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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
U.S. Military Strikes Sites In Iran As Countries Exchange Fire; Officials Worldwide Scramble To Track Deadly Infections; Trade Court Rules Trump's Replacement Tariffs Illegal; One Year Since Leo XIV Elected As First American Pope. Controversy Surrounds Selection of U.S. Artist; New CNN Series Looks at South Korea's Global Influence; Review of "The Sheep Detectives", "Remarkably Bright Creatures" and "Mortal Kombat 2"; Kara Swisher Looks for Longevity in South Korea. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 08, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Great and lost if you remember him from that. Thanks for watching. Stay with us. The next hour of The Story Is starts right now.
The story is ceasefire holding. The U.S. says it is not seeking escalation after striking Iranian military facilities as a deal to end the war hangs in the balance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's very much, we hope under control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The story is hantavirus outbreak. There's a worldwide contagion, are growing despite the WHO saying this is not another pandemic. Doctor, joins me live to break down what really matters.
The story is the Olympics of the art world. My one on one conversation with Alma Allen, the artist now representing the U.S. in Venice.
And the story is one year as Pope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's brought an American flavor to the papacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: CNN's Vatican correspondent takes a look at Pope Leo XIV's first year as head of the Catholic Church.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Tonight the top story is a new exchange of fire between the U.S. and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and fresh drone and missile strikes by Iran against the United Arab Emirates.
The U.S. military says it launched self-defense strikes in four areas along the Iranian coast targeting missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations and other assets.
Central Command says the strikes are in retaliation for Iranian attacks on three U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. None of those ships were actually struck.
Iranian state media released video a short time ago claiming to show missiles launched towards U.S. ships. CNN cannot verify its authenticity or when that was recorded.
Meanwhile, Iran says it is still reviewing that one page memorandum aimed at ending the war. A response had been expected on Thursday. President Trump posting on Truth Social that Iran better get the deal signed faster will knock them out a lot harder and more violently in the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle. I'll let you know when there's no cease. You won't have to know if there's no ceasefire. You're not going to have to know. You're just going to have to look at one big glow coming out of Iran and they better sign their agreement fast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you give us an update on what is the latest in those talks?
TRUMP: No, it's going -- the talks are going very well. But they have to understand if it doesn't get signed, they're going to have a lot of pain. They're going to have a lot of pain. They want to sign I will tell you. They want to sign it a lot more than I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson starts us off live in Hong Kong. Ivan, what do we know about these new Iranian attacks on the UAE? Why are they targeting them?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know exactly why, except that the pattern has been that Iran has hit the UAE, or tried to hit it harder than any other country around the Gulf with thousands of projectiles.
All of the information we have thus far is really coming from the UAE's Ministry of Defense, which says that its air defenses are currently firing back to neutralize drones and missiles that have been fired at it.
And our own teams on the ground in the UAE have heard what they describe as fighter jets overhead. But it's important to note that just last Monday, the UAE says Iran targeted it then with more than a dozen ballistic missiles, cruise missile missiles and drones, resulting in at least three injuries.
This does not bode well for the ceasefire, which has been in effect for nearly a month, especially when you add it to the fact that there's been an exchange of fire out on the water where U.S. Central Command claims that Iran launched boats and drones and missiles at three U.S. destroyers that President Trump said were steaming out of the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz and that none of the U.S. assets, as the U.S. military put it, were hit, but that these attacks were neutralized and then that the U.S. carried out attacks, not specifying what attacks they were exactly on Iranian missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance nodes that include the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and Kashim.
Meanwhile, Iran's spokesperson for its armed forces has flipped the narrative, saying that Iran came under attack. So it launched attacks on U.S. targets kind of in the Strait of Hormuz and east of it in the Gulf of Oman.
