Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Event/Special
CNN Headlines: Communities Cleaning Up After Violent Storms Rip Through Midwest; Trump Declares War Is Over, But Iran Denies Agreement; Mexico Defeats South Africa 2-0 In Opening World Cup Match. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired June 12, 2026 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:31:25]
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.
A tornado's trail of destruction seen here -- it's about 100 miles south of Chicago -- and just one of the many reports of damaging hail, winds, and tornados since Sunday. One person in Iowa was killed in the storm outbreak that hit multiple states.
And President Trump says that the war with Iran is over and a formal deal could be signed as soon as this weekend. The announcement came just hours after Trump had threatened new military action. But Iran's foreign ministry says that reports of an agreement are merely speculation and insists that no final decision has been made.
And President Trump is tapping Jay Clayton for the next director of national intelligence. Clayton is currently a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and he served as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission -- the SEC -- during Trump's first term. The president says that he still plans to make Bill Pulte the acting intelligence chief despite bipartisan pushback on his lack of intel experience.
Well, back to our top story this morning. A violent round of severe storms ripping through the Midwest. Here is Reed Benyon with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
REED BENYON, CNN REPORTER (voiceover): A massive funnel cloud caught on camera in Illinois Thursday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, brother.
BENYON (voiceover): The suspected tornado tearing through the city of Streator leaving horrendous damage in its wake. A man trapped in the rubble after the storm leveled a home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I've got a broken leg.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a broken leg?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.
BENYON (voiceover): A photojournalist in the area moving debris to try and free the man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which leg?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That one?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think his leg is broken.
BENYON (voiceover): Police officers arriving a short time later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have door we can put him on.
BENYON (voiceover): That suspected tornado was just one of several reported twisters that carved up parts of the Midwest as severe weather slammed areas already battered by previous storms this week.
There was also a possible tornado caught on camera in Lewiston, Illinois. Another one in the same state captured on video in Washburn. And yet another one seen here in Indiana. Severe weather struck other parts of the region as well, including several cities in Iowa. Parts of the state got hit with 70 to 90 mile per hour wind gusts.
The violent weather turning deadly in the city of Des Moines where police say a 54-year-old man was killed after being struck by a tree that broke apart and feel in a homeless encampment as storms moved through the city.
I'm Reed Benyon reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: All right. Thank you, Reed.
Is the war with Iran over? That's what President Trump is claiming in a tele-rally supporting Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones, who is running for governor. The president said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today and they have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon.
REPORTER: Has the supreme leader approved this deal, sir? TRUMP: I understand the answer is yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Trump says a formal signing could happen this weekend with Vice President JD Vance possibly traveling to Europe. The problem: Iran's foreign ministry says reports of an agreement are merely speculation and insists no final decision has been made.
The apparent breakthrough came just hours after Trump threatened to take control of Iran's key oil export, Kharg Island now before again backing away from further military action.
Markets liked the news. Oil prices fell; stocks rose. The White House faces growing pressure to avoid a wider conflict and further disruption to oil energy supplies.
[05:35:05]
And President Trump is making another selection for the director of national intelligence. Jay Clayton was the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term. He is now a federal prosecutor in New York.
Trump says that he still plans to make Bill Pulte the acting intelligence chief despite bipartisan pushback on his lack of intel experience.
Here is CNN's Kara Scannell with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump's selection of Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence comes as the administration is trying to calm a firestorm over the decision to put a controversial housing official into the role.
Clayton has never held a formal intelligence position but as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York he has walked a fine line. Clayton has carried out the administration's agenda by prosecuting terrorism, violent crime, and drug trafficking. And recently on CNBC he supported Trump's $1.8 billion weaponization fund and backed Trump's concerns about voter fraud in California.
But Clayton has largely kept the storied U.S. attorney's office from being caught in the political winds of Washington.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi directed Clayton to carry out Trump's request for an investigation into prominent Democrats associated with Jeffrey Epstein. Clayton sidestepped that by saying if new information came to light, he would look into it.
Clayton previously served in Trump's first term as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He has a relationship with the president and has golfed with him several times. Before politics Clayton spent his career advising bank CEOs and corporate boards, skills his friends say will serve him well in the cabinet.
On Thursday, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle indicated an openness to Clayton's nomination. Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said he has great respect for Clayton. Republicans said they hope to get Clayton confirmed as soon as possible.
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: The U.S. government has spent $750,000 to evacuate one American from a remote South Pacific island. She was possibly exposed to the hantavirus while aboard that cruise ship in April. According to two U.S. officials and a government document obtained by the Associate Press, she got off the ship, flew to San Francisco, and then traveled to the island.
The Trump administration chartered a private yacht to go get her. It used State Department money meant for emergencies and the exact price tag is still being assessed because the operation is still underway.
Community members chanted "vote them out" after a contentious city council meeting in El Paso, Texas. It was all over the plan for a new massive data center.
CNN's Giana Asterito has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EL PASO CITY COUNCIL ATTENDEES: Vote them out! Vote them out! Vote them out!
