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FBI: Attack Suspect Used Flamethrower, Yelled 'Free Palestine'; Can 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Clear Hurdles in Senate?; Caitlin Clark v. Angel Reese: Rivalry in the Spotlight. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired June 02, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Shortly afterwards, Paul was joined by fellow American Frances Tiafoe after his win over Daniel Altmaier.

[06:00:10]

All right. That's going to do it for us here today. Thanks for being with us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It is Monday, June 2nd. And here's what's happening right now on CNN THIS MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was chaos. People were writhing on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Multiple people set on fire by a man with a makeshift flamethrower. What police say the suspect yelled during the attack.

Plus, this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): I would be very surprised if the bill, at least, is not modified in a good direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: President Trump demands that Republican senators fall in line over that "big, beautiful bill". But will hardliner holdouts block it?

Then today's peace talks, overshadowed by a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack deep inside Russia. Is there any hope for the negotiations?

And a sports rivalry for the ages: Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Is this feud just what the WNBA needs, or is it fueling excitement for all the wrong reasons?

It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. Here's a live look at the sunrise over New York City. Good morning, New York, New York. Good morning to you. I'm Audie Cornish. Thank you for waking up with

me.

We're going to start with some breaking news. That horrifying attack in Boulder, Colorado, where police say a man used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set people on fire. At least eight people were injured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's making Molotov cocktails.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show the -- where is the police? Who's coming?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we can't do anything. He's got Molotov cocktails.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Police identified the suspect as Mohamed Sabry Soliman. They say he shouted, "Free Palestine" before the attack. This happened at a weekly gathering to support Israeli hostages, and he was arrested at the scene.

The victims include four women and four men, and they range in age from 52 to 88. One of them is a Holocaust survivor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MICHALEK, FBI DENVER SPECIAL-AGENT-IN-CHARGE: It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence, and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The person who threw the Molotov cocktail had two more in his hand. And he was holding them. And he was yelling, and he was screaming at everybody that, you know, "You're killing people" is what he just kept screaming. "You're killing." I think he was saying, "You're killing my people."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Online jail records show the suspect has been booked on two counts of murder. So far, no deaths have been announced. And CNN, of course, is working now to find out more ahead of the suspect's court appearance. That's happening later today.

Chief Charles Ramsey joins me now. He's a CNN senior law enforcement analyst, the former commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Thank you, Charles Ramsey. And I want to start about what investigators might be focused on. And so far, what's known about the suspect.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, No. 1, they're focused on making sure that he's acting alone, that there's no one else that they should be concerned about. So, they're taking a deep dive into his background. It's my understanding he may have overstayed a tourist visa.

But they'll be going into his social media. They'll be interviewing family, friends, witnesses obviously. But they're going to try to find any connection he may have to anyone else, so they can make sure that this is just an isolated incident, as far as he is concerned.

I'm sure search warrants have already been served, probably at whatever location he's been staying at, if he had a car, anything like that, trying to get as much information about him as -- as possible.

CORNISH: Now, witnesses are saying that it actually took the police quite some time to arrive on the scene. I want you to listen to someone who was speaking about police response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seeing the person still holding two Molotov cocktails. The police like -- let's be honest, like, where are they? And it felt very frustrating.

I want to say it always feels like time slows down. And maybe it wasn't ten minutes, but it sure felt like ten minutes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Charles, can you talk about that? Obviously, it is a witness on the scene. They're witnessing something horrible. What do you make of this conversation about law enforcement response?

Ramsey: Well, one minute can seem like five minutes when you're under stress. I doubt if he looked at his watch to find out exactly how long the response. But we'll find out, because there are radio tapes that are associated with the first call for service and when the officers arrived on the scene.

[06:05:13]

But like everything else, you know, police can be stretched pretty thin during these times in terms of staffing and things of that nature. I'm sure they arrived as quickly as they could.

The same with the fire department, as quickly as they could to the scene.

