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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Is Interviewed About The Fourth Of July; Polls On Founding Fathers Favorability; American's Traveling Over Fourth Weekend. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 03, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:31:36]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, I'm John Berman here in Boston as part of CNN's special coverage for America's 250 years of independence.

Tonight, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, they count down to midnight for an historic ball drop honoring the nation's birthday. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on CNN, or you can stream it on the CNN app. That's tonight.

And then tomorrow, oh, we have everything. Coverage starting at noon across the nation. Anderson will be back live here in Boston with Pamela Brown. They're going to be -- I can see where they're going to be at the Hatch Shell in the Esplanade here. There is no better place to honor the birth of this nation than Boston, Massachusetts. Really the birthplace of the American Revolution, 251 years since we showed the rest of the country how to do it.

With me here in Boston is the mayor, Michelle Wu.

It's great to see you.

MAYOR MICHELLE WU (D), BOSTON: Nice to see you. Welcome home.

BERMAN: Thank you so much for hosting CNN here for the celebration, first of all. I think people will realize how cool the Boston Pops and the Esplanade and the whole Boston Fourth of July thing is here.

And as you told me, you know, Boston does red, white and blue pretty well, yes.

WU: We're all decked out for the occasion. It's been flowing from an amazing World Cup run into the 250th. And this is the birthplace of our democracy in America. It's also a home for everyone where we continue to live out true American values, taking care of your neighbor, standing up for what's right, and being a home for everyone.

BERMAN: You mentioned the World Cup. Has Boston recovered from all the Scots being here and then leaving?

WU: We have restocked the beer in our bars. We definitely miss the Tartan Army, but we've continued to welcome all different visitors and cultures and communities. And, you know, we get to show off a beautiful, welcoming, family friendly city that we enjoy every day of the year and to share that with so many people from around the world.

BERMAN: So, we're right on the banks of the Charles River here, and we're getting a nice breeze, which is making TV difficult, but thank goodness because it's cooling us off here.

The heat's been a thing here. How are you dealing with that?

WU: Yes, three days of heat emergency. Heat index well into the hundred -- triple digits. And so, we have cooling centers out. We've shifted many of our watch parties indoors into large venues. It's been pushing out the word so that people can be prepared, stay hydrated, take care of each other. And so far so good. But it's going to make for a very hot Fourth of July.

BERMAN: Yes, you'll be with all your friends. The good news is, is you'll be sweating, but you'll be among friends, which is -- which is OK. And I understand here at the Esplanade especially, they're saying, you know, come a little later than usual. You don't need to be standing out here for eight hours before the concert starts.

When we think about America, we think about 250 years, you know, what can we learn from Boston in all -- all the great things that have happened here, but also all the struggles.

WU: We have so much history around Boston. You walk around anywhere, you can see the red bricks that revolutionaries first walked on, and the same buildings and pieces of monuments and memorials. But how we interpret history here is that we were often the first to do something for the public good, because we decided to innovate and take that chance that if we wanted a better future we would have to do it together. First public school. First public library. First public parks anywhere in the country because we decided to take care of people in our community now and far into the future.

BERMAN: First public boating club. The community boating club here right behind us here. I mean really the first of everything, no matter -- no matter where you go.

[09:35:03]

It really is spectacular.

Look, there's a lot going on in the country right now. The heat wave. America 250. All the politics out there. But I do think the thing that on top of anyone's mind when they're talking about Boston now is how on earth the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown. Do you have any explanation for that?

WU: I'm still reeling a little bit. Jaylen was not just a leader on the court, he really grew into a leader in our city. He would show up unannounced to basketball tournaments in the park, come to our schools, help create programs for entrepreneurs and students to reach their dreams. And so, I think we're all processing still. And he's been an incredible member of our community. He will always be a Bostonian. And Boston loves Jaylen. We always will.

BERMAN: You look deeply hurt by this. You look as hurt as I think I was.

WU: I am grieving. I am grieving.

BERMAN: You can't stop it as mayor? There's no mayoral decree? You can't make it go away?

WU: I may try to talk to the governor about this. We might need to team up.

BERMAN: OK, so tomorrow is the Fourth here. What are you going to be doing throughout the day?

