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At Least Four Dead In Kentucky Floods, State Of Emergency Declared; Venezuela Quakes Death Toll Hits 1,450, Thousands Still Missing; Supreme Court Set To Weigh in On Mail-in Voting, Birthright Citizenship. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired June 28, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

DR. SAM VONG, CURATOR OF ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN (APA) HISTORY IN THE DIVISION OF WORK AND INDUSTRY AT THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY: The story isn't about just one immigrant community, it is about how the U.S. became the nation it is today.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Dr. Sam Vong, glad to be with us. I mean, it really sounds so fascinating and really a must-see exhibit. Thank you so much.

VONG: Thank you.

[15:00:27]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WHITFIELD: All right, hello again, everyone! Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I am Fredricka Whitfield, and we start this hour with breaking news on the severe flooding in Kentucky.

Officials say, at least four people have died, including a man and woman who drowned inside their flooded home and a driver also killed after being swept away in the flood waters. Search and rescue efforts continue after the heavy rains washed out bridges and blocked roads, and some areas saw up to 12 inches of rain in just 48 hours.

The widespread flooding prompted Governor Andy Beshear to declare a state of emergency. Governor Beshear actually joins me right now from an Emergency Operations Center in Frankfort. Governor, glad you could join us.

So what are the conditions like? How would you describe things right now?

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): Well, thankfully, the conditions are improving. The rain has moved out of the state and we are getting a better picture about the amount of damage.

Thankfully, we are still just at a fatality toll of four, though those are four Kentuckians, all children of God taken off this Earth far too soon.

What we are seeing is massive infrastructure damage, especially to roads and bridges, entire bridges washed out that may not leave people stranded, but are certainly going to be a lot of work for us in the coming weeks and months.

We have one water system that is impacted, though. I think we are going to get it up and running. We are getting power restored and we still have search and rescue teams all over our commonwealth. It is really about 20 of our 120 counties that were hit hard. Most all those got at least five inches of rain in a very short period of time.

One got eight inches of rain in about a six-hour period. So really massive, devastating flooding. But we've got a lot of first responders who heroically got out there and rescued people and I think we are starting to see at least the light at the end of the tunnel on this. I think it is our 16th weather related disaster in six-and-a-half years.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's really incredible. I mean, are there residual dangers? Because when we look at some of the images now, it looks like standing water, but are you considered out of the woods yet as waters, you know, start to recede or is there still -- are there still like flash flooding kind of warnings or potential dangers?

BESHEAR: Well, I don't think we will see new flash flooding, but there is so much water out there that even while it is receding, it is dangerous. We always tell people, don't drown, turn around. We lost at least one individual trying to drive through waters. That is still possible right now.

We lost another in a car accident caused by, I think, hydroplaning and how hard that rain was coming down. So, there are still dangers. The other danger is folks not paying enough attention when they are on roads that may be impacted.

A bridge that is no longer there, roads that -- I mean, whole halves have been washed away. So, we still need people in the impacted areas to be careful and we are still going to need a lot of help. Many of these are rural counties. Those roads are a lifeline to our farmers and our citizens when one is washed out, it could create another 30 to 45 minutes on a trip. So we've got, again, a lot of work to do in front of us. Sadly, we've had a lot of practice and our local folks are really, really good at this.

Our Fire Departments had more than 10 swift water rescue teams pre- positioned out there, ready to save people. We had our helicopters with our hoists out as well, and because of that, there are a lot of Kentuckians that are still alive and safe today that might not have been.

WHITFIELD: Even though you have that kind of expertise, will you be requesting federal disaster assistance or assistance from the federal government in other ways?

BESHEAR: We will. So we don't need the search and rescue, the immediate declaration that we've received, I think 15 previous times, but we will need assistance from FEMA in the form of what we call public assistance and that is where they help us to pay for the repaired roads and bridges. And by us, this is primarily counties and those counties and their roads and smaller bridges are going to need significant repair. We may also, in several counties, seek individual assistance. That's when people can apply to FEMA for a certain amount of money to help get them back on their feet. I think it is just in the city of Richmond. We've got at least 30 homes that were washed through, some of them washed out.

