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CNN Headlines: CENTCOM: U.S. Launches Strikes On Bandar Abbas In Southern Iran; Cornyn, Paxton Battle In Texas Republican Senate Runoff; Knicks Blow Out Cavs To Reach First NBA Finals In 27 Years. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired May 26, 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]
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. launches what it calls self defense strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz. The latest developments this morning.
And the Texas Senate Republican primary runoff happening today. John Cornyn fights to hold his seat from State Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, give me the baby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to be stuck here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on, hold on.
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SMITH: An officer saves a baby from a car in flood waters. More on this dramatic rescue ahead.
And -- the empire state of mind in full effect. Jam-packed excitement as the New York Knicks head to the NBA finals for the first time in 27 years. We hear from the fans on this win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Brad Smith. This is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Glad that you're with us this morning.
We've got a lot to get to, so let's get started. A stark message from Iran's supreme leader just hours after the U.S. launched strikes in what CENTCOM is calling g self-defense. The leader, who hasn't been seen since the start of the war, said Middle East nations wont serve as shields for U.S. bases, adding, quote, "The United States not only will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region, but day by day, it is growing more distant from its former status."
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command says that U.S. military conducted self-defense strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz. Bandar Abbas is the site of a key Iranian naval and air base, and the attacks. It comes as the. Washington and Tehran negotiators are continuing to have some type of talks, putting them closer than ever to ending the war.
But the disputes remain over Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to the press from India, says it's all a matter of wording.
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MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: I think there's strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft should look like. There's going to be a deal. We're going to have to work through that. But this is a -- you know, its either going to be a good deal or there isn't going to be one.
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SMITH: For more, here's CNN's Mike Valerio.
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MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Americans are saying that this is in retaliation for the Iranians attacking American warships in the Strait of Hormuz. So let's put that up there as bullet point number one. Number two is that Trump is seeming to move his position on how to deal with this enriched uranium. He started the war saying that the Americans needed to potentially go in there and get the around 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium out of there. But with that truth post that we showed a couple minutes ago, he's saying that perhaps it could be transferred to another country, be it Russia, maybe here in China, to oversee that process and perhaps the atomic energy commission, the independent American agency, or its analog from the United Nations, the IAEA could be responsible for making sure that that enriched uranium is dealt with.
The Iranian team, most notably, is also still in Qatar right now. They haven't left. They haven't cut off talks. And Qatar, of course, Doha is where those Iranian funds are located, where they've been frozen since the start of this conflict. So we are waiting to see, as Washington, D.C., starts to wake up in the next few hours, where this is going, whether or not these strikes potentially derail the talks. But so far, both sides are telegraphing that these talks are still on.
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SMITH: Thank you, Mike.
Happening today, all eyes will be on Texas as Republican voters head to the polls for a contentious state primary runoff. On the ballot, you've got incumbent Senator John Cornyn and State Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The winner will face Democratic State Representative James Talarico in what is already one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterms.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are some things on Cornyn that I really like, but then there are some things on Paxton that I like, and then I'm trying to discern between the lies that are being told on both sides and the truths that are being told on both sides.
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SMITH: President Trump renewed his support for Paxton over the weekend, who's been plagued by ethics scandals. But still, Senator Cornyn is clinging to Trump.
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SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): President Trump has called me a friend and a good man.
[05:05:01]
I don't see my situation as the same. But, you know, in the end, it's Texans who are going to make that decision.
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SMITH: Now, meanwhile, Paxton is pointing to Cornyn's decades of public service and says it's time for him to step down.
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KEN PAXTON (R), TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: What is John Cornyn accomplished not just in the 24 years in the Senate? Look, he's running for a fifth term, which no ones done. As you know, in Texas history, no one served 30 years in the U.S. Senate. He's been in office since I was in college, and I'm 63.
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SMITH: Keep it right here. We'll have more on this high stakes primary runoff later on in the show. A chaotic scene erupted outside a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey.
The protests and subsequent clashes with law enforcement came after local news reports detailed inhumane conditions described by detainees, and that these detainees began a hunger strike in hopes of drawing attention to the facility. The governor says she's disturbed by what she's heard about it and continues to push for its closure.
