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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Trump On Iran: "It's Not Finished Yet"; At Least 10 U.S. Troops Wounded In Iranian Attack On Air Base; At Least 10 U.S. Troops Wounded In Iranian Attack On Air Base. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired March 28, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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WALTER MARTINEZ, ATTENDEE (on camera): I'm super excited. I'm like, I couldn't sleep, really.
ALVARADO (on camera): The FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place in Canada, U.S. and Mexico, and its inaugural game is scheduled for June 11th in Mexico City.
Are you going to attend to any of the eight games here?
MARTINEZ (on camera): I'm trying to get tickets, but it's hard for me, but I'm working on that.
ALVARADO (on camera): The FIFA World Cup Trophy tour will end up in New York/New Jersey on June 3rd, where the final will take place on July 19th.
Gonzalo Alvarado, CNN, Los Angeles.
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MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching this hour of "The Story Is". The next hour starts right now.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): "The Story Is", Iran war not finished yet. President Trump teases more strikes as we hit the one month mark.
"The Story Is", no deal. Lawmakers fight amongst themselves. Expect long lines at airports across the country this weekend. Travel expert Peter Greenberg with us live.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congress should be the one not getting paid, and the TSA agents should get paid while all this is being ironed out.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): "The Story Is", inside the West Bank. CNN's Jeremy Diamond on the front lines, speaking to IDF soldiers.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (on camera): So, the soldiers just immediately came up and started pointing the weapons directly at us, telling everyone to sit down immediately. Obviously, we're not posing any threat here.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): And "The Story Is", flag football. We asked some of the biggest names in the NFL why the future is in flag.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: The war with Iran launched one month ago tonight during this newscast, and President Trump says that war is not finished yet. A source tells CNN, the U.S. is planning to send a third aircraft carrier to the region after already deploying hundreds of additional troops. It comes as Israel ramps up attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran's foreign minister denounced the strikes Friday, sending a warning to Israel. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and other impacts from the war are hitting markets hard. Oil prices have reached their highest level since 2022, and the Dow is now down 10 percent from its peak in February.
Joining us live from Tokyo is CNN's Hanako Montgomery. Hanako, Iran's foreign minister now vowing to retaliate. What do we know about that?
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Elex, as you mentioned, Iran's foreign minister has vowed to retaliate after the Israeli military struck several Iranian nuclear sites on Friday. We know that includes a uranium plant and also a heavy water reactor. We also know that the Israeli military has struck two steel factories where at least one person was confirmed killed and 15 others were injured. Now, Iran's foreign minister was quick to condemn these attacks, posting on X that, quote, "Israel claims it acted in coordination with the U.S." And he also added that, quote, "Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes."
Now, also, I do want to note here, Elex, that Israel's military said that, in the early hours of Saturday morning local time, it detected a missile launched towards Israel from Yemen, and was working to intercept it, and this is important to know, because this is the first time that authorities in Israel have identified a missile launched from Yemen since the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran began four weeks ago, as you just mentioned. And all of this illustrates, Elex, that the war is still ongoing. Of course, the fighting has not abated slightly, and it continues to escalate across the region.
It also comes after at least 10 U.S. servicemembers were injured during an Iranian strike on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Now, of those at least 10 U.S. servicemembers injured, we know that at least two have suffered from shrapnel wounds, though, according to a U.S. official who spoke to CNN, these injuries were non-life-threatening. Now, also, several others were, quote, "impacted", though, we don't really know the nature of what happens to them. It's not immediately clear, and we are trying to confirm more of these details. Now, also, a refueling aircraft was damaged. And again, Elex, all of this is just further evidence that the war is
still ongoing, and the U.S. President Trump said as much during an investment forum just a few hours ago. Listen to this.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Now we're just going after targets. And again, they have no anti-aircraft, so we're just floating over the top looking for whatever we want, and we're hitting it, and we have another 3,554 targets left, and that will be done pretty quickly.
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MONTGOMERY: And Elex, as you pointed out, the longer this war goes on, the worse the effect is on the global energy crisis that we're seeing. And again, just lots of questions about when this war will end, and also about really when this fighting will stop and when we'll see some kind of peace agreement or a ceasefire. Elex.
