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The Situation Room

New York Governor Targets Ghost Guns; Trump to Hold Cabinet Meeting; Iran Negotiations; U.S. Announces World Cup Roster. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired May 27, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:02]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: No big surprises from coach Mauricio Pochettino. Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Weston McKennie will headline the team; 13 of the 26 players were a part of the 2022 World Cup squad that made it to the Round of 16.

The other 13 players on the team are going to be making their World Cup debut. Guys, the U.S.' first game June 12 in L.A. against Paraguay. I mean, just think about that, 15 days away. It's incredible. The World Cup is almost here.

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: All right, Andy Scholes, thank you very, very much.

The next hour THE SITUATION ROOM starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BLITZER: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We begin this hour with breaking news. At any moment now, President Trump will convene a meeting of his Cabinet. We will have live -- a live camera inside the meeting. We will bring that to you live. And we will also bring you the public comments once they begin.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And we expect a major focus will be Iran's state TV, what it's reporting, that it has a draft memo to end the war. The so-called memorandum of agreement calls for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and, in exchange, the U.S. would lift its blockade of Iranian ports and pull military forces from the area.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House.

Alayna, how is the administration responding to this reported draft memo?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we just got a statement, Pamela, from a White House spokesperson, Olivia Wales. I'm going to read to you what they said.

She wrote -- quote -- "As President Trump has said, negotiations are proceeding nicely and he has made his red lines clear. President Trump will only make a good deal for the American people, which must ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

Now, I will say, we also saw the White House's rapid response account on social media putting out similarly this idea, you know, rejecting that some of this report from Iranian state media about the memorandum of understanding is a fabrication.

Now, look, we are still waiting to hear more. Obviously, we're hoping to hear from the president and what he has to say about this from Iranian state media. But what I'm assuming is that the biggest part that the White House is taking issue with is that this has no mention of the nuclear program, the nuclear talks that we know have been the sticking lines throughout this entire process.

One of the key things we know that is continuing to be discussed behind the scenes between Washington and Tehran and, of course, a lot of U.S. allies in the Middle East who are serving as mediators right now is what is going to happen with the highly enriched uranium already in Iran's possession.

This report from Iranian state television made no mention of that. Just to walk you through what it said again, it essentially said that it will call for U.S. military forces to withdraw from Iran's vicinity in exchange or -- and lift the blockade, excuse me, of Iranian ports in exchange for the Iranians to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to prewar levels.

Again, no mention of how they would enforce this idea of Iran never having a nuclear weapon, one of the president's key lines, as well as how they're going to handle this idea of highly enriched uranium.

I do want to note that I think this is going to be, of course, the main topic of discussion in this Cabinet meeting today. Also notable and I think we're hoping to get some more answers on is, this meeting today was supposed to be held at Camp David.

The president yesterday called off those plans, citing poor weather. It's not really bad weather here today in Washington, so hopefully a little bit of answers on that as well -- Pamela and Wolf.

BROWN: All right, Alayna Treene, live for us from the White House, thanks so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to discuss what's going on with CNN military analyst retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel, thanks so much for joining us.

First of all, what do you make of this so-called draft agreement, memorandum of agreement, as the Iranians are now calling it, between the U.S. and Iran, and the White House's response that we just heard about? COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Wolf, I think

one of the big things about this is that the two sides don't seem to have really reached an agreement on what the fundamental aspects of this, the fundamental tenets of this memorandum of agreement actually are.

So there seems to be disagreement on exactly what it covers. That could be a significant sticking point. And, as Alayna mentioned, the nuclear peace, the highly enriched uranium, is not discussed on the Iranian side. That is a red line for the U.S.

The other thing is, when you look at the possibility of withdrawing U.S. forces, exactly how would that take place and what U.S. forces are we talking about here? It sounds like it's the element, the contingent or a series of contingents that came in as part of the Operation Epic Fury.

If that's the case, then that could be something that the two sides could agree to. But it also depends on exactly what the sequence of steps is going to be. Are the Iranians going to let the Strait of Hormuz be opened first, and then the troops withdraw, or is it going to be something else, a sequence that would be the reverse of that?

