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Trump Touts 'Great Settlement' with Iran, Calls Off Strikes; Could Jilted GOP Lawmakers Turn on Trump's Agenda?; Rubio Compares UFC to U.S. Landing on the Moon. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired June 12, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: Got to catch them all. The robbers, that is.

[06:00:03]

What started out as somebody trying to sell Pokemon cards ended in a robbery in San Francisco. A suspect pepper-sprayed the victim and stole their cards after they met up for the sale.

Police released a video of the moment officers arrested two suspects in the case last month. Officers had identified them the day after the crime.

That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. CNN THIS MORNING with Audie Cornish starts right now.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, President Trump announcing a great settlement to end the war. So, is it real this time?

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon. Very soon. Maybe over the weekend.

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HILL: Dangerous weather turns deadly in the Midwest. Tornadoes touch down, with severe storms heading East today.

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MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: When President Kennedy announced that we were going to put a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth, no one thought that was possible.

And at some level, that's what this whole company, what UFC has been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Marco Rubio comparing a deal with the UFC to the Moon landing. Just what do cage fights actually have to do with diplomacy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Let's have votes on an election the day of the election. That's what many states are able to do. I think California is playing around with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Republicans continuing to cast doubt on California's voting tactics. So, will President Trump now try to control state elections?

The World Cup finally arriving in the U.S. today. Does the U.S. men's national team have a shot at winning this thing?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- is the Super Bowl of IPOs SpaceX?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody's talking about the SpaceX IPO.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nine, eight --

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HILL: SpaceX launching on the NASDAQ this morning. Elon Musk now set to become the world's first trillionaire.

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TRUMP: We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran. Probably have a signing, maybe in Europe. And it's a great thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: President Trump says the war is over; a deal is close. So, why do both Iran and Israel seem surprised by the news?

Good morning, everyone. I'm Erica Hill, in for Audie Cornish. Very happy Friday morning to you.

We begin with the great settlement. President Trump calling off new strikes on Iran, saying both sides have now agreed to stop the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP (via phone): I don't know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today. And they have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon, something that we -- we insisted on. That was the whole purpose. That was the -- 95 percent of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Apparently, though, no one told Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAIL BAGHAEL, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator) (via phone): Regardless of the rhetoric, threats and claims of the other side, we are focused on the interests of the Iranian nation. We are doing our own work.

Regarding the text and the overall understanding, whenever we conclude that it secures the interests of the Iranian nation, we will certainly announce it transparently.

As I speak to you at this moment, we have not reached a final conclusion on this matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Israel, also seemingly taken by surprise, a source telling CNN Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't aware of an agreement with Iran; that he actually found out on social media.

So, is this just the latest effort by President Trump to move stalled negotiations -- negotiations forward? Or is there really a deal?

Joining me now, CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. David, always good to talk to you.

So, Trump is claiming right now that the end of the war is at hand. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could actually happen this weekend once this deal is signed.

And yet, we have this warning from one Iran -- Iranian leader that the -- and I'm quoting here -- "the probability of deception by Trump is high."

Based on everything we know and your sources, David, do signs actually point to an agreement at this point?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, they certainly point to some agreement coming together on four major pillars of a -- of some restraint on the nuclear program.

But it's not a peace agreement. It doesn't end the war. It may be a ceasefire that opens up another negotiation.

So, there are some reasons to be skeptical of the president's claim. I think CNN -- by CNN's count, he has over the past three months declared on about 39 occasions -- not sure if that's exactly right -- that the war was over.

This time, he's gone a little bit differently. He said they've come to an agreement on this. And as you noted, the -- that's certainly not how the Iranians are describing it now.

But they may be close.

HILL: Right.

SANGER: The president -- the president did say the most important thing was to get them to agree never to build a nuclear weapon.

[06:05:04]

Well, of course, they've agreed to that many times before: when they signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty; when they signed the agreement with President Obama 11 years ago.

HILL: Yes. Which is -- which is a key point. That is, of course, in some of the key points that we have, according to a diplomat who's been briefed on this agreement, this memorandum of understanding, if you will.

Another one that's in there is a 60-day ceasefire, quote, "on all fronts." It would include Lebanon. This has been a key sticking point, as we know, for Iran, which of course, led to some of what we saw over the weekend in terms of both Iran and Israel trading missiles.

