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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Voter-Approved Map; Democrats Losing Ground In National Redistricting Race; U.S., Iran Trade Strikes Despite Ceasefire Still In Effect. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 09, 2026 - 01:00 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: -- K-Everything premiering Saturday on CNN International, and for U.S. viewers on the CNN app.
Thanks for watching this hour of "The Story Is". The next hour starts right now.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Story Is", control of Congress, the Virginia Supreme Court giving Republicans a big win in the redistricting fund. Ron Brownstein with us live to break down what's next.
"The Story Is", the Hantavirus, countries around the world now monitoring cruise ship passengers for potential infections.
And "The Story Is", the NBA Playoffs. Former NBA star Baron Davis here live to analyze a busy night of basketball.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles. "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: And thanks for watching "The Story Is". I'm Elex Michaelson, 10:00 p.m. here in Los Angeles. And "The Story Is", the redistricting battle that is raging across the United States. The Virginia state Supreme Court has delivered a huge blow to Democrats by striking down their redistricting plan that voters approved a few weeks ago. That plan could have helped Democrats win as many as four more House seats. The state's high court ruled Friday that the process of creating the referendum violated the state constitution. State Democrats say they intend to appeal the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Trump took to social media to celebrate the decision, calling it a huge win for the Republican Party and America and Virginia.
CNN's Arlette Saenz has more on the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The Virginia Supreme
Court delivered a major setback to Democrats, as they waged this redistricting battle that was started by President Donald Trump, heading into the midterm elections. The state Supreme Court ruled that they would block the Democratic-drawn maps which Virginia voters had approved in late April that could have netted the party an additional four U.S. House seats from Virginia. The state Supreme Court ruled that the creation of the referendum on these maps violated the state's Constitution. That is because the law requires that the General Assembly in Virginia vote two times on any proposed constitutional amendments that they are sending to voters in a referendum with an intervening general election in between.
Republicans had argued that the very first vote that the General Assembly took on this referendum in mid-October of last year took place while a general election was already underway, including in the race for governor in the state. The state Supreme Court agreed with that matter. Now, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said that they will try to pursue every avenue possible to try to overturn this ruling from the state Supreme Court, but it's unclear what those legal avenues might be for Democrats moving forward.
But big picture here, this is a major blow for Democrats, as they've been engaged in this back and forth redistricting war with Republicans that spanned across the country. As of right now, Republicans have an eight-seat advantage in this redistricting battle, and there is a potential that that could expand even more. There have been a slate of states across the south who have said that they're considering redrawing their congressional maps in the wake of a Supreme Court decision just last week that had invalidated a majority minority district in Louisiana. That is one of the states considering redrawing their congressional maps, as well as Alabama and South Carolina. Tennessee has already done that this week in their state assembly.
But this is really going to present a challenge for Democrats going forward into these midterm elections. Democrats still believe that they have the political advantage on their sides when it comes to winning back the majority in the U.S. House. They are hoping to tap into that frustration with President Donald Trump and with the way that the economy is proceeding, and also the historical trends that typically the party that is in power does not do well in these midterm elections. But every single congressional seat will count, and it appears right now that at least on the redistricting front, Republicans do have the upper hand.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.
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MICHAELSON: Arlette, thank you.
For more now on the southern state of Alabama's redistricting fight ahead of the midterm elections, Republican state officials filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday. They want justices to return to a state congressional map that has just one majority black district. The hope is to stop a lower court ruling that blocks the use of a more diverse 2023 map. The effort was reignited after last week's ruling on Louisiana's map severely weakened the landmark "Voting Rights Act" of 1965.
Joining me now to talk about all of this is CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein. Ron, we're going to talk about this short term versus long term. But let's start with the short term.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, & COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG OPINION: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Who is the winner short term?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. Well, for the 2026 election, there is no question that the last couple of weeks have tilted the equation toward the Republicans.
