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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Lebanon Claims Israel Has Violated Ceasefire; Cuba Marks Failed Invasion Attempt Amid New Tension With U.S.; Crowds Gather In Cameroon For Glimpse Of Pope Leo; Miami Prepares To Welcome Millions Of Soccer Fans; RFK Jr. Testifies on Vaccines for U.S. House Committee; Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to Step Down in May; What Movies to Watch or Not; Artemis II Crew Reflects on Historic Mission. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired April 17, 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]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Community together because you have all walks of life that come here.

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONENT: What do you say to people who think this isn't a real hunt?

LYDIA FREEMAN, SENIOR FIELD MASTER, HAMILTON BLOODHOUNDS: I would say that this is the most brilliant compromise because no one gets hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Biscuits.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): And no one is more relieved than me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank God it's only biscuits they want.

FREEMAN: Three cheers for the runners. Hip, hip. Hooray. Hip, hip, Hooray. Hip, hip, Hooray.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. We survive.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Christina Macfarlane, CNN, Suffolk, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: How British was that? Thanks for watching this hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.

The story is ceasefire deal off to a shaky start with Lebanon already accusing Israel of shelling. U.S. President says a meeting for peace between the two countries could happen soon.

The story is a defiant Cuba at Bay of Pigs anniversary celebration. The island's president remains defiant. Our Patrick Oppmann is there.

The story is Pope's warning on tyranny.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH LEADER: The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: CNN's Larry Madowo joins me on set to discuss the pontiff's historic trip in Africa.

And the story is World Cup tickets. Just how much are you willing to pay to see your team play? We speak to fans in Miami.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY Is with Alex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. And tonight the top story is the brand new ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Already the Lebanese army is accusing Israel of multiple violations.

So the people of Lebanon welcomed the ceasefire just after midnight local time with fireworks and celebratory gunfire. Hezbollah says it will abide by the agreement as long as Israel stops its attacks. Before the truce went into effect, Israel unleashed strikes on nearly 400 targets inside Lebanon. Residents in the southern part of the country are being told it's not yet safe to return to their homes.

One of the Israeli strikes destroyed the last remaining bridge over the Latani River, isolating communities in the south. Crews are already working to repair that bridge. Israel says it did not target the structure, but it did attack in its vicinity.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will not withdraw from Lebanon during the ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have an opportunity for a historic peace agreement with Lebanon. This opportunity exists because since the war of revival, we have fundamentally changed the balance of power in Lebanon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: President of the United States has invited Lebanese and Israeli leaders to the White House to discuss a more permanent agreement. Let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson to start things off. He's live in Hong Kong. Ivan, what is the latest when it comes to the ceasefire.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, it's a flurry of diplomacy that led to this moment. And so far we have both the Israeli government and very important Hezbollah, this militia that is so powerful in Lebanon and very closely tied to Iran both say they're going to adhere to it. And as you pointed out, there were scenes of celebration and I would

perhaps argue relief in Lebanon after the ceasefire was declared. Let's take a listen to what one Lebanese person had to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUSTAFA IBRAHIM AL-SAYYED, LEBANESE DISPLACED FROM BEIT LIF (through translator): The same thing happened once before they made a truce. I mean, yes, we're happy, but our joy isn't complete for us to feel fully relieved. We want the war to stop with a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon because Israel is saying it will remain in southern Lebanon. And that doesn't really give much happiness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Yes. So for now, it does appear like the main fighting has died down to a degree. Yes. The Lebanese army has accused the Israeli military, which is occupying southern Lebanon, of some ceasefire violations, firing artillery on some villages, for example.

And certainly the killing continue right up until the last moment, Elex, because the Lebanese Health Ministry says at least 18 people were killed on Thursday, 75 wounded. And it does nothing really to resolve the fact that more than a million Lebanese people, civilians, have been displaced, made homeless by this conflict, and more than 2,000 people have been killed in some six weeks of fighting. Elex.

MICHAELSON: Yes, but what do you make of the fact, Ivan, that Hezbollah is in on the ceasefire?

[01:05:02]

WATSON: Well, an important question is going to be what role did Iran play in convincing Hezbollah to accept this ceasefire? Hezbollah got involved in this latest round of hostilities after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28th. And that's why there's a great deal one side of the political divide in Lebanon of mistrust of Hezbollah.

