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Iran Suspends Operation Against Israel; Rep. Mike Quigley (D- IL) is Interviewed about Current Events; Security Briefing Ahead of NBA Finals Game Three; Search Continues for Ohio Festival Suspects. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired June 08, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

RAHM EMANUEL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Recognize and stuff and we were talking at a coffee shop about, he has his own business. Another -- he just hired another plumber. His wife sells -- or wife to be sells real estate. They both have individual plans. Both paying $400 a month.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

EMANUEL: So, it's close to $5,000 a year for each of them to get their healthcare. But without it, he'd have no health care. So, it does show what, you know, when you do the right thing, you can get the type of thing -- what I think are -- is important, which is people's health care security, that they need.

And --

EMANUEL: And you wouldn't find that just driving through a state just et cetera and --

BOLDUAN: That's a good point. I mean, and this is a continuation of a lot of conversations you've been having with a lot of people.

EMANUEL: Sure.

BOLDUAN: And you and I have kind of been checking in on this.

But you also, you know, when it comes to the bike tour, you didn't pick Indiana, my home state. You did pick New Hampshire, which does send a message of --

EMANUEL: Well, can I -- is mom and dad going to let me in, stay overnight, shower?

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. My father will totally let you stay over.

It does send a, I'm exploring and interested in possibly running for president.

EMANUEL: Sure. BOLDUAN: Possibly, maybe exploring kind of a message.

EMANUEL: You can drop one of the adjectives. Yes.

BOLDUAN: Why would I ever want to. Is -- are -- people are not wrong to think that.

EMANUEL: No, of course not. I've been up front about it. You know, look, one of the things we've had -- not only did we do 113 miles, we did seven -- I think it was six town halls a couple -- about 700 folks showed up. But you hear the same constant refrain about this kind of sense of middle class squeeze. The world you and I grew up under, the world that we hope our own kids grow up under, is changing not only dramatically. You --

BOLDUAN: And you say Democrats have lost the plota (ph).

EMANUEL: Totally lost the plota (ph). Everybody has lost, actually, not just the Democrats. And what -- I say this as higher education used to be a benefit. Now it's become a burden. Owning a home. This young couple I met. Interest rates, seven percent. They can't afford it. They want to move up on a house. And the fact is, you've locked out of that.

You used to save for your retirement. Now you use your retirement savings to make the paycheck get to the end of the month. Every piece of the -- a middle class American dream that used to be the four pillars, every one of them are broken. And you feel this anxiety.

And what's even worse, the anxiety gets torqued up is because nobody has their hand on the tiller of Washington. They're all scoring points against each other, not focusing on the American people. You hear that in Iowa. You hear that in Missouri. You hear it in Howell, you know, Michigan.

BOLDUAN: Let's continue the conversation.

EMANUEL: Thanks.

BOLDUAN: Thanks for coming in.

EMANUEL: Yes.

BOLDUAN: And stretch out, Rahm. Thanks for being here.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the breaking news. We just learned that President Trump held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning. This after Netanyahu seemed to buck orders the president said he gave him just yesterday.

An update from the New York City police after people were stabbed in the very same area where the president will attend game three of the NBA finals tonight. And this powerful earthquake shakes a city with hundreds of thousands

of people. We're getting new video in and new updates as they search for survivors in the rubble.

Sara is out today. I'm John Berman, with Kate Bolduan. And this is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

All right, the breaking news this morning. Iran says it is suspending this new round of military operations against Israel but warns it will resume them if strikes from Israel continue, including in Lebanon. Less than an hour after that announcement, Israel did strike southern Lebanon. That's according to that country's state run media.

Now, before the announcement, Lebanon says it hit targets in western and central Iran. Iran's state media says an aerial attack hit a petrochemical plant, damaging part of the facility there.

President Trump demanded this morning that Israel and Iran, quote, "immediately stop shooting." And he said that both sides are, quote, "looking to do an immediate ceasefire." Of course, the administration says there has been a ceasefire in place since April.

Now, this new exchange of strikes happened despite the fact that, reported first in "Axios," that the president personally asked the Israeli prime minister to hold off. The president also claimed to "The Financial Times" that he is the one, not Netanyahu, who calls the shots. Yet there was that Israeli round of retaliation.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is inside Tehran, Kevin Liptak at the White House.

We want to get to Fred because we have the signal up. We don't know how long we'll have you there.

It's great to see you, Fred. Why don't you give us the latest on the region.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John. Yes, great to see you as well.

Certainly, what we heard early this morning is the first strikes by the Israelis. It happened around 4:45 local time right here in the Tehran area. We personally didn't hear them, but certainly people in the west of Tehran heard some pretty loud blasts.

