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CNN Headlines: Colbert Bids Farewell On Final Episode Of "The Late Show"; Gas Prices Hit New High Ahead Of Memorial Day; Republicans Revolt Over Trump's $1.8B "Anti-Weaponization" Fund. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired May 22, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:23]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE NIGHT HOST: Tonight is our final broadcast from the Ed Sullivan Theater where --
(BOOS)
COLBERT: No, no, we were lucky enough to be here for the last 11 years. All right? That was --
(CHEERS)
COLBERT: You can't take this for granted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: The end of an era. Stephen Colbert hosted "The Late Show" for the very last time. We dive into his final show, and the guest stars that joined him.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN HOEVEN (R-ND): We need more information on it.
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): I just don't know how this puppy dog will work.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): This is -- I mean, this is just stupid on stilts. This is bad policy. It's bad timing and it's bad politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Some Senate Republicans breaking with President Trump over the anti-weaponization fund concerns, pushing back on the compensation plan.
And nearly 39 million Americans expected to hit the roads for memorial day weekend, with gas prices still climbing.
All right, as you're loading up the car, or at least planning to for today. Good morning to you. I'm Brad Smith.
This is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Glad you're with us this morning. Let's get started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
COLBERT: Welcome, welcome, welcome one and all to "The Late Show". I'm your host, Stephen Colbert.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Last night was the final episode of "The Late Show" hosted by Stephen Colbert. Throughout the show, Colbert struck a positive and grateful tone, not even mentioning the president or the symbolism of his show being taken off the air, but featuring some A-list celebrity guests, including Paul McCartney to commemorate the special night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLBERT: And I cannot adequately explain to you what the people who work here have done for each other, and how much we mean to each other.
So I will just say --
(CHEERS)
COLBERT: I will just say to them, I would just say to them, you are all the great Achilles whom we knew.
Now, on night one of "The Colbert Report", back in the day, I said, anyone can read the news to you. I promise to feel the news at you.
And, I realized pretty soon in this job that our job over here was different. We were here to feel the news with you. And I don't know about you, but I sure have felt it. And I just want to let all y'all know in here and out there how important you've been to what we have done. The energy that you've given us, we sincerely need that to have done the best possible show we could have for you for the last seven years.
Now ill say to you what I've said to every audience for the last 11 years, and I have meant it every time -- have a good show. Thanks for being here, and let's do it y'all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Many fans are outraged and disappointed over the shows cancellation, and some have questioned whether the decision was politically motivated, given Colbert's frequent criticism of President Trump. Trump celebrated Colbert's final show in a truth social post, writing, "Amazing he lasted so long. No talent, no ratings, no life. Thank goodness he's finally gone."
We will have more on this story later this morning.
Well, millions of Americans gearing up for their Memorial Day weekend travel, even as the cost of getting there continues to rise, and rise it does, to the highest level in four years for gasoline prices.
When the war with Iran started -- well, national average was less than three bucks a gallon. Now, it's well north of $4 a gallon. And it's not just the national average. Every state with many states over $5 or even $6 a gallon as well, still short of the all time high four years ago. And this is all according to AAA.
Now, whether by road, by rail or by air, it is sure to be a Memorial Day travel period to remember.
CNN's Reid Binion explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With the closure of Spirit, I've had to rebook all my flights that they can -- that they canceled.
REID BINION, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A former Spirit Airlines customer navigating Memorial Day travel without the discount carrier.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm flying JetBlue, United, Delta and my flight for today is for Frontier.
[05:05:00]
BINION (voice-over): She's among tens of millions of people taking to the skies, the roads, the rails, and even the high seas for what AAA predicts will be a record for Memorial Day weekend travel.
Between Thursday, May 21st and Monday, May 25th, AAA estimates 45 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home. Roughly 39 million of those people are expected to travel by car. Those drivers are facing the highest gas prices in nearly four years, and there's nowhere to hide.
AAA reports fuel is at or above $4 a gallon in all 50 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., the first time that's happened since 2022.
I'm Reid Binion, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Now to a growing revolt on Capitol Hill as Senate Republicans push back on a controversial funding plan backed by President Trump. The pushback is apparently so intense that senators have now canceled votes for the rest of the week, including a reconciliation bill that would have funded ice and border patrol. The holdup comes as Republicans say they were blindsided by the Trump administrations nearly $2 billion anti weaponization fund.
