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U.S. Strikes Iran For Downing Of Helicopter; Iran Retaliates; Iran Says It Launched Strikes Toward U.S. Targets In Region. Aired 4- 4:30a ET

Aired June 10, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hi everybody. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York, and this is CNN Newsroom.

The U.S. and Iran, they trade retaliatory strikes after U.S. army helicopters down near the Strait of Hormuz. We'll be discussing what this could all mean for the ceasefire negotiations. Plus, scandal- plagued Graham Platner securing the Democratic Senate nomination in Maine.

And a tough kid from Brooklyn realizing his dreams as the Knicks compete for the NBA championship. The next hour, I'll be speaking with somebody who helped shape his Knicks point guard Jose Alvarado during his early childhood.

ANNOUNCER: Live from New York, this is CNN Newsroom with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Let's begin with Iran as it says that it has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. Targets in the region after US Strikes against Iran. Iranian state media is now releasing this footage looking at showing what it claims are missiles launched during the attacks. Iran is saying that it targeted a U.S. base in Jordan and that the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was also targeted.

This video appearing to show a bright flash coming from the direction of the Fifth Fleet naval facility, though the exact cause of said flash is still not clear. And this all comes after the U.S. military launched what officials are calling self defense strikes on Iran in response the downing of an Army Apache helicopter.

Let's get the Latest now from CNN's Paula Hancock. She joins me live from Abu Dhabi. What else is the U.S. military saying about these strikes, Paula?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, what we've heard from Central Command is that what they have carried out is what they call a quote, "proportional response." This, as you say, is in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter believed to be by an Iranian drone. Although one U.S. does say that they're uncertain whether this was intentional or not. But we're hearing from the U.S. Side that they did need to respond.

So, the CENTCOM statement says that what they had targeted was air defense, ground control stations, surveillance, radar sites in a number of different areas just near the Strait of Hormuz. Now, Iran claims through its state media that they also hit two water reservoirs which they say disturbed water distribution to nearby areas. But these are areas, as I say, along that crucial waterway. Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas also just county, which of course are very much in focus, very close to the Strait of Hormuz.

There has been, as you say, a retaliation from Iran. We heard from Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, saying that what they saw from the U.S. was a violation of their country's sovereignty, saying that our powerful armed forces will have no leave, no attack, all threat unanswered, saying that they also had no choice but to respond. So three countries were involved in that retaliation.

We saw U.S. military bases, according to Tehran, being targeted in Kuwait, in Bahrain, also in Jordan. We haven't heard at this point reports of casualties or damage. We're waiting to hear if there are any reports from those three countries, but all three saying that they were intercepting aerial threats from Iran.

Iran saying that they targeted the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. They targeted a base in Jordan, Kuwait also saying that it was having to intercept these -- these aerial threats.

So what we're seeing at this point, and of course what we're looking for is whether or not this is an a -- an isolated escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran or whether or not this could become part of escalatory ladder. We've heard from one U.S. official saying that they believe their response was intended as a warning shot and they believe that it won't have an impact on ongoing talks. Polo.

SANDOVAL: CNN's Paula Hancocks with that live update from Abu Dhabi. Thank you, Paula.

The Taliban currently accusing Pakistan's military of killing at least 13 people, and that includes 11 children. In Eastern Afghanistan, a Taliban official claiming the Pakistani airstrikes hit civilian homes across three separate Afgahn provinces on Tuesday night.

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More than a dozen women and children were also injured. Pakistani authorities, they have confirmed that they carried out strikes on Afghanistan, saying that they targeted what they described as hideouts and safe havens of militant groups. The two countries have been embroiled in months of cross border attacks that have already killed hundreds of people this year.

Voters in four states in the United States are now making their voices heard in the lead up to the U.S. midterm elections in November. Among the most closely watched races, Maine Senate primary where CNN can now project Graham Platner will secure the Democratic nomination. But Platner's win it comes despite several scandals looming over his campaign. CNN's ArletteSaenz reporting from Maine.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The matchup in one of the country's marquee Senate races this year is now officially set. Democratic candidate Graham Platner will face off against Republican Senator Susan Collins in a race that could very well determine control of the Senate majority next year.

Now Platner in his speech to supporters at his primary night event really went on the attack against Senator Susan Collins trying to lay out some of the conflicts contrast that he plans to pursue in this general election battle. Take a listen.

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GRAHAM PLATNER, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE: Susan Collins may have started may have started her career decades ago in Washington with good intentions, but she has become just as spineless and corrupt as the establishment she now serves.

