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Heat Wave Threatens Millions of Americans Through July 4th; Two People in Custody After Scaling Empire State Building; Team USA Knockout Match Against Bosnia-Herzegovina Tonight; Sources Say Madison Square Garden Set to Host Two Events Related to SWIFT Wedding This Week. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 01, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:49]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Breaking News, we're tracking a dangerous heat wave that is building starting today stretching from the Great Lakes to the northeast ahead of the holiday weekend. Around half of all Americans are under heat alerts, with 150 million people across at least 30 states and Washington, D.C. The nation's capital, of course, one of the major East Coast cities bracing for the hottest 4th of July on record, amid celebrations, capping what could be a historic three-day stretch of extreme heat.

Let's go to CNN Meteorologist, Allison Chinchar in the Weather Center for us. Allison, it's going to be nasty out there.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is, and it's going to impact a lot of people. I think that's really the key thing here, is that how many people are going to be experiencing these record-breaking temperatures. And it's all thanks to this heat dome. Essentially, we have that high-pressure system kind of focused right over the Tennessee Valley.

And all of the surrounding regions, that high-pressure system is really just going to trap all of that heat right down at the surface layer, which for all of those people in that dome, are going to see those extreme temperatures. So here's a look at the forecast heat index. This is for the remainder of the day today.

Now, some of these areas are awfully close to this. Others have yet to actually make it there or peak. We're expecting a feels-like temperature right around 105 in Nashville, 104 in Atlanta, 108 in Washington, D.C. That's why you have a lot of these heat alerts.

And they're not just for today. For many of these areas, it will be Thursday. It will be Friday, because those are the days when a lot of this heat really peaks across these areas before finally starting to climb back down once we get toward the latter half of the weekend.

Looking at these high temperatures, again, some of these areas, looking at three or four days in a row of triple-digit temperatures.

SANCHEZ: Got to hydrate. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. Erica?

ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Turning back now to our top story. Two people we've now learned have been arrested after climbing to the top of the Empire State Building, apparently pausing to get engaged on the way down, it appeared. CNN's Jason Carroll is at the Empire State Building now.

So, Jason, I understand there also is now, you found online, a video that appears to have been posted by the climbers?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the digital age. This couple on top of the Empire State Building at one point actually posted to Instagram live-streaming their antics. Some of that video we've been able to uncover, and we can bring that to you. When they were up there for a while, news helicopters were up there, Erica.

We could see them hugging at a certain point, kissing at a certain point, unfurling that huge flag with the saying, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." Of course, a quote attributed to Jimi Hendrix. But a lot of speculation about exactly what they were doing up there.

I mean, again, for a while they were hugging, they were kissing. It appears as if they were taking selfies. And it looked at one point as if the woman who was up there wearing some sort of a black catwoman type of mask was taking a picture of her hand, perhaps a ring on her finger.

Now that they're in custody, perhaps we'll get some more information about that. But this call initially came in at about noon. It was lunch rush hour out here on the streets of New York.

[13:35:00]

One of these people, Alyssa Morales, you were here -- you were down here as I got out here, watching it all sort of unfold. What was going through your mind when you looked up and saw that flag and everything else?

ALYSSA MORALES, WITNESSED THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING INCIDENT: Well, first of all, I wanted to make sure that -- you know, they were free climbing, which is a little scary -- to make sure that they were OK. I saw the banner. I understand the message. If it is a proposal, I don't think that's a proposal I would want, but I commend them for using something personal to try to make a more global impact.

CARROLL: I see. I see. You know, you were standing around with a lot of other people. See a lot of crazy things in New York from time to time. How does this one rank?

MORALES: I think this ranks probably the top 10, but we just had the Knicks win a championship --

CARROLL: That's right.

MORALES: So a lot of craziness went on there. CARROLL: Yeah.

MORALES: So I think right now, in New York, you have to go to an extreme to try to top what's been going on in the last six weeks or so.

CARROLL: All right. Thank you very much, Mrs. Morales. I know you got a quick lunch break.

MORALES: Miss.

CARROLL: Miss, thank you for correcting me on that one. Have a good lunch. Thank you very much. So, again, the two who are on top of the Empire State Building, now in custody. And now there are going to be a lot of questions. How they were able to get up there? As you know, there's a huge observation deck on top of the Empire State Building, so one can imagine they went up there, sort of got in there with the rest of the tourists, and then made their ascent to the top of the antenna. Now that they're in custody, perhaps we'll get more information about the future nuptials. We'll see. Erica, back to you.

