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U.S. Intel Shows Iran Retains Substantial Missile Capabilities; Wholesale Inflation Soars, Driven by Higher Energy Prices; DHS Says David Venturella is Expecting to Take Over for Todd Lyons at the End of the Month; GOP-led South Carolina Rejects Trump's Push to Redraw Districts. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired May 13, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": -- a new New York Times report, U.S. intel agencies are telling a very different story. We'll explain in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: A new report is countering the White House's assertion that Iran's military has been crushed. The New York Times says U.S. intelligence agencies believe there is evidence that Iran has restored operational access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz.

For more than a month, President Trump has said the opposite. Just on Tuesday, he claimed the Iranian military has no navy. Their air force is gone. All technology is gone.

Let's discuss with retired Army Major General James "Spider" Marks. He's now the Head of Geopolitical Strategy for Academy Securities.

General, thanks so much for being with us. So let's look at the Strait of Hormuz right now, obviously, an area of intense focus.

[13:35:00]

If this assessment by U.S. intelligence is correct, how has Iran been able to restore so much of its missile sites along the Strait?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, I think a couple things, Boris. First of all, the report indicated access to the sites, so that gives you some type of -- at least you should question what does that really mean. You've got access. Do you have full operational capacity and capability? Do you have the stockpiles of munitions?

Do you have the guidance capabilities, et cetera? So that becomes question number one. And question number two is, how redundant are these capabilities at those locations? Look, the Iranians have learned early on that in order to survive, you're going to have to dig very deeply and you're going to have to cover your activities. So I think through the process of targeting that Epic Fury has been able to go through, certainly that targeting package has gone after those sites, but we haven't been able to do an effective bomb damage assessment, you know, the effects-based operations that we're all about, which is to conduct an operation and then be able to pressure test what it looks like, what were the results.

And I think that's what we're seeing right now, that the Iranians have indicated not only are they immensely politically resilient, but militarily resilient as well.

SANCHEZ: To your point, there has been evidence gathered of Iran recovering some of its missile launchers and you see some of the dump trucks there, the frontend loader as well. So it seems like a lot of this is mobile, much of it hidden underground.

The Times is reporting that Iran retains roughly 70 percent of its pre-war missile stockpile, including ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Obviously, that means that as we look at the range that Iran is capable of reaching, there is still an enormous threat that it poses in the region.

MARKS: Yeah, it does and it will. We have to be very clear-eyed about what the effects are of this operation. As we've indicated, the Iranians have been able to resist the onslaught of Epic Fury and let's be frank, that has been immensely well executed. But any nation that is relying on, you know, its definition of sovereignty is all about its position opposite to its regional partners, wants to destroy Israel, doesn't want to be a member of the global community of nations, and wants to eliminate the great Satan, us.

So this is a nation that has spent close to five decades digging deep, creating redundancy, and what we see now is a lack of command and control, that operational command and control, where these units that have the missiles, that have the drones, they've got the capability to operate within what's known as commander's intent, kind of a mission, a broad mission statement. I don't need my boss to tell me what to do. He already did early on and I'm going to continue unless I hear something different.

Guess what? I'm not going to hear anything different because my command and control network has gone away. So you're going to see this type of capability resilience.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, on the other side, there are indications that the U.S. has significantly depleted its stockpile of key munitions, including precision strike, Fath and Patriot missiles as well. What does this mean not only for this conflict, but potentially future conflicts?

MARKS: Well, it's conflicts where they might occur. Look, every one of these combatant commanders, European Command, Indo-Pak Command, Southern Command, all of them rely on the same stockpiles that are being used right now, very liberally, have been used very liberally and effectively against Iran, the Central Command.

So all of those combatant commanders go forward on a routine basis daily, minute by minute. They evaluate their ability to execute their tasks and it's all about their readiness posture. And a part of that readiness posture is access to the stockpiles that all of them rely on simultaneously. So we have always understood, irrespective of Epic Fury, that those stockpiles must be routinely replenished.

And through the normal operations that we've conducted over the past 20 years, those overseas contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have dwindled those stockpiles, but we continue to build them up. And what we've seen now with Epic Fury is clearly, I would state with some level of confidence, that they've been depleted. I could not quantify what that looks like, nor would I add an adjective to it.

All I'd say is it's been depleted. There has to be a legitimate effort across the board to read -- to make sure that we reach that level, that minimum essential level to operate along those tasks. So it's not surprising at all that we're probably at a level that bears some significant consideration of making this a priority moving forward.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Major General James "Spider" Marks, thanks so much for joining us.

