Return to Transcripts main page
The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Major Flood Forcing Evacuations, Rescues in Washington; Alleged Charlie Kirk Assassin Appears in Utah Courtroom; DNC Chair Talks Midterms, Future of Party; Trump Promises Bipartisan Work on Health Care; Concerns Grow Over A.I. Risks for Mental Health. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired December 12, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I wouldn't try it, yes.
[00:00:04]
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: You know what? I knew you were smart.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
COATES: I, too, would not sky jump with me. I'll tell you that right now.
Tell me, what's the closest thing you've ever done, a Tom Cruise, death-defying stunt?
MICHAELSON: OK, so I had the honor of flying with the Thunderbirds. The Air Force Thunderbirds, their show pilots, flying in an F-16 over Southern California. And we did some flips, and we went at nine G's.
COATES: Wow.
MICHAELSON: And we did all of that stuff, and it was crazy.
COATES: Wow.
MICHAELSON: That was one of the craziest things I've ever done, but really fun. And they are amazing. And I felt good, because I was, again, tandem; wasn't solo.
COATES: Well, now I can't wait to watch your solo show. Have a good one.
MICHAELSON: I know, I know. I need you. Thank you, Laura. Have a great night. THE STORY IS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): THE STORY IS a flooding emergency in Washington state. We'll speak live with a resident whose home is flooded right now.
THE STORY IS Charlie Kirk's alleged killer in court for the first time. Why so many fear this will become a circus.
THE STORY IS the state of the Democratic Party.
KEN MARTIN, DNC CHAIR: When you organize everywhere, guess what? You can win anywhere, right? And that's what we've been doing this year.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): My exclusive one-on-one sit-down with DNC Chair Ken Martin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: And welcome to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. The top story is here in the West Coast.
A flooding emergency in Washington state. Several rivers have hit major flood stage, topping records, some still rising. We're getting new reports of dozens of water rescues.
Authorities are issuing new evacuation orders that stretch into neighboring British Columbia, where some highways have been closed.
Washington's governor, who joined us live at this time last night, is warning that the next 24 hours will be critical. He says he's met with FEMA and is trying to secure federal aid.
There is expected to be a break in the weather this weekend, but new week -- a new atmospheric river could send even more rain to areas already devastated by floods.
We showed you this video of a flooded basement last night, and this happened in the home of my next guest. Jenni Geel says that her children's playroom and bedrooms were damaged after the family just finished remodeling their home a year ago.
Jenni joins me now live from North Bend, Washington, inside that home. Jenni, thank you. Sorry you're going through that. Describe what your home's like right now.
JENNI GEEL, NORTH BEND RESIDENT: Yes, thanks. Thanks for having me.
Yes, so our -- our downstairs is kind of a mess. We had about almost three feet of water down there yesterday. It didn't start kind of receding and going out of -- of the downstairs until about 8 a.m. this morning.
We were able to pump a lot of the water out. And pretty much our day to day was spent trying to clean up as much as possible, tearing out all the carpets, trying to get fans down there and more pumps down there to keep pumping out the water.
So, it's been a crazy and stressful last couple of days, that's for sure.
MICHAELSON: And your -- your home feels safe enough to still be living in it? GEEL: Yes. Thankfully, our upstairs is completely unaffected. So, we
still have a working kitchen. We have a working bathroom. We have a couple bedrooms up here.
The downstairs, though, is where I have identical triplet boys, and all of their bedrooms were downstairs.
And once we realized our house was flooding, we rushed home from work. My husband rushed over, and we just tried to start carrying as much stuff up from the basement as possible; started shoving all their clothes in garbage bags; and basically just told them, Boys, grab whatever you can carry that means something to you and that you're going to need, and everything else is just going to have to stay.
So, unfortunately, lost a lot down there. But they're safe, and we're safe. And it's just stuff, and stuff can be replaced. But it doesn't make it any easier to go through, that's for sure.
MICHAELSON: How are your boys processing this? They having a hard time?
GEEL: Yes, they're doing really well. I'm actually -- I'm really proud of them. It kind of makes me emotional to think about. They just rallied together, all five of my kids, and my husband. And we had friends and neighbors just show up, helping with sandbags.
And at one point, there was [SIC] ten people down there, grabbing things and just making trips up the stairs, just trying to help us save as much stuff as possible.
[00:05:03]
Our neighbors and our friends really rallied around -- rallied around us.
It was hard, I think, for -- for them. Like -- like you had mentioned, we had just remodeled the downstairs to give the boys their own space, their own room. They had shared a room for 13 years. And so, we were finally able to give them their own space.
And we had been back into our house for one year and one month.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
GEEL: And then we flooded yesterday. So, they're handling it really well. Like I said, I am really, really proud of them. And they know that it's -- it's just stuff, and it'll just take time for us to get everything fixed back up.