Critics warn that money could be used to benefit the president's allies, including those who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6th. Several GOP senators openly expressed their concerns about the Justice Department's proposed payouts funded by taxpayer dollars.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who is retiring after more than a decade in office, vowed to block the reconciliation bill if the controversial fund is included.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TILLIS: These people don't deserve restitution. They -- many of them deserve to be in prison. Some of them deserve the pardon because they were never prosecuted. But this is -- I mean, this is just stupid on stilts. I mean, this is beyond the pale.
This is not good for my colleagues. There's no one positive thing that could be spun out of this between now and November. This is bad policy. It's bad timing and it's bad politics.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I do not believe that individuals who were convicted of violence against police officers on January 6th should be entitled to reimbursement for their legal fees.
KENNEDY: But I just don't know how this puppy dog will work. I'm not sure where the money's coming from.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And you think this weaponization fund is a waste of taxpayer dollars?
REP. KEVIN KILEY (R-CA): I think that would be putting it mildly. Very unclear. What, if any, oversight there's going to be as far as how this money gets disbursed. And so yes, I'm going to be using every tool of oversight. I have to, you know, make sure that this does not go forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: So meanwhile, back at the Justice Department, fallout from that failed pitch as Acting Attorney General Tom Blanche scrambling to figure out the next move. That's according to two people familiar with the matter.
But the pushback doesn't stop there. Some lawmakers are also growing frustrated over the White House demands that taxpayers cover $1 billion for extra security for the president's new ballroom. And many Republicans are also at odds with Trump's refusal to endorse two incumbent senators.
All of this raises a bigger question about the president's grip on his own party. Here's what he said about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Are you losing control of the Senate, Senate Republican?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know. I really don't know. I can tell you, I only do what's right.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SMITH: We'll have much more on the fallout coming up in the next half hour.
What's at stake for the president and how it could all impact the upcoming midterms? All that included straight ahead.
Well, we have new details this morning on efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda here in the U.S. First, let's get a look at the latest numbers here for you. We've got them on your screen.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has now recorded at least 160 deaths, believed to be connected to Ebola. The country reports more than 670 suspected cases as well. So far, the U.S. says no suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola have been reported in the U.S., but the State Department has ordered any flights with passengers who were in Ebola affected areas to land at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, specifically, any air passengers who were in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past three weeks will get a health screening once they arrive at Dulles airport.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed how the U.S. is approaching the growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Objective number one is to make sure that Ebola never reaches the United States. Objective number two is do what we can to help the people of DRC and neighboring countries so it doesn't spread.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: And this is all while tensions escalated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. An angry crowd who demanded the release of a family members body suspected of dying of Ebola, set isolation tents on fire yesterday at a treatment facility. We will have much more on the Ebola outbreak, including a live report coming up.
[05:10:06]
A rainy start for some heading into the holiday weekend.
Here's CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar with your forecast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More rain is in the forecast today across several different regions. We're talking the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic, down through the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast region. Even a few strong to severe thunderstorms expected across portions of Texas and Oklahoma. Starting off Friday morning again, you can see it's a very soggy start to the day and likely impacting the morning commute for Washington, D.C., Baltimore, even stretching over into Louisville, Kentucky. By the afternoon, you start to see more of the showers and
thunderstorms developing and popping back up across the Southeastern region and the Gulf Coast, then transitioning into Saturday, you've got more of those pop up showers and thunderstorms in the southeast, but also very widespread rain now starting to slide into the Northeast. So areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Upstate New York starting to get some of those heavier rain bands. Overall, widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches. But it's not out of the question for some of these areas to pick up three, four, or even five inches of rain total.
Having all of that rain in the forecast is also going to be keeping temperatures a little bit cooler than average. Take, for example, Nashville only topping out at 75 degrees, several degrees cooler than they normally would be. But Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, Hartford, even all the way up to Boston, all of these areas, looking at those temperatures that are well below where they normally would be this time of year, thanks to the extra cloud cover and rain showers
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: In a solemn tradition, nearly 1,500 soldiers gathered at Arlington National Cemetery Thursday for the Army's annual flags. In tradition, troops placed about 250,000 small American flags at headstones across the cemetery to honor the nations fallen heroes. The effort takes roughly four hours to complete, with flags remaining in place through Memorial Day weekend.
Lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Jeffrey Epstein's former assistant testifies before a House committee and reveals new names of alleged abusers connected to the late sex offender. The details on the ongoing investigation straight ahead.
And case dismissed. A former assistant principal facing up to 40 years in prison over the shooting of a teacher, is now free.
