Return to Transcripts main page

What We Know with Max Foster

Trump Shrugs Off Concerns He's Profiteering Off Presidency; International Teams Join Search And Rescue Efforts In Venezuela; Trump: "Denuclearization Of Iran Is Moving Along Well"; Ukraine Ramps Up Attacks On Russian Infrastructure; Millions Hit By Scorching Heat Blanketing Parts Of U.S.; Countdown To The Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Nuptials; FIFA World Cup: USA Will Face Bosnia-Herzegovina In California. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 01, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:42]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Everybody is profiting, says President Trump when asked about his crypto investments.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

So, Mr. Trump, shrugging off concerns that he is profiting from the U.S. presidency. But the stunning size of his earnings makes it hard to ignore.

Mr. Trump's newly released financial disclosure shows he made more than $2 billion in 2025, his first year back in office. Most of the profits came

from cryptocurrency ventures that the president and his family have embraced.

But he also made money from various real estate ventures, and his willingness to loan his name to all kinds of products. Like Trump watches,

Trump bibles, and even a Trump fragrance. It runs counter to how others have treated the office of the president.

But Mr. Trump seems unconcerned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: To critics who say you are profiting off the presidency?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you know why I am profiting? Because the stock market is going up. Everybody is profiting.

If you have -- do you have a 401(k)? How has your 401(k) done? It is about up 85 percent. Thank you, President Trump. So, we're all profiting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Kevin Liptak is at the White House.

I mean, that argument from the president does not work for everyone because regular people do not have the influence over the market that he does. So,

it is different, is not it?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. It is different. And also, the bulk of the president's revenues last year did not come from the

stock market at all.

Yes, he is invested heavily. Yes. He has actively bought stocks over the last year. That is part of why this financial disclosure form was 1,000

pages long. It is because he listed every one of those transactions.

But by far the bulk of the president's revenues came from crypto. Something completely separate from the stock market. And I think this document kind

of tells you two things. One is that being president has been very good for President Trump's bottom line. He has made a lot of money compared to when

he was out of office, more than $2 billion.

The other, I think takeaway from this is that the president, while he is still in the real estate business, which is where he made his name and

reputation, he is very much in the crypto business as a sort of a titan. You know, this is where most of his money is coming from, even though he is

also ostensibly the top regulator of the crypto industry. And so, I think when you take a look at this document as a whole, those are the two sort of

takeaways that come glaring through.

Now, the president, in addition to saying that everyone was doing well by this of the stock market, he also claimed that he was not in touch with the

people who are managing his money. Now, that might be true of his stock portfolio, but it is certainly not true of the people who are running his

crypto venture.

World Liberty Financial, which is the company that the president co- founded, is partly managed by his two sons, Don Jr. and Eric. The two of them were standing behind the president when he made that claim earlier

today. So that really does not hold a lot of water.

When you look at what these companies have done, they have been selling tokens, they have been selling meme coins. That is part of what led to

this. More than $1 billion in profit from crypto. In the time since those tokens and coins have been sold, their value actually plummeted. And so,

while the president himself made a lot of money from them, the people who actually bought them and invested in them did not see their return on

investment necessarily realized.

The president certainly did make a lot of money from his more traditional ventures as well. Mar-a-Lago, for example, his club down in South Florida

brought in $77 million for the president last year. That is a 50 percent increase from the year before. He made more than $200,000 from those

watches. He made a significant amount of money as well from the bibles that he put his name on and sold.

He also derived a significant revenue from the settlements that he struck with media companies, including ABC and CBS. And so, the president making a

whole lot of money. This is really unprecedented amount of money for a president who is still sitting, who is still in office. The past precedent

has been that commanders in chief who have these interests and have these financial investments just sell them off.

You know, Jimmy Carter sold off his peanut farm when he came into office. George W. Bush sold off his stake in a Major League Baseball team.

President Trump has not done that. He claims that he has put this all in a blind trust.

But I think it is evident that being in office has still benefited when it comes to crypto. For example, he rolled back some of the Biden-era

regulations that governed this budding industry. And so, you know, a lot of money for the president over the last year, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Kevin, thank you.

We are going to turn to Venezuela now, where the death toll has risen to more than 2,200 people from last week's earthquakes. Families are digging

through piles of debris, desperately searching for loved ones. Heavy equipment sits idle. Would you believe, because of a lack of fuel, even in

a country with the world's largest reported oil reserves.

