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CNN Live Event/Special

Military Parade Honors 250th Birthday Of U.S. Army; Tensions Rise In L.A. And N.Y. Amid "No Kings" Protests; Police Searching For Shooter After Minnesota State Lawmaker Fatally Shot, Another Wounded; Trump Speaks At 250th Anniversary Military Parade; Damage In Central Israel After New Iranian Missile Attacks. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired June 14, 2025 - 20:00   ET

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

DONELL HARVIN, FORMER CHIEF OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE: Generally, we don't see lawlessness and the breakdown of this type of civil, you know, disobedience until the nightfall. And so, seeing it early means that these officers may be in for a long night.

[20:00:15]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: If you're just joining us on CNN, a historic night with major stories happening, not only here at home, but also abroad as well. We are watching tensions rise in L.A. and New York amid no King's protests. There have been chemical irritants dispersed in Los Angeles to try to get crowds to move.

At the same time, we were watching the president himself address the 250th anniversary of the nation's army. A huge reception for the president there with a number of demonstrations of the United States Army and its military might.

The president addressing the crowd and addressing the nation, notably also the president's 79th birthday. He acknowledged himself that he would be receiving some heat, as he put it, some criticism for having this parade, not only organized today, what was planned originally to be a relatively muted celebration or a quieter celebration that it ultimately became in part because of the president's input on the day.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yeah, that's right. And right now, is he doing the re-enlistment? Is that what he's doing? He's doing this re- enlistment and enlistment ceremony, part of the stated purpose of this parade or what is supposed to be one of the benefits of it, according to the Trump administration, not only to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the army, but to do so to maybe inspire people to join or to re-enlist.

So, speaking to recruitment and also retention, you see him standing back there as they're going through this process. He's going to be speaking here in any moment.

Let's go now to CNN's Kristen Holmes, who has been standing by along the parade route. Kristen, what have you been seeing?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and Brianna and Boris, I do want to put emphasis on what you were just talking about in terms of recruitment. So, he's up there delivering the oath. This is all part of that re-enlistment ceremony or an enlistment ceremony.

It seems to be actually both because we've heard it being called both. But this is a huge part of the military. When Donald Trump is talking about what he has done for the military, he often brings up recruitment numbers saying that people are joining the army.

And that's something that they've been very focused on is trying to recruit people into the military. So, in terms of what we've been standing here for roughly two hours, we have seen the military hardware that has been used for now decades, generations, starting from the Revolutionary War. We saw people wearing those kind of era military uniforms all the way up to the modern era.

Just moments ago, the parade kind of ended -- this is why we're in the ceremony portion of it now -- with what they called the future, which was robotic dogs, drones, the modern military equipment, the stuff that they're using now.

And as you noted, you know, it is hard to escape the fact that this is falling on Donald Trump's 79th birthday, particularly given the fact that President Trump has wanted a military parade like this since he was in office back in 2016, 2017, when he went to France and he was with the President of France, Macron, and he saw their military parade. And the way that our reporting goes is that he told Macron at that point that they were going to top it.

Now, he never did that his first term. There were a lot of generals who pushed back on that notion. There were a lot of aides who believed that this would look too political at that time. And now, this gave him an opportunity because it does coincide with the 250th anniversary of the army, the army being one year older than the country itself.

And I will tell you that, obviously, there is criticism around the fact that it is his birthday, and there's a celebration, and we really need to have all of this. But I have been hearing from viewers all day who have been giving me their input, and a lot of them are veterans. And there are a lot of them who say that they are happy that the President chose to do this because they feel like it is respectful and honoring the men and women who have served.

I know one of the things you guys have been talking about as we've seen this parade is this kind of difficulty that people have in separating President Trump from the military. But a lot of the military officials that I've spoken to say that they are honored to be here. They are honored to take part in this. Of course, all of this is coming at a time where we -- there are a lot of questions and concerns about the politicalization of the military. We see the National Guard being deployed by President Trump in Los Angeles, the Marines being there.

We know that that is something that he wants to do. We also saw his speech at Fort Bragg, which upset some military officials because of the cheering for Donald Trump, the booing for President Joe Biden, something that a lot of military officials don't feel is becoming of the uniform. They want it to be an apolitical organization. But here today, you are hearing a lot of celebration, and you're hearing a lot of people who are happy to be here to honor those men and women who have served the country.

SANCHEZ: Kristen Holmes, live for us in Washington, D.C., thank you so much.

