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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Iran Ceasefire Talks Fall Apart; China's Censors Allow Posts Mocking Trump, War with Iran; Pope Leo Visits Equatorial Guinea to Cap Off Marathon Trip; Deadly Shooting at Mexico's Teotihuacan Pyramids; Fed Chair Nominee Kevin Warsh Faces Questions During Senate Confirmation; Gas Prices Inch Lower Amid Hope for End to Iran War; Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) Resigns from Congress; Virginia Votes to Approve Democratic Redistricting Plan; No Clear Frontrunner in California Governor's Race. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired April 22, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Welcome to THE STORY IS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): THE STORY IS deadline extended. President Trump says the ceasefire with Iran will go on indefinitely.
THE STORY IS China's impact. We go live to the region for a look at how Beijing is impacting Tehran.
THE STORY IS Virginia redistricting. The vote tonight that could impact control of the House of Representatives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: It is 9:00 p.m. here in Los Angeles, 7:30 a.m. in Tehran and 12:00 a.m. in Washington, D.C., where President Trump has decided to extend the ceasefire with Iran.
The president posting on social media that his administration is waiting for a, quote, "unified proposal from the Iranian government." But he added that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports will remain. White House official says Vice President J.D. Vance's expected trip to Islamabad to lead the second round of peace talks was called off after that announcement.
Despite the uncertainty, here's what President Trump had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not dealing with the nicest group of people, but we're dealing with them very successfully. And the blockade has been a tremendous success. They said two days ago, we will open the strait. I said, no, we're not going to open the strait until we have a final deal. No, no, we want to open the strait. They said, we're not opening. We totally control the strait. Just so you understand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, the U.K. and France will convene a multinational coalition meeting on reopening that Strait of Hormuz in the coming hours. They will discuss, quote, "how military forces can deploy to the region."
Here to break it down for us is Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief of the "Foreign Desk."
Lisa, welcome back to THE STORY IS. What do you make of where we're at right now?
LISA DAFTARI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, FOREIGN DESK: I think things are progressing in a strategic manner. Look, I know today everyone was confused, not just today every day. Right?
MICHAELSON: Yes. What is happening?
DAFTARI: What's happening? Right? A lot -- lots of ups and downs. And I think this campaign was designed to have a lot of offramps on the part of the United States so that Donald Trump can offer diplomacy and he can also reclaim that leverage when he wants to. And I think this pause is exactly that. We are stacking our leverage against Iran's regime. Right now, even though there is a pause right now, we're out of the ceasefire, but now we've extended.
He said he wouldn't extend. But at the same time, maritime pressure, sanctions remain. Our boot is still on the neck of the Iran regime. They know that our finger is on the trigger. We will start the war again if we have to and that has been communicated well to them.
MICHAELSON: You were with us right after this started, and you expressed a lot of support for this idea of intervention. You are a strong opponent of the Iranian regime for many years. Do you think it's going well?
DAFTARI: I do, and the reason I think it's going well is nobody is in favor of war. But many of us, especially myself, not only an Iranian, but somebody who has covered the Middle East for over 20 years, I'm very much in favor of the outcome that this campaign can provide. The Iranian people have told us for 47 years what they have endured. We're watching as this regime spins its centrifuges, amasses nuclear -- its nuclear weapons program, amasses missiles and deadly drones, and feeds its deadly proxies, kills thousands of protesters at home, has no regard for human rights.
So the outcome can be very positive, not just for the Iranian people. We're watching the Persian Gulf, Arab States tell us the same thing. This regime has to go. And of course, for the United States, I know a lot of people here in the United States are not for this war. It hasn't been communicated well to the American people that this, too, is our war, not just for the Middle East, but also for our homeland security. Because if we don't deal with this now, we will deal with it 10 years from now. We will deal with it with high prices, with terrorism, with homeland security issues here on our soil as well.
MICHAELSON: But what regime change? I mean, we went from one Khamenei to another Khamenei. I mean, literally the son.
DAFTARI: Right. There -- no, I absolutely agree with you. This is not regime change as much as we -- Trump will say this is regime change. It's only a personnel change, if you will. And if the IRGC takes over, we will have actually something worse.
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There is no reform within this regime. It wasn't designed to be reformed. It wasn't designed to compromise or make concessions. So we can try diplomacy as a tactic perhaps. Maybe, again, to establish that deterrence. But we know that we're not going to get anywhere at the negotiating table with this regime.