In Caracas, hundreds gathered for a candlelit vigil to honor those who were killed and with thousands more still missing, many fear the death toll will

only continue to rise. Whilst dozens of countries have pitched in to help with rescue efforts, crews continue to struggle.

Journalist Mary Trini Mina has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY TRINY MENA, JOURNALIST: Many countries have come to Venezuela and they are arriving. There are more than 30 countries bringing equipment,

dogs and everything that they could help. So, they can stop -- they can find more people alive.

Right now, they are concentrating on finding more people. And of course, there is anger, there is desperation among families. That said, the hours

are getting longer as the day goes by. Today at 6 p.m. local time, it would be one week since the two earthquakes struck in Venezuela, and there are

many fronts to deal with.

One, overwhelmed hospitals that are crowded and they were broken before the earthquakes due to Venezuela's long-standing economic crisis and political

crisis. And also, there are many people displaced. More than 15,000 people.

So right now, families are saying that the figures are higher than the authorities are saying. They say there are a huge number of people

disappeared, but the authorities have not talked about that. The amount of people that is currently disappeared.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, adding to the frustration, many Venezuelans have been forced to dig through the rubble with their bare hands whilst that heavy equipment

that could have been helping them just sits nearby, unused as Isa has been finding out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With nothing more than borrowed tools. Deivis Ramos digs through the rubble. The twin mattresses

of his two little girls are within sight, and he anchors his strength in knowing that soon he will hold them close, even if it's a final goodbye.

DEIVIS RAMOS, FAMILY MISSING AFTER EARTHQUAKE (translated): I can't think about crying right now. I can't bear the thought of it -- it tears my soul

apart -- because tears -- tears won't move a stone.

SOARES (voice-over): While we hear rescue team from North Carolina arrive looking for signs of life or death.

JACK THORPE, U.S. VOLUNTEER, RESOUCE RESCUE INTERNATIONAL: I know that we have still been finding people alive in these in these buildings, so I'm

not ready to give up yet.

SOARES (voice-over): Almost a week since those fateful back to back earthquakes, hope of finding survivors is fading fast. But in the midst of

unimaginable grief, a moment of compassion and humanity between an American rescuer and a grieving Venezuelan father.

The scene here in La Guaira is apocalyptic, with countless buildings pancaked by the ferocity of the quakes. And while families wait for

answers, heavy machinery sits idle.

SOARES (translated): Sir! Why is the machine not on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): I don't have fuel!

SOARES: He doesn't have petrol. He doesn't have fuel. I mean, tell that to the families.

SOARES (voice-over): A sorry sight for one of the world's largest oil reserves.

Hassell Mendoza has seen this firsthand. She traveled from Tampa, Florida to search for her loved ones.

HASSELL MENDOZA, FAMILY MISSING AFTER EARTHQUAKE: This guy, you know, worked with the --

SOARES: The hands.

MENDOZA: They tried -- the hands. They try to do everything without nothing. They don't have, you know shoes. They don't have machine like

drills and big drills that you need. They don't have sensors. They don't have anything.

[15:10:05]

SOARES (voice-over): We walk from building to building. The scale of destruction stretches for blocks. Around every corner --

SOARES: Didn't have a chance.

SOARES (voice-over): -- a house of horrors.

Still, Venezuelans dig with rickety tools, shovels and buckets.

As we depart La Guaira, an arresting scene of casket after casket, and of overwhelming loss.

Isa Soares, CNN, La Guaira, Venezuela.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: For more information on how you can help Venezuela earthquake victims, do go to CNN.com/impact.

Now mediators are trying to cement a U.S.-Iran peace deal through a delicate set of talks in Qatar. But it is clear that both sides have very

different priorities moving forward.

U.S. President Donald Trump says the, quote, "denuclearization of Iran is moving along well". He did not provide any evidence. And his own vice

president, J.D Vance, says the nuclear issue will be discussed soon.

Mr. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff are the face of the administration's negotiations in Qatar. They met with the emir today,

whilst lower-level technical talks continue.

Iran's chief negotiator is laying out red lines for his government. He says ending the war in Lebanon is the first priority.

