Return to Transcripts main page
The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Authorities Seek Public's Help In Search For Nancy Guthrie; Disney Names Park's Boss As New CEO To Replace Bob Iger; Trump's EPA Chief to Discuss Permit Reform, Rebuild Efforts; Interview with L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath; Teen Swims for Hours to Get Help for Stranded Family; Seattle Seahawks & New England Patriots Face Off Sunday; Lindsey Vonn to Compete at Winter Olympics Despite Torn ACL. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 04, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: You should see John's face on that. John was amazing.
All right, so it's not just about showing of the dogs here at the Westminster Dog Show, you can pick up apparel for your dog as well. Look at this. This is like climate control. And I love you keeping the dog safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: High visibility.
MICHAELSON: This is nicer than any piece of clothing that I own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what is the filet mignon of dog food?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the one they all love.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you tried it?
MICHAELSON: I might be tempted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I have to say today has truly been a treat for me.
MICHAELSON: John, anytime with you is a treat and a half. And we got nourishment as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Can I get an a roo?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: They even howl. They do it all. Check them out coming up in HBO next season.
Thanks for watching this hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now. [01:01:05]
The Story Is kidnapping.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking at this from every angle, but we need your help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: A new clue in the abduction of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie's mom.
The Story Is Mickey is moving on from Bob Iger to John D'Amaro. A new era at Disney.
And The Story Is federal takeover. The EPA administrator headed to California to lead the fire response. LA County supervisor Lindsey Horvath live in studio to respond.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michelson.
MICHAELSON: Thanks so much for watching The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaelson.
Tonight, the top story is the search for Nancy Guthrie. Authorities in Arizona now asking the public's help in finding the mother of the "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie. The 84-year-old has been missing since late Saturday. She's believed to have been abducted from her home in Tucson. Authorities say they are aware of reports of ransom notes linked to her disappearance.
The Pima County sheriff says there are still no suspects. His department is sharing any leads they have with the FBI. CNN's Brian Stelter is with us now from New York to talk about the outpouring of support to help bring Nancy home. Brian?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey, Elex. Yes. As the search for Nancy Guthrie continues, tears and tributes are visible on NBC's airwaves. The network has really mobilized to support Savannah Guthrie as well as her entire family. And as you'll see, Nancy herself, she's an extended member of the "Today" show family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG MELVIN, "TODAY" HOST: We know someone out there knows something. Call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: Savannah Guthrie's colleagues pleading for help today, hoping for a break in the case of Nancy Guthrie's shocking disappearance. The story hitting so close to home for viewers too, because Savannah's mom has been a regular visitor to the "Today" show for 15 years. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GUTHRIE, SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S MOTHER: All my kids are absolutely amazing, so.
JENNA BUSH HAGER, "TODAY" HOST: They sure are absolutely amazing.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, "TODAY" HOST: Love you, mama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: When Savannah stepped up as co-host, her mom came along for the ride.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL ROKER, "TODAY" HOST: Savannah's mom.
N. GUTHRIE: Savannah, I'm going to try your --
S. GUTHRIE: Oh my God. Are you kidding me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: And she played along with the show's surprises and stunts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. GUTHIRE: And I am thrilled to welcome a very talented cook to our kitchen.
N. GUTHRIE: Oh yes.
S. GUTHRIE: One I know well. My mom, Nancy Guthrie. Hi, mom.
N. GUTHRIE: Hi.
S. GUTHRIE: You ready to cook?
N. GUTHRIE: I'm ready.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: Last year on "Today," Savannah looked into the game of mahjong, which she says she saw her mom play since she was a little girl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. GUTHRIE: Savannah, this is my original mahjong set that dad brought me back from Singapore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: The family settled in Arizona when Savannah was young. Savannah was just a high schooler when her dad Charles died, a tragedy that deepened her bond with her mom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. GUTHRIE: My mom was so strong and set aside her own grief in many ways just to be there and make sure that we could all move forward together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: And Nancy kept the memory of Charles alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. GUTHRIE: Guys, this is a real Kentucky recipe with just a touch of Arizona.
