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Trump Expected To Leave For NATO Summit; Manhunt Underway After Shooting At July 4th Barbecue; CNN Reports July 4th Incidents; Another Hit Wave Set To Hit This Week; Catholic Church Kicks Out Breakaway Group; USA's Balogun Cleared To Play Against Belgium; CNN Reports On Swift-Kelce Wedding. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired July 05, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: "CNN Newsroom" continues with Brian Abel right now.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: You are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. Tonight, the White House says President Donald Trump expects to hold meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of this week's NATO meeting in Turkey. Trump's potential talk with Zelenskyy comes after Trump reportedly spoke with both Ukrainian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the fourth of July weekend. Trump is expected to leave tomorrow night for the NATO meeting.

The summit comes with tensions running high between the U.S. and its NATO allies. Just last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of U.S. forces in Europe, saying -- quote -- "Some countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors."

CNN's Julia Benbrook has joined us now from the White House. And Julia, what else are we hearing right now from the White House about this week's NATO meeting?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump, he is expected to depart tomorrow for this NATO summit in Turkey. And we are getting more details on his schedule. I want to pull that up for you now. We're learning that he is expected to leave Monday evening. On Tuesday, he'll meet with the Turkish president and have dinner with NATO leaders. And on Wednesday, he'll participate in a NATO working session. He is expected to meet with the Ukrainian and Syrian presidents during this trip and hold a press conference before departing.

Now, both the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran will be top of mind during these discussions, these meetings that will be taking place. And when it comes to Iran, a senior U.S. official says that security in the Strait of Hormuz will likely be among the topics. This person said that the several member nations have expressed willingness to contribute to maritime security efforts, but added that they don't have the necessary ships or assets to contribute to a meaningful maritime effort. Now, that official did say that the broader message, the bigger focus throughout this is encouraging allies to spend more and focus more when it comes to the defense spending and the military readiness.

When it comes to Ukraine, as I pointed out, Trump is expected to meet with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the summit. He has also had several discussions in recent days. According to the Russian foreign ministry, Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for roughly 90 minutes on Saturday. They described that call as businesslike, as highly constructive. He also spoke with Zelenskyy on the phone, and Zelenskyy said that that was a very good call as well.

It's no secret that Trump has had a tumultuous relationship with NATO. He has, at many times, called out the alliance, threatened to leave the alliance, and questioned whether it benefits the United States in the way that he wants it to. He has repeatedly called on member nations to spend more on defense. And as recently as just a couple of days ago, he reiterated that message in a social media post where he wrote, in part, the United States spends more money on NATO than any other country by far to protect them without getting any benefit from so doing, adding, ridiculous.

So, a lot of big topics to watch out for and a big trip ahead. Brian? ABEL: My friend and colleague, Julia Benbrook, for us at the White House. Julia, thank you.

And we are joined now by former NATO supreme allied commander, General Wesley Clark, and CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. General Clark, first to you, Trump said last week the U.S. doesn't get any benefit from NATO and is calling it one-sided. Why is U.S. involvement in the alliance important?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FORMER SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, NATO: It's important because Europe is our greatest investor and our greatest trading partner. And we've learned in the last 80 years that if we want a good U.S. economy and we want our values to resonate in the world, we've got to have Europe on our side and Europe got to be stable. So, it's just as important now as it was five years ago, 15 years ago or 50 years ago.

ABEL: And David, Trump has previously threatened to pull the U.S. out of this alliance for what he says was their lack of support for the war with Iran. Talk to us about the dynamics heading into this NATO summit.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES: I don't think you're going to see the president argue to leave NATO.

[17:05:00]

I think the biggest concern I hear from NATO members is that the president's comments, like the ones that you saw in that Truth Social posting, undercut their confidence that if there was a crisis, if Putin tested the system by going beyond Ukraine, trying to go 100 or 200 miles into a small NATO nation, probably one of the more recent members from former Soviet states, that the United States would not be there to back them up and that that is the most corrosive element of it.

