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Erin Burnett Outfront
Report: Trump Says Iran Deal Will Be Wrapped Up In A Week; New Hantavirus Case; Brother of Pope Leo And His Pastor Speak Out. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired May 06, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:28]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, a top Iranian with a new message moments ago for President Trump, as Trump claims the war will be wrapped up in a week. When have we heard that before?
Also breaking tonight, another case of hantavirus tied to the cruise ship outbreak. Another man in isolation tonight.
We're going to talk to a woman who nearly died from the virus. Her symptoms started out like a flu, and then she ended up in a medically induced coma.
And an OUTFRONT exclusive this hour, the brother of Pope Leo is our guest. He talks to his brother every single day. What has driven the pope to be so outspoken against Trump's war?
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, "Operation trust me bro failed". That's a quote. It is the mocking post that just was posted a few minutes ago from the account used by Iran's top war negotiator.
And that post comes just after CNN witnessed some of Trump's top team on Iran just leaving the White House. And the message from the top negotiator that mocking message landing as Fox News's Bret Baier says he talked to Trump and Trump told him he expects to have a deal with Iran wrapped up in a week. And according to Trump, that includes everything. His entire wish list. Iran will give up its highly enriched uranium, the Strait of Hormuz is open. It's all there.
And besides the mocking post from Iran's top negotiator, all we have on that claim is this response from a member of Iran's national security and foreign policy committee, in which they said, and I quote, America's wish list until it becomes reality, Americans will not obtain through a failed war what they failed to gain face to face negotiations. And when the president was asked, when does he expect to hear back
from Iran on this -- this deal that he says is all going to be wrapped up with a bow quickly? Here is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Is there a deadline? Do you expect a deadline that you expect to hear back?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Never a deadline. It'll happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Never a deadline. That is a seismic shift. And it is worth mentioning it, right? Because remember, it was not long ago when Trump said he was going to wipe an entire civilization off the map. So now having no deadline, it is a seismic shift.
And it is also worth pointing out in this conversation that what Trump defines as an end to the war is a constantly moving target from what Trump initially told "Axios", he said he could end the war in two to three days at its onset, but from then, the deadline has shifted and shifted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: A few days to four to five weeks. And since then, we've heard this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: The U.S. will be gone or done with the war in two weeks?
TRUMP: I think with two or three weeks. Yeah.
We're in there for two months. And you know what? Were going to have victory very shortly.
I thought it would take four to six weeks. And I was right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It has now been nine weeks and five days since Trump's first strikes. And all of that, that shifting deadline, has led Iranian state media to mockingly say, in one headline today, Trump's mountain of initiatives gave birth to a mouse.
And then there's Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is out there. And you know what this is? This is -- this is pretty important to hear, because what he is saying is that what the White House would consider a success is this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Our preference is for these straits to be opened to the way they're supposed to be opened, back to the way it was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Back to the way it was after a war, Americans dead, that what he wants is things with Iran to go back to the way it was to the Strait of Hormuz being open. Obviously, that was also before the price of oil spiked and gas prices soared to the highest levels in four years. It is because of this war, which today, Trump tried to say is maybe a smaller version of a special operation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're in a -- I call it a skirmish because that's what it is
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live outside the White House.
And, Kristen, in all of this context, you just witnessed some of Trump's top officials on the Iran war leaving the White House. What more are you learning?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erin. So, we just saw the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, the vice president, J.D. Vance, all departing the White House, as we know that the U.S. and Iran are coming closer to a potential agreement on this memorandum to end the war. Iran is currently going over the latest U.S. proposal.
[19:05:00]
This would be a one-page document, we are told. It's incredibly short. It would basically declare an ending to the war and then open up a 30- day negotiating period for some of these sticking points, which, of course, really appeared to be all of the things that we've been talking about, things like nuclear issues, unfreezing Iranian assets, the security of the Strait of Hormuz.
The other part of this that we were not able to get from sources were the real details on enriched uranium, which, of course, we have been reporting has been the really -- the big hang up between the U.S. and Iran for the last several weeks. This idea of what happens to the uranium that's already been enriched, that Iran has. President Trump has said they're going to ship it to the U.S. Iran has said that's never going to happen.
And then this kind of moratorium on how long Iran would not enrich uranium for. Originally, the U.S. said 20 years. Iran came back with five. The U.S. wants it to be more than ten years. So, we're still trying to hammer out some of these details. The one caveat to all of this, though, is that we've been in this position before to only see these negotiations fall apart.
It does feel different when you talk to White House officials, though, only in the sense that they're understanding how every single day is getting closer to those November midterms and every single day that they don't have a bow on this Iran war is a day that those gas prices are likely to get higher and higher, and the cost of living is going to go up.
