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Bio-Tech Company Working to Bring Back Extinct Species; Sources: Israel, Hezbollah Agree to Renew Ceasefire; Flash Flooding Makes Dallas Roads Impassable; U.S., Iran Talks Postponed as Vance Cancels Switzerland Trip. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired June 19, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

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BEN LAMM, CEO, COLOSSAL BIOSCIENCES: -- icona of, you know, Americana itself, you know, it's the most endangered wolf in the entire world. There's only about 13 left in the wild, and so we have to use new tools and technologies to actually save these species before they go extinct forever.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Ben Lamm, thank you so much for coming on.

LAMM: Yes, thanks so much for having me.

BROWN: And just ahead, high water rescues are underway this morning as a supercharged storm triggers deadly flooding across the South. Millions facing the threat of heavy rains this weekend. That's coming up.

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BROWN: Happening now, the U.S. military says it is still conducting strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats. Yesterday, another vessel was struck in the eastern Pacific. Three people were killed, according to officials. A CNN analysis found that at least 207 people have died in the administration's targeting of alleged drug boats so far.

Popular comedian Carlos Mencia is behind bars facing a massive tax fraud case. Prosecutors say the 58-year-old stand-up comic failed to pay taxes on more than $8 million in income over a six-year run. Now, he's looking at 12 felony charges, and if convicted, he could spend more than 11 years in prison.

And robo-taxi company Waymo is recalling thousands of its vehicles, all because they could drive through highway construction zones that are active. Federal regulators say the recall covers about 3,800 vehicles. Waymo plans to address this issue with a software update.

And breaking news, a major development in the Middle East. Sources are telling CNN that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to renew their ceasefire. That agreement comes as Israeli strikes against a militant group threaten to derail negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Those strikes coming after Israel says Hezbollah killed four Israeli soldiers. So, let's discuss more now with CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. He's a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, as well as the author of "New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, America's Struggles to Defend the West." David, thanks for being here.

So, the vice president was supposed to be in Switzerland today for negotiations on implementing this memorandum of understanding. That trip was canceled last minute. Do you think we could see these talks between the U.S. and Iran resume now that this ceasefire has allegedly been renewed?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST AND WHITE HOUSE AND NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I certainly think you could, and the administration has every reason now, particularly with the criticisms you've heard from Republicans and Democrats about the deal, to get the 60-day clock going and try to negotiate the next piece of this.

But I think the lesson from this, Pamela, has been that these talks are always going to be hostage to some world events, an outbreak between Hezbollah and Israel, something that Israel may do in Gaza. The Iranians view this ceasefire as a broad ceasefire for the region. The Israelis have said they weren't a signatory to this ceasefire deal, the 60-day deal the president announced, and therefore they're not bound by its elements. And while they may try to cooperate, of course, they always reserve a right to go respond if there's an attack by Hezbollah, which is what's alleged here in the tragic killing of four Israeli soldiers.

BROWN: And in this new interview, David, President Trump is saying that Israel will do as he says on Lebanon. That's what he told Axios. What do you think about that?

SANGER: Yes. Well, the president's been pretty consistent on that. He said it publicly. He said it to me when he called last weekend to try to talk through the coming nuclear and ceasefire agreement. He said it to Axios. I'm not sure that that's entirely correct. I think that Prime Minister Netanyahu does not want to see an open and public split, but he has his own political challenges right now, and elections coming up this fall.

So, I think that you're beginning to see the oddity that the U.S. and Israel went into this war with Iran in late February completely unified and side by side, and they're emerging from it deeply split.

BROWN: If and when U.S. and Iran talks resume, of course, that is when the thorniest issues of this conflict will be addressed, namely Iran's nuclear program. How likely is it that the U.S. and Iran will come to terms on those in a way that is beyond or better than the JCPOA? Because as we all know, Trump has been so critical of that agreement.

SANGER: Yes, yes. And I've been writing a lot on this topic, as have many others. So, if the administration, Pamela, got everything that they say they have discussed in advance with the Iranians, everything that runs from how they would deal with the highly enriched uranium that's buried under the rubble from an attack just a year ago this weekend, whether or not they would close down nuclear facilities across the country, how much enrichment, if any, the Iranians are allowed to go do, and whether they suspend their enrichment for 15 or 20 years.