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The most important thing, I think, or signal right now is the statements that have been coming out of the mouths of Trump administration officials where you have the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, saying that the cease fire is still into effect. This is actions of defense and President Trump himself saying that a ceasefire is in effect and he's playing down the deadly violence, that these deadly weapons that are being used, calling this a trifle or in his words, just a love tap. Elex.
MICHAELSON: So is the ceasefire still holding, then?
WATSON: The Trump administration says the war is not back on yet and still wants to keep the door open for diplomacy. President Trump is still day after day and it starting to feel like Groundhog Day is dangling. The prospects of some kind of deal with Pakistan mediating between the U.S. and Iran.
There's some big problems here, and I'd say the biggest and most glaring one is the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which was open prior to February 28th. Remember that day? That's the day that the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran, began the war, and killed Iran's supreme leader as well as a number of other top officials.
Since then, the ship traffic that used to number more than 100 ships a day has slowed to a trickle. There's one estimate, maybe only 40 ships have gone through the Strait of Hormuz over the course of this week.
A thousand trips -- ships trapped. And as long as they are trapped, as long as Iran is making it clear that it wants to oppose -- impose its will on commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, how will the U.S. unravel that and unlock the trapped energy that is driving up energy prices around the world and, and in the US.
MICHAELSON: Big, big question right now. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. Ivan, thank you so much.
President Trump says he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to relay a message about Iran to Pope Leo during their meeting at the Vatican.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you spoken to Secretary Rubio since his meeting with Pope Leo, and did you ask him to pass on a message?
TRUMP: No. I spoke to him. I just said, tell the Pope very nicely, very respectfully, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. So when he comes to their defense, also tell the Pope that Iran killed 42,000 innocent protesters who didn't have guns, who didn't have weapons. Tell that to the Pope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Rubio met with Pope Leo and other Vatican officials on Thursday on the eve of Leo's first anniversary as pontiff. The two discussed the Middle East and some of the other issues and disagreements in recent weeks that led to tension between the Trump administration and the Vatican.
They exchange gifts with Rubio acknowledging that Leo, the first American pope, is a baseball guy. Before giving him a small crystal football with the State Department seal. Pontiff gave Rubio a pen made from olive wood, which he noted is the plant of peace. Think about olive branches.
The president of Brazil says the U.S. and Brazil made an important step towards strengthening their relationship this afternoon. Lula and Trump met at the White House on Friday. They discussed a range of topics, including Brazil's vast reserves of rare earth minerals, drug trafficking, public safety and trade.
After the meeting, Lula also addressed concerns over Trump's potential plan to invade Cuba. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I believe that our relationship with Trump is a sincere one. If there is a need for Brazil to engage in dialogue with any country regarding this issue regarding American interference, whether in Cuba or in Iran, Brazil is willing to talk.
What I heard, if the translator is right, is that he said he is not thinking of invading Cuba. That was said by the interpreter and I think this is a great sign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: President Trump says he very much hopes the hantavirus outbreak is under control, adding that a full report will be released in the hours ahead. His administration is under fire from public health experts who say the government and CDC should be doing more right now.
Authorities are monitoring people and cases in all these countries that are highlighted in red. Hantavirus has killed three people, infected several others worldwide, all of them connected to a cruise ship, which you can see here on a live track to Spain. More now from CNN's Melissa Bell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After three days docked off the coast of Cape Verde, the MV Hondas is on its way to the Canary Islands, with the World Health Organization saying that it does not expect a widespread outbreak.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not SARS cov2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship.
BELL (voice-over): The first passenger died some 10 days after the ship left Argentina. The captain's announcement filmed by one of the passengers on April 12th.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, everybody. This is my sub duty to inform you that one of our passengers suddenly passed away last night.
BELL (voice-over): Only later would the virus be identified, according to Ocean Wide Expeditions, which operates the ship, at the time of the announcement, there was no evidence of a virus or contagion present on the vessel. The case was believed to be isolated following medical review. The operator adding that as of Wednesday, the man was not confirmed to have been infected with hantavirus.
