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CNN Headlines: Trump Says He Doesn't Know If $1.8B Fund Is Dead; Trump To Nominate Todd Blanche For Attorney General; 3 Shot, 1 Killed In Shooting After California High School Graduation; Knicks Rally To Beat Spurs In Game 1. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired June 04, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:31]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The weaponization Fund.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, what's your decision?
TRUMP: The weaponization fund, as far as I'm concerned, was a beautiful thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump defends that controversial billion-dollar fund that could have ended up compensating January 6th rioters.
And a celebration turns into chaos. A deadly shooting breaks out during a high school graduation, what we are learning this morning.
Plus -- a child is thrown from a car during a crash. Thankfully, he is okay. We've got more on this chilling video.
And -- bing, bong. Yeah, New Yorkers get that reference. Excitement from the Empire State and the fans there as the Knicks win game one of the NBA Finals. We'll get to that shortly.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Brad Smith. This is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Glad that you're with us this morning.
Let's get things started.
Senate GOP leaders are powering ahead with plans to pass $70 billion in new immigration enforcement funding. And it no longer includes any money for ballroom security. They are expected to begin a marathon voting session. It's known as a vote-a-rama. That starts today.
Now, this vote has been held up for weeks over sharp disagreements about the billion dollar anti-weaponization fund. Now, many lawmakers have argued against January 6th defendants being compensated. The president says he's not sure if it's actually dead, though, even
after the acting attorney general said the administration is not moving forward with it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERVIEWER: The anti-weaponization fund, have you dropped that?
TRUMP: No, a court ruled against it.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
TRUMP: But just so you understand, these are people that have been decimated. These are people that lost their lives over nonsense. And these were many great people, and I gave them pardons. I'm very proud to have given them pardons.
And I think they should be reimbursed for a crooked government. The government was crooked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Okay, so the biggest remaining question is, how will Republicans handle a push from some of their own members to formally block that billion-dollar fund?
Republican Senator Thom Tillis plans to propose an amendment to a critical immigration bill in order to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to reward Trump's political allies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I think even DOJ knows that this was a bad idea, and what we need to do is provide finality. We got either eliminate it, streamline it, guardrail it. It can't go in its current form, and if that's the only choice we should have, we should eradicate it.
SEN BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): In general, I support what Senator Tillis is trying to do to make sure that the weaponization fund is not just mostly dead, that it's truly dead. I want to make sure it's not mostly dead, I want to make sure it's completely dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: And in the House, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick is also vowing to keep the weaponization fund from happening.
Well, President Trump will nominate Todd Blanche to be his next attorney general. The announcement was revealed at a private White House dinner last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He's acting attorney general tomorrow. I'm instructing Dan and everybody else that's involved in that very complicated process, which is going to go, I think, very quickly, that we are going to make him permanent attorney general.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Blanche was previously Trump's personal attorney and has been acting AG for two months since Pam Bondi was fired.
Now in that role, he has secured indictments against some of the president's personal foes.
Now to this developing story, a shooting at a high school graduation in California. It kills one person and injures three others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have several 100 people out here. Start everybody, Code three.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) being stabilized with the victim. Everyone else set up a quasi perimeter that we can figure out his location.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: A man who attended the ceremony said the shooting happened after the ceremony had ended as pictures were being taken. One of the victims was just 11 years old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALYSSA, WITNESSED SHOOTING: Kind of traumatized for the people, everyone here that had to witness it. It's outrageous, really. It's sad. Prayers for everyone that had been affected by it, and I'm just so sorry that y'all had to go through that, for real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:05:00]
SMITH: A suspect has not been publicly identified at this hour.
We've got some stunning new video shared by Kuwait's aviation authority. The moment an Iranian drone and missile struck the international airport in Kuwait on Wednesday. You're watching the shocking impact on a passenger terminal building caught by several different cameras, followed by a large explosion.
New this morning, Iran is now denying responsibility, claiming on state media that it was actually a malfunctioning U.S. missile, not one of theirs. One person was killed and dozens more wounded following Wednesday's strikes on Kuwait.
And now we take you to Washington and a remarkable rebuke that's taking place on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this vote, the yeas are 215 and the nays are 208. The concurrent resolution is adopted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: That is lawmakers passing a resolution to limit President Trump's war powers in Iran, pushed over the edge by four Republicans crossing party lines. But it's unlikely to pass the Senate or survive the president's veto.
