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Transcript: Rep. Ro Khanna on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” June 7, 2026

2026-06-07T12:05:11-0400 / CBS News

The following is the transcript of the interview with Rep. Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on June 7, 2026.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: But we begin this morning with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California. Good to have you here in person.

REP. RO KHANNA: Good to be back.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re just back from Maine, and on Tuesday, there’s a primary there for Democrats. It will help to determine who is going to challenge Susan Collins for her seat. She is the longtime Republican senator who has held on to it. This is all ultimately about who is going to control Congress, control the Senate. There’s been a lot of excitement around Graham Platner, who we mentioned there, right at the top. He’s a veteran, an oyster man with this anti-establishment progressive message. Why are you still campaigning for him after all of these questions about action, comments, activity in his personal life.

REP. KHANNA: Well we had a rally planned, and I want to be clear: his actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine. People in Maine knew that he had had two tours of duty in Iraq. He came back broken in a dark place. That doesn’t excuse his behavior, but they knew this. He was in Washington, and then he went back to Maine, and he started an oyster farm. He took accountability. He himself has said it was shameful, and he had redemption. And now he’s running on a platform of national health insurance when Susan Collins is voting to cut it. He’s talking about taxing billionaires. Susan Collins is for tax breaks to billionaires, and he’s opposed to this foreign war where Susan Collins supported the war in Iran, and that’s why I’m still supporting him.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But I want to go through some of what we’re referring to here in specifics. The campaign acknowledged a candidate sent sexually explicit texts to multiple women while he was married, quite recently. He’s acknowledged he had a tattoo with Nazi symbols that he’s since covered up, but he claimed he didn’t know the linkage and the symbolism, and he’s had social media posts insulting rural people downplaying sexual assault. He has apologized or said he regrets some of that behavior. As you just alluded to, he has also referred to the fact he has dealt with PTSD and some alcohol issues. Are you confident all the damaging info is out?

REP. KHANNA: That’s what he says. My sense is, before the primary, a lot of this has come out. Obviously, look, if there was evidence of violence. I would not support him. If there was evidence of sexual assault, I’d have zero support for him. He acknowledges that he was misogynistic, it was shameful. One thing I want to make very clear, we should not be attacking the women who came forward. We should not be attacking the journalists. Some people have been attacking the New York Times journalists- they’re- they did their job. We should focus on acknowledging it was misogynistic, acknowledging it was wrong, moving on with redemption, and then focusing on his issues, which are stopping the war, taking on the billionaire class.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You said there was no evidence of violence. You- in your view, there’s nothing credible at this point,

REP. KHANNA: My view is that even according to the New York Times piece, they said there was no harm, no injury, there was toxicity, and there was verbal intimidation, which I condemn, but Graham has made it clear that there was no evidence of violence, that to me is a red line.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, because there’s this woman, Lyndsey Field, who dated him for about two years’ time, and she’s been posting on social media, speaking on the record about their relationship. She said he left an AR 15 lying around his Capitol Hill apartment when he lived here, told her if anyone broke in he’d rape them to show he’s dominant. She did say he never hit her or punched her, but said he could be rough, and she described being grabbed by her shoulder. She described him pulling her arm as she was refusing to get out of a car. Years ago, the mantra was ‘believe all women.’ Do you believe her?

REP. KHANNA: Yes, and I don’t think our side should be attacking her, and I appreciate her courage from coming forward. I know some people are saying, ‘Oh, she’s a Republican.’ I think that is irrelevant. I believe her. I think Graham acted shamefully, and he acted as The New York Times characterized it, as a toxic relationship. It is shameful. It is ugly. It happened in a dark period of his life, and the Maine voters that I met said they don’t like it. They knew that he had these chapters. They are willing to extend him grace and redemption, and they’re focused now on what he’s running for. But I do not think we should be attacking her.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So it is his campaign, the Platner campaign, that described the accuser as a GOP operative who has dedicated her career to electing Republicans. She is a conservative. Would you advise the campaign to stop attacking her?

REP. KHANNA: Absolutely. They should not attack her. They should not attack the New York Times reporters who wrote the story. I know those reporters, they have written things critical of me. That’s what journalists do. Donald Trump is the one who attacks the press. Our party doesn’t attack the press. Our party believes that you treat women with equality and respect in all aspects of their lives. Graham Platner did not do that in the early 2000s. He should just say what he has said to Maine voters, that was a shameful period in his life. He’s ashamed of that conduct, and that’s what makes him different, is that he’s taken accountability for that period of his life. Others, like Trump, have never taken accountability.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you mentioned the PTSD, and he has been very open about that. What he went through, coming back from, I believe, three tours in Iraq, and then he worked in a private capacity in Afghanistan. But some veterans groups have said that, you know, he’s basically using it as an excuse for bad behavior.

REP. KHANNA: I don’t think–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –and maligning them in that way,

REP. KHANNA: It’s- it’s not an excuse, it doesn’t justify him being in toxic relationships or saying misogynistic things–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Because it sounds like it’s being used as an excuse.