The fact that Israel's prime minister reportedly found out about this on social media, that really stands out to me, especially when we're talking about the potential ceasefire with Lebanon, with activity in Lebanon -- David.

SANGER: That's right. The prime minister does not want to be part of this agreement and has made clear that he won't feel bound by a commitment that he didn't sign up to.

So, the Iranian position is that this has got to be a ceasefire across all of the active areas of combat. And that means Iran itself. But it also means in Lebanon, where Israel is taking on Hezbollah.

So, this has been a point of division between the president and Prime Minister Netanyahu. There have been some screaming phone calls we've -- we've heard about along the way.

And it does pose a real point of tension in the relationship with Israel, because if they don't respect that ceasefire, and it plunges everything back in again, you'll have the president blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu.

HILL: Mm-hmm. It's -- it's notable, too, some of what we're hearing from lawmakers. I want to just play some comments from a Republican and a Democrat. I do want to note these comments from Congressman Don Bacon actually came just before we heard from the president about this potential agreement.

But there is a very interesting similarity, if you will, in what he and Adam Schiff have to say. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP DON BACON (R-NE): Iran needs to come to us wanting a deal right now. We're going to them, and they are abusing the president in these negotiations. They think they have the advantage over President Trump.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Every time the president talks about how eager Iran is for a deal, it's basically a reveal that he's talking about his own eagerness for a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, Adam Schiff talking about the eagerness. But -- but, you know, Congressman Bacon --

SANGER: Yes.

HILL: -- also noting there, too, basically, the president needs to stop saying what he wants in public. Is Trump undermining his efforts at this point, showing those cards?

SANGER: Well, certainly, the Iranians think that the president needs this right now more than -- than they do. And I think that was behind the president's decision to renew military activity for a couple of days, to try to show that they could be plunged back into the war.

But frankly, the problem that's been haunting the president here is that 38 days of pounding the Iranians, starting in late February, did not result in the political concessions he was looking for. And it's not clear that additional days of pounding them will.

Now, I reported two days ago that there were there were four pillars of an agreement that are emerging, and they have to do with everything from what to do with Iran's nuclear stockpile to its future enrichment activity, and so forth. And it looks like on those four, they're coming closer.

But all this memorandum of agreement would -- of understanding would do is start a negotiation that would probably run all summer, and many fear could run much longer than that, on the details of the nuclear program.

HILL: Yes. David, always good to talk to you. Appreciate it. Thank you.

SANGER: Thank you.

HILL: Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, the president facing pushback. So, now he's got a new pick to lead the nation's intelligence community. Could it be a rare sign of compromise, or is it caving? What do we really know?

Plus, a federal prosecutor making claims about voter fraud in California. Very explicit public claims.

But first, perhaps you've heard them called the YOLO Caucus of Congress. Just one of the memes, if you will, for some of the most prominent members now promising revenge.

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REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): As a survivor, I chose to stand on principle.

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[06:14:12]

HILL: The current Republican lawmakers who lost out on Donald Trump's endorsement in the primaries and are now heading for the exit in about six months, are a little bit more vocal these days: raising questions about whether they could actually be a bit of a thorn in the side of the president in the coming months, with their remaining time in Washington.

Among them is South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, fresh off her last-place finish for the GOP nomination for governor in her state, joking that she could still come in first, if Mike Pence has the courage.

A reference there, of course, a bit of a dig to Trump's infamous message on January 6th.

Mace said she will be adding to the unemployment numbers and also promised to be a, quote, "more of a menace than ever."

Texas Senator John Cornyn, in his first interview since that loss to a Trump-backed challenger in his primary in Texas, telling "The New York Times," quote, "It is going to be a pretty bumpy ride for the next seven months," saying, "It does give some of us a little more freedom and certainly leverage."

Joining me in the group chat, Elliot Williams, CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor; Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of "The Daily Signal"; and Maria Cardona, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist.

It's good to see all of you this morning. So, you know, you've got there the YOLO Caucus. It's the Lame Duck Rebellion. Whatever you want to call them.

What is clear is the gloves really appear to be coming off now. And it's also, I would say, further evidence of the hold that Donald Trump has, not just on the party, but specifically on lawmakers.

