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Trump Pauses Plan to Guide Ships Through Strait of Hormuz; Iran Accused of Attacks on Shipping, UAE Energy Site; Trump Scheduled to Meet With Xi in China Next Week; Iran's Foreign Minister Meets With Chinese Counterpart; Narges Mohammadi's Family Says the Iranian Nobel Prize Winner is in Dire Health; Trump to Host Brazil's Lula Da Silva at White House; New Study Finds Microplastics Contributing to Global Warming; Pope Says Church's Mission is to Preach the Gospel and Peace; Mercy Corps Report Shows the Hormuz Impasse Harming Vulnerable Countries; New York Foodies Seeks to Dine on Cuisine From Every Country; Tourists Flock to Istanbul to Experience 3.5 Million Tulips. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired May 06, 2026 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:31]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. pauses Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz and says, Operation Epic Fury is over. How Iran is responding.
Some sick passengers will be evacuated off the cruise ship hit by an outbreak of hantavirus. We will look at how it may have started.
And 3.5 million tulips have taken over a city. We'll tell you where, and no, it is not Amsterdam.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us, and we begin in the Middle East, where the White House appears to be shifting its strategy as it works to strike a deal with Iran. President Donald Trump says Project Freedom, the effort to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz has now been paused. Iranian state media is touting the move as a, "U.S. failure to achieve its objectives." Washington's top diplomat says combat operations against Tehran have concluded. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio insists Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz should not be normalized, and the waterway should operate as it did before the war.
Meantime, Iran's foreign minister is in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart ahead of President Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week. So, let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos, she joins us live from Dubai. Good morning to you, Eleni.
So, how's Iran reacting to President Trump pausing Project Freedom and ending Operation Epic Fury, and how close might a deal be?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, we are looking at what is a standoff between the United States and Iran. Iran is trying to assert its control over the Strait of Hormuz, and Iranian state media saying that Trump, once again, has backtracked on what they then describe as the Freedom Project.
And Project Freedom by the United States was supposed to be a humanitarian gesture to try and help shippers transit the Straits that have been trapped within the Persian Gulf for over two months now. I want you to take a listen to what Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The primary responsibility for this Project Freedom is on the United States, because we're the only country that can project power in that part of the world the way we're doing now. We're the only ones that can do it, and we're going to do it as a favor to the world.
Understand this, this is a favor to the world because it's their ships that are stranded.
So, look, the time has come for Iran to make a sensible choice, and it's not easy for them to do that, obviously, because they have a fracture in their own leadership system. And apart from that, I mean, the top people in that government are, to say the least, you know, they're insane in the brain, and so we need to address that. And it's difficult, because it's hard to get past that in their system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, less than 48 hours after Project Freedom was announced, it's now been halted. The U.S. is saying that the naval blockade is going to remain in force. Iran has been pushing back on the U.S. naval blockade, but Iran's response has been very notable because they have announced a new mechanism to formalize their control, and they're calling it the Persian Gulf Strait authority, and essentially also saying that any shippers that are eligible to transit the Straits will be contacted via e-mail, and then they'll have to fill in forms.
So, this again, just moving towards a formalization of the control while the whole world essentially is watching on President Trump. In a social media post saying that was based on the request of Pakistan as well as other countries to halt this humanitarian gesture of guiding vessels, which only two vessels that were linked to the United States were able to transit on the first day.
In fact, we know the data is showing us that barely any vessels have transited since the announcement of the Project Freedom.
Importantly, I spoke to one risk company -- maritime risk service company that has clients in the Persian Gulf, and he says this, for ships and crews, this is no longer simply a difficult transit, thousands of innocent seafarers remain effectively trapped inside the Persian Gulf, facing constant uncertainty, the threat of further escalation and the ongoing risk of being struck by missiles drones or even shot at by the Iranian Navy. Shipping companies are growing increasingly stressed and frustrated as operational pressures mount, while crews on board endure severe psychological strain after weeks spent operating under the shadow of war.
[02:05:15]
That's Dimitris Maniatis, CEO of Marisks, and this is the reality. That these airfares are facing. We know that around over 20,000 seafarers that have been dealing with this reality, Rosemary, since the 28th of February, with no reprieve at this point in sight, as we wait to see if there's potentially a diplomatic off ramp.
In the meantime, the UKMTO says that just this morning, there was another vessel that was struck by an unknown projectile as we've seen an increase in targeting vessels over the last few days.
