Philadelphia Declares Heat Health Emergency, Shortens July 4 Parade

23:41They're going to be here with travel deals just in time for this long holiday weekend. And later, I'll speak with an American involved in the miraculous rescue of a man buried under the rubble of the earthquakes in Venezuela for eight straight days.

24:02The most memorable gifts aren't found. They're made. Zazzle is a custom marketplace where you pick any product, a mug, a card, a tote, a phone case, and make it personal. A photo, a name, an inside joke. The kind of gift that actually fits the person. That's what 30 million customers have been coming back to Zazzle for over 20 years to find. Right now, save 25 % on your first order at Zazzle.com. That's Zazzle.com. Make it z 'amazing. Turning now to our money lead. More than 72 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over this July 4th holiday season. That is a new record just above last year's 71 million.

24:48And 85 % of those travelers are driving, even though gas prices have been at four-year highs due to the Iran war. Today's national average is$3.84 per gallon, much better than a month ago, but it's still higher than before the war. Joining us now is Clint Henderson, managing editor at The Point Sky, a travel and personal finance site. Nice to see you, Clint. So we're always looking for advice. You had Memorial Day, now Independence Day with these higher gas prices. It doesn't seem to be stopping people from hitting the road, though. What are some ways travelers can save money on their road trips?

25:23Okay, a couple little hacks for you right off the bat. This weekend only, if you're an Amazon Prime member, you can save up to 50 cents per gallon on your gas by enrolling on the website. So there's details on that at thepointsguy.com. But don't forget about stacking rewards when it comes to gas prices. You can join fuel rewards programs, shop at big discount stores like Costco. Walmart even has discounted gas. So there's all kinds of ways to save on gasoline when you go for that big road trip. Interesting, we found in a survey with YouGov that American families are traveling this summer. They don't seem to be minding these higher prices for both gas and for tickets.

26:05So really interesting that the travel demand has remained really strong despite much higher prices this summer. That is interesting that it's not just with driving but also flying because the average round-trip domestic ticket is running around$830, which surprised me. I mean, that's up 5 % from last year, even though it's probably too late to get a ticket for this July 4th weekend, right? Or maybe it's not, but, you know, it would be more expensive. What about travel later this summer? What tips do you have for those who want to fly? So I have great news for consumers who haven't booked yet. August is actually trending down for pricing.

26:43We 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 using miles. So there is some discounts to be had out there. My favorite hack, though, is Google Flights Explorer.

27:21Put in your home airport. It opens up a map of the world. You can see all the cheap places you can go within the next two weeks or the next six months. It's a great tool. I love that tip for sure. So given the high number of airline travelers and the crazy heat for this holiday weekend, are you expecting hefty delays and cancellations? And what should travelers do if they do find themselves in that situation? You know, the map is looking really good right now. Aside from Seattle, Seattle's had some storms that have really messed things up. But, you know, what you got to worry about in these temperatures is these afternoon thunderstorms.

27:55So that's what you're watching carefully. So far, so good this week. But remember, this is going to be one of the busiest days of the year, and it's going to be busy throughout the fourth, this long weekend. So get to the airport a little bit earlier. If you're traveling to Europe, be aware there's new rules when you when you cross the border in Europe and there's long long, long lines right now. So give yourself extra time if you're going to Europe. But, you know, get clear, get TSA pre-check, get one of those expedited airport security. It'll save you a lot of time. All right. Clint Henderson, as always, thank you so much.

28:28And I hope you have a great holiday. You too. Happy Fourth. And in Venezuela today, truly remarkable moment. A man pulled alive from the rubble of a nine story building that had collapsed eight days ago after last week's earthquakes, a member of a U.S. team involved in that very rescue will be here next.

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30:01In our world lead a remarkable rescue in Venezuela today. Emergency crews pulled a man from the rubble of a nine-story building that had collapsed. eight days after devastating earthquakes hit the country. Video shows the moment rescuers spotted Hernan Gil alive, his fingers waving through concrete and debris. Look at this. Crews called the 70-hour rescue highly complex, with the building still unstable. CNN's Stefano Pozoban is at the scene. So Stefano, how did they do it? Pam, this is just the most extraordinary search and rescue story I've ever been able to cover. Hernán Gil, 45-year-old parking lot security guard in La Guayra, was taken out after more than seven days, trapped underground since that devastating double earthquake that really put this country on its knee.

30:54It took several countries and dozens of rescue workers working in team. I can see gentlemen from the United States. These people are from South Florida, but also Chileans, Costa Ricans, Portuguese. It was the Portuguese that were leading the operation and allowing everyone to work safely. But also hundreds of Venezuelans, of course. It's really a moment when the world came together by the power of this story. And we have said this week that a tragedy makes the world smaller. A tragedy brings people together. Well, a positive story, of course, did just that. It's one of the stories that fill your heart with hope and with optimism.

31:42And let me tell you that this country, Pam, needs all the hope it can get. For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzeron. La Guaira. All right, thanks to Stefano for bringing us that on the ground. And now we want to talk to Trey Espy. He was part of the California-based search team that led this rescue operation. Trey, wow. As you just heard Sephano say, this is one of the most incredible rescues he's ever covered. It took 70 hours to free Gil after he was discovered. Walk us through just how complex this rescue was. The rescue was very complex. One of the most complex that our team has faced in a very long time, if ever.

