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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
Colorado Suspect Faces Possibly Life In Prison; Ukraine's Drone Attack In Russian Air Bases; South Korean Election; Polish Prime Minister Calls For Confidence Vote; Beijing Accuses U.S. Of Violating Geneva Trade Deal; Trump And Xi Likely To Hold Call This Week; U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks; Tourist Flee As Mt. Etna Erupts. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired June 02, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. And you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, the suspect in the antisemitic attack in Colorado faces life in prison possibly as he's charged with 16 counts of attempted
murder. Ukraine says it's destroyed dozens of Russian warplanes in a daring drone attack at airfield's deep inside Russian territory. And an eruption
on Italy's Mt. Etna sends tourists fleeing of as ash and rock explode in the sky. All that more coming up.
We begin with the latest on Sunday's horrific anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado. Mohamed Sabry Soliman who witnesses say yelled free
Palestine during an attack appeared in court for the first time in just the past hour. You see him there. He is charged with 16 counts of attempted
murder as well as other charges.
Police say that he targeted people gathering in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He said some of those, people who showed up there,
on fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL DAUGHERTY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO: There are 16 unused Molotov cocktails that were recovered by law enforcement in the
hours after the incident took place, 16. So, I really want to thank the Boulder Police Department and their law enforcement responders, as well as
the first responders who provided medical aid to the victims. But that rapid response with the recovery of the 16 unused Molotov cocktails I think
speaks for itself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Officials now say that 12 people, including someone who survived the Holocaust were injured. Two of them are still in the hospital. Our
Whitney Wild is in Boulder, Colorado. Tell us what took place, Whitney, in court today.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was very brief, Jim. It was, you know, entirely an administrative hearing. The judge just
made sure that he understood, you know, basically what was happening in court. That he is being charged. That he is being held in a $10 million
bail, cash only. And the expectation is that he will be in court later this week.
This was a horrific case that erupted so quickly. Law enforcement here praising the response of both the community and the first responders who
rushed to help the injured victims as this chaos unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a male with a floor torch setting people on fire. I know that there was at least one party rolling around in flames.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: End Zionists.
WILD (voice-over): Using incendiary devices and a makeshift flame thrower, authority say a man burned at least eight people at a Jewish community
event in Boulder, Colorado Sunday afternoon while yelling free Palestine. The FBI is investigating the case as an act of terrorism.
AV KORNFELD, WITNESS: The person who threw the Molotov cocktail had two more in his hand. And he was holding them, and he was yelling and he was
screaming at everybody. I think he was saying, you're killing my people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need medical for multiple burns on the courthouse lawns.
WILD (voice-over): An elderly Holocaust survivor was among the victims. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman sprayed gasoline while holding a
lighter in the direction of marchers, according to law enforcement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's making Molotov cocktails.
WILD (voice-over): Law enforcement says two Molotov cocktails were thrown and at least 14 more were found at the scene.
J. BISHOP GREWELL, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO: He said that he had previously tried to purchase a firearm but resorted to the
Molotov cocktails when he could not purchase a gun because he was not a legal citizen.
WILD (voice-over): During the attack, Soliman took off his vest and shirt after they caught fire, according to witnesses. Police say he was later
treated for burns on his hands. Soliman is charged with a federal hate crime in allegedly planning the antisemitic attack to target a weekly
Jewish gathering, a Run for Their Lives event, calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
[18:05:00]
According to an affidavit, he told the FBI he wanted to kill all Zion people and wish they were all dead, stating he would do it again. And that
he had planned the attack for a year but was waiting for his daughter to graduate. Soliman is in the country illegally, according to Homeland
Security. He is an Egyptian national and had applied for asylum in 2005 and was denied a visa in 2005. A law enforcement source told CNN.
DHS says he entered the country in August, 2022 as a non-immigrant visitor and was granted a two-year work authorization in March, 2023 that has since
expired.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WILD (on camera): Jim, as you had mentioned, that number of victims has increased from eight to 12 victims. Again, two victims remain in the
hospital. Boulder police saying that those were the two victims who were airlifted to Denver Area hospitals. Jim, again, this is a community that is
really going to rely on one another.
