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The Situation Room

Key Primary Races, Runoff Elections in Four States and D.C.; Deadly B-52 Bomber Crash; Russia Intensifies Air Attacks on Ukraine; Trump Vows to Release Iran Framework Agreement in a "Couple of Days"; Vance Responds to New Reporting About Epstein Files Controversy. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired June 16, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: -- Jackson is a billionaire businessman. He has spent about a hundred million dollars in this race. He's running against the lieutenant governor, Burt Jones. Trump has endorsed there as well.

So, we're going to find out tonight again, is the power of Trump's endorsement in these southern states, is that going to hold up? But we also talked to some voters this morning outside a polling place and they had this on their minds. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Trump has an influence. For me, Kemp's influence is more important. So, I feel like he's a little more balanced and that's -- you know, I do believe in -- well I believe in what's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am fond of Rick Jackson and what he stands for and so forth, and that's what was one of my key motivations to coming to vote this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you want an outsider?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To a degree, if that's what you say, yes. Rather than the same old, same old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I support Governor Kemp and I support the conservative agenda, and that's why I wanted to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, they're talking about the governor's race there, of course. There's a very competitive race to replace Brian Kemp. On the Democratic side, the former mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, won her primary outright earlier. So, she will face one of these two Republican challenges. So, one more primary election day in America.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And we also have key races in Oklahoma and D.C., right? ZELENY: We do. In Oklahoma, we'll see who is going to run in the Senate race there to replace Senator Markwayne Mullin, who of course became the chair of the Homeland Security Department.

And right here in Washington, a very important mayor's race as well. For the first time in 12 years, voters are selecting a new mayor. The mayor, Muriel Bowser, has decided to not run for re-election. So, a very competitive race on that side as well. Of course, that has big implications because President Trump is keeping a close eye on D.C., as we well know here. So, it's also the first time that ranked-choice voting is used. So, most likely the outcome will not be decided tonight.

BROWN: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much as always.

ZELENY: You bet.

BROWN: Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And just ahead, the investigation underway after the deadliest crash involving a B-52 bomber in decades.

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[11:35:00]

BLITZER: Happening now. Military investigators are trying to figure out how a military bomber crashed just after takeoff. All eight people on board died. Here you can see a large plume of smoke on the tarmac at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Military officials say the B- 52 bomber was conducting a routine test mission.

Plus, a volcanic eruption in Hawaii combined with a small tornado to form what some are calling, and you guessed it, Vol-nado. The spectacle can happen when the intense heat near the lava collides with cooler air to create a fiery twister.

BROWN: And happening now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he had a good meeting with President Trump at the G7 Summit. Zelenskyy says the president was positive about Ukraine's request for more Patriot air defense missiles in its war with Russia. President Trump also described the meeting as very good and called on Russia to make peace with the country it invaded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We had a very good meeting. Look, Russia should make a deal. Russia's lost tremendous amounts of people, and so has Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And today, Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian missiles hit an oil refinery right near Moscow, more than 300 miles away. Zelenskyy says this was the longest range-strike from the front lines and as the war drags on with continued ferocity. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russia's savagery against Ukraine always seems to find new depths to sink to. Last night, one of Ukraine's oldest churches, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, founded nearly 1,000 years ago, rocketed.

Almost certainly the target here, it sits quiet and alone on Kyiv's woody riverbank. Ukraine's plight getting less attention during the U.S. war with Iran, but raging still.

Nightly attacks across Ukraine as fierce as Moscow can manage, but not massively more effective, instead becoming more grotesque against the people and culture their invasion falsely claimed it wanted to save.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: When we go now to G7 meeting, first topic, you see what is the priority. The priority is air defense.

WALSH (voice-over): Russian officials have claimed U.S. President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a congratulatory 80th birthday call in which Putin called him such a bright, remarkable person that he will pressure Ukraine and Europe at the G7 to agree to Russian terms for a deal.

But European officials see Russian desperation and weakness amid their outrage at these strikes and an opening, as Russia stalls on the front line.

Ukraine's deep strikes into Russia, like those we witness here, have caused huge damage and embarrassment. Some Kremlin allies have suggested Putin may now realize the war is going badly, or at least slowly, with a Western estimate of half a million Russian dead.