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MICHAELSON: Yeah. We see those dramatic pictures there from Tel Aviv.
Hanako Montgomery, thank you for that.
Speaking of not ending, U.S. House Republicans have pushed through their own Department of Homeland Security funding bill prolonging the partial government shutdown. The short-term measure would extend funding for all of DHS for eight weeks. Now, that comes after the House rejected a bipartisan Senate deal that didn't fund immigration enforcement or parts of Border Patrol. Senate Democrats have already said the House GOP plan will be dead on arrival in their chamber.
Now, regardless of how long the partial government shutdown lasts, the Department of Homeland Security says TSA workers could start seeing paychecks as early as Monday. That's after President Trump signed a promised executive action to allocate other funds to pay them. A record number called out from work on Thursday and have now missed two full paychecks. Immigration agents have been assisting at airports where we're seeing long lines and frustrated travelers. Now, without a paycheck, some TSA agents have been rationing their food. Others getting eviction notices. Travelers call the situation at airports "an abomination".
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VANESSA MATURANA, FLYING TO CHICAGO FROM ATLANTA: They just need to pay the guys. Just get them their salary on time and do what they need to.
ARTHUR TSABETZIS, HEADING HOME TO WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: It's an absolute nightmare. So, I don't blame all the airports, but this one here is absolutely an abomination.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: Joining me now from Dallas, Texas is CBS News Travel
Editor Peter Greenberg. Nobody knows travel like Peter. Thank you so much for being with us. What are we expecting to see this weekend? Is it going to get worse?
PETER GREENBERG, TRAVEL EDITOR, CBS NEWS: I'm afraid it is. We've got a perfect storm here, where you have TSA agents not coming to work or not being paid. You've got operational reliability of the airlines, plus loss of revenue because passengers can't even get to the gates. And then, of course, you've got the intersection of the rise in fuel costs that are going to be handed down to passengers in about three or four days. In terms of that, we've got air fares already rising in Europe. European carriers are already adding a $50 to $200 ticket surcharge for every ticket of flights that are emanating from Europe, and we're expecting a seven percent to 20 percent rise in airline ticket prices in the U.S., starting in about four days.
MICHAELSON: So, when we spoke with you a few days ago, we were sort of just finding out about ICE, just starting to see them in airports. How is it going with ICE? Are they helping out? Because we're getting some reports that they have been helpful in places like Atlanta.
GREENBERG: Well, it all depends on what their job function is, because right now, as you know, they're not trained TSA agents. They can't operate the I.D. verifying machines. They can't operate the C.T. scanners on the check-in bags or the carry-on bags. What they've been doing is helping to direct traffic to lines you're going to be standing in anyway. So, if you're hearing reports that they're being helpful, I'm sure that's maybe happening in some places. But bottom line is, there, it's a short force that has no operational reliability. I mean, no responsibilities that are outlined. So, as a result, it's essentially an ornamental display.
MICHAELSON: Now, even if this shutdown was ended and TSA was fully funded, there is now a whole lot of people that just quit and wouldn't necessarily get their jobs back. How long would it take TSA to get back to sort of normal operational procedures after all this is sorted out, given that fact?
GREENBERG: Well, let's assume that the number of TSA agents who have quit is under 500. That's about one percent of the total workforce, if you add it all up. So, that may not have an impact. But we don't know how many of them are going to come back to work, people who have been absentee. Right now, the absentee rate in places like Houston is still over 40 percent. It's over 45 percent and 50 percent at other airports in Texas, and you're seeing it over 25 percent in Atlanta. So, assuming everybody gets back to work in terms of getting paid again, you're talking a four or five-day lag, because they've got to get back in sequence. They've got to get back in schedule, and they've got to allocate their resources in terms of the workforce.
So, assuming they get their act together by Monday, maybe we'll see everybody back to a reasonable strength by Friday.
MICHAELSON: And in terms of, what's the worst airport to go to this weekend? GREENBERG: Oh, it's still Houston. I flew Houston from -- Houston to Oklahoma City yesterday, and there were 50 empty seats on my plane. Why? Because nobody could get to the gates. So, the airlines are trying to hold back flights for 30 to 40 minutes. It didn't matter. They still left the gates with a lot of seats empty. So, the airlines aren't happy, and passengers are spending a lot of time at the airport.
