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Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) is Interviewed about Inflation; Polls on Bill Gates; Sean Combs Accused of Assault; Gregg Berhalter is Interviewed about the World Cup. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired June 11, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:32:27]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking just moments ago, we were going through the new numbers showing wholesale inflation spiking last month to the highest in nearly four years. And markets just opened. And it comes, you see the green here, which obviously is a good start, but it comes as the president appeared to shrug off any concerns inflation related yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Are you concerned, Mr. President, about the latest inflation number which came out this morning? Could that be a negative for Republicans trying to hold the House and Senate?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I love it. The numbers were great. You know what I really love? I love the inflation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, he seem to imply that he loves it because it might then go down after the end of the war. But we never got there.

I want to bring in Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana to talk a little bit about this, because some of your colleagues on the Senate side were asked about this. Senators Hawley, Tuberville, Capito. And look, unsurprising that they are uncomfortable with the level of inflation. Need to find a way to get the price of things down. And, one, do you agree with your Republican colleagues? Where do you stand on this?

REP. MARLIN STUTZMAN (R-IN): Good morning. Great to be with you this morning.

Yes, you know, anytime inflation bumps up to those levels, it's concerning. I think that the jobs number that we had last week obviously is very strong. So, the economy is strong. The fundamentals are strong. But, of course, the conflict in Iran is causing gas prices to be up. And that's probably the biggest driver of the inflation numbers. So, we'll continue to watch it. I know President Trump is working very hard to find a solution here. But any time those types of numbers come out, there's obviously more concern. But we'll get there. I'm convinced of that.

JIMENEZ: Well, and, you know, you mentioned the jobs numbers. Yes, they beat expectations over the last few months. But then, you know, on the other hand, consumer sentiment is low. People are still paying for -- paying more for items. So, even if, you know, people say, all right, hey, the economy is working well overall, people are -- aren't quite feeling it, it doesn't seem like, in their wallets.

And I think the question here sort of moving forward is, if inflation remains elevated and energy prices stay high because of the Iran conflict. Look, I think everyone hopes it's resolved in a -- in a way that's satisfactory for everyone as quickly as possible. But we haven't quite seen that to this point. How much pressure does that put on the White House to make adjustments before November? I mean, President Trump isn't on the ballot directly, but you are, for example. What are you hearing from your constituents?

STUTZMAN: Right. Yes, you know, I hear mixed reviews from my constituents. You know, older constituents tend to say, hey, you have to finish the job with Iran.

[09:35:01]

The IRGC has been a problem for 40 years. They continue to be the greatest sponsor of terrorism around the world. Most nations accept that fact. Younger people are more frustrated with it.

But at the same time, I think that that's why you have to focus on doing the right thing, even when times get tough. And President Trump is doing that. And the fact is, is that the IRGC is imploding. They are, you know, not coming to the table for a deal. And it's only going to cost them more in the end. They think they may get a short-term win.

But President Trump is going to hang in there. I'm going to support him to remove the IRGC. I want to see the Iranian people have their country back. And I think that brings long term stability in the Middle East and long-term lower prices, energy prices, for us as Americans.

JIMENEZ: Well, I think, you know, at this point there is a lot of talk of long term. I mean the president has even said it. You know, what we're doing now is better in the long term for America's security.

But in the short term, I mean, even going back to 2022, I mean, people, and Americans, have been dealing with higher prices for quite some time now and have been told in many cases, hey, the overall economy is good but sorry that your wallet's hurting. Or, in this case, just trust us, we'll end this at some point but just hang in there a little bit more.

