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What We Know with Max Foster

Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Ship Bound For Spain's Canary Islands; Iran's President Says He Met With Supreme Leader In Person; U.S. To Host New Round Of Talks Between Israel, Lebanon; U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio Meets With Pope Leo; Trump Says Meeting With Brazilian President "Went Very Well"; Document Shows New Rules Iran Wants For Strait Of Hormuz. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 07, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:32]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Health officials race to track down cruise ship passengers after a deadly hantavirus outbreak.

I'm Lynda Kinkade, in for Max Foster, and this is WHAT WE KNOW.

From Canada to Singapore, the U.S., to the U.K., and the Netherlands to Switzerland and South Africa, health officials right around the globe are

on alert for signs of the deadly hantavirus.

So far, at least three people who were on board a cruise ship are known to have died from the hantavirus. That ship, MV Hondius, has now left Cape

Verde and is headed to Spain's Canary Islands, where 146 people from 23 different countries hope to disembark and head home. Passengers from at

least 12 different countries disembarked the ship before the outbreak was known. Most of them are now isolating out of an abundance of caution.

World Health Organization officials say they expect more cases of the hantavirus to emerge, but they are stressing that the risk of wide

transmission is extremely small.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, DIRECTOR, WHO DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIC & PANDEMIC THREAT MANAGEMENT: This is not SARS-COV-2. This is not the start of a COVID

pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship.

There's a confined area. We have five confirmed cases so far. We completely understand why these questions are coming. And we are trying to provide all

of the information that we can. That's why we're having a press conference here to give accurate information, and we're grateful for all of those who

are out there who are asking these types of questions.

But this is not the same situation we were in six years ago. It doesn't spread the same way like coronaviruses do. It's very different. It's that

close, intimate contact that we've seen and most hantaviruses don't transmit between people at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, let's go straight to CNN's Pau Mosquera in Spain for the latest.

Good to have you with us.

So, this infected cruise ship currently headed towards the Canary Islands. What's been the reaction there and what's going to be the process to manage

this?

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, we have heard from many neighbors in the island of Tenerife that they are fiercely opposed to the

ship getting in there, and that is why it was so important, the meeting that took place this morning between the president of the government of the

Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, and the minister of health and the minister of territorial administration.

In that very meeting, they decided that finally the cruise ship won't dock at the port of Granadilla de Abona, as it was first said to the media, now

it will just anchor off the coast of this very port. This means it will maintain a bit of distance. And after this happens, which is expected to

happen around this Sunday noon local time, experts, both from the external health service of Spain and the World Health Organization, will get to the

cruise ship to evaluate, examine everybody that is on board and make clear that everyone remains asymptomatic after that. And just when the planes

that will carry everyone back home are in the airport, then they will transfer everyone to the airport located in the south of the island of

Tenerife.

This has been celebrated by the president of the government of the Canary Islands as a personal triumph, while from the Spanish government, Lynda.

They defend that they will do it this way, anchoring off the boat because this port doesn't have enough infrastructure as to go on with this transfer

operation. In any case, they defend that this will happen very quickly, that they just will disembark everybody on board once the planes are in the

airport, and that it will be very fast avoiding any contact with the local population and reassuring that everyone that participates in the operation,

meaning the experts, won't be in any risk at all -- Lynda.

KINKADE: So what -- how will passengers be tracked and monitored after they leave the ship? And what do we know about the support that has been

provided to families of the victims?

MOSQUERA: That's a very good question, Lynda. So, after they leave the country, then they will depend on the government, the authorities of the

country they are from. In the case, for example, of the 14 Spanish nationals that are on board, they will be transferred here to Madrid and

more specifically to the hospital that you can see here behind me.

[15:05:01]

This is a military hospital.

And in the last floor of it, of the building, they have a floor with a high-level isolation unit that they may use in case any of them show any

symptoms. So right now, Lynda, what the authorities at the foreign affairs minister are doing right now is work against the clock to try to define

with the countries of origin what they prefer to do if they want to send their own airplanes to repatriate them, or they prefer to maybe go ahead

with a different kind of operation -- Lynda.

KINKADE: All right. Paul Mosquera in Madrid, we appreciate you. Thank you.

