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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Israeli Government Secretly Approves Over 30 New Settler Outposts; U.S., Iran Prepare For Talks With Lebanon Conflict; Unresolve Artemis II Crew Prepares For Re-Entry On Last Full Day In Space; Huge California Hospice Fraud Bust, $276 Million Stolen; First Lady Calls On Congress To Hold Hearing With Survivors Of Late Financier's Abuse In Statement Delivered At White House; Husband Arrested in Disappearance of American Woman; K-Pop Stars BTS Begin First World Tour in Four Years; What's Coming Up at the Movies. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 10, 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: If he's able to pull that off. McElroy still has a long way to go, but his impressive start means he shares the lead with Sam Burns. Thanks for watching this hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.
The Story is negotiating an end to the war, the biggest sticking point between the U.S. and Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to get back. There's so much data that you've seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The story is preparing for a splashdown, the risky plan to bring Artemis II back to Earth.
Story is the fight over fighting fraud. I sit down with California's Attorney General Rob Bonta as he announces the biggest fraud bust in California history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to review every single hospice in California to make sure that they're all appropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: And the story is BTS is back. New details about their world tour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michelson. MICHAELSON: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. The top story
this hour is the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. With talks set to begin on Saturday in Pakistan, there is growing concern about whether Iran is actually allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts and shipping executives tell CNN it's still too risky and only a few ships have made the journey in recent days. Tehran has promised to open the vital waterway as part of its deal with the U.S. but President Trump says Iran is doing a very poor, dishonorable job and shouldn't be charging tolls for ships to pass.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire agreement, although he wants to begin direct talks aimed at disarming Hezbollah.
The Israeli military struck Beirut and other parts of Lebanon again on Thursday after another evacuation warning. The death toll from Wednesday's massive strikes as has now risen to more than 300. Kristie Lu Stout live for us from Hong Kong with the latest. Kristie.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elex, as you've been reporting, this is turning into a key sticking point during this fragile two week ceasefire. These comments that we're hearing from the Israeli prime minister saying that Israel wants direct talks with Lebanon on dealing with Hezbollah as it continues to target the militant group in Lebanon.
You have Israel and the United States saying no, Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire deal while Iran along with mediator Pakistan are saying otherwise. Let's listen to exactly what the Israeli leader said earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Last night I instructed the cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanon in order to achieve two goals. One, the disarmament of Hezbollah. Two, a historic sustainable peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: But Lebanese officials say they have yet to receive any formal invitation from Israel in regards to these direct talks on Wednesday. That was when 300 people inside Lebanon were killed by Israeli attacks. Look, since this ceasefire was announced a couple of days ago, lives have been taken. Missiles continue to fly across the Middle East and ships and vessels are finding it extremely difficult to make that crossing through the vital waterway known as the Strait of Hormuz.
In fact, only a handful of ships have actually managed to cross the Strait. And we're getting some very interesting granular detail from Lloyd's List about how many ships and what kind of ships are making it through. This is what they posted on X.com earlier saying this just three ships over 10,000 DWT.
That refers to the total weight capacity of the vessel transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday morning with a further three Iran linked vessels, including one sanctioned very large crude carrier tracked transiting the strait on Thursday afternoon, unquote.
And Marine Traffic is giving us more details on the types of vessels that remain stuck in the Gulf because of this ongoing selective blockade by Iran of the Strait of Hormuz. These include 426 tankers. They include 34 LPG carriers as well as 19 LNG ships. We're hearing very interesting and telling comments from the oil chief of Abu Dhabi who says very straightly the Strait of Hormuz is, quote, not open. He goes on to say that it is restricted, conditioned and controlled.
And Elex, we also learned that South Korea is now sending a special envoy to Iran in order to broker some sort of a deal to release their vessels, their ships that remain stuck at the Strait of Hormuz. Back to you, Elex.
MICHAELSON: What a mess. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you so much. To Israel now, Palestinian officials are calling on the international community to step in after Israel secretly legalized the establishment of more than 30 new Jewish settler outposts in the West Bank.
