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The Situation Room

How to Reduce Memory Loss; Jewish Men Attacked in London; Can Drones Stop School Shootings?; Supreme Court Weakens Voting Rights Act. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired May 01, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To prove it, I got to watch a test live.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye.

MUNTEAN: For this demonstration, the drone operators are right at our side, instead of in a control room, where they navigate using a 3-D scan of the school's interior.

Part one, speed. The drones rip through halls, scanning for a threat and feeding point-of-video back in real time.

BILL KING, CO-FOUNDER, CAMPUS GUARDIAN ANGEL: As soon as I can find him, five seconds later, I can be flying.

MUNTEAN: Bill King is a former Navy SEAL and co-founder of Campus Guardian Angel. Live drone video can be relayed to police, giving them a clearer picture before they move in.

(on camera): So, we've moved on to a different part of the demo now that apparently requires safety glasses.

(voice-over): The team here has now pulled out a stand-in shooter. His name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Silent Bob.

MUNTEAN (on camera): Silent Bob?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, because he never complains.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Even as he is pelted with pepper spray balls, enough to stop a real shooter. Even an unarmed drone can still pack a punch and can subdue a shooter by ramming into them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice.

RICK GOODRICH, BOERNE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: Anything that causes that distraction, anything that takes their attention away from potential victims is a win.

MUNTEAN: Rick Goodrich is the chief of safety and security for a school district near San Antonio.

GOODRICH: When a drone enters the room, it's the only thing you're thinking about.

MUNTEAN: Campus Guardian Angel admits this system will not be cheap, costing schools about as much as a school police officer's salary and benefits. This technology is still in its early phases and has never been used in an actual school shooting. But the hope is, this can be an emerging tool in a fight with no easy answers.

JUSTIN MARSTON, CAMPUS GUARDIAN ANGEL: If we see somebody murdering children, we want to stop them murdering children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN: This system is about to be put through its first major test. Florida's pilot program officially launches today at a high school in Deltona.

Campus Guardian Angel tells me there will be a testing phase and then a training phase before the drones are live. This idea does have some critics, though, who question whether this is all that much of an improvement. Some have pointed out that drones in schools may not do much beyond existing security cameras.

They also question whether it's the best way to spend tight school budgets. So there are two big questions with this initial rollout, Wolf. Not only will this work, but whether drones in schools are really, Wolf -- worth it, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We shall see.

All right, Pete Muntean, reporting for us, thank you very much.

Just ahead: A major U.S. Supreme Court decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act could have an immediate impact on this year's midterm elections in November. We will break down the fallout with Michael Smerconish. He's coming up right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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[11:37:23]

BLITZER: New this morning, authorities laid attempted murder charges on a suspect after two Jewish men were stabbed in North London. Authorities are calling it an act of terror and British officials have now raised the domestic terror threat level.

London's Jewish community was already on edge following a string of attacks, including the burning of Jewish ambulances, ambulances belonging to a Jewish health service.

With us now is Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. He's the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth.

Rabbi, welcome. I wish we were meeting under different circumstances. But after the stabbing, this latest stabbing, you said, if you are visibly Jewish, you're not safe in Britain. Is that something that's clearly on the minds of so many Jewish people in the U.K. right now? Are people taking steps not to be easily identified as Jewish in public?

RABBI EPHRAIM MIRVIS, CHIEF RABBI OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Lovely to speak to you, Wolf.

We are deeply concerned. These are very troubling times. And the point that we are reinforcing all the time is, these are troubling times not just for the Jews of the U.K., but for the entire U.K. And there has been a sustained attack on Jewish buildings and on Jewish people, starting on Yom Kippur, our holy day, 2nd of October last year, when a terrorist broke into the compound of the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester and murdered two people who had come to pray, together with injuring many others.

And then, since about two months ago, we have had a string of events. And we're going through such a traumatic period. People are asking, well, where and when will the next incident be? And, therefore, we are calling on our government and on our authorities to take the situation more seriously.

But, together with us, I must add, I'm so proud of our Jewish community here in Britain, because we're resilient, we're strong, we're standing tall, we're proud of our values. And we will get through this all right. However, right now, there is cause for deep concern.

BLITZER: Are you advising Jewish men, religious Jewish men, to no longer wear yarmulkes kippahs or as they're walking around -- you're wearing one yourself right now -- so they're not necessarily easily identified as being Jewish?

