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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Major Flooding Concerns In Washington Prompt Evacuation; Heavy Rainfall Floods Camps Of Displaced Palestinians; Indiana Senate Rejects New House Map, Defying Trump; Trump Signs Executive Order To Block State AI Regulations; Reddit Challenges Australia's Social Media Ban For Under-16s; The "Pink Ladies" Laundering Anti-Migrant Views Into the Mainstream; May the Gods Be Ever in Your Favor: Katniss and Peeta Return; Glitzy Italian Ski Resort Cortina Preps for 2026 Winter Olympics. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 12, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: 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.
And the story is the pink ladies, the soft new face of Britain's hard right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michelson.
MICHAELSON: We're talking different Pink Ladies than Rizzo in Greece. Welcome to The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaelson live in LA. We begin with a flooding emergency in Washington State. We are getting new reports of dozens of water rescues and authorities are issuing new evacuation orders that stretch into neighboring British Columbia.
Next week, a new atmospheric river could send even more rain to areas that are already devastated by floods. CNN's Veronica Miracle is in Skagit County where the entire 100 year floodplain has been told to evacuate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A state of emergency in the northwestern corner of Washington State as record breaking flooding forces mandatory evacuations from multiple cities. Some in the region have seen more than a foot of rain this week triggering what forecasters call potentially catastrophic flooding.
As many as 100,000 people could face evacuations. Entire communities impacted, homes in Gold Bar flooded. Cars submerged in water. Businesses like this gas station with floodwaters rising up to the nozzles, making them inoperable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shocked. You know, I mean, we've never seen this to this extent before. MIRACLE (voice-over): A Sultan resident carried his dog out of a home
as floodwaters pooled around the property. It's a familiar scene near rivers in western Washington with numerous rivers and flood stage.
The Snoqualmie River is approaching record levels and roads around the valley are closing fast. The dangerous conditions have prompted multiple swift water rescues in Yakima, 18 people and their pets rescued from the flooded local rivers. Some others airlifted to safety.
In the Skagit Valley, the river near Concrete, Washington eclipsed 41 feet Thursday morning, the highest in more than 20 years. Residents in Skagit County bagging sand as they brace for more rain potentially to come.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can do all we can with sandbags and bring in the material, but you know, when that river wants to do something, it's just, it's out of our control.
MIRACLE: Elex, we're about two hours north of Seattle and this is the community of Hamilton. This is actually the main roadway that's used to come into this community. And you can see behind me, homes are flooded right here and this roadway is completely flooded out. And it's what you really can't make out from this vantage point that's quite remarkable.
There's a glint there. It's the rooftop of a car at the end of this roadway. We heard from rescue crews that the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, they had to rescue the driver of that car because they tried to drive across when it was flooded out. We've been hearing this from people all over. A woman told me she watched as a man tried to drive across a flooded roadway, get swept away, and a helicopter rescue crew had to come in and save that driver.
So rescue officials all over western Washington are telling people, asking people to heed warnings and evacuate when asked. Elex.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Yes, you can why. Veronica miracle, thank you for that. A 6.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked Japan, sparking tsunami warnings for the Pacific coast of many Japanese areas. It struck just after 11:44 in the morning local time.
So far, no word on evacuations or casualties. That's because this was off the coast, which is good news. Japan has already on high alert after a 7.5 magnitude hit off the country's northeastern coast on Monday. That quake triggered a rare warning from the government that a magnitude 8 or higher could hit this week. That has not happened yet, but this is still quite a large earthquake.
Heavy rains, cold temperatures are threatening thousands of families in Gaza. Water there is flooding tents and shelters, destroying what little they have. Before we show you Jeremy Diamond report, a warning. Some of the images you're about to see are disturbing.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Already battered by bombs, a night of heavy rain and wind was the final straw for this building in Gaza City. No injuries were reported, but it was one of several buildings that collapsed amid the most severe storm to hit Gaza this winter.
Gaza's tent camps, where hundreds of thousands now live, face the worst.