N. GUTHRIE: Yes.
S. GUTHRIE: Because, you know, my mom --
N. GUTHRIE: Yes.
S. GUTHRIE: -- and dad both grew up in Kentucky.
N. GUTHRIE: The green beans are, you know, dad always screw him. And he called him Kentucky wonders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: Nancy never remarried. And Savannah felt guilty moving away from home, but knew her mom wanted her to pursue a news career.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. GUTHRIE: It was really hard for me to leave her. And that's when she said, if you can't leave me, then I didn't do my job right, Savannah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. GUTHRIE: Savannah talked over the years about her mom's faith.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. GUTHRIE: The greatest gift my mother gave me was faith and belief in God. It changed my whole life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. GUTHRIE: And now her "Today" show colleagues are repeating Savannah's prayers to bring her home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARSON DALY, "TODAY" HOST: I don't think I've ever prayed for anything harder in my life. MELVIN: That's all we can do right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: And Savannah released a best-selling book two years ago about faith and the power of prayer. In the book, she thanked her parents for her religious upbringing.
[01:04:59]
You know, in the television business, executives often talk about morning T.V. as a family. They try to convince viewers that the well paid hosts are actually just friendly family members. And it's usually a ruse. It's usually a show that's being put on. But I have to say in recent days at the "Today" show, you can see how the cast members, the crew members, the entire show really has acted like a big extended family all coming together, trying to support Savannah and Nancy however they can.
Elex, back to you.
MICHAELSON: Brian Stelter, thank you for that.
Joining me now live for more on this is retired FBI supervisory special agent and CNN law enforcement contributor Steve Moore.
Steve, welcome back to The Story Is.
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: Of course, Brian wrote a book on the morning show as a producer on that T.V. show, the "Morning" show and knows a lot about that family and it really has been amazing. And this story has gripped the country.
MOORE: Oh yes.
MICHAELSON: When you first heard it, you first know the facts, kind of what goes through your mind.
MOORE: The first thing you see is the police were not being -- the police weren't -- were -- they were sure that she hadn't left the home voluntarily, which to me means either a ransom note or signs of a struggle and blood. And it turns out there were signs of a struggle and blood. When that happens, you start thinking less about kidnapping. I mean, they're saying she's -- they're investigating a possible abduction or kidnapping, but they're also saying that they're leaving it open. And when you have a situation where you're a kidnapper, say you're going to kidnap somebody for ransom, you have to keep that person healthy and alive.
And so somebody who's thought this out, who knows what they're doing is going to say, do you have any medications you need? We are leaving for a while. It's all going to be fine. You're going to try and calm them down so that they don't become a problem. If you have a sick person that you are trying to take care of while you're trying to do a ransom, it just doesn't work out for them.
MICHAELSON: But we heard this reports today of ransom notes, one went to TMZ, one to a local affiliate in Arizona. There may be others that were sent as well. Do you take those seriously?
MOORE: I mean, if I was the agent investigating, I would have to take it seriously, but I wouldn't put all my -- all my time on that because frankly, I don't think those are legitimate. If you were a kidnapper and you planned this out and you were putting your life on the line to get a lot of money here, you're going to see who can I get -- who has a lot of money? And I wouldn't immediately think Savannah Guthrie.
MICHAELSON: Yes. She's got a pretty big contract, but she's not the --
MOORE: Agree.
MICHAELSON: -- she's not --
MOORE: But --
MICHAELSON: -- Elon Musk.
MOORE: Exactly. And so I think to me, kidnapping for ransom doesn't make sense. It sounds to me like it's somebody she knew. And it could -- it still could be a kidnapping, but it was done badly, if that's the case.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Possible it was just a bad kidnapping, and they weren't very good at it.
MOORE: That's very possible --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MOORE: -- because if you only bring one person, you'll have a struggle and blood. If you bring two or three people, there's not going to be a struggle.
MICHAELSON: So there's some things that the law enforcement is telling us. There's a lot that they're not telling us at this point.
MOORE: Oh yes.
MICHAELSON: What's going on behind the scenes right now?
MOORE: So much, it's hard to even narrow it down. First thing you're going to do is do cell phone -- cell phone traces. Who -- what cell phones were in the immediate vicinity of that house the night of the kidnapping. That will help you out a lot.
MICHAELSON: And it's challenging because it's pretty out there, there is -- it's very dark at night. There aren't a lot of other homes nearby.
MOORE: Right.
