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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Bipartisan Calls Grow For Release Of Full Boat Strike Video; Australia's Social Media Ban For People Under 16 Takes Effect; Zelenskyy Meets Pope Leo XIV And PM Meloni In Italy Visit; Samuel Wedenhoffer On Becoming A Kindness Influencer; Trump's Claims of Economic Success Don't Always Compute; Delta Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary; Eli Lilly to Expand Manufacturing of Weight Loss Drug in U.S.; American Tackled by U.S. Military Police in Japan Speaks Out; Police Investigate Rep. Nancy Mace for Airport "Spectacle". Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 10, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Ban is over now and more Americans are enjoying the tart fruit in cocktails, jam, even in savory dishes.
Thanks so much for watching. Stay with us. The next hour of The Story Is starts right now.
President Trump says the economy is an A plus, plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're bringing those prices down rapidly. Lower prices, bigger paychecks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: What do voters think? The story is Australia banned social media for kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm glad that the pressure is taken off the parents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Australia can do it, why can't we?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Could other countries soon follow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLI)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I ask how old you are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 88 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And still working?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they have to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: This story is spreading kindness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want, you will be able to retire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Samuel Weidenhoffer creates viral video after viral video, changing people's lives for the better. He's with us to help inspire you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Always remember to be kind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Give you a virtual hug.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Samuel's really amazing. You don't want to miss that. Welcome to The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Tonight, the top story is the economy, the thing that voters care about the most.
President Trump back at the White House tonight after a trip to Pennsylvania. His mission to convince Americans that the economy is doing well. That's despite what a lot of people are seeing at grocery stores and online retailers and their health insurance bills.
The president at this rally in Pennsylvania once again calling the affordability crisis that Americans are experiencing a quote, democrat hoax. He also added this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I can't say affordability hoax because I agree the prices were too high. So I can't go to hoax because they'll misconstrue that. But they use the word affordability and that's their only word. They say affordability and everyone says, oh, that must mean Trump has high prices. No, our prices are coming down tremendously from the highest prices in the history of our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That speech came after a wide ranging interview with POLITICO where the president bragged about his economic success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder what grade you would give --
TRUMP: A plus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A plus.
TRUMP: Yes. A plus, plus, plus, plus, plus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, the top Democrat in the Senate says U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will not commit to allowing Congress to see the full video of a controversial strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.
Chuck Schumer's comments came after Pete Hegseth briefed congressional leaders on Capitol Hill. And as bipartisan calls grow for the release of that footage from the so called double strike that killed two survivors. CNN's Arlette Saenz has the details from Washington.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top Trump administration Officials spent several hours briefing senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill as there is intensifying scrutiny of the administration's follow up strike that killed survivors on alleged drug trafficking boat back in September.
It all comes as Republicans and Democratic lawmakers are pushing for the full release of the video showing that up strike, something that the Trump administration so far has been hesitant to do. But emerging from this over hour long briefing, Democrats said that they were unsatisfied with Hegseth's statements as they tried to push him to release the video, at least for lawmakers to see Take a listen.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D) SENATE MINORITY LEADER: It was a very unsatisfying briefing. I asked Secretary Hegseth -- Secretary of Defense Hegseth would he let every member of Congress see the unedited videos of the September 2nd strike? His answer? We have to study it. Well, in my view, they've studied it long enough.
SAENZ: There's been a lot of back and forth about whether this video will be released. President Donald Trump initially said he had no problem in making the video public, but then he backtracked. He said that he would leave this decision to Secretary Hegseth who has said that he is reviewing the information to see whether or not the Pentagon would release the video, if there might be any classified information in it that would keep them from making this public.
But there are a number of Republican senators who believe the administration should be transparent and make this video available to the public. Meanwhile, some Democrats have said that they want Secretary Hegseth to come and testify publicly on Capitol Hill to share the full accounting of how this strike played out.
President Donald Trump said that's a decision up to hag Seth, but he was not weighing in either way. Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.
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MICHAELSON: Thanks to Arlette. Nearly a third of U.S. teens say they use a chat bots daily. A third of teens.
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That's according to a new study underscoring how young people are embracing a technology that has raised some serious safety concerns among those teens. The Pew research center says 16 percent reported using chatbots several times a day or almost constantly.
