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Trump: Iran Has Been Playing Games With The United States; French Ship Passenger Showed Hantavirus Symptoms On Flight Home; Frustration Grows After Canvas Hack Locks Out Students Worldwide. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 10, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I am Fredricka Whitfield, and this breaking news. Iran says it has sent its response to the latest U.S. proposal to end the war. That's according to Iranian state media.

Let's get right to CNN correspondent, Julia Benbrook at The White House.

We heard from President Trump a short time ago, what is he saying?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have reached out to The White House for specifics on this Iranian response to the United States proposal to end the conflict, asking what's included, does it go far enough to address Iran's nuclear ambitions? But it is still a waiting game here.

Now, Trump, as you mentioned, he did post on social media, his Truth Social site about Iran just about an hour ago, but he did not specifically address the proposal or if he had received it yet.

But he did air some old grievances. He started the post by saying, "Iran has been playing games with the United States and the rest of the world for 47 years. Delay, delay, delay."

He then went on to criticize other administrations and ended the post with what appears to be a threat toward Iran, saying that they will be laughing no longer.

But like I said, we are still waiting for details on what I included in Iran's response, and if the administration thinks that this puts them in a place for serious negotiations. This response came later than some in the administration had predicted. In fact, Trump and other administration officials said on Friday, they thought that they would receive a response from Tehran that day.

Trump was pressed on the timing even then, was it taking too long? Did he think that they were slow rolling this process? And he essentially said, we will find out soon enough. Now, as far as other negotiations, other discussions, I should say, that are taking place related to this, we do know that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with the Qatari Prime Minister in Miami on Saturday. That was a lunch, not official in nature.

But according to a source familiar, it lasted for about an hour and the two discussed bilateral issues that affect their two nations, and that includes how they can work with the Pakistani mediators here.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia, thank you so much, at The White House. We will check back with you.

All right, meantime now, many of the passengers who were on board that cruise ship that has anchored off the Canary Islands are now being transported to other vessels and then ultimately to airplanes.

Right now, were looking at live pictures right now of a small vessel where on board, we are told there may be some of the 17 Americans who are actually on that cruise ship, and you're looking at live pictures of that vessel right now being transported to a nearby dock there at the Canary Islands.

I am so glad that Melissa Bell is there on the Canary Islands. She has got so much more detail on how this is going to be played out.

We already know that there were some French citizens, right, that were transported. We know that at least one of the passengers showed some symptoms of hantavirus, according to French officials. But tell us now, bring us up-to-date, the image that we are looking at with this tugboat, perhaps with maybe some Americans on board.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is our understanding, Fredricka. We have been told by Spanish health authorities that the next passengers to be offloaded, so those ones that have just passed here in front of us and that you're seeing on those live pictures, just arriving at the shore, are some of these 17 Americans who are on board.

We understood a little earlier that that airplane, with its biocontainment unit had landed here at Tenerife Airport, not very far away. Also, we've been told Fredricka that at Sunset, which is about 45 minutes away, the operations would end for the day and they will only pick up at sunrise again tomorrow morning.

So that then finally, at the end of a very long day, the Americans now off the boat or part of that group of Americans, at least they've been bringing them off in small groups. Five at a time generally, although there seem to be a few more on that particular small boat that they are being taken as the French, the Dutch, all the others have over the course of the day on a bus just passed us here and onto the airport and onto the waiting plane, they will then be flown to Omaha, Nebraska to be taken to that special quarantine unit where we've been hearing over the last couple of days, the state of their health will be assessed. And then, it is hoped, by American officials, they will be able to carry out most of their isolation period at home. But as you said, there can be these bad surprises, sadly. This was a ship full of passengers that, as it left Cape Verde a few days ago, Fredricka had had all of its passengers and crew asymptomatic, and so they were, as they arrived here this morning in Tenerife, and yet it was on the plane that one of the French -- five French citizens that were flown back towards Paris today, one of them developed symptoms, all of them now being put in special isolation procedures under special isolation procedures as a result, because one of the things we've been hearing from the World Health Organization over the course of the day is that this virus is one that spreads, they understand if someone is symptomatic and at very close proximity with someone else. So that is something that needs to be very carefully monitored.

