Alleged Epstein Suicide Note Released, Cruise Hantavirus Fear Grows, Rubio Meets Pope: AM Update 5/8

0:00To realize the future America needs, we understand what's needed from us. To face each threat head on. We've earned our place in the fight for our nation's future. We are Marines. We were made for this. Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Friday, May 8th, 2026, and this is your AM Update. He was facing life behind bars for the rest of his life, and he was not ready for prison. Jeffrey Epstein's alleged jailhouse note now unsealed as a former inmate describes him unraveling behind bars. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles abruptly stepping down just months into her fifth term after a local outlet raised new questions about whether she remains competent to fully do the job.

0:49This is not the same situation we were in six years ago. It doesn't spread the same way like coronaviruses do. A deadly cruise ship Hantavirus outbreak is now triggering an international contact tracing effort. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio receiving a notably warm welcome at the Vatican, meeting with the Pope and top officials amid tensions over U.S. policy in the Middle East. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

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2:47U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karras releasing the one-page note in response to a request from the New York Times. The note allegedly written not on the day Epstein actually died, but earlier in July 2019, just days after Epstein's arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. The two men were housed together in Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center, or MCC, where shortly after his arrest, Epstein was found with injuries to his neck. The disgraced financier initially telling jail officials Tartaglione had attacked him, an accusation Tartaglione denied. After that incident, Epstein was moved out of the shared cell and placed in a cell by himself.

3:29Tartaglione later telling his lawyers he found the note tucked inside a graphic novel, turning it over to them as proof that he did not attempt to strangle Epstein. In the barely legible note, Epstein appearing to deny the allegations against him, writing, quote, they investigated for months, found nothing. So 16-year-old charges results. It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye. What you wants me to do? Bust out crying? No fun. Not worth it. The bust out crying line, a reference to the 1931 movie Little Rascals, a line Epstein also included in a September 2016 email to his brother, according to online news outlet The Tab.

4:11While the handwriting does appear similar to some handwritten notes from Epstein, others look different. The DOJ telling NPR the note has not been authenticated and that officials are only now seeing it for the first time. A former Tartaglione lawyer telling NPR, quote, we didn't ever authenticate it with any real handwriting analysis or something like that. the surrounding circumstances of how we came into possession of it, Tartaglione's account, and looking at a similar writing that was found in the cell after Epstein actually killed himself, led us to be comfortable with the fact that Epstein had written it.

4:47One of those similarities is the phrase, no fun, which also appeared in another Epstein note from jail where he complained about the conditions inside the facility, according to the New York Post. Epstein was ultimately found dead in his cell just a couple of weeks later. TMZ yesterday speaking to Bill Mercy, a former MCC inmate and Epstein's suicide watch companion. That's the inmate who was supposed to be keeping an eye on Epstein to prevent self-harm. Great job, Bill. He says he believes the note's authentic. Does that ring true to the person you interacted with for so many hours in terms of just the way he speaks?

5:27It seems to me he was probably very stressed being in the special housing unit because that's a really bad environment. That's the worst of the worst in the prison. If you want protective custody, you don't, you're with the bad boys. And they yell and scream all night. And it's just harrowing to be in the shoe is what I understand. But I think that he was probably very stressed at that moment and was just scribbling. Mercy telling TMZ Epstein's mental condition worsened after a judge denied him bail. I watched him ratchet down emotionally after he couldn't get bail from the judge. He couldn't give up his island and his airplane and get out as he had before.

6:10And he was facing life behind bars for the rest of his life. And he was not ready for prison. He confessed that he'd been bullied by black kids when he was growing up. And he was afraid of black inmates. He was afraid of inmates. I mean, most of his conversation centered around, how am I going to deal with this place? He was really apprehensive. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, announcing yesterday she will resign at the end of June, cutting short her fifth term just months after winning re-election in a landslide. 73-year-old Lyles releasing a statement, quote, Serving as Charlotte's mayor has been the honor of my life.

