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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Delays Confirmation For Intel Chief, Pulte To Be In Charge; U.S. Federal Reserve Holds Rates Steady Under New Chair Warsh; New York City Prepares For Knicks Victory Parade Celebration; Swing District Voters In Pennsylvania Size Up The Midterms; Trump's Pick For GA Governor Loses To Billionaire Rick Jackson. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 17, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: -- QR code below. And you can also catch up by listening to The Arena's podcast and follow the show on X and Instagram at The Arena CNN. The Lead anchored today by Phil Mattingly starts right now.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: President Trump's latest move even has Republicans frustrated. The Lead starts right now.

Confusion and frustration on Capitol Hill today as President Trump forced own pick to be Director of National Intelligence to skip his confirmation hearing today.

Now Congress is in limbo, a contentious temporary boss about to take the reins. U.S. spy agencies are left without powers they say are necessary to prevent terror attacks.

Plus, with Americans struggling under the weight of the highest inflation in three years, today the Federal Reserve decided not to cut interest rates and signal a rate hike may be in the future. We'll break down how this could affect your wallet.

And New York City is getting ready for a massive parade tomorrow to celebrate the NBA champion Knicks. And as those final preparations are underway, CNN sat down with Mayor Zohran Mamdani for a look at the security measures in place. With thousands of fans expected to pack the streets.

Welcome to The Lead on Phil Mattingly. Jake Tapper is on assignment. We begin in our Politics Lead. President Donald Trump today making life a lot more complicated for his own party on Capitol Hill. And members of both parties say his actions could put national security at risk. So here's what's going on.

After Republicans thought they'd found a way to ditch Bill Pulte, the housing chief with no national security experience, who is Trump's controversial pick to be the acting Director of National Intelligence, Trump upended that last night with a Truth Social post from Geneva writing, quote, I will not approve FISA without the Save America Act going along with it. We are canceling the Senate hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. attorney.

In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the acting Director of National Intelligence, now Trump's permanent pick for the DNI role. Southern District of New York top prosecutor Jay Clayton was scheduled to have his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill this afternoon until Trump directed him not to appear.

The Senate Intelligence Committee's Republican chairman, Senator Tom Cotton posted on it's regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today. Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. While today's hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, slammed Trump for sowing confusion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): Donald Trump has no respect for the national security of our nation. For him to be jerking around Jay Clayton, for him to be jerking around critical intelligence tools at this point is the epitome of irresponsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: We start things off with a view from both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue. Seen as Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill, seen as Kristen Holmes is on the North Lawn of the White House.

Lauren, I want to start with you because this, I believe, surprised even Majority Leader John Thune confused just about everybody with the announcement this morning. So what actually happens next here and what are you hearing from lawmakers on Capitol Hill?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, confusion, consternation, whiplash. Republican senators up here were prepared to try and fast track Jay Clayton to be the next DNI. Instead, what they're doing is trying to pick up the pieces and figure out what they're going to do, not just about DNI, but also the future of FISA, that critical spy program that has since lapsed. Right.

Democrats had stood in the way of moving forward with a short term piece of FISA because they had concerns about Bill Pulte being in this role for even a single day. Last week it seemed like things had turned around when Jay Clayton was announced to be Donald Trump's pick for DNI. And Democrats yesterday that I was talking to, they were very clearly moving in the direction of allowing this nomination to be fast-tracked in the Senate, which is no small thing, especially in a divided Washington, Phil.

But now that clearly has gone out the window. You have Democrats confused, you have Republicans confused. You have John Thune trying to pick up the pieces within his own party. And this is not the first time that the majority leader has been surprised over the course of the last several weeks. And it obviously is having an impact on senators and how they view their role up here in being a check and balance for the president.

I think that there was a sense going into the day that perhaps they could change Donald Trump's mind. You saw Senator Tom Cotton tweeting earlier that he still wanted to have this hearing. And then just a couple of hours later having to pull that back with that post that you just read saying it was regrettable that they didn't actually move forward today.

