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Israel, Iran Takes Damage As Missile Strikes Escalate; Trump And The Military Parade; Manhunt Underway In Shooting Of Minnesota Lawmakers. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 15, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: This is what played out in Central Israel as Iranian missiles rained down on targets across the country overnight. Officials say the barrage killed at least 10 people and left about 140 others injured. Tehran says it used its new guided or maneuverable ballistic missile in some of these strikes, claiming it can penetrate Israel's advanced air defenses.

But Iran also taking heat, as you can see in this footage released by Israel's military. They say, it shows strikes on Iranian missile launchers. Iranian media say a major oil depot near Tehran has also been hit along with the country's Defense Ministry, which is in the capital. Sources telling us the Israeli operation is expected to take weeks, not days.

Nada Bashir monitoring those developments and she joins us now from London. Nada, get us up to speed, if you will.

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Becky, we certainly are seeing those indications of a further escalation, as you mentioned, continuing to see the barrage of missiles from Iran targeting Israeli territory and, of course, Israeli air force as well targeting Iranian territory.

In fact, we've heard from the Israeli military saying that their air force has been actually able to operate freely within Iranian airspace alongside Israeli drones, that they have been successful in targeting over 150 military objectives. And as we understand it, the Israeli military has been focused thus far on targeting Iran's nuclear capabilities in the country, senior military commanders, and top nuclear scientists. But now also, as you mentioned, just overnight, we've seen the targeting of an oil depot as well as, according to the Israeli military, Iran's Defense Ministry headquarters.

Now, of course, what we've also seen in turn on Israeli territory is the targeting of several buildings around Central Tel Aviv, as well as we've seen the targeting of the Palestinian Israeli town of Tamra. The death toll at this stage, according to emergency services, has already risen to 10 and dozens have been injured as a result. But those search and rescue operations are still ongoing.

And what we've been hearing from Israeli officials is that continued vowing of a severe response that they will be continuing to target Iranian territory, that we are expecting to see this expanding. As you mentioned, this is something according to sources, that could take weeks, if not days. Take a listen to this statement from one IDF spokesperson just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EFFIE DEFRIN, ISRAELI MILITARY SPOKESPERSON (through translation): Reaching Tehran is of high operational and strategic importance. The air force and the intelligence division have been preparing for this for years. We will go wherever it takes to protect the citizens of Israel.

Tehran is no longer immune. Its capital and Iran's terrorist institutions are vulnerable to Israeli attacks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, we've also been hearing from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has said that the Israeli military is focused, in his words, on targeting what he has described as the dual Iranian threat. So both nuclear capabilities but also ballistic missiles as well. The IDF says it has been successful in targeting some of those ballistic missile launchers.

But as you mentioned, Becky, the Iranian regime has also said that it has now begun using new ballistic missiles, maneuverable ballistic missiles, that they claim are able to penetrate Israel's air defense systems. And while we have seen many of those missiles being intercepted overnight, as we have seen many of them have also at mid landfall and impact on those targets.

Now, the Israeli prime minister has also, of course, touched on the focus on Iran's nuclear capabilities. We've heard from Netanyahu saying that this attack by Israel will continue until they have been successful in eliminating what Israel has described as the Iranian nuclear threat. We've seen already the targeting of the Natanz Nuclear Base. And of course, what we've been hearing from Israeli officials is that they believe that they have been effective in that attack and in that targeting, that it has been far more effective than perhaps Iranian officials have claimed.

But at this stage, no clear confirmation around the extent of the damage sustained, according to Iranian officials. But again, what we are seeing across the board is this continued expansion, this escalation. There doesn't seem to be, at this stage, any hope of a diplomatic off ramp, although we certainly have been hearing indications of such from the United States, suggestions perhaps putting pressure on Iranian officials to try to perhaps simmer things down, to come towards some sort of diplomatic resolution.

But the messaging that we're hearing from Iranian officials, the messaging that we're hearing from Israeli officials is that this is not the case. That this is only going to escalate further on the military front. Becky?

[02:05:05]

ANDERSON: Nada, it's good to have you. Thank you. Yaakov Katz is the former Editor in Chief of Jerusalem Post, where he is now a Senior Columnist. He's also the author of three books about the Israeli military. And he joins us now live from Jerusalem. And it's good to have you this morning.