Ukraine is increasingly trying to take the war onto Russian soil. They are ramping up large-scale drone attacks. In addition to targeting the

Kremlin's oil refineries, Kyiv says it has hit a major satellite communications center near Moscow.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more on Ukraine's expanding drone assault inside Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Hell is still nightly for Ukrainians.

Here are drones slamming into Zaporizhzhia, where strikes killed one, injured five. But again Monday night, while Ukraine was dragging its

injured from the rubble, they fired about 250 more drones back at Russia than were fired at them.

Four hundred and nineteen, 60 of them at Moscow, this video apparently showing the moment a drone impacted, near where Russian officials said a

six-month-old baby was among the two Russian dead that night.

Very few images of the damage to Moscow emerged, where a space communications center was struck in Dubna. A lot of video actually came

from Ukraine's president, flaunting the damage the Kremlin has instructed its law enforcement to hide, Russian city skies blighted more and more like

Ukrainian cities.

And scenes like this devastating attack on a Moscow oil refinery two weeks ago shattering the sense in the capital of Putin's war of choice being

something far away that others fought, now forced to admit more times than he would ever like in the last month to the problems Russians already know

about, like gas shortages.

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA (through translator): You are well aware that problems persist for both drivers and businesses. It's not always

possible to find the required grade of fuel at present.

WALSH (voice-over): Ukraine released footage Tuesday of drone units who said they had targeted Moscow's specific anti-drone defenses, making the

route to the capital easier.

But it is not just Moscow under pressure. The peninsula of Crimea battered hard. It's isolation, a key Ukrainian goal, achieved through blowing

bridges, trains, roads, blackouts, and more gas queues.

The frontline, brutal battles remain, but the story has changed. Ukraine, less the victim, more the disruptor, hoping to keep Moscow off balance long

enough until it falls.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Coming up, climate scientists call it uncharted territory. We will explore how the blistering heat waves affecting the U.S. and Europe are

impacting world oceans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:05]

FOSTER: A dangerous heat dome continues to make its way over the United States. Millions of people in the eastern half of the country are facing a

prolonged heat wave this week. Some areas are set for their highest temperatures in more than a decade. All of this as people are set to head

outdoors to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.

Officials in Philadelphia are making changes to July 4th celebrations and World Cup events due to the extreme heat.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has more on the health concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Let's talk about the dangers of heat. This is an extreme heat wave that we all need to take seriously, but you

got to recognize the difference in symptoms between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Remember, heat exhaustion is very serious, but heat stroke is a medical emergency. That's when you need to call 911. That's when you need to seek

medical assistance.

Remember, if you've got heat exhaustion, its symptoms being weakness, being dizzy. But a heat stroke is often confusion. Slurring your language, often

feeling very hot to the touch. That is when you need to seek medical attention.

So, hopefully, this is some news you can use instead of just regurgitating numbers, because we all know that a heat wave is upon us and it is going to

build. We are talking about roughly 80 million Americans under heat alerts now, but through the Independence Day weekend, that number balloons to 150

million Americans. So, we are talking nearly half of the U.S. population that will be impacted by this extreme heat. So, it's not just the daytime

highs that is so extreme, nearing 100 degrees just today for the nation's capital, 95 in Chicago.

But this is a very important map from NOAA. This shading of blue, that is extreme heat risk. All age groups are vulnerable if you do not have

adequate ways to cool your body. And look how this moves across the Midwest into the Ohio River Valley and settles right into the Mid-Atlantic. This is

some of our most populated areas.

And of course, it is coinciding right with the Fourth of July. When you and I want to be outdoors celebrating our nation's independence. It is the

humidity values that will make the heat index skyrocket. High dew point, high humidity. It's the air you can wear.

But when you start talking about temperatures over 110 degrees, that is what it will feel like on your skin. That means your body needs to work

that much harder to cool itself down effectively. Remember, sweating is its natural process to cool you down. But when there is so much humidity in the

air, it does not have that ability to cool ourselves off. So, it has to work that much harder.

So, it's the overnight lows too, that are dangerous. Remember, record minimum temperatures, record maximum low temperatures I should say could be

set across this area. And that means we don't have the ability to cool ourselves when we expect to overnight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Derek Van Dam with the very latest on that.

Now, the world's oceans have just hit their highest -- well, their hottest average temperature ever recorded for the month of June.

