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Russia Launches More Strikes Against Ukraine; Trump's Commencement Address at West Point; "Big Beautiful Bill" Head to Senate; Natl. Security Staffers Put on Leave; U.S. and Iran in Nuclear Talks; Nine Children Killed in Strike in Gaza; Aid Being Looted in Gaza; Mexico's Surging Political Violence; U.S. Commemorates Memorial Day. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired May 25, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta.

Coming up on CNN Newsroom, Russia launches airstrikes on Ukraine for a second straight night, a day after Kyiv suffered one of its worst assaults since the war began. U.S. President Donald Trump's big, beautiful bill head to the Senate. We'll take a look at some of the hurdles it could face in the upper chamber. And the U.S. prepares to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

Russian drones and missiles are raining down on Ukraine for a second night in a row just as the country is preparing for the final day of its prisoner swap with Moscow. Officials say at least 11 people are dead and 43 injured after overnight strikes on the Kyiv region and other parts of Ukraine. Some residents rushed to Kyiv's metro stations hoping to find shelter from what their mayor called a massive Russian barrage.

Further south, emergency crews scoured some buildings that took heavy damage after a drone strike in the city of Mykolaiv. The new attacks came as Ukraine was reeling from large scale strikes the night before. But Moscow said on Wednesday destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones over the Russian territory, which led three people injured.

All of this happening after a highly emotional day for both sides as hundreds of prisoners of war finally came home. It's part of the largest prisoner exchange since the war began. And for more on this, we are joined by Mick Ryan, a retired general of the Australian Army. Thank you for joining us. You're also the author of the book, "The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire."

Mick, it appears there's been this increase in aggression by the Russians coming right after those first talks in years in Istanbul. Much of it directed at Kyiv right as this prisoner swap had been underway. So, what do you make of this acceleration? Is there a method by the Russians here that you are seeing?

MAJ. GEN. MICK RYAN, AUSTRALIAN ARMY (RET.): Yes. Hello, Ryan. There's -- Brian. There's definitely a method here from the Russians. Firstly, they're responding to a series of Ukrainian drone strikes across Western Russia during the week on military and economic targets. But more importantly, this is a political statement from Putin. He's sending a message to the government in Kyiv that he will not back down. And he's sending a message that with the breakdown of American participation in peace talks, he's saying that, OK, the Americans aren't supporting you. What are you going to do now, Kyiv? So, there's a range of messages that Putin's sending here.

ABEL: You know, looking at some of these images, Mick, it doesn't look by reports that military installations are being targeted and it feels like we may be moving further away from the possibility of this war ending. On the ground militarily, does Putin have the capability at this point to overtake the Ukrainians in any of the currently contested areas of this war?

RYAN: No. I mean, there's very little prospect of the ground forces making a significant breakthrough in the east. They're able to take small bits of territory as they have for the last year or so, but they have neither the quality of forces nor the quantity in certain locations to make significant breakthroughs. It's very unlikely that the 2025 ground offenses will prove decisive for Russia, but they will lose a lot more soldiers.

ABEL: So, you mentioned that this is in response both to Ukrainian drone strikes, but also to the political landscape changing here. Do you see an any scenario where the European Union, other countries come in and fill that gap?

RYAN: Well, certainly they're keen to do that. They have a long way to catch up in their defense production and the replacement of their own weapons they've given to Ukraine, but Europe's committed to significant increases in its defense spending. Indeed, Germany has just declared it will go to 5 percent, which is a larger proportion of GDP than the United States. So, there's a declared interest in them doing that. The question is, can they do it fast enough for Ukraine?

ABEL: The last question I have for you is based in the last 48 hours, do you see Ukraine and Russia coming back to the table again?

[04:05:00]

RYAN: I think that's very unlikely at the moment. Putin has not stepped back from his overall objective to remove the sovereignty of Ukraine, and while he retains that objective, it's very hard to see how these two sides can have meaningful peace negotiations.

ABEL: OK. Mick Ryan, really appreciate your expertise. Thank you very much.

RYAN: Thank you.

