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Breakdown In U.S.-Iran Talks Sends Oil Futures Spiking; Josh Shapiro Addresses Questions About His Faith Amid 2028 Buzz; Ossoff's Focus Is 2026; Dems On Social Media Is 2028; Chronicling The Stories Of The 9/11 Generation Of Servicemembers. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired June 01, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: -- because it says something nice about the economy, I can see in some scenarios that that is an understandable argument, but people are spending a lot because it costs a lot more.

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Right, because to buy the same things that they were buying six months ago, a year ago, three years ago, however far you want to go back, costs more money now. So, yes, maybe they are doing big purchases like homes or other things like that, luxury goods, but the inflation is hitting people in a real way across the board, and of course the gas prices are part of that now.

For the President, it seems like it comes down to a question of what counts as America first, right? There is an argument for getting involved in Iran that goes across partisan lines, a lot of people have, that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, and it's important to have that be a U.S. priority to keep that from happening.

But America first, to some people, translated as what's happening on the other side of the world is not my problem --

BASH: Right.

DOVERE: -- and what I am concerned about is what happens to America, and my life, and my prices in America, and all the things that affect me here.

BASH: Thank you for setting up this series of quotes that I want to bring you from the New York Times of Trump voters, and how they view this. First, the question is about gas prices, and these Trump supporters say, OK, they're kind of OK with it. "It's not any worse than it was under Biden." "I think it's temporary and needed." "I have a lot of faith."

Then there are these Trump supporters. "Last time I filled up, I was like, 'Oh, this is nuts.'" "It's affecting me in a lot of ways." "It doesn't give me the greatest feeling about Donald Trump."

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, look, they've been making the arguments since the beginning, the Republicans have, and the White House said, this is temporary, it's going to go away, it's going to go away. That was more than two months ago. And the question is, how long will they last for, because the President is in a difficult position.

He's not going to get, perhaps, everything that he wants out of Iran. Will he make a concession that'll look like, if he doesn't make a concession, say, they don't decide, they don't give up their nuclear material, that one of the things that they've demanded, then it'll look like that they went into war for no good reason, and that's his own political problem, which is why he is digging in here.

But the pressure on the Hill is going to intensify. They're coming back to the House this week. There's going to be a vote on an Iran War Powers Act to check the President on this issue. He was going to -- the Republicans were going to lose that vote right before recess.

They left recess early to avoid that vote. It is coming still. So in that pressure on the Republican side is going to --

BASH: Yes.

RAJU: -- intensify as the pressure on prices also grow.

DASHA BURNS, WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO: But his stomach for that pressure is really strong right now. I think that one of the best insights into his mindset right now is his latest Truth Social, telling people to relax, stop chirping from the sidelines, just relax, it's going to be fine.

From the beginning with the Iran War, he has had this invincibility mindset, and everyone close to the President that I talked to, whether they agreed with his decision or not, pointed to that. He -- they --

BASH: Yes.

BURNS: -- say that he has felt like time and again he's been able to defy all odds, and he thinks he can do it again.

BASH: That's such important reporting. I'm glad you brought that up, Dasha. Thank you.

And don't go anywhere. Speaking of great reporting, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is talking like we haven't heard him before about his faith and politics and more. Isaac Dovere has a brand new interview with the possible 2028 contender after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:37:39]

BASH: As Governor Josh Shapiro's national profile rises, one of the very real questions now talked about mostly in hushed tones is how his faith, a proud Jewish American, will play into the way Democratic primary voters view him if he does run for President. The Pennsylvania governor is addressing that in a candid new interview with CNN's Isaac Dovere. His new piece is entitled, "Josh Shapiro couldn't avoid the questions about him. He decided he doesn't want to."

This is such a good piece, Isaac. And before we start, I'm just going to play a little bit. This was a off-camera interview --

DOVERE: It was.

BASH: -- but we do have audio recording. I want to play a little bit of that just to kind of set up this conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I think it is particularly important at this time to be open and vocal and honest about your views and not put your finger in the wind and just cater to whoever is expressing their views the loudest. I think that there has been something lost in this conversation about Israel, about the future of the Middle East, about whether or not there should be an Israel or not. And I wanted to express my views on that and speak about these issues in really concrete ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOVERE: I sat down with Shapiro the day after the primary in Pennsylvania, and importantly, it was an uncontested primary. He has a weak challenger again on the Republican side. And what he was talking about on Israel, on this feeling that he's like too buttoned up and tight or that he's too centrist on the stuff, he was saying, look, the people of Pennsylvania keep supporting me in large, large numbers, record numbers in many cases.

And what he was saying when it comes to Israel is, yes, the pundits and the posters say, oh, because he is a Zionist and because he's proud of his Jewish faith and talks about all of that, that's going to be an issue for him in the primaries. And he said to me two things.

First of all, let's have a real conversation about what this is and got into it, talking about how we, one of the things that disturbs him is that there is a lot of conversation about how Israel is a country where, yes, it's a democracy, but Judaism is the religion.

And he says, why is that --

BASH: Yes.

