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Minnesota State Lawmakers Targeted In Politically Motivated Shootings; Millions Gather For "No Kings" Protests Across the U.S.; New Round Of Israeli Strikes Target Several Iranian Provinces; Trump Weighs In On Attacks Against Minnesota Lawmakers; Celebration Of Army's 250th Anniversary Underway. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired June 14, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:29]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

We do have breaking news this afternoon out of Minnesota, where a massive manhunt is underway right now for the gunman who shot two state lawmakers inside their homes in the early hours of the morning, killing one of them, injuring another.

Law enforcement officials now saying the suspect has been identified. This is the suspect. They say they've identified. 57-year-old Vance Boelter. Officials calling this attack, quote, "politically motivated."

State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in this attack. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds. Both lawmakers are members of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party.

Now, authorities believe the gunman impersonated a police officer to target those lawmakers and their spouses at their homes. The governor, Tim Walz, calling this attack a politically motivated assassination. He issued an appeal to his state and to the nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D), MINNESOTA: We must all, Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence. At this precipice moment we're on this tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us. The democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in statehouses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: A short time ago, Governor Walz posted this saying, quote, "Out of an abundance of caution, my Department of Public Safety is recommending people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota until the suspect is apprehended." We bring in CNN's Veronica Miracle, who's joining us now with the

latest of what we're learning about all of this.

And, Veronica, authorities just identifying the suspect. What more do we know?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We know that he's 57 years old and that he works for a security company, Pretorian Guard Security. The company Web site says that Vance Boelter, who we've identified here as the suspect, serves as the director of security patrols and has had training by people in the U.S. Military, which may give some insight as to why he was able to get all of that gear and the car with the lights that made it look like he was law enforcement when he went to the homes of Senator Hoffman and Representative Hortman in these attacks.

Now found in his car was also a hit list with mayors, abortion providers, pro-choice advocates, and a number of 70 different targets both in Minnesota and other states. They found also a Father's Day card addressed to him in a bag full of ammunition. Now they were able to find, law enforcement was able to find all of this evidence inside of his car because when they arrived on scene at one of the homes there where all of this was unfolding, they encountered him and there was a shootout. He was able to get away. And that's when they found all of this evidence.

Now, we do have also an update in terms of the conditions of State Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who were both shot. They are now out of surgery and they are recovering from their injuries. That's according to a family member who spoke with one of our affiliate stations, KRTV. That family member was told by doctors that a bullet narrowly missed Senator Hoffman's heart, and his wife, Yvette, no organs were punctured when she was shot.

They're both expected to recover incredibly, both after being shot. And in a heroic act family members say that Senator Hoffman's wife, Yvette, threw herself onto her daughter's body in order to protect her, and her daughter was not hit. State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, as we know, both died from their injuries, and now Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has asked Capitol police to immediately increase security for both Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith from Minnesota.

And as this manhunt continues, we are hearing from people on both sides of the aisle to tone down the rhetoric and to really bring peace during this very turbulent time. And as this manhunt continues, police are asking people to remain vigilant. All of the "No Kings" rally events across Minnesota have now been canceled as police intensify their search for the suspect -- Jessica.

[15:05:07]

DEAN: OK, Veronica, please stand by. We want to check back in with you.

I also want to bring in Andrew McCabe, who is with us, to talk a little bit more about, Andrew, we're getting more details on this suspect who Veronica just mentioned they have now identified. But we also know that there was this manifesto discovered in his car and also just this list of targets. What are you thinking about as law enforcement tries to find this suspect?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, well, the manifesto is of enormous significance and importance to law enforcement. It gives them an insight as to other people who this person was trying to target, which may be an insight as to locations that he might be on his way to now if he's able to get out of this perimeter that they are trying to create in this three-mile area around the golf course.

It will also give investigators some indication of his motive, of his background, his view, what, you know, what are the things he likely included statements that shed some light on why he's doing this, like what is driving him to do this stuff. And I should also say that of critical importance to investigators at this point is the idea that we need to rule out whether or not he has anyone else who he has been sharing these opinions with, and may have been planning these acts with.