You got to come down late, Peter.
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We don't have that many problems at LAX and it's a lot nicer weather.
Peter Greenberg, thank you so much. Great to see you. Appreciate the insight, always.
Golf legend Tiger Woods was released from Florida jail just a short time ago. He is facing charges following his arrest Friday afternoon on suspicion of driving under the influence. Martin County sheriff says that Woods was driving a Land Rover when he clipped a pickup truck that was pulling a small trailer. The collision caused Woods' Land Rover to roll onto its side. Authorities say Woods showed signs of impairment. Well, the sheriff said he was not under the influence of alcohol.
Still ahead, CNN visits the West Bank amid a surge in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians. We encountered Israeli soldiers who are clearly taking sides.
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MICHAELSON: You are looking right here at the aftermath of an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv just hours ago. CNN crews saw Iranian cluster munitions exploding over the city. Emergency officials say at least one person was killed in Tel Aviv, four others were wounded.
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MICHAELSON: Aid workers say Israeli strikes have displaced more than a million people with its offensive in southern Lebanon. The IDF has destroyed multiple bridges on Lebanon's Litani River in recent days. Relief workers warned that could cut off tens of thousands of people from essential lifelines. Israeli forces are now being sent to the occupied West Bank to address a rise in settler attacks. An Israeli human rights group says there has been an average of 10 settler attacks per day on Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of the month.
Our Jeremy Diamond just visited the West Bank, and we warn you, his report has some disturbing images.
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DIAMOND (voice-over): 75-year-old Abdullah Daraghmeh moans in pain. His breathing is labor. His face bloodied, bruised and swollen, bones broken. His family and multiple eyewitnesses say Israeli settlers stormed into his home in the middle of the night and beat him to a pulp. In his West Bank village of Tayasir, those same settlers have now established an outpost considered illegal even under Israeli Law, soldiers standing idly by, until something else draws their attention.
Producer Abeer Salman identifies us as journalists before translating the soldiers' commands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): Sit down. Sit down. Sit down.
DIAMOND (on camera): So, the soldiers just immediately came up and started pointing their weapons directly at us, telling everyone to sit down immediately. Obviously, we're not posing any threat here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The commander comes straight for our camera, and within seconds --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): [FOREIGN LANGUAGE].
DIAMOND (voice-over): -- a soldier has just put photo journalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, forcing him to the ground. The soldier who assaulted Theophilos continues to demand he turn off his camera before another smacks my phone.
DIAMOND (on camera): So, as you can see, what we have seen happen in the last 24 hours is that settlers came to this area. They settled that hill top, and now you have a lot of soldiers coming to this area with the Palestinians in this area. They're on top of the home of Imad, the man that we were just speaking to, and we're seeing the soldiers treat the Palestinians in the area as the threat, when really what started this problem was obviously the settlers who came in the middle of the night and took over land that's not theirs.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Palestinians here are detained and questioned. Soldiers detained us too and walk us back to our vehicle. They say they're trying to establish order between settlers and Palestinians. But as the cameras keep rolling, it becomes clear these soldiers are here in service of the settler movement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): We are here because this is our place.
DIAMOND (on camera) (Interpreted): Is this your village?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): The land is ours.
DIAMOND (on camera) (Interpreted): So all the West Bank is yours?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): Of course. And not just for the soldiers, for the Jews.
DIAMOND (voice-over): They also say it's personal. These soldiers tell me they were friends with the 18-year-old settler who authorities say was killed last week by a Palestinian driver. Palestinians dispute that account.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): If you had a brother and they kill him, what would you have done?
DIAMOND (on camera) (Interpreted): So, that's revenge?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): Revenge.
DIAMOND (on camera) (Interpreted): You're talking about revenge. But you're a soldier. Is this normal to carry out revenge? As a soldier?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): Listen, at the end of the day, if the state doesn't address what they did, those who murdered the youth, the settler last week, remember? What do you expect us to do?
DIAMOND (on camera): So, we're currently detained by the Israeli military. They've told us to sit in our cars and wait. As you can see, one of them is right here. And what's really quite striking is the fact that so many of these soldiers are clearly manifesting the same kind of settler ideology.
