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Hantavirus Outbreak Claims Three Lives on a Cruise Ship; New York Legislators Propose a Bill to Ban Armed Robots' Use; Cavaliers, Pistons Overcome Game 7 of the NBA Playoffs, Through to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 04, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: It is wonderful to be with you. Thank you so much for starting your week with us. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York, and here's what's coming your way here on "CNN Newsroom."

The U.S. planning to guide neutral ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials say it may be a violation of the ceasefire.

And a virus spread by rodents has killed at least three people on a ship at sea. Health workers trying to evacuate others who have symptoms.

And are armed police robots on the streets a good idea? We'll have that very conversation as a New York City council member hopes to prevent that.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Alright, let's begin this hour with the war in Iran. President Donald Trump says that the U.S. will start guiding so-called neutral ships through the Strait of Hormuz in a mission dubbed Project Freedom. U.S. Central Command says that it will provide military support for the mission.

An American official tells CNN that the initiative is not an escort mission. But regardless of what the U.S. may call it, a senior Iranian official warns that any plans to guide ships through the Strait violates the ceasefire. President Trump says that his representatives are currently having what he describes as very positive discussions with Iran.

And this as the two countries review each other's peace proposals. The announcement coming after a U.K. maritime agency reported that a tanker was hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz.

We're covering all these developments in the Middle East. We have Eleni Giokos standing by in Dubai. But first I want to head over to you, Paula Hancocks, in Abu Dhabi.

Paula, U.S. Central Command says that its support of this mission will include some of their destroyers as well as other assets. Is there any actual sense of how this ship guiding plan is actually supposed to work?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, there's not a lot of clarity when it comes to this plan at this point, specifically when we hear from a U.S. official that it's not going to be an escort. And so what we have spoken to analysts about is what exactly they believe that this might entail.

And they believe that rather than a direct escort of each individual vessel that wants to cross the Strait of Hormuz, it could potentially be that there will be an increased U.S. naval presence -- an increased U.S. military presence in and around the Strait of Hormuz so that that can provide some kind of reassurance to any commercial ships that would want to try and make that journey.

And it could also mean that there could be aircraft in the area that could engage should they see Iranian small boats, for example. But of course, this is speculation at this point. There's no clarification on what the rules of engagement would be and exactly what kind of engagement could happen.

We do know exactly what Central Command is providing as part of this initiative, though. CENTCOM saying that there will be guided missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft, 15,000 service members. So the military personnel and assets that would be involved are significant to be able to try and provide this reassurance to vessels that want to try and make this journey.

We have, though, heard from Iran that it would be repelled. We have just heard from Iran saying that they warn any foreign military, especially the U.S. Navy, that they will be attacked if they try to enter the Strait of Hormuz. Now I've also heard from a senior Iranian official, I'll read this out to you, saying, quote, "Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire."

Now we know that Iran is trying to change facts on the ground. We were reporting on Sunday that Iran's parliament, according to Press T.V., was close to actually endorsing a new protocol for the Strait of Hormuz, where no Israeli ships would be allowed.

Hostile countries, presumably the United States, would have to pay war reparations in order to get a permit to cross the waters. Even those considered friendly to Iran would have to have coordination with Iran.

[03:05:05]

So it's not entirely clear how this will work at this point. It does, though, raise the concern and the prospects of confrontation on the water. We have reports of a projectile against another vessel in the Strait of Hormuz just before this announcement came. Now when it comes to diplomacy, we have heard positive words from the

U.S. President again, saying that discussions could lead to something very positive for all. And we've heard from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson that the U.S. has responded to Iran's latest proposal, this response going through Pakistan as the mediator, and that Tehran is reviewing that response. What he did say, though, on state media during a live interview was that their 14-point proposal that they put forward to the U.S. via Pakistan did not mention the nuclear program at all.

This is what Tehran appears to favor at this point, to end the war, to open up the Strait of Hormuz, clearly they would like on their terms rather than on U.S. terms, but to push the issue of the nuclear program to a later date, something which U.S. officials appear not to favor, knowing that if they lift their U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ships and ports, then they lose a fair bit of leverage. Polo?

SANDOVAL: Thank you, Paula. Let's go to you now.

You heard Paula, as she discussed the possibility of a potential confrontation on the water, no doubt that's certainly going to fuel further instability in oil markets. I'm wondering if you can bring us up to speed on what some folks around the world, particularly in the United States, are currently having to pay for fuel, and just how much higher those prices could get?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, I've spoken to so many analysts, and one told me that expect $120 to $150 a barrel, and that's really just as we have no real time frame on how and when this will end.