MIRVIS: Thankfully, the reality is that, throughout the U.K., in the majority of places, there is no problem with being visibly Jewish.

However, as was proven only two days ago on the streets of Golders Green, an area of London in which many Jewish people live, it wasn't safe there to be visibly Jewish. And the incident that transpired actually proved that that was the case.

[11:40:16]

And we do want more to be done for our safety.

BLITZER: So should individuals rethink what they're wearing, how they're dressed and all of that?

MIRVIS: Yes, they were indeed visibly Jewish from the Haredi sector of our community.

An assassin, a terrorist chased after them, knifed both of them. It's simply miraculous that they have survived, that they are still alive. And thanks to the heroic efforts of our police forces, together with Jewish volunteers of our Shomrim organization, thankfully, he was neutralized. And, as a result, he wasn't able to murder more people.

BLITZER: The U.K. is raising its domestic terrorism threat level right now from severe to substantial -- to severe, I should say, from substantial.

Is this a response, do you believe, to this latest attack? And is it enough?

MIRVIS: Oh, no. No.

So, first of all, absolutely, this is a step by the government in direct response to this latest incident. We very much welcome this development. We appreciate it. You're asking if it's enough. No, it's not. We cannot only address the symptoms. We have to go right to the root causes.

And we have for a long time been calling for zero tolerance, zero tolerance of hate marches, which take place on a weekly basis. They have for a long time since the 7th of October, less frequent now, but they still exist.

We want zero tolerance within our criminal justice system, zero tolerance on our university campuses and in our schools, zero tolerance within our National Health Service and throughout all areas of endeavor within the U.K.

However, antisemitism, as sadly has become the case in many places around the world, it has become normalized, and it is being tolerated. And the time has come for the silent majority to raise their voices. It's not good enough just to lend moral support. We need people in large numbers to come out and to publicly condemn.

And we would like to see these root causes -- do you know, Wolf, on Tuesday of this week, the Iranian Embassy here in the U.K. called on Iranian citizens living here in Britain to be loyal to their country and to do what they can in the U.K., even if it means putting their lives on the line for the sake of Iran?

Effectively, this was a call to martyrdom. And, one day later, you have a terrorist on the streets of our capital city trying his best to murder Jews. And that is why I have issued a call for the Iranian ambassador to the U.K. to be expelled. Australia has expelled its Iranian ambassador.

Lebanon, of all places, has expelled its Iranian ambassador. And I have asked, why is it that the ambassador of Iran to the U.K. is still here? Why is it that the IRGC has not yet been banned? We desperately, urgently need it to be banned in this country.

And why is it that there is a tolerance of so much antisemitism?

BLITZER: What's the answer to that?

MIRVIS: Well, we need our government and all leadership to take the situation more seriously.

Our prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has publicly recently acknowledged that there is state-sponsored terrorism within the U.K. He's referring to Iran. And, as a result, we need a response, because the point that we continuously make is, this is not just an attack against the Jews of the U.K.

It's an attack against our values as a British society. And the crux question that needs to be asked is not, what is the future for Jews in this country, but rather what is the future of this country? Our values, our democracy, it's all on the line right now. And, therefore, far more needs to be done to tackle these root causes.

BLITZER: Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, thank you very much for joining us.

I want to end our little interview by wishing you a Shabbat shalom. It's almost Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. We always say Shabbat shalom, but it seems to -- at least in the U.K. right now, takes on a little bit stronger meaning, meaning have a peaceful Sabbath right now.

What's your assessment?

[11:45:00]

MIRVIS: Well, please God, may we be blessed with a Shabbat shalom. May our country here in the U.K. be blessed with peaceful and secure times ahead.

I really appreciate your sentiments, Wolf. And we know that we have so many good friends outside of our Jewish community right around the world. Decent people the world over are very much with us, and we appreciate their friendship enormously.

BLITZER: Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, thank you very, very much. And, once again, Shabbat shalom.

We will be right back.

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BLITZER: The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday tossed out Louisiana's long-contested congressional map as an unconstitutional gerrymander.

[11:50:06]

It's a decision that could have major implications for the upcoming midterm elections in November, making it harder for voters of color to challenge redistricting plans that allegedly dilute the voting power of minority communities.

