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CNN This Morning

Joey Chestnut Returns To Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest; Trump Returns From G7 Early As Iran-Israel Conflict Widens; Trump: If Iran Wants To Talk, "They Know How To Reach Me"; Iranian State Media: Air Defenses Activated, Explosions In Tehran; Police: MN Shootings Suspect Kept Hit List, Visited Lawmakers' Homes; Alleged Assassin Charged With Murder And Stalking; Suspect Worked For Security Firm, Had Access To Tactical Gear; Trump Warns Everyone To "Immediately Evacuate Tehran". Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired June 17, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: For this annual Hot Dog giving contest in just two weeks' time after being banned last year due to corporate partnerships. Chestnut says that the event means the world to him and is a huge part of his life. He's won the mustard yellow belts for the Nathan's contest 16 times already. Chestnut set a world record for eating 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes back in 2021. I was hungry up until five minutes ago. Thank you for joining us here, Early Start with Polo Sandoval. CNN This Morning starts now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It is Tuesday, June 17, and here's what's happening right now on CNN This Morning. Attacks intensify between Israel and Iran as President Trump leaves the G7 Summit early with a warning. Get out of Tehran now. Plus.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Boelter stocked his victims like prey.

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CORNISH: Searching for a motive in the killing of a Minnesota lawmaker, how authorities will try to get inside the mind of an alleged assassin. And later, ICE has a new quota, arrest 3,000 people a day. How have they changed their tactics to reach this goal? And is it working? It's 6 AM here on the East Coast. Here is a live look at the White House. Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for waking up with me.

And here's how we're going to begin this breaking news in the widening conflict between Israel and Iran. The air sirens heard overnight throughout Central Israel with Iran carrying out its 9th wave of attacks. Israel reports it intercepted some 30 Iranian drones overnight. Now, it comes on the heels of Israel striking the studio of Iran state television channel in Tehran, and that was a moment that was caught live during one of their broadcasts. Iran's foreign minister says two workers at the TV studio were killed

in the air strike, calling the attack, quote, the height of cowardice. The back and forth launches between Israel and Iran threaten to plunge the region into a wider war with the Israelis vowing to destroy Iran's nuclear program.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: We're going to continue until we remove the two existential threats, the nuclear threat and the threat to, of 20,000 ballistic missiles that are equivalent to two nuclear bombs, so they want to stop and keep it, but we are committed to removing those threats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The latest escalation is also shaking up the G7 summit in Canada. After one day of meetings there, President Trump announced he was leaving early to head back to Washington as the situation in the Middle East unfolds. He spoke on Air Force One about his goals for the end of the conflict.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're looking for better than a ceasefire. Remember, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple. You don't have to go too deep into it. They just can't have a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining us now with the very latest CNN's White House Reporter, Alayna Treene. Can you talk about the what the President did at the G7 to start, because he eventually signed on to a joint statement with the other leaders regarding this crisis in particular?

ALAYNA TREENE, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yeah, and you actually heard the President address that Audie when he was talking to reporters on Air Force One, when he was traveling back, he essentially said that he got to a place where they agreed to what he said was the language in it that he believed was needed. Now, I do think, though, the one thing I want to emphasize here just off the top is that the President was not expected to leave the G7 that early.

He had another full day of events that was scheduled for today, but he did say that he was leaving early because of this escalating conflict in Iran and between Israel, and he said that he believed that he did everything he needed to do in Canada at the G7, but that he needed to get back because he believes that it's much easier to communicate in person. He said, he will be in the Situation Room early this morning to talk with his national security advisers and others, including, I was told his Vice President, J.D. Vance, and to really try to have those communications in-person rather than over the phone.

And I do think, you know, the reason for him coming back and him ending his trip so abruptly is what really has a lot of people here in Washington asking questions, because I can tell you, from my conversations over the weekend and into yesterday, with my sources here at the White House. They said that they still believed that the President believed that there was some sort of deal that he could work out, whether it was between Israel and Iran or even between the U.S. and Iran directly to try and de-escalate this conflict, and essentially end it overall.