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A couple of weeks ago, this looked like -- this whole redistricting battle looked like it was going to be a wash, but we had the combination of two events. The Republican-appointed majority on the U.S. Supreme Court basically greenlit red Republican-controlled southern states to undertake a historic erasure of black political power across the region, which will net several more seats for the Republicans, as Arlette noted. And then you have the Virginia state Supreme Court today blocking state Democrats from doing their own redistricting.
Now, you add it all up, Republicans may end up with as many as a 10- seat advantage from redistricting by itself. That's probably not enough to save the House majority if President Trump's approval rating doesn't improve between now and November, but it certainly makes things a lot closer, a lot dicier, and a lot more uncertain for Democrats.
MICHAELSON: Do you think there is any chance that the U.S. Supreme Court steps in to overturn what the Virginia Supreme Court just did and put the other map forward?
BROWNSTEIN: There is not a lot of history of this Republican majority on the Supreme Court, particularly on election law, taking steps that go against the interest of the Republican Party, it would be surprising. I mean, you have this enormous contradiction unfolding right now where, basically, the Virginia state Supreme Court said this could not go forward because the legislature acted after votes were already being cast in the 2025 election. Well, today, Louisiana is throwing out, invalidating, basically incinerating, ballots that have been cast right now in their primary to throw it all out and start again with their own redistricting. So, it's just an incredible contrast there. But I think most people be surprised that this Supreme Court steps in.
MICHAELSON: Although this Supreme Court did side with California Democrats and against Republicans who were trying to throw out the map that California Democrats passed here in California.
BROWNSTEIN: They were kind of locked in, right, Elex --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
BROWNSTEIN: -- because they were locked in because it was their decision in 2019 that said that -- concluded that --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
BROWNSTEIN: -- partisan gerrymandering was not subject to the decisions by the courts, federal courts.
MICHAELSON: All right. So, we talked about the short-term impact. It's definitely helping Republicans --
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- short term. Long term, does it help Republicans or Democrats, or is it a wash?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. I think it's going to be a wash. I think the partisan impact will be minimal, and the civic damage to the country will be enormous. Most people, I think, don't recognize that if you look at the 25 states that voted three times for Donald Trump, which are basically the red states, they control 185 congressional seats. The 19 states that voted three times against Donald Trump, they also control 185 congressional seats.
And while it's too late for other states to act now, if the Republican-controlled red states in the south go ahead with erasing these black congressional districts to a degree we have not seen since the unraveling of Reconstruction in the 19th century and the imposition of Jim Crow segregation, the pressure on blue states to respond, on New York, on New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, if they win control -- unified control of the state legislature this year, that's just going to be enormous.
So, you're going to end up in a situation, I think, where there is going to be, in the end, very little part as an advantage in the long term, even there is in the short term an advantage, for Republicans, but the civic damage to the country is going to be enormous, because basically, you will be hardening the partitioning of the country into two seemingly irrevocably hostile blocks of red and blue states, and you'll be systematically eliminating Republicans in blue states, Democrats in red states, and those are often the voices that advocate for compromise, bipartisan agreement. You're just kind of carving out the middle of the Congress and the country in a way that ultimately, I think is going to produce very little partisan advantage for either side.
MICHAELSON: So, the Democrats, before this whole thing started, had tried to push a gerrymandering bill to basically --
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- make gerrymandering illegal. Republicans did not vote for that, and that's part of what's allowed this whole thing to unfold the way it has. Do you think if everything you just said happens that maybe a couple years from now --
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- where we're in this sort of paralyzed partisan world, that maybe there is some sort of national gerrymandering reform that both parties could get behind it?
BROWNSTEIN: In a rational world, that would be where this would end up. I mean, in 2021, the House passed a bill that had national standards that restricted partisan gerrymandering and also established in demand independent redistricting commissions in all the states. The Senate, that year that Joe Manchin compromised, dropped the commissions but kept the national standards. I mean, neither party, in the end, is going to gain a lot from this at least in the near term.
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Maybe after 2030, Republicans could gain more.
But the cost to the country of this is just enormous in all of these different ways, erasing minority political power at a time when minorities are providing almost all of the population growth in the states that are wiping out these districts, hollowing out the middle in Congress, basically perverting the idea of what the founders wanted for the House.
