Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Eight People Injured at a Jewish Community Event in Boulder, Colorado; Hamas to Begin Indirect Talks for a Ceasefire Plan; Polish Nationalist Wins Presidential Elections; Pope Leo Blessed Giro d' Italia Participants. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 02, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. Let's get right to our breaking news.

Eight people have been injured in a shocking attack in Boulder, Colorado, on a group gathering in support of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Video is emerging and we want to warn you the images are disturbing.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Chaos at the scene after the FBI says the suspect reportedly used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd. Among those injured, a Holocaust survivor. One woman described what she witnessed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE COFFMAN, EYEWITNESS: 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 have 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)

CHURCH: The suspect identified as Mohammad Sabry Soliman was arrested at the scene and is expected to be charged in the coming days. One source says federal criminal charges are likely. An FBI official provided more details about the attack and the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MICHALEK, FBI DENVER SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Witnesses are reporting that the subject used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd. The suspect was heard to yell free Palestine during the attack.

The subject has been identified as Mohammad Sabry Soliman and he's 45 years old. The FBI is processing the crime scene in the subject vehicle and interviewing key witnesses. We're assisting Boulder Police and providing technical analytic and additional forensic resources.

As a result of these preliminary facts, 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. It's our job, the FBI, the Boulder Police, and our law enforcement and community partners to bring these criminals to justice and keep our communities safe.

We're asking for the public's help as we continue to investigate this horrific act of violence. I'll direct anyone that has phone calls, that wants to make phone calls to 1-800-CALL-FBI. And if you have digital evidence, whether that is video or social media posts or anything that can help the investigators, please send that to fbi.gov/boulderattack, B-O-U-L-D-E-R A-T-T-A-C-K.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Colorado Governor Jared Polis is condemning what he called a heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community. He spoke earlier with CNN about the violence and those who've been affected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO) (on the phone): This has really inflicted a lot of fear in the Jewish community at large, the pro-Israel community. This is a very public place in Boulder. 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.

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 it 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now is Ron Halber, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. Thank you, sir, for talking with us at this difficult time.

RON HALBER, CEO, JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL OF GREATER WASHINGTON: Good morning. CHURCH: And I do want to start by getting your reaction to this horrifying attack on Jewish residents in Boulder, Colorado, coming just days after the murder of two Israeli embassy employees outside the Capitol Museum in D.C. What are your thoughts?

[03:05:09]

HALBER: Well, I hope what we are not seeing is a new norm, a new pattern of violence directed against Jews simply because they are Jews. But it's hard to come to any other conclusion at this moment.

CHURCH: And what do you think can and should be done to protect the Jewish community from these hateful attacks?

HALBER: Well, you know, the attacks that took place were both outside, both in public spaces. And it just seems at this point that the Jewish community is going to have to rely on having armed security at any time they are gathered outside, either from leaving from an event or hosting an event, because they need somebody to keep an eye to make sure that somebody is not creating a problem from the perimeter.

This person in Colorado went right into the -- went right into the crowd and started using incendiary device. And in the case of my community, where the two Israeli embassy staffers were slain, they were walking outside and there was nobody at that point watching out over the situation, over the room, excuse me, over the situation.

I think what it means is more and more, you're going to see a greater perimeter, a greater perimeter of security, widening the security envelope, so to say, at all Jewish events, whether small, large. And unfortunately, I think that's going to become a part of life in the near future.

CHURCH: And these protesters in Boulder were peacefully showing their support for hostages being held in Gaza since the October 7th attack on Israeli soil in 2023. And still that war in Gaza rages on. How important is it in your mind to end that conflict in order to reduce hateful attacks like this being directed at your community?

HALBER: To me, that question falls on deaf ears. It's not the response. The Israeli government is not going to, nor should they, make strategic decisions based upon the fact that there might be attacks on Jews abroad.

Israel's first obligation is to defend itself against fighting a seven-front war for survival. The question is, the question we should be asking is, why is society permitting people to, why is not society not doing more to protect Jews who are showing their support of Israel during this war? It's not, it doesn't matter whether, I agree, for the first time in history in the United States, anti-Semitism against Jews seems to be fueled by war abroad.