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And you know, there was one question, we saw this overnight as he was traveling. He posted about something that the French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Canada, essentially, where he said that the President, he believed, wanted a ceasefire. The President said that that was wrong, that he has no idea why I'm now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a ceasefire much bigger than that, Audie.

And then he said essentially that he's looking for more than a ceasefire. He said he wants something more permanent, whether that's, you know, if they can do that great, if not potentially giving up entirely, I have to say, Audie, this is far different letter rhetoric we've heard from the President we have previously far less positive and optimistic, I would argue, than what we have heard him say over recent days.

CORNISH: And it's still very early in the day, we're going to be hearing more from Alayna Treene reporting from the White House. Alayna, thank you. Now for the latest on how all of this is unfolding on the ground. In Israel, I want to go live to Tel Aviv and bring in CNN's Nick Robertson. So Nick, first, can you talk about the last couple of hours, especially after Iran promised further retaliation against these air strikes?

NICK ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Audie, good morning. It does seem as if Iran launched fewer missiles at Israel overnight, but again, it launched them at different times in the night thinking in central Israel here, people were roused from their beds to go to the shelters shortly after midnight, again, at 3:07 in the morning. And then, surprisingly, given the way Iran normally targets during the night, about 8:30 this morning, the sirens went off again, people were advised to go to their shelters, and in central Israel, we have seen video that appears to be the interceptor rockets going up, and then, at least four impacts from what appear to be Iranian missiles in that vicinity.

The IDF has said that the majority of incoming missiles were intercepted. A few fell in open areas. We've seen that a bus depot was hit in central Israel. Number of busses there were on fire. I think the interesting thing about this social media video was that we really haven't seen four effectively consecutive impacts like this in such a small area. That I think is perhaps indicative of, is Iran being able to maybe penetrate in a way that they hadn't before. But the overall picture is that Iran didn't target Tel Aviv with a big number of strikes, as they've done on previous nights.

They did sort of try to change up their tactics, shift the focus, shift what they were targeting to other parts of the country. But, it does leave people here feeling uneasy, if you will. And I think from Israel's perspective, again, their intelligence in Iran is delivering results. They have assassinated as top military commander who'd only been in the job a couple of days because he was replacing the guy who had that job, and was assassinated in the -- in the first round of strikes by Israel. So, this is still full pace, but perhaps slightly less pace, but just as, just as impactful, and the other takeaway today so far is no known casualties directly from the missiles so far.

CORNISH: CNN's Nick Robertson, thank you so much for your reporting. Reporting from Tel Aviv. Now coming up on CNN This Morning, Senate Republicans are laying out their changes to that beautiful bill. What's in it? And can they get it over the finish line by July 4? Plus, from gold bars to behind bars today, former Senator Bob Menendez reports to federal prison, and inside the mind of a suspected killer, what investigators will look for as they build a case against Vance Boelter.

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JOSEPH THOMPSON, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY: Political assassinations are rare. They strike at the very core of our Democracy. But the details of Boelter's crime are even worse. They are truly chilling.

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CORNISH: We are learning more about the suspect in the brazen killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband in the attempted murder of another. Vance Boelter worked for a security company that markets police vehicles and tactical equipment. Authorities say that may have helped him pose as a police officer. You can see him here in this image wearing a silicon mask and a police style badge as he knocked on the door of a public official. Officials say, he left behind a trove of evidence linking him to the crimes, including hit list weapons and footage from the homes of victims in his car.

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THOMPSON: It's pretty clear from the evidence that he's been planning these attacks for quite some time. There's voluminous writings, as you've seen in the reporting that were found both in his car and his house, about his planning, lists of names and individuals.

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CORNISH: Investigators are now working to piece together the suspect's ideology to get a full picture of what drove him to allegedly commit these crimes. Joining me now is Criminologist and Behavioral Analyst, Casey Jordan. Casey, good morning. Thanks for being here. You've described the suspect.

