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Trump's Renovation of Reflecting Pool Faces Mixed Criticism; Heat Warnings Ahead of July Fourth Celebrations; Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Wedding Weekend Begins. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired July 03, 2026 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: In New York, crowds in Times Square got an awesome display from the Marines' silent drill platoon. The 24 Marines carried out their trademark rifle routine in perfect sync and without verbal commands, wowing the crowd.
[06:00:15]
This is all part of the celebrations for America's 250th birthday. We have a lot that we'll continue to track over the coming days in that celebration, of course.
That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith. CNN THIS MORNING with Audie Cornish starts right now.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, on the eve of America's 250th birthday, are Trump's celebrations in the capital pushing us further apart?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom 250 is his vanity project.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Extreme and punishing heat. Will the dangerous weather scorch Fourth of July celebrations?
And those Empire State Building climbers now facing federal charges? Why they say they pulled off the death-defying stunt.
And it's the big day. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce reportedly set to get married tonight. The final preparations for the event of the season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMITTY KOVACH, SWIFT FAN: This is like an all-time wedding. I mean this is like the American royal wedding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: On the eve of America's 250th birthday bash, the heat is on.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. We're going to start with a celebration that may be wilting in the blistering summer sun.
With temperatures expected to top 100 degrees this weekend in the Northeast, it's now -- it's not clear how many people will actually venture out for the big America 250 celebration.
Turnout is already low in D.C. Other cities are making last-minute adjustments.
In my hometown of Boston, the Pops Fireworks Spectacular will now start at 4 p.m. instead of noon on Saturday. In Philly, officials shortened the route of a Thursday morning parade, canceled an afternoon All-American Block Party, and pushed back the start time of an evening picnic and concert at Independence Mall.
Now, of course, it wouldn't be a party here without politics. And we're talking about the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial, which was supposed to be the centerpiece of America 250. Instead, it has become a flashpoint.
A former Olympic canoeist has been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly vandalizing it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANINE PIRRO, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: And we will not allow our sacred monuments to be roped off, defaced or diminished, or in any way impacted by disgruntled individuals who think that they, and not the rest of the nation, have the right to decide what should happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So, today in the group chat, Isaac Dovere, CNN senior reporter; Xochiti Hinojosa, CNN political commentator and former director of public affairs at the DOJ; and Jesse Arm, pollster and vice president of external affairs at the Manhattan Institute.
So, I would say it's not like we think people are laying in bed at night being like, "The Reflecting Pool, what went wrong?"
It's more like, what is the symbolism of this thing? And Jesse, I want to turn to you, because you were pointing out something that I saw and noticed, as well, which is that back in 2010, using money for the economic stimulus program, the Obama administration did a renovation -- structural renovation of the Reflecting Pool. And people completely flipped out. It didn't go well. It took two years.
What's different about this one?
JESSE ARM, POLLSTER/VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, MANHATTAN INSTITUTE: Well, yes, two-year renovation, I think $34 million spent. And it didn't go so well. I think you can find a CNN segment from, like, 2012 talking about how there's algae still in the pool.
CORNISH: Yes.
ARM: So, this is a difficult problem to solve. I've spent -- you know, we've all spent, I think, a lot of time talking about it.
But I do think, to some extent, this is a little bit of, like, maybe cable news directing the conversation toward where we want a lot of the outrage to go and be.
I don't see, like, the animating force in even Democratic politics right now being about the Reflecting Pool. My mom watches a lot of cable news.
CORNISH: Yes.
ARM: She doesn't like Trump. I'm sure she's very concerned about the algae this weekend.
CORNISH: Well, then, let me ask this question before you try and make the segment not exist, because we're at the start of the show.
One thing that's different is the economic stimulus program was paid for by the taxpayers, right? It didn't go through a no-bid process for contracts.
The blue sealant that is peeling off is only put there because Trump thought it would look better ahead of America 250. So again, self- imposed deadline, self-imposed issue. Is it a self-own?
XOCHITI HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, and I think part of it -- I think you're right that I don't think Americans are sitting around thinking about the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.
CORNISH: Yes. Remember when his motorcade was driving up the center --
HINOJOSA: Yes.
CORNISH: -- of the Reflecting Pool.
[06:05:02]
HINOJOSA: And I think it's --
CORNISH: And I was, like, why?
HINOJOSA: And I think it probably is now -- you probably have tourists now visiting the Reflecting Pool more than they probably have because of the news coverage from it.
CORNISH: Yes. Not closely, though, and don't touch it.
HINOJOSA: Exactly.
CORNISH: Jeanine Pirro is on it.
HINOJOSA: Exactly.
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Apparently.
HINOJOSA: Yes. She -- CORNISH: That's them. Can we show that again? That's them.
HINOJOSA: -- may be -- may be prosecuted.
