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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Says He Urged Israel to Agree to Ceasefire With Hezbollah; Algae Plagues Trump's $14 Million Reflecting Pool Paint Project; Italy's Prime Minister Says, Trump Completely Fabricated Claim She Begged for Photo. Scottish Fans Flood Boston For Second World Cup Match. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 19, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to Lead. I'm Phil Mattingly, in for Jake Tapper.

This hour, mediators are working to reschedule talks between the U.S. and Iran after negotiations were called off at the last minute last night. But with the clock ticking on the 60-day period to reach a final deal, how far apart are the two countries?

Plus, even more rain is on the way for parts of the U.S. already underwater. Deadly flooding sweeping across the Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana to Mississippi, leading to evacuations and water rescues. An update on the ongoing threat ahead.

Also, a picture may be worth a thousand words, but it can also cause an international incident. The Italian foreign minister has now canceled a trip to the U.S. after President Trump claimed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni begged him for a photo at the G7. We'll go to Italy for the latest on this diplomatic spat.

And the problems keep coming for Washington, D.C.'s Reflecting Pool. Just days after Trump's $14 million renovations were complete, more blue material is peeling off the bottom of the pool while crews spent the afternoon pumping algae-filled water out. CNN's teams were there. That's ahead.

The Lead tonight, the countdown is on for the U.S. and Iran to finalize a peace deal within 60 days. A new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy, has smoothed over, for the moment, the initial rocky start as President Trump and former President Obama trade barbs on how to deal with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I terminated the Barack Hussein Obama deal, the JCPOA, which was a road to a nuclear weapon.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We're back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: We start things off with CNN's Kevin Liptak live from the North Lawn of the White House. Kevin, I just want to cut to the chase. Like where do things stand right now?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. I think the way to put it is the deal is not totally upended, and I think that's caused a degree of relief on the part of the president and on the part of his team. But this has all just served as a reminder that it is very fragile, and that it remains, in a lot of ways, hostage to events on the world stage that President Trump does not have complete control over, namely in Lebanon.

You know, remember, ending the war in Lebanon was in the first paragraph of this deal. Benjamin Netanyahu is under extraordinary amount of political pressure to keep up the fight against Hezbollah, but if that happens, this deal is going to fall apart. And so, clearly, President Trump, I think, relieved today that his efforts to convince the Israelis to back off for now seemed to work. But he certainly is aware that the clock very much is ticking. Listen to what he said just a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: In 60 days, they have to make a deal, otherwise we will do things that won't make them happy. But I don't think it's going to get to that. I think it's going to be very good. Remember, if we do that, then all of a sudden you're not going to have the oil flowing out of the strait too quickly, because people that own billion dollar ships don't love missiles flying over them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So, he says 60 days. If you're really counting here, we're actually at 58 days since the deal was signed, and that the president has to complete these negotiations. And it seems clear just given how difficult the issues that remain to be solved are. They're going to need every single one of those days.

Now, the Iranians say that they are working to get these talks that were set to take place in Lucerne, Switzerland, back on track. The vice president has said that he's essentially ready to go at a moment's notice if the Iranians give the signal that these talks are back on.

And I think both for President Trump and for J.D. Vance, they have every reason to try and get to the negotiating table to try and solve some of these issues, just given the immense amount of criticism that you've heard even from some of the president's supporters that this deal didn't solve the nuclear issue, at least in the first round.

And so we'll see when those talks actually take place, but, certainly, both sides of this looking to get back around the negotiating table.

MATTINGLY: And the clock is ticking. Kevin Liptak, I appreciate you, my friend. Thank you. Joining us now is Robert Malley. He negotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Rob, I really appreciate your time.

I just want to start off with some of the new sound we got from President Trump in his interview with the Axios show. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If it weren't for me, Israel would not exist today because I terminated the Barack Hussein Obama deal, the JCPOA, which was a road to a nuclear weapon.

[18:05:10]

They would've had it five years ago. They would've used it within the first week, in my opinion, and Israel would no longer be with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: I have appreciated you repeatedly making the point that comparing a memorandum of understanding with the JCPOA doesn't really make much sense given they're very, very different. But I'm interested in what you think about what you just heard from the president.

