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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Trump Answers Questions About Epstein Files; Trump Orders DoJ To Investigate Epstein Ties To Democrats; Trump Withdraws Support For Marjorie Taylor Greene. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 15, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: -- statue of an actor. The annual televised awards show honors actors and only actors in 13 categories. Well, the SAG-AFTRA union represents 160,000 actors, announcers, and journalists, including myself. The organization suggested the old name for the awards show needed to be clearer. We honor actors in film and television, they said. The next actor awards will be presented next March.
Labubu mania is jumping from toy shelves to the big screen. Sony Pictures has closed a deal to develop a movie based on those two-feet little dolls. The viral toys made by China's Pop Mart surged in popularity, prompting online bidding wars, inflated prices, counterfeit dolls, and even robberies, as demand for them skyrocketed. The film is still in the earliest stages of development, but if the toys' popularity is any indication, there is an audience ready and waiting to head to the theaters. This feels like an episode of the Apple TV show "The Studio", if you watch that. Coming up with the script about this could be part of that show.
All right. That's it for this hour, but we've got a lot more planned for the next hour of "The Story Is", which starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The story is, President Trump talks Epstein --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You got to find out, what did he know, with respect to Bill Clinton.
MICHAELSON: -- and launches a new investigation targeting Democrats, he says, who were involved with the child trafficker. The story is, can California be led by a Republican again? Steve Hilton is trying to be the next governor. He is with us live to make his case. The story is, LeBron James is coming back to the NBA likely next week. Our sports panel, Jovan Buha and former Laker great Metta World Peace here live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson. MICHAELSON: Yes. I'm especially excited about that sports panel. I'm
Elex Michaelson. Welcome to "The Story Is", on a rainy night in Southern California. More on that in a moment.
But the top story is new comments from President Trump late tonight about Jeffrey Epstein. On his flight to Mar-a-Lago, he spoke on camera for the first time about the release this week of 20,000 pages of documents from Jeffrey Epstein's estate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did Jeffrey Epstein mean in his emails when he said you knew about the girls?
TRUMP: I know nothing about that. They would have announced that a long time ago. It's really what did he mean when he spent all the time with Bill Clinton, with the president of Harvard, who you know, who that is, Summers, Larry Summers, whatever his name is, and all of the other people that he spent time with. Jeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years, but he also saw strength, because I was president. So, he dictated a couple of memos to himself. Give me a break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: President Trump also ordered the Justice Department to look into several high-profile figures, including former President Bill Clinton, for possible connections with Epstein, but it could impact the Justice Department's willingness to hand over files on the investigation. Here is why this matters.
The Justice Department is not supposed to work with the House handover documents if there is an ongoing investigation. Well, now all of a sudden, there is an ongoing investigation, just days before the House is set to vote on releasing the files next week. Last hour, here on "The Story Is", I spoke with the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia. That's the committee leading the investigation into Epstein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): At the end of the day, obviously, Donald Trump is panicked. He has the power to release the files right now, today. He campaigned on releasing the Epstein file, so did the vice president, and this idea that he has no interest now in actually getting the files to the public, when the survivors and the victims of Epstein are demanding it, is incredibly concerning, and every American should be concerned about the treatment now that Ghislaine Maxwell is getting, someone who did monstrous actions against girls and children at the time. And so, all of this points back to the White House. And why is the president covering this up, and why is he now trying to deflect a real investigation from moving forward?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Well, there is a political breakup happening now that almost nobody could have seen coming, like six months ago. President Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene, check out this post by the president on Truth Social, where he says he no longer endorses the Congresswoman from Georgia. Marjorie Taylor Greene has recently criticized the president's neglecting issues facing Americans at home. Here she is on CNN's "The Situation Room."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Keeping him on non-stop tours around the world and non-stop meetings with foreign countries' leaders, is not America first. It's just not. I think domestic policy should be the most important issue that the president and the Republican-controlled House and Senate are working on, and that showed up in the election on Tuesday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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MICHAELSON: The Republican Congresswoman has been one of the few to break with her own party and demand the full release of the Epstein files. This is what the president had to say about her from aboard Air Force One.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: By the way, I stay up 95 percent -- 98 percent of the time. The last thing I want to do is travel 22 hours in an airplane, as nice as this plane is. So, Marjorie Taylor Greene is not any way -- I mean, she has a very different thinking than I have. Something happened to her over the last period of a month or two where she changed, I think politically. I think that her constituents aren't going to be happy. Already, I have people calling me. They want to challenge her to a race in her district in Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So, for years, of course, Greene was seen as one of President Trump's most ardent supporters, like MAGA all the way.