BURNETT: Kristen Holmes, thank you very much.
Right? They know how deeply unpopular the war is, as polls show.
And everyone's here with me.
So, General Marks, I just want to start with where we ended our ended our preamble to the show, which is, you know, I said Trump's sort of version of a special operation, which, by the way, is a term he has almost exactly used.
But to call all of this a skirmish. What does that say to you?
MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Yeah. It's not a skirmish where this is an incredibly complex campaign and a military campaign, and everything that goes along with that definition, a skirmish I would describe as a little bit of a shootout. And everybody runs to the to their corners.
It really diminishes what's taking place. I mean, we have to look at this from -- from the military guys' perspective, what has been accomplished is quite phenomenal. The application of this force irrespective, I mean, we don't know what's --
BURNETT: Well, in terms of the number of targets, right? The pure military list.
MARKS: Absolutely phenomenal. This air tasking over this maritime air campaign is immensely well-synchronized. It's the professionalism of this force that you would expect to see.
It's not a skirmish. It is in fact a campaign trying to achieve some strategic end state. And I'm not sure I know what that is. But in terms of military objectives, it's met several military objectives. And I would say after about two weeks, those military objectives were reached.
So, I think we're well over our skis, but were at a point where we are now where the discussion must be. What is the status of the highly enriched uranium? What is -- what does that mean? And getting the straits back open so that you can uncork this thing.
You know, the escort duty was fine, but it was going to take forever to escort everybody through. So, you got to get -- there's got to be a compromise. The Iranians have to walk away and say, okay, we can make this happen. And maybe that's oil onto the -- onto the market. But at market prices, not any of this black market stuff that they've done forever. BURNETT: I mean, Lulu, it's incredible in the context of Trump
telling Bret Baer it's all going to be wrapped up, right? He feels the immense political pressure, but also in the context of what Marco Rubio said, right? Perhaps inadvertently saying what is just so powerful of -- we just want it to go back to the way it was.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah, it's back to the future.
This is part of the problem. I mean, I totally take your point that this military objectives were met, but at the end of the day, if you don't have a sort of strategic objective, if you don't understand what the whole purpose was, then it doesn't really matter what the military objectives are.
I mean, I spent a lot of time in Iraq and, you know, the U.S. military is extraordinary. What it does. It's very good at sort of defeating the enemy, quote/unquote. But the strategy never quite worked out. And I think that's what we're seeing here.
BURNETT: Van, you know, I got a message today from a source in the Iranian government in Tehran, okay? What they sent me was an article from "Foreign Affairs". And there was a sentence in it. Okay?
So, they sent it for a reason. So, I read it because this is what they're trying to convey something and this is what it says, "A lasting deal remains far away. U.S. President Donald Trump believes that the United States holds all the cards and can force Iran into buckling, regardless of months of evidence to the contrary."
When you talk about strategy, that's what Iran is saying right now.
VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, denial is not just a river in Egypt, and quagmire is not just a character on Family Guy. We are in a quagmire.
This is the worst of all possible outcomes because the Iranians discovered a power that they didn't know for sure they had, which is to squeeze the entire world economy with cheap -- with cheap $20,000 drones.
So, Russia found out the hard way that conventional military power is not what it used to be in a world of cheap drones. And the United States just discovered the same thing.
And so, now, it took Barack Obama, President Obama, 18 months to get a deal with the Iranians, and they didn't have the straight in their hand. Trump is going to get it done in 20 minutes. The markets -- every time Trump lies and says it's going to be wrapped up, the markets go up, they come back down.
This is -- this is lucy in the football in terms of Trump's announcements about another week, another week. We are looking at months, if not more. And we cannot leave because if we do, our Arab allies and Israel in a worse position than they were two months ago, which is not acceptable. GARCIA-NAVARRO: I really just think that people shouldn't take
President Trump seriously anymore when he says one week or two weeks and put it out, and then the markets react. I mean, this is an illogical sort of series of events because we've had him say this over and over and over again. And it's not true. It's clearly not true.
MARKS: See the issue -- the issue, if I may, the issue in my mind is that if we were to continue to apply force, kinetic force against Iranians, I would hope that we would understand from what we've done over the course of the last seven weeks is were not going to alter their position. The regime remains.
BURNETT: What we just had, what you just said here, that they will not force them into buckling, right? That's what they're saying. We're not giving up our nuclear program.
MARKS: And they can -- they can resist until the last man standing, which might be three or five years. This administration. And we cannot -- I mean, if it's 36 months and we're going to continue this, we can't do this for 36 months.
So, we've got to reach an agreement. We've got to reach an agreement. We can keep forces available if they're necessary. But this is an economic kind of a standoff, and we have to compromise in some way.
