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Patrick Baker is Interviewed about Starmer's Resignation; Trump's Feud with Italian PM; Newsom Embraces Biden. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired June 22, 2026 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:34:18]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. Thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING.

It is now half past the hour. And here's what's happening right now.

At least two people are dead after a tornado outbreak in the Mideast. More -- in the Midwest. More than three dozen tornado reports were logged in the region by the storm prediction center. The deaths happened at two separate mobile homes in rural Illinois yesterday. Now that storm system is moving into the mid-Atlantic.

And the DEA reportedly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to circulate in New Mexico between 2023 and 2025. That's according to three current and former DEA agents who spoke with the "Associated Press."

[06:35:04]

It was a controversial tactic aimed at building larger criminal cases against drug traffickers. They claim, quote, "we 100 percent got people killed.

And this morning, Vice President J.D. Vance is in Switzerland for high-level diplomatic talks with Iranian officials. Sunday the two sides held marathon talks to try to establish a long term peace agreement with Iran. But the talks so far have been described as positive and constructive according to mediators from Pakistan and Qatar.

And this morning, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, resigning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: Now, nominations to select a new Labour Party leader are set to open early next month. Starmer says he hopes a new prime minister will be in place when parliament returns from summer recess. That's in September. Starmer's resignation comes just shy of two years into his tenure.

Joining me now to discuss, Patrick Baker, host of "Politico's" "Westminster Insider" podcast.

Good morning. Thank you so much for being here.

PATRICK BAKER, HOST, "POLITICO'S" "WESTMINSTER INSIDER" PODCAST: Hi. Great to be with you.

CORNISH: Now, I just want to remind people, there's been almost half a dozen prime ministers since Brexit, and it's been a decade since Brexit. So, I think, to the American public, we see a lot of churn. What was it that took Starmer down in the end?

BAKER: I think when Starmer got elected two years ago on this mandate of change, that was the Labour Party's slogan into the last election almost exactly two years ago, there was a real desire and a real hope that they would be different to the conservative party that had gone before, who had, as you say, had run through a whole host of different prime ministers. Keir Starmer's pitch was, I'm the man to bring stability and order to British politics, but they basically made a series of what felt like unforced errors right at the start, which really set the tone. They decided to cut winter fuel allowance for elderly people in a move that was kind of seen as really typically un- Labour. And also there was a scandal over Keir Starmer accepting free gifts as prime minister, like a suit, glasses, those kind of things. Kind of sounds like small things, but this really at the start of those two years, set the framing, set the tone for people to kind of start to wonder, actually, is this government very different to what we've seen before?

Now, obviously, as it's developed, we've seen more recently there's been a real scandal over the appointment of Peter Mandelson, the ambassador to the United States. And his judgment has really been called into question over that, as we found out more and more through the constant release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, that I know viewers on your side of the pond will be familiar with this story --

CORNISH: Yes.

BAKER: As one of those that just seem to go away. And I think that is really what's thrown it more recently into a kind of state of crisis. So, yes, it's been a wild ride.

CORNISH: I want to -- as he was speaking this morning at Downing Street, I was like, is that music? There was like this music playing behind him. And it turned out it was protesters who were blasting the anthem for the E.U., because it has been almost ten years since the Brexit vote. But since Brexit, there's been the pandemic, the Ukrainian war, I didn't realize this, but an immigration surge as U.K. tried to mitigate some of the concerns of Brexit. So, does this put reform in a stronger position? Are we looking at

another Labour leader? You know, people have been talking about Andy Burnham because he won -- this is the greater Manchester mayor. Is this still a battle of Labour versus reform? And if so, what does Starmer leaving say about that race?

BAKER: I think the first thing to say is, your point about Brexit is right. Essentially, what we've seen over the past decade is British voters trying to, in various ways, push a button marked change, whether that was for Brexit, whether that was for Boris Johnson, who was saying, I'm going to get Brexit done. Then the Tories had a whole host of different scandals. So, then they wanted change again with Keir Starmer. And they feel like they haven't got it. So, now, two years in, Andy Burnham is presenting himself as the Labour person who can deliver that longed for change.

