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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Trump: "Maybe We're Better Off Not Making A Deal" With Iran; Trump Calls Iranian Leadership "Very Disjointed"; Sources: Spirit Airlines Preparing To Shut Down In Hours. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired May 02, 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 HOST: Welcome to "The Story Is". I'm Elex Michaelson, live from Washington, D.C. Here is what's ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Story Is", treason? President Trump suggests it's treasonous to say the U.S. isn't winning the war with Iran.
"The Story Is", losing Spirit. The discount airline is running out of money and time after a bailout deal falls apart. Travel expert Peter Greenberg with us live.
And "The Story Is", the lady lowriders. We take a bumpy ride and a deep dive into a new era in car culture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Thanks for being with us, and welcome to the weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump is casting doubt again on a potential deal to end the war with Iran. At an event in Florida on Friday night, he said maybe the U.S. could be, quote, "better off not making a deal at all". Earlier, President Trump said he is not satisfied with Iran's latest proposal to end the war, even though he admits Iran has made, quote, "strides in negotiations". He said he has boiled it down to these two options.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever? Or do we want to try and make a deal? I mean, those are the options.
PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Do you want to go blast the hell out of them?
TRUMP: I prefer not. On a human basis, I prefer not. But that's the option. Do we want to go in there heavy and just blast them away? Or do we want to do something? They're a very disjointed leadership, as you can understand, Peter, very disjointed. I mean, they're not getting along with each other, and it puts us in a bad position. One group wants to make a certain deal. The other group wants to make a certain deal.
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MICHAELSON: President Trump also said he considers it to be, quote, "treasonous" for people to say that the U.S. is not winning the war with Iran.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. will be withdrawing roughly 5,000 troops from Germany over the next coming months. That's after the president said on Wednesday that his administration was reviewing pulling troops after Germany's Chancellor criticized the U.S. war with Iran. An Iranian state media on Friday published a new statement attributed to the country's Supreme Leader, who says, quote, "Iran has emerged as a military power after years of effort."
Live now to New York, we're joined by CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas, who is Director of the Counterterrorism Program at the Atlantic Council. Alex, thanks for staying up late for us. You are as plugged in as anybody. What are you hearing from your sources about this latest proposal?
ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, & COUNTERTERRORISM PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: So, what I'm hearing about the latest proposal is that it fell short on the nuclear side. There were really two pieces of the nuclear program that were of concern to the President of the United States in general. The first is the 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium that the Iranians had enriched to 60 percent, most of which is buried under Isfahan, one of the facilities inside of Iran. And the second piece is the ability to enrich uranium domestically inside of Iran.
The president originally said that there shouldn't be any enrichment at all. It seems as though there was a little give and take, and that the Iranians may have been given a 20-year moratorium, and they continue to push the envelope, looking to be able to enrich uranium sooner. And it doesn't appear that they came back with a deal that really addressed either of those issues sufficiently for the president. And so, he is, at this point, is saying that he is unwilling to accept the terms that they provided.
MICHAELSON: So then, where do we go to next? Are we talking more military strikes, or is this sort of good faith effort of what happens in a negotiation, and then there is just a back and forth?
PLITSAS: So, from what sources were telling me, they were expecting a little bit more give from the Iranians, and the counterproposal they provided that was reviewed and rejected by the White House. This has been, unfortunately, a pattern of behavior that we've witnessed right up before the war began, the last round of conflict. There was a second meeting that was in Geneva between Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and the Iranian delegation that they sent, and they were expecting, once again, for the Iranians to provide more in terms of substantive gives or concessions to order to get to the economic incentives that they were looking for, which would really be a lot for the U.S. to provide. And once again, at that point, the Iranians really didn't budge, and the president, at that point, said, look, we have no choice but to take military action.
So, unfortunately, it does raise the question at this point whether the president is going to continue the blockade and sort of bite his time, because time -- he may or may not be on his side. The Iranian certainly doesn't think they have it, and unfortunately, they think that they're winning as a result of that. Or is he going to be forced to take military action to try to change the calculus here, which is, quite frankly, on the table?
MICHAELSON: And by on the table, are we talking imminent? Are we talking this weekend?
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PLITSAS: It is entirely possible. I mean, although the president has said that the hostilities have ceased, that we're in the middle of a ceasefire at the moment, therefore the 60-day provision in the War Powers Act doesn't apply, because he is supposed to either withdraw forces or begin to do that or get permission from Congress, the forces are still forward at this point, and we've seen an air bridge of additional aircraft and resupply flights that have come in over the last 48 hours.
