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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Trump Defiant As Pentagon Outlines Military Options; Congress Votes To Reopen Key Parts Of DHS Without ICE Funding; Louisiana Delays House Primaries After SC Ruling; U.K. Threat Level Increase Following Antisemitic Terror Attack; King Charles And Queen Camilla Wrap Up State Visit To The U.S.; First U.S. Flight To Venezuela In 7 Years Lands In Caracas; CNN Goes Inside High Security Italian Cheese Vault. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired May 01, 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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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much for joining me. Here on The Story Is. I'm Erica Hill in for Elex Michelson coming to you from New York. The top story is the war with Iran. A defiant President Trump lashing out at the press, criticizing Democrats who tried again and unsuccessfully to limit his war powers.

The president speaking with reporters in the Oval Office ahead of a Pentagon briefing on updated war plans. He says Iran is dying to make a deal because the U.S. naval blockade is working and also says Iran's economy is collapsing. But he also noted there's a little bit of a problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Nobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other people. They want to make a deal badly. We have a problem because nobody knows for sure who the leaders are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The average price of a gallon of gas is now $4.30 in this country.

TRUMP: And you know what? And we're not going to have a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran. The gas will go down as soon as the war is over. It'll drop like a rock. There's so much others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Now, the U.S. is pressing foreign governments to join a new coalition to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. As for Iran's leaders, well, they are defiant as well. The country's new supreme leader says foreign actors have no place in the Persian Gulf except at the depth of its waters.

Meantime, Iran's parliament speaker mocking the U.S. naval blockade, noting the total length of his country's borders is longer than the distance from New York to L.A. and back again.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is live in Hong Kong. So there has been plenty of public posturing, if you will. The world really continuing to feel the punch. We're seeing oil and gas prices jumping again.

Is there any sense that these two sides are closer to returning to the negotiating table?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Erica, we are now two months into this conflict. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. And now we have the U.S. President Donald Trump looking for ways to somehow force Iran a deal to agree to curb its nuclear program. And that is why we're seeing the price of gas at the pump in the United States reaching new highs.

Let's bring up the numbers for you. Yesterday as reported here, gas at the pump was about $4.23 a gallon. Today it's at $4.30 a gallon. Before the war, it was under 3 U.S. dollars a gallon.

What happened overnight, that's the biggest one day jump in some six weeks. This is also the highest price that we've seen for average gas per gallon in the United States since July of 2022. Now meanwhile, we're also tracking the price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark. It is off the record wartime highs that we saw on Wednesday, but still quite elevated.

If we bring up the price of Brent crude, it remains high. As you remember on Wednesday, that was when Brent crude reached a new wartime high of $126.41 a barrel, the highest since March of 2022. It is eased since then, but still quite elevated.

Look, there is deep concern about an ongoing dragged out conflict will lead to deepening shortages in the global energy supply. And this is why we're hearing this from an analyst at IG, Tony Sycamore. Let's bring up his comments for you. He's a market analyst and he says this, quote, prospects for any near term resolution to the Iran conflict or reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remain dim. Iran, meanwhile, is defiant on Persian Gulf day.

We heard from Iran's supreme leader in a statement that in text form, not in audio, not in video, in which he hailed newfound gains by Iran during this ongoing conflict in which he reasserted Iran's iron grip of the Strait of Hormuz. And those comments were further amplified by what we heard from Iran's parliament speaker who's very active on the social media platform X.

And this is what he said. He said, quote, today is well, Iran, by exercising control over the Strait of Hormuz, will ensure that it and its neighbors enjoy the precious blessing of a future free from the presence and interference of America, unquote.

And Erica, shipping across the Strait of Hormuz is critical waterway. It remains but a trickle. Back to you.

HILL: Yes. Kristie Lu Stout, appreciate the update from Hong Kong at this hour. Thank you. Well, as we look at further developments here in the U.S. it's important to note the 75-day partial government shutdown is now over.

The House voting to fund DHS passing that bill, the one the Senate approved more than a month ago after weeks of Republican infighting.

