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Trump Exacts Revenge On GOP Senator Cassidy In Louisiana Primary; Trump Issues New Warning To Iran; Two Fighter Jets Collide; Thousands Gather On National Mall For Rededicate 250; Canada Reports First Presumptive Hantavirus Case Linked To Ship; Criminal Trial Starts For VA Ex-Assistant Principal. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired May 17, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you so much for joining me this weekend. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Omar Jimenez right now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the "CNN Newsroom," everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York. Jessica Dean has tonight off. President Donald Trump proving he still has a tight grip on the Republican Party as incumbent Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted to impeach Trump five years ago, loses his primary election. Here's Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Cassidy's loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): You can disagree with President Trump, but if you try to destroy him, you're going to lose because this is the party of Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: You heard it plain and clear right there from Senator Lindsey Graham. Now, Cassidy is the first Republican senator to lose re- nomination in nearly a decade. And the race now goes into a runoff between Trump-backed challenger Congresswoman Julia Letlo and state treasurer John Fleming. But still with months to go in office, Cassidy signaled in his concession speech last night he won't be leaving Washington quietly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Our country is not about one individual.

(APPLAUSE)

It is about the welfare of all Americans and it is about our Constitution. If someone doesn't understand that and attempts to control others through using the levers of power, they're about serving themselves, they're not about serving us.

(APPLAUSE)

And that person is not qualified to be a leader.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: No names mentioned there, but CNN's Alayna Treene joins us now from the White House. I think it's safe to assume President Donald Trump was on the mind of Senator Cassidy there. But what is the president saying about all of this?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Look, I think, you know, you saw him take a very quick victory lap, Omar, right after the results came in about Cassidy not advancing to that runoff. You know, Julia Letlow, the president's endorsed candidate, as well as the state treasurer of Louisiana, John Fleming, the ones moving forward, both considered very Trumpy Republicans. And I think what this shows is, you know, if you are somebody who the president believes is going against him in any way, he will make it an effort as well the team of really political-minded people he has surrounding him in the West Wing, they will make it an effort to take you out and kind of ruin your political viability.

And I'd remind you, Cassidy's cardinal sin was voting to convict the president during the impeachment trial back in 2021 following the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. It's something that president never got over. It's also something, I should note, that is very personal for the president. There have been other times where he feels like Republicans have crossed him and he has gotten over it, he has released that grudge, not on something like this when it came to impeachment.

And so, he tried very hard to make it clear that he did not want Cassidy to succeed last night and, ultimately, he was successful even though, and I think it's important to note out here, Cassidy was someone who really tried over the last 18 months ever since Trump got reelected to office to try to get back into the good grace of the MAGA movement. One of the key things, of course, was him voting, it was actually a very important pivotal vote, to confirm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to HHS. That came despite Cassidy, someone who is a doctor, having very different views from Kennedy on vaccines.

But look, what we also saw the president do is try to draw a connection between Cassidy and the other opponent he's looking at, which is Congressman Thomas Massie, a maverick in Congress, in the House, trying to take him out in Tuesday primaries. Well, I want to read to you one of the posts that the president had today. He said, that's what you get by voting to impeach an innocent man, especially one who made it possible for Cassidy's Senate win. Then he switched gears to Massie. Very disloyal, but Tom Massie, a major sleazebag, is even worse. Kentucky, get this loser out of politics in Tuesday's election.

Now, like I said, I'm kind of switching gears to Tuesday, but this is, of course, the next stop on Trump's revenge tour. Massie is someone who was very conservative, but someone who also had a number of key votes opposing President Trump. Some of them have been on government funding, another on war powers and, of course, he was one of the people who led the effort to force the Justice Department to release all of the Epstein files despite the president trying to prevent Congress from doing that.

Look, we'll see if the president is successful again on Tuesday, but I think what we saw from Cassidy is it's clear that Trump's endorsement and what he says has so much sway and influence in the Republican Party.

[17:05:04]

Omar?

JIMENEZ: Yes. Even at the state level, we saw, of course, with state politics in Indiana over some of the Republicans who did not want to move forward with some of those redistricting efforts as well. Fascinating dynamic to keep an eye on. Alayna Treene at the White House, really appreciate the reporting.