DOVERE: -- the only way that we focus on it when there is all this focus on Muslim countries?

BASH: Can I --

DOVERE: Yes, of course.

BASH: -- just read that quote from your conversation? Here's what he said exactly, Governor Shapiro. I think it is -- excuse me, "For those who do not want there to be a Jewish state, oftentimes they will predicate their views on this notion that being grounded in a religion and being a democracy can't coexist. I think it's important to point out the hypocrisy of that view. When there are 46 majority Muslim nations, 23 of which have Islam as their official religion, either because of statute or their constitution, and only one has Judaism as their official religion, and yet we're focused just on the Jewish state."

[12:40:40]

DOVERE: Yes. And, look, you can go through all the countries. Pakistan, for example, is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. And so part of his point is that, is also saying, let's just be pragmatic, realistic. If you're saying Israel shouldn't exist, what you're saying is there should be permanent war, is the way that he puts it, because that would be, you know, a war.

But he also very much talked about the politics of this, and he says this is, in Pennsylvania, as he likes to say, the state that decides it all, the key swing state, has gone Obama, Trump, Biden, Trump. He keeps winning, and people know where he is on this issue. And so there is this online conversation, there is this pundit conversation, but look at the votes.

And in the context, he didn't want to put it this way in the context of 2028, but when we start thinking about that, will it be an issue in the presidential primaries? It'll definitely be part of the conversation. But will voters respond to it like they do in Pennsylvania? That's maybe what he'll find out.

BASH: And his goal, because he is on the ballot in 2026 --

DOVERE: Yes.

BASH: -- his goal is to boost his own numbers as much as he can, not just for his own future, but also to help --

DOVERE: Right.

BASH: -- other people on the ballot.

DOVERE: Look, he wants to run up the score. He has, in many of his elections statewide, gotten more votes than any other Democrat has. But he had -- there are four House seats that are held by Republicans now across the state, where Shapiro has been very involved in helping recruit, endorsing those candidates, and they are a big priority for him.

If his coattails are large --

BASH: Yes.

DOVERE: -- then they will probably win. I talked to one of them, a woman named Janelle Stelson, who's running, and I said to her, does it help to have Shapiro on the top of the ticket? And her response was, yes.

BASH: Speaking of Democrats running in purple states, Jon Ossoff, a senator who you cover every single day, he was out and about this Sunday. Just listen to a little bit of his speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D), GEORGIA: It's not just the corruption and incompetence. It's this unmistakable project not to lead us, but to rule us as subjects. I suspect many of you are here because you recognize that our task is not just to contain his wickedness, but to cure the rot that gave rise to it.

This broken moment is an opening not for restoration, but for reformation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Again, he's on the ballot in 2026, but he sounds like he's talking about ideals and a platform well beyond Georgia and perhaps into 2028.

RAJU: Yes, I mean, yes. First, he has to win this race. He's raising a ton of money. He is just completely outraising the Republicans, who have their own runoff. It's on June 16th. We'll see who they get behind and whether they can actually mount a credible challenge to him.

It's -- there's going to be a lot of money spent there. But his strategy, Ossoff's, from the beginning has been interesting, because oftentimes you see a candidate in a purple state, like a Democrat. He's the only Democrat running in the state that Trump won in 2024. And you'll see, oftentimes, them pivoting to the middle or trying to say, I work with the President.

We saw Bob Casey in Pennsylvania all the time have an ad with Trump --

BASH: Yes.

RAJU: -- right before the election.

BASH: Teamwork.

RAJU: Instead, Ossoff has been this opposition, resistance-type campaign from the beginning, betting it's a base election, betting that will juice the base, get people energized behind him. And so far, it seems to be working.

BASH: Yes.

RAJU: Will it work in November, is the question.

BASH: It was definitely a gamble, and we'll see, as you said. But it is so different and really interesting, the way that he's handled this, as you were saying.

RAJU: Yes.

BURNS: Yes. I've been talking to a number of Democrats who have been incredibly frustrated with various parts of the party recently, whether it was Jill Biden coming out or how Chuck Schumer is handling things, and said, you know what, Jon Ossoff is the bright spot right now.

And the fact that he is so focused on this election, he's letting everyone else have the 28th conversation, he's not doing a ton of national media, he is just dead set on making this happen and on sort of creating his platform from the ground up here, that is giving Democrats a lot of hope for a few years from now.

BASH: All right, thank you. Please read Isaac's piece on CNN.com. It's really good on Governor Shapiro.

Up next, she spent decades on the front lines covering wars around the world. Now, journalist Martha Raddatz is sharing stories of extraordinary individuals, American heroes who often go unrecognized. She's trying to change that, and she's here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:49:21]

BASH: Martha Raddatz of ABC News is no stranger to war zones. She has spent much of her career traveling to high conflict areas, meeting American troops where they've been stationed, where they've come under fire and where they are recovering. She's learned their names, their stories, how difficult it can be for service members to come home.