[15:05:10]

Those are folks even with insurance, if it covers it, because oftentimes it doesn't, but that little bit of help could be significant. And remember, for all of them, it is everything they own that's damaged. They've got to go about getting their birth certificates, their driver's license, both of their cars or one of their cars may be ruined. Think about all those things we take for granted.

And now, they have to work and work hard because as it is drying out, that's when the mildew and the rust starts. And you can lose even more of your home based on the mold setting in. So a lot of work, we've got a bunch of faith-based groups that are already volunteering to deploy.

Kentuckians help Kentuckians, and we are going to make sure those impacted get through it.

WHITFIELD: And there really could be a one-two punch, right? I mean, you've got this devastation as a result of the heavy rains, the flooding, but then potentially heat is a problem with this heat dome moving across the eastern part of the U.S. How do you prepare or brace for that?

BESHEAR: Well, we mainly we've got to make sure that power is on and those that have been displaced have a place to stay that also has power. Oftentimes, what we do is use our state parks. We have this incredible state park system where we have lodges and cabins where normally we want people from out of state to come and spend some of their money here.

But our folks come first and we want to make sure that they are safe from this heat. We went through this in the winter of last year when we had what we call an ice sandwich was four inches of snow, three inches of ice, and then snow on top of that. And then it got down to negative 20 or 30 wind chill.

So one-two punch, as we've seen before; two, its mainly about making sure all those services are available that, you know, everybody that's been impacted, you have a safe place for everyone to go and that's our job here in moving into the next week or so of stabilizing people's lives.

WHITFIELD: And Governor, we are so glad you could be with us during this natural disaster emergency. But I also have a political question for you because, you know, you have been dotting the map. You have been to Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada in the last month. You want to make any pronouncements about, you know, your political future or the motivation behind visiting so many states? BESHEAR: Well, I am trying to help a lot of candidates out there win that I believe in like Rob Sand in Iowa will be a great governor of Iowa. Amy Acton will be a great governor of Ohio. Aaron Ford will be a great governor of Nevada.

But right now, I am just trying to be a good governor for Kentucky, facing all of this flooding, knowing that my people, whether they voted for me or not, deserve my full attention and getting them back up and on their feet and we are going to get through this natural disaster. We are going to get through it together like we have all the others.

WHITFIELD: Might you also be positioning yourself for a presidential run?

BESHEAR: Well, I will sit down with my family and look at that after we get through November, but certainly not thinking about it today as so many of my residents, my citizens that I am charged with helping to protect, need my full attention.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, thank you so much. All the best in this continued effort.

BESHEAR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, there is heartbreak in Venezuela as people wait desperately for word of loved ones still missing for days after a pair of deadly earthquakes struck that country. At least 1,450 people are confirmed dead. And with thousands still missing, that number is expected to rise. Rescue crews from around the globe are joining in the search efforts in that country, and there have been some joyful moments throughout.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(PEOPLE speaking in foreign language.)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Pretty remarkable! Firefighters from Spain working with local crews for hours to pull a man out of the wreckage of a collapsed building and American search and rescue workers helped rescue a mother and her nine-month-old baby from the earthquake rubble. But experts say with so much time having passed, the chances of finding people alive in the wreckage are fading considerably.

Our Stefano Pozzebon is in the Venezuelan capital and filed this report earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's been 84 hours since that twin earthquake hit Venezuela and as you can see here from the city center of Caracas, the operations are still continuing. There is a crane here and an excavator. And as you can see, a rescue worker there.

These rescue workers are trying to go through that rubble, but of course, that is made all too difficult by the structure of the building with several floors stacked one on top of each other. This is what is called a pancake collapse and this is what is making the rescue operation more and more difficult.

[15:10:11]

Now, 84 hours is beyond that golden window of opportunity. That is about 72 hours or three days. That is the moment when it still possible to find survivors and bring them to safety. But of course, the rescue workers here are not stopping. It is 6:00 A.M. on a Sunday morning, and there are already dozens, two dozen, as I would say, of rescue workers around us getting prepared to go through and continue with their day.