Overall, nearly 70 percent of teens say they have interacted with a chatbot at least once. Findings come after two major AI firms, OpenAI and CharacterAI, have faced lawsuits from families claiming the apps played a role in their teens suicides or mental health issues.
A live picture right now from Sydney, Australia, where it is 5:05 p.m. on Wednesday. Beautiful image there. Kids in Australia are now adjusting to life without some of the most popular social media apps.
Australia's first in the world sweeping ban on social media for those under 16 went into effect on Wednesday. The new law comes after years of concerns about the potential negative impacts that social media platforms and their addictive algorithms can have on mental health.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp, argues that the new ban will actually make kids less safe. Now, most of the 10 ban platforms that you're seeing right now say that they will comply with the law using age verification technology. It's all the biggest apps.
Australia's prime minister says the ban allows families to take back the power from big tech companies.
Joining me now to discuss live here is Dr. Victoria Dunckley. She is a child psychiatrist and author of the book "Reset Your Child's Brain." Doctor, welcome to the story is. Thanks for being here.
DR. VICTORIA DUNCKLEY, CHILD PSYCHIATRIST: Thank you, Elex. Happy to be here.
MICHAELSON: So your reaction, what do you think of what Australia is doing?
DUNCKLEY: Well, I mean, those of us in the trenches are very, very excited to see this. I mean, my job today is much harder than it was even 10 years ago or, you know, way harder than it was 20 years ago. It's very hard to get kids better without addressing screen time. And social media is a big component of that.
MICHAELSON: And when you say reset, what you're talking about is you advise families to take four weeks off, right?
DUNCKLEY: That's right. So no matter what they come in with, whether it's depression, anxiety, ADHD or whatever their complaints are, the first thing we do is just take them off all screens for four weeks and then see what's left.
So some kids might -- their symptoms might disappear completely. Other kids, you know, their symptoms might be cut down and they still might have a diagnosis, but they are functioning much better. And a lot of times we can get away with not using medication versus how they looked previously.
MICHAELSON: So literally, you don't need meds, you just need to get off the screens --
DUNCKLEY: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- and you see real results.
DUNCKLEY: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: Usually you say within about two weeks.
DUNCKLEY: Yes. Especially for younger kids, you can see results really within a few days. But even with teens --
MICHAELSON: They physically change.
DUNCKLEY: They physically change, yes. They start going to bed earlier, their mood is better. Parents report that they are more engaged, They come out of the room more. They're happier. A lot of parents, when it comes to screens, they'll describe their kid as they have to walk around on eggshells around their child because the littlest thing will set them off.
I'm sure many parents can identify with that feeling. That gets much, much better. So a lot of these symptoms that look like they have ADHD or anxiety or depression go away completely.
MICHAELSON: So the Prime Minister of Australia talked about, OK, all these kids that are used to spending all this time, what are they going to do now? He's got some suggestions.
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ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Above all, make the most of the school holidays coming up rather than spending it scrolling on your phone. Start a new sport, learn a new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there on your shelf for some time. And importantly, spend quality time with your friends and your family for face to face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: I mean, that's a great idea. I'm sure there's a lot of kids that are listening that are like, nah, I'd rather be on my phone. I mean, for kids that are used to being on their phone, when you work with them, do they rebel? I mean, because it's almost like an addiction, right? You miss it.
DUNCKLEY: It's not like it is an addiction. Yes. And so not only are the reward circuits being activated and those addiction pathways are activated, which you can see on brain scans too, like it really is an addiction, it causes brain changes. But really these days their psyche is kind of growing around their phone and social media.
So as they grow up, their psyche, that's one of the reasons why they're so fragile, because their psyche is not developing normally. So the thought of that pulling that away to them, it's very anxiety producing. But kids really are adaptive and they really do adapt faster than even parents think, and certainly faster than they think.
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MICHAELSON: Speaking of parents, we spoke to some parents in Australia. Here's some of what they had to say.
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WILL ATKINS, SYDNEY RESIDENT AND PARENT: We'd always regulated media in the public interest and I think what the government's trying to do is to return some of the public interest.
DOMINIQUE ANTARAKIS, SYDNEY RESIDENT AND PARENT: I don't think bans tend to work when it's a blanket decision. It doesn't take into account the nuance and the variables and people's individual situations. And frankly, people tend to find a way around bans if they really want to.
REBECCA FERNANDEZ, SYDNEY RESIDENT: I think it cuts kids off from the community more than forcing them back out in real life. I think it just cuts them off from support as well that they could be accessing --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That argument of it cutting kids off from resources, from interaction because there is some positive to social media, right?
