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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
Aired May 21, 2026 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: As the company is raising to get the rocket ready to send astronauts to the moon by 2028, that whole moon base. And there are a lot of eyes on it because Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company is planning to go public. They want to do it as quickly as possible. The market is, of course, at such frothy levels, it is expected to be the largest IPO in history, and it could make Musk the world's first trillionaire. Thanks so much for joining us. AC360 with Anderson Cooper begins right now.
[20:00:27]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360": Good evening, from the Newsroom, keeping them honest tonight. Backlash is going to President Trump's so called "anti-weaponization fund" and a critical piece of it is coming from Republican law makers. One of them today called it "stupid on stilts."
The opposition was strong enough to derail Senate legislation to pay for the President's immigration crackdown. It's a bill he says he wants on his desk to sign by June 1st. Now, it appears that Republican Senators may not even be able to muster the votes to pass it because of how toxic the nearly $1.8 billion fund has become.
A closed-door meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche apparently did not help matters much. Sources described it as tense, saying hardly any members spoke up to defend the fund. When asked whether the acting attorney general had convinced her to support it, Maine Senator Susan Collins said simply no. Going into the meeting, North Carolina's Thom Tillis said much more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: What do you want to hear from Todd Blanche today?
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): About the payout pot for punks?
REPORTER: Yes. TILLIS: Not a lot. Look, under what circumstances would it ever make sense to provide restitution for people who were either pled guilty or were found guilty, and of. Word of law you want to talk about maybe providing restitution for people who weren't found guilty, fine. But if you do this, why not for the poor, mostly peaceful protesters in Kenosha and Portland? I mean, my God, do you see where this would head? These people don't deserve restitution. Many of them deserve to be in prison. Some of them deserve the pardon because they were over prosecuted. But this is, I mean, this is just stupid on stilts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Stupid on stilts and his other one was pay out pot for punks. Senator Tillis is retiring soon, and speaking more plainly now than he might have otherwise. So is former Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who put out a statement tonight which reads, "So, the nation's top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops. Utterly stupid, morally wrong. Take your pick."
You don't have to take their word on whether violent felons will be eligible to apply for taxpayer dollars. You can just listen to the acting attorney general himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You're the nation's top law enforcement official right now. Would you be okay with people who were convicted of hurting police, getting taxpayer money?
BLANCHE: Just to be clear, people that hurt police get money all the time, okay. There's a process where if you are, if you believe you have your rights violated, you can you can apply for funds, you can sue, you can file a claim, you can go to court. And some of those cases, the state, the government, the federal government settles those cases. It's abhorrent to ever, ever touch a law enforcement officer, which is why anytime anybody does that and it's a federal officer will prosecute them. But that's a completely different question with whether an individual is allowed to apply for a claim, whether they'll get a claim, it depends.
I can't, it's not, it would not be appropriate for me to talk about absolutes. Like, absolutely not, under no circumstances. I mean, we can talk about hypotheticals until we're blue in the face, but that really wouldn't be fruitful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, he's certainly not saying no. No one in the administration is. He did say it'll be up to the five commissioners who administered this fund. He, of course, will be picking them, and the President will be able to fire any or all of them.
The 2020 election denier Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy, now says he will be seeking money from the fund, and attorneys for Enrique Tarrio tell us today hell be applying for some of your taxpayer dollars. He, of course, is the former Proud Boys leader who received the longest sentence of any January 6th defendant, 22 years for seditious conspiracy. That's when two or more people conspiring to overthrow, destroy or oppose the U.S. Government by force. There's any number of people who engage in violent acts who might apply. Here are some of them.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
COOPER: Based on what the acting attorney general has repeatedly said, not one single person you see trying to crush officer Michael Hodges in a door will be ineligible to apply for taxpayer money, they could all apply.
The same goes for the mob that chased then Vice President Pence and his family out of the Senate, some of them calling for him to be hanged. They could buy plenty of rope with money they could possibly get.
Also, eligible are the ones who beat, tasered, trampled and bear sprayed officers, injuring some 140 of them. The acting attorney general won't rule out that any of these people will get money, though he does seem incensed that people are noticing this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLANCHE: This Department of Justice does not stand for assaulting law enforcement. And the kind of fake outrage at this, because there's a handful of folks who might apply.
[20:05:11]
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, keeping them honest, prosecutors charged more than 1,580 people and secured roughly 1,270 convictions in in connection with January 6th. That's a lot of handfuls of folks who might apply.