Elliot, how much of a difference do you think this could actually make?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: In terms of passing laws or policies, somewhat, only because you will have vocal members of Congress speaking out against the president.

But you know, Erica, you hit it right on the head with the idea of this being about how singular Donald Trump is as a politician and a figure.

Certainly, there's nothing new about politicians feeling, when the wings are clipped, or I guess -- I don't know if that's the right metaphor. You know what I mean? When -- when they can vote their conscience after elections, they, you know, sort of stray from the fold a little bit. That's a better animal metaphor there.

But this has happened before. The difference is you have a singular figure at the top of the party who, in private, there's -- there's a bunch of reporting that Republican members of Congress do not take the party line with Trump that they do publicly. And so, they're just feeling more free to speak their minds.

HILL: And part of that, you know, Cornyn also speaking to part of that, you know, continuing in that interview with "The Times." I was struck by noting that he gave voice, they write that he gave voice "in starkly candid terms to this growing sentiment among Senate Republicans that Trump is actually hurting his own party with self- serving decisions and his insistence on slavish loyalty, ultimately setting himself up for a midterm disaster that would pave the way for the most miserable two years of his life.

You know, when you -- when you look at that, Rob, I mean, calling it out here, about what this has done and sort of the promise there of what is to come. How much do you see that playing out?

ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": Well, Erica, first of all, I think we need to remember that it was the voters of Texas, and South Carolina, and Kentucky, and some of these other states that ultimately decided to fire these politicians, because they weren't, quite frankly, representing their values in the U.S. Congress.

In the case of John Cornyn, I would say just take a look. A couple of hours ago, him picking a fight with Senator Mike Lee over the SAVE America Act.

Now, John Cornyn is a sponsor of the SAVE America Act, but he doesn't have the backbone to stand on the Senate floor and make the Democrats debate this until they get to the point where it can pass with a simple majority vote.

And so, I think that you're right. This is probably going to be a challenge for President Trump and other conservatives for the months to come.

But I would just encourage these lawmakers to remember that the American people are paying attention, and they expect this Republican Congress to actually get some things done, whether it be the SAVE America Act or another reconciliation bill.

HILL: I mean, you know, respectfully, there hasn't been a lot of getting anything done across this Congress --

BLUEY: Exactly.

HILL: -- since they were sworn in. So, it will be interesting to see if this changes anything.

Maria, how much more public do you anticipate these lawmakers? I mean, Democrats are probably loving this moment, but words are one thing. Actions are quite another.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That's exactly right, Erica. And what I think a lot of these lawmakers are focused on is exactly what the American people want.

Whereas before, they were so beholden to what Trump wanted, because they were scared of him. They didn't have any backbone to stand up against him.

Now, I think they feel free to actually focus on what their voters want. And they're seeing what everyone else is seeing across the board, Erica. Donald Trump's poll numbers are in the toilet. Republicans poll numbers are in the toilet. Democrats have been winning across the board all of these elections, including in ruby-red places.

And so, what Republicans are saying is, look, now is the time for me to stand up against Trump. They even said it. What Trump has been doing, the self-dealing has really put their majority in -- in -- in jeopardy. Because the American people don't see that Republicans are focused on what they want.

In fact, it's completely the opposite. They have focused on higher costs. They have focused on corruption. They have focused on chaos.

And they've done nothing to go up against Trump to say, Look, you promised the American people to bring down costs, to bring down inflation. And everything that you're doing is doing exactly the opposite of that.

So now, maybe they're going to say, let's actually do what the American people want. I think it's too late for them to save their majority in both the House and the Senate. But that's what you're going to see, I think, from here on out.

[06:20:03]

HILL: All right. We will be watching.

A lot more to tackle ahead this hour, including betting big on the space race. Elon Musk's SpaceX making its Wall Street debut, investors rushing to buy a piece of history that will also be historic for Elon Musk.

Plus, we've got a live look for you at the White House. There it is. The UFC cage all set for the president's birthday on Sunday. Why officials are calling this -- are now referring to the UFC, by the way -- not this match -- the UFC as the United Nations of fighting.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, the UFC arena at the White House for Donald Trump's birthday has been completed. And it looks like total crap.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you think for a second that I'm going to watch any of this, then you would be absolutely correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [06:25:08]

HILL: The Trump administration is asking a federal judge to reject the lawsuit which seeks to stop this weekend's UFC fights at the White House. That ruling could come down today.