DIAMOND (voice-over): This soldier near makes that crystal clear.
DIAMOND (on camera) (Interpreted): They don't have permission to be here even under Israeli law. Even under Israeli law, this isn't a settlement. This isn't a legal settlement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): That's right.
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But it will be a legal settlement.
DIAMOND (on camera) (Interpreted): It will be. How do you know that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): Slowly, slowly.
DIAMOND (on camera) (Interpreted): Thanks for your help, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): Of course. I help my people.
DIAMOND (voice-over): He is describing the settler playbook, the role Israeli soldiers often play in propping it up. The Israeli military did not respond to CNN's questions about soldiers' conduct in the West Bank, including our detention.
Amid the war with Iran, those efforts are intensifying, with at least four outposts established this week alone, land often taken with the blood of Palestinians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): I didn't expect this, Abdullah's son says. This is not normal. DIAMOND (on camera): So, just as we're visiting one patient in the
hospital from a settler attack, we've just learned that there have been multiple other settler attacks in the area, and one of the patients is at the same hospital.
DIAMOND (voice-over): 29-year-old Saqr Salman says a scuffle broke out after settlers came onto his land and one of them clubbed him in the back of the head. When soldiers arrived, he says they arrested him and beat him with the butt of their guns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera) (Interpreted): The soldiers are a protection for the settlers. I would tell the soldiers that they stole my sheep, and they would say that I'm lying and that I'm the one who attacked them, and every time I tried to say something, the soldiers would beat me."
DIAMOND (voice-over): Settlers, he says, always go free.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tayasir, the West Bank.
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MICHAELSON: After this report first aired, the Israeli military told CNN, quote, "The actions and behavior of the soldiers in the incident are incompatible with what is expected of IDF soldiers operating in the Judea and Samaria area." The military said the incident will be thoroughly reviewed, but did not respond to CNN's questions about the settler outpost featured in the report or the increase of settler violence in the West Bank.
For more, we are joined from Tel Aviv by Miri Eisin, a Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Counterterrorism. She is also a retired member of the Israel Defense Forces. Thanks so much for being back with us. First off, after seeing that report, quite a report, what's your reaction to what's happening in the West Bank?
MIRI EISIN, SR. FELLOW, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR COUNTERTERRORISM: There is no question whatsoever that I, as an Israeli, as an officer, look at that and I abhor what I just saw in those soldiers' behavior. When I talk about a soldier's behavior, in that sense, we're talking about the rule of law. I think that both the Chief of Staff has spoken out about this, and I think that there is a challenge that we have here, anywhere within Judea and Samaria, as you called it, the West Bank in that area, I was listening because I couldn't see the report. So, I could hear the Hebrew, and I don't know, in that sense, the way that it was portrayed. That is not what I expect, not of soldiers, not of officers, and not of Israeli citizens.
The rule of law is the rule of law, and that's what I hope that we're going to absolutely uphold. I need my Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to state it clearly, and that's what we need inside Israel right now.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, let's talk about what's going on with Israel and Iran, and the nuclear facilities that Israel is hitting. At this point, are the U.S. and Israel's goals different? I mean, what does victory look like for Israel? What does victory look like for the U.S.?
EISIN: Elex, it's always an interesting question, what victory looks like? It's kind of like that picture you expect to see. We're already at a stage that after four weeks, and it's been four full weeks living here inside Israel, that we can see the diminishing and the degrading all of the different capabilities that Israel and the United States jointly went out to attack. This wasn't about you do one attack and everything is done. The Islamic regime built these capabilities over 20, 25 years.
The fact that right now, the top echelon of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the fact that you are going after both the nuclear sites and the nuclear scientists, like the last time, but also R&D missiles, the different sites, the launches that are against not only Israel, but all of the different Gulf countries, degrading and diminishing. When I say victory, people want to say all or nothing. I think that the fact that Iran is not in the same place that it was on February 28th that the Islamic regime cannot define the rules of the game for the world is very important. And yes, I'm going to call that the beginning of a victory.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, we've got about a minute left, there is this humanitarian crisis unfolding in southern Lebanon. Does Benjamin Netanyahu care?
