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WAPO: Intel Report Finds China Gains Major Edge on U.S. Amid Iran War; Trump Says Xi Pledged Not to Provide Iran with Military Equipment; Cuban Minister: Energy Crisis to Worsen as Donated Russian Oil Runs Out; CDC Encourages Exposed Passengers to Stay Under Monitoring; Forecasters Warn of Rare Super El Nino Turning Up the Heat. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 14, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Today, the commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, testified on Capitol Hill and gave an update on Iran's current missile and drone stockpiles. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): Can they strike oil infrastructure across the Persian Gulf?

ADM. BRAD COOPER, CENTCOM COMMANDER: They have a very moderate, if not small, capability to continue strikes. And we, of course, have accordingly prepared for such a contingency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: This comes as The Washington Post reports on a new U.S. intelligence assessment that says China is gaining a major edge on the U.S. in several key areas amid the ongoing war with Iran. The analysis details, quote, how China is exploiting the war in Iran to maximize its advantage over the United States across military, economic, diplomatic and other fields.

Let's get some perspective now with Leon Panetta. He served as defense secretary and CIA director under President Obama. Secretary, thanks so much for being with us. So as you hear Secretary Rubio say that China and the U.S. agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should not be militarized. Does that mean something to Tehran?

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, I wish that it would mean something, but I'm not sure that it does. Iran has control of the Straits of Hormuz. The Straits of Hormuz are closed right now.

Iran wants to actually expand its influence with regards to the Straits. So, you know, obviously, China has volunteered to help here. But I think we'll be waiting a long time for anything to result from that.

So I'm glad they expressed some concern about it. But right now, they know that the United States is in a weak position with regards to Iran. We're having a hard time ending the war.

The Straits of Hormuz are closed. It's impacting on our economy. I think our forces are being stretched right now. We're in the 11th week of this conflict.

So for that reason, China, you know, they may say they'll try to help. But I think, frankly, they'll kind of stand back and see what happens to the United States as a result.

SANCHEZ: What about allegations that China is assisting Tehran with components that wind up in some of their missiles? I mean, Trump said that Xi told him that he's not going to give military equipment to Iran. Do you believe Xi?

[14:35:00]

PANETTA: No, I don't. I think that China is going to continue to provide whatever help they can. That's not high level.

I think they'll try to operate below the horizon. But they're going to continue to provide some support for Iran. Look, they are very dependent on Iran when it comes to energy.

And they are an ally, really, of Iran. So I suspect that Xi is going to continue to try to give them what help they can. But they're not going to do it in a big way that will create even greater conflict with the United States.

I think the purpose of this meeting was to try to improve their relations, to improve stability. But in the end, I think China knows that the United States is in a weak position right now.

SANCHEZ: On Taiwan, did it surprise you that while the Chinese readout of the meeting between Trump and Xi included a warning from the Chinese leader that the issue of Taiwan could lead to what he describes as a dangerous situation, the U.S. readout didn't mention Taiwan at all? President Trump also declined to answer questions when he was asked about it. Did that surprise you?

PANETTA: Well, I think it was pretty obvious that the president was trying to tiptoe carefully around this issue. And I think that's unfortunate. I think the president should have been willing to speak out in support of our policy on Taiwan.

I think Secretary Rubio did say that nothing has changed with regards to our policy on Taiwan. I hope that's the case. I'd feel a lot better about it if the president had said something at the meeting with Xi.

SANCHEZ: Experts have pointed to two distinct approaches to China between the first Trump administration and the second, the first being far more aggressive, the tone this time around seeming much more conciliatory. Do you see it that way? Why do you think there's been a shift from Trump?

PANETTA: Well, I don't think there's any question that the president is in a weak position right now. You know, we're in a situation where he's having a very difficult time trying to bring this war to an end. Cannot find exactly what approach is going to work here in order to end the war.

The Straits of Hormuz remain closed. That's impacting on the world's economy. It's impacting on our economy with very high inflation and impacting on areas of our economy that are hurting the American people.

The American people, 77 percent now say they do not support the war. And then add to that something I'm concerned about. You know, our forces, our men and women in uniform have been out there for a long time now.

And, you know, to be able to maintain a high state of readiness for that long a period is not easy to do. And obviously, our missile and drone supply has been depleted. So I'm concerned about whether or not we can truly maintain military readiness as a result of that.

So you look at all of those issues. The president's in a weak position. China knows that, the world knows that.

And so it's going to be absolutely imperative for the president when he returns to face the challenge of how does he bring the war in Iran to an end? That's going to be his major challenge when he returns from China.

SANCHEZ: We'll see how he handles it. Secretary Leon Panetta, thank you so much for being with us.