There's no indication right now that we have a second subject, but the prospect of that always hovers over the, you know, the counterterrorism investigators to think like, is there another person who this person was in league with who might now also be compelled to go out and take the same action? So securing those people that are on the target list, so to speak, is of paramount importance for our law enforcement friends today.

DEAN: Yes. And then there's this piece of it that this suspect was allegedly impersonating a law enforcement officer. How complicated does this make things?

MCCABE: It makes it very complicated to continue to secure the rest of the community, especially now that you've got this guy who's already killed two people, tried to kill two others, and he is on the run. He's got some sort of security background. He works at a security company. He supposedly has received some military training or training from military people in the past. He's desperate. We know that he's lethal.

And so the ability to kind of hide in plain sight, appearing as if he's a public safety officer or police officer, is the sort of thing that could get him access to another home, to another family. You know, if he gets into a house and then holds that family hostage, he could potentially hold up completely under the radar for quite some time. So it's very dangerous aspect of this, the fact that this guy so easily passes himself off as a law enforcement -- member of the law enforcement community, which of course, he's not.

DEAN: And just zooming out for a minute, this example of political extremism, of political violence in this country, it is something that we continue to see percolating here. And I know that in the last couple of years, the FBI and others have been flashing the lights saying we are at a real risk for this continuing to escalate and we continue to see it happening.

What do you make of this moment in time and how we continue to see just, you know, today's example, just a horrific example of political violence.

MCCABE: Yes, Jessica, we are sliding in a very, very dangerous and dark direction in this country in terms of the way some people choose to express their political beliefs. Political violence is something that we have experienced before, like historically, you know, there have been times when this country has really been wracked by it. Not so much in the last several decades, but it is absolutely on the rise.

Now, if you look at the FBI statistics and the things that former FBI director Christopher Wray said while he was testifying in front of Congress, political violence, much of it coming from the right side of the political agenda, was something that was of paramount importance to him. But honestly, we've seen it, you know, in ways, for instance, the Butler, Pennsylvania, shooter who attempted to assassinate then candidate, of course, now President Trump, we've never really been able to identify a distinct political commitment on the part of that shooter.

He was, I think, registered as a Republican but had contributed money to Democrats. He had done research on the locations of President Trump, but also of President Biden at the same time.

[15:10:03]

But perfect example of someone who you can't even paint him into one corner or the other, but yet he decides to express whatever he's trying to express in the form of clearly political violence. So this is a very polarized time in our country. People have very strong opinions about politics and the future of the country, and we are seeing that more and more often bleed over into these isolated instances of political violence.

And it's something that is, you know, it's a terrible trend, and it's also one that compels government sometimes, we have seen this historically, to then take steps to protect against that, that cut into the liberties and the rights of all Americans. So it's really a very concerning time in this country, and a good moment for everybody, really, to take a breath and just kind of step back.

DEAN: All right, Andrew, please stay with us. I do want to bring in John Miller, who has been speaking with sources.

John, tell us more about what you're hearing about the manhunt, the investigation, the suspect.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, investigators have known the identity of the shooter, or at least who they suspect to be the shooter for some time. The picture that emerges of him is slightly unusual. It's an individual who is registered with the state of Minnesota as running an armed security company. On that company's Web site, he shows up as the director of patrols. At the bottom, it says, we are right at your doorstep to properly keep

you and that you own safe and secure, which is ironic considering, you know, what is alleged here. He's an individual who claims to be Doctor Vance Luther Boelter, claiming a master's degree in leadership and an MS in management science from Stritch University.

He's also a guy who runs a business involved in public speaking. It appears mostly his public speaking preaching at churches, giving leadership speeches in front of organizations. At the same time, on a LinkedIn page, he says, mostly looking to get back into the food business, listing that he's been the manager of a convenience store, worked for a couple of food chains, so he's a little bit professionally all over the map.