JONES: We thought it was going to be a military war. It turns out to be an energy war, an economic war. And that's a different type of war. And Western powers always struggle with these asymmetric fights against ideological adversaries.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: But how did we not know this? I mean, this is the thing that I find completely baffling.
I mean, sir, you were there in the Middle East. I was there in the Middle East. This was just a minute ago.
I mean, you don't have to be -- you know, you know, an old person to remember all this stuff. I mean, it's sort of like this was not so long ago that we were just in the Middle East.
I mean, Biden basically lost his presidency because of the pullout from Afghanistan. This was just a hot minute ago.
So, I am completely flabbergasted that they don't understand asymmetrical warfare, that they don't understand getting into the Middle East is going to cost you a lot of things. And I would say, yes, all these presidents knew that if you did this, Iran was going to, because of geography is going to do this.
President Trump, for reasons that are still inexplicable, decided, you know what, I don't care.
BURNETT: So, Lulu had this incredible interview with Tucker Carlson. Yes. Okay?
And I thought it was a fascinating conversation with both. Anyone who hasn't watched it watches it, but he's repeated over and over that he's against the Iraq war. And he, you know, he, you know, Trump said this and he's anti-war president. And now Tucker has turned on Trump because Trump has changed all of those things. Okay?
So, I just want to play something from your conversation with Tucker. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: I told people, this guy will keep us out of the next Iraq, specifically will keep us out of a regime change war with Iran. And here we are in the middle of a regime change war in Iran, where hundreds of Americans have been wounded. Some number have been killed, they won't tell us. And that's just the opposite of what I said would happen. So I'm sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Van, is there a price to pay for Trump amongst his base, of whom Tucker Carlson was one. And he talked about that also in that incredible interview.
JONES: Yeah, but I want to give Tucker Carlson credit for literally anything. So I'm just going to leave him to one side.
BURNETT: Yeah.
JONES: If Tucker Carlson had never opened his mouth, if he, like Trump, would have the same trouble. The trouble doesn't come from people like Tucker Carlson. It comes from the gas prices. It comes from the shock around the Epstein files. It comes from the sense of betrayal around this war.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: It comes from people like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly and Candace Owens, and it does come from them because you can't -- you can't say that they -- that they pushed him into power and helped him get into power. And then when they turn against him say that it doesn't matter. It does. I think it does.
JONES: What I would say is that none of the people that you named, if they were to be quiet, it would not help or harm Trump's case with his base, because his base is angry with him regardless of these loudmouths.
BURNETT: All right, well, there's a lot more to talk about there, but I do hope anyone who hasn't seen that incredible interview will watch it.
And next, breaking news, a new case linked to that deadly outbreak on a cruise ship. That man is now in isolation. One expert telling OUTFRONT tonight that there is growing evidence that the hantavirus may be airborne. That is a stunning thing to say. And I'm going to talk to a woman who was placed in a medically induced coma after she was infected.
[19:15:00] Plus, breaking news, a federal judge just releasing a purported suicide note from Jeffrey Epstein, a note that says it's time to say goodbye.
And breaking news this hour, exclusive reporting from our KFILE revealing Trump's new pick for surgeon general, suggested the Trump administration was playing politics with the measles outbreak, one of several deleted tweets that Dr. Nicole Saphier didn't want the world to see. KFILE, of course, found them, and he's next
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news, a purported suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein just released. So, here's what we have. You're seeing it on the screen.
This note had been kept sealed for years. It was just released by a federal judge in a different case. And what the note says in part, as you see it, there is it is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye.
Now, "The New York Times" reports that Epstein's cellmate says that he discovered this letter after Epstein was found unresponsive with a strip of cloth wrapped around his neck.
[19:20:01]
Now, that was not the incident in which Epstein died. It was an incident that Epstein survived weeks before he was eventually found dead in his cell, a death that was ultimately ruled suicide but has been the focus of endless conspiracy theories.
John Miller is OUTFRONT.
And, John, what else do we know about this note, which is very eerie to see it in his hand. And why are we finding out about it now? Doesn't seem that it was part of the Epstein files.
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Okay, so to sort this out for people who aren't students of the case, because a lot of this happened a long time ago, he was in the metropolitan detention center, Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan, which is now closed. And he was paired with a cellmate named Nick Tartaglione, who was a former New York City police officer who was serving time in a corruption case.
And he says he found Epstein in the cell with a strip of cloth tied around his neck, and that he found this note inside a novel. Now, why isn't this in the Epstein files? We don't know, but it is in the criminal discovery evidence that was part of Tartaglione trial, and it was discovered by lawyers in there. And then there was the petition to the judge to release it.
Of course, the note says they investigated me for months, found nothing. It's a treat to be able to choose ones time to say goodbye. What you want me to do? Bust out crying? So, it doesn't particularly say its a suicide note, but it has that
tone.
