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U.S. And Iran Exchange Round Of Attacks, Testing Shaky Ceasefire; Iran Wants War Must End On All Fronts Including Lebanon; Venezuela Quakes Death Toll Hits 1,450, Thousands Still Missing; Georgia Communities Rally To Help Earthquake Victims; Mamdani Pushes Back; Centrist Democrats Push Back; Skydiving Plane Crash; Statue Of Liberty "Time" Cover. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired June 28, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:19]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone, and thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. The two-week-old fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is on shaky ground today after a fresh round of attacks and counterattacks. Today, Iran retaliated to the latest U.S. strikes by launching missiles and drones against U.S. facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.

Bahrain's government shared these images of a residential building it says was damaged in that Iranian strike. The Kuwaiti army says it intercepted two ballistic missiles with no damage or casualties.

Late Saturday, the U.S. launched several new strikes on Iranian military targets in or near the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said the strikes hit Iran's military infrastructure, air defense sites and drone storage facilities.

CNN's Julia Benbrook joins us now from the White House.

What more can you tell us about these new attacks and what the Trump administration is saying about it?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, all this recent escalation, the back and forth presents major questions about the status of the ceasefire agreement, as well as the ongoing negotiations with Iran. And a senior administration official tells me that the talks have not been canceled. They went on to say that the technical talks regarding the implementation of the MOU, the memorandum of understanding, are on track for the coming days as planned, and deconfliction channels are up and running after the Lake Lucerne Summit.

Now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously said that more talks would be taking place at an expert level, likely on June 30th. So in just a matter of days now, and it's been just about a week since Vice President J.D. Vance kicked off these technical talks at a high stakes, high level summit there in Switzerland, and that is discussing the memorandum of understanding, which has been signed by the United States and Iran. But it really is just a starting point because it kicked off this 60-

day time period to work through some of the details regarding Iran's nuclear program and the fate of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, among other key topics of discussion. But just yesterday, U.S. Central Command said that it had carried out another round of strikes on multiple targets, said this Saturday evening.

And then Trump went to social media, adding to some of the uncertainty here on what is next. He said in part, "There has come a point -- there may come a point," excuse me, "when we are no longer able to be reasonable and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we have very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist."

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz reiterated that point when he spoke to FOX News earlier today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: If the Iranian regime thinks for a second that President Trump is going to sit by, stand by while Iran continues to attack international shipping without a response or our bases without a response, they're sadly mistaken. And they saw that loud and clear over the last few nights, where we'll continue to militarily if needed take down their infrastructure that they're trying to use to illegally control an international waterway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So again, a senior administration official says that these talks are continuing, that they will go on as planned. But as of now, it seems like neither side is working to deescalate. Trump has said that they could take further military action. Meanwhile, the IRGC has said that if there is a violation of the ceasefire, what they deem as a violation of the ceasefire, that they could halt all diplomatic processes -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. And Julia, you know, obviously a lot of big things to consider as it relates to that conflict. But what does the president's schedule seem to look like today as he tackles these things?

BENBROOK: Well, schedule, at least publicly today, has been really focused on his renovation projects here in Washington, D.C. In fact, he took a tour of Lafayette Park just on the other side of the fence there, where he has been asking for updates, been working on updates. He toured that with the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. He also went by, took a slow motorcade drive by the area where he wants to see a Triumphal arch put up.

He also stopped by the East Potomac Golf Links and announced that that will be closed in September for renovations. That's something he has been wanting to do for a while. So we do have a lid here at the White House today.

[16:05:01] We do not expect him to go on any more tours or to see him, but of course we could still hear from him. And a lot of the major updates during this conflict have come on his social media site, Truth Social. So keeping a close eye out there.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And on that Lafayette, you know, Park tour, he apparently wants some 47, I guess, maple trees planted in his renovation idea.

All right, Julia, thank you so much.

