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Trump Says, All Hell Will Rain Down If Iran Tries to Get Nuclear Weapon; Eight Crew Members Killed in B-52 Bomber Crash at Edwards Air Force Base; Today, Georgia Voters Choosing GOP Nominee for Governor and Key Senate Race. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired June 16, 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]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The breaking news, President Trump is talking about his agreement with Iran, why he's trying to argue that the next round of negotiations over its nuclear program, he believes, will actually be easier than the first.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, deadly flooding and high water rescues. This morning, more than 20 million people at severe risk from a supercharged storm system.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And this is cuckoo bananas. Take a look at this. The perfect conditions creating a rare and terrifying combination atop Hawaii's most active volcano, a rare volnato.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman, this is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, there are big questions all around. What exactly is in the agreement between the U.S. and Iran? That is chief among them. That remains a question still this morning, since the White House still has not released it publicly, and hasn't even yet briefed key members of Congress around what they say is such a monumental, critical moment.

All of this is now front and center as President Trump is in the midst of day two of the G7 Summit in France. Broadly speaking, sources say that the agreement includes an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iranian ports, and it also kicks off 60 days of nuclear discussions.

The president spoke about that last part just a short time ago, as if it was already a done deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They will not develop, purchase, buy or any other thing. They're not going to acquire a nuclear weapon. If they do, all hell will rain down on them, and they're not going to do that, you know?

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: But as of now, we are told that Iran has made no concrete commitments about its nuclear program or uranium stockpiles. All of that still needs to be worked out. All of that is also very technical. The president says that he believes the next phase of negotiations, though, will be, quote/unquote, easier. He may be the only one.

But some of his own top officials appear to have some doubts, and serious ones, about the current framework that they're set to be signing on Friday. Axios is reporting that CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the defense secretary, and the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, have all raised concerns about this MOU, this memorandum of understanding. A formal signing, though, is set for Friday in Geneva.

That's where CNN's Kevin Liptak is live for us this morning and joining us now. Kevin, what are you hearing from there?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And I've been talking to a number of officials from European countries, other G7 countries, and I'm hearing the same thing, which is that answers about what exactly is in this agreement are very hard to come by. You know, the president had a big dinner last night with members of the G7. They were looking out over Lake Geneva.

It was a frank discussion, an in-depth discussion. But I'm told that many of them walked away still not having a lot of clarity about what specifically it is that the president has signed here. In part, that's because the White House has not made the text of this deal public. They say they are going to do that, but the timeline is something of a moving target.

We heard from one official yesterday that said the details would be released in 24 to 48 hours. Then we heard from President Trump, who said that the text wouldn't be released until Friday, after that formal signing ceremony. And I think that's just complicating a lot of things, especially when you hear the U.S. and Iran offer somewhat contradictory takes about what exactly has been agreed to here.

Now, all of this uncertainty is not stopping President Trump from really proclaiming this as a major triumph. Here he was just a few minutes ago sitting next to the emir of Qatar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have our deal done with Iran, and it should be successful. It goes to a second stage, which I think will be actually easier. I didn't want to attack them last week, but we had no choice. And we did it twice, actually. We were doing it a third time, and we were able to not have to do that.

[07:05:00]

But we have a deal that's a fair deal. It's a good deal. We are not investing any money in Iran, by the way. That rumor got out there yesterday. It was ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LIPTAK: So, the president saying that next phase will be easier. You know, the one thing that I think is clear amid all of the uncertainty is that a lot of the very sticky subjects have actually been pushed to that next phase, not only the nuclear program, but also questions about the future of the Strait of Hormuz, about some of the financial relief that Iran will receive as part of this deal. But the president suggesting that those, in fact, are issues that will be easily resolved.

Now, in that meeting with the Qatari emir, it was also remarkable to hear how President Trump was discussing Israel. The president making pretty plain that he was frustrated at how Israel has been going after Hezbollah in Lebanon, even amid these very fragile negotiations. The president said that the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quote, had to be more responsible with how he was going about that, and saying that he was, quote, not happy with Israel's continued bombardments inside that country, and actually suggesting that he thinks that Syria would be better positioned to go after Hezbollah instead of Lebanon.

One final thing to just bring you up to date on, Kate, is the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is here at the G7. He's been meeting with these other leaders. President Trump says that he will have an individual meeting with Zelenskyy later today, and he said that he was pressing both sides to come to a deal to end that war as well.