ABEL: U.S. President Donald Trump touted the way he's rebuilt America's Armed Forces while speaking to U.S. Military Academy graduates. He delivered the commencement speech at West Point. On Saturday, the president praised his administration's efforts to ban diversity initiatives in the military. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We've liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political trainings. There will be no more critical race theory or transgender for everybody forced onto our brave men and women in uniform. The job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures, but to spread democracy to everybody around the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: CNN's Kevin Liptak has more on the speech from West Point New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump's speech here at West Point was in some ways a traditional commencement speech. He offered his advice. He told the graduating cadets to do what you love. In other ways, it was a more political speech. The president using lines that you typically hear at his rallies, talking about his election in last year's contest, talking about the people who investigated him during his time out of office. It's always interesting to see how those more political lines land outside of the rally setting.

The president received a warm reception here at West Point, but certainly not the kind of raucous crowd that he typically delivers those lines to. I think the real substance of the president's speech though, was when he was discussing his attempts to remake the U.S. military, talking about, you know, this trillion-dollar budget request that he's just put through. That's about a 13 percent increase from the current funding levels, talking about the Golden Dome, the missile protection system that he has decided to put in place, talking about building ships and planes in the United States. So, that was one area of remaking the U.S. military.

The other area that he talked about was this effort to eliminate what he called were absurd ideological experiments from the Pentagon, but also from the U.S. Service Academies like the one we're at here at West Point. The president really talking at some length about, as he said, liberating troops from diversity trainings, talking about getting rid of drag shows, saying that he was getting men out of women's sports.

You know, this has all been something of a controversial topic at West Point. You have seen a number of affinity groups disbanded. The group for black engineers, the Latin Cultural Club at other service academies. You've seen books pulled from libraries that didn't necessarily comport with the president's directives.

You know, I was watching the faculty members specifically when the president was entering this aspect of his speech. They didn't necessarily belie any emotion in their faces, but it has been something of a controversial topic. At least one faculty member at West Point has resigned over all of this. Now, there had been some protests around the campus here in boats on the Hudson River, no protests inside Michie Stadium, where we were, where the commencement took place. But the president, I think in his remarks here, really trying to make the case to the 1002 cadets who were just commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, that he would continue to have their back as commander in chief, not sending them off to wars of choice, but to really uphold what he called peace through strength as they enter that long gray line.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: After the holiday weekend, the battle over Trump's big, beautiful budget bill shifts to the Senate. And once again, we can expect to see divisions within the GOP emerge. A reminder that it passed the House by a margin of one. All Democrats voting against it, along with two Republicans. That follows intense infighting between MAGA loyalists getting behind Trump's push to increase spending for defense, immigration enforcement, and homeland security and fiscal hawks that wanted to see deep cuts in order to pay for it.

Two of the most contentious issues, once again, as the Senate comes up with its own version of the bill, reducing federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP, the official name for food stamps. And how deep cuts to Medicaid will go.

Natasha Lindstaedt is a professor of government at the University of Essex. She's in Colchester, England joining us now.

[04:10:00]

Natasha, let's talk a bit more about what is in this bill as it stands today, at least. We do have a graphic here for our viewers. 1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps with a 2026 deadline for work requirements for Medicaid. 150 billion for defense programs like President Trump's new Golden Dome Missile Protection System project. The bill would also raise the debt ceiling by trillions and includes immigration enforcement measures.

So, there's a lot in there. The White House was looking for no tax on tips as well, but does it have what Senate Republicans are looking for? How much can we expect this bill to change now that it's in their hands?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: So, this bill in its current form will not pass in the Senate. And there have been senators -- a handful of senators that have spoken out to affirm this, that there'll need to be changes. As you mentioned, there are fiscal conservatives that don't like how much the bill is adding to the debt.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this is going to be over 2 trillion, but some other experts think it could be up to 4 trillion, as the 2017 tax cuts had added trillions to the national debt, which already stands at 36 trillion. So, they're not happy with the fact that there's just not enough cuts to that taking place.