ROBERT MALLEY, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR IRAN: No, I learned long ago I don't always follow my own lesson, not to pay that much attention to every word he says. I mean, this is so exaggerated that it becomes a bit ridiculous. I'm not sure what he's actually saying. There was no chance if we had stuck to the deal, Iran would have stuck to the deal. I mean, there's every indication of that. There's no way Iran would have had a bomb five years ago. There's no way Iran would have attacked Israel. The whole thing is just not really worthy, I think, of too much commentary. I think it's better to focus on where we are than where the president's imagination takes him.

MATTINGLY: You have made the point several times since this MOU came together, which it was better than the -- like to go down this path as opposed to the alternatives was the best path to take, regardless of whether or not the MOU is as expansive as anybody claims it is or isn't.

I'm interested, other members of the Democratic Party have been kind of trying to figure out how to get at the idea of, okay, well, if you hate this or don't like this or think this gives away the store, what is the alternative here? What were the alternatives?

MALLEY: So, listen, my view about this, I don't quite understand some of the critics of this memorandum. I mean, it's imperfect. It's full of ambiguities. It's full of holes, full of details that are lacking. I mean, it lacks the details that were going to have to be filled out.

The real target here, the real problem is not the memorandum of understanding. It's the war that made it necessary. I mean, at a minimum, this memorandum ends the war, opens a Strait of Hormuz, assuming that it succeeds. You know, the rest, when people talk about an extortion, when they talk about surrender, it is a surrender compared to the completely fantastical and illusory goals that the president had laid out at the beginning of the war, with the changing objectives. I mean, they were impossible to achieve. So, by that standard, any memorandum, any deal would've been unsatisfactory.

They all -- the memorandum of understanding is also -- you know, falls far short of some of the dreams of the regime changers who have always said, just put more pressure and/or go or resort to military force, and the regime will fall.

But, in fact, if you just look at the deal, you know, it's a deal that restores the status quo ante before the war was started. That's why I say it's an indictment of the war because what it really does is that it unmakes or it rewinds the tape to get to the position we were before the war started by opening a strait that was never closed before the war began.

But to call it a surrender and extortion, I mean, let's put things in perspective in this sense. The war cost Iran hundreds of billions of dollars. This illegal, unjustified, unnecessary war destroyed Iran's infrastructure, you know, closes -- prevented Iran from exporting oil for many, many weeks.

So, compared to the loss that Iran has suffered, which is in the hundreds of billions of dollars, people are talking about a 10 percent drop in its GDP, the benefits it's going to get over the coming 60 days are peanuts.

So, you know, I think it was a -- the war was a catastrophe with the United States. I think it's a good thing that we get this MOU. I think the MOU is an indictment of the war. But I don't quite understand the critics who say this was a surrender and therefore what? Therefore the president should have continued his war? Therefore he should have held out for better terms because Iran hasn't suffered enough as a result of the war that was waged? That's the part I don't understand.

I think one could be extremely critical. I mean, I think I've been as critical as anyone about the war, but it doesn't mean that you then criticize the MOU because it's giving too much to Iran. I mean, you know, as I say, the war caused devastation to Iran. The point now is to end the war. Nothing that is in this MOU is going to allow Iran to recover the losses that it incurred.

MATTINGLY: There is a lot of uncertainty about the next 60, 58, I'm not sure what number we're on, days at this point. You have a better window into how uncertain and how complicated it's going to be.

But I think the one immediate thing that everybody's trying to grapple with right now is Israel. Obviously, that lit back up overnight, seems to have died back down, a commitment to a new ceasefire as of today.

Iran said it would back out of the agreement with the U.S. if Israel did not stop. How do you think Israel is going to handle this over the coming days and weeks? MALLEY: I mean, it's a great question.

[18:10:00]

I think the Israeli government, the Israeli prime minister's torn between you know, two sets of pressures. On the one hand, it is hard for him to openly defy the president of the United States. And the president and the vice president have had very harsh words towards Israel. That's not good for the prime minister. This is a prime minister who has enjoyed the support of President Trump as much as anyone. They went to war together. It's very hard for him now to say, I'm going to openly undermine and sabotage a deal that you care about.

