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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Trump To Give "Really Long" July 4th Speech Despite Heat Wave; Millions On Alert As Heat Dome Intensifies In The East; Iran Prepares To Say Final Goodbye To Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; Venezuela Leader Rejects Criticism For Earthquake Response; World Cup 2026; Pope Leo's Message for U.S.; Kyiv Observing Day of Mourning after Massive Russian Attack; Political Divisions, Extreme Heat Keep Attendance Low. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 03, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:28]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: A Fourth of July tradition will continue at Coney Island, New York on Saturday. The annual Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest will see Joey Chestnut defend his title. Contestants try to eat as many dogs as they can in 10 minutes. These pictures are just so gross.

Chestnut has won 17 of the Bass 20 Nathan's contests this year. He needed permission from a judge to leave his home state of Indiana to attend the event. He's on probation for slapping a man in March. Don't mess with Joey.

Thanks for watching. The next hour of The Story Is starts right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching The Story Is. I'm Alex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Coming up, the story is possible wire fraud.

New allegations that Trump backed organizers for the 250th anniversary events may have duped donors.

The story is Khamenei funeral. Iran set to host a massive farewell ceremony for its late supreme leader, sending a defiant message to the US. And the story is World Cup, highlights from today, including the Switzerland versus Algeria match happening late.

And thanks for being with us. It's 10 o'clock here in Los Angeles, 1:00 a.m. on the east coast of the United States. We are kicking off a big July 4th weekend with more than 160 million people under major or extreme heat risks. Record and near record temperatures are expected in cities across the eastern U.S. with the heat index making it feel like it's 110 degrees in some areas.

More than 100 million people were treated for heat related injuries. 100 people, hundred people were treated for heat related injuries at a Union Pacific event in Burns County, Pennsylvania earlier today. President Trump says he plans to a long speech at July 4th celebrations in Washington where temperatures could hit 103. Here's a preview of some of what we might expect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: A lot of people don't understand that right now we are in a golden age before we have more people working today than at any time ever in the history of our country. And people making more money than they've ever made. I'm not talking about rich people. I'm talking about people that have like normal or normalized jobs, more money than they've ever made before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Let's bring in our political panel. Areva Martin is a civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator on the left. And on the right is Jennifer Horn, the host of "The Morning Answer" on AM870 here in Los Angeles. Welcome back, ladies. Good to see both of you together again.

So, Jennifer.

JENNIFER HORN, HOST, "THE MORNIGN ANSWER": Yes.

MICHAELSON: If you're President Trump's adviser, what's the speech he should give and what's the speech you think he is going to give?

HORN: First of all, I don't think he should talk for three hours because that seems very hot. And the president has acknowledged that he's doing it just to prove that he can because --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

HORN: -- there's a lot of haters out there talking about his health. So, I may say keep it to about an hour. But look, I think this is a really spectacular time for our nation. 250 years, the, what is it? The semi quincentennial. This is something that is -- it's so important for us all to come together, whether we are Democrats or Republicans or Trump supporters or not. I'd really like to see the president talk about our nation's history, where we're going, American greatness and exceptionalism.

And I think he will do that. I do believe that this president is really patriotic, and I know that he has a personality that sometimes rubs people the wrong way. But I really believe that he loves this country and I think he's going to do a good job showing that.

MICHAELSON: What do you think he should say and what do you think he will say?

AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, first of all, we have to acknowledge that this is happening and the backdrop is a president and an administration that has tried to distort American history, that has tried to rewrite American history, deny certain parts of our U.S. history.

So what he should talk about is the real United States, including how the United States has treated indigenous people, how it has oppressed African American people, enslaved people, and how this country has basically torn us apart. What he is going to do is ramble for probably three hours. He's going to talk about rigged elections. He's going to talk about stolen elections. He's going to gaslight the American people the way that he does whenever he gets a microphone and whenever he gets an audience of this size.

[01:05:02

And it's quite sad that we are celebrating the history of this country or the 250 years of this country at a time when we could not be more divided. And the person that is dividing us is in the White House. So I'm not expecting very much from this.

