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Trump Touts Patriotism, Pushes Agenda During July 4th Remarks; Trump And Netanyahu Expected To Meet Next Week; Manhunt Underway After Eight People Shot At July 4th Barbecue; Soccer Star Cleared To Play For Team USA; Mallory McMorrow Drops Out Of Michigan's U.S. Senate Race; New Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Opens In North Dakota; Prince Harry Travels Alone As Family Cancels U.K. Visit. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired July 05, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He also touched on where he believes the United States stands on the world stage. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our rise to being the world's strongest and most powerful nation was no accident of history. We rebuilt our military in my first term. We used it a little bit in our -- actually, I should say third term, but I won't do that because I don't want any controversy. But we use it and we've had tremendous success. You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran, we wiped it out, wiped out their military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And as you mentioned, this speech taking place just days before he will travel to that NATO summit taking place in Turkey. And it's no secret that Trump and NATO have had a tumultuous relationship. At times, he has threatened to step away from the alliance. He has repeatedly called on other members to pay more when it comes to defense. And then, as topics will loom over this, he mentioned there in that excerpt the conflict in Iran, as well as the conflict in Ukraine, will no doubt be a part of discussions.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: And then, Julia, we're also learning more today about the president's trip. What are officials saying about his departure and the plans?

BENBROOK: We are getting a closer look at the schedule. And when it comes to Ukraine specifically, we do know that Trump just yesterday spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian Foreign Ministry says that that call was about 90 minutes long. They called it highly constructive. And he also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said that the call went very well.

So there is a focus there, and I do want to pull up the schedule that provides a bit more details. It shows that Trump is going to depart on Monday, and on Tuesday he is expected to meet with the Turkish president and have dinner with NATO leaders. On Wednesday, he will participate in a NATO working session, meet on the sidelines of the summit with Zelenskyy, as well as the Syrian president at different times, and then will hold a press conference.

So a big speech last night, a big trip ahead. A lot to watch out for there.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Full schedule. All right. Julia Benbrook, thank you so much.

As President Trump gets ready to head to the NATO summit, he is also preparing for a potential meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An Israeli source says Netanyahu is expected to head to Washington as early as next week.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has more from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: This upcoming visit will be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's seventh to the United States to meet President Donald Trump. And it comes at a critical time. Crucially, Netanyahu hasn't been to the U.S. since before the U.S. and Israel launched the joint opening strikes of the Iran War. And we have seen divisions grow between the two world leaders, especially when it comes to how to handle Iran.

President Donald Trump has pushed for negotiations. We saw him sign that memorandum of understanding that gives 60 days for negotiations towards a ceasefire agreement, with even some suggestion that it could be extended beyond that, if there is no final deal at the end of that. Now, meanwhile, Netanyahu has pushed for strikes against Iran, as he wants to see this war continue and has been long been skeptical of Iran's intentions behind these negotiations.

We have also seen differences on Lebanon. Trump has effectively drawn a border and a boundary around what Israel is allowed to do when it comes to going after Hezbollah in Lebanon, even as Netanyahu is under domestic pressure to go after Hezbollah and to widen the strikes there. So there again, you see a rift between the two. Nevertheless, in an interview earlier on Sunday on FOX News, Netanyahu downplayed the divisions between the men.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: He does what's good for America. I'm the leader of Israel, the one and only Jewish state. I do what's good for Israel. 99 percent of the time, we see eye to eye. But as any -- in any family, in any close friendship, there are sometimes differences of opinion, and we discuss them openly, I can tell you, in a free spirit, and usually we resolve them, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: It's worth pointing out that on Saturday, Trump told Axios that Netanyahu, quote, "knows who the boss is." So Trump once again asserting his power over Netanyahu and frankly his ability to make decisions that bind Netanyahu. An Israeli source said there will be a couple of other issues on the

agenda. Iran, of course, is at the top of that list, but so is the security agreement between the U.S. and Israel. The memorandum of understanding that gives Israel $3.8 billion a year from the United States. That's set to expire in 2028. And that has been a major topic for Netanyahu and it will be over the next couple of years here.

