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Trump Fuels False Election Claims as Spencer Pratt Eliminated; Trump Says, Pilots Safe After U.S. Army Apache Goes Down Near Hormuz; Trump Booed by New York Crowd at NBA Finals. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired June 09, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: It is primary day across America with a big focus on Maine where voters will be weighing in on Democrat Graham Platner today. And there's also breaking news overnight in the race for L.A. mayor. The new numbers are in.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And new video just in. A jet crashes in a fiery landing. Two people are dead. We've got new reporting on what happened.

And then it seemed that the Knicks could not lose in the playoffs until the president showed up. The boos that greeted him and the streak that ended.

Sara and Kate are out today, but guess who's here? Erica Hill. You've seen her already. I'm John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

All right, breaking overnight, CNN projects that reality T.V. star Spencer Pratt has been knocked out of the Los Angeles mayor's race, and that Nithya Raman will move on to face incumbent Karen Bass in November. They are both Democrats, although it's a nonpartisan race, technically.

Early returns show that Pratt, a Republican, was running second, but his numbers fell as mail-in ballots were counted. Pratt's decline led President Trump to fire up false election claims, writing, quote, not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had. Third world nation, rigged elections. Now, we'll be working on great guy Steve Hilton.

Now, Hilton is the Republican the president endorsed in California's governor's race. But he tells CNN that despite what the president said, his campaign has seen no evidence of anything suspicious in the vote count.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE HILTON (R), CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: We've got teams standing by, lawyers standing by, and actually it's the same answer that actually I've been giving for a few days now. We've seen nothing that would give us cause to intervene in that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We've seen nothing. But could this be a sign of how the president will handle election results in November if they do not go his way?

Meanwhile, it is primary day in Maine, where Democrat Graham Platner is hoping to unseat Republican incumbent Susan Collins in November. He's hoping to get the nomination today. He is expected to, despite multiple scandals surrounding his campaign. He woke up to an op-ed from a former campaign aide who wrote, Graham Platner is not someone who would be good for Maine or for the country.

With us now is a reporter who has spent time in Maine, Andrew Desiderio, a senior Congressional reporter for Punchbowl News. Great to see you this morning, Andrew.

Very quickly on Maine, because we expect the results to be that Graham Platner will get the nomination. It would be shocking if he didn't. But tomorrow is a whole other story. What does Platner face beginning tomorrow?

ANDREW DESIDERIO, SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Well, look, he has to pivot to the general election, and when I was with him in Maine, I asked him, how are you going to pivot to the general election and accept help from the Democratic Party apparatus here in Washington when you've run your entire campaign as this anti- establishment campaign essentially, right, running against Chuck Schumer, against the DSCC, against sort of the forces that be here in Washington when it comes to the Democratic Party.

And he admitted to me that he is going to have to accept help in terms of financial resources, in terms of advice from them on how to run a successful campaign, especially against someone like Susan Collins, who has proven to be a very formidable candidate over the years, and just continues to win election after election after election.

And so it's going to be interesting to see how he might shift his rhetoric, you know, in terms of shifting towards the general election and trying to accept that help from the party apparatus, which, again, Chuck Schumer, of course, he endorsed Janet Mills in the race who suspended her campaign over a month ago. But they're trying to bury the hatchet right now and sort of get unified and make sure that they can focus on their shared goal of defeating Susan Collins.

BERMAN: It'll be interesting to see how much help is really forthcoming with this sort of avalanche of new revelations that keeps on coming out. We will have to see on that.

I want to shift to California, not because the results are necessarily a surprise in the Los Angeles mayor's race, but because of the president's reaction. And we saw it with his interview with Kristen Welker that he stormed out of.

[07:05:00]

He is declaring rigged elections when there's absolutely no evidence of that. This is just how California counts, which is very slowly. Frustratingly slowly, but it's how they do it.

So, what concerns does this raise for Democrats heading into November? If they're able to at the, you know, ballot box actually win the election, what are their concerns about what president might do to stop it?

DESIDERIO: Well, look, the president has long sowed doubt in these election results across the country, and he does so without providing evidence, of course. And, you know, we asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune about this last night when the Senate came back into town and he basically said he's not going to make any excuses for the way California runs its elections. He said it's pure incompetence, but cheating is something you have to prove, obviously. That was pretty much a direct quote from the Senate majority leader.

And you'll remember that John Thune and Donald Trump first got at odds around six years ago over this exact issue of false claims of election fraud, right? John Thune speaking out against Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election is how they first got at odds in the first place, and they had to, of course, repair that relationship when John Thune became the Senate majority leader.

