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DOGE Cuts Threatening U.S. National Security?; Medicaid Changes Blocked in Republican Bill; Interview With Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; Supreme Court Rules Against Planned Parenthood; Pentagon Holds Briefing on Iran Attack. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired June 26, 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]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, breaking news: the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, saying the U.S. attack in Iran was, in his words, historically successful. Those new comments come as Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is now reacting to those strikes.

We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is off today, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

We begin this hour with the breaking news, new details emerging this morning from the Pentagon on the U.S. military strikes on Iran's key nuclear facilities. The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is calling the attack historically successful, and the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, is also revealing new details about the operation at the Fordow nuclear site, explaining just how the mission used vents inside the facility to deliver six bunker- buster bombs.

CNN correspondent Natasha Bertrand is joining us right now.

Natasha, what more did we learn from today's Pentagon briefing?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, as you said, Wolf, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, he did reveal a lot of new information about this massive ordnance penetrator bomb that the U.S. used on Fordow nuclear facility inside Iran and all of the planning that has gone into a strike like this over the last 15-plus years, including the engineers who are responsible for coming up with the kind of operation that would actually penetrate Fordow nuclear facility and, if necessary, other nuclear facilities inside Iran.

But it's worth noting that this briefing, particularly the details that we got from General Dan Caine, really focused on that one nuclear facility at Fordow, which is one of the most heavily fortified that Iran has inside the country. It is buried deep, deep underground. And so there were always questions about whether this massive ordnance penetrator bomb would actually destroy what's underground. Now, General Caine, he did speak to that a bit. He said, look,

everything that the operation was supposed to hit was hit. Everything that was supposed to be targeted, we believe, was in fact targeted. He said the operation essentially was carried out in a flawless manner.

But, still, between General Caine and between Secretary Hegseth, there was no use of the term that President Trump has been saying repeatedly over recent days, which was obliterated. The idea that Iran's nuclear program itself was obliterated, that is not an assessment that General Caine or Secretary Hegseth would go as far as to say.

And that is because, according to General Caine, something that he reiterated from the weekend, is that it's just too early. And he said also that the battle damage assessment is not done by the Joint Staff, not done by his shop. It's done by the intelligence community.

But here's a little bit of the back-and-forth he had with a reporter earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: What has changed? Would you use the term obliterated as well?

GEN. DAN CAINE, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Sir, like I said, we don't do BDA. I will refer that to the intelligence community. And...

QUESTION: But you're talking with them. I mean, what changed in the past three days to make you so...

(CROSSTALK)

CAINE: Sir, I think I said...

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I mean, I think I explained what changed. There was a great deal of irresponsible reporting based on leaks, preliminary information in low confidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: So, as you can see there, Secretary Hegseth, he would often jump in at times to provide a more political read on the situation, whereas Dan Caine was more focused on the specifics of the military operation.

But one thing that did jump out at me as well is that Secretary Hegseth kept saying that the DIA assessment that CNN and others reported on was low confidence, that it was too early to come to any conclusions. But, of course, at the same time, they are saying that the public needs to be confident in the fact that the military completed its objectives here.

And so in some ways they are trying to have it both ways, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, and it's interesting that Defense Secretary Hegseth himself acknowledged that General Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is not political, is not going to issue political statements. But he said he is more political. He himself said he was more political and he would be issuing some political statements, which, of course, he did.

Natasha Bertrand, thanks very much for that update.

Meanwhile, there's more news that we're following this morning. The U.S. Supreme Court sets the stage for a final dramatic day of its session that will take place tomorrow. And, already today, the justices are handing down a key decision on reproductive care that they ruled -- really ruled that the Planned Parenthood organization cannot sue South Carolina over its decision to pull Medicaid funding because the group provides abortions.

CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid, is joining us right now.

Walk us through this decision, Paula, and its impact, its possible far-reaching impact, I should say.

[11:05:03]

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, one of the reasons this is such a significant case is because it threatens funding for Planned Parenthood, which is the leading provider of reproductive care here in the U.S.

And this decision could provide a road map for other red states to target Planned Parenthood, because this specific case deals with people who use Medicaid and their ability to select their doctor. Now, in this case, Planned Parenthood sued the state of North Carolina -- sued South Carolina after South Carolina pulled funding from Planned Parenthood because it provides abortions.

So, today, the Supreme Court said that Planned Parenthood cannot sue the state of South Carolina over this decision to pull Medicaid funding. This decision was a 6-3 opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, fell along partisan lines. But, of course, this is another loss for Planned Parenthood just three years after the High Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

BLITZER: All right, Paula, thank you very much.

One follow-up question for you. This leaves key decisions to be announced tomorrow. That would be the court's final day of the current session, right? What are we anticipating?

REID: Yes, a little bit of procrastination, maybe, on the part of the High Court, Wolf. They have left six opinions for tomorrow, and among those are the three big ones that we're really watching. The biggest is about President Trump's effort to limit birthright citizenship, the idea that if you were born here, you are a U.S. citizen.