[01:05:00]
Floodwaters ravage this central Gaza camp, where residents equipped with nothing more than shovels tried to drain the camp by digging trenches while battening down their tents with mud. We have been trying to block the water since the morning, but it's not working, shide Abu Saleh says. We are drowned. We just want to go home and find comfort.
Despair and frustration are quickly rising. We drown tonight, Mahmoud cries out. All of our flour and food and drink and children all drowned.
Despite their best efforts, water poured into one tent after the next. Floors, bedding, clothes and food stocks all soaked. Other homes submerged as residents tried to salvage what they could. Humanitarian aid organizations say conditions have been worsened by continued Israeli restrictions on aid, with insufficient shelters being allowed in.
Tonight was very difficult. I put the children to sleep there and water came in on us, says Ibrahim. You can feel the bedding and the amount of water in it. And the other children were awake all night trying to remove water from here and there.
The rain is continuing to fall on Gaza and Hanan Abu Nada is continuing to fight against it. My body is shaking because of the water. I can't help myself. I changed my clothes many times because I was already sick from the previous storm, she says. We have drowned, we are exhausted, we are mentally exhaust. We are devastated and no one feels our pain.
This storm was all too much for 7 month old Rahaf Abujazar (ph), who died of hypothermia after her family's tent flooded overnight. She was completely fine. I breastfed her last night. Then all of a sudden I found her freezing and shivering, her mother explains. She was healthy, my sweetheart. But now she is gone and another mother is left to mourn. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Feel for that mother just to watch. Some newly released video of a poignant scene from two years.
Those are six Israeli hostages celebrating Hanukkah in a tunnel in Gaza months before they were killed by Hamas. You can see them hugging and lighting makeshift candles on a menorah made of disposable cups. Other videos show them playing cards or chess while sitting on mats on the floor.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the video was recorded by Hamas as propaganda, but the humanity of these six beautiful people still shines through.
The story is politics, and it's something you pretty much never hear from President Trump praising lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at the White House Congressional Ball, the president telling the crowd he believes Republicans and Democrats will soon be working together on health care.
His comments came after the Senate rejected health care proposals from both parties. Karin Caifa has more.
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KARIN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Senate Thursday voting on dueling health care plans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The motion is not agreed to.
CAIFA (voice-over): And advancing neither.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The motion is not agreed to.
CAIFA (voice-over): Hanging in the balance as Capitol Hill debates are enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Experts say without an extension, skyrocketing premiums will financially cripple millions of Americans.
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): We need to do triage and the first thing is to face the emergency that millions of Americans face when these tax credits disappear.
CAIFA (voice-over): And the Democratic proposal put forth on Thursday sought to extend the subsidies by three years.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): This kind of extension of health care subsidized subsidies is a very simple, straightforward, non-costly, politically imperative thing to do.
CAIFA (voice-over): But Senate Republican leadership argues a straight extension isn't the right fix.
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: You can't fix this program. I mean, you can't just do a blanket extension without reforms. It is -- it is rife with waste, fraud and abuse.
CAIFA (voice-over): The Republican plan, which also failed Thursday, proposed to expand health savings accounts for consumers to help pay for some ACA plans.
BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): The Republican plan is to put the money into the patient's pocketbook so that she has money to pay for the insurance out of pocket.
CAIFA (voice-over): Any legislation passed in the Senate would need a sign off in the Republican-led House before the chamber recesses for the holidays, as well as approval from President Trump making a resolution this year unlikely. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates a lapse in subsidies could lead to 2 million more people uninsured. In Washington, I'm Karin Caifa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:10:04]
MICHAELSON: Karin, thank you. Speaking of the House, Indiana Republicans are defying President Trump's pressure campaign to redraw congressional maps to help Republicans try to keep the House in next year's midterm elections. 21 Republicans joined 10 Democrats to vote down the measure in the state Senate, where Republicans hold a super majority.
