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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Former FBI Director James Comey Charged with Threatening Trump; Trump Hosts State Dinner for King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House; UAE to Quit OPEC in Blow to World's Leading Oil Exporters; Interview with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA); Padilla: Dems Want to Fund DHS, Reform Needed for ICE; Musk Testifies in Lawsuit Against OpenAI; Young Girl Sets Record in Competitive Chess in Britain. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired April 29, 2026 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[00:00:00]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: So it is remarkable in the fourth largest economy in the world, the biggest state in the country, after all this money that's been spent, and voters still have not made up their minds or seem so split based off of this field.

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you and Kaitlan Collins will moderate the next California governor debate right here on CNN. Be sure to tune in next Tuesday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific.

Have a great show, Elex. I'll see you later.

MICHAELSON: Well, not only see me later, you'll see me soon.

COATES: I will.

MICHAELSON: Because my favorite guest is joining as we launch THE STORY IS right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON (voice-over): THE STORY IS indicted. Former FBI director James Comey facing new legal challenges. Laura Coates with us live to break it all down.

THE STORY IS state dinner.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ladies and gentlemen, I offer a toast to 250 years of American freedom, and very importantly, to a great man, His Majesty King Charles III.

MICHAELSON: President Trump and King Charles toasting each other at an elaborate white tie event. Our Max Foster is there.

And THE STORY IS an exclusive interview. The White House says California Senator Alex Padilla is to blame for increasingly violent rhetoric. Padilla with us to respond. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: And welcome to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.

We are not in Los Angeles tonight. We are in Washington this week as we prepare for the California governors' debate next week. But our top story tonight is here in Washington. And the focus is seashells that could land former FBI director James Comey behind bars.

The Justice Department has indicted Comey and issued an arrest warrant over a picture he posted on social media last year of seashells that spell out "86 47." The DOJ says it was a threat to kill the president of the United States, Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: The first count is that on or about May 15th of last year, he knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States. Count two, same day, May 15th, 2025. That the defendant, James Comey, knowingly and willfully transmitting an interstate commerce. A communication that contained a threat to kill the president of the United States. Both of these counts carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

I think it's fair to say that threatening the life of anybody is dangerous and potentially a crime. Threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Now, Comey removed the picture the same day that he posted it. He says he opposes violence and thought it was a political message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: It seemed entirely innocent and clever to me. I have never and actually still have -- don't associate 86 with violence, but because I heard that some folks were, whether they do that reasonably or not, I don't want any part of it. And so that's why I took it down from my Instagram account.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So a previous case against Comey accusing him of lying to Congress was dismissed by a judge last year. Comey addressed the indictments in a video posted today on his Substack account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMEY: Well, they're back. This time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago. And this won't be the end of it, but nothing has changed with me. I am still innocent. I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Joining me live here in Washington is Laura Coates, CNN's chief legal analyst and anchor of "LAURA COATES LIVE."

Laura, good to see you. Nobody better to explain what's going on here. So let's start with the government's case. What is their case against James Comey?

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Well, they are alleging that that "86 47" was not some coincidental thing he happened upon, although they're not suggesting in the allegations that he actually arranged those seashells, but that his decision to take a photograph of it and transmit it was actually conveying a threat that they say is a direct and clear threat that was made knowingly and willfully to suggest that he was trying to endanger the life of the president of the United States.

Now, that's going to require them to make a leap from the probable cause you have for a grand jury to beyond a reasonable doubt. And those two words, knowingly and willfully, they've got to show that he had the specific intent to make that threat. And, of course, the timing of it couldn't be more clearer.

MICHAELSON: Well, let's talk about that timing. So we just had the incident over the weekend where there was an attempt by somebody to try to get into the White House Correspondents' Dinner and likely try to shoot at the president. And we also have an indictment that comes less than a month after President Trump dismissed the attorney general, Pam Bondi, after complaining for weeks that she was not aggressive enough in executing his agenda against people like Comey.

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What do you make of the timing of all this?

