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Millions Under Extreme Heat Alerts Ahead of July 4th Weekend; Supreme Court Rules Trump Has Power to Fire Heads of Independent Agencies; Fighting in Lebanon Continues Despite Agreement; Trump Says Meeting With Iran Will Take Place in Doha Tomorrow; Six Killed in Shooting at German Youth Facility; Comcast Says It Will Spin Off NBCUniversal; Medicare to Begin Covering Weight-Loss Drugs for First Time. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired June 29, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: -- trapping the air near the surface, and that is going to set off a flurry of record temperatures along the I-95 corridor. And Jim, you know it just as much as I do. It is that high humidity, high dew point that makes it unbearable, if not dangerous.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Yeah. I mean, now's the time to call your air conditioning guy and make sure the system is still running. Derek Van Dam --

VAN DAM: Yeah, right. And to look after family and friends.

SCIUTTO: 100 percent, especially vulnerable communities. Derek Van Dam, thanks so much.

Well, a nearly century-old precedent overturned. The Supreme Court has just expanded President Trump's power to fire officials who are meant to be independent from politics. Our next guest is one of those who's now been asked it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": President Trump is taking a victory lap today after the Supreme Court's ruling that he can fire Rebecca Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission. The president calling this a big win, posting a short time ago, quote, "90 years of precedent has been completely and unequivocally overruled, greatly increasing presidential power at a time when it is most needed."

[13:35:00]

Joining us now, former FTC Commissioner, Rohit Chopra, who's also the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and is now the incoming Secretary of California's New Business and Consumer Services Agency. So when we look at this, in your view, what are the practical implications here? Is it that the president can now hire and fire without cause? ROHIT CHOPRA, FORMER FTC COMMISSIONER: Well, there was actually two key rulings say one that he could fire an FTC commissioner, but the Supreme Court put a pause on him firing a governor on the Federal Reserve Board, Lisa Cook.

Now, I'll just say, neither of President Trump's attempted firings will do anything to lower the cost of living for people, protect consumers. This is really just a way for him to consolidate power and to have more control to reward his friends and punish his enemies. What we saw with the Slaughter ruling is essentially the Supreme Court saying that nearly a century of history that gives some insulation for these commissions to call balls and strikes, that's all gone now.

And this one was particularly weird because President Trump's appointees already had a majority of the Federal Trade Commission, which makes many people wonder if he's just trying to silence dissent and disagreement.

HILL: So when you look at that, you mentioned there were two important rulings today because the Supreme Court also ruled, of course, in the case involving Federal Reserve Governor, Lisa Cook, and found that Trump can't fire her for now. Right? So for the moment. What do you think the impact is there when it comes to Fed independence?

CHOPRA: Well, you're going to hear a lot of people saying this is a victory for Fed independence. I see it another way. The Supreme Court's ruling gives a very clear roadmap for President Trump to take another run at firing a Federal Reserve Governor. The Supreme Court essentially said he just needs to do the right paperwork.

So again, we need to really understand what this is about. There is lots of legal pieces of this. I don't think any of this is actually addressing people's core concerns about the economy. This Federal Reserve, the FTC, these were key agencies that are supposed to make sure prices are under control. The more that President Trump meddles and seeks to control it with sycophants, it's not going to do anything for people who are struggling every day.

HILL: So, you know, as you bring up the economy, Justice Kavanaugh wrote, even temporary uncertainty about the status of the Federal Reserve could spark political upheaval and said, I would not risk de- stabilizing the U.S. economy. So you've got that. And on the other hand, Justice Thomas, who disagreed with Kavanaugh's premise that the Fed has been a good steward of the U.S. economy in his dissenting opinion.

What do you make of those two diverging views, especially as you point out, it seems that you are anticipating that a similar question will find itself before the justices, perhaps in short order?

CHOPRA: Well, these Supreme Court decisions are going to be seen as political by so many. Big business and special interests have hated the FTC. I served on the FTC. This is an agency that is supposed to rein in the biggest abuses when it comes to the largest firms in the economy. Now, on the other hand, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Federal Reserve in some ways, because that is something that big financial institutions and special interests love. So this is really a big contradiction.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote in her opinion that both of these decisions are in tension with each other. How can you really justify that one agency gets to be fully under the control of the presidency and the other doesn't? But that being said, the Supreme Court did not rule that the president cannot remove Federal Reserve governors. In fact, it lays out that the problem with Lisa Cook's attempted removal was that the process was not right.