And in fact, what we've been told, there's probably not going to be very many people even watching this speech because of the heat and because of how people have been so turned off by, by the way, this entire celebration has been planned. So he's probably going to be talking to an audience that's very tiny.

MICHAELSON: Most presidents, Jennifer, over the years have at least pretended to be about uniting the country, even if they maybe really weren't. It seems like President Trump has really focused in a way on his people, which is why his people love him so much. But this idea of, I mean, what could he say to try to sort of give an olive branch to the left in this moment?

HORN: I hate to do it because I love what both of you. I love both of you and I respect the conversation that we have. I don't believe that President Trump tries to pull us apart. I mean, I was just listening to what my friend Areva just said. And it makes me sad that people don't realize that we are the greatest country on this planet. No matter. Look, it's not -- we are not perfect. America is not perfect.

MICHAELSON: Sure.

HORN: We can get better every single day. Our history has not been perfect. But there is not a place on this planet, that would treat a woman, that would treat people of color any better than we do in this country. And so it makes me sad when I hear the anti-American sentiment simply because people don't like the guy in the White House.

As far as President Trump goes, I do believe he wants to unify. He wants people to unify under economic prosperity. That's what he has been talking about for such a long time. That's what he thinks will bring people together. It's how his foreign policy works. It's his domestic policy, too.

What I would say is that there is -- there is a really big problem in our country when we start to forget how great she is simply because we disagree with the person in the White House. We have to get through that and over.

MARTIN: But Jennifer, you just said that it's anti American to call out the facts of this country.

HORN: No, I did not.

MICHAELSON: She did not say that.

HORN: I did not say that.

MARTIN: OK, it appeared that you were equating being anti-American with being factual about America.

HORN: No. In fact, I said you can disagree and still love this country.

MARTIN: We're not talking about disagreement, we're talking about facts. So it's not just disagreement. We could disagree and have a different opinion, but facts are facts. And what this president has done and what his administration has done is try to rewrite factual history.

So it's very different. I can disagree about the weather. I could say that, you know, I feel differently about sunshine. But the reality is Americans have been African Americans enslaved. Americans have been oppressed in this country. And this administration has tried.

HORN: Do you have an example?

MARTIN: Yes.

HORN: Because I would --

MARTIN: I mean, what's the rewriting books like, banning books.

HORN: Both sides have tried to ban books.

MARTIN: No. I mean, there have been --

HORN: A huge effort to ban books on both sides of the aisle. President Trump hasn't banned any books.

MARTIN: So he's false equivalencies. You know that, Jennifer, I'm talking about. The conversation is about the president. So let's stay on the --

HORN: I think President Trump --

MARTIN: The president has tried to rewrite American history, particularly as it relates to African Americans. There's no debate about that. It's factual, period.

MICHAELSON: There are some people that do not feel a home in the either party right now, and one of them apparently is Tucker Carlson, who for so many years has been an advocate on cable news channels, all three of them for the Republican Party.

Now he is saying that maybe it's time to create a third party, and he's looking into that. That's never really been successful at the time. He, of course, disagrees with President Trump on something like Iran. We know that there's plenty of folks in the Democratic Party now, especially maybe some Jewish folks who disagree with some of what's happening right now when it comes to Israel policy. What do you think? Is there a home for a third party?

HORN: I think there's home for a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth party. Look, I think you're going to see the same thing happening with Democrats right now. I mean, the socialist branch of the Democrat Party is going to isolate a lot of Democrats, like my mom, like my grandparents who were Democrats, but don't really identify with this socialist push. And so I think you'll see that division in the Republican Party.

I do believe that Tucker Carlson represents a relatively small amount. I think you look at the polling, and by and large, the bulk of the Republican Party is still behind President Trump. But I am for this country. I'm not a Republican. I'm an American. So if Tucker Carlson thinks that he can bring something and bring power to another party, more power to you. We don't have to only have two. We can do a better job and represent everybody that wants representing.

MARTIN: Look, I think this third party is a nonstarter. We have been here before with efforts to start a third party, and they have all failed. I think the bigger story --

MICHAELSON: For the Republican Party.

MARTIN: Well --

MICHAELSON: Republican with Abraham Lincoln, that succeeded.