I want to talk more about this. We're joined now by CNN political commentators Maria Cardona and Brad Todd. Maria is a Democratic strategist and Brad is a Republican strategist. And Brad, I want to start with you because, look, Trump sent a message in this effort to unseat Cassidy, but then last night, you heard a little bit of Cassidy there sending his own message back, essentially that he's not going to go quietly here. What are your takeaways and do you have any concerns for what Cassidy might be doing with the remainder of his term?

BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, you know, Cassidy's vote will still be critical in the U.S. Senate. If he adheres to the conservatism that he has always espoused, he will have no problem voting with the Republicans and Senator John Thune in the U.S. Senate.

Tom Massie is a little bit of a different story. You know, Tom Massie has voted against the president on a wide range of issues after spending most of his career being in the far-right of the Republican Party. He has voted against him on tax cuts, he has voted against him on border security, he has voted against him on Second Amendment issues, and a plethora of things. And certainly, Trump's opposition to Massie quite sparked some of that, but we'll see what happens.

With Bill Cassidy, he has got a choice to make. He got six long months left and there's a lot of time still to make a difference on some key issues.

JIMENEZ: Well, maybe a preview based on what we've seen from Senator Thom Tillis who didn't lose his nomination but decided not to run again, and the tone we've heard from him is very different from when the possibility remained that he might come back to office.

Maria, look, to Brad's point, Trump did quickly move on last night from gloating over Cassidy's loss to then attacking Congressman Thomas Massie in his Kentucky primary challenge. Massie, of course, led this push in Congress for the release of Epstein files but sort of, as Brad was saying, that there has been a lot of policy tension even if Massie has claims that they actually do agree on many conservative issues. Is there a distinction between Cassidy and Massie because the Epstein files is such a big issue? Do you see that as different than maybe something border-related or budget-related?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I see it in the same bucket as that the major priority for Donald Trump is not bringing down costs for the American people, is not giving the American people health care, is not trying to keep to the promises that he made the American people in the 2024 election. It is retribution, and that is what we saw in Cassidy's case, and that is what we're seeing in Massie's case.

And look, I think that that whole focus, while it has the Republican Party in a tizzy and in turmoil, it is backfiring for and with Americans all across the board, Omar, because I think Americans see this and they say, well, the president promised to bring down my costs, and then they hear him say things like, I am not concerned with the financial situations of Americans, getting us into a war that no one wanted and no one needed, wanting to spend billions on a ballroom that no one wanted and no one needed, now pretty much trying to put $1.7 billion into a fund that is going to give money back to people who attacked our Capitol, wanting to sue the IRS for $10 billion.

The chaos, the corruption, the grift, Omar, is what this president is all about, and the American people have had it. That's why you're seeing Democrats winning elections across the board, even in deep red districts and states. Democrats have flipped more than 30 state legislative seats from red to blue. And Democrats have overperformed or won in over 90 percent of the elections that have happened since Donald Trump took office. So, that's why you see a lot of Republicans really worried behind the scenes about what they're seeing coming out of this White House, because it's not focused on the issues that he promised the American people.

JIMENEZ: Well, Brad, there's an interesting dynamic here. I saw you shaking your head through some of it, so I'll give you a chance to respond to that. Was that -- you know, Trump is obviously flexing his power in these primary races. But then when you back up and look at sort of the polling, you know, he's at his lowest level in terms of economic trust that he has been in his career. His poll numbers have slid since this Iran war has begun. And I wonder, do you think he will be able to wield that same power that we've seen in the primaries when it comes time to the general election? Does that worry you at all?

TODD: Well, certainly, this is a two-edged question. The president has to improve his numbers with independents. I think that the White House is acutely aware of that.

[17:10:00]

But he also can motivate a lot of Republican low propensity voters. You know, a key part of the midterm is not how the swing voters decide, although that is always important, but it's also who shows up. And currently, Democrats have a much higher income, higher educated electorate. And so, those kinds of people vote all the time. They always want to tell strangers their opinion.

