Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

FBI Investigating Colorado Attack as 'Act of Terrorism'; Gaza Official: Dozens Shot Dead, Injured Near Aid Hub; Ukraine Launches Drone Operation Targeting Russian Airbases; Global Markets React to Tariff Whiplash; Polls Closed in Mexico After First Judicial Elections. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 02, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[00:00:32]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM now. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta.

We begin this hour with breaking news out of Boulder, Colorado, where at least six people have been injured in a shocking attack on a group gathering in support of the Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Video is emerging from the scene in Boulder. And we do want to warn you: the images are disturbing.

Smoke could be seen rising after the FBI says the suspect reportedly used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd. One woman described what she witnessed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was two older ladies, just like kind of rolling around a little bit. They were in their underwear, because they had, like, stripped their pants, obviously.

And yes, I was just like, how can I help? And they had, like, really bad burns all up on their legs. And then I went over to this other grass area that was, like, right by the front entrance. And there were some people -- there was another lady on the ground with really bad burns on her legs, just like screaming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was seen carrying two bottles -- you see him here -- and was reported to have yelled, "Free Palestine!" He's expected to be charged in the coming days.

The FBI and local law enforcement spoke about the attack just hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHIEF STEPHEN REDFEARN, BOULDER, COLORADO, POLICE DEPARTMENT: When this call came out today, our officers rushed as quickly as they could. Some were close to the area. And they immediately ran into a chaotic situation, where a man was throwing Molotov cocktails and using other devices to hurt people.

MARK MICHALEK, FBI DENVER SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence, and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism.

Sadly, attacks like this are becoming too common across the country. This is an example of how perpetrators of violence continue to threaten communities across our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more now on the attack and the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Multiple individuals were injured, some severely, after a man reportedly set people on fire in downtown Boulder, Colorado. The FBI --

JONES (voice-over): -- said it is investigating it as a targeted terror attack.

The attack happened during a pro-Israel demonstration, an event called Boulder Run for Their Lives, organized to support hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.

Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said emergency dispatchers began receiving urgent calls at around 1:26 p.m. local time, reporting a man armed with a weapon attacking attendees near the courthouse.

Upon their arrival, officers found victims suffering from burns after the suspect allegedly threw bottles containing a flammable liquid that ignited upon impact, according to multiple law enforcement officials.

According to the Boulder police chief, bystanders quickly pointed out to police the suspect, who is currently in custody and also receiving medical attention for minor injuries.

JONES: Now we're starting to hear from those bystanders and people who were present at this demonstration, one young woman describing a harrowing scene.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope that Jews will not be scared to come out and protest for our hostages now. I think that now more than ever, we need to be strong in our Judaism and our faith and know that Hashem has Israel in his heart, and that it is essential for us as not only Jews, but as humans, to -- to help the vulnerable.

JONES: The director for Stand with Us Colorado, an organization fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel, behind this demonstration, posted on Facebook on Sunday saying, quote, "To all my friends, near and far, thank you so much for your calls and texts today to check in. I am OK, but there are five people from the Boulder Run for Their Lives group today who are not."

She also said that all Run for Their Lives walks are canceled until further notice.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis also posting on X, saying that he's closely monitoring the situation, condemning it as a hate-filled act. And he said that local and federal law enforcement agencies are working collaboratively on this ongoing investigation.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Joining me on the phone is Colorado's governor, Jared Polis.

And first, my condolences to you and those in your state, Governor. Our thoughts are certainly with those impacted by this.

Can you give us an update on what you know right now about how the victims are physically doing?

[00:05:00]

GOV. JARED POLIS (D), COLORADO (via phone): Well, thank you. And as you -- as has been reported, the victims are elderly individuals. We know that at least -- at least two of them have had injuries that have been somewhat severe.

I hope that everybody makes it. But of course, at this point, we don't have that information yet.

But, you know, this has really inflicted a lot of fear in the Jewish community at large, the pro-Israel community. This was a very public place in Boulder. Every -- I've walked by, by the way, these folks who most weeks are there, you know, reminding us that the hostages are still being held by Hamas.

