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New Polan to Keep Reflecting Pool Clean; Trump's Crypto Profits; Reenactor Brings John Adams to Life at Historic Homestead; Gas Prices Drop as Millions Hit the Road. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 03, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Severe thunderstorms today, stretching from the Midwest all the way over to the Atlantic Ocean. But you also have another round of it again on Saturday. That stretching from Colorado all the way over through New Jersey. So, you've got several different days here of not just the extreme heat, but also those thunderstorms.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Woo, a lot to pay attention to for people who want to celebrate. If you can't get outside, stay inside. Don't worry, we're going to bring it all to you live really starting now through tonight and tomorrow.

I will say, where I'm standing right now, it's pretty cool because I'm right here on the banks of the Charles River, the beautiful Charles River. One of my favorite songs is called "Dirty Water." It's about how dirty the Charles and Boston Harbor over there used to be. They're not so dirty anymore. They've been cleaned up.

But there is one small body of water that is pretty dirty this morning. We're talking about the Reflecting Pool, again, in front of the Lincoln Memorial. And the White House is looking for someone willing to help clean up what they're calling a slick and nasty mess there.

Plus, a suspect caught moments after his car -- well, no, I don't really know what happened here. A suspect gets his car stolen after police say he robbed a store.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:47]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, the Interior Department is launching a new plan to keep the iconic Reflecting Pool clean after it was restored and repaired for the second time this year. Federal officials are looking to hire a contractor for the pool's long-term daily maintenance. The pool has been plagued by multiple issues, including growing algae turning the water green, the pools bottom chipping off and allegations of vandalism by people, including an ex- Olympian, who has now been indicted but denies vandalizing the pool.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty joins us now.

Sunlen, what can you tell us about this new plan, which inevitably is going to cost the taxpayers more money?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It certainly will, Sara, and we don't know the extent of how much this new plan will cost, but this is notable because it really shows the daily maintenance, the high daily maintenance that is going to be necessary at the Reflecting Pool after that second round of restoration happens after the July 4th holiday.

Now, these were documents that we viewed that were posted by the Department of Interior, essentially seeking out a contractor to take on the daily maintenance of the work after the restoration. And it really outlines a very wide scope that is necessary. The onsite contractor, they want to manually remove debris, including animal droppings and leaves in and around the pool on a daily basis, reporting any dead animals in the vicinity. They also -- the documents also show that the contractor would clean filters, skimmers, remove debris, pollen and sludge, they say, daily from the pool. They would also manually disinfect the pool on a needed basis and would be in charge of the pool being drained on an annual basis for two weeks. That would happen between February and March. That time, they said, is for cleaning and inspection.

During that time, this was notable in these -- in these documents, the -- it notes several issues, Sara, that could arise when the contractor would be draining the pool, saying that the materials at the bottom of the pool would be slick and nasty and is a combination, they say, of wet leaves, duck and bird droppings. And they say, quote, "for respiratory safety reasons, this material should never be allowed to dry, allowing it to dry, because it makes it an airborne problem."

So again, all of this underscores that when the Reflecting Pool is restored after this next round of renovations, on a daily basis, this still will be a very high challenge for the Department of Interior and the Trump administration to maintain.

Sara.

SIDNER: This has been the talk of the town for quite a bit here.

Sunlen Serfaty, thank you so much for all of your reporting.

All right, President Trump is defending the massive profits revealed in his latest required financial disclosure. Through crypto, real estate, legal payouts and other businesses, the president made $2 billion, yes, with a "b," dollars in his first year back in the White House. In an interview with CNBC, the president says he's followed the law by having his adult children oversee his personal finances. And he was also quick to defend his own children's business dealings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I feel badly, in a way, for my kids because every time my kids do -- if they invest in a stock or if they go and do a bill, anything they do, because the presidency is so powerful, so big, everything --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

TRUMP: If they buy a cupcake company, well, the energy to make the cupcakes is, you know, sort of like, how's my energy policy? So, therefore you have a conflict. Almost anything they do, if they want to buy a truck, if they want to buy, you know, if they buy an energy efficient truck, they have inside information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Joining us now, CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein, also senior contributor for "Axios," Margaret Talev.

All right, let's just get some reaction to what we've been hearing from President Trump defending making $2 billion his first time back in office, his first year back in office. First to you, Ron, is there any precedent for this? Because all presidents have to make these disclosures once a year. Have we ever seen a president make this much money in their first year, or even their whole four years?