[11:05:15]

We really don't know. But it seems to me that each side is kind of entrenched in its own position, and that might be different at the negotiating table, but what they're saying publicly means to me at least that there's no real agreement yet.

BLITZER: As part of this agreement, the U.S. supposedly would agree to withdraw military forces from Iran's vicinity. What do you think that would look like?

LEIGHTON: Well, that's going to be really interesting, Wolf, because we have had a presence in the Persian Gulf region for a very long time, for decades, basically for -- you could go back more than five decades.

So, Fifth Fleet at Bahrain, for example, the Air Force at Al Udeid and Al Dhafra air bases. You have the Army contingents in Kuwait. All of those are a relatively permanent presence in the region. Plus, you have added elements that came in as part of war against Iran. And those elements might be the ones that are actually removed.

I don't think the United States, even this administration, would agree to withdrawing all of its -- all of the troops from each of the areas that we have been at for the last three, four, five decades, depending on the specific installation.

BLITZER: Al-Jazeera, Colonel, is reporting now that Iran's military is vowing to make the country's southern territory what they're describing as a graveyard for aggressors. How much stock do you put into that?

LEIGHTON: Well, there's a lot of rhetoric that comes from the Iranians when it comes to these kinds of issues. And they use this kind of language to describe their efforts against possible invasions.

They did that against Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War back in the 1980s. They do the same kind of thing vis-a-vis Israel and the United States. So I don't hold much stock in it. But what I would say is that we have to be prepared. Let's say we decide to conduct military operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

I think this was a message designed to kind of thwart that effort. But messages are one thing. Military capabilities are another. The United States will certainly have the capability to at least temporarily open the Strait of Hormuz.

BLITZER: CNN global affairs analyst Karim Sadjadpour is joining us right now as well.

Karim, Iranian state TV said no steps will be taken by Tehran on a draft of this deal without what's being called tangible verification. What does that mean for the Iranians?

KARIM SADJADPOUR, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Wolf, as Colonel Leighton alluded to, we have a situation in which both sides believe that they have prevailed in this war.

President Trump has constantly said that the United States prevailed militarily. Iran obviously feels that they prevailed, given the objectives of the war from the U.S. and -- weren't met. And so, even though President Trump in some ways has downsized his ambitions, it's -- now the focus is simply reopening the Strait of Hormuz and then dealing with Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and its ability to enrich uranium.

I don't think Iran is prepared to meaningfully budge on those issues. It wants to maintain some control over the Strait of Hormuz. And, likewise, when it comes to both its uranium stockpile and its willingness to give up enriched uranium, I think there's a wide gap still to be bridged.

BLITZER: All right. And, Karim, the deal supposedly would include what's being described as a 60-day process for tackling other sensitive issues, including Iran's nuclear program.

President Trump is under tremendous pressure to end this war. How much leverage does that give the Iranians going forward?

SADJADPOUR: Well, I think both sides could argue they could benefit from this pause, because, for President Trump, he wants to bring the price of oil and gasoline down ahead of the summer travel season.

So, I have spoken to folks in the White House who believe that a 60- day pause would be advantageous for the United States, because we could get the free flow of oil going again. And if, in 60 days, Iran still hasn't compromised, the U.S. could go back to either kinetic action or strict sanctions.

Likewise, Iran is desperate for economic relief. It's been losing almost $500 million daily as a result of this blockade. So it also believes that this pause could be advantageous for it. So I don't think, Wolf, that were anywhere near closure on this conflict.

[11:10:01]

BLITZER: Yes, that's what a lot of experts are suggesting.

Karim Sadjadpour, thank you very much. Colonel Leighton, thanks to you as well -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, still ahead, you were just talking about it, the economic realities that could influence President Trump's decisions on Iran as he holds his second Cabinet meeting since the war began.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM, and we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:15:01]

BROWN: Breaking news.

We are standing by for President Trump to begin his Cabinet meeting. It's his first one since March. And, of course, we will bring that to you live. It's also his second Cabinet meeting since the Iran war began. He is facing pressure to resolve the conflict, as the war pushes oil and gas prices higher.

