Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Spirit Airlines Halts All Flights, Begins To Shut Down Operations; Trump: It's "Treasonous" To Say U.S. Is Not Winning; New Video Helps FBI Piece Together White House Correspondents' Shooting Timeline; SCOTUS Signals It May Side With Trump On Ending TPS Program; Artemis II Crew Reflects On Seeing The Far Side Of The Moon; 152nd Kentucky Derby Later Today At Churchill Downs. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired May 02, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what's happening today. Spirit Airlines closed for business.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's insane. I've never -- I mean, I always thought Spirit had a bunch of customers and a lot of support.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Employees are out of a job. Passengers are now trying to book new flights. We're live at one of Spirit's hubs with a look at the fallout.

President Trump says Iran's latest proposal to end the war isn't good enough.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Frankly, maybe we're better off not making a deal at all. Do you want to know the truth?

BLACKWELL (voice-over): We're live in the region with a look at where negotiations stand this morning. Plus, we're getting a new, clearer look at what happened moments before a gunman started shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The timeline coming from officials about how this all happened.

And the fate of millions of immigrants from war-torn and disaster- impacted countries will soon be decided by the Supreme Court. The signals we're getting from the justices and the far-reaching impacts of a ruling could have.

Plus, the Artemis II crew is back on Earth, but they will not soon forget their mission to the far side of the moon.

CHRISTINA KOCH, MISSION SPECIALIST, NASA: It just got more and more amazing seeing the Earth and the moon in the same picture.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Highlights from their historic mission, in their own words. Coming up. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Welcome to your weekend. It is Saturday, May 2. Good to be with you. I'm Victor Blackwell.

And we're starting with breaking news this morning. Spirit Airlines is going out of business. The airline said early this morning that it has begun shutting down operations. It's also canceled all upcoming flights.

This is what customers see when they go to the Spirit website. The discount carrier says customer service is no longer available. It's also advising passengers not to come to the airport and to rebook their travel on different airlines.

17,000 workers are now out of a job. Passengers -- they're scrambling to make other travel arrangements. The final Spirit flight touched down in Dallas-Fort Worth International just after midnight. Air traffic controllers and other airline pilots -- they were heard wishing the Spirit pilots well as they made their final descent.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: Hey, Spirit, from us guys at American, good luck to you all. Sorry to hear what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: Is there any other flights coming in after us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 3: You might be the last one. Well, it was a pleasure working with you guys, and I wish you the best.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: Hey, thank you very much.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, the soaring jet fuel costs, which have nearly doubled since the start of the war with Iran. Well, they derailed Spirit's plans to emerge from its second bankruptcy. Spirit and the Trump administration also failed to come to a last-minute bailout deal before the airline -- for the airline, I should say, on Friday.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is live at LaGuardia Airport, one of the Spirit hubs. Did people take the warning and not show up? What are you seeing?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, hopefully, if you're one of the more than one million passengers whose flights are now canceled, you know that you should be checking your e-mail, checking your airline app, and not coming to the airport. But despite that, we have run into at least two people in the past hour who came in here thinking that they were going to be able to fly out. They told me that they simply had not checked their e-mail. They did not realize that their flights had been canceled.

This is Terminal A in LaGuardia Airport. It's a small terminal, but it is the Spirit Airlines' hub at this airport. And I want to show you what it looks like now.

You see up in the board here, it tells you all of these flights that were scheduled for today to fly -- to arrive here have been canceled. Now -- the terminal right now is pretty empty. And if you walk up to one of these check-in monitors -- check-in booths where you would have checked in if you were flying today, it tells you what's going on.

We regret to inform you Spirit Airlines has ceased global operations. And perhaps most frustratingly, it says customer service is no longer available. That's what passengers are going to have to be dealing with today and in the next few days, as they try to rebook themselves on different airlines. Some of the people I spoke to just a minute ago told me that not only they did not realize that their flights were being canceled. They're not sure what they're going to do next.

Now, if you would have come into this airport for a flight that was scheduled today, you would have walked right here to this departure gate. And I just want to show you what it looks like, that it is completely shut down. There's no access.

And then there are these fliers everywhere, just notifying people about the shutdown. Telling them that essentially, they're not going to be going anywhere today. Telling them about the airline shutdown. And directing them to other airlines.

