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U.S. To Start Guiding Ships Through Strait; Hantavirus Outbreak Kills 3 In Atlantic Cruise Ship; Hearing Prep Underway For Alleged Press Dinner Shooter; Police Search For Suspects In Oklahoma Shooting That Sent At Least 13 People To Hospitals; Spirit Airlines Shuts Down, Leaving Passengers Scrambling. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired May 04, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: All out, Wolf. They were all dressed up like you on a Buffalo Bills game day, from what I'm told.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Cherie DeVaux, congratulations to her. And Pamela, I got to say, the pictures you posted, you looked amazing. So beautiful. You were there.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you.

BLITZER: I don't know if we have some of those pictures. I'd love to show them.

BROWN: I think we have some. This is the video I took. There we go. It's all about the hat, as you know, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: And you know, try to bring my A game. I'm a Kentucky gal. I grew up going to the Derby. It was so much fun to be back. And I love just seeing history being made with Cherie being the first female trainer to win the Derby. And the story about the jockey brothers, Ortiz brothers as well, the first and second place, I mean, it was just incredible.

And her reaction, it just, I watched this video over and over and over again. I couldn't watch it enough seeing this. Just incredible. We're so excited to have her on tomorrow here in The Situation Room. Wolf.

BLITZER: Did you say she's going to join us live in The Situation Room tomorrow?

BROWN: Yes, tomorrow. Yes.

BTLIZER: that's, that's so exciting. Can't wait for that.

BROWN: Yes, very exciting.

BLITZER: All right. Excellent. Excellent having you there. Coy Wire, good report from Pamela. What do you think? WIRE: Outstanding. She did not cover how tasty the mint juleps were.

That's all I wanted to know.

BROWN: They were very good, but you can't drink many of them. I'll put it that way.

WIRE: There you go.

BLITZER: It was so exciting. All right. The next hour of The Situation Room starts right now.

Happening now, breaking news guiding ship through the Strait of Hormuz. But will the Pentagon's new plan be enough to stop the disruption that's upended energy markets around the world?

BLITZER: And deadly outbreak. The possible spread of a rare virus on a cruise ship leaves several passengers dead and dozens of other people quarantined on board.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown and you're in The Situation Room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

BROWN: And we begin this hour with the breaking news on the Strait of Hormuz. Hours after President Trump announced the U.S. military would guide stranded vessels through the critical oil shipping route, the U.S. Central Command is reporting, quote, to U.S. flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey, end quote.

BLITZER: And the U.S. military is denying Iran's claims that it hit a U.S. warship with two missiles. CENTCOM saying no U.S. navy vessel was struck and that U.S. forces will guide ships through the strait as part of what's called Project Freedom.

Earlier, Iran's Navy also said it had prevented U.S. military ships from entering the Strait of Hormuz. That was according to Iran's state media.

Let's begin with CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. He's in Islamabad, Pakistan, for us. Nic, these developments in the strait have unfolded very quickly this morning. What else are you learning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Wolf, new information just coming in. It appears at the moment in the UAE as if they are having another warning. They had one several hours ago. Not clear why that was, but another warning of possible incoming missiles.

I was just speaking with a contact in the UAE who has seen the warning, I've seen the warning come in. So that's something we're tracking at the moment as well. But of course, this does come on a day where the tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have heightened.

The South Korean vessel has now reported that one of its ships was hit in the engine room. A another vessel that was containing energy supplies for the UAE that is also reported being a attacked by two drones today around the Strait of Hormuz.

This of course, comes when CENTCOM says that two commercial vessels U.S. flagged were able to exit the Strait of Hormuz. And they also say that a, a U.S. battleship was able to get into the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. So a very sort of kinetic dynamic there.

Also, the Iranians saying that their rapid actions prevented, they say, a U.S. naval vessel entering the Strait of Hormuz. And this does come when President Trump has put in position an action plan, if you will, Project Freedom, to try to get all those commercial vessels stuck in the Gulf, in the Arabian Gulf, out through the Strait of Hormuz. And that appears to be testing Iran's resolve to control the Strait of Hormuz.

We've heard from IRGC senior figures saying that they will respond to any efforts to get commercial shipping coming through the Strait of Hormuz, that they will take military action against that shipping.

