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Platner Easily Wins Democratic Senate Primary in Maine; U.S. Hits Iran after Helicopter Downed; OpenAI Files for IPO, Joins Anthropic and SpaceX. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired June 10, 2026 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:00:10]
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, Democrats in Maine vote to stick with Graham Platner. Could that cost the party a shot at flipping the Senate this fall?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): If the choice on the ballot is between that and a senator who's voted to take health care away from millions of Americans, that's the situation that we have to weigh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Missiles light up the sky in the Middle East again. Will the strained ceasefire last long enough for the U.S. to deliver that long- promised deal with Iran?
And a big day for the Epstein files. What will Bill Gates tell lawmakers about his links to the late convicted sex offender.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think that you've killed people as an adult?
VICTOR MARX (R), COLORADO GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Does it matter?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: This is a candidate who also claims he killed someone as a child. Meet the frontrunner in the Republican race for governor of Colorado.
And it's the $3.5 trillion question on Wall Street. Has the A.I. boom gotten ahead of itself?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OpenAI and Anthropic plan to have IPOs at release before the end of this year, signaling to me that the A.I. bubble is about to pop.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM PLATNER (D), MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: To any of those who feel let down or disappointed or disillusioned, it is my job to earn your trust, faith, and support. And I will spend every day of this campaign. And if I have the privilege every day in the United States Senate doing exactly that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Graham Platner punches his ticket. But now he's got to convince voters to choose him over a five-term senator.
Good morning everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. Here is where we begin. That big statement out of Maine.
Democrat Graham Platner, despite all the scandals, earned about three- fourths of primary voters' support over Governor Janet Mills.
Moments after clinching the nomination, he turned his attention to his new opponent, Republican Senator Susan Collins.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLATNER: Susan Collins may have started -- may have started her career decades ago in Washington with good intentions, but she has become just as spineless and corrupt as the establishment she now serves. If you are an independent voice, why do you vote with Donald Trump 95 percent of the time?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Platner has a lot of work to do to get Mills voters on his side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't honestly support Platner, even though some of the things that he says are really good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think he's ready to be a senator. I'm leaning towards Collins unless the guy shows something else, but I just -- he's not there yet. And --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And so, what will you do in November if its Platner versus Collins?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a really good question. I'm a Democrat, but I voted for Susan Collins several times, because I think that she does care about the state of Maine. But it's going to be a real problem for me in November.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So, today in the group chat, Mike Leon, host of the "Can We Please Talk" podcast; Jared Stepman, columnist with "The Daily Signal"; and Max Rose, former Democratic congressman from New York.
And Max, I'm actually going to start with you, because you're with VoteVets, which means you guys had a dog in the fight in this race. You guys have been giving a lot of money across the country.
And what is it? Let me just show what -- what's at stake here.
Democrats' chances of flipping the Maine Senate seat. It was pretty good. Maybe this has jeopardized it. We're going to show people a chart while you're talking so you can see what's at stake.
Is this race as close as you all hoped it would be, now that Graham has struggled with these scandals?
MAX ROSE (D), FORMER NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN: The race is always going to be close. Because --
CORNISH: Not with a five-term senator, it's not. A lot of times it can be a blowout, right? Like what -- how do you look at what he needs to accomplish?
ROSE: Well, I think that we're saying the same thing --
CORNISH: Yes.
ROSE: -- in essence, right? Susan Collins is tough to beat.
What I would say about the Susan Collins race is that we've seen in the past, is you're not going to win this seat by electing a Susan Collins light or putting forward a Susan Collins light in a race.
You are going to beat her by energizing your base, particularly in a midterm election.
There is no doubt, though, that this election has got to be a referendum on Susan Collins: on the ways in which she has voted to empower Donald Trump; on her refusal to hold Donald Trump accountable; on the ways in which she has said, I might be fair, but I want to take healthcare away from millions of people. Says the right thing often; does the wrong thing very frequently.
CORNISH: Yes. So, this is very much the message we hear over and over again. And I love that Platner in front of him, it said, "They don't know Maine." You know what I mean? Usually not his own name, not a bunch of other things. It was like, hello, media, this one is for you.
I want to play two clips back-to-back, because it sort of, I think, represents something of this race.
First, I'm going to play for you J.D. Vance and how he talks about Susan Collins. And then I'm going to play AOC and how she's talking about Platner. You tell me how you hear the tone of these.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Here's the thing I'll say about Susan Collins, is sometimes I get frustrated with Susan Collins. I almost wish that she was more partisan.
