Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump: Iran Has Agreed Not To Acquire Nuclear Weapons; Platner Holds Town Hall After New Allegations In NYT; Police Search For Suspects After 12 Shot Near Ohio Festival; Inside The "60 Minutes" Turmoil; NYC Ramping Up Security At Madison Square Garden Ahead Of Trump Attendance At Game 3 Of NBA Finals; Trump: Iran Has Agreed Not To Acquire Nuclear Weapons; More Than A Million People Attend Pope's Mass In Madrid. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 07, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:30]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All eyes on Maine. It is primary week there and we have new reaction ahead of the U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner's scheduled town hall tonight.

Plus, Scott Pelley speaking out. The now former CBS News correspondent has a lot to say after being fired from the network's flagship show.

All right. Yesterday we showed you some monster waves in Hawaii, but today it's a wave of a different kind. The World Cup fun that fans hope will set a record.

Hello, everyone. And thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with President Trump declaring that Iran has agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons as part of a potential peace deal with the U.S. Trump also revealing more details on why he demanded changes in the language of the proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They've conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that we will not develop nuclear weapons, and everybody was very happy with it except me.

And I said, well, what happens if they not develop, but they go out and purchase, they acquire? I want to put the word if they buy or purchase or acquire, you know, you've got to have that in there too, because that's not developing. So they don't have the right to develop or purchase, acquire or buy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. In a wide-ranging interview with NBC News, Trump also said the U.S. Has no plans to unfreeze Iranian assets or lift sanctions as part of any agreement. Today also marks 100 days since the start of the war with Iran.

We've got full coverage of these developments. CNN's Julia Benbrook is near President Trump's New Jersey golf club, where he is spending the weekend. And CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem.

Julia, let's begin with you. This isn't the first time the president has said this about the Iran nuclear weapons and deal.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We have heard him say this several times in recent interviews that Iran has agreed not to pursue a nuclear weapon.

But there he's providing a bit more detail on some of that suggested language in the proposed deal.

What is still unclear is how, if the United States and Iran will able to be able to come to an agreement to end this conflict soon.

Recently, in an interview with CNN, a top Iranian official said that the negotiations were deadlocked over 24 billion in frozen Iranian assets and warned of the potential of a wider conflict.

And as this now goes into 100 days, it's been 100 days since those first joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran. The timeline has changed. As Trump said that it would end very soon, he offered a wide range of predictions from days to several weeks.

Now he's pushing back against any criticism of how long this has gone on, saying that he believes that he has moved quickly, that these things take time, sometimes even years, to resolve.

Now, in this interview with NBC'S Kristen Welker, they touched on a lot of different topics and a lot of different areas specifically related to the conflict in Iran.

13 U.S. service members have been killed in connection to this conflict, and Welker asked about the roughly 50,000 troops that are stationed in the Middle East right now. Does Trump have plans to bring them home at this time?

And he said, not at this time. That he believes that they will likely stay in place until completion of this conflict, as they may be needed.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It costs us very little to keep them there. I don't consider them in danger. We have the best defense anyone's ever seen. We have the best offense anyone's ever seen. So I don't consider it danger.

I would say it would be foolhardy to do that, because maybe we may use them. It's unlikely, but I think we'll keep them there until such time as we have a completion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And pushing back on an assertion that he broke a campaign promise of keeping the United States out of new military conflicts, he said this directly.

[14:04:48]

BENBROOK: He said, "First of all, I didn't guarantee no war," adding, "why would I have built the strongest military in the world?"

This interview lasted for roughly 50 minutes, until he was clearly frustrated with some of the questioning on a separate topic, and left that interview, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, thank you so much.

Now to Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.

Oren, I mean, the president also said in this interview that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were on the same page. and that he is not demanding that Lebanon be part of a larger peace agreement. Where do things stand between Trump and Netanyahu?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is never going to miss an opportunity to tout his relationship with President Donald Trump. And even Trump said they got along very well. He said they disagree on a couple of things.

