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Trump Cancels Witkoff, Kushner Iran Peace Talks Trip; Trump: Envoy's Cancelled Trip Does Not Mean Iran Fighting To Resume; Ukraine Develops Robots To Take On Russian Infantry; Trump To Attend 1st White House Correspondents' Dinner As President; Appeals Court Upholds Life Sentence For NYC Subway Bomber, Overturns ISIS "Material Support" Conviction; Roommate Charged With Killing 2 Students After Body Found In Tampa; FDA Approves First-Ever Gene Therapy For Inherited Deafness. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 25, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:01:10]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone, I am Jessica Dean here in Washington, and breaking tonight, President Donald Trump cancelling the U.S. delegations' trip to Islamabad, telling reporters Iran, "offered a lot, but not enough."

The U.S. Envoy was set to take part in talks aimed at eventually ending the war with Iran. Trump's message about calling off the trip came just hours after Iran's Foreign Minister departed Islamabad, following meetings with Pakistan's top leadership to discuss a potential truce with the U.S.

We will bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who is at The White House now.

Julia, what else is the President saying about this latest update?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We did expect Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as well as Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, to travel to Pakistan for these potential talks and Trump now says that has been cancelled. He said too much time wasted on traveling, too much work as he announced that this was not going to take place.

He also looked to place blame on infighting in Iran for derailing these talks. Take a listen to what he had to say just a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You probably heard that we cancelled the trip. We have all the cards. We are not going to spend 15 hours in airplanes all the time going back and forth to be giving a document that was not good enough.

And so we will deal by telephone and they can call us any time they want. Again, we have all the cards. They have no military left, practically. They have no leaders left. We don't know who the leaders are.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BENBROOK: So you hear him say there, we don't know who the leaders are. He is emphasizing that he doesn't know exactly who is in charge, and in that post earlier today, he said in part, "... there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their leadership. Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards. They have none. If they want to talk, all they have to do is call."

It has been about two weeks now since that first round of talks took place in Pakistan that was led by Vice President J.D. Vance, and as he announced that they were leaving without an agreement in the conflict, he did say that was the best and final offer from the United States.

DEAN: And, Julia, do we know exactly what this means for the ceasefire and any return to potential return to fighting?

BENBROOK: A lot of questions still here, but in an interview with AXIOS, he was pressed on this, and Trump signaled that this did not mean that there would be a return to fighting. But he also added that they hadn't really thought about that yet.

And when it comes to time frame, he says that he doesn't feel pressure to move quickly here, but he believes that Iran does, and the clock is ticking.

When he was pressed on what a timeline might look like recently, of course, we've heard a number of predictions throughout this conflict. But recently, he told reporters, "don't rush me."

DEAN: All right, we will see. Julia Benbrook from The White House. Thank you for that.

We go now to CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson reporting from Islamabad with more -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Sources here have described the past 24 hours here as hectic. They also say that they remain hopeful. It is not quite clear at the moment on what basis they remain hopeful.

We know that the Iranian Foreign Minister left here and went to Muscat in Oman, where he has been photographed meeting with the Foreign Minister in Oman, remembering before the war began, Oman was the interlocutor trying to bring an agreement between the United States and Iran. Of course, that that fell apart at the beginning of March, end of February.

So what did the Foreign Minister achieve here? Well, he said that it had a fruitful visit, that he had shared workable ideas for a framework. He didn't say anything more than the framework.

[18:05:08]

But I think the kicker and the tale from the Iranian Foreign Minister, who, by the way, when he was coming here, said that he wasn't ever going to have on this visit, at least face-to-face meetings with U.S. representatives. He said that wasn't going to happen. He said that he was coming here and then going to Muscat, which is done, and then going to Moscow, which hasn't happened yet, not sure if it will, but I think the real kicker from the Iranian Foreign Minister here in his tweet as soon as he landed in Muscat, was yet to see if the United States is serious about diplomacy.

This really plays into the view that Iran has of the situation, that they actually do have the cards that President Trump doesn't have the time, that they are willing to keep pursuing what they want. The sticking points, the issues around the Strait of Hormuz, the blockade, and also the nuclear enrichment issue.