I don't think we should be sitting tight about everything just going back to normal. I think we're going to see further incursions by President Trump to install loyalists there. And I understand that on Truth Social, he has essentially just said that.

HILL: All right, Chopra, appreciate your perspective. Thank you.

CHOPRA: Thank you.

HILL: The U.S. and Israel launched the Iran War together. The conflict, though, may leave these allies further apart. Up next, we're joined by an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the IDF launches new attacks in Lebanon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:44:40]

SCIUTTO: While major obstacles persist as the U.S. and Iran plan to meet tomorrow in Qatar for a new round of peace talks, the Lebanon attacks are continuing despite an agreement last week between Israel and Lebanon to end the fighting. Iran-backed Hezbollah has rejected that deal, and Iran is demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

[13:45:00]

This comes as the Trump administration has repeatedly warned Israel, its ally, against ramping up its own attacks on Lebanon out of fear that fighting could derail U.S. peace talks with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Well, I'm joined now by Dr. Ophir Falk. He's a Foreign Policy Adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Ophir, nice to speak to you again.

DR. OPHIR FALK, FOREIGN POLICE ADVISER, ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU: Thanks for having me, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So listening to those comments from the Vice President, that sounded like something of a scolding from the White House directed at Israel. From where you're sitting, is there a rift between U.S. and Israeli leaders over the war?

FALK: No, actually there's a great relationship between the president and the prime minister. There's never been more cooperation and coordination between the president and the prime minister. And today, we have good news. We have a historic agreement with Lebanon, a framework, a trilateral framework for peace between Israel and Lebanon, facilitated by America, and it's a big, big win for America, it's a big win for Israel, and it's a big win for Lebanon.

SCIUTTO: I want to get to Israel-Lebanon in a moment, but first on the Iran War, because when I was in Israel in the midst of the war, and you and I spoke, and I spoke with other Israeli officials, they made it quite clear to me that Israel would not consider the war won until Iran's nuclear program had been dealt with and dismantled.

The fact is, Iran retains all those hundreds of kilograms of highly- enriched uranium, and the nuclear program's future is still a matter of negotiation. In your view, in Israel's view, how have the war's aims been met then

FALK: Well, we've had incredible achievements in the war against Iran. The war that the United States and Israel hit Iran like they've never been hit before. We took out 20 of their top nuclear scientists. We hit their nuclear capabilities significantly, took out thousands of their missiles. And President Trump, obviously, thinks that he can finish the job by negotiations.

He's brought them down to their knees, and he thinks that he can do it with negotiations. We're not a side to the MOU with Iran, but as the prime minister has made absolutely clear, deal or no deal, Iran will not have nuclear bombs as long as he's prime minister.

SCIUTTO: Well, let's talk about Israel-Lebanon right now, because the agreement calls for Hezbollah ultimately to be dismantled. That sounds a lot to me like the Gaza peace deal, which began with a ceasefire and then a promise to dismantle Hamas. But Hamas has not been disarmed, and we're more than a year out. Why should we believe that this ceasefire will work long-term when the other one has not -- has not met one of its most basic goals?

FALK: Well, first of all, Lebanon. Lebanon is a sovereign country that we recognize as a sovereign country. And thankfully, after 40- plus years, Lebanon recognizes Israel sovereignty, which is a big, big deal. Now, Lebanon also says that it's going to dismantle Hezbollah. That takes courage, and we applaud them for that. Why do they say that? Because Hezbollah has been degraded.

Israel's been able to hit Hezbollah significantly. We've been able to take out 9,000 Hezbollah terrorists since they attacked us on October 8th. We've been able to degrade their 150,000 missiles that were aimed at Israel. Now they have a handful of missiles. We have to take that out as well.

But we're going to do that with the Lebanese army that has agreed to step up to the plate. For the first time in 40-plus years, Lebanon is stepping up to the plate. They want to take their destiny in their own hands. We should applaud them for that. And I'm glad that the Americans, I'm glad that the United States of America is going to facilitate that matter. It's a big, big win for America.

SCIUTTO: But as you know, the fire is still coming down on northern Israel. I've spent a lot of time in northern Israel myself in the midst of some of that Hezbollah rocket fire.

If Israel believes that its national security is threatened and its people, the residents of the north, are threatened, what will win out, abiding by these commitments or defending Israel? In other words, would it break the agreement if Israel decides our national security is still under threat?