Well, some public health officials say this outbreak shows how the U.S. health system has been weakened in recent years. They held a news

conference today to criticize the CDC for not taking a more active role in investigating this outbreak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL HEALTH, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: So I would envision that by now, many, many days ago, we would

have seen a, you know, a team from CDC deployed to the area. And we haven't seen that. So, to me, we also would have had a briefing from CDC. We would

have had information coming.

CDC typically would put out something called HANs, the hate -- the health alert notice when something happens and we haven't seen a HAN related to

this. So, a lot of the things that you would like to see we haven't seen. And to me, that's very concerning, that the silence that we're seeing from

our premier public health institution is really concerning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, the CDC says it is closely monitoring the situation and that the State Department is leading a coordinated whole of government

response, including direct contact with passengers, diplomatic coordination and engagement with domestic and international health authorities.

Well, today, Iran is expected to give its response to the latest U.S. proposal that could end the war and reopen the boarded-up Strait of Hormuz.

In the meantime, the Iranian president says he's met with the country's new supreme leader for the first time. And that's notable because Khamenei

hasn't been seen publicly since he took over following the death of his father at the start of the war.

Well, the U.S. is getting ready to host new talks between Israel and Lebanon next week in Washington, the Trump administration is working to

extend a fragile ceasefire, even while assisting Israel with deadly attacks.

An Israeli source says the strike in Beirut yesterday was coordinated in advance with the U.S. Israel says it killed a senior Hezbollah commander.

Our Nic Robertson is following the developments from Islamabad and joins us now live.

Nic, good to have you with us.

So, the U.S. is set to host these talks about this time next week between Lebanese and Israeli officials. What are the key objectives?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The key objective will be to make sure that the ceasefire there holds. It's a key plank in the

broader cease fire agreement that the United States has with Iran, the ceasefire that's trying to create the space for Iran and the U.S. to have

talks, the ceasefire that was brought into play by mediators here in Pakistan.

So, you know, without that -- without the ceasefire in between Israel and Lebanon, where Israel has been targeting Hezbollah, there, of course,

Hezbollah is not party to those talks. That's part of the difficulty. They're a proxy of Iran, the -- that may give some strength and, you know,

head off the possibility that that ceasefire can break down.

And it was always a concern that that cease fire was made hastily, that it, that it wasn't structured in a way that was really going to make it

enduring. Israel felt that it had unfinished business with Hezbollah. So it's been a sort of a worrying part of the background as the United States

and Iran, through Pakistan, try to come closer to having talks.

And indeed, on that front, Iran was supposed to or expected to deliver their response to the U.S. to Pakistan mediators today, their response to

the U.S. proposal. And in that context, the fact that the Iranian president has been to meet with the supreme leader who has complete authority, state

media says over what Iran -- what position Iran takes, what position its interlocutors take, what essentially would go into that document and the

response that Iran would give, all of that is sort of pertinent.

There's been some mixed messaging coming from Iran. Some people in the media in Iran, criticizing the leadership for dragging their feet and

missing opportunities. But it's really the hardliners that have the strongest say in Iran right now. And they believe in monetizing the Strait

of Hormuz, controlling shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. They believe that the U.S. blockade there is a violation of the ceasefire.

So, these are -- these are entrenched positions, and it's not clear they're coming together.

[15:10:00]

And while we were while -- we've just been on air with this program, there are reports coming in from state media in Iran, reports were trying to run

down and get further clarification on to verify of explosions heard in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm island, which are very proximate, and in the Strait

of Hormuz. It's not clear yet whether these explosions have a perfectly, rational explanation that that doesn't lead one to conclude that there are

some kind of strikes going on. That's why I say were running down this information.

But of course, in this very tense environment, everyone is looking to anything that happens in the Strait of Hormuz. So, when state media in Iran

is reporting it, it's already crossed the threshold for their concern. We're giving it attention to try to get more details on it right now.

KINKADE: And Bandar Abbas, just for perspective, is the main naval and commercial port for Iran, right? So, a key point on that Strait of Hormuz.

ROBERTSON: It is. There have been explosions there before that have, you know, perfectly plausible explanations that have nothing to do with

military operations, in warehouses and, you know, you know, some of the chemicals that have been stored there historically, there can there can be

things that happen there that are not related to military activity.