But the thing I love about Susan is she is independent, because Maine is an independent state. And frankly, if she was as partisan as I sometimes wish that she was, she would not be a good fit for the people of Maine.
So, let's give a shout-out to Susan Collins, who's doing a great job.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: When it comes to the substance of this reporting, obviously, there's a lot in that behavior that's really challenging. It's hard to stomach, you know, in some of it.
But -- but at the end of the day, I think that this is a choice. If that choice on the ballot is between that and a senator who's voted to take healthcare away from millions of Americans, that's the situation that we have to weigh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: I played these, because one is like, it's hard to stomach. And the other is like, I get frustrated. Shout-out though, anyway, because I guess Maine. And I was, like, these are not ringing endorsements.
MIKE LEON, HOST, "CAN WE PLEASE TALK?" PODCAST: But Audie, not only are they not ringing endorsements, the voter that we played in the package before listen to her tone. Maine independents are the second largest party in Maine.
CORNISH: Yes. And a woman, in particular.
LEON: And a woman and a Democrat who said she voted for Susan Collins, against her will, it sounded like, from that thing.
So -- but those are -- those are some of the things that we're going to have to consider now. It's really about the character quality is what something that Graham Platner has been trying to say: Forget about that. I'm from here. It's how she's voted, to Max's point.
CORNISH: Yes.
LEON: But then also you hear the voters, and they're, like, a little, still unsure because of those character issues with Platner. So, it's going to be really interesting.
CORNISH: And he's been telling a story for a while of, like, you know, I was -- went through difficult times. Now I'm a person who has changed.
I want to ask one more thing. Collins and Trump, that's not a tight bond. OK? Can I just put it that way? Here's a list I'm going to play for you. Just some moments over the past couple of months where you hear her talking around Trump policies and where she stands on them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): The 60 days is a trigger. After 60 days, in
my view, the president has to obtain congressional approval or Congress can block it.
I do not believe that individuals who were convicted of violence against police officers on January 6th should be entitled to reimbursement for their legal fees.
Concerned about the cuts in Medicaid and the impact on my state, but other states, as well.
I've talked with the secretary of homeland security. I have strongly recommended to her that there be a pause on the enforcement surge in both Maine and in Minnesota.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Now, I've chased her in the hallways before, too. She often ends up voting with Republicans, whatever that party line is.
But is Trump going to get involved in this simply because of what's at stake with the Senate? Or is he going to send surrogates? He'll be like, OK, J.D., you go there? Like, can she expect any support there?
JARRETT STEPMAN, COLUMNIST, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": Yes, I feel that's why he sent J.D. and I feel he will, if he's smart, actually keep some distance from this. I mean part of the -- the thing at stake here is that they're independent. Maine is a little bit different.
I mean, both these candidates come from sort of -- almost independent of the party.
CORNISH: Yes.
STEPMAN: Because they -- they really focus on the issues related to Maine.
CORNISH: We should say, Platner is recruiting from outside the party. Yes.
STEPMAN: Exactly. So, they're both sort of weirdly outsiders, even though Collins has been Republican part of the party for a long time, she's always struck an independent game this entire time.
[06:10:05]
So, I think that's going to continue during this race. That is her path. Because if she does get too close to Trump, that's going to be the argument saying, whoa, she's too MAGA. She's not -- too much for me, which is more or less a blue state.
CORNISH: So, you're saying there's nothing to be gained there of him coming.
STEPMAN: No.
CORNISH: OK, you guys stay with me, because we're going to talk about a couple other states this hour, as well.
We're also still waiting for news about some sort of proposed deal with Iran. But in the meantime, the U.S. has launched new strikes against Iran overnight.
Plus, Epstein's former assistant testifies before Congress. What she says she did not see.
And a Texas teenager convicted of killing a rival track star. Why the jury rejected his claim of self-defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just sad that it had to come to this. It was just a bad, bad decision he made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:15:17]
CORNISH: Right now, we are following the latest round of escalation between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND saying they are now finished hitting targets in Iran in response to an Army helicopter getting shot down over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's state media, however, released new video overnight, saying they retaliated to the U.S. by attack -- by launching missiles against targets in Bahrain and Kuwait and an air base in Jordan.
Joining me now with the latest, CNN international correspondent Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi.