Meantime, that 92-foot-high claw that dwarfs the White House -- you see it there, all lit up. It has been tested and is now operational.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memorandum of understanding with the UFC to create a public-private partnership with the White House.

So, the UFC now joins 24 other sports -- from the MLB, the NBA, the WNBA, the U.S. Men's national team -- in the State Department sports envoy program.

That also includes big stars like Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken. He was an envoy to Greece.

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RUBIO: When President Kennedy announced that we were going to put a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth, no one thought that was possible. And we did it.

We are a nation founded on doing what no one else dared to do, and no one else aspired to do. And at some level, that's what this whole company, what UFC has been.

We're excited about what this brand means about America's ability to expand and reach out to different parts of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Rubio also described the UFC as the United Nations of fighting.

Mixed martial arts analyst Luke Thomas joins us now.

Luke, it' s great to have you here. So, as we point out, there's some two dozen sports, right? And envoys, you know -- in many ways, this is sort of like a goodwill ambassador program, right? The -- showing the soft-power tools of the U.S. government.

So, how effective do you think, with this new public-private partnership, UFC fighters and the sport could be in that role for the U.S.?

LUKE THOMAS, MIXED MARTIAL ARTS ANALYST: I don't really understand exactly what the return on investment is. I mean, I sort of get the generic arguments that are made about the -- the value of sport in building community. And -- and cultivating good kinds of traits and character. I understand that.

But I don't understand what the value is as it ultimately gets back to the shores. I mean, if you look at the way in which soft power has been implemented in this country for basically decades, generations across multiple presidencies, both Democratic and Republican, it was some kind of effort at both giving something abroad that created better sympathies and had a material impact on the lives of those we were trying to affect, such that it created better sympathies for us or, you know, better bilateral relations.

I don't understand exactly what this does. You can make an argument that it is inoffensive. You can make an argument that, to your point, if the NFL is doing it, well, you know, there's no scandal here in that particular sense.

But in terms of, like -- I mean, if Donald Trump doesn't believe in soft power, it is very, very difficult for me to understand how this is a different but more enlightened version of it.

HILL: It's an interesting point when you look at the cuts that were made to USAID, right, which was a major instrument, in many ways, of soft power.

You know, according to his statement, it's going to be used to -- for joint educational content development, using MMA to teach English and leadership skills.

What I think is remarkable -- and I think you've noted this -- is the areas where UFC is gaining ground. This is -- or could be, perhaps, used because it's a really popular MMA market, a place like Brazil -- is not really the target of this program.

THOMAS: Yes. I mean, this is -- we'll have to see how it's implemented ultimately, right? We'll have to see how it's implemented.

I think, to me, the lesson I take from all of this is, listen, could there be some kind of benefit down the road? I suppose it's at least worth taking seriously on some level.

But that's really not how I understand the nature of this relationship. That, if you look at the White House lawn, and if you look at the way in which the parent company for UFC -- it's called TKO. They also own WWE. If you just look at the way in which they do business, every year seems to greet or bring with it a new level of entanglement in government.

Now, not just local municipal government or even state or national government, but just sort of broadly, they do deals internationally with governments all the time.

I make this point. You know, why are they going this year to Azerbaijan and Serbia, and they're not going to Brazil, the most important market -- or arguably, one of the most important markets in MMA? It's because they're getting paid by the governments there to go.

It's this enmeshing of the business between the public and the private in which they're talking about, but it extends well beyond this memorandum of understanding.

And I know for sports fans out there, you're saying, well, you know, government largesse isn't necessarily a new thing for pro sports owners. Fine. But it's at least worth having a conversation about the role that it plays.

HILL: When we look at what is about to unfold on Sunday. Look, some people are really excited about it. Some people are not. There are very distinct camps, which I think are leading to certain stereotypes that are probably not accurate on both of those sides.

What do you think, in your view Sunday's fight has now come to symbolize? And is it what was intended, which we're told is a celebration of the nation's 250th birthday, which happens to fall on this president's 80th birthday?

THOMAS: To me, this is something approximating the union of these two identities or brands or, you know, between the UFC and between the Trump administration.

You could even argue, maybe, that it's not so much --