Let's look at U.S. gas prices. They're sitting at around $4.45 a gallon, and that's a 50 percent increase prior to the war. So it just gives you an indication of just the leverage that Iran has, and the pressure points on the oil market globally that it's utilizing to, of course, squeeze the United States into a corner, the U.S. also doing the same with the U.S. naval blockade, because it is impacting any Iranian tankers from transiting.

But just this news coming in, Polo, a short time ago. This is from Islamabad, the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Pakistan, saying that as a confidence-building measure by the United States, 22 crew members that were held aboard the seized Iranian cargo ship, the M.V. Tuska, which of course we've covered extensively in terms of it being indicted, have now been evacuated to Pakistan.

So the 21 individuals have now been flown to Pakistan. That happened last night and have been handed over to the Iranian authorities. So this is part of the confidence-building measures clearly by the United States, Pakistan being the key mediator here, and of course a very clear signal that they're sending to Iran.

Perhaps this is going to be one move closer to finding diplomatic resolution as we wait to see how this Project Freedom is going to be enforced within the Strait of Hormuz, where the United States says it is not a naval escort in terms of guiding vessels and helping vessels transit these dangerous waters, but rather a humanitarian gesture to try and get shippers that have been trapped within the Persian Gulf since the start of the war to find an exit way.

Now how this is going to be implemented, how it's going to be taken by shippers, who's going to go first to test this?

And of course in the event of Iran choosing to retaliate or perhaps strike some of these vessels, that is going to be a big question in terms of how the U.S. chooses to respond, given that Iran has said this is a violation of a ceasefire. So we wait to see as this goodwill gesture has now just been announced with these crew members that have been on the inducted vessel now flown into Iran.

It remains to be seen. But in the meantime, the whole world is collateral damage, Polo, as we see Brent crude prices now sitting at around $108 a barrel.

SANDOVAL: Telling numbers as always. Eleni Giokos, Paula Hancocks, thank you both so much for your reporting this morning.

Well Ukraine currently stepping up its attacks on Russian energy and oil targets. On Sunday President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces struck two Shadow Fleet tankers in waters near a Russian Black Seaport. Well he also says that Ukraine targeted a Baltic seaport and several vessels, including a Russian missile ship, a patrol boat, as well as an oil tanker.

Ukraine's President says that the country's long-range capabilities will continue growing as it hopes to limit, quote, "Russia's war potential."

[03:10:03]

Firefighters in Ukraine responded to a Russian attack in Odessa and that strike killed at least two people and damaged houses as well as some of the port's infrastructure.

A suspected Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship has left three people dead and several others seriously ill. The ship is Dutch and reportedly traveling up the western coast of Africa with a capacity of 170 passengers in 80 cabins. The World Health Organization saying that it is conducting an investigation into the outbreak trying to find a source and at least one case has been confirmed so far.

We know that one patient is in intensive care and that the WHO is currently working to evacuate two other passengers that are experiencing victims on that vessel, and there is no treatment or cure for Hantavirus, which is typically linked to exposure to infected rodents, but it can also spread between humans as a severe respiratory illness.

All right, let's get more on this now and head over to CNN's Larry Madowo reporting from Nairobi. Larry, what can you tell us about the passengers on the vessel and maybe where they're from?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot we still don't know, Polo. We know there's 170 passengers on this ship and we also know the nationalities of some of the deceased. Two of them were Dutch nationals.

One is a 70-year-old man who's said to have died from suspected Hantavirus symptoms in St. Helena, that is a British overseas territory. His wife collapsed while trying to fly from Johannesburg in South Africa back to the Netherlands and also died.

So far, only one case has been confirmed of Hantavirus. The rest are suspected cases, but they're exhibiting the same respiratory distress consistent with Hantavirus.

We know that the ship is now docked in Praia. That is the capital of Cape Verde, a small island nation off the West African coast. This Dutch flagship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions has been sailing for the past seven weeks since it left Ushuaia in Argentina.

It's been to Antarctica as well as St. Helena in South Africa and now is in Cape Verde, where authorities there have not allowed it so far. They've not allowed passengers and crew to disembark. They have however done two trips onto the ship with full PPE to assess two crew members who are exhibiting symptoms.