All right. Iran also says a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon must be part of a final deal with the U.S.. That demand comes as Israeli forces continue fighting with Iranian backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, despite several ceasefire agreements.

Here's CNN's Oren Liebermann.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: In the broader picture of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, the Lebanon front has been and will very much continue to be a complicating factor there. We saw Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, according to Iranian state media, demand a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as part of any final agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

Iran and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, have repeatedly pointed to the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, demanding a complete end to hostilities, and that includes in Lebanon. But that's complicated by at least four agreements we have seen this month alone that have related in some way to Lebanon or either directly about Lebanon.

As Iran and Hezbollah pointed that memorandum of understanding, Israel and Lebanon with the U.S. signed a completely separate agreement on Friday that was touted by all three countries in a trilateral framework, and that does not require a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

It only requires a withdrawal in two specific areas along the so- called yellow line that delineates the Israeli occupied area in southern Lebanon as part of a pilot program in which the Lebanese military will come in and secure those sites. A broader withdrawal? Sure, it's in there, but that requires a complete disarmament of Hezbollah and a removal of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. And that's not only weeks away. That might be months or years away, depending on the progress and the pace of the implementation of that agreement.

Israel has long been skeptical that the Lebanese armed forces have the ability or the will to fully disarm and push Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon, and that very much looks like it will complicate the attempts to negotiate a final agreement between the U.S. and Iran. As for all of the agreements we've signed this month related to Lebanon, we have seen fighting break out often within hours of those being signed. And that was the case here. Once again, we saw continued fighting on

Sunday. The Israeli military says one soldier was killed in a firefight with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. Israel carried out strikes in southern Lebanon. Again, all of that complicates the broader negotiation effort between the U.S. and Iran, especially as both Hezbollah and Iran have rejected the latest agreement between Israel and Lebanon. And that makes this all that much more difficult and it was already difficult.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Oren, thank you so much.

We're following breaking news on the deadly Kentucky flooding as well, where four people have died, including one driver who was swept away. Officials also tell us a man and woman drown inside their flooded home. Some areas saw up to 12 inches of rain in 48 hours. The heavy rains have wiped out bridges and inundated roads and homes, prompting Governor Andy Beshear to issue a state of emergency. Beshear says Kentucky will need FEMA assistance to help pay for repairs to roads and bridges.

I spoke with the governor earlier about what his state is facing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D), KENTUCKY: And what we're seeing is massive infrastructure damage, especially to roads and bridges. Entire bridges washed out. That may not leave people stranded, but are certainly going to be a lot of work for us in the coming weeks and months. We have one water system that is impacted, though. I think we're going to get it up and running. We're getting power restored and we still have search and rescue teams all over our commonwealth.

It's really about 20 of our 120 counties that were hit, hit hard. Most all those got at least five inches of rain in a very short period of time. One got eight inches of rain in about a six-hour period. So really massive, devastating flooding. But we've got a lot of great first responders who heroically got out there and rescued people. And I think we're starting to see at least the light at the end of the tunnel on this.

I think it's our 16th weather related disaster in six and a half years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Rain conditions are expected to improve today, but with the ground so saturated, even an inch or two could trigger more flooding.

And then there's this breaking news. Fires across western Colorado and parts of Utah still growing. Officials say three firefighters have died battling a fast moving blaze burning across the border of both states. [16:10:02]

Two other crew members were injured and taken to the hospital. Colorado's Governor Jared Polis has declared a disaster emergency. And in Utah, evacuation orders are in place for some communities near the Cottonwood Fire. It has burned more than 92,000 acres and still has zero percent containment. Thick smoke can be seen billowing into the air, fueled by strong, gusty winds.

The threat is so severe the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued a first ever, particularly dangerous situation, red flag warning. Local officials believe it's Utah's most destructive wildfire on record.