Another topic on the agenda normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. This is something Trump has pushed for, but Saudi has made it clear they won't consider normalizing with Israel unless there's a viable path to a Palestinian state, something Netanyahu has outright rejected.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[16:05:02]

WHITFIELD: All right, Oren, thank you so much. A big international week for the president.

Joining me right now is CNN contributor Frida Ghitis to talk more about all this. She is a senior columnist for "World Politics Review."

All right, Frida. Good to see you. How would you describe the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu ahead of their meeting in Washington at least maybe a week from now?

FRIDA GHITIS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It is changing, it's a tense relationship. They were very, very close. They seem to be seeing eye to eye before the war against Iran that started in late February. But, you know, like Netanyahu said, the two countries don't have exactly corresponding goals. They have different priorities, different interests. And there is a divergence.

Trump -- President Trump has started looking at this war with Iran in the context of this moment and this moment includes elections in November. It includes the stock market inflation in the United States. And Netanyahu also has elections to worry about. They're coming in Israel before the end of October. So they both have political, different political situations and different strategic concerns. So they have a lot to work out. And Trump has been a little bit harsh in his language towards Netanyahu.

WHITFIELD: And on Iran, Iran says, you know, peace in Lebanon is essential, you know, in order to get a final deal with the U.S.. But Netanyahu is saying Israel won't leave Lebanon anytime soon. I mean, this is a significant hurdle.

GHITIS: It's a huge area of disagreement. I think Israel would agree that peace in Lebanon is urgent. But Israel's view of peace in Lebanon is very different from Iran's. Israel is very concerned about Hezbollah, which is backed completely by Iran. And what we have here is something actually really, really interesting. The United States seems to have two separate paths, two separate diplomatic paths regarding Lebanon.

On one side, you have the memorandum of understanding that was spearheaded by Vice President Vance with Iran. That agreement calls for Israel and Hezbollah to stop fighting. It actually defends Hezbollah because it stops attacks by Israel if Israel were to abide by it. But Israel was not part of the negotiations. On the other hand, you have this other diplomatic path that is being spearheaded by Secretary Marco Rubio between Israel and the legitimate government of Lebanon, which wants to end Hezbollah's grip on the country. And it calls for Hezbollah to be disarmed.

It's completely different from what the MOU that Vance spearheaded calls for. Two completely different, I think, contradictory --

WHITFIELD: Very (INAUDIBLE).

GHITIS: Contradictory diplomatic paths, all dealing with the fighting in Lebanon.

WHITFIELD: And that comes after the president embarks on his trip, you know, to meet with NATO allies. And one has to wonder, what does he stand to gain or potentially even lose?

GHITIS: In that Turkey, in this NATO summit, it is going to be high drama. The members of NATO, the leaders of NATO, and President Trump, who is, of course, the main leader of NATO, all the other countries have extremely tense relationships with the United States, with Trump personally, except for President Erdogan of Turkey. But the United States, the tensions between Trump and his colleagues in NATO are really extraordinary.

We've never had anything like this before. Trump has threatened to take a piece of Denmark, Greenland. He got into a horrible, you know, social media fight with the prime minister of Italy. He has basically insulted the prime minister of the U.K.. So there's no love lost between these leaders. And they're going to try to get through this summit without making things worse. Trump already said that the only reason he's going is because he really respects President Erdogan of Turkey. But otherwise he might not have gone. It's going to be very, very tense.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right. Frida Ghitis, we'll leave it there for now. It will be an interesting next week, week and a half. Thank you.

All right. Still to come, a mass shooting at a Fourth of July barbecue injures eight people, half of them children. The latest on the search for the shooter. Plus one of Team USA's breakout stars. The World Cup gets cleared to play in tomorrow's match. Details about FIFA's surprise decision on the controversial red card call against Folarin Balogun.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:14:18] WHITFIELD: Happening now, a manhunt is underway for a gunman after eight people were shot at a July 4th family barbecue. Four of the victims were children. Police say the gunman, dressed in all black and wearing a black ski mask, walked up to the gathering and fired multiple rounds before fleeing on foot. Earlier today, New York City officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, addressed the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK: There is no place for this kind of violence in our city. We will not tolerate it, and we will fight it with every single tool at our disposal.

