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Meteor Fireball Caused Mysterious Boom Heard Across New England; Curfew Imposed At Newark ICE Facility After Days Of Protests; NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Skips Annual Israel Day Parade; Officials: Trump Sent Back Changes To Proposed Iran Deal; New Reports Detail Graham Platner's Extramarital Sexts; California Gubernatorial Candidates Make Final Pitch To Voters Ahead Of Tuesday's Primary; Growing Concern Over Illegal Use Of E-Bikes And Similar Devices; WHO Warns Ebola Spread Is "Outpacing" Containment Efforts. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired May 31, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:32]

PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR: Mystery boom. Explosion sounds and sightings reported across New England. And now we know what caused it.

Plus, primary push. It's down to the wire ahead of primaries in six states on Tuesday. And for one of the bluest places in the country, the Democrats' power is being put to the test.

And later, e-bike concerns. As the rides become more popular, cities across the country are raising fresh safety concerns. One California district attorney going so far as to call some of the devices deadly weapons for children.

Hello. Thanks for joining me. I'm Paula Reid, in for Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with a sonic boom.

That unsettling explosion heard across New England had everyone asking, what was that? And now we know. A meteor about three feet wide, piercing the atmosphere over the Boston area around 2:00 p.m.

Now, joining me now to talk about this is Adam Frank, professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester. He's also the author of the book "The Little Book of Aliens and Every Man's Universe Newsletter".

All right, Adam. You're in the upstate New York area. Did you hear this yesterday?

ADAM FRANK, PROFESSOR OF ASTROPHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER: No. Sadly, I was at a -- I was at a concert, so I couldn't hear it. But you know, it's such an amazing idea that, like, there was this, you know, three-foot sized, which is not very big, space rock screaming in to the atmosphere at 75,000 miles an hour and then it blew up.

And so, you know, it's not often that you get exploding space rocks, sort of, you know, shaking -- shaking everybody's world a little bit.

REID: Yes. In addition to moving 75,000 miles per hour, it released the energy equivalent, according to NASA, of 300 tons of TNT. Can you put that into context for us?

FRANK: Well, you know, there's -- we have a lot of -- there's always stuff hitting the atmosphere. I think one of the most amazing things for people to understand about this is we're constantly getting bombarded. Everything from little grains of dust to sand grains, which is what most of the meteors you see. And then larger things like three -- something that's three feet across.

So, you know, if you start moving into larger bodies, once you get to something that's 30 feet across, then you're really facing some real danger. When those explode in the atmosphere, depending on how far down they get, they can really take down an area.

And then you get even larger and then you start getting into, you know, things that can -- what we call city killers, which are miles across. You get to 30 miles across, and then you're like an extinction level event.

So it's this spectrum of, you know, from interesting to oh my God that space presents us with.

REID: Yes, city killers. Oh my God is right. Now we've learned this was not part of a meteor shower. Does that mean it was traveling solo? Can you explain how common that is?

FRANK: That's pretty common. This happens about once every ten days somewhere on the earth. It's just that the earth is mostly ocean, so there's nobody around to watch.

And even -- there's not, you know, when you look at it, there's not that many places on earth that actually are inhabited.

So this is really quite a common thing. And what I want people to understand is what it really shows is, is that space is not just something out there. We're really connected to it.

Every day, there's about ten tons of space material that makes it down to earth, either through this kind of explosion in the atmosphere or just dust grains.

So when you go to your car and somebody puts "wash me" on it, you know, if you swipe your finger along that, along your car, there's probably some grains of interstellar material, interplanetary material that fell, you know, just as recently as a couple of days ago.

REID: Dust never sounded so cool. Now, it's believed to have landed somewhere in the water near Cape Cod, which NASA says is technically called a fishy squisher (ph). What exactly does that mean?

[14:04:49]

FRANK: I have no idea. I've never heard that before. (CROSSTALKING)

REID:: You've never heard that? They made me say it. I thought this was a technical term.

FRANK: Congratulations to whoever at NASA invented that. You know, the thing is, people always want to find the debris that comes from this.

