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Israel And Iran Take Damage As Missile Strikes Escalate; Israel Issues Evacuation Warning To Iranians Living Near Weapons Productions Sites; Manhunt Underway For Suspect In Assassination Of Minnesota Lawmaker; Some Unrest At No Kings Marches, Protests Remain Mostly Peaceful; Thousands Take Part In No Kings Rally In Los Angeles; Parade Honoring U.S. Army Rolls Through Washington, D.C. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired June 15, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:39]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It's Sunday, June 15th. I'm Victor Blackwell, and we are following major developments on several stories.

First up, new this morning Israel issued evacuation warnings to people living near weapons production sites in Iran. The two sides continue to trade attacks and the death toll is rising. We're live at one of the hardest hit sites in Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are public servants, leaders who committed their lives to improving the lives of others, and they were targeted in a violent and cowardly way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And right now, law enforcement in Minnesota, they're looking for the man who shot and killed one state lawmaker and wounded another. Officials say he was impersonating a police officer when he carried out the shootings and should be considered armed and dangerous.

Tens of thousands of people took part in protests across the country to oppose President Trump's policies, and there were 2,000 of these No Kings rallies. Most were peaceful. There were some clashes between protesters and police.

And in the nation's capital, President Trump got his military parade, but the weather forced organizers to make some changes.

We're starting with the breaking news in the Israel-Iran conflict. The Israeli military has issued an urgent evacuation warning to Iranians near weapons facilities. That's a sign that more strikes could be imminent.

Israel says its offensive could last weeks, not days, and is moving ahead with U.S. approval. Iran is vowing to intensify attacks if Israeli operations continue. Its canceled nuclear talks with the U.S. that were set for this weekend in Oman, calling them unjustifiable while the violence continues.

Overnight, both countries were hit hard as missile fire continued. Thirteen Israelis have been killed since the strike started, including six people killed when a residential building in Bat Yam took a direct hit.

And CNN's Nic Robertson is live in Bat Yam, where that Iranian missile hit. Nic, what do you know about what happened?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Victor, look, our viewers, are, of course, aware of the conflict in this region. But I think what is happening here in Israel Israelis are not used to seeing this level of destruction in their own cities. They're not used to having missiles the size and scope and scale of what Iran has been -- fired at them.

And I'm going to step out of the way. Neville (ph) is going to try and give you a better picture there of the level of destruction on that civilian apartment building here in central Israel. When you look at the building there, you can -- you can see that it's ripped apart. There are mattresses hanging out of it.

Six people, we were told killed in there earlier, dozens injured. Recovery and rescue going on through the night. What you're looking at in the bottom of the building there, if you can tilt down a bit, Neville (ph), there you can see some of the heavy lift equipment coming in.

And we've been watching the rescue workers. They were close to the building a few minutes ago. Debris, concrete, started falling off the building. They had to put it back -- this is painstaking. It is time sensitive. The statistics are huge.

Iran, according to Israeli officials, has fired 200 missiles. Twenty- two of them have impacted in Israel, 16 -- 13 people have been killed, six of them here, as you said. Some of those seriously injured, 380 people total have been injured. And the prime minister here, Benjamin Netanyahu, is making it very clear that Israel is going to continue with its strikes and is making gains, clearing safe airspace into Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have paved a path to Tehran. In the very near future, you will see Israeli planes, the Israeli air force, our brave pilots above the skies of Tehran. We will strike at every site, every target of the Ayatollah regime, and what they have felt until now is like nothing compared to what they will feel in the coming days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And what Israeli officials are reminding their citizens here is that the safest way to protect your lives, protect the family, protect your loved ones is listen to the early warning alert system. Stay close to your shelters. The Iranian strikes can come at any time. I have to say they tend to send more in the middle of the night, but be close to shelters because that's the best way to save lives and that's what Israeli officials say are working.

[06:05:03]

But remember this, statistically more than one in 10 of every massive Iranian missile is getting through. This is a result of it, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Nic, let's widen the scope here because this back and forth has been going on for a few days now. The nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. called off. It was scheduled today in Muscat.

