Return to Transcripts main page
The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Ruling On National Guard In Portland; The Future Of Aviation; U.S. Govt Shutdown Hits Air Travel With Delays, Cancelations. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired November 08, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: "The Story Is" starts right now. The story is Breaking: The U.S. Supreme Court lets President Trump pause SNAP payments for now. But it doesn't stop there. A federal judge rules against President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to Portland. The story is Travel Troubles: Airlines announcing even more flight cancelations this weekend. The story is Flying Cars: They aren't just for the Jetsons anymore. You could soon be taking a ride or a flight very soon.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: And welcome to "The Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson. We are following multiple stories breaking right now. Let's start with a live picture from LAX here in Los Angeles. You see plenty of traffic back up there. This is one of many airports dealing with flight cancelations and delays due to complications from the 38-day federal government shutdown.
More on that in a moment, but first more breaking news. A new ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that could literally have millions of Americans wondering how to feed themselves. The top court temporarily letting the Trump administration pause SNAP food security payments. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson didn't decide on the merits of the case, but did put a lower court's ruling on hold.
That ruling had required the administration to cover food stamp payments for millions of Americans who need the help, but now the U.S. Department of Agriculture will no longer need to transfer $4 billion to cover those payments, at least not right now.
Joining us for insight and analysis is Jessica Levinson. She's a Professor of Law at Loyola Law School and host of the passing judgment podcast. Jessica, welcome to "The Story Is" for the first time.
JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Great to be here for the first time.
MICHAELSON: Well, you are one of the best people at putting these complicated legal issues into plain English. So in plain English, what does this ruling actually mean for people who depend on these benefits? LEVINSON: It means there is a very temporary pause on the district
court judge's ruling that the program needed to be fully funded today. What we have is, as you said, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. She's the Supreme Court justice in charge of this circuit, saying we need to give the Court of Appeals a moment to make a decision on this appeal to that first circuit.
So what we had this morning is district court judge saying to the Trump administration, basically, I think you're dragging your feet. Fund the program fully now. Fund it today. Don't wait anymore. The Trump administration then went to the First Circuit and appealed that decision. The First Circuit refused to pause that decision and basically said, we need a minute. We're going to decide. We're going to decide quickly.
The Trump administration then went to the Supreme Court tonight -- tonight, and said, we need at least an administrative stay, the most temporary of pauses, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson agreed, and so now a lot of people are in limbo.
MICHAELSON: So what's the actual timing when a real decision could be made?
LEVINSON: So it's an estimate. At this point, the First Circuit said we're going to move really quickly. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said, you need to move really quickly. I think we're looking at not tonight, but I really think we could get something potentially within the next few days. We're not looking at weeks here. We're not looking at months. Everybody understands what we're talking about. We're talking about one in eight Americans being able to have any or full SNAP benefits.
MICHAELSON: Yeah, and the court not known for moving quickly, but I guess it can when it needs to. And Jessica, we're following another story breaking tonight. A federal judge has ruled that President Trump illegally ordered the National Guard to Oregon. The administration claimed that it needed to send troops to defend against protesters violently rebelling at an immigration facility in Portland.
But the U.S. district judge, who was appointed by Trump, that's important, ruled that there were only isolated instances of violence which did not meet the legal requirements to deploy federal troops to the city. This ruling maintains the status quo in Oregon, where National Guard troops cannot be deployed. The Trump administration likely are going to appeal this thing all the way to the Supreme Court. Your take on this, Jessica?
LEVINSON: Yes, so at this point we know that Judge Immergut has paused her ruling until the -- the Trump administration appeals to the Ninth Circuit. She said that the Trump administration does not have the power under Section 12406, in order to federalize and deploy the National Guard. She said that the Trump administration had violated the 10th Amendment by trying to do this. As you said, Elex, we can expect that this ruling will be immediately appealed up to the Ninth Circuit.
[00:05:00]
MICHAELSON: Jessica, we really appreciate your perspective. Thanks so much. We want to get more reaction now on that case from Candace Avalos. She is a member of the Portland City Council. Welcome to "The Story Is." Your first reaction to this ruling.
CANDACE AVALOS, MEMBER, PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL: Thank you. Well, obviously excitement. We are really proud of the hard work that our city attorneys did and our Attorney General to fight back, because Portlanders are not intimidated by the Trump administration. I think we showed the country how we stand our ground and how we win.
MICHAELSON: And what is sort of that lesson to the country? Because this is something that we have seen in other cities, including here in Los Angeles as well.
