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Zelenskyy Calls For Pressure On Russia Amid Ceasefire Talks; Europe Increasing Arms Production Amid Political Uncertainty; Israel Warns Houthis, Iran After Missile Lands Near Airport; Cardinals Meet Ahead Of Conclave To Elect Next Pope; Beijing Insists Of Final Say On Tibetan Spiritual Leader; Black Dandyism Inspires Met Gala 2025 Theme; Rio Authorities: Narcocorridos Glorifying Drug Lords Face Censorship; Lady Gaga Bomb Plot Target LGBTQ+ Crowd; Jury Selection Begins Monday In Sean "Diddy" Combs Trial; Mother Deported Without Daughter; Florida Suburb's Unique Effort to Manage Peacock Population. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 05, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello wherever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it to have you with me.
Coming up on the show, looking to the future without forgetting the past. A ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine now lies in limbo as Europe commemorates the losses of World War II. Religious succession, CNN travels to Tibet to speak to monks about the selection of the next Dalai Lama. Plus, it is the Met Gala on Monday. And this year is all about dandy fashion and rebellion. We'll explore how the glamorous event dives into black style with a nod to black history.
Welcome. The week ahead will be pivotal for negotiations on the war in Ukraine. Russia has announced a unilateral three day ceasefire around its 80th annual World War II Victory Day commemorations is set to begin this Thursday. But Kyiv is pushing back. Officials there say that if Moscow really wants a humanitarian ceasefire, it needs to be at least 30 days, which was originally proposed by the U.S. in March. In an interview of NBC News, when asked if a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is near, President Donald Trump said, I hope so.
This after his administration threatened to walk away from the talks if progress wasn't made soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, there'll be a time when I will say, OK, keep going, keep being stupid.
KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: When does that come from? Are you close to it?
TRUMP: Sometimes they get close to it and then positive things happen. OK? WELKER: What's the red line for you? At what point do you say, that's it, we're walking away?
TRUMP: Well, you'll know. I mean, there'll be a time when I may say that and if I do --
WELKER: They're not there.
TRUMP: -- there may be something I can't, maybe it's not possible to do. There's tremendous hatred --
WELKER: Very quickly, if you do walk away, would that mean that you would pull military and intelligence --
TRUMP: I don't want to say that now. It's too early to say that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: As Russian attacks continue to rain down across Ukraine, Europe remains concerned about what could happen without U.S. support. During a visit to the Czech Republic, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged allies to put more pressure on Russia to end the conflict. Otherwise, he believes Moscow won't take any real steps to do so. CNN's Melissa Bell has more.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Zelenskyy paying a visit to Prague this Sunday to thank leaders there for their continued support to Ukraine, this as the Ukrainian president continues to shore up Western support and to call for tougher sanctions on Moscow after another weekend of civilian deaths and casualties across the country. Not just on Friday night, that massive drone strike on Kharkiv, but again on Saturday, four civilians being killed across the country by continued shelling and drone strikes. The Ukrainian president has spoken this weekend of the cynicism of Moscow as it continues to target civilians and prepares for this unilaterally declared ceasefire that will take place this coming week in time for the Moscow celebrations of the end of the Second World War that saw the defeat of Nazi Germany 80 years ago.
On May 9, Moscow will hold its victory parade and it is around that it has announced this ceasefire. The Ukrainian president calling it cynical, but also speaking of the fact that there is now an alignment between Washington and Kiev on the need not for a three day ceasefire, but for a 30 day one that needs to take effect immediately.
We will also see this coming week on May 9, a visit to Moscow by the Chinese president. It will be the third visit to Russia by Xi Jinping since the war in Ukraine began. What we understand is that the two leaders will seek further cooperation. There'll be a number of bilateral agreements made, and this, of course, at a time when Ukraine is hoping that it is more aligned with Washington on the need to continue pressing Moscow with further sanctions. This will be an important show of force.
The optics of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin together at this particular time, an important reminder of that axis that has grown only closer since the war in Ukraine began, with logistical support to Moscow from China and the need now to project that power even as Washington continues its global retreat.