[15:20:00]

New data from Europe's Copernicus Climate Service shows the global average sea surface temperature reached 20.86 degrees Celsius, or 69.5 degrees

Fahrenheit, on June 21st. Now, scientists say the combination of human- driven climate change and a growing El Nino could push the planet into what they call uncharted territory.

NASA will pay at least half $1 billion to three companies as part of its plans to build a base on the Moon. The agency has announced plans for

missions to deliver landers, rovers, buggies and other cargo to the Moon. This is phase one of a three-part plan to build a $30 billion permanent

lunar settlement. NASA says it hopes astronauts will eventually live and work there.

Still to come, the U.S. government lifts export controls on the most advanced models of A.I. powerhouse Anthropic, weeks after identifying

security concerns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Now, as we told you earlier, the U.S. presidency has been worth billions of dollars to Donald Trump. The president's newly released

financial disclosure reveals more than $2 billion of earnings in 2025, well over a billion of that came from a series of cryptocurrency ventures. Mr.

Trump shrugged off questions about his financial windfall and credited it to the rising stock market.

So, what we want to know is how is President Trump making so much money?

Joining us now, Hilary Allen, law professor at American University and author of "America's Crypto Apocalypse".

Hilary, thank you so much for joining us.

Just to clarify --

HILARY ALLEN, LAW PROFESSOR, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me.

FOSTER: -- when the president was talking -- when the president was talking about the stock market doing well, that actually is not directly

connected to the crypto market, is it?

[15:25:08]

ALLEN: No, I mean, sometimes they move in tandem. But if you look at what has happened over the last six months, the stock market has continued to go

up while crypto has plunged in its prices.

FOSTER: Yeah. So, when we talk about the sort of deals that he was making money from, obviously you have not got all the detail of his financial

records, but how is he actually making money from crypto?

ALLEN: Well, the thing is, with crypto, you can make it up out of thin air. In many respects, it is sort of like a Ponzi scheme. As long as people

will buy it from you, there is a price for it, but there is no cost to manufacturing it. So, with something like a meme coin and some of Trump's

earnings have come from his meme coin, literally, he can make that up out of thin air and sell it, pocket the money and people are left with

whatever, trying to find someone else is willing to buy it from them

FOSTER: And because he is the president, it has a -- it has a weight to it, does not it? It has a reliability to it. Which other coins don't have?

ALLEN: I don't think there is a reliability to it. We have seen the prices plunge, but there is, as you say, some kind of pull because he is the

president. So, in some instances, if you are trying to curry favor with the president, that is a way that you can contribute money to him. Or if he is

the president and you are a fan of his, essentially, you can express that through purchasing his crypto.

FOSTER: Because there are questions about him using his position to sell crypto. We don't know his motivations here. But, you know, if he wasn't

president, he wouldn't be able to make as much money, would he?

ALLEN: I mean, I would think it would be very hard for him to raise this kind of money if he weren't president. And it's not just that his name has

pull for investors or his power has pulled for -- for people who are going to buy this stuff.

He's also in a position, particularly in light of the recent Supreme Court case this week, to basically fire any regulatory agency heads or other

people working for those regulators who stand in the way of his crypto ambitions and businesses.

FOSTER: Yeah. Because this is the bigger issue, isn't it? That he can set the framework for regulation in the industry. If he's saying he is going to

encourage crypto and he has crypto investments, they're sort of inextricably linked, aren't they? They do encourage other investors to get

into that market, and it rises, right?

ALLEN: Yeah. They are inextricably linked. And as you said, you know, we're trying to make this or they are trying to make this market rise. It

is Ponzi-like in the sense that more people have to be pulled into this in order for the prices to rise, because there's nothing -- there's no

productive capacity. There's no other way for this to grow.

The only way for it to grow is to bring more investors in. And so, we see a full court press from the Trump administration trying to get crypto into

401(k) retirement plans, trying to get it used as collateral for mortgages. We see enforcement actions that were started during the Biden

administration and were doing well in the courts being dropped. Just it's - - really is a full court press to create an environment that's hospitable to crypto projects, including his own.

FOSTER: I mean, is there concern that because he's invested as well as he's overseeing it, that that might cloud his judgment a bit? Because, of

course, there are legitimate reasons for having crypto in certain cases. But if you're looking at the president thinking, is he making these

decisions for the benefit of us or himself, then that does compromise the system to some extent. Would you say

ALLEN: I mean, I think he's clearly making these decisions for the benefit of himself. I don't think there's any doubt about that.

