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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Trump Administration Begins Federal operations in Louisiana; Minnesota Leaders Push Back Against Raids Targeting Somalis; Watchdog Finds Defense Secretary Hegseth Risked Endangering Troops in War Plans Chat Leak; San Francisco Sues Manufacturers of Ultra Processed Foods; Two Arrested for Vandalizing L.A. Synagogue; Florida Governor Echoes Trump's Criticism of Somalis in Minnesota; Watchdog Finds Hegseth Endangered Troops with Signal Chat; Actors on Actors: Brendan Fraser and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Discuss Their Careers. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired December 04, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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COATES: I fudge a little bit because some of them are basic Disney tunes that my kids have put on there, and I don't want people thinking that's my, like, listening age. Thank you very much. Either way --
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: So you lied about your list?
COATES: Your show is coming up right now. Everyone, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson -- let me go ahead and start blinking right here. I didn't like. I gave an alternate truth.
MICHAELSON: That's the thing. Alternate facts.
COATES: Lie with a smile.
MICHAELSON: All right.
COATES: Bye.
MICHAELSON: Maybe you'll get elected president.
THE STORY IS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS immigration rates. The first arrests are already being made in Louisiana while controversy intensifies in Minnesota.
THE STORY IS what we eat. San Francisco, the first city to sue food makers over ultra processed foods. City attorney joins me live.
And The Story Is actors on actors. Elizabeth Wagmeister catches up with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Brendan Fraser. CNN announces a new partnership.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: And welcome to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. We got a lot going on tonight. But we begin with this. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown has now spread to Louisiana with federal operations underway across that state. Top Border Patrol official Greg Bovino and masked agents were seen in a Home Depot parking in New Orleans suburbs on Wednesday.
Bovino has become the on-the-ground face of President Trump's efforts for mass deportations. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says they are going after, quote, "the worst of the worst criminal offenders." City officials, however, say they're concerned the federal government is not targeting the most violent people, as it claims.
CNN's Ryan Young reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The official start of this operation started on Wednesday, and Border Patrol agents were seen throughout Louisiana making arrests and detaining people. Video has spread throughout social media really making people concerned about what the next steps could be. We know the operational number that they want to arrest is at least 5,000 people.
Some folks feel like that's a number that's way too high. But for community members, that has really scared them. We saw restaurants that had their doors shut, had signs up saying no ICE or CBP. We also saw restaurants handing out whistles just in case members of ICE or CBP were in the area. They could blow those whistles to alert the neighborhood. There was a slowdown at some of the stores as well because people weren't coming in, and we actually saw some of the grocery stores in neighborhoods trying to slow down, if not close early on Wednesday afternoon.
From there, we've been trying to figure out what were the next steps be when someone was detained. There is a belief that they will be taken to an ICE facility before moving to Mississippi. That's something that we're still working through. As we talk to the mayor- elect, she really had some concerns about how this would move forward for her community.
HELENA MORENO, NEW ORLEANS MAYOR-ELECT: What they're seeing is what appears to be racial profiling of brown people and then going after these individuals and treating them like they are these significantly violent offenders.
YOUNG: One thing that stands out that's different about this operation is the state is involved. This is the first red state that's been involved in this sort of operation. Of course, when it happened in Chicago or California or even North Carolina, those states are run by Democrat governors. And so here you have a Republican governor, and the structure really has set up itself to make sure that these agents not only will get escorts, they will be able to make the arrest they want to make.
And it's been also made clear by the FBI and the state troopers that if anybody tries to impact or stop these Border Patrol agents from making arrests, they will face prosecution.
Ryan Young, Saint Rose, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: That governor thing is a big difference, Ryan. And Minnesota is a state where there is a Democratic governor and a different response. Officials there are pushing back against the federal immigration raids that are specifically targeting the Somali community. Minneapolis has banned immigration enforcement activities from city owned parking lots and other areas. Unclear if they have the legal ability to do that.
The mayor of Minneapolis has invited President Trump to visit the city after the president again called Minneapolis a, quote, "hellhole," and attacked the Somali community. President Trump is also specifically calling out Somali-American congressmember Ilhan Omar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They have destroyed Minnesota. She should not be -- and her friend shouldn't be allowed. Frankly, they shouldn't even be allowed to be congresspeople. OK? They shouldn't even be allowed to be congresspeople because they don't represent the interests of our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: They have been elected by their constituents. Minneapolis officials are coming to the defense of the Somali community vowing to protect their rights. Congresswoman Omar, on CNN today, saying she is not surprised by President Trump's rhetoric against her and other Somalis in Minnesota.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): I'm not shocked because we know that the president oftentimes resorts to very bigoted, xenophobic, Islamophobic, racist rhetoric. To me, it is important for us, one, to remind folks that we are Americans. We're not going anywhere, and we will continue to be in this country. And two, that Minnesotans are resilient.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Ilhan Omar speaking with Jake Tapper there.
