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The Situation Room

Ebola Outbreak Growing?; Reported Hunger Strike at New Jersey ICE Facility; New U.S. Strikes in Iran. Aired 10:30a-11a ET

Aired May 26, 2026 - 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 HOST: We're following all the latest developments. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now: a desperate race to save seven people trapped in a flooded cave in Laos. They were searching for gold before flash floods rushed in. Some parts of the cave are only two feet wide. Officials say they don't know whether those trapped are even alive at this point.

Well, four people are dead after a train collided with a school bus in Belgium. Investigators are now on the scene looking into what caused this crash. Two students were among the dead. Five other children were seriously injured.

And a shocking and distressing scene in Mississippi after several storms pummeled the region. Right here, this SUV was swept away in the rising floodwaters. Divers later recovered the body of that driver of that car.

[10:35:13]

BLITZER: And let's get back to the breaking news: new U.S. strikes in Iran and a new warning from Iran's supreme leader.

The U.S. military says it targeted Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz. And Iran's supreme leader says, when the war ends, the United States will no longer have what he called a safe haven for its military bases in the Middle East.

For more on all of this, we're joined by CNN political and global affairs analyst Barak Ravid.

Barak, thanks very much for joining us.

What do you make of these new U.S. strikes on Iranian missile launch sites and boats and the U.S. calling them self-defense strikes? Do they threaten this current cease-fire?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, both, I think, Iranian and U.S. officials that are involved in the negotiations are sort of trying to play down those incidents yesterday.

It's almost as if the -- Iran is negotiating with the U.S. on the one hand and the IRGC is trying to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz on the other hand and those two are not connected. This is sort of the Iranian position.

And, at least as far as I know, the U.S., at least when it comes to the negotiation, is trying to, on the one, hand say, OK, we stopped them from laying mines, we attacked the boats. On the other hand, we continue the negotiations as if nothing happened, which is, you have to admit, a bit strange that both countries are trying to make it seem as if what's happening on the ground has nothing to do with the negotiations and vice versa.

BLITZER: Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is saying, when the war ends, countries in the Middle East will no longer be able to serve as what he calls safe havens or shields, his words, for American bases.

How do you interpret that?

RAVID: Well, first, Mr. Khamenei issued this statement, another statement, from his bunker, from his hideout. Nobody knows, or at least very few people in Iran know where he is.

The Iranian negotiators doesn't have a direct line to him. And it's kind of ironic that somebody who's hiding in a bunker did not release any audio message, any video message. Nobody knows where he is. He's saying that others need to seek safe haven.

BLITZER: John Bolton, President Trump's former national security adviser, says the peace talks are a mistake. He says that.

Listen to what he told Pamela Brown yesterday. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I don't think the president understands the fanaticism of what's left of the regime and the people who are in power. He is somebody who has spent his whole life making deals with people. He thinks everybody wants to make a deal on just about anything.

That's not what these people are into. And they can see that Trump is so palpably desperate to have a deal that he can declare to be a victory and that lowers prices of gasoline. And they're playing him on that. They're stretching him out. They're buying time. All of that works in their advantage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, what's your reaction to that, Barak?

RAVID: So, I think that a lot of what Mr. Bolton said is accurate.

I think Mr. Trump wants a deal. President Trump wants a deal. It's very clear. By the way, I think the Iranians also want a deal. But they want the deal on their terms. And while the gaps have been somewhat narrowed, including yesterday in the talks that Iranian negotiators had in Doha, there's still no deal.

And we still don't know what Mojtaba Khamenei, the Iranian leader, will say, because he did not give his final approval to this deal. So, I think, while we're closer to a deal, we're still not there. And the Iranians know that President Trump wants a deal. They know he does not want to resume the war.

That does not mean that the Iranians might not miscalculate and get to a point where President Trump says, I really wanted the deal. I really tried. I postponed the military strike again and again and again and again, but I can't do it anymore. I have to act. This is a scenario that could happen.

I don't think it's very likely at the moment, but it could be more likely in a few days if this stalemate continues.

BLITZER: Certainly could be.

Israel says it's planning to step up its attacks on Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Does that threaten to undermine efforts to bring the war with Iran to an end?

[10:40:05]

RAVID: So, I think, on the one hand, the Trump administration is giving the Israelis more rope to retaliate against Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is under huge domestic political pressure to escalate the attacks against Hezbollah. Israel will go to an election in three months. It is not disconnected. Therefore, Netanyahu is looking for, on the one hand, ways to relieve some of the domestic pressure he has, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, balance it with President Trump's pressure not to go to full-scale war now against Hezbollah.

Therefore, I think we will see an expansion of the Israeli ground operation in Southern Lebanon. I think we already see right now, actually, Israeli forces moving north of their current positions on the ground. On the other hand, I think the Israelis -- or the Trump administration is still restraining the Israelis when it comes to massive strikes in Beirut or other big cities.

