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Iran Declares Strait Of Hormuz Closed Over Fresh Righting In Lebanon; VP Vance Expected To Travel To Switzerland For Iran Talks; Calls Intensify To Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages In New York; Aid Group Provides Emergency Shelter To Displaced People; Tennessee GOP Redraw Maps To Erase Last Dem Black-Majority District; Rail Fans Lining Up For Big Boy Steam Locomotive Tour Stops; Meet Merlin The Duck, Mexico's Official World Cup Ambassador. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired June 20, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: Fighting in Lebanon, meanwhile, is supposed to end as part of the U.S. framework agreement with Iran. And right now U.S. envoys are in Switzerland for anticipated talks as part of the 60-day period to reach a final deal. They're expected to be joined by Vice President J.D. Vance as soon as tomorrow.

We have full coverage on these developments. Julia Benbrook at the White House and NIC Robertson is in Zurich, Switzerland.

Nic, let's start with you. Could the back-and-forth fighting in Lebanon, from your perspective, derail these talks altogether?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: There is that possibility, that it does seem from the sources I'm talking to in the region there, that there is, if you will, a certain amount of fighting that's allowed for. What it seems that the Iranians are looking for, obviously, is a complete ceasefire in Lebanon. But on the ground in Lebanon, the ceasefire there is being interpreted, it appears, as if that border zone close to Israel's northern border, where Hezbollah operate, the IDF have forces there.

Now that that is still a conflict zone, the sort of backwards and forwards yellow line there, so to speak, but in terms of sort of big strikes at Hezbollah targets in and around Beirut and other parts of the country, that seems to be what is understood as being off, you know, being off limits. And I understand from my sources there that the U.S. has been very heavily involved in trying to get that drill down and push through.

And of course, today in Tehran, you have had the Pakistani, one of their key mediators there, the interior minister, meet with the foreign minister, who's one of the main negotiators on the Iranian side, Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament, their top negotiator, also met with the president of Iran today. So that really -- that mission there was entirely focused on Lebanon, on the Lebanon issue, on trying to persuade the Iranians to come to the talks, which seems to be happening. They seem to be on the way for that.

And the reason to persuade them was to convince them that President Trump, having signed the memorandum of understanding, can -- which includes a ceasefire in Lebanon, can bring enough pressure to bear. But it does seem that the Iranians want a diplomatic stick in their hand. And this appears to be why the IRGC has closed, said they're closing the Strait of Hormuz again. So they're coming into the table here to talk and they want the ceasefire in Lebanon. But they're coming in, having taken something off the table that they'd agreed to, opening the Strait of Hormuz. That's powerful geo-economic, geo- diplomatic leverage, a big diplomatic stick they're bringing to the table now.

FREEMAN: Well, Nic, to that point, can -- I mean, let's ask the question here. Does Iran actually have the capacity to close the strait at will like it says it's doing? I know it's saying that it's doing it. But do they have the ability to actually close it off as they're asserting they've done?

ROBERTSON: Yes. As President Trump has pointed out many times, and the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and others in the administration, the Iranian Navy is at the bottom of the sea. It is no more. They do have a lot of those small, fast boats. They do have shoulder launch missiles. They can target container ships. They have put some mines in the Strait of Hormuz. They have given an agreement that they'll get rid of those mines in the next 30 days.

But in a way, they don't really have to stop every ship coming through. They just have to target one ship. And they have done that in the past. So even the threat of closure is enough to signal to insurance companies that put up the money to pay for the ships to, in insurance terms, to go through the Strait of Hormuz, that's enough to scare them off.

We do know that over the past 24 hours or so, the sort of threat level in the Strait of Hormuz has been taken down one notch, but it will have a chilling effect on ships' captains, on insurance companies mow, knowing the IRGC said they've taken this step. They don't have to prove they can do it.

FREEMAN: All right. For more on this, let's talk now to Julia Benbrook. She's with us at the White House.

