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New York Police Bring Horses to Try to Control Crowd; Trump Says U.S.-Iran Agreement Set to be Signed Today. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 14, 2026 - 03:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. Let's get to our breaking news. We are keeping an eye on New York, where celebrations after the Knicks' long-awaited NBA championship win may have taken a turn.

The New York City Police Department has deployed the mounted unit to disperse crowds and break up celebrations after some fans became rowdy. In one instance here, burning garbage in the streets after the Knicks defeated the Spurs in San Antonio late Saturday night.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has been with us throughout the night as these spectators and everybody has, this crowd has escalated. And what are you seeing now, Shimon?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: So, for the last hour or so, we've been watching the NYPD's mounted unit, the horse unit here, move through this crowd, clear this entire area. Along with these officers here, you can see with helmets and holding their batons and those plastic zip ties, have forced people out of this area on 34th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue.

And now we're watching after they've -- for the last hour clearing this area, they have now turned around. The horses have turned around and are now -- they seem to be -- I thought they may head towards back to 6th Avenue. But now these officers, so you can hear there, Brian, they're telling people to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk. So, they've been successful.

I will say to you the crowds here have thinned out since they started doing this. Because when I was here on 5th Avenue about 30, 40 minutes ago, there were way more people out here. But it seems that people have gotten the message here and have cleared out of the area.

We're still seeing a number of people here, but for the most part, most people, it seems, certainly from what I saw earlier have left. I just looked behind me here and it seems that many of those people have left. And we're hearing the police tell people, you got to get out of the street. You got to get out of the street. I just heard an officer tell someone, you don't have to go home, but you can't be in the street. They want to get the traffic flowing again. And it seems that they've been successful because here for the first time, Effie (ph), let's show this, the cars are actually able to drive south here on 5th Avenue. They weren't able to do so, before because of the number of people here.

Now, a couple of things have happened here that everyone should be aware of. At least two police cars, from what I saw, were vandalized. Windshields were broken. Some of the other windows were broken. And as a result, the police moved in. Because of that, those actions certainly caused the police to escalate some of what they're doing.

We also saw some trash being set on fire, a school bus that was trying to make its way across 34th Street was vandalized. And it's those instances, those kinds of situations where we saw the police start to escalate their response.

But for the most part, other than those pockets and those kinds of flashpoints, you know, we were on 6th Avenue and for hours the police were just allowing people to remain in the street. And now we're watching here Effie, let's see, the officers after clearing the street and the sidewalk they, it seems like they are now leaving and walking away.

So, let's see what happens from this point on, but you could definitely see there's less of a crowd out here now. Traffic is starting to flow again. So, for the NYPD, for now, it seems they're going to sort of decrease their level of, I guess, interaction with the folks that remain out here.

ABEL: Yes. Their level of response, it seems like they got to the point where they've cleared how much they've wanted to clear. And like you are describing there, Shimon, that, you know, 5th Avenue looks a little bit different than it did even 30, 35, 40 minutes ago.

So, thank you for showing us that. We'll stand by. We'll come back to you when we can.

[03:05:00]

We do want to go now to retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Richard Kolko speaking to us from Reston, Virginia. Richard you've been right along with us watching things progress throughout the evening. Where do you think things stand right now seeing that some of the crowds have been dispersed there?

RICHARD KOLKO, RETIRED SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Oh, I think that's good news but that's means the revelers, I think, are the ones that are leaving, the ones that are out there actually enjoying the Knicks victory and celebrating that event, and large crowds are doing that. I'm worried there may be some of the troublemakers that'll be left after the crowds quiet down. But at least there'll be less people on the streets, and certainly are there more police on the streets now, so that should hopefully help keep things under control.

But we're already past 3:00 in the morning, so I think people are probably running out of steam a little bit. And, hopefully, we've seen the worst of it, which, and based on what we've seen, it really wasn't that bad. Police have opened up the avenues there. They need to allow emergency vehicles to pass. I mean, there's routine New York City business that goes on. Somebody might need an ambulance, a fire truck.