And the outrage isn't fake unless Republican lawmakers are faking it when they hold up key legislation for President from their own party and say things like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TILLIS: The payout pot for punks. I mean, this is just stupid on stilts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: For more on all this, let's go to CNN's Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill. Is it clear if more Senate Republicans will speak out against the fund?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, Anderson, Republicans are deeply frustrated about the fact that they are even talking about this fund, given the fact that they have so many other priorities that they want to handle before the midterm elections. You know, you heard from Senator Thom Tillis there. You have heard from other Republicans who have either dodged questions in the halls or behind closed doors. In a meeting today with Todd Blanche were clear that they had questions and concerns, and they still needed clarity before they were willing to even take a vote on legislation that would include some kind of this fund.
Many Republicans want to put guardrails on where this money could specifically go to, and that is the reason why today, Senate Republicans went home. They were supposed to have a vote that had been unified amongst themselves to vote for money for immigration enforcement. That is an issue that Donald Trump ran on. That is an issue Republicans support. And yet it was derailed by a debate about this fund.
And I would just note that this is not happening in a vacuum, Anderson. This is happening in the course of a week in which one of their colleagues lost on Saturday, Senator Bill Cassidy, after Donald Trump's political allies took him down in the State of Louisiana. Then you had the news earlier this week that Senator John Cornyn was not going to be endorsed by the President, but instead his opponent, Ken Paxton, was going to be endorsed. And I think a lot of Republicans are looking around the room, looking within their conference and saying, if this can happen to someone like senator John Cornyn, who was the Republican whip when Donald Trump was passing his tax bill in his first administration, perhaps this could happen to anyone.
And I think that is causing a lot of Republicans to look at whether or not they are willing to take these kinds of political votes for the President at a time when they are not even sure in the future, there is going to be any protection from his political allies. So, I think that's part of the dynamic that's playing out right now, Anderson. But obviously, a lot of republicans in that meeting with Todd Blanche had a lot of questions about how this fund was going to be used. And we are told that very few people spoke out in support of it.
COOPER: All right, Lauren Fox, thanks so much.
Joining me now is Colorado Democratic Congressman Jason Crow. He sits on the House Intelligence and Armed Services Committee and is a former Army Ranger. Congressman, does the Republican backlash against this fund feel different to you from previous times? GOP lawmakers have bristled at moves by the administration, but ultimately fell in line.
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Anderson, I can only think of one timeline here. Ten years, ten years, we've been living with Donald Trump and seeing his conduct, seeing him break the law, disregard the rule of law, disregard the constitution, burn his perceived political enemies, turn his back on his once allies. Ten years this has been happening, and today were supposed to believe that Republicans in Congress are looking around and saying, well, what's happening? Like, they could do this to me too.
I just don't believe it. These people have been perpetuating this, have been platforming this for a decade. They know exactly what they've created here, which is exactly why it's the American people who now have to stand up and fix it.
COOPER: I just want to remind people where you were on January 6th. You were trapped in the House gallery as rioters breached the Capitol. You were protecting your then colleague, Congresswoman Susan Wild. Weve heard some January 6th rioters in recent days say this fund is long overdue and that they deserve the money.
When you hear that, when you see the idea of, you know, Enrique Tarrio applying for funds, what do you say to that?
CROW: Well, it almost makes me physically ill, right? These are people who brutally beat 160 police officers, some of which still have the visible and invisible scars of that, who deal with that trauma to this day. These are people that I know. They're friends of mine. I see them every single day on the Capitol, like all my colleagues do.
These are people who knew what they were doing, who attempted to conduct an insurrection. And it's not just the January 6th insurrectionists either. You know, this is a slush fund to send a message to anyone who is willing to kowtow or kiss Donald Trump's ring that, hey, you just do what I tell you to do. Turn your back on the constitution, turn your back on the rule of law.
Theres a pardon waiting for you, and there's a big payout waiting for you. The message is pretty clear, right. People like Tina Peters, who was convicted in Colorado by a jury of her peers and convicted felon to nine years in prison for trying to overturn an election and perpetuating Donald Trump's big lie. She also is eligible for this. So, it's just beyond tale--
[20:10:27]
COOPER: Sure, all the fake electors would be eligible for this. I mean, some of them may even be on this commission for all we know.
CROW: That's right, I mean, this is just another example of the rank corruption. And listen, let's make another point here. This is paid for by the American taxpayer. This is not some magic pot of money. This is not coming from Donald Trump.
The American taxpayer is paying for this money, much like they're going to pay for the billion -dollar gold ballroom. They paid for the private plane fleet for Kristi Noem. They're paying for the brand-new golf course at Andrews Air Force Base. And on and on and on. This is monopoly money to Donald Trump, but to Americans, to my constituents who are losing their health care, losing their homes, losing their farms, this is money that could be life-saving to them.