Julia, what are you hearing from the White House about this back and forth regarding the closing of the Strait of Hormuz?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. official tells us that Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to fly to Switzerland today. So all of this related, as there is some hopes that these negotiations at that high level could take place. But his travel, exactly when that's going to happen, was not immediately clear. So we will remain across that.

But in an interview with FOX News earlier today, Vance did say that his travel does remain in flux and that some of those next steps, those next plans, will go into place after the arrival of some of the principles from the Iranian government, as well as the Qatari and Pakistani government, which have been key mediators throughout this process.

[15:05:01]

Vance's travel has changed throughout this last week. In fact, he was supposed to fly out a couple of days ago now, overnight on Thursday, and that did not happen. Now, related to that, he did say that his travel is a, quote, "delicate coordination dance where diplomatic protocols must be considered."

What we do know right now, though, is that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who have both been heavily involved in this process as well, they are there on the ground, and they are working on some of the technical aspects of these negotiations. Vance says that they've been there for a number of hours, and that things are, quote, "going well." Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My understanding, talking to Jared and Steve this morning is things are going well, but of course, we're going to verify all of this. And that's the thing that, you know, a lot of the criticisms of the deal have really underappreciated is that the United States has all the cards. The straits are now open. The Iranian military is now destroyed.

The Iranians have committed to, of course, destroying that stockpile of enriched material. But we have a lot of economic pressure applied to the Iranians that we would be willing to relieve if they do what we need them to do. If they don't do that, of course, there's no skin off our back. They're still in a much weakened position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: But as you've pointed out, Danny, Iran says that it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, that critical waterway. But the U.S. military says that that's not the case, that they will work to ensure that passage continues there.

We have a statement from U.S. Central Command I want to pull up for you now. In it, they said, quote, "Safe passage through the international waterway remained intact today as 55 merchant ships transited, moving large amounts of cargo, and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets. U.S. forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect."

Now, a reminder this memorandum of understanding, what has been signed, it is just a first step here that then leads to this 60-day period for negotiations. Again, we expect that Vice President J.D. Vance will travel sometime today, but keeping close tabs on any developments there.

FREEMAN: All right. Julia Benbrook and Nic Robertson, thank you both for excellent reporting on this very consequential day and weekend.

Let's continue the conversation now. With me is Trita Parsi, author of the book "Losing an Enemy," and co-founder and executive VP of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Let's begin here. From your perspective, is Iran ready for talks to begin this weekend, or are we seeing more delaying strategies here?

TRITA PARSI, AUTHOR, "LOSING AN ENEMY": I do think the Iranians are ready for talks, but I think from their standpoint, Lebanon is non- negotiable. They're not going to accept that a memorandum continues and that the ceasefire ends up becoming a similar ceasefire to the Swiss cheese ceasefire that Israel has been bound to by the U.S. in other places, such as in Gaza, in which the Israelis continue to do exactly what they want.

So they're putting some pressure against that. At this point, I don't think they have completely closed the strait. I think your reporting is correct, but they are waving that weapon right before the next round of talks to signal essentially that they are dead serious about the fact that Israel needs to stop its attacks. And eventually, by the end of the MOU 60-day period, completely leave Lebanese territory rather than this invasion that is currently still taking place.

FREEMAN: Now, and Iran is basically telling the U.S. to get Israel under control, or at least to stop this continued conflict with Lebanon. I guess, despite another ceasefire in place, Israel and Hezbollah, of course, have kept fighting, though. My question to you is, are we seeing the limits of the United States's influence on Israel?

PARSI: I think we're actually seeing the beginning of leverage finally starting to be applied to Israel. We did not see this at all under the Biden administration. We did not see it, much of it during the first year of Trump. But now when he has something valuable to achieve through this deal, in which, in his view, this can transform the entire relationship between the U.S. and Iran after 47 years of enmity, and by that transform the entire Middle East as a whole.