MICHAELSON: And so that's made it challenging. There aren't a lot of surveillance cameras in the area either.
MOORE: No. But again, that's where the -- that's where the person who did this or persons. You know, they made kind of a stupid mistake. They ripped the ring off the -- off the -- think -- off the door, thinking, well, that's going to do it. No, the ring works with your computer. So some of those things are traceable no matter what they do.
And you're also going to go and try to find with whom she had problems, if she had problems with anybody. And so it's going to be an investigation of anybody she knows, really.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And Savannah Guthrie is now off "Today" show indefinitely in Tucson, working with this law enforcement to try to bring her mom home.
Steve Moore, thank you for your insights. Really appreciate it.
MOORE: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Authorities are asking anybody with information to contact the Pima County sheriff's Department. That number now on your screen, 520-351-4900. There's a reward up to $2,500 for information leading to arrests in this case. You also can reach out to the FBI as well.
[01:10:06]
Now to the story of politics. President Trump's desire to, quote, "nationalize U.S. elections." The president insists he only wants voting that's fair and honest. He doubled down today on his demand for Republicans to take over elections in a number of states.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to see elections be honest. And if a state can't run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it. Because, you know, if you think about it, a state is an agent for the federal government in elections. I don't know why the federal government doesn't do them anyway.
The federal government should get involved. These are agents of the federal government to count the votes. If they can't count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The U.S. Constitution explicitly gives states and localities the power to run their elections, not the federal government. And some Republicans, including the speaker of the House, downplaying Trump's call to nationalize voting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The President had called yesterday for a takeover of federal elections that are nationalized in some states. Is that something that you think you should do, that Republicans should do? Take over elections?
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: The president is expressing his frustration about the problems we have in some of these blue states where election integrity is not always guaranteed. So we have to -- we have to figure out solutions to that problem. And that's what I think the save America --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take over? Take --
JOHNSON: No, no, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So it's no coincidence that the places the president keeps criticizing are Democratic strongholds where he did not do well, like Atlanta, where the FBI seized hundreds of boxes of election material last week. The director of the National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, you see her there, she was there. The White House says that President Trump has now tapped Gabbard to oversee election security. Meanwhile, the president has shared what he calls the first public rendering of the future White House ballroom. It is under construction right now after the old East Wing was demolished last year.
President Trump says the building keeps in tradition with the White House's height and scale. The estimated cost of the project has skyrocketed from 200 million to now 400 million. The president says it will be fully funded by private donations.
That partial government shutdown we've been talking about the last few days, now it's officially over. While the Senate reached an agreement on a funding bill on Friday, the deal wasn't official until the House voted today or Tuesday. The bill made its way to the president's desk a short time later. Sherrell Hubbard has the latest on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Donald Trump, flanked by fellow Republicans in the Oval Office Tuesday, signed the massive funding bill to reopen the government. The end of the three-day shutdown coming after the House voted for the measure earlier in the day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this vote, the A's are 217 and A's are 214. Without objection, the motion -- the motion is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.
HUBBARD (voice-over): The legislation funds almost all government agencies through September except for the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers now have less than two weeks to work out a deal on changes to ICE following the killings of at least two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers this year.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: The American people want to see the mask come off. The American people want to see body cameras turned on and mandated. The American people want to see judicial warrants before ICE or DHS officers can storm homes.
HUBBARD (voice-over): House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed hard for GOP members to back the spending bill despite some resistance.
JOHNSON: For some reason, many of the House Democrats wanted to shut the government down again and inflict pain on the American people. But I'm glad to tell you, I'm happy to report Republicans got the job done. Our majority work together and we got the bills over the lines.
HUBBARD (voice-over): I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: U.S. and Iranian officials say they will meet for nuclear talks later this week, though tensions between the countries remain sky high. A source tells CNN the discussions are expected to be held in Oman on Friday. Earlier, U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone that aggressively approached the USS Abraham Lincoln, and the aircraft carrier moved through the Arabian Sea. Iran says its drone was flying in a routine and legal mission to collect surveillance.
Separately, two Iranian gunboats approached a chemical tanker flying under the U.S. flag in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranians threatened via radio to board and seize the tanker, which was international waters. U.S. military forces escorted the tanker away from the area.
