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Isa Soares Tonight
Health Officials Race To Track Down Passengers Who Left MV Hondius Cruise Ship Hit By The Hantavirus; U.S. Awaits Response From Iran On Peace Proposal; Keir Starmer's Party Suffers Crushing Defeat In Local Elections; Parade In Moscow's Red Square Will Roll Without Tanks; Trump Announces Prisoner Swap Amid Russia-Ukraine Truce; Inmates Describe Being Punished For Speaking About Maxwell; Three Dead After Volcano Erupts In Indonesia; U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio Met Pope Leo Thursday; Wildlife Broadcaster David Attenborough Turns 100 Today. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired May 08, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
RICHARD QUEST, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: And a very warm welcome one and all, I am Richard Quest, Isa is off tonight. And so, the race is on to
trace those passengers who left the cruise ship hit by the hantavirus outbreak.
I'll bring you up-to-date on where we stand, where the ship is, what happens next, and the health officials and what they are saying. Also,
today is the day U.S. gets Iran's response to the peace proposal, or at least, that might be the day. This is what the White House is saying.
Also, the British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer is feeling the heat. His party suffered crushing defeats in local elections on Thursday. That and
much more as you and I continue on this Friday.
Let's start with the latest on the hantavirus. In the Netherlands, a flight attendant who was feared to be infected has now tested negative, and that's
alleviated fears that the virus is spreading beyond the cruise ship at the center of the outbreak.
Health authorities are now really moving quite quickly to trace the hundreds of people who have had contact with the five confirmed infections.
There are still several suspected cases including one in the U.K. and one in Spain. Experts are saying the risk of a wider outbreak is low.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIAN LINDMEIER, SPOKESPERSON, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Let's not forget from couples who were close, who are close, from a flight attendant
who handled the sick woman who just shortly after died and was feeling extremely unwell, we get negative test results. That should convince nearly
everybody now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, local people in the Canary Islands where the ship is due to dock, still aren't convinced and they are protesting, saying that it's not
safe for passengers to disembark. And that's where our senior international correspondent Melissa Bell joins us.
She's in, I think, in Tenerife, and also our chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta is with us. I think, Melissa, I'm going to hold fire with you
for a second because I just want to get Sanjay to put to rest this idea, the safety of the people who are going to be getting off the ship where
Melissa is.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, I think that as you heard from the W.H.O., and I think just about every other major medical
organization in the world, the concern is low.
But I say that every time we report on this, Richard, we should time-stamp the time of reporting, because, you know, I've reported on outbreaks for 25
years now, and they can change, as you pointed out, that flight attendant's test coming back negative.
That was a big sigh of relief. I'm obviously keeping a close eye on these other folks. But let me just share something with you quickly, Richard, if
I can. People keep saying there's low concern, and I think a natural follow-up question is, why do you say that? What's giving you that
confidence?
And I think it really comes down to three things. And I think we can put these up on the screen. But one is, what is the likelihood that someone who
has the virus will spread it to someone else? That's called the reproductive number or R-naught.
And usually, if one person has it, the idea that they'll spread it to someone else about 1.19 other people, they will spread it too. So, COVID
was much higher at the height of the pandemic, for example. Also, it's a very narrow window of spread.
Typically, when someone is sick, when they have a fever, that's when they're going to be the most contagious. That's typically one or two days.
And finally, this is a stable virus. If you look at genomic sequencing from 1996, and you compare it to now 30 years later --
QUEST: All right --
GUPTA: It's basically the same. Whereas COVID, you may remember, Richard, it was mutating all the time and there was all these variants. So far as of
this point, right now, that does not appear to be the case.
QUEST: Stay with me, Sanjay. Listening to that, Melissa, that's -- I mean, the people that have been told that, and it's not carrying much weight with
them at the moment. So, what will happen when the ship arrives?
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, this is the port, Richard, where we expect that ship to arrive on Sunday at midday. So, it's
making its way here now. The trouble is that it's pretty blustery here already.
[14:05:00]
It tends to be in Tenerife, and is particularly so right now at this season. What we understand from local authorities is that that's going to
worsen. So, by Tuesday, the weather conditions will have deteriorated so far that the only window for getting these passengers off the ship will be
between noon midday when it arrives and the end of play Monday.
If that is missed for whatever reason, it would push back by a couple of weeks. Any possibility they have here in Tenerife to disembark them. So,
they're going to have the small window of opportunity. Time will be pressing, and it's going to be a pretty complicated logistical operation,
because right now, what the local authorities are saying is that these people were asymptomatic as they left Cape Verde, and that they expect them
still to be.