I think that's why you saw, when the NATO secretary general showed up in Washington last week, he came equipped with all these charts that he showed while T.V. cameras were in the Oval Office in which he was demonstrating how much more the NATO countries are contributing, how much they contribute to collective defense, emphasized what that enables the United States to devote its resources in other areas of the world, particularly the Pacific. But clearly, the president -- the message didn't stick.

ABEL: Yes, certainly, the secretary general knew how to make his case before the American public. General Clark, a senior U.S. official says several NATO allies expressed a willingness to contribute to maritime security efforts, but that many don't have the necessary ships or assets to contribute to a meaningful maritime effort. What physical non-diplomatic role can NATO play here?

CLARK: I think NATO members that have these assets could deploy some of them. But remember, there's also a latent Russian threat to the Baltic. And just in the last 48 hours, there has been a discussion by one of the top Russian leaders that they could operate in the Baltic and if they took an island or two there, they could completely dominate the Baltic.

So, there are threats from Russia that inhibit the deployment of some of these NATO mine sweeping, mine clearing vessels to the Gulf. But we have some that could go down there. The French have some, the Dutch have some, the Germans have some, and they could spare that.

ABEL: It's certainly a great point that the alliance can just focus on one singular area with so much that they have to cover. David, an Israeli source is telling CNN Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to visit Washington to meet with Trump as early as next Monday. What could we expect from this?

SANGER: Well, we heard Prime Minister Netanyahu in his announcement of his conversation with the president say that he expected to visit the United States soon. These two men have been on an opposite path in recent times. Netanyahu did everything he possibly could to undercut the 14-point plan with Iran. And he's making a bet now, probably a pretty good bet, that that will probably be the only agreement with Iran and that the bigger negotiation will fall apart.

I'm sure he's going to be pressing the president to focus again on missiles. The president has backed away on that. Big issue for Israel, but those missiles can't reach the United States. And he's going to want to focus anew on the Iranian nuclear program, which you're not hearing the president talk about these days. I think it's because the president recognizes that they've probably gotten most of what they're going to get.

ABEL: OK. General Clark, the negotiations between Israel and the U.S., they're on hold during the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But a major player not at the negotiating table is Israel. How do you see their role?

CLARK: Israel has got its own security problems. And, of course, it's the Iranian aim to wrap Israel into the package deal so that Israel cannot defend itself against Hezbollah and Hamas without interrupting the larger problem of the Strait of Hormuz and nuclear issues and so forth. So, I think what we're going to see is Bibi Netanyahu is going to fight against this by all means privately with President Trump.

No government leader, no national leader can say, I'm not going to defend the country to please some other country's diplomacy, especially given Israel -- when you talk to Israelis, they are still traumatized by October 7th, by what's coming in from the north. They know the United States went with Israel to attack Iran.

[17:09:58]

But, as David said, the missiles haven't been dealt with in the negotiations, and those missiles pose a deadly threat to Israel. And I think most of the Israelis believe that there's not much chance, really, that Iran is ever going to make a compromise on that nuclear material or give up its quest for nuclear weapon, especially now after the United States and Israel have attacked.

And you have to look at it also from their perspective. Not only the hardliners in charge, but would they trust the United States if they gave up their nuclear material? I mean, North Korea didn't give up its material, and the United States has done nothing to North Korea. So, they might very well have a very logical case that they can't give this up.

So, I think -- I think, for Bibi Netanyahu, he's going to stand as firm as possible that Israel is going to do whatever it has to do to protect itself, including keeping troops in South Lebanon, striking wherever Hezbollah is, going after the tunnels, and doing something with Hamas. He's simply not able, as a national political leader, to go along with the idea that the Iranians have, that it all has to be in one package, peace or no peace.

ABEL: All right. Gentlemen, we will have to leave the conversation there. General Wesley Clark and David Sanger, happy birthday to you, sir. Thank you both so much.

SANGER: Thank you.