Iranians are still reeling from the regime's bloody crackdown on anti- government demonstrations. Even now, badly wounded protesters are targeted for arrest if they seek care in a hospital.
[01:15:04]
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh spoke to a doctor inside Iran who is forced to care for patients in secret while also trying to avoid arrest himself. And he's not alone. A warning, some of the images in this report are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a night of horror. The gunfire, chaos infest fear captured in this video, a scene that was replicated across Iran. Many of those who barely escaped the regime's onslaught are still on the run, with security forces hunting down the injured and those who aid them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): What happened on January 8th and 9th, the scenes at the hospitals were like those end of the world Hollywood movies.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): This doctor we're not identifying for his safety is part of an underground network of medics treating injured protesters inside Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Government hospitals were controlled by security forces and monitored by cameras. If injured people went there and were identified as protesters, staff on duty had to report them and they would be arrested.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Never have the wounded needed their doctors more than they do right now. With activists reporting more than 11,000 injured in the most violent regime crackdown in the history of the Islamic Republic. With the widespread use of live ammunition and military grade weapons. It's also extremely dangerous being a doctor in Iran right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The doctors who didn't cooperate were detained or the next day security officers would summon them or they were thrown out.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Images like this have emerged showing injured protesters too scared to go to hospitals being treated in secret. Some so desperate have also been reaching out to Iranian doctors abroad for help. Hospitals are no sanctuary in the Islamic Republic. Security forces have raided facilities like this one in the city of Elam, and that was even before the most vicious and bloody clampdown on the protest began on January the 8th. Since then, the doctor and others say it was the feared Revolutionary Guards who took control of hospitals searching for injured protesters.
Reports of security forces detaining protesters from hospitals are widespread. The U.N. and rights groups have also raised concerns about the arrest of doctors.
KARADSHEH: Speaking with us could mean prison for you, or even worse. Why did you agree to speak with us?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I've locked the door with five different locks. I expect that at any moment as I give this interview, they could break in and arrest me. I have chosen to put my own safety second and make sharing information about the injured and the war crimes that have occurred my first priority.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The risks he's taking he says fighting back tears are nothing compared to the young protesters who paid the ultimate price.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I promised myself to be a voice for the injured and for those who have been killed. I promised myself to make sure the voices are heard by the world.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Voices like that of 16-year-old Arvin's (ph) family. He was shot in the head. They killed him, this relative cries as they try to speak out at the hospital. They are silenced. These are the voices the regime doesn't want the world to hear.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Wow, what a story. Our thanks to Jomana.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in an apparent assassination. Gaddafi's political adviser says he was shot in a treacherous and cowardly attack by four masked assailants at his home in northwestern Libya. No official confirmation has been issued by Libyan authorities. Gaddafi was once seen as the heir apparent to his dictator father, who was executed after his regime was toppled in 2011 and had in recent years been making a play to return to politics in Libya. He was 55 -- 53 years old.
Disney has revealed the name of its new CEO. He has been running Disney's parks division for years. Just ahead, the reporter who wrote the story for the Wall Street Journal will join me here live on set. Plus, the White House is sending the EPA administrator to LA tomorrow to take over fire recovery. What does that mean?
[01:19:51]
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath not happy. She's also here live on set.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Disney has ended years of speculation about who would be its next chief executive officer. The company announced that Josh D'Amaro will succeed current CEO Bob Iger next month. D'Amaro currently chairs Disney's hugely successful parks division. His promotion to the top post emphasizes the importance of the parks. Bob Iger will stay on as a senior advisor and board member until he retires at the end of the year.
Joining me now live in studio is Ben Fritz, entertainment industry reporter for the Wall Street Journal. You broke the story the other day of Iger leaving. You predicted correctly who was going to get the job. Here's the headline today, Disney's parks chief D'Amaro as New CEO Succeeding Iger.
[01:25:00]
So there was sort of this battle that we've been looking at for years between D'Amaro and then also Dana Walden, who heads --
BEN FRITZ, ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY REPORTER, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- the television wing. But what does it you tell you that D'Amaro is the one who ultimately won it?
FRITZ: Well, it tells you that even though Disney is an entertainment company, the future of entertainment for them is real world entertainment, theme parks, cruise ships, consumer products and toys. That's where Disney now makes most of its profits, whereas it used to be television. So this is a sign that they want somebody who knows that business to guide them.