I speak to people in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. They say this feels very different from the sort of well telegraphed, somewhat scripted tit-for-tat operations between Israel and Iran last year. And we are seeing the fallout for civilians. Just describe the mood there on the ground, if you will, before we talk about the objectives here by Benjamin Netanyahu and his Israeli military.

YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, JERUSALEM POST: Becky, the mood in Israel right now is one of great trepidation. On the one hand, there are definitely the successes that Israel has seen so far in its battle against Iran to attempts to realize the nuclear program. Israel now has aerial sovereignty or superiority over Iranian airspace, and able to do what it needs to get done.

But at the same time, these missile attacks are continuing and they are exacting a great toll on Israel. We had four women who were killed in an Israeli Arab town in Northern Israel. Overnight, a village called Tamra, mother two of her children and a relative. And now there's another four people or six people killed in a building that was hit in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, many more who are still missing in that building.

So these missile attacks are exacting a toll and that's going to bite away or chip away at Israelis, I would say, patience and tolerance for this to continue for a very long time.

ANDERSON: What do you make of what you are hearing from the prime minister, from the army chiefs, from the military infrastructure? And what's your perception about what the objectives are here and what happens next?

KATZ: Israel is, I think, highly-focused on the primary goal here in this mission, which is to neutralize and set back for as long as possible, Iran's nuclear program and nuclear infrastructure. Everything we've seen until now, the focus has been on, I would say, two other categories alongside Iran's nuclear facilities. There was the military command, the IRGC command, some, of course, the nuclear scientists, as well as the surface to surface missile systems, the launchers, the ballistic missiles that are now being launched into Israel to try to degrade and take away from Iran's ability to attack, and of course the radar and the surface to air missile system.

So Israel has now pretty much completed those later categories, the ones of the missile -- surface to air missile and the radar. This is to be able to now have that superiority over Iranian airspace to focus on the nuclear installations. That's now the main focus of the operation. Of course, they're going to continue trying to degrade the ballistic

missiles to save lives in Israel, but ultimately this is about setting back Iran's nuclear program. And really, Becky, the question is, how long will it be able to do that for?

ANDERSON: Democratic Representative Seth Moulton in the United States has said, and I quote, that the US has real concerns about supporting strikes on Iran by Israel. And we are hearing MAGA voices on the opposing side on the right also concerned about any US involvement in support of Israel. What do you think the expectations are at this point from the Israeli government? And how do you read the relationship at present?

What need is there at this point for involvement by the US from their perspective?

KATZ: Look, from Israel's perspective, if America were to get involved here and to, I would say, allocate resources like B-2 bombers and other capabilities, to finish off the Iranian nuclear infrastructure, this could be done within just a couple of hours. You know that like I do, Becky.

The Americans have superior capabilities to what the Israeli Air Force has and what they could bring down on facilities like Fordo, or the lower chambers at the Natanz enrichment facility, or at Isfahan where they have this, the main stockpiles of the fuel that they've already enriched, the uranium they've enriched.

[02:10:05]

But I think that absent that, or minus that, it would be for the Americans to provide Israel with two key resources. Number one, additional weapons that it might need, whether it's air to surface bombs, bunker buster bombs that it might need, and interceptors that it needs to continue to defend itself, and the THAAD system that the Americans have already put throughout the region to protect Israel.

But then the second resource, Becky, is time. Give Israel time to get the mission done.

ANDERSON: Well -- and that's an interesting point because President Trump said in a Truth Social post, "the US had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, but he can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel." And he's been very vocal about that diplomatic track, that off ramp that he says still exists.

And whilst he described the initial strikes by Israel on Iran on Friday morning as very successful and looked, you know, certainly the tone was one of support to a degree. What we have seen when we think about the objectives that Israel has, the neutralization of the nuclear program and the neutralization of the ballistic missiles stockpile, it's clear that when you step back, nothing has really changed.

Today Iran still has a nuclear infrastructure. And we have clearly seen overnight that it not only has a ballistic missile stockpile, but a new and different one, a new missile that is maneuverable around, for example, the THAAD system. So I just leave this interview, if I can, with your sort of brief concluding thoughts as we look forward into the hours to come.

KATZ: And what I will say, Becky, on that point, which is so true, is that time is limited, and therefore Israel is going to have to move fast and going to have to do what it can to get as much damage as possible done to Iran's nuclear program. But this is still going to continue for several days. It's not over. The last two days show us that there's still a battle and there are still great challenges ahead to achieve and get this mission done.