Now, when he has that in sight, now he is incentivized to put some real pressure on the Israelis in order to stop their sabotage of this deal. Prior to that I don't think he had the incentive structure to be as stark as it is right now. And I think we have seen that what the administration is doing now is beginning to be what I would think is the contours of a de-specialization of the U.S.-Israeli relationship, meaning that it is a very important relationship, but it is downgraded to being at the same level as the U.S. has with France, for instance.

FREEMAN: And even that would be tremendously different than what we've seen, certainly, over the past many years.

PARSI: Absolutely.

[15:10:03]

FREEMAN: I'm curious, your perspective on this, though, because CNN had some new reporting that Qatar is looking to get payments to Iran, potentially as much as unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds. Even if it isn't the U.S. paying the money effectively, is it effectively paying off Iran to try and get closer to peace? PARSI: Well, of course it is, because that's what these freezing of

funds were supposed to be. It seems like in Washington, people have forgotten what the actual objective with freezing these funds was. It was to pressure the Iranians to come and negotiate and give nuclear concessions. And if they did so, the money that is theirs would be returned to them.

So this is the same criticism that was leveled against the Obama administration. They unfroze a significant amount of Iranian money as part of the JCPOA. Of course, it was phased, and this one will be phased as well. But this is the difference between some people in Washington thinking that the sanctions are there for the sake of just punishing the country indefinitely and those who recognize that this was supposed to be leverage. And the very point with leverage is that at the right time, you're supposed to lift it in order to get concessions from the other side.

FREEMAN: Trita, real quickly, I don't have a ton of time left, but I just wanted to get your perspective on this because when it comes to this MOU, this memorandum of understanding, you wrote this week that, quote, "The criticism coming from some Democrats is particularly disappointing because it echoes the same bad faith tactics Republicans deployed against the JCPOA back in 2015."

I just wanted your perspective. What did you mean by that, that you're seeing shades of that again?

PARSI: We're seeing a very knee-jerk reaction by some Democrats, not by all, of course, that is putting forward, frankly, some bad faith critiques of this deal. First of all, we don't know what the final deal is. This is just a memorandum that sets the parameters. There's been a lot of critique against, for instance, the $300 billion reconstruction fund, forgetting the fact that this is not American money, but rather as part of a final deal in which the Iranians give massive nuclear concessions, the United States would lift sanctions that would enable the Iranians to rebuild their economy.

And this is particularly driven by some of Iran's neighbors, the GCC countries, who have recognized the containment and isolation of Iran does not work. It just leads to this disastrous war. And as a result, they want to create an economic interdependence with Iran similarly to what the Europeans did after the Second World War, in order to make sure they never have that war again.

And that's the direction the region is going. That's good for the U.S. That would lead to a more stable Middle East. And to critique that, I think, is one of these bad faith type of attacks that we also saw the Republicans constantly do against the JCPOA 10 or so years ago.

FREEMAN: All right. Well, a lot of moving parts and again, all eyes on Switzerland now for this particular weekend.

Trita Parsi, thank you so much for sharing your expertise on this Saturday.

PARSI: Thank you so much for having me. FREEMAN: All right. Still ahead, a teenager's death renews a big push

to ban a centuries-long tourist attraction in New York City. We have the fight over horse-drawn carriages coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:27]

FREEMAN: To this now, a visit to the Grand Canyon turned deadly for three hikers who died from apparent heat-related illnesses. Federal officials said the deaths happened on two separate days over the past week in the inner canyon, where temperatures can soar beyond 109 degrees in the shade. The National Park Service said that despite a rapid response in aerial support, the three hikers, all of them above the age of 65, were dead by the time first responders reached them.

Park officials say the canyon has seen an uptick in heat-related illnesses and urged inner canyon hikers to stay off trails during peak daytime hours.

To this now, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other leaders are renewing a push to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park after a tragic accident killed an 18-year-old tourist this week.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino explains the issue and why some still stand by the tradition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was supposed to be a leisurely horse-drawn carriage ride in New York's Central Park. But video shows it quickly turned deadly after the horse became spooked and took off with the Mahajan family inside. 18-year old Romanch was killed after trying to help his mother, who was thrown from the carriage.

