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U.S. Wins World Cup Match; Sail 250 Celebration; California Bans Sell-By Labels; Russia Launches Strikes on Kyiv; Trump Administration Taking Stake in OpenAI?. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 02, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now: The creator of ChatGPT, OpenAI, is reportedly discussing handing the Trump administration a 5 percent stake in the company.

"The Financial Times" reports this proposal would involve other U.S. artificial intelligence companies giving the government similar stakes.

So let's go live now to CNN A.I. correspondent Hadas Gold in New York.

Hadas, help us better understand why this is so significant and what it says about the Trump administration's broader approach to A.I.

HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, this is significant because this would see the U.S. government taking an actual stake in these A.I. companies.

But we have seen President Trump talk about this for a while. This is not new, and we have seen the government take stakes in other companies. Think of Intel. My sources at OpenAI have reminded me that Sam Altman has talked about having a closer relationship with the U.S. government, having this sort of partnership, having a public stake in these companies for some time.

But this is the first time that we're hearing of an actual percentage number. And, according to "The Financial Times," this percentage number would be about 5 percent. And according to OpenAI's current evaluation, that would be about $40 billion.

Of course, they are scheduled -- they are hoping to have an IPO within the next few months. But this report also cautions that this idea would depend on other A.I. companies buying into this. Now, the White House is not commenting, and OpenAI has declined to comment on this, but OpenAI has been talking about this.

In an April policy paper this year, they talked about creating a public wealth fund that will provide every citizen, including those not invested in financial markets, with a stake in an A.I.-driven economic growth.

President Trump, I think just about a month ago, he was on Air Force One. He talked about inviting all of the A.I. companies to come and have a conversation about giving what he called pieces of the companies to the public.

And this actually has bipartisan support. Senator Bernie Sanders had introduced legislation that would create an A.I. sovereign wealth fund to give the public a 50 percent ownership in some of the largest A.I. companies. So there is a bipartisan push.

Now, I do believe that this sort of stake in OpenAI that "The Financial Times" is reporting would require congressional action of some kind. But you have to think about what is happening in the context of all this, the political pressure in Washington, D.C., but also the pressure from public opinion.

People have very negative sentiments about A.I., so I'm sure there is a hope from these companies that, if the public gets a stake in this wealth that is being created, that will help shift public opinion more towards the favor of these A.I. companies -- Pam.

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BROWN: That's a really good point.

All right, Hadas Gold, thanks so much -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Also happening now, Ukraine is searching for survivors from Russia's overnight strikes on the capital city of Kyiv.

Ukraine says mostly residential buildings in Kyiv were hit, and at least 21 people are now confirmed dead, 85 injured. Russia says it's retaliating for Ukrainian strikes on civilian targets inside Russian territory.

Joining us now, CNN global affairs analyst Brett McGurk.

Brett, thanks very much for being here.

Russia says it's simply retaliating. What do you make of this? Because the images we're seeing of the destruction of these civilian apartment buildings in Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine -- and I want to show some of those to our viewers.

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes.

BLITZER: Look at this. Look what's going on in the capital city.

MCGURK: Well, look, I think this story of Ukraine is one of the most important stories in the world right now, Wolf.

I mean, Putin came into this year, the fifth year of the war. He thought this was the year, just by his massive manpower, they're going to break through the lines in Eastern Ukraine, and it hasn't happened. He's making almost no gains. The Ukrainian drone industry is remarkable and now striking deep into Russia.

And so what is Putin doing? He's now trying to escalate with what he has. He has missiles and drones, and no pretense here that these are military targets. He's simply trying to demoralize the Ukrainian population, which he's been trying to do now for five years. It hasn't worked.

So the tide has really turned here this year in Ukraine's favor. It's an extraordinary story. Now, the big question as we head into the NATO summit is, is there an opportunity here to get the diplomacy back on track? I think President Putin -- President Trump -- sorry -- early in his administration here in the second term thought, we can put some pressure on Ukraine to try to get this deal.

That didn't really work. And now the question is, given that Putin is in deep trouble here, is there an opportunity for a deal? Again, I'm skeptical because Putin is so committed to this, despite the losses he's suffering. But it's an extraordinary story. The tide is kind of turning in Ukraine's favor.