BLITZER: Is -- are the Hezbollah troops still launching strikes against Israeli targets in Northern Israel?

RAVID: Yes, I mean, every -- I mean, that's part of the thing.

What the Israelis did a few weeks ago is that they started a land incursion into Southern Lebanon and took over, occupied big parts of Southern Lebanon. What it did, it led to a significant change in Hezbollah tactics, because, in a way, Hezbollah got much more targets that are easier to hit. And then Hezbollah started using small drones that are guided by an

optic fiber that can reach 10 kilometers or 15 kilometers and, with those explosive drones, small explosive drones, started conducting attacks on Israeli soldiers in Southern Lebanon.

And just in the last several weeks, 11 Israeli soldiers have been killed, dozens have been wounded from those Hezbollah drone attacks. And the Israelis, at least for now, don't really have any way to respond effectively to those attacks or try to stop them.

BLITZER: All right, Barak Ravid, as usual, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf.

Also happening now, New Jersey officials are demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security about conditions at a federal immigration facility. You see it right here, this chaotic scene that erupted right outside of Delaney Hall in Newark yesterday between protesters and ICE agents amid reports of rough conditions, like rotten food and a hunger strike by detainees in response.

Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill and several lawmakers say they were denied entry to the facility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ): Everyone, regardless of your status, should be treated with dignity, making sure that you make your doctor's appointments, that you get your medication.

We're having reports that women who are menstruating have to ask every time they need products. That's humiliating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: A DHS spokesperson tells CNN visitation has been suspended out of an abundance of caution following these clashes and that approximately 125 people surrounded Delaney Hall, forming a human chain blocking all entries and exits.

So, let's go live now to CNN's Gloria Pazmino to learn more.

Gloria, what can you tell us?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pamela.

And, at this hour, demonstrators continue to be outside of Delaney Hall in Newark, trying to bring attention to conditions inside the facility.

This all started over the weekend after a reported hunger strike inside of Delaney Hall by detainees there who are trying to bring attention to what they say are unacceptable conditions, rotten food, a lack of access to medical care, people who are not able to be in contact with their attorneys, people who say that they're being denied their due process rights.

And so, several times now, we have seen clashes between law enforcement officers who are on site and protesters, including at one point protesters trying to block a vehicle who -- which was trying to transport a detainee out of that facility.

Now, we heard from the governor of New Jersey yesterday. She was denied entry into Delaney Hall when she arrived to try to do an oversight visit, and Congressmen Andy Kim and Menendez also on site trying to get access to the facility.

We should point out this is the same facility where about a year ago we saw other members of Congress actually being taken into custody, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka also trying to get access. So we have seen a history at this facility.

[10:45:00]

Take a listen to the members of Congress talking about what they saw there yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D-NJ): The reason they want to make this as hard as possible, they won't let the governor in, is because they don't want us to tell the stories of what's happening inside, because, when we tell the stories, everyone in New Jersey and people across the country realize this is not who we are as a country, but a reflection of who we are in this moment under the Trump administration.

SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): These are not the people that Donald Trump keeps saying that they are trying to lock up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Pamela, the Department of Homeland Security has denied that there is a hunger strike ongoing inside the facility.

We have spoken to some of the lawyers that are representing some of those who are inside. They point to the same conditions we have been hearing about. And, as I said, this is just a facility that has seen a lot of activity in the past year, as we continue to see an increase in deportations and arrests by federal immigration authorities -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM: raising the alarm.

The former Director of the CDC Dr. Robert Redfield says he suspects the Ebola outbreak will become what he's describing as a very significant pandemic. He joins us live just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Happening now: World health officials are warning the deadly Ebola outbreak in Central Africa will get worse before it gets better. The director-general will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo today, where he says they're scaling up operations because -- quote -- "The epidemic is outpacing response efforts."

His assertion comes as our next guest warns the outbreak will spread across three new countries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: It's going to be very hard. I suspect this is going to become a very significant pandemic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, for more perspective on these developments, former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield joins us now.

Dr. Redfield, nice to see you on.

So, one of the microbiologists who discovered the virus called this outbreak the worst-case scenario, a deadly strain without a vaccine spreading across a war zone with displaced people and underequipped health facilities.

[10:50:03]

We just heard you there say you suspect this could turn into a pandemic. Tell us more about what you mean there about your concerns, because pandemic obviously is defined by a worldwide widespread of a new disease. Tell us more what your thinking is here.

REDFIELD: Yes, I would say that I probably misspoke.

I think it's going to be a very significant outbreak that has the potential to go regional, from the DRC, Uganda, maybe into South Sudan. Potentially, it could also spread into Tanzania and Rwanda.

One thing I will say about the Ebola virus, it doesn't really have the characteristics that will allow it to become, as you commented, a global pandemic. It's -- that's really more refined to respiratory viruses that we have. But it is going to cause a very, very significant outbreak.