So I think we just -- we need to look carefully at what is happening here at the moment without -- without jumping to conclusions. But it obviously -

- it's obviously at a moment where people will be very concerned about anything that goes bang in the night in bandar abbas and Qeshm island, of

course, even sort of off the coast of Iran there, deeper into the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.

KINKADE: Yeah. Well, I know you'll be speaking to your sources to try and get clarity as to what exactly is happening at that port in Iran. And we

will come back to you if you get that information, that update. Nic Robertson for us, we appreciate it. Thank you.

Well, America's top diplomat, Marco Rubio, met with Pope Leo today at the Vatican. The State Department says they discussed the Middle East and

topics of mutual interest in the Americas. It follows weeks of tensions with President Trump criticizing the pope for opposing the war in Iran.

Well, Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb joins us now from Rome.

Good to have you with us, Christopher.

So just -- what are you learning about how these discussions went? How long they went for? And ultimately, what was the outcome?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the fact the discussions took place is a positive sign for the Vatican and the United

States and the Trump administration, because clearly, the tensions between Pope Leo and the president, you know, are extraordinary and unprecedented.

I mean, you know, it's hard to imagine another situation where the us president has been so openly critical of a pope. And of course, Pope Leo is

the first American pope.

And the meetings that took place today with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and firstly, Pope Leo in the Vatican lasted for a total of around 2-1/2

hours. Rubio met with the pope, and then he met senior Vatican officials.

The Vatican statement is quite interesting because it says that, you know, a commitment to basically re -- renewing the relationship between the U.S.

and the Vatican was renewed. Now, that suggests that that things had gotten into a difficult place. And the Vatican also said that an exchange of views

took place, highlighting, you know, the very big disagreements that there are between the Trump administration and the Vatican and the pope at this

time. It's not just the war in Iran that the pope has spoken out against and obviously riled the president in the process. It's also the U.S.

crackdown on immigration, the Trump administrations crackdown that he's also spoken out against.

So, there's a lot of differences here. I think the big question is, how does the president respond to this meeting? Clearly, there has been a

constructive, gathering that's taken place between Marco Rubio and his team and pope and his delegation. But the real question is what happens with

President Trump? Does he continue to criticize the pope, or does he take a different tack?

KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. And of course, uh, you know, rubio may indeed run for the next presidency. He needs the Catholic vote. He has to smooth

things over.

But I want to get your perspective on the readout we got from the Vatican after this meeting. The wording of, you know, stressing peace and human

dignity. Was that meant to be interpreted as a subtle criticism of U.S. policy, despite the fact that Rubio is there meeting, having this face to

face, one on one with the pope?

[15:15:11]

LAMB: Well, look, I think the Vatican statement is saying that that there are clear disagreements between the papacy and the Trump administration.

And obviously, it's diplomatically worded. I think the key thing, though, is that the Vatican has been able to sit down with a senior member of the

Trump administration. That's not something that's happened for around a year.

And, of course, another big question is that why has there been no direct contact between President Trump and Pope Leo since the pope's election

almost a year ago? It is kind of extraordinary that the first American pope in the Catholic Church's 2,000-year history is elected, and the president

of the United States is not in contact or has made no contact, not even a phone call with the pope. So that's also something to, I think watch out

for.

But clearly, from the Vatican side, they want to build a diplomatic channel with the White House and the Trump administration, but they're also not

going to ignore the very big differences that there are. And the tensions that are really, you know, unprecedented.

KINKADE: Yeah, you make a good point. Christopher Lamb for us in Rome. Thanks very much.

President Trump says a White House meeting today with the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, went very well. The two leaders have

had a contentious relationship, to say the least, involving insults, tariff threat and policy disagreements. Mr. Trump today called the president very

dynamic, but that their Oval Office meeting, which was scheduled to be public, was later scrapped.

Kristen Holmes joins us now.

So we've seen months of strain between the leaders of these two governments, Kristen, and we know that they were meant to be discussing

trade tensions today. Tariffs, of course critical minerals.

What do we know about those discussions, how they went, especially in light of the fact that they later canceled this press event?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And both sides are saying that they went really well. I mean, this is a press event that's

like any other that we usually see at the White House, where the press walks in, the two leaders are sitting there, they introduce themselves,

they take a few questions, and then the press is escorted out.