So let's bring in CNN chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny and CNN business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich.

Jeff, to you first.

Recent polling shows that people basically want this war to end. That's the bottom line. A "New York Times"/Siena College poll found more than half of registered voters think the U.S. should end military operations even if a deal can't be reached with Iran on its nuclear program.

How much of today's meeting will be about the economy?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, there's no doubt that the economic anxieties hanging over all Americans is really one of the biggest challenges facing the Trump administration and the president.

They are very well aware of this. It's one of the reasons the president likes to have these Cabinet meetings, which have largely been for show, but it is an opportunity for questions to be asked and obviously to show the American people that they are trying to resolve some of these problems.

But on the Iran war specifically, yes, I mean, this is one of the biggest sources of anxiety from Americans. I mean, the conflict was never fully explained by the president. It just kind of arrived on the doorstep earlier this year. And it's been a thorn in his side, at least politically speaking, ever since. So, yes, I do expect this will be an opportunity for the president to

talk about it. But how many times have we heard him say it is almost over, it is nearly over, a deal is within sight? Voters are sort of confused, worried about this, but the rising costs certainly is a political challenge, the biggest political challenge for this White House.

BROWN: And, Vanessa, as Jeff just laid out, the president is facing pressure to end this conflict, in part due to those historic oil and gas prices.

There is another poll from CNN that finds that 77 percent, including a majority of Republicans, say that Trump's policies have increased the cost of living in their own community. Just help us better understand, how bad are Americans feeling about prices? And what does the data say to back it up?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, Americans are feeling worse about prices and the economy now than they did about during other wars, during 9/11, during the 1970s oil crisis, during the pandemic, during the Great Recession.

This is according to consumer sentiment, which shows, in May, consumer sentiment -- this is how people feel -- dipping to its lowest level. And this is really because of higher prices, very much correlated with gas prices.

There's a write-in section in this survey by University of Michigan, which 57 percent of consumers spontaneously mentioned that high prices were eroding their personal finances, and that's up from 50 percent from April, and lower-income Americans also writing in that they are struggling even more than middle-income Americans and higher-income earners.

We also see this in the data, not just the feelings, but in the data, consumer prices rising in the month of April by 0.6 percent, and then, on an annual basis, 3.8 percent. That is very close to 4 percent. Remember, the target for inflation is a 2 percent inflation level.

And we're seeing prices jump at the grocery store, prices up by a half-a-percent in the month of April, energy prices on an annual basis up 30 percent. And gas prices really is the pain point that Americans are feeling every single day.

Good news for Americans today, gas prices falling just a little bit. But we're talking about an increase of nearly $1.50 since the war began. And many Americans really do fill up their gas tanks every single day, especially if they're using those cars for work.

One outlier for the president, Pamela, is the stock market. The stock market has been performing really incredibly in the last year or so. You have the S&P 500 just notching a fresh record high on Tuesday. This is as investors really look past the war with Iran and are looking to earnings and also some of these A.I. companies that they are very, very much heavily investing in. You can see the Dow up 214 points there, despite maybe some back-and-

forth between the U.S. and Iran on this memorandum not quite being solidified just yet, but for the everyday American, of course, watching very closely to see if there is an end in sight, because, ultimately, Pamela, if there is, that will start a ripple effect, bringing down those oil prices, bringing down those gas prices, and then bringing down other prices for everyday consumers.

BROWN: Yes. And, as you point out, the stock market may be doing well, but there's Wall Street and then there's Main Street. And a lot of Americans are hoping to see those prices go down.

[11:20:07]

And as we wait for this meeting to start, this Cabinet meeting, Jeff, the administration has had several high-profile departures recently since the last meeting took place. How different is this one going to look?

ZELENY: Well, look, I mean, there's no doubt that the president had stability in his Cabinet during his first year of the second term in office.

But, in recent years -- or recent months, I should say, it has more resembled his first term in office, when Cabinet secretaries were resigning or being fired. So this will be a different look at the president's Cabinet who are sitting around the Cabinet Room.

