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Controversial Aid Group Begin Operations in Gaza; U.S. Envoy Urges Hamas to Take Deal; Ten Commandants Bill; COVID Vaccine Removed from Recommended List. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 27, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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


[10:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: In Gaza, a controversial new aid distribution group says it has begun operations in the war-torn enclave just days after the World Food Programme warned 2 million people in Gaza are at risk of famine. The U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has faced some heavy criticism from other aid organizations, released these images which they say show the delivery of aid is underway in Rafah, but it remains unclear whether this aid actually reached civilians yet, and CNN has not been able to geolocate the photos.

For more on this, I want to go live right now to CNN Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, first of all, what do we know about this aid group and why is it controversial?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, for weeks now the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies have been raising serious concerns about this new U.S. and Israeli approved mechanism for getting aid into Gaza. Israel says this mechanism is needed because Hamas is diverting the aid and stealing it for its own purposes, a claim that humanitarian aid agencies reject, saying that there's no evidence of any significant diversion of aid.

And these humanitarian groups are concerned that this new mechanism will effectively not be fully independent and that it could also facilitate the forced displacement of Palestinians and make it more dangerous for them because they would have to walk long distances to get to these secure distribution sites. That criticism and the scrutiny of this group increased over the weekend amid several reports of this group's connections to Israel and following the resignation of the group's executive director Jake Wood on Sunday, citing his own concerns as well now about the autonomy of this operation.

But nonetheless, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is now operational in the Gaza Strip, according to the group. Aid trucks delivered aid to some of these distribution sites yesterday. They also released images showing what they said were Palestinian civilians carrying some boxes of aid from one of those distribution sites.

But now, Wolf, we're also getting some worrying new information indicating that some -- that one of these sites appears to have been overrun by Palestinian civilians in the area. We're still working to fully geolocate and verify that information, but it does raise concerns about this Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, its ability to ramp up and also it points to what is clearly still a quite desperate humanitarian situation on the ground, not only in Southern Gaza where these distribution sites are opening, but also in the northern part of the Strip where very few trucks have actually made it there since Israel loosened its blockade on aid last week. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Jeremy Diamond updating us, thank you very, very much. Jeremy is in Jerusalem. For more on this, I want to bring in CNN Political and Global Affairs Analyst Barak Ravid. Barak, Israel claims this new food aid distribution plan is needed because Hamas looted the food trucks under the old system. What do the U.N. and others say about this claim?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST AND AXIOS GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Wolf. I think what the Israelis want to try and get out of this new mechanism is to take the humanitarian aid away from Hamas because they claim, the Israelis claimed that Hamas used this aid, both in order to exert its control over the population of Gaza, and second, to sell it and get a lot of money out of it, sometime hundreds of millions of dollars. And the Israelis hope that this new mechanism will weaken Hamas.

The U.N. and other aid organizations say that while there is a diversion of some of the aid the fact that there hasn't been any aid coming in for more than two months created an even worse humanitarian crisis that the current mechanism, the new mechanism will not be able to really address. And I think that's the main concern. Will this new mechanism be able to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza?

BLITZER: As you know, Barak, critics of this new aid plan are accusing Israel of weaponizing food and using this distribution system to force the population in Gaza to move south, potentially emptying large parts of Gaza. How is Israel responding to this?

RAVID: So, I -- that was definitely part of the plan. There's no doubt. The idea was to launch a massive ground operation to reoccupy almost all of the Gaza Strip and to basically push the population south to the Khan Younis and Rafah area.

The fact that the Trump administration started pressing the Israeli government on humanitarian crisis changed that plan at least temporarily. And currently, there is aid going to Northern Gaza, to Gaza City and to places around Gaza from the north.

[10:35:00]

And I think that this has stopped this Israeli push to get people out of Gaza City and out of Northern Gaza to the south. At least at the moment. It doesn't mean that's not going to change. And I think that another factor here is the fact that the Trump administration is also pushing for a hostage and ceasefire deal. We saw what President Trump said just the other day that he wants the war to end. We know that Steve Witkoff, his envoy, is pushing very hard for a deal, and I think that the next few days will make it clear whether we're going for a deal or for even -- an even broader Israeli ground operation in Gaza. BLITZER: And as you point out, Barak, the U.S. special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is urging Hamas to accept the ceasefire deal that's on the table right now. What impact do you think this growing humanitarian disaster in Gaza coupled with Israel's looming military operation could have on these current negotiations?

