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Trump: Iran "Agreement Has Been Largely Negotiated". Interview With Pennsylvania Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean; 50,000 People Told To Evacuate In California, Hazmat Explosion Risk; Cubans Protest Raul Castro Indictment; Trump Administration Ramps Up Pressure On Cuban Government Amid Oil Blockade; Trump: Iran "Agreement Has Been Largely Negotiated; Trump-Backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Challenges Republican Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn For His Seat. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired May 23, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:37]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

We do indeed have breaking news as President Donald Trump says, a deal with Iran is now imminent. Trump writing on Truth Social just a few moments ago, "An agreement has been largely negotiated," adding "final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly. In addition to many other elements of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened."

Let's go to CNN's Julia Benbrook, who is there at the White House where the president is this weekend.

Julia, this announcement coming just after the president spoke with the Gulf State leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What is the latest?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the team here at the White House says that President Donald Trump has been working all day with an intense focus on this potential agreement between the United States and Iran to bring the conflict to an end.

We know that he had a call with Gulf and other regional leaders. He said that during that call, that they talked about all things Iran and pertaining to a memorandum of peace. Now, he said that they are working toward that deal, that they are close on that.

And I want to pull up a portion of his post here where we did get the most detail on what was discussed. He said, "Final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly. In addition to many other elements of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be open."

So he is pointing toward potential momentum here. We know that the red lines for him throughout this process have been Iran's nuclear capabilities, the highly enriched uranium, and then of course, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which he is mentioning specifically.

Now, according to someone briefed on the discussion that took place today, at least some of the leaders were encouraging Trump to accept the framework of this agreement to bring the conflict to an end with at least one regional leader saying that those talks were positive.

So Trump said that this call went well. He also said that today he had a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He categorized that as going well, too, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. And again, the key takeaway, it sounds like, in Trump's words, that the announcement of a deal is imminent.

We, of course, wait to see if that will indeed be announced in short order.

Julia Benbrook there at the White House. Thank you so much.

Let's go ahead and bring in Pennsylvania Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. She serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, among other committees.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for being here with us on a Saturday. This is breaking news that we're just getting from the president.

So let's start first with just your reaction to what he's saying.

REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): It's hard to hold on to anything because of the seesaw nature of what the president said. But guess what? I will take it.

Please God, this Memorial Day weekend, I think of the families who are very thoughtful this Memorial Day weekend about their loved ones, those whom we've lost.

Please, I hope they come up with a framework of a deal that the president will agree to, so that a ceasefire will be real, and so that there'll be an end to hostilities and opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, a continuation of what we have done since the JCPOA and beyond in terms of the nuclear ability of Iran.

Let's hope for peace this weekend.

DEAN: And what do you need to see? I mean, I hear some of the issues you're talking about, but for you to feel comfortable with this, what are you looking for in this framework?

M. DEAN: Some saner minds to take hold. When you go to war, and remember, this was a war that the president chose. It was reckless. It was unthought out.

It was side by side with Mr. Netanyahu so that his ambitions were pursued. And I think that put a sideline to American ambitions.

We have 13 members of our military dead. We have families grieving them. We have hundreds wounded. We have 50,000 or more in the theater. [17:04:49]

M. DEAN: I want these people home. I want our military home and continuing to be as well trained as possible.

I serve also on the Appropriations Committee as well as Foreign Affairs. I want to make sure that we are appropriating very, very well for our country's defense and not wasting billions of dollars on a reckless war of choice.

And we do know how this president operates. He operates with deal makers. He doesn't operate with diplomats.

I hope somewhere in here, diplomats prevail. May Marco Rubio actually take hold of some of this conversation and bring us to peace.

DEAN: And we saw in your House chamber earlier this week this vote on the War Powers Resolution having to be pulled down. The Republicans were worried about absences. There were some flips on the Republican side that were -- that had in the past and were poised to join you all in voting in support of returning power to Congress.

Do you think that that's playing into this at all, as the president is trying to make a deal? And what is your sense of where that's going in the House?

M. DEAN: You saw us. We were on the floor. The Republicans were again, feckless and at a loss to figure out what to do with the Senate's collapse in the hours before. And they scurried home.