CHURCH: Eleni Giokos in Dubai, many thanks for that live report. Appreciate it.
Joining me now from Doha to discuss these developments is Mehran Kamrava, professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar. Thanks so much for talking with us.
MEHRAN KAMRAVA, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY IN QATAR: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, President Trump has put us operations to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz on hold at the request of Pakistan, in the hope that Iran will sign an agreement that's according to his social media post Tuesday. And he added that great progress is being made in the Iran talks. How close do you think the two parties are to making a deal?
KAMRAVA: The two parties would like to make a deal. How close they are is an open question, but the willpower is there. There are three sticking points that separate the two sides. The issue of sanctions on Iran and Iranian assets is one of them. Second and very important is the Iranian nuclear issue. And third, of course, Iran's control over or harassment of ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
And so, these are three really big sticking points that separate the two sides. And I think behind the scenes, some substantive moves are being made towards some sort of a progress.
CHURCH: And Iran's state media is cheering the end of Project Freedom, calling it a failure for the United States. But what happens if Iran continues attacks on commercial shipping and UAE targets despite President Trump's pause on Project Freedom, will he be forced to resume military action? And what could that mean?
KAMRAVA: Absolutely, we're in a very precarious situation, and we saw that a couple of days ago when there was an exchange of fire between Iran and the United States, and the Iranians attack oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates. And so, at any moment, things can explode, either deliberately or
accidentally. And I think it is therefore to everyone's advantage, not just Iran and the United States, but particularly states here in the Persian Gulf to see some substantive progress towards lasting peace between Iran and the United States.
CHURCH: And meantime, Iran's foreign minister is in China right now for talks with his Chinese counterpart, and President Trump will meet with Xi Jinping in about eight days from now, what role could China perhaps play as peace broker if a deal can't be reached before then?
KAMRAVA: A very constructive role, because China and Iran have very close economic relations. In many ways, China is one of the only friends that Iran has, and that friendship is highly conditional. Foreign Minister Araghchi was also in Moscow not too long ago.
And so, what we see on the part of the Iranians is a hyperactive diplomacy meant to not only sell their point of view, but also to bring others on board, China, Russia, Pakistan, of course, and even countries like Oman and others.
CHURCH: And of course, early Tuesday, before all of these changes occurred, U.S. officials had been very reluctant to declare that fragile cease fire over, despite the exchange of fire clearly looking for an off ramp.
In fact, as you've pointed out, Iran wants out too, but both sides won't back down, unless they can end it on their terms, making compromise is pretty much a challenge there. So, how can this get done?
KAMRAVA: One of the biggest obstacles, Rosemary, to substantive progress in the talks between Iran and the United States has been the fact that both sides are stating their positions in public, and both sides, of course, are being boastful, and neither one wants to look like they're giving in.
So, if they lower the temperature publicly at least, and take the mediation to behind closed doors, when they -- where they belong, then I think there's more progress. There's possibility of progress then.
[02:10:11]
CHURCH: Mehran Kamrava, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate your analysis and perspective.
KAMRAVA: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, new this hour, reports of Israeli strikes on nearly a dozen towns across southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media reported at least three people were killed. The top U.S. diplomat says a peace deal between Israel and Lebanon is achievable, but Marco Rubio says it would require the Lebanese Government to disarm Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, a source says Israel is considering escalating strikes against the militant group across Lebanon. The two sides are still exchanging fire daily despite the extended truce.
But according to that Israeli source, if the Iran cease fire collapses, the IDF may ramp up its strikes. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Remember, initially, there had been this disagreement over whether or not Lebanon was part of it, the Pakistani prime minister who helped broker that cease fire agreement said it was so, did the Iranians, and eventually the United States and President Trump directly pressured the Israeli prime minister to agree to this cease fire in Lebanon, in order for the broader cease fire agreement to not only materialize, but to remain in effect.
And now, we are in a situation where the Israelis are watching this, you know, very fragile cease fire between the United States and Iran, preparing for the possibility that that war could resume, both offensively and defensively, in terms of Israel's perspective, and that will also, of course, include an escalation of its campaign against Hezbollah.