Meanwhile, CNN is learning exclusive details about the failures a Pentagon watchdog reportedly found after months long investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the Signal messaging app. According to four sources, the inspector general concluded that Hegseth risked compromising sensitive war plans, which could have endangered American troops when he used the app for a group chat before an attack on Houthi rebels.
The White House has a different take, echoing the response from Hegseth on social media, "No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission."
More now on all this from CNN's Natasha Bertrand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: What they seem to be fixating on here is the notion that the inspector general could not definitively say that he shared classified information on Signal because technically the Defense secretary has original classification authority, and he is able to declassify information as he wants.
Now, the problem with that is that the inspector general essentially had to take Hegseth's word for it in writing because Hegseth would not sit for an actual interview with the IG because there was no documentation at the time that Secretary Hegseth actually declassified this information prior to posting it on Signal. But when it comes to the personal ramifications for Secretary Hegseth, it doesn't seem at this point like there will be any.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: That was Natasha Bertrand there obviously earlier on tape.
Two weeks after Congress voted for the release of the Epstein files, there is still no sight of them, and many wonder what is taking the U.S. Justice Department so long. So they have until December 19th. Meanwhile, House Democrats have released never before seen images from the late sex offender's private Caribbean Island where underage girls and young women were sexually abused and trafficked.
The photos and video seen here show several bedrooms and bathrooms from the opulent estate, as well as images of what looks like a dentist chair. It's in a room filled with strange looking masks hanging on the walls.
President Trump says he is rescinding fuel economy standards put in place by the Biden administration. On Wednesday, he accused the former president's policy of being, quote, "anti-economy," claiming it was detrimental to the industry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Now, under the new rules being issued today by Secretary Duffy, the Department of Transportation will rescind the Biden fuel economy prices. These policies forced automakers to build cars using expensive technologies that drove up costs, drove up prices and made the car much worse. The action is expected to save the typical consumer at least $1,000 off the price of a new car, and we think substantially more than that. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The Biden administration proposed higher standards for vehicles driven by Americans. Former standards also promoted the use of electric vehicles claiming to fight climate change. Auto company CEOs thanked the president for the reversal.
We take you live right now to the Bay Area. You're looking there now. The city of San Francisco is suing 10 different food manufacturers claiming that their ultra processed foods are responsible for a public health crisis. Those companies include Coca-Cola, Nestle, PepsiCo, Kraft, Heinz, Post, General Mills and Kellogg. The lawsuit claims that ultra processed foods like candy, chips, and soda are designed to induce cravings and be overconsumed.
The suit cites studies linking them to diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, and cancer. San Francisco city attorney says the industry has profited handsomely from a public health crisis. It engineered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CHIU, CITY ATTORNEY OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: The industry has created thousands of new chemicals, which the body metabolizes and craves differently. And they are designed to be addictive. Addictiveness is a feature, not a bug.
I want to just share a quick, personal story. When I was a kid, my mom used Pringles to get me to take swim lessons. And to this day, I love my Pringles. But they are designed to be highly addictive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Well, I mean, they literally say, once you pop, you can't stop.
Joining me now is the city attorney of San Francisco, David Chiu.
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Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
CHIU: Thanks for having me on. And I realize I need to talk to mom about Pringles.
MICHAELSON: So let's like make this really simple for people. If you win this, what does that actually look like for the average person who goes to the grocery store? I know you want changes when it comes to advertising, and you want changes when it comes to getting money back. What does it mean for the average person?
CHIU: Well, fundamentally, we brought this lawsuit because these companies have designed food to be addictive. And like big tobacco, they knew that these products make us sick. They made billions of dollars off it, and we have to clean up the mess. What we are asking the court to do is to hold this industry accountable, for them to end their deceptive advertising and marketing tactics that they learned from big tobacco, and to help offset the enormous health care costs that they've imposed on patients, on cities and states, on our health care system, by paying restitution and civil penalties because they created a public health crisis.