[01:05:02]
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
HUNTE: Russia's war on Ukraine and U.S. threats to withhold support have European countries ramping up arms production. CNN's Ben Wedeman shows us how it's working at an arms factory in Italy.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORREPONDENT (voice-over): The time has come for Europe to beat plowshares into swords. Workers are putting the final touches on combat vehicles at this Leonardo factory in northern Italy. Leonardo is Europe's second largest defense company. The days when the continent looked to Uncle Sam for protection are over, says CEO Roberto Cingolani.
ROBERTO CINGOLANI, CEO, LEONARDO: Then after the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, we realized that peace must be defended, peace as a cost. And that was quite a wakeup call. On top of that, there was a change of policy in the U.S. very recently that has made the NATO umbrella, let's say, less perceivable.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Leonardo is ramping up production of all its systems, from tanks and armored personnel carriers to ammunition, Naval guns, drones and aircraft.
CINGOLANI: Production is increasing and this system is at the state of the art.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Leonardo has begun a joint venture with Germany's Rheinmetall, a major arms manufacturer, to co-produce the next generation of main battle tank. The emphasis a weapon with a made in Europe label.
WEDEMAN: The European Commission came out with an initiative called Rearm Europe, a strategic defense initiative that would involve spending as much as 800 billion euros, almost $900 billion to strengthen Europe's defense capabilities. However, they ended up changing that to readiness 2030 after objections by some members of the European Commission.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The term rearm was seen as too alarmist. For decades, the bond between the U.S. and Europe was a given. But all that has changed under the new Trump administration.
TRUMP: Voting the European Union has been absolutely terrible to us on trade, terrible.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): President Trump is waging a trade war against friend and foe alike. Old alliances no longer seem solid, says defense analyst, Gregory Alegi. GREGORY ALEGI, PROFESSOR, LUISS UNIVERSITY: The cornerstone of the U.S.-European relationship has always been Article 5 of NATO, which is basically a promise that all the allies will intervene to support each other in case any one of them is attacked. And the Trump administration has been calling that into question. If that fundamental promise no longer holds, well, you know, it's like an open marriage. You don't know how long it's going to last.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): In such uncertain times, perhaps the best tactic is to prepare and arm oneself for the worst.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, La Spezia, Northern Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: As Europe prepares for potential future conflicts, is also looking back at one from the past. The U.K. this week is celebrating the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe Day. V E day is May 8, but there are big events happening over the next four days. Today there's a military procession and flyby in London, and later the king and queen will host World War II veterans for tea.
In Germany, a more somber observance. Survivors of one Nazi concentration camp are marking the 80th anniversary of their liberation. Survivors of the Sachsenhausen camp near Berlin shared their stories on Sunday and issued warnings about the future.
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BOGDAN BARTNIKOWSKI, SACHSENHAUSEN CAMP SURVIVOR (through translator): It saddens me to say that humanity has learned very little from that tragedy in which many millions of people perished. Humanity faces a great problem, how to prevent further wars.
JERZY ZAWADZKI, SACHSENHAUSEN CAMP SURVIVOR (through translator): Remember this, young people and all of you don't follow politicians because that's not the way. A beautiful person should choose what is beautiful in this world, what has real value. That's where you have to go, not the blind alleys that lead to nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 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.
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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.
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Speaking on Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu said Israel will strike back.
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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 a 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.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Houthi militants in Yemen have regularly fired missiles at Israel, but they are almost always intercepted, but not on Sunday. A ballistic missile 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa. Whoa.
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DIAMOND: 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.
The Israeli Prime Minister, we should note, is facing pressure not only from within his own governing coalition, but also from members of the opposition like Benny Gantz, the former defense minister, to take direct action against Iran in retaliation for this Houthi attack.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv. 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.
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WELKER: Your secretary of state says everyone who's here, citizens and noncitizens, deserve due process. Do you agree, Mr. President?
TRUMP: 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 taking 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."
