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CNN Headlines: Millions of People Across the Plains and U.S. Midwest Under Threat from Dangerous Storms Today; Two Military Jets Collide During an Air Show, Forcing the Pilots to Eject as the Planes Crashed in a Fiery Explosion; CDC Racing to Help Contain a Growing Ebola Outbreak in Africa After the World Health Organization Declares a Global Health Emergency. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired May 18, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
BRAD SMITH, ANCHOR, CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS: Millions of people across the plains and Midwest are under threat from dangerous storms today. We'll show you where the conditions for tornadoes, hail and damaging winds will be the worst. And --
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(IN-FLIGHT COLLISION OF TWO MILITARY JETS)
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SMITH: Two military jets collide during an air show, forcing the pilots to eject as the planes crashed in a fiery explosion. Plus, the CDC is racing to help contain a growing Ebola outbreak in Africa after the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency.
And New Yorkers are bracing for travel chaos this morning after a strike shuts down North America's largest commuter rail system. We've got the full details you need to know before you go out. Good morning, everyone, I'm Brad Smith, this is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS and glad that you're with us this morning.
Let's get started. Intense tornadoes, destructive winds, heavy rain unfolding across the plains in the Midwest. We're tracking signs of a stormy Spring. Over a dozen tornadoes reported Sunday alone, including this one in Nebraska.
You're looking at a massive tornado caught on camera near Palmer, that's about 130 miles west of Omaha. Now, in its wake, take a look at this. First responders sorting through the debris scattered everywhere, helping people pick up the pieces.
Several homes destroyed and widespread damage leaving lives changed. Unfortunately, more storms like this are on tap today. Meteorologist Melissa Nord takes us through the forecast.
MELISSA NORD, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The severe threat intensifies on Monday after already seeing confirmed tornadoes on Sunday and baseball-sized hail in some of the thunderstorms. Now, for Monday, we have a level four out of five risk of severe weather that includes near Wichita up to Topeka, Kansas, in that red color on the map.
And that level two risk in yellow, stretches as far east as Chicago and Detroit, where we could see damaging winds possible with these clusters of thunderstorms. There's already going to be some early morning leftover remnants of storms ongoing first thing on this Monday.
But then as we wait and watch that daytime heating gets underway, that will initiate new rounds of thunderstorms to develop Monday afternoon and evening. You can see some of these starting to pop-up over Kansas there by mid to late afternoon.
They might start more discrete as supercell thunderstorms with large hail and tornadoes. The greatest threat. Then as we get later into the overnight Monday, becoming more of a damaging wind threat there.
And then for Tuesday, not done with thunderstorms yet, level two risk of severe weather from Dallas up to Detroit. Now, on the back side of this, west of this dry line, we're expecting strong winds and also really dry air.
So, fire conditions, the conditions are really prime for any spark that ignites to spread very quickly. You notice in that pink color Amarillo once again, extreme fire conditions likely with some of those wind gusts in the afternoon, 40 to 50 miles per hour.
And in front of this system, record heat. We saw records set on Sunday. We'll see more Monday and even Tuesday, pushing further towards the east coast.
SMITH: Thank you, Melissa. More on that wildfire threat considered extremely critical. The most severe rating. Crews are battling to get this one near Campo, Colorado, under control. Earlier, evacuation orders have been lifted, but officials say stay alert, conditions are rapidly changing.
Well, tragedy narrowly averted in the western skies, this morning, four Naval aviators are safe after parachuting from their fighter jets following an in-flight collision during an air show in Idaho. Take a look at the moment of impact.
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(IN-FLIGHT COLLISION OF TWO MILITARY JETS)
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SMITH: And this is what people near the runway saw, thick black smoke pouring into the sky after that crash.
[05:05:00]
It happened about two miles from Mountain Home Air Force Base. Officials say all four aviators are in stable condition, and incredibly, no one on the ground was hurt. Here's one attendee describing what she saw.
