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Trump Calls Putin Crazy After Largest Russian Attack On Ukraine; Israel To Allow Basic Amount Of Aid Into Gaza; U.S. Citizen Charged With Trying To Attack U.S. Embassy Branch In Tel Aviv; Trump Says He Will Delay Tariffs On European Union Until July 9; Minneapolis Commemorates 5 Years Since George Floyd's Death; Doctor in Gaza Loses 9 Children in IDF Strike on Her Home; Civilians Face Danger of Unexploded Munitions in Khartoum; Trump Wants Names, Countries of Harvard's Foreign Students; Fed Chair Powell Praises Integrity and Public Service; Independent Pharmacies Face Rising Costs, Tariff Threats; "Made in Iran" Med-Tech Works to Counter Sanctions; Trash Collector's Songs About Job Go Viral. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 26, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:28]
BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello wherever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me. Coming up on the show, U.S. President Trump unloading on Vladimir Putin after Russia launches its largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the start of the war. We'll speak to a journalist in Kyiv about the deadly assault.
U.N. aid trucks enter Gaza, but officials say it's not nearly enough, warning of spikes in deaths due to malnutrition.
And tariffs delayed. The U.S. President says he's giving Europe more time to negotiate in the ongoing trade war.
Welcome. U.S. President Donald Trump is taking to social media with new criticism of Vladimir Putin after Russia launched its largest aerial assault of its three-year war on Ukraine. Mr. Trump said the Russian president has gone, quote, absolutely crazy just hours after saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm not happy with what Putin's doing. He's killing a lot of people and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time, always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don't like it at all. OK. We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into KYiv and other cities. I don't like it at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: The U.S. President also critical of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who he said isn't doing his country favors by, quote, talking the way he does. Trump clearly reacting to comments from the Ukrainian president who blasted the silence from some around the world as the war drags on.
The world may go on vacation, but the war continues despite weekends and weekdays. This cannot be ignored. America's silence and the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin.
Well, that's the reaction after Russia hit the capital and other regions across Ukraine overnight on Sunday with missiles and drones killing at least 12 people, including children.
Terrell Jermaine Star, host of Terrell J. Starr official, documented what he was experiencing on in Kyiv on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRELL JERMAINE STARR, HOST, TERRELL J. STARR OFFICIAL: Good morning, y' all. It's like 10 o' clock, 10:00 a.m. and guess what we're waking up to. So those are air sirens we got in the morning early this morning and now we're getting it around 10.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Palestinian officials say more people are dying of hunger in Gaza as Israel enforces strict limits on humanitarian aid. According to the Hamas Palestinian Ministry of Health, 58 people have died from malnutrition and 242 died due to shortages of food and medicine since early March.
Last week, Israel ended its 11-week blockade and began allowing what it calls a basic amount of food into Gaza. 107 trucks enter the territory on Sunday. The U.N. says that is a fraction of what is needed.
According to UNRWA, quote, a meaningful and uninterrupted flow of aid into Gaza is the only way to prevent the current disaster from spiraling further. Meanwhile, humanitarian groups are having difficulty delivering that limited aid to people who desperately need it.
The World Food Programme saying it is stopping production of bread at bakeries at Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis, citing the, quote, deteriorating security situation and the high likelihood of staff being exposed to risk. That only adds to the growing desperation of hungry civilians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASMAA AL-KAFARANEH, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): We come to the charity kitchen and without it we don't eat. We are starving in Gaza. We thank any group that supports us. I swear I haven't eaten bread in two months. My children brought me moldy bread two hours ago and we ate it out of hunger. I wish any organization would help, even just with bread. We desperately need even the simplest things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: The head of a U.S. backed aid group tasked with delivering food to Gaza has resigned. Jake Wood, a U.S. military veteran, led the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The U.N. and other aid groups had criticized the group, saying the way it intends to work violates basic humanitarian principles.
[01:05:02]
On Sunday, Wood announced he was stepping down, saying, quote, I am proud of the work I oversaw in Gaza. However, it's clear that it's not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, which I will not abandon.
An American citizen is charged with plotting to firebomb the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Justice Department unsealed the charges on Sunday. CNN's Julia Benbrook has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are getting new information on this. The Department of Justice unsealed charges against a dual American and German citizen who they say plotted to throw Molotov cocktails at the United States Embassy in Israel.
