Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Event/Special

CNN Headlines: Hezbollah and Israel Trade Deadly Attacks; Bill Pulte Takes Over as Acting DNI; CENTCOM: Naval Blockade on Iranian Ports "Lifted"; Trump Admin. Ramps Up Effort to Revoke Citizenship from Some Naturalized Americans; Massive Blast at Moscow Refinery Amid Ukrainian Drone Attack. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired June 19, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. It is half past the hour, so let's check in on our top stories. First up, today was supposed to be the first day of talks under the new agreement signed this week by President Trump and his Iranian counterpart. But critics here and abroad fare calling it a bad deal, even fellow Republicans. And as questions linger, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon persists, with both sides trading deadly strikes in recent hours.

And to this now, Bill Pulte is set to take over as acting director of national intelligence today. President Trump tapped the controversial federal housing official for the job after Tulsi Gabbard announced she was leaving the position. But Pulte's appointment has drawn criticism from lawmakers who say he lacks direct intelligence or national security experience. Following the backlash, Trump said he'd nominate Jay Clayton to take over the job permanently.

And Luigi Mangione's attorney says they're dropping a psychiatric style defense just one day after they submitted it. Mangione is charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York back in 2024. His lawyers told the judge yesterday they will no longer argue that he killed Thompson while suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance. Under New York law, that defense can reduce a murder charge to manslaughter, which carries a far lighter sentence. It's not clear, though, why his attorneys backed out of using that defense. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder.

All right. Now, we have more on the agreement between the U.S. and Iran. Vice President J.D. Vance is postponing his trip to Switzerland, which is where 60 days of talks were supposed to kick off today. The White House cites unresolved logistics.

Meanwhile, CENTCOM has reported that the naval blockade against Iranian ports has been lifted. President Trump has been defending the agreement as criticism, meanwhile, mounts. He spoke with Axios back on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have you learned about not just the exercise of power, but the limits on your power as a result of the conflict?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: There are no limits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No limits?

TRUMP: No, not -- I haven't learned that lesson yet. I know there are, but, you know, there are no limits. We defeated them totally militarily. I did a naval blockade where not one ship was able to get through. Some tried. They didn't -- you know, it didn't last very long.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it certainly brought Iran to the table more than before. However, beginning a conflict, you had talked about you only wanted unconditional surrender. And the MOU doesn't look like unconditional surrender.

TRUMP: Well, it really probably is unconditional surrender.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is?

TRUMP: I think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: All right. now we want to go to the back-and-forth conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Israeli military says it struck Hezbollah targets in several areas in southern Lebanon. The IDF saying four Israeli soldiers were killed when an explosive device hit their tank there. It's one of the deadliest incidents for the Israeli military since the war, the larger war, I should say, began three months ago.

To this now, we have exclusive new reporting this morning. The Trump administration is boosting efforts to strip citizenship from hundreds of naturalized Americans. A senior DOJ official tells CNN the Justice Department plans to file at least 250 denaturalization cases by October. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez broke this story and joins me now, Priscilla.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN COUTSPONDENT: This is certainly an unprecedented push by this administration to revoke citizenship from naturalized citizens. Now, I should note that the senior DOJ official did tell me that they're focused on people that had criminal history or committed criminal acts in the course of their naturalization process. And so, far, that's what the complaints have borne out.

But as a point of comparison, at least 250 denaturalization cases by October. Well, between 2008 and mid-June of this year, there were only 166 denaturalization complaints that were filed. That was about 10 a year on average. During the Biden administration, over the course of four years, there was 24 cases that were filed.

So, you can see how massive an undertaking this is for the Justice Department and how much they are ramping this up to achieve 250 cases filed by October, which hasn't even been done over the last 18 or so years. Now, there have been indications of this just over the last two months. They already filed 29 cases targeting foreign-born Americans who they say committed or fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.

[05:35:00]

As I mentioned earlier, what we are seeing in these cases are those who have committed fraud, sexual abuse of a minor, or expressed support for terrorism before or during the naturalization process. And I want to emphasize that because this does not apply to someone who committed a criminal act after they obtained U.S. citizenship. This is very focused on the process itself.