And then, you also have other conservative Republicans that are concerned about their own constituents, that are worried that cuts to Medicaid are going to not be helpful to their reelection bids. And you have 22 Senate Republicans that are up for reelection in 2026 compared to only 13 Democrats. So, there's more pressure on Republicans.

And you know, we've talked about Medicaid and how important Medicaid is to Americans that are from low incomes. It supports 70 million Americans, and again, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that at least 7 million Americans are going to lose their coverage. There'll be more pressure on the states.

And so, this isn't going to be good for reelection. And then, the -- another point is that there are some Republicans that are even concerned about phasing out the incentives of the Inflation Reduction Act, the clean energy incentives. They're worried that they're going to be, you know, a lot of money, a lot of investment that is just going to basically be erased that will affect Republican states. So, there are a lot of concerns from both sides within the Republican Party.

ABEL: Well, you, you mentioned the conversation about Medicaid. There's been a lot of it, some of that coming from the fact that many Republicans said it would be protected, that conversation may be overshadowing potential Medicare cuts. In response to Democrat Rep. Brendan Boyle, the Congressional Budget Office writes that when legislation significantly adds to the national debt, sequestration is triggered.

So, which would -- it would translate to automatic reductions in Medicare spending of 4 percent, roughly 45 billion for 2026. That 4 percent, it would continue from there, which would translate to 490 billion in Medicare cuts in 10 years, according to the budget office, the congressional budget office. That's quite significant to say the least. How do you believe an outlook like that would impact both the political landscape and its constituencies?

LINDSTAEDT: So, while Medicaid is definitely important in, you know, for both Republicans and Democrats in terms of the fact that they can't really do well in their reelection bids if there are cuts to Medicaid. But cuts to Medicare are -- just would be catastrophic, because you have elderly people who will be affected. And this is a voting bloc that is very reliable. And that was one of the things that actually Trump campaigned on, that he wasn't going to be making any cuts, not just to Medicaid, but also to Medicare.

So, it would be politically suicidal for them to get into cuts into to Medicare, where the, you know, constituents will definitely come out to vote and they will punish those who they deem responsible for not ensuring that Medicare remains in place and well-funded.

ABEL: So, all but assured that the Senate will be changing this bill, then it would have to go back to the House. What happens from that point? LINDSTAEDT: I mean, another good question because it barely got by in the House. This was not a bill that received overwhelming support. The Democrats, as you mentioned, didn't support it at all. And though there are a lot of MAGA loyalists that are going to support whatever Trump wants him to do, no matter how they feel about it because they're concerned that if they don't support him, they'll be punished in their reelection bids because he'll go after them on social media.

[04:15:00]

There are also Republicans in the House that are in the swing districts or Democrat leaning districts that can't really afford to support this type of bill. Particularly due to the cuts that we already mentioned to Medicaid, to the Inflation Reduction Act and so forth.

And then again, same story. There are also Republicans that are fiscally conservative that don't like how much money it is adding to the debt. So, it's going to actually reveal more friction and divisions within the Republican Party as they try to push this bill forward because there's too many elements of it that are just very controversial and that aren't going to be really helpful on the campaign trail come 2026.

ABEL: And we saw how much work went into -- by the president of the United States getting this bill to the Senate. We'll see what happens when it comes back, how much work there will be again. Natasha Lindstaedt in Colchester, England. Thank you.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

ABEL: Sources tell CNN that the White House put more than 100 National Security Council officials on at administrative leave Friday. It's reportedly part of a restructuring. CNN's Julia Benbrook has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who is also his acting national security adviser, have ordered a major overhaul of the National Security Council. We've learned that more than 100 NSC staffers have been placed on administrative leave, and among those placed on leave are career officials as well as political hires during the Trump administration.

Now, the NSC plays a critical role in the coordination of the president's foreign policy agenda and is staffed by foreign policy experts from various parts of the U.S. government. They have had a diminished role under Trump though, and that will likely be reduced even more following these overhauls.

Now, according to an administration official, those who are being dismissed received an e-mail on the Friday before the long holiday weekend around 4:00 p.m. telling them that they had about 30 minutes to remove their things and leave, and if they were off campus at the time, that they could write in and schedule a time to pick up their belongings as well as drop off devices.