The Mahajan family traveled from India to celebrate Romanch's high school graduation and were enjoying a day in the city. When the carriage driver stopped to photograph the family, he stepped out of the carriage and the horse took off. The teen's father told "The New York Times," quote, "They clung desperately to each other inside the carriage," as the horse sprinted.

But when Romanch's mother fell out of the carriage, he jumped after her to help and his head hit the pavement. The driver chased after it but wasn't able to catch the out-of-control carriage, which didn't stop until it hit another coach and fell to its side. Eighteen-year old Romanch Mahajan later died at the hospital.

Now days after this shocking incident, Central Park horse carriages are temporarily off the job. On a regular day, you would have seen them lining up here, stopping at the water trough to drink before picking up their passengers. But now the union representing the drivers says they're conducting an investigation.

(Voice-over): The carriage accident is the first human fatality in more than 100 years of the industry operating inside the park. A string of horse-related accidents, eight just in the past 13 months, has reignited calls from animal welfare advocates, elected officials and the Central Park Conservancy to finally ban them.

[15:20:00]

CHRISTOPHER MARTE, NEW YORK COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT ONE: We had a death two days ago. A week ago, we had a horse that collapsed for 10 minutes and died. And a month before that, we saw a driver be taken in a stretcher.

This is long overdue. Are we going to wait for another death? Or are we going to take action today?

PAZMINO (voice-over): The carriage drivers argue their livelihood will be destroyed.

CHRISTINA HANSEN, SHOP STEWARD, TW LOCAL 100, CENTRAL PARK CARRIAGES: We just are devastated that this happened. People in our business have been doing this for decades. This is their small -- these are their small businesses.

PAZMINO (voice-over): The iconic carriages are a major tourist attraction for those who want to see some of the city's most famous landmarks.

JILL MICHAELS, NEW YORKER: It's historically been available for a long time and I just think it's part of the ambiance.

PAZMINO (voice-over): Efforts to ban and reform the industry have spanned three mayoral administrations, including legislation requiring mandatory vacation time for horses, temperature limits and keeping the carriage rides inside the park.

It was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for the Mahajan family. The memory of their son, now memorialized on a Central Park bench.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much for that reporting.

Still ahead, we're going to be joined by the leader of an organization that aims to help millions of refugees from all around the world who have been forced out of their homes. Don't miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:49]

FREEMAN: More than a million people have been displaced by the fighting in Lebanon. And the United Nations says around the world, more than 117 million people have been displaced from their homes by the end of June 2025. That's almost double the population of California and New York combined. They were forced out by conflicts in places like Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine. There were also more than 68 million people who were displaced within

their own country. And today, as we mark World Refugee Day, one organization, among others, is trying to help those who have been forced out of their homes.

Kerri Murray, he's the president of ShelterBox USA.

Kerri, thank you so much for joining us on this day. Please walk us through some of the greatest needs you're seeing right now and what ShelterBox is doing to ease those needs.

KERRI MURRAY, PRESIDENT, SHELTERBOX USA: Well, right now we're dealing with the largest displacement crisis in modern history. And what we see are that there are over 117 million people. That's one in 70 people on the planet who've been displaced. Some of the largest you mentioned, so Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Syria, and ShelterBox really is on the front lines of these crises every day.

We bring emergency shelter and essential household items to people whose lives have been upended by no fault of their own, and many of them, yes, they're refugees. They fled their countries, and then tens of millions are internally displaced within their countries. Places like Lebanon, Gaza. So we're really bringing the basic but most important first step in the recovery process, which is having a shelter, a roof over your head, to just begin the next phase of your life.

FREEMAN: Well, and when you look at that massive number, that 117 million number, is your work about relieving some of the suffering, or is the goal to really help offer a broader hope or solution?