And I'll leave you with this final note. Law enforcement stressed throughout the press conference today when they were updating the number of
charges and the potential maximum sentences. What was clear was that there was a very strong cooperation between federal law enforcement and state law
enforcement. If they were organized, they have -- really described clear missions among both of them to affect what they believe is the most just
outcome here for the victim's, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Whitney Wild in Boulder, thanks so much. Well, delegates from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for another set of peace talks. The
meeting which lasted less than two hours was overshadowed by one of the most daring operations of the war, Ukraine attacking deep inside Russia
with drones, destroying dozens of Russian war planes worth many billions of dollars. Our Nick Paton Walsh breaks down exactly how Ukraine managed to
carry out the operation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): A bird's eye view of humiliation. Ukrainian drones halfway across Russian Siberia,
seconds from hitting the Kremlin's, most prized bombers.
But the data was bad for Moscow. 117 drones hitting 41 long-range bombers across Russia, a Ukrainian security source said. A torn up skyline here in
Belaya, exactly what Moscow dreaded and Ukraine needed a boost to its flagging morale. Damaging Russia's war machine for sure, but maybe also
it's calculus in peace talks.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Our operation Spider Web yesterday proved that Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what
will push it toward diplomacy.
WALSH (voice-over): Ukraine hit Irkutsk, 4,500 kilometers away from Ukraine, where Google Earth still shows similar propeller driven aircraft
in the open, but they also struck Olenya right on the Arctic Circle. Similar planes also on Google. Another example of something that just was
not meant to happen in Russia's brutal war of choice.
The how was as extraordinary. Ukraine's security service head, Vasyl Malyuk, commenting here.
VASYL MALYUK, UKRAINE SECURITY HEAD (through translator): How beautiful it looks, this airbase Belaya.
WALSH (voice-over): And releasing these images of the wooden mobile homes they used, the roof cavities of to hide the drones. Before their release,
once Ukraine said all their operatives were out of Russia. The planes hit mainly the Tupolev 95 and Tupolev 22. A Ukrainian source said, aging, easy
to damage, hard to replace.
They were partly behind the nightly terrors that beset Ukrainian civilians. Whether these strikes make a dent in this daily toll will take weeks to
learn. But it may also damage the Kremlin quicker away from the frontlines. Its pride hit hard. Although state TV put on a fierce display of why Russia
has been pummeling Ukraine so relentlessly. It may also, too, change its thinking perhaps towards peace talks that continued Monday in Istanbul. And
of how long Russia can sustain this war if Ukraine keeps throwing painful surprises its way.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: One of the most notable features of this attack was just how deep inside Russia Ukraine managed to target, a few of those bases closer to
Japan than Kyiv. Ukrainian drones even hit a base in the Arctic Circle, Olenya, that's more than 2,000 kilometers, about 1,200 miles from the
Ukrainian capital. The furthest base targeted, Ukrainka. That's the only one that was not a confirmed hit. It is the latest example of Ukraine's
asymmetric warfare using drones not just in the air, but on the sea, on the ground as it tries to bring the war to and across Russia's doorstep and
outlast Moscow's ongoing siege.
[18:10:00]
Max Boot is a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, as well as a columnist for The Washington Post, and he enjoys me now. Max. Good to
have you.
MAX BOOT, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Good to be here.
SCIUTTO: Beyond the clear loss for Russian air defense capabilities, right, to allow drones to get so far inside, what is the scale of the blow to its
strategic assets here? Ukraine's claiming it destroyed or damaged 40 percent of its long-range bombers. That's a significant blow on a number of
fronts.
BOOT: Absolutely. I mean, that's taking out a significant portion of one- third of Russia's triad of the nuclear delivery systems that it relies upon. And of course, it complicates the Kremlin's job of staging air
attacks on Ukrainian cities since these bombers were being used to fire cruise missiles at Kyiv and other cities.
So, I think this is a potentially a serious blow militarily to the Ukraine. It's definitely -- to the Kremlin and it's definitely a serious blow
psychologically, because this is another example of Ukrainian ingenuity and how the Ukrainians, even though they're outnumbered, continue to outsmart
the Russians and to attack them in ways that the Russian military does not anticipate.
SCIUTTO: More broadly, what does this show, not just about Russia's vulnerability to drone attacks, but other powers, China, the U.S. and other
conflicts, right? Because air defenses are not built to track tiny little drones, particularly drones that were driven across the border in the tops
of semis. They're designed to track missiles and ICBMs and aircraft.
BOOT: Well, that's exactly right. And today, if you're a general in any other country, and if you're not worried about these kinds of attacks, then
you're simply not paying attention, because the exact same kind of tactics that the Ukrainians have used in terms of smuggling these drones into a
police state like Russia, they could be employed by China against the United States. They can be employed by North Korea against South Korea.
They can be employed by Pakistan against India, and the possibilities are endless.
I mean, I think what this is really showing is that we are at an inflection point in the history of warfare German, manned systems are extremely
vulnerable and probably true costly to fly it long in modern warfare.