AVALOS: Absolutely. The federal government is insisting on overreaching in places where they have no business and clearly not doing their job where they should be, like funding SNAP, making sure that people have health care. So I think the federal government should focus on what is their duty so that us, local leaders can continue to enforce our ability to support our communities and our local sovereignty as municipal governments.
MICHAELSON: Do you have confidence that the Supreme Court is going to side with you?
AVALOS: Honestly, no. I'm very concerned to see recent cases come out of the Supreme Court. So confidence is low, but at this point, we need to use every single measure that we have, and I hope that the Supreme Court sides with us.
MICHAELSON: You know, the Trump administration has not put out an official statement in response to this so far tonight, but they have in the past argued that Portland was unsafe, describing it essentially as a war zone, and that you all couldn't keep the residents safe, so they had to step in. What's your response to that?
AVALOS: That it is untethered from the facts, as has been very clear. I think that when you look at people in frog and chicken costumes and consider that a war zone, then I think you should check your glasses. I think our community has really shown up. They have shown that we can use our voices and we have the right, the constitutional right, to protest and to speak up, and I think that our community did that in a really fun and creative way.
MICHAELSON: Candace Avalos, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.
AVALOS: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Back now to how the federal government shutdown is impacting your travel. The Trump administration is requiring airlines to cancel flights and warning that things will soon get worse. 32 air traffic control facilities across the country reported staffing shortages on Friday. More than a thousand flights canceled today, at least 5000 delayed.
The government ordered a 4 percent cut to flights to relieve stress on air traffic controllers, who right now are being paid nothing and being promised backpay when the shutdown is over. They're essentially getting an IOU. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, says the percentage of canceled flights could rise to 20 percent if the shutdown doesn't end soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We're going to see more cancelations. We're still going to watch the staffing triggers. What that means is air traffic controllers are calling in sick. That happens in different parts of the country. As that happens, you'll also see additional delays throughout the American airspace, but Sandra, the problem we really have is air traffic controllers aren't being paid, and they're being forced to take secondary jobs.
Again, whether it's waiting tables or driving Uber instead of coming to towers and doing their day jobs because they're paying for the necessities of their family, food, gas, rent or mortgages, and let's end the shutdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Austin Walker is a reporter for the CNN affiliate, KPHO in Phoenix. He's live right now from Phoenix, Sky Harbor International Airport. Austin, what are travelers telling you?
AUSTIN WALKER, KPHO REPORTER: Yeah, I think the biggest question right now is, how is this going to impact me if I have a flight out, and this is pretty deceiving, though, at Sky Harbor. You look behind me and nothing is really happening. There's no wait times. But the issue is not TSA itself. It's the towers, like we've been mentioning. We know that today the FAA's order, which says that 10 percent of flights will be cut in the next week. Right now are just 4 percent but it will grow throughout the week, and that is indicative of what we're seeing when it comes to delays and cancelations.
Here are some of these boards, though. It has done a little bit better in the last couple of hours, but still delays in Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Burbank, stretching over here as well. You can see even more, even some cancelations here in Sacramento and also San Diego. But like we mentioned, TSA is a breeze. Take a look. It's pretty much a ghost town.
People just walking straight through. But that's what travelers are kind of confused about at this point. They're not exactly sure what is happening. Now here at Sky Harbor, there is a staffing trigger tonight for the FAA facility that provides those services, for those air traffic controllers and earlier today, the FAA telling us there was about a 30 to 45 minute departure delay, and it was growing intensely, but thankfully, that has been lifted.
[00:10:00] So we're seeing some flights coming back in on time now. But for some, this has been tough to navigate. They're having three to four-five hour delays, cancelations out of nowhere, and for others, it's really just another day at the airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Delays have been a little crazy. I got here then to notice that my flight is delayed three and a half hours, so it's pushing back my plans. But, I mean, hopefully it'll get better.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really excited and confused. I mean, I'm always like, wondering what's really happening. So I can definitely say this is kind of boring, and I love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: And like you mentioned, air traffic controllers right now unpaid and really no relief in sight right now. We have heard from a few of them, and they tell us they're hurting at this point. Some people working for TSA also who are here without a paycheck. It's been rough for them trying to feed themselves and their families during this tough and difficult time.
But this all being said, if you're the ones flying on the next few days, you could be seeing some ramp up of cancelations throughout the week, into that 10 percent cut that we should be seeing sometime next week. If you are worried and you're thinking, hey, I should cancel my flight, wait just a second.