There is this question of a cease fire in name only because, over the course of the last couple of weeks, as we've seen, the cease fire go into effect in Lebanon, Israel has carried out multiple rounds of strikes every single day inside of Lebanon, killing nearly 400 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Hezbollah, for its part, has also been carrying out attacks against Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, as well as against the northern part of Israel, where we have seen drone and anti-tank missile attacks that have taken place killing multiple Israeli soldiers and wounding dozens more as well.
And so, ultimately, this comes down to a question of political will this Israeli source is indeed indicating to us that Israel is itching to get back into the fight against Hezbollah in a much higher intensity way.
For now, it seems that, you know, Israel is kind of at the whims of the United States maintaining this cease fire, more or less again, at least at a lower intensity of fighting. We do anticipate that there will be another round of talks between Israel and Lebanon's ambassadors to Washington. Preparatory talks is how the Lebanese government is describing it to get to the broader negotiations about disarming Hezbollah and ultimately moving to normalize relations between Israel and Lebanon. But that is a very, very long way away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Still to come, a small group of passengers are evacuated off a cruise ship in the midst of an outbreak of the hantavirus. What medical experts are saying about the potential to spread, that's just ahead.
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[02:17:48]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Three passengers have been evacuated from a cruise ship that's been hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak. Medical experts say all three are clinically stable and will be transported to the Netherlands by air ambulance. The ship has been anchored off the coast of West Africa, but it's set to sail to the Canary Islands over the next few days, three people have died on board from the rare virus that's usually spread through rodents.
Additional cases have also been identified. CNN's Randi Kaye has more on how the outbreak may have started.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE ROSMARIN, TRAVEL VLOGGER: I am Jake, and I am spending the next 35 days crossing the Atlantic, visiting some of the most remote islands in the world.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Passengers like Jake Rosmarin were looking forward to an adventure at sea. Then people started dying on board the MV Hondius cruise ship and now, the World Health Organization suspects the hantavirus, which usually occurs after exposure to rodents, may be spreading person to person.
DR. MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DIRECTOR FOR EPIDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND PREVENTION: Passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins, while disinfection and other public health measures are carried out.
Medical teams from Cabo Verde are providing support on board the ship.
KAYE (voice over): The first sign of trouble came when a 70-year-old dutchman suddenly fell ill on the ship with a fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
South Africa's Health Department told CNN, he died on April 11th, just ten days after the ship had left port in Argentina.
The man's wife, a 69-year-old Dutch woman, died two weeks later on April 26th at a hospital in South Africa. She collapsed at the airport while trying to get home to The Netherlands.
The cruise company, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed the woman tested positive for a variant of Hantavirus.
DR. MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, WHO'S DIRECTOR FOR EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND PREVENTION: We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that's happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who've shared cabins.
KAYE (voice-over): On April 27, after the ship left St. Helena, a British national on board got sick. He's now in intensive care in Johannesburg. He also tested positive for the Hantavirus, according to the cruise company, though his condition is improving. And on May 2, a third victim died. She was a German national who came down with pneumonia. It's being treated as a suspected case of the Hantavirus.
[02:20:05]
ROSMARIN: What's happening right now is very real for all of us here. We're not just a story. We're not just headlines.
KAYE (voice-over): The ship is currently moored off Cape Verde with 149 people on board.
VAN KERKHOVE: We are operating and working with the ship to make sure that anyone who is symptomatic, you know, anyone caring for patients is wearing full personal protective equipment.
KAYE (voice-over): Medical evacuations like these of those on board suffering from Hantavirus symptoms was a top priority, according to the World Health Organization, which still says the risk to the general public is low. It is less contagious than many other viruses.
VAN KERKHOVE: This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID. It's quite different. KAYE (voice-over): How might this have happened?
VAN KERKHOVE: The cruise did stop at many different islands up the coast of Africa and again seeing a lot of different wildlife. On those islands, there are birds. Some islands have a lot of rodents. Others don't.
KAYE (voice-over): The WHO suspects it's the Andes virus, a strain of Hantavirus that has spread person to person before.
VAN KERKHOVE: We need sequencing. So the sequencing is currently underway by the South Africans and we hope to have a result soon.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Ukraine's unilateral cease fire with Russia is now in effect. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had called for an open ended pause in fighting, saying Ukraine would act reciprocally if Russia launches new attacks. He criticized Russia's call for a brief cease fire later this week, which would coincide with Moscow's Victory Day celebrations, the parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II will be scaled back this year after the Kremlin cited concerns of Ukrainian attacks.