In terms of legitimate uses for crypto. I mean, the only real legal use case for crypto is, is speculation or gambling. If you are the house, you

stand to benefit pretty consistently, and he's positioned himself as the house for his own Trump coins.

FOSTER: But would you really say that? Surely, there is some role for a very fluid currency is an efficient way of paying for things. And you've

got the -- you don't have the same cross-border issues. Is there no role for it at all in the financial system, do you think?

ALLEN: No. The technology, the blockchain technology is actually less efficient than a traditional database where they do squeak out

efficiencies. It's from not complying with the law.

So, you mentioned cross-border payments. The reason why those can be more efficient is because they avoid a lot of the money laundering checks that

would be applied to traditional payments.

[15:30:00]

So, unless you're avoiding the laws or creating special legal environments for this kind of stuff, there really isn't much of a legitimate use case

other than speculation.

FOSTER: Fascinating. Hilary Allen, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

Now, we are into the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Nothing to do with crypto, but you know, linked as we were just hearing. The records just

keep coming for the Dow. The president was right about the markets going up. We are heading for another all-time high with stocks up to up triple

digits.

This is our Business Breakout.

Google will pay almost $2 billion to Klarna after a court ruled in the Swedish company's favor over an antitrust case. The comparison website

PriceRunner, which is owned by Klarna, accused Google of giving preferential treatment to Google's own comparison tools. Google says it

disagrees with the court's decision and is considering its options.

Food in California will no longer include sell by labels in an attempt to cut down on food waste, a new law comes into effect today, as some experts

say these kinds of labels can cause people to throw out food too early. Food in the state must now have "use by" and "best if used by" dates on the

packaging instead.

Philip Morris will be able to market its Zyn nicotine pouches as being less harmful than cigarettes. After a ruling from the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, tobacco companies have lobbied the Trump administration to make the change, despite concerns there could be risks for new users,

including children.

Now, though, to a major reversal from the Trump administration in its ongoing tug of war with A.I. powerhouse Anthropic. The company says the

U.S. government has lifted export controls on its most advanced A.I. models. Just last month, the government identified a security risk and

issued an export ban that forced Anthropic to suspend all use of these models by foreign nationals, including its own employees. A source says.

Anthropic has implemented new safeguards.

Let's bring in CNN's Anna Stewart.

Can we guarantee it's safe now? I mean, what have they done, Anna?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't think you can ever guarantee that any A.I. model is safe. And actually, Anthropic have pretty much said that,

that there's no 100 percent, that any model won't be vulnerable to a jailbreak at some point, but they can bolster the security as much as they

can.

And what we have here is with Fable 5, which is one of the most powerful models they have. This is one that was released to the general public for

about three days. This is the one where Amazon highlighted a particular jailbreak, which essentially is when you can use unusual prompts to get the

model to do something it shouldn't do. In this case, it was identifying vulnerable software issues, but also then demonstrating how you could

exploit those, not what you want this model to do. Certainly, going past the guardrails, that Anthropic had set.

So, it set a patch up for this. So, this is no longer this, you know, specific jailbreak. It's no longer an issue. And that means that the U.S.

government is clearly happy now for this to be released to the general public.

And Mythos 5, which is a really similar model, but with less guardrails built in, because that's for enterprise and for government entities that

can also be used by those specific clients as well. So, this is good news for Anthropic.

The question is though, Max, what happens going forward, not just for anthropic but for lots of A.I. companies in the U.S., when you have an

advanced model, does it have to now go through the us government? There is a sort of an agreement that they will voluntarily. Many of these companies

give advanced models to the U.S. government before they do a general release, but that is on a voluntary basis.

This export controls on your model is really quite different. So what we have here is a bit of a conflict at the top in terms of whether this is a

light touch, regulatory administration or not, and what Anthropic are now calling for to avoid this sort of mess ever happening again, is an industry

standard that lots of companies, including them, Amazon, Google can all sign up to. So, they know what sort of level needs to be looked at when

they identify a jailbreak in one of their advanced models, at what point do they need to flag it to the U.S. government?

FOSTER: I've just looked on Claude Fable 5 was taken off. Now it's back on. But they're saying you can use up to 50 percent of your weekly limits

on Fable 5. Then it runs on usage credits. Fable 5 draws down usage much faster than Opus. You know, you understand this better than me.

