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CNN Transcripts for May 21, 2026

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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
• Stupid on Stilts; Interview with Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); Senate Vote Canceled After Revolt Over $1.8 Anti Weaponization Fund; Federal Panel, Packed With President's Allies, Approves Revised Trump Arch; Amid Legal Fight, Trump Now Says Reflecting Pool Repairs Could Cost Less Than $20M; Protesters Set Ebola Treatment Center On Fire In DRC; Rubio: "Some Good Signs" In Iran Negotiations; Sources: Iran Rebuilding Drone Arsenal During Ceasefire; Stephen Colbert Bids Farewell As "The Late Show" Goes Dark. Aired 8-9p ET


Amanpour
• Interview with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares; Interview with 22-Time Tennis Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal; Interview with The New York Times Reporter Mike Isaac. Aired 1-2p ET


CNN's The Arena with Kasie Hunt
• Trump Agenda Derailed By Senate GOP Revolt Over $1.8B DOJ Fund; DNC Releases Report On What Went Wrong In 2024 Election; Committee Stacked With Trump Loyalists Approves Arch Design. Aired 4-5p ET


The Lead with Jake Tapper
• First Anti-Weaponization Fund Applicant Speaks To CNN; Former Trump Attorney Says He Wants Payout From $1.8B DOJ Fund; Colbert To Sign Off "The Late Show" As CBS Ends Iconic Show; Republicans Revolt Over Trump's $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund; Sources: Iran Restarted Drone Production During Ceasefire. Aired 5-6p ET
• CNN Obtains Private DNC Autopsy of 2024 Election Loss; Aimee Bock Sentenced to Nearly 42 Years in Prison in Minnesota Fraud Case; Republicans Revolt Over Trump's $1.8 Billion Anti-Weaponized Fund. CNN Obtains Private DNC "Autopsy" Of 2024 Election Loss; Oversight Committee Questions Longtime Epstein Assistant. Aired 6-7p ET


CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip
• GOP Munity Over Trump's $1.8B Fund; Ballroom Also In Danger; Iran Rebuilding Military, Undercutting trump's "Decimation" Claims; U.S. Intel Shows Iran Rebuilding Military Faster Than Expected; Democrats Release the Unedited 2024 Election Autopsy Report; Controversial "The Late Show" on CBS Signed Off Tonight for the Last Time Amid Trump Interference. Aired 10-11p ET