ABEL: Take care. A stunner one day before the United States takes on Belgium in the World Cup as America's best player is told he is now allowed to play tomorrow. Plus, fourth of July turns violent as a barbecue ends with eight people shot. And the Catholic church kicks out a breakaway group after defying warnings from Pope Leo. Hear how that group is responding. You're in the "CNN Newsroom." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ABEL: Tonight, police are on the hunt for a masked gunman they say opened fire on a fourth of July celebration in New York. At least eight people, including four children, were shot. Police say a 21- year-old woman is in critical condition. The other victims are stable.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is following this story. And Gloria, what have you been able to learn?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brian, you know, a really sad situation considering we had so many celebrations spread out across the city yesterday celebrating the July 4th holiday. Frankly, hundreds of thousands of people gathered to celebrate the holiday. And for the most part, things went off really well.

But it was late last night after 10:30 in the evening that shots rang out during a family and friends' barbecue, a gathering like so many of the others that people were doing yesterday. Police say that a masked gunman approached this group that was gathered in a courtyard in front of the building and opened fire. There was no discussion and no words exchanged before he opened fire. He injured several people, half of them children. The youngest victim, just six years old, was shot in the abdomen. And, as you said, all of them have survived, but there is one 21-year-old woman who is in critical condition.

Now, police said that last week, there was a gang-related homicide that took place on this same stretch where the shooting took place last night, and they are investigating whether there may be a potential connection between the shooting last night and that event last week. Police recovered a firearm and the suspect is still on the loose. Police are continuing their investigation.

Take a listen to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the police commissioner talking about this incident earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

JESSICA TISCH, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: 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)

PAZMINO: And Brian, to that point that the commissioner was making, this comes as the city continues to have a historic low crime rate. So, again, police continuing their investigation and looking for the gunman. Brian?

ABEL: Heartbreaking situation. And, as you point out, otherwise, well 4th of July holiday. Gloria Pazmino reporting for us. Gloria, thank you. And right now, the FAA is investigating how a Delta plane collided

with fireworks while descending into Chicago's Midway airport last night According to air traffic control audio, the pilot reported feeling a -- quote -- "bang."

CNN's Rafael Romo joins me now. And Rafael, this isn't the only fourth of July incident that you are following.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Brian. It's a couple of them as far as we know. And these incidents remind us of how dangerous fireworks can be when mishandled or used near airports or other public infrastructure.

Delta Airlines confirmed to CNN in a statement that one of their flights that originated here in Atlanta was hit by a firework while landing at Chicago Midway International Airport on Saturday. Right after the impact, the pilot on Delta flight 1076 is heard saying to an air traffic controller, the crew heard the bang on the plane when the plane was flying at 200 feet, according to audio from ATC.com.

[17:19:57]

Here's part of the communication between the pilot and the control tower as the flight was landing at Chicago's Midway airport.

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): Delta 1076, I'm not sure if you'll be able to assess if there's any damage at this time, but can you tell me if you had to, I guess, any, any further information about the fireworks?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): No, negative, but yes, about 200 feet AGL, 2-250 AGL. But we just heard the bang on the plane. So, we'll have to take a look at it once we get to the gate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: The air traffic controller said there have been multiple similar reports and that city officials have been notified. CNN has reached out to Chicago police for details. In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration reported that Delta Airlines flight 1076 landed safely at Chicago Midway International Airport around 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 4th, after the pilot reported that a fireworks mortar struck the aircraft just before landing, adding that the FAA will investigate the incident. Delta said the plane landed without incident and is being inspected.

Now, Brian, let me show you what happened in New York during the city's fourth of July fireworks celebration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: Eyewitness's video shows several small fires breaking out on the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night as a fourth of July fireworks display was wrapping up. The New York City Fire Department said firefighters quickly mobilized to the scene to extinguish the flames after a call came in about reported rubbish fire on the bridge around 9:40 p.m. local time. The fire department also said that fires like these are not unexpected, and that is why they have the standoff distance during fireworks show. Fortunately, they say no one was injured.

So, a couple of incidents that are very worrisome but, again, no one was injured. Brian, back to you.