Accusations that it's acting on the commands of Iran, not of the Lebanese government and that this is the third war that Hezbollah has dragged Lebanon into against Israel in some 20 years.

Though supporters of Hezbollah would argue, hey, it Israel that was bombing Hezbollah targets allegedly over the course of some two years since a November 2024 ceasefire was arranged. And it is Hezbollah that defends Lebanese territory from Israel because the Lebanese army does not have the strength to do that. It doesn't even have the strength to disarm the Hezbollah militia.

And I think part of the anger within, you know, people in Lebanon are in a tough position. Many don't like Hezbollah, but many also don't like Israel. And they point to the fact that in six weeks of fighting, the Israeli airstrikes killed at least 2,196 people in Lebanon. Israel would argue it was targeting Hezbollah, but among those killed, 172 children and some 93 health workers. The issue of the ongoing occupation of southern Lebanon and hundreds

of thousands of people who can't go back to their homes and villages, that is not resolved. And that's why this temporary ceasefire has not and will not address kind of more structural problems that have led to this recurring cycle of violence.

MICHAELSON: It may be hard to solve all those problems in 10 days. Ivan Watson, live for us in Hong Kong to start things off. Thank you so much. Now let's go to the region and live to Tel Aviv. And the former IDF spokesperson, retired Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus. Thanks so much for being with us.

Let's start with Israel. Is it in Israel's interest right now to come to an agreement?

LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS (RET.), FORMER IDF SPOKESPERSON: Yes. Good morning and thanks for having me on. I think an agreement in itself is in Israel's interest, but as with everything in life, it's really the devil is in the details.

The really only most important factor here is that will influence things going forward in terms of peace and stability, both in Lebanon and in Israel, is whether or not Hezbollah is going to be disarmed. If Hezbollah is disarmed through this process with the Lebanese government, then there can be peace, there can be stability, there can be prosperity, and many positive things for Lebanese and for Israelis. If Hezbollah isn't disarmed, that means future war and fighting and rockets and suffering.

And it all boils down to whether or not the Lebanese government will actually be able to do what they have said and committed to doing, but so far have not been able or willing to do.

MICHAELSON: Do you think that the Lebanese government is actually able to do that? Do you think that Hezbollah at this point is so weak that the Lebanese government is able to disarm them? Or do you think that Hezbollah is still strong enough to fight back?

CONRICUS: No, Hezbollah is definitely still very strong in relation to the Lebanese armed forces. And while I believe that the Lebanese armed forces could do much more and should be doing much more. At the end of the day, when you look at the balance of power between the two organizations, Hezbollah still needs to be weakened significantly, militarily speaking. And that is why there's a lot of people in Israel, there's really wide public consent here that there's more fighting needed in order to actually weaken Hezbollah to such a level that the Lebanese government can actually go in and do what they're supposed to do.

So, bottom line, Hezbollah is still a very strong militia terror organization in Lebanon. But that doesn't mean that the Lebanese government shouldn't try and shouldn't be compelled to do more.

I think they've said the right statements and very positive statements, even, you know, saying peace, doing. Saying positive things and saying that they want to dismantle this foreign entity that has been using their country. But more action is needed, and that would be the ultimate test. If they don't act, we will have to go back to fighting, and hopefully that won't happen. But those are the two alternatives.

MICHAELSON: You're the former spokesperson for the IDF, and there have been plenty of critics of Israel around the world in terms of their military engagement.

[01:10:05]

We just heard some of those numbers in Ivan's report. More than 2,000 deaths, over 100 children killed, health care workers killed.

Do you feel like Israel or what do you say to charges that Israel has gone too far, that the civilian deaths have been too much and that it has been unnecessary in terms of the violence from Israel?

CONRICUS: Yes, to those people, I would suggest being professional, looking really at the numbers. First and foremost, I know from inside the IDF that the IDF goes to great length in order to minimize collateral damage and civilians that are not part of the fighting.

I know that from the inter gathering process, from the targeting and the way that the IDF uses ammunition and how it strikes, early warning, getting people out of the way and many other practices. But if you look at the numbers here, the IDF has given out an assessment that they've been able to eliminate between 1,400 and 1,500 Hezbollah operatives, terrorists, armed combatants.

So that's a significant, very significant part of the reported casualty figure. Granted any civilian and children is they are definitely not the target. And I know that the IDF goes to great things in order to minimize.