We are in a weekend period. The markets are closed after four o'clock. Traditionally, that is when we see action. And that is possible, because the IRGC, or the 10 percent of the military that purports to the Supreme Leader, has said to be the problems over here, in terms of not really wanting to give the civilian leadership more room to negotiate in Iran, and there has been a suggestion that, perhaps, that if you can't change the game, you need to change the players once again, and potentially that's on the table, in addition to strikes on infrastructure inside of Iran and then potentially military targets along the Strait of Hormuz.
MICHAELSON: So, are you suggesting, meaning strikes on leadership, trying to kill some of the people that they're negotiating with right now that they're frustrated by?
PLITSAS: That is what I'm hearing, is that it's potentially on the table, particularly Vahidi and his inner circle. Vahidi is the commander at this point of the IRGC. There has been assertions by the president that there is a division inside of Iran between its military and civilian leadership.
And I've heard that additionally, from sources throughout the Gulf countries nearby that have been attacked by Iran, and from other international sources, that the president is not being bombastic in the statements. That is, in fact, a reflection of reality. He has given them time, as he said, hey, I'm going to extend the ceasefire to give you time to get it together internally and come back with a counterproposal that makes sense. And it still seems as though, at this point, that the IRGC is digging in its heels and not really willing to give enough for the President of the United States to say, hey, we're going to get the nuclear concessions that we need in order to, quote, "not have to go back in three years", which was the comment that he made today. And it doesn't appear that they were willing to give him enough to ensure that that doesn't happen.
MICHAELSON: So, the U.S. Embassy in the U.K. is warning Americans of terrorist attack risks. Are Americans more at risk globally this weekend?
PLITSAS: I think there is an elevated risk in general terms for potential attacks. We've seen that in the U.K., because we just saw a stabbing attack that transpired. And so, British authorities have now reached out and sort of alerted the public to a potential increase in attacks.
At this point, it doesn't appear that the Iranians have activated networks globally in terms of imminent attacks. What we usually see from a terrorism perspective is we call the flash to bang, from the time that there is a radicalization event to where an individual witness is something that bothers them. They start to get immersed in sort of whether it is ideology or whatnot, and sort of they know they dig into that. It's about 20 months until the time they actually start to try to conduct an attack afterwards. So, it's a bit soon after the conflict here in Iran for that to take hold. And usually, we see that from the Sunni side of the equation, in terms of folks on the Wahhabis who are radicalized as individuals.
So, we're well within that window right now for potentially for Gaza, reprisals, in that sense. But it's a little early from Iran. But we'll see what happens. This has been a very radicalized event for a lot of folks across the region, particularly as you've seen it on television.
MICHAELSON: Yes, indeed. Alex Plitsas, thank you so much. Really appreciate the insight. Always great reporting from you.
Now to another breaking story we are following. Sources tell CNN that Spirit Airlines will stop operating in the coming hours. They say the closure will be effective at 03:00 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday, just a few hours from now. This comes after efforts to reach an 11th-hour bailout with the Trump administration failed to materialize. For years, Spirit thrived, thanks to ultra-low fares, but after the economic challenges of the pandemic, it never really recovered. The airline filed for a second bankruptcy last August. In late February, a deal was reached to continue operating, but the war with Iran began just days later. Since then, the price of jet fuel has nearly doubled, hurting Spirit's already narrow operating margins.
Peter Greenberg is the Travel Editor for CBS News. He joins us live now from New York. Peter, you're as plugged in as anyone on this particular topic. What are you hearing when it comes to Spirit?
PETER GREENBERG, TRAVEL EDITOR, CBS NEWS: Well, what we're hearing is exactly what you're hearing. Spirit is absolutely out of cash at this point, and they have no other assets to pledge as collateral to get additional funding. Remember, you had a situation at JetBlue recently where they were looking at a filing for bankruptcy, but they were able to pledge 20 of their jets as collateral to raise a $500 million loan that will allow them to fly through 2026, without having to file for bankruptcy. Spirit doesn't have that option. They don't own their planes. They lease their planes. They've even half of them back already, and the only assets they have are a few gate spaces and landing rights at certain airports. That's not going to help them at all.
As you say, jet fuel has jumped about 70 percent since February. Their creditors are not willing to give them any more money. That's when they went to the government to ask for the bailout. The problem with that is that what the Trump administration was offering was to buy stock warrants in the company, but they wanted to be in first position to get paid back, and the creditors are not going to let that happen.