BURNETT: Absolutely does. And I say it's fascinating that it was not part of the files. And also, as we point out, it was an attempt of suicide that was about a month before when he was actually found dead.
MILLER: Exactly.
BURNETT: But very significant to see it in his handwriting and all of that. As I said, eerie.
MILLER: So, the questions that emerge from this are, number one, how do we validate that note? Is it in his handwriting? And if so, who says is there DNA or fingerprints or other forensics that can be matched to him? Prove that.
Let's assume that it is authentic. Does that give us an indication that he was trying to kill himself and waiting for another opportunity? Does that wash away many of the conspiracy theories about how he was found in his cell dead later and glitches in videos and stories is about people coming and going, all of which have caused controversy, but none of which have been proven.
BURNETT: Right, right. But all of which are out there and have cast a lot of doubt on it.
All right. John Miller, thank you very much.
And more breaking news tonight from our KFILE who has this exclusive report which uncovers deleted social media posts from President Trump's surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Saphier.
Now, before her nomination, she quietly deleted posts criticizing Trump and the administration's handling of one of its most controversial health fights. That promotion of an unproven, at best link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism. After Trump publicly told pregnant women to tough it out rather than take Tylenol, Saphier pushed back online writing, "As a mom of three kids, I don't love a man telling me to tough it out when it comes to pregnancy. Words matter. Facts matter, too". A strong post.
Weeks later, after her own son developed a fever, Saphier posted, "My son has a high fever and I'm angry that I am now questioning giving him Tylenol. Needless to say, I'm mad."
Again, strong post, but both of those posts were then deleted and our own KFILE Andrew Kaczynski, who broke the story is OUTFRONT now.
So, Andrew, you know, this is -- this is very significant stuff in the context of this administration, things that have been put out which are unfounded. And the stance that she had on them. What else did you find?
ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN KFILE SENIOR EDITOR: Yeah. And, Erin, this is actually the third pick for surgeon general because the previous two flamed out. So now here we are a year and a half into the administration, and we're on the third pick.
And those Tylenol posts were really part of a broader pattern that we found. We found Saphier repeatedly broke with Trump, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. On some of the administrations most politically sensitive health issues. And then she later deleted those posts.
I want people to look at this one right here, where she suggested that the administration might be waiting until after the midterm elections to hide that the U.S. had lost its measles elimination status. That is really a remarkable charge from someone joining the administration, because she's essentially suggesting that the Trump administration is concealing a major public health development for political reasons.
In a series of deleted posts, she also repeatedly criticized changes to ACIP. That is the CDC advisory committee that helps guide the nations vaccine recommendations. RFK Jr. had dramatically reshaped this panel last year. He replaced it with several allies. Critics of mainstream vaccine policy, and in one post, she warned that the system needed reform but not chaos.
[19:25:00]
She said the pendulum with RFK had swung too far in the overhaul, and another she criticized the committee for calling for restricting access to the combined measles vaccine for young children, warning that parents were being left confused. Parents left confused, children less protected. All of those posts, Erin, have now been deleted.
BURNETT: Okay. And it wasn't just health policy where I know that she had publicly at one point broken with the Trump administration, because you're also reporting that she weighed in on Trump and Elon Musk's relationship.
KACZYNSKI: Well, that's right. During this public feud between Musk and Trump that took place, she took a swipe at both men in a post that also has been deleted, where she said this Musk Trump spat is like watching two billionaires throw sand in a sandbox. Petty, loud and obnoxious.
She went on to compare them to, quote, "Grown adults acting like toddlers in a tiara fight." She referenced Andy Cohen and Bravo in there, saying he was salivating to watch it.
And remember, this is now Trump's nominee to be the nation's top public health messenger. And these are just numerous examples where she is breaking with the administration's policy. Now, she's since locked her X account, and she's still going to have senate confirmation. So, we'll see what happens there.
BURNETT: Well, I guess that could bring some over to her side who might have been against her, right, in that -- in that vote. But what is the White House telling you in response?
KACZYNSKI: So, we reached out. We reached out to the White House. We asked them about this, and a spokesperson praised her credentials, cited her opposition to COVID-19 mandates, and told CNN, quote, "She will be a powerful asset for president Trump and work tirelessly to deliver on every facet of his MAHA agenda" -- Erin.
BURNETT: Andrew Kaczynski of KFILE, thank you very much, as always.
And next, we have breaking news. There's a new case of hantavirus. It has already killed three people and left about 150 people stranded on a cruise ship. But a lot of people had left that cruise ship and traveled. And they're now more infections.
I'm going to talk to a woman who nearly died from hantavirus after first thinking she only had the flu. She's next.