[13:50:00]

FALK: Well, first of all, first and foremost, we defend Israel. We secure Israel. That's number one. And everybody understands that. Lebanon understands that. Of course, the President of the United States understands that. And the Israeli people understand that. That's why we have a security zone. We formed a security zone on our northern border and on our southern border as well.

If we want one thing from October 7th atrocities that we will not let genocidal terrorist organizations anywhere near our border. And that lesson is being implemented. Now, we have a security border in the north or a security zone in the north. And Lebanon has pledged to dismantle and to disarm Hezbollah.

Once that happens and once, you know, Lebanon is de-militarized or southern Lebanon is de-militarized, we can have peace. And that's a big, big win for Israel, America and Lebanon.

SCIUTTO: Well, we'll see if that goal is ultimately met. Dr. Ophir Falk speaking to us from Jerusalem, thanks so much for joining.

FALK: Thank you, Jim. Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: Erica?

HILL: I'll take a look at some of the other headlines we are watching at this hour. Six people are dead, several others injured after a shooting at a youth welfare facility in northern Germany. Police say five people died at the scene, one at the hospital. This happened just west of Hamburg in the town of Stata.

Officials say they arrested the alleged shooter. Two others are also in custody. There is no word on a possible motive, but an investigation is underway.

Comcast, one step closer now to selling its media businesses. Today, the company announced it would spin off NBCUniversal and its European media arm, Sky, into a new publicly-traded company. The independent company will include Universal Movies Studios and theme parks, Peacock streaming service and also brands like NBC, Telemundo and Bravo, which could make them more attractive to buyers. The move does still require regulatory approval. Comcast expects the spinoff to take about a year to finalize.

And for the first time, millions of people on Medicare will soon have access to life changing weight-loss drugs. Starting Wednesday, a temporary pilot program will offer deep discounts for some popular GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound. Some people could see savings of hundreds of dollars each month. Eligible enrollees must be on this Part D drug coverage plan and they also have to meet certain BMI requirements. That bridge program is set to run through the end of next year.

On the football field, Chris Johnson was unstoppable. Now the former NFL star is facing an unthinkable challenge, a diagnosis of ALS at just 39-years-old.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:57:11]

SCIUTTO: Former NFL running back, Chris Johnson reveals he's been diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. Johnson says he was given the news just last year after he noticed weakness in one of his hands, but it progressed quickly, and he now uses a speech-generating device just to communicate. Here are some of what he shared earlier on "Good Morning America."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS JOHNSON, FORMER NFL RUNNING BACK: First, I want people to know that I'm still me. ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn't changed who I am. If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research, or gives another family hope, then it's worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Let's bring in CNN Correspondent, DEREK VAN DAM, JIM SCIUTTO, ERICA HILL, Don Riddell.

And first, Don, of course, it's so sad to see someone so young and healthy brought down by what is an awful disease. He says at first, he thought the weaknesses in his hands was just from, you know, all the playing he did in the NFL, but of course it progressed. I mean, is there any connection theorized between the years of playing a contact sport like that?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: I mean, not that he referenced in the interview earlier today. I mean, I think a lot of people will have been really shocked by this interview and the revelations within it. I mean, this guy had an absolutely fabulous NFL career. He played for 10 years. He was a three-time pro bowler. His nickname is CJ2K. He's one of only nine players to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. And he said that when he got this diagnosis just over a year ago, at the age of, what, 39, that it was, I mean, absolutely devastating, as you can imagine. This is a fatal neurodegenerative condition that he said impacts everything, your ability to move, your ability to speak, and ultimately your ability to breathe.

He said that when the diagnosis came, the doctors advised him to get his affairs in order, and he said they talked about some kind of medication which would maybe extend his life expectancy by just a few months. So you can imagine how shocking that was for he and his family.

He knows there is no cure, but he is encouraged by the efforts that are being made by the doctors and the scientific community to find a way of helping people like him in this condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Having doctors who are willing to collaborate and explore every reasonable option has meant a lot to my family and me. Right now, there isn't a cure, but we're seeing more research, more clinical trials, and more promising ideas than ever before.

Seeing how hard these doctors and researchers are working gives me hope. As long as they're fighting for people with ALS, I'm going to keep fighting too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Yeah, Johnson says that he has never been able to fully process the situation that he is now dealing with, but he said he had two choices --