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Trump Says He's Seeking Real End to Iran's Nuclear Program; Sources say, U.S. Intel Shows Iran was Years Away from Nuclear Weapon; Minnesota Shooting Suspect Went to Four Different Lawmakers' Homes. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired June 17, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are standing by, as President Trump says he is headed to the situation room after saying he wants a, quote, real end to Iran's nuclear program, not just to ceasefire with Israel, though he also sent a warning that alarmed millions that all residents should evacuate Tehran.

New details this morning about the suspect accused of shooting two Minnesota State lawmakers and their spouses. What we have learned about his alleged targets and his message to his own family as the children of the same lawmaker and her husband speak out for the first time.

And just moments from now, testimony resumes in the trial of Sean Combs, jurors returning after being shown explicit video of a freak- off for the first time. We'll tell you who they're going to hear from today.

Kate is out. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We begin with breaking news this morning. A live look at the White House for you where President Trump expected to be in the Situation Room today after making an ominous warning to the citizens of Tehran and saying he's not interested in negotiating a ceasefire because something better is going to happen.

The president abruptly leaving the G7 Summit in Canada and arriving in Washington just a few hours ago. Here's what he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What specifically is better than a ceasefire? What are looking for here?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: An end. A real end, not a ceasefire, an end.

REPORTER: So, something that would be permanent?

TRUMP: Yes, or giving up entirely. That's okay too?

REPORTER: Are you closer, is that even possible? Is that a possibility?

TRUMP: Why not? Certainly possible. A complete give up, that's possible, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Shortly after touching down the President posted this, quote. I have not reached out to Iran for peace talks in any way, shape or form.

Israel and Iran are trading attacks still for the fifth straight day. Before leaving Canada, Trump posted a stark warning that, quote, everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran. Video shows the highways in Tehran jammed as residents hear the message and they're trying to do just that.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House. Wow, there are so many details here that we're hearing from President Trump just this morning, and at this point. Do we know whether or not he has made it into the Situation Room, or heading there at this hour?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's still unclear. We do know that was the first thing on his schedule this morning, Sara, when I talked to people here at the White House about it. I will note that we have not seen any cars carrying some of the top officials that we expect him to be meeting with, so very unclear if that is even underway yet. But that is a priority today for the president.

But, look, I want to get into some of the things you just shared about the comments we have heard from the president directly when he was flying back from Canada on that threat, or excuse me, on that post, I should say, about him telling everyone in Tehran to evacuate immediately. He was asked about that directly by reporters. He said that he does not believe that there's a specific threat to Iran right now, or at least he wouldn't say. But he did say he does not believe that the Iranians are going to be targeting U.S. troops or forces. He also said that he just wants everyone to be safe.

I also want to get into some of the reporting that we've seen about, you know, the president wanting to direct some of his officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, as well as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff to travel to Iran and meet with them regarding this broader, you know, potential plan to try and end this conflict in the Middle East. He said that he is considering doing that, but he wants to see what the situation was once he had landed back here in the United States.

[09:05:06]

Some other things I think very worth pointing out of course is what you played there of that clip of the president, because the rhetoric we are now hearing from him is very different from what we have heard over the past couple days. He was saying he does not want to ceasefire. He wants a permanent end to this conflict. But he also left open the possibility that they may give up on a potential deal with Iran. Another very notable comment from the president was when he said, quote, I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate with Iran.

Just a reminder, this is kind of different from what we had been hearing from people here at the White House over the past couple days who said that essentially the U.S. did not want to get involved more directly in what Israel was doing. I think it's also very much important to note here and emphasize that if Israel really does want to take out Iran's entire nuclear capabilities, they would need U.S. assistance in order to do so. That is, of course, a key question of whether or not the president has kind of moved forward in considering that.

We'll bring all the latest details as we can as we get more out of that Situation Room meeting, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, Israel not having the bunker busters that the United States have to get through some of the fortified areas where Iran has its nuclear facilities.

Alayna Treene, great reporting from you this morning from the White House, I appreciate it, John?

BERMAN: All right. We have new CNN reporting this morning on the reason Israel has given for its initial attack on Iran. Israel suggested that Iran was on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon, you know, very close. President Trump echoed that this morning, saying that he believes Iran was very close. We've got new reporting that suggests there are major doubts about that within the intelligence community.