And the brother of the first American pope is our guest tonight. Why did a customer service representative hang up on the pope? Yeah. It happened. It is a great story. He'll tell you exactly what went down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:31:23]
BURNETT: Breaking news. A new case of hantavirus tied to a deadly cruise ship outbreak is now confirmed. Confirmed. Not on that ship, but all the way in Switzerland. That man tonight is hospitalized and in isolation.
And at this hour, there are eight total known cases. Three people aboard the cruise ship have already died. The ship at the center of the outbreak, is now expected to travel to the Canary Islands of Spain, with nearly 150 people still on board. Three were medically evacuated today.
Now, the WHO is saying the outbreak does not pose a wider public health risk, but they are frantically trying to trace at least 88 people who were on a flight with one of the victims who was sick on the plane and then died. So, now, they're trying to track down all those people to contain the outbreak.
Professor of Harvard University School of Public Health, Joseph Allen, telling OUTFRONT that there is mounting evidence that the deadly virus may be airborne, which is a stunning statement.
Will Ripley is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Off the coast of West Africa, a cruise ship under quarantine. Three more passengers medically evacuated, all tied to a deadly outbreak of hantavirus, a rare, typically rodent borne disease with no specific treatment or cure.
The open decks of the MV Hondius deserted, dining rooms empty, passengers told to stay in their cabins.
JAKE ROSMARIN, PHOTOGRAPHER: Hi, I'm jake, and I'm spending the next 35 days crossing the Atlantic, visiting some of the most remote islands in the world.
RIPLEY (voice-over): This is how the journey began for Jake Rosmarin, a Boston photographer, one of around 150 people on board.
ROSMARIN: People with families with lives, with people waiting for us at home.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Health officials are now retracing the ships route, trying to figure out where and when passengers became infected. Their 35-day expedition began from the edge of Antarctica, visiting some of the most remote islands in the South Atlantic.
MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, WHO'S DIRECTOR FOR EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS: On those islands, there are birds. Some islands have a lot of rodents. Others don't.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Hantavirus is usually picked up by breathing in particles from rodent droppings or urine. Symptoms often start like the flu, but can quickly cause severe breathing problems, organ failure and death. The incubation period one to eight weeks.
Lab tests have yet to confirm it, but investigators think this may be a rare South American strain that sometimes spreads not just from rodents, but between people.
KERKHOVE: Among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who've shared cabins, et cetera.
RIPLEY (voice-over): This small boat medically evacuated a handful of infected passengers. Investigators say the outbreak began in early April. The first victim, a Dutch passenger, died on board April 11th. His wife died around two weeks later in a hospital in South Africa. A third passenger, a German national, died on board on May 2nd. A British passenger remains in intensive care.
Everyone else stuck on board undergoing medical checks, a situation Kent and Rebecca Frasure know all too well.
REBECCA FRASURE, PASSENGER: We don't know how long you have to stay on the hospital.
RIPLEY (voice-over): I met them back in 2020. They were quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan.
RIPLEY: What's the hardest part?
R. FRASURE: I'd say the unknown.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Rebecca, one of the first Americans to test positive for COVID.
There she is. She's standing in the window right now. Rebecca, here we are. Hi.
RIPLEY (voice-over): She spent weeks in a Tokyo hospital. Kent was quarantined in their cabin. RIPLEY: What would be your advice for passengers stuck on this ship
right now?
KENT FRASURE, PASSENGER: If you -- if you start thinking about what's happening around you, it is so difficult to stay away from a mindset where you're getting depressed and just like really fearful of what's going to happen, you have to try to stay as upbeat as you can.
[19:35:15]
RIPLEY (voice-over): They know how difficult staying upbeat can be for everyone. On the MV Hondius facing fear and uncertainty on a floating quarantine zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: Tonight, there are reports that the ship, even after the first passenger died, did not take any safety precautions. In fact, the captain told passengers the death was from natural causes. That captain, who's now been medically evacuated. That passenger from Switzerland in the hospital, all the people on his plane being contacted right now, and the ship is trying to go to the Canary Islands.
But there are local officials there who are really pushing back, afraid that there could be a risk to public safety, even though the Spanish government has said, Erin, that they will receive the ship, more than 150 people believed to be still on board, or nearly 150 people, including perhaps more than a dozen Americans.
BURNETT: Wow. Will Ripley, thank you very much.
So, look, a whole world now is watching this story, and our next guest nearly died from hantavirus. She said if she had just waited one hour longer before going to the E.R., she wouldn't be here today talking to us. It started as flu-like symptoms. It turned critical and within hours, within hours, Kristen Musson was placed on life support, eventually placed in a medically induced coma for four days and spent even longer in the ICU.
And Kristen Musson is OUTFRONT now.