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So, that's why the talks stalled, and that's where we are at this late hour.
MICHAELSON: Can you talk about Spirit's business model and why it became doomed recently?
GREENBERG: Yeah, because Spirit is labeled as an ultra-low-cost carrier, ULCC, as is Frontier, Allegiant, Avolon and others. The problem is, there is nothing low cost about any of those airlines anymore, because they have to pay for fuel like everybody else. Their labor costs have gone up. Other equipment costs and operating costs continue to rise, and their only competitive advantage in their financial model to get customers was what, offering low fares. Those fares were not enough to pay for those operating costs, therein the reason why they've been bankrupt twice in the last two years, and they've lost over $2.5 billion since 2020.
MICHAELSON: We're looking at the price of gas. Of course, you think of jet fuel, and how much more expensive that is as well. So, there are people watching this right now that have a ticket for a flight on Spirit upcoming. What do they do?
GREENBERG: Well, there used to be a gentleman's agreement among airlines, this is about 25 or 30 years ago, that if one airline was failing or cease to operate, the other airlines would honor those tickets. Those agreements are long since gone. However, American Airlines and Frontier have issued statements over the last 24 hours that they would help Spirit passengers with those tickets. We don't know how that will be manifested, whether there will be a fair difference based on what they're doing plus what those tickets will cost, or my guess is that if they do honor those tickets, it'll be for a very limited time, and they'll be on a standby basis only.
Now, the good news is for Spirit ticket holders, you paid for those tickets with your credit cards, and under federal credit laws, you're entitled to get a refund because you contracted for a goods or service that you did not receive. So, you'll get your money back. However, that doesn't get you where you needed to go.
MICHAELSON: And Spirit has about 14,000 employees. What happens to them?
GREENBERG: They're out of a job, and they're unemployed. There are very few assets that Spirit has. Now, the good news for their pilots is that they're trained to fly the kind of equipment that other airlines, that are their competitors, fly, if they need them. The planes that they have are leased, will come back on the market for leasing terms that may be somewhat more attractive for the leasing companies, but that doesn't benefit anybody other than those leasing companies trying to recoup their investment.
MICHAELSON: You feel for everybody impacted, especially those employees who are now out of a job and they're just doing the best that they could.
Peter Greenberg, live in New York, thank you so much. Always appreciate your perspective. Have a great weekend.
GREENBERG: You too.
MICHAELSON: Other big story today, the massive International Workers' Day or May Day rallies across the U.S., a key theme this year was rising energy prices, living costs, immigration crackdowns. Back home in Downtown L.A., thousands of people gathered to protest against immigration raids and to demand higher wages. Always, a big turnout for that one. There are also multiple protests across New York City. At this one, hundreds of people took a stand in favor of unions and against large corporations. Marchers in Washington focused on immigration and customs enforcement. At one point, some people chanted, ICE has got to go.
And in Minneapolis, organizers pushed for better wages and benefits and against immigration crackdowns. Here is what one poster had to say in South Carolina.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're here to unite as one working class, as one international working class, no divisions. We won't fall for the scapegoating of immigrant communities. We won't allow ICE to terrorize our neighbors, because an injury to one is an injury to all.
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MICHAELSON: May Day demonstrations also took place around the world, from Paris to the Philippines.
CNN's Valeria Leon has more from a protest in Mexico City.
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VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This is the biggest Labor Day protest in Mexico. Thousands of workers are marching on Reforma Avenue, the main street in Mexico City, and they are calling for higher salaries and also changes to the pension system. Part of the protesters are from the teachers union, and they are known for hard line demands, including 100 percent salary increase. Although last year, President Claudia Sheinbaum gave them a 10 percent raise, but they say that wasn't enough. Also this year, Mexico's government approved a cut to the workweek from 48 hours to 40 hours, although that will be introduced gradually through 2030. And many here have come from different parts of the country.
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And also, there are some that come from abroad, showing support for Mexican workers.
REMI DIDIER, FRENCH PROTESTOR IN MEXICO (on camera): I'm really proud to be here today with you, the Mexican workers. It's a real honor for us. We are really happy. We are not just in Mexico to visit the country. We are here to be with the people to create real international links and solidarity. We need it, because right now, the situation is quite fierce, if we look at what is happening in Iran, in Palestine, in Cuba, in all the continent, American continent, with the aggressive city of the United States government. So, for us, it's really important to create strong links together.
