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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

U.S.: Iranian Ships, Minelayers Destroyed Near Hormuz; Mariachi Brothers, Parents Released From ICE Custody; Interview with Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA); Iran: Launched "Most Intense and Heaviest Operation"; Dangerous Storms Spawn Tornadoes in Central U.S.; Kilauea Shoots Lava More than 1,300 Feet into the Air; Police Investigating U.S. Consulate Shooting in Toronto; Homeless Veterans Wait for Trump To Fulfill Housing Promises; Miami Heat's Adebayo Charts NBA's 2nd Highest Scoring Game. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired March 11, 2026 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[01:00:00]

SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: He had only because of what Bam has done. Let's just enjoy it. Bam Adebayo is not Kobe Bryant. No one is going to confuse the two of them as being on the same plain, you know, playing court or playing surface or even, you know, in the same breath as one another. But right now, Bam is only mentioned behind Wilt Chamberlain. And I'm here for it.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: You know what, and as a basketball player too, this is so unbelievably hard. And the fact that he was able to do it and that we are all able to witness history give him his flowers and it was cool to see him there with his girlfriend and his mom and everybody else, you know, applause for Bam Adebayo tonight.

Segun, thanks for jumping on.

ODUOLOWU: Enjoy (inaudible), Elex. Don't be a hater.

MICHAELSON: Thanks for joining us. Got to get back to the serious news as we start the second hour of The Story Is with breaking news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

MICHAELSON: And welcome to The Story Is. I'm Elex Michelson. It's 10:00 here on the west coast. Our top story is the war with Iran. We are following the latest developments out of Iran where state media says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched its most intense and heaviest operation since the start of the war.

This as the Iranian capital remains under heavy bombardment. Just hours ago, video geolocated by CNN shows explosions coming from the direction of Tehran's international airport. Iran's U.S. ambassador says U. S Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,300 people since the conflict began less than two weeks ago. Meanwhile, U.S. military says its forces destroyed multiple Iranian naval vessels including 16 mine layers near the Strait of Hormuz. Sources familiar with U.S. intelligence says that Tehran is laying mines in the strait which serves as a globally vital oil and shipping lane.

Now back in the U.S., top Republicans are trying to downplay concerns around rising gas prices and the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: I think the mission is being achieved is nearly completed. And the commander in chief himself said in the last 24 hours they will come to a close. So gas prices will readjust after that. You know, most of this is because of the Strait of the Hormuz -- Strait of Hormuz has been closed by the regime down there but it will be reopened and it will take a couple of weeks but gas prices will come back down. This is a temporary blip in an extraordinary trend of return to American energy dominance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Trump administration is not giving a definitive deadline of when that war will end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Ultimately the operations will end when the commander in chief determines the military objectives have been met, fully realized and that Iran is in a position of complete and unconditional surrender, whether they say it or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: On Capitol Hill, Democrats are still demanding transparency from the Trump administration for the war. As the Pentagon says around 140 U.S. service members have been injured since the start of Operation Epic Fury. Here's what key Senate Democrats had to say after a classified briefing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): I know a lot I can't share with you, and I can't share with my constituents who want to know if their kids or spouses are going to be deployed and for how long. We want to drag this into the open and ask questions in front of the American public, and that's what we're asking for.

We think this war is illegal. We think it's unwise. American troops are, you know, being injured, more than 100 injured, seven died.

SEN. JACKY ROSEN (D-NV): If he does want to put us in a forever war, which it seems like he does, he needs to come out and let us be able to have this discussion with, take that gag order off us that they put on because we're in the center.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. That is happening. Sources tell CNN the mining is not extensive yet, but they warn Tehran still has the vast majority of its small boats and mine layers and that Iranian forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in that very waterway. The strait is the world's most important energy checkpoint, carrying about one fifth of the global crude oil supply during typical operations. President Trump says that if Iran puts out any mines in the strait, he wants them removed immediately.

He warns that Tehran could face military consequences at a level never seen before.