Meanwhile, Russia launched a flurry of attacks across eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, Ukraine's interior minister says 27 people were killed by strikes in the hours before Ukraine's cease fire.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan says mass deportations are coming. Speaking in Phoenix on Tuesday, a defiant Homan pushed back against criticism from within President Trump's base who say the administration is not deporting enough people. He's vowing to, "Flood the zone with more immigration officers in certain places." He says people will see more ICE agents than they have ever seen before. He acknowledged that 35 to 40 percent of the undocumented immigrants who have been arrested during Trump's second term have no criminal records. But he says that was necessary to, "Send a message to the whole world."
A federal grand jury has indicted the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting last month, the indictment added one more charge against Cole Tomas Allen that is assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon. He's also facing three other charges, including attempting to assassinate the president, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and transporting a gun across state lines to commit a crime. Allen is accused of shooting a Secret Service Officer as he stormed the security checkpoint during the dinner, officials say the officer who was wearing a bulletproof vest has survived. Allen has not entered a plea. He is expected to be arraigned next Monday.
President Trump says he is pausing the operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz. We will update you on our top story and get perspective on the latest military moves after a short break.
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[02:28:27]
CHURCH: Let's get you up to date on our top story, a U.K. maritime agency reports a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz has been struck by an unknown projectile. Few other details are available. U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a pause in Project Freedom, that is the operation to guide ship through the vital waterway.
President Trump says he wants to see if the U.S. and Iran can reach an agreement. And U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the military campaign launched against Iran in February is over, but President Trump has not ruled out resuming the bombing campaign if the talks or current cease fire collapse.
So, let's bring in Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst on Defense Strategy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Appreciate you joining us.
MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, THE AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, how likely is it that ending the U.S. military operation and efforts to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz will result in Iran signing a nuclear deal?
DAVIS: I don't see it happening. Essentially, by pausing the bombing campaign and then putting in place a blockade, and then pausing Operation Freedom, or Project Freedom, as they're calling it, the Trump administration seems to have removed any pressure on Iran to come to the table and negotiate an agreement, and certainly the Iranians have indicated right through that they have no intention whatsoever of giving up their nuclear ambitions or the fissile material that they hold. [02:30:00]
So I'm not hopeful that this will actually lead to anything significant in terms of a negotiated settlement. and it does provide then a choice that the Trump administration must make, either they give up or they go back to bombing.
CHURCH: Right.
DAVIS: And certainly, the second -- the other option really is good.
CHURCH: And of course, Iran is celebrating at this point, saying that this is an indication of it being a failure for the United States. So, what will likely happen if Iran continues its attacks on commercial shipping and UAE targets, despite President Trump ending military operations and putting Project Freedom on hold? Will he be forced to resume military action, which he doesn't really want to do, and what would that look like?
DAVIS: Look I think that, you know, resuming military action is probably the most likely outcome there. I think that what you would see then is the U.S. return to a bombing campaign, attacking Iranian missile and drone capabilities, attacking energy infrastructure. Certainly, the Israelis would be part of that and the Israelis will be focused on attacking Iranian leadership.
But, whatever the U.S. does in terms of returning to bombing, they have to make clear a theory of victory whereby they state very clearly what it is they're seeking to achieve. And that's really been what's missing, you know, really since Operation Epic Fury began. This theory of victory, this clear annunciation of what the strategic goals are, how military force is used to achieve those strategic goals.
If they don't have the theory of victory in place and they don't state it clearly, then this bombing, a return to bombing would be inconclusive and we could end up back to where we are now which is sort of like a middle ground where no real success emerges.
CHURCH: So what exactly has the U.S. achieved in this war so far and how likely is it that Iran's nuclear ambitions and capabilities remain intact?
DAVIS: They haven't dealt with the nuclear capabilities. Iran still has 440 kilograms of enriched uranium, enriched up to 60 percent to get weapons-grade uranium at 90 percent. That would give the Iranians the fissile material for between nine and twelve nuclear weapons. That fissile material is still in Iran's hands. Some of the nuclear facilities are still intact.
So Iran could move very quickly to reconstitute its nuclear ambitions and we could be facing, once again, the choice of using military force to prevent an Iran getting nuclear weapons. In terms of the rest of the campaign, certainly the Americans at the tactical and the operational level have had some success in terms of attacking missile and drone capabilities. They've sunk most of the main Iranian Navy but the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is still largely intact. So I think the challenge for the Americans in returning to a bombing campaign will be to attack the remaining Iranian missile and drone capabilities, to force open the Strait of Hormuz through military means and to somehow deal with that nuclear question, and I'm not sure exactly how they propose to do that.