32:25The way that the gentleman was trapped, he had quite a bit of loose debris. that was over his head and surrounding him. And the good thing is that he wasn't injured by any of the rubber or the debris that had fallen due to the earthquake, but he was in tune. And so as we tunneled our way into him, we noticed that there was a lot of things that put us all in danger. If we moved one wrong piece of debris, potentially unleashed the rest of the debris to fall down on top of the victim, as well as injure some of our rescue workers. So we had to really take our time and be careful as we affected this rescue.

33:06Were you actually in there? Were you one of the rescuers that went in to do this? Yes, I was on scene with the rescuers. I'm one of the managers. So we were working in conjunction with Chile. We worked in teams with Florida and quite other few USAR teams. And we all worked together. We came up with a plan and we would run shifts. It was so long and such a big operation that we ran multiple operational periods to get the rescue affected. How do you coordinate? I mean, you have dozens of international rescue teams that are helping with all of this. Bring us into that process on something so complex.

33:50I must say that actually prior to us even coming into these disaster areas, a lot of our rescue teams, we train together all over the world. Our team is USA 2 and we are an international classified team. And so we've trained with Chile. So we actually have counterparts who we know very well. So when we see them at disasters, it's very easy for us to collaborate and come up with plans and get things done because we've done it in training. You have all this training, you've done this before, but I mean, it must feel so emotional once you make a rescue like this. What was that like? Absolutely. It's absolutely emotional.

34:29You know, training and the reality is very different. When someone's life is actually at stake and you don't want to make any wrong moves to further injure or even possibly kill a victim and our rescuers, they work tirelessly. They are exhausted. They work around the clock. We run 24-hour shifts and we try to get them as much rest as possible. But there was so much devastation here in the country, Venezuela, that our rescuers were getting little to, you know, they were getting enough sleep, but, you know, little sleep as compared to what we normally get moving throughout the state and trying to affect these rescues.

35:04But it's very emotional for all of us. There's a lot of unfortunate death that we see. There's a lot of joy in some of the rescues that we make. So it's kind of an up and down emotional process. But we have some of our peer support members along with our teams. So we check on each other to make sure that we're good throughout this deployment. Well, you all are true heroes. risking your own lives to make rescues like this. Trey Espy, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. And we're following breaking news. Right now at Ukraine, the death toll from a massive Russian attack on Kiev now stands at 27.

35:40Dozens more are injured. An overnight barrage of drones and missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital for 11 hours, toppling residential buildings. More than 50 ,000 people took shelter in subway stations. Rescue crews are still making their way through that rubble with more people fear to be trapped. Top Russian officials say the strikes were retaliation against Ukraine's blitz on Russia's oil sector. And as the nation counts down to July 4th, Democrats are accusing President Trump of hijacking the holiday and making it all about himself. They even released a report spelling out their claims.

36:19We'll be running through it ahead.

36:27In our health lead, a mission to prevent suffering and suicide among veterans through psychedelic assisted therapy. Jake Tapper spoke with two veterans about the promising innovative treatment aimed at helping those with military trauma. Here to discuss Marine Corps veteran Julianna Mercer. She's the executive director of Healing Breakthrough. It's a program transforming veteran PTSD treatment with psychedelic assisted therapy. Also with us, veteran Army Sergeant Noah Galloway. You might recognize him. He was a finalist on Dancing with the Stars in 2015. Dance is better with one leg than most of us do with two.

37:03He is now an advocate for psychedelic assisted therapy. Thanks so much to both of you for being here. Juliana, how transformative is this? And for people just catching up with this story that we've covered for a while, how does it work? It's incredibly transformative. I could share dozens, if not hundreds of stories of not just veterans, but folks that have been experiencing PTSD that's treatment resistant, but also chronic and complex that haven't been able to find a solution that in one or two or three treatments over four months experience life-changing, life-saving results where they're free of these symptoms.

37:40The way that these therapies work to put it in what the Marines called Barney style, so kind of ABC, is that when you undergo the treatment in conjunction with therapy, the medication helps you to confront the things that you've had a hard time confronting in regular therapy. The reason that you're able to do that is because the chemicals that these different psychedelics open up in your brain, and all of them do a little bit different things, but this is kind of a general overview. they allow you to confront those things without your fight or fight or freeze. You know your normal trauma response when you are dealing with those things, it'll makes those kind of fall to the wayside so that you're able to do the hard work of getting to the root cause of your problems.

38:28And Noah you went on your own healing journey with this. Tell us what it's like and how have you seen it change the lives of other veterans? Well, I mean, me, I lost my arm and leg in combat, and that's a visible injury. And that was one thing to overcome, but the hardest to overcome is that invisible wound, that internal trauma. And I had tried other treatment, other therapies, and I just still felt like I was carrying something I couldn't put down. And it was psychedelic assisted therapy that, like Juliana just said, it opens you up and you end up facing your trauma. And that's what it takes.

39:09It takes going into that darkness to reach the light. I mean, look, everybody has different experiences. But it's all about just, I mean, just going to a therapist and going and talking about your trauma is scary. Sure. So there's all these different ways, but coming out on the other side is what is so life-changing. I love to tell people that for 40 years, I viewed the world through dirty lenses, and psychedelics cleaned that, and I see a different world. Now, they can still get dirty, but because of the experiences I had and now the tools I have at hand, I'm able to keep this in a better light.

39:44Tell us about the documentary on veterans and psychedelics. Yeah, I'm part of a documentary right now that is following the journey of not just educating people on psychedelics, but making sure that, look, we have a lot of politicians on both sides of the aisle that agree on it. And we're like, yeah, that's great. We want you to agree on it. But let's get something going. Let's make sure we're changing the wording of the FDA. Let's prepare the VA. We've got to up the funding because it's not you just go do psychedelics and you're done. there is sessions before and critical sessions after psychedelics that make it work.

