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IndyCar Race Takes Place In Washington D.C. Jared Kushner And Hakeem Jeffries Meet In New York. Peace Talks Intensify As Iran War Hits Six-Month Mark. Communities Outraged Over Data Centers Ahead Of Midterms. Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial Coming To A Close; Natalie Harp Posts, Prince Harry And Meghan Merkle Return To U.K. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 23, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, HOST, CNN NEWSROOM: American driver Kyle Kirkwood taking the checkered flag and coming in first place after telling reporters it would be an honor and a privilege to race in the nation's capital. The race caps off a series of events celebrating 250 years of American independence.

This summer, local residents could hear the sound of the engines roaring from nearly a mile away. They also saw and felt that flyover because that's how the day was started. And President Trump also taking a ceremonial lap around the mile and a half track in his limo called The Beast. CNN's Brian Todd has been there throughout, and you're there still with the cheering spectators. What's going on?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alright Fredricka, some of these drivers are kind of taking their warm down lap and they're being cheered by the people as they go by. We just heard you announce the winner.

I'm going to come over here and talk to a couple from Pennsylvania who we spoke to earlier. This is Daniel and Savannah Costi (ph). Hey guys, how you doing? Alright, they just had the checkered flag. You know -- You know, you heard about who won?

DANIEL COSTI, INDYCAR FAN: I did not, no.

TODD: I think it was, actually Fredricka, remind me of who won, because I know you just announced it, and I can tell them.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, Kyle Kirkwood.

TODD: Kyle Kirkwood.

D. COSTI: Okay. Awesome.

TODD: Okay. So, you saw him.

D. COSTI: I did.

TODD: Who was your favorite racer? D. COSTI: Well, this is our first IndyCar race, so it was cool to see Kirkwood lead for a lot of the race. And then once he pitted there close to the end and he came back, it was a fun race. It was nice to see.

TODD: So, you guys have been out here all day long. You were not here yesterday, but you've been here all day long. Give the viewers out there a sense of what it's like to endure just being out here all day and seeing these guys doing what they do all day long. It's a day long thing, isn't it?

SAVANNAH COSTI, INDYCAR FAN: Yeah, for sure. It's been a really cool experience. We weren't planning on coming to this today, but we just happened to get the ability to do it. So, it was really cool to come in and watch some of the race and be up close, this close and personal to the cars and stuff. Super cool.

TODD: You both are from Pennsylvania originally. You're here, you're stationed here with the Air Force. Daniel, what stood out to you about the experience today? Was it the speed? Was it the noise? What was it?

D. COSTI: Yeah, I think, I mean, everything just, you know, the loud noises, the cars speeding past. Right? The smells of the fuel. It's an 85 degree day here in D.C. Sunny most of the day, but the venue was great. We had plenty of ice water, you know, plenty of amenities. It was -- It was a really cool experience to see more than just the race. Right? To celebrate the 250th.

TODD: I was going to ask you, what about the actual experience as we -- as we look at people filing out, right? Okay. You guys had to go through a lot of those lines, the checkpoints and all that. Was it easy to get in? Was it a hassle? Was it okay? What was the experience like?

S. COSTI: Yeah, no, it was pretty simple. We just came up to a checkpoint. I brought a clear bag, I adhered to the policies, and we were able to get in pretty easily and smooth. It was nice.

TODD: Would you do it again?

D. COSTI: I would, definitely. Yeah. It was -- It was a really cool experience.

TODD: Alright guys, thank you very much for talking to us. Hope you had a great time today.

D. COSTI: Thank you.

TODD: Alright. So there you go. At the end of the race there, Fredricka, people starting to file out. If yesterday was any indication, right after the preliminaries were over, this place cleared out pretty quickly. So, it looks like, you know, they expected about 100,000 people here each day. We -- I think we easily got to that mark today and walking around talking to these people. But you know what? Just about everybody we talked to said the fan -- the actual fan experience. I mean, I don't know if you could call it seamless, because how can it be seamless when there's hundreds of thousands of people gathering in one place? But they said it was very smooth. They said it was -- The checkpoints were not a problem. There were not huge lines at the checkpoints. They were able to get in and around fairly easily. And it was overall a very good experience for most people, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Very nice. Alright. Smooth like the D.C. track for this Grand Prix. Brian Todd, thank you so much. Looks like you had a good time, too.