Obviously, they've gone sideways to the White House before. We'll talk about Zelenskyy, for example, and that really contentious meeting back in

February after President Trump was sworn into office. But this has not happened before, whereas that they have on the public schedule that the

press is going to come. They're going to open up this meeting. And then at the last minute, they decide they're not going to do so.

I will note a couple of things here. We have had a number of instances, particularly because President Trump is somewhat of a loose cannon and is

known to say anything off the cuff where these world leaders have negotiated not to have any kind of open press event. Look at King Charles,

for example, and the greeting with King Charles, it was all just still photographers. There was no camera in there, and it was widely speculated

that part of that was because of the ongoing tensions with Keir Starmer. It would look bad if President Trump was to just go off on the prime minister

while standing next to the king.

We also know that when the Colombian president was here, there was no open press. There had been a lot of speculation as to whether that meeting,

which, of course, those two sides had been routinely contentious, would open, and it did not. But the difference there was that both of these were

marked on the schedules as closed events. This was different given this idea that it was supposed to be an open event.

Now, there are also a lot of other things going on at the White House here today. It's coming at a time where President Trump is expecting the

Iranians to come back with some kind of an agreement or response to the U.S. proposal. So were asking questions as to whether or not they've gotten

word there. Did that have anything to do with it?

But I am largely told that there was a decision that was made among White House officials with the Brazilian officials not to have the press in

there. One person telling me that there was a chance that press might ask questions that would set a bad tone, given what both of these leaders have

said about each other. But we're running that down right now to get an understanding.

And of course, Lula is actually speaking shortly at the embassy. He's giving a presser about the meeting, but both sides continue to say it went

well.

KINKADE: That is something certainly at the time of the tariff dispute, you know, the U.S. was about to impose these 50 percent tariffs on some

products coming from Brazil.

Do we know any specifics about what these two leaders discussed, whether it be trade tariffs, the prosecution of the former Brazilian president?

HOLMES: We know that they talked about trade. We know that they talked about tariffs. We know that they were expected to talk about cooperation on

organized crime. Again, there's going to be a big question. We know President Trump was going to push on the access to Brazil's rare earth

mineral deposits.

[15:20:04]

And that is something were not clear how Brazil responded yet, but that was something that we were told he was going to push on. Obviously, when it

comes to trade and tariffs, one of the things that has happened over and over again between particularly the U.S. and Brazil, has this kind of

whiplash with President Trump. As you noted, he was a close ally of Bolsonaro's. He tried to use tariffs to have Brazil drop the prosecution

against Bolsonaro, among other kind of political efforts that President Trump was making in Brazil. But he ultimately pulled those back.

It would be likely that that was part of the conversation that they had today as well.

KINKADE: All right. Kristen Holmes at the White House, never a dull moment. Thanks so much.

Well, still to come, face new rules or risk attack, we'll explain what's behind Iran's new message for ships waiting to pass through the Strait of

Hormuz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back.

Iran is laying out new rules for ships looking to transit through the Strait of Hormuz. It's an effort to cement its control of that vital

waterway in defiance of repeated U.S. warnings. Dominance of that strait would give Iran significant leverage over its neighbors and the global

economy.

CNN has seen the document laying out those new rules. Our Eleni Giokos walks us through it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iran is trying to force shippers into complying with the new protocol for transiting the Strait of Hormuz, or

otherwise risk being attacked. Take a look at this document issued on Thursday by the new Persian Gulf Strait Authority, or PGSA. It lays out the

requirements in the form of a questionnaire for all vessels seeking safe passage, effectively marking the latest step in Tehran's efforts to

formalize control over that critical shipping lane at the heart of the war with the United States.

And it's certainly in defiance of the Trump administration's warnings in the middle of peace negotiations. That document was shared with CNN by the

editor in chief of Lloyd's List Intelligence, a maritime data and analytics service, as well as a shipping industry source that wants to remain

anonymous.

An email from the Iranian government's PGSA also shared with us, shows the authority warning that, quote, any incorrect or incomplete information

provided will be the sole responsibility of the applicant and any resulting consequences will be borne accordingly.

