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Trump and Iranian President Sign Hard Copies of Agreement; 14- point U.S.-Iran Plan Aims to End War, Reopen Hormuz; Tornado Outbreak Hits Midwest Amid Strong June Storm; Georgia Republicans Reject Call for New Voting Maps; Luigi Mangione to Argue a Psychiatric Defense in Murder Trial; Obama Presidential Center Set for Grand Opening Ceremony; Qantas to Launch Direct Non-stop Sydney-London Flights. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 18, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:31]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, Donald Trump signs an agreement with Iran, and as we learn details about what's in it, Tehran shows the power of economic chaos as a weapon.

England fans celebrate their win against Croatia with Harry Kane equaling an English record for World Cup goals.

Plus, Qantas Airlines' ambitious plan to fly nonstop between Sydney and London for the first time ever.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. We begin with the U.S.-Iran agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump is on his way back from the G7 Summit in France, where he signed a hard copy of the agreement in Versailles.

Iran's president has also signed a hard copy of the plan. The 14-point memorandum of understanding aims to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel has continued to strike. It will also get traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz and lift the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, but it leaves a lot of details for the 60-day negotiation period, including the future of Iran's nuclear program. Here's what President Trump said about the plan:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's what it was all about. That was about 99 percent Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, they can't develop it, buy it, they can never have a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, a top Iranian official is warning that, "If the United States does not honor its commitments, there is no way Iran will honor its own commitments."

President Trump said on Wednesday that continuing the Iran war might have had severe financial repercussions. He said he did not want to see economic catastrophe. CNN's Nic Robertson looks at Iran's economic leverage during the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Iran is actually carrying a very big stick. It's called the Strait of Hormuz, and they've learned that it worked very well.

Most experts in the region knew before President Trump began bombing that if he did that, Iran would immediately go to cut off the Strait of Hormuz because they saw that as an economic pressure point on President Trump. They knew that he could not stand the domestic political pressure. And when he took to the podium today, he sort of wore that almost as a badge of honor.

That's not something that's going to put the United States in good standing as a sort of a geopolitical power player in the way that it was perhaps three months ago in the region. And there certainly will be those in the United States and many allies in the Gulf who are going to recognize that this president has now, if you will, had to give up so much to get back to the status quo, and it's not clear it's the status quo, because if President Trump can bomb again, although, you know, one of the paragraphs in the MOU says that both countries should respect each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and the United States should, you know, pull its Navies back from close to Iran, Iran can also go back and close the Strait of Hormuz.

So, what has happened here is the very beginning, it's the beginning of the second phase of negotiations, which have yet to work their way through.

We've yet to see how that goes. One shouldn't prejudge that. But it has really signaled to the United States allies in the region that the U.S. security umbrella doesn't work. Iran has an answer for it, a stick, and that President Trump is vulnerable to economic influences back home. And that puts him in a weak position in the eyes of Iran, and his allies now know that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Iran's parliamentary speaker says Lebanon was one of the main topics tied to negotiations with the U.S., and he said discussions focused on Lebanon affected the pace and direction of the talks, especially after an attack on Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israeli strikes are still being reported inside Lebanon. Smoke could be seen rising on Wednesday in the southern part of the country. U.S. President Trump says Israel could do better when it comes to its military actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Adding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could use a, "Softer touch."

[02:05:19]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm not saying they shouldn't protect themselves. I'm saying when two drones are shot into the desert and dropped harmlessly, you don't have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better, and frankly, they could do a better job.

I love them as a partner. They were terrific, but they could do a much better job with Hezbollah. On that, I don't think they're doing well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Nabih Bulos, Middle East Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times, joins me now from Beirut to discuss more. Appreciate you being with us.