MICHAELSON: Because I started at ABC7 as a reporter, I went to what was called Disney University when we first started there, and this was in 2010. And they told us that ESPN at that point made more money than the rest of Disney combined. It was so powerful. But clearly that's changed.
FRITZ: Sure. All because of cord cutting. You know, cable makes so much less money for Disney, and streaming is growing, but streaming doesn't make nearly as much money as cable used to. So luckily for them, since the pandemic, people have been rushing out for real world experiences. The theme parks are packed, the cruise ships are packed.
MICHAELSON: And so -- and what happens to Dana Walden? Because she sort of stays in a new position, right?
FRITZ: Yes. Disney very much wanted to keep her, and to do that, they gave her this elevated position. She's Disney's president and chief creative officer, so she oversees all the movies and T.V. shows now.
MICHAELSON: Is that going to be weird the two of them working together?
FRITZ: Well, it's a little awkward, you know, but Josh is the boss. He -- Josh D'Amaro is Dana Walden's boss. And so there have been examples of Disney having CEOs and presidents successfully in the past. So a big question is whether or not they'll make this partnership work.
MICHAELSON: So Bob Iger has been one of the most successful CEOs in recent American history, if you really think about it. The one thing he did not do well, well, one of many things was leave.
FRITZ: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Because last time he tried to leave, a guy named Bob Chapek was named to succeed him, and then Iger came back not too long after that.
FRITZ: Yes.
MICHAELSON: So this time around, is he really leaving?
FRITZ: Well, that's the number one question. Can Bob Iger really let go? It's basically been 10 years of him saying he would leave, then not really leaving. Then he left and he came back. The company says he's really committed to it this time.
Basically, he's learned from his mistakes. He knows that if he doesn't do it right this time, it's going to be this blight on his legacy. So he should. But he's around as a special adviser still from March when Josh D'Amaro takes over until December. So we'll see whether he lets Josh do the job.
MICHAELSON: If that's a real -- what kind of advice is that?
FRITZ: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Is it really in the background or not? So for people all over the world watching this that just love Disney, it's one of the most beloved brands there is, what does this succession actually mean for us consumers?
FRITZ: Well, in the short run, it not doesn't mean anything. But in the longer run, you're going to see Disney pivoting more and more toward these real world experiences and interactive experiences. Josh is very big into video games, new technology as well. You're going to see Disney deemphasizing ESPN, as you mentioned, the cable networks, all the traditional stuff. That's all going to exist basically just to provide characters for the real business, which is theme parks and the toys and the interactive stuff.
MICHAELSON: It is crazy how the business changes pretty quickly --
FRITZ: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: -- if you really think about it.
FRITZ: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And Iger's legacy, though, is pretty strong.
FRITZ: Absolutely. If you hold aside the succession issue, Iger, you know, he bought Pixar, he bought Marvel, he bought Lucasfilm. Those have all been tremendously successful acquisitions. And Disney is by most measures the most successful entertainment company in Hollywood, at least of the legacy companies.
MICHAELSON: Yes. All right, Ben Fritz, we can check out your writing at the Wall Street Journal or wsj.com. Thank you so much for coming in.
FRITZ: My pleasure.
MICHAELSON: Still to come, an Australian teen pulls off a superhuman feat, swimming for hours in order to save his family. His story after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:33:05]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Take a look at this. Another home on the North Carolina coast collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean due to high tides. It comes in the wake of a bomb cyclone that slammed the U.S. East Coast over the weekend.
Local reports say that four homes in the town of Buxton have collapsed since Sunday. Authorities say all of those homes were unoccupied at the time.
Well, the White House is pressuring Los Angeles to speed up the rebuilding process for thousands of Angelenos still displaced after last year's wildfires. The EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, is expected to meet with L.A. Mayor Bass and other city officials responsible for the permitting process.
President Trump recently signed an executive order which would preempt state and local rules for rebuilding homes and businesses destroyed by the Palisades and Eaton fires. Now, he has tasked Zeldin to enforce or bypass on local, permitting red tape.
Here with me to respond live in studio is Lindsey Horvath, the L.A. County supervisor who represents the Pacific Palisades, Malibu and other areas impacted by last year's fire.