Is there an identifiable off ramp? Is anyone interested in an off ramp at this point?

ROBERTSON: You know, I was talking to a resident here before who was clearing out the remains of his apartment. He'd heard the warning, going to take safety with his family elsewhere. He said, you know, a lot of people in Israel, while they support what the government does, don't want this war. It has been going on too long.

So, there's concern about lives and livelihood at that level. But I think at the political level, they are speaking with their guns. They are speaking with their weapons. The prime minister has made it very clear that there is a target list in Iran. It's their nuclear facilities. It is their weapons making facilities. It is the missiles that they have.

The prime minister just yesterday spoke about 20,000 Iranian missiles possible to come to Israel. I think other experts put the figure lower. But the reality is both sides are speaking with their weapons.

And those talks that were canceled for today between U.S. and Iran on Iran's nuclear technology, that was perhaps the sort of diplomatic off ramp that was in sight. That has been taken off the table. The guns are doing the talking, not the diplomats at the moment.

BLACKWELL: Nic for us in Bat Yam, thank you very much. This morning, there are new details about the man accused of assassinating a top Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, as this manhunt is now intensifying.

According to CNN affiliate KRE, the accused shooter, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, texted his friend before the shootings. The outlet reports that the suspect texted that he may be dead shortly. We're also now hearing 911 dispatch audio in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

911 DISPATCHER: We are going to have at least two patients. Get that truck coming. Code three, if we can send another one to the area.

We're going to have one confirmed shooting right now. Possible more.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Police say Boelter killed 52-year-old Melissa Hortman, the former Minnesota House Speaker, and her husband Mark, in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. He's also accused of shooting another Minnesota lawmaker, John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in Champlin. They're out of surgery.

And authorities shared what they found in the suspect's car, including what police say are fliers for anti-Trump protests, as well as a list of other lawmakers they believe Boelter was targeting.

Now, as the memorial grows for the victims, we're learning more about the suspect. And let's go now to CNN correspondent Danny Freeman in Blaine, Minnesota. Danny, what have you learned overnight?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, we're now past the 24- hour mark since this man, Vance Boelter, was accused of opening fire on two lawmakers and their families early Saturday morning. And this manhunt, Victor, is still underway at this point.

So, a lot of stress, concern in this entire community just outside of Minneapolis and in Minneapolis. But like you said, I want to run over some of the things that we know at this point as this manhunt continues to unfold in its second day. Again, we're looking for 57- year-old Vance Boelter.

The FBI releasing multiple photos of him yesterday afternoon, including a photo just a few hours after the shooting in Minneapolis of this suspect wearing a cowboy hat. That's something distinctive that authorities are looking into.

But a second photo, which was incredibly disturbing. Victor, which appeared to be the suspect outside of the home of one of these lawmakers in full tactical gear and wearing what appeared to be a latex rubber mask as he carried out these attacks.

The FBI saying it's using every available resource to try and find Boelter at this time. Investigators noted, as you did as well, Victor, that Boelter was impersonating a law enforcement officer when he was approaching these lawmakers' homes.

He had a car with flashing lights. He ultimately got into a bit of a shootout with local police officers at the second lawmaker's home, but he was ultimately able to escape authorities finding a hit list in that car that he was driving with the name of several Democratic lawmakers all across the state of Minnesota.

And also, authorities -- the one silver lining, I suppose, is that they don't believe he's in the immediate area of those shootings anymore. That shelter in place that was in place for much of the day now lifted.

But the challenging part about that news is that authorities, it seemed, don't have a real good idea right now of where he may be. Border patrol right now on high alert, just in case Boelter tries to head towards the border. But, Victor, I want to take a moment now to talk about these victims, because this is all happening, this manhunt, as this larger community is mourning a real titan in Minnesota Democratic politics.

[06:10:08]

Of course, we're talking about state representative Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota State House. She and her husband were killed in this shooting. People describing her as a fighter and also a loving mother who loved her family tremendously.

And then, Victor, as you noted, the other victims in this particular incident is state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. They were both shot and injured. They miraculously survived this attack. They were out of surgery, as you noted.

