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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Putin Discusses Ukraine Conflict With Pope Leo XIV; Risque TikTok Posts Spur Interest In National Parks; Australian Woman Charged In Mushroom Poisoning Trial Testifies. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired June 05, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, certainly.

Christopher, we also know that Pope Leo had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin where he urged Russia to take steps to end the war.

What more do we know about their conversation?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the conversation took place yesterday, Wednesday afternoon, and we're told by the Vatican that in the conversation between Pope Leo and the President Putin the pope urged the Russian president to make a gesture towards peace. He also said it's important for dialogue to take place to try and end the conflict in Ukraine.

The pope has offered the Vatican as a place for talks to take place between Russia and Ukraine. That's something that President Trump has said he is keen to support. However, the Russian foreign minister has said that wouldn't -- the Vatican wouldn't be a place to have those peace talks.

But Pope Leo with that conversation with President Putin -- it's the first conversation that a pope has had with the Russian president since the invasion of Ukraine. With that conversation Pope Leo is trying to push for peace and it is significant that he was able to speak to President Putin on Wednesday.

SOLOMON: Yeah. That in and of itself perhaps a sign of some progress.

Christopher Lamb live for us there in London. Christopher, thank you.

LAMB: Thanks.

SOLOMON: Still ahead this hour, Republican lawmakers are scrambling to downplay Elon Musk's criticism of Trump's big, beautiful bill. The Tesla CEO not done airing his grievances yet.

Plus, the spicey new trend on TikTok that has people talking about national parks. We'll speak with the influencer behind it straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:36:23]

SOLOMON: A TikTok influencer is proving once again that sex sells even when it comes to, yes, national parks. Kim Tanner is behind a trend called "Parktok" which features risque videos and raunchy song lyrics to promote awareness of the parks. Tanner says that she's concerned about federal funding cuts and new mining activity.

Similar accounts are popping up daily highlighting Joshua Tree National Park, Mount Hood, and Mount Rainier.

And Kim Tanner joins us live this morning from San Diego. Kim, great to have you this morning.

It was really fun watching some of these videos -- not always suitable for work but we'll get into that in a moment.

What made you want to start this account, and are you surprised by how popular it has become?

KIM TANNER, TIKTOK INFLUENCER: I wanted to start it because I saw last year -- late last year Mount Hood and Mount Rainier were beefing on TikTok, and I thought that was pretty funny. And I saw other mountains joining in on the trend as the year went on -- like, through December and then into January.

And I go to Joshua Tree all the time. I don't live too far from it. It's my favorite park. I have a ton of content from there. So I decided why not? I'm going to join in this, so I joined in early February.

SOLOMON: Great.

TANNER: And no, I did not expect it to turn into this. I never expected to be on CNN. So this has definitely turned into something very unexpected.

SOLOMON: Well, we are certainly glad to have you here on CNN.

Why do you think it became so popular? What's resonating with other people? Is it the catchy music which, as I said, isn't suitable for work but makes it really fun? Is it some of the thirst traps? I mean, what is it that's resonating with people, or is it the real issue that you're trying to sort of bring awareness to?

TANNER: I think it's probably a little bit of everything. You know, we're able to show the parks and the waterfalls and the mountains and all of that in a way that the National Park Service can't for obvious reasons. One, they can't be on TikTok but also, they can't do videos like we can.

And I think it's -- I think it's a combination of you don't expect, like, Joshua Tree National Park to pop up and have gay country music. It's the shock factor I think is a big part of it. And when you can mix that in with the messaging of what's going on with the budget cuts and the parks and the forests and the mining and drilling and the sale of public lands and all of that, it just starts to resonate with people. We're able to connect with the in a different way because we can draw them in through this shock factor, whether it's a thirst trap or an inappropriate song, and then get the message in front of them.

SOLOMON: Kim, you know, there's sometimes this critique when it comes to these really popular social media campaigns that it's a lot of awareness but it's just awareness and it stops there.

How are you hoping these videos go beyond just awareness? What are you hoping comes from this?

TANNER: Well, personally, I have a link tree on my profile and in there I do have calls to action -- so links to different places you can go to send letters to Congress and things like that. I'm also kind of in early conversations about fundraising for organizations like the National Park Foundation. So we do want to do -- or at least I know I do and I'm pretty sure the other accounts feel the same way -- like, we do want to make sure we have that call to action and telling people how they can help because that's the biggest question we get is, like, what can I do? Like, how can I help?

[05:40:05]

SOLOMON: Yeah.