Welcome back to the show.
LINDSEY HORVATH, L.A. COUNTY SUPERVISOR: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: What do you make of EPA administrator Zeldin coming here?
HORVATH: I'm glad he's coming here. But what we need is the investment and the solutions that are actually going to work. We need to staff up. We need the support from the federal government that every other city that's gone through a disaster like this has gotten. We need that investment.
It was authorized by President Biden. So we're now a year -- more than a year later, still sitting, waiting for hundreds of millions of dollars that not only means staffing up and administrative costs, but it's also how do we invest in the infrastructure that's needed.
MICHAELSON: So Zeldin is going to be meeting with L.A. Mayor Bass. He's going to be meeting with other county officials. Is he meeting with you?
[01:34:46]
HORVATH: No.
MICHAELSON: Why is that?
HORVATH: I'm not sure.
MICHAELSON: I mean -- so he hasn't -- the office hasn't reached out or anything like that?
HORVATH: No.
MICHAELSON: Would you want to meet with him?
HORVATH: I'd absolutely meet with him. I represent the unincorporated communities in Sunset Mesa, Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga that were impacted by the Palisades fire. I represent Malibu, which is not part of the Palisades area. It's its own area that is focused on its redevelopment. So these communities need to be represented as well.
MICHAELSON: What would you say to him if you got to talk to him?
HORVATH: Well, that we need to find a way to work together to make sure that the process that they're setting up actually takes into account the very real issues that we're dealing with.
We have issues on the coastline in Malibu with hundreds of homes that have been operating on individual septic systems.
We have homes that need geological studies to make sure that they don't fall like we saw in North Carolina and that we saw in other parts of Los Angeles County.
We have to make sure that were doing this process in a smart way so people come home to safe communities.
MICHAELSON: I mean President Trump says the permitting isn't going fast enough. He signed this executive order to try to speed that process up with what he calls federal permitting. But you passed a resolution at the board of supervisors today pushing back on that.
HORVATH: Absolutely. We need somebody who's on the ground actually watching what's going on. Half of the homes in the unincorporated areas of both my district and Supervisor Barker's district have already entered the permitting process.
So we are moving forward at a very expedited pace, especially for Los Angeles County.
MICHAELSON: You know, there's a lot of people that wish you were going faster.
HORVATH: And we understand that. There are also community members, you know, the Sunset Mesa Homeowners Association, they are telling us if we move too fast, the thing that makes their home special, looking over the Pacific Ocean will be gone entirely. So they've actually, in some cases, asked us to slow down and work with them.
So I understand that we need to keep things moving and we're doing everything we can to expedite. But what we need is a federal partner in that work, not somebody who's a chaos agent.
MICHAELSON: So last time we talked, you said that the fires were preventable. And there was an investigation that the city put out that was scrutinized. Even the fire department admitted that some of the -- they sort of fudged it to make them look better.
HORVATH: Yes.
MICHAELSON: You've reached out to Governor Newsom --
HORVATH: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- and the state asking for their help in an investigation.
HORVATH: Absolutely. We needed the city to be a partner to the county and our after-action. They refused. We need the state to step in and make sure that the questions are answered that remain unanswered.
It's not only good for us at the county to make sure that we understand what happened in the city, so we can be a better partner with the city going forward in issues like this.
But it's also important for our residents to have answers not only for their insurance -- insurance companies, for all the paperwork they're doing, but also for their own personal healing. They need closure, and without those answers, they're not going to get it.
MICHAELSON: What did Governor Newsom say to you? HORVATH: He said that this is the city's responsibility. They agree
with us. And we're going to make sure that the state continues to work on getting these answers for our residents.
MICHAELSON: Last time you were here, you said that you were considering running for la mayor.
HORVATH: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Where are we at?
HORVATH: You know, it has been an incredibly difficult process. Just this morning, a labor leader called to say, please don't make a decision before the end of the week without talking to us.
We have endorsed in this race, somebody I've worked with for the past, you know, 15 years. I think that kind of support I take very seriously. I know that I would win in this race, not only because the numbers tell me that. It doesn't take a mathematician to understand.
MICHAELSON: Are you doing your own polling that shows you that?