So, law enforcement has a responsibility to make sure that they've got freedom of movement, and again, protecting people and property. And we saw NYPD acting very restrained, using the tools they had. And from the limited view we had of a couple CNN cameras out there and some of the other areas I've been able to follow on the computer, it seems like city and city management and law enforcement's done a good job tonight.

ABEL: Yes. You know, to, to that point, in the last hour we were talking and then we had to go back to one of the CNN cameras as there was some escalations there. But you were talking to some NYPD sources of yours about some other property being damaged in the way of fire trucks and things like that. And brought up the point that come tomorrow, NYPD and other entities will be looking at the overall extent of what happened throughout tonight.

It seemed that there's -- we're only catching so, so much, right, with our CNN cameras, but there are eyes in the sky. Will NYPD be looking throughout the video, looking to see who end up doing those acts and vandalizing the vehicles and things of that nature, and be working to arrest those people?

KOLKO: They certainly could and should be doing that. That'll be up to the prosecutors, you know, if they're going to follow through on it, law enforcement will make some decisions based on that. But if what we've seen is a couple of windshields were broken and maybe some fire trucks, I believe, may have been damaged as well, if it is minor, law enforcement certainly wants to identify them.

With the amount of cameras that are out there and the amount of information, some of those community affairs officers, somebody's going to know who it is. And -- but, you know, there's so many people coming and going through New York City. It depends how much effort they want to put into it, if it is hopefully as minor as we've seen. And if that's it, if we are over the hump here and it's -- the crowd's getting smaller and there are no more significant problems, then, certainly, not only a victory for the Knicks, but a victory for the city as well.

ABEL: So, the last thing I think I want to ask you here, Richard, is based on the totality of what we've seen tonight how did NYPD do in preparing and executing?

KOLKO: Well, the 1PP at 1 Police Plaza, they've got that control center. They can monitor all the cameras that are going on police cameras, city cameras, as well as they're tied into a lot of the commercial cameras that are out there as well. So, that gives them a good overall domain awareness what's actually happening in the city and where it's happening, allows them to prepare a response, maybe gear people up in case they need to head to a certain area.

So, from what we've seen, it seems like the main areas right here were Times Square and around the Garden. Those areas have been controlled. Looks like the streets are getting opened. They had the mounted patrol up and ready to go.

You know, from what we can see right now, I'm not the grader, but as a person watching, I'm going to give them an A+ on what's been done so far.

ABEL: All right, an A+. Richard Kolko, thank you for standing by for us throughout the evening. I appreciate your expertise, sir.

KOLKO: Absolutely. And what you're about to see here, this was the scene right after the game ended, thousands of Knicks fans flooding the streets of Manhattan after the Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years. It's been mostly peaceful, but as you see here, some celebrations have gone over the top as the night has wound on.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announcing on social media that the Knicks' championship parade will be held this Thursday in Manhattan.

And Knicks fans had to wait more than half a century to see their team win it all. Earlier, we did speak with CNN Sports Analyst Christine Brennan, and we asked her to describe the pressure the team was facing to get the title.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: I think there's probably people watching right now who remember when Patrick Ewing went to the Knicks, and it was almost there was even a question was that the fix in?

[03:10:01]

You know, because the Knicks were such an important franchise in many -- you know, New York being New York, but also needing someone like a Patrick Ewing to come there, and that was back in the draft, you know, in the '80s.

So, yes, I think they have stood out for the remarkable nature of New York and everything that it stands for, and being the center of the obviously the media universe, among many other things, financial, et cetera. But you're right, the success has not been there the way it has been with other franchises. And there's nothing that a league would like more, any of the big leagues in this country loves more than to have New York teams in the finals, you know, their T.V. ratings, everything about the marketing machinery, the sponsorship it's, you know, it's -- New York is-- would be the first to -- you know, that many would want to have, and that hasn't been the case, obviously, to the point you're making. And so here it is. Now it has happened.