Ron Brownstein joins us live now. He is a CNN Senior Political analyst and Bloomberg Opinion Columnist. Ron, welcome back to "The Story Is." What a story. What's going on here?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, & COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG OPINION: Look, unless your last name is Trump, and maybe even then, there is essentially zero chance that sooner or later he won't turn on you. I mean, loyalty for the president has always been very much of a one-way street. He demands complete subservience, fealty, if you want to put it more positively, and whenever anyone shows any independence, any prior service, is kind of instantly erased from the blackboard. And I don't think we know exactly why Marjorie Taylor Greene has chosen to become more critical, but I think once she did, it was almost inevitable we would end up in this place sooner than later.
MICHAELSON: Because she has been on this like weird press tour. She was on "The View."
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: She was on with Bill Maher, going into a lot of places that we never saw her before. Like, what's the angle with her?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, first, I think there is certainly a political alienation in terms of, she, I think, wanted to run for the Senate and the White House, and other Republicans did not. But she is expressing independence, and that is something that can't be accepted in the Trump-era Republican Party. And I'm really interested in how other Republicans in Congress are going to respond to this. Are they going to be -- she is a cautionary tale that no matter what you have done for the president, no matter how slavishly you have praised him or resolutely you have defended him, if you break in any way, he will seek to destroy you, and therefore I should be cowering and not seek to break in any way. Or they say, look, I mean, this is just too much.
I mean, he is asking too much. And maybe we need -- we either hang together or we're going to hang separately. I doubt that's the way they're going to go, but that would be one reasonable way of reading this, that there is just not -- there is no limit to what you can do to protect yourself. There is no way to protect yourself, and that ultimately they have to push back against that.
MICHAELSON: And yet, interestingly, this happens right before this vote next week on the House floor. And --
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- increasingly, it sounds like there is all these Republicans who seem willing to vote to release the Epstein files. What do you make of that?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. Yeah. By the way, like -- this happens on the same day that Trump's top political advisor tweets at the Republican leader in the legislature in Indiana, when they say they don't want to redistrict. Again, they don't do the mid-decade redistricting. What is Chris LaCivita to tweet at him? You just announced your retirement. In other words, they're going to beat him in a primary. And this is kind of the way they operate, right, through fear and intimidation. Many -- most Republicans agree with many of the policy goals. I'm not sure they agree to have the yoke this tight around their neck.
I think the revelations this week in the emails, despite the president making this kind of extraordinary and utterly inappropriate demand on the Justice Department to again investigate specific individuals that he views as his adversaries, I think the revelations in the emails make it much more difficult for Republicans to just kind of say, move along. There is nothing to see here. And it would not be surprising if more than the four, I believe it is, who signed the discharge petition ultimately vote for this.
I mean, President Trump's name comes up more often, according to The Wall Street Journal, in these emails, than any of the other major figures. And of course, he is the only one of them who is the president. I mean, it is more relevant than for anyone else, because he is the one who is actually in office, and also the one who has the ability to make more of this material public, if he was willing to do so.
MICHAELSON: And plenty of other Republicans telling our Manu Raju this week that they are going to vote for this. So, it will be interesting to see --
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- on what that total is next week.
Ron Brownstein, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: California Governor Gavin Newsom finishing out his week by touring a climate research facility in the Amazon Rainforest after attending the U.N.'s COP30 climate talks.
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He criticized Donald Trump's views on climate change and the U.S. government's decision not to send a high-level delegation to that conference. He has turned out for running for governor again, and the race to replace him is well underway. Polls are all over the map, but at least one poll shows a Republican leading the field for the June primary.
EMC Research found 20 percent of likely voters support Republican Steve Hilton. Democrat Katie Porter follows with 16 percent. The only other Republican in the race, Chad Bianco, came away with 14 percent. He is a Riverside County Sheriff. Meanwhile, 11 percent favored Congressman Eric Swalwell, who hasn't officially entered the race, but certainly seems like he is about to. In California, remember, the top two candidates move on to the general election regardless of party. So, you could have a Democrat versus a Democrat, a Republican versus a Republican, or a Democrat versus a Republican.
Joining me now on set is Steve Hilton, Republican candidate for Governor of California. Steve, welcome to our set for the first time.
STEVE HILTON, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: It's fantastic. Well, fun to be here with you, Elex. Congratulations.
MICHAELSON: Thank you so much. You were laughing looking at Governor Newsom in Brazil. What's your take on him and his week in Brazil, saying California is a world leader and President Trump is back at home?