CNN's Zach Cohen, part of the team that broke this story. What are you learning, Zach?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, John, there appears to be some daylight between the U.S. intelligence community and Israel on this key question of how far away Iran is from developing a usable nuclear weapon. And that's something that Israel has used as a justification for -- and the urgency behind it as justification for these recent airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

But we're learning -- my colleague, Katie Bo Lillis, and I are learning that the U.S. intelligence community assessed prior to those strikes that Iran was more than three years away from being able to not only develop a nuclear bomb, but the delivery system required to launch it at a target of its choosing. And that's a key distinction because that really does capture the complete or the totality of a nuclear weapon. And it runs counter to what the Israelis have said publicly.

Now, Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's director of National Intelligence, testified back in March that Iran was not only not working towards a nuclear weapon, but was still a ways away. Donald Trump himself was asked about Gabbard's March testimony today. And take a listen to what he said about what his intelligence chief testified.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You've always said that you don't believe Iran should be able to have a nuclear weapon, but how close do you personally think that they were to getting one? Because Tulsi Gabbard --

TRUMP: Very close.

COLLINS: Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon.

TRUMP: I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, Trump appearing to dismiss the testimony from his own top intelligence chief. A senior U.S. official, also telling me that Iran is, quote, as close as you can get before building a nuclear weapon, saying further, they have all the things you need in order to do so.

So, look, the timeline here is important in as far as potential U.S. involvement in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. It seemed Donald Trump has made up his mind, though, and there isn't a consensus across the board that he thinks Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It remains to be seen what steps he will take in order to prevent that from happening.

BERMAN: Yes. Ultimately, that's what's important here probably in terms of what U.S. action is, what Donald Trump thinks the truth is.

Zach Cohen, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. To discuss this more, let's bring in CNN Senior Military Analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, retired Admiral James Stavridis. Thank you so much for being here this morning. There are so much going on.

I do want to get your take and your I guess it would be an educated guess on what's behind the President's warning that Tehran should evacuate immediately,

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: I would say President Trump is signaling the very real possibility that the U.S. would become more involved in this conflict. I think he would like to avoid that. I think a majority of his advisers would like to avoid that. But the key element that the Israelis lack, as you know, Sara, you mentioned it a moment ago, are these big buster bunking bombs, four Bs, and those are the key to really taking out the entire nuclear program.

So, if you are going to align completely with Israel, and I think the administration seems to be considering that, then you get to these big bombs and it becomes, at that point, warning civilians can make a lot of sense.

[09:10:07]

Admiral Stavridis, I'm also interested in your take on sort of almost immediately after the president sent the post saying, you know, people should evacuate Tehran, the White House announced he would head back to Washington from the summit early and go into the Situation Room. What does that suggest to you? What would you expect to have happened there?

STAVRIDIS: Exactly as we were discussing, I suspect the conversation in the Situation Room will follow the conversation we had a moment ago, which is to say, what's our path forward? Who in this room, Situation Room, wants to advocate for continuing to give diplomacy a shot? Who thinks we should align ourselves completely with Israel and immediately provide the bunker busting bombs? And who in the room thinks we should let events evolve?

One thing for sure I can tell you, as a former four-star officer in the military, is that the Pentagon is getting ready to give the president options in all of those areas. So here's what I'm watching, Sara. I'm watching the carriers and the strategic bombers. What I mean by that is there's already one big U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on station in the North Arabian Sea. Another one reportedly is heading there right now. They're well over half a dozen, maybe as many as ten guided missile destroyers in the area, all of them carry Tomahawk cruise missiles.

So watch the fleet. Is it moving toward Iran? And, secondly and finally, the strategic bombers, the big B-2 strategic bombers would probably stage out of a small island in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia, their movements will probably become public. Those are the ones that carry the big bunker busting bombs.

SIDNER: We've got some new CNN reporting that I'd like y you to assess. Israel, when it launched its series of strikes, and before this, against Iran, issued a number of dire warnings about the country's nuclear program, saying that, you know, it was fast approaching that Iran was going to be able to obtain a nuclear weapon. But U.S. intelligence assessment had reached a pretty different conclusion saying not only that Iran wasn't actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, but that it was potentially about three years away from being able to do so. What is your take on this, this sort of difference?

Now, I do want to note, when President Trump was asked about this as he was coming back to the U.S. from Canada, he agreed with Israel's assessment. But the intelligence, the U.S. intelligence, says something different.