ABEL: Thank you. Everybody is safe. Rafael Romo for us. Rafael, thank you.

Well, in a word, the fourth of July weekend was hot. So, you might not want to hear that another heat wave is on the way. Sorry. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:25:00]

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ABEL: The Eastern U.S. is finally getting a little bit of relief after a sweltering fourth of July holiday. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has a forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More than 30 million people still under those heat alerts in the Eastern U.S. But we are finally going to start to get a reprieve from the heat, albeit brief, and it has already begun across areas of the Midwest. Chicago is high today, only 75 degrees. Their normal for perspective is about 84. Now, they'll get right back to that by Tuesday and Wednesday of the upcoming week.

For places like D.C., New York, it's a little bit more of a delayed effect. We still have one more day of that warm air, 95. The high today expected in D.C., but back down to 88, and then 84 by Tuesday, which is actually below normal for a change.

But the heat is still helping to fuel a lot of showers and thunderstorms. We've already had them ongoing throughout the morning and the early afternoon. Now, we will continue to see them through the evening. Here you can see, about eight, nine o'clock this evening, scattered showers across portions of Texas, Oklahoma, stretching over through the southeast up into the mid-Atlantic and even areas of the northeast, although the bulk of the northeast rain showers will actually be through the evening and overnight timeline, still lingering there, notice about five, six, seven o'clock on Monday morning.

Washington, D.C., we talked about it, 95 for today, dipping back down to the low 80s once we get to Tuesday and Wednesday, but then back up to the 90s once again on Friday. So, again, it's going to be short- lived where we see that rebound.

We've also got heat alerts in place out to the desert southwest because of the anticipated rise in temperatures over the next few days. Not too bad today in Las Vegas, pretty much right on target, 104, that's their average high. But we are back up to around 110, 111 as we approach the end of the week and even into the weekend. Same thing for areas of Phoenix and Tucson and portions of the desert in California. Also looking at the chance for those temperatures to jump about five to 10 degrees above average.

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ABEL: Allison Chinchar, thank you. Well, Europe has moved on from its deadly summer heat wave, but the temperatures are still high enough that a cool swim sounds like a great idea. And in the heart of Paris, people are taking dips into the River Seine. It's a prospect that would have been highly unappealing and actually illegal just a couple of years ago. Our Melissa Bell has more.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget climbing the Eiffel Tower. The cool new thing to do in Paris is to swim beneath it.

UNKNOWN: It's very quiet. Yes, very nice. And you can see some very little fish in the water.

UNKNOWN: We swim in Copenhagen where we come from as well. So --

BELL: OK.

UNKNOWN: -- we don't really -- we don't really mind, actually.

BELL (voice-over): Others are still a little hesitant.

UNKNOWN: I have not like entered the water, but I think the idea of like lounging by the Seine is really cool.

BELL (voice-over): It's hard to imagine that the Seine River was once a toxic mess, home to half of Paris's untreated wastewater. In fact, for 100 years, swimming in it was strictly prohibited. Now, for the second year in a row, public swimming areas will be open until the end of August.

MAYOR EMMANUEL GREGOIRE, PARIS: First, I would like to guarantee them that the quality of the water is very good. Secondly, it's an amazing occasion to discover Paris in a different way.

BELL (voice-over): A swimmable Seine was one of the pledges of the 2024 Paris Olympics. One point four billion euros were spent getting the river clean enough for the athletes to compete in it. But the idea was always to give ordinary Parisians their river back, too.

BELL: A few years ago, the idea of swimming in the Seine River would have seemed crazy.

[17:29:59]

But then again, this is a city in which it is often said that the only sane thing is the river.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Melissa Bell, thank you. A stunning move by FIFA as Team USA's best player at the World Cup learns he does not have to sit out tomorrow's critical game against Belgium. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:35:00]

ABEL: A priest from a breakaway Catholic church group told members that another pope will someday welcome them back, according to Reuters, after the Vatican excommunicated them last week. This after the ultra-traditional Society of St. Pius X ordained four new bishops defying Pope Leo's wishes. The next day, the Vatican said the priests and members of the group are -- quote -- "in schism and excommunicated."