We've got those details, and the world of NASCAR is mourning the sudden loss of driving legend Kyle Busch. More on that when CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS returns.
Stay with us
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:16:57]
SMITH: A significant development in Congress's probe into Jeffrey Epstein. Three new names of alleged abusers connected to the convicted sex offender, as the information comes from Epstein's longtime assistant, Sarah Kellen, in a closed door interview Thursday. The names are previously unknown to the committee, and the chairman, James Comer, saying this. Now, Kellen is controversial, previously labeled by law enforcement as a potential Epstein coconspirator, which Kellen denies.
Some lawmakers hope to bring back Kellen under subpoena for further questioning.
An abrupt end to an unprecedented criminal trial of a former assistant principal for shooting at her school. So the judge dismissed all charges against Ebony Parker on Thursday. She was seen breaking down into tears when the judge announced the dismissal because the judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Parker cannot be brought to trial again on these same charges. Ebony Parker was accused of ignoring warnings that a six year old student had a gun before he shot and wounded his teacher in 2023.
She faced eight counts of felony child abuse. This was the first time a school administrator faced criminal charges in connection with a shooting at a school, and a legal expert tells CNN Thursday's dismissal could mean accountability for school shootings stops at the parents.
CNN has reached out to prosecutors and the defense for comment. Last November, a civil jury did award the teacher in this case $10 million in a lawsuit alleging Parker failed to act before the shooting.
Major loss on the track. NASCAR fans mourning the sudden loss of one of the sports biggest stars, two time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, died yesterday at the age of 41 after being hospitalized with a severe illness, according to his family. A cause of death has not been released. Busch had been scheduled to race in this weekend's Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR honored his sharp wit and called him a future Hall of Famer. He leaves behind a wife and two children.
Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, this something that you don't see every day. A fire truck responding to a fire ends up crashing straight into an H&R Block. We've got the details later in the hour, and it's a wrap. Late night with Stephen Colbert signs off for good. We've got more on his final show later in the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:23:53]
SMITH: A 31-year-old fitness coach tells CNN that she never expected to be diagnosed with colon cancer. Now, Alondra Gibson is using her experience to warn young adults about symptoms that some often ignore.
CNN's Antoinette Radford has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALONDRA GIBSON, FITNESS COACH: Here are the symptoms that I ignored for almost two years as a 31 year old who was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.
ANTOINETTE RADFORD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a deadly rise in colorectal cancer rates among young adults, and many of them are taking to TikTok to share their stories and to urge other young people to pay attention to the warning signs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels like constantly living between hope and fear.
RADFORD: Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in people under the age of 50 in the U.S., according to a study by the American Cancer Society. The cancer research institute warns that one in five people diagnosed are under the age of 50, with diagnoses increasing by 3 percent annually.
While colorectal cancer rates remain low compared to other cancers, these videos are helping create a sense of community among people who have recently been diagnosed.
GIBSON: I was having these really bad pains and I was like, you know what, God like I need to find a way to figure this out. But the last thing in my mind was you have cancer.
[05:25:01]
RADFORD: Thirty-one-year-old Alondra Gibson, a yoga and fitness coach, had just moved with her husband from New York to Texas when she realized the repeated bouts of diarrhea and upset stomach she'd been experiencing might be something more than just food poisoning.
Experts say there isn't one single thing responsible for the increase in cases among Gibson's age group, but a recent study identified factors like obesity, sedentary lifestyle, heavy alcohol use, smoking, and diets high in processed meats as all being factors that are associated with this disease.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: However, that does not explain all the increases. There's a lot of active research trying to understand what those are for.
RADFORD: But, Gibson, whose career was grounded in a healthy lifestyle, the diagnosis came as all the more of a surprise, especially seeing as she didn't have any family history of colorectal cancer. She tells me she's been documenting her treatment for colon cancer to make sure young people like herself are paying attention to their bodies.
GIBSON: You have to advocate for yourself. I know that right now it may not seem like we are being prioritized. As I mentioned, my -- the tumor that I had was missed on the initial CT scan. If you see any change in your stool, if you're having any abdominal pain, any, anything that's within that area, go in and ask to speak to someone, not just one, but even if you can have a second opinion, ask for a second opinion. It's not going to hurt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS: For the first time in years, residents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are facing gas prices above $4. And just as we enter a holiday weekend.
Plus, just minutes before takeoff, SpaceX calls off the launch of their starship mega rocket. What went wrong? Straight ahead.
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