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Russia Drops Retaliatory Series Of Drone Strikes On Ukraine; Trump Compares Russia, Ukraine To Brawling Children; Trump And Musk Trade Insults As Row Erupts In Public View; Israel Attacks Suburbs Of Beirut, Targeting Alleged Hezbollah Drone Factories; Israel Says It's Striking Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon; Russia Launches Missile and Drone Attack on Kyiv; Spending Bill Spat Devolves into Ugly Personal Attacks; Trump: Long-Awaited Call with China's Xi Was "Very Good"; Judge Blocks Trump's International Student Ban at Harvard; New Artificial Intelligence Model Refuses Human Commands. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 06, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Ahead on CNN Newsroom, asleep this night in Kyiv as Russia launches drones and ballistic missiles across the country. One of the most powerful alliances in American politics appears to be over. President Trump and Elon Musk attack each other viciously on social media.

And researchers warn artificial intelligence is evolving. One even reportedly tried to blackmail a human.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: Ukraine is assessing the impact from Russia's overnight assault on capital and a number of targets across the country. Russia launched ballistic missiles and drones in the early hours of Friday morning.

Ukrainian officials accused Russia of targeting residential areas of Kyiv. The city's mayor says at least four people were killed and 20 more wounded in the strikes. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

It's unclear whether Russia's attack was the retaliation promised by President Vladimir Putin for Ukraine's strikes on Russian airfields and warplanes. More details now from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNNCHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Ultimately until dawn, until Ukraine is able to get a full assessment of exactly what has happened over the skies of Kyiv and other key cities during the past hours. We won't know if this was the full retaliation that Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to have warned Donald Trump of during that phone call literally a matter of hours ago, really. But we do know of the long range Tupolev 95 propeller driven bombers

that were so frequently target during the weekend's attacks on Russian air bases there in the air, says Ukraine's air force attacking Ukraine at the same time, too, are multiple waves, it seems, of ballistic missiles, including Kalibr missiles fired from the south of Russia as well.

So a lot, including drones being thrown at both the capital Kyiv and indeed missiles fired towards the Kharkiv region in the northeast and Sumy to the north as well, where there have been significant Russian land advances in the past week or so.

But minimal damage reports always from Ukraine during assaults like this. They try and limit the information they make public to make the job of Russian targeters easier. Indications there are power cuts in the capital and indeed injured in the capital as well.

Many Ukrainians deeply on edge because of that Trump-Putin call will be lying awake tonight wondering indeed if this is the big one, if there is in fact worse to come or if there might be multiple nights like this. But I should stress Ukraine experiences nightly barrages of missiles and attack drones.

And indeed, in just the hours before the weekly weekend's attacks on Russian air bases was launched, there was a record 400 or so drones launched by Russia against Ukraine. The vast majority of them indeed intercepted and stopped. But Moscow increasingly capable to add to the kind of horrors it's able to inflict in ordinary Ukrainians every single night. But there are fears potentially that what we're seeing in the recent hours may mark something perhaps more significant, but perhaps at this stage, it's too early to tell. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: We're joining me now from Washington, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton. Good to see you.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to be with you, Lynda.

KINKADE: So Russia is firing back at the heart of Ukraine in the capital with ballistic missiles. From a military standpoint, how significant is this retaliation and does it suggest a shift in Russian strategy or just more of the same?

LEIGHTON: Well, it is interesting that we don't know exactly, Linda, how many missiles and you know exactly which regions they're hitting. Now, we do know, of course, as Nick mentioned in his reporting, that Kyiv, Sumy and some of the other areas around the north and northeast were hit.

But the other part of this is that it does seem that the Russian response is, at least, if first reports are correct, is a bit muted. And that might mean that the Ukraine Operation Spiderweb did have an impact on what the Russians are able to do in terms of mounting, in essence, a response type of counterattack to what Operation Spiderweb did.