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SAENZ: Platner will still need to contend with some of the voter angst about the controversies that have surrounded his case campaign. Republicans have made clear that they want to put those scandals front and center in their messaging against Platner. Senator Collins told our colleagues Manu Raju that she believes that some of the allegations about the way the Platner treated past girlfriends are very serious and troubling and that Platner has more explaining to do to Maine voters.

Now in his remarks, Platner said that he's not perfect, that he has made mistakes, but that he is trying to grow from them and wants to earn the trust of Maine voters. But there are some Democrats on the national level who worry that these controversies could complicate their ability to flip this seat blue come November. Arlette Saenz, CNN Blue Hill, Maine.

SANDOVAL: Maine's primary is not the only one with implications for the upcoming midterm elections later this year. Let's go to South Carolina now. CNN projecting longtime senator and staunch Trump ally Lindsey Graham will once again secure the Republican nomination. He's expected to face Democrat Eddie Andrews come November.

On Tuesday, Graham credited President Trump's endorsement for his sweeping victory over a crowded GOP field. And one week after California's primary, CNN can finally project that Republican Steve Hilton will be the one to advance to the governor's race in November.

The former Fox News commentator endorsed by President Trump will face Democrat Javier Becerra, who is the former Health and Human Services secretary under the Biden administration. He's also a former California attorney general. The state has not elected a Republican govern governor in 20 years, so it may not be easy for Steve Hilton.

And in the last hour, I spoke with CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. Listen to her thoughts on some of the latest election results in this primary season.

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MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think what we saw last night in Maine is the anger and the frustration towards Trump's policies. And Republicans, including, of course, Susan Collins, I think really reigned supreme in and voters, Democratic Maine voters, are willing right now at least to overlook the controversies that have thus far arisen from Graham Platner's past.

Now, I think that going into the general election, it's going to be really difficult for Graham Platner to sustain what I believe is going to be the barrage of attacks from the Susan Collins campaign, from all of the dark super PAC money that is going to be thrown against him, especially using these controversies. But I think he hit the right tone last night polo in terms of talking about his past, how difficult it has been.

He asked voters for their forgiveness, said that he wanted to earn their trust, talked about redemption, and then went straight toward the jugular in terms of attacking Susan Collins on the high costs of living, on supporting Republican and Trump policies, on being really to blame for overturning Roe v. Wade because she was one of the deciding votes on putting Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

And so, I think all of those things are going to go toward the big question, which is our Maine voters really that fed up with the high cost of living, the chaos, the corruption, the cruelty that has come from Trump and Republican policies, that they are willing to overlook all of these controversies that have come out about Graham Platner. My sense is that if nothing else comes out, Polo, he might be able to pull this off in the general.

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SANDOVAL: Yes, I remember being in Portland, Maine, when Susan Collins made that vote and the level of disappointment among so many voters there, this is certainly something that can come back and haunt her and bite her. And he's also said that he is an open book, that anything remotely damaging is already out there. But the reality is, though, as you know, Maria, anything could happen. Bad polls, any bad revelation.

So do you think that if Platner backfires, do you think that Democrats in Maine have a plan B?

CARDONA: That's going to be the big question, Polo. And, you know, there is a mechanism, as I understand it, that there could still be a switch, but I think that would be incredibly difficult and messy, and I think at that point, it might be too late to include Maine in one of the seats that Democrats could win.

SANDOVAL: Right.

CARDONA: But obviously, the Grand Platner campaign is focused on moving forward, and the big test for him is going to be is this all right? Like I said before, if this is it, Polo, I do think he might be able to survive this.

It's not going to be easy because the barrage of attacks that are going to go up against him literally starting this morning, I believe is going to be brutal. And so, it's going to be that up against the frustration, the bad feelings that voters have in Maine against what they have sustained thus far because Susan Collins has done everything that she has done to support Trump.

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SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Maria. It is shortly before sunrise in Washington, D.C. likely be another busy day on Capitol Hill, where House Republicans have sent now a $70 billion immigration enforcement package to the White House for Donald President. For President Donald Trump to sign. This bill will fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE and Customs and Border Protection, for the rest of President Trump's second term. CNN's Manu Raju with a closer look at that legislation.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: By the narrowest of margins, Donald Trump got his immigration bill through the United States House. That bill to fund his immigration enforcement priorities, ICE, Customs and Border Protection through the rest of his second term in office. $70 Billion after a feud with Democrats that led to the longest government shutdown of any agency in history when the Department of Homeland Security was shut down the for 76 days earlier this year because Democrats refused to pay for any money if ICE was not changed, how ICE agents are being deployed across the country.

If Donald Trump did not put new restrictions on those ICE agents, they said they would not agree to funding it through the normal appropriations process, which requires 60 votes in the United States Senate to overcome a Democratic led filibuster. But Democrats would not give the votes to overcome a filibuster if those changes weren't made. So the Republicans said, okay, we're going to go through a different process altogether, that process to move it through along party lines. In the United States Senate in particular, the budget process that they use cannot be filibustered.