BOLDUAN: Yes. There is a lot going on. You summed it up, what we heard from the president, very well, Kevin, but there's a lot to come from just the comments that we heard from the president just this morning. We'll get back to Kevin shortly. John?

BERMAN: All right. This morning, an investigation underway after eight crew members were killed when a B-52 bomber crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The military says the plane crashed shortly after takeoff on a routine test mission. Smoke could be seen miles away. This is the deadliest crash involving a B-52 bomber in 44 years.

With us now, CNN Military Analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. And, Cedric, this video that we're seeing, I mean, this is the image that really is telling here, just the black smoke billowing there. When a plane like this, when a bomber the size of a B-52 crashes not far, not long after takeoff, what's the range of possibilities? What goes through your head about the types of things that could have gone wrong?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, good morning, John. One of the things that I think about is engine failure. You know, when a crash like this occurs, an engine failure right after takeoff is something that could explain some of this.

Part of the problem that you have, of course, is when there is a crash like this and it's basically a catastrophic loss is, that's the term that is used in cases like this, that becomes a -- it becomes really difficult to really find all the different mechanical pieces and parts of the aircraft because they've basically -- many of them have disintegrated.

So, in a case like this, you have a situation where the engine failure could be one cause. There could be, you know, something with -- you know, some of the, you know, wing failure could be part of this, part of the mechanics in that part of the aircraft. There could be an avionics failure. So, those are all things that could be part of the cause of a crash like this.

BERMAN: Cedric, talk to me a- about the B-52, which has been a workhorse in the U.S. arsenal for, you know, long before I was born, you were born, any of us were born, really. It's been around for a long time.

LEIGHTON: Yes. It really has. The B-52 first became a part of the Air Force inventory officially in 1955. And this particular aircraft we believe was built in 1962. So, that was actually part of the last part of the B-52 fleet that was actually built. So, all of the pilots and navigators and other crew members on board a B-52 were born way after this particular aircraft, even the particular aircraft they were flying was manufactured.

But a lot of systems on board the B-52 have since been upgraded. There've been engine upgrades, there've been radar upgrades, there've been avionics upgrades, and, you know, there are a lot of different things that are very different from those very first B-52s that first flew in the mid-'50s.

BERMAN: An investigation underway, but as you said, won't necessarily be easy given the destruction in that crash.

Colonel Cedric Leighton, great to have you, thank you so much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, breaking news, FBI Director Kash Patel posting on social media just moments ago about a thwarted threat to the UFC event at the White House. What we're learning about this this morning.

[07:10:01]

Also, warranted or weaponized? California Governor Gavin Newsom says President Trump's Justice Department is now investigating him and his wife all because he might run for president. What the DOJ is saying in response this morning.

And it's not easy being green. The newly renovated Reflecting Pool in D.C. was supposed to be American flag blue, but now parks crews are battling big blooms of green algae.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: It is Election Day in parts of America and another major test of President Trump's endorsement power. Four states and Washington D.C. are holding primaries today. Two key races we're watching are in Georgia. Polls just opened there.

In the GOP Senate primary runoff, Trump-endorsed Congressman Mike Collins faces off against Derek Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach who is backed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who's quite popular in Georgia.

[07:15:01]

The winner will face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in what will be one of the most closely watched Senate races in November. And there's another key race in Georgia, this one for governor.

CNN's Rafael Romo is at polling stations in Sandy Springs, Georgia. All right, so do people sort of see this as kind of Trump versus Kemp proxy battle of who's got the real power in Georgia?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's absolutely right, Sara. Good morning. It's a very good point because, in many respects, this is really a race between two powerful political forces here in Georgia, President Donald Trump on one hand, and Governor Brian Kemp on the other, who's finishing his second term, by the way, in office and is barred from reelection.

Both Kemp and Trump are endorsing Burt Jones for governor. The current lieutenant governor is running against Rick Jackson, and a healthcare staffing entrepreneur who has spent $80 million of his own money to finance his campaign, according to CNN affiliate WTOC. Even though Kemp and Trump agree on their support for Jones, Kemp did not officially endorse Jones until Monday, while Trump threw his support behind the lieutenant governor last year in August.