Experts say that if the airline cancels it, you will and are guaranteed a refund, but if you cancel it yourself, you'll just get a voucher that you can use for a different time. For now in Phoenix, I'm Austin Walker.
MICHAELSON: Austin, basically, it sounds like it's a real mixed bag. Some folks are impacted really bad, and other folks are just like business as usual.
WALKER: Yeah, no, exactly. I think some people are honestly confused in their questioning, is the government actually shutdown, but others have felt the pain. One woman said she was stuck in LA for a few hours in her flight for relief. That was then canceled, then finally making it to Phoenix, and now she is even further away from her destination in Boise.
So at this point, it's kind of all hands up in the air trying to figure out exactly what that next step is, and hopefully they're pleading that this government can get reopened, people can get paid and then come back to work.
MICHAELSON: Austin Walker, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
To World News Now. President Donald Trump is giving Hungary a one-year exemption from U.S. sanctions for buying Russian energy. The U.S. president met Friday with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban at the White House. Both leaders saying that Hungary needs that exemption because it's a land locked country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas. Many European countries are buying oil and gas from Russia, and they have been for years. And I say, what's that all about?
VIKTOR ORBAN, HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER: So that will be one of the issue for today to explain clearly what would be the consequences for the Hungarian people and for the Hungarian economy not to get oil and gas from Russia because we are supplied by pipelines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: For more, I'm joined now by Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen who is live in Moscow. Fred, welcome to the show for the first time. How is Russia responding to the Trump- Orban announcement?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, first of all, thank you for having me on and congratulations to the new show. And I actually just checked Russian state media, and it's by far the top item here in Russia, is that visit by Viktor Orban with President Trump. It's extremely important for the Russians, and I think one of the reasons was what Viktor Orban just mentioned there.
It's the fact that the Russians have their pipelines that go all the way into Hungary, and therefore are able to supply oil and gas through those pipelines. Keeping those pipelines open, and keeping Hungary on those pipelines and receiving oil and gas there, obviously keeps them with a foothold in Europe to supply oil and gas, possibly also if sanctions against Russia are lifted in the future by the European Union.
At the same time, Viktor Orban is a very important ally of Vladimir Putin himself, not just of President Trump, but someone who has been railing against support for Ukraine, especially by European Union countries, and someone who, at least publicly, takes the same view as Vladimir Putin as far as the war in Ukraine is concerned. I want to listen in to what both President Trump and Viktor Orban said about the conflict in Ukraine at that meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So you would say that Ukraine cannot win that war?
ORBAN: You know, miracle can happen.
TRUMP: Yeah, that's right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Viktor Orban has also been very critical of military aid for Ukraine. He's made that known within the European Union. At the same time, he does have very long term relations with Vladimir Putin. I myself have seen him here on several occasions in Moscow, of course, also visiting the Kremlin as well, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Yeah, miracles can happen. So let's talk about what's exactly happening on the ground right now in Ukraine. What's the latest?
[00:15:00]
PLEITGEN: It's a very dynamic situation, and you know, a lot of the very heavy fighting right now is centering a around one city. It's called Pokrovsk. It's in the east of Ukraine, and the Russians have sort of been besieging that city, trying to surround it, I'd say, for the better part of a year and a half. And now the Russian troops are seeping into that place, the Ukrainians there are clearly on the back foot.
They've acknowledged that. They're in danger, quite frankly, of losing that city and having their troops possibly surrounded there as well. Of course, that's something that's also playing out very big here in Russian state media, those advances that they've been making, and it's important for several reasons. This is an important logistic hubs in that part of Ukraine, both for the Ukrainians and possibly for the Russians in the future as well.
But the Russians have had this messaging of their troops moving forward for quite a long time now. One of the things that they haven't been able to do, I'd say, for about a year and a half, maybe even two years, is take a larger population center. Pokrovsk is a larger population center. So certainly it would be a big win for the Russians, both on the battlefield, but also in terms of their messaging here to the Russian population as well.
MICHAELSON: Fred Pleitgen, great to have your reporting tonight. Thank you so much joining us from Moscow.
To Rome now. A meeting between the Holy Father and a Godfather 2 star. Robert De Niro, capping off his visit with a private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, calling the experience deeply personal and very special. De Niro was in Rome for the opening of a new Nobu hotel, part of the global brand that he co-founded with renowned Japanese sushi chef. Niro also received one of the city's highest honors during his visit.
Speaking of honors, the most Grammy nominations this year goes to this artist.