CORNISH: Getting ready. Raising awareness for an issue, as you said, that nobody asked for or cared about, which is, can the Reflecting Pool look bluer? And the motorcade went on there.
DOVERE: We keep saying Americans aren't thinking about this, aren't caring about it. But the issue seems to be that the president is thinking about it and caring about it a lot.
And he spent quite a lot of time on it at a time in this period where we've been at war, where we continue to have whatever is going on in Iran at this point, even with the agreements to supposedly stop fighting.
We've got inflation still high, jobs numbers yesterday that weren't great.
And this is becoming not just an ongoing problem for the president, but something that he clearly is going to continue spending time on and also is going to continue spending taxpayer money on.
CORNISH: Yes.
DOVERE: And that is confusing to a lot of people, I think, when they see that this is -- look, it's a reflection. I'm not a pool specialist, but --
CORNISH: Yes. No, that's OK. But the only reason I'm asking, once it gets into the legal system, we're now turning something --
DOVERE: Right.
CORNISH: -- that didn't need to be here where it is.
DOVERE: Yes.
CORNISH: I want to ask about another thing, which is the divisions over America 250 during Freedom 250, I think are kind of telling.
This could have been a bipartisan project. And the Trump administration, when they came in, they said, look, we don't think this group is doing a good job. We think they're wasting money. We don't think they're doing things on time. We're going to be taking some of that money.
But in the process, they've also been selling these, like, sponsorship packages, right? And some of those packages are facetime; like a photo with the president.
DOVERE: And what's going to happen on Saturday night on July 4th, is that on the National Mall, the president is going to give a rally speech basically. Right? And because of that rally speech, not only is it going to be hot, but
it's going to push the fireworks to later at night. So, this thing that -- you know, fireworks are the -- what Americans unite around on July 4th.
And instead, families are making the decision, again, because of the heat, but because it doesn't seem like the fireworks will start until after 11 p.m.
CORNISH: Yes.
DOVERE: To not go to the fireworks --
CORNISH: Although here's --
DOVERE: -- and then dealing with the fact that the kids are going to get woken up by the fireworks.
CORNISH: Here's what Trump has to say. Him and also D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. They're talking about the heat here, and there are concerns for the celebrations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: On July 4th, it's going to be approximately 107 degrees out. And I'm going to go, and I'm going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything.
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.: The thing to remember, especially with this heat, is that's a long, long day. So, people have to really watch the heat, watch what they're drinking and, and get home as soon as the fireworks are over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: In the end, maybe this is moot, because it's just too hot out. No, honestly, like, it's like dangerous. You're not --
DOVERE: Even coming in this morning, I was struck by hot it was already.
CORNISH: No backpacks. Only a certain kind of water bottle.
DOVERE: No coolers.
CORNISH: There's going to be no folding chairs. No this, no that. I understand the security concerns.
But I think the reality is, if you're a person with any frailties whatsoever or, you know, lungs, you look at these triple digits; and you don't think, Let me -- let me go sit out there for what he himself has described, a very long speech.
ARM: Yes. And it's obviously not Trump's fault it's going to be hot outside.
CORNISH: No. That's why I'm showing the map, my man.
ARM: Well, no, this is the thing. I think, you know, on the one hand it's a little bit of a challenge, because it's like the president shouldn't spend public tax dollars doing things to, like, make the Reflecting Pool blue or get rid of the algae, or improving parks, or redeveloping fountains.
CORNISH: No, we said aesthetic versus structural.
ARM: But on the other hand, it's also like Trump shouldn't seek out private sponsorships for some of these events in America 250 [SIC]. So, I do feel like there's a little bit of a push and pull there. But --
CORNISH: But you mean -- you're saying critics are saying those things.
ARM: Yes, critics.
CORNISH: I can't tell if you're saying those things or critics.
ARM: I'm not saying those things. Critics are pointing those things out. I don't really take issue with either using some amount of public funds to do things like improve fountains in D.C., get them working again that haven't been after a long time, or to seek out private sponsorships for some of these American 250 [SIC] events.
The downside, though -- and Republicans should understand this -- is that -- and this leads into the Freedom 250 versus America 250 tension. It's hard to get Hollywood celebrities and stars to come do performances when a Republican is leading the show in Washington, D.C.
I would have probably just said from the get-go, it's going to be really difficult to do that. Let's bring in the military bands. Let's bring in the flyovers and let's do this.
CORNISH: Yes, yes. And we should say we're reporting, actually, from a Democrat claim in the House, that the organizers may have redirected funds or duped donors -- that's the accusation from Democrats right now -- into putting money into the Freedom 250 coffers.
You're going to say?
HINOJOSA: Well, I mean, it actually wouldn't be hard to have celebrities or -- I don't know -- Democratic governors or senators and have it be a bipartisan event if the president, from the beginning, tried to make it a bipartisan event.