EISIN: There is no question that inside Lebanon there is a terror proxy of the Islamic regime called Hezbollah. Elex, I'm going to ask you, what would you do if you lived next to a border, and that Hezbollah fires rockets, mortars, ATMs, IEDs at you every day? And I say that because there is no easy way out. If Lebanon would take care of it, that would be wonderful. They have not. They even, I would say, lied about it. Maybe they said that they had disarmed Hezbollah.
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Somebody needs to disarm Hezbollah, the terror proxy.
MICHAELSON: Miri Eisin, thank you so much for sharing your perspective. It's always great to see you. Hope you have a great weekend.
EISIN: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: And thank you all for watching "The Story Is". For our international viewers, Inside Africa is next on CNN International. For our viewers here in North America, I'll be right back talk about the California governor's race and the surprising success of flag football. Thanks again for watching "The Story Is".
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MICHAELSON: Welcome back to "The Story Is". The highly divided Congress in Washington has prolonged the partial government shutdown. The Republican-dominated House of Representatives passed its own short-term funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. This after House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a Senate-approved plan President Trump did not support.
Regardless of what's happening in Congress, TSA workers could be getting a paycheck as soon as Monday. Trump ordered DHS to allocate funds to pay them. It's been chaotic at U.S. airports with TSA workers calling out of work or quitting during the shutdown. Lawmakers from both parties say this needs to end, but they don't agree on how to end it.
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REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Taxpayer dollars should be spent to make life more affordable for the American people, not to brutalize and kill American citizens or violently target law-abiding immigrant families. At the same period of time, we want Republicans to stop holding TSA agents and air travelers hostage to their extreme immigration agenda.
REP. DON BACON (R-NE): I wish the Democrats would take some assurance that the Secretary has been fired, and the person who ran the operations in Minneapolis is also being removed, that we have new leadership there. The tactics and the strategy has changed. And so, there has already been changes made, and I think that that should be acknowledged.
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MICHAELSON: Joining me now on set talk about that and more is Christian Grose, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Southern California. He was in the news himself quite a bit this week for a debate here in L.A. That didn't happen. We'll get to that in a moment. But first, let's start with this big news out of Washington, which affects people all over the country. What do you make of what's going on now, and is there any sign that any deal is in sight?
CHRISTIAN GROSE, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE & PUBLIC POLICY, USC: I mean, I think there is not a sign of a deal in sight. I think it shows that the House Republicans are so narrow that Speaker Johnson can't keep his party together. There is -- they couldn't agree to what the Senate wanted. And so, now they're going home. I think it's going to be a long time before they reach a deal, unless something happens surprisingly soon.
MICHAELSON: Couldn't agree with what the Senate agreed to unanimously --
GROSE: Exactly.
MICHAELSON: -- last night.
GROSE: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: I mean, the Senate last night essentially said, look, enough. We're not going to fight this fight anymore. Let's get these guys this money. Let's move on, fight the next battle. And the House said, not so fast.
GROSE: Yeah. Yeah. No. There is -- it's such a narrow majority that you have to get every single Republican on board, and there weren't enough Republicans to agree to that unanimous Senate package.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. And so, here we go. We'll see if, in fact, the paychecks come. That would obviously lessen --
GROSE: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- some of the pressure on the whole thing, but we'll see, and we'll see if there is any legal challenges to that as well.
All right. Let's talk about you and this big debate. What happened this week? This is your first national interview since all this happened. So, here in California, there was supposed to be a governor's debate that was going to happen on Tuesday. It was going to be at USC on T.V. with six of the folks that are running for California governor. Now, there is a lot more people that are running for California governor. USC had asked you to put together a formula to determine who would be invited on the stage, who would not. They didn't tell you how many people that they were going to invite. You gave them the formula. They chose six of them. The six that happened to be invited happened to be white. The four next people that were not invited happened to be candidates of color. And there was a whole brouhaha over that.
This is your formula. This is how it all came out, and this is why people were invited. Explain these numbers on the screen. How did you determine the formula for who to invite and who not to invite.
GROSE: Yes. So, I was asked to do this independently. I used some methodology that's been endorsed by scholars from Harvard and Stanford and Princeton and several other universities. It's pretty standard in social science. You run through polling and fundraising. Those are the two variables that were used. And then a number comes up. There is between zero and 100 and you can see there is four candidates right at the top, Steyer, Hilton, Swalwell and Porter, and then another two, Mahan and Bianca, four Democrats, two Republicans, much higher than the rest of the candidates.