Millions of barrels of crude oil and refined fuels are now effectively stranded in the Gulf with no alternative to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. And the uncertainty around this vital waterway is having a major impact on global economies and trade. That's where CNN's Richard Quest comes in from London.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: The geography is extremely well known and understood, and perhaps because of that, the risks currently being faced are so severe. Take, for example, Maersk Shipping, which has got at least 10 ships that it says stranded in the northern part of the Strait of Hormuz and many more on the outside that it can't get in or out because obviously the waterway is so difficult.

[01:05:12]

In addition, they are refusing to send now ships up through into the Red Sea because of the possibilities of the Houthis and the risks around Yemen. As a result, something like Maersk is saying the current situation is absolutely uncharted and unprecedented.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VINCENT CLERC, CEO, MAERSK: Some of the hubs on which global trade does rely on are actually being affected, are being closed by the situation right now. It's true for Jebel Ali, it's true for Abu Dhabi, it's true for a few of those -- of those hubs. And this is -- this is going to create ripple effect I think for a while as we -- as we need to see how this is going to sort itself out.

In the short run we can -- we can manage this. But if this was to endure, this would create, I think, serious congestions and serious issues across the global supply chain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: What happens next is anybody's guess. The very idea that this area is being mined by the Iranians or indeed the, that the U.S. is going in and starting to attack those various rubber dinghies and ships that's doing the mines, it's simply unheard of and frankly we don't know how it will develop. The only thing we can say with any degree of certainty is that as long as that waterway remains closed, then the price of oil just keeps rising.

Richard Quest, CNN, London.

MICHAELSON: From London to China, CNN's Mike Valeria live now in Beijing. Mike, what is going on with the mines in the Strait of Hormuz?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Elex, you know, we have new reporting and I want to get into more details than were able to get into last hour about how the type of ship that America uses to clear mines in the region is changing. So let's put up some pictures on the screen. Well, we had in September four ships that were decommissioned. These are Avenger class mine countermeasure ships and they were put on a red, this big red barge essentially that you see right there. Why were they decommissioned if they were absolutely, you know -- their job was to do nothing essentially but clear mines.

Well, it was because they were more than 30 years old and they were small hull ships which are particularly susceptible to the wear and tear of the ocean. So those ships were sent across the ocean in January, decommissioned in September. They're now out of service. So enter the different class of ship. I should say newer, but it's not exactly new.

This is a littoral combat ship that we're going to be putting up on the screen shortly. It's just to emphasize the type of ship. The one on the screen is going to be the USS Cincinnati, which just came back into port in San Diego a week ago today. So the thing that we want our viewers and readers on cnn.com to know is that this ship is equipped to remove mines from combat zones. However, when it was introduced in the late 2000s, it does not have the best reputation in terms of reliability and engineering in the U.S. Navy's fleet of ships. In fact, quite the opposite.

Some of the earliest versions of this ship have already been retired after just a couple years of service. But we don't want to say, you know, that this was the wrong choice that the Navy made. We just talked to one of our Navy analysts, retired Navy Captain Carl Schuster, who says that he thinks this was the correct approach that the Navy made. This ship does one of two things. It either helps to clear mines or is equipped for surface warfare.

But when you have design issues that have been plaguing this ship for years now, 15 years plus, and to put this ship in these waters to test it like it's never been tested before, that's certainly something that Americans have to be conscious of. Certainly the good news here is that it's counter mining equipment. The module that the ship is equipped with, it passed all of its operational tests first before all the other modules that the ship is equipped with pass their tests for readiness as well. But it was also stressed to us that this ship needs to stay quiet, have a minimal magnetic signature. What is riding on these ships, of which there are three that CNN was able to find before hostilities began in the region, are immense right now.

CENTCOM said that four littoral combat ships would be tasked with clearing mines now that those other four ships were decommissioned and now are going to be scrapped. So we just have more reporting on cnn.com but certainly quite a juncture, Elex, for those ships to be decommissioned right before hostilities were going to be start -- starting and the strait would be mined.

[01:10:17]

MICHAELSON: Fascinating. Mike Valerio in Beijing. Thank you, Mike.

Joining me now for more insights and analysis is political scientist and senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center, Benjamin Radd, who's been our go to guy on Iran since well before this war started. It's been amazing to see what's happened. What do you make of Iran's strategy right now?