MICHAELSON: You referenced critics. There are plenty of this. Last night on our show we had on Caroline Sunshine. She as an aide to the Trump campaign in 2024, she worked in the Trump White House in 2020 -- in 2016, 2017. She is against this and is part of the right-wing base that says I voted for no more foreign wars. Here's what she said last night on our show.
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CAROLINE SUNSHINE, DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TRUMP 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: But the question that they haven't effectively answered is, how does that impact the everyday American? How is that in our national interest? Because if we're going to go off of that logic, that that much of a direct threat to Americans, why haven't we gone to war against Mexican cartels?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: What do you say to that?
DAFTARI: We have gone to war against Mexican cartels. But I know Caroline well, and I would say this to her, like I would say this to any other American, like I laid out. This is our war. And even though it hasn't been communicated, it's our war economically, it's our war in terms of our assets in the region. So many Americans have died at the hands of this regime. They do affect our economy.
We just saw what they tried to do by taking hostage the Strait of Hormuz. They will use every tool in their power to say, death to America from day one in 1979. They've done that in real time. So we are paying for it and we will pay for it again and again and again if we want to have multiple wars in the future.
We are all against wars. But this may just be the one campaign that ends this forever war. Don't we want to see stability in the Middle East? Don't we want to see it trickle out into Europe and into the West? This can be the war to do just that. This regime is the number one state sponsor of terror, not just in the Middle East, all around the world, in all continents. So if we can stop them, this is our one opportunity to do so.
MICHAELSON: Lisa Daftari, thanks so much for coming in and sharing your perspective. We welcome all perspectives here, and we appreciate hearing yours tonight.
DAFTARI: I appreciate it. Thank you.
MICHAELSON: There is growing speculation what, if any, role China will have in the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran?
Let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley live from Taipei, Taiwan, with more on that -- Will.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alex. Yes, it's interesting. We are actually hearing this week for the first time Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, publicly calling for the Strait of Hormuz to stay open. I think we have a bit of the quote on screen. It says, quote, "The Strait of Hormuz should remain open to normal navigation, which is in the common interest of regional countries and the international community."
That's Mr. Xi speaking to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Now, China actually helped Iran and Saudi Arabia establish formal diplomatic relations a few years ago, and China is now being pressured by some of its allies to do more to bring about calm in this conflict. So these public comments from President Xi are certainly noteworthy. And they come at a time that while the government is trying to portray itself as a very stable peacemaking force around the world, they are allowing on social media a very different kind of anti-U.S. message to run rampant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (voice-over): China's censors not stopping new A.I. videos like these mocking President Donald Trump and the Iran war.
On Chinese social media, the message is clear.
So far, he says. the biggest winner is neither the U.S. nor Iran. It's China.
TRUMP: Good to see you again.
RIPLEY (voice-over): And President Trump is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing next month. Online reaction, blunt.
"Trump is not welcome to visit, and even if he comes, it's meaningless." "No need to come. Without credibility, what are you coming for?"
That word keeps coming up credibility, especially when it comes to ceasefire messaging. "The entire White House's credit score combined wouldn't be enough to
even unlock a single shared bike." "Every day Trump wakes up and reformats himself into a new Trump. Whatever version he is that day is the one that counts."
TRUMP: This whole thing it was -- is really about no nuclear. They cannot have a nuclear weapon.
RIPLEY (voice-over): in China, political speech is tightly controlled, but criticism of Trump seems to be spreading freely.
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: How does that change the dynamic of this meeting with President Xi?
TRUMP: I don't think it does. I mean, he's somebody that needs oil. We don't.
RIPLEY (voice-over): China is Iran's biggest oil customer. Beijing also dominates green energy and claims to be cutting oil demand by more than a million barrels a day.
"While others are still bashing their heads in over oil, we've already gotten ahead in the next era," he says.
Solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles. Chinese carmaker BYD now overtaking Tesla in global sales. At the same time, pressure on the U.S. dollar, the backbone of global oil trading.
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This Iranian embassy post say, "It's time to add petro yuan to the market." At one point, Iran considered allowing tankers through the Strait of Hormuz only if oil is sold in Chinese yuan, a senior Iranian official said. Some Chinese influencers say petrodollar is ending.