Read The Federalist Papers, Federalist 52. James Madison writes about how the House should be the closest to the people. Now it is going to be an utterly inflexible institution in which no matter what's going on in the country, no matter how angry voters are, there is going to be very little opportunity for them to punish the party in power or reward the party in power. It's all going to be locked in. This is ultimately a loser for the country. I don't think it's a clear winner for either party.
And in a rational world, both parties would kind of walk away from the brink at some point and say, let's just stop everybody from doing this, because one thing we've learned, when you can't do it on a state level, if blue states are the only ones doing it and red states are not, ultimately, you're going to see a lot of those blue state compromises reforms undone, as we've seen in California this year.
MICHAELSON: Yeah, and in the 80s, then-Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill, used to say that all politics is local --
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- which used to be the way it worked for the House, but under this system, that is no longer true. All politics is national and all politics is partisan.
Ron Brownstein, thank you for joining us. Appreciate it, as always. Have a great weekend, my friend.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me. MICHAELSON: President Trump, on Friday, says he doesn't know anything about whether he is going to get rid of his Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary. This comes after CNN reported that Trump signed off on Makary's firing and made criticism of his management of the agency. Aides and outside allies have criticized him on several issues, including his handling of an effort to further limit access to the abortion pill.
U.S. is expecting a response from Iran soon on its proposal to end the 10-week conflict. A fragile ceasefire remains in place, but both sides have continued to exchange fire around the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. military said Friday it disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers trying to bypass its blockade. This as President Trump considers resuming the short-lived operation called Project Freedom that guided ships through the waterway.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Project Freedom is good. We were asked not to do that by Pakistan, who is our friend, as you know, the Prime Minister and the Field Marshall. But I think Project Freedom is good, but I think we have other ways of doing it also. We may go back to Project Freedom if things don't happen, but it would be Project Freedom plus, meaning Project Freedom plus other things.
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MICHAELSON: CNN's Nic Robertson explains why the U.S. may be targeting certain Iranian facilities near the Strait of Hormuz.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): If you look at the range of things that the U.S. Navy, Air Force, military targeted last night when its three guided missile destroyers were attacked going through the Strait of Hormuz, it wasn't just the missiles, the missile launch places, the drones, the drones launch sites, but it was communications hubs, intelligence nodes, reconnoitering, lookout-type places. It was a whole range, a whole package of things that were in that very key area.
And when you get a range of targets like that, they don't just snap out of the air just because a couple of boats are being targeted. The boats were targeted, as was explained by CENTCOM, but CENTCOM had a target list that it wanted to go for in that area, not just defeating the threat, clearly defeating the threat, but making it hard for the Iranians to use those same positions again in the Strait of Hormuz to target vessels going through. So, what is that? That's a shaping operation. That's an operation that makes it easier next time you try to carve out and deny another chunk of the Strait of Hormuz for Iranian control.
This could be a very slow process or a shaping process ahead of a much bigger military operation, although there is no indication the White House is going for that. They're trying to give time for the talks. But eventually they may conclude that Iran actually isn't going to go for the talks in the way they want. So, all of that will add up. So, yes, it's knife edge and dangerous, but it paints a picture of what may come.
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MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Nic Robertson for that.
A three-day ceasefire is in effect in Ukraine, as Russia prepares to mark the Soviet Union's victory back in World War II. President Trump announced the truce on Friday.
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TRUMP: I asked, and President Putin agreed, President Zelenskyy agreed, both readily, and we have a little period of time where they're not going to be killing people.
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That's very good. They also agreed to give 1,000 on each side, 1,000 prisoners back. So, they're going to be transferring, almost immediately, 1,000 prisoners from each side. That's very good, Russia and Ukraine. I'd like to see a big extension.
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MICHAELSON: With the ceasefire in place, Russia is set to hold its traditional parade in about two hours, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, but the annual parade is scaled down this year without the usual display of military hardware. Instead, the event will mainly include Russian troops, which you can see here practicing earlier this week. Kremlin says all that's because of what it calls current operational situation. All this happening as Ukraine is stepping up drone attacks deeper inside Russia.
