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Laura Coates Live

Jack Smith is Sounding a New Alarm; Socialist Surge Shocked New York and Colorado; Rumors Swirl Around Swift-Kelce MSG Wedding. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired July 02, 2026 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

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LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Tonight, the man who brought two federal cases against Donald Trump is sounding a new alarm. Why Jack Smith says this is the biggest attack on the rule of law he has seen in his entire lifetime? Plus, the socialist surge shocked New York, rattled Colorado. Is the Midwest next? Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor, Mandela Barnes, will join me. And the world's biggest pop star, the world's most famous arena, and a wedding so secret even the bride and groom won't even confirm it's happening. Tonight on "Laura Coates" Live.

Well, my opening statement tonight, look, you don't have to like Jack Smith. You don't have to agree with the two cases the former special counsel brought against Donald Trump. Frankly, you can think he got it all wrong. But when someone who spent roughly two decades as a prosecutor, served under presidents of both parties, and prosecuted everyone from gang members to war criminals says something like he did tonight, well, you might want to pay attention.

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JACK SMITH, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: I think we are facing an attack on the rule of law that is different in kind and scope to anything I've seen in my lifetime.

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COATES: Now, both cases Jack Smith brought against Trump, they went away. He resigned as special counsel ten days before the president's inauguration. But his warning today isn't about the past. You see, he says he is very concerned about what could happen in the next election. And he admits he could be next in line to be indicted by this very Department of Justice. And he has been pointing to a pattern.

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SMITH: James Comey, Letitia James, Jerome Powell. I mean -- right? There -- there's not criminality here. I mean, seashells, the president has it out for these people. And he has people who are former personal lawyers, who are going to do what he says regardless of the facts of the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: In other words, retribution. Tonight, there's a new phrase to consider. It doesn't come from Washington's upper ranks. It comes from a three-time Olympian, a canoeist, David Hearn.

He has now been indicted by a grand jury in Washington, D.C., charged with a felony count of destruction of property with damage allegedly worth more than one thousand bucks. And this is the property in question, the blue sealant at the bottom of Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. It's fresh off Trump's renovations that cost around $16 million. Now, Hearn was previously arrested in June after he says he reached into the water and touched a piece of liner that was already loose.

Now, his lawyers say the administration is trying to scapegoat him for their own failures. In other words, blame shifting. Well, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro says that is not what happened.

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JEANINE PIRRO, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The National Park Service employees observed Hearn actually forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands. According to witnesses, Hearn damaged approximately two square feet of sealant from the bottom of the pool.

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COATES: Now, you realize this charge, it carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. And that is where this case starts to get very strange because what Pirro just described is about two square feet of sealant. Two square feet. It's roughly what? The size of a pizza box?

Well, Hearn's lawyers say he didn't rip up anything, that the material was already loose and that this is being turned into a felony case to cover for a pool project that was already full of problems. Now, the prosecutors say they have witnesses. They say that Hearn acted maliciously. Now, that's going to be, of course, tested in court. An indictment is not a conviction.

But here's the important distinction: He's not being charged with the bigger act of vandalism that President Trump has talked about very publicly. The indictment does not accuse him of slicing a 300-foot gash into the reflecting pool, which is what the president has described, which would be basically the size of a football field. Forget the pizza boxes.

And when Pirro was asked about that, she made quite clear they're still looking for who did that.

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PIRRO: They took a sharp object and cut for many feet along the pool.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Do you have pictures of that?

PIRRO: Well, when I file a charge, I'll be happy to show you a picture, all right? What I'm trying to do is we're trying to find out who did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Well, I want to begin with former Trump attorney and former chief of DOJ Organized Crime and Gang Section, Jim Trusty, and former federal prosecutor, Mike Gordon, who was fired by former A.G., Pam Bondi, after working on cases related to January 6th. Good to have both of you here.

I'll begin with you here, Jim, because you heard the former special counsel, Jack Smith. He is sounding the alarm over Trump's use of the DOJ for personal vendettas. Do you think his concern is overblown?

JIM TRUSTY, FORMER CHIEF OF ORGANIZED CRIME AND GANG SECTION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: I think the problem is Jack has the most unclean hands that are out there, you know, to talk about weaponization, to talk about political motivation for prosecutions. I suppose he won't mention John Bolton anymore. And I can't stand the fact that he's dismissive of 8647, which is just a terrible notion, and that he dismisses the seashells.

