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Voters in Six States Head to Polls Today in High-Stakes Primaries; Trump Admin Signals It Will Back Off $1.8 Billion Anti- Weaponization Fund; Trump Announces Acting Director of National Intelligence. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired June 02, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, real life voters casting real life ballots. Primary day in key races across the country. What Punchbowl calls Trump's losing streak, major political setbacks after pressure from senior members of his own party.

And breaking news, the mayor of Newark about to speak about the heated protests outside an ICE facility.

I'm John Berman, with Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Polls have been open now for about an hour in Iowa. That's one of the six states holding primaries across the nation today, with high stakes for both parties. Here's why the focus is on Iowa so much. Two Democrats and two Republicans are battling for Iowa's Senate seat, the first open Senate seat there in more than a decade. That's because Republican Senator Joni Ernst announced that she is not running for re-election, and now Democrats see this as a possible pickup opportunity. That's in Iowa.

Also, all eyes are on California. Next hour, polls open there, which has become home to some of this cycle's wildest races. In the governor's race, no fewer than 61 candidates are competing to succeed Gavin Newsom, who is term limited as governor. And maybe the most surprising showdown, in the Los Angeles mayor's race, a political newcomer and former reality T.V. star, Spencer Pratt, is really shaking things up as the sitting mayor, Karen Bass, is fighting for another term.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Des Moines, Iowa, for us this morning. And, Jeff, what are you hearing from voters there?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kate, good morning. We have been talking to voters as they've been casting ballots. For the last hour or so, a steady stream of voters. Of course, there is early voting, so not everyone votes on Election Day. But the voters that we have been talking to say they certainly are driven here today because the anxieties and the economy here in Iowa and other things. But talking to a Democratic voter just a few moments ago, she said that she sees an opening in Iowa that she has not seen for quite some time. Well, that is exactly what party leaders are hoping here. And as you said, Senator Joni Ernst, the Republican, is retiring. So, that is creating one of the open seats in the U.S. Senate.

So, a very competitive Democratic primary for that is unfolding right now, and electability has been a central concern in this contest. Josh Turek, who's a state representative, a paralympian in the men's wheelchair basketball team back in the day, is running against a state senator named Zach Wahls. Well, electability has been hanging over all of this, and we asked Josh Turek about that a few days ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: I think that I have the unique ability, proven ability, to reach out and connect with independents and moderate Republicans that I think that my opponent would struggle to do, and that is what it is going to take to be able to win in a state like Iowa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, this is always one of the questions, trying to expand the map by reaching out to independents and moderate Republicans or firing up the base. And Zach Wahls, the state representative, is really running hard against Chuck Schumer, saying that if he was elected, he would not vote for Schumer as Democratic leader.

But all eyes also are on the governor's race here. Not since 1968 has there been an open governor's and Senate race in the same year, and the governor, Kim Reynolds, is also retiring. That has created a major opening here. There's been quite a messy Republican primary playing out. Five candidates have been in the running, and the White House stayed out of this until late Friday, the president weighing in, endorsing Randy Feenstra, a member of Congress here, but there are many voters here who say he's not MAGA enough. So, we're keeping an eye on that primary.

Is this going to be an example of the president once again being able to get someone over the finish line, or is it not?

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If the Republican candidate does not win 35 percent tonight, it goes to a state convention. So, all of this is going to be coming into play. But Democrats believe that they have a rising star on their side, name of Rob Sand. He's running unopposed today.

So, the bottom line to all of this, in a midterm election year, it creates an opening for Democrats in Iowa possibly. In the first Trump midterm election year back in 2018, Democrats won three House seats. So, of course, we also know the House majority is at play.

So, will this prove if Iowa is still a purple state, or has it become a red state? We'll know more on that, of course, in November, but the clues also will become apparent tonight. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Absolutely, great perspective and great to see you there, Jeff. Thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: All right, let's talk about California now, where there are key primaries being held today. I'm joined by Rusty Hicks, the chair of the California Democratic Party.

Chairman, thank you so much for being with us. I want to start on the governor's race, and from your perspective, what's preferable, to emerge from this group primary with a Democrat and a Republican, so it's a clear choice, or two Democrats which could create some, you know, Democrat-on-Democrat family fighting?