Even Putin, whose hometown was hit in early June by drones during a key meeting, briefly admitted to economic damage last week.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As for the economy, yes, we suffer some damage, but everything is recovering quickly. They will not be able to create serious problems for us, but keeping in mind what they are doing, we should retaliate appropriately.

[11:40:00]

WALSH (voice-over): And so, the strikes across Ukraine keep coming, even as Ukraine's defenses improve against drones, but struggle with the ballistic missiles Moscow is throwing at them to make the desperate point it is not losing.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Also new this morning, the former Vice President Kamala Harris is criticizing President Trump and the Iran war. She appeared with the former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, moderated by CNN's Elex Michaelson. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: But to be clear, if you were president, you'd never start this war?

KAMALA HARRIS, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Let's be clear about this. Whatever is being negotiated, this president is going to declare victory and will end up where we were after the JCPOA and call that a victory.

This is a war the American people did not want. This is a war of choice. This is a president who has proven himself to be entirely self-indulgent. And we will see what happens in the coming hours and days in terms of the negotiation, and really, it's a concept of an agreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Also new this morning, U.S. intelligence has assessed that Iran will be able to weaponize the Strait of Hormuz at will from now on. That according to three sources. When asked about it, a senior administration official said Iran won't be able to enjoy any benefits from an agreement with the U.S. unless the Strait remains open.

Joining us now is Leon Panetta. He was the director of the CIA and the Secretary of Defense under President Obama. What's your reaction, Mr. Secretary, to this latest assessment?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: I think the intelligence assessment is right on. That there is a danger that Iran can weaponize the Straits of Hormuz. And if in fact they have total control over what happens in the Straits. And that appears to be the case, although we'll have to look at the terms of the agreement.

But if Iran has total control over the Straits, then they'll be able to use that as leverage. They'll be able to use that as a club. They'll be able to expand their influence because they're going to have to be cutting separate deals with every Arab country in order for them to get their oil. They'll be cutting separate deals with world countries as well. And they'll have a club that can be used again and again in order to get back at the United States.

So, it is a dangerous weapon. And it's something we're going to have to watch very closely because it could mean that within a few months we could very well be back at war if that's the case.

BLITZER: Interesting. About this tentative Iran agreement, Mr. Secretary, President Trump now says he will release details to Congress and even floated the idea of reciting the document publicly before the news media. How important is transparency in all of this right now? PANETTA: Well, I think it's very important because like everything else about this war, both sides will be claiming victory as a result of the agreement. I think it's important for us to look at the terms of the agreement, both what is said and what is not said, because that'll tell us a lot about whether or not there's a price here for what has been agreed to.

We know the Straits will be open. We know the blockade will be lifted. We know we have a 60-day ceasefire. But the question is going to be at what price. And if Iran can weaponize the Straits, if Israel is not in with regards to the ceasefire, and if we have 60 days of negotiation that don't produce a conclusion on the nuclear issue, then we could be back in trouble.

BLITZER: Yes, good point. President Trump says the next round of talks with Iran, he says those talks will be easier than the last round. Do you believe that?

PANETTA: I think the fact that they've at least reached a tenuous agreement at best right now to open up the Straits and to extend the ceasefire and to negotiate.

[11:45:00]

I mean, that ought to at least open up an opportunity to try to negotiate, particularly on all the other issues that have not been dealt with, on the nuclear, on the issue of what happens with the funding, with regards to Iran, what happens with missiles, what happens with funding their proxies. All of that is going to have to be discussed.

But at the same time, I think what I'm concerned about is that the United States has given up some of its leverage with regards to getting this deal. And the primary gift that they've gotten, that Iran has gotten, is control of the Straits of Hormuz. And that, I think, puts us at a little bit of a disadvantage because the only way we can counter that is with military action. And that, as we've seen, is not an easy decision to make, particularly by this president.

BLITZER: Yes, good point. You're the former CIA director. I want to shift quickly to the confirmation of Jay Clayton to become the director of national intelligence. Hearings are expected to happen as early as tomorrow. I know you've been critical of the choice of Bill Pulte to be the acting director of the DNI, acting director, saying he has no place in the Intelligence Community given his lack of experience in intelligence or military matters or national security. What's your assessment of the choice of Jay Clayton?