All right, Cardinals are gathering at the Vatican ahead of Wednesday's papal conclave. Still ahead, we'll be telling you what to expect from this week's vote to select the next pope. Plus, CNN makes a rare trip to Tibet, where another religious succession could be controversial. That's coming up.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. Pope Francis, his 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 health care facilities. The popemobile was used during Francis trip to the holy lands in 2014.
Cardinals will be meeting at the Vatican in the coming hours as they prepare for a new pope. The conclave to elect the next pontiff begins on Wednesday. CNN's Rafael Romo tells us what to expect.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While the stove where the ballots will be burnt was assembled inside, on the rooftop of the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican fired brigade installed the chimney that will announce to the world new pope has been chosen when white smoke billows out of it. Cardinals have been meeting daily to discuss church matters and the conclave.
SUSAN REYNOLDS, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC STUDIES, EMORY UNIVERSITY: The conclave will begin on May 7th with one vote. After that, the cardinals will take four votes a day, two in the morning and two in the evening. Rome time, of course.
ROMO (voice-over): But who are these men who will choose a new pope? The cardinal electors come from 71 countries across five continents. The Vatican says that during his 12 years of pontificate, Pope Francis significantly reshaped the College of Cardinals, making it a less Eurocentric and a more international body. And for the first time in the church's history, 15 new nations will be represented by their native electors, including Tonga, a Polynesian kingdom in Oceania, South Sudan, a war torn and landlocked nation in East Africa and Paraguay, the neighbor of Pope Francis native Argentina in South America.
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REYNOLDS: We don't want someone too young, right? Think of the papacy of John Paul the second. He was in that office for 27 years. There was a consensus that maybe that was a little too long to have one person at the helm.
ROMO (voice-over): The youngest elector, Cardinal Mykola Bychok, who serves in Melbourne, Australia but was born in Ukraine, is only 45 years old while 79-year-old Cardinal Carlos Osoro Siera, the retired archbishop of Madrid and a Spaniard, is the oldest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think there's any room for politics here. I think we need somebody that follows in his footsteps with the same type of belief system to make the Catholic Church all-inclusive and not turn people away.
ROMO (voice-over): While it will be a less European conclave, 53 cardinal electors, the majority come from Europe with Italy still having the largest number with 19, followed by France with six and Spain with five. Sixteen cardinals hail from North America, four from Central America and 17 from South America, while 23 travel from Asia, 18 from Africa and four from Oceania.
The teachings of Pope Francis loom large as the top cardinal reminded the faithful on Saturday about how much the late pontiff cared for the less fortunate, especially the poorest, the last, the discarded, because in them is the Lord, Cardinal Fernandez said. It remains to be seen whether the cardinal elector stick with a reformer like Francis or someone who charts a more conservative path for the Roman Catholic Church.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Rome.
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HUNTE: Well, as Catholic cardinals gather at the Vatican to elect a new pope, the succession of another world religious leader could have major geopolitical and societal impacts. CNN's Steven Jiang recently took a rare trip to Tibet and spoke with monks and officials there about the selection of the next Dalai Lama.
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STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF FOR CNN (voice-over): More than 2 million visitors, mostly from within China, flocked to the Potala palace in 2024, paying up to $27 U.S. for a ticket tour the most famous landmark in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
JIANG: For centuries, this imposing and sprawling structure behind me was the winter residence for the Dalai Lamas until 1959. That was the year when the 14th Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet after a failed uprising against Beijing.
JIANG (voice-over): In a book published in early 2025, the almost 90- year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism said his successor, his reincarnation, must be born, quote, "in the free world," meaning outside China to carry out the traditional mission in the Himalayan region.
A region so tightly controlled by Beijing that the only way for foreign reporters to visit is through government organized media tours. CNN was one such rare trip in March 2025, and asked monks and officials in Tibet about the remarks by the Dalai Lama, someone Beijing has labeled anti-China separatist.
GONGGA ZHAXI, POTALA PALACE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE (through translator): The central government has clear regulations on this matter. The reincarnation of each Dalai Lama must be approved by the central government. The search must take place within China.