MURRAY: So in the immediate aftermath of losing everything, shelter is vital. It is the first step. So your life stops when you've lost your home. You've been displaced from your country. So until you have a home, a roof over your head, and that could be a tent like you're seeing, you're not going to school, and 40 percent of refugees are children, parents are not working so life stops. So the first thing for ShelterBoxes, we need to stabilize the family.

And oftentimes for a refugee, this is not for a period of weeks or months. What we're seeing is this could be a period of years. And so ShelterBoxes on the front lines helping, yes, newly displaced people but oftentimes in these situations, like you're seeing places like Cameroon at the Minawao refugee camp where people have been displaced for over a decade, it's helping them with their shelters and just the basics they need to continue to get on with their lives.

FREEMAN: Can you describe how you approach dealing with various foreign governments, let's say, in war zones, rebel groups or others who, you know, we know might be hostile to aid workers like yourself in some of these regions?

MURRAY: So in our work at ShelterBox and humanitarian aid organizations around the world, there's a massive movement, there has been, around localization. So we typically find local trusted partners in places like Gaza, groups like PARC, in places like, you know, Cameroon, it's local aid organizations that we work to really bolster their ability to help their people. So that could be through training that we do on how to construct shelters, cement structures, or mud brick like you're seeing there.

It could be providing the resources, so tarpaulins, tents, cooking sets, solar lanterns, the basics. But we really work through local trusted partners, the people who are on the ground, oftentimes who become aid workers because of the crisis. We've been seeing this in Syria for well over a decade with our work there. We work with the locals, and they understand the context. They have an ability to reach the people.

Oftentimes, if we can't get aid into the country, places like Gaza right now, where it's been incredibly difficult, we're procuring things locally in the markets, help stimulate the local economies there, but also help provide the resources that could be plentiful in those countries.

[15:30:11]

FREEMAN: Well, Kerri Murray, thank you so much for the work that you do and for joining us to describe that important work on this consequential day. We really do appreciate it.

MURRAY: Thank you so much.

FREEMAN: All right. Coming up, the last Democratic district in Tennessee is no more as new maps lean more Republican. After the break, we're going to hear from the voters who have been impacted, plus how they're already trying to fight back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:13]

FREEMAN: The last Democratic district in Tennessee is no more. The state's Republican majority redrew the state congressional map to dilute the black majority city of Memphis, traditionally Democrat, into three different Republican-leaning districts.

CNN's Jason Carroll traveled to Memphis, a bastion of the Civil Rights Movement, to hear from its residents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Weekend football in Memphis is usually about competition and fun. Today, spectators have a lot more on their minds.

CASSANDRA VANN, GRANDMOTHER: There's been great sacrifices people have made in order to get us here. So it just seems like that is crowding our voice as a black community.

ANTOINE SMITH, MEMPHIS POLICE OFFICER AND FOOTBALL COACH: Everybody has been upset about it. Everybody has been emotional about it. CARROLL (voice-over): Even if they're rooting for different teams,

many here are on the same side when it comes to redistricting.

SMITH: It's very disheartening. We don't have the same vested interests with somebody who's 200 miles away from here.

CARROLL (voice-over): Here's what happened. State Republicans redrew the congressional map, taking the old Ninth District, the state's last remaining black majority district, and breaking it into three new districts, Five, Eight and Nine, that stretch far beyond Memphis, diluting a once Democratic stronghold, upsetting not only many of the city's black residents.

JILL ELASINGAME, MEMPHIS RESIDENT: I'm still in Ninth.

CARROLL: OK.

ELASINGAME: But they are in Eighth now across the street.

CARROLL: Across the street.

(Voice-over): The newly redrawn district splits Jill Elasingame's neighborhood right down the middle of her street.

ELASINGAME: It's just unnecessary. Memphis is a predominantly black city. To take that power away from the citizens, it's very suspicious.

CARROLL: Suspicious? What do you think is behind it? What do you think is motivating it?