In Ukraine today, 70 percent of the casualties on both sides are being inflicted by drones. And now, you're seeing drones being employed in
innovative ways by the Ukrainians, which will be copied by other people around the world. So, I think it's imperative for the U.S. military to be
investing not only in drone operations, but also in drone defenses because this really shows the need for both of those today.
SCIUTTO: The U.S. and China have been watching drone capabilities in Ukraine for some time, and you've seen that in their military exercises.
You see them, both China and the U.S., deploy drones in conjunction with other forces. Are they doing -- so, let's talk about the U.S. Is it doing
so quickly enough? Is it adjusting quickly enough or does it fall victim to that old tendency right of love affairs with big and expensive weapons
systems?
BOOT: We are definitely not adjusting quickly enough. The entire United States of America can only produce about a hundred thousand drones a year.
Now, that sounds like a lot, but consider that Ukraine last year made 2.2 million drones and they're planning to produce 4.5 million this year. We
are off by an order of magnitude here. We just don't have the capacity to produce the kind of drone numbers that a modern conflict would require.
So, I think the U.S. military understands that drones are important, but they're still pouring way too much money into very costly manned weapon
systems, whether it's aircraft carriers or fighter aircraft, tanks, what have you. And what we're seeing in Ukraine is that those manned systems are
just not able to survive on a battlefield where you have drone swarms operating.
And so, you know, if a relatively small poor country like Ukraine can build that many drones, the U.S. should be building multiples of that, but we're
not, we're far behind.
SCIUTTO: Does this turn the tide of the war in Ukraine's favor?
BOOT: It's probably not going to turn the tide of the war. I think it is an important victory, both operationally and psychologically for the
Ukrainians, and I think it will help to defend Ukrainian cities from attacks, but it's not going to be a game changer in terms of the war in
Ukraine unfortunately. I think the war will continue to grind on as a stalemate.
But I'm hoping that, you know, setbacks like this may finally penetrate the Kremlin and may, at the end of the day, make Putin realize this is not a
war that he's going to win. And it's only when he comes to that realization that you're going to see serious negotiations with the Russians, which is
not something that we've seen today.
[18:15:00]
SCIUTTO: And listen, I mean, Putin might be thinking about his own safety too, right, and the threat from drones. Max Boot, thanks so much.
BOOT: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Well, polls have just opened in South Korea as that country holds a snap presidential election. The Liberal Party candidate Lee Jae-myung
advocates pragmatic diplomacy with China and Russia and wants to ease tensions with North Korea. The Conservative Party's Kim Moon Soo holds a
harder line stance on Pyongyang.
The election comes after the president Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law and his subsequent removal from office. Turnout
is expected to be high. More than a third of eligible voters already cast their ballots in early voting last week.
Joining me now, Jeremy Chan, he's a senior analyst and a long time diplomat based in Asia as well, now with the Eurasia Group. Good to have you,
Jeremy.
JEREMY CHAN, SENIOR ANALYST, EURASIA GROUP: Thanks for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, Yoon justified his declaration of martial of law in part with accusations that the Liberal Party was too friendly to North Korea and
China. What would a Liberal Party win? And we should note that at least the poll show Lee leading now. What would that mean for -- well, let's start
with relations between North and South.
CHAN: Well, that's a good question. So, Lee on the campaign trail of the last six months has made a very pragmatic centrist turn. And so, he's -- in
our estimation he's hit the ball a bit about what his policy's going to be.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
CHAN: For the last 20 years in office he has pursued a policy of engagements and sort of a sunshine policy towards North Korea. We expect
him, once he takes office, to pursue a similar approach once again, which means leading with carrots, not with sticks, and trying to draw Pyongyang
back to the negotiating table.
SCIUTTO: What would it mean about the relationship with the U.S.? President Trump, as you know, is considering reducing the U.S. force deployment in
South Korea. Would a Liberal Party president be closer to or further from the current administration here?
CHAN: I would say further from on a couple fronts. On the trade and tariffs front, Lee has already signaled that he's girding for more friction with
Washington. He's used the terms like, for example, a trade war. He's appointed or a signal that he's going to appoint a former trade negotiator
who's a relatively pugilistic towards Washington. Lee also believes that South Korea holds more leverage, I think, than the outgoing conservatives
have used so far in their negotiations with Washington. Go ahead.
SCIUTTO: Well, I mean don't me to interrupt. There have been concerns with that reduction in U.S. force present on the peninsula that -- and you hear
this spoken about quite publicly in South Korea, that South Korea can no longer rely on the U.S. to defend South Korea from North Korea, other
threats in the region and even discussion of the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons.
