Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
Trump Threatens to Cut Musk's Government Contracts Amid Feud; Investors React to Trump-Musk Feud; Russia Hits Ukraine With Massive Aerial Attack; ICE: Migrants Being Held in Converted Shipping Container; Political Fight Over Competition in Girls' Sports; States Have Enacted Laws Limiting, or Banning Gender-Affirming Care for Minors. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 06, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: A war of words between two of the most powerful men in the world President Trump and Elon Musk. "One World" starts
right now. From allies to adversaries what's at stake in a massive public breakup between President Trump and Elon Musk?
Plus, a new U.S. Jobs Report is out, hinting at a steady but cautious labor market in the face of swelling economic uncertainty. And the debate rocking
high school athletics, trans athletes in women's sports, we'll look at the new pressure the Trump Administration is putting on the State of California
to ban them from taking part. All right, we're going live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. This is "One World".
The gloves are off in a fight between being watched rather around the world that could have political implications in the U.S. for years to come. And
Donald Trump just took another swing one day after the powerful alliance between the U.S. President and his largest campaign donor imploded. Trump
tells CNN he will not be speaking to Elon Musk in the near future.
He then added the poor guys got a problem earlier. Hours earlier, it seemed a truce might be likely, after both Trump and Musk soften their tones and
the tech billionaire walked back threat to decommission SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft. Musk has billions of dollars in government contracts that just
a day earlier.
The U.S. President suggested he might cancel as one of many threats and insults the two most powerful men hurled at each other as their bitter feud
played out on social media. And it came on a day when the German Chancellor was in town to convince the U.S. President of the importance of a unified,
allied effort to save Ukraine.
CNN's Hadas Gold is in New York. But first, let me bring in Kevin Liptak, who joins us live now outside the White House. So, Kevin, you know, it's
not so much that the two men had a falling out, is that they fell out so publicly. You know, you had -- you know Donald Trump essentially saying
that Elon Musk is out of his mind.
You have Elon Musk accusing President Trump of being involved with Jeffrey Epstein that whole saga. I mean, just walk us through whether or not it is
likely for these two men to talk in the near future.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it really kind of depends on who you ask. There are a lot of Trump advisers who I've been
talking to today who really do not see any way that these two men can kind of come back together. And they do point to that message that Musk sent
about tying President Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, the world's most notorious paedophile.
Essentially saying that there's no way that the president will be able to move on from that. They don't see this relationship being repaired anytime
soon. There are allies of both of these men who do hold out hope that something can happen that will bring them back together.
They had been hoping, for example, that they might be able to get on the telephone today to kind of talk out their differences, but President Trump
making very clear when he spoke to Dana Bash and a number of other reporters in Washington that he has no interest in speaking with Musk, at
least at the moment, saying, I'm not even thinking about Elon.
So, you know, I don't think there's anything that says moving on, quite like picking up the phone from every reporter who calls and says -- saying
that you are not thinking about him at all. But I still think, you know, there are some big implications here. This is all started because Elon Musk
criticized President Trump's mega bill, saying that it would explode the deficit and for as catty and as nasty as this all began.
And you know, when two men are criticizing each other for what makeup they're wearing in the Oval Office that is very catty. But I think it
obscures in some ways, just how important this could all be, if Elon Musk is able, essentially to embolden some of the Republican Senators who share
his concerns about the deficit implications for this bill.
That could have some serious ramifications for President Trump, whose entire domestic agenda is wrapped up in it for Musk, his companies are on
the line. If President Trump follows through with cutting federal contracts for all of Musk's businesses that could have a serious implication.
This is billions of dollars on the line, and so for is sort of nasty and in some ways comical as this has all seemed. It also has some very, very high
stakes, even if the insults, I think were pretty low.
ASHER: All right, Kevin, stand by. Hadas, let me bring you in, because obviously there aren't many Democrats, just in terms of politics, who are
fans of Elon Musk obviously. Just walk us through how MAGA Republicans, though, are reacting to this fallout.
HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: It was stunning to watch this. You know, we all watch this in real time, and as did all of them.
[11:05:00]
And for so many of them, they were just completely sort of shocked and disappointed that this was happening so publicly. There was almost a sense
from some of them, like these were their parents fighting and on the brink of a divorce, and they really didn't like that that much.
And so, you know, Trump is definitely the leader of the MAGA Movement, without any question, but you can't deny the power that Elon Musk has. He
might be the only one who can really go toe-to-toe with Donald Trump, and has endless resources to back him up.
And keep in mind that he controls one of the most powerful, most popular social media platforms, X, where a lot of these MAGA people, especially
MAGA influencers, that's where they make their money, that's where their fan base is from.