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President Trump signing the bill into law on Thursday and in a win for Democrats. That bill doesn't include any money for federal immigration enforcement. It does, though, fund critical agencies, including the TSA.

Multiple sources telling CNN Speaker Mike Johnson was really facing a growing revolt from centrists in his party and he decided to move forward with the bill after a private leadership meeting where members warned the situation was untenable.

The impact of the Supreme Court's ruling this week that further gutted the Voting Rights Act quickly being felt. Louisiana Republicans are now delaying primaries just one day after that ruling, the court threw out the state's congressional map that had two black majority districts, calling it an unconstitutional gerrymander.

Louisiana is just one of several Republican led states eyeing changes to boost the party's efforts to shore up more House seats, often at the expense of minority voters. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Louisiana Republicans are making moves to redraw the state's congressional maps as the GOP is fighting to hold on to their majority in the U.S. House in this midterm election. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, announced he would delay the U.S. House primaries that were currently set in Louisiana for May 16th in order to give the state more time to redraw their congressional maps.

This is a move that's drawing criticism from Democrats and also from Senator Bill Cassidy, who is facing his own Senate primary on that May 16 date. He said that the decision is very confusing for people and unfortunate.

But right now, Republican state leaders believe that they will have the time to redraw their congressional maps, potentially undoing a majority minority district that is currently held by a Democrat. In Louisiana, the state legislator is still in session. They will be in session until early June, so leaders do believe that they can move forward with these maps and then hold those U.S. House primaries at a later date.

This is all stemming from that Supreme Court decision that invalidated Louisiana's congressional maps, but it also will make it more difficult for plaintiffs in the future to challenge states who have attempted redistricting down the road.

One state to watch will be Tennessee. President Donald Trump said that he spoke with Tennessee's governor on Thursday to talk about potentially redrawing the congressional maps if Tennessee were to try to do that. They currently have one congressional district represented by a Democrat. Tennessee would need to call back the state legislator into a special session to address this.

There is no guarantee or plans just yet to do that, but that is one tactic that they could pursue. But this all is really the latest chapter in an ongoing redistricting war that was started by Republicans and President Donald Trump in Texas over the summer.

We saw this back and forth tit for tat, really an arm redistricting, arms race kickoff where you had Republican and Democratic states then trying to redraw their maps heading into this midterm elections. Remains to be seen which party will end up benefiting from this endeavor, but it does come at a time when Republicans hold on.

The majority in the U.S. House is at real risk heading into November's elections. Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Joining me now, former Mitt Romney policy director Lanhee Chen and Democratic strategist Caroline Heldman, who's also a professor of critical theory and social justice at Occidental College. It's great to see both of you. Caroline, I want to start with you. When we look at this, you're a Democratic strategist. I want you to put on the professor hat.

As we look at this in terms of the politics and what this means, where does all of this gerrymandering put voters?

CAROLINE HELDMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's not good for anyone. And it's going to be years before we see the dust settle. So what we've seen so far is this kind of tit for tat, Donald Trump starting it in Texas and then California responding.

But what we've seen so far is child's play compared to what happens next because the Supreme Court of the United States just gave states the green light to gerrymander wildly based upon party. As long as you don't actually admit that you're engaging in something wrong, you don't admit intent.

And so what's going to happen is that every state is going, you know, Democrats are going to redistrict, Republicans are going to redistrict. It's this mutually assured destruction. And I think at some point we're really going to get tired of this and the voters hopefully will rise up and say we need national nonpartisan redistricting.

But what happens between now and that point in time is going to be really, it's going to be hyper partisan hell.

HILL" It's also not clear, as Arlette wisely pointed out, it's not clear who ultimately may benefit in the end, certainly not in the immediate in November. And then, you know, to your point, looking at how long this continues. Lanhee, look, we know the president is behind this. He's been very clear in his push, which Arlette was also talking about, to boost gerrymandering across the country. When you look at it, though, from a perspective of the party itself, is this the legacy you believe that Republicans want to see?

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LANHEE CHEN, FORMER MITT ROMNEY POLICY DIRECTOR: Well, the challenge is that part of the reason why, a big part of the reason why the president pursued this strategy in the first place was to try and increase the number of Republicans to decrease the likelihood that they would lose the majority in November. And it's not clear that process will produce that outcome.