RUSTY HICKS, CHAIR, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY: : Well, I would simply say that we started this campaign with one objective, to ensure that we sent a strong Democrat into the general election and elected yet another Democrat as governor here in California. We've got the opportunity to certainly do that and maybe more.

And so, in many ways, it's been a crazy election cycle to this point. We can continue it on into the general election if we see two Democrats in the general election.

BERMAN: What has the lasting impact been of the resignation of Congressman Eric Swalwell and his essential withdrawal from this primary process?

HICKS: Well, I think, in many ways, it was a reset moment in the race. Certainly, you had seen some more prominent names in the Democratic Party pass on the race early on and then you saw the rise and very quick fall, the rightful fall, of Eric Swalwell. And then, in many ways, it caused voters to really pay attention to what was going on in this race. And then you saw the consolidation, the surging, the momentum behind Xavier Becerra, who has moved into the frontrunner status in this in this race.

And so, certainly, I expect to see Xavier Becerra in the general election. Maybe Tom Steyer or maybe Steve Hilton will be there with him.

BERMAN: Let's shift a little bit southward to Los Angeles. If California is a blue state, Los Angeles is a very blue city. You're there right now. What does it tell you that Spencer Pratt seems to have made this race, Spencer Pratt, who is a Republican? It's an open primary, no party affiliation there. He's a Republican, but doing better than I think a lot of people might have expected. Why?

HICKS: Well, I think, in many ways, you can look just to the White House. You can look at Donald Trump, who paved the way for an unqualified reality star to surge in a particular race. Certainly, Karen Bass has confronted some incredibly hard challenges in Los Angeles. I think there's a lot of challenges that haven't fully been addressed in Los Angeles, and so that's why I think you're seeing someone like Spencer Pratt come forward, who doesn't really have any qualifications to serve as mayor of one of the largest cities in America, but certainly has taken advantage of some discontent in the city to surge in, in this particular race.

At the end of the day, I think Karen Bass will do what's required to continue her leadership.

BERMAN: What challenges don't you think have been addressed in Los Angeles, and why is there that discontent that you just mentioned?

HICKS: Well, I don't think it's just in Los Angeles. I think, in many ways, it's across the country here in California. You know, Americans and California alike are experiencing challenges of affordability, of housing, of healthcare, of access to opportunity. And, certainly, Los Angeles has confronted some major challenges with the fires that have been seen, some of the housing and homelessness challenges.

Karen Bass has done a phenomenal job on some of those tougher issues, making some significant progress, while there's a whole lot more work to be done. And I hope that she gets the opportunity to continue to do that.

BERMAN: All right. A question you're going to love, looking forward to the presidential race, there may be two major candidates from California, Gavin Newsom, the current governor who really is running even if he hasn't announced it yet, doing everything but announcing it, and then former Vice President Kamala Harris, who may be positioning for a new run.

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Who are you going to back?

HICKS: That is a great question. I mean, California has always been generous with the rest of the country in time, talent, and treasure. And those two phenomenal leaders, I think, would do a phenomenal job as our next president.

BERMAN: All right, Rusty Hicks, good to have you with us this morning. Thank you. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you so much, John.

We've got some breaking news right now. Let's listen in to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. He's speaking about what's been going on, the protests and the problems at the facility, Delaney Hall, the immigration facility. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR RAS BARAKA (D-NEWARK, NJ): Especially the, regarding the treatment of detainees, which remain deeply troubling and inhumane. The reports of detainees suffering miscarriages, receiving inadequate medical care, psychological abuse is troubling, which forces us now to expand, and our business administrator will talk about that, our lawsuit against Delaney Hall further than just code enforcement violations.

I already spoke that the city has already implemented a curfew, which by God's grace, we're going to try to lift this evening or tomorrow evening. The city is now managing traffic with the state police help and help from other agencies around the state, the key intersections, Wilson and Doremus, Roanoke and Doremus, Avenue P. and Doremus. We believe that maintaining order and protecting civil rights are not mutually exclusive. They must go hand in hand.