On the other hand, he has not just his right wing coalition allies who are pushing him to be much more forceful in Lebanon, but the Israeli public that has a hard time understanding that at this point Israel needs to give in to American demands at a time when they do feel that Hezbollah is still there because they weren't able to destroy them, and they still feel that they should be able to go and militarily try to address the challenge that Hezbollah represents.

So, it's going to be very hard. But I think what this tells us, again, is, you know, one of the miscalculations of this war is that Iran is today in a position where it can say, if you want us to open the Strait of Hormuz, which as the president said, is a vital priority for the U.S. economy, for the global economy, if you want us to do that, you're going to have to take steps to rein in Prime Minister Netanyahu's war in Lebanon.

That's what the president has done so far. It's going to be very interesting to see whether he's able and willing to continue to rein in the prime minister of Israel. But that's where we are today because Iran has made clear it is not only important because it has a loyalty towards an alliance with Hezbollah, which is the most important of its regional allies, but also because it is viewing that this period, this period before we enter it we hopefully get into the next stage of the deal, as a test of whether the president of the United States can take steps to ensure that Prime Minister Netanyahu, that Israel doesn't continue the war it's been waging in Lebanon. That's going to be a very, very important challenge.

MATTINGLY: Robert Malley, I'm grateful for your time and your expertise. Thanks so much.

MALLEY: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Yet another problem plaguing the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. CNN crews observed crews pumping algae-ridden water out of the monument today, and pieces of blue material from the bottom of the pool are now peeling off. And this comes just days after millions of dollars of renovations were completed. An update on an evolving mess, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00] MATTINGLY: In our National Lead, sorry, soda fans, or pop fans, as my Midwestern friends call it, you're not looking at free Mountain Dew here. This is actually water from the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, that radiant green color caused by algae, despite the new $14 million redo, and that's not the only issue.

CNN's Tom Foreman is down at the Reflecting Pool. Tom?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Phil. This is one of the new hot spots that people have been looking at all day, where you can see what appears to be that American flag blue liner coming up from the bottom.

I'm being very careful not to disturb it more than to show you what's already loose. Although, I have to say there are some tourists who have come along here, and they've been tearing up pieces to take away as souvenirs.

Meanwhile, the cleanup of the algae goes on. These workers have been out here from morning until night working very, very hard. They're pumping ozone into the water to help reduce the chemical process, the biological process that produces algae, and they're using these sort of hydro vacuums to suck up a lot of the algae that's on the bottom of the Reflecting Pool here.

Is it enough? That's hard to say. Is this failure of -- or apparent failure of some of the lining here limited to one area or a lot of areas? We also don't know. That's a big difference on a project like this. Can it be a patch job, or does it go back to the drawing board? What we do know is that you do not see the big expanse of clear water with this American flag blue underneath it that the White House sought in the beginning, and that's why it's becoming such a big problem for them.

The people who put that in, the company, has said to CNN they need more than just some pictures to figure out what's happening here, but they will take whatever steps they need to to maintain their work as they move forward. But a lot of experts are saying there's going to be a lot of maintenance needed to support the Reflecting Pool, as there always has been, and it won't be the plug and play model that the White House said it would be. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Our thanks, as always, to Tom Foreman.

Well, bipartisan backlash has forced the White House to reverse course after saying it was going to dismantle a system that provides vital information about the health of the world's oceans. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

MATTINGLY: In our National Lead, parts of the Gulf Coast are underwater, with more rain on the way. The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur moving across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, torrential downpours, damaging winds, and tornadoes tore through the region this week, killing at least three people and causing significant damage to homes and businesses, also forcing evacuations and water rescues. Now, the storm's leftover moisture is threatening more flooding across the southeast, with 10 million people under flood watches.

Well, the Trump administration is reversing course on a controversial plan to shut down part of a key ocean monitoring network after a sharp bipartisan backlash in Congress and warnings from scientists about the loss of critical climate and ocean data.

I want to bring in CNN's Bill Weir for more. And, Bill, what prompted the original decision to scale back and remove parts of the Ocean Observatories Initiative and what specific risks were brought up in response?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, officially, Phil, the administration says it was a recalibration of priorities a reshuffling of budgets by the $386 million program that's supposed to run for 30 years, so not the most expensive one out there. The people who would really benefit the most from losing these instruments would be deep sea miners and oil and gas companies.