REP. KHANNA: Well, I don’t view, in fact, in my remarks I said it’s not an excuse, it’s- but it’s the truth, it’s his truth of who he was, but what it should tell us is we broke a lot of people in this country by sending people to Iraq. Susan Collins sent people to Iraq, and now on the 100th day of a war in Iran, we’re breaking more people. Gas is through the roof, food is through the roof, and this Iran war is an illegal war, immoral war, an unstrategic war, and Graham Platner is running to stop it. That is the big issue that Maine voters were talking about, the war that’s increasing gas prices, the lack of healthcare, but I don’t believe PTSD should be an excuse for bad behavior. But we do need to recognize the toll these wars are taking on people.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And Platner did protest against the war, but that was before he enlisted in the Marines. And then subsequently worked in a private capacity in Afghanistan, another war zone.

REP. KHANNA: He was patriotic. Look, I ran against the war in Iraq in 2003. That was how I started. He was opposed to the war. We have made a mistake by getting into the war in Iraq. Now he served the country, but one of the reasons he went into PTSD, if you talk to him, as he said, I realized that my service did not have a purpose for doing good. And now you’ve got Susan Collins, who has been an apologist for the war in Iran on this 108 What have we achieved? You still have an Iranian regime there, they still have the nuclear fuel there, the gas prices are through the roof. And why is Platner in the race? Because he’s saying stop these foreign wars.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So it just- I raise this because I have heard Democrats argue over this issue, and the worry that they are ceding the moral high ground that they want to hold in order to stand on it and criticize Republicans, right? CBS News has spoken to a former campaign official who expressed concern about the lack of vetting of Platner. This sounds like it’s just, you know, this is just politics,

REP. KHANNA: Like I said, the people in Maine were not surprised. I mean, it was a surprise to the national story. They knew that when he was in DC, he had shameful parts of his life. Then he came back, he started an oyster farm, he was on the ocean for years, he found himself. But the big issue for voters, in my view, is, are you for these wars, are you for taxing billionaires? Are you for national health insurance? And that’s the contrast, and the campaign is a vetting process, and the voters of Maine are asking these–

MARGARET BRENNAN: The campaign’s the vetting process?

REP. KHANNA: Well, the primary campaign, I mean, it’s been a year of campaigning that he has, that he has had.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Can he survive another scandal? You have five months here.

REP. KHANNA: Well, it depends. What I’m not, you know, I mean, obviously, if there was any evidence that comes out that there is actual domestic violence or assault, I have zero tolerance for that. I led the fight against the Epstein class, which has been a cover-up for sexual abuse with Thomas Massie. I’ve been at the forefront of championing women’s rights and rights of survivors, but here you have a case of someone who had a dark chapter in his life, was in toxic relationships, was ashamed about it, who served this country, and the Maine voters are saying, Look, let’s give him some grace, and his focus is stopping these wars, and it’s getting national health insurance, and it’s taking on economic inequality,

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. And that is the progressive message that you are supporting. Ro Khanna, thank you for your time.

REP. KHANNA: Thank you.

Transcript: Rep. Don Bacon on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” June 7, 2026

2026-06-07T12:07:00-0400 / CBS News

The following is the transcript of the interview with Rep. Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on June 7, 2026.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Republican Congressman Don Bacon, who joins us from Omaha, Nebraska. Welcome back to Face the Nation.

REP. DON BACON: Thank you, Margaret.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Before we get to national security, I want to ask you about politics and candidate quality. Last month, Texas Republicans chose to make Ken Paxton their Senate nominee, despite the fact, as Texas AG, he was impeached by the Republican-controlled House on multiple charges of abuse of office, including bribery. His wife is divorcing him on what she called biblical grounds because of adultery, and he was indicted in 2015 on securities fraud charges that were later dropped. Despite all this, the President backed him over sitting Senator John Cornyn, and so did Texas Republicans. For your party, does Trump’s favor carry more weight than character?

REP. BACON: I think in many cases it does. His endorsement in a primary is often carries- carries the most weight. I think it was a mistake. I think this has hurt the president. A lot of senators feel very close to Senator Cornyn. He was a big fundraiser. He helped a lot of these Republicans get elected all over the country, so there’s a lot of loyalty to John Cornyn. In fact, I know him too, and I admire the guy. And now they’ve not- we’ve nominated a guy in Texas that is probably the most vulnerable in a general election, and it puts that seat up for grabs. So, it was- I don’t think it was a wise decision, and I would say- one other factor here is the Democrat nominee. I think he’s also pretty weak, though, in Texas. So, I think they both- both sides have nominated people that are vulnerable in general. But, John Cornyn could have won the seat easily, and now the Republicans will be spending a lot of money to hold it, and I think it was a mistake.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I know you have chosen to retire, but if you were having to campaign and explain all this, including the higher gas prices, how would you persuade voters?

