Return to Transcripts main page

The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Sources - U.S. Plans To Indict Fmr. Cuban President Raul Castro; Trump - U.S. And Nigerian Forces Eliminate ISIS Leader; Trump Rejects Iran's Latest Peace Proposal; Trump Calls Iran's Counterproposal Piece of Garbage; Trump Returns To Washington After Meetings With XI; Trump - Taiwan Was The Most Important Issue For XI; Aired 12-1a ET

Aired May 16, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: -- leadership with a potential Castro indictment. CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas standing by.

"The Story Is" the California Governor's race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT MAHAN, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: People are looking for change. They don't want MAGA, but we definitely don't want more of the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Democratic candidate Matt Mahan released a new plan aimed at regulating AI data centers and banning cell phones in schools. He's here live in our studio.

"The Story Is" mistrial. Harvey Weinstein's rape retrial ends with a jury deadlock. My panel, Gloria Allred and Elisha Krauss on set to discuss.

And "The Story Is" who will be the next James Bond? Auditions for the iconic role, officially underway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: That top story is in Cuba as the U.S. is now pressuring the island nation's communist government by preparing to indict former President Raul Castro, according to sources. This comes just days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with top intelligence officials from the Ministry of the Interior in Havana.

The 94-year-old Raul Castro is the brother of the late Fidel Castro, who, of course, led the Cuban revolution back in the 1950s. Castro may face various charges, including over Cuba's shoot down of two planes in 1996 in which four people died including three Americans. The planes were owned by a Cuban American exile organization. President Trump on Fox News indicating Cuba may want to make a deal. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Cuba going to turn to us and make a deal?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think so. I mean, look, I've been hearing about Cuba since I'm a little boy. They've been saying, what's going on with Cuba? And I think we'll be turning it. Marco has been very effective, and the whole group has been very effective. It's, yeah. I think they're going to have to come to us. It's a failed nation. It's a totally failed nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they're taking the aid now.

TRUMP: They've been taking the aid. They want aid. They need help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Now this comes as Cuba's energy crisis fed by a U.S. fuel embargo worsens. That's causing unrest as CNN's Patrick Oppmann shows us in Havana.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tensions between the U.S. and Cuba continue to escalate with news the Trump administration may be seeking an indictment against former Cuban leader Raul Castro. For months now, there seems to have been, a dynamic playing out where Cuba is offered carrots, economic aid, and coercion. The idea that further economic sanctions could be put into place that officials could be targeted, and that this indictment for the 1996 shoot down of civilian planes that have come into Cuban airspace, could be issued against, former President Raul Castro, who of course, is very significant here. Although he is 94-years-old and retired. He is ultimately considered the most powerful official by many on this island.

That is why the U.S. has been reaching out to him and his grandson who is his bodyguard and has been an emissary and in between the U.S. and Raul Castro to try and come up with some kind of deal that would open up Cuba politically and economically, force through reformers of the kind that the Cuban government has simply resisted over the years. It seems like those negotiations have broken down because I've been told by Cuban officials that if Raul Castro were to face an indictment, which is still an if at this point, but that is the indications we are receiving that the U.S. is seeking this indictment against a former Cuban leader.

And Cuban officials have told me that, if that were to happen, they would not foresee, talks going further, that it would become an issue of whether or not the United States would try to seize Raul Castro as they did Cuba's ally, Nicolas Maduro, if there would be open military conflict between these two countries.

Certainly, for the many Cubans caught in the middle who are suffering the worst power outages of their life, we're talking about 20 plus hours of power outages each day. People are going out in greater numbers at night to protest against their government often who they blame for this crisis for not investing in the infrastructure. These are really the people paying the price. And when you ask them, what do you want to happen? They say they really don't care at this point. They just want the power on. They just want to have a normal life.

But the reality seems to be that life is going to get harder for Cubans, at least in the near term, as these tensions continue to ratchet up. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

MICHAELSON: Pat, thank you. We've got some breaking news just into our newsroom. We see our National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas, who is the Director of the Counterterrorism Program at the Atlantic Council here to talk about that. We'll talk about Cuba in a moment. We want to put up a truth that President Trump just posted to Truth Social, and here's what he wrote.

[00:05:00]

Tonight at my direction, brave American forces and the armed forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield. Abu-Bilal-al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa. But little did he know, he had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing. He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS's global operation is greatly diminished. Thank you to the government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation.