Now, the headline, the subject line of that e-mail said, your return to home agency, indicating that most of those affected were detailed to the NSC from various other departments and agencies.

Traveling with the president in New Jersey, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Just ahead on CNN Newsroom, some pessimism, some limited progress in nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran. Those stories and more when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

ABEL: The leaders of Turkey and Syria's new government met in Istanbul Saturday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former Jihadist, who is now Syrian interim president. They met for about 90 minutes. They discussed regional tensions and ways to boost cooperation. Mr. al-Sharaa also met with Thomas Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria. In recent days, the U.S. and European Union have begun easing Syrian sanctions to help the nation rebuild after the toppling of Bashar al-Assad.

A senior Iranian lawmaker tells CNN that Iran is disappointed with the progress of nuclear talks with the U.S. and that they are considering a, quote, plan B. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has spoke to a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iranian negotiators participating in the talks in Rome say that those talks were held in what they call a professional atmosphere. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, coming out afterwards and saying he believes that the U.S. side at the very least now has a better understanding of Iran's position.

Now, of course, one of the things that still is very difficult is Uranian enrichment by the Iranians and whether or not the two sides are going to be able to come to terms over that.

Here in Tehran though, there does appear to be a lot of pessimism. I was able to speak to a senior Iranian lawmaker, and here's what he had to say.

EBRAHIM REZAEI, MEMBER OF IRANIAN PARLIAMENT (through translator): Especially given the recent statements by American officials regarding zero enrichment, I got disappointed and do not have much hope that the negotiations will lead to a deal. We are preparing for plan B.

PLEITGEN: Do you think that there is room for a way forward?

REZAEI (through translator): I get on. If the Americans are merely seeking to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, a deal may be reached. But if they're seeking no enrichment, a deal will definitely not be possible. We need 20 percent enrichment in order to provide radiological medicine for cancer patients. We had to produce it ourselves because no one provided for us. That's why, for the sake of the people, we not forego 20 percent enrichment.

PLEITGEN: There are some countries in the region, like for instance, Oman, also Saudi Arabia, who talk about possibly enriching uranium together for a consortium or something that Iran would maybe work with Saudis and with others. Do you think that those could be a way forward out of this impasse?

REZAEI (through translator): We would welcome the formation of a consortium and have no problem with that, but we insist that enrichment has to take place on Iranian soil and that the material be kept on Iranian soil. This is a red line. And naturally, we will not back away from it.

PLEITGEN: Now, as far as the U.S. side is concerned, there was also a statement to buy a source close to Steve Witkoff and the U.S. negotiating team, saying that there was progress that was continuing to be achieved, but that there was also still work to be done. And the two sides have agreed to meet again in the not too distant future.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: A new sign of the tragic toll that the war on Gaza is taken on Palestinians. Gaza's Ministry of Health says an Israeli strike killed nine children on Friday, all members of the same family. A warning, this next video is graphic.

[04:25:00]

The strike happened at a family home in Khan Younis. The children's father and one sibling survived, but both are badly injured. The mother of those children is an emergency room doctor, and she was at work when their bodies were brought in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI AL-NAIJAR, UNCLE OF CHILDREN KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKE (through translator): One of the civil defense workers was handing me one of the bodies, Dr. Halal (ph), who was standing next to me, recognized it. She said, this is Reval (ph). Give her to me. Look at her instinct as a mother, as if her daughter we're still alive. She asked to hold her in her arms. She's a pediatrician. See the subconscious reaction? She wanted to embrace her daughter, forgetting that her daughter was burned in front of her eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: The Israeli military tells CNN that its aircraft, quote, "struck a number of suspects who are identified operating from a structure adjacent to IDF troops." Israel says it's reviewing the claim that civilians were killed.

And some of the small amount of humanitarian aid Israel is allowing into Gaza is being looted. Video posted on social media shows people rushing toward trucks carrying flour. The United Arab Emirates' aid operation says Israel forced its trucks to use unsafe routes. It also says the looting happened in areas that Israel controls.