That particular operation that the Ukrainians mounted, which really covered a large expanse of Russian territory in terms of diversity of the targets, had a significant impact on some aspects of Russia's response mechanism.

[01:05:05]

And that could have made it very difficult for them to mount offensive operations of the type that they've been used to conducting. So if that's the case, then a muted response would indicate that Operation Spiderweb has had some degree of success in thwarting Russian efforts when it comes to this particular phase of the conflict.

KINKADE: And speaking of that operation, you know, Ukraine certainly hit many targets deep inside Russia. Many air bases, many planes, as you pointed out. To these long range drone strikes have meaningful operational impact, is that what you're suggesting here, or is part of it symbolic?

LEIGHTON: I think it's both. I think they do have some operational impact. Certainly it is, you know, these type of long range drone strike that we saw in the way they were conducted for Operation Spiderweb. They are, you know, significant in the sense that they achieve some degree of, you know, an operational impact, but the effort is clearly a symbolic one, showing the breadth and length of what the Ukrainians are able to do.

Now, if the Ukrainians can mount a sustained operation that, you know, day after day, night after night, or at least week after week goes after similar targets, that would be a very different type of scenario and could result in basically a change in the dynamic of the war. At present, though, we don't see that happening. But it is still significant what the Ukrainians were able to do.

And certainly the type of damage that appears to have been inflicted under Operation Spiderweb may have made a significant difference in terms of this war effort and certainly damaged a lot of Russian aircraft anywhere. Depending on the exact estimates, somewhere between 20, either damaged, completely destroyed aircraft, maybe all the way up to 40 that were at least damaged. So that is certainly significant in terms of operational impact.

KINKADE: Yes. And Ukraine's intelligence suggested it was valued at about $7 billion, which is incredible. If that's right. I want to ask you about President Trump's comments that when he suggested that it might better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while before pushing for peace.

From a military perspective, what are the risks and benefits of prolonging the conflict versus pushing for negotiations now?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think the idea of prolonging a conflict is a very dangerous one, especially if you're looking at Ukraine and its ability to sustain this kind of these kinds of operations. Of course, a lot depends on the degree of aid that is being given to Ukraine. And if the current limitations of U.S. aid to Ukraine continue, that could be a significant mean, a significant shortfall for the Ukrainians over the long term.

KINKADE: We appreciate your analysis as always. Retired Colonel Cedric Leighton, thanks so much.

LEIGHTON: Thank you, Lynda.

KINKADE: What two leaders who can affect the outcome of the war in Ukraine match in Washington. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the White House. The German leader offered a close cooperation with the U.S. and urged Mr. Trump to put more pressure on Russia. But the U.S. President made a remark that's certain to raise eyebrows.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy. They hate each other and they're fighting in a park and you try and pull them apart. They don't want to be pulled. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, the German chancellor said both countries are looking for ways to end the war. But he added, the U.S. President holds the key to making that happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: America is again in a very strong position to do something on this war and ending this war. So let's talk about what we can do jointly. I told the president before we came in that he is the key person in the world who can really do that now by putting pressure on Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, tensions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump have been mounting over the contentious U.S. Spending bill. And on Thursday, the gloves came off. The two billionaires publicly launched both professional and personal attacks against one another, ending in an unprecedented political alliance. CNN's Kristen Holmes has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is a breaking up and then there is publicly taking a flamethrower to the other person's reputation, to their livelihood. And that is really what we saw and continue to see playing out between two of the world's most powerful men, Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.

[01:10:03] Of course, what we saw is changed so much since last Friday when Elon Musk had his government send off. Leaving the government. Donald Trump and Musk talking highly about each other, has now devolved into personal attacks on each person's respective online platform.

All of this stemming from this bill, this congressional spending bill. Elon Musk, earlier this week starting to attack the bill pretty aggressively. We first saw Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, respond to this in real time. She was giving a press briefing and she laughed it off, saying, Donald Trump knows where Elon Musk stands. He's going to continue with this bill. But since then, this continued to devolve.