BENJAMIN RADD, SENIOR FELLOW, UCLA BURKLE CENTER: Well, it's -- it makes sense from the Iranian perspective. They're not able to sustain the same level of counterattacks that the United States and Israel can do. So they go to this sort of maritime approach, which is looking at how can they shut down all marine -- maritime traffic in the -- in the Straits of Hormuz and also in possibly the Red Sea. That's what they've realized is a vulnerable point for the United States, for the international community, for the global economy. And it can be effective if it impacts gas prices and public opinion.

MICHAELSON: I mean, it really can be, right? I mean, how do you see this all playing out?

RADD: Well, it's a matter now of almost a war of attrition. Can Iran sustain the barrage of fire that it's receiving from Israel and the United States? Can the United States and Israel weaken the domestic security apparatus and the state's ability to respond in this way? Can we preempt -- you know, can they preempt the Houthis from conducting strikes in, you know, into the Red Sea or stopping traffic there? It's a matter of basically are the resources there and the will to do it.

MICHAELSON: Because this Strait of Hormuz, like this is something that America really cares about, right? I mean, if you stop a fifth of the world's oil production and then you see gas prices go through the roof and then you see Trump's poll numbers start to plummet and Republicans in the midterm start to plummet, I mean, that of everything that Iran's done so far, this could potentially could do the most damage to America, right?

RADD: Oh, they know it's an election year. They know exactly what the stakes are. They know what the pressure points are for the American public, cost of living, all the issues that we've been hearing about, indeed, this is something that they're going to try to push against.

MICHAELSON: So we now have a new leader, a new supreme leader. Where is he?

RADD: Yes, I've sort of been saying this is almost a "Weekend at Bernie's" situation where we're not even sure if he is. I mean, we think he's alive. He maybe --

MICHAELSON: But we haven't seen proof of life, right?

RADD: We haven't seen proof of life. There's a feeling that he was injured in the strikes that killed his father, his mother and his wife. There's been no video of him since this one video that was released in 2024. No one really knows what he sounds like. No one knows what he -- they only know what he looks like, and they know him by name.

He doesn't have any credibility or legitimacy with the -- with the Iranian public simply because he's been a nonfactor in the regime's governance.

MICHAELSON: What did his father think of him? Do we know much about that?

RADD: Well, you know, there's something I read that his father had put in his will that he did not intend for his son to succeed. And that was the -- or secede him. And the idea was that this is not consistent with Islamic theology. Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, explicitly condemned dynastic succession when he criticized the former monarchy and said, this is not Islamic. This is against our tradition.

So here is a situation where the son is stepping into that vacuum precisely against those political currents.

MICHAELSON: And we have any idea what kind of leader he would be?

RADD: So we suspect he's more hardline than his father. His -- you know, rhetorically in the past, that's sort of the positions he's taken. But he doesn't have the relationships that his father did across the various factions in Iran. He doesn't have, again, the public recognition, the credibility. He might be a transitional sort of caretaker figure until something else reemerges, assuming he, you know, survives that long.

MICHAELSON: So is he calling the shots right now, I mean, or who is? Who's making, like, this Strait of Hormuz thing?

RADD: Yes.

MICHAELSON: We're going to do the mines. Who's making that call?

RADD: Yes, this seems to be the triumvirate of Ali Larijani, who's an official that was close to Khamenei, his Security Council chief. And then you have Ghalibaf, who is the speaker of Parliament, and then Pezeshkian, the current president. Those three men, primarily Larijani, are the ones we believe are calling the shots, especially on the military front and the political front.

MICHAELSON: Last thought as sort of where we are at this moment in history.

RADD: Wow. You know, it's -- I mean, and I've said this repeatedly, you have a situation where this war is unpopular in the U.S. and Americans, by and large, are against it. But Iranians in Iran are not. They are supportive of the U.S. and Israel is doing. So that contrast is interesting.

And I think what shouldn't be lost here is that this is a large population that is yearning for a degree of freedom and really reprieve from what they've been living under, which is this sort of theocratic, authoritarian rule for 47 years. And I think that shouldn't get lost in all this noise.