And while there is a trickle of aid coming in now, Israel blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for nearly three full months. Aid agencies warn that blockade has put Gaza on the brink of famine. The U.N. says Israel isn't letting in nearly enough aid to ease the suffering.

Israeli protestors are denouncing the government's new pick to lead the country's intelligence agency. The families of hostages and Gaza say, IDF Major General David Zini is a dangerous choice to be the next chief of Shinbet. If confirmed, he would be a key part of future hostage negotiations. But according to Israel's Channel 12 News, Zini has said that he opposes hostage deals and called the war in Gaza, a quote, "forever war." Protestors in Tel Aviv are demanding the Israeli government end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the remaining hostages.

A grim anniversary in the U.S. When we come back, we'll talk -- we'll take you to George Floyd Square five years after the death has sparked nationwide protest.

Authorities in Texas are on the lookout for vandals who targeted three mosques in Austin. Coming up, how the criminals use symbols of one religion to attack the houses of worship.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

ABEL: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Brian Abel. And this is CNN Newsroom.

All six people who died in Thursday, San Diego, California plane crash have now been identified. Dominic Damien, and Kendall Fortner were the final victims to be named. Emma Huke, Celina Kenyon, Daniel Williams and Dave Shapiro were identified earlier. All six were aboard the small jet plane when it crashed into a San Diego neighborhood. The plane hit power lines, then smashed into homes and cars. No one on the ground was killed.

Officials say it was extremely foggy when the pilot was attempting to land. Weather reporting and lighting equipment at the nearby airport were out of service before the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board says it will publish a preliminary report within 30 days.

Sunday Marks five years since the murder of George Floyd. The black Minnesota man was killed when a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 10 minutes. His death sparked a wave of protest and federal efforts to reform policing in Minneapolis and several other cities. Those efforts came to a halt on Wednesday. The Trump administration said it's ending oversight of city police reforms that had been taking place through consent decrees. CNN's Sara Sidner is there at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Five years after the murder of George Floyd Square looks a lot the same, there are some differences. One thing to note is that people come here and volunteer from the neighborhood to make sure this is pristine kept so that people can come and pray here and remember what happened here, and also demand the changes that they want for the police department in this community.

If you look here, this is exactly where his body was lying when then- Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on his neck and George Floyd was begging for his life, begging for his breath. Back then, this store here was called Cup Foods. Now, they've changed the name to Unity Foods.

But there is some contention in the neighborhood. The contention being there are some folks in this neighborhood who really would like to see this street closed off for good because it is currently closed off now and has been for five years. But some of the people living in this neighborhood and some of the businesses operating in this neighborhood who have given back to this neighborhood, say they need it to open up. They want the memorial to stay here. They're okay with this, but they are having trouble surviving without any traffic flow here. And they're trying to work all this out.

But on this day, people are coming from all over the country to remember what happened and to hope that change happens even as they are concerned with what they are seeing from the Trump administration as it rolls back federal oversight on police department.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Muslim Community leaders in Austin, Texas are asking police for more security after three mosques we're vandalized there. And now, the public is getting a closer look at that damage thanks to newly released surveillance footage. As CNN's Julia Vargas Jones reports, vandals sprayed sacred Jewish symbols on the mosque.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No arrests have been made, but in the surveillance video we see a suspect who appears to be a white male covering his face and the Noe's Mosque at around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday night. That man went on to spray paint different symbols around the mosques, including one Imam's door with the star of David.

The Austin Police Department said that they are actively investigating these incidents and closely monitoring these in other locations around the city, adding in a statement that police is committed to fostering a secure and inclusive community where hatred is not tolerated. Now, one member of that Muslim community spoke to CNN's affiliate in Austin and said that the Star of David in itself is a religious symbol they respect, but that using it to deface a place of worship is vandalism. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've seen an increase in Islamophobia, anti- Arab, anti-Palestinian sentiment since October 2023. It's a shame. It's a shame to target worship places.