PANETTA: Good to be with you.

SANCHEZ: Cuba's energy minister is now warning that dire energy issues on the island are about to get worse. The minister said in a special televised address that a Russian donation of oil in late March is set to soon run out. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is live for us in Havana and filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Somehow Cuba's already terrible energy wars are about to get a lot worse. Cuban officials have come on national TV to essentially warn people that as bad as things are, they're going to deteriorate even more. We're talking about 20 to 22 hour, more than that possibly, blackouts each day.

And the reason for that is this country simply does not have any fuel anymore. There was a shipment of Russian oil that has now run out.

[14:40:00]

It's the only shipment that this island has received in four months ever since the Trump administration put a virtual oil blockade on Cuba. And so you've seen the blackouts stretch longer and longer to the point where many basic functions, people being able to cook, people being able to school, go to work, have any kind of public transportation, have now been essentially curtailed. And so because of that, people are going out more and greater regularity to protest, particularly at night.

There is no easy solution to this. The U.S. is negotiating with Cuba, has offered some assistance if this island's government makes very deep changes. But at this point, those negotiations haven't progressed very far.

The government says they are not willing to make any leadership changes. Their system of government, the party, the communist party rule here will not change. So it's unclear what the government is willing to make in terms of concessions to the Trump administration.

But people here that we're talking to on the street say they simply can't take any more.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Patrick for filing that report for us.

Still to come, we have an update on the 18 cruise ship passengers quarantined in Nebraska and Georgia amid the rare hantavirus outbreak. Don't go anywhere. We're back in just minutes.

[14:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Minutes ago, the CDC said 41 people in the U.S. are being monitored for the hantavirus. Either they're passengers of the cruise ship with that deadly outbreak or they're someone exposed to a confirmed case. The CDC is confirming that there are no cases of the deadly virus in the U.S. tied to the ship. Yesterday, the American doctor who had tested faintly positive, Stephen Kornfeld, has now tested negative. And he's no longer the only person in biocontainment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is in quarantine with 15 other Americans who were passengers on that ship.

And in today's briefing, the CDC says all American passengers from the cruise should stay under monitoring. We're joined now by Dr. Ali Khan. He's the dean of University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Public Health.

He was also the director of the CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. Doctor, thank you so much for taking some time to be with us here. A CDC official handling the agency's response to this incident explained why the CDC isn't using its federal quarantining authority and said the CDC is working closely with passengers and public health partners to ensure monitoring and rapid access to care if symptoms develop.

Do you agree with that approach?

DR. ALI KHAN, DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER'S COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Thank you, Brianna. An excellent question. I know Americans are asking the exact same question.

So, yes, CDC does have federal quarantine authority, but usually quarantine happens at the state level. And quarantine happens as a measure. You have to be measured about what you do for quarantine.

So you look at the individual. You look at what disease they have. You look at what their contacts are.

You do a risk assessment. And then you decide, you know, are you going to force quarantine them or are you just going to monitor them? And that's exactly what we're seeing happen right now. It's a measured public health response.

And if I've learned one thing from the COVID pandemic is that's what Americans expect from CDC. They expect a measured public health response based on the best available evidence. And this hantavirus is not the next COVID.

KEILAR: Yes, a good point. And we've heard that from a number of experts. We had a news briefing from the CDC on this for the first time yesterday, many days after these passengers returned to the U.S. One of the things we did learn during COVID as well, though, was the importance of communicating properly from officials. Should that briefing have come sooner?

KHAN: Absolutely. And I think if there's one major lesson from this outbreak, it's why CDC is so important and why we need to support public health at state and local levels. Why we need to support our work with WHO.

So CDC has been hollowed out. CDC has been muzzled. But let's be very clear, it has deep expertise on infectious diseases and it continues backchannel conversations as a good partner with WHO.

So Americans' health is still being protected by CDC.

KEILAR: So I did mention Dr. Kornfeld, who was just a passenger on the ship but a doctor who stepped in once the ship's doctor got sick and he treated some patients. He's now out of the biocontainment unit. He tested negative.

It's really interesting because he told our Erin Burnett that he and others on the ship developed a flu-like illness around April 10th. And at the time, they felt that this was just, you know, some virus. And now in retrospect, there's a question, could it have been the Hantavirus?

He's not sure, obviously, because he wasn't tested back then. But he did just initially have a faint positive, like a faint positive that went to negative. What questions do you have?

What might this tell us about transmissibility and survivability?

KHAN: So the testing, he was tested in two separate labs and has been retested now. So again, this isn't the classic test and that's why there may be issues with the testing. I think the bigger issue is that people get fevers, people get headaches, people get diarrhea, and it may not be the infection with the Hantavirus.