So where things go from here really isn't clear. I come back to what sources here say that they remain optimistic. At least they haven't given up yet. I guess, there is one other point, just to add in to that, to give a little bit of extra clarity, the lockdown around the zone where the talks were due to take place, that's been locked down for over a week now.

The government here finally lifted that lockdown. They could put it back in place, but that's a clue to where things are at the moment.

DEAN: All right, Nic Robertson with the latest from Pakistan. Thank you so much.

We are joined now by CNN senior military analyst, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis. He is also Vice Chair of The Carlyle Group, an international investment firm.

Admiral, thanks so much for being here with us. The President says that this is not -- excuse me, I am going to sneeze maybe -- a return to war, but how do you see this playing out? He says, no, no, no, the fighting we don't think is going to start. But what do you think about that?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: I think there are two clocks ticking right now, Jessica. One is here in the United States, President Trump does have a clock ticking. It is the elections coming up in November. It is the high gas prices, deeply unpopular war. He wants to reverse that clock.

On the other hand, the Iranians absolutely have a clock ticking in particular, if they can't get their oil-based economy started again, which is completely stalled by the U.S. blockade, they will start to incur truly long term damage to that economy. So bottom line, both sides have an incentive to get back to the table.

I still believe there is, you know, kind of a 60 percent chance we will end up in a negotiation, but will there be some more strikes between now and then? I would say potentially if President Trump loses patience, he could relaunch military operations. It would not surprise me at this point.

DEAN: Yes, and CENTCOM says another sanctioned shadow fleet vessel was intercepted yesterday in the Arabian Sea, showing that that blockade still very much in full effect.

How does this situation de-escalate, especially when it comes to that particular issue?

STAVRIDIS: The blockade that is in effect is a blockade of Iran, so any vessel that is doing business either coming out of Iran or going to Iran, is subject to that blockade, whether they happen to be in the Persian Gulf, the North Arabian Sea, which you're showing, or in the Caribbean. Any vessel is subject to that and that is legitimate under international law. That's an Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer you're showing conducting this takedown, that will continue to put real pressure on the Iranian economy, which in my view, will push them back toward the table, back toward diplomacy.

DEAN: And the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth railed against European allies Friday, saying that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is much more their fight than ours. You've said that clearing the waterway with minesweepers is an area where Europe could help. That that is something they could do. How would that work and how likely do you think that is?

STAVRIDIS: Europe has excellent minesweeping capability. NATO as an alliance has a standing minesweeping maritime group that could be deployed tomorrow down to the Persian Gulf.

The way to get that to occur would be for the United States to adopt an attitude of Europe, instead of yelling at them for what they are not going to do, they are not going to join us in strikes over Tehran. We ought to approach them with, hey, here is what we can do together.

And I think the combination of European minesweepers, European frigates, cruisers and destroyers alongside U.S. Navy vessels could in fact open the Strait of Hormuz, which would be the most tactically smart thing the United States could do at this point.

DEAN: But what do you think the chances are of that happening?

[18:10:14]

STAVRIDIS: If we develop an attitude toward Europe of let's work together, I think it is quite reasonable that the Europeans would come along. Whether we get there or not, under the current circumstances, remains kind of unclear.

But final thought here, Jessica, mine clearing, minesweeping, highly technical. It is something we can do together and both the U.S. and the European NATO allies and the Canadians, by the way, have excellent maritime assets who could participate. I think that is a big part of the solution here.

So final thought, if you could put pressure on Iran by reopening the Strait, I think that helps you, you add the blockade to that. I think that's how you get Tehran to the table.

DEAN: All right, we will see if that's what comes to be, Admiral James Stavridis. Always good to see you.

Thank you.

STAVRIDIS: Thanks, Jess.

DEAN: Still to come, Palestinians in Gaza telling CNN tonight they are proud as they hold their first election in more than 20 years.

Plus, President Trump attending his first ever White House Correspondents' Dinner as a sitting president after years of attacking the press. We are live from the red carpet.

There is our Audie Cornish looking beautiful, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:17]

DEAN: In one city in Gaza today, Palestinians did something they have not had the opportunity to do for more than two decades, and that is vote. It comes as progress in the U.S. brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has stalled. Hamas still controls much of Gaza and has resisted calls to give up its weapons.