COOPER: Does this encourage others to, you know, other wannabe insurrectionists or, you know, to show up at polling stations on election day in the midterms and feel they can, you know, do something and Donald Trump will have their back with this fund, you know, they could get a pardon and even get cash?
CROW: Well, that's exactly the point. I mean, that is precisely the message is there will be impunity. You won't be held accountable so long as you show blind loyalty to Donald Trump. You can violate the law. You can do pretty much anything you want. And not only will there not be consequences, but there will be potentially a big payout, a windfall at the end of it.
I mean, it is just -- it's egregious on every single level. And, you know, how could any of us be surprised when just going back to my original point, you know, all these Republicans in the House and Senate who are looking around saying, oh, God, I can't believe this is happening. Why would he do this? I don't like this. Listen, here's my message to them. You created this. You brought us here to this moment. There have been years and incident after incident of incident. If you don't know what we're dealing with and who were dealing with by now, then I just can't simply help you. I can't help you. Which is why it's the American people who are going to have to stand up and express their voice and vote and get new people in who actually can pay attention to reality.
COOPER: Yes, I mean, some of the people now, you know, Mitch McConnell, you know, making this statement, some of these folks, you know, in the, in the hours after January 6th when order was restored, they seemed to want a divorce from Donald Trump. They quickly reversed themselves. I mean, Lindsey Graham, you know, was talking about how sad it was to end that way. And then he suddenly got yelled at by some people as he was, you know, trying to go home through the airport in Washington and then was playing golf with the President again.
CROW: Yes, that's also what's happened, you know, probably a dozen plus times is there's been a series of just horrible events that have happened that normally in years past would be an awakening for folks. And they would say, oh, I've had enough. You know, whether it's the insurrection, the first impeachment, the second impeachment, you know, an unlawful war in Iran, an illegal operation in Venezuela, an illegal operation in the Caribbean, you know, unbelievable corruption. And they say, oh, God, this is terrible. I can't believe this. And then a week later, Donald Trump threatens to have them primaried or makes a phone call or invites them to the White House and gives them a free coffee mug, and everything is fine and people move on.
So, I mean, that's the cycle, which is why I'm just not holding my breath anymore for anybody to wake up. And the show conscience. If by now they haven't done the right thing. And don't get me wrong, I'm not shutting my door. Today is the is a great day to do the right thing. And if they want to, I welcome them into the coalition of patriotic Americans who are saying for the democracy. But I'm just not going to hold my breath for it anymore.
COOPER: Yes, Congressman Crow, appreciate it, thank you.
Coming up next, more on the Congressman's Republican colleagues. Will this fund be a bridge too far for any of them?
Also, it is Stephen Colbert's last late show. We'll look back at some of them and the many conversations we've had.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEPHEN COLBERT, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT" HOST: This is your 22nd appearance on the show and that makes you tie for most frequent guest with John Oliver.
COOPER: Oh, Oliver!
COLBERT: And here is the thing is that I am pretty sure, he is coming one more time. So that gives you the silver, but it fits you because you are as we know, the Silver Surfer of cable news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:19:21]
COOPER: More now on discontent in the Senate over the Department of Justice's push for nearly $1.8 billion, so-called Anti Weaponization Fund. Under the plan, January 6th, offenders who violently assaulted police officers could potentially be paid with taxpayer money. Here again, is how Republican North Carolina senator Thom Tillis described it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TILLIS: Look, under what circumstances would it ever make sense to provide restitution for people who were either pled guilty or were found guilty in a court of law? These people don't deserve restitution. Many of them deserve to be in prison. Some of them deserve the pardon because they were over prosecuted. But this is, I mean, this is just stupid on stilts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, the President himself seemed unsure today whether he still had a grip on his party's Senate conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: But are you losing control of the Senate, Sir? Senate Republicans?
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I don't know, I can tell you, I only do what's right.
[20:20:20]
COOPER: Again, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, also weighing in tonight with a statement, writing in part, "So the nation's top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops. Utterly stupid, morally wrong, take your pick."
Perspective now from CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings, a conservative talk radio host and democratic strategist Paul Begala. Scott, do you agree with Mitch McConnell there? SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I certainly agree that anybody who assaults a police officer should not be getting any payment. In fact, I think they ought to have to pay the victims and the victim's family. I don't think anybody who goes after cops directly ought to get any money at all. That's number one.
Number two, I'm not surprised the President's having trouble with the Senate on this. A, he already had a few senators that weren't happy with him. And B, now there's a couple more that have nothing to lose, really, by standing up to him. So, he's going to have some difficult legislative affairs over the next few months.
