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Confusion Reigns Over U.S.-Iran Proposed Agreement; Mixed Bag for Trump-Backed Candidates in Primaries. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired June 17, 2026 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: Her Facebook page has reached nearly 400,000 followers. And fans like to watch the bubbly bovine just hanging out on the front porch of her family's home.
[06:00:12]
And life is about to get even more interesting for Daisy. Guess what? She's expected to deliver her first calf soon. Congratulations to the growing family.
Well, that does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. CNN THIS MORNING with Audie Cornish starts right now.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It's the elephant in the room at the G-7 right now. What's in the text of Trump's agreement with Iran, and why hasn't the world seen it yet?
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MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: This memorandum of understanding, it smacks of appeasement.
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CORNISH: Dramatic moments on a Texas highway. Bystanders race to save passengers after a fiery plane crash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW QUINN, U.S. SECRET SERVICE DEPUTY DIRECTOR: They were planning to attack the Freedom 250.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Five people accused in a chilling plot to attack fight night on the White House lawn. How close were the suspects to actually pulling it off?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I have no question or doubt that we will win the midterms.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: Democrats have high hopes for the midterms, but a new CNN
poll suggests culture wars could play an even bigger role this time around.
And workers armed with bleach and tiny bubbles fight nature at the National Mall's reflecting pool. Was a blue paint job no match for an algae bloom?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait, I need that line from "Wicked." You're green. Oh, it's green.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): I'm calling on Trump to immediately tell the American people on whatever is in his so-called deal. He needs to stop keeping America in the dark.
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CORNISH: Right now, President Trump and his administration are attempting to shape the narrative around their proposal with Iran, as the world eagerly awaits the text of this memorandum of understanding.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. We're going to start with the blame game this morning. Vice President J.D. Vance says, we want to tell you what's in the agreement, but we can't, at least not yet, he says.
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J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There are some delicate diplomatic things going on where the Iranians -- and not just the Iranians, but some of our mediators, the Pakistanis and the Qataris -- have asked us to sequence this in the right way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: But it turns out Israel doesn't even know. A source telling CNN Israel requested to see the agreement, and that request was rejected.
One person who has seen the MOU, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and he spoke to CNN while at the G-7 summit.
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MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I have to say, it's exceeded my expectations. We're very pleased with the deal that's been struck.
It sets the groundwork for to ensure Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon. It sets the groundwork for a reintegration over time of the economies in the region. It sets the groundwork for a solution in Lebanon.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Did you actually see the agreement itself?
CARNEY: I've seen the agreement, yes.
COLLINS: Oh, so the president showed it to you?
CARNEY: Well, I've seen the agreement. We have -- we have -- we have our sources. I think it's a game changer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Joining me now, CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. Good morning, David. So, we have --
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good morning, Audie.
CORNISH: So, we have -- good morning. There's no text publicly. But clearly, someone's got it.
I was surprised to see Carney, who has not been the most sort of positive relationship with Trump, speak highly of it. Is that the sort of word out of the G-7 in terms of how European leaders are responding?
SANGER: Well, I think the European leaders are just delighted at this point that there is something that has relieved the immediate crisis, which is getting the oil flowing again across the Strait of Hormuz. And that would happen almost immediately under the text of -- of this agreement.
What wouldn't happen immediately, though, is any actual resolution of the nuclear issues. That all goes to a second negotiation, one that I think is going to be a lot more difficult, though the president said yesterday he thought it would be relatively easy.
And that's going to look a lot more like the kind of long slog you saw the Obama administration go through in 2015. And they ultimately got an accord, but it took them 18 months.
CORNISH: It's interesting. You were writing about the way that the White House has been thinking about that Obama-era agreement.
And I've noticed even in the president's Truth Social accounts, he's posting cartoons, sort of comparing Obama-era policy on Iran with his Arab policy on Iran.
[06:05:05]
And, you know, I -- why does he, Obama, live like rent-free in the heads of those working at the White House? Like, what is the deal with constantly framing it this way?