Alright, also new today, a source is telling CNN that Jared Kushner, President Trump's son in law and close adviser, has met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in recent weeks. The two met in New York to discuss how they might collaborate on a range of issues from immigration to the cost of living. Jeffries could become Speaker if the Democrats win back the House in November. Current House Speaker Mike Johnson downplaying the idea that the meeting was an acknowledgment by President Trump that Democrats could indeed potentially control the House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE JOHNSON, HOUSE SPEAKER: I love our candidates. I love our message. I love our fundraising advantage. I'm telling you, we're going to defy history and hold this majority.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Earlier today, I spoke with Sophia Cai. She is White House reporter for Politico. And I asked her, if Speaker Johnson is so confident that Republicans will retain control of the House, then why would Kushner and Jeffries be talking?

SOPHIA CAI, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, POLITICO: That's what Speaker Johnson has to say. Right? But Jeffries and Kushner, look, I have to give them both credit.

[16:05:00]

If you're Jeffries, you want some credibility when you go into the Oval Office if Dems win and negotiate the budget, among other items. And if you're Kushner, you want to have face time with the person who's leading the party that's going to be investigating you. So either side, you cannot lose by having this meeting. It is sort of low stakes right now.

WHITFIELD: So is this typical of a White House to kind of preemptively do something like this?

CAI: It's pretty rare. Right? You did not see Hunter Biden meeting with the Republicans ahead of the midterms last cycle. This was not something they did. But the Kushner brothers, both Jared and Josh, they have a lot on the line. They have two firms. Josh has his Thrive, and Jared has Affinity Partners. And both of these will be under immense scrutiny. You could argue that they're the number one target for Democrats. Jamie Raskin has already sent letters to Jared Kushner about Affinity Partners. They know that they have a target on their back.

WHITFIELD: Republicans and Democrats, and they're pretty far apart, you know, on several topics, you know, including immigration, which apparently was discussed. Is there potential you see here on these sides finding middle ground?

CAI: Not on immigration. Right? I mean, Trump keeps saying that he's open to a compromise on immigration, but he keeps saying the same thing, and every time at the last minute, he sort of blows it up. So, you know, I think with this meeting between Jeffries and Kushner, it's not what they talked about. It's the fact that that happened, that the meeting happened, that's important for us.

WHITFIELD: Mmhmm. Right now, as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, I mean, he's having to navigate, you know, sort of these fissures within the Democratic Party, with Democratic socialists, you know, moderates, and -- and with these DSA winning primaries, do we have a sense of how much more complicated his -- his job or life, you know, has become as a result of this?

CAI: It's going to be really complicated. What he really wants to do if he becomes speaker is gain credibility with each faction of his party. So with the moderates, with the progressives, on everything, right, because there's a lot of people, you ask them, are you supportive of the DSA?

And they say, yes, we're supportive, but they're not sure if they want the endorsement. And that tells you everything you need to know about how the party feels about DSA. You know, there are these divides. And that's something as Speaker, it's going to be really tricky for potential Speaker Jeffries to thread that needle.

WHITFIELD: You touched on this with, you know, potential investigations, you know, involving the Kushner's, you know, depending on, you know, where -- which direction the House goes. But can we elaborate a little further on that? I mean, potentially what kind of investigations could be launched if the Democrats win the majority in the House?

CAI: So, the thrust of the investigation into Jared Kushner would really look like this. It would look like asking Jared Kushner, who do you work for? Do you work for the American people? Because he does not currently have a formal role with the White House but he's taking this big role in negotiating the end of the Iran war, Ukraine, other deals on behalf of the president. And on the other side, he's -- his firm, Affinity Partners, is taking Saudi money, for instance, is taking Emirati money. And so that is the thrust of the question that Jamie Raskin will be asking Jared Kushner.

Now, for Josh Kushner, the question will be, what was your involvement with FIFA? Who prompted you to get into this deal with FIFA about set it -- selling stakes in the World Cup? It was wildly unpopular. And it's not just about Josh. It's really also about how closely FIFA was operating with Trump. That's another investigation that Jamie Raskin has said that he wants to undertake. So both brothers, and we know that both brothers also very close to each other, they will have to answer for those questions.

WHITFIELD: Oh, there is a lot there, potentially. Sophia Cai, thank you so much. Great to see you. CAI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Alright. This week will mark six months since the start of the war with Iran. And tomorrow, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to announce new economic sanctions on Iran, what he has called the toughest sanctions in history. Ahead of that announcement, Iran's security chief warned neighboring Gulf countries against supporting any new economic restrictions threatening to block their oil shipments through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. CNN's Jerusalem bureau chief Oren Liebermann has more.

