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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Zelenskyy Warns of New Attack from Russia; Marco Rubio Testifies Before Lawmakers; Israeli and Lebanese Officials Hold Talks in U.S.; Iran Signals Talks with U.S. Are Back on Track; Kuwait's Army: Intercepting Missile and Drone Attacks; Trump Names Bill Pulte as Acting Intelligence Chief; Anthropic Expands Access to Powerful Mythos A.I. Model; Aid Organizations Warns DRC Ebola Cases Are Likely Undercounted; Six U.S. States Holding Primary Elections Today. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 02, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and

you're watching "The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, Ukraine warns Russia could launch another major air assault after one last night that killed at least 23 people. President

Trump names a controversial housing official as the acting Director of National Intelligence. And the International Rescue Committee warns that

the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is likely much larger than the official numbers suggest. I speak to the IRC's president, David Miliband.

We begin in Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning of another major attack by Russia. This comes after a massive air assault the

previous night, which killed some 23 people and wounded more than 100 across the country. Ukraine says Russia fired more than 70 ballistic

missiles and close to 700 drones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Russians continued their attacks during the day with around 100 more

drones. Unfortunately, the current level of supplies for our air defense forces does not allow us to shoot down a significant proportion of the

missiles.

According to our intelligence, another large-scale attack may occur tonight. Please, I strongly urge you to pay attention to air raid alerts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Many residents of the capital, Kyiv, took cover once again in underground metro stations, crowded like the one you see here. Here's what

one survivor had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEONID ZMILEVSKYI, KYIV RESIDENT (through translator): You see, we are surviving on our own. Ukrainians are surviving on their own. Although aid

is coming from the West, I don't think they're helping much. If international pressure was stronger, I think it would all be over sooner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Surviving on our own. One survivor joining us now, Tymofiy Mylovanov. He's president of the Kyiv School of Economics, Ukraine's former

minister of economic development and trade. Mymofiy, good to have you back.

TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND FORMER UKRAINIAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TRADE MINISTER: Hello.

SCIUTTO: You were in Ukraine for these strikes as they began overnight. Can you tell us how bad it was this time?

MYLOVANOV: Yes, I was -- I'm still here, and there might be an attack tonight, but far nothing has happened. I think, for me, the first drone I

saw was yesterday evening. It was shot down in front of my eyes and, you know, like fell not far. Then there was another drone today at work,

actually, one block away. But overnight, I think there were loud explosions. I couldn't sleep, and it was mostly ballistic missiles.

Kyiv was in smoke as I was driving to work. But somehow, you know, everyone got used to it. And it's amazing that people just go around, you know,

picking up, you know, stuff from rubbles and then go back to work, you know.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, because, of course, this is happening, and the timing appears to be deliberate, as the U.S. has reduced or delayed the

supply of crucial air defense missiles. Do you believe that the U.S. has, in effect, left Ukraine vulnerable to these attacks?

MYLOVANOV: So, my understanding is that this is true, that the key vulnerability is actually lack of these interceptors for Patriot missiles,

and Russians having success using ballistic missiles. The drones are a little bit different story. Ukrainians are much better at intercepting it.

Action is limited, and Ukraine needs more, and Ukraine has appealed in the past for, you know, to allow for licensing to produce it.

It is possible, but, yes, that's, I think, the critical vulnerability, and there's not enough supplies of these interceptors.

SCIUTTO: You know, I was checking today to see if the U.S. president commented on these attacks. I haven't seen it. What's your reaction to

that? I mean, it's a bloody attack, appears to be deliberately targeting civilians, once again, in Ukraine. What's your reaction to the U.S. seeming

to ignore Ukraine's appeals for help?

[18:05:00]

MYLOVANOV: Well, you know, it's painful to see. I think the attacks are massive. People maybe do not understand outside of Ukraine how intense the

attacks are. And, you know, it's unfair. It's unjust. People die, and it could be prevented, actually, with better supplies. But, you know, again,

we're resolved. We're used to it. This is not fun. You know, what can we do about this? Nothing. We accept it.

SCIUTTO: I was speaking to a former U.S. diplomat who was in Kyiv last night for this assault, and he said that one thing he's noticed is that

Ukrainians feel oddly more positive now than he's seen them, a sense that Ukraine is able to defend itself on its own and is making progress on the

battlefield. Do you feel the same?