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST AND BEHAVIORAL ANALYST: It's really good to be here.

CORNISH: Appreciate it. You've described the suspect as potentially a pseudo commando and being mission oriented. What does that mean in your world? What gives you that impression?

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JORDAN: Well, in the world of multi-side, we have mass murder, serial killing and spree killing. And spree killing is the most rare and unusual, and his typology is a bit of a mash-up between a mass murderer and a serial killer. The mission-oriented killer is trying to promote their own personal agenda. It's not necessarily terrorism, and it doesn't necessarily represent an extremist ideology, but they're on a mission to rid the world of a particular type of individual, and send a message that the world is a better place without these people.

But, the pseudo commando puts a tremendous amount of planning. They are a cop wannabe, a soldier or sniper wannabe, and all of the planning, especially the tactical evidence that we have, you know, the police car, the altering of the license plate, you know, the manifesto, the list of his victims, and, of course, the tactical gear, the mask, you know the fact that he had a tricked out SUV, wanted people to think he was a cop.

This really shows that he has fantasies of being that guy in the field with the assault rifles, which they found in his car. And a message he sent to his family simply said, you know, daddy has gone to war. This man thinks of himself as a commando on a mission for the greater good of his agenda.

CORNISH: On social media, there was a lot of speculation about his alleged motives, even from other lawmakers. Talk about what we've learned from official sources and what else people like you in your line of work will be looking for, given how much he left behind?

JORDAN: The list that he left in his car, the voluminous writings that authorities refer to are how we build what the motive is, unless he actually wants to come out and tell us, and time will tell. But, the list speaks for itself. You have more than 45 Democratic leaders or people associated with pro-choice ideology, and when the list is that specific that they are lawmakers that are directly opposed to everything that his friends and family confirm that he stands for, then that is the motive. He wants to rid the world of people who are out of step with his personal beliefs.

The motive is pretty simple. I do not agree with these people, and I think they should die. So, the motive we piece together is based on the evidence. But, I think again, the evidence that we know of just so far speaks for itself with regard to his motive.

CORNISH: Casey, I just need to ask you one more brief question, which is, his friends and family kind of expressing shock about this. Are there kind of tell-tale signs, things people should be thinking about in their own lives, given how the partisan sort of rage and anger there is in our culture? JORDAN: Yeah, keep in mind that he was successful in this because he knew that he needed to kind of put the kibosh to cap, any leakage of this ideology that he has. He knows that if he really rants and raves and exhibits extremist thinking, those would be red flags. A truly insidious and methodical killer like our suspect is, is going to have these very deep-seated ideologies, but not really broadcast them, because then it will raise red flags.

So, in this particular case, I don't know that there were that many clues that could be missed, other than the planning documents and the amassing of the weapons. It really should give us pause, because we never know when this is coming.

CORNISH: Casey Jordan is a Criminologist And Behavioral Analyst. Thank you. Straight ahead on CNN This Morning, President Trump abruptly returning to Washington to monitor the conflict between Israel and Iran. Is the U.S. about to get involved, plus political violence on the rise in America? Can the parties come together to calm tensions?

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CORNISH: President Trump cut his trip to the G7 in Canada short in order to monitor the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I have to be back. Very important. I want to just thank our great host. Thank you in Canada, but you probably see what I see, and have to be back as soon as I can.

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CORNISH: This morning, the President is back in Washington, convening his National Security Council and sounding an ominous warning for Iran, posting this on social media, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran. Now, this is a defining moment in Donald Trump's second term. CNN's Senior Politics Reporter, Steven Collinson writes, President Trump is under opposing pressure from inside Israel and his own MAGA base as he ponders the most fateful national security decision of either of his presidencies, whether to attempt a killer blow against Iran's nuclear program.

