. They'll call us a threat. The only

truth is we are a threat. We're a threat to their corrupt system.

SAENZ (voice-over): For now, Republican voters, even Cornyn supporters still feel confident Paxton would defeat Talarico.

BOBBY WAITE, CORNYN SUPPORTER: I think we're ready enough that it doesn't matter whether it was Paxton or Cornyn, whoever the Republican is going to

win.

CYNDEE BALDWIN, UNDECIDED REPUBLICAN VOTER: I think he would fare well against Talarico. I think it would be a good race.

SAENZ: The Texas Senate primary has already amounted to the most expensive U.S. Senate primary in history, with more than $30 million spent in this

GOP runoff alone. Pro Cornyn forces have outspent Paxton and advertising by four to one, and whoever emerges from this GOP runoff will face off against

a formidable fundraiser and Democrat James Talarico.

The Democratic nominee raised more than $27 million in the first quarter of 2026.

[11:35:00]

The big question going forward is how much each of the national parties will invest in this state come November as Texas could be critical to both

Democrats and Republicans in their path to the Senate majority in this year's contest. Arlette Saenz, CNN, McKinney, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: The U.S. President is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his annual physical and dental exam. Trump, now 79 became the

oldest president ever inaugurated last year, and questions have continued to swirl over his health. His physicians have previously offered rosy

assessments.

He last visited Walter Reed in October for what his doctor later said was the CT scan to rule out cardiovascular issues. Senior White House Reporter

Kevin Liptak joins us live now. It's interesting, isn't it? Because the president built his entire campaign attacking Joe Biden based on health

issues.

And the fact is that this president is the oldest president to ever be inaugurated in American history. He now faces scrutiny of his own, Kevin.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, he certainly does. You know, he's built his entire political brand on strength and vigor, so any

sort of cracks in that armor, I think he is very acutely aware of. You know, this is his third visit to Walter Reed for an exam since he came into

office.

It's actually his fourth medical checkup altogether. After each of them, the White House physician has given him a clean bill of health. They say

that his health is exceptional, despite what have been visible ailments popping up over the last year. You know, you have the bruising on his hands

that he covers up kind of sloppily with a bunch of makeup.

The White House says that's because he takes a large dose of aspirin and shakes a lot of hands. You have the swelling in his ankles, which they say

is a common vein disease. They say he's using a cream to treat a rash on his neck. Then you have the episodes that have happened over and over of

appearing to doze off during meetings that are on camera.

The White House has tried to explain that away as just an extended blink, but it isn't tamping down on concerns a lot of Americans have about his

health. You know, ABC asked last month if Trump was in good enough physical health to serve effectively as president. Only 44 percent said that he was,

which was a 10-point drop from September.

When they asked whether he had the mental sharpness it takes to effectively serve as president, only 40 percent said yes. Now they haven't said much

about what they'll be doing up at Walter Reed. He's been there for about 2.5 hours already. They said it would be a routine medical and dental

checkup, although we should note he's already been to the dentist twice already this year.

They didn't say whether he'd take a cognitive exam, which he has done repeatedly and likes to talk about. They also didn't say whether he'd be

going under any anesthesia, which he would need for something like a colonoscopy, and would require temporary handoff power to the vice

president.

We do expect results from this exam to come out in the next day or so, but Zain, the president isn't legally required to divulge anything about his

health. Anything that he does put out is filtered through the White House and through himself, which essentially ensures that everything we do learn

about his physical condition is something that the president wants us to know about.

ASHER: Yeah, that's, you know, that was going to be my next point. This idea that we wouldn't necessarily even know the truth, depending on what

the results of his tests are. But in other news, Kevin, there is some construction happening at the White House. And I understand that the White

House is, you chuckle there.

The White House is preparing to construct a stage for a UFC fight. Walk us through it.

LIPTAK: Right. And I chuckle because there's actually a lot of construction going on at the White House. This is just one of the projects that the

president is undertaking, and what they're doing is building this large dome-like structure that will go over the top of the octagon for this fight

card that's set to take place on June 14th, which, related to the last story, is the president's 80th birthday.

It's 115 feet high. It's essentially like a rigging and lighting structure that is currently dangling over the South Lawn on a bunch of steel cables.

This will ensure that the camera shots of this UFC fight all have the White House in the background. It's a huge structure, 500,000 pounds.