But, look, this is a guy who got rid of executive privilege, got rid of attorney-client privilege, who tried to rush a case to trial to affect an election. And now, he goes on MSNBC or MSNOW for a friendly interview where he, you know, waxes philosophical about the rule of law.

I've been a prosecutor. I was a prosecutor as long as Jack. I've spent 27 years in different prosecuting offices. There's lots of stuff that I question when it comes to charges and trials and decisions, but he's the wrong guy to try to send out that message.

COATES: Well, you can quibble with the messenger, of course, and he would take issue, as many of his staff would, about the weaponization that you allege for him. But say he's not the messenger, do you have concerns about the way in which the Department of Justice is operating right now? Having been a seasoned prosecutor, having had the experiences he has, do you see this DOJ as one you recognize?

TRUSTY: I think there's definitely change, there's definitely differences. And, look, whenever you see people get charged that have a history of political animus with the people that are in power, you have to wonder what the motivations are.

And so, look, when I look at a fairly small, lost Letitia James mortgage loan case or loan fraud case, you know, I think -- would we have prosecuted that? But it's kind of hard to not recognize the context that she took a zero-loss fraud case and pursued it against President Trump. So, look, these are tough decisions. I don't think you should walk away from things like a former FBI director being snarky and saying 8647, and I don't think you should walk away from John Bolton violating all sorts of confidentiality rules, knowingly as a guy who came on T.V. as an expert. But every individual case is an individual case, and you have to look at the evidence and see how it shakes out.

COATES: Of course. As you know, Mike Bolton has been now -- he has pled guilty to a crime. And James Comey has said through counsel that he, and actually he did his own, I think it was a social media post, that he did not believe that he was doing anything wrong, hence the word criminality that was used by, of course, Jack Smith.

But, Mike, Smith expressed indignation over the many firings at DOJ and, of course, its impact on prosecutors' ability to do their job. You were fired yourself. What's your reaction?

MIKE GORDON, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, PROSECUTED JANUARY 6 CASES: I think he's absolutely right. This is what is happening. I'm seeing it across the Department of Justice where there have been vindictive firings or people pushed out the door because they're not willing to either go along with acting improperly or they are simply in the president's way or it's revenge firing for things like prosecuting January 6th.

The things that I heard Jack Smith warn about today, about the impact that the president's action is having on the rank-and-file, day-to-day prosecutions in this country and, therefore, the national safety, those things are happening. Seasoned prosecutors are being pushed out the door and the country is worse off for it.

COATES: You know, I've been a prosecutor myself, and I have to tell you, one of the things that's so startling is how people, because of the coverage, and obviously we know why, when the president is going after people or saying it to social and beyond, you forget that there is a very wide swath of cases, Jim, right, that people are working on that have nothing to do with things that might be highly publicized in the court of public opinion, over the airwaves. And so, to lose institutional knowledge does impact cases that really are the bulk of the things that prosecutors work on, which has very little to do with anything that Trump touches.

But let's talk about one that they are prosecuting. It's the case against a former Olympic canoeist, David Hearn, who was indicted by a grand jury in D.C. I might add, the grand juries here have not always been favorable to, recently, the types of claims this DOJ wants to bring, but he has been accused of damaging the reflecting pool. You heard Jeanine Pirro say that he reached into the pool and ripped part of it out.

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Why does this, do you think, property dispute requires the full weight of the federal justice system? Do you see this as politically-driven or an overreaction even if there has been destruction? TRUSTY: Well, it's federal property, so -- I mean, you know, there is nothing -- I don't think there's a big problem with the jurisdiction of this case. I'm not in love with either side kind of trying it in the media. I mean, Judge Jeanine had plenty to say today about proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Mr. Hearn went on T.V., gave kind of a bizarre interview where he said, I had ridden 50 miles and I was a curious, concerned citizen, and then he just kind of skips ahead, and then got handcuffed. So, it was a very strange interview to, like, leave out the actual part that matters.

Look, at the end of the day, this is not -- I wouldn't call this the full weight of the federal government. It's a very routine vandalism charge that will be decided in the course of about a one-and-a-half- day trial, and it will come down to credibility. There's a park services worker who says, I saw the guy yanking with both hands, and he said, don't worry about the reflecting pool, you worry about it too much. And then you have him saying, I was just a curious inspector trying to take a look at what was happening in the water.