It is extremely rare to have this kind of situation where symptoms consistent with Hantavirus exhibit in a ship that has not sailed in areas where it is endemic. But a doctor explains what could have happened.

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DR. SCOTT MISCOVICH, PRESIDENT AND CEO, PREMIER MEDICAL GROUP USA: There's only really one of two possible ways this could have happened. Number one is something on the ship could have been infected, remember, with typically it would be rat or mice feces or urine that would have become airborne.

But number two, one of the things that is just going to potentially change the infectious disease world and travel medicine and wilderness medicine world is this may be the Andes variant of the Hantavirus. And there are 31 cases that I have researched that I can find in the world that have been spread through human to human transmission.

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MADOWO: The doctor believes that all the passengers and crew needs to be taken off the ship and evaluated. But so far as this morning, still very early morning in Cape Verde, they have not been allowed on the shore and they've not been allowed to disembark. We are asking for more information from the health and the foreign ministries in Cape Verde.

But Hantavirus to have that human to human transmission is still not clear exactly what happened here. So a lot of it is speculative. The World Health Organization says it is coordinating between the ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, and the member states in this case, Cape Verde, to try and provide support and find the best way forward for this.

It's extremely rare, but when people do have Hantavirus, at least 38 percent go on to die according to CDC data. Polo?

SANDOVAL: Larry Madowo with that live report and that lingering question, how did they become infected? Thank you so much, Larry, for that report.

An 18-year-old in Atlanta who was stopped for a routine traffic violation has been deported to a country that he left four years ago. After the break here on "CNN Newsroom," we speak to the teen as he attempts to adjust to a country that he doesn't hear and remember far from his home and family.

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SANDOVAL: And this just into CNN, police say that at least 10 people have been injured in a shooting near Oklahoma City. It happened on Sunday night when officers responded to reports of gunfire at a party at Arcadia Lake, where a large group of young people had been gathering.

A police spokesperson says that there are currently no suspects in custody, but they do not believe that there is an ongoing threat to the community. Police say that the total number of victims is expected to continue to change as people likely transported themselves to the hospital.

An Atlanta area high school student who says that he had no clue that there was a pending deportation order against him has been sent back to Honduras. CNN's Rafael Romo spoke exclusively with the young man who's now living with his grandmother in the city that he was born in.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the first time the teenager speaks publicly since he was arrested in suburban Atlanta and subsequently placed in ICE custody less than three months after his 18th birthday. Axel Gerardo Archaga Rios was deported from the United States to his native Honduras on Thursday night, a country the 18- year-old barely remembers because he left his birthplace with his mother when he was only four years old.

The teenager says a police officer in Dunwoody, Georgia, where he lived with his family and went to high school, arrested him in late March. Dunwoody police told CNN in a statement that Archaga Rios was pulled over for running a stop sign. In addition, a spokesman said he did not have a driver's license.

Archaga Rios told me from Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, that it was not until he was booked in the Cap County jail that he was informed he had a final order of removal pending against him. [03:20:02]

AXEL ARCHAGA RIOS, HONDURAN STUDENT DEPORTEE: I was eating lunch and then I come back from lunch to my cell and then they asked me if I was Axel Archaga Rios. I told them yes and then they told me, they took me to the intake office and they told me that Trump did not want me in the States no more, that I'm being deported to Honduras.

ROMO: In a statement to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security said that Archaga Rios illegally entered the U.S. on June 25, 2014 near the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and was released into the country by the Obama administration.

An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal on September 1, 2015. Immigration attorney Alejandro Cornejo tried to stop the deportation by asking Immigration and Customs Enforcement to consider an asylum petition filed by the teenager's mother that was denied for reasons that had nothing to do with her son.

Axel's mom is a victim of domestic violence. She was forced to leave the state and move to Georgia. All the documentation that she received from the immigration judge in Florida she never received.

ALEJANDRO CORNEJO, IMMIGRATION LAWYER: Axel's mom is a victim of domestic violence. She was forced to leave the state and move to Georgia. All the documentation she received from the Immigration judge in Florida, she never received.

ARCHAGA RIOS: Everything just flips upside down and in less than a month and then next thing I knew I was being deported to Honduras.

ROMO: Archaga Rios says he lost almost 30 pounds in detention and had to see a doctor to be treated for what appears to be a skin infection. But all of that pales, he says, when compared to the pain of being torn apart from his family and the only life he ever knew.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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SANDOVAL: The Supreme Court's blockbuster ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act. It is setting off yet another redistricting scramble in the United States. How this could impact the midterm elections with control of Congress at stake.