[01:05:00]
Sources say the decision was made last month and kept quiet to avoid triggering international criticism. Settler violence towards Palestinians in the West Bank has been surging since the start of the Iran war. Outposts are illegal under both Israel and international law, but the Netanyahu government has been pushing to expand settlements in what some see as an effort to destroy the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
Russia has announced a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine for the Orthodox Easter holiday. A statement from the Kremlin on Thursday said that President Vladimir Putin will quote, proceed from the assumption that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation. It will start Saturday afternoon and will expire at the end of the day on Sunday.
For its part, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has previously said that he forwarded the offer of an Easter ceasefire to Russia through U.S. negotiators.
Pushing, shoving chaos erupted during a march by workers in Venezuela who were protesting pay wages which have not increased since 2022. Union members, workers and students clashed with police holding shields as they approach the government palace in downtown Caracas on Thursday.
It comes one day after Venezuela's Vice president, Delcey Rodriguez, announced what she called a responsible increase of the minimum monthly wage. But she didn't specify the amount, which is supposed to start May 1st. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF RADIGAN, ARTEMIS II LEAD FLIGHT DIRECTOR: It's 13 minutes of things that have to go right is the way I think about it. I have a whole checklist in my head that, you know, we're going through of all the things that have to happen.
AMIT KSHATRIYA, NASA ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR: It's impossible to say you don't have irrational fears left, right. But I tell you, I don't have any rational fears about what's going to happen. We've done the work we need to and I have full confidence in the team, the recovery team, the flight control team analysis and the work we did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: NASA and the astronauts of the Artemis II mission are getting ready for their return to Earth. The astronauts are now more than halfway home. Perhaps the most daunting and precarious part of the mission still ahead, reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.
Their Orion capsule is on track to splash down off the coast of San Diego in less than 24 hours, shortly after 8:00 Eastern Time, 5:00 clock in San Diego.
Let's bring in professor of space futures at Arizona State University and former director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory here in Southern California, Lori Leschen, joining us live from Arizona. Welcome back to the show.
LORI LESCHEN, PROFESSOR OF SPACE FUTURES, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: Thanks, Elex, Great to be with you.
MICHAELSON: So tomorrow is all about the heat shield. Explain what that is, how it works, what we should be looking for.
LESCHEN: Well, tomorrow is splashdown day, the last day of the Artemis II mission. And it's going to be an exciting one. It'll be tense, you know, when we land on Mars, we call it the seven minutes of terror. This is 13 minutes and I would say it's going to be a lot of nervousness because the heat shield has to protect the astronauts as they start at 25,000 miles an hour at the top of the atmosphere and then splash down in the ocean just 13 minutes later, hopefully going nice and slow under parachutes.
MICHAELSON: And during that time, as you mentioned, there's -- they're not going to be able to talk to them, right?
LESCHEN: Yes, there's a communication blackout. We know when they went behind the moon, weren't able to talk to them for 40 minutes when they come through the atmosphere because of the heat. You know, the heat shield gets as hot as the surface of the sun, like 5,000 degrees. And that plasma prevents us from talking to the astronauts for about six minutes during their atmospheric traverse.
So, you know, not only is it a intensive, energetic time, but we can't talk to them during it. So definitely going to be, you know, that sort of nervous, excited feeling is everyone's going to be feeling that tomorrow.
MICHAELSON: So the pilot is Victor Glover. He spoke in space about what reentry will feel like. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: We're going to come into the atmosphere at about, almost 40 times the speed of sound. And then we will slow down to a 20-mile an hour touchdown into the Pacific. If it was a ballistic, we could get up as high as 9, 10 Gs, which is what you pull in a fighter jet. But we could be doing that for several minutes, for eight or nine minutes. And so the G profile is going to be pretty sporty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Pretty sporty. When they start off, they'll be at 5,000 miles an hour. I mean, what's that feel like for a human being?
LESCHEN: Yes, I mean it -- well, I mean, it's the Earth's gravity that's pulling them back towards us now, you know, and so they're just going to keep accelerating until they hit the top of the atmosphere. And then that heat shield is designed to slow them down and disperse the heat.