And they can also -- you can see, I think there's a lot of people, a lot of sports fans, younger people, who've never seen anything quite like this. And I think that's great, especially with the World Cup going on, to think that the Knicks are actually upstaging the World Cup, the biggest event in the world, I think that's also -- maybe that's just for tonight, maybe that's just for a couple days. But the Knicks are a bigger story right now than the World Cup, at least in the United States, and that's saying something. I think it speaks to the remarkable nature of New York, how important it is to the sports landscape, to the financial power of sports and our culture, and the entertainment world in general, all mixed in one. That's what we're watching tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: To the other huge event in the sports world, Saturday's World Cup action featured a heavyweight clash between Brazil and Morocco ending in a 1-1 draw. Morocco, which reached the semifinals four years ago, struck first, scoring early, but Brazil quickly answered with an equalizer.

Earlier in the day, Qatar faced off against Switzerland, picking up the country's first ever World Cup tournament point. That match ended in a 1-1 draw as well.

And Scotland won their match against Haiti 1-0, their first victory in a World Cup opener since 1982's tournament in Spain.

For more on all this, we want to bring in Darren Lewis, senior sports analyst for CNN and an assistant editor and columnist for the Daily Mirror.

So, here we are, early stages of the cup. What stood out to you so far?

DARREN LEWIS, CNN SENIOR SPORTS ANALYST: Well, you can't it fall this morning, isn't it, Brian, with so much success for so many teams, sporting teams around America. But I think what's really stood out so far has been that performance, that goal from the superstar that is Vinicius Jr, who plays for Real Madrid in Spain, and he lit up the game yesterday against Morocco like a Christmas tree.

You know, World Cups, Brian, they're all about stories and superstars and iconic moments of individual brilliance that really do spark a romance between first-time watchers, and that moment was one of those. Morocco, they were one of the stories of the last World Cup. They reached the last four in Qatar. But Brazil, Brian, they are a side traditionally football royalty, I would say, A-listers, winners of five World Cups. So, for Morocco to hold them was quite the performance last night.

ABEL: Yes. Sometimes a draw is a win, right? Has any time in this early stage set a tone for anybody to be a frontrunner so far?

LEWIS: Not just yet. I mean, the fact that Scotland, as you mentioned, beat Haiti last night and are top of their group, that tells you so much about the openness of this World Cup finals. Anything can happen. I would broaden it even further, Brian, to say as you're seeing with the mix, anything can happen now in world sport.

Sleeping giants awake. It is 28 years since Scotland were last at the World Cup. They arrive with a better squad, a better team, a manager who can knit together the sum of the parts, but they're up against a side in Haiti at their World Cup, at their first World cup as well.

So, there is a real democratization that the sporting infrastructure of so many countries has led to investment in teams, improvement in players, and the kind of results we are starting to see at this World Cup.

ABEL: And we are certainly seeing here in America a lot of talk about a 4-1 dominance by the U.S. team as well.

We are also seeing that this World Cup is different than others, given the immense social media attention and the content around it.

[03:15:04]

Have there been any moments that have really gained the world's attention so far?

LEWIS: Well, listen, let's not kid ourselves, Brian. All of us know all about the controversies that have surrounded this World Cup. But there also have been some lighter moments that have really shown sports, football, in particular's ability to connect the world.

And I think about the moments between the Mexico fans and the Korean fans all dancing together, singing Gangnam Style. I think about the duck dressed in the Mexico shirt walking the streets of New York. I think about all of the fans who've come together with their marches toward, they have this march on the match concept.

The Bosnian fans in their thousands have turned up. The Switzerland fans in their thousands have turned up as well. And then you see the Congo players stepping off the plane with their pristine, sartorial elegance, and you get a sense of the color and the vibrant nature of this World Cup, all of which is being captured on real time on social media.

There are so many wonderful clips that you could waste, dare I say, hours scrolling through. Please don't do that. Watch CNN instead. But, yes, it is a social media World Cup, for sure.

ABEL: Yes. Many a feed is saturated with World Cup content.

But I do have to ask you while I have you, Darren, how about them Knicks? What was the magic potion?

LEWIS: What a wonderful moment. I'm talking about sleeping giants awakening. And you know, I love the fact that they not only came from behind in 15 of their 16 games, but it's a real redemption story for their head coach, Mike Brown, as well.

