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Platner Sexting Scandal Complicates Democrat's Hopes of Recapturing Senate; Voters Head to Polls Tomorrow for High-Stakes Primaries in 6 States; New Attacks Between U.S. and Iran Complicate Talks to End the War; New Mexico's Epstein Commission to Convene First Public Meeting; Axios: AI Sticker Shock Hits Corporate America. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired June 01, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

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REBECCA MILLER, OWNER, NORTH TABOR FARM: ... And I bake with this and it's melty.

CARLOS MONTOYA, CHEF-PARTNER, MAKER CAFE: So here we have our turkey bolognese, which is completely alpha-gal friendly. We want to make sure we can accommodate this allergy because it's spreading like wildfire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: And the experts there really emphasize you can protect yourself against this. Wear long pants, tuck your socks, you know, pants into your socks, wear boots, use repellent, put repellent on your clothes. It's called permethrin.

There are ways to prevent tick bites, but obviously it's a big problem.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're a big permethrin house. I have to tell you, we spray everything. No, look, this is really serious.

And the numbers spiking in Martha's Vineyard just over the last five years, those are astounding.

TIRRELL: Yes.

BERMAN: All right, Meg Tirrell, thank you very much. Brand new hour, CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is election week in America. Six states holding critical primaries. What you need to know ahead of these big votes.

And breaking overnight, fresh attacks between U.S. and Iran. President Trump up late complaining about chirping and saying it's making it harder for him to strike a deal. His ask now, sit back and relax.

And chaos erupts in the streets of Paris. Hundreds of people injured, hundreds more detained, after victory celebrations take a turn. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS

CENTRAL.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: It's election eve in America tomorrow. Six states holding critical primaries. California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota.

Voters there will cast ballots in elections that will shape both their states and the entire nation. The big one, the race to replace Gavin Newsom as the governor of California. Polling showing a strong standing for former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, though it is truly anyone's race at this point.

Meanwhile, Democrats are looking to flip the governor's mansion in Iowa for the first time since 2011. And in Montana, two huge primaries that will help shape the race for the fight for congressional power in November. And Maine's primary is not until next week, but a new scandal now rocking that race and dealing a potential blow to Democrats' efforts to retake the state.

The New York Times first reported, the presumptive Democratic Senate nominee, Graham Platner sent sexually explicit messages to several women a few years ago, shortly after he was married. Platner's own wife disclosed those messages to his campaign as a potential liability. She released a statement accusing a former campaign official of releasing those sex and betraying her trust.

With me now is CNN reporter, Patrick Svitek. Wow, this is some new information and it's going to hit hard potentially in Maine. Give us some sense of what we're looking at here for the next week and plus.

PATRICK SVITEK, CNN REPORTER: A political conundrum for Maine Democrats. In many ways, they've fallen in love with Graham Platner. He's had such a strong campaign that his closest primary rival, Maine Governor Janet Mills, had to suspend her campaign a few weeks ago.

But now approaching the June 9th primary, we have this latest controversy involving those revelations first reported by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. And Maine Democrats are again questioning whether this is a controversy that someone like Graham Platner can weather in a general election against the Republican incumbent, Susan Collins. Yes, Democrats have a lot of momentum in the general election in this race.

And yes, Donald Trump lost this state three times, but Susan Collins has beaten expectations before. She won reelection in 2020 as Trump lost the state. And as a lot of polls show that she was poised to lose.

And so this is a general election that Democrats really want to get right.

SIDNER: Patrick, give us some sense. Look, we've got six states going to the primaries. Obviously, a lot of people watching California to see what happens.

Potentially, this very blue state could end up having a Republican for a governor potentially. What do you see in there?

SVITEK: Yes, the big question here is whether the top two finishers who will advance to the November election will either be a Democrat and a Democrat or a Democrat and a Republican. Now, given how blue California is, if it's a Democrat and Republican, this race kind of falls off the national radar because Democrats will be heavily favored in any matchup against the Republican in November. But if it's a Democrat versus a Democrat, things continue to get more interesting there.

You will continue to have an intense debate in that state over the direction of the Democratic Party in Donald Trump's second term.

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One of those Democrats who is in the running for a top two slot is billionaire Tom Steyer, who has spent over $200 million of his own money already in this race. And so, again, all eyes on whether this is going to be a Democrat versus Democrat outcome or a Democrat versus Republican outcome. And I should note the Republican front runner, conservative commentator Steve Hilton, has President Donald Trump's endorsement.

SIDNER: All right, Patrick Svitek, thank you so much for your reporting for us this morning. Do appreciate it -- John Berman.

BERMAN: All right, new this morning. New attacks between the United States and Iran overnight. Really, a new exchange.

Overnight, the U.S. military said it hit Iranian military sites. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said they targeted a U.S. air base. New video shared by Iranian state media purports to show missile launches.

CNN cannot independently confirm when or where this video was from. What does this mean for the state of negotiations? Iran's top negotiator overnight said communications between the two countries continuing with, quote, deep suspicion and skepticism.