40:18And Julianne, you've been doing this for years. I've been covering it for years. And it's amazing to see that now the VA is actually involved. Tell us more about that and what more they need to do. Yeah, the VA has been studying two different psychedelics, MDMA and psilocybin, since 2021. That's basically ecstasy and mushrooms. Correct. Shorthand. Okay. Yes. and so they saw that there was great promise, which is why they're doing research. There's also the FDA research, so that's separate from the VA research. The FDA research is, you know, those two compounds are in their final phase three. We're awaiting FDA approval.

40:58It could come as soon as the end of this year, maybe Q1 of next year. What the VA is doing is seeing, you know, different ways that they can implement this therapy, whether it's, you know, including couples therapy or group therapy. They're also looking at their newest one is looking at alcohol use disorder and PTSD, which alcohol use disorder is a comorbidity that many veterans suffer from because they self-medicate. So it's really encouraging to me that the VA is looking at all the different ways. What needs to happen, though, is preparation for implementation. So we know that we're going to have FDA approval of one or two of these drugs very, very soon.

41:44A lot needs to happen to outfit the largest health care system in the nation to be able to treat patients as soon as FDA approval happens. that's training of clinicians, you know, even changing the appointment system because it's an eight-hour session with when you take the drug, you're under the care of mental health care provider for eight hours. That's not something that's in their appointment system. Right. All the things that you have. Not a lot of eight-hour appointments in the community. Exactly. Julianna Mercer and Noah Galloway, thank you both. It's really amazing to have you here. It's so nice to report on a good news story.

42:19And as always, thank you for your service. Thank you so much, Jake.

42:25Welcome to The Lead, I'm Pamela Brown. And for Jake Tapper in this hour, final preparations are underway for massive celebrations in D.C. this weekend. And on top of heightened security and Secret Service plans, the nation's capital is also set for the hottest July 4th on record. We're going to go live to the National Mall for an update in just moments. Plus, the FBI is ramping up its investigation into the 2020 election in Georgia as President Trump continues to push his baseless claims that the race was stolen from him. What we're learning about the 260 additional officials who are now assigned to this investigation.

43:02And a pediatrician and mother of two says she faced online backlash after sharing what she calls, quote unquote, unhinged advice for parents. So would you listen to her recommendations? Judge for yourself when she joins us just ahead. Plus, sources say Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's rehearsal dinner should be starting right now at Madison Square Garden. Ahead of what are expected to be their wedding festivities in that famous venue tomorrow, we are live right outside the arena.

43:35The lead tonight, the finishing touches for America's 250th are underway. expect flyovers, a long Trump speech, a massive fireworks show, and complex behind-the-scenes choreography between security agencies to keep the massive crowds and the president safe. And as the temperatures spike, Democrats are bringing their own kind of heat with a new scathing report accusing the Trump administration of hijacking the celebration in, quote, service of the president's ego. We're going to dive into that report in just a minute. But first, CNN's Brian Todd is on the National Mall. So this is quite an operation here to pull this off, Brian.

44:16That's right, Pamela. And CNN sources in law enforcement and at the White House tell CNN that there is a bit of anxiety building regarding security for this event, simply because the timing for some events within the celebration of the 250th anniversary has been shifting around. Timing for things like flyovers, timing for President Trump's speech on the 4th of July, the fireworks display starting. Some of the timing for those things has been shifting around and is still in flux. And that has created headaches for the officials who are managing President Trump's security and managing the security of the broader public here for the mall area on the 4th of July.

44:53But the good news is that they have the infrastructure already in place. This is a multi-agency, multidisciplinary security operation as it always is for these big events. You've got these D.C. police vehicles here along Madison Street on the Mall. That's the main mall area there where the Great American State Fair is. This is going to be one of the checkpoints where people are going to have to go through security to get in on Saturday. You see National Guardsmen there beyond those metropolitan police. And here's another part of the infrastructure over here that I can point to here on 7th Street.

45:22You see the police vehicles there, but also the dump trucks. Multiple street closures are expected, of course, on the 4th of July. So people coming down here have to be prepared for that. They're being advised to take the metro down here rather than deal with traffic and road closures at areas like this. Now, FBI Director Cash Patel has said that there is no credible threat to security here on the mall on the 4th of July or in other cities. But CNN Today and other reporters tracked down the U.S. attorney for D.C., Janine Pirro, and she was asked also if she is tracking any possible threats for the 4th of July.

45:54Here's what she had to say. I hope I'm not tracking anything in terms of a threat environment. We're all hoping that Americans are able to celebrate, whether they're in D.C. or around the country.

46:10But we're also being told by law enforcement sources that federal officials, federal security officials and security forces have also been stretched a little thin because of the World Cup. There have been assets that have been deployed to the World Cup, like counter drone systems, other officers, security officers. You've got counter bomb technicians and other things like that. being shifted over for the World Cup, that has taken some resources away from other things. In fact, there was an incident recently where there was a bomb threat with a suspicious package at an ICE facility, and a bomb technician team could not be deployed to that.

46:43It turned out that that was not a credible threat, that that was not really a security risk at all. But that's one of the things that's leading to the anxiety here, Pamela, is that some security assets have been devoted to the World Cup events. So some security here has been stretched a little thin, but they are confident that they'll have plenty of security here for the 4th of July. Let's hope everyone stays safe. Brian Todd on the National Mall, thank you so much. And if you're not paying super close attention, you might not know there's a difference between the America 250 event and Freedom 250 event.