6:51Now it is time for the next phase of my life to spend more time with my grandchildren and for someone new to lead us forward. The mayor adding, quote, as in all things politics, I am sure there will be speculation as to why I'm making this decision now. Simply put, I am going to spend time with my grandchildren. Like many of us, I have missed some moments with them and intend not to miss anymore. The announcement coming hours after local outlet WFAE published an article headlined, quote, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles has stopped attending zoning meetings. Will she finish her term? The outlet reporting Lyles has not attended a zoning meeting since November.

7:30The issue reportedly starting two years ago when she began to leave some of those meetings early before eventually turning them over entirely to a Republican council member. WFAE reporting the mayor still attends and presides over most regular weekly council meetings, but often relies on others to help navigate the process of motions and votes. According to the outlet, several council members, business leaders, and community leaders have privately raised concerns about whether Lyles communicates as clearly as she once did and whether she has become less engaged on key issues. At one meeting last month, WFAE reporting Lyles appeared confused while calling the meeting to order, saying, quote, good afternoon, everyone, good morning, and good afternoon, everyone.

8:17Thank you for being here. Good evening. I think it's evening, but you never can tell in this weather. Lyles becoming the target of national outrage last year after the murder of 23-year-old Irina Zaritska, the young Ukrainian refugee brutally stabbed to death on Charlotte's light rail system by a career criminal. The mayor criticized for her initial response, which did not name Zaritska, referring to her only as, quote, the young woman, while focusing much of the statement on the attackers reported mental health struggles, homelessness, and what Lyles called failures in society's safety nets. Lyles writing, quote, tragic incidents like these should force us to look at what we are doing across our community to address root causes.

9:00We will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health. Irina's alleged killer, DeCarlos Brown Jr., arrested many times before, 14 times in fact, including for felony larceny, robbery, and assault. He was known by local law enforcement to have schizophrenia. But despite the long criminal record, the documented mental health concerns, and the obvious warning signs, Brown was still free to board Charlotte's light rail in August, where police say he stabbed Zerutska to death in an unprovoked attack. Brown now facing state and federal charges, including first-degree murder, though the case has been delayed after psychiatric evaluations found him mentally incompetent to stand trial.

9:44Just weeks after the killing, Mayor Lyles bizarrely suggesting to local outlet WBTV that the horrific slaying made her a better mayor. I know what loss is about. And so sometimes we have to remember that even though when we're working together, that there's a lot more to do and to work around and get done. And I will never forget this loss. I will never forget it. It has been something that's difficult for me, but also something that has made me a better mayor for the people of the city. Despite the backlash, Lyles faced little political consequence at home, easily winning re-election in November with more than 70 percent of the vote.

10:32The Charlotte City Council will now appoint an interim mayor to finish the term. Coming up, a deadly Hantavirus on board a cruise ship, triggering a global race to track passengers who left the vessel before they knew they may have been exposed. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio receives a warm welcome at the Vatican, meeting with the Pope and senior officials as tensions linger over the Middle East.

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12:30Hantavirus spreads primarily through contact with infected rodent waste. On Wednesday, officials confirming the particular strain in this outbreak is the Andes, one of the deadliest variants with about a 40 % fatality rate and the only known strain that can pass from person to person. The Dutch-flagged MV Hondias departing April 1st on a weeks-long excursion, starting in Argentina at the southern tip of the continent, sailing north up the Atlantic Ocean, stopping at some of the world's most remote island destinations. Trouble beginning aboard the ship on April 6th when a 70-year-old Dutch passenger fell ill and died five days later of respiratory distress, according to the WHO.

13:14O. His wife also becoming severely ill, leaving the ship in late April and later dying in Johannesburg, where officials confirmed she had hantavirus. She had briefly boarded a flight in Johannesburg, but was removed from the aircraft before takeoff due to her condition. A KLM flight attendant who had brief contact with her on the plane, now in isolation at a hospital in Amsterdam with mild symptoms and is being tested for hantavirus. Argentine officials believe the couple may have contracted the virus prior to the cruise, during a bird-watching tour that stopped at a landfill, where they may have encountered infected rodents, according to the AP.