The man, 28-year-old Joseph Neumayer, was deported from Israel to the United States on Sunday and arrested at a New York airport. According to the DOJ, Neumayer arrived at the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv early last week and spit on an embassy guard unprovoked.
He was not detained at the time, but left behind a backpack. And when they searched that backpack, they found three Molotov cocktails.
Now, authorities then went through social media believed to be Neumeyer's and found a post saying that he had plans to burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. It also said, death to America, death to Americans. Other posts also revealed threats against President Donald Trump.
Now, here's what Attorney General Pam Bondi said about the case. She said, quote, this defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans and President Trump's life.
The department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law. If convicted, Neumeyer faces a minimum of five years in prison. The FBI Washington Field Office is leading this investigation with assistance from the FBI New York field office reporting in New Jersey, Julia Benbrook, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is in Israel. Her visit comes days after two Israeli embassy staff members were shot and killed in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating as an act of terrorism and a hate crime.
Noem also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She expressed the United States, quote, unwavering support for Israel and its great appreciation for Netanyahu's, quote, conduct of the war in Gaza.
In the latest instance of Donald Trump's tariff whiplash, the U.S. president has announced he's delaying a 50 percent tariff on European goods until July 9th. He says the decision came after a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We had a very nice call. Could we move it from June 1st to July 9th? And I agreed to do that and that she said we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Von der Leyen also praised the call, saying Europe is ready to negotiate. But as recently as Friday, President Trump said he was not looking for a deal with the E.U. and that their tariff rate would go into effect Next. So Sunday CNN's Kevin Liptak has more from the White House.
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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITEH HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump made this decision to delay new tariffs on the European Union after a telephone call with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. And this was a significant phone call even amid all of these trade tensions between the United States and the European Union. This is the first time that these two leaders have spoken since Trump came into office.
And so it was an important moment to get at some of the differences between the two sides on this very critical issue. And there are some significant differences. You know, European officials have been in Washington trying to negotiate a trade deal for the last several weeks, but the process has been painstaking. There has been no real breakthrough from the European perspective.
There has been a degree of confusion about what exactly President Trump and the White House are looking for from these talks. White House officials on the flip side had been concerned that European officials were not coming to them with serious enough offers for a trade deal. And that is part of what led to President Trump on Friday saying that he would impose a 50 percent tariff on the E.U. starting on June 1, saying that the talks were going nowhere, that the E.U., in his words, had been very difficult to deal with.
You also heard from the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying that the offers from the E.U. had not been, quote, of the same quality as other nations proposals, essentially, in the words of one White House official, trying to light a fire under the E.U. to try and jumpstart these talks. [01:10:03]
And that is part of what led to this conversation on Sunday between President Trump and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, describing it as a good conversation, saying the E.U. and U.S. share the world's most consequential and close trade relationship. She says that Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively, but that in order to reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9th. The President agreeing to extend those talks.
Now we should say July 9th was the original deadline. You know, President Trump, you'll remember, announced these reciprocal tariffs on what he called Liberation Day. He lifted those tariffs and put in place this 90-day period to negotiate new trade deals. That period is set to expire on July 9th.
Now President Trump essentially reverting to the original deadline as these talks with the E.U. proceed. Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Still to come, five years after the police killing of George Floyd, supporters gather across the US to remember him and to ensure his legacy is not forgotten.
Plus, in war torn Sudan, civilians are having to clear deadly mines and explosives, sometimes with horrific consequences. No story and so much more when we come back.
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HUNTE: Returning to our top story, U.S. President Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin has gone absolutely crazy after Russia launches its largest aerial attack on Ukraine. Mr. Trump criticized the Russian president on social media and in front of reporters as he made clear he is not happy with Putin. At least 12 people were killed in attacks across Ukraine this weekend.
Let's dig deep with Terrell Jermaine Starr joining us live from Kyiv. Terrell, you are still in Ukraine, even with everything going on right now, I'm so glad you're safe. But how are you genuinely feeling right now?
STARR: Thank you. Thank you very much. Actually pretty tired. People across Ukraine are exhausted because we woke up to the sound of air defense systems trying to strike down as many drones as it possibly can.