[07:05:20]

Now, let's talk about what's happened in the last few hours since we heard from Spirit Airlines announcing that they would be ceasing operation. It happened in the early hours of the morning after, like you said, they failed to get that $500 million bailout from the federal government. In many ways, Spirit Airlines made history in the airline industry for the past 34 years.

They were considered sort of a maverick of the industry, right? They sold cheap tickets, but they charge you for almost everything else. Water, printing, your boarding pass, bringing on your bag. That was the model. And it was successful.

At one point, Spirit Airlines was actually one of the fastest-growing airlines in the United States. But that all started to change, especially after the other major airlines began to compete with them and provide some of those same options, including cheaper tickets. Now, as you said in the beginning, Victor, the last sort of nail on the coffin for Spirit Airlines in the last few months was, of course, the surging price of fuel.

That was what made it so difficult for them to stay afloat. And as we heard from Spirit Airlines overnight, they're now seizing their operation after 34 years in the industry. More than 17,000 people expected to lose their jobs, and millions of passengers likely to be stranded in the next few days. Victor.

BLACKWELL: Gloria Pazmino there at LaGuardia. A lot of people trying to get home. Thanks so much. If you've booked a flight on Spirit, what do you do? All right. I spoke with aviation reporter for The Points Guy last hour, and here's what he suggested -- to get a refund.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN CUDAHY, AVIATION REPORTER, THE POINTS GUY: This morning. Spirit has put out a notice on its website and said that it will be automatically processing refunds for canceled flights. Of course, though, you know, it's kind of a dicey situation because you're talking about an airline that, you know, had major cash flow issues, obviously, at the heart of what has happened here overnight. So, you know, if you don't get a refund from Spirit, if you -- if you don't have any luck, we are suggesting right now that, you know, if you pay with a credit card, go ahead and request a chargeback with that credit card.

Basically, tell your credit card company that -- you know, that you didn't receive the thing that you paid for. That thing being a flight, of course. And, you know, there are some federal protections in place to ensure you get that money back from your credit card company.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: In the short term, other airlines, talking Allegiant, United, Frontier -- they've offered special fares for passengers left stranded.

President Trump says he's beginning to doubt whether the U.S. and Iran will ever agree to a peace deal. He insists that's OK because on day 63 of the war, he believes that the U.S. is winning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We get the radical left to say, we're not winning. We're not winning. They don't have any military left.

It's unbelievable. It's actually -- its actually, I believe its treasonous. OK? You want to know the truth? It's treasonous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: This is a very unpopular war. According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, 61 percent of Americans believe it was a mistake to use military force against Iran. Let's go now to Islamabad and bring in CNN's Nic Robertson.

Nic, the question of where do the talks stand. Obviously, there's no U.S. delegation there coming where you are. But what do we know about progress between, as the president says, these telephonic negotiations?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. It's buried in secrecy. And that's where the talks are. Neither Iran nor the White House are saying what's in the details of it. However, just a couple of hours before Iran handed over their latest proposal, we got a briefing from a senior Iranian official. And it seems very much as if that briefing was specifically intended that we would understand their position when it became clear. And this official suggested, well, how do we move forward? And they said, well, the way to open the door to talks is simultaneous lifting of the U.S. and Iran blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

Followed by another rhetorical question, which was, but how do we guarantee our security? This official had stressed that they just do not trust the United States in these negotiations. And they said, if we move out of the Strait of Hormuz, will the U.S. Navy move in and take control.

And this hence some kind of conditionality if this is the sort of beginning gambit of what the Iranian proposal is, a simultaneous lifting of the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. But what conditionality is attached to that? On the issue -- of the sensitive issue of the nuclear aspects that President Trump really wants to get dealt with here, this official just reverted back to what we've heard from the Iranians before.

There's no agreement. They're entitled to enrichment. And they will themselves moderate down their highly enriched uranium. All points that do not sit well with President Trump.

[07:10:08]

So, how it appears at the moment is President Trump is being drawn into this long process that the Iranians are so good at negotiating at. He won't send officials here at the moment. But as he says, that they are doing work by the telephone. This is how he framed it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're doing everything in terms of negotiating right now. In terms of the negotiation, telephonically. They've made strides, but I'm not sure if they ever get there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Yes, I think the negotiators feel that the -- by doing the negotiations by phone, that can work. But they believe as well that it can be better to have the two sides sitting down face to face. But it really does seem very much as if the ball is in President Trump's court to decide how -- if he should progress the talks and how he should progress.