A more blue-collar, low propensity crowd of Republicans who now rely on in our coalition is not as always reliable in midterm elections. And so, those voters do love the president. They are his biggest supporters. And so, his role in motivating low propensity Republicans to show up for the midterms is a big part of Republican bill -- the Republican ability to hold the Congress.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, Maria, just a different version of that question because, obviously, Trump's direction has influenced the way these primary races are going. I'm sure Democrats have preferences over who they would rather run against or other. That's why many have watched that Texas race very closely, to see where the president may endorse for Cornyn versus Ken Paxton. But I wonder, just for you, do you -- are you welcoming President Trump's endorsement? Do you think it actually makes an easier path for Democrats here?

CARDONA: I do. And I think that that's the case because of exactly what you just mentioned, Omar. The president's polls are historically low, and they are historically low on the key issues that he won on in 2024 with the voters that -- Brad is exactly right, those are the voters that came out to vote for him. But guess what? Those voters are not motivated right now. Let's just take a group of those voters.

TODD: But Maria --

CARDONA: Latino -- hang on a second, Brad. Latino voters in 2024, way too many of them went to vote for Donald Trump because they believed him on the promises that he made on the economy and even on immigration. He promised that he was going to go after the most violent criminals to deport them.

Well, guess what has happened? He has not kept his promise on the economy. Costs have skyrocketed. People don't have health care anymore. They can't make their mortgage. They can't make ends meet. And for the Latino community, they are deporting their abuelitas and their tios and their moms and their sisters when the president promised they were going to go after -- he was going to go after the most violent people.

So, the enthusiasm -- Brad is right, the enthusiasm is with the Democrats right now. But not just the Democrats, independents as well. And a lot of those voters that voted for Donald Trump in '24 have major buyers' remorse, and you have seen it in polls and you have seen it anecdotally, and it's going to be big trouble for Republicans in the midterms.

JIMENEZ: Brad, quick word before you go.

TODD: Maria, you're leaving a half -- you left out half of the story. The people with poll numbers lower than president right now are House Democrats. Independent voters are not looking to hand Democrats control of Congress because they know that they're extremists, they'll try to pack the Supreme Court, they will try to impeach the president. They have a lot of chaos coming if Democrats take over control of Congress. Right now, the president has to get his poll numbers to where he and Republicans are consistently above Democrats with two-way elections in America.

CARDONA: But Democrats are winning on generic ballot, though. JIMENEZ: I will just say -- I got to -- I got to jump out here. But one thing that was interesting out of one of our CNN polls, there was a large portion of those polls that trusted neither party on some of these issues, which has worked for both of you, all to do between now and the midterms. I got to leave it there.

TODD: Sure.

JIMENEZ: Maria Cardona, Brad Todd --

CARDONA: Thanks so much.

JIMENEZ: -- good to see you both.

TODD: Thanks a lot. Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Still ahead, President Trump issuing a new warning for Iran, saying the clock is ticking on a deal as he considers his options during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Plus, the president and top cabinet officials delivering messages at a national prayer event that's sparking concerns about the separation of church and state. We're live from the National Mall straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Tonight, tensions are high in the Middle East. For example, earlier today, a drone strike causing a fire at an important nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates. As authorities say, operations are continuing as normal and no injuries were reported. It's not clear if the drone originated from Iran.

Meanwhile, President Trump is issuing a new warning to Iran, threatening military action if a deal isn't done. A source telling CNN Trump met with top members of his national security team just hours after getting back from China. CNN's Oren Liebermann has more now from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: It seems President Donald Trump is growing tired of the progress or lack thereof in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. We had expected that there wouldn't really be movement as Trump made his trip to China to meet President Xi Jinping. That's not surprising. But now that he's back in the U.S., that impatience, that need to see some sort of progress here is once again very clear.

Trump posted on his social media, for Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving, fast, or there won't be anything left of them. Time is of the essence. President DJT.

Trump has been reluctant to restart military strikes on Iran. We have seen him nearing that point but unwilling so far to pull the trigger. And yet it seems that Trump is growing very clearly impatient with the lack of progress in the negotiations that, frankly, aren't happening, and that he may be edging towards that decision.

[17:20:00]

We'll wait and see here to see what decision he makes there.