ANDERSON: Yaakov, it's good to have you. Yaakov Katz in the house for you, folks, this morning. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Yaakov Katz, of course, on the ground in Jerusalem.

Well, we're learning new details about the suspect in the Minnesota shootings that left one lawmaker dead and another wounded. That is up next here on CNN. Plus, a massive parade in Washington, DC honors the birthday of the US Army and President Donald Trump, who plays a big day in the a big role in the day's events. That story much more just ahead.

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[02:16:57]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. An urgent manhunt is underway in Minnesota as police search for a man accused of killing a state lawmaker and her husband. A state senator and his wife survived a second shooting. The governor says it looks like a politically- motivated assassination.

Authorities have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. SWAT teams and officers from multiple agencies have been searching his property. But the sheriff says he was not there. Flags are a half staff and a memorial for the victims is growing outside the state capitol. CNN's Whitney Wild has more from Blaine, Minnesota.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This started at 2:00 in the morning Saturday when that first 911 call came in for that shooting at State Senator John Hoffman's home. And police say that Vance Boelter looked so much like a real police officer that when he knocked on the door, State Senator John Hoffman answered. And that's when he and his wife, Yvette, sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

And what police say happened next was that, a neighboring law enforcement agency was called in to help with that first shooting at State Senator Hoffman's home. And it was an astute sergeant from that neighboring police jurisdiction who said, let's go check on Representative Melissa Hortman's home.

And so they went there. This was about 90 minutes after that first shooting. They went to Representative Hortman's home. And it was in that moment that they saw Vance Boelter coming out of the home, still dressed like a police officer. And he opened fire on the real cops who were coming to check.

Police have not seen him in person since that moment, according to the multiple law enforcement updates that were ongoing throughout the day Saturday. They still don't know where Vance Boelter is, but there are many outstanding questions as we learn more about him.

CNN's investigative team has done a fantastic deep dive on him. And what they found was that he worked for a security company called the Praetorian Guard security company that offered random armed patrols of resident's homes. And so, that suggests that might have been how he was able to acquire what really looked like police gear and this SUV that looked like a legitimate squad car.

Again, law enforcement is on this massive manhunt. There are multiple law enforcement agencies engaged in trying to track this man down. Again, CNN has done this very deep dive on him. And in addition to his work as a security guard, CNN has also learned that he was an evangelical Christian who had traveled to Africa and gave sermons there.

And multiple people who with reporters from our affiliates at KARE 11, our affiliate reporters at KARE 11, to, you know, multiple CNN reporters. There is this feeling of shock among people who knew him. And so as we're learning more about him, this big question remains is what happened, where along the timeline, from these people who knew him, who said that they would have never seen this happen to what we know happened on Saturday.

Again, there's this massive manhunt underway and law enforcement is hoping to update with other details. And they that they need the public's help.

[02:20:03]

So if we can go ahead and show that photo of him. He has a -- the last photo that they had of him showed him with a cowboy hat in civilian clothes. And you know, law enforcement really wants the public to make sure that they take, you know, careful note of what he looks like, because they're really relying on the public's help to try to track down Vance Boeltler or Boelter as they continue this investigation. Whitney Wild, CNN, Blaine, Minnesota.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Well, earlier, CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller, broke down what's going on behind the scenes of the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: They are looking at what is his network, what is his circle of friends, what is his ability to put distance between himself and this crime. This happens, as Whitney described, in the pre-dawn hours. But after the shooting, even though he flees the scene of the crime, allegedly, leaving behind his fake police car, additional weapons, more ammunition. Interestingly, in a bag of ammunition found in the car, they say they found a Father's Day card signed by Jenny, the same name as his wife. But where does he go?

The next time they see him? He's in a commercial location in Minneapolis. That's an 18 minute drive or about 11.1 miles away from that crime scene. So how did he get there? And once he did get there, what was he doing in Minneapolis?