47:13America 250 is a bipartisan congressional commission, while Freedom 250 is mostly run by top Trump aides. And now House Democrats have a new report alleging people who intended to donate to America 250 were given incorrect wire instructions and unwittingly donated to Trump's fund instead. Joining us now to further discuss is Scott McFarlane. Hi, Scott. Great to see you. So let's talk about this. The report also says that America 250 has only received a quarter of the$100 million allocated to them by Congress last year, adding the fund has, quote, struggled to execute planned programming and financial uncertainty and misalignment with Freedom 250.

47:56You have been combing through this report. What's said out to you? What's alleged here by Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee, Pamela, is that there was a hostile takeover by Freedom 250 of the congressionally approved America 250. That was approved 10 years ago. Bipartisan basis was going to run the show this week. Freedom 250 is Trump-aligned, if not Trump sycophantic. And what they're alleging is that Freedom 250 was trying to urge or nudge America 250 to shift the programming toward Trump. Didn't happen. And so they took it over, including, according to the committee, took some of the money that was to go to America 250.

48:33Further alleged in this investigation is that there was some form of a misleading of donors who thought they were donating to the original group, America 250, but were misled to instead donate to Freedom 250. What the committee alleges is that there was a fraud perpetrated by Freedom 250, the group behind so many events, including that great American state fair. I want to underscore we've reached out to the White House and Freedom 250. The White House has not commented. Freedom 250 has not responded. And is this why some of the artists pulled out because of the Freedom 250 and the politics around it?

49:06That's another component of this investigation by the committee. They say that the artists were hoodwinked, that they were made to believe they were performing for this nonpartisan patriotic event, the one that was concocted 10 years ago by America 250, the one that was to be this week's show. but instead they realized this was a Trump-aligned group, Freedom 250. So those artists, the names are now familiar to us. Milli Vanilli, C &C Music Factory, Young MC, bolted on the thing, dunked on the thing, and is now left with whatever is existing on the National Mall that Brian was showing you. And you have to wonder what the turnout's going to be tomorrow, right?

49:41Because you have the hottest day on record for, that should be tomorrow, Saturday I should say, for the 4th of July, right? What have you heard about organizers, about keeping everyone safe, about the crowds or lack thereof? We know President Trump cares about crowd sizes. There are grave concerns about health and safety on Saturday. It would not shock people if somehow this thing gets reimagined, reorchestrated, or just canceled. Because the temperature is going to be above 100 degrees in the swamp of D.C. You know, that feels like 110 degrees. The security screenings begin at 1 p.m. Saturday.

50:14The president doesn't speak until after 9 p.m. That is eight hours baking in the sun for people. Medical emergencies are possible. Local officials have declared heat emergencies. They're trying to send a message here. This is dangerous. And there are restrictions on bags, on bottles, on water. Some of this can get particularly dangerous. It may somehow get adjusted. We shall see. Thank you so much, Scott. Nice to see you. Appreciate it. And joining us now to further discuss is Democrat from Pennsylvania, Congressman Brendan Boyle. Hi, Congressman. So a spokesperson for Freedom 250, Danielle Alvarez, says the claims are, quote, categorically false and criticized the bipartisan America 250, saying the commission had nothing to show for the years and money spent on the nation's birthday.

51:00I wonder what your reaction is to that. You know, I react to that with just great sadness. You know, I think of past previous national celebrations. I remember as a kid, the bicentennial of the Constitution in the 1980s. I remember President Reagan rededicating the Statue of Liberty on the 4th of July in 1986. Every previous president knew to make an occasion like this about the nation and not about any individual politician. Unfortunately, we all know we don't have that kind of a person in the White House. We have someone there instead who wants to make everything political and everything about himself rather than making it what it should be about the United States of America.

51:44Fellow Democrat and ranking member on the Natural Resources Committee, Congressman Jared Huffman, says he hopes to more aggressively investigate Freedom 250 if Democrats retake the House. Do you support that, or is this just all becoming part of this tit-for-tat trend with these congressional investigations on the other party? Well, I certainly think that the necessary congressional function of oversight will begin to happen if and when Democrats win back the House this November. Really, Congress for the last 18 months has been MIA when it comes to its oversight function. But I also want to highlight, you know, I'm here in Philadelphia in my district, literally the nation's birthplace.

52:28Today, we did have a great bipartisan event, a gathering of members of Congress, both at Independence Hall as well as Congress Hall. So even despite the president and his team's antics, there are those of us who are really attempting to capture the true spirit of the semi-quincentennial. Yeah, tell us more about that, the significance of that event you mentioned and why you wanted to host it. Yeah, I began actually, I launched this effort right where I'm standing exactly two years ago to bring members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, back to the room where it all began at Independence Hall exactly 250 years ago on July 2nd, 1776, which was the vote for independence, followed two days later by the vote to adopt the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July.

53:14I can tell you, I spoke to every one of the members who were here today. They all said what a special moment it was and how happy they were that they came here. It was truly a bipartisan spirit in the room. Well, as you mentioned, 50 years ago, America celebrated the bicentennial. Gerald Ford was president. The Vietnam War was over. Of course, there was political division in the country. But there was a sense that the vibe was totally different. John Mark Hansen from the University of Chicago writes, In 1976, celebrating the Bicentennial was a moment of pride and unity. We were a nation badly shaken in 1976, but we stood together and celebrated together, not this year.