MYLOVANOV: I think that's actually, and paradoxically, it's true. Winter was very, very harsh. I think it was the most difficult winter, more

difficult than the first winter of the full-scale invasion. And that's because when you get attacks during winter, Russians were targeting

electricity, energy, infrastructure. People were freezing.

Today, it's more like, you know, a sign of desperation of Russia. If they have this much, you know, they can spare on civilians, why don't they use

it on the front? You know, why don't they pursue their military objectives? It looks like they cannot, and that's what we hear from the military, they

cannot make progress. And so, you know, they lash out at civilians.

SCIUTTO: Your, of course, portfolio when you were in government involved economics and trade. There are increasing indications and reports that

inside Russia economic suffering is increasing and that the Russian president Vladimir Putin has been warned, even by some of his own advisers,

that it can't carry on the war at this pace, just doesn't have the money for it. And I wonder if you believe that's accurate, right, that something

is breaking in Russia in terms of its ability to support this war?

MYLOVANOV: So, this is actually true, and it's not simply an expectation or subjective opinion. There is evidence to it. For example, Russia has

received a windfall from the higher oil prices due to the crisis in Iran. But they have not directed this funding towards more military production.

Instead, they've directed to paying off debts, non-performing loans. So, that shows that they have structural issues within the economy. And the

structural issues, you know, have primed the economy for a crisis.

What Russia needs for a crisis is a trigger. When the trigger will happen? Well, I don't know, but it will happen one day.

SCIUTTO: Before we go, the Ukrainian president has warned that tonight, and of course it's already nighttime for you there, it's past 1:00 in the

morning, could be as bad as last night. What preparations do you, do your neighbors, do your family members make on an evening like this?

MYLOVANOV: So, for example, our students at the Kyiv School of Economics, some of them sleep at the university because the university has better

shelters, reinforced shelters. Don't take their chances. Then others go to bed earlier, say 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m., so they can get several hours of

sleep before the attack happens. And, you know, everyone is trying to stay together with their loved ones because social support is important.

SCIUTTO: Well, Timothy Milovanov, we hope you have a safe evening.

MYLOVANOV: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Another night of missile fire for Ukraine. Well, here in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had several answers when

lawmakers asked him about when a deal with Iran might be reached. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be sometime next week.

Speaking at a Senate hearing, he expressed hope for a deal while insisting that Tehran severely limit its nuclear program. Democratic Senator Cory

Booker wasn't buying it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): We are the strongest nation on the planet Earth, and we're in a stalemate with Iran. And now, we're begging to get back into

a deal that you all trashed in the first place.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're not begging. There's no one begging. The Iranians might be begging because their economy is losing

hundreds of millions of dollars a day. They have hyperinflation. Their currency is completely devalued. They're struggling to make payroll for

their government workers.

[18:10:00]

Iran is in a very serious situation. And if it was up to the political class there, and I understand everybody there is sort of radical in some

way, but if it was up to the people that actually go to elections and wear the suits and you see on TV, they'd probably make a deal tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Still no deal yet. Complicating an already complex situation. Israeli and Lebanese officials met in the U.S. today, despite exchanging

overnight attacks between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, smoke from Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon rising once again. A day earlier,

sources say President Trump pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back his offensive in what some sources described as an

expletive-laden conversation.

Joining me now is Vali Nasr. He's professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. He's also the author of

the book, Iran's Grand Strategy of Political History. A lot to learn in that book. Vali, good to have you back.

VALI NASR, PROFESSOR OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY AND AUTHOR, "IRAN'S GRAND STRATEGY: A POLITICAL

HISTORY": Thank you. Good to be with you.

SCIUTTO: So, you wrote in your most recent piece for Foreign Affairs that Iran no longer sees a nuclear deal with the U.S. as a solution to its

economic and security problems. That's a big problem, right? Because at least for a long-term deal, separate from any ceasefire they could work

out, that's very much at the center of the nuclear program of an agreement.

NASR: Yes, and that actually is the problem with the way Secretary Rubio described Iran is desperate for a deal because it wants economic relief. I

think Iranians have come to the conclusion that U.S. is actually playing with them. It puts an offer on the table, President Trump renegotiates at

the last minute, and they're losing confidence that even if they sign the deal, President Trump would ever implement the deal, would ever lift

sanctions, and he wouldn't walk away from a deal.