But I think when you -- when we speak about, you know, civilians getting killed, the first and main responsible party for this is Hezbollah. They hide behind Lebanese civilians. They use Lebanese houses, homes, schools, mosques and other civilian infrastructure for fighting. They are cowards. And they are the ones who are dragging Lebanese -- Lebanon as a state, but also Lebanese civilians into a fighting that they have no interest in being in.

And the first responsibility lies on Hezbollah. They are the aggressors. They attacked Israel on October 8, 2023. They attacked Israel again on the beginning of the operation between Israel and Iran. Lebanon wasn't supposed to be part of this war. Nobody asked. The Lebanese government didn't want Hezbollah to be part of it. But they are the aggressors here. They are the ones who bear responsibility for the consequences.

MICHAELSON: Jonathan Conricus with the Israeli perspective, live in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much.

President Trump says the next round of talks to end the war with Iran could happen as soon as this weekend. He's even talking about potentially traveling to Pakistan himself to sign a deal. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You notice that you were doing very well. And I will say the war in Iran is going along swimmingly. We can do whatever we want and it should be ending pretty soon. And let's see what happens over the next week or so. You know, I think you're going to be very impressed. And if you are, vote for the Republicans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: The president also described the U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports as quote, amazing. Tehran denies its people are experiencing shortages of essential goods. Iranian state media report that access to Google search has been restored after a 48-day outage. The Iranian regime cut the internet to residents at the start of the war.

Cuba's president addresses crowds in Havana as the island's nation remembers the biggest of Pigs invasion. Thursday marks 65 years since the start of the failed U. S backed attempt to oust then leader Fidel Castro. This year's commemorations come at a time of renewed tension with the US. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the middle of one of the worst economic crises in Cuban history, increasing scarcity, they are putting on a show of public support for the Cuban government. This is the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the US's Bay of Pigs failed invasion of Cuba.

Also when Fidel Castro for the first time declared that his revolution was socialist, setting up for the alliance that he had for decades with the Soviet Union. So this is an incredibly symbolic moment for the Cuban government at an incredibly precarious time because of course there is an oil blockade of this island that has been going on for months with the exception of one Russian ship that has come in. The government feels increasingly Trump administration's push for them to open up economically and politically play could lead to an invasion.

We've heard President Donald Trump say that Cuba could be next, that U.S. forces could attack this island. So people are very much on edge right now and the government wants to show that they are not bending, that they are not backing down, that while they're willing to talk to the United States.

[01:15:00]

They are not willing to make major concessions, not willing to change the leadership of this island. So as each day goes by, you feel more and more tension and also amongst government supporters, more resistance to new U.S. threats to this island. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MICHAELSON: Coming up, pointed remarks from Pope Leo. Hear what he had to say about tyrants and what he called masters of war. He's in Africa. Our top African correspondent's actually here with us live on set, Larry Madowo, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV: The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy.

[01:20:00]

Yet often a life is often not enough to rebuild. The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Pope Leo XIV there condemning those so called tyrants and masters of wars. He didn't mention any names, but his remark comes as President Trump has repeatedly attacked the pontiff over his criticism of the U.S.-Israeli military operation in Iran.

The pope also scolded world leaders who use religion as a justification for war. He made the comments during his visit to Cameroon's largest city, Bamenda, which is at the heart of a bloody civil war. We're back with Larry Madowo, CNN's Nairobi based correspondent. We're happy to have here in L.A. for a few days. Great to have you here, Larry. So talk to us about why this trip is so important.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN NAIROBI CORRESPONDENT: The fact that the Pope made this trip not just to Yaounde in the capital, but to the northwest in Bamenda where he had this peace meeting in en masse. This place has been ravaged by war for nearly 10 years.

But for the Pope's visit, they declared a three-day ceasefire for the first time ever to allow Christians to go and see the Pope and to participate in this mass. That is a big deal. These separatists in the northwest, in the English speaking parts of essentially Francophone Cameroon, have been fighting government forces for nearly 10 years. They're trying to secede from the country. They feel excluded from economic political life and they want their own country, but only the pope can get them to lay their arms and go and pray together.

MICHAELSON: And Catholicism is growing rapidly in Africa, right?

MADOWO: Catholicism is huge in Cameroon. It's huge all across Africa. Africa is the fastest growing region for Catholicism, nearly 300 million Catholics on the continent. And so seeing the pope is always a big deal. I did cover Pope Francis when he did his trip in Africa.