And what Republicans did when ranking member of Foreign Affairs Meeks, Gregory Meeks' War Powers Resolution was clearly about to pass.

And remember what it is. It is only saying that Congress has the power to declare war under Article 1, Section 8. Well, the Republican majority panicked. They saw that it was going to pass. That wouldn't have pleased the president.

And so they sent us home, pulled the bill down, and sent us home a day early.

Here's why this is happening. The president is dangerously underwater on the economy, on Americans' basic household costs.

The president is dangerously underwater on this war in Iran. Nobody wants it and it's deadly. It's dangerous. It's harmful to our military. We need them home.

And he is dangerously underwater on the grotesque corruption. It happened to be the same week as the $1.8 billion bogus slush fund that the president put forward, signed off on by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

What corruption. The Attorney General of the United States set up a $1.8 billion slush fund for -- of all people -- those who attacked the Capitol on January 6th. Jessica, I was there. I don't remember if you were there, you might have been because I was up in the gallery with many members -- many colleagues of yours.

The president pardoned 1,500 criminals, insurrectionists on day one. And now he was setting up a slush fund to reward them somehow -- pardon them and pay them.

So I think we hit a critical mass this week. It was one of the longest weeks in congressional history from anybody else's standpoint.

The president is deeply underwater on the economy, on war and corruption. And this is the fallout of it.

DEAN: Yes. I do want to ask you a little bit more about that -- roughly $1.8 billion fund that he's proposing, because we saw -- and I hope we still have the congresswoman there with us. We saw that --

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: Ok, good.

We saw that Republicans in the Senate really turned on him across the board in a way that we haven't seen on a lot of other issues when it came to this.

There was that closed door meeting with Todd Blanche when he went there and tried to pitch GOP senators on this. Ted Cruz talked about how there were so many people pushing back on this.

What is your sense, as someone who's been on the Hill now for many years with Trump as president and not as president, about if this was a different moment or what do you -- what was your sense of how that played out this week?

M. DEAN: I have to admit to you, I had a private conversation with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this week. That was very revealing to me that he is completely in the president's pocket. We happened to talk about Epstein and the clear cover up there and the failure to prosecute those who are responsible.

And you saw the reporting is -- I obviously was not in the room -- but the reporting is that that Senate lunch at least half of the -- of the senators said, push back. Wait a second. What are you doing with this slush fund?

That's an unusual thing apparently, in their lunches, to have that many speak against what the president's grotesque ideas are signed off on by this attorney general.

What it says to me is there's a crossing of the Rubicon.

[17:09:43]

M. DEAN: I don't like to use that cliche, but I think we're actually at that moment where the president in Trump 2.0 has surrounded himself with such sycophants that the president got way out over his skis in terms of his corruption.

Not so in Trump 1.0. It was a little more subtle, his corruption.

But here with the sycophants around him, the toadies around him, he went out too far. And actually some Republicans are finally saying no, that's beyond the pale. That has crossed the Rubicon.

You even had Mitch McConnell speaking out against it. Please give me a break. Where were you, Mr. McConnell in Trump's impeachment number two? You could have stopped all of this.

DEAN: All right. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, thanks for your time. We appreciate it.

M. DEAN: Thank you. Jessica.

DEAN: Still ahead, tens of thousands of people in southern California being told to evacuate as crews there monitor a toxic chemical tank that they fear could explode.

Plus, protests in Cuba over the indictment of Raul Castro as pressure mounts from the U.S.

CNN is there in Cuba with reaction.

And Ukraine facing a threat from Russia about a large-scale air attack that could happen over the next day.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:10:57]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: In southern California, 50,000 people have been told to evacuate as temperatures rise dangerously inside a tank containing a toxic chemical. Officials fear a leak of that chemical into the air are what they say could be a catastrophic explosion.

The industrial site is just a few miles from Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. Both parks are outside the evacuation zone. They remain open.

We'll bring in CNN's Rafael Romo, who is following this. So what is the latest as of right now, Rafael?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jessica. Well, authorities responded initially Thursday to the plant after there was a vapor released from a tank containing a toxic chemical. According to the Orange County fire authority, one of the three tanks at the site that belongs to GKN Aerospace had increased in temperature and activated a relief valve and overhead sprinklers, a system designed to cool the tanks.