SANGER: Yes, it's real -- No, it's really fascinating. I mean, obviously, the president is defensive about this, because he ended up killing the Obama-era agreement in 2018 and said it was the worst agreement ever. And specifically spoke to shortfalls that it had: that it didn't deal with missiles; that it expired after 15 years; that it allowed the Iranians to continue to do some low-level nuclear work.
The problem he's got now is he has to go strike an agreement in this second negotiation that exceeds the Obama agreement in all of its elements. And maybe he'll be able to do that.
He called me on -- on Sunday evening to argue that, in fact, that was sort of precooked, and it was on the way. And that -- that he would manage to go get a much broader agreement than Obama did.
CORNISH: Yes.
SANGER: But we won't know until we've seen that next -- that next agreement.
CORNISH: I think the pressure is also coming. You know, the call's from inside the house. You have so many warhawks. You have Israel, a lot of people critiquing this.
And in our introduction, we played this clip of Mike Pence calling it a kind of appeasement. I see J.D. Vance on the tour, on the media tour, going on "Megyn Kelly," trying to quiet these voices. Is the White House worried about it?
SANGER: Well, they are worried about it. And look, I think we're going to see a copy of this. Already, there are various versions of this agreement, some of which look pretty close to right to me, based on my own reporting, that are floating around on the Internet.
So, they're going to have to sort this out, probably by Friday when Vice President Vance is supposed to go and actually do a ceremonial signing and then start up this next round of negotiations.
But there's something in here for everybody to dislike. The Israelis are not going to like the fact that it does not -- this agreement does not speak to Iran's support for proxies: Hezbollah and Hamas.
The Iranians aren't going to like the fact that it does have a reference to them giving up their most highly enriched uranium.
And many in the U.S. are going to say, well, what? Why are we rewarding the Iranians by lifting sanctions and giving them -- unfreezing their money, which is essentially the critique President Trump was making in 2016 when he ran for president.
CORNISH: OK, that's David Sanger. Thank you so much.
Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, we're report on the small plane crash in Texas. And seconds later, a daring rescue from brave bystanders.
Plus, Messi opens his final World Cup run with a history-making hat trick.
And a mixed night for President Trump's candidates. Is his endorsement still the gold standard?
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REP. MIKE COLLINS (R-GA), GEORGIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Sometimes, we've got some strong disagreements. But I can tell you one thing: Now we stand united around one mission.
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[06:12:42]
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Every time I endorse, they win. It's been a pretty amazing track record,
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CORNISH: Actually, it was a mixed bag last night for the power of President Trump's endorsement.
For instance, in Georgia, his pick for the Senate, Congressman Mike Collins, will win the GOP primary. That sets the stage for a high- stakes race in November against rising Democratic Party star Senator Jon Ossoff.
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COLLINS: You know, we're Republicans, now. We're going to have some robust primaries out there. Sometimes then, we've got some strong disagreements.
But I can tell you one thing: now we stand united around one mission. It's to put a Republican in that seat and get rid of that Jon Ossoff in November, return this seat to the people of Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: But the people of Georgia also rejected Trump's -- Trump- backed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, in the Republican runoff for governor, favoring billionaire Rick Jackson.
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RICK JACKSON (R), GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm the only candidate who doesn't owe a thing to the political establishment. I don't care what special interests want, how much they beg, how much they give me. I can't be bought. And I won't back down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So, Jackson will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the November governor's race. So, joining me now in the group chat, Eleanor Mueller, White House
economic policy reporter for "Semafor"; Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project; and Antjuan Seawright, Democratic strategist.
Eleanor, can I turn to you to start? Just because there's so many races, frankly. I mean, we mentioned Georgia, but there was also the Alabama Senate.
ELEANOR MUELLER, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC POLICY REPORTER, "SEMAFOR": Yes.
CORNISH: Where you had a GOP Senate runoff. A Trump-backed candidate, Barry Moore, is the winner.
Then in Oklahoma, there was a governor's race. The Trump-endorsed Mike Mazzei finished second, headed for a runoff.
Are voters -- are we looking at just local politics versus Trump, or is there something going on with a Trump-backed endorsement?
MUELLER: It's a great question. I think in Georgia, you know, the results showed us that if there's one thing that can beat Trump in a Republican primary, it is money, right?