And so people here are waking up going to work despite their drowsiness and despite their anxiety that's been induced about this recent drone attack and that in. Fact, you can hear them over the apartment buildings just buzzing. And so when the drones come, we all know the sounds, but you get acclimated to it over time. And I know that sounds strange, but it's actually true. HUNTE: Gosh. After today's massive Russian attack on Ukraine, which
was apparently the largest aerial attack of the war so far, how are people on the ground reacting to this? I mean, are people scared?
STARR: Well, yes, people are scared. What people need to realize, though, is that this attack has been -- these drone attacks go on all the time. Sometimes some nights are worse than others. But this is not a new phenomenon for Ukraine and for the people here.
What is, however, is, well, what is troubling, though, is this notion that Vladimir Putin wants to have a peace deal. The whole goal is to terrorize people here. The whole goal is to fear monger people into submission, which is not really going to happen.
And what's frustrating is that people who are outside of Ukraine are looking at Trump's moves to move towards peace as a real possibility, but no one believes it. People look at this as a repeat of the Minsk Accords, which essentially feels Russia will stop advancing and then two to three years later, come up with some excuse to continue its invasion into its territory. So there's nothing new about what's happening here.
Or what's more troubling, what people are thinking about is why is the west continuing to fall for this idea that Putin wants to end his invasion of a war, his invasion of an attack that Ukraine did nothing to initiate.
HUNTE: When we spoke a few months ago, we talked about waiting and seeing what President Trump could do. So what are your thoughts on Trump's actions now?
STARR: The reality is that Trump is an entertainer, Trump is a showman. He is not a diplomat. What Trump wants to do is he wants to force Ukraine into a deal when he can't move Ukraine as quickly as he would like, he extorts them with a mineral deal.
And so when the extortion is accepted, he believes that he can move forward. And he believes that Putin is his friend and that he can convince Putin into a deal. But unlike Putin and unlike Zelenskyy, you know, this is not a show. This is not The Apprentice. He doesn't have producers around him manipulating the outcome of the storyline. This is real life.
And so what he's encountering are, you know, are the extreme complications of international diplomacy of which he has no competence.
[01:20:00]
He has no competence. And so what we're seeing with Trump is him just being well over his head. And these are -- this, unfortunately, is the consequence of poor choices that my country, that my fellow Americans made when they elected him. And so what we're seeing on the ground is the result of a person who's not competent in world affairs, and people here are suffering for it. HUNTE: I mean, a lot of people voted for him, so maybe this is also
what they want. But let's talk about what happens if Western leaders do step back from trying to negotiate, as it seems that President Trump might, looking at his true social post today, at least. What do you think would happen next?
STARR: Yes, I'll tell you what won't happen exactly. What won't happen is what people think is a Ukrainian capitulation to Russia. So, one of the major differences in how we even talking about this is what is -- here in Ukraine, people feel that if they agree to a quote, unquote, peace deal, then if they reach a quote, unquote peace deal, then they're giving up their country in the west and European capitals.
People, quite frankly, as far as I'm concerned, they're not really interested in stopping Putin from taking over Ukraine. What they want to do is pat themselves on the back and say that we got them to come to a peace deal and the fighting is stopped, and so they consider that a success.
Here in Ukraine, how they look at it is Russia, if they have time to rest, if they -- if there is a ceasefire that's favorable to Russia, then they will rearm. They will take lessons learned. They will give their soldiers time to recuperate from this three years plus war, and then they will manufacture another excuse to attack.
And so Ukrainians only feel that a military victory is possible. And they -- and if they don't get that, then their country is done. That's how they view it. In the West, they are not talking about Ukrainian sovereignty in that way. And as long as you have that gap, there's always going to be this thing of them talking, you know, past one another. But here it's about if we start fighting, then our land is we're going to be giving up our country. That is what people are talking about here.
And that's the only thing that matters to them. That is not the conversation that's being had in European capitals.
HUNTE: Yes. Well, for now, Terrell Jermaine Starr in Kyiv, thank you for being with me. And please stay safe. And remember, America is here. You can come back if you need to. We have you.
STARR: Yes, absolutely. I plan on doing it. But right now, this is where I belong and people can come to Terrell J. Starr Official on YouTube to find more of my work. Yes.
HUNTE: I respect that. Thank you so much, Terrell. Speak to you soon.
STARR: Thank you.
HUNTE: Family, friends and supporters of George Floyd are remembering his life and legacy five years after he was killed by a white police officer.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of state murder charges in Floyd's death after he was caught on video kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest. The murder sparked nationwide protests and efforts to implement policing reforms.