CHAN: Correct.
SCIUTTO: Is -- would a Lee presidency acquire nuclear weapons potentially, or is he less likely to do so?
CHAN: So, I think he's more likely to do so than the outgoing administration, but it will be contingent upon some of the actions that
Washington takes. If there is a drawdown in the U.S. force presence on the peninsula, that will absolutely be one of the potential triggers. Another
one would be if Washington recommends direct negotiations with Pyongyang and accepts a freeze in North Korea's nuclear program, rather than the
complete denuclearization of the program, which has been the decades' long goal, that could absolutely push South Korea to reassess their nuclear
weapons policy.
SCIUTTO: So, that sounds like at least daylight between the U.S. and South Korea in terms of their defense and diplomatic and trade alliance.
CHAN: Oh, 100 percent. We forecast more friction to be coming between Seoul and Washington. We don't see a full fracture in the bilateral relationship,
but absolutely greater tension on the trade file, also on the security file.
SCIUTTO: Now, if president -- from President Yoon's perspective, the Liberal Party, it was dangerous for South Korea. I mean, he was contending
that they were in bed, in effect, with North Korea and China. Was there any truth to his accusations? How do you explain them?
CHAN: So, I think the approximate cause of Yoon was the three years of divided government over which he presided. So, his party never controlled
the national assembly and lost a number of seats in April of 2024. And that Liberal Party, under the control of Lee, basically pursued a scorched earth
policy towards Yoon's administration, and they were denying him the critical resources he requested in the budget for 2025. That was the
approximate cause.
Lee then -- or I'm sorry, excuse me, Yoon then reached for other potential explanations. So, for example, the DP's, Lee's party's long-standing
support for North Korea and closer engagement with China. He used all of that as sort of explanations for the martial law declaration, which I will
remind you was completely unexpected and obviously --
SCIUTTO: Obviously backfired.
CHAN: Yes, exactly. Right.
SCIUTTO: And here we are with another election to replace him. Jeremy Chan, thanks so much. I'm sure it's not the last time we talk about this.
CHAN: Thanks having me.
SCIUTTO: Well, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, plans to call for a confidence vote in his coalition government. This after the populist
candidate, Karol Nawrocki, won the country's presidential election, it was a surprise.
[18:20:00]
DONALD TUSK, POLISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): There is much to do, starting with international affairs, building a powerful army and a
strong economy, ensuring of industry, from social security and public service to settling accounts and fighting crime. This plan will require
unity and courage from the entire coalition on October 15th.
The first test will be a vote of confidence, which I will ask Parliament for soon. I want everyone to see, including our opponents at home and
abroad, that we are ready for this situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Nawrocki won 51 percent of the vote in a political upset in Sunday's presidential runoff. The president holds power to veto laws and
his win is expected to make it difficult for Tusk's government to press its pro-European agenda. Nawrocki also opposes NATO membership for Ukraine.
Still ahead, China fires a new salvo in its trade war with the US. Could a phone call between presidents Trump and Xi ease tensions? We're going to
discuss with former Trump official Anthony Scaramucci. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." On Wall Street, the major averages finished higher on Monday. Stocks on the rise despite ongoing tariff
uncertainties and a week read on U.S. manufacturing. Shares in U.S. steel makers were among the best performers led by Cleveland-Cliffs. It shares
rose 23 percent. President Trump plans to double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50 percent on Wednesday. This in support of domestic
producers.
In other trade news, Beijing now accuses Washington of undermining a truce on tariffs. You'll remember Washington blamed China for violating the
agreement last week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he believes the dispute will be, in his words, ironed out when Presidents Trump and Xi
speak on the telephone. The White House says that call is likely to take place this week.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett says trade talks with other countries are taking a backseat now to those talks and tensions with
Beijing.
Also, today, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon told Fox News that U.S. trade policy should focus instead on national security interests.
[18:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: National security is a critical thing. So, the most important thing to me in trade is going to be protecting our
own national security, and that's around resilient supply chains for medical ingredients, for anything that goes into our F-35 rare Earths and
related, think of, you know, two-nano centimeter A.I. chips, you know, things like that. We say, yes, this is important for American national
security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Dimon is also warn warning about America's soaring debt levels. He says the bond market will one day have a, quote, "tough time" financing
America's borrowing needs going forward. Anthony Scaramucci joins me now to discuss all this. He's the founder of SkyBridge Capital, also served
briefly as White House communications director during the Trump first term. Thanks so much and good to have you on.