And every Catholic prays for the Pope during every mass. There's a section where you pray for the Pope and your bishop. And so when they see him, it's a major moment. You saw a kid running to the Pope and hugging him and he hugged her back and took a picture with her. It's like you remember this for the rest of your life.

MICHAELSON: So in the last hour you were with us, you told us that President Trump is actually very popular in most of Africa. And we see his comments sort of attacking Pope Leo. How is that being processed by people?

MADOWO: The reasons why some Africans love President Trump is because he speaks his mind. They like that. They know what stand with him. And also obviously they remember him from the Apprentice, which is well syndicated across Africa.

I think attacking the Pope will not be good for him as it has not been great here in the United States. It's not great for Africa where people are very religious, very conservative, they respect their religious leaders, and generally, I don't think it's controversial that the Pope is against war. That's kind of his old Pope thing to be a man of peace.

So, I don't think anybody would be saying it's a political position that the Pope is against the war in Iran.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Meanwhile, while you're here, we are thinking and getting ready to host the World Cup, which is the biggest event in.

MADOWO: I hate to say this, Elex, but the World Cup is way bigger than Super Bowl.

MICHAELSON: I know.

MADOWO: I said it.

MICHAELSON: It is. Well, here in L. A, we get to host both. We've got --

MADOWO: I'm very happy for you guys.

MICHAELSON: World Cup, the first Team USA game, and then we're hosting the Super Bowl next year, too. But talk to us about how important that is to Africa and. And sort of the challenges for some Africans to even come here for it.

MADOWO: Absolutely. Ten African teams are coming to the World Cup here. The U.S.-Mexico and Canada. However, half of these countries cannot come here easily for their fans because they have to pay a visa bond. So this is new process that the Trump administration introduced. And if you get approved for a visa, a visitor visa or a business visa, you have to put up a deposit of up to $15,000.

MICHAELSON: $15,000.

MADOWO: $15000.

MICHAELSON: Wow.

MADOWO: And you get a three-month single entry visa. So if you come and watch a game here in the U.S. you can't go to Canada and come back and watch another game because your visa has expired, but you put up $15,000 for that --

MICHAELSON: Wow.

MADOWO: -- which a lot of people, not just in Africa, a lot of people in many other parts of the world cannot afford.

MICHAELSON: Right.

MADOWO: So it's going to be very hard for fans of countries like Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Tunisia, to just come and see the players in action in this massive tournament that the whole world watches.

MICHAELSON: Hasn't there been some conversation with other countries of changing the visa rules just for the World Cup?

MADOWO: If there's been those talks, nothing has been announced so far.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

MADOWO: And the World Cup is a massive global phenomenon. It's got hundreds of millions of viewers everywhere. It's the one thing that unites people around the world. And for this, it's going to be very hard. It was very easy to go to Qatar. I did go to Qatar. If you had a qualified ticket, the Qataris give you a visa. You could arrive and get your visa on arrival, but that's not the same for the US.

MICHAELSON: We got to come back for the World Cup. Be fun to see.

MADOWO: I will be here. I got to watch some games.

MICHAELSON: Yes, exactly. Larry, thank you so much for your excellent reporting.

MADOWO: My pleasure.

MICHAELSON: And, of course, we can check out African Voices on CNN International all the time. And let's talk more about the World Cup now. Host cities like Miami are gearing up to welcome millions of fans, but the demand for tickets has left some turning to unofficial resellers to secure a seat to watch their country on soccer's biggest stage.

[01:25:06]

CNN's Carolina Peguero has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not everyone has been lucky enough to secure tickets to the World Cup, a process that usually relies on lotteries. But that hasn't stopped fans from continuing their quest for these coveted tickets.

ERICK SOLMS, SOCCER FAN: I applied for the lottery. I did not get them. So I had to go through third party reseller tickets.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Eric, an Ecuadorian fan from Florida, is crystal one thing. He cannot let this opportunity slip away.

SOLMS: Just looking for the right moment, the right time and looking the supply and demand.

PEGUERO (voice-over): But how much does it cost to watch your national team at the World Cup?

SOLMS: One game, $400. The second game was going to be like around $800. And the third game, which is against Germany, which has the most demand, it's going to be about $1,200.