All the studies that we know of have confirmed this link to chronic diseases that you've described. Obesity, type two diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, international consensus. And this has to end.
MICHAELSON: There are some people that might say, look, maybe I agree with some of that, but it's not the government's role to do this. Why shouldn't I be able to stuff my face with as many bad choices as I want? Isn't that the American way to be able to have the freedom to eat whatever you want?
CHIU: Absolutely. People are free to eat whatever they want. We're not with this lawsuit asking to ban any of these products, but the reality is, American consumers really don't have a choice when they go to the supermarket, because at this moment, the American food supply, 70 percent of it is ultra processed foods. And we're talking about food that's not food. Food that's not found in nature.
This is an industry that has made thousands of artificial chemicals, and they've combined these artificial chemicals with an industrialized process where addictiveness, as I've said, is a feature, not a bug. They have flooded the food system. And so in that instance, consumers really don't have a choice. And so many consumers want other choices, but they go to their supermarkets and all they see, all that's marketed to them are ultra processed foods. And many Americans live in what are known as food deserts.
MICHAELSON: Right.
CHIU: They have very few options, and in particular in those areas, all they get to choose if they can buy it is ultra processed foods.
MICHAELSON: And we see that especially in a lot of low-income neighborhoods where those choices are not really choices. So the Consumer Brands Association, which is, kind of represents most of these companies, responded to the suit by saying this, quote, "There is currently no agreed upon scientific definition of ultra processed foods and attempting to clarify or classify foods as unhealthy simply because they're processed, or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content, misleads consumers." Your response to that?
CHIU: Well, this is, again, the industry simply trying to deny, deceive and lie to the public. They've been doing this for decades. In our lawsuit, we document the fact that in 1999, food executives came together and some of the executives told others, we know what we're doing, and this is going to be terrible for the public health of our country. It's going to cost $100 billion. It's going to have a health toll that's similar to bacco.
And they were ignored. And this argument around the definition of ultra processed food is simply a red herring. There are very clear definitions of what ultra processed foods are. It's foods that have these chemicals. It's foods where these chemicals were put together with this industrialized process. They're simply trying to distract from the fact that there have been many, many studies that have come out. The international consensus of the scientific community that document exactly the link between ultra processed foods and the public health crisis we're experiencing right now, the skyrocketing health care costs that we all have to pay as taxpayers, as communities and as patients.
MICHAELSON: Well, we know that Governor Newsom is taking on ultra processed foods in school lunches. But we also know that the secretary of Health and Human Services, also a Californian, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the make America healthy again movement is very focused on the issue of ultra processed foods. Have you spoken to the secretary at all about this? Do you see any way of working with the federal government to combine forces on this?
CHIU: I think when California and the Trump administration agree on something, people really need to listen because this is one of those times when the science is so clear that Americans across the political spectrum agree this food is terrible for us.
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This food is making us sick. This food is literally killing us. And while we disagree with many things that RFK and the Trump administration will say when it comes to this science we're all on the same page. And I think folks need to understand it and understand the science. Follow the scientists, follow the doctors, follow the medical establishment. When every single month there's a new medical journal, a new scientific journal that is confirming what we have known for years, we need to follow that in order for us to make America healthy.
MICHAELSON: I mean, it is amazing if you're in Europe and you eat food there and you just feel better because a lot of the stuff is not processed and you lose weight simply by walking around because you're not eating all the processed food. But you didn't answer the question. Have you talked with RFK Jr., and is there any word on maybe working together on this?
CHIU: I have not spoken to the HHS secretary. I would be happy to. We'll work with anyone who wants to partner with us on this because we are at risk of having an entire generation of Americans that are suffering from an epidemic of preventable diseases. It's costing our economy enormous dollars. And this is an industry that needs to be accountable. This is an industry that needs to change.
MICHAELSON: All right. And we'll see if we can set you guys up together. That would be an interesting combination.
David Chiu, city attorney for San Francisco, thank you so much. Appreciate you taking time tonight.
CHIU: Thanks for having me on.
MICHAELSON: Now to the war in Ukraine, where peace negotiations are ongoing. Reuters reports that the Ukrainian delegation will meet with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Miami on Thursday. This comes after lengthy talks in Moscow between Russia and the U.S. this week. President Trump hailed it as a very good meeting, despite U.S. officials leaving without any major breakthrough that they said publicly at least.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country was heard and listened to at recent meetings and he expects that those meetings will go on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are preparing meetings in the United States of America. Everything is developing quite effectively right now at the meetings in Geneva and in Florida. Ukraine was heard and listened to. And this is important. We expect it will continue this way. Only by taking Ukraine's interests into account is a dignified peace possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Zelenskyy's comments came after Ukrainian officials met with European and NATO allies in Brussels.