(KENDRICK LAMAR'S MUSIC VIDEO OF THE SONG, "REINCARNATED" PLAYS)
MICHAELSON: Kendrick Lamar swooped in with nine nominations, but it's another artist who's also making history. Break it all down as CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister joins me after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BAD BUNNY'S MUSIC VIDEO PLAYS)
MICHAELSON: Bad Bunny is making history with this year's Grammy nomination. He's the first Spanish language artist to earn best album, record and song nominations, all in one year with his latest album, DTMF. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is here to break down all the nominations. Elizabeth, good to see you. Welcome back to "The Story Is."
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: What a moment for Bad Bunny. He is about to headline the Super Bowl, and now this.
WAGMEISTER: This is a huge moment for Bad Bunny, and we know a moment that has gotten a lot of attention both in Hollywood and DC and certainly around the world. So next year, 2026 he will come into the Grammy Awards with six nominations, as you said, making history. Then he will be the Super Bowl halftime performer. And interesting, because last year, Super Bowl halftime performer Kendrick Lamar is the most nominated artist this year, with nine nominations, and last year he was the biggest winner, walking away with five trophies.
MICHAELSON: Yeah, I mean Kendrick Lamar has gotten a lot of Grammy love for a long time when we think about him. Other big names that are getting some love, Lady Gaga.
WAGMEISTER: Yes, Lady Gaga coming in with seven nominations. So right behind Kendrick Lamar there. Then you have Sabrina Carpenter with six nominations tying Bad Bunny. And I want to give a shout out to Justin Bieber, who has four nominations for his new album. We have not seen him at the Grammys for a while, so this will be a big moment to see the Beibs back on the Grammy stage, or at least in the Grammys' room. But --
MICHAELSON: If he shows up.
WAGMEISTER: If he shows up, that's true. We hope he will. I guess we don't know yet, because it's way too early. Grammys aren't until February. But something that I want to highlight with this year's nominations overall is what this means culturally, because you have a lot of recognition for hip hop and rap, for Latin music, the most recognition for Latin music in Grammy's history, and country music completely shut out in the top four categories.
Now, of course, country music, they have their own categories dedicated to country but for the top four categories not represented this year, and that is reflective of the voting body.
MICHAELSON: Well, last year, Beyonce won the big award for her country album, but a lot of country purists didn't necessarily see that as a country album.
WAGMEISTER: Right and last year, as you said, you know, Cowboy Carter won for country album and for Album of the Year. That was Beyonce's first time winning Album of the Year in her entire career. And you are right. That generated a lot of backlash from some people. So I anticipate that this conversation about the evolution of who the Grammys is honoring will definitely get a lot of attention, specifically with that country music this year.
MICHAELSON: So you've talked about a lot of big names, but we have not talked about the biggest name of all in music, by far, Taylor Swift?
WAGMEISTER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Where's she at?
WAGMEISTER: So don't feel bad for Taylor Swift. And there is -- there are people who are angry today because they're saying she was snubbed. Where is she? "Life of a Showgirl" just came out, and it's the biggest album of all time. Well, it is, and it will be nominated next year, Elex. So we should make a date, same time, same place to talk about how she's sweeping the nominations next year. The reason why she's not eligible. So her new album, "Life of a Showgirl," it was simply released too far past the eligibility window.
[00:25:00]
So there's no snub here. Taylor still rules the world. Next year will be her year. Don't feel too bad for her.
MICHAELSON: So we'll see if Beyonce or Taylor Swift show up, maybe to present or something, because that star power is really important for a show like this. You think of the Grammys. I mean, the winds, whatever. It's really about the live performances, right? Some of the best live performances of the year. That's really what it's all about.
WAGMEISTER: It is, and look, I, you know, a perk of my job as an entertainment journalist is I get to go to the Grammys every year, and it really is one of the most spectacular nights, because you have the biggest names in music, and it's like if you paid for 10 concerts of the biggest A- listers, but in one room. So yes, we will see who performs.
We will see who presents. But right now, a lot of unknowns, because it's so far away.
MICHAELSON: The fun part is the combos that you would never see anywhere else.
WAGMEISTER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And by the way, the show is so long, it's like, you went to 10 concerts, right?
WAGMEISTER: It is.
MICHAELSON: It's like a four hour show on CBS.
WAGMEISTER: But can I tell you, it's the only show that nobody minds that runs long, right? Like the Oscars, you're like, lets it -- let's wrap this. But with the Grammys, it's fun because it's actual performances.