But last week, those initiatives came to a sudden stop as the Trump administration announced it was ending federal oversight of those reforms. While attending anniversary event at Floyd's gravesite in Texas, civil rights advocates vowed to keep fighting for racial justice, police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Reform and justice for the George Floyd's in the world will not be trumped. We going to keep fighting.
BENJAMIN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: We are not deterred. We are recommitted. So do whatever you're going to do with the Department of Justice. We will not turn back. Justice for George Floyd. Say his name. Say his name.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Crowds also gathered on Sunday in Minneapolis, Minnesota at a memorial marking the site where Floyd died. CNN Sara Sidner visited George Floyd Square and spoke with his family about the impact of the Trump administration's recent rollbacks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT: This is the scene five years after this community here in Minneapolis on 38th in Chicago saw George Floyd murdered in slow motion. The nine minutes they watched Derek Chauvin shove his knee into George Floyd's neck. And that is where his body lay for those nine minutes where he took his last breath after first asking to be able to breathe, then begging for his life and asking for his mother.
We were able to talk to some of the family members who came back here to Minneapolis because they say they really feel the connection and love that this community has given them. And you can see it reflected in the memorial itself. It has been kept pristine and clean in a place where you can pray and be peaceful.
[01:25:00]
Here's what the family had to say five years on as they come back to Minneapolis and are embraced by this community.
ANGELA HARRELSON, GEORGE FLOYD'S AUNT: There's so many people that have showed up out here. Their kindness, their love, their support. You know, it brings a certain amount of peace and joy.
SIDNER: What do y' all think about what's happening with the current administration rolling back all of these reforms?
SELWYN JONES, GEORGE FLOYD'S UNCLE: You didn't do that. We are not politicians. We're humanitarians. So all we could do is wish and hope that they do their job, you know, and making it equal for all races, you know, especially, you know, black and brown.
SIDNER: Now, there is another side to this. Magaland (ph) has a lot to say about what happened to George Floyd. A lot of it is lies. The jury decided that he was indeed murdered by then-Officer Derek Chauvin. But you are seeing the vitriol from those who have the president's ear, like Laura Loomer, who posted this online on this very day, a day when a family is remembering in a community mourning what happened to a human being, a fellow American.
This is what she posted. Congratulations to George Floyd for your five years being sober. A really disgusting vitriolic look at all of this, trying to intimate that he died from a drug overdose, which is not what the jury or judge found, nor did the appeals court.
But all in all, when you see what is happening in this community, it is about embracing the family and hoping and asking and pushing for the changes they demanded back in 2020. And before that, police reform, though the Trump administration is rolling those reforms back. Sara Sidner, CNN, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Still to come, a doctor in Gaza loses nine of her 10 children after an Israeli airstrike hits her home. We'll have an update on her only surviving son and husband after the break.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Israel says it allowed 107 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday. The United Nations says that is not nearly enough to fix the food crisis there. For weeks, the U.N. has warned that starvation is already taking hold. Aid groups are pleading with Israel to allow more trucks to enter and to use safer routes.
Palestinian health officials say 58 people have died from malnutrition and 242 died due to shortages of food and medicine since March. That is when Israel implemented an 11-week blockade.
Gaza officials say an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza killed nine children on Friday. Their mother, a doctor, was working in the emergency room at Nasser Hospital when their bodies were brought in.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has the latest on this heartbreaking story. But we have to warn you that some viewers may find this report disturbing.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Alaa al-Najjar is used to seeing the horrors of war in Gaza. She's an emergency room doctor in Khan Younis. But the charred bodies that arrived at her hospital on Friday were of her own children.
She'd left them at home just hours earlier to go to work. Nine of her ten children were killed in an Israeli airstrike. One son and her husband cling to life, according to Nasser Hospital.
Her brother-in-law describes the moment she found out.
"One of the civil defense workers was handing me one of the bodies," he says. "She was standing next to me and recognized it. She said, "This is Reval (ph). Give her to me. Her instinct as a mother, as if her daughter was still alive, she asked to hold her in her arms."
Rescuers searched the smoking debris of the house to recover seven of the nine bodies, and say the children were aged from seven months to 12 years.
Family says the ten children were at home when Dr. Najjar husband, Hamdi, dropped her off at work, then went to find food for them all.