Here in Los Angeles, the mayor and faith leaders are condemning an antisemitic protest at a local synagogue today. Rabbi Joel Nickerson from the Wilshire Boulevard Temple will be here live to discuss. Our exclusive interview, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: Police here in Los Angeles are stepping up patrols near places of worship after an antisemitic protest at a synagogue. The LAPD says the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown was vandalized. Two people were arrested. The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, says that she received reports that protesters disrupted a private event, calling attendees antisemitic names and damaging property inside the temple. She posted on X, quote, "The behavior is abhorrent and has no place in Los Angeles."
The demonstration was organized by a local pro-Palestinian activist group in opposition to a private event hosted by the Israeli consulate at the temple's campus, at least according to the "L.A. Times."
Joining me now live is Rabbi Joel Nickerson of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple.
Thanks so much for being here. Sorry we're talking under these circumstances. So you're having an event, a gathering that's actually bringing together the Korean community locally and the Jewish community to talk about public safety. Then folks get into this. You think that they're there for the right reasons, but they're not.
RABBI JOEL NICKERSON, WILSHIRE BOULEVARD TEMPLE: Yes. Here we were bringing together local advocates for public safety in Koreatown. The Jewish community, the Korean community, and 40 to 50 protesters, demonstrators, heckling, using bullhorns outside of our walls. We have a secure property, saying antisemitic slurs blocking our driveway so that people couldn't get into the property.
We have an elementary school. We have a preschool on that property. We had people from the community. We had the consul general of Korea there as well. And yet in this space where we are talking about public safety, they heckle. They came in with the -- with the purpose, really, of just disrupting this event.
MICHAELSON: What are they saying to you?
NICKERSON: They're saying things like words that I won't use on the air.
MICHAELSON: Fair.
NICKERSON: Of course, calling us genocidal pigs. Also going after LAPD, talking about intifada. There they were in front of a place where we have kids who are in classrooms on bullhorns yelling out intifada, which is basically saying death to all of you. So for us as a Jewish community already dealing with such pain and fear over these last two years, to not feel safe in our own neighborhood it was a really troubling time.
And we did get some nice outreach from the city. But I think this is a time for our elected officials and allies to come together and protect the Jewish community and protect all houses of worship.
MICHAELSON: And we've seen a rise in antisemitism all around the world, especially since October 7th. What do you think is going on? Why is this happening?
NICKERSON: Well, it has been around from the beginning of time.
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You go back to the Book of Exodus. That is the first reference to the idea of antisemitism and conspiracy theories against Jews. So it's been around for a long time. I don't think it's ever necessarily going to completely disappear, but it's ramping up, and I think that's due to a whole variety of factors, whether that's social media, whether that is, of course, what is happening in the Middle East.
And also an underlying antisemitism that's been there a long time. And now there is this sense that it's OK and it's being brought into the fold as though it's an appropriate language. And there is just such hate speech going on right now, and such a use of -- a lack of nuance and complexity for things that we really should be talking about the gray area, instead of such black and white. And that's one kind of conversation. But if you're going to be yelling out about the destruction of my people in front of my house of worship, that crosses a line. That's not OK.
MICHAELSON: Well, the city attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, telling the "L.A. Times" that she's now looking into prosecuting these folks as well. We'll keep you updated on that.
Thank you for coming in. We appreciate it.
NICKERSON: Of course. Yes.
MICHAELSON: And hatred of all kinds is not OK.
We'll be right back with more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: I'm Elex Michaelson. You're watching THE STORY IS. Let's take a look at some of today's top stories.
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Former U.S. health officials say that the Trump administration is putting people's health at risk by making significant vaccine policy changes.
The warning comes as a CDC advisory committee is set to vote on a major change to the vaccine schedule, which could delay the hepatitis B vaccine normally given to newborns by weeks or even years.
Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar has filed for reelection in Texas after he was pardoned by the Republican president of the United States for bribery charges.
Cuellar denied any wrongdoing, and the president accused the Biden administration of taking out a member of its own party.
Cuellar is one of the most conservative House Democrats, opposing abortion rights and advocating for tougher border security.