Christine set the scene, set the table so magnificently well as ever. But, you know, it's a redemption story for him because it was 18 months ago since he was told he wasn't good enough to manage the Sacramento Kings, and yet he has turned the Knicks into a real beast. He has really inspired them, galvanized them, instilled a mental toughness in them. And they were a team that really defied the odds because so many people expected them to fold on so many occasions.

They have had one of the worst teams in the league, just in case any of our viewers are not -- haven't been following the story in the context of this victory. The last time they made it all the way to the finals was '99. That was against the Spurs as well. The last time they won was 1973. I was just trying to remember the date just there.

One quick thing, if I may, Brian, because I've got to claim one of the stars as my own because one of the men taking the headlines is the Northwest London-born Ogu Neyu (ph) -- I always get it wrong, O.G. Anunoby. There you go, O.G. Anunoby. I've got it right.

Listen, he's in the conversation as the MVP. He has been absolutely outstanding, made himself a household name over here in the U.K., and I would imagine over there in the U.S as well.

ABEL: If not before, certainly now. Darren Lewis, I very much appreciate you joining us. Thank you.

LEWIS: Thank you, Brian, as always.

ABEL: And more of our breaking news coverage from New York is coming up. Stay with CNN.

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[03:20:00]

ABEL: We are learning that Qatari negotiators, in coordination with the United States, have flown to Tehran to help finalize the U.S.-Iran agreement. President Donald Trump says it's expected to be signed today. He says it would immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz and set off another 60 days of talks on the remaining sticking points.

Sources tell CNN the signing will now take place remotely to cement the agreement quickly and avoid any last-minute spoilers.

Iran is telling a different story, however. The country's military says Tehran is definitely not signing the agreement today, and criticized President Trump's, quote, unusual insistence, suggesting he wanted it to happen on his birthday.

As Oren Liebermann reports, there are still plenty of unanswered questions.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: President Donald Trump has expressed a tremendous amount of optimism that the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran will be signed on Sunday, and that'll trigger 60 days of negotiations towards a final agreement.

Pakistan has also expressed that kind of optimism, though it should be worth noting that Pakistan, as mediators, have expressed a lot of optimism in the past that hasn't gotten us to the point of a memorandum of understanding.

But we're hearing a very different message from Iran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that they definitely won't be signing an agreement on Sunday, and that there are still points in the MOU that need to be worked out before there is a signing.

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said there won't be an agreement signed on Sunday, although acknowledging it could be in the coming days.

Then, of course, there's the question of what's actually in the MOU that's about to be signed sometime in the coming days perhaps. Well, the Trump administration has said it covers not only highly enriched uranium and the dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program, but also limitations on ballistic missiles and ending support for Iran's proxies.

Of course, that's not what we're hearing from Iran. According to state media, it is specifically focused on the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump has said will open immediately on the signing of the memorandum of understanding, and that's where the focus really is. It doesn't touch ballistic missiles or proxies, according to Iranian state media.

Meanwhile, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader has said it includes, the MOU that is, the release of some of Iran's frozen assets, and they say that Trump simply can't acknowledge that publicly or isn't willing to. Iran is focused on $24 billion in frozen assets that it wants released, half that they're looking for released upon the signing of an MOU, and half at some point later.

So, there is very public disagreement in the statements we're hearing from Iran and from the United States, and that makes it difficult to see where and how this plays out. Crucially, we haven't seen the text of the MOU. The Trump administration hasn't released it. So, we don't have a solid understanding of what this agreement actually entails.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

ABEL: Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for the U.S. State Department, spoke to CNN about this tentative agreement. He said the U.S. is not going to get what it wanted out of this war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: If the war ended tomorrow, would be, frankly, in my view, an epic strategic disaster for the United States. None of the original war aims, regime change, although the administration's been on and off, what to do about ballistic missiles, what to do about proxies. All of that seems to me to be almost impossible to achieve right now.

There are two issues here, and only two, and, frankly, I think most people will judge this war as a success or failure depending on this ultimate disposition of the Straits of Hormuz.

The Iranians have weaponized geography, and in the Middle East, geography is destiny. At any point, over any issue, whether they're happy, unhappy, they can close the straits for a matter of hours. All they have to do is intimidate the insurance companies, and they've demonstrated that they can do that.

