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Trump Threatens to Hit Iran; Wholesale Inflation Rises to 6.5 Percent; Gov. Wes Moore is Interviewed about Criticism Against Him. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired June 11, 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]

ELIZABETH BANKS, ACTRESS: Really?

JOSH HUTCHERSON, ACTOR: HUTCHERSON: And like the fact that like personal life, people were taking pictures.

BANKS: Yes.

HUTCHERSON: People were like at dinner, you're trying to live your life.

BANKS: Right.

HUTCHERSON: Like, that's not a thing. I know you've -- obviously, you've lived with that and --

BANKS: It's a huge intrusion into your life. Yes.

HUTCHERSON: Yes. And so I was like, chip on my shoulder, angry about it. And then with like years of perspective, I just have grown to, like, appreciate it so much and to have been a part of something that meant so much to people.

BANKS: Yes.

HUTCHERSON: That was well done.

BANKS: Yes.

HUTCHERSON: And just like the people that we got to work with, the whole cast, everyone was just -- it's a really special thing.

BANKS: Yes.

HUTCHERSON: And all these years later, you know, it's -- it's wild (ph).

BANKS: Yes, that must have been really hard.

HUTCHERSON: It was weird. Yes, it was hard.

BANKS: And you still, I assume, is that what you're most well-known for, despite all the other work you've done?

HUTCHERSON: Yes. Yes, that's the one for sure. Yes.

BANKS: Yes.

HUTCHERSON: Which is, hey, it's not a bad one to be known for.

BANKS: It's pretty good.

HUTCHERSON: I'm very happy about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, you can stream the full episode on the CNN app.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning, President Trump says the U.S. will be, quote, "hitting Iran very hard tonight," end quote. And then moments ago, threatening to take, quote, "total control" of Iran's oil industry and Kharg Island. We'll bring you the details.

Plus, brand new inflation numbers breaking this morning. New data shows many American families are struggling to stay afloat, as the president says he, quote, "loves the inflation." We'll explain.

And then the World Cup kicks off today in Mexico. We will have a look at all the action.

Sara and John are out today. I'm Omar Jimenez, with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: Breaking news just in this morning, President Trump issuing a new warning to Iran, threatening to take complete control of the country's oil and gas. He posted on social media a short time ago that "the United States will be hitting Iran very hard tonight," he writes. And then also saying that "at some point in the not too distant future," he's going to take Kharg Island and makes a connection then, as you see there, much like we have with Venezuela and taking over their oil and gas markets.

Moments ago, the president spoke to Fox News about this. And let me play that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We dropped $250 million worth of bombs on them last night. You know, the whole thing is crazy. But -- and they're -- and they're really in sub -- in submission. They just don't know it yet, OK, to be honest with you. They just don't know it yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's --

TRUMP: And we are talking to them and all. But, you know, look, my preference has always been take Kharg Island.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That comes after the United States and Iran, as we've been talking about all morning, have exchanged strikes for a second night in a row. Trump promising another night to come.

Iran is also now claiming that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all vessels until further notice. The U.S. military disputes that, saying that commercial ships are still moving through, though the Strait is not open. Despite all of this, a diplomatic source had told CNN earlier that talks between Washington and Tehran are still on track.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House.

More developments already this morning. What else are we hearing from the president?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, this is just a remarkable post from the president this morning, Kate. One, previewing that the United States is going to be hitting Iran, very hard are the words that the president used, tonight. And then going on to say that in the not-too-distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points and assume total control of their oil and gas markets. He went on to compare that to what they have done with Venezuela.

A few things I think we need to point out here. One is this idea of wanting to capture Kharg Island in the not-too-distant future. This is something that my colleagues and I have been reporting on extensively. Kharg Island is a small island, about a five-mile stretch of land, off the coast -- off the Iranian coast. And it is responsible for 90 percent of Iran's crude exports.

