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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Kuwaiti Tanker Hit By Iranian Drone Attack In Dubai Port; Trump Threatens To Obliterate Iran's Energy Facilities; Congress Starts Two- Week Recess As Partial Shutdown Drags On; FCC Chair Brendan Carr Claims Trump Is "Winning" Against Fake News Media; Russian Oil Tanker Expected To Arrive In Cuba Amid Energy Crisis; Interview with Influencer Hasan Piker on Tough Conditions in Cuba; FBI: Michigan Synagogue Attack Hezbollah-Inspired Terrorism; Judge to Rule if Penn Must Produce Jewish Student and Faculty Records; Review of JFK Love Story and Paul McCartney's New Album. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired March 31, 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]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: With what's called stiff person syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disorder. Singer first disclose her diagnosis in late 2022. Great to see her coming back.
The game is three years away, but celebrations are already underway as we take a live look from the Vegas Strip. How nice does that look? The NFL announcing Monday that Las Vegas will host Super Bowl LXIII in 2029. Allegiant Stadium, where the Raiders play, also to the championship game back in 2024. Other events on the agenda include the NFL honors and the super bowl experience.
Remember, Vegas also likely getting a basketball team that year. Good time for Vegas sports.
Thanks for watching. This hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.
The story is rising gas prices. What's happening behind the scenes is oil prices surge.
The story is inside Cuba. Streamer Hasan Piker is just back from a trip to the island. He's with us on set.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles. The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching. I'm Elex Michaelson. The story is in the Persian Gulf, where Kuwait's state media is reporting that Iranian strikes hit a large Kuwaiti crude carrier anchored in Dubai. Officials from Dubai confirmed that response teams have put out the fire on board the tanker. No injuries have been reported and all 24 crew members are safe.
Kuwait's Petroleum Corporation says the tanker was fully loaded and now there are concerns about the possibility of an oil spill. Meanwhile, we're seeing more exchanges of missiles between Israel and
Iran. Video geolocated by CNN shows several large explosions in Isfahan, Iran. Look at it here. And earlier in Jerusalem, smoke trails left by intercepted missiles could be seen across the sky.
The overnight bombardment comes as the IDF warns it will strike a residential area in Tehran in the coming minutes. Evacuation warning was posted on the IDF's Farsi language account, but it's unlikely that Tehran's residents have seen it due to the Internet blackout that's been in place since the start of the war.
Meanwhile, the conflict is widening across the region. The IDF is reporting that four soldiers were killed during combat in southern Lebanon. And France is calling for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council after two U.N. Peacekeepers were killed in southern Lebanon on Monday.
Meanwhile, the White House says talks to end the war with Iran, which is now in its second month, are, quote, going well, even though Tehran says they're not happening at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Anything that they say to us privately will be tested and we will ensure that they are being held accountable to their word. When the president says more reasonable, again, these folks are appearing more reasonable. Behind the scenes privately in these conversations than perhaps some of the previous leaders who are now no longer on planet Earth because they lied to the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meantime, the Secretary of state of the United States, Marco Rubio, doubled down on President Trump's stance that they are dealing with more reasonable negotiators in Tehran, but admitted it's not quite clear who's actually making the decisions in Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I'm not going to disclose to you who those people are because it probably would get them in trouble with some other groups of people inside of Iran. Look, there's some fractures going on there internally.
And if there are new people now in charge who have a more reasonable vision of the future, that would be good news for us, for them, for the entire world. But we also have to be prepared for the possibility, maybe even the probability, that is not the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Now, despite claims by the administration that it is making diplomatic headway with Iran, President Trump is threatening to obliterate Iran's energy sources if a deal to end the war is not reached and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong with more.
Kristie, with what more can you tell us about that oil tanker in Kuwait and what's happening right now?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONKDENT: Yes, Elex, this Kuwaiti oil tanker was fully laden. It was hit off the coast of the UAE. And this represents one of the most significant strikes on vessels since this conflict in the Middle East began.
Meanwhile, the Iranian city of Isfahan is under heavy bombardment. All this happening shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more attacks on Iran, namely attacks on its critical civilian infrastructure if Iran doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And this is sending oil prices higher, Brent crude as well as U.S. crude oil.
In fact, U.S. crude oil settled above $100 a barrel for the first time since July 2022. It was early on Tuesday. That was when that fully laid in Kuwaiti oil tanker was hit off the coast of the UAE. There were 24 seafarers on board. They're reported to all be safe. There are fears of an oil spill.