MICHAELSON: Great -- great to DVR it, and then go through the commercials. It's a lot of commercials on the Grammys. All right. Elizabeth, thank you so much. Great to see you here --
WAGMEISTER: Thanks Elex.
MICHAELSON: -- on a Friday night. We have more coming up right here on "The Story Is."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to "The Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories. U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has rejected an effort by Democrats to reopen the government. The new proposal would have extended Affordable Care Act subsidies for one year. It also provided a stopgap bill and three full year funding resolutions.
Thune said the proposal was a nonstarter and that decisions on the ACA subsidies would only be made when the government is reopened, not before. The U.S. Supreme Court is letting the Trump administration pause SNAP benefits for the time being. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled in favor of the government pausing a lower court ruling for now. That lower court ruling requires the Trump administration to cover food stamp benefits for millions of Americans.
However, the order does not resolve the underlying legal questions that the case raises. So stay tuned. A lot more to come on that potentially even over the weekend. A federal judge, meanwhile, has ruled that President Trump illegally ordered troops to Portland, Oregon. The judge found the Trump administration failed to prove protests at an immigration facility were so out of control that they warranted a National Guard deployment.
This is the first permanent ruling to block President Trump's use of military force in a U.S. city. Lots to get into on all of that with the panel. So we brought a great one in. Dr. Houman David Hemmati is a board certified MD and Research Scientist who often represents the conservative perspective and Political Commentator, Josh Green, known online as Josh, the Progressive. Welcome to "The Story Is" for the first time to both of you.
Josh, I understand this is your first time on CNN. So welcome.
JOSH GREEN, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Doctor, your first time on CNN in 23 years.
DR. HOUMAN DAVID HEMMATI, BOARD CERTIFIED MD & RESEARCH SCIENTIST: That's right.
MICHAELSON: So welcome back.
HEMMATI: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Good to have you guys.
HEMMATI: Let's not make it 23 years again.
MICHAELSON: Yeah, let's -- let's see how it goes. No, let's start with you, though. On the topic of this -- this shutdown, obviously it's leading to all of these problems now at the airports, people really feeling it, the SNAP benefits. People really feeling that. Who's to blame and how does this thing end?
HEMMATI: Trace -- Elex, I have to tell you, it's really sad to see this happening for so long, and we need it to really come to an end, and it can, right? This is easily solvable if they were to stop the politics to realize that we're not trying to do this, to try to help the country, but they're doing this, then they're prolonging the shutdown in order to help their own political parties, right?
The Democrats did benefit from the shutdown in -- the last these elections, just this last Tuesday, how? Much of the country was blaming the Republicans, right? Even though the Democrats could have solved this, right? The party in power is going to get the blame, and they did. And we saw the results in California. We saw it in Virginia. We saw it in New Jersey. And ultimately, I think they're going to have to come to some type of temporary solution, a Continuing Resolution that will move things along, at least for a couple of months, at least until the end of the year, I hope, right?
And while they solve these things for SNAP, they're not going to come out with, you know, some major fix to that. And with the Obamacare subsidies, which I think is the really big thing, there's no way they're going to just suddenly cut it off. And I think both sides know that, but they also know they're going to have to somehow compromise on this. And I think the only way they can compromise on this is to say, OK, we're going to gradually decrease some of these subsidies where appropriate, to the point where we reach some flat point and then continue.
But there's no way it's going to go on like this. And I think now that the elections are over, both sides see a lot of pressure to end it.
MICHAELSON: Although we haven't seen that so far. In fact, we thought that we were going to have some sort of deal by tonight. In fact, we seem farther apart. What are your thoughts, Josh?
GREENE: Well, objectively speaking, the. Republicans own the shutdown. They control the House, the Senate, the presidency. Let's be real, the Supreme Court as well. But there's a bigger issue going on, and the issue is this is the richest country in the history of the world, right?
[00:35:00]
And we're one of the only modern countries that doesn't provide health care to its people. We have billions of dollars for ICE, billions of dollars for the Pentagon, who, by the way, gives billions of dollars to Israel, and they provide free health care to their citizens. So my question is, for Republicans, why is it America first that we're subsidizing health care for another country, and yet American citizens aren't even getting health care?
MICHAELSON: But to your point about the Democrats own the shutdown. Factually, though, the Democrats are blocking this. I mean, they are stopping this, and if they would have voted for a Continuing Resolution, not even the Republican (inaudible) just like, let's keep the government open so we can negotiate, the government would be open.