The gubernatorial candidate, who is not Trump-endorsed, who won out, had spent $100 million of his own funds in this race. Clearly, that was effective.
[06:15:01]
But I think it also echoes a dynamic we're seeing in places like the Texas Senate race, where, you know, the Trump-backed candidate may not be the most competitive against the Democratic candidate.
And so, we will see, come November, whether or not a candidate that can invigorate the Republican base --
CORNISH: Yes.
MUELLER: -- with the Trump endorsement is better than a candidate that can appeal to independents and a more traditional type of conservative.
CORNISH: When we're talking about Oklahoma and Alabama, that's one thing. Georgia to me is a special case because of its role in the 2020 election and the role Republicans there faced in rejecting the Trump administration at a time in its attempts to overturn the election.
And between that and the Marjorie Taylor Greene of it all, it feels like the Republican politics there are a little more scrambled. So, is it the money? Is it also the local?
TERRY SCHILLING, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN PRINCIPLES PROJECT: I think it's a little bit of everything. Obviously, I think we're seeing now that the -- what the value of a Trump endorsement is, and it's $100 million. But one thing I will point out is that Mike Collins is a solid MAGA
candidate. He is "America first" all the way. And you could actually make the argument that, while in the gubernatorial race, the Trump- endorsed candidate didn't win, the Trump candidate won.
CORNISH: So, why wouldn't Trump back him?
SCHILLING: I -- well, look, there are all different types of reasons to endorse people. But Rick Jackson, if you listen to his comments last night, he's the outsider. He's the guy running on pro-family, family-centered economics. He wants to have the state income tax, like, for everyone.
CORNISH: Here's the thing. He's not -- you're talking about Rick Jackson.
SCHILLING: Rick Jackson.
CORNISH: All right. Here's what he's running on, though. I want to play an ad, because what you're saying is very interesting. But this is what he told the voters.
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JACKSON: I don't care if you're Muslim or Mongolian, you don't have the right to force your culture on our country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Conservative Rick Jackson.
JACKSON: Too often, criminal illegals commit sick, violent crimes, victimize our children, and get away with murder. So, here's my guarantee to them: do that when I'm governor, and you'll end up deported or departed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rick Jackson for Georgia.
JACKSON: Any questions?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Set aside the death threat at the end of that? I don't know if there's a Mongolian human trafficking ring going on, but what I hear is culture war, culture war. It was not gas prices. It was not affordability. It wasn't any of those things.
Antjuan, is the return of a culture war argument a weakness for Democrats?
ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I don't know. Look, I can summarize these primaries.
CORNISH: You never say, "I don't know." Do you know that? Like, that is -- that's a telling thing.
SEAWRIGHT: Well, you know, it's hard to say, because -- and this is why it's hard to say. No. 1, I think the Republican primary contests have been about who can
be most loyal or who can wrap their arms most around Donald Trump.
I think on the Democratic side, it has been the generational divide and the ideological conversation. And I think both of those things will look different in a general election.
What I will tell you is I think the ice is melting in the Donald Trump cup. I think he's had a chilling effect on the Republican primaries. But we saw in Iowa, we saw in Georgia, and we've seen with some --
CORNISH: But is that, then, why, then, their candidates would turn to those kinds of messages that do resonate instead of focusing on, here's what Trump did. This is a referendum on him. Let's have a fight about the Iran War.
What they're saying is, hey, remember how you hate those people and that people, and these people shouldn't come over the border? We should go back to that conversation.
SEAWRIGHT: Well, I think that they cannot run away from the reality that Donald Trump's economy has been a failure for them. Voters are going to vote on affordability and fuel and economics you and I can feel. And I think they failed on that.
If you look at Georgia, you look at Oklahoma, you look at what is likely going to happen in South Carolina. You look at what happened in Iowa just last week or the week before last. The narrative has been the same: farmers, rural voters, those who voted for Trump are feeling the effect of a Donald Trump failing economy.
SCHILLING: And here's where it gets challenging for -- for your party, Antjuan, is you guys are going to have a really hard time arguing about affordability when you can't get a single Democrat in the House or the Senate to vote against taxpayer-funded sex-change procedures, sex-rejection procedures. So, these --
SEAWRIGHT: No, no, no.