MARKS: Boris, thank you.

[13:40:00]

SANCHEZ: Of course. Coming up, the midterms are just months away, and the president shrugging off the economic pain that Americans are feeling. Is the rest of his party hearing alarm bells? We'll discuss.

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SANCHEZ: As Americans wrestle with high gas prices and surging inflation, the message from some Republicans on Capitol Hill seems to be just hang in there.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You said more than two months ago that there'll be a temporary blip of high gas prices.

[13:45:00]

Now they're still sky-high. Are you all being straight with the American public about how much pain they have to endure for this war?

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) HOUSE SPEAKER: Yeah, of course, we're being straight with the American people, we always are. The president's working earnestly to resolve the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

REP. BUDDY CARTER, (R-GA): Look, it's just not going to last forever, and gas prices are going to go back down.

RAJU: How do you know that?

CARTER: Well, I know that because this war's not going to last forever.

REP. TROY NEHLS, (R-TX): We knew it was going to take place. So the fact of the matter is, is everybody relax, fuel prices will go down, Iran's going to end very, very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss with Republican Congressman, Marlin Stutzman of Indiana. Congressman, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

So, for Americans hearing these assurances that it's a temporary blip, that everyone should just relax, that doesn't help ease the economic burden they're facing, right? So, what is your message to constituents facing these higher prices?

REP. MARLIN STUTZMAN, (R-IN) FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE: Yeah, Boris, great to be with you. You know, and I think it's hard to say to the American people to relax, because it has been a tough five years coming out of COVID. You know, inflation has been sky high during the Biden administration.

Of course, prices were coming down, inflation was coming down under Trump and Republican policies. But the war in Iran has caused gas prices to go back up. And that's, you know, one of the pieces that we knew would likely happen.

And I believe that the best way to get prices back down is exactly what President Trump is doing, and that's ending this war. Finding international partners, especially China, and that's why he's in China, is to say, look, we can't let Iran control the Strait of Hormuz by themselves. This has to be an international coalition, and be sure that the flow of gas and oil and fertilizers can go in and out of the Strait of Hormuz freely.

So I think that's what the important piece is here. We've got to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, and we also have to stop Iran from having complete control over the Strait. And in the long run, I do believe that we're going to have low oil and gas prices for decades to come.

SANCHEZ: But when President Trump says he doesn't think about the financial situation of everyday Americans when weighing how to handle Iran, what's your response? I mean, in part, he got elected as a response to high inflation, so shouldn't he take into consideration what this war is now costing the people that elected him to lower those prices?

STUTZMAN: Well, I know that President Trump does care about the American people's fiscal situation because, for one, the working family tax cut that we passed last year kept the American people's taxes low. On average, in Indiana, $3,000 was saved by Hoosier families per family by the Big, Beautiful Bill.

I know that he cares about the American people when it comes to gas prices, but he also cares about our security when it comes to being sure that Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon and that they can't leverage this. Yes, it is causing pain at the pump, but I believe what's also happening here is the fact that we're going to get Iran back on their heels, we're going to find an international coalition to help solve this situation.

Iran better come to the table very quickly because I know there are oil and gas buyers now looking elsewhere than outside of the Persian Gulf to buy their gas and oil, and if they find a good relationship, they'll stay there. That's going to be good for the United States and our supply, but with Venezuela also coming online, gas prices are going to come back down fairly quickly once the situation is resolved.

SANCHEZ: In CNN's recent polling, polling that was captured since the start of the war, 55 percent of Americans say that the economy is the most important issue facing the country. Just three percent say it's foreign policy. I wonder if you think what you just described, these priorities that the president has, is in line with where the American people are right now.

STUTZMAN: You know, I think that we are all, you know, very in tune with the economy, knowing that what we passed last year in the Working Families Tax Cut Plan, it's working. Taxes are staying low. Energy production was actually up.

Look at the jobs numbers that just came out this last week, where it was almost double expectations at 115,000 jobs that were filled and that were created in the economy. So the economy is growing. There's a lot of capital out there that's looking for places to grow.

There's projects, and I know in Indiana, which is a great place to do business, is we're growing and expanding there. But, of course, you look at the gas prices, that, you know, mentally, it affects all of us, and it does affect us in the pocketbook as well. But I think that a lot of the folks that I talk to in my district, I just won my primary with 67 percent of the vote.

