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Interview with Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA): Iran Suspends Operation Against Israel After Two Sides Trade Attacks; Trump Defends $1.8 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund; 6 Injured in New York City Stabbing Ahead of Trump Attending NBA Finals; L.A. Mayor Runoff Poll, Bass Versus Opponent. Aired 8:00-8:30a ET

Aired June 08, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: With a new rendition of Lady Marmalade from Moulin Rouge, which is a fantastic song. Schmigadoon! took home the top prize of Best Musical with Ragtime winning Best Revival. The night featured performances from the best and brightest stars of all the nominated musicals, as well as several special performances marking the 15th anniversary of the Book of Mormon and the 30th anniversary of Chicago.

A brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the breaking news continues to roll in this morning. Iran now announcing it is suspending strikes against Israel, also after President Trump took to social media to demand that Israel and Iran, quote-unquote, stop shooting.

We're standing by for a press conference over security preparations, as New York City is gearing up to not only host Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but also have President Trump attending that game tonight, and just after a stabbing in the area injured multiple people.

And a handcuffed suspect in the back of a police car tries to escape by taking the car with a police officer inside.

Sara is out today. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: All right, the breaking news this morning. Just a few minutes ago, Iran said it is suspending this round of military operations against Israel but warns it will resume strikes -- resume these if strikes continue, including in Lebanon. By that, I mean Israeli strikes continue, including inside Lebanon.

There was an intense exchange of fire overnight. Iran shooting missiles at Israel, Israel hitting back with strikes on targets in western and central Iran. Iran's state media says an aerial attack hit a petrochemical plant damaging part of the facility.

Now, President Trump demanded this morning that Israel and Iran, quote, immediately stop shooting. And he said that both sides are, quote, looking to do an immediate ceasefire. Of course, the administration says a ceasefire has been in place since April.

So is this a new ceasefire? All of this comes despite a report first in Axios that the president personally asked the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to hold off on this retaliation against Iran. The president also claimed in the Financial Times that he is the one, not Netanyahu, who calls the shots.

With us now is Congressman Suhas Subramanyam from Virginia, a Democrat congressman. Good to see you this morning. So Iran, a statement from its military headquarters, says this round of military operations against Israel is over.

Your reaction to what's happened in the last 24 hours?

REP. SUHAS SUBRAMANYAM (D-VA), OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: Yes, it's over for now until it starts again. And one of the concerning things I'm seeing now is that the Houthis are involved and they're threatening to shut down the Red Sea. So you think about the fact that the Strait of Hormuz has had on the world economy.

Now you add the Red Sea and it's going to be an economic mess for not just for the region, for the American people and for the rest of the world, too. And so, we need this war to end quickly. And I think it's very telling that the House of Representatives and the Republican majority is cracking now at this point and their unity of support for the president's war of choice.

BERMAN: So before Israel retaliated on Iran, shot this round of missiles and drones inside Iran, the president told Axios, I'm going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. The prime minister did retaliate. And the Financial Times reports that the president told them, quote, "I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn't call the shots." He's talking about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who then proceeded to launch an attack on Iran despite the fact the president told him not to.

How much control does the president have over the current situation?

SUBRAMANYAM: Very little. In fact, some people would argue that Bibi has more control over Trump than vice versa sometimes. And you look at the issue, the underlying issue is that Israel has different motivations and different objectives in this war than the United States does.

They want regime change. They want to get rid of any threat to them, which is understandable. But that's sometimes in contrast to what we want, which is to neuter Iran's nuclear program and end this war, presumably.

But this president and his administration have been terrible when it comes to diplomacy. And that's what happens when you send your son in law and a real estate executive to do your diplomacy. It ends up being a diplomatic nightmare.

[08:05:00] And now we're getting to a point where it's hurting our economy, hurting every single American and raising costs on everyone around the world.

BERMAN: Gas prices down a little bit off their highs around 4.16, 4.17 a gallon. I haven't looked this morning, but I know they were as high as 4.50. How much relief does that provide to Americans? And if they keep moving in that direction, how welcome will that be?

SUBRAMANYAM: Well, that'd be great. I'd like to see prices miraculously go down. But the reality is it's not just gas prices, it's fertilizer, it's food.

It's so many other things that Americans rely on. And now if you throw the Red Sea on top of that, that's going to disrupt our economy in a massive way. And people were told that prices were going to go down under this administration and all they've done is gone up.

And so this was a war of choice. This was a diplomatic failure. And the president needs to fix his mistake and fix this mess.

