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UK Police: Man Detained After Car Hits Pedestrians During Parade; Israel Orders Gaza Evacuations Ahead of Unprecedented Attack; Travel Experts: Americans Booking Fewer Trips Due to Economic Unease; Scripps National Spelling Bee to Mark Its 100th Year. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 26, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Turning back to a breaking news story we're following closely. A man has been detained in Liverpool after a car hit several pedestrians at a parade there in England. The streets were crowded with fans celebrating the city's football club which had just won big. It had won the Premier League Championship. Police now say a 53 year old white British man from the Liverpool area is in custody.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: CNN's Anna Stewart joins us now live. So Anna, what do we know about what happened?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So what we currently know is the incident happened just after 6 p.m. here in the UK in Liverpool. This is two and a half hours ago. The streets you were looking at just there were filled with thousands of people out to celebrate Liverpool football club's big victory.

There was a Victory Day parade. It was pedestrianized street, a very long route of people and a car plowed into a crowd of people. Very unclear how the car was able to get onto this route.

Merseyside police have released a statement. They say, as you say, a 53 year old white male has been arrested. He's from the Liverpool area.

That description possibly to combat speculation that this was terror related. They're asking people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident. It could of course been an accident. It's very unclear and they say inquiries are ongoing to establish exactly what happened here.

They're asking people not to circulate disturbing video on social media and images of the incident. Videos of this have been circulating.

I can tell you they're very disturbing and at this stage we simply don't know how many injuries were sustained or what the gravity of those injuries were. Now from recent pictures we're looking at, you can see that there's a huge presence in terms of fire, police and ambulance. All the emergency services are responding to this and the streets of course have been cleared of the thousands of pedestrians who were there just in the last couple of hours.

We have a statement from the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He is posted on X. He says, The scenes in Liverpool are appalling -- my thoughts are with all those injured or affected and I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident.

He says, I am being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police the space they need to investigate.

The fact that the Prime Minister is being kept up to date on developments shows just how severe and significant this incident is and we are expecting a press conference from Merseyside Police in just a couple of hours. So perhaps we'll get more information then.

SANCHEZ: Anna Stewart, thank you for bringing us the latest.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff telling CNN today that a ceasefire hostage deal for Gaza is currently on the table and he is urging Hamas to accept it. That development happening on the same day that Israel issued evacuation orders for southern and eastern Gaza with warning of, quote, an unprecedented attack.

KEILAR: Overnight Israel launched deadly strikes in Gaza including at a school where 20 people were reportedly killed. Israel claims it was targeting a Hamas commander. As part of its new military offensive an Israeli military official tells CNN Israel now plans to occupy 75 percent of Gaza within two months.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is with us now from Tel Aviv. Jeremy bring us up to speed on all that's happened.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well as these negotiations are still ongoing to try and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal we are watching as the situation in Gaza is growing deadlier and deadlier by the day particularly as it relates to civilians. We have seen a pair of quite frankly horrifying strikes just over the course of the last few days.

On Saturday we saw a doctor at Al Nasser Hospital. Nine of her ten children were killed in a single Israeli airstrike. One of those children is still in critical condition.

And then overnight we saw a strike on a school turned shelter like so many in the Gaza Strip. Displaced Palestinians have been staying at these schools and a strike targeting what the Israeli military claimed was a Hamas command and control center although they didn't identify the specific Hamas militants who were killed in this strike.

[15:35:00]

What we do know however is that at least 20 Palestinians were killed in this strike the majority of whom were women and children according to the director of al-Ahli Hospital where the bodies of the dead and the injured flowed in. We saw horrific images from that strike of, you know, this school ablaze. Rescue workers talking about the charred bodies that they found on the scene.

And and the Israeli military now threatening to continue to escalate this offensive issuing evacuation orders for basically the entirety of the southern part of the Gaza Strip including the city of Khan Yunis where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are currently living. The military warning of a, quote, unprecedented attack to come from the IDF directed at Hamas in that area and telling civilians to go to al- Mawasi that coastal area there.