HILTON: It's just performance, but it's not funny in the end, because what he is doing there and what he is touting is having no impact on the climate. It's having no effect on global temperatures or any of the things that he claims, but what it is doing is raising costs massively for Californians. We have, as a result of Gavin Newsom's climate policies, the highest gas prices in the country. We have abundant oil reserves here in California. I was right there in
Bakersfield, Kern County earlier today. We have all the oil we could need. But instead of getting it here and creating jobs and opportunity in our state, we are now importing it, including from the Amazon. Half the oil that is drilled in the Amazon Rainforest is now bought by Gavin Newsom's California, and he calls that action on climate change. The real cost, though, is paid by working class Californians. The highest gas prices in the country, higher than Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and that's what needs to change. We got to focus on making life affordable and easier for the people who are really being hurt by these policies, working class Californians.
MICHAELSON: Do you think climate change is a real problem?
HILTON: Yes, it is. I agree with the effort to protect our environment. I think of myself as an environmentalist. But you've got to do it in a practical way that actually addresses the problem realistically, but doesn't pay such a price for people in terms of their costs, that actually does more harm than good.
MICHAELSON: You bring up the issue of affordability. California is one of the most expensive states --
HILTON: The most expensive.
MICHAELSON: -- in the entire country, maybe Hawaii, depending on what you look at, but California is really expensive. So, what is the number one thing you're going to do on affordability to actually make life cheaper for the people?
HILTON: Well, it does start with energy, actually. So, the first line -- the first policy I laid out in my campaign for governor, instead of where we are right now, which is $5 gas in California, potentially heading to $6 or $7 because of these climate policies, we can reverse all that, so we have $3 gas in California. That will put more money in people's pockets immediately.
Second, electric bills. We have the highest in the country, apart from Hawaii. They have doubled in the last 10 years. They are more than double the national average, again, because of the climate ideology, which means that we are putting all the emphasis on wind and solar instead of natural gas-fired power stations. Again, we have abundant natural gas. If we just do what other states do, we can have electric bills cut in half.
Then the third, final point, we've got to cut taxes. Your first $100,000 of income, no state income tax. That's my tax plan.
MICHAELSON: How do you get that through a Democratic legislature, which, right now is Democratic super majorities?
HILTON: Well, certainly on the energy policy, a lot of that is influenced not by the legislature, but by the decisions and the daily actions of the bureaucracy, the executive branch, particularly something called CARB, the California Air Resources Board.
MICHAELSON: What do you do, appoint people to, as governor?
HILTON: You appoint people, and then you direct their work --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
HILTON: -- just as Gavin Newsom has been using agencies to shut down our oil industry, for example. We can open it up. Actually, that's better for the climate because we're no longer shipping oil halfway around the world on giant super tank, because it is spewing out carbon emissions.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about the campaign itself. For you to get into the top two, you've got to eke out a win over Chad Bianco, the Riverside County Sheriff. A lot of polls show you guys very close. How do you not box each other out?
HILTON: Well, we've got to make our case. Look, it's -- in some senses, Elex, it's very early in this race. I think most people aren't paying a lot of attention.
MICHAELSON: That primary not till June.
HILTON: Exactly. On the other hand, it's a huge state. This is the biggest race, apart from running for president. You've got -- it's a big state. I'm on the road the whole time.
[01:15:00]
I'm making my argument. I believe, because of the combination I've got, business experience, most of my career, I've been in business, I've been a small business owner, run restaurants, did a tech start up here in California. I've got government reform experience. Back in the U.K., before moving here with my wife and two sons and becoming an American citizen, I was senior advisor to the prime minister in the UK. I had my office right there next to the Cabinet Room in 10 Downing Street.
I know what it's like to try and make change happen in government and fight the bureaucracy to get results, and I think that combination is what we need, and the broad range of policy experience that I've got. I've been working on these issues for the last three years, traveling the state, my policy organization "Golden Together" --
MICHAELSON: Yes, you have.
HILTON: -- and I think I'm the right person to turn around. I'll say -- I think everyone agrees we need change.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
HILTON: So, that's what I'm fighting for.
MICHAELSON: We've been talking about it all three years since you started. Appreciate it. It will be interesting to see. Eric Swalwell, the toughest Democrat. Who is the toughest Democrat?
HILTON: I'm excited about it, Elex, because he'll bring some energy, and I think some fun into the race as well.
MICHAELSON: All right. Great to see you, Steve --
HILTON: Good to see you.
MICHAELSON: -- first of many conversations here.
HILTON: Thank you, Elex.