Hamas was officially excluded from participating in the election, which is being organized by the Palestinian Authority and CNN's Oren Liebermann explains why today's vote, while small, is still significant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: These municipal elections are the first in 20 years in Gaza, but they are only taking place in one very specific area, the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah. It is one of the places in Gaza that suffered the least over two years of war in Israel's bombardment of the shattered territory and that's the reason it will only take place there.

There is only about 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza, so less than five percent of the population that's eligible to vote, and yet, it is an incredibly symbolic and important election for a number of reasons.

For the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Occupied West Bank, it is important to show that it can carry out elections not only in the West Bank, but also at the same time in Gaza.

Meanwhile, for European and Arab States, it is important because they want to see an elections process. They have called and pressured for the Palestinian Authority to hold elections and it is also critical for the United States because a reformed Palestinian Authority is part of the next phase in the future of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that went into effect in October. And before the Palestinian Authority can take over governance of Gaza, it needs to show that it is able to and the elections are part of that.

Now, Hamas is officially excluded from being on the list as part of elections in Gaza, but its police force is part of the security force that is taking care and monitoring the election sites.

Still, it is considered that voter turnout and the results of the elections are an important gauge on the popularity of Hamas in Gaza.

Still, for many Palestinians who have waited for this moment, it is a crucial moment.

MOHAMMED SALMAN, PALESTINIAN VOTER (through translator): Our hope in these elections, God-willing, is that they will reaffirm Palestinian nationalism, prevent the erasure of Palestinian identity, and solidify our connection to this land, our roots and our ancestors.

Despite everything that is happening, we will remain, God-willing, and our hope remains, God-willing to raise the Palestinian flag to elevate Palestinian youth and to present the Palestinian cause to the entire world.

We desire development, peace, and love, far removed from war, humiliation, and all that we have witnessed.

LIEBERMANN: At the same time, municipal elections were also held across the Occupied West Bank. But in many of the major Palestinian cities, there was only one list, and that was Fatah, the party that has governed and controlled the Palestinian Authority since its inception and that risks disenfranchising voters who wanted to see a new generation of leadership in the Palestinian Authority.

Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right, Oren, thank you for that.

And tonight, the death toll in Ukraine continues to rise after a large scale Russian attacks overnight. Officials saying at least seven people are dead. Ukraine says more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles were launched by Russia, mainly targeting the southeastern city of Dnipro, but also stretched west into the Kyiv and Odesa regions, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says at least 30 were wounded in the attack. The damaged residential buildings, businesses and some industrial infrastructure facilities.

In the war in Ukraine, it appears military robots are replacing humans and heading into battle. And CNN's Melissa Bell has more on that piece of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Welcome to the future of warfare. A bird's eye view of two robots out on their own as they zip through a snowy field in Kharkiv region, evading enemy fire and making it to their goal, a Russian infantry position under a damaged tank.

[18:20:18]

Russia may have more men in this four-year war, but Ukraine believes that its robots can help make a difference. Like here, one blows up part of a building, allowing a second to destroy a basement in which soldiers were hiding. More losses for Russia and again, zero for Ukraine a crucial arithmetic as Kyiv battles Moscow's superior numbers.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The future is already here, already on the battlefield, and Ukraine is creating it.

BELL (voice over): That was here also in the region of Kharkiv, when a unit of robots did the work of soldiers with no blood spilt --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): That unit took over the dugout tree line in just 15 minutes. The entire strip was already ours, literally and without any losses. Not a single shot was fired.

BELL (voice over): The robots even managed to take prisoners that day, a first in Ukraine's war.

President Zelenskyy says that 10,000 missions have now been carried out by robots.

ZELENSKYY: We have to stop all together Putin, and we can stop it with weapon because he doesn't want to speak.

BELL (voice over): But Ukraine's military technology, which includes its sea and fiber optic drones, is not just its pride. President Zelenskyy says, it is also bringing in money now that Kyiv is helping Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar with their air defenses against Iranian drones.

We are a witness to a global robotic arms race today. The United States, Europe, Russia and China are all developing robot systems and tactics, but the pressures on its frontlines have given Ukraine an advantage in figuring out what war might look like with more robots and less blood.

