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CNN Live Event/Special

Manhunt After MN State Rep. Assassinated, State Senator Shot; Police Use Chemical Irritants to Disperse Crowd in L.A.; Trump Speaks at 250th Anniversary Military Parade; Israel, Iran Exchange More Missile and Drone Attacks; "No Kings" Protests Underway in Cities Across the U.S. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired June 14, 2025 - 21:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:02:12]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We begin this hour with the breaking news out of Minnesota. A massive manhunt is underway as police are searching for the person behind the assassination of a top Democratic lawmaker and the attempted assassination of another state lawmaker.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And we are now hearing dispatch audio of first responders discussing the shootings of these lawmakers and both of their spouses. This was obtained by the "Minnesota Star Tribune."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DISPATCHER: The shooter is still in the house. They believe barricaded with the firearm. Multiple different agencies are on scene trying to locate if this individual is on foot, if he shot anybody else around the home, just so you guys have a little bit more of an update as to what is going on there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Officials are on the hunt for 57-year-old Vance Boelter as a suspect. The FBI is offering up to $50,000 for any information that might lead to his arrest or conviction. CNN Law Enforcement Correspondent Whitney Wild joins us now live from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Whitney, what are you learning?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we know is that this man, again, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, worked in security. He was working as the director of security patrols for a security company. And that is a critical piece of information because what we know, Boris, is that as this unfolded at 2:00 in the morning, he had presented himself as a law enforcement officer.

And it was earlier today that local law enforcement stressed that if you saw him in the room with other police, he was dressed, you know, so much like a police officer that you would -- anyone would mistake him for a police officer. I mean, Boris, head to toe, he had the gear. He had an SUV that looked like a squad car. It had lights on it, just like a regular cop car. And so when he went to that door, this was first at State Senator John Hoffman's house, when he banged on that door, he presented himself as a police officer. And that's when State Senator John Hoffman opened the door.

And then, as we know, State Senator John Hoffman sustained multiple gunshot wounds, as did his wife, Yvette. They, at latest, Boris, our understanding is that they had -- they were in surgery overnight. They are now in -- it sounds like, stable condition. Their -- law enforcement here is cautiously optimistic that they're going to survive. That's the latest on their condition.

But again, let me take you through the timeline here. It was 2:00 in the morning that this suspect went to John Hoffman's house. 90 minutes later, there was another call. This was then at Melissa Hortman's home. And this is where this timeline really starts to diverge. Because this is when law enforcement finally confronted Vance Boelter. And what they found was that when they got to Melissa Hortman's home, they saw him coming out. And that's when he exchanged gunfire with police. And then, as we know, he fled on foot.

[21:05:07]

At this point, law enforcement doesn't believe he's in this area anymore. Earlier today, they were able to find video of him. And it was basically a cowboy hat and civilian clothing. So, what they're trying to do at this very moment, Boris, is find out exactly where he is. And the real concern here is whether or not he continues to pose a danger to the surrounding area.

Earlier, there was a shelter-in-place in Brooklyn Park that has been lifted. But certainly, many people are on high alert. We now have video that just came in from someone who knew the suspect. Here's what he had to say, Boris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CARISON, SUSPECT'S FRIEND AND ROOMMATE: May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way. I don't want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don't know anything about this. But I love you guys and I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused.

I mean, he was a loving, caring guy, you know, loved his family, loved his friends, and loved God. And I don't know why he did what he did. It's just -- it's not Vance. No one will believe this. No one that grew up. He had lots of friends, trust me. I wish I could have been there to stop him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: There are many more questions still to be answered. Law enforcement is reluctant to define a specific reason for this. I mean, they are not stopping short. I mean, they're saying for sure this was a targeted, a politically targeted attack. But they're not, you know, beyond that, defining much more about this, Boris. So, there's many more questions to answer here. And we're hoping to learn more soon.

Boris.

SANCHEZ: Whitney Wild, live for us in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Thank you so much. Another top story we're following tonight. Peaceful protests have turned tense in Los Angeles, with police issuing dispersal orders and attempting to move demonstrators from parts of downtown. LAPD saying that people in the crowds are, quote, "throwing rocks, bricks, bottles, and other objects, leading to officers, as we're watching here, deploying gas or smoke into the crowds."