COATES: You are smart to point out both of those two because that's so important. The chronology here. It's not just the fact that in many ways obviously what happened on Saturday night, a much clearer example of prosecutorial discretion in the right direction. When you've got someone with weapons, knives, guns, trying to bust into an area that has not just the president, but the line of succession, let alone the civilians, the students who were also there, and a manifesto and the delayed sent e-mails, all those different things talking about his targets, that's a much clearer straight line from the specific intent crimes you have to have to proving probable cause and eventually beyond a reasonable doubt.

But you compare that, of course, to what the frustration of Trump had been in terms of the pacing of Pam Bondi not going after what he perceived as his political enemies. Remember, the pacing of that is something that the -- that James Comey's team had an issue with because they were talking about vindictive and selective prosecution, which I think he'll be able to raise here as well, because it might be looked at as almost textbook in the sense of, look, I'm going to find me the person, and then I'm going to tell you the crime they committed as opposed to proving it the other way around.

A reverse engineering from enemy back to the crime that is alleged. That's what James Comey's defense team is going to articulate. And frankly, they may have a receptive ear from a judge, given the fact that Trump has been quite clear about his disdain for Comey and his desire for the Department of Justice to pursue some charge against him.

MICHAELSON: It is wild. We just showed that video of James Comey from the first Trump term, when he walked and shook the hand of President Trump. And what a journey the two of them have been on together. And we've all watched for the last several years.

COATES: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Laura Coates, there it is. Look at that moment. Laura Coates, of course you can watch her on "LAURA COATES LIVE" before this show every single night right here on CNN.

Thank you, Laura.

COATES: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Let's talk about another big thing today here in Washington.

Ball gowns, tuxedos. Return to the White House for a state dinner in honor of Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla. President Trump hosted the white tie event, the first since Queen Elizabeth visited the White House back in 2007. Also in attendance were several Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, billionaires, Republican lawmakers, lots of FOX News hosts and close friends and allies of the president.

During the dinner, the king gifted Trump a World War II era British submarine bell. He said that bell is a testament to the shared history and the shining future of the U.S. and the U.K.. The king also spoke about the importance of America's leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING CHARLES III, UNITED KINGDOM: At a most critical time, in the darkest days of the 20th century, American leadership helped rebuild a shattered continent, playing a decisive role as a defender of freedom in Europe. We and I shall never forget that. Nor least -- not least as freedom is again under attack following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Today, our partnerships in NATO and AUKUS deepen our technological and military cooperation and ensure that together we can meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and contested world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Now earlier, King Charles made history as the second British monarch to address a Joint Meeting of Congress. In that speech, he pushed back on several points of disagreement with the Trump administration, including offering praise to NATO. But he also emphasized the deep relationship between Britain and the U.S..

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING CHARLES III: I pray with all my heart that our alliance will continue to defend our shared values with our partners in Europe and the commonwealth and across the world. And --

(APPLAUSE)

KING CHARLES III: And that we ignore the clarion calls to become ever more inward looking. America's words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence. The actions of this great nation matter even more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: CNN's London based royal correspondent Max Foster is here in Washington following the king's visit -- Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Elex, there were very different reactions to the king's speech, depending on where you were watching from. If you were watching from Europe, many of the things he said just didn't sound controversial.

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Support for Ukraine, support for fighting climate change, support for NATO, support for the transatlantic alliance. They didn't feel like political issues, but from the American point of view, many of these are live political issues. They are party political issues. So it felt much more political. And the king clearly would have been aware of that.

But if you step back from this speech and look at how he started the conversation around Magna Carta, that set of rules that underpins U.K. law and subsequently underpins U.S. law as well, I think what the king was doing here, or the impression you get from what he was doing here, is we come from the same values, the same culture, the same system. But he was concerned that they're going in different directions.

And the United States should lead the democratic world. And he was concerned, perhaps, that they were becoming -- that America was becoming more inward looking and should be involved in these international issues, in the defense of democracy. So whilst the king is expected to stay above politics, that is his constitutional duty but only when it comes to politics in his home country.