JIANG (voice-over): Not surprisingly --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: China, China, China.
JIANG (voice-over): -- Tibetans in exile rejecting this notion, with a spokesman for the Tibetan government in exile saying, quote, "His Holiness is the only legitimate soul who can decide upon where His Holiness should be born in his next life. Nobody else, even the Chinese government," end quote. But Beijing has done almost exactly that. In 1995, the government forcibly disappeared a six-year-old boy when he was recognized by the exiled Dalai Lama as the new Panchen Lama, the second highest ranking figure in Tibetan Buddhism. China instead installed its own choice, a different Tibetan boy, to the position, a decision still denounced by critics three decades later.
During CNN's most recent trip, a senior monk at Tibet's most sacred temple insisted he wasn't worried about the prospect of competing Dalai Lamas chosen by different authorities.
LA BA, JOKHANG TEMPLE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (through translator): That the reincarnation should be recognized by the central government has been settled for many years.
JIANG (voice-over): Not everyone shares this sentiment, with some analysts fearing a scenario of dueling Dalai Lamas could shake the foundation of Tibetan religion and society, potentially unleashing fresh anger or even unrest in the land known as the roof of the world.
Steven Jiang, CNN, Lhasa, Tibet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: In the coming hours, stars will chuck on their best looks for the Met Gala. Ahead, everything you need to know about fashion's biggest night out and the inspiration behind this year's theme.
[01:25:10]
And the Trump administration targeted Mexico's drug cartels. Now, it's going after the musicians who sing about them. We bring you that story up next.
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HUNTE: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte.
It's the day fashion enthusiasts have been waiting for all year. The Met Gala returns to New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art tonight. The theme for this year's gala "Tailored For You", which is in connection with the Costume Institute's landmark new exhibition "Superfine Tailoring Black Style". The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday.
Inspired by Monica Miller's book "Slaves to Fashion: Black dandyism and the styling of Black diasporic identity", the exhibit focuses on and celebrates Black style, specifically menswear from the 18th century to the present day, with dandyism as a unifying theme.
Black dandyism is a sartorial style that saw a revival during the Harlem renaissance and its impact on fashion today.
The A-Listers attending the Met Gala and their stylists are encouraged to interpret that theme on the red carpet. This year's co-chairs, who host the Met Gala are actor Colman Domingo, Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, musician and Louis Vuitton men's creative director Pharrell Williams, and rapper A$AP Rocky.
Let's dig into this with Jonathan Michael Square. He is an assistant professor of Black Visual Culture at Parsons School of Design, and one of the advisors on the Met exhibit.
Thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?
JONATHAN MICHAEL SQUARE, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BLACK VISUAL CULTURE AT PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN: I'm good. Thank you for having me.
HUNTE: Oh, you're so welcome. Let's get into this.
What is the origin story behind this year's Met Gala theme of "Superfine"? SQUARE: Well, the exhibition is based on a text that is written by the
scholar Monica L. Miller. It's called "Slaves to Fashion", and it focuses on Black dandyism. And so the exhibition translates this academic text into an exhibition at the Costume Institute.
HUNTE: Ok. Can you just explain what dandyism is for those who don't know? And what exactly is Black dandyism as well?
SQUARE: Yes, you can think of dandyism as sort of the deliberate cultivation of elegant and fashionable dress. With the emphasis on a form -- style as a form of personal discipline.
And I think when its practiced by Black individuals it has a deeper significance. Black dandyism is not just about aesthetics, it's about politics. It's about reclaiming identity. It's about reclaiming agency, challenging stereotypes through self-representation.
And I think its rooted in a history of misrepresentation. So it's a way for Black folks to negotiate their identity, visibility, invisibility and power within our racialized context.
HUNTE: Wow. Can you just explain to me what is the difference between the Costume Institute exhibition and this year's Met Gala theme?
SQUARE: That's a great question, because people often confuse the two. So yes, the Costume Institute puts on an annual large-scale exhibition. This year, it's on Black dandyism.