KEILAR: These images contrasting what we've seen throughout the day with millions attending so-called "No Kings" protests across the country. The organizers have denounced what they describe as President Trump's authoritarian policies. CNN's Michael Yoshida is there in Los Angeles.

So, Michael, so much of what we had seen appeared to be protesters in places where they should not be, intermingled with cars, which is obviously a very bad idea, and police trying to get them away from those areas. But now we're hearing from police saying that they've been throwing things. What have you seen?

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, when you talk about the throwing of things, we know we've heard from police we've even seen some bottles, other objects being thrown by some protesters towards law enforcement. We also have seen them then picking up as police have started to push them back, some of their flashbangs, their tear gas canisters, whatever, and throwing those back as well.

At this point, we're on Main Street, just by City Hall in downtown L.A., by the police department. You can see we have a line of LAPD officers here, and we are further up the street. It was just a short time ago that LAPD pushed us further down the roadway. But if we look down, we'll have our photographer zoom in. You'll be able to still see some of those mounted police officers. There's a line there. You might also be able to see some of the flags that still exist on the other side. That's what we've been seeing play out over the last 30, 40 minutes here. We were at another intersection maybe two blocks down. We saw police start to use some of that gas, other flashbangs, and start just pushing the crowd further away from the federal buildings, from the City Hall area.

And now they've made their way another block over. At this point, pretty much wherever I look around me, we see LAPD or some other form of law enforcement. Again, this following what was, throughout most of the morning and the early afternoon, very peaceful protests happening throughout L.A. We had the "No Kings" protest, estimates maybe around 20,000 or so, marching through the streets. They had started at City Hall. We were with them throughout the morning. Walked for several miles, then ended up back at City Hall. That was a very festive environment. Plenty of signs, flags, very spirited, but very peaceful.

It was then about maybe an hour and a half, two hours ago, that's when we start to see some crowds gathering near one of the federal buildings. That's when we started to see the tensions rise between some protesters and the law enforcement that were standing guard. And now, again, for the last 30, 40 minutes, we've seen them starting to push protesters back away from this area of downtown.

[21:10:01]

Again, we have a line of LAPD right here. Further down, more protesters as an unlawful assembly has been declared in some parts of this downtown area. And we're, again, working to try and get our foot way closer to get some more visual, some more information for you as we continue to watch this play out here in downtown Los Angeles.

Back to you.

SANCHEZ: And, Michael, we understand that curfew is still in place for 8 p.m. in L.A. as it has been over the last several days. It is going to start getting dark there soon. I wonder whether there's a concern that people may violate the curfew.

YOSHIDA: So, you mentioned we're having that curfew remaining in effect eight local time in the evening to six in the morning. I can tell you over the last few days, we've been here all week as this curfew has now been put in place. And it's usually been about an hour to 40 minutes before the start of the curfew where we've started to hear announcements from LAPD about needing to disperse.

And for the most part, for the last few nights, we've seen crowds start to kind of just go on their own. You mentioned it. We're now maybe a little under two hours, I believe, away from that curfew. So, as the sun starts to set, as we get closer, definitely something we'll be keeping an eye on and we'll keep you updated on.

KEILAR: All right, Michael Yoshida, thank you so much for that report.

And also breaking tonight, President Trump celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary with what was an unprecedented military parade here in the nation's capital. The president spoke just a short time ago praising our servicemen and women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: The Army keeps us free. You make us strong. And tonight you have made all Americans very proud. They're watching from all over the world, actually. Made them all very proud. Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The President's speech taking place, as we noted a moment ago, millions of people across the country rallying against the president's policies, gathering at thousands of so-called "No Kings" protests.

Let's go straight to CNN's Donie O'Sullivan, who has been speaking to people along the parade route here in Washington, D.C. Donie, what have they shared with you?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Boris. Just to give you a sense of what's happening here, the parade and the firework display here just wrapped up a few minutes ago. And people who are at the parade and enjoying the fireworks, many, of course, of them Trump supporters, are streaming off the National Mall and they're making their way home. And they are being greeted here by demonstrators, anti-Trump, a lot of pro-Palestinian demonstrators here among the crowds.