So, a jury will sift through it. It will be a D.C. jury. That's probably the biggest part of the whole case, how does jury selection go. But it's a quick case and it will be interesting to see, you know, when it goes, probably about six months from now.

COATES: I mean --

GORDON: Well, I've got to tell you, I really disagree --

COATES: I want to say -- go ahead, Mike. Go ahead. I was going to say -- well, I'll tell you my point first --

GORDON: Yes.

COATES: -- and that is --

GORDON: Yes.

COATES: -- anyone facing a felony doesn't see it as a small matter, let alone a jury trial. The full weight of the government when you've got Jeanne Pirro, who is, of course, talking in the way she is and the right hand of the president as a U.S. attorney, as they all are of the executive branch, it is a big deal. But, Mike, go ahead.

GORDON: I was going to say, Laura, I disagree with Jim's minimization of a few aspects of this case. And it reminds me of the sandwich- throwing case where they're essentially, you know, scapegoating or trying to make a villain out of a small incident.

The government has got two problems with the charge they've brought here. One is they have to prove not just that he, you know, ripped the sealant, but that he did so with malicious intent, right, with the intent to cause harm in that way. That's going to be a tough road to hoe even with the, you know, Park Service person's credibility as believed because that has to do with Mr. Hearn's state of mind.

The second issue is they've charged it as a value of above a thousand dollars and it has been well documented that the sealant was already peeling, there were already problems.

And so, we came across the same issue in January 6th where you had things like rioters who were breaking windows that other rioters had already started breaking. And so, the question was, had the second rioter, right, who's further breaking an already broken window, has he caused that same damage? Essentially, the court said no.

So, I think they're going to have a really hard time proving that Mr. Hearn, even if they show that he did what they say he did, that he did a thousand dollars or more worth of damage. And the reason why that number matters is that's what makes it a felony instead of a misdemeanor.

COATES: We'll see where this goes. It's not ending here, but this conversation has to. Jim Trusty and Mike Gordon, thank you both.

I want to turn now to White House reporter for "The New York Times," Jonathan Swan. He is the co-author of the brand-new book, "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump." Good to have you. This is a great book. Really an interesting read, as you can probably imagine. Everyone is talking about it. But you and Maggie, you write about a president who is now willing to flout court orders, claim powers that Congress normally once claimed, and the idea of separation of powers. How are Trump's allies rewriting the rules of what the DOJ can and cannot do for the president this term?

JONATHAN SWAN, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES, AUTHOR: So, one thing we try to explain in the book through our reporting is that this was all very well-planned out. It took actually a couple of years by people like Stephen Miller and other allies --

COATES: In the interim between the first and second administrations?

SWAN: Yes. One of Trump's biggest frustrations in his first term concerned lawyers. And he would just -- he would complain and complain. He would berate his White House counsels. And it went deeper than that.

People like Stephen Miller were very frustrated with the lawyers at the different departments and agencies. And what Stephen Miller would tell people is that these lawyers were worried about their reputations in Washington. They were these sorts of careerists. And they would reflexively, in Stephen Miller's view, that he would say -- say no, no, this thing you're asking for is illegal.

So, in the interregnum period between '21 through '24, they set about trying to identify and recruit a new cast of lawyers, lawyers who would be much more aggressive, much more willing to push the envelope in their legal interpretations.

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And I think you're seeing the fruits of that now. And I'll just give you one example. The campaign of bombing boats. OK? So, last year, Donald Trump decides that fishing boats carrying cocaine, cocaine traffickers, are enemy combatants, essentially, in a conflict, in a war, and that he was defining them that way. So, we've in the past treated them as criminals. You arrest them. There's a legal process. Trump said, no, no, no, we're just going to kill them because I am determining this. That was given a legal rubber stamp by his government.

And now, these people are dead. And, as you know, there's no backsies, right? When you -- when you drone strike a boat and someone's limbs are scattered at the bottom of the ocean, they can't reconstitute and make an appeal. So, that's, I think, a very concrete expression of power that would not have flown in his first term.

COATES: What you described is almost the reverse engineering, using the lawyers to make it so, and the Constitution or the laws as being sort of hurdles to overcome. Now, I will admit most clients in the private world would like a lawyer to facilitate what their result would be. But it should be very different if you're talking about somebody who's the head of the executive branch. What do you see in your reporting and in the book? As the so-called adults in the room, they spoke about in the first term, are they just gone when it comes to the necessary objective roadblocks?

