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Luigi Mangione's Legal Team Withdraws Psychiatric Defense; Sara Catches Up with Stars at Obama Presidential Center Opening; The Rise of Democratic Socialists; Team USA Takes on Australia in Group D. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired June 19, 2026 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, new this morning, lawyers for Luigi Mangione have decided not to use a mental health defense when he goes on trial in September. Mangione's attorneys changed course one day after signaling they would argue he was suffering from a quote, extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
With us now is CNN's Kara Scannell. This is a big shift, I mean a fundamental, huge difference in posture approaching this trial.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John. In the words of a former prosecutor, it's stunning to do it one day after declaring that you're going to argue this type of psychiatric defense to then say that you're not. And it raises a lot of questions of what happened in those 24 hours because this issue has been under seal for nine months.
And it came to light at the hearing on Wednesday when the judge said that the defense had decided to move forward with this, which, you know, enables them to get into different issues of what was going on in Mangione's mind, you know, to try to counter this defense. A risky strategy, no doubt, but one that it appeared the defense was going to. Thursday was the deadline for the defense to turn over their expert's name, medical records, the theory of what caused him to have this extreme emotional disturbance to the prosecution.
So instead of that happening, they changed course and said that they were no longer going to go forward with this. You know, it raises a lot of questions. There's a lot of evidence against Mangione.
We're trying to read the tea leaves here. His lawyers have not returned our calls for comment. Former prosecutor I spoke to said it's possible Mangione himself changed his mind.
He's the one that's ultimately in charge of this case. His lawyer said that the reason why they wanted this underseal is because it could potentially influence the jury and be prejudicial if it came out, they were considering and didn't go forward. The judge said that too.
His lawyer, though, also said that this defense is not available in federal court where he's facing federal stalking charges in connection with the shooting. And so that was a decision that maybe played in here. Maybe they decided they didn't want this admission because for an extreme emotional disturbance, the defendant has to admit they committed the crime, but they kind of snapped and that's what caused them to do it.
BERMAN: I mean, yes, the judge made that clear. I mean, one defense is an admission that he killed the healthcare CEO. And this is, again, how the judge described it.
Another is that you didn't. I mean, it's sort of night and day. And to go from one of the other so quickly is stunning.
I suspect we'll learn more here in the coming days. Kar Scannell, thank you very much -- Sara.
SIDNER: All right, thank you so much, John. Celebrities and political operatives were all sitting side by side with us regular folks at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
So my producer Meredith Edwards and I decided we're going to do always do, which is talk to everybody around us. And that included Golden Globe winner, actress and creator of Abbott Elementary, Quinta Brunson, country singing sensation, Mickey Guyton and Obama's chief former speechwriter, Cody Keenan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUINTA BRUNSON, ACTOR: It's meant for the community to be able to come in here and use the resources. It has a garden. It has a beautiful outside area.
The inside is full of history. I mean, I was emotional just walking through the downstairs area.
SIDNER: You wrote the speech that many of us remember some of the words of the speech because it was very poignant. It was a time when it was the 50th anniversary of the March in Selma. Civil rights is on the mind of a lot of Americans right now, as it should be.
But some of that speech is on this building that's going to be there for time and memoriam. It's like seeing the words there that you had something to do with.
CODY KEENAN, FORMER OBAMA SPEECHWRITER: Ironically, it's I don't really have words for it. I'm excited that my kids will get to see it, you know.
[09:35:00]
But any speech with him was a collaboration, always. We always traded drafts back and forth. We build something together. Those words are ultimately his.
And they issued challenge to the country. You know, he said this today. There are two competing visions at the heart of America. One is that you can use your strength to keep people down who don't
look or think like you. One is that we lift each other up, right, and we all take it upon ourselves to narrow the gap between the ideals of our founding and the realities of our time and make sure they work for everybody.
That's the bigger job. That's what this center's all about.
SIDNER: As much of what's inside is the history of America, not just the history of the Obamas. They were very intentional in doing that. And right now, there is some people that are kind of hellbent on erasing or changing some of the way in which we teach history.
What are your thoughts on what's happening in society compared to what you're seeing sort of here and how it's being told, especially when it comes to things like the civil rights movement?
MICKEY GUYTON, COUNTRY SINGER: Listen, I'm a millennial, and I grew up in Texas, and I remember studying Black history in high school. And we get a week of Black history, and we move on from it. And you don't learn that much.
And it wasn't until I went to college and studied Black history in college that I really understand the gravity of what has happened in this country in the civil rights movement and before the civil rights movement with slavery. And it's dark, and it's something that's so important. It's almost like a check and balance that I feel is so important for us to know about it.
It cannot be erased. History cannot be erased no matter what you do. History is history, and it's happened whether you want to see it or not.
And I feel like it's so important to show that.