[17:05:07]

Here is just the bipartisan frustration that we're hearing from senators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I was surprised what's looking forward to the hearing. I'm concerned that this slows down the renewal of FISA, which is vital to our national security.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Trump's actions overnight make it clear the fact that Trump withdrew Jay Clayton should erase anyone's doubts Trump wants FISA to stay expired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And it's really not clear what the future for Jay Clayton even looks like. I talked to Senator Mark Warner earlier. He said that he had a conversation with Jay Clayton, but it wasn't clear to him whether or not this nominee had been polled, whether this is simply just postponed honed. Obviously a lot of questions up here on Capitol Hill and just a lot of angst over the fact that in one -- in the words of Senator Thom Tillis, this was an unforced error. Phil.

MATTINGLY: And Kristen, honestly, I've probably heard like 30 different theories from mostly Republicans on Capitol Hill as to why this came to be. This idea of like basically rolling a hand grenade down a hallway to just blow up what had been a rather clever solution to a problem. What are you hearing about kind of what drove this?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, the idea that it was a clever solution in itself is part of the reason that President Trump grew so frustrated. The idea of somebody or some thing, entity, the House lawmakers pulling one over on Trump is not something that Trump likes, even the perception of that. And that's why he's not just angry and lashing out at Democrats, it's also Republicans.

It was brought to his attention that Republicans were trying to fast track this, that they were trying to get Pulte and out and almost never serve a day or at least serve a short amount of time as acting DNI as he possibly would. Just a reminder, he is set to take over on Friday, June 19th. That is the day that President Trump negotiated with the outgoing DNI who resigned Tulsi Gabbard.

And the other part of this is just we cannot underestimate the direct line that Pulte has to President Trump. That's how he got nominated for this position or tapped for this position to be acting DNI in the first place. He's having constant conversations with President Trump and likely showing him or explaining to him that this would make it impossible for him to do what President Trump has told him he wants him to do in this office, which is gut DNI got the office of the Director of National Intelligence.

I spoke to one lawmaker who said that they were deeply confused, but also stated that President Trump has been railing behind the scenes about Pulte, saying that Democrats don't like him. Why can't they just let him in for a short amount of time, stressing to his advisers and allies that this would only be shorter than 90 days. It wouldn't be as acting. It wouldn't be a long term commitment. And then they would put in Jay Clayton as the permanent director.

Now, I have been told by White House officials that Jay Clayton's nomination has not been pulled, told that they do still intend on nominating him for the permanent director position. But when that hearing is going to happen, that is a big question. And you also have to think about the fact that President Trump now believes he has some sort of leverage with this Pulte situation, understanding that Republicans and Democrats are willing to work together and work quickly together to try and not get him into office, which means that they might be willing to work quickly if he leverages Pulte over them on other things that President Trump wants passed.

MATTINGLY: That is a very, very astute point, as is always the case. Lauren Fox, Kristen Holmes, appreciate you both. Thanks so much.

Let's discuss now with Leon Panetta, former defense secretary and CIA director under President Obama. Mr. Secretary, I appreciate your time. Just to start with, it's fascinating to watch both Republicans and Democrats be very forward and public about kind of their disdain and certainly distrust for Bill Pulte as acting DNI.

The question that I've always had is what exactly could he do in that role that makes them so concerned?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, Phil, it is, it's a sad turn of events because very frankly, a lot of issues are being raised about our national security, particularly coming out of this war agreement that's been arrived at. And intelligence is absolutely critical, critical to our ability to secure our country. And that's why the DNI, the role of the DNI is so important.

And I think the concern with Pulte is that A, he has absolutely no intelligence experience at all. At all. And secondly, you know, he's basically a political hack from his background. And putting him in a very sensitive position like the DNI raises tremendous concerns about the damage that could be done to our intelligence capabilities.

[17:10:10] So, you know, I think it's time for the President to understand that he cannot afford to undermine intelligence, particularly at a time when our national security is so important.

MATTINGLY: I think that's the piece of this that is most striking to me, having covered. I mean, I lost count of how many FISA reauthorization fights covered on Capitol Hill, where at the end of the day, in large part because it was the executive branch making the case to lawmakers that we simply cannot afford to have this expire, we cannot afford to have it go dark for a period of time, that lawmakers eventually got on board despite their objections. They found a way to get 218 and 60 every single time.