[01:10:00]
And they have a certain trajectory that they fly through, so they kind of fly straight in and then they sort of shallow out a little bit and then keep coming down. And then those parachutes start to come out and they have, I think, three different sets of parachutes that end up bringing them down.
So -- and the whole time, you know, thrusters could be firing. It's like the best autopilot in the universe. Right. They're not flying at the capsule's flying itself. And so little thrusters could be firing to do little connection -- corrections. And so they'll be hearing all this happening, they'll be hearing the parachutes deploying and such. And so it's going to be loud and it's going to be intense. But you know, they train for this and they're all very, very brave.
MICHAELSON: Yes, they are. What do you think is the legacy of this flight?
LESCHEN: Oh, that's a great question. You know, when I think back on the last few, I mean, really, to me, the lunar flyby was everything and the thing I loved most about it. First of all, for science nerds like me, it was the ultimate in a geek out fest for sure. But it wasn't. People think about science as the passionless pursuit of knowledge. You know, people in white lab coats being very serious, going through checklists.
What we got to see is what science really is, which is the passionate pursuit of knowledge. Listening to the astronauts interact with the science team on the ground, be completely wowed and awed by what they saw and bringing us all along on that journey with them, that was just extraordinary. And that's really what's going to stick with me from Artemis II, the passionate pursuit of our understanding of our celestial neighbor, the moon.
MICHAELSON: I love that. And for those of us that are space geeks, we also will be able to check out all the images they took, the thousands of images, and to be able to put through those in high definition is also going to be really fun going forward.
LESCHEN: Yes, it's only just started, right? We've only got a tiny fraction of the science data down of the data on Orion. We're going to learn so much about how the spacecraft itself functioned and all of that's going to help us for what comes next.
And I expect we're going to be hearing very quickly about what comes next. Artemis 3, who's going to be that crew? I think we'll hear that soon. And we got to keep going. Now the energy is there and let's keep pressing and get some boots on the moon as soon as possible.
MICHAELSON: Lori Leschen, thank you for your time and your wisdom throughout this process. We really appreciate it.
So stay right here. CNN will have live coverage of Artemis' return to Earth from the moment they enter the atmosphere to the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. It all begins at 7:00 Eastern. That's 4:00 p.m. here on the West Coast. I will be live in San Diego where they are touching down to helm our part of that coverage all throughout the night on CNN.
And then tomorrow night we will have a special edition of this show. The Story Is live from San Diego with more coverage of what's going on with Artemis.
Coming up though tonight, a rare intervention from the U.S. first lady as Melania Trump blasts what she calls lies. We'll explain after the break.
Plus, hospice care has become a hotbed for massive financial fraud and the focus of a nasty political fight between California and the Trump administration. Details on a major new bust next.
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[01:17:54]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIA TRUMP, U.S. FIRST LADY: I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: First lady Melania Trump making a rare address from the White House. She blasted what she called lies linking her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and called on Congress to hold public hearings allowing his victims to testify. Some of the Epstein survivors has pushed back on the first lady's comments, saying calling on victims to testify was a deflection of responsibility. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOSUE CORRESPONDENT: I'm told by a number of White House officials that they were just absolutely stunned, particularly by the timing of these remarks. In fact, it sparked rumors all across the White House campus that she was trying to get ahead of something that most people must not know about. That's the only way she would get out there and do this now.
Now, I am told by people who are close to her that they were a little bit less surprised because in private, Melania Trump has been growing increasingly frustrated with the online chatter about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. And she's never actually come out and flat out denied it. And she wanted an on the record denial.
And I was told that even within these sources that are close to Melania Trump who are talking to the team about this, there were some concerns about the timing of this, particularly the fact that this story had all but died down. The White House had spent months trying to get away from this narrative on Epstein. They've only been able to really do so in the last month and a half as we've been at war with Iran. So the timing would bring this all to the forefront.
But some sources said that for Melania, this was in the forefront, that she'd been seeing this online chatter. She'd been seeing these stories circulating in various online news reports about her relationship with Epstein, much of it, or most of it all speculation, but that she wanted to have this denial.