[06:10:12]
You saw what he said. He's making this an endurance speech. It's, like, to show that he is some strong man.
CORNISH: Well, he always --
HINOJOSA: And that's how he is. Right? CORNISH: Yes.
HINOJOSA: And it started with the UFC fight. It was his 80th birthday. It wasn't a celebration at 250. It was the president's 80th birthday party.
This is what it seems like now. There is a speech that the president will, as Isaac said, will -- it will become a MAGA rally campaign speech versus a unifying speech bringing everybody together.
CORNISH: We don't know what it will be yet. What we do know, what it will be --
HINOJOSA: I have yet to see the president make one unifying speech.
ARM: We should point out that the Democratic governors were invited. Even the Hollywood superstars were invited.
HINOJOSA: But they pulled out, because a lot of -- this is -
(CROSSTALK)
CORNISH: But I do think --
ARM: Well, they pulled -- they pulled out.
CORNISH: Can I -- can I interrupt? There's something to what she's saying about the fact that Trump stays on message, and his message is rarely a unifying one.
ARM: But the president wasn't going to speak.
CORNISH: And now -- I know. But now he's decided to speak extra long. I didn't need that.
ARM: Because the star -- people pulled out.
CORNISH: No, send Lee Greenwood out there. That's fine.
OK, listen, stay with me. We're going to talk about a couple of things. One quite serious, which is that immigration enforcement continues. We're talking about thousands of arrests in just a handful of days.
Why ICE is keeping it on the D.L.
Plus, Palm Beach Airport about to get the Trump rebrand. How the president could profit from that.
And in the meantime, that skyscraper-scaling daredevil couple. Well, they've been charged with a couple of felonies. Do prosecutors have a case?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Based off my reading of this complaint, the D.A.'s office overcharged here. It's nice to have somebody wearing black bats doing a message of peace instead of a -- you know, a message of -- of -- of destruction and war. And, you know, no one was hurt here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:16:23]
CORNISH: So, it is now 15 minutes past the hour. This is your morning roundup.
In Iran, they are paying tribute to former supreme leader Ali Khamenei with a weeklong funeral across five cities.
He was killed in February, on the first day of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The big question this morning: will his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader, make an appearance?
He was injured in the same attack that killed his father; other members of his family, as well. He has not been seen in public since.
And travelers heading to Palm Beach International Airport getting an early look at a major rebranding. Overnight, new I-95 signs went up, renaming the hub "President Donald J. Trump International Airport."
The signage went up ahead of the official name switch, which is set for July 9th.
And that influencer couple who scaled the top of the Empire State Building to get engaged, are speaking out about why they did it and what that banner meant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you choose that message?
IVAN BEERKUS, CLIMBED EMPIRE STATE BUILDING ANTENNA: Because we believe in love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: We also have new details this morning about how they pulled it off.
Authorities say video showing the pair hid in the observatory before it closed. Then, in the early dawn hours, they popped through a hatch, cut through the locks to ascend to the top of the spire.
They're now facing felony charges of burglary, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief. The mischief.
The group chat is back. Do we believe in love?
HINOJOSA: We believe in love. I'm not sure I would scale the Empire State Building in order to -- I don't think that is a proposal. CORNISH: You don't believe in using city resources to believe in love?
HINOJOSA: Yes. I'm not. Yes.
CORNISH: This is actually -- I learned this is the first time they've actually been criminally charged. They've done this in other countries. They almost always get let go.
DOVERE: Doesn't this smell like a little bit, like, preplanned, like we're all supposed to be talking about this? They all made their way up to the top.
CORNISH: Yes. It's a stunt. That's what they do.
DOVERE: Yes, like --
CORNISH: I just don't know if I should have to pay for -- like, should cities have to expend resources on the stunt?
ARM: Oh, no. I'm -- I'm for bringing down the hammer on -- on the Empire State scalers.
CORNISH: Start to the day. We don't believe in love. Godspeed to that company -- that couple. And enjoy your engagement.
After the break on CNN THIS MORNING, in the words of "Hamilton," who lives, who dies, who tells your story? How will Americans choose to tell our story on the nation's 250th birthday?
Plus, we're going to talk about the speculation, the anticipation. Are Taylor and Travis getting ready to walk down the aisle?
Good morning to you all. It is extremely hot out.
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[06:23:14]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything with MSG is, like, a whole decoy. And really, they're going to have everyone on jets going elsewhere. Where, I don't know, but I think it's almost -- it's a little too obvious at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK, conspiracy I can get down with: where are Taylor and Travis going to get married?
They might actually be getting married at Madison Square Garden. The wedding weekend seems to be in full swing.
Last night there were tents set up outside the Garden, a steady stream of large SUVs seen arriving, reportedly for the rehearsal dinner.
