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U.S. and Iran Signal Progress in Negotiations to End War; Crews Race to Prevent Toxic Chemical Tank Explosion in California; Millions Hit the Road as Gas Prices Reach Four-Year High. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired May 25, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, possible deal. President Trump is signaling there may be a breakthrough in negotiations to end the war with Iran, but both sides are now tempering expectations.

Plus, risk of catastrophic explosion. Emergency crews in Orange County, California, are urgently working to stop a massive tank filled with toxic chemicals from exploding. Why a crack is now giving officials some optimism.

And later, White House shooting investigation, what we're learning about the man police say opened fire right outside the White House, leading to a barrage of gunshots.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is off today. You're in The Situation Room.

Today is Memorial Day and we want to start the hour honoring and paying tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. This is a live look. Take a look at this, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Later today, President Trump will lay a wreath there and deliver remarks.

And this was yesterday, a truly patriotic motorcycle ride honoring fallen service members.

This was the annual Rolling to Remember ride through the nation's capital, raising awareness for prisoners of war and those still missing in action.

And happening now, both the U.S. and Iran say there is some progress in negotiating a deal that would end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That would restore the flow of oil and ease the energy crisis that's gripping so much of the world, including, of course, the U.S.

Today, Americans are facing their highest Memorial Day gas prices in four years. This morning, the Trump administration says a deal is not, repeat, not imminent.

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MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We're still a work in progress. So, we have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits open, enter into a very real, significant time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters, and hopefully we can pull it off.

As the president said, he's not in a hurry. He's not going to make a bad deal. I mean, the president's not going to make a bad agreement. So, let's see what happens. We're going to give diplomacy every chance to succeed before we, we explore the alternatives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The president is driving home that point on social media as well, saying, and I'm quoting him now, the deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal, end quote.

CNN's Betsy Klein is over at the White House for us. So, what are you hearing from your sources over there, Betsy? What are you hearing this morning on the latest?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, with President Trump spending the weekend working the phones with Gulf leaders and both the U.S. and Iranian side that there -- say that there has been progress made toward a deal that could ultimately result in a lasting end to this conflict. So, what that means, in other words, is that negotiators are working toward a deal to get a deal.

Both sides are now working toward a memorandum of understanding, and that would provide a roadmap for negotiations on some of the thornier issues going forward.

What we know right now about what they are negotiating, it would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, that critical oil thoroughfare. It would include the gradual end of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. It would include commitments by Iran to not pursue a nuclear weapon, and it would set a 60-day clock for some of those finer negotiations.

Now, President Trump has repeatedly said that he is not in a rush to get this done, but he did warn in a post to social media this morning that if they can't reach a deal, strikes will be bigger than before, and nobody wants that.

The president also making clear in another post to social media that he doesn't want comparisons to the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal. He says that critics know nothing about the potential deal I am making with Iran, things that haven't even been negotiated yet. The deal with Iran, he says, will be either a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal.

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It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama administration, which was a direct and open path to a nuclear weapon for Iran. No, I don't do deals like that.

Now, among the major sticking points and outstanding questions are whether what's going to happen to Iran's highly enriched uranium and how long Iran will put a moratorium on that. But all of this as the president is weighing the political implications of resuming the war with gas at $4.50 a gallon and, of course, we are honoring the sacrifice of 13 American service members killed during this conflict. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House for us, thank you very much.

Also happening now, emergency crews in southern California are racing, racing against the clock to keep a toxic chemical tank from exploding. Hazmat teams worked all night to learn how deep a newly surfaced crack reaches on the storage vessel. They also found temperatures inside the tank reached at least 100 degrees and are unsure when the volatile chemical potentially could explode.

Let's go live right now to CNN Correspondent Veronica Miracle. She's outside the command post in Cypress, California.

Veronica, what are you learning about what these specialized teams have actually found?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're all just waiting here at the edge of our seats, waiting to hear an update to see how this all-night mission went. The sun just came up, and we're hoping that crews will give us an update. And, really, it's if there's good news or bad news. The good news would be that the crack in the tank has relieved pressure. And if that is the case, authorities have said that they would actually be able to shrink the evacuation zone, and some of the 50,000 people that have been forced out of their homes would be able to go back home.