BERMAN: How?

SUBRAMANYAM: That's a great question. I mean, one way is to try to figure out a diplomatic solution. But that would have been great two or three months ago.

In fact, that would have been great 10 years ago when President Obama figured out a nuclear arrangement with Iran. And then the president backed out of it, saying that it wasn't enough. And now he's thinking about doing the exact same thing, if not worse.

And so that's the mess he's in is that he knows that he's backed himself into a corner. And there's no way out. What he can do is come to Congress and consult with Congress and give Congress its actual war powers authority, and then we can all work together on a diplomatic solution.

BERMAN: So, Congressman, there is this issue -- on another subject here -- of the political fund. The president still very much wants to compensate people who feel they were wrongly investigated or prosecuted during past administrations. He calls it the weaponization fund.

Some people call it a retribution fund. His acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, has suggested that the effort to get it is dead. I'm not sure that's what the president is saying.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Me personally, I think the weaponization fund is a great idea. And so do many other Republicans. You have to get it approved. If they get it approved, that's great. If they don't get it approved, I'd be disappointed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So Todd Blanche says they're not pursuing it. Does that sound like the president's not pursuing it?

SUBRAMANYAM: He's not pursuing it for now, but he clearly wants it. And Republicans in Congress are afraid of him. And so I would love to see an up or down vote on the anti-weaponization fund and to see how many Republicans in the House and Republicans in the Senate support the president's anti-weaponization $1.8 billion slush fund for people who committed crimes but we're loyal to him.

The reality is, we know it's wrong, but the president wants it. And so they will follow the president no matter what.

BERMAN: Congress Suhas Subramanyam, we appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you very much -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: OK, so there are new details coming in about the people stabbed at New York City's Penn Station, which is steps from Madison Square Garden, where game three of the NBA finals is tonight. And the president of the United States will be tonight. A press conference happening this hour on security preparations.

And a CNN exclusive report. EPA employees saying that they're being pressured to make harmful chemicals appear safer.

Plus, an unexpected visitor catches a homeowner by surprise. The massive gator that the man said he thought was an Amazon package -- terrifying.

[08:10:42]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, a suspect is in police custody after six people were injured in a stabbing at Penn Station in New York City. And this is getting extra attention now because Penn Station sits directly below Madison Square Garden, which is hosting game three of the NBA finals tonight.

And also because President Trump will be is expected to attend said game. The press conference on security preparations around this whole thing is expected this hour. CNN's Mark Morales is standing by for that press conference to get underway. Mark, what's the latest that you're hearing ahead of this?

MARK MORALES, CNN REPORTER: So, like you said, we're here waiting for this press conference. We'll hear from the NYPD and the Secret Service, and they'll tell us about this ramped up security package, which is supposed to include road closures, frozen zones, policies on bags. And all this happens, just as you said, a few hours ago when you had this stabbing attack at Penn Station.

Now, investigators are now trying to figure out what exactly led to this incident. What we can say is that all people that were injured in this attack are expected to survive. But this also leads to the bigger question of security.

And this is kind of why security officials here in New York City were so adamant on trying to secure that area. As you know, it's going to be very intense inside Madison Square Garden, but the security package outside is going to be just as intense. You're going to see droves of NYPD officers. You'll also see federal authorities out there, too.

But you'll get the full presidential security package, which means counter-assault teams, counter-sniper teams. You'll also have plain clothed agents mixed in with the crowd.

[08:15:00]

You'll also have every single camera that's in that area pointed at Madison Square Garden and the areas around it. So they'll be able to have eyes in the sky and see everything before it happens.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And that press conference is going to get underway this hour. We're going to bring that to you.

I mean, if you've ever been in New York City when the presidential motorcade is even trying to travel across town, you know what that does. And so the fact that it's now going to be in the midst of right around the Garden, right around Penn Station, and while everyone's trying to get to this game, it is a security nightmare to say the least, but something they can pull off. And Mark Morales is going to be there for that press conference to hear about it all.

So, a race to find survivors now this morning after a devastating earthquake levels buildings and sends people scrambling for cover. The video coming out is just terrifying.

And also, a CNN exclusive report. EPA scientists telling CNN that they're being pressured to make harmful chemicals appear safer. That exclusive reporting is just ahead.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this morning, a brand new update on the Los Angeles mayor's race. As more votes have been counted, Nithya Raman, a councilwoman who is a Democrat, has moved into second place ahead of reality star Spencer Pratt, who is a Republican. This means that if it were to end today, which it won't, but if it were to end today, the top two people advancing would be Democrats.