And the big question here again is, like, where does diplomacy go over the second half of this year?

BLITZER: Yes, I mean, the images that we're seeing of the destruction in Kyiv are horrendous. You can imagine all those people who were there when these Russian drones and missile strikes were unfolding.

The NATO secretary-general, Mark Rutte, as you know, says the U.S. is still indispensable in support of Ukraine. Next week, at that NATO summit in Turkey, the long-term support for Ukraine will be a major, major focus. If Ukraine seems to be getting an upper hand right now, where do you see U.S. support for Ukraine emerging?

MCGURK: Well, I hope we -- I hope we back them up.

I mean, again, you remember that scene in the Oval Office in the first months of the Trump administration, where the president was basically berating Zelenskyy, saying, you have no cards.

But a remarkable scene, Wolf, that ties some stories together when the Iran war in the Gulf, which we just went through started, Zelenskyy actually visited the Gulf states talking about Ukraine providing defensive support, given their technology and given their know-how, to these countries under attack from Iranian drones, which are also attacking Ukraine.

What that shows is, Zelenskyy does have cards. He has real cards here. And I think, if the U.S. were to help him and think about how we coordinate the diplomacy, we can help him play those cards. So you got to engage with Putin. You have got to put -- keep pressure on the Russians through sanctions and other means.

But I think, given what we're seeing -- and, again, but Putin's going to lash out, with these terrible images we're seeing today. There could be an opportunity here again for the diplomacy as we head into the fall. BLITZER: It's interesting. A superpower like Russia is having trouble

with Ukraine, a relatively much more modest military power, just like the U.S. is having trouble with Iran, United States, a superpower, having some trouble with Iran.

MCGURK: Some first principles of warfare, Wolf, the defender has advantages, and terrain -- you look at terrain in any sort of military campaign. Look at terrain. In Iran, it's the Strait of Hormuz.

And in Ukraine, it's what the Ukrainians call their defensive belt, those areas in the Donbass, which the Russians have not been able to break through.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about what's going on with the U.S. war in Iran.

Iran has issued a fresh warning on the Strait of Hormuz, saying that, if ships don't follow Tehran's designated routes through this critical waterway, they're putting their vessels at risk with Iran's armed forces. You're a former Middle East adviser to four U.S. presidents.

What do you make of Iran's latest warning?

MCGURK: Well, they're trying to show that, if they don't get what they think they secured at the negotiating table in the MOU, that they might go back to shutting the Strait of Hormuz.

But I don't know if it's going to work. I had a piece in the -- for CNN this morning, an analysis piece, because we analyzed the MOU when we first got our hands on it about two weeks ago. And it's kind of a -- the document is so lopsided, giving Iran massive up-front concessions really just for opening the Strait of Hormuz, which was not a problem before the war.

But here we are two weeks in, and we can kind of -- it's still very convoluted, this MOU.

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BLITZER: Yes.

MCGURK: But what is it doing? It's doing something I think the United States really wanted and needed. It's buying time and space.

Ships are getting through the Strait of Hormuz, maybe not in the numbers we want, but the price of oil has come down dramatically. The price of gas for U.S. consumers has come down dramatically. And, of course, the U.S. has lifted the blockade, so Iran also has an interest in keeping this thing afloat.

So we will see those threats. You know, we might see a drone or two like we saw last week. But, right now, this MOU is serving the main purpose it was supposed to serve, decrease pressure, economic pressure, buy some time and space, see what options we have as we go through the summer and into the fall. BLITZER: Excellent analysis you wrote at CNN.com. I read it. I

recommend our viewers out there, if they haven't read it yet, they go to CNN.com and read it. It's available to them, right?

MCGURK: Right. Yes, open.

BLITZER: OK, excellent, Brett.

MCGURK: Thanks.

BLITZER: Thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM: That sell-by date on food could soon be a thing of the past, at least in one state. We will explain the changes coming to food labels up next.

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BROWN: Happening now: Shoppers in California will no longer find sell-by dates on food when they head to the grocery store. And that's because of this new law that went into effect yesterday banning them and replacing them with best if used by and use by labels instead.

The hope is that removing the sell-by dates will reduce confusion about when the food is actually unsafe to consume and therefore cut down on food waste when people throw away food too early.