Basically, in practical sense, its going to be quite useful to people, but it's also going to be quite expensive, it sounds like, because you're

suddenly going to go into more than your subscription. So that's something that people should be aware of, I guess.

STEWART: Absolutely. I mean, this is the exciting thing about A.I., and I think everyone will be trying out Fable 5 if it's now actually on, because

we were looking earlier today, Max, and mine still wasn't available on my Anthropic account, but everyone will want to have a little go at this.

But yes, the more powerful the model, the more compute it uses, the more tokens you use up, the less you have to play with.

[15:35:00]

So, you have to fit what you want from your A.I., with which model you are using. And frankly, that goes for different LLMs and different companies as

well. All sorts of different ways that you can match the job that you want with the LLM that you have.

But I'm sure well all have a little play with Fable 5 because it's an exciting, something we weren't allowed is now on offer. Let's have a go.

FOSTER: I know it's kind of been to their benefit. Ultimately, I think I mean, the reason we're talking about it, everyone's talking about it again

is because it was banned for a bit. It's amazing.

Anna, thank you.

Now the signs are all there and our sources are buzzing. Is the wedding of the year actually going to take place this weekend? We will try to unravel

the mystery around the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce nuptials.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Dramatic scenes at one of the world's most iconic landmarks. Two people in custody. Now after they did this, climbing to the very top of the

New York Empire State Building, we didn't know what was going on at the time, but the couple were masked. They appeared to get engaged whilst on

the platform below, they unfurled a banner, as you can see with the message about the power of love.

So, these pictures are believed to be one of the climbers' Instagram pages. They're promoting a documentary on a popular streaming service, which

describes them as daredevil influencers. It's not known how they reach the top of the tower. Got access to that platform, but New York police say the

couple are now in custody and they got the publicity they wanted.

Now, it looks like the wedding of the year taking place this week, getting very little information about the opposite end of the scale. Sources

telling CNN, though, that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will tie the knot at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Now, the signs are there. Party planning trucks were spotted outside the venue earlier today.

[15:40:02]

Permits to close the streets around MSG this week, have also been obtained. The couple got engaged last August.

It all comes together into this story of this amazing wedding.

Brynn Gingras at Madison Square Garden.

You've covered stories about state security, about corporate takeovers, and this seems to be the hardest story to get any information on. It is so

locked down

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Max. I mean, we are all just looking for those little Easter eggs that Taylor Swift likes to leave

behind as we sit outside of Madison Square Garden. All day, we have been seeing loading trucks come in, forklifts going to those trucks, unloading a

bunch of equipment, all signs pointing to the big event.

Of course, we don't know what they're unloading, and if it is related to the wedding, but we have to suspect it is. And that's because sources are

telling us that what is being called rehearsal is going to take place tomorrow here at Madison Square Garden. "The New York Times" actually

reporting it's going to be in a theater section of this building with about 100 people in attendance. And then the big celebration happens on Friday,

4:00 p.m., 1,000 people expected to be in attendance.

We're hearing they're actually going to erect a tent so that guests, their A-list friends don't, you know, get the paparazzi on them. No pictures will

be able to be taken.

We're learning from "The New York Times" that it's a black-tie affair, a garden party, and that no phones, whether you're a guest or you're a

security member or a vendor, will be allowed inside this event. Super top secret.

So, if anybody was wondering why the person who can literally get married anywhere in the world chose Madison Square Garden, you got to think

security is part of that reason.

We learned today from the NYPD that a number of cops are going to be deployed to this area. It is going to be on high alert. Of course, it's not

only the Swift-Kelce wedding that's taking place here. We've got the World Cup going on. It is in the middle of an intense heat wave. And then, of

course, we have America's 250th birthday celebrations on July 4th.

So, a lot happening. This is the tip of the iceberg, though. Everybody coming out to Madison Square Garden, just trying to get a peek at anything

to give them a clue as to what will be happening inside in the next couple of days.

Swifties I've talked to said, you know what? They're just happy for Taylor Swift. She's finally found her prince charming.

And then one person said, you know what? This feels like a family wedding. And we're all taking part of it. Even if we didn't get the invite inside --

Max.

FOSTER: What's she going to write about, Brynn? We'll ask that question next time.