Our team of experts joins us now. And Major General James "Spider" Marks, as you've been watching this, I wonder what you make of the parade so far, and as we get set to hear from President Trump, what you think the Commander-in-Chief has to say.

[20:05:11]

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (Ret.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I tell you, looking at what were the images that we're seeing just now, it's really encouraging to see the young enlistees, those that were wearing the khaki and the polo shirts, that formation, those are young men. You can see them right now on the screen on the left side. These are the young men and women who are about to enter service, which is incredibly inspirational. And those in the formation to the right, those are the ones that are being reenlisted.

So, this is a commitment of the continuation of service. I see what's going on today in terms of the parade. Again, the soldier perspective is I'm not necessarily enthusiastic about walking in a parade, but I am going to feel good about myself and the sacrifices of all of those that have come before me and what will be done going forward.

So, this is a commitment. There's a visible commitment of the individual soldier in each of those formations to the commitment to uphold the Constitution. I mean, it really is very inspirational.

KEILAR: Now, one of the things about our country and our military, right, is that originally our founders were very suspicious of a standing army. There are a ton of limitations that have been put on the military. One of them is civilian control of the military general.

And also at this point in time and for decades now, it's an all- volunteer force. So, they don't have a choice, right? They get a choice on whether they're going to sign up to be in the military. They don't get a choice of whether they are going to be at this parade. If they're told they're going to be at the parade, they're there.

MARKS: Or they're going to war.

KEILAR: That's raw, that's --

(CROSSTALK)

MARKS: Or they're going to deploy -- or they're going to deploy four times over the course of maybe 10 years --

KEILAR: That's right.

MARKS: -- into harm's way, and they leave their families behind. I mean, they do it with their eyes wide open.

KEILAR: That's right.

MARKS: Of course they're going to show up to this parade. And the narrative is, does this affect readiness? I could go on both sides of that.

KEILAR: Yeah. Can you talk about that? Because we just heard from two former army rangers on opposite sides of the aisle.

MARKS: Completely different.

KEILAR: Completely different what they were saying about it.

MARKS: The only thing that a military commander is evaluated on is his or her ability to take this organization and to ensure it's ready to do its job. And the mission, and you're evaluated at multiple levels all the time. So, if this parade detracts from that readiness, it will be reflected in those classified reports that go forward that say, as a result of this parade, I could not execute X number of tasks because I had these skill sets and these soldiers away from the unit for a certain amount of time, and they couldn't continue to improve in a particular task.

I mean, it's all very objective, very objective. I look at this and I can say, I bet you we're OK. I bet your army's OK as a result of this.

SANCHEZ: Let's actually take a pause for a moment in the conversation about this 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and the parade and go to Michael Yoshida, who's in downtown Los Angeles. Another split screen moment. And Michael, we can see behind you what appears to be a cloud of chemical irritant in the background. This comes as we've learned that Los Angeles police issued dispersal orders attempting to move protesters from parts of downtown. What are you seeing?

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, Boris. I'm going to have us come back up this way so it's blowing that way. So, you can see this is the area where we've seen probably here a flashbang as well, protesters gathered for the last half hour at least.

You can see we've had law enforcement, looks like the sheriff's office right here. We've been seeing them in the last five -- oh, you're just going to see another flashbang go there, seeing them using their flashbangs as well as various -- I'm not sure which gas they're using right now, but firing it into the crowd. We've also been seeing the protesters then either kicking it back, throwing it back.

And that's when we've started to see some of the cloud of those irritants make their way up to where we are from this vantage point. But again, this happening right near City Hall in downtown Los Angeles, looks like Main Street and Temple Street for those who might be familiar with the area. Oh, they're asking us to move.

Stike watch your step. So, we're going to come back down this way. And again, you can see stike. Let's try and show we have the mounted patrol as well with the sheriff's office continuing to be deployed and used in this area. And we're going to reposition here, Boris. So, I'm going to send it back to you and then we'll get you an update here as quick as we can.

SANCHEZ: Please stay safe out there and keep us posted on what you were seeing as we understand that police have issued dispersal orders in downtown Los Angeles, trying to move demonstrators out of the way. This one of very few moments that we've seen of tension rising during these "No Kings" protests, some 2000 of them taking place across the country. There are at least a dozen happening in the New York City area. That's where we find CNN, Shimon Prokupecz.