Remember, President Trump won Indiana by nearly 20 points in 2024. The rejected Congress map would have set up Republicans to sweep all nine of Indiana's U.S. House seats in next year's midterm, picking up two seats, potentially helping them keep 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 opposed redrawing maps mid decades. Even the Republicans won and the pressure from the White House actually ended up backfiring.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN LEISING, INDIANA STATE SENATE REPUBLICAN: Well, I mean, indiana, we're not going to be intimidated. We're strong people. Most of us are very strong in what we think is right. I mean, that's why I'm here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The story is tech and it's been quite a day for artificial intelligence. President Trump on Thursday signing an executive order banning states from enforcing AI regulations that they've already passed, arguing that the administration wants a single national framework for the technology.
Meanwhile, Disney is taking a 1 billion dollar equity stake in OpenAI as part of a deal allowing users of OpenAI short form video generating network SORA to use more than 200 Disney animated characters.
And finally, the magazine Time magazine named the architects of AI as its person of the year. That list includes Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Elon Musk of X and OpenAI's Sam Altman, among others.
Joining us now is international AI expert and the inaugural chief AI Officer for UCLA, Chris Mattmann. Chris, welcome. I notice your glasses. These are the Meta glasses.
CHRIS MATTMANN, INAUGURAL CHIEF AI OFFICER, UCLA: Yes, Meta Oakley's.
MICHAELSON: So you're able to record me right now?
MATTMANN: I could, absolutely. If I take a picture, I can do it like that, or I can, you know, say, hey Meta, take a photo and do that.
MICHAELSON: OK. Nothing creepy about that at all. But I got my cameras, you got your cameras. So we're even at this point. Speaking of technology. So we put out, Amazon, put out a thing about what was the most common thing people ask Alexa, right? Alexa in their home. Alexa question, number one question or one of the number one questions, Alexa, what is AI? So if you're Alexa, what's the answer? What is AI?
MATTMANN: Yes, so for me, Elex, you know, I kind of like to describe it like this. So humans sense things, they see, they listen, they hear language. The first part of AI is sensors, you know, being able to do that across sound, video, across images. So sensing things, you have to decide what to do after that. And when you decide what to do, we as humans, we actuate, we move our arms, our legs, we decide to get in a car and drive. Actuation is another part of artificial intelligence.
Both of those are done, they're sensing acts of actuation. Those are done artificially. And the big difference between artificial intelligence and humans get tired, humans get bored, and AI doesn't. It's a simple definition.
MICHAELSON: You just keep going all the time. So that executive order that President Trump signed, sort of, what is he trying to do with this? And do you think it makes sense?
MATTMANN: Yes. So, Elex, the big challenge is that each state right now is making different laws. So blue states are making laws for AI, red states want to have different laws. You know, Colorado has a law that basically says if an AI generates some output and it disparages, say, illegal immigrants, you could be subject to fines and things like that.
California has, you know, State Senator Warner, who's making --
MICHAELSON: Wiener.
MATTMANN: Weiner -- SB53, and that is talking about laws related to AI transparency and things like that. What the White House is trying to say is they're trying to say, look, if there is a patchwork framework, they're going to have AI models that you can't bring from one state into another state without harms. We need a national framework. And that's one of the things the order is talking about.
MICHAELSON: I mean, do you think that makes sense?
MATTMANN: I think it makes a lot of sense. You know, and as someone who worked on this a little bit in the last administration, I worked on AI Safety, you know, related. That was a big order that defined the role of chief AI officers under Biden. One of the issues with that is sort of left to their own. This is an
enabling technology that if we have impediments and things to its efficiency, we're going to get behind our foreign adversaries. And that's the focus of the administration now. It's on air enablement. It's like, look, remove the regulatory roadblocks. Just focus on going and doubling down on AI right now.
[01:15:00]
MICHAELSON: In terms of Disney's move, this billion dollar investment in OpenAI and allowing the use of their characters, was it sort of like we know you're going to steal them anyway, so why don't we just make money off of this?
