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CNN Headlines: Shouting Match Between Trump and Cassidy; At Least 32 Dead, 700 Injured in Venezuela Earthquakes; Massive Six-Alarm Fire at Pennsylvania Warehouse; Will Taylor Swift's Wedding Be at Madison Square Garden?. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired June 25, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: At least 32 people were killed after back-to- back earthquakes in Venezuela and another 700 were injured. The toll is expected to rise as rescue operations are underway. First, a 7.2 magnitude for shock and then a 7.5 magnitude quake that the most powerful to hit the country in more than a century. That's all what played out and will continue to track those rescue efforts.

Sources are also telling CNN that President Trump and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy got into a heated shouting match at a Senate luncheon. We're told that it was over senators approving a resolution on Tuesday to rein in Trump's war powers with Iran. But late last night, after their meeting with Trump, senators reversed the vote, handing Trump a win.

Also happening today, the Supreme Court is expected to announce rulings in major cases, including challenges to birthright citizenship, voting rights and President Trump's firings of federal officials. The court indicated that it will release opinions later this morning. However, we do not know which of the cases already heard might come down or how many opinions we might see.

Let's get back to our top story. At least 32 people are dead and 700 injured after two powerful back-to-back earthquakes hit in Venezuela, and the toll is likely to rise, unfortunately. The CCTV footage here new footage showing cars shaking during moments of Venezuela's earthquake as first responders are now just racing to rescue survivors from the rubble. CNN Contributor Stefano Pozzebon felt the powerful tremors hundreds of miles away in Colombia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: These death toll does not include the crucial state of La Guaira. That is the state that is pretty much between the City of Caracas and

the Caribbean Seas just north of the capital on the coast. That is where we know that the impact of these earthquakes has been felt the strongest.

I was able to speak with, for example, with Rodriguez's brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who is also a statesman in the country. He is the president of the National Assembly, pretty much the president of the Congress or Parliament there. And he told me that according to a preliminary estimate, at least 15 buildings have collapsed in that particular state of La Guaira. So, that is where they're trying to reach as quickly as possible, providing as many emergency services and first responders there.

That's Rodriguez in her last message from (INAUDIBLE) also said that several countries have already offered to send in some teams of first responders. Among them is, of course, Colombia, where I am. We were able to speak with the unit of first responders from the Colombian government. They are saying that they're standing by and trying to reach Caracas as quickly as possible.

Of course, one of the challenges is that the Caracas International Airport in Maiquetia, which is in that particular state, La Guaira, that has been so badly damaged, is currently closed. Jorge Rodriguez, the statesman that I was able to speak with, told me that they believe, they hope to be able to open it in the upcoming hours or perhaps early on Friday.

But at the point as of right now, which is early Thursday morning, that airport remains closed. And a lot of people in Caracas are sleeping outside. For example, I was able to speak with several residents over the last half an hour or so, and they're telling me that they are too afraid to go back into their houses. They're too afraid to go back into their flats. Some are speaking about sleeping in their cars, others in tents.

I mean, as much as you can, perhaps, sleep or try to catch some rest after such a dramatic experience like going through those two earthquakes that hit the capital within seconds of each other. 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude. Those were big, big quakes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:35:00]

SMITH: Thank you, Stefano. More now on President Trump's tense meeting with GOP senators yesterday on Capitol Hill that turned into a shouting match. That is according to sources who say Trump and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy verbally attacked each other. Trump apparently lashed out because senators limited his Iran war powers Tuesday night. The Senate reversed the vote late last night, but not before the heated exchange. CNN's Manu Raju reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It got pretty ugly behind closed doors when President Trump came to Capitol Hill to meet with GOP senators amid a series of feuds that have left his party in a state of disarray.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA) I'm not going to be bullied when I'm trying to get answers for the American people.

RAJU: The fight was between Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Republican senator who actually voted to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. Trump paid him back by endorsing his primary rival. Just a month ago, Cassidy lost that primary bid, even though Cassidy did everything he could to get into Trump's good graces. Since Cassidy lost, he has come back and been a thorn in the president's side, including over the issue of Iran. And that is the issue that bubbled up behind closed doors.

President Trump making very clear he did not appreciate the fact that Cassidy and three other Republican senators voted just a day prior to limit President Trump's war powers with Iran. Cassidy and him got into a back and forth. Things got rather heated. Trump told Cassidy to sit down. Cassidy would not sit down. I'm told from sources who were in the room. And then Trump called him a lunatic. Cassidy responded by referring to Trump as his brother. President Trump said, you are not my brother.

Eventually, things subsided, and Cassidy sat down. When Trump left that closed door meeting, he did not answer reporters' questions, but seemed to make a reference to Cassidy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We like our leader. We like everybody really in the room. I don't like a few people, but that's OK. I think you know who they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: But there is so much concern in the United States Senate about the way President Trump has been making demands that simply cannot be met because the votes aren't there to pass his bill to overhaul voting in the United States. So, called Save America Act that would require voters to provide a proof of citizenship to register to vote. That bill has failed multiple times in the United States Senate.

