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Trump Abruptly Cancels Signing of Bipartisan Housing Bill; Rubio Visits Middle East to Sell Peace Agreement to Gulf Allies; Rubio Pushes to Separate Israel-Lebanon from Iran Talks; Jury Deliberations Underway in Palisades Fire Trial; Scotland's Tartan Army Wins Fans Across U.S. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired June 24, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: ... metropolitan center. They're going to travel farther so that they can get the value in the house that they can afford. And then they run into the gas problem. So it's really hitting those folks, too.

HENRIETTA TREYZ, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC POLICY, VEDA PARTNERS: I see what you did there. That's an excellent example. I mean, if you've got to drive further to get to work, first of all, you've got to go to work in order to make your mortgage payment.

KEILAR: Sure.

TREYZ: So you've got to go fill up your gas tank. And if you are driving the most popular truck in America, instead of it costing you $70 to fill up, it's $120 to fill up. That is not OK when you've got to do it every single week. And more importantly for these lawmakers, people pass those signs every day and they know exactly what the price. My 12-year-old child knows what the price of gasoline is. So this is definitely an issue that just compounds and spreads around the entire economy.

KEILAR: Yes, my 10-year-old does, I think, because he hears us talking about it and he just kind of picks it. It's one of those things that's in the ether, right? So another big part of this bill is actually it's a first of its kind limit on private equity by prohibiting large investors from buying single-family homes. How much of a role does private equity play here?

TREYZ: Yes, private equity is definitely a component here. And so there were some changes made to the bill on the Senate side. They would have made this so that there was an immediate fix here. And instead on this package, it's on a prospective basis only going forward. So they made some tweaks to allow private equity to have more control and keep things as the status quo. That was the Senate provision that got stripped out. This sausage took a long time to make. This housing bill has been in the works for months. So at the end of the day, some of the priorities and some of the hopes and goals of members like Elizabeth Warren got left on the wayside. The president should have been able to be in a position to say this is fully bipartisan. The vote, as you pointed out at the outset, was fully bipartisan, 80-plus votes in the Senate. So for him to come in and reject this was a slap in the face to everybody that worked on it.

KEILAR: Yes, and he's trying to paint it as an Elizabeth Warren bill. But as you point out, it's not. It has this broad appeal, and some of her hopes and dreams were crushed, obviously, in the making of it.

TREYZ: French Hill would have a word with that.

KEILAR: All right, Henrietta, thank you so much for taking us through that. Really appreciate it.

TREYZ: Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: Next, Israel says it will not withdraw from Lebanon, even if the U.S. demands it. We talk about the potential fallout, next.

[14:35:00]

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Right now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on a multi-day trip to the Middle East as he tries to reassure allies weary of this preliminary peace deal with Iran. Rubio is visiting the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, three countries that Iran repeatedly attacked over the course of the war. Here's the secretary on his message to the U.S. Gulf allies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We want them to know and we want to reiterate and begin to talk to them and engage them on conversations about every decision that's made with regards to this negotiation. We're not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our long-standing allies in the region. That's what we're here to do, to get their input. They're our partners. I'm not here to tell them. I'm here to hear as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Meantime, Iran's top negotiator is pushing back today after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said its inspectors will be visiting Iran's nuclear sites. Writing on X, quote, "These issues will solely be examined and resolved within the framework of the final agreement and as a result of the other party's practical action in terminating all sanctions."

We're joined now by CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. David, great to see you as always.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you.

SANCHEZ: I want to start with this back and forth between the IAEA, which says that inspectors are getting in. Iran's deputy foreign minister saying there's no program for access, and President Trump, who says that Iran has agreed to allow in inspectors in perpetuity. Based on what you're hearing, who's telling the truth? SANGER: Well, there's a little bit of truth on everybody's side, and everybody is exaggerating it so that they can try to lock in the other edge. So what's President Trump doing? He's taking each element of this and trying to announce it like it's a done deal, even if it isn't. So that he locks in the Iranians.

What are the Iranians doing? They're saying, we got nothing here until we have everything, including when the sanctions are lifted. So, if we don't know that, then we're not setting dates to let in inspectors or to do any of the other steps, including, of course, blend down that nuclear material.

The Israelis, meanwhile, are on the side. hoping that this whole thing kind of falls apart. And the secretary is visiting the Gulf countries and saying, we're here to listen, consult, and they're all saying, where were you in the days before the war that resulted in us losing our petrochemical plants or desalination plants? So everybody's got their own agenda here.

SANCHEZ: When it comes to Lebanon, how much of the Iran deal hinges on talks between Israel and Lebanon? Do you see it in any way that these negotiations might alter the position of Hezbollah and Iran's support for Hezbollah?