DUNCKLEY: Well, I think that there's a lot more positives to banning it or limiting it, removing it altogether. I've done, you know, been doing this for a long time with hundreds of families. And when families try to cut back, we don't see the same results as when you just get rid of it altogether. It's really like they have to mourn the loss of it before they accept it and then actually start doing other things.
MICHAELSON: You can't do it halfway based off what you're saying.
DUNCKLEY: I think cold turkey works better. And the fact that everyone's doing it together in Australia is huge because they're not going to be the only one doing it. And also the fact that the parents aren't the one making them do it, that's also helpful because what we know is -- the parent-child bond is being affected. It's being disrupted.
So when you replace the circuits that are being hijacked by screens with the parent child bond, you're literally rewiring the brain. So it's helpful in that regard too.
MICHAELSON: It is interesting to think how far we've come from COVID when we literally force kids to your screens.
DUNCKLEY: Right. Yes.
MICHAELSON: Said you government mandate have to do this versus now when at least in Australia they're taking them away. So very interesting. Victoria Dunckley, author of "Reset Your Child's Brain." So great to talk to you. What a big night.
DUNCKLEY: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Big day for this whole thing.
DUNCKLEY: Yes.
MICHAELSON: To other news now, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has delayed her appearance in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She was due to address reporters ahead of Wednesday's Nobel ceremony, but the news conference was canceled by the Nobel Institute.
Details of how and when Machado will arrive in Oslo still unknown. She's in hiding now due to safety concerns.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan authorities have warned that traveling to Norway could make the opposition leader a fugitive. The Nobel Institute announced Machado's prize in October, honoring her quote for her tireless work in promoting democratic rights and her fight for a peaceful transition.
Ukraine's president says his team is preparing an updated version of the Trump administration's peace plan and it could be ready to be sent to the U.S. on Wednesday. President Zelenskyy is clear that his country will not surrender Russian occupied territory. But President Trump had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This deal if Zelenskyy rejects this deal, is there a timeline, is there a point at which you say --
TRUMP: Well, he's going to have to get on the ball and start accepting things, you know, when you're losing, is it losing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICIHAELSON: President Zelenskyy says he is also working on documents about security guarantees and Ukraine's post war recovery. CNN's Ben Wedeman has the details of Zelenskyy's diplomatic trip to Italy.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't have the details from the Italian side about what was discussed. We understand that the meeting between Zelenskyy and Meloni lasted for 90 minutes.
Now, Zelenskyy afterwards put out a very brief statement saying that the discussions with the Italian prime minister were excellent and very substantive. But certainly it's interesting that, you know, yesterday he was at 10 Downing Street where he met with the leaders of the U.K., France and Germany who aren't necessarily President Trump's favorite European leaders, but Meloni is the one perhaps who can put that sort of gold star on Zelenskyy's so called refined version of the American plan.
She is somebody who Trump, to the best of my knowledge, has never said anything negative. So that's certainly a positive point. So perhaps now that he's gone through sort of all the major leaders of Europe and will come up finally after meeting with Meloni, something that perhaps might be pleasing to a very touchy American president.
Earlier he met with Pope Leo, who the pope expressed a urgent desire, in the words of the Vatican, for a just and lasting peace. And certainly what we know is the Ukrainians were not happy with the initial 28-point plan put out by the Trump administration.
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Then it was cut down to 20 points. But the feeling among many Ukrainians and many European leaders as well was that this was a plan that certainly leaned in the direction of the Russians far more than Ukraine, particularly when it came to territorial concessions.
The plan envisioned -- Ukraine basically giving up the entirety of the Donbas region, a region I covered extensively when we used to travel to Ukraine, where we saw that the Ukrainians have sacrificed so much in terms of blood and material that for them it was a very difficult pill to swallow to surrender the land they still control in the Donbas to the Russians.
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MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Ben Wedeman in Rome. Up next, he calls himself a kindness influencer. The incredible story of what he did for this 88-year-old veteran working at a supermarket to make ends meet. You're going to love this guy. If you need something to smile about, tune in for this story. Stay with us on the other side of this commercial break.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I ask how old you are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 88 years old.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And still working.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I have to.