So, hopefully, and I've been around negotiations for a long time, most of my professional life, hopefully, what this deal -- it's not an agreement -- what this deal will do is to buy time and space so Iranian and American negotiators directly and their respective teams, including people who know these issues on the technical side, will meet to determine whether or not they can bridge the gaps between all the issues.

[03:25:03]

Unfrozen assets, sanctions relief, mutual security guarantees, every one of those represents a universe of complexity and detail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Iranian state media has announced funeral plans for the late supreme leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei. He was killed more than three months ago when the US and Israel began launching strikes against Iran. The funeral will begin in Tehran on July 4th with a two-day farewell and a procession through the capital.

Khamenei will then be buried on July 9th in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

I'm Brian Abel in Washington. For our international viewers, Well Traveled is next. And for viewers in North America, there's more CNN Newsroom after this.

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[03:30:00]

ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

The world is waiting to see if the U.S. and Iran will finally sign an agreement today. That's what President Trump said to expect, but the Iranian military says that's not happening, adding that negotiators are still working to finalize the framework. A source says Qatari negotiators went to Tehran to help get it over the finish line.

Voting is underway in Switzerland to decide whether to limit the nation's population size. The measure asks voters if the country's population should be capped at 10 million. But critics warn it could risk harming the economy by ending an agreement with the E.U. that allows citizens to work and live in each other's territories.

Saturday's World Cup games featured tight competition across the board. Brazil and Morocco shared points after ending their game in a 1-1 draw. Qatar earned its first ever World Cup tournament point after tying Switzerland 1-1. And despite a hard fight from Haiti, Scotland came away with a 1-0 win in their match.

Live pictures now from New York where it looks like crowds have been dispersed and dispersing, and Knicks fans heading home after their team ended a 53-year-long drought. The New York Knickerbockers have won the NBA championship after staging a second dramatic comeback in back-to-back games. The Knicks defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Texas to bring home the franchise's third ever NBA title. The newly crowned champs had trailed for most of the game until breaking through in the fourth quarter.

And fans partied in New York until some got rowdy. Police deploying mounted units to disperse crowds near Madison Square Garden. Some arrests were made, but confrontations were largely avoided.

After the big game Saturday night, key players from both teams talked about their performances and what was at stake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JALEN BRUNSON, KNICKS PLAYER: Words can't describe it, but I'll say, I put a lot of time and effort into trying to be the best player I can be to try and help a team win. I just really thankful I have the organization, the coaching staff, my teammates to have my back every single day. I think that means the most to me --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James, on the --

BRUNSON: -- and my family, sorry, and my family.

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, SAN ANTONIO SPURS PLAYER: I learned to one of many things I learned is the margin of error is very thin. Our domination stints are absolute. We absolutely dominated for most of this series. But our errors, our mistakes are punished so hard that we can't have ups and downs like this so, so much, you know? The ups are okay. The downs, it is the reason we lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: CNN Reporter Mark Morales was on the streets as things got out of hand during the celebrations in New York. This is what he reported earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK MORALES, CNN REPORTER: We're right here on 42nd Street, and on a night like this, it's usually pretty packed, but this is unlike anything this city's ever seen, unlike anything I've ever seen, and rightfully so, since we're talking about the New York Knicks winning their world championship.

And if you look behind me, you see a bus. And that bus, just a few moments, had a bunch of people standing on top of it. And now if you look at it, they've ripped off the hood of the bus.

So, this is where we are now. We've gotten from like people in the streets, crowds happening, and now they're actually trying to -- now they're trying to take apart this bus. So, you know, we're trying to get as close to this so we can show you just what's happening. They've gotten inside the bus. So, if you see the bus rocking back and forth, you'll actually see people inside. And you'll see over here, if we can get close enough, you'll see some of the people like just taking -- just like stomping on the hood.

[03:35:00]

So, this is -- the hood is coming at us. This is where we are right now. This is 42nd Street in Manhattan. This is right where we are.