I mean, in fact, if you look at most estimates now, Democrats are slated to take over of the House, given the state of the economy, a bunch of other factors. And so ultimately, if this does not end up working out for President Trump and for Republicans, I do think it will leave a lot of people wondering why we walk down this pathway in the first place.

Actually, I think part of the solution here is to say there shouldn't be any redistricting allowed in the middle of cycles. Usually we redistrict, as is required after the decennial census every 10 years. The reason why we have this current conflict is because we decided, well, both sides were going to engage in redistricting. But the reality is if we don't have that in the middle of the cycle, if we don't allow for that, we don't have these kinds of problems.

So my hope is that going forward we can look to that kind of a change because it's not clear to me that this ends up resulting that results in a benefit for Republicans at all.

HILL: Yeah. When we talk about some of these upcoming races, as you were pointing out, this is the president trying to hold on to a Republican majority based on what we saw with that initial push for Texas. A lot of focus right now on the state of Maine after, of course, the hand-picked candidate, the state's governor, Janet Mills, who was handpicked, I should point out, by Chuck Schumer, she dropped out of the race today, of the Senate race. So that leaves Graham Platner. He's the oyster farmer who most people have likely heard of by now, who has some baggage. Right.

Consistently leading in the polls. But there have been concerns about controversial, controversial offensive posts, a Nazi tattoo he's since covered up.

Caroline, is this also as we look at Maine, is this an example of maybe establishment Democrats once again proving that they might just be out of touch with voters?

HELDMAN: Well, I will say Democrats are not happy with their party right now because there isn't strong leadership opposing Trump. There isn't strong leadership at a national level. In fact, I think what we saw, the fight that happened with funding over ICE is a perfect example of what happens when you actually do fight one of those rare occasions.

But if you look at the polling, very clear, Democrats think that the party needs to take a stronger stance in opposing Donald Trump and needs to actually just be better at fighting.

And I think we see that in Graham Platner. So I think, you know, these Democratic voters in Maine are willing to overlook a lot and forgive a lot given the fact that he, you know, it really embodies this kind of push against Donald Trump that so many Democrats are desperate to have during this time when they're totally out of power.

HILL: Part of the pushback, I will say, too, against Governor Mills was also her age. Right. And the fact that voters wanted someone younger, are looking for somebody newer, if you will. That is a concern and has been, of course, in the past, Lanhee, for Senator Collins. She has survived challenges, though, in the past. How are Republicans looking at this moment, the reality of facing Platner?

CHEN: Well, I think Susan Collins has proven herself to be a great candidate in Maine. She's somebody who understands the dynamics of the state. She knows that retail politics and campaigning in that state still matter a lot. And notwithstanding the broader trends, I mean, you're right, every time Susan Collins has faced a reelection bid recently, it's been in a tough environment and a tough cycle.

So I think Republicans feel good about their prospects of winning in Maine, particularly given a deeply flawed opponent in Platner. That I think Susan Collins continues to be someone who is a little bit like Houdini and is able to come out of these races successful. And I tend to think that that's what's going to happen again this November.

HILL: It will give us lots to talk about in the coming months before we get there. Iran front and center because of the war, but also because of what we heard from Secretary Hegseth on the Hill this week. Of course, back in front of senators today, facing tough questions again, I was struck by one exchange that he had with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): What I am concerned about is we are not safer. And I would just like to know why you have not sought the support of the American people and three out of five Americans are against this war today.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I believe we do have the support of the American people and we have briefed regularly what this mission looks like and why it is critically important that we undertake it.

And I would remind you and this group that we're two months in to an effort and many congressional Democrats, as I pointed out, want to declare defeat. Two months in. Iraq took how many years? Afghanistan took how many years? And they were nebulous missions that people went along with. This is different.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [00:15:06]

HILL: The reality is the American people do not support the war. The latest CBS poll finds nearly two thirds disapprove. We know that rising prices are not helping, nor is frankly the lack of clarity from the administration on a number of fronts. Lanhee, are you starting to sense any sort of a splinter among GOP lawmakers, even privately?