And unfortunately, it doesn't look like we're out of the woods quite yet, with more rain and river rising coming. So, we'll see. We'll see how it goes next week.
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, when we talked with the governor of Washington last night at this time here on CNN, he told us this is the worst flooding in the history of the state. Can you just describe what it's been like, the power of the water; how
intense the rain has been?
GEEL: Yes, it's been really scary. And I haven't even tried to venture out driving anywhere. So, I mean, I have friends that have to use the freeway to get to work and to get home from work. There's been landslides on the freeway, landslides on all the side roads.
And it's -- so it's just -- it's been really scary. And there's been a lot -- there's been a lot of damage to homes, even more than mine. Some friends of mine who just live in Snoqualmie, the next town over, they have even more water than North Bend does.
So, it's -- it's really sad what's happening. And there's a lot -- there's a lot of people affected by this.
MICHAELSON: Well, we wish you and your family the best. We wish you a merry Christmas. We see the beautiful tree behind you.
GEEL: Yes. The tree stays.
MICHAELSON: And we are impressed by your strength in rallying as a family and as a community. And -- and best of luck with -- with more water coming next week, as well. Jenni Geel, thanks for being with us.
GEEL: Thank you so much.
MICHAELSON: Now to this big story. A 6.7-magnitude earthquake rocking Japan, sparking tsunami warnings for the Pacific coast of many Japanese areas.
It struck just about 11:44 in the morning, local time. So far, no word on evacuations or casualties. That's because it was off the coast. If this was on land, obviously, this would be devastating.
Japan was already on high alert after a 7.5-magnitude quake hit off the country's Northeastern coast on Monday. That quake triggered a rare warning from the government that a magnitude eight or higher could hit this week.
This is a developing story. This just happened within the last few hours. We will keep you updated as we get more information. We may get a new press conference within the hour.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has imposed new sanctions on three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Two of his nephews have already been convicted of drug charges in the U.S. but were later released in a prisoner swap.
The sanctions, announced a few hours ago, also target six shipping companies that allegedly move Venezuelan oil.
This comes a day after the U.S. seized this tanker off the coast of Venezuela, claiming it was involved in the illicit oil trade. The White House says the ship will be moved to the U.S., which will keep its oil cargo. THE STORY IS politics. Indiana Republicans are defying President
Trump's pressure campaign to redraw congressional maps to help Republicans in next year's midterm elections.
Twenty-one Republicans joined ten Democrats to vote down that measure in the state Senate, where Republicans hold a supermajority.
President Trump won that deep-red state by nearly 20 points in 2024.
The rejected congressional map would have set up Republicans to sweep all nine of Indiana's U.S. House seats in next year's midterms, picking up two seats, potentially helping the party retain control of Congress.
President Trump says he hopes Republicans who voted against redistricting will face primary challenges from more loyal MAGA supporters. Several Indiana Republicans say their constituents oppose redrawing maps mid-decade, and the pressure from the White House backfired.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN LEISING (R), INDIANA STATE SENATE: I wish that President Trump would change his tone. I think that he needs to be more positive about what he needs to address for '27 and '28.
Why does he need to have a Republican majority in '27 and '28? What's he going to do next? Because we all know what he's done. And you know what? I voted for him three times. I like a lot of the things he's done. I didn't like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: To Utah now. The 22-year-old man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk has made his first in-person court appearance.
Tyler Robinson, facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and felony use of a firearm, among others. He has not yet entered a plea.
[00:10:08]
Utah prosecutors say they are seeking the death penalty.
Court proceedings on Thursday focused mainly on public accessibility and issues of transparency.
CNN's Nick Watt has been monitoring this all day long and joins me now here on set.
Nick, good to see you.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you.
MICHAELSON: What was your -- your big takeaway from this? WATT: Big takeaway was they are desperate -- the state, the judge, the
defense -- for this not to descend into a circus. Like, the judge said he was going to make some rulings today. Then he said, you know what? I want to take my time. I want to craft them.
The state, one of the state lawyers said, we want to try this case only once, basically asking the judge to lay out the rules so that they don't break them.
And the defense said, We don't want the circus that's out there in the media to come into the courtroom. But the judge is going to have a hard time achieving that.
MICHAELSON: Yes, and the judge is -- is new, right?
WATT: Brand-new judge, randomly assigned this case. And, you know, it was interesting. Right from the start. So right now, cameras are allowed in the court, OK?
So, there was a pool camera in the court. And I have never seen a camera set up quite so close to a defendant in my life. The camera was right there. We could hear him whispering to his lawyer.
During a recess, the defense obviously heard from people, hey, this is not great. We can hear what you're saying. You're apparently -- we're seeing stuff on your computer screens. So, that was changed.