And to think that they would be attacked viciously and targeted simply because of their political beliefs in this country, in this day and age, is just completely, you know, hard to believe, frankly.

ABEL: Governor, I know you are not the chief law enforcement officer of your state, but we do have the suspect that's in custody; has now been identified. What at this moment do we know about that individual? And even though it may be obvious, is there any potential evidence that speak to any motivations? Have they said anything to law enforcement since being in custody?

POLIS (via phone): Well, there -- look, there will be plenty of time for investigation, but I think it's extremely clear that these peaceful protesters were targeted simply because of the message that they were conveying. So, again, it's hard to get in the mind of an evildoer, of somebody

who would commit such a heinous act of terror. But, you know, every indication is that this was entirely deliberate. And I'm sure we'll find out more in the days to come.

ABEL: Yes. Governor, the country, as you know, has been in this heightened state following antisemitic attacks, including the recent D.C. murders, just a little over a week ago. Given that, what security measures, if any, were in place for this event?

POLIS (via phone): Well, you know, this is a standard event. This has been occurring for weeks. There's just the standard security wall. There were not any threats that I was aware of particular to this event.

We have, as a state, put money into protecting targeted sites. And these are synagogues, churches, mosques that have faced threats. We've helped install video cameras. We've given grants -- 50, $100,000 -- to protect them and offer -- offer protection for major events.

This kind of thing happens -- you know, these kind of peaceful protests happen regularly. I mean, this is the -- for those who've been to Boulder, Colorado, the public thoroughfare -- thoroughfare, Pearl Street Mall, is very much a free speech zone.

It's very much in keeping with the tradition of the Pearl Street Mall, that there's people there from a variety of causes. And some you might agree with; some you might disagree with. But this has been, at least until now, a safe place to have your voice heard.

ABEL: At least until now. What does your state need right now, Governor? What are the next steps in this investigation?

POLIS (via phone): Well, look, as I said, the likely perpetrator, as you know, has been apprehended. We await the charges. There was recently a press conference. Obviously, there's a lot of video, a lot of evidence.

I think the immediate thing to find out is were there any others that were involved or knew about the plot? And then, of course, how can we make sure that people feel safe in the future expressing their viewpoints, whatever they are, in our state and also in our country.

ABEL: And to that point, lastly, Boulder is no stranger to tragedy, Governor. Can you give us some insight into how the community is feeling at this moment and what the next days and weeks look for them, what they can expect from their leaders?

POLIS (via phone): Yes. You know, and I've talked to the mayor, Mayor Aaron Brockett, earlier today.

Look, I think Boulder is a diverse community, many different faiths, many different viewpoints, but certainly those of the Jewish faith, in particular, now feel particularly threatened, particularly targeted. It's very important that we can reassure and protect them. I know that the city also has an effort, often helping to protect

synagogues, places of worship. The state and our state trooper organization absolutely steps up and has been a part of that. We're supporting this investigation.

We want to make sure that, again, no matter what your viewpoints are in our state, that you feel safe. And particularly now, a lot of members of our Jewish community feel particularly threatened by this -- this act of terrorism.

ABEL: Colorado Governor Jared Polis, thank you for joining us. Appreciate the time. And again, our thoughts are with everybody in your state.

POLIS (via phone): Thank you. Let's hope that they all recover safely, those directly affected.

ABLE: And joining me now is Bobby Chacon, a retired FBI special agent and former FBI dive team leader.

Bobby, more and more information has trickled in about what unfolded today. There's video out there of the suspect holding what appeared to be bottles in his hands and yelling.

We have six people injured, at least one critically. The suspect in custody now and identified. The FBI also just posting they are conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity in El Paso County, Colorado.

With all of that, take us behind the law enforcement curtain at this moment. What are investigators doing right now?

BOBBY CHACON, RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, there's two main investigations going on right now. The first one is to, let's hold this guy on some kind of assault charge, some kind of local state charge that you have plenty of evidence on.

You have witnesses that have been interviewed at the scene, and you have him identified. They probably showed, you know -- they have witnesses. So, they're going to hold him on something. So, they're going to have a -- a probably an assault charge prepared.