Overnight, President Trump posted on social media he was criticizing members of both parties, Republicans and Democrats, who have weighed in on the negotiations. He basically just told them to relax.

CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House with the very latest. Trying to figure out if we're in a different place today than we were Friday or Thursday or Wednesday. Where are things?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A little bit. I mean, look, there are so many times and we were in this place toward the end of last week where you're hearing from officials, both publicly and privately, I should say U.S. officials on that count, this optimism that they're feeling, that they were closing in on this tentative agreement for a memorandum of understanding with Tehran. Of course, really, that means a short-term framework to then hopefully make a longer-term, more permanent deal down the line.

But what's unclear is how these strikes that you just laid out, John, exchanged yesterday, this exchange of fire, could impact these negotiations. Of course, we have seen the ceasefire be threatened multiple times now by an exchange of fire on both sides, between the U.S. and Iran. So far, they have not been enough to really upend these very fragile talks.

But of course, anytime I talk to an official about these, they don't help. We have to see really how the White House is reassessing things today. But I will say, the latest we know is that the president, who had promised, I remind you, on Friday, he had promised to make a final determination on whether he was going to sign off on that tentative agreement for that memorandum of understanding with Iran.

He said he was going to make a final determination after meeting in the Situation Room with his national security officials. They met for roughly two hours, John. He did not make a final determination.

Instead, he decided over the weekend to send back some proposed changes to Tehran. We are now waiting to hear what they have in response to that. Now, as for what we're learning about what those changes are, our source is, of course, being very light on the specifics.

But we are told he wanted tougher language, specifically surrounding Iran's nuclear commitments and its pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A regional source, or a foreign official, I should say, familiar with the state of play on these talks, said that the changes aren't substantive and mostly center on a U.S. desire for assurances on those issues. All to say, talks are in a very precarious place.

I will say, though, one U.S. official I spoke with who's been very close to these negotiations said, at this point, they do feel like they are closing in on a deal for this short-term framework. We have to see whether or not some of these strikes could really change that. But they are still very much committed to a final deal.

They do not want to resume military operations. We'll see whether or not this works out -- John.

BERMAN: Whether the new final decision is final this time or extended. Alayna Treene at the White House. Thank you for that update -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: So a police officer is now fired after video surfaces showing him repeatedly punching a woman during an arrest, even after another officer arrives and tells him to let her go. The latest on the investigation that's now underway ahead.

And hundreds of billions of dollars at stake promises to transform life as we know it. The new reporting that some companies that rushed to embrace AI are now facing serious sticker shock.

And President Trump is now calling for that massive concert series honoring America's 250th birthday to be canceled and turned into a MAGA rally perhaps after several acts drop out.

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BOLDUAN: Happening today is the first public meeting of a bipartisan commission out of New Mexico investigating Jeffrey Epstein, specifically allegations of abuse at Epstein's New Mexico ranch. Zorro Ranch is the name, a sprawling 8,000 acre property once owned by the convicted sex offender.

It's come under renewed scrutiny after allegations of illegal activity surrounding the estate were revealed as part of the now released Epstein files. The ranch to this point though really flew under the radar in large part, not facing nearly the amount of scrutiny as other Epstein properties like his Manhattan townhome or the private island estate in the Caribbean. One of the New Mexico state lawmakers pushing for this investigation was on our show back in March laying out what they are hoping to find.

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MARIANNA ANAYA, (D) NEW MEXICO STATE REPRESENTATIVE: We know that not everything is going to rise to the level of a crime, but we do know that as a truth commission, we want to be sure that we are telling the entirety of the story, right? What does it mean for an entire community to have this happening in their own backyard? What does it mean to take responsibility for that?

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What does it mean for the state to take responsibility for any mishappening? And what does it mean to hold people accountable for their crimes?

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BOLDUAN: Joining me right now, CNN senior legal analyst, Elie Honig for more on this. So Elie, there are a lot of investigations into Epstein and the files. Some would argue, you know, how effective any of them really are at this point or have proven to be.

But what do you think of this commission? What can they do? Where does their power lie?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: OK, this is a legislatively created commission. So they cannot directly prosecute, but they do seem to have fairly broad investigative powers. They can issue subpoenas, they can gather documents, they can interview witnesses, they can hold hearings.

And I suspect typically with this type of commission at the end of it, they'll issue some type of written report. And if they want, they can make a referral over to prosecutors, could be federal or state, anyone can make a referral. And sometimes those referrals fall in deaf ears, but occasionally prosecutors will pick up a referral from a body like this and make some use of it, especially if there's new information uncovered.

BOLDUAN: And the New Mexico AG is conducting its own investigation of Zorro Ranch. You know, at some point you wonder like, how do these not conflict with each other or are they welcome to having kind of parallel tracks?

HONIG: Well, it's become clear that DOJ, the feds, are not actively investigating criminal charges against anyone else relating to Jeffrey Epstein. You can see that in the public statements that have been made by Pam Bondi when she was AG. When Todd Blanche is asked now, he essentially says, well, we're open if anyone wants to come to us with new information.

