¶ Intro / Opening
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¶ US-Iran Conflict and Regional Tensions
New overnight the United States and Iran trading attacks for a second straight day as President Trump promises more to come if a Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal.
Thank you.
We're gonna be attacking them and attacking them very hard. And uh we'll see what happens with the deal.
Plaza new revelations about how the White House handled the Epstein scandal, meeting in the situation room to game out a plan without President Trump.
You know what I really like?
I love the inflation.
The president suggests, as you just heard, he doesn't mind the high prices right now, but what about Americans pay more for groceries and gas? A stabbing in Northern Ireland sparking days of unrest, police under attack, the streets in chaos.
The soul and the heart is the fans in the stadiums, it's the fans in the fans.
The World Cup officially kicking off today. Finally, could we also see a much-needed vibe shift away from the outrage over ticket prices and immigration issues?
Shot no good but's gone it's good it's good with one
A historic comeback down 29 points. That last second tip gives the Knicks a 3-1 advantage. Now just one win away from the Eighth Championship.
🔊 Cheering
We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along. They keep playing us for suckers.
President Trump choosing military might over diplomacy, but can he bomb Tehran into a deal? Good morning everyone. America Hill in on this Thursday for Audi Cornish. Nice to have you with us. We do begin this hour with the tit for tat strikes between the US and Iran and the promise for more from the White House.
Amen.
The US says it targeted Iran's surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites. Iran hitting back. On a call from the situation room, President Trump told Fox News if Iran did not agree to a deal, he would bomb the expletive out of them, calling this the most violated ceasefire in history.
You can see when someone's trying to tap tap tap on a deal, instead they're gonna have tap tap tap bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran from the United States of America. If we need to negotiate with bombs, we'll negotiate with bombs. And we're very good at it.
So will those threats actually get Tehran to the table?
No sustainable deal can be reached through threats, intimidation or the use of force. The President of the United States should refrain from his recurring threats against Iran, including his renewed threat of force made today. Iran has never negotiated on the threats and pressure and will never submit to pressure or coercion.
Joining me now, former Defense Intelligence Official Major Harrison Mann. It's good to have you with us this morning. So we heard from Secretary Heges there saying, you know, we will continue to negotiate with bombs. Is that actually the way to get Iran to the table? It does not seem to be working in this moment.
Hi Erica. Uh we know for certain from recent history that it is not the way to get Iran to negotiate. They tried bombing Iran for forty days. It didn't work. Then they tried the blockade for another two months. That hasn't worked, and they're out of ideas, so I guess they're trying to bomb a second time. Uh it's it's unfortunate because I think there is still a possibility for peace.
When the Trump administration gets serious about actually negotiating, which is going to require making some concessions. But for now, they're clearly not willing to do that. Uh and so they're gonna start bombing again. The the other really worrying escalation we saw yesterday was an apparent war crime, uh a US targeted precision strike on a water reservoir for drinking water.
Uh in Iran.
near hormuz. And that's something Trump has threatened uh several times over the past eight weeks, you know, when he got frustrated with the ceasefire. And I I'm hoping we don't see uh more war crimes, uh targeting of civilian infrastructure as a a deliberate strategy to try and bring around to the table.
Certainly there are a lot of there are a lot of questions about that. Um and and questions in DecentCom for more clarity, right, on what the exact targets were in terms of that and whether that water plan was one of them. As we look at where things stand this morning, to your point about um getting serious about the negotiations. We have heard so much from President Trump publicly.
Um, you know, and CNN uh did an excellent analysis by our our colleague Aaron Blake earlier this week about the number of times that President Trump has said we're close, close to a deal. We've heard it in the last several days. There is so much public posturing uh from this president. Are you concerned at all that that could weaken the US position?
I think it already has weakened the US position. Uh what the Iranian side understood at the start of the war, which let's remember began when Trump and Netanyahu bombed in the middle of negotiations, is that it's very hard to trust Donald Trump and Trump's Constant lying, uh, you know, both in public and maybe to the Iranian side, has only further undermined that trust.
So when it looks like maybe they're they're making progress towards a deal and then Trump comes out and leaks some of the details, or he just starts making really outrageous threats, uh, that's gonna make it even harder. For him to earn the trust of his negotiating counterpart and get them to actually agree to something. And I think that's why we're seeing a increased willingness.
From the Iranian government to go back to full scale war, because they don't really think at this point that there's any other way to convince Trump to negotiate in good faith.
When this war began, of course it was the US and Israel, uh, when this war began. When it comes to Israel, um Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put out this statement yesterday, this message I should say for the people of Lebanon. I wanna play that for you.