NABIH BULOS, MIDDLE EAST BUREAU CHIEF, LOS ANGELES TIMES: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Of course. So, as soon as the U.S. released the text of its official 14-point agreement with Iran on Wednesday, critics, including those within President Trump's own party, pounced, describing the tentative deal as giving too much away to Iran with no strings attached, including $300 billion for reconstruction. What was your response to the memorandum of understanding, particularly the declaration of an end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, despite Israel not being a part of this agreement?

BULOS: Well, the main issue is right now is that there's just a lot of -- there's a lack of clarity and specificity, I suppose, in terms of this agreement. I mean, the fact of the matter is, we don't know right now how a withdrawal will look like. What is the timetable of an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and what this means in terms of Hezbollah and its arms.

Now, I mean, it's important to note that the agreement mentions Lebanon in the first -- you know, like in the first -- in the first condition, three times, right, and it emphasizes Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, so that is a good sign for Lebanese leaders, I suppose.

But at the same time, there's little clarity as to how we'll get there, and of course, we are talking about a 60-day period after that, so perhaps that's where we'll see it, but basically this punts the major issues to later, unfortunately.

CHURCH: Right, of course, while in France, as we just reported, President Trump criticized Israel and its prime minister for striking Lebanon's capital, Beirut. It continues to do so, or certainly Lebanon as a whole.

But Benjamin Netanyahu hasn't responded to that criticism or to the text of the agreement. Why haven't we heard from him yet, considering he could strike at Hezbollah in Lebanon any time if they target Israel again, and I mean it could actually send this whole agreement in a completely different direction, couldn't it?

BULOS: Well, indeed, I mean the fact is Lebanon has been, I suppose, the spoiler in this agreement from the beginning. I mean, President Trump said that it was a pinprick, but this pinprick has been liable to blow up the entire situation, really, from the beginning.

And it should be said that even yesterday, in fact, even this morning, we've been hearing about strikes in southern Lebanon.

So, the war is still ongoing in some parts of the country, and it should also be noted that a lot of people in the south of Iran have not been able to go back home because there is still an Israeli military presence.

Now, I mean, the reason why I think Netanyahu has not been talking about this deal is because ambiguity in this case would serve him better, right? I mean -- I mean, if it was said explicitly that they would have to withdraw from Lebanon, and this is the timetable to do so, etcetera, etcetera, and that everything should be ended, then this would perhaps, I suppose, sabotage Netanyahu's greater plan of destroying Hezbollah and establishing these security zones in Lebanon.

Now, it should be said both of those terms are a nonstarter for a lot of Lebanese, and especially the government, in terms of at least the territorial integrity of the country.

So, I mean, again, the issue is in all of these ceasefires we've heard is that there is no real specificity as to what's going to happen and the step-by-step nature of the proceedings, so we're stuck as we were before.

CHURCH: Right. And President Trump originally called for unconditional surrender from Iran, but now he's giving Tehran everything it wants, and suggesting the country should be allowed to have missiles, just like other nations in the region. We've also learned that stockpiles of enriched uranium no longer need to be destroyed. What's Israel's likely view of all of this?

BULOS: So, at this point, Israel's strategy really, when it came to Lebanon, Syria, I suppose -- I suppose other members of the resistance axis has been essentially to destroy them and degrade, right, that has been the ultimate aim, and in fact, over the last, I suppose, 2.5 years, we've seen Israel take steps towards that.

Now, anything less than an isolation, I think, would be a failure for Israel, especially when it comes to the idea of having Hezbollah remain on its borders and remain, I suppose, is a threat, right?

[02:10:00]

So, right now, this is not going to be in the favor of Netanyahu. And, in fact, you've already seen members of Israeli establishments, whether it's opposition or allies, just exuriating (ph) them for this agreement, and I mean, it's understandable, right, they have been pursuing maximalist conditions from the very beginning, and the fact is that this is much less than that.

CHURCH: And how does this memorandum of understanding compare to the Iran nuclear agreement reached by President Obama back in 2015 which, of course, as we know, President Trump tore up?