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If they got everything they have described, then it might be more than the Obama administration got 11 years ago. But they haven't gotten there yet. And we're only relying on what the administration says are their informal discussions and agreements with the Iranians. And we know that once these agreements go back to Tehran, many in the IRGC, many hardliners, some of the clerics can be lining up against it.

So, they've got a very high bar to clear here, especially because President Trump himself was so clear about what he objected to in the Obama-era agreement when he pulled out of it in 2018.

BROWN: All right. David Sanger, as always, great to have you on. Thank you.

SANGER: Great to be with you. Have a good weekend, Pamela.

BROWN: You too. Coming up here in the Situation Room, they'll be the first NBA champions to visit the White House during a Trump administration. But should they? The growing debate over the accepted invite, up next.

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BROWN: Happening now, new video just into the Situation Room shows flash flooding across the streets of Dallas and you can see cars trapped in the water. The National Weather Service says current conditions downtown make several roads impassable. And remnants of a tropical storm are hitting some 10 million people all along the Gulf Coast with flood watches today. The system brought a month's worth of rain in only a matter of days and now officials in Texas and Mississippi say at least three people have died due to flooding conditions.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now. So, Derek, what can you tell us about where this system is headed?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, let's focus on what's happening in Dallas right now. They just extended their flash flood warning through the next hour. So, the streets there are still heavily flooded, not all locations. But this is another video coming out of Dallas, it shows you just how inundated these roadways are turning streets into rivers, right? We talk about that so often. It was because of the slow-moving complex of thunderstorms that moved in from the north, dropped four inches very quickly in Dallas. Remember, there's a lot of concrete, a lot of pavement, and that water really has nowhere to go but up. So, we see that flooding take place. Very vulnerable location to flooding.

But this just gives you an overall perspective of what kind of weather setup we have for the day today. You can see the trailing showers and thunderstorms from what used to be tropical storm Arthur now exiting off the east coast. It's running into a frontal boundary that is helping wring out all the available moisture.

So, the atmosphere here is primed to produce heavy rainfall. Dallas is well removed from the remnants of what was tropical storm Arthur. It's this location that got hit so hard over the past 48 hours with the extreme flooding in southern Mississippi and into Louisiana. So, unfortunately, more misery added onto this location because there's additional rain that will spawn throughout the course of the day, overnight, and once again into the day on Saturday with the potential for another four to six inches of rain in some of the hardest hit areas, flash flooding a certain distinct possibility across some of these hard-hit areas as Arthur continues to move off the east coast. Pamela.

BROWN: Yes. Everyone stay safe. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much. And breaking news, a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is now in effect, according to sources. This follows overnight strikes between Israel and the Iranian proxy group. That conflict is putting strain on the fragile truce between the U.S. and Iran. Talks are now postponed, as Vice President Vance canceled a flight to Switzerland for more negotiations today. We'll see if that changes now with this ceasefire that sources are telling us happened between Lebanon and Israel.

Joining us now in the Situation Room is CNN political commentator Michael Smerconish. Michael is the host of CNN Smerconish and the Michael Smerconish program on SiriusXM. Great to see you as always on this Friday. What's your read on the situation and this memorandum of understanding, Michael?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST, SMERCONISH AND HOST, "MICHAEL SMERCONISH PROGRAM" ON SIRIUSXM: Too soon to tell. I think that some of the criticism of President Trump comes from the category of if Trump's for it, then certain people think they've got to be against it. I'm not saying that I find everything acceptable in those 14 points. It's point number eight that troubles me the most. It's particularly vague about the enriched uranium, which is my chief concern.

But I guess I would ask this question of people who out of the gate are critical and saying that it's a mistake. Maybe it's the worst possible outcome, except for the alternatives. Are you prepared to put American boots on the ground for a different result, to open the strait by force or to go get the so-called nuclear dust? It's really complicated. I just don't think we're going to know until more time goes off the clock and we see what the final agreement looks like.

BROWN: And there's certainly always this dynamic, right, where if Trump's for it, there will be people who come out against it, particularly Democrats. But I mean, we are seeing a fair number of Republicans who are usually always aligned with the president coming out against this. Senator Tom Cotton, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Joni Ernst. They've been critical or raised serious questions about it. Does that surprise you?