But Iran is very good at drawing out a process and just taking just enough step not to sort of get drawn back into war. But not enough, really, to bring forward the talks in a meaningful way, it seems right now.

BLACKWELL: Nic Robertson for us there in Islamabad, where if there were in-person talks, they would likely be. Nic, thanks so much. For more on the war and where it's headed, let's bring in now CNN Political and National Security Analyst David Sanger. David, good morning to you.

Earlier this week, the president said that, you know, the Iranians don't know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better get smart soon. Friday night, the president had a new line. Here's what he said in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm so busy with the Iranians calling, trying to make a good deal. And we're not going to let that happen. But we've got to make it bad -- they've got to make a bad deal.

But if they make a deal, it all because frankly, maybe we're better off not making a deal at all. Do you want to know the truth? Because we can't let this thing go on. It's been on -- going on too long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Going on too long. Obviously, the president is frustrated with this process. How does the White House reconcile, saying this process -- this is going on too long, but also not setting a deadline for this ceasefire, creating an urgency.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, good morning, Victor. You hit the nail on the head here. I mean, the president's theory of the case was that the blockade would force the Iranians into negotiations on the main issue, the nuclear issue. So far, it has not.

He has said that the economic stress on Iran, which is huge, would crack them. But as we've discussed before, the Iranians have shown over the years that they're very good at withstanding the pain. And they recognized that President Trump is feeling the pain as well.

Not only with the price of gasoline, but you saw just this week that the Republican wall with him on this war has begun to fracture. And that with the passage of the 60-day mark. And thus, the time when Congress should be voting on whether or not the war can be extended under the War Powers Act. You've begun to see some Republicans, including close allies of the president, saying, no, he can't evade this.

So, he's being stuck a little bit by Congress. He's being slow-walked by the Iranians. And you could hear the frustration in his voice yesterday.

BLACKWELL: Yes. They -- he talked about a lot yesterday. So, I want to move on to Cuba. It's been about six weeks since the president said in the Oval that he might have the honor -- and I'm paraphrasing here -- "to take Cuba and do with it whatever he wants." He also talked last night about the plan after Iran. So, here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And he comes from originally a place called Cuba, which we will be taking over almost immediately. What we'll do on the way back from Iran, we'll have one of our big maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the biggest in the world, we'll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore, and they'll say, thank you very much. We give up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, it's not clear if the president's just riffing here with the crowd that appears to enjoy this --

SANGER: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Or if there are real plans. I mean, Cuba is not Iran militarily, by population, but is there any indication that something's coming together soon on Cuba?

SANGER: Well, as you say, Cuba is certainly not Iran. Iran is a country of 93 million people. It's still got a pretty fierce missile force. And, of course, it has its nuclear program lurking in the background.

[07:15:00]

The Cubans have none of that. And I think the president's initial theory was that the cutoff of oil from Venezuela, once Maduro was taken out and arrested, would lead Cuba to collapse. And at one point, the president said, we don't really need to do anything here. We should just wait this out.

And my guess is, given how the military efforts in Iran have not led to political change, he probably would be best to see how that plays out. And I think it's very possible that the country could, in fact, collapse without American military activity. But that doesn't happen on a schedule that the president wants. That's going to happen on its own schedule.

BLACKWELL: One more. The Pentagon --

SANGER: If it happens at all.

BLACKWELL: Indeed, if it happens at all. Pentagon announced a withdrawal of 5000 U.S. service members from Germany. Pentagon says this decision follows a thorough review of the department's force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground. We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to 12 months.

It also follows the German chancellor saying that Iran is humiliating the United States. Is this withdrawal personal?

SANGER: So, yes, it's personal. It's been discussed before. The chancellor said that.

But I think what it really marks right now, Victor, is almost the complete transition of the Trump administration moving away from any focus on the Ukraine conflict as it is absorbed completely and extracting itself from what the president got himself into in Iran. Those 5000 troops were added by the Biden administration after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. And they were there to be an additional deterrent against the Russians.