And here in Caracas, you can also appreciate the scale of the logistical operation that is happening with dozens of countries sending rescue workers and first responders. Among them, for example, in the flight that we came in with, we are citizens of Japan, Mexico, Brazil, the United States have sent in $150 million in aid and more than a hundred troops to try, operate and to try to provide the assistance that they can.

Of course, it is a race against time, and perhaps today is the day that time is running out. But yet the operation continues, even at 6:00 A.M. on a Sunday morning.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling could dramatically impact mail-in voting in several states. What this case could mean for Election Day as soon as this year.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA PADDISON, CNN SENIOR CLIMATE WRITER: It's like a sauna in here. This is really, really tough. My hands feel a bit shaky. Everything feels tiring. Even breathing feels weird.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN takes you inside the heat lab to experience what scorching temperatures can actually do to your body.

And rumors are swirling that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could be planning a New York wedding celebration. Many fans are focused on an unnamed event being planned near Madison Square Garden.

We will break down all the Easter eggs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:53]

WHITFIELD: All right, this could be one of the most impactful weeks at the U.S. Supreme Court in recent memory. Justices are set to rule on a handful of cases, with major implications for the country and the scope of President Trump' power. Two of the most notable that we are watching, a dispute over a Mississippi law allowing election officials to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, and Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship.

Let's discuss more now with former U.S. Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman. He is also the host of the podcast "Talking Feds."

Harry, great to see you.

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Likewise.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's get started with the mail-in ballot case. What exactly is being challenged here? and How has the conservative leaning court normally receive cases dealing with election law?

LITMAN: That second question is the big one. There are some 30 states. Mississippi is involved here that permit some ballots to be counted if they are received after the Day of Election, as long as they are postmarked by election. And the Republican National Committee has said that violates federal law. Federal law sets election day as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

So if you count them after, says the RNC, it is not like it was election day. Now that I think as a sort of common sensical matter and just historical practice doesn't exactly hold up, it is still an election. But there were at least four members of the court, the foremost conservative who seemed pretty sympathetic to the Republican National Committee position.

And of the big ticket items remaining that you're discussing here today, Fred, this is the one that people were most kind of vexed to try to predict where the court is going. It will come down almost certainly to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Barrett, with four on one side, three on the other.

WHITFIELD: And it could potentially impact the upcoming midterm elections. I mean, that quickly.

LITMAN: No doubt about it. It would be the law as of now and any state like Mississippi who says there is a grace period and you often need it for like military members, people who work overseas, it would just be shut down as of now, as preempted by federal law, meaning only mail-in ballots received on election day or before would count.

WHITFIELD: Yes and mail-in delivery, so unpredictable. Even more so, it seems in recent, I don't know, pick a time on the calendar months, days, years. Okay. All right, so let's now talk about birthright citizenship. That case, constitutional scholars argue the Constitution's 14th Amendment clearly protects the right to citizenship for children born in the U.S. Are they right?

LITMAN: I think they are clearly right. Look, it is the first sentence of the 14th Amendment. Anybody born here, subject to the jurisdiction thereof, is a citizen, period. It doesn't matter who your parents are and that's a really important sort of bedrock provision for who we are as a country.

[15:20:09]

On the first day in office, Donald Trump had an executive order to try to get rid of it and make a very clever. But I think, tortured argument that if your parents were not legal, you don't fall under that protection.

I think most everybody thought, and it certainly was my feeling, too Fred that after the argument that it is going to lose this position, will decisively, seven votes, eight votes, even nine votes and I think at the time, it is a big -- it is a marquee case and people will hail it as a sign that the Supreme Court can push back against Trump. But the effort and the executive order here is so brazen and outrageous, I don't see how the court could go any other way, and it won't be so portentous of their pushback against Trump that they hold against him here.

WHITFIELD: But if the court were to gut these protections, I mean, what would happen to current Americans born in the country, to parents who were not citizens retroactively.

LITMAN: Calamitous on both, practically speaking, and legally speaking. In theory, the order is forward looking only, but if the 14th Amendment has always meant that and that's what the administration is arguing, I think even people who are here are in some jeopardy.