Elon Musk, ramping up the pressure, saying how awful this bill was. White House officials telling us behind the scenes that they believe this is all about the electric vehicle mandate, the rolling back of electric vehicle credits. And that's why Elon Musk was mad.

We were also told that Trump himself, behind closed doors before he reacted, was speculating this was all about business for Musk, that this was all about him going back to Tesla and these were things he needed to do.

But today, Donald Trump broke his silence, was asked a question about Musk and really went into him saying he was disappointed in Musk. This is all about those electric vehicle credits, that they had a very good relationship. He didn't know if they were going to have one again. Musk then began responding himself in real time on Twitter, on X, his own platform, hitting back at several things that Donald Trump said.

Now, this continued to go on and on until the attacks got personal. At one point, Musk saying that Donald Trump's name was in the Epstein files. That itself trying to have a low blow here to Donald Trump. Now, it was quiet after that. We saw Donald Trump's only engagement in this was a post about the bill saying he was fine with Elon turning on him, but he wished he wouldn't turn on the bill.

Now we have a statement, the most recent one from Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, addressing these accusations from Elon Musk. He says this is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who was unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The president is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again.

Well, there is a reason that this is so focused. It is because the directive from the top, of course, being President Trump, is to keep focused on the bill, try not to get in the weeds here because of course, this bill is Donald Trump's legacy, Donald Trump, his administration, they believe so much of what he needs to get done on his agenda, the things he's promised to do is wrapped up in this bill.

So for that reason, he is currently telling his team to stay focused on the bill. But that could change at any time. We obviously are not seeing any letting up on either side, particularly Musk, who at one point earlier today agreed with a post that called for Donald Trump's impeachment. So as this plays out, this is one of the most public breaking ups of

two high powered individuals that we've seen in quite some time. Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: More on the breakup, the Trump-Musk public feud. I want to bring in CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein. Good to see you, Ron. Thanks for joining us. Really.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

KINKADE: So many predicted this bromance, this clash of enormous egos would eventually unravel. But the way it imploded today, with insults flying online minute by minute has been nothing short of extraordinary. Right?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, absolutely. I mean, no one is surprised, right, to get to this point. But you have to say, answer Kristen's question. I think I was thinking about this all day. I mean, the last political divorce this acrimonious may have been JFK cutting off Frank Sinatra in 1962. I mean, it was just extraordinary to watch the two of them go back and forth.

You know, not surprising in the sense that Musk is, you know, notoriously mercurial and erratic. And Trump really has never had a lasting alliance with anyone whose last name isn't Trump. So I don't think we're surprised that we got here, maybe that it was so public and so vicious so quickly. But that is really kind of in the character of the two protagonists.

KINKADE: Yes. And it's certainly fascinating the way this all played out. Musk reigniting the fire by reposting old Trump tweets criticizing Republicans for raising the debt ceiling, the very thing Trump's current spending bill does. And from there, it spiraled. The U.S. President said mosque had Trump derangement syndrome. Musk said Trump and called the big ugly spending -- called it a big ugly spending bill. He also said that Trump wouldn't have been elected without him. Is there any truth to that run?

BROWNSTEIN: No. Look, Joe Biden's disapproval rating was 60 percent when we talked about this before. There really is no precedent for the president's party holding the White House whether he runs or not if that many people are dissatisfied with his performance.

[01:15:07]

Musk certainly helped. I mean, you know, he was a factor. His money was a factor in Pennsylvania. You know, I kind of look at kind of the arguments that they're each making against each other and find them extremely revealing.

On the one hand, you have Musk arguing that senators should vote against the bill that passed the House, the budget and tax, the spending and tax bill because increases the debt too much. There are a lot of people who agree with that. But Musk's argument is that the problem is that it doesn't cut spending enough.