I have a message for you, the people of Lebanon. Israel is not at war with you. We're at war with Hezbollah, that has taken your country hostage, that does Iran's bidding, that uses your territory to launch terrorist attacks against Israel. Do you remember what Lebanon was like before Iran and Hezbollah turned it into a nightmare? And once Hezbollah is dismantled, the possibilities are endless, and they are sky-high.
That's notable, of course, coming on the heels of Iran and Israel trading uh trading strikes uh earlier in the week, specifically on Sunday, on Sunday too, in the wake of Iran's uh missiles. President Trump told the Financial Times in an interview that Israel's going to have to accept whatever deal the US makes with Iran and that Israel doesn't call the shop.
Based on what we're seeing, how much sway, how much influence do you think this president actually has when it comes to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the decisions that Israel is making?
So a reminder that President Trump and any US President has nearly infinite leverage over the Israeli government. Essentially their Air Force can't fly without our support. You know, it's not just bombs and aircraft and reply parts. Supply parts.
You know, we have US troops on Israeli soil defending the skies of Israel so those planes can safely land. We supply the fuel that goes into those aircraft. So if Trump wanted to use it, uh, I'm pretty confident that he could end any Israeli military aggression that he wanted to. Uh and we can see that he wants to do that a little bit, but clearly not enough that it's deterred Netanyahu from launching uh what what potentially started this escalation, which was an Israeli strike on Beirut.
on Sunday. So Trump is still kind of trying to end the war with half measures, and it's clear that that's not going to work. He's going to have to do some difficult things, including Actually putting his foot down with Netanyahu, as well as possibly making some concessions to the Iranian government.
And unfortunately I don't think he feels the urgency to do either of those things because they can both be politically costly. And he's not gonna feel that urgency until maybe uh we've seen another round of full scale war uh that's totally unnecessary.
Major Harrison man, really appreciate your insight this morning.
¶ Morning Headlines and Sports Highlights
Coming up here on CNN this morning, President Trump doubling down on his temporary pick for national intelligence director, a man with questionable qualifications, including a lack of actual intel experience. And Social Security at risk, new estimates on when the funding will run out. And the bleak warning signs for younger workers, plus a shot for the ages. Knicks fans celebrating that last-second win in game four.
That's
Sick!
It feels cool. I mean everyone's pretty excited. I'm excited too.
🎵 Music
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Craig Ferguson is going coast to coast to unpack what it really means to be an American today. Craig Ferguson, American on Purpose. New episodes now streaming on the CNN app. Go to CNN.com/slash watch to subscribe or log in with your TV provider.
🎵 Music
13 minutes past the hour. Now here's your morning roundup. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates telling lawmakers on Wednesday he made a quote huge mistake in meeting with Jeffrey Epstein. He has denied any wrongdoing. Gates testified before the House Oversight Committee in a closed door meeting, saying he was aware Epstein had been convicted of a horrific crime, but continued to interact with him to seek money for his foundation.
When Gates arrived on Capitol Hill, he told reporters he would cooperate with any investigation.
Glad to be here voluntarily to testify. Hope my testimony is helpful to the work, important work of the committee to find justice for the victims. Thank you.
Gates has not been accused in connection with Epstein's crimes. If you are counting on Social Security as part of your retirement plan, well listen up. The latest government projections suggest the fund could run out of money in late 2032. So that means the agency would no longer be able to pay 100% of benefits in the fourth quarter of that year, and in the years after, the monthly benefits will drastically decline.
Some new details for you on that upcoming UFC fight at the White House, specifically the cost. Some$60 million. Now that's according to court documents submitted by the Trump administration, which says the money will cover logistics, things like food and porta potties. The fight is set for Sunday night, which of course is also the president's birthday.
So to come here on CNN this morning, a record-setting win for the Knicks. Well Light is here with more on New York's 29 point comeback and the push on to game five. Plus the World Cup kicking off across America, North America today, not without controversy. How about a live look for you here in Mexico City, the site of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa? So can the action on the pitch finally offer a much-needed vibe shift?
🎵 Music
You are saying we are, you say me! We are!
Uh a little excitement there on the subway. Frankly, everywhere in New York after the Knicks pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, securing a two-game lead over the Spurs.
Right at the top.
🔊 Basketball bounce
No good. The tip it's gone. It's good. It's good with one point two.
Oh, it was very good. The standing end to a 29-point comeback. OG Ananobis tip in with 1.2 seconds remaining. The Knicks beating the Spurs at just 1.107 to 106.
Feels cool. I mean everyone's pretty excited. Um I'm excited too. I'm excited too. Uh we're all excited. Uh we're enjoying it right now, but we're just focused on the next game now.