But that's not the responsibility of the Israelis to restrict their actions, to defend their national sovereignty. It's the responsibility of wherever Jews live, for law enforcement authorities to protect them. Let's not put the blame on the victim.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, it has increased the vulnerability, though, hasn't it, for many Jewish people all around the world. So what is your greatest concern and what is your advice to many people now who are feeling so very vulnerable?

HALBER: Well, the vulnerability is real. To think that it's not would be to have your head in the sand. But the reality is that in the Jewish community, we have to live our lives openly and proudly and without fear.

Sure, we have to take other security precautions and we will. And unfortunately, it becomes a drain on resources. But some of the things that must be done is that right now before Congress, there's a proposal to double the national security grant program from 500 to $1 billion.

That could be done in one day. Congress is in session. They need to get that done.

They need to increase the amount of FBI, all FBI analysts who are tracking social media to make sure they can find these individuals before who are talking on or speaking out on social media. And when they become self-radicalized, identify them and intercept before things happen.

So we need a lot of more. We need a lot of preemptive action taking place, not post action, not post activity.

In other words, we want to see things stop before they happen. And the government has the resources to do so. The number one responsibility of government is protect their citizens.

And we need Congress to get off its tuff and to get those dollars out into the field immediately.

CHURCH: Ron Halber, we appreciate you talking with us at this difficult time. Many thanks.

HALBER: Thank you very much.

[03:10:00]

CHURCH: President Donald Trump's tariff whiplash and the uncertainty surrounding global trade continue to weigh on markets around the world.

Let's take a look at the Asia-Pacific region. You can see there Japan's Nikkei has lost 1.5 percent there, the Hang Seng down nearly one percent, and the Seoul KOSPI just fairly flat there. But we'll keep an eye on that.

Let's bring up the futures now. U.S. futures markets all in negative territory. You can see there the Nasdaq down more than half a percentage point. Well, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik 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. CNN's Betsy Klein has more now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Now, despite all of the legal whiplash of the past week, top Trump economic officials say that the president's tariff policies are going to continue.

Last Wednesday, a federal court blocked the President's global tariffs in appeals court. Shortly thereafter, reinstated those tariffs temporarily as this appeals process plays out through the judicial system.

But Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik says the administration has a number of other tools the president can use to enact these tariffs and tariffs are not going away.

And now we saw a sign of that last Friday as President Trump announced a doubling of tariffs on foreign made steel from 25 to 50 percent.

Now, administration officials defended that move on Sunday as a matter of national security. But experts have warned that this could lead to rising prices for the manufacturing and construction industries. It could also lead to rising prices for cars.

All of this comes as the Trump administration appears to be escalating tensions with China. Top Trump officials have said that China is not holding up its end of the economic deal that was reached in Geneva just a few weeks ago.

And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said over the weekend that China poses a real and imminent threat to Taiwan. All of this setting up what will likely be a critical and high stakes call between President Trump and China's President Xi in the coming days. Listen.

KEVIN HASSSETT, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: President Trump, we expect is going to have a wonderful conversation about the trade negotiations this week with President Xi. That's our expectation. But the bottom line is that we've got to be ready in case things don't happen the way we want, because if we have cannons but not cannonballs, then we can't fight a war.

And if we don't have steel, then the U.S. isn't ready and we're not preparing ourselves for something. And if we're not strong, then that's when bad things happen. So we have to show strength. We have to have a steel industry that's ready for American defense.

KLEIN: All of these recent moves taken together threaten to destabilize what has been a relatively successful period for the U.S. economy. A key inflation report out last week showed signs of cooling inflation. And GDP numbers set to be released this week are expected to show signs of growth.

So Trump and his team taking a risk here by keeping their tariff policies in place and potentially expanding them.

Betsy Klein, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: China is denying it violated its trade deal with the U.S., saying it was strictly implementing the consensus of the talks in Geneva. But tensions between the two countries have been escalating ever since.