About 50 or 60 on this -- on this particular exit. As you can see, there is a police line in place separating the demonstrators from the people who are coming off the National Mall.

You mentioned those "No King" protests. They have been happening, taking place all across the country today. Deliberately, the organizers of that event did not hold a "No King" protest here in D.C., but there was some smaller protests taking place in the city. As you can see, many of those folks are still out on the streets here, but no major incidences. And even you see there, people are having their say. They are jeering at some of the folks coming off the National Mall, but the police do have things under control here, Boris.

KEILAR: All right, Donie, thank you so much. We know that you'll keep an eye on that there. Let's go to Kristen Holmes. She is just a short distance away along the parade route there. This was a big night for the Army, Kristen. It was also a big night for President Trump.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it was. And, you know, you played a little bit of his speech there. And I know there were a lot of Republicans and even Trump supporters who were holding their breath when Donald Trump spoke because they really wanted him to make this about the Army, to make this about the 250th anniversary of the Army. And he did. He stayed on message. It was a short speech. He spent most of his time praising the Army, talking about the history of the Army.

So, there were a lot of people I know who were happy to hear that because there has been a lot of criticism about this parade, particularly over the fact that it falls on his 79th birthday and over the fact that what we've seen from the president in recent weeks has been this really politicalization of the military. We saw him at a West Point graduation talking about politics. We saw him just last week at Fort Bragg, where these service members were cheering for him and booing for President Joe Biden, something that you often don't see when it comes to the military because they are considered apolitical.

But today was really about the Army. We saw really millions of pounds of Army military hardware coming down the street behind us. We saw an ode to the various different armies that have served in terms of eras, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the men and women in their uniforms with those kind of old-fashioned weapons of the time.

[21:15:21] And I spoke to a number of veterans who were here and just very happy to be here and supporting the military and honoring service men and women. Again, it comes at a time where, as we just heard Donie say, it's a very politically toxic and charged environment, even just outside where I am, where I'm standing right here and there's no one here just down the street. But when they were here and when they were watching this, there were mostly people here who were just here to celebrate the Army.

KEILAR: All right, Kristen, thank you so much for that report there here in Washington.

Three people have died in Israel following a new round of Iranian strikes. Actually, we heard the death toll has gone up to four.

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[21:20:46]

KEILAR: Breaking tonight, further escalation in the exchange of airstrikes between Israel and Iran. You are looking now at some of the latest damage caused by Iranian ballistic missiles that penetrated Israel's Iron Dome defenses. Several buildings in central Israel hit by those in this latest salvo from Iran and at least four people have reportedly been killed in Israel because of this, including three women in an Arab-Israeli town, the town of Tamra.

SANCHEZ: Meantime in Iran, this is video of an oil depot that state media says was hit by an Israeli airstrike. Reports there also say that an Israeli attack struck the Iranian defense ministry in Tehran causing minor damage.

Let's go live to Tel Aviv with CNN's Clarissa Ward. We spoke with her just moments ago about the damage that emergency teams are now responding to.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are still trying to get a better picture of how many people may have been killed or injured as a result of these strikes. Now, they had, everyone in Israel received a warning sometime before that they needed to get into their shelters, but you can see the kind of damage and destruction that is being incurred as a result of these ballistic missile strikes. These are very different to the types of munitions that people in Israel are used to being on the receiving end of, like Katyusha rockets.

Earlier, we visited the site of a strike from last night and saw a huge amount of damage. Multiple houses destroyed, cars crumpled like Coke cans, debris all over the ground. We know that Israel's emergency services are on the ground at that location and a number of others where it's believed that Iranian ballistic missiles made landfall. But as of yet, we don't know the casualties --

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Clarissa Ward for that update.

Our team of experts joins us now. Colonel Leighton, I wonder what you make of what we're seeing unfold on the ground right now.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, so Boris, one of the key things is, you know, right now we're seeing the visuals mainly from Israel. But the other thing that's going on is the Israelis are reporting that they have struck some of the nuclear weapons-related facilities in Tehran, or in and around Tehran.

So, there's a lot going on where the Israelis are actually hitting targets in Iran. And of course, the Iranians are more or less responding to these attacks. But the key element here, I think, is that this is a salvo upon salvo type situation. And the Iranians are firing several missiles, probably maybe about 100 or so, potentially, in the direction of Israel.