And the federal government does have the authority to do this according -- in federal statute. What they do not have the authority to do, however, is to do it unilaterally. In fact, this all has to work its way through the courts, which is why I was mentioning complaints. They have to file these in district courts across the country. And that is where a judge will ultimately decide, or if it's a criminal -- if it goes down the criminal path, a jury will decide if an individual is denaturalized.

Now, I want to read to you part of what a senior DOJ official told me. They said, quote, "This is a lawful tool that Congress has had on the books for decades to protect the integrity of American citizenship and make sure people who are present in this country and have enjoyed the benefits of citizenship are doing so lawfully and the right people are acquiring citizenship."

Of course, this is naturalized citizens. This does not apply to birthright citizenship. So, those who were born in the United States. I've talked to experts about this, and they say, look, historically, the cases have been so rare because they're so time consuming, they're difficult, they focused only on war crimes and terrorism.

This is a much more stepped-up approach that is going to look at many more cases and bring them all to the fore for them to file in court. But again, even when filed, these cases may take months, if not years.

FREEMAN: Let's turn to weather now. Arthur, the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is no longer a tropical system, but it's leftover moisture and energy are still fueling a deadly flood threat and severe storms across the Gulf Coast and into the south. Reid Binion reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I live across the street. I mean, it's definitely not something somebody would want to live in here and have to worry about. Sure.

REID BINION, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Residents in southeast Mississippi allowed to return to their homes Thursday after officials lifted an evacuation order that was put in place over concerns about a potential dam failure amid rising water. Officials ultimately decided they had high confidence the dam would hold.

But that high water, just part of the monumental flood threat hitting areas in the Gulf Coast and south due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur. On Thursday, the Weather Prediction Center issued a rare level four of four high risk of flooding rainfall for parts of four different states in the region. The storms also bringing powerful winds that toppled trees and even sent this truck trailer tumbling high winds, whipping up a water spout caught on camera during a live broadcast.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's coming on shore of Highway 90 right there. Incredible.

BINION (voice-over): Arthur's remnants also produced multiple tornadoes, including one that left the trail of destruction in Avondale, Louisiana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I know everything is on top of the road.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If we can get through today with everyone safe, I think we say that we're very blessed.

BINION (voice-over): As the weather threat continues, neighbors are coming together to help even the smallest members of their communities.

I'm Reid Binion reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: And thank you, Reid, for that reporting. And of course, for all of your weather needs from any location, you can download the CNN weather app for iOS at cnn.com/cnnweather for up-to-date local forecasts.

All right. This is my favorite story of the day. Celebration upon celebration in New York City as a couple says their vows amid the New York Knicks NBA finals victory parade. CNN's Meena Duerson has a special look at the newlywed's big day, which was packed with people and plenty of orange and blue confetti. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're literally as (INAUDIBLE).

MEENA DUERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're down in Lower Manhattan for Knicks parade day, and Jillian and Andrew had their wedding on the books for months before they found out that this was going to be the same day as the Knicks parade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really happy for the Knicks and the parade happening on Thursday. However, I am getting married at City Hall on Thursday at exactly the time when the parade is going to arrive there.

DUERSON: When they found out it was going to be the same day, they said, like, OK, let's just see how it goes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't name one player on the Knicks. I know there's like OG, Obi, Obi Wan Kenobi. What's his name? Brunson and cat. I love cats. It's supposed to just be like us, our parents, very normal City Hall day. But we're radically accepting it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I get a little dab, too, on the forehead? Go Knicks. Go Knicks. Have a good one.

Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. All right. Let's go. Let's go. Thank you. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they weren't Knicks fans before, they definitely are now.

[05:40:00]

I love the Knicks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They threw a parade for us. It's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congrats to the Solomons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go Knicks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, man. Knicks in five.