CHURCH: And with Iran's foreign minister now in China for talks with his Chinese counterpart and President Trump, of course, expected to be there to meet with Xi Jinping on May 14th and 15th, what role might China play as a peace broker perhaps in this war if a deal can't be reached before that date?
DAVIS: China will be looking at how they can benefit from this from a geopolitical influence perspective. So if they can somehow orchestrate or create the opportunity for some sort of peace deal between the United States and Iran that China creates, they will gain great prestige internationally in the eyes of the international community. The U.S. prestige and influence would be weakened as a result.
So I think that what China will be trying to do is play an orchestrating role and in effect sort of a middleman to try and create this opportunity for some sort of peace deal that ultimately still preserves Iran's interests and that could include Iran's nuclear ambitions, but at the same time brings the war to an end and, most importantly for China's perspective, opens the Strait of Hormuz to ensure energy flows from the Middle East to China where it's needed.
So I think that China will be trying to put pressure on President Trump when he visits to essentially accept some sort of peace agreement that is in China's interest, but is also in Iran's interest, and allows China to benefit in the long term from a geopolitical influence perspective.
CHURCH: Malcolm Davis, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis and perspective. Appreciate it.
DAVIS: Very many thanks.
[02:35:00]
CHURCH: Well, the family of Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner, fears she might die in prison in Iran if she doesn't get the treatment she needs. Mohammadi has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned for the past 10 years because of her activism and criticism of the Iranian government. She was recently taken to a hospital due to heart issues but her brother told CNN her blood pressure is still unstable and she's having severe chest pains.
Mohammadi suffered a heart attack in March and her family says her treatment has been insufficient.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMIDREZA MOHAMMADI, NARGES MOHAMMADI'S BROTHER: When she had a heart attack, they did nothing. We suspect that they are doing it just to cause her death in the prison.
All of the family members, we are doing everything we can. Those in Iran, they are running from one department to another department, meeting lawyers. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get this permission for her to have at least one month of treatment with her specialists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: As for the Iran War, Mohammadi's brother says any negotiations must include stopping all executions and releasing people like his sister, who were kept in prison for no reason.
President Trump is set to host Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at the White House on Thursday for a working visit. A White House official tells CNN the two will discuss economic and security issues. The leaders are looking to build on previous talks toward potential trade agreements despite past tensions.
Your old discarded clothes often travel halfway around the world to India where they're recycled and resold. The CNN Investigation finds this billion-dollar industry comes at a serious cost to the factory workers' health. We will have that report after a short break. Stay with us.
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[02:41:45]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A new study finds that microplastics are significantly contributing to global warming. A team of scientists from the U.S. and China analyzed the climate impacts of these plastics. Their findings were published Monday in the journal "Nature." The study says colored plastics, especially red, yellow, blue, and black, absorb around 75 times more light than clear plastics. It also found that the smaller the particle, the more sunlight it absorbs.
Researchers say the effect is particularly pronounced in ocean areas where plastic gets caught in spinning currents such as the Pacific Ocean. Earlier, research has suggested microplastics' contribution to global warming was negligible.
Well, do you ever wonder what really happens to the clothes you donate? Well, it turns out a lot of fashion waste from parts of the world ends up in India, where the materials are recycled and resold.
But as CNN's Hanako Montgomery reports, there's a troubling human cost for the factory workers behind this booming industry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In India's Panipat, the world's wardrobe is given new life. A million tons of discarded clothes get recycled here every year, arriving in relentless waves. MONTGOMERY: This is incredible. Look at this. This is unbelievable. This entire room is covered in clothing.
Oh my gosh, this has a tag that says 'Goodwill.' This is a thrift store in the United States.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): A lot of the garments are collected from charity bins across places like the U.S., U.K. and Japan, then sent thousands of miles across the world. Once here, they're first sorted by color, shredded and spun into yarn. Then at another factory, they're woven into rugs and carpets to be sold back to the countries the clothes first came from.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the U.S., we are working with TJ Maxx, and then Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, Kirkland. So --
MONTGOMERY: So basically, all the brands that every American has heard of.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, yeah.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Panipat's textile recycling industry is worth billions. It powers the city and keeps people working, like Reeta. She's now the sole breadwinner. Her husband got injured doing the same job. And with little support from his employer to cover the medical bills, the burden falls on her.