CNN's Marc Stewart spoke to the former U.S. ambassador to China about the challenges ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As far as a phone conversation between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, that's a big ask. It's something that typically takes place at the end of the process, not during. Beijing prefers diplomats do the heavy lifting.

As far as the trade talks, it's something I talked about with the former U.S. ambassador to China on Friday before President Trump blasted the trade talks.

Will there ever be a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the United States and China? Or are these two economic superpowers so fierce that some common ground may never be reached?

NICHOLAS BURNS, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: The U.S.-China relationship is vitally important to both countries. $642 billion in trading goods and services in 2024 alone.

So for the United States, this is a very important trading partner for China. It's a very important source for Chinese manufactured exports in the world.

My expectation would be it'd be difficult to arrange a deal in the 90 day period that was arranged there. I would assume there's going to be some kind of extension on that.

And you've already seen that China has been difficult in these negotiations. China has withheld rare earths and rare magnets, they haven't fulfilled the promises that were apparently made in that Geneva meeting.

And so a lot of this, I think, is on China.

[03:15:06]

China has been the most disruptive force in global trade over the last 25 to 30 years. I know the Chinese have been blaming the Trump administration in the United States. I think I see it the other way around.

I see that China has to prove to the United States on intellectual property, on forced technology transfer, that it's going to be a responsible trading partner of the United States.

So in this case, I would hope that there could be an agreement between the two governments. But I understand the concerns that the Trump administration has about the unfair trade practices of the Chinese government.

STEWART: Rare earth minerals are critical in making everything from E.V.'s to iPads.

Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, chaos unfolded at a U.S.-backed aid center in southern Gaza over the weekend. Details of the deadly incident next.

Plus, Russia and Ukraine are attempting another round of peace talks just one day after Kyiv launched a bold and significant drone strike operation on Russian air bases. We'll have details on that after a short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:08]

CHURCH: We have new developments on the efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hamas says it is ready to 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.

A warning, the video you are about to see is graphic. Palestinians are in mourning after Sunday's deadly shooting at an aid center in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry says the death toll in the incident has gone up with at least 31 Palestinians killed and dozens injured.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, what more are you learning about conflicting reports surrounding Sunday's shooting deaths at an aid distribution center in Gaza?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, those that were killed and injured were looking for humanitarian aid. They had come or were on their way to one of the sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial U.S. and Israeli operated site where humanitarian aid is given out.

Now, what we have seen is footage from the area and you can hear the gunfire in the background. Thousands upon thousands of Palestinians had come to the site pre-dawn to try and secure some aid and some food for their families.

Now, what we've heard from some Palestinian officials is that they believe that the Israeli military was firing on people around or near the site, some 800 meters away from the site. But what we're hearing from the Israeli military itself is that those are false reports, the IDF saying that they had not fired upon civilians either within the site or near to the site.

We did hear from one Israeli military source, though, telling CNN that before the site opened, so a few hours before, that they had been firing towards individuals about a kilometer away. So we are hearing some very conflicting information about who was responsible. One medical official in Gaza said that it was actually impossible for them to know exactly who had been firing.

But certainly what they had seen was hundreds of casualties, hundreds of injured from this event. And as you say, 31 were killed. Medics saying that those who were killed suffered gunshot wounds to the head and also to the chest.

Now, it is just the latest incident that has happened near one of these sites. They are sites that the U.N. and other NGOs who have been operating in Gaza say should never have been set up. We heard from the head of UNRWA, which is the U.N. department which helps Palestinian refugees, saying that, quote, 'aid distribution has become a death trap."

Now, the U.N. and others have been saying that they have hundreds of distribution points and sites around Gaza and they are going to where the people need the aid. Whereas the GHF will have four distribution sites that people will have to travel to.

Now, of course, it is still a very active and dangerous war zone and people will have to travel within that war zone to get to these aid sites. And we're hearing from eyewitnesses on the site as well that what happened was the aid was put out on a number of wooden pallets, the gates were then open. So it is the strongest and the fastest who will be able to get that aid, almost like a survival of the fittest.