What is losing this program like? What does that actually mean for people who maybe don't understand how it works?

PANETTA: Well, you want to -- you want to create a vulnerability in terms of our national security, then prevent FISA from taking effect. Because what that does is it allows terrorists to be able to communicate in this country, and it prevents our ability to basically capture that kind of communication so that we know what terrorists are up to and what threats our country is facing.

So with FISA shut down right now, without question, this country is very vulnerable to some kind of terrorist attack. People have got to wake up. The President's got to wake up. I know the political games that go on sometimes and the bad feelings that people have with one another.

Let me just say at this moment, our national security is what is most important to the President, to the country, and to Congress.

MATTINGLY: You mentioned one of the concerns is that this is all playing out as the U.S. has been in a conflict and maybe is now finishing a conflict in Iran, given all the news we've seen on that front. I'm interested in your perspective. There's been a lot of comparisons to JCPOA, whether it's better than JCPOA, whether it's less than. I know where the President sits on this particular issue.

Your view of the now public 14 points of this memorandum of understanding. Do you think this will lead to a broader deal?

PANETTA: Well, that's -- that's the biggest question of all because, frankly, the major issue with regards to their nuclear capability was not resolved by these 14 points. It's going to take another 60 days of negotiation to determine what happens with regards to their nuclear capability.

In the meantime, yes, we have opened the Straits of Hormuz. Yes, we have lifted our blockade. Yes, we've agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. But at the same time, we have a situation where Iran now is in control of the Straits of Hormuz and as intelligence itself said yesterday, it can now weaponize the ability to control the Straits of Hormuz.

Secondly, Israel has not agreed to a ceasefire with regards to Lebanon, which means that any day we could have a violation of the -- of the ceasefire. And thirdly, 60 days does not guarantee that we're going to be able to resolve the nuclear issue, the missile issue, the proxy issue, or for that matter, other critical issues that relate to this war.

So I think right now we're in a very tenuous situation with regards to what's going to happen in Iran.

MATTINGLY: Yes. To quote one U.S. official to me earlier today, now comes the hard part. The really, really hard part. Leon Panetta, always appreciate your time, sir. Thanks so much.

PANETTA: Good to be with you.

MATTINGLY: Well, after months of complaining about Jerome Powell, President Trump's handpicked Fed chairman led his first meeting today. What Kevin Warsh's comments are signaling about the rates you will pay moving forward. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:18:39]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN WARSH, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Persistently high prices are a burden for the American people, but the recent past need not be prologue. This committee will deliver price stability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: In our Money Lead, new chairman, same interest rates, but a very new message. Today the Federal Reserve Board held interest rates steady as newly appointed Fed Chair Kevin Warsh held his first policy meeting. For the fourth meeting in a row, policymakers voted to keep the benchmark lending rate between 3.5 and 3.75 percent and hinted at a potential rate hike later this year to combat inflation really tied to the war with Iran.

I want to discuss all this with chief economic adviser at Allianz, Mohamed El-Erian. I really appreciate you coming in. We were talking before we started. I think the message that Kevin Warsh delivered today was if you listened to him, prior made a lot of sense and made clear that he was going to make good on a lot of the things that he said.

The market response was interesting and seemed a little bit disconnected on some level from what he was trying to get at. Is that fair?

MOHAMED EL-ERIAN, CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISER, ALLIANZ: It's totally fair and thanks for having me. The market is applying an old playbook to a completely new Fed chair. This is a Fed chair who came in and said, I understand that we have missed our inflation target every single month for more than five years.

[17:20:02] But I also believe I need to reform the Fed in these five areas because in order for us to be more effective we need better communication, we need a better understanding of our models of inflation framework and our balance sheets. The market reacted to something that I'm willing to bet you will not exist in a year's time, which is called the SAP, which are projections of the people on his committee. And that's the wrong thing to do because the information content there is very limited.