MICHAELSON: Ninety million people living there. And we have seen so many Iranian-Americans living here who are very supportive of this as well.

RADD: Absolutely.

MICHAELSON: Because they remember their family connection. I'm sure you know a whole lot of people in that --

RADD: Absolutely.

MICHAELSON: -- in that -- in that category.

[01:15:00]

Benjamin Radd from UCLA, always great to see you. Thank you for your insights.

RADD: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Still to come, a family of immigrants to the U.S. is reunited after their release from ICE custody. This story got all sorts of national headlines. I'll speak with one of the lawmakers who visited Texas to help secure their release. She's here live with me in studio.

Plus, another key test of President Trump's endorsement power, this time in a special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene, who, by the way, no longer has Trump's endorsement. We'll break down those results next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Another special election is testing the power of President Trump's endorsements, this time in Georgia's ruby red 14th district, where CNN projects Republican Clay Fuller, who got President Trump's endorsement, will face Democrat Shawn Harris in a runoff to replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. No one in the crowded field of more than a dozen candidates got more than 50 percent needed to win outright on Tuesday. So the race heads to a runoff between the top two vote getters, who happen to be a Democrat and Republican.

[01:20:23]

Remember, this is a heavily Republican district. High probability that Clayton Fuller will be the next congressman from that district. The winner of the April 7 runoff will serve the remainder of Greene's term, which ends in January. Both candidates speaking with us late tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAY FULLER, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE, GEORGIA'S 14TH DISTRICT: They support President Trump. I think you see that in the results tonight. They want to know who President Trump was endorsing in this race. And that's why they came out in droves to support him, because they know they want an America first fighter on Capitol Hill fighting for his policies that are going to make a difference for our community. And that's what they want to see.

SHAWN HARRIS, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE, GEORGIA'S 14TH DISTRICT: Just excited, not only about me, but excited the fact that, guess what, finally, finally, we can break through as a coalition of Democrats, Independents and Republicans. Tonight, you would imagine everybody was here as Democrats. No, it's also Republicans here because they won't change. So I'm just thankful to have this opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Marjorie Taylor Greene, the one-time MAGA firebrand, resigned two months ago following a bitter split with President Trump.

It's been nearly a month since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shut down. There's still been virtually no progress in negotiations. One Senate Democrat saying lawmakers are stuck. Democrats want reforms to immigration enforcement, including tougher parameters for search and arrest warrants, as well as immigration officers removing body masks and wearing body cameras. Republicans in the White House have resisted nearly all those changes, blaming the stall negotiations on Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEAVITT: He wants the brave men and women of our United States Coast Guard to receive their paychecks. And he wants this department to be fully funded and fully reopened. And so to any American out there who is struggling without a paycheck, we know there's more than 100,000 of you across the country. To any American out there who is showing up to an airport and facing incredibly long wait times in lines, call your Democrat member of Congress and tell them to fund the Department of Homeland Security. That's what President Trump wants to do.

And it's completely ridiculous that the American people are suffering as a result of these partisan games that are being played by Democrats on Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Democrats say the White House is not negotiating in good faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: We are constantly in communication with the White House. It's not that there's a lack of means of communication. We're sending things back and forth. It's a substantive problem. The White House will not budge on things that Americans want, like warrants, like demasking, plain and simple.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: Perhaps the biggest impact of the Homeland Security shutdown that's actually being seen by the average American is being seen at the nation's airports. Some passengers have been stuck in security lines for three hours or more. Some airports are advising travelers to arrive four to five hours before their flights.

Now to a related story. Two young mariachi musicians and their parents who were in ICE detention for nearly two weeks have now been released. Fourteen-year-old Caleb Gomez Cuellar and his 12-year-old brother Joshua had been held with their parents at this facility in south Texas. Their 18-year-old brother Antonio was also released on Monday after being held at a separate facility. U.S. House Democrat Joaquin Castro posted this video taken less than a year ago on Capitol Hill. It shows the Texas lawmaker meeting with the family who are recognized for their award winning performances in an elite high school mariachi group.