MICHAELSON: And so, fundraising was a big part of this, which is why we see that number for Tom Steyer way off the charts, because he has given himself a boatload of money, like $100 million.
GROSE: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Now, the big controversy was over the inclusion of Matt Mahan, who is the mayor of San Jose, who has not polled as well as everybody else on that list in terms of the averages there, but you say the fundraising is what did it for him.
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GROSE: Yeah. So, Mahan has been fundraising so quickly since he has gone into the race that his fund raising was much higher than all the other candidates once you normalized on the polling scale. Polling was still more of this, though. So, he and Steyer is polling pretty well, and he has raised a lot of money from himself, but Mahan has moved up because of the fundraising in this particular score.
MICHAELSON: So, some of the candidates of color were saying that Matt Mahan was getting bonus points because he fundraised quickly. Is that true?
GROSE: That's not true at all. So, everyone got all of their fundraising counted. There was no bonus points for Mahan. It was bonus points for everyone. And the reality is just the candidates who are complaining were not doing as well. And it's not the formula, and it wasn't me. I didn't choose the number of candidates. I think it's really important to have diversity on the stage and on -- I think it's really important to have diversity in California politics, but their campaigns are not going as well on both polling and fundraising.
MICHAELSON: So, that's the pictures right now of the candidates who did not get invited onto the stage, and some of their allies, including allies in the state legislature, sent a letter to USC, demanding that they include more people, called your system biased. Others called your system racist. What do you say to them that essentially that you were lifting up the rich white guy, who is backed by billionaires and who has support from former trustee of the university and who the co-director at USC is now on leave working for, and that was biased against everybody else?
GROSE: Yeah. I mean -- so, first of all, the formula is not biased, because when you run it through other elections, like the mayor of L.A. race, the candidates who come out on top on this formula are candidates of color. Candidates who are at the bottom in that particular election are white candidates. So, it's really about who is doing well on polling and fundraising. The other question is about like, people at USC and influence in that regard, I don't really know them. I don't know them at all. That's why I was asked to do it.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
GROSE: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: So, in terms of where the race is at now, so we didn't have a debate this week. We don't have a debate scheduled for a month now, biggest state in the union, and yet, where are we at and how likely is it that you could have two Republicans now, two Republicans in this top two system where the top two advance no matter what?
GROSE: Yeah. It's very unfortunate that there was not a debate and there won't be one. And so, what's going to happen now is all these candidates are in the race now, and there is 60 plus candidates, not just the candidates we're discussing. And so, that's going to be splitting the vote all over the state. Voters haven't learned about the candidates beyond dunking on social media, beyond like T.V. ads that they're seeing from the candidates with the most money. And so, we missed an opportunity to really hear from candidates on issues.
MICHAELSON: So, USC made the wrong call. GROSE: If I were making that decision, I was not part of the decision, I would probably have held the debate.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. All right. We'll see what happens next. Christian Grose, thanks so much for coming in. We appreciate it.
After the break, we'll take you inside CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference.
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ALEX STONE, CPAC ATTENDEE (on camera): For 20 plus years, they've been saying Iran is on the verge of a nuclear weapon.
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MICHAELSON: We'll hear from rare descent from within the movement on Trump's war with Iran. That and more, ahead.
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MICHAELSON: Millions of people in the U.S. are expected to take part in more than 3,000 No Kings protests on Saturday across the country. Organizers say they're gathering to oppose the, quote, "authoritarianism and corruption under the Trump administration". In addition to the protests in all 50 states, organizers say they also expect a number of events to take place internationally. The protests are built on the notion that the U.S. elects Democratic leaders, not all powerful monarchs.
When conservatives gather for the CPAC conference, you would expect pretty solid support for Republican president. The country is now at war, a war that some on the right thought they were voting against when they voted for President Trump.
CNN' Donnie O'Sullivan reports from the conference in Dallas.
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DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (on camera): When it comes to Iran, how do you feel about that?