WU: We have a packed agenda. It starts early in the morning with a parade kicking off from city hall plaza and stopping by some of the major sites and the final resting place of Sam Adams and many of our founders, over to the old state house, where the Declaration of Independence will be read from the very balcony that it was first read from when it was -- just after it was signed. Two hundred and fifty years in a row it has been delivered on this day from that location. And then we'll have a Faneuil Hall Oration at Faneuil Hall, and then start getting ready for the festivities on the -- on the Esplanade.

BERMAN: As you said, we do red, white and blue right here.

Mayor Wu, thank you so much for hosting us. It's great to see you in person.

WU: Thank you.

BERMAN: Happy Fourth.

WU: Happy Independence Day.

BERMAN: All right, it is super exciting to be here. As I said, I'm on the banks of the River Charles, my favorite dirty water in the world, which isn't even that dirty anymore. But there is the Reflecting Pool in Washington if you want a little water that's some dirty there. A former Olympian is now up on federal charges for allegedly vandalizing it. No clear answers about how to make the water blue again.

Plus, find out what happens when an American farmer is told he cannot sell his harvest. What do you do with 125 -- I think it's like 1,000 pounds of nectarines.

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[09:41:59]

SIDNER: This holiday weekend is, of course, an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends, like we'd like to do, but also time to reflect on our nation's history and how we got to this point in time. That includes reflecting on America's founding fathers.

So, how do Americans feel about them? Not that they knew them, just to be clear.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Oh, whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, I was dear friends with Benjamin Franklin back in 1776.

SIDNER: Oh, my God.

ENTEN: Here, toss me that hat. Here we go.

SIDNER: Sure.

ENTEN: There we go.

SIDNER: Please. Please, Harry.

ENTEN: Here we go.

SIDNER: Tell us more about your relationship with Benjamin Franklin, which, by the way, we talked to one of his descendants this week.

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: And she was incredibly insightful.

ENTEN: I don't know why you talk to the descendants. She never -- it's clear she never met him.

SIDNER: I could have talked to --

ENTEN: I met Benjamin Franklin back in 1776.

SIDNER: You know what, he probably did, by the way?

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: At least he knows a lot about him.

All right, so who are the faves? Who's the favorite? And who does America love the most?

ENTEN: Well, you know, I keep mentioning Benjamin Franklin. And there's a reason why.

SIDNER: Oh, I get it.

ENTEN: There's a reason why. Look at this.

SIDNER: Wow.

ENTEN: Founding fathers net favorability rating. Benjamin Franklin taking the cake. Look at that, at plus 75 points. Even beats George Washington at plus 68 points. And then, of course, you get Tommy Jefferson over here at plus 60 points. And I will note here, my dear friends, I got a nice $2 bill. I love $2 bills. There we go right there.

SIDNER: Yes.

ENTEN: Right on your screen right there. So, I'm a big fan of the $2 bill, in part because, you know, Tommy Jefferson, plus 60 points. That's pretty good.

SIDNER: What -- I'm sorry, when did he become Tommy to you? Like, one of your cousins? Like, what is --

ENTEN: Again, again, if you knew him back in the day you called him Tommy. That's what we're talking about, Sara.

SIDNER: Get out of here.

All right, what do they think of the Declaration of Independence? This one -- I mean, I'm going to make some guesses, but how do Americans feel about our Declaration of Independence?

ENTEN: You know, this is a positive segment, Sara Sidner.

SIDNER: It is.

ENTEN: This is a positive segment we're talking about in my relationships.

SIDNER: It should be.

ENTEN: And I remember when they signed the Declaration of Independence back then.

SIDNER: Yes.

ENTEN: You know, being an American means believing in the Declaration of Independence. This brings Democrats and Republicans together. Look at this, 90 percent of Democrats agree with that. Ninety-six percent of Republicans. And our divided times, what we can agree upon is we love the founding fathers, and we love the document that they signed, you know, nearly 250 years ago with 250 years ago tomorrow it becomes official.

SIDNER: OK, which revolutionary figure are Americans not so hot on? And this one you could easily guess if you know a single thing. It's like used as a -- the word slur is probably not the right thing, but it's used as a negative when the name is said.