SANGER: Well, Israel's talking to Lebanon. Obviously, it's not talking to Hezbollah. But what the accord calls for is a broad ceasefire. Now, the Israelis say, we aren't a party to the accord. You can't enforce a ceasefire on us. And that's why you're seeing Prime Minister Netanyahu, who's got his own politics to worry about at home, there's an election coming in the fall, to say we're not pulling back.

But he also has not been out attacking in recent days.

[14:40:00]

So there's sort of a fine line here, but it tells you how fragile this whole thing is, because if there is a outbreak of some kind, maybe triggered by Hezbollah, maybe triggered by the Israelis, who knows, that could upend all of these talks that are underway in Switzerland.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I want to get to the conversations that are having -- that are being had between Secretary Rubio and these Gulf allies. But one more question on Israel, because in part, given the domestic considerations and Israel claiming that Hezbollah has sent over something like 7,000 projectiles into Israeli territory since March, Israel's defense minister says the IDF is not going to withdraw forces from Lebanon, even if the U.S. were to demand it. There hasn't been a U.S. demand at this point. Do you anticipate the U.S. might seek more concessions from Israel, given the position that Netanyahu's in.

SANGER: Could be if the president thinks that the entire deal here could fall apart. But he and Prime Minister Netanyahu went into this war side-by-side, did joint attacks, talked about how they had a common strategy. They're leaving this war with less of a common strategy than I can ever recall seeing between the U.S. and Israel. SANCHEZ: Yes, so what are you hearing about Secretary Rubio's trip as he tries to reassure these Gulf allies? As you put it, they're asking, why weren't you here weeks before, months before?

SANGER: Right.

SANCHEZ: The outbreak of these hostilities, is there much that he can say to reassure them?

SANGER: Yes, he's here to say, we're here to protect you, don't worry, we got this. But they look at the agreement, at least as published thus far, and say, well, maybe you'll get the next big agreement, but maybe you won't, in which case Iran's still got its nuclear capability, and it still has its missiles. Missiles aren't even mentioned in the 14-paragraph agreement that we saw last week. And it's the missiles, in many ways, that worry those in the region, because that's what they got hit with during the war.

SANCHEZ: Missiles not mentioned, what is mentioned, $300 billion toward rebuilding Iran. Where are the Gulf allies on that? Because the White House is sort of pointing the finger at them to foot that bill.

SANGER: Yes, well, President Trump says, great, we've got a Marshall Plan for Iran. But the difference with the Marshall Plan is we paid for the one back in the 1940s. We're not paying for this one. The Gulf allies are. Gulf allies said, we didn't negotiate this agreement. You just put us on the hook for $300 billion. I'd be surprised. That's going to be a hard amount of money to go raise from a group of Gulf allies who just got bombed by the Iranians.

SANCHEZ: David Sanger, always great to see you. Thanks so much.

SANGER: Great to see you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

So any minute we could get a verdict in the Palisades fire trial. We're live outside the Los Angeles courthouse. where jurors are right now deliberating.

[14:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Happening right now in Los Angeles, jury deliberations are underway in the trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht. He is the man accused of starting the deadly Palisades fire in 2025. Prosecutors say he resented the wealthy, wanted revenge, and was fascinated by fire. The defense says he's being used as a scapegoat.

He faces up to 45 years in federal prison if he's convicted. Nick Watt is outside the courthouse. And Nick, the verdict could come in at any moment. What's the latest here?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It could. The jury has been in there nearly four hours. But Brianna, this is a complicated case. Nobody saw him light that fire.

There's no video of him lighting that fire. He did not confess to lighting that fire. This is a circumstantial case.

He was definitely on that hill above Pacific Palisades when the fire ignited shortly after the New Year turned from '24 into '25. But it is a circumstantial case. Now, the prosecution says that Jonathan Rinderknecht, this 30-year-old former Uber driver, was angry at the world, hated the rich, was really annoyed that he didn't have a date or a party to go to New Year's Eve, and that he went up on that hill just after midnight and lit a fire near a beautiful home that he used to live in a happier time in his life when he was in a previous relationship, and that he did this for revenge.

Now, his attorney says, sure, Jonathan was on that hill, but he didn't light this fire. He called 911 a bunch of times. He was a guy trying to do the right thing, trying to help out and he is being used, says his lawyer, as a scapegoat and a convenient suspect to pin the blame for this fire.

Now, here's the other wrinkle. As I just mentioned, Rinderknecht is accused of lighting a fire just after midnight on New Year's, so January 1. The Palisades fire that went on to destroy, you know, 37 square miles, killed 12 people, destroyed 6,000 structures, that didn't erupt until the 7th, and what prosecutors say happened here is, the fire was lit. The fire department came, put it out, but they didn't get the roots underneath. It was what they say was called a holdover fire.