MATTMANN: You know, Elex, I heard on the Marvel show WandaVision that the actors were scanned, you know, without even knowing, you know, that they were being scanned, you know, and things like that. This sort of things that led to the WGA strikes, the SAG strikes and there's been a lot of, I'd say, deals that were made in Hollywood since then.
And they do know that this is content that OpenAI wants. They know that kids are going to want to use DALL-E 3, which is part of ChatGPT to generate images and videos, Sora to be able to generate these characters. But now they have a license to do that. Disney investing $1 billion is they get a license to use the characters, but they also get access to OpenAI's powerful, quickest best models ChatGPT 5.2, the latest Frontier models. And it benefits both companies. It makes a lot of sense to me.
MICHAELSON: I wonder how the professional animators feel about this because it's kind of, you know, kids could basically come up with their own Disney movie at home, right? Any part ways in the world.
MATTMANN: I think the big challenge that they have with that is that right now the limitations on these models and even things like Sora or even Google's VO3 and things like that, you can generate 30 second snips. It's really hard to turn those into longer form videos without having some editorial or editing expertise. And that's where you're going to reach the limits of it.
MICHAELSON: Last question. Who do you think was Times Person of the Year? Should have been Times Person of the Year.
MATTMANN: I was just telling you a little bit, you know, off camera is like, I think it was a little bit of a cop out, you know, to pick all of the big tech people. The one thing I just want to call out is Fei- Fei Li from Stanford.
Fei-Fei Li is an advisor, you know, in AI related to Governor Newsom. But she's also one of the, you know, most, well, you know, published great people. And I'm glad that they didn't just pick the big tech CEOs and they got an academic in there too.
MICHAELSON: All right, spoken as somebody who's, well, working in academia. Chris Mattmann, thank you. I don't know what the glasses were recording during all that, but I hope it went well.
MATTMANN: Thank you so much for having me
MICHAELSON: We'll find out later. Thank you so much. Nearly one and a half million people are struggling with power outages in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Airlines have canceled almost 400 flights. Officials say the electricity failed after strong winds from an extra tropical cyclone toppled hundreds of trees, knocking out the power grid. There are no reports of any injuries. Thankfully, the power company has not said when electricity will fully be restored.
The story is a peace deal for Ukraine maybe. The U.S. is still considering whether to send a representative to a meeting in Paris with Ukrainian and European leaders. White House press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Trump is, quote, sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting. I know what that's like.
Russia wants to take the Donbas region, which Ukraine still partially holds. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says the U.S. has proposed creating a free economic zone in parts of the region from which Ukraine would withdraw. Zelenskyy has stated his opposition to giving up more territory as part of any peace plan.
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 Venezuelan coast 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.
Just ahead on the story is, Australia has banned social media for teens. Could it happen here? My next guest, top lawmaker from California is there looking at options. Could this be coming to California?
And the so called Pink Ladies, a group putting a new face on anti- immigrant tropes pushed by the far-right will take you to the UK. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:23:21]
MICHAELSON: The popular message board site Reddit is suing the Australian government over its ban on social media for kids under 16. The San Francisco based company says the ban interferes with free speech, political discourse and privacy issues. The law went into effect on Wednesday. Tech companies say they'll comply with the ban using age verification measures, but they won't believe it will make children safer.
In response to the lawsuit, Australia's health minister says the ban is good for kids and for parents. He compared social media companies and their addictive algorithms to big tobacco.
California State Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal is in Australia right now to learn about the country's social media ban and to see maybe something similar should be done in California.
He joins me now live from Sydney. Good day, mate.
JOSH LOWENTHAL, CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLYMEMBER: How you doing, Elex? Good to see you.
MICHAELSON: Good to see you as well. And it's the next day in Sydney. What are you learning?
LOWENTHAL: Well, I really just wanted to come and speak to the regulators here and understand what is the genesis of this, what are they measuring? What are the impacts that they expect to have, know where this is all going for them and how they arrived at this conclusion because there are global implications here.