LEON (on camera): They are marching toward the Zocalo, the city's main center, and union leaders are saying they're considering setting up a permanent camp in the Zocalo, and with the World Cup just around the corner, this could become a much bigger problem for the government. And Mexico, it will host matches and also receive millions of visitors from around the world. So, how far this protest could go, is still unclear. But workers say that on Labor Day, this is just the beginning.
Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.
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MICHAELSON: Iranian strikes have inflicted substantial damage at U.S. bases in the Middle East.
Still ahead, a CNN investigation reveals the extent of that devastation, which has left some military sites unable to operate.
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MICHAELSON: Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi has been moved from prison to a hospital. Her foundation says she suffered a catastrophic deterioration in her health following a suspected heart attack last month. The statement says she was denied medical care for weeks, despite pleas from family and supporters. Mohammadi is one of Iran's most prominent human rights activists. She received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, partly for her fight for women's rights.
Iranian strikes have inflicted substantial damage on the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East. A CNN investigation finds that the majority of U.S. military bases in the region have been struck, and some are now practically out of commission. As Tamara Qiblawi reports, the attacks have shattered the image of U.S. invincibility among some regional allies. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER/WRITER (voice-over): Camp Buehring, Kuwait, American soldiers enjoying a karaoke night at one of the biggest U.S. military hubs in the Gulf. That was then. This is now. A once-bustling American micro city in the desert, nearly empty and heavily damaged after a weeks-long barrage of Iranian missiles and drones, one of many U.S. military facilities in the oil- rich Arabian Peninsula targeted by Iran, even as the U.S. and Israel pummeled the Islamic Republic's large arsenal.
So, what impact have Iran strikes had on America's footprint in the Middle East? A CNN investigation found evidence of unprecedented destruction. We can reveal that strikes damaged at least 16 U.S. installations across eight countries. According to our analysis and sourcing, that's the majority of American military positions in the region, and some of them are virtually unusable now.
A U.S. source familiar with the situation told us that they'd never seen anything like this at American bases, that these were rapid, targeted strikes using advanced technology. Iran's main targets, multi-million dollar aircraft, like this Boeing E-3 Sentry, which gave the U.S. a huge amount of visibility over the Gulf. It's out of production, and in today's money, it's worth nearly half a billion dollars, critical communications equipment.
Look at these giant golf balls. They're known as radomes, and they protect satellite dishes vital for data transmission. In this space alone, Iran destroyed all but one of the radomes less than a month into the war. And crucially, radar systems, highly sophisticated, expensive, difficult to replace and critical to air defense. A second U.S. source, this one, a congressional aide familiar with damage assessments described these as the most cost-effective of the targets. Our radar systems, they said, are our most expensive and our most limited resource in the region.
QIBLAWI (on camera): For U.S. allies in the region, there is a dilemma. In some ways, Iran's show of force makes the U.S.'s presence in the region even more necessary to Gulf security. But there is a new reality here, which is that U.S. military installations, previously seen as formidable fortresses, have turned into sitting targets. As a Saudi source told me, the war has shown Saudi Arabia, that's the U.S.'s longest standing Arab ally, that the alliance with the U.S. cannot be exclusive, and it is not, in their words, impregnable.
QIBLAWI (voice-over): To get a sense of just how vulnerable U.S. facilities have become, have a look at this. It's the War Room at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base, the theater command and control hub for U.S. air power across 21 nations, struck not just once, but twice, and according to a U.S. source, causing significant damage. The base had been largely evacuated at this point, and no casualties were reported. Iran's visibility over its targets has never been clearer.
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In 2024, according to the Financial Times, Tehran secretly acquired a Chinese satellite known as the TEE-01B, a massive upgrade from its own satellites. That means that Tehran went from looking at images of this quality to this. This is the first time America has fought an adversary with satellites that capture high-res imagery, almost as detailed as its own.
As the scale of the damage comes into focus, many will wonder whether America's presence, once a protective shield in the Middle East, has turned into its Achilles heel.
Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.
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MICHAELSON: So, responding to CNN's findings, a Pentagon official said that the Defense Department does not discussed damage assessments, but that U.S. forces remain fully operational with the same readiness and combat effectiveness. CNN also understands from its sources that the vast majority of U.S. troops evacuated their positions in the Middle East, with many of them now working from the relative safety of hotels and apartments in the Arabian Peninsula.
Coming up, thousands of protesters hit the streets and cities around the world. My next guest talks about May Day and the push for better working conditions. That's next.