[16:10:00]

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: After months of military conflict have failed to militarily defeat Iran or to secure a nuclear deal, President Donald Trump is shifting to a new strategy, which may well be an old strategy: economic warfare with a new set of sanctions set to be unveiled on Monday by the U.S. Treasury Secretary in an effort to put pressure on Iran's economy and either force the Iranian regime into a nuclear deal or perhaps defeat the -- defeat the regime or topple the regime in some other fashion.

This is less a brand new strategy and more what appears to be a return of the maximum pressure campaign we saw in the Trump administration's first term an effort to weaken Iran economically here. Trump is trying to bring in other countries to help put pressure on Iran. This isn't an immediate solution to the conflict.

And economic sanctions and economic pressure take time to work. And this seems to be an acknowledgment that the military conflict, the strikes on Iran over the course of the last few months have failed to bring about what Trump was looking for, that is a nuclear deal that he would consider acceptable.

So now that that has failed, it's back to economic pressure. And we have seen this in an acknowledgment from Iran's president, who described this now as a full scale conflict. He said, according to Iranian state media, this is Masoud Pezeshkian.

We are apologetic that these problems exist as we find ourselves in a full scale economic, military and security war. So, you see him acknowledging there the pressure on Iran's economy, the inflation, the other issues facing the Iranian public, but trying to rally around the idea and this continued economic conflict now with the United States. Here is an Iranian national security official as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHSEN REZAEI, SECRETARY OF IRAN'S SUPREME NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: If President Trump decides to take further action, our response, our retaliation will be seismic. First, we will tell all neighboring countries and countries around the world not to join the United States in its economic war. Any country that takes part in imposing economic restrictions on us will be regarded as an enemy. Of course, we will first negotiate with them. We will hold talks and tell them to step aside and distance themselves from the United States. But if they do not act, we will strike. We will target that country's interests.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIEBERMANN: Now the question becomes who can hold out longer if this is economic warfare. The Trump administration is betting that the pressure on Iran's economy will pressure the regime into either a nuclear deal or perhaps some of the wide scale protests around economic issues that we saw earlier this year. The difference of course now is that there is a conflict, there is an enemy at which the Iranian regime can point and say this is their fault and see if they can rally the people around Iran and around Tehran and the supreme leader there.

Iran meanwhile is betting that trying to limit the traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will put pressure on Trump through gas prices and the effect the general prices of everything are having across the United States ahead of the midterms, which is what Iran is looking at in terms of the economic warfare from their perspective. Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.

WHITFIELD: Alright, coming up, she's one of President Trump's closest aides and her unwavering loyalty to him has come under some scrutiny. New CNN reporting takes a close look at now deleted tweets from Natalie Harp expressing her support of President Trump on January 6. Plus, communities across the country are debating whether to give AI data centers the green light. We'll break it all down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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WHITFIELD: More states' governors are shifting their stance on data centers as public opinion sours and midterm elections near. But despite concern even from his own party, President Trump says he fully supports their construction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: If I were a community, I would want the data center. It means jobs, it means income, and it means lower taxes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: For a closer look now at how the cities are responding across the country, CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo joining me now. So how are communities pushing back and why?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in a way they are really speaking up, and we have seen that in Georgia and different communities. And Fred, data centers have prompted a national debate that has been raging for a while, a debate that is heating up as we approach the midterm elections here in Georgia. The city of Lovejoy, population 13,000, considered a proposal that would have included a 15 building, 403 acre data center campus that would have been located between two schools and several residential neighborhoods.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(UNKNOWN): The type of contamination comes from the data center.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: The proposal generated such a public outcry that city officials and the developer canceled the data center plan.

(BEING VIDEOTAPE)

(UNKNOWN): We don't need something like that within our community right here. Yeah, and it's come across as a very negative thing. I think many people are against it and I'm one of those people as well.

(UNKNOWN): This is a place to have families grow, not data centers.

(UNKNOWN): We're not against data centers. We're against data centers in our communities. That's not what we came here for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: Lovejoy Mayor Marci Fluellyn told me she's happy that consensus was reached on what's best for her residents. A recent -- A recent Gallup poll showed 71% of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their communities.