Was it to disappear into the big city? Was it to blend into the crowd and get away from the very intense manhunt, house to house and door to door? Or does he have additional targets planned with the weapons he still has on him? Or is he looking to get a vehicle and put more distance between them? All of these are open questions now that the people behind that manhunt are facing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: One of State Representative Melissa Hortman's colleagues spoke of CNN earlier today about the unspeakable loss to Minnesotans, to her family and friends, while remembering the lawmaker as a rare and gifted leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYDNEY JORDAN, MINNESOTA STATE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: I sat next to Speaker Hortman this year. Most of my memories of her are actually on top of the speaker's dais. And she did lead us through, you know, as our leader above our House floor, making sure that everyone in the House had their voices heard and were able to represent their constituents. I think about her guidance when were struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, when she gave personal guidance to us as were (inaudible) from the murder of George Floyd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC was filled with tanks, soldiers and a massive display of military might on Saturday as the US Army celebrated its 250th birthday with a military parade. Saturday was also the birthday of President Donald Trump and he was a big part of the celebration.

He was treated to a 21 gun salute and administered the oath at an enlistment and reenlistment ceremony. Later, he addressed the crowd and celebrated the Army's lethal fighting capabilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: The US Army has driven bayonets into the heart of sinister empires, crush the ambitions of evil tyrants. Beneath the threads of American tanks, it's done so well. It's done so much and sent the devil himself flying into full retreat.

Time and again, America's enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you. Your defeat will be certain, your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN National Security Correspondent Natasha Bertrand has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The US Army parade in Washington, DC, the first that the city has seen in decades, appeared to go relatively smoothly on Saturday with massive Abrams tanks rolling down the streets of DC, as well as heavy fighting vehicles. And none of them appear to have left any significant damage on the roads at first glance.

Now that is largely because of all of the work that the army put in over the last several months trying to mitigate any potential damage that the roads and the infrastructure here in DC might suffer because of these very heavy tanks, all of them weighing -- each of them weighing around 70 tons on the roads, which are not typically equipped for that, of course. And we are told that the Army Corps of Engineers worked for six several months to ensure that metal plates were put down on the road, that there were pads on the equipment so that they would not directly hit the asphalt, and all appears to have gone up fairly smoothly.

Now, of course, the Army only had several months to prepare for this because it was a last minute request by the White House. The Army had been preparing to celebrate its birthday for several years now, its 250th birthday. But that parade element was only added after conversations began with the White House about what the celebration would look like.

[02:25:09]

And of course, President Trump has wanted this kind of massive military parade dating back to his first term. So his supporters were out in force at the -- around the Capitol. They were particularly impressed by the flyovers of the military aircraft that occurred, as well as the parachute team, the Golden Knights that leapt in to the parade. And there were only a few protesters here and there.

And so by and large, I think the Army is going to be breathing a sigh of relief given how little preparation and planning time they had for such a major event. Natasha Bertrand, CNN in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Demonstrators rallied throughout the US before and during that military parade. They denounced what they say are President Trump's authoritarian policies. Thousands of people gathered in thousands of towns and cities across the US to register their objections to what they consider a wrong direction. Organizers say they wanted demonstrations to be peaceful in nature, and to provide a contrast to the military parade.

Israel says it took aim at Iranian missile launchers in overnight strikes, and the Israeli military released a video to show their effectiveness. That story is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to CNN's Breaking News. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi from our Middle East programming headquarters. A quick update on the latest in the fighting between Israel and Iran.

The Israeli military has released new footage of alleged overnight strikes on missile launches in Western Iran. The footage appears to show large explosions and clouds of smoke after them.

[02:30:10]

Well, earlier, Israel took a barrage of missile strikes incoming, which killed at least 10 people and left more than 140 injured. Iran says it used its new maneuverable ballistic missile in some of these strikes, claiming it can evade Israel's air defenses, those advanced air defenses.

But Iran also taking heat with Israel striking a major oil depot and the Defense Ministry in Tehran, sources telling us. The Israeli operations are expected to take weeks, not days. One of the targets of the Iranian strikes was a town in Northern Israel where a rocket hit a residential building on Saturday. As my colleague Clarissa Ward reports, the consequences were deadly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know from Israel's emergency services that in that town of Tamra, at least two women were killed, one of them in her 20s. There were reports as well of multiple injuries of at least one four story building on fire. We know that a number of people were also taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

We haven't been able to get a huge amount of footage from the scene yet, but some has been coming in from social media where you can really see the ferocity of those strikes when they hit. We were actually able to visit the site of one strike from last night outside of Tel Aviv, a residential area. And you could just see the damage that is inflicted when one of these ballistic missiles does make impact, when the Iron Dome is not able to intercept it.