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MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching "The Story Is". I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
A federal judge privately admonished prosecutors for attempting to grandstand during a detention hearing for the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting. The judge says she did not want the case to become a circus. According to a transcript obtained by CNN, court filings describing the shooting have been less definitive than what some Trump officials have been saying in interviews.
A federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated a nationwide requirement that abortion pills be obtained in person. The ruling restricts access to mifepristone, one of two drugs used in the medication abortions. The pill accounts for roughly two thirds of all abortions in the U.S. Mifepristone's manufacturer has asked the court to put its ruling on hold for now so it can appeal.
President Donald Trump says he considered it to be treasonous for people to say that the U.S. is not winning the war with Iran. That comment after the president notified Congress that the hostilities with Iran have terminated after a ceasefire was declared in early April. At an event in Florida on Friday night, he said, maybe the U.S. could be, quote, "better off not making a deal at all."
I'm joined now by Steven Olikara, Senior Fellow for Political Reform at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, CEO of Bridge Entertainment Labs, and co-host of "Group Chat" on 2WAY. We've got a lot of jobs. Welcome back to "The Story Is." It's great to see you --
STEVEN OLIKARA, FOUNDING CEO, BRIDGE ENTERTAINMENT LABS, & CO-HOST, "THE GROUP CHAT": Thank you. Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: -- good to have you here in Washington.
OLIKARA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: I appreciate you coming in the building.
OLIKARA: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about that polling when it comes to Iran, 61 percent disapproval at this point. We have never really seen anything this close into a war with disapproval that high.
OLIKARA: That's right. I mean, we haven't seen it, at least since the Vietnam War in 1971.
MICHAELSON: But it took some time to get to that point.
OLIKARA: It took some time, and 50,000 Americans dying to get to that point. And certainly, the Iraq war was very unpopular at similar levels. So, this is for --
MICHAELSON: After years.
OLIKARA: After years. And so, this is not good for the Trump administration. And when you look at where we are right now, I think what the American people are seeing is that there has been no change of regime. You've had Americans killed. Ships are stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, and we're still paying over a billion dollars a day. And so, I think the American people, who have been already tired of Middle Eastern wars getting out of hand, which, by the way, President Trump campaigned against these exact types of wars, you're seeing that now reflected in the polling.
MICHAELSON: So, what does President Trump do about this then?
OLIKARA: Well, he has to get a deal as quickly as he can. What he said today is he didn't like what he was seeing from the Iranians, and I think that underscores the deeper issue here, which was, in my opinion, very predictable, is that this is an asymmetric war in terms of the U.S. and Iran. And so, Iran can just continue to not lose, and continue to keep the U.S. in this fight. And so, that's where I think he is running into issues with the deal.
The other thing that's important today is that we've now hit 60 days of this war --
MICHAELSON: Right.
OLIKARA: -- and 60 days matters, because at this point, there is no question at all that is an unconstitutional, illegal war. That's based on the War Powers Act in the 1970s, passed after Vietnam. Some people look at the Constitution and say he needed congressional approval right away. Regardless of those debates, now we're at 60 days, and he needs congressional approval.
MICHAELSON: The War Powers Act says that the president can basically do almost anything he wants militarily for 60 days --
OLIKARA: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- but then needs approval of Congress. He has not asked for approval of Congress. There has not been a declaration of war so far.
Meanwhile, in the streets today, we see May Day --
OLIKARA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- and we see all of these people in the streets with different things that they're frustrated about, but sort of a reminder of just the general angst that we see, especially for about half the country. We've seen all the No Kings protests and now what's happening with May Day.
OLIKARA: Yeah, that's right, and you see the energy behind it, not just about the frustration with the war, but there is an economic populist kind of message there, and this is what I call the immune system of democracy kicking in.
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When people feel cynical and they feel like they don't have agency, to see a lot of people out on the street peacefully protesting, that's a good thing, and I would say that regardless of party. And so, not only do you see a lot of people on the street, but you see Democrats obviously having a significant advantage going into the midterms, which is why I know we'll talk about this in a little bit. I don't think Democrats need to be cheating in order to win the midterm elections.
MICHAELSON: OK. So, of course, is a transition to this topic of gerrymandering.
OLIKARA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And there is been this push, President Trump kind of started this with what happened in Texas, this push to make Texas more Republican. Then California responded to make California more democratic. Now we've seen state after state sort of go through this to try to make their particular states more partisan. I know you're from the Schwarzenegger Institute. Arnold Schwarzenegger's whole thing is terminate gerrymandering.