[11:05:04]

So it really feels, while there is a diplomatic track in progress, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman earlier on today saying that Iran would respond to what the White House had put to the mediators here in Pakistan over the weekend. On Sunday, they passed that on to Iran. Iran was going to respond to that.

But I know having talked to senior Iranian officials here, they really fear that the United States would use any opportunity at the moment to take military control of the Strait of Hormuz. And if they fear that that's what we're witnessing today, then that does seem to sideline the diplomatic track, potentially, to a degree.

BLITZER: Certainly does. All right, Nic Robertson in Islamabad, Pakistan, watching all of this unfold. Thank you very, very much.

Right now, I want to bring in retired U.S. army General Wesley Clark, a former NATO supreme allied commander. General Clark, thanks so much for being with us. So Washington has made it very clear that the U.S. military will, quote, guide these ships through the Strait of Hormuz, not escort them. Guide, not escort. What's the significance in that distinction?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.) FOUNDER, RENEW AMERICA TOGETHER: Well, it means that we can help them get through a minefield, let's say, but we're not going to necessarily be able to assure that they won't be struck in some way. I see that as the distinction.

But what Nic has proposed is presented to us. That's the fog of war. We don't really know what's happening right now. We've got the CENTCOM report, we've got the Iranian threats, got the possible UAE warning. And so I do think it's a very appropriate move by the United States to test Iran's resolve. Apparently, we do have a destroyer that got through there. And this is going to be decided by pushing and shoving back and forth. Iran knows that we have a lot of potential military capability that's built up there. We haven't used it yet. Iran would like to bluff us out and draw this out and hold control of the Strait of Hormuz, but they're apparently not yet decided that this is a decisive fight they want to have just now.

BLITZER: As you know, General, the U.S. Military Central Command, which oversees the entire Middle East region, says two U.S. flagships have already passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Do you agree with this move to guide the ships?

CLARK: Absolutely. I think it's the essential next step. Now the question is, how does the insurance market look at this? Is the insurance market going to say, OK, it's over, so rates are back down, and so you people follow the U.S. lead or are they going to say not sure yet. Insurance rates are still high. So thanks a lot U.S. but I think we'll hold our ships back.

So these were merchant ships. These weren't apparently full fuel tankers, those so called very large crude carriers, the VLCC, that are worth a lot of money. So they apparently haven't gone out yet. They're low, they're ready.

BLITZER: Let me just follow up. Short of a major political agreement striking an overall peace deal, do you believe most shipping companies will take this risk even with the U.S. military as a guide? After all, the Trump administration has said that even Iran may not know where the mines that they have placed in the strait are, have been activated.

CLARK: I think it's these shipping companies are going to be cautious. They've got to wait. Send out the least valuable vessels first. Watch for Iran's reaction. Give it a few days, maybe a week or two. You've waited this long, you've protected your asset. Don't gamble this right now. Let it develop. I think that's the conservative reaction you'll see from the shipping companies.

BLITZER: Good advice indeed. Our General Wesley Clark, thank you very much for joining us.

CLARK: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, happening now, prosecutors and the defense for the suspect in the White House Correspondents center shooting are preparing for another hearing. The federal judge in the case wants to address concerns about how Cole Thomas Allen was held in solitary confinement. Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate the president.

CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz joins us now in The Situation Room. So, Katelyn, what are we expecting at today's hearing? What is the concern around the solitary confinement? KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pam, this

is a moment where Cole Allen is in jail at the D.C. jail and he had been held essentially in a safe room with a restraining vest, a padded vest. He had very little conduct. He had dim lights. It was all on suicide watch.

And his attorneys had complained several times to the federal court over last week as he was making his initial appearances about how he was being treated at the D.C. jail.

[11:10:05]

They said it was not needed. He wasn't suicidal. He was being treated in too harsh of conditions. And now there's a magistrate judge in the D.C. district court who wants to check in and he wants to talk with not just both of the parties in this case, the Justice Department, Cole Allen's attorneys. He also wants to talk to the officials of the D.C. jail.

Are they handling this defendant appropriately in a way that acknowledges his rights? That's the important thing here, that he gets his Sixth Amendment rights protected, that he has due process.