And we heard this earlier from the Dubai media office saying this. Authorities in dub confirmed their response to an incident involving a drone affecting a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters with no injuries reported.
[01:05:05]
The fire has indeed been extinguished. And we're also following the situation in the Iranian city of Isfahan, which has been under heavy bombardment. Want to show you once again that social media video that has been circulating of the heavy bombardment. And you could see the explosions, large ones there in the city at one point.
You can see right there the minarets of the Grand Mosalla mosque in the foreground of this video. And there are also reports of power outages in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Now, all this taking place shortly after U.S. President Trump took to Truth Social to level those more threats against Iran, threatening to attack civilian infrastructure like water installations, like energy installations. And let's bring up a sampling of his post for you.
He said this quote, if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately open for business, we will conclude our lovely stay in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharge Island, which we have purposely not yet touched.
Kharge Island is a significant mention here. Kharge Island is tiny. It is only one third the size of Manhattan. But it has an outsized impact on the economy of Iran. 90 percent of the country's oil exports flow through Kharge Island. So if there is any direct attack on Kharge island, that would mark a major escalation in this war.
It would also mark if any attack on civilian infrastructure by any side would also likely constitute a war crime under international law. Elex, back to you. MICHAELSON: And it would really, really impact the entire world's
economy, which is something that you follow so closely, Kristie. And now the IMF speaking out about what's going on here as well. The International Monetary Fund.
LU STOUT: Yes, you're right. The IMF is sounding the economic alarm here. It's saying because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing closure that selected blockade by Iran of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows through, saying it's causing higher prices and slower growth in every corner of the planet.
This is what IMF economists posted in a blog that was released on Monday. Let's bring it up for you. They said this, quote, although the war could shape the global economy in different ways, all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth. And much depends on how long the conflict lasts, how far it spreads, how much damage it inflicts on infrastructure and supply chains.
And the IMF noted how it's the larger energy importers around the world, namely Asia and Europe that are bearing the brunt of the ongoing war in Iran because we have to deal with these higher energy prices is said that their countries, especially the lower income nations are extremely vulnerable right now because already they're exposed, experiencing food insecurity, rises in the prices of fertilizer, of food as well.
The IMF notes that it is supporting member countries with policy support, with financial aid and it will be able to reveal a much larger, more comprehensive assessment of the economic impact in mid- April. And that is when the IMF and World bank will be meeting in Washington DC. Elex.
MICHAELSON: And a reminder, Kristie, just the politics of this. The number one reason President Trump was elected was to lower prices for people. And quite a statement with them saying all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth, which is the complete opposite of what certainly American voters and people around the world are hoping for. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you for that.
We want to bring into the conversation right now Benjamin Radd, political scientist, senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for the International Relations, joining us live. You've been with us every step of the way in this war, even before this war for months talking about the possibility of this war.
So, there's this debate on whether they're talking or not talking. Are there negotiations happening or not? The U.S. says there are, Iran says they're not. Are there negotiations happening?
BENJAMIN RADD, SENIOR FELLOW, UCLA BURKLE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: The problem is there isn't unity in the Iranian government now. I mean there's a group around Pezeshkian, the president, who is we think engaged in some conversation with the U.S. or wants to be.
The problem is Pezeshkian is not in charge. He's president. But it's the IRGC led by Vahidi who are the ones controlling the narrative right now. They're not interested in diplomacy with the US. Their terms are clear. The U.S. isn't willing to meet them, vice versa. So for all intents and purposes, there's no substance to these.
MICHAELSON: So then who are they talking? Because they must it sounds like they're talking to somebody that they like the message they're coming.
RADD: It's probably someone on the Pezeshkian wing of this leadership clique, which really at this point doesn't mean much because they have no power to do anything.
MICHAELSON: You say that Iran does not play by the same set of rules, especially when it comes to civilians. What do you mean by that?
RADD: So it's -- we've hear a lot about this being an asymmetric war where the United States has these massive ballistic missiles, these very sophisticated weaponry, these gunships, airships. Iranians are using drones, right? Relatively cheap drones. That's just not the other asymmetry.
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The other part of it is the United States is not willing to target civilian infrastructure or is hesitating to do that. Is hesitating to target any place that might inflict civilian casualties or other kinds of setbacks. The Iranians are not playing by those rules. The regime will target tankers in Kuwait that have nothing to do with anything. They'll target residential buildings in almost any city in the Middle East.