That would be the good news. But, of course, we know the bad news scenario would be that the crack has not been relieving pressure. As you mentioned, the temperature gauge has maxed out at 100 degrees. MMA, this toxic chemical, prefers to sit at about 50 degrees. And so if that is the case, then that would lead to potentially still a catastrophic explosion, which would cause significant damage to buildings in the immediate area, and it would send 7,000 gallons of this toxic chemical into the air. So, a really worst-case scenario there.

And so many people who have been evacuated, they just are really waiting for any kind of news. Here's what one person had to say.

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RODRIGO GARAY, LOCAL RESIDENT: Yes. So, the last 48 hours were pretty devastating. What happened was we got a text from our apartment complex that we had an evacuation order. That day I ended up staying at a 24-hour fitness. I have a membership there. So, I slept in my car, and then I heard about how serious the situation was getting through my social media accounts. And the city of Garden Grove started giving out information about the seriousness of it. I live about two blocks from the epicenter of the leak, and so we were not able to go back.

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MIRACLE: About 800 state and local first responders are working around the clock to neutralize this threat. We're going to be waiting for any kind of update here, Wolf, and we'll bring it to you as soon as we get it. Back to you.

BLITZER: And it's so worrisome. This is all happening in Orange County, California. It's the largest county in the state. More than 3 million people live there. And, actually, Disneyland is not all that far away from where this is all unfolding, right?

MIRACLE: That's exactly right. Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland, they're outside of the evacuation zone and we have heard from authorities that anything outside the evacuation zone is safe, it's going to be okay, there's no health risks. But it's still, there's of course a massive concern here, Wolf.

BLITZER: As there should be. All right, Veronica Miracle, we'll stay in touch with you. Stay safe over there. Thank you very, very much.

And still ahead, shocking rescue, new video into The Situation Room showing first responders rescuing a baby from rising flood waters.

And later, road trips costing more and more. Is there any relief out there on the horizon? CNN's Ryan Young is in Atlanta. Ryan, what are you seeing? What are you hearing?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, planes, trains, and automobiles. People are dealing with crisis. We're on the runway talking to travelers. 39 million are hitting the roads. We'll have that story coming up in a live report.

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BLITZER: Happening now, millions of Americans are traveling this morning despite gas prices hitting a four-year high for the holiday weekend. According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas is now $4.51. That's more than $1.30 higher than last year.

Let's go live right now to CNN Senior National Correspondent Ryan Young. He's at a gas station in Atlanta this morning. Ryan, what are you -- what are the folks telling you as they fill up?

YOUNG: Wolf, we've been driving around, we've been talking to people, and, of course, we've been at the airport last week as well. And look, these gas prices are hitting people hard. Of course, you pull into a gas station before you leave. You really have to plan your travel before going out on the road these days because fill-ups are surprising. Even for a car of this size, you're talking about $110 to fill up a car this. [10:15:03]

And a family of four will easily be driving a car like this on a day- to-day basis.

And, look, as we deal with gas prices as high as they are, this gas station about $3.98, we've been talking to people who say it's affected their budget. They're trying to make a decision between gas, groceries, and everything else. But the one thing that surprised all of us was the fact that people are excited about summer travel. You come into a store like this one.

What's up, guys? How you doing?

And people are telling us that they couldn't wait for the summer to start. In fact, take a listen to this one traveler who told us they could not wait, not only to get on the road, but to experience.

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YOUNG: You said you've been traveling for the holiday weekend. What's this been like? Has it been super expensive? Have you been surprised about gas prices?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been decent in Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri, but Illinois has been oof. Like it's like $4.50, $4.99 in some places. I think we saw in O'Fallon, Illinois, $4.99 at B.P. down there. So, we pretty much just like avoided filling up our tanks in Illinois.

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YOUNG: Yes, so imagine skipping a whole state, Wolf. One other thing that we looked at numbers-wise is a family of four averages about $200 to $400 on a day-to-day basis. I actually wrote down the top rental car cities this weekend, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles are places that are seeing a lot of people rent cars.

When you think about all the people on the road who are making those budgetary decisions about how they do this, Wolf, you're a father, you know as soon as you get everyone in the car, you got to give them food as well. So, this is something people are thinking about, but at the same time, again, what we've heard over and over, they want to travel, they want to get on planes, and they want to see the country this summer.