MARTIN: In our recent history --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

MARTIN: -- there's been no successful efforts to start a third party. I think the bigger story here is the break with the MAGA Republicans by people like Tucker Carlson, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others who have called Trump out on hypocrisy and how he has betrayed the American people, how the promises that he made during his campaigning for this second term in the White House has all been a big farce.

[01:10:06]

And I think that's the story we should be following about how Republicans are breaking with Donald Trump.

MICHAELSON: The challenge is that one of the only things that both parties seem to agree with is that they like two parties because any other thing is a threat to their own system and their fundraising and all the rest of it. And so the system has really been set up to try to box out a lot of the third parties with. We'll see if we're now in a different era going forward. But traditionally that's been a problem.

Areva, Jennifer, happy fourth.

HORN: Happy Fourth.

MARTIN: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Grateful to be an American and grateful to be your friend. Both of you.

HORN: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Thank you so much. All right. More than 74 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over this Fourth of July weekend. That is a new record, just above last year's 71 million. 85 percent of those travelers are driving instead of flying. Even though gas prices have been at 4-year highs due to the Iran war.

National average is nearing 3.84 per gallon, much better than a month ago, still higher than before the war here in California. That sounds great.

Despite record rising travel costs, experts suggest airfare prices are where consumers may seem see some relief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINT HENDERSON, MANAGING EDITOR, THE POINTS GUY: August is actually trending down for pricing. We saw airfare anywhere from 20 to 30 percent higher this spring because of the crisis in the Middle East. But prices are starting to moderate. So August is actually a great time to travel if you haven't booked yet.

Also, the school year is moving earlier, so June and July are now busier than August. So if you can wait to go to August, you can find deals. In fact, we're seeing mileage deals offered by airlines like United and Delta that we almost never see to places that are really popular like Europe or Asia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: And that extreme heat may force some cities to postpone or even cancel July 4th events. Jenn Sullivan has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENN SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): A massive heat wave crippling the East Coast. Temperatures soaring into the triple digits with feels like temperatures even hotter. And it's coming as millions of Americans get ready for July 4th celebrations.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK MAYOR: These are extremely dangerous conditions and they will affect every part of our city.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): In New York City, millions of visitors are expected as the Big Apple prepares for its Monumental America 250 celebrations, including a special ball drop in Times Square for the countdown to July 4th. CHRISTINA FARRELL, COMMISSIONER, NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Our teams will be working through every hour of this and we will keep you updated.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): But the dangerous temperatures aren't just a threat to people's health. There's also fear of possible power outages. Energy company Con Edison warning customers in New York to conserve energy. It could also impact air travel.

Delta telling customers the heat could affect flight delays in and out of New York's LaGuardia Airport. And Amtrak warning passengers the high temperatures may cause trains to operate at slower speeds. In Washington, D.C. it's forecast to reach around 103 degrees Thursday and Friday.

CLINT OBSORN, DIRECTOR OF COLUMBIA HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: This has the potential to have triple digit temperatures which may break records this week.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Wednesday, some of the booths at the Great America State Fair had to temporarily close because the air conditioning went out. Many of the cities seeing extreme heat are also hosting FIFA World Cup games. Like Atlanta, where thousands of fans face sweltering heat at the FIFA fan festival Wednesday.

RODERICK SMITH, CHIEF, ATLANTA FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT: These heat related illnesses can escalate very quickly.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): In New York, I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Speaking of New York, let's take a live look at the city which is believed to be hosting America's biggest wedding of the year, really of many years. Sources say that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are poised to tie the knot at Madison Square Garden. That's a live picture from outside the Garden. You see a few cars parked there.

There were some black Suburbans in the last hour. Those have all left. All this very hush hush, very cloak and dagger. We're told the rehearsal dinner wrapped up at the famous arena just a few hours ago.

Fans eating all this up, especially Swifties worldwide who are hosting wedding themed parties of their own. And some have been gathering outside the venue. Our Swiftie, CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's already being dubbed America's Royal Wedding. The highly anticipated marriage of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 1000 percent excitement.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think it's really special.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The center of the Swift universe is now playing out in midtown Manhattan at Madison Square Garden.

UNIDENATIFIED FEMALE: When I heard that it was going to be here, I was like trying to put in my mind how, how is she going to decorate that?