But I think you're right. I think the real battle that is scaring a lot of Labour MPs is the threat of Nigel Farage and reform. And that's really what led to the most recent crisis was the reform party doing very well in the local elections, a.k.a. the mid-term elections here.

[06:40:08]

And so I think, unless Andy Burnham can -- who looks like he's going to take over for -- as prime minister, the very popular mayor of Manchester here, unless he can really deliver quickly in the next two to three years, there will be people again looking at reform going, well, we've tried everything now. We haven't got the change we wanted. We voted Brexit. That didn't work. We voted for a whole host of different prime ministers. Nothing is working. And so, reforms pitch is very much, we are the insurgent populist party that can actually smash up the status quo, smash up the establishment and finally deliver change. But it's kind of a -- a bit of a Houdini act, really, because, obviously, Nigel Farage was one of the main architects of Brexit in the first place and many feel that Brexit hasn't been a success.

CORNISH: Yes. Well, Patrick Baker, thank you so much. You're going to have a busy day ahead. Appreciate it.

BAKER: Thank you.

CORNISH: Now I want to turn to Italy because the president has doubled down on his feud with the prime minister there. And it's basically over this photo. Trump posted on Truth Social that Giorgia Meloni is, quote, "doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity." So Meloni responded saying, quote, "my popularity is none of your concern, and I suggest you focus on yours."

Now, this back and forth basically started when the U.S. president accused the Italian prime minister of begging for a photo with him during the G7 Summit last week, which is not how she remembers it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIORGIA MELONI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Donald Trump's statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don't know why the president of the United States behaves like this toward his allies. There is one thing he should remember, neither I nor Italy ever beg.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Group chat is back.

With friends like these, as we say.

I don't know who wants to go first, but why do you think this is persisting the way it is?

ELENA SCHNEIDER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "NOTUS": Well, look, Giorgia Meloni is somebody who is seen as a staunch ally of the president. She was one of the only -- I think the only foreign dignitary who attended his inauguration in 2025. This has been a really warm, strong relationship where she was sort of seen as the leader amongst NATO leaders who could really reach the president. And I think it is really notable that this spat has continued because I think it reflects his larger frustration with NATO allies over this U.S.-Iran conflict.

And let's not forget that this spat sort of started a couple of weeks ago when he -- when Donald Trump attacked the pope and then Giorgia Meloni, you know, defended the pope in light of the U.S.-Iran War.

CORNISH: There is -- let's go back to the offense. The offense is not backing up Trump when the pope stood up to him.

JULIA MANCHESTER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE HILL": Absolutely. And we know that Giorgia Meloni has been, like you said. Elena, an ally of the president. She spoke at things like CPAC, for example. She's been a popular figure even within the American conservative movement.

CORNISH: Yes. Because they've backed a lot of right-wing parties in Europe.

MANCHESTER: Yes, in Europe.

CORNISH: That's their whole thing.

MANCHESTER: But, you know, taking a step back from that, it's fascinating to see sort of, you know, I guess, I don't want to say the decline, but maybe the tensions that are rising between Trump and many European leaders, like Meloni, at this time during NATO -- because of the Iraq war, NATO tensions, et cetera.

CORNISH: Yes. So, humiliates Meloni.

MANCHESTER: Yes.

CORNISH: Starmer steps down. He kicks dirt over it by pre-announcing it.

MANCHESTER: Exactly.

CORNISH: I don't really know who's left.

MANCHESTER: Yes, but at the same time though, in terms of who's left, we see --

CORNISH: Orban gone.

MANCHESTER: Yes. The administration is turning their direction towards Latin America. And yesterday we did see the right wing, Trump-backed conservative leader in Colombia's election win.