He said he'd like to see Israel be more surgical in its attacks on Lebanon. He even suggested that Syria may help out because the leader there is doing a good job, although it's incredibly unclear what Syria or its leaders could do to help out Lebanon. Either Israel's attacks in Lebanon its strikes there or destabilize the country. So quite a few questions there.

But what we're seeing on the ground in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah is a very clear escalation. And even if Trump doesn't want to link a ceasefire there to U.S. -- to the U.S. and Iran, Iran clearly does. So that complicates those already difficult negotiations.

Meanwhile, early this morning, we saw two Hezbollah rockets cross into northern Israel. That's the first time we've seen that happen since the latest Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, which just happened days ago. Even though we've seen continued fighting since then.

In response, Israel carried out strikes in the Dahieh (ph) neighborhood of Beirut. Those are the third strikes we have seen there since the previous ceasefire in mid-April.

The U.S. had largely barred Israel from attacking Beirut, especially under the previous ceasefire -- the newest ceasefire, I should say. But effectively, Israel was allowed to do so if northern Israel came under attack, which it did today. The question now is how does Iran respond? Last week, Iran had

threatened that if Beirut was attacked, Iran would attack Israel directly. An Iranian lawmaker earlier today threatened that there would be painful action taken against Israel.

So now we need to see how Iran responds to the Israeli attacks in Beirut.

Again, this just complicates the entire situation with a brand-new ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon effectively, which Hezbollah rejected, and the U.S. and Iran trying to move forward on negotiations there.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese ministry of public health says more than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the beginning of the war a hundred days ago, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Oren Liebermann, thank you so much. And Julia Benbrook as well. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

All right. Right now, a growing Democratic angst in one of this year's most critical midterm races. Amid a flurry of scandals, U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner will hold a town hall tonight with voters in Maine as new allegations threaten to tank the Democrats' hopes for defeating one of their top targets, longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins.

A recent "New York Times" report highlighted claims from several of Platner's former girlfriends who described his behavior as unsettling and reckless. One woman alleging that he was physically rough with her.

While Platner, quote, "strongly disputes", end quote, the allegations, some of Platner allies say they're sticking with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): People in Maine knew that he had had two tours of duty in Iraq. He came back broken, in a dark place. That doesn't excuse his behavior, but they knew this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you confident all the damaging info is out?

KHANNA: That's what he says. My sense is, before the primary, a lot of this has come out. Obviously, look, if there was evidence of violence, I would not support him.

We should focus on acknowledging he was misogynistic, acknowledging he was wrong. Moving on with redemption and then focusing on his issues which are stopping the war, taking on the billionaire class.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: This Tuesday, voters in Maine and three other states will make their choices heard in what's shaping up to be another major primary day. For more, I want to bring in CNN reporter, Arit John. Arit, good to

see you.

How do we expect Platner's mounting scandals to potentially influence voters on election day?

ARIT JOHN, CNN REPORTER: Well, as we head into this primary on Tuesday, voters don't really have many options. Governor Janet Mills is, as she said, still on the ballot. But at the end of the day, we're expecting Platner to easily win the nomination. And then the question becomes, will Democrats stick by him and will voters stick by him heading into November?

And the thing about Maine is that older women play a key role in this primary, in this general election -- sorry.

[14:09:45]

JOHN: We saw in 2020 that Susan Collins won the female vote in Maine, even as president -- now-President Donald Trump lost women by 23 points against Joe Biden.

So heading into this general election, the question is, will women specifically, be able to overlook these allegations heading into November? And will they be willing to take this as a reason to not vote for Susan Collins, a senator who has brought a lot of money into the state and doesn't have the same scandals that the likely Democratic nominee does.

WHITFIELD: Another big contest taking place Tuesday, the South Carolina governor's primary.

One of the candidates vying for the Republican nomination, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, spoke to CNN today about whether -- not receiving President Trump's endorsement will impact her race. Listen.

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC), CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: I've had a race where I was endorsed by the president. I've had a race where I was not, and I won both times.