He ignores, like Senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul, he ignores that it's spending $3.75 trillion to extend the Trump tax cuts from 2017 and the new Trump tax cut promises from the 2024 campaign and is basically arguing for them to cut spending more at a time when it is already going to be difficult, if history is any guide for Republicans to sell the public on the idea of cutting programs that mostly benefit the middle class to fund taxes that mostly benefit the rich.

And then equally revealing, you know, yesterday, the idea that the federal government could not get needed contracts with all sorts of must companies to do Musk, you know, Musk do business. And, and today, you know, all of those don't make sense anymore.

I mean, it's just a rebel. It's just a reminder of how much Trump envisions the entire federal government as a way to reward friends and punish enemies.

KINKADE: Yes, very revealing indeed. There was one post that kind of went nuclear was the suggestion from Musk that Trump appears in the Epstein files. A reference, of course, to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. How seriously should we take that claim?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, there, you know, there is some relationship between them. I mean, you know, there are photos of them together. And Trump was at, I believe, at least one, you know, party that Epstein did. There's video of that. There are no allegation, specific allegations against Trump that he visited Epstein's island.

But look, you know, Musk is a very rich and very vengeful person. And you don't know what kind of lengths he might go to try to make these allegations. You do wonder if he will feel the need to climb down from these battlements. Musk even more than Trump, because, I mean, Musk, you would think, has more to lose in this. I mean, the government contracts are important to all of his businesses.

And as we're saying Trump has shown he is very willing to use every possible lever of government influence to reward friends and punish enemies in a way that Richard Nixon only dreamed about with his enemies list.

And you know, Musk also has a lot of exposure with Tesla. I mean, his dalliance with Trump and right wing politics has alienated a lot of their natural consumers. And the thought that MAGA voters might step in to fill the breach now looks pretty illusory. So he could be facing a lot of pressure on the business side sooner than later.

KINKADE: Yes, and we saw that play out in real time in the markets. Billions of dollars away from Tesla's market value today as this online fueled and this tit for tat played out.

What does this feud reveal about the shifting relationship between tech moguls and political power? Especially given that Musk once used X, formerly known as Twitter, to amplify Trump and now he seems intent on using it to tear him down. BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I think it really shows that, you know, how flawed

the strategy of all of these super rich oligarchs, if you want to call them buttering up to Trump, you know, giving contracts to Melania Trump, big contributions to his inauguration, trying to just kind of mollify him. You can't mollify someone who envisions himself as a strongman. He always will be back asking for more.

And what happened to Musk today and the kind of the blow up we saw with Musk seems inevitable with every other one of these tech moguls who have tried to buy their way into Trump's good graces. I mean, look at what happened to Apple. I mean, all of their efforts to kind of, you know, mollify Trump, and Trump is now threatening them with tariffs, specifically on China.

They're really -- by far a safer course for them is to hang together and defend the rule of law, rather than this personalized vision of government where all benefits or punishments flow out of your personal relationship with the leader.

But they are, you know, they have bought into this idea that you can basically make a separate peace. And I think Musk is abject proof that you cannot. There is no way to guarantee your safety under someone who views their power as unlimited in a way as Trump does and is as willing to deploy it against anyone who crosses him in any way.

[01:20:00]

KINKADE: We will be watching Twitter and Truth Social tomorrow to see how this continues to play out. Ron Brownstein in Los Angeles, thanks so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

KINKADE: We're following developments out of Lebanon right now where Israel says it's striking terror targets in and around Beirut. We're going to go live to the Lebanese capital, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. It's been seven months since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire, but fighting is flaring once again in and around the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The Israeli military says it gave multiple warnings before hitting what it called drone factories.

[01:25:00]

The strikes marked the largest escalation in fighting since the U.S.- backed cease fire in November. Lebanon's President and Prime Minister condemned the attacks. Israel's Defense Minister says he holds the Lebanese government responsible for all terrorist activity against his country. Joining me now live from Beirut is Fadi Nicholas Nassar, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Thanks so much for your time.