Alex, this is something you've been tracking. What do you know about what just happened?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, we began to see movement of U.S. aircraft about a week ago in preparation for the operation here, and this was obviously joined with the Nigerians. This is a pretty substantial operation because the African continent has become the epicenter of global terrorism, which has really not got enough attention from most folks. I mean, after 25 years, the global war on terrorism largely in the Middle East and Central Asia, both ISIS and Al-Qaeda leadership have largely moved to the continent. And so we've got big significant terrorist populations that are operating in the Sahel region of Western Africa, which is sort of where this took place.

In addition, the Horn of Africa, which is where Somalia is and then the Maghreb of North Africa. So in this particular case, this was the number two for ISIS globally who I'm being told now, I'm just going to read this to you coming in from leadership at Africom, was considered the ISIS organizational and financial mastermind. So this is a significant blow to ISIS and global terrorism. So this was planned for quite some time. This was a meticulously planned operation executed flawlessly as the way it's described to me. And the number two, leader for ISIS globally has now been taken out.

MICHAELSON: So obviously, that is good news for the American military there. And meantime, the American military is thinking about potential action in Cuba. What's your read on that situation? How likely is it that the military gets involved?

PLITSAS: So from what it was told, the United States was hoping not to have to take any military action. So we've blockaded. There is an oil embargo to a certain extent that they're running out of fuel. And the President, from what I'm told from a number of sources had really been aggravated the fact that this hadn't collapsed yet. And so CIA Director Ratcliffe went in basically with a mandate to tell the Cubans, that they either need to get on board within a certain timeline or action would be taken.

And then on the back end of his trip, what was interesting is what leaked out is that there as you were mentioning earlier, that there's a potential indictment that's being sought for Raul Castro. Why that's important for folks who are listening at home, when the Department of Defense executed the operation to go get Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, you have to execute military operations under some sort of legal authority under U.S. code or international treaty.

In that case, Maduro had actually been indicted for federal crimes, and so the Department of Defense was supporting the Department of Justice, believe it or not, in executing a warrant to extradite Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela. The message to the Cubans is very clear that a similar situation could arise with Raul Castro being under indictment and potentially extradite. So the message to the Cubans is clear. The pressure is on. A timeline has been delivered. Now it's going to be up to the Cubans as to whether or not they comply.

MICHAELSON: While that is going on, there is also the war with Iran and questions about how that could potentially end. When President Trump was on the plane ride back from China last night, our colleague, David Sanger, asked him about the potential negotiations to end it, to make some sort of deal. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Iran, have you rejected the latest proposal from Iran or where does that stand?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I looked at it. And if I don't like the first sentence, I just throw it away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the first sentence?

TRUMP: An unacceptable sentence because they fully agreed no nuclear. And if they have any nuclear of any form, I don't read the rest of their letter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: What are the sticking points right now?

PLITSAS: The U.S. rejected five of the 14 points that the Iranians had proposed, ending the war altogether. There was the moratorium on enrichment, the highly enriched uranium coming out, and then control of the Strait of Hormuz afterwards, which has really become a significant problem. And I'm being told through interlocutors as well as through back channels that there's really a couple of reasons that the Iranians had pushed back. The primary one actually seems to be economic, believe it or not. And more than anything else, the sanctions even after they're lifted, I was in Syria at the end of August after the President lifted sanctions, It takes a while for that to sort of take hold. So even if we come to a deal with the Iranians, they give up their highly enriched uranium. There's an agreement say for 20 years the President asked for an enrichment, and a few other factors.

[00:10:00]

The Iranians are worried that there's not going to be any capital to sustain them at the interim. And so there's this idea that perhaps they get the toll in the short term to generate some revenue, which really just doesn't fly with the United States.

And still, there's still disagreement internally for Iran how to prosecute the war. Altogether, their response came back and was wholeheartedly rejected by the United States. And at the moment, we appear to be at a stalemate, which is a very dangerous place to be because renewed military action is entirely possible at this point.

MICHAELSON: Alex Plitsas with breaking information on Iran from -- also from Africa at this hour and from Cuba. A lot going on. Thank you so much for your insights.