Now, obviously, if it's in the ocean, there's no way because, you know, its three feet across, which is, you know, about this big, but it has shattered now into so many different pieces that you're probably not going to find any pieces. So it's rare that when this happens, that you actually get to find the debris.

And of course, we want to find it because these are in general, pieces of the -- of what -- they're construction debris from the assembly of the solar system, the planets billions of years ago.

So, you know, when we see these -- these are time capsules for us about the building of the -- of the earth and other planets. But in general, for something like this, you're never going to find the debris.

REID: Fascinating. Professor Adam Frank, thank you for joining us to kick off our show with this really interesting event up in New England. Thank you.

FRANK: Thank you.

REID: And a new nightly curfew has been announced around a controversial ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey following scenes like this one last night.

Mounted officers moved into a crowd of protesters outside the Delaney Hall facility as tear gas appears to fill the air. The state's attorney general says demonstrators charged at officers, threw projectiles at them and set a fire on the street. Multiple people were arrested.

Now crowds, who've been holding protests there for more than a week, are calling the conditions inside the detention center inhumane. Now, DHS denies those claims.

This morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION", Senator Andy Kim said he understands the anger driving protests, but is urging people to stay focused on the issues at hand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): I talked with a lot of people, a lot of people are angry. A lot of people are frustrated, feeling like they're seeing and hearing about things happening on our soil with our taxpayer dollars that is not -- in not in line with our values as a nation.

I feel it too, which is why I've gone there so many times. So I just urge everyone, please, like, let us try to do what we set out to do, which is trying to make sure that there is a level of dignity and decency in this country, and that we can try to make sure that that people can get the care that they need. And we can have accountability for what is happening in our name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: This morning, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said DHS had met her demand to restore family visitation at the facility. Limited visitation was set to resume today with regular visitation hours restored tomorrow.

And happening now, thousands of people are in the streets of New York for the city's annual Israel Day Parade. The parade is typically a must attend event for local, state and national politicians as New York City is home to America's largest Jewish population.

But this year, the city's mayor is breaking with tradition and not attending the parade because of his support for Palestinian rights. But the mayor is promising a robust police presence.

Now we have team coverage of the parade. CNN's Mark Morales is covering the security angles for us.

But let's begin with Gloria Pazmino. Gloria, can you tell us about today's parade and the reaction there to the mayor not attending.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula, you know, the reality is that I've spoken to some people here today who, frankly, being familiar with the views of the mayor, felt that it was probably best for him not to be here.

I want to show you, it's really a sea of blue and white along Fifth Avenue here in New York City. There are thousands of people who have come out to celebrate. And they've told us that today is all about a celebration of their culture, a celebration of the state of Israel.

And I also spoke to some people who told me that they want to be here to send a message, that they want peace in the region right now.

A lot of people we spoke with have that in their minds. They're thinking about the fact that there's still conflict in the region, and they want to see peace.

For the most part, we have seen no disturbances. And you mentioned security. The NYPD is out in force. There is a significant security perimeter around the area. The counterterrorism unit is present here, and it's very hard to get into this area if you're not part of this event.

So certainly a lot of pride, a lot of cultural celebration for the state of Israel. But as you mentioned, it is significant that the mayor of the city of New York, home to the largest Jewish population outside of the state of Israel, is not here today.

[14:09:47] PAZMINO: Not a surprise, the mayor said during the campaign that he would be skipping this parade. He's a strong supporter of Palestinian rights, has said that he doesn't believe the state of Israel should exist in its current form.

But he said he would make sure that the parade was safe and secure for everyone attending here.

So I think, you know, the mood has been celebratory. It's been joyous, it's been happy. But a lot of people thinking about what's happening back in Israel and trying to bring that to focus here today, Paula.

REID: Gloria Pazmino, thank you.

Now let's go to CNN's Mark Morales, who is covering parade security for us.

Mark, of course, anti-Semitism has been on the rise amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. What can you tell us about how they are securing this parade today?

MARK MORALES, CNN REPORTER: Right. Well, so far it's basically gone off without a hitch. There was a small group of protesters around 53rd Street around the very beginning of this parade, but that was dispelled pretty quickly. And so far, there's been no issue, really.