Now, of course, Donald Trump did a quick interview with MS NOW in which he told a reporter he had no idea what she was going to say.
[01:20:06]
A senior White House official told me that as well. Although we do have one source in the West Wing saying Donald Trump was aware of these statements.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Kristen Holmes at the White House. Congressman Robert Garcia is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. He tells Erin Burnett that he agrees with the First Lady's public call for a public hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): It was pretty stunning to actually see these remarks. And I think for us, what was really clear is also the distance she was trying to put herself. I mean, look, it was just two days ago that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche essentially said to the press and to the American public that this investigation was over and that somehow the DOJ was not going to move forward with anything else as it relates to the Epstein files.
It's been, of course, the President has called this investigation a hoax. And so the fact that she comes out and addresses the country in this way and certainly talks about the survivors, I think was pretty stunning. It was a -- certainly pushing away from what the White House has been doing.
But look, I also think what's important here is to be very clear that we've got to refocus this back on the White House cover up. And at the end of the day, it's President Trump that's been leading that. It's Pam Bondi, who we still want to testify, that's been leading that. So those are the issues that we've got to focus on moving forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Democrats in the U.S. House have failed again in their latest effort to rein in President Trump's Iran war powers. Republicans essentially ignored an attempt to introduce the measure during Thursday's pro forma session.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): The words and actions of this president have proved that he is unhinged and unwell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Threatening genocide is not a negotiating tactic.
REP. SUHAS SUBRAMANYAM (D-VA): Let's have a vote to end this war because the ceasefire is a joke. This war should never have happened in the first place. And Congress deserves to say, and the American people deserve to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Democrats appear to be putting plans to try to impeach President Trump on hold, at least for now. Some say it's not the best use of their time while they're in the minority.
Meanwhile, President Trump is blasting conservative critics of the war with Iran. He took aim at Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones, calling them stupid people and nutjobs.
Federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's latest effort to limit press access at the Pentagon. In a scathing ruling, the judge blasted the Defense Department's new policy as a violation of reporters' constitutional rights. The judge says the case is an attempt by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Trump administration to control what the American people hear and see.
In his ruling, he wrote, quote, the curtailment of First Amendment rights is dangerous at any time, and even more so in a time of war. Suppression of political speech is the mark of an autocracy, not a democracy, as the framers recognized when they drafted the First Amendment. Officials here in California are celebrating the dismantling of what
they call a massive hospice fraud scheme. Authorities say they arrested more than 20 people involved in a plot to bilk the state out of nearly $270 million. That money was meant to provide end of life care to dying Californians.
The alleged scheme follows a similar $50 million bust by the federal government and provides a new element to the growing spat between state officials and the Trump administration over the handling of health care fraud.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): This video shows police executing a search warrant in a massive Medicare fraud investigation.
UNDIENTIFIED MALE: Yep, yep, Go ahead.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): His body worn camera footage provided by California's Department of Justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police report.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): President Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom and their allies are fighting over who is better at fighting Medicare fraud in California.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going to review every single hospice in California.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Both sides holding dueling LA press conferences just days apart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A massive hospice fraud bust.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): On the left, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, originally appointed the job by Newsom.
DR. MEHMET OZ, ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICADE SERVICES: What you're witnessing right now is a seismic shift.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): On the right, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump's pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. And First Assistant U.S. attorney Bill Assayli.
BILL ESSAYLI, FIRST ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY: Providing the oversight that's been missing from California for a very long time.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Trump's team highlighting this recent early morning raid that resulted in eight arrests in nine different health care fraud investigations.
ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: California DOJ has been going after health care fraud since 1979 for decades. Trump is late to the party.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Bonta says his Office uncovered a $267 million fraud scheme involving 21 suspects from 14 fraudulent hospice companies. Bonta calls it the largest fraud prosecution in California history. He explained to us how the alleged scheme works.