And let's talk more about China. We were just talking about that trip. President Trump back in the U.S. after that two days summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping yesterday. At this time, we showed the two presidents together. The meetings ended without any substantive agreements announced on key issues. But China's Foreign Ministry called the summit historical and touted progress on trade and economic concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: President Xi is an incredible guy. Got a long made -- a lot of great trade deals including over 200 planes from Boeing with a promise of 750 planes, which will be by far the largest order ever if they do a good job with the 200, which I'm sure they will. And the farmers are going to be very happy. And they're going to be buying billions of dollars of soybeans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: China confirmed that Xi will visit the United States this fall. President Trump says Taiwan was the most important issue for Xi during their talks and that a pending $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan is a "Very good negotiating chip." CNN's Will Ripley reports from Taipei, Taiwan.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Leaders here in Taiwan are responding cautiously right now after President Donald Trump declined to commit to a major new U.S. arms sale following his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. Taiwan's Foreign Minister says Taipei is maintaining excellent communication with Washington and stressed longstanding U.S. policy around Taiwan remains unchanged. He also reiterated Taiwan's position that China remains the primary source of threat to regional stability. But Trump's comments are already drawing attention here in Taipei. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said he and Xi discussed Taiwan in great detail and revealed that Xi directly asked whether the United States would defend Taiwan in a conflict. Trump said he refused to answer.

Trump also said he has not yet decided whether to move forward with the major U.S. arms sale package for Taiwan, despite it already being authorized by his administration. And then there was the comment that raised a lot of eyebrows across Taiwan when Trump said he has to speak to the person who is running Taiwan. Trump did not mention Taiwan's President, Lai Ching-te, by name, leaving questions here about who exactly he meant. All of this comes at a politically sensitive moment for Taiwan. The island's opposition control legislature just passed a scaled down defense package after months of bitter political fighting.

The original roughly $40 billion proposal backed by president Lai was significantly reduced, preserving major U.S. weapons purchases but cutting parts of Taiwan's domestic defense buildup, including drone programs. The ruling DPP here says Taiwan must urgently strengthen the deterrence against China. The opposition, KMT, says Taiwan also needs more dialogue with Beijing to avoid becoming what the opposition leader said was the next Ukraine.

Now Trump's ambiguity on arms sales and military defense is adding even more uncertainty to this already deeply divided debate here in Taiwan. Will Ripley, CNN Taipei.

MICHAELSON: Will, the next story is Bond, James Bond. Auditions for Hollywood's most famous spy now officially underway. Speculation about the role has been swirling for years with Idris Elba, Henry Cavill, Cillian Murphy, among others, floated as potential successors to Daniel Craig. It'll be the first movie since Amazon MGM Studios gained creative control of the blockbuster 007 series based on Ian Fleming's novels.

Now here are some of the favorite choices according to a U.K. betting house. British actors Callum Turner, Harris Dickinson, Aaron Taylor- Johnson, Australian star Jacob Elordi, Oscar nominee Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the -- as yet untitled movie.

Canadian rapper Drake has just dropped his highly anticipated album with a couple of surprises. Drake held a livestream event late Thursday to unveil the Iceman album with the cover showing only a hand wearing a sequined glove. And at the end of the livestream, Drake revealed two new surprise albums, Maid of Honor featuring the image of his mother and Habibti showing a photo of a woman covered in masking tape except for her eyes. Next hour, we'll break down Drake's new music with journalist Shagun Oduwole.

But up next, early voting already underway here in California for the governor's race. When we return, Democratic candidate Matt Mahan live on our set to share his plan to regulate AI, data centers, homelessness, and maybe he'll get into Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Who knows? Stay with us. [00:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: "The Story Is" the California governor's race. Democratic candidate Matt Mahan, who is also the Mayor of San Jose, has released a new plan aimed at regulating AI and data centers. It would require them to pay the full cost of the power and water that they consume, mandate that humans oversee any automated systems impacting people's lives, protect intellectual property, and call for a safety and training fund paid for and with tax revenue from the industry.

It would also ban cell phone use in schools and require parental consent on social media accounts for anyone under 16.

[00:20:00]

Matt Mahan joins us live here in studio to talk about this and more.

Welcome back to "The Story Is." Good to see you.

MATT MAHAN, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: Thanks, Elex. Good to be back.

MICHAELSON: So this is such an important issue, something that the next governor is really going to be focused on. California is the home of so much of this AI. Is this something that you worked with the industry on and sort of how do you see this being executed?

MAHAN: Yeah. Elex, this plan really came out of the work I've done as Mayor of San Jose, the largest city in Silicon Valley. We're on the front lines of technological change, and we've crafted regulations in the absence of guidance from the federal government, the state government. We created something called the GovAI Coalition that's now used by over 900 cities and counties. We created a regulatory framework for the responsible and ethical use of AI because I think it's so important that we get this right.

We have to harness the good that can come from these tools to make government more responsive and productive, but we also have to shield people from the risks. And one of those, as you point out is ensuring that any new data centers pay to upgrade our infrastructure for everyone else, use the cleanest energy, invest in recycled water systems. We can't have the profits of this industry be built on the backs of working people or environmental destruction. We have to get this right.

