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Dr. Amesh Adalja is Interviewed about Hantavirus; Netanyahu's America Problem; Trump's Fight on Mail Voting; Pedestrian Hit at Denver Airport; MAGA Influencer Targets Gay Couple. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 11, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: For you now on the stranded cruise ship. It is now being evacuated. The American passengers that were on board, they actually touched down back on U.S. soil overnight. There's also word in from the Department of Health and Human Services that among the 17 American citizens, there is one positive test for the hantavirus so far. Another American, we're told, is exhibiting mild symptoms.

Now, there's busses -- there's images of busses that took the group to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha in the wee hours of the morning. There, the group will be assessed and monitored. And this all, though, you remember, started back at the beginning of April when hantavirus infections were confirmed aboard the ship. And since then, three people have died from this rare illness.

But also just in from the World Health Organization, there are now seven confirmed cases overall, two suspected cases.

Joining me now is Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician. He's a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.

It's good to see you again, Doctor.

The head of NIH, who is also the CDC director currently, he's working -- was out and about and talking to whomever really he could speak with, it seems, to try to calm the fears that have spread around this virus, saying -- making the point to press and say, this is not the pandemic all over again.

And you've been an important voice in this as well. Help people understand what kind of threat this actually poses and what kind it does not.

DR. AMESH ADALJA, SENIOR SCHOLAR, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURITY: So, hantavirus is a deadly infectious disease with a high mortality rate. But the thing is, it's not a very communicable infectious disease. It's something that there are kind of tried and true public health principles that can contain it. And we've been able to contain it in the past. And it's behaving exactly as we would expect the Andes version of hantavirus to behave. And I think that should be reassuring that, yes, this is a public

health emergency, yes, we have to deal with what's happened on that ship and all of those individuals, those passengers that are now going to go through this incubation period. Some of them are going to test positive. But there hasn't been any secondary cases outside of that ship. And there are plans in place to deal with that if it were to occur.

So, I'm pretty confident that this is something that is handle -- is something that's going to be handled well. And remember, not every public health emergency rises to the level of an epidemic or pandemic threat.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And -- which is an important piece of this, of course. An important part of the fear here. There could be more positive cases that could pop up still, of course. What's important to understand that that -- when that, if that inevitably does occur?

ADALJA: This is expected. That's why we're going through all of this. That's why these 17 Americans are being evaluated at the National Quarantine Center. They're being tested. They're being checked for symptoms. And they're going to go through a six-week period, just like the other Americans that disembarked earlier.

But we do expect some may test positive. But because they're under monitoring, they will be promptly intervened upon with tests, with isolation and with treatment to limit secondary spread.

So, that's the whole concept of operations. That's what we're referring to when we talk about this not posing a threat to the general public because, number one, it's not very communicable. Number two, there are multiple layers in place with public health to try and minimize any impact on the general population. It's important that public health is well resourced. It can do all of this. But it is something that they can do, and they did after the Ebola outbreaks in 2014, when all of those nurses and doctors came back from western Africa and were working in -- they were working in Doctors Without Borders, and they were monitored very similarly with the more higher consequence disease without any untoward effects. So, I think we can do this.

BOLDUAN: This seems to, and you're kind of getting at this, to reflect a kind of post Covid anxiety where kind of any unusual virus, something that people are not -- it's not a, you know, a household name in terms of a virus, if you will, immediately sets off alarm bells. Is that an understandable kind of overcorrection, Doctor, or is it a dangerous one?

ADALJA: It's understandable. This -- Covid was a very traumatic event for many people. This was the first time that they'd been through a pandemic. It disrupted their entire way of life. So, now everything is looked through a pandemic lens. Anytime there's an infectious disease emergency, whether it's mpox, whether it's bird flu, whether it's -- whether it's hantavirus, they're looking at it through that lens of Covid. That's coloring everything they think about. And that's what they're worried about. But you have to remember that not all viruses are interchangeable.

That each has distinct biology, distinct transmission. And that's going to reflect the risk that it poses. So, not everything can spread like Covid or influenza. Not everything can spread like Ebola even.

So, it's really important to keep that in mind, that everything is going to be tailored to the actual pathogen's biology.

[08:35:03]

And I think that sometimes that's lost on people.

