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Iran Expected to Respond to U.S. Proposal Today; Amanpour Remembers Her Years Working with CNN Founder Ted Turner; Frantic Race to Trace Origins of Deadly Hantavirus Infections; Rubio Meets with Pope Leo Amid Tensions Over Trump, Iran War. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired May 07, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

LISA EADICICCO, CNN TECH EDITOR: X post from the CEO of Coinbase when he announced the layoffs earlier this week.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's so interesting, when it's not a one-for- one swap, it makes it a little more complicated --

EADICICCO: Exactly.

BERMAN: -- right, in terms of replacing those jobs if you want these human beings to stay employed. Lisa Eadicicco, thanks. You do such great reporting on this, we appreciate it.

EADICICCO: Thank you.

BERMAN: A brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we are standing by for a response from Iran. It's expected to come today. Will they agree to the new U.S. proposal and how close to an end to the war would that deal really get them?

And a race now to track down the people who may have come in contact with the hantavirus, the cruise ship at the center of this outbreak now on the move.

And multiple tornadoes just ripping through Mississippi. We're getting our first look now at the widespread damage and we're tracking where this dangerous weather is headed next.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: All right, we've got some new images from inside Iran this morning. These are demonstrations in Tehran expressing support for the regime there. And it comes as we're awaiting this response from Iranian officials to the latest U.S. peace proposal. A source tells CNN, it should be coming today. And we are told that a one-page memo is on the table that would declare the conflict over and then trigger a 30-day negotiating period to resolve the serious sticking points. I mean, these are the major sticking points, nuclear issues, unfreezing Iranian assets, the future security in the Strait of Hormuz, opening the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, CNN has seen a document from Iran that lays out new rules for the Strait as it tries to cement its control over the waterway. It will require every ship to fill out a form with more than 40 questions before they can pass through.

Now, according to President Trump, the U.S. has had, quote, very good talks with Iran over the last 24 hours. But the word from inside Iran seems to be mixed. One of Tehran's top negotiators is mocking the president's brief operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz. He wrote the quote, "Operation, trust me, bro, failed" -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Joining me now is CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour. Just let's first start with this.

You saw the operation, trust me, bro, that was put out by one of the chief negotiators. But you also heard Donald Trump spoke to Fox News on the phone saying this should be wrapped up in a week. So what are you sort of expecting at this point when you hear all these different views at the same time?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, I think they are the same views that we've been hearing. First, defiance from the Iranian side and a very sophisticated trolling activity. And secondly, President Trump literally talking all the time to various individual news organizations or in press conferences or whenever the camera is in his face about what actually he thinks is going to happen.

What is absolutely clear is neither the United States nor Iran wants to go back to full scale war. It is not in anybody's interest, neither the U.S. and the rest of the world nor Iran. So now the question has always been for the last weeks of this ceasefire, who has the highest patience level and pain threshold?

And this is what is the big gamble right now, the big sort of wait and see. So if there is this one page document that will try to open up the Strait of Hormuz, deal with that, President Trump declares victory and then tries to deal and must deal with the nuclear issue, then that seems to be probably more likely. Let us not forget that none of these operations that the United States has tried, the latest being Operation Freedom, so-called, to move boats and escort them out of the Strait has worked. They just have not worked.

In the meantime, the world economy gets worse and worse. Iran is in a whole load of pain economically, their civilians, the poverty level, the wastage to the civilian infrastructure. Obviously, their weapons, systems and all the rest of it have been dramatically weakened.

So the question is now, what is Iran going to say back to the latest U.S. proposal, knowing, as we know, that they are prepared for more war, as they keep saying, they believe it might even be inevitable. The United States does not want it, even though it has so much military personnel and weapons systems and everything sort of in that region ready and prepared.

So I think that this is, you know, again, a little bit of wait and see. And I think also, let us face it, the Strait of Hormuz was not an issue before the war started on February 28. It was not an issue.

The nuclear issue was being negotiated at the table the day before the war was started.

[08:05:00]

So now it is almost starting from zero and wondering what you are going to get better than you could have done on the days before the war. Sure, you have a much weaker Iran, but it is still there and it has consolidated itself around the hardliners.

You just said there were demonstrations. Well, those are not protesters against the regime, as you pointed out. Those are authorized and sanctioned pro-government shows of defiance.

SIDNER: Look, I want to turn now to something else that is both personally and professionally impactful to all of us, but especially to you, and that is the death of CNN founder Ted Turner. You have so many incredible stories about him, about his work, your work with him, but what are you remembering this morning?