MICHAELSON: And one thing I think that was going to stand out to a lot of people, this idea of banning cell phones in schools. First off, does the governor have the power to do that? And secondly, what do you say to people who say you need a phone for an emergency or they like to be in communication with their kids?

MAHAN: Well, look, I'm a parent. My wife and I have two little kids, and we limit their screen time. And during the school day. I'm not saying we shouldn't use technology for educational purposes where it's appropriate where it's safe. But students in our K-12 public system don't need to be on their phones during the school day. Just I think that we should be really encouraging kids to gain those interpersonal skills to be present to not be distracted, and I think it's important that we protect them from what they might experience on social media before their brains are really developed to handle things that that may be misleading or may give them the wrong perception of reality.

Kids are precious. They're growing and developing, and we need to invest in keeping them healthy.

MICHAELSON: Another one of the biggest issues in this state, of course, is homelessness. Governor Newsom just yesterday laying out his budget, saying $500 million next year, but with lots of sort of catches for cities to make sure to hold them accountable. You've talked about the fact that you have, you believe, the boldest plan when it comes to homelessness. What makes your plan so bold, and how do you see it compared to some of the other candidates in this race?

MAHAN: Well, Elex, my plan is more than a plan. It's actual action I've taken as Mayor of San Jose and what I will do as Governor to hold every city and county accountable for doing its part. We have led the state in reducing street homelessness by one-third by building basic dignified shelter. And when it's available, we require people come indoors. I've set a goal of ending unsheltered homelessness, and part of that plan involves getting other levels of government to do their part. You ask about other candidates' plans.

I have to tell you frankly, one of the most disillusioning experiences I have had in politics was as a new mayor going into HHS and meeting with then Secretary Becerra and saying, Mr. secretary, our failure to address street homelessness is costing us lives. It's also imposing huge costs on the health care system. People are endlessly cycling through our emergency rooms, endless 911 calls. Let's get HHS and HUD together with cities like San Jose that want to solve this problem, to build basic shelter and treatment capacity, get people indoors, and save the system money.

And I got the usual bureaucratic speak. I mean, this is my concern with Xavier Beccera. It's -- he's the epitome of the status quo. It's always somebody else's fault. 85,000 migrant children lost, quarter million dollars stolen from his campaign account under his nose, but he didn't have visibility into it. Growing fraud in the health care system under his watch as HHS and as Attorney General here in California, but not his responsibility. Look, with me as Mayor and as Governor starting next year, the buck will stop with me.

MICHAELSON: In terms of though, for that to happen, you got to win.

MAHAN: That's right.

MICHAELSON: And so the question is, what's the lane? Because it seems like your argument, as the Democratic Party nationally is searching for its soul going into the midterm elections. Is that you're trying to be the Goldilocks candidate. Not too far left, not too far right, just right in the middle.

[00:25:00]

The question is, based off of the polling you've seen, based off the polling that's out there, is there an example of that message getting you into the top two? The idea that is that actually where voters are in this polarizing environment with social media algorithms pushing us to the extremes where there's enough voters to get there. What's that? What are you seeing?

MAHAN: Elex, I'm the results candidate. I'm the only Democrat in this race who has a track record of challenging the establishment within my own party to deliver meaningful change. We've led the state in reducing crime and made San Jose the safest big city in the country. We've reduced gun violence by 71 percent. We've reduced homelessness by one-third. We've sped up permitting, reduced fees, and we have thousands of homes under construction. I don't care if you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party, whatever your political affiliation is, you know that California can do better. We need better policies. We need more accountability from our government.

And I'm the only Democrat in this race, the only candidate who shares California's values but understands that the best resistance is delivering results. And that starts with accountability in Sacramento, using our money more effectively. We have doubled in the polls in just the last two weeks. Our point is very clear. When people hear our message. When they get to know my background, what I've done in San Jose, and what I'll do as Governor, we shoot up into the top two, and we win any runoff against any other candidate in November.

MICHAELSON: And we'll end on something fun really fast. BTS Army is out in Palo Alto right now. People are lining up for days in order to see BTS. Is there a band in your history that you ever lined up to see? And who -- what band do you want to play your inauguration if you get to that?

MAHAN: Oh, man. Well, we talked about this last time. I was a big 2Pac guy growing up. We'll have to get it -- we'll have to roll this hologram out at this point, I think. Yeah. But yeah. No. K-pop has taken over the world. My 8-year-old daughter's all about KPop Demon Hunters. I've been getting a whole education in that. It's incredible.