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GOV. MIKIE SHERRILL (D), NEW JERSEY: Everyone, regardless of your status, should be treated with dignity. Making sure that you make your doctors appointments, that you get your medication. We're having reports that women who are menstruating have to ask every time they need products. That's humiliating. That's not the type of dignity we want people treated with here in New Jersey or anywhere in this country.
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SMITH: DHS is denying those claims, as well as the hunger strike reporting, saying that ice has hired detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens. Following the clashes, DHS says that visitation to the site has been suspended out of an abundance of caution.
A Spanish national has tested positive for hantavirus after two weeks of isolated quarantine in Madrid, the country's health ministry says that the person was aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship and had been monitored as a close contact case. The individual is now the second Spanish national from the cruise ship to test positive. They have been placed under specialized medical supervision. Officials say that it could take up to six weeks for hantavirus symptoms to appear, but they are insisting that this newly confirmed case does not change the current risk for the general public.
And speaking of health matters, right now, the head of the World Health Organization says that the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa will likely get worse before it gets better. He's expected to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo today to assess the crisis. Health officials say that this outbreak has killed at least 220 people, with more than 900 suspected cases reported. Some reports suggest response efforts are being disrupted by regional conflict and violent public disputes over burials for Ebola victims. While the threat of local exposure remains high, the World Health Organization insists that the likelihood of a global epidemic remains low. This comes as Italy's ministry of health says that two symptomatic people who recently returned from Uganda have tested negative for the virus in Milan.
Well, parts of the south and the southeast were drenched over the holiday weekend, the weather even taking a serious toll in Webb, Alabama. Take a look at this new video. After an apparent tornado shows a trail of destruction across southeastern Alabama. The Henry County Sheriff actually reports that at least one home was destroyed. Others were heavily damaged. And fallen trees, they blocked roads. This severe weather continues today, so keep that in mind as you're planning out your day.
And CNN's Derek Van Dam will have your forecast later on this hour.
Well, up in New York, party like it's 1999 if you're a Knicks fan. Basketball fans in New York are in the Empire State of mind after the Knicks swept the Cavs with a blowout win last night. The team helping their franchise head to the first NBA finals appearance that they've had in 27 years.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This would mean everything to me, bro. You know what we been through. You know what we've been through, bro.
REPORTER: The New York Knicks have made it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The team dominated the Cavaliers 130-93 in game four of the Eastern Conference finals in Cleveland, completing the series sweep and have won 11 consecutive games. Knicks fans gathered to radio city music hall to witness the historic game together.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We waited for this since 1999, when we had the team. This is amazing. It's history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been over 60 years. We have three generations of New Yorkers that have not seen their favorite team win. And to be this close and to smell it, this is this is unbelievable right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Non-New Yorkers stay away. Stay away. This is not for you. Don't come outside. This is not for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The west is not the best when the east is the beast.
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REPORTER: The Knicks have not won the championship since 1973. The last time they appeared in the finals, they lost to the San Antonio Spurs, who they could face again if the spurs defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't care who we face, OKC, San Antonio. This is our year, baby. This is our year
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SMITH: Another viral video coming for sure. Bing bong, if you know, you know.
Lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS: cruise face the threat of a catastrophic explosion of a chemical tank after the latest updates. Thousands of those evacuees can now go home. We've got that update to the story.
And there's more construction going on at the White House. But this one is for a UFC match. Wait until you see these renderings and it's already going up.
And what happens when a gator is just hanging out on the road in a turn lane? Find out.
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[05:15:22]
SMITH: Heartbreaking video out of Mississippi this morning. An SUV caught in flood waters. A body later recovered by divers. It all happened in a shopping center outside of Hattiesburg.
Witnesses say that people nearby tried to rescue the woman who was caught up in the rising water, but the vehicle flipped upside down before they could get her out safely.
More than 14 million people across seven states are still under flood watches this morning.
CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam walks us through today's forecast.