Now to a once-in-a-thousand-year chance to see one of the world's most famous pieces of medieval art without going to France. The Bayeux Tapestry

will be displayed in the U.K. for the first time since it was made almost a thousand years ago. The two countries are getting a bit -- getting on a bit

better these days. The long, fragile tapestry is on loan from Normandy and tells the story of events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Look at the detail that's still there.

More than 80,000 history enthusiasts joined the online queue to purchase tickets. They went on sale today. It's expected to be one of the British

Museum's most popular events on record.

We have exciting World Cup action to tell you about if you didn't catch the matches. Still to come, a preview as well of tonight's match between Team

USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:04]

FOSTER: An exciting World Cup match in the round of 32 just wrapping up in Atlanta a short while ago. We were all watching. We are the London bureau

here.

Now, England were down early to the Democratic Republic of Congo, playing appallingly, but then the superstar Harry Kane saved everyone, scoring the

equalizer and a pretty world-class winning goal.

England will now face Mexico and in just about 15 minutes, Belgium will take on Senegal in Seattle later tonight. It's another round-of-32 knockout

match. This time it is Team USA against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California.

Coy Wire has our preview for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: The excitement around the U.S. men's national team ahead of their match with Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to

build. We have seen sold-out stadiums. We've seen ticket prices exploding. Now we're about to see massive TV ratings.

This will be the first knockout match that Americans have played ever in the prime time. The story is no longer, can America get out of the group?

The story is now, will this become the summer America fell in love with its team? It's a big emotional narrative.

Had a practice behind me a bit ago. A few players told me they're fully aware of the magnitude of this moment.

It isn't just survive in advance. It's more like inspire and advance. Embracing how America is rallying around them. And they know how tough this

match with Bosnia and Herzegovina will be.

Listen to this.

SERGINO DEST, U.S. DEFENDER: It's a knockout round. And if you want to win this, this trophy, the World Cup, you got to beat everyone you know and be

able to beat everyone. So if it's from Europe or Africa, it doesn't matter. We just -- we just want to win.

FOLARIN BALOGUN, U.S. FORWARD: We know we're going to need to be creative. We know we're going to need to be intense, like we have been, you know, so

far. And, you know, there's no doubts we can go out there and win.

GIO REYNA, U.S. MIDFIELDER: You have very high expectations for ourselves, for the rest of this tournament. And, yeah, we don't want this to be over.

WIRE: Now, the U.S. hasn't beaten a European opponent since 2021. It's been 12 matches since they beat -- guess who -- Bosnia and Herzegovina in a

friendly.

Now, this is a huge coaching moment for Mauricio Pochettino. He's one big club matches. Can he now guide America deeper than anyone has in 24 years?

He got annoyed with a line of questioning about their loss to Turkey. They won their group and he's had to make some strategic decisions.

Christian Pulisic, the engine that makes this American attack hum coming off an injury, he played about 30 minutes on Thursday against Turkey. And

now, Pulisic would probably play 180 minutes if they'd let him. Pochettino's job is making sure he doesn't have to.

Some of his players told us that coach has instilled an unrelenting belief and has made this team feel more like a family.

Here's more of what the team had to say about the type of person their coach is.

TIM REAM, UI.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Intense, focused, but at the same time, very personable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Passionate. I think that's the word that comes to mind.

BALOGUN: Fierce. You know, he's intense, you know, and, he wants -- he wants that to show in the way we play.

REYNA: He brings a very, very sort of fun and positive vibe every single day.

MILES ROBINSON, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: He brings that intensity and that like courage with him in every step of the way. And I think, yeah,

he's great for this group.

WIRE: All right. Whoever wins this match will advance to the round of 16. America is favored to win. They're looking to move one step closer to their

first quarterfinal since 2002. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, a win in front of a massive pro-American crowd would be legendary. Nothing says we've

arrived quite like knocking out the host nation.

We'll soon find out whose dream continues and whose comes to an end.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, we don't know who's going to stop France. Two goals from Kylian Mbappe helped them beat Sweden three-nil on Tuesday, putting him at

the top of the Golden Boot race. He's now overtaken Argentina's Lionel Messi, who doesn't have any assists so far. France have now scored at least

three goals in every game of this World Cup.

And if you count last time's final against Argentina, that makes Les Bleus the first men's team in history to score what many goals -- that many goals

in five consecutive matches. Not only do they have Mbappe, the tournament's top goal scorer. They also have the player with the most assists, Michael

Olise, and Ousmane Dembele, who's got six goals and assists combined. They're all in that front row.