But the outrage, the bipartisan backlash was fierce enough to give the Trump administration a rare loss on their all-out assaults on earth science these days. Lisa Murkowski, the Republican out of Alaska, among those calling for this not to happen. This is a system, the Oceans Observatories Initiative, that includes some 900 instruments that are hardy enough to withstand deep sea. They float as buoys. Some are, go under the surface. They measure acidification and currents that are breaking down as Greenland melts.

And some of these instruments were actually already pulled from the water off the coast of Washington and Oregon. The National Science Foundation announced yesterday they're going backwards. They're going to put these back in the water and look for a new, more sustainable path forward.

A lot of resistance from the fishing industry, Phil. You can imagine the crabbing industry up in Alaska having a deep stake in knowing exactly what's going on in the oceans. And whether science or business, most people are saying it makes no sense to tear up instruments that are already working.

[18:25:00]

Phil?

MATTINGLY: Bill, do we have any sense of like the scale of the disruption before the reversal or removals? And is there any plan, if there has been significant disruption, to replace it or fix it?

WEIR: Yes. We know of at least the instruments there off the Pacific Coast that are now having to be put back. It seems like this was early in the game. This was just last month these cuts were announced. So, the pushback fierce enough, early enough to probably stop it before too many of these things are dismantled.

Meanwhile, there's been all kinds of assaults on climate science, earth ice observatories around the world. But this one looks like it may be staying in place, Phil.

MATTINGLY: Yes, as you said a rare loss for the Trump administration given their policy proclivity over the course of the last year and a half.

Bill Weir, I appreciate you. Thank you.

Well, an international spat between the United States and Italy today, and it's all over one photo, or baby photo? We'll explain what started this conflict between President Trump and the Italian leader.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MATTINGLY: In our World Lead, a selfie has sparked a diplomatic clash between Washington and Rome after Italy's prime minister posted a video today accusing President Trump of lying after Trump claimed Meloni, quote, begged him to take a picture with her at this week's G7 Summit in France.

[18:30:10]

Now, Italy's foreign minister is calling off a trip to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio set to take place here in the U.S. next week.

CNN's Barbie Nadeau has more.

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Phil, we're hearing some very strong words between the U.S. president, Donald Trump, and the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. Now, this is not the first time the two have exchanged barbs, which is especially surprising because Giorgia Meloni was at one time Trump's best friend in Europe. She was his strongest ally. Many people called her the Trump whisperer. She flew to Mar-a-Lago after his election to his second term.

But everything started to go drastically wrong back in April when Italy denied the use of the Sigonella Air Base in Sicily for military operations in Iran. Shortly after that, the U.S. president, Donald Trump, criticized the American pope, Pope Leo, about his anti-war stance. At that time, Giorgia Meloni stood up for the pope and called those comments unacceptable. Donald Trump returned the criticism and called her unacceptable and thought that she had courage, but that she didn't.

So, all eyes were on the two leaders as they headed into the G7 in France, and everything looked, at least on the surface, that it went well. There was a picture taken. They were seen speaking to each other quite cordially. Then an Italian media outlet got hold of the U.S. president after he returned to the United States and asked him how things went between the two leaders, and he said that he didn't really want to take the picture, but he felt sorry for her, and that she begged for the picture.

And that's what elicited a very strong response from Giorgia Meloni, who went onto her social media and basically said that that wasn't -- that was fabricated. That wasn't how it went down, and that she doesn't beg, neither does Italy. Let's listen to what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIORGIA MELONI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Well, some things deserve an immediate response. Donald Trump's statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don't know why the president of the United States behaves like this toward his allies. It's not the first time, moreover. I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the west and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence.

There is one thing he should remember. Neither I nor Italy ever beg.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: Now, all of this is actually becoming a diplomatic incident because the Italian foreign minister was supposed to be going to the United States this weekend, but he abruptly canceled his trip over the remarks by the U.S. president, and that trip has not been rescheduled. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Barbara Nadeau, thanks so much.

My panel is here. Maria, who do you believe in the two sides of this story?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, Donald Trump has lied so many times ever since he came onto the public scene. Every time he opens his mouth it's a lie. Daniel Dale has one of the toughest jobs in television because he's got to fact check him every time Donald Trump speaks.