The wife of the man who died was one of at least 30 passengers to disembark at St. Helena, traveling on to South Africa, where she collapsed and later died after she was taken to hospital. Several more passengers were evacuated from the ship whilst it was docked off of Cape Verde.
Two are now being treated in the Netherlands and a third in Germany after a convoy accompanied them to hospital. The ship is now on its way to Tenerife where it is expected to arrive on Sunday and where dock workers have threatened to strike.
JOANA BATISTA, TENERIFE PORT WORKERS UNION REPRESENTATIVE (through translator): Right now the workers are really worried because they basically haven't been given any information at all. They haven't been told anything about what safety measures are going to be put in place.
BELL (voice-over): But for those on board of what became the cruise from hell, the end may finally be in sight. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Want to bring in now Dr. Ravina Kullar, who is an infectious disease expert and epidemiologist. She's worked with UCLA, Cedars Sinai, the WHO, CDC, and more. Welcome. Good to have you here.
OK. For a lot of people, they maybe had never heard of this hantavirus before. Real, basically. What is it?
DR. RAVINA KULLAR. INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT AND EPIDEMIOLOGIST: Yes. Thank you, Elex, for having me on. So hantavirus is a RNA virus. Typically someone that's going to get antivirus, they're going to come in contact with an infected rodent and they're going to inhale infected. They're going to inhale feces or some secretions. And so it's through the aerosolized part of that that where they're going to --
MICHAELSON: So that's what we think happened on this cruise ship, right?
KULLAR: That's correct.
MICHAELSON: These passengers, which you call passenger zero --
KULLAR: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- and patient zero --
KULLAR: Patient zero. Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- and patient one are somehow probably with, you know, rodent feces.
KULLAR: Yes. Yes.
MICHAELSON: And that transpense it through the air.
KULLAR: Correct.
MICHAELSON: And this thing's pretty deadly, right?
KULLAR: Yes, this carries a 40 percent mortality rate.
MICHAELSON: 40 percent.
KULLAR: That's huge. I mean, what happens is that this virus, someone that's going to acquire hantavirus, is that they're going to display signs and symptoms of the flu. They're going to have a fever, they're going to have muscle aches, they're going to have diarrhea.
But what eventually kills the individual is that they're going to -- their lungs are going to fill up with fluid. And typically these patients are going to go into the ICU, they're going to be on a ventilator. But 40 percent is a huge mortality rate --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KULLAR: -- and that's very scary.
MUCHAELSON: Yes, four out of people who get this die.
KULLAR: Yes.
MICHAELSON: So how long is the process, the incubation period?
KULLAR: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Because that's important here.
KULLAR: Yes. So incubation period is how long it takes for an individual to develop the symptoms. It can take up to eight weeks for someone to develop symptoms.
MICHAELSON: Up to eight weeks. Somebody may have gotten this on the cruise ship, and we don't even know that they got it for eight weeks.
KULLAR: That's correct. And so what my concern is that about two weeks ago, over two dozen individuals disembarked this cruise ship. And they're dispersed throughout about 12 countries. And we don't know where these individuals are.
And just contact tracing started about four or five days ago. So it's so critical now that the different government agencies really track these individuals, see where they've been, who they've been in contact with. And these next 48 to 72 hours is honestly so critical.
MICHAELSON: Is it too late on some of the contact tracing?
KULLAR: I hope not. You know, we can -- I don't think it is. I think, you know, government officials are doing all that they can to really track these individuals down, quarantine them, really find out where they were, who they came into contact with.
Something to keep in mind is that, I know it seems like a lofty feat, contact tracing. How do you really track these individuals, see where they've been? You know, we were contact tracing for decades, and so these agencies, they know how to deal with these outbreak situations, and so they're very well equipped to contact, trace and figure out what's going on, where these individuals are.
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MICHAELSON: So a lot of people when they hear this, the first thing they're going to think about is COVID.
