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Iran is Rebuilding Military Capabilities; Numbers on Elections; Gloria Browne-Marshall is Interviewed about Expected Supreme Court Rulings; Hot Air Balloon Rescue; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Ends; Dr. Elisa Port is Interviewed about Breast Health. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 21, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: We've got some new CNN reporting this morning on just how fast Iran is rebuilding its military capabilities after nearly three months of war. Sources say it's happening much faster than U.S. intelligence expected.

One U.S. official says Iran could restore its drone fleet in as soon as six months, according to some intelligence estimates. Compare that to what the Pentagon has been telling Congress. The head of U.S. Central Command testified this week that strikes destroyed 90 percent of Iran's defense industrial base and that Iran cannot reconstitute for years.

Joining me now, CNN's senior military analyst and former NATO supreme allied commander, Admiral James Stavridis. He is also the co-author of a new book, "2084: A Novel of Future War."

That plays into this conversation right now. What can explain why CENTCOM said just last week they believe Iran's capabilities -- or this week that Iran's capabilities would take years to rebuild. But now we're seeing this new reporting that it looks like the intelligence is showing Iranians are rebuilding faster than anticipated. Is this because of the new way of war, which are things like drones that are cheap to build?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: Certainly that's part of it, Sara.

I'm going to start with, the enemy gets a vote. We like to think if we just pound somebody and smash them in the mouth they'll just curl up in a fetal position and go away. Didn't happen in Vietnam. Didn't happen in Iraq. Didn't happen in Afghanistan. Not happening here. So, number one, the Iranians are fighting back. The enemy gets a vote.

Number two, your point, Sara, it's spot on. We're not talking about rebuilding massive battleships, 100,000 ton warships with huge guns. We're talking about snapping together drones. So, yes, the way war has changed gives an enemy an advantage in this case.

And number three, I don't know this, but my common sense, my experience tells me, maybe the Iranians are getting a little help from their friends. So, just like the United States and Europe is helping Ukraine overcome the attacks of Russia, I would guess Russia and China are helping the Iranians.

So, there's three things to think about when you absorb this most unwelcome news.

SIDNER: You're spot on, because some of the CNN reporting is that they are getting help from their friends. The two friends that you just mentioned there. Which should be no surprise to anyone.

Look, CNN's also reporting on some really tense conversations between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu wanting Trump to do more kinetic strikes. Trump pushing back and at one point saying that Netanyahu will do whatever he wants him to do. What does this divide tell you?

STAVRIDIS: That the war objectives of the two countries are close but not in 100 percent perfect alignment, which is always the case. Look at World War II and what -- the way in which the United Kingdom, for example, wanted to reconstitute the British empire. The United States wanted freedom and democracy around the world. Yet we stood together and fought against totalitarianism in Germany and Japan at the time. So, yes, you can be an ally with someone and have pretty, pretty brisk disagreements.

I think that's a case of what you're seeing here, Sara. The Israelis truly and understandably want to destroy and take away the nuclear capability. That makes perfect sense for them as 100 percent objective. That's very high on the U.S. list also. But at the moment, what President Trump is trying to do is get to a diplomatic solution. Israel will continue to press for more kinetic activity. In the end, I suspect Israel will fall in line with what President Trump desires.

SIDNER: Yes, we've seen some of that in the past. If the past gives us an example of what's going to happen in the future.

I do want to ask you about what's going on in Cuba. You've got this indictment of Raul Castro. There's a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group that's just arrived in the Caribbean, as the tensions are escalating with Cuba. Do you see this as the potential of what happens here, playing out similar to the capture of Maduro in Venezuela?

STAVRIDIS: I do. And I suspect that is exactly what the administration is hoping.

You know, if you put this on a spectrum that kind of runs from Venezuela playbook over to what's happening in Iran, clearly what you would prefer is that Venezuela playbook. To do that, you've got to get through those upper levels of the Cuban government, the way in which you saw the administration do by taking Maduro off the chessboard.

[08:35:05]

So, I think that the indictment of Raul Castro, decades after this quite horrific incident, and I fully support indicting him and bringing him to justice, Raul Castro. Having said that, it also plays into using that Venezuela playbook.