There were multiple houses completely destroyed. The cars on half of the block were like crumpled Coke cans. And for many Israelis, this is something they haven't seen before. This is not the Katyusha rockets or mortars in terms of the types of munitions that they're familiar with seeing. So there were a lot of people who were kind of gathering in the area, standing back at the police cordon, trying to sort of crane their necks to get a better glimpse of the destruction that had been caused by this one impact.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ANDERSON: Clarissa Ward reporting from Israel. Joining me now from Canberra in Australia is Malcolm Davis. He is a Military Analyst and the Senior Analyst for Defense Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. And it's good to have you, Malcolm, back with me today.

And you are keeping a keen eye on what is going on both in Israel and in Iran. Tehran says, it has used new maneuverable ballistic missiles in its latest strikes on Israel. Equipped with a maneuverable warhead, as I understand it, that could penetrate missile defense systems. How big a risk is this for Israel's Iron Dome and other advanced air defense systems, sir?

Malcolm Davis Defense Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute: Well, certainly there's been suggestions looking at reporting coming through that Iran has some sort of hypersonic weapon system that would align with the suggestion of maneuverable warheads, because hypersonic weapons are invariably called hypersonic glide vehicles that can maneuver in their terminal phase.

That would make it much more difficult for the Israeli integrated air and missile defense system that's made up of Iron Dome against short range threats and Arrow against medium range threats, and David's Sling against longer range threats. That would make it much more difficult for that integrated air and missile defense system to be effective against Iranian missiles coming in that way.

But it's a question of how many of these maneuvering missiles do they actually have? And I think we really don't know that at this point in time.

ANDERSON: And the question is, does Israel at this point, I mean, let's be quite clear because Benjamin Netanyahu has been quite clear. And so, we are well aware that his objectives are to neutralize the nuclear capability of Iran, and at the same time take out its ballistic weapons stockpile.

To your mind, what sort of intelligence does Israel have on that? We have seen the fallout from its use just in the past couple of hours on Israel and it is deadly.

[02:35:03]

DAVIS: Indeed. And I think that when you look at what Mossad has been able to do in the lead up to this war, where they've actually set up drone bases inside Iran and they have operatives within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, I would imagine that the Israeli intelligence on Iranian military capabilities would be pretty substantial. After all, Israel sees Iran as their number one enemy.

So they've probably been preparing for this sort of war for quite a few years, and that part of that would be gathering intelligence. But certainly, I think the Iranians have demonstrated a new capability, and I think that is probably going to be more of a challenge for the Israelis. Now, the Israelis now have air superiority or air dominance over Iran, so their aircraft can roam at will across Iran. That's a real huge benefit in terms of gathering intelligence and also doing strike. So it gives them some advantage to be able to spot a missile before it's launched and attack that missile.

ANDERSON: Malcolm, it's good to have you. Thank you very much, indeed, folks. For the people of Israel and Iran, what is going on as we speak is clearly very different from operations in the past. Operations, for example, last year where we saw what felt like a very sort of well- telegraphed and scripted tit-for-tat between Iran and Israel.

Today, real fears of safety and security. Civilians are dying. Military infrastructure on both sides is being degraded. It is not clear what will happen in the coming hours. Safe to say this does not look like it will be over anytime soon. And that is being telegraphed by both sides.

And Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Let's get you back to Ben Hunte in Atlanta for other news.

HUNTE: There is much more to come on CNN, including a look at the massive military parade in Washington, DC on Saturday, honoring the 250th birthday of the US Army. Stay with us on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:15]

HUNTE: Welcome back. Washington, DC saw a massive military parade celebrating the Army's 250th birthday on Saturday. Thousands of soldiers and dozens of tanks and military vehicles took part. Vintage uniforms and equipment highlighted eras of arm back to Revolutionary War.

Saturday was also President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, and he played a role in some of the day's events. He spoke later in the afternoon and said the country's best days are still to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Two hundred and fifty years later, America stands tall, America stands proud, and America stands free. We're the hottest country in the world right now, and our country will soon be greater and stronger than ever before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, all right. Let's dig deeper. We've got CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein is joining us live from LA. Thank you so much for being with me, Ron. How you doing?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good evening, Ben.

HUNTE: Good to have you here. Ron, it's been such a busy one. We woke up to news about American politicians being attacked, then we saw the No Kings protest kick off across the country, and then a $45 million parade celebrating America's military. Tell me, what is your big takeaway from this chaotic but also deeply symbolic day for America?

