Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

World Cup Surprise; Trump DOJ Targeting Gavin Newsom?; Some Trump Administration Officials Skeptical of Iran Deal?. Aired 10:30a- 11a ET

Aired June 16, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:33:49]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now: A Ukrainian drone hit the Moscow region's largest oil refinery. And this comes only a day after Russia attacked a monastery in Kyiv.

And Hillary Clinton offered her take on President Biden's 2024 reelection bid. When asked if it was a good idea for him to seek a second term, she had this to say:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: He made a terrible mistake for himself, his legacy, and for the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Harsh words there from Hillary Clinton, and it comes after Kamala Harris and Jill Biden offered their own critiques on the former president's decision as well.

And here in Washington, the algae at the reflecting pool is becoming a bigger issue than anticipated, and it comes just days after the newly renovated landmark reopened. The administration claims this algae that was left over is from old -- is left over from old supply lines and not from the pool itself -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Also happening now, President Trump is at the G7, where he's been meeting with key Arab allies as well.

The U.S. agreement with Iran is certainly at the center of those conversations. New reporting from Axios says there is skepticism even within the Trump administration that Iran will actually make concessions on its nuclear program.

[10:35:03]

Barak Ravid is the CNN global affairs analyst and correspondent for Axios. Barak's joining us right now. I want to begin with your reporting on the reaction that you're

hearing from the CIA and from U.S. intelligence in general, even from the military community. What more are people saying behind the scenes?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, Wolf, so I think that, over the last two weeks, this agreement with Iran has been discussed internally in the White House by a small group of people that I think roughly can be divided into two camps.

On the one side, Vice President Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who thought that the U.S. should take this deal, that this is the way to go, and, on the other hand, Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of Defense Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who were all very skeptical about this deal and about whether the Iranians will actually meet their commitments.

And what I heard from three different sources with direct knowledge about this is that, during those discussions, CIA Director Ratcliffe said that the intelligence gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies show that the Iranians have no intention of making the concessions, the nuclear concessions, that the Trump administration wants them to do.

When they discussed -- when this small group of senior officials discussed the deal, they also discussed the intelligence that showed that what the Iranians are saying between themselves, the Iranian leadership, among itself, what it says about the deal and how it sees the deal and what their intentions are regarding the deal are pretty different things than what they're saying during the negotiations, both to the mediators and to U.S. negotiators.

And I think this is why both Rubio and Ratcliffe expressed quite significant skepticism about this MOU and the chances of it really leading to a final nuclear agreement.

BLITZER: Very interesting indeed.

Related to all of this, Israel. Where does Israel go from here, Barak? They say there are no plans to leave Southern Lebanon and the attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, Israeli officials say, will continue. President Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the G7 summit.

Are we seeing right now a significant shift in the relationship between these two leaders?

RAVID: So, I think there's definitely a shift, because Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump's national security interest and personal political interest have diverged. They started this war joined at the hip, and, as the war continued, they slowly but surely started moving in opposite directions.

And I think this is why we're seeing what we're seeing now. And the Israelis are very concerned about this deal mainly because of Lebanon. I think, as far as I know from U.S. officials, the Israelis will not have to withdraw from Lebanon, at least not at the moment. But I think their ability to conduct strikes against -- not against

immediate threats -- against immediate threats, and it's obvious and U.S. officials say, if there's a threat, if Hezbollah is about to launch a missile, then obviously Israel can take action to stop it, or if Hezbollah shoots, Israel can retaliate.

But in the last two years, what the Israelis did is that they conducted military action against what they call emerging threats, meaning if they know that there is -- if Hezbollah is moving missiles from one place to the other, they use to conduct strike.

Under the current cease-fire, I'm not sure they will be able to do it anymore.

BLITZER: And it's interesting.

Earlier today, President Trump surprised a lot of us by suggesting that Syria should get involved in Lebanon and potentially could do a better job dealing with Hezbollah. Would Israel go for that?

RAVID: So, I don't think Syria will go for that. I don't get the sense that Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa has any appetite for going into Lebanon with his military.

At the same time, I think there's a lot of potential for the Syrians to do more to secure their border in order to prevent arms smuggling from Syria into Lebanon, something that has happened several times over the last year.

[10:40:00]

But I think that, when President Trump is talking about maybe Syria taking action against Hezbollah because the Israelis couldn't do it, I think he's mostly sending here a message about his confidence in Netanyahu or his lack of confidence in Netanyahu, because what he said also is that Netanyahu acted in Lebanon in a non-responsible way and in a non-proportionate way.