Joining us now to discuss this is Sara Burnett. She's the executive director of ReFED, a nonprofit that seeks to solve food waste.

Hi, Sara.

So, I just want to start this conversation big picture. I think so many of us can relate to those conversations, that confusion in our homes, like, can we eat it? It's a day past the sell-by date, so forth. Just how much food waste is there in the U.S.? And how do these sell-by dates on groceries impact that?

SARA BURNETT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, REFED: Yes, thank you so much for having me.

This is kind of a commonsense very -- problem that you and I both deal with in our own homes, I'm sure. What most people don't know is that, in the U.S., about a third of food, 70 million tons, goes unsold or uneaten.

BROWN: Wow.

BURNETT: The value of that, $380 billion, 1.3 percent of GDP, enormous problem.

But the good news is, some of it is really solvable. Some of it is really easily avoidable. And that's why commonsense laws like California's A.B.660, make a whole lot of sense. And it addresses problems that both businesses and consumers face today.

And for -- overall, when you think about date labels in general, they contribute to about 3.5 million tons of food waste each year. That's about $19 billion with a B dollars. And it's not getting better. We're getting more confused.

We repeated a study and a survey in 2025 that was completed originally in 2016, and Americans are even more confused. You have date labels like enjoy buy, sell by, sell, use by, and they all have different meanings, and we all interpret them in different ways, which means that often we're feeding our landfills, instead of feeding our families.

BROWN: And you think about just the confusion and all of the waste that you just laid out of food and all the people in this country that have food insecurity, are worried about where their next meal will come from, and how this can really help that problem.

And the law you mentioned there in California, the heart of it is exactly the sell-by dates, right, what they indicate. And some experts say that they're a guide for stores to determine how long to keep products on shelves, while some consumers may view the labels as hard and fast rules for when food becomes unsafe to eat.

So, which is it? How do the stores navigate this?

BURNETT: Yes, it's very confusing for food businesses, and, frankly, they waste perfectly good food that could be sold or donated.

And the same challenges that we have at home of does enjoy by mean that I need to come off the shelf and go in the trash, or does that mean maybe that bread is not as fresh as it was five days ago, but it's still perfectly safe to eat or safe to donate?

And so food businesses are equally confused as everyday consumers, and that's what's leading to this astronomical amount of waste that is happening in households and in local food businesses.

BROWN: And, under this law, California food manufacturers must use these two standardized labels, a best if used by label for peak freshness and quality, and then this use by label for food safety.

Based on your research, will that, do you think, clear up all this confusion and ultimately reduce food waste?

BURNETT: We do think that this is absolutely one of the best steps to standardize date labels in California, but, more importantly, and our hope is, across the nation.

This is a huge opportunity, but what's very important to come along with it is consumer education, so that you and I both understand what best if used by and use by means. But standardization and getting rid of the 50-plus labels that all of us see on shelf or on pack will go a huge way towards solving this problem and making a huge impact.

BROWN: What are -- the proposals are out there for reducing food waste? What can our viewers do if they want to help when it comes to this problem in their own homes and beyond?

BURNETT: Yes, for consumers themselves, we are the top wasters within our food system, especially here in the U.S.

A family of four like mine wastes on average about $3,000 worth of food each year that goes into the trash. And, for us, it's really simple. It's doing some of the things that we have probably been taught from our different leaders in our communities. It's plan your meals, shop from your fridge before you go buy something at the store.

Use the magic time machine that some of us have in our kitchens called the freezer, eating those leftovers, and understanding date labels and understanding that sell-by date on that carton of eggs doesn't mean it needs to go in the trash.

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For example, eggs are often good for three to five weeks after that sell-by date. They're still perfectly wholesome and safe to eat.

BROWN: I did not know that. Very good to know.

Sara Burnett, enlightening conversation for so many of us. Thank you very much.

BURNETT: Thank you so much for having me.

BLITZER: And thanks from me as well.

And here's what's coming up all new right at the top of the hour. It's supposed to celebrate America's 250th birthday, but the rollout hasn't necessarily gone as planned. The questions over turnout and execution at the Great American State Fair.

