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Trump Won't Say If U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Still in Effect; NYPD Says, Anti-Semitic Graffiti on Several Synagogues, Homes in Queens; Tonight, California's Gubernatorial Candidates Face Off in CNN Debate. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 05, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning, is a ceasefire a ceasefire if the firing has not ceased? A day of escalating attacks leaves the situation of the Persian Gulf teetering, and we are standing by for a new statement on the hostilities from the Pentagon.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Developing news this morning, a shootout on the National Mall between Secret Service and an armed man near the Washington Monument. A child has been injured. What we're learning about this case.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The fireworks capital of the world erupts. A factory explosion overnight that killed dozens of people and they are still searching for survivors today.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: This morning, is the ceasefire with Iran on the brink of collapse or even past it? A fire burning in a major oil port after a drone attack in the United Arab Emirates, that's a U.S. ally, after the United States and Iran traded new attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. We are standing by to learn more from a Pentagon briefing this morning.

Now, President Trump warned the Iranians will be, quote, blown off the face of the earth if they target U.S. ships, but he will not say whether the ceasefire remains in effect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the ceasefire over, Mr. President? Is it over? We're going to hit them tonight?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, I can't tell you that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, that's fine.

TRUMP: I mean, you wouldn't -- if I answered that question, you just say, this man is not smart enough to be leading the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Also this morning, we have new CNN reporting on just how much damage U.S. and Israeli strikes inflicted on Iran's nuclear supply chain. The United States has said it decimated Iran's nuclear capabilities, but an investigation found that while much of the production process has been substantially damaged, some of the most important parts of the process, the stores of highly enriched uranium, may not have been touched at all.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House this morning for the very latest on, frankly, if there is a ceasefire.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot of questions, John, that still need to be answered at this Pentagon press briefing in about an hour from now, and a lot of them over the president's push, which we saw really take place yesterday to try and guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz. That was always going to be a high risk kind of effort from the president, which was really designed to try and jolt the Iranians out of this stalemate and back to the negotiating table in a meaningful way.

But, clearly, we were really seeing the impacts of that decision by this administration. We saw several exchanges of fire between the U.S. and Iran, the U.S. saying that the military destroyed six Iranian small boats. That's according to U.S. Central Command, the Iranians pushing back on that, but then also fire exchange with U.S. allies in the region, seeing some of these fire hitting Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

And, really, no one is entirely sure at this point, John, whether or not this tenuous ceasefire remains intact. The president clearly really trying to sidestep a series of questions yesterday, both from reporters in person around some of the events that he had, but also from a series of phone calls he did, really not willing to say whether or not this ceasefire is still on, even, of course, as we're seeing fire exchanged in real time.

Now, all of this comes, of course, as there's immense pressure on the president. You're seeing oil prices, they hit the highest price that they have throughout this entire war yesterday at the start of this Project Freedom operation of guiding these ships through the strait. But also he has this upcoming China trip, which is really adding another level of pressure to the president to try and get vessels moving.

Now, all of this comes as we know that Steve Witkoff and other top officials here at the White House, they are remaining in conversation, they say, with the Iranians, but a lot of this, again, seems so fragile and tenuous. And from the president's point of view, just from all of the conversations I and our colleagues have had with officials, he still remains very wary of moving forward with another bombing attack. Even as he told Fox News yesterday that Iran would be blown off the face of the earth if it targets U.S. ships, he does still want a diplomatic deal.

[07:05:07] The question, of course, is whether or not that is possible at this time, particularly with kind of Trump's frustration with the strait remaining closed.

All of this leaving huge questions that we're hoping to get answers from when the Pentagon briefs in an hour now. John?

BERMAN: Yes. Well, we'll see if there will be clarity from the statements that are made at the Pentagon.

Alayna Treene at the White House this morning, thank you for that update. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

A developing story here in New York, the NYPD is confirming several synagogues and homes in Queens have been vandalized, spray painted with images of swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti. Police say they are searching for at least four people who may be behind this.

CNN's Brynn Gingras following this forest this morning. Clearly disturbing, very scary for those especially whose homes and synagogues have been desecrated. What are you hearing from police?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And when you think about these synagogues or these Jewish centers, this isn't just a place where people go to worship, right? This is also where daycares happen in the morning. And so you wake up, you know, in this case, yesterday morning, to see this awful imagery on the place that you are trying to go every single day where you're dropping your kids off again for daycare.

So, let's go to that surveillance video because that's what's important there. That's what officials are releasing, trying to get people to try to maybe possibly recognize anyone, although obviously there it's very grainy, but they're looking for about four people. We understand that this imagery is put on not only just places of worship, but also someone's home, their car. Actually our affiliate, WPIX, learning from an ADL director that one of those homes was actually a Holocaust survivor, which makes this particularly even more heinous.