For Swifties, the anticipation has reached new heights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are just team Taylor and Travis for life. Love Travis, so it's really exciting. I'm really happy for them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my gosh, all the Taylor Swift, all the Swifties out here rooting her on. Come on. She's going to be a bride. It's the best.
KOVACH: This is like the American royal wedding. We've all seen her love stories over the years and really rooted for some over others. And we're really happy that that she found her forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Can't say it better than that, but we found someone who might be able to. Ralphie Aversa, "USA Today" senior entertainment correspondent.
Good morning. How are you doing? I know it's been a long couple of days.
RALPHIE AVERSA, SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT, "USA TODAY": Oh, my. Oh, please. I saw you talking about the scalers. I was actually on my way to Madison Square Garden earlier this week to kind of check out the perimeter of the world's most famous arena when that happened. And I ended up running down 33rd Street to see what was going on.
So, Audie, it's been a week, but it's always great to join you.
CORNISH: Did you see anyone? We were hearing reports. Well, Selena Gomez actually posted on Instagram -- on Instagram, I think, from the back of an SUV.
But we mentioned some names: Jack Antonoff, Lena Dunham, other people who we're actually now seeing; some besties we're seeing outside the building.
AVERSA: "USA Today" can confirm that Patrick Mahomes is in the New York City area. Of course, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, who's thrown Travis Kelce quite a few touchdowns.
"USA Today" can also confirm that Steve Spagnuolo -- here we are talking about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. And we're talking about the coaching staff, as well. The defensive coordinator for the Chiefs is also in the New York City area. He was spotted in midtown Manhattan with his wife.
Of course, he had two stints coaching with the New York football Giants, as well.
So, yes, we are seeing a number of their celebrity friends, a number of their sport friends, and of course, some family members, as well, all being spotted throughout the tri-state area as we gear up for what we are thinking is -- all signs point to -- a wedding celebration tonight at Madison Square Garden.
CORNISH: I was hearing that they've actually done a bunch of donations ahead of this wedding to -- in a bunch of different cities. I'm going to throw some images up so people can see where this money was going to, upwards of $26 million.
This is actually something I feel like I've seen with some other celebrities, as well. Can you talk about this trend?
AVERSA: Yes. Well, we can talk about the $26 million in the numerology there: 26, 13 plus 13. Two 13 joining, Taylor's lucky number. So, of course, we have to break that down, as well.
I did think the timing of this, though, Audie, was also interesting. You know, this news broke around the time that Staten Island Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis came out and criticized Taylor and Travis for having this wedding on a holiday weekend. And thus, a number of New York police officers will now be working overtime and through the holiday weekend.
Obviously, there's a lot already happening in this area with the World Cup and with all of the America 250 celebrations.
So, yes, we have been seeing this with other celebrities. And we saw it with Taylor and Travis here. A number of different charities, national and local, to some of the different areas that they have worked and lived in.
CORNISH: One other thing I want to play for you: Swifties who think they've seen the first images of the decor. Take a listen. We'll talk on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First images of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding decorations. And look at these roses. Look at the color.
Madison Square Garden is all decked out in rose blush. That's right, best friend. The color of the season is now rose blush.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: OK, so is any of this true? I don't know what to do with that. I think I've seen drone images that are a little more impactful, but people are looking for any clue.
And you know, it's interesting. I don't ascribe to the royal wedding aspect. America does not have royals. I'm OK saying that around Independence Day.
But because it's football and music, like there's something about that, right? In our culture where this is somehow the kind of pinnacle of a kind of success.
AVERSA: And the two reported marrying at a venue that marries sports and entertainment quite a bit, with the Knicks, and the Rangers, and college sports, and all of the different concerts and other events that have been held at this venue in midtown Manhattan.
So, absolutely, I agree 100 percent. It's funny you talk about drones. You know, again, when these rumors started bubbling up, and we started hearing about them probably about a month and a half ago at this point, I was not shocked, in part because Taylor and Travis and their wedding party, you know, in part won't have to worry about drones snooping in on their wedding.
CORNISH: OK. Ralphie, always a joy to talk to you. I hope you're not just stuck out there in the heat waiting to see it all, but thank you for being with us.
AVERSA: I'll stay hydrated. Thanks, Audie.
CORNISH: The other person who will stay hydrated: Elizabeth Wagmeister, who will be outside Madison Square Garden for CNN. She's going to break down all the details of the expected wedding. We're talking venues, ceremony, dress. Guest performances.
And there's going to be a special CNN All Access event. It's called "Love Story: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce." That's going to air at 1 p.m. Eastern at CNN.com/Watch. Or you can hit us up on the CNN app.
OK, straight ahead on the show this morning, underdog or frontrunner? Is Jon Ossoff becoming the Democrat to watch in his midterm race?
Plus, brutal temperatures setting up for a sweltering Fourth. How it is impacting the celebrations where you are.
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