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FOUNDER, SKYBRIDGE CAPITAL: Good to be on, Jim. Thanks.
SCIUTTO: So, first let's talk about where tariffs stand. Trump administration officials insisted this weekend tariffs aren't going
anywhere, but we've seen Trump back off. We are well aware of the TACO trade on Wall Street. Do markets believe that the worst of his tariff
policy is behind us?
SCARAMUCCI: No. I would say that markets are cautiously optimistic that we're going to move beyond this. I think that the markets have already
played out the chess moves on the board and they see him and the Chinese coming up with an elegant exit, one that doesn't totally tar the president
with the TACO syndrome, but the flip side doesn't leave things where they are.
And so, you know, even a Trump newspaper, The New York Post pointed out today that the president really doesn't have a lot of cards when it comes
to rare earth minerals. And of course, Jamie Dimon is suggesting as much on Fox Business.
So, I think the president and his team knows that he has to paint himself out of the corner. The question is, will President Xi allow him to do that?
And I believe President Xi is a very long-term thinker and he needs the American consumer to help his economy. And so, they will bridge that gap.
They'll hit the intersection of getting a good trade deal done for both parties without tarring each other too much. I think that's the ultimate
outcome. I think, ultimately, the market's getting to that position.
SCIUTTO: We haven't seen much definitive damage, economic damage from the trade war yet. I mean, there've been signals that manufacturing report not
great, a small economic contraction in the first quarter. Some signs of rising prices here and there. I wonder, do you think that's a lag effect
that we're we are going to see it in the next quarter or is it possible the economy might muddle through this?
SCARAMUCCI: Yes. So, such a great question because if you had asked me that question 10 years ago, we would've already seen the impact. But what's
happened is that the supply chain is way more flexible and it is way more easy to dial up and dial down the supply chain. So, as the president was
putting these tariffs on, a lot of things were purchased and moved into the country prior to tariffs being put on, and we're still experiencing the
runoff of that inventory.
So, yes, if this keeps up three months from now, you'll see that lagging effect that you're describing. The tariffs, you know, it's funny, there's
people out in the social media saying that tariffs are deflationary. We haven't really seen much deflation. That's because the goods that you're
seeing in the supply chain right now are frankly on tariffs. So, give it another couple of months and you'll see some of that havoc, Jim.
And again, by the way, you're going to see some of that havoc, because you're in that inter reg period of time where, you know, some ships are
coming over here, half full, other ships are coming over here with high prices. Women are complaining about purchases of clothing, other types of
items, strictly textiles from China, et cetera, are way up in price.
SCIUTTO: As we see this, quote/unquote, "big, beautiful bill" but work its way through Congress already through the House, now, it's in the Senate,
who knows what it looks like at the end, but it seems fairly certain it's going to add to the deficit. That's certainly where the CBO is scoring it
now. And Republican Party does seem quite tied to the tax cuts and hasn't quite figured out the math on the cost cutting.
How does the bond market react to that and do you see -- you saw Jamie Dimon's warnings about it. Do you see as big a signal to a big add to the
deficit from that bill as we saw, for instance, earlier in the year when the bond markets were ringing red alarm bells at the worst of the tariffs?
SCARAMUCCI: Yes. So, my -- again I think the bond market is probably the best predictor of all the markets, even more predictive than the stock
market. And the bond market is telling you that big, beautiful bill is not going to get signed unless it becomes a smaller, less beautiful bill and it
doesn't have the intensity of robust spending that's going to lead to that -- the deficits.
[18:30:00]
I think, you know, Jamie's telling people that. He's signaling, hey it's just not going to get done. There's no way to make the math work on that
bill. There's no way to reconcile that bill. And so, the Republicans are sitting there trying to figure out how they're going to reach a consensus
together to have a less than beautiful bill. And I think that will happen as well. The bond market is telling you as much.
SCIUTTO: Before we go, negotiators I speak with in Europe and Canada and elsewhere, say privately they're fairly pessimistic about coming to trade
deals with the U.S. but part of the problem is, right, they don't know where the tariffs are going to land, right? I mean, they change every other
day it seems. Yet, you still hear administration officials say every day, oh, yes, we've got a, you know, couple dozen, you know, trade deals we're
about to sign. Are there really any big substantive trade deal deals that are right around the corner?
SCARAMUCCI: Well, we both know that there, there can't be, because these deals take at least 18 months to resolve. And so, you can't really resolve
one in 30 or 60 days. But I think the real more important piece of this story is the strategy. The president literally like Admiral Yamamoto
declared a Pearl Harbor attack on everybody.