So, when they arrive, if that changes, their protocols will change. But for now, the expectation, the plan is that the ship arrives, it is only when
the planes --
QUEST: Right --
BELL: That will be landed and ready to go with a particular nationals have their door open, that the people will be disembarked and taken on the
flights to make sure that no one on this island has anything to fear. Richard.
QUEST: Sanjay, does all that sound -- I mean, that's the plan. You've seen these plans before. Does that sound pragmatic and realistic?
GUPTA: Yes, I think so. I mean, one of the big -- the big things here about this particular virus again, is that the idea of whether someone has
symptoms or not is quite relevant, Richard. With COVID, people could have spread the virus when they had no symptoms.
They had no idea that they had the virus. That was part of the reason it spread so quickly. With this, again, because that infectious window is so
narrow, I think it's unlikely to -- if someone is sick, obviously, they have to be treated with quarantine and isolation.
One thing I'll tell you quickly, Richard, a lot of this is based on an outbreak that occurred in 2018. A guy walks into a birthday party, he's
there for 90 minutes. That man, when he walked in, he was sick. He ended up infecting five people when he was at that party.
And subsequently, that super-spreader event led to 11 people dying and 34 people infected. Now, that was obviously where we get a lot of the data.
But one thing that is part of that story as well is that, there were 80 health care workers that cared for those folks. None of those health care
workers ended up contracting the virus.
QUEST: Right --
GUPTA: So --
QUEST: Right --
GUPTA: You know, look, overall, that's why the reproductive number is low with simple measures, you can, you know, make sure people are relatively
safe.
QUEST: Sanjay, I'll let you get back to your duties, and Melissa, I think is still with me. Melissa, last one for you. This short window that you
were talking about, why is it -- I mean, why is it so short? Surely, if it's bad weather, the ship can pop out and then just pop back in again when
it's cleared up a bit.
BELL: What they're expecting, Richard, is some bad weather that will then stay bad and make it too --
QUEST: Oh --
BELL: Difficult, both the sea conditions, the wind conditions for that ship to come back towards -- they're saying the end of May. So, the window
is pretty small and they seem fairly definitive about it. But just to your point earlier, I think there is this fear that people have, and we've seen
it around all the reporting on this ship over the last few weeks, Richard.
Those protesters here in Tenerife were really demonstrating something that we saw at the start of COVID. People have this fear about these kinds of
viruses. However, many precautions are taken and however much it is explained by people like the CDC, that this is likely that rather that the
World Health Organization that this is not the likely beginning of a big outbreak.
That fear is very real, and I think that's what you saw on the part of the dock workers when they protested at the port earlier today, Richard.
QUEST: I'm grateful, Melissa in Tenerife. Sanjay is our chief medical, thank you both. The White House insists today is the day that Tehran will
respond to the latest U.S. peace proposal. And it says the ceasefire remains in place despite exchanges of military strikes.
The conflict may feel like a bit of deja vu all over again. Well, now the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio says he believes the U.S. will hear from
the Iranian leadership very soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: We're expecting a response from them today at some point. We have not received that yet as you know,
the last -- in the last hour. But perhaps that will come. Their system is still highly fractured and a bit dysfunctional as well. So that may be
serving as an impediment. I hope it's a serious offer. I really do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The Pentagon says U.S. forces fired on two Iranian-flagged tankers today, they were trying to bypass the American blockade in the Gulf of
Oman. Iran's Foreign Minister called the early U.S. strikes a reckless military adventure.
Nic Robertson is in Islamabad, Alayna Treene is at the White House. Deja vu all over again in a sense. Let's start with you, Nic. What -- I mean,
what's on the table that we know of because I'm getting a bit lost.
[14:10:00]
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's what's not on the table, of course. And that's perhaps why we're losing direction on this.
It's the Iranian -- it's the Iranian response to the U.S. proposal.
Now, I think it helps us here if we look at the speed that everything had been working up to until this week. I mean, it's been in fits and starts.
But if you go back a week, that was when Iran gave their proposal to the U.S. on Sunday, and the U.S. gave their proposal to Iran, the Pakistanis
here expected it yesterday, it didn't come.
Marco Rubio said he expected it today. There's another hour to go here today, but his hours in his day are much longer, so perhaps there's more
time there. Reality is, look at those time gaps. Iran is taking much longer to make its response and Secretary Rubio spoke about a fractured
leadership.
President Trump has spoken also about a leadership in Iran in disarray. But let's look at what happened in Iran this week. You had for the first time,
the President meeting the supreme leader. This aligned all the sort of different political bodies in the country, not on the same page, but they
definitely spoke to each other.