Beijing is not fighting this war, but on China's social media, many are already declaring victory.
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RIPLEY (on-camera): But, you know, Elex, it's interesting. I want to show you a live picture of our signal inside China right now. As soon as we started talking about the fact that China censors political content about their own leaders, they went to bars and tone, which happens a lot as any regular viewer of CNN inside China would know.
While the U.S. is focused on this war, China is really focusing, Elex, on what comes after when it comes to energy, currency supply chains and diplomacy. China is trying to position itself to win, not necessarily by confronting the United States directly, but by presenting itself to the global community as this more stable alternative at this chaotic time.
MICHAELSON: And as far as we know, Will, this meeting between President Trump and President Xi is expected to still go on in a few weeks, right? RIPLEY: It is, in the middle of May. It will be the second time that
President Trump travels to Beijing for an official state visit. He also did the same thing back in 2017. They rolled out the red carpet for him. They dined in the Forbidden City. They gave President Trump during his first term the kind of honors rarely bestowed upon any world leaders by China and by Beijing. Clearly, they were trying to cater to his desire to be treated with that level of pomp and ceremony.
It will be interesting to see what the optics look like this time around, to see if they still go all out. Given all of the things that have been happening, not only between the United States and China itself, but on the global stage that are directly impacting China's economy because obviously, if this Strait of Hormuz issue continues and the strait remains closed, it's going to have a huge impact on trade, which is the primary driver of China's wealth.
MICHAELSON: And this situation seems to be really giving China some increased leverage as well over the United States.
Will Ripley in Taipei, thank you for that.
Pope Leo XIV is embarking on a busy day in Equatorial Guinea. It's the last stop on his four-country tour of Africa. Earlier, he met with the country's long-term president and continued to share a strong message of peace.
CNN's Christopher Lamb continues his travel with the Pope.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: In Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo giving another strong speech saying that humanity's future risks being tragically compromised by a failure to respect international law and ongoing wars.
Leo, whilst in Africa, has been speaking out strongly for peace and for -- and criticizing what he sees as poor governance. He said in Cameroon, for example, the world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants and he's also called out corruption.
Now Leo is in a country where the president has been in power since 1979. He's the longest serving head of state, and this is a country that, despite its oil riches, many of the country live in poverty. And independent experts describe it as one of the most corrupt regimes in the world.
However, the country is overwhelmingly Catholic, and big crowds came out to meet the Pope on his first day here in Malabo.
Now Leo on board the papal plane from Angola to Equatorial Guinea paid tribute to Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his predecessor's death. Leo said that Francis was a great gift to the church and to the world. He highlighted the Pope's work for fraternity and his emphasis on mercy. A more inclusive Catholic Church. Now Equatorial Guinea is the fourth country on Leo's Africa tour. He
will be traveling across Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday before heading back to Rome on Thursday. This the longest trip of Leo's pontificate.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Malabo.
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MICHAELSON: Christopher, thank you.
President Trump is taking part in what's being billed as a weeklong spiritual celebration of America's 250th anniversary with a bible reading recorded in the Oval Office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The president, along with key Cabinet members, joined several hundred people for the event known as "America Reads the Bible."
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It comes at a complicated time for President Trump and his relationship with American Christians. He's been criticized for his public feud with Pope Leo, and is facing backlash over an ai image he posted depicting himself as Jesus, where he says he was actually a doctor.
The state of Texas can now require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. This comes after U.S. appeals court ruled the law did not violate First Amendment protections. Conservative Republican backers, including the Texas attorney general, are hailing the ruling as a major victory for the state and its moral values, but the issue could be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, with critics arguing it violates religious freedom and the separation of church and state.
New details about the gunman who shot into a crowd of tourists visiting Mexico's ancient pyramids. Mexico's attorney general says the gunman carried handwritten notes in his backpack related to a 1999 U.S. attack, possibly referencing the Columbine High School massacre. Monday's attack happened on the 27th anniversary of that shooting.
CNN's Valeria Leon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I mean in Teotihuacan pyramids in the state of Mexico, just 40 miles north from Mexico City. Here is the pyramid of the moon, where yesterday an attacker climbed those stairs and opened fire. He killed one tourist from Canada, and then he killed himself.
He was identified as a 27-year-old from Mexico City. This place remains closed and here are two tourists from Italy.
How do you feel about what happened here yesterday?