And record-shattering temperatures are baking much of Europe. The historic heat wave has disrupted power supplies, shut down schools, cultural landmarks. Europe's heat has quickly turned deadly. Some countries have reported hundreds of heat related deaths. The heat is also affecting major events, including the Ironman European championship in Frankfurt. Parts of the race have been shortened because of the heat. Relief is on the way. Forecasters expect a cooldown in Western Europe this week.

All right, still ahead, glimmers of hope. Stunning images of survivors in Venezuela being pulled from the rubble alive as the fourth full day of frantic rescue efforts are in full swing. Our reports and -- coming from our reporters on the ground. And deadly crash, a skydiving plane plummets to earth in France, killing 11 people. What witnesses are saying about this tragic incident.

And cybercrime gets physical. Russian hackers allegedly hiring real world burglars to physically break into elite U.S. law firms. New reporting on the wild, new tactic, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:16:34]

WHITFIELD: Frustration is growing in Venezuela, where the number of people killed in last week's twin earthquakes has now risen to 1450. Thousands more remain missing, and the rescue effort has passed the critical 72-hour window, in which people are most likely to be saved. Food and clean water are running out in the port city of La Guaira, which has been virtually cut off by collapsed roadways and bridges. And people are growing increasingly desperate as they wait for word of their missing loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My 82-year-old mother lived here alongside my brother and my 20-year-old daughter. My daughter's boyfriend had come over to deliver a meal to my mother and with the last contact we had with her was at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Since then, we've heard nothing more.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: There have been some bright moments. Crews pulled a 60- year-old woman from the wreckage of a high rise earlier today. Also, search and rescue teams pulled a mother and her 9-month-old baby from a collapsed building.

Journalist Mary Triny Mena is joining us now from Caracas.

And all this is happening while you still are experiencing some aftershocks, Mary?

MARY TRINY MENA, JOURNALIST: Yes, we have so far, we have experienced more than 500 aftershocks since Wednesday, when two earthquakes took place in Venezuela. It is significant that at this point, the government is talking about more than 1,400 victims, and the figure keeps changing as they -- as the days progress. But right now, the government is avoiding to talk about people disappear and social media phones are full with people searching for family members. They're showing pictures, leaving phone numbers in case somebody has information about them.

The reality is that it is expected that the death toll, it would be higher than the government is saying right now. They are being very careful with the information that they are releasing. But there are -- there is a large number of people still considering their family members disappear at this point. According to rescuers, there's a chance, there's still a chance, even though the critical hours has passed. They say it could be days or months, or it could be days to even find more people that still could be alive. And they will keep working.

One significant thing is the amount of rescuers, foreigners that are coming to Venezuela. More than 2,000 people arrived from different countries. And this is special because even countries that have problems with Venezuela, like El Salvador, political problems, I mean, they are sending crews here to be alongside with the security forces in Venezuela. Especially the relationship with the U.S. is quite significant because the shift that has had the relationship in the past months is important.

For example, we are witnessing helicopters right now once again from the U.S. flying in Venezuela.

[16:20:03]

And Venezuelans saw that on January when the security forces of the U.S. entered the country and took out Nicolas Maduro. But right now, their relationship is different. Today, the U.S. Southern Command showed images of members of the U.S. military forces on the ground, boots on the ground for the first time, because most of the operation that has taken place before in Venezuela or in recent months has been from air.

Kinetic strikes, for example, recently in the south of Venezuela, conducted with the authorization of Venezuelan authorities. So it is quite of a strange. It's a moment of unity, despite the political difference of the countries involved. It is the war helping Venezuela in this moment of crisis.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Global effort to help the folks there in Venezuela.

From Caracas there, Mary Triny Mena, thank you so much.

And so as the death toll soars in Venezuela, the international community is looking for ways to help those impacted by the tragedy.

Our Rafael Romo is in Lilburn, Georgia, where people are pitching in to help the victims.

In what ways are they doing that, Rafael?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's just incredible to see, Fred. It's hot, it's humid, but that's not stopping an army of volunteers from coming here at this location. It's a shipping business in Lilburn, Georgia. As you can see, there are tent after tent after tent, the volunteers working together for this massive effort to send aid to Venezuela after the earthquakes.