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SANDOVAL: And welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York, and these are today's top stories.

President Donald Trump has announced the U.S. will begin guiding neutral ships through the Strait of Hormuz today. U.S. Central Command saying that it will begin supporting President Trump's mission dubbed Project Freedom. But senior Iranian officials warning that any American interference in the Strait of Hormuz would be considered a ceasefire violation.

Three people are dead and several others seriously ill after a suspected antivirus outbreak on a cruise ship. Now the World Health Organization saying that it is currently conducting an investigation into the outbreak and that at least one case has been confirmed so far. One passenger was transported to a South African intensive care unit and the WHO says that four are expected to be evacuated for treatment.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the hospital in critical but stable condition and news came on Sunday evening in a statement from his spokesperson, but it did not say why the 81-year-old is hospitalized. Giuliani was mayor of New York from 1994 through 2001 and has been a staunch ally of President Donald Trump.

Well with the midterm elections just around the corner, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that actually guts a key provision of the Voting Rights Act is setting off another congressional redistricting race in Republican-led states. The court blockbuster decision voided a Louisiana congressional map. Doing so makes it much harder for minority voters to lodge any challenges against redistricting plans.

Now the court's decision had immediate effects. Louisiana delayed its May congressional primaries that were already happening despite some ballots that had already been sent out.

And now President Trump is calling on Republican states to redraw district lines in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling. Alabama and Tennessee are currently convening special sessions of their state legislatures in the coming days to consider redistricting.

Let's discuss all this and what it means, especially for minority voters, and head over to Natasha Lindstaedt. She's a professor of government at the University of Essex. Natasha, it's great to see you again, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROF. OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Thanks for having me on.

SANDOVAL: Let's begin on that last report and state redistricting battles that seem to be intensifying following the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act. How do you see it further complicating midterms for Democrats, especially with control of Congress at stake?

LINDSTAEDT: Well, this is a huge blow to Democrats because even though they're doing better than Republicans are doing in the polls, by some polls up to maybe six points ahead of Republicans, on average, maybe more closer to six to 10 points, depending on the poll that you're looking at.

And so that would assume that they have a huge advantage going into the midterms because typically it's the incumbent party that doesn't do particularly well. And the fact that Trump's approval ratings are in the 30s.

So Democrats should assume that they would be able to win the House. But with this recent ruling, this is going to make it easier for states, particularly states where Republicans have a stronghold to redistrict to ensure that minority voters don't have any kind of representation. So you have some states like Florida that if they're able to redistrict, they already have 20 Republicans seats and they might be able to gain an additional four seats.

And then you have states like Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, where there's really only one Democrat in each of those states, one representative, and they would be able to redistrict to ensure that there are no Democrats that gain any seats.

SANDOVAL: Yes. And you mentioned one of the potential issues that's been highlighted here, which is potentially less representation for minority voters. I'm curious though, if you can tell viewers around the world exactly, how this could potentially dilute their representation in Washington.

LINDSTAEDT: Right. Well, this is because the previous laws in place ensured that there was some type of districting that ensured minority representation or marginalized groups were being represented, that the districts could be drawn up in such a way where if you had a majority of Black voters, for example, in the state of Tennessee, which are congregated in the city of Memphis, that it was drawn up to ensure that there was at least one seat that would go to represent Black voters.

[03:30:10]

Now, you would have to prove that there was some sort of racial bias. There was some sort of intent to be racist in the way that you draw up the districts. It's going to make it much harder for different minority groups to challenge this. And it will ensure that districts are drawn up in such a way that basically the Republicans, if they are in a Republican majority state, where it is the health state legislature that draws up the districts, they can just draw it up whatever way they want to and there really isn't any kind of protection for Black and other minority voters.

SANDOVAL: I wonder if we can shift gears to another significant development from U.S. courts. As you know, a federal appeals court also restricted access to Mifepristone, which is one of the most common means of abortion in the United States. We know that the manufacturers of that drug are now asking the Supreme Court to restore access to it.

Do you, however, see the court taking up this case, the Supreme Court?

LINDSTAEDT: I think we're certain the Supreme Court will take up this case. This is an incredibly important case, and it's a huge blow to abortion rights. I mean, probably second only to when they overturned Roe v. Wade.