GREENE: Well, this is one of the best things the Democrats have done in years actually. They're just trying to ensure that the American people are not going to have to choose between rent and health care. Think about it, health care premiums are going to skyrocket next year, thousands of dollars for regular American families, people are going to die. This is not sustainable. And today, you know, Chuck Schumer put that proposal, right?
He said, why don't we just extend the ACA by one year? Well, Republicans, that's a non-starter, apparently. They'd rather premiums just go up and there's no plan. There's no plan to give health care to people. So I don't know what we're going to do.
MICHAELSON: Are the politics of this fraught for Republicans right now?
HEMMATI: The Republicans have walked into a little bit of a minefield with the politics of this, because when you are in charge, you own it, and I think they're realizing that, and they're realizing the Democrats can use it to their advantage. The Republicans, I think should not have taken the bait, and should have come up with some sort of plan in order to compromise on something early on, and they would have had a win out of this.
And I think by being stubborn, and they're realizing this after the fact, they got to where they are right now. 2026 is coming and the midterms are coming very quickly, and they can end up in a very similar mess in 2026 that actually is far more devastating than some governorships and a proposition in California, and if they don't get their act together and have a unified plan for how to deal with this, which will include some compromises, right, this is going to repeat itself with much greater consequences.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, big breaking news tonight in Portland, Oregon, where a judge has now said what President Trump did was unconstitutional in sending troops into that region. Your response to that?
GREENE: Well, if they say it's unconstitutional, then that's what it is. But we know Trump does not care about what federal judges say. I mean, he ignores their rulings all the time. If you go to Portland, or you look at any video of Portland, it's a radically different situation than what you hear from the President. People are lining up for matcha. The most chaotic thing in Portland is it rains all the time, right?
You see frog costumes.
MICHAELSON: There's some protests there that get to be a little crazy sometimes.
GREENE: Yeah. What about DC, right? In DC, he had the National Guard. They ended up picking up trash on the ground, a complete disrespect to our military. Waste of taxpayer dollars too. Mind you, that's a serious waste right there. In LA they came here, they did nothing. I was at the protest. They stood around. It was political theater at best.
MICHAELSON: And this was a Trump appointed judge who made this ruling tonight.
HEMMATI: Yeah, and I can see why, right. You got to use military style force. And I don't think National Guard is technically military, right? It is being used in a law enforcement capacity. So it's --
MICHAELSON: It's considered troops.
HEMMATI: They are still troops, right? And they look military and they are but that should be a last resort. And I think when -- when you use it in a situation that is not 100 percent necessary, when local law enforcement isn't absolutely overwhelmed, cities are at risk of being burned down, destroyed, and we've seen times like that, by the way, in this country, right?
Like in -- like in Minnesota, in, you know, over the George Floyd riots, like in LA at various times.
GREENE: Like January 6, for sure.
HEMMATI: Well, whenever, right there are. Look at that, would have been a great time. But there are definitely times when that would be necessary, and there are other times where it's not necessarily so clear. And I think when it's not so clear, maybe you should err on the side of not doing it. And I think the judge was probably right in recognizing that.
Ultimately, though, this whole situation is going to end up in the Supreme Court. And I welcome that, because once it goes to the Supreme Court, they will rule one way or another, and we will have a law of the land that will dictate the precise rules of engagement for calling in National Guard, and at that point, we don't have to make it an issue anymore.
MICHAELSON: I think you guys are agreeing on a lot of things. You may disagree over this one, which is what Governor Gavin Newsom is now doing. He's headed to Brazil for the COP Climate Summit there. President Trump not going. Governor Newsom is going. Big week for him, Houman. He won Prop 50 in a big way. Some folks now referring to him as the likely Democratic front runner. What do you -- what is your take on what Governor Newsom is doing right now and do you think he's the front runner? HEMMATI: Well, Elex, you know, we both know that Gavin Newsom has
larger political aspirations. He admitted it on this show just several days ago, and he's doing things that are setting himself up to look like he has international global leadership potential, and going to an international climate summit is one of those things.
[00:40:00]
But if I'm in his shoes, I'm -- I'm -- I should be thinking, and he should be thinking, here I am giving him free advice that when he's on the debate stage in the primaries, as well as if he makes it to the general, and the general, he's going to have to answer to his record in California, and people are going to come back to objective issues that have occurred in California that he's not addressed, such as the fact that our gasoline refineries are shutting down one by one, and we may not have any left or many left and what are they going to do?