Here he was getting involved in American politics, you could argue, but he wasn't speaking to his subjects. He had free rein there. And I think what was really interesting was how the king felt that he could express more views about American politics than he could perhaps have European -- British politics or Australian politics or Canadian politics, sort of countries where he is head of state. So a fascinating new take on monarchy, if you like.

And I think many people around the world would have heard what King Charles said and felt like he was representing an alternative worldview from the one you're currently receiving from the White House. He didn't seem to cause any offense, though, because the president appeared to feel it was a great speech. At one point, he almost suggested he was jealous of it -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: Yes, Max. He suggested that he got Democrats to stand in a way that President Trump does not. Max Foster at the White House, thank you.

Broadcaster and royal watcher Bidisha Mamata joins us now live from London.

Thanks so much for being with us. Good morning to you on an early morning in London. What for you is the most enduring sort of image of this trip so far? For me, I've been struck at how personable and funny the king was. Really charming the American audience.

BIDISHA MAMATA, BROADCASTER AND ROYAL WATCHER: I think that's true. And he does have a charm that's very much all his own. He's supposed to be neutral, apolitical, and reasonably dispassionate. But in fact we know that he's a king of many passions. When he's irritated, he shows it. When he's bored, he shows it. When he's delighted, he shows it. He has almost a childlike quality.

But as we heard from that very, very cleverly tooled speech, he is extremely political. He obviously reads the headlines. This is not a speech that was given to him by his advisers, which he then repeated on a word for word basis. He cares about things like democracy looking outwards, cooperation, contemplation. He has the heft of centuries of royal history. So he has a natural authority because one could say, well, he's not an elected leader.

He shouldn't be talking about how important the rule of law is, how important it is to stay within your assigned role. But in fact, because of his history, he's learned a lot. He's seen a lot. All of the scandals, all of the ups and downs. On the one hand, he's weathered them as part of the royal family. And at the same time, he's been subject to them. So he knows how important words are.

I thought it was very clever. I thought it was starkly political, and I agree with Max that from a European perspective, none of what he's saying is enormously controversial. But for him to say it essentially directly to the president is very pointed.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And we know that his mother, Queen Elizabeth, really went out of her way for decades to not be political, seeing the job as not being political. Is he, would you say, more political than his mom? Do you think he sees the role differently than her?

MAMATA: Yes, I think that's true. They're very, very different characters. However, I have to say, Elizabeth II was a great diplomat in her own way. She's so directly a product of all the ructions of the world wars that I feel that she was profoundly anti-war. She was profoundly pro-peace, and he's inherited that. That's why he mentioned the commonwealth, that great sort of post-colonial euphemism. I don't think that either of them wanted to see another world war of

any kind in their lifetime, and in their own different ways they did exactly what was necessary and said what was necessary to make sure that didn't happen.

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MICHAELSON: There is no question that President Trump seemed to love this the last few days. You could see it on his face. There's also no question that he hasn't really loved Keir Starmer that much lately because we know that the British prime minister has been against the war with Iran and publicly attacking some of President Trump's positions.

Does the Charles visit heal any of that division between the U.S. and the U.K.? Does it make a difference going forward diplomatically?

MAMATA: In a step by step way, I'd say heal is too big and grand a word for what this is. This was a gentle move back towards reminding the president of all of these years and centuries of shared history. I thought it was very pointed that the king referred to Keir Starmer as my prime minister, because, of course, just ceremonially he appoints the prime minister. And it was also a quick reminder to Keir Starmer that you're going to come and you're going to go and the monarchy is going to last forever.

The presidential prime ministerial lack of chemistry is famous, and it's not just about Keir Starmer refusing to get involved in the war on Iran. They're just very, very different people, and I'm not sure the president sees very much to admire in Keir Starmer. I think the feeling is mutual. I can't imagine them somehow finding lots of common ground, either politically or personally. So it's a problem for both of them.

