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The Situation Room

Detained Parents Reunite With Dying Son; Iran Peace Talks in Limbo; Alleged D.C. Gunman in Court; Person Killed on Denver Runway. Aired 10:30a-11a ET

Aired May 11, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people are also asking why the airplane couldn't simply swerve to avoid this person on the runway.

Preliminary data shows the aircraft was still accelerating for takeoff at a roughly 120 knots, about 135 miles per hour. At that speed, the airplane's covering about 200 feet every second while weighing 200,000 pounds, simply not designed for sharp maneuvering on the runway at that speed, that way.

And because this happened at night, spotting a person on the runway would have been so extremely difficult. There are also new questions about the evacuation here. The crew evacuated all 231 people on board directly onto the runway using those inflatable emergency slides you know about from the passenger safety briefing.

Some passengers reported smoke in the cabin and questioned the speed of the evacuation. But safety experts are especially concerned about videos showing passengers taking carry-on bags with them during the evacuation. In an emergency like this, every second matters.

Never take your bags during an evacuation. It's become a major focus of the National Transportation Safety Board in recent years, because carry-on luggage can slow evacuations, block exits. And, really, lives are on the line.

The NTSB says, though, it has not opened a formal investigation into this incident, still gathering information right now, of course, some really big questions here as this is all still unfolding.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: The big, big question, what was this individual doing on the runway?

MUNTEAN: And that's the big question. It seems like it may have been intentional, a suicide by plane.

This is something that does happen occasionally. There are people who break into airplanes. There was an inc -- or airports, rather. There was an incident back in May of 2020 where a Southwest flight hit somebody who jumped the fence and got onto the airport in Austin. That didn't make much headlines, though, because it was in may of 2020.

We were busy covering the coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully, there weren't all that many people on the plane, also because people weren't traveling much at the time. But this does happen from time to time, although it is very, very rare.

BLITZER: All right, Pete Muntean, thank you very, very much -- Pam.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Yes, really disturbing.

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: Coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM: the man accused of trying to storm the White House Correspondents' Dinner with a gun in federal court today. We are live with an update.

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[10:36:39]

BROWN: Breaking news: The man accused of trying to assassinate President Trump during last month's White House Correspondents' Dinner was just arraigned in federal court.

Thirty-one-year-old Cole Tomas Allen now formally faces charges of attempted assassination of the president, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, transporting a gun across state lines to commit a crime, and assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.

Let's go live now to CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid right outside the courthouse here in Washington.

What more are you learning this morning, Paula?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

So, Allen pleaded not guilty to the four charges he is facing after he allegedly attempted to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. This is significant because this is the first time Allen has formally responded to the charges that have been filed against him.

This was an arraignment, so it was a pretty quick hearing, straightforward. They read the charges, informed him of his rights, he entered his plea.

But then the judge wanted to pivot to another big question that is looming over this case, and that is whether top Justice Department officials who were at the White House Correspondents' Dinner can continue to oversee this matter.

Defense attorneys for Allen are arguing that the U.S. attorney, Jeanine Pirro, and the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, should be removed from the case because they argue they are victims of this alleged crime. Now, the judge was pretty skeptical of this argument, noting that what

happened with Allen happened outside the ballroom. These officials would not have actually been witnesses or seen anything, but he invited the defense lawyers to submit additional details about exactly what they're thinking.

But I can say that Blanche and Pirro are highly unlikely to step aside from this case, one of the most high-profile matters they are dealing with right now at the Justice Department.

They're also both up for promotions, Todd Blanche effectively auditioning for the job of attorney general, something he is widely considered and expected to get, tapped to be permanently. And then Pirro has also been discussed as someone who might be getting a promotion.

So, neither one of them is going to step aside from this case, which, at its core, it's about an attempt to allegedly kill their boss.

BROWN: All right, Paula Reid, thanks so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And just ahead, we're continuing to monitor the update from health officials in Nebraska about the hantavirus.

And coming up in our next hour, we will be joined by Dr. Deborah Birx, the former coronavirus response coordinator for the White House COVID Task Force.

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[10:43:34]

BLITZER: Happening now: Peace talks with Iran remain in limbo after President Trump rejected the latest proposal to end the war.

President Trump yesterday criticized the Iranian offer as -- quote -- "totally unacceptable." Iran disagreed, calling its demands reasonable and generous. Oil prices, in response, are on the rise over fears of fresh escalation.

Let's bring in Michael Allen, the former special assistant to President George W. Bush for national security, and CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas.

Michael, let me start with you.

Iranian state media reported that Iran's offer included recognition of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and a demand for compensation. When you see the offer, what stands out to you about how much still needs to be negotiated?

MICHAEL ALLEN, FORMER BUSH NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STAFFER: Well, Wolf, it feels like all of it still needs to be negotiated.

It doesn't seem like they came in our direction very much, especially when you hear them say they want sovereignty formalized over the Straits of Hormuz, when it's always been an international passageway.

I think this just underscores, for now, we don't have any credible leverage over the Iranians. We have got the blockade going, but it's a slow burn. It'll take a while for it to really begin to pressure them. We're not escorting tankers through.

And the military option seems to have largely been taken off the table. So I don't know why the president expected to get a really good offer from Iran, given the fact that we don't have a lot of leverage right now.

[10:45:10]

BLITZER: Alex, last night the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told "60 Minutes" that he wants to scale back U.S. military aid.

Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I want to draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have, because we receive -- we receive $3.8 billion a year.