And a week later, those burning roots flared up again in the wind, and that's what caused the Palisades fire. So interestingly, also, there are not crowds of Palisades homeowners here, baying for this guy's blood. In fact, one woman I spoke to said she doesn't want him convicted if he's just the patsy.

There is also civil cases against the city, against the state.

[14:50:00]

And many people who lost homes believe that that is where we're going to get the real information and frankly, where a lot of the real blame lies. So it's been four hours, as I say, just about that the jury has been in there. Eight women, four men. Your verdict could come down at any point, and if convicted on all three counts, possibility of up to 45 years in jail. We will be with you as soon as we get a verdict -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be waiting for that. Nick Watt, thank you.

Next, Scotland's Tartan takeover of American cities, stadiums, and hearts alike.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

Camp Mystic has filed for bankruptcy nearly a year after catastrophic flooding killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors at the all-girls Christian camp in Texas. The camp says it owes more than $10 million in that filing. Just months ago, Camp Mystic was fighting to reopen but ultimately opted not to after outrage from victims' families and lawmakers.

Also, North Korea just revealed its largest-ever warship, a 5,000-ton naval destroyer. Kim Jong-un oversaw the official act of putting the vessel into active service, vowing to build even larger ships. Analysts say the new North Korean destroyer likely has anti-ship and land-attack missile capabilities. Neither of those, however, can be confirmed.

And the second round of the NBA draft kicks off this evening after a relatively unsurprising night. But since you were watching CNN, of course, here is a quick recap. As expected, BYU star AJ Dybantsa was taken first overall by the Washington Wizards, where he joins a much- improved roster that includes superstars Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Kansas phenom Darren Peterson was drafted second by the Utah Jazz. Duke forward Cameron Boozer, son of Carlos Boozer, was taken third by the Memphis Grizzlies. Round two begins tonight with the reigning champion New York Knicks making the first selection -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All hail the Tartan Army. Fans of Scotland's soccer team are in the U.S. to cheer on their squad at the World Cup, and they've found time to enjoy other pastimes, like drinking all the beer in Boston or enjoying a different game using a bat and ball, not called cricket. CNN's Randi Kaye got the best assignment of the day, embedding with the Tartan Army.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're looking for the Scottish World Cup fans, they're not hard to find.

(CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love to party. Any sport event, we love to drink, we love to party.

KAYE: Is the stadium going to run out of beer tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to phone up Sean and say, can you send more beer? Because we're going to drink it all tonight.

KAYE: Scotland hasn't been to the World Cup in nearly three decades. So, the soccer fans who came here to the U.S. for the games are certainly making the most of it, but it's not just soccer that has them cheering, it's baseball. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love baseball, and we know the one song we've got, it goes like this. De, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de. De, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, de.

And that's all we really know.

KAYE (voice-over): Scottish fans call themselves the Tartan Army. In between World Cup matches, they've been taking over stadiums and host cities. In Miami, the Marlins team dubbed Monday night's game, the Tartan Takeover, after about 8,000 tickets were purchased by Scottish fans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are here to see Scotland play Brazil. So, we thought we would just come and see the baseball and support the Fighting Fish.

KAYE: What do you think makes the Scottish fans so unique?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, nobody else wears kilts. We have lots of fabulous songs.

KAYE (voice-over): And where the Scots go, the party follows.

(SINGING)

KAYE: Many of these Scottish fans have never attended a U.S. baseball game, but that doesn't seem to be getting in the way of their party.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He throws it, and he hits it as far as he can. Is there more than that?

KAYE: Can you explain the rules of the game to me here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a Scottish man, I would say there's a man throwing a ball at another man who's trying to hit it out of the park. And nine times out of 10, he misses.

KAYE: Do you think they should just use a bigger ball out here? Would that make more sense to you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would say a bigger ball and a bigger bat.

KAYE (voice-over): The Marlins lost to the Texas Rangers, four-three, but that didn't dampen the Tartan Army's spirits.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No Scotland, no party!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love my city!

KAYE: I don't think there's anybody happier in America right now than the Tartan Army and the Scots. I got so many random hugs and so much beer spilled on me but it was worth it. Of course, they are a great group, and many of them are going to be back here for another Marlins game tonight, not as many fans, though. I am told by the Marlins that they broke a record for attendance at Monday night's game.

More tickets were sold on a Monday night since 2017. And they credit the Scots for that. But, of course, Wednesday is the big game. That's when Brazil takes on Scotland in the World Cup here in Miami.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Record-breaking attendance, but will they get a bigger ...

END