We've seen that the average level of abortions hasn't really gone down that much because of the fact that women have access to these abortion pills, which since 2021, because of COVID, they were able to access via telehealth so that they didn't have to go in person.

We have some 70 percent of the American public that is in support of women having access to abortion pills, but it goes down to about half if they are able to access it through telehealth. But it's really going to upend things for women, particularly those that are living in states where they don't have access to abortion rights because it has been overturned in their particular state. They would be able to access these abortion pills through other drug companies based in other states.

Now, this upends everything and creates chaos, and there will definitely be pushback. We're seeing abortion rights activists and other Democrats making clear that they will pressure to get the Supreme Court to overturn this because it would be a huge blow, and it's probably going to be something that will be important in the midterms now that might not have been previously.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely. Natasha Lindstaedt, as always, I really appreciate you coming on and your perspective. Have a good day.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: Well, we want to get you now to some new polling that has a number of worrying signs for President Donald Trump and the rest of his Republican Party ahead of those critical midterms that we've been discussing. CNN's Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten takes us through some of the details and exactly what they mean.

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HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: We've got a number of polls over the past few days, including from the "Washington Post" and ABC News, as well as from the Pew Research Center, and I really think it indicates and illustrates where President Trump's problems are within the electorate.

So, for example, you know, we often talk about, oh, is the Republican base leaving Donald Trump? And then, of course, you look at polling, you see, hey, he's actually still doing pretty good with those who identify as MAGA.

But here is a group that traditionally has been Republican and voted Republicans in elections that he's really struggling with. That is Trump and then independents who lean towards the Republican Party. That is on a follow-up question amongst independents.

Do you lean towards the Democrats, Republicans, or nobody else? These are the folks, the independents, who say they lean towards the Republicans, and there has been a massive deterioration in support for the President of the United States.

Just take a look here. Okay, GOP leaning independents on Trump.

In the 2024 election versus Kamala Harris, Trump got 91 percent of this vote. Look at where he is right now, though, in the average of the Pew Research Center and the ABC News/Washington Post poll.

He is way down. He is all the way down to, get this, just 53 percent support right now, his job approval rating. That is a drop of nearly 40 points since the 2024 election.

And, you know, I was pointing out, of course, GOP leaning independents. They are very different from Republicans on the initial question. Are you Republican, independent, or Democrat?

Those who are Republicans, their support for Donald Trump is holding strong. It is really within this independent block. Because take a look here.

Okay, Trump approval at this point in a term. Take a look at term number one among independents in these who lean GOP.

In term one, at this point, he was at 73 percent. Look at, again, though, where he is down to now, he is down to 53 percent. So this is a 20 percent drop during Trump's term number one, as we are right now in terms of Trump term number two.

[03:35:01]

But look at those who identify as Republican on the initial question. That is Republican only, not those who lean independent or those who are independents who lean Republican.

At this point in term number one, look at this. Trump was at 83 percent, and now he is still at 83 percent. So this deterioration, you know, we keep looking at, okay, where are these traditional Republican voters who are leaving Donald Trump? Are there any?

Yes, there are. Yes, they are. But it is those independents who vote Republican, those are the people who are abandoning Donald Trump and the Republican Party at this point.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Harry Enten, thank you.

And still to come here on "CNN Newsroom," we talked about those soaring gas prices. Up next, some of the U.S. drivers. What are they feeling? We will bring you a look at the war with Iran's economic impact on everyday Americans.

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SANDOVAL: Hi, welcome back. Let's get to your business headlines now.

You may have seen their global oil insecurity ascending average U.S. gas prices soaring over the weekend. The national average peaked at around $4.45 a gallon, that's according to AAA Auto Association. That's up nearly $0.35 from just over a week ago and close to $1.50 more per gallon than pre-Iran War prices.

OPEC-Plus is reaffirming its commitment to oil market stability amid the effect of closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Seven members are set to boost their oil production targets by an additional 188,000 barrels a day in June. This marks the third consecutive monthly rise and comes after the UAE's landmark departure from the organization just last week.

[03:40:00]

Well the abrupt closure of Spirit Airlines on Saturday is sending shockwaves throughout the United States. Spirit says the ticket holders are being issued refunds and other airlines say they are offering so-called rescue fares. But the sudden cancellations of so many flights and the lack of customer service has left thousands of passengers and employees experiencing limbo.

One of those employees was Spirit captain John Jackson. His retirement flight was supposed to happen on Saturday but it was canceled when the airline abruptly closed so he headed home aboard a Southwest Airlines plane. But Southwest decided to do something special for the captain.