But if you imagine the dragnet, the wide dragnet that the administration has thrown to for immigrants overall include, now, the children of illegal aliens, many of whom do come to this country to give their children a piece of the American Dream. It would be huge both as a practical matter and as a kind of particular human matter for millions of people.

WHITFIELD: All right, we will see what potentially happens this week. Harry Litman, always great to see you. Thank you.

LITMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, concerns grow over the future of the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran this weekend.

Plus, new images of Hezbollah's deadly drone strikes and how the Israeli military is fighting back using everything from wire mesh to shotguns. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:50]

WHITFIELD: Another round of fresh attacks between the U.S. and Iran is putting more pressure on the two-week-old, fragile ceasefire between the two countries. Late Saturday, the U.S. launched 10 new strikes on Iranian military targets in or near the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command said the strikes hit Iran's military infrastructure, air defense sites and drone storage facilities. Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones against U.S. facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Bahrain's government shared these images of a residential building it says was damaged in that Iranian strike.

Iran also says a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon must be part of a final deal with the U.S. That demand comes as Israeli forces continue fighting with Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, despite several ceasefire agreements.

Hezbollah's new weapon of choice cheap, deadly and hard to detect drones. The sudden use of the sophisticated, remote-controlled aircraft has caught one of the world's most powerful militaries off guard, as the Israelis now scramble to adapt to this new threat.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A Hezbollah drone cruises undetected over southern Lebanon, propellers whirring until its target comes into view. A group of six Israeli soldiers caught off guard in front of a tank. The feed cuts at the moment of impact, which killed a 19-year-old sergeant.

He is the first Israeli soldier to be killed by this type of drone, but not the last. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has deployed these cheap, explosive-strapped first-person view drones to deadly effect. Dozens of videos from Hezbollah show they've struck tanks, air defense systems, and unsuspecting troops in Southern Lebanon and Northern Israel.

The Israeli military says Hezbollah's drones have killed at least 12 soldiers since the current conflict erupted in March, one-third of all fatalities.

The key to their lethality, a spool carrying miles of thin fiber optic cable that keeps these drones tethered to their pilot rather than emitting easy to detect radio signals.

Ukraine has been combating these fiber optic drones for two years, but Ukrainian officials say their Israeli counterparts didn't heed their warnings about the emerging threat. The Israeli military now scrambling to catch up, deploying mesh netting like this to protect troops operating in or near Lebanon, and providing them with shotguns in fragmenting rounds to take out approaching drones. The military is also enlisting the private sector to help track this new threat using acoustic, optical, and radar-based sensors.

SHAI KURIANSKI, CEO OF AIRWAYZ: So, what we're seeing here is a scenario when we want to protect this area when a drone is crossing the line, the protective line, according to the policy, then the controller will get an alert, and we know that there is a threat coming.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Shai Kurianski's company, Airwayz, is among those springing into action to give Israeli troops advance warning of incoming drone threats.

[15:30:10]

KURIANSKI: Something very small that you can hardly detect is coming toward you. It does not transmit anything. You must fuse the data from multiple sensors to map the sky accurately. This is what our system does.

DIAMOND: So, do you feel a real sense of urgency to solve this problem?

KURIANSKI: It's our children out there in Lebanon that are getting those -- explosives, and we will not wait with that. Of course, it's urgent.

DIAMOND (voice over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:22]

WHITFIELD: All right, record-shattering temperatures are baking much of Europe. The historic heat wave has killed dozens, disrupted power supplies and shut down schools and cultural landmarks.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The heat wave in much of Europe continues, as you can see here in Central Berlin, a lot of people making their way outdoors, for instance, on these tourist boats obviously getting baked right now in the midday sun here in Berlin.

A lot of folks are coming out trying to beat the heat, because one of the things about Europe here is that you're not going to beat the heat by staying inside. Very few homes have air conditioners here in Germany, of course, in other European countries as well and that really is making life difficult for folks as this heat wave has been going on for an extended period of time. There were some thunderstorms over the Berlin area last night, but there was another big spike in the heat that happened on Sunday morning, and certainly the folks here definitely doing anything that they can to try and stay cool.