MICHAELSON: The story is, the weather in Southern California. In the coming hours, a new, stronger Pacific storm moving into our area. It's the second in the past two days. It's expected to bring several inches of rain. Let's go live to San Diego. Richard Allyn is a reporter for CNN affiliate KFMB-TV. Richard, welcome to "The Story Is". What are you seeing on the ground right now?
RICHARD ALLYN, REPORTER, KFMB-TV: Thanks, Elex. Well, right now, Elex, it's dry here in Oceanside. We're in the northern part of San Diego County. But earlier today, the rain did start rolling in. We had a very soggy commute. We're expecting in the next few hours for more rain to be coming in. North County, the northern part of San Diego County, is in the bull's eye of this atmospheric river. So, we are preparing for it.
Oceanside, the city we're in right now, in the northern part of the county, very prepared. Its lifeguard, swift water rescue team has been fully activated. They're monitoring for any hot spots, especially in problem areas like the San Luis Rey River, which is prone to flooding. Also, the county of San Diego is taking this extremely seriously, being very proactive. They've been out and about for the past few days now, clearing storm drains in the unincorporated areas of the county. They've been putting up fiber rolls along roadways to help prevent erosion.
And of course, like the rest of Southern California, we are under a flood watch beginning at 04:00 a.m., and that's a watch that is being taken very seriously here, especially in the city of San Diego, where back in January of 2024 we had some very intense rains. It took us by surprise, ended up flooding hundreds of homes, damaging and flooding hundreds of homes. And so, the city of San Diego also taking this extremely seriously right now.
MICHAELSON: Well, Richard Allyn, enjoy the dry time. We're certainly getting soaked in southern -- in Los Angeles right now, and it's coming towards you. Thank you so much for your reporting, and great to see you after many years.
ALLYN: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: A near-crisis on the Korean Peninsula, and in South Korea, prosecutors claim it was deliberately set in motion. We'll dive into the explosive new evidence. That's ahead.
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MICHAELSON: South Korean prosecutors have revealed stunning new evidence in their case against former President Yoon Suk Yeol, accused of trying to provoke a crisis with North Korea.
Will Ripley reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Explosive new evidence linking South Korea's martial law crisis to mystery drone flights in North Korea, a secret plot, prosecutors say, could have triggered a war. They now accuse former President Yoon Suk Yeol of deliberately trying to provoke North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, authorizing covert drone missions to push Kim into a crisis.
Recovered memos appear to confirm what North Korea claimed last fall that drones from the south crossed deep into their territory, dropping anti-government leaflets near sensitive sites, even over what's believed to be Kim Jong Un's residence. One memo says, "Must find and exploit a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We must create an unstable situation." Another lists targets meant to make the North lose face. Kim Jong Un's powerful younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, issued a fiery statement at the time, warning the south of severe consequences. Within days, North Korea blew up two cross-border roads, stopping just short of military retaliation, a response that could have sparked a wider crisis. Prosecutors say Yoon wanted that crisis, one he could have used to declare martial law and consolidate power.
KIM BYUNG-JOO, DEMOCRATIC PARTY LAWMAKER (Interpreted): It's absolutely horrifying. If this turns out to be true, it would be an unforgivable crime against the people.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Retired South Korean General Kim Byung-joo also says Kim Jong Un may have held back because more than 10,000 North Korean troops were already fighting in Russia, making a second front too risky.
Weeks after those covert drone missions, President Yoon declared martial law, citing a North Korean threat without evidence. Armed soldiers stormed South Korea's parliament. Lawmakers pushed past them, overturning the decree within hours, Yoon denies ordering the drones and denies any attempt to manufacture a national security crisis.
RIPLEY (on camera): Prosecutors say this investigation is far from over. They're still investigating military data, deleted files, and testimony from officers who operated the drones.
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If the allegations are proven, former President Yoon could face life in prison. South Korea's military has not commented on this case, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong. (END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Will.
You are watching "The Story Is." For our international viewers, "Tech for Good" is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be back with our sports panel, Metta World Peace and Jovan Buha, live in studio.
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MICHAELSON: Welcome back to "The Story Is". The story is sports, the L.A. Lakers holding it down while they wait for LeBron James to return. They beat the Pelicans in New Orleans on Friday night. 118 to 104. Luka Doncic scored 24 points with 12 assists. Austin Reaves delivered 31 points and seven assists. The Lakers are now 2-0 in the NBA Cup games and 9-4 on the season. Meanwhile, LeBron James continues to improve, as he practices with the Lakers G League affiliate. Imagine playing on the G League affiliate, and then LeBron James is practicing with you. He is recovering from sciatica, could make his season debut with the Lakers next week.
