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Cave Rescue Underway; Judge Blocks Anti-Weaponization Fund; Whitmer Comments on 2028. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired May 29, 2026 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00]
GLORIA ALLRED, VICTIMS' RIGHTS ATTORNEY: So, this is a failure of the Department of Justice. And there has to be accountability. There better not be softball questions for Miss Bondi. She needs to get the tough questions, not engage in distractions and trying to name call members of Congress. She needs to answer those questions directly.
ALICIA ARDEN, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: And their names -- there are names in the -- in those files. And those men should be prosecuted.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
Alicia Arden, Gloria Allred, thank you both very much.
Still ahead for us, we are following the breaking news of that urgent cave rescue in Laos that's underway right now. We just heard a rescue diver yelling on a phone call with our reporters, they are coming out, on the phone. We're live at the scene.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right, so the breaking news just in now, a new update from the rescue site where five men are trapped inside this remote cave in Laos, some 1,000 feet in. Expert cave divers, they're inside right now trying to guide these men out. This extraordinarily narrow passage.
We want to get to CNN's Will Ripley, who is not far from the site of this cave with the very latest on what you're hearing. Last we heard from you, Will, was, they're coming out.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. So I'll play for you the last 15 seconds of the phone call that our producer, Kocha, was having with her source. And while it's playing, I'm going to ask Kocha to step in because she just got some new information literally a couple minutes ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. You're a professional diver, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes. I've been doing cave diving for the (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many years, sir?
[09:35:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's about 13 years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirteen years. Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're coming up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, they're coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're coming up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) come out?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: So, the voice you heard on the phone was Kocha, our amazing Bangkok-based producer, a CNN veteran who helped us get here, which was kind of a miracle -- a miraculous act in itself.
But you just got some new information from your sources about confirming that, in fact, one villager is now out, right?
KOCHA OLRAN, CNN PRODUCER: That's right. The very same guy that I talked to over the phone, he just posted on his Facebook that one found survivor has left the flooded chambers. Now he's out, but he's not through the whole cave system yet. It's, you know, it's still a long way for him to go through. Yes.
RIPLEY: So, basically there's the chamber where the five villagers are located. And then there is a really flooded cavern with icy, pitch black water that you actually need to dive under to get to another chamber, a larger chamber, where a lot of the rescuers, the cave divers, were actually there. They were resting.
Oh, it looks like the phone's ringing. We might be calling him back inadvertently on the air.
OLRAN: Yes.
RIPLEY: And so he's made it now to that second chamber. But there's still several hundred feet to go. And this is some of the toughest going that will lie ahead, because these are the areas that are 23 inches wide where he's going to have to basically exhale, wiggle his way to crawl sideways, and then at one point climb up at a 45 degree angle for, I mean, quite a long distance. I don't remember the exact measurements. They actually -- it's incredible the technology they've been using.
They sent -- a drone company sent a radar device down into the cave, and they were able to do a 3-D map. So, they know all the dimensions of the cave. But to actually think about having -- these guys went down a week ago searching for gold. Then the monsoon rains hit, flash floods filled up the caves. They've been -- they've been pumping water for days, but the water is still so high in some places that the villagers are going to have to dive to escape, and then they have to do this arduous climb at the end, right?
OLRAN: Yes, that's right. And imagine, when I talked to my contact inside the cave, literally inside the cave, he says that two divers were teaching these found survivors how to use diving equipment. And I believe that many of them are their first to use this kind of, like, diving equipment.
RIPLEY: Yes.
John.
BERMAN: I got to say, so, it's amazing that these five people who were trapped inside are learning how to dive in the moment after they've been trapped underground for a week. That's extraordinary in and of itself.
And, Will, just to review here, it does sound like what you're saying is that one of the people trapped has now gone through the first stage of getting out. One person passed the first sort of barrier on the way out. But I guess this does give us a sense of how long this process will take.
BOLDUAN: And remind us, how -- is there any estimation of how far long there is to go?