And so, what we saw play out yesterday was sort of kind of three camps that broke out. The first was people who were immediately rushing to President
Trump's defense and immediately turning on Elon Musk. Some of these people already weren't so -- you know biggest fans of Elon Musk.
Steve Bannon, a former top White House Adviser, was one of them. He called for an investigation into Elon Musk's immigration status, and he also
suggested that President Trump should take over SpaceX. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: The action -- President Trump should be taking immediately I think when he threatens to take one of
the big programs out of SpaceX, President Trump tonight should sign an executive order calling for the defense to production act to be caught in
SpaceX and seize SpaceX tonight, before midnight, the U.S. government should seize it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: And then there were those who were begging for reconciliation. Charlie Kirk, a very important influencer, Founder of Turning Point USA, he
posted on X shortly after interviewing Stephen Miller, the Deputy Chief of Staff who defended the bill, he posted that he hopes Elon and Trump
reconcile and do so privately. It would be good for the country and the world if they do.
And then there was another camp who are the Elon is right camp. And most of these, I found, tended to be sort of the more recent MAGA peoples, the more
Silicon Valley entrepreneurial sort of, right. And they were saying that Elon Musk is correct when it comes to this bill. Elon Musk is correct when
it comes to the deficit, and the Republicans should be working with him.
I want to put up a tweet from Jason Calacanis. He's an Angel Investor. He hosts a very popular podcast called "All in". He said the majority of
Republican voters strongly agree with Elon and want the big, beautiful bill trim down. Musk left the Democratic Party and sacrificed much in his
relentless support of the GOP.
The GOP leadership should give his counsel serious consideration. You know, a lot of people in this MAGA world were stunned to see this breakup happen.
So publicly, a lot of them are calling and hoping for some sort of reconciliation. But as we've heard from our colleagues at the White House,
who have reported that a Senior White House Official saying that Donald Trump is getting rid of that red Tesla that he bought from Elon Musk when
he did that sort of Tesla infomercial on the White House front lawn.
It's been sitting, as Kevin knows, in the White House parking lot for some time now, but now it seems to be, it's going to be on its way out there. It
is right there. Nice color though.
ASHER: Nice color. I agree. All right, Hadas Gold live for us there. Kevin Liptak, thank you both so much. Republicans, meanwhile, are caught in the
middle of all of this collateral damage. Musk spent nearly $300 million to support right wing politicians last year, and he has the power to reshape
elections.
Even before the blow up, the world's richest man had threatened to primary Republican incumbent in midterm elections, he now appears to be daring any
of them to cross him. Elections, however, may not be the most immediate test. It's whether lawmakers will support Trump's massive tax and spending
bill or align themselves with Musk. Speaker Mike Johnson is striking a diplomatic turn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I don't know what motivated this disturbance, to begin, obviously it's not helpful. My way is that policy disputes are not
personal, and I have -- I've tried very hard to speak with Elon over and over, you know, and talk with him about what I believe or misconception he
has about this bill and what it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Here's how other Republican lawmakers are responding as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TROY NEHLS (R-WI): Right now, this tit-for-tat, going back and forth isn't healthy. I tell you what. Elon, this is what I'll do. Come down to
Texas, 22nd district, right? I'll pay your filing fee and run against me.
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-WV): I trust the math from the guy that lands rockets backwards over the politicians.
REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): I'd go with Trump politically. You know, two biggest dogs in the pound. They're going to turn on each other eventually,
and that's what's happened.
SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-MN): It's easy to be the parent that says, you know, we're going to go to Disney World. It's hard to be the parent says, yeah,
but we can't afford it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think, I think maybe, maybe they should count to ten.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Well, much more on this developing story in the next hour, with CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein he's going to be joining us to
dissect a little bit more on that. All right, the once hot U.S. jobs market is starting to cool off. That's what the new jobs numbers seem to show.
The U.S. economy in May added just 139,000 jobs. While that's more than economists had been expecting, it's a decline from April.
[11:10:00]
The May, employment rate is unchanged at 4.2 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most jobs are being added in health care,
leisure hospitality, while big losses are happening in federal government. Let's see how the markets are reacting to the Jobs Report.
The DOW is, let's see here, up almost 500 points. NASDAQ also up as well, and the S&P up about 1 percent. Also, investors are reacting to Donald
Trump's feud as well with Tesla Owner Elon Musk. Shares of the electric car maker are rebounding. They're up almost 7 percent and that's because the
broader market is up overall.