Now, the thing about Kharg Island is this is something that has been considered, like I said, for a long time by the Pentagon, but I have had extensive conversations with my sources, Kate, over the last several weeks about this. And many people have told me that they viewed an idea of capturing Kharg island as almost a last resort or something that would really try to quickly end this war.

And that's because many experts have warned that an operation like that to try and capture or wipe out the energy infrastructure on Kharg Island would require a significant amount of ground troops. Many have said there would likely be many casualties should the U.S. move forward with a strategy like that.

Now, if you listen to what the president just said on Fox News, he said, that has long been his preference to go after Kharg Island but he doesn't know, and I think this is a key quote from that interview that got cut off in the clip you played, he doesn't know if Americans could stomach it.

[09:05:06]

I think that is referencing, of course, the major, you know, downfalls potentially of what would require a capture like that.

Another point I think very much worth making is that the president is previewing these options publicly through the media. We have now seen this as a new pattern of his over the past couple of days, him previewing these attacks on Iran. I think that is a huge signal, of course, that he is, one, growing completely impatient with the status of these negotiations and more specifically, the pace of these talks and how Iran has been unwilling so far to sign a deal. But then also, this is really designed to pressure Iran to the table. That's exactly what you heard the president say yesterday. You also heard Hegseth say that when he was giving a statement, essentially arguing that if they have to negotiate through bombs, the United States will.

A major turning point, of course, what we are seeing play out right now, from where we have been throughout this entire ceasefire that began back in early April. Trump has consistently been wanting to halt aggression, to not resume major combat operations, to allow for diplomacy to prevail. That is not happening right now. Now he believes that they need to continue these aggressive military attacks in order to force Iran to the table. Is that the strategy that will work? We don't know. But that's where his head is at right now, Kate.

JIMENEZ: And I'll just jump in here, Alayna, just to lob in a question. Is there anything in particular that you are sort of looking for, either from the president or the White House, that would indicate that there's some real movement forward or some real breakthrough either diplomatically here?

TREENE: I think, look, I think when it comes to diplomatic talks, we know that those are continuing. We had a diplomatic source tell CNN that they have continued. We know that the Qataris, who have really been kind of driving the mediation efforts in the last couple of days or so had been in Tehran, even as some of these U.S. strikes overnight were continuing. I think that that, of course, is still the preference from all of the conversations I've been having, Omar and Kate, with my sources here at the White House over the recent days is that the president does still want a deal. And so, I think if they can get any sort of indication from Iran that they are going to be moving closer to that, we could see a lot of this strategy change.

But it is remarkable, again, that this is now, you know, the president hitting a point now where he's really pivoting back to a war footing after for weeks now trying to maintain diplomacy and peace through a ceasefire in order to get a deal.

All to say, we have to -- I think a big question is how serious the president is when he made this threat about wanting to take Kharg Island and really seize the entire oil operation that Iran has in the not too distant future, if that is a serious threat by him, or if this is something, again, that he is really trying to use as leverage at this point.

One other quick thing is, in what he had been saying in Fox News, I think this is just worth pointing out, he has been attacking the media for what he believes is them perceiving or conveying that Iran is perhaps more strong than Trump wants them to. I think that's also playing into this. He wants it to be seen that the United States is the much stronger player here than the Iranians.

JIMENEZ: Alayna Treene, appreciate all of the reporting. We'll get back to you as news develops.

But then also breaking just moments ago, some new key data on inflation out this morning showing wholesale inflation continues to rise rapidly in the United States. It currently sits at 6.5 percent, which is the highest it's been since November of 2022. And this comes just 24 hours after a brutal CPI number showed inflation hit a four year high.

I want to get right to CNN senior reporter Matt Egan with the numbers.

So, what do these numbers show? And then can you just point out the differences between the numbers from yesterday, CPI versus now?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, absolutely. Omar, these numbers show that prices are rising rapidly in this economy. They're rising faster than before the war started. Faster than before the president took office. And as you mentioned, this is the second day in a row with a hot inflation report. And this one suggests that the worst is not over in terms of the price hikes on consumers.