ENTEN: You know, I knew back in 1776 that Benedict was up to no good. If only they had listened to me.

SIDNER: Sure.

ENTEN: If only they had listened to me.

Look at this, Benedict Arnold, net favorability, 38 points underwater.

SIDNER: Yikes.

ENTEN: We do not like traitors in this country, OK? We don't like traitors like Benedict Arnold. Benedict Arnold, no good. We hate him. Thirty-eight points underwater. The least popular figure polled for a good reason. Benedict Arnold, get the heck out of here. We kick you out of here.

SIDNER: Wow. Wow. He's kind of getting crazy here. I'm a little concerned.

Let's get back to happy maybe.

ENTEN: Happy. I like happy.

SIDNER: What are the prediction markets saying about whether or not we'll stay dry in the founding cities?

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: Because what we do know is --

ENTEN: Yes.

SIDNER: It's going to be dangerously hot.

ENTEN: Hot.

[09:45:00]

So, this might be the rare time in which we actually like rain. OK, the chance of rain in East Coast cities.

SIDNER: Oh.

ENTEN: Chance of rain on July 4th. Philadelphia, 85 percent chance, 77 percent chance here in New York City. It will cool you down tomorrow, Sara Sidner.

SIDNER: Thank goodness.

ENTEN: And Johnny B. up in Boston, 74 percent chance of rain. So, yes, record heat this weekend. We'll actually welcome the rain. It seems like a better chance than not according to the Kalshi prediction market that we will see some rain tomorrow. Maybe cool us down just a little bit.

SIDNER: Johnny B. in beantown is getting the best chance -- or getting the best chance of nice --

ENTEN: Not at night.

SIDNER: A nice little rain. A little rain.

ENTEN: Yes, there you go.

SIDNER: Oh, it's going to be nice.

ENTEN: No --

SIDNER: Oh, I'm going to write all over it.

ENTEN: Yes, write all over it. There you go. Hold on. We'll do a little -- you know, a little red. A little red for you. A little white for you. And then a little blue for you right there.

SIDNER: Oh, that's so cute.

ENTEN: There you go.

SIDNER: That's so smart. As a founding father's cousin --

ENTEN: Thank you.

SIDNER: I'd like to thank you for coming on today. Appreciate it.

ENTEN: You know, Benjamin Franklin, big fan of this segment.

SIDNER: Good times. Harry Enten, you're a mess.

A lot of news. We'll be right back.

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[09:50:28]

BERMAN: All right, John Berman here in Boston. You can feel the excitement building for CNN's special coverage of the Fourth of July. America's 250th birthday.

I'm going to be staying here in Boston for the entire festivities. But if you need to travel before tomorrow, know you're going to be in big company here. A record 72 million Americans hitting the roads or skies for the holiday. Three million Americans went through TSA screenings yesterday alone. The heat could be a little bit of an issue over the next day or so.

Let's get right to CNN's Ryan Young at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.

I love your shirt, first of all, Ryan, there. What do you see?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, I love this. Look, so many people are traveling, getting ready for the Fourth. People are excited about this.

You talk about the folks on the road. Let's start there, first of all. We're talking about more than 60 people on the road. Plan early, especially when it comes to gassing up. That's one of the things. We've been talking to some folks at some gas stations across the country who have actually been saying they've seen some backup later on in the afternoon time. And that was two days ago. Speaking with someone who was a manager at one of the local gas stations here, they said that was the real backup in terms of the afternoon time.

But here at the airport, of course, that's the big story when you think about all the travel in terms of people being backed up. Wait times right now, they're not even here, John. Look at that. They're below three minutes here at this airport. We've been looking at airports across the country. We've seen those numbers not more than ten minutes, so that's good news so far. Most of the folks we talked to, pretty excited to get out and travel around the Fourth.

We're told the big day here was Tuesday and Wednesday. Of course, there was a World Cup match in town, so you had a lot of people who were traveling through to enjoy the World Cup.

Right now, the folks that we've talked to mostly here have been excited about getting to family across this country, getting ready to celebrate the Fourth. Take a listen to some of the travelers we talked to, and even one famous person that we talked to before they got on their plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SMOLTZ, FORMER MLB PITCHER: Well, the timing couldn't be better, right?