Joining me now is NBA Reporter, host of the podcast "Buha's Block", Jovan Buha. Yoyo.
JOVAN BUHA, NBA REPORTER: How're you doing, man? Good to see you. Thank you for having me back.
MICHAELSON: Great to see you as well. So, we await -- Metta World Peace is going to be joining us in a little bit. But let's start with you. NBA Cup seems to be good for the Lakers.
BUHA: Yeah. It's still getting used to the courts. They're still --
MICHAELSON: Yeah. I mean, it's --
BUHA: -- they're a bit Jarisch (ph).
MICHAELSON: Yeah. I mean, what is it? Like, you're trying to make everybody feel sick? What's going on with the NBA courts?
BUHA: Yeah. There is a lot going on with those courts. But aside from that, big win for the Lakers tonight, bounced back after they got shellacked by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. But now, 2-0 in West Group B. So, they are in the driver's seat to win that group and advance to the quarter finals.
MICHAELSON: For people that don't know, the NBA Cup is this sort of in-season tournament that the --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- NBA did to try to boost ratings or give people a reason to care, because they have too many regular season games to begin with.
BUHA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: So, they're trying to make more money off of this --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- and the players are incentivized --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- with big money themselves.
BUHA: Yeah. So, the champions get $500,000 per player. So, that -- for, obviously, the guys making $50 million, it's not that -- it's a drop in the bucket, but for the guys making $1 million, $2 million, like, that can be a sizable bonus.
MICHAELSON: And the Lakers won the first version of that when they had LeBron James on the team. LeBron James has not been on the team so far this season --
BUHA: No.
MICHAELSON: -- doing pretty well without him.
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: What do we make of his comeback? What are you hearing on that front?
BUHA: Yeah. So, I'm hearing that Monday's practice is going to be a big determining factor in terms of whether he makes his debut Tuesday against Utah or on Sunday against Utah. Lakers have a rare two-game week next week, and four days in between the Tuesday and Sunday game. So, depending on how things go on Monday, that will determine if he plays Tuesday. If they feel like he needs a little bit more of a break, he'll get a few practices in between those two games, but they could certainly use him out there.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. And -- well, let's talk about that --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- because they're playing pretty well --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- without him right now.
BUHA: I think we saw that OKC game.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
BUHA: They really missed him, and the way that they were trapping and blitzing Luca Luka Doncic, and the inability to exploit some of those four on three, three on two opportunities. I think you have LeBron in there as either the play maker or the finisher, and the Lakers' offense looks much better.
MICHAELSON: So, there is a lot of people that would love the Lakers to be the best team in the NBA, because they're the highest rated team in the NBA.
BUHA: Biggest fan base.
MICHAELSON: They've got the most --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- the most fan base around the world, but they're not the best team in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder are. They were the best team in the NBA all last season. They won the title, and one of the lowest rated games --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- of all of that. And OKC still looks really good. The whole team is back, right? I mean, their defense is something else.
BUHA: It's incredible. I think it's one of the best defenses of all time, which is saying something especially like, there is a perception with the modern NBA that people don't play defense, and this year, the offense has been up, but the gap between them and even the number two defense right now is almost six points for 100 possessions, which is a giant gap. But you saw -- just like the Lakers have succeeded without LeBron, OKC is doing this without Jalen Williams, who is their second best player. They have Ajay Mitchell, second-year guy who has popped off the bench averaging 17 a game. So, they have all these picks too. They have the Clippers pick, which, right now is looking like a lottery pick. So, they're completely loaded now and in the future, and this is looking like it's setting up to be potentially a dynasty.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks, you feel for them, right? I mean --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- that whole franchise seems to be unraveling. They fired Nico Harrison and now Anthony Davis, potentially on the trade block --
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- Klay Thompson struggling. What happens to them and what happens to Anthony Davis? Where does he go?
BUHA: It's tough, and with 80, he has got two more years left on that contract. And based on his injury history, if I'm a team looking at him, like, yes, there is the talent of -- he is a clear top 15 player, one healthy, but he has only played in 14 games as a Maverick of, I believe, something like 46, 47 potential games. So, factoring in the injury history and the extension and situation where he is eligible this summer, he has got a couple more years, like, that's a pretty tough contract to move. So, I don't really know what they do. They might just have to ride this out this season and kind of figure it out next summer, I guess.
MICHAELSON: The worst trade in NBA history --
BUHA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- keeps getting worse.