You know, after 1918, they called that the forgotten pandemic. Covid- 19 is a little bit opposite of that because it's really triggering people, understandably so.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it's the -- it's the never forgotten pandemic. But perspective and proportionality on this front is always important, which is why you're so helpful in this.

Dr. Adalja, thanks so much. It's really good to see you.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a brand-new interview with "60 Minutes." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledges that support for Israel in the United States has fallen substantially. Now the prime minister blames it on some countries that have, quote, "manipulated social media."

With us now, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

Whatever the actual cause --

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes.

BERMAN: The prime minister is on to something when it comes to support for Israel in the United States, yes.

ENTEN: Yes, it's exactly right. But it's not just a problem that Israel has when it comes to public opinion in the United States. It's Netanyahu himself who has a major problem when it comes to public opinion in the United States.

Look at this. Americans say they are not confident when it comes to Netanyahu and world affairs. Look at this. In 2023, the not confident percentage was 42. Up significantly. Up like a rocket. Up to 59 percent. That's a nearly 20-point movement in just three years' time. And now the majority of Americans say they are not confident when it comes to Bibi Netanyahu and world affairs. And we're not just talking Democrats here. We're talking the entire American public, nearly three in five.

BERMAN: All right, well, let's talk about the partisan breakdown here, because there are two interesting stories going on at the same time. ENTEN: Yes, there are two interesting stories. You might think that

this might be a story of young Democrats moving significantly against Israel and moving against Bibi Netanyahu. But in fact there is a twist to the numbers here. It -- yes, it is young Democrats, but it's actually older Democrats who are more likely to say that they're not confident when it comes to Bibi Netanyahu in world affairs. Look at this, among Democrats under the age of 50, its 73 percent. But look at this. Look among Democrats 50 years and older. It's actually larger. It's 81 percent. And both of these numbers are up significantly from they were -- where they were in 2023. But it's actually older Democrats leading the charge, many of whom are not, are not on social media.

BERMAN: Yes. And again, just to point out here, this is not confident in Benjamin Netanayahu.

ENTEN: This is not confident. They are not confident in Bibi Netanyahu.

BERMAN: And let's talk about Republicans too, because it's interesting sort of the dichotomy we see here.

ENTEN: Yes, OK. So, you know, I said you might have expected younger Democrats to be leading the charge and not being confident in Bibi Netanyahu but, in fact, it was older Democrats. But look at the reverse here. Look among Republicans, because here there is a massive age split. And look at this, Republicans who are not confident in Bibi Netanyahu. Look at this. Younger Republicans, nearly three in five, we're talking 58 percent compared to 30 percent of Republicans who are 50 and older. This, to me, is so fascinating because there's a massive age split within the Republican Party when it comes to Bibi Netanyahu and when it comes, of course, to Israel as well. And this, to me, is going to be very interesting in the years to come, especially as we enter the 2028 primary season, where we're seeing this massive flip within the Republican Party on Israel. And is there going to be a candidate who comes out here and says, you know what, maybe we want to do a split and tries to appeal to younger Republicans.

BERMAN: It really is interesting to see a majority of younger Republicans saying they're not confident in Netanyahu.

ENTEN: It's a -- exactly. And double, double the percentage for older Republicans.

BERMAN: All right, Harry Enten, thank you very much for this.

ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.

BERMAN: Obviously, the context here is the war with Iran and the various feelings about that war. Israel may be in a different place than the United States on that, with Netanyahu very much saying the war is not over yet.

With us now is CNN military analyst, former NATO supreme allied commander, James Stavridis. He's also the author of a brand new book, "2084: A Novel of Future War," because we need fictional stories about war, right, when they're -- we're in the middle of real ones here, Admiral. But I'm sure it's wonderful. You are a terrific, terrific writer.

I -- you know, I want to put up a picture of the Strait of Hormuz, which is still very much closed this morning, as President Trump says that Iran's offer, counterproposal on peace, is totally unacceptable.

Admiral, you've been at this a long time. How surprising is that? The U.S. waited and waited and waited for the Iranians to respond. They thought it was going to be Thursday, then Friday. It didn't come Saturday. Finally, it came yesterday, and the president didn't like it.

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: Iran invented the game of chess, and you can see them playing pretty cleverly. They don't actually have a great hand of cards here, John. But one of their true life skills in Tehran is negotiating. And so they're going to string it out as long as they can.