We should note that before the war, when around 20 percent of global oil production flowed through the Strait of Hormuz, ships did not have to share

any information to transit through it. The chokehold has become the flashpoint, taking the war global.

Now it's unclear from the PGSA's new document where the passage will require a fee. But Iranian authorities have previously claimed the strait

as a potential revenue stream.

Here is what Dimitris Maniatis, CEO of the maritime consultancy firm Marisks, told me about that this week.

DIMITRIS MANIATIS, CEO, MARISKS: Demanding a toll fee for a natural passage is illegal. It's unethical. The Iranians are at fault here. They

should never ask for a toll fee for any vessel transiting the Straits of Hormuz.

GIOKOS: I asked Dimitris whether he thinks ship owners will abide by Iran's new rules, and he said no, adding, I don't. It will take much more

for them to show trust in the process that is just announced and not supported by any industry, body or international organization.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Eleni there.

Well, oil prices are choppy today after a wild ride earlier this week, amid all the uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz. These are the latest

numbers, you can see Brent crude up over $102 a barrel. That's up over 1.3 percent. You can see there.

Well, while skyrocketing energy prices are causing hardship for consumers, the big oil companies are reaping a financial windfall. Have a look at some

of the numbers. Shell reporting today that it made almost $7 billion in the past quarter, more than double its profit from the previous quarter.

Well, joining us now to sort through all of this is Noureldeen Al Hammoury. He is the chief market strategist for Equiti Group.

Good to have you with us.

NOURELDEEN AL HAMMOURY, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, EQUITI GROUP: Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: So, in a war, there are always winners and losers. And certainly, in this war, it appears that those in the defense industries, those in the

oil market, certainly winning shell, as I just mentioned, you know, its profit doubling compared to last quarter. So just explain what's driving

these profits.

AL HAMMOURY: I mean, if you definitely look at the prices, it's definitely is the one that is driving all the profits, especially for the -- for the

energy, for the energy companies. At least it is important also here that volatility played a huge role in it.

Energy companies like Shell are still operating in a very profitable environment because even after the pullback also in oil, oil prices still

remain historically elevated. But for oil majors, the kind of environment is actually ideal from a cash flow perspective, elevated prices combined

with supply -- supply uncertainty.

The physical market, though, remains tight or also tighter than what -- what futures market are currently implying. And briefly at least, the

markets are still pricing in some sort of peace this week. But they have not yet priced in stability.

KINKADE: Yeah, and just looking at that graphic, it's not just shell. Other energy companies including BP, showing that its profits more than

doubled year on year. Does this point to the fact that there is this sustained industry benefit that's, you know, potentially pricing in this

risk premium from this geopolitical crisis?

AL HAMMOURY: I mean, at least -- I wouldn't say its a its a sustainable because if the war ends tomorrow, I mean, there will be a lot of changes

when it comes to or shifts when it comes to where the demand is coming from, and also where the supply is going to come from.

At the beginning of the -- of the conflict, you know, it was the delivery issue. And then it turned to a production issue. Now we have both. And with

the Strait of Hormuz also closed, a lot of other -- buyers or needed to basically shift their demand somewhere else or they're buying somewhere

else.

And that's basically you're talking about India. You're talking about also from Japan, you're talking about the U.S. and the others. So, this is still

a headline driven market, but is it sustainable? I don't think so, because if the war actually ends tomorrow this would this would change and shift

the entire outlook, at least.

Even today, if you look at the -- what happened yesterday, we had 7 percent decline. And today, earlier this morning, we had another 5 percent decline.

Now we're flat on the day because of the multiple headlines that keeps coming. From one side, we are pricing in peace and possible end of this --

of this conflict.

And a few minutes -- a few minutes -- a few minutes ago, also the IRGC announced that they had again fired at enemies just about a second ago.

So, this is -- basically, it's going to keep on going until we actually get an actual -- and a clear message from both sides whether the conflict is

ending or if it's going to continue.

KINKADE: Yeah. Until then, that volatility will continue.

Noureldeen Al Hammoury, thanks so much for your time.