So, it wasn't just going after who he thinks our competitive economic adversaries, he went after our allies. You know, he would've been way
better off going to the Europeans and saying, hey, listen, I've got to get disposable income up on middle- and lower-income people in the United
States. I need that positive flywheel for my economy, which benefits you because these consumers are buying goods from all over the world. Let's
team up together and let's tackle the Chinese together. Sort of our billion people here in the free world discussing the trade situation with their
billion people. But he didn't do that.
So, he declared war in a 360-degree way. And it's impossible now to cover that circumference in time before these things start wreaking havoc. So,
it's either he's going to pull back and go to pre liberation day levels, which I think the market's thinking that's where he is going to end up, or
we're going to have some havoc and some tumultuous activity in the market and the economy. So, that's, I think, the big debate that's going on inside
the administration right now.
SCIUTTO: We'll see who comes out on top. Anthony Scaramucci, always good to have a conversation.
SCARAMUCCI: Yes. Good to be with you.
SCIUTTO: Coming up after the break, Iran accuses the United States of inconsistency when it comes to its position on a potential nuclear deal.
Can both sides find common ground? We'll have a look. Coming up
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:35:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are more international headlines we're watching today.
The suspect in Sunday's anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, has now been charged with 16 counts of attempted murder. If convicted, Mohamed
Sabry Soliman could face the maximum federal sentence of life in prison. Officials say a total of 12 people were injured after Soliman allegedly
used a flame thrower and Molotov cocktails to set people on fire. This at an event in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
A hotel employee in Beverly Hills gave evidence today in the Federal criminal trial of Sean Diddy Combs. Sylvia Oken spoke about bills
associated with Combs' hotel stays, which included extra charges for cleaning and damage. One of those bills included a $500 charge for oil
damage. Another for $300 was applied for cleaning drapes. Combs pleads not guilty to charges that include racketeering, conspiracy, and sex
trafficking.
The Australia woman who denies killing three people with the world's most toxic mushrooms took the stand on Monday for the first time in her trial.
Erin Patterson is accused of feeding her estranged husband's parents, aunt and uncle a meat laced with death cap mushrooms. This in 2023. Days later,
everyone except the uncle died in the hospital. Patterson's defense lawyer said it was, quote, "a terrible accident." Patterson testified that her
relationship with a restrained husband was merely functional and said she'd had a never-ending battle with low self-esteem. The trial continues.
Now, to the Iran nuclear talks ongoing in Egypt, and the news that Iran has criticized the latest U.S. proposal as, quote, "incoherent, disjointed,
unrealistic, and with excessive demands." A senior official says it's inconsistency from Washington, that's the latest barrier to progress amid
growing skepticism about the chances of a deal coming to be.
Foreign Minister Abbas said the country will respond soon to the latest proposals. Last month, the senior Trump administration officials said more
talks are necessary. It's unclear when and where the next round will take place.
Joining me now is Holly Dagres. She's a senior fellow at the Washington Institute. Good to have you on.
HOLLY DAGRES, SENIOR FELLOW, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE: Thanks for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, let's begin with what is the key issue here, which is whether Iran can continue Uranium enrichment. President Trump just tweeted a short
time ago, they will not. Axios reported earlier today, they actually will be able to do so. And then there's been some discussion of a consortium
that might enrich this not clear where that enrichment would take place.
I mean, how -- what are the ways you get around those issues to come to some sort of agreement?
DAGRES: It's a lot to unpack and I think there is a lot of confusion. I think for the Iranians, the red line is zero enrichment, which is what the
Trump administration has been pushing for as of late. But I just came from Oman and I was told by Oman officials that the U.S. and Iran do want a
deal, but it's this issue itself, which is how do we get to that point?
And I think there are ways and means. If there's really talk of a regional consortium, this is something the Iranians proposed over a decade ago. So,
this isn't a new idea for them. So, they possibly could be open to this. It's the idea where they're not allowed to enrich on their territory at 0
percent, that they'll definitely be pushing back from.
SCIUTTO: Now, beyond eliminating sunset provisions, which had been one of the criticisms of the JCPOA in 2015, that the restrictions expired after a
certain amount of time. Would this deal, at least based on what the discussions are right now, be fundamentally different from the deal they
reached 10 years ago before Trump withdrew from the deal?