House Democrats have released never-before-seen photos and video from the private Caribbean island of the late Jeffrey Epstein. They shed new light on what used to be the epicenter of the convicted sex offender's abuse of young girls and women.
This comes as lawmakers continue to press for the release of the Epstein files. The Justice Department has until December 19th to do so.
Let's talk immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Why did we, over many decades as a government -- obviously not me or current Trump administration -- but what had happened to bring in so many people who really don't necessarily want to assimilate?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That's Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, there, taking swipes at the Somali community in Minnesota. Let's bring in our political panel. Joining us live now is Lynn
Vavreck, professor of American politics at UCLA. She's our returning champion. And our newcomer, Michael Genovese is president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount. Two of the best political minds in Southern California.
Welcome to you both. Good to see you.
LYNN VAVRECK, PROFESSOR OF AMERICAN POLITICS, UCLA: Thank you.
MICHAEL GENOVESE, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: Thank you so much.
MICHAELSON: All right. As our returning champion, let's start with the -- the issue of immigration. And -- and clearly, President Trump has always seen this as a winner for himself.
VAVRECK: That's right. This is not a new issue for the president. You think back to 2016, 2020 the years in between, even 2024. It's not always immigration. It's identity. People's identities. Often, it's race and ethnicity, and so this is a common refrain for him.
But public opinion may be shifting a little bit, now that these ICE actions are taking place. That's the important part about what's going on right now in terms of public opinion.
MICHAELSON: I mean, is this the most important issue for him?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, it's important. And he's ridden this horse for a long time. He's overplayed his hand. I think you're correct. It was the issue for him. It was always a winner. It's now starting to backfire, because they overplayed their hand.
And now you're seeing in different cities American citizens being arrested, children being taken away. That's not a good image. Americans don't like to see that.
They voted -- we voted for him to get rid of criminals, but he's getting rid of everyday citizens and everyday folks. And that really -- the optics are terrible for Donald Trump.
MICHAELSON: But the base still seems to like this.
VAVRECK: Yes.
MICHAELSON: We've -- you pointed us to this poll that YouGov recently did. Let's put it up on the screen.
And it shows, in terms of where Republicans and Democrats are on the issue of immigration. Are you concerned someone you know could be mistreated by ICE? Look at that: 75 percent of Democrats are; 16 percent of Republicans are. That's one of the poll results.
Another one we want to show you shows similar results in terms of do you approve of how ICE is handling its job? Twelve percent of Democrats say yes. Almost 80 percent of Republicans still approve. So, people see this very differently.
VAVRECK: Yes, this is good evidence of two things: that people understand the parties want to build different worlds, and they know which world they prefer, and they're loyal to their parties. They have these positions. They're loyal to the positions.
And the second thing is people have very different lived experiences. This question about are you concerned someone you know may be mistreated by ICE? These are really different experiences people are having.
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But maybe, Elex, I can tease what I think is the most interesting part, are the independents.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And so -- and what -- and what do they say?
VAVRECK: Yes. So, the independents are looking much more like Democrats now. They're in the middle. They're always going to be in the middle. But 65 percent of independents are saying they disapprove of the way that ICE is handling its job.
People don't think there are any, but there's nobody in the middle anymore. But there are people in the middle. And in these really closely divided elections, those are the people that are going to swing this thing. And that's what I'd be thinking about if I were the president.
MICHAELSON: And, Michael, when we look at recent polling, those people are also very focused on the economy, those independents. And that's part of the reason that right now, President Trump has the lowest approval rating of his second term at 36 percent.
GENOVESE: That's right. The message that he is conveying is that there's not a problem, that everything's fine. There's no inflation. And that doesn't match with real lived experiences of human beings.
And so, when he says that, it rubs people the wrong way, because they live a different life, a different experience.
And so, the whole issue of immigration is shifting. You're absolutely right. There are very few persuadables. There are some. And those are the people that you were talking about that are shifting away from Donald Trump, the ones he won to get reelected.
MICHAELSON: And there are a lot of people that see those images of people being arrested and like it, that think it's about time. And there are people that see things that way.
But you're -- as you bring up, as this shifts from city to city, it is a different issue when it's like my car wash, the place that I go to. I know that guy. He used to -- he helped me recently. And you start to see the issue in a different way. Just like with the economy, that's something that you understand. You
may not understand Ukraine policy or be that focused on that, but you understand that the prices at the grocery store just got higher.