OLIKARA: Right.
MICHAELSON: The whole idea of getting rid of gerrymandering is something Arnold Schwarzenegger helped push for many years in many states. But it seems like it's hard to put the genie back in the bottle on this one. Huh?
OLIKARA: It definitely is. I mean, first, for context, I was part of the movement over the last 10 years to enact gerrymandering reforms, which successfully passed in a cross-partisan way.
MICHAELSON: So, why is nobody listening to you now?
OLIKARA: Well, they did at that time, and I think right now, we live in a hyper-tribal, hyper-polarized environment. It's us versus them. Anything our side does is right, anything the other side does is wrong. And in that type of environment, you can justify almost any type of political action, including, if you're the Democrats reversing on an issue like gerrymandering. And here is what happens, is people feel less represented --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
OLIKARA: -- cynicism increases, and you have a dynamic today where roughly 10 percent of Americans are electing about 90 percent of Congress, and that's due to gerrymandering as well as closed primaries, and that's why Congress feels so unresponsive. That's why Congress has a 15 percent approval rating.
MICHAELSON: Well, how do you push back on that?
OLIKARA: I think we need the kind of leadership that we probably haven't seen in a number of years. That is calling Americans to a better kind of politics. There has always been two models of politics in American history. You can either appeal to humanity's worst impulses, or you can call out our better angels, and our best leaders have been able to do the latter, and that's when you're standing on moral ground saying this is the right thing to do. And unfortunately, because of the party tribalism we see, we're just seeing a race to the bottom. And I think what Americans are looking for are politicians who are looking out for them and not the parties.
MICHAELSON: Are they, though? I mean, because if you actually look at the statistics, I don't know if that's true, and it seems like you're getting rewarded, actually, for looking out for the parties, and the people that are looking out for our moral best interests are not the people that are winning right now. I mean, who do you think in the 2028 crop actually fits the model of what you're saying, in either party --
OLIKARA: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- to do what you're talking about?
OLIKARA: I think on the Democratic side, I look at leaders like James Talarico and Ro Khanna, who are trying to reframe a set of debates as not left versus right, but the people in power, the billionaires who are dividing us against each other. That's fueling what I call the division industrial complex, this system that makes money on making people hate each other. So, you see a few leaders, but obviously most leaders are going to follow the incentives, and they're going to follow the money. And to your point, there is a lot of money in division.
And also, further to your point, a lot of these referendums to gerrymander the maps, blue states and red states. It's going to the people. And so, my message to everyone at home --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
OLIKARA: -- Democrats, Republicans, independents, we have the power --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
OLIKARA: -- to say we should have a voice in choosing our elected representatives, not the other way around.
MICHAELSON: And yet, every one of them has passed this year.
OLIKARA: So far. And so, that's what's happening right now, and we'll see where the reform movement, that I'm part of, goes after that. But I do think there will be a need and a movement for people who can actually serve the American public. And what I would also say is a country that is so cynical and when approval ratings for all politicians and institutions are so low, I do think something positive can come out of that, but it takes real leadership.
MICHAELSON: Steven Olikara, thank you for coming in.
OLIKARA: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: This is among the topics we will get into at the California governor's debate, which is going to be happening on Tuesday night on CNN. I'll be monitoring alongside Kaitlan Collins. That's Tuesday at 09:00 p.m. Eastern, 06:00 p.m. Pacific. We'll carry it on CNN, CNN app, CNN International, CNN Espanol, basically whatever language you want. We've got an option for you.
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Steven, thanks again.
OLIKARA: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Coming up, cheers and celebrations greeted a marathoner who returned to his home nation this week. Why his record-breaking run is not only the talk of his town, but also much of the world?
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MICHAELSON: It's that time of the year again, big hats and horse races. The Triple Crown season is officially underway with the Kentucky Derby starting things off in just a few hours from now.
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The favorite to win the race is Renegade, who has a five to one shot of taking the first leg of the Triple Crown. Next hour, CNN's Andy Scholes will show us some of the glamorous hats that have become a tradition at the derby. We'll talk more about that.
But now, let's talk about another great event. The people of Kenya are celebrating the man who brought them a record-setting win in London. Sabastian Sawe received a hero's welcome when he returned to Nairobi. On Friday, President William Ruto welcomed Sawe at the State House. The Kenyan runner set a new world record in the London Marathon on Sunday, in a time some thought was impossible.