But still, for these Americans just getting off the boat now and for the first time, Fredricka in more than five weeks, setting foot on dry land, this will be a tremendous relief as they prepare to get onto that bus and then onto that flight home.

[15:05:10]

WHITFIELD: Yes, and let's talk about that preparation because for a moment, we saw that boat moving through the waters, you know, to that docking area. We lost a view of that. But instead, now the camera is kind of fixed on what appears to be a tent, and perhaps those five passengers at a time, as you mentioned, would then get off of that vessel, perhaps go into that tent.

We did see that some of the people on board did seem to have, you know, masks on. They looked like they were all wearing the same kind of, you know, cloaking or robe of some sort. They will go through that tent, presumably, maybe, you know, the process and then will then be guided to get on to the buses. We do see some of the other individuals in the area who have protective gear, but then there are a lot of people who don't.

So tell us what you know.

BELL: Well, that's right. We've been watching them being ferried across over the course of the day with that sort of regularity and then taken, as you say, once they get off that little boat, it is not very far to go from the ship to the shore here.

Once they get to that big green tent, they are met by people wearing full hazmat suits. FFP2 masks, you'll remember them from COVID days, and in fact, one of the things that Health authorities had said here in Spain to reassure the people in Tenerife, Fredricka is that there would be no contact at all from any of these passengers with anyone who was not either a Health official from the World Health Organization or Spanish Health Authority, or from the Spanish Military.

So there is no contact with civilians. The people you're seeing there are the people who are helping to ensure in their full hazmat suits that these passengers, as it happens, the Americans that are now inside that tent get prepared to get onto that bus. The screening has already taken place on the boat today from when it arrived, they were screened as the ship arrived. In fact, first thing this morning, just before 8:00 A.M., we saw the very first Health official, full hazmat suit get onto the ship and that screening process began. Then, they've been waiting for their turn to come. This is now the turn of the Americans making their way through that tent and onto that short bus ride that will take them to the plane.

The plane will wait for all of them to be on board, by the way, before it can then take off. And this particular plane, after all these days at sea, will be taking a very happy bunch of people, I expect back to the United States -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I guess so. And then while they are in that tent, I know you said they have already been screened, you know, on board the cruise ship, and then now they're going through the tent, you know, do you know much about what the process is once they are in that tent in terms of, you know, information or, you know, that they have to reveal or maybe information they're taking in, what do we know?

BELL: I think a lot of the screening is, as far as we understand it has gone on, on board and not simply when they've arrived with the screening here today, but throughout the course of the journey, because, of course, we've been hearing on our air Fredricka from that American doctor who has been sort of roped into helping so many of his fellow passengers and who has explained that this has allowed them all this time, more than five weeks now, they've had on this boat to assess very carefully, medically their condition, who they've had any contact with and to monitor them. So there is a lot of information that is known about them already.

I'd just like to draw your attention to this boat, next boat that must be carrying some of the last American passengers off, or certainly the next group of them on towards that tent and then onto that bus, because as I was saying, the plane that is waiting to carry them back to Omaha, Nebraska, will not leave until everyone is on board.

So five passengers at a time are brought by the little boat through that tent, put on the bus and then onto the plane. But this, the next group of Americans finally making their way back to dry land, after all of those weeks at sea. More than five weeks now, they've been on that boat, and for the last two, they've had this entirely uncertain fate.

As Dr. Tedros, the head of the World Health Organization, pointed out in a letter to the people of Tenerife, thanking them for their heart, their humanity, and allowing this ship to dock, he explained and pointed out that it isn't simply that for two weeks they've been locked inside their cabins. They've been kept quarantined inside their own cabins, very difficult conditions.