I believe her. I do. And this is really par for the course for Donald Trump, who is just so petty and so vindictive that you know that because Italy, along with the other nations, allies, did not do what he wanted them to do in terms of helping on this misguided war, which clearly they were right, it is a misguided war, that's why they did not want to have anything to do with it, he's not forgiving that.

I also think there's an overlay of misogyny here because she is a woman leader. We know he cannot stand women leaders. And I'm really glad that she is responding. It looks like this is almost like we're in high school, which is sort of sad. But I'm --

MATTINGLY: But also kind of par for the course.

CARDONA: -- I'm glad she responded, you know?

MATTINGLY: No. I think what I find most interesting about it, because to your point, these are the types of things where I'm kind of like, ah, come on. like, I don't really -- like, this is petty and ridiculous on some level.

CARDONA: Yes.

MATTINGLY: The back half of the prime minister's statement is serious. And the idea of like you're picking enemies over your western allies is something we heard a lot quietly from frustrated European leaders in kind of the first year of the administration as they were getting bulldozed and were very clearly trying to do whatever they could to get on Trump's good side. This seems to be inverting itself right now.

And I think it's notable that a foreign leader, a European leader, is willing to do this in the way she did, and what that means about maybe where Trump's power is globally right now.

ROBERT BLUEY, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE DAILY SIGNAL: Phil, you're absolutely right. I was surprised. I mean, this was a story that probably no one would've paid attention to, quite frankly, especially those of us here in the United States.

MATTINGLY: I mean, we're all watching Italian broadcast television --

(CROSSTALKS)

BLUEY: Like it would've completely flown under the radar. Instead, she decides to take to social media, record this video, and put it out there as a challenge to Trump.

So, clearly, there's, you know, some friction between the United States and Italy right now, you're right, on, on a certain level it seems pretty petty.

[18:35:02]

It's over a photograph and whether or not he said, she said. But at a much more bigger scale, Trump appears to still hold a grudge over Italy's decision not to be more supportive with the war in Iran. And particularly, I mean, he took a strong stance against the pope. She came out and defended him, as you would expect the Italian prime minister to do.

CARDONA: Don't mess with the pope.

MATTINGLY: I still love the idea of like the American president took a strong stance against the pope. And we're saying this, no one's surprised, because this is a --

CARDONA: He's speaking up against the war.

MATTINGLY: This is a thing that happens on so --

CARDONA: I mean, come on.

MATTINGLY: So, in terms of the conflict itself, I spoke to Senator Cory Booker earlier today. It's been interesting to try and get a sense of where Democrats are on this issue for a war that none of them wanted in the first place. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): Iran right away is going to be able to sell oil on the open market. Right away, they get relief from sanctions, which means they'll get billions of dollars, much of which they didn't have before.

Our own taxpayers have then been paying higher costs at the pump, higher costs for groceries. That has not gone down yet. We've lost 14 American soldiers, and we have nothing to show for it except for a promise oh, we'll negotiate over the next 60 days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: My biggest question, and it was a question I asked the senator, what was the alternative that Democrats would have preferred here? And I understand it was, don't start the conflict in the first place, but you're in it now.

CARDONA: Right. We're in it now, but I would even take a further step back. The alternative and the preference would have been not to get out of the JCPOA to begin with because that was a deal that was working. And there is no better demonstration that deal was working than the folly that Donald Trump put us in now.

Now, what do we do? Well, I guess, what is left to do is to see how the negotiations go now. Let's remember, this is only a memorandum of understanding. The tough work starts now, and it doesn't give us any confidence that this president really knows what he's doing when he talks about how the hard part is over. No, Mr. President, the hard part hasn't even started yet.

And what he's talking about in terms of what he and the administration are saying is in the deal is nowhere to be found in that 14-point memorandum, page-and-a-half memorandum of understanding.

So, right now, the Iran deal is only wish casting. There is nothing concrete. Now is where the tough negotiations go. And when you have Republicans calling this the biggest foreign policy blunder in a generation, that kind of tells you it all.