Paula, can you talk about this? We know Iran, throughout the last couple of weeks, has -- they've tried to spread the war throughout the region. What have you heard from officials in Kuwait or Bahrain about confirmed damage?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The next few hours are going to be crucial as to whether or not this is an isolated escalation between the U.S. and Iran, or whether it is a step on the escalatory ladder.
Now, at this point, we have not heard any damage assessment or casualty figures from those countries which were targeted by Iran. That is, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
Iran said that it had targeted the fifth fleet headquarters in Bahrain. They also say that they targeted a military base in Jordan, Kuwait, as well, saying that it was intercepting incoming aerial missiles and drones.
So, what we've heard from Iran's side is that they have said that there will -- no attack will go unanswered from the United States. What we had seen from U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND is they said they had
carried out what they called a, quote, "proportional response" to the shooting down of that Apache helicopter, saying that there were three locations along the Strait of Hormuz that were targeted.
They say that they hit air defense, ground control stations, radar sites, as well.
Now, one U.S. official telling CNN that this was really intended to be a warning to Iran, and they do hope that they will still be able to keep the talks on track, that it won't hinder those talks, although we've heard from Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson that Iran is reviewing negotiations at this point, accusing the U.S. of negotiating in bad faith, Audie.
CORNISH: OK. That's Paula Hancocks with that update. Thank you so much.
It is now 17 minutes past the hour. I want to give you your morning roundup.
Happening today, the House Oversight Committee will hear from Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates behind closed doors. He's scheduled to testify about his professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Epstein's former assistant, Lesley Groff, testified on Tuesday, saying that she, quote, "never witnessed anything improper or illegal."
She also told lawmakers she arranged multiple calls between Epstein and Donald Trump before he was president. President Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing in connection to Epstein.
And in Texas, a teen who fatally stabbed a 17-year-old track athlete from a rival team has been convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
A jury rejected Karmelo Anthony's claims of self-defense during a confrontation with Austin Metcalf in the stadium bleachers last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just sad that it had to come to this. It was just a bad, bad decision he made. But he took a life. And it's unfortunate that two young lives are affected so negatively about this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Anthony did not testify. His mother took the stand during the sentencing phase, telling jurors her son was sorry.
And CNN now projecting Republican Steve Hilton will advance to the November election in the California governor's race against Democrat Xavier Becerra.
Becerra, the former health secretary, finished on top with nearly 28 percent of the vote, three points ahead of Hilton, a former FOX News host who has President Trump's endorsement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE HILTON (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE; Californians will have a real choice for change in November. Whether they want to keep going with the policies that have brought us to the highest poverty rate, the highest unemployment rate, the highest cost of living in the country, where they want more of that with Xavier Becerra, or whether they want to go in a new direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: I have to ask quickly: if Hilton does well, is California still going to be the corrupt election state that Republicans are saying it is?
[06:20:04]
STEPMAN: Yes. I mean, the question is how well, of course. How much can he actually make some --
CORNISH: Is there a certain threshold after which --
STEPMAN: Yes.
CORNISH: -- it's no longer considered corrupt if a Republican wins?
STEPMAN: Well, you know, you know what? Especially given the state, it'll depend on how the votes are counted. I feel that especially after the next --
LEON: I knew that answer.
STEPMAN: No, really.
CORNISH: Yes. But you can see why I'm asking, right? Like, if he wins, it's fine. But if he doesn't win, it's corrupt.
ROSE: That is true.
CORNISH: But if he wins, it's still corrupt, but somehow --
ROSE: Maybe, maybe. I think it's still fairly unlikely that he's going to win this race. I will also say that it's been the process in California taking so long to discover who --
CORNISH: Yes, everyone's talking about that.
ROSE: -- is going to win it. Everybody's talking about this.
CORNISH: But everyone's disagreeing on what that means.
ROSE: Of course.
CORNISH: That's by definition nefarious.
ROSE: But it makes people uncomfortable with the results.
CORNISH: I have to mention one other thing, just because the number's astounding. Tom Steyer's spending: 215 million.
I'm not good at long division, so I didn't want to know how much per voter that spend was, and I can't do it. I can't do it. And someone on -- online was saying, oh, have you ever heard of effective altruism, and that this was ineffective altruism, basically.
LEON: Basically, an ROI in the business term, right? You need a return on that investment.
This is twice for Steyer now. He has not gotten that ROI. When is enough, enough?