And boy, the potential of Cuba, if you can pull a Venezuela there, change the top level, get investment going, its Venezuela plus Cuban American diaspora, smart, well-educated, ready to go. Could be a -- could be a win for the administration. They want to avoid military action here. I think they will.

SIDNER: Thank you so much for your great analysis throughout. And also, I'm looking forward to reading this book "2084." It's going to be a good one. I really do appreciate your time this morning. There is the cover of it there.

All right, now to the United States and the midterms. Republican lawmakers say there is still room for disagreement in the Republican Party after President Trump's revenge campaign ousted Congressman Thomas Massie. It's easy to question that after seeing almost every Republican who has bucked the president on one or two issues has faced Trump-backed challengers who have beaten them in the primaries.

But what will voters do when they head to the polls for the midterm elections? That is the big question. It is less than six months away.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here to run the numbers.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hello.

SIDNER: All right. Hello, Mr. Harry.

What group of voters may be the ones that are changing, that are moving, that are different than the last election?

ENTEN: You know, you mentioned the Republican base in your intro. And then, obviously, the Democratic opposition. But what about those who didn't cast a ballot at all in 2024? Those who didn't show up to vote. Well, they have become absolutely perturbed. I dare say they are pissed off at the president of the United States.

Voters who didn't cast a ballot in 2024. Trump's net approval rating. Back in November of 2024, just after the election. Look at his net approval rating. It was plus four points for his plans in office. But look at that. It is falling. Yes, woo! There you go, Sara Sidner, that's the only sound you can make.

SIDNER: Woo.

ENTEN: It has fallen through the floor. Look at this. Minus 50 points on Trump's net approval rating among voters who did not, in fact, cast a ballot in 2024. That is, you don't have to be a mathematical genius, an over 50 point move against the president of the United States among those who are kind of like, meh, you know, in terms of voting in 2024. But now they are pissed off.

SIDNER: Well, and that's the thing, the turnout can have a huge impact on who wins a race.

ENTEN: Yes. SIDNER: Give us some sense of why. Why people are in this position. And I can kind of guess, but I'll let you tell us.

ENTEN: You can kind of --

SIDNER: Tell us the numbers.

ENTEN: I'll tell you the numbers. I mean, look, anyone who's been following these segments, anyone who knows anything about American politics knows it's the economy. It is the economy, smarty pants, in terms of Sara Sidner.

And you can just see it here. I mean view of Trump and the economy. Again, among voters who did not cast a vote in 2024. In November of 2024, 60 percent -- 60 percent were confident in Trump to make good decisions when it came to the economy. But again, this number has just absolutely plummeted. Look at his approval rating now on the economy among those who didn't cast a ballot in 2024. It's 19 percent. It's only a third -- a third of those who are confident back in November of 2024. Again, we are just talking about numbers that are falling through the basement. If you hire the carpenters who built Donald Trump's floor on this, you shouldn't have.

SIDNER: So, Trump isn't actually on the ballot technically, but Republicans certainly are. Is this going to have an impact, do you think, on them?

ENTEN: Yes, absolutely. This is the key question, because it's not just about persuasion, it's about turnout, baby. It's about turnout. And these folks are not just pissed off and want to vote Democratic. A lot of them are actually very likely to vote.

OK, voters who didn't cast a ballot in 2024, their 2026 choice for the House, look at this, Democrats are winning amongst them by 31 points, and 48 percent of them are either very likely or almost certain to vote in the midterm elections. So, this is a group I really my be paying a lot of attention on, because the reason why Democrats are doing so well in the generic ballot is, in large part, among those who stayed home in 2024. Many of them will vote in 2026, and they won't be voting Republican. They'll be voting Democratic because, truth is, they're just pissed off at the president of the United States.

SIDNER: We expect to see some potentially big numbers. I mean, judging from this, at the polls or voters numbers, when it comes to the midterms it seems like.

ENTEN: When you're -- when you're perturbed, you turn out to vote.

SIDNER: Harry Enten, we turn out to hear you every morning, no matter what. You're welcome.

ENTEN: You know what, you don't have to have very good hearing to hear me.

SIDNER: That is true. You don't need a mic.

Thank you so much.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: You don't even need a mic.

SIDNER: Fredricka is here visiting --

WHITFIELD: You don't even need a mic, Harry.

ENTEN: No. No, not in the least.