[20:10:06]

Shimon, what are you seeing where you are?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the thing here, Boris, we're seeing just a lot of officers here trying to clear this crowd. It's a small crowd that remains. And what happens is every time there's some kind of excitement, Boris, we're seeing just a lot of officers here trying to clear this crowd. It's a small crowd that remains. And what happens is every time there's some kind of excitement, NYPD will move in. They'll remove somebody. Then, the crowd kind of starts to decrease. People leave.

But I want to just show you the presence here. So, unlike LA, the NYPD here, Boris, does not use tear gas. They don't use any of those rubber bullets. It's all really done with hands and bikes. And they really try to deescalate before they move in. But I want to show you, this is the massive response here we're seeing by the NYPD. At this point, there are probably three times the number of officers compared to some of the protesters.

Some of them are still here. But I want to show you down here as well, where you could even see even more police officers in helmets. And we just have seen some of these officers. Bob, can they see down there? I think they can see. You could see them here in the distance, I hope.

There's just tons and tons of officers. These officers just moved in within the last few minutes. They came from this area, kind of the back way to where some of these protesters are.

I think my sense in looking at the chief here and watching him operate the last few days, trying to figure out how to clear this crowd without necessarily arresting everyone. So, for now, they're letting them stay here. We've been seeing a lot of back and forth but in minutes, things have been quiet in the NYPD. You see some of the supervisors here and the chiefs here in the white shirts, I can show you. They've all been standing around kind of discussing what to do.

But for now, the tension here has decreased. But just this response from the NYPD is just enormous, Boris. And this is all, again, because of the federal building here. They are doing everything they can to try and protect the building and make sure none of the protesters get through. But for now, things have -- the tension here has certainly eased. But the NYPD certainly has moved in so many more officers just in the last few minutes.

KEILAR: Yeah, we're also getting, of course, towards nighttime. And that's going to add another element that the police would like to be done with this by then. Shimon, thank you so much. Our thanks to Michael, as well, as we were watching some tense moments there in Los Angeles. The added dynamic, of course, of some of those raids that have happened there in recent days, and then the law enforcement and military response.

Here we are in Washington, D.C., watching a performance after a reenlistment and enlistment ceremony there by the White House. The president is set to speak here in just a matter of moments. So, we're keeping our eye on that. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:17:39]

KEILAR: Back now to our breaking news out of Minnesota. We are hearing dispatch audio of first responders discussing the shootings involving two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses. This was obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DISPATCHER: The shooter is still in the house. They believe barricaded with the firearms. Multiple different agencies are on scene trying to locate if this individual is on foot, if he shot anybody else around the home. Just so you guys have a little bit more of an update as to what is going on there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Authorities are searching for this man, 57-year-old Vance Boelter. He is suspected in the assassination of State Democratic Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband and the attempted assassination of a state senator and his wife.

SANCHEZ: Officials say these lawmakers were targeted in what they call a politically motivated set of attacks. The FBI is now offering up to $50,000 in the case. And a source tells CNN that investigators are looking into whether the suspect wore a latex face mask during the shooting.

Let's get the latest from CNN Correspondent Veronica Miracle, who's been tracking this story for us. Veronica, where does the search stand right now?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris and Brianna, the FBI says they are using every available resource to find Boelter. And their focus right now is in the Twin Cities area in Minneapolis specifically. He was last seen on surveillance camera this morning by a local business.

That's the image right there that they released earlier today. Police are hoping that people recognize him. He was wearing a cowboy hat, very distinguishable, and holding some kind of black bag. And that's where they believe he is -- he was spotted actually at several different businesses in that area. But police have also expanded their search. They've sent this information and his photos up to the Canadian Border Patrol on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border just in case he does try and flee the country. So, they are using every available resource there.

In terms of the victims, we also know that State Senator Hoffman and his wife Yvette, they are out of surgery. They are in recovery. They're in stable condition and they're expected to be OK.

And in terms of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, there has been an outpouring of support from both sides of the aisle and those who knew them. Just a very sad day for Minnesota.

Back to you guys.

[20:20:00]

KEILAR: All right, Veronica Miracle, thank you so much.

And Vice President J.D. Vance speaking right now at this parade there in -- that has culminated and now is continuing in events there in Washington, D.C. This is a head of President Trump coming out on the stage now with First Lady Melania Trump. He is going to be speaking to the crowd assembled there, which includes enlistees and re-enlistees who just participated in a ceremony. And of course, it is a who's who of Republicans in Washington.