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Tonight, an event believed to be a rehearsal dinner for approximately 100 guests in MSG's Infosys Theater, according to people familiar with the planning. Celebrity guests were driven into a secluded tent and then admitted through a private entrance. And sources tell CNN there will be an enormous celebrity studded event with as many as 1,000 guests on Friday.

[01:15:07]

First, a cocktail hour beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, followed by what's expected to be the big Swift-Kelce event, which is scheduled to start at 5:30 on the arena floor. Then a reception to follow lasting until the early morning hours. Swift celebrity friends like Sabrina Carpenter and Suki Waterhouse have already been spotted in the city, as well as Donna Kelce, Travis Kelce's mom, hints about the setting for the lavish event seen on the backs of staff and on the boxes being loaded into Madison Square Garden bearing labels for a garden party with giant tree branches peeking out.

New York officials teased about security and preps for an epic ceremony in a briefing about upcoming events in the city.

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: I would be remiss not to mention an event that we are tracking at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. The NYPD will of course have a detail in place.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): According to the Associated Press, the mayor said a permit application for a quote, special event at MSG was approved earlier this week and multiple people familiar with the plans confirmed it is tied to the wedding. The mayor also warning New Yorkers to prepare for a heat wave amid all the celebrations.

MAMDANI: We're ready. We want to make sure you are too, especially if you're celebrating the World Cup or the Fourth of July or renting out MSG to get married hypothetically.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Anticipation has reached new heights for the first photos of the event, like the images that the couple released to celebrate their engagement. And even more Swiftie celebrations are taking place far away from New York City bakeries in Kansas City, home of Travis Kelce's team, The Chiefs, are toasting the happy couple too.

ERIN BROWN, OWNER, DOLCE BAKERY: And we have just been having so much fun celebrating them and their relationship.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): No word yet on where a honeymoon will take place, but if this wedding speculation is any indication, get ready for another legendary Easter egg hunt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: And Elizabeth Wagmeister joins me now from New York City where it's clearly very hot. Talk to us about the vibe in the city. What are the people talking about? Taylor Swift.

WAGMEISTER: Yes. So I do wish I were in L.A. with you, Elex, where it's much cooler, but it is hot. But I have to tell you that the wedding guests seem to be here and they seem to be okay with the heat. Earlier, before this rehearsal event was getting underway right behind me at Madison Square Garden, Elex, I saw a ton of black cars that were coming in.

As you see, there's barricades behind me and there's also a tent that was constructed, a tent for the cars with the guests to go in and then a tent that extends into the entrance, meaning we will not see anything. We will not see who is entering the event tomorrow, but tomorrow's is supposed to be much bigger.

Elex, as you know, tonight a rehearsal event. Tomorrow, our source is telling us that it is the wedding celebration. Around a thousand people expected to be here at MSG for her private event.

MICHAELSON: And we'll see. Maybe Elizabeth will be able to sneak in. Who knows. Got to work your magic. We'll check in.

WAGMEISTER: I'll try my best. I'll try my best.

MICHAELSON: We'll check in with you tomorrow for more. Thanks so much.

Two climbers have been released under court supervision after being arrested for scaling the spire on the Empire State Building. The duo enter the skyscraper the day before the stunt hit. And inside the observatory complex, they cut two locks, evaded security to unfurl a banner some 1400 feet above New York City. The pair were arraigned Thursday on multiple charges including burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.

Still ahead, the story is in Venezuela and the aftermath of the deadly earthquakes. The country's acting president is addressing critics who accused the government of being slow to respond to the crisis as the death toll rises. Our Stefano Pozzebon talked with Delcy Rodriguez. We'll have that.

Plus, Iran prepares to lay its supreme leader to rest, but not without sending a blunt message to the U.S. and Israel. How are folks in Iran responding to that? We'll talk to our guest next.

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[01:23:37]

MICHAELSON: Iran is preparing for a final farewell to its slain leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A short time ago, his casket arrived at a major mosque in Tehran where foreign dignitaries paid him their respects. Six days of official funeral ceremonies are set to begin on Saturday, including events in both Iran and Iraq. The regime is using the occasion to project the image of unity and stability in the face of U.S. and Israeli attacks.