One of our affiliates noting from the family of the Hoffmans that state Senator John Hoffman -- the bullet just missed his heart. And that was part of the reason why he was able to survive. His wife, Yvette, throwing herself over their child to save their children's life as well.

So, many harrowing stories. And again, Victor, this story is not over yet because this manhunt is still underway. This man, Boelter, still on the loose at this time. We're waiting for any more updates from Minnesota state officials over the course of this morning. As soon as we learn of them, we'll be sure to bring them to you, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Danny Freeman, thanks so much. Let's now turn to CNN senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem. Juliette, good morning to you.

So, the FBI says that they're using all available resources in this search. Give us an idea practically of what this looks like.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, it's going to be at this stage because we're now over 24 hours, a much wider hunt geographically. As we were just reporting, it's going to entail all the aspects of federal law enforcement as well as, of course, local and state.

There's a border crossing that they're going to be worried about. And as we heard, CBP is on high alert to at least attempt to thwart any idea that he could get to Canada or any attempt by him to get to Canada.

But the FBI also has resources that local and states may need to lean on at this stage. While he's a known suspect, his digital fingerprint, whether he was talking to anyone else, was he getting radicalized, had he hit any FBI list in terms of radicalization, all of that will be shared.

But right now, this is in many ways an old-fashioned manhunt. And they're going to use heat sensors, drones, helicopters, all the things that we have used in the last decade to determine whether someone is on the run. Is he hiding in an urban area or rural area? Or, of course, did he commit suicide because he knew that he was caught?

He does not have access to his car, and that is at least means that unless he stole another car, he is on foot and trying to hide.

BLACKWELL: Juliette, you call this an old-fashioned hunt. But this is someone who has relevant training. He was the director of security patrols for a security company trained by people in the military. So, they're searching for someone who likely is anticipating their next move.

KAYYEM: Yes, I mean, that is true. I mean, in particular, does he have, you know, sort of training and an ability to stay put or hide survivalist training, we might call it that you learn in the military?

On the other hand, his expectations. We certainly know from the car, from the list, in the car, the ammunition in the car was that he would be able to get away quickly, go on a at least, you know -- you know, God forbid, kill again or at least try to get away. So, he likely did not anticipate this scenario.

When people don't anticipate the scenario of retreat, they are likely to make mistakes of be seen. And the FBI is rightfully as well as state and locals very much crowdsourcing this. We saw all the pictures yesterday.

If people know him, if they see someone, don't engage him. But see someone who looks like him. See someone who is masked, see a patrol car that looks unusual in case he had a second access to a second car. All of that is going to be relevant now.

But you're exactly right. He's not sort of a typical defendant or random person who is on the run. This is someone who has some skills and training, as we unfortunately saw in the nature of his killings overnight.

BLACKWELL: Law enforcement discovered a list of dozens of names. What's the security for those people? Do they likely still -- even after the lifting of the shelter in place order, do they still likely have physical police or law enforcement protection this morning?

KAYYEM: Yes, because the imminent danger is not gone. Even though one might think or we could think, well, he's not going to do that again. He's just going to try to protect himself. At least for some period of time, all of those people would have been offered a detail -- a detail to their home, told to sort of lay low for at least this weekend.

[06:15:03]

Hopefully he will be caught today. And to just protect themselves, that detail would have been offered to all of them, including the organizations. This is a -- this is a hit list that includes mostly Democrats, mostly progressive causes. At the same weekend when, as we know, there was lots of rallies in support of those progressive causes.

So that combination of calendar, which may not be a coincidence, it may be -- we may learn that that his killing spree was related to at least some sense, as we know, he was aware of the of the rallies this weekend. So, some sense that he wanted to get out this weekend because of the rallies. So, we're going to learn all that.

The one thing that makes no sense to me, I'll just say this, is this idea from his friends that this was totally unexpected. We may find that that's not true, that others saw him being radicalized or knew of things that he was saying online.

But right now, we simply don't have any evidence of someone who was, you know, sort of publicly angry, you know, out there screaming from the hilltops. Everything we can tell right now is this was a little bit of an on off switch, even though we know he was planning this for a while. So, there's going to be some drilling down on that motivation aspect.