The Israelis then also saying that they struck two other areas inside Iran as well.

[09:05:02]

One of them the northern town of Tabriz, and the other one, Isfahan, which is sort of in the center of Iran.

And then there was that attack on that petrochemical site. That's near the Iraqi border near the town of Basra. The Iranians said that they immediately struck back. First and foremost, they said that they targeted two Israeli military bases, specifically the radar installations affiliated with those military bases, but also then specifically in retaliation for the attack on that petrochemical facility, the Iranians saying that they struck a similar facility. They attacked a similar facility near the town of Haifa.

And as you've been noting it, the Iranians now saying that they are suspending their military operations for now. They are saying that they have dealt what they call a heavy blow to the Israelis at this point in time. Right now that military operation is suspended. But, of course, the big question now is, is the diplomacy going to get -- going to get going again? How far away are the two sides, the U.S. and Iran, from reaching some sort of memorandum of understanding that could then pave the way for broader peace talks? In the past couple of days the Iranians have been saying that the going has obviously been very tough.

I just spoke to a senior Iranian lawmaker who also echoed that as well, but at the same time said that if the Americans negotiate in good faith, then the Iranians certainly are up for negotiations as well, guys.

BERMAN: Fred Pleitgen in Tehran. We should note that Fred is inside Iran with the permission of the Iranian government, but does maintain full editorial control of our own reporting.

And, Fred, along those lines, just, this is a new round of back and forth between Iran and Israel. And you've been there. Did it -- the atmosphere on the streets of Tehran change during this stretch when there was this new round of firing?

PLEITGEN: Well, it certainly changed to a certain extent. There certainly were some people who appeared to be wanting to leave the city. But I would say that people here now are a lot more calm in the face of some of the violence that's been unfolding. You're absolutely right. I was obviously here last June when the Israelis unleashed those first strikes. And a lot of people at that point in time left the city of Tehran, went to somewhere else.

Of course, you will recall that back then there was also a threat from President Trump urging people to leave Tehran. Certainly, right now, daily life here in Tehran is pretty much continuing here on the streets. People here certainly are used to it. They've become very resilient also in the face of airstrikes. But one of the things that we also have to point out is that the strikes that Tehran witnessed today, and specifically early this morning, were nothing like what was going on here last June. Certainly also nothing like what we witnessed here in February and in March of this year.

So, definitely the amount of explosions that you heard, the noises you heard certainly were much less. Still, though, people, of course, very much on edge as this was threatening to get out of control in the early morning hours of this morning.

BERMAN: A new status quo inside Tehran.

We're lucky to have you there, Fred, for this unique perspective. You and your team please stay safe.

Let's go to Kevin Liptak now at the White House with the view from there and the possibility of a new round of phone calls and maybe a persuasion campaign.

Will it work this time, Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And I think this tit for tat attacks are only going to lend urgency to trying to get this deal in place. Obviously, the longer these negotiations go on, the more likely it is that something like this completely upends everything and causes the war to go back into full speed.

We are getting indications this morning of de-escalation on both sides of this. Obviously, Fred reporting that Iran saying that its military operation is over for now. We are also learning from two Israeli sources that Israel will agree to President Trump's request not to strike further in Iran, even as they say that they will maintain strikes in southern Lebanon going after the Hezbollah proxy group there. And so, you do see indications that temperatures are being lowered somewhat.

But these Israeli sources acknowledge, just as my White House sources acknowledge, that this is all quite fragile. You know, Israel's incursion into Lebanon to go after Hezbollah there has caused an extraordinary amount of tension in the region, but also with President Trump. You remember it was just last week that he and the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, got in this expletive laden phone call. President Trump urging him to ease up on some of those attacks against Hezbollah with the fear that this could undermine this very fragile diplomacy.

Now, learning that Israel is taking President Trump's request to mind here. But still, I think, underscoring that these two men do have diverging sort of viewpoints and stances when it comes to the war here. Both of them under political pressure, both of them facing elections in the fall. Netanyahu, at the end of the day, just very skeptical that this diplomacy is going to result in a deal that can protect Israel's security, but also can ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

[09:10:08]

President Trump, facing high prices, facing, you know, growing Republican resistance to this war, very eager to get it concluded finally. And so, how the two of them sort of resolve these discrepancies over the coming days and over the coming weeks I think is something to keep a very close eye on, John.

BERMAN: It may be a matter of hours, not days, at this point. The rapidity which there is movement and activity back and forth in these strikes in the Middle East.

Kevin Liptak, at the White House, thank you very much.

Kate. BOLDUAN: Let's talk about this latest. Joining us right now is

Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley of Illinois.