CNN religion contributor and Catholic priest, Fr. Edward Beck, joins us now. Fr. Beck, thank you for your time on a holiday weekend. Can you just first help us understand why this excommunication is a big deal?

FR. EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION CONTRIBUTOR, CATHOLIC PRIEST: Well, Brian, it's the most serious rupture in Catholicism in decades. I mean, Rome didn't just excommunicate the bishops, it hit the priests, too. And it also warned the lay followers that they're at risk if they stay loyal. I mean, it's harder than even John Paul II's response back in 1988. So, it's a big deal because it's a wide swath of people who are following this particular society, and they're all at risk of being excommunicated.

ABEL: One of the priests from this group, as we mentioned, says another pope would welcome them back one day. It has happened in the past. So, there is precedent. Could we see that happen again?

BECK: Well, I suppose it's possible it could happen again. I mean, it's not out of the question. But I think that the door is not fully shut. The Vatican has already invited people back and said that not every society member, layperson, will be automatically excommunicated. It depends on their intent.

But, you know, any reconciliation risks the same trap. That happened last time with Pope Benedict. And he looked weak to conservatives and as rewarding defiance to progressives.

And I think what Pope Leo's action does is it isolates the hardliners while giving him room to keep courting the broader conservative wing that didn't support the consecration of these bishops. So, yes, I think that there's precedent for some negotiation here, but he has taken a much harder stance than popes before him. So, it will really be interesting to see what happens with it.

ABEL: I do want to explore kind of the origins of this split. The breakaway group has accused the church of straying from what they consider the true faith. Father, is there validity to their concerns? BECK: I don't think there is. I mean, they're making like Latin mass the issue. But, I mean, that's the symbol.

But the real fight here is over Vatican II itself. I mean, it's about what Vatican II stood for with religious liberty, interfaith outreach, the church's whole posture toward the modern world. I mean, these followers are actually saying that the church is too welcoming, if you can believe that.

So, I think it is really kind of a proxy war about over 60 years of reform, but it's dressed up as a liturgical dispute. It's much more than a Latin mass.

ABEL: And you talked about just how strong the response has been from Pope Leo. Do you think there's some sort of message that he is sending, considering how early this is in his papacy?

BECK: Yes, I think it's personal for him. Remember, this is the first pope formed entirely after Vatican II. We were actually in seminary together for a time in Chicago. So, I mean, accepting the position of this society just isn't negotiable for him. You know, this is what being Catholic means to him, supporting Vatican II. So, he appealed to them directly first.

He said the consecration of the bishops would be a sin of extreme gravity. And his appeal was refused. So, this is Leo defining unity on his terms and not repeating Benedict's 2009 failed reconciliation approach. And I think the reason he's doing it is because this is the church he knows, this is the church he grew up in, and this is the church he has a love for.

ABEL: All right. Father Edward Beck, thank you so much for joining us.

BECK: Thank you, Brian.

ABEL: A shakeup at the World Cup. In 24 hours, Team USA faces Belgium in the World Cup round of 16. And we just learned the top striker will now play in this game. More on the stunning decision by FIFA, next.

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[17:40:00]

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ABEL: FIFA stunning the soccer world today, lifting the one-game suspension of USA striker Folarin Balogun. He was facing that suspension for tomorrow's big game against Belgium.

And CNN has learned President Trump spoke with FIFA's president on the phone ahead of that decision. Balogun was facing the one-game ban after receiving a controversial red card in Wednesday's round of 32, the win there over Bosnia-Herzegovina. And then Trump posted on social media, thanking FIFA for -- quote -- "doing what was right" and for "reversing a great injustice." [17:45:01] CNN sports anchor Patrick Snell is joining us now. Patrick, how surprising is this decision by FIFA to let Balogun play?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brian. Yes, it did come as a shock. There's no question about that. It was a big, big, significant development come Sunday afternoon because the player himself, no question, and his teammates, I'm quite sure, were preparing for this highly important game on Monday evening against Belgium, preparing to play the Belgians without him because of that one-match ban that he thought was -- he got in his mind. He had it. The mindset was he's not playing.