Joining me now in the group chat, Chuck Rocha, Democratic Strategist and Charlie Dent, Former Pennsylvania Congressman. I'm glad you guys are both here. Both of you are sort of intimately understanding of the politics in your parties. And with Republicans, you have the isolationist wing that's broken out under Trump. But with Democrats, for the last 15 years, post George Bush, they have moved from being an anti-war party to a little bit of a status quo world order party. So, can you talk about some of the dynamics you're seeing play out?

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think as we move into the midterms, I know we'll talk about the big, beautiful bill. I saw it on the thing coming up. But, all these politics are happening now. So people are getting the primaries. They're being asked these political questions. And the old party that I joined back in the day were like the leftovers from the wars that they had had in Vietnam with no war.

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Then there was George W. Bush, to your point, though, we've kind of got back into a corner and been like, let's just keep everybody happy. Let's just make sure the status quo. But there's still internal fighting in the Democrats between like the Bernie Sanders and the AOC wing. And then, I would call it, the corporate Democrats,

CORNISH: Before I bring in Charlie, can you talk about that Sanders AOC wing, which you know about? What are they saying? What are you hearing?

ROCHA: It's a great point. I was just mentioning earlier that I saw on Twitter that Massey, the Republican from Kentucky, who would be that one Republican who votes against everything, was on Twitter this morning saying, if we're going to do anything in war, it's got to come to the Congress. We're not going to have any wars. And AOC tweets at him and goes, sign me up, put me on that. And I was like, man, we're in a weird space.

CORNISH: Yeah. OK, Charlie, what are you seeing from your position?

CHARLIE DENT, FORMER UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: Well, left meets right, you know, it's a circle. Well, look, Republicans are certainly kind of torn up on this one, because if there's a defining, if you want to define Trumpism or America Firstrism, it's isolationism, protectionism, populism, at times, nihilism and nativism. And so, they're really having this internal debate. What does this mean? This is an isolationist wing. They want us to stay out of foreign engagements. They don't believe in interventionism, and this the Israeli attack on Iran, is forcing America to choose.

CORNISH: Yes, here's an example. When I was looking for sort of some quotes from lawmakers, I want to bring you Senator Lindsay Graham, Republican, of course, and Senator Tim Kaine.

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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Be all in President Trump in helping Israel eliminate the nuclear threat. If we need to provide bombs to Israel, provide bombs. If we need to fly planes with Israel, do joint operations. But here's the bigger question, wouldn't the world be better off if the ayatollahs went away and replaced by something better? Wouldn't Iran be better off?

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CORNISH: And then, Tim Kaine saying, the American people have no interest in sending service members to fight another Forever War in the Middle East. Familiar language on the right. This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation's men and women in uniform in harm's way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress. This is really like, we haven't heard in a time anybody wanting to vote on anything the President is doing under this sort of term. What are you hearing, Charlie?

DENT: Well, we just heard Senator Graham basically make a case for direct American intervention. That is, we would not apparently provide the means by which Israel could deliver, say, bunker bus.

CORNISH: Yeah, which is not our brand for (inaudible).

DENT: Yeah, it's not off-brand for him. But at the same time, I think, I think we just heard Former Secretary Panetta lay it out pretty nicely. There are three options out there, diplomatic, course, direct military, American military participation in this operation, or we just stay out of it. And Donald Trump has to make a decision right now. And this is not going to be an easy one. It doesn't fall so neatly along the lines of, you know, neocons versus the isolationist.

I mean, there are a lot of folks who don't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. The question is, you know, once you break this, you know, it's easy to start wars, it's a lot harder ending them, and that's what everybody is worried about, this end game.

CORNISH: OK, I want to stop it there, because we are going to come back to you guys in a moment. We have a lot to talk about today ahead on CNN This Morning. Is Iran possibly ready to negotiate, or is it just gearing up for a bigger fight? We're gonna have the latest reporting inside Tehran. And President Trump calls for ramped-up ICE raids in some of America's biggest blue cities.

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