Return to Transcripts main page
The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
New Photos From Epstein's Estate Released; Harris - America is Facing an Affordability Crisis; U.S.-Venezuela Tensions; Venezuela Says It's Ready To Fight U.S. Intimidation Efforts; Witkoff Expected To Meet With Zelenskyy, European Leaders; Trump Refuses To Say If U.S. Will Seize More Oil Assets; Heavy Rain, Flooding Worsens Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza; Michigan's Former Head Coach Appears In Court; NBA Cup Heads Into Semifinals in Las Vegas; High Ticket Prices Leave Football Fans Outraged; FDA Plans to Add Its Most Serious Warning To COVID Vaccines; King Charles Gives Rare Update On Cancer Journey; Hollywood Honors Los Angeles Fire Dept. With Excellence Award; Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 13, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: -- a multi-course dinner has three price points to choose from $15, $45, or $125. Team behind the project says they hope to create a space where everybody is welcome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK BITTMAN, FOUNDER, COMMUNITY KITCHEN: The idea is really to show what food would look like in a restaurant if wellbeing and equity were put before profit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: We'll see if other restaurants adopt it. That's it for this hour of "The Story Is." The next hour starts right now.
"The Story Is" new photos of Jeffrey Epstein's party released prominent Democrats hanging with the convicted pedophile. We hear new reaction from survivors.
"The Story Is" in Venezuela, President Trump says he could be seizing more oil tankers. Stefano Pozzebon spoke to Nicolas Maduro this week, joins us from Caracas.
"The Story Is" coach in court, the rise and extraordinary fall, Michigan's head coach.
Live from Los Angeles. "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Welcome to "The Story Is," I'm Elex Michaelson. Tonight, the top story is new photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate. The images just released by Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee show the many powerful men in the late sex traffickers orbit that includes President Donald Trump, who is downplaying the photos. He says they're no big deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What were your reaction to those new photos that were released?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I haven't seen it, but I mean, everybody knew this man. He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, almost there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him, so that's no big deal. I know nothing about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The White House says Democrats are "Selectively releasing cherry picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative." Some of the photo shows Epstein alone, including one of him in a bathtub with bubbles. None of the released images depict any sexual misconduct, nor are they believed to depict any underage girls. But one of the Democrats in the House Oversight Committee tell CNN the images they haven't released are, "extremely disturbing."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTA GARCIA, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: We've actually only reviewed about a fourth of the 95,000 photos that were actually sent to us late last night, and so as we're going through those photos, we're putting more photos out to the public. Some of what was sent to us in this documentation is also quite disturbing, so we have to be very thoughtful and careful about how we protect the survivors and how we protect the victim of the Jeffrey Epstein.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Robert Garcia is the top Democrat on that House Oversight Committee. Former Trump advisor, Steve Bannon, billionaire businessman Bill Gaetz, and Richard Branson also pictured, as was former President Bill Clinton. He has been subpoenaed for a deposition tied to the house investigation, along with his wife Hillary Clinton. The House Oversight Chair Republican warns that Bill Clinton could face contempt of Congress proceedings, as could Hillary Clinton, if they don't appear.
Now, survivors of Epstein's crimes are speaking out about the new photos. Here's what some of them told CNN earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIELLE BENSKY, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I see that picture of Steve Bannon sitting in Epstein's office.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That one was really striking to you.
BENSKY: It was, I bet, yeah, I've been in the office to see a political figure who should be protecting our country. Sitting in that very spot is really appalling. And I think that, like, there's no way that you could be in that house and be, I mean, he was like the way the design and the architecture was, he was literally like right across the hall from the massage room. So there's no way that you can enter that house and not know what was going on. So at the very least, you're witnessing something and you're complicit in it.