CHEN: I don't sense a splinter splintering of the party. What I do think there are a lot of questions in terms of what the administration's plan is going forward in negotiations with Iran. Obviously, the president's made very clear that Iran cannot have nuclear capability going forward. What is that going to look like? Will that involve the intervention of U.S. troops on the ground? These are things that obviously would worry Republicans as they would Democrats.

So while I think the party remains pretty unified, they have, remember, beat back several efforts by Democrats to invoke elements of the war powers resolution. That does not mean that support is unequivocal and eternal.

I think there will come a point at which Republicans will want answers to questions and that point may be coming pretty soon.

HILL: One of the questions there has certainly been a request for an answer on, even if maybe they're not getting the answer they want is when it comes to war powers, is the 60 day mark that we're talking about right being recognized. Secretary Hegseth saying that the cease fire doesn't really count toward the 60 days. So the U.S. isn't there yet. Caroline, does that hold up?

HELDMAN: It doesn't hold up. It's not part of the text of the War Powers Act. Anyone worth their salt would look at that and say that he's simply wrong about that. It's also, you know, it's going to be in violation of that -- the War Powers Act after tomorrow if they don't seek congressional approval despite what Hegseth says.

And then they could get a 30-day extension if it was about withdrawing the troops and needing time for that. But they're not going to make that case. So no, this is another example of the administration really just bending and breaking the rules when it fits their agenda.

HILL: Caroline, Lanhee, great to have you both here. Appreciate it.

HELDMAN: Thank you.

CHEN: Thank you.

HILL: Still ahead, the Jewish community in London taking a stand after being the target of multiple attacks.

Still to come, the British prime minister also coming face to face with Jew voters. The community asking for help and not holding back.

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HILL: The alleged shooter at Saturday's White House Correspondents' Dinner will remain in jail as he awaits trial. 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen spoke little during a hearing on Thursday. His lawyers say they won't fight detention as this case proceeds. As for prosecutors, they filed new evidence on Thursday, including this video.

So as you watch here, it shows what you just watched. The alleged attacker rushing down the hallway as you just saw with a shotgun running past the security checkpoint. He was arrested, but he was before making it into the dinner, which was just a short staircase away, though on a different floor. Allen is set to return to court on May 11.

Britain's terrorism threat level is now at severe, so that signifies an attack is highly likely in the next six months. And the increased threat level comes on the heels of a string of attacks targeting London's Jewish community, including Wednesday staffing that left two men injured. The government is promising to increase security, but as Salma Abdelaziz reports, many say those words simply fall flat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Golders Green, North London, known as this city's Jewish heartland. Here, a community is under threat, targeted by antisemitic attacks. The latest declared a terrorist incident. A stabbing in broad daylight on this street that left two Jewish men injured.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop the knife.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Leon, who grew up here, says he feels it's no longer safe to be visibly Jewish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our feeling or freedom to walk around as visibly as a Jew that has been robbed of us as of yesterday. And this is the consequences of the government failing its population and not doing enough when all the warning signs were there.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The morning after the attack, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with criminal justice agencies to demand a swift, invisible response.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There's no getting away from the fact that this was not a one off. This has been a series of attacks on our Jewish. And there is a very deep sense of anxiety, of concern.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): While the PM scrambled his government, his political rival and right wing populist Nigel Farage spoke to community leaders at the scene.

NIGEL FARAGE, REFORM U.K. LEADER: Every single time it happens, there are kind words that come from number 10 Downing Street. Soft words aren't enough and the government needs to be seen to be very, very robust. ABDELAZIZ (voice-over0: When the PM did arrive a couple of hours later, he received a much less welcoming response.

ABDELAZIZ: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just arrived here to reassure the Jewish community that he is doing everything he can to keep them safe. But he has been met by an angry and frustrated crowd. They've been chanting Starmer duhammer. They've been calling him a traitor. There's a real sense of anger with the government here in London.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Even with Starmer within earshot, Ruth told us she feels the authorities are deaf to her fears.

ABDELAZIZ: Why was it important for you to come back?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he needs to hear us. He needs to hear.