Evacuation orders were initially issued for the area around the plant on Thursday, but they were lifted that night after the vapor conditions improved.

According to Orange County fire authority interim Fire Chief T.J. McGovern, as crews tried to remove and contain the chemical known as methyl methacrylate, or MMA, they realized that the tank had a damaged valve so the chemical could not be removed, which prompted authorities to reinstate evacuation orders.

The number of residents evacuated stands right now at 50,000, as emergency crews work nonstop to prevent the overheating tank from leaking or triggering what -- triggering what officials warned could be a catastrophic explosion.

Some of southern California's main attractions, including Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Angel Stadium, are all located less than ten miles from the plant but are outside the evacuation zone.

And both parks told CNN they remain open and operational, and there's a game scheduled at Angel Stadium tonight.

Saturday morning, Jessica, the incident commander, said that there had been inconsistencies in temperature readings, causing them to revise some of their earlier understandings about the risks involved.

This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CRAIG COVEY, INCIDENT COMMANDER, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: Yesterday afternoon, I did report that we had some positive intel and that the tanks were stable and we were keeping the temperature cool. And actually we thought we were reducing it a little bit.

Unfortunately, I have to (INAUDIBLE). Those temperatures we are doing is via a drone doing readings on the external of the vessel.

Unfortunately, I do have to report that the temperature was 90 degrees. Yesterday morning, it was 77 degrees when we backed out. It's been averaging about a degree an hour increasing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: An Orange County health official said MMA, the toxic chemical leaking at the plant, can cause major respiratory issues, including significant irritation to the lungs and nasal passages, as well as dizziness and nausea.

This is how a local resident described what it smells like in the affected area to CNN affiliates KCBS and KCAL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This reminds me of the burn pits in Iraq, you know, the smell. It's just ridiculous that we have to just sit here not knowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: In a statement, GKN Aerospace, the company that owns the plant, apologized, quote, "for the significant disruption to the many local residents and businesses who have had to be evacuated. We are fully focused on working with emergency services, specialized hazardous material teams and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the local community, our employees and everyone else involved," the company said.

Chief Covey with the Orange County Fire Authority, said that if efforts to cool the tank fail, Jessica, two possible scenarios include the tank cracking and leaking 7,000 gallons of MMA into the surrounding parking lot, or worse, the container could explode.

Authorities say these risks underscore the importance of people evacuating from the designated area.

Again, as I said at the beginning, 50,000 people at this point.

Now back to you.

DEAN: All right. Rafael Romo, thank you so much for that.

As the U.S. pressure campaign on Cuba intensifies, Cubans are growing increasingly concerned. The latest from the island following the indictment of Raul Castro.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:19:51]

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DEAN: The Trump administration ramping up its pressure on Cuba. Right now, a U.S. carrier strike group is in the Caribbean, arriving the same day the Justice Department announced federal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro. The charges stem from his alleged role in the 1980 shoot out of two civilian aircrafts, killing four people, including three Americans.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann was on the streets of Havana as crowds gathered in support of the government. Here's more.

[17:24:43]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: So the location for this demonstration the Cuban government has put on could not be more telling. We're in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

We've heard officials, outraged that Raul Castro is now facing federal charges in a Miami courtroom. They say they will never turn him over, that he's not going anywhere.

You hear people who are supporters of the government, of course, come out here that Raul Castro was like a family member to them. They say he's like a grandfather.

MARIELA CASTRO, DAUGHTER OF RAUL CASTRO (through translator): No one will capture him. I can assure you. Not him, not anyone. Here, We are ready to fight imperialism. We are a small, poor country, but with combat experience against the U.S. imperialism.

OPPMANN: Of course, this is very, very serious. The Trump administration is raising the stakes here by charging Raul Castro.

The Cubans we talked to say they're very concerned that the next step could be some sort of military attack, like we saw in Venezuela. That now the U.S. has some kind of legal veneer to take action against Cuba.

And that would be incredibly disruptive for an island where the electricity is now off most of the time, most days. And so people are suffering under the consequences of their government's economic mis- choices and the energy blockade that the U.S. has put on this island.

So increasingly, despite the government's defiance in the face of U.S. action, you do hear Cubans who say they are worried that we're not getting any closer to a deal between Cuba and the U.S., and the next step could be some kind of military intervention.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN -- Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. Patrick, thank you for that reporting.