LIZ STEIN, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I think that this can be really difficult for us, and when we're seeing these photos, things that might seem like they don't matter to the general public can really be meaningful to us. I was talking to a survivor earlier who said to the rest of the world that just looks like a room, but to me, that's the phone that I picked up to call for help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: "The Story Is" politics former VP, Kamala Harris making a rare political speech tonight and calling the issue of affordability a crisis. She spoke at the Democratic National Committee's annual meeting here in Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, ATTORNEY AND FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: For so many, the American dream has become more of a myth than a reality, whether it's the cost of food, energy, healthcare, transportation or housing, America is facing an affordability crisis. A crisis that we are witnessing is fueling cynicism, fear, frustration and a lack of confidence in our systems.
[01:05:00]
The people feel that the very institutions that were designed to support them have failed them, and they are not wrong. We must see what is happening. People are done with the status quo, and they're ready to break things, to force change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: It was part of the reason she lost. So if you are watching in the U.S., have you bought your power ball ticket yet? At least affordability is going to go away as an issue for at least one person. The prize for the power ball is estimated at a whopping $1 billion, it is the second largest jackpot of the year. It follows a trend of increasing power ball pots, largely driven by repeated rollovers. The first billion dollar prize back in 2016 now there have been 12 of them, since 2021. The deadline to buy a ticket is Saturday night.
President Trump is refusing to say if the U.S. will seize more Venezuela oil assets we spoke or he spoke on Friday, two days after the U.S. seized this oil tanker near Venezuela's coast. He said it wouldn't be smart to reveal his next steps, but a senior U.S. official told CNN earlier that more tankers could be targeted. Mr. Trump also hinted again, possible land action in Venezuela, suggesting the U.S. could go after drug traffickers. Meanwhile, a new dispute is brewing on another front, the U.S. deportation flight of Venezuela citizens.
CNN Stefano Pozzebon is in Caracas, Venezuela. Welcome back to the show. Venezuela says the U.S. has suspended deportation flights. What do we know about this? STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it's an unclear situation there, Elex, because we learned from the Venezuelan authorities, they have denounced that the White House suspended these deportation flight. One had to happen these Friday, and indeed, it did not occur. And these flights are important, because for the last few weeks and months, this has been one of the very few areas of cooperation between Washington and Caracas. Even despite these growing standoff between the U.S. President, Donald Trump and the authoritarian leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, there had to be some coordination between the two countries in order to let these flights, which are operated by ICE by the Department of Homeland Security to land here on Venezuelan soil.
The fact that these flights are not taking place any longer, and we don't know whether that was indeed an order from the White House, because the White House denied that to CNN, but the fact that they did not, they're not taking place any longer, it shows that these are cooperation has diminished, and you can tell that Caracas has been rattled in the last few days, because this is how their Defense Minister answered a few questions earlier on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PADRINO LOPEZ, VENEZUELAN DEFENSE MINISTER (Interpreted): Let's not fool ourselves around Venezuela, we've seen efforts to intimidate us, sending United States armed aircraft close to our coasts. I -- we with great humility, we say, don't fool yourselves. We're ready to defend this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: Elex, this is a return to the type of bellicose rhetoric that we've seen in the past, and it shows indeed that perhaps the areas of cooperation or negotiations have grown idle, and Venezuela is preparing to respond to whatever comes next.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, earlier in the week, you joined us with part of your interview with Nicolas Maduro. I'm just curious. What's he like to be around him. What's it like to interview him?
POZZEBON: Well, Maduro is very present in the sense that he is a leader this -- he likes to say that he rules on camera like that. He is always on television here in Venezuela as a good authoritarian leader. He's always on the screen. He's omnipresent. There is a bit of Big Brother psyche around him. At the same time, he's very camera shy when it comes to journalists. I think we were the very first they were able to actually put a microphone in front of his face and ask him some questions. For the last couple of years, at least, he has not done interviews, sat down interviews with international media since at least the pandemic, for example.
And it's interesting that I think he's calibrating the need to let himself be seen and shown around, make sure that he's in control of so that's why both our exchanges with him took place in a public place, in a political rally in the center of Caracas, because he wants to show that he's not afraid of standing up to the United States, that he's not worrying or hankering down in a bunker.
But at the same time, of course, there is some preoccupation, and you see that by, for example, the security details around him with dogs, anti-bomb explosive dogs, or several, several, several bodyguards that you need to go through in order to be able to at least approach him.