DUERSON: At first, they were worried that this maybe wasn't going to be a good day for a wedding, but I think they picked the best day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was crazy. People were taking pictures with us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt like I was on the Knicks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, me, too. I love New York City. So, we fell in love in New York City. And it's a perfect wedding day for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York or nowhere is cliche, but it feels incredibly true right now. And especially with her, this is like the best day ever. So --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: All right. So, that couple, not the only ones to exchange I do's with the Knicks parade as their backdrop. Another couple who are longtime Knicks fans celebrated the big win by declaring themselves married to the championship after a 53-year engagement, that is, since this ends the Knicks 53-year title drought. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We married a championship.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After 53 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After 53 years we've been engaged, and we married a championship today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: OK. So, that couple calls this a symbolic wedding and say they didn't actually tie the knot yesterday, though they do hope to do so by the end of the year. And that blue dress you saw the bride wearing, that's a custom-made dress that she designed herself. I love it. Everyone getting in the spirit.

Speaking of which, a lot of New York theme songs are getting a bump from that Knicks NBA championship win. Billboard reports Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind, of course, racked up 1.4 million streams in the U.S. on the day of the Game 5 win and the day after. Also, Frank Sinatra's New York, New York, Ja Rule's New York, and Billy Joel's New York State of Mind also saw massive streaming spikes ranging from 62 to 72 percent from the week before.

And to this, the animated hit "KPop Demon Hunters" is heading back to theaters this weekend. Netflix rolling out special U.S. screenings on Saturday to celebrate the film's first anniversary. If you can't make it to a theater, don't worry. You can watch it online because Netflix, they're hosting a nine-hour TikTok live stream featuring multiple versions of the movie, including the original, the sing-along, and in Korean and Brazilian Portuguese languages. So, cool. I just finally watched it. It's awesome. Lives up to the hype.

All right. Coming up next on CNN Headline Express. Imagine waiting years to give birth, only to find out that your embryos were mixed up with another couple's. The shocking story later on in the hour. And we're going to tell you how this duck right here, yes, a duck, became the darling of one soccer team in the World Cup. We're going to introduce you to Merlin. Coming up next, don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:00]

FREEMAN: Let's go around the globe now, starting in Russia. Ukraine has struck a major oil refinery in Moscow for the second time this week. Take a look.

Wild video there. Watch as the massive explosion blows that roof clean off. Now, this all happened on Thursday, just 10 miles from the Kremlin. According to Reuters, Moscow's mayor says several drones hit the oil refinery. The attack was the largest drone offensive on the Russian capital since the war with Ukraine began.

Turning to the U.K. now, there's political uncertainty after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief rival wins a seat in Parliament. It was a resounding victory for former cabinet member Andy Burnham in Thursday's special election in Makerfield. Now, the win clears the way for him to potentially challenge Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party. The prime minister has seen a marked drop in his popularity following his landslide victory back in 2024.

And several villages in northern Spain have been devastated by severe storms and flooding. Landslides, buried cars and garages leaving residents stranded. Local media reports one region had nearly 6,000 lightning strikes in a single 24-hour period.

And a man in the U.K. is now charged with attempted murder after police say a three-year-old boy was thrown into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo. It happened at Johnson Zoo in Cambridgeshire. The toddler was rushed to the hospital and officials say he is now in stable condition, but investigators say they do not believe the child and the 30-year-old suspect knew each other. The zoo has since closed the crocodile enclosure until further notice.

Also, in the U.K., a 1,200-year-old tree tied to Robin Hood has died. The giant oak stood in Sherwood Forest. Conservation officials say it appears the tree died after it failed to grow new leaves this spring. They blame years of foot traffic from visitors along with hot, dry summers. The tree was long linked to the Robin Hood legend as his supposed hideout.

And Mexico's unofficial World Cup mascot is speaking to CNN. Well, let's say his owners are. A pet duck named Merlin has waddled his way into the hearts of soccer fans in Mexico, and CNN's Valeria Leon has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donning his perfectly fit jersey, this duck from Mexico City became an unofficial World Cup star. And long before social media discovered him, he was already a familiar face here in Mexico City's historic center. He follows his owner, Christian. Christian is 14 years old, and this is his loved mascot.

LEON: (Speaking Foreign Language).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language).

LEON: Hey. He's eating the mic now.