And all of this is happening as Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, tells me that reports that Hamas has agreed to his proposal for a ceasefire agreement are not true. He described that claim as quote, completely unacceptable. And he told me that there is a deal on the table but that Hamas has not agreed to it yet. That proposal from the United States, from Steve Witkoff, would see the release of half of the living hostages, half of the deceased hostages, in exchange for an unspecified temporary ceasefire and an agreement to negotiate a pathway towards a end to the war, a permanent ceasefire if you will. He is urging Hamas to take that deal. He said that deal is on the table, Hamas should take it -- Brianna, Boris.

KEILAR: All right Jeremy Diamond live for us from Tel Aviv, thank you. And we'll be right back with more news.

[15:40:00]

KEILAR: By now, many U.S. travelers have locked in their summer vacation plans, but travel experts say the country's economic uncertainty and fear are driving down vacation bookings.

SANCHEZ: Flight analytics firm Cirium reports that so far this year, flight bookings to Europe appear to be trending down nearly 10 percent, and flights from Europe to the U.S. are down 12 percent. Experts say that even domestic U.S. travel is taking a hit.

Let's get some perspective with Clint Henderson. He's a travel editor at The Points Guy. Clint, thanks for being with us. Are you seeing a travel slowdown because of this market volatility and economic uncertainty?

CLINT HENDERSON, TRAVEL EDITOR, THE POINTS GUY: Yes, we saw the airlines warn on weakening demand, especially domestically, earlier this year. Things seem to have stabilized. But the great news for consumers is prices are down across the board.

The Points Guy just teamed up with a website called Points Path to do an analysis. Year over year, we're seeing domestic prices down 13 percent, international down a little bit less, down still down 6 percent. So it is really the summer of savings.

And even if you haven't booked and you're booking last minute, there are a ton of deals out there. We're talking Delta, American, United to Europe under five hundred dollars. We really haven't seen prices like that on the major airlines in years.

KEILAR: OK, so what's your advice on that in terms of timing? If you're saying last minute, how last minute is last minute and then you have to think about accommodations, of course. So what are you thinking?

HENDERSON: Yes, so ideally, you want to book domestic flights one to two months ahead of time in international three to five months. But this summer, that's not the case. As long as you're flexible with where you're going, you're going to be able to find a deal.

My favorite tool is Google Flights Explorer. You just put in your home airport. It shows you in your backyard all the way around the world, in Europe. It shows you the cheapest places you can go. So find the cheap flights first and then decide where you're going to go. I do recommend if you're traveling in peak summer dates, try secondary cities.

So maybe instead of spending the whole week in Paris, which is outrageously expensive for hotels, you do one night in Paris and then do Bordeaux or do a secondary city. You're going to be able to save a lot of money that way on hotels.

SANCHEZ: I also wonder how gas prices play into this because they hit their lowest for a Memorial Day weekend since 2021. Do you think a lot of folks that are wanting to travel are comparing flights versus road trips?

HENDERSON: Absolutely. I think road trips are back on the table for a lot of people. We're seeing a lot of interest in national parks.

I also think there's some trepidation about traveling internationally for some Americans, so they may be going to a national park instead of staying home. Just keep in mind, there's been a lot of budget cuts and layoffs at national parks. So I expect longer lines than normal at national parks.

But we're also seeing a drop off in demand from international travelers. So maybe that national park will be a little less crowded this year.

KEILAR: And what about the immigration crackdown and how that's affecting people maybe coming or going? What do you think?

HENDERSON: So I think it really is impacting things, especially for inbound to America, from Europeans, from Canadians, obviously, that's been a big issue, not so much lessening of demand. The Points Guy just did a poll with the Harris poll. We found Americans still want to travel.