So, can anyone stop France in this year's World Cup?

Joining me now, Erik Bielderman. He's a French football journalist.

And you know after last night's game against Sweden, you know, it sort of became France's tournament to lose, didn't it? When you see those forwards

working together, let alone the rest of the team, they just seem unbeatable.

ERIK BIELDERMAN, FRENCH FOOTBALL JOURNALIST: Yeah, it seems unbeatable. And we are expecting this team to go to the very end of the tournament. But

behind the expectation there is the reality of the next rounds. I don't speak too much about Paraguay, which will be defending like hell, but then

we shall have, if we do qualify, Morocco in the semifinal, I guess Spain. And if so, reaching the final, looking at the trip that Argentina is having

to the final, we might have again to play against Argentina.

So, of course, we are -- we can say we are favorite now, but we know that also we will be heading to very, very difficult games to play to go to the

title. So, we have to keep our mind and foot on the floor.

FOSTER: I think what you've achieved, though, is something that other teams haven't. And, you know, there are other teams, obviously with good

players, but the teamwork in France seems to be exceptional. There's this chemistry between -- particularly the forwards -- that seems to come

together in a way that doesn't exist in other teams.

I mean, where does that come from? Is that great management, great coaching or just something instinctive amongst these players?

BIELDERMAN: I would say it's both. Didier Dechamps is a fantastic manager. He is dedicated to win. And he knows to handle egos. He knows to handle a

dressing room. He knows to handle players.

All these players, they know each other quite well. Some of them have played together for Paris Saint-Germain and they have learned to win with

Luis Enrique. They have learned to be concentrated 90 minutes.

So, when you have Luis Enrique plus Didier Deschamps, who is inspiring the team spirit, then you have, behind the quality of the players, behind the

tactical, behind the physical, behind the technical, there is something in the air because of Enrique and because of Didier Deschamps, to make this

team unique.

FOSTER: Mbappe is obviously the big star. There are other big stars in other teams. I don't need to go through them all. But do you think he's

just got a different attitude? He's a bit more generous. He sees himself as part of a team.

BIELDERMAN: Yeah.

FOSTER: As you say, he does know the other players really well. It's as if they, you know, almost because everyone knows his play so well. They can

almost predict where he's going to be. So, they place it for him.

But you know, he places it for them as well.

BIELDERMAN: Yeah. You know, this is the tournament for Kylian Mbappe. Kylian Mbappe in 2018, 2022. It was tremendous to bring France to the

finals. He is on a mission.

He has had two seasons with Real Madrid where he did struggle to achieve, even if he scored goals and goals and goals, but no title in Europe and

even in Spain. So, he is on a mission.

And everybody knows that among the players, up front, he is the boss. He is the unique boss. And everyone is dedicated to make him be the boss, I would

say. But behind that, he knows also that compared to what we know about him, about some selfishness, he is the man who have also decided to play

for the team, to be the one who is giving the inspiration and we have around him such great personalities, such great artists. But also, I would

say, very well-educated and mindful person, that it's quite easy to make the group working together and sticking together.

FOSTER: I think there's a lot of people in the U.K. looking at Olise as well.

[15:55:01]

You know, he was obviously born in London, wasn't he? I think Olise, but he chose France as his team.

BIELDERMAN: Yeah.

FOSTER: But jealous of that.

But I just want to ask you, Eric, I don't know -- did you watch the England game and what did you make of it?

BIELDERMAN: Yeah.

FOSTER: Because there's a real divide here. Obviously, Harry Kane doing incredibly well, almost at France level playing. But the rest of the team

seems like a bit of a mess.

BIELDERMAN: Yeah, it is a mess. Bellingham was hardly to be the player that we do expect him to be, to be the master chief of the English team.

Harry Kane saved England from disaster.

But when you have only one player who looks to be at the quality of a World Cup final stage, I'm afraid it's not enough. And when, 30 years ago, a pop

-- English pop song group said 30 years of hurt never stopped us dreaming, talking about the English, now we are 60 years of --

FOSTER: Okay.

BIELDERMAN: -- expectation and England is dreaming. But nothing is happening.

FOSTER: Okay. Thank you so much, Erik Bielderman. Really appreciate your time.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.

END

TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS