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The Situation Room

Gas Prices Up More Than $1.50 Since Iran War Began; Ebola Outbreak in Africa Kills 100 Plus; Trump Admin Creates $1.776B Fund for Allies. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired May 18, 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]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the price of gas is holding steady. AAA says the average cost is now $4.52 per gallon, same as last week. That's still up more than $1.50 since the Iran war began.

And earlier this morning, the CEO of Volvo told CNN that he believes this is an ideal market for electric cars. He spoke with CNN Business and Politics Correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich about it all, and what more did he tell you, Vanessa?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Pamela. So, the CEO of Volvo, Hakan Samuelsson, is in town today to announce new pricing on their brand new all-electric vehicle. The starting price, $58,000. They say that's in the mid-range category. This is going to be a vehicle that's imported from Sweden, carrying with it a 15 percent tariff, paid for by Volvo, but also the U.S. consumer, he says.

But this is coming at a time, Pamela, when the market is changing for electric vehicles here in the United States. The Trump administration doing away with a $7,500 EV tax credit, lowering environmental standards for automakers. And also, Volvo reporting a loss of 39 percent in sales for electric vehicles here in the United States. You have other major automakers, like Honda, GM, Ford, Stellantis, all reporting hits of billions of dollars because of the loss of interest from consumers in the electric vehicle market, anywhere from $10 billion to $30 billion in losses.

However, the CEO of Volvo telling me that he still believes that EVs are the best bet for the company for the future, and also at a time when gas prices are really straining on everyday Americans. Here's a little bit of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: You know, you have invested a lot into electric vehicles. Other automakers have just pulled the plug, literally, on their EV operation. Were you guys just too far in it to pull back?

HAKAN SAMUELSSON, CEO, VOLVO CARS: No, I think we are very convinced for Volvo, electrification is an opportunity, and we want to transform faster. And I think now we need to just realize that this transformation will never be pushed by legislation or incentives. It has to be driven by offering better cars to consumers. And that maybe means we need to be a bit more realistic when it comes to the timing. Our strategic direction is absolutely the same. Future of Volvo long- term is electric.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: We also talked a lot about the Chinese automakers and just how much headway they're making into the European market. Currently, we don't have any Chinese automakers here in the United States, but Volvo's holding company is the Chinese automaker Geely.

And I asked the CEO what exactly he's learned from them. And he says that sometimes the Chinese automakers get a bad rap for copying other automakers, but he said that they are actually doing quite a good job of learning and learning quickly. And that is something that automakers can take away from the Chinese companies.

[11:35:00]

I also talked to him about the fact that he would like to potentially, not currently doing it, but would like to potentially source parts from the Chinese holding company Geely to use in Volvo cars, because he says ultimately, they're cheaper and it would make the cars cheaper for U.S. consumers. And finally, I said, when are the Chinese automakers coming to the United States? He couldn't put a timeline on that. And he also pointed to legislation here in the U.S. that is trying to stop just that.

But he did say if, and when it happens, that it would be, quote, "unpleasant" for other car makers, but it would be very beneficial for customers because of the price. So, currently the competition still staying across the Atlantic, but Pamela, when it does come here, and at some point, analysts do believe Chinese car makers will make inroads here. It would put a lot of competition into play for automakers, but would lower prices for everyday U.S. consumers, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Vanessa Yurkevich. Thank you so much. Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And just ahead an intense moment caught on camera. How police say this truck ended on the wrong side of the tracks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:00]

BLITZER: Happening now in Central Africa, an urgent race to contain a very fast-moving and very rare strain of Ebola. More than 100 people have already died in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda. And authorities are tracking more than 300 suspected cases right now. The CDC says a small number of Americans have been exposed. Health officials in Africa warn that this Ebola strain is more violent than previous outbreaks. There are no approved vaccines or treatments, at least not yet. Let's go live right now to CNN's Larry Madowo, who's in Nairobi, Kenya, for us. Why are experts there especially concerned about this new outbreak?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, if experts are concerned, because it appears that this new Ebola outbreak could have been spreading within the community in the DRC in the Northeast for a few weeks before it was detected and confirmed. And right now, more than 100 people, 105 people have died, and they're tracking nearly 400 cases suspected in the DRC largely, but also in Uganda, the region in high alert, because this region is in conflicted borders, South Sudan and Rwanda and Uganda.

That is why a short while ago, the U.S. CDC announcing that any foreigners who have been in the DRC in Uganda and the South Sudan will not be allowed to come into the United States if they've been in any of those countries over the last 21 days, even though the U.S. CDC is saying that the risk to the U.S. public is low. They're taking these extra precautions just to make sure that it does not come into the United States because viruses do not respect borders. And that -- as we've seen with previous viruses, Hantavirus with COVID, they do get around.

Why is this happening in the DRC? This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. Part of the reason, experts say, is because some in the population eat fruit bats, and these fruit bats is where Ebola first was basically found out in 1976. And in that time, there's been so many outbreaks in the DRC that they've become quite good at dealing with it. But the reality is, it is still a rare version of Ebola with no treatment, with no vaccine. And so, the only way is to make sure that more people don't get infected, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, DRC, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Larry Madowo, thanks very much for that updated, important story we're watching very, very closely.

BROWN: All right. Wolf, join us now as emergency physician and former Baltimore Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen. Thanks for coming on. So, the World Health Organization is calling this a global health emergency. For all of us watching this unfold, how worried should we be right now?

DR. LEANA WEN, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN: I don't think we should be worried that somehow we are going to be at risk for contracting Ebola here in the U.S. But this is a situation to watch very closely, Pamela, worldwide, because the situation could get worse very quickly.