BULOS: It's hard to say. I mean, the fact is we still have 60 days of hammering out of this meme, and it's important to note that we're talking about an agreement. I mean, JCPOA took months, and really over years, to actually just cement and pin down. We haven't seen that kind of, I suppose, rigor when it comes to disagreement. I mean, we'll have to see what happens after 60-days.

But right now, there is very little that is actually clear. I mean, it's notable to say that at least they've actually been -- I mean, they've been somewhat absolute about Lebanon in terms of the territorial integrity, etcetera. But otherwise, we just don't know what's going to happen.

CHURCH: Nabih Bulos in Beirut, many thanks for joining us and sharing your perspective and analysis. Appreciate it.

BULOS: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Of course. Well, a number of world leaders are reacting to the U.S. agreement with Iran, that includes French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted Donald Trump at a dinner at the Palace of Versailles, where the U.S. President signed a hard copy of the agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I believe it's an agreement that makes it possible to end the conflict that enables peace, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, with a 60- day period that will begin to conclude an agreement on nuclear issues, ballistic matters, and regional activities.

So, we'll continue to work, but in any case, this is a moment of peace and good news for many of our compatriots, because normally fuel prices will also fall, as will the price of gas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: China's top diplomat also reacting. Chinese state media reports that Wang Yi, in a call with his Iranian counterpart, said, "The dawn of peace has arrived. The key to the next step is for all parties to truly implement their commitments and eliminate various distractions."

Well, Russian officials say Ukraine attacked a key oil refinery in Moscow for the second time this week. Video shows a huge explosion and black smoke rising in the air. Reuters reports that Russian forces took down more than four dozen drones, but several still struck the refinery.

It comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives in Brussels for the NATO Defense Ministers' meeting. The Department of Defense says Hegseth will push for NATO allies to increase defense spending to five percent of GDP, among other issues.

Well, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady in Kevin Walsh's first meeting as chair. Policy makers voted to keep their benchmark lending rate between 3.5 and 3.75 percent. In a news conference, Warsh revealed a list of changes he plans to make. He said the Fed shouldn't have to choose between more jobs and stable prices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN WARSH, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: I don't share the view that was expressed a few generations ago that Federal Reserve chairmen show up at a podium like this and say you got to choose, and you're going to have to decide whether you're willing to tolerate higher inflation to put more people at work. I don't believe in that.

What I believe is, if we do our job, we can make strong growth, low prices, and strong employment mutually compatible, and so what you heard from the committee today is we've got some work to do on the price stability front.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Trump appointed Warsh to cut rates, but nine Federal Reserve officials are calling for at least one rate hike this year to combat the latest inflation spike tied to the Iran war, only one official expects a rate cut.

England, Portugal, and Colombia make their debut in the 2026 World Cup, but not all the favorites were lucky enough to come away with victories. We have the results just ahead. Stay with us.

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[02:18:56]

CHURCH: Let's get to the latest from the World Cup. Uzbekistan scored once in its tournament debut in Mexico City, but they were no match for Colombia. Daniel Munoz scored late in the first half. Colombia added two more to win three to one.

Ghana have notched their first win of the tournament, it came in a stoppage time goal in this match versus Panama. Ghana winning one nil in Toronto.

England fans are cheering on Captain Harry Kane, who scored twice in the team's 2026 World Cup debut, they beat Croatia 4-2 in Arlington, Texas. Kane is now tied for the most World Cup goals of all time by an England player with 10.

And in Houston, the Democratic Republic of Congo scored the equalizer in stoppage time against Portugal. This was the Congo's first World Cup appearance since 1974.

[02:20:03] Norway are back in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, and their fans are having an absolute blast. This was the scene in the Boston suburbs on Tuesday night after their full one win over Iraq.