Of course, there's an acting attorney general there. The leader of the Department of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, resigned just last week. So there could only be some empty seats, as well as some acting secretaries.

But, by and large, this really reflects what we have seen from the president. He has shifted and changed up some Cabinet secretaries. But, again, these Cabinet meetings are largely designed by the president for an opportunity for the secretaries to raise something to him.

We have seen endless examples of how they largely are moments for the Cabinet secretaries to flatter the president or to offer some positive assessment. The vice president also will be there. So it's unclear actually what work will be accomplished from this meeting.

It's just a showplace for the White House and this administration to show that he is on top of all these challenges that Vanessa was just talking about there. But the stock market, keep an eye on that during this meeting, because that's one of the central reasons the president has been saying an end is in sight, an end is in sight.

And the market has largely listened to him. But anything he says about the war obviously could change the market in real time.

BROWN: All right, we will be watching. It should begin any moment now.

Jeff Zeleny, Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Up next: taking on ICE and getting rid of what are called ghost guns. What New York Governor Kathy Hochul tells CNN about her top priorities, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:26:52]

BLITZER: Breaking news.

In moments, President Trump will hold a Cabinet meeting over at the White House. We're going to bring that to you live. We have a camera inside. As soon as it begins, we'll have live coverage.

Also new this morning, the New York state governor, Kathy Hochul, explains how she plans to challenge what she calls overreach by federal immigration authorities.

In a wide-ranging interview with CNN's Omar Jimenez, Governor Hochul described what she called dramatic steps that she's taking with the state's new budget to create more guardrails for ICE.

Omar is joining us right now.

Tell us more about your exclusive interview with the governor, Omar.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we talked about a lot of things, including a set of policies that she believes would push back against President Trump's, as she described, overreach of ICE.

But we also talked about what is set to be a first-in-the-nation policy, as she described, on 3-D printed firearms, which obviously has been a growing issue in places across the country. But New York would be newly requiring 3-D printer manufacturers to be equipped with technology that blocks the printers from actually printing 3-D firearms or the components as well.

Just take a listen to some of what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Why do you believe that this was the best method to go about handling that issue?

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): Because 3-D printers are now turning into a way to create weapons of mass destruction.

And you and I spoke about the Buffalo massacre...

JIMENEZ: Yes.

HOCHUL: ... my hometown. The anniversary was just last week of 10 people slaughtered by a weapon of mass destruction.

I don't think that people should be able to turn their kitchen table into a munitions factory using a 3-D printer legally purchased to create guns that could slaughter other human beings.

When I know that the criminals are trying to find another way to skirt our background checks and our bans on assault weapons, I'm finding a way to get ahead of them as well. And I think other states should look at this.

JIMENEZ: Are you monitoring people who might be using this technology to create these weapons, or is it an after-the-fact penalty that, if you're caught with a 3-D printed weapon from one of those printers, there's an added sort of penalty to it?

HOCHUL: No, there's both.

JIMENEZ: OK.

HOCHUL: We will work with the companies to say, don't allow these to be sold in the state of New York, right?

(CROSSTALK)

JIMENEZ: And are you optimistic they will agree with you on that?

HOCHUL: Yes. Yes, because it's in their interest.

Again, our liabilities laws are such that someone whose family member is killed with something that your 3-D printer allowed to be manufactured in someone's home, I guarantee that some lawyer is going to say you're responsible for that.

JIMENEZ: If it's a crime to share or distribute the 3-D printer files, for example, how do you ensure it doesn't sweep up journalists like myself, researchers, people who are looking at the technology and might not be using it to print an actual firearm?

HOCHUL: Certainly, that's something, an argument you can make if you're arrested. You can say, I was doing research on this.

But, more likely, we're going to find someone who has a munitions factory in their living room of their house. And I want to stop that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: You know, one of the other things we talked about is her relationship with Mayor Mamdani, because there were a lot of questions when he was first elected about how they would actually work together.

And when you look at the New York City budget, a lot of the money that was used to balance that came from state funds.