REP. BACON: Well, I try to, in my case, I try to show- I try to do what’s right, whether it’s President Trump’s position or not his position. And I just try to look voters in the eye that say, “Hey, I support Ukraine. I think tariffs are a mistake. I have votes to back it up. I also support the fact that we secured the border. I support, generally, what we’re doing in Iran, because Iran has been waging war against us for 47 years.” So, I just try to call balls and strikes, and I try to be honest, and I try to do once I’m elected what I campaign on.

MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. Well, we’ll let you call some of those balls and strikes on the other side of this commercial break that I have to take. So, please stay with us. We have more questions for Congressman Bacon, and a lot more Face the Nation. Stay with us.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to Face the Nation. We return now to our conversation with Nebraska Republican Congressman Don Bacon. Congressman, I want to go to Europe and talk about Ukraine, but let me first ask you about what was said at Normandy on Saturday. Secretary Hegseth seemed in his remarks to link immigration to the legacy of the D-Day landings by Allied forces who were liberating Europe from the Nazis. Take a listen.

[START SOUND ON TAPE]

SEC. HEGSETH: Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria. Boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion?

[END SOUND ON TAPE]

MARGARET BRENNAN: I’m not sure who the allies were in that analogy, but I wonder what you make of Hegseth’s remarks.

REP. BACON: You know, Normandy is a time to celebrate a great day. You know, it was- I’ve been on the beaches of Omaha, and you know, we lost about 3,000 troops on that beach on one day. That’s where the focus should have been. It’s a chance to celebrate with our allies. We work together to defeat Nazi Germany, and one of the concerns that many of us have when it comes to this administration, and particularly the Pentagon, right now, they’re very critical of Europe, they’re critical of the EU, they’re critical of NATO, they’re critical of a lot of the countries that make up NATO, and you never hear him criticize Russia, and that bothers us. Why are they so weak on Russia which affects their Ukraine foreign policy, their policy towards the Baltics, but they are quick to always want to criticize Europe. It reminds me of the message that Secretary Hegseth sent to the Vice President on Signal when he said how much he loathed Europe. Well, I think that’s not good for America. It’s not good for our national security, and we are allies. We have to work together to counter Russia, to counter China, to help us in the Middle East, and his constant criticism, along with the President’s threats towards Greenland, as well as Canada. It’s hurt us. Our allies have lost a lot of trust. So, I don’t think these comments by the Secretary were helpful.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I know you have been taking a stand against Russia and for Ukraine. You did that this past week, along with some of your colleagues, as you put it in remarks on the House floor. “This is our Churchill moment, or our Chamberlain moment, and by God, I’m going to choose Churchill.” 17 Republicans joined you the last time we saw a vote on Ukraine aid, there were 100 Republicans supporting it. What is going on here? And how do you get the Senate to take up what you did get over the line?

REP. BACON: Well, a couple things here. First of all, the President has had a policy of wanting to negotiate a settlement. I don’t think it’s working. He is too much as trying to act like an umpire, trying to work with two different people in a boxing match, but it’s not the case. You have a country that’s invading Ukraine, they’re bombing cities every night. There’s a good versus evil here, and America should be, you know, unabashedly for the right side here, the democracy, the country that wants free markets, the country that wants to align with us. Russia hates us. I don’t know why the president can’t see that. Putin hates the United States, he hates what we stand for. So that’s- that’s a problem there when it comes to the House, the Speaker has not wanted his, not wanted to get in front of the president on this, and so he lobbied pretty hard, and we call it whipping against this vote. I think he was wrong. I’ve waited for a year and a half in this Congress to get something done on Ukraine, and we’ve done nothing. There’s been no votes, no policies from the leadership here or the president to support a country that’s fighting for its life. I agree with your previous interview that Ukraine has the upper hand right now, but Russia is bombing those cities every night, and we should be there to help them to defend against these ballistic missile attacks. The Speaker whipped against us, so that’s why I drove that number down. I think he was wrong. He says he’s pro-Ukraine, but the actions speak louder than words.

MARGARET BRENNAN: President Zelensky was on this program last Sunday, asking for more interceptors, but also he made clear that he wants friendly countries in Europe who have a good relationship with the US to be able to produce the Patriots as well. I know your colleague Mike Turner wrote to the President last week asking for that part to be delivered on. Do you support it? I mean, what’s the hold up?

REP. BACON: I do support it. We cannot produce enough Patriots right now to handle what we’re doing on Iran to provide. Ukraine, but also we need to have the same missile defenses in Asia, for whether it’s North Korea or China, and we’re not producing enough, so we should look for our allies to help create additional production lines. I know Ukraine would love to help do that, and they need these missiles very badly. What I would do in this case, and we have a low stockpile because of Iran, I would sit down with our allies and just look at what assets we have and come up with a plan to give anti-ballistic missile technology and capabilities to Ukraine, and we can’t do it all, but we should sit down with our allies and build a plan and get it done.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Don Bacon, Republican from Nebraska. Thank you so much, sir. We’ll be right back.