BROWNSTEIN: I think we are living through the greatest strains on our internal cohesion since the Civil War or really the years before the Civil War. You know, essentially, we are a country that is very closely divided between a coalition that views Donald Trump as the only thing standing between them and some sort of transformation of America into something they don't recognize by woke ideology or demographic change.

And as you saw on the streets today, a very substantial coalition that believe Trump is fundamentally threatening the underpinnings of our democracy. And these two sides are increasingly antagonistic toward each other. And we've seen outbreaks of political violence on both sides of this divide.

I don't believe most Americans want to live this way, even acknowledging the level of disagreement they have on many fundamental issues. I mean, people have disagreements with, on fundamental issues, with people in their lives all the time, neighbors, family members, co workers, and find ways to coexist.

But in Trump, we have a leader unlike, really, I think almost any we've had, and that he sees it to be in his advantage to kind of jump up and down on these fault lines and widen our divisions, not narrow them. So I think we are in for a very rocky time over these next few years.

HUNTE: Mm-hmm. Let's talk about the turnout at the parade. Organizers were expecting massive crowds, but I did see on social media that there were some empty spaces. Do you think the White House will see that as a success, or could there be some quiet concerns about how all of this looked?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, I mean, just think about what we're talking about. I mean, this was an event that should have unified Americans. Americans take really since the Vietnam Era. I mean, you know, whatever your view about kind of the politics are of our engagement with the world, Americans have had tremendous respect for the young men and women who make the sacrifice of serving in the Army.

My son is an Army veteran, you know. And instead, Trump, as he often does, chose the way to do this that I think is designed to maximize the disagreement. I mean, rolling tanks through American streets is an inherently polarizing choice. Even if, in practice, he didn't really do anything terribly partisan with this event, unlike his appearance at Fort Bragg earlier this week.

I mean, in one sense, Ben, it's a reminder that the major American metros, really, all of them, outside of a few in the Sun Belt, are part of this anti-Trump coalition. So it's not shocking that they, to me, that they didn't fill every inch. But I think the larger message is, you know, this could have been done in a way that I think many more Americans would have applauded, rather than seeing it in ominous terms against the backdrop of a president who has federalized the National Guard over the will of a governor for the first time since the Civil Rights Era. And have Marines actively deployed on the streets of an American city detaining American citizens.

HUNTE: Well, let's keep on that for a moment. America does feel more politically split than ever after a day like this. What do you think is the real path forward? Is there any chance of bridging this massive divide that seems to be getting worse and worse every day?

[02:45:01]

BROWNSTEIN: I mean, not in the near term. I mean, this does feel to me. I mean, as someone who's written a lot about American history, the only period like this, I think, is the 1850s. I mean, we are living through what amounts to a Cold War between the states.

You know, the distance between red and blue states on virtually every major issue we face is widening at an accelerating pace. I think Trump is using every lever of government power to try to force the blue states to accept the red state agenda. I mean, cutting off funds to universities, states, arresting a mayor, a US representative, a judge, a labor leader in California, all on the grounds of, you know, allegedly interfering with immigration enforcement, wrestling a US senator to the ground.

We are in for some difficult times. And, you know, what makes this even more difficult is that neither coalition has a, you know, significant advantage over the other. As I said to you before, really, we are living through the longest period in American history where neither party has been able to establish a durable advantage over the other.

So we get these frequent changes in political control. And because the parties are so deeply divided, each time the politics, you know, the control changes, we get whiplash changes in policy that makes the losing side feel that they are facing an existential threat to the country as they know it. Above all, America needs leadership that will kind of encourage ordinary Americans to climb down from this, from these battlements, to back away from this precipice.

And instead, I think, as I said, we have in Trump someone who sees his advantage to widen these divides and that is more his instinct at any given moment.

HUNTE: Well, let's see what happens. Did a long way to go. Ron Brownstein in LA, thank you so much for now. Appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Sure is. Thank you.

HUNTE: OK. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:42]

HUNTE: President Donald Trump confirmed he had an hour long phone conversation on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said they spoke at length about a conflict between Israel and Iran, and agreed it should come to an end. They also briefly talked about the Russia-Ukraine war.

But Trump wrote that conversation was for next week. But he added, he told Mr. Putin his war should also be ended. Mr. Trump also said the Russian leader, "very nicely wished him happy birthday."