RIPLEY: Right. So, we were just saying, you know, you're kind of recapping the situation for us. That's correct. They spent several hours in the chamber where the five villagers have been trapped for the last ten days teaching them how to use diving equipment. Now, the diver that Kocha was interviewing is in a different chamber that's a couple hundred, maybe 50 or 100 meters --
OLRAN: Around 30 meters away.
RIPLEY: Thirty meters.
OLRAN: Right.
RIPLEY: OK. So, in feet, that's, what, like about 100 feet.
OLRAN: Yes.
RIPLEY: A hundred feet away. And that -- and that one tunnel is the one that's flooded with these icy waters. So, in order for the villagers to get out of the tunnel where they're trapped, they have to dive through the icy water and they have to actually hold the leg of the expert rescue cave diver and try to follow them through with diving equipment on. So, they've had to teach them how to do that.
Then they get to the second chamber. OK, so that's a 30-meter difference. But you're talking about 260 meters or 850 or so feet. So, they still have a very long way to go. And that entire -- to get -- to climb out, it takes the experienced divers between two and three hours. And these are people who are -- who have been doing this, who trained for this. You're not talking about these villagers that, yes, they know how to go into the caves to look for gold, but they never encountered a situation where the caves flooded. And on top of that, they've been stuck underground for the last week and a half and are probably in very precarious health as well and that they -- yet they now have to muster up the strength to do that.
We spoke to the wife of one of the men who has been identified, and I don't know if we have that sound available or not, but she said her husband served in the military here in Laos, and she said she believes he's strong and she believes that he will walk out tonight.
If we have that sound bite, let me know and we can play it. Otherwise, we can try to get it for you, for you later. But -- we don't have it yet. But she basically -- she said that she believes that he wants to come home.
Let's play for you that clip now.
[09:40:02]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: What's the first thing you're going to say to him when you see him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): What could I say? I'd just be so happy to see my husband again. I'm grateful and proud that people from other countries came to help us. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd say I'm so happy that the foreigners come to help. I cannot say thanks enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm so excited and happy that I'll get to see my husband again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: And so, we don't know yet the identity of the first villager to make it out. But, obviously, families are gathering here. They want to know who it is. I'll just play the last 15 seconds of the call for you one more time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many years, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's about 13 years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirteen years. Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're coming up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, they're coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're coming up. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) come out?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: So, we don't know who's coming out yet, but we'll find out soon and we'll be here monitoring it.
Kocha, thank you for everything that you've done. I'm in awe.
OLRAN: OK. It's a miracle. Yes.
RIPLEY: Well, the hard work of our team that's been out here to get us on the air has also been a miracle. And everybody back at headquarters as well, we appreciate the support. It takes a village. But we're here and we're going to stay out here watching what happens.
BOLDUAN: Because some -- I mean more information will come, especially with the contacts that you have. And I'm just thinking as we're looking at the video and we're hearing from both of you, the conditions that they are facing, it's not just that they have been in darkness without, you know, adequate food and water maybe for more than a week. You have -- the temperature of the water you said was absolutely frigid down there, which is understandable. You have -- there's also the air quality that had started becoming something of a question in the last couple days because of problems of airflow actually getting in and some -- and I'm going to screw it up, Will, but like sulfur something or other was in -- mixed in the air as well. What are you -- what is -- what is the latest on that?
RIPLEY: No, I -- let me tell you, you bring up a really interesting -- yes, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I really glad you brought that up, Kate, because that's a super interesting and kind of like disgusting detail. Part of the reason why the air quality in the cave has been deteriorating is because rotten bat eggs have been emitting poisonous gas. And some of the rescuers from these rotten bat eggs have -- it's actually caused them to be dizzy and have to sit down and have to get medical treatment on the outside of the cave.
So, you've got a whole lot of unpleasant things that you're dealing with when you're 800 feet underground, stuck in a cave, you've got moldy, pitch black, muddy water from the surface. You've got rotten bat eggs. And you're in total darkness.