HILL: Yeah, certainly a lot of question about that. John Miller reporting earlier that some of the locks had been broken on one of the floors. Lots more details to come. Jason, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Still ahead here, the World Cup has certainly been fun. We know that. We're now hitting the serious stage though. We've made it to the knockout rounds tonight. Team USA now has to do something it has not accomplished in more than 20 years. That's next.

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[13:41:22]

SANCHEZ: Today is the first time in this World Cup that the U.S. men's national team faces potential elimination. It's win or go home. Team USA hits the pitch in a high-stakes knockout match against Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight. If they win, it would be the first World Cup knockout round win for the U.S. in 24 years. The match kicks off at 8 Eastern in Santa Clara, California.

Bosnia and Herzegovina fans are just as excited. The streets of Sarajevo are a sea of blue and yellow right now. Let's break down tonight's game with CBS Sports Golazo commentator, Chris Wittyngham.

Chris, great to see you. As always, appreciate you joining us. What should we be expecting from the U.S.? They are going in as the betting favorites.

CHRIS WITTYNGHAM, CBS SPORTS GOLAZO COMMENTATOR: Yeah, it's a rare situation for the U.S. First off, thank you for having me. And I do apologize if my eyes get wide during this interview. The England-D.R. Congo game is very stressful at the moment.

(LAUGH) WITTYNGHAM: But on the subject of the United States, I think it is kind of a fascinating situation. The U.S. has never gone into a game like this as such big favorites. Expecting to take the game to their opponent, I think this would be the case even if they weren't playing at home.

Based on what we've seen in the group stage, the U.S. is a good deal better than Bosnia-Herzegovina. And really this game is about delivering that. I guess what you've seen so far in these knockout rounds is teams that would have been expected to do just that at times struggling.

France dominated Sweden, but at the same time Germany lost to Paraguay on penalties. And England is currently struggling with D.R. Congo, a team that would be considered much better than. So it is about coming out in the first 15 to 20 minutes and setting the tone at the level that they've set the tone in previous matches, with intense pressing, with quality in the final third, and breaking down a low block.

Because what you will imagine in the game is that Bosnia is going to try and make it as long as possible. Take this 120 minutes, take this to penalties, find margins and try and frustrate the U.S. for the lion's share of the game. The most important thing for the U.S. is again to not get beat on the counterattack and start well in the match.

SANCHEZ: Is Christian Pulisic at a hundred percent? He's obviously the U.S. biggest star.

WITTYNGHAM: It's tough to know. It's tough to know because he did come on for 30 minutes in the game against Turkiye in the final game of the group stage, when they basically rested all of the starters and they brought a few of them on towards the end. He had a couple of bright moments, but with a few days more rest, maybe he is closer to a hundred percent.

The one thing with calf injuries is that it's very difficult to know. Calf injuries can rear their ugly head at any given moment. So you hope when you turn the game on, you see a level of burst of acceleration where he actually takes players on the dribble.

That is the number one thing that he showed, particularly in that opening match against Paraguay, was just a complete inability to be stopped by defenders because of how quick he was and how dynamic he was. Those are the sort of fine things that a slight injury can bother. So I am a little bit worried about that, but I think in the overall, he'll be good to go.

He'll definitely start the match and we'll see the level he can deliver in the game.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, we hope he's close to a hundred percent. We shall see. Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but soon to kick off is Belgium and Senegal. The U.S. would face the winner next week. If I recall correctly, the U.S. lost to Belgium a few cups ago. Are we cheering for Senegal today? WITTYNGHAM: Well, I think if you look at the sort of recent form, you're right. In 2014, the U.S. lost to the knockout stage in a crazy game where Tim Howard made 16 saves, but the U.S. still had a chance to win it at the very end with a chance for Chris Wondolowski. And then if you're just looking at the U.S., they've picked their opponents very well in the last year.

They played Australia, Turkiye and Paraguay in friendlies, and they've also played Belgium and Senegal in friendlies. They lost to Belgium by 5-2, but they beat Senegal in the build-up to this tournament. I think that would give you a measure of confidence.

[13:45:00]

The one difference between that game and this game, though, is that Senegal will be at full strength, and they weren't for that friendly. Ultimately, these games are their own thing. It's a World Cup knockout round stage. The game is going to be played in Seattle. We already saw the U.S. play in Seattle and they were absolutely fantastic against Australia.

The crowd is going to be right behind them. And I imagine the US playing at home will definitely expect to beat either of those teams. But that is the level that we're talking about with this U.S., is beating a proper team at a World Cup in the knockout round to get to the latter stages of the tournament, which they've only reached one time, as you mentioned, 2002, when they got to a quarterfinal and lost to Germany. They want to hit that level again.