The Israelis, though, are really recalibrating what they're doing, and they're hitting some very specific targets. And I think that will show that they are going not only with precision strike type efforts, but they're also going with very specific targets in mind. So, it's pretty clear that they're going after the nuclear program at this point.

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (Ret.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I would say to that very point, as Cedric just laid out, the -- I think we've mentioned it previously that Iran is counterpunching, and they don't have the ability to sustain that. What the Israelis bring to the table is incredible precision and a presence. They can sequence attacks. They can do bomb damage assessment in route, and then they can alter their targets. And they have air supremacy, which means they can do what they want over Iran. And they can go after targets. They can do the bomb damage assessment. They can then sequence other attacks.

So, when you talk about very hard to get targets, you know this is an Air Force guy. You can do a precision strike, immediately trailing another precision strike. And as you dig deeper, since you don't have the massive ordnance penetrator that can go down to that distance, but you can start digging away at that to do some significant damage that really gets after their ability to provide and meet their social contract, which is we want power, we want some kind of peace. And so the regime's got some legitimate challenges, although I don't think regime change is the objective here. It's the elimination or the degradation of nuclear capability.

[21:25:02]

LEIGHTON: That -- that I think is -- I think you're right, sir. One of the key elements here is that you've got to go after the nuclear program, you know, based on the political guidance that the Israeli defense forces have received. And one of the aspects of this is, you know, as you mentioned, achieving air supremacy allows them to do these kinds of things.

So, you know, when we talk about going after a place like Fordo, which is a deeply buried target, that can be done even without a massive ordnance penetrator, because you can go and hit, you know, some of the air supply, for example, for the facility.

You can hit the power supply. You can do those kinds of things. And if they do that, if the Israelis do that, and they're successful in doing that, they will have absolutely weakened the Iranian program.

MARKS: Yeah, that's EBO, effects-based operations.

LEIGHTON: Exactly.

MARKS: If I can't get at that directly, I can get to everything else that's tangential to the support of that. And it now no longer has a function.

LEIGHTON: Yeah, exactly, right.

KEILAR: Makes it may be a moot point there. And then, General, there's an Israeli official telling the "Wall Street Journal" tonight that Iran's supreme leader is, quote, "not off limits." So, I wonder if you think Israel is seriously considering taking out the Ayatollah, and then, you know, the effect of that would be what?

MARKS: I can't answer question number one, certainly, in terms of what their intent is. I can state with some level of, I mean, based on what I've seen over the course of --

KEILAR: What would the wisdom in that be, I guess, then, is a better question.

MARKS: Who is -- well, first of all, you cut off the head of the snake. I'm not too sure that you really kill this snake in that regard. I mean, I always viewed the Pentagon like, if you lost the senior leadership in the Pentagon, somebody else would step up. We'd still be OK. But I totally get it in terms of the vulnerability of the regime.

So, what type of internal resistance exists that's at a tipping point so that if the senior leader is gone, if the Ayatollah is now gone, and they scramble to bring succession plan, probably has his son stepping up. If that's now where we are, is that the opportunity for the regime to really be challenged from internal resistance?

SANCHEZ: And there is notably some effort by Mossad to recruit that internal resistance. We saw some success with the drone operations that were launched from within Iran, most recently as of a couple of days ago.

LEIGHTON: Yeah, and keep in mind that the assets that they're using, that's exactly right, Boris, the assets that they're using are actually often Iranians that are working for the Mossad and doing it in a very clandestine fashion. And that's -- that's really the kind of thing where these clandestine activities really become important as part of this. So, you have the clandestine activities going on with the Mossad.

You have the Israeli Air Force going in and striking targets that have been developed through the intelligence preparation of the battle space, as we call it. And that kind of effort is really making it very difficult for the Iranians to prosecute any type of response to the Israelis. What we're seeing in Israel now is very spectacular, but what kind of effect will it have on the Netanyahu government, for example. The one thing it will probably do is it will coalesce support for Netanyahu, at least temporarily, and it will also strengthen the resolve of the Israelis to fight back against Iran.

