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Trump's Mega-Bill Clears Senate Procedural Hurdle 51-49; Funeral Held Saturday for Assassinated Minnesota Lawmaker; Tens of Thousands Resume Protests in Tel Aviv; Pope Celebrating A Special Mass at the Vatican; Video Shows Masked Federal Agent Chasing Down Woman in L.A.; Ukrainian Pilot Killed While Repelling "Massive Attack." Aired 5-6 am ET
Aired June 29, 2025 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN newsroom with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you here.
Coming up on the show, President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic agenda clears a key hurdle in the U.S. Senate. We'll look at the challenges in getting it across the finish line.
Mourners pay their respects to an assassinated Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband as concerns grow about political violence in America. And tens of thousands of protesters return to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. I'll speak with the parents of a young man whose remains are still in the enclave about their message to the world.
We're beginning with breaking news in Washington, the U.S. Senate voting to advance President Trump's massive budget bill late on Saturday night, the so-called Big Beautiful Bill cleared a procedural vote with 51 senators in favor and 49 against. But there's still a long way to go before it reaches the president's desk. Senate Democrats are now forcing clerks to read out the entire bill, which could take up to 15 hours.
Then, there's going to be a debate followed by a vote-a-rama, an open- ended, hours-long series of votes on amendments. Some Republican holdouts are still calling for changes and have raised concerns over spending levels and deep cuts to Medicaid. Senate leaders from both parties spoke on the floor with very different takes on what the bill means for Americans.
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SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): We have before us today a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver legislation to create a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America. With one bill, we can deliver on a number of priorities. Tax relief for hardworking Americans, economic growth, a stronger national defense, a more secure border, a more reliable energy supply.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: If Republicans succeed, proceed, and follow Donald Trump over the cliff with this bill tied to their ankles like an anvil, they will not only doom their own communities, they will doom their political fortunes, their own political fortunes, and have no one to blame but themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: After the vote, President Trump praised this first step as a great victory and said he's very proud of the Republican Party. CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein has more from Washington.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: That Saturday night vote marked a make-or-break moment on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, and President Trump was keenly aware of the razor-thin margins in the Senate and all of the hurdles and uncertainties because he had been fielding calls and holding meetings and even playing golf with a key group of Republican senators over the better part of the last 24 hours.
Ultimately, if passed, this legislation, this sweeping tax and spending package would really unlock President Trump's domestic agenda, and the White House is keenly aware that this is a critical moment to get this over the finish line while Republicans control both the House and the Senate. And for those reasons, President Trump, along with Vice President J.D. Vance, had been working those phones, holding meetings, inviting senators to the White House to get this to a yes.
The president scrapped a planned weekend in New Jersey to spend a rare weekend here in Washington where he held a round of golf with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina along with Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, notably a key holdout who had concerns about spending in this package as well as the provision that raises the debt limit. Paul ultimately voted no on that bill.
But Vance himself had headed to the Senate where he was poised to take a tie-breaking vote. Ultimately, that was not needed. The reality here is that there are deep policy divisions within the Republican Party on the scale and scope of this bill, but the president ultimately lashing out at Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, the other no vote. He said in a post to social media just before the vote passed that he would threaten to primary Tillis, who is up for reelection in 2026.
He said, numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the primary against Senator Thom Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who can properly represent the great people of North Carolina.
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The President had also held a major event pushing for the bill on Thursday, where he went after those who would vote no as grandstanders and not good people. The president had been pushing to get this done by the 4th of July. He expressed a little bit of softening of that deadline earlier this week, saying it was important but not the end all.
So, we will be closely watching how this proceeds in the days ahead as they work through some of the key provisions in this bill and this so- called vote-a-rama. This is still far from over. Once and if the Senate passes this bill, it still needs to go to the House of Representatives, where they need to approve those changes before it can go to President Trump's desk.
So, the President clearly has a lot more lobbying to do, and it remains to be seen if he can close this deal. Betsy Klein, CNN, Washington.