GIANNI MAGRINI, TOURIST FROM ITALY: Yes, honestly, I discovered everything like this morning. But yes, we changed these plans yesterday just for schedule, organization. And, yes, it was shocking, but, yes, I understood today really that someone was murdered because we thought just that there were some shooting.
LEON (voice-over): And inside this place, 13 people were injured. Eight of them are still in hospitals nearby. And authorities have confirmed that among the victims, there are tourists from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Colombia, and also Russia. And this came as a shock because Teotihuacan is the second most visited archeological site in the country. Last year, it received 1.6 million visitors, and it also has raised concerns because Mexico gears up to receive the World Cup and receive also more than five million visitors during this summer.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said this incident deeply pains Mexico. Also, Mexican authorities have confirmed they are in contact with the Canadian embassy.
CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through text translation): Our solidarity goes out to the family of the person who lost their life.
LEON (voice-over): Security forces are being deployed here and also they're investigating what are the motives behind this crime and what made this 27-year-old man opened fire in the middle of the morning in one of the most iconic archeological sites.
Valeria Leon, CNN, Teotihuacan, state of Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: President Trump's pick to chair the Federal Reserve is on the hot seat. What he told senators about interest rates and why one senator is threatening to block his confirmation. That's just ahead. Plus, Virginia voters vote in favor of a new congressional map. We'll discuss why the move is set to give Democrats an edge heading into the midterm elections.
Our political panel just ahead.
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MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS the Federal Reserve and a promise from the man President Trump has picked to replace current chair Jerome Powell. Kevin Warsh says he will not do Donald Trump's bidding if he is confirmed. He also told the Senate Banking Committee that President Trump had never asked him to commit to lowering interest rates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Professor, what's the sock puppet?
KEVIN WARSH, NOMINEE FOR FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: I think it's the thing you stick your hand in.
KENNEDY: Yes, kind of like this? Are you going to be the president's human sock puppet?
WARSH: Senator, absolutely not.
KENNEDY: Are you going to be anybody's human sock puppet?
WARSH: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Looming over this entire process is the Department of Justice investigation of Jerome Powell. Republican Senator Thom Tillis says he supports Warsh but will block his confirmation until that probe is dropped.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): The problem that I have here is that we had some U.S. attorney with a dream or assistant U.S. attorney thinking it would be cute to bring Chair Powell under investigation just a few months before the position was going to be open. Let's get rid of this investigation so I can support your confirmation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Joining me now live in Los Angeles is Gene Sperling, who is the national economic director under Presidents Clinton and Obama, and former senior adviser to President Biden.
Welcome to the show for the first time.
GENE SPERLING, FORMER WHITE HOUSE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN COORDINATOR: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Great to have you here. So this whole question of whether he's going to be the sock puppet as Senator Kennedy referenced, Senator Elizabeth Warren asked it in a slightly different way. Here's that exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Just one little place where you disagree with Donald Trump.
WARSH: Well, I do have a disagreement, actually, Senator, with the president. I think even this morning he said that he thought I was out of central casting. [00:25:04]
I think central casting, I'd look older, grayer, and maybe show up here with a cigar of sorts.
WARREN: Quite adorable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So she kept asking, is there anything you disagree with? And that was the answer there. You know Kevin Warsh. You've known for a long time. Do you think he's going to be the sock puppet?
SPERLING: Well, look, you're right. I've known Kevin. I've been on a tennis court with Kevin. And, you know, he certainly has a lot of the knowledge, credentials, experience that you would want to see in a Federal Reserve chair. But he's just coming in at such a historic moment. We have never in our country had such an aggressive presidential attack on Federal Reserve independence.
Normally when we talk about that, we mean that the president goes out and kind of tries to verbally bully the Federal Reserve chair.
MICHAELSON: And that's happened.
SPERLING: And that's happened. And that's -- and you could say that other presidents have done that.
MICHAELSON: Sure.
SPERLING: What we've never seen before is an effort to fire the chair and other board members, and to actually use a criminal investigation to go after a federal chair or board member, because they're not bowing to the president's will. And that raises the bar for Kevin. People want to know not just that he's going to mouth the right words, but that he's actually going to be a champion in every way for Fed independence.
MICHAELSON: Of course, he hasn't fired Jerome Powell yet, but he's threatened that many times. So do you think he is? Do you think he's going to be able to do that?
