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Rubio Testifies On Hill For First Time Since Iran War Began; Trump Has Said For Months Iran Wants "To Make A Deal"; Iowa Voters Head To Polls In Senate Primary For Open Seat Democrats Hope To Turn Blue; Trump Endorses Missing GOP Lawmaker In NJ; Today: Platner Meets With Dem Senators Amid Campaign Scandal; Some Janet Mills Backers Want Her To Resume Her Maine Senate Campaign Against Graham Platner. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired June 02, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:31:44]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: The Strait of Hormuz is still blocked. There is no signed deal between the U.S. and Iran. And the war in Iran remains incredibly unpopular. But just moments ago, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a declaration in a pretty tense back-and-forth with New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), NEW JERSEY: You keep telling us how we're winning this war. The President keeps saying --

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, the war's over now.

BOOKER: -- completely annihilated. The war is not over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And my panel is back now. Jeff Mason, I mean, this is just one of many layers of sort of confusion, not just by the American people, but it seems by those in power trying to find a way out of this.

JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, BLOOMBERG: Also layers of rhetorical gymnastics. I mean, to say that the war is over, which the White House has been arguing, and Secretary Rubio is just articulating that there, is not in line with the fact that they don't have a peace deal.

Yes, there's a ceasefire, but assets are still in the Middle East. And the President has continued to threat or raise the threats of starting military action again if there's not a peace deal. So the Secretary is saying that in large part to get over congressional issues with approval. But it's not landing well with someone like Senator Booker.

BASH: Let's listen to a little bit more of what he said when asked about the potential for a deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: They need to announce that they will no longer fire on commercial ships that are going through or threaten to fire on ships because in many cases, ships just won't move. They won't go, not because they got fired on, but because of the risk of being fired upon.

And so they have to announce very clearly, the straits are now open, we're not charging a toll, we will help remove the mines that they put in there, and they will not fire on ships. The second thing they have to agree to as part of this, so in addition to the straits, that's the predicate that opens the door to phase 2.

Phase two is they have to commit to very specific negotiations on highly enriched disposition of the highly enriched uranium that still is buried deep in a mountain somewhere. They have to agree on negotiating severe and long-term limitations and or cancelation of enrichment activity in their country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the second phase of negotiations?

RUBIO: Well, obviously, these are highly technical matters, so I don't think you could work those out in five days. That would require a team of experts to meet over a 30, 60, 90-day period and work out the details. But they have to commit to their willingness to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Nia, that young person behind Marco Rubio was not --

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: He's all of us in some ways.

BASH: -- not excited about this hearing.

HENDERSON: Yes, yes, yes.

BASH: He was trying to keep his eyes open.

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: But for those who could focus on what the Secretary of State/National Security Adviser was saying.

HENDERSON: Yes. Listen, I feel like last week it felt like a peace deal was imminent, or was that the week before? I sort of lose track.

BASH: Oh, both.

HENDERSON: Yes, it was the week before and the week before.

BASH: No, but it was both, yes.

HENDERSON: Yes. And so it's really hard to keep track of any of this. It's hard to know what victory will look like, if it's going to look much different than what Obama was able to get their Iranians to agree to, a deal that Trump tore up and led to the Iranians enriching more uranium and getting closer to a nuclear weapon.

[12:35:00]

And in the meantime, Americans are paying very high prices at the gas pump still. They're paying, and those prices are being carried forward to other, you know, fertilizer and food prices. And so, you know, this is a quagmire.

This is an administration that thought this would be easy. They'd be in and out. They would overwhelm them with force, and they would buckle. It's a narrative that is familiar to all of us. We've covered these conflicts in the Middle East, but there really is no quick and easy way out of this.

Well, by way of example of what you were referring to, let's just take a walk down memory lane, starting with last week, President Trump talking about the potential for a deal going back to the middle of March.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There wasn't very much to make a deal.

It could happen any day. It could -- and it might not happen, but it could happen any day. I believe they want the deal more than I do.

They want to make a deal badly, and we'll see if we get there.

I think they want to make a deal very badly.

They'd like to make a deal very badly, very badly.

They want very much to make a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID WEIGEL, POLITICS REPORTER, SEMAFOR: That's in large part about reassuring markets, which from week to week the White House has done a pretty good job of. So -- but you were saying it before. Anyone who was paying for things, who's buying products and not investing in stocks, thinking long term, has not had a good explanation about when this is going to end.

And you can tell from the President and the rest of the administration, they have a very one war at a time mindset. They're more focused on Cuba. At least I think Marco Rubio would like to be focused on Cuba and overthrowing the government there. That's our policy.