CORNISH: Yes, good call.

MANCHESTER: So, you're seeing, I think, more of this support from the Trump administration in Latin America as they maybe turn away from Europe.

CORNISH: Well, just in terms of this battle with Italy, the foreign minister actually just canceled a trip to the U.S. where they were going to have a business investment and science forum in Miami. Marco Rubio was supposed to be there. I mean, I don't know how big the business is with Italy, but they're trying to make a point here by saying, we're not showing up to this thing. And when I looked at the papers this morning there, just a quote here from somebody, this is in, I think, "Libero." This person says, "I hate to say it, but I can't find, and perhaps there isn't, another way to say it: Donald Trump is an idiot. Period."

ELEANOR MUELLER, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMY POLICY REPORTER, "SEMAFOR": It's worth reiterating. I mean these are people who agree with Trump ideologically. And we've seen similar splits with folks who, again, think similarly to him in France and Germany. It's not just Carney in Canada who is not on the same page as Trump on many of these things to begin with. It's people who should be his strongest allies abroad. And because --

CORNISH: Yes. But she also has wiggle room. Like, when I look at the approval ratings between Trump and Meloni and the pope, like, she's got room -- if you're going to back somebody, are you going to back the guy with 78 percent approval rating or 36?

[06:45:06]

MUELLER: It's a political calculation. They know that Trump is not only polling well in the United States, but he's not polling well in their countries. And so, if you've -- you're looking to pull yourself up a little bit, this is maybe an excuse to do it by leaning into these clashes that Trump seems so willing to start unprompted.

CORNISH: One more thing. Is it also maybe because, like, they're not -- they didn't fare so well in the tariff conversations. Like, it's not clear to me what the benefit is to be a friend of Trump in this scenario.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. CORNISH: Like slightly less tariffs or?

SCHNEIDER: I think that's a totally fair point. I mean, look, he has not only obviously gone after just Italy, but a whole host of European countries.

Let's not forget where a lot of this also started, which was his attempt to take over Greenland, where he refused to rule out military force in an attempt to go after a NATO ally. So, look, this is -- this has been many years now in this second Trump term where we have seen him really go after allies in addition to who he sees as adversaries.

CORNISH: Yes. But oddly self-inflicted.

OK, you guys, stay with me.

It's now 45 minutes past the hour. This is our morning roundup.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warning President Trump not to let a critical foreign surveillance tool lapse any longer. Trump stalled his DNI pick, Jay Clayton's confirmation after learning that Democrats were going to let the FISA rule laps, something that Graham argues is playing with fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): And I would urge President Trump to let Clayton testify and that we nominate Clayton and get him affirmed as the new DNI. We don't want FISA to go dark. There's too many threats to our country for 702 to go down. Anybody who owns the shutting down of 702 under FISA will own a future attack against the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Graham also says that the top Democrat on the intelligence committee tells him there are enough Democratic votes to reauthorize FISA if Clayton's nomination is confirmed.

And dozens of residents in Louisiana displaced this morning after flood waters from Tropical Storm Arthur. This is reportedly the most flooding the area has seen in decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're blessed to not have any fatalities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just decided to come in today and see what we could do to help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you going to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Start over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: A flood warning for the area is in effect through tonight. And Serena Williams set to make another big return at Wimbledon.

Williams accepted a wild card invitation to play singles. The 44-year- old recently returned to competition after announcing her retirement four years back. Williams had already planned to play at Wimbledon, competing in doubles with her sister Venus. And Wimbledon starts next week.

Next on CNN THIS MORNING, is Gavin Newsom betting on Biden. The group chat will be back to discuss the new reporting on why he might be leaning in on the former president's legacy ahead of 2028.