[04:35:00]

JONES: The Council on American Islamic Relations issued a statement on Friday saying, quote, "These are the latest in a disturbing pattern of hate motivated incidents targeting Austin mosques in recent months." And adding that the Noe's Mosque alone had reported four hate incidents since late October last year.

In 2024, the council says they've received record numbers of complaints of Islamophobia nationwide, pointing to a new and concerning trend they say has less to do with religion than with political viewpoints, in particularly about the war in Gaza.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Political violence is casting a dark shadow over judicial elections in Mexico next month. Ahead, the impact it's having on Mexican citizens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Mexico's first ever judicial elections are set to begin next month, and a former lawyer for drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman will be appearing on the ballot. Silvia Delgado is a candidate in the State of Ciudad Juarez. Mexico recently changed its laws to let people vote for judges. Nearly 5,000 candidates are now vying for more than 800 federal positions, including all Supreme Court seats.

Lawmakers and local officials are raising concerns over multiple candidates with pass links to cartels or criminal activity. They say it will jeopardize the country's rule of law. Delgado meanwhile is campaigning on promises of a lasting legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SILVIA DELGADO, MEXICAN JUDICIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): I want to leave a legacy. What's my legacy? My honest lifestyle, and that they can remember me for the rest of their lives as a professional woman and a woman who has given her all for her clients. And now, with the opportunity voters will give me for the community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Mexico's national elections are just over a week away, but the country is experiencing a surge in political violence. [04:40:00]

Earlier this month, a mayoral candidate was killed during a live campaign rally broadcast in Veracruz. And last year, hundreds of politicians and their family members across the country were murdered. CNN's Valeria Leon has more on the alarming violence. But first, a warning that this report may be disturbing for some viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What began as a cheerful campaign event, turning to a crime scene in the Mexican State of Veracruz. Yesenia Lara Gutierrez, a mayoral candidate, was gunned down just minutes after shaking hands with supporters, Gutierrez and three others were killed. Her election was only a month away.

But this murder is not unique in Mexico. Last year, the country saw a record number of victims of political violence. Data Civica, a human rights organization, reported 661 attacks on officials, candidates, and their family members. 346 people were murdered. The uptick in violence, political, or otherwise, is often cited by Mexican migrants as one of the reasons for trying to leave their homes for the U.S.

In May of 2024, mayoral candidate Jose Alfredo Cabrera was shot to death at a similar campaign event in the southern state of Guerrero. Days later, a mayor in the State of Michoacan was killed as she was walking back to her house from the gym. In October, the mayor of Chilpancingo, the Guerrero State Capital, was killed less than a week after taking office.

Yesenia Gutierrez belonged to the Morena Party, as does the current president Claudia Sheinbaum, who herself has been targeted in the past. Sheinbaum recently spoke out against the political violence after a private secretary and adviser to the mayor of Mexico City were shot dead in the nation's capital.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We will get to the bottom of this situation and ensure justice. We offer our unconditional support to the head of government and, of course, our solidarity to the families of these two individuals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Our thanks to Valeria Leon for that report. Daniel Noboa was sworn in for a full term as Ecuador's president on Saturday. During his speech, he vowed to boost the country's economic growth while ramping up the fight against violent drug gains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL NABOA, ECUADORIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The future is ours. Let's have the courage to believe in our country and push it forward. Let's boldly claim what belongs to us. It's time to leave behind fear, indifference, and complacency. This is the time to act, to build, and to unite with purpose. The history of Ecuador will not write itself. We are the ones who write it. Thank you very much. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Mr. Noboa was first elected in 2023 to finish his predecessor's term. He won reelection in April by a consider considerable margin. President Noboa is battling a mounting federal debt crisis. Ecuador's debt is more than half of its GDP.

In Argentina, there is no national legislation regulating surrogacy. One same-sex couple is hoping that will change and is pushing to normalize surrogacy in the South American country. CNN's Cecilia Dominguez has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATIAS PULIDO, FATHER OF BASTIAN (through translator): Hey, basti. We are going to tell them something. I'm going to ask you a question. What does Basti have.