Let's listen in to President Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you to Vice President Vance and thank you to our wonderful First Lady. And above all, thank you to the greatest, fiercest and bravest fighting force ever to stride the face of this earth, the United States Army. Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Because the Army keeps us free, you make us strong, and tonight, you have made all Americans very proud. They're watching from all over the world, actually. Made them all very proud. Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did too. That's what we're doing tonight.

And watching this magnificent display, our souls are filled with gratitude for every generation of warriors who have worn the uniform all the way back to the very beginning.

So, to every veteran across our land and right here in our nation's capital, including six recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, we love you, we honor you, and we salute your noble service to our flag and to our country. As we celebrate tonight, we also think of the hundreds of thousands of Army soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for our nation and selflessly laid down their lives in every war, from the Revolution to the War on Terror, to the Gold Star families with us today. The courage of your heroes is the bedrock on which our entire nation stands. We thank you. Yes, we thank you.

Today, we commemorate an event that did not just change American history, but changed the history of the entire world. With the creation of America's Army on June 14, 1775, liberty got its shield and the freedom got its sword. Those first Army patriots in the American Revolution fought against a fearsome enemy and impossible odds, but they were armed with a righteous cause. They were led by an indomitable commander, a truly great man, General George Washington, and they were united by an eternal creed.

Their motto was, "victory or death." Over the past two and a half centuries, our warriors have shown unrivaled valor on fields, a battle around the globe. With the frostbitten feet and bloody fist, they have marched into the flames and fury of combat, charged up mountains, stormed beaches, waded through torrents of gunfire, and leapt into skies thick with smoke and shrapnel.

The U.S. Army has driven bayonets into the heart of sinister empires, crushed the ambitions of evil tyrants. Beneath the threads of American tanks, it's done so well, it's done so much, and sent the devil himself flying into full retreat. Time and again, America's enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you. Your defeat will be certain, your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Because our soldiers never give up, never surrender, and never, ever quit. They fight, fight, fight, and they win, win, win.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: And that's why no institution in history has entered more names into the roster of American heroes than the U.S. Army, the Congressional Medal of Honor, more than anyone or anything. There was mad Anthony Wayne asked by George Washington to lead a daring midnight raid up the cliffs of Stony Point with unloaded muskets and only their bayonets to fight the Redcoats.

20:25:16]

Mad Anthony replied, "issue the order, sir, and I will storm into hell for you." Then there was the Civil War General John in the face in combat. He's in combat. He fired off a message to his commander. I am short a cheekbone and one ear, but I am able to whip the hell out of all of them. He stayed on the front lines. It seemed forever.

In World War II, there was the great Creighton Abrams besieged on all sides by the Nazis at the Battle of the Bulge. He boldly proclaimed, they've got us surrounded again, the poor bastards. This is the fighting spirit and unyielding force of the U.S. Army. It has never changed, and it will never, ever change, because there is no earthly force more powerful than the brave heart of a U.S. infantryman or an Army Ranger, paratrooper, or Green Beret. They are the best. They are the finest. From Bunker Hill to San Juan Hill, from Gettysburg to Guadalcanal, from Yorktown to Shiloh, and from the trenches of the Argonne to the mountains of Afghanistan, the Army has forged a legacy of unmatched courage, untold sacrifice, and unequaled and undying glory.

Our soldiers have poured out their blood by the bucketful on Missionary Ridge and Heartbreak Ridge, on the sands of Sicily, Normandy, and the Philippines, and on the dusty streets of Da Nang, Baghdad, and Al-Fallujah. Thanks to their extraordinary service and devotion, 250 years later, America stands tall, America stands proud, and America stands free.

We're the hottest country in the world right now, and our country will soon be greater and stronger than ever before. Down through history, we've been blessed beyond words by this valiant legion of Army warriors and patriots, heroes and legends. And tonight, we affirm with unwavering certainty that in the years ahead, and in every generation hence, whenever duty calls and whatever danger comes, the American soldier will be there.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: No matter the risk, no matter the obstacles, our warriors will charge into battle, they will plunge into the crucible of fire, and they will seize the crown of victory, because the United States of America will always have the grace of almighty God and the iron will of the United States Army. Congratulations to everybody. We love our country. We've never done better. Thank you. God bless you. God bless the Army, and God bless America.

(APPLAUSE)

And now I'd like to ask our great First Lady to join me at the podium. Thank you very much, everybody.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Thank you.