The hate crimes task force in New York, again, looking for as many as poor people, possibly more who did this Monday night and getting the word out not only through the police but also elected officials at visited his site, including the mayor. He actually tweeted about it after talking to people in his office saying, really, there is no place for anti-Semitism in Queens or anywhere in our city. I stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors. Their safety, dignity, and belonging are non-negotiable. So, of course, any information is going to be important to get these people, you know, arrested.

And what one of the rabbis said to one of our affiliates was, you know what, I don't even know if I want them arrested. I just want to have a conversation. Let's talk about why this is so important, why this should not be happening in our community. SIDNER: Yes. I mean, the fact that it, one of them was a Holocaust survivor who sees the swastika, that fear and terror for that particular person must be overwhelming this morning. So, there's a surveillance video. I know we can see it on cnn.com that people should look at --

GINGRAS: Absolutely.

SIDNER: -- to see if they recognize anyone. Thank you so much.

GINGRAS: All right.

SIDNER: I appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: It is time to debate on CNN once again. Seven candidates all vying to be the next governor of California, taking the stage after a scandal that's left the field with no clear leader, what's at stake tonight.

And a shootout on the National Mall involving the secret service blocks away from the White House. A young bystander is hit by the suspect. We have the very latest on that investigation.

And Dolly Parton speaking out after canceling her Las Vegas residency now, but she does say she is not done yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This thing of me is like an old classic car that once restored can be better than ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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BOLDUAN: Happening tonight, the top contenders in California's race for governor facing off at a CNN debate. And it is crunch time. Mail- in ballots are now being delivered to voters ahead of the primary at the beginning of June. And, no question, one big topic tonight as it is in this race, is the cost of living. California's one of the most expensive states in the country to live in. Gas prices currently -- gas currently costs on average more than $6 a gallon in that state. And there's nearly -- that's nearly $2 more than the national average that we've been tracking, obviously, on a day-to-day basis.

So, what is at stake tonight? CNN's Jeff Zeleny has a preview for us? He's joining us now.

Talk to me about what's expected now that this whole thing has been rocked by scandal as well.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kate. Good morning. I mean, look, this is an opportunity for one of the many candidates in this field to break out of this pack. I mean, there are going to be seven candidates on stage tonight, five Democrats and two Republicans as well, and that is important. We'll talk about that in a second. But these candidates are trying to break out. This has been a very crowded field, as you said. The congressman, Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race just a month or so ago amid these allegations, which he has denied, but that has left a wide open of field there.

And if you look at some of these candidates, Javier Becerra, a former Health and Human Services secretary during the Biden administration, has essentially benefited the most from Swalwell being out of this race. He's consolidated some of the support, but certainly not all of the support. And Tom Steyer, the billionaire, who once ran for president, as we remember, has spent about $130 million in this race. He is also trying to break out. He's struggling to catch on, but he is among the leading a contender as well. But affordability housing homelessness, so many issues are front and center in this race.

Of course, all these candidates are vying to replace Gavin Newsom, who cannot run again because of the term limits. But, of course, California, the most populous state in the nation, has many challenges, there's no doubt about it, but, again, five Democrats and two Republicans, which leads to some concern from some Democrats.

[07:15:07]

Kate?

BOLDUAN: And there's been a lot of talk about, you know, and you can get into this now of the top two candidates, no matter -- regardless of party, goes on to the general and there's been a lot of talk of, is there a possibility that it could just be two Republicans that end up making it through? What are you hearing about this?

ZELENY: Look, mathematically, it is possible, and here is why. This is what's known as sort of a jungle primary, where all of the candidates are on the same ballot. There's actually 61 candidates running for governor. Only a few, of course, have made it to the debate stage. But two of those candidates on the debate stage will be Republicans, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, who's the Riverside County sheriff.

And one of the mathematical issues here is, yes, it is possible for two Republicans to win the June primary and go on to the general election. It's not likely, but, again, I was speaking with the former House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, from California, and he told me this. He said, it's a perfect opportunity, the mismanagement of Gavin Newsom and such a weak field gives voters a chance to actually look at somebody new and better for California.

So, look, Kate, it has been a very long time, 20 years, in fact, since California has elected a Republican governor. Of course, he was Arnold Schwarzenegger. So much has changed inside the party. But, overall, actually California has had more Republican governors in its history than Democratic governors. So, it certainly is possible but unlikely, politically speaking, in this era of Donald Trump.

But, again, tonight, the bottom line, a chance for one of those candidates, perhaps a couple of those candidates to try and break out of a very crowded field. The primary is less than one month away. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And tonight can play critical for all of them, no matter -- you can definitely -- you definitely lose your race from a debate stage, as we have seen many a times.