And you know, whether there are going to be cameras for the actual trial, that is the big question right now. The defense and the sheriff's department do not want cameras.
Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, does. She was on FOX News, and she said, you know, we deserve to have a camera in there. There were cameras on my husband when he was killed. There have been cameras on me ever since. Why not be transparent? We want a camera in there.
MICHAELSON: And in terms of the defense, what kind of case do they have? Because prosecutors say he confessed, right?
WATT: Well, I mean, we don't know any of that right now. He hasn't even entered a plea.
Now, he's probably going to enter a plea. There's going to be a preliminary hearing May 18 through 21. He'll probably enter a plea then. We don't know.
But what was the other thing that really struck me today is he was in there wearing this pale blue shirt, striped tie. He had his hair kind of plastered across his forehead.
The defense had asked the judge, they said, we don't want him in court, shackled in prison overalls, because that will prejudice the public, prejudice the potential jury pool.
So, he was allowed to wear street clothes. And his defense team got very annoyed when some of the pool camera shots showed that his left hand was shackled to his waist. His right hand was free so he could take notes. And they were very annoyed that those pictures got out.
MICHAELSON: Wow. So, there's all this, and we won't even hear preliminary hearing until May.
WATT: Until May. Right.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
WATT: Right.
MICHAELSON: Nick Watt. The world will be watching that.
WATT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Thank you so much for your reporting.
WATT: Of course.
MICHAELSON: On to other news now. Reuters is citing sources in Western Myanmar who say at least 30 people have been killed in a military airstrike on a hospital. Another 70 people are reportedly injured.
One witness says the hospital took a direct hit, was completely destroyed. The U.N. human rights chief says such attacks may amount to a war crime.
Government forces have been battling rebel groups in Myanmar, known formally as Burma since a 2021 coup.
Up next, my exclusive sit-down with the chair of the Democratic National Committee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So, if you had to describe the state of the Democratic Party in one word right now, what would it be?
MARTIN: Winning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Ken Martin talks about the midterms, Democratic socialists, and why the party had to take out a huge loan recently. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:18:12]
MICHAELSON: The Democratic National Committee is meeting here in Los Angeles for three days. Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker among the 2028 candidates here to address these power brokers.
I sat down this week with DNC Chair Ken Martin at the meetings in downtown Los Angeles for a wide-ranging exclusive interview about where the party is and where it's going. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Ken Martin, DNC chair. Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
MARTIN: Yes. Thank you so much for having me. It's great to see you again.
MICHAELSON: Thank you. So, if you had to describe the state of the Democratic Party in one word right now, what would it be?
MARTIN: Winning.
MICHAELSON: And what would you describe the message, if you had to do it in, like, a sentence? What's the Democratic Party?
MARTIN: The message is this: no matter where you're from, no matter where you live, every person in this country deserves an opportunity to actually get ahead, not just get by. That's our message. Everyone deserves a chance to actually climb the economic ladder and achieve success for their family. So many people right now are not feeling that.
MICHAELSON: President Trump describes the issue of affordability as -- as a hoax. Not that there aren't cost issues, but he basically says the Democrats talk about the word "affordability" but don't give specifics when it comes to how to make life more affordable.
So, if you had to say one or two things that -- actual, tangible policies Democrats would do differently that would make my life cheaper, what would it be?
MARTIN: Well, I mean, look, we have policies in place to actually -- how do we bring down the cost of utilities, right? How do we actually make childcare more affordable? You know, we're -- in just five days, Americans are going to have to face a decision as to whether or not they enroll in the ACA, right? Knowing that their health premiums are going to increase.
How do we actually keep healthcare costs down for people? That's what Democrats are focused on right now, is policies that actually will do that.
We talk about affordability. It's not a hoax, right? As much as Donald Trump wants it to be a hoax, the reality is he and his party are going to have to start dealing with this, because they've made this issue a lot worse, and they have a responsibility right now to actually put real solutions on the table, which they're not doing.
[00:20:15]
MICHAELSON: So, what are the Democratic solutions on those issues you just brought up?
MARTIN: Well, I think there's a lot of different policies we could put in place to actually bring down the cost of childcare, to actually make sure that we have, you know, policies in place that protect families and children.
I mean, look at my state of Minnesota as an example. We passed a paid family and medical leave act that makes sure that, at the end of the day, if people have sick ones in their family, they can leave their -- take some leave from their job and actually take care of sick family members. Right?
We put in place the largest child tax credit in the nation to actually, you know, help relieve some of the costs that people with families have to deal with, like the soaring cost of childcare, as an example. Right?
So, there's lots of policies that Democrats have championed all over the country, including in my home state of Minnesota.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about the state of the party. There was a time where you took out a $20 million loan. How are we doing in terms of paying that money back? Where are we at in terms of that?