MATTINGLY: One of the things I think was striking is if you look at the economic projections and compare them to March the last time that they were released, there is a significant uptick in forecasts of where core PCE in particular, which to me signaled that people think that the inflation problem is not just a Iran war. Gas prices, energy problem, it has bled deeper into the economy, started to bleed into the broader economy right now.

Shouldn't markets factor in like oh, that's the case then there's probably going to be rate hikes.

EL-ERIAN: So markets have factored that in and it's been obvious that that's the case. But let's not forget that oil prices have come down 20 percent in the last week and that is also going to have an anti- inflationary impact. The diesel that trucks use to move our food is 20 percent cheaper today than it was a week ago. That's going to translate into somewhat lower prices.

I think the key issue is that this -- that Kevin Warsh has inherited a Fed that has not met its inflation target for over five years and the American people are really suffering because of this. It's been a huge price shock. It has undermined their purchasing power and this is something that we need to control.

MATTINGLY: It is interesting given kind of what Warsh is making clear about his view of forward guidance or sustained for forward guidance. Your point about what we've just seen in gas prices recently is a good window into probably a lot of the economic projections or forecasts would be very different today than they would have been as they were making kind of concluding where they wanted to be for the S and P. Which underscores that forward projections or forward looking guidance is difficult in a very, very uncertain and volatile economy which we've all lived in for the better part of it feels like two decades at this point.

But one of the things that was striking, and you mentioned it, his emphasis over and over again on price stability, which obviously is the statutory mandate or part of the dual mandate, it makes a lot of sense but it to me rang as if he's saying like I'm not. If you think I'm dovish, you don't understand how I'm looking at this. Am I over reading what he was trying to say?

EL-ERIAN: I think he -- he wanted to signal that he is committed to the dual mandate of the Fed, of which the one that we're missing the most right now is inflation. You're absolutely right in terms of forecasts, not only are things really fluid, but the economy is going through a transformational change because of AI. And that's going to have a demand effects are going to have a supply effect.

He basically said, and I agree with him. And that's the problem with these forecasts is that whatever dots, because they put dots in, whatever dot you put in is going to be out of date in six weeks.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

EL-ERIAN: And then we're going to start all over again. Meanwhile, we're signaling to the market as if we know what we're going to be doing, but we don't know what we're going to be doing. So he refused to put in his thoughts. We were supposed to have 19 dots, we only had 18. And the first thing he said when he came out after saying how excited he is about the job is I didn't submit dots because I don't think that's the right thing to do. And that's really brave and it's a really clear signal. And he's going to be communicating differently in a more honest and a more accountable fashion.

MATTINGLY: Yes, some -- some people ease their way into institutions like this. He very clearly was going to make good on what he promised. I will say the 18, 19 dots, the four paragraphs instead of 350 to 400 word statement and productivity growth in the statement where the signals of like, okay, this is, this is a new era. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Mohamed El-Erian, I really appreciate you coming in. Thanks.

EL-ERIAN: Thank you so much.

MATTINGLY: Well, more than 10,000 police officers are expected to be on hand as New York City celebrates its championship basketball team tomorrow. We're live along the parade route in lower Manhattan with more on the final preparations ahead of the celebration.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:28:42]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D) NEW YOR: This day means so much to New Yorkers. The parade begins at 10. The viewing pens open at 6. When you tell a Knick fan that, they'll tell you, OK, I'll be there at 5. And so we're prepared for many to come through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaking to CNN's Omar Jimenez about tomorrow's victory parade for you may have heard the NBA champion New York Knicks. Hundreds of thousands are expected to jam parts of Broadway with 10,000 NYPD officers patrolling the route. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has more on the preparations for the celebration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: You've been waiting for this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All my life.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): For the first time ever, the New York Knicks are parading down the Canyon of Heroes, New York's famous avenue of celebration.

MAMDANI: It may well be the largest parade in New York City history.

JESSICA LAPPIN, PRESIDENT, ALLIANCE FOR DOWNTOWN NEW YORK: The pent up energy, the excitement, it's like nothing we've ever seen. We had the Yankees three times in the 90s. We had the Giants a couple of times. We had the women's World Cup team twice. But the Knicks, we've been waiting a long time.