His own energy commission has a plan for the state to take over. It's in writing. We can't have that. That's -- that's lunacy. So he needs to be back in the state and showing people that he is actually thinking of solving our problems. Is he the front runner? There's no real race yet, but I think he's done a very good job digging himself out from being, you know, cast away by the party a little bit.
He wasn't given a floor speech at the DNC convention to being now in the spotlight.
MICHAELSON: And to that point, though, if affordability is the biggest issue that people are admitting right now, California has some real affordability challenges, whether it be the cost of housing, the problems with homelessness, the highest gas prices in the nation, real issues with income inequality. Is that a record worth running on?
GREENE: Absolutely not. I agree with Houman, what he says, But I will say this, it's pathetic that the governor of a state has to go to a climate conference and represent a state and basically our country, because the President has abandoned a sustainable future. Everything he's doing is for short term profits, to exploit our natural resources, right?
That's definitely not America First, the way we're destroying our environment and also setting us up -- setting us up for failure in the future. We're going to be way behind when it comes to the renewable race. There's going to be an opportunity to make green new jobs that stimulate our economy, but instead, we're going to be paying more money in recovery afterwards, instead of what we should be doing now, which is mitigation and preventative care.
MICHAELSON: I mean what do you say to that that President Trump is basically abandoning the world stage in this opportunity?
HEMMATI: Is there really an opportunity? I think we see much of the world moving away from climate being an imminent existential crisis to being something that we have to figure out long term, and where pollution, not necessarily climate change, is the bigger issue. When you talk about sustainable economies, look at cars, right? Electric cars. There have only been Tesla in the U.S., who's produced electric vehicles sustainably and profitably.
Everyone else has been losing tens of thousands of dollars per car. Ford is about to abandon their F-150 Lightning for goodness sakes, and that was supposed to be a blockbuster, and it's Tesla, and then it's the Chinese. No one else in the U.S. has been able to do that. Why? Because they just cost too much right now, and our labor costs, manufacturing costs are too high.
So until we figure that out, it's nice to say that we're going to do that, but until we have a way of doing it in a way that is profitable, where the government doesn't have to constantly throw money at it, we're going to flop. And that whole industry --
MICHAELSON: Industry is going to -- 30 second response.
GREENE: Look, I grew up going to school, it was basic understanding that anthropogenic climate change is going to become an existential threat for my generation and future generations, and we've abandoned that issue, because we're focusing on trivial, vile topics like homophobia, and we're talking about rounding up people with ICE. We need to be focusing on the future.
We need to be focusing on building a country that's going to be setting the tone for the sustainable future.
MICHAELSON: All right, we'll wrap up with something fun, because it is a Friday night. A lot of people are thinking about the weekend, what they're going to stream at home. So recommendations. Houman, your favorite streaming show?
HEMMATI: When I watch television, I want it to be something that is nothing serious, that is light-hearted, and there's an escape from all the stuff we're talking about now, which is way too serious and sometimes depressing. So White Lotus has been my go to, three seasons. They're beautifully shot in different locations. They're a little crazy, little outlandish, but at the same time, it's fun, and that's what I need when I watch television.
MICHAELSON: And some issues about classism, if you look into it, but all right. Yeah, Josh, your favorite?
GREENE: Right now I'm re-watching Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. He just does a good job of showing that there's more outside of just the United States. And I love the way he connects politics and culture and food, and it's just great.
MICHAELSON: You guys made those recommendations on your own, even though they both are shows owned by our company.
GREENE: That is true.
MICHAELSON: We didn't do that on purpose. Warner Brothers Discovery, of course, owns both of those. My suggestion is, White Rabbit on Netflix is really great right now with Jason Bateman and Jude Law. Thank you both for coming in. Really appreciate it.
GREENE: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: First time. Hope to have you both back soon. Up next, speaking of cars, you got to check this out. The future of aviation. We'll take you along on a flight of a personal aircraft that's straight out of science fiction. This is a California flying car, but first a quick live look at SFO, San Francisco Airport there has been impacted in a big way by delays. LAX right here in Los Angeles as well.
[00:45:00]
We'll have more on that coming up at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:50:00]
MICHAELSON: The Jetsons first imagined flying cars in 1962. Well, in 2025 the future of aviation is here, and it doesn't require a runway or a pilot's license. CNN's Nick Watt takes us along for a test flight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are clear for take-off. Have fun.
JOE MORSE, ASSOCIATE TEST PILOT, PIVOTAL: Roger that. Quick take off.
