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Israel Warns Houthis, Iran After Missile Lands Near Airport; Celebratory Mood Dampened By U.S. Attacks On LGBTQ+ Rights; Labor Victory Could Signal Era Of Political Stability In Australia. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired May 05, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BEN HUNTE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you here.
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Coming up on the show, Israel issues a warning to Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels after Tel Aviv's airport is targeted.
President Trump is asked whether he will actually follow America's Constitution. We'll have his response.
And at a time of DEI rollbacks and attacks on LGBTQ rights, what will Pride Month look like? My panel digs deeper.
Welcome. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is issuing new warnings to Yemen's Houthi rebels and to Iran. They come after Sunday's Houthi missile strike near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.
The Iran-backed Houthis are also issuing a warning to the rest of the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YAHYA SAREA, HOUTHI SPOKESPERSON (through translator): The Yemeni armed forces renew their warning to all international airlines against continuing their flights to Ben Gurion Airport, as it has become unsafe for air traffic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: No one was injured in the missile strike, but it's causing concern, because most of the Houthi missiles fired at Israel are intercepted.
Now there are new questions about Israel's air defenses and the effectiveness of U.S. strikes in Yemen to stop the Houthi attacks.
Speaking on Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu said Israel will strike back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We will not tolerate it. We will take very strong action against them. And we always remember that they act with their patron, Iran's, direction and support.
We will do what we need to do to take care of our security, to respond effectively, and to give Iran due warning that this cannot continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Ben Gurion Airport is operating normally now, but a number of airlines have rescheduled or canceled flights there.
CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond has more on the strike and the aftermath.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Houthi militants in Yemen have regularly fired missiles at Israel, but they are almost always intercepted. But not on Sunday.
DIAMOND (voice-over): A ballistic missile making impact near Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport after Israel's air defenses failed to intercept this missile.
The CCTV video from the area shows the moments that that missile made impact. But to understand the force of the blast, take a look at this video, which was filmed on a roadside right near the impact.
(EXPLOSION)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa! Whoa!
DIAMOND (voice-over): The missile strike shut down operations at Ben Gurion International Airport for about an hour. Several airlines canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv. No one was seriously injured.
But when you look at the size of the crater that this ballistic missile caused and some of the damage in the area, you can see how deadly this could have been, had it hit in a populated area. The question now is how will Israel respond? The Israeli prime minister calling urgent consultations with his security cabinet and then posted a video saying that Israel has acted in the past and will act in the future.
DIAMOND: The Israeli prime minister, we should note, is facing pressure not only from within his own governing coalition --
DIAMOND (voice-over): -- but also from members of the opposition like Benny Gantz, the former defense minister, to take direct action against Iran --
DIAMOND: -- in retaliation for this Houthi attack.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Well, let's immediately dig deeper with Steven Cook. He's a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies with the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of "The End of Ambition America's Past, Present and Future in the Middle East." He joins us live from Muscat, Oman.
Steven, thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?
STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Good morning.
HUNTE: Good morning to you. Let's get into it.
The strike appears to be the first time Israel's international airport has been successfully targeted by the Houthis. What does the missile launch signal about their willingness to now target Israeli infrastructure?
COOK: Well, the Houthis have been trying from almost the beginning to attack Israeli infrastructure and population centers.
What we've seen since October 2023, when the Houthis started firing on Israel, is that Israel's defense forces have been almost 100 percent successful.
There was one drone strike that killed that hit an apartment building and killed an Israeli.
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But in this case, Israel's Arrow 3 system and the U.S. THAAD system both failed. And that should be concerning for the Israelis.
The question is whether this was some sort of technical glitch on the part of both Arrow 3 and THAAD, or whether the Houthis have integrated some type of technology that allows them to evade interceptors from both of these defensive systems.
That doesn't sound far-fetched, given how much the Iranians have invested in the Houthis, as well as more recently, revelations that both Russia and China have been providing components to weaponry for -- for the Houthis.
HUNTE: Meanwhile, both the American and Israeli defense systems failed to intercept the missile. Can you just tell me a bit about what vulnerabilities that this attack has actually exposed?