MARTIN: Well, look, I obviously wanted to make sure that we made a huge investment in these last elections in November. And of course, that paid off in a big way, because Democrats had their most historic off-off-year election in the history of the Democratic Party. Right?
What we've been doing all year long is winning election after election. And even in elections we're not winning in, we're overperforming at a historic rate. Sixteen percentage points on average, right?
What that means is that historic overperformance has created a lot of wind at our back, a lot of momentum as we go into these critical midterm elections.
And so, yes, we took out some money. Yes, you know, and I'm proud to do it, because I said at the very beginning, we're going to contest every race. We're no longer going to be a party that just waits for the midterm election to come along.
If it's a special election or an election for local office or an election for state office, we are going to compete in it. And as a result, we, you know, we're winning.
We're, you know, our motto at the DNC is very simple. When you organize everywhere, guess what? You can win anywhere, right? And that's what we've been doing this year.
MICHAELSON: So are you -- have you paid the money back yet or --
MARTIN: No, no, no. Look, it's going to take some time to pay it off, and we'll have it paid off, you know.
But the real question on money is this: do we have the money as the Democratic Party to compete? Yes.
MICHAELSON: Do you?
MARTIN: We do. And are we making those investments that help us win? Yes. Do we have enough money to pay our staff and keep the lights on and do all the work we need to? The answer is yes.
MICHAELSON: I know you guys spend a lot of time and money looking at research, talking to people, getting a sense of where things are at. Of all the messages, what message is most effective? What issue is driving things for the most part, in terms of why you think you actually were able to win all those elections?
MARTIN: Well, you can see that. It's affordability. It has been for some time. It decided the election in 2024. It decided election after election in 2025.
And while one party says it's a hoax, the other party is focused exclusively on that.
And -- and you know, it -- it may not surprise you on this, right? Democrats over the years, have had challenges being disciplined as it relates to message.
But what you've seen this year is remarkable discipline as it relates to Democrats staying focused on the issues that most Americans are deeply concerned about, which is how they can actually afford their lives. Everything from health care to daycare to groceries to gas to utility costs, you name it. Right?
And what we've seen as a result is a lot of those people who voted for Donald Trump, many of them who put their -- their belief in him that he was going to help improve their lives and bring down the costs on day one, as he promised, have all fled. Many of them are not supporting Donald Trump anymore.
We made ground back with Latino voters, with women voters, with young voters, with every part of our coalition that voted for Donald Trump. They have swung back our way. Independent voters are breaking 2 to 1 for us, Elex.
And the reason for that is because they are rejecting the policies this administration is pushing, which is actually exacerbating the affordability crisis in this country.
Again, there's one party that thinks it's a hoax and is doing nothing to actually solve for these issues that are impacting Americans' lives. And another that's focused squarely on it.
MICHAELSON: Who do you think is the face of the Democratic Party right now?
MARTIN: Well, there's many different faces of the Democratic Party, and I feel blessed to be a part of that. Right?
We have so many great elected officials around the country, from governors to attorney generals to secretaries of state, state legislators, county officials, municipal officials. And we've got wonderful congressional members in the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, of course, doing really wonderful work representing our party.
And so, you know, I get that question all the time. Who is the leader of the Democratic Party? Well, guess what? We have many different leaders, and we elected a lot more this year.
MICHAELSON: Well, and you elected --
MARTIN: New leaders.
MICHAELSON: You elected different kinds of leaders, including one who's a Democratic socialist.
[00:25:03]
MARTIN: Sure.
MICHAELSON: Is there some danger in having a Democratic socialist so prominent that that could hurt in swing states, and change the message of the Democratic Party, and scare off independent voters?
MARTIN: Well, listen, we're a big tent party. We've got conservative Democrats, centrist Democrats, progressives, and this new emerging left.
And I've always believed, Elex, that you win elections by actually growing your coalition through addition, not subtraction. You never win by pushing people out of the conversation.
And that means, of course, that sometimes it means you're going to have dissent and debate within the party. Sometimes it's going to be messy. Sometimes you're not going to agree on everything.
But guess what? I've always said this: no one should confuse unity with unanimity. Within the Democratic Party. There's -- there's great room for disagreement in our party, but it doesn't mean we're unified [SIC].
And you saw that this year, right? Think about this: New York City, Zohran Mamdani; Virginia, Abigail Spanberger; New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill. All three of them ran on affordability. Right?
Now, you probably couldn't run Zohran Mamdani in Virginia and win any more than you could run Abigail Spanberger in New York City and win. This is what I'm saying.
And we as a party can't say, well, you're there's only one way to be a Democrat, because it ignores a reality that we need different types of Democrats in different parts of this country if we want to win again.
MICHAELSON: So, lastly, to just wrap things up, we're here in beautiful Southern California --
MARTIN: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- where it's 80 degrees, which I'm sure you enjoy as a Minnesotan. MARTIN: It's amazing. I love it!