And these are the kind of games where no matter the opponent, the U.S. is going to have to deliver in this tournament. Because when we talk about Spain, France, Argentina, England, whatever you want to say as the top contenders in this tournament, that's another level. But the U.S., I think, has to be able to beat every team below that level at this tournament. Otherwise, I guess, what was the point?

SANCHEZ: Yeah, got to make some progress. We hope the home field advantage plays out. And we look forward to this result between England and the DRC. Way tighter a game than we anticipated. Chris Wittyngham, we'll let you get back to that. Thanks so much.

WITTYNGHAM: Yeah, thanks, guys.

SANCHEZ: Of course. So just moments ago, President Trump wrapped up a Freedom 250 train ride out in North Dakota. These are the images. We're there live as he celebrates the opening of the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library. Stay with us.

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[13:50:59]

HILL: We have Breaking News into CNN. The U.S. Navy is now searching for a crew member after a helicopter had to make an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea. Haley Britsky has more of these details for us. So just one crew member that is being searched for at this moment?

HALEY BRITSKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, that's right, Erica. So three of the four have been successfully recovered and are, as they say, in stable condition aboard the USS George H.W. Bush. And so we still don't know exactly why the helicopter went down.

It says it's under investigation. It had to conduct an emergency water landing. What that means and what exactly occurred, we're still waiting to find out.

But it is a good reminder, you know, amid these negotiations, amid these conversations happening in Doha right now, between the U.S. and Iran, there are still so many service members who are in the region who are continuing to do their jobs. So certainly, hoping that they find this air crew member quickly and safely.

HILL: Yeah. Absolutely. And we know you'll keep us posted on any of those developments. But again, as you too point out, also important to note three of the four rescued successfully, which is important. All right, as they search for the other one, Haley, thank you.

Red, white, and perhaps a little something blue. Just ahead here, everything we know about the holiday wedding weekend for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

We're live outside Madison Square Garden, where there are more and more clues pointing to the "I do's."

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[13:56:45]

HILL: The excitement surrounding America's 250th birthday this weekend may be taking a backseat to another big event, Taylor Swift's wedding.

Sources telling CNN the pop superstar and Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, are preparing to tie the knot in New York City at Madison Square Garden. The festivities could begin as soon as tomorrow. CNN's Brynn Gingras is outside MSG right now with more of the details.

And I understand, my friend, that Taylor's plane landed in the New York area recently.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, not too far away, Erica. We're getting all these little Easter eggs all around us, trying to put together what exactly is going on. Of course, a source has confirmed that there is a celebration that is about to take place between Travis and Taylor beginning tomorrow.

As you mentioned, a rehearsal is what it is being called. Expected to have 100 guests and the New York Times actually reporting it's inside the theater of Madison Square Garden and that will be followed by, on Friday, the big celebration inside the arena.

There are reports it's going to be somewhat of a giant garden party with a thousand guests beginning at 4 p.m. rather going to 4 a.m. on July 4. So quite the celebration. And Erica, we are getting just little clues as we sit out here outside of Madison Square Garden. We've been seeing all morning, all these flatbed trucks, tractor trailers arriving to the entrance of Madison Square Garden and hauling in tons of equipment.

It looks like, you know, maybe tree branches, props. Again, I'm just speculating here that this all has to do with the wedding, but it is certainly fun to kind of get maybe some tidbits of what possibly is happening inside. And if you had any question, Erica, which I'm sure you do because you have friends and everybody's been asking me this question, why would the person who can get married anywhere in this entire world get married at Madison Square Garden? Well, we are seeing why.

Because it is so secure. They have even put down a black tarp to the entrance of the loading dock so we don't get a look at really anything that's going on. And security, of course, it is top notch. They're going to be putting up tents so that the A-list friends don't get any -- you know, get any coverage where paparazzi can take a picture of them.

There are no windows to Madison Square Garden. So there's a lot of reasons why this is going to be a top secret wedding. We're hearing it's a black tie affair. We're hearing no phones, no cameras are going to be allowed. But yeah, quite the celebration in the middle of Manhattan only on the most hot days that we've had all summer yet. Only on the World Cup celebrations, only on America's 250th birthday. They've picked quite a time.

But you know what? No one seems to mind. The people are getting pretty excited and coming down here just to kind of get a look at what might be happening, guys.

HILL: Yeah, a nice quiet vibe for them, I guess, in the city as they enter this new era. Brynn, appreciate it. Thank you.

A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

SANCHEZ: A stunning sight in New York. Two people climbing to the top of the Empire State Building, pausing for what appeared to be an engagement on the way down. Police in New York not very amused.

Plus, a profitable presidency, a new disclosure showing that President Trump pulled in at least $2 billion since returning to the White House. The Trump family's holdings, especially in crypto, extremely lucrative. We'll --