[01:10:00]
And we will, we have, by the way, Elex, just before you let me go, we did ask for an actual sit down interview when we have a lot of questions to ask to the Venezuela leader. We haven't heard back since, however, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Well, it makes sense. So if he's going to pick one person to talk to that, it would be you, because nobody knows this like you. Stefano Pozzebon and Caracas, thank you so much for your reporting. Have a great weekend.
POZZEBON: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: To another part of the world now U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Berlin this weekend. A White House official tells CNN that comes as President Trump seeks to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine before the end of the year. The leaders of France, the U.K. and Germany all expected to be in Berlin as well. This meeting comes after Zelenskyy visited a front line town on Friday, shortly after the country's military said that it had liberated parts of the town and nearby villages.
President Zelenskyy said it is extremely important to achieve results on the front lines, so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. The European Union has indefinitely frozen nearly $250 billion in Russian assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia cannot block the money from being used to support Ukraine. The freeze also prevents the money from being part of any negotiations to end the war without European approval.
There was a heartbreaking moment during a Ukrainian boys testimony before European lawmakers this week. 11-year-old Roman Oleksiv survived a Russian strike that killed his mom in central Ukraine in 2022, but at one point his story became too much, even for the official translator.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVGENIIA RAZUMKOVA, TRANSLATOR: I was in Venice with my mama in hospital, and the bomb came to this hospital.
VOICE OF KOSTIANTYN BIDNENKO, PRODUCER OF DOCUMENTARY ON UKRAINIAN CHILDREN: I will help you. No worries. It was the last time when I saw my mom, and the last time when I was able to say goodbye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The person who jumped in to help was the Producer of a Documentary on Ukrainian Children, which was played for those lawmakers. The boy said he underwent multiple surgeries after the attack and was in a coma for more than 100 days.
Joining me now to discuss is the Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center, Political Scientist Benjamin Radd. Welcome back to the show.
BENJAMIN RADD, POLITICAL SCIENTIST AND SENIOR FELLOW, UCLA BURKLE CENTER: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: That's a reminder of the human cost of this. I mean, so much of this is talked of as sort of a game and between different sides. But this kid and his mom have nothing to do with all that, and this kid will always be impacted by this.
RADD: Absolutely, the Ukrainian children have been on the front lines very much of this, and we've seen a lot of them taken by the Russians, abducted, if you will, trying to repopulate Russia with these Ukrainian children, placing them into new families. I mean, it's devastating, what they've suffered, separate from what the Ukrainian people as a whole have had to endure.
MICHAELSON: High-stakes meeting this weekend, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner meeting with Zelenskyy.
RADD: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: How do you see that sort of and where are we at in terms of the state of the negotiations?
RADD: Yeah, they see an opening to get President Zelenskyy to maybe agree to conceding territory in the Donbas as part of this peace proposal that President Trump has put forward. It's critical from their perspective for this to work that he has to agree to relinquish a percentage of Ukrainian land, and in return, the Trump team are promising security guarantees equivalent to what NATO would be, but not quite NATO. And so their hope is that they can get in-person Zelenskyy to really seal the deal on this.
MICHAELSON: Because Zelenskyy has said, I'm not giving up any land, right?
RADD: Yeah. Not only is he not going to give land, land that he hasn't lost yet. This is land that Ukraine is still holding.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
RADD: And so Trump is asking him, the Trump team is asking him to give up land that Ukraine is still controlling.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. And so if that is the case, it's hard to see how a deal happens?
RADD: Absolutely, and whether or not the Ukrainian people, if this is put to a voter referendum would go along with this.
MICHAELSON: So while that's happening, the situation on -- in Venezuela is happening, and we see the seizures of these boats. We say that this is about narco-terrorists. There's a lot of people, especially in Congress, that are like, this is really about regime change or they're wondering, what else is going on here? This doesn't make sense. How do you see it?
RADD: It is inconsistent, I mean, when we see the President pardoning another former Latin American official that has been indicted for being a part of narco-trafficking.