Well, it was an emotional night for many in the Norway camp, especially some of the parents. Three of the players involved in the action had fathers who also played for the national team when the World Cup was last held in the U.S. in 1994. CNN's John Riddell spoke with one of the proud parents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIK THORSTVEDT, 97 CAPS AS NORWAY GOALKEEPER: It was just very emotional, you know, from the national anthem I actually had a couple of tears rolling down my cheeks. The atmosphere was incredible, great stadium, lots of Iraqis and Norwegians, and we hadn't been in the World Cup for 28 years, so it's been too long, and it was a great comeback.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: So, a great experience for your country to be back in the tournament, after so long, and of course, to see your son playing the game as well. What was going on in your mind when he came onto the field and, and made his World Cup debut?

THORSTVEDT: Of course, it's a bad moment, but as the father and ex- goalkeeper, you are also aware that the higher you come in the hierarchy, you know, the bigger the challenges are, the bigger the downsides are also. If you come on and you make a penalty two minutes before the end of score an own goal, so you're slightly aware of those things as well. But luckily, turned out really, really good.

RIDDELL: Were all the dads there? Were you all kind of hanging out together, watching your sons play.

THORSTVEDT: Yes, well, I didn't see Alf-Inge Haaland's father, but I sat very close to Goran, the father of Alexander Sorloth. They've done some research into this in Norway. Is it just a coincidence? Or they found out that healthy living from a very young age plays an important role.

Also, to play a lot of football is very important, you know, amount of hours, and I've played a lot of football with my son.

Then also, you have the fact that we don't really have to live out our ambitions through our sons, and even for young players, there can be a lot of pressure from a very young age, and we know that to enjoy football, and you know, make it then, you know, the best thing, the thing you like to do most in life is the most important thing, and don't put too much pressure on the kids.

RIDDELL: When you saw him last night, were you thinking back to those little kick arounds you would have had with him in the garden when he was a kid, like, what kind of memories did you find yourself experiencing of the journey that you've experienced with him as his father? THORSTVEDT: Yes, it's as you say, the emotions just roll through you, and you think back to all those hours we've spent, you know, all our holidays we spent looking for football pitches in Spain and Portugal, and trying to somewhere we could have a kick around, and he always had the ball with him at airports, in planes, and in the end, we didn't think it was going to work out.

And then this incredible turnaround is just like a fairy tale, and I think it made it for him, and also for me, you know, we appreciate it even more, because we've seen that this road hasn't been straight and narrow, it's been ups and downs, and, but that makes you know, you got this grit thing, you know, you have to have grit, and he's really got grit, and he's fought himself through it, and above his bed, when he was in his room at home, that he had this, you know, this piece of paper with a few things written on it.

And it said, those who can tackle adversity best will succeed in the end, and he's done that, and it's great to see the camaraderie, and there's such a good squad together, and you know, when, of course, you see photos of Alan and my son and Alexander Sorloth, the three sons of World Cup players from Norway, it's, you know, strange to see the guys together, just like we used to be the fathers.

RIDDELL: What conversations have you had with the other dads about what your kids are now achieving?

THORSTVEDT: Yes, it's -- we are obviously proud, and Erling Haaland and Alf-Inge gets, you know, lots of the spotlight because he's just a phenomenon. He's like also yesterday was incredible player he is, and but also with that comes a lot of expectations and burdens, but I think he handles it really, really well.

[02:25:00]

And yes, I used to room with the father of Alexander Sorloth, you know, for I mean, we spent six months of our lives together in a room, and we just, before going over to the U.S., we used to stay in 1824 was the room we stayed in, in the SDS hotel, just by the Norwegian Castle, and some T.V. station took us back to the same room, where we had some talk about him smoking in the bed next to me while I was working on my hand grip as the goalkeeper and trying to become a bit stronger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Great interview there. Well, just ahead we will have more on the U.S.-Iran agreement and take a closer look at how Iranians are viewing the plan to end the conflict. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:25]

CHURCH: Back to our top story this hour on the plan to end the war in Iran. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have now signed hard copies of the agreement. The 14-point Memorandum of Understanding aims to end the war, but leaves discussions on the future of Iran's nuclear program for later.