That is something that has been recognized in this country for well over 100 years. And they are trying to overturn that or undo it through executive order. So the bigger issue that the justices are examining is the power that a single judge anywhere in the country has to block an administrative policy for the entire country.

This is something, these nationwide injunctions have vexed every modern president. But because President Trump does so much through executive action, he has faced the greatest number of nationwide injunctions. This is a pet peeve for him and his Republican allies in Congress.

So that's really the biggest case we're watching for. We could get that tomorrow. We're also watching two other cases, one about the rights parents have to lodge religious exemptions, religious objections, and get exemptions for certain parts of curriculum, school curriculum that deal with LGBTQ issues.

The other case we're watching for comes out of Texas and the state's effort to limit access that minors have to pornography by requiring identification from adults to prove that they are over 18. While both sides of that case agree that keeping pornography from minors is a good thing, there are questions about whether requiring verification of age and identifying information is a violation of the First Amendment.

So those are three of those six that we're waiting for that we expect we will get tomorrow, but it will be a blockbuster day from the Supreme Court tomorrow. So we will be here bringing all of that live when those opinions start rolling at 10:00 a.m.

BLITZER: Yes, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM, we will be watching it. Traditionally, the Supreme Court leaves the most important decisions of the session for that final day. So we will have extensive live coverage of these final decisions tomorrow right here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Paula Reid will be with us as well.

Thank you very much.

And still ahead, a major setback to Senate Republicans after a key Medicaid change in President Trump's so-called megabill is ruled out. We have reaction coming in from Capitol Hill -- that and a lot more coming up right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:13:16]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: The reality is, you want to call it destroyed. You want to call it defeated. You want to call it obliterated. Choose your word. This was an historically successful attack. We should celebrate it as Americans and it gives us a chance to have peace, a chance to have a deal and an opportunity to prevent a nuclear Iran, which is something President Trump talked about for 20 years and no other president has had the courage to actually do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Joint Chiefs chairman, General Dan Caine, revealing new details about the U.S. strikes on Iran, saying that, in the days leading up to the attacks, Iran attempted to cover the main shafts of the Fordow nuclear facility with concrete.

Let's continue our analysis. Joining us right now, the former Obama Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. He also served as CIA director and White House chief of staff.

Secretary Panetta, thanks so much for joining us.

Let me get your quick reaction first to this morning's Pentagon briefing. What was going through your mind as you watched it unfold?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, I think the most important thing you can do as secretary and as chairman is tell the American people the truth, what happened, what was involved here, and let the facts speak for themselves.

And I think the American people have good judgment and they will come to the right conclusion. So I'm glad they're presenting the facts. I'm glad they're presenting the backup. I think the most important thing is not to try to editorialize or try to make comments that can distort the truth. I really do believe that the truth speaks for itself.

[11:15:05]

BLITZER: I want to highlight, Mr. Secretary, a moment during the news conference this morning at the Pentagon when Secretary Hegseth attacked the news media for its reporting. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: Because you cheer against Trump so hard, it's like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump, because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren't effective.

Maybe the way the Trump administration has represented them isn't true. So let's take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it. Spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the mind -- the public mind over whether or not our brave pilots were successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In our last hour, Mr. Secretary, the retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Steve Anderson told me this was essentially a -- quote -- and I'm quoting him now -- "a performance for an audience of one," referring to the president. Is he right?

PANETTA: Well, there's no question that the way he has approached this reflects a lot of personal judgment and paranoia, very frankly, about the role of the press.

And I think when you get trapped by that kind of sense, what it does is, it affects your ability to just speak directly to the truth. The press is going to do their job no matter what. Their responsibility is to report the news as they get the news to the American people.

I think, rather than trying to paint the press as coming from one direction or the other, that's a trap. It's a trap because, frankly, we have press on all sides, on the left and the right, in the middle, all basically speaking to the truth.

But, in the end, the facts have to be presented to the American people. And it's the American people who will judge what is right or wrong. I would trust in their judgment. And rather than trying to paint a certain picture, a certain political picture of what's going on, I think it's much better for the secretary of defense to stick straight to the facts, the mission that was involved here, the work that our men and women in uniform did to accomplish that mission.

That's what's important here, and that's what he ought to speak to.

BLITZER: Shortly after the U.S. strike, you told me you still believed that you saw this military conflict turning potentially into a prolonged Middle East war. Have you seen anything in the past few days since that interview I did with you that gives you hope that can be avoided?

PANETTA: You know, at this point, the real question that the American people in the world is asking is, what's the way forward? What's the way forward here?

And there is a hopeful way forward, one where the cease-fire holds, one where Israel can now turn to the problems in Gaza and try to focus on a more permanent resolution of the situation in the Middle East, and one where Iran could hopefully negotiate an agreement dealing with their nuclear capability.