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ANNA WHITE, ATTENDED AIR SHOW IN IDAHO: We were actually watching two planes right in front of us doing, you know, the air show and watching them for quite a while. And then we, of course, started looking at the road, and that's when we saw that big black, a plume of smoke behind us. So, we didn't actually see the collision happen, but we did see, you know, the aftermath.
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SMITH: Organizers ended up calling off the airshow after the crash. This is not the first incident at this base. Back in 2003, a thunderbird's fighter jet crashed. And in 2018, a hang glider pilot was killed. Yesterday marked the first time that the base had hosted an air show in eight years.
We'll have much more on this story coming up in our next half hour. Well, President Donald Trump issuing another new warning to Iran as he considers whether to resume military strikes there, posting online that if Iran doesn't act, quote, "quickly", there won't be anything left of them.
Now, in the post, the President is warning that the clock is ticking and he's expected to hold another meeting with his national security team this week. And the Pentagon has already prepared a series of target plans in case Trump decides to resume strikes.
Meanwhile, an Israeli official tells CNN, President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday. The call comes just one day after Trump met with his national security team to discuss the path forward on the war.
And top Iranian officials hosted the Pakistani Interior Minister and underscored what they describe as the U.S. destabilizing presence in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin heading to Beijing tomorrow. He'll be there for two days and will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The Kremlin says that the two leaders will discuss bilateral issues, as well as ways to strengthen their partnership and strategic cooperation. Putin is also expected to discuss President Trump's recent visit. Back here stateside. Long Island transit in limbo.
This morning, hundreds of thousands of commuters in New York are waking up to a major travel disruption. A strike has shut down the Long Island rail road. This is the busiest commuter rail system in North America after workers walked off the job just after midnight Saturday.
It is the first strike there in more than three decades. They say that they're fighting for higher pay after years without a new contract and struggling to keep up with the high cost of living. Negotiators, they worked through the night Sunday into early this morning, trying to reach a deal between the unions and the MTA. But after hours of talks, the two sides could not come to an
agreement. Officials say that even if a deal had been reached, trains would not have been ready in time for Monday commute. Governor Kathy Hochul says that this rail line is critical to daily life on Long Island.
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GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): The bottom line is no one wins in a strike. Everyone is hurt. The hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the railroad and the thousands of unionized workers who are losing out on wages. I want to speak directly to the men and women of labor at the LIRR.
The work you do is absolutely vital. Absolutely. I value your labor, and I believe that you deserve fair wages and benefits. But this strike has put all that at risk.
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SMITH: Talks are set to resume again today, with pressure building to end the strike. Well, terrifying weekend of seemingly random shootings across Austin, Texas, ends with two people in custody. Law enforcement is still on the lookout for one more person. It all started Saturday, and by Sunday, police ordered some people to shelter in place.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very nervous. Very nervous to go out. You never know who is out there. You never know what people are thinking, what they got planned. You know, everybody's got problems, but man, that's not the way to solve it.
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SMITH: In all, police say that there were ten shootings at different locations, including two at fire stations. Four people were wounded, one seriously. Well, happening today, Luigi Mangione; the man accused of killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO in 2024, heads back to court for a major hearing that could shape the case against him.
A judge is expected to decide whether prosecutors can use key evidence, including a 3D printed gun, ammunition and writings that police say were found in his backpack. Mangione's attorneys argue that search was illegal and say that he also was not properly read his Miranda Rights.
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If the judge agrees, some of the prosecutions most important evidence could be thrown out. We'll continue to track that, we've got lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, including this.
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(TRAIN CRASHES INTO A TRUCK) (END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: An unbelievable crash caught on video. This train clipping the back of this truck just as it crossed the tracks. And get ready, whether you're flying or driving, Summer travel season is going to put a dent in your pockets.
Southwest Airlines as well, while we're talking travel, is saying leave your robots at home people. People checking human-like robots into their carry-on bags is causing major problems for the carrier. Find out why when CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS returns in a moment.
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[05:15:00]
SMITH: This morning, a cruise ship linked to a rare deadly hantavirus outbreak is docking in the Netherlands as health officials race to contain the spread. The ship, the MV Hondius, arrived in Rotterdam just a short time ago and is now being prepared for cleaning and disinfection.