Castro and other lawmakers say the family followed all the rules to enter the U.S. by claiming asylum. Their case is still pending. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson says the family will, quote, "have mandatory check ins with ICE law enforcement."

California Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan joins me live. She was part of the congressional delegation that helped secure the family's release at the Dilley Immigration Detention center this week.

Congressmember, welcome to The Story Is for the first time. Great to see you.

REP. NANETTE BARRAGAN (D-CA): Good to be here. Thank you.

MICHAELSON: So talk to us about the emotions of this family being released. You're there for that.

BARRAGAN: Yes. Well, I was just talking to them two hours earlier in the facility about the ordeal and what they were going through. And so when they got released, it was emotional. I mean the wife, she was, you know, crying. She was so grateful and thankful.

Caleb, you could see how excited he was of finally being out. It was more of a relief of I'm finally out, my freedom and just happy to be out. And then we broke the news that their 18-year-old brother, who is Antonio, was being held hours away in a different facility, was also being released.

[01:25:13]

And it was just the emotion of that family. It was so heartbreaking to watch that they even had to go through this. They should have never had to go through this.

MICHAELSON: So they were like celebrated mariachi artists. So much so that they played at the Capitol and at the White House.

BARRAGAN: When invited by a Republican.

MICHAELSON: By a Republican member of Congress, right?

BARRAGAN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: And so what happened? What's the backstory? How did they end up in this detention facility?

BARRAGAN: They were picked up on the street. They were picked up on the street by ICE and they were detained and they were told to deport. They were offered money to deport and --

MICHAELSON: To self deport.

BARRAGAN: To self deport. And they were going to be given money. And the response was, we're not going to take your dirty money. And they pleaded with the immigration not to separate their son and they separated him. And you go into this facility, Elex, and this is like a prison.

Just imagine a prison for children, OK? Four-year olds, five-year olds, 12 year olds. I mean we're talking about young girls and young boys. Nobody should be in those facilities, certainly not children. And this family in particular, they did everything right.

They were going to their check ins.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

BARRAGAN: They actually had a check in a few days earlier and were told to come back and to bring the entire family.

MICHAELSON: So they had come here from Mexico. They said that they were fleeing cartel violence, they applied for asylum. They're going through that process --

BARRAGAN: Right.

MICHAELSON: -- which is a legal process, right?

BARRAGAN: Yes. So they were here completely legally, again, invited by a Republican congresswoman to play in the Capitol, even visited the White House. And here they are now being picked up by ICE a year later.

MICHAELSON: So where was the Republican Congressmember? Because why --

BARRAGAN: Well, that's a really good --

MICHAELSON: -- are you there --

BARRAGAN: That's a really good question.

MICHAELSON: -- as a member of Congress from California and not the member from the district?

BARRAGAN: That's a really good question. I specifically asked, well, is she helping you? When they told me the story of her invitation and they said, no, she's not. And I thought to myself, this is horrible. How do you invite somebody you're good enough to come to the Capitol, you're good enough to bring to the White House, but now you have locked up this family and you're not trying to help them.

That was heartbreaking for me.

MICHAELSON: She says that she was. We want to put up on her post that she posted to X where she's saying that she was working at the highest levels of the federal government to try to get people out there. She claimed that she was in communication with the Trump administration, that she was in communication with DHS and that she was -- she was working for them. Here it is. It says, "A lot of work went into making yesterday's emotional reunion possible.

We advocate directly the White House, the incoming DHS secretary, the highest levels of the government. That's all important, but ultimately, God, who opens doors." Your response to that?

BARRAGAN: I can only tell you what the family told me when I asked them, and that's exactly what they said.

In this situation, I'm glad they're out. We're all glad they're out. But there are so many more families like them that are in there that do not belong to be in there. Kids do not belong to be in there. There was a five-year-old boy in there.

He hadn't gone to had a bowel movement in eight days. Totally dismissive, not getting any kind of medical attention. It's like, here's some laxatives, good luck, and they send you off.

Let's remember this -- more people are dying in ICE detention than ever before. Eleven people have died this year alone in ICE detention. That's not counting the 30 plus people who died last year. And we had a gentleman who was complaining of a toothache and they ignored it and he died. So this is serious.