The question was all about who is speaking to the supreme leader, how long does it take? Et cetera. Iran right now is slow-rolling the process. That's
what appears. And the reason that they're slow-rolling it, is we all know because they believe that they have --
QUEST: Right --
ROBERTSON: The ability to withstand the pain of whatever longer than the United States. And that, I think, is why we're at where we're at. That's
simple, I think.
QUEST: It certainly put it straightforwardly. So, Alayna, really the issue is, has the U.S. -- is the White House running out of patience? Rubio seems
to suggest no, not yet, we're going to wait and see. But the man in the house behind you may feel otherwise.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, I think they are willing to wait. And I've actually been struck by the level of patience
that President Trump specifically has had on this. I would note that earlier this week, of course, you saw that patience kind of grow especially
thin.
The President was very frustrated by the closures in the Strait of Hormuz. And that was in part why he announced Project Freedom, that initiative to
try and guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Of course, he only had that operation in effect for roughly two days before he again pressed pause on that and halted any type of aggression to allow
of -- these talks have more breathing room, and to give the Iranians a little bit more time, and these talks more time to be successful.
Look, I think what all of this shows, and I think this is in particular, when you look at what we've heard specifically from the President arguing
that those -- that exchange of fire between Washington and Tehran yesterday not being a violation of the ceasefire.
You heard Rubio this morning arguing that the attacks from the U.S. were just defensive, and that the exchange of fire was separate and distinct
from Operation Epic Fury. I think both of those go to show you just how much the U.S. really is making diplomacy its top priority.
That is what they want here. They do not want to resume major combat operations. And so, they really are in this place where they are waiting
for --
QUEST: Right --
TREENE: The Iranians to come to the table. But I do think, you know, they are hoping certainly that it will be sooner rather than later that they
actually do get this response.
QUEST: Alayna, I'm grateful for you. I'll stay with Nic. As we go into the weekend, where do you see now the biggest risk?
ROBERTSON: Look, there's a -- there are real dangers that anything could escalate the situation right now. The Iranian Navy, the IRGC saying --
warning any vessels to stay away from the U.S. Navy, because that could put them in danger.
They're saying they're ready to take on the U.S. Navy, they're ready to keep their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The sort of adviser to the
supreme leader, that's a pretty influential position. And when he speaks, what he says, people pay attention to.
And he says, look, we are not going to give up on the Strait -- on the Strait of Hormuz. They see it as a big economic lifeline for the country,
$90 billion. And he framed it this way, and I think that was very telling for us, he said, the Strait of Hormuz is like having an atomic bomb in our
hand, because it gives you in one hand a global economic clout.
That's how they see it. And they're not going to let go of it. And so, the White House can be patient, Iran can be patient, but the space in-between
is where the frustrations and the possibility of escalation can happen.
And Iran has shown the willingness to take the fight to the United States and its allies just today, sending missiles into the UAE. Three people were
injured there, all of this can escalate quickly.
QUEST: Nic, I'm grateful. Nic is in Islamabad. It's late, thank you, sir. A ceasefire forged in parallel with the Iran truce is now looking more
shattered than ever. Lebanon's Health Ministry says new Israeli strikes killed at least ten people today, including women and children.
[14:15:00]
For its part, Hezbollah says it launched around a dozen attacks on Israeli military posts, and it appears to be the first time Hezbollah has publicly
claimed an attack on Israel since the ceasefire was declared. All of this, as new talks between Israel and Lebanon take place next week.
As we continue tonight, a major shift in British politics, a country that's been dominated by two parties for generations. Now, well, the forces are
changing. Third, fourth, who knows how many parties, and now, the next thing will be who will run this country?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: The votes are still being counted, but it does now seem very clear that a fundamental change is underway in British politics. Initial results
from local elections in the U.K. show the far-right reform party has scored historic gains.
The country has been dominated by Labor and Conservative, with the Lib Dems as the third party. Now, arguably, reform becomes the third party, and then
you've got the Lib Dems and the Greens. So, it's a question of where everybody else fits in behind.
And it is the leader of reform, controversial Nigel Farage, he says his anti-immigration party is here to stay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER OF REFORM U.K. PARTY: But I think overall what's happened is a truly historic shift in British politics. We've been so used
to thinking about politics in terms of left and right, and yet what reform are able to do is to win in areas that have always been conservative.
But equally, we're proving in a big way we can win in areas that Labor have dominated, frankly, since the end of World War I.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, those results putting new pressure on the British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. He is resisting calls for him to resign to pave
way for a new leader.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: Let me be clear. These are really tough results. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, and we have lost
brilliant Labor representatives, people who put so much into their communities, so much into our party and our movement.