RAVID: So, obviously the -- it does influence the negotiations. It's never one thing, you know, it's the military pressure, it's the humanitarian situation. It's the fact that the U.S. has agreed to almost negotiate directly with Hamas. These negotiations are being facilitated by Palestinian American businessmen, Bishara Bahbah, who is in Qatar for more than a week now, talking directly to Hamas and conveying the messages back and forth from Witkoff.

So, I think the combination of all of that and the fact that the U.S. is also pressing Israel to agree that any new ceasefire deal will actually be used to discuss an ending to the war, something Israel has refused to do until now and the U.S. is telling Hamas, if you agree to a 45-to-60-day ceasefire that will lead to the release of some of the hostages, the U.S., President Trump, will guarantee that this time Benjamin Netanyahu will not be able to unilaterally get out of this deal and resume the war.

BLITZER: The president, President Trump, he spoke about Israel on Sunday. I want you and our viewers out there to listen to this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Likewise with Hamas on the -- on Gaza, we want to see if we can stop that. And Israel, we've been talking to them and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Do Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Barak, appear to be on the same page right now?

RAVID: I don't think so. It doesn't mean that there's a huge crisis between them. I don't think that's the case either. I think that, at least on Gaza, Trump wants the war to end on the one hand. On the other hand, he's still not really pressing Netanyahu like he can. And when -- you know, we know what -- how pressure from Donald Trump looks like, it usually looks like a post on Truth Social. So, we haven't seen that yet.

When we will see Donald Trump posting on Truth Social that he wants the war to end, we will know that he's putting real pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu. That is not the case at the moment.

BLITZER: All right. Barak Ravid with that excellent analysis as always, thank you very, very much.

RAVID: Thank you. BLITZER: Just ahead, Texas could soon become the next state to require the 10 Commandments in public school classrooms. Up next, I'll speak to a Democratic state lawmaker, who's also a preacher and a former middle school teacher, on why he's voting against, yes, against the bill.

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[10:40:00]

BLITZER: All right. This is just coming into CNN right now. Consumer confidence is improving for the first time in six months. The reading beat economists' expectations as progress in President Trump's tariff negotiations are giving Americans a new sense of hope. The markets are also rising on the news over the weekend that President Trump is backtracking, hitting pause on his proposal to increase tariffs on the European Union. This morning he said the E.U. is moving, in his word, quickly on trade talks.

Meanwhile, a controversial bill could soon require public school classrooms in Texas to post a copy of the 10 Commandments. The proposal passed the Republican controlled State House on Sunday, prompting one Democrat to point out what he considered to be legislative hypocrisy. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES TALARICO (D-TX): What is the fourth commandment?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Keep the Sabbath --

TALARICO: Part of keeping the Sabbath holy is not working on the Sabbath.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is -- yes.

TALARICO: The Christian Sabbath is what day?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sunday, in honor of the day that Jesus rose from the dead.

TALARICO: And we're scheduled to give this bill a final vote on what day of the week?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's ironic, isn't it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: One of the lawmakers in that video, Democratic State representative is James Talarico of Texas, he's joining us right now. Representative Talarico, thanks so much for being with us. You're actually, in addition to being a representative, you're a preacher and a former middle school teacher. Explain why you're opposed to having the 10 Commandments posted in public school classrooms in the State of Texas.

[10:45:00]

TALARICO: Yes, my granddad was a Baptist preacher in South Texas. I've been going to the same church since I was two years old, and I'm now in seminary studying to become a minister myself one day. So, my faith means more to me than anything.

But I believe that this bill is not only unconstitutional, un- American, but I also think it's deeply un-Christian. It not only violates the separation of church and state in this country, but it also violates the core teachings of Christianity. You know, the Apostle Paul said that the 10 Commandments are summed up in one command. Love thy neighbor as thyself. The Hindu student who's sitting in a Texas public school classroom is my neighbor, the Sikh student, the Buddhist student, the atheist student who's sitting in a Texas public school classroom is my neighbor, and I'm called to love them as myself and forcing my religion down their throats through government action is not love.

BLITZER: Representative, as you know, this bill was a priority for Texas's Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. He says, and I'm quoting him now, "By placing the 10 Commandments in our public school classrooms, we ensure students receive the same foundational moral compass as our state and country's forefathers."