PEGUERO (voice-over): And that's not counting the other expenses like flights, food and hotels. Miami is preparing to welcome many millions of visitors in areas like Wynwood. The streets murals and urban art are beginning to reflect pure food.

SORAYA ROBERTS, WYNWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: We are ready to host some. We have a variety of different activations. We have a lot of our members from the Wynwood Chamber of Commerce hosting fan zones here locally.

PEGUERO: Something that small businesses also appreciate those anticipating a significant increase in customers and sales.

SEBASTIAN GALLEGOS, MARKETING MANAGER, CLASSIC FOOTBALL SHIRTS: Even on any given day nowadays, we could already see something like 350 people walk into the store on a random Tuesday. So imagine with all of the supporters from like, for example, you know, the Netherlands, Scotland, all these people that come in extreme waves.

PEGUERO: So you're going to come to the any of the experiences that they have, the fan base experience?

KIMBERLY MCDANAGH, SOCCER FAN: I would love to.

LIAM MCDANAGH, SOCCER FAN: They cost an arm and a leg.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Begs the question, is it worth it?

SOLMS: Is it financially worth it? I don't know. But is it worth it? Is it a personal goal of mine? Take it off my bucket list. Absolutely.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Carolina Peguero, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Not worth $15,000 for a visa, though. Still ahead, the Trump administration appears to be changing its tone on vaccines. Very interesting testimony from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today. We'll discuss with our political panel Will Rollins, Alicia Kraus, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:31:32]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for watching THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.

Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Lebanon's army accuses Israel of multiple violations of their new ceasefire. But that hasn't stopped Lebanese residents from celebrating the ten-day truce. \ Hezbollah promises to abide by the agreement as long as Israel stops its attacks. Israel says it will not withdraw its forces from Lebanon during the pause in fighting.

President Donald Trump hosted a roundtable discussion on tax policy just a few hours ago in Las Vegas. He claimed the U.S. economy now is in better shape than it was during his first term. His remarks come as the Iran war drives up gasoline prices and inflation, and the cost of living are rising.

The economy is expected to be a key issue for American voters in the midterm elections this fall.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before a House committee on Thursday. He made some of his most supportive public comments yet on the issue of vaccines. He says the measles vaccine is safe and effective, quote, "for most people and can be safer than getting measles".

Kennedy's testimony comes as measles cases in the U.S. are at their highest level in three decades.

Let's bring in our panel to discuss this and more. Elisha Krauss is a conservative commentator, opinion writer for "The Washington Examiner", and Will Rollins is a former U.S. federal prosecutor and former U.S. House candidate for the Democrats.

Welcome both. Good to see both of you.

ELISHA KRAUSS, "THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER": Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Elisha, let's start with you.

KRAUSS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Is this a change? It seems like it's a change in terms of the Trump administration.

KRAUSS: I would argue, actually that RFK Jr. has been pretty consistent on this, that the entire time that he has been interested in this role and in helping Americans medically and be healthier, the MAHA wing of the party has -- a lot of it has had to do with informed consent.

And I think that he is a data guy. And when he sees data, thank God, he is willing to shift his opinion on things and on public policy when he's like, you know what the data shows otherwise, this is what we should do.

MICHAELSON: Meaning, Will, that the data shows that the measles vaccine helps stop you from getting measles.

WILL ROLLINS, FORMER DEMOCRATIC HOUSE CANDIDATE: Well, measles is very unpopular. Polls pretty -- pretty poorly, I think. So that probably is part of the reason that he's changed. And I actually think, you know, in his defense and I you know, I'm not one of these people who reflexively says that everything RFK Jr., you know, is out there supporting is wrong.

I actually think he has some interesting ideas around, especially preservatives in food and chemicals in our food products. And peptides, of course.

(CROSSTALKING)

ROLLINS: Right. Peptides. You know, I like to try and picture myself as having a vested interest in peptides being as vain as I am.

But I think really like there are some interesting ideas that he has around certain aspects of the pharmaceutical industry. And I think the administration probably has realized that trying to come out against the measles vaccine when we're seeing record high outbreaks in parts of the country that are killing kids, is not popular.

And so this is a wise decision on the administrations part to move away to somebody who's much more, I think, qualified for that role in the CDC job, too.

MICHAELSON: Yes. So that's also part of the news today that there's a new CDC head, which was announced, which is somebody who's sort of a little more in the traditional mold on that front.