Khanna condemns Platner’s past actions, but “they didn’t come as a surprise” to Maine voters

June 7, 2026 / 1:53 PM EDT / CBS News

By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

Read Full Bio

Washington — Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California on Sunday condemned Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s alleged conduct toward women, but said he has taken “accountability” for his actions.

“His actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine,” Khanna said in an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.

Khanna campaigned with Platner on Friday in Maine as Democrats seek to flip the seat held by Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November in what is one of the most closely watched races in the country. Any hope for Democrats to take control of the upper chamber includes flipping Collins’ seat, and she is the only Republican senator representing a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024.

“The Maine voters that I met said they don’t like it. They knew that he had these chapters. They are willing to extend him grace and redemption and they’re focused now on what he’s running for,” Khanna said.

After the disclosure last week that Platner had sent sexual messages to women who were not his wife, allegations about the candidate’s behavior toward ex-girlfriends also surfaced. A later New York Times report described Platner’s “unsettling” behavior, including one claim that he was physically abusive, which Platner denies.

According to the Times, Platner’s then-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, said that while they were dating a decade ago, he “regularly grabbed her by the shoulders — sometimes hard enough to leave marks.” During one argument, he “twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn’t get out.”

Some Democrats questioned the timing of the allegations — days before Platner’s primary — and the credibility of Fifield — who the Platner campaign points out.

But Khanna said he believed Fifield.

“I don’t think our side should be attacking her, and I appreciate her courage in coming forward,” Khanna said, calling her political background “irrelevant.” “I believe her.”

Asked whether he was confident all of the damaging information has come out against Platner, Khanna said, “That’s what he says.”

“Obviously, look, if there was evidence of violence, I would not support him. If there was evidence of sexual assault, I’d have zero support for him,” Khanna added.

On the allegations detailed by the Times, Khanna pointed to Fifield saying that she was not injured.

“They said there was no harm, no injury. There was toxicity, and there was verbal intimidation, which I condemn. But Graham has made it clear that there was no evidence of violence. That to me is a red line,” Khanna said.

No English content available

US lawmakers warn Pulte appointment could thwart surveillance law’s renewal

2026-06-07 16:46:41 UTC / Reuters

U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Lawmakers from both parties criticize Pulte’s lack of national security experience
• Democrats threaten to block FISA renewal unless Trump reverses Pulte appointment
• Republicans warn intelligence gap possible if FISA lapses amid ongoing leadership dispute

WASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) – Two U.S. lawmakers with national security expertise warned on Sunday that President Donald Trump’s choice ​of Bill Pulte to be his chief intelligence adviser could stand in the way of renewing an expiring foreign surveillance law.

The Senate ‌and House of Representatives face a Friday deadline for renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows U.S. intelligence agencies to monitor emails and other communications of foreigners located outside the U.S. without individual judicial warrants.

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Trump named Pulte, who has no experience in the security field, to be acting director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard who resigned effective June 30.

Pulte ​would also retain his position as the head of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency. His temporary appointment as director of national intelligence has outraged ​Democratic and Republican members of Congress because of his lack of experience.

Democrats also argue Pulte has demonstrated a willingness to use ⁠his housing finance position to attack Trump’s perceived enemies.

The appointment was like throwing a “live hand grenade” into the congressional debate days before FISA is set to expire, ​Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told ABC’s “This Week” program.

On Friday, the Senate blocked an attempt to begin debate on the FISA ​renewal, but Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters another attempt would be made this week.

Democrats’ support would be essential to the bill clearing the Senate. They have warned they will not back it unless Trump reverses his temporary appointment of Pulte.

Trump on Thursday said he did not think he would nominate Pulte to be a “permanent” director of national intelligence. But he can ​serve as acting director for 210 days without Senate confirmation.

Representative Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” program the timing ​of Pulte’s appointment puts FISA’s renewal in doubt.

“You just could not have come up with worse timing,” he said. “If we had to pass another bill in the context of Bill ‌Pulte, I don’t ⁠think we could.”

Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who also appeared on the ABC program, said, “I don’t believe he’s statutorily qualified” given his lack of any experience.

But McCaul, a former House Homeland Security Committee chairman and former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it “would be the most grossly irresponsible thing I’ve seen Congress do in my 22 years in office” if lawmakers fail to renew FISA just before the start of FIFA World Cup games in North America, and as weeks ​of celebrations begin to observe the 250th ​anniversary of the United States.

Although Pulte ⁠is not qualified to be permanent director, Republican Senator Dave McCormick said, the president has other officials he can turn to for intelligence advice such as CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security ​adviser.

“Bill Pulte is going to be a temporary fix until we get the right qualified person in there permanently,” McCormick ​told Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing” ⁠program.

Before Trump’s choice of Pulte, the Senate and House were on track to pass a compromise bill after protracted negotiations. Now even Republicans believe the renewal could be held up.

“We write with regret to ask that you plan for a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection,” reads a letter that Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Chuck Grassley ⁠sent on ​Friday to Rubio.