CNN's Larry Madowo reports.
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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Kenya has gone all out to honor Sabastian Sawe, the first person to ever run a marathon in under two hours in an open city race. He won the London Marathon in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, and when he came back to Kenya, the president of Kenya gifted him custom plates with that time, 01:59:30. He is also getting a car of his choice and $62,000 as an extra bonus, on top of obviously everything he made from the race sponsors and for his appearance fees, and obviously for winning the marathon. He is very soft spoken and humble. This is why he said he did it.
SABASTIAN SAWE, LONDON MARATHON WINNER (Interpreted): The work I did in London was on behalf of all of us, to build our country's name, to continue shining. It is joyous for all of us. I want to say thank you, and we will continue working hard on our talents to build the country's need to remain at the top.
MADOWO (on camera): Many Kenyans are frustrated by the attention the Adidas super shoe he wore when he won the marathon. Sabastian Sawe was wearing this incredibly light, 97-gram shoe by Adidas, which is available for the public, by the way. And the person who came in second, the Ethiopian, Yomif Kejelcha, was wearing that as well. He also, in his marathon debut, ran less than two hours, just 11 seconds behind Sabastian Sawe, and the Ethiopian, Tigst Assefa, won the women's marathon wearing the same shoe. But Kenyans say it's not about the shoe, it's about the man. He has been preparing for this his entire life. He only started running marathons in 2024 in Valencia, and he has been unbeaten in every marathon since then.
These athletes are the very best in the world. I have trained with them. I have bought the shoes. I am still terrible at running, even though I am Kenyan. These Kenyans, yes, some Ethiopians as well, there is a lot of rivalry there, and more recently, some Ugandans, they train at high altitude. They watch everything they do. They log something like 20 kilometers a week while in season. This is why they are the very best in the world. If there is a marathon in your city, a Kenyan has probably won it, and that is what culminated in Sabastian Sawe running this record two-hour marathon, and he thinks maybe in the next one, he might come down to 1:58.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.
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MICHAELSON: Amazing runners, and quite an ad for that shoe as well. Thank you, Larry.
Formula One is in the U.S. this weekend for the Miami Grand Prix. F1 racers have been on extended break due to scheduling disruptions linked to the war in the Middle East. Races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled in April. Going into Sunday's race in Miami, F1 fans will be watching 19-year-old phenom Kimi Antonelli. He leads the field with 72 points, ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
CNN's Elizabeth Perez sat down with Antonelli with some big shoes to fill after taking over Lewis Hamilton's spot on the team.
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ELIZABETH PEREZ, CNN EN ESPANOL ANCHOR (on camera): You have become the youngest championship leader in the tournament. How does it feel?
KIMI ANTONELLI, DRIVER, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 TEAM (on camera): Well, I mean, it feels good, but I'm not thinking about it, to be fair. I still very early into the seasons. We still have a lot of races left. So, the goal is to try and keep and maintain, try to improve, level up, also raise the game, because, for sure, the others are going to get stronger, and we got to keep pushing, because it's still very early on, but definitely is a good position to be in, considering, as well, the car we've got at the moment, of course, I don't want to think too much about it. I want to just really focus race by race, because it's still a very long championship. But so far, it's been going good.
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MICHAELSON: Speaking of sports, in our next hour, NBA champion Derek Fisher will join us to talk about NBA basketball.
Coming up next, though, you know a tradition is popular when the United States Postal Service puts it on a stamp. Just ahead, what the honor means to the tradition of lowrider cars and how women are making the culture more inclusive.
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But we go to break with a wrap around the country, a live picture from my spot back home in Santa Monica, a rainy night on the Santa Monica Pier. Tough night to be out on that Ferris wheel. Never fun when it's raining in Southern California.
Let's go to Seattle now, where it is often raining, but not tonight. A beautiful view. Prime time in Seattle right now, 09:50, as we look at that great space needle, as we wrap up our week here live in Washington, D.C. More coverage from around the world and here in the United States next on CNN.
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MICHAELSON: Street artist Banksy has confirmed that he is behind the mysterious new statue that appeared in the heart of London this week. The sculpture shows a suited man marching off a pedestal, his face covered by a flag, apparently depicting blind patriotism. Banksy confirmed the work in a video posted online, showing it being installed during the night.
Chloe Malle was named head of Editorial Content for American Vogue last year. But unlike her predecessor, Anna Wintour, she is not known for her personal fashion look, and as CNN's Rachel Tashjian found, having her own style critiqued was a surprise.