KULLAR: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Here we go again. What's different about hantavirus versus COVID-19?
KULLAR: Yes. So hantavirus versus COVID-19. Let's think about first of all, mortality. Mortality rate is a lot higher with hantavirus --
MICHAELSON: A lot higher.
KULLAR: -- versus COVID. COVID about 1 percent, maybe a little less than 5 percent. Hantavirus 40 percent. Now COVID patients can acquire COVID and be asymptomatic and they can still be contagious. Hantavirus, it requires someone to be symptomatic and to be in very close proximity to other individuals for extended period of time. That's not what we saw with COVID.
So that's something to really keep in mind. And hantavirus has been around for 30 years. COVID was new SARS-CoV-2 is a completely new virus. There's a publication that came out really discussing the 2018 outbreak that happened in Argentina with hantavirus. There were 34 confirmed cases, 11 people died.
And that's where we get the most information about this virus is that what happened was that there was close proximity. There was a birthday event. There was also a wake and individuals were affected, were infected and that's how it became a super spreader event. So just coming in very close proximity.
MICHAELSON: And is there a cure to hantavirus if you get it? Is there some pill you can take or something?
KULLAR: There's unfortunately no cure, there's no vaccine, just symptomatic relief by going in -- being hospitalized, being on a ventilator, getting symptomatic relief in that way. But there is currently no cure or no vaccine to prevent you from getting the virus.
MICHAELSON: It sounds like it's if somebody potentially has it, it's really important to stay away from them.
KULLAR: It sure is. That's why quarantine is so important and contact tracing is too.
MICHAELSON: Dr. Ravina Kullar, thank you for joining us for the first time here on The Story Is really appreciate your expertise --
KULLAR: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: -- and I feel like I know a lot more now after talking with you. An artist who has who was once homeless will represent the United States at a major art event in Venice. Still ahead, sculptor Alma Allen joins us live. Talk about his surprising shot to fame.
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[01:21:37]
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaels and let's take a look at today's top stories. President Trump says the Iran ceasefire is still in effect despite new strikes by both sides. Iran has yet to respond to a one page memorandum aimed at ending the war.
President Trump says Iran better sign the deal fast or the US Military will knock him out a lot harder and more violently in the future.
The Federal trade court has struck down President Trump's 10 percent across the board tariffs. Judges of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Trump lacked the legal justification to enact the policy. They ordered him to cease collecting money and refund prior payments to the plaintiffs. The administration is expected to appeal. President Trump says his chief of staff is decisively winning her battle with cancer. In a video message, he praised Susie Wiles courage and toughness, adding that it was an early diagnosis and she's expected to be OK.
Wiles told a women forum that she's still going to work every day and will not be leaving anytime soon.
Pope Leo is marking one year since his historic election, becoming the first American Pope. The past 12 months have seen the pontiff grow from a low profile cardinal to one of the most recognizable figures on the planet. CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb reports from the Vatican.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One year ago, the cardinals of the Catholic Church made history, electing the first American Pope, Leo XIV. Born in Chicago, now on the chair of St. Peter.
During these first 12 months, Leo has emerged as a gentle but steady leader at a time of turbulence and a thorn in the side of the White House.
POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH LEADER: War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading.
LAMB (voice-over): Speaking out forcefully against the war in Iran and riling President Donald Trump telling CNN how he wanted the conflict to end.
POPE LEO XIV: I'm told that President Trump recently stated that he would like to end the war. Hopefully he's looking for an off ramp.
LAMB (voice-over): The president responding with an extraordinary broadside. But Leo seemingly unfazed.
POPE LEO XIV: I have no fear of neither the Trump administration.
LAMB (voice-over): Continuing to speak out forcefully during his visit to Africa, cementing himself as a global leader and a counterweight to the U.S. president. An American pope formed in Peru, spending years among the poor and marginalized in Latin America. A bridge builder and unifier and not someone looking for a fight. Those who know him best say he hasn't changed.