So, you know, it's a celebration, and as we've seen in the certain moments, some things have gotten out of hand. But this is all likely -- this is all coming in. You'll hear all over to the right, (INAUDIBLE), you'll start to see police officers here. So, you'll see them with their helmets with the riot sticks. And this has been kind of the thing, right? Like, it's been that line. When do you go in and start enforcing the law? It's been very clear that the police have been letting people sort of celebrate, have a good time, but there always comes a point in time where things end up stopping and police end up having to get involved.

So, that --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: And our Shimon Prokupecz has been out in the streets of Manhattan all night. This is the moment he saw mounted police officers show up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PROKUPECZ: They're going to use it appears at this point, the horses here to try and move the crowd back. And they're now proceeding -- let's keep walking this way, guys. And so we're going to try to get here, we'll be able to -- we're close to the sidewalk, Brian, so we'll be able to jump on the sidewalk as -- yes, we're going to get up on the sidewalk here.

ABEL: And, Shimon, from your perspective, can you see any point where they're trying to clear people to? Is there just a stop point for this line of horses?

PROKUPECZ: So, behind the horses here, you could see in the distance, those are the kind of the crowd control officers, specially trained in moving crowds and pushing crowds back. They are the strategic -- some of them are the strategic response group officers. Some are disorder control. And you will hear them now. I just heard them saying, move, move, move, and this is them speaking to the crowd.

So, the NYPD here, the leaders of the NYPD have now decided that they have had enough and that they are going to try to clear this area. And so they have moved all of these officers in, and you could see the horses here. And even the horses here have protective gear over their eyes to -- if people start throwing things at them. It's a way, obviously, for the horses to protect themselves.

But this is something that the mounted unit of the NYPD trains for crowd control, and this is what they are used for years, as we've seen in other police departments. These horses are used for crowd control.

Effie, let's walk a little. Let's walk a little so that we have some space in case we need to get out of the way.

And now I'm watching officers tell people to get on the sidewalk. So, we're going to -- we're watching here to see how far down the officers here, the mounted officers, the officers on the horses are going to proceed. But the NYPD has moved the horses into this area, and behind them are several dozen officers in -- with helmets, with loudspeakers, telling people to move back. Because just behind me here, there is a very large group of people that set something on fire. We watched them attack this school bus and basically take control of it. We've seen two police cars here vandalized, and now the NYPD has made a decision that they're going to move in, and they're going to move people back.

We're watching people here. It's kind of like this New York moment here, take photos. I mean, this is serious stuff here. And for the NYPD, to do this, clearly, they have some concern now, and so they want to move the crowds out, and they want to try and get some control on the street.

ABEL: We see something in the hands of these police officers there.

PROKUPECZ: Yes.

ABEL: What's in their hands?

PROKUPECZ: Very good observation. It's pepper spray. It's, you know, what pepper spray basically.

So, the NYPD does not use tear gas. They do not use pepper balls, like we see other police departments in disorder control. The NYPD does not use that. They do use pepper spray. And those canisters, that's what that is. And, again, it's another way for crowd control and a way -- and I'm hearing officers on loudspeakers, and we're now hearing them.

[03:40:02]

Let me know if you can hear this. You hear that, move. Move back. And so the officers are speaking on those loudspeakers, trying to get the crowd up on the sidewalk, trying to get people out of this area.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: And U.S. intelligence agencies are working without a key tool now to prevent terrorist attacks in the homeland. A section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expired on Friday after House lawmakers failed to extend it the day before. Democrats opposed the extension because President Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte to be the interim director of National Intelligence. He has no experience in national security, but is set to start the temporary job on June 19th.

Mr. Trump also nominated Jay Clayton as permanent director. His confirmation hearings begin on Wednesday.

And a federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to restore signs that were changed at national parks after a controversial executive order last year. The judge ruled that removing displays that don't align with the president's preferred narrative results in telling half-truths and a limited history. The advocacy group, Save Our Signs, says at least 45 signs were altered. The ruling sets a July 3rd deadline to restore them.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

ABEL: We are learning more details about a Venezuelan drug lord who was killed in a joint strike by the U.S. and Venezuela. Authorities say he was head of the notorious criminal gang, Tren de Aragua.

CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For several years, the criminal group known as Tren de Aragua has terrorized South American countries, including Venezuela, its country of origin, as well as Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, and Peru, according to law enforcement officials in the region and the United States. The U.S. designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, allowing the government to impose sanctions and pursue terrorism charges against its members.