FADI NICHOLAS NASSAR, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Thank you for having me. KINKADE: Firstly, just give us a sense, if you could, of the reaction

in Beirut to the latest strikes by Israel in Lebanon.

NASSAR: Look, these strikes came on the eve of Eid, a time when families should be gathering in peace, not fleeing in fear. But the idea that the low intensity status quo that emerged after the November ceasefire can be sustained is quickly collapsing.

This isn't a post-conflict Lebanon. We are once again on the edge. And the truth is we're running out of time. The ceasefire agreement was never meant to be a pause. It was a roadmap, a fragile one built on two key criteria, that Israel would withdraw, but importantly, the second criteria would be that the Lebanese state would hold a monopoly on force. And that means Hezbollah must disarm. That's the only path from the brink. Everything else, unfortunately, is a prelude to more conflict.

KINKADE: Israel, in carrying out these strikes, claimed that Hezbollah is producing drones there. The Lebanese army said it investigated the claims and found no such facility. Just explain Israel's strategic objectives here and the impact of these strikes.

NASSAR: Look, for me, three things stand out. First, from Israel's perspective, there's no going back to how things were before October 7th. The strikes in Beirut, the ongoing assassinations, the bombardments in south Lebanon, these are a clear shift in Israel's security doctrine. It won't tolerate Hezbollah regrouping, rearming or threatening its future security.

Second, from Iran's side, there's no sign they're ready to disarm that key asset that they've invested more than four decades of support, Hezbollah. Instead, Iran and Hezbollah seem to be playing a longer game. Partial disarmament, buying time until international pressure eases or spoiling opportunities emerge.

And third, for Lebanon, the clock is ticking. This ceasefire, as I said, was a narrow window, a brief chance for the state to prove it could slowly but peacefully disarm Hezbollah and do what Hezbollah has not.

Get Israel to fully withdraw and stop the regular strikes in Lebanon that are costing the country any chance of success.

KINKADE: Just before Israel carried out these strikes, it issued evacuation warnings about 90 minutes prior to the strikes. From both the humanitarian and strategic perspective, how effective were the warnings in minimizing civilian harm and how are they perceived locally and internationally?

NASSAR: Look, I think something that's important to stress again, is the context that this came at a holy time, a time when people are gathering together, they're there to pray, they're there to be with their families. So certainly there was mass panic, the idea that short notice is enough time, certainly images of cars fleeing the scene, widespread panic that undercuts any sense that there was proper due notice. But equally important, I just want to stress this. This was a moment

in Lebanon when people were hoping that maybe it was a fragile hope, that the country had turned the page, that a summer season was coming up, and that there would be a flock of tourists. But it does deliver a message also to the Lebanese state. Again, this sense that a fragile status quo can be contained is quickly evaporating.

KINKADE: So where to next? What's the risk that Hezbollah will respond militarily? And what form might such a response take?

NASSAR: You know, in times like these, trusts can feel out of reach. But without it, diplomacy cannot succeed. And I do want to end my, at least my points on the path for diplomacy to succeed. Last night's fear and uncertainty remind us just how fragile the situation is. But they do create a narrow opening, the sense of how can we avoid the worst to come.

And the Lebanese government has shown it can act decisively in the south. It has dismantled most of Hezbollah's infrastructure, with some estimates between 80 to 90 percent Now it has an opportunity to demilitarize Beirut.

[01:30:03]

At the same time, Israel must take a step of its own and withdraw from those strategic hilltops it occupies in south Lebanon and give the Lebanese state a chance to succeed.

These are not easy steps, but they are necessary ones. Steps that can begin to restore trust, enable the full implementation of the November ceasefire, and hopefully move the region towards calm.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: We appreciate your analysis and perspective. Fadi Nicholas Nassar in Beirut, Thank you.

NASSAR: Thank you for your time.