Now, just to give you some perspective, Fred, the organization putting this effort together tells me that normally when they do community events, they get about 50 people, 50 volunteers who show up to help in any way they can. For this effort they say about 500 people signed up, so 10 times as many.

Now you see all the boxes around me, some boxes have non-perishables, other boxes have medication and medical supplies. Other boxes have clothes. And what the organizers tell me is that up until yesterday, they had already collected 40 tons of help. Again, that's not counting what people have donated today. And you can see behind me all of the help that people have brought in today.

I've been talking to volunteers who tell me that they really wanted to be here to make sure that the people of Venezuela affected by the earthquakes get all the help they need. This is what one of them told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLOS CARRASQUERO, VENEZUELAN VOLUNTEER: The response has been amazing. All around the metro area in Atlanta, as well as in the other cities in the U.S. and the world, because we have friends and family in Madrid, Barcelona, in Spain, and around the U.S.. And it's been the same reaction. The Venezuelans came up together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Back live here in Lilburn, and this volunteer was telling me, Fred, that him and his brothers wanted to travel to Venezuela. But as you know, and as we have reported, the airport, there has been closed. It's been partially reopened. And they say being here, showing up, helping in any way they can, is the next best thing to actually be in there on the ground, helping the people they love, their fellow Venezuelans.

Fred, now back to you.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is a colossal undertaking and admirable that they are doing that, indeed.

Rafael Romo, thank you so much, in Lilburn, Georgia.

All right. Still to come, what's at stake for the Democratic Party ahead of the midterms? A look at this past week's primary results and how that could signal a shift of power potentially on Capitol Hill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:31]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We now know who will likely succeed one of President Trump's top foes within his own party. In Louisiana, Trump endorsed Congresswoman Julia Letlow has won the state's contentious GOP Senate runoff, beating back State Treasurer John Fleming. Letlow is now the overwhelming favorite to win the seat currently held by ousted Senator Bill Cassidy, who failed to qualify for the runoff after angering the president's base for his 2021 impeachment vote against Trump.

And in California, a new legal challenge could add to the political woes for L.A.'s embattled mayor. "The L.A. Times" reports the former chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department has filed a defamation lawsuit claiming Mayor Karen Bass has made false statements about her regarding the Palisades Fire that torched parts of the city earlier last year. The report says Christine Crowley's lawsuit alleges Bass made false statements to avoid accountability and transfer blame and criticism of the mayor's leadership failures over the deadly blaze.

In a statement to "The L.A. Times," Bass's office said the filing is, quote, "another meritless lawsuit from a disgruntled individual who was removed from her position," end quote.

Let's discuss that and more with CNN's senior political analyst and Bloomberg opinion columnist Ron Brownstein.

Ron, great to see you. All right, so let's tackle this one first. The mayor, you know, has been trying to fend off a challenge from L.A. City Council Member Nithya Raman, who will face -- who she will face this November.

[16:30:09]

So, does this lawsuit complicate things for Bass in this competition?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (via Webex): Well, look, I mean, you know, the primary in L.A. reflected what we are seeing in urban settings around the country. Not only in mayoral races, but also, obviously, in these House races in New York last week. Which is that the left is gaining strength within the Democratic Party. I mean, the socialist-elected mayor of Seattle and New York, a socialist on track to be elected mayor of D.C. I think the challenge for Raman in L.A. is that, as in other cities, there is a lot of focus on public order, on policing, on homelessness. And she is taking out positions well to Bass's left on those issues.

So, while Bass has all the kind of problems that Democrats who are identified with the party establishment are facing really everywhere in the country for races of all sort, in the end, it still seems to me that Raman is probably a little to the left of where the electorate is. Particularly, that large nonwhite electorate in the city, which tend to take more moderate positions on many of these issues.