CNN News Central
• U.S. Intel Shows Iran Rebuilding Military Capabilities Faster Than Expected; Acting A.G. Blanche Defends DOJ's $1.8 Billion Anti- Weaponization Fund; Defense's Turn in Trial of Ex-Assistant Principal After Teacher Shot. Aired 7-7:30a ET
• Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) On Acting AG Blanche Defending DOJ's $1.8 Billion "Anti-Weaponization" Fund; HHS Sending Experimental Ebola Antibody For Exposed Americans; Colbert To Sign Off "The Late Show" As CBS Ends Iconic Show. Aired 7:30-8a ET
• U.S. Intel: Iran Could Fully Rebuild Drones in as Soon as 6 Months; Acting Attorney General Blanche Defends DOJ's $1.8 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund; U.S. Doctor with Ebola Receiving Antibody Treatment in Germany; SpaceX IPO Could Make Elon Musk a Trillionaire. Aired 8-8:30a ET
• Iran is Rebuilding Military Capabilities; Numbers on Elections; Gloria Browne-Marshall is Interviewed about Expected Supreme Court Rulings; Hot Air Balloon Rescue; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Ends; Dr. Elisa Port is Interviewed about Breast Health. Aired 8:30-9a ET
• Acting A.G. Defends Anti-weaponization Fund; Iran is Rebuilding its Military Capabilities; Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) is Interviewed about Iran; Ukraine Strikes Russia Training Camp; Blanche Defends Fund. Aired 9-9:30a ET
• Polls on GOP's General Election; Early Government Access for A.I.; Jason Lynch is Interviewed about the End of "The Late Show." Aired 9:30-10a ET
• CNN Obtains DNC Autopsy Report; Iran Rebuilding Military Forces?; White House Postpones A.I. Executive Order; Outrage Grows Over DOJ Compensation Fund. Aired 1-1:30p ET
• U.S. Intel Finds Iran Restarted Drone Production During Ceasefire; Ukraine Targets Russian-occupied Regions in New Drone Strikes; Airlines Passengers Flying Into the U.S. From Areas Affected by Ebola Must Land at Dulles Airport; DRC Says 575 Suspected Cases, 148 Deaths Linked to Ebola Outbreak; Senate GOP Agenda Derailed by Revolt Over $1.8 Billion DOJ Fund; Federal Agency Approves Revised Design for Trump's 250-Foot Arch. Aired 1:30-2p ET
• Trump Says Reflecting Pool Renovation Will Cost Over 10x Estimate; Mortgage Rates Climb to Highest in Nine Months; Gas Prices Hit New Wartime High Ahead of Memorial Day; Acting Ag Faces Major GOP Pushback on $1.8 Billion Compensation Fund; U.K. Releases Files on Ex- prince Andrew's Trade Envoy Role; House Oversight Committee Interviews Longtime Epstein Assistant; U.S. Intel Finds Iran Rebuilding Military Faster Than Expected. Aired 2-2:30p ET
• DNC Releases Log-Awaited Presidential Election Report; U.S. Deploys Strike Group to Caribbean Sea Amid Cuba Tensions; Former Fort Hood OB-GYN Facing Additional Charges; Case Dismissed Against Ex- School Official in Teacher Shooting. Aired 2:30-3p ET
• Senate GOP Agenda Derailed by Revolt Over $1.8B DOJ Fund; Trump: A.I. Exec. Order Should not be a "Blocker" for Technology; White House Postpones A.I. Executive Order, Again; Airline Passengers Flying into the U.S. from Areas Affected by Ebola Must Land at Dulles Airport; Harvard to Make it More Difficult for Undergrads to Earn A's; 3-3:30p ET
• Harvard to Make It More Difficult for Undergraduates to Earn A's: Interview with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI): DNC Releases Long- Awaited Presidential Election Report: Cuban-American Historian on Indictment of Raul Castro; Gas Above $4 in All 30 States for 1st Time in Nearly 4 Years. Aired 3:30-4p ET


CNN Newsroom
• Xi & Putin Look to Expand Ties on Trade, Tech and Military; Officers Who Defended U.S. Capitol Sue to Halt $1.8 Billion Fund; Itamar Ben-Gvir Shown Mocking Detained Activists who Tried to Bring Aid to Gaza; Scientists Find 1,100+ Unusual Species Deep in the Ocean; Meta Cuts 10 Percent of Workforce in Shift Toward A.I.; SpaceX Files for IPO; Heavy Storms Bring Flash Flooding to New York and Atlanta; Rafael Nadal Opens Up About Struggles With Anxiety, Stress; Aston Villa Triumph Over Freiburg 3-0 in Final. Aired 2-3a ET
• Former Cuban Leader Raul Castro Faces Indictment for His Responsibility in Taking Down Two Planes 30 Years Ago; Elon Musk's SpaceX Plans to Go Public. Aired 3-4a ET
• Concerns Jan. 6 Rioters Could Get Paid From $1.8B Fund; W.H.O.: Deep Concerns About Scale, Speed Of Ebola Outbreak; Sources Familiar With U.S. Intel: Iran Restarted Some Of Its Drone Production During The Six-Week Ceasefire. Aired 4-4:30a ET
• Trump Admin. Creates "Anti-Weaponization" Fund; WHO Tracking Rapidly Expanding Ebola Outbreak; DOJ Indicts Ex-Cuban Leader Raul Castro. Aired 4:30-5a ET