BROWN: Plus, a candid admission from a Republican congressman is putting mental health in the spotlight. We're going to talk with the leading psychiatrist about depression, stigma and why asking for help can still be so difficult.

BLITZER: And the hottest days of this heat wave are here. Dangerous, very dangerous temperatures are building, with millions under major or extreme heat risk.

But, first, Leigh Waldman is live at sea what's next -- with what's coming up next -- Leigh.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are here aboard the Coast Guard Eagle as it sails through the Atlantic Ocean, heading toward New York City for the largest maritime parade in our nation's history. Hear from cadets and crew about what Sail 250 means to them.

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BLITZER: Happening now, tall ships and military vessels from around the world are making their way up the Atlantic Coast right now in celebration of America's 250th birthday.

The flotilla called Sail 250 will be in New York for the Fourth of July. While there, ships will take part in parade sales, tours, and a lot more.

Let's go live right now to see that as Leigh Waldman, who has been traveling with the U.S. Coast Guard on the Eagle tall ship.

Leigh, what has the journey been like, at least so far?

WALDMAN: Wolf, this has been an incredible look at how the Coast Guard trains their cadets that are entering into the military here.

I'm on some rigging connected to the main mast of the Coast Guard Eagle, an 80-year-old ship, 295 feet long. What cadets are expected to do is called an up and over drill. They climb this rigging, go up over a platform 45 feet in the air to help man these sails. They have to make their way back down.

The tallest point we have been able to get to at this point is 120 feet. But there's six miles of rope here. There's 23 sails. They have to maintain every inch of this historic ship in order to make it run well and to train these cadets, the future leaders.

But this trip, this mission is incredibly special for everyone on board, because, as you mentioned, this is Sail 250 honoring America's 250th birthday.

We talked to some of the crew and cadets about what this means to them.

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ENSIGN JACKSON BEAL, U.S. COAST GUARD: I'm very grateful, very blessed, very fortunate to be able to commission, graduate and serve at a time like this. It's America's Sail 250. So that means that we are loud, we are proud. We are Coast Guard Cutter Eagle.

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WALDMAN: It's been so heartwarming to see the crew, 60 crew on board, 150 cadets, all working together, honing those skills, making sure that they're prepared for a life at sea. They conduct fire drills. They plug holes that are makeshift holes in the ship, learning how to stop any potential flooding.

They will be ready at the end of their journey to be full-blown Coast Guardsmen and Coasties, as they call them. The captain here, he says he's making them salty. That just means they're ready to be on a life at sea here. This is -- the next stop we're heading toward is New York Harbor to be ready for that parade.

After that point, they are sailing to Boston, but it's not a regular sail. This ship, the Coast Guard Eagle, has five sister ships. They will be racing four of them to Boston to see who's the fastest. And the captain wants to bring home that Tiffany's trophy, Wolf. BLITZER: So you're right on top of that ship, it looks like, Leigh.

Talk to your photojournalists there. Have them zoom in a little bit so we can get a better look.

WALDMAN: Joel, can you zoom in, get us closer?

We're high up right now, but this is nothing. If you go all the way to the main mast tip, the royals, as they call them, that is 150 feet in the air, 15 stories. That is mind-boggling. I was shaking when I went up 120 feet. But these cadets, these crew members, they're used to it. That's an everyday part of their life here.

They work from dawn until dusk and do it all over again.

BLITZER: All right, Leigh Waldman, thanks very much for that report. Appreciate it very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, the wait is finally over. Team USA has just won its first World Cup knockout game in more than two decades, and, in a dominant performance, the men's soccer team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina last night, advancing to Round of 16.

CNN's Coy Wire is out in California, where all of this took place.

Coy, this has been years of the making for the U.S. Give us the details of this historic win.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, hi, Pamela.

The last time the World Cup was hosted in America, in '94, the U.S. lost at a famous knockout round match against eventual champs Brazil right here in Stanford Stadium. This time, in the Bay Area, in this World Cup knockout, the U.S. got the job done, despite a controversial red card.

Fans wearing stars and stripes were flying high hours before kickoff, and once again the U.S. came out breathing fire. Breakout star Folarin Balogun lit the fuse early, burying the opener, breaking out the LeBron James silencer celebration.