Knicks fans celebrating, perhaps not surprisingly, into the wee hours of the morning. New York now has the opportunity to clinch its first NBA title since 1973. The next game. Game five, Saturday night in San Antonio. Joining us now Will Leach. He's a contributing editor at New York magazine, a columnist with the Washington Post. He's got his um Nick's Blue Jacket on, uh his Jalen Bunts and Brob bobblehead somewhere.
Um, I mean Nixon Five. There is I will I know we've talked a lot about this. I have to say, being in New York City, and it's true, you're on the subway everywhere you go, the excitement. And the camaraderie and the way this city has come together, it is something. And that was a hell of a game.
It's incredible to watch the streets everywhere. You know, I lived in New York for 13 years, my old street packed with people. Uh, and what was amazing about that comeback last night. The vibes had been so off since Monday. Had been replaced by scowling billionaires courtside, right? Like scowling celebrities and upset people.
Yeah.
There's a lot of them. There's a l there's a lot a lot of leaders and a lot of celebrities out there. And they everyone looked very sad. I looked very sad. And so to see, to see that uh that comeback was really something incredible. And that OG and an Obi Tippin, it's something, frankly, that uh a place place that piece that. Really not just uh Knicks fans will remember forever, but really NBA fans. That's an NBA historic club.
Absolutely. And it was quite a game. I mean I full full disclosure, I had to watch the highlights this morning and read about it because some of us had to go to bed early. Um but you know, the fact that this was this twenty-nine-point comeback, just just set the scene for us. What are you seeing going into game five from both of them?
Certainly, you know, i they they'll go back to San Antonio for game five and so uh the the next thing won't have the garden environment. But the Knicks just won two games in San Antonio and You know, the the Spurs are obviously incredibly talented. I think everyone assumes Victor Wimbinyama is going to win several championships.
throughout his career, but they are very, very young. And I think that was kind of revealed last night when Binyama even talked about that, about how they felt like they'd lost their hunger. in the fourth quarter. So I think that we'll see that's a lot to overcome. Generally historically speaking, when you have that kind of loss.
where just the heart rips the heart out of your chest loss like the Spurs just had. It's very difficult to recover from, uh, even even if you uh you're at home. But even if they lose that game, the Knicks will be back for game six. I can't imagine what the garden would be like for
Oh wow. Uh yeah, me either. We'll deal with that one if and when we come to it. Let's talk a little soccer, shall we? Football, depending on where you are, you know, in the rest of the world. Um this has been tough. Heading into this moment between ticket prices, immigration issues this week, first match today in Mexico City. Um are we now getting into the heart of what this tournament is about?
Uh I mean I think certainly FIFA hopes so because this has really been a a a real mess for them. You know, this was after uh Russia eight years ago and uh Qatar four years ago, this was supposed to be the World Cup that went smoothly. They've been waiting for
to get back to North America, you know, for since nineteen ninety four, everything was supposed to be like this was US was a budgeting soccer market. Everyone was supposed to be working out in that direction. And it just it's been the opposite of that in every possible way.
The hope is, and frankly, historically, there is some signs that this happens once the ball is kicked and once things get going and once this incredible experience. You know, one of the great things about the World Cup is that we'll see, and remember there's 16 more uh nations involved in this one.
Every game takes on its own unique personality or the personality of the fan base is uh and you know uh these games are still going to be the stands are still going to be full. As high as the ticket prices have been, these stands are generally uh and Azteca today with the Mexico game.
That's going to be an incredible environment. The opening of the World Cup at the Azteco with the Mexican team. These fans are like every game takes on the personality of these varying fan base. The entire world is looking at this.
Maybe the US is not maybe looking at its best right now sing uh uh this term in a lot of ways. But uh once the game gets going, certainly the hope is among not just FIFA, but I think a lot of soccer fans that a lot of this will fade away a little bit, but you know, we'll see. Yeah.
Uh yeah, as long as you don't have to, you know, pay for a train ticket into New Jersey. Um when when we when you talked about the the stands b stands being full, rather, um what are the chances that some of those there are still tickets available, right? That they start to drop to make sure that the stands are
I think they will. You know, I I'm uh I'm based outside of Atlanta. There's a game between Uzbekistan and Qatar that takes place at seven thirty on a Wednesday. The get in price is four hundred dollars. Now I But I suppose it's possible there's more as Becca stands outside uh Mercedes been saving the land than I think, but I suspect
That's really because FIFA's kind of controlling the market a little bit on this. So controlling the resale market as well. They're not going to want empty stands. I think that once these games get going, once I think some of the realism that they do not want to see empty stands, I think you're going to see
some of these prices go down. Now I don't want to imply that all of a sudden you're gonna be getting five dollar uh tickets to these games, but some of these obscene prices get in prices that you're seeing, I do think you'll fall. Now not for the larger games, right? Like obviously the final's still gonna be uh Spain. Uh you know, a lot lot of the larger teams, Brazil, those are all gonna be sold out.