We're joined now by Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis. He served as the first charge de affairs at the U.S. embassy in Havana, following the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba during the Obama administration.

Mr. Ambassador, thanks for being here. We really do appreciate it.

Let's start first with just your thoughts on the -- on this administration's pressure campaign on Cuba. What you think of it and what you think the ultimate goal is here.

JEFFREY DELAURENTIS, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO CUBA: Well, it's certainly ratcheting up the pressure.

On the one hand, you could say that the Venezuelan playbook has been deployed as far as the Nimitz entering the Caribbean and the indictment of Raul Castro and the reports about Cubans having Iranian and Russian-made drones and so forth and so on.

But I'm assuming that this is really an effort to continue to ratchet up pressure and bring the Cubans to the negotiating table in a -- in a serious way.

DEAN: Do you believe the Cuban government is in a weakened position as of now?

DELAURENTIS: In terms of its control over the country? I don't think so. I don't see really any evidence of that.

But in terms of the conditions of the country and the people of Cuba, absolutely. People want change. And they're certainly very tired of the difficulties of their life.

I think it's fair to say that up until January, the humanitarian and economic crisis in the country rested at the feet of the -- of the Cuban government.

But frankly, once we deployed this, blockade -- oil blockade -- oil embargo, depending upon your favorite term, it became partially our responsibility as well, because it certainly has had an impact.

DEAN: Yes. And it was interesting there because in Patrick Oppmann'S piece, we saw some, obviously that was just a snapshot of one thing happening, but some people coming out in support, they said, of the government.

help people understand the dynamics there of the Cuban people and what they're dealing with and how they're feeling.

DELAURENTIS: You know, someone, someone very well informed told me recently that, people under 40 in Cuba want change at any price. People over 40 want change, but not at any price, meaning not some intervention from outside Cuba. They're still concerned about sovereignty and so forth.

I have to say, in my time in Cuba, I saw many of these government- organized demonstrations. It's a -- it's a standard step in their -- in their playbook and we'll probably see more.

But at the moment, at least politically, I would say the government retains control.

DEAN: And in the meantime, the U.S. has positioned this aircraft carrier strike group in the Caribbean. What kind of a message do you think they're hoping to send?

[17:29:46]

DEAN: It would -- you would assume it's one of we're here and we, you know, we're nearby. But what do you take away from that?

[17:29:59]

DELAURENTIS: Yes, it's -- I think it's just part of the pressure campaign. Again deploying the, sort of the Venezuelan playbook.

I did read in the media that it's actually much smaller than the presence that was in the Caribbean before the extraction of Mr. Maduro, but it sends a signal, and it's part of a long list of signals and pressure that they want the Cuban government to pay attention to.

DEAN: Yes. We heard from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who appeared skeptical that a deal could happen. He is, of course, Cuban American, he is been very critical of the Castros. I'm curious, what you make of his role in all of this.

DELAURENTIS: Well, I think I think it's a very important role, clearly because of his backgrounds. And I would say that in South Florida, which, of course, is a part of his former constituency as a senator, expectations are sky high in terms of what's going to happen. Many there are hoping for a total regime change, I'm guessing, though, that as some people have put it, what the administration would like, particularly, the president, is regime movement.

They certainly don't want a country to the country to collapse, although, frankly, some of the policies and decisions they have made are leading it in that -- in that direction, but they certainly don't want a migration crisis of unforeseen proportions and other results of this.

So, I would like to think that they are still interested in a deal. The president's rhetoric, of course, changes, but a couple of days ago, he talked about wanting to take care of families and the people. So, it strikes me that if it's possible, they would very much like a deal.

Now, of course, the reports today about Iran, and presumably if an agreement is reached with Iran, the administration will turn its sights in a more intense way toward Cuba.

DEAN: All right. Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, thank you so much for your time. We do appreciate it.

DELAURENTIS: My pleasure. Thank you.

DEAN: Still ahead, we are going to have more on our "BREAKING NEWS" tonight, which is the U.S. may be one step closer to ending the war with Iran. What President Trump is saying, that's next. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:37:28]

DEAN: Tonight, President Trump saying a deal with Iran has been largely negotiated. He said final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly. He went on to say the Strait of Hormuz will ultimately be opened.