UNDIENTIFIED MALE: Why do you have to keep working?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Samuel Wedenhoffer met 88-year-old Ed Bambas at a store in Michigan and asked his social media followers to donate to GoFundMe to help this vet who lost his wife and spent so much of his fortune on her medical bills to allow him to retire. Here's what happened just a few days later.
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SAMUEL WEDENHOFFER, AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: We've raised you $1.77 million.
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MICHAELSON: Samuel has millions of followers online. He considers himself a partner in kindness. He's got all sorts of videos just like that. Samuel, welcome to the story is. And thank you for what you do.
WEDENHOFFER: Thank you so much for having me.
MICHAELSON: Talk to us about the story behind Ed and what drew you to him.
WEDENHOFFER: Yes, it's -- it's absolutely unbelievable. I was connected through Ed through a Facebook comment, someone saying they knew an elderly man in his 80s who still had to work. I didn't know too much about his story.
However, you know, something just came to me like I had to do something for him. And then I decided, you know, to -- to go up and approach him at Maya in Brighton, Michigan. And that's when everything changed for him. So it was a completely random interaction and yes, right on the spot.
MICHAELSON: Talk about your emotions in that moment that were looking at right there of the check being unveiled and knowing that your platform has allowed this man's life to change in such a profound way.
WEDENHOFFER: Yes, honestly, it's absolutely unbelievable. It doesn't feel real. You know, that moment to me, still doesn't feel real. I remember later that night just bursting into tears and crying because, yes, things don't really hit me in the moment. And of course, giving a $1.77 million check, like, you know, it just doesn't feel like it's something that could actually happen with an online community. And it did.
So, yes, it definitely hit me later, the emotion. But just seeing him, you know, crying, especially like Ed crying, it just like breaks my heart into pieces. So.
MICHAELSON: Talk about how you got your start in this field. WEDENHOFFER: Of course. So when I was 10 years old, I lost my Aunty
Rosie to suicide. I remember I was in Valandrine one day and my mom was having a shower. And I just remember, you know, picking up the phone to my uncle and I was a 10-year-old kid, I was swearing at my mom, like, get out the shower. Like something's really not OK. And yes, she rushed off with my dad. And I found that my, you know, aunty took her own life.
And, you know, growing up, I always struggled with my own depression and mental health and I just knew there needed to be more kindness in the world. I knew I needed to do something to spread awareness in honor of her. And, you know, that's how this all came about. That's where it started.
MICHAELSON: And so we've got some images of all the good that you've done over the years, reaching out to people, starting sort of small, right, with small acts of kindness. Now you've connected people with some of these big celebrities all around the world, including from the world of sport and actors and all the rest of it. How do you sort of choose, how do you go about this process of deciding what to act upon?
WEDENHOFFER: Yes, definitely. It's kind of just, I don't know, I get that gut feeling. So, you know, we do a lot of things. For example, there I -- I reach out to a lot of foundations and try and find cancer warriors and, you know, try and make their biggest dreams come true. It's something that I hold very close to my heart after, you know, doing a lot of amazing experiences for kids battling cancer.
It means the absolute world to me to make these moments happen. You see with Trey Young, you see with Saquon Barkley, a lot of these sports stars want to be involved in these amazing, you know, simple acts of kindness. And it truly, a moment like that can change a children's life, his life, battling cancer. So it means the world to me to make moments like that happen. And of course, many other moments also.
MICHAELSON: We've also seen Jake Paul. We've seen Kristen Bell get involved with you.
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KRISTEN BELL, ACTRESS: Nice to meet you.
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MICHAELSON: And we've seen you help people as well, including this woman who was battling homelessness, didn't have a place to live, and this is the moment you changed her life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WEDENHOFFER: Hey, look at over here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very, very much. WEDENHOFFER: Even after the price of this house is done, you'll still
have $400,000 that you can use towards your future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: You know, this is so, so amazing. I remember when -- when I used to work at ABC 7 here in Los Angeles, I for many years hosted a series called Pay it Forward where I did surprises for people, and it was the most fulfilling thing that I ever did, and it changed me as a person. And I'm wondering how doing this has changed you.
WEDENHOFFER: Oh, absolutely. You know, my mental health when I was younger was really bad. And truly what saved my life is being able to help anyone. I think it's the best feeling in the world, you know, when you can just brighten someone's day, when you can make someone smile. You know, you receive such like there's a chemical in your brain, right, like you. It releases dopamine, and you just feel so good, like there's no better feeling.
