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Senior Admin. Official: Trump Has Signed Off On Ousting Of FDA Chief; Trump Announces 3-Day Ceasefire Between Russia And Ukraine; CDC Teams To Meet Americans On Hantavirus-Hit Ship In Canary Islands; U.S. Disables 2 More Iranian Tankers Attempting To Run Blockade; Rubio: U.S. Expecting Response From Iran Today On War Proposal; Giuliani Seeks Help From 9/11 Fund To Cover Medical Care; Residents Livid After Utah County Approves 40K-Acre AI Data Center. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 08, 2026 - 15:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:59]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: We do have some breaking news. A senior Trump administration official telling CNN that President Trump has signed off on a plan to oust Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary. The decision follows mounting criticism from both Trump aides and outside allies over Makary's management of the health agency.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is with us now. Kristen, tell us what you're learning here.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so right now we know that President Trump has approved this plan to fire Marty Makary, but of course, just to note, anyone that you're talking to inside of the White House is going to tell you the same thing. It's not a done deal until it's a done deal.

President Trump could always change his mind, but we have heard these increase -- increasing calls to fire Makary for a number of reasons. As you said, part of it is his handling of the health agency as a whole. Another part of this is his controversial decisions on approving specific drugs.

The other thing that we have heard, and this is from Republican anti- abortion supporters who have said that Makary is not moving fast enough or aggressively enough to try and stop mifepristone from being distributed. So these are all various things that have been in the works for some time.

And our colleague, Adam Cancryn, reported this. He said that Trump and other aides have increasingly discussed the prospect of moving -- removing Makary in recent weeks, and that included actually surveying outside allies about his job performance, obviously something we know President Trump often does, and fielding complaints about the agency and even looking into who could lead this agency.

Now, of course, one thing to note is that if he does go through with this, this would lead another huge vacancy at the head of Trump's health system right now. There are several jobs that have not been filled, and that would leave just another opening.

KEILAR: And in other news coming out of the White House, the President had an announcement about the war in Ukraine, Kristen.

HOLMES: That's right. So he has announced a ceasefire that he says both sides agreed to under his request. We do know that both sides had called for a unilateral ceasefire. That was 72 hours. This was all around Russia's victory day.

Now, we are hearing from President Trump saying that they agreed to a mutual ceasefire here. And I want to read you a couple of the lines of what's part of this. It says the ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity and a prison swap of a thousand prisoners from each country.

He says that they both -- both leaders agreed to this. And then he adds, hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly and hard fought war.

Now, I will tell you that on Thursday, just yesterday, we know that one of the heads of Ukraine met with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to talk about reopening a conversation around ending the war in Ukraine. Obviously, that has been put somewhat on the back burner.

Witkoff and Kushner have been very deeply involved in the negotiations with Iran. And the ceasefire deal comes out of that meeting or comes after that meeting. But it's hard to say whether or not this really is a jumping off point for another round of negotiations, as we've seen these kind of things before. Get out there and then sputter to a halt.

KEILAR: Yes.

All right, Kristen, thank you so much for that report from the White House. Boris?

[15:35:09]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: In fewer than 48 hours, the cruise ship at the center of the deadly hantavirus outbreak is expected to dock in the Canary Islands. And sources tell CNN members of the Centers for Disease Control will be there when it arrives.

We're told agency staffers will escort the 17 American passengers currently on board back to the U.S. on chartered flights. Then a separate CDC team will meet them in Nebraska, which is home to the National Quarantine Unit. The passengers are expected to be held there as health officials race to stop this virus, which has a four to 42- day incubation period.

Joining us now is former CDC Director Tom Frieden. He's also the President and CEO of the nonprofit Resolve to Save Lives. Doctor, thank you so much for being with us.

First, help us understand the role that the CDC is going to play with the disembarking passengers and over the next few months.

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: Well, hantavirus is an unusual virus in that there are many, many strains of it. This particular strain is deadly, but as far as we know, requires very close contact. The incubation period, that is the time between when you're exposed and get sick, is, as you say, as long as seven weeks.