In their letter, which was first reported by Punchbowl, Cotton and Grassley blamed the situation ​on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the chamber’s top Democrat. But Himes said it is an admission that Pulte is the problem.

“I think at one level they’re acknowledging reality, which is that the Pulte ​appointment has taken 702 reauthorization off the table,” Himes told CBS.

Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Writing by Richard Cowan; Editing by Sergio Non and Chris Reese

Can Marco Rubio convince Trump that a free Cuba is America First?

2026-06-07T16:00:08.568Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/07/politics/marco-rubio-free-cuba-trump

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio is navigating the most volatile moment in US-Cuba relations in decades.
• The administration has imposed a fuel blockade, sent the CIA director to Havana with an ultimatum and indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro.
• Rubio faces a difficult balance between his lifelong goal of a free Cuba and Trump’s desire for a “good deal.”

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

In the final days of his 2016 presidential campaign, then-Sen. Marco Rubio stood before a friendly Miami debate crowd and named his baseline for any negotiations with Cuba: free elections, a free press and free speech for the 11 million people living on the island. The GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, offered something much vaguer — an unspecific pledge to work out “a good deal” with the Castro regime.

Rubio ridiculed the answer. The crowd roared.

Now, as secretary of state, Rubio is navigating the most volatile moment in US-Cuba relations in decades on behalf of the man he once mocked. For months, Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has teamed with Trump to pressure Cuba’s leaders to the negotiating table while trying to hasten conditions for their ouster.

A fuel blockade has left Cubans with rolling blackouts ahead of the sweltering summer months. Last month in Havana, CIA Director John Ratcliffe delivered a rare in-person ultimatum to Cuban officials to enact political changes. Five days later, the Justice Department indicted former President Raúl Castro. The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group is close by in the Caribbean.

On Thursday, the US piled on more pressure, imposing sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canal, his wife and stepson; family members of Raúl Castro; and several organizations it asserted were tied to the Cuban government.

It remains an open question whether Rubio will achieve the liberated Cuba he has sought for most of his life, or whether the moment will end, as others have, with what Trump deems “a good deal.”

There is growing frustration within the White House over how difficult it has proved to force the island’s regime into making major concessions. And Trump has recently expressed doubt about forcing a change in the Cuban government, telling reporters last month when pressed about specifics of a potential deal, “Well, I don’t know about changing the regime.”

On Thursday, Trump vowed to eventually turn his full attention to Cuba — though it would have to wait until he first finds a resolution to the Iran war that’s eluded him for months.

“We’re going to handle that as soon as we finish. I like to do one thing at a time,” he said. “As soon as that’s done, on our way back, we’ll just make a little brief stop.”

Meanwhile in South Florida, where more than 1 million Cuban Americans reside, hope is surging for a Cuba without a Castro in power.

“I think we all can envision what we want Cuba to look like, and it doesn’t have to happen overnight,” Rubio said Wednesday in testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“The United States is open to a negotiated situation that puts Cuba on a path towards democracy, prosperity, freedom, normalcy. We would be open to that, and we would work with whoever is open to doing it,” Rubio told lawmakers.

“Obviously, it will be challenging,” he said.

The pressure campaign on Cuba is just the latest audacious effort to reshape global diplomacy undertaken by Rubio, who has become a primary driver behind Trump’s sprawling and at-times chaotic foreign policy agenda.

A career politician who has long harbored presidential ambitions, Rubio’s unlikely alliance with Trump — who once derided him as “Liddle Marco” — has granted him broad power within the administration, and numerous job titles to go with it.

In addition to secretary of state, Rubio is acting national security adviser, making him the first to hold both jobs since Henry Kissinger. From those perches, the 55-year-old Rubio has played a central role in Trump’s forays into Iran and Venezuela, while also managing increasingly tenuous relations with the US’ allies in Europe and with its chief rival, China.

Yet Cuba is his most personal challenge yet. And as Rubio plots another potential run for the presidency in 2028, it’s the one whose success or failure could most closely define him.

Rubio grew up steeped in Cuba’s history, and he has credited the exile community with shaping his hawkish worldview. That community’s aspirations are now largely resting on his shoulders — but so are the demands of a president who has expressed fleeting interest in wholesale regime change.

“This is the golden ring for Marco Rubio. This is what he has dreamed about, both personally and professionally,” said Lawrence Gumbiner, who led the US Embassy in Havana during Trump’s first term. “I think he realizes he’s got to dance around his boss, President Trump, and the expectations of the (Cuban) diaspora, and the reality.”

Discussions between South Florida business and community leaders — including longtime Rubio supporters and allies — have intensified as they consider how they might help rebuild Cuba should the regime topple. The State Department has been in contact with some about assisting with humanitarian efforts if needed, a person with knowledge of the discussions said.

Steve Bovo, the former mayor of Hialeah, Florida, and a close ally of Trump and Rubio, told CNN he has warned local officials that regime change could generate some domestic chaos if Cuban Americans on the mainland rush to rescue people or deliver humanitarian aide by boat.