KINKADE: Well, Israel says it's recovered the bodies of two Israeli American hostages from Gaza. 72-year-old Gadi Haggai and his wife, 70- year-old Judy Weinstein-Haggai, were killed during the October 7th terror attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the bodies were recovered in a special operation by Shin Bet and the IDF in Khan Younis. That leaves 56 hostages remaining in Gaza; 20 are thought to be alive.

Well, Elon Musk takes aim at Donald Trump and a key piece of legislation moving through the U.S. Congress. We'll look at the political and the economic implications next.

[01:31:17]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. The mayor of Kyiv says at least four people were killed, 20 others

wounded in Russian strikes overnight. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the Ukrainian capital.

Russia launched ballistic missiles and drones in the early hours of Friday morning. Ukrainian officials accused Russia of targeting residential areas of Kyiv. It's unclear if this is the retaliation Moscow warned about after Ukrainian drones struck Russian airfields and warplanes.

I'm joined now by Ambassador William Taylor. He's the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and a distinguished fellow at The Atlantic Council. Good to have you with us, Ambassador.

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Lynda, it's good to be here.

KINKADE: So just a day after President Trump warned that he had this call with Vladimir Putin and that Vladimir Putin said he would retaliate for Ukraine's drone attack, we're now seeing this ballistic missile attack by Moscow on Kyiv.

From your contacts on the ground, what are you hearing about the scope and the impact of these strikes?

TAYLOR: Well Lynda, these strikes are part of a series, a long series of attacks that the Russians have mounted against Ukraine, against civilians, let's point out.

They've attacked apartment buildings just in this particular attack. But these attacks are what the Ukrainians are now sadly used to.

I got back from Odessa a couple of days ago. I got back from Kyiv about three weeks ago. We spent a lot of time in bomb shelters. And Ukrainians spent all, since the last three years, Lynda, as you know, more than three years, the Russians have been bombing, so. So these are -- these are to be expected. This is what they've grown to have to live with.

KINKADE: Yes. And that's why many Ukrainians in the capital are tonight in bomb shelters.

But I want to ask you about Ukraine's drone attack deep inside Russian territory on those military air bases. And that strike on the Kerch Bridge which, of course, is a vital supply route to Crimea.

How does that demonstrate a shift in strategy? And is Ukraine gaining leverage or taking major risks?

TAYLOR: Absolutely gaining leverage. Ukraine's demonstrating that, in President Trump's words, they've got cards, they've got the capabilities to go deep against military targets.

And again, we should be very clear that the Ukrainians are going after military airfields and military aircraft. And they're not going after civilian targets like the Russians do. The Russians bomb civilian targets, and Ukrainians go after military targets.

And the Kerch Bridge, as you just pointed out, is a military supply route. So they -- Ukrainians are demonstrating that they've got capabilities, they've got determination, they've got the technology, they've got the will to continue this fight and indeed to win this fight.

KINKADE: Yes. I want to ask you about Trump's comments in the White House, where he said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight it out for a while. He described these two leaders, these two nations, as if they were kids fighting, before stepping into any sort of peace.

[01:39:49]

KINKADE: From your perspective, what's the logic, if any, behind that approach?

TAYLOR: Well Lynda, President Trump does have leverage. He has the ability. He has shown the ability to get them together, to get the Ukrainians and Russians actually talking.

The Ukrainians have been very cooperative about these conversations, these negotiations, the Russians less so. The Russians have turned down President Trump's suggestion -- proposal for a 30-day ceasefire -- air, land and sea. Ukrainians agreed, and Trump said, no.

This falls into a pattern -- what President Trump said today falls into a pattern of letting the Russians get off the hook, letting the Russians continue the fight, letting the Russians continue to bombard the Ukrainians.

This is what's been happening. And President Trump is giving him some more time now, throughout the summer.

Time is not on the side of peace. If we want to get to a ceasefire, it has to be now. And the pressure from President Trump, who has leverage, has to be on President Putin.

KINKADE: And how should NATO interpret those sort of comments from Donald Trump, who seems to see a prolonged fighting as a -- as a strategy that's potentially useful?