MARKS: And you know, you have to look at it from the Israeli perspective. At some point, are they going to run out of gas? I mean, they can operate on multiple, what we call lines of effort. You still have a Gaza challenge. You've got a Hezbollah challenge, although Lebanon is supporting that. You've got ungoverned space in Syria and you're prosecuting the very first steps of a very large campaign. I won't call it a war against Iran. How long can they do that? They're self-aware enough to know when they have to be able to say, I think we've met our objectives.

KEILAR: Yeah, many fronts at this point here. And we are watching, again, damage in Bat Yam in the southern Tel Aviv suburb there. You can see Israeli emergency services responding. We have at times seen first responders there with a dog. So, they are looking for people. We know that much. We know there's also been a strike in Tamra, in the Arab-Israeli town of Tamra, where it appears reports are indicating that four people have died. So, this is a deadly night, this third night in these traded missile attacks between Israel and Iran.

We are going to continue to follow this. We'll get in a break and be right back.

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[21:34:06]

SANCHEZ: We're following breaking news tonight and I want to get straight out to Los Angeles where we've seen some tense interactions between protesters and officials.

Michael Yoshida is standing by. And Michael, we've just learned from the LAPD. They're claiming that people in the crowd have thrown concrete rocks, bottles and commercial grade fireworks at officers. And that's part of the reason that we saw the response that we did just about an hour and a half or so ago. The dispersal of these chemical irritants to force some of these protesters back.

YOSHIDA: Hey, Boris. Yeah, you mentioned tensions rising here. We have seen some protesters start to chuck objects at law enforcement. We haven't able to get close enough to make out exactly what that is. But we have started to see law enforcement respond to put in perspective where we are.

So, all morning, all afternoon we were by City Hall for the most part that City Hall in those front steps right there. You can see we now have a line of LAPD as well as the sheriff office in the street. And if we turn this way, I want to give you a sense of what we're seeing here with some of the protesters that are left.

[21:35:08]

Now, you can see some of them in this intersection. I don't want us to get too close just yet. It's like just because I've been, but you can see LAPD here. Some protesters in the middle of the intersection again earlier this afternoon. That's when we started to see some of the tensions rise as well. Some of the protesters blocking traffic. That's when we saw law enforcement start to get a little more active and aggressive in trying to move them out of the area.

And as we turn back, I want to see -- you can see this field right here. This is what we've been seeing play out for the last few minutes. Protesters actually climbing that fencing you see right there and then sprinting through the field, trying to get away from this area. We've heard the dispersal orders from law enforcement. We've seen flash bangs, other chemical agents thrown into the area. And you can see it's like LAPD coming to line up in this area right now.

So, still very active here right outside of City Hall. This is where we started our morning with the no kings protest. Thousands making their way through the streets of L.A. And now you can see several dozen protesters, at least in this part of Los Angeles, left behind as we continue to watch these tensions in these scenes play out here in downtown L.A.

SANCHEZ: Very important to give context here as well. This is about as eventful and as tense as we've seen demonstrations today, even though there have been over roughly 2000 across the country with millions of people hitting the streets. This is about as tense as it's gotten. Michael Yoshida, thank you so much for your reporting from Los Angeles. Let us know as things develop.

Brianna?

KEILAR: We're following some breaking news out of Minnesota as well. SWAT teams and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies searching the property of the man suspected of assassinating a state lawmaker and her spouse and wounding a state senator and his wife. Officials say 57-year-old Vance Boelter was not at the residence when officers arrived today. Authorities are now searching for evidence, and that includes the home itself and a farm site. Officials say the shootings appear to be politically motivated.

Earlier we spoke with Minnesota State Representative Sydney Jordan, who knew Melissa Hortman, the slain lawmaker. And here's what Jordan had to say about her friend and colleague.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SYDNEY JORDAN (D-MN): I sat next to Speaker Hortman this year. Most of my memories of her are actually on top of the speaker's dais. She did lead us through, you know, as our leader above our house floor, making sure that everyone in the house had their voices heard and weren't able to represent their constituents. I think about her, her guidance when we were struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, when she gave personal guidance to us as we were reeling from the murder of George Floyd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Retired Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo is with us now. He's also the author of the book "Chief Rondo: Securing Justice for the Murder of George."