So, if they think like that, then what's the point of vesting hope in a nuclear deal if you cannot trust the other side actually delivering? And

this kind of a view is basically now becoming more and more dominant in Tehran.

SCIUTTO: Now, does that present a situation where the best near-term outcome is a ceasefire, but with no resolution to the larger issues, which,

I mean, frankly, we see a template for that in Gaza, right? I mean, we never got beyond phase one of the Gaza ceasefire. Is that what we're

looking at here now as the most likely scenario?

NASR: Well, we don't have any other choice. In other words, you know, after President Trump dropped bombs on Iran while they were negotiating,

he's the one who walked away from a nuclear deal that was in place, and then he's basically changing his position via postings, via messages, et

cetera, on an ongoing basis. He's not going to get a huge deal with Iran very quickly through a memorandum of understanding.

So, you have to first parse this out. In other words, first finish the war. Let's see if the two sides can trust lifting of the blockade and lifting of

the closure of the Strait of Hormuz actually implements the few steps that are in the memorandum of understanding. And then on the basis of that, see

if they can build enough trust to move forward with the much larger issues.

And unless they can do that, I don't see any pathway to a major deal that solves the Strait of Hormuz, solves the nuclear issue, lifts sanctions on

Iran. That's just too big for President Trump or Iranians to basically be able to achieve.

SCIUTTO: Let's talk now about the relationship and perhaps disagreements between the two allies here, the U.S. and Israel, because I spent a lot of

time in Israel, and Israeli officials do not believe this war is won. They have far bigger goals, particularly with regards to the nuclear program

here. How is that tension resolved? I know President Trump has said many times, well, Netanyahu will do what I tell him to do. But Israel has its

own security interests here.

NASR: Yes, this is a dilemma for President Trump, because end of the day, Prime Minister Netanyahu convinced President Trump to go to this war,

convinced him that it would be an easy war, that his political and security objectives, Israel's objectives, they all will be realized very quickly.

And everything that Prime Minister Netanyahu essentially promised President Trump did not materialize. So, he's walking on thin ice in terms of making

an argument with President Trump.

And on the other hand, as far as Iranians are concerned, they're not negotiating with Israel. They're negotiating with the U.S. And Israel's

actions in Lebanon or vis-a-vis Iran will now fall as part of what America has to manage and discipline. That's why this blew up over Lebanon, because

Iran and the U.S. had arrived in an agreement through the Pakistanis and Qataris that there would be a ceasefire in Lebanon.

[18:15:00]

And instead, Prime Minister Netanyahu actually escalated in Lebanon, and that, you know, set back wherever President Trump was with the Iranians.

And that's why basically what President Trump did was not just the language he used with Prime Minister Netanyahu. It's the signaling he gave to Iran

very clearly by leaking this, that I am imposing discipline on Israel in a very obvious and in a very coarse way to persuade the Iranians to come back

into exchanging of messages and negotiations.

SCIUTTO: Before we go, you speak to a lot of contacts in the region. Do leaders in the region believe the U.S. and Israel, for that matter, have

won this war, or that Iran at least played them to a draw?

NASR: No, no, nobody thinks that the U.S. won. In fact, there are many people in this country who don't think the U.S. won. The U.S. went in with

a set of objectives that it didn't realize. The Islamic Republic is still there. Its missile capability is still there. The Strait of Hormuz is still

closed. And the U.S. is forced into negotiating with Iran for something much less than what it was hoping to achieve out of this war. By no stretch

of imagination, you could say this is a victory for a global superpower.

Yes, Iran was battered, but Iran is still standing. And so, the region is actually having a lot of questions about the wisdom of U.S. and Israeli

policies and their ability to deliver and also protect the region from the collateral damage of their policies.

SCIUTTO: Vali Nasr, always good to have you on.

NASR: Thank you. Good to have you.

SCIUTTO: Well, speaking of the war in the Middle East, this just into CNN. Kuwait says its air defenses are now intercepting, quote, "hostile missile

and enemy drone attacks." It did not say where exactly those attacks originated. A semi-official Iranian news agency, however, reported

explosion-like sounds around the Iranian island of Kashem a short time ago. We will continue to follow developments there.

Back here in the U.S., an agency set up to combat al-Qaeda and other threats in the wake of 9/11 will now be run by a Trump loyalist with no

experience in national security, the military, or law enforcement.