[01:35:00]
So, stay with us. Are you ready --
BUHA: I'm ready.
MICHAELSON: -- for Metta World Peace --
BUHA: I'm ready.
MICHAELSON: -- who is now known as Coach Metta. Well, he is going to be joining us. We're going to tag team this interview. Still can't wait to hear from him. You never know what he is going to say, when we come back.
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MICHAELSON: Welcome back to "The Story Is". Back with us Jovan Buha, and joining us now is Metta World Peace, who, of course, is a former NBA champion, Defensive Player of the Year, NBA All-Star, and now coach. You want to be referred to as Coach Metta.
COACH METTA, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Yeah. Thank you. Coach Metta, this is great. Coach Metta in the building, Coach Peace.
(CROSSTALK)
MICHAELSON: What are you doing? Talk to us about what you're up to these days.
METTA: Loving Los Angeles.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
METTA: Now, from New York City, obviously, got here in 2009, and I'm just loving the city of Los Angeles right now. My family and doing a lot of business and different things like that.
MICHAELSON: Where are you coaching?
METTA: I'm coaching at Cal State LA. I've been there for seven years under head coach Torino Johnson. We actually came from Palisades, and there was a season where our team started out all in 13. We won 20 games in a row to win the state championship. So, that's my head coach.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. BUHA: Well, what's your coaching style like?
[01:40:00]
Are you running the triangle? Or like --
METTA: Absolutely. We're not going to run from the triangle because it's cool and it's trendy. Triangle doesn't work. No, not initially. You know what? We love the triangle. We're using the triangle world, just so you know.
MICHAELSON: And that's Phil Jackson's old coaching style, Tex Winter --
METTA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- which you won the NBA title on. Michael Jordan won --
METTA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- all of his titles on as well.
METTA: The triangle will live.
MICHAELSON: The triangle lives on.
METTA: It lives on. It lives on.
MICHAELSON: It lives on with Metta.
METTA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Well, JJ Reddick has not run the triangle. With the Lakers right now. What do you make of the current team?
METTA: I think the team is really good, obviously, King James, a little older. So, he needs breaks every now and then. The team is showing that without King James. They can still play well. So, when he comes back, he'll do pretty solid. They got a lot of X factors. Guys, I didn't know about, like Lavia (ph). I'm sorry. I think I'm pronouncing his name wrong.
BUHA: LaRavia.
METTA: LaRavia. Sorry. Sorry. LaRavia. Guys like that, just coming out of nowhere, for the most part, that team is solid.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. What -- how do you think LeBron fits into that team? Because if you're that team, and you've been playing like this, and now you have him come back into it.
METTA: I think, as players, you got to do what the coach asked, then you got to put your game on the line, meaning, don't wait for King James. Know what have got to do. The objective is to win. Everybody wants to win, and if you win, everybody would be happy. So, I would advise to them, don't just wait for King James to do something kingly. Go be the best you can be, and support the team and let the chips fall where they may.
MICHAELSON: What's your big Lakers question?
BUHA: What have you seen from Luka and Austin together this season, and sort of that two-man pairing?
METTA: They're so good. They almost don't mix. They're too good. But, team ball wins. There is enough room for everybody to be successful. They're showing it, and I like that. Luka is in shape. Last year, he comes from Dallas, and -- he comes to L.A. and we know -- we like his -- he is a star. We know that. But we saw that he wasn't in shape. He dedicated himself this summer, and now I'm enjoying Luka as well, because he is better.
MICHAELSON: Well, we see these pictures of A.D. in Dallas, who now looks like he has put on some weight. What are they feeding them in Dallas? What's going on there?
METTA: Barbecue, biscuits and gravy, southern hospitality --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
METTA: -- sodium.
MICHAELSON: A lot of sodium is going on there. You played, obviously, with some of the greatest players of all time. Do you have a favorite Kobe Bryant story, something that we all can learn from Kobe?
METTA: A couple of things. So, one story, he came to my room at the end of his career and he said, Metta, get those beats ready. I told this story a lot, and he wanted to rap. So, he said, Metta, get those beats ready. I always keep beats with me. Guys, stay ready. And he just came to the room and just wrapped for like an hour. It's the end of his career.
MICHAELSON: He is rapping with you? You're playing the beats?
METTA: No, over my beats. Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
METTA: He is just rapping. He said, put the next one on, put the next one on --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
METTA: -- and we did that for an hour. And it was just incredible to spend that type of time, not only to my teammate, but somebody I really admire.
MICHAELSON: What do you think? Obviously, people talk about "The Mamba Mentality." But for you, seeing it up close, what do you think made that work?