HORVATH: Recent polling showed that two-thirds of Angelenos want a change in leadership. And so I'm very clear by the numbers that I could win. But also the people who have reached out -- business leaders, advocacy groups.
I mean, there are a lot of people who are reaching out looking for a different kind of leadership in this city.
MICHAELSON: So then why would you say no?
HORVATH: Because for me, it's not just about winning a race, it's about where is the right place for me to be investing my time and my work.
I've started structurally changing how we're working on homelessness solutions. I've initiated with my partners on the board of supervisors governance reform in the county.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
HORVATH: These are historic changes for our region that need to be seen through.
MICHAELSON: Spencer Pratt filed his paperwork --
HORVATH: I saw that.
MICHAELSON: -- today.
HORVATH: In shorts, I think.
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: Yes. What do you make of him and his entrance into the race, and you know, when are you going to make your decision?
HORVATH: You know, I think that it's clear that Spencer has been through a lot, and his family have been through a lot, and I understand he has very real and credible reasons to have beef with the city.
That doesn't mean he's a good candidate to make that change. We need somebody who actually understands how cities work and who understands the plethora of responsibility that mayors have in making the change in the community that I think Angelenos want to see.
MICHAELSON: And lastly, Casey Wasserman, who is leading L.A.'s Olympic effort, L.A. 2028, for the entire world.
[01:39:45]
MICHAELSON: He is associated in some way with the -- in the Epstein files. Your colleague on the board, Janice Hahn, has asked for him to step back and not lead L.A.'s effort anymore. Do you join her in that? Do you think he should step down?
HORVATH: Well, either the Epstein files matter in terms of leadership or they don't. I think survivors want there to be accountability, and they want people of conscience to take action.
And if L.A. 28, is very proud of women being in record numbers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games as they've been talking about, they need to have a leader who maybe isn't affiliated with a convicted human trafficker.
We need L.A. 28 to take seriously their relationship to the women who are coming to these games. And we need to make sure that Los Angeles is putting its best foot forward. And I think this is going to continue to be a distraction at best in order for the city to get that work done.
MICHAELSON: So you want him to step down?
HORVATH: I think if he doesn't, L.A. 28 board has to step in and make that happen.
MICHAELSON: All right.
Lindsey Horvath, thank you for coming on. And hopefully next time you'll have an announcement. Thank you so much.
We have some incredible story we want to show you really quickly. A 13-year-old boy in Australia being hailed as a hero after swimming for hours to get help for his stranded family. He swam more than two miles to shore after his kayak filled with water.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUSTIN APPELBEE, SWAM FOUR KILOMETERS TO SHORE: I was fighting rough seas because I thought I saw something in the water and I was really scared. I was just thinking -- I was just thinking in my head, like, thinking I was going to make it through.
But I was also thinking about, like, all my friends at school and friends at my Christian youth. And yes, I just said, all right, not today, not today, not today. I have to keep on going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Wow.
Rescue team eventually found his mother, brother and sister out at sea clinging to a paddle board. A marine rescue commander says it was a superhuman effort.
Wow.
Thanks for watching THE STORY IS. For our international viewers, WORLDSPORT is next. For our viewers here in North America, I'll be back and we'll take you to the Super Bowl. Stay with us.
[01:41:48]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Just a live picture from Santa Clara right now where they're getting ready for the Super Bowl. Local, state, federal agencies are beefing up security in the Bay Area right now. But the NFL says immigration enforcement operations are not part of that plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHY LANIER, NFL CHIEF SECURITY OFFICER: There are no known, no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations that are scheduled around the Super Bowl or any of the Super Bowl-related events. There are no known specific or credible threats to the Super Bowl or any of our related events.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots set to take place Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
While both the Seahawks and Patriots have won Super Bowl championships before, a win would be a first for their head coaches.
CNN's Andy Scholes has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was another day of meeting with the media for the Patriots and the Seahawks here in the Bay Area.
Now Super Bowl LX is a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX. Back in 2015, the Patriots and Seahawks making the Super Bowl was not a surprise at all, but this year it certainly is. But both of these teams are here in the big game, thanks in large part
by the incredible job that their head coaches, Mike McDonald and Mike Vrabel did this season.
McDonald has been a rising star in the coaching ranks since his time on the defensive staff with the Baltimore Ravens. His defense was tops in the NFL this year. And just his second season in Seattle he has them playing for a title.