SWAN: Yes. I mean, I always hated that phrase, but --

COATES: Adult in the room?

SWAN: -- but there was a truth to it in the sense that in his first term, the most senior people around him, not all of them but a lot of them, viewed him as dangerous in many ways, saw his worldview as detestable and saw their own roles as trying to protect the country or the world from Donald Trump.

And it created an environment where Trump himself became very resentful of his own team. I mean, we have a scene in the book. Trump, in his first term, used to walk around. He had a card, like a note card in his jacket pocket, which had a list of people he had been told were snakes inside his government.

COATES: Really?

SWAN: And so, what it established with Trump was this very deep paranoia, almost like he was presiding over an enemy force.

COATES: Who made that list?

SWAN: His own government. I'm not going to get into that. But Donald Trump was overseeing a government full of hostile people, enemy force to be conquered, essentially. And that was a lot of the long-range planning for this term. How can we take control of this government? How can we stamp out, get rid of all these people?

And that's why you've seen this new cast of characters come in. They're loyalists, they're not people who think the way that that first-term government thought, and they're very paranoid about the government that they oversee. So, that's the dynamic that they're operating in. COATES: This is fascinating to think about. I guess it answers the question, where is his (INAUDIBLE), after all? Jonathan Swan, thank you so much.

SWAN: Thanks for having me.

COATES: His book, again, is called "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump." And remember, you are part of this show. We want to hear from you. Text us questions and comments, as we always ask, 818-972-7272. We'll answer them later in the hour. Make sure you include a first name and your city or state.

Ahead, AOC makes a big endorsement in Michigan as the progressive power test moves to the Midwest. So, what does it mean for the state next door? I'll ask Mandela Barnes, Democrat running for governor of Wisconsin, next.

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COATES: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is putting her political capital to the test with a critical endorsement in a race that could decide who controls the Senate. In the Democratic primary, she endorsed Dr. Abdul El-Sayed over Congresswoman Haley Stevens and State Senator Mallory McMorrow. It's a big gamble for Ocasio-Cortez, who has stayed on the sidelines during these intra-party midterm battles.

The race is being closely watched to see how voters react to progressive and Democratic socialist candidates in the Midwest. We've already seen a progressive series of victories in New York City. And this week, a Democratic socialist defeated a 16-term incumbent in Colorado. And now, a growing number of Democrats are warning the establishment wing that these wins should be wake-up calls.

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REP. RO KHANNA (D), CALIFORNIA: It's time for the old guard to step aside. The era of cliches that politicians deliver with charisma and charm is over. This is a time for courage.

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COATES: I'm joined by one of the progressives running in the Midwest, Mandela Barnes. He is a Democratic candidate running for governor in Wisconsin. Mandela, it's good to see you. I am curious, would an endorsement from AOC move the needle in this race?

MANDELA BARNES, WISCONSIN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. And I can say that she was supportive of me in '22. She had some great things to say. I would absolutely welcome her support in this race. COATES: When she endorsed you back in 2022, you lost the seat to Senator Ron Johnson, but just a single point. Do you expect to get her endorsement this time around? And how are you viewing this race differently given how close it was for you last time?

BARNES: Oh, I don't operate with any expectations or any assumptions.

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What I do is get out there, and I do the hard work. Now, we were counted out from the very beginning in that race. And, as you mentioned, it was decided by one point. It was the closest U.S. Senate race in the state in over 100 years, closest challenge to any incumbent in '22, no incumbent lost statewide. All that while having $50 million spent against me, the largest super PAC targeted any Democratic candidate, had its focus on me, and we still came up just one-point shy.

Since then, I've been back to my roots in organizing, showing up to build coalitions, mobilizing grassroots support all across the state of Wisconsin. That's what we're folding into this campaign. That's how we're going to get it done this November, showing up in community to community, not taking a single vote for granted.

COATES: Well, that's the wake-up call in part that others have been speaking about. And given the tent that Democrats find themselves under, I mean, you're not the only progressive running in your race. Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez calls herself a progressive. Francesca Hong, excuse me, is a self-described Democratic socialist. What makes you different from either?

BARNES: Well, it's uniquely understanding this moment and being uniquely prepared for this moment. My working-class background, growing up in a middle-class, hard-working household, that taught me not just the value of hard work but, most importantly, building community, the impact of my parents' union membership and how that provided an opportunity for me that unfortunately wasn't the case for so many people around me. My fight is to make sure that every single child growing up in the state of Wisconsin has at least the same opportunities that I had.