METTA: I think it is hard work. He wasn't afraid to put his body on the line. When your body is not working in game seven or into your career, whatever, you got to tap into something else, and he wasn't afraid to feel that extra pull in his calf. When you start pulling your calf muscle, that means something is wrong. Kobe is like, I don't care what's wrong. I'm going to fight through it. If I injure myself, I injure myself. That's type of guy he was.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. And what are your big takeaways on that front?
BUHA: Yeah. No. I mean, I want to ask you about the modern state of defense right now. And looking at, we were talking about the --
METTA: Yeah.
BUHA: -- Oklahoma City Thunder --
METTA: Right.
BUHA: -- and the way that they're defending right now --
METTA: Exactly.
BUHA: -- team defense, incredible, but what have you thought of the Thunders' starts to the season?
METTA: I think it is great. They definitely took a lot of pages out of my book, and they're playing --
BUHA: All playing defense.
METTA: -- old school, run our test-type defense --
BUHA: Yeah.
METTA: -- Metta World Peace, a little bit more, Zen guy. But they run our test defense.
MICHAELSON: What is run our test defense? Define run our test defense.
METTA: It's like Mozart. It's really technical. It's Einstein-ish. It's lock up, and the only way to be OKC, you have to have me coaching against OKC.
BUHA: I love it.
METTA: There is no other way.
MICHAELSON: How would you coach against OKC?
METTA: I wouldn't give all my secrets away.
MICHAELSON: OK.
METTA: This is tough.
BUHA: This is American --
MICHAELSON: CNN Exclusive. Come on. The story is -- METTA: Top secret. I'm the Secretary of Defense. I just can't give it
away.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
METTA: I'm running the country here. No good.
MICHAELSON: Now, we have the Secretary of War. It's changed.
METTA: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. Yeah.
METTA: Secretary of Peace.
MICHAELSON: OK.
METTA: I think you have to use offense to wear down a defense.
[01:45:00]
They play 10 guys, and that's really tough. If you're not ready for that, if you don't coach like that, it's tough to beat.
MICHAELSON: Another thing you're doing now is boxing, promoting, or coaching. Tell us a little bit about that.
METTA: Managing.
MICHAELSON: Managing?
METTA: Absolutely. So, my dad -- if you go to boxrec.com, it's where every single boxer in the history records are at, everything. My dad is actually on BoxRec. My dad was a professional fighter. He went two in one. He stopped boxing at 77, met my mom, and lost focus a little bit, but then he had me, and he had me. And so, he recorded two in one. And I always wanted to give him four fights. And actually, when I was 24, Angelo Dundee, my dad met Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's trainer, and Angela Dundee said, I see you getting a lot of technical fouls. A lot of -- you got a lot of energy. I think you'll be a good boxer. So I said, OK, I'll train for 10 years. I'll turn pro at 20 -- at 35, but the brawl happened. When the brawl happened, I was going to announce that yet. I was going to turn pro boxing. But --
MICHAELSON: The brawl is, you're talking about the "Malice at the Palace".
METTA: "Malice at the Palace", yeah, "Malice at the Palace".
MICHAELSON: -- and you got into a fight, and it became a --
METTA: A big fight --
MICHAELSON: -- huge thing in the middle of the game --
METTA: -- over some ice cream. I couldn't believe it. It was the whole ice cream. This guy --
(CROSSTALK)
METTA: If you want ice cream, I'll buy you ice cream.
MICHAELSON: So, before the "Malice at the Palace", you were planning on becoming a professional boxer?
METTA: I was going to trade for 10 years and focus on it, and then -- while playing. But then, when the brawl happened, I didn't want to come out and say, I'm going to box, because my life was destroyed --
MICHAELSON: Right.
METTA: -- over ice cream.
BUHA: What is your fighting style going to be?
METTA: You know what? I don't really know, but defense would have been incredible. My left jab, I think it would have been incredible. I think I jabbed to the belly. I think I jabbed to the top, and I think the fight is over.
MICHAELSON: Well, it is great talking with you. Congratulations. Will you stick around? I want to see your baby.
METTA: Yes. I'm -- yeah. I'm nanny.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
METTA: My son is here, and we'll bring him out.
MICHAELSON: OK. We'll bring him out. When we come back, a little bit more with Metta World Peace and Jovan Buha and more news. You're watching "The Story Is".