Even if the war ends tomorrow, it's going to take a while for companies to trust the stability of the Strait, you know, to the point where prices would stabilize. How do you explain that back end pay to voters who, like you said, long-term security, that's a great goal, but people are hurting now. STUTZMAN: It is. And, you know what, President Trump and others, other Republicans, we've proposed other solutions. For example, we're going to, you know, be passing the housing reform package, which is going to bring down the cost of housing. The other package, excuse me, the other package that President Trump proposed was capping credit card rates at 10 percent for one year to give the consumer a break. I think that would be something that we should bring back into the discussion because it directly affects the consumer. If we would cap interest rates at 10 percent for one year, that would be more -- you know, when a -- when a consumer pays their credit card, more dollars are going to go towards the balance rather than just paying interest on the debt. President Trump proposed that earlier this year. That would be something that Congress could take up and do.

So, President Trump is looking out for the American consumer and the American individual. Whether it was no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, people are keeping more money in their own pocket. But we're also trying to fix a long term problem that has been going on for far too long.

JIMENEZ: And again, dynamics that will be tested at the ballot box, as you know very well. We've already seen them underway to this point.

Congressman Marlin Stutzman, really appreciate the time and perspective. Thanks for being here.

All right, up ahead, today is the day the World Cup finally kicks off. The anticipation as the biggest sporting event across the globe makes its return to the U.S. We'll talk about it, coming up.

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[09:42:28]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: House Oversight -- here we go. House Oversight Chair James Comer says that he wants now Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and attorney Alan Dershowitz to testify next as part of the House Oversight Committees probe into Jeffrey Epstein. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, he faced questions just yesterday behind closed doors with the committee. And Gates said that the late convicted sex offender essentially tried to blackmail him.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here with much more on this.

Harry, tell us, what -- how has the opinion of Bill Gates changed?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, the opinion of Bill Gates has changed tremendously since his associations with Jeffrey Epstein were learned about. And you could just see it right here. I mean, Bill Gates' net favorability. Back in 2018, there was perhaps no other American who was as popular as Bill Gates was. His net favorability rating was plus 74 points. But look where it was by 2025. Way down. What is that? That is a nearly 70-point drop, way down there to just plus six points.

And I've seen some non-Ipsos polling. These are Ipsos'. I've seen some non-Ipsos polling to suggest that now Bill Gates' net favorability rating is now negative in the United States of America. Quite the steep decline from being one of the most well-liked Americans back in 2018 when he was 74 points on the positive side of the ledger.

BOLDUAN: How does that compare to the decline of opinion of other business leaders over the -- over the years?

ENTEN: Yes. I mean I think that this is just part of a larger story. And it just is part of a larger story, any association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Take a look here. Say the Epstein files has lowered your trust in political and business leaders. You get the rare trifecta here. A majority of Republicans, 67 percent. Independents, 73 percent. Eighty- six percent of Democrats. Seventy-five percent of all adults. A clear majority.

You know, when I get off of air and I talk to people in the, quote/unquote, real world, the Epstein files is consistently brought up, and they believe it is part of just a larger story in which business leaders and political leaders are far less trusted than before.

BOLDUAN: Well, what else has the impact been of the Epstein files, kind of on the opinions of the rich and powerful?

ENTEN: Yes, exactly right. You know, it's part of this rich and powerful that they can get away with stuff.

Take a look here, Epstein files show that powerful people are rarely held accountable. Again, the rare trifecta, 82 percent of Republicans, 80 percent of independents, 90 percent of Democrats, 84 percent of all adults. As I said, the Epstein files sort of matches what people believe out there, which is the rich and powerful can get away with stuff that other people, simply put, can't.

[09:45:00]

BOLDUAN: Where -- so I mentioned Todd Blanche off the top, right? Where do the -- what do the -- where do the prediction markets put Todd Blanche in terms of the chances of being Trump's next attorney general?

ENTEN: Yes, those chances are falling. Take a look here. Chances Trump's next attorney general, according to the Kalshi prediction markets. Back on June 8th, not so long ago, 71 percent. Now just a 63 percent chance. And, keep in mind, there's a Republican Senate majority. So, the fact that it's so low really is another indication of how potential the -- sort of the connection of the Epstein files you don't want to be.