SPERLING: No. I don't think so. But, you know, I want to say that --
MICHAELSON: No, I mean, sorry. Not the firing part. Do you think that Kevin Warsh can be independent from President Trump?
SPERLING: Well, I think that's going to be, you know, I think that's going to be his test. And, and I would not say so far he has passed that test. I guess Kevin Warsh's supporters might say, what do you expect him to do? He's got a, you know, not make angry the president who's appointing him. But I think people would have liked to see more affirmative statements of independence, more of a clear explanation that losing Fed independence has real effects on the economy, real effects on affordability, real effects on mortgage rates, on how small businesses could borrow. And I don't think that perhaps people saw that. And if I really do
believe his test, his legacy will be at this critical moment. Not he just say the right thing or avoid the worst type of following the president. But is he the champion who protects Fed independence at this critical time?
MICHAELSON: Why does Fed independence matter? What are those real consequences that you're talking about?
SPERLING: Yes. No. You're absolutely right. That's all anybody listening should care about. You know, when we talk about American exceptionalism started with Alexander Hamilton, it is in having a great trust in the United States financial system. And part of that has been that since 1950, we've had independence in our federal monetary policies.
Now, why should someone at home or, you know, care about that? Well, if you think the president can control monetary policy, people are going to think they're going to try to juice up the economy every time there's an election. There's going to be higher and higher inflation, and therefore there's going to be higher and higher interest rates.
One of the president's people he seems to admire, Erdogan in Turkey, actually did all the things President Trump is trying to do in terms of getting the Federal Reserve to bow to him. And inflation didn't just go up, it went to 80 percent, and interest rates just didn't go up a little to tame that. They went to 50 percent. It might not ever get that bad in the United States. But yes, it could mean mortgage rates are higher, car rates are higher, small business loans are higher.
MICHAELSON: Well, and of course this Federal Reserve conversation is within the context of what's happening with Iran. We see gas prices, oil prices, all the rest of it. You are one of the most preeminent economic advisers in the United States. You've advised the top Democratic presidents. What would your advice be right now if you were talking to President Trump or a president coming in about what to do with the economy at this moment?
SPERLING: Well, my advice to the president would have been to not do things that are actually going to be self-inflicted wounds. I think he came in with inflation at 3 percent. It was on the way down. No question the tariffs turned around that progress. But then he had one really positive thing going. Gas prices had dipped below 2.98. So he didn't just have a war of choice that raised gas prices.
This isn't like Putin invading Ukraine. It wasn't just a war of choice. It was a war of choice that was done with very little consideration for managing the straits. And I would have said, Mr. President, look at what you've just seen --
[00:30:06]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
SPERLING: -- over the last few years. This is an American public that is so sensitive to prices. And there's no issue that they're more sensitive to than gas prices. They hit the hardest.
MICHAELSON: Sure.
SPERLING: They hit lower, moderate-income families the hardest.
MICHAELSON: So -- so, what do you do now, then?
SPERLING: What do I do now? One, don't make things worse by playing these games with Fed independence.
And I think when it comes to Iran, I would be saying and would have been saying, you need -- you know, whether or not you agree with going into the war, you need a shorter duration. You need a policy that doesn't damage the infrastructure in the long term.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
SPERLING: And third, I'm not just -- I don't just care about whether Iran opens the straits right now. If they're still in control, and that's their decision to make, then they have a vice on us. And there's going to be more risk and higher prices going into the future, because people are going to know that, ultimately, Iran is the ultimate decider.
I would make that a very strong focus for resolving this war.
MICHAELSON: Gene Sperling, thanks so much for coming in and sharing.
SPERLING: Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: It was great to see you.
A House Ethics Committee was just moments away from voting to consider punishment against a Democratic Florida congresswoman. What she did next, after the break.
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[00:36:05]
MICHAELSON: An embattled Florida Democrat has resigned from Congress, the third resignation from the House in a week.
The move came just minutes before a House ethics panel was set to consider whether Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick should be forced out of Congress.
The panel has previously found her guilty of several ethics violations, including accusations that she stole $5 million in pandemic relief funds and used it for her 2021 campaign.
In a statement posted on social media, she maintained her innocence and denounced what she called a witch hunt against her.
Last week, California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez resigned from Congress amid an avalanche of explosive allegations.