COOK: Well, I mean, it has -- if the Houthis have figured out some way to evade both Arrow 3 as well as THAAD, it does leave Israels airspace quite vulnerable. That is worrying.
We've already seen the big three U.S. airlines that fly into Ben Gurion cancel their flights. An Air India flight that was about an hour away from landing in Ben Gurion turned around and went back to India.
Ben Gurion really is Israel's gateway to the world and an important piece of Israel's economic development and its economic success. So, this is quite worrying for Israeli leaders.
I will expect, as Prime Minister Netanyahu said in that video statement, that there will be a very, very strong response. Ben Gurion is a red line for the Israelis. So, we should all be expecting a very strong Israeli counterstrike.
HUNTE: Well, let's stick with that. What could that response actually look like?
COOK: Well, the Israelis have undertaken a variety of airstrikes against Houthi ports, Houthi energy infrastructure. They've done it in the daylight. They've done it at night.
So, whatever it is -- the Israelis will clearly increase the what they believe, hopefully, will be from their perspective, the lethality and effectiveness of whatever they have been doing.
I expect that they might try to do something quite different, perhaps targeting the Houthi leadership.
The problem that the Israelis have is that they hadn't spent a lot of time looking at the Houthis. The Houthis were a Saudi problem. They were an Emirati problem.
The Israelis, for the last 20 years have been focused on Hezbollah and Iran. And to a lesser extent, to their great chagrin, Hamas.
So, they don't have the kind of intelligence inside of Yemen that they had in Lebanon or have in Iran. So, it's a -- it's a much more difficult -- difficult operation for them. But I think we should all take Prime Minister Netanyahu's word for it, that the response will be very significant.
HUNTE: Mm-hmm. And just quickly on this one: why are the U.S. and Israel struggling to stop them?
COOK: Well, the Houthis have had well over a decade to stockpile weapons and develop their own capabilities. The United States has from time to time, essentially self-deterred, despite its partners in the region, primarily the Saudis and Emiratis, warning them that the Houthis were being armed by Iran and developing their capabilities.
The United States has not taken that action over time, at various times because it sought a better relationship with Iran: negotiating a nuclear deal with the Iranians, trying to get the Iranians back into a nuclear deal.
And currently [SIC] under the Biden administration. And currently, the talks with President Trump, though he has taken somewhat of a different approach by undertaking military operations at the same time as negotiating with Iran.
So, it just goes to show how difficult it is, even with, essentially, a non-state actor like the Houthis, to -- to neutralize their capabilities just by airstrikes.
HUNTE: Wow. Learned a lot from that. Thank you. Steven Cook, appreciate it. Thank you for joining us.
COOK: Thank you. Have a good day.
HUNTE: You, too.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging allies to put more pressure on Russia to end the fighting in Ukraine. Otherwise, he believes, Moscow won't take any real steps to do so.
He made the remarks on Sunday while visiting Prague and the president of the Czech Republic, a key ally of Ukraine throughout the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In my opinion, if Ukraine is strong, the war will be over as soon as possible. United States and our European colleagues have all instruments at their disposal. To preserve alliance between the United States and Europe is a top priority. To force Russia to agree on full and unconditional ceasefire -- It was a proposal by the U.S., and we supported it -- is also a priority task. I think the level of pressure will directly depend on the alliance and its strength.
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HUNTE: Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Russia for this week's Victory Day commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Kremlin says he'll also meet with Vladimir Putin to discuss the country's strategic partnership.
Xi's visit would also coincide with Moscow's unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, set to begin on Thursday. President Putin believes Russia has the strength to end the conflict on his terms, and he recently told state TV he's hopeful nuclear weapons won't be needed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): They wanted to provoke us so that we made mistakes. There's been no need to use those weapons you just talked about, and I hope it won't be required. We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.
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HUNTE: U.S. President Donald Trump says he doesn't know if he has to uphold the U.S. Constitution. He was speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press: on the right to due process for people living in the U.S. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KRISTEN WELKER, MODERATOR, NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS": Your secretary of state says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process. Do you agree, Mr. President?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't know. I'm not -- I'm not a lawyer. I don't know.