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HUNTE: Earlier I spoke with Richard Johnson, a lecturer in U.S. politics. I asked him how realistic it is for Congress to pass this bill by President Trump's deadline on July 4th.
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RICHARD JOHNSON, LECTURER IN U.S. POLITICS, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: I think 4th of July is not impossible, but it's going to be difficult, and it will probably require some moral suasion, some pressure behind the scenes on some senators to exercise some restraint on this.
HUNTE: Let's talk about that a bit. So, House Republicans have already spoken up about their concerns around the bill. The Senate version has been called insulting, disgusting, and it's been reported that the bill could add more than $4 trillion to debt over the next decade. How are Senate Republicans defending all of that, and what are the biggest hurdles that this bill is going to face in the House?
JOHNSON: Look, the big overarching reason why Senate Republicans are supporting this bill is because it's a major tax cut. And for many Republicans, certainly of a certain vintage, one of the reasons they went into politics was to cut taxes. There's obviously an important debate to be had about who shoulders the costs of paying for those taxes. And in this instance, those costs are being paid for by serious cuts and extra requirements that are being put on eligibility for certain social programs like Medicaid, health insurance for low-income Americans, and the SNAP program, food stamps that I mentioned before.
Republicans used to talk about being fiscally prudent, about being a party that was about managing the budget of the country like you'd manage a household budget. Yet actually, one of the important changes that's come through in this Senate bill is that the debt ceiling, which was going to be lifted already by $4 trillion under the original House bill, the Senators have now increased that, and so the debt ceiling's going to be lifted by an additional $5 trillion.
So, they're anticipating that the U.S. debt is going to grow and grow and grow under this Republican Congress and Republican president. And that's a major kind of priority shift, I think, from the Republican Party of say, even compared to the early George W. Bush era.
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HUNTE: A funeral was held on Saturday for a Minnesota state lawmaker who was murdered with her husband in an act of shocking political violence. Melissa Hortman was a Minnesota state representative and former House speaker. She was assassinated in her home on June 14, along with her husband.
The service was attended by several Democratic leaders, including former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz served as a pallbearer and delivered a eulogy. Julia Vargas Jones has more for us.
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JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A funeral with the highest state honors in the country's first basilica, Minnesota, in mourning. Governor Tim Walz presenting the children of Mark and Melissa Hortman with the flags flown above the Capitol on the day their parents were killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember your servants, Melissa and Mark.
JONES: The political nature of their tragic deaths, the undeniable backdrop for the day's events.
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): All of us are searching for some kind of meaning, some kind of lesson that we can learn to help ease our loss. And maybe it is this moment where each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for things we care about, a moment when each of us can recommit to engaging in politics and life the way Mark and Melissa did.
JONES (voice-over): In attendance for mass, former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. On Friday, mourners paid their respects as the Hortmans laid in state at the Minnesota Capitol. Melissa, the first woman in state history to receive that distinction.
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Laid to rest beside them, their golden retriever, Gilbert. Just a few miles away in federal court, the man accused of killing the Hortmans appear before a judge. His attorney told the court Boelter has been sleep deprived due to jail conditions and communication has been difficult. The judge granted a delay and his next hearing is now set for July 3rd.
Boelter faces state and federal charges, including murder, firearm offenses and stalking. Authorities say the June 14th shooting was a politically motivated assassination and that Boelter could face the death penalty if convicted.
He allegedly went to the Hortmans' home dressed as a police officer and opened fire when police showed up, then fled, triggering the largest manhunt in the state's history.
Before the Hortmans, authorities say Boelter went to the homes of three other Minnesota state politicians. At one of them, police say he shot state Senator John Hoffman and his wife multiple times. Both are making a recovery but say they are, quote, "lucky to be alive."
According to court documents, authorities later searched Boelter's vehicle and found at least three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9 mm handgun, as well as a list of names and addresses of other public officials, most of them Democrats or figures with ties to the abortion rights movement. There have been questions about what Boelter's wife, Jenny, knew and when. Investigators say she was initially not forthcoming with information but later became cooperative.