So, we'll see. A lot of the traditional vulnerabilities, but I think her positioning may be just a little too hard to push over a 50 percent line.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, while we're talking about progressives. You know, we saw that surge of Democratic socialists win primaries, as you made reference to in New York last week

The city's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who endorsed those candidates, spoke to ABC earlier today about attacks from moderate Democrats who are opposed to the party's shift to the left. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC HOST, "THIS WEEK": There's resentment. And this is from fellow Democrats who think that this could jeopardize Democratic chances in the fall. Josh Gottheimer, a Democratic member of Congress, said, many of us believe, as do I, if you're a socialist, you are not a Democrat.

And, in fact, they put out a manifesto today. How have you seen this thing?

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), MAYOR, NEW YORK: It sounds pretty socialist to me. I think Democratic socialism, at the heart, is pragmatic. Because if we cannot deliver for working people, then what is this for?

I'm not interested in writing a manifesto or, frankly, in reading one. I'm interested in delivering. And that's exactly what we've been showing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, is this the Democratic Party's kind of MAGA moment?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, I think you know, in the Republican primaries, as you suggested, we -- as you noted, we've had one story this year. Which is that Trump is dominating any race where he gets involved.

In the Democratic side, there really are two tracks that are emerging. And only one has gotten, I think, a lot of attention.

But there are two, which is that in these urban -- in these safe Democratic districts, particularly in urban settings, particularly where there are a lot of younger white college graduates, the left is definitely ascending.

All three of the seats that Mamdani-endorsed candidates won last week. Harris won at least 72 percent of the vote. Upwards of 70 percent of the whites in those districts are college graduates.

But there is a second story in the Democratic primaries. And it was a few miles up north in New York, New York 17, where it was evident last week. Which is that in the districts, the swing districts that will actually decide whether Democrats win back the majority, the party is still relying primarily on moderate and centrist nominees. Like the one who was chosen against Mike Lawler in New York or Nancy Lacore in South Carolina, on the same night as the Mamdani victories in New York.

You know, the interesting thing is that if Democrats win the majority, both poles of the party are likely to be strengthened. Clearly, the left is going to be stronger in these safe Democratic districts where kind of traditional mainstream Democrats may be replaced by more progressive or even socialist nominees.

But, by definition, if they get to 218, they're also going to be adding more centrist new Democrats. And so, you may have a party which -- in which each edge of the coalition is stronger. And that could produce some headaches for Hakeem Jeffries, if they -- if they do win the majority.

WHITFIELD: Yes, because this does seem to be, you know, deepening the divisions within the Democratic Party. Listen to what one moderate Democrat told CNN's Manu Raju about the rise of Democratic socialists.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What does (?) this say to you about the direction of your party that -- after last night's results and Mamdani influence in it?

REP. TOM SUOZZI (D), NEW YORK: It, I think the bottom line is that the DSA and the far left, as well as the MAGA movement and the far right, are organized. And they're doing a good job organizing, and they're tapping into people's concerns about their economic insecurity.

I think Trump did that in his campaigns. I think Mamdani did that in his campaign for mayor. They tapped into people's real concerns about economic insecurity.

I just happen to disagree with their solutions.

RAJU: Yes. I mean, are you worried about the shift to the far left?

SUOZZI: I think that the shift is that people are unhappy. They're unhappy with what's happening in their lives, because they're not making enough money.

[16:35:00]

SUOZZI: So they can buy a house, educate their kids, pay for health insurance, and retire without being scared.

And, right now, the main messages they're hearing are from these more extreme wings on the right and the left. And that's where they're looking for answers.

And so, people like me, and people that disagree with the DSA, and people that disagree with MAGA, have to work together to say, this is how we're going to make your life better. How you're going to increase your wages and benefits. How you're going to be able to afford to buy a house. How you're going to be able to afford your health insurance. And how you're going to be able to retire one day without being scared.