[08:40:08]

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Oh, this is, you know, we're talking like galaxies away from anything that we've ever seen before. I mean presidents historically have been extremely scrupulous about avoiding any even appearance of conflict of interest. And here we have a president who is going to kind of unashamedly barreling through all of that.

You know, I -- Sara, Democrats and kind of government reformers have been frustrated that the general message that Trump is a threat to democracy has not resonated with more voters. But corruption is something very different. I mean there is a sense that this does, in fact, reach a lot of Americans and concern a lot of Americans around the conclusion that you elected Trump to solve your cost of living problems and really what he's focused on is enriching himself and his family and his allies.

And I do think this is -- this is definitely in a different category than many of the arguments about his behavior in office, in terms of its potential political impact.

SIDNER: Margaret, how do you see this being a potential impact? Now, obviously, the president has said, look, I've done nothing wrong. I'm a businessman. This is how -- this is how I got into office, as a businessman. Nothing to see here.

OK, I don't think that we have Margaret's audio right now unless that's just me.

So, what we're going to do is, we're going to go to Ron and ask a few more questions.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

SIDNER: When it comes to this --

BROWNSTEIN: Can I -- can I respond to that, Sara, because --

SIDNER: Sure. Sure. Sure. Of course.

BROWNSTEIN: To your question? Because there are direct impacts, right? I mean it's not as if President Trump is simply making money. It is that he is making money with interests and -- from constituencies, you know, and businesses that have direct business with the federal government. I mean, he's making a lot of money in crypto and deregulating crypto and ending federal enforcement against, you know, interests in this -- in this area. It is not as if, you know, the way he is presenting it is, well, the stock market's going up and I am doing well. No, he is getting a lot of money from interest from foreign governments, I mean, you know, in terms of crypto investment that have direct interests in front of the federal government. And you -- and you do see -- I mean really the theory here, I think, is that if you make this big enough, it just becomes overwhelming for people.

You think about, in the past, what presidents have done to try to avoid much more minimal appearances of conflict of interest.

SIDNER: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: And here, I think, the gamble is the opposite. If it's just, you know, if you drop a house on somebody, they don't notice whether the back door was open, that kind of thing.

SIDNER: It's fair. And look, there was a lot of criticism of Hunter Biden from this administration and from others where there were real questions about how he made money. And now that money is surpassed a million-fold, literally, when you start talking about what is happening with the Trump administration and his children in particular,

I do want to ask you, Margaret, the president once said that crypto was a scam, and he didn't like it when he was talking about bitcoin back in the day. He didn't like it because it comes up against the dollar. And now he's way into it. What changed?

MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, "AXIOS": His business plan. It's been extremely profitable for him. But, unfortunately, for a lot of the people who invested in it, the value collapsed. And so, the money that he has made, in many cases, is on the back of core supporters who believed in a product because his name was attached to it.

So, I think, you know, you'd asked earlier, like, where is all this going? And I think it --

SIDNER: Yes.

TALEV: IT does depend on what happens in the midterm elections. Democrats are already coming up with lists and plans for what, you know, you can't investigate everything. What would you investigate? What would you go after? I think enrichment of oneself and ones family through holding the

office ranks up there among the topics they'd like to delve into. But I think President Trump is thinking, if he can hang on to one or two chambers, but even one would probably help him quite a bit of Congress in the midterm elections. And he's hopeful that the push by progressive or Democratic socialists in the Democratic Party will help him. He's just doubling down on the bet. And he doesn't think his own party, and there's no reason to believe his own party is going to hold him accountable for what is certainly the departure of a norm from the way presidents, you know, juggle personal enrichment and leadership of the country during the time they're in office.

[08:45:02]

SIDNER: Yes, look, there's always a money trail that can be followed, and there are some speculating that, look, this SAVE America Act, this push for this is to try and hold on to one or both of the chambers in order for there not to be investigations if Democrats come into power into something specifically like this, where you could actually look at documentation.

We will see what happens here. Again, the president saying he did nothing wrong. We'll see how this all plays out in the public arena.

Ron Brownstein, it's wonderful to have you, and, Margaret Talev, you as well. Thank you for being here on this holiday weekend with us.

John.

BERMAN: All right, I am here in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of CNN's special coverage for all the Fourth of July celebrations. It begins with Anderson and Andy tonight at eight. And then we have coverage all day tomorrow.