Thanks for coming in.

Iran also said this morning that the U.S. bears responsibility for Israel's actions. But as they were just discussing, is calling off further offensive action against Israel for now. President Trump, in that phone call with Netanyahu on Sunday, where he told him to not strike and not retaliate, Israel did. And Trump also then told "The Financial Times" about Netanyahu and about how Netanyahu would react to any deal that he cuts, he said, "he," Netanyahu, "won't have any choice. I call the shots. I call all the shots."

I mean, what do you think is going on here? Do you agree with the president that he calls the shots here?

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Yes, its dangerously naive for the president to think that he or anyone has ever called all the shots or controls the issues in the Middle East. Obviously, the Houthis now threatening the Red Sea, Iran itself, Israel, the militias in Iraq, Hezbollah, they all have a different sense of who controls the situation. And the last thing they're going to do is listen to President Trump on this.

BOLDUAN: I also want to ask you about -- in a new interview, the president made very clear that the anti-weaponization fund, as he had called it, is still on the table, in his view, even after the Justice Department made very clear that they were not moving forward with it. The president, though, making very clear that he still wants it to happen.

I want to play for you, Congressman, what President Trump told NBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Me, personally, I think the weaponization fund is a great idea, and so do many other Republicans. You have to get it approved. If they get it approved, that's great. If they don't get it approved, I'd be disappointed

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: It, at least, does not seem that many Republicans on Capitol Hill are a fan of it at this point. I mean what do you say to that? What should -- what do you think Congress will do? He's still pushing for it.

QUIGLEY: Yes, look, the bill coming out of the Senate will come to the House this week. Last week, you saw a little more of the cracks and fissures within the president's support in the House when it came to Iran and Ukraine. I can only hope that when that bill comes over here this week, that there will be additional resistance on this.

I mean, let's put this in perspective. I was in the chambers on January 6th, and the leader of the Proud Boys, who is facing 20 years in jail for the crimes involved with that, is now not just pardoned. The Justice Department is erasing the facts involving that, trying to erase history. But if the president gets his way, this guy is in line to get $2 or $3 million as a reward for getting the fact that officers died as a result of what the insurrectionists did at the president's request. So he's trying to wipe out history. He's -- now he's trying to reward them.

So, he's weaponizing the Justice Department to go after his enemies and reward people who committed crimes. I'd like to think this is where my Republican colleagues draw the line.

BOLDUAN: Well, let's talk about a little bit what you're mentioning here. The House passed legislation to cement U.S. aid to Ukraine. It was kind of the second major break by the House with President Trump on foreign policy last week. A lot of Republicans opposed it still though. The chairman of House Foreign Affairs said, the way that he put it is, "this bill, in my opinion, is an unserious bill that was crafted basically a year and a half ago." Others saying it's not going to pass the Senate.

Is this -- you have been -- obviously, you were one of the people on the forefront of supporting Ukraine and pushing for more U.S. support of Ukraine. Is this bill -- is this measure window dressing?

QUIGLEY: Well, look, it's the only thing we have. The question I had on the floor with my Republican colleagues was this, why did we have to force this bill to the floor? Why did it take a discharge petition?

[09:15:00]

If they were talking about how much they care about Ukraine, well, why not do something about it? Why did we have to have a version?

Sure, it's a year plus old, but they could have updated and put another measure there. You know, the Reagan policies, right, the defending against the Reagan doctrine, saying that we will always help our allies fight against Russian aggression, that is dead among the Republican Party. Less than half of the Republicans support those measures. And the number is even lower this time. So, if the Reagan policy that's still out there among a few of my Republican friends, you know, put the bill on the floor, we'll support it and we'll help Ukraine win this conflict.

BOLDUAN: You know, Graham Platner is -- I just had this conversation with Rahm Emanuel. Graham Platner is running for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Maine. He's faced this string of controversies. And other Democrats, like Democrats in the House, like Ro Khanna, he just campaigned with him, but called Platner's actions misogynistic and shameful, but then said he -- Platner had taken accountability.

Is that good enough for you? Do you think Platner is a good representation of the Democratic Party?

QUIGLEY: You know, he isn't. And I have -- I've been part of the impeachment investigation, the Russia investigation, talked about the problems I've had with President Trump now into my second term with him. We have to try to be consistent here. And for all the reasons we have problems with many of our Republicans, especially this president, we can't just turn our minds and say, no, it's different with this guy just because he's got a "D" next to his name. So, that's just my opinion. If there is a way to replace him on the ballot, I'd be all for it. But as Rahm said, at this point, I guess, it's up to the voters in Maine.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

Congressman, thanks so much for your time.

John.