LAMB: I'm just curious, you know, a year on since Leo's election, is the pope still the same to you?
FATHER JOSEPH FARRELL, HEAD OF AUGUSTINIAN ORDER AND FRIEND OF POPE LEO: He is, yes. He still has a wonderful sense of humor. He is untiring energy. It still is a bit unbelievable to see him and yet it makes so much sense for us.
One of our friars says to me it looks like he went to pope school. LAMB (voice-over): But global conflicts are weighing heavily on the pontiff.
FARRELL: His response has been very clear. I have felt very clear that the way towards resolution of finding solutions is not with arms, it's not with weapons.
[01:25:05]
It's to be disarmed and disarming.
LAMB (voice-over): And the Trump administration appears keen to mend some diplomatic fences. With Secretary of State Marco Rubio sitting down with the pope on Thursday, Leo has adopted his own style as pope, more formal than his predecessor and now living in the Apostolic Palace, but pushing ahead on Pope Francis' priorities on immigration and against capital punishment.
POPE LEO XIV: It is essential to honor the dignity and freedom of all God's children, both men and women, fellow nationals and foreigners, poor and rich. We are all children of God. And this has personal, social and political implications.
LAMB (voice-over): He's brought an American flavor to the papacy. Whether it's joking about baseball results being handed deep dish pizza or his favorite candy peeps. The early months have seen him adjust to his extraordinary new role.
And Leo, at 70, can afford to play the long game. But on his one year anniversary, he's a pope who has established himself with a quiet presence and a strong message. Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: One of the world's most recognized experts on the natural world is celebrating a milestone birthday. Sir David Attenborough turns 100 years old Friday. The iconic natural historian and broadcaster said he's been completely overwhelmed by the birthday greetings he offered.
Thanks to everyone who sent him messages ranging from celebrities to preschoolers to care home residents. Over more than seven decades of documentary filmmaking, Attenborough has become one of the voices most associated with the stories of nature.
Still ahead, sculptor Alma Allen joins us to talk about his role representing the U.S. at a major art event in Venice, Italy.
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[01:31:19]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: No Putin in Venice. No Putin in Venice. No Putin in Venice. No Putin in Venice. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Protesters there chanting "No Putin in Venice" as they push back against Russia's return to the city's premier art event. The anti-Kremlin punk group Pussy Riot led the rally in Venice for a second straight day on Thursday.
Russia is allowed to participate in the Venice Biennale this year for the first time since it invaded Ukraine. The organizers have been catching flak for that decision, including from the Italian government and the European Union.
But the chairman of the event said art should be a neutral space for dialog, free from censorship.
The U.S. exhibit also has its share of controversies in the run up to the event, which is known as the Olympics of the art world.
Each country selects an artist to represent them on the world stage. In the U.S., the selection is usually led by the National Endowment of the Arts, which has been gutted by the Trump administration.
So this year the State Department directly chose sculptor Alma Allen, prompting a flurry of headlines asking who he is.
Allen is originally from Utah, currently living in Mexico, and he is the first self-taught artist to represent the U.S. there. His exhibition, called "Call me the Breeze", includes works inspired by the natural geological formations of the Americas.
For more on that exhibit, we are joined live by the artist himself, Alma Allen, who is in Venice, where the whole event is opening up on Saturday.
Good morning to you. Thanks for being with us.
ALMA ALLEN, ARTIST REPRESENTING THE U.S. IN VENICE BIENNALE: Hello. Hi.
MICHAELSON: What does it mean to you to be selected to represent the United States on the global stage like this?
ALLEN: It's, of course, an interesting, um, many of my artists that I've learned so much from their own work have represented the United States at the -- in Venice. So following in their footsteps has been amazing.