[01:15:00]
It's difficult to reconcile this, right? So there's also the question here, of is oil being diverted from Venezuela going around sanctions? U.S. sanctions? Is some of it being used to support Cuba? So there's a Cuban angle here, which Secretary of State, Rubio, this is something that --
MICHAELSON: Absolutely and his family is Cuban. He's got a problem with that regime. And so, yeah.
RADD: Absolutely. So they lump this in with just like Iran, diverting oil tankers to China to other places, trying to skirt around international sanctions. The Trump national security team is looking at Venezuela doing the same thing. So they're saying it's both a domestic national security concern, but also an international sanctions law concern as well.
MICHAELSON: President Trump has tried to pride himself as like the peace President, right? He says, I've ended eight wars. He wanted the Nobel Peace Prize. He just got this FIFA Peace Prize. Is he really want to take the country to war over this.
RADD: I don't -- I think he's hoping it won't come to that. And I think this is, the standoff between him and Maduro who's going to blink first, and he's seeing that his base likes the tough stance on immigration, on migrants and on the pursuit of narco-traffickers, that it's resonating with them. So they're not yet seeing it as him escalating into a new conflict, but one that's stopping a conflict that's already at our borders.
MICHAELSON: So how is that thing solved?
RADD: Well, it's going to be solved hopefully international, the international community steps in and basically says, look to attack Venezuela directly, to do a land attack. I mean, you are now violating international law. This is violating Venezuela sovereignty without a go ahead from Congress any authorization, then this is something he simply can't do under his war powers.
MICHAELSON: Thanks Ben Radd from UCLA. Thanks so much for coming in.
RADD: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: By the way, what a jacket.
RADD: Thanks. MICHAELSON: I mean you really brought it on this Friday night. That is something special.
RADD: Thanks so much.
MICHAELSON: I feel under dressed.
Coming up. Some serious news. Winter storms are overwhelming tent camps sheltering displaced civilians in Gaza. Why aid groups are warning that the already dire humanitarian situation there may be taking a turn for the worst, plus some video from there that is both heartbreaking but also hopeful. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Look at this dramatic new video out of Washington State shows a house floating down a river after days of heavy rain and catastrophic flooding. The homeowner says she and her husband are now living in a hotel. The state is bracing for even more heavy rain after floods triggered tens of thousands of evacuations and dozens of water rescues.
This video shows a man stranded in flood water, stuck on top of his car. Authorities used a drone to send him a life jacket, something the King County Sheriff's Office says it's never done before. The man was eventually rescued by a helicopter crew. How about that?
Winter storms bring heavy rain and flooding to large parts of Gaza, including many of the tent cities sheltering families displaced by the war. UN agencies say nearly 800,000 people are at heightened risk of exposure as concerns grow over the potential spread of disease and worsening living conditions. Drainage infrastructure in Gaza is barely functioning after years of war and aid groups warn shortages of fuel, equipment and shelter materials are hampering their emergency response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAED NABHAN, PALESTINIAN (Translated): The war that has been ongoing for two years, people have no shelter, except for this house, which was already burnt, weakened and previously shelled. People had shelter, but to stay in this house, which collapsed down on them due to the destruction it had suffered before, and also because of the rain. The rain brought down this house on the people living in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Newly released video shows a group of Israeli hostages making Hanukkah inside a tunnel in Gaza during their captivity. It was taken just months before all six hostages were killed by Hamas. Footage obtained by the Israeli military and released by the families of the hostages captures moments of prayer, hope, and resilience during a time of unspeakable trauma.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN REPORTER: From the depths of captivity, these six Israeli hostages celebrated the miracle of Hanukkah and prayed for their own, but that miracle never came. The beautiful six, says they have come to be known were executed by Hamas in August of 2024 as Israeli troops closed in on their location, these never before seen videos appear to have been filmed about eight months earlier lighting candles on the first and second nights of Hanukkah using a makeshift menorah made of paper cups.
ALMOG SARUSI, ISRAELI HOSTAGE KILLED BY HAMAS (Translated): With the help of miracles associated with this holiday. May we go home in a big miracle, and may we return to normal, happy and good lives, and may we always be happy. All of us says, hostage al Almog Sarusi.
