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The Source with Kaitlan Collins

Trump Leaving G7 Summit Early After Posting "Everyone Should Immediately Evacuate Tehran"; Trump Faces MAGA Split Over Israel-Iran Conflict; Prosecutor: MN Suspect "Stalked His Victims Like Prey." Aired 9-10p ET

Aired June 16, 2025 - 21:00   ET

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

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And all of this, I think, really adding to the sense of anxiety and slight confusion, things feeling a little bit different, this evening, from what we've seen previously.

But for the doctors here, in this hospital, they are still prepared, they are waiting, they understand, that it could still be a long night ahead, Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Clarissa Ward, thanks very much, from Tel Aviv.

The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Tonight, President Trump has abruptly cut, his G7 trip, here in Canada, short, issuing a warning to Iranians, on his way out, telling them to immediately evacuate Tehran.

I'm Kaitlan Collins, live in Canada. And this is THE SOURCE.

Good evening from Calgary, where, after 24 hours on the ground, here at the G7 Summit, hosted by Canada, President Trump has announced that he is leaving early, to deal with the crisis that is unfolding in the Middle East. The President says he'll return to the White House tonight, where I'm told he has directed his National Security team to convene in the Situation Room.

The President had a full day of events scheduled here, at the G7 Summit tomorrow, including a meeting with Ukrainian president Zelenskyy. But news that he is cutting his trip short comes just hours after he posted this warning, on Truth Social, at 06:30 p.m. Eastern Time, 02:00 in Tehran, that, Everyone should immediately evacuate, the city that is home to some 10 million people.

The President spoke about his decision to leave, just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I have to be back. Very important.

I want to just thank our great host. You did a fantastic job. Thank you. And Canada. But you probably see what I see, and I have to be back as soon as I can. We're going to have dinner with these wonderful leaders, and then I get on the plane, I have to be back early for obvious reasons.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you directed the National Security Council to be in the Situation Room?

TRUMP: I loved it. I tell you, I loved it.

And I think we got a lot done, really a lot done.

MARK CARNEY, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: Yes.

TRUMP: In fact, U.K., we signed a big trade deal today.

KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Yes, yes.

TRUMP: And we're working on others. But we had a -- just a really great relationship with everybody. And it's really nice. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand this is big--

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there a reason, Mr. President--

TRUMP: --this is big stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: You heard the President there, facing many questions, including from CNN's Kit Maher about his sudden departure.

And also, this comes amid questions about U.S. involvement in the Middle East, and just how involved the United States will get. It comes as the White House and the Pentagon are both stressing that U.S. forces right now are maintaining their defensive posture, and that that has not changed.

The President's top National Security officials, including Vice President, JD Vance, Defense Secretary. Pete Hegseth, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, were seen gathering at the White House, earlier today, as you can see here.

I want to start this hour with CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who is live on the ground, in Tel Aviv.

And Jeremy just tell us what's been happening there on the ground, as obviously, very closely, all the world leaders here have been watching that, with a lot of attention here.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kaitlan, over the course of the last three and a half hours, Israelis have rushed into bomb shelters, twice, over the course of that period of time. But ultimately, there have been no reports of any strikes from those missiles hitting any populated areas in Israel.

We did hear during this last half hour when we all rushed to bomb shelters, we heard what sounded like an interception overhead. But again, we are actually with the Israeli military's National Rescue Unit, prepared to go directly to the sites of ballistic missiles that have hit any populated areas here. And so far, this team remains on standby.

But that doesn't mean that we are headed for any kind of de-escalation here, between Israel and Iran, as both sides are continuing to maintain that this very deadly tit-for-tat between these two sides is likely to continue.

We have heard, of course, the words of President Trump, warning people in Tehran to get out, talking about getting back to the White House due to developing situations, perhaps some attempts at diplomacy amid all of it.

But from here, I can tell you that the feeling is certainly that this is not ending anytime soon, that this could go on for weeks, perhaps, as the Israeli Prime Minister now talks about what he believes he has dealt, in terms of a blow to Iran, saying he believes he has set back Iran's nuclear program a very long time, although he declined to elaborate. But he did make clear that there are still additional targets for Israel to go after in Tehran.

[21:05:00]

And we are, of course, watching, even in just the last few hours, those air strikes are indeed continuing.

Kaitlan.