DAGRES: I mean, I always say this looks like something no different than what we saw with NAFTA. If this deal happens, there's just going to be some
language here and there that's tweaked, but more or less it's going to be the same deal. Unless it's something the president has a history of doing,
whether it comes with building his -- purchasing tall buildings to moving embassies to the consulate in Jerusalem.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
[18:40:00]
DAGRES: So, I don't think we're going to see very much different. What does worry me is the technical aspect of it, which is how detailed is this going
to be? Is this going to be a two-page paper, ala North Korea, or are they really going to go into the details like they did with the original JCPOA,
which was 150 pages?
SCIUTTO: You've written a piece about how, interestingly, in their public comments, tweets, et cetera, Iranian officials have been not just using a
means of communication that sounds remarkably similar to Donald Trump, but also that they seem to be studying how the administration is handling the
Russia-Ukraine talk. So, how does that come across in their public statements?
DAGRES: Well, I would say that the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has basically copy pasted Trump's Twitter diplomacy from the
first administration, which is now on Truth Social these days. And he's been focusing on a couple of things, being very careful in his rhetoric, on
not attacking Trump, which was actually opposite of what they did with the Trump administration in its first iteration.
SCIUTTO: Sure.
DAGRES: And then focusing on really specific issues that speak to the president, like having a more of a business-oriented view of the talks,
like talking about Iran being a trillion dollar opportunity for investment or the worry about another war happening, a forever war, as the president
would say, and basically using those lines to actually say, this is why we should have a deal.
SCIUTTO: Interesting to use like the forever war rhetoric, you know, because that does seem to be a driving force for President Trump and the
Trump administration is they don't want a war. Now, the issue with that, of course, is that, as we reported last week, Israel is at least making
preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
As you were in the region, does anyone there fear that Israel might defy the United States even knowing that President Trump wants a deal and just
say, this deal or the parameters of this deal are unacceptable to us and strike Iran anyway?
DAGRES: I can't speak for the region. But just in individual conversations, I think there is a worry across the board, not just in the Middle East, but
here in Washington, that Netanyahu might decide to actually take matters into his own hands and push for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. But
I also hear on the other hand that he was afraid of the Zelenskyy chairs. It's being called these days.
SCIUTTO: Right.
DAGRES: So, it -- I think that in the post-October 7th world there's dynamics there that we wouldn't think is possible. And if it comes to a
threat to Israel's survival in the view of Netanyahu, I could see that if these talks don't go somewhere that they might take matters into their own
hands, especially if they fear that they're enriching, which, as you know, the latest IAEA report from Saturday was saying that they had been shut 15
-- increased at 50 percent. So, there is a real concern that time is running out.
SCIUTTO: Before we go, is Iran weakened now? Is -- does it feel that -- with the loss, for instance, of Hezbollah, the law loss of its ally -- or
the weakening of Hezbollah, the loss of its ally, Assad in Syria, the strikes that Israel carried out on Iranian territory, does it feel
vulnerable? Does it feel it has to make a deal now with the Trump administration to avoid the prospect, for instance, of Israeli military
action?
DAGRES: From a defense perspective, absolutely, but I think more so on the domestic front. The Iranian people have very much vocally said that they're
fed up with this clerical establishment with ongoing protests. Right now, as we speak, there's 150 cities that have truckers on strike because of the
economic situation on the ground.
So, they're in a real dire situation where they need to at least have a band aid on the economic situation, which is in part caused by their own
mismanagement and corruption. And so, if they don't secure a deal, if Iranians aren't able to have a better purchasing power to feed their
families, they're going to have a bigger problem on their hands.
SCIUTTO: Holly Dagres, Washington Institute, thanks so much for joining.
DAGRES: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Coming up just after the break, one of the world's most active volcanoes makes its presence felt, very much again. Tourists around Mt.
Etna scrambled to safety as ash, huge clouds of smoke sent kilometers into the air.
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[18:45:00]
SCIUTTO: Tourists in Italy fleeing Mt. Etna as Europe's most active volcano erupts. Officials say a plume of ash and rock went several kilometers into
the sky and produced explosions that could be heard 50 kilometers, 30 miles away. Our Melissa Bell reports
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here to see a force of nature. Hikers and tourists were surprised by a massive eruption
on Italy's Mt. Etna early Monday and sent fleeing for safety. A plume of hot gases, ash, and rock billowing high into the air above them.
This is what a close call looks like, the tour guide who took this video says. It arrived all at once. An immense smoke. An immense, immense roar.
The eruption began overnight. Geologists say preliminary observations show a quote, "partial collapse" of the northern flank of Etna's southeastern
crater producing this enormous cloud seen here in a time lapse video.
Everyone on the volcano has been evacuated safely, local authorities say. Hikers are being told to avoid the summit area until further notice.