CROWD: Happy Birthday to you.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The army Golden Knights, I would like to present to you this flag which was flown over our nation's capital and free fall during the Army's 250th Birthday celebration.

(APPLAUSE)

SANCHEZ: We've been listening to President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, and notably on his 79th birthday, largely the President sticking to the script. None of the politics we heard earlier this week at Fort Bragg during his speech there. It was about a 10-minute speech roughly from President Trump. He said, quote, "the courage of these heroes is the bedrock upon which our nation stands." [20:30:21]

The President also saying that every other country on earth celebrates its victories. It's about time for the United States to do so. And notably, at the end of his speech, as he's being handed an American flag by the Golden Knights, the president receives a happy birthday song from the crowd.

KEILAR: It is indeed his 79th birthday. And he has suffered some criticism for the parade falling on his birthday. But we should note that he has recently given some speeches that were inappropriately political for their venues, both at Fort Bragg and West Point. And this was not one of them. This was a pretty disciplined speech. That was something that really stood out, Jeff Zeleny.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It may be one of the most disciplined speeches and one of the shortest speeches we've seen him give, much more of in the vein of an inaugural address, at least in length and being scripted. One difference that perhaps Melania Trump is not often at his side, not often in the wings as she was tonight.

This is a production that he knew is being carefully watched. It's not being riffed off the cuff, but that's not take away the words he said at Fort Bragg or the words he said at West Point, I do not think. But look, this is a moment I was struck by when he said every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did too.

But what's left out of that are all the challenges. And, you know, we can't not -- we'd be remiss if not to point out the variety of split screens we have quite literally been watching tonight from the foreign policy challenges to on the home front, his challenges as well. So, tonight, again, a night to celebrate the Army. But this does nothing for the challenges that he's facing tomorrow when he flies to Canada for the G7 to meet our allies. Much, much work, many, many challenges for -- for this president.

SANCHEZ: And we understand that the president is now watching Lee Greenwood sing "God Bless the USA," his signature song at just about every Trump rally, at least every single one I've ever attended. It's the song that Trump comes out to and the one that he usually ends the night with.

Let's go to CNN's Natasha Bertrand, who has been keeping track of the parade. Natasha, what stood out to you about not just President Trump's speech, but the event overall?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so I was there pretty much all day and look, it was largely an event that was attended by his supporters. There were a few protesters here and there, including those carrying signs around that said no kings, no dictators, et cetera. But by and large, it was his supporters and they appeared very impressed by what they were seeing.

They were cheering when the army soldiers marched down the street. They were particularly amazed by the many flyovers that we saw of all of the military aircraft. And ultimately, you know, I think the army is going to be breathing a large sigh of relief after today because they only had a couple of months to pull this off.

And of course, there was a lot of concern about whether it would cause damage to the roads and the infrastructure. From what I saw, the heavy tanks and the fighting vehicles, they do not appear to at first glance have left much of a mark on D.C. streets. And that's thanks in large part to the planning by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was working really hard to try to mitigate the damage that many of Trump's officials in his first term said was inevitable if these tanks and these fighting vehicles were going to be rolling down Constitution Avenue.

And so, I think that the atmosphere, while perhaps not drawing the huge, huge crowds that President Trump may have been anticipating here, there were smatterings of people. There were certain pockets, certain areas where there were quite a few people. And I'm sure estimates will come out about crowd size.

They were very enthusiastic. And it was ultimately more a celebration of the Army's history than it was about President Trump's birthday, though, of course, at the end there, he was presented with that flag and sung happy birthday to Boris.

KEILAR: Yeah, he certainly was, Natasha. And thank you so much for being there for the whole day, watching all of these events. Jamie, I wonder what you thought as you listened to his speech. And if you're hearing from anyone, it must be something I think that even -- even some Republicans and certainly some former military advisers, having said to the president, I'm sure, really focus on the Army here. This must be something that they were happy to see.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: So, just to reiterate what Jeff said, I think this has to be the shortest speech that he has ever given. I mean, 10 minutes, very disciplined, stayed -- stayed on message. I've heard from a number of people when he said we're the hottest and we should celebrate among the messages, someone pointed out the Signal chat scandal where they added a reporter to it.

[20:35:07]

I mean, it has not been a smooth ride. The fact that the president has said that, you know, on day one, everything would be OK and he's facing the challenges of Ukraine. Now, what's going on in the Middle East? Someone also messaged, what about NATO? Because of his remarks about NATO and also the fact that both in his first administration and now he's wanted to close bases and -- and pull back on things.