MICHAELSON: You're a sculptor. We're looking at some of your work right now. What is your message with this show, "Call Me the Breeze"? Describe sort of what you want the viewer to take away.
ALLEN: I made a show that's about my personal interests. I've been making work about the cycle of life from beginning to the end. And perhaps again -- as a wheel. And I was influenced -- on my first visit to Venice, there's a painting by Hieronymus Bosch called "Visions of the Hereafter", where the transition of the soul into the afterlife through a portal. And I've made a portal before.
So I brought my portal that I made 15 years ago into the exhibition, and in my own small way, recreated using works that I had made over many years. My version of that idea.
MICHAELSON: Do you think that --
(CROSSTALKING)
[01:34:42]
ALLEN: And so it's a personal show.
And not necessarily -- I wasn't given any direction to make a show about anything in particular. So I made the show that I wanted to make.
MICHAELSON: What a great thing to be able to do that. Do you think at this moment that artists are under attack politically?
ALLEN: They attack me, maybe, but I don't know that all artists are.
MICHAELSON: You feel like you're under attack.
ALLEN: There's been hundreds of negative news articles saying I was the wrong choice or that I'm not a political artist in the correct manner, when in fact, I've really never felt or made a piece of art about politics directly because my interest is in being alive in a different kind of way maybe.
MICHAELSON: So what do you say to those critics?
ALLEN: I don't know, they have their -- they everyone makes up their own mind about what they want to feel and think and be. I try to leave that open in my work that people see it and have their own experience.
I don't title the work with the intention that each person comes anew to it and makes their own mind up.
MICHAELSON: Your past is unique. You grew up in Utah. You sold your works on the streets of New York, and now you're living and working in Mexico. How has all of that sort of shaped who you are, and the kind of work that you're expressing?
ALLEN: Well, I guess it's that I've just always kind of done what came naturally to do. I ended up selling them -- my work on the streets in New York because I was desperate for money as many of us are. And I had been in an accident and I had nothing else I could sell.
I live in Mexico because I love living in Mexico. And my wife decided we would move there. So I just sort of lived the life of trying to do the thing that felt natural.
MICHAELSON: And -- and this obviously --
(CROSSTALKING) MICHAELSON: -- this whole experience obviously has changed your life. What's next for you after this? And how has this experience maybe been a fork in the road for you?
ALLEN: Well, I'm going to -- I was planning to sail my sailboat from Mexico to the Mediterranean this year, and I can't because of the show.
So I'm going to do that after the show next year. So I'm going to go sailing and be disconnected for many months from anything besides what it takes to sail.
MICHAELSON: That sounds pretty nice. Congratulations on the show. Best of luck with all of it. And we really appreciate you taking a moment to talk with us.
ALLEN: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Alma Allen, thank you so much.
ALLEN: Thank you very much. Ok.
MICHAELSON: Venice is also the site for a unique display of a famous Banksy mural. "Migrant Child" is moving through the city's canals on a boat on view for residents Friday and Saturday. That artwork was removed from its original location for restoration after humidity and flooding damaged it.
The new owners are restoring the entire building where the mural was initially installed. It will be returned when the restoration is complete next year.
THE STORY IS from award winning movies to beauty and music, South Korea has exploded into a cultural superpower.
In a new "CNN ORIGINAL SERIES: K-EVERYTHING", actor Daniel Dae Kim looks at how South Korea has become the ultimate influencer around the world.
He spoke with our Lynda Kinkade about some of what he has discovered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL DAE KIM, HOST/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "K-EVERYTHING": I asked the same five questions after every interview, whether it was on camera or off camera of every interviewee.
And you know, I asked them, name five things that characterize Korean culture. And the thing I was most surprised by was that there was only one answer that every single person said, and that answer was competitive.
And --
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Wow. KIM: Yes. And when you think about that idea across the country, you
realize why it became so successful, but also why, you know, it can be tough to make a living or raise a family because everyone is focused on achievement there.