On the security Web site, he claims to be an individual who has worked in security overseas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the Middle East, worked with the U.S. Military doing training. And yet he is allegedly the person who loaded up what appears to be a vehicle from the security company that looks like a law enforcement car with multiple weapons, a large amount of ammunition, and started targeting Democratic state legislators roughly in the area where he lives.

The hit list that was found in the car includes approximately 70 different names, locations. The state legislature's members, the lieutenant governor, a number of providers of abortions, medical clinics, various pro-choice groups. So the question is, if he was on his second target when he ran into police, how many of these targets did he intend to keep hitting from those predawn hours on?

DEAN: Yes, I mean, that is, it is a haunting question, I think, for so many. And now we look forward as they try to find this person. How difficult is that, again, considering he has some of this training and has gone so far as to impersonate law enforcement?

MILLER: Well, I mean, you have a breadth of experience that we have in roughly similar cases, and there are three outcomes that we have become accustomed to seeing. One is he's confronted by law enforcement, and because of his agenda, his manifesto, his need for attention, whatever that may be, he surrenders. The other is that he is confronted by law enforcement and he confronts them.

Remember, he's wearing tactical ballistic protection. He's got a tactical vest. He's got whatever weapons he fled with, and they may shoot it out. Or, the third version, and we see this often, right, Jessica, where he may have said, I've gotten as far as I'm going to get with this project and could be found dead from a self-inflicted wound. Those are the kind of typical endings we see in scenarios like this.

But at this point, we don't know what that's going to be, because right now, as far as we know, law enforcement knows who he is. But since he was separated from his car, most of his ammunition and the rest of his weapons and went on the run into the darkness, they may not know where he is.

[15:15:02] DEAN: Right, and assess that threat level, John. I don't want to spread fear by any means, but in terms of the threat level and people's safety, people who are on that list, but also people who live in that neighborhood, how concerned is law enforcement right now about that?

MILLER: Extraordinarily, because when you break that down to the choices, you know, that also comes in a set of three, which is, can he reach out to someone he knows and trusts and seek refuge with that person? If not, then he's got to rely on either hiding or strangers. So scenario number two is he's lost his vehicle. Can he get to another car? Or do we end up in a situation with a carjacking where he tries to take a car?

And of course, the third scenario is he can't just be going from backyard to backyard, garage to garage. Does he try to enter a residence? This is precisely why police have said, lock your doors. Don't trust anybody. If it appears to be a law enforcement person and they're by themselves, don't give them admittance because they know he's going to be looking to get inside somewhere if he can.

DEAN: Our hearts go out to those people who are having to experience that, to obviously these victims' families as well.

John Miller, Andrew McCabe, our thanks to both of you. We really appreciate it.

And still ahead, we're going to have a live update from the Middle East, as Israel is bracing for the possibility of more attacks by Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now warning Israel will, quote, "strike every target of Iran's regime."

Plus demonstrations against President Trump and his policies are now underway in dozens of cities across the U.S. They are being dubbed the "No King" protests, and CNN is on the scene at many of these rallies. We're going to take you there. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:20]

DEAN: Across the country today, millions are expected to turn out in protest against President Donald Trump. And nearly 2,000 cities all across 50 states demonstrators are staging "No Kings" rallies denouncing what they describe as the president's authoritarian policies.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is in New York. CNN's Michael Yoshida is in Los Angeles, where the protests are already underway.

Gloria, let's start first with you. What are you seeing where you are?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, we've been marching alongside protesters for a few blocks now. We started a few blocks north near the New York City Public Library. And what you can see here is that despite the very rainy weather, there are thousands of people that have come out here to join this protest. It is a sea of umbrellas and signs all along Fifth Avenue here in Manhattan.

We are heading south to Madison Square Park, where the march is expected to conclude, and we have been watching as older people, children, young people, families, couples, groups of people have come out here to protest and participate in this so-called "No Kings" march.