REETA DEVI, FACTORY WORKER (through translator): It's really hard, seeing him suffer like this hurts me too. I just want him to get better quickly.
MONTGOMERY: What are the conditions like in the factory? Is there a lot of pollution in the air?
DEVI (through translator): It's difficult to breathe because of the lint in the air.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But they're not alone. Our investigation found this profitable fix for the world's and America's fast fashion waste comes at a sickening cost. Most factories operate informally with little oversight.
MONTGOMERY: I've only been standing here for five minutes, and look, I'm already covered in dust.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The air workers breathe daily is suffocating and inescapable, plumes of lint enveloping them wherever they turn. But it's difficult to speak to workers under their employers' watchful eye.
[02:45:00]
So we go visit a local doctor who treats the worst of cases.
MONTGOMERY: Do people die from these diseases? DR. BHAWANI SHANKAR, PULMONOLOGIST, SATYAM HOSPITAL: If they inhale the same air daily, on the daily basis, yes, it definitely shortens their lifespan.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Subash has been in and out of hospitals for months.
MONTGOMERY: Are you in a lot of pain? Are you suffering?
SUBASH, FACTORY WORKER (through translator): Yes, it's painful. It's difficult to eat. It's difficult to walk.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But quitting isn't an option. He has three kids to feed.
MONTGOMERY: Would you want your kids to work in this industry?
SUBASH (through translator): No, because we don't want our children to get the same diseases that we have.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But it's not just the air, danger looms at every step of this recycling process.
MONTGOMERY: If you take a look, these workers don't have any gloves on their hands They don't have any goggles either. They have absolutely no protection and they're dealing with really hazardous chemicals.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Multiple reports show pollution from the textile recycling industry is worsening and so is its impact. A 2022 survey found that in just five years, 93 percent of families reported health issues, 84 percent of workers suffer from job related illnesses.
To understand why more isn't being done to protect the nearly a million workers this industry employs, we speak to the head of Panipat's Dyeing Association. He insists there's no real problem.
MONTGOMERY: So while we've been in Panipat, we visited a few dyeing units where they wear no masks, no goggles, no gloves being worn. Why is that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They are uneducated that's why they don't wear masks. Everything is provided by the boss.
MONTGOMERY: What do you say to the people falling sick because of Panipat's textile industry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No, they're not falling sick because of this industry. It's because they eat tobacco.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But in every informal factory we visited, not once did we see these rules enforced. Instead, we saw workers left breathless and exposed with nowhere else to go. But the damage extends far beyond factory walls to an ecosystem that millions depend on. They use really hazardous chemicals to bleach textiles, but they don't have good drainage systems, so the water is actually allowed to seep into the surrounding environment, poisoning the people and also the land here.
India's Environmental Court has found Panipat's textile industry is releasing untreated toxic wastewater, which also flows into the Yamuna River, a lifeline for millions including India's capital. It has repeatedly called for action, but gaps in enforcement have left these communities on their own. We've contacted several government agencies for comment on our findings, none replied. We thought we were giving these clothes a second life, but here they're costing people theirs and leaving them and their city buried in our waste.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Panipat, India.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Still to come, dining around the world, no passport required. One couple is sharing their experience as they try to sample cuisine from every country, all without leaving their city. That story just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:50:47]
CHURCH: Pope Leo XIV is pushing back against fresh criticism from Donald Trump. On Monday, the U.S. president claimed the pontiff thinks it is just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. The pope has never said that, but he has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the war with Iran. And on Tuesday, he said the mission of the Catholic Church is to preach the gospel and peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): If anyone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth. The church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt. I simply hope to be heard because of the value of God's word.
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CHURCH: U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio will meet with the pope on Thursday. He says there's a lot to talk about, but he denies he is on a mission to improve relations with the Vatican after Trump's attacks.
A new report from Mercy Corps warns the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is harming the world's most vulnerable countries. The oil tankers and cargo ships stalled in this vital commercial waterway are unable to get desperately needed supplies to the fragile economies that depend on them.
Mercy Corps says that is drastically driving up the costs of food, fuel and fertilizer in the six countries you see highlighted here. Their hunger and humanitarian crises are deepening, and researchers say they have already exhausted their ability to absorb additional shocks.