All of this actually also affecting the infrastructure here in Germany. The German government says that several highways have seen the concrete of those highways crack in certain places. Some of the highways have been shut down, others have additional speed limits. Also, the German Railway company is telling people, if you don't have to travel by rail, don't do it. Because obviously in this weather, if a train is delayed or if an air conditioned malfunctions, that could very quickly become a health emergency for some people as well.

As far as the forecast is concerned, it seems as though there is some respite on the way. Theres big heat here on Sunday, however, in the night from Sunday into Monday, there is a temperature drop, at least that's what the forecast says. And then certainly starting into this coming week, the Germans are hoping, as are many Europeans, that the temperatures are going to cool down.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Fred.

As scientists warn, climate change will make extreme heat waves more frequent, they are also studying the effects of heat and humidity. CNN's senior climate writer, Laura Paddison put her body to the test in a chamber that can alter temperature, altitude, pressure and oxygen levels to show how these conditions can quickly become deadly and why a warming world is dangerous for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PADDISON: Everything that's going on with my body made that hard.

We are here at the university of South Wales in the U.K. and behind me here is an environmental chamber where scientists can control the temperature, and they are going to crank the temperatures up to about 40 degrees Celsius, 104 degrees Fahrenheit and the whole point of this exercise is to see what impact extreme heat has on my body.

This, on my head is measuring brain blood flow, here is measuring skin temperature on my leg. They are going to be looking at cognitive functions like, how is my decision making affected by the heat? We need to understand what it is going to be like living in a much hotter world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, Laura, so you're fully instrumented. You're ready for action, ready for lift off.

PADDISON: It is 40 degrees now, 20 percent humidity and I can really feel it starting to sweat on face is getting very hot. My skin temperature has gone up by a couple of degrees. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing a really, really good job here.

PADDISON: It is 40 degrees Celsius, plus 85 percent humidity and the difference is intense. It is like a sauna in here. This is really, really tough. Like hands feel a bit shaky. Everything feels tiring. Even breathing feels weird.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great job!

PADDISON: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mission accomplished. So, it is not easy. Now, you've got a markedly depressed increase in exercise induced blood flow to the brain. It has gone from 600 milliliters per minute to 400.

PADDISON: That's really significant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which is huge. You're not getting enough fuel into the brain. You're not burning enough fuel to be able to make the right decisions. You would make potentially wrong decisions, rash decisions, and a much larger increase in pressure during exercise.

So your heart is working a lot, lot harder, probably about 30 percent harder just because of that increase in temperature and humidity. Older patients, you know, this is a big deal for them and they wouldn't be able to do the simplest tasks, even stand up to get out of a chair. From a cardiovascular perspective, that would just be too demanding.

[15:40:00]

PADDISON: We are seeing now around the world, is this really humid heat that is pushing places to the limits of survivability?

We are seeing stronger heat waves, more humid weather, and the impacts on the body are pretty overwhelming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much to Laura Paddison for taking the heat for us like that.

All right, still to come. Are you ready for it? Will it be a garden party for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce? Delicate wedding rumors are swirling after a mysterious permit application for an event near Madison Square Garden.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:13]

WHITFIELD: All right, New Yorkers are still riding high after the Knicks won their first NBA championship in decades, and now, just weeks after pop star, Taylor Swift was sitting courtside cheering on the Knicks in the finals, she may be fearless.

Some fans are breathless, wondering if she will be back at Madison Square Garden next weekend to get a ring of her own.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister explains what's behind the rumors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER (voice over): Leave it to this showgirl to create folklore over the love story of the decade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some are calling it the wedding of the century, and it hasn't even happened yet.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): We already knew Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were getting married. We didn't know where, until maybe now.

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY: We are used to big events.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani dropped, in so many words, that he's welcoming the wedding of a generation over the July 4th weekend.