After the break, the cruise ship, at the center of a Hantavirus outbreak, is making its way to the Canary Islands. What's next for the passengers? And the crew still stuck on board.
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MICHAELSON: The cruise ship at the center of a deadly Hantavirus outbreak is expected to arrive in Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday. The 17 Americans on board will be transported to a quarantine unit at a Nebraska Medical Center, where the CDC will monitor them for symptoms. Doctors say it can take up to eight weeks after exposure for antivirus symptoms to appear. As health officials worldwide scramble to track the outbreak, President Trump says the situation here is under control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: We seem to have things under very good control. They know that
virus very well. It's been around a long time, not easily transferable, unlike COVID, but we'll see. We're studying it very close. We have very good people studying it very closely.
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MICHAELSON: CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest on the operation to transport the ship's American passengers.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): There are an estimated 17 Americans on board the cruise ship, according to Oceanwide Expeditions, its operator, and we have learned that the plan has two steps. The first step involves Centers for Disease Control staffers traveling to the Canary Islands to meet the cruise ship when it arrives at the Spanish archipelago and then escort the American passengers back to the United States aboard a charter flight. This is what four sources familiar with the plan told CNN.
According to one of those sources, the charter is a specialized aircraft with a biocontainment unit, like the ones used during COVID- 19 evacuations. The second step, according to two sources, involves a team being dispatched to meet those returning American passengers in Nebraska, where it's expected they will be placed into quarantine to ensure the virus doesn't have a chance to spread. Why Nebraska? Well, because the state is home to the National Quarantine Unit, which is a federally funded quarantine facility. It's also home to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit that treats patients with highly hazardous communicable diseases.
Dr. Tom Frieden, a former CDC director, told CNN that even though this is a very dangerous virus, people shouldn't assume it is just as contagious as COVID.
DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR (on camera): What's very concerning is the high case fatality rate here. This particular strain of the Hantavirus is quite lethal. Now, that is not to say this is the next pandemic. Hantavirus is not set up to cause a pandemic the way, say, COVID was at this point, and there is nothing to suggest that it is on the way to doing that.
ROMO (on camera): Six states, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas, Virginia and now New Jersey, are already monitoring seven passengers who previously disembarked from the ship, although health officials told CNN that none are experiencing symptoms. A State Department spokesperson confirmed the U.S. State Department is arranging the repatriation flight in coordination with the CDC, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the government of Spain.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
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MICHAELSON: Three hikers are dead after an Indonesian volcano erupted, sending ash and rock thousands of feet into the air. The area's hiking trails are a popular tourist attraction, despite the volcano being one of the most active in the country.
CNN's Will Ripley has more on the rescue and recovery efforts, as ongoing eruptions continue to threaten lives
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): These extraordinary videos show the moment the hikers suddenly realized the volcano behind them is erupting, and you can see people running down the slopes of Indonesia's Mount Dukono, one of the country's most active volcanoes. You also see that massive 33,000-foot column of ash, more than six miles high in the sky. Authorities say hikers were near the crater when the volcano erupted Friday morning local time. Teams are still working on the mountain after multiple casualties were reported. Some survivors, authorities say, have already been evacuated. Others stayed behind to help rescuers search the dangerous terrain.
The recovery operation is complicated by the fact that there are continued eruptions and volcanic ash and falling rock near the summit. Among the hikers were foreign tourists, including Singaporeans, the Indonesian authorities say, and one local mountain guide filmed the eruption and says he felt deep tremors just moments before the blast. He also told CNN he saw rocks and gravel sliding down the volcano, and immediately ordered his clients to run. The guide says other hikers appeared to be dangerously close to the crater, some even filming videos near the rim right before the eruption.
Authorities say Mount Dukono has been showing heightened activity for weeks. Authorities say warnings about the climbing ban have been widely posted online and on signs near trail entrances, but local rescuers suspect some hikers may have entered through unmonitored access routes because the volcano does not have an official registration checkpoint.
