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The Situation Room

House Committee Interviews Bill Gates Over Epstein Ties; Iran Strikes Back After U.S. Retaliates for Downed Helicopter; Inflation Tops 4 Percent for First Time in Three Years. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired June 10, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown. Wolf Blitzer is on assignment, and you're in The Situation Room.

Happening now, breaking news. At any moment, President Trump is expected to sign an immigration enforcement package, giving ICE and Border Patrol $70 billion. And this comes as the president is changing his tone, making new threats against Iran after both countries traded strikes overnight.

And right now, Bill Gates is in Washington, D.C., facing questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

CNN Senior Reporter Annie Grayer is on Capitol Hill. Annie, the billionaire tech titan is being asked about the late sex offender and their relationship. What more do we know about the committee's interview today?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, we are expecting it to go for hours, Pamela, behind closed doors, where Bill Gates is going to be questioned by both Democrat and Republican lawmakers. And Gates is featured in the Epstein files hundreds of times, in emails, in phone calls, in calendar invites, but there are two explosive draft emails that the committee specifically wants to ask Gates about, where Epstein allegedly was writing a note to himself that was never sent, where he claims that Gates work -- he helped Gates -- set Gates up with women, and he also got Gates medication to hide a sexually transmitted infection from his wife.

Now, Gates vehemently denies those allegations, says they are completely false, but that he regrets ever having interacted with Epstein. And prior to this closed-door interview starting, Gates made a statement to reporters. Take a listen to what he had to say.

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BILL GATES, CO-FOUNDER, MICROSOFT: I'm glad to be here voluntarily to testify to help with the committee's work. I'll start with an opening statement in the hearing room. I hope my testimony is helpful to the work, important work of the committee to find justice for the victims. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRAYER: Gates is the 15th witness the Oversight Committee has interviewed as part of its investigation, and we'll keep you posted as that interview unfolds today.

BROWN: I know you will. And also House Oversight Chair James Comer spoke. He does this sometimes before big interviews. What did we learn?

GRAYER: So, he made some key news here. He said that based on the interviews that the committee has done so far, that the panel now wants to call in Alan Dershowitz and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Now, the committee interviewed former Attorney General Pam Bondi about her role in overseeing the release of the Epstein files by the Department of Justice. That created a lot of controversy because there was concerns about how the department handled redactions, how certain documents were released, and what was publicized.

And in that interview, Bondi said that Todd Blanche was the one who actually was overseeing this process and making a lot of the decisions. So, there was a question of was the committee going to follow through and then ask Todd Blanche to come in and testify? And Comer said that is his intention. He wants the acting attorney general to come in in July.

Now, Blanche came in for an informal conversation with Bondi earlier this year, but now the committee has new questions based on Bondi's interview and her -- the transcript that was released in that interview just a few weeks ago.

So, big development in this investigation, showing that this is far from over as the committee moves ahead with Bill Gates today.

BROWN: All right. Annie Grayer, live for us on Capitol Hill. Thanks so much.

And we're also following some breaking news. This morning, President Trump is changing his tune on Iran, saying that they will pay the price for not making a peace deal. In fact, he tells Fox News that he is getting closer to targeting its power plants and bridges.

And overnight, Tehran says it retaliated on U.S. targets in the Middle East. State media released this new video. Kuwait and Jordan say they intercepted Iranian missiles and airstrikes. And Iran says it targeted the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. Video geo-located by CNN appears to show a flash in the vicinity of a U.S. base.

I want to bring in CNN Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen in Tehran. And we should note that CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government, but maintains full editorial control of its reports. Fred? FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps say that they launched powerful retaliatory strikes at U.S. military bases in the Middle Eastern region.

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The Iranians say that they launched aerial attacks against bases in Jordan, Kuwait, as well as the headquarters of the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, using drones but also powerful ballistic missiles. All this comes after the United States struck areas in the Persian Gulf. The Iranians are saying that that is a violation of their sovereignty, and they are also saying that it is a pretext that the U.S. is using.

Now, all this, of course, comes after a U.S. chopper was downed near the Strait of Hormuz. The United States saying that it was hit by an Iranian drone, and that it holds Iran responsible for that.

In the overnight hours, there were explosions that could be heard, according to sources, in places like Bandar Abbas, but also on an island near the Persian Gulf. The U.S. saying that it struck radar installations and surface-to-air missile batteries, but the Iranians are saying that a water desalination plant was also struck, knocking out drinking water in parts of that region.