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He got his sendoff anyway. He was met with cheers and a bottle of champagne after his son mentioned his retirement to Southwest personnel. The flight was also met with a traditional water cannon salute upon landing.

Let's get you to some dramatic video now of the moment that a Boeing 767 jet collided with a bakery delivery truck in New Jersey. Keep in mind the driver is okay.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Police say that the tire of the United Airlines flight clipped the tractor trailer and street light as it passed overhead. The driver was able to safely pull over and suffered only minor injuries from broken glass. The plane did land on a runway that starts less than 400 feet from the edge of the busy highway.

For international viewers, "World Sport" is next, and for those in the U.S., I'll be right back with you with more headlines.

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SANDOVAL: Now to some new signs that the war with Iran continues inflicting pain on everyday Americans at the gas pump. Average U.S. gas prices soared as high as $4.45 a gallon over the weekend, and that's according to AAA Auto Association.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more on how drivers are coping with the mounting price hikes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been speaking with drivers throughout this entire week. And here in Queens, where we are right now, we've encountered a lot of taxi drivers, Uber drivers.

They told me they especially feel like they don't have a choice, right? They have to fill up the tank in order to go to work. Many of them told us then even if they're making their usual income, they're spending a lot more money on everything else, right?

Food has gone up, gas is going up. So they're just trying to stay afloat. I spoke to a man who told me that sometimes filling up the gas all the way up to full might mean that he doesn't get to have lunch one day. Another person told us they work a six or seven day during the week in order to try and stay afloat.

So a lot of frustration among drivers, people directing their frustration at the administration and worried that the conflict in the Middle East is continuing to drag out and that prices may not come down anytime soon.

UNKNOWN: Oh, yes. That's the reason why we have to work another seven days because when you think about the gas price, you go to the store, you want to buy the food, the grocery, forget it.

UNKNOWN: The gas is getting involved in a stupid war. I think that's had a direct, obviously a direct effect on the cost of everything here. You know, we're only like putting small amounts of gas in at a time in hopes that the prices are going to come down again soon.

UNKNOWN: Really, it sucks. Gas going up every single day now from $3.60, now it's $4.45 and the same price. So it's affecting everyone, not only me.

PAZMINO: Now, let's break down the numbers. The national average is trending right around $4.45 for the gallon, and that is an increase of $0.35 in just the past week and an increase of almost $1.50 since the war in Iran started back in February.

New York is seeing some of the highest numbers here at this gas station. We're seeing $4.45, so right on trend with the national average, and $5.43 if you get the premium option. If you're in California, you're paying some of the highest prices, $6.10 a gallon.

And experts warn that even if the conflict in the Middle East ends soon, even if the Strait of Hormuz were to open soon, it would likely take months for prices to come down and for the oil markets to stabilize again.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Let's stay in New York, where lawmakers are currently considering a bill to keep armed police robots off the city streets. And this bill aiming to set clear limits on how the city's law enforcement can utilize robotic technology. According to the city council, the measure would prohibit the NYPD

from using or threatening to use robots armed with weaponry. It would also ban the use of robots in any other way that's considered substantially likely to cause physical injury.

For more, I want to bring in Professor Ryan Calo from the University of Washington to discuss this absolutely fascinating topic. Professor, thank you so much for joining us. Good morning.

PROF. RYAN CALO, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: So it was my understanding that NYPD robots were already banned from having any sort of weapons. So I'm curious, just why are we seeing this kind of legislation introduced by local lawmakers? Was there sort of anything in the tea leaves that indicated a possible shift in policy down the road?

CALO: More and more police departments like the NYPD are using robots, and there's a lot of discomfort among the population that they might be used in ways that were violent or otherwise frightening. And so while so far the NYPD has committed not to use robotics armed with weaponry, I think the city council is just trying to make sure that that doesn't happen.

[03:49:57]

SANDOVAL: I mean, you watch this sort of industry closely, and in your assessment, Professor, are there any possible benefits to arming robots that would be essentially on patrol on the streets of America's largest city?

CALO: Well, I think there's two primary problems with arming robots, one of which is that just makes people feel uncomfortable. People associate robots, especially armed robots, with the theater of war, and it contributes to a trend of militarization of the police.

And second of all, if the police officers are not right there in the situation, they might not have the right situational awareness to determine whether or not force is warranted.