So, this is wholesale inflation, Producer Prices up by 1.1 percent between April and May. Some context, that's almost twice as hot as anticipated. And this is unchanged from April, which was revised lower. So, April and May are the hottest monthly readings for Producer Prices in four years. And this is the annual rate.

So, the annual rate ticked up to 6.5 percent. That's the highest annual rate since November of 2022. You can see, it's not as high as it was after Russia invaded Ukraine, after Ukraine -- after Covid.

[09:10:01]

However, clearly it is going in the wrong direction.

Now, we pay close attention to this because this shows pricing pressure on businesses, OK? And we know that businesses, they typically pass along at least some of those costs to all of us as consumers. So, this is a leading indicator for what all of us are going to be paying at the store. It typically leads consumer inflation by a few months.

This is a look at, again, this is the monthly rate for wholesale inflation. And you can see, just going in the wrong direction.

So, why did it go up. Well, obviously, a big factor here was the war, right? Energy prices were up almost 11 percent on the month. Food was only slightly higher.

However, digging into some of the specific items here, there were notable monthly price increases for grains, for fresh fruit, for melons as well. Industrial chemicals also going higher.

Now, this is different from the consumer inflation report yesterday that was -- showed that inflation is back to four percent for the first time in three years. I know it gets a little wonky with some of these indicators. So, let's focus on what really matters to our viewers, right? That's costs.

Because prices have gone up, people have to spend more money to get the same stuff. Moodys Analytics has found that the typical household has to spend almost $300 more per month than they did a year earlier, all because of higher prices. So, they're not getting more stuff, they're just paying higher prices.

And look, I know the president yesterday raised some eyebrows by saying he loves the inflation. But I think all of this really shows why Americans don't love it, right? They hate it because they're facing higher prices and their paychecks are just not keeping up.

JIMENEZ: And a lot of them haven't quite recovered from even years ago too.

EGAN: Yes.

JIMENEZ: So, Matt Egan, appreciate the data and the breakdown.

EGAN: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, coming up for us, new this morning, Sean Combs responding to disturbing new accusations that he sexually assaulted a former child actor. We'll tell you what we're learning there.

And then a murder suspect leads police on a dangerous high-speed chase. We'll show you how it came to a dramatic end.

And then, people are calling it a miracle at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks pull off a stunner, capping off the greatest comeback in NBA finals history, and I'm not exaggerating there, with a last second tip in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:16:21]

BOLDUAN: We are following this breaking news. President Trump speaking out this morning, leveling new threats against Iran, posting in part, really just moments ago, this, that "United States will be hitting Iran," his words, "very hard tonight. At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their oil and gas markets, much like we have with Venezuela."

Startling statement coming from President Trump.

Let's talk about this.

Joining me right now is the Democratic governor of Maryland, Wes Moore.

Governor, thank you so much for being here. GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): Good morning. Thanks for having me.

BOLDUAN: I appreciate your time.

This coming in. They've been trading strikes, the U.S. and Iran, but this is a new -- a new threat, a new level of threat that the president is making here. What do you think of this?

MOORE: It's a new escalation. And I'm praying for the people that are going to have to execute on these orders. And frankly, I'm praying for some clarity from the White House, too, that they can explain to the American people what exactly we are doing.

You know, whenever you decide to order military operations, there's an expectation that military operations should be the last option. There's an expectation that we can be clear about what the objective is that we're trying to accomplish and clear about what is the coalition that we're building around it. We haven't gotten any of those things from the White House.

So, the president continuing to put together threats and blustering is not making any of us either safer, nor is it making us -- any of us more confident as to what exactly we're doing over there in the first place.