State legislators controlled by Republicans could opt to eliminate a slew of Democratic-held seats, especially across the South, in an effort to keep their majority in the House of Representatives.

Let's go live right now to CNN host and political commentator Michael Smerconish. Michael, the fallout from this ruling is already unfolding. What are

you specifically hearing from your listeners about this decision?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: A mixed reaction.

I made this one of my daily poll questions this week and I asked, should race be a consideration with regard to redistricting? And 60 percent said, no, don't take race into consideration. But then, Wolf, I go to the phones and I ask people, do you support what the Supreme Court just did relative to Louisiana, and people say no.

Well, I don't think you can square those two. So I think there's some confusion out there, because Justice Alito in that majority opinion is saying you can't rely on race when you're drawing those legislative boundary lines.

One other consideration, if I may -- and, frankly, I credit Nina Totenberg on this because I interviewed her yesterday for my own program tomorrow. She said, remember, this is going to have a ripple effect on local communities as well. We focus on Congress. We focus on state legislatures.

But the edict is going to apply to your school board. It's going to apply to township supervisors and so forth. So this idea that race has got to be removed any time you're drawing the boundary lines, I think, is really important.

BLITZER: I want to switch gears while I have you, Michael, to the war in Iran. There's a dispute, as you well know, right now over the war power's deadline.

The law states that Congress must sign off on any military action after the conflict hits 60 days, which many of view today, May 1, as that benchmark. But some Republicans are saying that the cease-fire does not count toward that total. How is this likely going to be resolved?

SMERCONISH: So I have had today, May 1, May Day, circled on my calendar, frankly, for the last 60 days, because I thought it was pretty clear that today was the day.

As you know, the president does have the ability, if he makes a written request of the Congress, to extend it by another 30 days. I don't know how much of an issue will be made of it by legislators so long as there's a prospect that there's some negotiation taking place with Iran, because I don't think you want to undercut the president at a moment when, hopefully, there could be a resolution to all this.

BLITZER: We shall see.

Let me also ask you while I have you, Michael, about the former FBI Director James Comey. The Trump administration is making its second attempt to prosecute one of his biggest political opponents, namely, James Comey. Do you think it will reach a jury?

SMERCONISH: Never. I don't think it will reach a jury. And Wolf, in the category of I couldn't make this up, Tuesday was the

indictment. Tuesday, I went to dinner with my wife. She said to the waitress: "Do you have soup tonight?"

And the waitress said: "Yes, we have clam chowder."

My wife said: "I will take a cup of clam chowder."

A nearby busboy said: "No, we don't have it tonight."

And the waitress said: "Eighty-six on the chowder."

I don't think she meant kill the chowder. That -- I mean, there's a mixed message and meaning of 86. That's just one problem for the prosecution. The other problem is that -- and "The Washington Post" has a great story on this today -- the indictment seems to have misstated the law.

What's most important is not how President Trump received the message. What's most important is, what did James Comey mean when he took that image? No way does it get to a jury.

BLITZER: Yes, all right, Michael Smerconish, as always, thank you very, very much.

An important reminder to all of our viewers. You can catch "SMERCONISH" -- that's his show -- tomorrow morning here on CNN 9:00 a.m. Eastern. It's an excellent show indeed.

And we will be right back.

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[11:59:59]

BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM.

What if losing brainpower as you age isn't a done deal?

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares how to keep your mind sharp in today's "Chasing Life."

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "Chasing Life" podcast.

For many, growing older comes with one big fear, losing your memory, losing mental sharpness. But new research suggests that decline is not inevitable. And this is good news.

DR. MAJID FOTUHI, NEUROLOGIST: Our brain is made of cells, just like our heart is made of cells. And those cells need oxygen and nutrients. And so it's not surprising to me that our brain responds to lifestyle interventions, just like our heart responds to lifestyle interventions. GUPTA: Dr. Majid Fotuhi is a neurologist and a neuroscientist who

believes there are basically five pillars for improving brain health, exercise, sleep, nutrition, stress reduction, and brain training.

And he says it doesn't actually take that long to start seeing results.

[12:00:02]

FOTUHI: It turns out that 12 weeks seems to be a sufficient amount of time to see objective improvements in brain functions.

GUPTA: So, remember this. Your brain is not destined to decline.

And you can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thanks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We always learn a lot from him. Appreciate it very, very much.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

"INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts right now.