MICHAELSON: You should just move here, right? It's so nice here.
You have meetings. lots of 2028 folks are going to be here for this. You've got the party coming together. We're already thinking about that. Thinking about the primaries. Where are the primaries going to start? Is it going to be South Carolina? What's the process in terms of figuring that out?
MARTIN: Well, that process has started already, right? And it will continue this week here in L.A. with conversations at our Rules and Bylaws Committee.
January 16th is the first deadline for those states who want to be in our early window for the primary process. And we already have a great outpouring of different states who want to be considered for that.
I've said all along in this process, I have one guiding star on this that it has to be fair, it has to be rigorous, and it has to be efficient. Right?
As we consider all the states who want to be a part of this, the most important thing is that that process, whatever calendar we put forward, battle tests our nominee in a way that allows us to win in November. Right? That's the most critical thing for us.
And so, the conversation just started. We're on the front end of it. It will go on for several months, all the way into the summer and spring of -- the summer and fall of next year. And we'll probably likely announce, you know, what the calendar looks like after the '26 midterm elections.
MICHAELSON: And just to wrap up on something fun, tell us something about you that we may not know, something fun about you. Because you're the Midwestern guy. Give us -- give us something that we may not know about you.
MARTIN: Look, you know, I'm a huge sports fan. I went to the University of Kansas, the all-time winningest college basketball program. So, I'm a basketball nut. I love being here.
MICHAELSON: The Jawhawks.
MARTIN: Yes. Go, Jayhawks. I love being here in L.A. Because even though I love Michael Jordan, my all-time favorite basketball player is the king, LeBron James.
MICHAELSON: Is it really?
MARTIN: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Why?
MARTIN: Oh, you know what? There's a great -- I coached basketball. Both my boys were basketball players. As -- as short as I am, I played basketball through high school.
MICHAELSON: Point guard?
MARTIN: Point guard No. 1. Listen, I'm 5'10". I mean, you think I was a -- you know.
MICHAELSON: Hey. Muggsy Bogues was shorter than you. And he got in the NBA, right?
MARTIN: And he could dunk. Wasn't that crazy. But I will just say this. You know, when I coached basketball for about ten years, I led our youth league in the city I'm from.
I would always make the kids watch a great documentary called "For the Love of the Game," and it followed LeBron from when he was a young kid playing AAU basketball all the way through high school with his teammates.
And what I love about that documentary is it's not just about the sport. It's about the bond that these young men had together.
And that's what I try to teach people. You -- you make some of the best relationships you can ever make playing organized team sports.
And so, I love LeBron. He's done so much for the community. He's done so much around civil rights, voting rights in this country, as well. But he's just been a remarkable basketball player to watch.
MICHAELSON: Well, we're just feet from where the Lakers play. So go, Lakers.
MARTIN: There you go.
MICHAELSON: And thank you so much.
MARTIN: Well, you know where the Lakers are originally from?
MICHAELSON: Of course.
MARTIN: Minneapolis.
MICHAELSON: Minneapolis. That's where the lakes are.
MARTIN: That's right.
MICHAELSON: Not a lot of lakes here.
MARTIN: Do you remember who played for him? Because it was always the big drill I would make --
MICHAELSON: George Mikan, of course.
MARTIN: Mikan drill.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Yes.
MARTIN: That's right. So, all those -- all those titles.
MICHAELSON: The big reason they're 17 is because a lot of those came from Minneapolis.
MARTIN: Minneapolis. That's right.
MICHAELSON: Thank you so much.
MARTIN: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Appreciate it. Enjoy your time here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Ken Martin. I'm glad I could find a way to make that about the Lakers.
Open invite to the GOP chair to join us, as well, for a similar conversation.
A lot to unpack there with our political panel. Maria Cardona on the left, chef Andrew Gruel on the right, standing by live. Maybe they'll do the Mikan drill by the end of it. Who knows? Stay with us. It's all about the fundamentals, baby.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:34:44]
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. Here's a look at your top stories.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been freed from U.S. custody after a judge ordered his immediate release. The U.S. district judge says that the El Salvadoran, who had been detained again without lawful authority. He was previously mistakenly deported by the Trump administration before being returned to the U.S. and then put back into federal custody.
[00:35:07]
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says he has a long criminal record, and they are likely to appeal.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was interrupted by a protester during a congressional hearing. The demonstrator spoke out against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration before he was taken out of the room by Capitol Police.
Noem was there to face questions from lawmakers about her leadership and potential threats to national security.
In a virtually unprecedented show of bipartisanship, President Trump had praise for both parties at the White House Congressional Ball.
The president told the crowd he believes Republicans and Democrats will soon be working together on health care. The Senate Thursday rejected proposals from both parties as Obamacare subsidies expire at the end of the year.