When he returned, he saw an Israeli missile strike hit his home, they say, which failed to detonate. He rushed inside to rescue his children and was injured when a second strike hit.
Hospital staff say despite the unimaginable loss, Dr. Najjar continues to work while also checking on her husband and her 11-year-old son, Adam.
Her brother-in-law says she's now caught between the dead, her only surviving child and her husband, who is between life and death.
May God grant her patience and grant us patience too.
The Israeli military, says its aircraft had, quote, "struck a number of suspects who were identified operating from a structure adjacent to IDF troops in the area of Khan Younis".
[01:34:50]
HANCOCKS: It said it was reviewing the claims civilians had been killed.
Nine members of one family gone in an instant. As it has been since day one of this war, children bear the brunt of the never-ending violence.
Paula Hancocks, CNN -- Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: The Sudanese army says it has full control of the country's capital, Khartoum, but the long-term fighting has left even more danger. Unexploded mines, weapons and ammunition are all over civilian areas.
There are signs of war everywhere in Khartoum. The embattled city has been a major stronghold in a two-year civil war between Sudan's government forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.
Two years ago, the RSF captured Khartoum. And two months ago the army took it back. But for the thousands of people returning to the city, many are shocked to see how much damage there is. But what may be most disturbing is what's hidden in the rubble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ ALI, FORMER KHARTOUM SCHOOL EMPLOYEE (through translator): Why wouldn't I be afraid? Every day I find two containers filled with ammunition and RPG rockets and other explosives all in here. And this is a school, a children's school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Sudanese and U.N. clearance teams are combing areas under government control, looking for ammunition and missiles that are scattered across streets, homes, schools and shops, places that won't be safe to inhabit again until the ordnance is cleared.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-HELO ABDULLA, HEAD OF WAR REMNANTS COLLECTION INITIATIVE: We have received a lot of. Requests and worked on them. Every day, we have around 10 to 15 requests. So we try to remove as much as possible each day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: According to Sudan's National Mine Action Center, more than 12,000 devices have been located and destroyed since the beginning of the war, with thousands more discovered in areas recently retaken by the army.
But there are still many places that haven't been cleared, and some funding for the demining efforts has been in jeopardy, especially after the disruption of U.S. foreign aid earlier this year. So, many civilians have risked clearing their homes on their own.
Dozens of people have reportedly been killed or injured by munitions explosions in recent weeks, including this man's 16-year-old nephew, who suffered severe wounds after a blast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-NOURANY, UNCLE OF 16-YEAR-OLD VICTIM OF EXPLOSION: We heard an explosion. It was a 23-millimeter anti-aircraft round.
Since I am a soldier, I know these things. He was sitting on a chair and suddenly it exploded without warning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: The dangers at home only amplified by the ongoing fighting in other parts of the country with the RSF still holding large parts of western Sudan. The fighting is far from over, but in Khartoum each munition taken out of harm's way could make civilians feel a little safer. Donald Trump says he's optimistic about nuclear talks with Iran, but
cautious Iranians aren't counting on any breakthrough just yet. We'll see how they're learning to take the sting out of America's sanctions when we come back.
[01:38:01]
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HUNTE: President Trump is escalating his attacks on Harvard University. He's now demanding the names and countries of thousands of international students at the Ivy League school.
Mr. Trump suggested that foreign countries, some of which he says are hostile to the U.S., should contribute funding to educate their students.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're 31 percent, but they refuse to tell us who the people are. We want to know who the people are. Now, a lot of the foreign students we wouldn't have a problem with. I'm not going to have a problem with foreign students, but it shouldn't be 31 percent. It's too much because we have Americans that want to go there and to other places, and they can't go there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: His comments come just days after a federal judge temporarily halted his administration from banning Harvard's international students.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, another target of President Trumps attacks, gave a speech about integrity and public service at Princeton University's graduation ceremony. The president has called Powell a fool and a major loser for not lowering interest rates quickly enough.
The fed chair has remained quiet amid all of those public attacks, but on Sunday, he told Princeton graduates that being an honest public servant will always be a rewarding choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE: You navigate the world of bright possibilities that await you, I urge you to take on the challenge and the opportunity to serve your fellow citizens.