What the judge wrote. This is Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui. He said the court has grave concerns about the defendant seemingly unprompted solitary confinement for days and the overall conditions of confinement. And over the past week, when Allen was taken into the D.C. jail, he was placed in a safe cell and then placed on suicide watch, even though over several days the D.C. jail nurses did not believe he was suicidal.

He's no longer on suicide watch, but it is a situation playing out for him just making sure the defendant's rights are being protected.

BROWN: Right. And we also learned these new details from officials this weekend about what exactly happened at the dinner. What can you tell us on that front?

POLANTZ: Yes, the U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro has come out publicly and tried to dispel any questions about whether Cole Allen fired a shot. She says he defended definitively shot the Secret Service agent in that video that we now see. That's more clear. There were some questions whether this actually captured his shotgun going off.

She says it did. He did hit the Secret Service agent. Here's a little bit more about what Jeanine Pirro had to say on CNN this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANINE PIRRO, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: We now can establish that a pellet that came from the buckshot from the defendant's Mossberg pump action shotgun was intertwined with the fiber of the vest of the Secret Service officer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's definitively his bullet. PIRRO: It is definitively his bullet. He hit at that Secret Service agent. He was had every intention to kill him and anyone who got in his way on his way to the killing the President of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: Now, Pam, in addition to that, she said on CNN that Donald Trump, the president, was the very clear target of Cole Allen, that there was evidence of a tent that they are now gathering as part of this case. Remember, Cole Allen hasn't been indicted yet. He's being held on a criminal complaint. And so a grand jury will get much more information as we see formal charges emerge.

She also mentions that there will be additional surveillance video that's going to be released. So we only see in the video of Allen being shot at and shooting the agent, he exits the frame before he falls. She says there will be additional video. And then relevant to today's hearing, which starts at noon, she says that he did not appear to have a psychotic break. So we'll see if that plays into this hearing as well.

BROWN: All right, we'll be watching. Katelyn Polantz. Thank you so much. Wolf.

BLITZER: Still ahead, Spirit runs out of air. How the airline's collapse is already sending shock waves across the travel industry and what it could mean for you if you're flying anytime soon.

And later, cruise chaos. Dozens of people, including 17 Americans, now quarantined aboard their ship as health officials investigate a possible viral outbreak that's already killed three passengers. Lots going on. Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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[11:18:05]

BLITZER: Happening now. Authorities near Oklahoma City are now searching for several suspects after a mass shooting last night at a lake party. Officials say at least 13 people were injured. So far, no one is in custody.

Investigators told CNN affiliate KOKH they believe two men wearing ski masks were the ones who opened fire. CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo is following the developments for us. What else do we know about this, Rafael.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well, Edmond Police say the chaotic scene unfolded around 9:00 p.m. local time at a campground near Arcadia Lake. That's a recreation area located about 13 miles north of Oklahoma City. Investigators believe the attackers. This is something that has caught the attention of many people. They were wearing masks. They were two of them. They were wearing ski masks when they opened fire.

As CNN affiliate KOKH reported earlier, no suspects are in custody, Wolf, but a spokesperson with the Edmond Police Department believes there is no ongoing threat to the public. This spokesperson also said the suspects -- no suspects are in custody, but they believe there is no ongoing threat to the public as mentioned before.

Police initially reported at least 10 victims were taken to hospitals in various conditions, but noted that number would likely rise because some people drove themselves to hospitals. The total number of people hospitalized as a result of this shooting is now 13.

And Wolf, this was the latest in a trio of shootings involving teens or young adults over the weekend across the US. The chaotic incident in Oklahoma happened only hours after a shooting at a post prom party in Indianapolis left one woman dead and at least two others wounded, a CNN affiliate WTHR reported.

And just a day earlier In Amarillo, Texas, two people were killed and at least 10 others injured Saturday at a Texas party involving juveniles and young adults, according to the local police department.

[11:20:07]

So a lot of concern about what's happening with these shootings. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Rafael Romo with the latest. Thank you very, very much. Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, happening now, travelers across the country are working to find an alternative after Spirit Airlines canceled all of its flights and announced it is shutting down. The airline has told its customers not to come to the airport and said it will refund fares for canceled flights.

Summer Hull joins us now. She's Senior Director of Content with The Points Guy. Good morning to you. What is your top piece of advice to someone whose flight was canceled here?