BLACKWELL: We've got an expert on extremism coming up in the next hour. Because you're right, is that obviously the act is extreme. But when we hear from people who know him best, they're not describing the typical red flags --

KAYYEM: No.

BLACKWELL: -- of an extremist. So, we'll get into that conversation later. But as I wrap up with you, let me ask you this. If his motivations were partisan or ideologically driven, there are targets, obviously, outside of Brooklyn Park and Champlin --

KAYYEM: Yes.

BLACKWELL: -- if he wanted to continue this effort. What's the likelihood that this could spread beyond that list wherever he is? Or is this now just about escaping and surviving for him if he is still alive?

KAYYEM: At least by history, and at least what we know by conduct, it's going to be about survival. He -- you know, he just simply does not have the means to go out, you know, sort of with a big gesture right now, right? In other words, if he wanted to continue killing.

And so, because he doesn't have the means, this may be hiding or survivalism. As we reported, he had the expectation, at least in a text to a friend, that that this would be the end for him. And so, he may have -- he may be anticipating it and trying to hide from it, or he may have committed suicide.

The larger issue, though, that you're touching on is, you know, obviously, this radicalization, political radicalization that's out there, that's a larger story. We got to -- we got to begin to address that specifically because it's out there. Violence and democracy are combined in ways none of us like anymore.

BLACKWELL: All right. Juliette Kayyem, thank you for the expertise. And stay close in case we've got any breaking news coming throughout the show. Still to come, President Trump's long sought military parade rolled through the streets of Washington on Saturday. We've got a look at the events and the president's message to troops.

Plus, in the shadow of that parade, protests across the country in opposition to Trump's policies. And President Trump will join world leaders at the G7 summit in Canada today. A look at what's on the agenda, that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:16]

BLACKWELL: The No Kings protests across the country mostly remained peaceful. Some unrest in some places. In Utah, three people are in custody after a shooting at the Salt Lake City march. Police say one of those people and another person that was shot, but they're not revealing any motive yet in that shooting.

In Oregon, police declared a riot near the ice facility in Portland after first declaring the protest there an unlawful assembly. While protests stayed calm most of the day in Seattle late last night, some protesters started a bonfire and lit fireworks close to the federal building there.

In Texas, authorities had to evacuate the Capitol after police say they identified a threat towards state lawmakers who plan to attend the rallies. Despite that, the thousands of No King rallies held across the country, again, remained mostly peaceful.

From coast to coast, people took to the streets all day protesting President Donald Trump's policies. And those rallies first started days ago in Los Angeles, protesting the administration's hard line on immigration. And that prompted the president to federalize and send in the National Guard, later the marines. We got a look at the protests across the country, starting with CNN's Michael Yoshida in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in downtown Los Angeles, a curfew once again in effect. You can see LAPD filling the street. This follows a day full of protests here in downtown Los Angeles.

The No Kings protest kicked things off early in the morning. Twenty thousand or so people taking part in a march and rally near city hall in downtown L.A. As the afternoon went on, we did start to see tensions rise between some protesters and law enforcement. At some point, some protesters started throwing objects, bottles, rocks, stones at the officers.

[06:25:02]

They started to then use tear gas, rubber bullets and other equipment to try and move those protesters away from city hall and other federal buildings. Late into the night here in L.A., you can still see -- we have Los Angeles police moving through the streets. The sirens very audible here in downtown L.A.

The curfew has been in effect for several days now. All of this happening after ICE detentions and raids here in Los Angeles. More than a week later, again, we continue to see protests and marches throughout the city.

In Los Angeles, Michael Yoshida.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gloria Pazmino here in New York City where thousands of protesters have gathered here in Manhattan to speak out against the Trump administration.

Many of the protesters I spoke here today said that they have all kinds of issues. They're worried about the climate, immigration, quality of life. They said they wanted to come out here to speak out against Trump.