Uh and very expensive. But I think there's 48 teams in this thing. There's a lot of games. If you want to be able to just say, I went to a World Cup game, a lot of these prices are gonna fall, I think, for for a reasonable amount to at least get in and uh and see.
That's great. And you know, a watch party is always fun too. Uh having been to a couple uh you know, almost thirty years ago when the World Cup was in France. Really good time. Uh well appreciate it. Thank you.
¶ New Conflicts and Economic Concerns
Thanks for having me. Straight ahead here on CNN this morning. President Trump's unique take on rising costs for Americans, why he loves the latest inflation news, and a stabbing sparking days of unrest now in Northern Ireland, why officials are worried this violence could spread.
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I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life Podcast. We're talking to Dr. Alexander Moskop. He's author of the book called The End of Migraines. and he's the founder and director of the New York Headache Center. He's gonna tell us why headaches hurt, what's really happening in your head, and what you can do about it.
What is that?
What is the first thing you sort of recommend then in terms of lifestyle?
So sleep deprivation is number one. people are busy and not getting enough sleep.
That's probably part of the reason headaches have gone up. Just because we're getting less and less sleep.
Right. Diet is a very important factor as well. Lowering your carbs can definitely help. Three out of four migrants sufferer.
Yeah.
Suffer from reactive hypoglycemia, which means you eat something sweet or carbs, sugar goes up and then plants.
Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now wherever you get your podcast.
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🎵 Music
Good morning. Half past the hour here on CNN This morning. I'm Erica Hill. Nice to have you with us today. Here's a look at what's happening. Right now. Violent anti-immigration protests are taking over Belfast. The protests in Northern Ireland sparked after a Sudanese man was charged in a stabbing attack. Police now using water cannons against crowds as mass rioters were told as well broke into some homes, setting fire to buildings.
And cars targeting immigrants. Northern Ireland's first minister calls the violence outright thuggery. President Trump is directing Republican lawmakers to deliver a massive$350 billion cash infusion to the Pentagon. And also demanding they push through an election overhaul bill that has stalled now for weeks in the Senate. In a truth social post, Trump called on Republicans to act immediately with quote: no games, no delays, and no weak promise.
Thanks.
Another round of U.S. military strikes against targets across Iran now finished, but U.S. Central Command says that round of Tamaha crewed missiles was targeting military sites across Iran. Iran is vowing to retaliate with new attacks against U.S. military targets. Soaring glowing.
Global energy costs, the war with Iran, both putting increased pressure on the US economy. And the newest consumer price index report shows inflation hitting 4.2% in May. That is the highest rise for inflation in three years. As for President Trump, he loves it.
¶ Trump's 'Love' for Inflation Backlash
What do you concern, Mr. President, about the latest inflation?
this morning. Could that be a numbers which are
You know what I really like?
I love the inflation.
Joining me now in the group chat, Aaron Blake, CNN Senior Reporter, Mike Dubke, former White House Trump, White House Communications Director, and Megan Hayes, former Biden, White House. Director of Message Planning. It's lovely to see all of you this morning. Um I wanna play um some of the reaction that we heard to President Trump's comments when he was asked about inflation. Uh specifically here's what we heard from Marjorie Taylor Green on those comments. Take a listen.
It's pretty hard to take from a billionaire president when he says he loves inflation brought on the American people because of a war that he decided to pursue. And you know, that one's going to come back and bite him. He basically just handed the Democrats a great big campaign ad for the 2026 midterms.
Uh Mike, is it in fact the uh the great big campaign ad for Democrats?
It it's absolutely gonna be a big fat campaign ad uh for Democrats. He's assuming that once we cease hostilities with Iran and oil prices come down, that the momentum going into the midterm elections is gonna create a situation where people feel good about the economy. The unfortunate part I think right now is that runway till we get to the midterms is shrinking. And so we've really we if if that's gonna happen, it's gotta happen soon.
Um so as we wait to see for that, you know, whether and when that will happen, it's important to note, and Aaron, um you have a great piece out about this. This is not the first time the president did something that that doesn't land well, right? Um and perhaps most recently I'm I'm thinking of comments that he made where, you know, that he doesn't think about Americans when he and and the economy, which he doubled down on when he was asked to clarify.
Um the fact that this is not a one-off for the president, Aaron, just just walk us through where we're at.
