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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

At Least Eight Killed in Latest Iranian Strikes; Suspect in Minnesota Lawmaker Shootings Caught; At Least 224 Killed in Israeli Strikes; Curfew Working and Will Continue in L.A.; Trump Calls for Peace Deal Between Israel and Iran. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired June 16, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Polo Sandoval in New York City where we are following breaking news, at least -- on at least two fronts this morning. At least eight people in Israel have been killed by Iranian missile strikes. This is the latest round in this back and forth between the two nations since Israel hit nuclear sites in Iran on Friday.

But first, to the breaking news that we're following in Minnesota where the 57-year-old suspect in the killing of a state lawmaker and her husband has been caught and is now facing murder charges. Investigators using everything at their reach, including helicopters, surveillance, drones, infrared technology, everything possible to track down this man, Vance Boelter. They say that he literally crawled to law enforcement after search teams closed in on him.

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CHIEF MARK BRULEY, BROOKLYN PARK, MINNESOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: There's no question that this is the largest manhunt in the state's history. Just down at the scene where he was taken into custody, there was 20 different SWAT teams over an extremely large area hunting this individual down to take him into custody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And police also said that they found at least three AK-47 assault rifles and a handgun in the vehicle they left at the home of slain Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman. CNN's Whitney Wild has more on how this manhunt ended overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a remarkable moment in Minnesota. There were dozens of law enforcement agencies who were engaged in bringing Vance Boelter into custody. What we know is that law enforcement says there were 20 SWAT teams alone who worked on bringing him into custody, and it was the Minnesota State Police who finally put the handcuffs on Vance Boelter. This night unfolded rapidly once they were able to figure out where he was. And so, let me take you back to the beginning of the day Sunday when law enforcement had identified a vehicle in Sibley County, Minnesota. This is an area that is very rural. It is 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis. And law enforcement had spent much of the day Sunday combing that area, combing through that car. They were able to bring into custody pretty critical pieces of evidence. And so, it was in that area by that car that they knew that he was, you know, somewhere in the area. And that was based on the tip from the public.

And so, once these tips started pouring in, law enforcement says that there were at least 400 tips that came in, law enforcement was able to narrow in on where he was and then, in effect, used all of their tactical units. They used an air wing element from the Minnesota State Police, infrared technology, you know, other law enforcement technology to find out exactly where he was. Then bring those law enforcement officers as close to him as possible and basically surround him and then able through -- and then they were able to through, you know, really, tactful impactful negotiation bring him into custody without incident.

He is facing multiple charges. Law enforcement here listed a few. I mean, obviously he's facing murder charges for Representative Melissa Hortman. The attempted murder charges for the shootings of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. So, those are just a few of the charges. It is highly likely that he may see more. There may be federal charges in the future as well. They're working with their federal partners to figure out what federal charge, if any, would be applicable here.

But the most important thing here in Minnesota is that through the work and the cooperation of a long list of law enforcement agencies, they were able to bring Vance Boelter into custody without injuring himself, without injuring an officer, and without injuring any member of the public.

Whitney Wild, CNN, Blaine, Minnesota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Whitney Wild marking the end of what was a nightmarish last two days for the residents there. Meanwhile, CNN also had an opportunity to speak to law enforcement contributor Steve Moore. He offered his thoughts on the dramatic capture of the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: He had planned the crime so well, but he hadn't planned his escape hardly at all. I mean, he had a second car that he could take away, but he didn't do anything imaginative. He didn't do anything tricky. And I believe that they had a line on him at least as far as people he was talking to early on. I'm kind of surprised at his lack of preparation for evasion.

[04:05:00] You've got this huge area. I mean, he -- the attack happened in one area. But logically, once you haven't found him for six to 12 hours, you have to assume that he's gone into a much larger perimeter, which could include parts of Wisconsin, parts of Iowa, things like that.

And so, what was crucial is finding the car. And that was good police work. They found the car and then you can, again, dial in to a -- focus in on a much smaller area, which means you can bring immense resources into that small area. It's really not even useful to try to search an entire state with the equipment you have, but I believe they had aircraft, I believe they had all sorts of electronic aids working with them once they found the vehicle.

I'm suspecting he was cited by airplanes using FLIR equipment and had -- the FBI, SWAT was brought in. If you saw they were wearing night vision goggles. They probably used a lot of technology to locate him. Then they called him out. That was the crawling part, crawl to us, don't walk to us.

And what comes now is kind of tricky because it's whether you're going to prosecute him for murder under Minnesota law or you're going to prosecute him possibly for terrorism under federal law. And the issue there is that Minnesota does not have a death penalty, but federal terrorism does.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And we're also following breaking news in Israel this morning where at least eight people have been killed, dozens more injured in the latest round of missile strikes launched by Iran. Israel's defense minister has vowed, quote, "the residents of Teran will pay the price, and soon."

Explosions were soon -- also -- were also seen in the coastal city of Haifa where missiles hit near an oil refinery. Central Israel's power grid was also damaged in the latest round of back and forth strikes over the weekend. Israeli officials say at least 23 people have been killed since Iran's retaliation began. The IDF vowing their strikes will now get even more intense.