KRAUSS: I just love that she was a former Coastie. My dad is a retired Coastie, so I think that it seems very interesting that she's been selected for this role.

[01:34:46]

KRAUSS: She has former colleagues, including the former surgeon general under the Trump administration the first time around, that has said that she will make good decisions and that she makes scientifically-sound decisions, not political decisions.

I mean, as a mom of four, I feel like that's the person that I would want in this job, not to fearmonger, not to blow up statistics, not to choose the tiniest data to try to scare people into doing something or not doing something, but something that's going to be factually accurate and transparent.

MICHAELSON: And Elisha, other news from the Trump administration tonight, the new secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, announcing that the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, who has overseen all these very controversial policies over the last several months, is going to be leaving, May 31st is his last day. Do you think this signals a change in ICE? I mean, getting rid of

Kristie Noem, getting rid of Bovino and now getting rid of Todd Lyons?

KRAUSS: Well, I think that getting rid of Noem was a must. I think that she was the wrong person for the job. The entire time I was on record for saying that a while ago.

This is an interesting choice, though, because he's worked under many administrations in this exact job of rounding up illegal immigrants and getting them out of the country. He's been in a role in the ICE division in Dallas-Fort Worth since 2007.

So I'm curious to see the administration's public and maybe behind- the-scenes statements on why exactly they've decided at this point now to say that he needs to go.

But I do think -- I mean, we've talked about this on the show before together. It was a bad look.

I think generally Americans want the border closed. They want the increase of drugs and arms and trafficking to stop at the border. They want to stop cartels here in south L.A. from, you know, influencing and infiltrating schools and their children.

But they didn't love the imagery that we were seeing of the aggressive stance that ICE was taking. And I think that maybe the Trump administration has decided to pivot because they recognized that they weren't winning on that front with the American people.

MICHAELSON: Well, it's interesting, you know, President Trump is never going to say, I got it wrong. He's never going to say I'm sorry, right, reflexively. That's something he's sort of learned for decades.

But look at his actions and the actions today on this issue of vaccines and the issue of immigration shows that they are moderating.

ROLLINS: Yes, I mean, it's politically smart. I mean, he honestly, I think this is another fall guy in the administration for an unpopular immigration policy, because I think the vast majority of the country does not want to vacillate between these extremes.

Where in the prior administration, it felt like enforcement was way too lax at the border. And then in the new administration, a huge overreach that resulted in ICE killing American citizens on the streets of our cities.

And so I think most of us really want long-term a solid fix to the crisis at the border, right? That means legitimate enforcement. That means funding border security, funding border patrol.

It also means providing a path to citizenship to people who are here, who have been paying taxes, who want to come here legally and follow the laws and get the right balance for the vast majority of us.

(CROSSTALKING)

MICHAELSON: Do you agree with that?

KRAUSS: I think it's fascinating because you're talking like Bill Clinton and Joe Biden used to, but now the modern Democratic Party from Ilhan Omar to AOC -- to I mean, even your party's leader in Congress is unwilling to say that they are OK with those things and they're trying to make Republicans look --

MICHAELSON: But are you OK with the pathway to citizenship?

KRAUSS: I think for -- I can't broadly answer that right now. I really do think that it is a case-by-case basis.

Listen, I have badass girlfriends that are prosecutors in places like Texas and Arizona. There is a horrific backlog of two plus years to actually review and look at asylum cases of women that genuinely need the protection of the greatest country on God's green earth, the United States of America, that we are not able to get to because of that backlog and because of the failure of the Obama and Biden administration.

There's a lot of catch up that has to be done. I'm willing to look at those situations.

But unfortunately, we have to look at them very carefully with a magnifying glass because we are seeing too many innocent Americans who have been murdered by people who are let in by the Biden administration and should not have been allowed to stay.

ROLLINS: It has been a bipartisan problem for decades, really. That's the reality of it.

MICHAELSON: Yes. I feel like the three of us could actually fix this problem if we sat down, and part of that solution is more asylum courts and more asylum judges.

KRAUSS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Because if you actually believe in the concept of asylum for the good people and the people that are not doing it right kicked out, you need more judges there.

KRAUSS: But it's also for ICE to be able to track down the people that don't show up for their court dates and be like, why not?

MICHAELSON: OK, so they just need to bring us in. OK Will, the California governor's race, Eric Swalwell is out. How do you see the state of the race now?