They will have been long days, some of these people on this ship have been grieving. Many of them -- all of them will have been worried about just how fast this virus was spreading, whether they would ever get off this ship at all. Then there was the question of where it would be allowed to dock. They were refused access to Cape Verde, just three passengers were evacuated there.

So, as they arrived here this morning, just before sunrise, what a relief it must have been to finally see a shore, a dock, a port that they were going to be able to disembark from and it will have been a very long day for those American passengers now making their way, finally to dry land -- Fredricka.

[15:10:07]

WHITFIELD: Yes, sure some of that relief, but at the same time, you have to, you know, think that many of them are still very worried, given that this incubation period is six to eight weeks in terms of when people might show symptoms, if indeed they had been exposed to the virus.

They may be feeling good now, but you know, I am sure there are some underlying worries.

Melissa, let me get back with you in a second. But again, we are looking at live pictures of what appears to be the second boat carrying maybe about five Americans at a time before they get to that tented area and then they board a bus and then, presumably on their way to that chartered flight, as Melissa was explaining.

We will check back with Melissa in a moment.

Let's go to Atlanta outside the CDC. Rafael Romo is there. And what do you know about how this process will continue for many of these passengers? Some 17 Americans are making their way back to the States soon.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred.

Well, first of all, let's remember that five states, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia are already monitoring seven passengers who previously disembarked from the ship, the ship that Melissa was just talking about and showing it to us.

Although Health officials told CNN that none are experiencing symptoms. New Jersey, Fred is monitoring two additional people who may have been exposed to someone infected with hantavirus, but State Health officials say the two do not have symptoms either.

National Institutes of Health Director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who is currently also serving as Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this institution behind me told CNN earlier today that U.S. Health officials have been closely monitoring the situation and working with global health organizations and governments of other countries, like, of course, Spain, where the ship docked this morning.

Now, in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" this morning, the CDC Acting Director also explained what will happen once those passengers arrive in Nebraska, where a team of experts will be waiting for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JAY BHATTACHARYA, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to interview them and assess them for risk. Risk, meaning in this case, risk doesn't mean the risk of dying from the disease or anything. The risk is a high risk if they've been in close contact with somebody who was symptomatic.

If they weren't in close contact with someone who was symptomatic, then they were going to deem them low risk. If they were in close contact with them, you know, medium or high risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, Dr. Bhattacharya has said that once that assessment is made, Health officials will offer the passengers several alternatives. Those options include staying in Nebraska, where the National Quarantine Unit, which is a federally funded facility, is located. Another option, according to Bhattacharya, is allowing the passengers to "safely drive home without exposing other people on the way." Those people would be monitored by their state and local public health agencies.

One point that the Acting CDC Director seemed eager to emphasize is that even though the memory of COVID is fresh in people's memories, it would be wrong, he said, to assume we are dealing with similar risks. Global health officials have also emphasized that the public health risk remains low from hantavirus, saying human-to-human transmission is generally considered rare and the virus does not spread in the same way as flu or COVID-19.

Fred, now back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much.

All right, much more to come this hour. Congressman Jim Clyburn says the Republican effort to redistrict congressional maps is a callback to Jim Crow era policies. But he says the new maps may ultimately backfire to benefit Democrats.

And a closer look at the cyber hacking concern tied to the popular education software, Canvas. What do parents need to know to protect their students, their kids' private information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:43]

WHITFIELD: All right, live pictures right now. You're looking at the area that will be welcoming many of the Americans who were on board that cruise ship that was struck by hantavirus. Well, they have been taken off the main cruise ship onto smaller boats and then transported there to Tenerife, Canary Islands, where they are met by a number of people, as you see right there.

But there is a tent there where they are kind of processed, further processed in the tent before they get on these buses, and then from the buses, they will be taken to charter flights where ultimately at least the Americans that are among the more than hundred who are on board that cruise ship, Americans, will be taken via charter flight to Nebraska for further observation before many of them will be able to continue on home and are expected to self-monitor.