This fight, this campaign, is about ensuring that we level the playing field, put money back in people's pockets, expand health care, freeze utility rates, and do everything we can to improve quality of life. Whether you grew up in the community that I grew up in, in the heart of the city of Milwaukee, or whether you're out in rural Wisconsin, you're struggling to stay on the family farm, we have a bold, detailed plan at mandelabarnes.com. I encourage people to go check it out.

COATES: You know, democratic socialism is having a moment for good and for bad right now. It has been captivating some voters. It has been the trigger for much criticism. There are some who are totally sold and many who are not. I want you to listen to what Stephen A. Smith told me just last night about democratic socialism and the viability in office. Listen.

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STEPHEN A. SMITH, TELEVISION PERSONALITY, RADIO HOST, SPORTS ANALYST, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, ACTOR: I think that it will sell in New York and California. But will it sell in the general election? I don't believe so. And I believe that could ultimately spell doom for the Democratic Party. You can't be reliant on the fringes. You can't be at the mercy of those on the extreme left.

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COATES: Will democratic socialist candidates hurt the party's chances to win in Wisconsin or across the country this November?

BARNES: I'll tell you what does sell, a rejection of the status quo, a rejection of this system that has been completely broken by the billionaire class. People have been left behind all across my state. The factory where my grandfather worked doesn't even exist anymore because the executives and these corporations felt that they could make more money sending our good-paying jobs overseas. The same thing is happening in rural Wisconsin with the decline of the family farm because of corporate interests.

When you talk to people across the state, these conversations are not necessarily left and right. These are top and bottom, the people who've made out like bandits, who've made billions and now trillions of dollars while everybody else is left stuck scrambling for crumbs.

This system is completely broken and voters are waking up to it because they see that too many elected officials don't have their best interests at heart. For too long, politicians have prioritized the interests of the wealthy over the middle class that continues to struggle. This fight is about uplifting and expanding the middle class so that we have an economy that functions from the middle out.

COATES: I'll be very curious how voters see it. Mandela Barnes, thank you.

BARNES: Thank you so much.

COATES: Next, President Trump's latest explanation for his massive crypto windfall.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I let people invest it. I don't even speak to -- I don't even know who they are.

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COATES: Is that a defense or is that a problem? We'll talk about it, next.

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COATES: From watches to Bibles to meme coins, critics call the Trump White House the grift that keeps on giving. Remember, we told you last night he made more than $2 billion last year. More than a billion of it came from crypto. But tonight, President Trump says he sees nothing wrong with his business dealings.

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TRUMP: Well, you know, I don't do anything having to do with my business. My kids run it. I put a lot of -- I had a lot of money. And I have a lot of money. I've always made money. You know, I'm a business person. I'm a really good business person. I mean, there's nothing illegal. There's nothing wrong with it.

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COATES: My political panel joins me now, Mo Elleithee, former communications director at the DNC, and Republican strategist Matt Whitlock.

Matt, you know, I've gone through, of course, the ethics rules. There are some anti-corruption laws that people always look at for a president. He is exempt from a lot that federal employees normally would have to be. This is really about optics, though, for so many people. Do you think voters will see this the same way the president does, that there's nothing wrong with it?

MATT WHITLOCK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think that he has tried to make a good argument that everyone is benefiting. The 401ks are all looking good, which I think is true of the last few weeks. I think the months before that, there was a bigger question with the Iran war, things like that.

I think the one thing I would say on the crypto piece of this is, at the very least, he is a strong advocate for a current piece of crypto legislation that has major safeguards and ethics protections that I think would answer a lot of the questions that voters might be concerned about.

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So, that's at least something for people to look at and say, you know, there's actually some guardrails being put in place here to try and prevent any kind of wrongdoing there. And so, hopefully, that bill, the Clarity Act, actually advances and is able to add those safeguards to give people a lot more, sort of, you know, consolation about what's going on.

COATES: That's part of it, though. People are questioning whether they in fact are -- that really the standard by which they are assessing litigation or assessing the actual legislation is in the interest of everyone or said to benefit a group of people who, you know, are seeing billions from cryptocurrency. I mean, optics alone, President Obama famously chose not to refinance his house just for the hint of impropriety. Why are we so far away from that? Did he get it wrong or did Trump get it wrong?