And I think what he said today about Syria I think reflected not only what he might think would be a good idea going forward, but also what he thinks about what Netanyahu has done until now.

BLITZER: Important information.

Barak Ravid, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: He knows his stuff, as you like to say, Wolf.

BLITZER: He does. He's good.

BROWN: All right, coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM: California Governor Gavin Newsom says President Trump's Justice Department is going after his wife, all because he might run for president. What sources are saying this morning about the probe.

We will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:27]

BROWN: Happening now: A source tells CNN the Justice Department is investigating California Governor Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, over possible tax-related crimes.

The Democratic governor is a longtime Trump critic and potential 2028 presidential candidate. He called the move politically motivated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Donald Trump isn't just coming after me because of my mean tweets. He's coming after me because I'm considering running for president, because he hates that I have consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, declined to answer reporters' questions about all of this yesterday.

Joining us now is CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. He's a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Elie, thanks very much for joining us.

What should our viewers know about this probe, based on what we have at least learned so far?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Wolf, based on the available information, it appears that Gavin Newsom's narrative that Donald Trump is targeting Gavin Newsom and his family for political reasons is incorrect.

Now, yes, DOJ absolutely has a recent history of weaponizing prosecutions to go after Donald Trump's political enemies, but this case does not appear, when you dig in, to meet that threshold.

So, first of all, the reporting from CNN and elsewhere is that this case did not originate with Donald Trump or even with DOJ leaders in Washington, D.C., did not originate with Pam Bondi when she was A.G., did not originate with Todd Blanche, but rather arose organically in the Eastern District of California based on a lead from another case, which is how ordinary cases are made.

The second part of it is the reporting is that the probe here is aimed at Newsom's wife and her potential tax or financial entanglements and not at Gavin Newsom himself. So I understand why someone might see the broad picture here and say, ooh, this must be another politicized case.

But I think, based on what we know now, it does not appear to meet that mold. BROWN: And our reporting is that this originated, it was prompted by

whistle-blower reports from last year. What's your read on that? As you noted, our reporting is that this was not coming from political leadership at DOJ.

HONIG: Right.

I think that further undermines Gavin Newsom's narrative that he's being singled out and victimized. Whistle-blowers are a great source of information for prosecutors. We used to get whistle-blower complaints all the time. Now, you don't just take them and automatically run with them. You do your diligence. You do your investigation.

You talk to people. You subpoena records, which sounds like is what's happening now. And you determine whether that whistle-blower is accurate and can be corroborated.

So, again, if you just took the names out of it, if you took the Newsom name out of it and told me that there's an investigation of someone, a prominent person for potential tax or financial fraud, and it came out of a whistle-blower complaint, I would say, great, they should look into it and they should handle it. And that's the way things ordinarily are at DOJ.

BLITZER: Newsom's former chief of staff Dana Williamson has faced some legal challenges of her own over the past year or so. And Newsom's office pointed to past comments from her lawyers, saying federal investigators offer her leniency in exchange for information about the governor, but that she had nothing to share.

What should we read, if anything, from that?

HONIG: Yes, this is how good prosecutors go about doing their investigations.

So Newsom's former chief of staff was investigated and ultimately prosecuted for crimes unrelated to Gavin Newsom at all. However, in the course of that, if you are investigating as a prosecutor anyone who was a chief of staff to anyone, whether a chief of staff to a corporate leader, a CEO, a senator, a governor, a president, you would naturally ask them, well, was the principal at all involved in this? Did the principal know anything about this?

And in this case, it sounds like that question was asked of the former chief of staff and she said, no, Gavin Newsom was not involved. And so they went on with their business, both sides. So there's nothing nefarious about prosecutors asking the former chief of staff whether Newsom was involved.

And it appears her answer was no, and it appears no charges were brought against Gavin Newsom in that scheme as a result.

BROWN: Yes. And, of course, there's the legal aspect here and the political aspect, as you noted, Elie, the way that Governor Newsom is framing this right now. We still have a lot to learn about this probe, but it is certainly not the first time that a political foe of President Trump's has faced a Justice Department investigation. Governor Newsom is really seizing on that.

Again, tell us more about how this is potentially different.

HONIG: Well, this is the problem.

When you're a Justice Department, as the current one is, that has been overtly politicized, for example, in the cases against Letitia James, against Jim Comey, against Lisa Cook, against Jerome Powell, against Senator Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, when you do this time and again, people are going to be rightly suspicious when you have another case that may appear to fit the pattern.