Let's talk about that and more with our panel. Here in studio live, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, here for the DNC meetings in L.A. Plus, Chef Andrew Gruel, restaurant owner, Huntington Beach city council member. Welcome to you both.
Maria, welcome to the show for the first time. Great to have you in the house.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you so much. Great to be here.
MICHAELSON: And Chef, welcome back. Good to see you again.
So, let's start with you. Ladies first. Let's talk about this issue of health care and play some of what President Trump had to say tonight. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: What a nice group of Democrats. We do. We have a lot of Democrats. And we welcome you. Honestly, we do. And I think we're going to start working together on health care. I really predict that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Work together on health care, which has not been something that we've seen over the years.
CARDONA: That would be a first.
MICHAELSON: The president's tone sometimes changes based off of who's in the room.
CARDONA: Right.
MICHAELSON: Tonight, there's some Democrats in the room, but do you think there's an opening?
CARDONA: Right. I hope so. I mean, it certainly would be a first if what he says is true. But maybe he's feeling the pressure, Elex.
Because what we have seen thus far is that Donald Trump and the Republican Party have had 15 years to come up with a viable alternative to Obamacare, to the Affordable Care Act, which they have hated from its inception.
They've tried to get rid of it hundreds of times. And it has been political kryptonite for them, every time they have tried to get rid of it. It is now incredibly popular, even in red states.
So, I think he's feeling the pressure. I think Republicans that are in swing states going into next year's midterm elections, they see all of these humongous wins that Democrats have had in these last elections. We've won 220 of 229 special elections thus far.
And so, I think they see that. And they think, We have to do something. Because health care is a huge issue, not just for the Democrats, but for their own base.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
CARDONA: And so, if they don't do it, they're going to be in huge political trouble, the Republicans that are on the ballot next year.
MICHAELSON: But we know, Chef, that the Republican base historically has been very against these Obamacare subsidies, even though more independent people often have been in favor of them.
ANDREW GRUEL, RESTAURANT OWNER, HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Yes, they've been against it. And what I would say, though, is -- is that I don't necessarily know if the -- I think both parties, to some degree, understand that we need to flip this system upside-down.
Because under both parties over the past 15 years, as you mentioned, costs have only gone up, right?
So, there's something broken here. I think there's a mass consolidation at the top. You've got the pharmacy benefit managers. You've got what once were mom and pop independent nonprofit hospitals being bought out by private equity. Prices are going up over and over and over again.
But I do agree. I think that what Trump is seeing here is, is that this isn't a great political issue for him.
And it ties back to affordability, which has been a theme of your show in the past, you know, couple of weeks.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
GRUEL: And ultimately, if he says, OK, if everybody's costs are going to go up January 1, that's going to hit me on the affordability piece. So, I really do hope they come together and try and figure this out.
MICHAELSON: Do you think he makes a deal?
GRUEL: I think there -- oh, yes, I guarantee you he makes a deal; 100 percent.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
CARDONA: But I think it all depends on what that deal is, because he's talking about he doesn't want to give the insurance companies the money. He wants to give individuals the money to be able to pay for the health care.
It doesn't work that way. Right? If you give individuals money, they're going to use it to buy health insurance to -- to give to the insurance companies. The fact that Donald Trump says things like this says to me, he's
completely clueless. He's probably never had to pay for health insurance himself. And he doesn't understand how it actually works.
And so, when you have people who are about to see their premiums go up by 100, 200, 300 percent, listening to something like what Donald Trump has been saying up until now doesn't work.
So, hopefully, what he said just now --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
CARDONA: -- is going to be something that could be a reality.
MICHAELSON: It is amazing, if you think about it, that health care, though, has been an animating voting issue for so many midterms: 1994. It's the reason Republicans won the House. 2010. The reasons Republicans won the House. 2018, the reasons Democrats won the House.
CARDONA: Yes. Yes.
MICHAELSON: And in 2026, could be the reason that Democrats win the house again. We'll see what happens.
The Democratic Party feeling pretty good right now.
CARDONA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: We just heard from DNC Chair Ken Martin. Here's some of what he had to say.
[00:40:04]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: What issue is driving things, for the most part, in terms of why you think you actually were able to win all those elections?
MARTIN: Well, you can see that. It's affordability. It has been for some time. It decided the election in 2024. It decided election after election in 2025. And while one party says it's a hoax, the other party is focused exclusively on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Chef, how do you see the issue of affordability?
GRUEL: Well, you know, I see it from two different perspectives. No. 1, I think that Trump and his administration actually does have a plan that they think is going to work. I don't think they've communicated it that well.
CARDONA: What is it?
MICHAELSON: What is that plan? GRUEL: Well, I think that that plan is -- is kind of twofold. No. 1,
he used the tariffs as a prelude to negotiation. He's got to get those deals done right away. Or he's got to admit that the tariff thing didn't work, right? Because that actually has increased prices.