Now, CNN projects Virginia voters have approved a plan to redraw the state's congressional map. Here's a look at where the count sits right now. The majority of votes counted at this hour. The measure passed by less than 100,000 votes.
This is what Virginia's congressional district map looks like right now. State Democrats joined a partisan push to gain more political power ahead of the midterm elections later this year. Here's what the new map could look like. A lot of what was red territory is now blue, signaling how Democrats could gain up to four additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
That would put them at a 10-to-1 advantage over state Republicans. A major supporter of the move was former President Barack Obama, who told voters in part, quote, "Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back."
Virginia's Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, she also showed her support, saying in part, quote, "We responded the right way at the ballot box."
Joining me for our political panel is Steven Olikara, a senior fellow for political reform at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute and co-host of "The Group Chat." Also joining me is political consultant Elizabeth Ashford.
Welcome back, both of you. Good to see you.
Let's talk about Virginia first. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader who wants to be the speaker of the House, was on LAURA COATES LIVE in our last hour. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Well, this is a temporary measure that was a response to Donald Trump's efforts to rig the midterm elections. We needed to stop the MAGA power grab.
(END VIDEO CLI{P)
MICHAELSON: So, we saw redistricting in Texas when Donald Trump wanted to see that happen. That helped the Republicans. Then your boss, Speaker Robert Rivas and California Governor Gavin Newsom, others here, put on Prop 50 to do redistricting here. Now we see redistricting in Virginia.
What do you make of all this? And is this really healthy for democracy?
ELIZABETH ASHFORD, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Well, I think it's I think it's very healthy for democracy because, I mean, we're doing this at the ballot box.
I think that, you know, it's sort of like mess around and find out, Donald Trump, you know. And this was an effort to pull things back so that he could keep control. And the response has been really robust. We saw it here in California. It was an overwhelming win.
I just think that there is this innate American sense that, you know, you can win, but you -- you kind of have to try to win fairly. I think Americans feel pretty strongly about that.
So, I think that, you know, these -- these efforts to push back on Trump's agenda, I think, are very patriotic and obviously really bearing fruit in Virginia.
MICHAELSON: Your whole thing is, like, sort of nonpartisan. Let's be nuanced.
STEVEN OLIKARA, SENIOR FELLOW FOR POLITICAL REFORM, USC SCHWARZENEGGER INSTITUTE: Right.
MICHAELSON: Let's cut through the noise. I mean, this is just an expansion of partisanship around the country. Doesn't it just show that the country is even more tribal these days?
OLIKARA: That's right. These gerrymandering wars aren't going to lead to a good place.
Now, I get the Democratic impulse, which is the Republican elites started this in Texas. And if you go even further back in 2010, when Republicans took over a lot of state houses like my home state of Wisconsin, they gerrymandered a ton of maps. So, I get the Democratic impulse.
But here's the thing. Republicans are getting drunk on gerrymandering, and Democrats are going to join the party. It's the people who feel the hangover, and that's not good.
[00:40:01]
The reason why, at the Schwarzenegger Institute, we talk about terminating gerrymandering is that cheating voters is just not the right way to go. And what really happens, ultimately, is these parties win, but the people lose out.
MICHAELSON: But yet, it seems like the parties in both states, the Republicans are like, let's do more of it.
OLIKARA: Yes. Well, first of all, in Virginia, it passed by a very narrow margin. You would expect, given the Democratic wave that we're seeing right now, it would have passed with more votes. But this was less than 1 percent in Virginia.
I was talking to a Virginia voter today who's a moderate, has voted for Democrats before, but did not support this; because as an independent himself, he said, this is offending him. It's corruption, in a sense, and that's not good for our democracy.
MICHAELSON: Speaking of process, another interesting thing happening in the House. We've seen these three members out in a week, all of them facing expulsion votes, which is why they decided to get out before they were expelled by their colleagues. But all of them also saying, look, we didn't even get a hearing. We
didn't get a chance to present the evidence. You all are -- in America, you're innocent until proven guilty. How is this fair?
What do you think about that?
ASHFORD: I mean, it seems to me like, in at least a couple of the cases, you know, they decided to plead out, right? There was just not a desire to go all the way to trial and sort of get the public censure that was -- you know, looked like it was on the horizon.