DIAMOND: The videos were filmed by Hamas and later obtained by the Israeli military. Now their families say they want the world to see them. Hamas filmed these videos as propaganda, but the humanity of the beautiful six shines through this footage.
The footage released by the hostage and missing families forum offers a new albeit partially staged, glimpse into their captivity, playing cards, cutting each other's hair. And in this clip, pressing their captors for medical attention. He needs treatment. Hostage, Carmel Gat tells a guard professional.
[01:25:00]
American Israeli hostage, Hersh Goldberg Polin, whose left hand was blown off by a Hamas grenade is seen repeatedly, often trying to reassure his family. We're here healthy and alive. We are being taken care of. We are all right, and we want to return home.
HERSH GOLDBERG POLIN, ISRAELI HOSTAGE KILLED BY HAMAS: Happy New Year to everyone and all my family.
DIAMOND: Hersh would not live to see another year. He was killed the next August. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: As we mark the beginning of another Hanukkah on Sunday, we are thinking of all of them and their families. You're watching. "The Story Is," I'm Elex Michaelson for our international viewers. Seasons is next for our viewers here in North America. I'll be right back. We're talking sports as we take a live look from outside right here in Southern California. That's our window. You can see the Warner Bros. lot, which for now, at least, owns us.
We will be back with more here in North America. Thanks for watching this week of "The Story Is."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: This is a crazy story. Fired University of Michigan Head Football Coach Sherrone Moore faces multiple charges related to his arrest on Wednesday, just hours after he was dismissed from the storied program. He is charged with felony home invasion, along with misdemeanor counts of stalking and breaking and entering. That incident came after the University says Moore was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and then fired him. At Moore's forced Court appearance on Friday, the magistrate entered a plea of not guilty. On his behalf, the prosecutor shared details of the moments leading up to his arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATI REZMIERSKI, PROSECUTOR: He then, at some point, soon thereafter, came to her apartment in the address that is alleged in the complaint. Barked his way into that apartment immediately, then proceeded to a kitchen drawer, grabbed several butter knives and a pair of kitchen scissors, and began to threaten his own life. I'm going to kill myself. I'm going to make you watch my blood is on your hands. You ruined my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Moore was released on bond given several conditions including not contacting the woman involved in the case. His next court date is January 22nd. Joining me now for our sports panel is NBA Reporter, Host of the Podcast Buha's Block, Jovan Buha. Yoyo.
JOVAN BUHA, NBA REPORTER: Good to see you, man.
MICHAELSON: We're here to talk not just NBA, but all sports. Hard to ignore this Michigan story. I mean, this is one of the craziest falls from grace that I can ever think of.
BUHA: Yeah, this is an unprecedented story that this is one of the wilder stories I can think of, and the sports cycle tends to give us some wild stories, especially this year, but this is something that, especially like, the kind of sequencing of how the information came out, right? Like, at first it was that he was fired, and then all of a sudden it came out that he was arrested. And then we were like, what's going on here? Like, what happened? Why did he get arrested? And then once we got the full picture, and this has been something that been going on, obviously, for years, but had been investigated by the school back in the summer, and both parties denied it, and then they kind of went on with their business. But just, yeah, really tragic story.
MICHAELSON: I mean, because you think about that job, which is one of the greatest jobs in all of college football, he takes over for Jim Harbaugh. He's handed that program, and then all of this is happening behind the scenes. It's just crazy to think about. BUHA: Yeah, it's like one thing to get fired from your dream job, but then to get fired for disorderly conduct and like, all the stuff that went with it, and then obviously his reaction to that like it was just really unfortunate.
MICHAELSON: All right. Let's talk about something more fun than that. Philip Rivers is back, so for people that don't follow this that closely, he was a long time quarterback for the San Diego Chargers. Played a few years with the Indianapolis Colts. It was many years ago. He's been retired for five years. He was old five years ago when he retired. Right now, he's come back, put on a few lbs. I mean, nothing wrong with that, so have I. But somebody asked him what his weight is. He says, I don't know what my weight is. His own kid is older than the backup quarterback. He's a grandfather now. Do you think he's going to play?