And so the challenge is how do you fight a asymmetrical war against an opponent that's sort of rules are also asymmetrical.
MICHAELSON: Although some will point out the U.S. is widely believed to be responsible for the killing of those Iranian girls at the school that was nearby.
RADD: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: But you're saying that wasn't on purpose.
RADD: I mean, there's no indication it was intentional. I think the administration would take account of that. But, you know, Iran doesn't hesitate to target civilian, you know, not once, twice, but all the time. These cluster munitions are using across Israel is a great example of that.
MICHAELSON: So where do we go from here? I mean, what's the off ramp? How do you get out of this situation?
RADD: The off ramp is who's going to get exhausted first. Will the Iranians be able to sustain their barrage of drone launches and missile launches before they really start to anger the rest of the Arab world? And who might seek to intervene directly? Or will President Trump tire of this and realize there's a domestic price he's paying that was going to force his hand and look for him to look for an off ramp sooner, declare victory in, go home, say we destroyed some infrastructure. We made it difficult for them to reconstitute their nuclear weapons program. We did what we needed to do. We won is the argument.
MICHAELSON: Doesn't it seem like he's headed there?
RADD: It seems like he's headed there because it seems like the regime is not fatigued yet of what it's doing in.
MICHAELSON: Terms of this Kuwaiti, this attack on the oil vessel that we see as the breaking news that we're finding out about tonight. What's your read on that?
RADD: Well, again, it's why, you know, it's a Kuwaiti flag tanker. It's in the UAE. I mean, there's really none of -- these aren't countries that are a risk or threat to Iran directly. They've made it clear their foreign ministers and their ambassadors have made it clear to Iran that they won't tolerate this.
Whatever Iran is doing, it is paying a price in the years to come by shattering any diplomatic norms and trust and any credibility they've established with Gulf leaders, and they're going to have to reckon with that, however this ends is something that they're going to have to face.
So my feeling on this is that what is Iran gaining? Which also supports this idea that I don't think all those launching the missiles or drones know what they're doing. They're not all talking to each other.
MICHAELSON: Meaning that there maybe isn't a strategy because there isn't Central Command and they're sort of going flying by the seat of their pants.
RADD: Exactly. Because they have nothing left to lose.
MICHAELSON: Right. And a lot of people who may have been religious extremists to begin with are even more extreme because their family members just got blown up.
RADD: That, too.
MICHAELSON: Yes. All right. Well, on that hopeful note, Benjamin Radd, thank you so much for the insight. We appreciate it.
The national average per gallon of regular unleaded gas is 3.99. Here in California, it's 5.87. A big part of that is California's gas tax, which is around 61 cents a gallon, the highest gas tax in the nation.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is the only Democrat in the California governor's race who wants to temporarily suspend the gas tax. He joined Jake Tapper on our set here in L.A. earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MATT MAHAN, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: Trump's war in Iran has led to higher gas prices that are hurting people today. We should start by immediately suspending the gas tax to provide relief to the people who need it most. And then you're absolutely right. We should restructure this gas tax so that it's not a tax on working people. And we can do that. But people deserve immediate relief today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Now Mahan is struggling. In recent polling in California, the top two candidates advance regardless of party. And Democrats are increasingly worried about the possibility that it could be two Republicans in the top two in November, something Ron Brownstein and I discuss with Jake on The Lead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: It seems entirely possible that the jungle primary, the way they do things here, is the top two vote getters, whatever party, face off against each other. So you could have two Democrats or you could have two Republicans. Seems entirely possible they could end up with two Republicans.
MICHAELSON: Yes. There's a guy named Paul Mitchell who's sort of the leading data scientist. He put together a model to look at these possibilities. He says it's about a 20 to 25 percent chance, which is not zero. And you think about it, in a state where there are two to one Democrats, the bluest state at the height of the Trump resistance that there could be two Republicans in the final two.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: There's also going to be pressure on party leaders to endorse, to kind of put a hand on the shoulder of somebody, whether it's Nancy Pelosi or Alex Padilla or even Gavin Newsom.
I mean, Gavin Newsom does not want a Republican governor while he is out running for president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Jake will be back in our studio tomorrow with a special edition of The Lead featuring reporting on the ground here in Los Angeles. Watch The Lead weekdays from 5 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4:00 p.m. Pacific. By the way, we'll have something fun with Jake coming up at the end of our show tonight.