And this is really what law enforcement has only been planning and hoping for. You had Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who came out this week and said that this was going to be the most comprehensive security plan that they've ever put together for this parade.

Now, what does that mean? They were committing the most NYPD officers to the parade route that they've ever had at any other parade of this -- of this one before. They were also doing more heavy weapons teams that they that they normally have.

Ramped up screenings for spectators. And they even have their counterterrorism and intelligence teams deployed.

I mean, Paula, you know how midtown Manhattan is. There's not one section of that -- of that strip of space here in New York city that isn't under some sort of high-definition surveillance.

So you can bet that there's a small army of NYPD officers in One Police Plaza right now, keeping an eye on every single one of those cameras.

And this is, of course, in response to the heightened threat environment. We saw things escalate after October 7th, and we saw things escalate after the war in Iran. And we've also seen the increase in anti-Semitism that has happened not just here but around the country.

And if you look at the last couple of months, you've seen a lot of attacks in Europe. And just a few weeks ago, we saw them arrest an Iraqi national here who was actually planning to attack a synagogue. And this all points to the heightened threat environment that we're

dealing with now. And when we look at what the parade is right now, it's at the very beginning of a very busy summer.

There's going to be a lot of events happening here. So we've got the NBA finals happening very, very soon with the New York Knicks being in the NBA finals for the first time since 1999.

And when you think about that, the threat picture has changed considerably since then. I mean, we were talking about a pre-9/11 world the last time that they were here. So now what we're dealing with is a heightened threat environment.

And they're also having the World Cup that's going to be happening pretty soon. So when you take these two major, major events that are going to be happening in the city, and plans are still being formulated as to how to do it, we're looking at the -- at this parade today is kind of the hallmark of what these security plans are going to have, which is a combination of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners working together, intelligence-sharing, boots on the ground.

You'll see a lot of NYPD officers, a lot of crowd control, and you'll see a lot of intelligence -- a lot of sharing. And that's going to be something that is going to be a hallmark for this thing.

Now, one other thing to note is that there is the possibility that President Trump comes to one of those games during the NBA finals. And while that might change as we get closer, what's not going to change is the ability for law enforcement agencies to have to sort of change on a dime.

So if he does or if he doesn't, that will also change the security plan considerably, Paula.

REID: Mark Morales, thank you.

And still ahead, sexting scandal. The wife of the leading Democratic Senate candidate in Maine is responding after reports her husband, Graham Platner, was sexting other women during their marriage.

And deadly ebola outbreak. CNN goes to the center of the crisis as suspected cases keep climbing. What the head of the World Health Organization told us about the fight to stop the spread.

[14:14:08]

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And new today, officials are telling CNN that President Trump sent back changes to a proposed deal with Iran. Trump made the move after meeting with his advisors in the Situation Room on Friday.

While the details haven't been made clear, the president has insisted on tougher language for both the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear obligations. CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Oren Liebermann is with us now. Oren, does

this development at least show that there is a forward momentum with the two sides?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: That seems to be the goal here, to try to push this process forward and get to a deal. President Donald Trump himself has signaled for quite some time now that he was optimistic, and that the sides were closing in on a deal.

But until its finally signed, that doesn't mean there is an actual deal on the table. It was supposed to be on Friday that Trump met with his top officials and the national security team to try to get to an agreement and to approve this.

We had already heard that the sides had agreed on a final draft, but Trump wanted changes.

[14:19:50]

LIEBERMANN: In terms of what those changes are. Well, frankly, they're on the two key issues.

According to officials with whom CNN has spoken, Trump wanted to change the language on the nuclear issue, as well as on the Strait of Hormuz.

Well, those are the two key questions around any agreement between the U.S. and Iran. So, of course, that's the language here. That's the difficult one to nail down.

Well, that also doesn't mean that Iran will be automatically willing to accept the changes.

In a statement, Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Ghalibaf, and this is according to Iranian state media, said, "The soldiers of the diplomatic battlefield have no trust in the words and promises of the enemy. What matters to us is tangible achievements that we must obtain in exchange for which we will fulfill our commitments."

Iran has also talked about any agreement fulfilling its own rights. So this may easily lead to another roadblock, another stumbling block in negotiations, even if they're very close.