There's been very little drop in the past couple of months and in demand for travel. I will say I have heard anecdotally a few people, maybe they have green cards. They're a little more nervous about traveling internationally right now.

So we'll have to wait and see how that plays out the rest of the year. SANCHEZ: Clinton Henderson, thanks so much for joining us.

HENDERSON: Anytime.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, can you spell championship? These are some young minds with big dreams and the pressure is on. We're going to be joined by last year's runner up, a four time Scripps National Spelling Bee contestant trying to win it all this year. Plus, he's going to actually quiz us.

KEILAR: Oh, no!

SANCHEZ: Stay tuned as we make ourselves look like fools.

KEILAR: Fear. I can spell fear.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: So who will be the next champ? The Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off tomorrow, marking 100 years of the academic and literacy tradition. This year's competition, though, has slightly different rules from past competitions.

After last year's tiebreaker, known as a spell off, was criticized for its abrupt ending.

KEILAR: Yes, they came up against the deadline of the end of the hour, and that was a big deal. And instead, judges will be allowed to let competitors continue spelling even if they risk going into overtime this year. It's a rule that our next guest knows a lot about.

[15:50:00]

He experienced this firsthand when he took second place in the lightning round tie breaker. And here with us now is four time National Spelling Bee contestant, 13 year old Faizan Zaki.

Faizan, it is so wonderful to have you. This is a it's an event that everyone looks forward to. And this is your fourth go at it. So tell us about how you're preparing this year. Anything different this time around?

FAIZAN ZAKI, NATIONAL SPELLING BEE 2025 CONTESTANT: So this year, my preparation is definitely different. I so for one, I definitely focus more on vocab and the spell off. Since last year, I mostly just focused on spelling. That really did help me as I got to second place. But the spell off is really what tripped me up. So this year I focused more on that.

SANCHEZ: Talk to us about what that means from a preparation standpoint. Like how often are you using note cards? What does it look like? Who's quizzing you? Where do you pick the words?

ZAKI: So when I study, I use Google Sheets to track down the words and like type it like any words that I miss or words that I find tricky. And I just have my parents quiz me on those words sometimes.

KEILAR: And how many hours a day, a week do you spend?

ZAKI: So per day, I would say five to six on weekdays, seven to eight on weekends. So, yes, pretty intense. Yes.

Where do you find time to do homework? In the night. I mean, that's the only time I do get to do it or doing school, but yes.

KEILAR: It's like an extra full time job.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

ZAKI: Yes, yes.

SANCHEZ: It's a legit full time job. How do you feel about this change to the spell off the rule changes?

ZAKI: I think it's definitely necessary. I do -- I really like the addition of the spell off. Just the way they implemented it, the way they changed it this year is definitely a better addition to the bee. So, yes.

KEILAR: So I understand, you know, a lot of the folks who are in -- a lot of the kids who are in this spelling bee, but there's always new contestants coming in every year. Does that matter? I mean, do you have to have a sense of who you're up against?

ZAKI: Yes, like like I definitely do need to know who I'm up against. For example, Bruhat last year.

I like the year before I'd never heard of him, but then he got so much better. And yes, I had to compete against him. So you definitely need to know your competition.

But personally, I like to focus on myself because my mindset is that if I just spell every word right, then I'll be fine. You know.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Your greatest competition should always be yourself. Right.

ZAKI: Yes, exactly.

SANCHEZ: Why is D'Entrecasteaux Islands Islands? Did I say -- I did not say that right? D'Entrecasteaux Islands Islands. I understand that's your favorite word.

ZAKI: Why? Well, it's well, as you can see, it's hard to pronounce. It's also definitely hard to spell. When I saw it, it's like I just thought, oh, my God, this word is so cool. But yes.

KEILAR: OK, can you give us -- and this is it so that our viewers can see it. That's a wild word right there. Can you give us each a word to try and spell?

ZAKI: Sure. KEILAR: OK, jump at that.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I'm afraid he's rubbing his hands together. This is not going to be good.