The next point is it's $1.8 billion. I suspect some members of Congress are going to want to talk to him about that. Now, on the other hand, it's absolutely true that some people were over prosecuted, as Thom Tillis said.
In fact, the supreme court ruled that DOJ overreached with a specific statute in hundreds of cases. Some people were swept up unfairly. And I think if you have been treated unfairly by the government, you ought to be able to apply for some restitution.
But whether this fund is the correct vehicle for that, I think the Congress is going to want to talk about that. And I'm not surprised the President is having trouble with it on Capitol Hill.
COOPER: Paul, I mean, we obviously heard lawmakers express some concerns about some of the President's policies in the past from republicans. They mostly seem to get on board in the end. Do you think that's going to happen here?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I don't know, is the honest answer, but I was getting well, Scott was trying to get an update from the meteorological desk. Hell has frozen over. I was largely agreeing with Scott Jennings and completely agreeing with Mitch McConnell. I think this is likely to be kind of temporary. I mean, these folks in the Senate, these Republicans, they went along with confirming Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, RFK Jr. at the at the Department of Health and Human Services, Kash Patel at FBI. That that wrestling lady is running the Department of Education.
They went along with everything cutting Medicaid, cutting Obamacare. They went along with the Iran war. And I got to say, if we're going to compensate anybody, let's start with the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti peaceful, patriotic protesters. They weren't prosecuted. They were shot and killed. And I don't see in fact, President Trump's, aides slandered them, smeared them, called them terrorists. So, this is not on the level. This is about. Mitch McConnell called it a slush fund.
Far be it from me to disagree with mitch McConnell, it's a slush fund, and it's outrageous. I just wonder how long the Republicans are going to in the Senate are going to last with this little uprising. But we'll see.
COOPER: I mean, Scott, should FBI agents who have been forced to retire or fired, um, after decades of service because they were named by a podcaster and Kash Patel was pressured and fired them, for being assigned to an investigation of the President should, should, could they get money back?
JENNINGS: I mean, I have no idea. Should people who were outed by Ro Khanna who had nothing to do with the Epstein files get restitution? I don't know, I mean, you could come up with any class of people who've been wrongfully attacked by the federal government and see if it applies. And I think that's part of the point here is, who gets swept up in this. I do think it's important to acknowledge, there are people who deserve restitution after being treated unfairly by the federal government.
The federal government is not infallible. It makes mistakes. It over prosecutes people. It absolutely does and can ruin your life. It does happen to average ordinary citizens all the time. The Biden administration, I think, unfairly went after religious people who were praying on sidewalks.
COOPER: So, should this go back decades then? So, should this go back decades to the civil rights movement and the legions of people who were imprisoned, beaten, you know, fired from their jobs? I mean, there's been generations of people who have been abused by various federal governments.
JENNINGS: Yes, and there's governments, federal, state and local who had to pay people over decades for doing improper things. So, the short answer, Anderson, is, I don't know. I've not been handed any parameters for how this fund is going to be applied. But when you're spending this much money, I do know this. The Congress is going to have questions about it. I mean, nearly $1.8 billion. Of course, they're going to want to know where it's going.
Typically, they're the ones who spend money. So, I'm not surprised the President and his team are going to have to answer questions about it. And I'm not surprised they had a rough meeting about it today, and I'm certainly not surprised it's happening in the Senate, where there's just a few more senators right now who really have nothing to lose when it comes to standing up to Trump politically.
COOPER: Paul, do you think the fact that Republicans are leaving town for the holiday weekend without passing this, will impact the White House on, on this fund at all?
[20:25:17]
BEGALA: Well, yes, I think those members are going to hear about it. They're going to go home and they're going to hear about it and I'm hearing about it. I advise a group, they're a client of mine called the Working Class Project, looking at working class voters. They just did some focus groups in polling in Iowa.
People were, these days were Trump voters in the main and farmers and, you know, Iowans, they were volunteering that they thought the ballroom was corrupt, volunteering that they thought cone that has kind of cut through. This was just before the news about the slush fund had broken.
But this is starting to gain traction. It's gaining traction, I think, because people are stitching together the corruption and their own cost of living. This is, I talked to some of the guys that were advising the Hungarian opposition, and they said, that's kind of what ultimately got Orban. It wasn't even just that the prices were high or that there was corruption. But people understand that when Donald Trump can find $1.8 billion slush fund for his cronies or his political thugs, why can't he find a nickel for my kid's SNAP benefits or Medicaid or my Obamacare supplement that I had? If that's cutting through in Iowa, where democrats haven't won the governor's seat in 20 years, haven't won a senate seat in 18 years, it's killing them out in the rest of America.