50 years from now, you'll want to be able to look in the mirror and know that you did what you thought was right in every part of your life. At the end of the day, our integrity is all we have. Guard it carefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: President Donald Trump's trade war is now raising concerns about the impact it could have on the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. Any potential tariffs could disrupt the supply chain, making it more expensive or even difficult to find certain medications.
CNN's Julia Vargas Jones spoke with a pharmacist in L.A. who says the tariffs could be the final blow for struggling independent pharmacies.
[01:44:48]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SONA KAZANGIAN, PHARMACIST, DISCOUNT MEDICAL PHARMACY: There's not a single bottle that I pull up here that doesn't say made in China or made in India. The generics, I think probably about 80 percent of it or more is made in other countries.
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The threat of tariffs for this slice of the health care industry looms large. But it's just one of many challenges independent pharmacists like Sona Kazangian now face.
KAZANGIAN: It's very difficult for us to survive.
JONES: Her father started the business 41 years ago. Now she's fighting to keep it open among razor-thin profit margins in what she calls a broken reimbursement system.
KAZANGIAN: There are drugs that I don't even buy anymore because I already know that there is no plan that reimburses me even at cost, much less at a profit.
JONES: That reimbursement is set by Pharmacy Benefit Managers or PBMs, companies that act as middlemen between insurers and pharmacies.
KAZANGIAN: They control, you know, what the patient pays as a co-pay. They control what we as the pharmacy receives as payment. These entities are paying us less than what the drug costs for us to buy it.
JONES: This business model is not sustainable for the pharmacies, experts say, but often more profitable for PBMs.
ROBIN FELDMAN, PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO LAW: PBMs are paid by the discount they get. So they've learned that if prices rise, they get a better discount and their pay goes up.
(CROSSTALKING)
JONES: So can they benefit from higher prices of medication?
FELDMAN: If the prices rise because of tariffs or for any other reason, they will do better.
JONES: If enacted, the cost of tariffs on those drugs would be passed down from manufacturer to wholesaler to pharmacy, squeezing these businesses even further.
KAZANGIAN: We don't really know exactly what's going to happen, but I think all independent pharmacies have thought about this issue.
If you're acquiring this drug now for X dollars more because of a tariff, the likelihood that the PBM is going to pay me X dollars more to make up for that is probably slim.
JONES: But the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association says PBMs generate at least $148 billion in savings for the healthcare system annually and support independent pharmacies through innovative programs to increase reimbursement on prescription drugs.
Earlier this month, the National Community Pharmacists Association issued a statement saying that unless the federal government ensures that PBM pharmacy reimbursements are increased to reflect higher costs, the ripple effect of tariffs could be fewer pharmacies, stranded patients and inadequate pharmacy networks for Medicare and Medicaid.
A grim prognosis for institutions that play a vital role in so many communities.
KAZANGIAN: In parts of this country that are very rural or not very accessible, those pharmacies are really the only like medical facilities that exist. So those patients are really going to, they're really going to suffer.
JONES: Julia Vargas Jones, CNN -- Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: After the U.S. And Iran held a fifth round of nuclear talks over the weekend, Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone about what might be achieved in the days ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We had some very good talks with Iran yesterday and today and let's see what happens. But I think we could have some good news on the Iran front having to do with nuclear.
We've had some very, very good talks with Iran, and I don't know if I'll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have a feeling I might be telling you something good.
We've had some real progress. Serious progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Trump added that he would love to reach a deal with Iran, so a military strike could be avoided.
Officials from Oman have been serving as mediators for the talks. One said there's been some but not conclusive progress.
Many Iranians are hopeful about the ongoing talks, especially on the possibility of sanctions relief, but they're hedging their bets, as CNN's Fred Pleitgen discovered in Tehran. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iranian lab technicians working to optimize domestically-produced medicine.
The Zist Takhmir Pharmaceutical Company is one of Iran's largest and they say they're also one of the first to produce cancer medicine here in Iran.
"Our production uses modern equipment," the lab director tells me. "Safety is always observed for all staff, both in terms of gear and of production.
The company also produces probiotics on a large scale, working out of a massive tech center near Tehran called the Pardis Technology Center, housing more than 400 companies -- everything from big industrial firms to tiny startups.
As western sanctions squeeze Iran's economy, Tehran is looking to bolster domestic production, especially in high tech sectors, the park's director of international affairs tells me.