This is not unique to Australia, it's not unique to California, and it crosses all demographics. This is a global phenomenon. All parents are contending with it.
MICHAELSON: So based off of what you're seeing on the ground, because we know that you were part of the effort to ban cell phones in schools in California, do you now want to see social media banned for young people in California?
[01:25:09]
LOWENTHAL: Yes, I think ban is a tough word. I think it's really about delaying social media. Social media in and of itself is something that should be age appropriate. And we need to look at this about as a public health issue. And so it's really about what's the best thing for kids at stages in their development, is it a proper thing at a young age?
The macro data that we see on youth development and youth mental health right now is awful. Youth suicide is up 60 percent in the last 10 years. Eating disorders, anxiety, depression, same levels especially for girls. And so it's pretty clear that something needs to be done. We're trying to work with the platforms themselves and big tech. There are many legislators in California and throughout the United States that are trying to come up with their own reasoning.
And we all need to be agnostic and look at the data, try and come up with the best ways that are going to achieve the best results for our kids.
MICHAELSON: So we know that there's a Democratic supermajority in California. If the party all gets behind something, it can kind of do whatever it wants. We also know that most of these companies are based in California and they give a lot of money to people who run for office in California.
Would you have the votes right now or something close to that to do something similar to Australia? Is there an appetite to actually pass that and get that signed by the governor?
LOWENTHAL: It's a great question, Alex, but you know, what I'll say is in Australia, just like in California, it's a bipartisan issue. The legislators in California that are working on this are on both sides of the aisle. I'm very proud of that work that we do together. And it's the same federally in the United States.
The votes are there. The question is what's the best path and what's the right infrastructure that we would need to have to do something like this? California, we don't have an e-safety commission. We don't have a Digital Safety Act, which is sort of the Constitution by which government enforces and regulates these types of things. So one of the things we need to do first is to make sure that we have that infrastructure in place.
And it's very difficult when we have a president who you just reported on is working against state's efforts on that very thing.
MICHAELSON: Yes, the effort to try to regulate AI on a state by state basis. President Trump saying we should do this on a national basis. It's interesting to see if you all try to do this sort of social media ban in California, would he try to do something similar there and then you end up on a fight in the courts.
We do know that many of the big tech people are big donors to President Trump and are his friends. And we saw all of them at the inauguration in Washington.
Josh Lowenthal, a long way from Long Beach to Sydney. We appreciate you joining us. Thanks for joining us on this very interesting trip on a big story that impacts the entire world. Thanks so much for being with us.
LOWENTHAL: Appreciate you so much, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Now to other news. As tensions over migration rise across Europe, one group in the UK is trying to put a softer spin on right wing rhetoric. The Pink Ladies are a new group that says it is its mission to protect women. But as CNN's Jomana Karadsheh discovered, the group is exploiting anti-immigrant tropes often used by the far right.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet the Pink Ladies, a new face of Britain's growing anti-immigration movement. We went to one of their pink protests just outside London to try and understand what this is all about.
ORLA MINIHANE, ORGANIZER, THE PINK LADIES: We've got our own scumbags, our own predators and our own sex pests. We do not need to bring in more every day men from cultures that do not think like we do, who treat women like third class citizens and who think it's acceptable to marry eight and nine year old girls.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): This is not racism, they say, and they're not the far right. But a lot of what we heard sounded an awful lot like the far right's narrative.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to get the army involved. We're being invaded.
UNDIENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's bloody terrible is all over Europe, you know, being invaded.
KARADSHEH: By?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By illegal migrants.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Advocacy groups say exploiting the issue of violence against women and genuine safety concerns is a common far right tactic. The Pink Ladies say they're grassroots women concerned about mass migration and what it means for their safety and the future of their country, putting out catchy tunes like this one that market their agenda.
The so far small group emerged a few months ago at a time of rising tensions over migration with the far right seizing on that.