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Indonesia's search and rescue agency says crews were first alerted after an emergency signal was detected from a garment device near the volcano. Authorities are now investigating possible negligence by tour operators or individuals who entered the restricted zone anyway. A dramatic rescue image released by Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency shows crews carrying injured hikers through thick forest on stretchers. Mount Dukono sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most volcanically active regions on Earth.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
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MICHAELSON: Will, thank you.
Spanish police have seized 30 tons of cocaine in a record-breaking drug bust, valued at just under $1 billion, and is Europe's largest ever cocaine takedown. The drugs were are being transported on a Comoros Islands-flagged ship before being intercepted by Spanish authorities off the coast of the Canary Islands last week.
You are watching "The Story Is". For our international viewers, Inside Africa with Larry Madowo is next. For our viewers here in North America, I'll be back. Still to come, NBA legend Baron Davis live on set to break down the NBA Playoffs.
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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.
The U.S. is waiting to hear back from Iran about its latest proposal to end the war. This as the two sides continue to exchange fire around the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military says it fired on and disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers trying to bypass its blockade. Despite the attacks, U.S. officials say the ceasefire is still in effect.
A three-day ceasefire is in effect in Ukraine, as Russia prepares to mark the Soviet victory in World War II. The traditional Victory Day parade is set to begin in less than two hours, but without the usual display of military hardware. The truce will last through Monday, and it includes a large prisoner swap with Ukraine.
The cruise ship at the center of a deadly Hantavirus outbreak expected to arrive in Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday. Officials say the 17 Americans on board will be transported to a quarantine unit at Nebraska Medical Center, where the CDC will monitor them for symptoms. Doctors say it can take up to eight weeks after exposure for antivirus symptoms to appear.
30 years after Kristin Smart vanished from her college campus, investigators have launched a renewed search for her remains. Authorities in Central California say they are using ground- penetrating radar at the home of the mother of Paul Flores, the man convicted of Smart's murder in 2022.
CNN's Josh Campbell reports.
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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Are police any closer to finding the body of Kristin Smart, the 19-year-old California college student who disappeared three decades ago? A new development in the search may be significant. Authorities say there is indication human remains might be located at the home of the mother of Paul Flores, the man convicted of Smart's murder in 2022.
IAN PARKINSON, SHERIFF, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY (on camera): So, we can't call it Kristin, but we think there is evidence to support human remains there at one time. CAMPBELL (on camera): The renewed search for Smart's body comes as the sheriff says new information has come to light that allowed investigators to get a search warrant for the home of Susan Flores. But as far as what new information led to the renewed search, authorities aren't saying.
PARKINSON (on camera): If I let out information that could jeopardize a next step or our next direction, that would be damaging.
CAMPBELL (on camera): One thing we do know, according to authorities, is they are currently using advanced technology called ground- penetrating radar to scan the Flores property for remnants of human remains. Based on the initial positive findings that human remains might currently, or at one point, had been on the property, the sheriff said the next possible step for investigators will be to obtain an additional search warrant to start digging.
CNN has reached out to Susan Flores for comment, but has not heard back. To date, she has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Authorities say her son, Paul Flores, was the last person who saw Kristin Smart alive back in 1996 when they were both returning to their university dorms after a party. After about two months following her disappearance, police began to zero in on Flores. His story began to change, and he eventually stopped cooperating. At the time, police didn't believe there was enough evidence to charge him with murder because they couldn't locate her remains.
But fast forward, more than 20 years later, it was podcaster Chris Lambert who started looking into the case, actually uncovering new witnesses to Smart's disappearance. Flores was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison despite police not knowing the location of Smart's remains.
CHRIS LAMBERT, PODCASTER, "YOUR OWN BACKYARD" (on camera): Every time that they do a search for her, is that this is going to be the time they finally find her. Kristin's mom turned 80 just a few days ago, and her parents are still waiting for answers, and this would be perfect timing.