SMERCONISH: Pamela, you're absolutely right. And you don't stop with the legislators. The Wall Street Journal called it a retreat. The New York Post, normally in his corner, among those who've been critical, I think they identified five different provisions of the 14 that they thought were problematic.

So, yes, I share the concern that says maybe after all this effort since February 28, we're not going to get the result that we wanted.

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If in the end, however, the result is they really can't have a nuclear weapon and we are in control of the enriched uranium, I'm willing to give the president credit for that outcome.

BROWN: With -- in your view, would that be better? Do you think that they're able to get to a better place than the JCPOA? What's the likelihood in your view?

SMERCONISH: That's a really interesting question. I would have liked to have seen that play out. There was still time on the clock. I thought that the intent that President Obama had is very similar. This is the worst thing that President Trump could ever hear, but that he seems to be on the same page with President Obama in that each sought to bring Iran into the Western world and to make them part more of the Global Community. That's where they both seem to have ended up, and maybe we should have just allowed that to play itself out instead of tearing up the JCPOA.

BROWN: All right. I want to look at this polling that shows nearly half of Americans now say they don't align with either Republican or Democratic parties. Michael, that's the highest level in over a decade. Were you surprised by these results?

SMERCONISH: I'm not. And what's interesting is that CNN's data comports with Gallup's data. Every year they do a party identification survey, Pamela, and their number for 2025 was 45 percent. CNN says 47 percent, nearly half of the country, regard themselves as independent. Gallup says the number is 45. You'd never know that if you pay attention to the political debate in this country, because so much of it is dominated by the loudest voices on the right and on the left.

And I have to say, the media seems to cater to them instead of to the middle. In a new interview with Axios' Marc Caputo, President Trump says there are no limits to his power in the Iran war. Let's listen.

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MARC CAPUTO, AXIOS: 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.

CAPUTO: 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.

CAPUTO: 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.

CAPUTO: It is?

TRUMP: I think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: What do you make of those comments, Michael?

SMERCONISH: You know what interests me most? What's going to follow Trump? And will the next president, will he or she maintain the expanded powers that he's exerted, or will they dial back to a pre- Trumpian era?

I'll give you a very realistic example of what I'm talking about. He demolishes the East Wing without going through the usual channels and now is constructing a ballroom in his image. And many say, well, he has exceeded his authority in doing that. So, does the next president who comes in decide they don't want that ballroom and tear it down? And if so, can they say, well, I have the same authority unilaterally that he exercised in building it to now remove it?

I hope we all live long enough to see what that outcome looks like. And that's going to be most of interest, whether it's a D or whether it's an R or whether it's an I.

BROWN: All right. I want to ask you quickly before we head out of this conversation. We've seen politics bleed into sports more and more. Now, the Knicks are the latest team to decide if they want to visit the White House after the championship win. What do you think? Should they go?

SMERCONISH: I loved the footage yesterday of people of all persuasions, all tribes, all neighborhoods, all unified in celebrating the Knicks. I think the sports can be, and frankly, the World Cup is very much like this as well. And I think it's a great mingling opportunity. I hope it's not a referendum on President Trump. The Knicks won. He's the president. Let's have a moment of national unity. Allow them to be celebrated by the president. I say go to the Oval Office.

BROWN: All right. Michael Smerconish, always great to have you on. Thank you so much. And just a reminder, you can catch Smerconish tomorrow -- SMERCONISH: Thank you.

SMERCONISH: -- at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. And new this morning, the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is officially open to the public. Through the weekend, the 19-acre campus will feature free open house activities, live performances and community celebrations. On Thursday, thousands came out to celebrate the center's opening during a ceremony. The event also drew a number of notable figures, including former presidents Clinton, Bush and Biden, along with several celebrities.

In his speech, former President Obama called on Americans to look to the future and fight cynicism and despair.

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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I remain convinced that the overwhelming majority of Americans feel the same way, that as unsettled as we are.

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People aren't looking for perpetual anger and division, they are looking for fairness and common sense and mutual respect. That deep in our gut, we want to find a way to turn towards each other again, not further away.

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BROWN: The center had been in the works for more than a decade and cost $850 million to build. Tickets to the museum are already sold out until November, but there's still plenty to visit. The sprawling campus includes a museum, garden, basketball court and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Well, thank you so much for joining us on this Friday morning Inside Politics with our friend and colleague Phil Mattingly starts after a quick break. I hope you have a great weekend. And go, USA.

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