Pakistan tried to open up a window for diplomacy. Their interior minister was in Tehran over the weekend meeting with the Iranian president as well as the chief negotiator and speaker of parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf. But it's unclear that there was really any progress made and the gaps between the U.S. and Iran very much appear like they're too great to quickly bridge. And certainly, with the speed that Trump wants to see them close and wants to see an agreement here, that still remains, at least from our perspective right now, incredibly unlikely.

Iranian state media and semi-official state media said that their message was that it's the U.S. presence in the region that's leading to instability. That's not exactly a message that gives you a feeling that there's about to be progress in negotiations.

Meanwhile, we continue to see fighting between Israel and Hezbollah even after Trump and the White House announced a 45-day extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire back on Friday. The Israeli military said that Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy in Lebanon, has launched more than 200 projectiles. That is rockets and drones over the course of the weekend. Israel, for its part, has issued more evacuation warnings and carried out more strikes in Southern Lebanon. So, even though the U.S. announced an extension of the ceasefire, it's very difficult to see anything that looks like a ceasefire on the ground.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Oren Liebermann, appreciate the reporting. Coming up for us, large crowds gathering at the National Mall today for a special prayer and scripture event featuring messages from President Trump and other top government officials. But critics are worried that this blurs the line between separation of church and state. We're live from the National Mall with a look at today's event, next.

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[17:25:00]

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JIMENEZ: We're following breaking news out of Idaho. Two U.S. fighter jets collided in midair during an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base. You see the collision there as they seemed to essentially spin around each other, contact made. Those little flares of light seem to be when the pilots eject from the plane. But our Rafael Romo is following the story and joins us now with the latest details. I mean, it's pretty intense video there. What are you hearing about the crash and the pilots?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Omar, very intense and very scary at the same time. Well, let me tell you that the midair crash happened on the second day of the gun fighter air show held near the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho located about 50 miles southeast of Boise, the state capital.

A video obtained by CNN and geolocated by us as well shows the two jet fighters colliding at what appears to be middle of the air, getting entangled for a few moments during which pilots appear to safely eject, followed by two airplanes crashing on the ground away from the public. A column of smoke, black smoke follows the fiery crash as four parachutes are seen in the foregrounds descending on farmland away from the collision site.

The Associated Press is reporting that announcements made at the base indicate all four crew members involved in the crash, which occurred about two miles from the Mountain Home Air Force Base, were able to parachute to safety. In a statement, the Mountain Home Air Force Base gun fighters said the following: An aircraft incident has occurred at Mountain Home Air Force Base during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show two miles northwest of the base. Emergency responders are on the scene. An investigation is underway and more details will be released as they become available.

In a statement published last month, Mountain Home Air Force Base announced the Gunfighter Skies Air Show was scheduled to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, calling it a free event open to the public featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Mountain Home Air Force Base announced on its Facebook page that it went on lockdown after the crash, and the Mountain Home Police said the remainder of the air show was canceled.

The base was the site of a Thunderbirds F-16 air show crash in 2003, Omar, according to the U.S. Marine Corps. Then in 2018, A hang glider pilot was killed during the same show, according to local station KTBB. But again, the good news in all of these is that the pilots appear to be okay. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Yes. Thankfully so in this case. But scary moments there, especially as those two jets collided. Rafael Romo, appreciate the reporting.

All right, right now we want to get you to a story we've been previewing for a bit now in the show. Crowds of people gathered on the National Mall for a day-long prayer event backed by the White House. Now, the celebration dubbed "Rededicated 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving," is raising some constitutional concerns about the separation of church and state. It's funded through a mix of taxpayer funds and private donations. The event even included a video message of President Trump reading a Bible verse and appearances by leaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson. I want to bring in CNN's Gabe Cohen, who has been at the event on the National Mall. And Gabe, what are you seeing there? What are you hearing from people there?

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First off, Omar, after a long hot day here in D.C., you can see most of the crowd has cleared up. And, as you mentioned, the president's video message was played on the big screen just a little while ago, that reading from the Bible. And the very next speaker who came out was a pastor, who said he had been to a lot of these sort of religious gatherings before, but this one felt different to him, he said, because it had been ordered by the president. That got a big round of applause from this crowd.