Now, that being said, one U.S. official told CNN that they don't believe there will be more U.S. strikes on Iran because of how close the sides are to an agreement. And a regional official -- regional source, I should say, from the Gulf, also signaled how close the sides are.

Now, this is all about the memorandum of understanding to get to a 60- day agreement that would immediately or quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical waterways, through which some 20 percent of the world's crude oil flows.

And that would be a huge boost not only to the U.S. economy, but the global economy in this crisis over energy. But that's not the key issue, because it's in those next 60 days that

the U.S. and Iran are supposed to undertake negotiations on the nuclear issue. And that, of course, is just as sensitive.

Trump doesn't want Iran enriching uranium. He wants them to give up their 400-some odd kilograms of highly enriched uranium. But Iran has insisted it will hold on to that. And that makes the next stage even more difficult than this one, Paula.

REID: Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, thank you.

And still ahead, toy or death trap? Growing alarm over the dangers of e-bikes as they're linked to a rising number of child deaths. Now, one prosecutor is holding parents responsible. He joins me.

[14:21:59]

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REID: More controversy today for the presumptive Democratic nominee in the high stakes Senate race in Maine. "The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Times" published reports on Saturday that claim Graham Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, told Platner's campaign last August about sexual text messages she found between her husband and other women early in their marriage.

These were messages his wife found last year, but that were sent before the campaign began. And the publications reported that Gertner flagged the messages while his campaign was internally vetting the candidate.

A former political director for Platner campaign confirmed to CNN that Gertner told her Platner had been sexting multiple women, though CNN has not independently verified the existence of the text.

Now, Gertner says she feels betrayed by that ex-campaign aide whom she confided in and considered a friend. In a statement, she said, quote, "I trusted this person with the most private chapters of our lives, the early days of our marriage before any campaign was on our mind. And I am deeply hurt by her betrayal and the invasion of our privacy.

I know who Graham is. I know the man I married and the husband he has been to me on the best and the worst days of my life. That hasn't changed and it won't."

The campaign also shared a video from Platner's wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY GERTNER, WIFE OF GRAHAM PLATNER: I find it really shameful that there's a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip. Instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on, like health care and education and child care.

(END VIDEO CLIP) REID: Platner faces a June 9th primary election, with the winner facing off against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.

And this Tuesday, voters in six states head to the polls in a major primary day that could carry significant impact for this year's midterms.

One of those primaries is in California, where a slew of Democrats are in a volatile race for governor. They're battling it out for two slots on the November ballot. But the crowded field has raised fears that one or even two Republicans could advance instead.

Now, right now, polling shows that Biden HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra -- Xavier Becerra leading with 25 percent. Now, Republican Steve Hilton is second with 21 percent, while 19 percent back billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer.

Now joining us now to help make sense of all of this is "San Francisco Chronicle's" senior political writer, Joe Foley. All right, Joe. Thank you so much for being here.

Democrats have panicked over a potential nightmare scenario for them, where they get locked out of this race altogether. Is that really a possibility?

JOE FOLEY, SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: It's a very, very slim possibility, like a couple of percent at this point. Earlier, a couple of months ago was a much greater possibility to the point where the chair of the California Democratic Party and other senior officials here in the state, party officials encouraged lower polling candidates to evaluate their campaigns and get the hell out if they didn't think they had a chance to win.

[14:29:48]

FOLEY: One of those candidates was the leader today, Xavier Becerra. So it's the greatest comeback since Lazarus if he turns out to be the top vote getter on Tuesday.

REID: Now, every registered voter in California was sent a mail-in ballot, but many of them have not been returned. What does that tell you about the state of this race?

FOLEY: It tells me, certainly on the Democratic side, that there is not a lot of enthusiasm for the candidates, and that's been the case for several months now. In fact, even pollsters and other party officials. I did a story a couple of months ago said that there was a record low amount of enthusiasm for candidates.

No one -- none of these candidates, including the frontrunners, have set the world on fire here among voters.

I can't tell you how many voters have come to me and said, who should I vote for? I don't like any of these people. I was at a graduation party yesterday, and like five people asked me that. REID: What do you tell them when they ask?