Now, what's happened in the past few weeks? We've helped the Russians out of their financial bind because the price of oil is up. We're reducing the number of deterrent forces in Europe. And the Russians have seen that a lot of the armaments that we were selling to Europe to give to the Ukrainians are now being diverted or burned up in the Middle East. So, if you're Vladimir Putin, this has been a pretty good two months.

BLACKWELL: And we should also say that there will be 30,000 U.S. service members who will still be in Germany after this withdrawal over the next year.

SANGER: That's right.

BLACKWELL: David Sanger, always good to have you on a Saturday morning. Thank you.

SANGER: Great.

BLACKWELL: New surveillance video gives us a better picture of the shooting that rocked the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Up next, how it changes the timeline and how critical this will be for the investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:31]

BLACKWELL: A federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated a nationwide requirement that abortion pills have to be obtained in person. And this significantly restricts access to the abortion pill Mifepristone by mail. It's also a major victory for those seeking to stop medication abortions, which account for roughly two-thirds of all abortions.

Tennessee and Alabama are taking steps to draw new congressional maps. The Republican governors in both states have announced special legislative sessions next week. And this comes after a landmark Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act, which will make it much harder for voters of color to challenge redistricting plans.

A former Florida congressman has been convicted of illegally lobbying for Venezuela between 2017 and 2018 in connection with a $50 million contract. David Rivera has been found guilty on all counts, including money laundering. The trial included testimony from his close friend and political ally, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Rivera's attorneys plan to appeal.

New surveillance video from the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting is giving investigators a clearer look at the moments before the shooting began. The FBI says that the footage helps piece together the suspect's movements inside the hotel before the violence started. CNN's Tom Foreman walks us through what the video shows and why it matters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friday, April 24. The FBI says this video shows the suspected shooter just before 9:00 p.m. on the day before the Correspondents' Dinner, walking down a hallway and gesturing in the host hotel where he was a guest. The man enters the gym, chats with an attendant, checks out the equipment, then leaves, once again glancing at doorways in the hall. For this investigation into what officials say was a plot to kill the president, these videos, the man's movements, his actions can all be critical evidence.

JEANINE PIRRO, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DC: To find out whether or not he had the intent to, and whether we can prove he had the intent to kill additional people by name based upon what we determined from the investigation.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Saturday, April 25, the night of the dinner, the FBI released this video, which seems to show the same man in a long coat heading down the same hall, at the end of which a third video shows law enforcement officers working on a magnetometer, a metal detector used to screen dinner guests. Investigators say that's the alleged gunman in the background, ducking through a set of doors. A police dog quickly follows the man through the doors.

[07:25:14]

The dog's handler pulls him back. The dog returns to the man again, but is pulled away once more. Then the suspect rushes out and toward the security checkpoint with what appears to be a shotgun in his hands.

SEAN CURRAN, DIRECTOR, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: It was immediate. It was right at the checkpoint, which was just remarkable -- the speed. When you talk about an individual who was determined to do what they do. And that speed, you're talking almost about four seconds from start to finish there.

FOREMAN (voice-over): A single officer draws his weapon as the man in the video appears to raise his gun. And court filings say the suspect fired once, although that is not clear in the video. Those same filings and the FBI video show the officer fired repeatedly, never hitting the suspect, nor, fortunately, any of his fellow officers in the background.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (on camera): As many questions as there are about the alleged gunman, there are still other questions to be answered. What did that officer see or not see with the dog, that he walked away so easily and quickly? And what would have happened at a time of war if there had been not one gunman, but two or three or more? Victor.

BLACKWELL: Tom Foreman, thank you for that. Nearly a million immigrants in the U.S. are now looking ahead to a very uncertain future after oral arguments at the Supreme Court this week on temporary protected status. One of the lead plaintiffs in that case joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:31:08]

BLACKWELL: Getting you more now on our breaking news. Spirit Airlines announced its shutting down its operations this morning and has canceled all upcoming flights. The decision will put 17,000 people out of a job and leave thousands of customers scrambling to rebook their flights. Other airlines, United, Allegiant, Frontier, they've said that they will help passengers and workers who have been left stranded. The announcement comes after the failure of a last-minute bailout deal from the Trump administration.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is at LaGuardia Airport. You've been speaking with, I guess, would-be Spirit passengers. What are you hearing?