AMANPOUR: You know, Sara, as you ask me right now and as we have just talked about this latest war in the Middle East, I remember the first Gulf War, the war that President George H.W. Bush launched to get Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, a legitimate war, a just war, a war that had the U.N. approval, that had a massive alliance with 500,000 troops gathered in the Saudi desert under U.S. leadership to drive Saddam Hussein out of Iraq -- of Kuwait rather -- and then it ended there. They had a beginning plan, they had a, you know, a logistical plan, a battle plan and an end plan and an exit strategy, and we covered that, and that is what launched Ted Turner's CNN around the world into the global consciousness.

That and covering it from so-called behind enemy lines in Baghdad, where Ted Turner himself said, we are an international network, a global network, we must cover stories from every single angle, we are not on any side, we're here to tell the truth -- and he used that word -- the truth and provide the facts on every story. And I think that's incredibly important, given the politicization of just about everything, including basic information that happens today.

So that's what's going through my mind, as well as the fact that, look, you know, he was a savant, he knew things and saw things before almost anyone, he was a classic American success story, he was an entrepreneur, he was a champion sailor, he was award-winning at everything, and he really created a global media revolution, and nothing has been the same since.

The idea of 24-7 is Ted Turner's idea, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, and look, people made fun of CNN, they called it all kinds of names, which I will not get into, but all sorts of names when it first started, no one believed that this was actually going to work, and it did, but you actually spent quite a bit of time with him in his later years. I want to toss to a quick sound between you and Ted Turner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: This letter from your dad when you declared classics your major, he said, "My dear son, I'm appalled --

TED TURNER, CNN FOUNDER: I know --

AMANPOUR: -- even horrified that you've adopted classics as a major. As a matter of fact, I almost puked --

TURNER: On the way home today.

AMANPOUR: (LAUGHING) You remember the letter? I think you're rapidly becoming a --

TURNER: An asshole.

AMANPOUR: No, it was a jackass.

TURNER: Damn it, I sent you there.

AMANPOUR: What did you think when you got that letter from your own dad?

TURNER: I was more amused than anything because I saw the value in classics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Christiane, it's such a great moment, it just tells you so much about him and his family and who he is, the maverick that he became, due in part, I guess, to his own dad.

AMANPOUR (on camera): That is where he thought he started CNN. He had been sent to an Ivy League college because his father wanted him to do that. He wanted to study classics, and he recounted Shakespeare for me about honor. He talked about Horatio at the Bridge.

He really had so much classic memory in his mind, and it was amazing. I've been at CNN 43 years, three years after it started, and I would say that it is a very rare thing in today's mogul world and world of billionaire owners to have been able to work for a man, a person who believed in doing the right thing and who inspired such a massive workforce to follow him. And you can see the enduring affection, the enduring admiration, not only in his obituaries that have been done outside, but in the way we're all talking about him.

You know, his motto was lead, follow, or get out of the way. He did the first, we did the second, and the rest had to get out of the way.

SIDNER: It's a really good point. One of the greatest things that I think he did for all of us is allowing us to get to know each other, work together. It has been wonderful.

Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much. In 43 years, that ain't nothing to sneeze at, OK, doing this particular job. Hard work -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Lead, follow, or get out of the way. Here we go.

[08:10:00]

Another person infected and now a scramble to find who else may have come in contact with the deadly Hantavirus strain on board that cruise ship. We're tracking that for you this morning.

And the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, sitting with Pope Leo today. This is after weeks of the President criticizing and insulting the Pope over the Pontiff's opposition to the Iran war.

And a mother now facing charges after allegedly punching and kicking a teenage football player on an opposing team.

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[08:15:00]

BOLDUAN: So officials are launching an all-out contact tracing operation right now after the cruise ship at the center of that deadly and rare Hantavirus outbreak is now headed to Spain's Canary Islands. That is where it's expected to dock in about three days. But that is, as of right now, still up in the air a bit.

It comes as officials say all symptomatic passengers have now been evacuated off the ship. Yesterday, three were flown out to the Netherlands where they will be treated. And all this began now nearly a month ago when the first death was reported on board the ship. Two more people have died since.

Let's get to CNN's Melissa Bell. She's all of this for us. And Melissa, what is the latest here?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that ship now, having been refused by Cap Verde, it had been on its route. It was not able to stop there and disembark all the 147 passengers that remain on board. Three of them, though, were successfully disembarked and sent onwards to Amsterdam.

The rest are on their way to the Canary Islands. We expect them to arrive in Tenerife, Kate, at some point over the course of the weekend, possibly Saturday. And all arrangements are now being made.