And, you know, obviously, there -- there is some ethical problems. You know, we have. I mean, we had somebody who is alleged to be somebody who attacks women, almost become the lead gubernatorial candidate in California because, you know, ethics issues in the House had been either swept under the carpet, or not discussed enough, or not looked into enough.
And so, you know, I think for the -- probably for the good, in the long run, because these people continue their careers, and if ethics issues can follow you all the way.
MICHAELSON: Yes, I mean, but -- but maybe also this -- the idea of rushing to judgment.
OLIKARA: Yes. Well, I think, in the case of the recent resignations today, the congresswoman -- or you look at Eric Swalwell or Tony Gonzalez. These are cases where they knew that they were going to get expelled. And so, they -- they preempted that by resigning.
The interesting thing to look at here is how ethics is now, I think, going to be a bigger issue. Now, of course, these resignations didn't start that. You look at the Trump administration, the Trump family. There are a lot of conflicts of interest that are, I think, offensive to the American people.
And so, now you see people like Jon Ossoff, Ro Khanna, James Talarico. These are key voices in the Democratic Party who are rising, not only in the 2026 cycle, but potentially, in 2028. And I think this is one of the most potent unifying issues for America, is to recreate a sense of trust in our government.
MICHAELSON: But do you see, especially among the Republican base, any sort of aversion to this idea of, like, a Trump grift? I mean -- I mean, in terms of people actually voting differently because of that.
OLIKARA: So, here's my theory on that. I think there's less of a concern on the Republican side.
The reason why it's interesting on the Democratic side is there is this sort of sense that they're the, quote, unquote, "pro-democracy party," that they're on the right side of these ethics issues, speaking from a sort of higher place.
But I need to make clear here that Democrats are not on that high ground anymore. And I think it's really important that, regardless of which party you're in, the voters need to be able to trust the process.
And we've lost that. Americans feel like this whole process is corrupt.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And maybe it's time to ban stock trading in Congress --
OLIKARA: So --
MICHAELSON: -- and other things like that, which some Democratic leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, have stopped from happening over the years. And that's criticism of that whole process, as well.
Speaking of -- of California, an interesting governor's race that -- that is really unclear what's going to happen next.
There's been sort of this wait for Pelosi and other members of the Democratic establishment to get behind somebody. Robert Rivas, who you work for, who's the speaker of the assembly, got behind Xavier Becerra today.
But Betty Yee, who just got out of the race yesterday, got behind Tom Steyer today. Here's some of both of those videos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT RIVAS, CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY SPEAKER: We have a strong Democratic field for governor, but right now, we need someone ready on day one. Xavier Becerra is that leader.
BETTY YEE, FORMER CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: California should be -- feel very comfortable about where we're headed in this near term. And I'm just really proud to support you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: How do you make sense of what's happening in this state right now?
OLIKARA: Well, clearly, no candidate is consolidating support. I mean, what voters of California do know is that if they're watching a sports game or any kind of thing on TV, they're seeing Tom Steyer ads.
Becerra clearly --
MICHAELSON: Spending over $130 million so far; may get to $200 million before the primary is over.
OLIKARA: He's spent a lot on politics over the last 15 years. I've watched it closely. There seems to be no end in sight to that.
Becerra is clearly surging right now.
I think also another wild card is Matt Mahan, who I've known over the years. He's building an interesting coalition of pragmatic moderates.
[00:45:06]
But I think the deeper issue here that people aren't looking at is, when you look at a state as large as California, to build name I.D. in such an expensive set of markets, it comes down to money. And Tom Steyer is able to exploit what I consider to be a loophole in the campaign finance system, where you can donate unlimited amounts of money to your own campaign.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
OLIKARA: Contrast that, by the way, with New York City. Also, expensive. A candidate like Mamdani can emerge, because there's a 6- to-1 matching program there.
So, if you want to see different kinds of leaders, not billionaires running our politics, you need those types of changes.
MICHAELSON: And yet, Elizabeth, Tom Steyer, despite all that money spent, is not very far ahead. According to some polls, basically in a tie right now.
ASHFORD: Right.
MICHAELSON: Why do you think that is? It seems like there's a ceiling on the Tom Steyer support, a ceiling on the Katie Porter support, no matter what happens.
ASHFORD: Right. Well, I think that, you know, up until a couple of days ago, the narrative was, oh gosh, the people who are -- you know, have the most experience and are potentially the best, you know, set to run the state are polling really low. We've seen that now reverse course. And that's very important.