PAZMINO: Yes, Victor, would-be Spirit passengers who did not realize what happened in the early morning hours last night. I just heard from a woman who had walked into the terminal thinking that her flight to Florida would be taking off. She was completely confused, did not realize that Spirit had gone out of business. And the first question she asked me was, am I going to get my money back?

Spirit Airlines has said that they will refund passengers' tickets if they use a credit card or a debit card. But there's a lot of confusion as a trickle of passengers continues to arrive here. I spoke to two other passengers earlier this morning who were trying to figure out what to do. Will they be able to get on another airline? Where are they going to be able to travel today at all?

Now, Terminal A here in LaGuardia Airport is the smallest terminal at this airport. But for many years, it has been the standalone Spirit Airlines' terminal. And it is desolate today.

If you walk up to the check in counters, you see a notice that tells you that Spirit Airlines has stopped operations. It also lets you know that there is no customer service available anymore. So, if you're on an airline, you're essentially on your own.

This is all after Spirit Airlines failed to secure a bailout deal with the federal government. A $500 million deal that would have saved them and allowed them to continue operating in business after 35 years. Take a listen to some of the frustrated passengers we encountered this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDRA MERINO, TRAVELING TO FLORIDA: I just got here, and the people that were standing here just said, there's no flights. Spirit went out of business.

PAZMINO: So, you're going to Orlando, and you get here this morning. And?

DANNY NUNEZ, TRAVELLING TO ORLANDO: I found it odd. I did. I saw the notices. Didn't really think about it. Walk right by him. And I went to the kiosk, and I typed in my information.

And they're like, oh yes, your flight has been canceled. Find an agent. So, I was looking for an agent. They were like, there's no agent. There's no customer service.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: That man was on his way to Orlando, Florida, for his NBA stole graduation ceremony, or -- Victor. And the woman I spoke to this morning told me that she was trying to get to Florida for a Mother's Day celebration. I also met a woman earlier today who told me she was trying to get to a funeral. So, passengers certainly stranded here this morning.

Let's talk about the numbers. Spirit Airlines. 1.65 million Spirit seats were scheduled for the month of May, and 1.7 million domestic passengers traveled on Spirit in February of 2026. As I said, after 34 years in the business, Spirit, considered a maverick in the airline industry with its cheap flight options, ceasing operations today after failing to secure that bailout. Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Let's hope those other airlines will be able to accommodate all those people who are trying to get home this weekend. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

More than a million immigrants in the U.S. are here under temporary protected status. That designation protects people from deportation if they're from countries experiencing war or natural disasters. But this week, the Supreme Court showed its signs that it could side with the president to end that program.

[07:35:04]

During oral arguments, justices focused on whether federal courts have the power to review legal challenges to it. The focus of this case is Syrian and Haitian immigrants. Viles Dorsainvil is the executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center. He's also one of the lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration. And he's with me now.

Good morning to you. And first, on that characterization on what we heard from oral arguments. Most analysts think that the justices, at least the majority of them, will side with the administration. Is that what you heard from these oral arguments?

VILES DORSAINVIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELP & SUPPORT CENTER: Thank you for having me, Victor. I was in the courtroom. And what I can say is that the questions were tough for both parties. And it's very difficult to read. But it was a good experience to be there at the courtroom. I really cannot predict what will happen.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And most people suggest not to read the tea leaves from oral arguments, because sometimes those are not predictive of what would actually happen from the court. But let me ask you this. You work closely with, obviously -- there in Springfield, the Haitian community. We know there's a large Haitian community in Florida and New York as well. What are you hearing as the Supreme Court is considering this challenge?

DORSAINVIL: I -- what I hear is people would like that the Supreme Court rule to uphold justices and to uphold -- to show fairness. Because I think that this is the expectation that they would -- they wouldn't like to see family separation. They wouldn't like to see folks losing their jobs.

They wouldn't like to see folks being in a position where they might be detained or deported to a country that is not doing well. And I think that I can say it is a mixed feeling, being hopeful, but at the -- at the same time, being uncertain by the fact that you cannot predict what can happen in the -- in the ruling, maybe around the first week of July, sometime as this.