Canada's Border Services Agency is working with US officials to monitor increased illegal activity between Ontario and New York. But Canadian officials say the relationship has changed since Donald Trump took office again. And as CNN's Paula Newton explains, it's being called a paradigm shift.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are at the Peace Bridge on the world's longest international border, more than 5,500 miles separating Canada and the US, by land and water. Here on the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York, joint patrols, Canadian and American law enforcement on the keeping an eye on both sides of the border.

And that is the US Coast Guard ship. Now the joint patrols between Canada and the United States, that's not new. What is new is the approach on the Canadian side of the border.

CHRIS LEATHER, CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT, RCMP: Since the new US Administration came into power, we have had a paradigm shift here in Canada in terms of our law enforcement posture. There's no question.

NEWTON: Canada is putting its money where its border is, $1 billion more, launching drones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It opens up a whole new world to us as far as detecting criminality.

NEWTON: Adding more radar and thermal imaging.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what it's able to do is pick up heat signature.

NEWTON: A more robust presence everywhere. Why now call it the Trump effect?

TRUMP: The fentanyl coming through Canada is massive.

NEWTON: And so, President Trump imposed punishing tariffs, even though US data show less than 1% of fentanyl seized at the US border comes from Canada. But Canada's own intelligence shows organized crime, including gangs from Mexico, are producing more fentanyl and other drugs in Canada for export to the United States and elsewhere, also expanding their footprint to launder money as well.

Was the president onto something here?

LEATHER: The president and our government, I think it's safe to say, have agreed that we can do more collectively to secure the border. And we have regular members out to the border in uniform on patrol, which is something, say, a year ago weren't doing.

NEWTON: Do you worry about what you don't find in seas?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's always a concern. And that's really where it comes down to working closely with our law enforcement partners.

NEWTON: From fentanyl to firearms, the Canada Border Services Agency says the President's scrutiny has led to more resources and intelligence sharing on all kinds of smuggling. K9s like quanta now trained to sniff out everything from drugs to guns.

While the world's longest border may still be undefended, on Trump's urging and threats, it is now better protected. Paul Newton, CNN, Fort Erie, Ontario.

(END VIDEOTAPE

HUNTE: OK. Let's go back to Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi with the latest on the fighting between Israel and Iran.

ANDERSON: And thank you, Ben. I want to get to our Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, who is live in Bat Yam in Israel, where an Iranian missile struck earlier. Nic, I can see the devastation around you. Just describe what you're seeing and hearing.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. And I'm going to step out of the way here a little bit, Becky, so Neville (ph) can get a better shot of what you're seeing here. This is an apartment building, as you can see, completely collapsed. This is a residential neighborhood.

I was speaking with a police spokesman just a few minutes ago. The search and rescue is still underway. There are people unaccounted for in this area. They are using rescue dogs, thermal imaging as well to try to find the location of anyone that is missing.

[02:55:10]

We know overnight six people here were killed, four elsewhere in Israel. But I got to tell you, when you walk in here, Becky, you get a real sense of just how big the blast damage is here. More than a hundred yards away on the high street, you can see windows, storefronts ripped out, glass strewn across the street. And the closer you get here, the bigger that damage becomes as bits of debris I hear falling, just dropping off the building here.

There are people around us that we've walked past to get here that have got plastic bags full of their clothes. They're literally evacuating what they can from the wreckage of their houses around here.

So this seems to be the main area of impact, but you can see the building yards and yards away here, ripped apart. Neville (ph) probably can't pan around and see it, but the building behind him is blasted out. The building another hundred yards away way the windows are blown out. And I'm looking at buildings hundreds of yards from here, Becky, that are -- that have been impacted by this.

It's not just the -- being in the building where the impact happens that can cause damage and has caused damage and fatality. You can be a hundred yards away from this. You can be in your apartment, in your bed, asleep. The blast is going to rip through your windows, shatter those windows, potentially deadly pieces of glass flying around.

And that's what's happened to this neighborhood. And that's why this operation is ongoing. At this moment, people still unaccounted for, suspected believed to be under the rubble, an operation to save their lives. Becky, back to you.

ANDERSON: Missile strike overnight there in Bat Yam in Israel. Nic, I'm going to stand by. We need to take a quick break. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. We will be right back with more breaking news here on CNN.

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