We are joined now by CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas. He is also the director of the Atlantic Council's counterterrorism program.

Alex, it's great to have you. I want to get into some reporting we're just getting from my colleague Kevin Liptak that goes into a little bit of what might be in this agreement. Kevin reporting that recent versions of this memorandum of understanding that the president appears close to be finalizing would do a few things: end hostilities with Iran, while gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. It would also include the unfreezing of some Iranian assets that are currently held in banks outside Iran, and it would start a clock of at least 30 days for continued negotiations meant to resolve the remaining sticking points on Iran's nuclear program, including most key here, what happens to that uranium?

So, that's our reporting at the moment. Obviously, you are hearing probably other things as well. Where -- what are -- where are you, and how this deal is coming together?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Provided that these terms are accurate, and it is largely along lines of what I'm hearing, but it could be as many as 60 days for the negotiation. The U.S., you know, took out a decent amount of the ballistic missiles, a lot of amount of drones. They still have a decent amount of those, and can still hold the straits at risk pretty much anytime they want in the future, if that remains the case.

And so, in return for unfreezing assets, what the U.S. is getting is a lifting of the, you know, the blockade for a certain -- to a certain extent that the Iranians have imposed by holding it at risk, you know, through drones. They didn't control that before the war started. So, we are effectively getting back to a pre-war status and having to give them funding as a result of that.

The Iranians have been seeking financial concessions because they have a liquidity crisis. So, for those who are unfamiliar, when you put financial sanctions on a country and you unlift (PH) them afterwards, it takes a while for that to take effect.

I was in Syria at the end of August after the president lifted sanctions, and the bank still hadn't been reintegrated. So, the Iranians know that they are going to need financial relief in the short term, which is why they were looking at trying to toll the straits, et cetera. So, they are getting really what they want out of it.

But until we get into that real period of negotiations, we won't know if we're actually going to get what we want, which is, according to president, an end to Iran's nuclear program. Because at this point, even with this understanding, they will still retain 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, and they will still retain the right to enrich at this point.

DEAN: Right. And so, knowing all of that, what -- if what we are getting in ultimately turns out to be the contours of this deal, what has been accomplished by this war in your opinion?

[17:40:08]

PLITSAS: So, I was at U.S. Central Command headquarters this week, speaking to a number of officials, and there was a discrepancy, even from our own networks reporting, about how much destruction was actually done during the war, how much Iran was able to recover afterwards. Admiral Cooper had testified before Congress that the damage was very substantive, in terms of how much of their infrastructure had been destroyed to produce drones and missiles, and drones and missile stocks, and if they were really degraded to that point, it would leave us in a better position on the Israelis in terms of defending against it.

Central Command headquarters is telling me that they are standing by that, that the damage assessments do reflect what Admiral Cooper had said. But in speaking to other folks in the intelligence community, they said, look, it's not uncommon for there to be discrepancies between battle damage assessments from military headquarters and other intelligence agencies. So, the military is saying so far at this point that the damage that was inflicted was sufficient to degrade their security to the point it would sort of achieve the president's goals, but they still haven't touched the nuclear program. So that's really what's still left at the heart of this.

DEAN: Yes, and what you are getting at is the CNN reporting that U.S. intelligence suggests Iran is rebuilding back its military capabilities faster than expected, and is already producing drones. And they have the capacity to make those drones rather cheaply. But they can be costly to take down. They can also really threaten other Gulf nations there within the region.

We are hearing from the president, also talking about how he spoke with Gulf leaders, he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel today. What is your sense of how those neighboring countries are absorbing this information in this potential deal?

PLITSAS: So, the GCC countries response, most of the folks that I talked to said that they would welcome a deal at this point. They are all concerned about retaliatory strikes if the U.S. were to launch new fresh air strikes against Iran, against GCC oil and gas infrastructure, that being the Gulf countries nearby, and that would send the markets haywire, potentially some, you know, the world into a recession, at that point.

The Israelis, on the other hand, that I've spoken to, are absolutely apoplectic at this point at the prospect of this negotiation, because of Iran's track record of not following through, and I think the president's being hoodwinked. So, quite the divide between the GCC states and the Israelis at this point.

