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The Situation Room

Crews Put Final Touches on UFC Fight Site at White House; Active Shooter Incident and Standoff Underway in Midland, TX; Orlando Marks 10 Years Since Pulse Nightclub Shooting; New Inflation Reports Shows Sharp Rise in Prices. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired June 12, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: -- celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, and maybe even the presidential birthday, something like that. You'd want kids who are growing up to watch. But I don't know if a lot of parents are going to want to watch their nine or 10 or 12-year-old little boys and girls watching a fistfight on the White House.

EDWARD LENGEL, FORMER CHIEF HISTORIAN, WHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION: No, and I know, and actually I was here on July 4, 1976 as an eight-year-old kid. I remember how much fun it was to wade in the Reflecting Pool. There was just that whole atmosphere of fun. And now, as a parent, I've got two little girls, three and five years old. I wouldn't want them to see this.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And we were just in the White House press area, where the White House press secretary usually holds her press conferences. We've spent a lot of time in that room, right, Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: And in the area in the back where the press is. I mean, a lot hasn't changed at the same time, right?

LENGEL: Well, presidents have changed the White House. I mean, the administration has referred to Harry Truman gutting the White House and the interior in the 1940s. But none of those changes changed the nature of the building itself. None of them changed it into something else. And it's still, even if you go down now, it's such a beautiful building. You can see the scorch marks from when the British burned it in 1814. So -- and the East Wing was more historic than the White House itself, because it dated from the '30s.

BLITZER: All right. Ed, we're back here at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool over there. And this is where some of the preliminary events for the UFC fight are going to be taking place.

BROWN: How unusual is it to have a monument like the Lincoln Memorial be used as a staging ground or a way for UFC fighters?

LENGEL: For UFC fighters, that's just crazy. I mean, all kinds of things have happened here. Look, I mean, can you imagine the sea of protesters that were here when Nixon went up into the Lincoln Memorial in the' 60s and early '70s? And all the other events that have happened out on the mall. But a UFC fight as being kind of the main attraction, this is unprecedented. This is something entirely new.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And we actually just learned after we did that shoot that the weigh-in is now being moved over to the Ellipse.

BLITZER: Interesting.

BROWN: So, lots of changes happening right now ahead of the big fight. We also talked to a family visiting the district from South Carolina about the changes as they toured around the highlights. Here's what they told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's different, but I think it's cool. I think it's cool to celebrate America in lots of different ways. Obviously, 250 years is a big accomplishment. But I think overall, everything looks good. The Reflecting Pool looks neat. The -- all the cleanup around town looks great.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's definitely unique. I kind of wish we could go up and see the Lincoln Memorial closer. But I think it's great that they're using famous places and kind of pulling history into modern-day events.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And our thanks to the historian, Edward Lengel, and the folks from South Carolina there that you just saw for their participation.

And, you know, I was thinking about it, Wolf. We could have our own UFC here in the Situation Room, the Ultimate Finger Championship.

BLITZER: Are you talking about a thumb war?

BROWN: A thumb war.

BLITZER: You ready to challenge me?

BROWN: Let's do it. I've been practicing, actually. I've been going to the gym.

BLITZER: You know I'm undefeated.

BROWN: He is undefeated. It's true.

BLITZER: World champion.

BLITZER AND BROWN: One, two, three, four. I declare a thumb war.

BLITZER: Starting right now. BROWN: I'm nervous.

BLITZER: One, two, three. Still undefeated.

BROWN: Oh, man. Still undefeated. All right.

BLITZER: But you're good. You're getting better.

BROWN: The UFC. You're the reigning champ.

BLITZER: You've got to go train.

BROWN: I've got to strengthen my thumb even more. All right. Well, if that was exciting, you're going to want to tune in for all of CNN's coverage leading up to the big event on the South Lawn this Sunday, June 14th. Man, I'm really bummed. I thought I was going to beat you this time.

BLITZER: Up next, President Trump is tapping Manhattan's top federal prosecutor to lead the nation's Intelligence Community. What we know about Jay Clayton and the kind of reception he could get up on Capitol Hill, where Republicans appear to be rushing his confirmation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:00]

BLITZER: We're following breaking news. There's an active shooting incident underway in Midland in West Texas. The Midland police chief releasing a statement saying, Midland police responded to an active shooter incident Friday morning in the 4600 block of West Wall Street. Officers heard gunfire coming from the building and worked quickly to secure and clear the area. Armored units were deployed and partner agencies assisted in the response. Efforts to bring the standoff with the shooter to a safe resolution are ongoing. We'll continue, of course, to monitor this development and bring you all the very latest developments.