And the Met Gala is a fundraiser for this exhibition. But also the Costume Institute, writ large which is the department at the Met that focuses on fashion history.
So the Costume Institute exhibition is on Black dandyism. But the Met Gala theme is "Tailored For You". So there's a slight disjuncture between the theme of the exhibition and the Met Gala.
However, I think you will see more people of color on this red carpet and you will also see more designers of color on this red carpet, which is very exciting.
HUNTE: That is exciting, especially in these times, yes, when we're seeing a rollback on diversity and equity and inclusion and companies almost too scared to talk about race.
So yes, it's very interesting to see that within arts and culture, at least, these kind of things are still being pushed through and are still thriving.
On that, what and who can we expect to see on the red carpet?
SQUARE: Yes, I mean, you can expect to see a lot of Black celebrities, a lot of Black designers.
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SQUARE: I think unlike other Met Galas in the past, expect to see more color, expect to see more jewelry. So it's going to be a very fun, more lively red carpet, which I'm very excited about.
HUNTE: Yes. And talk us through the significance of this exhibition and the Met Gala theme at this current fraught political moment.
SQUARE: Absolutely. Yes, you're absolutely right. Like, this is a moment when the histories of marginalized communities is under assault, particularly in the United States, given the current political climate that we're in.
So this adds an extra layer of urgency to this exhibition, more so than say, even a year ago. Now, this Met Gala in this exhibition feels like an act of resistance.
So I'm excited to see the ways in which people on the red carpet will be expressing their politics and even dissent.
HUNTE: Yes, well, I'm excited too. I can't wait to see it.
For now, thank you so much, Jonathan Michael Square. We appreciate your time.
SQUARE: Always a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
HUNTE: Donald Trump has ordered a 100 percent tariff on foreign-made movies. In a social media post he wrote that "the movie industry in America is dying a very fast death, with other countries offering incentives for U.S. filmmakers and studios". Mr. Trump characterized this as a national security threat and propaganda.
It's not entirely clear how such a tariff would actually be implemented, though, because films are classified as intellectual property, not goods, and represent a kind of service that not currently is subject to tariffs.
From gangster rap to outlaw, country music has often glorified the wrong side of the law. Narcocorridos ballads about the drug trafficking world are gaining popularity across Mexico and the U.S., but their controversial topics put the genre at risk of being censored on both sides of the border.
CNN's Gustavo Valdes has the story.
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GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's Musica Mexicana night in one of Atlanta's newest rooftop bars where the young crowd dances to the rhythm of the accordion and sings along to cover versions of corrido music.
Corridos have long been tales of epic loves or heroic characters, but some are controversial because they talk about the narco lifestyle. They're called narcocorridos.
ELIJAH WALD, MUSICIAN AND AUTHOR: Outlaws have always been popular.
VALDES: Elijah Wald is a musician and author. His biography of Bob Dylan was made into an award-winning movie. He also wrote a book about narcocorridos and the people who sing them.
WALD: It's the story of poor kids, whether in the mountains of Sinaloa or in Los Angeles who have seen their parents working their whole lives and getting nowhere.
VALDES: Sometimes the lyrics have run afoul with politicians in some Mexican municipalities and venues. They've banned the genre, upsetting some fans.
Singer Luis R. Conriquez was attacked on stage when he didn't sing narcocorridos in a state that prohibits it. And the U.S. State Department revoked the visas of the members of the group Los Alegres del Barranco, after featuring photos of the leader of a cartel during a performance of their hit song El Del Palenque. The band later apologized.
Some see irony in the response of the American government.
SAM QUINONES, AUTHOR OF BOOKS ABOUT DRUG CARTELS: This music, it was Mexican, but it was not made in Mexico.
VALDES: Sam Quinones is a journalist and author of books about drug cartels. He says Los Tigres Del Norte recorded "Contrabando y Traicion" in California in 1974. It's the first song that defines the genre.
As the drug cartels grew in notoriety, so did their prominence in the songs to the point that the big capos commissioned songs to elevate their importance.