SCHILLING: These procedures are hundreds of thousands of dollars, and you're going to spend taxpayers -- you're going to tax us over that?
SEAWRIGHT: We're not -- We're not going to distract from the reality that everyday Americans --
SCHILLING: That is reality. Affordability.
SEAWRIGHT: You all come on programs like this, and you want to distract on these issues that Americans are not talking about.
SCHILLING: Distraction?
SEAWRIGHT: You cannot find --
SCHILLING: You're talking tax dollars. SEAWRIGHT: You cannot find one American in this country who's not screaming and yelling about the prices of gas, goods, and services. That's --
SCHILLING: Or their taxes.
SEAWRIGHT: That's what the American people are focused on.
CORNISH: Let me let you guys --
SEAWRIGHT: And that's why you all have failed. That's why you all have failed --
SCHILLING: We haven't failed anything.
SEAWRIGHT: -- at the ballot box since Donald Trump has taken off.
SCHILLING: A lot easier time.
CORNISH: Let me just pause for a second, because we weren't talking about trans health care. And I feel like that -- we're going on a journey here, Terry.
SEAWRIGHT: It's just a distraction.
CORNISH: So, let's -- let's journey back to the news today.
After the break on CNN THIS MORNING, the votes are being counted in Washington, D.C.'s mayoral primary. Why Trump's influence is looming over that race, too.
[06:20:03]
And he's been off-air for nearly a month. And we're now learning how much Colbert's final gag is costing CBS.
In the meantime, good morning to New Yorkers. Live look at the city skyline.
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CORNISH: Hey, it's now 24 minutes past the hour. This is your morning roundup.
The officer involved in the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy outside a Mississippi Walmart is now on administrative leave. At least, that's according to reporting from our affiliate in Jackson, Mississippi.
Protesters gathering outside the store were hit with tear gas last night. The shooting happened on Sunday.
Officials say the officer was responding to a shoplifting call when two adults ran off with the child into a vehicle, and police claim they then drove towards officers. And that's when an officer opened fire.
[06:25:05]
Now, the people in the car were driven to the hospital, where the baby, Kohen Wiley, was pronounced dead.
Officials say they have not publicly identified the officer involved just yet.
And Democratic state lawmaker Aisha Wahab will advance to a special general election in August in California to fill the House seat vacated by Eric Swalwell.
Now, she defeated Melissa Hernandez by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
And in Washington, D.C., council member and Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George leads former council member Kenyan McDuffie by 16 points, with 64 percent of the vote counted.
And a dramatic rescue caught on camera after a plane crashes into a moving car on a highway in Texas. At least one person has been killed.
Witnesses were seen trying to break a window to get passengers out of the burning aircraft, and police say they received an emergency call from a flight tower last night after the small jet reported mechanical issues.
A flight-tracking website shows the plane's signal cut out about two miles from Laredo Airport.
And the GOAT makes history again on the world stage. Argentina's Lionel Messi scoring his first World Cup hat trick in the team's tournament opener last night.
He led the defending World Cup champs to a three-zero victory over Algeria. This was in Kansas City.
Now, with those goals last night, Messi is now tied for the all-time World Cup scoring record with 16 total goals.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looking for Julian Alvarez. Clearance only as far as --
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STEPHEN COLBERT, FORMER HOST, CBS'S "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": The owner of the music of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and other Peanuts television specials has filed four lawsuits yesterday against those illegally using the famous song "Linus and Lucy."
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CORNISH: Looks like Colbert got the last word the last night on his show. His final dig to CBS was having his band play that song, and he joked, of course, that he hoped it wouldn't cost the company any money. And of course it did.
CBS, now reaching a licensing agreement with the production company behind the song for an undisclosed amount. And the company is saying that money will be donated to the World Central Kitchen.
It's an organization Colbert has donated millions to.
And straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, as U.S. and Iranian officials try to negotiate an end to this war, U.S. intelligence is warning that Iran still has options. And one of them could send oil prices soaring again.
Plus, investigators say arrests were made after a foiled attack plot on the White House fight night.
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