What's your response to that representative and how is this bill going to impact public education in your state of Texas?

TALARICO: If we wanted to post a foundational document in all of our Texas public school classrooms, I would suggest the Constitution of the United States, which includes the First Amendment, which enshrines the freedom of religion and the freedom from religion. It has the establishment clause and the free exercise clause, which we commonly call the separation of church and state. I think we should post that in all of our classrooms so that our students know that everyone is welcome here regardless of your background, regardless of your faith tradition.

You know, it's hard to be different as a kid. I know this because when I was a middle school teacher, I had a special place in my heart for the kids who were left out, for the kids who were bullied. And if you're a Hindu student or a Muslim student or a Jewish student in a Texas public school classroom, you're a little different, and that can be difficult.

Now, a bunch of politicians at the state capitol are putting up a poster that says, thou shall not worship any gods before me. We're saying through government action that their religion is inferior, that they are not welcome in this classroom, and I can't imagine anything more unchristian than that.

BLITZER: Your state's Republican governor, Greg Abbott, said he intends to sign this bill into law if it comes to his desk. How do you or your Democratic colleagues plan to challenge this? And will you challenge it in court if necessary?

TALARICO: I'm assuming there are going to be court challenges because this is blatantly unconstitutional and we have to stand up for the freedom of religion in this country. The separation of church and state doesn't just protect the state, it also protects the church. I mean, we as believers should be very concerned when politicians and government employees seek to usurp the role of pastors and Sunday school teachers and parents, those are the folks who should be teaching our religion, not government employees who are doing it by a mandate from the legislature.

I mean, this is the kind of stuff that gives religious people a bad name. Instead of living out our faith, instead of leading by example, we're now leading by mandate. And if the goal is to create a whole new generation of Christians, I think this bill will have the opposite effect. It will create a whole new generation of atheists who think that our religion is more about power than love.

BLITZER: Texas State Representative James Talarico, thanks so much for joining us.

TALARICO: Thank you for having me.

SCHWARTZ (voice-over): And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

BLITZER: All right. There's more breaking news coming into the Situation Room right now. The COVID vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women will shortly be removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule. Here's what the HHS secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., just posted on social media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HHS SECRETARY: I couldn't be more pleased to announce that as of today the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule. Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. let's go live right now to CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell. Meg, what more are you learning about this?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. I mean, this is a continuation of the policy change we heard about from FDA last week as it pertained to updating COVID boosters. Typically, we've been doing that in a seasonal fashion the same way we do for flu shots, but last week, the FDA leadership put out a new framework where essentially that system would remain the same for people over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions, putting them at higher risk for severe COVID-19. But they were saying they wanted to require clinical trial data for essentially everyone else.

[10:55:00]

Now, we're hearing they are going to remove the COVID vaccine from the childhood immunization schedule and the recommendation for healthy pregnant women to receive the vaccine as well. And, Wolf, if it is true that the CDC has recommended everybody over the age of six months receive a COVID shot every year and, you know, some of the questions I think that are going to emerge around this move are not just around boosters, but around the availability of these shots as the primary series. So, the first time a child or anyone else is vaccinated against COVID-19.

While there may be debate around the benefit of getting a booster every year in all populations, most pediatricians we've talked with, particularly infectious disease experts, do recommend that kids need a primary COVID vaccination in order to protect them against this disease, not just in the short-term, but also the potential longer- term consequences of having COVID, guys.

So, we're still gathering reaction to this news that just came out this morning. There could also be implications for insurance coverage. So, those are important things to look at as well. And we'll bring you more as we get it.

BLITZER: And, Meg, I keep hearing from doctors, including my own doctor, to get the booster -- the COVID booster shot every year to continue to do so. You might still wind up getting COVID, but if you do, it'll be a much milder case and you won't develop long COVID or some serious problem if you have that booster every year.

TIRRELL: Yes. You know, the folks we've talked with note that there are data showing that boosters can help reduce the symptoms you might experience at least for a four-to-six-month period of getting COVID- 19. And of course, the concerns about long COVID, the idea that the vaccine can help prevent against that as well are reasons that a lot of folks still want access to them and some folks are worried that they're going to lose that access.

BLITZER: Yes. All right. Meg Tirrell, thanks very much for updating our viewers. And we'll be right back.

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