COOPER: Scott Jennings, Paul Begala, I appreciate it, as always. Thank you.
Coming up next, how the President plans to get his arch built without getting the say so from Congress. And later, in the otherwise grim Ebola outbreak, some hopeful news about an American doctor infected with it, and more about what's happening in DRC.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:30:57]
COOPER: A recent rendering of the arch the President wants to build in Washington, the one he talks about almost every chance that he gets, today included.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So we're building what's called the Triumphal Arc, right opposite the Arlington Memorial Bridge, right by Arlington Cemetery. It's beautiful. The Arc de Triomphe would be the one that you would probably know in Paris. It's one of the most beautiful.
It's a very similar size, slightly larger than we're doing. We have to do slightly larger. It doesn't have to be a lot larger. Otherwise, you'd all be disappointed in me. But it's even far more beautiful. And I think that the Arc de Triomphe is beautiful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, the arch would be just across the Potomac River from the reflecting pool that he's having painted swimming pool blue. There are new developments tonight about both, including a big step for the big arch.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: So we're building what's called the Triumphal Arc. SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The President's quest to build the largest arch in the world, securing a key approval.
TRUMP: We just got approval from Fine Arts. That's fantastic.
SERFATY (through translation): The Commission of Fine Arts, a committee Trump stacked with hand-selected loyalists, approved plans for the massive 250-foot arch today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All in favor?
ALL: Aye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aye.
SERFATY (through translation): The latest plan, however, is getting a makeover. The arch got wider but lost four gold lion sculptures, a change that the committee pushed for given that lions are not native to the U.S. And the overall height of the structure is now smaller with the removal of an 8-foot tall base, though the arch itself remains 250 feet tall, a symbolic height to align with the nation's 250th anniversary.
TRUMP: It'll be substantial. I'd like it to be the biggest one of all.
SERFATY (through translation): The arch is facing a legal challenge from a Vietnam War veterans group who argue the size and location will obstruct the view of Arlington National Cemetery nearby. The project has also faced fierce public criticism over its design and for not getting proper approval from Congress.
But the Trump administration is angling to move without Congress, readying to use this obscure century-old authorization, which was used to approve a pair of 166-foot columns at the same location in 1924 to go around Congress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you need Congress to sign off on it?
TRUMP: No, we don't. No, no, we're doing it. It's -- the land is owned by Secretary, by the Interior Department. We don't need anything from Congress.
SERFATY (through translation): Meantime, another pet project of the President's, the reflecting pool that Trump is painting blue and making other fixes to is also facing a legal fight as the price tag keeps rising.
TRUMP: I originally thought I'd do it for $2 million or $3 million just to a base, but now we're fixing up the exterior of it, we're doing. So we'll probably be in there for less than $20 million.
SERFATY (through translation): That less than 20 million figure is up from a recent estimate the President gave of $13 million. Federal Judge Carl Nichols today heard arguments from a nonprofit suing to stop the project. The judge didn't issue a ruling, but did say, "It seems to me that if there is any harm to be done, it is both reparable and temporary."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: So what else happened in court today?
SERFATY (on-camera): Well, Anderson, the judge really seems very torn about what exactly to do with this request to halt the construction work that's taking place in the reflecting pool. And while this legal maneuvering really played out, and he notably did not rule from the bench today, he didn't indicate how he may rule, which means that essentially for now the work is continuing on the reflecting pool.
The lawsuit is currently still live, so the question out there still does remain whether the judge will step in eventually, halt the work, or whether he'll decide to just let it go and let the case play out. Anderson?
COOPER: Sunlen Serfaty, thanks so much.
An update now on the deadly Ebola outbreak in Africa. Today in the Democratic Republic of Congo, protesters set fire to an Ebola treatment center, destroying two hospital tents.
[20:35:01]
Police fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse the angry crowd. A local official says this all began when the family of a young man fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse the angry crowd.
A local official says this all began when the family of a young man who they believe died of Ebola tried to take his body by force. Others in the crowd also demanded the bodies of their loved ones. Health authorities refused, citing the risk of further spread and past outbreaks.
There have been instances of family members handling the remains of infected victims who have then contracted the virus. The WHO says the outbreak is a public health emergency in Central Africa with nearly 600 suspected cases, nearly 150 deaths so far. Here in the U.S., flights carrying passengers who were in the region have to now land at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., where CDC staff will screen them on arrival.