You know, another interesting fact, the villagers, obviously they had no sense really of time. There's no daylight. You know, they didn't have any light. They were down there in black -- pitch black. So, when the rescuers arrived, the villagers insisted that they had been down there for 18 days. They said that they counted and they were sure that it's 18 days. But, in fact, what officials say at that time they had only been down there for seven days.
Those seven days, in those conditions, felt like 18 days. And now you can only imagine how slow time must be ticking away as they -- as they look at these maybe final hours inside the cave and knowing the dangerous journey they have to get from the chamber they are stuck in to breathing fresh air finally again at the mouth of the cave, 850 feet away with icy black water and 45-degree climbs to get there.
BERMAN: One very quick question. Each person -- do we know if each person has to get all the way out before they try to get the next -- even begin taking the next person out, or will they all start moving one by one as soon as they can?
RIPLEY: I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, it's one by one, right, Kocha? So, they're not -- they don't have to -- they don't have to move everybody out in a group and then take -- and then take them to the next. They have to go one at a time because it's too narrow.
OLRAN: Yes.
RIPLEY: You can't even have people going down and going up at the same time. So, you can only -- there's only room for one person to pass through. So, I believe it's one villager at a time.
Now, whether -- are they going to try to have others dive tonight or it like --
OLRAN: We don't know for certain. When I spoke to my Thai diver, he said, it depends on each individual's comfortable level because some might not, you know, feel, you know, convenient to use this new diving equipment yet. You know, some might not make it today, but maybe later. Yes.
RIPLEY: Yes.
So, I think we, we don't know, we don't know the answer to that yet, but it does seem as if maybe they're asking who feels strong enough, who feels like they're up to this. And, obviously, the divers that have been down there training with them also would have an assessment of, OK, who's doing all right, who can try to make it.
[09:45:03]
But one of the reasons why they're really trying to get this done now is because we have had a rare break in the weather. We haven't seen rain since we landed today. And every other day that they've been engaged in this search, there's been heavy rain. It's rainy season. It's monsoon season. The rain can pop up out of nowhere. And if there was another big storm, that could flood the tunnels again, and this could all -- this problem could get a lot worse. There'd be more people down there when it happened.
BOLDUAN: Yes, I know what you're saying, and put even more people in danger who are in there trying to help them get out.
To both of you, thank you so much.
Much more to come. We are waiting for updates from Will and our team on the ground. Thank you both so, so much.
We've got more breaking news coming.
A judge now -- we have just learned, a judge has temporarily blocked the creation of that nearly $1.8 billion fund as President Trump has called it the anti-weaponization fund.
Let's get over to CNN's Paula Reid for much more on this.
Paula, what's going on?
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: All right, so this is breaking news. We're learning that a federal judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked the administration from moving ahead with its controversial $1.8 billion fund that could give apologies and/or money to people who believe they were wrongly investigated.
Now, in a brief order from this federal judge saying that, she says that, "pursuant to the creation or operation of the anti-weaponization fund, which includes the transferring of money to the fund, the consideration of any claims submitted to the fund and the disbursing of any funds from the fund," all of that is temporarily blocked. She has set a hearing for June 12th to hear arguments on whether this should be a longer pause.
Now, what's not clear to me, Kate, is, I spoke with the acting attorney general last week. We did a sit-down interview. He told me that he was in the process of selecting members that would oversee this fund. So, it really even hasn't been created yet. It appears this judge's order would -- would cover Blanche having conversations with people who want to serve on this selecting members. But Blanche has tried to distance himself from the day to day operation of this fund, saying he will select the members. They'll be five members. One will be selected in coordination with Congress. Those members will then set the rules for how this will work.
So again, the judge putting a pause on the fund. I think it's important to note that it really -- it hasn't been set up yet. But we know this has faced many legal challenges. What is not clear is if these legal challenges will withstand appeal. Standing, or who has the right to sue, is a little bit fuzzy here given how this is set up. But it appears to be at least a temporary pause on the government's effort to continue with this project.