53:55What do you make of that? Why do you think things are so different? Does it feel that way to you? Well, fortunately today, things were bipartisan, and it was an honor and a privilege to play the role of host, hosting my colleagues back at Independence Hall and back at Congress Hall. The unfortunate thing, though, as you've been discussing, is we have a president who refuses to engage in any of the official bipartisan activities, instead literally turning the night of Fourth of July into a Trump rally. It's unfortunate and tragic, but I'm still doing at least my best to attempt to remember the real spirit of what we should be celebrating.

54:35And that's what our forebearers did 250 years ago. And all of us in the succeeding generation since have attempted to live up to the ideals of our founding documents. Democrat from Pennsylvania, Congressman Brendan Boyle, thank you so much. Thank you. The FBI is now ramping up its investigation into the 2020 election in Georgia, despite no evidence of any widespread fraud. Those details up next.

55:11And our law and justice lead hundreds of FBI agents are now descending on Georgia as the agency ramps up its, quote, priority investigation into the 2020 election results there, according to an internal memo. And remember, then Attorney General under President Trump, Bill Barr, said there was no widespread evidence of voter fraud despite Trump's repeated claims. So let's bring in CNN's Kristen Holmes at the White House. Kristen, I used to cover the FBI and resources are finite. Now there are all these agents going to Georgia. Who is leading this probe and how many agents are involved here? So, Pamela, we have to remember one thing.

55:50This was an ongoing investigation. So there are already a number of agents who are working on this in Georgia. We saw back in January, Kurt Olson, who is an election denier of 2020 election, was tapped by the White House to really look into the 2020 election, specifically in Georgia. He recommended to the Justice Department that they launch a new investigation. That ramped things up there. Now we're seeing the FBI put even more resources and personnel into this. So it's unclear how many people were already working on it, but they're talking about adding 260 new intelligence officers to this investigation into the 2020 election in Georgia.

56:30Now, we're told that some of these intelligence officers who are very skilled in looking, analyzing data, they'll be working from home. But we also saw what happened in January, and we believe these things are linked after the FBI served a warrant to Fulton County in that election facility. They came out of there with documents, with ballots. We believe that is all part of this ongoing investigation. Now, this is one specific investigation into what happened in 2020 in Georgia. But we've seen over the last several weeks the Justice Department and the Trump administration as a whole ramping up their efforts into any kind of investigation or documents or declassifying of information all around election integrity.

57:17Now, the one thing we haven't been able to nail down is why now? Why the urgency now to add these 260 new officials to this? And to be clear, the memo makes it sound as though it is urgent. It is encouraging these field offices to put their people forward, saying this is how many people they need from each of these field offices who are dedicated to this, as the memo says, priority investigation. So, again, we have seen this kind of movement across the board throughout this Trump administration as they've tried to really bring election integrity to the forefront. Now we're seeing it in the Department of Justice, the FBI, ramping this up, this specific investigation.

57:58All of this happening, of course, just before the midterms. Certainly is. Kristen Holmes at the White House. Thank you so much. Well, Team USA is gearing up for its next do-or-die match in the World Cup, but they'll have to play without a key member of the team. We'll explain why up next.

58:19All right, turning to our sports lead, the United States is advancing to the World Cup round of 16 after defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina. But last night's win comes with a cost. USA's top scorer, Folorin Balagan, was sent off with a controversial red card for this play right here. Video review showed him stepping on his opponent's ankle. This means Balogun will miss USA's elimination match against Belgium on Monday. So joining us now is the Athletics' Paul Tenario. Paul, how does the U.S. replace Balogun against Belgium? Yeah, it's not going to be an easy task. and that's because Balogun's been the best player on this U.S.

59:04team during this World Cup. He has been the lethal finisher, the lethal forward that the U.S. has lacked for quite some time. And they have other options, of course. Ricardo Pepe, who plays at PSV in Holland, he's been the one we've seen the most to come onto the field when Balogun's not playing. Haji Wright, who scored in the last World Cup for the United States. But it's really going to have to be an effort from those around that forward position as well, namely Christian Pulisic. Because when Balogun's not on the field scoring goals and creating havoc with his runs and his power and his defensive presence, Christian Pulisic is the guy that the U.S.

59:39needs to be its creator, to be the star that they have expected him to be going into this tournament. Talk about pressure. You know, American fans likely remember that Belgium knocked out the U.S. in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup. How do you think that memory will play into Monday's game?

1:00:00well i don't think too much honestly for at least for the u.s team you know this is a very young u.s team many of them were watching that game on television as children being inspired by that 2014 team so there isn't too much crossover from that side now from belgium side the golden generation of belgium is this team now towards the back end of their career they haven't really lived up to that label and now they're up against this u.s golden generation so while i think the players are aware of that history i don't think it'll make much of an impact on in terms of how they actually play each other what is interesting is that these two teams played each other in march in a friendly in atlanta and so there's a familiarity that exists from just a few months ago and what will be interesting to see is how much they learned about each other how differently they play in that game, in this game than they did in that game, and what adjustments Mauricio Pochettino makes from a game that Belgium was able to take full advantage in the second half and control all the way through.

1:00:58This is a very exciting moment for USA fans. The United States has not reached the World Cup quarterfinals since 2002. Five players on Team USA weren't even born yet. What would it mean for this team to make such a deep run on home soil nonetheless? Well, I think this team came into the tournament understanding what the World Cup could mean for the sport. That they have a chance to change the way people think about American men's soccer. That the men's national team, that the sport in this country on the men's side has grown. That they are becoming more competitive. That there has been progress made since that 2002 run.