Yeah, this has been a trend with President Trump. I would say dating back to last year. We might remember at the time inflation was starting to become a real political problem for him. And he was supposed to go out and give some speeches and and rallies in places like Pennsylvania where he talked about affordability and what he was going to do about these con vr very real concerns that the American people had.
And it just became clear that he didn't really want to talk about this. He was talking about affordability was a a hoax and things like that. Um so this has been a very long-running problem for the White House and for Republicans' hopes in the midterms. Where the president just treats these issues very flippantly. And the American people, if you look at the polling, have seen that.
and said that this guy is not taking this issue seriously enough. There are a CNN poll showed two thirds of Americans think that the president is not taking inflation seriously. It was as high as three quarters in a CBS news poll that I've been watching for a while. So this is a very real issue, and he does not seem to be uh changing his tack on this, and I think it's giving Republicans real heartburn right.
Uh uh Megan, all of that is this is happening. We're and we're seeing Republicans, right, who are acknowledging the pain that their constituents are feeling. We talked about this being an attack at the the interesting note is um are you seeing the Democrats are effectively harnessing that messaging?
Yeah, I think that they are. I also think the American people are just tired of Donald Trump and his flippant uh callous remarks that he constantly makes. But they're more tired of Congress who doesn't act and they're not acting here. And so that's
They're the ones who are gonna be up for reelection. Donald Trump's never gonna be on the ballot again, so he can say whatever he wants, but the fact that Congress isn't acting and these Republicans aren't being a check to Donald Trump, they're the ones who are gonna lose. So I think the more he says
And the crazier statements he makes and Republicans stand by and just let it happen are the ones that are going to lose these re-elections and that's when you're gonna see a bigger sweep come in the midterms.
¶ DNI Appointment and FISA Debate
Um let's take a look at a another another story we're following very closely. President Trump refusing to back down from his tr his pick rather for interim director of national intelligence. You've got Democrats of course threatening To allow FISA to lapse if Bill Pulti is appointed. This is a critical surveillance tool, as we know, used by intelligence officials for national security. The president's backers trying to make the case here that Pulti's only interim.
He is in the process uh interviewing uh the persons who would potentially be the next DNI. They're gonna be highly qualified, all these nom the potential nominees are. We know that FISA would expire on Friday. We cannot allow that to happen. This should not be a partisan matter.
On Tuesday, the president announced that Poulty would begin his role as acting DNI on June nineteenth. Uh so as we take a look at this one, um uh There is bipartisan concern here, it's important to note when it comes to Bill Poulty, um and what we are hearing. Um Mike, I'll I'll kick this one off to you again to start. Yeah. How do you see this playing out in this moment?
So here's the Here's the problem though with the setup on this. There is bipartisan concern about Pulti, but there's also bipartisan concern about FISA um uh expiring. So if there's this level of bipartisan concern, hopefully we would see some bipartisan action on this. Unfortunately we're now in a game of chicken between the White House and Poulty.
and Democrats in in Congress. So my guess is how does this play out? We're gonna go through the weekend. We're gonna have FISA expire on Friday before Congress leaves for the um either uh the June nineteenth uh break uh or the fourth of July break, we're gonna see some movement on this. The president's gonna appoint somebody, something else is gonna happen, but we're not in this classic game of Washington chicken and nobody's winning.
In terms of the Washington chicken, Megan, how much do you think could actually be happening behind the scenes between Democrats and Republicans, given that there is bipartisan concern and in some cases outrage?
Yeah, I think that there's a lot happening behind the scenes. People members that I've talked to on the Hill have you know, they're everyone is working closely to get either a new nominee or to get this passed. Both things can be true here, right? FISA shouldn't expire and Poulte shouldn't be in DNI at all. I mean I think Democrats have a real concern about election
integrity and security here and the way he has weaponized his role already and then using the intelligence that he'll have access to. So there are some real concerns here, but they're all real concerns of letting FISA expire. So
I would imagine that there is significant negotiations going on behind the scenes and I agree with Mike that they'll have some sort of solution, whether it expires and then they name someone very quickly, but this will this will resolve itself in Washington fashion and it'll be very dramatic.
Because it will have to d Washington fashion is dramatic. Did I hear that correctly? Yes.
Rama.
The little bit of drama. Uh Aaron, I'll give you one last uh bit to to weigh in on that. As as we watch all this. If you could put in perspective, you know, people hear this tossed around, right? There are the concerns about the DNI and the fact that he doesn't have the extensive national security experience uh that is required of that job, and they hear FISA, but the reality for most Americans, why does this matter to them?
I mean this is a very significant spying authority that the United States government uses overseas to prevent uh, you know, threats that could attack the homeland. So I think that creates a situation in which Uh you know, Democrats wanna hold the line on this. They wanna they wanna be very firm when it comes to opposing Bill Poulti for the DNI job.
But when you do that, if you're the ones that are gonna wind up holding off uh these spying authorities and letting them lapse even for a small period of time, that is a risk if something were to happen. This is a very significant
uh thing for the United States government. That's why there's such a big debate about this right now. And so it's gonna be interesting to see whether those Democrats are actually gonna be able to all hold the line Or if we might see some break ranks and say, okay, well, let's allow a short term extension
just while we negotiate this and figure out this whole Bill Pulti situation. I do think it's notable that you're seeing in those comments from Mike Johnson and from the White House, they're telegraphing that this Bulti thing is a very short term thing, that they're looking for a permanent director. Whether that's good enough for Democrats to to move forward and and support this short term extension, I think that's a really big question right now.
Yeah, it is interesting to see those comments as they try to downplay uh in many ways by saying not a lot to see here. It's just an interim move. Uh that certainly hasn't been enough for some as we know. Um one other thing uh we wanted to get your take on this morning. Um uh there has been a lot made um about uh how the president is doing during certain meetings and moments, including this.
¶ Presidential Conduct: Sleeping Allegations
I rise today to sound the alarm about a grave national security threat, Donald Trump's sleeping habit. I know we have rules about decorum, so I will stick to the facts because this is in fact a serious matter of oversight, transparency, and national security. We cannot have a president asleep on the job. Is he sleeping in classified briefings, on calls with foreign leaders? How can we trust a president who is literally asleep at the wheel to make informed decisions about national security?
Uh Megan you get first crack at this one. Um is it a national security threat?
I mean it's a national security threat that he's not paying attention, yes, but there is a massive apparatus around the president when these decisions are made. Whether or not you trust the people that are around the president is a different story. I just think this is rich coming from a White House that criticized Joe Biden so much and calling him sleepy Joe Biden. So
I mean if I was Donald Trump I would be embarrassed. Also you're the president of the United States. I don't understand why you can't stay awake during daylight hours to do your job.
Uh Marco Ruby has said he's he's a he's awake uh not just during the daytime but also all throughout the night. Uh that he hears from him regularly in the wee hours. We do see the posts in the wee hours. Um Mike, but they're you know, legitimate questions, right? There's a lot of criticism about what wasn't said about Joe Biden. Is this fair game?
It sure everything's fair game, but this is political theater and and and Marco Rubio is absolutely correct. I got call when I was in the White House I got calls at two o'clock in the morning from the president. Th the the man does not sleep. He does keep odd hours. And I am not
I am really not concerned uh with him closing his eyes and Democrats jumping on a couple of, you know, photographs of his of his eyes closed uh in in this setting. This is this is theater uh in this in this particular case.
Uh my grandfather used to say he was just checking his eyelids for holes.
¶ Immigration Funding Bill and Oversight
There you go. Uh still to come here on CNN this morning. Republicans just passed the immigration funding bill after a nearly 80-day partial government shutdown. Um what does this do? Did Democrats lose their leverage plus?
Senior advisors, the top level of the government, gathered in the situation room.
The latest excerpts from a forthcoming book revealing how President Trump's closest advisors reportedly tried to manage the Jeffrey Epstein fallout and the release of the president's name.
🎵 Music
A nearly seventy billion dollar boost to President Trump's immigration and deportation agenda. Trump signing that bill into law yesterday, which ends now a six-month fight over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Which began after the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Predi and Renee Good. Now that bill provides$38 billion for ICE,$26 billion for border patrol, and an additional$5 billion for unseen costs.
The funding is set to last for the next three years. Keep in mind here, typically it would only be funded for one year at a time. It was also passed without the support of a single Democrat.
The American people are gonna remember it. They're gonna remember too that it was Republicans and Republicans alone who did the responsible thing and funded these critically important agencies at this critical time. Democrats, on the other hand, demonstrated to the entire country once again how little they prioritized the security of our borders and the livelihoods of those who put their own lives at risk and on the line to defend our homeland.
Um, I want to bring in now Democratic Congressman James Walkinshaw of Virginia, who joins us this morning. Nice to have you with us. Uh when we look at where things stand, in terms of this funding, the fact that it was passed for three years, this essentially Shields the agencies from the appropriations process. So what out oversight will Congress have over the course of these next three years?
Well well look, I'm I'm certainly hopeful that there'll be a change in control of Congress in January, which would allow us to conduct robust oversight in the form of uh hearing subpoenas when necessary, depositions.
quite consistent that they're they're not gonna provide real oversight of the reckless out of control mass deportation agenda that we have seen. So I don't know that there will be much oversight for the remainder of this year, but I'm hopeful that in January 2027 we can get some oversight and bring this under control.
Among the list of uh demands that Democrats had, we had of course limits on face coverings, body camera requirements, clearer use of force standards, which led to the record shutdown. Really none of these demands made it into the final bill. Was it worth it?
Well well look what Democrats said is Federal law enforcement ICE CBP should operate similarly to our local and state law enforcement, right? Have the same expectations of professionalism that we have of our
Local.
police. Republicans, led primarily by one man, Stephen Miller, in the White House, said no way, no how. So from my perspective, it's always worth it to fight to protect the safety of the American people. were being terrorized by uh their own government by massed agents surging into communities. I think that fight
is always worth it. We're gonna continue that fight. We're gonna have to take it to the ballot box in in November. I think the the mood and the polling across the country is quite clear that American people, even those who might have supported
of stronger immigration enforcement that Donald Trump ran on are looking at what they're seeing and saying, this ain't what I voted for. I don't want to see kids with cancer deported. I don't want to see pregnant women dragged through the street. I don't want to see American citizens. Shot dead and killed. The American people know this is out of control. Democrats are going to keep fighting to bring it under control.
¶ White House Response to Epstein Scandal
Um let's talk Epstein if we could. Bill Gates, of course, on Capitol Hill, you uh sat uh in that hearing yesterday, listened to his testimony. Um Representative Burchett afterwards came out and told the cameras. That he had, in his view, very good coaching, that he had paid for very good coaching is what he said about Bill Gates. Did you find Bill Gates credible?
I did I did find Bill Gates credible. Everything he said was consistent with uh what's in the files or in the public record. Look, it is uh an egregious error in judgment. It's the most charitable way to describe. Uh Bill Gates deciding to engage, meet with Jeffrey Epstein even after he knew of Jeff F Epstein's 2008 uh guilty plea conviction for a sex crime. Uh Gates acknowledged that yesterday. He said that was a a terrible, terrible mistake, and it certainly was.
Uh when we look at where things stand, um Congressman Burgeon also calling for transparency, as you know, um James Comer, the House Oversight Chair, um There has been some back and forth on on what should be public, but he also talked about who he wanted to call in next. I just want to play that.
I would like for Todd Blanche to come in in July. Come in and let me let me be very clear. Todd Blanche came in
Yeah.
I'm out to go. He came in with Pam Bondi. to answer questions from the oversight committee and the Democrats stormed out what a missed opportunity for the Democrats. But but Todd Blanch answered questions that Republicans had for several hours.
I'm curious to both your response to that and also um what you feel you would get from Todd.
In an effort to help Pam Bondi avoid having to come in and speak under oath and answer questions under oath, Chairman Comer tried to set up a secret closed door briefing with Bondi and Todd Bland. That briefing would have had no or has no transcript. The media, the public would never know. In fact, he just described it. Do you have any idea what they discussed in that meeting? What questions were asked? You don't. It's part of the cover-up.
And Democrats said, look, we're not going to participate in secret behind door behind closed doors briefings as part of this.
Cover up. We want Pam Bondi under oath in front of cameras so the American people can judge it. And we want Todd Blanche under oath in front of cameras and let the American people not Uh, the oversight committee members decide whether they think he's telling the truth or not about this massive cover up that the Trump administration has been engaged in around the Epstein file.
We will see if that happens. Uh certainly a lot of interest and a lot of questions. Congressman Walkinshaw, I appreciate you taking the time this morning. Thank you.
Thanks for having me.
Well, some of Jeffrey Epstein's associates are facing questions on Capitol Hill while also learning more about how the White House was attempting to deal with the fallout of this crisis last summer. New reporting from New York Times reporters Jonathan Swann and Maggie Haberman details how Trump's top advisors assembled high-level meetings to talk about the growing crisis without the president.
So over the summer of 2025, you had some of Trump's most senior advisors, the top level of the government, gathered in the situation room.
Which is typically used. National security.
Ready?
for responding to national disasters.
Yeah.
Not with the president, but among themselves. The discussion in the situation room was not about how to give these women a hearing or a chance to tell their stories. These meetings were about how to handle the political fallout around the White House.
The group chat is back. Look, it's a fascinating read, an excerpt from their forthcoming book, as we look at the way all of this is playing out. Um Aaron, one of the of the many things that stood out to me, it was not only the players that were involved, but how they were responding to these moments in public versus in private. I think Dan Bongino may be the best example. In public, pretty measured. In private, the exact opposite and had some pretty stark warnings uh for officials.