But it's arcane. It's complicated. They were forced to adhere to very strict budget rules in the United States Senate. Ultimately though, they jammed this through the Senate. They jammed it through the house on a 214 to 212 vote.

And there were some definite -- there was only one defector, a Republican turned independent, Kevin Kiley of California, who's battling to hang onto his seat and criticize the process that Republican leaders used.

REP. KEVIN KILEY (I-CA): Well, I'm very disappointed. I mean, it passed by a single vote. And I think that this, you know, Congress polarization in Congress is at an all-time high right now. And I think that this is going to make things worse. I said from months ago that if -- if we're going to go down this route, if I'm going to even consider voting for a reconciliation bill, we would need to see bipartisan reforms to interior immigration, enforce.

RAJU: What did Democrats get out of this, given that ICE and CBP are going to be funded for the rest of the President's term?

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): Well, I mean, I think that as I, as I just mentioned, I think that we were able to protect people for a very long period of time. We're talking about six months where this funding was halted and paused and stopped. And we did not see, although there are and continue to be abuses of power and in ICE and misconduct in ICE and CBP by pausing this funding, I really do believe that it forced a very large amount of restraint. Now that these dollars are just fully funding, full steam ahead.

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RAJU: And that last comment comes from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leading progressive Democrat defending how Democrats handled this, even though they didn't get anything they wanted here. When it came to reining in ICE agents, whether it was changing their how they are actually executing their enforcement actions, getting warrants to go about those actions, were forcing them to remove their masks. None of them got into the final bill. But there will be another fight in the fall to fund the rest of the federal government.

And the question is going to be what will Democrats do at that point? Because their votes will needed, will be needed in the United States Senate in order to overcome a Democratic filibuster. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

SANDOVAL: Still on the way, Pope Leo now on the second leg of his visit to Spain. He's set to mark a major milestone for a basilica in Barcelon been under construction for more than a century. We'll take you live to Barcelona in a moment.

Plus, violence on the streets of Belfast, why fires and fist fights have broken out in Northern Ireland. You're watching CNN Israel.

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SANDOVAL: Hi everybody. Welcome back. In the coming hours, Pope Leo will be inaugurating and also blessing the newest tower of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. Construction at that basilica, it actually started more than a century ago and the landmark has now become the world's tallest church.

Earlier, more than 40,000 people attended a vigil that was led by the pontiff at Barcelona's Olympic stadium. This event combined prayer, music and personal testimonies from some of the young people there. We also saw some large crowds agreed at the pope at Barcelona's 14th century cathedral. The pontiff presiding over a midday prayer service there on Tuesday leading up to what will be a major event in just a few hours. Let's go live to Barcelona and CNN's Pau Mosquera, who's been following closely that visit and actually even took us inside the basilica in a preview piece.

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, today concentrates the most intense schedule of events of Pope Leo's visit to Barcelona. He is now starting the day with a visit to Cambrians, which is a penitentiary center located 40 kilometers west of Barcelona, where he is expected to greet inmates and staff of the center.

And right after that, he will directly travel to the Abbey of Montserrat, which is a medieval complex that includes an 11th century Benedictine abbey and a 16th century basilica. This is one of the most sacred places in Catalonia for Catholics.

But I would say that the most important event of the day is the one that will take place in the afternoon and that will happen here behind me at the Sagrada Familia because the pontiff will officiate a holy mass to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Antonio Gaudi, the architect that envisioned the basilica and that spent most of his life constructing it. Specifically, 43 years of his life.

This promises to be one of the most emotional events that the Publio has done over the past few days. After the Holy Mass, it will take place, the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ, which raises to 560 feet and makes this basilica the tallest Catholic church in all the world. Polo.

SANDOVAL: You know, the Pope certainly preaching this message of peace, unity against polarization in society. And yet Pau, as you know, he stepped right into what is perhaps one of the most divisive arenas, football clubs in Spain.

MOSQUERA: That's it. I guess that many football club Barcelona fans are disappointed after Pope Leo, when traveling to Madrid, said that he roots for Real Madrid. But I guess that he somehow deactivated the situation after yesterday's prayer vigil with the young. As he celebrated the vigil in Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, which was the home for football club Barcelona for two seasons. So I think that this a little bit compensates the situation, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yes. Some things you just don't really talk about sometimes in Spain, and that is certainly football. Pau Mosquera, I really do appreciate that report. Thank you.

Joining us now from Krakow, Poland is Paulina Guzik. She's a journalist and also international editor for OSV News and American Catholic Newswire. Paulina, it's great to see you. Thank you so much for joining us.