LEON: (Speaking Foreign Language).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language).

[05:50:00]

LEON: And while Merlin may not know much about football, his timing couldn't have been better. Once his video went viral, he became one of the most recognizable faces of this World Cup, proving that sometimes the biggest star of the tournament isn't on the pitch at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: That duck is like, what in the world is going on? I love it. Still to come on CNN Headline Express, a man leads police on a nearly two-hour-long chase on California roadways while police were so desperate to get him.

Plus, this -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey there, buddy. Hi. Are you OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: A small child saved from a hot car on a 92-degree day. We've got that full rescue coming up in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:55:00]

FREEMAN: Let's get you caught up now on some of the other stories making headlines across the country this morning. We're going to start in Washington State, where police rushed to save a two-year-old boy from a hot car that reached 92 degrees. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey there, buddy. Hi, are you OK? Yes, come on. We're going to get out, OK? You want to get your mom? Come here. Here, come on out. Come here, come here, come here. Hey, come here, bud. Come here. Can you come out with me? I got a sticker for you. Come here. Come here. Don't go that way. There's glass. Come here. Come here, come here, come here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, authorities say witnesses called 911 after noticing the child alone in the car. Deputies arrived and say they found the boy sweating heavily, with his head tilted to his side. One of them broke the window to get the child out of the backseat, as you see there. Authorities say the child was left alone for 16 minutes, and they say his parents were inside a nearby grocery store for nearly 30 minutes. Both of them face reckless endangerment charges.

All right. Oh this now, talk about a close call in Maine. This city official was leaving City Hall, oh, my god, when a rogue Ford Mustang missed her by mere inches. Turns out the car's floor mat was stuck against the accelerator pedal, and the city says the Mustang then sped through an intersection before hitting a streetlight and veering onto the sidewalk. Miraculously, no one was hurt. Wow. Video there.

Plus, this. Scary stuff here. Earth cam video showing people running away after gunshots were fired in Times Square on Thursday. Police say an argument led to a man getting cut in the neck, and a 17-year-old pulled out a gun and began shooting. No one was injured, and the suspect was taken into custody. Meanwhile, the man stabbed in the neck was taken to the hospital and is expected to be OK.

Turning to Florida now. What started out as a miracle birth through IVF quickly turned into a legal battle over an embryo mix-up. Now, a couple sued the Fertility Center of Orlando after discovering the baby they conceived through treatment there was not biologically related to them. Well, now they've reached a custody agreement with their child's biological parents. CNN's Orlando affiliate WKMG has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIKA BRIGUGLIO, WKMG REPORTER: Stephen Mills and Tiffany Score gave birth to a baby girl in December after going through IVF treatment. They found out the child was not biologically theirs. The couple sued the clinic, Fertility Center of Orlando, demanding the clinic contact other patients to see whether the baby is theirs.

In April, News 6 reported the biological parents have been identified. Now, we're learning a custody agreement has been reached between those parents and Mills and Score. Under the agreement, Mills and Score will have permanent legal custody of their daughter. We're also learning the couple has found another facility for future IVF treatment. According to court documents, their embryo was transported there and will be tested to see if it genetically matches the couple.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We plan on testing it. Depending upon those tests and because of some discrepancies in the prior records that we have, we would not be comfortable closing out this action because we may need some assistance from the court in getting better answers on the embryo history of the retrieval group going forward.

BRIGUGLIO: Fertility Center of Orlando is facing multiple lawsuits. It has since shut down operations. Now, according to court records, attorneys for the couple say they've received information suggesting, quote, "laboratory clinic errors" involving embryos. They're still investigating to see what mistakes were made and who else may be held responsible.

Erika Briguglio, News 6.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: I will note the Fertility Center of Orlando has not publicly responded to the lawsuits.

To this now in California, a long car chase ends with a man taken into custody. The man was linked to a double homicide in Pomona earlier that day. Officers used a pit maneuver to corner the suspect. He surrendered without incident.

And finally, this morning in Las Vegas, firefighters helped deliver a newborn baby. The crew responded to a call about a mom who was in labor.

[06:00:00]