[01:25:05]
This was a group that identified a number of out of state individuals on the dark web and then registered them in covered California under Medi-Cal and registered them as residents to be eligible and then started billing millions of dollars in hospice care that was never actually provided. There was no doctor involved. No care was actually provided.
MICHAELSON: How widespread is this problem?
BONTA: Hospice fraud is a significant problem. It's not just in California, but there is a sort of locus of activity in LA County.
MICHAELSON: Why is that?
BONTA: I don't know. You know, crime does have certain places where there are hot spots. But I do want to make clear that there's hospice fraud throughout the country. Trump himself is focused on Texas and Ohio and Georgia as places for hospice fraud.
MICHAELSON: Yet California's getting a lot of attention.
BONTA: We are.
MICHAELSON: What do you think that's about? What do you think's driving that?
BONTA: I think it's political. I think it's partisan. I think it's political weaponization.
MICHAELSON: I mean, do you think this is driven by the fact that Gavin Newsom is likely running for President of the United States and this is a way to attack a potential Democratic nominee?
BONTA: Could be part of it. It could be part of it. I mean, the attacks on the governor have escalated and increased.
MICHAELSON: It's good to see you.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Asseyli joined us last week on The Story Is talk about prosecuting fraud cases on behalf of the federal government.
MICHAELSON: For critics who say this is a cynical attempt to highlight Gavin Newsom in a negative way when he's about to run for president you say?
ESSAYLI: Fraud is the number one issue for taxpayers who pay taxes every day. We're going to go after fraud wherever it is. If that's a blue state or red state.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Governor Newsom's press team says Medicare is run by the federal government. On X they posted, quote, glad the federal government is finally stepping up to do their part.
ESSAYLI: The federal government is the piggy bank. We're the money. The programs are administered through the state. So every single one of these fraudulent hospices, they have to be licensed by the state of California. They're responsible for overseeing the licenses. They're responsible for regulating doctors and nurses.
MICHAELSON: What do you say to that?
BONTA: I don't know what his insight is onto the licensing process. And unfortunately he's very critical of California in many ways and very partisan, unfortunately as well. But on the issue of licensing, there is a moratorium on any new licenses that's existed since 2022. It goes till 2027. So it's a five-year moratorium, no more new licenses for any hospice companies during that period.
MICHAELSON: Because there was so much fraud. They said we got to stop the licenses.
BONTA: Oh yes, there was a state audit. There was legislative attention to this. Policymakers, leaders, the leaders of, you know, the California Department of Health, which issues the licenses, you know, the governor, my team, like yes, flags were raised.
MICHAELSON: The fact that clearly since at least 2022, you've known this was a big problem, if not before then, and that it's still such a big problem that L.A. County is still the hotbed of all this, that all this is still going on in some ways. Is that a failure of the state or the federal government, everybody to regulate this?
BONTA: I don't think it's a failure. I think it's a sign of the scope and scale of the problem.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Bonta and Assayli have been going back and forth publicly on social media.
ASSAYLI: I think the state should work with the federal government and not criticize us.
MICHAELSON: It's like frustrating to have all this partisan conversation and back and forth on an issue that should be bipartisan and by the way, screws over every taxpayer.
BONTA: I think that the injection of partisanship is not good, it's not healthy, it's not productive. I don't think it's a two sides thing though. I think the injection of the partisanship comes largely from Trump and Oz and unfortunately first Assistant Assayli does a lot of it himself and it's unfortunate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: A multi day storm is once again escalating the threat of flooding in Hawaii. Powerful storm has the potential of dropping multiple months-worth of rainfall over just a few days. A flood watch is in place for all of Hawaii until Friday afternoon local time. Honolulu's mayor warned residents to be prepared for potential evacuations.
This comes as the Hawaiian Islands are still recovering from major storms. Just two weeks ago, those storms triggered the state's worst flooding in 20 years, prompting numerous rescues and damaging hundreds of properties.
Look at this. Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is erupting once again, sending large fountains of lava into the air. This is a live look from there where it's about 7:30 PM. The active volcano is located on the Big Island in Hawaii's volcanoes National Park.