Bill Pulte has been tapped to replace Tulsi Gabbard as acting Director of National Intelligence. He currently heads the Federal Housing Finance

Agency, a job he's going to keep. In that role, he has led calls to investigate Trump's political enemies.

Despite his lack of credentials, Pulte will now oversee all U.S. intelligence agencies, all 18 of them. They include, of course, the CIA,

the FBI, and military intelligence agencies such as the Defense Intelligence Agency. He previously worked at his family's real estate

business. Now, even some Republicans are questioning if he has what it takes to be America's chief intelligence officer.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN, quote, "We don't need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there."

Kevin Liptak is live at the White House. And Kevin, as you know, the office of the Director of National Intelligence and the role of Director of

National Intelligence was created by an act of Congress and requires that that person have deep intelligence experience. The White House doesn't seem

to be concerned about that. Is this a temporary appointment, or does the president envision having him there permanently?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: At least for now, it's temporary. It'll be in an acting role, but because Pulte has been confirmed

by the Senate for the job that he's currently in, he could potentially stay in the acting job for quite some time. The law allows 210 days, you know,

the better part of a year in actuality.

And so, even if the president does not attempt him, to name him to the permanent post, which would require Senate confirmation, which would be an

uphill battle, that's something that John Thune said earlier today, that doesn't necessarily mean that he won't have an extraordinary amount of

access to the nation's topmost secrets for a relatively long amount of time if he extends his tenure here for the legally mandated number of days.

And so, it is, I think, a very surprising appointment. Unorthodox, I think, understates exactly how surprising it is, not only because he has none of

the relevant experience that, as you correctly point out, the law requires, but also the president didn't seem to telegraph this to anyone in the

Intelligence Community before he announced it on Truth Social earlier today.

What he clearly sees in Pulte is a loyalist who is willing to use the job he's in to execute some of the president's top priorities. You've seen him

do that in this relatively obscure housing position that he's been in for the last year, targeting individuals who the president sees as enemies with

allegations of mortgage fraud.

[18:20:00]

You saw him do that with Letitia James, the attorney general in the state of New York, with Lisa Cook, who is at the Federal Reserve. Those haven't

necessarily panned out into criminal investigations, but he has tied them up in all of these procedural hurdles as a result of these allegations.

And I think it's evident that the president wants him to do something similar at DNI. For a long time, the president has not necessarily seen

that particular agency as relevant to his national security goals. The incumbent DNI, Tulsi Gabbard, has had virtually no say in the president's

Iran policy in Venezuela and all of the various places where the president has become mired. He sees the role more as one that can advance some of his

thoughts about election fraud or Russian election meddling.

You've seen Tulsi Gabbard's kind of dabbling in that over the last year or so, and it seems evident that he thinks Bill Pulte can have a similar role

if he takes on this job. And so, that, I think, has put a lot of people on edge, because obviously the DNI has access to some extraordinary

capabilities, top secret intelligence, certainly, but also the surveillance capacities that that job has.

And so, I think it's put a lot of people on edge, certainly members of Congress, people in the Intelligence Community as well. And so, it remains

to be seen how long exactly he'll have this job. But he could have some real effect, even if he isn't in a permanent position.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, the role was meant to coordinate among intelligence agencies to prevent another 9-11 scale attack. Kevin Liptak at the White

House, thanks so much.

Still ahead, the A.I. giant, Anthropic, is gearing up for a wider rollout of its powerful new model, Mythos. This despite some ongoing security

concerns, how the White House is now weighing in on A.I. safety next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks rose to fresh records Tuesday, driven in part by continued investor enthusiasm for

A.I. Shares of A.I. Data Center. Ship maker Marvell Technologies soared 32 percent after NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, called it the next trillion-dollar

tech firm. There are a lot of those these days.

[18:25:00]

Hewlett Packard Enterprises surged almost 20 percent after reporting strong. A.I. server demand alphabet shares, however, fell 4 percent or

close to it. Google's parent company says it will raise an additional 80 billion dollars from stock sales to do, what, help fund its A.I. build out.

Anthropic is set to expand early access to its powerful new A.I. model, Mythos. The company says 150 more partners in 15 countries can now use it

to test for security flaws. That wider rollout comes amid concern that the program could help hackers exploit existing software vulnerabilities.

Anthropic's announcement comes the same day that President Trump signed an executive order on A.I. He wants firms to give the U.S. a 30-day window to

review their new A.I. models before releasing them, however, on a voluntary basis.