We did hear from our Melissa Bell there earlier who is there in Tenerife that according to French authorities, at least one passenger who was being transported from that cruise ship and on the way to France did demonstrate and show some symptoms of hantavirus.

We don't know any further information about how that person will be processed or handled once they get home to France, but that is the latest update from now.

And of course, we are expecting a press conference momentarily from the World Health Organization.

[15:20:10]

And when that happens, we will bring that to you live.

Right now, back in this country, frustration is growing for students and parents whose children are at universities and at K through 12 schools across the U.S. today after a cyberattack shut down a critical educational tool last week. It is called Canvas, the popular cloud- based digital hub for classrooms was breached.

Hackers demanding ransoms to prevent data leaks from the platform, and the timing couldn't be worse. The system went offline just as many students, college and K through 12 were preparing for final exams to close out the school year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Throughout the day, I kept refreshing my page. I was like, is this like, is this a problem with Northwestern? Is everyone seeing this? And like, yes, I saw like tweets and like on social media, like everyone's Canvas was down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just today, I had a quiz, but it was hard to study for that because Canvas was not up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let me bring in now Dr. Duke Bradley. He is the superintendent of the Newton County School District in the Atlanta suburbs. Thanks so much for being with us.

DR. DUKE BRADLEY III, SUPERINTENDENT, NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE ATLANTA SUBURBS: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Okay, so your school system was impacted just like many across the country, public school systems as well as universities. We heard from the university student there. But I mean, first off, you know, help us understand what campus is all about because you've got something like 30 million active users globally. And for people not familiar with the software, kind of walk us through how is the tool that you use in schools?

BRADLEY: That's right.

So Canvas is a learning management system. Think about a virtual classroom, everything that you can possibly imagine that a teacher would use or a student would use to be successful in a course can be posted onto Canvas.

WHITFIELD: So the lessons even maybe book material, it is on there.

BRADLEY: Lessons, it is reference materials, tests, it is course outlines, there is also a communications format where students can interact with their teachers and we use it substantially. It is integral to the work that we do as a school system.

WHITFIELD: So maybe unlike some of the college students that we've heard from who actually do their note taking, they are getting their planning for their final exams as they are wrapping up their school year.

BRADLEY: That's right.

WHITFIELD: For K through 12, is there information from students even maybe the parents that they input into Canvas that could potentially be leaving vulnerabilities exposed by hackers.

BRADLEY: Yes, any web based program that you use, there is always a remote and distinct possibility that sensitive information can be shared. But we've done a really good job and most other school systems have done a good job of making sure that they have defenses.

They have really worked on technological infrastructure, and making sure that we have systems to protect that kind of sensitive information and we communicate that as much to our parents as well.

WHITFIELD: Is it back online now?

BRADLEY: It is.

WHITFIELD: You all -- you all are using it?

BRADLEY: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Is it going to change the remaining three weeks of school? Are kids going to be like, you know what, it has been hacked. So we are not going back to school for three weeks because the lesson plans have been compromised.

BRADLEY: Not at all. You know, starting tomorrow, we will still do some internal checks and balances to make sure that no information gets released. But for the most part, we are back to business as usual in the next few days or so.

WHITFIELD: All right, so that's the lighthearted part. But really, some parents and teachers are very concerned about, you know, how these hackers might use this valuable teaching information. What are your concerns? Or what are you hearing from parents and teachers who are concerned?

BRADLEY: Well, I think the thing that I am most concerned about is just how relatively consistent these things are happening. It seems like on an annual, if not a biannual basis, we are starting to see an uptick in hacks.

But the other thing that I worry about is just the general wariness and skepticism that our parents and families have about the release of sensitive information.

We have to make sure that we are communicating to our families that it is going to be fine. We've got some protections in place and that they shouldn't be worried, terribly worried.

WHITFIELD: Does this say anything to you as a superintendent of a public school system, about second thoughts, about relying on this kind of digital based tool? Does it mean rethinking kind of the advancements of these kinds of tools and whether you should be employing them or relying on them as greatly as you do?