MATTINGLY: It's very notable. I think his team is clear, either this is going to be a -- the second phase is a lot harder than the first on some level, but they're also very optimistic. What's your read on the dynamics right now?

BLUEY: I do think they're optimistic, and I'd say the difference that Trump sees compared to Obama and JCPOA is that Iran right now is operating from a point of a much more weakened position. Their military has been decimated. Their economy's in shambles. It's just this completely different scenario from Trump's perspective. And I think that that's why he feels that the United States is going into these negotiations with a stronger hand.

Now, it is going to be challenging. We know that the Iranians are not trustworthy. And so that's going to be the bigger -- the biggest threat, I think, that, you know, is at stake here, Phil.

The other point that I'd say is I don't also trust the Iranians not to strike somebody else in the Middle East, as we know. I mean, they could start a war with Israel in these 60 days. We don't know and what would Trump do in response to that?

MATTINGLY: That's what I wanted to ask you. Do you think there is any will inside the president right now to restart a conflict that he very clearly wanted to find a way out of?

BLUEY: Well, he's made, what, threats over 30 times to do so. And I think that the key here is if he does go back in, he needs to look at taking out some of those targets similar to what Bill Clinton did against Milosevic, right, when they started to take out the dual use targets, the places that, you know, maybe power plants, bridges, and things that Trump withheld striking in the earlier conflict. That's where you could really do some damage.

CARDONA: But how smart will that be to do that right before the midterm elections? I mean, that's how people look at this covering.

MATTINGLY: I don't think that politicians would like it much. GCC countries would definitely not like it. It's complicated.

CARDONA: You know who would hate it also? The American voters.

MATTINGLY: Oh, yes. They matter a lot too. I really appreciate you both. Thanks for coming in.

CARDONA: Thanks, Phil.

MATTINGLY: Well, as we celebrate Juneteenth, we take a closer look at the states where redistricting is impacting majority black districts. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

MATTINGLY: We're back with the Politics Lead. Today is Juneteenth, the country's newest federal holiday that marks the end of slavery for black Americans. After this year's Supreme Court ruling that sparked a redistricting frenzy in states with majority black districts, Democratic Senator Cory Booker told me it feels especially poignant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOOKER: This was a celebration of freedom. And the first thing blacks did, many of them, after they were free, is they started effectively showing their citizenship by voting, voting at rates of 70 and 80 percent. But it lasted less than a decade because Southern legislatures, after the fall of Reconstruction, in a way of violence and terror, stopped blacks from voting at the polls.

This is not a black/white moment. This is not a left/right moment. This is what kind of democracy will we be?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Joining me now is Democratic Congresswoman Lauren Underwood from Illinois. I really appreciate your time. Congresswoman, ten states so far have approved new maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. Some of those states, the affected districts were eliminated as a result of the Supreme Court's decision to upend the Voting Rights Act as it applies to racial gerrymandering.

I think we frame this discussion often as an R versus D thing, as a Republicans versus Democrats battle. What do you see is at stake here?

REP. LAUREN UNDERWOOD (D-IL): What I see is that our voting rights are being rolled back right before our eyes, and the Supreme Court has allowed these Southern state legislators, these governors, to hide behind a word of partisanship to further divide Americans and distract Americans from what they're really doing, which is ripping away voting rights and the ability for communities of color, namely black communities, to elect representatives of their own choosing.

[18:45:05]

And while we have seen just in a couple short months since that Calais decision, southern states take action, right? We know that there are many other states across the country that are watching and ready to strike when they get an opportunity in their state legislatures reconvene.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN HOST: I've been struck in traveling for things I've been reporting on out in the country in the last month, month and a half, in talking to advocates, to leaders, to members of the Black community, how often I hear from kind of particularly the older generation, genuine concern that the things they fought for, their parents fought for, their grandparents fought for, are in their minds continuously getting rolled back in the current moment.

And they have a lot of fear for their kids and their grandkids and the country they'll be living in. What -- how would you describe this moment?

UNDERWOOD: What I see happening right now is that our democracy is seated on sort of a three-legged stool. One leg is the Voting Rights Act, the second leg was actually going and voting, and the third leg was our citizenship.