PROKUPECZ: 2500 pounds of this will reign over lower Manhattan as the players make their way up the Canyon of Heroes.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Jessica Lappin is the head of the Downtown Alliance, responsible for the ticker for this ticker tape parade.

LAPPIN: You know, in the old days, everybody could open their windows. Unfortunately, not so much anymore. So anybody who wanted it, who could open the windows were happy to provide.

[17:30:05]

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): These days, it's recycled paper that's shredded into confetti. But that wasn't always the case.

LAPPIN: The very first parade was in 1886, after the opening of the Statue of Liberty, when people marched just spontaneously up Broadway. People opened their windows back when there were brokerage houses, and they had ticker tape machines. They threw the ticker tape, hence the tradition was born.

PROKUPECZ: That shredded paper, literally, is going to be coming from these windows. Office workers using their hands to throw it out the windows.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Security will be tight. Everyone who can get in will be screened. Law enforcement officials say there will be road and subway station closures along the route, and every float, bus, and vehicle will be screened.

PROKUPECZ: Here's the thing. This area of Lower Manhattan is really tight, and with the millions expected, how is everyone going to fit here? Look at how narrow just the side streets are.

What are you most looking forward to on Thursday?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, if I can see any of the players, I'll be fine. But just the experience of seeing them, feeling it with other New Yorkers, it's going to be great. I mean, the best I felt was that night again, but I don't think I can top that. But this is going to be close. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PROKUPECZ: And you can really feel, Phil, the excitement out here. People are already starting to show up. They want to get a glimpse inside of City Hall here and see that orange and blue. And everywhere you go here, you're seeing that orange and blue. The streets here temporarily being renamed Champions Way. There is a lot of excitement out here. Security is a big concern.

Ten thousand cops on patrol. The other thing the NYPD said, that they may have to turn people away. You saw how narrow the Canyon of Heroes is. It only fits but so many people. So I think what's going to happen is a lot of people are going to get here tonight. They're going to get in line starting tonight. Sleep out in the streets just so that they can get a view, even if it's for a few seconds, of their heroes, the Knicks.

MATTINGLY: I mean, I get it. I can't describe the joy I felt, Shimon, watching you experience these last several weeks. It's been awesome. I feel like you reflect all of New York right now. Shimon Prokupecz, along the parade route in Manhattan. Thanks so much, my friend.

PROKUPECZ: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Well, tonight we've got the latest installment of our series, All Over the Map. CNN's John King traveled to Battleground, Pennsylvania, in the towns that will play a crucial role in deciding which party is in power over the next two years. So what are voters thinking about the midterms? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:37:00]

MATTINGLY: In our Politics Lead, we're roughly four and a half months out from the midterms. One way or the other, this national battle for control of Congress will shape the final two years of President Trump's second term. For his All Over the Map series, CNN's John King hit the road to Pennsylvania to ask voters in some important swing districts what they're thinking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to Pennsylvania, and a journey through a critical slice of the midterm map.

KING: Right here in eastern Pennsylvania, three districts that run 105 miles from just outside of Philadelphia up to the New York state border. If this stretch here flips from red to blue on election night, then the Democrats are taking the House, without a doubt.

KING (voice-over): Stop one, Bucks County. Suburban, upscale, moderate. A short commuter train hop to Philly.

KING: Luckily, I read my "Gardening for Dummies" book last night. MICHAEL PESCE, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Quick and easy, see?

KING (voice-over): Michael Pesce likes his Republican congressman, yet he is almost certain to vote for his Democratic challenger.

PESCE: Big picture, Trump is the problem that I see. The President is not doing what I think a president should be doing. And that's disturbing to me. One more person in the Congress that is going to stand up to Trump, that's going to get my vote.

KING (voice-over): Pennsylvania-1 is represented by Brian Fitzpatrick. He's in his fifth term, first elected in 2016. Fitzpatrick won with 56 percent in 2024, and he is one of just three House Republicans from districts won by Vice President Harris. The first is Pennsylvania's most affluent district. The median annual income, $114,000 a year, and the median home value, $440,000. Pesce was a Reagan Republican when we met three years ago. A registered Democrat now, because he won't be in Trump's party. A Coast Guard veteran, angry at the price of a war he says makes no sense.

