Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Event/Special

CNN Headlines: Trump's "Anti-Weaponization" Fund In Jeopardy Amid GOP Pushback; Regional Source: U.S.-Iran Talks Continue Amid Rising Tensions; Race Against Time For Men Still Trapped In Laos Cave. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired June 02, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:30:52]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.

The Trump administration looks like it may be retreating from its plan to create this nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. That is after a court ruling paused the fund for now and significant pushback from members of his own party also played a part in this. Several Republican senators say that they won't move ahead with funding for ICE and border patrol until they're assured that this fund is dead.

Also, it's a big day for this midterm election cycle with voters at the polls in six states. California has several House races under a new congressional map that aims to help Democrats flip as many as five Republican seats. And in Iowa, Democrats are looking to pick a candidate to try and flip a seat that they have not held since 2008 to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst this year.

And three key Trump administration officials are facing budget scrutiny on Capitol Hill today. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is going to be testifying before both the Senate and House committees on State Department funding, while DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear before separate panels to defend Homeland Security and Justice Department spending plans.

All right, more now on our top story. Republicans in Congress signal that they need more guarantees that the Trump administration's proposed anti-weaponization fund is actually gone.

CNN's Paula Reid has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The Trump administration's controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is currently on pause. In a statement released on Monday, the Justice Department said that it disagrees with a judge's decision last week that essentially froze any attempt to end this fund -- to put it together, to create the rules or disseminate money. While it disagrees with that decision though they are going to abide by the court's ruling.

Now this ruling is in place for at least two weeks, and a judge made this ruling to allow one of the lawsuits against the fund to continue to proceed. Now it's unclear if that lawsuit would ultimately be able to block the fund but the judge wanted to clear the way for litigation. The Justice Department says it will continue with this pause.

Now in addition to the legal developments in this case and a separate case which alleges that this fund is all part of an effort to defraud the government, there are political considerations. There has been significant blowback from Republicans on Capitol Hill. And while prior to Monday that had not resulted in any changes to the fund, on Monday, the Justice Department saying it will abide by a court order to pause the fund. This order effectively giving the administration some cover to pause and reconsider this. It is unclear if the administration will continue to fight for the fund in court or if it intends to drop it completely.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Thank you, Paula.

In New Mexico a so-called "Truth Commission" is digging into Jeffrey Epstein's links to the state. On Monday officials announced 14 subpoenas, including the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, the FBI, and the state's Department of Justice. The commission says that it's bipartisan and that this is not about politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE REP. ANDREA ROMERO (D-NM): Since 1912, we've had this power. Our chairs of committees have had this power to subpoena. We're the first to step into that power.

AMANDA ROBERTS, SISTER-IN-LAW OF VIRGINIA GIUFFRE: This was about lives, and children, and young women and girls and boys who were abused for decades.

RACHEL BENAVIDEZ, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Recently, when I spoke on the national news, there was rarely a word about my successes in advocacy -- only the salacious details and images portraying me as a victim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: The lawmakers say that they would like to have the probe completed before the end of the year and that some subpoenas could be made public within the next few days.

In a sign that President Trump plans to take his case to the Supreme Court, he is now putting up millions more to keep his appeal alive. So the issue here is the defamation lawsuit brought by magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll who could now receive more than $100 million when it's all said and done. The Supreme Court is already considering Trump's appeal in a separate civil lawsuit brought by Carroll involving sexual abuse. Carroll has not received any of the millions in jury awards and won't until all appeals are exhausted.

[05:35:20]

Well now out to California and the big race this primary election day. The L.A. mayor's race between incumbent Karen Bass, City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, and reality star Spencer Pratt. All three of them are running neck-and-neck. A recent UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll finds that Bass has 26 percent of the vote; Raman, 25 percent; and Pratt at 22 percent.

All right, let's turn internationally to Iran now. President Trump is trying to keep peace talks on track and he says a deal could come together over the next week, but Iranian state media says that their final proposal is still under review and has not been sent back yet. Meanwhile, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is threatening to undercut those talks.