BASTIAN: Two dads.

PULIDO (through translator): Two dads? And what are Basti's parents' names?

BASTIAN: Papa Leo y papa Mati.

PULIDO (through translator): Papa Leo y papa Mati. And where was Basti?

BASTIAN: In Barbara's tummy.

PULIDO (through translator): In Barbara's tummy. And who is Barbara?

BASTIAN: The godmother.

PULIDO (through translator): God mother. Very well.

CECILIA DOMINGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Matias Pulido and Leonel Videtta Have been a couple for 16 years. They always wanted to have their own child. But in Argentina there's no national legislation regulating surrogacy and paying someone to be a surrogate is prohibited. So, that's when Pulido's sister, Barbara, stepped in.

LEONEL VIDETTA, FATHER OF BASTIAN (through translator): She called us and said, do you guys still want to be parents? We were going through the pandemic. So, it was a Zoom call. We said, yes, yes. She replied that she was ready and had already processed it with her family. She told us, "I want to be the one who carries your baby." And that's where this whole magical adventure began, one that couldn't have happened without her.

PULIDO (through translator): Our procedure began in an egg bank. We don't know whose egg it is because we wanted to be completely anonymous. From there, the genetic material of both parents is combined, and the embryos are raised. The embryo transfer takes place in the belly of person who will be the surrogate mother, in this case my sister. [04:45:00]

DOMINGUEZ (voice-over): Matias and Lionel became fathers in 2022. Three-year-old Bastian is now in pre-school.

PULIDO (through translator): There are a lot of labels we have to keep overcoming, the fact that we're a gay couple, the fact that we're two dads, the fact that Basti doesn't have a mother to raise him, the fact that we constantly have to prove that we can do it. We shouldn't have to explain, saying that we're not depraved, always explaining that none of us had sexual contact with my sister. There's a bunch of things that come to people's minds that need to be explained.

DOMINGUEZ (voice-over): These proud parents continue to push for legislature that will make it easier for all types of families to have children. And dissolve any stigma surrounding it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: It's Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. and people across the country are honoring the sacrifices of American military service members. Coming up, a closer look at the annual traditions.

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[04:50:00]

ABEL: Iranian director Jafar Panahi has won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the Can Film Festival for his film, "It Was Just an Accident." The story involves ex-political prisoners who kidnap a man they believe to be their former interrogator. The director's triumph comes after years of personal and professional adversity. He's previously been imprisoned and banned from making films. So, for him, being at the festival this year to see his latest film comes as a vindication.

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JAFAR PANAHI, FILM DIRECTOR, PALME D'OR WINNER (through translator): I will never forget that first day after 15 years, it was the first time I could watch my film with the audience, and every moment was thrilling. The way I connected with the audience and received feedback. Don't be afraid of challenges, don't fear challenges. There is a solution for every problem. Each society faces its own issues, but you can find solutions and make your own film.

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ABEL: North Korea is a secretive country with an iron grip on the activities of its own people. But for one brief period the so-called hermit kingdom opened itself up to foreign tourists and social media influencers. As CNN's Will Ripley explains, the country wasn't expecting just how uncontrollable the visitors were.

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HARRY JAGGARD, YOUTUBER: All the Koreans are smiling and waving, heading to work.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): British YouTuber Harry Jaggard had never run a marathon, but when North Korea announced a handful of foreign spots for the Pyongyang marathon --

JAGGARD: This is where all the military parades are.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Harry hit the ground running.

JAGGARD: These are not paid actors. These are real people.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Joining the first group of Westerners since COVID to visit North Korea's capital. JAGGARD: Ten percent of the trip were athletes, runners, and then 90 percent were like content creators.

RIPLEY: Do you think the North Koreans knew that most of the people in your group were content creators like you?

JAGGARD: The tour guides definitely weren't expecting it. They said that the tour guides, they said that they'd never seen this many cameras, like pointing at them.

Can we not mingle? Can we not mingle?

They're going to bring one actor.

RIPLEY (voice-over): North Korea tries to carefully control every aspect of foreign tours.

