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Zohran Mamdani's Political Influence Growing?; Trump Blocks Bipartisan Housing Bill. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired June 24, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Dine and clash, the president's lunch with Republicans serving up a lot of tension after he refuses to sign a landmark bipartisan housing bill. So will President Trump get the leverage that he's looking for?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Crude awakening. The price of oil is dropping fast, but the price of the pump not so much. Now President Trump sounds a lot like his predecessor when it comes to gas prices.

And Zohran Mamdani has his moment, the New York mayor taking a victory lap with three wins for candidates that he backed on primary night.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: We start this afternoon bracing for a showdown. President Trump is now on his way to Capitol Hill, departing the White House to have lunch with Republicans, though some lawmakers might not have much of an appetite.

Instead of signing a landmark housing bill that has bipartisan support today, the president is demanding that Congress pass his controversial elections bill first. He posted this ultimatum just hours ago: "The signing is hereby canceled until such a time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE America Act," which would overhaul federal elections.

The president's shock demand drawing quick backlash from some Republicans, one Republican House member telling CNN: "He is digging a hole. Threatening senators will backfire."

Let's go live on the Hill with CNN's Lauren Fox, who's there for us.

Lauren, there was a stage set up in everything with the presidential seal on it for this signing. And you had lawmakers showing up, having to find out that it was canceled via social media.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Boris. And it is just another example of House and Senate Republicans

believing that they finally had something to tout in terms of affordability just five months before the election. And yet Donald Trump is stepping on that messaging, once again insisting on the SAVE America Act, a bill that simply does not have the votes in the United States Senate.

And a couple of things to highlight there, Boris. It is not just the fact that Senate Democrats are never going to go along with this proposal and it would require 60 votes in the Senate. It is also the fact that, even if they could try to ram this through a complicated budget process, which again, very unlikely, the reality here is that not all the Republican senators support this legislation either.

And that is exactly the message that Republican leaders in the Senate hope and believe that some of their members within the conference need to deliver to the president. Obviously, John Thune, the majority whip -- or -- excuse me -- majority leader, has made it clear at every turn that this bill does not have the votes to pass in the Senate.

He needs some other Republican senators to perhaps make that point during the Republican lunch today. And he has told reporters over the course of the last several days that he hopes that members are candid and honest with the president when he comes for this lunch in just a short time.

And, obviously, this is coming at a moment where there has been increased tension and a fractured relationship between the president and the majority leader. But I will tell you that a lot of Republicans we are talking to, they have John Thune's back. They believe that this is a moment to make it clear to the president they have five months to the midterms and everyone needs to get on the same page.

As one Republican senator put it to me yesterday, the hope is that perhaps there could be a reckoning as part of this lunch in just a short time -- Boris, Brianna.

SANCHEZ: Now, we will see what Senators Cornyn and Cassidy have to say to the president after he successfully primaried them.

Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill, thank you so much -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The president's abrupt about-face on this popular housing bill comes despite high praise for the bill from the White House just yesterday.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it -- quote -- "one of the most significant pieces of housing affordability legislation in American history and another promise made, promise kept."

CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House for us covering this.

How is the White House, Kevin, explaining this about-face on this bill?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, they really haven't said much. They haven't even said whether the president, in fact, ever intends to sign this bill. Of course, it's possible he signs it in private. The Constitution also says that, once the bill has been presented to the president, if he doesn't take action in 10 days, it would become law.

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Either way, he has deprived himself and Republicans of this big set piece moment, really kind of a valedictory moment, to try and reinforce his focus on affordability, that issue that he has had so much trouble focusing on in public over the last six months or so, but which Republicans very much want to hone in on ahead of the November midterm elections.

He has already voiced indifference at this law. He said that it is of minor importance compared to the SAVE America Act, that voting bill that Lauren was talking about. He said it pales in comparison to some of the provisions that are contained in there.

So, in a lot of ways, the cat is already out of the bag, the president signaling that he is much more focused on this voting bill that cannot get through the Senate than he is on this issue of housing. This bill passed overwhelmingly in both the House and the Senate.

It had really been a moment I think that both the White House and House and Senate Republicans wanted to demonstrate their focus on what most Americans say they're concerned about, which is their pocketbooks, the cost of housing, and affordability.

Even the White House just yesterday trying to tout this as a measure that fulfills what the president said he would do as a candidate, Karoline Leavitt saying: "President Trump promised to lower housing costs, and he is delivering, making it easier for every family to achieve the American dream of homeownership." She says "promises made, promises kept."

But, as of now, that promise not yet kept, as the president withholds his signature from this bill.

KEILAR: And walk us through what is in this housing bill, why it was so popular that it passed Congress with such an overwhelming majority.