Let's bring in Matt Egan to talk more about this. So Matt, you know, when you think about this job, you and I are actually speaking yesterday about
this. It did actually come in better than we were expecting. Listen, it's not out of this world, good, but it is a pretty solid number. It's better
than we had been anticipating. You know, it does show that this economy, especially the labor market, is quite resilient actually.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Zain. Look, this paints a picture of a jobs market that is cooling but not collapsing. And given everything
going on in terms of all the turbulence in financial markets and, of course, the trade war, it is a relief that the jobs market is as resilient
as it is.
Just to run you through some of the key numbers here the unemployment rate staying at 4.2 percent for the third month in a row. That is a low level.
That is nice to see jobs added, as you mentioned, 139,000 that is just a little bit above expectation, and this is above what the economy needs for
the jobs market to remain stable, particularly because there's been fewer immigrants into the United States due to the Trump Administration's
immigration crackdown.
So, you no longer need quite as many jobs each month added to keep the unemployment rate stable. Now, when you look at the trend for jobs added
over the last year, year and a half, you can see, I think, two things, right? I mean, one, we're obviously growing at a slower pace than last
year, and that was expected, but it's also been pretty stable.
When you think about all the volatility out of Washington and on Wall Street, the jobs market has remained pretty stable. When we look at where
the jobs are, big gains for health care, right? 62,000 that's something that we continue to see month after month. There's a lot of demand for
workers in health care.
Also, leisure and hospitality, adding almost 50,000 jobs last month alone. That is nice to see, because when you think about it restaurants and bars
and hotels, that's where consumers would likely be cutting back first if they were under significant pressure. And so, the fact that these sectors
are still adding jobs is encouraging.
But look, we are also seeing job loss, right? 8000 jobs lost in manufacturing. That's the exact opposite of what the Trump Administration
is trying to make happen with their sky-high tariffs. 22,000 jobs lost in the federal government. That's as all of these spending cuts have taken
place.
One other point, though, when you look at the sectors, is economists have pointed out to me that most of the jobs last month really did just come
from these two sectors, right? About 80 percent of the jobs. And so that's not really what they want to see. Normally you want to see broader growth,
so that's something we do need to keep an eye on.
But Zain, as you pointed out, markets are relieved about this number. You see U.S. stocks up 1 percent across the board. And I think that's because
we did see some concerning signals about the jobs market in recent days. And so, investors are reassured that it does appear like the jobs market is
holding in and staying pretty resilient here.
ASHER: And let's talk about another stock, though, watching closely, obviously, Tesla. Tesla declined significantly yesterday on the back of the
feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, especially after Trump essentially threatened to cut some of Musk government contracts.
Now that number is rebounding. I mean, it's up almost 7 percent and that's partly because the broader market overall is doing well today on the back
of this Jobs Report. But just walk us through what's happening with Tesla.
EGAN: Yeah, well, Tesla shares near the highest levels of the day, up 7 percent I think, yes, part of it is about the fact that the broader market
is up. I also think there's a sense that perhaps that sell off was overdone, because we are talking about a massive sell off for Tesla
yesterday, a loss of $152 billion in market value.
That's the most that Tesla has ever lost in a single day, a loss of 14 percent for the stock. It did take a big chunk out of Elon Musk net worth.
He's still the richest person on the planet, but he lost $34 billion in wealth yesterday. That is the second most that any of the billionaires that
Bloomberg tracks has ever lost in one day since they started tracking a decade ago.
And look, I think one of the concerns here is, what does this battle with the White House due to Elon Musk Empire here, right? Because, obviously,
Tesla, this is a consumer facing company.
[11:15:00]
And he's already alienated a big segment of the customer base by going so all in on Donald Trump to get him back to the White House. And now there's
a risk that he's going to alienate Trump supporters who are not going to be pleased that Musk is attacking the president, but it's not just Tesla,
right?
I mean, SpaceX, their biggest customers are federal government agencies. XAI relies on AI regulatory policy. Neuralink needs to get FDA approval for
their brain chip implants and the boring company also needs regulatory approval. I talked to Former Medtronic CEO Bill George and he said, look,
never go to war with the President of the United States.
That's there's going to be a lot of collateral damage to your business. So, we did see the collateral damage yesterday, and I think investors are just
trying to make sense of what's going to happen next with this feud. But as we pointed out, we do see Tesla stocks rebounding modestly today, after
that severe sell off yesterday, Zain.
ASHER: And just in terms of -- just in terms of just sort of going back to the Jobs Report, 139,000 jobs added. You know, as you point out, solid, not
great, but pretty solid. What does it mean for the Fed and when -- if and when they might cut interest rates this year?