DEAN: And I do want to just ask you very quickly about Ukraine, because the U.S. embassy in Kyiv is warning of a potentially significant air attack in the next 24 hours.

Zelenskyy said Intel suggests Russia is preparing to strike with the Oreshnik missile. How significant would that be? And what should people be watching for?

PLITSAS: So, it's fairly significant in the sense they would be using a hypersonic ballistic missile against targets inside of Ukraine. You know, for those unfamiliar, that particular type of missile has got independent warheads that are released, and then, because they are released in the air, similar to how the Iranians were attacking Israel at the end, and they were having a hard time defending against it, because those warheads, when they separated, are difficult to then shoot down and track, which makes it more difficult for air defenses to come after.

That's also a nuclear capable missile. Now, we are not expecting nuclear warheads, we are still expecting this to be a conventional launch, but it's quite the escalation, and this is likely in response to Ukraine having quite the success in recent months in terms of inflicting casualties on the -- on the Russians to the point that they are exceeding their ability to replace those troops in a mobilization, holding the front line, and really imposing costs, because their drones now are hitting deeper into Russia and really hitting their oil and gas infrastructure, that's costing them money, and Putin, quite frankly, is looking foolish, and this is really meant as a counter message.

DEAN: All right. So, something to certainly keep our eye on in that part of the world as well.

Alex Plitsas, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

PLITSAS: Thanks for having me.

DEAN: Still to come, just days before the Senate Republican primary runoff in Texas, President Trump endorses the opponent of the incumbent senator. So, will that move the needle in that race?

And what fallout did it cause on Capitol Hill this week? More ahead.

And coming soon to CNN, comedian Craig Ferguson, goes on a great American road trip travelling from coast to coast, to find out what it really means to be an American today. "CRAIG FERGUSON: AMERICAN ON PURPOSE" premiers Saturday, May 30th, at 9:00 p.m. on CNN, and streaming the next day on the CNN app.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:48:39]

DEAN: This weekend, Republican Senate candidates in Texas are making their final pitches to voters ahead of Tuesday's high-stakes primary runoff. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn, trying to fight off a challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

President Trump endorsing Paxton on Tuesday, seeking to cement his grip on the Republican Party. Some Senate Republicans quite frustrated by that move, they are concerned that by endorsing Paxton and his history of scandals, Trump could be handing the seat to Democrats in November.

Joining us now, Scott Braddock, who has been covering Texas voters and Texas politics for about 30 years now. He edits the Texas political news site, the Quorum Report.

Scott, it's great to have you here to help us dig into this just a little bit.

Republicans are worrying out --

(CROSSTALK)

SCOTT BRADDOCK, EDITOR, QUOROM REPORT: Yes, good to see you, Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, it's great to see you too.

Republicans are worrying out loud about the president's endorsement in this race for a number of reasons. What is your sense of where things stand in Texas right now?

BRADDOCK: Well, I can tell you, it's been my reporting at Quorumreport.com that the president was likely presented with some polling last week, this about the same time that he was having the fight with GOP Senate Leader Thune about the money for his ballroom, the billion dollars, the Senate Republicans not willing to break all the rules for that, and the president being frustrated.

And around that same time, he was told that, look, this is almost a sure bet that if you go ahead and, you know, endorse Paxton, that he is very, very likely to win coming up on Tuesday, and that would, of course, continue in his mind at least, and you know, for the public, his winning streak, right? He took down Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, Thomas Massie in Kentucky.

[17:50:09]

And by Tuesday night, he may be saying the same thing about big John Cornyn, as we call him down here in Texas. Look, this is something that can definitely move the needle in traveling the state, talking to Republican voters over the last couple of election cycles, as the president has gotten more involved in our elections here.

It has been true that not only can President Trump make up the minds of some Republican voters if they were undecided, which I don't think there were any left in this race. It's -- we are at the end now.

But he is also -- get this, and I've never seen this with any endorsement on its own. President Trump can get a voter to change their vote. Someone who might have been going to vote for Senator Cornyn might now vote for Paxton. So, this is looking pretty bad for the incumbent senator.

DEAN: Yes, I mean that's -- and listen, we know endorsements from anybody don't always move the needle, but in this case, based on what you are saying, in a GOP primary in Texas, it sounds like it certainly has the potential to do so.