[00:10:09]

And then overnight, and since the incident happened this afternoon, the FBI offices and offices across the country have been running leads on this guy. They're doing a deep dive on him. They're probably interviewing his family, any friends, coworkers, people like that. And they're building a -- more of a profile picture of him, so that they're talking with the U.S. attorney's office and the federal prosecutors in Denver to see what kind of federal charges we might upgrade to.

So, if there is a terrorism charge, or if there's a hate crime charge on the federal level, that's going to come in the next day or two. But they're going to hold him initially, probably, on some local

charge that's -- that's clear and convincing. And then they're working to find the elements that they'll need, and they're working with federal prosecutors on that to see what they'll need to develop, and they can get to charge him with some kind of federal hate crime or some kind of terrorism charge.

ABEL: Earlier, we heard the FBI special agent in charge say a makeshift flamethrower was used in this attack. Could -- could that have been something put together by everyday items off the shelves? Or should material used to make something like that have raised a flag?

CHACON: Well, no. I think you can probably find things that can -- all you need is a propellant. You know, like a -- you know, some people use around their homes for bug spray, like a metal container, a canister that's -- now, it's not going to work that great. And it may break down during -- during an initial use. But you may get a little initial use out of it before it breaks down.

So, you can probably get some kind of crude device like that without raising any flags. You know, simple torches or something. All you need is something, a propellant to propel it out. And you could probably get that without raising flags.

And -- and, you know, the Molotov cocktails or the -- the kind of improvised things that are used to burn these people are easily assembled. And you can probably find information online.

Realize how difficult this is. Burns are one of the most horrific injuries you can perpetuate onto someone. And you know, my -- my thoughts are with these people, because these are hard, very painful injuries to go through and to survive.

ABEL: Yes. Bobby, in your experience, does a lone assailant who is planning something like this, does that planning and their behavior generally go unnoticed?

CHACON: You know, unfortunately not. And that's probably what they're going to be looking at, as well. Could anybody in his family or his inner circle, if he didn't have a family, who he was associating with? You know, we don't -- and none of us were -- live in a vacuum.

So, I'm sure there were people who knew maybe his predilections towards, you know, supporting the Palestinian cause or things like that. Maybe they didn't know he was this far along in this kind of process to perpetuate violence against, you know, elderly Jewish people.

But certainly, there was probably some indication that, you know, he didn't -- you know, he didn't look at these vigils that these people have been holding there as something that he would support.

And so, you know, it's going to be interesting to see if they do come across anybody that kind of thought he might take action like this. Sometimes there is; sometimes there isn't. But like you alluded to earlier, you know, less than two weeks ago, we

had somebody similar yelling "Free Palestine" who executed two young Israelis in Washington, D.C., in another brutal, violent attack on -- on U.S. soil.

So, you know, we need to start looking at this as, you know, as something that may continue and escalate.

ABEL: And I want to ask you a little bit about that. Take a step back to the event itself.

It was described as a weekly awareness of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Given those recent antisemitic attacks, like the murders of the Israeli embassy employees in D.C., that there certainly seems to be a sense of heightened awareness.

I actually see every day, even before those attacks, a high level of security around a Jewish community center near where I live.

So, take us through what security at this event in Boulder may have looked like, or possibly should have looked like, and maybe some changes moving forward.

CHACON: Yes. You know, apathy is always the enemy of security. And so like, you know, like the governor just mentioned to you, these things are ongoing.

And these aren't even -- I would take issue with the governor's characterization of these protests. These are often like vigils. They're just in support of the hostages. They're not there, you know, supporting Israel, per se. They just want to bring awareness that these people are still being held hostage and that they should be freed.

So, these are more like vigils. And they go on, on a weekly basis, not only in Boulder but across the country.

And so, they're very peaceful. These are elderly people. They're not a threat to anyone. And so, they go on all the time, and they're not threatened. And then this one happens.

So, I think that, you know, all -- all of these things have to -- people have to start reevaluating local jurisdictions, has to start reevaluating how -- how they dedicate security to these things. Because these people are out there. They're shouting, "Free Palestine." They're getting radicalized, and -- and they're

taking violent action on U.S. soil against Jewish people.