[01:30:00]
A lot of people looking at what's happening in the U.K. from the outside, they might say that a lot of the things that you are saying are the talking points of the far-right. How would you --
ORLA MOYNIHAN, REFORM U.K. PARTY: What is far-right? Far-right is extremists. Far-left is extremism. How am I extremist? I'm just a mum who's worked her whole life, who's bringing up three children, who lives in suburbia.
I don't want my daughter to be sexually assaulted by men that have come over to this country that we've got no -- no background checks on. if that makes me a far-right, then there's something very, very concerning with the rhetoric, right.
KARADSHEH: That's Orla Moynihan. She's a local candidate for the right-wing populist party Reform U.K.
Amid this show of pink solidarity and what was mostly a jovial and at times surreal atmosphere, we heard from women worried about their safety and that of their daughters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women are scared to walk anywhere. And, you know, we live in a small town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the seriousness of what we're dealing with.
KARADSHEH: The government doesn't publish detailed figures on crimes committed by asylum seekers, but there have been some high-profile cases that have put women and girls on edge.
On top of that, there are the twisted facts that go unchecked. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These five women have died, have been murdered at
the hands of an illegal migrant catastrophe that this government is letting happen.
KARADSHEH: Except two of the suspects in these five horrific murder cases are British nationals.
But for Laura and others, what they heard here was enough for them to make up their minds.
What is it that is making you feel unsafe?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's all the rapes, murders -- you know, what they've been talking about today.
KARADSHEH: Jomana Karadsheh, CNN -- Chelmsford, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Our thanks to Jomana there.
Big news for fans of the "Hunger Games". The popular movie franchise is returning next year, returning two of its main stars.
That and more news with our film critic Grae Drake. She's here with what to watch, what to skip when we come back.
[01:32:07]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Katniss and Peeta are returning to the game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE, ACTRESS: But do you see that? Fire is catching. And if we burn, you burn with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The "Hollywood Reporter" has confirmed that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will reprise their roles in the new "Hunger Games" prequel movie. The pair will likely return in a flash forward. The "Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping", set to hit theaters in November of next year.
Joining me here to talk about that and more, Grae Drake, film critic at cbr.com. Welcome back to THE STORY IS.
What do you think about that? The "Hunger Games" getting Katniss back?
GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, CBR.COM: I love that these two are coming back. And I also love that Josh Hutcherson has a job because he's also in the news --
MICHAELSON: Yes. DRAKE: -- for saying it was impossible to get cast in anything --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: -- after the "Hunger Games".
MICHAELSON: Clearly, Jennifer Lawrence didn't have that problem.
DRAKE: No, she did not. She's in a movie called "Die, My Love" this year --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: -- which is wild, and I love that she's used her position in this franchise to just do whatever movie she feels like.
MICHAELSON: And say whatever she feels like.
DRAKE: Good for her.
MICHAELSON: She is something else.
DRAKE: She's the best.
MICHAELSON: The "Hunger Games" thing is going to be a big hit, but having them really elevates that, probably their box office performance in a big way.
DRAKE: It sure does, because when you do movies like this that are based on IP, you absolutely want cameos of the people that everyone already loves.
MICHAELSON: Right.
DRAKE: That's the number one rule, and that's Jennifer Lawrence.
MICHAELSON: Right.
DRAKE: Josh Hutcherson -- bonus.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And we'll see how big a role that they have. That we don't know. Is it just a --
DRAKE: Guessing it'll be little bitty --
MICHAELSON: Yes. Yes. Tape it in one day. Ok.
Speaking of a franchise people love, "Knives Out", one of the most successful things that Netflix has ever done. And they're bringing Daniel Craig back, right --
DRAKE: Of course.
MICHAELSON: -- for a new movie, "Wake Up, Dead Man".
DRAKE; Yes. Now Benoit Blanc is back and his hair is shoulder length and he is ready for business. Ok. It is glorious and I love it alone. I don't even need to talk about the movie.
But we've got Father Jud, who's played by Josh O'Connell, who is in "Champions".