[16:20:00]

About a dozen states have proposed data center building moratoriums and New York has recently enacted one. Four other states have taken up similar bills, but they fail to get enacted. Texas Governor Greg Abbott told ABC this morning AI companies should have done much more to make their case before unveiling plans to build data centers in local communities in his state.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG ABBOTT, TEXAS GOVERNOR, REPUBLICAN: They didn't do their job to get the support of people in local communities. Gaining the support of people in local communities is essential. They'd not been working in collaboration with local governments. And so they basically dug their own grave for the problem that's been caused for them. And that's why they got the backlash they deserve.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: In spite of the opposition. Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University, says data centers are here to stay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SHELLY PALMER, CEO, PALMER GROUP: The velocity of data is increasing and will always increase. There's no version of the world where there's less data tomorrow than there is today. Every time you pick up your smartphone, every time you sit down at a computer, every time you do practically anything, swipe a credit card, data centers are involved. In order to make data actionable, to turn it into something tangible and valuable, you must process it. And that happens in a data center.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: And here are the numbers that put everything in perspective. Fred, the United States had, listen to this, more than 5,400 data centers at the end of last year, according to Stanford University's AI Index report. That number is set to nearly double because Data Research Center Aterio found AI companies have announced plans for nearly 4,000 additional data centers. And we were talking about this before. A lot of the things that we do on a daily basis, shopping, communicating, have to do in our process through data centers.

WHITFIELD: Oh boy. Alright, we are at a real interesting juncture here for sure. Alright, Rafael Romo, thank you. Alright, coming up, it's been heartbreaking, shocking and revealing. I'll speak to a criminal defense attorney on what can be expected in the final days of the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the mother accused of murdering her three children.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:25:00]

WHITFIELD: Court resumes tomorrow in Lindsay Clancy's triple murder trial as the prosecution's rebuttal witnesses take the stand. While the Massachusetts mother admits to killing her three small children in 2023, the defense argues she is not criminally responsible because she experienced postpartum psychosis.

The trial has ignited conversations about postpartum mental health and the defense her attorneys are presenting. Joining me right now for more legal perspective is trial and criminal defense attorney Heather Hansen. Heather, great to see you. So, I mean, we've heard from several expert witnesses in this case. And in your view, how compelling are their testimonies in determining criminal responsibility?

HEATHER HANSEN, TRIAL AND CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think that the last expert that the defense put on Dr. Resnick, was the most compelling, Fredricka. She -- He rather was the expert on this particular, this postpartum psychosis. He's written the DSM on it, and that's why many of us saw he appeared by Zoom rather than in person, which normally I would say is less compelling.

But when you have an expert with that much experience, that much experience on a very specific topic, that that person has a lot of weight in the courtroom. If you compare that to the last witness we saw, which was the prosecution's rebuttal witness, he had a whole lot less experience with this type of thing. And in fact, he was cross examined on never having even been within the breath of a pregnant woman. So, if you weigh those two, the last defense witness so far, to me, has been the most credible and the most weighty testimony.

WHITFIELD: And Massachusetts is, you know, one of a handful of states with the burden of proving criminal responsibility, meaning the prosecution has to disprove insanity rather than the defense proving mental incapacity -- incapacity. So why does this distinction matter?

HANSEN: It matters enormously because the burden of proof is a very big deal. You know, my sister called me today and asked me, why does the prosecution get to come back and do a rebuttal? It's because they have the burden of proof. It is a heavy burden. Beyond a reasonable doubt is a very heavy burden.

As a result, they go first and they go last. If that burden had been switched to the defense, they would bear that heavy burden. But you're right. Massachusetts is one of a handful of states that does not make the defense take that burden, which makes it all the more likely that the defense will be successful in this case.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Do you think the defense has presented a strong case? I mean, it certainly sparked a lot of conversations outside the courtroom about maternal mental health.

HANSEN: They have presented a very strong case. The cross examinations of the plaintiffs experts and their fact witnesses, the psychiatrist who treated Lindsay, those cross examinations were very strong. Reddington is a very good attorney who has been doing this longer than most of the witnesses have been alive. And I thought that his cross examinations were really masterclasses for law students and experts. And then the prosecution has done what they can.

But the truth of it is there's strong evidence that, at the very least, and the Prosecution even concedes this, THAT Lindsay had some mental issues. You know, Dr. Mac, on Friday, the prosecutions expert said that she had depression. So, it's

hard to say that she did not have something that is Impacting her mental health.

