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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Israel: At Least 8 Killed in Latest Iranian Strikes; Suspect in Minnesota Lawmaker Shooting Caught; Trump Attends G7 Summit in Canada Amid His Trade Wars with U.S. Allies. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 16, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

POLO SANDOVAL, ANCHOR, EARLY START: And good morning, and welcome to all of our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world, I am Polo Sandoval in for Rahel. It is Monday, June the 16th, 5:00 a.m. here in New York. And this morning, we are following two major breaking news stories this hour.

The first, at least, eight people in Israel have been killed. And this in the latest Iranian missile strikes. It's the latest round in the back-and-forth between the two nations since Israel hit nuclear sites in Iran on Friday. But first, to the breaking news that's developing out of 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, among other charges.

Investigators using a helicopter -- helicopters, surveillance drones, as well as infrared technology to find Vance Boelter overnight. They say that he literally crawled to law enforcement after search teams closed in on him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK BRULEY, CHIEF OF POLICE, BROOKLYN PARK, MINNESOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: I'm very proud to tell you that we took the suspect into custody who is responsible for this. That was within 43 hours of the incident. There is no question that this is the largest manhunt in the state's history. Just down at the scene where he was taken to custody, there was 20 different S.W.A.T. teams over extremely large area, hunting this individual down to take him into custody.

I believe that the state of Minnesota, and certainly the city of Brooklyn Park, should be extremely proud of the police officers within the city of Brooklyn Park, but the partnerships that we had are unprecedented between the federal agents, the county, the locals and others around. It is absolutely an incredible task what went on.

Essentially, the Brooklyn Park Police Department was turned over into an operation center. And that's all that hundreds of detectives worked on tirelessly for 43 hours. So, while this is come to some conclusion where we've made an arrest, there is a ton of work that needs to be done. So, I encourage community members if there's evidence, information or other things, please continue to feed that information to Brooklyn Park Police Department so that we can fully investigate this and present a complete case to both the federal jurisdiction and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And just in to CNN, a few moments ago, this new photo of Boelter, it's his mug-shot after he was transferred to the Hennepin County jail. He has been charged now 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 our colleagues at the Minnesota Star Tribune.

A source telling CNN that the U.S. Justice Department is also considering possible federal charges against Boelter. The complaint also shows that police found weapons, including at least, three AK-47s and a handgun inside his SUV. He's a suspect in two separate shootings targeting Minnesota state lawmakers in their homes.

Melissa Hortman and her husband, they were both killed early Saturday morning. She was a top Democrat in the Minnesota State House. Officials saying that state's Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot, but they survived the attack, and are recovering in the hospital this morning after undergoing surgeries.

Let's bring in now CNN's law enforcement analyst Jonathan Wackrow, who is also a former Secret Service agent, joins us live from Middletown, New Jersey. Jonathan, it's good to have you this morning, thanks for getting up early for us.

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Paula, how are you?

SANDOVAL: Following and still processing this overnight news, I'm wondering if you can give us a general sense of this vast amount of technology and the manpower that was used to track him down without injuring either him or any officers.

WACKROW: Well, listen, there are three things that are credited right now for this successful apprehension. First, it's the proven law enforcement tactics that were deployed. I mean, you were thinking about a surge of law enforcement, the coordination between state, local and federal assets working, you know, in unison under one central command to follow up on hundreds of leads.

The rapid deployment of tactical teams when there were possible sightings. So -- and finally, the actual setting up of, you know, very strict tactical perimeters when they did see that second vehicle really allowed for law enforcement tactics to be deployed. Those were bolstered by, as you said, the utilization of technology.

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So, the infrared cameras that were used, the flare cameras that pick up heat signatures of individuals gave law enforcement officers on the ground this tactical advantage from the air being able to see in the dark, see in areas that, you know, they were able to pick up on that heat signature. But a critical -- you know, key component of this apprehension really came through with a breakthrough from the private sector.