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AMIN REZA KHALEGHIAN, HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, PARDIS TECH: We think that sanctions is not a good phenomenon, but in one or two aspects, it is very good for us because before sanctions, we import many of these products from other countries as well. After sanctions, we had to establish them inside the country.
And many of the products we sell now, they wrote "Made in Iran" are the result -- positive result of the sanctions.
PLEITGEN: Nowhere more so than the medical sector, management showing us some of the products manufactured here, everything from small implants to whole operating rooms.
At the face of it, the sanctions don't count for medical sector, but because hospitals cant actually pay internationally for a lot of things, they can't access a lot of western medical equipment. So this is quite important presumably for --
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MOHAMMAD-REZA KOMPANI SAEID, CEO, BARTER ELECTRONIC: Yes. So that's why we have a very deep -- depth of the production here. Every year we are doing about 10,000 beds in the country to get the optimum rate of the bed and the population.
And at this stage we are doing 85 percent of the equipment that needs for new hospitals.
PLEITGEN: Like in most of Iran, folks here are closely watching the nuclear talks between Tehran and the Trump administration, hoping a breakthrough could lead to an end of what the U.S. calls its maximum pressure sanctions against Iran even as Iran's foreign minister acknowledges things aren't easy.
ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The negotiations are more complex than something that could be resolved in just two or three meetings. The fact that we are now on a reasonable path, in my view, is itself a sign of progress.
PLEITGEN: And the outcome of the talks is far from certain, leading Iran's leadership to keep bolstering its homegrown products rather than hope and wait for sanctions relief.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Tehran.
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HUNTE: A man whose job is collecting trash is going viral. Just ahead, how he's finding beauty in his city's early hours and setting it all to song.
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HUNTE: This weekend, the United States is honoring military men and women who gave their lives for their country. On Sunday night, crowds gathered at the U.S. Capitol for the National Memorial Day Concert.
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HUNTE: Wow. that was opera singer Angel Blue performing the U.S. National anthem with the National Symphony Orchestra. PBS carried the event live. Country star Scotty Hasting and gospel legend Yolanda Adams also performed.
Finding beauty in everyday life can be a challenge, but a trash collector in Mexico City is proving it's still possible to appreciate the world around you, no matter what kind of work you do.
Erick Beltran shows us how the man's emotional songs are going viral.
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ERICK BELTRAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Macario Martinez was just a regular guy doing his daily job, picking up trash from the streets of Mexico City until he shared this video of his route that would catapult him to fame.
MACARIO MARTINEZ, SINGER-SONGWRITER (through translator): When I was in the collection truck, I don't know. I always liked that moment and I always wanted to record it.
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MARTINEZ: The day came when I got the chance to film it, to film myself there, because I believed it to be such a special moment. I always wanted to capture that route because it was so beautiful. I didn't think it would have so many views.
BELTRAN: Now, Martinez has recorded multiple videos, racking up millions of views on social media.
MARTINEZ: Working in the city's sanitation system, I think it's the most beautiful job in terms of connecting with others. Sure, maybe the benefits aren't great, but the people, my coworkers, are incredible. We were all just trying to get ahead.
BELTRAN: Many Mexican artists are known for writing songs about violence, but Martinez sings of heartbreak and being vulnerable. He isn't trying to stand out. He simply can't help it.
MARTINEZ: I think it's the only job where you can actually get a chance to look up to the sky, because you have the time to do it because nobody approaches you.
They even treat you badly because they don't talk to you unless it's to throw away their trash, you know?
BELTRAN: Martinez's talent is resonating on social media. Producers from a major TV series even approached him about making a jingle.
MARTINEZ: I made a song to promote the second season of "The Last of Us". At first they asked for a jingle, but I wanted to do more. I wanted to make a song and felt I could offer them more. So we did.
I recorded it with my Jarana and sent it to them and they loved it. They didn't change a thing. They fully respected the original idea and in the end it worked really well. A lot of people liked the song.
BELTRAN: Whether he's performing on a festival stage or watching the sunset on his daily commute, Martinez remains the same, wide-eyed, curious and grounded.
MARTINEZ: Being up on stage now, with so many people watching you and enjoying what you do and feeling something, a connection with what you are doing is a beautiful thing.
It makes me really happy to do what I do, and I hope I get to do it for a long time.
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HUNTE: We love some good news.
Ok, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team.
I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. It's been very real. Let's do it all again next weekend.
But for now, the fabulous Rosemary Church will take over from here.
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