GIANA ASTERITO, CNN DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCER: El Paso's city council faced a raucous crowd after voting to keep its controversial incentive agreement with Meta for a massive new data center. The deal, which was originally approved in 2023, grants Meta 10 years of tax incentives that could be worth as much as $550 million, according to the city's website. For its part, Meta needs to maintain 50 jobs and an $800 million investment.
CNN affiliate KFOX cited company materials in reporting that the facility is expected to become one of the largest data center campuses in Texas.
After hearing nearly 200 public comments, which KFOX reported were largely in favor of taking steps to cancel the agreement, the council voted 5-3 to move forward with their deal with the tech giant.
After the meeting, El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said legal experts told the council that it's difficult to end the binding agreement, adding "But that doesn't keep us from holding Meta accountable. We're still going to that," according to KFOX. Some community members raised alarms about the impact of hyperscale data center on the city's resources and environment. Supporters of the agreement pointed to the data center's potential to create jobs while Johnson and council members have also said canceling the deal would put taxpayers at risk, according to KFOX.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: The World Cup is underway and it's about to be a party in the USA and Canada when these two host countries -- they take the pitch today. The Canadians are going to be facing off against Bosnia Herzegovina in Toronto. But first, Canada will have an opening ceremony starring homegrown superstars Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette.
And tonight, Team USA will take on Paraguay. Both sides have been getting in some practice before the big showdown. The U.S. opening ceremony will feature Katy Perry and Lisa -- from Future and Lisa in what's now being called Los Angeles Stadium.
The world was watching Mexico City though earlier as the host overcame South Africa in the opening match.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(Fans cheering)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:40:00]
SMITH: Celebrations erupted at the fanfest in Mexico City and that's where CNN's Valeria Leon has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mexico City's iconic Zocalo has transformed in this football temple. This is the largest (INAUDIBLE) of the tournament, big enough for 50,000 people. Here, visitors from all over the world have bought their music, culture, traditions to celebrate this opening match with thousands of Mexicans and, of course, tourist in this Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Now to Buzz Express, the stories that have everybody talking.
Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow is facing criticism online after starring in an advertisement for a luxury Israeli real estate project. Paltrow appears in the promotion for the project just north of Tel Aviv. Although she didn't post the ad on her own Instagram page, some people flooded her latest post with comments outraged at her promotion of the project, saying Gaza lies in ruins due to Israel's war there. CNN has reached out to Paltrow for comment.
And Taylor Swift is now in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She was inducted last night in New York. Fellow inductees, including Alanis Morrisette and KISS co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
And singer Sombr walked the red carpet with her and performed some of Swift's songs.
She is the youngest female songwriter ever to be inducted.
And Pixar just dropped the first trailer for its newest movie "Gatto." Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Clip from Pixar's "Gatto."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: "Gatto" is about mobster cats in Italy. Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishburn voice two of the characters. The movie comes out next year.
Well, next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS there's this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: Hey, police department -- police! All right, hands behind your back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: What was supposed to be a meet-up to sell Pokemon cards turned into something very different and dangerous. We've got those details coming up.
And the rise of the chatbots despite some public pushback. One AI platform says that they now have a billion monthly users. We'll dive into it later in the hour.
Stay with us. You're watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:47:00]
SMITH: The weather pattern known as El Nino is here. So what does that mean for you? CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: El Nino has officially arrived, and it's poised to affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. But its strength is what could set it apart from previous events with some experts saying this one may become a super El Nino.
So what is it and how could it affect you? Think of the Pacific Ocean as a giant bathtub stretching across the equator. Normally, trade winds push warm water towards the western Pacific, but during an El Nino these winds weaken, allowing this warm water to spread eastward. Once this wind circulation is altered and the ocean temperature reaches a certain threshold in this part of the Pacific, then an El Nino is declared.
This expanding pool of warm waters adds a lot of extra heat into the atmosphere. As we've seen with previous El Ninos, the warmer the temperatures the greater the impacts. And this one could rewrite the history books. The stronger ones, like what's developing now -- they're most common.
But these well-known events have been responsible for reshaping economies around the world and that's because El Nino's impacts extend far beyond the Pacific Basin. The most immediate impacts, they'll be felt here across the Atlantic Basin where hurricane season is likely to be stifled. Meanwhile, expect increases in tropical development across the central and eastern Pacific.
In winter, the southern tier of the U.S. is favored by a more active and wet pattern while the north can end up drier and milder than average. Consequences of an El Nino ripple around the world too with changes in seasonal rainfall patterns across Africa that can have devastating impacts on food security.
And spikes in extreme temperatures leading to heat stress throughout Europe. Decreased monsoon rains across Asia mean negative impacts to a water source that's relied upon by billions. Increasing drought and heatwaves could have major ramifications on next year's harvest in Australia.
El Nino doesn't guarantee specific weather at your home; it simply stacks the odds. And the science is telling us that this could be one of the biggest weather players on the planet in the years to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: All right. Thank you, Derek.
Let's go around the globe to see what else is making headlines.