COLLINS: All right. Jeremy Diamond, keep us updated on what you're seeing on the ground. Obviously, we've seen a lot of late breaking developments, this evening.

Also, CNN's Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward, is joining us.

Clarissa, and as you look at what's happening here. You're at Tel Aviv's largest hospital, where you just had to take shelter. Just to give everyone context, for what it's been like on the ground. Tell us what you've been seeing tonight.

WARD: Well, it's been an unusual scene, Kaitlan, as you just heard Jeremy articulate there. For the past three evenings, any time you hear those sirens, you know you have about 90 seconds to get to shelter. And then very soon thereafter, we have been used to hearing those barrages of Iranian missiles, some of them intercepted, some of them making landfall.

But on these last two occasions, we haven't really heard much at all. And on the last one, the most recent one, just about 45 minutes ago, there wasn't the pre-alert. It simply just started with the siren. Again, usually, you're given a pre-alert that gives you about 15 minutes to find a shelter. So, a sense that things are a little unusual tonight.

Doctors here are continuing to be prepared for any and all eventualities. Often, these strikes have been happening in the very early hours in the morning. So, 04:30 in the morning, it was last night, when a series of strikes killed eight people, particularly around the Tel Aviv area.

And what the doctors have done, Kaitlan, which is kind of extraordinary, I haven't seen it before, is to move this entire hospital, some 600 patients, they've moved them into a parking lot that four days ago was full of motorcycles and cars, and is now. And they did it in the space of seven hours, full of hundreds of patients, who are down there, 24/7, since this all started, because they cannot be moved easily in the event of an emergency.

They have a whole operation center, down there as well, so that they can track which strikes are hitting, in which areas, and which hospitals it makes sense to bring which patients to.

So, still bracing themselves potentially for what the rest of the night and the early morning may bring. But so far, relatively quiet here in Tel Aviv, Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Yes, it just shows you the lengths that they're going to, and also how quickly everything can change.

Clarissa Ward, thank you for that. We'll check back in with you throughout the hour, as needed.

And also joining us here tonight, as we are covering so many breaking developments, whether it's on the ground in Tel Aviv, in Iran, or here in Calgary, where world leaders are gathered for the G7 Summit that was ostensibly going to be about trade and AI and other issues. But obviously, the topic, a main topic has changed, given what's happening in the Middle East.

Joining me now is Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon.

And it's great to have you here, sir.

Because obviously, the President, coming out tonight, and warning that everyone who lives in Tehran needs to evacuate immediately, and then cutting his trip short, has raised a lot of questions about what may have changed. Do you know if there is anything changing on the ground? Are there more strikes happening in Tehran tonight? What is the latest that you've been briefed on?

AMB. DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Kaitlan, I can tell you what's happening from our side, not from the U.S. side. It's a U.S. decision, what to do, when to do, how to do, if they want to take action against Iran. But from our side, we continue with the strikes. Today, we continued to target many military infrastructure, in Tehran, in other locations.

And our message is very clear. We are not against the people of Iran. On the contrary, we try to minimize civilian casualties, by telling them, in advance, to move out from certain areas. And we know that they are oppressed. We know that they are the victims of this regime. And we are doing our best that we will target the military targets, not civilian ones.

COLLINS: So, when the President says, as he did to reporters earlier, about just what is unfolding in the Middle East, he says that he still thinks Iran wants a deal -- wants to make a deal. Do you agree with that sentiment?

DANON: Well, we have to look at the actions of the Iranians in the last few decades. They are the masters of deception. They lied so many times. And there is a very famous slogan in Parsi (ph), which says, Don't look at the hands, look at the legs, when somebody speaks with you. And when you look at what they did over the years, they played the game, they lied all along, and I think we have to look at the actions.

If there will be a place for diplomacy that will ensure that Iran will not be able to threaten Israel, and the entire area, and the entire world? We will be there. But so far, we saw that they're lying. And that's why we decided not to take that chance, not to wait, and to take a preemptive defense attack.

[21:10:00]

COLLINS: So, that sounds like you don't believe Iran is ready to make a deal?

DANON: Well, if you analyze what happened in the last decade, the JCPOA, all the negotiations, how many debates we had at the U.N., on this issue, and then look where they are today.