Well, global health officials are working to contain a hantavirus outbreak. Still to come, we'll speak to an infectious disease advisor with the World

Health Organization about the steps being taken.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Global health authorities are working to contain that hantavirus outbreak from a cruise ship. So far, three people have died from the outbreak, with

another five confirmed infections. That ship is scheduled to dock in the Canary Islands this weekend to allow passengers to disembark and go home.

The World Health Organization is now trying to reassure residents of the Canary Islands

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Of course, we understand their concerns, but as I said in my

statement, based on the risk assessment that we have, the risk to the people in the Canary Islands is actually low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Joining me now is Dr. Aileen Marty. She is a senior adviser on infectious disease outbreak response for the World Health Organization and

joins us live from Florida.

Thanks for your time.

DR. AILEEN M. MARTY, SENIOR ADVISER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAK RESPONSE, W.H.O.: Pleasure to be here.

By the way, I'm -- my ancestors are from the canary islands, and this is landing in Tenerife, where they have excellent facilities.

[15:35:00]

KINKADE: Do they have facilities enough to deal with, you know, a widespread outbreak? Now that we know that this particular strain can

spread from person to person as opposed from just rodents to people, you know, do they have the capacity to deal with that many people who may be

infected?

MARTY: Well, they're not going to be dealing with that. Many people who could be infected because this is going to be managed very carefully in

Tenerife. That's the point. If we didn't know that the virus was on board the ship, then it could lead to very significant secondary and tertiary

cases. But we do know it's on board the ship, and we do know that we have to isolate the people who come off the ship.

So, one of the things that sounds very scary about this virus is that it has an average incubation period of about 18 days. That sounds scary. That

means there could certainly and, you know, it can be as much as 50 days in some reported cases. So, the -- that is actually very helpful.

The reason it's helpful is we know who to isolate for how long. And it's not jumping person to person as quickly as, for example, COVID-19, which

spread from one person to the next in a much shorter time frame because the incubation period was much shorter. So that's going to actually help us

out. And they don't have extensive facilities in Tenerife, but they have enough and they have incredibly excellent doctors there that will and

nurses that can help manage this particular situation that we have with the ship.

KINKADE: Doctor, what evidence suggests that this transmission has involved rare human-to-human transmission instead of only rodent exposure?

MARTY: So this is Andes virus, which we've known about since 1995. The first cases of Andes virus ever described were in a family where the father

transmitted it to the pregnant woman and his two children, and it was clear even back then that this particular type of hantavirus, the Andes virus,

produces enough of a viral load in people who are ill to be able to transmit from person to person.

So, this is not new information. And south America has cases of Andes virus every year, every year, an average of about 300 cases are reported in

various different countries, mostly Argentina, Chile and sometimes Brazil, as the dominant places where we see this outbreak because there are rodents

in those places that can transmit it to humans.

The ecology of this particular virus is one where it still needs a rodent host to stay in the environment. And so if you don't have the particular

kind of rodent that could sustain that, then even if someone in, say, Canada, among the Canadians that that were on the ship were to spread it

around a little bit in that area, the rodents there would not catch it because it's a different kind of rodent.

Another thing to consider is you don't -- you -- in COVID, we had super spreaders and there were much more frequent to get us. There are

superspreaders of Andes virus, but they're very uncommon. It has to be someone who already, for example, has liver disease that would facilitate

them being a super spreader, who could spread it to others. And in all cases where we've seen transmission from human to human, it has been very

close contact.

KINKADE: Right. All right, Dr. Aileen Murray, clearly an expert on this issue -- really appreciate your time today. Thank you.

MURRAY: Pleasure

KINKADE: Well, it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. And stocks are lower. The Dow briefly crossed the 50,000 mark earlier in the session,

but has since tailed off.

This is our Business Breakout.

France says it will give financial support to airlines hit by rising fuel costs. The country's transport minister says the government is fully

mobilized to support the industry if needed, and that could come in the form of cash flow or soften deadlines -- softer deadlines for tax payments.

Shipping giant Maersk warns the Iran war is costing the company nearly half a billion dollars a month in higher fuel prices, and says costs will have

to be passed on to customers. The company's chief executive told CNN's Richard Quest that not passing on these costs would be completely

unsustainable.