MO ELLEITHEE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT GEORGETOWN INSTITUTE OF POLITICS AND PUBLIC SERVICE, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR DNC: Donald Trump was elected in 2016 saying he was going to drain the swamp. This feels a little swampy. He was elected in 2024 saying he was going to make everybody's life easier, make their lives less expensive. He was going to put more money back in your pockets.

He can say that 401(k) -- everyone is doing better. Don't ever tell a voter that they are -- what they're feeling is not legit. People do not feel like they are doing better. When they go to the grocery store, when they go to the gas pump, they don't feel like their pockets are getting heavier, but they now see Donald Trump's getting a lot heavier from an industry that he's supposed to be regulating in a business that is run by his children and on the backs of the investors who, when they picked up this meme coin, were paying, what, 87 bucks, and now is trading it for two, right?

Like this is exactly what he said he was running against and what people said they wanted him to be for. He has gone 180 degrees, opposite direction.

COATES: He had the first term, we remember, when people wanted him to divest. He didn't want to do that. He wanted someone else to control his companies. It is indeed a family business. The Trump name carries with it business opportunities. He talked about this very notion. And he said that -- on the idea of whether or not, you know, defending his own gains compared to his children making money as well, listen.

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TRUMP: I feel badly in a way for my kids because every time my kids do -- if they invest in a stock or if they go and do a bill, anything they do, because the presidency is so powerful, so big, everything, if they buy a cupcake company, well, the energy to make the cupcake is, you know, sort of like, how's my energy policy, so, therefore, you have a conflict. Almost anything they do, if they want to buy a truck, if they want to buy, you know, if they buy an energy-efficient truck, they have inside information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VOSSOUGHIAN: I mean, people aren't criticizing cupcakes. They're thinking about the Hunter Biden-flavored cupcake.

(LAUGHTER)

So, what is the -- is this a fair critique, that the family should be held to the same standard people did when it came to Hunter Biden, for example?

WHITLOCK: I do think that it's in their best interest to be as transparent as possible. I think that they'll try and do that. But we did make a lot of hay of Hunter Biden and get a lot of sort of political, you know, wins out of being able to say, look at how not transparent this is. COATES: Right.

WHITLOCK: But to Mo's previous point as well, I also think it is the Biden trap of telling people that they're doing great if they don't feel that they're doing great. So, it is going to be a lot more sort of showing what their policies are that are intended to help people feel great and hope they feel it themselves going into the midterms much more than saying, look, everyone is doing awesome, everything in our economy is perfect. I think Mo made a really good point on that.

COATES: Let's see. Gord from Canada asks, he says, if the new plane was gifted to the U.S. government, almost a billion dollars in retrofit from taxpayers, did Trump just make another billion when he takes a plane for himself? What's your reaction? Neither wants to take that --

(LAUGHTER)

WHITLOCK: I don't actually know how that works.

ELLEITHEE: Yes.

WHITLOCK: I don't know how any of that works. But it's a great question. I think the White House will make, hopefully, clear answers of how that works when it happens.

COATES: Here's the problem: If that's still a question that people can't answer, that's not good for the voters and for the campaigns, of course. Carol in Michigan asked this question. Is anyone doing the real digging into Trump's finances? Mo? I mean, it sounds like Carol is wondering if Democrats are going to investigate Trump's finances.

ELLEITHEE: Well, you hear Democrats saying that they may investigate some of this stuff, particularly on this crypto thing. Did his family trade on any insider information? This is an industry he's supposed to be regulating. I do think that you will see a different level of oversight into this administration's financial and the president's financial dealings if Democrats take control of the House.

COATES: And again, he is exempt from rules that otherwise federal employees would have to be. So, we'll see if there's even an appetite to do so. Mo, Matt, thank you both so much.

Ahead, keep it and call it the world's worst kept secret in America.

[23:40:00]

Tonight is believed to be Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow is believed to be the wedding. You're probably wondering why believed to be? Well, there's a reason and it's next.

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COATES: Your gym teacher and your English teacher are finally getting married or are they? In less than 24 hours, hundreds of lucky guests could hear Taylor say, I do. But why all the uncertainty? Well, it depends on who you listen to and what Easter eggs you've been following. The first night of what's believed to be a multi-day wedding extravaganza had Madison Square Garden just wrapped up. And sources tell CNN they kicked things off with a 100-person rehearsal dinner. Perhaps that's why MSG was lit up lavender tonight.