Now, whether they met their burden is only for the jury to decide, and I don't envy them That. But I think the defense Has done a phenomenal job here.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, there has been a lot of support online, you know, for Clancy. Particularly among mothers who relate to, you know, a lack of support, a lack of sleep, the crushing weight of postpartum, you know, struggles.

Still, are you surprised that a woman who admits to strangling her three children has also -- has drawn so much empathy?

HANSEN: I'm not surprised. I think that, you know, we're talking a lot about the Andrea Yates case that happened years ago.

WHITFIELD: Yes. HANSEN: But I think there's been --

WHITFIELD: Covered up.

HANSEN: -- such a change just in -- yes, it was a huge case.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HANSEN: She was first convicted and then she was -- she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. I think so much in society and culture has changed, Fredricka. And I think that the law tends to follow that. Society first and the law follows.

And it's really interesting to see the support that Lindsay has received that other mothers in the past have not. But I do want to remind everyone that, ultimately, it's going to be 12 jurors.

Right now, there are 18 with six alternates, waiting to see whether they'll be chosen as the 12, who are going to have to decide this. And they have been there since July 29th. So, a huge duty that they have taken on and a huge burden that they have to come to this verdict probably this week.

WHITFIELD: Yes, really fascinating. All right. Heather Hansen, a pleasure having you. Thank you.

HANSEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

[16:31:36]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Years before Natalie Harp became a key White House aide to President Trump, she flooded her Twitter feed with posts, demonstrating extraordinary devotion to him. On January 6th, 2021, the day of the Capitol riot.

CNN's Isabelle Chapman and Andrew Kaczynski reviewed Harp's now- removed account on X. And Isabelle Chapman is joining me right now. Isabelle, what did you learn?

ISABELLE CHAPMAN, CNN INVESTIGAGES REPORTER: So, in the last week or so, there has been a lot of attention focused on the President's aide, Natalie Harp. And that's, in part, because Senator Jon Ossoff invoked her when criticizing the president, but also because of the administration's pushback when it defended her role in the White House.

Her consistent proximity to the president and her loyalty have stood out, even among Trump's very devoted inner circle. We wanted to get a sense of how far back this devotion to Trump extended, and we learned a lot in examining a now-removed Twitter feed from Harp, which goes back many years. What was particularly interesting was a series of posts related to the

events of January 6, 2021, the day Trump supporters broke into the U.S. Capitol while the -- while Congress worked to certify Joe Biden was the winner of the 2020 presidential election. More than 150 tweets that have since been deleted. It's unclear if X deleted these posts or if Harp did. But they offered a public display of fealty before, during and after the Capitol riot.

At the time, Harp was working as a conservative news anchor, but she continuously praised those fighting to keep Trump in office and repeatedly cast him in heroic terms.

WHITFIELD: So, what did she say, exactly, about the president and his allies that day?

CHAPMAN: In one post, she amplified Rudy Giuliani's call, let's have trial by combat. Lawyers for him later said this call was hyperbolic and not a call for violence.

In another, as the president started speaking near the White House, she wrote, fight for Trump, a dozen times within a single post.

She also specifically called out lawmakers who had supported the election results. Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, praising their courage and calling them patriots. I should add that neither Harp nor the White House responded to our queries about these posts.

WHITFIELD: So, besides January sixth, you know, what else did you find Harp had written about on Trump on X?

CHAPMAN: Harp had long -- yes. Harp had long been tweeting about Trump. We found posts dating back to 2016 praising him. We also found that on the day of his impeachment, she tweeted bible verses referencing him.

And one, she tweeted at him saying, I thank God my -- upon every remembrance of you. And another she wrote, vindicate at real Donald Trump my God and plead his cause against an unfaithful nation.

Now, all of this fits a pattern that has continued since she began working for the president several years ago. You know, like the letters from Harp to Trump that were published by "The Daily Beast" earlier this week, in which she wrote to the president about the devotion she has for him.

CNN didn't independently confirm the letters. But the White House did defend them, telling CNN she is, quote, "one of the most loyal and hardest working aides of the president."

WHITFIELD: All right. Isabelle Chapman, thank you so much for bringing all that to us.

CHAPMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And to read Isabelle's full story, you can find it on CNN.com.

All right. Coming up, six years after walking away from royal life, Harry and Meghan are moving back to the U.K. with their children, who are now enrolled in British schools starting in September. So, what has changed and how will the rest of the royal family handle their return?