Many more marches like this happening all over the country. Easily thousands of people came out to the streets of New York on a very rainy day. They were not deterred by the weather. The crowd spread out over several city blocks for what -- for the most part was a peaceful demonstration.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Gloria Pazmino, Michael Yoshida, thank you both. Now, one of the reasons demonstrators mobilized yesterday, that massive military parade honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army held in Washington, D.C., coincided with President Trump's birthday. The president praised the army, called it the greatest, fiercest, bravest fighting force.

CNN military analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton and "Politico" White House correspondent Jake Traylor are with me now. Good morning to you, gentlemen.

Jake, a moment ago, I described the protest as happening in the shadow of the parade. But if you look at the thousands of protests, hundreds of thousands of people, it's probably more accurate to say that the parade happened in the shadow of the No Kings events across the country.

Jake, you were there. What was the mood? What was the energy?

JAKE TRAYLOR, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Yes. Victor, I think that's right. This parade, though, many felt was random, a bit out of the blue, and kind of a poorly timed event with the backdrop of protests across the country due to these ICE raids, this has been on Trump's mind since he attended a Bastille Day procession in France in 2017.

It was quite the weekend spectacle in D.C., 7,000 uniformed soldiers, dozens of tanks, military vehicles, marching bands, fireworks. The controversy around this parade, though, I think, really boiled down to not just militant power -- yes, many people were upset that the United States would flex its military prowess in this way, saying that this is something that authoritarian nations do not here in America.

But I think the even bigger issue that I really saw take place among folks that were in attendance was that a lot of No Kings protesters, you know, took issue with as well was the political power some felt Trump was grandstanding at the parade. Whether the admin liked it or not, this 250th army celebration fell on Trump's birthday, and a lot of people I saw and spoke with that were in attendance yesterday were there to celebrate and honor Trump specifically. Tons of MAGA merch being worn, signs adorning and celebrating Trump.

That being said, I also spoke with plenty of folks, even a rare but fewer Democrats in attendance who said the purpose of the parade was to honor the history of the Army, which is -- which is very in line with what the White House had said. So, for those in attendance, at least, it really did kind of come down to, was this politically motivated or was it a Trump celebration, or was it that of the army, those in attendance? I said that I spoke with those that I saw had a pretty split understanding of the premise and the purpose of the parade itself.

BLACKWELL: Message to the control room. Ready, if you would, one of the soundbites from the president's speech as I ask this question of Colonel Leighton. Unlike what we heard from the president at West Point, unlike what we heard from the president at Fort Bragg, he didn't go partisan this time. We've got that soundbite. Let's listen to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The U.S. Army has driven bayonets into the heart of sinister empires, crushed the ambitions of evil tyrants beneath the threads of American tanks. It's done so well. It's done so much, and sent the devil himself flying into full retreat.

Time and again, America's enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you, your defeat will be certain, your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And so, Colonel, that message you heard from the president, what did you think?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, you know, it's clearly a very dark passage in that speech and -- but, you know, as you mentioned, it was not political in the way that his Fort Bragg speech, for example, or his West Point speeches were.

[06:30:00]

So that say, you know, that I think was kind of an interesting juxtaposition of the mention of, you know, the devil, the way he did, kind of evoked in me the memory of how the Germans referred to the Marines actually during World War I, they called them devil dogs. And so this was kind of an attempt, I think, on the President's part to kind of evoke the history of the American army and also to warn adversaries, whether or not that succeeded, of course, is a different matter. But I think that was kind of the attempt that the President was making in this speech.

BLACKWELL: Jake, the No Kings protesters, their branding in part was they wanted to be everywhere the President was not. So no branded, no No Kings protest in the district, but there were other protests in D.C.

When you were there, what did you see? How close did those protesters get? Because remember, the President said if there were to be some protesters, they would meet a very heavy force.

TRAYLOR: Yes, Victor, it's interesting because I remember specifically that being said by President Trump, I then remember being in the press briefing room whenever Karoline Leavitt was asked about what type of protesters would be allowed. And then she kind of rebutted and got a bit frustrated with the reporters saying anyone that wants to peacefully protest, of course, can always do that.

So which, as we saw in some previous tape earlier, most an overwhelming amount of these No Kings protests across the country were ultimately very peaceful.