SUMMER HULL, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CONTENT, THE POINTS GUY: Yes, so if they're traveling in the near future, this week, next week, my number one piece of advice is to be proactive in rebooking yourself on one of the airlines that's offering these discounted or rescue fares, the United ones you can book online for 199. Southwest is in person at the airport and JetBlue is $99 over the phone.

So be very proactive there and then keep an eye on your credit card for refund. Spirit says they do have a fund to be providing refunds to those who book directly with their credit or debit card.

BROWN: Yes. What do you make of these other airlines like United, Delta, American, Southwest stepping in to help these Spirit passengers?

HULL: I think it's great. It's something we have seen in the past from other airlines when they have ceased operations for different reasons. So it's very great to see the other airlines step up. I'll say that some of the airlines were a little bit more generous and a little bit easier and how they made the process than some of the others. But in all of the cases this is short term. So United's goes through the middle of May and that's kind of the farthest one. So after that, pretty much anyone who did have a Spirit Airlines tickets going to need to be looking for all new fares. And there won't be discounts really if you're looking deeper into the summer for travel.

BROWN: And Spirit's low cost model forced other major airlines to offer competing fares to attract business. So what do you believe will happen with prices on other airlines going forward now that the competition from Spirit has gone away?

HULL: Yes. At the Points Guy, we're already seeing some fares 10 to 30% higher this summer. And that was before Spirit Airlines ceased operations. So, historically when Spirit has left a market, we have seen fares increase in those markets, sometimes by as much as 20 percent.

So it is very possible. We will see that especially in the markets where Spirit was a big play layer. What we don't know is what will happen when the other airlines step up their operations there. So this is a really big opportunity for some airlines such as JetBlue and Frontier.

So it's possible that they will keep prices down a little bit by ramping up operations in some of these routes. But I think the general consensus is it's more likely than not that fares will continue to tick upwards now, maybe even a little bit more than they already were.

BROWN: But what does this portend for those budget airliners like Frontier? I mean, do we need to be worrying about them going out of business too now?

HULL: You know, there are a couple of airlines in the U.S .that haven't turned a profit year over year in a number of years. JetBlue is one of those. Frontier is one of those. So I think there is some cause for concern. You know, the industry experts don't seem to think that another bankruptcy filing is likely in 2026.

But I think there are some questions when you look to 2027 and beyond. And while Spirit situation was not directly caused just by what's going on with fuel cost, it certainly didn't help. And that's going to be true for some of these other airlines as well.

So, I think we're all hoping that this has allowed for some of those airlines that are struggling a bit more to perhaps grow some strength in different areas. I know JetBlue has already announced a bunch of new routes out of Fort Lauderdale, but it is an uncertain future for some of the airlines in the US.

BROWN: All right, Summer Hull, thank you so much for coming on. We appreciate it. Wolf.

HULL: Thank you.

BLITZER: All right. Up next, about 150 people are stuck on this cruise ship. Look at this. After a possible deadly virus breaks out on board. What we know that's just ahead.

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[11:28:40]

BLITZER: Breaking news. The United States Supreme Court has temporarily restored telehealth and mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone. This in response to an emergency appeal that warned a potential chaos for patients who had appointments to access the drug. We'll have much more on this story coming up in just a few moments. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf, happening now, an entire cruise ship is under quarantine after three people on board died and three others got sick from a possible outbreak of the rare hantavirus. It's typically spread through contact with rodents or their droppings. The ship is anchored off the west coast of Africa after sailing From South America. CNN's Larry Madowo is following the story from Nairobi.

Larry, what is the status of the ship and those passengers?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pamela this time the ship remains anchored in Praia off Cape Verde. Of the cost of West Africa, authorities there are not allowing anybody to disembark even though they've sent medical crews on board.

The operator of this Dutch flagship Oceanwide Expedition says two crew members, a British and a Dutch national, require urgent medical care and they're considering sailing to the Spanish territories of Tenerife or Las Palmas just so that they can disembark everybody and provide them that medical attention. So far, three people are dead.

Only one is confirmed to have hantavirus and that is somebody who's receiving treatment in South Africa.

[11:30:04]

This was supposed to be a beautiful 35-day journey started off in Ushuaia.