The public's assistance in the utilization of this trail camera raising awareness that there was an image on the trail camera from a private citizen that matched the suspect's description, really allowed for that perimeter, that tactical perimeter that was established by law enforcement to really shrink down into an area where law enforcement was able to identify the location of this suspect, call out to that individual where he crawled out of his hiding location and was taken into custody without incident. So, this was a successful resolution at the end to a really tragic 40 -- 43 hours that the community around Minnesota was facing.

SANDOVAL: And coming to an end, not far in the same town where the suspect reportedly lived. Jonathan, when I was hearing from investigators over the weekend, I was -- there was sort of painting this picture of planning and pre-meditation on the side of their suspect in terms of the gear that he used. But when you look at this case, now that he's in custody, what do you think that he essentially dropped the ball. He was captured slightly less than 48 hours after the commission of the -- of this -- of these alleged crimes.

WACKROW: Well, one thing I think that the suspect did not take into account for as much planning as he may have had or thought he had, what he really was not, you know, putting into his calculus was just the overwhelming force of law enforcement that was coming after him. You think about the 400 officers, over 20 tactical teams, investigators from you know, the federal government, local and state officials all working together again, a common cause of taking this individual into custody.

The resources that they had at their disposal to quickly push out, you know, investigators to follow up on leads, to send tactical teams to certain locations very quickly, all of that, you know, put this individual completely on his heels, and, you know, put him on the run. And that's when mistakes start to happen.

You know, in the moment that they found that second vehicle, again, that was a -- that was a turning point for law enforcement, again, proven law enforcement tactics in coordination at the end of the day brought this to a successful resolution.

SANDOVAL: In their announcement of that resolution, Jonathan, Governor Tim Walz said that these attacks, in his words, that they altered the state of Minnesota. In your opinion, how do you think this particular case may change our conversation around political violence? We know that there were many Democrats on this -- on this kill-list that's been reported on by investigators.

Sadly, we've seen one too many cases, just in the U.S. alone when it comes to political -- when it comes to political conflicts -- global conflicts. So, what happens next in terms of the conversation around that? WACKROW: Well, Polo, for a long time we've been reporting around

escalating, you know, your political narratives and you know -- you know, toxic conversations online. What we saw is -- right now, is we're seeing this, you know, disturbing trend where, you know, political rhetoric and rhetoric that's online, that's -- you know, toxic is now transcending into direct action.

We've seen that now time-and-time again, and this violence that we are witnessing against our politicians on both sides has been normalized, right? And now, we're getting into this normalization of the assassination culture where people, you know, feel that it's justified or they're -- you know, giving a rationale for these horrific acts. That has got to stop.

We have to reverse that narrative. We have to stop this -- you know, this violent -- these violent acts from manifesting themselves -- foster online and then transcend into direct action. That has to stop. So --

SANDOVAL: Yes --

WACKROW: Governor Walz was correct. We have to change the entire, you know, paradigm of how we actually engage online, talk to each other and engage, so we don't get into these situations again.

SANDOVAL: Yes, and I faltered for an entire state for two families, though, life will certainly never be the same again, but at least, a sense of closure, perhaps with the detention of a suspect. Jonathan Wackrow, really appreciate your law enforcement analysis.

WACKROW: Thanks, Polo.

SANDOVAL: We're also following breaking news in Israel at this hour where at least, eight people have been killed and dozens injured in the latest round of missile strikes launched by Iran. Israel's Defense Minister has vowed, quote, "the residents of Tehran will pay the price and soon."

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Now, Israeli officials say at least 23 people have been killed since Iran's retaliation started in Iran, at least, 224 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since Friday, and that's according to the country's Ministry of Health. The IDF vowing their strikes will become even more intense. And Iran's President says that the country's response will escalate as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, PRESIDENT, IRAN (through translator): We are by no means seeking to expand the war, but naturally, as our army, our powerful IRGC, and our dear people have shown appropriate responses have been given so far. The more they try to escalate naturally, the responses will become tougher and more severe. More innocent people may lose their lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joining me live now from London. Nick, it's good to have you this morning. In your view here, where does President Trump fit into this as the escalation continues to grow? He seems to be both offering peace talks, but he also continues to back Israel. So, where does this road -- the potential road for diplomacy land?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, I mean, it's been particularly opaque to work out exactly what the Trump administration wanted prior to this. And now, it appears that they labeled these Israeli strikes as very successful, exactly what they think their future position may end up being here.