[00:15:03]

ABEL: Bobby Chacon, appreciate your expertise. Thank you, sir.

CHACON: Thank you.

ABEL: As the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt try to help bring about a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Israel's defense minister has a very different message for the country's military. What he is saying, next.

Plus, Ukraine launches a significant drone operation against Russian air bases just one day before high-level peace talks in Istanbul.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: We have new developments on the efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hamas says it is ready to, quote, "immediately" begin indirect negotiations to resolve outstanding issues, to reach an agreement.

But the militant group adds they hope the talks will achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Qatar and Egypt say they are continuing their efforts to help bring about a deal, as recent negotiations over a U.S. proposed ceasefire plan appeared to make little progress.

And despite efforts to hold the ceasefire hostage release talks, Israel's defense minister is telling the military to keep advancing in Gaza.

In a statement, Israel Katz called on the military to, quote, "employ all necessary means by air, land and sea," adding "Either Hamas releases the hostages, or it will be destroyed."

Meanwhile, World Food Program Chief Cindy McCain says the only way to prevent a, quote, "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza is an immediate ceasefire and, quote, "complete, unfettered access into the enclave to distribute aid."

[00:20:09]

And we now have conflicting reports about what happened at an aid distribution site over the weekend. The Palestinian Health Ministry and eyewitnesses say Israeli troops fired at people waiting for aid.

But Israel -- Israeli military denies that claim. The Palestinian Health Ministry says the death toll in the incident has gone up, with at least 31 Palestinians killed and dozens injured.

CNN spoke to witnesses who recounted the deadly chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD QDEIH, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): Whoever manages to push forward might get something. Those who can't, get nothing. People are starving. There's no place to get food except that dangerous point. It's not a humanitarian point. It's a death trap.

The gunfire was intense. Someone next to me was shot in the shoulder. And when people died there, no one carries them away. Bodies are piled up on top of each other. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu Akbar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu Akbar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu Akbar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I reached the distribution point, and the available aid was extremely limited. After the boxes were gone, many people didn't get anything.

The large crowds that came from Gaza City and other areas got nothing.

Then gunfire started. They used tear gas, sprayed us with pepper spray, and opened fire, causing injuries. The situation there is more difficult than you can imagine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: CNN's Oren Liebermann has the details of the incident at the Gaza aid center. And a warning: some of the images you are about to see are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: A deadly day near an aid distribution site in Southern Gaza on Sunday, when the Palestinian Ministry of Health says 31 Palestinians were killed --

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): -- and scores more were wounded. The Red Cross, which has a 60-bed field hospital in Rafah, says their facility was quickly overwhelmed by the number of people who came in with gunshot and shrapnel wounds.

The Red Cross says they had to send the casualties to several other facilities in order to be treated. They called it the single highest weapon wounded event that they've dealt with since the beginning of their facility more than a year ago.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health says it was Israeli forces who opened fire on Palestinians as they went towards an aid distribution site. They said those killed had suffered gunshot wounds to the head and to the chest.

Doctors at Nasser Hospital and paramedics, as they all -- say they also treated the gunshot wounds, many of them from this mass casualty incident.

Israel denies any involvement here, saying that they did not open fire on Palestinians at or near an aid distribution site. They said accusations that Israeli soldiers did so were, quote, "false reports."

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation --

LIEBERMANN: -- which is the controversial U.S.- and Israel-backed organization that runs these sites, says there was no fire at or near any of their four sites, either during the distribution of aid or throughout the morning at some of those other sites that were closed. They said reports otherwise are untrue and fabricated.

One medical official in Gaza did tell CNN that it was very difficult, especially in the chaos, like these moments, to tell who was firing upon whom and who it was that was responsible for the shooting.

Now, an Israeli military source did tell CNN that there was an incident several hours before the distribution site opened, a kilometer away from the site in which suspects approached an Israeli position. The Israeli forces opened fire towards the suspects that were approaching with warning shots.

But the military source says this is not connected to reports of Israel opening fire on civilians near a distribution site.