Now, I want to let you in on a little sort of inside joke at CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We have the best bookers on planet earth, Maria Nija (ph) and others. And I like to torment them with literally impossible requests. So, since I was coming to Boston for the Fourth of July, I would ask them a question like, hey, I'm going to be in Boston, can you book me John Adams, right? Literally an impossible request because John Adams has been dead for exactly 200 years. But you know what? They did it anyway. With me now is the second president of the United States, the honorable John Adams.

MICHAEL LEPAGE, JOHN ADAMS REENACTOR: Oh, sir, thank you.

BERMAN: It's great to see you.

LEPAGE: Most kind to be -- of you to invite me on this, what shall I call it, a program?

BERMAN: So, I want to clear something up here because you were adamant that independence was actually July 2nd, and that would be the day that would be celebrated for all time. So, why July 2nd?

LEPAGE: Well, that was the day we finally had the unanimous vote. We had voted the day before on July 1st, after we had discussion of whether we were going to vote for it, because John Dickinson of Pennsylvania thought it was too soon, and he gave his last attempt to have us wait, and I replied immediately after him that now was the time. And lucky for you, I will not speak the two hours that I spoke that day.

But the next day votes were changed. He and Robert Morris abstained in Pennsylvania. Caesar Rodney arrived in the nick of time to change the vote in Delaware. And though New York had to abstain and approve later, by the end of it, even South Carolina and Georgia voted for independence. So, I was ecstatic.

BERMAN: On July 2nd?

LEPAGE: On July 2nd. So, I went home. I wrote to my dear Mrs. Adams on July 3rd. Among other things in that letter, I wrote that July 2nd would be an apoca (ph) of American history. And it should be celebrated with pomp and games and shows and parades and all sorts of illuminations. And I thought it would be July 2nd. But, of course, we had to do some editing in the days that followed, and President Hancock had to sign it on the Fourth.

BERMAN: So, you were wrong about the day. You were right about how it would be celebrated for time to come.

You mentioned Abigail.

LEPAGE: I did.

BERMAN: Your beloved wife. Now everyone looks at your marriage as, you know, the example of a perfect marriage, right? But here's the thing, you guys were like never together. You know, you spent a third of your marriage apart. So, is that the -- is that the secret to a good marriage?

LEPAGE: The secret for us was always being plain when speaking to each other. And though we were apart, we wrote voluminous letters to each other about what we were thinking. She asking what was happening in Philadelphia or Europe, wherever I was, and I telling her as much as I could, and me always asking what was happening at home with her and the children and the farm and our friends.

BERMAN: Yes.

Mr. President, last question here. You know, we're celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country, but it's also the 200th anniversary tomorrow of your death, right? You died on July 4, 2026, yes.

LEPAGE: Well, I stand before you, do I not, sir.

BERMAN: I mean 1826. Yes.

LEPAGE: Well, I stand before you today, do I not? But if I were going to choose a day in which to leave this earth, that would be the day I would choose. And would it not be wonderful indeed, now that Mr. Jefferson and I are friends once again, what if we should pass on the same day.

BERMAN: Well produced, as we like to say in the TV biz.

John Adams, Michael LePage, I should say, you are wonderful. You've been busy, I think, the last few days. Yesterday in Quincy (ph). Today going back again to more festivals. You're great. Thank you very much.

LEPAGE: Thank you.

BERMAN: Mr. President, it's an honor.

LEPAGE: Thank you for having me.

[08:50:01]

BERMAN: Don't forget, we're kicking off the celebrations today. Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper host "Independence Eve" tonight starting at eight. Let's see if they have any of the founding fathers on their show like we did here on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

And tomorrow "The Fourth in America" starts at noon on CNN and the CNN app. We've got so much to offer from all over the country. You will not want to miss it, despite the weather, which has been a challenge and will be a challenge tomorrow on that.

The extreme heat causing some scary moments before a baseball game. A player jumping in to help a child.

Plus, CNN getting an inside look at the country's newest presidential center.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: All right, on our radar for you, scary moments for some performers who were rehearsing for Fourth of July events in D.C. A part of the outdoor stage they were dancing on came crashing down and landed inches -- look at that -- from them. Goodness. Video of the incident shows some of the dancers ducking out of the way as a large section of the structure fell from the ceiling or roof thing above them.

[08:55:08]

A spokesperson for Freedom 250, that's the Trump Freedom 250, told CNN everyone's safe and additional safeguards are now in place.