STAVRIDIS: Intelligence is not a fixed point in time. In other words, it's conceivable that the director of National Intelligence gave an assessment in March that they were not close, but that even in a matter of months, they have moved closer. Why? Because they have centrifuges, they have the technical knowledge, they have the motivation, they have the electric grid to support all this. Could they begin highly enriching? Absolutely. IAEA, International Atomic Energy Association, recently condemned them, as you know, Sara.

So, bottom line, no one knows for sure other than the Iranians. But as a possibility of a nuclear weapon comes closer, certainly, Israel will be on high alert.

Final thought here, that three-year period was to deliver a nuclear weapon. So, that would include building a ballistic missile, being able to put a weapon on it that could be carried. Don't forget, you could create a nuclear weapon and smuggle it in a container. That wouldn't take three years to put that together. So, there's a lot of understandable concern in Jerusalem about all of this.

SIDNER: Admiral James Stavridis, thank you so much for walking us through these really important moments as we watch and wait with the president heading to the Situation Room after abruptly leaving the G7 over this conflict between Iran and Israel. I really appreciate your time and your expertise. John?

BERMAN: All right. This morning, the children of the slain Minnesota lawmaker and her husband are speaking out for the first time since their parents' fatal shooting. This comes as we learn new details about the suspect's alleged hit list.

And acts juror video footage of freak-offs and a lot of drugs. New details in the federal sex trafficking trial against Sean Combs as we start to get an early preview of his defense strategy.

And then gator on the lam, new video shows the moment the police found a six foot illegal pet alligator roaming outside a motel room after it had escaped.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. This morning, we're learning the Minnesota shooting suspect stopped at the homes of two other lawmakers on the morning of the deadly attack, and he appeared to be planning even more harm. Among Vance Boelter's, possessions, investigators found multiple notebooks that listed the names of and dresses of dozens of Democratic lawmakers and public officials. Police also found five firearms, including semi-automatic assault-style rifles and a lot of ammunition. That's all inside of his SUV. That SUV had a fake license plate and was outfitted with police-style lights that were flashing when he arrived at one of the homes that he was allegedly targeting.

CNN's Danny Freeman in Minneapolis this morning for the latest on all of this. What are you learning, Danny?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, I mean, I just got to say there's truly been so much whiplash here in Minnesota over the course of the past 72-plus hours. There was so much fear during what police called the largest manhunt in state history.

[09:20:01] Then there was also relief once that suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, was ultimately captured. But then there was also shock at yesterday's stunning new details revealed in those federal complaints. And then finally, still this ongoing grief and mourning over those who were lost. And that's what I want to hone in on right now, John.

Late last night, we actually got a statement from the children of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. I'm going to read part of it right now. The children say, we are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much.

And the children continue to write, hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. And that cry out for unity, you've really heard a lot on the ground here in Minnesota over the past day or so.

Now, quickly, John, I'll just run through some of those things that you described the new details that we learned yesterday afternoon, Boelter allegedly targeting at least four state lawmakers early that morning on Saturday instead of the two that we originally knew about that he only opened fire at two homes. He had that fake police license plate, a mask, an arsenal of weapons in his car.

And I want you to listen, John, to how the acting U.S. attorney characterized the moment that Boelter allegedly went to the first victim's house that state senator's family, State Senator John Hoffman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH THOMPSON, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOR DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA: When Boelter lowered his flashlight, which he had shined in their face, they realized that he was not a police officer. They shouted out, you're not a cop, you're not a police officer. Boelter then announced this is a robbery and forced himself into their home. When Senator Hoffman attempted to push Boelter out and stop him from entering his home, Boelter shot him repeatedly. Boelter then shot Ms. Hoffman repeatedly. Boelter fled the scene and the Hoffman's daughter called 911.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: And, John, the acting U.S. attorney described this all as the stuff of nightmares. And that's exactly what has been on the mind of so many people here in Minnesota on the front page of the paper here.

John, Boelter, his next steps, he's facing multiple charges for murder that's in the state and the federal level. His next federal court appearance is scheduled for the end of next week. John?

BERMAN: The details there, listening to the U.S. attorney, is just horrifying. Danny Freeman for us in Minneapolis, thank you so much for your work there, Danny. I appreciate it. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Just ahead, we're going to speak -- joining us now, he is with us, good, we are going to speak now with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.