She has a new book on this latest Inside Politics summer reading list that we're going to bring to you, and the book is called, "The Hero Next Door." And she tells the stories of the 9/11 generation of American servicemembers, one of whom completed Army Ranger School on September 10th, 2000.

[12:50:04]

Martha Raddatz joins me now. I'm so glad you're here.

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I'm so glad to be with you.

BASH: Martha, this is such -- I mean, even just saying it, I get goosebumps. This is such a fantastic book. So many important stories, heartwarming stories, really telling stories about the military and about a generation that, you know, we talk so much about the greatest generation as we should. And this generation post 9/11 is extraordinary.

RADDATZ: No less great.

BASH: No.

RADDATZ: That's how I would describe them. And I think in so many ways, this was maybe an escape for me from politics. I have known some of the people in this book for more than 20 years. I covered them after a battle or I covered them during a crisis in their lives. So I've stayed in touch with them all this time. And it's just a reminder for us all and for me an escape that there are these truly remarkable people out there who are courageous, who serve and sacrifice, who faced incredible odds and still come out of that this 9/11 generation to want to keep serving in some way, wanting to keep doing good and overcoming these incredible challenges in the process.

BASH: And, of course, you talk so eloquently in here about the people who serve and then their families.

RADDATZ: The families have always been incredibly important to me.

BASH: Especially in the 9/11 generation, because so many people who are injured, survived and have to have full time caregiving and that, of course, largely falls on their families. Let's just talk about one of the chapters that I loved, and I loved all of them. Badass women, which of which you definitely are.

Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner, she is one of the Navy's first female tactical jet pilots. And what you write about is not just her. She became a good friend of yours. But how Lieutenant Commander Danielle Thiriot is a steward of Mariners legacy.

And I'm going to read a little bit of what Danielle told you, quote -- and she's again a former fighter pilot -- "I've been asked if I can have children, if I can pull as many G's as men. Someone told her once that she shouldn't fly upside down in air shows because her ovaries would dislodge and that" -- sorry -- "and that we would have to watch how many times we fly upside down in the air show. Like what in the world? This was 2017!"

It's hard for me to read that with a straight face.

RADDATZ: I know. It was hard for me to write it. It was hard for me --

BASH: Yes.

RADDATZ: -- to listen to her, and she says it with -- Danielle says it with humor. She's a phenomenal F-18 Navy pilot. She went to Harvard. She had no idea she'd ever end up being a pilot and decided that's what she would do in the Navy because she did ROTC.

But Danielle I met and in a sad situation, Rosemary Mariner, who fought crazily in Congress and everything else to get women to fly in combat. Rosemary was never able to do that. But finally, she and others succeeded. But she died of ovarian cancer in 2019. And I went to the -- her small farm town.

And here is the flyover. And it happened to be, because of Danielle Thiriot, it happened to be the first all-female Navy flyover. Danielle was the missing man. It was a missing woman in that case. And then to meet all these young women, all these female aviators who've done a lot of combat flights, have a lot of combat hours between them.

It was just such a wonderful -- I said they flew in Rosemary's contrails, and she would be so proud. And that would be so meaningful to her.

BASH: One of the service members that you chronicle in this book is Captain Derek Herrera. He's now retired from the Marine Corps Special Op -- he was a special ops officer. He was paralyzed from the chest down when he was shot in Afghanistan. And you quoted his retirement speech where he stood with the help of an exoskeleton.

This is a quote from his speech. "When you take the uniform off, find something, anything that's going to get you up in the morning and get you to accomplishing the goals that you set for yourself." Now you write about the growing divide between American civilians and veterans.

What did you find in chronicling his story and others about that, particularly since 9/11?

RADDATZ: I think, you know, for a period we were all thank you for your service, right? And then I think we've largely kind of forgotten about them. Derek Herrera is still paralyzed, and yet he goes on every day. He ended up going to UCLA Business School. He founded a company that helps other paralyzed people.

This is Derek, this great marine raider who is a leader, and he wanted to do something to help others. And there he is paralyzed and in a wheelchair, but he thinks, what unique talent do I have that I can help others?

And he found it by saying, I am a paralyzed man. I'm motivated. I'm a leader. I can do something. And he has, and he has helped so many other people. And that's sort of the theme in this.

[12:55:13]

But bridging that divide, Dana, you've known me long enough. I feel like in some ways I try to be that bridge. I have been there, but I've been on the home front. And these people mean so much to me, and they've been a gift to me, truly.

I've learned from them. I wake up and help other people do, and read these kinds of stories and say, it's not just the military. We can do that. We can get up every day and try to contribute in some way or do something for others. And I think that's the thread through all of these stories.

Some people are still in the military and, you know, are serving honorably now. But I know when they get out, they will find something to continue to serve or contribute to society in some way.

BASH: Martha, "The Hero Next Door," you said that these stories keep you going. Now, thank you for sharing them with us because they can continue to keep us going. They're extraordinary, as are you.

RADDATZ: Thank you, Dana.

BASH: So great to have you on.

RADDATZ: Thank you.

BASH: And thank you for joining Inside Politics today. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.

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