In Maryland, police say a man accused of breaking into a store had his own car stolen while he was inside the shop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Truck. Oh my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not a -- that's kind of some karma (EXPLETIVE DELETED) right there, ain't it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I left it -- well, I left the keys in it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's -- yes, that's some karma (EXPLETIVE DELETED) right there, dude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: And he's not wrong. That's some karma for you. Investigators say the suspect drove to the store, but when he came back out, the vehicle had been stolen. Police connected him to the store robbery through surveillance video and then arrested him. Now he's facing charges and he doesn't have a car.

All right, now to some good news about the little boy who fainted in the heat during the national anthem at a minor league baseball game this week. The Saint Paul Saints posted that Lincoln doing great and even got some new team swag. As the anthem was playing, Lincoln started to stumble. Then outfielder Walker Jenkins caught him and sweetly, there he goes, poor little guy, oh my goodness, and then carried him to the team's dugout. He's going to be OK.

All right, this morning, Americans across the country are getting ready to celebrate our 250th birthday. A record 7.0 -- 72.2, not to be confused with 7.2, 72 million people are expected to travel this holiday weekend. Most people, just over 61 million, they're going to drive. And the good news for drivers is that gas prices are falling. The national average now sits at $3.82 a gallon for regular, eight cents lower than just a week ago.

Joining me now is Aixa Diaz. She's the national spokesperson for AAA.

OK, so gas prices are down. They're lower than the high of $4.50 a gallon. They're still higher than they were before the war with Iran. What do you expect? Is this going to be a record-breaking year for sure this year, you think?

AIXA DIAZ, NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, AAA: Well, for travel for sure, Sara. And what we're seeing is the numbers are big, not only on the roads but also in the skies. TSA and FAA have also warned that it's going to be a record breaker.

Seventy-two million Americans are projected to travel domestically. That doesn't even include people who are traveling internationally. And like you mentioned, most people drive because it's the most convenient way and cheapest way to travel because even though gas prices have been higher than last year, for most people it's cheaper to fill up once or twice along your trip than to buy multiple plane tickets if you're traveling with family and friends.

Gas prices have come down considerably over the past month. We peaked in the spring in late May, and they've been coming down. They're still higher than last year, but drivers are getting a bit of relief.

SIDNER: All right. So, is there a specific time or an area of time, when is the better time to get into the car and start going? I suspect that time is already over, this morning. DIAZ: Well, if you leave right now or in the next 30 minutes, this is

the window that's preferable, because what happens is, once you hit lunchtime, that's when traffic really builds.

SIDNER: Oh.

DIAZ: A lot of people are off from work today, but those who aren't may try to be leaving early. So, there might be a mix of commuters and travelers on the roads this afternoon. And tomorrow's going to be busy all day because on Saturday, on July 4th itself, you've got people driving to the beach, the pool, parades, and then the fireworks at night. So, expect higher than normal traffic for a holiday.

And then you've got the Sunday coming back. You want to leave as early as possible because a lot of people are going to be hitting the road, and the airports are going to be packed.

SIDNER: It's so hard to leave early that Sunday. You're filled with barbecue. You're slow. You're hot. Like, nobody wants to get up early on a Sunday.

DIAZ: I know.

SIDNER: That's why there's so much traffic in the afternoon, Aixa.

DIAZ: Exactly.

SIDNER: Lastly --

DIAZ: I know. But that's why you want to be the smart one and do it.

SIDNER: All right. Listen, we're going to -- we're going to try, but it's going to be hard.

Lastly, I do want to ask you about flights. And they're really expensive, but it seems people are using those credit cards, right?

DIAZ: Yes. I mean people are still booking flights. And you travel, you go to any airport, they're packed. So, people are still willing to pay $500, $600, $800 for a domestic round trip ticket.

I think for many people, especially for July 4th, it's surrounded with tradition. People have annual traditions with their families and friends. They want to go on these trips. And, you know, John is in Boston. That's one of our AAA top ten destinations for the July 4th holiday. And also Seattle and Alaska, because Alaska cruises are very popular this year. So, most people, if they don't live in the Pacific Northwest, they have to fly to Seattle.

SIDNER: Dublin, Ireland, for international also a big one.

[09:00:00]

We had several gentlemen here who work behind the scenes. They like to keep hidden. Don't know why. But they just got back from Ireland. They had the best time.