And I knew what was on the line when I voted to release the Epstein files. If the price of an endorsement was to not vote to release Epstein files, that is a price I am unwilling to pay. I wouldn't change a thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And so how are things shaping up in that race?

JOHN: You know, this South Carolina Republican governor primary is really a test of loyalty to President Trump and how he returns that loyalty.

I mean, we heard Congresswoman Mace talk about the Epstein discharge petition and that damaging her chances of getting the endorsement.

Other people in the race include Congressman Ralph Norman, who backed Nikki Haley when he -- during the 2024 presidential primary.

And then you have the president's chosen candidate, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Abbott. And she was one of the only state lawmakers who was with the president from the very beginning of his decision to run again in 2024.

So when we look at this race, that's the context that it's in is who does the president think has been the most loyal to him?

But there is also the risk that just because he's chosen someone doesn't mean that they're going to make it through to November.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Arit John, thanks so much from Washington. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up, more than a million people at mass today during Pope Leo's first major European trip. We'll go live to Madrid with reactions to his visit.

And the man who helped build "60 Minutes" says it's being torn apart. Scott Pelley breaks his silence on the upheaval at the iconic CBS News magazine show, including his own firing as he talks about all of it in a new, at times emotional, interview.

[14:12:26]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A mass shooting at a summer festival in a historic district of Toledo, Ohio leaves at least a dozen people injured and two critically. Now a manhunt is underway for the suspects.

Here's the moment chaos broke out.

Police say it appears two people were shooting at each other, and the injured were caught in the crossfire. All are expected to survive. Investigators said they were shocked by what they saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. DAN GERKEN, TOLEDO, OHIO POLICE: As far as violence, this is over the top, right. So 12 people being shot, that's the most I've been to a scene.

I've been to a lot of scenes but this is -- this is way over the top.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police are asking people to come forward with any information, including cell phone video from the scene.

And now to the upheaval at CBS' landmark news magazine show, "60 Minutes". Correspondent Scott Pelley is speaking out for the first time since he was fired from CBS on Tuesday. He sat down with "The New York Times" for an interview discussing the news division's editor in chief, Bari Weiss, the network's new direction and the days leading up to his termination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT PELLEY, FORMER CBS NEWS "60 MINUTES" CORRESPONDENT: We can save this. It's possible to land this plane. But right now, CBS News, in my view, is on fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Some powerful words coming from Scott Pelley there.

I want to talk more about this with CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter. Brian, great to see you.

I mean, this was incredibly revealing from Pelley's worries about "60 Minutes" and CBS News in recent months to, you know, feeling blindsided about his own demise. Do you think this interview will help, in his words, save CBS News?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: It all depends on your definition of saved. You know, there's such a disconnect here, such a disagreement over what's gone wrong, over whether "60 Minutes" needs fixing in the first place, and what it would mean to fix it.

There is a total disconnect between Bari Weiss and her allies, who say "60 Minutes" is valuable but out of date. It's resistant to change. It needs outsider energy, and that's what they're doing, bringing in outsiders. Versus veterans like Scott Pelley, who say the news magazine is one of a kind, incredibly valuable because it's been independent and autonomous, and left alone by management for the most part, for decades.

[14:19:47]

STELTER: Fred, I have covered TV news for 20 years, I've not seen a rupture quite like this one, where you have a veteran correspondent speaking out, claiming political interference, saying that Bari Weiss is putting her thumb on the scale on behalf of the Trump administration.

Now, CBS News is openly on the record denying that. But Weiss is not commenting on Pelley's other charges, especially the charge that she is incompetent.

She does not have much TV experience. That is true. She comes from the startup world. She came from "The New York Times", and she launched a startup called the Free Press.

Hiring her at CBS was a big decision, a big, you know, a big gamble by Paramount CEO David Ellison. But so far, Ellison has stood by Weiss as she tries to affect change across CBS. And it all comes down to what kind of change might be needed or not.