U.S. Geological Survey has placed the area under a red warning which means the volcano could pose significant issues for aviation if ash clouds start being released. This latest eruption has prompted park closures and evacuations, but it also has prompted quite an image to see from afar.
[01:30:02]
An American man has been arrested by Royal Bahamas Police after he said his wife fell from their small boat and was swept away by rough waters about five days ago.
The U.S. Coast Guard has opened a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker's disappearance. Brian Hooker has not been charged and he has denied any wrongdoing.
CNN's Dianne Gallagher has an update.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARLI AYLESWORTH, LYNETTE HOOKER'S DAUTHER: It's been hard. I like go through texts and I start crying.
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Karli Aylesworth is struggling to cope with her new reality. Her mother, 55-year-old Lynette Hooker, missing at sea since Saturday night.
Her stepfather, Brian Hooker, now under arrest just days after reporting his wife fell overboard from their dinghy in rough water in the Bahamas.
AYLESWORTH: I just hope this was a freak accident, but I don't want it to just be swept under the rug.
So I would like to just know and I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I don't want anything bad happen to my mom. But I just want, you know, answers.
GALLAGHER: He was taken into custody Wednesday night and police say he's being questioned. His attorney saying in part, Brian categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing.
He has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're finally leaving Kemah.
GALLAGHER: An avid swimmer and sailor, Lynette loved to share their sailing adventures on social media under the playful username The Sailing Hookers.
According to police, her husband told investigators the couple left in an 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy around 7:30 Saturday night for Elbow Key trying to reach their yacht Soulmate.
He reported her missing around 4:00 a.m. Sunday when he says he washed up miles away in Marsh Harbor.
He said Lynette, not wearing a life jacket, bounced off the boat during a rough current and was carried away. She was wearing the keys causing the dinghy to lose power. So he drifted through the night.
Karli says her stepfather did not inform her Lynette was missing until Sunday night. He left her this voicemail Tuesday.
BRIAN HOOKER: Hello Honey, I just got a call from Hopetown Search and Rescue and they have found a flotation device that I threw to mom when she fell overboard.
And so they're -- that's a -- they haven't found her yet but there's -- they can now focus all of their efforts in a smaller area.
So I just wanted to update you and let you know. I love you. I'll talk to you later. Bye-bye.
GALLAGHER: Karli told CNN the couple, married around 25 years, had past marital disputes. She was skeptical of Brian's story about the night of the incident.
AYLESWORTH: Why wouldn't he drop anchor and look for her? Why did he paddle the other way? If my significant other fell into the water, I'd be freaking out and going after him.
GALLAGHER: Now, it's very important to note that at this time, Brian Hooker has not been charged with anything. And we do not know exactly what led Bahamian officials to take him into custody for questioning.
His attorney says that he denies any allegations from Lynette's daughter. The U.S. Coast Guard has also opened a criminal investigation into Lynette's disappearance.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Diane Gallagher, thank you for that.
It is the night K-Pop fans have waited to see. BTS kicks off its first world tour in four years. We have a report from South Korea coming up next.
[01:33:24] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.
Let's take a look at today's top stories.
Talks aimed at ending the war with Iran are expected to start Saturday in Pakistan, and the fighting in Lebanon will be a key issue. Israel's prime minister says he wants direct negotiations with Lebanon. But a Lebanese official insists there will be no talks while his country is being attacked.
NASA's Artemis II mission is just hours away from returning to earth. The space agency says the astronauts are more than halfway home after they traveled further than any human has ever gone before.
Their spacecraft is set to splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California just after 8:00 Eastern time, 5:00 Pacific time.
First lady, Melania Trump has blasted the quote, "lies" linking her to Jeffrey Epstein. The first lady made a surprise statement Thursday saying she had no relationship with Epstein. She called on Congress to hold public hearings allowing Epstein's victims to testify on Capitol Hill. Some White House officials were stunned by the timing of her remarks.
Well, the BTS Army turned out in the thousands to be there for the kickoff of the K-Pop group's new world tour. Their comeback from a four-year hiatus has been a success, topping Billboard charts with the new album and a new single.