There were a handful of protests going on throughout the city, some in Logan Circle, DuPont Circle, which is just truly a few blocks from where this parade was taking place. But there, as far as I saw and understood in any reports, there was no direct conflict of any type of protest getting in the way of the parade, whether there being any type of militant or police heavy force used on any of these protests that did take place.

But you're right, the split screen, I think the juxtaposition of these No Kings protests across the entire country with the actual military parade going on in D.C. yesterday, quite the split screen, also in the midst of obviously quite the week of turmoil on the backdrop of all these ICE raids that have taken place across the country.

BLACKWELL: Yes, speaking of those ice protests, Colonel, we've discussed earlier, actually last week, we talked about federalizing the National Guard against the wishes of the governors in these states. But yesterday, the governors of Missouri and Texas, they activated National Guard units in preparation for protests.

And so, your view on not the National Guard being activated in response to an emergency, in response to some disruption, but preemptively. Any problem with that, do you see?

LEIGHTON (on-camera): Yes, I guess it depends on who does it, Victor. And, you know, in terms of the activation and for what real reason, you know, when you look at these, most of the protests, they are relatively peaceful. And it seems to me that in most cases, the law enforcement agencies, whether it's L.A. or any other city, have been able to handle these protests quite well. They don't need the National Guard to do that.

So I think in some ways, the governors in question are trying to militarize their response to these protests, and that has some dangers, and carries some dangers with it. Now, as we discussed last week, you know, it's pretty clear to me that the federalization of the National Guard is not only a mistake, but potentially illegal. Certainly in my mind, it would be illegal. And that's something that I think is a, you know, bad and really unworkable precedent.

But when the governors do it, they have more of a right to do it. But they probably shouldn't be doing it unless there's some overt danger a la the L.A. riots of 1992, for example.

BLACKWELL: Colonel Cedric Leighton, Jake Traylor, thank you, gentlemen. Enjoy the Sunday.

Still to come, Israeli strikes targeted Iran's energy industry and defense ministry headquarters as Tehran unleashed a fresh barrage of missiles.

The latest on these deadly strikes. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:39:59]

BLACKWELL: We're following two big developing stories this morning. First, an urgent manhunt happening now in Minnesota after a state lawmaker and her husband were shot and killed in their home.

Authorities have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. Police say Boelter killed 52-year-old Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark. Boelter is also accused of shooting another Minnesota lawmaker, Senator John Hoffman, and his wife. Both of them survived.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz calls it a politically motivated attack.

Now, we're also monitoring the developments between Israel and Iran. Both countries have launched fresh strikes with casualties reported on both sides.

White House and Israeli officials tell CNN the Israeli operation against Iran is moving forward with implicit U.S. approval.

CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand has more.

Natasha.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: White House and Israeli officials tell CNN that the Israeli operation against Iran is expected to take weeks, not days. And they also say that behind the scenes, the Trump administration has not been pressuring Israel to either scale back the scope of its operation or make it shorter. Essentially, they have not critiqued the timeline of the Israeli plans here.

[06:40:15]

Now, the Trump administration is also at the same time saying that they still believe that negotiations with Iran are the best way to ultimately end this conflict, with a White House official telling us, quote, the administration firmly believes that this can be solved by continuing negotiations with the U.S. At the same time, however, the Trump administration is not directing the Israelis to do anything other than defend themselves.

Now, implicit in that statement, of course, is that they are not asking the Israelis to scale back their military operation against the Iranians or limit or restrict their military activities in any way.

And so, while the Trump administration was up until very recently hoping that these talks with the Iranians could go forward as soon as this weekend, it now appears that given the escalating situation between the Israelis and the Iranians and the fact that the U.S. is not seeking at this point to rein the Israelis in, then this conflict could be going on for quite a while.

Natasha Bertrand, CNN in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Natasha, thank you very much.

President Trump travels to Canada this evening for the G7. He's expected to meet with the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, tomorrow.

Big agenda items they'll tackle in a live report. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:46:16]

BLACKWELL: Leaders from the world's seven largest economies will gather in Canada this week for the G7 summit. Now this meeting comes as they're escalating missile strikes between Israel and Iran that will likely dominate the high-level discussions. But world leaders will also discuss the focus on trade.