PESCE: I fill up my tank once a week. I was filling it up for $35, now it's $60 to fill up my tank. So that's money that we weren't spending before that we were putting to something else. And now we're like, well, maybe we can't go to do that something else.

KING (voice-over): Even here, the affordability crunch is obvious. Demand at this Bucks County food bank was already up. Rising gas prices brought even more cars. Tilford straddles the Bucks and Montgomery County lines. The night market, a local favor for food, for crafts. And right now --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say I don't want to mail in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I take it in and drop it off?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can take it in at the request of the official ballot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

KING (voice-over): For recruiting voters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want me to get you a beer? You got it.

KING (voice-over): Democrat Bob Harvey will get Patty Dusza's vote to send Trump a message.

[17:40:01]

PATTY DUSZA, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I don't feel like he's honest, all those kind of things. Now, I'm saying that in front of my husband, which I don't usually say.

KING (voice-over): Jeremy Dusza is frustrated by gas prices. Frustrated Republicans have done nothing to help with health care costs. But he doesn't blame Fitzpatrick. JEREMY DUSZA, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I think he's been doing a good job.

P. DUSZA: Yes.

J. DUSZA: Our taxes haven't been raised up so high that we can't afford it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: A glimpse there at our first stop on our journey. That was the 1st Congressional District. This will be the toughest of the three districts we visited for the Democrats to win. From there to the North and the 7th Congressional District, Democrats believe, look at the margin last time, they should have a good chance here. And then on to the 8th, again, a very, very narrow margin last time. Democrats believe they have a good shot here.

And guess what? Do the Democrats need to win all three? No. But two of those three, at least, would tell you the Democrats are off to a good start as they try to retake the House. And we'll know that pretty early on, on election night because Pennsylvania's in the East, the polls close early. So can they get two? Can they get three? Are the Democrats having a tougher night than anticipated? We'll know that pretty early on come election night.

MATTINGLY: John King, thanks so much.

Well, down in Georgia, we finally know which Republican will try to oust Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in this year's midterms after Trump's pick secured a primary victory last night. So which party should be feeling more confident? I'll ask my political panel next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:44]

MATTINGLY: In our Politics Lead, a bit of a mixed bag if you're keeping score of the President's endorsements. In Georgia, Republican Congressman Mike Collins, Trump's pick to challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, won. But his pick for Georgia governor, Burt Jones, he did not win. Jones lost to billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson, who spent $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign.

I want to talk about this and a lot more with my political panel. Let's start with that pivotal Senate contest in Georgia. Mike Collins defeats former football coach Derek Dooley, who had the support of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Chuck, Trump got the matchup he wanted. Dooley's past as a subpar football coach probably didn't -- sorry, that was unnecessary. Where are you thinking right now in terms of where Democrats stand in this race? I hear a lot about Jon Ossoff every single day. Do Democrats feel as good as they seem to be portraying him?

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Jon Ossoff is a hot ticket of Democratic Party. He's young, he's good looking, he's well on the stump. Folks who are old like me who remember Bill Clinton when he was young and skinny are like, man, that guy really connects with people. He gets people excited. And I think that it's not going to be a close race for the Senate race, but I caution my Democrats that, who we'll talk about later, this Jackson guy who's got unlimited money for the governor's race, for old operatives like me and him here, we know that that guy can take a lot of money and spread it around to county parties and take over like field operations and other things like that that Collins would have never had the chance to do and be hugely outspent by the Democrats. So I do think that it's not a given, but it's problematic for Republicans.

MATTINGLY: Well, I think this is a really good point. This is actually what I want to ask you. I think this reshapes certainly the governor's race against who Democrats wanted to run against on the governor's side of things. But I'm interested in kind of the impact on statewide. Do you think it could be as dramatic as Chuck is laying out?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is. Rick Jackson's a great candidate. He's a self-made guy. He grew up in public housing in Atlanta. He has a great story. Now he has a company that serves 12 -- 20 billion -- 20 million patients in health care. We think he's a really strong nominee. And he also relieves pressure on other governors' races in other states because Georgia's a good state for Republicans running for governor. I think it does help Mike Collins.