BOLDUAN: Governor, you mentioned clarity that you want to hear from this administration. And I think you are off -- or I -- we're looking for you to offer clarity too today. You have faced questions about your military service career. "The Baltimore Sun" has run a series of reporting pieces. The way they put it is, "for 20 years Moore has repeatedly told versions of his story that do not match the record." Things that they have gone through are about receiving a Bronze Star and not -- you eventually did receive a Bronze Star. Padding your resume for a White House fellowship in 2006. Mischaracterizing receiving a combat action badge. How long -- how you got to -- how long you served in Afghanistan. Misstating that you earned the top leadership award at the MP officer basic course. They report the Army did not have record of that. And there is more.

You've largely not specifically answered questions -- answered to these questions. But you are now. We saw this morning a lengthy piece, a lengthy series of interviews that you did with the news outlet, "The Banner" defending your record. I want to get into many pieces of it. But broadly, Governor, have you misstated, mischaracterized, misrepresented in describing your military service career?

MOORE: I have never mischaracterized my military career, and I'm very proud of the service that we all did in Afghanistan and my time throughout the Army.

The reason that I wanted to sit down with "The Banner" was because I've always been an open book where I shared with them not just my public -- publicly available records, but my privately available records, to show that not only do I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to be ashamed of. That, you know, when I was 17 years old, I joined the Army. That when I was working a career in finance, I left and I deployed with the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan. That every time we could have chosen safety or financial benefit or anything along those lines, I've raised my hand to serve because this country asked. And I know for myself and the people who I served with, we would do it again if asked.

BOLDUAN: Two pieces that are highlighted by "The Banner," just two of them, and we can get in -- we can get into more, is that -- into more of it is that the -- one of your -- in one of your books you've -- you've described evocative descriptions of the first time that you were shot at in Afghanistan.

[09:20:14]

Describing the sounds of shells buzzing past your ears, a flurry of divots leaping out of the earth around your feet. And -- but you also referenced the experience of leading soldiers into combat. And in the interview with "The Banner" that -- you said that you have never been ordered to lead offensive missions in Afghanistan. You also misrepresented your record. You also misstated what happened with regard to the timing of the death of a friend of yours when you were overseas, First Sergeant Toby Meister, how you grieved. You had stated that you grieved his death at your grandfather's funeral. He died days after that funeral had taken place. How do you explain this?

MOORE: Well, I think the article helps to highlight that when I say that, you know, we led soldiers in combat, that we did. That my job was serving as a director of information operations, where I was leading a team of psyops and civil affairs. And we all fall under SOCOM, which is a special operations unit within the military. And my job was to go outside of the wire multiple times, multiple times a week. And the thing that we know is that while my job was never to conduct offensive operations, it was the enemy's job to conduct offensive operations against us. And we had to then turn around and respond.

And I think about the things that I -- that I wrote about. Again, things that all -- I factually stand by. You know, I know that a decade after redeploying from one of the most traumatic moments in my life, where we were deployed to one of the most dangerous places in the world, where I lost friends over there, where we know the dangers that we had to face every time we had to leave the wire. That that trauma and, frankly, that therapeutic process that I was going through in writing, where I was very clear that, you know, some of these things are going to be composites. And do I wish on certain things I would have -- would have been more -- added more context to the reader? I do. And I -- and I will own that.

But everything that I wrote there is not just factual. I think it helps to explain the trauma that so many of us have felt as we've come home and how we've continued to deal with it and process it as we've -- and we've reintegrated back to society.

BOLDUAN: What is suggested in the reporting by "The Baltimore Sun" is that you did this knowingly. That you padded your resume in order to further or set yourself up for a future political career. And you respond to that by saying what? MOORE: I think it is deeply slanderous and disrespectful to think that

any of us would leave our family, would go deploy to some of the most dangerous places in the world, would go and leave a wire knowing that there is a very distinct and real possibility that you're not going to come back, that we all then now have to deal with the realities that we have friends who lost their lives overseas, or who came back remarkably different. And to think that we did it for a political purpose. I did not serve because of politics. And I could care less about how this impacts my political career. The same way I didn't serve because of metals or awards or recognition. I served, we served, we served because we believe in this country and because this country asked us to. And any type of insinuation that we would have risked our lives for something other than the fact that this country asked us to, I find to be not just deeply disrespectful to all of us, but slanderous.