And from what we know, there isn't casual contact. And quite frankly, this particular virus is not set up to create the next pandemic. There's lots that we don't know. So we always have to be careful. It's a real risk for people on the ship and for those who have contact with people who got sick on the ship with this virus.

But this isn't going to cause a pandemic. The role of the CDC is to protect American citizens and to coordinate with the World Health Organization and other organizations so we learn more and protect Americans better.

SANCHEZ: Of course, as I noted, there are some Americans that were on the ship that are already back on U.S. soil, including one in Virginia. And notably, Virginia's health commissioner told my co- anchor Brianna yesterday that they're monitoring that passenger, that they are asymptomatic and the CDC is not recommending that they isolate. Is that the right protocol? Do you agree with that?

FRIEDEN: Yes, that's very reasonable. But you need to have active follow up. And we did this with the Ebola epidemic from 2014 to 2016, where we tracked every returning passenger and we made sure that their temperature was measured and their symptoms were checked every single day.

That's important because if they do become ill in this six, seven-week possible incubation period, they could infect others and they could very rapidly deteriorate and die. So you want to make sure that if someone starts to get sick, they are immediately cared for in a facility that can do so safely and effectively.

But, you know, Boris, I think the bigger story here is that this outbreak shows how unprepared we are because this administration has hollowed out the CDC, walked away from WHO. And because of that, Americans are more vulnerable and we are less safe.

Outbreaks on cruise ships happen all the time and they're very complicated because of the intense contact on those ships. The contact investigations often involve multiple states and multiple countries. This is why the World Health Organization is so important.

But the CDC hasn't been present. They haven't sent an update to doctors around the U.S. That's standard for this type of situation. So doctors know how to answer patient's questions. They haven't allowed to -- to being allowed to work closely with the World Health Organization so we can learn when they're learning and we can help them do a better job.

We have let down our defenses against microbes and those defenses are laboratories, staff and linkages. And because of that, we're less safe.

SANCHEZ: You, as you noted, were the head of the CDC during the Ebola outbreak. I wonder how you think this compares to Ebola. What lessons have been learned since and also how this compares to the last pandemic? Because I think that the hangover from COVID-19 is part of the reason that this is getting so much attention and perhaps deservedly concern.

FRIEDEN: This is a scary virus and it's something that people haven't heard about. It kills people. It causes severe problems. So, yes, it is scary.

But the difference is that this virus, as of now, from everything we know, does not easily spread from person to person. And it's not set up to change in ways that it is likely to be able to spread from person to person anytime soon.

So from everything we've seen, this is not the next COVID. This is not the next pandemic. It's serious if you're on that ship or if you're in contact with someone who got sick on that ship. But for everyone else, this really doesn't change your risk one way or another. What is the case is that the microbial world has not taken a break just because we've largely disbanded our health defenses.

[15:40:19]

SANCHEZ: Dr. Tom Frieden, thanks so much for the time.

FRIEDEN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

So will President Trump's proposal to end the war with Iran get a positive response? It's supposed to be just one page long, but yet countless issues remain unresolved. We'll discuss in just moments.

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[15:45:00]

KEILAR: It's now after midnight in Pakistan and still no word from mediators on Iran's response to the U.S. proposal to end the war that was put forward days ago. President Trump insisting the shaky ceasefires holding despite new skirmishes around the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command says this new video shows American forces firing on two Iranian flagged oil tankers. They were trying to get around that U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

We're joined now by CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen. All right, so this is kind of the day two where we have been told by the administration that the response is coming and yet it is quite late and we haven't seen it. Where are we right now?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: One thing is, Brianna, is, you know, the Iranian weekend has already begun for what it's worth. So there -- and, you know -- so, you know, who knows because we've heard a lot of different things from the administration just even the concept of ceasefire. There seems to be a lot of firing for something the ceasefire not only in the Strait of Hormuz but also in Lebanon where people continue to die.

And that was supposed to be part of the deal that things would really cease firing in Lebanon. That is 2,700 Lebanese have been killed according to the government during the past week. So, you know, it's just hard to tell because -- and also the administration says so many different things simultaneously about every aspect of this.