Whirlpool shares are down around 12 percent after the company said the war in Iran had triggered a decline in its U.S. business, on par with a

recession. The appliance maker said that consumer confidence collapsed in February and March.

[15:40:01]

It's planning to raise prices in North America as a result.

The maker of weight loss drug Wegovy reports strong sales of its new pill version. And that's good news for Novo Nordisk, as well as the Danish city

that produces Wegovy. The global demand for weight loss drugs has transformed the town of Kalundborg.

Anna Cooban paid a visit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER (voice-over): Sailing season is getting underway in Kalundborg.

COOBAN: I can't even drive a car, but now I'm driving a boat.

MARTIN HOGH SORENSEN, KALUNDBORG RESIDENT: Yeah, yeah, that's nice.

COOBAN: And you just take over --

SORENSEN: -- if you turn the other way, then the boat will, in a while, turn a little.

COOBAN (voice-over): In this small city in Denmark. You either work for Novo Nordisk, or you know somebody who does.

Martin Sorenson, spent 25 years there, his friend and Louise Eliason manning the sails 27 years.

SORENSEN: It is changing, because we have a lot of international workers now. So that, of course, influenced the future. Just daily life in town.

COOBAN (voice-over): In Kalundborg, past meets future, on one side of town, a medieval church on the other, an enormous factory pumps out weight

loss drugs for the world.

According to Novo, their operation sits on a site larger than Monaco.

KASPER BODKER MEJLVANG, EVP OF GLOBAL MANUFACTURING AT NOVO NORDISK: I started my career here in cannonball some 20 years ago, and it is just mind

blowing. The transformation the site has gone through.

COOBAN (voice-over): I've been given exclusive access inside the factory.

COOBAN: So about to go into a room where they make vast quantities of Semaglutide, which is the key ingredient for weight loss drugs and diabetes

drugs. And basically, it's medicine that has to be shipped all around the world, so it's a highly sanitized environment.

COOBAN (voice-over): These injectable pens will be sent to the United States to serve its huge appetite for weight loss medications. It's Novo's

biggest markets, but also home to its largest competitor, Eli Lilly.

Globally as well, competition is rising.

COOBAN: So, in places like India and China, already you've got pharmaceutical companies making generics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

COOBAN: How do you feel about that? What does it mean for this factory that we're standing in right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Based on the investments here, we can make huge volumes to supply to the whole world, to the demand of millions of people.

COOBAN (voice-over): Back in town, it's time for a coffee break. Shaun Gamble, originally from New Zealand, used to work for Novo before opening

his cafe on the harbor.

SHAUN GAMBLE, CAFE OWNER: I was working in what they call the warehouse and just packing all the finished products onto pallets, onto trucks and

around the world.

COOBAN (voice-over): Recently, Novo has hit somewhat of a rocky patch. In September, it announced thousands of layoffs globally, though mostly across

Denmark.

GAMBLE: The mood changed when you're talking with people. I mean, I also knew a few people who were laid off. Buildings still going on. So, I think

we're hoping the momentum carries on again. It was just a little glitch.

COOBAN (voice-over): I asked the mayor if Kalundborg depends too much on Novo Nordisk.

MARTIN DAMM, KALUNDBORG, DENMARK MAYOR: We are dependent on Novo Nordisk, but not only Novo Nordisk. Many years ago, we have just one company in

Kalundborg, and when it was broke, the whole city went down. So today we have more companies.

COOBAN (voice-over): Novo is hoping its new Wegovy weight loss pill, released in the U.S. in January, can give it a boost.

And Novo's chief executive says the company is making those pills on American soil.

MIKE DOUSTDAR, CEO OF NOVO NORDISK: If you think about this Wegovy pill from the creations of the raw material, all the way to tableting of the

product, to packaging it, and, of course, to shipping it. Is all made in U.S., in North Carolina by Americans, for Americans.

COOBAN (voice-over): Still an ocean away in Kalundborg, this city of fewer than 17,000 people, remains a perhaps unlikely engine of the global weight

loss rocket ship. And its residents are hoping for smooth waters ahead.

COOBAN: How does it feel that this town is one of the centers of this weight loss drug revolution and that now it's getting international

attention? How does that feel?

SORENSEN: Of course, a little proud. Yeah, yeah.