BOLDUAN: This gets to integrity and trust. And you know this. I mean, this is what -- this is --

MOORE: Yes.

BOLDUAN: They are questioning your integrity. They are questioning if people can trust you today and going forward. First thing, did you get things wrong?

MOORE: There is nothing factual that's incorrect. And that's the thing I do want to be clear on --

BOLDUAN: Yes.

MOORE: Is that, I think about the source. Do you know who's not questioning my accounts or who's not questioning my integrity? The United States Army. Do you know who's not questioning my accounts or my integrity? The 82nd Airborne Division. Do you know who's not questioning my accounts or my integrity, as is listed in "The Banner" article? The people I served with in Afghanistan, who all came out and verified everything that we saw and everything that we did together while in Afghanistan. That my family doesn't question my integrity or question, you know, or question my truthfulness. The people of Maryland don't question my integrity or my truthfulness.

So, I really say, you know, I think about the source of it, that if a -- if a political operative wants to come and do it, I know their motivation. But the truth is, is that when the Army, the 82nd Airborne Division and people you serve with are not questioning your integrity, I put more credence on that than what a politically motivated operative thinks.

BOLDUAN: I did see in "The Banner" article you described -- you have attacked the reporting previously, the source of it, "The Baltimore Sun" and the coordination effort of this reporting project.

[09:25:05]

You described it as an effort to undermine your integrity by conservative media outlets. We have reached out to Sinclair Media. We have not yet heard back.

Just -- this was early -- just this morning that this report came out.

What do you think this is about? You are -- you are more angry than I have seen you. And I've covered your career and covered you for quite some time. What is this about? Is it about your future political career, your future aspirations? We don't even -- today doesn't even need to be about that. But it is about that. Do you think that's what this is about, and why are -- and how do -- will you handle it going forward? Will there be more that you believe you're going to need to defend?

MOORE: I don't know what it's about, and I think you need to ask them what this is about. I think people can look at the history of Sinclair and probably get a sense.

But it's not just that I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm sad that this is not just about coming after me. It's coming after the people I served with. It's coming after other people who are willing to risk their lives. And by questioning my integrity, you're not just trying to question me, you're questioning theirs. You're questioning their experiences. You're questioning their trauma. You're questioning the fact that for so many of us, who went overseas and deployed and who did come back differently, and who have been processing and dealing with this, who have been working with doctors, who have been trying to absorb and understand that combination of time and trauma and the way that we are going through our own therapeutic process of dealing with it, because we chose to raise our hands to serve because the country asked.

So, I am -- I am angry and sad, but not about what you're doing to me. I can take it. It's what you're also saying about my soldiers, what you're also saying about the people that I served with, what you're also saying about their conversations with their families. Because I think that is not just deeply unfair, it is deeply un-American. And it's not what we are supposed to be doing.

We are -- enjoy the freedoms we have because there are people who are willing to sacrifice on behalf of it. There were people who were willing to give and lose their lives, if necessary, because the country asked. And I think by trying to come after me or anybody from a political perspective, that's just not who we're supposed to be. And that's not who we are.

And particularly for something that I am so proud of. The Army helped to save my life. It helped to give me direction. It gave me a foundation. It gave me a purpose. And I would do it over again if asked.

I was willing to sacrifice everything because I knew this organization gave me so much. And I just want to make sure that the service that we conducted in Afghanistan, the service that the men and women who I was proud to serve with, that that never is disparaged or that is -- never is dishonored, particularly by people who might have a political motivation in the way they're trying to do it.

BOLDUAN: Governor, many topics to discuss. This is an important one to get through. I appreciate your time today.

MOORE: And I appreciate you. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you for coming in.

MOORE: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: All right.

We'll be right back.

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