Right now, it's already the third largest outbreak in the history of the world, and it's only been around since May 15. The largest outbreak, of course, you all remember, West Africa back in 2014, was around 28,000 people.

The second largest was one that I did in this area back in 2018, got up to about 3,470 cases, and now this outbreak, which is clearly on a rise. It's probably up over 900 cases. So it's already the third largest Ebola outbreak.

And the real threat to this outbreak is not really the public health capacity. The Congo is now experiencing their 17th Ebola outbreak. Uganda is very experienced. My group in CDC has a very large team that's full-time in the DRC helping with this pandemic before it even started.

But the real problem is the unrest. This is an area where this outbreak is, up in the Ituri region, that's been at war for more than 25 years. And it's not a simple war between two groups. There's over 25 fractioned groups that are fighting, a lot of disruption.

Over a million people migrated out of their houses because of the conflict. And then that -- a lot of that migration goes across the Uganda border or the Sudan border. And that's why I think there's going to be significant cross-border spread.

But it's the civil unrest that's going to make this outbreak very difficult to control.

BROWN: The civil unrest is a big concern for you.

And you're also dealing with this strain that can be fatal up to 90 percent of the time, which is obviously very concerning. What are the treatment options at this stage?

REDFIELD: Yes, so it's really important.

This strain, the Bundibugyo strain, is one of the three major strains of Ebola that we have seen. It caused an outbreak originally in 2007, and then a second outbreak happened in 2012. So we haven't seen this virus in more than 13, 14 years.

It's a different virus. And one of the reasons it was so late in being discovered is the traditional assays that we have that measure both the Sudan and the Zairean strains, which are the more common strains that we have confronted, it doesn't get picked -- it doesn't pick up the Bundibugyo virus.

And so it was really very late in describing this outbreak. Normally, we pick these outbreaks up in the first five or 10 cases. This outbreak really wasn't defined until there was well over 100 cases. And that's a problem.

And, secondly, as you pointed out, right now, the vaccine and the treatment, the monoclonal antibody -- the antibodies that we developed, we actually developed them and deployed them and proved they worked during the 2018 outbreak that I was part of in that region. And they made a huge impact.

The original Zairean strain mortality was around 70 percent. And when we finally got these individuals treated with the monoclonal antibodies, we got that mortality down to under 10 percent, so a huge impact on death.

Unfortunately, currently, the strain that we have right now, we don't have an active vaccine and we don't have active antibodies, although there's some experimental ones that are in development.

BROWN: Do you think any of the cuts that the Trump administration has made to, say, USAID and pandemic response preparedness has played any role, as critics have said, in catching the Ebola too late, as you just said?

REDFIELD: No, I don't. I know that I have read the stories. I have a lot of confidence in CDC.

As I mentioned, this is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. When I was the CDC director, I had three Ebola outbreaks in the DRC. We really built a pretty good team, which was there in place when this outbreak happened. And we really augmented the Ministry of Health's ability to have a major center in Kinshasa that could deal with Ebola. We helped stand that up.

[10:55:04]

The real problem was a technical one, in that this strain was not picked up by the assays that were developed for the common strain, the Zairean strain and the Sudan strain. And, again, the real problem that I have mentioned that really drives this pandemic is the conflict that's going on in the area.

I think they have got adequate resources, adequate technology capacity both in Uganda and the DRC. It's really more of the challenge. Even when I was CDC director, the State Department wouldn't allow me to put a team up in that area to confront the epidemic in Benin because they said it was too unsafe.

And I was kind of -- tongue in cheek, said, I'm going in to confront an Ebola outbreak. It's probably as unsafe as you can get. But they were very concerned about the civil unrest. I remember I had to go visit the sites in a tank because there was so much unrest.

And, literally, some of the hospitals I went to, they literally had rebel groups come in and shoot and kill people. As you saw already, you saw, unfortunately, there's a lot of distrust in that area against the government.

And particularly when people can't have the bodies recovered of their loved ones that died, they get quite upset. And you saw that they have raided some of the hospitals, they have burned some of the hospitals to try to get the bodies out of their dead relatives...

BROWN: Yes.

REDFIELD: ... which is really dangerous, because those bodies are very highly infectious.

BROWN: Absolutely.

Dr. Robert Redfield, thank you so much for coming on to share your perspective and expertise.

REDFIELD: Yes. Thanks.

BROWN: We appreciate it.

REDFIELD: Thanks for having me. God bless you. Yes, take care. Bye- bye. BROWN: Thank you. -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And here's what's coming up all new at the top of the hour: desperate search for seven people trapped in a cave now filling with floodwater. The tunnel is just two feet wide. We will have a live report just ahead.

Also, will A.I. replace auto mechanics? We will head to the garage to find out.

And, later, a SITUATION ROOM special report from Eastern Ukraine, as Russia escalates its drone warfare.

That's all new in the next hour.

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