Melissa Bell, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right, Melissa, thank you for that, and when we come back, we are live from the red carpet of The White House Correspondents' Dinner. President Trump attending that dinner for the first time in office, and of course, he has sued news organizations and taunted reporters, that could make for a very interesting dynamic. We are going to take you there, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:26:50]

DEAN: Tonight here in Washington, President Trump is ending his years' long boycott of The White House Correspondents' Dinner returning to the dinner for the first time since becoming commander-in-chief. The annual event brings together politicians, media, celebrities for a night of comedy and celebration of the press, of the First Amendment. But President Trump has skipped the dinner every year he has been in office, breaking with a century long tradition. And when he returns tonight as the event's keynote speaker, a lot of people are wondering exactly what he is going to say since He has sued, threatened, and insulted news organizations and individual members of the media.

One of the latest incidents happening just Thursday --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What do you say to the American people who question how much longer this will take? Obviously, you know that they are having --

TRUMP: You are such a disgrace. Did you hear what I just said? Vietnam? How many years was Vietnam.

REPORTER: Sir, would you use a nuclear weapon against Iran?

TRUMP: Why do I need it? Why would a stupid question like that be asked?

REPORTER: If there is nothing incriminating in the files, sir, why not --

TRUMP: Quiet. Quiet, piggy!

REPORTER: Why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?

TRUMP: You know, it is not the question that I mind, it is your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter. You're a terrible person and a terrible reporter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: CNN chief media analyst, Brian Stelter is there on the red carpet. It looks like he has Karoline Leavitt with him. So I am going to -- yes, send it out to him. And then, Brian, I will answer your questions in just a second.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: I do. The Press Secretary just was walking the red carpet yourself. So tell us what to expect from your boss tonight.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Sure. Look, this speech will be highly entertaining. It is going to be classic President Trump. There will be some comedy throughout. There will be some jabs thrown. I think it is appropriate for a night like this.

But I am really glad that the President is here and I know he is really looking forward to it. It is the 250th anniversary of our country, and he is definitely the most accessible President we've ever had.

So -- STELTER: I know you say he is very accessible, but so often he tries to demonize the press. Is he coming here tonight admitting that the free press is an important part of the country and that actually he is conceding that by showing up for the first time?

LEAVITT: Well, of course, he believes that that's why he talks to journalists personally. Half of this room will have his personal phone number and have spoken to him. He takes their calls, he answers their questions, and he tussles back and forth, too. I think he likes to hold people accountable.

You'll see a mix of both of that tonight. It is going to be great. It will be fun, and were happy to be here.

STELTER: We appreciate the preview. Thank you.

The Press Secretary walking the line of cameras here at the Washington Hilton. And I will tell you, Jessica, as someone who has been here for many of these events, this is the most crowded I've ever seen it. There is so much more interest this year because President Trump has never showed up here as president, and frankly, because he has demonized the media, because he has gone on the warpath against news outlets like CNN, because he has called journalists piggy and so many other nasty names.

He has also defunded PBS and NPR. He has dismantled Voice of America, but at the same time as Karoline Leavitt just loves to point out, he is incredibly accessible and he desperately wants the media's attention. It sounds like we are going to hear all of that -- we are going to hear criticism and much more from the President later this evening.

DEAN: Yes, and Brian, what -- it was great to be able to hear straight from her on kind of what she thinks we should anticipate, but also you giving that context, which is and I think underscoring it for people watching at home, just the tension between those two things. The fact that the President is there, but also what he has done, as you just laid out, and what that might look like, because just to describe to people who are watching, it is a giant ballroom. Everyone is smushed in there.

And once the President starts speaking, there is no going in and out. You're just kind of all in there together until he finishes speaking.

[18:30:39]

STELTER: Yes. And by the way, you know, White House correspondents listen to the President speak every day, but a lot of the reporters and news bosses and other people in the room, they rarely are in attendance for a Trump speech in person. I wonder if the President's up there for a long time going more than the 40 minutes that he's been budgeted. If he's doing his famous weave, I wonder how people are going to react to that. Are they going to wonder about his fitness for office? But we'll talk about that in a few hours.