WELKER: Don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?
TRUMP: I don't know. I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to, obviously, follow what the Supreme Court said.
What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: President Trump was also asked about his administration's targeting of universities, law firms, and the media, too.
When asked what he would say to those who believe he's taken the country down an authoritarian path, Mr. Trump said he was elected with a lot of votes and that, quote, "Those people are going to be very happy."
OK, well, it's almost Pride Month, which should be filled with huge parties, parades, and celebrations. But the mood now is dampened, thanks to new attacks on LGBTQ rights in the U.S. and the U.K.
And later, how Brazilian police say they avoided tragedy at Lady Gaga's historical Copacabana beach concert.
You are watching CNN.
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HUNTE: June is Pride Month in many countries around the world. But here in the U.S. and the U.K., the celebrations may be a bit more muted this year, partly thanks to the Trump administration rolling back protections for transgender people and on LGBTQ rights in general.
U.S. states are joining in on those efforts. The ACLU says it's currently tracking 430 anti-LGBTQ bills that are advancing in U.S. states.
Since Donald Trump was inaugurated, the federal government and many companies have been slashing their diversity and inclusion programs. All of this has left organizers, LGBTQ community members, and allies worried about celebrating Pride Month in June.
Let's dig deeper with Eve Keller, co-president of USA Pride, and Lucia Blayke, founder and CEO of Transpire Talent. Thank you both so much for being with me. Really appreciate it. There's a lot to talk about, so let's get straight into this.
This is the worst I've ever known LGBTQ rights, and especially trans rights since I became a journalist ten years ago. Things are crazy. Eve, have you known a time tougher than this?
EVE KELLER, CO-PRESIDENT, USA PRIDE: Not me personally. Thanks for having me, Ben. But not me personally.
But our community has gone through this. During the AIDS crisis in the '80s, that was the biggest for us. Obviously, we lost a lot of our community members.
And we've been here before, and we're going to get past this. But it is a tough time for everyone around the world.
HUNTE: And, Lucia, what are things like for you right now?
LUCIA BLAYKE, FOUNDER/CEO, TRANSPIRE TALENT: Horrendous. You know, I can't even sugarcoat it. It's like we're living in a dystopian nightmare.
Every day, I wake up, and I just cannot comprehend what I'm seeing in -- in the media.
HUNTE: Pride Month is in less than one month. Eve, we've seen rollbacks on DEI, rollbacks on funding for LGBTQ projects by the Trump administration. Companies in the U.S. are scared to even have rainbows on their websites or pronouns in their email signatures.
Are you seeing an impact on the ground with pride preparations that are supposed to be happening right now?
KELLER: Well, a lot of folks think pride just happens in June, but we've already had some major prides in Florida, so we go year-round here. Several prides start in February, go all the way through October.
So, we've talked with those prides that have already had their moment. And they mentioned that this year's pride events are different. They're likely to take on more grassroots, community center focused, especially in the face of these corporate silence attacks, political backlash.
But we're just seeing that we have to tighten our belt a little bit. Right? But we're focused on our community.
Those prides that have been around for 30 or 40 years, they have built a relationship with their community, and they're not letting things fall through the cracks.
So, maybe we don't have the biggest headliner, but we're not going to cut back on anything else. And I think pride is going to be bigger than it ever has before.
HUNTE: Lucia, last week, the CEO of Barclays said that trans women would be banned from using female toilets.
Barclays has been one of the biggest supporters of LGBTQ prides internationally. I mean, I've seen them at every single pride march that I've been at.
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Do you think that Barclays and other companies who don't specifically back trans rights should be welcome at pride now?
BLAYKE: Absolutely not. And this is the hill that I will die on. If I see Barclays at any pride this year, I'm literally going to be so outraged. I think it's absolutely disgusting. I think the CEO of Barclays should be held responsible for this.
Obviously, you know, they've used LGBT rights to just pinkwash their company for years. Obviously, they've got a horrible track record -- track record anyway with, you know, human rights issues such as, you know, the genocide in Palestine.