It was built in Belgium and has been shipped over here. You know, this is going to be an enormous event. They're expecting 5000 people on the South

Lawn to witness it. There'll be another 100,000 people on the Ellipse, and sort of a fan zone. It's all part of the 250th celebration of the U.S.

founding.

This is the president's way of celebrating it. And it's just remarkable when you look at the work that's underway. It's starting, you know, almost

a month early. They've put down flooring, they're going to build an arena, so quite a major event that's due to take place in a few weeks from now.

ASHER: Kevin Liptak live for us there. Always an eventful day covering the White House, I'm sure.

[11:40:00]

All right, still to come, dozens of protesters surround an I.C.E. facility with stories of deplorable conditions inside, while we can't verify if

they're true. Talk about that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: Take a look at this video of protesters outside a nice detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. For days now, crowds have been protesting

what they say are poor conditions inside. There are also reports of a hunger strike taking place inside. The Department of Homeland Security says

about 125 protesters surround the facility, blocking anyone from entering or leaving.

So, I.C.E. officials suspended visitation, they say, out of an abundance of caution. Even New Jersey's Governor couldn't get in to see the conditions

for herself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ): Everyone, regardless of your status, should be treated with dignity, making sure that you make your doctor's appointments,

that you get your medication. We're having reports that women who are menstruating have to ask every time they need products.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

SHERRILL: That's humiliating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Gloria Pazmino is covering the story, joins us live now. So, just in terms of all of the accusations about inhumane subpar conditions, what do

we know about what's taking place behind closed doors, Gloria?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Zain. We have actually been in touch with attorneys who are representing some of the detainees who are

being held at Delaney Center, the immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey. And they have reported that their clients have received spoiled

food, food that has expired.

They say that their clients are being held in very cold cells, they have a lack of access to medical attention. I should mention that there are about

300 detainees at Delaney Center right now. They include men and women, including women who are pregnant and have reported a lack of medical care.

Now, this all sort of escalated significantly over the weekend, after demonstrators tried to prevent a detainee transfer from happening, at one

point they were blocking vehicles, and they have told us that this is happening in retaliation for what's happening inside the detention center.

[11:45:00]

The detainees have put on a hunger strike to protest conditions and bring attention to the conditions that they're being held in now.

The Department of Homeland Security denies that there's a hunger strike going on inside the facility, and they say that the protesters blocked

exits, they tried to prevent detainees from being transferred, and that they essentially have been disrupting the area around the facility, which

is why they have suspended visitation.

They say out of an abundance of caution and for safety reasons. Now, you mentioned the Governor of New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill. She was there

yesterday morning trying to gain access to the facility in order to conduct oversight. She was denied that entry, along with members of Congress who

represent the area.

We heard from them directly about why they're trying to get inside. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D-NJ): Reason they want to make this as hard as possible, they won't let the governor in, is because they don't want us to

tell the stories of what's happening inside, because when we tell the stories everyone in New Jersey, and people across the country realize this

is not who we are as a country, but a reflection of who we are in this moment under the Trump Administration.

SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): These are not the people that Donald Trump keeps saying that they are trying to lock up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Congressman Andy Kim, who you just saw in the video, there was actually caught up in the scuffle yesterday, he was pepper sprayed by some

of the federal officers who are on scene trying to contain the protesters who are actually still there at this hour, continuing to demonstrate.

So, we'll see what happens over the next several hours, and whether or not lawmakers are granted access inside, Zain.

ASHER: Gloria, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it. Right, still to come, life finds a way. Those iconic words from Jurassic Park can apply to

the motivation behind a new study. Details ahead on a major head scratcher involving the T-Rex.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: This movie is basically my childhood. We are all familiar with that mighty roar from Jurassic Park -- about 33 years ago, but there is one

question that it left unanswered. Why on earth did the T-Rex have such tiny arms?

[11:50:00]

Scientists may have finally worked it out. A new analysis of 85 different dinosaur species suggests that tiny arms were actually an evolutionary

trade off. They may have declined in size and importance because evolution prioritized another part of the body, which grew large and powerful, the

skull.

Let's discuss this with my next guest, Stephan Lautenschlager. He's an Associate Professor of Paleontology at the University of Birmingham. This

is first of all producer pitched this story. She absolutely loves it, but I also find it fascinating as well, because my kids are obsessed with

dinosaurs.