Now I spoke with a bunch of his players and they all said playing for Coach McDonald, it's very unique.
LEONARD WILLIAMS, SEATTLE SEAHAWS DEFENSIVE TACKLE: He's just a super smart guy. We always joke about how he has a little bit of a A.I. tendencies about him. Like we say that he's like been planted and he's learning how to be human day by day.
But I think he's just tremendously smart. We joke about having a -- you need a Harvard education to play in this defense.
JARRAN REED, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS DEFENSIVE TACKLE: He demands greatness from us, and you have to have that as a player. You know, you can't shy away from the work. So you got to put the grind in to be able to go each and every day.
SCHOLES: And while McDonald got the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in his second season, Vrabel did it in year one in New England.
Now, Vrabel played linebacker for the Pats, winning three Super Bowls. And with the win, Vrabel would be the first ever former player to win a Super Bowl for his former team as a player and head coach.
And all the players I spoke with said they just love playing for him.
TREVEYON HENDERSON, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS RUNNING BACK: He's really passionate and he's done a really good job of just leading this team and helping us get to where we are now. And guys respect him a lot, you know.
You know, he cares so much about us not just as players but as human beings. And I really respect him a lot for that.
KAYSHON BOUTTE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVER: It's great playing for Coach Vrabel. I mean, he's the reason why we're here today. He came in and talked about identity. Everybody believed in it. And I mean I would say it paid off.
SCHOLES: Now Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams meanwhile, is now back with the team after a five-month battle with prostate cancer. Williams attended meetings this season, but he hasn't traveled with the team all season long.
He was declared cancer free during the playoffs. And he says the support he received made all the difference.
TERRELL WILLIAMS, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: You can't go through a battle with cancer and not have the support of our players, just people in general.
I mean, I needed that, like, I don't think I would have been able to make it through mentally without the support of the players, without the support of the coaches, without the support of people that I don't even know.
SCHOLES: It's so awesome to see Williams back with the Patriots. He's been coaching for almost three decades, and now he's just one win away from his first Super Bowl title.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Andy Scholes, thank you.
Andy and I will both be hosting a live post-game show from the field at Levi's Stadium on Sunday right after the game, 8:00 p.m. on the West Coast, 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 a.m. Monday for those watching in the U.K., it's going to be a lot of fun.
Let's talk more football now. A zoo in Iowa had African lions make their Super Bowl picks.
[01:49:49]
MICHAELSON: Deuce went first, decided to defer. Then Czarina was up. She sniffed both barrels before choosing the Seahawks.
This might be a prediction worth banking on. The zoo says its animals have been correct for nearly 80 percent of the time over the years. So go Hawks, I guess.
It seems like nothing will stop Lindsey Vonn from competing in the upcoming Winter Olympics, not even a very serious injury. We'll hear from the skiing superstar about what happened. Amanda is in Italy next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Even in the face of a major injury that would sideline most athletes for months, American skiing superstar Lindsey Vonn is not giving up on her dream of competing at this year's Winter Olympics.
[01:54:52]
MICHAELSON: CNN's Amanda Davies has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLDSPORT: If Lindsey Vonn's comeback wasn't already remarkable enough, this is a whole new level.
LINDSEY VONN, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Last Friday in Crans-Montana, in the last World Cup, I completely ruptured my ACL.
DAVIES: What a story. The 41-year-old announcing she will still compete despite rupturing her ACL in a crash in Switzerland just four days ago.
VONN: Considering how my knee feels, it feels stable. I feel strong, my knee is not swollen. And with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday.
DAVIES: But perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. The last 18 months have already been a return against the odds for Vonn. From that retirement to her knee replacement surgery to getting back to the top step of the podium, becoming the oldest winner of a World Cup alpine skiing race in history.
But as she put it, making the start gate on Sunday for this, her fifth Olympic games, 16 years after claiming gold in Vancouver will be her best and most dramatic comeback yet.
Amanda Davies, CNN -- Milan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Amanda.
Our thanks to you for watching us here on THE STORY IS. Tomorrow I'll be in Pacific Palisades with EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin. That one- on-one here tomorrow on THE STORY IS.
Have a great night. See you tomorrow.
[01:56:30]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