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: And so he --
MICHAELSON: And "The Crown".
DRAKE: And "The Crown".
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: And so he is trying to save the parish of Josh Brolin. Josh Brolin as Monsignor Wicks is not a nice guy. He ends up dead. Big surprise.
MICHAELSON: Ok.
DRAKE: The only suspect is Father Jud.
Now he is among this unbelievable cast as per usual -- Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
DRAKE: Yes, the list goes on and on. Mila Kunis is a cop. Ok.
So this one is much more of a meditation on faith. It's a very interesting turn for the series, which has been very light and frothy --
MICHAELSON: Ok.
DRAKE: -- so far. But the heaviest movie yet, the most interesting one yet, and that's really saying something.
MICHAELSON: Because those other movies were good. So you absolutely must see it.
[01:39:49]
DRAKE: Very much so.
MICHAELSON: "Dust Bunny", what is that?
DRAKE: Wild original story. So we've got 8-year-old Aurora, her foster families keep disappearing. This is not great for little Aurora, right?
But she says it's because of the monster underneath her bed. When Mads Mikkelsen from "Hannibal" moves in next door, she hires him because she finds out he's a hit man and he can take care of the monster for her. So the story is totally off the wall, and it's created by Bryan Fuller
that Mads Mikkelsen worked with on "Hannibal". And it is exactly the kind of movie that we need to pay money to see, to encourage this kind of creativity in cinema, because it is unforgettable, this movie.
It's gorgeous, just like Bryan Fuller's other show, "Pushing Daisies". Truly a memorable, lovely, twisted, weird actiony film.
MICHAELSON: So see it?
DRAKE: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Sounds like it.
And finally, we've got about a minute left, "Silent Night, Deadly Night".
DRAKE; A remake of a very stupid movie about Santa Claus murdering people.
MICHAELSON: There's a premise.
DRAKE; Yes. And what -- Mikey Nelson (ph) made this movie make sense. So it's -- it takes a fantastical turn, and it makes the movie phenomenal. And I really enjoyed it as a horror movie fan. But I don't want to tell you that much about it.
All you need to know is that Rohan Campbell from "Halloween" is in it, and it too is very memorable. And fans of the original definitely have to check this one out.
MICHAELSON: Yes, but the one everybody's going to watch sounds like the "Knives Out".
Thank you so much Grae.
DRAKE: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Happy holidays to you.
DRAKE: You bet. Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching THE STORY IS. International viewers, WORLDSPORT is next; for our viewers here in North America, stay with me. I'll be right back.
[01:41:39]
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MICHAELSON: A doorbell camera in Hayward, California capturing that crazy moment -- a gas explosion flattening a building across the street. The person recording the footage said it was like watching a war movie.
The scene close up shows the extent of the damage, quite a lot. Fire officials say six people were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Pacific Palisades local newspaper, "The Palestinian Post", is shutting down after nearly 100 years in print. The announcement follows the devastating fire in January.
The paper's owner wrote "This time last year we still had a future, but it burned up in the fire like most of the town. We lost the one thing we can't do without, our readers."
Palisades became a ghost town in the wake of the fire. The Palisades fire, of course, was one of the most destructive in southern California history, burning more than 23,000 acres and thousands of structures.
Seattle is planning a Pride match for World Cup, and its causing an uproar in Egypt and Iran. Football federations in both countries are slamming the city's attempt to celebrate the LGBTQ community.
Homosexuality is still illegal in Iran and punishable by death. In Egypt, gay men and lesbians can be prosecuted for violating public decency laws.
Seattle's organizing committee says its going ahead with the planned activities, which will take place outside the arena and throughout the city.
Italy's famous Cortina Ski Resort is gearing up for the 2026 Winter Olympics, now less than two months away. The town will host curling as well as bobsledding, luge and skeleton in its newly-built sliding center.
CNN's Antonia Mortensen caught up with U.S. athletes hoping to make the team.