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMISSIONER: The police department has more work to do. We all have more work to do when we see four children shot in one incident celebrating the July 4th holiday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:15:04]

WHITFIELD: Let's get right to CNN's Gloria Pazmino.

What more are you learning, Gloria?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, this happened late last night about 10:30 in the evening. The youngest of those victims, half of them children, the youngest, just 6 years old, was shot in the abdomen. Now, in total, everyone is in stable condition, with the exception of a 21-year-old female victim who remains in critical condition. We are told by police that this happened during a friends and family gathering.

They were having a barbecue yesterday for the July 4th celebration. They were gathered in a courtyard outside of a building, and they say that a man approached and just opened fire. Police said that there was not an argument or anything known that happened before the gunman opened fire. They also do not know that there is any connection between this gunman and the people that were gathered there that night.

The victims, very young, some of them just teenagers. We have a couple of 6, 7, 12 and 14-year-olds that were injured. Also, two men ages 33 and 37 years old. Now, police did recover a firearm at the scene and they are continuing to investigate. One thing police said earlier today was that last week there was a gang related homicide that took place in the same block where the shooting took place last night, and police are investigating if there is any sort of connection between that and what happened last night.

You know, despite the violence affecting this large amount of people, it was a relatively safe evening of July 4th here in New York City last night. We had several events spread out throughout the city. There were hundreds of people who gathered, and all of those events largely went on without any problems. Unfortunately, there was violence in this one instance in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. And as I said, police are still investigating and looking for a suspect -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Pretty sad situation there. All right. Gloria Pazmino, thank you.

All right. Straight ahead, a major reversal by FIFA. The red card that was keeping Team USA's top scorer out of the next World Cup match has been suspended. What will the impact be now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:55]

WHITFIELD: All right. Today, a stunning twist in the World Cup. Just a day before Team USA is set to face Belgium in the Round of 16 in Seattle, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee confirmed that U.S. striker Folarin Balogun is cleared to play tomorrow after all in Seattle.

CNN's Patrick Snell back with us now.

Wow. I mean, this is amazing.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: This is a big, big development on a Sunday ahead of a massive game for Team USA against Belgium in Seattle.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Instead of the red card, he's got a green card now.

SNELL: Right, yes. Just to remind --

WHITFIELD: Green card to play.

SNELL: Right. Just to remind everyone this was the previous game that Team USA was playing against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. Balogun getting a red card in that match after his ankle -- basically his ankle, his foot comes down on the ankle of a Bosnian player. Now it looks a lot worse than it was. Initially the ref in that game did not give it as a red card, but the VAR assistant got in his ear, told him to have another look at it.

They went to check it on the monitor. Of course, every time you slow anything down it looks a whole lot worse in slow-mo and the decision was straight red, which triggered a one match automatic suspension everyone thought for the crucial game against the Belgians, but here comes the plot twist. And just for context, I will say Balogun, 25 years of age, he plays his club football in Liga in France. He plays for Monaco.

He really has been the standout player for the Americans at this World Cup, scoring three goals so far in four matches. He just runs with great pace.

WHITFIELD: Exciting.

SNELL: Wonderfully excited, talented player. And I tell you what, there's going to be a lot of major clubs looking at him after this World Cup. But he, his mindset would have been, I'm not playing in this game. Hopefully the lads can get through, the boys can get through, and I'll be back for a potential match up in the quarterfinals, which was the last time the U.S. got to the quarter finals at the Men's World Cup was 2002 in Asia, when the tournament was staged in South Korea and Japan.

But what happens is you mentioned that FIFA decision, Article 27 of their code. Just to get into it a little bit more, FIFA has the right. They can suspend punishment for what they call a probationary period. In this case, that means the one match suspension is still in place, Fred. But here's the crucial part. It is suspended for 12 months, which is highly significant. But the great news for Balogun is it allows him to play in the game.

WHITFIELD: Right.