The plan includes provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and says the U.S. will issue waivers so Tehran will be able to export oil. It also mentions a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran. The memorandum commits both sides to achieving a final deal in 60 days.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour spoke to the authors of a new book, "Stolen Revolution," to get their take on how the regime in Iran and everyday Iranians may be viewing the agreement. That book traces the arc of history since 1979 and follows the stories of six Iranians who have seen hopes raised and dashed in that time. Here's part of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YEGANEH TORBATI, CO-AUTHOR, "STOLEN REVOLUTION": I think President Trump seems to sort of be painting a different picture than what we see in reality on the ground in Iran. You know, we still are waiting to kind of see how these changes in Iran's leadership play out. As you know, Christiane, Iran's history can take lots of unexpected twists and turns, but certainly we can't say that there is regime change in Iran.

What we can say is that, as you mentioned, the people who are in charge now, I mean, we've seen a long sort of decades long trend towards the military gaining more and more power inside the country, and that has been accelerated over the last few months. And certainly, you know, we'll kind of see how these negotiations go, but I expect that it will be quite difficult for the group of people who are in power now to kind of make some of the most serious compromises on the nuclear program or on other issues.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And Bozorgmehr, what is your view on this? Because, you know, we said the Iranian people were encouraged to rise up, take over, as Trump said, after the war. And yes, perhaps Trump is dealing with people like Araghchi, who's the foreign minister, and Ghalibaf, who's the speaker of the parliament, but also tasked with essentially running this part.

But there's also the IRGC, who have made their voice very, very clear and made their views very, very clear. And frankly, there have been organized protests inside Iran against this deal with the United States by the hardliners.

So what do you think, given the title of your book is "Stolen Revolution," we'll get more into that, what do you think immediately will be the political manifestation of a post-war Iran vis-a-vis the people of Iran?

BOZORGMEHR SHARAFEDIN, CO-AUTHOR, "STOLEN REVOLUTION": So I think for the Islamic Republic, it's going to be a difficult task to sell this deal internally, because it's for the hardliners, we see that they are very critical of the deal. And for them, it doesn't make sense for the Islamic Republic to make a deal with the U.S. only a few months after they killed their leader, the supreme leader.

I see that the way they are trying to sell the deal is that this is going to give the Islamic Republic a breathing space to rebuild its offensive and defensive capabilities to get ready for a full-on confrontation in the future. So that's the -- from the Islamic Republic perspective, it seems that they think that this is a good deal because they can regroup and rethink their strategies and plan ahead for future.

But I think for the Iranian people, the outcome is quite disappointing because, in the eyes of many Iranians, the war didn't start on February 28. It started from January when thousands, maybe millions of Iranians came to the streets and President Trump told them to remain on the streets because the help was on its way.

So in the eyes of many Iranians, they were expecting this military campaign to be a way that they will overthrow the Islamic Republic with the help of Americans. So on the question of the regime change, in the eyes of many Iranians, the regime hasn't changed, only it has changed to a worse version of itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:35:00]

CHURCH: And still to come, CNN travels to Pennsylvania to visit three congressional districts that could help decide control of the House. We'll tell you what voters there are most concerned about in today's political climate. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00]

CHURCH: A tornado struck a village east of Springfield, Illinois, ripping off part of the roof of an elementary school and scattering parts of a classroom. Several trees fell on homes after they were snapped in the storm. It's part of a tornado outbreak underway across the Midwest and more are expected.

Several destructive tornadoes have torn through parts of at least five states in the region. In one town in Indiana, a strong tornado caused the roof to collapse on one structure. Emergency officials are working to rescue people inside.