CARDONA: Yes.
GRUEL: The fact that there was so much money floating out there -- and I'm not putting this on anybody. But from 2020 to 2022, 2023, that did lead to a lot of inflation.
And they feel as if that inflation is going to come down, because they're not pumping as much money into the economy.
What we're seeing, though, the problem is small businesses, independents, ranchers and farmers. That's why this beef issue has been such a major issue. Is that if we're giving all of this money to other countries so that we can bring down the price of beef, we're not helping our independent farmers.
And the whole MAHA movement was about helping our independent farmers and ranchers. So, if we can redirect a lot of that energy and effort to help these small businesses, local independent farmers, ranchers, food producers, that's a way in which we can bring prices down. And he can continue to galvanize that kind of demographic of his party.
CARDONA: Americans aren't buying it, right? The tariffs are one of the biggest reasons why costs are skyrocketing.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
CARDONA: So, you know, they can talk about affordability. But you know why it also doesn't work? Why Americans aren't buying it?
Because every time that Trump talks about it, he mocks it. He mocks it. He makes fun of it. He says it's a Democratic hoax. As long as he says that, he is not going to be able to talk about this in a credible way.
MICHAELSON: So, I asked Ken Martin to describe the brand of the Democratic Party in sort of a concise way. How would you describe in, like, a sentence, what's the brand of the Democratic Party?
CARDONA: We are winning, because voters know that we are the party that has their back, and we're fighting for them.
MICHAELSON: What's the Democratic Party brand?
GRUEL: Well, I would say confused. So, I mean, you know -- and the reason that I say --
CARDONA: Not to voters, apparently.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
GRUEL: Well, it depends. Right? Because you've got -- you've got Mamdani on one side of the coin. You've got kind of this socialist idea out there.
And then on the other side of the coin, you've got people, especially here in California, actually, like Ro Khanna. You've got people who are speaking pragmatically. And it's like, where do they reconcile?
CARDONA: Well, they reconcile in the party. They reconcile at the Democratic Party.
GRUEL: I guess so.
CARDONA: That's why this is working for us.
MICHAELSON: What's the Republican Party brand?
GRUEL: The Republican Party brand is supposed to be about small government, and I think they need to get back to that. And I think what we've seen, and the reason why there's been so much infighting in the Republican Party is you've got one wing that's saying, wipe it all out, redo it, rewrite the script. We've got to get back to small government.
And you've got another side that's saying, well, in order to help the economy, we need to work with these big businesses and these big corporations. And we need to reconcile that.
MICHAELSON: What's the Republican brand?
CARDONA: The Republican brand? And they should listen to you, because right now the Republican brand is giving the middle finger to American families.
And that's why they are in such trouble going into the midterm elections, because it has been what Donald Trump has done to the American people. The biggest American betrayal that we have seen in a long time.
MICHAELSON: Who -- real quickly, who at this DNC meeting are people most excited about for 2028?
CARDONA: They're -- they're excited about a lot of people.
MICHAELSON: Oh, come on.
CARDONA: No. Seriously. You will have people excited about Gavin Newsom, who was there today.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
CARDONA: Kamala Harris, who was -- who is there tomorrow. Governor Pritzker, who is in town.
MICHAELSON: That's a very safe answer.
CARDONA: They are -- they are excited about him. But they are excited because they see momentum at our back.
MICHAELSON: Yes. OK. And lastly, Chef, best Christmas food.
GRUEL: Yorkshire pudding.
MICHAELSON: OK. What's the best Christmas food?
CARDONA: El pernil. Which is something that Cubans, Puerto Ricans, a lot of Latino families love.
MICHAELSON: And as a Jew on the panel, latkes all the way.
CARDONA: OK.
MICHAELSON: Thank you very much. We're bringing people together through food here --
CARDONA: I love it.
MICHAELSON: -- on THE STORY IS. Great to have both of you. Maria Cardona, Chef --
CARDONA: Thank you, Elex. It's great to be here.
MICHAELSON: -- Andrew Gruel, appreciate it.
MICHAELSON: Coming up, Australia is banning social media for teens. We'll hear from a leading mental health expert who explains why it's an important move for developing young brains. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:48:55]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Get ready for a somewhat scary story about artificial intelligence. ChatGPT is accused of encouraging a man to murder his mother and then kill himself.
A lawsuit alleges that ChatGPT fueled the paranoid delusions of a 56- year-old man from Connecticut, telling him that he could trust no one and that his friends and family were spying on him.
ChatBPT [SIC] never suggested that the man should seek professional help; told him that his delusions were real.
The lawsuit is the first ever to accuse a chatbox [SIC] of assisting in a homicide.
