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Morning Wire

Hantavirus Ship Nears Port & Can Pratt Win Over LA? | 5.8.26

08 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the current situation with the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship?

4.199 - 9.587 John Bickley

A deadly virus outbreak on a cruise ship leaves three people dead and more than 100 stranded.

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9.607 - 16.698 Dr. William Schaffner

Hantavirus has a high fatality rate. Up to 30% of people who acquire this infection can die.

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17.158 - 22.246 Georgia Howe

We speak to an expert about the Hantavirus and why he says this is not the next COVID.

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22.266 - 28.215 John Bickley

I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, May 8th. This is Morning Wire.

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35.013 - 43.727 Georgia Howe

Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt hits the national political map with a stellar debate performance. What's been so effective about his unorthodox campaign?

44.028 - 52.281 John Bickley

They don't have to live in the mess they've created where you live. And are we seeing a rise in religion and conservatism in young men?

52.581 - 56.768 Georgia Howe

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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Chapter 2: How does hantavirus transmission differ from COVID-19?

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122.965 - 137.264 John Bickley

A cruise ship with a deadly disease outbreak that began Sunday is currently en route to the Canary Islands. Previous ports have refused to allow the passengers to disembark due to concerns about the hantavirus. At least three of the eight infected passengers have already died.

137.725 - 146.657 Georgia Howe

Joining us to discuss hantavirus and what risk it poses to the public is Vanderbilt professor of infectious disease, Dr. William Schaffner. Dr. Schaffner, thanks for coming on.

147.157 - 148.399 Dr. William Schaffner

Good to be with you, Georgia.

148.514 - 152.299 Georgia Howe

Now, there is a very frightening situation playing out off the coast of Africa right now.

Chapter 3: What makes Spencer Pratt's debate performance noteworthy?

152.659 - 164.375 Georgia Howe

We have this cruise ship with almost 150 people that are currently stranded. At least three people on board have passed away from suspected hantavirus. First, can you tell us what hantavirus is and how people usually get it?

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164.775 - 172.646 Dr. William Schaffner

Sure. Hantavirus is a virus that lives in small rodents and usually in warmer parts of the world.

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Chapter 4: What strategies did Spencer Pratt use to connect with LA voters?

172.766 - 202.534 Dr. William Schaffner

For example, our southwestern United States. The rodents shed the virus through their saliva, their urine, and their feces, and then it can dry up. If humans get into that environment and stir up the dust and create an aerosol, they can breathe in the virus, and it can get down into their lungs. It can also get on their hands, and then they can transmit it to themselves that way.

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202.514 - 228.448 Dr. William Schaffner

This is an infection that can have a long incubation period, days to weeks. In other words, nothing happens and then all of a sudden you become sick. The initial illness is rather mild. You just think you have a viral infection with some fever and headache, not feeling too well, some muscular aches and pains. That goes on for two or three days and then crash.

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229.169 - 249.119 Dr. William Schaffner

You get seriously ill because the virus has infected your lungs and your heart. And that can result in death, as you have indicated. Now, this virus... who acquire it from the environment, and it is not usually transmissible from person to person.

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249.519 - 272.059 Dr. William Schaffner

However, there is a strain of this hantavirus called the Andes virus in South America that is transmissible from person to person, and that's the strain on the cruise ship. So there's more concern because this hantavirus is more transmissible than usual.

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272.275 - 279.304 Georgia Howe

Now, when you say it's transmissible person to person, is it still contact and through aerosol or is it airborne? How do people transmit it?

279.785 - 300.493 Dr. William Schaffner

Yeah, we don't know all the details of that, except it would appear to require close contact with more prolonged contact, usually indoors. Of course, that's describing a cruise ship, right? Where people have a lot of close contact for a prolonged period of time indoors.

Chapter 5: How does Spencer Pratt's candidacy compare to past Republican campaigns?

300.743 - 310.074 Georgia Howe

Now, you mentioned that this is suspected to be the Andes strain. I understand these passengers came from a previous stop in Argentina. Is that suspected to be the origin of the virus?

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310.475 - 330.278 Dr. William Schaffner

That is expected to be the origin. It's most likely that this group of ecologically and environmentally oriented passengers, it's that kind of a cruise, actually probably did some hiking and birding and the like before they got on board.