Now, of course, all of this comes as the situation in the Persian Gulf, and specifically in the Strait of Hormuz, remains extremely volatile with the U.S. and Iran trading blows in that area over the past couple of days, but also as Iran and the United States are still trying to find a way to reach a memorandum of understanding that would end the hostilities between the two countries, and then pave the way for broader peace negotiations.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

BROWN: And our thanks to Fred Pleitgen.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us this morning. Alayna, the president said he is, quote, getting close to ordering new strikes. What more is he saying this morning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, definitely a sharp turn in rhetoric that we heard from the president this morning. He posted on social media, Pamela, essentially saying that he believes that Iran's military has been completely destroyed, and then going on to say that they have taken too long to negotiate a deal, and that, he argues, would be great for them, and now they will have to pay the price.

It also comes, I should note, after we heard the president give an interview with Fox News, in which he said he is considering wider military action in Iran following those U.S. strikes in retaliation for that downed Apache helicopter on Monday, also arguing that he is getting closer to targeting Iran's power plants and bridges.

Now, I would note that would be a significant escalation, even more so than what we saw yesterday with that exchange of fire between Washington and Tehran. We know that the president had previously, prior to the ceasefire, threatened to go after civilian infrastructure and energy infrastructure in Iran, but held off multiple times in order to allow diplomacy to prevail.

And I think a key question, as we look at the president's rhetoric this morning, is whether or not he is sincere in this, that whether the exchange of fire and the hostilities have reached a level that has really made him rethink whether or not he is committed to peace talks and wanting to finalize this memorandum of understanding, or if this is perhaps just some last-minute pressure that he is trying to assert on the Iranians as both sides feel like they are closing in on a deal.

I would remind you, Pamela, it was less than 48 hours ago that we heard President Donald Trump say that he believed a deal was two to three days away from being finalized and, of course, that he wanted a deal to prevail. He did not want to return to all-out war or to have the Strait of Hormuz remain closed for several months. So, I think we are going to need some clarity from Donald Trump this morning.

Luckily, he is set to have, you know, a bill signing this hour. He's expected to speak to the press. Hopefully, we get some more answers from him then.

BROWN: Right. He's expected to sign the $70 billion immigration enforcement package. Is that right?

TREENE: That's right. So, this is essentially called the Secure America Act. It's that GOP-led legislation, as you mentioned, going to cost roughly $7 billion to keep ICE and Border Patrol funded through the remainder of President Donald Trump's second term.

This is the same bill, I'd mind you, that had stalled in Congress for weeks. Part of that because of Democrats really pushing back against the ICE operations we saw play out in different U.S. cities, especially in Minneapolis, where there were the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

I should note, of course, there was some last-minute tussling over this bill as well. It was supposed to potentially include that $1.8 billion weaponization fund that the Trump administration had been posting. Also, this idea of another $1 billion for the president's presidential ballroom, those were stripped out by Republicans in order to make sure this bill went through. So, all to say, it had passed. Trump expected to sign it in the next hour. Pam?

BROWN: All right. Alayna Treene, live for us from the White House, thanks so much.

And still ahead here in the Situation Room, inflation hits a three- year high as the war with Iran drives up prices.

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So, what does this mean for your budget?

Plus, anti-immigrant violence erupts in Northern Ireland after a knife attack.

And the main event is set. Graham Platner wins the Democratic Senate primary despite several controversies. We are looking ahead to November.

You're in The Situation Room, and we'll be right back.

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BROWN: Breaking news, annual inflation has soared to 4.2 percent in May. That is the highest it has been in three years.

So, let's go straight to CNN Business Senior Reporter David Goldman. What do these numbers tell us, David?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, I mean, 4.2 percent is that kind of psychological barrier, right?

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When you cross 4 percent, you're talking about really fast price gains.

And, you know, we have a number to compare it with because you and I and the rest of the American workforce got a 3.4 percent pay increase over the past year. And you know what's more than 3.4 percent? It's 4.2. It means that inflation is eating our pay raises. And that is why so many Americans have that, you know, pain that they've felt over the past few years.

But remember, that pain that happened before the Iran war, that was when wage gains were higher than inflation. Now, they're lower, and so we're really seeing consumer confidence during the Iran war start to fall.

Now, energy is obviously the big factor here. Gas prices, we've all seen that at the pump. But there are some other things too, like shelter is one of those problems that we've had in the inflation story over the past few years. Housing costs just are not getting any better.

There is some decent news. Food is under-pacing overall inflation. And so at the grocery store, prices are rising, but they're not rising nearly as fast as overall inflation. And that is partially because there is a way to store most packaged food, and gas prices haven't totally made their way through the store yet.

Now, so why is it that we're seeing some prices rise at the grocery store and some prices fall? It's because perishable goods, like that whole milk. You know, those are the kind of things that you're going to start to see rise. Fruits and vegetables in particular are going up.