Now, Sara, also Kemp and Trump have endorsed different candidates in the Republican runoff for the Senate, with the president announcing his support for Congressman Mike Collins, and Kemp siding with Derek Dooley, a former football coach at the University of Tennessee. Kemp made a public appearance Monday to announce his support for Burt Jones, and this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): For me, this is a clear choice on keeping our state moving in the right direction. That's why Marty and the girls and I will be voting for Burt Jones tomorrow to keep our state moving forward, and to make sure that we have the best chance to win in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Now, Sara, on the Senate race, Trump endorsed Congressman Collins on Sunday with a post on Truth Social saying that, and here I quote, Mike is strongly supported by the most highly respected MAGA patriots in Georgia and beyond, and many Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate. He is a warrior and winner.

Whoever wins that race between Kemp-supported Dooley or Trump-endorsed Collins will run against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in November's midterm elections. The Democratic senator has been posting blockbuster fundraising numbers, pulling in more than $12 million in the third quarter of last year, and reporting, listen to this, Sara, more than $32.5 million in cash on hand back in April.

Now back to you.

SIDNER: And this is why a lot of people are watching that Senate rate, race. We will see what happens here. Rafael Romo, I know you'll be watching it all and get back to us. I appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: There's dangerous flooding that hit big parts of Texas overnight. One person has already lost their life. Water rescues were seen happening across the state. This person was found clinging to a tree. We've got much more on what the threat that has passed and what's also now set still to come.

And there are new details coming in now about a tragedy striking during the filming of the reality T.V. show, Love Island.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: There was deadly flash flooding that hit Texas overnight, and this morning, more than 17 million people are under a flood watch still now across parts of the Gulf Coast. They saw a lot of high water rescues taking place across that state yesterday. I'm going to show you the video. Looking at rescuers who were saving -- they found this person clinging to a tree. Now, listen to this.

In other parts of that county, more drivers are stranded, cars nearly underwater, and the threat not yet passed.

Let's get over to CNN's Derek Van Dam, who's tracking all this for us. They have a rough go of it ahead of them.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, definitely, Kate. You know, we know how easy it is to flood in portions of Texas, including Houston. We've seen it before, such a low-lying area susceptible to influxes of heavy rainfall. Well, we'll likely see more of this, streets flooded, high water rescues.

We've got a really difficult next couple of days across the Deep South, the Gulf Coast in particular into the lower Mississippi Valley, and it's all because of what could be our first named tropical storm of the season. It's still over land at the moment, but it's expected to move and emerge into the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico just as it has enough time to get into a bit of a spin, some tropical characteristics.

Regardless of if this is named, the flood threat will be the big story out of this. If it is named, it'll be Arthur. We've got showers and thunderstorms that stretch over 1,200 miles from Brownsville to Charleston, and it's running against what is called a stationary front. When you get a tropical moisture intersecting with a stationary front, yes, just as it sounds, it's not moving very fast, it's going to wring out all of the available moisture, and guess where that will be. Right along the Gulf Coast states. And we could see significant amounts out of the next couple of days. That's why the flood watches are in effect. There are a few flood warnings near local rivers, but this will increase throughout the course of the morning today. Already the flashflood guidance near Houston to Corpus Christi, southward into Brownsville significant, and then it shifts to the north and east.

Look at the rainfall totals through Saturday. Heads up, Atlanta to Pensacola, New Orleans, the I-10 and I-20 corridor could be very wet.

And then tomorrow, a heads-up on an area that's already suffered severe weather several times this season. We've got a three out of -- or rather a four out of five risk of intense tornadoes, wind gusts over hurricane force, and large hail, 2.5-inch size hail falling from the sky. Again, this is for tomorrow south of Chicago, generally, what we're seeing.

[07:25:00]

But this storm threat here is significant, and it will be a very busy day across portions of the Ohio River Valley and into the Midwest. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right. Good start planning now for, especially when you look at that radar.

VAN DAM: That's right.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, Derek. We're going to stick close to Derek. There's a lot going on when it comes to the weather right now. John?

BERMAN: All right, the breaking news, new details this morning after California Governor Gavin Newsom, and presumed presidential contender Gavin Newsom, suddenly announced his wife is under federal investigation. What we are learning about how this all began.

And this, that is one serious ash cloud, a volcanic tornado, a volnado, if you will. This is a rare image and one not to trifle with.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, a source tells CNN the Justice Department is investigating the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom said he is being targeted because he has been an outspoken critic of the president, and he is considering himself running for president.

[07:30:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): One by one, anyone who has challenged.