Look, I think President Trump has three options very quickly. He can kind of walk away from this, throw up his hands. I think that's tempting, but not the right move since it would leave the Strait in the hands of the Iranians and all the nuclear material still probably at the bottom of a shaft in Isfahan. So, not a good option. A second option, he can resume massive bombing campaigns.

[08:40:04]

And, you know, I think that is increasingly a possibility here if his frustration level rises. And then, number three, where I think this probably lands better than even chance, you continue that blockade, you put more economic pressure on the Iranians. Maybe you do some targeted strikes to eliminate the, shall we say, intransigent elements in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards that appear to be driving the train from Tehran. Some combination of all of that. But it's as unsettled as it's been since we started dropping bombs a couple of months ago, John.

BERMAN: Yes, it is interesting because the United States, some officials were indicating they thought the blockade would have worked weeks ago at this point, but still hasn't forced Iran's hand, at least not yet.

So, the president, this week, a fascinating, fascinating trip, right? The president is going to China to meet with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. Now, there are some people who say that Iran will be a major subject of discussion here. But my question is, is Xi, is he mostly concerned about Iran over here, or does he have his eyes glancing south to Taiwan right there, Admiral?

STAVRIDIS: Well, first and foremost, recall that President Xi is a strategic thinker. He kind of plays the long game from everything I've seen. So, I think the short answer to your question is both. He sees Iran as a prime source of hydrocarbons. He's getting oil at a significant discount. He'd like that to continue. But he would also like the opportunity to put more pressure on what he regards as the rogue province of Taiwan.

So, I think both of those are going to come up, but I'm not looking for any geopolitical breakthrough in Beijing, John. What I think we're going to see is two leaders who will pretend to like each other a lot. There'll be some minor deliverables, maybe a little less tension on the trade and tariff front. No big breakthroughs one way or the other. But it will be great theater watching the two of them on the Great Wall of China, in the hall of the people, in the forbidden palace. Look for some great photo ops. Not a lot of substance.

BERMAN: It is quite a picture to see that is at the end of this week we'll be watching and listening very carefully to readouts from both sides to see how they align.

Admiral James Stavridis, congratulations on the new novel. Thanks so much for being with us.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: President Trump's war against mail-in voting is now drawing the U.S. Postal Service into the fight.

CNN's Gabe Cohen has some fascinating new reporting on this and he's joining us right now.

Gabe, tell us what's going on here.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, Kate, what the administration is directing the Postal Service to do here is basically to police absentee ballots that are being put into their system, to make sure that they do not deliver them to or from anyone who is not on one of these approved voter lists that would be handed over by the states before the midterms. If it sounds a bit unusual, it's because it would be unusual for elections in the United States, and it has already sparked several lawsuits from voting rights groups, Democratic-led states, elections officials, all of whom argue that the Postal Service would essentially go from being a carrier of ballots into really a gatekeeper of voter eligibility, which they may or may not have the authority or even the capability to do.

I spoke to the former chairman of the Postal Service board of directors who told me, "if the Postal Service decides to do this, it will be a disaster. They do not have the resources to build this or the administrative infrastructure to do it."

And others told me, because the Postal Service is an independent agency, it could potentially resist these demands from the president, to push back. But so far, that really hasn't happened publicly. Kate. The Postal Service has started its first implementation process, which is the rulemaking process to figure out how it would actually do this for the administration.

And talking to sources, it really appears that Postal Service leaders are trying to comply here, but they're also trying to balance their legal authority with avoiding a potential confrontation with both Congress and the White House. So, why would that be beyond it being bad politics? Well, it's partly

because the Postal Service is in a really precarious position right now. The postmaster general just recently told Congress that they're facing a financial crisis. They could run out of cash in less than a year unless lawmakers step in and grant them much more power to borrow money and to potentially raise postage rates. But that overhaul that we're talking about hinges on lawmakers and the White House working with the Postal Service to get that done and pass legislation. And the Postal Service, Kate, has already faced a lot of criticisms from the president, a lot of threats to strip away its independence. It is not a time where they want to go to war, let's say, with this administration or with one party or the other.