Iran is warning those countries not to launch new strikes during the ceremonies. The U.S.-Iranian talks in Qatar will be paused until after the funeral. For more analysis, we're joined by NPR reporter Arezou Rezvani. She is speaking to us live in San Jose.

Thanks so much for being with us. Once again, talk about the size and scope of this funeral. This thing is huge.

AREZOU REZVANI, NPR REPORTER: Yes, this is going to be a multiday, multicity event. And I think this is really going to be a way for Iran to give us a show of force. I think this is going to be a very symbolic funeral where Iran gets to say that despite a war, Iran and the Islamic Republic still stands. Beyond the supreme leader, millions are expected to turn out millions of mourners. Foreign dignitaries, foreign delegations are already in Iran paying their respects.

[01:25:03]

And so a lot of the delegations are from countries including China, India, Russia, Pakistan. And that is also pretty notable. It shows that Iran, despite years of sanctions and years of isolation, has managed to build and sustain a pretty resilient network of allies and relationships in the region for everything ranging from trade to defense to intelligence sharing.

So I think it's going to be really interesting the spectacle and the optics that state run media projects from, from this funeral.

MICHAELSON: Well, you mentioned state run media. We've been talking you for months on this show about your conversations with Iranians who don't necessarily back what the state run media is doing. Some folks that were in the streets protesting before this war began. How do they see all of this?

REZVANI: Yes, I think it's really important for people to bear in mind that despite whatever images come out in the coming days, what might not be so visible are the number of people who will not be mourning Supreme Leader Khamenei, but they will be bidding him good riddance because many of them view the supreme leader as being someone who terrorized them, who brutalized them, who created a state under which dissent and protest was not tolerated at all. If you recall, earlier in the year they crushed the security forces, crushed protests.

And so many people will not be celebrating or, excuse me, will not be mourning the supreme leader. In fact, I think they will be mourning the fact that the end of the supreme leader, his assassination has not brought on the end of the Islamic Republic.

MICHAELSON: Because at the beginning of this there was so much hope for a lot of those folks, not only in Iran but in a lot of communities across America that there would be a regime change. And it certainly seems at least right now that is not going to be happening, going from one leader of the family to the other. Arezou, thank you so much.

REZVANI: That's right. I think a lot of experts.

MICHAELSON: Go ahead. Yeah. Last comments. Go ahead. REZVANI: Well, I just think that, I think there's been widespread disappointment over the fact that the regime has sustained. And I think that is very much an image that Iran wants to project in the coming days.

MICHAELSON: Arezou Rezvani of NPR, thank you so much for your reporting. Appreciate it.

Venezuela has declared a period of national mourning following deadly twin earthquakes there. The acting president Delcy Rodriguez says that the death toll has climbed to nearly 2,600 people and that almost all of the local government leaders in the hardest hit area were all killed in the quakes.

Rodriguez denied accusations that the government's response was slow. CNN's contributor Stefano Pozzebon talked with her at her latest press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We're coming to you from the International Press Center in Caracas where the Venezuelan acting president, Delcy Rodriguez has just concluded an international press conference with members of the media here in the country.

And responding to a question from us, by the way, from CNN, she the new death toll has been updated to 2,595 victims. In the press conference, Rodriguez was asked several times about the frustration and anger by thousands of Venezuelans over the slow pace of the search and rescue and now the recovery operation.

Rodriguez said that the government has done everything they could, that they deployed more than 19,000 members of the armed forces and civilian officers to the state of La Guaira, which is where the majority of the damages have been confined, and that they opened the international borders to allow rescue workers from countries with whom Venezuela doesn't even hold diplomatic relationship with in order to speed up the process.

Rodriguez also concluded in saying that the Venezuelan government has already reached out to international organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in order to obtain funds to start the reconstruction process as this country tries to turn the page from the most catastrophic natural disaster and tragedy in almost 30 years. For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Stefano, thank you. We have another World Cup results report from a late night showdown, Algeria versus Switzerland in Vancouver. It just wrapped up. Plus, the two European powerhouses who will meet in the round of 16. One of the top soccer broadcasters in the country is with us live, next.