ROLLINS: Well, we're talking about this earlier. I actually hope and wish that at some point there is a viable Republican candidate. I know it's a weird thing for a Democrat to say --

KRAUSS: There is. There is.

ROLLINS: -- but -- but I think we need somebody -- and this is my bias coming in, right but my first boss out of college, Arnold Schwarzenegger, somebody who ran as a Republican. And I cannot tell you how cool it was to be a 22-year-old working on a staff that was split 50/50 roughly, between Democrats and Republicans.

[01:39:50]

ROLLINS: It almost feels like a completely different era. And I wish that we actually had that on the other side of the aisle, because I think that would make for a more interesting race come November.

(CROSSTALKING)

MICHAELSON: You think a Republican can win the state really -- with twice as many Democrats in the state?

KRAUSS: I think a Republican can. I think it depends on who the Democrat is. And I think that some Democrats are going to be harder to beat like, oh, I don't know, Tom Steyer, who's passed what --

MICHAELSON: $100 million spent.

KRAUSS: -- which was more than Megan Whitman -- Meg Whitman passed. She was like $150 million for her entire campaign.

Year to date, he spent $100 --

MICHAELSON: More.

KRAUSS: That's a lot. That's a lot of money for Republicans to have to overcome. And the name recognition.

I mean I watched "Wheel of Fortune" every night with my six-year-old and every other ad is Tom Steyer.

But I do think that a Republican, I mean, I'm biased, I'm a fan of Steve Hilton when he talks about cheaper gas, when he talks about not taxing people who make under $100,000. I think that those are things that even people on the left that care about affordability should be able to relate to and potentially vote for in a general election.

MICHAELSON: I think a Trump endorsement hurts him in a general election.

KRAUSS: I don't know. We'll have to see. I mean, the guy was a Fox News host. They're going to pull clips from every single time that he talked positively about Donald Trump or not.

ROLLINS: I think that's the problem is that he comes off as too partisan, right? The thing that was appealing to a lot of Democrats about Arnold Schwarzenegger is they felt like he had their interests at heart, that he wasn't beholden to a particular person or party.

And the problem for Hilton and Bianco is that I think they're just perceived as too partisan and beholden to the Republican Party.

KRAUSS: But none of the Democrats are.

ROLLINS: They are. They are too.

MICHAELSON: And Arnold is the biggest movie star in the world and he was married to a Kennedy Democrat in his own house.

KRAUSS: Feel like going for him.

MICHAELSON: And he was running in a recall election where he didn't have to run in this traditional way. So he is a bit of a unicorn as we look back at Arnold Schwarzenegger, who may be watching tonight. So thanks for watching, Governor.

Elisha, Will -- thank you so much.

KRAUSS: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Thank you for watching THE STORY IS.

For our international viewers, "WORLDSPORT" is next. For our viewers here in North America, we're right back with Grae Drake and what's new in the movies.

[01:41:45]

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MICHAELSON: All right. It is the perfect time to talk about what to watch and what to skip for your entertainment this weekend. And that means perfect time to welcome back our favorite Grae Drake, film critic at cbr.com.

So usually we start your segment with a clip of the movie that we're going to. This movie that you're reviewing is so inappropriate, we couldn't even find a clip that would be safe.

GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, CBR.COM: Yes. Right.

MICHAELSON: So I'm really curious to see how you review a movie called "Balls Up".

DRAKE: OK. Well, this is how Peter Farrelly wanted it, OK. And the writing team behind "Deadpool", they make these kinds of movies. And I got to say I think this movie is a disaster.

MICHAELSON: Not good.

DRAKE: No, I didn't reach me.

MICHAELSON: OK.

DRAKE: And I'll tell you that I hope I'm in the minority and that people stream this on Prime and disagree. Because you've got Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser, OK.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

DRAKE: And together they have a condom that is revolutionary. It becomes the sponsor of the World Cup, and they end up ruining a World Cup game in Brazil.

OK. Now I have plenty of other plot points, but none of them make sense. It's the kind of movie that made me feel like when I was watching it, like I was wondering, did I get dosed with something because this makes no sense.

But then I knew I hadn't been dosed, because if I had, I would have found the movie funnier. So watch it and tell me if you disagree, because maybe I just missed the point.

MICHAELSON: Did you watch this with your husband?

DRAKE: I did.