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Security wait times have plunged from hours to minutes at some U.S. airports. Monday was the first time about 61,000 TSA workers started getting paid since the beginning of the partial government shutdown. It hasn't fixed the problem at every airport yet, but many major airports reported wait times of less than 30 minutes.
Thousands more DHS employees still haven't been paid as the partial shutdown continues. It'll be at least two weeks until there's a possibility of reopening since both chambers of Congress are on recess. Senate Republican leader John Thune says he will not call back senators from recess unless there is a deal with Democrats.
The FCC chair Brendan Carr has drawn criticism for framing a number of shakeups in the news media. Is President Trump winning against what he calls fake news? His rhetoric marks a sharp break from previous FCC chairs who have traditionally upheld the agency's independence. CNN's Brian Stelter has more on the significance of Carr's differing approach. Brian?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey, Elex. Yeah, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is definitely redefining what it means to be the U.S. government's top media regulator. Many critics say he is way overstepping his bounds.
When I've talked to him, he says he's trying to combat media bias and reshape the American media by turning what he calls a dozen different dials using the FCC's rules and regulations. But those rules only apply to local TV and radio stations. They don't apply to cable channels like CNN or streaming platforms like YouTube.
Nonetheless, Carr kind of lumped all of them in together when he appeared on stage at CPAC the other day. And it was these comments that really gained a lot of attention and a lot of scrutiny. He said President Trump is, quote, winning against the fake news media. And here's what he said.
BRENDAN CARR, CHAIR, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION: President Trump took on the fake news media and President Trump is winning. Look at the results so far. PBS defunded, NPR defunded, Joy Reid gone from MSNBC, Sleepy eyes, Chuck Todd gone. Jim Acosta gone. John Dickerson gone. Colbert is leaving. CBS is under new ownership and soon enough CNN is going to have new ownership as well.
STELTER: So Carr received a lot of applause from the right wing audience there at CPAC. But when his comments went viral on X and other social media websites, he was also widely criticized, with some likening this to the autocratic playbook, an example of a government regulator trying to punish critical news coverage and reward and promote frequency coverage and media outlets.
So let's unpack what he said a little bit. Carr talked about TV channels changing their anchors. The FCC has nothing to do with that. The FCC is not involved in content in that way. But the FCC did have a hand in the CBS ownership change last year. Of course, parent company Paramount had to win the government's approval for that mega merger.
And now Paramount's trying to take over Warner brothers discovery as CNN's parent company, leading observers to wonder and in some cases worry that Paramount will try to curry favor with the administration in order to get that deal through. So it's notable to hear Carr bringing up CBS and CNN on stage at CPAC.
He also repeatedly criticized Comcast and Disney, two of the biggest station owners and network broadcasters in the United States. Carr clearly trying to use his bully pulpit in order to reshape the media because the FCC actually has relatively little enforcement power.
But Carr can try to apply public pressure, and that seems to be what this is about. He also said on stage that stations using the public airways are, quote, going to be held accountable now to the public interest standard.
That's the language, public interest standard that Congress used almost a century ago when it set up the licensing system. But that public interest standard language, it can mean a lot of different things and it's up for debate.
So let me share this quote from Aaron Terror, who's with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. He said this in response, quote, the problem is that the FCC chairman has effectively redefined public interest to mean the president's interest. And that is certainly how it looks and sounds. Elex, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Brian, we've never seen anything like this before. Thank you. Cuba is getting some energy relief with the arrival of a Russian oil tanker. But for an island hit with the U.S. blockade and blackouts, is this just a Dr. Dropping the bucket?
Coming up, social media influencer Hasan Piker. He's just back from Cuba. He gives us a report of what he saw firsthand on the island. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:23:57]
MICHAELSON: A Russian flagged oil tanker has now reached the waters off of Cuba after President Trump allowed it to break a U.S. fuel blockade. The tanker is reportedly carrying nearly 730,000 barrels of oil, but experts say that may only offer limited economic and humanitarian relief as Cuba struggles with a deepening energy crisis.
White House press secretary spoke about the tanker on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEAVITT: This is not a policy change. There has not been a formal change in sanction policy. As the president said last night, we allowed this ship to reach Cuba in order to provide humanitarian needs to the Cuban people. These decisions are being made on a case basis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Hasan Piker is one of the biggest social media influencers and political commentators in the world with millions of followers online. He just returned from a visit to Cuba where he saw conditions on the ground firsthand.
Hasan Piker, welcome to The Story Is for the first time. Thanks for being here.
[01:25:01]
HASAN PIKER, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND TWITCH STREAMER: Thank you for having me.