EGAN: Well, if you listen to what the President of the United States says after this report came out, he put out a social media post where he said
the Fed and Jerome Powell have been too late, and he argued that they need to do a full percentage point rate cut right now.
I talked to economists who said that is not supported by the data, and I think that it's easy to see why they say that, right? Because it's not like
job growth is collapsing, right? I mean, I think in order for the Fed to really feel like it needs to come to the rescue, you would have needed to
see a number below 50,000 closer to zero.
And thankfully, that's not what we're getting. So, the fact that the Fed is likely still on hold is, I think it's a good thing, right? Because it
means, like, they don't feel as though the economy needs to be rescued right now despite the trade war. And so, I don't know. I think that you
could argue the president has to be careful what you wish for, right?
You don't really want the Fed to have to slash interest rates right now. And I think expectations are in the market are the Fed is probably on hold
for at least the next few months.
ASHER: Yeah, Donald Trump has been pointing at the ECB cutting interest rates. They've been -- they've cut interest rates literally eight times in
a row, and he's saying that, listen, look what Europe's doing. The U.S. should do the same. But as you point out, it's kind of like a double-edged
sword, isn't it? Matt, live for us there. Thank you so much.
EGAN: Thanks Zain.
ASHER: All right, let's bring in Diane Swonk, Chief Economist at KPMG, for a closer look at the numbers. So, Diane, our reporter, Matt Egan, was
essentially saying that these numbers are pretty good. They're not out of this world, but it does show the economy is ticking along, and the labor
market is pretty resilient.
Considering all of the volatility that we've seen and all of the uncertainty we've seen since April 2nd, why isn't the jobs numbers
reflecting that more than they currently are?
DIANE SWONK, CHIEF ECONOMIST, KPMG: Well, first of all, there is a bit of a tale of two stories within this employment report, and that is the
household survey, which is where they actually call up people and ask them what's going on. Was much weaker than what we saw in the payroll survey.
And the pace of hiring has slowed to below the levels we saw in 2019 while people quitting their jobs are also below those levels. That's a sign that
people are sort of tentative about the job market. So, we're still seeing gains in employment that's good. 90 percent of them are in two sectors
alone, healthcare and social services and leisure and hospitality.
We actually saw some of the tariff sensitive sectors, like retail, shed jobs during the month of May. And in the manufacturing sector, which we
know has suffered from higher input costs due to steel and aluminum tariffs since March, also shed jobs in the month of May.
So, even though the overall number was solid, was not spectacular, and there's a soft underbelly. The number of workers dropping out of the labor
force entirely was the largest number. It crossed nearly a million -- a million. The largest number since April of 2020. That is really stunning.
The number of workers who said that they were in school or training instead of being in the labor force picked up. It is not just people retiring and
leaving the labor force again. Those are all signs of things that happen as the labor market slows and gets weaker. So, there is a soft fragility
underbelly in the labor market report that I think is there.
It's certainly not enough for the Federal Reserve to cut rates. And what's more important is in the Federal Reserve's calculus on this, they are
looking at the threat of inflation that is accompanied by tariffs, which the New York Federal Reserve just came out with a study showing about 75
percent of those dealing with tariffs are passing along those tariffs in some form as price hikes on to consumers.
[11:20:00]
ASHER: You know, what you said is really interesting, because it's not just you're pointing out. It's not just about the headline number. You have to
sort of really dig into the data to know what's actually going on. I think it's such an important point that a lot of the job gains we saw were in
health care, which, by the way, has been doing really well and has been really carrying the jobs numbers for quite some time now, because you have
an aging population, a lot of them have these chronic conditions.
Also, leisure and hospitality was also up, partly because we're heading into the fort, sort of the summer travel season as well. Which sector,
though, just in terms of -- you know retail, which had a lot of trouble for quite some time, especially when you consider online shopping really taking
over. But which sector are you most concerned about as it pertains to this trade war?
SWONK: Well, I think the trade war, there's no question of what we know from the steel tariffs, in particular. The consequences of that in 2018 and
2019 and there they were, a small fraction of what they are today. Those saved 1000 jobs in the steel industry. That's great, but it was at the
expense of 75,000 jobs in the overall manufacturing sector.
And that's where you get into the sort of stagflationary nature of what we're dealing with. The tariffs are so large that firms are having to cut
costs and tighten their belt at the same time that they're having to pass on these price increases, either to other businesses or to the end use
consumers.
We're seeing it in retail, online, retail, de minimis, that's from these phrases that nobody knew about until all of a sudden, the exception for de
minimis went away. Any packages that were under $800 were able to sort of escape tariffs entirely, and coming in directly from China or through
producers that were distributing them in United States.