“The fact that Rubio is there in the thick of it is probably what gives everyone in the exile community a lot of calm,” said Bovo, the son of a Bay of Pigs veteran.

Bovo, whose wife is a longtime Rubio aide, also acknowledged the angst within his community as the US and Cuba near a tipping point. “There would be a massive disappointment if by the end of Trump administration there isn’t a degree of change in Cuba that is either a straight line to total freedom or total freedom,” Bovo said.

Many who have watched Cuba policy up close, though, are skeptical the hopes of the exile community — and Rubio himself — can co-exist with Trump’s limited appetite for a protracted foreign engagement.

“If Rubio wants a diplomatic, negotiated outcome,” said Juan Gonzalez, senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs on the National Security Council under President Joe Biden, then, “he’s going to have to betray his political base in South Florida.”

Gonzalez acknowledged regime change in Cuba would be “historic,” but noted that the stakes for Rubio are incredibly high.

“If (Rubio) pulls it off, it will potentially launch him nationally as a broader political figure, whereas I think up to now he’s still been seen as a Florida politician,” Gonzalez said, adding that the opportunity also carries real political risk. “So for him, this is table stakes. If this is a mess, he’s done.”

Within the administration, Rubio has emerged as Trump’s key adviser on the Western Hemisphere. It’s as close as he’s come to the role he envisioned as a boy, when he “boasted I would someday lead an army of exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro and become president of a free Cuba,” he wrote in his memoir, “An American Son.”

Rubio was also a trusted voice on the region for the White House during Trump’s first term. “Then-Sen. Rubio’s imprint was visible across the administration’s approach to Cuba and Venezuela,” a person close to Rubio told CNN.

As with the majority of Trump’s foreign policy priorities, the team working on Cuba has been small. Rubio, who spends much of his time at the White House, has a tight cadre of aides working on the issue, including several from his years in the Senate. Within the administration and at the State Department, Cuba policy is largely shaped by political appointees. However, career ambassador Mike Hammer has remained on the ground as the US charge d’affaires in Havana.

In March, Rubio acknowledged his principal role in the work, telling reporters, “any reporting on Cuba that you didn’t get from me or the president is a liar, because those are the only people working on it.”

After toppling Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, Trump officials sought to quickly capitalize on their newfound influence in the country to weaken Cuba by disrupting the flow of Venezuelan oil to the island and pressuring Mexico to slow its own oil deliveries.

The administration has increasingly turned its sights on the military conglomerate that controls much of Cuba’s economy, and Rubio on Wednesday said the US is “open to an arrangement that allows” revenue to begin to flow to the Cuban people.

Despite crushing economic sanctions and the threat of military action, Cuba’s leadership has refused to negotiate a quick deal, attempting instead to outlast Trump’s enthusiasm for yet another foreign entanglement and keep its grip on power. Cuba’s foreign minister recently dismissed the notion that Cuba is a threat to the US and said in a post on X that Havana is “open to dialogue to resolve bilateral issues, based on respect for our sovereignty, our constitutional order, and our political system.”

One former State Department official noted that the Cuban government has historically moved into “siege mentality” when faced with US pressure.

“There’s so much more that’s required for political change in Cuba,” said Frank Mora, the former US ambassador to the Organization of American States during the Biden administration.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly praised Rubio in a statement as “instrumental in executing the President’s foreign policy agenda to protect our homeland from threats in the region.”

But despite asserting the so-called Donroe Doctrine that Trump has claimed to reassert American influence across the Western Hemisphere, she stopped short of promising major political change in Cuba.

“As the President stated, Cuba is a failed country that has been horribly run for many years,” Kelly said. “The United States will be there to help, but its flailing leaders should make a deal with the United States before it is too late.”

Cuba’s government has said it’s open to negotiations with the US but will not bend to pressure to remake the island’s single-party communist form of government. Cuban officials have told CNN that they feel Rubio’s personal animus to Havana is stymying any possible deal.

Cuban government social media accounts have also posted parody videos of a puppet doll version of Rubio called “the blond worm,” a combination of Rubio’s last name, which means blond in Spanish, and a highly offensive epithet that Fidel Castro hurled at Cubans who fled the island after his 1959 revolution.

With the Iran war dragging on, top Trump political aides are eager to turn the president’s attention back to domestic issues ahead of November’s midterms — even as the president appears to be digging in, warning recently that Tehran’s efforts to outlast him won’t work because he doesn’t “care about the midterms.”

Within the administration, there are indications that the US intends to ratchet up its economic and political pressure campaign against Havana. Officials have also contemplated a range of potential military actions against Cuba, former diplomats and others close to the White House said. But they all come with major risks and no guarantee of generating a quick victory.

Carrying out a Venezuela-style raid in Cuba is viewed as far more complicated proposition with less upside; Castro is nearly 95, and there’s little assurance that capturing him would weaken a regime that’s kept an iron grip on power for decades. There is also no equivalent to Delcy Rodríguez — the US-backed interim leader of Venezuela — in the Cuban system, experts say.