13:56Ugh. Several more passengers contracting the virus, including a third who died on board. Earlier this week, a medical team dispatched to the ship. The doctor is now conducting medical assessments on everyone on board as the ship sails to the Canary Islands, expected to arrive by Sunday. Once the MV Hondias arrives at its destination, Spanish citizens and anyone showing symptoms will be quarantined, according to Spanish health minister Monica Garcia. Everyone else will be allowed to return home. The World Health Organization holding a press conference yesterday, its director general informing reporters that none of the remaining passengers on the ship is currently symptomatic, but it is possible more cases could develop because it can take up to six weeks for symptoms to develop in the infected.

14:44An international effort is now underway to trace and monitor at least 30 passengers from multiple countries who left the ship in late April before any of the cases had been confirmed as hantavirus. Swiss officials confirming a man who had been on the earlier leg of the voyage now hospitalized in Zurich with hantavirus, marking the first known case tied to the ship where symptoms developed after the traveler had already returned home. In the U.S., health officials in at least five states are now monitoring passengers who were aboard the MV Hondias, including two Texas residents, one in Virginia, two in Georgia, one in Arizona, and at least one in California with none so far reporting symptoms.

15:29Despite the deadly nature of the outbreak, Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, the WHO's Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness, urging the public to keep the risk in perspective. This is not coronavirus. This is a very different virus. We know this virus. Hantaviruses have been around for quite a while, but I want to be unequivocal here. 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, but this is not the same situation we were in six years ago.

16:11It doesn't spread the same way like coronaviruses do. It's very different. It's that close intimate contact that we've seen. And again, I want to reiterate the The actions that are being taken on board are precautionary to prevent any onward spread. And so there's a lot that is being done right now to be able to try to minimize the risk even further. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting Pope Leo XIV yesterday at the Vatican. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary Rubio meeting with the pontiff nearly one year ago after attending the Pope's inaugural mass, today marking one year since Pope Leo's election.

16:50Yesterday's closed-door meeting lasting about 45 minutes. It comes on the heels of the recent public clash between President Trump and the first U.S.-born head of the Catholic Church. Pope Leo on multiple occasions calling for a ceasefire on U.S.-Iranian hostilities. In a Monday appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Show, President Trump responding. The Pope would rather talk about the fact that it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don't think that's very good. I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it's up to the Pope, he thinks it's just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

17:27Pope Leo responding the following day, this video translated by Reuters. The Church's mission is to preach the gospel, to preach peace. If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with truth. The Church has for years spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there's no doubt about that. And so I simply hope to be heard for the sake of the word of God. President Trump on Wednesday asked by a reporter what message he hopes Secretary Rubio will deliver. As far as the Pope is concerned, and it's very simple, whether I make him happy or I don't make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

18:07And he seemed to be saying that they can. And I say they cannot. because if that happened, the entire world would be hostage and we're not going to let that happen. Tensions between the two leaders aside, Secretary Rubio's meeting appearing notably cordial. Vatican officials also allowing Rubio's motorcade to enter through the Arch of Bells, an entrance typically reserved for heads of state in what appeared to be a special gesture of respect for Secretary Rubio. The secretary is a devout Catholic. Mr. Rubio and Pope Leo exchanging gifts before the meeting, the Pope presented with a crystal football.

18:45It has the seal of the State Department, so what to get someone who has everything. The Pope presenting Rubio with a symbolic olive wood pen, noting its symbolism as the plant of peace. Secretary Rubio also meeting with his Vatican counterpart, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in a separate meeting, reportedly discussing the Middle East as well as humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere, and in Cuba in particular. Mr. Rubio is set to meet with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Maloney today before returning to the U.S. And that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the MK Show.

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