The tour is poised to be just as successful as CNN's Paula Newton shows us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the world tour that's taking the world by storm. BTS is back, and not even the pouring rain could dampen the excitement of thousands of fans eager to see the kickoff of their global concert tour.
CASEY MURRIHY, BTS FAN: I'm absolutely elated that they're finally coming back. It's been a long wait, but I was a little bit worried that they weren't going to come back.
NEWTON: The opening concert sold out in pre-sales for all three nights in Goyang, South Korea. That's according to the group's management agency.
Outside of the show on Thursday, a sea of umbrellas and raincoats, many fans dressed in purple, the signature color of the band's fan base, the BTS Army.
O YOON SUN, BTS FAN (through translator): I will go to BTS concerts until they're grandpas and I will be army my whole life.
[01:39:50]
NEWTON: The tour is just beginning, but it's expected to be a global sensation, stopping in 34 cities right around the world and spanning five continents. Total tour earnings are expected to reach nearly $2 billion. Fans, filling the hole in their hearts with tickets, merchandise and new music after the band went on a nearly four-year hiatus during which all seven members completed their mandatory South Korean military service.
But BTS is back in familiar territory, topping the charts. The band's new album, "Arirang", was released in March, and it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Chart. Its lead single, "Swim", also hit the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100.
The tour is scheduled to head to Tokyo next and wrap up in the Philippines in March of next year, with stops crisscrossing the globe in between.
BTS is even returning to Australia after nearly a decade since its last concert there.
BARBARA DELA PENA, BTS FAN: We're happy that after, I guess all the efforts that we're doing, the BTS are finally coming back to Australia. They're going to be there next year. So, we're so happy.
NEWTON: Paula Newton, CNN.
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MICHAELSON: More than 300 items from Queen Elizabeth II's wardrobe are now on display in Buckingham Palace to mark 100 years since her birth. "Queen Elizabeth II, Her Life in Style" showcases fashion from nearly a century of her royal life, including dresses, tiaras, even her wedding necklace. More than half of the items have never been exhibited before.
The curator says the exhibition explores every decade of the queen's life from birth until her death.
I'm Elex Michaelson. For our international viewers, "WORLDSPORT" is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be back with Grae Drake and a look at what's coming up at the movies.
[01:41:35]
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anna, this is Michael, my nephew.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've got to get out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buon Giorno. Gabriela wants to give you a tour of the vineyard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aren't you getting married there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The time of the week when the newest movies are hitting the big screen. And for all the rom com lovers out there, "You, Me and Tuscany" may be for you.
It follows Halle Bailey, who plays Anna as she arrives in Italy, where she falls head over heels in love with "Bridgerton" star Rege-Jean Page.
Grae Drake, film critic at cbr.com, is here to talk about what to watch this weekend, what to skip. How is "You, Me and Tuscany"?
GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, CBR.COM: You, Me, Tuscany -- what a recipe for success. This movie is one of those films where you just pay the price of a movie ticket to be whisked away to Italy. It totally worked.
MICHAELSON: It's beautiful.
DRAKE: I don't care what the plot is. Nobody, nobody cares.
MICHAELSON: Beautiful scenes and beautiful people.
DRAKE: Yes, Halle Bailey, "The Little Mermaid" has come to land and she is -- she decides she's going to chase her dream and she's going to change that ticket and go to Italy. And immediately gets in the middle of a case of mistaken identity. Immediately meets the beautiful Rege-Jean Page from "Bridgerton", like you said.
And so hilarious, Italian family, delightful jokes, unbelievable shots of food.
MICHAELSON: I was going to say.
DRAKE: Do not go hungry to this movie. And I just -- I laughed and I felt so relieved to see something so pleasant.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: But as far as surprises, there are zero. So I mean, I didn't care, I just -- I walked out smiling.
MICHAELSON: So it feels like a vacation it sounds like.
DRAKE: Definitely does.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: Yes. So now I just need 8,000 more of them.
MICHAELSON: "Faces of Death", that doesn't sound uplifting.