WHITFIELD: And back to that interview with Scott Pelley. I mean, you know, Pelley was very emotional, describing the family of CBS News and "60 Minutes" and why he worries about the business leadership not understanding and, you know, in his words, having empathy, you know, for the people behind the ticking clock, empathy for the people in the newsroom or even in the field.

Listen to more of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELLEY: There are people in that room who go to war zones when they are pregnant. Newsrooms are sort of like the military or the police or the beautiful people at the FDNY down the street.

It is a life-threatening job in many instances. And very strong bonds, very emotional bonds are found or are developed in that kind of setting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Are those bonds going to be able to, you know, remain and endure whatever is happening, the changes that might be occurring now or even afoot?

STELTER: Right. Yes. The new boss of "60 Minutes" is trying to stabilize the place. You know, he convinced those three remaining correspondents to stay. He promoted one of Pelley's longtime producers to help run the show.

So he's trying -- Nick Bilton trying to calm things down. But it's going to be very difficult going forward because those three remaining correspondents say they're going to be watching to make sure Paramount doesn't meddle.

And reactions, Fred, are breaking down along predictable partisan lines today, with conservatives watching this interview and saying Pelley comes across as sanctimonious and stubborn, not understanding why so many Americans don't trust the media.

Many progressives expressing worry that Paramount is trying to water down the news coverage, trying to cozy up to President Trump for a very specific reason.

Paramount is right now trying to buy CNN and the rest of Warner Brothers Discovery. So many progressives, many Democratic senators, activist groups, they all fear that this is part of an effort by Paramount to play politics to cozy up to President Trump.

But my sources close to Weiss say that's a misreading of the situation. They say this is about culture change, not about politics. Clearly, Pelley believes it is about politics.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And Pelley also underscored his thoughts about the inexperience, whether it be of Bari Weiss or even the new "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton.

Here's more of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PELLEY: At a certain point, I began to think that a political bias was going to be our big problem. And then later it occurred to me that it was the inexperience, the incompetence that was the bigger problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So what other reactions, or even expectations are, you know, being expressed as a result of this interview?

STELTER: I think so many people can relate to this story because it's about a veteran employee standing up to the new boss, saying to the new, younger boss, you're incompetent, you don't know what you're doing. And then as a result, the veteran employee gets fired. You know, that's one way to frame this.

Another is to look at "60 Minutes" and say, the show is obsolete, or at least its fading that way. It's at risk of becoming obsolete, Bilton and Weiss said to the staff on the day Bilton was hired, they said, if you don't disrupt yourself, you're going to be disrupted.

They said, you've got to work much more aggressively to move into the digital age. That's the argument that these staffers are hearing. But they're looking around saying, hey, we're still the highest-rated show on television, the highest-rated newscast on television, so we're not broken.

So you have a real tug-of-war here between two different sides that have totally different visions for the future. And frankly, visions of what's even going on right now.

So on one level, it's kind of relatable. Any employee wants to tell off their boss, but ultimately the boss saying there has to be evolution at "60 Minutes" or it's going to fade away.

This is another American institution coming under pressure in the Trump age. And if I can give one piece of advice, Fred, whether you're watching CBS or CNN or any channel, judge the content for yourself, judge the programing, not the people.

Right now, there's a lot of drama involving the people here, and nobody knows how it's going to shake out.

WHITFIELD: Right.

STELTER: When I tune in to CBS, I see really strong journalism being produced, whether that's because of Bari Weiss or in spite of Bari Weiss, I don't know, I'm not there. But I know CBS News is still living up to its job every day. And that's one of the most important things to keep in mind.

[14:24:49]

WHITFIELD: Yes, one of the points that even Scott Pelley made in that interview, he talked about and celebrated there's a 9 percent increase of viewership with "60 Minutes". So that's a big nod. And he also said they do have a digital presence, reminding people

they're "60 Minutes" over time. So they're there. They've been there since 2010. So his point on saying, it is current right now.