VAVRECK: Yes, that -- that's the experience, that hands-on experience. You don't need to know the policies. You don't need to understand tariffs. You voters know things are more expensive. And that performance evaluation is what they will be bringing to the table in the midterms. And then in 2028.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense; seems to be on the hot seat by some in his own party, who are concerned about this report that shows that he acted against policy when with Signalgate, when he talked about war plans.
The secretary says I didn't do anything illegal. I've been exonerated.
There's also questions about the way he handled this situation with this double-tap attack, where he says, I didn't order this second attack.
Is he realistically on the hot seat or is he safe right now?
GENOVESE: With each passing day, his story changes as more facts come out. And he has been mostly a performative secretary of defense, where he struts around and acts really manly. And, you know, his base loves that.
But you also have to get down and dirty and gritty and get the job done. And he has not done that. He has not performed as well as he should have. And so, he's becoming a liability for Donald Trump.
So, the question is, will Donald Trump cut him off, or will Donald Trump maybe have a shakeup of his cabinet and fire a few people?
But -- but Hegseth is the stories he tells are different every day. And he's -- he's not in a position of strength. He's in a position of being defensive. And his stories, you could fertilize my lawn with the stories that he's telling, telling these things.
MICHAELSON: But is there, Lynn, something to the fact of when the mainstream media starts going after people, that that the party actually goes behind somebody more? That -- that Donald Trump knows what it's like to have bad stories in "The Washington Post," and maybe he wants to rally to give a middle finger to those reporters and actually defend Pete Hegseth.
VAVRECK: Sure, it's possible. I think that you would rather not be Pete Hegseth today than be him. So, this is a tricky situation.
But sure, you can say, hey, we're doing the right thing, and we're going to keep doing the right thing even in the face of these people. He always points to you reporters, these people, you know, who are making it hard for us. And that there is something to that.
But I think, you know, it's hard to keep track of which story we're even talking about. And so, that's kind of a bad sign.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Last word.
GENOVESE: But Donald Trump has really lost control of the narrative. We're talking about things like war -- potential war crimes. We're talking about murder.
Donald Trump used to be -- his great superpower was he could control the message. He could control the narrative. He's lost control of that. Can he reclaim it? Who knows? But right now, he's all on the defensive.
VAVRECK: Yes. All news is good news. Remember from the book, the -- his first book with the title of which I'm blanking.
MICHAELSON: "The Art of the Deal."
VAVRECK: Thank you. "The Art of the Deal." Right.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
VAVRECK: Controversy sells.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And he's -- he's worked that pretty successfully for a very long time, if you think about it.
[00:40:01]
Lynn, Michael, thank you so much. Appreciate your insights.
VAVRECK: Great to be here.
MICHAELSON: Still to come, CNN and the showbiz trade platform "Variety" are teaming up. The latest season of "Actors on Actors."
Up next, our Elizabeth Wagmeister talks with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Brendan Fraser. An exclusive conversation, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Coming to CNN, candid conversations between Hollywood's hottest actors on craft, process, and the work driving this award season.
[00:45:05]
New episodes of Variety's "Actors on Actors" premieres exclusively on the CNN app starting December 5.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister is a big player in all of this. Congratulations. Welcome back to the show.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: A lot of folks may not know this, but you previously worked at "Variety," were a big part of "Actors on Actors." And now for the first time, it's coming to CNN. So, your two worlds are colliding here.
WAGMEISTER: Yes. What the "Actors on Actors" format is, is exactly what you said. It's two actors, and we're talking top of the line here. This is a list of A-listers.
And they're sitting together. They're talking about their projects. And it's really the first step on the road to the Oscar campaign.
As you said, they talk about their craft, their process, their career.
So, this season I wrote a list, because we have so many great pairings. We have everyone from Ariana Grande to Adam Sandler, which kicks off this Friday. Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, David Corenswet and Jonathan Bailey, The Rock and Brendan Fraser, Alexander Skarsgard with his father, Stellan Skarsgard --
MICHAELSON: Oh, cool.
WAGMEISTER: -- for a very fun conversation.
So, I was on set for this entire production, and then, after they wrapped their conversations, I got to speak with all of them.
MICHAELSON: And so that's all going to be on the CNN app, as well --
WAGMEISTER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- as the YouTube page. But we want to get a preview now of your conversation with The Rock and Brendan Fraser. Right?
WAGMEISTER: Yes. So, this is a very cool reunion. And what the team at "Variety" does is they stage reunions with former co-stars, and they really put a lot of thought into these pairings.