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned of the negative consequences of the vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I think it is a very dangerous prospect to take away from the administration and the commander-in-chief right now the ability to negotiate. That's what this does. It weakens us, our position and our leverage in negotiation on the peace in that situation. Operation Epic Fury is concluded.
This operation was immensely successful. The objectives that were well defined were achieved. The president is now in the process of concluding a peace agreement, and we have to allow him the -- to do that. And I think a war powers resolution right now is very untimely and a very negative and dangerous thing for the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: We will have more on those talks, plus CNN reporting from inside Iran. That's coming later this hour.
A desperate search is underway for a missing Auburn University student. James Weston Higginbotham was on a trip with his family in Japan. The 20-year-old was last seen last Friday at a train station in Kyoto. His family is still searching for answers there and they're hoping that anyone with information will come forward.
Family, friends and community members, they gather Tuesday night in Alabama to pray for the missing student. His grandfather describes him as a strong young man and says the family is doing everything possible to bring him home.
New video this morning from the Bahamas. It's showing the Coast Guard search for a missing American woman. Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old mother and sailor, disappeared in early April.
Her husband, Brian Hooker told police that she fell from a dinghy while the couple was navigating rough waters. The Coast Guard launched a criminal investigation within days of the disappearance. Divers are searching two new locations near where her husband said that they were sailing.
Brian Hooker was arrested, questioned, and then released by Bahamian police. He has denied all wrongdoing. Well, it could take days before we have final results in the
California governor's primary. The final results could take days as mail-in ballots postmarked on or before Election Day. They have one week to arrive. Republican Steve Hilton leads the field. He's followed by Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer. The top two candidates advance to the general election, and mail-in votes are expected to favor Democrats.
All right, on the hard court, NBA Finals are off to a thrilling start, with the Knicks rallying from a 14-point second-half deficit to take game one against the Spurs.
Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 30 points as New York extended its playoff winning streak to 12 games. That is the second longest in NBA history. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will look to even the series tomorrow night.
CNN's Omar Jimenez was outside Madison Square Garden with reaction from Knicks fans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the reaction after a game one win in the NBA Finals for the New York Knicks. We have been outside Madison Square Garden throughout all of this. And look, if you doubt any of the enthusiasm, even for an away game for the Knicks, look no further than the crowd that gathered over the course of this game.
But I want to show you what we've been seeing over the course of this as a celebration really begins here in New York City. It's the beginning of a long series. You know that if you're a basketball fan, but you can't tell the people here who have been chanting Knicks in four for hours.
I was talking to them beforehand. They were saying Knicks in four beforehand too. So this is just the beginning. They got a game one. It came down to a back and forth game throughout all of it.
But the excitement in New York City is the chance to do something they have not done in over five decades now that they are back in a place they have not been in more than two decades.
[05:10:06]
So moving forward, like we said, is a long series, but the enthusiasm here, it is not going anywhere. It's not going anywhere.
You can't go far. This is New York City. Back to you guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Omar engulfed by fans there. Excellent stuff. Going to be a very blue and orange subway ride home for a lot of those fans out there.
Lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, including this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: That guy's insane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: That is air traffic control saying, that guy's insane. Details on a close call at the airport.
Plus, there's this.
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SMITH: Scary moments there. A child thrown from a car. He is okay, but you'll see more of this dramatic body cam video.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TED LIEU (D-CA): So you're lying again -- you're lying consistently to Congress.
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: -- the United States House of Representative asking questions about --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Another fiery exchange on Capitol Hill. What set off that intense back and forth? That is coming up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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[05:15:39]
SMITH: The suspect who took 10 hostages while claiming to have explosives is now dead, according to authorities in Southern California. Police identified the man as 41-year-old convicted sex offender Anthony Scott Searles-Harris. The 15-hour long standoff, it began on Tuesday afternoon in Bakersfield, California, when the Army veteran barricaded himself inside a bank building with hostages.
The standoff involved a confirmed bomb threat at a school district's office within that building. Now, officials say it all came to an end early Wednesday when the FBI killed him. The 10 hostages were unharmed.