I think that's where some of the weakness in retail is actually coming, because all of a sudden, the costs of those -- to those retailers went up
quite dramatically at the start of May. So, we're starting to see very little effects, but they're happening, and they're also starting to show up
in some of the numbers that the Federal Reserve is doing in terms of its surveys of businesses.
How much are they absorbing these costs? How much are they passing them on? And the result is that a lot, in fact, in the service sector included, are
actually passing them on as price hikes on to consumers.
ASHER: All right, Diane Swonk, live for us there. Really appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much. Have a good weekend. Days after Ukraine
struck, more than a third of Russia's cruise missile carriers, Russia responded with one of the largest air attacks since the war began,
targeting almost all of Ukraine. Plus, Israel strikes it says where Hezbollah sites in and around Beirut, talk about what the IDF was
targeting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:25:00]
ASHER: Bracing for retaliation for days, Ukraine was pummelled in an overnight Russian attack. Kyiv reports, Moscow launched one of its largest
drone and missile strikes killing at least four people and injuring nearly two dozen in the Ukrainian capital.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia used more than 400 drones and 40 missiles in the barrage, adding, quote, almost all of Ukraine was in
the crosshairs. Meantime, Russian officials say that a Ukrainian drone attack hit an industrial site in the country's south.
Our Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin for us very later. So, listen, we all knew that Russia was going to retaliate sooner or later. Did we expect the
retaliation to come this quickly and in this form?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know whether the retaliation or the strikes that we saw overnight, whether
that was the real retaliation for those massive strikes that we saw from the Ukrainians on those Russian airfields. The Russians simply said earlier
today that these were strikes in response to what they call terrorist activities.
But one of the things that we've actually seen in the messaging of the Kremlin over the past couple of days, they've been speaking a lot about
strikes on the Russian railway system that they blame on the Ukrainians, for which the Ukrainians have actually not yet claimed responsibility, but
they've been talking very little about those strikes on those airfields that, of course, the Ukrainians say did so much damage.
Nevertheless, the strikes were massive that happened overnight. You mentioned some of the numbers there Zain, more than 400 drones, and it
really seems as though the Russians have ramped up their own production of those strike drones that they send over into Ukrainian territory.
And then also, if we look at the missiles that were used, there were ballistic missiles which are very difficult to intercept, and really only
the best surface to air missile systems, like, for instance, the U.S. made patriot, can intercept those and cruise missiles that were used as well.
So, really a full barrage that was fired by the Russians, but unclear whether or not this was it, or whether there is more to come. Of course, we
know from that phone call that happened a couple of days ago between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, that Vladimir Putin
apparently told Donald Trump in that phone call that he would strike back after those attacks on those airfields.
But again, from the Russian messaging, it's unclear whether or not this was it, or whether there is more to come. And you know, with all of that being
said, this certainly seems as though they were massive strikes, which, as you said, at times, the entire country, or almost the entire country, was
under a missile air raid alert.
And even the Ukrainian Olympic team was affected by all this in the town of Lutsk Hotel that some of the athletes were staying in were hit by a blast.
There was one athlete who actually managed to record some of what was going on there. So, devastating strikes that happened overnight, several people
killed. But right at this point in time, unclear whether there is more to come from the Russian Zain.
ASHER: Fred Pleitgen live for us there. Thank you so much. Israel said it struck Hezbollah terror targets in and around Beirut. Huge explosions and
clouds of smoke filled the skies of Southern Lebanon on Thursday. The IDF says it hit Hezbollah drone factories. The strikes mark the largest
escalation in fighting since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November in Gaza.
The Leader of Hamas says he's not rejecting later ceasefire deal proposal by the U.S., but he wants stronger guarantees that Israel won't resume
fighting once the temporary truce ends. And the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says that all of its aid distribution sites are closed until
further notice.
This, after several days of shooting incidents, has left dozens of Palestinians dead. We'll have much more on this next hour with CNN's Jeremy
Diamond. All right, still to come here on "One World" a disturbing admission from ICE, it now says that some deported migrants are being held
in a converted shipping container. Their story in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher. Here are some headlines that we are watching for you today. President Donald Trump
told CNN he is, quote, not even thinking about Billionaire Elon Musk and won't be speaking to him in the near future. He also said Musk has a
problem, but wished him well. This comes a day after a spectacular brawl unfolded between the two men on social media.
A Federal Judge has blocked President Trump's attempt to ban international visas for students at Harvard. She issued a temporary restraining order
after Trump signed a proclamation suspending those visas citing national security concerns. Harvard says Trump's move represents a government
vendetta against the school.