People need to be taken seriously on their medical conditions or their illnesses, especially children. You shouldn't have to wait till they're so sick that they're calling now 911 from that facility.

MICHAELSON: Well, and you were able to get into the facility. We've heard from some Democratic lawmakers here in California who have not been able to get into facilities to do the oversight. You're able to check it out. So --

BARRAGAN: Right.

MICHAELSON: -- obviously this fits into the larger narrative. We started this with the DHS shutdown right now, where are we at on that? Because you see the long lines at the airports, you see all these folks that are impacted by this. There's real frustration that nothing can get done.

BARRAGAN: Well, Democrats are simply asking for common sense reforms. Just saying, hey, we want ICE agents to be just like your local law enforcement wearing a badge, not having to wear a mask, you know, following orders, like having a judicial warrant before breaking down your door while you're sleeping in bed. These are common sense things.

Now Republicans are refusing to have conversations about trying to fund things like TSE, like the Coast Guard and FEMA. Democrats have said, hey, look, there's a bill. Why don't we vote on this bill that will fund all those other things? And by the way, let's not forget here that this is the party. The Republicans are the party of mass deportations, and they're the party of family separations because we talk --

MICHAELSON: Well, Obama did some family separation, too.

[01:29:37]

BARRAGAN: Well, let me tell you, during Trump 1.0 there was an outrage when Trump was separating children and their parents -- outrage.

I don't know what happened to that outrage because there's women in that facility that I spoke to. Their American citizen children and them are being totally separated, and that shouldn't be happening.

MICHAELSON: Because -- there's got to be some frustration because this whole thing seems a little performative in the fact that ICE is basically funded already. So there is the --

BARRAGAN: Yes. $45 billion.

MICHAELSON: So there is the fight over that, and then the rest of it isn't being funded. You guys are saying let's fund it and they're saying no. So this whole thing is closed and nobody's getting what they want.

BARRAGAN: They want $100 million or more Elex, for ICE and for Homeland. We're not -- why would we do that?

MICHAELSON: Yes.

BARRAGAN: When you can't even fund health care for Americans, yet you're finding money to build prisons for children.

I mean look at Georgia, where they just spent $150 million on a facility, to put up another detention facility.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

BARRAGAN: How many more people are going to die there? How many more people are going to die? How many more kids --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

BARRAGAN: How many more -- are we ok with this? That we're going to imprison four-year-olds and five-year-olds and then let them die and let people die? I mean this is wrong.

MICHAELSON: We were actually at that Georgia facility last week reporting. And it's interesting that the town voted for Trump by 75 percent. And all the town's leadership is against this, just for the infrastructure reasons and everything.

So anyway, they can check that story out on my YouTube page, if they want to, but Congressmember, thank you so much for being here. Great to see you. Appreciate your perspective.

BARRAGAN: Thanks. Thank you for having me.

MICHAELSON: Back to our breaking news after the break. We'll go live to the Middle East where the war with Iran is impacting the entire region. What about the attacks on those other countries? We'll have an update next.

[01:31:46]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: You're looking at live pictures right now from Lebanon. Israel has been striking a suburb of Beirut, and you can see some of that aftermath right there as the sun rises at 7:35 in the morning.

It is -- Israel says its targeting infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. All this comes as Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says its launched its most intense and heaviest operation since the war there started.

Let's go live now to CNN producer Antoinette Radford. She's in Doha. What do we know about the strikes and what are you seeing in Doha?

ANTOINETTE RADFORD, CNN PRODUCER: Morning, Elex. So, as you say, Iran last night says it launched its heaviest and most intense operation yet. It said it was targeting U.S. assets and Israel, and it used long-range ballistic missiles to do so.

Now, here in Qatar in the last few minutes, we've just received an alert to our phones telling us that we had to take shelter, to be aware of an elevated danger. We heard a loud bang take place above us, which suggests that something was intercepted and one of our colleagues said that actually his building shook.