1:01:38And really all of the pressure kind of falls onto this round of 16 game. Because the U.S. advanced to the round of 16 in 2014 and in 2022 and in 2010. So in order to do something different, they need to do what that 2002 team did and win this game to be able to extend the belief that we've seen from the fans during the course of this tournament, both in the stadiums and watching around the country. The longer they play, the more they win, the more they not just inspire the next generation, but inspire belief around the country that U.S. soccer, American soccer deserves everyone's respect. All right, Paul Tenorio, thank you so much.

1:02:19Thank you. All right. We're going live to Madison Square Garden up next where Swifties are gathering and crews are unloading ahead of the expected wedding festivities. What would you see when you come here with your sister later to check it out? Oh, my gosh. All the Taylor Swift, all the Swifties out here. Routing her on. Come on. She's going to be a bride. It's the best. So you want to be here to kind of experience the other.

1:02:46And our pop lead sources say a rehearsal event for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey has kicked off in style right inside Madison Square Garden tonight. A steady stream of SUVs were just spotted at the hotel right nearby the wedding wonderland at the arena, where sources say some of Swift and Kelsey's family, friends, and Chiefs teammates are staying. Still, some of her fans aren't totally convinced that the famously tricky pop star isn't pulling a hoax with the venue choice. So let's bring in Zanin's entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Blagmeister and chief law enforcement analyst John Miller.

1:03:22Elizabeth, let's start with you. We don't know much. They've really been keeping this under wraps. But we do know this is expected to be a star-studded weekend. So much activity there around Madison Square Garden. What are your sources telling you? And do we really think the wedding festivities are over with this Friday event? So first of all, I appreciate your Swifty puns, Pam. So I want to give you one as well. I am about two miles north of Cornelia Street at Madison Square Garden, if you got that reference. And let me tell you, it is crazy here at Madison Square Garden. We have the National Guard.

1:04:01We have a large NYPD presence. And I will tell you that I understand that the fans think that this isn't happening. But based on our sources, this really is happening. We have seen what we believe to be an SUV that Taylor Swift is in, which means that we believe she is in the building right behind me. We have also seen a ton of black SUVs right here. There are streets closed off. They weren't closed off about an hour ago. But over the past hour, there have been barricades that have gone up and only certain cars can go through. when we have seen these black SUVs go in. Unfortunately, I can't tell you who's coming out of them because when they get out of the car, the car goes under a tent and then they walk under a tent into Madison Square Garden.

1:04:42But tonight is what we believe to be the rehearsal event, a smaller number around 100. And tomorrow is what sources are telling us is a wedding celebration, basically a huge party that is expected to have around 1 ,000 people, a lot of Hollywood stars, of course, a ton of athletes and a lot of Hollywood executives. So it'll be a who's who right there behind me. Wow. All right. So let's bring in John, because we want to understand what the plan is to make sure that these events are both secure for Taylor and Travis's guests and their fans who may be on the street, but also not a massive inconvenience for New Yorkers and tourists on a holiday weekend.

1:05:19What do you know, John? Well, the NYPD has a detail of hundreds of cops assigned to this and they are mostly the outer perimeter to make sure that a traffic can move, b that the perimeter is secure and c if large crowds show up that they are able to kind of control them while keeping the streets that they've got closed to facilitate this activity are closed and that the streets are supposed to be running, keep running. But there's three goals here as far as security. One is, and these are the Taylor Swift organization's design, is privacy so that they can have the event without paparazzi, stalkers, drones flying over, the kinds of things you would face if it was in an outdoor venue, a private home or another place.

1:06:08Also security to make sure that they control that and that it's kind of a sealed container. there and you know also the ability to make sure that it goes on, it goes off with the people they want to have there and without the people they don't want to have there. And they have great regard for their fans but this is a private family event. All right I want to ask you also John about another couple that reached New Heights in New York City this week. Oh my God these puns. The pair that scaled the Empire State Building and got engaged yesterday. They were arrested and then released today under court supervision.

1:06:45What were you learning about how they pulled off this stunt? Well, this was a Mission Impossible type caper. You know, first they came to visit the Empire State Building observation deck like so many people have. They bought tickets. They came in. But as they arrived at 9 o 'clock, as it started to close around 11 p.m. and then they ushered the last guests out at midnight, they had found a hiding place. We believe in an empty maintenance room. And then after everybody was gone, they put together their equipment and their plan. At 5.04 a.m., there's a piece of video where you can see her pop out of a hatch, like in the floor.

1:07:28And then they proceed to cut through cables that are attached blocking a stairwell, metal cables. And then they go up to another door and they cut padlocks. And that gives them access to the ladders and the stairways that lead up to this fear. Of course, while they flew their flag of love and devotion and world peace, they also met the NYPD on the way down, charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, burglary, possession of burglars, tools, and everything else. But those are offenses where they're considered nonviolent crimes. So they were released without bail. and we'll hear more from them later at their next court appearance and probably way more on social media.

1:08:13All right, really quickly, Elizabeth, I want to go back to you because earlier today we saw Travis Kelsey's mom, Donna. Obviously, she would be there, right? Do we know who else is attending there tonight and tomorrow? Yeah, so Taylor's group of famous friends is very well documented. We know who her close friends are. We saw Sabrina Carpenter, who was in the city. We've also seen Suki Waterhouse in New York City. Now, is it possible that they're just here hanging out in New York? Sure, but most celebrities actually escape the city for July 4th. So if they're here and if you see them, I am going to bet that they are here for the wedding.