Sean Combs' sex trafficking trial resume today with more testimony from Combs' ex-girlfriend, who is testifying under the pseudonym Jane. She
described how she felt pressured by Combs to include other men in their sexual encounters, or Combs would break up with her and stop paying her
rent. Combs as pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In a stunning admission, the U.S. says that eight deported migrants at a U.S. naval base in Djibouti are being held in what used to be a shipping
container. Migrants were sent to Djibouti last month when a court blocked their deportation to South Sudan. All right, with more on what we have
learned about the deported migrants on that base in Djibouti, here's CNN's Priscilla Alvarez.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nearly a dozen immigration officers and eight migrant detainees, all of whom the Department of Homeland
Security says have criminal records are now stuck in limbo at a U.S. military base in Djibouti, where they are staying in a converted shipping
container.
Now, according to a new court filing that sheds new light on the conditions for the detainees and officers. It says, quote, the conference room in
which the aliens are housed is not equipped nor suitable for detention of any length, let alone for the detention of high-risk individuals, notably,
the room has none of the security apparatus necessary for the detention of criminal aliens.
Now, all of this began last month when the Trump Administration tried to transfer these eight detainees who were in the United States to war torn
South Sudan. But they ended up having to stop in Djibouti because a Federal Judge who has been overseeing a case regarding sending migrants to
countries where they have no ties, found that the administration was in violation of his order because they only provided less than 24 hours-notice
of where they were going to.
And the Federal Judge said that migrants should have, quote, meaningful opportunity to contest their removal to a country where they have no ties,
and also provided reasonable notice.
[11:35:00]
The eight detainees for example, come from varying nationalities, including, for example, Cuba, Laos and Mexico, among other countries. So
now the Trump Administration is tasked with providing that opportunity. Now the Federal Judge didn't say that they had to stay in Djibouti.
There is still the opportunity for the administration to bring them back to the United States, to follow through with the protocols that the judge is
asking for here. But the administration has chosen to keep them in Djibouti, where they are setting up for these migrant detainees to have
what is called the reasonable fear interview, essentially begin the process of whether or not they would face fear or persecution if they were sent to
South Sudan.
But this is still an active case. The counsel for these detainees has said that they not have not yet heard from them, and that will be part of the
steps that need to be taken here in the interim, though they are in limbo.
And again, in a filing Immigration and Customs Enforcement describing some of these conditions, the heat, as well as the nearby burn pits, which they
say, quote, create a small cloud in the vicinity of the camp, making it difficult to breathe and requiring medical treatment for the officers who
have experienced throat irritation. All of this, however, still very much ongoing, back to you.
ASHER: Thanks to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez for that report. All right, we are going to continue the conversation about visas, deportation and travel bans
in our next hour, we'll have U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who's going to be joining us. She's the Co-Chair of the Haiti Caucus in
Congress.
All right, still to come, the Trump Administration wants to take some young athletes off the field in California. We'll tell you why after the short
break?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: On June 14th, 7 million pounds of tanks and other military vehicles will roll down the streets of Washington. It is a celebration of the U.S.
Army's 250th birthday, which just happens to be the same day as Donald Trump's birthday. And there are real concerns the largest military parade
in decades could cause damage to the city's streets. CNN's Natasha Bertrand has more.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The City of Washington, D.C., and the army is preparing for a massive military parade here in the nation's
capital that is expected to bring roughly 7 million pounds of military equipment and hardware to D.C. streets.
[11:40:00]
It's caused a lot of concern about how the streets are going to handle it? Whether it's going to damage underground infrastructure, including gas
pipelines? But this is something that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working on for several months now, after they got word from the White
House that the White House wanted to add a parade to the Army's 250th birthday celebrations.
Now what we're expecting to see, in terms of the equipment rolling down the streets of Washington, D.C. in just under two weeks-time, are heavy Abrams
tanks, Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles, Howitzers, other military equipment from across the years of the Army's participation in global
conflicts. It's going to essentially trace the Army's history through its 250 years.
Now, in terms of what the Army has been doing to mitigate the potential damage from all of this equipment that will be heading down the streets
here, they have been investing roughly $3 million in trying to protect D.C. infrastructure, and that includes putting metal plates down on the streets
of Washington, D.C. at various points where these tanks are going to be making sharp turns and that could potentially damage the streets.
They have been installing new track pads on these vehicles to create more of a separation between the metal of the tanks and the asphalt of the
streets. And they told us that they are ensuring that these tanks and these vehicles are going to be moving at a very slow pace. They will essentially
be moving at a walking pace.