We obviously thought that the interaction between ICE agents, Homeland Security, and the interaction between the state police and residents were troubling to us. We had a meeting with the governor's office, who has been on board and the state attorney general about Newark beginning to have a greater span of control, more incident command, a louder voice in how things are executed here on the ground in and around this area, and that has been granted to us. We have been allowed you know, working still in close conjunction with the state to begin to manage what's going on in this area.

I might say that we probably should have done that earlier, jumped in and had a louder voice in what was happening in and around this as it began to grow more and more untenable as the days went on. What we are most concerned about is that the public conversation has shifted away from what matters most, the urgent issues, not just what's happening outside of Delaney Hall, but what's happening inside of Delaney Hall. The detainees, their families, the real harm and hardship that they're experiencing, and we will take steps to expand and strengthen our case against the Geo Group.

We have to understand that this case is against Geo. Geo is a private company who is hiding --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: So, you were listening there to Mayor Baraka of Newark who himself back in May of 2025 was arrested outside that same federal immigration facility. And the concerns are still there about the conditions inside of that facility, which is run by a private company.

There is lots more to go. We're expecting to hear from Mayor Baraka here. Kate Bolduan will be speaking to him as soon as he gets into the studio.

All right, now, moving this morning to a major concession from the Department of Justice, now pausing President Trump's $1.8 billion so- called anti-weaponization fund after two courts have ruled against it. Those rulings, combined with strong backlash from Republican leaders, have the Trump administration signaling it may back off of the fund all together. It is a major moment as the president bends to internal party criticism, something we haven't seen much of. It also sparks new questions about the legalities of all of it and the future of the settlement deal President Trump struck with the IRS to create this fund in the first place.

With me now is a great legal mind, CNN Legal Analyst and former Federal Prosecutor Elliot Williams here with us.

So, give us some sense of what's happening here, because, legally speaking, one of the courts I think put a pause on this until June 12th. So, what happens next?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Right. The pause is for more briefing, and judges typically do that. What they will do is give the parties more time to provide papers or briefs to the court to explain their position as to why the case should proceed.

But, Sara, you know, we should pull back and not regard what happened yesterday as a great profile in courage from the administration. What they are merely doing is agreeing to follow an order from a court that they got on a matter that was, number one, politically very unpopular with, you know, I think almost half the people who identify as MAGA opposing it, much less everybody else in the country, number two, not supported or backed by Congress, and, number three, on really shaky legal grounds.

[09:15:12]

And so merely agreeing to follow what now two federal judges say is the bare minimum that we ought to expect from the White House here.

SIDNER: Look, you speak about the pushback from Republicans, because it has to be Republicans who are in control of both the House and the Senate. I do want people to hear some of that pushback. These are several Republicans who just were dismayed at this fund, and the fact that there was the potential that those people who were violent on January 6th, who stormed the Capitol, who were charged and who were convicted and have later pardoned by President Trump, could actually access this fund. Here's what we're hearing from them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): This is beyond the pale. This is not good for my colleagues. There's not one positive thing that could be spun out of this between now and November.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I do not support the weaponization fund, as it has been described.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This whole thing smells.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): We're a nation of laws, so you've got to have laws.

REP. MIKE FLOOD (R-NE): I do not want $1 of that going to anybody who physically assaulted police officers, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: And there you have it, major pushback for the first time really that we've seen in this term of President Trump's presidency. How do you see this going? Do you see -- because what you're seeing from the Trump administration is some language that for the first time is kind of a pulling back where they can say, hey, the court said, and the -- you know, the Republicans said, and so maybe we won't keep going with this. What do you see happening? WILLIAMS: Right. So, the administration has not committed to pulling back indefinitely on the fund. I think they've just said that they're adhering to the judge's order for right now. Now, you hit it right on the head, Sara. Where is the universe in which they have the political support to move forward with this? Let's just look at the -- and look, I'm a lawyer, I don't like doing math, but let's look at numbers for a quick second. You know, you're talking -- if you're talking about people who were prosecuted for January 6th, that's about 1,500 people nationwide.

All of this risk, all of this legal risk, all of this political risk was taken on for the benefit of an exceptionally small portion of the American public. There just simply is not legal, political, or practical support for any of this. So, if the administration wants to go down this road, certainly, they can, but they're going to get struck down by courts almost inevitably, and also lose politically on this issue.