Video from Rafah in the aftermath of the scene shows the chaos of the moment, as Palestinians rushed the wounded and the killed for treatment or to hospitals.

The head of UNRWA, which is the U.N. agency that works with Palestinian refugees, says the distribution sites are, quote, "death traps" because of what unfolded today and the challenges over the course of the past week since these new distribution sites opened.

The GHF has been up and running for about a week now, with the plan being there to open four different sites. Several of those have been up and running over the course of the last several days.

And in the videos from these scenes, you see thousands, if not tens of thousands of Palestinians rushing in the moment they're open, rushing to get boxes, and then taking whatever food is in those boxes -- each is supposed to be able to feed a family for about a half a week -- and leaving the scenes.

LIEBERMANN: It is in this scene of chaos that this mass shooting occurred.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet in Istanbul in the coming hours, but neither side is optimistic the summit will yield an imminent resolution to the war.

[00:25:01]

The U.S. is not expected to have a presence at the meeting, but President Donald Trump recently warned both Moscow and Kyiv of consequences if they don't engage in the peace process.

Since their last meeting, Russia has intensified airborne attacks against Ukraine, killing more than 340 civilians.

Videos from social media show thick smoke rising near Russia's Belaya Airfield on Sunday. It was one of four Russian air bases targeted by Ukraine in an audacious drone operation ahead of the high-stakes talks.

Video obtained by CNN appears to show Russian combat planes burning on the tarmac. CNN cannot independently verify the location, but a source with the Ukrainian security service said Sunday's strikes targeted bases deep inside Russia.

U.S. officials say Kyiv strikes had a level of sophistication not seen before.

Meanwhile, Ukraine claims operation Spider's Web, as it's being called, has inflicted $7 billion worth of damage on the Russian military.

Joining me now is Robert English, director of Central European Studies at University of Southern California. Good to see you, Robert. Let's get into this Ukrainian attack.

Those images that were released of the burning planes seem to show a fairly stunning success for the mission. What does this operation tell you about Ukraine's capabilities this deep into the war?

ROBERT ENGLISH, DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Yes. They continue to grow, and they've pulled off something remarkably complex with great success: striking deep at multiple points into Russia.

And the danger, I think, is that Ukraine supporters will take this as something that portends a reversal in the war or somehow forcing Russia to the bargaining table, into concessions.

And I'm afraid that, it will still be possible for Putin to shrug this off as he has other Ukrainian special operations. Because it really doesn't go to the central battle in the Donbas on the Eastern front.

ABEL: I know senior U.S. officials have said that this attack showed a new level of sophistication. It's still unclear how those drones were piloted, so on and so forth.

It does seem with this that Zelenskyy may be pulling a page from Putin's playbook here, coordinating attacks around peace talks, though we should make it clear that these targets of Ukraine's attack were very much military assets. The same cannot be said for some of the recent Russian attacks.

But given the timing, what, if anything, does this do for the prospect of successful peace talks?

ENGLISH: That depends on Putin. Because in the past, he has responded to Ukrainian special operations. Right? There have been assassinations of pro-war political military officials. There have been, you know, explosions at refineries, pipelines.

And in the past, Putin's response has been to lash out and hit back even harder. So, at least temporarily, there's a danger that today -- I'm already over on the other side of the Atlantic. So, it's this morning here. At the talks today in Istanbul, the Russians might show up with a harder line, maybe not even show up. We don't know. Or Putin may just shrug it off but continue on the same path. It's hard to say, but the ball's in his court.

ABEL: Robert, if no deal is reached, where do we go from here? Because it seems like the U.S. is getting near the end of its patience gas tank here with mediation efforts, and it's still not clear what realistic concessions Putin would accept. Is there any insight there?

ENGLISH: You know, what's underway at the same time, of course, is we have this bill moving rapidly through the Congress, right? Bipartisan Senate support, Senators Blumenthal and Graham. That would ramp up the economic pressure on Russia significantly by applying 500 percent tariffs to those countries that buy Russian oil, gas, and petroleum products.

And that would basically hit India and China very hard. And it's a fine idea in principle, but in reality, with a Trump -- with a trade war going on and tariff issues so delicate and the potential for backlash in the E.U., this might not work.