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CORNISH: So, there's a new report in "Axios" providing some insight into a possible Gavin Newsom presidential run. Newsom is reportedly gambling on embracing former President Joe Biden, thinking that will be a popular position among Democrats. Even after Biden had to drop out of his re-election bid, Newsom has still spoken favorably of Biden's presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): His experiences mirror so many of my fathers. And I see my father in so many ways, the way I see President Biden. That's one of the reasons I was so loyal to the end and I happily will take the arrows on that and defend that.

And we'll continue to build on the legacy, I would argue, of our former president, who I think was one of the most successful presidents in the last century, and that is Joe Biden. And I will defend that to my grave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Group chat is back.

So, I don't know how you split the Biden presidency and whatever it's legislative achievements were, or economic achievements were, with the decision to run again and the meltdown that happened in the process.

MUELLER: Very difficult calculus to do that I think a lot of Democratic hopefuls have decided is not possible. We've seen folks like Brian Schatz (ph) happily critique Biden for his performance across the (INAUDIBLE), not just at the end.

CORNISH: Yes, everyone coming out with their books and, yes, either --

MUELLER: Exactly. But I don't think anyone can accuse Gavin Newsom of not being a very calculating politician. And so, clearly, he thinks that there is benefit to be found here. Whether that's, you know, Biden's support with black and Latinx voters or what.

CORNISH: Yes, let's show that. His favorability with black voters right now, 53 percent for Biden remaining and with Latino voters, 40 percent. We know that, especially after black and Latino men and some nominal but helpful numbers went to Trump, that they'd like to bring this community back.

And also I want to show you one more set of numbers, favorability ratings for Trump versus Biden, because they're close. And if you're Trump, you don't want them close. But if you're Newsom, you're like, ah, a window.

MANCHESTER: Not so bad. But, you know, it is certainly, I think, a gamble for Gavin Newsom to do this right now. He is calculating on the point about black and Latino voters. That's certainly a very good point, especially as President Trump loses support from that bloc, from when he gained support with, you know, a certain amount of support in 2024.

But I think it comes at a time when you're seeing the Democratic Party start to maybe go in a different direction. You know, you're seeing the popping up of these Democratic socialist candidates in a number of different parts of the country.

[06:55:04]

And, you know, a lot of it could be ideological. But I do also think a lot of it is generational. So, for someone like --

CORNISH: So, he thinks that's the opening for him. Like you can grab all those people who are a little bit older --

MANCHESTER: Right.

CORNISH: Aren't so enamored with the DSA or have big questions and say, don't worry, there's still a home for you. People who actually did kind of like Biden's policies.

SCHNEIDER: And I think that he's very aware, as a lot of those potential 2028 candidates are, that South Carolina is still going to be intimately involved in the early nomination process, a state that has -- that where black voters are an enormously important part of the Democratic primary electorate there.

CORNISH: Yes. But an older and slightly more conservative black voters.

SCHNEIDER: Exactly. Exactly what I mean. And that's what rocket launched Joe Biden's own presidency in 2020. And I think that there is a -- an awareness that you can't just alienate those folks by saying, let's throw out Joe Biden altogether. I think he's trying to thread this needle of acknowledging the successes that Joe Biden had. But I also --

CORNISH: Yes. And the, reminds me of my dad is very, like, instead of everyone being like, oh, this doddering magoo (ph) is a problem. He's like, you know what, my father. Like this, yes, let's remember.

SCHNEIDER: Let's remember the positive feelings about it. And also, to your point about generational, a distinction of, my father, as opposed to, my peer or something like that.

CORNISH: Yes.

MANCHESTER: Right.

CORNISH: Yes, here's Hunter Biden. I got to play this one other thing because this Gavin Newsom podcast really great with the bookings. Here's Hunter Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTER BIDNE, FORMER PRESIDENT BIDEN'S SON: OK, wait, one thing is just, you've heard dad say it a million times is, I'll come campaign for you or against you, whatever helps most. And, you know, he would say --

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): And put his finger in my stomach.