SNELL: On Monday, tomorrow. There's a little bit of comparisons going on between a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar, because during World Cup qualifying, while he was on duty for his country, and this was interesting, I remember that, he was given a straight red card in a game there. That actually triggered a three match ban. He served one of those matches that was against Armenia, but the final two games of that suspension, they were also suspended for 12 months, which allowed --

WHITFIELD: So it's happened before kind of.

SNELL: Allowed Christiano to start the group stage campaigns of this World Cup.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

SNELL: So really interesting developments on Sunday. And as I say, it'll be interesting to see what the Belgian response is now going to be to this, because they are the USA's opponents.

WHITFIELD: I mean, Team USA fans are happy but --

[16:25:03]

SNELL: Right. Highly significant developments and it's just a big boost for Team USA. But I do want to get to --

WHITFIELD: I'm hearing a -- yes, I'm hearing my producer who says that Belgium has responded. They're astonished.

SNELL: Right. That's the reaction from the Belgian camp. Is it? Yes. OK. That's interesting. And there was reaction as well from U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as. I wonder if we can get that up because this was Trump taking to Truth Social a short while ago. "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right and reversing a great injustice. President Donald J. Trump." So that from the U.S. president.

I will say, though, when I watched it in real time, it looked a hard decision. There was no ill intent there. It was an accident. When a player's foot comes down, it's got to come down somewhere. There was no intended malice in my opinion. It was just unfortunate it landed on the Bosnian player's ankle. And as I say, when it's all slowed down, you look at it in the monitor there, it does look a whole lot worse than it actually is in real time.

WHITFIELD: Very interesting. And then now we've got this confirmation, too, to add to your reporting, Patrick, that, you know, Trump reportedly did speak with FIFA's Infantino ahead of Balogun's reversal. And President Trump spoke by phone with FIFA president this week following that controversial red card for the star, you know, team player Folarin Balogun, asking Infantino to review the call, a source is saying.

And Balogun would have otherwise been ineligible for Monday's Round of 16 match up versus Belgium. But now, of course, with this reversal now it will be interesting to learn about the sequence of events. But sources are saying that the president did make a phone call and the president did post on Truth Social, as you just said there, saying that, you know, saying thank you. So of course, this is just the beginning of reporting. We'll hope to learn more.

SNELL: Yes. And this is going to attract much more global attention. There's no question about that.

WHITFIELD: You believe it.

SNELL: We know that Gianni Infantino has a good positive relationship with the U.S. President Donald Trump. So there's going to be many eyeballs, much scrutiny on this. But this is still very much a developing story.

WHITFIELD: It is.

SNELL: And we're tracking it every step of the way. But as of right now, just to recap, Folarin Balogun will play for Team USA against Belgium on Monday in Seattle. That much we do know.

WHITFIELD: We do.

SNELL: Although two hours ago that wasn't the case so this is just a fast-evolving story.

WHITFIELD: Things have changed. All right. Thank you so much, Patrick Snell. Appreciate it.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:32:17]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Michigan's Democratic Senate primary just got a lot more interesting. State Senator Mallory McMorrow ended her campaign earlier today that turns what had been a three way race into a head to head battle now between Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

McMorrow isn't endorsing either one, but says she'll support the Democratic nominee who will face former Representative Republican Mike Rogers in the August primary.

This November will mark one of the hardest fought midterm elections in U.S. history, the GOP has a razor thin margin in the House and an advantage that's narrowing in the Senate. The where data shows a number of states could flip. Here's CNN's Arlette Saenz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The battle for control of the U.S. senate is set to play out over nine states between now and November. And for the first time, CNN is ranking the list of states most likely to flip in this midterm election. Now Democrats need to flip four Republican held seats and defend all of their own if they want to win the majority in November. And topping the list that we have is North Carolina, which is currently a Republican senator who is retiring.

But the Democratic candidate, former Governor Roy Cooper, is giving the Democratic Party one of their best chances at flipping a Senate seat in November. He is facing off against Republican candidate Michael Whatley, a close ally of President Donald Trump. And if you take a look at polling, Cooper is currently leading Whatley by seven points in a state where a Democratic senator has not won since two, 2008.