And it's truly, you know, for one reason I'm here today is just being able to, you know, be in a position to be kind. I know everyone can kind, even if it's simple -- simple hug compliment, a simple flower. That's where all this mission started. So, yes, there's no better feeling than, you know, in the entire world.
MICHAELSON: So how can people get involved? How can they get that feeling?
WEDENHOFFER: Of course. Well, I think anything, you know, to -- to be kind to someone, all you have to do, like I said, is it starts with a compliment -- a compliment, a hug, volunteering. You know, I think, you know, many kids especially, like, kind of need that mentorship. You know, I don't think schools teach kindness enough. And to know that, you know, they can watch a video on social media and learn how to be kind, there needs to be a lot more of it.
So, yes, definitely, you know, follow your lawnmower journey as well. We're going to do many more amazing things. And, you know, I'd love -- I always think of ways my followers can be part of it more as well. So, yes, it's a blessing to be able to do this.
MICHAELSON: And one thing I've learned from the amazing kids at the Boys and Girls Club over the years is that one adult investing in a kid, making them feel seen, just one, can completely change their life. So you don't realize the power of your words of looking at somebody and making them know that they matter.
You do that for so many people. It's really incredible. Congratulations, Samuel. It's a pleasure to talk with you. Keep up the great work.
WEDENHOFFER: Absolutely. Thank you so much. And yes, always remember to be kind. One thing I'll quickly mention is, you know, on the way home one day I was in the mall giving strangers hugs and one lady stopped by me and said she was on her way home to end her life and that's the reason she's still here today. So all it takes is one hug, you know, one small act of kindness to
save her life. So I thank you for having me and I hope that you know, this talk inspires a lot of people out there.
MICHAELSON: Virtual hug for you. Hope to see you in person sometime.
WEDENHOFFER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: We'll be back with more of the story is right after this.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have no higher priority than making America affordable again. That's what we're going to do.
And again, they caused the high prices and we're bringing them down. It's a simple message. Lower prices, bigger paychecks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump in Pennsylvania making a pitch to voters to not blame him for the realities in their wallets.
CNN's Matt Egan has a reality check on the state of the economy.
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MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: The president's very high marks for the economy are hard to square with the economic reality that millions of Americans are living through every single day.
Let's go through the numbers, starting with the number one issue for the past several years, the cost of living.
So this is a look at the annual inflation rate. And as you can see, the president is right that this was a mess. Back in 2022, inflation was at 9 percent. That was a four-decade high.
This was driven by a perfect storm of events. Everything from the COVID reopening and broken supply chains to excessive stimulus from the federal government and the Federal Reserve, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And look, thankfully, the inflation rate has come down dramatically since then.
But I would just note two things. Most of that improvement came before January 2025, when President Trump took office. Also, this does not mean that prices are going down. It just means they're going up at a slower pace.
But one thing that has gotten cheaper is the price of gasoline. National average falling to 2.95 a gallon. That's the lowest since May of 2021.
[01:34:43]
EGAN: This is a dramatic improvement from the record high above $5 a gallon back in June of 2022. And it is cheaper, but not dramatically cheaper than at this point last year.
And yet, despite that, when you look at the overall inflation rate, it's really right back to where it was at the start of this year. It was 3 percent when former President Biden left office, 3 percent as of September.
Now, let's take a look at the job market, which is the other part of this story. President Trump inherited very low inflation of just 4 percent as of January. Look, it's moving in the wrong direction, 4.4 percent as of September.
We're not getting a number on unemployment for October because of the government shutdown. But the consensus for November is that unemployment went even higher to 4.5 percent.
Now, part of the reason why that has happened is because hiring has slowed down significantly. Look at job growth. This is the three-month average.
As of January, it was very solid, right, about 232,000 jobs being added each month. But look how much it slowed down, right? This is about a quarter of the pace that President Trump inherited at just over 62,000.
Now, this really helps explain why the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates again, not because inflation is down. It's because unemployment is up.
Now, the other part of this story is wages, right. And the good news is that wages are still going up, especially for high-income families. But this research from Bank of America shows that it's really only high-income families, because while the rate of inflation, again, is at 3 percent, middle-income households, their pay is only up 2.3 percent as of November. So that means that prices are going up faster than their paychecks.
It's even worse for low-income families. It's only up by 1.4 percent. That's less than half the overall rate of inflation.