BLACKWELL: And if this TPS, this temporary protected status ends, the Haitians who were here on that status -- on that classification will have to leave. And let me read to you from the June 2025 release from DHS. The secretary determined that overall, country conditions have improved to the point where Haitians can return home in safety.

Now, an April 2026 publication from the United Nations. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of gang violence, with children and minors compromising half -- comprising half of all armed groups. They go on to say the humanitarian cost is staggering. So, what is the Haiti that they would have to return to? What are -- the people who you speak with, what do they expect?

DORSAINVIL: You know, this is why folks always say that they do not understand why the administration wants to terminate TPS for Haiti. Because up to now, we have, like Haiti is -- has been experiencing some type of humanitarian crisis with a collapse of government, and the hoodlums have been controlling almost 85 percent of the capital of Port-au-Prince.

There are folks, women, and young girls in shelters not having access to clean water, to food, to medication. And you can imagine that type of situation on the ground. And even the international airport of Port-au-Prince have been shut down for almost a year and a half now because of the impact of the gangs violence.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

DORSAINVIL: So, this is why I don't see the rationale of terminating TPS and said citizens in the country like this.

BLACKWELL: Right. Viles Dorsainvil, I thank you for your time. Of course, we will be waiting for the ruling from the Supreme Court, and we'll talk more about the implications once we get it. Again, thank you.

The trip that made history after flying the farthest from Earth we've ever been. The Artemis crew is now reminiscing on their lunar flyby. That's next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: As happy as we were to be returning home, there was a part of us that was left there, I would say, because of what we got to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:40:04]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: President Trump tells CNN the U.S. could be better off if officials don't reach a deal with Iran, as the talks are on hold. The president says that he's dissatisfied with Tehran's new proposal to conclude the war, and he doubted whether the country will ever accept a deal. But the president did not spell out exactly what in Iran's latest proposal he could not accept.

Camp Mystic has withdrawn its application to reopen this summer. 27 campers and counselors died at the Texas Christian girls camp in July's devastating floods. This comes after pressure from state leaders and victims' families to keep the camp closed, as there are several criminal and civil investigations underway.

[07:45:09]

The Artemis II crew is now sharing what it was like to see Earth from the far side of the moon. One astronaut describes holding up a phone and recording as the Earth slowly set behind the moon, a view that they say never got old, was hard to leave behind. They talked about that moment and what it meant with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to show some of the amazing images that you've captured. On read on your phone, you did the Earth setting behind the moon. And again, I love that this was just like you with your iPhone, I assume, or whatever your mobile device --

REID WISEMAN, COMMANDER, ARTEMIS II: I thought myself without a job as Earth was disappearing behind the moon. And Christina and Victor were both doing scientific imagery at this point in time. And Jeremy and I were sort of free float.

And I went up to our little tiny docking hatch window, which is -- it's no bigger than that, Anderson. And I held the -- I couldn't really even get my eye up there, but I could get the camera -- the phone up there. I was like, oh my goodness gracious. I -- they -- have got to hit record.

COOPER: So, what is that? That is -- That's earths --

WISEMAN: That is --

COOPER: -- setting behind the moon.

WISEMAN: As we call it. That is tiny Earth. And it is beautiful. And it is setting behind the far side of the moon.

COOPER: You described it as like watching a sunset at the beach from the most foreign seat in the cosmos.

WISEMAN: I mean, I tried hard to give that description. It's about the best I can come up with.

COOPER: Did it ever -- did you ever get used to the images you were seeing outside?

KOCH: We never did.

WISEMAN: No.

JEREMY HANSEN, MISSION SPECIALIST, ARTEMIS II: No.

VICTOR GLOVER, PILOT, ARTEMIS II: No.

KOCH: We never did. You know, the Earth got smaller, and the moon got bigger. But more importantly, the moon would shift in terms of what we could see on it.

And one of the first things that we noticed that we knew we were in for a treat was about the third day. We had a view of the moon, and it looked almost right. But it wasn't the moon. We had seen our entire lives.

We were starting to see the far side. And it just got more and more amazing seeing the Earth and the moon in the same picture. You just realize how vibrant it is and what an oasis it is. And then honestly, missing the moon as we left these beautiful --

COOPER: Missing?