BUHA: It sounds like it. It sounds like he's not only going to play, but potentially start at least play, and maybe split it, depending on their quarterback situation. But I mean, this guy would be the second oldest starting quarterback of all time, behind just Tom Brady, if he does end up starting, and the fourth oldest player to ever play in the NFL. It also resets his Hall of Fame clock, which I know you're going to ask me.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. So, OK. Well, first off, let's just say how amazing what Tom Brady did.
BUHA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Because he played past that.
BUHA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: The entire time was winning Super Bowls the entire time, and was a great player up until the end.
BUHA: Yeah, that's why he's the go.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. That's why he's the go. And he's going to get in the Hall of Fame. Because once you retire, you have to wait five years to get into the Hall of Fame. Philip Rivers probably going in the Hall of Fame, not totally guaranteed into the Hall of Fame. So if he comes back and is bad, and then five years later, more players have better statistics, there's a chance this could cost him a spot.
BUHA: There's a chance, I think he'll get in, though. Ultimately, if you look at his stats, he's top 10 in a lot of important categories. Obviously never made a Super Bowl or won a Super Bowl, so that is a big thing against him. When you look at some of the top quarterbacks of all time, but I think it's kind of admirable that he's like dusting it off coming out after five years.
MICHAELSON: You like it.
BUHA: I like it. I respect it.
MICHAELSON: You don't think they could find somebody better in the country than 40-year-old Philip Rivers?
[01:35:00]
BUHA: They can't make a trade right now. And Joe Flacco is potentially going to be released, and that ended up not happening, but we'll see how he fares, though, on Sunday if he does end up starting, because he's facing the Seahawks defense, which is one of the best defenses in the league. And if you look at their slate here, over the next few weeks, they have a murders row of defenses that he's going to be facing. So it's going to be interesting to see.
MICHAELSON: I mean, it's a crazy back story, because his -- he's been coaching football, coaching his kids, and the offense he's been running has been the Indianapolis Colts' offense. He's friends with the head coach. They talk every week, so he knows all the schemes. So he's gone from high school football coach to now quarterback. It's crazy. We've never seen anything like it. It's a movie. You could see this on Disney somewhere.
BUHA: Yes, very much. There's still the playoff hunt. Like, if he leads them into the playoff hunt, maybe this bolsters his Hall of Fame.
MICHAELSON: Yeah, and he's got Jonathan Taylor, who's all like the best running back in NFL as well. OK, let's talk about your sport, basketball. The NBA cup is happening this weekend and the Lakers are not there. They almost got there. We've got on the western side, this is Oklahoma City facing off against the spurs. On the eastern side, it's the Knicks versus the Magic. They're playing in Las Vegas tomorrow. And then there's going to be, that's the semifinals, and then we got the finals coming up. Is it even a debate? I mean, are the thunders just like the run away? Talk about what the Oklahoma City Thunder are doing this year?
BUHA: They've tied the best record in NBA history through 25 games, and they are shattering all of the point differential and net rating statistics in terms of how much they are beating their opponents. They just played the Phoenix Suns in the NBA cup quarter finals. They beat them by 49 and if you look at the lineup, I'm a big analytics lineup data guy. You're looking at all the lineup data, they're crushing people with like their 10th, 11th, 12th best guys in the rotation on the floor. It's just doesn't matter who's in and out. Like, that's the other thing, they haven't been healthy. They've been without Jalen Williams, who's their second best player. Now, Chet Holmgren has been out, Isaiah Hartenstein. Like they've been without key starters, and they are still steam rolling everybody.
MICHAELSON: Are they the best team in NBA history?
BUHA: No, I still think I would put the 2017 Warriors and 96 Bulls at a minimum ahead of them. But if they win 74 games, which I think is in play to set the all-time regular season record, they shatter the net rating record, the point differential record, they'll be in that conversation. And the crazy thing is, most of their best players are in their mid to early 20s. So this is like, this could be a dynastic run that we see here over the next half decade. MICHAELSON: I got to ask you one Lakers question. Since you're here, I know you say that they have an Achilles heel, which is essentially a team just like Oklahoma City, right?