And the voters have sent a message about the pace of change, how they want their lives improved. I was elected to meet those challenges, and I'm not
going to walk away from those challenges and plunge the country into chaos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:20:00]
QUEST: Now, with me is Anand Menon; Professor of European Politics at King's College, London. Professor, now, this is really tricky because I
don't know what Keir Starmer could do to repair or recover, simply because he's known for months that the British electorate is unhappy with the speed
and pace of change and the policies that his government has been putting forward.
And I think I've heard again and again them saying, we need to deliver, we need to do this, we need to do that. And last night's election results are
the result.
ANAND MENON, PROFESSOR OF EUROPEAN POLITICS, KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON: Well, I think to be honest, there are many in the Labor Party who would agree
with you, and the fear in the Labor Party and for Keir Starmer is that he himself is damaged goods.
He is, I think, at the moment, the most unpopular prime minister we've ever had. He's attracting such a huge amount of opprobrium that many of his
colleagues are thinking the only way we can recover from this, is to have a new person in charge, because actually, we've reached the point where Keir
Starmer, even if he says something the British public like, they probably won't like it if it comes from him.
So, there is a problem for Keir Starmer here. The only question, I think, is whether or not there's anyone on his own side --
QUEST: Right --
MENON: Anyone in his own front team who is willing to step up and take the risk of running against him.
QUEST: Reform last night had an excellent night. It was a so-so night for the conservatives there. The share of the vote for them was low compared to
where it perhaps could or should have been. If we -- oh, this is the million-dollar question -- million-pound question. If we extrapolate last
night to a general election, what do we end up with?
MENON: Well, if we extrapolate, we end up with Reformers, significantly the biggest party in parliament. But quite possibly, and remember, we
haven't finished counting all the votes yet, so, we don't know the final result.
Quite possibly not having enough MPs to have a majority of their own. But it's worth bearing in mind that these are local elections. People tend to
vote differently in local elections because they don't think the stakes are so high, and turnout tends to be significantly lower in local elections.
So, you know, it's an interesting game to think about if you transfer this result to a general election, what would you get? It's not necessarily an
accurate one.
QUEST: Professor, stay with me. Nada Bashir is in Downing Street, we have -- we were able to speak to her. Nada, when we look at the results, they
obviously -- Scotland and Wales started counting today. They don't -- they don't sort of overnight count in many of the places. So, as the day has
worn on in London, how has the picture changed if indeed it has?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, we've continued to see progressively throughout the day those significant gains and wins by Reform
U.K. across the country, including in areas that we're considered, of course, Labor strongholds in the Labor heartlands of the midlands and the
north of England, where we have seen Reform U.K. councilors taking seats from the Labor Party.
And, of course, this has already been acknowledged by Labor MPs, including the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, as a tough loss for the Labor Party. In
fact, in Wales, we have seen a historic defeat for the Labor Party in the Welsh parliament, not in local council elections.
They have lost a majority in the Welsh parliament according to these latest results that we're seeing for the first time in some 27 years. So, this is
a significant blow to the Labor party. Of course, as we just heard there in your interview, Richard, this is, of course, a local election by and large
across the United Kingdom.
So, this may not necessarily translate into the general election feeling or mood in the country. But of course, this is a temperature check for the
British Prime Minister, and there may be some rising concerns over his ability to continue leading the government if we continue to see that
pressure mounting on him.
At this stage, we haven't heard from any senior cabinet ministers adding that pressure to the Prime Minister. But of course, it is still early, and
we are still seeing those results coming in.
QUEST: Nada, I'm grateful, Nada Bashir is in Downing Street. Back to you, Professor, it's very difficult to take local elections or midterms in the
U.S. and say -- because as you write, it's sort of a -- it's a chance to give those in power a kicking.
But the difference here is the existence and position of Reform. So, it's not just the Lib Dems or the Greens that might be the gainers here, we have
this new political entity. So, the question becomes, is this systemic change or is it just froth on the top?
MENON: I think all the indications are that it's systemic. And remember, it's not new. We had the first sight of this back in our election of 2015
when the two big parties, Labor and Tory, got what was then their lowest- ever combined share of the vote.
[14:25:00]
Twenty-twenty-four, we had the sort of hiatus --
QUEST: Right --
MENON: Of two Brexit elections in the middle, 2024 took us back to that system where Tories and Labor weren't doing very well. And now, what's
strange in the United Kingdom is not just the fact that Reform U.K. are winning in the polls, and have been ahead in the polls for over a year.