BOLDUAN: All right, Paula Reid, covering a lot for us today from Capitol Hill. Thank you so much. Much more of that breaking news to come, as she's also waiting for Pam Bondi to be testifying on the release of the Epstein files.
BERMAN: Yes, and we are waiting for more information from Will Ripley and our team in Laos on this rescue operation. Very much underway. We've been told that one of the survivors has sort of passed through the first challenge on his way out, but still a long way to go. Much more just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:52:36] BERMAN: So, there was something of a big announcement from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. And then a little bit of an announcement. And this is about a potential run for president for 2028.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): And I think there will be a robust group of people running for president. I will not be one of them in 2028, I can tell you that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: I will not be one of them. It set off a storm. People are like, oh, Whitmer says she's definitely not running. Later on she basically said, never say never. So, seemed to back off that firm position a little bit. Yet it still did cause some waves.
With us now, chief data analyst Harry Enten.
It is never too early to talk about the 2028 presidential race.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: No.
BERMAN: Any which way you want. And Gretchen Whitmer did talk about it every which way. What are the prediction markets saying about whether or not she will be the nominee?
ENTEN: Yes. This is kind of those, I guess, never say never types of situations. But I just want to note just how volatile this kind of is, right? Because chance Whitmer is the 2028 Democratic nominee.
You know, at the end of the last presidential campaign, she was one of the frontrunners. She was one of the frontrunners. A 15 percent chance is pretty gosh darn good when there's no incumbent running. There's potentially many people running.
Now it's just a one percent chance. But again, one percent ain't zero. So, it's never say never.
BERMAN: Well, that's what she -- after she said she's not running and then said never say never. We don't know if she's made any announcement in the last few minutes.
ENTEN: Yes.
BERMAN: We'll have to stand by for that.
Who is the current leader among Democrats for 2028?
ENTEN: Who the heck knows. What is going on out there? I mean just take a look here. OK. All right. 2028 Dem primary national poll leaders. There have been one, two, three, four different candidates, four different candidates who have led in a national poll this year. I have not the faintest idea. This is just an absolute ridiculous show in which we really don't know who the heck is ahead. If you know, you can give me a call. Call the CNN hotline and maybe we might even put you on the air.
BERMAN: How unusual is this?
ENTEN: How unusual is this? OK. So, just take a look at this. OK, national early poll leaders getting at least 25 percent in the early polls, Democratic race for president. We got no one right now getting at least 25 percent of the vote. In 2020, Joe Biden was. In '08 and '16 it was Hillary Clinton, though I will note Barack Obama won in '08. And then in '00 and '04, it was Gore. Gore, of course, won all 50 state primaries in 2000. And then in '04 he decided not to run. But this is extremely, extremely unusual.
[09:55:01]
BERMAN: It is interesting, though. It's -- we always have a leader at this point. It isn't always predictive who will be the ultimate winner. Gore didn't even run in 2004. And, of course, Hillary Clinton did not win the nomination in 2008. So, it is interesting in that.
All right, so, how -- you know who has a chance? I mean who is seen as having a chance? Who is running? I mean, how many people are running? I don't even know how to phrase this question.
ENTEN: Everyone. Everyone is running. Everyone is running. Take a look here. At least a 50 percent chance or greater than 50 percent chance of running for president in 2020, according to the Kalshi prediction market. Fifteen different Democrats. I even called my mom earlier today. She's saying she might run for president. So, Democrats, line up, run. There's no early poll leader. It is truly a clown car of historic proportions.
BERMAN: I blew the wind up here. But basically this is asking, who's got a chance of running. And 15 people have a greater than 50 percent chance?
ENTEN: Exactly. Everybody has a chance of running, John Berman. Maybe even you. Maybe you'll run for president one day.
BERMAN: I can't. I was born in Hawaii.
ENTEN: Oh, OK.
BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much for that.
We do have a lot of breaking news this morning. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