We understand from the World Health Organization that these passengers can be successfully disembarked, taken on to the appropriate hospitals, cared for and quarantined. There is some wrangling still going on between authorities in the Canary Islands and the president of the Spanish archipelago and Madrid about how this disembarkation is going to happen. We understand there are planned strikes from some of the dock workers. And I think this gives you an idea of just how scared people have been and how difficult this has been for authorities to deal with. Then there is the added complication that you referred to a moment ago of trying to track down all of the people who might have been in contact with some of those 44 passengers who've already left the ship, most of them who disembarked in St. Helena, which is a southern Atlantic British island. This was after the first passenger died from this Andes strain of the hantavirus.

Some 40 people chose to disembark there. Two of them we now know were positive for the virus. The wife of the man who initially died. She collapsed shortly after arriving in South Africa. So a great deal of effort going in to track down anyone who was at the airport or on that flight with her.

And then there was another man who made his way to Switzerland, who is now in hospital and is another of those confirmed cases. There are also amongst their group, that group, some three people we now know to be in the state of Georgia and Arizona who are being quarantined and kept an eye on. But it is a lot of people to track down.

And I think one of the most worrying things about this particular strain, Kate, whilst the World Health Organization is insisting it's not as contagious as the flu or as COVID, it has an eight week incubation period. And that, of course, is really complicating for authorities tracking people down who might have been contaminated but also keeping an eye on them for long enough to ensure that that isn't the case.

So an extremely difficult situation to deal with. But for the 147 passengers still on that ship, by the time they get on Saturday to Tenerife, this will be a huge relief, one imagines, to get off -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, one would imagine. Thank you so much, Melissa. It's very good to see you -- John.

BERMAN: Well, we're getting a first look this morning at the destruction after a tornado tore through one Mississippi town. Look at that.

And then she sings one of the greatest songs of all time. Total Eclipse of the Heart. Bonnie Tyler rushed to the hospital. We are waiting for word on her condition.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, we are getting the first images of Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting with Pope Leo. They just wrapped up their talk, and we are standing by for details on how it went, what they said about really extraordinary, unprecedented tensions between the administration and the Vatican.

Let's get right to seeing a Vatican correspondent, Christopher Lamb, live for the very latest. What are you hearing so far, Chris?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, we haven't had any concrete details of the meeting, other than that it has taken place as is normal for these kind of encounters. It took place in the Vatican, behind closed doors. And we are expecting a communique from the Vatican, setting out the broad themes that were discussed.

But there's no doubt this meeting takes place at a time of extraordinary tension between the papacy and the U.S. administration, with President Donald Trump launching these extraordinary attacks on Pope Leo. So I think this meeting is an opportunity for the Vatican to have that behind-the-scenes diplomacy that it is more used to than having a president attacking a Pope publicly. But, you know, the differences between Pope Leo and President Trump are quite stark.

You know, we're almost a year into Leo's papacy. He is, of course, the first American Pope born in Chicago. He's set himself up, in many ways, in stark contrast to President Trump.

He's emphasized peace in the Middle East. He's opposed the war in Iran. That's what has riled the president. He's also spoken out for immigrants and for protection of the environment.

And so we do have this very distinct and stark contrast between the first U.S. Pope and President Trump. And the meeting that is taking place, or has taken place, between Secretary of State Rubio and the Pope is about trying to heal some of these tensions.

But that is going to be very difficult when we've seen these attacks from the president. And, you know, there are so many what seemingly very, very much irreconcilable differences.

BERMAN: And it's been very interesting to watch the Pope stand up to some of these attacks very explicitly at times. All right, we will await the readout, which could be coming soon.

Christopher Lamb for us in Rome, thank you very much -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

Just ahead, the FBI raided the office of a Virginia state Democrat who led the successful redistricting in her state. What led to this investigation by the FBI?

[08:25:00]

Also, Coinbase, the latest to announce major layoffs because of, you guessed it, AI. The new report out this morning on AI's impact on jobs.

Those stories and more ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Pro-regime rallies are erupting in Tehran as the Trump administration and the world, quite frankly, is standing by to see how Iran responds to the latest U.S. proposal. Source says that response is coming today. Also told there is a one-page memo on the table that would declare an end to the conflict and kick off a 30-day period of negotiations on the major sticking points. Calling them sticking points is like an understatement.

President Trump says the U.S. has had a, quote, very good talks with Iran over the last 24 hours. Yes, he has also said that before, leaving many to remain skeptical of what progress has really been made in this moment, but also hopeful.

Here's what Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, though, told John Berman just last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Based on what I know, and it's not classified information, there is a framework. It's nebulous ...

[08:30:00]