So, they've paraded rainbow flags all over the company. And literally now, with this guidance, that isn't even law, Barclays has now banned trans women from, you know, using women's bathrooms. Obviously, trans women can't use men's bathrooms, so they're essentially banned from using bathrooms at Barclays. It's -- it's absolutely disgusting. And they definitely should not be welcome.
Now, we were getting to a point where, you know, the -- the playing grounds were becoming a bit more level; and people from all backgrounds and all lives were able to, you know, get opportunities and have a good and fulfilling life.
And we've just seen the biggest attack on human rights in the Western world in this century. And people should be alarmed. People should be very scared of the way that things are going right now.
HUNTE: Sticking with you, Eve, I'm guessing that prides can't really go ahead if they don't have corporate sponsors, right? Because there's a lot of money that's involved in putting on these parades.
So, have you spoken to any sponsors who just don't know what to do right now in terms of wanting to support to support pride events still, but being too scared, because it's a protest and not so much of a party now?
KELLER: Honestly, we're not hearing back from those sponsors. We're not being able to get in touch with them. They're not having meetings with us. So, some of us are being ghosted by large corporate sponsors.
But corporate sponsorship has certainly played a role in amplifying the reach of prides. We're just marketing dollars for them because of the rainbow-washing.
But pride itself is rooted in community and activism and the fight for equality, not corporate marketing. So, rainbow-washing and the superficial use of pride symbols, or putting a rainbow in their logo, is -- is not real action.
We have been calling them out for that, and they will continue to be scrutinized. The community really needs lasting change.
We've noticed time and time again that prides can thrive on the passion and resilience of those within the community. These grassroots fundraisers have local support and community support.
Pride is definitely going to go on with or without big corporate sponsors, and we'll prove that with our loyalty to those folks that stand with us.
HUNTE: Lucia, where does the trans rights movement in the U.K. and the U.S. go from here? Do you think it's all over, and trans people just have to try to survive now?
BLAYKE: I think this is definitely just the beginning of the attack on trans rights.
But what I kind of keep saying to everybody is that this isn't a trans rights issue. This is a human rights issue.
If you allow your government to ban its own citizens from using restrooms or going to hospitals, what can they do to you? What are they going to do to your children, to future generations?
Nobody wants to live in a country where citizens can just be attacked and made into second=class citizens and segregated from society. It's not good for anybody. It's not good for any of us.
If they can deny me healthcare, what makes you think they're going to not deny you healthcare next?
HUNE: Eve, is supporting trans rights too controversial for brands now?
KELLER: Honestly, Ben, the smartest and largest corporations that I have personally talked to recently, know that DEI is paramount to attracting and retaining top talent in order to sustain their bottom line and maintain positive cultural competence.
Those corporations are going to be the ones to stick with us. In five years or less, everyone on the planet will know and love an LGBTQIA+ human. We're getting more diverse, not less.
White supremacy and colonialism created these systems that are holding us back from creativity, innovation, conscious collaboration, and growth. So, those corporations need to get on board, because that's where we're headed.
HUNTE: Well, we have a few weeks until global Pride Month, so let's see what happens next. For now, Eve Keller and Lucia Blayke, thanks so much for joining us.
KELLER: Thank you for having me, Ben.
BLAYKE: Yes. Thank you, Ben.
HUNTE: A new role for the Popemobile. Still ahead, we'll tell you more about Pope Francis's final wishes for his iconic car.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is issuing new warnings to Yemen's Houthi rebels and to Iran. They come after Sunday's Houthi missile strike near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.
No one was injured in a missile strike. But Mr. Netanyahu said Israel will respond.
U.S. President Donald Trump was asked in an NBC News interview if he needed to uphold the U.S. Constitution regarding deportations and due process. He said he didn't know.
Police have announced the arrest of two people suspected of planning an attack with explosives and Molotov cocktails at a Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro.
More than 2 million fans attended the free show at the famed Copacabana Beach on Saturday, marking Gaga's first concert in Brazil since 2012.
The suspects were intent on targeting LGBTQ-plus concertgoers, police said.