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DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Many of us coming home from our extended holiday break over the weekend. And guess what? The atmosphere is ready to wash, rinse and repeat exactly what we've experienced.
A very summertime weather pattern shaping up. Lots of moisture in the atmosphere, and so it's primed and ready to produce rainfall. And that's what we'll experience over the next coming days. Additional rainfall on top of what has already fallen means the potential, at least for some localized flash flooding, exists for places like Birmingham to Atlanta southward into the Florida peninsula.
Of course, we desperately need the rain, but frankly, we've just gotten a little bit too much, too quickly. Rainfall extends into the mid-Atlantic. Even portions of the four corners as well. Lots of Gulf of Mexico moisture surging in.
We get this similar weather pattern day after day, where thunderstorms bubble up through the afternoon and evening, die out overnight. And then we repeat the process through the afternoon hours the following day. Even the extended outlook looks above average chances for rainfall across the Deep South, heading into the first parts of June.
Here's a look at your temperatures though. Coming off our cool weekend, we will rebound nicely for New York and D.C. Atlanta 81, but very humid.
Now the West Coast, this is where a new system will come in and cool our temperatures for places like Portland to Seattle.
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SMITH: All right. Thank you, Derek.
Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS -- imagine this, trapped in a cave and unable to move for six hours. More on one man's rescue story.
And Queen Latifah kicked off the night hosting the American Music Awards. The big winners and the big moments coming up.
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SMITH: Republican Congressman Thomas Massie is weighing his political future, just days after losing his primary to a candidate backed by President Trump. But the big question is now what office will he run for? Massie kept it a vague secret.
In a social media post about his 2020 campaign filing, writing, quote, "This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations, supporting my position as a current officeholder and as a potential candidate for federal office. I haven't made a final decision about which office to seek if I run."
Those words come just a day after he repeatedly refused to rule out running for president.
Take a listen
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KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Are you considering a run for president in 2028?
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): I will not rule out anything. And right now, I'm not going to rule in anything. I'll take some time and decide what's next, but I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape.
WELKER: Congressman, I hear you not ruling a potential run for president out. Would you run as a Republican?
MASSIE: I won't rule anything out.
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SMITH: Massie drew the ire of President Trump when he became one of just two House Republicans to vote against his one big, beautiful bill. He also helped lead the charge to direct the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.
Well, construction is now underway at the White House for what could become the first professional sporting event believed to be held on the grounds. The temporary arena for a UFC fight night called Freedom 250 is expected to hold around 5,000 fans who will be invited by the UFC and the White House. UFC organizers say they plan to give away another 85,000 tickets for an outdoor viewing experience. The event is scheduled for June 14th, which also happens to be President Trump's 80th birthday.
This next one isn't a story for the claustrophobic. A cave diver who had to be rescued after being stuck inside a cave in New York for six hours. Take a look at this.
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REPORTER: The man who authorities say is an experienced spelunker, was exploring Merlins cave in Upstate New York with three friends when he crawled into a crevice and got stuck there for six hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once we get to the subject, there's still three of his buddies who are still with him, and theyre trying to get him out. At this point, they've been in the cave for many hours, so they are all hypothermic. They actually were able to chip some of the rock away with a hammer that they had found in the -- in the cave.
REPORTER: Rescuers say they continued to chip away at the rock that he was pinned against. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So at that point, I'm with the patient for about
an hour and a half, keeping him calm. And he did a phenomenal job staying calm. I don't know very many people who could stay calm. He was stuck for a total of six hours, unable to move basically in any direction. For most people, that's like their worst nightmare. He was giving me a thumbs up.
REOPRTER: After being rescued, the man was treated for hypothermia.
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SMITH: All right, replacing cave explorer for that cave diver that I erroneously mentioned a moment ago.
[05:25:03]
As you can see there, wild images, though.
Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, thousands of people can go back home after fears of a potential catastrophic explosion at a chemical facility. But the risk isn't over yet. We've got more there.
And --
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PROTESTER: Is it worth it? Is it really worth it?
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SMITH: Protesters and ICE agents face off outside an immigration detention center. What both sides are saying about the dramatic scenes playing out coming up
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