So this distribution method has come under huge amount of criticism for not being able to get to those who desperately need it. Israel saying they have to do it this way to make sure that Hamas does not access any of that aid.

But we do know that UNRWA, for example, requires I.D.'s and also relies on a database of families who need distribution, which the GHF does not. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Paula Hancocks, bringing us that live report from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks.

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.

[03:25:00]

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.

Well, meanwhile, Ukrainian forces launched what's being described as a bold and sophisticated counterattack just one day before the high level talks. Our Sebastian Shukla has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: Incredible video has been emerging from deep inside Russia on Sunday following a large-scale coordinated attack launched by the Ukrainian security services, the SBU, on military air bases inside Russia, sources have told CNN videos circulating on social media from Siberia show plumes of thick black smoke billowing out of targets in the region of a cut some 4000 kilometers away from the Ukrainian battlefields.

Other video appearing to show from the drones themselves the damage inflicted by this attack at the Belaya Air Base in Kutsk. In another video supplied by a Ukrainian source, you can hear the voice of Lieutenant General Vasily Malyuk saying how beautiful Belaya Airfield looks now, the enemy's strategic aircraft.

An SBU source also told CNN that Russian bombers are burning on mass across Russia with other airfields in Ryazan, Murmansk and Ivanovo also targeted in this audacious attack, which has been described as, quote, 'extremely complicated from a logistical point of view by Ukrainian intelligence."

CNN has also been able to learn that the attack was launched from inside Russia, with one video appearing to show drones rising from a truck stopped near a highway. Now, more than 40 aircraft are known to have been hit, including strategic bombers and one of Russia's very few remaining surveillance planes.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that airfields across five Russian regions have been targeted and have called it a terrorist attack. There have, though, been no reports of any casualties and that fires at those bases have now since been extinguished.

But the attack also marks some of the most ambitious launch by Ukraine since the war began in February 2022. But Ukraine has waged a campaign of targeting key military and infrastructure sites across Russia for many months. And likewise, Russia has done the same in Ukraine.

But most, if not all of the Ukrainian attacks have originated from inside Ukraine. This attack is a huge shift in those operations and is clearly designed to send a message to the Kremlin that Ukraine is advancing both technologically and operationally inside Russia.

And of course, this attack comes in the hours before both Russia and Ukraine are due to meet in Turkey again for another round of talks aimed at implementing a ceasefire and steps to bringing this grinding war to an end.

Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, heartbreak and outrage after a violent anti- Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado. Witnesses explain what they saw when a man firebombed a community event.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to 'CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you now.

Eight people have been injured in what's being described as a targeted attack in Boulder, Colorado. Authorities say a man used a makeshift flamethrower on a group gathered for an event in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. The 45-year-old suspect is in custody.

Hamas says it's 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 appear to make little progress.

On Sunday, Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale drone operation targeting air bases deep inside Russia. Kyiv claims Operation Spider's Web, as it's being called, has inflicted $7 billion worth of damage on the Russian military and impacted more than one-third of Moscow's strategic cruise missile carriers.

More now on our breaking news out of Boulder, Colorado. The FBI is investigating the attack there as an act of terrorism, with one source saying federal criminal charges are expected against the 45-year-old suspect. Video is emerging from the scene and we want to warn you, the images are disturbing.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Eight people were injured in the attack at a gathering in support of Israeli hostages. A Holocaust survivor is said to be among those hurt. The suspect, identified as Mohamed Sobry Soliman, was reported to have yelled free Palestine.

Authorities say the victims range in age from 52 to 88. One of the organizers of the event in Boulder says a woman was severely burned and had to roll on the ground to extinguish the flames.

A man who witnessed the attack tells CNN that bystanders jumped in to help the victims any way they could, but their wounds seemed too extreme.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN H., WITNESS: There is one woman, elderly woman, who had her hair charred, and her shirt almost completely burned off. There are numerous people trying to help her recover when she was barely moving at all.