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[01:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Welcome back. A man in London has been sentenced to more than a year in prison for stealing a signed Banksy print. Police say this video shows a 49-year-old man named Larry Fraser smashing into an art gallery last September. Once inside, you see the thief take something off the wall. Well, it was a print of Banksy's famous "Girl with Balloon" piece. That print is worth more than 300,000 bucks. Investigators say they identified Fraser from that surveillance video. Well, they arrested him three days later. They recovered the stolen print. The gallery's manager thanked police, saying their response was, quote, "remarkable".
YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, isn't just making videos anymore. He is testing out an immersive theme park experience in Saudi Arabia, of all places. CNN's Bihan (ph) Hosseini takes us inside -- Bijan Hosseini takes us
inside Beast Land.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN PRODUCER (on camera): MrBeast just opens a theme park. Check out this video he posted.
MRBEAST, YOUTUBER (on camera): This thing is the craziest thing I've ever done.
HOSSEINI (on camera): Visitors to Beast Land, yes, that's what it's called, can actually try real life challenges from MrBeast's YouTube videos. Some of the games include launching balls from catapults, hidden trap doors, and zip line drops, just to name a few.
MRBEAST (on camera): People ask me all the time, MrBeast, I want to compete in one of your videos. Well, now you can. This theme park is filled with some of the craziest challenges and most insane prizes we have ever given away.
HOSSEINI (on camera): MrBeast, the most popular YouTuber on the planet, opened the theme park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When asked on X, why he chose Saudi as a location, he replied, middle of the world, because a majority of my audience is outside America, and we have a big Middle Eastern fan base. I wanted to give them a chance to participate.
There are three different ticket tiers, starting at $7 and going all the way up to $66 for the top level called Beast Mode Plus. That includes access to all of the games, rides and challenges. The park is only open for a limited amount of time through December 27, and it is part of Riyadh season. It's the country's annual entertainment and tourism festival, which brings concerts, pop-up attractions and massive celebrity events to the capital.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: And we wrap things up for the week. We've got Jovan Buha, and Metta World Peace, NBA legend, NBA champion. And you brought some company. This is your son? Who is this here?
METTA: This is Jeron, Jeron, and he is clinking on. Say hi. You're on TV. Don't mess it up now. OK? You got to perform. Blow the kiss like that. Game seven, you ready?
MICHAELSON: And you're about to be a father again?
METTA: Well, I want more babies.
MICHAELSON: And how many babies you have at this point?
METTA: I had my first at 16-years-old, and then I have two every year. And I got three grandchildren. I want more. I have 70 nieces and nephews --
MICHAELSON: Wow.
METTA: -- and -- like, one of my sisters has eight children, and then our nephews and nieces are also making, sorry, taxpayers. Apologize to the fans.
MICHAELSON: And your grandson is actually younger than some of your other --
METTA: Yeah. He is actually younger than two of his niece.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
METTA: So, his seven-year0old niece says, I'm --
MICHAELSON: You have grandchildren that are older than him, is what you're saying.
METTA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. Yeah.
METTA: Yeah. There you go.
MICHAELSON: He likes the colors and all this. What is Metta the dad like?
METTA: I'm a hippie dad.
MICHAELSON: Hard to believe that.
METTA: Yeah. I learned from Phil.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
METTA: But I cannot pretty much go have fun, do what you need, do whatever you want to do in life.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
METTA: I think this life has a lot to offer. Oh, look at you. Now he is up.
MICHAELSON: So cute.
[01:55:00]
One last basketball question. Who do you think would be the hardest player in the NBA to guard right now?
METTA: Wembanyama.
MICHAELSON: Victor Wembanyama, who he is like --
METTA: He is cheating. He shouldn't be allowed.
MICHAELSON: -- he says he is seven foot six -- METTA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- or whatever. It seems like he is seven foot eight or so.
METTA: I know. He should not be allowed. Like, some people, you can't play too tall. Too good. Sorry. Too good. Too good. Too tall.
MICHAELSON: Too good.
METTA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. I mean, do you think -- he could be. I mean, if he gets it together, it could be one of the best ever, right?
METTA: I mean, we didn't get a chance to see Wilt. Now you get a chance to see Wilt.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
METTA: This is -- anybody who did not get a chance to see Wilt Chamberlain, here you go.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. All right. Well, Metta World Peace, we look forward to seeing you coach, hopefully in the NBA. Hire this guy.
METTA: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: You can check out Jovan Buha at "Buha's Block" on YouTube and also as a podcast.
Thank you all for watching us all week here on the "The Story Is". We had so much fun, and thank you for letting me do this. This was a blast. We hope you have a great weekend. We'll be back on Monday for more. The news continues right after this. And because I'm such a homer right now, why not? Go Lakers.
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