STONE (on camera): I'm not happy. I'm not happy at all. I mean, President Trump ran on no new wars.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): What do you think of the war with Iran at the moment?
BRENDA PASSIALES, CPAC ATTENDEE (on camera): Unfortunately, I think it's necessary.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): You do?
PASSIALES (on camera): Yes, and he is the only president that had the backbone to take it on.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Here at CPAC in Dallas, opinion is divided about the war in Iran.
KOLE KORNELL (on camera): Right now, I'm optimistic about it. Am I a Republican that wants a forever war, and do I want a bunch of boots on the ground? Do I want Iraq 2.0? No. I don't. But through what he has accomplished in the past, what he did with Maduro, I'm very confident that this will be a success as well, and as long as it's a temporary thing. I mean, if this is something that's still going on months from now, then Republicans can kiss the midterms Goodbye.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Are you concerned that it's going to drag out into a long-term war?
PASSIALES (on camera): Of course. Of course. But I don't think that's going to happen. I don't think Trump will allow that to happen. He is a president of peace. He was in for four years, and there was no war.
STONE (on camera): I feel like we have been co-opted into a war. That shouldn't be ours. It should be Israel's. Obviously, I don't think that Iran should have a nuclear weapon. But for 20 plus years, they have been saying Iran is on the verge of a nuclear weapon. OK. Where is the nuclear weapon?
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): What do you say to people who say, well, this is Israel's war, it shouldn't be America's war?
DOC COLLINS, CPAC ATTENDEE (on camera): That's not so. Israel is God's people, and those that bless Israel will be blessed. Those that curses Israel, they better watch it.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Do you believe that Israel forced the U.S. into this war? PASSIALES (on camera): Absolutely not. Donald Trump does what Donald Trump wants to do. Period. End of story.
KORNELL (on camera): I don't think Trump is really controlled by anybody as much as everyone would like to control him, but I do question some of the things when it comes to, are we just going to bend over everything for Israel?
[01:45:00]
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Do you feel disappointed in the president?
STONE (on camera): Sure.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Do you still support him?
STONE (on camera): I want him to succeed. I think it's to be determined on if I can remain to support him.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Are you concerned that this war drags on?
STONE (on camera): Absolutely. We hear the phrase America first. Let's put America first. And I'm concerned that this isn't putting America first.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): America first sentiments are strong here, and while not all Iranian Americans agree with the war --
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Are you from Iran?
REZA GHAFFARIAN, CPAC ATTENDEE (on camera): Yes. I've been here for 50 years.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Many of those who came to this year's CPAC --
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Hello. Are you also Iranian?
SINA KHODAEIFAR, CPAC ATTENDEE (on camera): I miss my country. I'm 15 years here.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): -- have come here to plead with the president to stay in the fight.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): There is pressure here in the United States on Trump, on the administration, to end the war quick.
MATIN SAMIMIAT, CPAC ATTENDEE (on camera): I get the concern because people have trauma from Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But think about a future alliance between a best friendly Iran and United States. How much your prices of oil will go down.
REZA FARNOOD, CPAC ATTENDEE (on camera): Iran is not Iraq and it is not Afghanistan. We don't want money. We don't want anything. We want our country back.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): If Trump is watching this, what is your message to the president?
FARNOOD (on camera): Mr. President, thank you, and we know you're playing right. People of Iran thank you for your help and support.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, Dallas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: The National Football League is embracing a gentler version of its tough and physical game. Ahead, no contact flag football, some of the biggest names getting involved ahead of the sports debut at the Summer Olympics here in L.A., next.
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[01:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MICHAELSON: A humpback whale stranded for days in the shallow waters
of the Baltic Sea was seen swimming freely on Friday after apparently freeing itself. The animal was first spotted off the German coast on Monday when it got stuck on a sand bank. That kick-started a rescue mission, as Coast Guard and fire boats tried to guide the whale into deeper water. They even tried digging an underwater trench. Despite the whale's apparent success, experts warned its survival remained uncertain.
Hours from now, Pope Leo will be touching down in Monaco for the first papal visit to the principality in modern times. He will be meeting with Prince Albert II before spending time with the island's young Catholics. His visit expected to last around eight hours and concludes with mass in Monaco's largest stadium. The Vatican describes it as a chance to highlight the importance of small nations. The Holy See says they are the, quote, "natural guardians of multilateralism and an essential bulwark against authoritarian tendencies."