BUHA: It is, unfortunately for the Lakers. So speed kills the Lakers, and we've seen a trend here where all seven of their losses this season have been by double figures. So that that in and of itself is concerning. You look at OKC, there one loss, they lost by two. Denver has one game they lost by double figures. Houston has a couple. Those are like LAs biggest threats in the West.
So already they have some troubling trends in terms of when they lose, they lose big, but one of the trends in their losses has been when they play fast athletic teams that can get out and transition, get to the rim, create kick out opportunities or pressure you defensively that's where they kind of fold under that pressure, and they end up losing by 15, 20, 25 points.
So the unfortunate thing for them is the best team in the league, and maybe one of the best teams of all time plays that exact style. But even the Spurs, who just expose them in that game like this is something they're really going to have to address moving forward.
MICHAELSON: Meaning they need to make a trade for --
BUHA: I think starting lineup change, a couple rotation changes, and then eventually a trade.
MICHAELSON: All right. Jovan Buha, you can check out analysis just like that at Buha's Block the podcast and also on YouTube as well. Jovan, thank you, and look at your suit tonight.
BUHA: Friday night. Shot a little bit.
MICHAELSON: Our guests tonight are really dressing well. Now, with the FIFA Men's World Cup getting closer by the day, fans should be feeling excited, but some are outraged. That's because they feel they have been priced out of attending. Ticket prices for next year's tournament are an all-time high. For the group stages a ticket will likely cost a couple $100, but for a seat at the final fans could be looking at paying a few $1,000, and that's before some of the scalpers get involved to some it is not worth the price tag.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they're pretty insane honestly. I've been a long time soccer fan. Been watching since I was a kid. I remember watching the World Cup back in 2010, 2014, and I was pretty excited to watch this year and go to some of these games. But even though, I have adult money, I can't really afford some of these tickets, which is just insane for the everyday fans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These ticket prices I just play so ridiculous. It's just it's too hard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's disappointing, especially for fans who might be really interested in the game itself, but maybe not in the financial position to swing that kind of price.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Couple $100 maybe, couple $1,000, absolutely not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:40:00]
MICHAELSON: First game for team USA right here in Los Angeles, at SoFi stadium. Still to come, a potential new warning from the FDA could further undermine confidence in vaccines. Why they plan on putting their most serious warnings on the COVID-19 vaccine? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: The Food and Drug Administration intends to put their most serious warning on COVID-19 vaccines. That's according to sources, these warnings are designed to warn people of side effects or risks that could lead to life threatening complications. CNNs Meg Tirrell has more.
MEG TIRRELL, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, we've learned that the FDA is finalizing plans to put its most serious warning on COVID-19 vaccines. It's called a black box warning, and it shows up really at the top of prescribing information, outlined in a black box, so that prescribers and patients are aware of really serious risks that can be associated with products. Typically, this is reserved for situations where a medical product might be associated with the risk of death or life threatening or disabling reactions, and really its there. So that prescribers and patients can weigh those potential risks against the benefits of any intervention that they are considering.
[01:45:00]
Now we've learned that this is in the process. It's not finalized and could still change, but it comes after a memo was issued in late November by the FDA Vaccines Chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, which claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine has been linked to the deaths of at least 10 children. Now this is a claim that outside experts say they haven't seen data to support, and question if that is part of the impetus for adding this label to the vaccines, whether that is an appropriate course of action.
Typically, also the procedure for something like this involves a really public process, the FDA, typically, experts tell us would let the public know that it's weighing this safety risk. Sometimes call an outside panel of advisors to meet to discuss the safety data and whether to add this to the labels of a medical product. And so far, of course, we haven't seen any of that take place.
Now, we have reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services, which tells us in a statement, "Unless the FDA announces it, any claim about what it will do is pure speculation." The FDA takes very seriously any death that is attributed to a regulated medical product.