For now, the -- the weirdness of the night is -- is so paramount, you know? You have some journalists, veteran White House reporters, TV anchors saying that this shouldn't be going on and that the President shouldn't be invited. But the White House Correspondents Association points out that the President is always invited, going back to the days of Calvin Coolidge in 1924. So, this is a tradition.

And now Trump is getting back and embracing the tradition, at least for one night. I wonder if he'll show up next year. I talked to Weijia Jiang, who's the association president this year. She's a reporter at CBS. She said to me, everyone in attendance, even the President, knows that dinner is dedicated to recognizing the importance of the First Amendment. You're going to see a lot of journalists tonight wearing these pins that recite the words of the First Amendment.

If I can figure out how to put on my pocket square, I'll be wearing that as well. But right now, it's stuck in my pocket. The ...

DEAN: I know ...

STELTER: ... this message about the First Amendment, it sometimes sounds sanctimonious. Journalists sometimes do sound too self- important. But when you look at the Trump administration's assault on the press, this tonight actually is a more valuable opportunity to reemphasize those values, I think.

DEAN: Yes. And I'm glad because I wanted to ask you about your pin. I know that that had been designed to highlight the First Amendment and that that was really important as we go into this dinner where, again, we talk about this dynamic is in place. Brian Stelter on the red carpet for us.

STELTER: That's right. Thanks.

DEAN: Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

And tune into the White House Correspondents Dinner Special. It's tonight at 8 P.M. right here on CNN, right after our show.

Still ahead, a court overturns a terrorism-related conviction against the 2017 New York City subway bomber. We're going to explain next. Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:37:19]

DEAN: In 2017, Akayed Ullah detonated a pipe bomb striped -- strapped to his body in a busy New York City subway station, and he said he did it for the Islamic State, quote. CNN's John Miller was on the scene in his role then as deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism at the NYPD. And he had this exchange with the perpetrator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Did you do this for any particular group? AKAYED ULLAH: Yes.

MILLER: What group?

ULLAH: Islamic State.

MILLER: Islamic State?

ULLAH: Yes.

MILLER: What we would call ISIS.

ULLAH: Yes.

MILLER: And did you do it in response to any particular call?

ULLAH: Yes.

MILLER: Which one:

ULLAH: They say attack here.

MILLER: Attack here?

ULLAH: Yes.

MILLER: What do that mean?

ULLAH: Attack USA.

MILLER: Oh, attack U.S.

ULLAH: Yep. That's right. Because over there, you guys bombing. You see a lot of people is dying over there. So, if you do stop bombing, we don't have to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So, this week, a federal appeals court overturned Ullah's conviction of providing material support to ISIS. Now, he's still serving a life sentence in prison. Let's bring in John Miller now, who now obviously we get to talk to here on CNN and his capacity here.

But John, can you talk us through what this means? Obviously, you were on scene there in 2017. And now what this means here today in 2026?

MILLER: Well, striking down this conviction, which means the judge is basically overruling the 12 -- the 12 jurors who found that this material support of terrorism after being read the law by the trial judge has outsized implications, potentially. Jessica, that could be for past cases of other people convicted in the New York area within that federal court district of material support of terrorism who were inspired by ISIS propaganda. And it also could mean current people who are facing charges now that have not gone to trial where prosecutors are going to have to look at based on this ruling. Can they still bring that charge? So, it's a ruling that goes far beyond this case. DEAN: Right. So, I want to ask you about that, because you -- you

really raised this as an issue in part because of the potential impact on other cases and what it could mean for future prosecutions of accused terrorists. Tell us about that.

MILLER: Well, you have hundreds of cases since 9/11 where they've charged material support of terrorism, but you have recent cases that are very front of mind. I mean, you'll remember these, Jessica, the two individuals who threw bombs at protesters outside Gracie Mansion.

[18:40:05]

They told police when they were taken into custody, according to the federal complaint, that they were inspired by ISIS propaganda. They were doing this in ISIS' name and therefore they were charged with material support, meaning providing themselves, their bombs, their attack in support of ISIS.

Based on this ruling, since right now in that investigation, unless something's changed, there is no indication that they had reached out to ISIS or had been in contact with them. The legal rub here, Jessica, is that this Second Circuit Court of Appeals opinion found that to make the statute of that law, you have to be under the direct control of ISIS.