Now we just got the all clear, which is why we're back out here. But elsewhere in the Gulf, in the UAE, a container ship was damaged by a suspected projectile. As well in Saudi Arabia, six missiles were intercepted heading towards the Prince Sultan Air Base. The Prince Sultan Air Base is a U.S. asset in Saudi.

And in Bahrain, sirens have been sounding this morning. Now, Bahrain has been particularly hard hit here in the Gulf. Yesterday, a 29-year- old woman was killed and eight others were injured by an Iranian strike on the capital, Manama. And yesterday as well and over previous days, civilian infrastructure in Bahrain has been targeted.

Now, we heard from Qatar's foreign minister last night who continues his call for diplomacy. He continues to urge diplomacy. And he says that getting everyone to the table to have a conversation and to talk things through is the best solution to this despite this ongoing conflict. But what he also said that was very interesting was that there are

plans to continue the U.S. and Qatari defense alliance. He says that the two countries are in nearly daily communication and there's no plans for that to change right now. He says that's helping regional security.

That's all. Thanks, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And just real quickly, what is that like for you and for folks there when you hear these warnings? Has that sort of becomes second nature at this point or is it pretty scary?

I think -- I think we lost clearly that audio. Hopefully -- glad to hear she is ok though. Antoinette Radford in Doha joining us for the first time.

Meanwhile, we're learning about extensive damage to some of Iran's most historic cultural sites. Video shows the 400-year Golestan Palace in Tehran with shattered windows, its intricate mirrors, mosaic pieces, ceilings -- all of them damaged. This UNESCO World Heritage site was rocked by nearby strikes.

And these images from the city of Esfahan, a stunning 17th century palace compound, was damaged after a strike hit a nearby government building.

UNESCO says it continues to monitor the situation regarding cultural heritage in Iran and the wider region. So much heritage in Iran.

And millions of people across the central U.S. are under threat from severe thunderstorms. We'll show you the damage that dangerous tornadoes are causing after the break.

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MICHAELSON: New storms are bringing tornado activity to the central U.S. A supercell thunderstorm produced tennis ball-sized hail and a tornado that moved through Illinois on Tuesday evening. Another video shows the tornado on the ground.

The Storm Prediction Center put the level of risk at four out of five when several strong to intense tornadoes could strike. Several buildings have been damaged, but so far there are no reports of injuries or deaths.

More than two million people are under severe thunderstorm risk as storms move east overnight.

Dramatic scenes unfolding on Hawaii's Big Island. Look at this, a live picture right now, where it is now 7:43 p.m. A new eruption of the Kilauea Volcano. We saw it last hour. It was still light outside. It's even more dramatic after dark.

It began shooting lava fountains more than 1,300 feet earlier today. The U.S. Geological Survey has raised the volcano alert level to warning, meaning eruptions are underway. Here's some of that video from earlier.

The agency reports fallout is creating hazardous conditions in neighboring communities. The National Weather Service issued an ashfall warning, but man, are the pictures dramatic from Kilauea.

[01:44:48]

MICHAELSON: Police in Toronto are investigating a national security incident after a shooting at the U.S. consulate on Tuesday. Two male suspects are believed to have fled the scene. This coming days after a bombing at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, Norway.

CNN's Paula Newton has more.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now this incident in downtown Toronto is incredibly serious. Now, thankfully, no one was injured but police say that a vehicle literally took dead aim at that U.S. consulate, firing likely a handgun and escaping in a car.

I want you to listen now to Toronto police as they describe what happened in the early morning hours. Listen.

FRANK BARREDO, TORONTO POLICE DEPUTY CHIEF: There are two individuals emerged from the vehicle, discharged what appears to be a handgun at the front of the building, and then got back into their vehicle and drove southbound.

The suspect vehicle was a white Honda CRV. There were two males, two individuals that emerged and discharged the firearms.

NEWTON: And it's not just Toronto police investigating. RCMP say that this is a national security incident. And of course, when they look at any evidence, they may start to investigate this as a terrorism event.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said, in fact, that this was a reprehensible act of violence and an attempt at intimidation.

At this point, security has been stepped up, not just at that consulate in Toronto, but also at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, the U.S. embassy deferring, obviously to local and national authorities as they await the investigation -- the results of that investigation. But obviously unsettling. The suspects still are not in custody.