On Thursday, Jenny Boelter spoke out for the first time, saying she and her children are absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided. She called the attack a betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian faith, adding that from the start, her family has fully cooperated with investigators and they're grateful to law enforcement for apprehending her husband and preventing further harm.
(On camera): This attack comes at a time of historic rise in threats against public officials and division in America. But the overall message from Saturday's service was that there is still hope to mend that division that came both from Governor Walz as well as from the pastor who led the services, especially when he shared what the kids of the Hortmans had asked people to do in the memory of their parents. They said, plant a tree, pet a dog or try a new hobby. The best way to honor our parents' memories to do something to improve your community, however small.
Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.
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HUNTE: Earlier, CNN spoke with Robert Pape. He's a Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and the Director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats. He discussed the historical context for the dynamics at play in the U.S. today.
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ROBERT PAPE, DIRECTOR, CHICAGO PROJECT ON SECURITY AND THREATS: What we're seeing is major social change in the United States that's leading to political change and the fragility of political power, which is then leading to the use of force for power. And that social change, we also saw in the 1960s, but the details are different. For the last 30 years, we have been going through a major demographic shift from a white majority democracy to a white minority democracy that is changing the nature of political power.
We're also seeing changes of shifting vast wealth to the top 10% of Americans, making the bottom 90% fight far more intensely than before. And when these social changes happen in countries, and they're now happening in the United States, this doesn't just lead to political polarization. This leads to us becoming our own worst enemies. And that is what's playing out in Minnesota is simply a microcosm of this.
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HUNTE: Dozens of cars lined a highway in Florida as protesters denounced the U.S. government's new migrant detention site. The facility, nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz, is being built in an abandoned airport in the Everglades. It's set to open on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it could house up to 5,000 people in tents and temporary shelters. Members of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida say the detention center violates their land rights and is dangerous to the environment. Above all, protesters say the U.S. government's treatment of migrants is inhumane.
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ROBIN HANSEN, TAMPA, FLORIDA RESIDENT: The Everglades in itself is just a very sacred area, and the habitat here needs to be preserved and taken care of. And then obviously what they're trying to do here with Alligator Alcatraz is horrendous and just really not acceptable.
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I'm hoping that today we can follow the natives' lead and try and bless the land and protect the land and do what we can and then thereby protect the people because first of all, no human is illegal.
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HUNTE: Still ahead, Pope Leo will preside over a special mass soon. We'll have a live report from Rome. It's coming up.
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HUNTE: Protesters are once again demanding that Israeli government bring back the remaining hostages from Gaza. In Israel, tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is talking up a ceasefire for the devastated enclave, where an airstrike early on Saturday killed a dozen members of one family. CNN's Nic Robertson reports from Tel Aviv.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): On hold during the Iran conflict. Energized by the possibilities of that perceived victory.
RUDY CHEN, FATHER OF HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN: Prime Minister Netanyahu, because he can and he must bring all the hostages back, the living and the deceased, because we want all of them (foreign language).
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ROBERTSON: Free the hostage protesters in full voice at their first regular Saturday rally in three weeks. Viki Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod, hopeful she'll get her 20-year-old son back soon.
VIKI COHEN, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE NIMROD COHEN: We feel that it's a little different. Trump is very demanding and we believe in him. We trust him and we know he has the power to stop the war. He can pressure our prime minister to do it, to finish the war in Gaza. And in this way, all the hostages can come back home.
ROBERTSON (on camera): The deal they want now is a comprehensive agreement, bring all the hostages home, 50 of them, about 20 believed to be alive and get the army out of Gaza.
(Voice-over): In Gaza, peace can't come soon enough either. Tents pitched on this sand hit, rescuers say, by an Israeli airstrike early Saturday. The IDF say they are looking into the incident. By daybreak, this night's horror revealed, a huge crater and no tents. The recovery not done. Alone with a shovel, Abu Mohammed (ph) searching for two children. Eight of their deceased brothers and sisters already found. Among the dead were children aged 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10 and 11 years old. Mohammed says there were two boys, five girls, their mother and their grandmother.