Republican leaders here in Georgia say they will not redraw the state's voting maps for now. It flies in the face of calls from both Georgia's governor and President Trump for redistricting. But the mere prospect drew crowds at the state capital with protesters and even elected officials speaking out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK, (D-GA): This is Georgia. We know our history. You all are barking up the wrong tree. And now, you're trying to rob Georgians of their voice and of their vote. Come November, we intend to hold you accountable.

(CROWD CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Georgia Republicans cited concerns any redistricting comes too soon after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Federal Voting Rights Act with a recent ruling. But lawmakers say they won't rule out revisiting the idea later this year.

Well, there's just a few months until the U.S. midterm elections and the political stakes could not be higher. Voters will decide whether to give the current administration more support in Congress or shift the balance of power.

In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, three House races could help determine control of the chamber. CNN's John King spoke with voters in each of those districts about the issues driving their decisions at the ballot box.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT & ANCHOR OF "ALL OVER THE MAP" (voice-over): Welcome to Pennsylvania and a journey through a critical slice of the midterm map.

KING: Right here in Eastern Pennsylvania three districts that run 105 miles from just outside of Philadelphia up to the New York State border. If this stretch here flips from red to blue on election night, then the Democrats are taking the House, without a doubt.

KING (voice-over): Stop one, Bucks County -- suburban, upscale, moderate, a short commuter train hop to Philly.

KING: Luckily, I read my "Gardening for Dummies" book last night.

(LAUGH)

MICHAEL PESCE, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Quick and easy, see.

KING (voice-over): Michael Pesce likes his Republican congressman. Yet, he is almost certain to vote for his Democratic challenger.

PESCE: Big picture, Trump is the problem that I see, the president is not doing what I think a president should be doing and that's disturbing to me. One more person in the Congress that is going to stand up to Trump, that's going to get my vote.

KING (voice-over): Pennsylvania 1 is represented by Brian Fitzpatrick. He's in his fifth term, first elected in 2016. Fitzpatrick won with 56 percent in 2024 and he is one of just three House Republicans from districts won by Vice President Harris. The first is Pennsylvania's most affluent district, the median annual income $114,000 a year, and the median home value $440,000.

Pesce was a Reagan Republican when we met three years ago. A registered Democrat now because he won't be in Trump's party. A Coast Guard veteran, angry at the price of a war he says makes no sense.

PESCE: I fill up my tank once a week. I was filling it up for $35, now it's $60 to fill up my tank.

KING (voice-over): Cold beer? Yes. But the news and politics off limits at Boo's Brewing.

KAREN GIORDANO, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: This is a place to escape. This is a place where people want to come and get away from all of that.

KING (voice-over): Business is pretty good, but owner Karen Giordano says the math is harder of late.

GIORDANO: We're watching the cost of everything go up, of the propane that we need to cook for the meat.

KING (voice-over): Giordano is not a Fitzpatrick fan and would love big change in Washington. But she rolls her eyes at talk this is the year the first district will flip blue.

GIORDANO: We thought that in the last cycle, right, when Trump was in, and that didn't happen. So I don't see it happening this time either.

KING (voice-over): North now, the Lehigh Valley. Bob Brooks is the Democrat running for Congress here. A firefighter looking to dent Trump's blue collar appeal.

GERARD BABB, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Not even five years old yet, you can write your name.

KING (voice-over): Gerard Babb is listening. Babb works the assembly line at Mack Trucks, voted Trump three times.

KING: One of the arguments you're going to hear between now and November is elect a Democrat so the Democrats can take the House and stop Trump.

[02:45:00]

BABB: Yeah.

KING: That would stop the president you voted for.

BABB: Yeah.

KING: Does that argument hold any sway with you?

BABB: As of right now, President Trump is kind of -- he's acting like a regular old politician to me, and no love --

KING: So do you think it would be a good idea then to have some checks on him from the Democrats?