[17:29:55]

But it also speaks to some of the criticisms that we have from people who say that what this event is doing is essentially pushing Christian nationalism in this country. What was billed as an event that's really more broadly about getting Americans in the country to rededicate themselves to being one nation under God, restoring faith and values that hour after hour, as we've been listening to all these speakers, seeing the imagery, the music, it has really been focused on Christian values and on the Christian roots of this country.

And it's an event that has been backed by this administration, not just the president, but we've heard from other Trump officials. Marco Rubio had a video message, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard. House Speaker Mike Johnson was on that stage just about an hour ago.

And look, a lot of the money that went to pay for this came from taxpayer dollars as part of this "America 250," the events, the celebrations that are happening across this country, which some say blurs the separation of church and state. So, I pose those concerns, asked people who had come and were part of this crowd, who had come from all over the country, how they felt about that. Here's a bit of what they told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: m Now, the so-called wall of separation between the church and state is a myth. It's a misconception, I should say. My understanding is that this event is partly paid for by private donations and some by taxpayer funds. So, a debate could be had about that as to whether that's a legitimate expenditure.

ROMO: Share to us what you think.

UNKNOWN: So much money in himself. And I think things are tainted and not always painted correctly.

ROMO: So, you have no issue with taxpayer dollars being used for this?

UNKNOWN: I'm not going to -- I'm not going to comment on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: And Omar, as you know, this is far from the first time that we have heard concerns about this administration allowing religion to sort of seep into government operations, government policy. Just in recent weeks, when it comes to the war in Iran, we have heard Secretary of War Pete Hegseth talking about this battle between good and evil and talking about it in this sort of using religious undertones. And so, again, this event, just the latest example that's causing so many concerns across the country about this idea of Christian nationalism and how it has become part of this administration.

JIMENEZ: Gabe Cohen, appreciate the reporting for us there on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, we've got some breaking news in Austin, Texas where 10 shootings have occurred yesterday and today in South Austin. Two of those shootings took place at fire stations, and the police say the actions appear random and are warning people to stay vigilant. Please confirm that four people have been shot and one seriously injured. Police are expected to give an update on this shortly. We're going to get you that information as soon as we get it.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is warning that the latest outbreak of Ebola is a global health emergency. We'll tell you what we know just ahead. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:35:00]

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JIMENEZ: We've got an update on the breaking news out of Austin, Texas. Police say two suspects are now in custody after 10 random shootings. One more person is still on the loose, as we understand from authorities. But police say a shelter in place is now lifted. We'll bring you more details on this story as we get them.

Meanwhile, new tonight, President Trump is issuing a new warning to Iran, saying -- quote -- "the clock is ticking." A source telling CNN President Trump met with top national security officials hours after returning from China as he grows increasingly frustrated by Tehran's approach to negotiations to end the war.

I want to bring in international security affairs expert Robert Pape. He's also a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. Robert, I was reading through your Substack, specifically what you wrote this week titled, "After Beijing, the World Looks Different," and that the Iran war is the first conflict of the post- American era. Unpack that for me. What do you mean?

ROBERT PAPE, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS EXPERT, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: For 30 years, the world has assumed that the United States could control escalation almost anywhere on the planet, that American precision power, especially air power, could dominate any conflict and effectively win those conflicts, especially up against a nation state.

Well, those rules now are changing. We're seeing the limits for the first time since the 1991 Gulf War. And Beijing is watching. What you're seeing is President Xi is describing America in decline. He's not worried about America's long-range precision air power. Notice that this is a very different environment. It has that different feel. The feel that we all are experiencing is that the rules of war have changed. What we've assumed for over 30 years that America could dominate escalation and therefore impose political control is now far from clear.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And, you know, that was another thing that you wrote up, the concept of military superiority that has traditionally been seen as the end all be all.

[17:39:59]

You mentioned 30 years ago, the Gulf War introduced that world in which American power appeared technologically untouchable. But you wrote that in 2026, the Iran war is revealing a world in which even overwhelming American military superiority no longer guarantees uncontested political control. And I just wonder, how do you believe -- how do you believe that changes the global order, so to speak, not just for adversaries, but for allies as well?

PAPE: What it means is there's now a gigantic question mark on Taiwan. It's not just what happened at the summit even before, but the summit put the question mark squarely on Taiwan because, after all, what the United States has been talking about in supporting Taiwan is using that massive precision military as the ultimate assurance for Taiwan. Now, that raises big questions for Taiwan.