And so, it's one thing to win a primary, obviously, then you got to go on and win a general election. Democrats -- Texas has been a white whale for Democrats for a long time. They keep insisting that they can flip it.

BRADDOCK: Yes. DEAN: That is yet to happen. But you say that the key to this Senate seat, Texas -- is Texas independent voters and their relationship to the president. Tell us about that.

BRADDOCK: You know, my publisher, Harvey Kronberg, was talking about that and writing about this, this last week at Quorumreport.com. We were looking at the growing number of self-identified independent voters.

If you look at the electorate over the last 25 years or so, in this state, self-identified independents have been about a third -- with about a third being Republican, a third being Democrat, at least the way they think of themselves.

In the past, they've broken for the Republicans, and we have a long history in this state, Jessica, of Democrats getting really excited about a race that they can't win.

But the fact has been, you know, with what we are seeing so far in this cycle that Republicans are shredding each other in the most high- profile way that I can remember.

I have been covering, you know, Republican on -- Republican political violence in this state for decades. But this has been the most expensive and high-profile primary that we have had, where that's happening to the point that the Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who I kind of think of as the spiritual leader of the GOP around here, he has been telling the party faithful, they have got to come back together, because if they don't, if 15 percent of Paxton's folks or 15 percent of Cornyn folks don't get in line and vote for the Republican in the fall, James Talarico is going to win.

And that's not any of us analysts saying that. That's one of the top Republican office holders.

And I can tell you that Republican operatives across the state, even if they are not affiliated with the Cornyn campaign, they have the same concern.

DEAN: That is very, very interesting, and it will be quite striking to see how that plays out once this primary is over. I know you all -- you all have also talked about Senator Cornyn's campaign being considered a cautionary tale for other Republicans around the country. Tell me about that.

BRADDOCK: You know, I mentioned Thomas Massie in Kentucky and Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, those are two Republicans who you know backed Trump on multiple occasions. Right?

And with Senator Cassidy, voting to remove him from office. Right?

Cornyn hasn't done anything like that, you know, his ads, and they are all over my social media feed and television in Texas. His ads point out accurately that Cornyn has voted with President Trump more than 99 percent of the time, and Jessica, he could go further than that. Remember, Senator Cornyn was the Republican whip in the Senate during the first Trump administration. So, he wasn't just voting with Trump, you know, on his agenda and his nominees for things, he was also rounding up the other Republicans to do the same. He is been a good soldier for Trump.

But here is the thing, for other Republicans watching around the country, those elected Republicans, there is nothing you can do that would ever be enough for Trump to not be against you when it was convenient for him or politically advantageous for him, which is at least the way the White House is viewing it now, as evidenced by this endorsement.

DEAN: Yes. And then, lastly, as -- again, as we look ahead to this primary, it would seem -- it would seem to the political observer that Paxton is who James Talarico wants to run against.

BRADDOCK: Yes.

DEAN: Would you say that's correct?

BRADDOCK: Absolutely. Covering Ken Paxton, since he was a Texas House member, going all the way back to 2003, you know, you mentioned the scandals that have surrounded him. Look, he was impeached, he is been under indictment, and all of that. I can tell you, and people ask this all the time. They say, "Well, what -- what else could come out about Ken Paxton? Having had that experience, I can tell you, there is always something else that's going to come out about Ken Paxton.

In fact, at the end of next month, he and his soon-to-be ex-wife are going to start their divorce -- a divorce trial up in Collin County, in the DFW area. So, I'm sure that's going to generate the kind of headlines that are helpful to Democrats.

DEAN: All right. More to come from Texas. But Scott Braddock, great to have you here to really help us look through all of that. We really appreciate it.

[17:55:05]

BRADDOCK: It's my pleasure. Thank you.

DEAN: And stay with CNN for the results in that Texas primary runoff. That's Tuesday night, right here on CNN.

Still ahead tonight in the CNN NEWSROOM, we are following two breaking stories, as President Trump says the deal has largely been negotiated to end the war with Iran.

Plus, we have got a live look over Orange County, California, where crews are racing to cool down a tank filled with toxic chemicals, as tens of thousands of people in that area are now being evacuated.

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN "BREAKING NEWS".

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DEAN: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.