BABB: Yeah, no love lost, in my opinion. KING (voice-over): The congressman in Pennsylvania 7 is Ryan Mackenzie. He won his first term in 2024 with just a 4,000 vote margin. President Trump won the 7th by 13,000 votes. The 7th is more blue collar. The median income, $82,000 a year. The median home value, about $300,000.

Hispanic voters make up about a quarter of the electorate. It's the highest Latino percentage of Pennsylvania's 17 congressional seats.

VICTOR MARTINEZ, RADIO HOST: [Foreign Language]. Good morning.

KING (voice-over): Allentown's La Mega morning show is feisty. And the host, Victor Martinez, is a Democrat. So consider the source.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: [Foreign Language].

MARTINEZ: This is interesting. He voted for Trump. And the one thing that bothers him the most is the corruption.

KING (voice-over): Still, calls to his daily political segment tell Martinez big change is coming.

MARTINEZ: Everybody thought, all right, well, Biden is gone. Things are going to change. He promised he was going to fix it. Let's see. Here we are a year later and things are actually worse. And so, I think that's why people are pissed off.

KING (voice-over): Two down, one to go.

KING: We started in Pennsylvania 1. We're in Pennsylvania 7. We're about to cross into Pennsylvania 8. Democrats absolutely have to get 7 and 8, or else they're not having a good night.

KING (voice-over): The 8th is represented by Republican Rob Bresnahan. He's also a freshman, first elected in 2024 with 51 percent, a 6,000 vote margin. President Trump won the 8th with 54 percent, a 33,000 vote edge.

The 8th includes reliably Democratic Scranton, but then a giant swath of Republican-leaning small towns and rural areas. Its median annual income, just shy of $70,000. The median home value, $213,000.

Scranton is the birthplace of Joe Biden, and the city's mayor, Paige Cognetti, is the Democratic candidate for Congress. Biden and Democrats less popular as you move out to the rural areas.

Honesdale is the Wayne County seat, conservative. Trump won 58 percent here in 2024.

TOM FASSHAUER, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I don't know what's going on.

KING (voice-over): Tom Fasshauer's father started this shop in 1948. Congressman Bresnahan rented his wedding tux here.

FASSHAUER: Four, five, 30, and 50.

KING (voice-over): Fasshauer is a big fan.

FASSHAUER: I like him. I think he's doing a great job.

KING: Why?

FASSHAUER: We had an issue in town here a year or so ago where there was a tremendous amount of rain runoff that kind of went in the wrong place and caused a lot of damage. He was here, I think, the next day, physically helping to repair that damage. I think he cares about the people in this district.

TANNIS KOWALCHUK, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: All right, hop in, John. All right, here we go.

KING (voice-over): Damascus is as far north as you can go in Pennsylvania. That's New York on the north side of the river. The Willow Wisp Farm is 25 acres. It's mostly vegetables, but two strips set aside for flowers Tannis Kowalchuk crafts into bouquets for farmers markets.

KOWALCHUK: You want to just clip at the bottom.

KING (voice-over): Of late, a $0.25 surcharge on every bouquet and every vegetable bunch to cover rising costs. To Kowalchuk, a Democratic House just step one in closing the Trump era.

KOWALCHUK: A country old or new needs a stable leader and we've lost that. Something's happened. He's stopped -- he's stopped being anything like a leader.

(LAUGH)

KING (voice-over): She is vastly outnumbered here. Trump won 68 percent of the vote in Damascus. Bresnahan won 67 percent.

KING: And what do you do? What kind of performances?

KOWALCHUK: Oh, plays that are --

KING (voice-over): But this self-styled performer sees evidence a plot twist is brewing. Kowalchuk built this performance space on the farm and also started a resistance choir for locals unhappy with Trump.

KOWALCHUK: 30 people, 40 people coming to this choir in a Republican's town. It's interesting, you know.

KING (voice-over): A step, she hopes, in a different direction.

KOWALCHUK: They are hungry to say something and do something about it. They want change.