All right, first to you. I am just deeply saddened that you are having to go through this, that the whole state is having to go through this, but mostly that the families are having to go through this. You knew Melissa Hoffman (sic) for more than 30 years. You all went to law school together. How are you remembering her and her husband this morning?

STEVE SIMON, MINNESOTA STATE SECRETARY: Well, Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were just bright lights. They were bright, shining human beings. They were so supportive and loving of one another. Melissa, in particular, as you mentioned, I go back 30 years with her, they attended, Melissa and Mark, my wedding.

Melissa really demonstrated that you can be two things at once. You can be a steely negotiator. You can be passionate. You can be committed. You can be savvy and strategic. And you can be a warm person, a likable person, someone who embraces the humanity of everyone, including, and maybe especially sometimes the people who she disagreed with. That's why she was so well-liked and popular and effective, I would say.

And it's just -- it's such a loss, not just for people who knew her, but for the whole state of Minnesota, we've lost something really rare and special.

SIDNER: Yes. We heard from her children today as well, who sent out a statement just devastated, as you would imagine, by all of this.

Is there any update that you have heard for how Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are doing at this hour?

SIMON: My understanding is they're both on a good trajectory, that Senator Hoffman had, I think, multiple surgeries. It's been reported. He had a collapsed lung. Yvette Hoffman seems to be doing well. She exchanged some messages with people she knows and including my wife a couple nights ago. So, that's a good sign. Just there's a lot of healing that needs to happen in Minnesota, not just with the people who are obviously direct victims, but all of us. We're really -- there's still numbness. There's still shock I'd say, that's pervading the state.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, and interesting to -- and good news to hear that she's actually sort of up and at least able to communicate and sending messages to your wife.

I do want you to address something. I know that there has been a huge fear factor amongst legislators, not just where you are, but in Congress as well. And usually when there is a tragedy of this kind, never mind the fact that it's politically motivated, according to authorities, an assassination and an assassination attempt, the president would call the governor with messages of support and condolences.

[09:25:12]

But here's what President Trump said when asked if he had called Governor Walz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Have you called the governor yet or been able to speak to any of them?

TRUMP: I don't really call him. He's -- look, he appointed this guy to a position. I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I'm not calling him.

He's a mess. So, you know, I could be nice to call, but why waste time?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: He called Governor Walz a mess. He said he was whacked out. He seemed to blame him for appointing the suspect to aboard. I mean, what does that do to you to hear that kind of callousness from the president when two of your colleagues and their spouses have been attacked like this?

SIMON: Well, what a waste of an opportunity. I'm old enough to remember when a president of the United States would use a tragedy like this of any kind to reach out, to build bridges, to put aside differences. He's entitled to his opinion and there's a time and a place for him to express that, but I'm used to presidents of the United States of both parties who will be mature and show a little bit of class. And it's just a real disappointment and a missed opportunity for the whole country, not just for him.

SIDNER: How do you think that Minnesota and others, frankly, should try to tackle this issue of political violence, which in many studies has shown that there is a growing trend here that we are seeing?

SIMON: Yes, there is a growing trend. I have a thought about one way that can really get at the problem. So, it seems to me that this endless score-keeping about political violence just gets us nowhere. This idea that we're tallying somehow how many left wing groups did what and how many right wing groups did what, that's just a complete dead end. It could be useful for other purposes, like winning elections or increasing public awareness, but if we want to solve the problem. That isn't it. It's cost free and easy for me, a Democrat, to point out and yell about political violence or political, you know, speech that might inspire violence on the other side. What's harder is for all of us to do it with our own.

So, I think one possible solution here is we've just got to be better about policing our own. Those on the left, police your own, those on the right, police your own, even and especially behind the scenes. It doesn't have to be a press release, it doesn't have to be a social media post. It could be quiet and no one has to see it. But that's how we're going to get at this problem. A Democrat wagging a finger at a Republican isn't going to solve the problem. Make you do other things, but it will not solve this problem, and vice versa, a Republican wagging a finger at a Democrat.

It feels good. It may be necessary for other reasons, like winning elections, but to get at the problem that won't do it. We got to police our own.

SIDNER: Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, I thank you for coming on at this really difficult time, as your colleagues have been attacked, shot and killed. Thank you. I appreciate you.

All right, ahead, Senate Republicans facing roadblocks in their own party after unveiling their changes to President Trump's mega bill as the July 4th deadline to pass it is inching closer and closer.

And this morning, former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez set to report to prison to begin his 11-year sentence in that gold bar bribery case.

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