Dutch officials say quarantine arrangements are being put in place for the 25 remaining crew members and two medical staff still on board. The World Health Organization says that there are now at least nine confirmed cases of hantavirus worldwide involving passengers who traveled after leaving the ship.
This weekend, Canadian health officials also announced a presumed positive among four Canadian passengers. Here in the U.S., 41 people are now being monitored. Three people have died since the hantavirus outbreak began.
And now, the CDC is also up with updated guidance urging close contacts to track their health for 42 days and for high-risk cases, recommending twice daily checks with in-person visits, not virtual ones. Health officials say people at high risk should stay home, avoid travel and limit contact with others.
As for another outbreak, the CDC is deploying resources after the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency for the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The team will help with containing the outbreak through contact-tracing and testing.
The CDC says at least 88 people have died amid a surge of hundreds of suspected cases. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this rare strain of the virus. More in this morning's HEALTH EXPRESS.
Ticks are surging across the U.S., and so are ER visits. The biggest spike is in the northeast, with the Midwest close behind. Experts say that warmer temperatures are driving more tick activity and expanding where they can live.
The CDC says it's the worst it's been in nearly ten years. And some troubling health news out of California. The state is seeing what experts call the largest known outbreak of deadly mushroom poisonings in the country's history.
According to the California Department of Public Health, there are now 47 confirmed cases since November. That includes four deaths and at least four illnesses that required liver transplants. Keep tabs on that as well. Stick with us on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
Crazy scenes, long lines around the country, all for a $400 watch. Why fans can't get enough. Plus, the war with Iran will have an effect on Summer travel and how much it's going to cost you. We'll get into it on the other side of the break. Stick around, you're watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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[05:20:00]
SMITH: Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back. Thousands of sailors are back in Norfolk, Virginia, after being deployed for 326 days. You can see some of the emotional reunions right now. The USS Gerald R. Ford, along with two other ships, returned after supporting U.S. military operations around the world.
The deployment is the longest for a U.S. aircraft carrier since the Vietnam war. Thank you all for your service. Well, if you filled up your tank lately, you know the gas prices remain sky high. And it comes as millions of Americans are getting ready to travel for Memorial Day weekend.
And it isn't any cheaper to fly to your destination. Airfares are also high to offset rising jet fuel prices. Jenn Sullivan has more on the ongoing war with Iran and how that's straining Summer travel.
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JENN SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): From high gas prices to soaring airfares, travelers are bracing for an expensive Summer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a vehicle that takes premium gas only, and I'm not driving it very often now.
SULLIVAN: As of Sunday, the national average for a gallon of regular gas was $4.51 according to AAA. Before the war with Iran, the average was $2.98. That's more than a 50 percent increase in less than three months. And drivers hitting the road on Memorial Day weekend should expect prices to remain high.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're paying well over what we were this time last year.
SULLIVAN: AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz says the pain at the pump isn't stopping people from traveling, though. AAA estimates a record 45 million people will travel 50 miles or more between this upcoming Thursday through Memorial Day on the 25th, and experts warn high prices will likely continue until the war with Iran is over.
PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Once we see a little bit more clarity in the timing and the scope of any agreement, oil prices would likely start going down noticeably.
SULLIVAN: Iran's hold on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is keeping supplies lower than normal. Normally, 20 percent of the world's oil supply travels through this key waterway, and a deal to end the war appears far off between the U.S. and Iran. When asked about the negotiations recently, President Donald Trump said this.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They have fully agreed. No nuclear -- they have any nuclear of any form, I don't read the rest of their --
SULLIVAN: Many experts say if the Strait remains closed through the start of the Summer, gas prices could be even higher by July 4th. I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.
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[05:25:00]
SMITH: Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Take a look at this. Two military jets collide during an air show, the pilots forced to eject. The latest on this incident coming your way. And take a look at this tornado, it ripped through a Nebraska town, destroying multiple homes and buildings, and the threat is still not over.
And there's dramatic video of a train clipping the back of a truck just as it crossed the tracks. That story and much more as CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS continues.
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