In Tel Aviv, the days of war counted by the second. Eyes of both sides on President Trump to stop the clock.
DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: I think it's close. I just spoke with some of the people involved. It's a terrible situation that's going Gaza, he's asking about. And we think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire.
ROBERTSON (on camera): President Trump is turning up the mood music for a possible deal in Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu's top confidant is expected in Washington soon. It hints at momentum, but Israelis have been here before. Hopes dashed by differences. Nic Robertson, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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HUNTE: Pope Leo is celebrating mass at the Vatican this hour, marking the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. They were martyred and are considered founders of the Sea of Rome. During the special mass, he will place the pallium, a will investment that's a symbol of authority on several archbishops. Included in the ceremony is a U.S. cardinal who's critical of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and on migrants themselves.
Let's dig deeper. CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb joins me now from Rome. Christopher, thanks for being back with me again. I appreciate it. Pope Leo is giving the pallium to dozens of archbishops today. What does that tell us about his leadership style and how he sees the role of the Vatican?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, it's an historic moment for the first American pope to have given the pallium to eight archbishops from the United States. They were part of 54 archbishops who received the pallium from Pope Leo this morning. The service took place in St. Peter's Basilica rather than outside where it's really swelteringly hot at the moment. The mass is now coming to a close. I think it's an important moment for Pope Leo as the first American pope to give these important symbols of office to archbishops in the United States. These palliums symbolize unity with the pope and the authority that those archbishops have.
Of course, it comes at a time when several leaders in the United States are at odds with the Trump administration on immigration, on the administration's policy on migrants, particularly Cardinal McElroy, who is the archbishop of Washington, D.C., who received the pallium today. He has been very critical of President Trump. And Pope Leo himself is someone who has spoken out for the plight of migrants.
But in terms of the early weeks of Leo and the style of papacy that we're seeing, Pope Leo has shown himself to be his own man. He is not going to be Pope Francis' Mark II. He's going to continue the reforms of Francis, yes, and the agenda of Francis, but in his own style.
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So, for example, today the ceremony which took place or has been taking place is actually a ceremony that Pope Leo has revived. Pope Francis did not give the pallium individually to the archbishops, but Pope Leo did do that. And his style is somewhat more understated than Francis. He's following the script more from the Vatican. He's taking his time in these early weeks to listen to people, to meet the senior officials. And he's going to be taking some time off in July away from the Vatican. He's going to hilltop town southeast of Rome, Castel Gandolfo, which is a place where popes have taken vacations for centuries. He's going to be taking a break there.
And I imagine that during that time he's going to be thinking about what reforms and how he wants to implement those reforms are going to look like.
Ben.
HUNTE: Christopher Lamb in Rome. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
There is so much more to come on CNN, including the latest on President Donald Trump's multi trillion-dollar spending bill. Now, up for consideration in the Senate. Stay with us on CNN.
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HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories. A Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, who were gunned down at their home, were honored at a private funeral service on Saturday. National Democratic leaders like the former president and former vice president were in attendance. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed on June 14th. The suspect was apprehended after a multi-day manhunt.
Tens of thousands of protesters returned to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. They resumed their calls for a ceasefire, an end to the war and the return of all remaining hostages. They were pleased for Donald Trump to use his influence to help bring about a solution.
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And the U.S. Senate voted to advance President Donald Trump's so- called Big, Beautiful Bill late on Saturday. The vote was 51 in favor and 49 against. The measure has now cleared a key procedural hurdle, but its fate remains in question. Still, Mr. Trump called the vote a quote, "great victory" in a social media post.
CNN Senior Reporter Annie Grayer was there in Washington monitoring all of the day's developments. She has more on how events unfolded inside and outside the Senate chambers, and some of the issues that the measures face going forward.