So, we'll get more information on that as this unfolds. Because, again, it's all a matter of record.

CORNISH: There -- this was a weekly event, this demonstration. I'm sure there are others that happen around the country. Do you think that we're going to see police around the country ramping up security around communities of Jewish people and even at protests like this?

RAMSEY: I think you'll see an increase in security by many departments. And again, this proves one thing: doesn't have to be a major city like L.A., Chicago, New York or something like that.

Now, Boulder is a pretty good-sized city, but still, it proves that it can happen anywhere, under any circumstances.

Now, this happened every week where they had this particular march or walk, and it had gone without incident for a long time. So, it's not something that probably caught the attention of the department immediately, knowing that this march was going to take place today.

But again, in this current environment, you have to do everything you can to make sure that people can engage in this kind of activity and remain safe. This is not a good period of time.

And it's pretty frightening when you really stop and think about it. You look at the attack in Washington, D.C., coupled with this one. We're just -- it's -- summer hasn't even gotten here yet, officially.

So, you know, this could be just the beginning -- I hope I'm wrong -- of -- of even more incidents.

You know, hate is something that you cannot contain. I mean, today it's against the Jewish people. It could be against immigrants. It could be against African-Americans or Hispanics; could be against anyone. You can't contain it.

And you've got a lot of nuts out there that are waiting for an opportunity to do something like we saw. Thank God, so far no one has died.

CORNISH: That's Chief Charles Ramsey. Thank you.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, senators actually return to work today to review that budget bill. Are the fiscal hawks going to hold things up?

Plus, Sean "Diddy" Combs back in court. In just a few hours his ex- assistant returns to the stand for cross-examination.

And runway construction wraps up early at Newark. But will this help with all the chaos at the airport?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN OLIVER, HOST, HBO'S "LAST WEEK TONIGHT": It was so bad, some controllers took trauma leave, and I really hope they spent that time recovering in a place more comforting than Newark. Very much the New Jersey of places in New Jersey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:12:24]

CORNISH: Congress is back today as President Trump's agenda now hangs in the balance. It was just before the Memorial Day recess when House Speaker Mike

Johnson managed to squeeze the package through the House by a single vote. Some Republican senators are already pointing out the problems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: What the agreement is on the rest of the bill -- and it doesn't have to be perfect to my liking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

PAUL: But I can't be -- If I vote for the $5 trillion debt, who's left in Washington that cares about the debt? We will have lost. The GOP will own the debt once they vote for this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Also complicating the path forward, a new nonpartisan analysis finds the tax provisions in the bill would actually increase the deficit by almost $4 trillion over the next decade. House Speaker Mike Johnson is challenging that math.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): This is very easy to explain. The CBO sometimes gets projections correct, but they're always off, every single time, when they project economic growth.

It's not going to add to the debt. But I can tell you that President Trump is laser-focused on two primary things: delivering on his campaign promises and the "America first" agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat, Courtney Brown, Axios economics reporter; Kevin Frey, Washington correspondent for spectrum news, New York One; and Sabrina Rodriguez, national political reporter for "The Washington Post."

OK, so we heard a couple of things just in that statement. One, casting doubt on the Congressional Budget Office, which is a favorite pastime when the math doesn't work out for your legislation.

KEVIN FREY, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, SPECTRUM NEWS, NEW YORK ONE: Correct.

CORNISH: But what was interesting in that is, No. 1, in another clip, he actually says that he was, like, texting with Elon to be like, actually, no, this bill math, it really works.

But financial markets are spooked too, right? Like, who's buying the math here?

COURTNEY BROWN, ECONOMICS REPORTER, AXIOS: Well, the financial markets, they do not buy the math. They are extremely spooked by the size of the bill. We've seen yields go up and down and up and down. And it's this crazy volatility that's freaking out Wall Street.

And the fear is that, you know, the budget is just getting out of control. And you know, ironically, the more that the financial markets get spooked about the size of the bill, the more expensive the bill actually gets, because borrowing costs go up.