BRADLEY: Absolutely. I think what it means is we've got to be able to find -- to strike a balance. We hear from our parents all the time about the excess of screen time. We are always looking at modern research around what is the appropriate balance. But I do think that using web-based technology right now is just a state of play for 21st Century education and educators.

And so, that's something that we are mindful of and we try to communicate that as much.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Duke Bradley, thank you so much, Superintendent of Newton County Schools here in Georgia.

BRADLEY: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate you coming in. Appreciate it.

BRADLEY: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Good luck with the rest of the school year, the three weeks left of it.

BRADLEY: Okay, all right.

WHITFIELD: Okay, back to our breaking news here. Some more live pictures we want to show you.

People have boarded the buses after disembarking from the cruise ship that has been plagued by hantavirus off the Canary Islands. The cruise ship that is, was anchored off the Canary Islands, and many of the people who were on board that cruise ship are now on board some of those buses that are on their way to the airstrips to get on charter flights. [15:25:26]

Seventeen Americans were on board that cruise ship who disembarked today. we will have much more on what their journey is like as they head back to the U.S. and what their conditions are, what health officials will be looking for.

And then there will be a World Health Organization press conference taking place momentarily. We will take you there right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:10]

WHITFIELD: All right, two major court rulings have just handed Republicans in this country a major edge in the fight over congressional maps and Democrats are sounding the alarm.

Virginia's Supreme Court struck down a voter approved referendum that could have helped Democrats gain as many as four additional House seats through redrawn districts, and the GOP is racing to make even further gains.

After the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key section of the Voting Rights Act, Republican-led states across the South are moving fast to redraw congressional maps there, maps that could weaken minority voting power and dramatically boost the GOP's chances of holding the House in the midterm elections.

Tennessee became the first state to approve a new congressional map after the ruling, breaking apart the state's only Democratic held district, the majority Black district in Memphis. Tennessee, Democratic Representative Justin Jones called it the biggest attack on Black electoral power since the Civil Rights Movement. He told me that yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN JONES (D), TENNESSEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE: What happened on Thursday was I walked into the Tennessee Capitol in 2026, and when I walked out at the end of session, it was pre-1965. And what we saw was the largest attack on Black electoral power since the Civil Rights Movement and the crown jewel, which was the Voting Rights Act.

What we saw was an almost entirely White Republican caucus strip away and dismantle Black political representation, because the supreme court ruled in Louisiana v Clay that we cannot protect, you know, racial minorities in voting.

So they have created all majority White voting districts now in the state of Tennessee, diluting minority vote and doing so with surgical precision. What we are seeing now is we are having this new Jim Crow system in which Black and Brown communities are without voice in our political process and that was intentional.

And I think it is going to be, you know, something that's a canary in the coal mine for the rest of the nation, that if they come for one of us, they are coming for all of us.

And so my message to America is that the South is the front line of democracy that we -- they are dismantling multiracial democracy here in the South in states like Tennessee and Louisiana. But they are not going to stop here.

And so we need folks to pay attention to the South, to invest in building infrastructure in the South and help us to fight back here. We are not going to take this down, lying down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And now a wave of other southern states about to experience something similar. In South Carolina, Republicans are openly exploring ways to redraw the district of one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, Congressman James Clyburn, potentially pushing him out of office altogether.

This morning, Clyburn told CNN, the Supreme Court's decision is dragging Black voters back toward a Jim Crow era system, and warned Republicans their aggressive gerrymandering push could ultimately backfire politically.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock said it was a "21st Century version of Jim Crow in new clothes." Do you agree?

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Absolutely, I agree, so much so that I've been saying this now for the last four or five years, and people have been looking at me as if I am crazy or something.

I just published a book. I think we've talked about it here.

TAPPER: Yes.