[03:35:00]

They all try to pour eyes on her, different buckets of water. I started looking around the victims, the looks from foot to buttocks, their skin looked like it was being shaved off their bodies, hanging from their legs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Boulder's police chief is urging the community to band together in the face of violence and horror and to take care of one another. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN REDFEARN, BOULDER, COLORADO POLICE CHIEF: 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 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.

To echo the special agent in charge comments, our hearts go out to everyone affected today here and in Colorado. We understand that this has a ripple effect in many communities and we are continuing to stand with and support the victims affected today by this attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Earlier I spoke with CNN law enforcement contributor Steve Moore about the attack and the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: You have the Molotov cocktail, which is the glass or the bottle full of the gasoline, and that he had kind of an improvised aerosol torch that he was using. And so that's again, both things are deadly weapons and he's probably not going to see his homeland again.

CHURCH: Yes, and this group of protesters in Boulder, Colorado was gathering in support of the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza since the October 7th attack on Israeli soil. And now disturbing videos emerging from that scene in Boulder. What does that video reveal to you and to FBI investigators?

MOORE: It's going to involve the level of planning that he's had, how much, you're going to want to know how much of the weapons he brought with him, how many of the weapons, how much gasoline, what accelerants he used, how he got them. And they're going to go back and find out how long has this event been

going on, because I understand it's a weekly event. And so they're going to want to find out what's the shortest time and what's the longest time it took him to plan it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Still to come, Elon Musk defends the Department of Government Efficiency following his exit, but continues to distance himself from President Trump's agenda. You're watching CNN, back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Tech billionaire Elon Musk is defending the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk, once a fervent Trump supporter, has changed his tone on politics in recent weeks, becoming more vocal in his criticism of President Trump's agenda.

The Tesla CEO sat down with CBS following his exit from the White House, where he talked about his work with DOGE.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA: DOGE became the whooping boy for everything. So if there was some cut, real or imagined, everyone would blame DOGE. I've had people think that somehow DOGE is going to stop them from getting their social security check, which is completely untrue.

I'm like a proponent of smaller government, not bigger government. So now if somebody is a proponent of, you know, more government programs and bigger government, and they see, hey, DOGE is cutting all these government programs, then they'll be fundamentally opposed to that, because they just think the government should do more things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: 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.

Another White House official says that call could happen as soon as this week. 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."

Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, as well as the editor of 'A Return to Normalcy? The 2020 Election that (Almost) Broke America." And he joins us from Charlottesville, Virginia. Good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So let's start with President Donald Trump's legal troubles over his authority to impose trade tariffs using emergency powers. His Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik says the tariffs are not going away. What do you say to that? And where do you see all of this going?

SABATO: Where I see it going is becoming even more chaotic. And that's really what has underlined this entire tariff controversy. It's up and down and over and around.

No one can plan because no one knows what's going to happen. Trump can change his direction on a dime, he can change his direction with a tweet or a post overnight. And it really has caused chaos and it has been extraordinarily sloppy.

CHURCH: And Larry, now the Trump administration is accusing China of violating a trade agreement made with the U.S. just a few weeks ago. And this comes just as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that President Trump is planning to speak with China's President Xi Jinping very soon, he thinks Trump can get these talks back on track. What is going on here, do you think?

SABATO: It's difficult to tell whether a cabinet officer is telling the truth or not, because in the Trump administration in particular, they always have to say good things. So Trump is always going to get things back on track or he's always going to solve a problem or end a war or pull down prices.

But it often, frequently, mostly doesn't happen. Now, Bessent is one of the more reliable cabinet officers and he seems to have this subject well in hand compared to others, including Trump.

But they're going to have to move awfully fast and they're going to have to move in a way that reinforces people's confidence and businesses' confidence, because they can't even decide what to order and when. They have no idea what's going to happen next month, next week or even tomorrow.

CHURCH: And Larry, on another topic, billionaire Elon Musk is leaving the White House, slowly extracting himself after his effort with DOGE to cut excessive federal government spending and jobs. What exactly did Musk and DOGE achieve? What savings were made and what might the consequences be of some of the cuts to government services, do you think?