All right. Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, with the president expected at tomorrow night's NBA finals game, security, of course, it's tightening in New York. We're live as the city prepares for six weeks of major sporting events.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:02]

WHITFIELD: All right. New York officials are ramping up security ahead of tomorrow night's NBA finals game between the Knicks and the Spurs.

It won't be the typical security that you see at these games. That's because President Trump is also planning to attend.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is live outside Madison Square Garden in New York, with more on how the city is ramping up security ahead of the president's visit ahead of a very big game.

I mean, will fans be able to be as up close and personal to Madison Square Garden as they have been at those home games?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Fred. Not unless they have a ticket for tomorrow's game, which, as most people have seen, those tickets are not only extremely hard to get, but they are selling for a lot of money. So if you do not have tickets to tomorrow's game, chances are you're not going to be able to get anywhere near the garden. It's going to be a very different scene outside Madison Square Garden here tomorrow for this big game. Game three between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. There is going to be major security in and around the garden.

And very importantly, the watch party that has been hosted right outside of the Garden for the past few games is not going to be taking place. That is likely causing a lot of heartbreak for New Yorkers. Definitely those who cannot get into the garden, who have been coming to the watch party to try and get as close as possible, they will not be able to do so tomorrow. All of this is because President Trump will be in town. He is expected to arrive by helicopter. Then he will arrive here at the arena to watch the game.

He will be here along with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who will be in attendance at the game, not sitting with the president. But he too will be inside the garden. The streets around the area will be frozen close to pedestrians and traffic, so its likely going to be a there will not be any of the crowds that we have been seeing here for the past few games, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Okay. All right. Lots of excitement for the NBA finals. Knicks, you know, still on the hunt. But then right around the corner -- I mean, World Cup madness. Talk about security. I mean, how I guess the city is going to either parallel or kind of dovetail security for these massive sporting events.

PAZMINO: Yeah. And law enforcement officials have been working this for over a year. They knew that the world cup was coming. And in many ways, the security posture that were going to see here tomorrow is part of that effort that they've been working on for a while now. We're talking about 48 teams, 104 matches.

This is a massive sports event across 16 cities U.S., Mexico and Canada. So we're talking federal, state and local officials all working together to make sure that security is at where it needs to be for this major sporting event.

This is expected to be one of the most significant security operational challenges that we have seen in recent memory, with so many host cities being included, not just across the U.S., but also Canada and Mexico. So, a lot of work for law enforcement officials in the next few days, and the potential that these two events might actually run into each other, both the Knicks finals, the NBA finals and the beginning of the World Cup.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. All right. Sharing the wealth, so to speak, as it pertains to security and just fanaticism of all these sports and great events.

All right. Thank you so much, Gloria Pazmino. Appreciate it in New York.

And stay with CNN for more on the world cup. Next hour, we'll talk to a national security expert about how host cities across the U.S. are taking extra precautions to keep fans safe during these massive sporting events.

So lots of countries like to claim to be the most passionate fans of soccer or football, but only Mexico is globally recognized for popularizing one of the sports most beloved rituals, the wave.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

WHITFIELD: I mean, the only one that's doing it like that. This weekend, thousands of people in Mexico City attempted to break the world record for the biggest wave in the world. And it comes 40 years after Mexico popularized the move during the 1986 World Cup. According to "Reuters", the U.S. holds the record for the largest wave, with more than 157,000 people involved. Japan holds the longest wave record with an impressive 17 minutes and 14 seconds.

All right, coming up, peace remains elusive between the U.S. and Iran at the 100-day mark of this war. What's what is standing in the way of a deal and the compromise both sides may have to make to end the conflict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:39:34] WHITFIELD: All right, let's get back to our top story. President Trump saying that Iran has agreed to forgo nuclear weapons as talks continue on a peace agreement. In a wide ranging interview with NBC News, Trump also said the U.S. has no plans to unfreeze Iranian assets or lift sanctions as part of any agreement. Today marks 100 days since the start of the war with Iran.

With us now is Evelyn Farkas. She is the former deputy assistant secretary of defense and is now the executive director of the McCain institute.