YOUNG: Yes.

SMOLTZ: I mean, everything about sports is -- it's my life. I lived it. I get to broadcast now. And getting to watch the U.S. soccer team is -- the timing's perfect. And hopefully they can keep going.

ASHLEY CALDWELL, TAKING A CRUISE FOR FOURTH OF July: We have outfits for our cruise. We are watching on, what day, Monday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Monday, yes.

CALDWELL: And then Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

YOUNG: Oh, so you leave Friday.

CALDWELL: Yes, Friday. All the way.

YOUNG: I love it. I love it.

CALDWELL: Friday's happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: John, look, a lot of people are talking about Fourth of July 250. Can't wait to watch us later. But a lot of talk about the World Cup and people excited about the fact that Team USA is playing so well. So, Monday, a big day, obviously. We've talked to a lot of international travelers who came into town for the World Cup as well.

John, you love the excitement. You love the fact that so many people are still traveling and they're not concerned about the gas prices. One person told me that they're spending more money this year flying, but you understand why ticket prices are higher based upon the fact that gas is higher as well. But no security lines, so they're not upset just yet.

BERMAN: I love the fact that you talked to John Smoltz. By the way, who did play for the Boston Red Sox for a season. Everyone says, oh, Atlanta Braves. No great Boston Red Sox, John Smoltz there.

YOUNG: Yes, but he's really a Braves guy. He's a Braves guy.

BERMAN: Ryan Young. Take your pick. Ryan, great to see you. Hope you have a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

YOUNG: Same.

BERMAN: And Sara Sidner, back in New York, you've got big plans for tomorrow.

SIDNER: I do. I do.

BERMAN: I understand, Sara, you're going to be climbing to the top of the Empire State Building.

SIDNER: Not like those two jokers that did that this week. No, not like that. But we are going to be at the top of the -- I'm just going to put this on because I think -- I feel like it's relevant -- at the top of the Empire State Building. Me and Victor Blackwell are going to do a lot of coverage from there. You, John, aren't you scavenging? You're like hunting for clues. What are you hunting for in Boston?

BERMAN: Yes. So, I actually only have kind of a partial picture of what I'm doing tomorrow. I'm going on a scavenger hunt through Boston, and I don't have any of the details because it's mostly all a surprise. We're calling it "Red, White and Clue." And I'm going to be giving clues throughout the day, and I'm going to have to go find things that have to do with Boston's revolutionary history. Of course, America's revolutionary history. And I bet you it's going to be super exciting. I'm hoping that I know at least most of the answers. And if I don't, you know, at least I hope my hair looks good.

SIDNER: It looks good now, but it won't look good when you have to dive in for the Boston Tea Party. That I'm concerned about, in case they put it in Boston Harbor.

[09:55:02]

BERMAN: Right.

SIDNER: That could be a problem.

Let's just bring Ryan up real quick.

Ryan, what I need you to do for this Fourth of July is show me your guns, because I know you got them. And we want to see that red, white and blue shirt. I said what I said. Don't look at me like that. I said what I said. The public needs to see what's going on.

YOUNG: Look. Look. No, look --

SIDNER: Let's see it. Yes, that's what I'm talking about. Come on, don't be afraid.

YOUNG: So, this is my Dempsy -- this is my -- this is World Cup. We're ready for it. But you can't call someone out like that.

SIDNER: Yes.

YOUNG: No, there's no way. I love it.

SIDNER: I mean, y'all into judo. Come on. Get out of here. Like, you --

YOUNG: See, you got people coming by, screaming at us. It's awesome. It's all about the USA. We love it. Team USA. We're hoping for a win on Monday.

SIDNER: I love it. I love it. We can't wait. John Berman, I think, is the number one fan for Team USA and for this Independence Day 250 years. You're going to be seeing him scavenge all over the place. "The Independence Eve" show starts tonight, 8 p.m. Eastern. And then we're going to start coverage all over again at noon tomorrow. It's going to be a blast. Please join us. We are going to have a really good time. You're going to see the stars, the fireworks and everything and, of course, Anderson Cooper and the rest of us hanging out for your pleasure.

Thank you so much for joining us. This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" is up next.

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