We know that Ebola is a rare but very serious condition. The fatality rate could be as high as 90 percent. The average is about 50 percent. The initial symptoms can also be nonspecific. So, people initially are coming in with fatigue, fever, muscle aches. And so, initially it's healthcare workers who end up getting infected because they may be treating someone that they think has malaria or the flu, and then it ends up becoming Ebola.

Ebola is also very contagious. It's contagious through bodily fluids like saliva, and through blood, through contaminated objects with bodily fluids. And even after someone passes away, their bodily fluids can still be contagious to those around them. And therefore, burials have become places where outbreaks occur as well.

We have seen in the past that outbreaks can spread very quickly. And I think in this case, we're dealing with a strain that not a lot is known about. We don't have a vaccine. We don't have specific treatment. We also don't have reliable testing. We do have testing, but not in the field. And therefore, cases may be going undetected for some time.

BROWN: Yes, this is the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The strains that we've seen in the more recent past have actually had vaccines, from my understanding. Even though there is no approved vaccine for this, do you know if there's anything in the works that might be able to be used to help contain this outbreak?

[11:45:00]

DR. WEN: I think that there will be a lot of things that will be tried, but I think the issue is we have to contain the outbreak to begin with, and even to understand how far it's been spread. I think it was very alarming to global health experts, just the number of people who are suspected to have this, nearly 400 cases now suspected, but only about 10 or so that have been confirmed.

And we're also seeing this happen in a part of the world that is undergoing a lot of conflict. We now have a case, for example, detected in Goma, a part of the Congo that is not under the control of the Congolese authorities. It's under the control of a rebel group.

And therefore, how is aid going to come into this area? And DRC has borders with multiple countries, with nine countries, I believe. And so, it's really going to be quite challenging to contain, especially in an area that already faces a dearth of healthcare workers. And now, if healthcare workers who are on the front lines are going to be impacted and may potentially get infected and die, I think that's also going to make containment really challenging too.

BROWN: Right. And let me just follow up on that point you just made, because the CDC is employing a team for contact tracing and testing, but overall, this administration has made some major cuts to pandemic response funding, and also it reduced the workforce in this area. How much does that concern you in this moment?

DR. WEN: It concerns me a lot. I think people think about public health only when something bad happens, but they don't consider that the infrastructure cannot be built overnight. You can't just send in a team when something happens when you haven't had the infrastructure there in terms of nurses and doctors on the ground who are helping these individuals all throughout.

And so, I think it's good if the CDC is sending a team in, if they're cooperating now with the World Health Organization, but how much infrastructure is already there and how much has been decimated as a result of recent cuts, I think we'll only find out if we have trouble containing this outbreak, which of course is too late.

BROWN: All right. Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much. More when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's Chasing Life podcast. On average, we spend six and a half hours in front of a screen for work, for entertainment, maybe both. Now, that kind of strain can lead to irritated dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches.

So, today I wanted to give you some tips for maintaining healthy eyes. First, take more breaks and also try something known as the 20-20-20 rule. So, that means every 20 minutes, look away from your screen to a spot about 20 feet in front of you and do that for 20 seconds.

Second of all, check your device's display settings. Adjust the contrast level to somewhere between 60 to 70 percent. That might help relieve some of the stress on your eyes as well.

Third, don't forget to blank. Now, I realize that might sound obvious, but here's the thing. We normally blink about 15 times a minute. It's our body's way of making sure our eyes have the moisture they need, but studies show that when you're looking at devices, we only blink about five to seven times a minute. So, make a concerted effort to blank. If you need to, remind yourself and post a note even on your computer.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:00]

BLITZER: Breaking news. The Trump administration has just announced a $1.7 billion taxpayer fund to compensate what it calls prosecuted allies, and they gave it a name, the Anti-Weaponization Fund. This comes after President Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

CNN's Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid is joining us right now. So, what are we learning about this, Paula?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, here, the Justice Department confirming these details about this fund that we reported over the weekend, and this is part of an agreement for the president to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, and here, the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, laying out exactly how this will work.

Here, the Justice Department is asking that roughly $2 billion be transferred to the U.S. Treasury, and that fund will be available for people to apply if they believe they have been unjustly targeted by the Justice Department. The acting attorney general is saying the fund will have the power to issue formal apologies and monetary relief owed to claimants. Submissions of claims are voluntary, and they also say here there are no partisan requirements to file a claim.

Now, the deadline to file a claim is December 15th, 2028, so that would be shortly after the next presidential election but before the next president takes office. Now, of course, this is something that has been met with outrage by Democrats and a lot of questions from taxpayers. We know that for President Trump, this idea of the Justice Department having been weaponized against him or his allies, his desire to help out his supporters and seek retribution, these are all things that are certainly a priority for him, but it is unclear if taxpayers are going to be willing to foot the bill to compensate people monetarily if they feel they have been unjustly targeted by the Justice Department.

Now, in this release, the acting attorney general compares this fund to a fund that was previously established under the Obama administration called Keepseagle. Now, that had to do with redressing various alleged racism claims connected to the Department of Agriculture. Now, that was a $760 million fund.

[11:55:00]

We've already seen Democrats seize on this agreement, noting that it's the president's personal attorneys negotiating with the attorneys at the IRS, the Justice Department, and the White House, which are all, of course, under the Trump administration's power. And this fund is twice -- over twice as large as the one they're comparing it to. I'll leave it to our viewers to assess a comparison between a fund targeted at trying to redress racism and one that would be over twice as large trying to redress grievances against the Justice Department.

Again, enormous political blowback already before the details were even announced. I think we can also expect a lot of litigation over this fund.

BLITZER: I'm sure you're right. All right. Paula Reid, thank you very, very much. And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

BROWN: Inside Politics with our friend and colleague, Dana Bash is up after a short break. Have a great rest of your day.

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[12:00:00]