BOLDUAN: Well, we heard this morning he's going to face a lot of questions about it.

ENTEN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

It's great to have you, Harry. Thank you for this one.

ENTNE: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: A lot of news. We'll be right back.

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[09:50:10] BOLDUAN: So, this morning, there are some new and disturbing allegations against Sean Combs. A former child actor has filed an anonymous lawsuit accusing Combs of sexually assaulting him at a networking event in Los Angeles back in 2007. This comes as Sean Combs is already serving time in a federal detention facility after being found guilty of charges related to transportation to engage in prostitution. He is appealing those charges.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister, though, has this brand new reporting for us this morning.

Elizabeth, walk us through what you've learned.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, good morning.

So, very disturbing allegations in a lawsuit that was filed this week in California. As you said, this comes from a former child actor. We don't know who this is. They filed the complaint anonymously. All that they say that describes their identity is that they were a former child actor and that they were under the age of 18. They were a minor at the time that they allege this incident occurred.

Here's what happened, Kate. Back in 2007, this John Doe alleges that he was sent by his agent to a networking event in the Hollywood Hills. He says that is where he met Sean Combs. Sean Combs made small talk with him, was talking to him about some potential roles that he said I'm producing some projects and that I think you'll be good for him. Allegedly guided him into a back room at this event, and that is where he touched this alleged minor and then also performed oral sex on him. So, again, very disturbing allegations.

Now, I have reached out to Combs' team and they are denying this. I want to read you what a spokesperson for Sean Combs said to me. They said, quote, "Mr. Combs unequivocally denies these allegations. The complaint describes events that allegedly occurred nearly 20 years ago and is based solely on the plaintiff's account." They go on to say, "we are confident that the facts will demonstrate these claims are without merit."

So, we will see what happens. But again, Kate, this lawsuit just filed this week in California.

BOLDUAN: Elizabeth, could he face legal trouble in L.A. now. I mean he's already, in addition to being convicted in New York previously. Like, where -- what are you hearing about that? WAGMEISTER: Yes. So, this one lawsuit is one of many. Sean Combs is

facing dozens of civil lawsuits. But in the criminal sense, he is facing even more legal troubles out here on the west coast. As you've said, he is currently serving time. He is appealing that New York conviction. So, it's possible that he walks early. His attorneys did make a very strong argument at his appeal earlier this year.

But I have confirmed with the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office that they are actually now actively reviewing a case against Sean Combs. What does that mean? Well, that means that it is possible that they could press charges against Sean Combs. We have no idea where they are in this investigation. It could result again in charges, or it could amount to nothing. Final point, this case stems from an accuser who I interviewed last year. It's a music publicist. His name is Jonathan Hay. And he alleges that Sean Combs assaulted him in 2020 and 2021.

BOLDUAN: Elizabeth, thank you so much for your continued great reporting on this. It's good to see you.

Omar.

WAGMEISTER: Thank you, Kate.

JIMENEZ: Look, we were talking about how sports fans, this is -- this is the weekend for you because, yes, Knicks, sure, but the World Cup kicks off in just a few hours when Mexico takes on South Africa. The fun, though, begins for fans of the U.S. men's national team tomorrow night, where they're going to take on Paraguay for the first game of group play at the Los Angeles stadium.

I want to bring in former U.S. men's national coach Gregg Berhalter, who joins us now. He's also the father of midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who's making his World Cup debut.

BOLDUAN: Yes, which title do you more prefer?

JIMENEZ: Yes. I know. I know. Look, a whole lot of things here. I just want to start with, where do you assess the U.S. men's national team to be? What should people be expecting of this squad?

GREGG BERHALTER, FORMER USMNT HEAD COACH: I think they're in a good spot. You saw the last two warm up games. They performed well. They're going to go -- be going into the tournament with confidence, which is good. They have a difficult group. We know that. But the -- tomorrow night against Paraguay, we're expecting a good result.