Rubio on Wednesday said there are “people within the technocratic realm of the government that could play some role in all of this.”

“But ultimately, if you’re asking me, is there a singular individual right now that we would trust and rely on to lead this transition from start to finish? I can’t give you that name right now,” he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Some Republican lawmakers eager to pry open Cuba’s political and economic system have pressed Rubio and the administration to mount such an operation anyway.

“Look at Venezuela,” Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, a daughter of Cuban exiles, said following Castro’s indictment. “I do believe we should follow that example.”

Even that outcome — a successful change in leadership, but without a timetable for elections and liberation for the island’s residents — risks falling short of the vision embraced by a Cuban American community that is close to Rubio and has overwhelmingly supported Trump across his three elections.

“You’ve got the Rubio team and the Cuban Americans who have a real, serious, deep objective Cuba,” said Ricardo Zúñiga, a former longtime senior State Department official. “And you have the president, who just wants to win — and he doesn’t care what that win looks like.”

Trump’s willingness to strike quickly to remove the political leadership in Venezuela and Iran has emboldened Cuban exiles to imagine a similar fate for Castro, said Jorge Duany, a longtime chronicler of the diaspora at Florida International University’s Cuban Research Institute. Surveys of Cuban Americans increasingly show support for a US military intervention to liberate the island, he said.

“There’s a sense of desperation since nothing has worked to produce significant change on the island,” Duany said.

Expectations are now so high that a failure to meet them could be politically damaging.

“You will see a huge exodus of Cuban Americans from Republican Party, or at least from Trump’s party,” said Marcell Felipe, a prominent Cuban American businessman and chairman of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora. “It would be political suicide.”

Felipe, like many other Cubans living in the US, wants to see the release of political prisoners and for the country to more closely resemble its Caribbean neighbors like the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

However, some have argued that Trump has built up enough goodwill within the diaspora that they would be willing to accept a transitional period where some from the former regime remain in place.

“There’s a segment of the exile community that will tolerate nothing but a Castro hanging from the highest tree possible,” Bovo said. “Now, there may have to be some sort of bitter juice to swallow.”

It’s a daunting tight rope for Rubio, not only as the country’s chief diplomat and as a Cuban American but also as someone increasingly viewed as a future GOP presidential contender. In private conversations, Trump has compared Rubio with Vice President JD Vance as he mulls his potential heirs, CNN previously reported. Vance has publicly joked he and Rubio are contestants on the latest version of “The Apprentice.”

Rubio has impressed many potential Republican primary voters with how he has stepped onto the world stage, even as a growing number of them express frustration with Trump’s continued focus on foreign priorities. But that could change if the situation in Iran doesn’t improve or if Venezuela crumbles under the instability left by Maduro’s ouster.

Nor does his improved standing account for Rubio becoming the face of another unpopular foreign intervention. Americans already overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s handling of Cuba, according to a March Associated Press-NORC poll. And 78% of Americans — including 6 in 10 Republicans — oppose using US troops to overthrow the Cuban government, a survey from Ipsos and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found.

Felipe is optimistic Rubio remains committed to the vision for Cuba he outlined a decade ago as a presidential contender. He has less faith in others within Trump’s inner circle who have urged the president to reorient his administration around domestic affairs.

“That’s exactly where his political enemies would like to put Rubio — in a position where he has to choose between Trump’s good graces or his people’s good graces,” Felipe said. “If he has to choose between one of those, his political future will be damaged. I think that’s something his political rivals and competitors and the Castro regime would like to see happen.”

CNN’s Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report.

Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions ‘if they behave’

2026-06-07 1:05 p.m. EDT / The Washington Post

The president, appearing on “Meet the Press,” said the U.S. will help Iran eliminate its enriched uranium if a peace deal is reached — and warned of harsh military action if talks fail.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One following a trip to Wisconsin on Friday. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

By Sammy Westfall

President Donald Trump said the United States would not lift sanctions on Iran or unfreeze its assets up front as part of any peace deal with Tehran and would consider doing so only if other conditions are met, he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

As Platner targets Senate seat, fellow Democrats hold their noses ahead of Maine primary

2026-06-07T19:27:23.872Z / Reuters

Summary

Democrats express unease over reports about Platner’s past conduct
Some Democrats urge focus on policy after acknowledging allegations
Republicans criticize Platner as troubling and extreme

NEW YORK, June 7 (Reuters) – Reports about presumptive Senate nominee Graham Platner’s past have left some of his fellow Democrats feeling uneasy about him just days before the state’s primary.

Multiple Democratic lawmakers on Sunday expressed reservations about their party’s likely choice in November’s race to represent Maine in the Senate, even as Platner holds a wide lead in polls ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.

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Appearing on morning TV talk shows, congressional Democrats criticized him to varying degrees, though none of them called for him to end his campaign amid reports he exchanged sexual messages with women while he was already married and that past romantic partners described his behavior as “toxic.”