WHITFIELD: But I love hearing you at all times at all volumes, that's for sure.

SIDNER: Music to her ears.

[08:40:01]

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks, guys.

This morning, rulings could come down from the U.S. Supreme Court on at least one or more of several major cases that could impact millions of Americans. We're waiting to find out what the court will decide on President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court is also looking at whether the president can fire an FTC commissioner for purely political reasons, rather than for cause, and whether he had the authority to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Other rulings that could come down today include challenges to temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, gun rights, and cases involving transgender athletes.

Joining me right now to dissect all of this is Gloria Browne-Marshall. She is a constitutional law professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Professor, always great to see you.

GLORIA BROWNE-MARSHALL, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PROFESSOR, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Nice seeing you.

WHITFIELD: So, overall, these decisions will be a reply on whether the president has assessed too much power. How do you see it?

BROWNE-MARSHALL: Well, he has indeed amassed a great deal of power with the previous cases. But these hit close to home because now we're talking about not just the agencies and whether or not he can fire someone like Lisa Cook, but also something like denaturalization of individuals who have been living here as citizens.

And we're also looking at birthright citizenship. And so, this is hitting to the individual. The people who have been living here, seeing themselves as American citizens, and the promise that America has always had, that when you come here and you become a part of the fabric of the country that you're -- become a naturalized citizen, you are a citizen. But to live in doubt your entire life that, you know, the vague principles for removing birthright citizenship, that your two parents were not born in the United States and therefore if they have a child while they're here in the United States, and that child is born here but their parents have not been, that that child could have their citizenship revoked or not become a citizen. These are the pillars of American citizenship.

And may I ask people to think about this. Donald Trump's father and mother were not U.S. citizens. So based on this legal logic that they are contemplating, he would not be able to have been a U.S. citizen. So, you think about, you know, the many people who come to this country from around the world and from -- their parents come here, they're not U.S. citizens but they want to have a structure, a foundation here. And so that's being disrupted.

WHITFIELD: And on the other pillars that are also, you know, on the docket, so to speak, voting rights and the dilution of the power of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the White House redirecting or directing federal agencies without Congress. What about those items?

BROWNE-MARSHALL: Well, we saw Donald Trump in his first term undermine a lot of what we thought were, you know, the structure of federal agencies because they have the know-how, the inside knowledge of the way in which their expertise works, whether or not it's the Environmental Protection Agency or any of the other agencies. And so, at this point, we have lawsuits that are saying that the federal government can not only control the leaders of those agencies, but also have control over the outcomes of those agencies and the information.

And we don't know if there are other people within this federal government or even in the future who will have the type of knowledge that these agencies have. I mean it's the minutiae of knowledge that they have. So, the control over the agencies would amass a great deal of power under the president that was usually thought of being the power of Congress. And so, these are the cases and issues that are before the court as well.

WHITFIELD: All right, Professor Gloria Brown Marshall, always great to see you. Thanks so much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Fred.

This is not your typical rescue. And if you're afraid of heights, look away. In this week's "Beyond the Call," Ryan Young interviews a Texas fire department -- firefighter who pulled off a stunning rescue hundreds of feet in the air.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a hot air balloon that got popped by it, and they're stuck on the phone tower.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're stuck up there. They're close to the very top.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the 911 calls started coming in, Longview firefighters rushed toward the tallest structure they would ever climb.

CAPTAIN STEPHEN WINCHELL, LONGVIEW FIRE DEPARTMENT: So, I think it was about five miles out on the way to this call when I looked up the road and saw, there's a big, colorful balloon and a tiny little basket very, very high up in the air.

YOUNG (voice over): Captain Steve Winchell was off duty taking care of his daughter when he got the call. In a region known for balloon racing, his station trains extensively for high-angle rope rescues like this, but normally at around 250 feet.

[08:45:10]

This balloon was dangling over 900 feet in the air. And the only way to save them, climb.

BRAYDEN POINTER, LONGVIEW FIRE DEPARTMENT: It wasn't an easy climb. But, yes, you're just trying to look again into an abyss of just metal all the way to heaven is what it looks like. So, you feel like you're just climbing to infinity.

YOUNG (voice over): Carrying 40 pounds of rope on their backs, it took over one hour for the first firefighter to reach the balloon's pilot.