And so, they are very confident that this is not going to cause any damage to D.C. streets. But of course, there are still concerns from city
officials that something could happen here. And that is precisely why, when Trump wanted this kind of military parade in his first term, D.C.
officials, as well as defense officials warned him against it, because putting these heavy tanks down on the streets of D.C. could cause
potentially catastrophic damage.
This time around, the parade is expected to be slightly smaller than what Trump wanted in his first term. Is going to focus, as I said, only on the
army. And the Army Corps of Engineers is very confident that they have done enough here to protect D.C. streets and infrastructure.
So, expect to see a very large parade, the largest that the city has seen in decades. But again, the army really confident. They tell us that there
is not going to be any significant damage as a result of all of this hardware rolling down the streets of Washington, D.C.
ASHER: Thanks to CNN's Natasha Bertrand for that report. All right, today marks 81 years since D-Day. D-Day, the Allied Invasion that helped turn the
tide of World War II. The invasion saw unprecedented cooperation between the armed forces of multiple countries. However, the day came with a heavy
price, as thousands of allied soldiers were killed as they stormed the beaches of Normandy, France.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is participating in events in Normandy today, delivering remarks at the Normandy American Cemetery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: It is these men and their bravery whom we are here to celebrate ordinary men who muster extraordinary
courage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Veterans of the historic invasion also took part in the ceremony as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAROLD TERENS, U.S. AIR FORCE VETERAN, WORLD WAR II: Freedom is everything. I pray for freedom for the whole world, for the war to end in Ukraine and
Russia and Sudan and Gaza. I think war is disgusting, absolutely disgusting.
BETTY HUFFMAN-ROSEVEAR, U.S. ARMY NURSE CORPS VETERAN, WWII: Beautiful, beautiful, wonderful people around so, so happy to be here. Thank you so
much for all of you. You're making me cry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We might be old, but we're young at heart.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got that right. Still young at heart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Young at heart and free after 81 years. You're still free.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Around 4400 allied troops were killed during D-Day, with nearly 6000 wounded or missing. We're right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: A track and field competition in California has intensified the political fight over trans athletes and their participation in girls
sporting events. The Trump Administration has given California public school districts until June 9th to certify in writing that they will bar
transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.
The move comes after a transgender high school junior in California won state titles in girls track events last weekend. AB Hernandez's
participation in the competition drew the ire of the Trump Administration, and prompted the governing body of California High School Athletics to
institute temporary new rules, seeking to find common ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is still a high schooler she is learning. She's navigating the world just like we are every single day, and that I know I
would want grace if I was put in a situation where I had a bunch of light on me and what I was doing. So, I encourage people to remember that that we
are all human, and at the end of the day, we're all trying to navigate this world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Back in February, President Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. This Pride Month, we
are taking a closer look at issues affecting the LGBTQ Community. I want to bring an Author, Artist and Activist Hope Giselle. She joins us live now
from Washington, D.C.
Hope, a pleasure to be with you. Thank you so much for being with us. Just I want to get your perspective for our audience watching this sort of
fight, this very public fight between federal government and certain states play out this idea that you have the federal government essentially trying
to impose a ban on transgender athletes from participating in women's sports.
Obviously, it is a controversial issue, especially when you consider the political climate that we are in right now. Just give us your perspective
as you watch this fight play out.
HOPE GISELLE, AUTHOR, ARTIST & ACTIVIST: I think that as we watch this, we have to be mindful that just as the clip said before, we're dealing with
people, and in this particular instance, we're also dealing with children, and we're not carrying them with kid gloves, so to speak, in a way that
shows that we as a human race can be kind.
We can be empathetic, while also being practical to the idea that not everyone is going to agree with the idea of trans girls playing in girls'
sports. Not everyone is going to agree with the idea of trans boys playing in boy sports, but first and foremost, we have to deal with the core of
this, which is that we are dealing with children.
And we're not really having the conversation about what they want. We're having a conversation about what the government and the social status
wants, which is ridiculous.
ASHER: It must be so hard to be so young. I mean, you're still sort of, you're still forming as a human being, and yet you're sort of caught in the
middle of this massive political fight. I can't imagine what that must be like. So, from the Republican perspective, a lot of Republicans who are
sort of pushing for this ban are essentially saying that this ban would protect women and girls.
And their ability to compete fairly in sports, that is their argument. I see you shaking your head, and you can tell us about what you think.
[11:50:00]
But the fact is, there are very few transgender athletes in this country, very few transgender athletes who are trying to participate in sports
period. Just explain to us, from your perspective, why you think this has become such an issue for Republicans?
GISELLE: Well, first and foremost, I think that it's a throw the rock and hide the hand sort of situation. If I distract you with what's going on
over here, that I can really do all of these other things over there. Republicans are not focusing on health disparities. Republicans are not
focused on housing disparities.