And Keir Starmer has gained respect within the U.K. and within Europe for not getting involved in any wars and being firm on that. But his own political career isn't going very well. And so the president's disdain for him adds to his travails on home turf unfortunately.

MICHAELSON: But it is clear he does not have disdain for the king. As I've been saying, I think he has more love and respect for him than any other world leader. It certainly seems that way. And he seemed to really be enjoying himself over the last couple of days.

Bidisha Mamata, thank you so much for joining us from an early morning in London.

MAMATA: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: We appreciate it.

Global oil markets are facing another hurdle after the United Arab Emirates announced it will leave OPEC this week. Oil prices remained high after the news. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose to $111 a barrel on Tuesday. That's right around where it is now. OPEC member countries decide collectively to raise or lower oil production in order to maintain stable prices and supply.

The UAE has long pushed for higher production quotas. Its decision to leave OPEC is likely driven by a desire to produce more oil. The country's energy minister told CNN decided to take the decision now because the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will limit the impact on the market.

Let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson live from Hong Kong.

Ivan, you've been following all of this for years. How significant is this move by the UAE? What does it mean for the rest of the world?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a bit of an earthquake for certainly OPEC since Abu Dhabi has been a member of the cartel for nearly 60 years before the UAE even formed as this kind of federalized monarchy. And it's seen, I think, by many of the analysts I've spoken to as a blow to Saudi Arabia and its preeminent position in OPEC, and a sign of the growing tensions that have been developing over sometime between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

The Emirati officials who've come out and spoken of this, they've talked about the need for market stability. They've said that this is the UAE pursuing its own national interest. And they've also cited the fact that it's basically not going to make a tremendous impact in the short term because of the fact that so much of OPEC's oil is trapped in the Gulf behind the Strait of Hormuz right now.

So -- and that's something that the experts I've talked to have agreed with that in the short term, this isn't going to have much of an impact at all. Longer term, at least one analyst I've spoken to has said that this could be very profound. Even a bigger impact on oil markets long term than the Iran war itself, because the UAE has more capacity, it can potentially pump out much more oil than it was pumping before the war began.

And it would in this analyst's opinion be beneficial to consumers because it can provide more oil to global markets, reduce OPEC's control over the volumes and the prices in the world, and would ultimately benefit consumers in the end. But in the short term, this isn't going to have much of an impact on the energy crisis that the globe is experiencing right now because so much of the world's oil is still trapped behind the double blockade in the Strait of Hormuz right now.

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MICHAELSON: Quite a statement, though, that this would have more of an impact than the war with Iran long term. That's pretty dramatic. Meanwhile, tonight, President Trump talked about Iran in that state dinner. What did he say?

WATSON: Yes. I mean, he seems to be arguing that this test of wills, not the kinetic war, but the economic war between Tehran and Washington is likely to continue. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: And we're doing very well. We have militarily defeated that particular opponent. And we're never going to let that opponent, ever, Charles agrees with me even more than I do. We're never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So, you know, that implies, again, that this standoff, this now cold war, we're not seeing airstrikes and missiles and drones being fired, but commercial shipping has come to a standstill and it will likely continue to be at a standstill, and one of the issues is that Iran had reportedly submitted a proposal to the U.S., and it was for an end to hostilities. And later on down the road for these adversaries to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

And President Trump has reportedly rejected that, saying, no, it is the nuclear program that was one that causes belly here that that for Washington and for Trump, that that is still foremost. That's still front and center.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

WATSON: So the question is, you know, where is it going to go from now? Take a look at this footage. This is U.S. Marines landing on a ship near the Gulf. It's the U.S. military saying that it was inspecting a ship, making sure it wasn't headed towards Iran. So a demonstration that the U.S. is going to continue to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, try to hurt Iran economically as much as it can.

This ship was ultimately released. At least three other ships are currently in U.S. custody. Expect this economic standoff to continue, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Ivan Watson live in Hong Kong. Good afternoon to you, Ivan. Thank you so much.