ELASINGAME: Racism, obviously.

CARROLL (voice-over): Republican lawmakers argue the move has nothing to do with race.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maps were drawn to maximize the potential Republican partisan advantage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware that Memphis is predominantly African-American?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am not.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This map was drafted based on politics, based on population and the opportunity for the first time in history for us to send an entire Republican delegation from Tennessee to represent the state in Washington, D.C..

CARROLL (voice-over): The new districts now break up Memphis's black community, one which has played an historic role in the Civil Rights Movement. It's a community where some are fighting back in a traditional southern way, from the pulpit.

LAWRENCE TURNER, SENIOR PASTOR, THE BOULEVARD CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Memphis and Shelby County are facing one of the most significant political shifts in recent history. We need massive voter turnout in August and in November.

CARROLL: Religious leaders know here in Memphis, if you want to reach the black community, this is the place you've got to do it.

(Voice-over): Pastor Lawrence Turner took the state of Tennessee to court. Through his organization, the Black Clergy Collaborative, he joined a federal lawsuit to try and block the redrawn map.

Can we grab you now?

TURNER: Yes. When you crack the Ninth District in Tennessee, you took away the right of those who live in this community to choose who represents them. And so they could say this is gerrymandering based upon party, but it's obvious. You target a city like Memphis, which is one of the blackest cities in the country, and break up the only black and blue congressional district in this state, it's clearly not partisan, it's racial.

CARROLL (voice-over): Chances of a federal judge blocking the new map before the midterms are slim, but the black community could still deliver a record turnout. Parishioners such as Brittney Williams say she and others like her feel motivated to vote.

BRITTNEY WILLIAMS, PARISHIONER: People suppress what they're afraid of. And I think they realize that when the black community comes together, we're always going to work hard to fight to make sure that not only do we have the rights, but that everybody has the right.

CARROLL (voice-over): Miles away, the message resonated with the Chisholm family. Jasmine Chisholm is the great, great granddaughter of Birdia Keglar, a civil rights activist who in 1966 was killed in a suspicious car accident after returning from a civil rights meeting.

JASMINE CHISHOLM, MEMPHIS RESIDENT: My children, it's up to us to teach them about Great Grandma Birdia Keglar. It's up to us to teach them about stuff like that, about how people lost their lives to vote because they're not learning that in school no more.

CARROLL: Do you feel a special sense of responsibility, given your, you know, your family's history and being involved in the Civil Rights Movement?

[15:40:06]

CHISOLM: I do. I do.

CARROLL: Is that a lot --

CHISOLM: If you want to see a change, your voice matters. In order for them to understand us as in our age group, we have to get out and make a stand and vote.

CARROLL (voice-over): It's a fight they pray will ultimately end in some sort of justice. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hear they named the highway after her. The

fire, the fight was coming back in us. We have to continue to fight, not give up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Thank you, Jason Carroll, for that wonderful reporting.

Switching gears now, Father's Day is tomorrow, and CNN's Jake Tapper is sitting down with Senators Mark Kelly, Tim Scott, and former senator and Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, to learn how their unique relationships with their dads helped shape their approach to fatherhood.

Here's some of Jake's conversation with Mitt Romney, who talks about the reverence he had for his dad and his thoughts on what he misses most about his father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER UTAH SENATOR: He was there for the major events in my life, but communicated frequently and thoroughly how much he admired me and thought I had huge things in store. When I lost in 1994 to Ted Kennedy, he said, oh, this is just the beginning. And my dad was insistent, oh, no, you're not finished. I became governor in 2003. So almost 10 years later.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And then, and then the Republican nominee for president, and then a very well-respected senator. I mean, he missed all of that, but --

ROMNEY: I hope he got it. I hope he gets a chance to look in. But my guess is -- my guess is he's not looking back. He's looking forward on the other side, it's like, I'm sure Mitt is doing great. I'm going ahead.