Here is CNN's Paula Hancocks with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we've really been seeing is that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not ready to have a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. That it wants to continue to strike in southern Lebanon. We heard a statement from the prime minister and the defense minister just on Monday saying that they were going to have strikes in Dahiya, the southern suburb of Beirut as well -- the capital.

And this seems to have been the tipping point for this most recent disagreement between the U.S. president and the Israeli prime minister. And what that did is it sparked a response from Tehran. According to state media, Iran saying that they were going to be suspending talks.

We heard from the Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying that a ceasefire is a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, and if there is a violation on one front it's a violation of all. So trying to make sure that the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. encompasses Lebanon as well.

So what we saw was -- according to White House officials and two people familiar with the phone call telling CNN a heated discussion between these two leaders. President Trump not wanting this expanded incursion into southern Lebanon and also these increased strikes on the capital itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Thank you, Paula.

An investigation is underway after hackers breached the Instagram account of the top enlisted leader of the Space Force. The hackers posted pro-Iran messages and videos opposing American involvement in Tehran. The chief master sergeant says that efforts are underway to regain control of the account and called the incident a reminder that cybersecurity threats affect everyone, not just major organizations. The hack comes as the Space Force continues to play a key role in U.S. operations involving Iran.

We are learning some new details in the case against Tyler Robinson. He's the man that's accused of killing controversial political activist Charlie Kirk. A judge has ordered a June 12 hearing to determine whether the Utah County attorney should be held in civil contempt over comments a prosecutor made to media outlets about ballistics evidence. Now the judge also denied the defense's request to close Robinson's preliminary hearing in July, keeping those proceedings open to the public.

New SNAP requirements. These SNAP requirements are not in effect in Washington, D.C. affect people who rely on the program to buy food. Now, under the changes some adults without dependents must show that they're working, volunteering, or in job training to keep the benefits. The rules apply to new applicants and to current recipients at recertification. These changes were implemented in President Trump's so-called one big, beautiful bill.

Now, in D.C. alone, officials say many people could lose SNAP benefits, leaving struggling families with even fewer resources, according to advocates.

Time for Buzz Express, the stories that have people talking.

First up, we've got to talk about Jimmy Kimmel. He says that he believes late-night is not dying of natural causes. Instead, it's being poisoned. In a new interview with New York magazine's Vulture, Kimmel said, "In a lot of ways, I feel like I'm looking at my own future" when talking about the cancellation of "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT." He says he doesn't buy CBS' claim that the reason was financial.

President Trump has called for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired after past jokes that he's made about Trump. Kimmel says this. "I don't love him. I don't hate him, either. I feel sorry for him. He obviously didn't get hugged a lot."

[05:40:08]

Swifties, this one is for you. After weeks of fan speculation over cryptic billboards and mysterious website countdowns, Taylor Swift has finally confirmed that she has a new song in the highly anticipated "Toy Story 5."

Take a look and a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Taylor Swift hinted at a new era with a series of billboards across the globe featuring the letters "TS" and 13 clouds in the "Toy Story" design style. Thirteen is Swift's signature number.

And on Monday, Swift's website displayed a countdown to an announcement that confirms the popstar would be releasing a new original song "I Knew It, I Knew You" for the "Toy Story 5" soundtrack. The new song is written and produced by Swift and her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff and marks a return to Swift's country roots.

"I Knew It, I Knew You" releases June 5 and the "Toy Story 5" movie and its full soundtrack and June 19.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Well, dancing the night away. Grammy winner Dua Lipa has more bling to show off. She and actor Callum Turner, rumored to be in the running to be the next James Bond, got married in London on Sunday. The pair have been together since 2024.

All right. And it's 5:00 somewhere. Hennessy launching a new version of their cognac. The Hennessy Very Special Cocktails come in three different flavors: a margarita-inspired version, berry, and iced tea. They have a lower alcohol content and lighter taste. Hennessy believes their new product line will attract younger customers to try their products.

Well, next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, there's this.

(Explosion)

All I see is fireworks and not in a good way. That will catch your attention for sure. What caused this massive explosion?