It's that we're now operating in a system of four or even five party politics, and we're doing so under an electoral system --
QUEST: True --
MENON: That was intended to maintain the duopoly of two.
QUEST: Right now, that begs my question, we've had in my lifetime, what, two -- well, we had the Lib-Lab in one particular time, we had the Tories
and the -- and the Liberals, the Lib-Dems at one point. Coalition government does not really go down very well in the U.K. Are the British
about to learn that this is something that could become the norm.
MENON: Well, again, I'd be careful about predicting the next general election. It's three years away. Goodness only knows a lot can change --
QUEST: Right --
MENON: Between now and then, but it is absolutely true that in a fragmented party system like the one we now seem to have, getting a
majority for a single party will be very difficult, which implies that parties are going to have to get better at working together.
Because you're absolutely right, because of the way our system works, our parties aren't set up to collaborate together because we have an
adversarial two-party system, and those habits might have to change in a system where actually no party is really going to get the majority they
need to govern alone.
QUEST: You know, I always remember Margaret Thatcher's third election victory, where everybody thought that some -- that their neighbor would
vote for the other lot, and they went into the booth and voted for her.
And it was a great surprise that she won the third election because everybody thought, oh, they'll do the opposite. And I think there was a lot
of that the same with Brexit. People thought, my neighbor will vote, I'll vote how I feel. That could be what happens with Farage.
Everybody thinks my neighbor is going to vote Conservative, Liberal, whatever, I'm going to go and do the -- you know, the naughty bit and vote
for Reform. And suddenly, you discover next morning, everybody's done the same thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FARAGE: Possibly. But it could work the other way as well, remember, which is we've had two by-elections, what you call in the States called special
elections here, where we've seen very strong tactical voting against Reform.
That is to say, all the forces on the left of the political spectrum got together behind one candidate to keep Reform out. So, it's just as likely
that you get that phenomenon in a general election as you get the one that you referred to, where people take a punt not expecting to win, and then
wake up surprised the next morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: I'm grateful, sir. Professor, good to serve you -- have you with us, thank you. As we continue --
MENON: Thank you --
QUEST: Let's go to this side of the Atlantic. In the United States, there was chaos at Tennessee State Capitol on Thursday after Republican lawmakers
approved a new congressional map.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: So, what were they doing? They were dismantling the only majority black congressional district. And in doing so, angering local leaders.
Tennessee is the first state that has taken advantage of last week's Supreme Court ruling and rejigged its congressional map.
In doing so, the new map could lead to Tennessee having no Democratic representatives after the Midterm elections. In other words, they've
gerrymandered -- the allegation is they've gerrymandered the electoral map against the Democrats, and as a result, it could become an all-Republican
state.
The other Republican-led southern states are all expected to redraw the maps in light of the Supreme Court's ruling. As you and I continue, it is
Friday, the weekend is upon us, but we will go to Moscow where Russians are preparing to mark World War II Victory Day.
Now things are different, and we will tell you why after the break. And then punished for speaking out. The inmate who served with Ghislaine
Maxwell at the minimum-security prison describing what happened and when they talked about her unusual privileges.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:55]
QUEST: So, mobile internet services are expected to be cut off across Russia on Saturday as the country holds scaled-back Victory Day
celebrations. It's the annual May 9th holiday which marks the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the traditional parade in Moscow's Red Square will take place without tanks, missiles or other
military equipment amid fears of Ukrainian drone strikes.
Frederik Pleitgen in Moscow. Fred, this is extraordinary. They are that concerned about an attack at the heart of the Russian capital that they're
not going to have the missiles on the -- I mean, they love the tanks.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They certainly do. And they're very important. I mean, these -- the tanks for the Russians
are really a big symbol of power and certainly a symbol of also how they won World War II. The T-34 tank for instance, which is usually at the front
of the parade as it goes on past Red Square, is definitely one of the big symbols of Russia winning World War -- I'm sorry, the Soviet Union, of
course, winning World War II and really the survival, if you will, of the Soviet Union and of much of that part of the world.
So yes, it's very hard to overestimate just how important all this is for the Russians. And tanks not being part of it is definitely something that
is a huge thing and is also something that's playing very huge here in Russia as well. And it means that the concerns that the Russians have are
major.
There have been a lot of critical infrastructure that have been hit over the past couple of weeks by Ukrainian long-range drones and other long-
range assets, like for instance missiles. A lot of them are, for instance, refineries, oil depots and the like.
And just a couple of days ago, Richard, not far from where I'm sitting right now, there was a drone that struck here in central Moscow, I would
say about six miles away from the Kremlin. For the Russians, they've acknowledged that it would be very, very difficult for them to protect that
parade in a way that would be necessary and that they need. And that is the reason they say --
QUEST: Wow.