MICHAELSON: Paint us a picture of what it's like on the ground. What'd you see?
PIKER: When I first landed in Cuba, I was taken aback by how beautiful everything was. You know, you got the 1950s cars, and it's a tropical island destination. But very quickly thereafter, as soon as we got into Havana, the main city area where people congregate, I couldn't believe the sights that I was seeing. It was very sad.
You had homes that looked like they were bombed out. Our tour guide at the time said that this was somewhat of a product of hurricane season and how difficult it is to, like, repair these buildings. And I already had known about the rolling blackouts, and I experienced them later in the day, and it was definitely unlike anything I've ever experienced before. Everything's pitch black. There aren't any traffic lights on. Like, it's crazy, right?
But I was taken aback. I was very sad by all the poverty that I saw. And then I was very angry. It was actually Ben Rhodes who told me that I would get very sad when I first went there.
MICHAELSON: Former Obama foreign policy advisor.
PIKER: Yes. Former Obama foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes, who was, you know, formative in the previous normalization agreement with Cuba that Barack Obama had orchestrated. And he was right. It was very sad to see.
But then it was very angering. It was very anger inducing because I felt like there was a lot of potential on this island that were just robbing the people of. And it's totally cruel and totally unnecessary. And it was part of the reason why I went to Cuba, because I've heard a lot about Cuban organizing, the Cuban government. I'd read a lot about it. I knew about the island's history of developing sovereignty, but I'd also heard about this blockade.
And I wanted to figure out exactly how this blockade was harming people directly and in many ways that are indirect, because the blockade itself is designed to be invisible. It's a system of sanctions. It's this bureaucratic nightmare that basically renders it impossible for the island to do regular commerce. Just like any other country.
Banks can't take out loans from any other banks. And you, as an American citizen, as a matter of fact, have a lot of restrictions on what you can and can't do both on the island, or if you wanted to even send money if you have relatives on the island. It's a very difficult process to, like, directly send cash payments to your relatives as well.
It's totally unnecessary. These rules are so arbitrary and yet they're so damaging to everyone, to everyday Cuban existence.
MICHAELSON: What were you most surprised by actually seeing it up close and personal?
PIKER: I was surprised by the resilience. I was surprised by the fact that people, in spite of all these struggles, were still surviving. Right. They had a relatively chill attitude about everything, which was somewhat shocking to me because I feel like I'm a much more high intensity person.
But I was also really impressed with the accomplishments that they made in places like in the biomedical field.
MICHAELSON: What do you think is at this point the biggest need? Because we hear like the New York Times reporting about the facts fact that the power goes off in the hospitals and like babies are having to, you know, be hand pumped to keep them alive in certain situations.
PIKER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: I mean, what do you think's the greatest need?
PIKER: It's oil on the ground, 100 percent. And it's actually totally legal for Cuba to trade with other countries. It's just that America makes it impossible. So what is a necessity is for the grid to come back alive.
And for that to happen, they need to have -- they need to get oil. And I believe there's a Russian tanker that just docked in Havana as of this morning, if I'm not mistaken, with 730,000 barrels of oil, which will provide much needed respite and will allow the Cuban energy grid to survive. They'll still ration it heavily, but, you know, this way medicine can be transported on the island.
MICHAELSON: I want to give you a chance to respond to two criticisms of this trip that have gotten widely reported.
PIKER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: The New York Times sort of called you out for the fact that you all stayed in a nice hotel --
PIKER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- that was very luxurious compared to a lot of what the people on the island are dealing with every day. What's your response to the allegations of hypocrisy there?
PIKER: Yes, I thought it was very interesting as well. So went on a humanitarian aid mission with foreign dignitaries, delegates, advocates, activists, journalists and the like. It was around 200, 300, 400 people. I'm not exactly sure on the number, but the American government has placed. And this was fascinating to me. We had to get an OFAC clearance from the Treasury Department just to go. Right.
And the American government has actually created these incredible restrictions that only allow American citizens to stay in four hotels on the island. There are thousands of hotels on the island, but we can only stay in four. And if I don't stay in a hotel, and these are five star hotels, according to the American government, if I don't stay in one of those hotels. I could go to prison for 10 years and have to pay a $250,000 fine.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
[01:30:05]
PIKER: I'm an American citizen. It's so totally ridiculous. I've never seen anything like it.