BROWN: All right. And happening now, Wolf, today marks 10 years since the Pulse Nightclub shooting, one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history. As you may recall, 49 people were killed and more than 50 others were injured that night. And for the first time, we're hearing the personal account of one of the officers who responded to the scene of the massacre.

CNN affiliate WFTV spoke exclusively with a SWAT officer whose helmet was struck with a bullet as he entered the club to rescue people trapped in the bathroom. Here's some of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many shots did he fire at that moment?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't remember for sure. I want to say maybe three or four or something like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it hit you square in the helmet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that helmet saved your life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. No doubt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you got knocked down, what happens at that moment? Were you conscious?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's a state of conscience where you're -- you know, everything -- it's like your mind's going a million miles a second. And you're trying to figure out if you're still alive or what's going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:40:00]

BROWN: All right. Let's go live now to CNN, Miami correspondent Carolina Peguero. How is the community remembering this tragic day 10 years later?

CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN MIAMI CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Pam. There's lots going on here. Many people come here and there to this makeshift memorial. And the place where once stood the Pulse Nightclub building. And a lot of the survivors and family members of the victims that I spoke with, they said nothing has really changed when they come here. They say that they can close their eyes and picture exactly where they were that night and where some of them were able to escape.

Now, we're talking about June 12th of 2016, where that tragic incident happened, where the gunman entered, open fired, killing 49 people and injuring more than 50 of them. Most of the fatal victims were Hispanic and Puerto Rican. This was a beloved place here in Orlando where people were able to celebrate and enjoy the music on Latin night. And it has not been the same.

I spoke to a survivor, her name Darelis Torres, and she also lost her best friend that night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARELIS TORRES, PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Maybe if it would have been backwards, I always think about that every day where he would have been a lot vocal sooner. He was a feisty soul, but he was a very kind soul. When you lose somebody of that type of essence, you do feel that the world is a little bit duller. You know, like the world is a little bit of color.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEGUERO: And just like that, many are seeking justice from local and state officials asking them about the ongoing investigations. And they are demanding an official memorial site to honor their loved ones, while the city here says that they are expected to build one sometime next year. Later this afternoon, there will be a religious ceremony for the community and open to the public in honor of the victims. Pam.

BROWN: All right. Carolina Peguero, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:00]

BROWN: All right. Happening now, consumer prices are on the rise, as you very well may know. A slew of economic data out this week showed life is getting increasingly more expensive. Millions of Americans across the country are now paying significantly more for things like gas and groceries.

So, let's bring in our CNN Business senior reporter, David Goldman, to make it make sense. And today's question, David, what can you get at the grocery store for $150?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: It's a great question. I wanted to find out the answer to that, too, so we went to a grocery store here in New York City. I was surprised what I found. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOLDMAN: All right. I'm at the grocery store. I've got $150. I've got two kids and a wife to feed for the week. Let's see if we can do it.

Food prices have risen 2.9 percent over the course of last year. That's actually less than overall inflation. And that's for a good reason. It's because high gas prices from the Iran War haven't made their way into most food aisles yet. And that is true here in the breakfast food aisle because cereals are shelf stable. You can store these and they don't have an impact on gas prices. And so, you can add these to your cart pretty safely. Hopefully inflation is not going to be touching this.

Frosted flakes, I like those. The grocery store is kind of a mini economy unto itself. And if you know what to buy, you can save quite a bit of money. All right. let's start in the produce aisle. I want some fresh fruit for my family. I've got some bananas. We'll get some grapes.

You know, produce is a pretty good deal. It's up about 2.1 percent over the past year. And that's pretty good because that's way less than inflation. I'm going to get these oranges and I think some strawberries. But here's the thing. Not all of this grows in the United States. That's particularly true for bananas. They're up about 4 percent over the last year. So, you've got to watch out on what you buy because you might not get as good of a deal as you think.

All right. Next up we're going for the vegetables. And this is where you can really get into trouble. Vegetables are up 11.5 percent over the past year. I've got some cauliflower for the family. Everyone loves broccoli. I think we're going to get some of these. Now, here's the thing, vegetables are where you can really start to feel the effects of high gas prices because all the diesel that it takes to ship them around the country, that's where it really, really starts to add up. Oh, my kids would love these.

All right. So, the thing that you need to worry about the most, well, that's tomatoes. Tomatoes are up almost 40 percent over the last year. A lot of that has to do with a bad crop. It also has to do with diesel. I don't think I'm going to touch these. Oh, right, tomatoes aren't technically a vegetable. It's a fruit. Well, OK, they're classified as a vegetable, so tomato, tomato.