CNN's Paula Newton joins us live from the Canadian Rockies.

So Paula, this gathering takes place in the wake of President Trump's trade war. I shouldn't say wake of. It's still going on. Where will they start?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): You know, Victor, I can tell you where they were supposed to start because they were supposed to start with the tariffs, right? And on the table for the G7 leaders beginning tomorrow morning was the issue of economic growth. And right now, of course, all eyes fixated on the tariff war. Look, these leaders were really looking forward to getting President

Trump front and center to be able to speak to him about where exactly his economic policy was headed vis-a-vis foreign relations. Like you said, Victor, what cannot, you know, be ignored are the crises going on around the world. Add to that obviously front and center the conflict between Israel and Iran at the moment.

I will say, look, the Canadian government, Mark Carney, the prime minister here, a rookie politician really hasn't even been in office for many months, really tried to set expectations quite low. In fact, saying that they wouldn't have a joint communique. They would just have what they called negotiated outcome documents.

We'll wait to see what that tells you. I will say that in terms of the heavy lift here, it will come on Tuesday. Volodymyr Zelensky will be here. There is a session dedicated to Ukraine. But as you say, and rightfully so, it will be interesting to see how all of these leaders, both tomorrow when the G7 leaders themselves gather and the next day on Tuesday when it is extended to other leaders like those from India and Brazil and Mexico.

This is a heavy lift, Victor. I mean, no one was under any illusions that anything would be solved, whether it was on Gaza or Ukraine. But certainly, now when you have that conflict between Israel and Iran, all eyes will be on the President. A lot of questions here about whether or not the President is willing or even able to really leverage the influence that he has and that the United States has to really try and get through some of these conflicts.

A heavy agenda here. They are secluded in the Canadian Rockies, about 20 miles over my shoulder here. Usually the reason they have these summits, Victor, is because usually more can get done around the table and away from distractions, I will say.

The President didn't really confirm his invitation until a few weeks ago. Everyone here happy that he will be at the table. He arrives much later this evening, Victor.

BLACKWELL: We will watch it. Paula Newton, thank you.

Still to come, how an old Southern family in South Carolina is uncovering their history and they're sharing it and using it to try to come together as one larger multiracial family now.

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[06:53:41]

BLACKWELL: In this era in which conversations about race are often fractured, there are two men in South Carolina, one black, one white, who decided to reach across the divide. They take a deep dive into their shared history, which included slavery and old, formerly segregated church that still exists today.

CNN's Sara Sidner has details.

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SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This story is an incredible piece of American history that never made it into the history books. It's also a deeply personal story told by a family from the Deep South, one side of the family descendants from enslavers, the other side descendants from slaves.

But two members on the opposite sides of that family began digging up the truth together about what happened, grappling with it, and figuring out a way to reconcile and rejoice with one another. This is the story of the South Carolina Simrils.

SPENSER SIMRILL JR., DOUBLE L SIMRIL: My great-grandfather, he was a football star for the South Carolina Gamecocks. And you find in 1916, it's spelled with one L, and then it's spelled with two. So, we think that he did this because his fiancee, his wife, her last name was Curll, with two L's, and it sort of aligns more, I guess, symmetrically. That was sort of the family story.

[06:55:10]

But then we also wondered if he did it to distance himself from the black Simrils.

DEBRA SIMRIL TISDALE-HARMON, SINGLE L SIMRIL: The reason there was a difference in the L's was because the white Simrils did not want anyone to know that they were related to the black Simrils. So, they added another L to their name.

SIMRILL: Now we call each other the single L's and the double L's.

SIDNER: I got to be honest, I was not prepared for the twists and turns in this story from the clan's terror campaign with this family over voting rights to freedom that took them to Liberia, the black and white Simrils.

I can't wait to share it with you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Looking forward to it, an all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER, THE SIMRIL(L)S: A FAMILY IN BLACK AND WHITE," one whole hour, one whole story, airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Still to come, more on the search for the suspect in the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and the shooting of another, what we know about him after the break.

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