No, the President keeps kicking the secession of this down the road. And you were right. I'm hearing the same thing from voters. All they care about is what is the impact on their cost of living, because it's never been sold to them why we need to be doing anything in Iran beyond what the Biden administration, the Obama administration muddle was. Make sure they don't nuke anybody.

BASH: All right, everybody stand by. When we come back, he missed more than 104 votes, hasn't been seen in public since March. Why does the President now say he's working tirelessly for the Trump agenda? We're going to explain one of the President's oddest endorsements. Yet, as we talk about Election Day today.

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[12:41:38]

BASH: Back to our top political story today, Election Day, and the really fascinating primaries that will shape the midterms landscape and tell us a lot about the mood of voters.

My panel is still here. Nia, I do want to -- we talked a lot about California, which we'll get --

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: -- to in a second. But let's start with Iowa.

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: I'm going to play some sound bites of the two Democrats running to be the Democrat who will challenge the Republican who's also running in an open seat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: I think that I have a unique ability, proven ability, to reach out and connect with independents and moderate Republicans that I think that my opponent would struggle to do.

ZACH WAHLS (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: He's a good guy. We agree on a few things. And he has an inspiring story. But when you talk to the voters who this party has lost, who we need to win back, they're looking for a fighter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And Nia, just to kind of give a sense of how this is playing out nationally among Democrats, Josh Turek, the first candidate you saw there, these are his endorsements, Pete Buttigieg, Tammy Duckworth, Ruben Gallego, and it goes down the list. Zach Walls has Elizabeth Warren and 25 local labor unions.

HENDERSON: Yes, listen, and you have seen this split in Democratic primary contests all across the map in Maine, in Michigan, where you have progressives sometimes bucking the party, sometimes bucking Chuck Schumer's picks. And backing a progressive, wanting somebody who's a fighter, wanting somebody who's often younger, and wanting somebody who's just -- BASH: In this case, they're both young.

HENDERSON: Yes, they're both young --

BASH: Yes,

HENDERSON: -- bearded, white guys, and almost interchangeable in how they look, but never mind that. You know, the ideology is different. The wings of the party are different. And this is a fight about the identity of the party. We see it sort of going on writ large.

And so we'll see who comes out ahead. It's a rare chance for a Democrat to possibly win this seat. It's a long shot. I mean, Iowa is still a deeply red seat, but you've got this core debate, identity debate, about ideology and the direction of the party going on there.

BASH: And then before we leave Iowa, let's listen to what Ashley Hinson, who is by all accounts going to be the Republican candidate for that. Let's listen to what she said about the way that the Iran war is affecting people.

"I do hope we can get this done by the next couple of weeks. If it drags on beyond that, it's a political liability for us, too, because we've lost Iowa soldiers. I've been to four funerals since December. It's awful."

WEIGEL: Yes, that and the plight of farmers in Iowa, those are two things Democrats will bring up for why they think that is in play. Turek, who has won a race against Republican, Walz, who has not. Walz is from Iowa City, which is very safely progressive.

That's basically the pitch that was made inside D.C., is that Turek can flip -- has not flipped a swing seat, but has run ahead of the ticket before. We're not sure if Walz can. And they've benefited, actually, from how little we in the media have gone there to profile this race. It's where -- Walz has struggled to make his outsider pitch in Iowa because he doesn't have a big national audience paying attention, the way you mentioned Michigan, the way there definitely is in Michigan, the way there definitely is in Maine.

And so this is more of an experiment. Can Democrats do this without the roving eye of Republican operatives and the press watching? Because DNC is going through its primary calendar. We're not sure where Iowa is going to be on it.

[12:45:04]

They're getting to do this in a little bit of a vacuum, unlike the past. Last time it was open, remember, it was Bruce Braley getting the same negative coverage every week as Democrats come in and campaign with him and ask about his gas.

BASH: Yes.

WEIGEL: Yes. BASH: All right, I'm going to make an audible here. We're going to sort of pause on the California discussion because we'll be talking about it a lot tomorrow when we get the results and talk about New Jersey for a second. Because -- not just because it's New Jersey, and I love talking about New Jersey, but because this race that is going on for Congress, a primary among four Democrats, and it is to challenge the incumbent Republican Congressman Tom Kean.

Why is this interesting? Well, it is interesting not only because it is considered a toss-up seat but because the President just endorsed Tom Kean Jr. and said that he's working tirelessly to keep the border secure, et cetera, and he said he has his complete and total endorsement for reelection.

Tom Kean has not been in Washington for, what, like 100 days or something like that, and his office finally did put out something saying that he's had health issues and we obviously wish him well, but we don't have any more information than that, and now they're going before voters.