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It's a color Taylor has written lyrics about in the past and believed to be her favorite. The guest list for tonight's event was kept under wraps, but the main event is expected to take place tomorrow night.

Here to break down all of the details, the Taylor Swift reporter for USA Today, Bryan West. Bryan, good to see you. Tell me everything you've been hearing about the event. Was it really just a rehearsal dinner as far as we can tell? What did you see?

BRYAN WEST, TAYLOR SWIFT REPORTER, USA TODAY: Hello. Thank you for having me. I was out at Madison Square Garden all day. I have to say, first of all, the cool summer temperatures of New York City. We had an entire fleet of photographers and videographers that were on the north side. And basically, what we saw all day is that they had a lot of unloading of boxes. There was a pink couch at one point that was delivered. There was also a truck that contained 14 elements that made up a tree bar. So, it does seem like there's this floral garden kind of like tree landscape that is going to be seen all throughout. On the south side, though, that, along 31st Street, is where they were constructing a VIP type of overhang white tent.

And so, what happened is shortly before everybody arrived, the police actually kicked everybody off 31st Street so that way cars could drive through. There were a couple of bicycles that went through. But that's how they were able to seamlessly unload everybody.

A couple of paparazzi long-range lenses showed that, you know, her childhood best friend, Abigail Anderson, was in attendance. Also, we saw Selena Gomez on Instagram shared a selfie before going there. (INAUDIBLE) rolled down her window before she got past that barricade. You might have seen that video circulating online. We saw his best friend, Ross Travis. Of course, Donna Kelce arrived at LaGuardia Airport. The surprise there for me was that she was flying, I believe, southwest instead of a private charter.

But everybody is descending on this area. I can tell you it was definitely a smaller event tonight. Tomorrow, I believe that 31st Street is going to be closed again to make way for about a thousand guests.

COATES: First of all, to close that area is no small feat at all. This is a major part of Manhattan. It's right outside of Penn Station. What do you make of the rumors, though, that she's already married or this could all be one big ruse?

WEST: So, that was the question that everybody was asking while I was out there. What I can say is nothing substantive has come to light. So, there have been some outlets. I know "Page Six" did report that they were already married. That could definitely be a possibility. But all signs are pointing that there is definitely an event tomorrow. It doesn't kick off until about 5 p.m. So, there's a possibility that maybe they get married in the morning at a different venue or maybe it's Occam's razor. That really the simplest explanation applies and it's all at Madison Square Garden. I can tell you, though, the general consensus is people think that there might be something maybe tomorrow.

COATES: Well, Bryan, Taylor is known to be very private, and there were reports that invitations came with an NDA that guests were required to sign. Will we ever get the full picture of what happened inside? I mean, AKA cameras?

E+WEST: There was a picture from Reuters that I saw that said you are being filmed if you walk into this area. Kind of like you're accepting to be on film. I do believe, though, there would be a sea of NDAs, you know, for not just guests but also workers, caterers, anybody that's in and around. I saw a report of somebody that was fired for trying to take a picture.

And so, I definitely think this is under lockdown. I think this is one of those scenarios that Taylor will release the photos when she's ready to, to show all of us. But the hype, there's no shortage of it. What I was shocked about today, though, is I expected a lot of Swifties to be out there behind the barricade, and maybe a handful showed up.

COATES: Really? Well, it's hot outside. Bryan West, thank you so much. Nice to see you.

WEST: Good to see you.

COATES: Ahead, from "Shoop" to the fourth, Salt-N-Pepa set to perform at the Macy's fireworks show, and I had the pleasure of talking with Cheryl "Salt" James on the music, the legacy, and what's next.

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(END VIDEO CLIP) COATES: And although most -- oh, sorry. Who can resist dancing along to that tune? They were the very first-ever female rap act to go platinum, making them one of the biggest hip-hop groups of the 80s and 90s, with hits like "Push It" and "Shoop" and "What a Man," the list goes on. But the ladies of Salt-N-Pepa are not slowing down at all. They're set to perform at the Macy's 4th of July fireworks show this very weekend. I recently caught up with one-half of Salt-N-Pepa, Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Cheryl "Salt" James.

Cheryl "Salt" James, welcome to the show. I can't tell you how happy I am that you're here.

CHERYL "SALT" JAMES, ONE-HALF OF SALT-N-PEPA: Thank you. I'm happy to be here. I'm representing -- I'm an NYC representative today.