MICHAELSON: And real quickly, you know, there are a lot of people that are watching this, especially in places like south Florida, that feel like the regime is repressive --
PIKER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- that it's been a terrible regime, that it's killed people, and that what you're doing is propping them up. What do you say to that?
PIKER: I just don't want babies to die. I don't want people to suffer. I think that the difference in opinion as far as like how Cuba governs itself is up to the Cuban population.
I just want, as an American citizen, to stop putting our hand on the scale in this incredibly violent way because the results are unbelievably violent. Collective punishment is a war crime, after all, and there is no other way to look at what we've done, especially as Trump has like basically said, the quiet part out loud and restricted all oil from going into the island. It's impossible to ignore.
MICHAELSON: Yes, it is. And according to what he's saying, it sounds like this story is not going away any time soon.
Hasan Piker, thank you for sharing your views. Great to see you.
PIKER: Thank you for having me.
MICHAELSON: After the break, why the federal government wants a list of Jewish staff and students at the University of Pennsylvania, and why the school says the demand crosses a constitutional line.
Stay with us.
[01:31:17]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: The FBI says the attack on a synagogue in Michigan earlier this month was a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism. Investigators say a man rammed a truck into the building, while more than a hundred children were inside that school. Synagogue security officers exchanged fire with the attacker before he
shot and killed himself in the vehicle. Authorities say the truck was filled with fireworks and gasoline, which were meant to cause a huge explosion.
The suspect was identified as a naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon. The FBI says he acted alone and was inspired by Hezbollah propaganda after members of his family were killed a week earlier in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
The FBI held a news conference Monday where they revealed some of the evidence they found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER RUNYAN, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI DETROIT FIELD OFFICE: During the morning and early morning of March 10th, he continued his online searches with specific search terms and phrases such as the largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan, Orthodox synagogues, Israelis near me, what time is the Trump rally in Michigan, as well as a center affiliated with the Israeli embassy in Michigan.
He later attempted to try and delete these queries, but we were able to recover them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, apprehension is growing at the University of Pennsylvania as the Trump administration tries to get a list of every Jewish person at the school, including their names, addresses and phone numbers, all in the name of fighting anti-Semitism.
CNN's Danny Freeman has more from Philadelphia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETH WENGER, HISTORY PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: I cannot say I ever imagined that we would be at this moment.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For Beth Wenger, that moment came when the federal government said it was seeking lists and personal details of members of the University of Pennsylvania's Jewish community in the name of fighting anti-Semitism.
WENGER: Everyone wants to see a safe campus for Jews and for everyone else, no matter what their identity or background.
FREEMAN: But as a historian and professor of modern Jewish history for more than 20 years at the Ivy League school, Wenger fears for her own privacy and also understands the risk of repeating history.
WENGER: It is important to understand the resonance of collecting names and personal information of Jews and identifying them as Jews, and having the government collect that information.
It's very concerning to me as someone who is Jewish, and its concerning to me as a member of the university community.
FREEMAN: In late 2023, in the wake of October 7th, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, began investigating anti- Semitism at Penn. The school acknowledged concerns about anti-Semitism at the time and promised to do better.
But the EEOC was not satisfied. So last summer, the federal commission decided to subpoena the university, demanding lists of members of Penn's Jewish community.
That meant names, phone numbers, mailing addresses of employees of the Jewish studies program, lists of clubs, groups, and organizations quote, "related to the Jewish religion, faith, ancestry, or national origin, and rosters of those groups."
Even names and contact information of staff and faculty who participated in confidential listening sessions focused on anti- Semitism.
The government said it wanted the information to find witnesses or victims of religious-based harassment in order to investigate anti- Semitism.
AMANDA SHANOR, PROFESSOR, WHARTON SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: The government has been clear that what they're looking for is essentially a list of Jewish employees.
FREEMAN: Amanda Shanor is a professor at Wharton and also represents Penn community members whose information is at risk. She argued the subpoena is unconstitutional on several fronts.
SHANOR: Unlike things like race or sex or age, that people oftentimes voluntarily tell their employer about themselves, nobody tells their employer about their religious beliefs or their associations with different groups.
FREEMAN: The subpoena would force Penn to comb through organizations itself and create lists of Jewish affiliated community members who work in some way for the university. Shanor says that's unprecedented.
[01:39:48]
SHANOR: This case is about whether or not the government has the power to do that, not just with regard to Jewish groups, but with regard to anyone.