And so, it's a double-edged sword, but we get to reap the benefits of a culture that's doing amazing things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:39:44]
MICHAELSON: In the premiere episode of "K-EVERYTHING", Daniel Dae Kim explores Korea's booming music industry with PSY, a member of K-Pop royalty known for "Gangnam Style", and steps inside the studio behind Korea's biggest hits.
"K-EVERYTHING" premieres Saturday on CNN International. Viewers in the U.S. can also stream it on the CNN app.
A German tourist has been awarded more than $1,100 after he couldn't find a sun lounger around the hotel pool while vacationing in Greece. The man claims the loungers were unavailable even as early as six in the morning, and so he and his family were forced to lay their towels on the ground.
The traveler says he paid around $8,500 for an 11-day trip. Judges ruled in the man's favor against the tour operator, saying the family's needs were repeatedly unmet.
Soaring gas prices have got drivers looking for ways to save at the pump. Here in California, gas averaging $6.16 a gallon.
So when the Las Vegas Tourism Bureau appeared at an L.A. area gas station Thursday covering the costs of a fill up, people were thrilled.
Drivers wait in long lines for a chance to win free gas and gift cards from Visit Las Vegas. The giveaways were part of an effort to get southern Californians to make the drive to the city this summer.
Part of the reason they're working on high-speed rail to go from L.A. to Vegas to make it where you don't even have to drive.
Thanks for watching THE STORY IS with me.
For our international viewers, "WORLDSPORT" is next. For our viewers here in North America, I'll be right back with Grae Drake with a look at three new movies that all have pretty familiar storylines. Grae joins us when we come back.
[01:41:30]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our shepherd was murdered and we shall solve the crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That was a quick peek at "The Sheep Detectives": a new murder mystery that hits theaters this weekend. It follows a flock of sheep who become detectives to solve a crime in their village.
The movie features an all-star cast, including Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson.
Film critic extraordinaire, Grae Drake of cbr.com is here to help us figure out what to watch, what to skip this weekend.
Grae, welcome back to THE STORY IS.
GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, CBR.COM: Hello.
MICHAELSON: I feel like this movie is either brilliant or awful, like there's no in between.
DRAKE: You know what? If anybody dare say that this movie's mutton special, I would say you are wrong.
I loved this movie.
MICHAELSON: Loved it?
DRAKE: Loved. It's so sweet. It is just the total right vibe for Mothers' Day weekend here in the states.
Hugh Jackman spends every night reading murder mysteries to his flock of sheep, ok. So they're experts in solving crimes. And sadly, Hugh Jackman --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: He gets killed.
MICHAELSON: Not yes. But nobody wants that for Hugh Jackman.
DRAKE: I know.
You were just affirming that you know that's what happened.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Ok.
DRAKE: And who's going to solve this? Not the cops. It's the sheep. And they're really not bad detectives. It's such a great. This is great.
It is shocking how that I'm saying a movie about sheep detectives is great.
MICHAELSON: Yes. DRAKE: But it is.
MICHAELSON: Ok.
DRAKE: Can't lose.
MICHAELSON: Can't lose.
So then there's, what is this -- "Remarkably Bright Creatures".
DRAKE: Oh, Sally Field is sad.
I just can't handle watching her be so sad. And in this film, she is a nighttime janitor at an aquarium. And there is a very peculiar octopus that she's very friendly with.
And the octopus is kind of watching her go through all of these life things, including actor Lewis Pullman coming in and helping her clean and they don't get along.
And the octopus is narrating this Netflix film, and it gets weirder and weirder.
But this one is so emotional. It is one of the saddest movies that I've seen in a while. I couldn't handle it.
MICHAELSON: Too sad.
DRAKE: Oh, God.
MICHAELSON: Not in a good way.
DRAKE: I was very affected by it and so I would say proceed with caution if you're feeling emotionally vulnerable like me because -- wow.