TANNER: So putting out that information of here's really easy ways to send letters to Congress and make these phone calls. Here's things that are happening and here is what you can do to help.

SOLOMON: Yeah.

We've noticed that some of the posts on the unofficial Joshua Tree page that you run seem to ridicule President Trump. Do you fear any sort of retaliation at all?

TANNER: No, not at all. I mean, if he wants to, OK. I'm not worried about it.

SOLOMON: Um-hum, um-hum.

Let me ask because I think a lot of people who have causes that they're passionate about would love to have the type of reach you've been able to have. And you were able to do it, if I'm not mistaken, in a pretty short period of time.

What messages would you have, Kim, for someone who says I'm really passionate about cause X. How do I create a social media following like you have?

TANNER: So that's going to be difficult because I am just doing it on my own. I don't work for anybody, so I don't have to follow brand guidelines or messaging, or anything like that. I can do whatever I want. So I think that it makes it a little bit harder.

But I would say beyond that just do what you can to really understand your audience and how you're going to connect to them and how you're going to draw them in. If you can do some kind of shock factor that you can do if you're doing this for a business or a nonprofit -- something that you're allowed to do, or maybe you can use a song that's a little bit more risque but not that risque. That kind of stuff does tend to pull people in because again, they don't -- they don't expect that.

I would say look at marketing from, like, BarkBox. They are really good at this. And so is Duolingo. And that's kind of what we're doing. We're just doing it amplified.

SOLOMON: Hmm.

TANNER: And I think -- I think that helps a lot when you're able to do something that people just don't expect.

SOLOMON: Yeah.

I noticed on your LinkedIn that you have a marketing background. But the success that you've been able to generate with his account is also on your LinkedIn.

Do you think that this might sort of represent a pivot or a career change? I mean, where does this go from here?

TANNER: I have no idea. I didn't expect it to blow up like this. But, I mean, I have been looking for a job for over a year and if this helps me find a job, great. If not, great. I never expected this to happen to begin with, so it was never a thought.

But in terms of a career change, I mean, I'm definitely open to a career change. I don't necessarily need to stay in marketing. I have no idea. I just don't know where this is going to -- where this is going to take me. All I know is I would actually love to work for Joshua Tree National Park, so if you're watching, I'm interested once you're able to hire again.

SOLOMON: Yeah.

TANNER: But beyond that, I mean, I have no idea. I'm open to a lot of different things right now.

SOLOMON: Well, I know that they are aware, and the National Park Service is aware of the popularity of the accounts and so here's hoping that maybe your message gets out to those who you want it to hear.

Kim Tanner, we appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you.

TANNER: All right. Thank you.

SOLOMON: All right. Still ahead, Joe Biden firing back after President Trump ordered an investigation into who was really in charge during the Biden presidency.

We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL)

[05:47:50]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon, and here are some of the stories we are watching for you this morning.

Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages from Gaza. Gad Haggai and his wife Judy Weinstein-Haggai were killed in the October 7 attacks. Israel's prime minister says that their bodies were retrieved in a Shin Bet security agency and IDF operation in Khan Yunis.

In the coming hours, Donald Trump will welcome Germany's chancellor to the White House. Their first face-to-face meeting comes amid Trump's tariff threats and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The German leader is also pushing for more military spending in Europe, which is in line with demands from the White House.

More than 200 wildfires are now burning across Canada, and officials say that half of them are burning out of control. Nearly five million acres have burned so far. Most of the fires are in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

Senate Republicans are optimistic about the future of President Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill" after meetings at the White House on Wednesday. Lawmakers say that they had constructive conversations about the bill to fund the president's domestic agenda which has split Congress and even the Republican Party on some issues. But Republicans say they have a path forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): We had a very positive discussion about the path forward on the big, beautiful bill and the reconciliation bill. And I think it was a reminder that we are all in this together. This is a team effort, and everybody is going to be rolling in the same direction to get this across the finish line. Failure is not an option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Now, when asked about the reaction from tech billionaire Elon Musk, who called the bill "a disgusting abomination," senators say that the Tesla CEO was only referenced in passing during the meeting.

While some lawmakers are downplaying the impact of Musk's comments others are venting their frustration with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I talk to -- I talk to President Trump, you know, all the time -- multiple times a day. Obviously, we've talked about this. He's -- as you know, he's not -- he's not delighted that Elon did a 180 on that. But look, I don't know what happened in 24 hours.

[05:50:00]

REP. ELI CRANE (R-AZ): In many ways I agree with Elon when he's talking about the fiscal irresponsibility and the debt, right?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Um-hum.