KEILAR: Yes. Let's go through some of those things. The President has said that Iran wants this more than the U.S. wants this. And yet there seems to be this real desire by the President, by the administration to say, no, we're in a new phase.

BERGEN: Yes.

KEILAR: The ceasefire is holding even when there's a lot of fire. How are you seeing that emphasis where he's trying to say, no, no, they want this more than I do? He seems to want it a lot.

BERGEN: He does. And I mean, you know, Susan Collins sort of is demonstrating that she is not enthusiastic about this war. So you're beginning to see some Republicans and, you know, the Iranians are pretty sophisticated about polling data in the United States our electoral calendar. And surely he's under some pressure from Republicans to kind of get this wrapped up.

I am very skeptical to be wrapped up. I think it'll take months. I mean, a one page agreement. It took, you know, it took the Obama team more than a year and a half to negotiate the 2015 deal.

And that didn't include the Strait of Hormuz. We've added a much more complicated thing to it which is kind of the other nuclear weapon that the Iranians have which is the one they can really use and they are using.

KEILAR: So when you say they're looking at the calendar.

BERGEN: Yes.

KEILAR: You think Iran is very much looking towards November without a desire to give the U.S. an off ramp before then?

BERGEN: The Post is reporting that the CIA says they have three to four months. Well, and after that in Iran, it will be very serious economic problems. But they already have serious economic problems. You know, it's inflation now 67 percent in Iran.

So, you know, they have their own issues and they're executing their prisoners and they know that there's popular unrest which they will put down very severely. So, you know, I think the pain level is higher. This this generation --

KEILAR: Your tolerance for the pain.

BERGEN: Yes.

KEILAR: Yes.

BERGEN: I mean this generation that -- I'm 63. Their formative experience was fighting in the Iran Iraq war. Almost all these leaders which went on for eight years and a million people died. They're roughly my age. But they were teenagers or in their early 20s when they fought in this war.

So that's -- and then they believe God is on their side. And some of them believe that the Marty is going to come. And this is part of the end of times. And, you know, we're not dealing with a completely rational set of actors.

KEILAR: And their reference point is very different certainly than the American reference point. The communications -- and we have heard the President talk about this a lot. We heard him talk about it yesterday where he said we're dealing with different sets of leaders.

BERGEN: Yes.

KEILAR: And then there's also this issue where -- I mean it is true, the Ayatollah -- it's not like the Ayatollah is out there. The Supreme Leader is not out there.

BERGEN: Yes.

KEILAR: And there are a lot of questions certainly about sort of where he is and how he is. But the security of Khamenei is of the utmost importance. And so that does mean that there's a bit of a delay. You would expect certainly I think reasonably that there would be a delay in getting him some information, right --

BERGEN: Yes.

KEILAR: -- for security purposes. But how are you seeing that is actually a hold up to this process?

BERGEN: I think the same thing happened during the Gaza war. The Hamas leadership were literally buried underground. I imagine Khamenei is keeping a very low profile. We know he is, but probably underground, probably communicating via courier.

No electronic signals. And ultimately, he will have to agree to this. And so, yes, that complicates things, yes, considerably.

KEILAR: Yes. Peter, so great to get your ideas on what we're seeing right now. This just feels a little bit like it is dragging on. And it's important to see how you are seeing things. Thank you.

BERGEN: Thanks, Brianna.

[15:50:09]

KEILAR: So still ahead, the construction of a just mammoth data center is moving forward in Utah despite intense community opposition. We're going to talk about the public anger here and the high profile investor behind this project. Stay with us.

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KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is seeking coverage through the World Trade Center health program to pay for his medical bills. The federally funded program was set up for 9/11 responders and survivors.

The 81-year-old is now out of the ICU but remains hospitalized for pneumonia. Further complicated by an underlying lung disease. Giuliani says the condition stems from his time at ground zero in the months following the terror attack.

[15:55:00]

SANCHEZ: And a father and son team of first responders in the Orlando area saved six people from a sinking boat. Storms caused hazardous conditions on a lake and the boat started to take on water as they waited to re-rescued. Some other people jumped into the water and the boat began to sink. Fortunately, the sheriff's office says everyone is OK.