So, I think that by and large, let's just reiterate, this was about the U.S. Army today. But when you're talking about the politics of it all, there are people who take issue with some of the things he said today.

SANCHEZ: Major General James "Spider" Marks, I wonder what you made of the president's remarks. MARKS: Well, you know, you can't choose your birthday unless you're United States Army. So, let's give the president a break in terms of making this or even having a narrative about this, having something to do with him. He didn't choose his birthday. Can't choose your parents.

What I saw today was an incredible display and I would say a very humble display of what our Army, what our military, what our joint force brings to the table. I still believe that we could have done that without a parade. We can still feel incredibly good and very proud of what this nation brings forward. And these young men and women that come from our neighborhoods, I mean, these are our brothers and sisters. These are our kids. I mean, they're just incredible.

Nobody forced them to join in our previous conversation. They all raised their hands. I want to be a part of this. God love that. I don't know that we need to have a big parade, but I'm OK with this parade. And as we've said also, this is a dry run for next year, America 250. I think we had a good rehearsal today.

KEILAR: You know, the same committee, obviously, producing this will do next year's as we understand it as well.

Colonel Leighton, what did you think watching the festivities?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think it was really good that the history of the Army was kind of relayed in the president's speech. And the fact that he didn't veer into the political made it even better in that sense. It was, I think, a very interesting juxtaposition of some of the things that he says he wants to do when it comes to, you know, having a strong Army, having a strong military.

And that's one thing. But then when you get to some of the policies that he's working on and trying to implement and the Secretary of Defense very famously is saying, well, let's pull back from places like NATO and alliances like NATO. That actually is a contradiction in terms.

And if you, you know, if you want a strong military, there's going to have to be engagement with that military. You're going to have to bring that military in to deal with foreign allies and foreign adversaries. And if you pull back, you might not be able to showcase the strengths that you think you have. And it might be something that, you know, is not as basically will not shine as brightly as it as it has in our history and in the Army's 250 years.

SANCHEZ: If this was, Donell, a sort of rehearsal for next year and it went well, you imagine that the 250th Birthday of the United States is going to bring way larger crowds, larger spectacle as well. What is it going to take from a security standpoint to make sure that that goes through flawlessly?

HARVIN: Yeah. Well, you know, this is D.C. is a confined space. Everything's to scale. And I'll be honest with you. A lot of the planning you saw today, it's basically brushed off from other national security special events, right? Inauguration, the individuals that plan these things, they've been

with these agencies for quite a long time. It's run by the Department of Homeland Security, headed by the U.S. Secret Service. I've been on these committees. They start planning for months now that they know that it's going to do something next year, a year in advance.

And so, they know the weak spots. They know the areas of pinch points, what we call them areas where concern for pedestrians and potentially maligned actors. And so, as we all mentioned, this is a great rehearsal. Everything went peacefully. Everything went well. I think they had a great celebration.

KEILAR: And one more thing to notice that I think we should, as we watched all of these soldiers, 6,700 of them participating in this, how they came from all walks of life, right? I mean, you just could not escape that. And we were talking about that. So, many, of course, men, so many women who are such an essential part of the armed forces from all kinds of backgrounds. And as we see from the information provided from all kinds of different states, young and old.

[20:40:05]

GANGEL: Right. You know, we've -- we've in the last five months, there's been all of this scrubbing of DEI. But what you saw today as they walk by, extraordinary diversity, people of color, a lot of women. And that's who joins the military.

LEIGHTON: And I think it's also a diversity of meritocracy. You know, when you think about all the different people, all the different places that they come from, the different economic conditions that they have, you know, all the different parts of the nation. And that's the kind of thing that just really makes it so great.

ZELENY: I think when you look at the history of the Army, which was quite literally presented, the tableau is striking and the diversity is something that Jamie and I were talking about literally all evening here. And it was clear when I was out on the mall earlier today, seeing the young men and many, many women out there.

And I noticed Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa who, of course, is a military veteran in her own right, was sitting on the reviewing stand as well. Not far from the defense secretary who had to clean up some of his own issues about his own views of women in the military and in combat. So, I think tonight the diversity is a major strength of this military. And as we're watching the fireworks there, what a show here in Washington.