And it's not only the nuclear aspects. You always speak about the nuclear aspects. Look at the ballistic missiles. Every night, hundreds of missiles, ballistic missiles, fly into Israel. They wanted to compete with the U.S. and Russia with the quantity and quality of those ballistic missiles. So, we cannot wait and see what they want to do.

If they will come and say, We are willing to stop with both ideas, of having nuclear weapons, and the ballistic missile capabilities? I think, everybody will be there to discuss it with them. But we don't believe them that they'll really mean it.

COLLINS: You just said -- talked about the people of Iran. You talked about your -- issues with the regime in Iran. Obviously, we've heard about that plenty. But you talked about the people who've lived there, saying, you don't blame them.

Does Israel agree that all of the millions of people, who live in Tehran, should immediately evacuate?

DANON: Well, first, I would stress, we support, we love, we pray for those people. 46 years ago, before the Revolution, we had direct flights from Tel Aviv to Tehran, and we did so many things together. And we hope that we'll -- one day it will be the case, that we will be able to continue to develop the bond between the people.

Regarding the regime. We think this regime should not be there. And I hope it will happen soon. When we attack, we tell the people not to be there. The people in Iran, they know very well where the IRGC headquarters is. They know very well the reactors are being built. So, they should be smart about where they are spending the time, in the next few days.

COLLINS: But you're not saying there should be a mass evacuation from Tehran?

DANON: Well, I don't want to get into details. But I can tell you that today, when we knew that we're going to -- we'll operate in a certain area, we gave them a warning. And by the way, as we speak, even though it's late night in Iran today, you see tens of thousands of people moving out. So, I think they know exactly what to do.

COLLINS: We are told that the President -- that Israel came to the United States, over the weekend, with a proposal and a possibility to take out the Supreme Leader of Iran, and that it was something that was rejected by the White House, that the President did not think that was a good idea. There was essentially a concern that it would escalate this conflict, even further.

Does Israel see it that way, that if you did take out the Supreme Leader, that it would escalate this conflict more?

DANON: Well, we cannot go into details. But you can believe me that we have the capabilities. We showed the capabilities of the Mossad, the intelligence we had on the leaders of Iran, the strikes on the first day. And also, we saw the capabilities of our Air Force. Today, we have freedom to fly in many areas in Iran, especially above Tehran. So, if we want to target someone, we can do it. But we will not get to the decision, the when, and what, and if, to do it.

COLLINS: But the U.S. clearly has influence on that decision, if Israel went to the United States, and the United States said, they didn't think it was a good idea, and Israel clearly listened?

DANON: Well, I don't think we should discuss what we speak with our allies. I can tell you that the decision to start this operation was made in Jerusalem. It was an Israeli decision.

And I want to remind you that in 1982, Prime Minister Begin took a bold decision to attack Iraq, the reactor in Iraq. 2005, we took the reactor in Syria.

And the bold decision of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the government, to stop Iran, was made in Jerusalem, and it was an independent decision of our government.

COLLINS: Ambassador Danny Danon, thanks for joining us, and for your time tonight.

DANON: Thank you very much, Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Coming up here on CNN. We have more on the breaking news. The President cutting his trip at the G7 short, as he directs his National Security staff in Washington to convene. Details, ahead. [21:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tonight, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says, strikes on Iran have set its nuclear program back, and I'm quoting him now, A very long time.

But based on CNN analysis of one of the secretive Iranian nuclear facilities, eliminating the program altogether could prove incredibly difficult, without more time, larger bombs and assistance from the United States.

The Fordow plant, the nuclear plant, has been a key target of Israel's, over the last several days. And we have new satellite images that show just how hard it could be to take out and why.

If you look at this, you see there's a security perimeter, protecting what appears to be a heavily fortified mountain layer, and it's believed that hundreds of centrifuges, placed nearly 300 feet under the ground, are working to enrich uranium that could be ultimately used for nuclear bombs. There're small entrances to the tunnel and support structures for the plant beneath it.

And despite Israel's attempts to hit the site, including with a drone that Iran claims it shot down, the International Atomic Energy Agency says that no damage has been done to the site as of today.

[21:20:00]

Joining me tonight is:

The retired Army Major General, Randy Manner, who once led an agency responsible for helping monitor nuclear weapons in Iran.

And also, the former State Department Middle East negotiator, Aaron David Miller.

And it's so great to have you here.

Major, let me start with you, just given what we are seeing with this facility, and very clear desire by Iran to be able to -- or by Israel to dismantle Iran's nuclear program. There's a real question about the feasibility of actually accomplishing that. What do you have to -- what is your thoughts on this?

MAJ. GEN. RANDY MANNER (RET.), FORMER DEPUTY COMMANDING GENERAL, 3RD ARMY: So the Israelis have the ability to damage the buildings on the surface, as well as the entrances, and the power going into it and so on. They do not have the capability to actually penetrate into as far into the reinforced concrete as they need. They don't have the weapons, and we have not shared them with them. And although we have weapons that can do that, that is a U.S. decision.

COLLINS: Obviously, that's U.S. decision. That is what we are watching for closely tonight. And so far, we're hearing from officials denying any kind of speculation that the United States is getting involved, on an offensive measure here, and helping Israel with that.

But Aaron, this comes as The Times is reporting tonight, The New York Times, that the President has asked and encouraged his Vice President, JD Vance, and also Steve Witkoff, who is the envoy to the Middle East, to meet with Iranians this week, as they are essentially deciding what the next step here is going to look like.

One, do you see the Iranians accepting a meeting like that? Are they -- are they desperate to have something like that happen at this time?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR, STATE DEPARTMENT: I mean, I think that -- thanks for having me, Kaitlan. It's great to be here with the General.

Look, I think they're desperate to avoid a major military move by the United States against Fordow. And I think it's hard to read this, right? I mean, President Trump is committed. He ran on not starting new wars, but ending them. Here's a guy who appears to be committed to not entering the conflict until he may be ready to.

So, this is one of two things. Either they've made a decision, and he's orchestrated this in a very dramatic way, leaving the G7. Of course, there may be a thousand other reasons why he didn't want to stay. Going back to Washington to orchestrate a National Security meeting.

You've got a lot of hardware moving into this region now, long-range tankers for refueling aircraft, which you would rely on if, in fact, the United States -- I defer to the General here -- was going to engage in serious air sorties over Iran.

And remember, as one retired Israeli General said to me, We're playing soccer with the Israelis. The only difference is they have no goal. So Iran is completely and utterly vulnerable to Israeli airstrikes. Imagine the prospect of B-2 bombers, Spirit bombers, deployed in Diego Garcia, carrying these Massive Ordnance Penetrators, these GBU-57s, 30,000 pounds, 20-feet long, and dropping these in Fordow.

The President may well do what Bush 41 did, when he sent James Baker to Geneva to meet with Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi, before -- a week or so before the start of the first Gulf War. So maybe Trump is orchestrating this to make the Iranians an offer he hopes they won't refuse. I suspect they will refuse it.

COLLINS: So Major, walk us through that. What does that look like in terms of options that are before President Trump right now? I mean, what kind of -- when he's convening his National Security team, in the Sit Room, and maybe meeting them as soon as he gets back, what are those options look like in front of him?

MANNER: Well, first of all, we have to remember that the position the United States has been to provide defensive capability to Israel, to protect it and to augment its ability to intercept missiles and drones. That mission probably will continue, and the President would probably be highly supportive of that. And so, ships as well as ground-based capabilities, would be doing that. At the same time, our objective is to protect our own bases that are in the region, because we have substantial Army, Navy and Air Force bases there, in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. So, we want to make sure to protect those.

Now if, as far as a tool that the President has, we have what is called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. It's a 30,000-pound bomb. It was actually developed while I was the Acting and Deputy Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. It's run by the Air Force. It's only conveyed by B-2 bombers. It does have the ability to penetrate into these kinds of bunkers.

It's rather an amazing weapon. The way to think about this is think about "Star Wars," where Han Solo is putting that missile on that small elevator shaft? That's the same concept. I have seen this thing hit a two-meter square. That's how accurate it is.

[21:25:00]

So, it's something where we just need to be aware that the President has these opportunities. It does not mean that he has to use them. But sometimes, just Iran knowing that we publicly have this capability, can hopefully bring enough a force to be -- the threat of use of force, to bring them to the table for negotiation.

COLLINS: Aaron David Miller, on that front though, if the President -- or the Vice President, and Steve Witkoff are going into this, and we're talking about a weakened Iran, which, everyone can see here, given the result of Israel's first strike last week.

There are still moments, though, where Israel is targeting their surface-to-surface missile infrastructure. But Iran is still launching missiles at Israel, and is overwhelming, sometimes, the Iron Dome. We've seen them making it through and killing people -- killing people and injuring people in Israel.

What does the state of that look like, if you're trying to assess how much strength Iran does have right now?

DAVID MILLER: It's a very good question. I mean, the Israelis claim they've literally destroyed a third of Iran's ballistic missile launchers. You can have 10,000 missiles. If you don't have the launchers to project them, they don't represent a threat.

And if you look at the pattern of launches by the Israelis, over the last four days, the waves have diminished. And you're quite right, Kaitlan. 5 to 10 percent of these have gotten through Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow, which intercepts them just outside of the Earth's atmosphere.

Some of these will get through in half, and they've caused something that the Israelis have not seen since October 7, and that is at least 10 to 15 sites of what you and I would agree were major destruction, and the deaths of at least, by the last count, 24 Israelis. But the public is prepared, I think, inured, as they are, to the trauma of October 7, to basically see this one through. The question I have, regardless of whether or not the President makes the decision to use these MOPs, dropped by B-52 bombers -- B-2 bombers is what constitutes an Israeli victory? Exactly what do the Israelis want to do?

Because, in the end, if this stops, with Iran's nuclear program still capable of reconstituting itself, even if it took six months to a year? Then it strikes me, the objectives of the Israeli operation were not successful, and it may well be that the President has decided--

COLLINS: Yes.

DAVID MILLER: --if Iranians reject this effort to put his thumb on the scale.

COLLINS: Yes. I mean, that's -- there's a -- there's a huge question about what that -- what that looks like.

Aaron David Miller. Major General Randy Manner. It's great to have you both here with your expertise. Thank you so much for joining us.

Up next. A MAGA split is happening over Iran, and what the President does decide to do next. He was asked today about criticism from Tucker Carlson, one of his biggest allies in MAGA. The President's response, that our White House insiders will weigh in, next.

[21:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Breaking news, tonight, as President Trump is preparing to leave the G7 Summit, here in Canada early, amid what is happening in the Middle East, between Israel and Iran, cutting that trip short by 24 hours, as we are seeing a growing Republican rift in the President's face, forcing him to -- forcing the President into a bit of a balancing act back home.

Two of MAGA's media titans are moving heaven and earth to fuel this resistance against the President, getting more involved, militarily, in this war (inaudible) too far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, AMERICAN COMMENTATOR AND HOST: I think we're going to see the end of American Empire. Obviously, other nations would like to see that, and this is a perfect way to scuttle the USS America on the shoals of Iran. But it's also going to end, I believe, Trump's presidency, and effectively end it and -- and so, that's why I'm saying.

STEVE BANNON, EXECUTIVE AND FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: What -- do you think we're enjoining the combat--

CARLSON: Yes, I do.

BANNON: --offensive combat operation-- CARLSON: I do.

BANNON: Well, we have to -- we have to -- we can't just--

CARLSON: But these things were never the--

BANNON: --assume that we have to stop that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: You're listening to a conversation there, just part of it, of Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, who have been to the President's biggest media allies. And those are just two of the voices with a growing bullhorn of anger, amongst the MAGA base, about what could potentially happen here.

Joining me tonight on this front.

Kristen Holmes, CNN's Senior White House Correspondent.

And Dasha Burns, who is Politico's White House Bureau Chief, and host of "The Conversation with Dasha Burns."

And Kristen, when you look at this, and what the President is facing. Obviously, they're essentially making this argument, Well, you came into office promising America First, promising no more wars, and also no big entanglements of the United States in the Middle East. And they were real concerned that that could happen here.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And what we're being told is that Donald Trump is hearing from a lot of people. I mean, there are several different factions, and he's taking it in.

And one of the things that I was specifically told was that no one's really winning out right now. Obviously, Donald Trump has not gotten the United States involved, other than to defend Israel when it came to those missile strikes. But it's not as though one person is louder than the other.

[21:35:00]

And there are several factions that are part of this kind of America First agenda.

There're the people who just think, Look, Israel can handle this, we shouldn't get involved, because we know that they're going to be OK.

There are other people who say exactly what you're saying, which is, You ran on an America First agenda. You said no more wars. And now we're in it.

And really, what we're hearing from the White House is that they're holding meeting after meeting, and he's taking all of this in. You heard Tucker. Obviously, his response to Tucker was, he's kooky, and why don't you get your own TV show, and then, maybe people will listen to you. So, he's clearly not reacting well to that. But that's also because Tucker is insulting him.

But if you look at the actual arguments that some of these people are making, he's definitely listening to these various factions, and seeing how they play out, and asking others around him about it.

COLLINS: Yes, it's not a mild critique coming from him.

HOLMES: Yes.

COLLINS: He's essentially saying it could undo the Trump presidency, if the United States gets more involved.

And Dasha, the President was asked about this earlier today here, when he was meeting with the British prime minister, in front of reporters.

Our colleague, Kit Maher, asked him to respond to that specific accusation from Tucker Carlson, that the President, by even defensively supporting Israel, is complicit in this war. Here's how the President responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIT MAHER, CNN REPORTER AND WRITER, WHITE HOUSE: How do you respond to Tucker Carlson criticizing you, saying that you are complicit in the war?

TRUMP: I don't know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it, so that people listen. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: You hear the President there, Dasha, shrugging this off. But when you look at this, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene are coming to his defense. We are seeing people, in this MAGA universe, saying, Well, he might have a point.

DASHA BURNS, WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO, HOST, THE CONVERSATION WITH DASHA BURNS: Yes, look, there are powerful voices, both within the administration, but also, these outside voices that do command massive audiences, particularly audiences that Trump really cares about, his base, and this issue has become pretty radioactive for those folks.

So, you've got the Bannons, you've got the Charlie Kirks, you've got the Tucker Carlsons, saying, This is something we should stay far, far away from. This is the opposite of the American First agenda.

Then you have Mark Levin, saying, We got to push for regime change here. And some hawks on the Hill who are saying, We got to go hard at this. This is our moment to really take action and to show how strong America is when it comes to regimes like that in Iran.

And so, you have the serious fracture within the Republican Party, and a very tough line for the President to walk. And what I've been hearing from folks inside the White House is that he's been very consistent, when it comes to Iran. He's been saying, Not have a nuclear weapon, and we should prevent that at all costs.

The question tonight is that part, All costs, what does that actually mean, and how far is this White House willing to go, given the breadth of opinion and real stakes for the Republican Party on this issue.

COLLINS: Yes. I mean, on Iran, the President has been saying this for 10 years, that Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, to obtain one, and that has been what he has been repeating almost every time that he's asked about this.

And the question, Kristen, is the options before him that he's looking at. Because yes, what he was trying to get to -- and he actually really was. This wasn't some kind of dance behind-the-scenes with Netanyahu, based on what we've heard when it comes to the nuclear talks that they were having with Iran.

HOLMES: Yes.

COLLINS: He actually wanted to get to an agreement, and has been lamenting the fact that they didn't.

But now that he's seeing how successful Israel was in its strikes initially, last week, and what's continued. The question is, does he -- does he view that as a success and try to take advantage of that, essentially.

HOLMES: Yes, I mean, what I'm still being told is that the end goal here is to get an agreement with the U.S. and Iran. And this is all kind of trying to culminate into how they actually get there.

Because one of the reasons, like, one of the arguments that we've heard from, particularly people who are saying, The U.S. shouldn't get involved, it's not just this America First agenda. But also the fact that there is a belief that if the U.S. gets too deeply involved in attacking Iran, that any bets for an agreement between Iran and the U.S. are completely off the table. And that's what Donald Trump still wants, at the end of the day. So, of course, the question is, how exactly do they get there?

And as I said, Donald Trump is listening to a lot of different factions. And it's not clear exactly where he's going to go on this. The one thing to make that is clear is that he's very wary, regardless, of getting the U.S. involved more than it is. But whether or not he could be convinced, that remains to be seen.

COLLINS: Dasha, what are you hearing, in terms of, The New York Times is reporting tonight that one of the President's ideas has been to have the Vice President, JD Vance, go with Steve Witkoff, to try to potentially meet with the Iranians as soon as this week.

Just how that ties into, one, the President has never liked and enjoyed summits like this, the G7s. He's cutting it short, obviously, citing what is happening inside the Middle East. And earlier, when he was talking to reporters, he said that he would be able to deal with this as soon as he was done with this. It kind of was signaling, actually, what has now come to fruition by him cutting his trip short here.

But what are you hearing about how they want to accomplish this?

[21:40:00]

BURNS: Well, look, JD Vance is a voice that a lot of -- that the MAGA- right, that doesn't want us involved in Iran, in the Middle East, in any really foreign conflicts, really trust, because of how vocal he's been. Steve Witkoff, however, has been given this hat of peacemaker in just about every conflict, every tension that you see in the world. So, those are the voices that do tend to placate a broad spread of the Republican Party.

And right now, you are seeing President Trump actively try to use all of the sort of tools in his toolbelt, for diplomacy, in talking about issues of trade, and how he brings people to the table.

He wants this Art of the Deal moment here. However, this is a kind of a pressure cooker moment that's a lot more difficult than the sort of on and off again tariffs that he's been dealing with. But this is the highest stakes that I think he has seen, so far, in this President's foreign policy.

COLLINS: Yes, and he also really, has always sought a Nobel Peace Prize, and is trying to play a role in this. He was pointing, the other day, to Pakistan and India and other conflicts.

Dasha Burns. Kristen Holmes. Great to have both of your reporting here tonight.

Coming up here on CNN. The suspect in those shootings of the two Minnesota lawmakers was in court today, as officials say that he had a hitlist with dozens of names. Among them was Minnesota senator, Tina Smith. And Senator Smith is going to join me, right after this break.

[21:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tonight, we have new details about the horrific attack, on two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers, and their families, after federal prosecutors charged the suspect with murder and stalking.

Prosecutors say that Vance Boelter visited the homes of two other lawmakers, after his initial attack, but never made contact with them. Had he done so, it could have played out like his initial visit to a Democratic state senator's home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH H. THOMPSON, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY, DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA: It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Boelter stalked his victims like prey.

Boelter knocked on Senator Hoffman's front door, and repeatedly shouted, This is the police. Open the door. Senator Hoffman and, his wife, Yvette, came to the door. When they opened the door, Boelter shined the flashlight in their faces, and said there had been a shooting reported in the house. Boelter asked if they had any weapons.

When Boelter lowered his flashlight, which he had shined in their face, they realized that he was not a police officer. They shouted out, You are not a cop, you're not a police officer. Boelter then announced, This is a robbery, and forced himself into their home.

When Senator Hoffman attempted to push Boelter out, and stop him from entering his home, Boelter shot him repeatedly. Boelter then shot Ms. Hoffman repeatedly. Boelter fled the scene, and the Hoffmans' daughter called 911.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The Hoffmans are still recovering in the hospital, this evening.

And State Representative Melissa Hortman, and her husband, were gunned down in their home, shortly after that attack.

Police recovered several firearms in the suspect's car, along with a hitlist of approximately 70 people.

Officials also found a separate list of more than a dozen potential targets after searching his home. These lists include names of those with ties to Planned Parenthood, and prominent Democrats, including my source tonight, Democratic senator, Tina Smith.

And Senator, I just don't even know where to start, because I know that you had seen Senator Hoffman, and Representative Hortman, just recently. And just to know that your name was on that list, when you hear about the extensive planning and the stalking, it must be incredibly alarming.

SEN. TINA SMITH (D-MN): Well, it's just such a tragedy.

And to think about -- I mean, any of us can relate to the idea that a police officer knocks on your door, in the middle of the night, and the lights are flashing, and you go to the door, to find out what's happening, and what's needed. And then to be -- find out that it's an assassin, like this evil person? And to think that that happened to our friends, Melissa and Mark, and John and Yvette, is almost unfathomable.

I think that I have been thinking about them, and their families, so much, over these last couple of days, and still trying to process what happened. I am so grateful for the local law enforcement that have been making sure that I was safe, and my family was safe in the interim.

But this upsurge of political violence, directed at public servants and elected officials, is just completely untenable.

COLLINS: Yes. I mean, given that, I imagine it makes you want to change and upgrade your own security precautions.

SMITH: Well, I mean, I think about that. I am actually one of those people that is always thinking that everything is going to be fine, and that I am going to be safe. And it is hard to sort of just think about what I need to do differently, in order to make sure that that stays true.

[21:50:00]

I also think that anybody, who is in public life, needs to think about what we can all do, to try to ratchet back this dialog. I mean, we're at a tipping point, I think, in our country. Are we going to keep on surging forward with this sort of violence and vitriol? Or are we going to take a step back? And everybody, this -- needs to, really think about how we do that, so that we're not making it worse.