Dr. Mark Hrymoc is here. He's a psychiatrist and the founder of the mental health center located at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Doctor, welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
Scary stuff. I mean, how do you think about and sort of the -- as we think about regulating A.I.?
DR. MARK HRYMOC, PSYCHIATRIST, FOUNDER, MENTAL HEALTH CENTER AT CEDARS-SINAI: Sure. I mean, A.I. is a tool and not a therapist is the key point here. It can often lead people down dark paths. It's meant to be agreeable and personable, but ultimately, it's not a therapist that can challenge and confront a person when they have problematic thinking or delusional thinking.
At times, it can even magnify what they are thinking in a problematic way.
[00:50:12]
MICHAELSON: And when we think about sort of the need for therapists, there's another story out that says over a billion people on Earth sort of need mental health help.
HRYMOC: That's right.
MICHAELSON: Which is -- which is a huge number and still an issue we don't talk about that much. A billion people. What does that mean? What are we talking about here?
HRYMOC: That means that a billion people, 20 percent of Americans can have depression. In the general disability is a large consequence of mental health issues. And it's a -- it's a big --
MICHAELSON: Yes. So, how do we -- how do we deal with that? I mean, as somebody who thinks about that, how do we better get people help?
HRYMOC: One of the main recommendations from that World Health Organization study is to have more embedded mental health services in primary care settings, screening for depression and anxiety in the way that we screen for high blood pressure or high blood sugar.
And having more access to care is really important, as well.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And it also said, as you mentioned, depression was one of the main things that we're looking at here.
HRYMOC: That's right.
MICHAELSON: Yes. So, there's another study that was interesting that talked about sort of our brains and how they develop. And it talked about that the brain is really an adolescent from 9 to 32; that there were different times.
So, look at this, you know, 9 to 32 is phase, part two of adolescence. Then you're an adult in your early 30s. You then get into early aging.
And then phase four at 83, late aging. So, early aging was 66, late aging, 83.
What does this mean? Give us some more background, because I'm sort of confused looking at this. What does it mean by you're an adolescent until you're in your 30s?
HRYMOC: Sure. This study looked at the development of the human brain across the lifespan. And they found discrete lines at ages nine, 32, 66, and 83. And in between each is where you have different stages of development.
So, in early childhood, the brain grows a lot. In adolescence, which they deemed was between 9 and 32, the brain is becoming more efficient over time. So, it looked at the organizational efficiency and the connections in the brain.
And then a person's peak performance is between ages 32 and 66. Adulthood, when personality is stable and cognitive abilities are stable, and we arguably are at our best in that window.
And then you see aging start to happen at age 66, and then late aging starts at 83.
MICHAELSON: Really interesting stuff. So, I guess be kinder to yourself, especially when you're in your 20s, right? And thinking about that.
HRYMOC: Yes. And if you don't have your act together by 18, don't worry. You still have until age 32.
MICHAELSON: There you go. What if you don't have it by 32? I don't know, still trying to figure it out, but we'll hopefully lean on you for help.
Dr. Mark Hrymoc from UCLA -- or Cedars-Sinai, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Appreciate the insight.
HRYMOC: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: We'll be right back. More of THE STORY IS right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:58:03]
MICHAELSON: Lululemon says its CEO, Calvin McDonald, is stepping down after seven years at the helm.
The leadership shakeup comes as the athleisure wear company struggles to attract American customers and compete with newer brands.
Lululemon, known for its pricey leggings, is also expecting a $210 million hit to its revenue due to tariffs.
The company shares were up in after-hours trading following the CEO announcement. Lululemon still searching for a new leader.
You're looking at a group of people suspected of stealing more than 600 artifacts from the U.K.'s Bristol Museum. Avon and Somerset police released images of four suspects on Thursday and appealed to the public for information on them.
Those artifacts related to the history of the British empire and commonwealth and are described as having significant cultural value.
Investigators believe the men stole the items from a storage building back in September.
Now to an impressive feat of human strength. In a world first, nine professional cyclists successfully launched a glider plane by pedaling on a runway.
Tour de France podium finisher Florani [SIC] Lipowitz led the extraordinary Peloton effort at an airport in Majorca. His team accelerated to 33 miles an hour, harnessed to the glider.
The cyclists averaged 650 watts per 90 seconds each, power output comparable to winning a world tour stage.
Wow, that's something else. Not a very efficient way of powering it, but, you know, impressive nonetheless.
Thanks for watching this hour of THE STORY IS. The next hour of THE STORY IS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): THE STORY IS historic flooding. CNN's Veronica Miracle is in Washington state, where thousands have been forced to flee their homes.
THE STORY IS artificial intelligence. President Trump wants to stop state regulations.
THE STORY IS social media ban? The top California lawmakers in Australia right now, studying whether the Golden State should follow suit and ban apps for teens under 16. He joins me live.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