[10:50:20]

But, again, there's no evidence -- in fact, the reporting is to the contrary. This did not, this one simply did not originate from the White House, did not originate from Bondi or Blanche or any of the other political appointees at DOJ.

So, yes, DOJ has that long record. Yes, they own it. And, yes, it's a shame on DOJ, but that doesn't mean that every case falls into that mold.

BLITZER: Elie Honig, as usual, thank you very, very much. We always appreciate you.

HONIG: Thanks, guys.

BROWN: Thank you, Elie.

And here's what's coming up all new at the top of the hour.

Attack plot uncovered. Several people have been arrested after federal officials say they were discussing an attack on the UFC event at the White House. We have new details just ahead.

Plus, left, right, or somewhere in the middle? New CNN numbers reveal the highest level of partisan independence among U.S. voters in more than a decade.

And deadly floods rip through parts of Texas and a tropical system threatens to dump more rain.

That's all new next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:56:01]

BLITZER: Cape Verde shocks Spain in a truly stunning World Cup debut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) (CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Fans from the tiny African nation all the way in Atlanta celebrating holding the heavily favored European powerhouse scoreless.

BROWN: CNN Sports anchor Coy Wire joins us now.

Coy, what a match.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, this is what the World Cup is all about.

And when FIFA expanded this tournament from 32 to 48 teams, some wondered if we'd get too many mismatches. Well, this answers that debate. Spain came in one of the favorites to win it all, Cape Verde coming in, making its World Cup debut, and somehow they left with the same number of goals.

This wasn't just a draw. This was a tiny island nation of about a half-a-million people standing toe-to-toe with a soccer superpower, refusing to blink, Cape Verde shocking Spain, holding the European champs scoreless in their first ever World Cup match.

The hero, 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, and like a bouncer at the world's most exclusive club, he spent 90 minutes looking Spain in the eye and saying, not today, seven saves. And there were countless heart palpitations for Spanish fans.

After earning FIFA's Man of the Match Award, Vozinha revealed the wish that he wished his mom could have been there to see it. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOZINHA, CAPE VERDE GOALKEEPER: My mom, she didn't manage to be here because of the visa, the -- how to say, the -- I forget now.

It's because of the money we have to pay for the visa, we didn't manage on time. And I would like she to be here. But I'm very happy also. And I'm very happy for all the Cape Verdean people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: He went from having about 50,000 Instagram followers before that match to now more than seven million. Incredible stuff.

Today, we have three global icons, some of the sport's biggest stars, making their 2026 World Cup debuts, Messi and the defending champs Argentina taken on Algeria, Mbappe and France taking on Senegal, and Erling Haaland leading Norway in their first World Cup in nearly 30 years. They will face Iraq.

Norway not messing around. They flew in nearly 700 pounds of their own fish, Wolf and Pamela, more than 250 pounds of cheese and 6,000 oranges.

All right, finally, every World Cup finds an unlikely hero, right? This year's might just be a duck. Meet Merlin, the feathered football fanatic who's waddled his way into the hearts of Mexico fans. It's like the team's unofficial mascot now, posing for photos, drawing huge crowds.

Mexico's 1-0 in this tournament with Merlin by their side. Sports fans are superstitious, so be prepared to see a lot of Merlin. Despite all the pressure, he does not quack. They hope their team can continue to do the same.

All right, just when Wimbledon couldn't possibly get any more star- studded, just in, Serena and Venus Williams are teaming up for doubles. Somewhere, ticket resale Web sites just did a happy dance. Serena is 44. Venus turns 46 tomorrow, two of the most influential athletes in sports history reuniting a decade after they last won together at Wimbledon.

It's less than two weeks away. Serena, of course, picked up a doubles win at Queen's Club in London last week, Wolf and Pamela, and is scheduled to play again today at the Berlin Open. Some things just go together, peanut butter, jelly, Batman and Robin, and Venus and Serena at Wimbledon. It works.

BROWN: Amazing. Still going strong on the tennis court in their 40s, I love that.

BLITZER: And I hope they come to Washington for the big tennis tournament at the end of July as well. I will be there, and I will be watching all of the tennis. But I'd love to see them especially.

BROWN: And, hopefully, Merlin the duck comes too.

BLITZER: Maybe he will be here.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: All right, Coy Wire, always great to see you.

BLITZER: And the next hour of THE SITUATION ROOM starts right now.

BROWN: Happening now: President Trump promising to publicly release the details of his agreement with Iran as he meets with world leaders at the G7.

BLITZER: And thwarted attack. The foiled plans to allegedly attack the UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House. We have new details just coming in.