POINTER: The basket still swaying pretty good though at this time, and there's just fear in his eyes. I ask him, hey, are you OK? He says, yes, we're OK. And I was like, oh, there's someone else in the basket? And then I see a hand shoot up. She was apparently laying on the floor, begging for her life, thought she was going to die.

WINCHELL: We had 20, 24 mile an hour gusts of wind up there. And this basket is swaying and moving and nothing really having it secured at that point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Command, all units, second victim is out of the basket.

CLIFF PATRICK, LONGVIEW FIRE DEPARTMENT: We had started down climbing, but we're still hundreds of feet up. And you can just hear the roar erupt from the crowd as the victims hit the ground safely.

YOUNG (voice over): The basket now resides in the Longview Firehouse, donated by the survivors as an appreciation for the day they went above and beyond the call of duty.

POINTER: Just as a memento of why we train and why we do what we do, even when we don't get to do this every day

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we love our firefighters. My goodness.

All right, ahead, now to another stunning rescue. A police officer rushing in. There's a burning building. A burning home. He catches a baby being dropped out of the window of that home. And a grandmother who plays video games to help pay for her grandson's medical bills is going viral after her home was swatted while she was doing her live stream.

Watch this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:51:17]

SIDNER: It is the end of an era. Tonight, the iconic "Late Show" on CBS will close forever. After nearly 11 years as host, Stephen Colbert will sign off one last time. CBS is promoting an extended late show series finale. CBS canceled the show three decades after it first premiered with David Letterman at the helm. The network said the decision was purely financial, but the move sparked accusations that CBS caved to political pressure from the Trump administration, a constant target of Colbert.

The big question now, what's next for Colbert? CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter is joining us now.

First of all, this is happening tonight, the last show. What can we expect from tonight's show?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: That's right. The taping will happen in the evening. No previews, no teases ahead of time. We don't know who the surprise guest will be.

But Colbert has said in interviews he wants to keep it simple. He has had months to prepare for this moment, of course. CBS told him about the cancellation last summer. So, he's had a, in some ways a gift of time to prepare for this moment, and I suspect he knows exactly what he wants to say.

It's amazing to go back down the kind of the history timeline here and think about Colbert's 11 years on the "Late Show," taking over from David Letterman in 2015. We went back and looked at the first episode. You know, some of his first guests were Jeb Bush and Bernie Sanders. It was the middle of the 2016 presidential primary cycle. And here's what Colbert had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW": As the late show host, I have huge responsibilities. And even though I have Jeb Bush on the show later tonight, I promise you, just like the rest of the media, I will be covering all the presidential candidates who are Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: You know, Colbert's show, that was 2015. Then 2016, as the election was ramping up. He really struggled at first. He was on this much bigger stage, having moved over from "Comedy Central." He didn't really know how to perform to the CBS audience. There was even talk about totally revamping the show. But then the 2016 election night was a turning point. His reaction to

Trump's surprise victory. His appeals to the audience. You know, he became a voice of the Trump resistance, first during Trump's first term, now again in Trump 2.0. Politics became an inescapable part of the show, but "The Late Show" was about so much more than politics. And I think the viewers who are mourning the end of the show today, they're going to miss Colbert, the human. You know, he was ministerial in nature. A comforting presence at the end of the night. And yes, he was an outspoken Trump critic, but he was so much more than that.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, look, you write that the monologues made sense of the news, but it also made you be able to laugh about things that maybe stress a lot of people out. And people appreciated being able to sort of laugh it out alongside with him.

STELTER: Right.

SIDNER: And sometimes he was laughing at himself. So, a lot of people are going to miss him certainly, just like they did Letterman.

STELTER: A just make the world a little bit less bleak. That's right.

SIDNER: Yes.

STELTER: It's a really special format. That's right. Well, that's the thing. "The Late Show" is about more than Colbert.

SIDNER: Yes.

STELTER: It was about top ten lists and stupid human tricks and all the rest. It was about that experience at the end of the night. And that's what we're losing in this country. And it's bigger than the late night, I think, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, losing in this country and losing in New York City, where you can go see the show.

Brian Stelter, it is a pleasure. Thank you for writing through it. You can see his full article on cnn.com.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, new police body cam video from Michigan. A house on fire and a mother and her baby trapped on the second floor with flames raging. An officer tells the mother to kick out the screen window and drop her baby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two story.