Now, eggs, remember, we had the whole avian flu issue. Those have come down dramatically. But the thing to remember is that there's kind of a mini economy going on in your grocery store. That's taking place all over the country as well. And so prices rise, prices fall. Overall, inflation is definitely taking a big bite out of your paycheck.

BROWN: All right. David Goldman, as always, thank you for helping us better understand what these numbers mean.

GOLDMAN: Thank you.

BROWN: And coming up here in The Situation Room, how did a man fly tens of thousands of passengers on more than 900 flights for nearly 17 years without a pilot's license? That story coming up.

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BROWN: Happening now, Maine's Senate contest is officially set. Despite a wave of recent controversies, military veteran Graham Platner, has won the Democratic primary. Platner addressed the scandals earlier this morning.

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GRAHAM PLATNER (D), MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: I know everyone continues to be like, oh, what else is coming? You know, ironically, the whole what else is coming has essentially been the same thing the whole time, which is I've been very open about the fact that I struggled, very open about the fact I had a long list, litany of failed relationships for years because I myself was not in a good place.

I just want to make this clear, there's nothing out there that's actually concerning. People will make everything seem very concerning because that's what people do in politics.

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BROWN: Platner will face incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. It will be one of the most closely watched races this November as Democrats look to take control of the upper chamber.

So, let's bring in CNN Political Director David Chalian here in The Situation Room.

What stood out to you from Platner's victory and his victory speech last night?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Yes. Well, two things really stuck out to me from the speech itself. One, Platner was clearly trying to pivot away from his controversies of the last several weeks and months, quite frankly, and start framing this as a referendum on Susan Collins.

And you're going to hear that statistic that he says in the speech last night all the time. She voted with Donald Trump 95 percent of the time. I'm sure that'll be up again. So, he's trying to make this about Susan Collins. We'll see if that will work or not.

The other thing is, you just listen to him, it's a different kind of candidate. It's a -- this is not your father's Democrat, if you will, kind of a thing. And so you are you are seeing, we talk about it all the time, inside the Democratic Party what primary voters have continually said in polls and interviews and in results of elections, they want a fighter, and this is what that looks like in Maine.

Graham Platner has presented himself as a fighter, and we will see if that will wear with the broader general election electorate come November which is an older electorate and more female than most states when he runs against Susan Collins.

BROWN: We'll be watching that. So, Maine wasn't the only state we were looking at last night. How did President Trump's endorsement in South Carolina Republican governors primary play out?

CHALIAN: Yes. Well, he got behind the lieutenant governor in that race. She is going on to a runoff. So, it did not damage. He didn't get a black mark on his endorsement record. She is moving on. The question is now in the runoff, she's running against the attorney general in the state. Does Trump come in and really help boost her to ultimate victory in that primary?

BROWN: All right. So, let's turn to California. We know that the governor's race there will be against Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra, right? How do we expect this race to differ when you have a Republican and Democrat versus two Democrats, which could have also been the scenario but didn't happen?

CHALIAN: Yes. Tom Steyer came up short there, the other Democrat. He spent $200 million of his own money for naught.

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He got knocked out. We were able to project yesterday, seven days after the vote I might add, that Steve Hilton, the Republican, will go on to the general and face Xavier Becerra.

You know, Steyer immediately got behind Becerra, conceded and got behind him and said, Democrats can't allow for a Republican to win the governor's office in California.

It's an overwhelmingly Democratic state, as you know. This is an uphill climb for Becerra. But the same notion of the anti- establishment thing that is coursing through American politics, Steve Hilton's trying to apply that even in Democratic California, because Democrats have been in charge for years in the governor's office and in the state legislature. And so he's arguing that he is the agent of change. Even in blue California, if you're looking for change, he's trying to make himself that vehicle.

Again, that is an uphill climb. This is a much preferred outcome for Becerra to go against a Republican in blue California than it would be to have months of intraparty fighting with Steyer.

BROWN: I also think it's worth noting that the fact that Hilton is going forward as a Republican complicates Donald Trump's narrative that there was fraud going on in the California elections, which, of course, he has not provided evidence to.

CHALIAN: I mean, the other thing that complicates it is that there's no evidence of it.

BROWN: There's no evidence.

BROWN: Right, exactly. But from a narrative perspective, it's like --

CHALIAN: Yes, without a doubt, like head scratching.

BROWN: Yes. Head-scratcher is a good way to put it, David Chalian. Thank you so much.

CHALIAN: Sure. And just ahead, new security measures at Madison Square Garden for game four of the NBA Finals, but President Trump won't be there this time.

Plus, divine intervention. Can prayers from these sisters spur on San Antonio and knock out the Knicks? We'll talk with one of these ladies ahead of tonight's big game.

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