SANCHEZ: A spectacle over the National Mall. These fireworks that we are watching unfold as this military parade honors the 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Army.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with major breaking news, not only here in the U.S., but also in the Middle East as well.

KEILAR: That's right. We are looking at some fresh strike. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:46:02]

KEILAR: We are looking now at live pictures from Bat Yam, Israel. This is a suburb just south of Tel Aviv. And you can see there's considerable damage there in what is perhaps a residential building.

And we are getting word as well that three women have died in a -- died after a rocket struck near a residential building in the Palestinian-Israeli town of Tamra. That's according to Israel's National Emergency Service. So, there has been damage over various parts of Israel. This obviously looks considerable as first responders are there on scene trying to figure out what is happening and see if there are victims there.

SANCHEZ: And simultaneously, we're learning that at least one person has been killed in the Shephelah area in central Israel, another 17 people in that area having to be taken to medical care. The Emergency Response Agency said that its teams were responding to attacks at multiple sites. You can imagine they are likely similar to what we're watching now. This was again taken moments ago in Bat Yam, Israel.

Let's take you to the region with CNN's Clarissa Ward, who's live for us in Tel Aviv, getting new information about the extent of the damage. Clarissa, what have you learned?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, you may remember when we last spoke, we had just seen that barrage of missiles coming in. We saw the Iron Dome intercepting a number of them. And then as we re-watched the footage, we could see at least four orange flashes, those indicating an actual impact or landfall.

One of them you are looking at on your screens right now to the south of Tel Aviv. We are still trying to get a better picture of how many people may have been killed or injured as a result of these strikes.

Now, they had, everyone in Israel received a warning some time before that they needed to get into their shelters. But you can see the kind of damage and destruction that is being incurred as a result of these ballistic missile strikes. These are very different to the types of munitions that people in Israel are used to being on the receiving end of, like Katyusha rockets. Earlier, we visited the site of a strike from last night and saw a huge amount of damage.

Multiple houses destroyed, cars crumpled, like Coke cans, debris all over the ground. We know that Israel's emergency services are on the ground at that location and a number of others where it's believed that Iranian ballistic missiles made landfall. But as of yet, we don't know the casualties.

Now, you mentioned the strike earlier on the town of Tamra, which is an Arab-Israeli town. We are now hearing that the death toll there has gone up to four. So, this looking like it is the deadliest night so far here in Israel. Last night, three people were killed. And that is without having a good sense of how many people may potentially have been killed or seriously injured as a result of those number of missiles that appeared to get through the Iron Dome and make impact with great force just about an hour ago. The alarm system here in Israel has now been given the all clear.

We saw people leaving the shelter downstairs and the stairwells to go back to their room. It's now, what is it now? It's 3:48 in the morning. Remains to be seen whether there will be more sirens tonight. Last night, there were sirens really up until dawn and even after 5 a.m. But certainly a sign that things continue to escalate in dramatic and violent fashion here.

[20:50:00]

And of course, Iran also bearing the brunt of Israeli strikes. Israel saying that it targeted Iran's Ministry of Defense tonight. So, the escalation continues and things remain incredibly tense throughout the region.

SANCHEZ: Clarissa Ward bringing us the latest in Tel Aviv. Clarissa, thank you so much.

Let's discuss the latest with Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts.

Congressman, thank you so much for being with us. Just first, I'm curious to get your thoughts on the latest escalation between Israel and Iran.

REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): Well, clearly this is escalating. And one of the questions that I have sitting on the Armed Services Committee and as a veteran of wars in the Middle East myself is again for Prime Minister Netanyahu, what is the end game here? You've said you wanted to take out Iran's nuclear weapons program. The biggest question to ask is, have you successfully taken it out in its entirety? And what is the timeline for Iran reconstituting its program?

My concern is that we need a long-term solution here to ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon. And I'm not clear that that's what's been achieved.

The other concern, of course, is just that this escalates into a wider war. Israel clearly has the upper hand. They've been much more effective in their strikes than Iran has. I'd certainly want to be on Israel's side in this, and that's why we are. But at the same time, just like we all have been asking for years now, what is Netanyahu's endgame with Hamas in Gaza? We need to understand, what is his endgame with Iran in this latest escalation?

SANCHEZ: To that point, Congressman, if the goal is to completely remove the capacity for Tehran to enrich uranium, it seems unlikely that Netanyahu would be able to achieve that on his own. He would need U.S. support in the form of bunker-busting bombs and the aerial capacity to get them there. Would you be supportive of the United States providing Netanyahu with that kind of weaponry?