So again, if it feels like for a lot of Americans, they can't catch up to higher prices, it's because they literally can't.
And all of this does help explain why consumer confidence is as low as it is. This is a poll from Gallup earlier last month, and it shows that just 27 percent of adults say that the economy is getting better. That's down from October. This is the lowest share in about a year and a half. And far more people, 68 percent, say the economy is getting worse.
So while the president has called the affordability issue a con job, a hoax, the numbers suggest it's all too real.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Thank you so much.
You might assume you'd find the world's best gelato in Italy, but the International Artisan Gelato Festival in Sicily has announced its winner is from Taiwan.
The top ice cream is Luce d'Oolong, a flavorful blend of Taiwan's oolong tea. This is the first time the annual award has gone to a Taiwanese gelato maker.
Delta Air Lines is marking a century in the skies with one of the largest fleets in the world flying up to 5,000 flights per day, which marks a sharp change from its founding. For years, the airline didn't actually carry any passengers.
CNN's Richard Quest explains.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": The history of the original Delta Air Lines is colorful.
It was born in Macon, Georgia and called Huff-Daland Dusters, a series of crop dusters that were created to provide an answer to a problem affecting local farmers, the boll weevil.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In flights measured by the length of a furrow, Delta was the first company in the world to use airplanes for crop dusting. And as aviation grew, Delta grew.
QUEST: Three years on and the name was changed to Delta Air Service, after the Mississippi Delta Region. Yes, that's where the word "delta" comes from.
It wasn't long before those planes started ferrying passengers as well. The first route in 1929 carried people from Dallas, Texas to Jackson, Mississippi with stops in Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana.
From there, it was onwards and upwards. New routes, new planes and in 1953, Delta went international to the Caribbean and Caracas.
Deregulation in the 1970s allowed Delta to really turn Atlanta into this behemoth, to the point where for years it has been the world's busiest airport for both passenger numbers and aircraft movements.
For Delta, Atlanta is central to its success.
[01:39:44]
QUEST: Along the way, there have been more than a few mergers. Chicago and Southern Airlines, Northeast Airlines, Western Airlines, and one that changed aviation -- the merger between Delta and Northwest.
Delta expanded to a global carrier and was a founding member of the SkyTeam Alliance, launched with Aero Mexico, Air France and Korean Air. It has gone further with a wide-ranging joint venture with Air France-KLM and SAS.
Of course, there have been trying times as well.
In 1985, the crash that killed 134 passengers and crew and led to many safety lessons for the industry. A bankruptcy in 2005 exited in less than two years. And along the way, the Delta workforce ballooned to 100,000 people who served more than 200 million passengers last year.
In recent years, under the chief executive, Ed Bastian, the airlines repositioned itself as a premium carrier, targeting affluent passengers who are willing to pay to turn left instead of right on the plane. It is a strategy that is paying off.
It is an enviable place with which to be, and one that Ed Bastian is determined to hold on to.
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MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Richard Quest. He's the best.
You are watching THE STORY IS. For our international viewers, "WORLDSPORT" is next. For our viewers here in North America, I'll be right back. Stay with us.
[01:41:30]
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MICHAELSON: Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is planning to make GLP-1 pills in the U.S. The company also plans to build four manufacturing facilities in the country, including a more than $6 billion plant in Huntsville, Alabama.
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DAVID RICKS, CEO, ELI LILLY: This site will employ about 3,500 people, 3,000 to build it and then about 500 to run it, eventually. And it's, you know, it's going to be making the active ingredient for many of our medicines, but including the oral GLP-1, Orforglipron, which we hope to launch next year.
So part of our expansion efforts and first time we've been in Alabama. So that's our setting foot in southern United States.
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MICHAELSON: Eli Lilly says expanding production in the U.S. allows the company to ensure quality control of the drugs and to avoid steep tariffs for imports.
A former U.S. Marine is speaking out after being tackled and detained by U.S. military police last month in Okinawa.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the story and why this is adding to concerns about U.S. military patrols in Japan.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED), what are you doing? (EXPLETIVE DELETED) told you not to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) touch me.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The man being slammed to the ground in this video is Kareem El, an American civilian visiting Okinawa late last month when he was detained by U.S. military police outside a local bar.
We can't independently verify what happened before the arrest, but Kareem told me that military police demanded his I.D. and when he refused, which he's legally allowed to do so as a civilian, the situation escalated.