[01:29:41]

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MICHAELSON: Yet another country has booked their tickets to the men's World Cup Round of 16. Switzerland made it through less than an hour ago with a two-nil victory over Algeria in Vancouver, Canada. Switzerland will face the winner of Colombia-Ghana match in the coming hours.

The most thrilling showdown of the day -- Portugal versus Croatia.

[01:34:45]

MICHAELSON: Superstar captain, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal ever in a knockout round. His hammered-home head penalty kick sparked Portugal's comeback, leading them from one goal deficit to a two-one victory. Portugal has now secured a date with powerhouse neighbor, Spain, in the Round of 16.

Spanish fans back home in Madrid elated after a dominant victory over Austria. It was a very straightforward affair here in southern California. Spain scoring three times. No goal for our Austrian friends.

I want to welcome Francisco X. Rivera, who was a play-by-play announcer for the MLS on Apple TV in both English and Spanish. Right. Great to have you here.

FRANCISCO X. RIVERA, PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER, MLS, APPLE TV: Thanks for the invite.

MICHAELSON: So let's talk about the most exciting match with the biggest star of the day, Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo. What do you make of that match and sort of his place in the history of the World Cup?

RIVERA: Well, I think as a soccer broadcaster that is the game that you want to call. That is -- and you want to be present.

This is ironic because just nine years ago, I was in Moscow, Russia calling Portugal against Mexico in the 2017 Confederations Cup. It was an insane game as well that finished an extra time. And just to see this nine years after, it's incredible.

I mean, this game was supposed to go to extra time. There was a disallowed game at the end against Croatia. So many -- actually, Ronaldo had his own disallowed goal. And you know, in the second half as well.

I was a bit disappointed because in the first half it was all Portugal. But I think Croatia saved the best for the second half and that made me very, very excited.

I was a little disappointed because as an MLS broadcaster I was expecting to see Petar Musa, who's one of the best forwards in the league. He scored against England, but he hasn't played much in the -- in the most recent games for Croatia. He spent the day in the bench. But now talking about Cristiano Ronaldo. I thought that he was very

disconnected with his teammates. They couldn't find a way to just play around him in the first half.

Then in the second half, all he needed was that beautiful play where he scored. Unfortunately, then again, that goal was disallowed, but at least he got a score via penalty kick.

Then when he came out, we were all expecting -- I think everyone was sort of expecting some kind of reaction from him. But I thought he was very humble.

And I think we -- a lot of times in different sports, we see guys that are benched or subbed off and they have an attitude.

But when you see a guy the magnitude of Cristiano Ronaldo just being so humble, high-fiving everyone, even his coach, you're like, yes.

No one has the right to be a diva anymore. Because if a guy of that magnitude can do it, then that's sort of how you how you have to play.

MICHAELSON: We know, though, that he can get a little feisty with his teammates over the years if things aren't going well as well.

RIVERA: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Right. It might have helped that they were up in the game, yes.

RIVERA: And you know, there's another thing, too. There was a very emotional moment during the anthems because just a year ago, Diogo Jota, one of the biggest stars in Portugal's recent year, passed away dramatically, unexpectedly.

They put a picture of him in the big screen in Toronto. Ronaldo looked very emotional as well. And I think that really sparked the Portugal team to come very aggressive from the get-go.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And after the game he put on his jersey as a tribute as well to show that he was, you know, present in this moment.

So Spain had a big victory over Austria. Now this matchup of Spain versus Portugal. How do you see that?

RIVERA: It's incredible. It's interesting how, you know, FIFA added this new round of 32 in this World Cup. And you see some great thrillers like Portugal against Croatia.

But then you see teams like Austria who didn't really bring much to this Round of 16. So I think for Spain, very respectfully, it was a nice scrimmage for them because Austria didn't really bring much to the table.

But at least you get to see Lamine Yamal doing his tricks with great skill on the right wing. You get to see that great midfielder Rodri and Pedri and Olmo doing their thing. This is a team that's very compact from the defense and not great

midfield. And obviously you have one of the most underrated strikers in the world with Mikel Oyarzabal. He scored a beautiful first goal today.

