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New Air Force One Flight; Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) is Interviewed about Trump's Financial Disclosure; Swift's Rumored Wedding Festivities Set to Begin. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 01, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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


[09:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: pouches sewn into their clothes, including a puffer jacket, a bodysuit of some kind and a sun hat. This is the story that got me in trouble with Kate, but they were hiding, you know, crabs in their pockets. Think about that.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

All right, what the president just said about the brand-new financial disclosure showing the heaps of money, well over $1 billion, he has made since taking office, including "The New York Times" says revenue from businesses that directly benefited from his actions as president.

Breaking overnight, which Democratic incumbent could be next after the third is defeated in a primary in just eight days.

And it's just like a royal wedding, except based on merit and achievement. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. All we are learning from the intrepid reporting on the ceremony that might be about to be held in Madison Square Garden.

I'm John Berman, with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And breaking this morning, we just heard from President Trump, who, him and his top administration officials are boarding the brand-new Air Force One en route to North Dakota to celebrate America's 250 by dedicating the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. He spoke about the inaugural flight just a moment ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, to be honest with you, I'm excited about the first flight. It's something nobody's ever seen anything like it.

We're very proud of this. The country is very proud of it. And you can do two things. You can low key it or you can show it. And I think the country should be very proud of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: Now, this first flight, the whole thing actually controversial, because the brand new 747 was given to the United States by the Qatari government, that they called it a donation, one they say that will help bridge the gap between old Air Force One and a new Boeing jet that will be ready in a couple years. It's also, as you might imagine, drawn some big criticism, suggesting there are security and big ethical problems with taking something of this magnitude from a foreign government.

CNN's Alayna Treene is tracking all this from the White House.

I'm curious if the president, you know, has said much about this idea of getting this kind of a gift that no other president has taken from a foreign nation.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, every time I've talked to the White House, Sara, about the legal, the ethical, the national security concerns over accepting a luxury jet from Qatar to be used as the president's main plane, the new Air Force One, they brushed those concerns aside.

One thing that I want to note here is that part of the reason the president asked the Qataris for a new jet is because we knew that already Boeing was working on trying to retrofit new jets to be used as Air Force One. However, they were not expected to be done for another two years. From this point, another two years from now, likely not until the end of his second term.

The president didn't want that. And this is what he had to say about what he told to Qatar when discussing this new plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This was a gift from a country that's treated us very well.

I went to Qatar. I said, I'd like to use it for a period of time because the other ones, as you know, are under construction. They'll be here in two years. And because, you know, the plane is 35 years old. So, I said, I'd like to use it. And the emir, Thani, who's a great gentleman, he said, no, no, I'd like to make a contribution to the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, Sara, look, just so people remember, this was donated by the Qataris to the Trump administration last year. It's a gift of roughly $400 million. We know that the Air Force has been working ever since to try and prep it for use. There's been another $400 million or so put into modifications of this plane. We know that Secret Service had to go in, do a lot of different modifications as well to make sure that this was safe and secure for use.

I do also want to get into, though, something that we've heard the president talk a lot about when touting this plane. Comments we heard him make this morning. He's likely going to make throughout the day during its first trip is about the differences in its appearance. One is, you know, gone is the blue color scheme that was envisioned and really created by the former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. We now are seeing it, in its place, you know, a navy blue and white fuselage. It's cut through with red stripes. You have old glory on the tail, a little looser than before.

We're also told, you know, reporters who took a tour of this jet last month when touring it at Joint Base Andrews, they said that they found leather seats that recline all the way, that lay flat.

[09:05:08]

The walls and carpets are tan. The light fixtures are gold. So, a lot of this playing into, of course, the president's own esthetic, something he's been playing up a lot.

But as I mentioned before, a lot of still legal, ethical, and national security questions that this White House and the president has kind of brushed aside, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes. Alayna Treene, thank you so much for your reporting there from the White House for us.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And on top of that, President Trump has released his annual financial disclosures as required by law for presidents. And this one is something, showing that he took in billions of dollars in his first year of his second term in office, billions pouring in, especially from his family's cryptocurrency ventures. $526 million alone came from sales of crypto tokens tied to World Liberty Financial, a firm managed in part by his sons, Eric and Don Jr. Another $635 million came from -- comes from licensing -- a licensing agreement with a company called Celebration Coins, an entity linked to Trump's meme coin business. And then there's $77 million in resort revenue from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The list goes on from there.