We should also point out, this is just the latest in a series of efforts under the Trump administration's health officials during this administration to weaken confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a longtime critic of the COVID vaccine's safety and efficacy, but we should also note that these vaccines were developed tested and green lit under the first Trump administration really in a scientific feat that was so monumental that many Republicans now are calling for the President to win the Nobel Peace Prize for it.
COVID-19 vaccines are still recommended, especially for more vulnerable groups, including the elderly people with weakened immune systems, and also for children and babies under the age of two, all who are at a potentially higher risk of being hospitalized for COVID- 19. So there is a lot of concern that a warning like this placed on these vaccines could weaken confidence in them when vaccination rates are already low, potentially making those trends even worse.
MICHAELSON: All right. Thanks. King Charles has some good tidings to bring this holiday season. Next, the good news, he is sharing that he hopes will inspire those in the middle of a serious health battle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:50:00]
MICHAELSON: King Charles is sharing a positive update on his own health battle with the public, as well as giving encouraging words for cancer patients. CNN Max Foster reports.
MAX FOSTER, ROYAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: King Charles breaking his silence on his cancer treatment, and it's relatively good news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES III, KING OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Indeed, today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to doctors' orders. My own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year. This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years. Testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the 50 percent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The king also talking about the blessing of early diagnosis. He has medical treatment that isn't afforded to most people, which enabled him to get that early diagnosis. And he's using his experience to encourage others to try to do the same to go out and get screenings.
The palace, a spokesperson there telling CNN, his majesty has responded exceptionally well to treatment, and his doctors advise that ongoing measures will now move into a precautionary phase. This position will be continuously monitored and reviewed to protect and prioritize his continued recovery. So the treatment does continue. We're not being told exactly what sort of treatment that is, or indeed what type of cancer he has, but the King has also explained why he's protecting that part of his privacy as well, because according to the palace and his spokesperson, they've been speaking to medical experts, and this is what they say.
The advice from cancer experts is that in his determination to support the whole cancer community. It's preferable that his majesty does not address his own specific condition, but rather speaks to those affected by all forms of the disease. So if he spoke about one particular type of cancer one part of the community, then he wouldn't be speaking as widely to everyone that suffered from cancer, but also their family members and friends, which is a large part of the population.
I think the King has really felt overwhelming support for the fact that he's spoken about his medical condition. When in the past, kings would never share any of that private medical detail because they feel they have a right to privacy too. But it's positive news. He is on the road to recovery, at least, even if the treatment does continue for now. Max Foster, CNN London.
MICHAELSON: It's one of the highest grossing video game franchises of all time, and now it's about to conquer the big screen. You're watching the latest look at the new Street Fighter movie that hit cinemas in October 2026. Set in 1993, the story will follow the characters as they prepare for the World Warrior tournament.
Disney's latest hit is providing that proving that family friendly animated films can still be big business. Zootopia too has officially joined the exclusive $1 billion club.
[01:55:00]
Friday reports the hit race past the benchmark in the global box office this weekend, it is the fastest PG film to ever reach that mark. Zootopia 2 is only the third movie this year to move past the $1 billion milestone.
Hollywood Walk of Fame is already packed full of legends, filmmakers, actors, our favorite characters from the big screen and small one. It's also now home to some real life heroes. The LA Fire Department is being honored with an award of excellence almost a year from their battle with the devastating Palisades and Eaton Fires. And it's all thanks to one 14-year-old from the other side of the country, standing at the front there whose handwritten letter started it all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ENIOLA TALWO, 14-YEAR-OLD WHO NOMINATED LAFD FOR WALK OF FAME STAR: I didn't think anyone would pay attention to something written by a middle schooler all the way across the country, in Connecticut. I'm a big movie watcher. I love TV, and I guess when I thought California, I thought actors and low of the fame. So that's what immediately motivated me. And I put two and three together, and I was like, why not represent the real heroes on the Walk of Fame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Very cool. Thanks to her and thanks to our firefighters. Thanks for watching this week. We'll see you Monday with more of "The Story Is."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