Meanwhile, this new photo shows when the American surgeon infected with Ebola, Dr. Peter Stafford, arrived in Germany and was transferred to an isolation ward in Berlin. The Christian mission charity that he works with surge, shared a brief statement from Dr. Stafford today.
He said, quote, "Before I was evacuated, I was feeling really concerned I wasn't going to make it. Now I'm cautiously optimistic." His wife and four young children are also in Germany. The charity says they are all asymptomatic and being monitored.
Up next, what multiple sources familiar with U.S. intelligence are now revealing about Iran's military arsenal and the threat it could still present? And with Stephen Colbert signing off from "The Late Show" tonight, some memories of being on the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:40:32]
COOPER: Another development from Capitol Hill tonight, along with the drama in the Senate, word that House Republican leaders abruptly canceled a vote on a Democratic-led War Powers resolution aimed at limiting further military action in Iran. It was due to low attendance, leaving Republicans without the votes they would have needed to actually kill the bill.
Meanwhile, six weeks now into the Iran ceasefire, CNN has learned from multiple sources that Tehran has used the time rebuilding key parts of its military and at a faster pace than anticipated. Additionally, a U.S. official says Iran could fully restore its drone capabilities in just six months.
Iran is said to also be quickly replacing missile sites, launchers and production capacity for key weapons systems destroyed during the war. Today at the White House, the President had this to say about the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have total control of the Strait of Hormuz, as you know, with our blockade. The blockade's been 100 percent effective. Nobody's been able to get through it. It's like a steel wall. It's our navy.
We have the greatest military anywhere in the world. We wiped out their navy. We wiped out their air -- I think they're down to about -- I would say we knocked out 85 percent of their missile capacity. We -- it's very hard for them now to build missiles, to build drones.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Joining us now is senior global affairs analyst Karim Sadjadpour and CNN National Security Analyst Beth Sanner. Karim, a senior Iranian source has told Reuters that the gaps between the U.S. and Iran have narrowed. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio says that there are some good signs. Do you think a deal is imminent? What do you see as the biggest obstacles right now?
KARIM SADJADPOUR, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I don't see a deal being imminent, Anderson. I think that even when negotiations -- when and if negotiations commence, the process will likely be many months. President Trump, from the outset of the war, focused on four issues. It was destroying Iran's nuclear program, its missiles, its proxies, and potentially even its regime.
He's narrowed that focus to really just two things now. It's their nuclear program, both their ability to enrich uranium and their stockpile of enriched uranium, and then the Strait of Hormuz. But I think even those issues probably are going to take a long time between -- before the negotiations really lead to productive talks. COOPER: Yes, I mean, Beth, when he's talking about a deal, do you think he's actually talking about a, you know, a major deal with all the fine points worked out or just a kind of memorandum of understanding?
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, I mean, this administration has never done -- I don't think they've done a deal that is really lengthy and complex, except for a handful of trade negotiations. All of them have been these framework deals. And, you know, as Karim said, you know, the nuclear thing is, that is really complex.
We all know the statistics of how long, you know, almost two years it took for JCPOA. But I do think that there is a potential for a framework deal around the Strait, but again, I don't think that can happen tomorrow. And I think that this administration also, the Trump administration, has to agree to put aside the nuclear component for negotiation later, and so far they haven't been willing to do that.
So basically, we're -- you know, we're at loggerheads, and I feel like we're in Groundhog Day. I love that movie, but I -- you know, I think we're all kind of tired of living it. And, you know, somebody's going to have to give, otherwise we're in this situation for a long time, or we're going to escalate, we're going to go back to war, which won't work.
COOPER: And Karim, I mean, the President's saying, you know, they don't have the drones left. You know, this -- the reporting is they can rebuild their -- they can replenish their drones relatively easy. I mean, they have the capacity -- they're the ones who were selling drones to Russia for Ukraine. They have the capacity to make these drones pretty cheaply.
SADJADPOUR: That's right, Anderson, and I think one of the most important issues, which is being neglected, are these underground missile cities, what the Revolutionary Guards call their missile cities. There's some estimates that they have three dozen of these missile cities built underneath mountains, even deeper than their nuclear facilities, deep underground throughout the country where they can potentially manufacture missiles and drones.
And this is a regime which has learned how to manufacture these things like they do automobiles, potentially in the hundreds, even thousands per month.
[20:45:02]
And, you know, Anderson, these are not -- this is not even being discussed as part of the negotiations, their missiles and their drones and just, you know, access to these facilities.