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ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It was a long and tumultuous day in the United States Senate. It almost looked like the bill was not going to clear this procedural hurdle, and Republicans were negotiating behind the scenes for hours. They even had Vice President J.D. Vance come to Capitol Hill in case his vote was needed as a tie breaking vote.
But then, after hours of negotiating, Republicans rushed back to the floor and a group of senators delivered the votes needed to pass this key procedural hurdle. So, those Republican votes are Republican Senator Ron Johnson, Cynthia Lummis, Rick Scott and Mike Lee. And now there is hours of debate that have to unfold before voting on final passage of the bill.
And remember, this is just the first step. If Republicans can pass this in the Senate, it still has to go back to the House, which passed a different version of this bill. So, the two chambers are going to have to rectify their differences there, and Republicans are running against a tight timeline. President Trump wants this on his desk by July 4.
Annie Grayer, CNN from Capitol Hill.
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HUNTE: Earlier, we spoke of CNN's Senior Political Analyst and Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Ron Brownstein. He discussed the Republican holdouts, and if they'll choose the wrath of the president or the wrath of the voters.
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RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The history is that incoming presidents tend to encapsulate the core of their economic agenda into this, what's called reconciliation bill, the one big beautiful bill, whether it was Reagan in '81, Clinton in '93, the Bush tax cuts in '01, the ACA Affordable Care Act for Obama in '09, Trump's tax cuts in 2017, the Inflation Reduction Act for Biden in '21. And it's almost always a tightrope. But in the end, they do pass it.
I mean, you know, almost all of those bills that I just mentioned ultimately passed. I mean, basically, the argument that the party has to hold together to pass the agenda of the incoming president usually gets these over the finish line. But you know, every one of those cases, except for '01, which was influenced heavily by 9/11, the party to pass the bill lost control of the House the next year.
And you would -- you know, in this case, Republicans are especially vulnerable. This bill, for the first time since 1995, this is the first time since 1995 that Republicans are marrying together in a single bill, big tax cuts that mostly benefit people at the top, with cuts in programs, particularly health care, that mostly benefit people in the middle and below. And historically, that has been a very tough combination for them to defend. And in fact, once again this year, the polling is quite negative on this bill at this point.
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HUNTE: Billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk slammed the bill on social media, insisting it will, quote, "destroy millions of jobs."
Amid Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, we've seen cases of masked ICE agents grabbing people off the streets and detaining them without warning. One such incident was caught on camera on Friday. A witness filmed a woman running from a masked armed man who was chasing her on the streets of Los Angeles.
Rafael Romo has the story.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a video that gives the public a glimpse into the tactics being used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they face enormous pressure to arrest as many undocumented immigrants as possible on a daily basis. The cell phone video was shot by a woman in West Los Angeles on Monday. Aleca Le Blanc says that she was running errands around 10:30 in the morning when she saw a young woman being chased down the street by an older man wearing street clothes, a tactical belt and a neck gaiter covering his face.
At one point, the young woman being chased clings to a tree in what appears to be a last effort to avoid detention. She's been identified as Celina Vanessa Hernandez Ramirez, and this is the moment when she's pried off the tree by the agent as captured by Le Blanc's cell phone camera.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have an ID and a warrant before you can take her? Oh, oh, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Are you kidding me, old man?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you're doing is (bleep) illegal.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you're doing is kidnapping.
ROMO: Shortly before the woman was taken away, an SUV had pulled up with more agents wearing face coverings and hats. They were all armed with guns, Le Blanc says. The agents appeared to be confused as to how to handle the situation. ALECA LE BLANC, RECORDED INCIDENT: I see basically an old man chasing a young lady down the street, which is horrifying, and she's running out of fear.
By the time I get to the bottom of the hill, I see that she is, like, you know, clinging to this tree right outside of this, like, little, like, strip mall that everyone goes to.