MASON: It's a real information vacuum, and it's fascinating that the President decided to endorse. I guess it goes back to a lot of the endorsements he's made over the last week to the weeks or months of just going behind people who really -- he sees as being part of the MAGA crowd, even if there are question marks over, in this case, where he's been and his health, in the case of Texas, over ethics, and more broadly whether it's good for the party.

BASH: All right. You talked about Maine. We're going to talk a lot more about that after the break. We have new details on Graham Platner's meeting today here in Washington with Senate Democrats as another revelation rattles his race to flip a GOP seat. The party arguably cannot afford to lose if they want to take back control.

Stay with us.

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[12:51:31]

BASH: A source tells CNN that Graham Platner is about to head into a crucial meeting with Senate Democrats right here in Washington today. It was scheduled weeks ago, and when that happened, no one expected the main Senate candidate would arrive in D.C. carrying new political baggage, giving his party new reasons to worry.

My panel is back now. Before we start, I want to play some fresh discussion that Manu Raju had with Senator Sanders, who is a big supporter of Graham Platner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: The Republican Super PACs controlled by the wealthiest people in this country are spending -- planning to spend $100 million in a very small state like Maine. Extraordinary amount of money. Now, why do the richest people in this country want to defeat Graham Platner? That should tell you everything you need to know, because he doesn't stand up for working people. Is he a saint? I guess not. I don't know too many states here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Nia?

HENDERSON: Yes, listen, progressive Democrats were first out of the gate in backing Platner. Now they have to hope that he is Teflon (ph) in the way that he was through the primary in a general election. They have to, in some ways, hope that he's like Trump, who has had many, many scandals, obviously survived the primary in 2016, is back, you know, in the presidency. And we'll see.

There is probably a little bit of buyer's remorse. Janet Mills is alerting everybody that she's still on the ballot come Tuesday. So we'll see. But this is a bit of a mess, and Democrats are just hoping that he can maintain the core support that he's had in the primaries and that redoubts his benefit in the general as well.

BASH: That was really fascinating that she --

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: -- reminded people in Maine that she suspended her campaign. She's still on the ballot, and it is a week from today. Here's what some Mills supporters in Maine told our colleague Patrick Svitek. Holly Eaton, "I would be pleased to see her unsuspend her campaign and continue her candidacy."

Lynn Bromley, "I definitely want her to unsuspend her campaign." Allison Hepler, "I will be ranking her number one on my primary ballot." Holly Sargent, who's a state rep, "Votes for Mills still count."

So that's, you know, it's interesting that those all --

HENDERSON: All women.

BASH: -- appear to be women --

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: -- which is in keeping with what the reporting we heard from John King when he went up there. But also, I mean, there's a reason why Mills suspended her campaign, because she couldn't raise money because he was Teflon (ph) in the primary campaign. And the question is whether this is really something that is going to change that.

WEIGEL: Yes, and the stories about his old Reddit post, that's where this started. That broke in October last year. A lot of people -- and I had flashbacks to 2015 and going out on the field when maybe the desk would think Trump was about to implode over what he said about John McCain or what he said in this interview. And he wouldn't. HENDERSON: Quaint (ph).

BASH: Right.

WEIGEL: It felt a lot like that. That was, you know, no candidate steps in the same river twice. But you felt from Democrats, this -- we might have a Trump on our hands who is so personally likable, his story is so good, that he can keep going out there and doing this.

He was enduring these Reddit stories. And Republicans are trying to cultivate an aura that he was on the ropes. He wasn't, from everything I could see in Maine. What happened with his former campaign adviser going to the press and saying, his wife told me that he sent texts that she -- we've not seen, but texts to women who he wasn't married to right after he got married.

That's a different kind of story that complicates the narrative that this is a man who he wasn't married to right after he got married.

[12:55:03]

That's a different kind of story that complicates the narrative that --

BASH: Yes.

WEIGEL: -- this is a man who went through PTSD and remade his life and is now ready to serve in the Senate.

BASH: Because they only got married in 2023.

WEIGEL: That's why it hurts a bit more. Yes.

MASON: Also, just worth remembering why this is important. Maine is the one, there is one state that if Democrats could topple Susan Collins, topple the Republican incumbent, they could potentially take over the Senate in November.

So all of these things, some of it seems like, you know, will voters really care? Well, if enough people care, and that's enough to tip the balance back to Susan Collins, that takes away that opportunity for Dems.

BASH: Right, because that's just like we heard from the voters who are out today, that is so much a calculus in one of the criterion that voters are using now these days when they go to the ballot, not just who do they feel good about, but about who they think can ultimately reach the objective that they want here in Washington.

Guys, thanks so much.

Thank you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.

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