LIPTAK: Yes, it had dozens of provisions in it.

Overall, it aimed to up the housing supply in order to bring the cost of housing down. So it loosened certain regulations. It eased some of the lending rules. Overall, I think it was intended to sort of make building easier around the country, both in rural areas and in urban areas, so that there would be more houses and bringing the prices of those houses down.

It also included something that President Trump had been pushing over the last several months was, which was putting limits on institutional investors in individual homes, the thought being that, if those investors weren't able to buy up huge tracts of homes, that it would ultimately bring the cost of those homes down.

This had wide support across both parties, and I think the hope had been that this was going to show Republicans being able, in having control of the House, Senate, and the White House, that they were able to address some of the pressing needs of the American voter, but, clearly, President Trump very focused on other issues.

He's focused on the voting bill, but he has also spent a lot of time focused on foreign policy, including Iran. That has, I think, led to the impression among some voters that his concerns are not their concerns, and this was in a lot of ways meant to remedy that impression, but, for now, the president not showing that he is very focused on that at all.

KEILAR: All right, Kevin Liptak, thank you so much for that.

Still to come: a pair of milestones, oil and diesel prices falling to their lowest level in months. So, will you see some relief next time that you fill up your tank? We're going to break that down.

Plus: Democratic Party divide, primary elections in New York revealing many Democrats making a hard left turn, putting the party's ideological divide on full display.

And then, later: A man in an R.V. is accused of taking police on a dangerous low-speed chase. Ahead, why authorities say that he ran.

We will have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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SANCHEZ: Breaking news to CNN.

We want to go straight to Capitol Hill, where President Trump is speaking ahead of this awkward meeting with Senate Republicans after he delayed the signing of a bipartisan housing bill, a singular achievement of the president at this point.

Let's go ahead and listen to the president now.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iran is making very big concessions. We will see what happens, but it's been very, very, very powerful. It's going very, very well.

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TRUMP: Go ahead.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) Is this election legislation more important to you than resolving the housing crisis?

TRUMP: It's just every election's important. We're doing very well. They want a lot of communists to come in. I'm saying it a little bit differently, but the people that they're pushing are communists, and this country is not going to have communists.

Thank you very much.

SANCHEZ: Brief remarks there from President Trump.

Again, today was supposed to be a day of signing a rare bipartisan achievement on Capitol Hill, instead, the president delaying that in order to pass a bill that would upend federal elections, a lot of lawmakers on Capitol Hill opposed to that. We will get more details from this lunch with Senate Republicans and bring you them as we go.

Right now, oil prices are falling, the U.S. benchmark price slipping below $70 a barrel, its lowest level since the war with Iran began four months ago. U.S. diesel prices are also easing, now below $5 a gallon for the first time since March, though still well above prewar levels.

Let's go to CNN senior business reporter David Goldman.

So, David, walk us through the details.

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, I mean, you said it.

Oil is now below where it was before the war. This is incredible. It hadn't been below $76 since March. Now we're into February territory, incredible news. This had been below $60. This is U.S. oil prices. This has been below $70 rather earlier this morning.

And so, like President Trump said, oil prices have really fallen pretty precipitously since the agreement was signed with Iran. Diesel, well, that's really important for us too, because everything that goes onto a truck, that's fallen. Everything that goes on to a truck is something that we pay for with higher diesel prices. That's fallen below $5 for the first time since March 16.

This is undoubtedly good news, and it could mean some good news for inflation. Now, the thing is, the president isn't satisfied with that yet, and he says that oil prices aren't falling fast enough, even threatening a Justice Department investigation, saying that gas prices need to start falling as oil comes down.

Why haven't gas prices fallen as far as oil? If this sounds familiar to you, Boris, well, that's because a previous president said the exact same thing four years ago, right? President Biden saying that oil and gas companies shouldn't pad their profits at the expense of hardworking Americans, had a nice fancy chart there too.

This is something that Americans are feeling at the pump, right? Because we are not paying the lowest gas prices that we have seen since before the war. In fact, gas prices remain just under $4. Why is that? It's because of the rockets and the feathers.

Those are the two different factors that we have in the oil market. It takes off like a rocket, but gas falls like a feather. That has everything to do with gas station owners, who are not big businesses, unlike what President Biden and President Trump have said. They are small business owners.

And they were losing money when gas was going higher. They're making it up on the back end. It will take some time for those prices to come down. But never fear. They have fallen pretty dramatically and will continue to fall over the course of the next days and months, Boris.

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SANCHEZ: David Goldman, thanks so much for tracking that for us.

Still ahead: voters in New York sending a loud message to establishment Democrats. Could it change where the party is headed and how it approaches midterms?