FREEMAN: Penn offered other solutions, but declined to create the lists. So the government sued to enforce the subpoena, and Penn stood firm. The government's demand implicates Penn's substantial interest in protecting its employees' privacy, safety and First Amendment rights, the university wrote in a court filing. This March, all parties argued in federal court in Philadelphia.
"You are being accused of trying to, among other things, create a central registry of Jews or a list of Jews," said Judge Gerald Pappert during oral arguments. "How do you respond to that?" The government's attorney dismissed that as political rhetoric before arguing, "I can't imagine anything more relevant in a hostile work environment case than gathering the folks subjected to that environment and finding out what went on."
RABBI GABE GREENBERG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PENN HILLEL: I have been the director of Penn Hillel for five years. There is not a single issue that I have seen such widespread agreement on until this, that this move by the EEOC is the wrong way to go about getting this information.
FREEMAN: Why, from your perspective, should other people who are not just Jewish pay attention to what's happening here?
GREENBERG: Every minority group should feel invested in the protection of other minority groups. This is a slippery slope, giving too much power to government can lead to future governments or bad actors using that information.
FREEMAN: Danny Freeman, CNN -- Philadelphia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Danny.
For our international viewers, "WORLDSPORT" is next. For our viewers here in North America, our entertainment guy, Segun Oduolowu is here to talk JFK love story, Paul McCartney and more.
Stay with us.
[01:41:44]
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PIDGEON, ACTRESS: It's not a question of if I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It's a question of if I'm cut out to be Mrs. JFK Jr.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That is a snippet of "Love Story" from the FX Network. The limited series explores the relationship between the late John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette. FX says the show has become the network's most watched limited series on the streaming apps Disney+ and Hulu ever.
Here to talk all things pop culture is television host and entertainment journalist Segun Oduolowu. Segun, welcome back.
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, TELEVISION HOST AND ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: This has become a cultural phenomenon. People dressing like the Kennedy's now, talking about it all over TikTok. Why?
ODUOLOWU: Well, we've always been fascinated with the Kennedy's, Elex. Everyone knows this from JFK and Jacqueline Onassis, the way she dressed.
But the Kennedy's in particular, this show is the perfect storm of the 90s of the Kennedy's and Ryan Murphy, FX he doesn't miss. The American Horror Story producer and creator has created something that we can sink our teeth into.
The Kennedy's are our royal family in American politics. And that royal family is unfortunately littered with tragedy. Of the nine kids that that JFK's family -- parents had, there's tragedy everywhere.
His oldest brother shot down in the war, sister with a lobotomy that lived and had to be taken care of. Then there's RFK and JFK.
MICHAELSON: Right.
ODUOLOWU: So all of this tragedy to this one family that is also public servants, right, that serve the country, I think it's that incredible fascination that we have with them. Camelot, after all.
MICHAELSON: And they're hot.
ODUOLOWU: And --
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: You say that Ryan Murphy gets that two of the best-looking people ever --
ODUOLOWU: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: -- together as well.
ODUOLOWU: Well, John F. Kennedy -- John F. Kennedy Jr. in the 90s was a sex symbol.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Right.
ODUOLOWU: I mean, he dated some -- like some fabulous women, not all portrayed very well --
MICHAELSON: No.
ODUOLOWU: -- in this show.
MICHAELSON: I mean showing the thing is disgusting. And she's written about that in "The New York Times" as well.
ODUOLOWU: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: I mean, did you think it was a good show?
ODUOLOWU: I think it was a popular show. I mean, like for me, did it -- did it give me anything new I didn't know about that situation? No, not really. But was I going in looking for new stuff? I went in to be entertained and it's entertaining.
MICHAELSON: It is.
ODUOLOWU: And again, Ryan Murphy entertains.
MICHAELSON: It is entertaining, although we have no idea how much of it is true or not true. Much of it seems to be made up.
ODUOLOWU: Right. Yes.
MICHAELSON: The Kennedy family very upset about the fact that this is even happening. You can understand why --
ODUOLOWU: Sure.
MICHAELSON: -- but yet people love it. And Ryan Murphy gets what people like, which is sex.
ODUOLOWU: Prurient sex.
MICHAELSON: Controversy, tragedy. All those things.
ODUOLOWU: Look, Pornhub is bigger than PBS. That's the bottom line. Pornhub is bigger than PBS.
MICHAELSON: That is true.
All right. Something --
ODUOLOWU: Unfortunately.
MICHAELSON: -- a lot of people also like is Paul McCartney. One of the most --
ODUOLOWU: Yes, Another P word --
MICHAELSON: -- one of the most successful musicians in history, of course. And he's back.