And I think that it's time that we wean ourselves from the remaining military support. Let's start now and do it over the next decade, over the next 10 years. But I want to start now. I don't want to wait for the next Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He still wants to get U.S. military equipment, but he doesn't want the U.S. taxpayers to pay for it. What does that mean as far as the fighting is concerned right now?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, I think with that comes an element of control. And if the Israelis are not receiving that financial assistance, right, does that mean that there's less of a sort of U.S. thumb on decision-making.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has been very clear about the desire to take military action where necessary, and free of U.S. influence in that sense. And I think this is one of those means in which he's seeking some independence for the state of Israel over the next decade to get there.

Examples of that, in which case this would be the item, not necessarily the money, but we haven't sold the bunker-busting bombs to the Israelis, even though they have asked, for two decades, largely because the U.S. wanted to retain control over decision-making for any strikes on the nuclear program.

So it's a bit of a move of independence from the prime minister.

BLITZER: Very interesting, indeed.

Let me follow up with you, Alex. A small, but influential group in Iran, a group known as the Endurance Front, has ramped up its efforts to try to sabotage a potential deal with the U.S. They feel that a favorable deal can only come by defeating Washington outright.

How have Iranian officials had to approach negotiations with the U.S. while juggling unity within the country?

PLITSAS: So the structure of a negotiation remains largely the same, in the sense that there's always been multiple parties in Iran that needed to be consulted for a deal to go through, so whether that be the supreme leader, the IRGC, some of the politicians, et cetera.

In the current context, we're talking about the supreme leader, the IRGC members that are around him in senior positions, largely veterans of the Ramadan division that he served in during the Iran-Iraq War from '87 to '88, along with some of their intelligence services.

And Vahidi, the guy at the top, is who we're hearing is probably the most problematic in terms of pushing back. They largely believe that they are winning at this point, that they can hold President Trump off if they wait him out.

And so the intention is to do that. And we saw that come back yesterday in the form of that response, in that there were several problematic clauses that are being pushed for that they know that are unacceptable. Tying it to Lebanon, that would require them to disarm.

Sorry, Wolf.

BLITZER: And, Michael, amidst all of this, there's renewed pressure on that very delicate cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel.

Over the weekend, an Israeli soldier was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack near the Lebanon border and an Israeli strike killed some 22 people inside Lebanon, including four children. The U.S. is set to host a third round of talks this week involving both countries.

How much longer do you think this cease-fire between the Israelis and the Lebanese can actually hold?

ALLEN: Well, I think the Israelis are going to continue to strike targets of opportunity as they arise inside -- even inside of Beirut, even northern -- north of the Litani River. I think that's their modus of operandi.

I know we have a cease-fire with them -- or they do, but I think that's their policy. I think they -- if they see a gathering threat, they're going to go strike it. And so we do have a cease-fire, but I feel like there's a big asterisk there as far as Israel's concerned.

BLITZER: Michael Allen, Alex Plitsas, to both of you, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM: bittersweet reunion.

A couple detained for weeks by DHS is released just in time to say their final goodbyes to their dying son -- their story up next.

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[10:53:50]

BROWN: New this morning: A Mexican couple detained for weeks by Homeland Security were able to reunite with their son just hours before he died from cancer.

The family of 18-year-old American Kevin Gonzalez says he died yesterday afternoon in Durango, Mexico. According to DHS, his parents, both Mexican nationals, have been deported from the U.S. after entering the country illegally.

Let's bring in CNN national correspondent Ed Lavandera from Dallas with these heartbreaking details -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, well, that reunion took place on Saturday in Durango, Mexico, emotional, as the parents had waited desperately to reunite with their son as he was facing his final days and final hours, as it would turn out, suffering from stage four colon cancer.

But this young man, 18 years old, is an American citizen. His parents were undocumented when he was born here. They were deported. But in December of last year, he came to Chicago to visit family for Christmas, and that's when he was given the cancer diagnosis.

His parents were still in Mexico at the time. And they were desperately trying to get to him. The parents say they had applied for humanitarian visas and were denied. The Department of Homeland Security says that they -- the parents actually applied for a temporary visitor visa, which was denied because they had been deported.

[10:55:10]

And then the parents decided in April to cross the border illegally to try to reach their son as he was battling and in the midst of this cancer fight. They were picked up in Arizona, put into DHS custody.

They were -- they have remained -- or remained for almost two months, as they were desperately trying to reunite with their son. A federal judge late last week ordered that they be released and deported.

The son, in the meantime, had traveled back to Mexico to spend his final days and weeks. And that's why that reunion took place there on Saturday. A lot of supporters for this family say they don't understand why it took so long for this family to be released from custody, be able to reunite with their son.

But they made it there on Saturday, and 18-year-old Kevin Gonzalez died on Sunday, an extremely emotional weekend for this family -- Pamela.

BROWN: God, it's just heartbreaking.

BLITZER: It's so sad.

BROWN: But I'm so -- I'm so glad that they were able to reunite just before his death, literally just hours before his death.

Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

We will be right back.

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BROWN: Happening now, breaking news: hantavirus evaluation. Health officials say 16 Americans are now in Nebraska after getting off the virus-hit cruise ship. Two others are in Atlanta.

We'll discuss the very latest with Dr. Deborah Birx. She served as the White House coronavirus response coordinator.

BLITZER: And later: suing Nike. The company is now facing a class action lawsuit all tied to how it responded to President Trump's tariffs.

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