And this issue about the T-Rex's arms has come up once with my seven-year- old. And I honestly just always assumed that the arms were probably a lot stronger than they looked, so even though they were tiny, they were

certainly powerful. That's what I thought. But just talk us through this new modern theory.

STEPHEN LAUTENSCHLAGER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN PALAEOBIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Yes -- simple answer, if you want a simple

answer, is T-Rex didn't need any big and powerful arms, because it could do everything it wanted to do with its jaw and with its skull.

If you want to have a bit more of a detailed answer, then yes, of course, this is part of an evolutionary trajectory, a long-term process that does

not only involve T-Rex, everyone knows T Rex, and the tiny arms, and there are jokes about it, and memes, and things like that.

But actually, that has happened to a lot of other large meat-eating dinosaurs that they preferred to have large, powerful, strong jaws rather

than large and strong arms. And yeah, one seemed to have worked a lot better than the other, and seems to have been much more beneficial.

That's why in this study quite a lot of dinosaurs were tested, and quite a lot of those large meaty eating dinosaurs were found to have reduced the

arms, and in compensation, yes, for the skull, and having larger jaws and more powerful jaws.

ASHER: But why can't it have both? Just in terms of evolution, what I mean, obviously we all know that the T-Rex, when it goes to battle, uses its

skull, that's how it tears apart its prey, that's how it fights. But why did evolution decide that it should favor one part of the body over

another? Could it not have both?

LAUTENSCHLAGER: Well, one thing with evolution is that it's not actively deciding --

ASHER: -- why did evolve that way is my question.

LAUTENSCHLAGER: -- Yes, now it works in a way that it filters out what works best and what doesn't work. And we can't forget that evolving

different body parts, different skeletal elements, different parts of skeleton, different bones is energetically very costly. So, you need a lot

of energy to maintain these body parts.

If you have large arms, obviously a lot of muscles need to go into that, a lot of blood vessels that are associated with that nervous tissue, things

like that, everything that needs to be maintained for an animal of size of T-Rex, which is somewhere around 10 meters plus, minus, this is very

costly.

So, evolution, if you want to call it that, is very economical, very efficient, and reducing what is not necessary, and then investing that

energy, and what works best.

ASHER: So, it likes sort of specialty focus on one thing. And just in terms of earlier relatives of the T-Rex. I mean, did earlier relatives of the T-

Rex have longer or larger arms?

LAUTENSCHLAGER: Yes, absolutely. So, we see that the evolution from fairly small-sized animals, about the size of 1, 2, 3 meters, somewhere in the

ancestry of Tyrannosaurus, they look a bit more, as you would imagine, a carnivorous dinosaur looks like with fairly long arms, smaller jaws,

smaller skulls, and throughout millions of years of evolution.

We see that gradually these arms are getting shorter, the skulls are getting bigger, and the skulls are getting stronger.

ASHER: So, what were the purpose of its tiny arms? I mean, they were still useful in some capacity. In what capacity?

LAUTENSCHLAGER: We can't forget that even though we call them tiny compared to a human, they were still very large -- very strong.

ASHER: Yes of course.

LAUTENSCHLAGER: So probably could rip up a human without any problems. They're just tiny in comparison to that 10-meter animal. So, it may have

used that for grasping prey, but obviously that was not the main function. It couldn't hold on to a large triceratops or large sauropod or something

like that, but it would help probably in wrestling prey, even though it would do very, very little to do that.

[11:55:00]

ASHER: Right, it's the main weapon it had, as you pointed out, is its goal. Stephan Lautenschlager, thank you so much. OK, finally, before we go, the

annual cheese rolling contest at Cooper's Hill in Southwest England was back on Monday. It's been described as the world's most dangerous race.

And you can actually, I'm coughing and laughing at the same time. You can actually see why competitors have to acknowledge that they take part at

their own risk as they dash after a wheel of double Gloucester cheese down a steep hill. Germany's Tom Kopke out-tumbled local hero Chris Anderson,

who has won over 20 races, despite multiple broken bones, suffered for the cheese.

I literally would have laughed more if I wasn't coughing -- All Right stay with CNN, there's much more "One World" with my colleague Bianna Golodryga.

And we'll have some water right now after the break. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END