JOE GAROFOLI, SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER, "SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLES": Well, we talked -- we talked about like, what issues are important to them and what candidate might be best for them. I tell people now, vote with your heart. Forget the strategic voting and all that stuff. If you're -- these are Democrats for the most part. If they're concerned about Republicans, two Republicans getting in, that's a very small, very like two or three percent, as I said.

So just vote your heart, as you always should, anyways.

REID: Well, President Trump has endorsed a Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton in this race. How big of a liability could that be for Hilton if he then advances to the ballot in November?

GAROFOLI: It's a -- it's a -- it's a double edged sword for Steve Hilton. The reason he is the leading Democratic and very likely be one of the top two is because of President Trump's endorsement and the reason that he, very well may lose if he is one of the top two is because of President Trump. Two thirds of likely voters in California detest the president, actively don't like him.

So whoever the Democratic nominee, if it's a Democrat versus Hilton, they are just -- the whole campaign is going to be about this is Trump's guy and this is who Trump wants. And that's going to be the campaign. And that's going to be a very big hill for Steve Hilton to climb.

REID: Now it's looking increasingly likely that Xavier Becerra will be the Democrats top pick in this primary. Does that surprise you at all? It's a deep blue state. California. Becerra could get more support than candidates like Katie Porter or Tom Steyer, who have tried to sort of fashion themselves each as the progressive pick.

GAROFOLI: Yeah, it is. I think it was very much a reaction to Eric Swalwell leaving the race after "The Chronicle" and CNN reported the allegations of sexual -- that he had sexually assaulted staffers and other women. And that changed the whole complexion of the race, along with the Trump endorsement.

Voters, many of the Swalwell voters who are seeking someone, some Washington experience and more of a moderate Democrat gravitated to Becerra. And after Swalwell left the race, he shot up in the polls.

But yeah, it's -- and it's also been very surprising to see progressives, progressive institutions and leaders in California, including us, not outside of California, like Senator Bernie Sanders supporting the lone billionaire in the race, Tom Steyer.

REID: Well, it'll be interesting to watch. Joe Garofoli, thank you.

GAROFOLI: Thank you.

REID: And on Tuesday, don't miss key primary races across the country, including that crowded governor contest in California. Get election results all night Tuesday on CNN and the CNN app.

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[14:37:52]

REID: A crash between an electric scooter rider and a cyclist on New York's Queensboro Bridge last week left both riders dead. A spokesman for the Department of Transit told "The New York Times" that the e- scooter wasn't street legal because it could go faster than was permitted in New York.

Now, the crash highlights a growing concern about electric bikes and scooters and other similar devices. Some places are cracking down. Lawmakers in New Jersey adopted a narrow definition of an electric bike and requiring all others to follow licensing and registration requirements.

Now, industry groups argue that e-bikes have been heavily regulated for decades, and point out there is an important distinction between e-bikes, e-scooters and e-motorcycles.

Now, Todd Spitzer is the attorney general of Orange County, California.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I'm excited to talk to you because you're forming a dedicated e-bike and e-motorcycle prosecution unit. Why did you decide that was an important step in your office?

TODD SPITZER, ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Well, great to be here, Paula. Look, the incident that you just highlighted at the top here is just one of many that's occurring throughout the United States. And lawmakers are behind on this. There's been 100 deaths in the United States as a result of these e-bikes, e-motorcycles.

In my county, Southern California, which is Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange County, San Diego. We've had a 430 percent increase in injuries just in the -- in recent years. And most of these incidents, about 62 percent, are occurring from young people between the ages of 11 and 14.

And we all know -- I got my drivers license when I was 16. I was taught to drive when I was 15-1/2. And so we're dealing with a young population that is not experienced with motor vehicles.

REID: Now, a key part of your crackdown is parents who let their kids illegally ride modified e-bikes or e-motorcycles. What is your message to parents who are getting their kids any kind of electric device?

[14:40:00]

SPITZER: So parents, I think, are either doing this overtly and they have knowledge, and I'm prosecuting those parents when I can prove they have knowledge of the dangerousness and the -- say, for example, the conversion. Some of these e-bikes are sold by the manufacturer, but there's

YouTube sensations who teach these young people how to bypass the speed limitation, something we call the governor, on that particular motor.