There's also the danger that this could go the wrong way. If the cease-fire doesn't hold, if Israel goes back to war in Gaza, if Iran, instead of negotiating, basically goes back and tries to use the enriched fuel that they may have and continue the path towards working towards a nuclear weapon, then that's a path that could lead to another war.

So I don't know what direction we're going to take, but I do know that there is some hope that we could take the world in a better direction if there's leadership.

BLITZER: In addition to being a former defense secretary, you're a former CIA director, and I want to get your thoughts on this, because the early Defense Intelligence Agency assessment on the strikes in Iran was based on what's called a phase three analysis of battle damage assessment.

How were these intelligence assessments carried out, and how reliable do you think this one is?

PANETTA: Well, that's, frankly, what I think everybody ought to be talking about, which is the fact that these assessments are going to take some time.

[11:20:10]

That's the reality of a military strike in another country, is that you're going to have a number of assessments that take place. You have initial assessments. DIA gave an initial assessment here. There are other intelligence agencies that are going to assess the damage.

There are other intelligence sources that will be used to assess the damage. It's going to take weeks to really get an accurate picture as to just what happened here. There's no question that the strike hit the target. There's no question that the strike was conducted, I think, with precision and care.

The real question now is for everybody to be patient to see exactly what further assessments present as to the level of damage that was done. That's going to take time. We all need to take a breath and allow that process to work.

BLITZER: Good point, Mr. Secretary.

Thank you so much for joining us. Always good to have you here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Appreciate it.

PANETTA: Good to be with you.

BLITZER: And, right now, we're following breaking news up on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Senate's timing on taking up President Trump's megabill is now in flux.

This comes as GOP leaders are being forced to drop key provisions.

I want to go live right now to our congressional correspondent, Lauren Fox, up on Capitol Hill.

So where do things stand right now, Lauren?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, there's just so much uncertainty at this moment, Wolf, when it comes to whether or not Republicans are going to be able to move forward with this proposal by the end of the week, which is something that Republican leaders had hoped to do.

But despite the fact that they already were fighting to try to get the votes that they needed to pass this on the floor, there's now this additional hurdle. You just mentioned the Senate parliamentarian ruling that key provisions that were part of their Medicaid changes are not in order with Senate rules that would allow them to pass this bill with just a simple majority, meaning only Republican votes.

They would say that they are going to try to find a path forward. They're going to try to sort this out. They're going to try to retool this proposal. But it's really unclear right now how long that process is going to take, how far this is going to get them from their initial deadline and hope for voting by the end of this week or this weekend.

And you also are hearing from some Republicans who already had concerns about these Medicaid changes that they still don't know if they're going to be able to back this bill. Here's Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I'm still looking at answers to questions. So, whether or not we retool that or go back to the House baseline and build up from there, I think those are the discussions that the leadership will be having today.

If retooling means I can get answers to what I consider to be fundamental questions, I'm open to it. But if retooling means I'm still not going to get the answers I need to understand the impact on the state, I'm opposed to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And even if the Senate can move forward with this bill over the weekend or early next week, a reminder, it has to go back to the House of Representatives. There are a lot of questions right now whether or not Mike Johnson is going to be able to have the votes on that side of the Capitol, given some of the Senate changes that are coming down the pipe.

And, again, the deadline that the president wants to get this bill to his desk is the Fourth of July. Right now, that's just a little over a week away -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Lauren, we will see what happens up on Capitol Hill. Thank you very, very much.

Up next, CNN's new reporting, how DOGE cuts could be hurting the Trump administration's ability to handle potential retaliatory attacks from Iran right here on U.S. soil as well.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:28:37]

BLITZER: This morning, we have new CNN reporting.

Current and former U.S. officials are warning that sweeping DOGE cuts already implemented could put the U.S. in a more vulnerable position as the Trump administration prepares for any further possible retaliatory strikes from Iran right here in the United States.

CNN cybersecurity reporter Sean Lyngaas is here with us in THE SITUATION ROOM.

So, Sean, you and your team have been doing very significant reporting. What's at risk right now?

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Wolf, I mean, what's at risk is that all of these chain saw-style cuts that have been taken across the government, whether it's at national security agencies, communications agencies, or others, could make the U.S. more vulnerable to potential Iranian retaliation.

So if you take, for example, the hundreds of U.S. government personnel who focus on cybersecurity who have left the government, whether forced out or chose to take the deferred resignation program, some of those people could be helping coordinate the response right now. There's a lot of concern for both the private sector and the government that Iran can use hacking to retaliate.

Another example in terms of the Trump administration's focus on immigration, which obviously everyone says that it's within the president's right to direct resources to that priority. However, we've seen from our reporting that, after the U.S. airstrike on Iran, the FBI has told agents who have been dispatched to immigration to come back to focus on Iranian cyber threats, because that's the real and present danger right now.

[11:30:00]