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LT. GEN. EYAL ZAMIR, CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): We will continue to intensify our operations, and in doing so, strengthen our security for years to come. Defending our home front is a critical component of this campaign. As I told you from the beginning, there will be difficult moments. We are in the midst of a challenge unlike those we have faced in the past. We knew there would be a price, and it underscores why we act now before it became too late.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Then in Iran, at least 224 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since Friday, and that's according to the country's Ministry of Health. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi with the very latest. Paula, at this point, do we know what parts of Israel have been hit in these strikes?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, we know that in the early hours of Monday morning, there were a number of different areas, Tel Aviv, the capital, for example, was hit. So, we know that also central parts of Israel, the coastal city of Haifa. We did see that there were a number of fires burning. In fact, we saw footage of some missiles having an impact close to an oil refinery in that area.

There were deaths that were -- that happened in the early hours of Friday. Central Israel, there were at least five killed. And we know that teams are currently combing through some of the rubble to make sure that there is no one else that is missing or injured. So, we're seeing the casualty figures increase on both sides here. We're seeing well over 200 in Iran. We're also seeing many residents of Tehran are trying to escape the city. They're trying to head north where it's more rural, more isolated, and they believe they would be safer. We have seen gridlock coming out of the capitol as they are trying to find somewhere safe.

Now, we heard from the Israeli military on Sunday saying that anyone who lives close to a weapons production facility should evacuate and should leave immediately, pointing out that that is going to be a key target for the Israeli military. And then, just a matter of hours later, we heard from the Iranian side warning Israeli residents to move away from any military installations, as that is a key target for them as well.

So, we are hearing from both sides that they are targeting military, but we are seeing that there are civilians being caught up and being killed. In these airstrikes. We're seeing damage to a number of residential buildings. Polo.

SANDOVAL: Paula Hancock with the very latest on this back and forth live from Abu Dhabi. Thank you.

[04:10:00]

Let's get some more analysis. Now. Joining me is Fawaz Gerges. He's a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The professor's also an author of "The Great Betrayal: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East." Professor, it is great to have you. Thank you for joining us.

FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND AUTHOR, "THE GREAT BETRAYAL": Thank you.

SANDOVAL: No doubt you were monitoring this over the weekend, Professor, this deadly conflict between Israel and Iran. Seeing these two sides firing these waves of missiles at each other, resulting in death on both sides. How long do you expect this to last before we see any sort of escalation or maybe the question is, will we see any sort of a de-escalation?

GERGES: Good morning and thanks for having me. Sadly, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, we are seeing the conflict expanding, that Israel in the past couple of days has expanded its bank of targets, attacking economic targets, attacking railroads, airports, gas, oil, and Iran is retaliating. As you've said, more than 274 Iranians have been killed, 90 percent of whom are children and women, according to Iranian authorities, and 24 Israeli civilians have been killed.

I think my take on it is that the Israeli prime minister needs a couple of weeks at least, because his strategic aim is to try to destroy the military industrial infrastructure in Iran. To basically do as much damage as possible. And as long as he has the green light from President Trump, I doubt it very much whether Israeli prime minister will end this war. And so, far we don't see any American pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu.

What really Iran is doing in the past few days is to retaliate, is to increase the cost to Israel. But if you remember, it was Israel that started this war on Friday. It was a surprising, you know, attack that killed top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists and attacked more than 100 targets.

SANDOVAL: Professor, I'm glad you mentioned those -- the fuel stations as well that were attacked over the weekend. We know that those oil depot -- that they were targeted by Israel over the weekend. I guess how significant is that in their campaign against Iranian defense forces? Does it perhaps signal to Iran that much of Israel is really who controls the skies right now?

GERGES: Well, the Israeli military says that basically now they have almost complete control of the skies. Again, for your own viewers, Israel has technological superiority. Israel has one of the most lethal air forces in the world. Top American military arsenal, technological intelligence, support from the United States and the Western powers. It has been able to infiltrate many institutions in Iran, including the decision-making process and the surprise attack. I mean, it was really quite a great shock for the Iranian leadership, killing the top leaders and nuclear scientists.

Iran does not have an air force. Iran does not really have the technological know-how of Israel. But so far, what Iran is really counting on is to really try to bleed Israel to try to increase the cost for Israel using ballistic missiles. But at the end of the day the Iranian foreign minister made it very clear yesterday that if Israel stops its attacks, it's willing to go back to the negotiating table with the United States.

So, at the end of the day, really, without American intervention, without really American leadership, I don't think we're going to see an end to this war, in which mainly civilians are paying a high price.