CNN This Morning
• GOP Lawmakers Have Concerns about $1.8B Fund; DOJ Indicts Former Cuban President as Tensions Rise Amid Oil Embargo; Harvard Makes It Harder for Undergrads to Get "A's". Aired 6-6:30a ET
• Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) is Interviewed about Trump's Anti- Weaponization Fund; TV Villain to L.A.'s Hero; Bezos Defends Billionaires. Aired 6:30-7a ET


Connect the World
• U.S. Doctor with Ebola Receiving Treatment in Germany; UK Releases Files on Mountbatten-Windsor's Envoy Role; Rubio to Visit Sweden for NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting; Oil Prices Rebound on Fading Hopes of U.S.-Iran Peace Deal; Musk-owned Rocket Company Officially Files for NASDAQ IPO. Aired 9-9:45a ET
• Trump Faces Political, Legal Challenges To "Weaponization" Fund; Blanche: Conduct Will Be Considered In Any Claim; Jan. 6 Protesters Seek Big Payouts From "Weaponization" Fund. Aired 10-11a ET


Erin Burnett Outfront
• Mutiny In The GOP; Blanche's Bad Meeting; Colbert's Final Show. Aired 7-8p ET


Inside Politics
• Republicans Push Back On Trump's Ballroom, "Weaponization" Fund; Blanche Meets With GOP Senators To Defend "Anti-Weaponization" Fund; CNN Obtains Long-Private DNC "Autopsy" Of 2024 Election Loss; DNC Chair Ken Martin Apologizes For How He Handled "Autopsy"; Trump: "I Don't Know" If I Have Control Of Senate GOP. Aired 12-12:30p ET
• Trump: "I Don't Know" If I Have Control Of Senate GOP; Dems Scramble To Stop Texas Candidate Who Pushes Antisemitic Rhetoric Ahead Of Tuesday's Primary; Star Of HBO's "The Pitt" Pushes For Healthcare Worker Protections. Aired 12:30-1p ET


Isa Soares Tonight
• CNN Reporting Suggests that Iran's Military is Rebuilding Much Faster Than Expected as the U.S. Shows Pessimism About the Prospects of a Deal. Anger, Fear, as Well as Frustration Boil Over in the DRC as the Ebola Outbreak Continues to Claim Lives. U.S. Floats the Possibility of Regime Change in Cuba Once Again as it Positions a Carrier Strike Group in the Region. Rubio Heads to Sweden to Attend NATO FM Meeting; Estonia: Russians "Losing More Men Than They Can Recruit"; Tensions Between U.S. And Israel Over Iran War; U.S. Official: Trump, Netanyahu Hold Tense Phone Call; Schumer Speaks After GOP Immigration Plan Derailed. Aired 2-3p ET


Laura Coates Live
• Payout Fund to GOP Revolt; DNC Tried to Keep 2024 "Autopsy" Private; Applications Open; Colbert Signs Off; Aired 11p-12a ET


One World with Zain Asher
• Ukraine: Attack on Russian Training Camp Kills at least 66; Marco Rubio: We Can't have Ebola Reach the U.S.; Secretary of State Rubio Heading to NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting; U.S. Secretary of State: Cuba is a National Security Threat; DRC Hospital Treating Ebola Patients Set on Fire. Aired 11-11:30a ET
• Sources: Iran Rebuilding Military, Producing Drones; President Trump Proposes Major Diplomatic Shift; Mixed Reactions After U.S. Indictment Against Raul Castro; U.S. Doctor With Ebola Receiving Treatment In Germany; New Details About Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Trade Envoy Role; Trump Administration Proposes Admitting More White South African Refugees; SpaceX To Go Public, Musk Could Become Trillionaire; Actor Noah Wyle Leads "healthcare Is Human" Rally On Capitol Hill; Aired 12-1p ET


Quest Means Business
• QUEST MEANS BUSINESS Live from Estonia; Ukraine: Attack on Russian Drone Pilot Training Camp Kills 65-plus; Senate GOP Revolt Over $1.8 Billion DOJ Fund Derails Trump Agenda. Interview with Karma Ventures Founder and Partner Margus Uudam; Interview with Veriff CEO Kaarel Kotkas; Interview with Space Capital CEO Chad Anderson. Aired 4-5p ET