CAMPBELL (on camera): And while the Smart family holds out hope, they will finally learn what happened to Kristin. Authorities say the investigation continues with a renewed hope for answers.
Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.
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MICHAELSON: Josh Campbell in our newsroom here in L.A. Josh, thank you.
Saturday marks 98 days since Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in the Foothills outside Tucson, Arizona. Mother's Day is Sunday, sparking new calls for answers. One sign posted outside Guthrie's home speaks directly the 84-year-old's assumed kidnapper. It says, "Your mom would be ashamed if she knew what you did." The case is particularly high-profile, as Guthrie is the mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie. Rewards for information in the case now up to $1 million.
The ABC T.V. network is accusing the Trump administration's media regulator of threatening its First Amendment rights. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, the network says the agency is upending decades of settled law and chilling free speech.
CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter joins me now from New York with more on all this. Hey, Brian.
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BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey, Elex. Yeah. This story kind of dates back to February when the Trump-aligned FCC, the media regulator in the U.S., opened an inquiry into "The View", the ABC daytime talk show that's really popular with politicians, especially Democrats. Then, last month, ABC's late night comic Jimmy Kimmel was a source of controversy again, with President Trump pressing ABC to fire him, something that ABC rejected and refused to do.
So, you have ABC under pressure from the Trump administration, and one day after Trump weighed in against Kimmel, the FCC called up all eight of ABC's station licenses for an early renewal process, basically a form of challenging ABC, a move widely seen as retaliation by the government.
Trump-aligned FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said he was just continuing a probe of ABC parent company Disney's DEI initiatives. But Disney clearly doesn't believe that. Disney believes the actions being taken by the Trump administration are a threat to the First Amendment, and that's what this extraordinary new legal letter is all about. It was sent on Thursday. It was published on Friday, and it was signed by the prominent conservative attorney and Supreme Court litigator Paul Clement. At issue specifically is "The View", but Clement says that the government is posing a broader threat to free speech, and this letter is really notable because so far during Trump's second term in office, we've seen T.V. station owners either try to strengthen their ties to the Trump White House or just try to lay low.
But now here, Disney is doing something very different. Disney is publicly taking a stand and saying that the FCC is threatening to, quote, "upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech."
Now, the government's probe of "The View" is specifically revolving around the so-called equal time rule, something that past FCC chairs have not spent much time thinking about. But Carr has really been focusing on the equal time rule, questioning whether shows like "The View", which have been recognized as news interview programs and thus exempt from the rule, should no longer be exempt. Carr seems to think they should no longer be exempt. And these shows, let's face it, the shows he is scrutinizing, they tend to have a lot of anti-Trump commentary and a lot of liberal guests.
But ABC says, hey, the commentary, the guests, that's none of the government's business. Here is the key quote from Clement's letter. He says, "Uncertainty as to the scope of broadcast licensees' editorial discretion threatens to limit news coverage of political candidates and chill core First Amendment protected speech for years and potentially decades to come." So, ABC is saying the government is overstepping its authority and needs to back off. The FCC said in response on Friday that it will review whether the talk show should still qualify for the equal time exemption.
But this is really about a lot more than a single show. It's about the role of government in regulating media in the U.S., and the lone Democrat on the FCC, Anna Gomez, is cheering Disney for taking a stand. She wrote on X, quote, "The days of the FCC as a paper tiger are numbered. What the public will remember is who complied in advance and who fought back. I'm glad Disney is choosing courage over capitulation."
This license tug of war is probably going to be going on for a while. We'll probably talk about it again soon. But this indication from this legal letter is that ABC and parent company Disney, one of the biggest media companies in the world, is more than willing to have this First Amendment fight.
Elex, back to you.
MICHAELSON: What a fight it is. Brian Stelter, thank you.
Coming up, we're talking sports, and we take a look at the NBA playoff picture. The Lakers have their backs against the wall after two games against the Thunder, and they're not very happy about the refs. Former NBA All-Star Baron Davis in the house. He joins me just ahead to talk about that and more, and maybe even the Las Vegas Raiders.