So, under their control means they have to not just put out propaganda that you react to, but by this ruling, it seems that you have to be in contact with them somehow, which is not exactly how ISIS designed that. ISIS' successful design has been to put out propaganda and get lone wolves or pairs of people to carry out these attacks based on their call to arms.

DEAN: Yes, yes. And it'll be interesting to see what this means moving forward.

All right, John Miller, always good to have you, especially great to have you on this one since you were right in the middle of it all. Thank you.

MILLER: Appreciate it. Thanks.

DEAN: And the roommate charged in the deaths of two University of South Florida doctoral students makes his first court appearance. We'll have details on that just ahead. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:16]

DEAN: A former University of South Florida student is charged with two counts of first-degree murder after his roommate, a doctoral student, was found dead on a Tampa Bay bridge Friday. A second student is still missing. CNN's Rafael Romo is joining us now. What more can you tell us about this story?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, while officials in Florida had been investigating the disappearance of the two students as a missing person's case but that quickly changed as they say they uncovered evidence suggesting there had been foul play on Friday, Jessica. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said they located the remains of missing University of South Florida graduate student Zamil Limon, you see him here on the left, who was 27 years old but his girlfriend, Nahida Bristy, who's also 27 and is a student at USF, is still missing.

According to officials, they are both Bangladeshi nationals studying in the United States. Earlier today, Hillsborough County officials announced that 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh, who was Limon's roommate, was charged with two counts of murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.

Abugharbieh, who appeared in court this morning, was already facing charges of unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report the death with intent to conceal, tampering with physical evidence, false imprisonment and battery. It's unclear whether Abugharbieh has an attorney. CNN contacted the Hillsborough County Public Defender's Office to see if it will represent him.

In a statement, University of South Florida president Moez Limayem said that Zamil Limon had attended USF since the fall of 2024 to study geography and environmental science and policy, and Nahida Bristy was -- has attended USF since the fall of 2025 to study chemical engineering, adding that investigators say this is an isolated situation that occurred off campus, the suspect acted alone and there is no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community.

Hillsborough County officials say the suspect seemed willing to cooperate when he was contacted by sheriff's deputies but he stopped cooperating and the officials say during his arrest Abugharbieh barricaded himself inside a home requiring a SWAT team and crisis negotiators to respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF DEPUTY JOSEPH MAURER, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: The suspect initially when we made initial contact was talking. Yesterday we reinterviewed the suspect. He did talk and then he ended the interview. Right now, currently he is at our criminal investigations division speaking with detectives. At this time, we have no indications to think that he was not working alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Jessica, Limon's body was found on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa on Friday. Bristy's body has not been found but investigators call her family in Bangladesh saying they believe she may be dead based on the amount of blood found in the apartment Limon and the suspect shared, according to Bristy's brother who spoke to CNN affiliate WTSB.

Limon's brother, Zubaer Ahmed, told CNN that the doctoral student had spoken highly of Bristy to his family in Bangladesh telling them he was courting her and the pair had discussed the possibility of marriage. Jessica.

DEAN: And Rafael, you mentioned the other missing student. What are the hopes of finding her?

ROMO: Yes, it's hard to tell Jessica. Officials said the suspect was cooperating originally, answering all their questions. He was giving them everything they were asking for but that changed on Thursday when he was apparently realizing that he was about to get linked to the disappearance and murder of at least one of them. Officials say they have more evidence than they are being able to publicly disclose right now, but so far we don't know exactly what that is and how tight that evidence is, Jessica.

[18:50:00]

DEAN: Rafael Romo with the latest, thank you so much for that.

And still to come, a new type of therapy that's giving the gift of hearing. It's a look at the newest FDA approved technology that's helping babies born with a rare genetic mutation hear for the very first time.

And tomorrow night, journey across France with Eva Longoria as she discovers the rich history and influence of monks in Burgundy and Germans in Alsace on the CNN Original Series, "Eva Longoria: Searching for France."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA LONGORIA, CNN HOST, "EVA LONGORIA: SEARCHING FOR FRANCE" (voice over): Land in Burgundy is so expensive that most small winemakers buy in surplus grapes from bigger producers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LONGORIA: Oh, yes, it's a cellar-cellar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right this way. It is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONGORIA (voice over): (INAUDIBLE) supplies a handful of local restaurants, but this bijou operation is about pleasure over profit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tiny but there's enough space to make a little bit of wine.