CORNISH: Right.

BROWN: And, you know, it matters for Americans, too. These are the rates that set mortgages. And, you know, the rates to borrow for auto loans. So, it matters.

CORNISH: And yet, they keep trying. Here is OMB Director Russell Vought telling CNN this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSSEL VOUGHT, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET: I love Elon. This bill doesn't increase the deficit or hurt the debt. In fact, it lowers it by $1.4 trillion.

We continue to work with people in the Senate as to working them through what -- the specifics of the bill, what it does and what it doesn't do. We'll continue to do that.

And -- and I think at the end of the day, the Senate will have a resounding vote in favor of a substantially similar -- similar bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: How are people preparing to counter this message? We know what they're saying. No matter what, post through it. Say that it's going to lower everything.

But, Sabrina, I know you were, like, out reporting. I think it was in South Carolina. Do people hear that, or are they busy thinking about Medicaid specifically? Like, what do average people talk about at these town halls?

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Yes. I was down in South Carolina in Columbia for the Democrats' convention.

So, this is a big conversation right now. This is a big talking point. Of course, Democrats are mad just to begin with that they weren't involved in the process around this bill.

But there is really the -- you know, as Trump calls it, the air quotes, "big, beautiful bill." There's a lot of messaging around, you know, Medicaid cuts specifically and saying, you know, now as this hits the Senate, and there's going to be a debate over the funding and debate over, OK, how much does this add to the national debt? Are there going to be even more cuts in place? What exactly is going to happen?

Because right now we are hearing, you know, senators aren't on board with this. And even as you hear Speaker Johnson trying to -- you know, the math is not mathing here.

But while he tries to make that happen, you actually do have some Republican senators -- a select few, but enough to tank the bill -- who are saying, no, we -- we know that this is not correct.

CORNISH: Yes. And that's a fault line to exploit, right? I mean, do you see actual conversation now? Like, OK, there, every time a Republican speaks, some Democratic consultant gets their wings, and you get to have an ad about Medicaid.

FREY: Yes. I mean, look, there's going to have to be changes to comply with what these senators are concerned with. You have a group that's the Lisa Murkowskis of the world, but also the Josh Hawleys of the world, who are very concerned about --

CORNISH: Of Missouri and very much a Trump support supporter.

FREY: Correct. And who has gone so far as to suggest that major cuts to Medicaid amount to political suicide, as he said in "The New York Times," in an op-ed.

CORNISH: In an op-ed.

FREY: Correct.

CORNISH: So, it's not just a quote in "The New York Times." It's like hit send.

FREY: He wrote and sent.

CORNISH: Yes.

FREY: On top of that, there are probably going to be changes to the state and local tax deduction, which is important for these key Republican --

CORNISH: Yes.

FREY: -- House members that you need, let alone other changes. So, this faces a very complicated path forward. And obviously, some Republicans are getting skittish, as we were just hinting at, about the Medicaid portion.

CORNISH: Yes. And more and more pressure ramping up.

Group chat, stay with me. We're going to talk a little bit more about this later, how it's playing out.

But still ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, fragile peace talks today between Ukraine and Russia. President Zelenskyy pulls off a major attack thousands of miles inside Russia. So, what does that mean for these negotiations?

And it's one of the biggest rivalries in sports right now. So why does it sometimes feel like a bad thing?

And good morning, Pittsburgh. Looks like a nice start to the day there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:22:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLIN CLARK, WNBA PLAYER: We want every person that comes into our arena, whether a player, whether fan, to have a great experience. So, I appreciate the league doing that.

And hopefully, the -- the investigation, we'll leave that up to them to find anything and take the proper action, if so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: All right. I've got to go off-script for a second to talk about basketball, trash talk, rivalries.

WNBA stars Caitlin Clark -- you just heard her there -- and Angel Reese are elite athletes. They draw massive crowds, TV time, rabid fans to this league and attention to their rivalry.