Stay with us.
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MICHAELSON: New York Knicks trouncing the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, even with star player Joel Embiid returning from injury. The Sixers could not keep up with Jalen Brunson and the Knicks on Friday night. The Knicks won 108 to 94. They now have a three nothing lead in the series. We know nobody in NBA history has come back from that.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115 to 108, Victor Wembanyama issued with 39 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. What a game. The Spurs now have a one-game advantage over the Timberwolves.
Joining me now to talk about that and more is two-time NBA All-Star Baron Davis. He played with the Hornets, the Warriors, the Clippers, the Cavs, the Knicks, and he is also the founder of "Business Inside the Game" and a big actor right now. Lot to talk about with you. Welcome to "The Story Is" for the first time. Great to have you here.
BARON DAVIS, TWO-TIME NBA ALL-STAR: Thanks for having me, Elex.
MICHAELSON: So, let's talk basketball tonight. The Spurs dominant over the Timberwolves. Victor Wembanyama is doing some special stuff right now. How do you see that team, the Spurs, in that series?
DAVIS: I like the Spurs a lot. One, Minnesota, they're a little banged up. Anthony Edwards coming off the bench. That's not really his normal flow and his normal position. And then you look at somebody like Wembanyama, the way that he came out tonight, he just dominated the paint and he dominated on the defensive side. And when you get a guy that young, who kind of knows his purpose and knows that I'm going to be the face of the league, and he comes out and plays at this type of level, it just raises the level and the confidence of everybody else. And I really like the Spurs, because they have so many other guys that can play well and burn you as well.
MICHAELSON: Do you think Wemby has potential to be the best player of all time? I mean, how do you stop that guy?
DAVIS: Yeah. I mean, one, the way he shoots the ball at his height, the way he handles the ball at his height, and just his height being an advantage, I really like his mentality, the way he approaches the game.
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And so, when you think about scoring records or block records or rebound records, he is going to have the opportunity to eclipse a lot of people in that category, and it's -- he has already proven himself --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: -- leading the Spurs to the second best record in the Western Conference --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: -- and now MVP candidate, Defensive Player of the Year. He should probably win. The future is very bright. He can write his own story.
MICHAELSON: He is from San Antonio. They've got a lot of good, big guys in that franchise. Somehow, they keep getting them.
Meanwhile, the Knicks, big win against the 76ers. It looks like they're going to win that series.
DAVIS: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Do you think they could go all the way?
DAVIS: I do. One, once a Knick is always a Knick. Just loving the way that they're approaching the postseason, loving the way that Karl- Anthony Towns has asserted himself, and now it looks like him and Jalen Brunson are really starting to develop that point guard, power forward chemistry. OG Anunoby has been incredible for them. And I think, with Philly, another team, Joel Embiid is back, but the way he is back, it's hard to win -- to continue to win in the playoffs when you have your main star player, if you don't know if he is going to play 40 minutes, 20 minutes. And so, kudos to the Knicks for going into Philadelphia, hostile environment. I've been in there before --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: -- Allen Iverson, and it gets loud out in Philadelphia, but they went in and they took care of business.
MICHAELSON: Are they the meanest fans in the NBA?
DAVIS: Philadelphia?
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: Pretty much. Yeah. Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about the Lakers, because we're here in Los Angeles right now. They're down. They're without Luka Doncic. They're playing against the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. You feel for them, because it looks like they're just overmatched. But there is a lot of people complaining about the refs, including the Lakers had a meeting with the refs after the game, which I've never seen anything like that. Have you ever see anything like that?
DAVIS: I have.
MICHAELSON: Do you think the Lakers have a point in terms of the refs?
DAVIS: Well, I'll say this, if the ref took the time to actually listen to what they were saying and spend that much time after the game, then there had to be some kind of accountability that they were listening to and taking. As I watched this game, I thought the Lakers had a very good chance to win game two. You look at LeBron and the way that he was playing, 27 points, to be playing like that without Luka.