So you can lift up the seat, cut one wire. The manufacturers know this. The sensationals on YouTube and other social media highlight it. And the kids buy these bikes and then they convert them. Sometimes the parents know, sometimes they don't.

So I'm prosecuting parents when I can show beyond a reasonable doubt that the parent knew that their child was riding an illegal e-bike that had been converted to an e-motorcycle, for example, exceed the speed restriction of 20 miles per hour. At least that's the restriction here in California before it changes its category. I just want parents to go in the garage. Every single one of these bikes and motorcycles is sold with a label, and that label is supposed to describe what that vehicle can do.

If that -- if that label is missing, they need to take that to the local police department and have that inspected and ask these officers, these traffic officers, what does my child have? And has it been modified?

Parents are going to have to get a lot more active in terms of what kinds of vehicles these kids are riding, or in my county, which is the safest large county in California. We're the sixth largest in the United States. I'm hoping to set an example here that I'm going to prosecute parents who are knowingly and willfully providing these e- bikes, e-motorcycles to their young, underage drivers.

REID: Now, we're mostly talking here about cases where the e-bike is being used illegally, but do you think there's a role that manufacturers can play to try to improve the safe use of their products?

SPITZER: I absolutely do. And part of this new unit I created called Ride Safely, we're trying to support young people in using these vehicles. Absolutely. We're going to be investigating manufacturers.

The attorney general here in California, Mr. Bonta, is already -- has a task force that's looking into this.

I, as a local prosecutor, can not only bring criminal charges, but I can bring consumer protection charges as well in a civil court.

So I'm going after these manufacturers if necessary. Certainly, parents. Look, I just want to be really clear. I don't want to prosecute parents.

But what the public needs to understand is when a juvenile is arrested for killing somebody or seriously injuring somebody, those proceedings are in a private juvenile court. There's no publicity, no press, no oversight, no disposition that we can talk about publicly. So I can't even use my prosecutions as a deterrent to change behavior. The only thing I can talk about lawfully are the prosecutions I'm bringing against parents.

So that's going to allow me to raise the temperature on this public policy issue in our country and bring it to the attention of outlets like yourself. I mean, you're a national outlet. I'm on -- I'm talking about it. That's because this is an issue that has national import.

REID: Absolutely. But while I have you here, I also wanted to ask you about another national story. That's last week's emergency at the chemical plant in Garden Grove. We covered it extensively last weekend. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated, toxic chemicals leaking into the air.

Where does your investigation into that incident stand right now?

SPITZER: Okay. Let me just share something or correct something you just said. There's no evidence, at least at this time, that anything leaked into the air. In fact, it's the opposite. Everybody believes no noxious fumes, no material did leak out. But this investigation will look into that.

As the local lead prosecutor for my county, 3.3 million people, here in Southern California, I represent these 50,000 to 60,000 people that were knocked out of their homes for five days. And they have incredible expenses. And this is a very, very dangerous operation right in their backyard.

So I've opened a criminal investigation to look at all the investigatory reports that may or may not lead. We don't know. It's preliminary and very early at this stage to look at whether or not GKN operating in this commercial and residential area, densely populated orange county was doing everything that they're legally and ethically and morally required to do. Otherwise, we may bring criminal charges.

In the event we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they did not, take care of these tanks in the way that the regulatory agencies require them to do. So I've opened a criminal investigation.

[14:45:00]

I have a full team on this as well. And we're going to work with all the regulatory agencies, get their reports, and then we'll evaluate that and make an assessment.

If we're going to file criminal charges, civil charges, or maybe no charges at all. It's just too early to tell.

REID: Todd Spitzer, thank you.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: An Ebola quarantine facility will be established inside Kenya with support from the U.S.

[14:50:03] The government says the site would help monitor and respond to the outbreak. Its intended for Americans exposed to Ebola in Kenya, but the project is facing legal pushback. A source tells CNN U.S. personnel arrived yesterday at the Kenyan air base, where the facility would be located.

Today, the director general of the World Health Organization is now in the province in the DRC, where the cases were confirmed.