KAREEM EL, U.S. CITIZEN VISITING OKINAWA: Just the scars, like mentally, of this whole experience, like going to Japan expecting to have like a really peaceful time and finding myself kind of in a struggle for my, you know, life.
MONTGOMERY: CCTV footage obtained by CNN shows Kareem speaking calmly with officers for a few minutes before he's suddenly restrained and handcuffed.
Kareem himself is a former marine captain who once served in Okinawa.
EL: It's pretty clear that I was minding my business when they kind of singled me out. And I do feel like that it was targeted just based on how I looked.
Shock was the primary feeling, frankly.
MONTGOMERY: In response to allegations that Kareem was targeted for his race, U.S. Forces-Japan said, quote, "Mr. El was approached solely because the patrol believed he was an American service member."
The incident has also reignited debate over the U.S. military's heavy presence in Okinawa and their use of force during off-base patrols.
Since April, military police have patrolled nightlife districts with local police, enforcing a 1:00 a.m. off-base drinking ban after a wave of sexual assault allegations made against U.S. service members.
But in September, U.S. Forces-Japan confirmed that they resumed unilateral patrols, which are patrols done independently without local authorities.
In a statement to CNN, U.S. Forces-Japan says it's now paused those unilateral patrols and launched an investigation.
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MICHAELSON: Police say what started as -- our thanks to Hanako Montgomery for that reporting, by the way.
Coming up, police say what started as a minor airport miscommunication turned into a profanity-laced spectacle launched by Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace.
We'll get her side of the story next here on CNN.
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MICHAELSON: A woman with family ties to White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has been released on bond from ICE custody.
An attorney for Bruna Ferreira says she was headed home to Massachusetts Tuesday after her release from a Louisiana facility, more than 1,500 miles from where she was arrested near Boston last month.
Ferreira, who is from Brazil, shares custody of her 11-year-old son with the brother of Karoline Leavitt.
For the first time, we are getting a look at security camera footage showing an episode between South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace and TSA agents at the Charleston Airport. The video, from late October, is part of an internal investigation released by airport police.
Investigators say what started with a minor miscommunication escalated into a profanity-laced tirade launched at law enforcement.
Our Tom Foreman has more.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "I'm sick of your (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I'm tired of having to wait. You guys are always effing late. This is effing ridiculous."
The newly-obtained Charleston Airport investigation report says Republican Congressmember Nancy Mace repeatedly insulted security officers when her car was not met, and she was not immediately escorted to her plane in late October.
REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Did I drop an F-bomb? I hope I did. Did I call them incompetent? If I didn't, they absolutely earned it.
FOREMAN: Mace's office called the report a full exoneration, even though it says she blew a minor miscommunication into a spectacle.
MACE: You're giving other cops a bad name, and I'm coming for you. So you need to know that.
[01:54:41]
FOREMAN: But Mace is grabbing headlines for more than that. In a "New York Times" opinion piece this week, she ripped her own party for avoiding votes on popular ideas such as term limits and banning stock trades by lawmakers.
She insisted Democrat Nancy Pelosi was a more effective House Speaker than any Republican this century, including current Speaker Mike Johnson.
And she added a warning to her party. "If we fail to pass legislation that permanently secures the border, addresses the affordability crisis, improves health care, and restores law and order we will lose this majority and we will deserve it."
MACE: How many more decades are going to go on where we elect people to do a job and they become corrupt?
FOREMAN: Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, is among a small cadre of Republican congresswomen who have strongly supported the MAGA movement.
MACE: I support President Trump.
FOREMAN: But who have also pushed back on some of Trump's apparent wishes. For example, calling for full release of the files around sexual predator and one-time Trump friend, the late Jeffrey Epstein.
It's all been enough to make at least one of her staffers quit and accuse her of turning her back on Trump. While another associate suggested she is having a breakdown. Mace rejects it all.
MACE: Being anti-corruption, anti-rape, anti-murder, anti-illegal. If that makes me crazy, sign me up.
FOREMAN: Tom Foreman, CNN -- Washington.
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MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Tom.
I hope you'll join us tomorrow. With us Senator Adam Schiff, Adam Mockler of the Meidas Touch, Dave Jacobson. Plus, we've got with us a whole lot more. It's going to be a lot of fun, including John Thomas.
See you then. Have a great night.
[01:56:28]
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