SANDOVAL: Then there's the G7, Professor, as you know, Israel and Iran. This is certainly going to dominate the conversation likely for so many world leaders, some of them -- some of those nations had initially participated in the last deal limiting Iran's nuclear program. You know it well. Do you think that that may increase the odds of establishing the -- at least the framework of some sort of deal? GERGES: Well, I mean, I think that's the idea. European leaders, what we know, is that they are extremely anxious about the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. This conflict, as you well know, could have really major economic implications on the world economy. If the conflict escalate, Iran could really basically I mean, wreck, damage in the -- on the waterways in the Gulf. So, what European leaders are trying to do is really to press President Trump. They want to know if President Trump has a plan, if a plan to end this war.

[04:15:00]

So, the overarching aim of European leaders is to impress on President Trump the need for diplomatic intervention, they need to really tell him if there is a consistent plan to end this war. So, far, as you all know, we're hearing contradictory statement from President Trump. There is no consistency, there is no certainty, and that's why European leaders will basically try to pin down President Trump and have him really tell him about what is his plan to de-escalate, to help de-escalate the conflict between Israel and Iran.

SANDOVAL: Yes. Getting the president's attention for these world leaders, finding amendable terms, that alone, Professor, will likely be a challenge for these world leaders, let alone trying to reach that agreement. But nonetheless, we really appreciate your insight and what is really a sobering point of view that is widely shared about what's ongoing right now. Professor Fawaz Gerges, thank you so much for your time, sir.

All right. So, let's take a look now at some of the U.S. markets, how they are responding to this ongoing crisis in the Middle East as world leaders get ready to meet in Canada. You see the Dow, NASDAQ, S&P Futures are all currently slightly up there as you see there. Crude Oil, though that is certainly down by close to half a percentage point. So, again, all eyes on that. That's where leaders get together for the G7 meeting.

Well, still, we do want to get to some other stories right now that we're following, including the -- what we mentioned at the top, police catching the suspect in the Minnesota shootings from over the weekend, the latest on the arrests, and the charges that he will likely face when we come back.

And Israelis are waking up to a scene of destruction after a barrage of missiles. Hit areas around Tel Aviv. All the latest on the conflict between Israel and Iran on the other side of the break.

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SANDOVAL: We have an update now on the breaking news out of Minnesota. Police have arrested the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. One lawmaker and her husband were killed, and another lawmaker and his wife survived. And it was just a short time ago that police there released this booking photo of their suspect, Vance Boelter. You'll see here -- see him here after he was processed by authorities. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting that Boelter is charged now with two counts of murder and another two counts of attempted murder.

Now, a day -- elsewhere, a day of death and destruction in Tel Aviv and Tehran due to the spiraling conflict between Israel and Iran.

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(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Eight people were killed in Israel according to emergency workers after a barrage of missiles fell in multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Haifa overnight. 23 people have been killed in Iranian attacks since the conflict started. This comes after a series of Israeli strikes across Tehran on Sunday. Two Iranian military leaders were killed, and Israel now saying that it targeted special intelligence units inside Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Authorities there say at least 224 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since Friday.

Well, the Israel-Iran conflict expected to be the top issue at this week's G7 Summit in Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump arrived there just earlier. The White House says that he will meet with the leaders of Mexico, Canada, and Ukraine during this trip. Neither Mexico nor Ukraine are part of the G7, but they are some of the many non-member countries that are sending their leaders to this year's summit for some of those talks and those meetings. Ukrainian officials are hoping to win more support from the U.S. as Russia steps up, its air attacks.

And many allies of the United States are wary about what Donald Trump might do to create discord at the G7 Summit. CNN's Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten shows us what the world thinks of President Trump right now.

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HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: I think this opening slide kind of gets at it, why Trump faces a tough room at the G7. Take a look at these numbers. They -- I mean, you rarely see trends like this, but it's apparent right here on the page, confident the U.S. president will do the right thing when it comes to world affairs. You go back to 2024, the non-U.S. G7 countries, 47 percent say they were confident the U.S. president would do the right thing. Look how much lower that number is now, Jessica. It's down to 27 percent.

What we're talking about is 73 percent of the countries, at least on the medium, had no confidence, no confidence that Donald Trump will in fact do the right thing when it comes to world affairs. Quite a different picture between when Joe Biden was president back in 2024 to when Donald Trump is President 2025. The amount of confidence in the U.S. to do the right thing, at least when it comes to the U.S. president, has absolutely fallen through the ground.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Still ahead here on your Early Start, the very latest on the arrest of the suspect in the Minnesota lawmaker shootings.

Plus, more on the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as the attacks. Our breaking news coverage continues after a short break.

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SANDOVAL: More now on our breaking news in Minnesota where a manhunt for an alleged killer is finally over after nearly 48-hour manhunt. 57-year-old Vance Boelter is finally in custody. We now have this photo that was just released by authorities just a few moments ago. He is the suspect in two separate shootings over the weekend at targeted state lawmakers in their homes. He has now been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, and that's according to a criminal complaint that was obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune. Governor Tim Walz in Minnesota, giving this update on the arrest overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): Multiple agencies were there as FBI laid hands on it and Minnesota State Patrol put the handcuffs on him. One man's unthinkable actions have altered the State of Minnesota. Melissa Hortman was the core of who our values were.

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