PLEITGEN: -- why they have scaled it back to the degree that they have. So yes, it's definitely a huge thing. And they've also warned the Ukrainians
that if the Ukrainians do decide to attack the parade, that the Russians would launch barrages of missiles even towards Kyiv. It is that big of a
concern. Because I think one thing that we also need to point out is that this parade has also really become more important since Russia started what
it calls its special military operation in Ukraine where that show of patriotism and of strength has become so much more important. And that's
why this is definitely a big step that the Russians are taking, Richard.
QUEST: All right. So, you were just telling me before we came on air that there's some news from the president, from the U.S. President on truth --
on Truth Social. What is it and is it going to hold water?
PLEITGEN: Yes, and I'm getting these updates really as we're speaking here. In fact, I got some just as I was speaking to you right now. The U.S.
President, Donald Trump, announced that his Truth Social account that there would be a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. It's something that the
Russians have been calling for a ceasefire during these days, but the Ukrainians really hadn't committed to it yet because right now, of course,
they have their finger on the trigger as far as those drone strikes are concerned.
For tomorrow, May 9th, May 10th, and May 11th, between the Russians and the Ukrainians, President Trump saying that both the Russian President Vladimir
Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had agreed to that.
And just before we went on air, I was actually scanning the things that the Ukrainians were saying, and there indeed, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr
Zelenskyy, did confirm that the Ukrainians had agreed to the ceasefire on May 9th, 10th, and 11th, but they say that it's also a part of something
that is very important to them, which apparently the Russians have also agreed to, which is a prisoner exchange of a thousand Russian prisoners for
a thousand Ukrainian prisoners.
That also, of course, the Ukrainians say part of the deal and the reason why it was so important for them and why they've also agreed to then hold
fire the next couple of days, of course, only if the Russians do so as well, Richard.
[14:36:01]
QUEST: Thank you very much, Fred Pleitgen.
Now to a seen an exclusive report that involves Ghislaine Maxwell. She's the co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, who took part in his child sex
trafficking crimes. The inmates who served in the same prison camp as Maxwell say they were punished for speaking out about Maxwell and her
transfer there and her unusual privileges, which included meal delivery and private visits.
Maxwell was transferred to the minimum-security facility in Texas days after she was interviewed by the Justice Department.
Our reporting comes from M.J. Lee. She joins me now from Washington. What have you learned?
M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are hearing for the first time from these inmates who served time alongside Ghislaine
Maxwell, and they say that they were punished after speaking out about her.
You know, you'll remember, as you said last summer, when Maxwell was suddenly transferred to this minimum security prison camp in Bryan, Texas,
and it didn't make any sense, but it was interesting, particularly because it came right after she had had this two-day unusual meeting with the
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. And you know, when you are convicted of crimes like the ones that she has been, you are not supposed to
typically serve in a minimum security prison like this one.
Now, Julie Howell is one inmate who was at Bryan and she was really upset about this. And she consulted the inmate's handbook, which said that she
could talk to reporters, and she decided to respond to a reporter at the Telegraph who was asking about Ghislaine Maxwell. And this is a part of
what she told me recently just after finishing her prison sentence.
JULIE HOWELL, FORMER INMATE, BRYAN PRISON CAMP: And so, I was a little, I guess, I don't use the word lightly, it was like a trigger because of my
experience with my daughter being trafficked. And just knowing all of the research I had done that the camps are supposed to be for non-violent
offenders.
I was very upset about her being moved. I said -- you know, I had spoken with other inmates. Nobody was happy about her being there. You know, one -
- we had -- we all felt like we were being punished for her being there. And then given her crime, she shouldn't be there, her BOP policies and
procedures. And so, it just -- it was very unfair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: And several days after she sent a message to that reporter through her husband, she gets called into the lieutenant's office, she tells me, and at
first she's not sure what's going on, and then she quickly realizes that she's in trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: He says, you know, did you speak to a reporter? He said, well, it's all over the worldwide web. I waited in a cell for I don't know, I think it
was less than an hour. the warden came in, asked like what I was thinking, said that her phone was blowing up all weekend. I ruined her weekend. You
know, I shouldn't have talked to them.
And I did apologize. I mean, at this point, I'm a little teary-eyed. I said, you know, I didn't mean to cause issues. I answered a question. And
when I told her that my daughter had, you know, a trafficking experience, she rolled her eyes, flipped her hair back, and she was like, it's too late
for apologies, and walked out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: So, Julie ended up being written up and she got sent to a higher security prison in Houston. She is now on supervised release. And the
warden of the Bryan prison camp, I should say, declined to respond to our request for comment.