Now coming in at number two, we move up north to Maine, a seat currently held by Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is running for her sixth term in office. She is facing off against the progressive Democratic candidate Graham Platner in a race where his campaign has been embroiled in a lot of controversies in recent months.

But if you take a look at polling, this race is very competitive and there is no clear leader in the contest at this point in the race. So that will be one to certainly watch heading into November.

Coming in at number three is the state of Michigan, which is currently held by a Democrat, retiring Senator Gary Peters. And the Democratic primary has been very competitive and contentious. This primary really captures a lot of the debates playing out within the Democratic Party at this moment in time.

As we have seen recent in recent elections, success from some progressive candidates, the question is whether that can also translate to a presidential battleground state. Whoever wins that primary on August 4th will face off against the Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers.

[16:35:09]

Now coming in at 4, 5 and 6 are three states that are in deep red territory. There is Ohio, then Alaska, and then Iowa. Iowa, if you take a look at recent polling, there's no clear leader in that contest between Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and the Democratic candidate, Josh Turek. The president's economic policies like tariffs and the fallout from the war with Iran is something that could play heavily in that contest.

Now coming in at number seven is the state of Georgia. This is a battleground state that is currently held by Senator Jon Ossoff, the only Democratic senator running in a state where President Donald Trump won back in 2024. But Ossoff has proven to be a very strong fundraiser. He has this ability to have clips of his speeches go viral and he's giving a lot of Democrats hope that they will be able to hold onto this state.

If you take a look at recent polling, he was up over his opponent, GOP opponent, Congressman Mike Collins, by 13 points, fueling some of the Democratic hopes in that state.

Coming in at number eight is the state of New Hampshire, which is currently in Democratic control. And at the bottom of our list at number nine is the state of Texas. This is a contest that's going to dominate a lot of the conversation heading into November as Democrats do see some hope in James Talarico, who is facing off against Republican State Attorney General Ken Paxton, someone who has endured a lot of scandals in his state, but he has also survived those in his past political campaigns. There's a lot of questions about whether Texas will actually come into play and we will keep an eye on that as this race progresses.

But right now, this list really serves as a snapshot of this moment in time of where these races currently stand. And it could shift between now and November as there are still four months to go in a very contentious and spirited fight for control of the U.S. Senate. Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, we'll take an inside look at a very unique attraction, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, a striking tribute to the conservationist, reformer and larger than life president now open in North Dakota.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:42:09]

WHITFIELD: All right, the doors are now open on a new American landmark, the 96,000 square foot Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Built in the rugged landscape of North Dakota's badlands. And it's an immersive and interactive tribute to America's 26th president. Roosevelt was in office during the nation's 125th anniversary. And now, 125 years later, President Trump saluted his predecessor this week by saying this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Pay tribute to a man who embodied the heart and soul and fight and spirit of our country as much as anyone who ever lived. And he's a very special man. And that's why I'm here. President Theodore Roosevelt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But before the doors opened, I got a chance to speak to a key person behind the monument to a President's legacy.

All right. Joining us now is Ed O'Keefe, Chief Executive Officer of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and author of the book "The Loves of the Theodore Roosevelt: the Women Who Created a President." Ed, thank you so much for being with us.

ED O'KEEFE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: It's my pleasure to be with you. Happy Fourth of July, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Happy Fourth. I mean, and first off here, you know, perhaps it's striking that 107 years after his death, there is now a library and museum. But you say it's really more than that, right?

You have called it really a call to adventure. So how does this structure both enhance and kind of blend into the extraordinary North Dakota badlands?

O'KEEFE: Well, Fredericka, it's a great question. Museum and the library are probably the two worst words to describe the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. This is an experience. It's an adventure. It's a call to action. We use this incredible life of Theodore Roosevelt to inspire. Inspire you and future generations to get in the arena to be the change you want to see in the world.

It's a fantastic. And this is the only presidential library you can hike, you can bike, and you can ride a horse to.