This puts you in unprecedented territory for a sitting president. Eric Lipton, "The New York Times" investigative reporter who dug through all of this, he was just on with us last hour, and he said that there is just no ambiguity. There has never been anything like this.

The White House, though, says there's no conflict of interest and that Trump does not actively -- is not actively involved in managing his businesses or investments.

Joining me right now, Democratic Congressman Jimmy Panetta of California.

Thanks for being here.

The president literally just said to reporters, with Eric and Don Jr. behind him, that he knows nothing about his business investments, that it's all in a blind account. What is your reaction to this? REP. JIMMY PANETTA (D-CA): I find that very hard to believe. And, more

importantly, I think the American public find that very hard to believe. This is a president who's basically come in and used this office as grift. And that's demonstrated not just by that gift of that 747, but by that $2 billion in crypto deal, the meme coins, the grift of selling tennis shoes and Trump watches, and so much more.

But it's demonstrated, not just through this administration, but the frustration with this administration. This is an administration that's saying, look at my 747, look at my gold, whereas, you know, you can eat cake, but actually the people are getting very, very frustrated with this.

We're seeing this with the low poll numbers from the president. We're seeing this in some of these results in these elections. We're seeing this here in Congress in which you're starting, slowly but surely, to see Republicans actually push back on this president, which we need to see a heck of a lot more of.

BOLDUAN: Former White House Attorney Ty Cobb was actually on last night with Erin, and he made a comparison I hadn't seen anyone -- heard anyone make yet between Trump's financial disclosures and the investments of his sons in so many -- in so many things that benefit -- that -- where they benefit from government action and the scrutiny that Hunter Biden faced over his entanglements with Burisma.

Listen to Ty Cobb.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TY COBB, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE LAWYER: But it's got to be the longest disclosure in the history of the American presidency, and when you talk about, you know, the scale, you've got Hunter Bidden, you know, who, you know, if they traced every dollar that he was accused of ever having, he couldn't ante in the game that Trump is playing. You know, Trump is playing with billions. You know, they were playing with millions. And this disclosure, on top of the disclosure that he issued last month where he listed recent trades, up to $750 million in trades, many of which involved government contractors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So, Congressman, what -- I mean what could a Democratic majority in the House do about -- would you expect you would want to do about this if that came about?

PANETTA: Understood. First and foremost, where's Oversight Chair James Comer? Obviously, he was very loud when it came to Hunter Biden. We're not hearing boo out of him when it comes to the Trump administration.

Second of all, when we take the majority in November, what you're going to see is a majority of that actually does its job, not just when it comes to these types of investigations into the tremendous amount of corruption coming out of this administration, but we're not just going to investigate, we're going to legislate as well. Look, obviously, this is an issue in dealing with this administration,

but we need to make it clear that the Democrats are about dealing with the affordability crisis that all Americans are facing this day -- these days. And like I said, when you see the president show off his new 747, yet people are having a hard time putting food on the table, filling up their cars, having a hard time buying groceries, this is the frustration that we're feeling throughout the country, and the president's feeling. And that's why -- that's why I believe that we are going to take back the House come November.

[09:10:05]

BOLDUAN: Let me ask you about the primaries we just saw. Last night a Democratic socialist just beat a longtime incumbent, Diana DeGette, in Colorado. That's the third time in recent days that a Democratic incumbent has lost in this way. Do you see this now as a Democratic socialist surge within the Democratic Party?

PANETTA: What I see and what I've been hearing, not just in my district but throughout the country, is there's a tremendous amount of frustration. A tremendous amount of frustration with President Trump, frustration with this Republican majority, and, yes, even frustration with Democrats failing to fight President Trump.

Look, you had three incumbent members of Congress, from Dan Goldman, to Espaillat, to Diana DeGette last night, who were very good members of Congress. Yet for some, especially our youth, that's not good enough. And you're hearing that frustration from those under 35. And what would you expect when 25 million who are under 35 are still living at home because they can't afford a home.

BOLDUAN: Right, but --

PANETTA: They're afraid of not being able to own a home.

BOLDUAN: But, Congressman, let me ask you, because Melat Kiros had said, as part of this, from coast to coast, we are taking back our party. It's not a, we're taking back our country type of line that you heard from president -- you've heard from Donald Trump and Republicans. We're taking back our party is how she put it. And she is among those who have said that she will not support Hakeem Jeffries as Democratic leader. You're a member of leadership. What do you say to that?