It seems like a lever that could finally apply some major economic pressure on Russia, but implementing it, I think the White House will be very leery when it's juggling this trade war on all fronts simultaneously.

ABEL: And we will see what happens with the latest round of peace talks in between. Robert English, appreciate your time and expertise. Thank you.

ENGLISH: My pleasure.

ABEL: We'll have more on our breaking news ahead as authorities investigate an attack in Colorado as an act of terrorism. The latest ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:33:35]

ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Hamas says it is ready to immediately begin indirect negotiations to resolve outstanding issues, to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Qatar and Egypt say they are continuing their efforts to help bring about a deal, as recent negotiations over a U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan appeared to make little progress.

Videos from social media show thick smoke rising near Russia's Belaya Airfield on Sunday. It was one of four Russian air bases targeted by Ukraine in a drone operation.

Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet in Istanbul in the coming hours. But neither side is optimistic the summit will yield an imminent resolution to the war.

Emergency teams in Northeast India have been carrying out rescues due to heavy flooding. City streets submerged after heavy rainfall caused rivers to overflow, as well as landslides. At least eight deaths have been confirmed.

And back now to our breaking news out of Boulder, Colorado. The FBI investigating an attack as an act of terrorism after they say a man used a makeshift flamethrower to injure at least six people at a gathering in support of Israeli hostages.

The suspect is identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman. He was seen carrying two bottles and was reported to have yelled, "Free Palestine!" He's expected to be charged in the coming days.

[00:35:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will emphasize that we're in the very early stages here. But the response by federal, state and local officials is underway, and I greatly appreciate the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, their many agents. We have the Colorado state patrol here, Boulder County Sheriffs Office, and of course, of course, the Boulder Police Department.

They are working hand in hand to ensure that we secure all the evidence, all the information, and all the witness statements we need to hold the attacker fully accountable. That is my promise: to hold the -- the attacker fully accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Authorities say the victims in Sunday's attack in Boulder range in age from 67 to 88. The city's police chief emphasized support for those affected by the violence and those shaken by the day's events.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REDFEARN: You know, Boulder is not immune to tragedy, sadly, and I know a lot of people are scared right now. A lot of people are upset and questioning how this happened and why.

All I know is Boulder has recovered before from -- from acts of violence. And we will again recover. I urge the community, in this time, to come together. Now is not the time to be divisive. And we will continue to ensure community safety along with all of our partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And joining me now from Boulder is Brian, who witnessed Sunday's attack and shot one of the videos from the scene of the man identified as the suspect.

Brian, thank you for joining us.

Before we get to anything about this event, I just want to ask you how you are doing. I can't even imagine witnessing something like this.

BRIAN H, WITNESS: Yes. Thank you. It's -- it's been -- it's been tough to comprehend. And I think my family is doing a bit better. They're a bit shaken up.

But I think we'll -- we'll make it through. Thanks.

ABEL: Of course. Can -- can you just describe for me what you saw, where you were in proximity to -- to what happened?

BRIAN H.: Yes. So, I mean, it's a bit of a long story, but I can go into it as in-depth as you'd like me to. Basically, I was -- I was there with my family. My niece and nephew were visiting from Florida, and I was there with my two toddlers and my wife.

And we had initially seen the -- the Run for Their Lives walk across the street, going down Pearl Street, which is the main pedestrian mall area where everything took place. And then we saw them curl back around and pass us on the way back to the courthouse, which is where, typically, the -- the courthouse square is where -- where these things end.

We're well aware of -- of these types of situations. We're Jewish ourselves, and we've always wanted to participate in these types of walks. Just never really felt safe enough to do it over the last three years of them happening every Sunday, be it in Denver or in Boulder.

And so, we were there about ten minutes after -- after that walk had passed us. There was a woman who came down to the area where we were eating outside for lunch and just kind of yelled that somebody was somebody was throwing fire at different people.