If I had that kind of money, I would invest it in something else. He has tried this political acumen.
CORNISH: Yes.
LEON: It has not worked out.
CORNISH: Yes. I was about to say --
LEON: Voters have said that.
CORNISH: The voters have rejected it.
LEON: Especially with the billionaire. When the billionaire class. We've got AOC and others that have talked about the billionaire class, and we have somebody here spending his own money like this, it seems like a waste where it could be invested in other.
CORNISH: Well, it's been a wild race coming from last year to all of a sudden have Becerra at the front.
LEON: Yes.
CORNISH: We couldn't have seen that then.
LEON: No.
CORNISH: Now, after the break on CNN THIS MORNING, two controversial to win? So, the Colorado frontrunner for governor claims he killed a man when he was 7 years old. I have more stories like that from him.
Plus, A.I. companies are rushing to the stock market. Is it the next tech boom or is the A.I. bubble about to burst?
And for viewers watching us from right here in New York City, Knicks versus Spurs again tonight at the Garden. Good morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:26:27]
CORNISH: So, a bunch of IPOs in the A.I. sector are about to hit Wall Street after OpenAI announced on Monday it filed for an initial public offering, an IPO.
The three biggest A.I. companies are now in line to go public, as well. That includes Anthropic and SpaceX. A fourth, Perplexity, is expected to file in 2028.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're talking about it. Where the American people can benefit from the success of A.I. And by doing that, they're going to like it better. Because we're leading China. We're leading everybody in the world with A.I., and we want to keep it that way. It's like you make them a partnership in this revolution. It would be a beautiful thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Now, investors who get in early could make a fortune. But has the A.I. boom gotten ahead of itself?
Madison Mills joins the group chat. She's the senior A.I. reporter at Axios. You guys have done some fantastic reporting on this industry.
Just to show people the amount of money at stake. When you look at OpenAI and SpaceX and Anthropic, there were 3.5 trillion. We dug around, and we found out that's, like, as much money as, you know, France. Like, OK? So, we're dealing with a lot of money.
But is it a bubble? And I ask because we've got some people on TikTok who think that it is. I'm going to play for you, the finance experts online.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A.I. companies are now trying to save themselves by applying for IPOs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OpenAI and Anthropic plan to have IPOs at release before the end of this year, signaling to me that the A.I. bubble is about to pop and that these insiders and institutional investors know that they better cash out now, or they may not ever get the chance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Why is this the word on the street?
MADISON MILLS, SENIOR A.I. REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes, I would push back on a lot of the financial finfluencing that we hear about on finance.
CORNISH: Finfluencing. You said it. Go on. MILLS: Yes. But -- but just because companies are IPOing doesn't
necessarily mean that the bubble is going to happen this Friday when SpaceX lists on the NASDAQ.
CORNISH: Yes.
MILLS: Right? But the concept of the bubble is this idea that valuations are completely divorced from reality: the underlying business fundamentals, the things that we would learn about in journalism and business school --
CORNISH: Yes.
MILLS: -- that make a company profitable, right?
CORNISH: So, the street phrase would be they're high on their own supply?
MILLS: Absolutely. And that's very clear with a company like SpaceX. Their expected valuation is $1.8 trillion. They're trading at about 90 times their sales -- not their profits, just their sales -- as of this Friday, when they're expected to list.
So, that is an example of a company you might look at and say, not sure if the valuation is high.
CORNISH: I know. There's also this thing I've been learning about circular financing.
MILLS: Yes.
CORNISH: So, I'm understanding this as, you use money from one A.I. company to do work in your A.I. company. and then another A.I. company gets work from you. It's like the same money going around and around. Do I have that right?
MILLS: Absolutely. That's perfect. And part of --
CORNISH: I'm ready to finfluence.
MILLS: You're ready to finfluence. And more than that, you can be the CFO of an A.I. company. You know?
But part of the problem with that is that Anthropic can -- or OpenAI, any of the A.I. labs, can book that as revenue. And that feeds into that valuation number that we're getting.
But that revenue could also just be money that they are getting from Google, that then they're giving back to Google in the form of compute capacity. And then Google has that compute capacity and is giving it over to another A.I. lab. And so, it's all very circular right now. And that's the concern.
CORNISH: And it's giving shell game. I'm going to listen to you, because I believe that this market is the future. I understand that, but I think people rightly have questions. [06:30:00]