PAULINA GUZIK, JOURNALIST AND INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, OSV NEWS: Thank you for having me, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Of course. So, as we wait for this major event there in Barcelona, as you know, Pope Leo getting ready to celebrate Mass at Sagrada Familia, wondering if you can start by just speaking to the significance of the celebration that we're awaiting there as he inaugurates that. You mentioned that this is really a full circle moment in papal history. Why is that?

GUZIK: Absolutely. So Pope Leo XIII actually blessed a founding stone for this tremendous basilica and a lifetime achievement of Antoni Gaudi, who died precisely 100 years ago. So now Pope Leo XIV, who of course has a name, you know, after Pope Leo XIII, is another Leo of the papacy is now inaugurating the last tower, the 18th tower of Jesus Christ, the one that we can see reigning over the whole city of Barcelona and of Catalonia.

John Paul II was there in 1982. Barely, the roof was there. Benedict XVI consecrated the altar, a very important moment for a Catholic cathedral in 2010. So now Pope Leo XIV, opening up that space, you know, completed with the tower, is a very powerful moment. And I think that he's going to say to basically look up at this cross, you know, that is so shiny and white over all those 17 towers that were already completed.

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SANDOVAL: Paulina, let's get back on Antoni Gaudi and really the man behind this just absolutely incredible, awe inspiring sort of presence there in the heart of Barcelona. Just tell us about what today's visit means in terms of the next step towards his sainthood. I mean, why is this, do you think, so important for Catholics in Spain?

GUZIK: Well, yes, it's very important to mention that, of course, Antoni Gaudi is known for many people around the world as a genius architect. I mean, he designed, of course, Sagrada Familia, but also that amazing park, you know, looking over Barcelona and many apartment buildings. But not many people know that he was a spiritual giant. I mean, he was a man of really deep faith who really prayed every day.

And I mean, the moment when he died, he was literally stepping out of Sagrada Familia, where he lived at the very end of his life. In the last years of his life, he was going to another church nearby for mass and prayer. So he was also this very humble man. He would go out in the streets of Barcelona to ask people to give donations to build Sagrada Familia, but not to only build the building he wanted to create, but to pay the workers who were working on building that structure.

He was also very humble in thinking that he will not complete that building, that this is not a building that he would complete in his lifetime. He knew about that, but still dedicated his full force into creating what future generations of Catholics and non-Catholics would create. And funny enough, he said that my client is not in a hurry. So, he was really creating Sagrada Familia so that God can be praised. And he considered God his real client for the Sagrada Familia.

SANDOVAL: Yes. It's impossible to ignore just the presence of his inspiration that you see when someone visits Barcelona. Let's look back now at the sort of earlier stages of the Pope's visit to Spain. Specifically, when he offered a speech to Spain's parliament to you, what stood out? This message of encouraging people steer away from polarization in society?

GUZIK: Yes, I think what really stood out in general in Spain, not only in the speech to Parliament, which of course was the highlight of the visit in Madrid, that he listened first to the struggles of the Spanish people. He listened to the world of university, to the world of education. He listened to victims of sexual abuse. He listened to the youth. And from this we can really see that he delivered that speech.

And what did he say? He didn't come as a preacher. He came as a pastor who listened first.

And I think the amazing thing that really stood out for the people of Spain is that he acknowledged the amazing grandeur heritage of this country and the heritage that is Catholic. And he told them to carry this heritage through history now. That this heritage, the Catholic heritage, is the remedy for current political debates. He told, of course, the politicians of Spain to be responsible.

He said the nation's greatness is measured in how they treat the most vulnerable. He urged the dignity of life. He urged the dignity of the unborn. He urged the dignity of migrants.

So he said what any pastor would say, but he didn't, you know, inflict and say, you have to do this. No, he embraced the amazing heritage of this country to encourage, to live the faith in everyday life. And I would come back to the day before to the Sunday Mass where he told Spaniards, don't treat your faith as it was standing in the museum and as it was, you know, an artifact in the museum. No, you can't kneel in front of the Lord, despising your brother.

So this was the message of unity that he sent to Spaniards. Live your faith, and then your society will be a better one, less polarized one.

SANDOVAL: And that lengthy standing ovation really says it all. And talk about just a unique way of preaching to not just Catholics in Spain, but the Catholics around the world. Paulina Guzik, I know you'll be watching closely as he gets ready to celebrate Mass there at Sagrada Familia. Thank you so much for your analysis and your time.

Well, Iran's economy has already it's already in dire straits before the war with the U.S. and Israel. Now the outlook is even worse. We'll be hearing from Iranian civilians about their struggles in a moment.

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