COATES: You're about to perform at a historic moment in this country's history. And you have certainly, certainly made a lasting impression on the story of American music. What does this moment and opportunity mean to you?

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JAMES: Oh, man. I mean, I'm from New York, born and raised. Brooklyn is where I was raised. Queens is where I started my career with. Long Island is where I raised my kids. So, I'm a native New Yorker all the way. So, to be able to come on the 4th of July and perform at such an epic event and have the fireworks go off behind us as we push it real good is going to be fun. It's going to be a lot of fun. Oh, right on cue.

COATES: See, it's funny how that happens, right? Are you kidding me?

JAMES: Yes. That was crazy.

COATES: Everyone loves -- everyone knows this dance. Everyone -- OK, let me not do it right now while I'm talking to you, but I can do this whole thing right along with you. Thank you very much.

JAMES: I know. That's right, girl.

COATES: Never as good. Never as good. You ruled the 80s. You ruled the 90s. You had so many iconic hits. You had "Whatta Man," "Shoop," "Let's Talk About Sex," "Push It." I'm just naming a sliver, by the way. Fans of 90s hip-hop, they are in for a real treat this summer because you are teaming up with TLC, with En Vogue, for a tour that's called "It's Iconic" because it is.

JAMES: "It's Iconic." Yes.

COATES: I mean, these are three of the most successful female R&B, hip-hop groups joining forces. Tell me what to expect because you know I will be there.

JAMES: Well, we want to take you back. We want to take you back to the 90s. We want to fulfill all of the dreams, you know. And the memories actually of that time where you were, whether you were in high school, like some of our greatest compliments is, you know, you got me through an abusive relationship or you got me through college, you know, when we hear stuff like that and we're performing, we want to bring you back to that time and help you to forget about all the things that's going on in this world right now. It feels like the world is going crazy. So, "It's Iconic" tour. We hope it will be a good two-hour or two-and-a-half-hour escape.

COATES: When you look into the crowd, that jacket, you know what I'm talking about, you're going to see it everywhere.

JAMES: Yes.

COATES: Everyone is going to have it on, just trying to pay homage to you. And you've got a new song out called "Overcomers" as part of your new solo chapter. It's a summer anthem, a collaboration with gospel singer Erica Campbell. I want to listen for a second for our audience.

JAMES: OK.

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COATES: Oh!

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We are getting cute and ready for the summer. OK.

JAMES: Yes.

COATES: So, what is the story you're trying to tell with this song?

JAMES: Well, I'm working on an album. It is called "Salty N Lit." It is based on a scripture that says not to hide your light under a bowl, to put it up on a stand and let it shine for everyone to see. So, it's a celebration of womanhood. It is a celebration of overcoming as a grown woman. A lot of us can relate to things --

COATES: Yes.

JAMES: -- that we've been through. We are still hear, we are still shining, we are still celebrating us, and we're still going on all girls' trips, having a good time. So, yes, it's a summer anthem for sure. It's not a hot girl summer. It's an overcomer girl summer.

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COATES: I love it. You know what I always tell my husband? He's never disrespectful because his mama taught him that.

JAMES: Oh.

COATES: The studio! I'll be there. You see, I can do that.

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JAMES: I got to -- where's my pen? I got to start writing you some bars right now. Give me a notebook.

COATES: You know what --

JAMES: There's Laura.

COATES: Just look --

JAMES: You got it, girl.

COATES: Cheryl "Salt" James, look, I can be (INAUDIBLE), right? I'm just expecting you --

JAMES: Hey, paprika. There's a whole lot of seasonings now. You got that.

COATES: Thank you for indulging me.

JAMES: Yes.

COATES: Thank you for all you've done.

JAMES: Yes.

COATES: Nice talking to you.

JAMES: Thank you. You, too.

COATES: Hey, thank you all for watching. "The Story Is with Elex Michaelson" is next.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Welcome to the "The Story Is." The top story is the record-breaking heatwave and how it could impact your holiday weekend with millions under heat warnings and thousands without power. The story is a man rescued after spending eight days under rubble in Venezuela. The incredible story of survival just ahead. And the story is wedding weekend. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are expected to get married within the next 24 hours. Coming up, what we are hearing about the main event.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is with Elex Michaelson."

MICHAELSON: Thanks for spending part of your holiday weekend with us. The top story is record-breaking heat for the July 4th weekend with more than 160 million Americans under major or extreme heat risks.

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