NICK WATT, CNN REPORTER: You don't need a pilot's license. You don't even need a runway. There, can you see it? Just there? If you've ever played a video game, you can fly this thing. It's one joystick, seriously, and there's a lever to release a parachute if it all goes horribly wrong. It looks awesome from down here. What's the feeling?
MORSE: Such a great feeling, the best view ever. And in normal aviation you don't get to fly this low to the ground that often. So getting to do it in this point of view is spectacular.
WATT: Am I going to stop talking to you because I don't want you to crash.
MORSE: Appreciate that.
WATT: Kitty Hawk gave birth to the age of aviation, and all this might be another massive milestone in the history of flight. It looks wrong. You know, my brain can't quite get the handle on the movement. I'm used to seeing how cars, motorbikes, airplanes, move. This just moves differently. It's disconcerting.
It's weird. I mean, it's awesome but it's weird. What are we calling this? We call it like an aircraft? We call it --
MORSE: Yeah.
WATT: -- flying car so what is it?
MORSE: So technically, it's an eVTOL, which stands for Electric Vertical take-off and landing.
WATT: eVTOL is the sexier acronym.
MORSE: Yeah.
WATT: Sexier name.
MORSE: Yeah, exactly.
WATT: And why don't you put some wheels on it and actually make it a flying car?
KEN KARKLIN, CEO, PIVOTAL: We definitely don't have the weight budget for wheels to be taken on the road, unfortunately.
WATT: Disappointed, Ken.
They got to keep it in the FAA's ultra-light category, so that you don't need a license to fly under 254 pounds before some safety stuff.
(VIDEO OF GEORGE JETSON'S CARTOON PLAYS)
WATT: But hey, his flying car didn't have wheels either. Listen, we've been dreaming of something like this since the Jetsons. Look, there's an old fashioned land car. Pivotal says they've sold five of their first model Black Fly and train dozens to fly them.
KARKLIN: One of them is a professional pilot, and he flies it to his airport from home.
WATT: So you do have somebody commuting already.
KARKLIN: We have a couple people commuting.
WATT: There is a catch. You aren't allowed to fly over so called congested areas with lots of people and buildings. Couple of other downsides. Starting price, $190,000 and for now, the battery life is only around 20 minutes. The range only about 20 miles. Pivotal says that will improve. Another issue, they won't let me fly for real because I haven't practiced long enough in the VR simulator.
(VIDEO OF NICK WATTS PRACTICING ON THE VR STIMULATOR)
WATT: Ignore my histrionics. This is very easy. I mean, this feels very cool. And I'm just pretending.
You have to pass a test in the simulator before you can buy a Pivotal personal aircraft. It isn't a legal requirement. They say they're just being responsible and also looking into uses helpful to humanity, maybe for getting a smoke jumper into a wildfire or getting a doctor to a hard to reach patient.
And of course, there's the military. You've given them to the U.S. Air Force already.
KARKLIN: That's correct for non-developmental testing, and now we're working with other agencies within the DOD. That said there's, I think, an amazing opportunity in recreation.
WATT: And one pilot told me, flying a Cessna like driving a sedate sedan, flying this is like riding a motorcycle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to the one and only Nick watt for that amazing story. At the top of the hour, more on what's going on in our airports this weekend, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Big news for frequent flyers. Qantas Airways has unveiled new images of its upcoming ultralong range jet that will soon be flying nonstop from Sydney to London or New York. The Airbus A350-1000 will be able to stay airborne for about 22 hours, almost a full day. There will only be 238 seats, but there will be a wellbeing zone so passengers can stretch mid-flight. The Australian carrier plans to launch the jet into service in 2027. That is a long time to be in the air.
Now, if you're looking for some new jewelry, we have a cool $20 million to $30 million to spare. Check these out. The glowing rose pink diamond goes for auction at Sotheby's on Wednesday. The 10 carat gem could fetch up to 20 million bucks. Sotheby's says it's especially rare because of its pure pink color, and is like a rose kissed by dew drops. That is a flex if you buy that as an engagement ring. And how about this pear shaped mellon blue diamond. Christie says it could sell on Tuesday for 30 million bucks. That would rank it as the most valuable blue diamond ever sold at auction.
Well, the world's tallest teen made a historic debut on Thursday. He became the tallest player in U.S. college basketball history. 19-year old Olivier Rioux played center for the University of Florida as they beat North Florida. The Canadian player is seven feet, nine inches tall. Keep in mind that the rim is 10 feet above the court. He can almost dunk without jumping, and he makes Victor Wembanyama look short. Thanks for watching this hour. Stay with us.