ROMO: We reached out to officials about the incident in a statement the Department of Homeland Security told CNN that during operations on June 23rd, CBP encountered Celina Vanessa Hernandez Ramirez, an illegal alien from El Salvador for being unlawfully present in the United States. Despite verbal harassment by members of the public, the officers ultimately detained this illegal alien and placed her under arrest.
According to the National Day Labor Organizing Network, Celina Vanessa Hernandez Ramirez came to the U.S. two years ago with her partner Carlos and their now four-year-old son, Iker Javier, hoping to build. She worked hard selling tacos on the streets of Ladera Heights in Los Angeles, doing what she could to support her family. And according to Le Blanc, Hernandez Ramirez does not have an attorney yet, but she's on the wait list to get one from two legal organizations.
Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.
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HUNTE: OK, still to come, Russia launches a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine. We have all of the latest just ahead.
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HUNTE: Ukraine is emerging this morning from one of Russia's largest attacks from the sky so far. Russia reportedly launched nearly 500 drones and about 60 missiles overnight. Ukraine says it downed more than 200 of the drones and 38 missiles.
The military says one of its F-16 pilots was killed while fighting off the onslaught. Officials add that he tried to steer the plane away from populated areas and did not have time to eject. This is the fourth F-16 Ukraine has lost since the war began.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on world leaders to put more pressure on Russia and asking them to provide more protection to Ukraine. Ukraine has lost since the war began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling on world leaders to put more pressure on Russia and asking them to provide more protection to Ukraine.
To dig deeper into the situation, CNN Senior Military Analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis joins us now.
James, let's get straight into this. Overnight, Ukraine lost another F-16 fighter jet and a pilot in a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack. What does this latest loss mean for Ukraine's air capability and defensive strategy?
ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: The Ukrainians have several dozen of these F-16 fighters. They also fly a number of former Russian planes. They've still got sufficient aircraft. What they really need is more air defense. And that's why you saw President Zelenskyy imploring President Trump to provide more of these Patriot batteries, more of these high-altitude air defense weapons systems from the ground. I think those will be forthcoming from the United States.
Bottom line, Ben, when you put it all together, all of the air defense, the F-16 fighters, the drone capability the Ukrainians have generated on their own, they're holding their own quite well at the moment. We ought to be concerned. We ought to continue to provide them these sort of weapons systems because they are fighting a nation, Russia, which very likely in the could threaten NATO itself. It's a pretty good bet for the alliance.
HUNTE: Has there been any meaningful movement along Ukraine's front lines recently, or is the conflict holding in some sort of grinding stalemate?
STAVRIDIS: The latter. And if you look back, what it kind of reminds any military officer of is World War I, where you saw these huge, static armies that would fight and fight for months to gain a few kilometers. There's no big, sweeping blitzkriegs like you saw in World War II.
There's no shock and awe campaign like you saw in the Persian Gulf. This one is really World War I, all quiet on the Western front, grinded out warfare. And I think that the Ukrainians, again, have a good chance of holding. I think, unfortunately, their chances of actually ejecting Russia from the red area you're showing right now in the screen, the part that Russia has invaded. I think the chances of ejecting them militarily are low. Ultimately, Ben, this one probably goes to a negotiation. And I think it'll end up looking roughly like what you see right now.
HUNTE: Wow. Ukraine continues to push for more advanced weaponry and faster deliveries, particularly of air defense systems and long-range missiles. From a military standpoint, what do you think should Kyiv's top priority be right now?
STAVRIDIS: Advanced technology to enable them to continue to improve their drones. The drones have become the king of the battlefield. Number two, as we talked about a moment ago, Ben, I think air defense systems to defend their civilian population. Number three may surprise you, but it's cyber, offensive cyber capabilities to go after Russian high tech.
One thing to remember, by the way, time is not on Putin's side here, in my view, because of manpower losses. He's lost a million young Russian men either killed or wounded since this conflict began. He started the war with about 74 million young men. He's lost a million thus far in combat. That is not sustainable over the long throw. Ukraine needs the ability to continue to attract Russian forces, but also the three systems I mentioned a moment ago.