Now, during his trip there, he spoke with CNN's Clarissa Ward about the situation

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you worried that this could spread to the level that we saw in 2014?

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: It depends on how we respond. If we move fast and we're asking the international community to move fast in terms of funding and others, we can stop it and the government can stop it. Communities can stop it. So it depends.

If we don't take it seriously, of course, it can outsmart us.

WARD: I have to ask you, the United States pulled out of the WHO in January, dismantled USAID last July. How has that impacted the response?

GHEBREYESUS: So first, were working with the U.S. They're working with us. The second, they're putting resources. They're allocating a lot of money. So I'm glad to see this.

And I can see commitment from all levels, starting from the highest to the technical people we meet on, on, on the ground. And that's very good. So working together, unity, solidarity is the key.

This virus cannot be stopped if there is a vacuum between us. When there are cracks in the solidarity, because solidarity is the best humanity. And I'm glad that the U.S. is doing that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Thank you to Clarissa Ward for that report.

For more perspective into this deadly outbreak, I'm joined by Saskia Popescu, an assistant professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of maryland School of Medicine.

Professor, I first want to get your reaction to the doctors comments there to Clarissa Ward.

SASKIA POPESCU, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & PUBLIC HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: I mean, I entirely agree. I think, you know, we're -- we are seeing an impact as a result of the WHO -- the U.S. withdrawing from the WHO and dismantling USAID. But it's good that we are putting resources in.

We know that CDC is assisting with testing. I think the biggest concern right now, though, is the speed of response versus the speed at which the disease is spreading.

REID: Now, it seems pretty crucial that nations coordinate in a deadly outbreak of this scale. Can you talk about how significant that cooperation is?

POPESCU: It's probably the most vital to be candid. Right now, the biggest concern is, you know, we are struggling to get enough PPE or personal protective equipment in the region and the affected areas, testing, contact tracing, and all of the resources mobilized. And that doesn't just take one country, one organization. So it's everyone working together.

But also what we did see in the 2014 outbreak is when you have a lot of cooks in the kitchen, you have to ensure that they're working together.

So right now, that mobilization through the WHO's call for an international emergency of concern is really about that coordinated effort, but ensuring that we're fast in this, that we're working together and not against each other. And I think that's the biggest piece, especially when it comes to what were seeing in Kenya with the WHO.

I mean, to Director-General Tedros's point, we want to focus on the good, but the concern for a lot of folks right now is how -- are we going to struggle to get Americans to work in the region if we're concerned that they're going to be put in quarantine in Kenya? So those kinds of things can make it a little bit more complicated.

REID: Now, this current outbreak is the 17th in the DRC, but it's already the third largest on record. And officials have warned the spread will get worse before it gets better.

In your view, what needs to change to prevent that?

POPESCU: Absolutely. The good news is that as we're getting more testing in the area, we are starting to see that the suspected number of cases is dropping a bit, which is good, because when we have about 272 confirmed cases, but over 1,000 suspected, we need to get ahead with testing. And that's where we're really leaning into.

So to do this, we need to ensure that we have adequate access to testing, especially in these rural areas that are hard to reach. But my concern is also the contact-tracing so that we can identify and work with communities. As you've probably seen, we've really struggled with working with communities when it comes to safe burial. That's why there have been protests and health facilities attacked.

So this is a disease of compassion where we have to work with the affected communities and the people involved because, you know, we can't get ahead of it if we don't have people's trust. And that involves testing, contact-tracing, PPE and access to that health care resource.

REID: Professor Saskia Popescu, thank you.

And coming up, all new next hour, President Trump's new plan to replace the musical artists at the freedom 250 rally with, quote, the number one attraction anywhere in the world, himself.

[14:55:07]

We'll tell you what's behind the move. Quote, "No fatties," the Pentagon's controversial weight crackdown for troops seeking spots at the White House UFC fight night.

And CNN takes you to the lowest place on Earth, the Dead Sea. The natural wonder, experts warn, is disappearing right before our eyes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: What do you call all of this? I mean, what we're witnessing, the way in which it's sinking, how do you qualify all of it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can say an ecological disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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