Republicans are not focusing on a lot of the things that they said that they would focus on. And so, what they found is a crux in the judicial
system that says, if we give them something to hate, right, they will focus on those things, and then we'll have more time to piddle pedal paddle or BS
around the issues that people actually care about.
And what they found is that transgender people get people talking, whether it's for the good or for the bad, and once you get people talking, you can
distract them so that you can do other things. I think that as trans folks, and I think especially with the youth that are growing up today, what
they've got to learn is something that I think a lot of trans folks have learned, is that our existence, in and of itself, is political.
It's a protest. It shouldn't be. But what they will learn to understand and what they will grow to understand, is that using your existence to not only
be political, but to be a protest will ultimately work out in our favor. None of these things that have happened in the past have held up or lasted
long.
And I don't foresee this lasting long either. People ultimately have empathy. People ultimately want the best for everybody, and I foresee that
that's exactly what's going to happen with the going to happen with this situation.
ASHER: Yeah. I mean, a lot of Democrats agree with you. They say this is simply a wedge issue. A wedge issue that is used to divide and distract.
So, just from a practical perspective, though, what alternative is there?
I mean, if these bands go into effect completely, what alternative is there for transgender athletes looking to compete in sport, because a lot of them
actually fear for their safety if they are forced to compete with men and boys?
GISELLE: Absolutely, I think that what folks have to understand and recognize is that while there are many people who do have genuine concerns
about trans girls playing with these girls, there are a lot of folks that genuinely just want to see trans girls hurt. There are a lot of young boys
that are being taught to hurt people that are different.
And we've seen this play out time and time again, whether we're talking about race or religion. And so, when we think about trans folks, we don't
see this being any different. But what I do feel like could happen, and what I see and what I'm hearing whispers of are that trans folks are going
to start to create their own leagues.
They are going to start to create underground spaces. I also start to see a lot of allied transes, inclusionary students that are going to say, we're
not playing anymore. If our sister can't play, if our brother can't play, if our sibling can't play, then we won't play. And this school won't have a
team if they can't be inclusive.
And I think that the mixture of those three things, no matter how they happen or in what order they happen, I'm grateful to see students standing
up as allies. I'm grateful to see parents coming to the aid of trans kids that don't belong to them. I'm also grateful to see trans kids also saying
we don't need that.
And we would rather have our own where we're going to be welcomed than to have to force our way into something that is just due to us as students of
this school who want to be athletes.
ASHER: And final question for you, we were expecting this case to actually drop from the Supreme Court this week, but it didn't happen.
GISELLE: Yeah.
ASHER: You know this idea of the Tennessee law that effectively prevents doctors from providing surgery or hormone therapy to minors seeking care
for gender dysphoria. If that ban goes into effect, explain to us what that means for minors, for young people who are looking for this type of
treatment?
I mean, obviously, you know, it could already mean that they have to travel for miles to get to there's all sorts of things that have to change as a
result, depending what the Supreme Court decides. Can you give us your perspective on that?
GISELLE: What I want folks to understand is that when you are a trans person, it's not something that you choose. A lot of -- a lot of people
believe that, but it's not. It's innately in you. And a lot of folks who transition out of the dire need to stay alive. If these things go into
effect, we're going to have a couple of things that might happen.
The suicide rates that are already high in transgender and CIS youth are going to skyrocket. And if not, we're going to start to see a lot more of
them getting black market hormones and things that they're not necessarily sure of what they're ingesting. If they can't go to the doctor and have
gender affirming care surgeries once they turn 18.
We're going to start to see a lot more people going to back-alley doctors and doing things to their body that could honestly and overtly kill them.
And I think that unless the Republican Party is telling us in so many words that that is what they want, they want a genocide of trans people.
They want trans people to be underlying themselves. They want trans people to be getting negligent care, then I think that we have to reground this
conversation in a space of humanity.
[11:55:00]
All human beings deserve access to health care that is safe and that is certified by the board and doctors that want to provide that care should be
allowed to do so without the fear of losing their license, or without the fear of going to jail. It's ridiculous.
If you truly care about children the way that they say that they do, then you'll protect them, and you'll make sure that they have the care that they
need. But if you care about your agenda, right? And you care about the agenda of ensuring that this race is predominantly white, CIS Head and
indifferent to change, then keep doing what you're doing, what you're doing, but know that there are going to be consequences.
ASHER: All right. Hope Giselle live for us. Thank you so much for sharing your viewpoints with us. We appreciate it. And say with CNN, I'll have much
more "One World" after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