MAMDANI: We know it coincides with July 4th, America 250, Taylor Swift's wedding all happening at the same time, and we are so excited to welcome the world here.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Swift's publicist did not respond to CNN's request for comment on the mayor's possible slip of the tongue. But new evidence points to Madison Square Garden, of all places, as the site of the wedding.

While Taylor won't speak now, here's what we know.

CNN has confirmed through city and law enforcement sources that an application was filed to hold an event in the vicinity of the garden. It asked for a tent or canopy to be set up outside the Arena, and the permit would allow street closures around MSG between July 2nd and 4th.

Swift and Kelce weren't named, but the application was filed by a company that handles major productions, including high-profile weddings.

JESSICA TISCH, NYPD COMMISSIONER: NBA Finals, World Cup, all as potentially Taylor Swift's wedding. I'm kidding.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): While New York officials drop hints --

GEORGE KITTLE, 49ERS TIGHT END: She's warming up for the wedding.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): -- so is Travis Kelce's friend and fellow NFL tight end, George Kittle, who told "Entertainment Tonight" he's on the invite list.

WAGMEISTER: Is it MSG?

KITTLE: I've no idea. CLAIRE KITTLE (George Kittle's wife): No, we don't know.

KITTLE: I actually asked Travis last night, and he laughed at me, so, no. I'm half expecting there to just be a jumbo jet on a runway, and they put us on a plane somewhere.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The garden wedding would come on the heels of the Knicks' first NBA championship in decades, where we all saw Swift seated courtside. The poetry of that moment is, for now, just poetry.

Because until Swift confirms the MSG wedding, the rest of us are left in the tortured poets' department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WAGMEISTER (on camera): So I know the obvious question here is really? Madison Square Garden. If you could get married anywhere in the world, this is where you are going to choose? But it actually makes a lot of sense. And let me run you through the reasons why.

First of all, there are no windows at Madison Square Garden, so that keeps the paparazzi out. When you are the most famous couple in the world, you do not want cameras getting in and leaking any photos or footage from your big day.

The second thing is that Madison Square Garden has underground parking, and that is very rare in New York City. That provides a very discreet way to bring the VIP guests in and out. It is obviously not just about keeping the paparazzi out, but first and foremost, it is about safety.

And when you, again, are the most famous couple in the world, if you have the funds and resources to secure a place like Madison Square Garden, well, then you've actually created quite a secure and safe venue. So those are all the reasons why we think that it probably is happening at MSG. But again, anything can happen. We will just have to wait and see. I will be there in New York, so I will let you know what I find out.

WHITFIELD: Let us know, Elizabeth Wagmeister. Thanks so much.

Our next guest is used to helping indecisive brides and make the perfect decision on TLC's "Say Yes To The Dress."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's Randy! Randy!

RANDY FENOLI, FASHION DIRECTOR, KLEINFELD BRIDAL: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How's Kathleen? What's going on? Is she not finding the perfect dress?

FENOLI: Well, we brought 10 dresses in, okay, and we ended up with three, I think she is not quite sure exactly what she is looking for.

This skirt makes this dress grand and you're getting married in a grand venue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It goes with the venue, like he said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Okay, Randy Fenoli, here he is, the host of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress." He is joining us right now. So great to see you.

FENOLI: Hello, beautiful. How are you?

WHITFIELD: Thank you. Fine. So do you expect an MSG wedding is adequately romantic? What are you hearing from your sources in the wedding industry?

[15:50:10]

FENOLI: You know, I know that about 80 percent, 86 percent of the population thinks she is going to get married at Madison Square Garden. I don't know, I may be in the 14 percent that doesn't think she is going to be getting married there.

I just don't know if its romantic enough for her, and I think that, you know, Taylor's life is lived out in arenas and on stage. I just don't know. I think it may be a decoy. We shall see.

WHITFIELD: Okay, or maybe just like an incredible after-party spot.

FENOLI: Or maybe some -- maybe a pre-party. Who knows?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FENOLI: But if anyone can really divert our attention, it is Taylor.

WHITFIELD: Yes, she is good at that. I mean, Elizabeth Wagmeister did you know, run through some of the reasons that Madison Square Garden just might be an ideal location, I mean, MSG, one of New York's most iconic landmarks, however. I mean, is it bejeweled enough for a wedding venue?