QUINONES: The corrido, as it became corrupted, in my opinion, became, you know, in praise of power, in praise of these bloodthirsty men with enormous power, who killed wantonly.
VALDES: Government regulations might do little to end narcocorridos. After all, the explicit content warning might have helped make gangster rap more popular. And the song that caused Los Alegres Del Barranco their U.S. visas became an overnight hit worldwide and was streamed more than two million times in the week following the controversy.
But the threat of losing a visa to work in the U.S. could have a bigger effect, because it would represent an important loss of income for the artist.
Elijah Wald says that targeting narcocorridos might be hypocritical.
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WALD: I don't think I've ever seen an interview with Martin Scorsese where people ask him whether it doesn't bother him that his movies make gangsters seem like exciting characters that might tempt young people to want to be gangsters. And yet that question is always asked around narcocorrido singers.
VALDES: In the end, music is just an excuse to have a good time. Gustavo Valdes, CNN -- Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: In Brazil on Sunday, police in Rio de Janeiro revealed Lady Gaga's long-awaited return on Saturday was almost marked by a tragedy.
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FELIPE CURI, POLICE SECRETARY (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 3rd mainly targeting the LGBTQIA+ public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: 15 search and seizure warrants were served across Brazil in what police dubbed Operation: Fake Monster, a play on Little Monsters, the name given to Gaga fans.
One of those searched was a man who allegedly planned a satanist (ph) ritual killing of a child or baby during the concert. He's 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.
Jury selection begins on Monday 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' 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: Still to come, a deported mother says she's desperate to see her toddler daughter, who remains in the U.S. Their story is coming up next.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HUNTE: Welcome back.
A woman who says she was separated from her young daughter by the Trump administration is now speaking out. Last month, she was deported to her native Cuba, even though both her daughter and husband are U.S. citizens and she's never been charged or convicted of any crime.
She tells CNN about life without her 17-month-old child, who was left behind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidy Sanchez spends her days watching videos of daughter Kailyn. It's as close as she can be to her child now just days after Heidy was deported from the United States to Cuba.
Kailyn, who was born in Florida stayed there with her father who, like Kailyn, is also a U.S. citizen. But she does not comprehend where her mother is.
"She's very intelligent," Heidy says of her one-year-old daughter. "When she talks to me, she says, mama, come. And they say your mama is working. She says, mama come."
Heidy lived for six years in the U.S. and although she tried to become a legal resident, she was placed into deportation proceedings after missing an immigration hearing in 2019.
In late April, in what she thought was a routine appointment with immigration officials, she says they told her she was being deported and to have her husband come get their daughter.
"I told them, don't take away my daughter," Heidy says. "They never said if I could take her or not with me."
Heidy had to hand over her daughter to a member of the legal team to then give to her husband, her lawyer told me.
CLAUDIA CANIZARES, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: What they told her was that she needed to call her husband, and that she needed to ask him to come and pick up the baby. There was not an option of, oh, I want to take my baby. Can I take her?
Two days later, Heidy was deported on a U.S. government flight to Cuba without her daughter, who she was breastfeeding and suffers from convulsions.
In a statement to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security contradicted what Heidy and her attorney told us, saying they always allow parents to decide whether their children are deported with them or stay behind with relatives.
And that, quote, "the Trump administration is giving parents in this country illegally the opportunity to self-deport and take control of their departure process with the potential ability to return the legal right way and come back to live the American dream.
Heidy now lives with relatives on the outskirts of Havana. There is no cell signal inside the house, so she shows us how she climbs up on the roof to be able to call her daughter and sing her to sleep.
[01:49:46]
OPPMANN: In Florida, Heidy says she was working as a nursing assistant and had no criminal record, not seeming to fit with the image of the dangerous, undocumented immigrants that the Trump administration says it is removing from U.S. streets.
Photos of her wedding in the U.S. are reminders of a different world, a different life. I ask Heidy if she thinks she was living the American dream.
"I don't know if it was the American dream," she tells me. "But it was my dream. My family."