WHITFILED: Oh, my gosh, I saw those images. And you have hitches out there. So I think whenever I get a chance to go, I am coming on horseback so that I can use one of those hitches. I mean, tell me how it is that the landscape, as well as his lifestyle, his calling to that area all helped dictate how you would structure this incredible place.

O'KEEFE: Well, Theodore Roosevelt came to the badlands of North Dakota depressed and dejected. He had lost his wife and his mother on the same day in the same house of different causes, all on February 14, Valentine's Day, no less.

[16:45:06]

And so when he arrived in the badlands, he was 25 years old. He was both a widower and an orphan. He didn't know what he was going to do next in his life. And he recovered in nature. He spent time out here in these badlands, and he lived what he would later call the strenuous life. It really inspired him to move forward. We all in this life will be faced with difficulties, with loss, with challenges, that it's what you do next that really matters. And what TR did next not only changed his own life, but changed the course of the country. So we have built the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library here in the badlands of North Dakota, right alongside Theodore Roosevelt national park, the only park named for a person. And we invite you to get out in nature, to put down your tablets and to put down your phones, be together as a family. And we like to say that, you know, we want kids to drag their parents to this place because it's an immersive, interactive, incredible experience. And this great connection with nature.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I love it. There is so much there. I mean, and let's start with those walls behind you, because that is made of a variation of soils, right? And then there's also walking paths on the roof.

And we talked about the Hitching Post and all that. I mean, this sounds like, as you mentioned, you know, it's an. It's an excellent adventure, so to speak, but it's also blended with some AI. So talk to me about kind of the purpose of everything that you have entailed in this experience.

O'KEEFE: Well, it's a wide berth because we've got, as you mentioned, rammed earth walls, the oldest architectural practice in the world. Parts of the Great Wall of China are made of rammed earth. You would have had, in indigenous times, a sod roof and rammed earth in a lot of the structures here in the plains of North Dakota. But we're also experimenting with AI.

You can actually come to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and talk with T.R., our AI avatar can speak with you in natural language. There's some guardrails. You can't ask him about contemporary or current events. He died on January 6, 1919, so he won't go there. But it is a fascinating experience. The largest generative AI project in history. 300,000 data inputs.

Everything Theodore Roosevelt ever said, everything he ever wrote. It is an amazing immersive experience where you. It's the -- it's the answer to that old question, who would you - who from history. Would you have dinner with? Well, now you can. You can talk with T.R. at the T.R. Library.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. I mean, there is so much there. And then I wonder, too, you know, a little bit more about Roosevelt's experiences and how the location here was selected largely because of his kind of connections. But I also wonder, too, while he's known for these centers around, you know, conservation and protecting public lands, in a way, does this kind of offer as a little bit of redemption for him in some ways, too, because he had received a lot of criticism, particularly by a Native American, you know, people of Native American ancestry and African American ancestry, largely because of -- there was a statue in New York that was ultimately removed. He was on horseback and kind of at a higher plane than an African American and Native American.

And now five Native American tribes actually helped bless this land. I mean, tell me about that connection, if that is redemptive in any way or how meaningful or important their blessings are here. O'KEEFE: It was the very first thing we did on this land. I spent a good portion of my time several years ago visiting all the native tribes of North Dakota that share geography with our state. And the tribal leaders came here and with the Roosevelt family, actually buried tobacco as a symbolic sign of peace and healing. We've got a medicinal garden that the Roosevelts have planted with the tribal leaders as an ongoing commitment to that community and support.

And that's the advantage. We're building this library in the 2020s and twenties, not the 1920s. We can humanize, not just lionize. Theodore Roosevelt.

Of course, we want you to walk out of the T.R. Library believing he's a fantastic top five American president, but he's human. He made mistakes. And he -- as he famously said, it is not the critic who counts. It is not the person who points out where the strong man stumbled or where the doers of deeds could have done them better. We all make mistakes, and we acknowledge those mistakes here.

But we also really lean into this incredible story where you can not just learn about, but can learn from Theodore Roosevelt.