So, with this particular pairing, Brendan Fraser and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, they got their start together in "The Mummy" in the year 2001.
It was actually Dwayne Johnson's first ever movie. At this time, Brendan Fraser was a huge star. He was the bigger star.
I spoke to both of them. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WAGMEISTER: "The Mummy Returns" was your first movie, but I never knew that Brendan was the one who gave you your first shot. Talk to me more about that. What does it mean, 25 years later now, to be sitting with Brendan?
DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON, ACTOR: I'm jumping on this answer, because he's going to say something different. But it -- he helped launch my career. Brendan was the one -- he doesn't like to take credit, but it's true -- who said OK, yes, I'll have Dwayne Johnson, who he didn't even know, or "The Rock." He wasn't familiar. But I will have him in the franchise. It was his franchise. And that led to "The Scorpion King" and this career that I've been
lucky to have. So, it's --
BRENDAN FRASER, ACTOR: Come on.
JOHNSON: No, no, no, it's true.
FRASER: The bill is in the mail.
WAGMEISTER: Watching this conversation, you really just see the mutual admiration and respect that you both have for each other. And again, 25 years later, now, at this moment in the Oscars conversation, what does it mean to both of you to have really been by each other's side for all these years and now be here together?
FRASER: Gosh, what does that mean? Well, I'm happy to be in the conversation, firstly. I don't know who knows where this is going to go, because you don't know. But trust me, you don't know what the results will be. And that's exciting in its own way.
Well, I'm hopeful that we see each other on the dance floor, because it's no fun without him.
JOHNSON: No fun without him. And I'm like him. I'm happy to be in any conversation.
WAGMEISTER: In your "Actors on Actors" conversation, you spoke about both of your standing ovations at the Venice Film Festival a few years apart. And as you said, Dwayne immediately posted about it for "The Whale," and then with "Smashing Machine," you've been one of Dwayne's biggest supporters.
FRASER: Have you seen "Smashing Machine"? He's freaking incredible.
WAGMEISTER: And you've both transformed in these roles.
Just thinking of those moments when you see the standing ovation that, as you spoke about, you get to experience it yourself. How fun has it been to have each other as cheerleaders?
FRASER: Well, I guess because we both have had a similar experience now, and it's kind of hard to describe. Like --
JOHNSON: Yes.
FRASER: To, you know, whomever wants to know, your good self, too, when -- when you're in the focus of that cone, everyone's going to be a little bit different. But I mean, it's a similar experience. It is so humbling. It is -- did you feel that way, too?
JOHNSON: That's a good way to put it.
FRASER: I felt -- I just felt so humbled.
JOHNSON: It really is -- because, you know, I think, in our world of -- of entertainment, things can be ceremonialized, you know. FRASER: Yes.
JOHNSON: There's red carpets, and it's big and it's --
FRASER: Commodified.
JOHNSON: Commodified and all that. But in that moment, when you're over there, and you have these people who appreciate and love and respect art.
FRASER: The cinema, the art of cinema.
JOHNSON: Yes.
FRASER: As only Italians can.
JOHNSON: Yes. It's very humbling.
WAGMEISTER: Final question. Do you two want to work together again?
[00:50:01]
FRASER: Absolutely.
JOHNSON: We'd love to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: You can feel the love amongst them. And they're big guys.
WAGMEISTER: They're big guys. I mean, I think most people don't realize how tall Brendan Fraser is.
MICHAELSON: Right. Because nobody makes "The Rock" look small.
WAGMEISTER: And you know what? Brendan Fraser does. I want to tell you, people ask me all the time who is the nicest celebrity you've ever interviewed? Those two guys right there really are.
MICHAELSON: The Rock's your favorite.
WAGMEISTER: I'm not picking favorites, but I will --
MICHAELSON: The Rock's your favorite.
WAGMEISTER: -- tell you.
MICHAELSON: It's OK.
WAGMEISTER: I've interviewed "The Rock" numerous times.
MICHAELSON: I think he loves you the most.
WAGMEISTER: He has an incredible, incredible work ethic. Nicest guy. But Brendan Fraser deserves everything that is coming to him. MICHAELSON: So, in the next hour you're going to be back with more
conversations. So, we're talking to Adam Sandler and also Ariana Grande together, which is interesting, both of them having a bit of a moment right now.
WAGMEISTER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And then also, you're going to be talking to the sexiest man alive, Jonathan Bailey, and David Corenswet, who is the new Superman.
WAGMEISTER: And you are in for a treat. Just wait and see what happened during my conversation with them.