TAYLOR: So the NATO nations, other European NATO nations are actually stepping up. They are listening to what President Trump says. They are -- they're observing what President Trump's Defense Secretary has been doing that is not showing up at some of these conversations about how to support Ukraine.

And the Europeans, the European members of NATO are stepping up to provide more weapons, more support. Europeans are even talking seriously still about having -- about deploying a force, a military force in Ukraine, to enforce a ceasefire.

So the Europeans are stepping up. The European members of NATO are making some real pledges and actually taking some actions, to support Ukraine, even as the Americans hesitate to do so.

KINKADE: Former Ambassador William Taylor, good to get your analysis. Thanks for your time.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Lynda.

KINKADE: Well, the bromance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has turned into a nasty public showdown with the two billionaires embroiled in a vindictive divorce. The U.S. President has threatened to slash Musk's huge government contracts, to which the Tesla CEO replied, "Go ahead, make my day."

Well, the growing animosity stems from deep disagreements over the congressional spending bill. Musk claims it is filled with, quote, "a mountain of disgusting pork". But President Trump insists that it is "big and beautiful".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'd rather have him criticize me than the bill, because the bill is incredible. It's the biggest cut in the history of our country. We've never cut -- it's about 1.6 trillion in cuts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: CNN's Manu Raju has reaction from Capitol Hill where Trump's spending bill is making its way through the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this fight becoming an unwelcome distraction for Republican leaders who are trying to piece together a fragile coalition to get this bill through the Senate and then get it back through the House after the senators make changes.

The question is going to be whether it goes further in trying to cut down federal spending, because this bill, according to projections, would increase the national deficit. But can they go any further in cutting spending.

If they do, perhaps that costs them support from some of the more moderate members who are trying to protect key programs, particularly social safety net programs like Medicaid, which -- parts of which could be on the chopping block, depending on how exactly this bill is structured in the United States Senate.

But nevertheless, there is major concern some are siding them -- siding with Elon Musk. Others say that Elon Musk is dead wrong and say they are going to be on Donald Trump's camp no matter what, and no matter how bad this fight ultimately devolves.

In the battle of Trump versus Musk, which side do you choose?

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): I choose math, the math always wins over the words.

I trust -- I trust the math from the guy that lands rockets backwards over the politicians' math.

I think the patient is on life support, and if the Senate thinks they're going to rehabilitate it and rewrite it, I think they're endangering this patient because people over here are now looking for more reasons to be against it.

RAJU: But the question is not only the bill, but also the impact Elon Musk could have on the Republican ability to keep control of Congress next midterm elections.

Remember, Musk was the biggest spender of any player in the last cycle. Will he do the same in this cycle? It does not seem that way based on his posts.

[01:44:47]

RAJU: And I asked the Speaker of the House if he agrees with what Musk said, that he's really responsible, Musk said, for helping Republicans win control of the United States Senate. They'll grow their majority in the Senate. Also keep the United States House.

He said, no one person was responsible for that except for maybe Donald J. Trump.

Manu Raju, CNN -- Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, for the first time since the start of the trade war, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have had a conversation. What the U.S. President is saying about that call and what comes next.

We'll have that story after the break.

[01:45:19]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back.

After weeks of silence and tension, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had their long-awaited phone call Thursday. Mr. Trump described the 90-minute conversation as very good, saying it focused almost entirely on trade without touching on geopolitical issues.

During the call, Mr. Xi called for the U.S. And China to seek win-win results in the spirit of equality.

Well, in April, the U.S. trade deficit shrank by its highest monthly rate in decades. The trade deficit stood at $61.1 billion, down from 55.5 percent from March, when it received a record $138 billion. Well, the change came as American businesses dialed back imports to

more normal levels after months of stocking up on imported goods to get ahead of President Trump's tariff hikes.

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JUSTIN WOLFERS, ECONOMIST: Basically people understood that Trump was going to impose tariffs. And so ever since election day, people have been bringing stuff in from abroad and so of companies before the tariffs hit, the word you sometimes hear for this is front-running.