ZAKI: OK, so try taenioinei.

KEILAR: Go for it, Boris.

ZAKI: No, that was you.

KEILAR: Can you please repeat the word?

ZAKI: Taenioinei.

KEILAR: Can you please use it in a sentence? Um.

ZAKI: I don't know, I don't really do sentences.

KEILAR: I have stumped the word giver. OK, here I'm going to give it. I'm going to go.

I'm going to try taenioinei. T-I-N-O. Wait.

T-I-N-O. Wait, T-I-N-I-O. Wait, T-I-N-I-O-I-N-E-Y-E.

ZALI: OK.

KEILAR: How close did I get?

ZAKI: Oh, pretty.

KEILAR: Oh, it was almost perfect.

ZAKI: It's not bad. Not bad. Not bad.

KEILAR: I want you to know, Faizan, I was the runner up, too, in the spelling bee. For my fifth grade class.

SANCHEZ: OK, not bad. Not bad.

KEILAR: Yes, not bad.

KEILAR: A little different.

SANCHEZ: I'll take a word. Let's see.

OK, try Zaporizhzhia.

SANCHEZ: Zaporizhzhia.

KEILAR: Come on, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Zaporizhzhia. You went to Ukraine.

KEILAR: The city, right? It's where the power plant is. SANCHEZ: OK, OK, hold on.

KEILAR: I took the wrong word. I know you did.

SANCHEZ: Zaporizhzhia. All right, I'm going to try.

KEILAR: That's what happens, though, Faizan. Sometimes you just, it's not your word.

SANCHEZ: Z-A-P-H-O-R-I-Z-H-I-A. Pretty close. I mean, let's see it.

KEILAR: You have an extra H in there.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Ah, I missed it. I missed an H and two Zs.

KEILAR: OK, here's the question about this one. In fairness, there are different ways to spell this word, Faizan. What do you do when you come up with a situation where there might actually be a couple of ways to spell a word?

[15:55:00]

ZAKI: So generally what scripts like the spelling bee follows, they use the Merriam-Webster-Unabridged Dictionary. So whatever spellings they give, that's what you have to spell.

SANCHEZ: I don't know except different varieties of the spelling.

ZAKI: Yes, I don't recall if what you spelled is accepted, but I'll have to check. It is. Just come on. For us, for us.

ZAKI: Yes, let's just say it's accepted.

KEILAR: Zaporizhzhia.

SANCHEZ: It counts. Faizan, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

KEILAR: We know spelling. Did it count? But you did a good effort.

SANCHEZ: Thank you. We wish you -- we wish you the very best of luck. We'll be watching.

ZAKI: Thank you.

KEILAR: Good luck, Faizan. We have a lot of faith. This is going to be your year.

ZAKI: Yes, hopefully, hopefully. Thank you.

KEILAR: Still ahead, going head over heels in the name of cheese.

SANCHEZ: Oh, the cheese world.

KEILAR: I can spell cheese, so I have that going for me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: You've heard of extreme sports, but this one involves some real dairy devils. Gloucestershire, England, holding its annual cheese rolling competition today.

SANCHEZ: Dozens of racers launched themselves down this steep hill, all chasing after a valuable prize, a double Gloucester cheese wheel.

[16:00:00]

No one is sure why or when this tradition started, but it is truly amazing and it's gaining more attention every year. Competitors now come from as far away as Australia and the United States, and you see they warn people this is dangerous activity. It's a steep hill and it's a frisky piece of cheese.

KEILAR: I suppose having, you know, free health care is helpful in an instance like this. All of this for a wheel. I like cheese. I don't know, cheese is pretty good.

SANCHEZ: Big cheese guy. I don't know. I don't know. That's --

KEILAR: There it is.

SANCHEZ: We're being told to wrap. Thanks so much for joining us today.

KEILAR: "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt.

SANCHEZ: "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END