[08:55:01]

Come here. OK, hang on. OK. Yes. Yes. Yes. I got it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Second story (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, ma'am. Ma'am. Come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, that was hard to do. But, success. The Kalamazoo Public Safety Department says that catch was lifesaving. With the baby safe, officers put a ladder up to the window to rescue mom. And both are OK. The officer later said of mom, she had zero hesitation on saving the child first.

All right, an Arizona woman known online as "Grandma Crackers" has been playing video games to help pay for her grandson's medical bills. But then this week, someone made a false police report that the 81- year-old had been shot and killed. In response, officers swarmed her home in full tactical gear. Police are investigating now the prank call.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, the statistics are staggering. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. But it is not a death sentence. Survivability is getting better and better. And part of that is, of course, thanks to our scientists. Thanks to research and women worldwide arming themselves with more knowledge about the disease.

Maybe no one knows that better than Dr. Elisa Port. She's Mount Sinai's chief of breast surgery.

You've released a new book this month. I have it. I am in the midst of reading it. It is quite good. It's called "The Breast Advice," bringing us stories of survivors, along with her own expert medical advice.

Look, there is, you know, sort of scary news in that younger women are getting it at higher rates. But survivability has gone up and up and up. What is it you want to impart from this book? What -- it says, all you need to know about breast health screening and treatment.

DR. ELISA PORT, MOUNT SINAI'S CHIEF OF BREAST SURGERY: Yes. So, first of all, thanks so much for having me.

The whole first half of the book is about breast health, which I think is really important for every woman to know. When to start screening, because the guidelines do tend to be all over the place. And there's a lot of conflicting information.

I think women, especially young women, need to get in touch with what is their risk. There are young women between, for example, the ages of 25 and 40. We typically start screening at 40. But if you are at higher risk for whatever reason, it's usually based on family history, you might want to start screening younger. So, empower yourself with the information about risk, about when to start screening, and about genetics. SIDNER: The genetics part of this, one of the things that, you know,

when I found out I had breast cancer, it does not run in my family. And so, I said to the doctor, like, I just didn't think this could happen.

PORT: Yes.

SIDNER: Because I just thought maybe I'd be immune until at least a little bit later in life, right?

PORT: Yes.

SIDNER: And the oncologist turned and looked at me. She said, you know, between 90 and 95 percent of patients do not have it in their family.

PORT: Yes. Yes.

SIDNER: I had no idea. So, can you be at greater risk for other reasons than genetics?

PORT: Yes, absolutely. So, I think the point you bring up, we never want to lose an opportunity to emphasize that. Ninety percent of women, to your point, have no identifiable risk factors when they get it. And so, it's just so disheartening when women come into my office and say, I wasn't getting screened because I didn't know I was at risk. If you're a woman and you have breasts, you're at risk. And so that's really an important point to make. Get your mammograms every year.

I think it's really important to know that for a lot of women we just don't know what their factors were which triggered this. Could be environmental. It could be genes that we just can't test for yet. So, there's a lot we don't know about the why, but it's really important to know that, to your point, because it is the most common cancer and because even if you have no identifiable risk factors you stay in touch with getting screened. It is the most common cancer that women get.

SIDNER: Yes. And, believe me, I know that all too well because after announcing, a lot of people have come up to me and they say, like, I never told anyone, but I went through this.

PORT: Yes.

SIDNER: Or my mother. Or my grandmother. Or my sister.

PORT: We're all affected.

SIDNER: So much so.

For younger women, you know, we're seeing this -- these numbers go up and up. So, what do you tell younger women? Because, obviously, your insurance is going to say, yes, you know, we're not going to pay for this thing.

PORT: Sure.

SIDNER: You're 30 years old. You're healthy or whatever. What do you do to advocate for yourself?

PORT: Yes, I think the first thing, there's a chapter in the book called, if you feel something, say something. So, I do think self-exam is really important in those younger age groups. And what I say to younger women, don't ever, ever let a doctor tell you you're too young to get breast cancer.

[08:59:58]

So, if you're in that 25 to 40-year-old age group and you haven't been screened because you have other -- no other identifiable risk factors, don't dismiss something new that you