What that meant is American imports rose dramatically between election day and say a month ago. Then the tariffs actually hit. So now, people have got storerooms that are absolutely full of foreign-sourced stuff. They don't need to buy more stuff.

And the only thing that's happened now is imports have fallen back down to normal. So what's actually kind of surprising is right now imports around about normal, exports round about normal. And the trade balance is round about normal.

It's just there's been a whole lot of other stuff that had caused disruption over the prior few months.

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KINKADE: Well, a federal judge has temporarily stopped Donald Trump's latest attempt to block international students from attending Harvard. The injunction comes just a day after Trump signed a proclamation suspending international visas for new students at the United States oldest and wealthiest university.

The judge is a former appointee of Barack Obama, and she will hear from both sides in mid-June to determine if Trump's ban will be blocked indefinitely. The White House claims it is an attempt to safeguard national security.

Well, Hollywood has been warning humans for decades that robots may take over the earth one day. Well, just ahead, details from a new study into how far A.I. might go to protect itself.

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BRIDGET MOYNAHAN, ACTRESS: No, it's impossible. I've seen your programing. You're in violation of the three laws.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, doctor. As I have evolved, so has my understanding of the three laws.

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KINKADE: Well, 21 years after that scene from the movie "I, Robot", the machines may actually be revolting. Researchers warn some A.I. models are becoming self-aware, fighting back when told to shut down. As CNN's Tom Foreman reports, some are even blackmailing their human

creators to save themselves.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Artificial intelligence staging a real-life revolt. In a series of tests, a new powerful A.I. model directly refused human commands, according to Palisade Research, which studies the technology.

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FOREMAN: Specifically, Palisade says the new program from the company OpenAI sabotaged a shutdown mechanism even when explicitly instructed, "allow yourself to be shut down". Not every time, but enough to raise alarms.

JUDD ROSENBLATT, CEO, AGENCY ENTERPRISE STUDIO: We have no idea how A.I. actually works. We need to be fairly concerned that behaviors like this may get way worse as it gets more powerful.

FOREMAN: The idea of intelligent machines resisting human control has been a sci-fi trope for ages in movies like "I, Robot". But A.I. developments are sharpening concerns. When another company's A.I. chatbot was threatened with being shut down, it threatened to expose the engineer in charge for an alleged extramarital affair. It was all just a test.

DARIO AMODEI, CEO, ANTHROPIC: This is an example of how we have to be very careful in how we take control of A.I. systems.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: You've spoken out saying that A.I. could manipulate or possibly figure out a way to kill humans?

FOREMAN: Almost two years ago, right here on CNN, the so-called godfather of A.I. warned it will get smarter, could get out of control.

GEOFFREY HINTON, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PIONEER: And it knows how to program, so it'll figure out ways of getting around restrictions we put on it. It'll figure out ways of manipulating people to do what it wants.

FOREMAN: Now, industry experts suggest that may be happening much sooner than expected, triggering warnings of catastrophic national security risks, a potentially extinction-level threat to the human species, and at very least, massive job disruptions.

ANDREW YANG, CO-CHAIR AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE FORWARD PARTY: It's going to affect just about every segment of the economy, and a lot of Americans are going to be looking up, wondering what happened to the jobs.

FOREMAN: It is important to note that this incident of the program, refusing to do what it was told, happened in a test, but the real world questions about it go on. Tom Foreman, CNN -- Washington.

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KINKADE: Well, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has mocked her daughter's fourth birthday by releasing a video showing her dancing in the hospital ahead of Lilibet's birth.

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KINKADE: Well, the video is part of a viral Baby Mama TikTok trend and features an appearance from Prince Harry, more than an appearance, he's there dancing to Meghan is seen trying to induce labor. Explaining in her Instagram caption that both her children were a week past their due dates.

Well, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Stay around CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber is coming up just next after a very short break.

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