A lot of the older folks that know the context of Iran tell me, finish the job. Younger people that don't quite understand the context, they're feeling it, and I get that. But in the long run, this is going to be much better, not only for the United States, but it's going to be better for the Middle East, Europe, and the international community at large.

[13:50:00]

SANCHEZ: There are greater questions generally about the cost, and what I mean by that is, as you described the Jobs Report that came out, it showed a boost in jobs numbers, but wages didn't grow as expected, and now you have inflation growing faster than wages. At the same time, we have this reporting in the New York Times, based on U.S. intelligence assessments that have been shared with lawmakers that shows that Iran apparently still fields 70 percent of its mobile launchers across the country, retaining 70 percent of its pre-war missile stockpile, 30 of 33 launch sites around the Strait of Hormuz still operational. So we're a month into this ceasefire that has stalled. Americans are paying more for just about everything, and it doesn't seem like we're any closer to a resolution. How does that land with you, especially just six months out from midterms?

STUTZMAN: I think we are closer to a resolution. I mean, Iran is not fighting back. They're not launching missiles into Israel like they were. They're not launching missiles into Lebanon or the UAE or, of course, into Qatar or Saudi Arabia.

SANCHEZ: They were as of a few days ago.

STUTZMAN: So they're not fighting back. Right, but not at the level that they were at the beginning of the conflict. I mean, it has definitely died down. Talking to my sources in the Middle East, they're definitely seeing a much quieter Middle East. And I think that also, the IRGC is completely disrupted. I would not be surprised if the Ayatollah's son was dead.

I think that that's why there's a power struggle within the IRGC. They want to maintain power. I was talking to an Iranian reporter yesterday, and the people are trying to step up. They are trying to build up and defend themselves, overthrow the IRGC, and take their country back.

So, yes, this is taking much longer than what it did in Venezuela with Maduro. That was kind of like out of a Mission Impossible movie. But we knew Iran had tons of weapons. They've got tons of money, and it was going to take time.

But by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, we've already stopped almost $8 billion worth of cash that would be going back to the IRGC and telling them that you're not allowed to ship oil and gas out of the Strait until you get to the negotiating table. So I think President Trump is in a strong position to negotiate.

And by going to China, that's a strong power move, saying, hey, you know what? I'm going to come to you guys. We're going to get this figured out. And it's important for all of us. China needs this resolved just as quickly as we do.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Marlin Stutzman, we'll leave the conversation there. Look forward to the next one. Thanks so much.

STUTZMAN: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still ahead on "CNN News Central," better fix this glitch. Why Waymo is recalling thousands of its robotaxis.

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[13:57:26]

SANCHEZ: On today's Homefront, a new study by VA researchers and their colleagues links multiple toxic exposures to suicidal thoughts and behaviors in military veterans. According to researchers, veterans who say they experienced multiple toxic exposures while serving had up to 17 percent higher odds of experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

The study also found that those odds increased by roughly seven percent for every additional toxic exposure. The researchers base this on self-reports from nearly 250,000 veterans and say the link they found holds true across all service eras from pre-Vietnam to post- 9/11. The study does note that future research is needed to determine whether toxic exposure might interact with genetic vulnerability to predict suicidal thoughts and behaviors for veterans as well as how toxic exposure might result in increased risk.

Suicide, of course, is a crisis among veterans. Since 2001, more than 20 times as many veterans have died by suicide than in the six military operations following 9/11 combined, including Operation Epic Fury in Iran.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect with caring, qualified responders. Dial 988 and then press 1. You can also chat with a responder at veteranscrisisline.net/chat, or you can also text 838255. There is help out there.

Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency is getting a new acting director. A DHS spokesperson says David Venturella is expecting to take over for Todd Lyons, who's leaving at the end of the month.

Venturella has worked for ICE on and off for more than two decades and also spent 12 years in the private prison industry, which the Trump administration has relied on extensively to hold undocumented immigrants. ICE has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration.

Also, Republicans in South Carolina are saying no to President Trump's push to redraw the state's congressional map to possibly give their party all five of the state's U.S. House seats. Despite a party supermajority, the effort failed by two votes in the state Senate, with Republican leader, Shane Massey saying he doesn't like being asked to bend to someone's will instead of doing what's best for South Carolina.

Other Republican lawmakers expressed concerns the new map could backfire and give Democrats one or two more seats than the one they have now, held by Congressman Jim Clyburn.

And Waymo recalling nearly 4,000 of its self-driving robocars to update their software so they do not drive into flooded roads --