PANETTA: Well, without question, it's an improvement over his initial nomination, with somebody who had absolutely no experience whatsoever in intelligence. In the very least, Jay Clayton has been dealing with some intelligence issues because of the position he held as U.S. attorney in that particular district.

But I'm going to keep an open mind here. I think we have to listen to the hearings. We've got to see what's happened. I do rely a great deal on the feelings of some of the members of the Intelligence Committee that have indicated that he is a good pick by the president. But like everything else in this administration, I'm going to wait to see myself.

BLITZER: We'll watch those hearings closely together with you. I quickly also want to ask you about the case of David Rush. He's the former CIA senior official who's accused of lying about his education and his military background, as well as being found with $40 million in gold bars in his home. If these allegations prove to be true, how could all of this have been missed by the agency you once headed, the CIA?

PANETTA: Well, it's a serious problem, Wolf, because it means that whatever kind of process they went through to look at his application to determine whether or not he was a good security risk and to determine whether or not he really had a military background.

The CIA process failed with regards to this individual. And you have to ask the question, why was that the case? Why did that happen? So, I think the CIA is going to have to do a very intensive investigation here to determine exactly what went wrong, because the last thing you need in the CIA is somebody who's going to violate the responsibility and violate the duty that intelligence officers have to protecting the country, not stealing from the country.

BLITZER: Yes, good point. They've got to learn the lessons, the blunders that occurred, to make sure they never happen again. Leon Panetta, thanks so much for joining us.

PANETTA: Good to be with you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Wolf, coming up here in the Situation Room, deadly floods and high-water rescues, the millions of people facing severe risk from a massive storm sweeping the South.

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[11:50:00]

BLITZER: And this just in, the vice president, J.D. Vance, responded to new reporting about the Trump administration's efforts to grapple with mounting pressure to release the Epstein files last summer. The New York Times recently detailed a July 2025 Situation Room meeting at the White House in which Vance reportedly emphasized how problematic the controversy was for the White House at that time.

According to the Times, Vance reportedly suggested former Fox News host Tucker Carlson should interview Jeffrey Epstein associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, to clear President Trump's name. Here's what Vance just said on ABC's The View.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There are things that are true, things that are false, and things that are totally missing context. Well, here's what I'll say. So, number one, I am, frankly, kind of a conspiracy theory on the Epstein stuff. And that story says that that's one of the things that's true is that some people called me a conspiracy theory on the Epstein stuff.

And I love Suzy, but absolutely, she thinks I'm a conspiracy theorist on the Epstein stuff because I think that it's crazy that you had this guy who is clearly a sex predator who is hanging out with a lot of very wealthy and powerful people. Like, that really bothered me. I don't know what's there, of course. Nobody knows exactly what happened unless you were there. But that really bothered me, and I wanted to have full transparency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Vance went on to discuss President Trump's falling out with Epstein and defend the administration's handling of the files.

BROWN: All right. Happening now. Major threat, a brand-new tropical storm watch has just been issued for parts of Texas and Louisiana and could supercharge flooding along the Gulf Coast.

[11:30:00]

BLITZER: Let's go live right now to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam. He's over at the CNN Weather Center. He's got the latest information. What are the major -- where are the major threats the most right now?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, here it is, Pamela and Wolf, the first forecast cone and first tropical advisories of the season right now. Tropical storm watches issued from Sargent, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana, with the potential of this disturbance, which is issued as a potential tropical cyclone, to potentially come into an actual tropical storm as we head into this evening and early into the day on Wednesday.

You can see the circulation pattern in southern portions of Texas. Now, this will hug the coastline, but it is expected to move into the open waters of the Gulf, and that could help supercharge this. It's going to really wring out a lot of the available moisture in the atmosphere thanks to that stalled out front.

The bottom line here is that this, regardless of if it becomes our first named storm of the year, it will produce copious amounts of rainfall that will bring a flash flood threat to much of the southern coastline into the Gulf, anywhere from the southwestern Louisiana coastline into the upper Texas coastline and beyond. Wolf, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

BLITZER: Thanks, Derek. And thanks to our viewers for joining us this morning.

BROWN: Inside Politics Today with our friend and colleague Phil Mattingly starts after a quick break.

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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Listen, Trump is promising a word for word reading of the Iran agreement. The question, is when? I'm Phil Mattingly in for Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines in Inside Politics.

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