But this dramatic development, as I say, coming on Sunday when tournament organizers, FIFA, and they basically implemented their Article 27 of their code, which does allow for a full or even a partial suspension of an on-pitch disciplinary measure under a probationary period. Now, in this case, it's 12 months or a year. So, this does allow Balogun to play against the Belgians on Monday.

And it's a huge boost to Team USA. There's no question about that. This is a nation that's trying to get to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time since 2002 when it was played in Asia, in South Korea, and Japan. So, a massive boost for them.

I will say it was a harsh decision in my book. The incident, this is not a malice, malicious player in any way. It was a natural progression of where does he put his foot when he's making that challenge, and it did happen to land on the Bosnian player's ankle. There's no question about that.

Brian, I want to point out, though, that when that decision was made, the referee did not initially give it as a red card. It was only when the VAR official got in the referee's ear and said, hey, you need to have a closer look at that, go and check it on the monitor. Of course, any time you go to the monitor, everything becomes slow mo, everything looks a whole lot worse when you slow it down. So, that comes the twist, and it now allows Balogun to play in an absolutely crucial match.

We saw that response from U.S. President Donald Trump via Truth Social. I do want to get to the response from the Belgian Federation because we've had that just a short while ago. So, let's get to that response from Belgium. This is from the Royal Belgian Football Association. The decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations. And it goes on to say, in order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options.

So, that is a highly significant response there, Brian, from the Belgian Federation. You can be sure that everyone is going to have an opinion on this and there is going to be a lot more fallout to come. No question about that.

ABEL: No question, indeed. What a roller coaster. Patrick Snell for us. Patrick, thank you. And still ahead for us, the wedding of the century still shrouded in mystery. New details about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's love story, next.

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[17:50:00]

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ABEL: Now that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially newlyweds, Swifties are patiently waiting for any additional details about the celebration that took place inside Madison Square Garden on Friday.

And just a short while ago here on CNN, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid recalled this bit of advice that their officiant, Adam Sandler, shared with the couple.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY REID, HEAD COACH, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: I thought Adam said it well. He said, kiss every chance you have every day. So, whether you're going to bed or going to work or, you know, wherever -- whenever you're -- go ahead and kiss her.

(LAUGHTER)

And I thought that was in a simple way, in its simplest form, it really was touching that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: So, there's a little nugget. Bryan West is USA Today Network's Taylor Swift reporter. He joins us now. And Bryan, let's -- fill us in on what's the newest information that you're learning.

BRYAN WEST, TAYLOR SWIFT REPORTER, USA TODAY NETWORK: Hi, Brian. Taylor Swift brought the garden to Madison Square. So, I was outside reporting when Seventh Avenue was completely shut down. We saw hundreds of black SUVs that pulled up. It was a huge convoy of all the who's who. You couldn't really see past any of the windows. They would turn on 31st Street, and there was this tent that completely enveloped them. Workers would stand behind them, close the tent, they would get out, and they would enter into the building.

New details that are coming out from guests that I've talked with is that there were apricot, peach curtains. They also were walking into the arena area, but it was a raised platform. And they couldn't really tell, you know, where the arena started and ended. It felt very intimate.

Adam Sandler, of course, came out. He was the officiant. He knows both of them very well. He made some jokes and humor, as you just saw. He said his best piece of advice was kissing. As soon as the ceremony wrapped, which CEO of AMC, Adam Aron, described as being intimate, everybody headed to the reception area. [17:55:03]

And that's where Taylor and Travis came out on stage. They sang a couple songs. Guests had arcade games. It was also transformed into this huge, elaborate, lush garden with illuminated trees all around them. There was a lot of different places for them to grab food, refreshments and bars, which makes sense because when I was standing outside of Madison Square Garden, I saw what was called a tree bar that was being unloaded. And so, that was one of the cool attractions. There was karaoke. Guests got up and sang. We saw Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney sing.