And I want to introduce you to just one of those people that is here, joining the protesters. She's actually from Boston, but joined the rest of her family here in New York City. This is Mary.

Mary, we've been walking for a few blocks the last few minutes. It's moving slowly, but it's moving.

MARY, NYC PROTESTER: It is moving.

PAZMINO: Tell me what brought you out here today.

MARY: Well, I'm very, very concerned for our country and the strength of democracy. I would like to see it thrive. And I feel we have, we're suffering through a lot of threats to democracy here. And this seemed like a very powerful and important place to come to express that. And I'm here with my family and a sea and a chorus of just a glorious representation of people's joy and concern about what's going on.

PAZMINO: There are many more of these happening around the country. How does that make you feel as an American, as a voter, as a protester, that it's not just here in New York City, but happening across many different states in response to the administration right now?

MARY: Well, it makes me feel like I'm part of humanity and a very special and important family that has to do with being an American. And also, I think, a sense of wanting voices to be heard in public places, because part of what it means to be a member of a community is to feel that we have access to public places. And as you can see, this is a glorious public place to do that expression.

PAZMINO: What is the message, do you think, here today, the message that you want this administration to hear, but the message to the rest of the country who may be watching this on TV?

MARY: I think the importance of sustaining democracy in ways that are, that respect the history of democracy and what sets us apart as a country, and also to honor the fact that we are a community who has benefited from all the freedoms that come with democracy. And I think this this message is coming through loud and clear. And the more people that you see and hear doing it, that translates across the country, because every person here has a family, has friends, has people who live in other cities.

So there's a groundswell of this message traveling across the country. And I think you see it expressed today.

PAZMINO: Thank you so much, Mary. I really appreciate it. Jess, so as you can see here, thousands of people have come out to

join the march. The weather not deterring them in any way so far peaceful. So far there's been no altercations or any sort of interactions, negative interactions with police. The NYPD has been monitoring activity here, but so far what we've seen is that it's a completely peaceful and significant turnout here at this march -- Jessica.

[15:25:09]

DEAN: All right. Gloria Pazmino, she's in New York City.

I want to go now to Los Angeles, where Michael Yoshida is standing by.

Of course, Michael, it was just last week and over the last several days, we saw those anti-ICE protests taking place in the city that required a fair amount of law enforcement. And then President Trump federalizing the National Guard. What is happening with this protest today? What is it like there?

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Jessica. You talk about kind of the backdrop of the last week leading up to this weekend. And obviously that's on the minds of everyone who showed up here today. We've been marching for probably about an hour, hour and a half at this point. Thousands filling the streets of downtown Los Angeles. We began at city hall. We walked to a nearby park.

Now, protesters again on the move, and we've been seeing people of all ages, all backgrounds here today. We've had young, old, we've had children of immigrants here with their immigrant parents who wanted to be here for the first time, taking part in a protest. And when we talk about like what we're seeing right now, obviously we have thousands here in the streets, but it's been peaceful throughout the entire time.

People trying to respect the traffic as well as we make our way through back towards city hall, back towards that detention center where we saw so much activity earlier in the week. And while we're stopped, I want to bring in Victor.

VICTOR, PROTESTER: Yes.

YOSHIDA: You're here today. Why was it so important for you to show up here today with so many others from Los Angeles and beyond?

VICTOR: Of course, because we stand in solidarity with immigrants. Los Angeles is an immigrant city, but so is the United States. And we wanted to give an accurate picture of what's going on here. This is an organized, peaceful protest. The only invasion going on here is the military that Donald Trump went ahead and sent here.

YOSHIDA: And when did you know that you needed to be out here? When did it become clear in your mind that you wanted to be here today?

VICTOR: As soon as the raids started happening, I knew that I needed to come here to represent an accurate picture of what's actually going on here. A peaceful protest, and people who really care and connected to our community. Then that means everybody.

YOSHIDA: All right. Thank you so much, Victor. Thank you.