PANETTA: Oh, look, I think, despite what these candidates are saying, the fact is, is that the underlying message is about affordability. And that, to me, is where the frustration is coming. Like I was saying, you have a number of youth under 35 that are still living at home. They're fearful that Social Security isn't going to be there. They're still --

BOLDUAN: Right, but part of their frustration is not with -- not with the Republican Party.

PANETTA: They're strapped with tremendous debt. These are the frustrations -- these are the frustrations -- BOLDUAN: The frustration is with Democratic leadership is what she has expressed -- is expressing.

PANETTA: Understood. But at the same time, the frustration is also because were failing to fight President Trump to a certain extent. And that's why I believe you're seeing basically a frustration with the establishment.

That being said, Hakeem Jeffries is the best leader that I've seen right now being able to coalesce and unify the Democratic Party. And what these congressional elect candidates have to understand is that when they get here, they're part of a team. You have to understand that you have to be able to get along with people. But more importantly, you have to understand the job. Their job is to legislate. That's our job is to legislate. And what I've always learned is, good governing is good politics. And that's why, to your earlier question, we're not just going to investigate, we got to continue to legislate to make sure that we bring costs down.

BOLDUAN: Congressman Jimmy Panetta, thanks for coming in. Appreciate your time.

John.

BERMAN: All right, developing this morning, bracing for day after day after day of 100-degree temperatures at the worst possible time. One hundred and fifty million Americans are under heat alerts right now. We're dealing with three straight days of triple digit temperatures in some of the country's biggest cities. One hundred, 100, 100, 100 in Washington, D.C., in Philadelphia, in New York, 100 degrees for three straight days, or damn near close. In Philadelphia it could be like 104, in D.C., like 103 on July 4th. These are brutal numbers for an extended period of time, right over the Fourth of July, when people plan to be outside.

Let's get right to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam for the latest forecast we're seeing and the risks here, Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, John, you hit it right on the head there. This heat wave is going to be different because it is going to linger. The heat is on. We've got a great way to visualize it as well from the National Weather Service and NOAA. That shading of purple shows you the extreme heat risk that will be felt across all populations across the mid-Atlantic and the East Coast as it moves from the Great Lakes to the mid-Atlantic and the I-95 corridor. This heavily populated area. So that shading of purple, that's a level four of four. That's an extreme heat risk.

What does it mean and how can you prevent falling prey to heat exhaustion and heat stroke? You need to drink plenty of water. That seems obvious, but we need to remind ourselves in these moments. Wearing lightweight clothing, very critical. Light colored clothing as well. Kind of avoid outdoor activities and seek air conditioning at night time to when your body needs to cool itself down. And, obviously, check on your neighbors and the vulnerable communities around us. So, look this -- look at this, 80 million Americans currently under

heat alerts. That balloons to 150 million Americans, nearly one in two Americans will be impacted by these heat alerts and the excessive heat. So, the temperature outside will be exacerbated by the humidity level.

[09:15:03]

So, basically what that means, the heat index calculates the humidity and the actual air temperature and it gives you a value of what it feels like on your skin. How hard your body needs to work to effectively cool itself down. And it's darn near impossible to do it when the temperature reading of 111 is forecast for Friday, and then once again into Saturday.

The nation's capital really will be beaming with hundreds of thousands of people trying to celebrate Independence Day, the 250th birthday of our country. And with temperatures like this, and people outdoors to celebrate this event, it will be very challenging.

The other thing, John, overnight lows, they're not dropping that much either. We're talking temperatures in the mid 80s overnight for New York, Philadelphia and D.C. That's when our bodies are supposed to cool ourselves. And unfortunately, it doesn't look like that will take place because it will just be too warm. It's all thanks to this heat dome. It's going to hold the hot air close to the ground right through the weekend and into early next week too.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, look, days and days of this, right where people, I know, are planning to be outside and celebrating.

VAN DAM: (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: There may be some plans that are adjusted here.

Derek Van Dam, thank you very much for that.

Sara.

SIDNER: Man. All right, thank you, John.

All right, we're getting a few more tiny little details. And all the Swifties are going nuts about this big old wedding. But there's still a lot of mystery surrounding Taylor and Travis Kelce's plans. What we know about their Madison Square Garden celebration so far.