MOULTON: So, I actually asked a lot of questions about this with the CENTCOM commander a couple days before these strikes even happened, knowing that this was potentially on the table. And although it was a classified meeting and I can't discuss any of the details, I would just say that there are some real concerns about exactly what that would look like.

So, look, in principle, we don't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and we want to make sure they never do. But there's a lot of technical questions that have to be answered about how you get from here to there, what kinds of forces would be involved, what kinds of weapons would be involved and everything.

And I think that's part of why you see so much hesitancy on behalf of the administration. This is an administration that's always jumped up and down about its alliance with Israel, and yet they've been really reticent to support Netanyahu in these latest strikes.

SANCHEZ: Congressman, there's a lot of breaking news to cover, so I want to turn to today's celebration, the 250th Anniversary of the Army. As you noted, you did serve four tours in the Middle East serving for the Marine Corps. Nevertheless, I wonder how you felt about the parade marking the anniversary of the Army.

I know that several of your colleagues, I believe 20 of them, wrote a letter demanding answers from the Secretary of the Army specifically on the cost and the White House's involvement in this parade. What did you think?

MOULTON: Well, first of all, I think everyone was relieved that it wasn't politicized by the President the way he politicized his speeches at Fort Bragg and West Point in recent days. So, that was a relief.

But I'll tell you, sitting here as a veteran and watching this from a President who has occasionally praised and oftentimes denigrated the U.S. military, I'm just reminded by how out of touch this guy is. I mean, first of all, in his opening line of the speech, he talks about the U.S. Army being the fiercest fighting force the world has ever seen. Everyone knows that's the United States Marine Corps. So, he's clearly out of touch.

The second he talks about this amazing story of this real hero in the Army who lost his cheekbone and his ear and keeps fighting. And remember, this is a guy who concocted a story about a bone spur to prevent getting drafted himself. Donald Trump is a draft dodger. And to hear him talking about these heroes from the Army is really pretty hypocritical.

With regards to the cost, I just got to tell you, you know, $200 million is what we're looking at as a baseline cost for this parade. And while that might seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of a U.S. aircraft carrier or something like that, imagine what you could do with $200 million for veterans.

You know, DOGE is eviscerating the V.A, firing thousands of people who care for our veterans every day. I just was on the phone with a Marine from my second platoon who is struggling to get the V.A. to take care of him, even though he has tumors all over his body, something that other veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have reported, and why President Biden expanded care for the V.A. so much.

[20:55:15]

So, there's a lot of good you could do for the nation's troops and veterans with $200 million that doesn't involve a spectacle on the president's birthday.

SANCHEZ: Lastly, Congressman, I understand that you spoke at a "No Kings" protest today. We've been reporting that as millions of Americans gather in some 2,000 of these demonstrations across the country, they have been, for the most part, largely peaceful, and we've only seen some limited escalation in Los Angeles and New York. But as we get closer to the evening time, as I've reported on these sorts of demonstrations over the years, that's when things can often get tricky.

And as we watch the officers disperse irritants on protesters in downtown Los Angeles, I wonder what your message to demonstrators is at such a divisive and pivotal time for the discourse specifically over immigration in this country.

MOULTON: Well, first of all, I understand why people are upset. I mean, I was fighting recently to get an 18-year-old kid out of ICE detention. They told him he had to go to prison because he overstayed a visa when he was six. I mean, some of this is just absolutely absurd. So, of course, Americans are upset. They're upset across the political spectrum.

But remember, remember how much Martin Luther King achieved with peaceful, nonviolent protests. We're the ones who should be setting the example here, not following in the violent -- the violent routines of this administration. And you do that by peacefully protesting, not by escalating things with the police.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Seth Moulton, we appreciate you sharing your evening with us.

MOULTON: Good to see you.

SANCHEZ: Ahead next hour, we are going to be speaking to Republican Congressman and Army veteran Corey Mills. So, stay tuned for that. A lot of varied viewpoints, not only on these protests and demonstrations, but also obviously on the 250th anniversary parade of the U.S. Army.

We're also following breaking news out of Minnesota. A huge manhunt underway there. The FBI joining the search for a man accused of shooting two lawmakers, killing one and her spouse, and then sending the other and his spouse to the hospital. The latest on the urgent search and his possible motivation for these attacks when we come back.

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