Now, there are Republicans all kinds of upset that this is the way California counts votes. The president says that it's rigged somehow. It's not. This is just the way they do it.

But the thing is, the person who might be most upset about all of this, not a Republican, but the incumbent mayor of Los Angeles, Democrat Karen Bass. With us now is chief data analyst Harry Enten. What am I talking about

here?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, this is the dumbest conspiracy theory I have ever heard, because the Democratic establishment and Karen Bass wanted Spencer Pratt in the run. They don't want any part to do with Nithya Raman. Why is that?

Because just take a look here. OK, mayor ran runoff polls, Bass versus opponent, versus Pratt. Bass would have crushed Pratt by 18 points.

That's what the polling showed. Look at how she does against Nithya Raman on the other hand. Raman is ahead by four points.

Bass has a real race on her hand, if in fact Raman is the one who advances. And of course, the Democratic establishment is backing Karen Bass. But versus Spencer Pratt, she was crushing him.

She wanted to face Pratt. She wanted nothing to do with Raman. That's why these conspiracy theories simply make no sense, people.

BERMAN: When we talk about favorability, you have more evidence here.

ENTEN: Yes, this is more evidence. You know, why is it that Nithya Raman's doing so much better than Spencer Pratt would against Karen Bass? It's simply put, Raman is actually decently liked by L.A. City voters.

Look at this. OK, Nithya Raman, plus five on the net favorability rating. Karen Bass, way underwater at minus 22 points.

You basically just need someone who's half decently well liked to be favored or at least have a real shot against the incoming Karen Bass. Spencer Pratt, on the other hand, look at that. He's even less liked than Karen Bass.

He's 32 points underwater. Karen Bass doesn't want to face Nithya Raman. She would love to face Spencer Pratt, because simply put, she's managed to find someone who's more unpopular than she is, and she's quite unpopular.

BERMAN: This is really interesting. You look at these numbers, one of these things is not like the other.

ENTEN: No!

BERMAN: She is definitely more liked than the other two. Now, the president here, obviously the president is looking at this race. He's all kinds of upset about it.

He presumably wanted Pratt here.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: Republican wants Republican news at 11. Angelinos, what do they think about the president? ENTEN: Yes, OK, this is the other thing. The president of the United States is such a drain on Spencer Pratt. I mean, hello, OK, Los Angeles City voters, Trump's net approval rating in the city of Los Angeles is about 55 points underwater.

I mean, the idea that a Republican could be the mayor of New York when the president of the United States has a net approval rating, yes, it's so difficult, 55 points underwater, and then registered as Republican, just 15 percent of the voters in the city of Los Angeles are registered as Republican. 55 percent of Democrats, Spencer Pratt was facing a mountain in order to win, and so Karen Bass and the Democratic establishment knew that there's basically no chance a Republican could be the next mayor of New York.

The only way she could lose is if she goes up against another Democrat, and you see it right here, very simply put, up by four, no wonder, and that is where the results right now are moving, a Raman versus Bass general election, which I said at the top, an absolute nightmare for the Democratic establishment and Karen Bass.

They would have much preferred Spencer Pratt.

BERMAN: A lot of discomfort, no doubt, this morning --

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: -- in and around the establishment in Los Angeles. Harry Enten, thank you for explaining that so well.

ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.

BERMAN: You're an outstanding human being.

ENTEN: You are even more outstanding.

BERMAN: All right, happening now, a manhunt underway after 12 people were shot at a popular festival.

And an officer jumps into action to save a driver after a crash.

[08:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: All right, the breaking news this morning, Iran says that it is now suspending its military operation -- this version of it -- against Israel after the two sides have been exchanging new strikes and also threatened President Trump's push for a deal. Iran fired a wave of ballistic missiles at Israel.

Then Israel hit back, striking targets across western and central Iran. This also comes despite a report, first in Axios, that the president asked the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a call Sunday to hold off on retaliating. We're told the two leaders held a second phone call today. On social media this morning, the president had demanded both sides, quote-unquote, stop shooting. And he also said that both sides are looking to do an immediate ceasefire.

Joining us right now is CNN national security analyst, Alex Plitsas, and CNN political and global affairs analyst, Barak Ravid of Axios.

Barak, you had this reporting about this phone call on Sunday, but let's talk about the moment we're in right now, since so much has transpired since just yesterday. So this two-month truce between Iran and Israel, it was breaking down. Then Iran announces it's halting offensive operations for now against Israel.

[08:30:00]