1:08:53Also, of course, many of the Chiefs players, we know that George Kittle and his wife Claire, they did say that they will be here. and the Chiefs players are staying just about 10, 15 blocks up north from here in Times Square. And again, as I said, there'll be a lot of Hollywood execs, a lot of business execs. And final point I want to make, today Travis and Taylor announced that they made a$26 million donation to various charities across the country, many of which are based in New York City. So maybe their way to give back after having such a lavish event that caused a lot of traffic here for New Yorkers.

1:09:25All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister and John Miller, thank you both. Well, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now wading into a race that is crucial for Democrats' efforts to retake the Senate in November. Our panel weighs in up next.

1:09:45Breaking news and our politics lead just moments ago. In an interview with CNBC, President Trump defended his business dealings after this week's revelations that his total income for 2025 exceeded$2.2 billion. including more than$1 billion in cryptocurrency. I mean, there's nothing illegal. There's nothing wrong with it. Well, I feel badly in a way for my kids because every time my kids do, if they invest in a stock or if they go and do a bill, anything they do, because the presidency is so powerful, so big. All right, let's talk about it with the panel. Terry, I want to start with you. What is your reaction to how he responded to this?

1:10:25Look, I think he's obviously one of the most transparent presidents we've ever had. He's coming forward with all this. He lost money in the first term. If we all go back to that, he lost a significant portion of his net wealth. But what we're seeing here is President Trump is rooting out corruption in D.C. He's getting rid of the grift here. He's cleaning up this town. And I think it's a great thing. And I think he's totally able and capable of making money. Well, let me just follow up on that. You said he's the most transparent president. He hasn't released his tax returns willingly. So I would push back on that notion.

1:10:56Just want to make that point. And I think you reported earlier about this fund that's supposedly paying for how he co-opted this America 250. And there's a fund that people are putting money into. We don't know who they are. We don't know if they've already got business in front of the, you know, around this in front of, you know, various agencies. Talk about Freedom 250. The Freedom 250. I mean, look, he's he it's shocking. And I think what is most telling is that he did this interview knowing that this is a problem. They know that that people are astonished, particularly think about some of the people that we were interviewing on the mall who were here for the events, who were saying they thought, you know, I don't like this.

1:11:37I wish he would just focus on doing his job. I mean, you know, previous presidents went out of their way to make sure there was not even the appearance of an impropriety. This president basically he doesn't care if we think it's an impropriety because his view is, well, my people still vote for me. And so, you know, particularly at a time, the last thing I'll say in this is when people cannot afford our gas prices are up, Our energy costs are up. Our health care costs are up. You know, he's more interested in throwing money into these projects that are about himself and aggrandizing himself while he is literally making money off of the presidency.

1:12:19I don't think that's a very fair assertion. I mean, President Trump has a huge domestic policy agenda. The Democrats in the Senate, we can't even get seven Democrats to cross party lines and break the filibuster to do the Save America Act, which is five planks that are 80-20 issues. Which is a voter suppression bill. It's not voter suppression. It's nothing to do with 80 % of Americans. What would you say that's holding up the housing bill because of that? What would you say to him? President Trump had inherited a lot of major problems. This is the Biden administration. Biden inherited major problems from him called COVID.

1:12:51President Trump caused COVID. The president will say they inherited problems and blame all the problems they have. But what's different about this president is in 1980, right? Like, Donald, or President Reagan had Tip O 'Neill. Who's the Tip O 'Neill, the Democratic Party, that's willing to work and go across party lines? We don't have that today. We need that more than ever. But we don't have it. We have plenty of Republicans that are willing to cross party lines. But this president came in and started his administration dozing the federal government. Yes, it needed to happen. First doing away with all of the people in the federal agencies who were the watchdogs.

1:13:23So when nobody's watching, that's when you go ahead and you start doing whatever it is you want. And then he said, we're going to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion. So why would the leader of the Democrats say, yes, we're going to help you create a more racist country instead of a more equitable country? There's a charitable response to that. There's a lot of good people in this country that look at DEI and they say, this is choosing people on the basis of skin color. I did not get here because of my gender or my race. No, I would never even suggest that. But that's at the heart of DEI.

1:13:56Are we denying that? We're denying that DEI is about skin color and not about actually merit? I am denying. I'm saying that it is about both merit, it is about creating opportunity, and it is about recognizing merit. It is not about saying we're not going to... That's not what DEI is. What I'm saying is you should open up your eyes and ears to other people who have different opinions on it. You're just bringing everyone that opposes DEI as racist. I'm a direct assistant at Robert E. Lee, sweetheart. Trust me. I know all about that. But that's not very reasonable to brand everyone that opposes DEI as racist.

1:14:25You don't think there's other reasons to oppose DEI? that the president start you're saying there are no problems with you're saying how come we didn't have somebody who is willing to work with him and i'm saying when you come in and you are that hostile to a group of people why would that that doesn't create an atmosphere i want to jump in i wanted to let this breathe because i do think these are real conversations that people have across the aisle you know i mean within their friends their families different politics i think that that's important to capture that i also want to capture something else that's going on and it because it's really interesting, this endorsement today from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in this hotly contested Michigan Democratic U.S.

1:15:01Senate primary race. Here's candidate Abdul El-Sayed just moments ago on CNN. Most people don't care about the future of the party. They care about their future. I'm a proud Democrat. I love my party. I just want my party to actually focus on the things that real voters actually need in their lives. So Michigan is a key state for Democrats to hold. AOC is betting that El-Sayed not only can win the primary, but also the general election. Is this a smart bet in your view? I mean, you are seeing more progressive socialist candidates winning. None have actually won a statewide primary yet. We've seen four run in very blue House districts, and we've also seen nine moderate Democrats also win in their primaries.