Etna is a popular tourist destination on the island of Sicily, visited by one and a half million people a year, many of whom trek almost all the way
to its summit. It also happens to be one of the most active volcanic sites in the world. It erupts often. Geologists though say that there hasn't been
an eruption of this magnitude since 2014.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Don't want to get too close to that. Well, big upsets on the red clay. All the highlights from the French Open next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
SCIUTTO: In Field of Play, two major shocks at the French Open World Number 361 Lous Boisson, stunned third seed Jessica Pegula. While Alexander
Bublik, who's ranked 62. became the first man from Kazakhstan to reach a Grand Slam final. Patrick Snell is keeping up with all the action. Tell us
about the day.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi there, Jim. Yes. extraordinary day in the French capital. Bublik's calling it the best moment of his life and for
good reason because on Monday, Jim, the 27-year-old making, as you've just said, a very, very special piece of history in getting to the last date.
Bublik was born in Russia. He actually grew up there, but he now represents Kazakhstan. And for context here, over the years, he has become, simply
put, one of the most talented and popular players out there and toys, a fun guy, he's down to earth. Simply put, it's very easy to relate to him.
That's why the crowd love him. Very entertaining. And boy, can he play when he needs to.
His breakthrough, Roland-Garros run continuing with a very impressive four set upset over the English player Jack Draper. You can see the emotion
there. Bublik's second top 10 victory of the week. He now faces, this will be tough, the number one Jannik Sinner for replacing the semis. Alexander
overcome with emotion after the win, given a great reception by the crowd there in Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job Alexander.
ALEXANDER BUBLIK, TENNIS PLAYER: You know, sometimes in life there is only one chance. And I had a feeling that that was mine. And I couldn't let it
sleep. So, I mean, standing here is the best moment of my life, period.
You know, I'm standing here like I won the thing. You know, it's -- but at the end, yes. What can I say? Thank you, guys. I mean, I can't cry here.
Come on. Stop. Let even let me be in peace, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, let your emotions go. You want to cry, cry.
BUBLIK: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?
BUBLIK: I still have much to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, for sure.
BUBLIK: I still have much to go. I'm a professional tennis player. I got to get ready. Thank you, guys. Thank you very much. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations. Enjoy your moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that is brilliant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: As I said, the crowd love him. Great emotion there. Another terrific storyline for the neutrals, at least French wildcard Luis Boisson recording
a victory for the ages in front of her home fans. The 22-year-old from Dijon is the last remaining French player in the singles role going into
her match against the highly experienced American player, Jessica Pegula. Her hopes to advancing were pretty low, especially after she would lose the
first set to her world number three opponent.
But then came the most amazing response from a player who probably felt she had nothing at all to lose inspired and roared on by the crowd. She would
win the second set to level a match. And then, she breaks very early in the deciding third set, and she would seal most famous of wins for her, the
French youngster leaving Pegula absolutely shocked and stunned. But you can see the joy on the French player's face their seating victory in three
sets. Much the delight to the home fans there, I will say, Jim, out there on court. The very famous court Philippe-Chatrier.
Great storylines everywhere you look in the French capital at Roland- Garros. Back to you.
SCIUTTO: Fun to see those upsets. Patrick Snell, thanks so much. Speaking of upsets, India's Gukesh Dommaraju defeated five-time world champion
Magnus Carlson at this year's Norway chess tournament. The surprising win by the 19-year-old prompted Carlson to slam his fist on the table in
frustration. Carlson also skipped post-game media duties. Dommaraju describes his win as unexpected, calling it a lucky day. It's the first
time he's beat Carlson in classical chess.
[18:55:00]
Around 250 million honeybees escaped out of a commercial truck that was hauling them. It overturned in Washington State on Friday, 70,000 pounds of
honeybee hives inside rolled over with it near the Canadian border. The driver apparently didn't make a tight turn all that well, causing the rig
to roll into a ditch. The driver was not injured. Beekeepers help the bees re-hive and get back to their queen. I didn't know that was possible. I
figured they'd just fly away.
Well, in today's Good Brief, if you ever wanted to start a food fight, you might want to visit Colombia. The Grand Tomatina Food Fight Festival took
place in Sutamarchan on Sunday. Wow. Don't wear nice clothes. That's about 170 kilometers north of Bogota. It's a local version of Spain's Tomatina
Festival. Revelers threw overwrite tornadoes causing just a little bit of a mess. The festival ended Monday using 45 tons of tomatoes. Looks like fun.
Thanks so much for your company. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
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[19:00:00]
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