And until we do a better job organizing the people that believe in that and how to get that done, we're going to continue to see this type of fracturing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. So, when did the Democrats kind of last face this sort of upheaval that, you know, we're seeing right now?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, probably of this magnitude, you'd have to go back to the late 1980s, early 1990s, when Bill Clinton and the Democratic leadership council engineered the successful effort to kind of reorient the party after the three electoral wipeouts of the 1980s and move it back toward the center. And he had a whole series of -- Bill Clinton had a whole series of pitched ideological battles with Jesse Jackson and others on the left of that -- of that era.

I mean, there's no question, as I wrote a couple of weeks ago, that the left is more organized than the center, institutionally, in these races where the two are colliding in primaries.

But, you know, there are not -- as I said, there are not that many swing districts where the party is turning to these left nominees. There are a few, though. You know, the left is making a few inroads into swing districts. And I think the outcome in those races. Graham Platner in Maine. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, if he is the nominee. Races in Ohio -- House races in Ohio and Pennsylvania and California.

How those turn out in November, I think, will have a lot of impact on how much momentum the left has going into the 28 presidential nominations. If they lose races that Democrats otherwise think they should have won, I think that will take a little air out of the balloon.

But, as I say, you have two things that are both developing at once. The left is clearly gaining ground in safe, Democratic places, while the party is still relying mostly on centrists in the swing places it has to win in order to regain congressional majorities.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, you know, heading into midterms, health care and access to it, including insurance, remain primary concerns for Americans. And in your latest article, you write that data shows, quoting now, "more House Republicans than Democrats represent districts where most residents face medical challenges."

So, will last year's Republican cuts to Medicaid and the one big, you know, beautiful bill, as well as allowing the expiration of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, influence how people vote in the midterms?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. You know, first of all, we are seeing a fundamental repositioning of the parties. People used to call the Republicans the healthy and wealthy party.

But if you look now, far more House Republicans than Democrats represent districts where there are an elevated share of residents with serious health problems, like diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, obesity, cancer deaths. And more Republicans than Democrats represent districts where more than the national average lack health insurance.

And the bottom line on all of that is that, at this point, the average lifespan in a Democratic-held House district is over two years higher than in a Republican held House district. Over 70 percent of House Republicans represent districts where people they'll -- where people die sooner than the national average.

And over 70 percent of Democrats represent districts where they live longer than the national average. Pretty striking disparities, at this point.

You know, the irony is that, politically, the places where life expectancy is the worst and health outcomes are the worst tend to be deeply red -- ruby red. Socially conservative districts, mostly in rural areas. Or the south, the Democrats really can't compete in, even amid these health care cuts.

Where the health care cuts are likely to be a bigger issue is in a lot of these swing districts. Many of them working class across states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, where the battle for the health (?) will probably be decided.

So, it's not in the worst of the worst districts, where life expectancy can be as much as 15 years below what it is in some of the best Democratic districts. But it is in these swing places where a lot of people are economically struggling. And they view those cuts as a signal that Republicans are not emphasizing the right things in Washington.

WHITFIELD: Well, that is all so fascinating. All right, Ron Brownstein, always a pleasure. Thank you so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, a new twist on digital crime. Cyber criminals are allegedly hiring burglars to break into U.S. law firms. Authorities say the tactic could be tied to Russian-linked efforts to steal sensitive information. [16:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The 11 people killed after a skydiving plane crashed in northern France today. French investigators are now at the scene of the crash. The victims include the pilot, five instructors and the five students who were aboard, according to local reports.

Officials say the aircraft appeared to suffer damage before plunging vertically to the ground. The crash happened in a built-up area near a shopping center and a housing development.

[16:45:03]

WHITFIELD: No bystanders were among the casualties.

And Russian speaking cybercriminals are targeting U.S. law firms with a brazen new tactic. Rather than relying on traditional Internet hacking methods from overseas, cyber criminals are now bypassing antivirus protections and other security measures hackers run up against, by hiring people to show up and access sensitive information in person.