Pope Francis's legacy of peace will go on in Gaza. In one of his final wishes before his passing, the pontiff requested that one of his Popemobiles be transformed into a health clinic for children in the enclave.
Vatican news says it will be refitted as a mobile health station that can examine and treat children in areas without functioning healthcare facilities.
The Popemobile was used during Francis's trip to the holy land in 2014.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is ready to hit the ground running after his surprisingly strong victory in Saturday's national election.
His center-left Labor Party saw a big turnaround after slumping in the polls earlier this year, and many voters are hopeful their victory could usher in a new era of political stability at home amid so much disorder around the globe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HUNTE (voice-over): Nothing like a scoop of ice cream to celebrate a stunning political victory. Surrounded by media, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stopped by a coffee shop in Sydney to savor the afterglow of his Labor Party's triumph at the polls.
Australian voters delivering a clear mandate: another term for Albanese, the first Australian prime minister to win reelection in two decades and a solid majority for the Labor Party in Parliament.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: We will be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we have been in our first. We've been given the great honor of serving the Australian people, and we don't take it for granted. And we'll work hard each and every day.
HUNTE (voice-over): It was a resounding defeat for conservative Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton, who also lost his seat in Parliament.
His party was leading the polls just a few months ago, but the global havoc caused by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs made many voters think twice about a change in leadership, especially since Dutton's rhetoric and policies were often compared to Trump's.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it was a landslide. I didn't see the landslide coming. I think what's happening in America now badly affected Canada. And it did, and it badly affected us, as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, I'm just happy that Peter Dutton's not the prime minister.
HUNTE (voice-over): But after the big win, it's back to work. Albanese promising a tax cut, cheaper medicines, and lower deposits for first- time home buyers as issues like Australia's housing crisis and the high cost of living follow him into his second term.
And Australia's treasurer says he'll pay special attention to the issue that dominated this election.
JIM CHALMERS, AUSTRALIAN TREASURER: Obviously, the immediate focus is on this global economic uncertainty, particularly The U.S. And China, Part of that, and what it Means for us.
HUNTE (voice-over): Albanese is expected to visit the U.S. after his cabinet is sworn in to discuss the tariffs, and he'll do so with a groundswell of support from Australians right behind him.
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HUNTE: A night of long-awaited joy for Lady Gaga fans almost turned into a living nightmare. Ahead, how authorities say they foiled a bomb plot targeting Gaga's massive concert.
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[00:38:37] HUNTE: Welcome back. Jury selection begins in the coming hours in the federal trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. He's pleaded not guilty to five charges that include racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
If convicted, Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Among the witnesses we're expecting to hear from is Combs's ex- girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. CNN first reported on video that shows Combs assaulting Ventura in 2016, which one expert says will be key to this trial.
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MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The video is also something that the lawyers are thinking about going into jury selection. There will be jury questionnaires. And the jury -- the jurors, the individuals, prospective jurors will be questioned about things like intimate partner violence, whether or not they have been a victim of it or someone they know has.
So, all of that is going to be incredibly important to the case. And Cassie's testimony is really going to be key for the prosecution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Police in Rio de Janeiro say Lady Gaga's long-awaited return to Brazil on Saturday was almost marked by tragedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FELIPE CURI, POLICE SECRETARY, RIO DE JANEIRO (through translator): Since Monday, our police and intelligence received information that there would be a plan in these digital platforms to commit a bomb attack with homemade explosive artifacts and Molotov cocktails, which would be used during the show of singer Lady Gaga on May 3, mainly targeting the LGBTQIA+ public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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HUNTE: Fifteen search and seizure warrants were served across Brazil in what police dubbed Operation Fake Monster. That's a play on "little monsters," the name given to Gaga fans.
One of those searched was a man who allegedly planned a satanist ritual killing of a child or baby during the concert. He has been charged with terrorism and inducing crime.
A spokesperson for Lady Gaga told CNN that there were, quote, "no known safety concerns prior to the pop icon's show," adding that they had learned about the alleged threat through media reports.
OK, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me in the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. World sport is next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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