Some people think that you might be able to get a better deal on canned fruits and vegetables, not the case. They're up 6.8 percent over the past year. Fruit is up 9 percent over the past year alone. And so, you know what? I think I'm going to put this back and I'm just going to stick to the fresh ones.

[11:50:00]

All right. I'm going to grab a starch now and I think I'm going to get some potatoes because they're a really good deal. There's been an excellent crop in Idaho. And, yes, these are Idaho potatoes. I'm going to add those. They're down 3 percent over the last year.

All right. What about some rice and pasta? You know, pasta is a good deal. It's up only 2.5 percent over the last year. So, I'm getting two of these.

All right. I'm here for the main course. You know what, I'm going to get some pork. You know what, I'm not going to get the pork. That's up 2 percent. But we'll get some meat. Meat is up 15 percent over the past year. Oh, my goodness. That has a lot to do with beef, cattle not being raised as much as you would think. Chicken is a good deal, though. 0.7 percent, down 0.7 percent. All right. I'll take that. Avian flu is getting a little bit better. And I see the fish over here. That's up 5.5 percent. Jeez, this is going to cost me a lot of money.

All right. Now, on to my kids' favorite part of the meal, dessert. And, my goodness, chocolate has gotten really expensive. Sweets are up 6.3 percent over the last year. So, if you want a pro tip, get frozen tarts and pies. Those are down. But you know what? My kids love these. So, I'm going to have to get them.

All right. So, obviously, this is just one example of a menu that you could buy for yourself or your family over the course of the week. Your mileage may vary depending on what you buy for food. But here's the key, it's that some prices are rising because of the Iran War. Some prices aren't. And they might even be falling for unrelated reasons. Knowledge about what's going up and what's going down could actually save you a ton of money at the grocery store.

All right. Let's check out and see what the damage is. All right. We didn't quite make it. We had $163. I was trying to be conservative, actually, with the amount of food that I bought. And still, $150 didn't quite cut it. So, now you get a sense of what's going on at the grocery store. Our total for our entrees was nearly $60. Our total for vegetables, well, that really cost us. That was over $30. Fruits, that was close to $50 on its own. The chocolate was $8.99. The starches were over $30. So, we really had a pretty expensive basket here. And it just goes to show you that if you don't do it right, well, you know, you're going to have a tough time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLDMAN: All right. So, obviously, we were in New York City. And that is an expensive place to shop. Wherever you might be, you might get a little bit of a different price. But the knowledge about what's up and what's down will empower you to make smart decisions at the grocery store.

BROWN: I love it. Thank you. That was really informative.

BLITZER: I thought it was great. I learned a lot. I still don't know why bananas, David, are more expensive.

GOLDMAN: Well, they still cost less than $10. So, that's good.

BROWN: And my takeaway, too, is chicken. Go with chicken if you want meat over red meat, right?

BLITZER: Yes.

GOLDMAN: You got it.

BLITZER: Or fish.

GOLDMAN: I know what I'm cooking.

BROWN: You know what you're cooking. Exactly. All right. If you'd like David to help you make it make sense, email your question or send us a selfie video of your question to makeitmakesenseatcnn.com. More when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:55:00]

BLITZER: We're following that breaking news from the shooting in Midland in West Texas. We're now learning from the mayor of Midland that there are 11, 11 known victims with one person dead at the scene. We do not know the condition of the other victims. The mayor said the suspect is now contained, but did not offer any other details. SWAT is currently on the scene as well.

BROWN: All right. I want to bring in CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe. I know there's not a lot of information, but what do you make of the fact that law enforcement is saying the suspect is, quote, "contained"?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, Pam, that's a really interesting choice of words. And what it isn't is the suspect is detained or arrested. So, you can assume from that they have a barricaded suspect who is -- whose ability to leave the small area that he has been barricaded within has been limited by the tactical forces on site.

So, this is an excruciating time for the responding officers because they know they have a very serious problem on their hands, but it is so dangerous and delicate that they can't resolve that quickly. So, it's something we'll have to watch closely.

BROWN: What is it like in a situation like this when you have a standoff?

MCCABE: You know, this is the general rule of a standoff is do whatever is necessary and capable of buying more time. So, usually that involves bringing in negotiators. It involves using your tactical folks to do what's probably happening here, which is limiting that person's ability to move or to acquire additional hostages, and then engage with them to see if you can possibly de-escalate it.

Unfortunately, many times that's not possible, and then you have to go to the most dangerous and challenging --

[12:00:00]