And with my already trepidation of going to these kinds of events and kind of the danger that they -- they present to us in the Jewish community, I kind of thought the worst immediately. But instinctively, I think we -- like any -- like most people probably would, I just kind of hopped the fence, left my -- one of my sons with my niece and nephew and -- and ran to the scene where I walked up with another gentleman, who was trying to kind of deescalate the situation with this man.

The attacker was pretty erratic and walking, pacing around, yelling things like, "'F' the Zionists" or "'F' you, Zionists. You're killing all of my people," with some other things thrown in there, as well, like "child killers" and things like that. Things that you probably hear -- have heard other people kind of spew in the past through social media, and so on, and so forth.

And so, I tried recording it, just assuming that he would probably try and make a run for it at some point before the police got there. He had two kind of carafes of a clear liquid, which I initially thought was alcohol. Like I said in my video, I'm assuming it's probably diesel gasoline. Once I learned a little bit more about it, especially because of the smell of all the burning gasoline in the area.

He had an orange vest on initially and -- and took that off. And then I heard other people -- obviously, people were screaming, distraught. Some were writhing in pain. Some weren't moving at all from the -- from the pain and from being burned.

And -- and so I heard people saying like, where are the police? Where are the police? And so, I heard someone on the phone. It seemed like they were on with the -- with the police.

[00:40:03]

But I turned off my phone from recording and initially tried calling the police myself. After a couple of attempts, reached the operator. They assured us that people were on their way. A lot of people were on their way, they said, I think, was the woman's words.

And so, I put my phone back in my pocket, rushed to try and see what I could do to help some of the people that were writhing in pain. As you saw -- I don't know if you've shown this in any of my videos, but as my videos show, there was one woman who was an elderly woman who had her hair charred and her -- her shirt completely -- almost completely burned off. 4

There are numerous people who were trying to help her recover, but she was barely moving, if at all. They were all trying to pour, like, ice on her. Some different buckets of water, where I then grabbed a bucket of water as the whole situation was going on, over off on the side with this man still threatening with these two carafes of, basically, these Molotov cocktails with the fabric sticking out of it, obviously threatening to still throw them.

There's already one that had exploded by our feet pretty closely. And so, I started looking around at the victims. It looked -- I mean, from -- from foot to buttocks, their skin looked like it was being shaved off, their bodies hanging, hanging from their legs. Inch diameter cuts with blood coming out of them.

There was a man who was probably in his early 70s who was pretty distraught and just could barely speak. Pretty -- pretty, pretty much in shock the whole time. Got some water from the fountain that was right there in the courtyard, poured some on his leg, tried to help him as much as I could.

Took some of the water, put some on some of the elderly women who, across the path on my left. One was a lot more concerned with her friend or family member. I'm not really sure. Who's a little bit more severely burned than -- than she was. But -- but her pants had been basically singed off of her body.

And then there was another woman over on the side, as well, who was closer to the initial victim, who had the more serious burns, probably second- and third-degree burns, from what I heard the paramedics say, once they did arrive. She was writhing in pain and elbows, triceps, legs, knees, feet, all of it were burned. Just kind of imagine the worst sunburn that you can think of. And just

pulling a sheet of skin off of there, off of their legs is what it kind of looked like, with redness and -- and blood.

ABEL: Brian, it all -- it all sounds pretty -- pretty horrible. I know so often when we see the worst in humanity, we also see the best in humanity. And it sounds like the people in the area showed you that, as well.

I want to ask you. You mentioned always wanting to participate in -- in the event that was happening. How do you feel now about it?

BRIAN H.: Yes, I mean, this isn't the most encouraging thing in the world, obviously. It's -- it's something that pushes me in the direction of wanting to attend these events more.

But obviously, the other side of -- the other person on my shoulder is telling me it's just still not safe. And I don't see that trend line leveling out anytime soon.

As I mentioned to others, it's not even the event itself that's the most horrific thing. It's letting -- it's our country and, frankly, our community, international community, local communities that are -- that -- that have been become so polarized with domestic policy and politics, just one side against the other, that's allowed it to get to this point. And I don't see it changing anytime soon, just based on what I've seen and what I've heard.