MICHAELSON: So who is a better actor? The octopus or Sally Field?
DRAKE: How dare you. Sally Field with only four limbs is still more amazing than eight legs of octopus.
MICHAELSON: Much better than an octopus. Ok. But sometimes those things can really pack an emotional punch, right.
DRAKE: Oh my God. It really --
MICHAELSON: Reminds me of "Project Hail Mary", right?
DRAKE: Yes.
MICHAELSON: How powerful --
DRAKE: A rock.
MICHAELSON: -- a rock could be. So --
DRAKE: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- yes, good movie makers.
"Mortal Kombat 2".
DRAKE: Perfect movie for Mothers' Day. This --
MICHAELSON: "Mortal Kombat" yes.
DRAKE: This sort of reboot movie came out in 2021, and this is the sequel to that.
MICHAELSON: Ok.
DRAKE: Now, that one was good, but it was missing a lot of the main characters that we know from the video game. So they fixed that in this one. That was always the plan.
So we've got like Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. And I loved playing the video game when I was a kid. And this movie like really brings back to life all of those really gory, bloody, crazy memories. So good, I guess.
It's really inventive and it's imaginative. And like I said, like people getting their fingers hacked off and they're getting sliced up by fans.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: "Mortal Kombat" is really cool.
MICHAELSON: So this is -- is this more sad than the octopus thing? Yes.
DRAKE: I was feeling very vulnerable. "Mortal Kombat 2" actually was so good, it made me wonder if I'm an inherently violent person.
MICHAELSON: Ok.
Well, you do love those horror movies too.
DRAKE: Fight.
[01:49:44]
MICHAELSON: There you go. I love it.
Meanwhile, in the streaming world, I just want to say something I'm really enjoying, "ROOSTER" on HBO Max.
DRAKE: Oh, yes.
MICHAELSON: Have you seen that show? It's really, really good and sweet and funny, and I'm enjoying that a lot.
You have another favorite streaming show right now. DRAKE: Boy, I mean that's a really good one. I'm still puzzled by "DTF SAINT LOUIS".
MICHAELSON: Oh, that was -- that's a weird --
DRAKE: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
But good but weird.
DRAKE: I'm trying to figure it out. But David Harbor -- really a lot of Emmy buzz for him already.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And those are both on HBO Max, which is the same parent company of CNN. We didn't do that on purpose.
DRAKE: We didn't plan it.
MICHAELSON: But if the bosses want to send a little something- something our way, go for it.
DRAKE: Yes. You know.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: Ethics -- I'm a movie critic.
MICHAELSON: Grae, great to see you. Thank you so much.
When we come back. Kara Swisher heads to South Korea on her search for longevity, where a lifelong friend share their secrets.
Stay with CNN.
[01:50:38]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Kara Swisher travels to South Korea to uncover its secret to longevity. Is it universal health care, smarter diet, cutting edge technology? She joins a group of friends for a picnic and some insight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARA SWISHER, HOST: She's invited me to one of her regular get- togethers with her friends by the Han River.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks delicious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bon appetit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is called jeolpyeon. It's rice cake. SWISHER: And you're all friends?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've known each other for more than 40 years.
SWISHER: 40 years. Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These ladies are irreplaceable in my life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm the big softie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's my older brother's daughter-in-law.
SWISHER: This is a real posse of ladies. Korean women will be living the longest. Why do you think that is?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm with friends laughing all day. There's no time for sickness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since we have joy, we become more generous and feel younger. We don't really grow old.
SWISHER: It sounds like your minds are still young too. You look pretty good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: I love that. And how about the laughter?
Don't miss the next episode of CNN's "KARA SWISHER WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER", Saturday at 9:00 p.m. on the East Coast. And the next day on the CNN app.
Thanks so much for watching THE STORY IS.
I'm Elex Michaelson. I'll see you tomorrow with more.
The news continues right here on CNN after the break.
[01:56:22]
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