Joining me now is Clare Duffy. So, first on Anthropic and Mythos, there have been concerns. You and others have reported on them, security

concerns. So, why is Anthropic now expanding access?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Well, Jim, the security concerns are the reason that the company is rolling out this Mythos model on a limited

basis. They introduced this effort called Project Glasswing to make Mythos available to a small number of partners. And the reason for that is that

Anthropic worries that whether it is its Mythos model or other A.I. models like it.

Remember, many models, many companies are on Anthropic's heels here and developing this kind of technology could allow hackers to more easily

identify security vulnerabilities. This is like having hundreds of hackers working 24/7. And so, Anthropic wants to help these important companies

identify existing security vulnerabilities early and fix them before this technology becomes more widely available.

When it started this Project Glasswing back in April with 50 partners, since then they have identified 10,000 serious security flaws. And the

company is now making this model available to 150 additional partners in critical industries. So, things like power, water, health care,

communications, hardware. They want to make sure that these critical industries have a chance to play with this technology, identify security

vulnerabilities before bad actors potentially get their hands on this technology.

And, Jim, I really thought this was interesting. Anthropic describing why this project is so important. They said within six to 12 months, we expect

many other A.I. companies will have Mythos-class models and they could release them without safeguards that prevent misuse. In that world, cyber-

attacks could occur much more often and in a much more unpredictable form. So, Anthropic really trying to get ahead of what they see as a much bigger

risk here.

SCIUTTO: Now, how about the White House plan here? Because, of course, the White House first had a hands-off approach. Now, it's more hands-on, but

it's voluntary. Why voluntary? Can it have any teeth if it's voluntary?

DUFFY: Yes, it is a good question. And it really is models like Mythos that have caused the White House to shift from this more hands-off stance

to wanting at least a little bit of oversight over these very powerful models. This executive order was developed in partnership with the

industry. They had a say here. So, you have to imagine that at least the big players will be willing to voluntarily give the White House that 30-day

review period.

You'll remember, Jim, that Trump initially expected to sign this executive order two weeks ago, hit the pause on that. That earlier version of the

order would have given the White House 90 days to review these models. And industry players said that was just too much time with how quickly these

A.I. models are developing.

So, industry playing ball here a little bit, White House adjusting to keep pace with their timeline. I think the challenge here is what happens when

you have a bad actor who catches up with these frontier labs and isn't willing to give the White House a review period to get a handle on that

technology. I think that is going to be the challenge for both the industry and the government. And we could be reaching that point very soon, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Clare Duffy, it's all moving so fast. Thanks so much. Well, checking some of today's other business headlines, Microsoft and the Mayo

Clinic are joining forces on a new A.I. project focusing on health care. The two sides are teaming up on a new A.I. model that will give patients

and providers access to better data, including health records and research. The Mayo Clinic will own the which could also be licensed out to other

health care institutions. Microsoft's A.I. head says it could take, quote, "many years before that model is rolled out."

However, new data shows U.S. job openings at their highest level in nearly two years. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows job postings rose sharply

in April. Most of those openings in professional and business services, job postings don't necessarily turn into job offers. However, economists say

the U.S. labor market remains in a low-hire, low-fire environment.

Seven, U.S. states are suing the Trump administration for blocking a major offshore wind project. The lawsuit involves a deal between the Interior

Department and a subsidiary of France's TotalEnergies.

[18:30:00]

The U.S. agreed to pay back $800 million for a canceled offshore lease, and the company promised to draw plans for future wind projects in the U.S. The

lawsuit alleges that the deal failed to follow proper administrative features.

Coming up on "The Brief," as cases of the deadly Ebola virus continue to rise in Central Africa, there are now questions as to the true scale of the

crisis. Is it worse than the official numbers suggest? We're going to hear from David Miliband of the International Rescue Committee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are the international headlines we're watching today.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning Russia may launch another large-scale attack on Ukraine tonight. Earlier, Moscow unleashed a

massive assault, more than seven, 650 drones, dozens of ballistic missiles targeting the capital, Kyiv and Dnipro. Ukrainian authorities saying those

strikes killed at least 23 people. Israeli and Lebanese diplomats began a new round of direct talks here in Washington.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his military will keep striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as planned. U.S. President

Donald Trump says he warded off a major Israeli raid on Beirut, however, during a phone call with Netanyahu.