So I think Spain is a strong team. I think they have a lot to do.

MICHAELSON: Spain -- Portugal, who wins?

RIVERA: I'm going for Spain.

MICHAELSON: Spain.

RIVERA: I'm going for -- I think Spain all the way.

MICHAELSON: You have covered the Mexican national team for many years in Spanish. You have seen sort of that fan base, which is crazy.

RIVERA: Yes.

And now they're having this moment where they're going to be able to host in Mexico once again. Talk about the cultural importance of this moment for the entire country right now.

RIVERA: Well, I got to see the now-Estadio Ciudad de Mexico, as they call it, during the -- during the Cup -- during the tournament, when it had 120,000 fan capacity.

I was there as an 8-year-old. I got to be in the stands. I got to be down below.

MICHAELSON: You were like an 8-year-old. You were a boy.

(CROSSTALKING)

RIVERA: It was -- it was crazy. So I know -- I know the culture.

(CROSSTALKING)

MICHAELSON: Got you excited.

RIVERA: Then I got -- then I got to call some games myself as a broadcaster (INAUDIBLE). You can feel the energy. You can feel the magic.

And I think one thing going against England, that game, they have to overcome that nightmare of Mexico, 1986 when they lost to Diego Armando Maradona with the Hand of God, the Mano de Dios, when Maradona dribbled half of the team to get to the goal.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

[01:39:51]

RIVERA: One of the most beautiful goal score there. So they've had to overcome that. And for Mexico, they also have to overcome the fact that they've been

cursed to not get to the quarterfinals since Mexico, 1986. So there's a lot of big stories there.

But when you talk about the vibe, yes, it gets out of control sometimes. It is what it is. It's the euphoria that soccer or football can bring to you.

But at the same time, I'm happy to see a country that's so united. And you see it in Mexico, you see it in Guadalajara, you see it in Monterrey.

Even in L.A., I was hosting a watch party in downtown L.A., right by crypto.com arena.

You know, it can get out of control, but at the same time, you sort of understand what sports and what soccer -- football can bring to you.

MICHAELSON: We saw more people in the streets after Mexico's win in L.A. than we did after the United States win in L.A., which may show you somewhere -- some of the people were at.

Francisco, have fun.

RIVERA: Thanks, Elex.

MICHAELSON: It's going to be a great weekend in Sunday's Mexico versus England. It's really going to be something as well.

The first American pope is using his position and U.S. Independence Day to send a veiled message to the Trump administration. Details of where he's going to be for July 4th.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:44:43]

MICHAELSON: The first American pope has special plans for the Fourth of July, highlighting the plight of migrants as well as the Vatican's differences with the Trump administration on immigration.

Pope Leo will spend U.S. Independence Day on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where he'll meet with migrants. Many people hoping to reach Europe arrive on Lampedusa after making the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean Sea.

The Pontiff will lay a wreath on the tombs of migrants who died attempting that journey, before celebrating an open-air mass.

Now to the Albanian capital of Tirana. Protesters and police clashed again there on Thursday amid calls for early elections and the resignation of the prime minister.

The protesters oppose plans to develop a luxury resort near protected wetlands. And they're angry at the politicians who backed that project.

The resort plans are linked to President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and to a Qatar-based firm.

The protests have been dubbed the Flamingo Revolution as a proposed site for the project is known for its flamingos and a turtle nesting area.

Ukraine's capital is observing a day of mourning on Friday to honor the victims of a massive Russian attack. Search and rescue operations are ongoing for a second straight day in the rubble of buildings that took direct hits.

Ukraine says the death toll from Thursday's strikes now stands at 27 people, with more than 90 others wounded.

Officials say Russia fired at Kyiv for 11 straight hours.

Ukraine's president later made this appeal to allies around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Unfortunately, there is a shortage of anti-ballistic capabilities, a shortage of Patriots. And our partners, primarily the United States and our European partners, need to be more proactive in providing assistance with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: You're watching THE STORY IS. Extreme heat and political divisions are making for a not-so-festive Fourth of July weekend for some in Washington, D.C. It is for others.

Kaitlan Collins takes us to behind-the-scenes tour of the Great American State Fair and how many people are actually showing up.