SIDNER: And I think for a lot of people, you learn from history. Every country has its very dark, dark, dark moments. You learn from it, and hopefully you don't repeat it, which is one of the --
GUYTON: That's why we have to study it. That's why I call it checks and balances, because we need to know that that happens so that we never repeat that again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIDNER (on camera): John, I've got to tell you what, to a person, every single person said that were there. And there were Republicans and Democrats. There were regular folks from the South Side sitting next to, you know, big ballers and stars.
They're like Dwayne Wade. They all said, you know, we forgot what it felt like to feel love and hope. Like, it's so divisive in the country.
Politics are so divisive. This was just about love. And I heard that to a person, no matter what your background -- John. BERMAN: And your coverage was just awesome. So great to have you there.
SIDNER: Thank you, John.
BERMAN: Sara Sidner, thank you very much.
SIDNER: You're much here, too.
BERMAN: Yes, sometimes.
SIDNER: There's a lot of love here.
BERMAN: All right, caught on camera. The moment police save a toddler from a hot car on a brutal 92-degree day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Jesus.
Hey, buddy. Can you hear me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right, fans of ranch dressing rejoice. The new extraordinary measures to make sure that traveling fans of the sauce can get it past TSA and onto an airplane.
[09:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right, here in New York, there will be Democratic primaries next week to fill key seats, including in congressional races. On the ballot, several self-proclaimed Democratic socialists, something we have seen here before with the mayor and, of course, up in Vermont with Senator Bernie Sanders. You're back in New York with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
So what is the fate of the Democratic socialists in the country right now? With us now, Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten. So when we talk about Democratic socialists, how are they viewed inside the Democratic Party?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, you know, you mentioned New York. You mentioned Vermont. Obviously, there's the D.C. mayor. We've seen it in Pennsylvania as well. The Democratic socialists seem to be doing considerably better than they used to be. And they have the chance to knock off, in fact, Democratic incumbents in Congress.
And part of the reason for that, why we're seeing these Democratic socialists having such good chances or downright, outright winning nominations, is take a look here. Net favorability among Dems. Democratic socialists of America.
Look at that. A plus 17 point net favorability rate among Democrats. That is actually better.
That is better than how congressional Democrats are viewed by Democrats. It just lost four points. So no wonder that Democratic socialists have such a good chance, because simply put, they are a better brand at this point than Democrats in Congress.
BERMAN: Among Democrats, it's interesting to see who they like more. All right. And you've used this number before.
I always find this fascinating. When you compare socialism to capitalism, how are they doing right now?
ENTEN: Yes, how are they doing right now among Democrats? You see this Democratic Socialists of America, more positive than congressional Democrats. And I'll tell you, take a look at the trend line.
The favorable rating among Democrats on socialism and capitalism. Look at this. In 2010, they were about equal.
50 percent had a favorable view of socialism. 51 percent said the same about capitalism. But capitalism has absolutely fallen through the floor.
Look at this. It's now just 42 percent of Democrats who have a favorable view of capitalism. Socialism, on the other hand, up like a rocket.
Look at this. Two in three Democrats have a favorable view of socialism. So socialism is on the rise among Democrats.
Capitalism is on the decline among Democrats.
[09:45:00]
And again, this is part of the longer term trend in which we are seeing Democratic socialists doing considerably better among Democrats, electing a mayor right here in New York City, for example.
BERMAN: And as we said, there are primaries next week with Democratic socialists self-proclaimed on the ballot. What are the prediction markets saying about how they may do?
ENTEN: Yes, this to me is one of the more stunning trends, right, that I have seen in covering politics over the last 15, 16 years. And if you believe the prediction markets, it's not going to just stop suddenly. It may extend into next week, because just take a look at the chance that Democratic socialists win in Dem primaries, House primaries here in New York.
You go to New York 7th District, right? You got a Brooklyn Borough president who at this point looks like an underdog, looks like an underdog compared to a Democratic socialist. And then you may get a Democratic incumbent in Northern Manhattan get knocked off.
That's closer to a 50-50 race. But the bottom line is this. The bottom line is this.
Next week in New York may be a very good one for Democratic socialists. Mayor Mamdani endorsing them. His political star is rising, and he may bring a few Democratic socialists along with him and put him into Congress.
BERMAN: A preview, perhaps, of coming attractions. Certainly we'll be watching these primaries closely next week.
ENTEN: Yes, we will.
BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.
ENTEN: Thank you.
BERMAN: We've got a lot of news. We'll be right back.
[09:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIDNER: It is so disturbing. Police in Washington saved a toddler left in a hot car in 92 degree weather. They ended up having to break a window and they pulled the baby to safety.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Jesus.
Hey, buddy. Can you hear me?