KOCH: -- these beautiful views.

GLOVER :Yes.

WISEMAN: Yes.

KOCH: As happy as we were to be returning home, there was a part of us that was left there, I would say, because of what we got to see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Yes, that's understandable. Good to see you there on this tour, talking about some of those memories.

OK, grab your mint juleps. Place your bets. The 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is today. We're going to take you there live coming up.

And journey across France with Eva Longoria as she discovers its rich history and influence. Watch two new episodes of the CNN Original series 'Eva Longoria Searching for France' tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. on CNN. And the next day on the CNN app.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:52:01]

BLACKWELL: The most exciting two minutes in sports hits the track today. The 152nd Kentucky Derby is today at the iconic Churchill Downs. The weather is shaping up to be almost perfect in Louisville, which is where we find CNN's Andy Scholes. All right. Who's the favorite to win, Andy?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Victor, as of this morning, there are three co-favorites for the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby. You got Renegade, Commandment, and So Happy. All have six-to- one odds. Renegade was the favorite all week long, but he did draw that dreaded one position. And no horse has won from the rail here in the Derby since 1986. So, we'll see if Renegade can break that losing streak.

But we could see history here at the Derby today. After three years away from the race, Mike Smith is back in the Kentucky Derby at age 59. He's riding So Happy. And if he wins, he'd be the oldest jockey ever to win the Derby.

Now, Smith is already a two-time winner here with Giacomo and Justify. And this is his record 29th ride. And I caught up with Smith. And he told me, well, he may be the old guy now, but he knows he can still get the job done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE SMITH, TWO-TIME KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER: I look in the mirror. I might -- I might look it, but I don't feel it, man. I always tell myself, who is that guy? You know, I feel great and in great shape and great health for quite a while now.

If I did anything right early on in my career was take up physical fitness and make it a way of life. And I've done that. And it's paying off in later years in life, you know.

SCHOLES: You haven't been here at Churchill Downs in the Derby for the last three years. Now that you're back, how much -- how much you appreciating being back in this moment, knowing, you know, you might not have that many more left.

SMITH: At the age of 59. I mean, listen, even if I decide to ride another two years, that doesn't mean I'll make it back. I mean, this is the championship. It's hard to get back here. So, we have to make this one count.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. Now, here at the Derby, you see amazing outfits, fascinators, and the hats. But the food is also incredible, too. And Levy Restaurants does it big. Probably, the biggest shrimp I've ever seen.

That horse was certainly impressed. Also, the first time I ever came across chicken nuggets topped with caviar. I will say it's an amazing combo. Probably the only place you can eat caviar and watch the best horses in the world at the same time.

But they're expecting a huge crowd here today. 150,000 people here at Churchill Downs for the Derby. And unless you're struggling picking horses, you're going to have a good time. I mean, this is always such a special week, a special event. And I walked around yesterday, the Kentucky Oaks, and I asked all the fans, what makes this week here at Churchill Downs so awesome?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: It's history and nostalgia, and Americana all wrapped up into one. And it's a great big party. So, what else is better than that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: You cannot top the amount of random people you see here that are just all dusted up to the tens, and just having a great time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just beauty and art everywhere you look. And you just can't find that anywhere else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 3: There's like so many people having so much fun. I'm a fat kid. I like to eat. And the drinks -- and oh, yes, there's horse racing too. Yes, I forgot about that part.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. And big race tonight, Victor, just before 7:00 p.m. And I will tell you, of all the places in the world, this is number one for people watching.

[07:55:13]

BLACKWELL: All right. We see it. Andy Scholes, thanks so much. Hey, first of all, is coming up at the top of the hour.

Republicans in states across the South are moving fast to redraw voting maps after this week's Supreme Court ruling. Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson's district has the largest percentage of black voters in the country. His seat at risk. I'll ask him. He's here to react.

Plus, with the possibility of zero black Republicans in the House come next year. Kevin McCarthy will join me to react to the GOP's apparent struggle to recruit diverse candidates, something he tried to champion as House speaker.

And we have a story about two brothers detained by ICE as they were about to head to school. They are now free after the conservative community where they live rallied for their release. The brothers will join us live.

We have those stories and conversations you won't see anywhere else coming up on, first of all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)