We start in the U.K. That is where there is another hit to Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a time when he's fighting to keep his job. Yesterday, two top defense officials quit his government, including the defense secretary. He says Starmer is not giving the armed forces the resources that they need. The resignations came just weeks after the British health minister also called it quits.
A princess in Thailand who had spent nearly four years in a coma has passed away. She was the oldest child of Thailand's king. The 47-year- old had been in the hospital since 2022 after suddenly losing consciousness due to a heart condition. She's being remembered for her charity work to improve the lives of female prisoners, as well as for her diplomatic career.
[05:50:10]
Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS there's this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go! Go! Run! Run! Run! Run! There's one more guy up there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: A fierce and fiery rescue and the officers' body cams -- they caught the entire thing. We'll bring that to you.
Plus, Dolly is ready to pour some cup of ambition. We've got more on her latest business venture.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:55:00]
SMITH: In today's Money Express, Elon Musk's SpaceX is set to make its market debut today, the biggest initial public offering in history.
Maribel Aber has more details on this one. A big day, Maribel.
MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: A big day, Brad.
So today all eyes on Nasdaq as SpaceX is expected to make its stock market debut under the ticker symbol SPCX. So a number of media outlets are reporting that the company may allocate less retail shares than originally anticipated. Many of the details surrounding its public debut remain under wraps. SpaceX locked in a projected opening price of $135. The IPO is poised to be one of the largest in the history and could value the company at $1.8 trillion.
OpenAI's ChatGPT reached one billion monthly app users in May, according to data tracking firm Sensor Tower. Now the firm says ChatGPT is the fastest app ever to reach that milestone, surpassing the previous record set by Google Maps. ChatGPT's lead could narrow quickly as competition intensifies. Rivals, including Anthropic's Claude and Meta AI are seeing monthly user growth up to 900 percent year-over-year. That growth comes despite ongoing public debate about AI's impact on jobs and personal data.
Country music icon Dolly Parton is launching her own coffee brand. Her "Cup of Ambition" line will be available as grounds or K-Cups in light, medium, and dark roast. The name comes from a lyric in her Grammy-winning hit "9 to 5." Cup of Ambition will debut next month at Dolly's Tennessee travel stop in Nashville with a national rollout planned for later this year.
Brad, we love Dolly, but our cup of ambition is not nine to five. It's like two to noon.
SMITH: Exactly. You know what my first drink is going to be next time I'm in the Smoky Mountains.
Maribel Aber, thank you so much.
Let's get a check in on some of the other stories making news across the country.
We start in Utah. That's where police officers -- they rescued people from burning apartments. Here is the bodycam video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: Hey, the building is on fire. You need to get out. Hey! Come on. You gotta go. Let's go. Let's go. Go! Run, run, run, run! Run, run, run!
Come here, buddy. I'm gonna lift you over the wall, all right? Hey Sarge, grab him.
(Screaming)
POLICE OFFICER: Let's go, let's go! Is there anybody else?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Everyone got out. In the end, eight officers went to the hospital for smoke inhalation, but they have been released. Just remarkable there.
Now to some heart-stopping dashcam video out of Florida, as if that wasn't heart-stopping enough. This one shows a suspected drunk driver leading police on a wild chase through an Iron Man race.
Here's CNN's Jeremy Roth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY ROTH, CNN PRODUCER, WRITER (voiceover): Watch a suspected drunk driver lead authorities on a high-speed chase right through the middle of a crowded Iron Man race.
POLICE OFFICER: We've got to stop this guy because he could kill someone.
ROTH (voiceover): Newly-released dashcam video shows a sheriff's deputy blocking traffic during a May triathlon event in Jacksonville, Florida when police say he's alerted on radio to a driver weaving through the courses. Moments later the deputy catches up with the suspect who continues to speed down streets and across the paths of bike riders and runners. One attempt to stop the car fails and the chase resumed, reaching reported speeds of 60 miles per hour.
After a brief collision, the deputy decides to pull a pit maneuver bringing the dangerous pursuit to a stop. No injuries were reported but the department said the driver would eventually face multiple charges after being arrested in front of stunned athletes who were expecting a race, not a chase.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SMITH: Fire crews battled a massive warehouse fire in California. It started at a medical distribution facility forcing people to evacuate. Officials say the sprinklers were not working but no one was hurt.
And in Philadelphia people were trying something un-bee-lievable -- sewer honey. It all started seven weeks ago when a colony of bees made their home underground. And after weeks of work a beekeeper was able to coax out the hive from the sewer and into a safer location.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every day it's been something to observe -- only when I drive by in my car usually just to stay safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's brought the neighborhood and this block definitely closer together.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be glad to get the parking spot back, but it's -- I'm sad to see them go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: The beekeeper says that he looked inside the underground space once he'd relocated the hive. His finding -- it was pretty clean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: Hey, police department! Police! All right, hands behind your back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[06:00:00]
SMITH: Got to catch them all -- the robbers, that is. What started out as somebody trying to sell Pokemon cards ended in a robbery in San Francisco. A suspect pepper sprayed the victim and stole their cards after they met up for the sale. Police released a video of the moment officers arrested two suspects in the case last month. Officers had identified them the day after the crime.
That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