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This is the first demonstration I've been on and I go on many where we're actually angry because we've had enough and we want him to start doing something positive.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): In the last few weeks alone, arsonists have set fire to ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity and two synagogues were attacked in separate incidences that were just days apart. Arrests have been made, legislation is being fast tracked and $80 million has been pledged to help fund increased security for Jewish communities.

But many here worry that's simply not enough to stop the next act of violent antisemitism. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Amid growing pressure from victims, families and state politicians, the Texas girls camp where 27 children and counselors were killed in flooding last July is dropping its plans to re this summer. Camp Mystic had hoped to do so, but families of those who were killed on that day are pushing back, saying it's simply too soon and also that they didn't believe the camp could ensure everyone's safety.

Multiple investigations into what went wrong that day are still ongoing. The body of one 8-year-old camper lost in the flooding has never been recovered.

After an eventful multi day state visit from Washington to New York and then back to the Capitol again. King Charles and Queen Camilla wrapping up their visit with some stops in Virginia.

Max Foster has the latest for us.

Plus, it has now been two decades since the Devil wore Prada. The stars are back of course for the highly anticipated sequel. Are they though better than ever? Well, you'll find out after the break.

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HILL: Welcome back to The Story Is. I'm Erica Hill. Let's take a look at the day's top stories. President Trump is threatening to pull some U.S. troops from Germany, Italy and Spain saying the NATO allies haven't exactly been on board in the war with Iran. This follows comments Monday from German chancellor who said the U.S. is being humiliated by Tehran and had no effective strategy for ending the war.

The judge in Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI admonishing the tech billionaire on his third day of testimony repeatedly telling him to just answer the questions that were asked and stop talking about whether I will cause human extinction.

Musk has accused OpenAI of unjustly transitioning into a profit seeking company. OpenAI says Musk is just trying to take down a rival, AI company.

President Trump keeping up his pressure on ABC saying the network had better fire late night host Jimmy Kimmel soon. Trump and many of his supporters are outraged over a joke that Kimmel made last week saying the first lady looked like an expectant widow. ABC's parent company Disney showing no sign that it intends to meet the President's demands.

King Charles arriving in Bermuda after wrapping up a four-day state visit to the United States. President Trump called the British royal a great king and said as he said farewell to Charles and Queen Camilla in Washington on Thursday.

The royal couple visited Arlington National Cemetery Thursday where they laid a wreath and paid their respects to fallen service members. They made a few more stops in Virginia before leaving the U.S. CNN's Max Foster was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to Front Royal in Virginia. This is the part of the royal tour about people and the countryside as you can see, actually on the front lines of the Revolutionary War. So King Charles came here to celebrate the defeat of the British, which many people here are very confused about. But he came after a somber moment at Arlington.

He came here to see an agricultural event, as you would expect from the king. Lots of environmental projects here, but importantly meeting members of the public. He wanted to go to Main Street and this is literally called Main Street up there because this tour was also about meeting people, people to people, relationship as well as President King. So it was very important for him to come out here.

And of course, when he came here, he met another King Charles. It just sort of happens, doesn't it, Tracy? And you're going to explain this because this lamb is called King Charles. And why and what? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we wanted him to be an honorary gift to the King for coming out, so he won't go home with the King. But we wanted to name him Upperville Charles.

FOSTER: And we should clarify that you met the King?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did meet the King, yes. He was fantastic.

FOSTER: And what did you discuss?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very kind. He asked me about my flock. He was very thankful that we were into sheep and agriculture.

FOSTER: Welsh sheep, specifically, British sheep.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. And we just discussed a little bit about our work here in America with the Kerry Hill sheep and importing genetics. And he was very engaging and very kind.

FOSTER: And a very docile lamb, thankfully.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

FOSTER: Could have been embarrassing. I heard the Queen actually kissed the lamb.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She did, yes. She kissed the lamb.

FOSTER: Well, King Charles kissing the Queen. I guess it's acceptable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

FOSTER: After this, he went up to a national park to meet with indigenous communities and to find out more about the environment. And then the tour finishes. So it's been pretty triumphant, I have to say. We heard in one of the walkabouts, people shouting out, thank you for your Congressional address.