That said, the hope would be that there'd be less violence towards the population if we had robots. The reason being that when the police actually shoot someone, whenever you ask them why they did it, the answer is always that they feared for their own safety. Of course, if you put robots in the picture, if you put robots in the situation rather than real people, real police officers, maybe there'd be fewer chances to use violence.

SANDOVAL: (inaudible) as you were speaking to, Professor, we're showing images of police departments around the world employing robot- assisted devices, humanoids as well, for policing operations. Is there a right way to lean on that kind of technology to be able to assist police officers on the ground?

CALO: It is my view that each community should decide for itself how it wants robots to be deployed by the police. I think the first starting point is for any police trying to use any sort of robot, be it a humanoid, drone, have legs, have wheels, that they come out with a clear set of guidelines about the situations where they will use robotics and when they won't, and that those guidelines can be vetted by the community to see whether or not there's comfort.

I mean, it is disquieting to be in a city that is policed by robots. They're unfamiliar, they're strange, and people are rightly concerned. So I think it starts with clear communication about how robots are intended to be used, and then ultimately it's a community decision what happens.

SANDOVAL: And perhaps also not just that clear communication that you lay out, but also a look back at how law enforcement agencies have for years relied on similar technology. I mean, we're just showing viewers what would appear to be a bomb disposal, or I'm not sure if it's a bomb disposal robot, but we have seen it. We have seen those kinds of devices sort of used.

So what are some of the other ways that that kind of technology is being used?

CALO: Right. Well, I think if robots are only used to investigate whether there might be a bomb, or they're only used to bring water and a telephone into a hostage situation so that the police don't have to go in, those might be defensible uses.

Although a few years ago, Dallas Police Department used the very same robot that they'd been using to investigate possible improvised explosives in order to kill an active shooter. Specifically, they put a plastic explosive on the robot and then drove the robot into where the active shooter was in a parking lot. And this caused national and international headlines.

And there was no policy on the books explaining that that robot would be used that way. It's that surprise. It is that unanticipated use that is so concerning and disquieting.

SANDOVAL: Yes, that level of transparency is certainly a must in order for this to work out, I'm sure, as you point out. Ryan Calo, as always, thank you for your expertise and your insight.

CALO: Thanks for consulting me.

SANDOVAL: Thank you.

Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Cavs, they were able to finish off the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of the conference's first-round series.

Cleveland trailing in the first and second quarters by double digits before finally pulling away from the Raptors and finally closing out the series with a 114-102 win. Next, they'll be playing the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the East Semifinals.

In the meantime, Pistons fans are celebrating the team's first playoff series win in 18 years, Detroit beating the Orlando Magic 116-94 in Game 7 on Sunday.

The Pistons overcame a 3-1 deficit and then went on to win the final three games of the series. Detroit will next be hosting Cleveland for the Eastern Conference Semifinals, those start on Tuesday.

Let's go to the ice now in hockey. The Colorado Avalanche dominating the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the NHL's Western Conference second round, winning 9-6.

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They were up 3-0 in the first period, but the Wild, they actually fought back to briefly take the lead, 5-4 in the second. This was not enough for a comeback, though.

Cale Makar scoring twice in the third period after returning from injury earlier in the game, they also added an empty net goal to seal that victory. Game 2 of the best of seven series, it is on Tuesday night in the city of Denver.

And the Montreal Canadiens, they have advanced around two of the Stanley Cup playoffs after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. They were outplayed for much of the deciding match before Alex Newhook delivering this game-winning goal, breaking a third-period tie.

This is the first time that Montreal has won a playoff series since 2021. They now face the Buffalo Savers in the best of seven second round series that starts on Wednesday in Buffalo, New York.

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ANNE HATHAWAY, AS ANDREA SACHS IN "THE DEVIL WERS PRADA 2": I'm Andy Sachs. Andrea?

STANLEY TUCCI, AS NIGEL KIPLING IN "THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2": She was one of the Emilys.

MERY STREEP, AS MIRANDA PRIESTLY IN "THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2": One of the what?

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SANDOVAL: And "The Devil Wears Prada 2." It is proving Runway is back. The sequel opening at a stunning $223.6 million worldwide during its opening weekend, and that's according to "Deadline."

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, all the big headliners in this movie. They have all returned to their roles two decades later. It's actually really good.

Thank you so much for watching, I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. I'll be right back with you in just a few moments with more "CNN Newsroom," don't go anywhere.

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