And we've seen Donald Trump and the Republicans in charge, aided by this reckless Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice, chip away at all three. We see the Calais decision being the first leg being chopped off of that school, that stool, taking away our voting rights as Black Americans and many folks around the country to elect representatives of our own choosing. We know that the Supreme Court will be making a decision either this week or next upcoming about the birthright citizenship cases that they are considering, Trump versus Barbara.

And that debate is really being framed around undocumented immigrants having babies here in this country. However, we know that birthright citizenship was really based on the 14th Amendment, which was written and put into the Constitution to extend the protections of citizenship to Black Americans, right? And so we know that if they get rid of birthright citizenship, it is Black Americans who would be directly harmed.

And then the third leg, we see Donald Trump tweeting even this week, insisting on the Save America Act being enacted, in order to influence and rig the 2026 midterm elections in their favor. The Save America Act is the legislation that will require proof of citizenship in order to vote in federal elections.

And so, Phil, I know you can see this idea that is shaping up where the Republicans in charge, led by President Donald Trump, would effectively create a scenario where 69 million American women would be disenfranchised, unable to vote in this election because their name has changed since they were issued a birth certificate or a passport because they got married. And then you have a whole group of millions of Americans, Black Americans, who would perhaps lack the documentation of citizenship documentation, a passport, and able to vote in federal elections. And that would be quite devastating.

And so I know that there are many, many, many concerned Black Americans across this country and others who see what the Supreme Court is doing and are reacting with disgust.

MATTINGLY: Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, really appreciate your time. Thank you.

UNDERWOOD: Thank you. Thank you, Phil.

MATTINGLY: In our pop lead, Craig Ferguson is out with another episode of "AMERICAN ON PURPOSE". This week, Craig is looking at American individualism with a little help from another late-night host.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: American individualism is something that you explore also, and you talk to one of your fellow late-night hosts, Mr. Jay Leno.

CRAIG FERGUSON, HOST, "AMERICAN ON PURPOSE": His love of -- his fascination with cars and stuff like that, I was always fascinated. I've done stand-up gigs with Jay, and he's a very mechanically-minded person. Like, he said to me once, I was saying, we're talking about, comedians talk about rough crowds when you have a rough night, what do you do? And he said, (INAUDIBLE) what I do is I increase my speed by about 8 percent. I don't even know how you can do that.

That American idea, being an individual. is a complete negation of the class system that I grew up on, and the wrong end of it as well. So that you ditch the class system, you ditch the idea that you're born this way, and you're born to the service, and you'll get to be a housemaid one day.

JAY LENO, FORMER LATE NIGHT HOST: Right.

FERGUSON: It's like, no. You got Finns. Ostentatious success was the way to put forward your individuality, though.

LENO: That's right.

FERGUSON: It's like, you've made it. You've got the American dream. And the individual actually made a piece of art.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: The latest episode of the CNN Original Series, "CRAIG FERGUSON, AMERICAN ON PURPOSE" premieres Saturday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and next day on the CNN app.

Well, so much World Cup excitement today. The United States today with the big win against Australia, and Boston has been taken over by Scottish fans as they hope to make their first ever appearance in the World Cup knockout rounds. All of it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:54:08]

MATTINGLY: A popular Rhode Island duck has become the unofficial mascot for Scotland football fans, seen here marching with the Tartan Army ahead of Scotland's match against Morocco, which is happening right now.

Scotland's searching for a win that would secure their first ever appearance in the World Cup knockout round, while 2022 semifinalist Morocco aims to follow up a 1-1 draw against Brazil with three points.

Joining us now to discuss the founder of the "Men in Blazers" Media Network, the most important man in the country when Christian Pulisic is not playing, Roger Bennett.

Roger, people may ask, "Why has your laptop been open this entire show, Phil?" And I would say, "Because I may or may not be watching the World Cup, and it's one-nothing at halftime. Scotland is down right now."

But I want to talk to you about the Scottish fans, because they're amazing and I think overwhelming Boston bar owners who say the Scots nearly drank them dry ahead of today's match party to Boston Harbor. These guys are the real deal, the fans at least.

ROGER BENNETT, CO-HOST, "MEN IN BLAZERS" MEDIA NETWORK: As everybody is chanting "no Scotland, no party". I'm old enough to remember when Boston was an Irish city. The Scots have descended upon it joyously, vociferously, passionately, but with a great welcome. I grew up in -- an era in which football was supported by hooligan fans and they just came to fight and cause havoc.