And as you can see, we've been starting to move again here in downtown L.A. We've been going for about an hour, hour and a half. Obviously, we're making our way back through the streets. Again a very energetic crowd, a loud crowd, a very big crowd, but at this point very peaceful as well -- Jessica.

DEAN: OK, that's the latest from Los Angeles. Michael, thank you so much for that.

Still ahead, we are covering the newest round of Israeli strikes on Iran. This as CNN learns the sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks have been canceled. We are live from the Middle East. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:16]

DEAN: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is today warning Israel will strike, quote, "every site and every target" of Iran's regime. The region bracing for more possible attacks as tensions escalate in this long running conflict. Waves of missiles going back and forth overnight. Israel saying it struck 150 targets in Iran, claiming to have further set back that country's nuclear program. Both sides have reported casualties in this back and forth.

CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward is joining us now from Israel.

Clarissa, I know you traveled to one of the neighborhoods just outside of Tel Aviv there, and you saw with your own eyes some of this devastation from the missile attacks, which is very unfamiliar for Israelis there.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jessica. We went to a street where essentially half of the block has either been just completely eviscerated or heavily damaged. This is not too far from Tel Aviv. It's one of the places where these Iranian missiles actually made landfall last night.

Several houses completely destroyed at least one man and one woman were killed, and you could see a lot of Israelis gathering or as close as they could get to it by the police cordon to try to sort of strain and get a better look, because the scale of the damage, the devastation, that kind of munition is not something that people here in Israel are used to seeing.

It is something that people who live under Israeli bombardment, be it in Gaza or Lebanon or Syria, are very used to seeing. But it's not something that people are used to here. So certainly heightened curiosity, but also heightened anxiety. And that anxiety is being felt not just in Israel, but also, of course, in Iran and across the region. It has just got dark here in the last couple of hours. People bracing

themselves wondering whether we can expect another night of heavy attacks and counterattacks like we saw last night in the wake of this extraordinary escalation, with real fears that at this stage there's nothing really to bring both sides back from the brink. There's no real off ramp in sight, Jessica.

So they have changed some of the rules or clarified some of the guidance, I should say, around the alert system here in Israel. Now people will get a notification on their phone when they have 15 to 30 minutes to try to find a shelter. Then they'll get another one at 10 minutes. And then when they hear those sirens, they know they have about 90 seconds before they need to find a hard structure and shelter in place until they get another alert that tells them that it's safe to move -- Jessica.

[15:35:03]

DEAN: And Clarissa, we know that this latest round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for tomorrow has now been canceled. That is not moving forward at this moment. And you mentioned it just got really dark there in the last couple of hours.

What is the feeling around what comes in the next 24 or so?

WARD: Well, I think the assumption had been that most likely these talks would not go ahead given this dramatic escalation. But now that they have officially been canceled, I think the expectation is that we are in for the long haul. And there's also a sense that the gloves have come off here. We're seeing casualties on both sides. As you mentioned, at least three people killed in Israel overnight and in Iran, Iran state media saying that over 70 people have been killed.

And so people are bracing themselves for the possibility that this is going to continue, that it could take some time. And as many ballistic missiles as being fired in, and maybe its dozens or maybe its hundreds on the Iranian side, the majority of them, of course, being intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome, but not all of them. And when one or two manage to get through and fall into a heavily populated area, you can see, as we saw earlier, the destruction that ensues -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. More to come from Israel. Clarissa Ward live there for us tonight. Thank you so much for that. We appreciate it.

We're going to have much more on the breaking news ahead as a massive manhunt continues for the suspect, who authorities say shot two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses in a targeted attack. We're going to tell you what we're learning about the manifesto found in that suspect's vehicle. More when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:21]

DEAN: Let's return to our top story this hour as an urgent manhunt is underway in Minnesota after state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife gravely injured in that -- in a separate attack. Governor Tim Walz says this appears to be politically motivated.

CNN's senior reporter Betsy Klein is at the White House.