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330.393 - 336.562 Georgia Howe

Now, I understand this is a pretty old virus. It's not like something new that's just mutated. So this is not a new COVID.

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337.142 - 339.986 Dr. William Schaffner

It is an old virus. This is not a mutating virus.

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Chapter 6: What recent research indicates about young men's religious beliefs?

340.067 - 363.861 Dr. William Schaffner

It's a pretty stable virus. And it's a family of viruses. There were some passengers who didn't book for the whole cruise, just part of it. And they have already disembarked. Those folks are being traced. So, so far, so good. Could there be further transmission? Yes, but I think it's going to be very limited. This is not COVID once again.

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364.302 - 367.367 Dr. William Schaffner

It's not going to run around the world and make us all sick.

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Chapter 7: Why are young men becoming more religious in America?

367.707 - 370.532 Dr. William Schaffner

So folks can be at ease about that.

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370.973 - 376.201 Georgia Howe

Well, that's a relief to hear, but still extremely frightening for those people on the boat. Dr. Schaffner, thanks for coming on.

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376.661 - 378.564 Dr. William Schaffner

My great pleasure. Thank you. Anytime.

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416.162 - 429.098 John Bickley

Spencer Pratt's performance in Wednesday's debate has turned a long shot candidacy in deep blue L.A. into a national story. And the former reality TV star is suddenly being talked about as far more than a celebrity novelty bit.

429.145 - 432.032 Georgia Howe

Joining us now is Cabot Phillips, host of Wired and Live.

Chapter 8: What implications does the rise of young men's religiosity have for politics?

432.473 - 441.275 Georgia Howe

So Cabot, Spencer Pratt's bid began as sort of amusing for us millennials, but after Wednesday night's debate, it's really not a joke anymore. So catch us up to speed.

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441.576 - 459.783 Cabot Phillips

Yeah, the Spencer Pratt phenomenon has become far bigger than just a viral debate moment or creative campaign ad. You have a guy with zero political experience who got famous as a reality TV star in the early 2000s, who's now connecting with LA voters on a deeper level than any Republican in recent memory, to the point of becoming now a national sensation.

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460.403 - 481.548 Cabot Phillips

As for that debate, Pratt was already outnumbered on the debate stage by the two Democrats running against him, Mayor Karen Bass and Socialist Councilwoman Nithya Raman. But he was also scolded repeatedly by the Telemundo and NBC moderators for what they called name-calling, something that reminded many online of another reality TV star turned politician. Pratt was direct and to the point.

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481.588 - 500.26 Cabot Phillips

He had clear answers to nearly every question thrown at him and also gave clear promises to deal with problems that have crippled LA for decades like crime, housing, and homelessness. And if you look at the polling after the debate, NBC, for example, showed that 89% of viewers said that Pratt came out as the winner. So it was a huge night for the Republicans.

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500.425 - 509.799 Georgia Howe

Right. And there are some people who are calling him the MAGA Mom Donnie. Of course, there's comparisons to Trump as a former reality star. Is that accurate? Is that a fair assessment?

509.939 - 526.703 Cabot Phillips

Yeah, I don't think those are the worst comparisons. All three of these guys are media savvy political newcomers taking on the establishment. This response here from Pratt after Rahman bizarrely accused him of colluding with Mayor Bass did remind a lot of folks of Trump's raw, no holds barred type style of debating.

526.784 - 541.924 Spencer Pratt

Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together. I blame this person for burning my house and my parents' house and my town and all my neighbors down. I am not working with Mayor Bass. Second off, if I wanted to run against anybody, it would be the council member who is terrible.

541.904 - 557.905 Cabot Phillips

And on the other end of that comparison, Mamdani, we know, was able to connect with young voters on key issues in a way that turned what was once perceived as a long-shot candidacy into him becoming mayor of the most powerful city on Earth. Pratt tapped into a similar kind of energy very effectively in this debate.

557.885 - 579.304 Cabot Phillips

giving a voice to the anger that many LA residents are feeling under incumbent Karen Bass. And really what surprised a lot of people, including myself, was his fluency on the issues. It was pretty clear early on the strategy of his opponents, who are both veteran politicians, was to pin Pratt down as an uneducated Hollywood buffoon, just a reality star who had no business running the city.

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