QUEST: Now, what's coming clear from your research and your reporting from other former inmates who you spoke to, it's about the special treatment
that Maxwell received.
LEE: That's right. You know, there is a second inmate who was also at Bryan who we talked to. She's anonymous and she is not on camera because she's
still serving time and is afraid of being punished even more. She described a very similar experience where she spoke with a reporter over the phone
about Maxwell and pretty much immediately, she was kicked out of Bryan. This inmate did overlap with Maxwell for a number of weeks, and she says
she did see Maxwell getting special treatment. Listen.
[14:40:18]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Within a day of her arrival, we had armed guards, marshals, patrolling. If she had a visitation, she would get to -- they
closed the chapel and the indoor rec and allowed her to use that building for her personal visits. When we had visitation, you know, that happened in
the visitation building, which is good. We didn't -- you know, no one wanted her around the kids or anything. She get bottled waters and
clamshell meals delivered to her room.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: And Richard, a BOP spokesperson told CNN that the bureau would not discuss details related to specific inmates. They did say that the BOP is
committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, and professionalism in the operations of its facilities. They also said
that inmates can communicate with members of the media with prior approval.
The one prison expert I spoke with said that it is definitely not typical for an inmate to be punished for speaking to a reporter. I'll also add that
the DOJ and lawyers for Maxwell did not respond to requests for comment.
QUEST: And really I'm grateful for you. Thank you. We'll take a break. This is CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: From BTS selling out stadiums on their new tour to the KPop Demon Hunters, which changed the game in Hollywood, K-Pop is a truly global
phenomenon. Now, the -- it begs the question, what does it take to make it an industry where competition is as fierce as the talent? As part of our
original series, "K EVERYTHING," Daniel Dae Kim spoke to the rising K-Pop star, Jeon Somi, about her journey so far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL DAE KIM, HOST, K EVERYTHING: You know, I've seen a lot of your music and heard a lot of your music.
JEON SOMI, SINGER: Yes?
KIM: And the one thing I would say about you is that you're a survivor.
SOMI: Thank you.
KIM (voice-over): This is Jeon Somi. Her dad, Matthew Douma, is hosting us for lunch at his restaurant. Now 25, Somi auditioned for JYP's trainee
program when she was 12.
KIM: What year is we in the trainee program?
SOMI: When I was in fifth grade is when I started. And that's when I started to get bullied a lot, picked on school because I was like a halfie.
[14:45:04]
KIM (voice-over): She means Korean on her mom's side and Dutch-Canadian on her dad.
SOMI: So, the training system was actually the one place that I felt comfortable. Because at school, I'll get bullied. But here it's only with
skills. If you're good at dancing, if you're good at singing --
KIM: It doesn't matter.
SOMI: It does not matter.
KIM: Yes.
SOMI: So, that was really the charm for me to push myself forward into my skills in creating art.
KIM: Would you say that the fact that you were bullied kind of taught you how to fight for yourself?
SOMI: Oh, when you said I was a survivor, I was like hell yes. Survivor and a fighter for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have another song you want to sing?
KIM (voice-over): Just a year into her training, Somi took part in his 2015 reality TV show. 16 trainees competing for a spot in a new girl group, Somi
was eliminated in the final round. Just missing out on joining the band called Twice.
In 2016, Somi joined another K-pop survival show, Produce 101. This time, Somi won first place and became the leader of Project Group I.O.I.
KIM: When I watch these young girls' debut, there's a little bit of me like that feels very paternal. Like, you must have times ten.
MATT DOUMA, FATHER OF JEON SOMI: She's a minor.
KIM: Yes.
DOUMA: She's a minor, right? When she's in a company, they're basically in charge of her.
SOMI: You have this song that I wanted to punch a few lyrics to.
KIM (voice-over): She's now a solo artist who's charted top 10 singles in Korea, the U.S., and beyond.
KIM: Now, looking at where you are in the K-pop landscape, are you happy with your place? Do you feel like that ambition that you have has been
satisfied?
SOMI: I don't think the impression is satisfied. I'm just here as a soloist trying my best to prove a point. My background, my dad, my mom, the
culture, just being a girl. Like, I'm trying to prove a point.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: "K EVERYTHING," it premieres on CNN International tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. And also you can stream the series in the U.S. via the CNN
app. This is CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: At least three people were killed following an eruption at one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes. 20 climbers were on Mount Dukono when it
erupted earlier today. 17 people have been brought down. Search and rescue crews have not yet been able to recover the bodies of those who died.