MICHAELSON: OK, so that's the next hour here on THE STORY IS.
In the meantime, though, while we have you, I want to talk about another entertainment story, which a lot of people are talking about today.
Spotify has this thing -- you know, the music company has this list called Wrapped, which you can look on. And it tells you all the top stream music of the year for you. It's very personalized.
And it says, who is the No. 1, most streamed artist in the world? Well, once again, it is the reggaeton star Bad Bunny, who had 15 or 19.8 billion streams, as we look at some video of Bad Bunny and his -- his music videos. His latest album, "DeBi Tirar Mas Fotos" -- I think I said that right -- was also the most streamed album, featuring the first ever salsa song to top a Billboard chart.
Coming in second was pop queen Taylor Swift, followed by The Weeknd in third. It's amazing that Bad Bunny beat Taylor Swift.
WAGMEISTER: And for anyone wondering why he got the Super Bowl --
MICHAELSON: Right.
WAGMEISTER: -- this is why. Truly one of the biggest stars in the world.
MICHAELSON: So, it also gives you the personalized info. So, what are your results on Wrapped? Can you unwrap it for us?
WAGMEISTER: Let me unwrap it for you. Taylor Swift is my No. 1.
MICHAELSON: OK. No. 1 most streamed artist.
WAGMEISTER: I wouldn't be our entertainment correspondent if Taylor Swift was not my No. 1.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
WAGMEISTER: Then Odessa, then Chappell Roan. Backstreet Boys, I'll tell you why. And then Gracie Abrams.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
WAGMEISTER: Now, Backstreet Boys got a lot of play time in my car and in my house, because I saw them at the Sphere this summer.
MICHAELSON: Oh, my gosh.
WAGMEISTER: It was incredible.
MICHAELSON: What a show.
WAGMEISTER: So, I had to listen before to prep --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
WAGMEISTER: -- and live out my millennial childhood dreams.
MICHAELSON: Sure.
WAGMEISTER: And then, of course, after, it's all I wanted to listen to again.
MICHAELSON: So, it also -- speaking of age, it tells you what your age is based off of your listening habits. So how old are you?
WAGMEISTER: Well, Elex, I'm at the ripe age of 21.
MICHAELSON: Who doesn't want to be 21?
WAGMEISTER: I would love to be 21.
MICHAELSON: Right?
WAGMEISTER: I think I've gotten wiser with age.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
WAGMEISTER: But hopefully, I look closer to 21. And apparently, my music choices are that of a little girl.
MICHAELSON: Well, mine are not. So, let's put up my list, which seems odd.
My age --
WAGMEISTER: Seventy-nine!
MICHAELSON: -- is 79. According to this thing.
WAGMEISTER: OK. Let me tell you, you don't look a day past 78, Elex. OK?
MICHAELSON: It said I liked a lot of stuff from the '60s and '70s. So --
WAGMEISTER: Whatever you're doing, give me your skincare routine. You look phenomenal. OK? MICHAELSON: I do. I am an old-soul baby.
All right, we will see you next hour with more. In the meantime, more news here on THE STORY IS when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:58:15]
MICHAELSON: Britain's King Charles is hailing the, quote, "special friendship" between the U.K. and Germany after a history of conflict. He hosted German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a state banquet in Windsor on Wednesday.
Speaking partly in German, the king told guests the two nations stood together in support of Ukraine and in tackling other global challenges.
This is the first time in nearly three decades that a German president has made a state visit to Britain.
The legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is set to begin his newest world tour in the coming hours. He'll perform in the Big Apple in two weeks. And I asked him, what's so special about New York's Madison Square Garden? Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA BOCELLI, TENOR: In -- in that venue, there is a very special atmosphere, because when I go, when I sing there, I think that all the biggest singers, performed in that venue. Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, Placido Domingo, every -- everyone. There have been many incredible events like the box of Cassius Clay and all these things. So, there is an incredible -- Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: You can get tickets to Andrea Bocelli's concert at AndreaBocelli.com. First concert in Dallas tomorrow.
Pickleball players in one California town will now have to find somewhere else to play. The city council in Carmel by the Sea has voted to permanently ban pickleball at the city's only public park with pickleball courts.
It comes after weeks of debate following noise complaints from people living near the park.
Meanwhile, here in Los Angeles, the zoo is celebrating what park officials call a baby boom. The L.A. Zoo welcomed its fifth great ape baby this year, a gorilla.