I think the difference is, like the play calling was just kind of throwing the game off of his vibe, and I say was more in favor in OKC, because they knew how to respond. And OKC, they play like that all year. And so, the Lakers adjusting to that type of physicality, let alone that kind of I would say entertainment.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: I wouldn't say that they're flopping or acting, but they did get away with some calls. But the team that's most aggressive is the team that's going to get away with more.
MICHAELSON: And the Lakers are home tomorrow night against OKC. We'll see if that goes differently -- DAVIS: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- for them.
Speaking of acting, you're acting --
DAVIS: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- and we see you acting, including in a new film called Last Shot, right, which is now in film festivals.
DAVIS: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Michael Rapaport is in this. Laraine Newman. You're playing a coach, there you are --
DAVIS: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- and it's not the first time we've seen you acting. We see you in Beef, which is on Netflix right now. We've seen you with Will Ferrell as well. Talk about acting, how that is for you, how that feels, and a little bit about this film.
DAVIS: This is a great movie. Shout out to Jaime Pressly. Shout out to Todd Friedman, Dylan Friedman, who is the star, the kids star. It's really a coming-of-age story around a kid who loses his father, hasn't reconnected, or really had a connection with his mother. And so, you watch this movie from a kid's perspective, and it's like, hey, basketball is a great vehicle of communication and a great bonding experience. And I thought Jaime did an excellent job.
And then for me, just as an actor, I get a chance to play the coach. I was trying to channel my Larry Brown today, my Doc Rivers today, but it was so fun working with the kids. And I think for me, acting is something that's fun. It's natural. I get to learn a lot. Similar to basketball, I get to learn a lot from the people who are great at what they do, great at the crafts. And for me, it's just continuing to get more reps up.
MICHAELSON: It's perfect for an L.A. kid. Right? And now you got the Raider hat on. You're hosting Raider talk too --
DAVIS: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: -- coming up this next season. Is Fernando Mendoza the real deal?
DAVIS: Fernando Mendoza is -- I would follow him anywhere.
MICHAELSON: OK.
DAVIS: He has incredible insight, energy, very well spoken, and he is not somebody who just says the right things --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: -- like, you know that he says it, he is going to do it --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: -- and he is going to pursue it.
[01:50:00]
And so, super excited about the Raiders. Shout out to "Raiders: Talk of the Nation" --
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
DAVIS: -- and all Raider Nation. I think it's going to be a promising season and upward mobility.
MICHAELSON: And Fernando Mendoza won the national championship, won the Heisman Trophy, number one pick in the draft, and he is going to be a Raider next year.
DAVIS: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for being here. Baron Davis, so cool to have you here. Really appreciate it. Have good luck this weekend, and it will be fun to watch the NBA playoffs this weekend as well.
We'll be right back with more of "The Story Is" right after this.
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MICHAELSON: Fans of Marilyn Monroe will have the chance to own a piece of Hollywood history. A trove of items from the screen icon's personal collection heading to auction on June 1st, to coincide with what would have been her 100th birthday. Items up for sale include clothing, jewelry, paintings.
[01:55:00]
Auctioneers say the buzz around the sale is already building.
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BRIAN CHANES, SENIOR DIRECTOR, HOLLYWOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT AT HERITAGE: There is something from a vibrational level, I think that people love and adore Marilyn to this day. I mean, it's amazing. She is the only other person -- she is the only person that really -- she keeps on going up and up and up in popularity.
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MICHAELSON: The largest blue-green diamond goes to auction next week, where it could bring in nearly 13 million bucks. Christie's auction house says the Ocean Dream is a rare five and a half carat fancy, vivid blue-green diamond. It is the largest such stone the Gemological Institute of America has ever been certified. It will be auctioned off during Christie's spring auction on May 13th. Christie's in Geneva first sold the stone back in 2014 for $8.5 million. That would be quite a flex for some guy looking to propose. Could you imagine?
Thanks for joining me. You'd probably say yes, if you get that, right? I'm Elex Michaelson. More news coming up next on CNN. Hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you back here on Monday for more of "The Story Is".
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