[16:40:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Last week's stunning news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the U.K. has left many unanswered questions. CNN's Max Foster takes us through what we know about the decision and the reaction.

[16:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a move nobody saw coming. Prince Harry and Meghan returning to the U.K., six years after they stepped back from official royal duties and fell out with other members of the royal family.

Both the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex have spoken out repeatedly about the unfair treatment they believe they received in the U.K., including tabloid intrusion and racism in the British establishment.

In April, Meghan told young people during a visit to Australia.

MEGHAN MERKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: -- now 10 years. Every day for 10 years, I've been bullied and attacked and I was most trolled person in the entire world. Man or woman. I'm still here.

FOSTER: Why the couple have decided to return now is unclear. A source close to the couple only remarked how much they enjoyed their visit to the U.K. last month.

In July, King Charles hosted Harry, Meghan and their children at his private country residence in Gloucestershire. It was the first time in four years that the King had seen the whole family. However, Harry has made several solo trips back to the U.K. since moving to California, including after King Charles' cancer diagnosis.

FOSTER (on camera): CNN understands that when the family moves over to the United Kingdom, they'll be staying in a private residence, not a royal residence, and they won't be returning to their full-time royal roles. Where that residence will be is a mystery, at this point.

But the British media, speculating it could be in the affluent Cotswold's, in the countryside in Oxfordshire. It could be near Althorp house, which is the Spencer family ancestral home, where princess Diana, Harry's mother, is buried. Or it could possibly be near friends that they've retained here in the United Kingdom. The other big question is about security, how that will be afforded. Prince Harry recently lost a case against the government's decision to downgrade their taxpayer funded security.

(voice-over): In a BBC interview last year, he said the decision made it impossible for him to return to the U.K. with his family, explaining --

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K., at this point. No matter how much private security I have around me, there's only so much that I can do and how -- and operate and function within the U.K. When it comes to supporting my charities, visiting my friends, all of these things.

FOSTER: However, the couple's children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have now been enrolled at British schools. The new school year begins in September, meaning their move is likely to take place soon, possibly within a matter of days.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you feeling excited for your parents?

FOSTER: Once back, the couple are expected to carry on the kind of charity work they've been doing in California and outside the U.K.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Australia.

FOSTER: It's not yet clear how long they'll stay or how closely they'll coordinate with the royal household to avoid clashes in public engagements, and how they'll be folded into private royal family events.

CNN understands the King was only told on Sunday about their decision to move back. The Sussexes may have kept their secret until now, but how much privacy they can hold, once they're back in the U.K., remains to be seen.

Max Foster, CNN, Buckingham Palace, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh man, so many questions. That's why we decided to bring in Trisha Goddard. She knows everything. She's the host of "The Trisha Goddard Show." Trisha, great to see you.

OK. So, why do you believe, you know, they are coming back? Even after hearing Harry kind of reiterate, he was, like, I don't see a world in which I'd be able to return. And now, here we are. They're returning.

TRISHA GODDARD, HOST, "THE TRISHA GODDARD SHOW": Well, remember, Fredricka, much later, they talked to -- he talked to Anderson Cooper, and he kind of softened his tone already. And the -- you know, now that he's talking about bringing his, you know, whole family, including the children back, they will be -- they think there is going to be a scramble to review their security arrangements by the British government. Now, one of the things being that recently we had the profile -- a high-profile politician, Ann Widdecombe, who was murdered. And so, that has made people far more aware of the issues. And remember, Harry does have credible security issues.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GODDARD: Remember, in spare -- in spare, you know, he wrote about having killed 25 members of the Taliban, which immediately got a response from Al Qaeda, saying he was on the hit list. Harry says he's been approached -- you know, targeted by far-right groups. So, that was up for expensive review anyway.

WHITFIELD: That was expensive. Right. Expensive for his own to handle. His own security there in California and beyond. So, then, moving back means -- you know, granted, as we learn from Max, the King found out about it last weekend.

[16:50:01]

WHITFIELD: Almost like everybody else did.

But with the British family, in some way, pay for his security, even though he is separated from, you know, royal duties and all that. He is blood, right? So, I mean, --

GODDARD: Yes. Yes. Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- would they pay for some of his security?

GODDARD: That remains to be seen because Charles has, you know, always wanted that rapprochement. And, as you said, you know, they only told the King last weekend. They've been trying to keep this very, very quiet.