[16:50:04]

You become the hero of the adventure. We want you to realize that if you want to see change in this world, you are the one that is going to have to take that first step. You need to get in the arena. And especially today on July 4, 2026, you know, Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States at America's 125th birthday. He was exactly between the birth and of our nation 0 at the Declaration of Independence. And where we are today on July 4, 2026, it's hard to imagine, but where will we be at America 500. That's where T.R. was at 125. Looking forward, double the length of time to where he was then.

And it's going to take leaders, citizens, and conservationists in the T.R. spirit to get us to America 500. And that's why we hope everyone will come on out to the Badlands and they'll come with their families, they'll come with their friends, and they'll celebrate this great American spirit, but also the importance of what you can do to make this country the best it can be over the next 250 years.

WHITFIELD: I'm ready. I'm going to look at my calendar because I want to get there. And again, I'm doing it on horseback because I want to use a hitch. So I'm wondering, too --

O'KEEFE: Giddy up.

WHITFIELD: Giddy up. That's right. So I'm wondering, too, when people go there, is it your hope that they will learn more about this 26th president, or is there something else about the experience that you were hoping they're going to gain even greater than a better knowledge about, you know, his legacy?

O'KEEFE: I want people to come here and learn about themselves. What we've done in this immersive, interactive, almost theatrical experience is take the values of TR's life. Let's take, for instance, his childhood. He was a sickly, asthmatic boy who couldn't go outside and play with others or be in the outdoors, as he later would.

So he did taxidermy and read books. So when you're in the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History, you're surrounded by Theodore Roosevelt's imagination. And we want you to feel curious. You actually take this trailblazer compass through the experience and you're booping in.

And ants will come out of a tree or a bird will come alive in a storybook, a fox will join a wall of wonder. And we want you to feel the same curiosity that Theodore Roosevelt felt as he was a child. So, of course, we want you to have an appreciation of Theodore Roosevelt, but this really isn't about him. It's not about the past.

It's about the future. It's about you. And I really feel like that's the greatest contribution that we can make. We're not writing the first chapter of a president's story from his perspective.

We're looking back 140 years later. We know what impact Theodore Roosevelt made. But the most important thing is the T.R. can do for us now is give us an example on how to move forward together.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ed O'Keefe, Chief Executive Officer of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Thank you so much, and happy 4th of July.

O'KEEFE: Happy 4th of July from the Badlands. Come visit us soon.

WHITFIELD: I'm coming. Giddy up, giddy up. Ed O'Keefe, he was good, wasn't he? All right. Well, in a moment, a new flashpoint in Prince Harry's security battle with the royal family. Why he's refusing to allow Meghan and his children to travel to the UK.

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WHITFIELD: Britain's Prince Harry wants to head back to Britain on a business trip with his family. But huge security concerns are in the way. So when Harry heads to Britain next week after all for a five day visit, wife Meghan and the kids won't be with him. Here's CNN's Anna Cooban.

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ANNA COOBAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, there is just a lot of confusion around this. So in order to understand it, we really have to go back to 2020 when Harry and Meghan decided controversially to step back from royal duties. Now what that automatically meant was they were not eligible for taxpayer funded police protection. But Prince Harry has made it extremely clear that he will not bring his wife and two children to the U.K. where he says they get multiple threats that compromise their security.

He will not do that without proper protection. Now CNN has learned that his private security detail are trying to see if they can make this trip work. And they want to make it work because this would be the first time in four years that the Archie and Lilibet would come to the U.K. with Meghan and potentially see other members of the royal family.

Now there are some big question marks around this. Will they join him outside of London? We know that he'll be doing engagements around the U.K. one in the second city of Birmingham to really foreshadow the Invictus Games next year. And the second question is where will they stay?

So CNN has learned that they were going to stay at both a private residence and a royal residence, the second of which they would automatically receive police protection. But now that now that's all thrown into doubt. And there was further confusion sowed when Buckingham palace clarified that an invitation by King Charles to stay at a royal residence has not been accepted by Prince CNN. So big question marks over blessed. Both will find out not in the not too distant future.

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WHITFIELD: All right, Anna Cooban, keep us posted. All right. Thank you so much for joining me this weekend. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN Newsroom continues with Brian Abel right now.