HUNTE: OK. At the NATO summit, leaders reaffirmed their continued support, right? But reports did say that Ukraine definitely seemed to have slipped down the agenda compared to previous years. Did you see that as a strong signal of long-term commitment or actual concrete actions lacking from these leaders?
STAVRIDIS: I think the -- both the European Union and the United States have contributed collectively, well over $100 billion provided advanced combat capability. And you're correct, Ben, the discussion of Ukraine was not front and center. But think about what was. What was on the agenda? It was a 5% increase in defense spending across Europe.
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If you're in the Kremlin and you're Vladimir Putin, and you look at an alliance that's jumping its defense spending from 2% to 5%, you're deeply worried.
And then final thought, people ask me a lot, gosh, do you think Ukraine ultimately should be in NATO? I say yes, because when this war is over, and it'll come to a negotiated conclusion, when this war is over, Ukraine is going to have the most technologically advanced, innovative and highly blooded armed forces on the continent. We want them on team NATO.
HUNTE: Interesting thoughts there. We'll have to get you back to speak more about that. Admiral James Stavridis, thank you for that. Appreciate it.
STAVRIDIS: Thanks, Ben.
HUNTE: OK, we'll be right back.
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HUNTE: The 30th annual Pride March in Hungary has been both a celebration and an act of defiance. Demonstrators carried signs reading Solidarity with Budapest Pride and waved placards with the image of Prime Minister Viktor Orban crossed out.
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ORSI DOMDAN, MARCHER: Everyone wants their freedom and everyone wants to express their need for freedom. You know what I mean? No one wants to live in oppression, actually. And love is more important than power.
BELA MOINAR, MARCHER: At some point you have to stand. Stand up and show you what you want to do in this country. And I want to feel good in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTE: The reason why this was also an act of defiance. The march took place even though laws were recently passed banning LGBTQ events nationwide.
Southern Europe is baking in the first major heatwave of summer. Peak temperatures in Spain are expected to climb to over 40 degrees Celsius, which is 104 Fahrenheit. The sweltering heat arrives in full force just as tourist season gets started.
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HUNTE (voice-over): The summer heat is on full blast in Spain, with officials warning people to hydrate and stay safe as temperatures hit near or above 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Look, it always gets super-hot in Madrid. What surprises me is how early it's happening. We're still in June. July and August are usually horrible, but the fact that it's already like this now is surprising.
HUNTE: A blast of desert air from Africa is fanning out across Southern Europe, creating hot, muggy conditions that forecasters warn could continue to be oppressive even at night.
Tourists in Greece try to keep cool in the blazing sun. Water bottles and shade help to blunt the scorching temperatures, but some people say the old attractions are like magnets for the heat.
ANTONIA LASEN, TOURIST: The combination of the heat and the marble, I think it was more hot because of the marble and the cement, it was like a cement jungle almost. It was just very hot.
HUNTE: The high heat and strong winds also stoking a large wildfire that broke out south of Athens. Greece is increasing its number of firefighters this year to a record high, in expectation of another difficult wildfire season. The French weather agency warns of stifling conditions in the southern part of the country that will spread north, with high temperatures expected until Tuesday.
In Italy, red heat alerts were issued for several cities, including Rome, Milan and Venice, with officials in some areas advising people to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day. That's something festival goers at Glastonbury in the U.K. may find hard to do, though event organizers are advising the more than 200,000 people in attendance to take precautions by drinking water, staying out of the sun and avoiding alcohol.
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HUNTE: That was nice British accent there. Yep, that was me.
This week, a dream came true for 59 players whose names were called during the NBA draft, but what does it take to get to this major life- changing moment? Aside from being incredibly good and or tall, which CNN's Omar Jimenez certainly is, he did play at Northwestern University after all.
Juicy facts. Omar got a behind-the-scenes look for us.
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OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anytime, right here.
JAY HERNANDEZ, ASSISTANT COACH, BROOKLYN NETS: Yes.
JIMENEZ: Yes, sir.