One of the joys of this World Cup is seeing the openness, the joy, the sharing, the memory making and no one has embodied that more than the Scottish fans. They've loved Boston, Boston's love them. Already the cities have twinned Boston and Glasgow.

The bonds, the memories that are being made and now the Norwegians have descended upon Boston, another group who love to drink, love to spread joy. And it's the story of this World Cup, America welcoming the world and the world just reveling in America. It's honestly healing and beautiful to witness.

MATTINGLY: I can't -- even my jaded, cynical, cold soul cannot get enough of all the content, all the videos, all the stories. It's so great, almost as great as the best soccer team in the world, the United States of America. It is undeniable. Tell me I'm wrong.

BENNETT: I'm in Seattle. I was there today watching the United States face up to Australia, win 2-0, do something that the United States men have not done in 96 years, which is win two World Cup games back-to- back.

We are out of the group stage. We've qualified for the knockout rounds, the round of 32. That's the headline. But the honest truth is, it's how we did it. This young group joyously confidently with a swagger. It's so fun to watch our men.

Our women have grown the sport in the United States. Our men are now making noise on home turf. One of the most moving things about it, we did a show before the game, a college game day. We had 10,000 fans from all over the nation flying in to make memories together.

But it's seeing the city's heart for Connecticut erupt with every goal, Atlanta, Georgia, San Jose, and America is falling in love with its football team. As someone that has come here in '94 to see America become a proper football nation, to watch the nation thrilled by footballers in this moment, this was probably the greatest day in Seattle sporting history since Sam Donald was born.

MATTINGLY: Good, well done, well done.

Real quick before I let you go, we talked about Christian Pulisic, didn't play today. How worried should I be? Like, we're still awesome. We're still going to win the World Cup. That's very clear. How worried should I be right now?

BENNETT: Yeah. Christian Pulisic, for those who don't know, is the face of this team, the most creative outfield player the United States has ever produced. He was born in Hershey, Pennsylvania, played in the biggest leagues in the world. He's the most creative player.

He took a kick in the calf in the first game against Paraguay where we looked unstoppable and then he didn't play in this game. The honest truth is the team have been very tight lipped about him. The nice news, Phil, is we have a week until they play again. We don't need him because we're already out the group. Heal up and everything is possible.

MATTINGLY: Roger Bennett, talking to you is like legitimately the joy of my day. Thank you very much. I appreciate you as always.

BENNETT: Big love, courage.

MATTINGLY: Well, Father's Day is Sunday, and CNN's Jake Tapper is sitting down with Senators Mark Kelly, Tim Scott, and former Senator Mitt Romney to learn how their unique relationships with their dads helped shape their approach to fatherhood.

Here's a bit of Jake's conversation with Tim Scott, in which the South Carolina senator reflects on healing his relationships with his dad and who is absent in Scott's childhood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: You reconciled with your father --

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Yes.

TAPPER: -- in your late 20s, early 30s.

SCOTT: Thirties, yeah.

TAPPER: How did that happen?

SCOTT: You know, I think it was just time. Listen, we kept coming together during special occasions or during visits. And over time, you'll learn that even your dad was never perfect. And as kids, you see your parents do these rose-colored glasses.

TAPPER: You saw your dad through rose-colored glasses?

SCOTT: Absolutely, even though he wasn't there, absolutely.

TAPPER: Really?

SCOTT: Yeah, absolutely. It's hard to --

TAPPER: That's surprising to me.

SCOTT: Really?

TAPPPER: Well, just because he wasn't there, and I would think you would feel sad and maybe mad at him, no?

SCOTT: Not really. You're mad when you get older, but you're not really mad.

The truth of the matter is, I don't know very many kids who don't want to make their dads proud.

TAPPER: Yeah.

SCOTT: So I think that there's a misnomer and a misperception that a kid who's separated from their father does not yearn for their father's approval. That's just the way it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Be sure to watch this very special edition of "STATE OF THE UNION". That's Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern on CNN.

You can follow the show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the show on the CNN app. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now. Have a great weekend.