And I think what that allows to have happen is folks like the speaker and the 14 legislators that joined him today to step up and say, you know, this is our guy. This is his time.
You know, politics and campaigns are a momentum game.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
ASHFORD: It doesn't matter if you are running slow or running fast. It matters when you cross that finish line. That's the time that matters.
And so, we can do big dissections of, quote, unquote, "the chaos of this case" [SIC] but -- of this race. But I mean, really, it's about, you know, you're starting to see consolidation behind a highly qualified person to -- to be governor.
I don't think there's an amount of money that can be spent to necessarily talk Californians into doing something they don't intuitively feel is right.
The road to the governor's office has been littered with the bodies of wealthy people --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
ASHFORD: -- for decades. And that's the thing. And so, I see this playing out in the same way.
MICHAELSON: It will be interesting to see what happens in the weeks ahead. Of course, CNN has a debate on May 5.
OLIKARA: Yes.
ASHFORD: Yes.
OLIKARA: Congratulations.
MICHAELSON: Thank you very much.
OLIKARA: It's great.
MICHAELSON: We look forward to that conversation. It's important to get these issues out there.
Steven, Elizabeth, thank you so much for being here tonight.
OLIKARA: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: We'll be back with more of THE STORY IS right after this.
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[00:52:05]
MICHAELSON: Flu shots for U.S. troops are no longer mandatory. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said anyone who wants one can have one. But, quote, "We're not going to force you."
The U.S. military's flu shot mandate dates back to the 1945, due in part to the flu's historic damage and threat as a bioweapon,
Hegseth claims medical mandates only weaken our war-fighting capabilities.
Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent another long day on Capitol Hill defending everything from his vaccine views to agency shakeups and budgets.
Lawmakers pressed the U.S. health and human services secretary on whether the White House has tried to tamp down his vaccine rhetoric, and they blasted his policies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KIM SCHRIER (D-WA): Now that you've made parents distrust doctors and shots, some parents are now refusing the Vitamin K shot and other routine care, putting these babies at risk for bleeding out.
This has a name. It's called the RFK Jr. spillover effect. You spread misinformation, you scare parents and confuse them. Parents don't immunize their children or give them other routine care. And then the kids get sick, and they might even die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: RFK Jr. was also questioned about the Trump administration's new pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and about whether he'd let Dr. Erica Schwartz operate without interference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RUIZ (D-CA): Mr. Secretary --
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: I'm putting billion dollars into vaccine research.
RUIZ: -- do you agree with Dr. Schwartz and her vaccine position?
KENNEDY: I'm putting a billion dollars --
RUIZ: No, Mr. Secretary, if Dr. Schwartz is confirmed, will you commit on the record today to implement whatever vaccine guidance she issues without interference?
KENNEDY: I'm not going to make that kind of commitment.
RUIZ: Because you probably won't, and you'll probably fire her, as well as you did Director Monarez, because you will not -- you will not accept the recommendations based on science.
KENNEDY: You're getting your soundbite. But you're not getting truth.
RUIZ: Mr. Secretary, it has --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: RFK Jr. will testify before two Senate committees in the coming day.
Florida's attorney general has launched an investigation into OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Authorities are looking into whether the company bears criminal responsibility for a deadly shooting at Florida State University last year that killed two people and wounded six.
The attorney general says the chatbot, quote, "offered significant advice to the shooter before the attack."
OpenAI says the shooting was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime.
Parents and advocates are calling for federal safety laws to protect children and teens online. About 60 parents gathered on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. They say their children were harmed or died because of tech platforms, A.I. chatbots, and social media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD MINOR, LOST 12-YEAR-OLD SON MATTHEW: We call on lawmakers to stop sitting on the fence with big tech. Listen and take action.
A.I. tools and social platforms already pose documented risks to children. Preemption would protect companies, not kids, and block states' ability to respond to these harms. Child safety should not be exploited to advance big tech's agenda.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[00:55:17]
MICHAELSON: They're urging President Trump and House lawmakers to pass legislation that would protect children.
Coming up in our next hour here on THE STORY IS, hurricane recovery. Jamaica got walloped by a Cat 5 about six months ago. I'll ask the head of the International Federation of Red Cross about the island's recovery when he joins me from Kingston.
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