And the planet's oceans breaking temperature records. Shouldn't be a shock to you. The alarming impact the rising heat could have on global weather and marine life.

Plus, the U.S. squares off against Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight. What's at stake as the men's national team chases its first knockout stage victory since, John Berman knows this one, 2002.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:21:03]

SIDNER: New details trickling out about the love story a lot of folks just can't get enough of. Starting tomorrow, wedding festivities for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce apparently set to begin here in New York City. And here's why we know this. Or we think we know this. CNN cameras captured work crews outside Madison Square Garden. One of the workers, a t-shirt, gave us a big clue. It said, "Taylor Swift's Carpenters" on the back.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino outside MSG this morning.

What are you seeing? What are you hearing? And have fans already started gathering? Because I feel like they would.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they're going to be showing up, Sara. There's no doubt about it. And we have been, frankly, tracking every single little movement that's happening outside The Garden today because we know from our sources that are familiar with the plans that these two events are set for Thursday and Friday. A rehearsal expected to take place Thursday with about 100 people and then a much larger wedding celebration planned for Friday. That is expected to have about a thousand events.

Now, you mentioned the activity that's been taking place around The Garden in the past few days. Equipment being moved in and out of loading docks. The carpenter's t-shirt, Taylor Swift Carpenter's. All these little nuggets that we have been tracking.

And I want to redeem myself, Sara, because in the last hour I referred to Madison Square Garden as ugly. And this is, of course, expected to be a very glamorous event. But I want to show you the unglamorous side of things right now.

Take a look behind me. We're standing in front of one of the loading docks. And I want to show you what's happening, because I know it doesn't look like much, but this is now the second time they have parked these big trailer trucks in like an l-shaped configuration. And my guess here is that they are blocking our view. Right behind these two trucks is another truck, which is pointing towards the loading dock. And if they are unloading it, we have no view of it right now because they have parked these two massive trailer trucks, creating sort of a block from our view.

So, we are hanging on every clue here because, you know, we got rid of our royals in the United States 250 years ago, but we do have celebrities. And this is going to be the equivalent of America's royal wedding.

I do want to get to another very important clue we have gotten in the last 24 hours or so, and that is hearing directly from one of the people we expect will be a guest at this wedding celebration.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE KITTLE, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS TIGHT END: Yes, we'll be there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did. Yes.

KITTLE: I'll be there. I'm wearing a blue suit. So, that's all I got.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is.

KITTLE: I have nothing else.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shout out Stitch By Mitch.

PAZMINO: Is it MSG?

KITTLE: I have no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, we don't know.

KITTLE: I actually asked Travis last night. He laughed at me. So --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're excited.

KITTLE: I'm half expecting there just to be a jumbo jet on a runway and they put us on a plane somewhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So, you can see even the guests appear to be being held in some sort of suspense. That San Francisco 49er also talking about the fact that he was told to not bring gifts to this wedding celebration.

Lastly, Sara, you know, we are talking about the world's most famous arena. I know it doesn't perhaps inspire romance, certainly not the romance that Taylor Swift is known for, but it does provide for an extremely secure venue, one that happens to have no windows, extremely hard to access unless you have an invitation to get in. Perhaps I'll get mine by the end of the day today, but you could sort of understand why this venue makes sense if they're trying to keep this very, very private and under wraps. And frankly, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have what it takes, financially speaking, to turn the inside of Madison Square Garden into whatever they please.

Sara.

[09:25:11]

SIDNER: Yes, they could do whatever they want. But I do want to lastly say, that if I know you well enough, and you know me well enough, girl, both of us could scamper underneath there and go underneath those trucks and see exactly what the heck is going on. So, I do expect that from you later on, Gloria. I know you. I know you'd do it. Thank you so much.

Kate. BOLDUAN: And our legal department would like me to remind you, do not

promote any criminal activity amongst our reporters, correspondents or anchors. Thank you so much, Sara. Gloria, I've got your back. You keep setting her up.

All right, let's turn to this. Tens of thousands are still missing now one week after those back to back horrific earthquakes in Venezuela. And our reporters on the ground are now talking to people who say they are running out of critical supplies, like gas for the heavy machinery needed for these rescues.

And another big win for Democratic socialists last night. This time out in Colorado. So, what does last night mean for today?

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