CRANE: My issue is why wasn't he -- why wasn't he talking about this before the bill, right? Because those of us that were actually trying to make cuts, we could have used his support and that actually might have helped us out quite a bit. And that's what frustrates me. Hey, if you're going to be in this fight be in this fight when we need you, because we needed him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: The Trump administration is making another attempt to prevent Harvard University from enrolling more international students. The president signed a proclamation on Wednesday night that suspends visas of new international students at Harvard. The proclamation is valid for six months, but it can be extended.

This comes after a district court ordered the Trump administration not to make any changes to Harvard's international student visa program indefinitely.

Harvard called the move another illegal retaliation by the White House and pledged to protect its international students.

And President Trump has ordered an investigation into former President Joe Biden's actions in a memo citing his predecessor's "cognitive decline." He called on the attorney general and other agency heads to looking into whether "certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden's mental state and basically do his job for him in part through the use of a so-called autopen to sign bills."

Biden dismissed the suggestions in a statement released Wednesday, saying "I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false."

Biden's advisers have also denied any coordinated effort to wage a coverup of his health.

All right, now to emotional new testimony in the trial of an Australian woman accused of killing her in-laws with poisonous mushrooms. Erin Patterson has testified that the mushrooms she added to the meal she prepared may have accidentally come from her forage collection.

CNN's Will Ripley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This case really is captivating Australia. A mother of two wept on the witness stand Thursday as her defense team asked her to again deny killing three of her in-laws with a meal containing the deadly poison of a mushroom.

In 2023, Erin Patterson served individually-portioned Beef Wellingtons at a family lunch in the small Australian town of Leongatha. Invited to the table were Don and Gail Patterson, the elderly parents of her separated husband Simon. Alongside them Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, the local church pastor.

Their meal contained a deadly ingredient -- death cap mushrooms, the world's most poisonous fungi. It grows in the area around that Australian town.

Prosecutors say only Erin survived the lunch unscathed. Don, Gail, and Heather were all killed by the mushrooms. Ian did survive but only after weeks of intense hospital treatment.

The question of whether Patterson deliberately added death cap mushrooms to the Beef Wellington or by accident has really captivated Australia. Patterson says she used storebought mushrooms but then added dried mushrooms from her cupboard for extra flavor. Those mushrooms, she admits, may have included some she picked herself as part of her foraging hobby. She acknowledges there were death caps in the dry mushroom mix but that she never meant to pick those.

So here is the key question. Patterson ate the food herself, so how did she survive when the other lunch guests were killed?

On Wednesday afternoon Patterson said she had not eaten too much of the Beef Wellington, and she said she was eating it very slowly. Patterson then said that while cleaning up from lunch she actually binged on leftover dessert, eating almost an entire cake and then forcing herself to throw it up in line with her earlier experiences of the eating disorder bulimia.

Patterson says she was sick and eventually did go to the hospital, but that was not before disposing of a dehydrating device that she says she routinely used to dry out mushrooms from her foraging trips. Police later found that dehydrator at the local dump with Patterson's fingerprints all over it and traces of death cap.

The lone survivor of the lunch, Ian Wilkinson, gave evidence that his wife noticed something. Erin was eating from a different colored plate than the other guests.

The case is set to run through the month when a jury will then have to decide whether Patterson accidentally added poison mushrooms to the meal or put them there on purpose.

Will Ripley, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Thanks to Will Ripley.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL) [05:59:05]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

Nintendo's eagerly anticipated new hybrid gaming console is out today. The Switch 2 is more powerful than the original Switch with improved graphics and a larger screen. Nintendo expects to sell 15 million units in the year ahead. The new device costs around $450 in the U.S. And if you haven't preordered you may have to wait before you can actually get your hands on one because Nintendo is expecting shortages partly due to Trump's trade war.

And finally, an orphaned black bear cub in California is being raised by caretakers dressed in bear costumes all in hopes to return the bear to the wild someday. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A wildlife team in California is caring for a 2- month-old black bear cub by dressing up in bear costumes. In April, campers as Las Padres National Forest found the cub weak, underweight, and alone.

[06:00:00]

After biologists were unable to locate the cub's mother the California Department of Fish and Wildlife transported the young bear to the San Diego Humane Society. The cub is now receiving enrichments and feeding sessions from staff wearing bear costumes to mimic maternal behaviors and prevent the bear from bonding with humans.

The cub will remain in the Humane Society's care for a year with the goal of ultimately returning him to the wild.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Very cute.

Thanks for being with us here today. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.