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Trump: Latest Proposal Form Iran "Totally Unacceptable"; China Confirms Trump's Visit To Beijing This Week; Passengers Disembark From Cruise Ship Hit By Hantavirus; French Ship Passenger Shows Hantavirus Symptoms On Flight; Tracking The Origins Of The Hantavirus; WHO Chief Stresses Hantavirus "Not Another COVID-19"; Russia, Ukraine Accuse Each Other Of Ceasefire Violations; Putin Presides Over Scaled-Back WWII Victory Day Parade; Palestinian Journalist Describes A Year In Israeli Prison; Venezuela's Problems Persist Despite U.S. Ousting Of Maduro; Mexican Man Shows Off 50 Years Of World Cup Souvenirs. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired May 11, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN HOST: Hello, wherever you are in the world, you are now in a CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.
Coming up on the show, after days of waiting, Iran responds to U.S. proposal to end the war. But President Trump says it's totally unacceptable.
Plus, dozens of passengers exposed to the hantavirus are now back home as officials all over the world try to contain its spread.
About four months after a U.S. operation toppled a Venezuelan dictator, CNN is back in Caracas to see how life has changed for ordinary Venezuelans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte.
HUNTE: Welcome. Let's begin with the latest developments on the Iran war. President Donald Trump is calling Tehran's response to a U.S. proposal to end the war, quote, "totally unacceptable." Iranian state media says the counterproposal included recognition of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and a demand for compensation, but no mention of the country's nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Israeli sources say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with President Trump on Sunday. Here is what Netanyahu told CBS on where the war currently stands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the war with Iran over? And if it isn't, who will decide when it is?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I think it accomplished a great deal, but it's not over because there's still nuclear material, enriched uranium that has to be taken out of Iran. There is still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that Iran supports.
There are ballistic missiles that they still want to produce. Now, we've degraded a lot of it, but all of that is still there. And there's work to be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Also, Iranian state media reports its supreme leader has met with a senior military commander and received reports on the readiness of Iran's Armed Forces.
Let's bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live from Hong Kong for us. Good to see you, Kristie. Can you just bring us up to speed here? Where do negotiations currently stand right now? And how tense is this moment?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, hopes for an immediate end to the conflict have been completely dashed. Remember, the United States for days had been awaiting, quote, "a serious offer from Iran." It waited for days. The offer finally came through on Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump read it, and he did not like it. In fact, this is what he shared on Truth Social on Sunday. He said this, quote, "I have just read the response from Iran's so-called representatives. I don't like it." And then in all caps, "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE."
Immediately after that, oil prices ticked up some 3 percent. We are right now monitoring the price of oil, both Brent Crude, which is the global oil benchmark, as well as West Texas Intermediate, WTI, which is the U.S. oil benchmark. As you can see, both of them trading higher.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures have been ticking down. I've been keeping an eye on Nasdaq Futures as well as the S&P. You can see red arrows across the board there, all set to trade lower when trading resumes later on Monday.
Now, let's dig into the details of that Iranian proposal, what the counter proposal looked like. Now, according to Iranian state media, this was in the plan. This is what U.S. President Donald Trump read and did not like.
According to Iranian state media, the proposal includes compensation for war damages, end to sanctions, end to U.S. naval blockade, end to U.S. ban on Iranian oil sales and a guarantee of no further attacks. And we also heard from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said that the war is far from over. He said, quote, "More work needs to be done in regards to Iran's nuclear and missile programs."
Look, the U.S. President is under a lot of pressure right now to find a ceasefire that will last even longer, to find an end to this conflict that's been dragging on for 10 weeks, especially now ahead of his visit to his -- the Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Chinese officials and state media this morning, we learned it is happening. It's been confirmed this week, May 13th to the 15th.
And Iran remains defiant. This is what we heard from the Iranian President, saying this, quote, "We will never bow our heads before the enemy, and if talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat. Rather, the goal is to uphold the rights of the Iranian nation and to defend national interests with resolute strength," unquote.