DRAKE: Boy. Opposite end of the spectrum. So "Faces of Death" goes back to the 70s. It was the first original viral video, essentially.
It was this compilation of very strange clips -- death, simulated death, animal cruelty, decomposition. And it was a weird vibe.
Ok, nobody ever knew if it was real or not until many, many years later. Mostly fake. Now they have made a fictional movie that is based on it.
So Barbie Ferreira is from "Euphoria", and she's a content moderator. They pick what gets removed from social media sites. She gets fascinated by some peculiar videos that she eventually realizes are mimicking "Faces of Death" videos.
So it's a horror movie. but it actually ends up having the exact same vibe as "Faces of Death" itself, which is disturbing, occasionally very upsetting, mostly like sometimes annoying.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
DRAKE: And so it's -- they were very consistent actually with the Ip.
MICHAELSON: Ok.
DRAKE: So, but for hardcore horror movies, it gets a little caught up in its own premise.
MICHAELSON: So what to watch? What to skip? Sounds like this is one to skip.
DRAKE: It's not -- wasn't my favorite. Neither is "Faces of Death". I'm happy going on record in saying that.
MICHAELSON: Ok. Netflix has "Big Mistakes". I mean, that sounds that --
DRAKE: Yes, when they sent me that price increase email, that was a big mistake.
MICHAELSON: What is -- what is "Big Mistakes" on Netflix?
DRAKE: So Dan Levy from "Schitt's Creek" is playing a character in this. He's like a man of the cloth and his whole family is a complete wreck, right?
And then through a series of unfortunate events, he and his sister end up involved in the world of organized crime.
So this one is very, very bingeable, amazing talent like Laurie Metcalf plays his mom.
MICHAELSON: So funny.
DRAKE: And so I will say that because the premise is so over the top, it lost me a little bit --
MICHAELSON: Ok. DRAKE: -- as it started to get more and more ridiculous. But again, if
you just want like a quick binge, this is a very funny movie made by -- I mean TV show made by talented people.
[01:49:47]
DRAKE: So I'm going to give this one a -- but we love Dan Levy and I also love supporting anything that he and Rachel Sennott, his co- creator, make, so.
MICHAELSON: Ok, there we go. That was a very lukewarm endorsement.
"You, Me and Tuscany", that's -- that's the one.
DRAKE: You, me, Tuscany.
MICHAELSON: Tuscany. Grae Drake, thank you so much as always.
And by the way, "Hacks" is out if people are looking to binge something. Just came out tonight on HBO Max.
DRAKE: Our queens.
MICHAELSON: That is great.
Coming up, we'll have more of THE STORY IS right after this.
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MICHAELSON: Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are urging a federal appeals court to release the disgraced music mogul from prison.
[01:54:46]
MICHAELSON: On Thursday, they argued that he was improperly sentenced based on conduct he was never convicted of. Combs is serving more than four years in prison on prostitution related charges.
But his lawyers also argue that his actions amounted to voyeurism and amateur pornography protected by the First Amendment. Prosecutors called that argument meritless. The appellate judge did not issue a decision on Thursday.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the NFL online streaming model. It's looking into whether the NFL is forcing viewers to pay too much in subscription fees.
Complaints about the league's allegedly anti-competitive tactics were raised last month by a Republican senator. The NFL says it runs the most fan and broadcaster friendly distribution model in the entire sports and entertainment industry.
Speaking of sports, defending champion Rory McIlroy has gotten off to a strong start in this year's Masters. The Northern Irishman shot an opening five under par round of 67 at the famed Augusta National Golf Club. He is just one of six players to win all four golf major tournaments.
It took him 17 years to win the Masters. He's now looking to become the fourth man to claim back-to-back Masters titles. If he did that, he'd join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
He's still got a long way to go, but his impressive start has him tied for the lead -- tied for the lead with Sam Burns.
Thanks so much for watching this very busy edition of THE STORY IS. We will be back with you tomorrow from San Diego with live coverage of the Artemis II return.
I'll be reporting all throughout the day and night on CNN, including during a special edition of THE STORY IS right here.
See you then.
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