FENOLI: Well, that's the thing. That's what concerns me. I just don't know that it is.

It makes all the sense in the world, but I just don't know if I buy it.

I will say this everyone is so excited about this wedding and you know, for good reason. As she put it, your school teacher marries your gym coach and everyone loves Taylor. And I think she is such a great role model for women and young women and everyone loves her. And what I am most excited about is the dress, obviously, because that's my --

WHITFIELD: That's your thing! That's your thing. Okay, so what kind of dress do you see on her? Or do you see multiple dresses, you know, kind of reflecting different moods? I mean, what do you see? I am just thinking about like in the early stages of her career, when she was going to you know, award shows, she would wear these beautiful Cinderella kind of, you know, big bell sort of dresses. Do you see a return to that or do you see a more demure kind of silhouette dress?

What do you think?

FENOLI: So, here is what I think. First of all, I do think there will be multiple dresses because I don't think she is going to be able to get everything she needs in one dress. I also think, I think that she is going to choose something really, really, really elegant, timeless, romantic. I am thinking Grace Kelly meets 2026. I think it is going to be a big ball gown. I see lots of lace. I even see laced sleeves, maybe even a mantilla. I don't see any bling on her wedding dress. I think she is going to go just elegant, sophisticated, classy, timeless.

But then I do think she is going to change in something really fun and sexy for the reception and then I think there may even be a third dress for the after party. Something short, fringy, glitzy to have fun and party in.

WHITFIELD: I like it. I mean, she does have nice fashion style. I mean, whether it was the concert, you saw her. You know, we are looking at some of the pictures now. I mean, she does she does offer a lot of surprises. The last, you know big wedding that you covered was Kate Middleton's Royal wedding back in 2011.

FENOLI: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I mean, are you ready for this? Are you ready for it?

FENOLI: Yes, I am always ready for a wedding, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you are. I know you are.

FENOLI: You know I am.

WHITFIELD: I just wanted to use the song title.

FENOLI: And after every --

WHITFIELD: Go ahead.

FENOLI: Yes. Everyone made all the predictions about Kate and William and what she was going to wear. And I think everybody almost got it wrong, you know? But there are a lot of names being thrown around, like Oscar de la Renta and Givenchy and Vivienne Westwood and Bonsey.

I also think Nicole and Felicia, they are a sister duo. They design bridal and they do big over the top, gorgeous gowns and they designed a couple of dresses for her for her Eras Tour and they designed also a dress for J.Lo. But I think their style is kind of what I am thinking she may go for, just lots of lace and romantic and grand. That's what I think.

WHITFIELD: And do you see it is mostly white? And I only ask that because, you know, these days a lot of folks are injecting color into their dresses, whether there is a little blush or a hint of something else. I mean, is she going to be that bold? FENOLI: I think her wedding dress --

WHITFIELD: And we haven't even talked about Travis Kelce. Sorry about that, dude. But yes, go ahead.

FENOLI: I, know you know, the groom always get overlooked, you know, it is going to be a nice tuxedo, but I do think she is going to go classic. I think it will be an off white lace. As I said, I just think -- I think that Taylor is sharp. She is a smart, savvy businesswoman, which even in her concerts, no matter what she wears, it is still classy and I think the wedding dress is going to be something that you're going to be able to look back decades later and say, that was a gorgeous look.

I think it is going to be timeless.

WHITFIELD: Timeless.

FENOLI: So, I really think, yes, I think timeless. I think she is going to make a bold, grand, elegant statement with that wedding dress.

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But then I think where she is going to have fun and maybe the color comes in is for the reception dress and for maybe the after party dress. I think that's where she is going to kind of go into her other personalities, because I think that everyone has different personalities in their life and I think this is a day for a bride to really explore those personalities.

WHITFIELD: I am in total agreement there. Can't wait! Can't wait to see what is rolled out.

Randy Fenoli, thank you. Great to see you and talk to you.

FENOLI: Thank you so much, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bye-bye.

FENOLI: Bye.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

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