JAGGARD: One of the rules they told us was just like, you got to ask your tour guide to film. If they tell you not to film, just don't film. And people were like filming in places they shouldn't be filmed like --

RIPLEY (voice-over): They could not control questions like this.

JAGGARD: But do you feel like you know him? Kim Jong Un?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, yes.

JAGGARD: He has a daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so.

JAGGARD: And she will be the next leader? Maybe?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure.

JAGGARD: Oh, ok. Ok.

RIPLEY: He looked pretty uncomfortable when you asked him that question.

JAGGARD: He was definitely uncomfortable. I found out after that like they don't really talk about the future, like the future leaders. They just talk about the present.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Soon after the marathon, North Korea hit the brakes, abruptly canceling foreign visas for its international trade fair in Pyongyang.

RIPLEY: You guys already had flight tickets, hotels booked.

JUSTIN MARTELL, TOUR OPERATOR: We had our visas issued and then abruptly canceled. That wasn't just us. That was actually over 200 Chinese and also Russian visitors as well.

RIPLEY: Did they say why? MARTELL: They just said that it was in the national interest.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Tour operator Justin Martell was supposed to lead a 20-person business delegation. He also led tours to Rason, North Korea's special economic zone, earlier this year. Social media influencers quickly snatched up those spots.

MARTELL: Controversy creates clicks, that creates cash. The more sensational your video is, the more views you're going to get, the more followers you're going to get.

RIPLEY (voice-over): That reopening lasted less than three weeks. All trips suddenly canceled without warning or official explanation.

MARTELL: There are some people in Pyongyang or higher up in the North Korean government who looked at the footage that came out from those YouTubers and thought that it didn't reflect positively.

It's called the Hermit Kingdom for a reason. So all we can do now is hope for the best.

JAGGARD: These are the different haircuts we can get.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The closures mean for now, none of this.

JAGGARD: Haircut like Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong U.N. haircut.

RIPLEY (voice-over): And more of this -- North Korea's carefully controlled state propaganda, a way to project power and military prowess without having to worry about anyone going off script.

RIPLEY: It's important to keep in mind that North Korea doesn't really have social media like much of the world. They also have been hermetically sealed off from much of the world for the last five years, all during COVID. So, it might be a simple case of authorities not being prepared for the sea change that has occurred on these tourist trips, where now you have most of people on the trips, content creators, sometimes with millions of followers and just a handful of minors to keep tabs on what they're doing, as opposed to when journalists go to the country, they have significantly more attention and focus to make sure they don't point their cameras in the wrong direction. That was certainly the case for me on my 19 trips to that country.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

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ABEL: At Arlington National Cemetery, CNN was there Thursday to witness the annual Flags In ceremony in advance of Memorial Day on Monday. Our photojournalist Nic Leimbach spoke with those in uniform about the traditions significance.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This tradition we're doing here today is something called Flags In, where we place an American flag in front of every grave in Arlington National Cemetery for over 400,000 service members and their families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of makes me think about how small of a -- kind of a blip in time my career has been. As vast as it may seem, I guess, in the grand scheme of things. But then you come out here, you see the endless amount of years and the wars and conflicts that we have been in and how many soldiers we lost over the time.

QUINISHA FELLS, SPECIALIST, U.S. ARMY: You know, we look at this and almost kind of take it for granted, but these people have laid down their lives. Their families have been there to support. And so, this is just, you know, a day where we can come out and just really honor them.

NICHOLAS CHRISTENSEN, FIRST LIEUTENANT, U.S. ARMY: It's something that everyone takes very seriously, just the knowledge that we're often the last touch point that families will have with the military as they bury their loved one. And I think we take that responsibility very seriously to give it the correct send off and the proper send off to our comrade in arms.

JOHN KITZMILLER, SERGEANT MAJOR, U.S. ARMY: No matter what is going on in the world, that we will always honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women buried here.

FELLS: So, I'm thankful and grateful. And I think as Americans, we should just really take the time to honor on this special day.

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ABEL: Thank you for joining us. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. That wraps up this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'll be right back with you right after this short break.

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