MICHAELSON: OK, is it -- because I wonder if this plays differently for men?

DRAKE: Sure. Very possible.

MICHAELSON: Did he like it?

DRAKE: No.

MICHAELSON: He didn't like it. OK. All right.

DRAKE: But it's a -- give it -- give it a shot with caution --

MICHAELSON: OK.

DRAKE: -- and then tell me if I'm wrong.

MICHAELSON: All right. "Mummy" -- different kind of movie.

DRAKE: Yes, yes. So this is Lee Cronin's "The Mummy" because they want you to know it's not "The Mummy" that you're thinking of with Brendan Fraser from many moons ago. But --

MICHAELSON: That was a great movie.

DRAKE: Such a great movie.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

DRAKE: Now this doesn't really focus on the whole mummy part. What it focuses on is a young girl disappears and is found, wonderfully, eight years later, but she is not the child that they used to know.

So the whole movie is like, what is wrong with this girl? Well, she's been mummified basically is really what it is, but there's a whole journey of getting there. It's a lot of gross out stuff. There's a ton of tension.

I thought the movie was really fun, but if you don't like disgusting stuff, and if you're looking for somebody wrapped up in toilet paper wandering around, this is not that movie.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

DRAKE: It's a little different, but that's why I enjoyed it.

MICHAELSON: You liked it --

DRAKE: I did.

MICHAELSON: -- but some people may not like.

DRAKE: Yes. Because I liked it because it was like, there's a horrible toenail clipping scene and it was like --

MICHAELSON: OK. Doesn't sound like it's for me.

"Mother Mary".

DRAKE: This one might not be for you either. This is Anne Hathaway is a pop star and she has a very iconic look.

MICHAELSON: Wow.

DRAKE: Now looks like this are not created in a vacuum. And she seeks out her former costume designer that helped create that image.

Now they have a very specific relationship. Now this woman is played by Michaela Coel from "Chewing Gum" on Netflix. And two actresses have never been better matched than these two women. They really feel like they have a history.

Now that's about where my understanding of the movie ends, because it gets very weird. There's a whole ghost thing happening in it.

I don't think I got this movie, so I'll tell you what to expect.

[01:49:43]

DRAKE: Amazing costumes, good music from Anne Hathaway, very impressive production, but it's a thinker. Does it mean anything? I don't know. I'm not sure.

MICHAELSON: Some weird choices this week.

DRAKE: It is a weird week.

MICHAELSON: And then Anne Hathaway is back with "Devil Wears Prada 2" in just a few weeks.

DRAKE: Right? Also kind of fashion based, but very different vibe.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

DRAKE: I hope I understand that one better than "Mother Mary".

MICHAELSON: It's a big time for her.

DRAKE: Yes. MICHAELSON: All right.

Grae, thank you. That was really fun. You got through it.

We'll be back to wrap things up after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: The crew of the Artemis II mission has given their first news conference and interviews since returning to earth fresh off their historic slingshot around the moon's far side. The astronauts reflected on how the mission was able to unite people during a time of increased division.

Speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett, NASA astronaut Christina Koch explained how seeing the earth from space gave her a new appreciation for our planet.

[01:54:44]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: I think the thing I see the most out the window is Planet Earth. We saw it in so many different phases. We saw it in different sizes.

We were close in proximity. We used its gravity to propel ourselves along with our translunar injection burn to the moon. We saw it as a crescent as it set behind the moon and rose behind the moon.

And the idea that every human experience that we've invented, that we've gone through, that means something to us as people. Everything that keeps us alive that's the same is all in that small orb that's hanging like a lifeboat in so much blackness and the unifying power of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Their historic mission featured views of the moon never seen before by humans, and breaking the record for traveling the farthest into space in the history of humanity.

And finally, not your typical ice cream flavor. Crawfish ice cream is gaining popularity at a Houston, Texas ice cream shop.

The owner of Red Circle Ice Cream started serving the flavor in 2019, and her customers start calling about it when crawfish season begins in January. Ingredients you would usually find in a good seafood boil are cooked, then churned with a cream base and topped with what else, a cooked crawfish.

I'll try anything once, but looks kind of gross, but you know, maybe it's good. Who knows?

Thanks for watching. I'm Elex Michaelson. We will see you tomorrow for more of THE STORY IS. The news continues right after a break here on CNN.

[01:56:24]

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