And the country has been on edge for these type of events. And in fact Prime Minister Mark Carney convened an incident response group just on Friday, understanding that the threat level in Canada was quite high, especially as the conflict with Iran continues.

Paula Newton, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MICHAELSON: Still ahead, as we look at a live picture of the White House, homeless vets are still waiting for President Trump to fulfill his promise to provide housing for them here in Los Angeles.

We'll have that story. Nick Watt, next.

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MICHAELSON: President Trump signed an executive order last May with the grand title, "Keeping Promises to Veterans and establishing a National Center for Warrior Independence".

Well, this is the center. It's here in Los Angeles, and it's land that has seen controversy for decades.

CNN's Nick Watt takes us there.

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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Center for Warrior Independence will be here on a vast VA campus given to veterans in the 1880s for a home, but used over the years for a VA hospital, as well as parking lots, dog parks, oil wells, UCLA's baseball field and the exclusive Brentwood School's sports facilities.

The administration did just terminate that school's long-term lease on the property, but the key Trump promise, in that order is to, quote "restore the capacity to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans by January 1st, 2028".

There are, after previous legal battles, some units for homeless vets already here and more under construction. The Trump administration just announced in court after the VA lost a suit filed by needy veterans that they're working to fulfill the presidents' promise and laid out a vague plan to build around another 2,500 units.

But I've done some math. That will only bring the total capacity here to maybe 5,000 and not until the fourth quarter of 2030, could be later.

So about a thousand units short of the presidents promise to veterans and around three years late.

Remember the executive order's title "Keeping Promises to Veterans".

ROB REYNOLDS, VETERAN ADVOCATE: I want to see President Trump's executive order be successful. My big concern at the moment is that a lot of the VA executive leadership, they've all signed non-disclosure agreements, and they're not communicating with any of us.

WATT: There are more than 30,000 homeless veterans nationwide by the most recent count. Around 3,000 here in Los Angeles alone.

REYNOLDS: With the history of this property, there's always been a lack of transparency. And that's how a lot of the problems have gone on here for decades. You know, promises made have not been kept.

WATT: For example, Air Force vet George Fleischman was told he'd be in one of these eight by eight sheds just for a few months before moving into a permanent home.

This land is supposed to be for people exactly like you.

GEORGE FLEISCHMAN, VETERAN: Yes, I'm familiar with the deed. It's not for us. They're not housing us and we're dying over here.

WATT: Fleischman, who says he was exposed to Agent Orange while stationed in Okinawa, has now been in this shed without running water for more than three years.

FLEISCHMAN: And if I wasn't a Christian, I'd kill myself. It's not worth living like this.

WATT: I reached out to the White House. They punted to the VA. The VA declined an interview, eventually gave me a statement that reads in part, "What VA outlined in court relates only to issues in the case", which is narrower than President Trump's EO.

So what they're trying to say is they laid out a plan in court, but there's another plan that fulfills the executive order. I asked to see it. They never replied.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Nick Watt reporting from Los Angeles. We'll stay on top of that story.

[01:54:41]

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, we end with this. History in the NBA tonight. The Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo finished a game with a staggering 83 points. His performance marks the second highest scoring effort in the history of the NBA, surpassing the late Kobe Bryant, whose career best peaked at 81 points.

Adebayo though fell short of the NBAs all-time record. That crown still belongs to Wilt Chamberlain following his 100-point game back in 1962.

So the Heat were up against the lowly Washington Wizards, who are incentivized at this point in the season to not win games.

Bam hit an incredible 36 free throws in the game. Late in the game, Miami was intentionally fouling to try to get Bam more points.

However they did it, it is an amazing feat unlike anything we've seen before except for Wilt's and there's no videotape of that. So this is -- we've never seen anything like this.

An incredible moment for Bam, for his mom who was there, for his girlfriend who's one of the best players in the WNBA and for the Miami Heat franchise. Congratulations to Bam. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Elex Michaelson.

We will see you back here in Los Angeles for more of THE STORY IS tomorrow.

In the meantime, the news continues after a quick break.

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