But it's become clear at this point, nobody should hold their breath waiting for more federal charges. Now, separately, state prosecutors do have the authority to bring state level charges, for example, sexual assault. But I think it's worth noting, no state prosecutor has done that yet at all.

No state prosecutor in New York, in Florida, in New Mexico or anywhere else. And the reality is the farther out you get from the actual events, the harder it is to prove a case. People die, memories fade, documents disappear, they get deleted and thrown out.

So every day that passes, I think, makes charges less and less likely.

BOLDUAN: Connect this, you mentioned Pam Bondi. Now connect this all with what we saw happen in Washington last week. The former U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has now spoken to the House Oversight Committee.

What do you think comes from that? What is the next step?

HONIG: So we know from our reporting that one of the things Pam Bondi said is, well, I put Todd Blanche in charge of that when Bondi was the AG and Blanche was the deputy AG. We haven't yet seen the transcript, but that much is clear from the reporting itself. And all of this, Kate, underscores the need for this committee to interview Todd Blanche.

He is the guy who was put in charge of DOJ's response on the Epstein files, and he is now the guy who was the head of the Justice Department. So he's in best position to answer questions about what's happened over the last year and a half. He's also, unlike Pam Bondi, now in position to answer questions about what are you doing now and what will you be doing moving forward.

And if you think about some of the people who this commission has interviewed, from Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, former AGs who had little to nothing to do with this case, former heads of the FBI who had little to nothing to do with this, it's a glaring omission that they've not yet brought in Todd Blanche.

BOLDUAN: Elie Honig, thanks so much, buddy -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, Kate. Could the AI workplace boom be backfiring now? Some U.S. companies now getting hit with a very high cost of using artificial intelligence. What that might mean for work and for the markets? Plus, now that a judge has ordered President Trump's name to be

removed from the Kennedy Center, how do Americans really feel about his tendency to slap his name on federal buildings? Our Harry Enten coming in to run the numbers for us next.

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SIDNER: This morning, some new reporting on the sticker shock over spending on AI. Axios reports corporate leaders are starting to question whether soaring AI spending is delivering meaningful returns. That is by Madison Mills, and there's this eye-popping admission.

An AI consultant tells Axios one of their clients recently spent half a billion dollars in a single month on Claude. So how did that happen? Joining me now is the reporter who wrote that piece, senior AI reporter for Axios, Madison Mills.

So what are companies looking at here? I mean, that is a huge amount of a half a billion dollars in one month. What are they seeing that's making them go, wait a minute, what are we doing?

MADISON MILLS, SENIOR AI REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes, perhaps nobody had a worse work month than the CFO who accidentally oversaw half a billion dollars being spent on AI with no real return, right? Because in that case, it was an employee who had run some really token-heavy tasks and kept running into an error on Claude and clicking the retry button over and over and over. So you're not getting any return on that error, you're just getting spending.

And that's what I keep hearing from these executives that I speak with, that they're having these higher and higher IT bills. In some cases, their labor costs have not gone down yet to account for those higher IT bills. And then it's not clear yet what the return is on those token costs.

You have this idea that there's going to be a boom in coding, a boom in productivity. But in some cases, some of the people I've spoken with work at companies where there's so much pressure to use AI, they're doing things like creating hangman games to run up their token usage. That's not going to help the company's bottom line necessarily.

SIDNER: So how might this impact work and the stock market as well? Because obviously if these companies start pulling back on buying things like the chips that are needed or the software that's needed, that's going to impact other companies.

MILLS: Absolutely. Well, sources do tell me that there is kind of a messy middle happening right now and that we're going to reach equilibrium. This isn't necessarily horrible news for Anthropic, for OpenAI as they prepare to go public.

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The problem would be though, if we have the small chance that corporate America swings in the opposite direction, totally clamps down on their, they prepare to go public. The problem would be though, if we have the small chance that corporate America swings in the opposite direction, totally clamps down on their AI costs. But there are so many companies who haven't even really adopted AI yet.

And when I talk to people who are dealing with revenue at Anthropic and OpenAI, they are definitely not concerned because their inbound is still so high, they can barely catch up. So plenty of potential revenue for these AI labs still.

SIDNER: Do you have some sense though, of how far that these companies have gone and how far they're willing to go to try to deal with this? Because obviously there has been huge spending on AI and it makes a lot of people -- such as myself -- nervous about what this is going to mean to humans, right? And to workers.

MILLS: And of course, we're all worried about that, right? But when I talk to economists, they tell me, don't listen to the people who work in AI about how the tech is going to impact jobs. Listen to people who are experts on jobs.

And the experts on the labor market continue to tell me that AI is not going to have this massive overnight displacement. Yes, we could see a churn in the impact on AI on the workforce over the next say decade. But the Goldman Sachs chief economist told me that could lead to like a half percent bump up in unemployment, not a massive reckoning on the workforce overnight.

SIDNER: All right, we will wait and see what happens. Madison Mills, it is a pleasure. It was a great article. Appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: Absolute chaos in Paris in what should have been a moment of pure celebration.

And then welcome to the first day of hurricane season. A new CNN investigation shows how chaos and dysfunction inside FEMA could make the country more vulnerable during major disasters.

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