It just is mind-boggling that they have chosen to go this far with this thing that really was a disastrous both legal and political idea from the first day.

SIDNER: Yes. And as we tick closer and closer to the midterms, this is politically unpopular, very, with the public who has been polled on this. You can see what very well may happen in this case, which is not fight, fight, fight, it's retreat, retreat, retreat.

Elliot Williams, I do appreciate you coming on this morning. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, Florida is bringing a bombshell lawsuit now against OpenAI, and this legal showdown is unfolding there now over artificial intelligence and child safety specifically.

And President Trump tells Benjamin Netanyahu, quote, you're f-ing crazy. The new reporting today about Trump's demands of the Israeli prime minister when it comes to the Iran war.

And video of a massive explosion at a fireworks factory, what we know about what caused that. We'll show you the video in a bit.

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SIDNER: All right. Breaking news, just moments ago, President Trump announced the new acting director of National Intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump naming Bill Pulte to the spot.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House for us. Alayna, we're getting this breaking news right at this moment. What are you learning here? I know it's just happened.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're just getting this in from the president, and, in some cases, a bit of a surprising move given just if you know who Bill Pulte is. He currently is the chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He's also the director, Sara, of federal housing -- of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

And he's someone who I'd remind you, he's been in the news before because of his very high-profile investigation into the Federal Reserve governor, Lisa Cook. He was the one who had alleged she had committed mortgage fraud and deserved to be fired. We ultimately saw the president try to move move to remove her from her position as a Fed Reserve governor. And, of course, the acting director of National Intelligence is a very high-profile, you know, national security type of job, so a bit different from the roles we know Pulte has now.

Now, the president, I will read you what he posted, but he did say that Pulte is going to remain in his current roles. The president posting, though, quote, I am appointing the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, William J. Pulte, to serve as acting director of National Intelligence. William has deep experiencing- experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the markets, and over $10 trillion at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He said this is a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago.

Now, I remind you, this position is open, of course, because Tulsi Gabbard, the current director of National Intelligence, she announced just a couple weeks ago that she was going to be stepping down from her job come June, so, come this month, she said, to focus on her husband, who currently has an illness.

Gabbard, of course, someone who has also faced a lot of controversy throughout her tenure here in the Trump administration over her handling of different investigations, her response to the Iranians' nuclear capabilities, you know, sometimes contradicting what we have heard from President Trump.

[09:25:06]

So, look, this is a high-profile role, and, of course, even more high profile and important given that the United States is at war with Iran. So this is going to be a huge job for Bill Pulte, and, again, a bit of an interesting choice, I think, from the president, but we'll be waiting to hear more on this front. Sara?

SIDNER: I just want to confirm that he's going to take this director of National Intelligence job and do the other jobs that are full-time work as well? Did I hear you right?

TREENE: That is what the president said. We have to see, though, how this is going to work. As you mentioned, Sara, we are just learning of this now, the president just posting this to Truth Social. We'll have to see whether or not perhaps this is a newly envisioned role for how typically the director of National Intelligence works. But, yes, the president had said that he is going to remain in his current roles at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as at the Housing Finance Agency.

We'll see if that's actually true. I think we have to learn more. You know, I got to run back and talk to my sources about how this is exactly going to work moving forward, but a major role. I mean, director of national intelligence, of course, Pulte, as of now would be serving in an acting capacity, is a major role dealing with some of the most sensitive national security problems that this country faces. So, I think there's a lot of questions on how this is going to work and how he plans to lead that agency. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes, a lot of questions. It could be utterly dangerous if he's spread across all of these different jobs. Director of National Intelligence is a full-time plus job in and of itself.

Alayna Treene, a lot of news from you here, thank you so much. I do appreciate your reporting there from the White House. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Anger is escalating, protests mount over the controversial detention, ICE detention center in New Jersey. This morning, Newark's mayor is making a new push now to try to shut down that facility. We're going to speak to the mayor in just a moment.

And authorities discover an underground tunnel stretching from Tijuana to San Diego. What they now say is being smuggled through, and what they're doing about it.

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