A dream and family that seemed farther and farther out of reach.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN -- Havana.
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HUNTE: Romanian nationalist and Euro skeptic George Simion appears on track to win the country's presidential election rerun. Exit polls showed him ahead of the two centrist candidates by about ten percentage points after Sunday's first round of voting.
The election comes five months after a first attempt was canceled because of alleged Russian interference.
This is yet another test for the European Union, where leaders are seeing a growing shift toward Trump-style nationalism on the continent. Simion has been vocal about his support of the MAGA movement and remains critical of the current E.U. leadership. He also opposes military aid to neighboring Ukraine.
A suburb of Miami is grappling with a peacock problem as the beautiful bird begins to overtake local bird species and bother residents. We're bringing you that story, next.
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HUNTE: We're back.
Overrun by peacocks screeching from rooftops. The leafy suburb of Pinecrest in Florida has turned to a very unique effort to manage their booming population.
CNN's Lynda Kinkade has this story.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A Florida suburb is preventing peacock pregnancies by giving the colorful birds vasectomies. Peacocks, typically known for their color and beauty, are also known in this Miami suburb as a nuisance -- climbing roofs, fighting each other, and screaming at all hours of the night. And they keep reproducing.
Local exotic animal vet Don Harris came up with a program to slow the growing bird population by giving the male peacocks vasectomies. He hopes to reduce the growing number of birds and the annoyances they cause.
DR. DON HARRIS, EXOTIC ANIMAL AND AVIAN VETERINARIAN: My hope with the project is primarily, but not most importantly, that we get a stabilization of the peacock numbers.
When I go in and inspect them internally, there is absolutely no scarring, no infection. No irritation, inflammation, nothing. This is as benign a procedure as we could possibly hope for.
KINKADE: So far, his team has operated on almost 400 male peacocks and say they've had no complications.
HARRIS: The vasectomy merely disconnects the testicle from the rest of the reproductive tract.
We don't remove the testicle, so we don't eliminate any of the secondary sex characteristics. He retains his beauty. He retains his tail. He retains his dominance.
KINKADE: One resident of Pinecrest says the peacocks have overtaken other birds native to the area.
[01:54:49]
MARIKA LYNCH VILLARAOS, PINECREST RESIDENT: I know it's really hard for it to understand for people who don't live here how annoying they are.
I mean, when I was growing up, there were no peacocks, you know. We had our -- neighborhoods were full of herons, blue herons and ibises. I mean the official bird of the University of Miami is the ibis. That's what we want to see in our neighborhood. Those are the native species.
And now, really you would think that our mascot is the peacock because they're everywhere.
KINKADE: Not only is the noise a problem for residents, but peacocks can be aggressive if they feel threatened.
HARRIS: A male will fight for his territory even to the extent of attacking his own reflection in a car door. KINKADE: To help with Dr. Harris' initiative, he recruited local
wildlife trappers like Perry Colato to safely trap the birds with custom-built pens.
PERRY COLATO, OWNER, REDLINE IGUANA REMOVER AND TRAPPER: They're very smart so if they see something that they don't like, they're not going to come near you. You can chase them around with nets all day long, but you'll never catch them or in a humane manner.
KINKADE: Dr. Harris says the program is the first of its kind, and they hope it can be a lasting, humane solution to Pinecrest's peacock problem.
Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: A strong showing for the McLaren team at this year's Miami Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri earning the victory. It's the Australian's third win in a row and his fourth of the season, stretching his Formula 1 championship lead.
His teammate Lando Norris took second, while George Russell finished third for Mercedes, a whopping 37 seconds behind.
Ahead of the Grand Prix, fans were treated to an unusual race between full scale cars made of Lego. Each car is made of nearly 400,000 Lego bricks and can reach speeds up to 20 kilometers per hour.
It took a team of engineers, designers and Lego builders more than 22,000 hours to build all ten cars.
Love that.
Well, that does it for us this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks so much for joining me and the team.
I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Let's do it all again next week.
Rosemary Church picks up with more news just after this break. Over to you.
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