COOPER: And Beth, CNN reported that Trump and Netanyahu held what was described by a U.S. official as a tense conversation on Tuesday discussing how to proceed with the war, potential peace agreement. Do you think the strategic goals of the U.S. and Israel are still closely aligned in this war? SANNER: I mean, I think that strategically, in terms of ensuring that Iran isn't a threat and doesn't have a nuclear weapon, those are strategic aims that are aligned. But I think that the path to get there is where we're not aligned right now. And this reporting about how Iran is reconstituting its missile and drone capabilities faster is probably one of the reasons why Netanyahu and Trump are not on the same page.
Because the idea, as Karim said, of them having just a nuclear deal and ignoring the missile and drone threat, you know, we started this war actually because of the huge -- one of the reasons was, is because Iran was producing an enormous amount of missiles. And as Marco Rubio himself said, we were worried that they would have so many missiles we wouldn't be able to deal with the nuclear program if we needed to.
Well, now that is going to be unleashed, and under any agreement, Netanyahu fears, and I think rightly, that Iran would be constrained in the future, that they wouldn't be able to, quote, "mow the lawn." And so this is kind of the worst of all possible worlds, that our deterrence is lower, that Iran can reconstitute, and that the nuclear program isn't resolved and probably won't be resolved to a degree that it would be of Israel's liking.
COOPER: Karim, were you surprised by the reporting that came out yesterday about Ahmadinejad as being basically selected by Israel to -- for regime change, and then there was a bombing at his house, which was designed to, according to the reporting, to free him from house arrest, and then he changed his mind, and he's since not been seen? I mean, why Ahmadinejad?
SADJADPOUR: I'll tell you why that report was perplexing, Anderson, because 15 years ago, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, when he was President of Iran, was denying the Holocaust, calling for Israel to be wiped off the map, and advancing Iran's nuclear program, and then Prime Minister Netanyahu compared him to Hitler.
So the idea that Israel would want to install someone as leader of Iran, whom the same Prime Minister Netanyahu once called Hitler, you know, that was never going to be something they could sell as a victory, nor would it be a victory for President Trump.
So I suspect that they wanted a lot of different options, potential leaders that could emerge in Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being one of them. I'm skeptical that the entirety of their plan rested on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
COOPER: Karim Sadjadpour, Beth Sanner, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Stephen Colbert is signing off tonight after nearly 11 years as host of the CBS Late Show. I've been honored to be Stephen's guest 22 times. The second most appearances by anyone. John Oliver beat me by one. What I've loved about being on with Stephen is his decency, his curiosity and intelligence, and of course, his sense of humor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: I don't do well with a bro hug. I don't --
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT: Really?
COOPER: Yes, and it makes me nervous, and I feel they're awkward.
COLBERT: It can be tender.
COOPER: No, no. Really good to see you. It's really good to see you.
COLBERT: I love talking to both of you, but you seem so happy all the time --
COOPER: Yes.
COLBERT: -- and if you watch our shows, we're slowly decaying.
COOPER: I told them that you said I looked like a white walker. They offered to make me into a white walker.
COLBERT: And I think we have -- I have a clip here of your transformation.
COOPER: Yes.
COLBERT: Jim?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: I keep forgetting that I'm dressed like a white walker. Like, one -- you would think you would feel this, but it actually -- after a while, it just kind of feels like your regular skin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLBERT: Where's the dad bod, though, Anderson? You're not really committed until I see a gut. What's going on here? All right --
COOPER: Let's see --
COLBERT: This is what a dad looks like. This is a dad, OK? Right there, baby. Yes.
One, two, three.
COOPER: We didn't tray?
COLBERT: No. You couldn't do that if --
COOPER: How long were you a waiter for?
COLBERT: Five years.
COOPER: Five years?
COLBERT: Five years as a waiter.
COOPER: Wow.
COLBERT: And as you can tell, I wasn't very busy.
This is your 22nd appearance on the show, and that makes you tied, for most frequent guests, with John Oliver.
COOPER: Oh, Oliver!
COLBERT: And I think, here's the thing, is that I'm pretty sure he's coming on one more time. So that gives you the silver, but it befits you because you are, as we know, the silver surfer of Cable News.
[20:50:08]
And so we have had a medallion struck in your honor to Anderson Cooper --
COOPER: Wow.
COLBERT: -- the silver surfer of Cable News. This is for you.
COOPER: Thank you.
COLBERT: Thank you. Thank you, Anderson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: My kids have stolen that.
CBS executives have said that canceling Colbert was purely a financial decision, but to fans of Colbert and free speech, there doesn't seem to be anything pure about this decision. We've seen a lot of disappointing behavior in the past year from some very meek, bold- faced names in the world of big business, but as Gildor Inglorion, a Noldor elf of the House of Finrod, who of course lived in the first age of the sun, once said to Frodo Baggins, courage is found in unlikely places.