And so, this was just like the Bridgerton event of today's world, of today's society, with all the who's who showing up.

ABEL: Well, let's talk about that massive guest list. Also, quite the feat to make Madison Square Garden feel intimate. But who was on the guest list? Who was there and maybe also, notably, who wasn't?

WEST: So, we are told that at least a thousand people, that's what the permit said, were invited or there was enough room for. On Taylor's side or the entertainment side, you had Paul McCartney, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Brad Pitt, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, Selena Gomez, her backup dancers, her singers, her band, of course, her family. Her man of honor was her brother, Austin. And then on the sports side, you had Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Kelce, Julian Edelman, Joe Buck, Erin Andrews, Mike Vrabel. And so, it really was this perfect marriage of both the sports and the entertainment industries.

ABEL: You know, my feed was filled with all of the Eros tour dancers posting about making it to the ceremony. I hear that there was a rain show. What can you tell us about that?

WEST: So, what's really cool in Swifty lore is that a rain show is good luck. Taylor Swift performed famously at Gillette Stadium and also Miami Stadium in the pouring rain, and she would continue through the three hours and say, this is good luck. Almost immediately after the two said, I do, it started to rain. For about a half an hour, there was wind. I think one of the reporters from either European or Australian station was going live when his umbrella almost started to fall apart. And so, that is considered a huge sign of luck in the Swifty community. But also, I believe, when you get married, isn't it a good luck if it rains on your wedding day?

ABEL: Apparently. You know, that's at least a good spin to put on it regardless. So, you mentioned this tree bar thing. Do we know anything about the kind of food that was served? You did talk about who performed. But, you know, I saw, I think, a caterer bring cake or something out to fans outside at one point.

WEST: OK. So, that was a really fun video. If you haven't seen it, you have to go Google this. So, basically, there was a caterer that was driving out. There were fans that were lining the barricade, and they were trying to say like, hey, if it's chocolate ice cream, put your thumb up, and if it's vanilla, put your thumb down. And this driver rolls down the window and hands them a box of pastries. A police officer brought it over. They went absolutely wild. He described it as being flaky, honey-like, and tasting like apple.

ABEL: That sounds delicious. OK, so, you know, we saw just how secretive this ceremony was. What about the honeymoon? Have you heard anything about that?

WEST: I haven't heard anything about the honeymoon. But it was a secretive ceremony. What I can say that comes next is there were signs that said it was being photographed. And also, there was video. It was being taped. So, fans are speculating, of course, could this be a documentary or docu-series? I think also, with her returning to country roots on her newest song, maybe she puts it in a music video. Either way, everyone is chomping at the bit for these pictures to become public.

ABEL: Well, and if, you know, past becomes the future, there will be some sort of documentary or something that they put out. So, theoretically, fans could kind of get an idea of what it was like to be there themselves?

WEST: I think so. Again, I think this was a lot like Bridgerton. She is friends with Shonda Rhimes. And so, I wouldn't be surprised. Not just in what I'm hearing about how it looked and was transformed, how it felt, but in those types of scenarios, Taylor always likes to let her fans in.

ABEL: Yes. All right. Bryan West for us. Bryan, really appreciate your time. Thank you.

WEST: Thanks, Brian.

ABEL: And a new hour of "Newsroom" starts right now.

I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. You are in the "CNN Newsroom." Tonight, shock at the World Cup. President Donald Trump intervening in a key FIFA decision, and it's coming under scrutiny. Earlier today, FIFA announced U.S. star player Folarin Balogun will be allowed to play in the team's match against Belgium tomorrow despite having received a controversial red card Wednesday. That red card would have automatically suspended the player from the match.

[17:59:57]

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now from the White House. And Julia, what are we hearing about Trump's intervention here?

BENBROOK: Brian, this is one of those topics you don't expect to dive into in detail at the White House.