And you see President Xi is driving right down that lane. He's not missing this at all. His focus is what does this mean for his ambitions in Taiwan. And he has explained to President Trump, he sees China as the rising power, the United States as the declining power, and President Trump did not stand up to that.

JIMENEZ: You know, you wrote that Iran war may ultimately matter far beyond the Middle East. As you mentioned, you know, China is the one that's looking on. And I just wonder, what does a win for the United States actually look like here? Would it be one that's even recognizable to conventional wisdom?

PAPE: Well, right now, even getting a draw would be a major accomplishment for the United States. So, what has happened in 77 days? Just imagine that. The world is thinking differently about America in just 77 days. And the big question now is, can America's allies really rely on the United States because they've been counting on that power?

And if we can't even get a draw, if we can't even get to the negotiating table with Iran, this raises giant questions here. Our European allies now will have big questions about just how worth it is it to have America as that backstop. You also see with Taiwan, and I would also point out South Korea and Japan won't be far behind, they're having big questions right now because they watched what President Xi did in that 48-hour trip.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Robert Pape, fascinating piece, fascinating discussion, and obviously a dynamic. We will continue to monitor. Thank you for taking the time. Good to see you.

PAPE: Thank you for having me.

JIMENEZ: Of course. All right, everyone, we'll be right back.

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[17:45:00]

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JIMENEZ: Tonight, a Canadian passenger on the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak is isolating in a hospital after returning a presumptively positive test. Canadian health officials say the person is in 70s and began showing mild symptoms two days ago. Results to confirm the case could come as soon as tonight. But if verified, the person would be the 10th person from the ship to test positive for the deadly disease. That ship is expected to dock in the Netherlands tomorrow morning. A statement from the tour operator says the crew and medical staff on board will disembark in staggered shifts, then the vessel will be cleaned and disinfected.

I want to bring in Dr. Peter Hortez, professor of pediatrics and molecular virology at Baylor College of Medicine. I just wonder, how are you assessing the hantavirus management right now out of this particular cruise ship?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS AND MOLECULAR VIROLOGY, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well, I think what we're seeing is the reflection of the fact that there's a pretty long incubation period for this hantavirus. Incubation period meaning the time from you're infected to when you show symptoms. From the last outbreak with this particular virus back in 2018, it was three to six weeks. So, it's about the right timeframe.

I think the good news is the fact that this first began at the end of March, beginning of April. So, we're already hitting that six, seven- week timeframe. So, I don't expect for there to be a lot of additional cases, but it's disappointing that there was this one more case. I think the real message for this particular epidemic is that it's one of several now that we're seeing with the pretty regular sequencer cadence, so what we call the zoo and not a spillover in that, that's meaning infections initially transmitted from animals to people before they go from person to person.

JIMENEZ: You know, one thing that I think, you know, is important to put in perspective from the World Health Organization is that annually, prior to this latest news cycle of hantavirus, it was estimated that anywhere from 10,000 to over 100,000 infections happen annually and that the U.S. has reported fewer than a thousand cases. And again, that's typical, at least as described by the WHO. But do you view this Andes strain as any different from how the world typically deals with hantavirus?

HOTEZ: I think the one game changer is that, for instance, the type that's in the United States caused by the Sin Nombre virus, that has not yet been shown to be transmitted person to person.

[17:50:00]

So, the infection occurs from aerosolization of rodent urine and feces. If you're living in the American southwest, you have a very small but actual risk of exposure. In this case, this is the first new world hantavirus of that. It has been shown to be transmitted person to person after that initial exposure. Again, it doesn't look like it's highly transmissible. If it were, you'd see many more cases than the 10 on the ship. But, again, it reflects the fact that we are seeing more and more of this spill over events.

JIMENEZ: And to your point, I mean, we've heard a lot that this is not COVID, especially in terms of ease of spread. But one comparison that does come to mind is sort of this testing the public confidence in not only how hantavirus is being managed, but also the communication around it. And I know you know very well, those are some of the dynamics that many people push back on from the COVID era. And I wonder, do you think the medical community took a credibility hit during those COVID times? And if so, do you worry about the ability to manage future outbreaks that might spread easier than hantavirus does?