Singapore Nationals and an Indonesian citizen were amongst those killed. Search operations will resume tomorrow. Will Ripley reports.
[14:50:24]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These extraordinary videos show the moment the hikers suddenly realize the volcano behind them
is erupting. And you can see people running down the slopes of Indonesia's Mount Dukono, one of the country's most active volcanoes.
You also see that massive 33,000-foot column of ash more than six miles high in the sky. Authorities say hikers were near the crater when the
volcano erupted Friday morning local time. Teams are still working on the mountain after multiple casualties were reported. Some survivors,
authorities say, have already been evacuated. Others stayed behind to help rescuers search the dangerous terrain.
The recovery operation is complicated by the fact that there are continued eruptions and volcanic ash and falling rock near the summit. Among the
hikers were foreign tourists, including Singaporeans, the Indonesian authorities say. And one local mountain guide filmed the eruption and says
he felt deep tremors just moments before the blast.
He also told CNN he saw rocks and gravel sliding down the volcano and immediately ordered his clients to run. The guide says other hikers
appeared to be dangerously close to the crater. Some even filming videos near the rim right before the eruption.
Authorities say Mount Dukono has been showing heightened activity for weeks. Authorities say warnings about the climbing ban have been widely
posted online and on signs near trail entrances, but local rescuers suspect some hikers may have entered through unmonitored access routes because the
volcano does not have an official registration checkpoint.
Indonesia's search and rescue agency says crews were first alerted after an emergency signal was detected from a Garmin device near the volcano.
Authorities are now investigating possible negligence by tour operators or individuals who entered the restricted zone anyway.
A dramatic rescue image released by Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency shows crews carrying injured hikers through thick forest on
stretchers. Mount Dukono sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most volcanically active regions on Earth.
Will Ripley, CNN Taipei.
QUEST: A year ago today, the Catholic Church got a new leader. And as Pope Leo XIV reaches that one-year milestone, he's traveled to Pompei and
Naples, where during a mass earlier, he asked God to inspire world leaders to embrace peace.
In recent months, his frequent condemnation of the Iran war has drawn the ire of Donald Trump. CNN's Christopher Lamb now looking back at Pope Leo's
first year.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a mission to cool the rhetoric.
POPE LEO XIV, LEADER, CATHOLIC CHURCH: Mr. Secretary, it's great to see you.
LAMB (voice-over): Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting Pope Leo XIV at a time when President Donald Trump has launched a series of broadsides
against the first American pontiff.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think he's very weak on crime.
I'm not a fan of Pope Leo.
LAMB (voice-over): In what has been an extraordinary and unprecedented clash.
POPE LEO: I don't want to get into a debate with him.
LAMB (voice-over): This meeting an attempt to get back to old-fashioned diplomacy.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And it has the seal of the State Department. So --
POPE LEO: OK.
LAMB (voice-over): Both sides, at least publicly, downplaying the verbal fisticuffs. Officially, the pair discussing the situation in the Middle
East and other conflicts and a quote shared commitment to promoting peace.
The Vatican saying Cuba was also discussed with Rubio saying beforehand that was on the agenda.
RUBIO: They won't allow us to give their own people more humanitarian aid and we're willing to do it through the church. So, there's a lot to talk
about.
LAMB (voice-over): But deep disagreements remain. Leo would likely speak out against any violent intervention in Cuba and has been vocal in his
opposition to the Iran war, something which has irked the president.
TRUMP: The Pope would rather talk about the fact that it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and I don't think that's very good. I think he's
endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.
LAMB (voice-over): The Pope even correcting the record and showing no signs of backing down.
POPE LEO (through translator): If anyone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth. The church has
spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt.
LAMB (voice-over): The first American Pope's leadership has offered a stark contrast to the president, not just speaking out on war, but criticizing
the "inhuman treatment of immigrants in the U.S." and calling for protection of the environment and in a language the White House can
understand.
POPE LEO: I'm told that President Trump recently stated that he would like to end the war. Hopefully, he's looking for an off-ramp.
LAMB (voice-over): Leo, marking the one-year anniversary of his election, has said he has no fear of the Trump administration and won't compromise on
the core message of his papacy, the desire to pursue peace.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:55:02]
QUEST: Today is the 100th birthday of the British wildlife broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough. More than se more than 70 years on the air, he's
documented the beauty and the diversity of the natural world across the globe. Through his trailblazing work, he reminds us to protect the
environment. Sir David says he's been overwhelmed by the number of birthday wishes he's received. And here's another one from us.
Good. Thank you for watching. It has been good to have you with us. I'm Richard Quest. Coming up next, "WHAT WE KNOW."
END