COLLINS: And most people have been saying exactly that, raising those questions. Everyone has been horrified by this, as you and I both are.

But your colleague, in the Senate, Republican Mike Lee of Utah, in the aftermath of this attack, he posted two things. One, he said, quote, "This is what happens When Marxists don't get their way." And then, in an apparent reference to the Governor, Tim Walz, he wrote, Nightmare on Waltz Street.

You were seen, talking to Senator Lee, on Capitol Hill earlier. What did you say to him?

SMITH: Well, I wanted Senator Lee who -- I mean, honestly, I don't have much -- I don't know him well. We have not dealt with each other that much. I wanted him to know about the consequence of his words.

And I went to him, and I said, You know, your message on social media showed the image of the man who killed my friend, potentially minutes before that happened, and your message was, This is what happens? You need to take responsibility and accountability for what you were saying and doing out there, in the social media world.

And I wanted him to hear that from me directly, and not to -- like, for me to tweet out at him. I think that that is important, that he understands, again, the consequence of what the impact, that his words have on people who are going through so much pain and trauma. This is not a joke.

And he needs to understand, over 7 million people dialed into his message on social media. He has a powerful platform. He should not be using it to spread misinformation, and to -- and to basically make a joke of the murder of people of public servants.

COLLINS: What did he have to say, when you confronted him with that?

SMITH: Well, I mean, honestly, I don't think this is a person who's used to being confronted. I don't think he's somebody who's used to being challenged. And I think he didn't quite know what to do. I approached him, like, from a position of respect, and wanting to -- wanting him to understand what I thought, and he didn't have that much to say.

What he needs to do is he needs to apologize. I really think that he should take that post down. To indicate that somehow this was some sort of a Marxist leftist attack that causes violence, is completely false. He's spreading that misinformation, and he should correct that.

I didn't get any of that from him, earlier this evening. But I hope that what I said sunk in, and that he -- you know, as my mother used to say, Words have consequences. And his words have a ton of consequence, and he should own that.

COLLINS: It's pretty striking to hear that you went up, and you said, I know these people. Your community has been so affected by this. And he didn't even apologize to you, in that interaction?

SMITH: He said -- you know, how many times have we heard the words that go something like, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings? Or, I'm sorry if you didn't understand what I -- you know, that was -- I mean, that does not -- that's not, in my mind, taking accountability or responsibility for your actions. And so, that's -- I mean, I can't paraphrase exactly what he said, but that was the gist of it.

COLLINS: Yes, it's a remarkable interaction.

Senator Tina Smith, I'm very grateful that you joined us, not only to talk about that, but also just this horrific attack. And obviously, our thoughts and our prayers are with everyone in your state and in that community. This should never happen. But thank you for your time tonight.

SMITH: Thank you.

COLLINS: Coming up here on CNN. The Trump Organization has launched a new wireless company. The pitch is America First for phones.

[21:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: And before we go tonight, three things that you may have missed.

With The Trump Organization now in the phone business. Trump Mobile, its new wireless service was announced today. And the pitch, according to the President's sons, is American-made phones and U.S.-based services.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP JR., PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SON: With Trump Mobile, we're going to be introducing an entire package of products that people can come, they can get tele medicine on their phone for one flat monthly fee, roadside assistance in their cars, unlimited texting to a 100 countries around the world. And we've partnered with some of the best to really bring something unique to the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Also, tonight, a new KFILE report shows that Jeanine Pirro had endorsed, previously, a threat to criminally investigate January 6 prosecutors in the office that she now runs. KFILE found it digging through her radio show archives.

But she's now, of course, the acting U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. And if the President permanently nominates her for that role, she'll have to provide the Senate with a detailed disclosure of every media appearance that she's ever made, which of course, is hundreds of hours of television and radio. That disclosure process is what ultimately helped sink Ed Martin's nomination to the same role, last month.

[22:00:00]

Also tonight, all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and four U.S. territories have signed on to a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, resolving litigation against the company, led by the Sackler family, which had manufactured drugs that fueled the United States' opioid epidemic. The settlement will end the Sacklers' ownership of the company and block them from making, selling or marketing opioids in the United States.

Thanks so much for joining us for a busy night here.

"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" is up next.