And, Kristen, I am grateful for your time and so grateful to hear that story to look at you now. What a what a horrific ordeal. I mean, can we just talk about what happened here?
When you first got sick, you were a new mom, you were healthy, you had a five-month little baby girl. What happened? And when did you realize something was horribly wrong?
KRISTEN MUSSON, HANTAVIRUS SURVIVOR: Well, you know, I had that one week where I was sick with flu like symptoms, and it just wasn't getting any better. And I honestly, in my mind, I was thinking, I have to get back to work. I've got, you know, a big event at work, so I've got to get better. So I went to the urgent care and you know, they didn't -- they couldn't pinpoint what I had. They only have so many tests at urgent care.
So then I went to our local hospital community hospital of Monterey and I went to the E.R. after that evening getting a terrible cough, I had horrible cough and that was my lungs filling up with fluid. So, I went to the next morning and that's when I think in a couple hours later I was put under life support.
BURNETT: It's just -- it's terrifying to think.
MUSSON: That's when I knew.
BURNETT: Yeah. So -- so they originally said at the hospital, I know, so when you're coughing, you said that now, you know, you then eventually realized that was your lungs filling with fluid. But they had initially told you, if I'm -- if I'm right, that it was an unknown lung condition, right? So, when they put you on life support and you're in that medically induced coma, you know, at what point did -- did they realize that it was hantavirus?
MUSSON: Well, my doctor or the E.R. doctor at community hospital, his name is Dr. Melton. He, you know, asked a variety of questions. He wanted to know if I was traveling recently, if I had come in contact with any rodents, or any of the rodent droppings. He asked a variety of questions because he knew that it wasn't pneumonia and that my lungs were filling up so quickly that it was something much bigger.
So, he said right before I was put on life support, like I think you have hantavirus and you know, they tested for that. That was one of the many tests that they did. But, then, you know, it was still unknown for about 10 days until the test results came back.
BURNETT: It's just so incredible. I mean, and now when you're seeing this and you've got about up to 150 people trapped on a ship, and it appears that, you know, some people left it may have spread on an airplane. There's others now in isolation. How unsettling is it for you and how worrisome to you is it to watch this unfolding?
MUSSON: Yeah, you know, I when I got the diagnosis, it was very rare my doctor at UCSF said, I've only had one other patient in my 20 years that has had hantavirus. So, I had that relief that it was rare. I had that relief that it was not transferred.
[19:40:03]
At least mine wasn't transferred person to person, that my family was safe, my baby was safe. But it's incredibly unsettling. All of the news that and that there is a strain that is transferred person to person. I just found that out yesterday.
So, it's very unsettling. I worry for everyone on board. I worry for, you know, everyone that comes in contact with it. It is not something that I wish upon anyone. It is a terrible, terrible, thing that I went through and -- sorry. And yeah, I just -- I -- I'm just -- the only thing that I'm thankful that it is getting this much coverage is that people know what to look out for. And doctors and nurses are, and health care professionals are aware of
this because, you know, being kind of a diagnosis and being tested for hantavirus, but then going 10 days kind of as an unknown lung condition, like it -- and just because it was so rare, I think a lot of health care professionals don't know what to look for. And hopefully with the coverage and the media that it can get out there.
BURNETT: Yeah, absolutely. And for you to explain when you talk about that cough and the lungs. Thank you so much for taking the time and coming on and sharing all of this with us. We appreciate it. I know everyone watching does as well.
And after this, we have our OUTFRONT exclusive tonight. Pope Leo's brother, John, John Prevost, is my guest. The first American pope making headlines by standing firm in his opposition to the Iran war. His brother will be with us next.
And we remember CNN founder Ted Turner, a man who revolutionized television.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:45:38]
BURNETT: Breaking news, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his way to Rome tonight to meet with Pope Leo, as the pope stands firm against the Iran war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH: Asking all people of goodwill to search always for peace and not violence. To reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. This comes as Pope Leo is about to mark one year as pope. And this story, told from one of his friends is going viral on that anniversary in a sort of he's just like us moment. Leo, after becoming pope, calls customer service at a bank to change his personal information.
And here's what his friend said happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO'S FRIEND: And so he gets the lady. He says, yes, ma'am, I'm Robert Prevost. I'd like to change. She asks all the security questions.
And then she says, oh, I'm sorry, sir. It says here you have to come in person. And he said, well, that's not going to I'm not going to be able to do that. Would it matter to you if I told you I'm Pope Leo? She hung up on him.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: OUTFRONT now for an exclusive primetime interview, Pope Leo's brother, John Prevost, and Father Ray Flores, the priest at John's church, Saint Jude.