Well, flag football is coming to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games here in Los Angeles. Of course, tackling is not the object. The goal is to grab a flag off the player carrying the ball, and the NFL is embracing it in a big way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): The stars are out, and the competition is fierce for flag football.
MICHAELSON (on camera): What do you make of flag football?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): I love it. I'm so glad I love it.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): On this day, we're at Quarterback Aaron Rodgers' fifth annual RX3 Charity Flag Football Tournament in Orange County, California. Attendees here bid for the chance to play with their favorite quarterback.
NATE RAABE, CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER, RX3 (on camera): No one is getting paid. All the quarterbacks are here to support a cause. That means a lot to them.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Each Q.B. picks a different charity to support. Carolina Panthers Q.B. Bryce Young is backing his own family's Young 9 Foundation, which tackles youth mental health.
BRYCE YOUNG, CAROLINA PANTHERS QUARTERBACK (on camera): I'm super proud of it. My family works very close on it. So, I've been grateful for the work we've been able to do.
MICHAELSON (on camera): Active Q.B.s here include the Broncos' Jarrett Stidham and the Steelers' Will Howard.
MICHAELSON (on camera): How does flag compare to Pat (ph)?
WILL HOWARD, PITTSBURGH STEELERS QUARTERBACK (on camera): It's similar. It's definitely not the same. You're not as worried about throwing guys into headaches out here.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Flag football's popularity has grown, as concerns about head injuries and tackle football expand.
MATT LEINART, HEISMAN TROPHY WINNING QUARTERBACK (on camera): There is nothing like getting the juices flowing when you're out here. So, that's for sure.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): This game allowing former NFL Q.B.s like Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer and Michael Vick get back on the field.
MICHAELSON (on camera): How does it feel?
CARSON PALMER, FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK (on camera): I'm not going to lie. My shoulder is tired already.
MICHAEL VICK, FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK (on camera): Throwing is always like riding a bike. It's the running that I'm worried about.
MICHAELSON (on camera): Many of these retired tackle football stars are now heavily involved in flag.
PALMER (on camera): I've got a daughter that plays girls flag football at the high school level.
LEINART (on camera): And we have like over 3,000 girls that play in our Matt Leinart Flag Football leagues in Orange County, which is really awesome.
MARCELLUS WILEY, BROADCASTER & RETIRED NFL PLAYER (on camera): Our coach flag football, really good teams. Now, we have a bunch of fun. And I'm not missing anything from tackle.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): The NFL is making a major investment in flag football. The league backing youth leagues across the country, plus a professional league, and turned its Pro Bowl game into a flag football competition.
MICHAELSON (on camera): Flag football will be an Olympic sport for the first time ever during the 2028 L.A. game. The question is, will any of these guys be on the team?
MICHAELSON (on camera): Would you consider playing on the Olympic team?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): Absolutely. It would be an honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): Look, I think if I could be an Olympian in any form or fashion, I would say yes.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): During the Super Bowl, the NFL aired an ad featuring Eagles Q.B. Jalen Hurts, promoting flag football at the L.A. Olympics. Hurts recently joined other current and former NFL stars like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Joe Barra in a televised battle against the current men's national team in flag football and national team beat the pro football stars.
[01:55:00]
On that same day, the Women's National Team is here at the RX3 tournament showcasing their skills.
MICHAELSON (on camera): What does, you think, that moment of having this as an Olympic sport in Los Angeles, what do you think that's going to do for generations of female athletes?
MACI JONCICH, TEAM USA QUARTERBACK & WIDE RECEIVER (on camera): I mean, it just -- it really, truly gives them something to work for. When I was a kid, everybody wants to be an Olympic athlete. And I never played a sport that could be in the Olympics. And now that flag football is an Olympic sport, it gives these girls opportunities to make their dreams come true.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: We love seeing that. Thank you to all of them. By the way, RX3 has raised over $9 million for charity over the years, which is pretty cool.
Appreciate you joining us all week here on "The Story Is". On Monday, CNN's Jake Tapper will be with us here on our set. We're looking forward to that.
In the meantime, hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you next week.
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