ODUOLOWU: Yes.
MICHAELSON:: He's got new music --
ODUOLOWU: 83 years young.
MICHAELSON: -- coming out at 83 years old. It's called "The Boys of Dungeon Lane". He put out a little clip of one of the songs just a few days ago. He had a concert this past weekend at the Fonda Theater here in L.A. Small theater, full of celebrities. A lot of the biggest stars that there are.
ODUOLOWU: Oh yes. Taytay was there.
Look, anytime Paul McCartney pops out and does anything, it's his first album in six years, and while his music might not be for everyone, if you don't like that lilting acoustic guitar, I like Paul McCartney. I think he's one of the best songwriters of all time.
His -- my favorite song yesterday is -- it's older than me. It's from the 60s. But this song that he's released has the same type of melody, right? It's same, simple. It's not complicated, but no one else can do that. Right.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
ODUOLOWU: That's what makes Paul McCartney so great. It's the simplicity with which he writes these melodies that stay with you and stick with you.
It's what made him and John Lennon incredible for The Beatles, and I think this album is going to do really well.
MICHAELSON: I mean, it's amazing to still be doing it. He's still doing it. The Rolling Stones are still doing it --
ODUOLOWU: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- all these years later.
ODUOLOWU: These British rockers don't go away like willingly. And he shouldn't. Hes still at the top of his game.
Look, he sold out those -- that concert. He brought the stars out, and we're seeing a run in this. This is very similar to Jay Z in New York, about to sell out Yankee Stadium and do concerts.
[01:49:49]
ODUOLOWU: Like what was old or thought of as old is in again. And you can't deny good.
Just like you said with Ryan Murphy, you can't deny good television, can't deny good music.
MICHAELSON: Well, with Paul McCartney, you can't deny great.
ODUOLOWU: Sir Paul. You know --
MICHAELSON: Sir Paul.
ODUOLOWU: Sir Paul. He's a knight.
MICHAELSON: That's GOAT territory. Yes.
ODUOLOWU: Yes. Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: Segun, great to see you. Thank you so much.
ODUOLOWU: Wait, you know the -- you know the pie in the face, we're still going to do that.
MICHAELSON: Ok. So we had a bet on who would get the most Oscar wins right. I got the most right.
ODUOLOWU: Don't gloat.
MICHAELSON: Segun has to take a pie in the face. You can check out his social media to watch that.
ODUOLOWU: And Elex's and the shows.
MICHAELSON: Up next, something very cool from Jake Tapper. Stay with us.
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[01:54:48]
MICHAELSON: We cover so much serious news here on THE STORY IS, let's end with something fun.
CNN's Jake Tapper is here in Los Angeles this week, and we asked him to play our signature rapid-fire game to get to know some of his cultural favorites.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: We like to do this rapid fire. We know you're very into pop culture.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Yes.
MICHAELSON: We love that about your show.
TAPPER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: So this is to get to know you a little better. First thing that comes to mind.
TAPPER: OK.
MICHAELSON: What's your favorite TV show?
TAPPER: Ever?
MICHAELSON: Sure.
TAPPER: MASH.
MICHAELSON: Right now?
TAPPER: DTF Saint Louis.
MICHAELSON: Very good. Favorite movie.
TAPPER: Ever?
MICHAELSON: Sure.
TAPPER: Goodfellas.
MICHAELSON: Favorite sports team?
TAPPER: Well, I mean, the -- it's the -- I'm not even going to answer your question.
MICHAELSON: There we go.
TAPPER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Go, Eagles.
Favorite musician of all time?
TAPPER: Oh, wow. Dave Matthews.
MICHAELSON: That's a great choice. And favorite author other than you?
TAPPER: Oh well -- I wouldn't. Even including me, I wouldn't put myself. There are a lot of authors that I love. I'll just pick one, but it could be one of any of ten. Pete Dexter, Pete Dexter.
But also my friend Matt Klam -- K-L-A-M. He's an amazing writer and a great author too.
MICHAELSON: And lastly, who's your role model?
TAPPER: My role model. Oh, wow.
On morals and ethics, my father.
MICHAELSON: That's a great choice.
TAPPER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Jake, thank you so much.
TAPPER: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: And thanks for watching THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. I'll see you tomorrow.
Jake Tapper will be back here in Los Angeles tomorrow doing "THE LEAD" as well. We'll see you tomorrow night.
The news continues here on CNN right after this.
[01:56:26]
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