Up next, I go one-on-one with Senator Alex Padilla, the California Democrat's view on the war with Iran and why he says Donald Trump should seize the opportunity now to lower the political rhetoric. Plus, some U.S. passports will soon feature an image of President Trump just in time for the nation's 250th anniversary. Details on where it will and will not be available just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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MICHAELSON: A live picture from Capitol Hill where Congress is in session this week. Earlier, I was there for an exclusive interview with California's Senior Senator Alex Padilla. It's a wide ranging conversation that includes Iran, Homeland Security funding. But we start with the shooting here in Washington this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Senator Alex Padilla, welcome back to THE STORY IS, and look at this.

SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): Welcome to Washington, D.C..

MICHAELSON: Yes.

PADILLA: In front of the Capitol.

MICHAELSON: Pretty nice background you got going. It's been an upsetting weekend for a lot of people with what happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. And now there's this discussion of sort of who's to blame. Yesterday at the podium, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, mentioned you by name and suggested that you bear some responsibility. She quoted you as saying, "People are dying because of fear and terror caused by the Trump administration," and said that is inflaming tensions.

What's your response to that?

PADILLA: Well, it was quite a night taken out of context. Pretty sure that was in reference to two United States citizens dying in Minneapolis for being out there exercising their First Amendment rights in the wake of the cruel immigration enforcement that we've seen over the last year. Look, sadly, it's not surprising from this administration always trying to deflect, always trying to blame others when this is really an opportunity for the president to sort of rise above.

Let him take the lead on lowering tensions, lowering the temperature, and lowering the political rhetoric. But he can't help himself. Instead of doing the right thing, he seeks to attack, attack, attack.

MICHAELSON: I mean, there's no doubt that the president has used some inflammatory rhetoric. There's no doubt also that some Democrats have, too. I mean, how do we put the Genie back in the bottle? How do we collectively cool down tensions?

PADILLA: Yes. Look, I think we try to lead by example. And some of it is what we're doing in our respective states and communities and across the country. A lot of it is the work that's done here in the Capitol. Give you one example. The Department of Homeland Security, right. Republicans are quick to point out it's the one department that doesn't have an approved federal spending plan for the fiscal year.

The Senate has done its job on a bipartisan basis, not once, but twice, sending over a package to the House. The House has refused to take it up. And in the meantime, the president will be quick to point to Democrats when he's got it all wrong.

MICHAELSON: But to that point, now the Republicans are going this process called reconciliation, which is a budgetary process to essentially kick the Democrats out of it and pass it on a party line vote to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security and essentially make no changes to ICE. If Republicans stay together on that, is there anything you can do to stop them?

PADILLA: Look, it is a choice that they're trying to make, right? Democrats have been clear. You know, we want to fund the Department of Homeland Security. We have no objection to TSA, to the Coast Guard, to FEMA, to our cybersecurity agency.

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But when it comes to ICE and CBP, desperately needed reforms are necessary. But instead of engaging with us on what those thoughtful, proven law enforcement best practices should be, they'd rather go around to try a strictly partisan way to fund these agencies.

That's a choice that Republicans are making and why they've led us to this record partial government shutdown.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: But if they stay together, there really isn't anything you can do to stop them. Right?

PADILLA: It's through the reconciliation process. There is some leverage, because not everything can be done through reconciliation. There's strict rules when it comes to budget -- budgetary impacts, not major policy changes. And it all has to go through the Senate parliamentarian.

MICHAELSON: In terms of the war with Iran, you represent California, which has more Iranian Americans than any other state in the country. They call it Tehrangeles.

And right after this war was launched, we saw thousands of Californians in the streets, celebrating the idea of taking on this regime that many of them say killed their family members. They're in -- in agreement with this. What do you say to them?

PADILLA: Well, and I have been talking to a lot of the community leaders. Initially, there was a lot of excitement, because nobody was a fan of the regime. There's some bad folks there.

But first of all, how we take our country into war is very clear. The president needs to seek authorization from Congress, which he did not do.