BERMAN: Moments ago, an update from the New York City police about the stabbing in the same area basically as the president's visit tonight for game three of the NBA finals.

We're getting new updates after a powerful earthquake, 7.8, hits a city with hundreds of thousands of people. There are new concerns of people trapped in the rubble.

And an SUV goes airborne during a police chase. Inside that car, four children, including a baby.

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[09:21:34]

BERMAN: All right, just moments ago, the New York City Police Department addressed the security concerns ahead of President Trump, who will be attending game three of the NBA finals tonight at Madison Square Garden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: So, the message is simple, celebrate the Knicks, but avoid the MSG area tonight if you do not have tickets for the game or some other valid reason to be there tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, let's get to CNN's Mark Morales, who was at that press conference.

I heard you asking questions there. What did we learn?

MARK MORALES, CNN REPORTER: Well, this security perimeter is going to be very, very tight. We're essentially going to go from 30th to 35th Streets to 6th to 8th Avenue. Basically, the area surrounding Madison Square Garden. That's a huge swathe of land. And there's going to be no pedestrians allowed, no car traffic. And once it gets closer to game time, the only people that are going to be allowed inside are going to be anybody who has a ticket to the game or has a train ticket at Penn Station, which is right underneath Madison Square Garden. And we've all talked about the watch parties and especially one that

was happening in the plaza right next to Madison Square Garden. This is a big reason for why that watch party in that particular location is not happening today, because that was going to be such a potential security risk, especially after the arrests that happened just over the weekend, because as we know, the crowds have been getting rowdier outside of Madison Square Garden.

The other thing to note is that once the game is over, there won't be that large, massive crowd that goes east to west in front of Madison Square Garden. They'll be guided and funneled out.

And this is all part of the bigger, robust security package that's been done between the NYPD and the Secret Service. I spoke exclusively with the head of the Secret Service here in New York, Matt McCool, who told me that this would be the most secure Madison Square Garden has ever been for any basketball game.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT MCCOOL, SECRET SERVICE SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: For this particular event, it's the NBA finals. It's going to be twenty some thousand people there. This is New York City. So, it does come with challenges. But it's challenges that we've dealt with very successfully in the past. We're going to have a multi-layered approach here. We're working with federal, state and local partners. We have the best police department literally in the country that's got a -- that's on our team. So, we're super confident in the plan tonight. You know, it's a multi-layered approach. All possible threats and potential problems have been mitigated. So, I'm super confident in what we're doing tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORALES: This massive shutdown starts around 4:00. So, if you have business in the area, you got to get it done soon.

John.

BERMAN: I mean, it's a good thing it's not a huge area in New York City where a lot of people travel back and forth all the time. It's going to be an ordeal, but I think a lot of Knicks fans will say it's worth it.

All right, thank you so much for that.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: OK, so right now there is an urgent search happening in Toledo, Ohio, for whoever started shooting near a popular neighborhood festival. At least a dozen people were injured.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: One person described the scene there as "pandemonium."

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is tracking this one for us, and she's here with me now.

What is the latest that you're picking up?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it was supposed to be this summertime festival. So many of these take place around the country. But unfortunately, also so many of these types of events have been affected by gun violence in recent years. In fact, this marks the 170th mass shooting in the United States according to the Gun Violence Archive.

[09:25:02]

Twelve people were injured by gunfire. And as you said, suspects are still on the run. Police have not been able to identify any potential suspects. They have not made any arrests. But they do believe that this started when two people who were at this festival began shooting at each other.

Now, this is an annual two-day event. The Old West End Festival in Toledo, Ohio. It takes place in the city's historic district. So, as you can imagine, a lot of family, children. It was supposed to be, you know, a fun weekend event. People running for cover when those shots rang out.

Take a listen to law enforcement talking about the shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUTENANT DAN GERKEN, TOLEDO, OHIO, POLICE: As far as violence, this is -- this is over the top, right? So, 12 people being shot, that's the most I've been to a scene. I've been to a lot of scenes. But this is -- this is way over the top.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Kate, the victims ages ranging from 14 years old to 61 years old. And police asking people who might have been in the area to take a look at their cell phone, look through their videos, maybe see if they might have captured anything on their cell phones because they are going through all of the video that was captured in the area during this incident, which Saturday afternoon around 5:00, to try and narrow down their suspects as they continue this manhunt.

BOLDUAN: Yes. So, suspects still on the run. Twelve people shot. It is -- uh-uh (ph).

Gloria, thank you.

So, President Trump is facing a new legal challenge now, this time over the planned UFC fight at the White House. We have the new details coming in. We'll bring that to you.

Plus, the lengths that people in Albania are going to tell Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump that Albania is not for sale.

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