Stay with us.

[01:47:01]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Extreme heat is threatening to keep turnout low for July 4th celebrations in Washington, D.C., but President Trump still plans to kick off a massive fireworks show.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is what the President has deemed the Great American State Fair.

But for a President who often fixates on crowd size, so far, the Fair on Washington's National Mall, hasn't exactly lived up to the hype. I'm standing here on the National Mall, which is the site of President Trump's Great American State Fair. And as this is in place ahead of America's 250th anniversary that is coming up on July 4th, maybe nowhere better exemplifies how politics have been injected into so many of the events celebrating America's 250th.

For America's 200th celebration, thousands of Americans flocked to the National Mall to celebrate in 1976.

Planning for the 250th got underway nearly a decade ago. But perhaps no level of preparation could have predicted a president who would take the celebration into his own hands.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When you had a rigged election, I was really angry about it. Then I realized if I win the next time, I pick up the Olympics, the World Cup, and the 250. And I said, You know what, Pam? I said, "This is a good thing."

COLLINS: In 2016, Congress created America250, a bipartisan commission that began working on what was supposed to be an apolitical celebration.

REP. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN (D-NJ): We were focused on what does America250 mean? What are we going to do? How are we going to recognize the greatness of our country?

COLLINS: But once Trump took office, in January 2025, he took over the programming.

TRUMP: We have created a new public-private partnership. It's called Freedom 250.

COLLINS: Democratic Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, who has served on the America250 campaign for seven years, says Trump upended their plans.

WATSON COLEMAN: Freedom 250 is his vanity project, and the things that he is trying to implement, they're all about him. And it is because, unfortunately, the President has an insatiable ego. And so, he has denigrated the essence of the celebration.

Well, it doesn't seem to be well-attended. It just looks very sedate to me.

COLLINS: While the 250th may not be what the Commission originally planned, it's also not turning out how Trump expected either.

After most of the original performers dropped out due to politics, a concert featuring Vanilla Ice was also canceled due to bad weather.

Then, amid a heat wave in Washington, several of the indoor stalls at the Fair had to shutter their doors to guests when their ACs stopped working.

You'll notice here there are several booths for states -- Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee. Potato chips are good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

COLLINS: With each item representing what their state brings to the nation. But there are other states that actually haven't shown up at all.

Now, some have cited finances as a reason for not being here, but others, including Pennsylvania, where the state's governor said, he just simply thought it was too political for his state to get involved, and blamed the Trump-aligned non-profit that has been battling it out with other groups to organize all the events leading up to July 4th.

Now, President Trump told people that it would be the greatest show on earth at the National Mall on July 4th. He told his supporters, your favorite President will be speaking, so please show up.

[01:54:47]

COLLINS: What they will find here on these grounds are not just the different stalls representing each state in the nation, or at least those that decided to participate, but also, this replica of the arch that President Trump once built here in Washington.

It's been part of that major renovation project that he's done, not just to the White House, but also to the larger D.C. area, attempting to rename the Kennedy Center after himself, and installing this arch, though I'm not sure exactly this is the replica that the President had in mind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want frozen one?

COLLINS: Now, amid reports that some states were declining to participate in the Great American State Fair, or that it was sparsely- populated, President Trump seemed to defend the entire organization of it ahead of July 4th.

He wrote on Truth Social and said, "Do you think people appreciate what a fantastic job we did in building and operating the Great American State Fair at the National Mall? Packed with happy people, and everybody loving it?

The President told people to ask if Obama or Joe Biden could have done this, and he said, in all-caps, quote, "THE ANSWER IS NO."

Now, Trump is planning a grand finale air show and enough fireworks to break a Guinness World Record.

But it remains to be seen if the heat, tightened security measures, and fireworks that won't start before 10:30 p.m. will produce the turnout the President is hoping for.

TRUMP: 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: So thanks to Kaitlan Collins.

Tomorrow, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will be broadcasting during this time slot on CNN in the U.S. I'll be hosting THE STORY IS exclusively on CNN International around the world.

And on July 4th, join me and Kerry Champion on both networks for special broadcast during this time slot from San Diego.

Thanks for watching THE STORY IS.

[01:56:35]

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