Plus, a brutal and deadly heat wave sweeping across Europe, temperature records likely to be broken today as millions look for ways to cool off.

Stay with us.

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KEILAR: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's political gamble paying off.

All three candidates that he endorsed swept their House primaries last night, adding more fuel to the growing tug-a-war between New York's Democratic establishment and the party's more progressive factions including Mamdani's Democratic socialists.

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The mayor's picks went three for three, ousting two congressional incumbents in the process, Mamdani saying this primary was a question of electing better Democrats.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is here with more on the fallout from the results.

Gloria, the streets are talking. What are they saying?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely.

They're talking, and they're talking loudly, certainly here in New York City, about what this means for the future of the Democratic Party, not just here in New York City, but, frankly, Brianna, across the entire country, especially as we begin to gear up for the midterms.

And we heard directly from the mayor on this just a short while ago talking about these races. As you said, he went three for three, a total sweep for Zohran Mamdani last night. He took a big gamble, and it is paying off today.

He essentially has kingmaker status in New York City after endorsing three candidates, two of them challenging incumbents. And I have to say, two of them lined up with the Democratic Socialists of America, the three of them sharing a platform very similar to that of the mayor's, a focus on affordability, a focus on working-class issues, the fact that it has gotten so expensive to live here in New York City, but, frankly, everywhere else.

And, also, and I think very importantly, a focus on campaigning against Israel, against support for funding military action in Israel by the U.S., I think that was also a critical point that these three candidates shared in common.

Listen to the mayor talking about what last night's results mean and what he thinks it says about what voters are looking for.

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ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: What you will see, whether it's a vision on making health care more affordable, on making housing more affordable, or on a vision, as Darializa often talks about, of investing in babies, not bombs, is the kind of conscience, the kind of clarity, the kind of conviction that has been missing in our politics for far too long.

And I cannot wait to work with them on accomplishing that.

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PAZMINO: Now, Darializa Avila Chevalier, the candidate that he just mentioned there, that was the race in the 13th Congressional District. She took out a five-term incumbent, Democratic Congressman Adriano Espaillat.

And I have to tell you, that was the one race that people here in New York City did not think the mayor would be able to win. But, again, he took a big risk, upset a lot of political allies in the process, including lawmakers in the Hispanic community here in New York City.

But, in the end, he is notching these three wins on these primaries last night, and I think it certainly just continues to boost his national profile and this discussion around progressive policies and certainly the rise of the left in the Democratic Party -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And the mayor said he will be speaking with Leader Jeffries today, Gloria.

PAZMINO: That's right.

And I think, frankly, if you are Hakeem Jeffries, if you are Chuck Schumer, you're looking at these results and really perhaps taking a serious look about your strategy going into the midterms.

I asked the mayor when he was going to speak to Leader Jeffries. This is what he told me.

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MAMDANI: And I'm looking forward to working with Congressman Jeffries on delivering for the people of our city. And what I see these results as a reflection of are the fact that New

Yorkers are hungry for a new kind of politics. They are hungry for a politics that understands working people should be at the heart of it. And they're hungry for a politics that looks at the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world and understands that it's unacceptable that one in four are living in poverty.

And what we saw last night was a hunger for leaders who will be there on the front lines, looking to make it easier for working people to afford life in the greatest city in the world.

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PAZMINO: Brianna, I'd love to be a fly on the wall of Congressman Jeffries' office today, because it was the Jeffries team that a few months ago dismissed candidates and supporters of Zohran Mamdani here in New York City as team gentrification.

But I have to say, that team has delivered a lot of wins last night. There is certainly a conversation to be had about who's voting and how the demographics of New York City are shifting dramatically, but I do think that there's a serious debate to be had about whether or not Democrats need to adjust their messaging at all.

And also remember that not everything that happens in New York City applies to many other places around the nation -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Good reminders.

Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

Still ahead: Things could get awkward at the White House today, as NATO's secretary-general meets with President Trump, the sit-down coming as the president slams the alliance over what he sees as a lack of support for the war with Iran.

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We will have details on their face-to-face next.

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KEILAR: Right now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in the Middle East, hoping to sell the U.S. Iran agreement to Gulf allies.

Rubio is the first Cabinet official to visit the region since the memorandum of understanding was signed. Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are likely among the biggest skeptics of the agreement after Iran repeatedly attacked them during the course of the war.

CNN senior national security reporter Jennifer Hansler is with us now on this story.

Jennifer, what's Rubio's message to these allies? JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well,

Brianna, Rubio is billing this as much more of a listening tour, rather than one that they are speaking to the allies, delivering any sort of concrete message, other than that they want them to be strongly aligned when it comes to these Iran negotiations.