Stephen Colbert knows a lot about JRR Tolkien, and he knows a hell of a lot about courage. I suspect a good deal of that knowledge was learned early on from his mom, Lorna, who experienced the tragedy of her husband's death, Stephen's dad, along with two of her teenage sons, Stephen's brothers, Peter and Paul.
Robert F. Kennedy said that tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live. That early tragedy when Stephen was 10 changed forever the trajectory of his life, and he generously shared the wisdom and perspective he gained from it with me and millions of others, and his wisdom about loss and grief has changed my life.
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COLBERT: It's a gift to exist. It's a gift to exist. And with existence comes suffering. There's no escaping that. But if you are grateful for your life, which I think is a positive thing to do, not everybody is --
COOPER: Right.
COLBERT: -- and I'm not always, but it's the most positive thing to do, then you have to be grateful for all of it. It's -- you can't pick and choose what you're grateful for. So what do you get from loss? You get awareness of other people's loss.
COOPER: Well, that's very empathetic.
COLBERT: Which allows you to connect with that other person.
COOPER: Right.
COLBERT: Which allows you to love more deeply and to understand what it's like to be a human being and to connect with them and to love them in a deep way that not only accepts that all of us suffer, but also then makes you grateful for the fact that you have suffered. So that you can know that about other people.
It's about the fullness of your humanity. What's the point of being here and being human if you can't be the most human you can be? I'm not saying best, because you can be a bad person and a most human.
I want to be the most human I can be, and that involves acknowledging and ultimately being grateful for the things that I wish didn't happen, because they gave me a gift.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, that interview and the interview he did on my podcast about grief has helped millions of people, grieving loved ones. It's a sad night to see Stephen sign off, to see so many who work on that show now out of work, to see a President who can't take a joke go after anyone who can make one.
But Tolkien offers us words of hope for just such nights. When Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins were crawling through Mordor toward Mount Doom, tired, hopeless, almost ready to give up, Tolkien writes, "They're peeping among the cloud rack above a dark Tor High up in the mountains. Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while.
The beauty of it smote his heart, and as he looked up out of the forsaken land, hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end, the shadow was only a small and passing thing. There was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach."
Thank you, Stephen, for so many great conversations, and I can't wait to see what you do next.
Coming up, TODAY show co-host, Sheinelle Jones, lost her husband, Uche, one year ago, and then seven months later, her grandmother as well. She joins me on a new episode of my podcast, All There Is, which has just been released, and you'll hear from her in a moment.
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[20:58:08]
COOPER: A new episode of my podcast on grief, All There Is, has just been released. You can find it online by scanning the QR code at the bottom of your screen or wherever you get your podcasts. My new -- my guest today is today co-host Sheinelle Jones. She lost her husband Uche a year ago after he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer, a glioblastoma, and then months later her grandmother. She talks about parenting after the double loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: How do you do this with kids?
SHEINELLE JONES, CO-HOST, TODAY SHOW: As a mom, it's tough because you don't want to make them sad. I have three teenagers, you know, so there's a tap dance.
As their mom, allowing us all to be vulnerable and there's a time and a space for us to reflect and also a time for them to show we can't move on, we can move forward with that. I think the biggest pain I carry now, and I am not even to a year, the biggest pain I have is not my own. And trust me, like, he's all I've known.
I didn't date. I was 19, you know. It's not my pain. It's that I can't fix it. As a mother, you just want to fix it. Your kids, you don't want them to hurt.
And I think when he passed, the blow that it was and the grief and all of it, like, as the mama bear, for me not to be able to fix it, even now, is excruciating. It's excruciating that I can't take that pain away.
You know, and I've had to learn how to parent differently because I am not him, and he was strict. And I'm like, eh. So I've had to find that. I remember early on, I said something like, your dad would not. And then I realized what I was saying.
And I don't know. There's no template for this. Should I not have done that? Your father would have never. Or is it you know better? Your father would have never. I don't know.
And so I'm kind of living it in real time, how I want to parent. You know what I was looking forward to? Heartbreak. Like, that was going to suck.
And I was going to have to be like, have some chocolate, sit down. He's a jerk. Not this kind of heartbreak. And not only are your hearts breaking, but so is mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: You can listen to more of my conversation with Sheinelle Jones wherever you get your podcasts, or you can watch the entire episode at our grief community page, CNN.com/AllThereIs. That's it for me. See you tomorrow. The Source with Kaitlan Collins starts now.