You know, I think the Senate race is interesting in that both parties have nominated candidates that come from their bases. Mike Collins carried rural Georgia. Derek Dooley won 12 counties around metro Atlanta. And that's a -- that, you know, swing voters tend to be in the metro area in Georgia. But on the Democrat side, Jon Ossoff, he's not done what purple state senators do. Normally they find a way to craft a path that's independent of their party, be very moderate. Jon Ossoff's one of the most liberal senators in the U.S. Senate.

So he's made a big bet that being liberal will raise him a lot of money. Republicans have made a bet that Mike Collins can turn out the base, and we'll see how it works out.

MATTINGLY: Yes, that would be a fascinating race. Scott, there was also a race here in D.C. There's a primary for mayor. The candidate, Janeese Lewis George, who has a very sizable lead right now, is would be another Democratic socialist to take over as mayor of a big city. And as one might suspect, I believe the President already has some issues, which may have actually helped her on election night. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How would you feel if she emerges victorious in next Tuesday's election?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I wouldn't like it, and maybe we'll take back Washington and run it on the federal basis. We won't put up with it. We're not going to lose our businesses.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MATTINGLY: It's been really interesting watching the dynamic between the incumbent mayor and the Trump administration based on what we were all covering, it feels like, 15 years ago. I think it was probably last year. What's your sense of kind of where this goes from here if she ends up winning?

SCOTT MACFARLANE, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, MEDIASTOUCH NETWORK: It does feel like 15 years ago last year, doesn't it?

MATTINGLY: Doesn't it?

MACFARLANE: Every day.

MATTINGLY: Every day.

MACFARLANE: Ms. George, the likely nominee, was of the candidates the most emphatically anti-Trump of the people running, unequivocally so. And respectfully, that tells you guys what these new pretty fountains the President has put up in Washington, D.C., means to the rank and file. They're concerned about the rent. They're concerned about the schools. They're concerned about health care. The fountains are nice, but that's not going to win people over to Trump's side in the District of Columbia.

She's in her 30s. She does pitch herself as a democratic socialist in the mold of New York Mayor Mamdani. But I also think it's a big sea change, because those who live in the District of Columbia know they've had the version of a moderate mayor for the last 12 years. There's a change agency going through so many communities. I think you're seeing that in the nominees the Democrats are choosing, Republicans are choosing, and that the District of Columbia has chosen.

[17:50:02]

TODD: I think Ms. George is going to be a big poster child for everything that we think is wrong with the Democratic Party. You know, she's against pretrial detention for violent criminals. She's voted to lower sentences for carjacking in the middle of a carjacking boom here in Washington, D.C. She's for rent control, which we know drives up prices of rent. She's been for tax increases. She is as far left as you can get in a very prominent place, and I think she and Mayor Mamdani are going to be great foils for Republicans in the campaigns this fall.

ROCHA: Just to be clear, he said the exact same thing about a good- looking boy up in New York named Mamdani who still is pretty popular up there and hasn't run that city all the way in the dirt yet. He could, any of us Democrats. That's a good thing. But I'll also say, in full disclosure for everybody at home, my wife endorsed Ms. George. That's probably what put her over the top, and it wasn't just Ms. George. There were a lot of other folks down about it, to Scott's point. The open seat in the first race, the at-large seat, there was a big sweep last night by the DSA in lots of races around D.C.

MATTINGLY: Yes, and Scott's point is really, really important for people to understand. Mayor Bowser is not a progressive Democratic socialist in the way that I think people think about it. It will be a pretty significant change. All right, I want to play a part of an exchange between President Trump's pick to leave the Justice Department's internal watchdog office when asked during his confirmation hearing to describe what happened on January 6th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON BERTHIAUME, NOMINEE FOR JUSTICE DEPT. INSPECTOR GENERAL: I don't know if I would use the term attacked. I mean, we had activity outside the Capitol, protests and such, and there was violence on Capitol grounds.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): You have to be now the author of the most obvious understatement. Capitol police were injured. Some died. Was the Capitol attacked?