HOTEZ: Well, you know, the public health and medical community did take a hit. But remember, if the hit was orchestrated, you know, there's -- there's this sort of misunderstanding that somehow it was the scientists and the physicians who lost public confidence. No, there was a very aggressive disinformation campaign in part that was politically motivated, in part coming from the very corrupt wellness and influencer industry that was pushing ivermectin and other things that don't work with COVID, and that has what really caused the distrust.

And, you know, we're about to be tested again because it's looking like this public health emergency of international concern is coming out of the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo for Ebola virus. That's looking like a pretty big deal. It's extensive. We have roughly 250 cases. There was a delay in reporting it. And, you know, working in that part of the world is very complicated because it's a conflict zone. There are very few roads. People don't have access to treatment. And, of course, the U.S. government has pulled out of USAID, so that has let down our ability for diagnosis.

So, that's what I'm watching very closely, particularly with the World Cup coming up and people are going to be traveling all over the world. This one, you know, put your tray table in the upright position, your seatbelt fastened. This is going to be a complicated one, I think.

JIMENEZ: And I was going to ask about that because yes, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, they declared a public health emergency of international concern, as you said, hasn't met the criteria of pandemic emergency, but it is being characterized as an epidemic. We showed some of the numbers on screen, at least 80 suspected deaths with no approved vaccine. And I just wonder, I know you laid out your concerns around the World Cup, but do you worry about being able to contain that outbreak?

HOTEZ: Yes. And for a very specific reason. You know, when there was a very large one in Eastern DRC, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2019, we had a vaccine available because it was the Zaire strain for which we had a very effective, 90 percent effective, vaccine using the vesicular stomatitis virus technology. This particular Ebola epidemic is about 60 to 70 percent homologous in terms of genome, and probably that vaccine won't cross protect. And so, I'm worried we're not going to have a vaccine to stabilize things in Central Africa, and that's what really concerns me right now.

JIMENEZ: Dr. Peter Hotez, appreciate the time and perspective across a number of diseases and parts of the world. Thanks for being here.

HOTEZ: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right, everyone, we'll be right back.

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[17:55:00]

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JIMENEZ: Tomorrow, the criminal trial starts against a former assistant principal at a Virginia school where a teacher was shot by a six-year-old in 2023. CNN's Jean Casarez is here now with what to expect.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Omar, I think we all remember in 2023 when a first-grade teacher was shot in her classroom by her six- year-old student. The bullet went into Abby Zwerner's chest. It was so close to vital organs, but she survived.

Earlier this year, there was a civil trial, and the jury awarded her $10 million. The defendant in that civil trial was the former vice principal of the school, Ebony Parker. Well, starting Monday, Ebony Parker is facing eight counts in a criminal court as a criminal defendant of felony child neglect. Prosecutors say that her inaction that day, not doing anything as teachers kept coming to her saying we believe the first-grade student has a gun, that that led to the shooting, and she should be accountable and responsible because she had a duty to the students, to the young students that were in that elementary school.

In the civil trial, Abby Zwerner took the stand, and she said she kept having teachers go in because she was manning her classroom. She kept having teachers go in to the vice principal's office to tell them what she believed. She also testified that she thought she had died.

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Take a listen to her testimony. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBY ZWERNER, FORMER TEACHER, PLAINTIFF: I thought I had died. I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven. But then it all got black. And so, I then thought I wasn't going there. And then I -- my next memory is I see two coworkers around me. And I processed that I'm hurt, and they're putting pressure on where I'm hurt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: This will be a case of first impression in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They have never had a prosecution like this before. Now, the defense in the civil case was that teachers kept coming to Ebony Parker, the vice principal, but they never said that they actually saw a gun. And she was busy that day. She had a lot to do. There was no concrete evidence that the child was armed.

The case starts on Monday. You can watch it live on CNN All Access. There's a camera in the courtroom. And if you want to watch the testimony for yourself, go to CNN All Access. Jury selection Monday morning. The opening statements may begin Monday afternoon. Omar?

JIMENEZ: All right, Jean Casarez, appreciate the reporting. A new hour of "CNN Newsroom" starts right now.