[14:40:06]

Great to see you.

EVELYN FARKAS, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Thank you for having me, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Before I ask you to analyze what the president is asserting, let's hear him right now in his interview with Kristen Welker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: How close are you to making a deal? Are we talking about days, weeks, months, Mr. President?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we're very close. We have a couple of points. They don't even seem like big points. They've conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that we will not develop nuclear weapons, and everybody was very happy with it except me.

And I said, well, what happens if they not develop, but they go out and purchase, they acquire? I want to put the word if they buy or purchase or acquire, you know, you've got to have that in there too, because that's not developing. So they don't have the right to develop or purchase, acquire or buy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. He says we're close to an agreement. And then you just heard him talking about, you know, Iran essentially agreeing to no nuclear weapons or even the pursuit of. We haven't heard from Iran thus far in these -- this phase of the talks.

What do you believe here?

FARKAS: Well, I think its important to understand that all along, Iran has denied that its trying to get a nuclear weapons program. They are saying, oh, we are developing nuclear capability to develop energy. This is peaceful.

Of course, we know that's not the case because they have shown an ability to enrich uranium up to 60 percent and possibly up to 90 percent. So that's what, you know, the international community has been working on doing, stopping them from actually going out and breaking out of the lie that they were telling everyone.

So they're just repeating, Fredricka, the lie that they that they don't want a nuclear weapons program, that they're not going to acquire one or make one. You know, all of this was in the agreement that President Obama negotiated together with the European Union and other countries in 2015.

WHITFIELD: So are you seeing any progress here?

FARKAS: It's hard to say because I'm also hearing and reading, you know, and you just said, you know, President Trump said he doesn't want to, you know, lift sanctions. He's opposed to providing any kind of you know, frozen assets back to Iran. We had to do that in, you know, after the agreement came into force, the 2015 agreement, the United States had to as part of the deal, you have to give them something to get something from them.

So in exchange for their agreement that they wouldn't enrich, that the U.N. would go in and inspect that all of the already enriched uranium and plutonium would be under seal and under watch. They basically, in exchange for that, said, okay, now you have to lift sanctions and you have to give us some of our frozen assets back.

So the international community decided that was a good enough deal. President Trump has to make a deal. You can't tell the Iranians they get nothing

WHITFIELD: And the president even said recently before the weekend that, you know, these kinds of deals take years. When at first he said it was going to be very quick, much quicker than years. And the JCPOA took years that according to so many who worked on it and the Obama administration.

So, do you see a real shift here? Or advancement at all in whether its Iran's commitment or promises? That are taking shape in whatever this deal might be?

FARKAS: I don't see one Fredricka mostly because even though we weaken the Iranians, you know, we took out their leadership. They had to replace their leadership. They're in hiding. There's a blackout on the internet. So the Iranian people can't communicate with the outside world. They're very unhappy.

You know, those were all positive things in terms of putting pressure on the Iranian regime. But then the Iranian regime pulled out what was predictable the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. And so they now are getting money. They're charging for oil tankers and other, you know, ships to go through there.

So they now don't have as much pressure on them. So time is not as much of the essence. Its actually a problem for us, for the international community, for the United States. You know, just go to your gas tank and you'll see. But it's also, you know, it also has to do with fertilizer prices because that also comes through their helium, which is important for making chips, which fuel our entire economy globally. So I don't think we have a lot of time on our hands. We need to come

up with a deal to, to take the blockade away and then really get on a path to making sure we put Iran back in the nuclear box.

WHITFIELD: All right. Evelyn Farkas, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much.

FARKAS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, the pope is in Spain right now, currently talking to young people from across the country.

[14:45:03]

What he had to say at a mass attended by more than a million.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It can make a great difference to Spain, especially because I feel that -- I feel like Spain is a bit divided right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. New today, Pope Leo is taking part in a cultural event in Madrid as part of his trip through Spain.

[14:50:00]

Actor Antonio Banderas was among those who spoke at the event, billed as building networks across art, economy, sports and culture.