1:15:46Look, but what I think - You have seen several socialists, quote unquote, you know, self-proclaimed socialists beat actual House members, right? Right, but we've seen four in four primaries where they were actually running against people who have been there a really long time. I mean, when you talk about Colorado and you say this young woman, you know, Diana DeGette was in office longer, I think part of what we're seeing is, and I think he said this very well. People want fresh ideas. It's part of why you had Trump-Mom-Donnie voters who said, look, we just want to try something different. People believe that they're angry about what's going on in Washington, actually fears about corruption in Washington, keeping their prices high is one of the highest issues we're seeing right now in the polling.

1:16:33We're also seeing people are concerned about costs. They're angry, certainly on the Democratic side. They want Democrats actually fighting Trump. They're wanting people to stand up. So I don't know if Abdul will be able to pull it off in Michigan because it's a very it's a diverse state that I'm not sure is going to be open to the message, all of his messages. But I certainly think when you're talking about child care and health care and lowering costs, that's what people are focused on right now. Quick reaction from you because she's been very strategic with her endorsements. Didn't do it in New York.

1:17:03Now she is with us. What do you think? Look, I think this is where the party's heading on the Democratic side of the aisle. I think that the chickens are essentially coming home to roost. You had Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, the more established wing, playing footsie with these more radical DSA types, and now they're going to be taking over the party. I'm not pessimistic about Abdul possibly winning this seat. People told us that Mamdani had no chance at winning. You just need to call him a communism. But if you're actually addressing the concerns of voters, you have a great shot at getting winning.

1:17:33I just don't think he's. All right. Thank you both. Appreciate it. My next guest is a pediatrician who is sharing what she calls her unhinged advice for parents. Would you try it? That's next.

1:17:49And our health lead, a pediatrician and mother of two, is standing by her so-called unhinged advice for families after getting a ton of backlash online. The four pieces of advice drawing criticism. One, take a girl's trip to wean your baby off the breast. Two, you need a date night more than your baby needs you at every single bedtime. Three, don't make separate meals. Your kids eat what you eat or they don't eat. And four, let your kids fail. The pediatrician behind this advice joins us now, Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez. Thank you so much for coming on, doctor. So we're going to get to that backlash in just a moment.

1:18:29But first, I want to talk more about your advice. This is mostly about getting children to be comfortable with discomfort and also how to support moms. Explain why that's so important. Yeah, Pam, you know, a long time ago, I decided that if I was going to be online, I was going to do it in a way that was truthful to the way that I parent and the way that I practice pediatrics. and that is to say that I take care of children and their moms and their families in that context, right? It is not just children that we're looking at, right? So to me, it was important to outline this advice and to say, it's not just the child here that we're taking care of.

1:19:09It's the mom, it's the whole family, and everyone thrives when we look at things in that way. Yeah, and you talk about why it's so important for moms to care for themselves because that's also a way to care for the child. And as you note in your follow-up article, that context is important too. Not every family is the same when you're giving advice, right? So how do you tweak your advice to fit the mold of a family once you know what their households and struggles are like? Right. So what I meant by this, and I explained it in the article, and I tried to explain it in the caption, but some of the context gets lost on social media, is that I would never recommend, for example, a girl's trip to wean a baby off the breast to a mom who has very limited support, right?

1:19:53Like that is not reading the room. It is not understanding the context, right? Just like I would never say, let your child go hungry. Let them wake up in the morning and make up for the lost calories if they chose not to eat the dinner that you served, right? I would never say that to a child who is perhaps on the spectrum or having other difficulties or other medical conditions. So I think it is important to not lose sight of that. Now that said, when you put aside those very specific circumstances, some of the advice that I gave, again, I stand by because we have to get comfortable letting kids be uncomfortable.

1:20:30Yeah. And you say in your article that there is a difference between discomfort and harm, that those two things aren't equated, right? So I want you to just walk us through what you were hearing on social media, why people were freaking out about your quote unquote unhinged advice and just your overall response and kind of what you learned about culture right now with this. Yeah. So specifically, I'll tell you specifically about that particular comment that you just asked me about, and then I'll zoom out for a second. So someone commented that letting your child to be hungry if they don't eat what you serve is abuse.

1:21:10And I found that comment so instructive because we have equated as a Western society, discomfort with harm, right? And we have to get it straight. Discomfort is not harm. Harm, of course, can include discomfort, but discomfort in itself is not harm and can be instructive. In my house, I serve a variety. My child will have something on that plate that he likes, but he knows that there isn't another meal coming after, So he has to engage with what I'm serving. And now more broadly, Pam, I think the backlash taught me that there really is almost a dissonance. Everyone is so ready to say, yes, we have to raise kids who are resilient and who know how to fail.

1:21:51But then when it comes to letting them struggle and try different things, never mind, I'll go ahead and make them a different meal so that the mealtime doesn't turn into chaos. Right. And more importantly, when it comes to moms living their own lives and being full human beings who can go have a meal, a drink, God forbid, with their girlfriends to fill their own cup, that is seen as abandoning a child rather than, again, a mom filling her cup. So to me, this whole experience was a referendum on Western parenting and what moms are allowed to want and to be and what kids are owed them. Yeah, no, really, really interesting.

1:22:29I always think too with kids, like it's okay to let them be bored. When they say they're bored, I always, I say to my kids, hey, then that means you get to use your imagination. How exciting is that? And I do think the response is instructive to your advice as well, as you pointed out. Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. And Burnett Out Front starts now.

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