[00:05:08]
The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. So, that said, a couple of vessels did manage to cross through this critical waterway, a boat carrier, as well as a Qatari oil tanker. This is significant. This is the first time a Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas, or LNG, has crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict broke out in February 28th.
But despite that milestone, the threat across the region persists. There have been new Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, and also hostile drones were detected above several Gulf states over the weekend.
Back to you, Ben.
HUNTE: And at the same time, Chinese trade data is out. How is the world's second largest economy managing the economic impact of this war?
STOUT: Yes, better than a lot of people were expecting. New data is out. China's export growth is rebounding. Fresh data came out saying that for the month of April, export growth had clocked in about 14.1 percent higher compared to a year ago, on the back of strong sales of AI-related equipment.
This despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. But economists also caution the longer this conflict endures, prices will continue to rise. Chinese exports could potentially fall. Now, trade is going to be front and center.
When these two leaders, U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, meet in Beijing later this week, again, Chinese official media have confirmed it's happening this week, May 13th to 15th. But also for discussion, Iran and perhaps U.S. President Donald Trump looking for ways for China to use its leverage to rein in Iran and to end this war.
Back to you, Ben.
HUNTE: OK, thank you so much for that, Kristie Lu Stout. Appreciate it.
STOUT: Thank you. HUNTE: Onwards, CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas weighed in on what's likely to happen next in the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. Have a listen to this.
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ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: The President was waiting to see what the initial response was going to be. And then we're supposed to take this week to see if we could craft something that both sides could come to an agreement on. And he was hoping by the time he got back from China that this would sort of be worked out.
Unfortunately, what came back today from the Iranians appears to be still maximalist on their sides. They want to control, you know, the Straits of Hormuz until afterwards. They don't want to completely give up their right to enrichment and also not completely give up all of their highly enriched uranium. They want to retain some of it.
None of these terms are acceptable to the President. They've been very clear since the beginning that he's not going to stand for a potential future Iranian nuclear program. And he's sort of said that as the red line policy in the sand, and the Iranians are still pushing back.
The U.S. can respond again and see if there'll be any room to move on these positions, although I think it's been clear that this has gone back and forth a few times and there's been no movement. The President suggested that, unfortunately, that may mean additional military action. And if that takes place, what has been discussed at this point is what he called Project Freedom Plus, which would be reimposing, you know, opening of the Straits by force if necessary, which the Iranians have already responded to, you know, with military action.
We've seen them attack ships, fired on U.S. ships, but then also potentially decapitation strikes on the elements inside of Iran that are holding up a deal. We're hearing that elements of the IRGC are particularly problematic, including Vahidi, the guy in charge, as well as some of the intelligence service.
So we could see infrastructure strikes inside the country. We could see oil and gas. We could see decapitation strikes and strikes along the Strait. Unfortunately, it looks like we are barreling back towards military conflict unless the Iranians are going to move on some of these positions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: At this hour, 17 Americans who were stuck on a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak are now flying back to the U.S. Their plane left Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday night, heading toward a quarantine facility in Nebraska. We have just learned that one of the Americans has tested positive for the virus and another has mild symptoms.
The Americans were among 94 people of 19 nationalities who were evacuated off the ship on Sunday. One French national began showing symptoms of hantavirus on the flight back to France. The World Health Organization chief spoke about that case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: I know the French experts will do all that's 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 confidence. And the behavior of the virus also, which is not, I 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: We have already seen some of the ship's passengers return home, including those aboard this plane you're seeing there landing on Sunday in England.
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And in the hours ahead, the remaining passengers that are still on the ship will be boarding planes to Australia and the Netherlands too. CNN's Melissa Bell is following all of the developments from Tenerife for us.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was at sunset that the operations this Sunday to evacuate passengers from the MV Hondius came to an end. The very last passengers to be disembarked, these 17 Americans, who, like the others, had been stuck on the ship. They were taken to shore, as had the French, the Dutch, all the other nationalities over the course of the day, by small boats and in batches of five.
Brought ashore, taken through a tent, put on a bus and then taken to the waiting plane, ready to carry them back to Omaha, Nebraska. From there, they go on to the special quarantine unit where it is, we understand from CDC officials, they will be screened, assessed and then it is hoped, for the most part, allowed to carry out their isolation period back home.
Different protocols for different countries. We have had the news that amongst the French passengers that were evacuated earlier in the day, one of them had begun showing symptoms on the flight home. Special procedures now being put in place by French authorities around that passenger.
But the end of a successful day of operations here at the small port of Grenadier, they will continue on Monday. The very last passengers to be taken off the ship will be the Australians. And then we understand that the ship itself will head back to Rotterdam for a full disinfection with some 30 crew members still on board.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Tenerife. HUNTE: Well, as much of the world waits to see what happens to those with hantavirus, you may be wondering where exactly it came from. Here's a look at the origins of this strain of the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE (voice-over): Tracing the origins of an outbreak, health officials are zeroing in on parts of South America to try to find out how some passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship contracted a rare strain of Hantavirus.
GHEBREYESUS: Prior to boarding the ship, the first two cases had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird watching trip. Which included visits to sites where the species of rat that's known to carry Andes virus was present.
HUNTE (voice-over): Just one type of hantavirus, the Andes strain, is known to be able to spread from person to person. And it's primarily found in Chile and Argentina, carried by long-tailed pygmy rice rats. But authorities in Tierra del Fuego, the Argentinian province where the ship originated, say there are currently no recorded hantavirus cases there.
And so far, worldwide attention on the port town where the ship was docked hasn't fazed some residents. At least one tour operator in Ushuaia says he's gotten some questions about hantavirus, but it hasn't affected business.
ADONIS CARABAJAL, TOUR OPERATOR (through translation): Beyond inquiries, it has not altered any reservation, has not altered any movement, and everything is going as well as we expected in the low season.
HUNTE (voice-over): But Argentina's health ministry says hantavirus is on the rise in the country, with overall cases of hantavirus almost doubling in the past year, with more than 100 cases so far in the current season. That's compared to 57 in the previous one.
The ministry also says teams have been sent out to try to capture and analyze rodents in areas where the infected passengers travelled. The Chilean health ministry says it doesn't believe the passengers were infected in Chile based on the timing of their travels, but doctors say there are risks of hantavirus across the region, especially in rural areas where there are crops, tall grass or a subtropical climate.
CESAR BUSTOS, INFECTIOUS DISEASE DOCTOR (through translation): The virus is where it is supposed to be, with rodents in nature. When does a human being become infected? When people enter areas that naturally belong to rodents. They're in the countryside, in rural areas, they're where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to do.
HUNTE (voice-over): Experts say climate change and human activity are causing rodents to move to new areas, which could be driving up the number of hantavirus cases.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: Joining us now is Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. Thank you for being with me, sir, we appreciate it.
Does everything seem to be going to plan right now? And how prepared were officials for situations like this because of Ebola and COVID previously?
DR. AMESH ADALJA, SENIOR SCHOLAR, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURITY: I do think that when you look at what's happened, the logistics, the movement of all of these patients from multiple different countries, it seems to have gone off very well. I think the WHO deserves a lot of credit for being able to coordinate all of this and to be on the ground in the Canary Islands.
And I do think the experience of COVID, the experience of Mpox, Ebola, all is conditioning this response. And it's also happening through a post-pandemic lens where there is heightened scrutiny of everything that's happening. And so far, everything seems to be going off without a hitch.
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HUNTE: Well, that's good news, we like that. Health authorities are now monitoring passengers across multiple countries. And experts do say that more cases may still pop up because of the virus' long incubation period. But what are officials watching for over the next few weeks?
ADALJA: What we'll be watching for is whether more cases occur in those passengers. And as you said, I think we need to expect that to happen and not be panicked or worried when that does happen. And then they're going to be looking at secondary transmission.
Do any of the close contacts, do they have any symptoms that are consistent with hantavirus? That's going to be important to make sure that there's no secondary chains of transmission. And then to see how well the home monitoring process works.
Is it something that people are able to do? Is it something that's cumbersome? How well is it going to work? And we have a precedent there. After the 2014 Ebola outbreak, many physicians, many nurses went back to the United States and other countries and they were monitored at home for symptoms. And that was something that I think really will play a major role in how local health departments all around the world are able to handle this home monitoring when they use it.
HUNTE: Well, speaking of those health organizations around the world, we are hearing about at least one French passenger showing symptoms, but we are still waiting for more confirmation on that. If it is hantavirus, does that change any of the strategy? Should anything have been done differently to you?
ADALJA: No, that actually will reinforce the strategy being correct because they considered all of those individuals coming off of the ship as high-risk contacts and they were moved in a very safe manner off of the ship, onto a plane, to France. And that's exactly what we want to do.
We want to make sure that we're catching these cases as they occur because of that long incubation period and then linking those individuals to care. So this really just reinforces the fact that they're doing things correctly. And remember, we don't know if this person is going to test positive for hantavirus.
Lots of things can happen on a ship, lots of different infectious diseases like norovirus and influenza and COVID, all have overlapping symptoms in the early stages. So it will be really critical to know that this patient has hantavirus. So we shouldn't prejudge it, but we also should expect that some of these patients are going to test positive.
HUNTE: A lot of our viewers hear the words virus outbreak and probably immediately think pandemic. But health officials and the U.S. President keep stressing that the public risk does remain low. What determines whether an outbreak like this does stay contained, though?
ADALJA: It has to do with the biology of the pathogen. Not every pathogen has the ability to cause a pandemic or even an epidemic. It has to do with how well a pathogen can get from person to person. If something is unable to efficiently spread between one human to another human, it will not be able to cause a pandemic.
And even though the Andes version of hantavirus can spread in limited circumstances between humans, it's not something that does that efficiently. It's not like a respiratory virus. It doesn't spread like COVID or influenza, let alone measles.
It's something that is very constrained in its ability to get from person to person. Therefore, it really doesn't pose any kind of pandemic or even epidemic threat. This will be a contained outbreak. It's a public health emergency, nonetheless, but it isn't something that rises to the level of an epidemic threat.
HUNTE: I like your confidence there. This is good. We have seen some enormous public attention around this story, especially because it does involve a cruise ship and a rare virus. Are infectious disease events now being viewed through a much more scary post-COVID lens?
ADALJA: I do think that's the case. As someone who does a lot of media, it's either two speeds. Either the media is not covering something or they're covering it to, you know, a very high degree. So there's not one -- there's not a middle gear there. So it is very challenging because you want attention to these outbreaks.
You want to highlight the stories of public health and infectious disease, but you also don't want it to be sensationalistic or overly alarmist. And that's a hard balance to strike, especially since COVID- 19. And that's the set point that many people have.
They think of everything through that COVID-19 lens. And while it's important to remember the lessons of the pandemic, not everything is going to be like COVID-19. Not everything from COVID-19 is applicable or analogous to what's happening with any future infectious disease emergency.
It's really important to contextualize things. These are all different pathogens. One virus is not the same as another virus. There's many different factors that apply depending upon the biology of the pathogen. It's not just one generic response or one generic trajectory for any infectious disease emergency.
HUNTE: Well, we are glad you do media interviews. Thank you for being with us. And we like your calm confidence there.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, thank you so much for being with us.
ADALJA: Thanks for having me.
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HUNTE: OK, still to come, Russia's President now says he thinks his so-called special military operation in Ukraine could end soon. But what those comments really mean ahead. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. Today marks the third and final day of the brief ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine. But both governments are accusing each other of violations over the weekend. Russia says it shot down 57 Ukrainian drones on Sunday and has, quote, "responded in kind" on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials say three people were killed in Russian drone strikes near the front lines. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has not stopped its attacks on the front.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): There were no massive attacks today, no missile or airstrikes, but there was no peace in the frontline areas and communities near the front. The Russians continue their assault activity in directions that are key for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: Russia and Ukraine had announced separate ceasefires earlier this week, with Moscow hoping to avoid disruption of its World War II Victory Day parade on Saturday.
Joining us now is CNN Contributor Jill Dougherty, former CNN Moscow bureau chief and adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Thank you so much for being with me, Jill.
I'll get straight to it. Putin says the war may be coming to an end, while the Trump administration says talks are in fact stalled. Is this a real diplomatic opening or mostly just strategic messaging from both sides right now?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, there's a lot of confusion, even in terms of any predictions. I mean, you do have to look at what President Trump said, and he said, hopefully, this, you know, temporary ceasefire is the beginning of the end. But I think accent on the word, hopefully. And then, as you pointed out, Secretary Rubio said things are stalled.
And then, if you look at what Putin said, I always like to check the bottom line and the fine print. And what he's saying is, yes, things could be coming to an end. But he's saying -- and he even said, I would be willing to sit down with Vladimir -- with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a third country, but not to negotiate, to sign something that already is negotiated.
So, in other words, the likelihood of that happening very soon is not very great. So, I think, at this point, things are stalled. And the question is, can they somehow pull this out and get to some type of agreement, which is a big if.
HUNTE: It's very interesting. Check the small print. Both Russia and Ukraine do accuse each other of violating the Victory Day ceasefire. Was this truce ever really meant to advance negotiations, do you think? Could it hold longer?
DOUGHERTY: You know, I think it was really a temporary measure at a very delicate moment. I mean, that parade was symbolic in so many ways, especially to Vladimir Putin. And to have, you know, drone attacks by Ukrainians on Moscow would be an utter disaster.
So, I don't think, you know, really, President Trump, certainly, who apparently asked both sides, he says, to have some type of, you know, ceasefire, that it was a request simply to make sure this did not turn into a disaster. But in terms of long term, no. Immediately, both sides were accusing each other of violating.
And in fact, today, I think the Russians were saying that Ukraine violated it 16,000 times. So that's kind of where we are at this point. Again, it didn't really solve much of anything. Although you do have to say, Ben, that the fact that they are going to trade prisoners is a very good thing. That would be 1,000 on each side. And that's important.
HUNTE: Ukraine's drone strikes are reaching deeper into Russia, as you kind of alluded to there, and forcing tighter security around Moscow. How significant is that psychologically for both the Kremlin and for ordinary Russians?
DOUGHERTY: I think it's very important. I mean, if you look at some of the polling, and again, it's very difficult to do polling in the middle of a war, and especially in Russia. But, you know, indications are that Russians really are becoming very frustrated by the war. It's been going on for a long time. There is a lot of inflation. There are economic problems. People are -- and actually, there are reports of Russians being psychologically affected by this, depressed and worried about it. And then, I think the biggest factor is shutting down the Internet in Moscow, which was a very big deal.
And a lot of people, a lot of Russians were very frustrated. They went -- they tried to go online at points they couldn't even get online. And that's an indication of something that I think is pretty deep.
This frustration that, yes, the Kremlin is saying, we need this for security. But some Russians are saying, no, it goes far beyond that. It's the Kremlin trying to control everything. So this is kind of, I'd say, you know, a growing theme.
It doesn't mean that this is going to be a revolution or anything like that. But there is discontent growing, and it's among a lot of different people.
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HUNTE: Let's talk a bit more about those Victory Day celebrations, because they were noticeably scaled back this year. Less military hardware on display, and even reports about Putin potentially wanting Trump to help prevent strikes on Moscow. What does all of this actually mean?
DOUGHERTY: You know, it was used by both sides, I think, again, in a psychological war. The Ukrainians essentially were saying, look, Vladimir Putin, because he was so afraid that Ukrainians would attack Moscow with drones, that he had to run to President Trump and ask for his help to intercede with Zelenskyy. Please don't fire.
Now, that -- the truth, I think, lies in the middle, that President Trump decided to ask both sides. But however that shook out, both sides were using it. So the Ukrainians, again, showing Putin is weak and scared.
And then President Putin said in a news conference after the May 9th, he said, well, security was one thing, very important to us. But also, we were definitely, if there was anything coming from Ukraine, we were bound to reply. And in other words, we would fire back. And they would hit Kyiv.
And so he said, I told the Chinese, I told the Indians, and I told the Americans that, you know, there are a lot of diplomats who work in Kyiv, and it would be dangerous for them. So in other words, Putin is trying to use it to say, no, no, I'm not scared. I was actually threatening these countries with the possibility of what could happen in Ukraine.
So again, you know, the war, it's very kinetic, as that word is used so much. It's very bloody and very cruel. But there's also this psychological part of it, which is really, really important, especially in the context of what we were just talking about, the vulnerability that Putin has somewhat at home, because people, the discontent at home.
HUNTE: There's a lot going on. I'm just glad we're still talking about it, to be honest. And Jill, as always, we love your insights in there. So thank you so much, Jill Dougherty.
All right, still to come, a Palestinian journalist tells CNN about the difficult year he spent in an Israeli prison. His story after this break. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
17 Americans are now flying back to the U.S. after being evacuated from the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak. The group left Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday night, bound for a quarantine facility in Nebraska. The Department of Health and Human Services says one of the Americans on board has tested positive for the virus and another has mild symptoms.
U.S. President Donald Trump is calling Iran's latest peace proposal, quote, "totally unacceptable." Iran's state media says Tehran sent its latest proposal through Pakistani mediators on Sunday. The counterproposal included recognition of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and a demand for compensation.
Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi has been granted bail and transferred to a hospital in Tehran. Her husband says Mohammadi's life hangs in the balance following a catastrophic health failure. The human rights activist has been a political prisoner for much of the last two decades and has faced serious health issues behind bars.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says Israel has arrested more than 100 Palestinian journalists since the war in Gaza began. The group says they're often held without charges. CNN's Jeremy Diamond spoke with a Palestinian journalist who was recently released from an Israeli prison.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The man gingerly walking down the steps is Ali al-Samoudi, a well-known Palestinian journalist.
DIAMOND: I've worked with Ali several times and I, you know, barely recognize him.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The 59-year-old has just been released from Israeli prison, where he was held for a year without charge and without a trial.
DIAMOND: Ali, it's so good to see you. DIAMOND (voice-over): The physical toll of his detention now on display. This is what Samoudi looked like when I last worked with him three months before he was arrested. He lost 130 pounds in prison, about half his body weight.
ALI AL-SAMOUDI, JOURNALIST RELEASED FROM ISRAELI PRISON (through translation): They basically gave us food only to keep us alive. Breakfast consists of one spoon of labneh, a quarter spoon of jam. As for dinner, it's a luxury dinner for us. Two spoons of hummus and one spoon of tahini in addition to an egg.
DIAMOND (voice-over): It was only when he emerged from prison where mirrors were banned that he saw his face for the first time in a year.
AL-SAMOUDI (through translation): My situation is difficult and I understood that, but I didn't imagine it to this extent.
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DIAMOND: You had already interviewed, I'm sure, Palestinians who were held in Israeli prison, but what was it like to see it and experience it for yourself?
AL-SAMOUDI (through translation): When I came to prison, the reality was different. It was a real hell. One time, after I returned from a visit with a lawyer, they threw us on the ground. An Israeli officer stood and stepped on my head like this and pressed my face into the ground for four minutes until I suffocated.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Israel's prison service did not respond to a request for comment about Samoudi's detention. But it's what Samoudi witnessed that's most painful, like the young man who got sick but was refused medical treatment.
AL-SAMOUDI (through translation): He died in front of us for no reason. He did nothing. Why? Are we not human?
DIAMOND (voice-over): That man is Louay Turkman, a 22-year-old from Jenin who was also held without charge. Israel's prison service didn't respond to our request for comment. Samoudi is among 105 Palestinian journalists who have been imprisoned by Israel since October 7, 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
33 are still being held in Israeli prisons, nearly all of them without charge. That pace of detentions landed Israel as the third worst jailer of journalists worldwide last year, behind only China and Myanmar.
DIAMOND: When we asked the military at the beginning, when you were detained, we said, why?
AL-SAMOUDI: I know.
DIAMOND: They said you were, quote, "identified with the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization and suspected of transferring funds to the group." AL-SAMOUDI: Bullshit.
DIAMOND: Bullshit.
AL-SAMOUDI (through translation): They did not ask me once about any suspicions. My arrest is part of the Israeli war against the Palestinian press and media to silence my voice and block my camera and break my pen, and thus prevent me from practicing my right that all laws and international norms guarantee, the freedom of the press.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jenin, the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTE: The leadership of Venezuela changed after the U.S. forcibly removed Nicolas Maduro. But what has that change actually meant for its citizens? Just ahead, we visit Caracas to hear how life is going for Venezuelans right now. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. In the months before the U.S. raided Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, talks about a transition happened in Qatar. But we are now finding out the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Corina Machado was not discussed as a viable future leader. That is according to a Qatari source who spoke to CNN.
After the U.S. removed Maduro in January, President Donald Trump said he thought Machado lacked support to lead Venezuela. Instead, his administration pushed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to take power as interim president. The source tells CNN Rodriguez made several visits to Qatar in 2024, even meeting the prime minister.
Venezuela has been under Rodriguez's leadership for four months now. But many Venezuelans say even with Maduro gone, very little has actually changed. CNN's David Culver has more for us.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He says you can't go any closer because the police have blocked it off. And you can see they've got a big barricade.
CULVER (voice-over): A public demonstration and we can't get in. These Venezuelans are calling on their government to raise wages and ease repression. The police keep turning folks back.
(Speaking Foreign Language)
And he's trying to tell us that there's another side to go to. We've driven all the way around this area for about 30 minutes and we haven't found a way to enter.
It looks like now we might have found one possible entry here. But I mean, it's now towards the end of the march and demonstration.
She's saying elections have to come for a radical change. He says they took, meaning the U.S., Maduro, but left the rest of the system in place.
CULVER (voice-over): Delcy as an acting President, Delcy Rodriguez, who governs behind layers of security, several blocks of armed guards.
CULVER: You've got a mobile command force right there.
CULVER (voice-over): Not surprising, given how her predecessor's rule ended on January 3rd, when U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Their names and faces now plastered across Caracas. Billboards, graffiti, homemade signs. The government, at least, wants them back.
CULVER: The reality is Maduro, the man who ran this country for some 13 years, even though his face is everywhere here in Caracas, well, he's in custody, locked up in the U.S. The system he built, that is still standing. And that's not lost on the people here.
CULVER (voice-over): Especially the families of the more than 450 political prisoners still in custody.
CULVER: We've driven about an hour outside the capital. We're headed to El Rodeo, which is considered to be one of the better known prisons where many of these political prisoners are believed to be held.
[00:50:07]
CULVER (voice-over): At the prison gate, family members live out of tents, waiting for weekly visits.
CULVER: Because they don't have the money to make the trip multiple times, they camp out. And on days like today, they have visits with their loved ones.
CULVER (voice-over): Though the repression has not totally lifted, it has loosened a lot.
CULVER: It's also worth noting that not everyone feels like the United States should be involved in Venezuelan matters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)
CULVER: You think he's crazy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)
CULVER: At a pro-government rally, we had folks coming up to us to say, Venezuela is not a colony, that sovereignty here matters to them.
CULVER (voice-over): But for most here, the deepest suffering is economic. The official minimum income just went up to $240 a month. Most Venezuelans earn far less, and food alone costs nearly three times that amount.
There is a small bubble of wealth, nice cars, weekend clubs. But most here live like Maria Perez's family. Inside her parents' home, the scarcity is hard to miss.
(Speaking Foreign Language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)
CULVER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)
CULVER: She said her dad is a diabetic. Her mom's got severe arthritis. When it comes to health care, it's really bad.
CULVER (voice-over): Her home is a 20-minute walk uphill from her parents. No real roads to get there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)
CULVER: Wow. They only really have running water, she said, every 45 days. And -- I'm sorry, I'm out of breath a little bit. But the remainder of the days, they rely on these big tanks.
CULVER (voice-over): Venezuela's leaders acknowledge how dire the economic situation is, and they often blame U.S. sanctions, though the Trump administration points to years of corruption, mismanagement and authoritarian rule as the cause.
CULVER: Most everyone that we spoke with over the past few days has given us some version of the same sentiment, and that is that they're grateful that the U.S. captured Maduro. They're glad that he's gone. But as to what happens next when you ask them that question, they stress that it's for Venezuelans to decide, though they also emphasize they need the rest of the world to keep on watching.
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HUNTE: He's been collecting World Cup merch for more than 50 years. As Mexico gets ready to host some of this summer's matches, one fan is getting ready to share his collection with the public. We'll see a little preview next. See you in a moment.
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HUNTE: Hello again. Barcelona came out on top on Sunday against Real Madrid to win their 29th La Liga title. Madrid arrived on the scene needing a victory in this match to keep their hopes alive to win the title. However, nine minutes into the match, Marcus Rashford for Barcelona dashed those hopes. The final score was 2-0 Barcelona.
And speaking of football, there's just a month to go before the start of the 2026 World Cup. So fans all around the world are getting excited for the start of that competition.
For one man in Mexico, the tournament brings an opportunity to add to the massive World Cup souvenir collection that he's been building for more than half a century now. Our Valeria Leon gives us a quick look.
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FRANCISCO JAVIER LOPEZ, WORLD CUP SOUVENIR COLLECTOR: (Speaking Foreign Language)
[00:55:07]
VALERIA LEON, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): For decades, these items were kept in the dark. Now, for the first time, they're being brought back into the light.
Mexican collector Francisco Javier Lopez delves into his archive. His collection of more than 2,000 pieces started more than five decades ago with a single sticker album from the 1974 World Cup.
LOPEZ (through translation): A true collector should not just accumulate. You have to become a historian and rescue the narrative behind each piece.
LEON (voice-over): And the stories here span generations. From pennants of the 1962 World Cup in Chile to bottle caps featuring players from Mexico's first domestic World Cup in 1970 to official gear worn by sports journalists in Argentina in 1978.
LOPEZ (through translation): This vest is certified. Photographers had to wear it to access the field. It even has the registration number.
LEON (voice-over): And through it all, one thing has never changed.
LEON: What does a collector need?
LOPEZ (through translation): You can never lose your sense of wonder. If you do, your collection becomes mere material.
LEON (voice-over): He's also preserved tickets from matches played during Mexico's two previous World Cups in 1970 and '86.
LOPEZ (through translation): This was the game of the century, Germany versus Italy. They gave everything.
LEON (voice-over): Now, as Mexico prepares to co-host this year's World Cup, his collection is approaching its final chapter.
LEON: What's the future of this collection?
LOPEZ (through translation): In life, you have to learn how to close cycles. This is a perfect one. It begins with Mexico 1970 and can end with dignity in Mexico 2026.
LEON (voice-over): His archive will be put on public display for the first time this summer in Mexico City. A lifetime of football preserved one piece at a time.
Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.
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HUNTE: How exciting. OK, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me in the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom after this quick break. See you in three minutes.
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