And it is such a pleasure to talk with both of you on this -- on this anniversary of that day that that we all remember there. So, you know, that story from when your brother's friend is going viral and you know that calling the bank in south Chicago to -- to deal with the situation as I guess one might do when you've just become pope. I'm guessing this isn't an isolated incident, but I think you are also part of that call.
JOHN PREVOST, BROTHER OF POPE LEO XIV: In a sense, yes. We were talking because we do still speak every day. And he asked if I had a moment because he needed to change the phone number that's attached to the account, to a Roman phone number, Vatican phone number. I said, okay, I'll get the number, the bank, and we'll call.
The bank teller came on. I said, hold on, please. Then my brother continued the conversation, saying he wanted to change the phone number because he's moved. He's no longer in Peru.
She said, okay, what's the bank account number? He gave it to her. What is your Social Security number? He gave it to her. What was your formal address? He gave it to her. There were about 4 or 5 different questions. He gave them all to her and it went on so long.
I said, you know, ma'am, it might be helpful for you to know you're talking to my brother who's in Rome right now. You're speaking with the pope. And she said, oh, really? And hung up. And that was the end of the call.
BURNETT: She just thought it was a prank.
PREVOST: Prank call.
BURNETT: So after all of that, he didn't get the phone number.
PREVOST: Right. Someone -- one of the provincials had to go into the bank and do take care of it for him.
BURNETT: It's an incredible story. It really is an incredible story.
I mean, it, I guess it shows perhaps why he is so -- people connect with him and see him as a person of the moment, right? We all actually, I don't think anyone's surprised to think that he's the kind of person who would pick up the phone and do that and call -- and call the bank.
When you see him before these massive audiences at the Vatican or you see him actually when you walked out here on set and we had one of his pictures up, you said, whoa, there he is, right? I mean, is it your brother that you see or someone who is now something else too? I mean, 1.4 billion people look to him as their religious leader.
PREVOST: It's a combination of both. It -- at first, it's, oh, there's the pope and then say, oh, wait, that's my brother. I mean, he's now questioned on "Jeopardy". And when Jeopardy's on, we're talking on the phone and it's, oh, stop talking, you're on jeopardy question right now. And then he wants to know what's the question?
And then it takes me a minute. We're talking about my brother here because that doesn't always fit in right away.
BURNETT: I mean, it's incredible. Father Flores, you know, a year ago tonight we were there in Vatican City and they were first gathering for the conclave, you know, and then it was it happened fast, after 24 hours. We're all watching. Everybody may remember those seagulls hanging out on the roof, and all of a sudden, there's white smoke from the Sistine Chapel, and the cheers erupt.
And just the feeling of your heart and your throat. I -- I can't describe it. And then I'll never forget it as long as I live -- when we realize it's an American pope. You know, Cardinal Robert Provost is, is the pope.
[19:50:00]
Here's the moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: This is an extraordinary moment. And, of course, I sit here as an American, whatever it would have been, I think you can't be but moved to tears. But this is stunning.
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Leo XIV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: You've been to the Vatican together?
REV. RAY FLORES, FRIEND OF POPE LEO'S BROTHER: Yes.
BURNETT: To visit the pope. You know, what strikes you the most about his new life? A person that you know, you know so well over so many years.
FLORES: It's an incredible, incredible moment. When we first found out, we were just shocked, right? We had talked about the possibility of going if he was elected when Francis died. And just jokingly we said, if Rob's elected, then we'll go. And then the white smoke came out. And then he texted me saying, it's Rob, and then made the phone call and got the tickets to go the next day.
So, it was just an incredible, surreal experience for me. And I think for, for Jay as well.
PREVOST: Absolutely.
BURNETT: You know, you mentioned you talked to your brother every day even now and pretty much at the same time, which I know shows it shows the significance that it has in his life now, you know, in which he had to sacrifice so much to do to do what he does. How important are those conversations? And can you even share generally sort of what?
PREVOST: Sure. I can. I think it's important for him because it's a moment to get out of the role and just talk, you know, to brother to brother. And so, to get off of topics that are on his mind, and we do it as we're playing words with friends.
And so, we may talk about how he always is winning and I lose a lot. So, I think it is a moment to rest for him.
BURNETT: A moment of rest.
PREVOST: Uh-huh.
BURNETT: Look, so much has changed for him. Obviously, it's inexplicable in that sense. But for you as well, right. You -- you've, you've heard horrible things said about him, you've had horrible things said about you, you've faced threats. Right. Including from the president, right. The president has said things accused your brother of endangering a lot of Catholics and being terrible for foreign policy and a variety of things like that.
How do you rise above that when you yourself have faced death threats? Your life has changed because of your brother's role.
PREVOST: You just keep going. You know, you just keep going. And then there's a matter of what is known as faith, and it deepens our faith because we do what we're doing, because it's a role we've been put into, and we just go ahead and do it.