Chief, thank you so much for being with us. We have heard one of the suspects or we have heard these suspects roommate, one of them actually reading a text that Boelter sent to him after this attack. What do you make of what we heard from the roommate? What kind of clues could that provide?

MEDARIA ARRADONDO, RETIRED MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF: Brianna and Boris, thank you for having me. So, I literally just before we're airing here, I got off the phone with a public safety official on the ground out here in Minnesota. This -- this is important information intelligence. So, the text message to the roommate shows it clearly. The suspect, Vance Boelter, is still communicating with folks close to him. That's very key for the investigators.

There was a lot of incredible, critical information and evidence inside the suspect's vehicle that was at the scene of the tragic killing political assassination of Representative Hortman. So, everything from guns, ammunition, this manifesto that we talked about. So, the search of his premises, the property by these SWAT teams, that's going to continue to be ongoing.

Every bit of detailed intelligence that they get, whether there were offices that he worked out of, certainly the residents, they're going to be. This is going to be systemic. It's going to be very methodical, and this is going to go on until he's taken into custody. So, what tells me this recent SWAT search? That's great. They're getting more information. They're getting intelligence. They're going to continue to do their forensics analysis. So, computers, laptops, that type of forensic information is going to be very important.

As you talked about earlier to the reaching out to the roommate earlier today, he's -- he's -- he's communicating still. So, this is all part of the ongoing investigation. Earlier today, Brianna, I was on the air with CNN's top Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller. We're looking at what are some things we're going to be keyed in on as the -- as the day unfolds in the hours and fold. And one of those were, is he still contained in the original area of the suburb of Brooklyn Park?

[21:40:18]

KEILAR: Yeah.

ARRADONDO: We know that Brooklyn Park Chief Police just lifted that earlier this afternoon. So, one of the things that tells us is it's probably a little bit more relieving for the community of Brooklyn Park. But it also says that he's no longer in that area.

So, the search is going to expand. And so, law enforcement officials on the ground coordinating with state, county, local, our Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, our federal partners.

The search is going to expand, but he is -- he is -- he is deadly and they need to bring him into custody. And that's what they're absolutely the number one priority is. KEILAR: Chief, as you mentioned, they found so much evidence in his

vehicle at the Hortman residence. And I wonder, you know, especially because it almost just seems a little bit of stroke of luck. There was a welfare check on her house. And obviously horrific what happened losing her and her husband. But knowing that there was that list of so many targets, do you think that catching -- sort of catching sight of him early on and getting that evidence may have actually prevented a spree? What do you think he had planned that they may have interrupted?

ARRADONDO: Brianna, I have to say this and it should not get lost on your viewers. The coordinated impact of both Champlin, P.D. And -- and Mark Bruley's officers, heroic officers at Brooklyn Park who actually had to engage with the suspect. Had they not did that and had the wherewithal to do the welfare check on Representative Hortman's home, he might not have been captured -- or excuse me, you might not have been engaged with. That vehicle would have left the scene, as you mentioned, with the manifesto, with the names and facilities that he was targeting.

Also, obviously, with the amount of ammunition and weapons he had. So, I can't stress it enough. Brooklyn Park Police Department needs to be commended for their heroism and making sure that mean that's where they're leading to this investigation, the intelligence. There was so much in that vehicle. And so, that's important. Obviously, the investigation is going to go through all of that evidence that was found in that vehicle. And so, that's as a result. Also, the SWAT team search on his property, and there will be more of that coming.

KEILAR: Yeah, we're floored. Certainly, people are by what has happened. But to know what else could have happened is -- is just beyond. Chief Arradondo, thank you so much for being with us. We do appreciate your expertise on this.

We'll be right back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:47:28]

SANCHEZ: Fireworks lighting up the nation's capital tonight in honor of the Army's 250th Birthday. The celebration kicked off earlier today with something you typically don't see in the United States. A military parade made up of thousands of soldiers, tanks and military vehicles all rolling through the streets of Washington D. C.

Joining us now live is someone who attended the parade. Republican Congressman Cory Mills of Florida. He is an army combat veteran and bronze star medalist.