The report also found global prices for the key fertilizer benchmark, urea, have shot up 85 percent since December. Fuel prices have more than doubled in Somalia. And in Myanmar, diesel costs are up a staggering 160 percent since the start of the war.
A husband and wife in New York are on a mission to eat cuisine from every country, all without leaving the Big Apple. They're making progress eating around the world and sharing it online for others to experience. CNN's Leigh Waldman has the story.
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LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tucked in the corners of the Big Apple's bustling boroughs, you can be transported around the world without ever stamping your passport.
ANDY DORO, EVERY COUNTRY FOOD NYC: Bukharan food in Rego Park, trying Guyanese food in Richmond Hills.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Countries from all over the world coming together in the melting pot that is New York City.
DORO: Everyone knows New York is, you know, one of the most diverse cities on the planet, but, you know, how far can you sort of push that?
WALDMAN (voice-over): That's the question that set Andy Doro off on a now 10-year journey. Eight with his wife, Jennifer Baranoff (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the Fattoush salad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Delicious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kabuli salad.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Eating food from every country in the world without ever leaving NYC.
DORO: I've eaten at restaurants representing 163 unique countries.
WALDMAN (voice-over): And documenting each one online. We sat down with him at Tripoli, a restaurant in Brooklyn that's been run by the same family since they opened in 1973. Its name reflects the city in Lebanon where they're from.
MOHAMAD SALEM, OWNER, TRIPOLI RESTAURANT: I consider it as a service for the community around us.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Food, as Doro describes it, becomes sort of a consulate inviting people into a culture. That's what Tripoli owner Mohamad Salem strives to do, especially for those experiencing his Lebanese heritage for the first time.
SALEM: We will try to treat them like one of ours. And if we have a new thing like they don't taste before, we'll give them a taste of it. WALDMAN (voice-over): We experienced that firsthand.
WALDMAN: Could you pass me the carob spread? Thank you.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Doro invited us to Tripoli to learn about the culture of a country now finding itself in conflict.
DORO: I thought of Lebanese restaurants because of what's happening in terms of the war and the conflict in the Middle East right now. So I think it's important to, I don't know, humanize people.
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SALEM: We are really like, you know, peace loving people, concentrating about making things happen like, you know, to the good of other people. We're not really like, you know, violent people.
WALDMAN (voice-over): As Doro continues to explore the world, Salem and his family will keep sharing their Lebanese customs, one plate at a time.
SALEM: My philosophy is if you have a good thing, you have to share it. You have to really make it available to other people.
WALDMAN: Leigh Waldman, CNN, Brooklyn.
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CHURCH: The annual Tulip Festival is blooming in Istanbul, Turkey. Tourists are flocking to the city to see and smell millions of the beautiful, colorful blooms, but they're not allowed to tiptoe through the tulips, as Leroy Ah Ben reports.
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LEROY AH BEN, CNN PRODUCER: More than 3.5 million tulips have taken over the city, and it's probably not where you think. I'm in Istanbul. And it's an explosion of color, so bright and vivid, and it's actually quite fragrant. I wasn't expecting that. The smell is so sweet, it's so pleasant. I hope I remembered my hay fever tablet, but it's a bit late now.
It's midday on a Tuesday, and the park is packed with people. It's quite something.
SAFFET EMRE TONGUC, TOUR GUIDE & HISTORIAN: The history of the tulips starts with the Ottomans who brought that beautiful flower all the way from Central Asia. They loved it and it was a form of art for them, and it became the symbol of the power, sophistication and also refinement. People started to grow tulips all over the place.
AH BEN: So tulips actually came from Central Asia and then went on to Europe?
EMRE TONGUC: Exactly. In 16th century, there was this Flemish diplomat, and he has been to the palace of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He was mesmerized with the tulips, he loved them, and he secretly sent the bulbs to the Netherlands. It turned into a craze, and you know, even the price of one bulb could cost the price of a house.
We have the festival since 2006, and the Istanbulites really love it and enjoy it. And there are a lot of tourists coming from different countries, and also from other cities of Turkey, to see the tulips.
AH BEN: There's a lot of people trying to jump over the ropes, which is no good. We got to protect the tulips.
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CHURCH: Absolutely beautiful there. Thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Polo Sandoval after a short break. Stay with us.
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