(Voice-over): What does it actually take to get drafted to the NBA?
What's up, Jalen? How's it going? Omar, Omar Jimenez.
To find out my, 30-plus-year-old self met up with Brooklyn Nets Forward Jalen Wilson drafted two years ago, and Assistant Coach Jay Hernandez.
Stand by, still warmed up.
And we got right to it.
JALEN WILSON, BROOKLYN NETS FORWARD: There it is. Like every workout they go into, they're like, how can I make this team draft me? And you have three, four, five other guys who have the same mindset as well in the workout with you.
HERNANDEZ: In three minutes for a pro, we are expecting them to make a minimum of 30 shots or a lot of this right now.
JIMENEZ: They're watching your percentage on something like this?
WILSON: Well, yes, they're tracking every shot.
HERNANDEZ: All right. So, we'll go for a minute. Jay will be your passer. We only start on a make.
JIMENEZ: Great, awesome.
WILSON: Here we go.
JIMENEZ: Here we go.
HERNANDEZ: We'll get you going. I'll keep track.
JIMENEZ: OK, not starting yet.
WILSON: Not started yet.
JIMENEZ: There it is, one.
WILSON: Oh, yes.
JIMENEZ: It's longer than the college three.
Give me that.
HERNANDEZ: Eight, seven, six, five, four.
JIMENEZ: Give me one more, Give me more.
HERNADEZ: Three, two, one.
WILSON: Tough, right?
HERNANDEZ: Yes. Good job, ten makes. Those are the kind of drills though. You start to understand what the average is, and obviously everybody wants to be better than average.
JIMENEZ: How much did you feel like your draft stock was truly going up or down based on the last few weeks?
WILSON: I think you just have the confidence from the workouts. Obviously, like I did like 15 workouts. Really, all of them are going to be the best workout that you ever had but --
[05:55:03]
JIMENEZ: Not as many as bad as I'm doing that.
WILSON: No, you're good. You're good.
JIMENEZ: It's all good. I just want to point out.
We're just in the warmups. I'm already just dripping sweat.
HERNANDEZ: And as you get close enough, I'm going to pop it one way or the other, all right?
So, as you read and react, you'll have to attack the open space. Yes.
WILSON: Oh, yes.
HERNANDEZ: Nice, Omar. I like that. You got it. Good. Good attack.
WILSON: Hey.
JIMENEZ: If you could speak to your pre-draft self, what would you tell that Jalen?
WILSON: I would just tell the old me just to not worry about it, just to play basketball and understand you can only control as much as you can control. Like I was the 51st pick in the draft, so I felt like I was higher than that. But, obviously, other teams didn't.
I feel like I just had a chip on my shoulder. I have to just keep yourself going no matter how much money or how many years you've been playing. Someone's just like in this draft is coming to take the spot.
HERNANDEZ: We're going to sprint.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): And every evaluation can make a difference, even the ones without a basketball.
HERNANDEZ: 11-2 is about the average.
WILSON: Yes.
JIMENEZ: Like this agility test.
HERNANDEZ: Come on though.
WILSON: Oh, yes. Get there. Get there. Get there. Finish. Finish.
HERNANDEZ: 11-3.
WILSON: Yay.
JIMENEZ:
JIMENEZ (on camera): How important is that men's ball aspect of the game? Obviously, we're testing a bunch of dribbling, shooting agility.
WILSON: I would almost say that's almost more important than the basketball side. Like you said, how do you align with the team and what mindset do you bring to the team as well?
JIMENEZ: How much did your life change after you got drafted?
WILSON: A lot, man. I worked my whole life to be an NBA player, so it was a -- it was a dream come true. So, you know, this is everything I wanted.
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HUNTE: That's all I've got for you. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. It has been real.
Thanks for joining me and the team. I'll see you in two weeks after I'm back from the U.K.
For viewers in North America, CNN THIS MORNING is next. For the rest of the world, it's CALL TO Earth.
See you so soon. Bye.
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