[00:35:04]

I think that's going to be the sort of abiding memory, really of this tour, that historic address to the joint chambers of Congress, which was pretty punchy but actually pretty memorable. And it was interesting to see how many people here actually really appreciated what he said there. So a pretty historic trip, you could argue. Max Foster, CNN, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I used to have your job. Got to go to Paris Fashion Week or a bunch of pieces from the Chanel collection that year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You still have all of it? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I gave it away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would have been a bit much for a newsroom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: There you have it, a clip from the long awaited sequel, the "Devil Wears Prada 2." Twenty years after the first film, Meryl Streep, Ben Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt are back for another take on the world of a high fashion magazine. The big question perhaps for round two is just who's the devil now?

Let's get some answers about the "Devil Wears Prada 2" fashion journalist Booth Moore, joining us now from Los Angeles. I am, I will say, among the people who's very excited to see the film. So you have some early details for us.

I'm fascinated by just how, how well overall, how well does this storyline, how well does this cast, everything about it, how well does it hold up in the sequel?

BOOTH MOORE, FASHION JOURNALIST: Well, everyone's really excited because it's such a great cast, it's such an iconic fashion film. But it's been 20 years and the media landscape is very different now. And that's reflected in the film. You know, there's been a decline in magazine readership.

And, you know, with the rise of digital media and social media, there's been declining ad revenue, layoffs, cost cutting, all of that. So, you know, we're in a different place with Runway magazine now. And, you know, glossies are really fighting for survival, and that's reflected in the film.

HILL: And it's correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think as you were pointing out in what you wrote about it on your substack, you know, fashion was sort of the bad guy, if you will, in the first one. And the way people were treated in that world, now, it's the influencers who are really taking on that role.

MOORE: Well, I mean, I would say that in this film it's, you know, it's not Miranda Priestly, who's the devil. It's actually big tech because the film starts out when Runway kind of gets burned by social media. You know, there's a backlash against one of the stories they wrote and then, you know, kind of unfolds where you understand that this is a very new world that they're working in, that they are trying to balance good journalism with the kind of stories that people can scroll through while they're in their bathroom and, you know, they're fighting off a takeover from a big tech firm.

So, you know, all of that is kind of in the background.

HILL: Yes. For those of us who have a toe not in the fashion world. Right. But in part of that world, it does really feel like art imitating life in this moment. MOORE: It does. And that's happening both in the film and off screen because, you know, it's pretty widely known that this film is inspired by Vogue magazine and editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. And when the first film came out, there was absolutely sort of no engagement by Vogue with the film. This time is a totally different story.

You know, you have Anna Wintour posing on the cover of Vogue with Meryl Streep. You had Anna Wintour appearing at the Oscars on stage with Anne Hathaway. And really, they're joining in the publicity for this film. And I think that also speaks to the change in the media landscape, because Vogue kind of needs this film at this point. They need this film for the publicity as well.

HILL: Which is fascinating. There are a remarkable number of collaborations happening with this film as well. A whole lot of marketing. Where do you think that falls on the scale? Is it too much or is this. Is this just the new normal?

MOORE: I think it's the new normal we're seeing in a lot of films that luxury brands are integrating into the storyline, and we have that here with Dior and also Tiffany. And at first, I was afraid that it was going to be sort of too, you know, hitting you over the head, but I, you know, I don't think it is.

And I think it makes sense because we've also really seen fashion and Hollywood grow much, much closer. We've seen luxury brands, you know, launching their own fashion, their own film studios, and certainly, you know, signing on celebrity ambassadors left and right. So it kind of is a reflection of that as well.

HILL: Yeah. Okay, now, last question for you.

[00:40:01]

How are the clothes? How is the fashion throughout this movie?

MOORE: Well, Molly Rogers did the costumes and she did a great job. It's interesting because it kind of reflects the casualization that's happened in fashion, too. I remember being at Paris Fashion Week about 10 years ago and nearly all the editors on the front row were wearing jeans. And so there's that in the film with Andy kind of having this like casual bohemian style.