But President Trump, over the past hours has said that the Iranians are talking, suggested that perhaps, you know, there could be a deal here. And I think for the moment now, while it appears that as far as we know publicly, the United States is not materially involved in these Israeli strikes, that they may be holding themselves out as a potential off-ramp for some kind of diplomatic de-escalation here.

Now, clearly, there were suggestions overnight to that -- an Israeli thought to kill the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei may have been something that was vetoed by the United States. And so, there are suggestions, potentially, that the Trump administration is maybe trying to have it both ways, suggest they have some sense of control or veto power over exactly what Israel does, while at the same time aren't necessarily trying to call all the moves here.

So, Trump, I think trying to have it both ways. There may be voices around him that are indeed suggesting that as Israel continues to take a remarkable, devastating toll, frankly, not just on Iran's military, but according to Iranian officials on Iranian civilians as well, over 200 killed, that maybe at this point, we're seeing Trump holding himself out as the mechanism through which Iran can suggest that it might want to come to a negotiating table here.

It may already be perhaps approaching that particular idea. But it is tough for Tehran, given the damage done to their senior command here, given the damage done to their military, to potentially, from that position of weakness, try and find some kind of diplomatic end to this. And I'm sure Israel too, as it continues to prosecute targets over 250 as far as we know, just up until Sunday afternoon inside of Iran, continues to look for weaknesses to exploit in Iran's military for the sites from which these missiles are indeed launched, will continue to degrade Iran's military.

And so, there may be less of an incentive in the immediate days ahead for Israel, particularly given the continued barrage from Iran against Israeli cities, which has killed eight just overnight for Israel to necessarily find an immediate off-ramp in diplomacy here. But we see this escalation day-by-day continue. The ultimate question, Polo, being exactly what the infantry is in both sides, are the interceptors to stop Iranian missiles and indeed the Iranian missiles themselves for this kind of pace of back-and-forth to be continued?

SANDOVAL: Yes, in the last hour, I spoke to a professor and expert on Middle Eastern studies offering a very sobering view, which is, he sees no light at the end of the tunnel, which basically sounds very similar to what we're hearing right now. Nick, in your view, though, will there be a potential back-and-forth?

You have the G7 that's playing out right now. Several of the nations involved were involved in the initial deal to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities. Does that perhaps offer a measure of hope that we'll see that diplomatic solution you mentioned?

WALSH: I mean, it's an exceptionally different Iranian nuclear program. It seems that we're going to be seeing negotiations center around if those were to happen in the days ahead. They have sustained, it seems, some significant damage to some of their plants. And we don't know at this point if that's impeded their enrichment programs, we obviously know that publicly, Iran says it does not want a nuclear weapon, and so, they'll have to, of course, be continued discussions about what parts of any program that indeed exists are still functional that could be monitored.

But I think we're into a new era in terms of that discussion because of the extent of the strikes that Israel has carried out, not just on the nuclear facilities we know about, but the Nuclear Brain Trust, so- to-speak. So many --

[05:15:00]

SANDOVAL: Yes --

WALSH: Iranian nuclear scientists and experts killed as part of this, too. So, any time I think of future discussions will be in a very different climate. Clearly, where Israel is saying it has air superiority over Iran, and indeed, if that is even half fractionally the case, the damage they will be able to do to Iran's military, to their nuclear program for whatever future means, it would have been extraordinary.

And I'm sure at the moment now, Tehran is simply trying to assess exactly the extent of the damage. Polo?

SANDOVAL: A new era and new players involved. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much for your reporting. And as we mentioned, President Donald Trump is in Canada for the G7 Summit right now where leaders are expected to address the growing crisis between Israel and Iran. More on that coming up.