Yeah, it was pretty uh remarkable to see some of the quotes from Dan Bongino talking about his superior who is Attorney General Pam Bondi and her uh handling of this, basically her botched handling of this. Of course she was out there on TV in the months before talking about, you know, she was asked about the client list, she said it's on my desk. Uh she handed out those binders that turned out to be rather old information about this.
Um there was very much concern about the politics of this internally and clearly these these politics were taken very seriously. One of the things I was really struck by was These meetings included high level officials at the Justice Department. We remember might remember back in the Obama administration, there was a big controversy.
about Attorney General Loretta Lynch meeting with Bill Clinton on the tarmac of an airport during the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Well now we have this reporting that basically the Justice Department is strategizing with the White House about how to insulate the president from this budding kind of scandal last year, and it kind of seems par for course for what's been happening in recent years.
Um
The other things that struck me in this moment were the involvement of Todd Blanche, uh Megan, especially as we were just talking about, right, what what could potentially be learned from Todd Blanche, um if in fact uh there were more questions from the House Oversight Committee. Um
Given his involvement and his suggestions in those meetings and where he is now and the fact that Pam Bondi, right, was saying just in the last several days, look, Todd Blanche was responsible for everything related to the release here. Um It's fascinating the way this all sets it up.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean I think that Blanche is gonna have a hard time getting out of committee anyways and he's gonna have to answer some questions about the Epstein files if he wants to get confirmed, regardless of this story that just came out. But I also think I mean they they said that they talked to over a thousand people I know for the whole book. But this is a lot of people who are no longer with the administration.
trying to make themselves look better when they were all at fault. This whole handling of this has been disgusting and gross. And I you know, I've been in the situation room for meetings, so is Mike. These are th that is a sacred place where you have national security conversations. So the fact that they are talking about how to get Donald Trump out of being in the Epstein files is just gross to me and a conc complete misuse of those facilities in the White House.
But the this is a lot of people just trying to make themselves look better in this book that they talk to them. So the fact that they're even leaking on these meetings that were in the situation room is offensive to me.
So I think the leaking of the meetings is the other thing I wanted to talk about with you. So Mike, when you when you see that, right, and I should point out CNN has reached out to both the White House and the DOJ waiting to hear back, but um the fact that there is so much detail In this book, so many quotes. What does that tell you about how this White House is working?
Well, I I'm not sure it tells you anything about how this White House is working. I think Megan was spot on. This is a bunch of individuals who have left the the administration who are trying to s you know salvage their reputations. And that's what happens when you get leakers.
I mean there's really three l leaks in in Washington. One f on public policy ds you know issues, one on uh uh going after somebody, your political enemy, and the other is to make yourself look better and more important. And I think this is a classic ex example of that third uh instance of leakers talking to to uh Swan and Haberman and that wonderful New York Times music that they play to make everything seem so serious about what they're revealing in their
in their things. This is this is typical. The White House saw a crisis They gathered the people together to give their advice to the president, made sure that everyone was on the on the same page or at least aired out what they thought about this, and then went to the president with their decisions. I'm really not seeing anything here that is Uh outstanding or unusual when it comes to the inner workings of the White House.
¶ Lighter Notes and Personal Perspectives
All right. Uh let's shift if we could to the group chat before I let y'all go. Let's take a break from the politics people. Um Aaron, uh you kick this off because um I can say kick and it relates directly to what's in your group chat.
Yeah, it's a big day. I mean the World Cup's starting. I've been excited about this for a long time. Uh I would encourage people, and we've been talking about this with with the people in my life.
i look at this guy Freddie from G from Germany, his Twitter feed about his travels through the American South, experiencing true Americana. It will it will resurrect your your love for this country to see somebody experience these things for the first time and it'll change your perspective about these things that maybe you're starting to take for granted.
You gotta go to a Buckeyes, uh that is for sure. Um Megan, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and I'm gonna say Summer House in your group chat.
Of course, of course. It's all that matters in my life is what's on Bravo. The third installment of the reunion was this week. It was incredible. I think that there's a lot of a lot of thoughts back and forth of how people feel. The emotionlessness of Wes and Amanda was incredibly awkward for everyone involved. But um you know, I'm here for more in their new series of In the City. I'm here for it.
One of these days I'm actually gonna watch it. Um I swear. Mike, you're talking dishwashers.
Big debate.
That's true.
No, you're not.
Not supposed to rinse.
I I you're not supposed to rance modern dishwashers, get the dishes clean, found that out. But I I love this Freddy story, the modern Detocville. Walking across the southeast of the United States, exposing what America is really like for Europe. I love it. I love it.
All right, so you're joining in the group chat with Aaron. I love it when we bring people together. Good to see you guys. Thanks for joining us. I'm Erica Hill. The headlines are next.
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