BOLDUAN: We have to talk about your son. Like, this is so cool. Not only are you a former coach, but now you have -- your son has his -- has his debut. Let's take the moment to enjoy, because U.S. Soccer put out a video of your son. It's actually -- your son -- you wrote your son a letter ahead of this debut. And it's Sebastian reading part of this letter, as any parent would love to see this.

Let's watch this.

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SEBASTIAN BERHALTER, USMNT MIDFIELDER: I'm proud of you because of who you are, not because of what you've accomplished.

[09:55:03]

You stayed humble through it all. You stayed grounded. You stayed kind. And you're becoming an incredible young man. You earn this. I love you. Dad.

I swear, I told myself I wasn't going to cry. I swear. It means everything. Really to hear dad, you know, say he's proud of you, it means a lot. Hopefully I can be half the father he is when I'm older and, you know, for my kids. He's taught me everything I need to know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Oh, my gosh. Like, I --

JIMENEZ: I know.

BOLDUAN: That's like -- that's really unbelievable. How does that feel to be apparently the best dad that ever existed?

G. BERHALTER: Yes, it's -- you know, it was a long journey for Sebastian. And it's good to be able to support him. You know, I know he's emotional. You know, you could see -- see when he's tearing up. But, you know, for the whole family, it's a great moment.

BOLDUAN: I mean, understatement of the year, man.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I was going to say -- yes, yes, you got your son repping Team USA. And I know you're a coach. You know, you got to -- you got to maintain your composure at all times. You know --

BOLDUAN: Well, Sebastian's like, dad, don't get (INAUDIBLE).

JIMENEZ: Yes. You know, I was reading one thing that was interesting is that, you know, kind of how fates intertwine, is that, you know, your coaching career at the top of the U.S. men's national team, you know, came to an end a few years ago. But that in a weird way it kind of opened a door for your son a little bit to come up to get the call up.

Can you just explain a little bit of what you think sort of happened there?

G. BERHALTER: Yes, well I think that, you know, his -- he wasn't ready.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

G. BERHALTER: And it's just about this continual effort over time to get to the spot where you want to be. And, you know, the -- great stories in the last World Cup, you know, he went as a fan. And, you know, he bought a little trinket in Qatar. It was a World Cup -- the World Cup trophy. And it was so important that he had it. And what he did is, he brought it back to the states and he put it on his bedside table. And every day he looked at it and said, I'm going to get there one day.

JIMENEZ: Wow.

G. BERHALTER: And that's, you know, that's the determination that he has within himself. You know, we're there to support him. But it's really about him doing it himself. And that's why, you know, when I wrote that letter, I really wanted to make that point to him is that, you know, it was really his effort that got him there.

BOLDUAN: It's already a victory. Like, they're --

JIMENEZ: I know.

G. BERHALTER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I mean when you think of all of the -- for every team -- every person on each team, and there are like 475 of them that play in the games, all of the effort that goes into actually making it to this level is just remarkable.

G. BERHALTER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Other than watching your son play, what is the most -- what are you most looking forward to in the next several weeks?

G. BERHALTER: It's going to be an incredible month. We're going to see such high-level soccer. We're going to see fans from all over the world coming to the United States. And really, we know how to put on a great sporting event. So, now it's the World Cup in home soil. You know, I'm just looking forward to the competition. You know, some of the games in the opening round are incredible, starting with USA- Paraguay. And then we have Colombia against Belgium. We have Morocco against Brazil. You know, just some really high level games to enjoy.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I have to say, the ghost of Berman, because he's not here, and those ticket prices, as he would like to bring up, for everybody.

JIMENEZ: Coach, appreciate you being here.

G. BERHALTER: Thanks for having me.

BOLDUAN: It's great to meet you. Good luck.

G. BERHALTER: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: To the whole family.

JIMENEZ: And thank you all for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM," up next.

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