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SANDOVAL: And in the days ahead, the Israel-Iran conflict is expected to be the top issue at this week's G7 Summit in Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump arrived there late on Sunday -- see him, stepping off of Air Force One. The White House says that he will meet with the leaders of Canada, Mexico and Ukraine during his trip. CNN's Kevin Liptak with the latest on his trip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The G7 this week here in Canada will be the first international summit of President Trump's second term, and it will be a good window into how he plans to use these international gatherings to address some of the world's stickiest issues, the biggest of which is this conflict between Israel and Iran.

That will really be the overhang. I think a lot of the world leaders who are gathering here want to hear out and suss out President Trump on exactly how he sees that conflict going, of course, he says that he thinks there is still room for diplomacy, but there are a lot of questions about how exactly that would proceed.

And in fact, earlier Sunday, President Trump said that he thought the Russian President Vladimir Putin might be able to mediate this conflict. But already, at least, one other G7 leader, the French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he doesn't think that that's a workable option. So, already, you see some differences emerging even before the summit begins.

You know, discord and acrimony really colored these kinds of summits during President Trump's first term in office. And I'm thinking specifically back to the last time Canada hosted a G7 back in 2018, kind of the enduring image of that summit was of President Trump sort of glowering with his arms crossed, and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, sort of leaning over him as they tried to hash out this joint statement that President Trump later tore up as he left the summit site.

The host of this week's gathering do want to avoid that open level of acrimony. And to that end, they don't plan on releasing a joint communique. They'll release some shorter individual statements instead. And instead of sort of these large, lengthy group meetings that sort of go on and on, they're planning more one-on-one time for the President to meet some of his counterparts.

Of course, Ukraine will be a big topic at the G7, just as it has been for the last three years. President Trump has made clear his differences with some of the European leaders, particularly when it comes to applying new sanctions on Moscow. Of course, trade talks are the other big topic that have caused divisions between President Trump and his counterparts.

And we are approaching that July 9th deadline that the President has set to negotiate all of these new trade deals in order to avoid some of the harsh new tariffs. And there are leaders here that are in active conversations with the President about trade, whether it's Ursula von der Leyen; the President of the European Commission, or Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is an invited guest of this year's G7.

Now, whether President Trump is actually able to make progress on those trade deals or whether this will continue to be a point of contention, I think remains to be seen. But certainly, it is a very stacked agenda for President Trump and his counterparts as they gather here in Canada for the G7. Kevin Liptak, CNN, near the G7 site in Alberta, Canada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Agenda, as we continue to watch the markets as well. Let's take a look at how they are responding to the crisis in the Middle East here. You see the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq futures, they are currently higher ahead of the start of what will likely be a busy trading week while oil prices still remain under pressure, slightly down as you see on that ticker.

The Trump administration is highlighting immigration arrests, but reportedly rolling back raids on key employment areas. We'll talk to an immigration attorney after the break with more perspective.

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[05:25:00]

SANDOVAL: And welcome back to EARLY START. President Trump issued a new order for immigration officials to do everything they can to create the largest mass deportation program in history. And that's according to a social media post from President Trump. In it, he told the officials to expand efforts in, quote, "the Democratic power center", as he called it.

Well, he claimed without evidence that his political opponents are using illegal aliens to cheat in elections and to grow the welfare state. Again, these are claims that the President's done, made multiple times in the past. The White House has publicly praised his immigration crackdown, but multiple sources say that it is privately criticized officials for not meeting those arrest quotas.

And all of this is coming after "New York Times" reported on a rollback on rates that are targeting places where immigrants may play a vital role in the workforce. We're talking farms, restaurants, hotels. The information coming from an internal e-mail and three officials who spoke to the "New York Times", those officials with knowledge of the guidance according to the reporting.

For more now, we go live to an immigration attorney, David Leopold, who is joining us live from Cleveland, Ohio. David, it's great to have you this morning.

DAVID LEOPOLD, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: Thanks for having me, good morning.

SANDOVAL: So, this apparent shift in policy that was reported by the "New York Times", what do you think this signal? What is -- what is this supposed to signal? Is it perhaps a new layer of pressure on President Trump that he could be feeling from those close to him? Or is it simply maybe representatives of some of those sectors that we mentioned that can't just sit idly by as their workers are caught up in enforcement actions?