[08:45:06]

They need Congress on board to help them out.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean, for years, Gabe, and you know this from your reporting, the story when it comes to the Postal Service is that it is strapped for cash. It is short on staff. Like, adding to its responsibilities seems the furthest thing that the U.S. Postal Service can manage at this time. And now stuck in another cash crunch in the midst of all of this is quite something.

Great reporting, Gabe. Thank you so much.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just ahead, a gay couple who had just become new parents says a MAGA influencer targeted and exploited them, which led to one of them being arrested on suspicion of battery. They are telling their side of the story this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you had a surrogate? You paid a woman $50,000 to be pregnant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you?

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And build an emotional connection to a baby.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't take my mic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Also, why Dua Lipa is taking Samsung to court. What she's demanding in damages. Those stories and more ahead

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:33] SIDNER: This morning, Denver International Airport conducting a safety review after a pedestrian was hit and killed by a plane taking off late Friday. Surveillance video shows the moment right before it happened. You see it there. Officials say the person had jumped over a fence just two minutes before being struck. The pilots quickly aborted takeoff and passengers were safely evacuated.

CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean joining us now.

This has got to be highly unusual. I mean somebody jumps a fence and, within a couple minutes, they've been hit by a plane.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: There was a similar incident back in 2020 at Austin International Airport involving a Southwest flight, but that was at the peak of the pandemic, didn't really make a lot of news then.

In this case, Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington says the airport's now conducting this full safety assessment since this incident raises major questions about how someone could possibly gain access to such a secure area. The security video clearly shows a person walking on the runway one seven left from the east side of the airport. That's the far end of the airfield. A security fence and gate appear to be only a few hundred feet away.

If you've ever been to Denver International Airport, you know just how enormous it is. The airport's famous for these long taxi times. The property spans 53 square miles, roughly twice the size of the island of Manhattan. Denver International says it has 36 miles of perimeter fencing. Airport officials say they rely on a combination of technology, surveillance and physical inspections to secure it. But now the airport says it's reviewing that entire perimeter safety program.

A lot of people also asking why the airplane simply couldn't swerve out of the way to avoid this person on the runway. Preliminary data shows the aircraft was still accelerating for takeoff, 120 knots, about 135 miles per hour. At that speed the plane's covering about 200 feet every second, weighs about 200,000 pounds. You can understand simply not designed for sharp maneuvering on the runway. And because this happened at night, spotting a person on the runway would have been so, so difficult.

There are also some pretty big questions here about the evacuation as well. The crew evacuated all 231 people on board directly onto the runway, using those inflatable emergency slides you've heard about in the passenger briefing. Some passengers reported smoke in the cabin, questioned the speed of the evacuation.

Safety experts are really concerned, though, about some of this video showing passengers taking carry-on bags with them during the evacuation. In an emergency like this, every second matters. Never take your bags during an evacuation. It's become a huge focus of the National Transportation Safety Board in recent years because carry-on luggage can slow evacuations, block exits, prove fatal. The NTSB, by the way, has not opened a formal investigation into this

incident, says it's still gathering information right now. Of course, there are so many agencies involved here. The big question is how could somebody get onto the airport and end up on the runway like this? A lot of questions to answer now.

SIDNER: A lot of questions to answer. And also there's some responsibility on the people trying to get out with their luggage. You're told over and over again, don't take your luggage with you, it could cause a major problem.

Pete Muntean, I know you'll be staying with this and we'll find out more details when you do. Appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, chaos at a neighborhood block party in northeast Florida. Police say a driver plowed his truck through a crowded street celebration, injuring several people and smashing a whole bunch of parked cars. It ended when officers opened fire on the driver, who was arrested and now faces several charges.

In Tampa, a woman is facing charges for grand theft auto after authorities she say -- say she stole a Red Bull truck. Driving pretty slowly for a Red Bull truck. The 33-year-old led authorities on a chase through multiple counties. They eventually tracked her to a gas station. Sheriff's deputies followed her in and then made the arrest.

Pop superstar Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million. The singer alleges Samsung used an image on a television packaging -- on television packaging, I would think, without her permission, Her legal team says Samsung ignored repeated demands to pull the boxes, which they claim were used to exploit her image in order to boost sales. Samsung has yet to comment.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right. A gay couple in California is speaking out now after they say they were swept up in a MAGA influencer's viral stunt in west Hollywood.

[08:55:05]

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan sat down with them. Donie is here now.