A man who's played a key role in President Donald Trump's retribution tour is now the acting National Intelligence Chief. The president has tapped

Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to replace Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte does not have any intelligence or national security

experience, though the law that created the position required it.

[18:35:00]

Now, to the ongoing and expanding Ebola crisis in Central Africa and a warning that the scale of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo

is likely far bigger than official figures suggest. According to the government, the number of confirmed Ebola cases has reached 344. That

includes 60 deaths. The International Rescue Committee says the response has been hampered by delayed detection and dangerously low levels of

contract contact tracing, which therefore underestimate the actual total numbers of infections.

CNN's Clarissa Ward, who's in the DRC and met with Ebola patients, reported that testing at Bunia General Hospital was taking about a week to process.

Earlier, I spoke with David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, the IRC. He's also former British foreign

secretary. I began by asking him if he and the IRC have a true sense of just how big the Ebola outbreak is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MILIBAND, CEO, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE AND FORMER BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Well, we know that it's a 21-day incubation, so you can

bank on it being many multiples of the number that have currently been reported. It's being driven by the fact it's in a conflict zone, 120

different militias in the east of Congo, massive driver, a relatively weak basic health care system, big problems of water and sanitation.

And so, we're very, very fearful. I mean, we know that this is cross-border into Uganda. We know that it's really rampant when there is bodily touch.

It's not airborne, so it's not going to become a global pandemic, but it's deadly serious for the people in the area.

SCIUTTO: The last major outbreak in the DRC killed more than 2,000 people. IRC is warning this could actually end up being one of the deadliest. Is

that where you think this is going?

MILIBAND: Yes, because the drivers of this disease are not being contained and they are really in a very, very exposed position. If you think about

the kind of displacement that's going on and the caring practices that involve very intimate contact, that's probably one reason why two-thirds of

the victims so far are women. So, it's carers who are being hit the hardest.

We also know there's a drastic lack of basic protective equipment for health workers. So, those people who get it, it's very, very dangerous for

them. And obviously, there's been a lot of spread because this variant is not picked up by the tests. So, people are getting a test. They're being

told they're OK when in fact they're far from OK.

SCIUTTO: Wow. So, there's certainly more attention now. There has been some surging of resources. Is that surging of resources sufficient?

MILIBAND: No. I mean, it's got to go tenfold where we are, a hundredfold of where we are on the basics to contain it, because a lot of the attention

has been on announcement of new health centers. You need a health center, but it's going to take too long to build them. We know from previous

outbreaks that the key is, first of all, to prevent the spread, first of all, by isolating those who've got it, secondly, by protecting the health

workers, thirdly, the basic communal practices. It's communal practice in Democratic Republic of Congo that you touch the dead body. That's a

disaster for this.

We've got to have credible local engagement. That's even before you've got your health centers built. And so, it's about the amount of funding, also

the flow of funding, and critically, what the spending is on.

SCIUTTO: You have said that the outbreak is a profound example of the short-sightedness that comes with aid cuts. Are we seeing the impact of

cuts, reductions in international aid in this outbreak?

MILIBAND: Yes, there's been significant reduction in health facilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There's been significant reduction in

water and sanitation, latrines, basic hygiene and cleanliness, and that's because it's not considered, quote/unquote, "life-saving."

Now, we're in reaction mode, but of course, spending after the disease starts, you're playing catch-up, and that's much more difficult. I think

that the short-sightedness is to believe that if you neglect the basics of infrastructure on the grounds that it's not life-saving to have a health

center, you're going to end up in trouble.

SCIUTTO: The U.S., of course, has scaled back its health assistance to the DRC, as it has in many countries. Who is leading the way then? I mean, is

there someone who can fill the gap left, or is that a combined effort?

MILIBAND: Well, you're absolutely right to say leadership really matters. Fortunately, the World Health Organization and the African CDC, the Center

for Disease Control, are highly professional, they've got experience, and they're in the lead together.

Now, of course, the U.S. has pulled out of the World Health Organization, so that's a difficulty, but the head of the WHO, the World Health

Organization, will be the first to say they're short of funds, too. The U.S. has pulled out, reduced its funding, but they're not the only ones.

European countries, too. The European Union, the group of European countries, they've kept up their aid budgets, that's the good news.

But overall, the WHO is desperately short of funds, so that's why they're calling for a surge in support. But of course, the lesson is deeper. You

can't just surge after the disease breaks out.