Listen to what police had to say about the suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY BLAKEMORE, BAKERSFIELD ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF: Conversations led us to believe that he was really concerned about his previous case history. There were specific elements that he was very frustrated, I think as some have expressed on some of his social media things that he's released. That he had some concerns related to how his previous cases, our case had been handled and what the aftermath of that was, his sentencing and those types of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: There is no word yet on a motive.
Well, there was a tense moment on Capitol Hill when a lawmaker pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio about President Trump's health. Democratic Representative Ted Lieu played multiple video clips of Trump with his eyes closed, and he pressed Rubio on the president's health and cognitive fitness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIEU: You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you.
RUBIO: No, he's not.
LIEU: If Donald Trump cannot stay awake at these important meetings where the cameras are rolling, imagine what he's like when the cameras are not there. So I'm going to ask you, have you been at classified meetings where Donald Trump has fallen asleep or had trouble staying awake?
RUBIO: I've never been at any meeting -- I've never been at any meeting where -- and the things you're showing me now he was not falling asleep.
LIEU: And so you're lying again, you're lying consistently to Congress.
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Trump underwent a physical at Walter Reed last month. His doctor recommended exercise and weight loss while still proclaiming his cognitive and physical performance are excellent.
On Weather Express, a quiet day for many with storms popping up in parts of the central U.S.
CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam walks us through the forecast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Our midweek stretch of fantastic weather continues across the eastern seaboard. It's all thanks to this cold front that dropped the humidity levels and lowered our temperatures compared to what we started the work week with. Now we do have a few thunderstorms that could become strong to severe today across the northern plains stretching into parts of the Great Lakes.
Heads up, be weather aware from the U.P. of Michigan through Minneapolis southward into Wichita, Kansas. This is more of a wind and hail threat, not really a tornado threat, but these storms will evolve through the and then push eastward for the day on Friday across portions of Lower Michigan. So you can see the Great Lakes getting a few thunderstorms as we start off the early parts of the weekend.
In terms of rainfall, though, the entire I-95 corridor stays dry, inclusive of Boston, New York to the nation's capital. Really, we have the surge of moisture helping fuel some of those afternoon and evening thunderstorms across the Gulf Coast states into the Central and Northern Plains. So heads up, we could pick up a quick half an inch to an inch of rainfall and some of those slower moving storms.
Look at your highs for today, 85 in New York City. We'll top 90 in the nation's capital, 84 for Atlanta, but considerably lower humidity levels, 88 though in Chicago. So we start to see the heat rebuild once again throughout the nation's midsection and that will eventually spread eastward through the course of the weekend.
Here's a look at your temperatures. Look at New York City. We'll top 90 by Saturday, 87 for Boston into the middle 90s by the weekend across D.C.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITHI: All right, thank you, Derek.
Well, still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, who is it, in the words of the late Michael Jackson. Police say that they may have some answers about the mystery of people climbing down into New York's sewers.
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[05:24:17]
SMITH: Virginia is seeing a measles surge that health officials say is unlike anything they have witnessed in years. The Virginia Department of Health says that there are 77 confirmed cases in the state. Fifty-five of those are linked to one outbreak in central Virginia. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed this, encouraging people to get vaccinated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., HHS SECRETARY: There's a global measles epidemic right now. We've done better than any country in the world in controlling it. I think last year, we had 2,200 cases. Mexico, which is a third of our side, had three times as many cases. We encourage people to get their measles vaccination. That's the best way to prevent yourself from getting measles.
[05:25:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Virginia Health officials say that 96 percent of those who have contracted measles are either unvaccinated or undervaccinated.
All right, well, this next piece of video is difficult to see this early in the morning, I will admit. It is a parasitic fly called a New World screwworm that can eat cattle and wild animals alive, and it's been detected in Texas in a three-week-old calf.
All right, I told you to brace yourselves. This is it. This is the first time in decades that it's been seen in U.S. livestock. The screwworm fly looks harmless enough like a regular housefly, but what it does is it lays eggs in the wounds of animals and sometimes people before burrowing into flesh.
Now, if left untreated, the host dies, but human transmission is rare. That is the good news.
Okay, we're going to cleanse our spirits and our minds after that one.
Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, it is shaping up to be what could be a massive fight within the GOP. We've got the latest on that controversial billion-dollar anti-weaponization fund that Trump now calls beautiful.
And this right here is frightening. A woman walking on the street falls into a manhole. We've got the story behind that coming up.
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