TAPPER: Is there any regret that he didn't get to see that? Or does it matter because he was just --

ROMNEY: Oh, yes. No, I'd love him to still be part of our life. I think from time to time, what I would give, how much money I would give to spend a day with him.

TAPPER: Yes.

ROMNEY: Just, I mean, I don't think there's a limit I would give. I'd give it all to spend a day and to have that chat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: And you can watch the whole conversation with Jake tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m..

Coming up in just a moment, Big Boy steams across the country to celebrate America's 250. We're going to tell you why this trip is so special and historic coming up after a quick break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:11]

FREEMAN: That right there, that is the sound of American history rolling down the tracks. Union Pacific's legendary locomotive, Big Boy, is on its first coast-to-coast trip to mark America's 250th celebration. The massive steam powered engine is now on public display in Scranton, Pennsylvania, one of the more than 50 stops of this tour, and it will be in Philadelphia for the Fourth of July.

Now, this is the first time Big Boy has been east of the Mississippi since it was built way back in 1941. And it's been wild. It's been drawing huge crowds all along the way. Look at that right there.

All right, so let's talk more about this special tour for a very unique train. Ed Dickens is the senior manager for Union Pacific Heritage Operations, and he joins us live right now.

Ed, so good to have you here. I've been so amped about this story. How did this coast-to-coast trip come together?

ED DICKENS, SENIOR MANAGER, UNION PACIFIC HERITAGE OPERATIONS: Well, this actually came together pretty quick for railroad planning. Lots of detail, but this was part of what better way to celebrate America's 250th than to run the Union Pacific Big Boy from coast to coast. It's a crowd pleasing locomotive. America loves history. America loves big boy. This is an iconic locomotive quickly becoming an American icon in itself.

FREEMAN: And it really liked returning as an American icon, too, which I love. Can you explain, though, Ed, for me, why is Big -- all right, why does Big Boy have to be so big? How come it is so big?

DICKENS: Well, that's a question we get all the time. So just like today, railroads are always looking for more power, more efficiency. Well, back in the late 1930s, the Union Pacific was facing a challenge. They needed a locomotive that could physically pull more cars, do it efficiently, spend less time in the shop, spend more time out earning its keep, and the Big Boy locomotive was the solution. Built right here in Schenectady, New York, not too far from here, there were 25 of those things built, 7,000 horsepower. It weighs as much as three conventional locomotives. It is big.

FREEMAN: And tell me, I mean, you know, we saw those pictures of crowds going absolutely nuts for it. What do people say after seeing the Big Boy up close? I mean, it's so massive.

DICKENS: It is. Well, they really are -- if they're to close that smile on their face quickly becomes a look of terror. It is a massive machine. I mean, you can feel the heat radiating off of this thing from 100 feet back. The whistle, you can hear that whistle coming for miles. And I think the big thing is, is people, in our world today, you know, we're somewhat soft in a lot of ways with our air conditioning and all our modern conveniences. If we look back and see how railroading was and how our grandparents

and men and women of the last generation used to do things, I think they really -- it really earns their respect when they see this big, massive locomotive so animated and how it works.

[15:50:09]

You can -- different smells. The ground rumbles. It really is a crowd pleasing sensation.

FREEMAN: Ed, can you tell me what does Big Boy represent as a part of America's 250-year history?

DICKENS: Well, it represents the importance of the economic vibrancy of what a railroad system does. You know, people, oftentimes they think the Big Boy is so big it really can't operate on the railroad network back here. But what it reminds people is just how important it is. I mean, how big railroads are, how efficient they are, how everything in our life comes in one form or another on the railroad.

The heritage and the connection of what makes our country great, what brought us together when the first transcontinental railroad was built, and what brings us together still. You know, the nation's transportation arteries are so vital to what we need. Everything in our life is by rail. It's -- and the Big Boy locomotive reminds us of that history and that heritage.

FREEMAN: Well, I think it's so cool. And it's just awe-inspiring. And I cannot wait to see it in person myself when it gets to Philadelphia.