LONGORIA: And what -- what do you make?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's two grapes in Burgundy. There is Pinot Noir ...

LONGORIA: Uh-huh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and there is Chardonnay. These two come from here.

We're starting with a Pinot Noir.

LONGORIA: Oh, yes, that's so easy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fresh, easy ...

LONGORIA: I've never had such a fresh Pinot Noir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, this is the Chardonnay.

LONGORIA: Okay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.

LONGORIA: That is so nice. Sometimes Chardonnays can be very perfumey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pure, fresh, elegant.

LONGORIA: It really rivals the Pinot Noir. If they were arm wrestling, it'd be a tie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(End VT)

DEAN: Two brand new episodes air tomorrow at 9 P.M. Eastern and Pacific time on CNN and streaming the next day on our CNN app.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:56:20]

DEAN: For the very first time, the FDA has approved a gene therapy to treat inherited hearing loss. It's a treatment specifically for children born with a rare genetic mutation. The condition affects about 50 babies born each year in the U.S., and the results of this treatment are nothing short of miraculous. CNN's Meg Tirrell has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A year ago, this little boy, Miles, could hear almost nothing. But now his life is filled with sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shake, shake, shake.

KERRI, MILES' MOTHER: He loves music, and dancing and running around. I never thought this would be possible.

What does the leopard say? And to find out that your baby is profoundly deaf is just so scary. And I remember sitting in that room, and it was dark, and I just started sobbing. And it was really the start of our journey.

TIRRELL: Miles was born with a rare genetic mutation in a gene known as OTOF. It's so rare, only about 50 kids are born with it each year in the United States. But it turned out that there was a clinical trial going on of a completely new way of treating this kind of hearing loss. Miles' parents signed him up.

In results from about five months after the treatment, 11 out of 12 participants had improvements in their hearing. Six could hear soft speech and three had essentially normal hearing. Now, that therapy, made by the company Regeneron, has just received FDA approval.

So, how does it work? Well, it's called gene therapy. It involves using a harmless virus to deliver a working copy of a gene directly into the inner ear to fix the faulty mutation that's causing Miles' hearing loss. For his family, the results were incredible.

KERRI: He didn't like music. He wouldn't sit for stories. He would try to interact with his siblings to the best of his abilities, but, you know, it was hard for him. And then after the surgery, we quickly started to realize that his hearing was coming back.

What is that?

MILES: (INAUDIBLE) ...

KERRI: One of the days we were heading to school, I was like, Miles, I love you. And he had his back to me. He turned right around and he went, and blew me a kiss. And I was like, you heard me. You heard me say that and you blew me a kiss. It's just amazing.

TIRRELL: The new gene therapy is the first ever for hearing loss. And though Miles' condition is rare, the hope is that this will lead to more breakthroughs that can extend the kinds of benefits that Miles has experienced to many more people.

KERRI: Hi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TIRRELL: And, Jessica, oftentimes, these sort of one-time treatments for very small patient groups can end up costing millions of dollars per patient as the companies try to make a return on their investment in developing these drugs. But in this case, the company behind this, Regeneron, says it's going to make it available for free to children in the United States. This is administered via a surgery, so there may be other costs associated with that. But really, a remarkable story on multiple fronts. Jessica.

DEAN: It truly is. Meg Tirrell, thank you for that. Really great to see.

Another hour of CNN Newsroom starts right now. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in

Washington.

And tonight, President Donald Trump is set to attend the annual event honoring the First Amendment and journalists covering the White House, the same journalists, his administration, and he himself has repeatedly attacked. This will be the President's first time attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner as president. He's also expected to speak.

President Trump's appearance tonight coming against a backdrop of the President calling off a U.S. delegation's trip to Islamabad, Pakistan.

[19:00:02]

The group was set to take part in talks aimed at eventually ending the war with Iran. But Trump's announcement leaving the potential for a peace deal in limbo.