CNN's Sean Lyngaas has the story.

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Law firms across the United States are facing a new type of threat. Cyber criminals based in Russia aren't just hacking them. They are paying people here in the U.S. to show up at the law firms, plug in USB drives and steal data from the offices.

The goal of this operation is to strengthen the cyber criminals hands in ransom negotiations. One source told CNN that, just in the last six months, a cyber-criminal group has managed to extract $100 million in ransom payments from law firms. It's a major hacking spree that has the FBI poring (?) over surveillance footage in search of the criminals.

In one case, a Russian-speaking man entered a us law firm speaking into his smart glasses, presumably to give the hackers a live look at the law firms offices. This is a rare convergence of cyber and physical threats that has U.S. law firms on edge and federal government here in the U.S. investigating.

I'm Sean Lyngaas in Washington.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Sean.

All right. Right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, it's the first event in the Kennedy Center, since President Trump's name was removed. It's to honor comedian Bill Maher. We'll look at what to expect from the sometime ally, sometime critic, often target of the president, tonight in Washington, D.C.

[16:46:58]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: For its cover commemorating Americas 250th anniversary, "Time Magazine" landed on an iconic symbol reimagined. Graphic artist, Shepard Fairey, known for his 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama Hope poster, was the American muralist "Time" tapped to deliver on the magazine cover.

And here it is. Fairey's depiction of the Statue of Liberty, draped with a variety of images, movements, and moments of Americas history.

Shepard Fairey joining us right now. Congratulations on the cover.

SHEPARD FAIREY, ARTIST: Thanks for having me, Fredricka. I appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. So, when time asked you to create an image for the cover, what was your decision-making process leading to the Statue of Liberty kind of reinvented here?

FAIREY: Well, "Time" wanted this to be a celebration of a lot of the great accomplishments of the United States over the years. And I felt that the Statue of Liberty is a great symbol for, you know, positive things that the United States has done.

It's also a symbol of welcoming immigrants. And its backstory is incredibly fascinating. Not everyone knows all the elements of the backstory. But it was given to the United States as a commemoration of the first centennial, as well as the emancipation of slaves and America's dedication to democracy.

Of course, the Emily -- I mean, the Emma Lazarus poem, "The New Colossus," calls the Statue of Liberty, The Mother of Exiles. So, I think that within a blend of many amazing accomplishments that also provided huge struggles and controversy, at the time that many of these accomplishments were happening, to see the progress towards pluralism, symbolized by the Statue of Liberty, was really important to me.

WHITFIELD: And my thanks to Shepard Fairey.

And celebrate 250 years of America starting Friday night, with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen as they count down to, yes, a historic ball drop honoring the nation's birthday. Independence Eve, "Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen," begins July 3rd at 8:00 p.m., right here on CNN or you can stream it on the CNN app.

We'll be right back.

[16:54:09]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tonight, on a new episode of the CNN original series, "This Land: The Battle of the Alamo," becomes a rallying cry for the Texas revolution, reshaping North America and its balance of power. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER UTLEY, FAMILY HISTORIAN, ANCESTRY: We can't gloss over some of the atrocities that we're committed in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. The brutal treatment of the native Americans and surely (?) the reputations of people like Kit Carson.

HAMPTON SIDES, AUTHOR: The Navajo Indians talk about this man, Kit Carson. This evil man who led to, if not a genocide, at least a just an incredibly dark period of their history, called the Navajo Long Walk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With Kit's expedition against the Navajo Indians, there's a lot of misinformation about what Kit did. He was ordered by one general to exterminate the entire tribe. But he knew those folks, and he was going to disobey orders. He said, I don't know if I did right or if I did wrong. I did what I thought was best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. Watch the full episode of "This Land," tonight at 9:00 p.m. on CNN and the next day on the CNN app.

[17:00:04]

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much for joining me this weekend. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Omar Jimenez, right now.