CLYBURN: "The First Eight" that is about the eight African Americans that served in Congress from South Carolina before me. I am the ninth, and the fact of the matter is, they all were kicked out of office over this kind of tortious gerrymandering, as well as the kind of creative devices that you see are putting forth in the so-called SAVE Act, something else that the President wants.

He has been trying to force the Senate to pass the SAVE Act. I would ask anybody, take a look at the SAVE Act, and then take a look at my book "The First Eight," because that book will tell you exactly what they did after the Civil War, after bringing reconstruction to an end and initiated Jim Crow.

There are 95 years between number eight in my book and yours truly, number nine, that did not happen organically. That happened because Congress and the Supreme Court changed the rules, as they are doing today.

I do believe that the voters in this country are watching very closely, and they are feeling emotionally what the threat is to our future, and I do not believe that the majority of the voters in this country condone and will agree with what President Trump is doing.

[15:35:00]

South Carolina, our delegation, our House talked with him, the Senate, I guess, on day before yesterday, but the Supreme Court two years ago spoke to this district and said, it was not unconstitutional. But the President says he wants them to redraw the lines anyway.

All I am going to say to that is be very careful what you pray for, because what I do believe is that when they finish with the redistricting, there will be the possibilities of at least three Democrats getting elected here in South Carolina to the United States Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: As it stands, Democrats are trailing Republicans by eight seats in the nationwide battle over who controls the map ahead of the midterms.

All right, officials right now in the Canary Islands are holding a news conference after spending much of the day removing passengers from the cruise ship where that hantavirus outbreak had occurred and then transporting them to the mainland after that cruise ship anchored.

I want to take you straight to the press conference? Well, these are moments from the press conference taking place from the World Health Organization.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we have finished the first day of the evacuation of the Hondius, the operation has gone well and according to plan, we have disembarked 94 people of 19 nationalities, seven flights with eight nationalities and one with 11 nationalities.

The flight of Netherlands and one of the French citizens has had mild symptoms during the flight, and the French authorities will proceed to implement their control and protocol.

One more time I will -- I want to thank the WHO, the ECDC, the European Commission, the DG ECHO. Of course, all the institutions and all the governments here in Spain, the Army and the Ministers that are here and of course, all the governments and the commitment of all the countries that have been involved in this operation and we have a very good cooperation and a very good day today.

Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right, again, there are about 17 Americans that were on that cruise ship that eventually anchored there off the Canary Islands. You're looking at pictures earlier where some of the Americans, we are told, are actually on the small boats, just like that, transported from the cruise ship there to the Canary Islands.

And actually, we are going to take you straight back to the presser that's taking place live right now. Let's listen in.

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We don't impose countries follow their national guidelines and based on the risk assessment, they can -- they can implement.

But our guidance is very clear and it has already been released.

REPORTER: But do you have any response to the fact that there might be a country that is not going to follow those guidelines?

GHEBREYESUS: That may have risks, but of course we don't force them except proposing. Thank you.

REPORTER: Sally Chaudhry (ph) from Sky News. Madam Garcia, a question to you and also to Dr. Tedros. Why should we not be worried about the French case. Why does that not worry you?

GHEBREYESUS: You understand?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For you.

GHEBREYESUS: You know, there was a question to a Minister actually about one of the passengers not wearing a mask. I saw that in the picture also, it was hanging on one of his ears and you know, many of these passengers are elderly. And you can imagine how uncomfortable it could be when you have especially FFP2 masks.

So I just want to say that I am in understanding the situation is very important. I remember one of the passengers in the ship saying, we are not headlines, we are human beings. We have lives -- and it is true.

And they have families. They are mothers, they are fathers or they are children -- you know, children and everything.

Then when it comes to this question, of course there could be symptoms, but it may not be even associated with hantavirus. Of course, it should be checked, but with age comes many health challenges.