COOBAN (voice-over): Anna Cooban, CNN, Kalundborg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back.

A federal judge has unsealed a purported suicide note from Jeffrey Epstein. The unverified and undated document was placed on the court docket in the

case of a former cellmate of the late sex offender.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: A note that a cellmate of Jeffrey Epstein says he discovered inside a book in 2019. That

cellmate says this is the suicide note of Jeffrey Epstein in an attempt on his life where he tried to kill himself and did not succeed. He survived

that suicide attempt and then later killed himself weeks later.

This note, the sort of thing that many, many people would have been wanting to see this earlier, that was not released by the Justice Department when

they put out millions of files for transparency around Jeffrey Eepstein, his time in jail, his death, as well as his crimes of sex trafficking.

But this note, it was in the hands of this cellmate for quite some time, seven years. And then "The New York Times", just in the last month or so,

went to court and said, this should be released. This cellmate has been talking about it publicly.

Here's a little bit more from that cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, a man who is serving life in prison for a quadruple murder. He was speaking to a

podcaster earlier this year.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

NICHOLAS TARTAGLIONE, EPSTEIN'S CELLMATE: It was in my book. Yeah. When I got back into the cell, I opened my book to read, and there it was. And he

wrote it and stuck it in the book. And that was, I believe, the reason why he stopped saying -- because he didn't want to go to suicide watch because

I think his first thing was, oh, yeah, he tried to blame me for attacking him.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

POLANTZ: But now this note in the public domain released by the judge and we can see what it looks like, this scribbled out words by supposedly

Jeffrey Epstein, what the cellmate says was Epstein's handwriting.

What it says is: They investigated me for a month, found nothing. So, 15- year-old charges resurrected. It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye. What do you want me to do? Burst out crying. No fun. Not

worth it.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Katelyn Polantz.

Well, still to come, K-pop comeback. BTS is taking over Mexico City. We'll have the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:23]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

K-pop supergroup BTS is in Mexico getting ready for their performance later today. Earlier, they got a taste of what they can expect.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

KINKADE: The fans, BTS Army, as they call themselves, were able to get a glimpse of the boy band after their meeting with Mexican President Claudia

Sheinbaum at the national palace.

Valeria Leon joins us now with K-pop fever.

Good to see you, Valeria.

So, this is the first of three sold out shows happening tonight. What can we expect?

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's correct, Lynda.

And BTS fever has transformed Mexico City. I mean, you can sit here. Thousands of fans have gathered here at this stadium in Mexico City for the

first of three sold out concerts in the Mexican capital. And this is part of a world tour across 80 cities, through three different continents.

But for shows in Mexico City, the demand has been huge. Selling out very quickly. These tickets and many of them, you can you can see here -- she's

looking for a ticket right? No.

Many people we've seen here, they are looking for more tickets because they told us it was a difficult process and also a lot of money. Over $1,000 per

ticket to get here.

This is the entrance of for this stadium in Mexico City. And the concert will start in seven hours. But people are already lining up here since

early hours, and many here went yesterday to this zocalo event that was invited by Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum. She invited the BTS

members to the National Palace.

And today, Mexico's president talked a bit of what happened yesterday and the invitation that she made to this BTS members. Let's take a listen of

what she said yesterday

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The fact that BTS came to the National Palace and greeted the crowd is a nice gesture,

and they'll be coming back next year. The production teams will provide the details on when they will return.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEON: So, you can see all these people waiting to get in inside this stadium.

How many hours are you going to wait?

Four hours she's going to wait.

[15:55:01]

And you can see many of these girls right now inside the stadium. There is the sound check. For these VIP tickets up to $2,000, they could get inside

right now to get this sound check of the band. And then the concert will start in seven hours, Lynda.

So, this is the scene here in Mexico City for the first of the three sold out concerts of this BTS K-pop band -- Lynda.

KINKADE: Wow. Yeah, I was reading 135,000 tickets sold out in minutes for that concert tonight. So, certainly, the BTS Army is there in full force

after the boy band's first tour since their military service was completed.

Valeria Leon, appreciate you being there for us. Thanks so much.

I'm Lynda Kinkade. That is WHAT WE KNOW.

Stay with CNN. We're going to have much more news after a short break.

END

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