And Betsy, we understand President Trump has been briefed on this. What are you hearing from the White House?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT AND WRITER: Well, we are learning that this really is a multi-pronged, multi-agency federal response here. And president Trump has been briefed on the situation. He says, quote, "I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers.

Our Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place."

We also know that Attorney General Pam Bondi is closely monitoring this situation with this manhunt underway. The FBI is fully engaged as is the Department of Homeland Security. The president is here in Washington, and a few hours from now, we are expected to see him at that 250th anniversary of the Army Parade, a few steps away from the White House. This also comes at a moment when temperatures are just so high.

There are so many tensions around the president's policies. We are seeing protests largely peaceful across the country today. The president himself has gone after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz multiple times in the last week prior to this incident. Trump also was the target of two attempted assassinations just last summer. The White House, of course, watching all of this quite closely with this manhunt still underway.

And I also want to note that we have learned that all of the Democratic members of Minnesota's congressional delegation were on the suspect's alleged hit list. We have learned that the U.S. Capitol Police have reached out to each member of the state's delegation for security follow-ups and Minnesota's bipartisan congressional delegation uniting for a joint statement expressing their grief and outrage -- Jessica.

DEAN: And Betsy, separately, and again just zooming out for everyone, there is so much news happening today and we are zooming out globally. We're learning about a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Putin. What do we know about that phone call?

KLEIN: Yes. So President Trump moments ago confirming that he did have a lengthy phone call this morning with Russia's President Vladimir Putin. I want to read you his statement. He said, President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a happy birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well. We talked at length, much less time was spent talking about Russia, Ukraine, but that will be for next week.

He is doing the planned prisoner swaps. Large numbers of prisoners are being exchanged immediately from both sides. The call lasted approximately one hour. He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained his war should also end.

Now a few notable items here. Iran was the main point of discussion. This is somewhere where the U.S. feels they can work with Russia on some mutual interests. Separately, the president expressed his agreement with Putin that the Iran-Israel war should end. That is something that is quite notable there. His feelings on that. Also, that they will talk next week about Russia and Ukraine.

It was more than two weeks ago that President Trump set that 14-day deadline to assess how serious Russia's President Putin was about ending this war. Of course, finding a solution here, Jessica, has proven elusive.

[15:45:02]

DEAN: Yes, you're right. That last line about both wars ending quite key indeed.

Betsy Klein at the White House, thank you so much for that.

And still ahead, we're going to preview the U.S. Military parade that will get underway in the nation's capital in just a few hours. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: All right. This is what it looks like in cities across America today. Anti-Trump protesters filling the streets. Nearly 2,000 of the so-called "No Kings" demonstrations. They've been planned in all 50 states.

[15:50:05]

That is the backdrop as we turn to Washington, D.C., where today marks the U.S. Army's 250th birthday, and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Washington already celebrating and in just a couple of hours, a military parade is set to kick off.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is along that parade route.

Kristen, tell us what you're seeing. Obviously, there are many preparations that are underway. What more do you know about today's festivities?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, I mean, the real thing that we're seeing here is intense security. There are intense lines. We have seen people waiting for hours trying to get through the mags, because we know that this is an event that they really want to keep secure. So the crowds are still streaming in. I'm not sure how it's going to look once it actually fills out, because there were such long lines waiting to get in. But what we're expecting today is going to be something we really

haven't seen in America ever. So the closest thing we've seen was back in 1991. This is a celebration of the military. We're talking about millions of pounds of military hardware that's going to be going down the street behind me. 6700 soldiers, B-52 bombers from World War II, 50 helicopters. The Golden Knights are going to be putting on a parachute demonstration.

What they want this to look like is the best of the best of the military. You're also going to see different eras, from the Revolutionary War to modern, talking about uniforms, weaponry, animals are going to be part of this as well. Horses. There's two mules. There's a dog involved. I'm told. Now all of this going to go down the street behind me and pass right by the box that I think you can see over my shoulder here.