[15:40:13]

That was actually one of the concerns we had with this ship, because many of them are elderly and they have many other chronic conditions, and there could be symptoms associated with those. So there are symptoms, it doesn't mean that you know, it is related to hantavirus, but of course, it may also be, but I know the French experts will do all that is needed to manage this, and that's why we say when you see it from different angles, this may not be a concern, but at the same time, all the preparations also gives us -- it gives us confidence and the behavior of the virus also, which is not how -- we said it many times, is not COVID.

So if you add all that, I think that's where it comes. When I say not worry, it doesn't mean that there are no issues here, but it means we can handle it and it can be handled. Thank you. (REPORTER speaking in foreign language.)

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)

WHITFIELD: All right, you've been listening to a press conference there on the Canary Islands, as a number of Americans who were on board that cruise ship that was struck by hantavirus, many of those passengers, 17 of them American, have actually been transported to buses now. You're looking at a portion of a bus that looks similar to the ones that people have gotten on to, and then they will be taken to a charter flight where they will be on their way back to the United States, presumably, it has been reported already that they will be taken to a facility in Nebraska.

You heard those officials there talking about the one passenger, a French passenger, on the way back to France, that was exhibiting symptoms of hantavirus. But you heard from the one official there saying a number of the passengers on this cruise ship were elderly, and many may have symptoms. It is unclear whether there are symptoms that are consistent with hantavirus, but as a precaution, they are monitoring that passenger as well.

We are going to take a short break for now, and we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:19]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.

The shutdown of Spirit Airlines is bringing turbulence to the travel industry and leaving some communities high and dry.

For years, the ultra-low cost carrier was a lifeline for budget travelers. So when Spiritsuddenly canceled every flight, passengers across the country were left scrambling for a way out. But at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, about an hour east of Pittsburgh, there was no backup plan.

Spirit was the airport's only commercial airline. So overnight, every commercial flight disappeared there. And now officials are racing to find a new airline before the airport's future gets grounded for good.

Joining me right now is Moe Haas, who became executive director of that airport just three days before Spirit Airlines collapsed.

So it is like congratulations, but at the same time, I am so sorry you're in the middle of all this.

How are you doing?

MAURICE "MOE" HAAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ARNOLD PALMER REGIONAL AIRPORT: I am hanging in there. It has been a long week. You know, it is very -- it is a big impact to our community around the area with the airport and also with an airline, and we turn around about $200 million worth of economic impact for our area and with the loss of the airlines, that's probably about you can probably cut that in half.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HAAS: You know, we had a lot of people that were willing to fly out of Latrobe because they like the convenience of it, and they had some good destinations.

WHITFIELD: I mean, what a whirlwind of emotions that you and people who work at the airport must have been feeling, because just last week, you know, staff was celebrating your promotion, Spirit is 15 years at the airport. Right? And then just three days later, the airline would shut down without notice, surprising you guys just like everywhere else across the country.

And then I understand you've been at that airport since 1990. You started as a 24-year-old maintenance firefighter, and then you worked your way up. I mean, this is so personal for you, isn't it?

HAAS: Oh yes, it is. The airport is like a second home to just all the employees at the airport itself. I mean, you know, everybody puts their heart and soul in here. They want to see this area thrive. And we have great support from the community, from, you know, all our legislators and our local officials. I mean, you know, they want to see this place go.

And I mean, and we do -- we take pride in what we do here at the airport.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I am sure you do and I know this is a very personal experience for a lot of people who are regulars, not just because of the commercial flights that you had involving Spirit, but you have private and charter flights that still, you know, come and go there.

I mean, what do you think might potentially happen? Do you think there will be another commercial airliner that will, you know, anchor there or, you know, feel like they're going to set up shop there? Or do you feel like you're going to now just think about charter and private flights to keep you up and going.

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HAAS: No, one thing, our airport is still open. We do have a lot of charter service and aircraft and helicopter repair businesses on the airfield, which have been really thriving. I mean, great businesses.