There's a lot to this. What happened?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, I mean, look, in this sort of crowded online space of influencers, people are trying to go viral at any cost. We came across one person who dubs himself as a sort of MAGA influencer, who's essentially trying to tap into the viral success of people like Charlie Kirk. So, going -- this guy goes to college campuses. He goes out to streets. And he speaks to people, tries to get them into debates. Sometimes often very cynically.

And he visited west Hollywood a few weeks ago, and this is what's happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MILLER-ROBINSON: We were making our way across the rainbow crosswalk and he spotted us. He said, hey, can you do a few questions for CNN?

RYLEY NIEMI, CONSERVATIVE INFLUENCER: This is your guy's son or daughter or --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Son.

NIEMI: Awesome. And are you guys a couple?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

NIEMI: That's awesome. Cool.

ANTHONY VULIN: As soon as he asked the first question, we knew that they weren't with CNN, that this was something different.

NIEMI: So, have you ever heard about the statistics coming out that gay men are statistically much more likely to commit child molestation?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

NIEMI: You never heard about that before?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That sounds crazy. Yes.

MILLER-ROBINSON: In that instant I realized that we were manipulated into having this interaction with someone who was exploiting us for viral content.

NIEMI: So, you had a surrogate? You paid a woman $50,000 to be pregnant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you?

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

NIEMI: And build an emotional connection to a baby.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

NIEMI: Hey, don't take my mic.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): New parents, Anthony and David Vulin were approached in west Hollywood by someone they say was falsely claiming he was with CNN. The man then provoked the couple with a false statistic about gay men.

MILLER-ROBINSON: When someone inserts themselves into a specific community with the intention of triggering people, it's not freedom of expression, it's an exploitation. O'SULLIVAN (voice over): That someone is Ryley Niemi.

NIEMI: What makes somebody a woman?

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Fashioning himself as a MAGA influencer, he takes to college campuses and to the streets to create rage bait.

NIEMI: And this got bent by a nonbinary faculty member at UCLA actually. It's on video. It's got millions of views.

O'SULLIVAN: I'm just trying to figure out, like, how much of -- how much of this stuff is like you intentionally just, you know, trying to get a rise out of people, trying to create content versus like, what, how serious you believe this stuff.

NIEMI: I think it should be illegal to be transgender.

O'SULLIVAN: You think what?

NIEMI: I think it should be illegal to become transgender for even adults.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Niemi says he's motivated by politics, but what he is doing can also be profitable.

NIEMI: The rate at which my social media is growing, I could easily live off of it in probably four or five months from now.

O'SULLIVAN: What's your message for him, and do you sort of have hope that he might change his ways maybe?

MILLER-ROBINSON: I don't really think this is about him. This isn't about one specific content creator. This is about an incentivized institution. This is about large platforms telling youthful audiences what works and not being held accountable.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Anthony, David and their three-month-old son, Ante (ph), were swept up in Niemi's viral circus. Niemi says David Vulin assaulted him. The Vulin's lawyers say the couple was deliberately targeted with some of the most revolting hate speech imaginable, all on camera for clicks, adding, David Vulin did what any father would do and protected his family. The wrong person spent the night in jail.

MILLER-ROBINSON: I think that across the board, regardless of political identity, people need to extend grace to one another. People need to extend kindness to one another. Be nicer to themselves. So that they can be nicer to other people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): And, Kate, you know, I think what this really shows is the nexus between how, as David Vulin mentioned there in that piece, how there's this incentive structure online for influencers or people to create rage bait, to act in a way where certain behavior is essentially awarded by the algorithms and by the people who are liking and sharing this content. But obviously, as you can see, there are really real victims to this stuff.

One thing worth mentioning that that -- good that has come out of this is that the community in west Hollywood and actually beyond have got behind the Vulins. They may -- they have had a GoFundMe to set up to support their legal fund. If anything comes out of this. So there really has been a rallying. But as you see there, that's just a couple trying to go about their lives in their neighborhoods with their three month old son and this is coming straight to them.

BOLDUAN: I mean the whole -- this whole -- that just made me all -- that was -- made me sad all over the place on multiple levels for multiple reasons.

Good reporting though. Thank you, Donie, for doing real reporting and not posing, allegedly, as a CNN reporter, as we say that that man did. Thank you.

[09:00:00]

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.