[03:45:10]

SABATO: I think it's very likely that history will record Musk's effort in DOGE as a complete failure, an utter failure. He claimed at first he was going to cut $2 trillion out of the federal budget in an effort to reduce the long-term debt, and obviously that hasn't happened.

In fact, he's only claiming to have saved $175 billion and almost no one outside the Trump administration believes that. The best estimates I've seen is that there is an excellent chance that when all the toting is done, we'll have ended up spending more money on this DOGE effort than saving money, meaning it will have had no effect at all except to expand the debt, expand the deficit.

So, you know, it turns out, Rosemary, the government's complicated and it's really not easy to go in there and cut agencies and cut employees without knowing what you're doing. And in order to know what you're doing, you have to understand what these agencies and employees do. They didn't and it's a mess and it's going to remain a mess and it's going to cost us rather than help us.

CHURCH: And Larry, Elon Musk has made it clear he's not happy with Donald Trump's one big beautiful bill, which is set to add nearly $4 trillion to America's debt if it gets through the Senate in its current form. So how likely is it that the Senate will block Trump's budget bill? There's a bit of chatter on that, isn't there?

SABATO: Yes, but it's near zero. Again, they had no choice.

I remember telling you earlier the House had absolutely no choice. They were going to pass some version, some credible version in their eyes, at least, of the Big Beautiful Bill. The same is true in the Senate, why?

Because it's the entire Republican agenda boiled down into one giant bill. So it's for them and their re-elections, not just for Trump and his historical successes or failures. So they'll do it.

The question in my mind is, how is the Senate going to try to fix the large pieces of the House bill that either don't work or are threatening to push us further into debt by three or $4 trillion over 10 years and, in addition, not do the basic things, the fundamental things they claimed it would do, reducing government expenditure for one, increasing the productivity of Americans, reducing prices. I mean, they've promised the world. And we're not even getting an asteroid.

CHURCH: All right. Larry Sabato, I appreciate your analysis on all things political. Thanks for joining us.

SABATO: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: The results are in. Polish nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki has been elected the country's next president. He won by a razor-thin margin, defeating Warsaw's liberal mayor with less than 51 percent of the vote in Sunday's runoff election.

Nawrocki is aligned with Poland's right-wing populist Law and Justice Party. His victory means the party will continue its 10-years-and- counting spot in the presidential palace.

It also puts Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-democracy agenda at risk. Nawrocki styled his campaign after U.S. President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, winning the support of Poland's far-right parties as well as the Trump White House.

Well 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 3000 candidates vying for almost 900 positions.

But with candidates restricted from using public or private funding for their campaigns, they have been forced to use their own money. And as a result, we've seen very limited information about the candidates' profiles.

Voters have to spend up to 10 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.

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 one of the electoral authorities told me.

[03:50:08]

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 betting 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 15th, but the results of the nine ministers from the Supreme Court will be announced this Tuesday.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:55:10]

CHURCH: The Associated Press reports that wildfires have forced more than 25,000 people from their homes in central Canada. Smoke is lowering air quality in three provinces and now that smoke is blowing into the north central United States and having an impact there.

Manitoba has declared a state of emergency, officials say it will remain in effect until later this month as crews are deployed to fight the fires. Although some rain is expected this week, the forecast says it might not be enough to stop the flames.

Pope Leo welcomed competitors in this year's Giro d'Italia as the prestigious bike race rode into Vatican City. The pontiff blessed the cyclists and told them they're role models for young people all over the world. Riders then took off on a three kilometer non-competitive route through the Vatican before beginning the race's final stage.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Celebrations in Paris after PSG crushed Inter Milan 5-0 on Saturday night to win the club's first ever Champions League trophy. Tens of thousands of fans gave the team a big welcome at Parc des Princes Stadium and the squad's stars showed off their new silverware to the adoring crowd. Earlier the team held a victory parade along the famous Champs-Elysees and had a reception with French President Emmanuel Macron.

I want to thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. 'Early Start" with Rahel Solomon is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)