BURNETT: You know, I want to ask you about something because I was -- I was looking, you know, there's so much -- your family is now you went from being three brother, three close brothers, and now it's so public.
President Trump, as you know, has talked about your other brother, Louis, and he calls him a supporter and a MAGA all the way. And I know Louis went to the White House, but that's not the point. The point is that you and your brothers, I understand, still talk together every week.
PREVOST: Uh-huh.
BURNETT: And I think -- and you talk to Leo every day, what I just find here is that so many Americans can find hope in that, that regardless of the politics, that there can be brothers and family and love. Can you just talk about that? Because I think so many people want to hear how they, too, can have that in their lives.
PREVOST: Well, we keep politics to a limit.
BURNETT: Yeah.
PREVOST: At certain times it may come up, the topic may come up, but nothing he may say is going to change my opinion. And nothing I say is going to change his opinion. So why discuss it? Just go on with, you know, what we're doing, what's new in our lives,
where we're going next? Because there is that brother connection. And really what brothers do not fight. You know, you know?
BURNETT: That's fair, uh-huh.
PREVOST: You know, family -- families fight, but family is forever.
BURNETT: And you love each other. And that's what's important.
PREVOST: That's what's important.
BURNETT: That love transcends anything else.
PREVOST: Right.
BURNETT: That so many people can take heart from that. I think so many people can take heart from that.
And, Father Flores, the pope has been consistent in speaking out against war. He has not talked about politics. He has talked about war, a matter of life and death and of faith. He's offered the Vatican as a venue for talks regarding the Ukraine war. And obviously, he has spoken out against the war in Iran, and he has done so fearlessly.
Here are some of the times, just a few of the times that he's spoken out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH: I'm hopeful he's looking for an off ramp.
Too many innocent people are being killed, and I think someone has to stand up and say, there's a better way to do this.
I have no fear of either the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message of the gospel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And he says this is about the gospel. What do you think inspires him to be so fearless on this?
FLORES: It's the peace of Jesus Christ. It's the first thing he said when he was on the balcony after he was elected the pope. He said, peace be with you. And that's been his consistent message for the past year.
And so, I think he just wants to share to a world that is broken and dark and in need of healing, reconciliation, hope, love.
[19:55:07]
The Augustinian values are just -- are so evident in what he says. I'm reminded of something someone once said to me. They said that young people are poor in language, but rich in experience. They're rich in experience, but poor in language.
BURNETT: Yeah.
FLORES: And I think Pope Leo is helping us with the vocabulary, with the language to help articulate a world that can be reconciled.
BURNETT: John, your brother would normally come visit you in the summer. And I think it was interesting, you and I were talking before and you were saying, you know, normally you would save jobs. For example, trimming trees, jobs that involve ladders. He's a person who is handy.
I was just so curious about that. How handy he is and how much you will miss him.
PREVOST: Oh, well, that's obvious. We miss each other, I think very much. He misses his family. He misses being home. So that's why we will check off to see him.
BURNETT: You go see him. But the odd jobs, just --
PREVOST: The odd jobs are going to be odd jobs. I'm trying to go up one step at a time on a ladder.
BURNETT: Do you ever walk you through it on the phone? Come on. This is how you do it. He does.
PREVOST: He does it with computer technology. Absolutely. Because I bought a new computer and got myself locked out.
BURNETT: And he helped you with that?
PREVOST: Absolutely. I kept the phone so he could see what I was doing, tell me exactly what to do to get it working again.
BURNETT: Well, it's a pleasure to see both of you. And on this anniversary of this moment, I remember a year ago when it happened, like I said, my heart was in my throat. You think, could this really have happened in this moment, in this world? And it did. And it's your brother and your friend.
So, thank you both so much.
PREVOST: Thank you.
FLORES: A privilege.
BURNETT: And next, we remember CNN founder Ted Turner, a trailblazer who revolutionized media.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: And finally tonight, tribute to Ted Turner, the legendary and outspoken media maverick who revolutionized television news when he founded our channel, CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED TURNER, CNN FOUNDER: I dedicate the news channel for America, the Cable News Network.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: He made history that day in 1980, creating the first 24-hour news network and CNN's ability to cover worldwide events from the Gulf War to the collapse of the Soviet Union, led to Turner being named "TIME's" Man of the Year in 1991.
And it matters so much to all of us. But he was also a pioneer in more than news. He was a philanthropist who founded the United Nations Foundation, a conservationist who became one of the largest landowners in America. Turner did, though, call CNN the, quote, "greatest achievement" of his life, one we hope we can continue to maintain.
Ted turner was 87 years old.
Thanks so much for watching.
"AC360" starts now.