No. 2. So how successful was this first round of this military operation? Because there's been no justification. There's been no clear, consistent rationale. If it was because there was an imminent threat, I thought he took out -- he obliterated was his words -- their nuclear capabilities last year. So, was that the case? Was that not the case?

Hard to believe this administration is not -- is not exactly forthcoming or honest with Congress or the American people.

And here we are a couple of months later. The regime hasn't changed. The individuals at the top may have; arguably achieved a more extreme regime. The people of Iran, who my constituents have family members that are still there. How is their life any better because of what Donald Trump has done? That is completely unclear.

And by the way, it's costing us $1 billion a day and at least 13 service members who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

MICHAELSON: Have we lost the war with Iran already?

PADILLA: I think that's militarily to be determined, because we're not done yet. We may be in a ceasefire, but a ceasefire is exactly that. It's a ceasefire. It's not a peace agreement.

And in the meantime, the American people are paying the price, not just at the pump, but especially at the pump.

MICHAELSON: What's an off-ramp that you could support? Where the president gets to save face, maybe Iran gets to save face, and we move on from this. What does that look like to you?

PADILLA: Don't you think that's something that the president ought to have thought about before he fired the first shot? That's the question.

MICHAELSON: But for you as a United States senator, we are where we are. And the Senate has a role in oversight in terms of all of this. And where do you think we go from here?

PADILLA: Yes, well, I think negotiations should continue. I hope the ceasefire stays and continues until there's ultimately an agreement addressing Iran's military capabilities. Absolutely. A question not just for the sake of the Middle East, for the sake of the United States, but for the sake of global stability.

And then, once that happens, as we slowly withdraw from the region, I think the economic stresses will also come down.

MICHAELSON: Do you think the blockade that's now in effect is actually a good policy in terms of taking away some of Iran's leverage and putting pressure on their economy? Do you think that the blockade is working?

PADILLA: Well, from the outside looking in, it may seem like, oh, that makes perfect sense. Which blockade? Their blockade or our blockade, right. That's how Trump has chosen to respond. A blockade for a blockade.

But in the meantime, what is happening? It's not just the movement of money. Is Iran making money here or not? The issue of mines in and through the straits that can pose -- wreak a lot of havoc, not just to the ships and the transport of oil and other commodities through the strait, but with that lingering uncertainty, we'll continue to feel the economic pinch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: I'll have more of my interview with Senator Padilla in our next hour, including his thoughts on the visit by King Charles and why the senator decided not to enter the race for California governor. All that ahead on THE STORY IS.

The U.S. will soon begin offering passports featuring an image of President Trump and his signature on the inside cover. It is the latest and most significant instance of his image being used for something said to be commemorating the country's 250th anniversary this summer.

A State Department official says the Trump passports will be the default passport for those who renew their passports in person at the Washington passport agency when available in the coming months.

[00:35:09]

Online options in other locations will keep the existing passport design.

Ahead, it's Musk versus Altman, the tech billionaires facing off in a trial over OpenAI's future. And today, Elon Musk was on the stand in California. What he had to say, next.

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MICHAELSON: Tech billionaires Elon Musk and Sam Altman are facing off in court over the future of OpenAI.

Musk is set to resume his testimony in the hours ahead. He accuses his OpenAI co-founder, Sam Altman, of betraying the company's original nonprofit mission.

OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, claims that Musk pushed for profits and then left, because he couldn't assume total control over the company and only filed suit because his own A.I. company is now a rival of ChatGPT.

CNN's Hadas Gold has details from outside that courthouse in Oakland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: Elex, today was the first hour or so of testimony for Elon Musk. He will come back --

GOLD (voice-over): -- tomorrow for several more hours.

He warned the jury that he believes A.I. could kill us all, and that he wanted to avoid a "Terminator"-style outcome for everybody, partly by helping to found a nonprofit, open-source A.I. research foundation that became OpenAI.