BERTHIAUME: So, again, it's more a term that you're using, attacked. There was protest activity. There was violence on Capitol grounds.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Scott, why -- how are we still here?

MACFARLANE: It's not just that question. You all have heard it. It's the question that Democratic senators keep posing to judicial nominees. Do you think President Biden won the 2020 election? And then they equivocate or say it's a political question, even though one would think a judge could view that as an issue of fact that's been litigated through the courts.

The term activity to describe January 6th is a re-traumatization for the victims, of which there are more than 140 police officers and their families and the congressional staffers hiding behind tables barricading doors from the violent group of mob rioters. It's also a choice, and there seems to be an audience of one to so many of these Senate testimonies from Trump nominees.

MATTINGLY: That was actually what I've long wondered about this is, is it just as simple as, like, they just don't want to piss off Trump? I mean, you're DOJ IG. Like, I can't fathom he's sitting there monitoring, maybe, that he's monitoring the testimony and answers a question for a DOJ IG.

TODD: I've been a critic of this for quite a while, and I didn't think that the violent leaders should have been pardoned. I was pretty clear on that when it's -- when that happened, too. But more important, the political impact, I think, for the administration is it's looking backward. And elections are won in the windshield, not the rearview mirror. And they need to be focused in sending nominees to the Hill who can talk about how they're going to solve problems for the next three years. That's what's good politics, and that's what the candidates who are running for Senate and House need.

ROCHA: And every time Republicans aren't talking about gas and groceries, the Democrat gets another set of wings and wins another midterm election.

MATTINGLY: Do you see a shift? Like, I know where Hill Republicans are on this. I know the fight word, like, fighting over an acting DNI at this point in time. They don't feel like they're ever able to kind of get out of the gates on their messaging. Do you see that having a tangible impact on them as we head into, really, it's time to hit the gas?

ROCHA: And I think you're going to see a lot more Republicans grow a spine because they see what he just said because they -- the primaries are over. Trump can come over for two years, but he can't come after them now because their primaries are over and they need to win a midterm. And they know that the elections are in the windshield and they know they're going to need to be talking about gas and groceries and bringing down the cost of things because that's where the American people are. Those folks on the Hill understand politics and they want to talk about it, but they are scared to death of Donald Trump.

MATTINGLY: Yes, it'll be fascinating to watch those dynamics. Thank you guys. Appreciate you, as always.

[17:54:02]

We're following breaking news. Sources telling CNN President Trump has signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran to begin more negotiations to try and end the war. CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Barak Ravid join us live in just minutes with what they're learning right now. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MATTINGLY: Father's Day is when we show appreciation for the dads, grandfathers, and father figures who've helped shape our lives. And this Sunday on Father's Day, CNN's Jake Tapper is sitting down with Senators Mark Kelly, Tim Scott, and former Senator Mitt Romney to learn more about how their unique relationships with their dads helped shape their own approach to fatherhood. Here's a preview from Jake's conversation with Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly, in which he reveals for the first time that his dad was, at the time, abusive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): No, to come -- to have my grandfather come and get my -- this only happened one time that I remember, to get my mom and my brother. Yes, like she would send, I don't know, maybe I was -- because I was six minutes older. I was assigned, you know, the duty to run to my grandparents' house.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you remember running? Like, do you remember?

KELLY: Oh, yes. I remember running with like no shirt and shorts and no shoes at 3:00 in the morning down Pleasant Valley Way all the way to my, where my grandparents live, which is felt like to me to be, it might as well have been 10 miles away. It was, you know, I think I took a look at it once. I think it was two or three miles away. TAPPER: And were you -- you were running to save your brother and your mom?

KELLY: Yes. To get help.

TAPPER: Because he might hurt them.

KELLY: Yes. I mean he was violent.

TAPPER: Yes.

KELLY: Yes, he was a violent guy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Be sure to watch this very special edition of State of the Union with Jake Tapper. That's Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern on CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

[18:00:04]

MATTINGLY: Welcome to lead. I'm Phil Mattingly. Jake Tapper is on assignment. We are following breaking news.