But there's also still the diva with looks that Meryl Streep is serving up for sure. So there's -- there's plenty for everyone.

HILL: Great. I'm looking forward to it and appreciate the sneak peek and the early review. Booth Moore joining us from LA. Thank you.

MOORE: Thanks.

HILL: So maybe it's not just the "Devil Wears Prada" could "The Apprentice" also be making a comeback? The Wall Street Journal reporting Amazon prime may be looking to bring back President Trump's reality TV show from the early 2000s. But in a little shift here, the host this time could be Donald Trump Jr. The president was asked about the idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your take on these reports that your show, "The Apprentice" is going to come back, could come back on Amazon with host Donald Trump Jr.?

TRUMP: Well, I've been hearing it. Look, we had a great success 14 seasons and the Apprentice was a tremendous success. So I've been hearing that, you know, a little bit. So we'll see what happens. He's good. He's a good guy. He'd be probably good. He's got a little charisma going. You need a little charisma for that sacrifice. So we'll see what happens. Yeah, they told me about it. We'll see.

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HILL: Probably good. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. However, it's important to note Amazon has said a possible Apprentice reboot with Donald Trump Jr. is not in active development, adding that any details of the show or potential host are purely speculative.

Pop singer Britney Spears is scheduled to be arraigned in a California court on Monday. She was charged Thursday with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and at least one drug. In early March, Spears was pulled over on a California highway for speeding and driving erratically.

State police arrested her after she took field sobriety tests. Spears voluntarily checked into a substance abuse treatment facility a month later because she is getting treatment and has no history of DUI. Prosecutors say they will offer Spears the chance to plead guilty and get a year of probation.

For the first time in nearly seven years, commercial flights resuming between the U.S. and Venezuela, and CNN is aboard that first flight to Caracas from Miami.

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ELOY M0NTENEGRO, TRAVELLING TO MIAMI FROM VENEZUELA (through translator): It's very positive. I can see everything that improves connectivity and mobility is very positive. That includes tourism which can now come to Venezuela with great ease and so on. To me that's wonderful.

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HILL: For the first time in nearly seven years, commercial flights from the have resumed now from the U.S. to Venezuela, marking a significant moment as the country begins to restore economic relations with the U.S. after the removal of its former president, Nicolas Maduro. CNN's David Culver has more now as he prepared from Miami, as he prepared to board that very first flight to Caracas.

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DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're walking towards the massive crowd around gate D55 here at Miami International Airport. And the reason there is so much fanfare and press and U.S. and Venezuelan officials is because this is, as they portray it, to be a very historic moment.

The first time in nearly seven years that direct flights are resuming between the U.S. And Venezuela. Now all of this follows what played out earlier this year, January 3, the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife. That has led to a lot of changes, at least between the relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela.

Some question whether it's substantive changes on the ground in Venezuela. And it's one of the reasons we're actually with our luggage and about to board this flight because we want to see for ourselves what it's like for the folks on the ground. We want to hear from them directly.

Meantime, you have what is the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S. here in Miami Dade County, which is why this spot in particular, this location is so crucial for the start of those direct flights and the resumption of, as they say, connectivity between the two countries. I mean, they've got a whole setup here. Even before we came through security. They had massive balloons with the Venezuelan flag.

They had a dedicated check in place. And then out here you can see they've got a full buffet. Capasitos (ph) being served. And they have just had a press conference where you had U.S. officials, you had American Airlines officials and executives, and you had officials from Venezuela speaking about the historic aspect of this moment.

But one thing that was pointed out from the mayor of Miami Dade, I think we can board whether or not a free Venezuela, as they portray it, will sustain going forward. Of course, it's something that the community here is also keenly interested in, wondering what it's going to look like in the days, weeks and months that follow.

We heard from a State Department spokesperson short time ago too, and they stressed that this is just the beginning.

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They say this is a multi-phase plan that the Trump administration has. And they're promising that this first flight is going to be the first of many and massive expansion is coming when it comes to resuming connectivity between these two countries.