He walked the jury through some more of what was his version of OpenAI's founding and his own personal story, and why he got involved, telling the jury that it was partly as a result of a disagreement with Google co-founder Larry Page, who called him a "specist" for being pro-human and that he wanted to create an open-source counterbalance to what he called Google's closed source for-profit situation.

Elon Musk also warned the jury and the judge in this case that, if he loses this case, which is, of course, about whether OpenAI deceived him when it changed its nonprofit structure to include a for-profit subsidiary after Elon Musk helped found and fund OpenAI, he said that it could give license to looting every charity in America.

Now, the judge in this case, interestingly, also reprimanded Elon Musk for his social media posts. He had been posting about the trial. He posted just on Monday, calling Sam Altman "Scam Altman."

And she told him he needs to stop. She said, "Try to control your propensity to use social media to make things worse outside this courtroom. Perhaps you've never done that before."

He and all of the parties said --

GOLD: -- that they would agree to do that, and that they will stop posting about the case.

So, tomorrow, we are expecting to hear more from Elon Musk, but the defense will also get their chance to cross-examine him, ask their questions, where they're likely going to try and show that Elon Musk always knew about the plan to have a for-profit arm. They're going to say that he was trying to push for -- for OpenAI to have a for-profit subsidiary to help them make money and catch up to their competitors.

Their argument, OpenAI's argument is that Elon Musk is only bringing this lawsuit because of OpenAI's success, and because he walked away from the company in 2018. And now he has his own competitor, xAI.

They're saying he's just trying to bring OpenAI down so that his company could be more successful. But we'll hear more tomorrow -- Elex.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Hadas Gold in Oakland. Thank you.

A U.S. Special Forces soldier has pleaded not guilty to misusing classified information to make more than $400,000 from a prediction market.

Prosecutors say that Gannon Ken Van Dyke was involved in the planning and capture of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.

The 38-year-old soldier is accused of placing a $32,000 bet on the U.S. raid in Venezuela and the removal of Maduro from office ahead of the military operation.

Afterwards, Van Dyke allegedly funneled his winnings through a foreign cryptocurrency vault and asked Polymarket to delete his account.

His lawyer is vowing to challenge the core of the allegations and claims van Dyke has been charged with something that's not a crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GERAGOS, GANNON KEN VAN DYKE'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He has spent virtually 98 percent of his adult life serving this country in an exemplary manner. He's reached the apex of that service.

And with any luck, we will return him quickly to where he belongs, which is protecting the world, frankly, from all kinds of threats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Van Dyke, currently on military leave, has been released on a $250,000 bond and is expected back in court in June.

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones has become the first person to plead guilty in a high-profile gambling sweep. Damon Jones apologized in federal court for his role in what prosecutors say were sports betting and rigged poker game schemes.

He entered guilty pleas during back-to-back hearings in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday.

He said the sports betting conspiracy used his insider knowledge about injuries to NBA stars to make money from sports books. And he admitted he was paid to lure high-end bettors to rigged poker games.

He's due to be sentenced in January.

The federal gambling crackdown led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including other basketball figures, and reputed mobsters.

Still to come, six Democrats, two Republicans are vying to become Californias next -- next governor. And they're just some of the candidates on the ballot. Things got heated as they all met up again on the debate stage. Details on that ahead.

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[00:49:54]

MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson, live in Washington. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Former FBI director James Comey says he is innocent, and he is not afraid after the Justice Department indicted him on Tuesday over a photo of seashells spelling "86-47."

The DOJ claims that image, posted on social media last year, is a threat against President Trump.

Comey removed the photo the same day he posted it and said he opposes violence of any kind.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will head to New York on Wednesday to visit the 9/11 memorial and meet with families of the victims.

It follows the king's historic address to the U.S. Congress earlier today. This is the monarch's first state visit to the U.S., and the British government hopes it will ease some of the tensions over the war with Iran.

Jerome Powell is likely to hold his final meeting as the chairman of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. His term ends on May 15.

He's expected to hold his final press conference following the meeting. The Fed is not expected to cut interest rates.