SCIUTTO: It shows the importance of investment prior, right?

[18:40:00]

MILIBAND: 100 percent. And investment in the health infrastructure, as well as in the community engagement when it comes to water and sanitation

and basics.

SCIUTTO: I want to talk about the Iran War, because there's an aspect of this war that in my experience has been under covered, and that's been the

impact on world food supplies. Particularly, and one other thing, people talk a lot about oil going through the Strait of Hormuz, they forget about

fertilizer. Tell us that impact.

MILIBAND: This is such a good point, because there's a double whammy. First of all, when fuel prices go up, that's very tough for farmers all

around the world, as well as for people who are buying gas in America. But the Straits of Hormuz, as well as being 20 percent of the oil flow, they're

30 percent, 30 to 35 percent of global fertilizer.

So, if you're in West Africa, the planting season was April, May, really, it's past now, you've suddenly found that the fertilizer flow isn't there,

because they're at the back of the line when it comes to getting the fertilizer. Everyone's now facing higher fuel prices, and much higher

prices for fertilizer. That's why the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, they call this war, and the choking off of supplies through the

Straits of Hormuz, the global slow motion famine machine. That's how serious it is.

And the World Food Programme have said that on top of 300 million people who were in crisis levels of hunger before the war started, there's 45

million more as a result of this choking off of supply.

SCIUTTO: I mean, there's so much focus in this country, purely on gas prices, and a lot of talk about how it's going to take a long time to bring

those prices down, because it's going to take a long time to get the fuel back in the system, as it were. Are we going to have a similar lag effect

when it comes to food?

MILIBAND: The geopolitics of this are, even if there's agreement to open the Straits of Hormuz, that doesn't mean the conflict is over. A ceasefire

is not a peace settlement. The issues of the nucleophile, the issues of the regional role of Iran, the issues of the ballistic missiles and the drones.

We're looking at a conflict, tension as far as the eye can see, and risk mitigation as far as the eye can see, which drives higher costs.

So, I think the idea of a lag suggests we're going to go back to business as usual before February the 28th. I don't see that at the moment.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I want to talk about Lebanon just because you were there recently, and while there may be a tentative ceasefire now for parts of the

war in Lebanon, as you saw, there's immense suffering. Do you see any end in sight for that?

MILIBAND: One in five Lebanese have been uprooted from their home by the fighting. One in five. And 900 people have been killed since the ceasefire

was declared. So, the Lebanese people I talk to in Beirut, they're desperate. They're desperate because they say, I fear I will never be able

to go back to my home in the south of the country or in the Beqaa Valley in the east. You know the region well. This is a country that's always paying

the price of other people's wars, and this is the situation today.

SCIUTTO: Is there any surge of resources to help those people now?

MILIBAND: I wish. I mean, our team in Lebanon is half the size it was a year ago because of the aid cuts that you were talking about earlier. And

there's a massive need because you've got people who've lost everything. You've got kids who are no longer in schools. Schools have been turned over

to be shelters for those who've been displaced.

And obviously, as you all know well, this is a delicate balance. It's a delicate balance of different communities in Lebanon, and everyone fears

that this movement of people is going to upend this delicate balance.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, David Miliband, we appreciate the work you're doing and the work that the IRC is doing to try to --

MILIBAND: Thank you so much.

SCIUTTO: -- mitigate the suffering.

MILIBAND: Yes, thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: Thank you. Appreciate it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Concerning words there about the scale of the Ebola outbreak. We'll have more right after this.

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[18:45:00]

SCIUTTO: It's another Election Tuesday here in the U.S. Voters in six states are casting ballots in primaries ahead of the November midterms.

Polls remain open for a few more hours across the country. Many voters are choosing candidates for both federal and state office at stake. Control of

the House and the Senate, which Democrats would love to rest away from Republicans in November.

California is getting a particular amount of attention for several wild races happening there. 61 candidates competing to succeed the Democrat

Gavin Newsom as governor. The top two finishers today will go on to November. And former reality TV star Spencer Pratt is shaking up the

mayor's race in Los Angeles. As the incumbent Karen Bass tries to hold on for a second term.

CNN's Elex Michaelson joins me now from a polling station in Los Angeles. So, you got a lot to cover there. Let's start on the mayor's race, if we

can. Does Spencer Pratt still have a chance to pull off an upset here?