And powerful storms and tornadoes battered parts of southern Mississippi this week flattening some homes and injuring over a dozen people. Ashton Lemley, a storm chaser, was walking through the hard hit area when he found a kitten trapped under two wooden posts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHTON LEMLEY, STORM CHASER: Oh my goodness baby. Are you OK? Are you OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Lemley handed the kitten over to a disaster response group. He says a lot of people have expressed interest in adopting the kitten if its owners aren't found. That was not an option for Lemley since he's allergic to cats.

You should do it anyway, right?

KEILAR: You know, I love that -- that's an important detail that he wants people to know. It's not that he doesn't have a good heart.

SANCHEZ: Right, right.

KEILAR: He's allergic.

SANCHEZ: So a massive AI infrastructure project set to break ground in rural Utah is being hailed by investors as one of the world's premier AI data centers. But many of the residents nearby, they don't want it. And they made that clear at their county commissioner's meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you be quite? Let our citizens hear what needs to be said, please.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was our one opportunity to hopefully get our voices heard. And we were kind of shut down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Still Box Elder County commissioners approved the Stratos project. It's a proposed 40,000 acre data center campus backed by Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary.

CNN's Clare Duffy is with us now. Clare, you spoke with O'Leary earlier today. How is he responding to that backlash that democracy in action there?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes. Well Boris, Brianna, I'll just tell you a little bit more about this project first. This project is slated for as you said this rural area of Box Elder County Utah. This is a place that is mostly populated by ranches and farmland. It's also a sanctuary for migratory birds.

And the plan here is to build a 9 gigawatt data center that would be more than double the power consumption of the entire state of Utah in a year. And also a natural gas power plant to power this facility. The idea there is that by building a power plant for the data center, it won't draw on the grid and potentially raise electricity prices for nearby residents.

Proponents are also saying this is going to create 2,000 permanent jobs and tax revenue for the state and county. But as you see from those pictures from the Monday meeting, many residents are really concerned about in particular what this could mean for this already fragile environmental area. Worried about the water consumption of this data center, the heat that it could produce.

But when I spoke to Kevin O'Leary, he said that he is aware and thinking about addressing those environmental concerns. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN O'LEARY, DATA CENTER DEVELOPER: No we're not going to drain the Great Salt Lake. That's ridiculous. We are going to create incremental jobs. This is not going to destroy air quality because we don't have the option to do that. That's controlled both state and federally. And we don't want to do that.

We want it to be the shining example of how you do this. And I want the Chinese to see this. I want them to see that we're not going to stop. We're going to catch up in terms of incremental growth of power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUFFY: As you hear there, Kevin O'Leary is also framing this as a national security priority saying that it is important for America to build more data centers, more power infrastructure in order to compete with China in the AI race. But residents in this community really say they need more time and more information to evaluate the potential impact of this project.

I spoke with Robert Davies, he's a physics professor at Utah State University. And he told me, "The question is, will the jobs be worth the cost? And the cost is, of course, multigenerational here. One needs to think about what kind of community do I want my children and grandchildren in 30 years from now, 50 years from now? Because this thing as described, running it for 30 years, will utterly transform this valley."

And that is the thing that the community members are really concerned about here.

SANCHEZ: What is next for these residents? I imagine they're not going to stop protesting.

DUFFY: That's right. I've actually learned that a group of voters in Box Elder County have filed an application for a referendum to be added to the ballot in November that would allow voters in this county to oppose essentially overturn the county commission's approval of this project. So residents are not stopping even as developers of this project are moving forward with trying to find tenants for this future data center.

KEILAR: It's really beautiful land, I will say that. Can you tell us a little bit more about this area that they're going to be using?

DUFFY: Yes, I mean, this is an area in the Great Salt Lake basin and the Great Salt Lake has already been drying up over the past few years which has led to a number of consequences for residents in this area. In particular, toxic dust, that is from the lake bed, that is blowing into residents' homes, their families. There are big concerns about the health impacts here if the lake continues to dry up because of a project like this.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Story to keep an eye on.

Clare Duffy, thanks so much for bringing that to us.

The Arena with Kasie Hunt starts right now. Thanks for joining us.