Trump is essentially derailed his agenda, including abruptly scrapping a signing ceremony for a major bipartisan housing bill on the same day he was coming to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans. A number of GOP senators from letter Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Kevin Cramer, a more conservative member, have expressed concerns about that position.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): You know, I've been pretty clear that that Save America Act has no chance of passing. But even despite that, we've been able to move his agenda along.

RAJU: Is he hurting your chances of keeping the majority?

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): I'm just going to say I don't think it helps. People want us to be able to deliver on priorities. Absolutely. And they want to focus on things that they're talking about back home, which is affordability.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SMITH: Thank you, Manu. In Illinois, a former sheriff's deputy convicted in the high-profile shooting death of Sonya Massey is seeking early release from prison. Nearly two years ago, Sonya Massey called 911 to report a stranger outside her home. Grayson and another deputy responded. Body cam video showed the counter escalate before Grayson fatally shot her. The jury convicted him of second-degree murder last October, and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Grayson is set to appear before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board on July 31st.

The family of a Missouri teenager is suing Snapchat parent company Snap. The suit claims that the social media platform facilitated the teen's rape as a 12-year-old through Snapchat features such as quick ad and snap map. Now, the suit filed in Missouri State Court names Gabriel Joel Valentin-Rios as a defendant.

Now, Valentin-Rios was recently sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to one count of rape or attempted rape. This type of case is not a first for snap, as multiple families have sued the platform with similar claims. CNN has reached out to the company for comment developing this morning in Pennsylvania.

The American Red Cross is helping families displaced after a massive six-alarm fire at an Allentown warehouse Wednesday night.

[05:40:00]

Flames and smoke were visible for miles and firefighters say that the fire spread to a home across the street. Right now, nearly 1,000 people are without power. It is still unclear what caused the fire or whether anyone was hurt.

In Oklahoma, Tulsa fire crews rescued a man trapped in a flood control ditch where he clung to a pillar as a storm water rushed right around him as you're seeing on screen there. Firefighters lowered a ladder, they secured him in a harness and they pulled him to safety.

Well, the question that everyone is asking, will Taylor Swift's wedding be at Madison Square Garden? It's a big question. Amid speculation that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could be getting married there over the July 4th weekend, CNN's Gloria Pazmino and Elizabeth Wagmeister break down what they know about the upcoming nuptials.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rumors have been flying that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could be getting married at Madison Square Garden over July 4th weekend. And let me tell you, the evidence is growing. My colleague Gloria Pazmino, who is the expert on the ground in NYC, has some info.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, two sources tell me that a permit application was submitted to hold an event in the vicinity of Madison Square Garden. The permit application was submitted by a company known to plan weddings. Now, a third source confirmed that the application was submitted to New York City's Street Activity Permit Office. This is a little-known office which issues permits for things like street festivals, farmers markets and block parties. The official briefed on the permit application also told me that neither Swift's or Kelce's name is listed on the permit application. The application would allow for between 500 and 999 people to gather in this closed off area and also the possible installation of tents or canopies.

WAGMEISTER: We all know that Taylor Swift is a mastermind when it comes to faking us all out. However, I have a source who told me that earlier this year when invitations were sent out, wedding guests were told that the wedding would take place on July 3rd in New York City. So, with that in mind, let's break down why it actually may make sense to hold this wedding event at Madison Square Garden.

First and foremost is security and paparazzi. MSG has no windows. That keeps the paparazzi out. Also, her very famous guest list can arrive underground with parking. That is a rarity in New York City. We also know that MSG is a special place to Taylor because she has performed there a number of times over her career. Now, I reached out to Taylor's rep and she didn't get back to me. But even New York City Mayor Mamdani commented dropping this casually in a recent press conference.

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY): We are the biggest city in the country. We are used to big events and we are incredibly excited for this one. We know it coincides with the Knicks finals run. We know it coincides with July 4th, America 250 Taylor Swift's wedding all happening at the same time. And we are so excited to welcome the world here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Well, next up on CNN Headline Express, there is this. Come on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to put that walker down. I will carry you. Come on. You're going to die in here. Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: A dramatic rescue with just seconds to spare from a burning house. Details later in the hour.

Plus, just in time for hot summer days, Snoop Dogg's latest venture, the Snoopsicle, where you can get that sweet treat ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:00]

SMITH: Let's go around the globe. Europe is sweltering under a powerful heat dome with temperatures soaring as high as 110 degrees. As CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar shows us, the extreme heat is showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are setting some pretty insane records across Europe. Take a look at this. It was the hottest June day on record in the U.K. when they reached 36.1 degrees Celsius or 97 degrees Fahrenheit. Even more impressive, we also had the hottest May day on record this year. Only one-degree Celsius cooler. Very impressive numbers, and they're not the only country setting records.

Take a look. Now, this is France. Not necessarily for an individual town, but for the entire country as a whole, setting their national average temperature record. Again, just to kind of show you how widespread this heat really is, you also have all of these individual records.

Now, the orange dots indicate daily record highs, the red dots monthly record highs, and the grayish black dots represent potential all-time record highs. And we are likely going to see even more dots on the map, especially spreading into portions of Central and Eastern Europe in the coming days because that is where the heat is expected to move.