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: He thinks so. He told me yesterday that he thinks he's going to get over 50 percent today, which

would mean that the race is over. Because if somebody gets over 50 percent, the race ends and there is no runoff in November. There has not been a

single poll that suggests that anybody is anywhere close to 50 percent.

It's interesting, Jim. We talked to people. This has been a busy poll location here. The race primarily coming down to Karen Bass, the incumbent

mayor, who's been there for one term. It's been a tumultuous term dealing with the Palisades fire, dealing with homelessness. Nithya Raman, a city

council member who once endorsed Karen Bass, who's now running against her. And Pratt, who lost his home in that fire, who essentially is saying let's

blow up the system.

And almost everybody we talked to seemed way more motivated by the mayor's race, interested in the mayor's race than they are in the governor's race.

Spencer Pratt seems to be drawing people to the polls for and against him. Take a listen to what some of the voters said about the mayor's race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Who do you like?

RODNEY CHAISE WILLIAMS, VOTER: Karen Bass. I think she's been an amazing mayor in a lot of ways. I think there's been a lot of misrepresentation

towards her.

SHEILA FOLEY, VOTER: I'm just hoping it ain't Karen.

MICHAELSON: You're hoping it ain't Karen?

FOLEY: Yes.

MICHAELSON: You don't want Mayor Bass?

FOLEY: No.

MICHAELSON: Why is that?

FOLEY: Because she clearly doesn't care about nobody.

KEN MORRIS, VOTER: So, I voted for Nithya Raman. I voted for Karen Bass last time. I think she did a right job, but thinking that maybe some new

leadership might be good for the future.

ADAM VENRICK, VOTER: Well, anyone that'll keep Spencer Pratt's fascist ass out of office.

MICHAELSON: So, you're not a fan.

Why voting for Spencer Pratt?

JONATHAN ORTIZ, VOTER: He has new views. No corruption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So, clearly people have a strong opinion about both Bass and Pratt. And interestingly, Jim, not as strong of opinions when it comes to

the governor's race.

SCIUTTO: OK. So, let's talk about the governor's race. Most expensive on record. I feel like those records get set every election cycle these days.

But there was worry, as you know, among Democrats that two Republicans might finish first here. Are they still worried about that possibility?

MICHAELSON: Not only is there not really a worry about that, it seems a lot more likely that there could be two Democrats that advance and that the

Republicans get locked out altogether. Because here in California, all those 60 candidates that you talked about are on one ballot. Top two

advance, regardless of party.

[18:50:00]

All the recent polls seem to indicate it's essentially a three-person race for two spots. Xavier Becerra, former HHS secretary, a Democrat. Steve

Hilton, Fox News host, a Republican. And Tom Steyer, a billionaire, who spent over $200 million of his own money on this race. The reason, Jim,

that this is the most expensive race on record is basically just because of Tom Steyer. He's put so much money into it. He's struggled to catch on.

Recent polls indicate that in the last week or so, it appears that Steyer does have some momentum. Is it enough to get him into the top two? It's

going to be really interesting to see.

And remember, Jim, we count votes very slowly here. So, it could be three weeks before we know who wins.

SCIUTTO: Wow, wow. And not the first time Tom Steyer spent a lot of money on a race, as you know. Alex Michelson, thanks so much for joining.

MICHAELSON: Exactly. Thanks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: And please do stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: A final word tonight. On Monday night, Russia launched one of the largest missiles and drone barrages of the Ukraine war on Ukrainian cities.

Killing some two-dozen people, including children.

Tonight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning of another night of attacks from above. Russia, of course, has been raining missiles

and drones down on Ukraine for more than four years. But it has been expanding those attacks in recent days.

That's no coincidence. Russia knows that Ukraine is short of air defense missiles, particularly interceptors for the Patriot system supplied by the

U.S. Just last week, Ukraine's ambassador to Washington warned that the Kremlin would take advantage of those shortages. And she was right.

President Trump has not commented on the deadly attacks, though he has commented on a great deal in the last several days. More impactfully, the

U.S. is reducing or delaying deliveries of air defense missiles, even as those Russian attacks expand. Ukrainians I speak to feel abandoned by the

U.S. As one Ukrainian official told me recently, many Ukrainians are no longer inspired by U.S. global leadership in defending democratic values.

Ukrainians, this official said, are now their own inspiration.

Thanks so much for your company this evening. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.

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[18:55:00]

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