I don't think it's --

WHTIFIELD: (INAUDIBLE.)

GODDARD: -- out of the blue, though, because -- yes, Harry's been dropping, sort of, hints all along the way about wanting to come back. And he talked to Joss Stone at the WellChild Awards only last year, saying about, you know, he's in praise of British schools and wanting his children to learn rugby and things like that.

So, it's kind of a shock but not a surprise. And -- but, you know what, Fredricka? What's different about this.

WHITFIELD: What?

GODDARD: When he went to see the King with the -- with, you know, his wife and the children, nobody knew. There was no publicity about it, was there? We didn't even know until it was all over. That is a very different Harry to the one that we've kind of seen before.

WHITFIELD: So, do you think it's something about -- (CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes, sorry about that, stepping in on you. But do you think it was something about seeing dad? I mean, he was battling cancer. You know, you start to look at things differently when you, you know, see the seasons changing in people.

GODDARD: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Might that have been the catalyst or a significant catalyst?

GODDARD: I think it would have been a significant catalyst. You know, as you know, I'm living with cancer and, you know, there have been reports of the King wearing makeup, as, indeed, we all do. But to cover the effects of the treatment.

When you see somebody -- you're so right, Fredricka. When you see somebody up close and you haven't seen them for a while in anything other than maybe, you know, Facetime or WhatsApp or whatever. Yes, there -- it brings things home.

Fredricka, you know what people -- you and I will probably click into this. But a lot of, let me put it, male commentators haven't thought about this. What about the cousins? You know, William and Harry might have their differences and it sounds like William really wants to build bridges.

But -- and Harry, you know, wants to do that. How much does William want to do that? Everybody's talking about, oh, we don't think that's actually -- that's going to happen. How do you keep cousins away from each other?

WHITFIELD: Right. Cousins want to know each other.

GODDARD: Because George is old enough to know -- George is old enough to know that his cousins are kind of up the road.

WHITFIELD: Right, I want to know them. OK. And then, so with that dynamic, that means, OK, bringing those adults together. I mean, Kate is very popular so is William. And they're going to be public events. Organizations are going to say, Harry and Meghan are back. We want them too. How are they -- how are they going to all kind of coexist?

GODDARD: That's going to be interesting because, you know, one of the few criticisms against, you know, William and Catherine is how few appearances they make, in comparison to other members of the royal family.

They do have young children. And William has been very vocal about, this is kind of going to be a different monarchy, when he steps into the role of king, that he put his puts his family first. Remember, Catherine had her cancer diagnosis not so long ago, and you don't just bounce back from that.

So, this is going to be putting pressure on them to make more appearances. But, you know, in private -- in private, when you have -- remember, everybody -- all of the kids start school in September.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GODDARD: In private, you know, you can't keep the news from Prince George, for instance, or Charlotte. They're of older age. Mom, Dad, our cousins are in the country. Can we get together?

WHITFIELD: Of course.

GODDARD: So, privately, there's going to have to be -- even if the parents kind of sit there and bite their tongues, those kids are going to want to get together.

WHITFIELD: The kids are going to bring everyone together. All right, Tricia, that's why we love you. Thank you so much. And I did not know about your own personal battle with cancer, so all the best on that.

GODDARD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you for making the time with us.

GODDARD: You're so welcome.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll be right back.

[16:54:24]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Oh, the 2000s, a decade of historical comebacks and championship runs. The Patriots are reigning over the NFL. Tiger Woods ruling golf. While Serena Williams became a tennis icon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Belichick, he understood that there was something unique with Tom Brady. This leadership. This purpose. The team felt different under him.

ANDREA KREMER, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, NFL NETWORK: Brady and Belichick were kindred spirits, and they just kept winning.

SAM FARER, SPORTS JOIURNALIST, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": The Patriots miraculously make it to the Super Bowl that year. It's the first Super Bowl after 911. They're the decided underdogs. They're facing the Rams and their greatest show on turf offense. It's David versus Goliath.

KREMER: The Patriots were going up against a juggernaut team with Hall of Fame quarterback, Kurt Warner. And Bill Belichick knew exactly how to shut them down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[17:00:00]

WHITFIELD: All pretty special stuff. A new episode of "DECADES IN SPORTS" airs tonight at 9:00, right here on CNN.

Thank you so much for joining me this weekend.