KING (voice-over): 105 miles as the bird flies from where we began. Three key pieces of the midterm puzzle.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Attorneys for Luigi Mangione will argue a psychiatric defense at his New York state murder trial this fall. They plan to argue he was experiencing an extreme emotional disturbance when he shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson in New York City in December 2024.

[02:50:00]

If it's successful, Mangione's second-degree murder charge could be reduced to manslaughter. That would cut the maximum sentence from life in prison to 25 years. At a hearing on Wednesday, the judge ordered Mangione's legal team to turn over medical records and identify expert witnesses within a few hours. That's to give prosecutors enough time to prepare for the trial, which is scheduled to start in September.

Still to come, Qantas prepares an ambitious new era of air travel. More details on the plans and the planes at the center of Project Sunshine when we return.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, in just a few hours, the Obama Presidential Center will hold its official grand opening ceremony in Chicago. Barack and Michelle Obama are expected to welcome former presidents Biden, Clinton, and Bush. The ceremony will feature performances by several Grammy award-winning artists. The campus opens to the public on Friday on the Juneteenth holiday.

It includes a public library, playground, basketball court, auditorium, and meeting spaces designed to serve the community. During an event on Tuesday, the former first lady paid tribute to her late mother, Marian Robinson, by wearing a skirt adorned with her image, and the former president was visibly moved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Marian would have been so proud. She was so proud of her son-in-law and the man that he is and has been to our family. Always dreaming, probably way too big, but always pulling it off. Thank you for doing this for the South Side of Chicago.

BARACK OBAMA, (D) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I am a little shaken up by this because I love my mother-in-law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A special moment there. Well, Qantas Airways is commissioning custom planes for what it calls the final frontier of aviation. Their initiative, called Project Sunrise, boasts a plan for the first non- stop service between Sydney and London, and later between Sydney and New York. The Australian airline has been working toward this for nearly ten years. However, the concept goes back much further.

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CNN's Richard Quest has more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE (voice-over): For nearly a century, airlines have been trying to solve one problem. How do you get from Australia to the other side of the world without stopping on the way? Qantas believes it finally has the answer.

It's called "Project Sunrise," and now it's entering its final phase. It promises non-stop flights from Sydney to London and Sydney to New York. To understand why this project is so important, go back to where the story began.

It is called the Kangaroo Route. A trip from Sydney to London that took four days with seven stops to complete when it first launched. It was the fastest way at the time. Even then, airlines were dreaming of something more ambitious, the non-stop flight.

Qantas is realizing that ambition by re-launching the Kangaroo Route as a direct flight.

VANESSA HUDSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, QANTAS: The objective of solving this tyranny of distance we've talked about, that is what Qantas was founded on.

QUEST (voice-over): The airline's specially modified Airbus A350- 1000s are designed to fly from Sydney to London or New York without stopping.

QUEST: When you're flying from Sydney to London, every bit of weight counts, which is why Qantas has redesigned everything, trying to get it as light as possible. These are the usual bowls, these are the new ones. Slightly smaller, but considerably lighter. Same with the mugs. Fine, that's the old, this is the new.

Everything from cutlery to crockery has been redesigned and made lighter, because whilst it may be a couple of grams of weight here or a couple of grams of weight there, once you put hundreds of these on the aircraft, pretty soon you're talking real weight.

QUEST (voice-over): The flights could last as long as 22 hours. It would be the longest commercial journeys ever attempted. To achieve all this, Airbus has added an extra fuel tank and increased the aircraft's range by roughly 1,000 nautical miles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A real ultra-long-haul flight is more than just range, it's also about the cabin layout. It's the cabin pressure; it's the humidity in the aircraft. We redesigned the whole cabin to make it really enjoyable for the passengers.

QUEST (voice-over): Very soon, the Kangaroo will be going from Sydney to London and New York, only this time in one hop.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Very exciting. Thanks so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next, after a quick break. Do stay with us.

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