That's where Donald Trump is going to be sitting. The president, they say it's just a coincidence that this is happening on the same day as his birthday, despite the fact that he himself has wanted one of these military parades since he first saw it back in 2017 when he went to France. It is, of course, as you said, coincidence, the fact that both of these birthdays fall on the same day.

DEAN: All right. Kristen Holmes there in Washington, thank you for that update.

I also want to check in with CNN's Julia Benbrook, who is also in D.C., a little away from where Kristen is on the National Mall.

What's going on from your vantage point, Julia?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, while a lot of the attention has been on the parade happening later this evening, the plans for that only became clear over the last few months since President Donald Trump started his second term. But the Army has long been planning to celebrate and hold this festival to honor the 250th anniversary. And we have seen throughout the day they started out with a fitness competition. We saw soldiers demonstrate the endurance, the strength, the teamwork that it takes to serve during that.

Then we have seen a lot of different things. They've got vendors out here. They have Army equipment as well as performing acts, and I think there's a cooking demonstration actually happening right now. So the tone here is a celebratory one, and I want to scan the camera over just a little bit because some of the people who are attending, they are getting a glimpse at some of the equipment that will be in the parade. Not this specifically but this is a Blackhawk helicopter.

We will see equipment like this participating in the flyover this evening and that parade we're going to shift into that mode around 6:00 p.m., and that's going to go from around the Lincoln Memorial to near the White House, where Kristen is reporting from now. But today, as we've spoken, you know, really honoring the Army here. And as we've seen a few T-shirts in protest of Trump's actions or of war in general, for the most part, the tone has been celebratory.

DEAN: All right. And Julia, thank you so much for that. Stand by. We're going to check back in with you in just a little bit.

I do want to go to Brian Todd now because, Brian, while this parade is going on, there are also protesters in D.C. What are they saying?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, it's been kind of a dynamic scene here, a march from Logan Circle here to Lafayette Square Park. Speeches in both places. They're getting ready to march back toward Logan Circle here. Again, very dynamic scene.

Several hundred people here. A short time ago, though, we had a bit of a dustup between these anti-Trump protesters, the majority of whom you're seeing here, and about two or three pro-Trump protesters who showed up with a banner supporting the president and what he's doing with the military parade.

Those people were quickly confronted by a group of these protesters who kind of jawed at them and shouted them down, and they started to walk out with the help of a couple of police officers. It was kind of a tense confrontation for a couple of minutes, but then it broke up as those pro-Trump protesters left the area.

This lady, Nadine Siler (PH), was one of the people who confronted those protesters.

Nadine, what happened there and why did you want to confront them?

NADINE, PROTESTER: So she came into the protest with a sign. I'm not sure exactly what sign, but the pro-Trump sign, in our anti-Trump protest. And then she was talking about the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol, and she took out, those people who die and, I don't know, missing in action.

TODD: Right.

NADINE: Flag to associate the insurrectionists with people who are missing in action.

[15:55:01]

I'm offended by it on many levels. One of the levels is that Trump, first of all, is a five-time deferment, bone spur, you know, draft dodger as she comes into our protest and then she's talking about out a somebody, people who are missing in action and comparing them to insurrectionists who are alive. I'm offended by it.

TODD: Well, thank you for talking to us, Nadine. We appreciate it. And we'll keep track of where you're going with these other protesters here.

Again, they're going to go back toward Logan Circle. This is -- they tell us this is getting ready to wrap up pretty soon. And you can see them there. They're kind of in -- they're blocking street here with some kind of a series of chants and slogans. But it's been a very dynamic scene here. Pretty much the main event to oppose President Trump and the military parade here today in Washington -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Brian Todd in Washington, thank you very much for that.

I also want to let you know we are expecting a news conference to start at any minute from authorities there in Minnesota. We are expecting an update from them just hours after a state lawmaker and her husband were gunned down and a second lawmaker and his wife were wounded, gravely wounded in separate shootings.

Stay with us for the very latest. We'll take you to that news conference when we come back.

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