ZELENY: That's right.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, buddy. Thank you so much.

You can watch the CNN gubernatorial debate moderated by Kaitlan Collins and Elex Michaelson tonight at 9:00 P.M. Eastern, 6:00 P.M. Pacific on CNN. John?

BERMAN: Following a very special Anderson Cooper at 8:00 P.M. anchored by --

BOLDUAN: Oh, the one and only.

BERMAN: This guy right here.

BOLDUAN: J.B.

BERMAN: All right. A floating garbage patch twice the size of Texas creating new problems for the climate, much bigger than previously expected.

And then all the glitz and all the glamour, not here on the set of CNN News Central, but at the Met Gala, which athletes brought the fabulous. Joe Burrow looking fine.

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BERMAN: So, the NBA playoffs have been pretty much like drunk so far, just incredible games. And overnight, while I was sleeping, a big upset in game one of the Western Conference semifinals and a big return from an injured player. Coy Wire, this one, it was really, really good.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Really good, while you were sleeping, John. The Spurs were 13.5 point favorites to your, you know, underdog point for the Timberwolves. And Victor Wembanyama, he had an historic night in game, one of their semi-final series with the T-Wolves. He said, get that out of here 12 times, a new playoff record, a triple double with blocks.

But plot twist, as John mentioned, the Timberwolves got their alpha dog back, Anthony Edwards returning from injury, a hyper-extended knee, drops 18 points and brings the spark Minnesota needs to steal game one, 104-102.

All right, the Knicks, they're not just winning, they are steamrolling history. Three straight playoff wins by 25 plus, never been done until now. Game one of the Eastern Conference semis, a 39-point demolition of the 76ers, 137-98. Like John said, the playoffs have been drunk. And Jalen Brunson cooked with 35 points. His sous chef, Karl Anthony- Towns, O.G. Anunobi, MIkal Bridges, all hitting on all cylinders. Knicks add to their historic playoff role. Game two is tomorrow.

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs overtime thriller, Hurricanes down 2-0 t to the Flyers but fight back into the chaos. The Canes' Taylor Hall knocked to his knees, but pops up like a hockey zombie, corrals the puck and scores the game winner, a 3-2 win, taking a 2-0 lead in their second round series. They now head to Philly for game three.

Golden Knights and Ducks late in the third, tension thick enough to skate on, and Ivan Barbashev buries the go-ahead goal off a dime from Pavel Dorofeyev. Vegas takes it 3-1 over Anaheim. The Ducks coach, Joel Quenneville, not loving it, won in icing, only got frustration. Vegas takes the win 3-1 in the opener of their second round series.

All right, first inning a statement, Aaron Judge launching his 14th homer like its batting practice, tied with the White Sox rookie, Munetaka Murakami for the lead, the Yankees go on to bulldoze the Orioles 12-1 for the sweep. 14 wins in 16 games, Judge now has 91 career first inning homers trailing only the Yankees legends Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.

Finally, from sweat to silk, stars traded jerseys and kits for some jaw-dropping fits at the Met Gala. Venus Williams, co-chair of the event, her sister, Serena, there, Naomi Osaka, a whiteout with protruding leaves, red hands and nails, Lindsay Vaughn shining after her scary crash at the Olympics, Russell Wilson and Ciara, white suit, golden crusted shoulders matching the dress. And how about Olympic phenom, Eileen Gu, 15,000 glass bubbles on her dress, took more than 2,500 hours to make, and, John, it has real bubbles.

[07:25:08]

I mean, that -- if that doesn't say whimsy. I don't know what does. That's fascinating.

BERMAN: Can you sit down?

SIDNER: I'll break all those glass bubbles.

WIRE: That's a great question.

BERMAN: How do you sit? I'm just wondering about that. But, otherwise, looks great.

WIRE: Yes.

SIDNER: She'd do really well on our show. We don't sit.

BERMAN: That's right. That should be the outfit for CNN News Central, where we never sit.

SIDNER: She's perfect. BERMAN: Coy Wire, thank you very much for that. And Lindsay Vaughn, a friend of the show, I have to say, also looked great making it up the stairs on that leg.

SIDNER: Making it up the stairs.

BERMAN: She's doing fantastic as well.

SIDNER: It's pretty incredible, because she was on crutches when she came in. She had like a day or two to figure it out. She figured it out. She's that good.

All right, thank you, John.

Ahead, the brand new effort to test A.I. tools to make sure they're safe for children.

And take a look at this, dramatic video showing the moment a fireworks factory explodes. The frantic search for survivors in what is known as the fireworks capital of the world.

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