Congressman, thank you so much for joining us. First and foremost, we appreciate your service, especially on the 250th Anniversary of the Army. I wonder what was going through your mind as you were watching the parade and what you hope that it would achieve.

REP. CORY MILLS (R-FL): I mean, more than anything, just pride. The fact that we watched our greatest forces walk through the parade, people applaud them, people honor and respect them. You know, 250 years our armed forces has not only given us freedoms and liberties, but it's kept us safe. And tonight to be able to honor them on 250th birthday, it was just such a prideful thing for me.

SANCHEZ: It is obviously a historic anniversary worthy of recognition. But there are several lawmakers, including colleagues in your own party who have questioned the expense. Roughly $45 million. We understand that the parade cost and it comes at a time when republicans are trying to cut government spending and when the army itself is facing some questions about finances. Is it the right time to spend almost $50 million on a parade?

MILLS: Well, what a lot of people also don't understand is that a lot of this was done through private funding. A lot of it was done with the help of Oracle and Lockheed Martin and coin base and a couple of others. So, it's not all coming out of the taxpayers money per se.

But also we need to think about this and what it achieves with regards to recruitment goals and retention. You know, under the last administration, we saw recruitment and absolute deficit, one that we haven't seen before. We were worried about retention levels as well. This in fact is going to see us in my opinion. Not only are we hitting recruitment levels, but I think this is going to see a max recruitment level and retention as we saw tonight, people recruiting and being sworn into office right there on the parade.

SANCHEZ: I'm sure you've heard the attacks on President Trump over this happening on the same day as his birthday. There's also concern and he didn't do it tonight. His speech stayed far away from politics. But on previous occasions during his speech at West Point and during one earlier this week at Fort Bragg, he's been accused of politicizing the military. I wonder what you make of that.

MILLS: Look at the end of the day, he is our commander-in-chief. He can go up there and talk about the difficulties that we face in previous administrations and what the challenges are ahead. He can talk about what this administration has done in its first 100 days and what it's going to continue to do. That's not being politicized. That's just coming out and talking about where we were, where we're going and what we're going to do to try and get there.

[21:50:13]

SANCHEZ: Congressman, it has been a sort of split screen day. We've been tracking four major stories throughout the day. One of them is the "No Kings" protests which we're watching unfold across the country, some 2,000 planned demonstrations, largely peaceful. The only sort of minor incidents that we've seen, some demonstrators throwing rocks and things at police officers in Los Angeles, police officers dispersing chemical irritants to push them back, none of the violence that we saw, at least initially, in Southern California.

You know, the organizers here say that they want to reject authoritarianism, that they don't want to put billionaires first in politics, and they reject the militarization of our democracy. What's your message to those folks that are being peaceful, that are using their First Amendment rights, that aren't being violent with officers? Because just from reading the overlaying message, no kings, it seems to be what America was founded on.

MILLS: That's exactly right. What an appropriate name, no kings. That's what we're celebrating with the 250th anniversary of the Army, knowing that the Continental Army is the one that freed us from a monarchy, freed us from King George, freed us from dictatorship and tyrannical rule.

And so, I absolutely applaud those who are actually acknowledging their First Amendment rights. That's what we're supposed to be doing. I'm a true constitutionalist. I believe in our seven articles and 27 Amendments. That's what I fight to defend.

And so those who want to share their voices, do it not only at the ballot boxes, but peacefully in any protest that you'd like. I think that's something that we should always try and protect.

SANCHEZ: And what about their criticisms of the current administration?

MILLS: Well, you're going to have criticisms of anything. I mean, it's no different than the last administration, the one before that, the one before that. We have political affiliations. We believe in a certain set of ideologies. And I think that everyone has a right to their own opinion, and that's fine.

SANCHEZ: Congressman, we have to leave the conversation there, but I did want to give you an opportunity to respond to the tragedy we saw in Minnesota. Those lawmakers that were assassinated and another state senator and his wife that were sent to the hospital.

MILLS: Well, look, I mean, first and foremost, my heart goes out to the families, my deepest condolences. But, you know, it's OK to have civil discourse. It's OK that we don't have to agree 100% of the time. But to take violence to be the actual answer is atrocious, and I absolutely condemn any who actually use violence in an effort to try and go ahead and silence those who are sworn in to do a job.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Cory Mills, we appreciate the time. Thank you so much for joining us.