And yes, we are pursuing to lure another airline in. You know, everything is looking so far, so good. I mean, we have been with a consulting -- aviation consulting company that's been helping us through this, and even before Spirit ended up, ceasing operation, we went through and we have been in the process since probably about six or seven years ago about looking to expand and looking to lure another airline in.

You know, we put with Spirit Airlines when they were here, there was 3.3 million people that went through this airport to fly to different destinations. WHITFIELD: That's pretty significant.

HAAS: So, the demand is here. I mean, the demand is here that people want to travel and in 2022, we started with the process of the expansion of terminal to make more room, to service two full airlines and that's where it started. That's where we started the process on the terminal expansion.

WHITFIELD: Right? I mean, tell me about that because you all thought things were, you know, only going up, so to speak, right, about to open up this brand new $22 million terminal next month. I mean, a project designed to double your passenger capacity.

So now what do you do with all of that new space, you know, the upgrades and the expectations?

HAAS: Yes, we still have that. Back in 1998, it was the first addition onto the existing terminal itself and that was set up for a regional carrier like a 60-passenger aircraft and then when Spirit moved in in 2011, you know, you're hauling out anywhere from 145 to 176 passengers. So you could tell it would get a little crowded.

And that was the big drive behind the terminal expansion with the numbers Spirit was putting out, you know, the federal government decided, you know, to give us money with the FAA and Penndot bureau of aviation and our county commissioners, you know, they were all in on it.

You know, I mean, this is a great thing for our area and we are still going to thrive.

WHITFIELD: That's good.

HAAS: We are still thriving. We are looking -- I mean, that's our future. We want to get another airline here as soon as we can.

WHITFIELD: Yes, people want to feel that optimism.

HAAS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But I wonder, you know, in the meantime, as you're waiting for perhaps another commercial airline to, you know, park their jets there, I mean, what are your -- what is your staff thinking? Are they worried about, you know, their livelihood, their jobs, whether they get to keep their jobs? I mean, talk to me about that.

HAAS: Well, we did have a reduction in some of our staff, about 25 people were affected. What we are unique here is for the airlines is we employ the above wing and below wing employees to help turn the aircraft and all the equipment -- the tugs, the carts, the deicing equipment, that's all airport owned. So that's why we are so -- I would say we have, a little niche that's attractive to some airlines that they don't have to hire the employees. They don't have to have any equipment.

Basically, they're coming in, doing the turn, fueling up, loading up passengers, and heading off to the destination.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, Maurice "Moe" Haas, all the best. Hopefully things will, you know, settle down and everything will work out at your very sweet, Arnold Palmer Airport there.

HAAS: Thank you. Well, thank you and Happy Mothers' Day to all the mothers out there.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Happy Mothers' day to all the moms in your world as well.

HAAS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, back to our breaking news now. A group of Americans has now disembarked from the cruise ship that was hit by that hantavirus and they are enroute now to the airport, and they are hoping to make their way back to the U.S., but then what happens? We are going to take you live to the Canary Islands right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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WHITFIELD: All right on the series finale of the CNN Original Series: "Eva Longoria: Searching for France," Eva finds out why seven is the magic number of fine dining and why the best butter in the world comes from Brittany.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the haute couture room.

EVA LONGORIA, CNN HOST, "SEARCHING FOR FRANCE": Yes. Why do you call it that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All we produce is for a specific order. All of them are working on somebody's order for restaurants, chefs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

LONGORIA: It is half workshop, half wonderland. A place where butter is kneaded like dough, shaped like clay and gleams like treasure.

Each golden nugget is stamped and sealed before being sent to the world's best chefs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a stamp that we made specifically for this.

LONGORIA: Oh, this has your name on it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Let me show you.

LONGORIA: Oh, these are all the stamps! This is amazing. Here is Alan de Gras. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

LONGORIA: Orient Express. Well, I definitely want my own stamp now! You know what I find so beautiful about what you do here is each stamp is so special. I've never seen anything like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Me either, I didn't know, but I like it.

All right, back-to-back final episodes airs tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN and the next day on the CNN app.

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