So, good news so far, even though it's hitting us all in the pockets.

BLITZER: It certainly is. Our Ryan Young thanks very, very much.

Coming up, beyond the pool, Michael Phelps is speaking out about finding his purpose in retirement some ten years after his last Olympic appearance. We're going to bring you that exclusive interview just ahead.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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BLITZER: We're learning new details right now about a very deadly incident just outside the White House this weekend involving the US Secret Service. The agency said it shot and killed a man who fired at a security checkpoint while the president was inside the White House. Cellphone footage captured the barrage of gunfire. Listen to this.

And cameras on the North Lawn of the White House also captured the frightening moments as agents ordered the media to simply run and get inside

Our Correspondent Brian Todd is here in The Situation Room with us. He's got details. Brian, you were there. You were covering all of this just after it all unfolded. You were at the, what, 17th Street Northwest and Pennsylvania Avenue, just outside the main entrance over there.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. It was kind of a chaotic situation. Obviously, you see the video there. All of our colleagues who work at the White House were just terrified in that moment, not knowing exactly what was going on, maybe just a few yards away from them.

We do have more information today on the suspect himself, according to our reporting from Josh Campbell, Holmes Lybrand, and Evan Perez. The suspect they cite three law enforcement sources as identifying the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best.

According to one source, he did have previous encounters with the Secret Service. In June of 2025, our sources tell us he blocked an entry lane at the White House. At that point, he claimed he was God and was then admitted for a psychiatric evaluation there. About a month later in July of 2025, he was arrested after attempting to enter a White House complex driveway. A judge at that point ordered that he stay away from the White House grounds.

Our sources also tell us that he made various statements on social media, including at least one indicating a desire to harm President Trump.

We do have to point out also that in that gunfire that was exchanged on Saturday evening, a bystander was struck, and that bystander, the last we know, was in critical condition. It is not clear if the bystander was struck by the gunman's initial shots, Wolf, or whether that person was struck in the crossfire.

But a very harrowing incident, you see some video there, some of the bullet holes in some of the buildings right near that section of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest.

And what I can tell you also, we have a map that shows the White House complex. If you look at the -- we're going to put up a map in just a second. Lafayette Square Park, you see it just to the north of the White House there. Lafayette Square Park and that little plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue that you walk in front of the White House, those have been closed, Wolf, for the last several months because of construction. They've been fenced off.

You can't -- usually you can walk around in Lafayette Square Park or in that little plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. But on Saturday, as in the past couple of months, you cannot walk there. It's been all fenced off. So, that is all to say, Wolf, that the suspect probably got about as close as he could at that moment to getting inside the White House grounds.

And the White House, we're just reporting today that in a court filing, the Trump administration is saying that this incident illustrates their need, what they say is their need for a secure facility inside the White House complex, meaning that ballroom that has been so controversial.

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He emphasized that, as you remember, right after the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, saying, this is why we need this ballroom complex. It's more secure. There's the map that we're talking about there.

Now, if you look at the White House complex there, the greenery there that surrounds the White House, just to the north of that and just a little bit to the right of the shooting location, that is Lafayette Square Park. You see it there. You cannot walk there now. Now, normally, on a normal basis, you can walk around Lafayette Square Park and you can walk on that street right in front of the White House. All of that's been closed down just to because of construction there.

So, that shooting location where that, right near where that Secret Service checkpoint is, Wolf, that's about as close as that gunman could've gotten. He got pretty close, and he opened fire on Secret Service agents.

BLITZER: And as you point out, there was the White House Correspondents' Association dinner where shots were fired.

TODD: Yes.

BLITZER: But there were other incidents as well. This has been building up and up and up.

TODD: That's right. And the White House, in this court filing on Sunday, said this was the second assassination attempt against the president. We know there's been more than one, obviously. But, yes, it's kind of a very disturbing sequence of events, even just in the last month.

BLITZER: Yes, very scary, especially for those reporters who were standing in their live shot locations on the North Lawn of the White House when all of a sudden, those gunshots, loud, very scary gunshots just started booming out.

TODD: Absolutely.

BLITZER: All right. Brian Todd, thank you very, very much.

And coming up here in The Situation Room, swift rescue, shocking new video showing first responders saving a baby from floodwaters.

We'll be right back.

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