MILLS: Thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: Stay with CNN. We'll be right back. We have some brand-new reporting about Israel's ongoing attacks on Iran and the role that the United States is playing. Don't go anywhere.

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SANCHEZ: Breaking news to CNN, White House and Israeli officials now saying the Israeli operation against Iran is expected to take weeks and not days. This as we're getting new video of the damage from Iran's retaliatory strikes in Israel. CNN's Natasha Bertrand is joining us live. You have some new details on the Trump administration's stance on Israel's military plans.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, Boris. So, this is new reporting from my colleagues, Kylie Atwood and Alayna Treene, and they say that the operation that the Israelis are carrying out right now is expected to take several weeks and it's actually going on with implicit approval from the administration. Essentially they have not critiqued that timeline privately. They're essentially telling the Israelis, look, do what you have to do here.

And whether or not that ultimately, you know, starts to involve any kind of U.S. military role, that really does remain to be seen because right now, according to a White House official, the Trump administration, quote, "firmly believes this can be solved by continuing negotiations with the U.S." And this official added that the U.S. is not going to direct Israel to do anything but defend itself. So, implicitly there, they're saying, look, we're not going to tell Israel to back off at this point, despite, of course, the Trump administration hoping as recently as this week, that these nuclear talks with the Iranians would go forward this weekend.

KEILAR: Natasha, thank you so much for that very important reporting. And of course it happens as we have been following so much news today out of Minnesota here in Washington, D.C. with the parade and the protests all around the country.

Let's bring in Jamie Gangel and Jeff Zeleny to talk about that as well. Jamie, it has been such a big day for this country, for this administration.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely extraordinary from, you know, this tragic shooting in Minnesota and the parade today, the protests, which by and large, there were 2000 protests around the country. Almost all of them were peaceful. We did see some tense moments in Los Angeles and -- and a little bit in New York.

Just to go back to the reporting about -- our new reporting about what the Trump administration is saying, this notion of do what you have to do to Israel. I think that this is a critical -- Israel is going to see this as a critical message. As I've been texting with Israeli sources today, they've been very worried about whether Trump would pull back.

But it also speaks to this question of leverage. Everyone hopes this will go back to the negotiating table, but each side wants the most -- excuse me, I'm losing my voice, the most leverage when they do go back to the table. And I don't know if we have these pictures. We showed them earlier of Israel hit gas depots in Iran today. The pictures are extraordinary. You see these depots exploding and there you go, you can see them right there.

It's important for two reasons to talk about these pictures. First of all, it shows once again, Israel's capability, what they can do inside Iran. But it also speaks to a serious economic impact. The energy industry is critical to Iran. Some of this is exported. That's cash for Iran. A lot of it is for domestic use.

What does that mean? Israel is sending a message. We can make your life very uncomfortable. So, when you're taking away energy, one Israeli source said to me, just wait to see whether we go after water and electricity.

SANCHEZ: Jeff, last word to you.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I think that this was such an extraordinary day, you know, more than just a split screen moment. It just really laid bare all the challenges facing the president and the world. But I was thinking as we were watching President Trump's address tonight, a very scripted and brief address, what he said in his inaugural address.

And he said, my proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and a unifier. And as we were celebrating the history of the army, as he is setting forth really in the second six months of his first year in office, he'll be flying to the G7 meeting in Canada tomorrow. He'll be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the Middle East is inflamed.

So, the challenges facing the Trump administration right now in a foreign policy perspective are very stark, without question. He had a call today with Vladimir Putin. He said he wants the Israel-Iran war to end. But our reporting obviously is showing that we're also, the U.S. is giving some length here to Israel.

[22:00:04]

So, as we sort of reset this day, boy, the challenges for this administration, the applause from the parade will end and the reality sets in tomorrow.

KEILAR: Natasha, Jeff and Jamie, thank you so much for your reporting and all of your expertise tonight. And thank you so much for staying with us for what has been a very busy evening. And of course, a happy 250th Anniversary to the army.

I'm Brianna Keilar here in Washington.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Boris Sanchez.

John Berman picks up our coverage right now.

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