I think that's the most disconcerting thing that comes out of this whole thing, is that you hear about these things that happen in Washington, D.C. I've experienced things when I lived in Israel for a year. I've seen a lot of this stuff firsthand, but none of it really comes and hits nearly at home until it really affects, like, my immediate family.

We can talk about it. We can preach about it on social media. We can talk about it in the news. But until you experience it, you can't feel nearly as pessimistic as probably those that experience it firsthand do, because it's put it into a whole new -- a whole new perspective at this point forward. And I just -- frankly, it's, again -- it's pessimism that anything will ever change in the near future.

ABEL: Well, we certainly hope it does. Brian, really appreciate you taking the time to join us. And please take care of yourself.

BRIAN H.: Thank you. You, as well.

ABEL: Much more ahead. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:48:20]

ABEL: Donald Trump's tariff whiplash and the uncertainty surrounding global trade continues to weigh on markets around the world. Let's take a look right here at the Asia Pacific region. The Nikkei,

Hang Seng, and Seoul KOSPI all in the red. And then here in the States, in the U.S., futures are also looking down.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is warning that tariffs are not going away. His comments come as President Trump faces a legal battle over his authority to impose tariffs using emergency powers.

Lutnick says the president has so many other authorities that he will find another way to enforce his trade agenda, if needed.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is now accusing China of violating a trade agreement made weeks ago. But President Trump is planning to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping very soon, according to the U.S. treasury secretary. Here's what Scott Bessent told CBS News on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: What we are trying to do is to de-risk. We do not want to decouple, Margaret, but we do need to de- risk, as we saw during COVID. Whether it was with semiconductors, medicines, the other products, we are in the process of de-risking.

MARGARET BRENNAN, MODERATOR, CBS'S "FACE THE NATION": Making the United States less reliant on China. But at the same --

BESSENT: Well, and the whole world. The whole -- the whole world. Because what China is doing is they are -- they are holding back products that are essential for the industrial supply chains of India, of Europe. And you know, that is not what a reliable partner does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: China denies it violated the U.S. deal, saying it was strictly implementing the consensus of those trade talks. Beijing accuses the U.S. of, quote, "provoking new economic and trade frictions."

[00:50:02]

Mexico allows voters to elect judges for the very first time, but Sunday's turnout was very low, and the vote itself brings its own controversy. We'll explain why ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Polls are now closed in Mexico after the country held its first ever judicial elections. The vote has been controversial. Supporters say it will bring democracy to the courts, but detractors warn it could usher in corruption and violate the rule of law.

CNN's Valeria Leon explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For the first time, Mexicans are voting to elect their country's judges, from the Supreme Court to the local magistrates.

There are over --

LEON (voice-over): -- 3,000 candidates vying for almost 900 positions. But with candidates restricted from using --

LEON: -- public or private funding for their campaigns, they have been forced to use their own money. And so, as a result, we've seen very limited information about the candidates profiled.

LEON (voice-over): Voters have to spend up to ten minutes to learn about the candidates' proposals, ideas, or even profiles. And this is one of the reasons we've seen very low turnout at this ballot box today.

[00:55:03]

Also, electoral authorities have said that just 20 percent of the voters are expected to cast their ballots today.

Also, authorities have said that one of the reasons is because the voters have very little knowledge about the candidates. This is what --

LEON: -- one of the electoral authorities told me.

MARIA DEL CARMEN LUQUENO, ELECTORAL TRAINER (through translator): It has been difficult to explain how people have to vote. The officials need to know how people are going to vote, because they are the ones who will be asked. That has been the most complex part. The number of candidates there are, and making sure people know who they are.

LEON: This election is a result of a 2024 constitutional reform launched by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who with his party, Morena, holding the majority in Congress, claimed that this reform was necessary to root out corrupt judges.

But the rules, and also the online campaign, have fueled criticism from the opposition, aiming that this election is limiting the independence for the judiciary, and also the vetting process of the candidates very poor, to elect candidates with little experience on the bench and also candidates who have criminal records.

The results will be known on June 15. But the results of the nine ministers from the Supreme Court will be announced this Tuesday.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Thank you for joining me this hour. I'm Brian Abel. I'll be back with you in just a moment. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)