Earlier, more than a million people crowded at Madrid Plaza to celebrate mass with Pope Leo.

Here's how one young woman described the pope's message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were not expecting, like this environment and so many people. So it has been amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like this is a really big impact because young people, for example, can experience it like right now. So they can feel it in their hearts. I like him a lot. And I think he speaks with, with clarity, like he speaks with I feel truth when I hear him and i, and I feel like that, that clarity, I think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, so moving from them.

CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb is traveling with the pope.

I mean, Christopher, it is clear folks are really in love with this pope there.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredericka. Pope really, really is a hit in Spain. I mean, there've been huge crowds here in Madrid for the mass and then the procession, you know, more than a million people. I was amongst them earlier today and it was really quite, quite a sight and quite an amazing atmosphere as well.

And I think the important thing is that Pope Leo and his message is bringing people together. This is obviously a society in Spain that is very politically divided. And pope will tomorrow address Spain's parliament. But his message seems to be resonating with people and drawing these really big crowds.

And the pope today saying that, you know, although Spain is, of course, a traditionally a very catholic country, saying that faith and Catholicism is not something that they should see as the past or a museum or something that is about nostalgia, but it is something that can help build up the common good of society.

So, you know, Leo's presence here and his message really resonating with people. And he, of course, is a fluent Spanish speaker. He spent so many years in Peru and, you know, he is, I think, enjoying himself while he's in Spain.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's so nice. It is evident.

All right. Christopher Lamb in Madrid, thank you so much.

Coming up, in an exclusive interview with CNN, Iran's foreign minister tells us why talks with the Trump administration remain stalled and why he says the threat of renewed conflict is still very real. That's all new, next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:57:19]

WHITFIELD: All right. The biggest stars are on CNN. It's part of the new season of Variety's "Actors on Actors". And you can see a new episode every day on the CNN app.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister got a behind the scenes preview of today's episode with actors Paul Anthony Kelly and Patrick Ball.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. One of my favorite things about the "Actors on Actors" franchise is that sometimes you get beloved costars who are reuniting. Sometimes you get best friends in Hollywood who are sitting with each other, and other times you get fresh faces who are really new on the scene and are meeting each other for one of the first times in those two chairs. And that's what happened with this episode.

You have Paul Anthony Kelly, who plays JFK Jr. in "Love Story" on FX, and you have Patrick Ball from the huge breakout hit "The Pitt". Here, Patrick asked Paul how he got ready to play such an iconic figure in JFK, Jr.

Take a look.

PATRICK BALL, ACTOR: How did you prepare for --

PAUL ANTHONY KELLY, ACTOR: I had three weeks to prepare from when I was hired on. Ryan Murphy and his team really just took all the outside thinking away from me during this process because, you know, I got the job, then I have to move to New York. I -- just a plethora of things that that had to happen within the short period of time.

So, they got me a dialect coach. I worked with a dialect coach, an acting coach, a physical trainer, because I had to get a little bit bigger. John was a very active guy. He was always running, always biking, rollerblading, working out --

BALL: Which is a stretch for you.

KELLY: Yeah, big time stretch. But to find like his physicality and his voice, he narrates his father's book, "Profiles in Courage". So I listened to that almost religiously just to get into his rhythm and flow and speech patterns.

WAGMEISTER: I was on set watching this entire conversation. And what was really so interesting is that these are both the breakout roles for these two actors. Patrick Ball was actually talking about how he was waiting tables when he got "The Pitt", and that he had considered quitting acting. And Paul Anthony Kelly said the same, that he wasn't sure if he was ever going to make it. And then he got the phone call in three weeks later was shooting a show where he was playing JFK, Jr.

So this is a really interesting conversation. You do not want to miss it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much.

And enjoy the new season of "Variety's" Actors on Actors. You can watch a new episode drop daily on the CNN app.

(MUSIC)

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. Right now, all eyes are on Maine. In just hours, the state's leading Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Graham Platner.