And the man killed in a U.S. military strike, according to officials, was the leader of that criminal organization. He's identified by authorities both in Venezuela and the United States as Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Nino Guerrero, a nickname that roughly translates as Guerrero Kid, which is a play on Guerrero, a word that also means warrior in Spanish.

U.S. officials indicted Guerrero in December 2020, five months after offering rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. The alleged leader of Tren de Aragua was also listed as a most wanted fugitive by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Last December, when Guerrero was indicted, the U.S. Justice Department said that Guerrero, quote, has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua's evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization that committed countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking all over North America, South America, and Europe.

President Donald Trump announced the suspect's death in a post on Truth Social late Friday night, saying that Guerrero was killed in what he called a swift and lethal kinetic strike. His post included a video showing a green-roofed building disappearing under a cloud of billowing smoke caused by a massive explosion. President Trump also said the strike was coordinated closely with, quote, our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later added on a post on X that the attack was conducted over the last week in collaboration with Venezuelan security forces. In a statement, the Venezuelan government said the joint operation involved intelligence sharing and specialized technical support. During the operation, the statement says, clashes occurred with members of these criminal structures, resulting in the death of Hector Rusthenford Fort Guerrero Flores, alias Nino Guerrero, the leader of a criminal organization.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, while Tren de Aragua mainly focused on human trafficking and other crimes targeting migrants, it has also been linked to extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and drug smuggling.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

ABEL: Haiti's cabinet director of the Defense Ministry has apparently been kidnapped. A person with knowledge of the situation says armed men abducted James Boyard in what's been considered a relatively safe part of Port-au-Prince. There's no word on who is responsible or whether there is a ransom demand. It is estimated that 70 percent of Haiti's capital is controlled by a powerful gang coalition.

Boyard also serves as inspector general of Haiti's police. He was tasked with helping rebuild the armed forces and working on police reforms. Boyard is the highest-ranking official to be kidnapped in Haiti in recent years.

And President Donald Trump's wish to host the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House is about to come true if the weather cooperates. The controversial event, which costs about $60 million to put on, is set for Sunday evening. About 4,300 people will watch the UFC fights on the South Lawn of the White House, and more than 100,000 are expected just outside.

But bad weather may get in the way.

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Forecasters are watching out for rain and potential thunderstorms, which could disrupt the event.

Crowds gathered in Washington, D.C. for the UFC Fan Fest on Saturday. CNN's Brian Todd was there. Here's some of his report.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know what's going to be more fun for the fans here, whether it's going to be tomorrow night's main event with the UFC fights themselves or this event, Fan Fest 250.

There's something for everyone here. Take a look over here to my left, your right. This is a kind of a punching contest. There's a punching bag there where you can measure the force and the speed of your punches. This gentleman just did it. He's getting his reading there now. That's a lot of fun to do.

And then come on over here. I'm going to show you this. This is actually pretty cool. Let's walk over here a bit, a little bit, Joe. This is a simulated UFC walkout where you can get yourself videotaped kind of doing a UFC strut or whatever you want to do as you walk out for a simulated UFC fight with the mist here, with the lights, everything else. That's a lot of fun. You can get yourself photographed and videotaped doing that. Look at this guy coming out with his hat. Here he comes. There you go. I mean, what's not fun about that?

I'm going to talk to a gentleman who's in line to do that. He just did the punching contest. He's one of the thousands of fans who flocked here in the 90-degree heat to take part in some of these exhibitions. This is Merwise Baray.

Merwise, okay, first of all, you just did the punching thing over there.

MERWISE BARAY, UFC FAN: Yes.

TODD: How'd you do?

BARAY: I did okay. I didn't get on the leaderboards, the top ten. A little disappointed about that.

TODD: Come on.

BARAY: But I think I'm going to take another swing at it later.

TODD: You're going to do it again?

BARAY: Yes, let the fists cool off a little bit, yes, but --

TODD: Okay. You're about to do the simulation here.

BARAY: Yes.

TODD: What -- I mean, what is your favorite part that you've taken part in so far? There's so much to do here.