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RACHEL TASHJIAN, CNN SENIOR STYLE REPORTER (on camera): There have been some social media posts about what you wear and your style. Some people saying it's too casual. And some of these you've shared, do you look at those things? How do you react to that?
CHLOE MALLE, HEAD OF EDITORIAL CONTENT, AMERICAN VOGUE: I do have a Google alert for my name. So, I do see when things come up. I like to know what's out there, but I'm certainly not reading comments because I think that's a dark place. But yeah, I dress different than Anna does, and maybe that's confusing for people. But I like getting dressed, and I've always been pretty consistent in the way I dress. And so, I plan to continue. The fact that that leans a bit towards if Katharine Hepburn was a librarian, is just something people are going to have to deal with.
TASHJIAN (on camera): Did someone say that?
MALLE (on camera): No, but I like that.
TASHJIAN (on camera): OK.
MALLE (on camera): It's my dream.
TASHJIAN (on camera): There was a piece on Substack that someone wrote saying that Anna was staging a style intervention for you. Is there any truth to that?
MALLE (on camera): There is not, but I'm happy to take advice --
TASHJIAN (on camera): Yeah.
MALLE (on camera): -- from Anna.
TASHJIAN (on camera): Well, she knows what she is talking about.
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MICHAELSON: CNN has a special called "Behind the Bob". The story of Anna Wintour now on the CNN app, as "The Devil Wears Prada 2" comes out in theaters. Now to this, from the streets of the southwest to the front of a
postage stamp, lowriders are driving into the national spotlight. The United States Postal Service recently launched a first-of-its-kind stamp series celebrating these customized cars.
CNN's Marybel Gonzalez takes us to Long Beach, California, where women lowriders show us how the multi-generational car culture continues to evolve.
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MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The tilt, the lean, the hops, these are lowriders, customized vintage cars with origins dating back to the 1940s, a time when Chicano communities facing discrimination and segregation wanted to be seen.
SANDY AVILA, LADY LOWRIDER CAR CLUB PRESIDENT: It was just like a statement of we're doing our own thing. We're Chicanos, and we're going to ride our cars low because we want to. When the hydraulic part came in, to be able to lift the car up so that when the police would see them, they wouldn't get pulled over for their cars being so low.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): A form of expression that never stopped evolving.
GONZALEZ (on camera): Lowrider culture has deep roots here in Los Angeles. People take a piece of history and make it their own, but now a new and powerful era is being driven by women in the front seat.
AVILA (on camera): We have an all-female car club. We're based out of Southern California.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): They call themselves the lady lowriders, women who grew up loving lowrider culture but never truly saw themselves represented in it.
GONZALEZ (on camera): When you said you grew up watching your brother do this, did you ever see a lady having her own lowrider?
MAYRA JIMINEZ, LADY LOWRIDER CAR CLUB MEMBER (on camera): You know what? No, it was more men back then. No, like, probably like the little sisters borrowing the cars. But actually, no, it was more men driving.
AVILA (on camera): A chandelier inside that actually turns on.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): They went from spectators to owners.
GONZALEZ (on camera): She is Lady Royalty.
JENNIFER PAULINO, LADY LOWRIDER CAR CLUB MEMBER (on camera): Lady Royalty. Yeah. So, I kind of wanted something royal, but something sexy at the same time.
AVILA (on camera): This is my car, my 66 Chevy Impala, named highly favored. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): There are accessories, the lights, the bucket, I try to keep as consistent to all the original parts from that era.
AVILA (on camera): This is my hydraulic setup.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): Their creative designs, turning heads at car meetups like this one.
AVILA (on camera): For us to be able to have a car club full of women, it's kind of a barrier breaker too.
GONZALEZ (on camera): And winning competition.
AVILA (on camera): And winning trophies and having nice cars, putting our hands on the bill.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): And just as the lady lowriders have earned recognition amongst their peers, so too has the car culture they are part of. The United States Postal Service is featuring lowriders in their new set of limited edition postage stamps.
PAULINO (on camera): I got teary-eyed when I saw that, to be honest with you, because I was like, wow, we're really out there.
JIMINEZ (on camera): We're accepted everywhere now.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): And these ladies are making sure their story rides along.
AVILA (on camera): The guys can do it. You can do it. We can do it. We're doing it.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): In Long Beach, California, Marybel Gonzalez.
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MICHAELSON: Way to go, ladies.
Thanks for watching the first hour of "The Story Is." The next hour starts right now.