For Representative Tom Suozzi of New York, the reports from several news outlets last week cast a brighter spotlight on long-simmering concerns. “I’ve been unsettled about Graham Platner for a long time about the issues and the positions he takes on issues, not just the allegations about his personal conduct,” Suozzi said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said the reports about Platner are “disturbing” if they turn out to be true. But the election success of President Donald Trump, a Republican, shows that politicians can survive allegations of bad behavior toward women, Warner said on ABC’s “This Week” show.

“I think President Trump set a new standard,” he said. “Whether that low standard is what we ought to proceed with, I think it’s going to be again in the hands of the voters.”

Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He previously has apologized for the text messages, while calling reports about them and other past behavior politically motivated.

Representative Ro Khanna of California, who campaigned for Platner in Maine this week, said on Sunday that Democrats should admit his behavior was unacceptable and then shift the discussion to critical national issues.

“We should focus on acknowledging it was misogynistic, acknowledging it was wrong, moving on with redemption,” Khanna told CBS’ “Face the Nation” program.

If Platner wins on Tuesday, he is expected to face longtime Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, in one of the country’s most closely watched political battles.

Republican lawmakers in TV appearances criticized Platner, who is scheduled to hold a town hall in Maine on Sunday evening.

Platner’s past is “very, very troubling,” said Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, who also appeared on the CNN program. “We have to set a higher bar,” Fitzpatrick said.

Republican Senator Dave McCormick, also of Pennsylvania, called Platner one of the Democrats’ “extreme” candidates.

“Who would have thought you could be a misogynist, have allegations of violence against women … and have the mainstream of your party endorsing you?” he said on Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing” show.

Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Sergio Non

Lawsuit aims to stop UFC fight at the White House

2026-06-07T19:38:49.237Z / CNN

By Aileen Graef, Julia Benbrook

PUBLISHED Jun 7, 2026, 3:38 PM ET

Workers prepare the UFC stage at the White House on June 5, 2026.

Allison Robbert/AP

Two Virginia residents have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the UFC fight President Donald Trump is holding at the White House as part of celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday.

The lawsuit, filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of a Vietnam War veteran and a civic activist, argues the structure erected on the White House grounds is not authorized without congressional approval or environmental review.

It also argues the use of the White House grounds “to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access” will both financially benefit UFC President Dana White and Trump himself, citing a report in the spring Trump bought $50,000 in stock in UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings.

The lawsuit pushes back on the assertion from the administration that the UFC match falls under the authorization from Congress for events to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, saying the event “is not in any material sense a ‘celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence’—it is, instead, a celebration of the UFC’s brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth.”

CNN has reached out to the White House and UFC for comment on the lawsuit.

The White House South Lawn event, set for June 14, coincides with Trump’s 80th birthday. A weigh-in for the fighters is set for the day before at the Lincoln Memorial.

“The Lincoln Memorial is sacred ground, and it honors everyone who has ever worn this country’s uniform,” plaintiff Paul Romano, a retired Air Force sergeant and Vietnam veteran, said in a news release. “Using it as a backdrop for a for-profit cage fight so the President and his friends can make money is a desecration.”

Teen dies after showing symptoms of heat-related illness on strenuous hike through Grand Canyon

June 7, 2026 2:29 PM EDT / CBS News

By Emily Mae Czachor News Editor

A teenager died after experiencing symptoms of heat-related illness while hiking in the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said.

The teen died Wednesday along a stretch of the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail, according to the park service. It said in a statement that rangers received reports at around 1:40 p.m. local time that day “of an 18-year-old male experiencing heat-related symptoms” on a portion of the trail deep within the canyon. He had hiked past Havasupai Gardens, a rest stop and campground that already requires a 3,000-foot descent from the canyon rim, according to the Grand Canyon Trust.

Rangers rushed to launch a helicopter rescue operation and ultimately found the teen about 30 feet below the trail, in a remote area, the park service said. They attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful.

Officials have not released the 18-year-old’s name, saying Saturday that notifications remained pending to his next of kin.

The park service said the teen had intended to complete a round-trip day hike from the South Rim of the canyon to the Colorado River. That’s the route of the Bright Angel Trail, which the park service says is its most popular hiking trail into the canyon, though it recommends against hiking all the way to the bottom and back in a single day.

“Destinations below Havasupai Gardens are not recommended day hikes due to the long distance, extreme temperature changes, and an approximately 5,000′ (1,500 m) elevation change each way,” the park service’s website said. The site also advises hikers to “check with a park ranger” before attempting to hike to Havasupai Gardens and back in a day, as that trek alone is 9 miles and takes between six and nine hours.

An investigation into the teen’s death is underway at the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office, the park service said.

Heat-related illnesses can occur when a person is exposed to extreme heat. The most serious of them, heat stroke, is a medical emergency that can cause disability or death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When someone experiences heat stroke, their body’s temperature rises rapidly, potentially reaching 106 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in as little as 10 or 15 minutes, and is unable to cool itself down, the CDC warns. Symptoms of heat stroke can include confusion, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, profuse sweating and seizures.