So, here is a map of all of the heat alerts in effect for Thursday. You can see it still continues across portions of France and the U.K., but now we're really starting to see it spread farther off to the East. So, Romania, Poland, portions of Italy and Germany really now starting to see more of their area under these extreme heat alerts.

[05:50:00]

And it's because this dome of high pressure, or the heat dome, is expected to spread eastward in the coming days. This will provide some relief for areas of the Iberian Peninsula in the coming days, but it will do quite the opposite for areas of Central and Eastern Europe.

Take, for example, Madrid. The numbers are starting to come back down, much lower than where they have been the last few days. But Vienna, Berlin, those numbers are starting to go back up, reaching the triple digits in Fahrenheit, or even into the upper 30s in Celsius. So, it's very impressive, but also very dangerous. Not just the high temperatures, even though those are also very impressive.

But look at Paris, for example. Yes, we still have another day reaching above 40 degrees, but it's also the low temperatures. Their average high this time of year is 23 degrees Celsius. Their low temperature is expected to be even higher than that. That is a problem because it doesn't allow your body to cool down at night when it normally would be, especially for so many people in Europe that do not have access to air conditioning in their homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: It's time for Buzz Express, the stories that have people talking. First up, the Motion Picture Academy just invited more than 500 new people to vote for the Oscars. They are from across the industry, but some of the big names include Jenna Ortega, Jacob Elordi, Teyana Taylor, Marvel star Simu Liu, and "Ozark" actress Julia Garner. The group includes 95 past nominees and 21 winners.

And we just mentioned Teyana Taylor, the actress along with Grammy winner Lauren Hill will receive special awards this weekend at the BET Awards. Hill will be honored with the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award, and Taylor will receive the first ever Icon of the Year Award. A comedian and influencer, Druski, will host the show Sunday night. He is the youngest host in BET history at 31 years old.

Next up on CNN Headline Express, it is the ultimate game of hide and seek. The search is on for Gracie, the missing giraffe. That, as CNN Headline Express continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:55:00]

SMITH: In today's Money Express, OpenAI's processing chip named Jalapeno may be the secret ingredient to a cheaper, smoother running ChatGPT. Maribel Aber joins us now from the NASDAQ Market site with that and the rest of your top Money Express headlines. Hey, Maribel.

MARIBEL ABER, MONEY EXPRESS: Hey, Brad, is it hot? OpenAI says it's developing a custom A.I. chip to power ChatGPT and other products. The chip is called Jalapeno. It was built with Broadcom and is designed specifically for A.I. workloads, not everyday computing.

So, the move could help OpenAI reduce costs, rely less on outside suppliers, and better compete with rivals Google and Amazon, which are also building their own chips. For consumers, this could mean faster and more reliable A.I. tools over time. The U.S. Energy Department is offering billions in loans to help expand nuclear power as energy demand grows.

Officials say a $17.5 billion investment will lower costs and speed construction of five new nuclear plants. Each site would use two Westinghouse reactors, enough to power roughly 800,000 homes. The energy secretary says several potential partners have signed letters of intent, proposed locations have not been disclosed, and no final decisions have been made.

Finally, Snoop Dogg's newest product is a big departure from his gin and juice line with Dr. Dre. He's launching Snoopsicles, frozen sherbet pops, just in time for the 4th of July. The debut flavor is Razzed Out, a blend of raspberry, cherry, and lime. The treats are made by Dr. Bombay, a creamery Snoop founded with his son in L.A. Snoopsicles are available in boxes of 24 exclusively at Costco for $14.99.

Brad, instead of laid back, we're razzed out. Got my mind on summer.

SMITH: And summer on my mind. Maribel Aber, thank you so much.

Let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines across the country. We start in Ohio. That's where a police officer rushes inside a burning house to save a disabled woman. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, come on. You need to put that walker down. I will carry you, come on. You're going to die in here, come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Authorities say an officer arrived Tuesday and immediately forced to open a blocked door, finding a woman clinging to her walker. When he rescued her, she told firefighters that her brother was still inside and then they rushed in to get him out of the burning house. Here you see the officer and the woman he rescued together again. She and her brother were being treated for smoke inhalation. Still no word on what started the fire.

And in Boston, a Canadian flight had to make an emergency landing. The captain had a medical emergency forcing the co-pilot to take over. The pilot was taken to the hospital for treatment. No passengers on board were injured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder if he's on his loudspeaker going, keep going, keep going. He's wrangling them, hee-haw, come on now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Call it dog wrangling. Two dogs had to be escorted off an Oklahoma highway by police after wandering onto an exit ramp. A cruiser slowly followed behind the pups until they safely reached a grassy median.

And it's a big game of hide and seek with a giraffe. Authorities in Texas say Gracie escaped from a ranch west of San Antonio. She's been spotted a couple of times, but by the time searchers got there, Gracie was gone. Her owner is offering a $5,000 reward. And the memes about Gracie have popped up. The Volunteer Fire Department posted this.

[06:00:00]