BERMAN: We'll see if he plays along this time. Not yet, apparently, by saying you have to prove cheating.

Andrew Desiderio, thanks for sharing that new reporting. I appreciate it. Erica?

HILL: Breaking overnight, President Trump confirming the pilots on board that U.S. Army Apache helicopter were not injured following reports that the chopper went down near the Strait of Hormuz. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: -- report that an army helicopter went down in the strait. Can you give us an update on that? Are the soldiers okay?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The pilots are fine, yes, nobody injured.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The president also claiming that a deal with Iran could come in, quote, two or three days.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House. So, Alayna, first of all, just bring us up to speed on what more we know about this helicopter that went down and how that happened.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, so we got a statement this morning from CENTCOM. They shared this on social media, essentially saying that at 7:33 P.M. yesterday, on June 8th, two crew members from that U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman. CENTCOM says that they were patrolling regional waters there and that they were safely, these soldiers, rescued within approximately two hours and are now in stable condition.

I think a key part of this statement from CENTCOM is that they said that the cause of the incident is under investigation. So, we, of course, are still needing more answers here on what exactly happened with this helicopter going down. But as you mentioned, the president quick to come out and respond to reporters' questions, saying that nobody was injured and that these pilots are fine.

But this follows, of course, a very intense day few days of what is happening in this war right now, these attacks being exchanged between Israel and Iran. They have ceased for now but this is the most fragile time I think that we've seen throughout this entire ceasefire so far since it began.

The president also coming out today and arguing that he believes that a deal could be reached, he said, within two or three days, he said, if such a deal would stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon and that it would immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Of course, and I think, you know, we've been having these conversations, Erica, for weeks now, the president has said this a number of times since the ceasefire began. Actually from our count, CNN's count, at least 37 times he has made similar claims about a deal being close since the ceasefire began in early April. So, it's not immediately clear whether Iran agrees with this or whether this is actually a timeline that we can expect.

Meanwhile, of course, we are seeing fresh attacks from Israel. They launched fresh attacks into Southern Lebanon today, adding to, I think, a lot of the instability about what is going on in the region and what is actually going to happen with a potential deal. All to say, though, the president trying to remain confident in its chances. Erica?

HILL: Yes. All right, we'll see. We'll continue to follow for developments. Alayna, I appreciate it. Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, a true NBA thriller overnight, the high drama before, during, and after the game. And with the president there, the drama was not just sports.

New concerns this morning about the shrinking stockpile of emergency oil reserves approaching levels not seen in years.

And new evidence of the dangers of technology and dancing, a dancing robot kicks a child right in the stomach.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

HILL: Tough loss for the Knicks and Knicks fans at the Garden last night, the Spurs spoiling the party, taking game three of the NBA finals. President Trump, of course, was at the game under heavy security. He drew pretty loud boos when he was shown on the jumbotron during the national anthem. Take a look. Meantime outside, police making multiple arrests after the game. We're not talking about MSG here, I'm actually talking about a watch party in Bryant Park that turned rowdy, fights breaking out in the crowd.

CNN's Andy Scholes joining us now with the highlights. The Knicks are in no way giving up here, nor are their fans, Andy. Let's be clear.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: No. I mean, the 13 game win streak is over, but, I mean, they still got a 2-1 lead in the series, Erica. But last night's game three at Madison Square Garden, one of the most unique sporting events we've really ever seen. You know, the get in ticket price was over $6,000 at tip-off, making it one of the most expensive tickets ever.

[07:15:05]

And for the first time ever, we had a sitting president at the finals in attendance.

And, of course, all the stars were out for the first finals game at the Garden since 1999. You had all the regulars, plus some New York sports royalty, Derek Jeter and Eli Manning also court-side.

This was a super physical game. First quarter, look at this, Victor Wembanyama just whacks Jalen Brunson right in the head. There wasn't even a foul called on that play. The Knicks, they scored 42 in the second quarter. They had a seven-point lead going into halftime. Spurs, though, would respond. Fourth quarter now, Stephon Castle, the alley-oop to Wemby, he finished with 32 points. San Antonio up three at that point.

Under a minute to go, Knicks are down six, Brunson going to hit the three, but De'Aaron Fox coming through in the clutch for San Antonio. This jumper here is going to ice the game. Spurs hold on to win 115- 111. For just the second time in NBA history, the road team has won the first three games of the finals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, SAN ANTONIO SPURS CENTER: We are all the time confident, wid what we were supposed to do, but the job is absolutely not done. We're not even halfway. The hardest is still to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. The Spurs trying to become the first team ever to try to win the finals after losing the first two games at home.