(GLASS BREAKING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, there, buddy. There's glass. Come here. Come here. Come here. Let's get you in my car where it's cool.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: You can hear that officer just trying to reassure that little toddler. Witnesses called 911 when they saw the two-year-old in the backseat.
Police say he had been in the car for about 16 minutes before he was picked up. His parents were shopping at a nearby grocery store. They are now being charged with reckless endangerment.
All right, ranch dressing is having a moment as some World Cup fans visiting the United States from around the world are discovering the dressing for the first time. Videos of international fans trying ranch have gone viral.
Now Kraft is leaning in with a TSA-friendly travel kit so fans can take the dressing home. Less than three ounces. I think that's a deal. The kit includes small packets, a clear bag that meets airport rules, and even a ranch-themed luggage tag. I got to tell you, John, when I lived in India, that was one of the requests I would get from some of my American friends is to try to pack ranch in my, not my carry-on, in my check luggage. No joke.
BERMAN: I mean, it's little things. The problem is if it opens while you're traveling.
SIDNER: So gross.
BERMAN: Then it's an unhappy situation. All right, Sara, thank you very much.
We are counting down to World Cup kickoff. The U.S.'s men's national team takes on Australia at 3 p.m. Eastern, this after their incredible first showing against Paraguay. The biggest question, honestly, like the only question as we sit here this morning, will star Christian Pulisic play after dealing with a calf injury?
With us now, one man who might have the answer, Paul Tenorio, senior writer for The Athletic, one of the best American soccer reporters out there.
Paul, what's your spidey sense tell you about whether Pulisic will play?
PAUL TENORIO, SENIOR WRITER, THE ATHLETIC: My spidey sense tells me he's not going to play. You know, U.S. soccer, I think, did a really nice job of kind of giving us glimpses of Christian Pulisic. You know, in the last 45 seconds of the open 15 minutes of training, suddenly Christian Pulisic would appear for some work on the side of the field and the cameras could get one shot of him.
But he hasn't been training in full all week with the U.S. team. And yesterday, Mauricio Pochettino said to us in the press conference, if he's not ready to go tomorrow, he'll be ready for next week, which I think was the closest indication we got of what his role will be. Now, Pochettino also said he'll have one last meeting with his medical staff.
That happened last night before he makes a determination. But considering the fact that Pulisic hasn't trained in full all week, I would be surprised. If anything, maybe he could come off the bench.
But it seems like this calf injury might be a bigger deal than we had hoped or thought it would be. And the U.S. might have to find a way to unlock Australia today without him.
BERMAN: OK, so for non-soccer fans out there, how big of a setback is it if the person who may be our best player isn't on the field?
TENORIO: Yes, it's not great. Look, Christian Pulisic is at the center of what the U.S. does on the attacking side of the field. He is the player who can create goals. He can score goals. When you watch that Paraguay game back, the first two goals of that game are created by what Christian Pulisic is doing on the ball, running at defenders. Australia likes to play in a low block, and that requires creativity to break it open and to create opportunity.
So they're going to have to lean on other players to do that. Malik Tillman, Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun, those players are going to be featured in a bigger role against Australia if Pulisic's not on the field.
BERMAN: The low block, again, for our non-soccer fans out there, basically means that all the Australian game players, and there are some big ones, are going to be just sitting back by their own goal for the whole game, waiting and just waiting and begging the United States to sort of come at them. So give us the decoder ring.
[09:55:00]
How will people know if this game is going well for the United States other than if they're scoring a lot of goals right away? When do you know if they're going about this in a way that might bring success?
TENORIO: Well, I think it will come down to if they get an early goal. That will open the game up. I think the great thing about this World Cup tournament, the difference maker, is the crowd.
And we saw what it did for the first 20 minutes against Paraguay. It really pushed and urged the U.S. team on. They got the goal in the seventh minute, and the atmosphere was incredible.
And it put the U.S. on the front foot, which means they're attacking wave after wave after wave, trying to create chance after chance. That's similar to what you'd like to see if you're a U.S. fan against Australia. In a market, Seattle, that has been one of the most important and formative markets to the growth of American soccer.
You don't want to see a lot of crosses into the box, especially with Australia's size. So a lot of shots on goal, pushing and pushing in the attack over and over again. And more importantly, most importantly maybe, is don't give Australia moments in transition in the counterattack.
They are very, very fast. To your point, they will absorb pressure. The hope is that the U.S. pushes too many players forward and they can hit them on the counterattack. Transition defending is important today against Australia.
BERMAN: I'm going with 2-0 United States. Paul Tonorio, great to have you here. Enjoy the game today.
I know you'll be there. Thank you very much.
And the new CNN "FLASH DOC, CHASING SOCCER GLORY," explores the past, present, and future of soccer in America. "CHASING SOCCER GLORY" airs Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN. Thank you all for joining us today. Go USA!
This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" up next.
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