President Trump nominated Powell for the role during his first term, but in recent months, he railed against his own appointee for not lowering interest rates faster.

California's gubernatorial hopefuls have just battled it out again on the debate stage. And things got feisty tonight.

Eight of the remaining candidates -- six Democrats, two Republicans -- answered questions a short time ago on energy, housing and affordability. The high cost of health care.

It was a night full of interruptions and cross talks as candidates vied for the spotlight.

The field is narrowing after Democrats Eric Swalwell and Betty Yee exited the race earlier this month.

The top two vote getters in the June 2nd primary will head to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Our political panel will join us live in the next hour to break down the debate, some of the biggest moments.

And next week, the top seven polling candidates will face off again for CNN's California governor debate. You can watch that right here on CNN, one week from tonight, Tuesday, May 5. Kaitlan Collins and myself will be moderating, live from Southern California.

Our live coverage begins at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific, right here on CNN and on the CNN app.

The son of an Indian billionaire is offering to rescue 80 cocaine hippos -- yes, that's a thing -- from Colombia after the government announced plans to cull them.

He's offering to relocate the 80 hippos to his conservation center in India, which currently houses over 150,000 animals.

The hippos descended from a group introduced by the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. He had been trying to build one of the largest private zoos in Latin America during the '80s.

Since then, the hippo population has exploded, endangering Colombia's native species.

Louisiana officials say Liv Golf is looking to reschedule its June event in New Orleans. Liv Golf called the postponement a, quote, "strategic decision."

Now, this move comes amid rampant speculation about the future of the Saudi-backed breakaway league. Multiple reports indicated that Saudi Arabia's public investment fund was considering pulling funding from the entity, which has struggled to catch on with golf fans.

One thing not struggling when it comes to fans is the World Cup. The official 2026 World Cup sticker album is here. Panini is an Italian sticker and sports trading card company and official FIFA partner. It launched this year's sticker book Tuesday at an event in London.

Because the tournament has expanded from 32 to 48 qualified teams, the album is bigger than ever. It has 112 pages, with a total of 980 stickers to collect.

Because the World Cup isn't expensive enough, now you can spend money on stickers, in addition to the tens of thousands of dollars for a ticket.

Still to come, we'll meet a young girl who is setting new records in the world of competitive chess in Britain. It's an amazing story, and it's next.

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[00:58:30]

MICHAELSON: Now, most 11-year-old girls probably spend their time going to malls, talking with friends, having sleepovers, playing with toys. But one pre-teen in Britain spends her free time playing and competing in top-level chess games.

CNN's Don Riddell has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT (voice-over): Bodhana Sivanandan is Britain's highest ranked women's chess player, and she's only 11. She learned to play the game at age 5 by accident, after an old chess set was left with her family to be donated.

Bodhana tried to use the knights and the rooks and the pawns as toys.

BODHANA SIVANANDAN, CHESS PLAYER: My dad told me that if I did that, then the next person who gets the chess board, they won't be able to play proper chess. So, instead, he taught me the basics. And then I started playing from there.

RIDDELL (voice-over): Bodhana is not only the highest ranked women's chess player in Britain, she's also currently ranked No. 72 in the world.

And last year, at the age of 10, she became the youngest female player to defeat a grandmaster, beating a 60-year-old at the British chess championships.

NEVIL CHAN, HARROW CHESS CLUB PRESIDENT: Well, quite simply, she's a prodigy in the real sense of the word. Her learning of the game has just been unbelievable. And since we met her back in 2020, she's just broken every record and every barrier there was.

RIDDELL (voice-over): This might all seem like a bit of a distraction, but Bodhana says chess has actually helped her with schoolwork.

SIVANANDAN: Because I go to school, it links to so many school subjects, like maths. It helps in calculation and music. It helps in pattern recognition. And I play the violin, and I play a bit of piano. And in art, it helps with creativity, so it links with that.

RIDDELL (voice-over): The chess prodigy began by traveling.

(END VIDEOTAPE)