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ANTONIA MORTENSEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: The glamorous Italian ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo is shifting into high gear as it prepares for its role in the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, now less than two months away.
Final preparations are underway at the newly-built Eugenio Monti Sliding Center, which hosted its first Olympic luge qualifying event at the end of November.
Hurling passes as fast as 75 miles an hour, These athletes are testing this ice track for the very first time, hoping to qualify for the Olympics.
More than 150 athletes from 25 countries are battling for a place on the Olympic qualifying list. The U.S. women's luge team, laser-focused on the challenge ahead.
How would you compare this track to previous tracks?
SUMMER BRITCHER, THREE-TIME OLYMPIAN, USA LUGE TEAM: I think it feels kind of similar to Pyeongchang a little bit. I like it.
EMILY FISCHNALLER, TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN, USA LUGE TEAM: I think that each track has its own personality and kind of rhythm to it, so it's hard for me to really say this one is like that one. it has its own unique personality.
I think a lot of the entrances are a little -- the consistency throughout the track is that it's not quite how I would naturally -- my natural line would go through it.
BRITCHER: First, you have to make the team qualify. But I'm really, really looking forward to the potential of the Olympics here for myself. If I qualify, it'll be my fourth Olympic Games, and every experience I've had has been extremely different for a number of reasons.
So the one thing I'm sure of is you can't know what to expect.
FISCHNALLER: Right now, the focus is make the qualifications, figure out a good rhythm and race well leading up to the games, and then see what that brings.
MORTENSEN: The newly homologated track measures 1,700 meters, features 16 curves and is ready to host luge, bobsleigh and skeleton events for the Olympics.
DWIGHT BELL, SECRETARY GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL LUGE FEDERATION: It's elite. It's up there at the top echelon. It's both the character, and the setting and the support we get here. It's absolutely elite.
MORTENSEN: It wasn't all cool runnings. The track hit headlines after delays sparked concerns, leading organizers to explore backup plans, including Lake Placid, New York in the United States.
Despite the setbacks, organizers insist everything is on schedule.
[01:49:52]
FABIO MASSIMO SALDINI, EXTRAORDINARY GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONER, OLYMPIC WORK ITALY (via graphics): All works will be completed in time for the Olympics. We are inside the sliding center -- the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge track.
Building a new track was not easy, believe me. But we delivered on time, on cost and on quality.
MORTENSEN: The games will be spread across eight different locations in northern Italy, promising a dynamic experience for athletes and fans.
Antonia Mortensen, CNN -- Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: We'll be right back. More of THE STORY IS after this.
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[01:54:53]
MICHAELSON: This is the terrifying moment a skydiver's parachute got caught on the tail of the airplane as they were getting ready to leap back in September.
After several agonizing minutes, the skydiver was able to break free using a special hook knife to cut the lines of the chute.
Amazingly, the skydiver landed safely with only minor injuries. Remember, this was the backup chute. His regular chute was still on ok.
The plane's tail, though, did sustained some damage, but it was able to land ok.
Well, this is the headline we've been waiting for. Chocolate could be the fountain of youth? If only. A study by King's College London finds that a compound in dark chocolate could slow the aging process. That same compound is found in the blood of people whose biological age is younger than their chronological age.
Sadly, the study stopped short of recommending that we go all out and eat as much dark chocolate as our stomachs can handle as I often do.
And finally, this Sunday, Roy Wood Jr. is hosting a holiday special featuring the United States Air Force Band. It features comedy from Roy and Craig Robinson and music from Jessie James Decker.
Tune in to watch "ROY WOOD JR. VERY, VERY, VERY MERRY HOLIDAY SPECIAL" Sunday at 8:00 p.m. on CNN. And you can also watch it on the CNN app.
Thanks so much for watching us this week here on THE STORY IS. I'll be back tomorrow to wrap things up for the week.
We'll be joined by a political panel, a sports panel, plus the attorney general of California, Rob Bonta, who may be running for governor of California. We'll talk about that as well.
Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.
[01:56:27]
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