BARAY: There's so much to do, a lot of variety. I think the Cooking with Volk show was really fun. You know, you see it on YouTube, but it was nice to see Alexander Volkanovski doing the -- you know, his thing live in front of everybody, making food, so I think that was a really fun treat to see.

And I'm really looking forward to the weigh-ins tonight, the ceremonial weigh-ins.

TODD: That's right. We got the weigh-ins. That's one at the Lincoln Memorial, and one that's another one that's nearby here, so that's another event to look forward to.

Merwise, I wanted to ask you about, like, the controversy surrounding this. There are a lot of people who feel like this is not an appropriate thing. Obviously, there's a lot of people here who do feel it's appropriate.

BARAY: Right, yes.

TODD: And some -- and, of course, politics has crept into it. What do you think of all that?

BARAY: You know, I don't really pay attention to that. I think, you know, the focus is on the fighters and the UFC, really, and just putting a great -- you know, I love the sport really. I've been following the sport for over a decade. I think, you know, the D.C., Maryland, Virginia, we don't get a lot of UFC events specifically. So, I think, you know, the folks here are pretty excited about the UFC alone, and I think the focus is on the fighters and the sporting for sure, yes.

TODD: Have a great time, Merwise.

BARAY: Yes, thank you.

TODD: Thanks for talking to us.

All right, guys, I mean, again, something for everyone. He just talked about a cooking exhibition here. They've had a motocross jumping exhibition. They've got meet and greets over here. Take a look. People are standing in long lines to meet and greet some of the fighters over here in these on these daises here. I mean, there literally is something for everyone.

People who have tickets for the events tomorrow are going to be right here on these grounds watching it on a big screen while the fights themselves take place in the octagon several yards away from here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: That was Brian Todd reporting.

It's been a rocky start for England's World Cup team even before they take the pitch. Police say some of England's training equipment was stolen from a vehicle that was taking team gear to their World Cup base in Kansas City. British media reports that balls and boots, those are cleats for the folks in the U.S., were among the items taken. Authorities say two suspects are in custody while the crime is being investigated.

England's World Cup opener against Croatia is on Wednesday in Dallas.

And World Cup host cities are working to make sure visitors have a great experience. One example is Miami, a city with a rich history and culture.

As CNN's Carolina Peguero reports, getting around the Florida metropolis is worth it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The city of Miami is ready to receive thousands of fans from all over for the World Cup, and I have a few recommendations for those first-timers that want to get the full Miami experience.

Let's make the first stop. First things first, once you get to the city of Miami, transportation is key. There will be several options, such as Uber bus shuttles that will take you to and from the Miami stadium, and trains that will take you all across the county for free.

LISA COLMENARES, CHIEF PLANNING OFFICER, MIAMI DADE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS: You just have to show your ticket to the match, and then you can board one of the dozens of buses that we're going to have at these hubs.

There's going to be traffic. There's going to be a lot of people coming to downtown. But if you take the Metrorail and transfer to our Metromover, it will be only a few minutes. And the trains are constantly running, and they will be operating until midnight.

PEGUERO: Next, Little Havana, where people from all over the world come here to visit and get a feel of the Cuban culture.

[03:55:00]

You'll get to feel the music, and you may run into a couple roosters that just casually are walking around the town.

If you want to get the true feel of the Cuban culture, you must make a stop here at this iconic place of Versailles and get the famous cortadito.

Having your coffee is so important. And how is it going to keep you up through all the games?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, so important, believe me. I have it every single morning here. And I don't miss it, not even one day, very important to everybody in Latin America. Even here in Miami, well, we have plenty of culture.

PEGUERO: And one thing you can't forget at home or at your hotel is your patience. You'll have to have lots of that, but also bring water, comfy shoes, and of course, your favorite team's jersey.

Carolina Peguero, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: The electric energy of the World Cup took over the streets of Mexico City on Saturday. Mariachi music, Day of the Dead skeletons, and marching bands took part in the colorful parade celebrating the tournament. Some of the incredible floats featured tributes to legendary players from World Cups in the past.

Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Brian Abel. There's more CNN Newsroom right after this.

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