BIDEN: Yes. And he would say it and you'd be like, you know, it was -- it was silly because of course you'd want him to come out. In my case, it's for real.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, he's joking, but Biden's been on a tour, Junior Biden, trying to rehabilitate. But he has a very clear-eyed way of talking about it.

MANCHESTER: He does. And it's interesting to see him on X in particular. And I understand that social media is not always real life --

CORNISH: He's trolling, yes.

MANCHESTER: But he's becoming a personality and responding to the trolls, to maybe conservatives who are pushing back. So, that's been fascinating to watch.

CORNISH: All right, it's Monday. We all have a bunch of reporting we're about to be assigned. And to get ahead of those editor assignments that we don't like, we have ideas of our own.

What's in your group chat, Eleanor?

MUELLER: I don't think my editor is going to go over this one.

CORNISH: Oh, no? No? It's all right.

MUELLER: We adopted a dog recently. His name is Stanley. And we got him from Old Dominion Humane Society in Fredericksburg, Virginia. They are amazing. He's four years old. He was saved from a hoarder situation. Some lady had 70 dogs in her RV. So, again, shout out to Old Dominion Humane Society. And we are so happy to have Stanley.

CORNISH: Oh, cute.

MUELLER: Yes.

CORNISH: Oh, my gosh. OK.

MANCHESTER: My group chat is World Cup related.

CORNISH: Yay.

MANCHESTER: So, Sam Adams' parent company, The Boston Beer Company, said in a news release last year that basically the Tartan Army, which are the Scottish fans that are taking over the city of Boston, drank four times what the company normally stocks during a typical four day weekend, including the Fourth of July. So, once again, the Scots putting Bostonians to shame.

CORNISH: This is breaking news in my hometown.

MANCHESTER: Yes.

CORNISH: Like, the idea that you could like go to Boston, Fenway.

MANCHESTER: Have a -- exactly.

CORNISH: I mean, people know how to drink there, OK. And they just -- they embarrassed them.

MANCHESTER: They're putting them to shame. Yes.

CORNISH: They embarrassed them. OK.

MANCHESTER: Totally.

SCHNEIDER: Well, I have to say, mine is also World Cup related. The whole Elmo dust up has been really fun to watch because there's nothing I love more than like a low stakes drama in which like we're all sort of worried about Elmo's safety and security in this moment.

But no, seriously, another sort of New York related thing is we've got elections, primaries in New York coming up tomorrow. And I think what's going to come out of those races, those primaries, is going to be so telling about where the Democratic Party is headed.

CORNISH: Oh, right.

SCHNEIDER: And I think it's going to be a fascinating night that we're all going to be up late watching.

CORNISH: And what is Zohran Mamdani's power beyond himself, right?

SCHNEIDER: Completely.

CORNISH: That's always the thing. You can have a big win, but do you have the ability to propel others around you? I think that's something people are going to be watching very closely.

SCHNEIDER: And he's sticking his neck out in three different house races. And it's going to be really fascinating to see whether or not that works.

CORNISH: All right, you guys, thank you so much for being with us. I want to bring people up to speed on one more thing. We are awaiting remarks from the vice president, J.D. Vance. He is in Switzerland for the latest in those U.S. and Iran talks.

Basically, in the last 24 hours, he's arrived there to launch the talks. And there's been a lot of friction. Last week we were reporting to you about continued exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Lebanon and Israel. This has become a major sticking point in these talks as Tehran tries to make it part of the overall ceasefire deal. And the Israeli government's frustrations boiling over with the U.S. because they weren't a part of this process at all.

So, I think a lot of people are waiting to see how J.D. Vance will thread this needle. And this is day two of these negotiations.

[07:00:03]

The technical teams are supposed to sit down. By technical we're talking about the details to be ironed out around enriched uranium and other issues around Iran's nuclear program, which are currently, based on this deal, at status quo.

So, please stay with us. We are awaiting J.D. Vance to come to that podium. I'm Audie Cornish. And the headlines are next.