CNN Live Event/Special
• CNN Headlines: Sources: Iran Is Building Drones Faster Than Expected; Acting Attorney General: Violent Conduct Will Be A Factor In "Anti-Weaponization Fund" Payouts; U.S Doctor Who Tested Positive For Virus Receiving Treatment in Berlin. Aired 5-5:30a ET
• CNN Headlines: WHO: Ebola Outbreak Is "Public Health Emergency Of International Concern"; Sources: Trump & Netanyahu Diverge On War's Future In Tense Phone Call; U.S. Indicts Former Cuban President Raul Castro. Aired 5:30-6a ET


The Situation Room
• Trump Faces Political, Legal Challenges to Weaponization Fund; Sources Say, Iran Rebuilding Military Capacity Faster Than Expected; CNN Obtains Long-Private DNC Autopsy of 2024 Election Loss. Aired 10- 10:30a ET
• NBA Playoffs Heat Up; Thomas Massie Loss Angers MAHA Movement; Interview With Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL). Aired 10:30a-11a ET
• Marco Rubio Speaks Out; CNN Obtains DNC Autopsy of 2024 Election Loss; Tensions Between U.S. and Israel?; NBA Playoffs Heat Up. Aired 11-11:30a ET
• China Slams Castro Indictment as "Abuse of Judicial Process"; Some GOP Lawmakers Skeptical of $1.8B Fund for Trump Allies; Gas Prices Hit New Wartime High; Case Dropped Against Ex-School Official in Teacher Shooting. Aired 11:30-12p ET


The Source with Kaitlan Collins
• Blanche Faces Blowback Over $1.8 Billion Fund In Tense Senate GOP Meeting; CNN Obtains DNC's Long-Withheld "Autopsy" Of 2024 Election; SpaceX Scrubs Launch Of Starship Megarocket As IPO Looms. Aired 9-10p ET


The Brief with Jim Sciutto
• CNN International: Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund Sparks Senate Backlash; Senate Republicans Push Back on Trump's Controversial Fund; Sources: Iran Rebuilding Military Faster Than Expected; WH Announce New Investments in Quantum Computing; U.S. Set to Invest $2B in Quantum Computing Companies; Concerns Over Stray Drone Flights in NATO Airspace; Mental Health Treatment for Veterans; SpaceX to Test Launch Starship V3. Aired 6-7p ET


The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
• U.S. Indicts Former Cuban President Raul Castro; U.S. Doctor Receiving Treatment for Ebola at Berlin Hospital; One-on-One with L.A. Mayoral Candidate Spencer Pratt. One-on-One with L.A. Mayoral Candidate Spencer Pratt; Some Republicans Skeptical of $1.8B Compensation Fund for Trump Allies; Nvidia Posts Record Revenue as A.I. Chip Demand Surges. Aired 12-1a ET
• U.S. Indicts Former Cuban President Raul Castro; Trump's $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund Draws Bipartisan Backlash, January 6 Rioters May Benefit; Former Congresswoman Katie Porter Has Secured Key Editorial Board Endorsements From Several Major California News Outlets; WHO Concerned About Scale And Speed Of Ebola Outbreak; Interview with Epidemiologist Dr. Anne Rimoin; NBA Playoffs; January 6 Rioters and Election Deniers Eager for DOJ Payouts; SpaceX Files for IPO. Aired 1-2a ET


What We Know with Max Foster
• $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund Derails Trump Immigration Agenda; U.S. Official: Trump, Netanyahu Hold Tense Phone Call; Sources: Iran Rebuilding Military Faster Than Expected; Violence Erupts In DRC Amid Misinformation About Virus; SpaceX IPO Could Make Elon Musk World's First Trillionaire; White House Postpones Signing Of Executive Order On A.I. Oversight; Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Documents Released. Aired 3-4p ET