And that's what we may be experiencing here. That said, most diseases transmitted very close person to person, although there may be disease transmitted even slightly before you are infected.

[14:50:00]

And I think that's one of the parts when you think about how long are you going to quarantine people.

KEILAR: So at least 19 other people across 10 states may have been exposed to Hantavirus. And they're being encouraged to isolate at home as the CDC is working with state and local partners to monitor them. Should they be in some sort of quarantine or is this appropriate?

KHAN: And so this is public health in action, right? This is the conversation that happens at the state and local health level. And they make a risk assessment and saying, based on what we think your contact was, this is what we suggest you do.

And all of these individuals are going to have extensive monitoring to make sure that if they get sick, they can quickly be moved into a setting where they can get excellent care. So first, we need to worry about them, make sure they don't infect their loved ones. And at the end of the day, make sure you have appropriate measures in place that we don't spread this into our communities.

KEILAR: Dr. Ali Khan, great to speak with you. Thanks for being with us.

KHAN: Real pleasure.

KEILAR: Next, we have an update on the aftermath of this now viral video showing a man hurling a rock at the head of an endangered monk seal in Hawaii.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. For the first time in 70 years, Honda just lost money. It's the latest automaker to take a hit after the Trump administration eased emissions rules and ended a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles.

Car companies had expected stricter rules, so they invested billions in moving towards an all EV lineup. But with President Trump scrapping the tough regulations and incentives, automakers are now writing down the value of their EVs and returning focus to their biggest moneymakers, which is large trucks and SUVs.

Also, federal officials say the man seen in this now viral video hurling a big rock at the head of an endangered monk seal has been arrested. The video was recorded in Lahaina, an area that was largely destroyed in the 2023 Maui wildfire. The monk seal in the video is beloved in the area, Lani. Prosecutors say the man is a 38 year old tourist from the state of Washington and has been arrested near Seattle.

He's charged with harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal. If he's convicted, he faces up to a year in prison for each charge and fines up to $70,000.

And finally, look at this is a 59,000 year old tooth that once belonged to a Neanderthal. It was found in a cave near Russia. And that hole on top of the tooth, it's evidence that researchers believe that prehistoric humans perform dental procedures, the first ever evidence of its kind. They say marks on the tooth match tools found nearby, meaning that somebody was visiting the dentist apparently. They were attempting to drill out a cavity. Scans show they were apparently successful. Experts say the findings are more evidence that Neanderthals were cognitively and psychologically more similar to modern humans than previously thought.

Cavemen, Brianna, they're just like us.

KEILAR: Indeed. So we've been hearing a lot about this summer being a hot one. And today, a new warning. Forecasters say El Nino is emerging in the Pacific at rates faster than expected and could become a historically strong and rare super El Nino by fall.

Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. All right, Allison, what does this mean for the months ahead here?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, I mean, experts have been watching the waters in the Pacific Ocean for months now, anticipating that we are going to see El Nino at some point. The interesting thing is that we're expected to hit those El Nino conditions a little bit faster than we originally anticipated.

So right now we are under an El Nino watch. Basically, that just means those conditions are likely to emerge this summer and will likely persist all the way through the remainder of this year. So here's a look at those current temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.

Again, you can kind of see that darker orange color indicating they're either at or slightly above average for the temperatures this time of year. That above average is supposed to spike over the next few months as we head into summer, especially June and July and August, where we start to see an increased likelihood of having those El Nino conditions.

So the big question becomes, OK, but what does that actually mean? What does that translate to?

Well, in the Atlantic Ocean, it actually typically means not quite as severe of an Atlantic hurricane season. And that part of that is because you end up getting fewer storms that come off of Africa, but you also have wind shear that increases. And what that does is it really prohibits the storms from developing fully into their biggest potential.

So that's going to be something to certainly keep a close eye on in the coming months and even if it ends up going into the winter months. So one thing we also know, too, is once we get to say November, December and January, then we're looking at not just an El Nino, but a very strong El Nino to arrive. Those kind of impacts are far more reaching.

So when you get into the winter months, if you really do have a particularly strong El Nino, you typically have much drier conditions, say over the Ohio and Mississippi Valley, much warmer temperatures, especially over a large portion of the northern tier of the country. And then down to the south, essentially basically from Southern California all the way over through the Gulf Coast and even into Florida and even really kind of the Atlantic coast of the Carolinas and Georgia. This is where you start to see some of those wetter than normal conditions.

So this is going to be something we have to keep a very close eye on in the next couple of months, not just to see when exactly do we transition to an El Nino advisory, which means it's here, it's happening. But also what are the impact ...

END