Plus, what treasures did an 18th-century shipwreck hold? I'm just waiting to see what they pull up here. More on this maritime mystery when CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS returns.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:46:30]

SMITH: Let's go around the globe to see what else is making headlines.

We begin in Ukraine. That's where rescue teams are scrambling to get people who are trapped under rubble after a largescale attack by Russian forces. Officials are saying at least 14 people have been killed. They say more than 100 have been wounded. We'll continue to track that.

Plus, we've been all over this story. Rescuers in Laos -- they're now racing against time to find two men still trapped in that flooded cave. They shifted their efforts to a search of the dense jungle to find another way inside.

CNN's Reed Benyon reports with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOSH RICHARDS, AUSTRALIAN CAVE DIVER: Hi, I'm Josh Richards. I am here at the mine site in Laos.

REED BENYON, CNN REPORTER (voiceover): Rescue diver Josh Richards giving an update amid ongoing efforts to find two men trapped in a flooded cave network in the southeast Asian nation of Laos for almost two weeks.

RICHARDS: We've heard the requests that we need diver support.

BENYON (voiceover): It's believed the men entered the cave on May 20 just before heavy rain caused flash flooding blocking their exit. Five others escaped the cave's narrow tunnels after long and intense rescue efforts by international experts.

RICHARDS: Having a map from the miners who were rescued yesterday, we now know that there's a passage beyond.

BENYON (voiceover): Over the past two days there was new hope in the search for the two men still missing after rescuers reported hearing what was described as a possible knocking response deep inside the cave network and the discovery of a vertical shaft rescuers hoped would lead to a chamber where they'd find the men.

The early reports of response sounds came as rescuers rappelled down the newly-discovered shaft, but Richards later dismissed that description.

RICHARDS: There has been a lot of reporting saying oh, we heard knocking. That is absolutely not the case. There's definitely something unusual that I couldn't identify. Now that could have been bats. That could have been the wind.

BENYON (voiceover): Richards also said the shaft was full of rockfall and landslide and they couldn't identify any way down it.

I'm Reed Benyon reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Thank you, Reed.

New video shows a fireworks factory exploding into a massive fireball in Malta. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voiceover): This is the moment an explosion rocked a fireworks factory in Malta. Police say the blast happened early Monday morning in the town of Naxxar. Authorities say no workers were at the factory when it exploded. Two men who were in nearby fields suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital as a precaution, police said. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SMITH: And a remarkable discovery off the coast of Norway. Archeologists have recovered treasure from a newly-identified 18th- century shipwreck. So the haul includes Chinese porcelain and a collection of things like goblets, textiles, and chandelier parts. Researchers believe that the ship sank in the mid-1700s but its origin and destination -- that remains a mystery. The Norwegian Maritime Museum says it's trying to learn more about it.

And in Australia I bet this rescue crew wasn't expecting this call. Get on your jet ski and come save a dog that's been swept out to sea.

CNN's Patrick Cornell has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK CORNELL, CNN NEWSOURCE (voiceover): Take a look at this dog in the arms of its rescuer after being swept out to sea. Marine Rescue New South Wales says the poor pup was swept off rocks into Batemans Bay in Australia where it then swam to nearby Snapper Island for safety. Volunteer crews reached the island, spending an hour coaching the dog into a rescue craft where it was then escorted back to a waiting boat and eventually dry land. The animal has been turned over to a local ranger in hopes of reuniting it with its owner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:50:08]

SMITH: Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, will Amazon's biggest shopping event of the year lure back customers? Details on Prime Day amid a shopping slump.

And a wild discovery stretching from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego. An underground tunnel with lighting and ventilation. Details on the other side of the break.

(COMMERCIAL)

SMITH: In today's Money Express, the AI company Anthropic has filed to go public, setting the stage for potentially a huge IPO here.

[05:55:05]

For the scope, the scale, and the size here we go to Maribel Aber joining us from the NASDAQ MarketSite. Hey, Maribel.

MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, MONEY MATTERS: Hey, Brad, this could be huge. AI start-up Anthropic filing to go public. It could be a $1 trillion debut. The maker of Claude chatbot hasn't disclosed how many shares it plans to sell or at what price. Anthropic was valued in a recent funding round at about $965 billion. An IPO could come as early as this fall. The move would put Anthropic ahead of OpenAI in the race to public markets.

Hey, Amazon is expanding Prime Day to four days for the second- straight year. The sale runs June 23 through June 26. Prime memberships cost $139. Amazon says discounts will span categories including electronic, home goods, jewelry, and clothing. The company also says shoppers will find deals on everyday essentials, including groceries, as consumers continue to look for ways to stretch their budgets.

Mars is taking a playful jab at rival Hershey. To promote its new Peanut Butter Snickers, Mars is offering a year of free candy to people named Reese, as in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, including all spelling variations. Eligible participants can sign the online Snickers Peanut Butter pledge by June 11. Twenty-five winners will get free candy for a year, and 100 others will receive prizes. Visit snickers.com to play.

Brad, so do you call them Reese's or Reeseys?

SMITH: I call them Reeseys.

ABER: Who knew?

SMITH: But as a person who grew up in Pennsylvania, I think my allegiances have to stay with Hershey on this one. But it'll be interesting to see how many people take advantage of this.

ABER: Right.

SMITH: Maribel Aber, thank you so much. Anybody named Reese, come find us.

Let's take a look at some of the other stories making news across the country.

We start in North Carolina. That's where we're getting our first look at the fired police officer who was seen on video throwing a Black woman to the ground and repeatedly punching her. Authorities say that 22-year-old Karson Hyder turned himself in on Monday.

The woman's father spoke to our affiliate WSOC about what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGORY MOORE, VICTIM'S FATHER: This man swore to protect but he choose to -- like he was wanting to murder her. Thank God there was cameras out there. If he have a daughter, and kids --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

MOORE: -- and how would he feel if the shoe was on the other foot?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Authorities have charged Hyder with one count of assault inflicting serious injury. He is currently out on bond and it's unclear if he has an attorney at this time. North Carolina's Bureau of Investigation says it's looking into allegations of excessive force.

Another story that we're tracking caught on cell phone camera. A truck driving along a Florida beach after smashing into a beach ramp toll booth. Police say that the driver hit the toll booth worker and kept going. You can see the toll booth here. Now sadly, the worker died at the scene. The driver was arrested and given a field sobriety test. Police say that the beach access ramp is closed until further notice.

And authorities have discovered a tunnel that runs from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego. It's over 800 feet long and 21 feet deep. Officials say that it even has lighting and ventilation. The passageway was found when officials were executing a search warrant in the area. It's believed to have been used to transport drugs and explosives. The Homeland Security Department is investigating.

And soccer star Messi has landed in Kansas City, Missouri Sunday night. This is more than two weeks before the start of the FIFA World Cup. Soccer fans, football fans, pay attention here. Argentina will use Kansas City as its base camp before opening its title defense June 16 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium.

And for fans, just catching a glimpse of Messi arriving ahead of the big tournament was a moment that they will not forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK YMADA, KANSAS CITY MESSI FAN: Messi is a legend. I wanted to see him land, and I wanted to try to get his auto. I was in shock, honestly. I was struggling to recognize him -- which one -- at first but it was pretty easy to find him once he got off, which it's just an insane feeling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: The defending World Cup champs are scheduled to begin training this week.

OK, and take a look at this. We wanted to show you some of this crazy, awesome video this morning. It's Hawaii's Kilauea volcano and it has once again spewed lava. The recent on and off eruptions -- that started back in December of 2024. Just remarkable imagery here as we have continued to track some of the eruptions that have taken place at that specific volcano for you.

[06:00:00]

OK. And finally, for all of those "Cat in the Hat" fans out there or for all of the fans of "Oh, the Places You'll Go," finally there is a new Dr. Seuss book out today. It's called "Sing the Fifty States," published to coincide with America's 250th birthday. The archivists at the University of San Diego Library found the original manuscript and the cover art. Another children's book artist filled out the rest of the illustrations.

Well, that does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.