Of course, some of those fans have now taken things to a dark place. The WNBA investigated reports of alleged racist fan behavior towards Reese during a game against Clark, reaction to a play that both have said was just basketball.

But online, it turned into a proxy culture war about race.

Three-time national Championship coach Dawn Staley weighed in on the rivalry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAWN STALEY, SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH: I think it's great for our game, because it's like --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

STALEY: Yes, like it's a sport. Treat us like a sport. Don't treat us anything other than being a sport. It happens in every sport: soccer, basketball, football. It happens in every sport. So let it be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now, CNN contributor Cari Champion. Welcome back. Good morning.

CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

CORNISH: All right. So, you just heard Dawn say, "Let it be." And as a person who grew up in Boston in the '80s, I feel like sports rivalry is the air in which I breathe. Like, that is how I grew up.

So, No. 1, do you agree that it's just a good thing? CHAMPION: You know, Audie, first off, I love that we're having this

conversation, because I really, truly believe what Dawn said. And I -- and I said it since the beginning. This rivalry is good for the game.

And what she's essentially saying, what Dawn essentially is saying, these are athletes. And you should not treat them anything -- any way differently, in the sense that when we watch men play basketball, we are not having these conversations that are so simple, that have nothing to do with the game. And we're not having these perceived and made-up beefs.

We know that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird didn't like each other. We know that was good for the NBA. We need this type of tension. We need these story lines. We need these characters.

The problem is, is that there are so many new WNBA fans, and they're all weighing in on the conversation that has been -- that makes it seem as if it's an issue. But it really isn't.

It really is something that's good.

CORNISH: Yes. No, it's interesting you say that, because we were looking at the numbers. And, like, that game between Reese and Clark, it had a record-breaking 3.1 million viewers. Right?

So, we're not just saying like, gee, a lot of people are watching the game or, gee, there's a lot of people who are kind of, like, new fans entering the chat.

Not to be a hater, but is this the fans? Is this sports media? Like, everyone who plays the sport, I feel like has a sense of what we're looking at.

[06:25:06]

And the chatter around it, though, is vicious. And you do see racial commentary around it.

CHAMPION: You know what's happening? I think what Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are doing are showing, one -- and this is great for women's sports in general -- that women can compete, that women can be aggressive.

I think that when you think of women's sports, I'm old enough to. Remember when people only talked about women's sports when they were referring to how hot the women were, the top ten hot ladies who play whatever game, whether it be tennis or -- you know, you never really hear about them being athletes and competing in the way in which these two women do.

And the reason why the chatter is so vicious is because, unfortunately, this is America. And racism is something that we know oh so well, and it forces us to take a side and forces us to be invested.

And while the conversation is so low in the sense of why are we calling these women names? Why are we pitting them against one another? Why can't they just compete like regular athletes? Unfortunately, this is what will get the attention going.

And it started in college for both of those young ladies. They were -- they played a really good college game. Angel Reese trolled her and -- and did this movement about she's going to get a ring. The whole world, they were up in arms.

Heaven forbid if we watched LeBron do that on a Saturday. We don't even think twice about it. It's not even a conversation. That's why it's so unfortunate.

But this is the part of the growing pains of this sport. It's getting all of this attention. We have new eyes. And so, this is just a part of what we're going to get: the growing pains of people weighing in that don't really know the sport, until they're tired of having that conversation.

CORNISH: All right. Let's hope so. Cari Champion, host of "Naked Sports with Cari Champion." Thank you so much.

CHAMPION: You're welcome. Thank you.

CORNISH: Still ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to bring you the latest on that breaking news of the attack in Boulder, Colorado. How one man is accused of using a makeshift flamethrower to terrorize a gathering in support of Israeli hostages.

Plus, more Americans want to see the government get more done. Fewer trust either party to actually do that. We're going to dig into the numbers.

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[06:30:00]