Now, Knicks fans and Coach Mike Brown not pleased with the officiating after game three. The Spurs shot 24 free throws in the second half compared to the Knicks' eight, and Brown said that's unacceptable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE BROWN, NEW YORK KNICKS HEAD COACH: I never thought I'd be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free throw attempts in the second half to another team's 8. And maybe we were fouling, maybe we were fouling, but they fouled, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. Game four of the finals is tomorrow.

Serena Williams, meanwhile, scheduled to make her return to the court today in London at the HSBC Championships. This is going to be her first match since losing in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open. Serena, now 44 years old, going to be competing in doubles. Her match scheduled for 12:30 Eastern, but there is rain in the forecast there in London.

All right, now for today's What a Shot, which is brought to you by HBO Max. We're just three days away from the U.S. taking the pitch for their World Cup opener against Paraguay. Hopefully, we get to see another celebration like this from Antonee Robinson. He did this back flip after a great goal in the friendly against Germany over the weekend.

But, Erica, I cannot wait. After talking about this World Cup for so long now, it is almost finally here. You know, Thursday we've got the opener in Mexico, and then the US taking the pitch on Friday. I can't wait. It's going to be so great.

HILL: Yes, it is not a bad week for sports, that is for sure.

Andy, appreciate it.

SCHOLES: All right. All right, still ahead here, OpenAI now filing for an IPO. What does that actually mean when it comes to the future of A.I.? And Wall Street, of course, paying attention.

Plus, a gator on the loose, police using a cattle rope to wrangle a nearly six-foot gator. Why was it in the horse stable? I think that's a really important question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. Huge business and tech news this morning, OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, has filed for an initial public offering, setting the stage for what could become one of the largest and most closely watched stock market debuts in history.

CNN's Lisa Eadicicco is with us now. This is a big deal.

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: This is a huge deal, not only because of all of the money that's involved here, which we don't know yet because they didn't say how many shares they're going to sell or at what price or even when this is going to happen. But this is really going to be our first sign of what A.I. demand is really like in the market.

Right now, we're kind of using indirect signals because a lot of the companies in the A.I. space that are already public are really infrastructure companies, so companies that make the cloud services that power the computing for these A.I. models, the chips, the memory. But when OpenAI and Anthropic go public, this will really be the first time that we get a sense of how these businesses are growing. These are the first two major frontier model makers to go public. So, it's going to be closely watched for a lot of reasons, but that especially.

BERMAN: In OpenAI, just remind me, the other part of this, just from a historical perspective, is them going public is a departure from their original mission way back when, yes?

EADICICCO: So, it does seem like this is certainly a turning point for OpenAI and Anthropic. I think in addition to looking at, you know, how these companies started and what their founding mission was, I think this also signals that we're at a point where they're confident enough in their business models to have to answer to Wall Street every three months.

I mean, you have to remember, being a public company, you really have to -- especially in an industry like A.I. where there's such a frenzy around it right now, these companies are going to face an enormous amount of pressure to prove that they're actually growing every three months. That's very different from being in the private world where you have backers that believe in you and are willing to give you that leeway to see how your business grows.

And OpenAI, you know, has been disclosing some statistics about its growth. In March, it said that it's making $2 billion in revenue every month. It claims that its revenue is growing faster than, you know, Meta's and Google's was in the early days. So, again -- but now we're going to really have to get a peek into those financials, and we really haven't had that level of transparency before.

BERMAN: We just haven't. No. And, look, I'm old enough to remember when ChatGPT and OpenAI were the biggest, you know, thing in A.I. Is it clear that's the case anymore, right? I mean, that was, by the way, was only, like, a year ago or six months ago. But it's not at all clear that's still the case.

EADICICCO: Yes. And I think, you know, they're facing a ton of competition, and that's only going to intensify once they go public, for sure.

BERMAN: All right. Lisa Eadicicco, big moment, big times ahead. Thank you very much. Erica?

HILL: U.S. emergency oil reserves are now headed toward critically low levels, levels that actually haven't been seen in four decades. Oil executives now raising alarm bells.

Also ahead here, astronauts are going to go to the moon in style. The new Prada collection that is literally out of this world. Berman is going to model it for us. It's going to be amazing.

BERMAN: It's underwear. It is literally underwear.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [07:30:00]