Ed Dickens, thank you so, so much for joining us on this Saturday. I really do appreciate it.

DICKENS: Thank you very much.

FREEMAN: OK. Coming up next, there's a lot of quacking around during the World Cup with two now, count them two, unofficial mascots catching the attention of millions around the world. We're going to introduce you to Merlin and Dawn coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:17]

FREEMAN: You may have heard a pet duck named Merlin has waddled his way into the hearts of soccer fans around the globe, becoming an official ambassador for Mexico at this year's FIFA World Cup. Look at him right there. But he's not the only feathered figure on social media. Turns out, Dawn, the Scottish duck has now entered the chat, leading the Tartan Army on a march ahead of Friday's match against Morocco.

Now, with all the unexpected fame, CNN's Valeria Leon met with the OG duck, Merlin's proud owners, and his adoring flock of fans in Mexico City. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wearing this perfectly fit jersey, this is Merlin the duck. He became so famous in the last two weeks, and he was waddling through the streets during the celebrations in the opening match in Mexico City.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We were just working at the time. We never imagined it would go so viral. We were walking down Reforma Avenue when a young woman filmed us, and that's when everything took off.

LEON: And we're here with Cristian, his owner.

(Speaking in foreign language) Merlin.

CRISTIAN GOMEZ, MERLIN'S OWNER (through translator): I gave it that name because it's magical to me.

LEON: You need to hold it right here? OK. Oh, he's so cute.

(Voice-over): But long before social media discovered him, Merlin was already a familiar face here in Mexico City's historic center.

OMAR TELLEZ, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT (through translator): It's surreal. It really represents the lifestyle of Mexico City. Mexicans always find creative ways to keep everyone happy and bring people together.

LEON (voice-over): Now he has millions of views and fans counted in the thousands.

He draws smiles everywhere he goes. You can see here, surrounded by fans from all over the world.

RICHARD GOLDSCHMIDT, GERMAN TOURIST: We have seen the duck in the city. Yesterday it was. Yes, we have seen the duck. Yes.

LEON: And what do you think about that?

GOLDSCHMIDT: I mean, when the duck has fun, it's OK.

LEON: This unofficial mascot is going to become the ambassador named by FIFA today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Merlin is now Mexico City's official FIFA host city ambassador.

LEON: Merlin may not know much about football, but the timing couldn't be better for this duck. Once his video went viral, this duck became one of the most visible faces of the World Cup, proving that the biggest stars of the tournament sometimes aren't on the pitch at all.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: He's never going to get a handball. So that's good. All right, to this now, Craig Ferguson explores the idea of the rugged

American individual with help from another former late-night host, Jay Leno. Here's a preview of the brand new episode of "CRAIG FERGUSON AMERICAN ON PURPOSE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG FERGUSON, CNN HOST, "CRAIG FERGUSON, AMERICAN ON PURPOSE": One of the major things that drew me to America was the automobile. You'd see movies and people driving cars like this into the cave.

JAY LEON, FORMER LATE-NIGHT HOST: Right. Through the outhouse door.

FERGUSON: Through the outhouse door. That American idea, being an individual, is a complete negation of the class system that I grew up in.

LENO: Right. Exactly.

FERGUSON: And the wrong end of it as well. So that you get, you ditch the class system, you ditch the idea that you're born this way and you're born to service. And you'll get to be a housemaid one day.

LENO: Right, right.

FERGUSON: It's like, no, you got Finns, ostentatious success was the way that you put forward your individuality. Like you've made it. You've got the American dream.

LENO: Of course.

FERGUSON: And that individual actually made a piece of art.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: You can watch this new episode of "CRAIG FERGUSON AMERICAN ON PURPOSE" tonight at 9:00 Eastern on CNN, and next day on the CNN app.

All right. Thank you all so much for joining me today. I'm Danny Freeman. I'll be back again tomorrow afternoon. But for now, "THE ARENA SATURDAY" will start now.