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HILL: So there you have the how it started. Still ahead here in our next hour, David will show us what happened after that first flight landed in Caracas. Stay with us for more on that. Also ahead here, Italy's chiefs' producers relying on a high security

bank to safeguard their edible gold. But we managed to get into the vault where the Parmigiano Reggiano becomes high priced collateral. That's next.

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HILL: In northern Italy, a regional bank has been quietly turning cheese into capital for more than 70 years. Excuse me. CNN's Antonia Mortensen takes us inside.

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ANTONIA MORTENSEN, CNN SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): $400 Million worth of cheese. 500,000 Wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese sit stacked floor to ceiling, aging quietly, patiently, some for years.

MORTENSEN: People are using this cheese to get bank loans. They're using it as collateral. We are in a cheese vault. It is effectively a high security, climate controlled vault that protects the cheese and is Parmesan because we're in Emilia Romagna, the only place in the world which is allowed to produce Parmigiano Reggiano.

As the cheese ages, its value rises. Credem Bank, Credito Emiliano has been working with producers for more than 100 years in Italia.

GIANCARLO RAVANETTI, GENERAL MANAGER, MAGAZZINI GENERALI DELLE TAGLIATE (through translator): In Italy, about 4 million wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano are produced every year. We end up aging from 12 months up to 40. Logistics for about 2.3 million wheels a year. And we allow customers to use the wheel as collateral to obtain financing from Credito Milano.

MORTENSEN (voice-over): Parmigiano Reggiano can only be sold after 12 months, making the financial cycle difficult for producers. Using cheese as collateral helps pay expenses, invest and wait until the wheels reach optimal value.

Producers and investors can hand their Parmigiano Reggiano wheels to a certified warehouse which verifies and stores them so banks can safely use the cheese as collateral for immediate loans.

Each wheel undergoes rigorous inspection and must earn the consortium's stamp of approval before it can be sold. Hardly surprising as each wheel costs thousands of dollars.

FABRIZIO GIBERTI, WAREHOUSE MANAFER, CREDITO EMILIANO (through translator): With this hammer, we strike the wheel on the side and on the flat base and listen to the sound it produces.

MORTENSEN (voice-over): It's a 4 billion euro industry with growing demand abroad. Exports now make up more than 50 percent of sales and the United States make up the biggest foreign market. PAOLO GANZERLI, INTERNATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR, GRANTERRE: With my experience in the United States, you cannot pay for Parmigiano Reggiano even more than 60 Euro per kilo. And now we are talking about American market. We have to face even the situation with the tariff. Tariff is 10 percent. Last year was 15 and more. The cost of shipment, the cost of shipment due to the war in Iran. Now it's become more and more expensive.

MORTENSEN (voice-over): According to the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium, last year was a record in terms of production and exports, but the beginning of this year has seen a drop in demand. That's a lot of pressure for the some 300 certified producers of Parmigiano Reggiano in the small designated area.

Cheesebanks becoming even more essential now for producers than ever.

MORTENSEN: For the producers, it's financial security. For the banks, it's stacked, stable collateral. And for the region, it's a mix of agriculture, finance and tradition.

MORTESEN (voice-over0: Which is why Parmigiano Reggiano is often called edible gold. Antonia Mortensen, CNN, Emilia-Romagna.

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HILL: Not a terrible assignment that you have there, sky gazers. You have the chance to see two full moons in May. The first, known as the flower moon you might have already seen tonight. It's set to peak at 1:23 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday. It'll last, though, through the weekend.

And then at the end of the month, prepare yourself for a blue moon. A full moon at the beginning and the end of one month happens only seven times every 19 years. So feel free to throw out that once in a blue moon as many times as you see fit.

Thanks for joining us this hour. I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned. The next hour of The Story Is begins right now.

Welcome to The Story Is. I'm Erica Hill in for Elex Michael Nicholson tonight. We're coming to you live from New York. We begin with the latest developments in the war with Iran.

President Trump on the defensive over rising gasoline prices here in the United States, jumping 7 cents to 4.30 a gallon, the highest since July of 2022. The president, though, insists Iran is dying to make a deal to end this war, as the U.S. naval --