MICHAELSON: Maybe you can get BTS.

MAHAN: There we go.

MICHAELSON: They're going to be playing the FIFA World Cup final, and maybe they can play the inauguration. All right. We'll see if you can get there. Matt Mahan, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

MAHAN: Thanks, Elex.

MICHAELSON: I'll be back with more of "The Story Is" right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Welcome back to "The Story Is." It's Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories. All 18 passengers evacuated from the Hantavirus hit cruise ship and repatriated the U.S. are now being monitored at a quarantine unit in Nebraska. Two passengers taken to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta have since been medically cleared and taken in Nebraska for continued observation. Federal officials say 41 people in the U.S. are being monitored in connection with that outbreak.

U.S. Supreme Court has stepped into the country's nationwide redistricting war again. The justices tossed out an emergency request from Virginia to reinstate its congressional map. The decision thwarts Democratic plans to pick up as many as four additional seats in the House of Representatives in this year's midterm election.

A New York judge has declared a mistrial and the retrial of Harvey Weinstein. The jury deadlocked on the rape charge against the former Hollywood mogul on Friday. This was the third trial involving the same charge after another jury failed to decide last year, and an appeals court overturned his 2020 conviction.

Let's bring in our panel to discuss that and more. Joining me now is Conservative Commentator Elisha Krauss and a leading Women's Rights Attorney, Gloria Allred. Welcome to you both. Good to see both of you.

Gloria, let's start with you as you have represented several of Harvey Weinstein's victims. Just to be clear for folks, there are multiple different cases against him. So just because of this mistrial, he's not getting out anytime soon, in part because of one of your clients, right? GLORIA ALLRED, LEADING WOMEN'S RIGHTS ATTORNEY: That's true. My client Mimi Haley testified in the first New York criminal trial. And in that trial, he was convicted of Criminal Sexual Act in the first degree. In other words, Criminal Sexual Act with force and sentenced to 20 years. Jessica Mann, who was a victim in today's trial, also was alleged to be a victim in that first trial, and there was also a conviction for her of rape in the third degree. That's rape without force.

He was sentenced to three years for that, total of 23 years. As you pointed out, Elex, on appeal, the New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in New York. Reversed those convictions. Then there was a second trial. Again, my client courageously testified, Mimi Haley. Again, he was convicted of Criminal Sexual Act, and he has not yet been sentenced for that. There was a mistrial for Jessica. This was a third trial today. Another mistrial. We don't know if there will be a fourth trial again for Jessica. Maybe she doesn't want to testify anymore.

MICHAELSON: But Mimi's case still stands. And then another case here in Los Angeles also stands where he was convicted of 16 years, right?

ALLRED: Yes, sentenced to 16 years, yes, on rape and sexual assault. That's on appeal in California.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. And I can't imagine you're going to -- your thoughts on the Harvey Weinstein.

ELISHA KRAUSS, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: I think it's kind of well, I think he's a scumbag.

[00:35:00]

I think that whether or not the prosecutors have been able to consistently prove that he is a scumbag, unfortunately, hasn't occurred. They haven't been able to convict a jury. I found it really fascinating, though, that in this deadlock, of the nine people that said that they could not convict, they were women. The three that said that they wanted to convict were male jurors that thought that he was guilty of this rape and this crime, but the jury just couldn't decide. But I don't know.

I'm a fan and a friend of Curtis Sliwa, and the jury was deadlocked whether or not the Gotti's tried to have him killed, and I believe that they did. Sometimes, unfortunately, justice does not prevail in the American court system.

ALLRED: Well, there has been justice as he's still in custody, and he's in his 70s in Rikers Island right now, which is not a pleasant place to be. So we'll see what happens. We'll know next month in June, June 24th, whether there will be a fourth criminal trial in New York or not. But I will say Jessica's been very brave as well to undergo three trials.

MICHAELSON: Let's talk about another big court decision this week, which involves mifepristone, which is a medication that many women use for abortions. There some women in states where abortions are not legal have been doing telehealth appointments with doctors in other states and been getting mifepristone sent to them in the mail. There's been a question on whether that follows the spirit of the Dobbs decision, which basically said that abortion is a states' rights issue. States get to determine this.

Right now, the court is saying we can keep the drug going while the appeal is heard. Gloria, this is an issue you've been working on for decades. Your take on all of this.

ALLRED: Well, it's important that the lower court decision with the Fifth Circuit decision, Court of Appeals, is stayed. In other words, women are, as you mentioned, still allowed in Louisiana and other states to use telehealth, to order by phone or speak to a physician online to order mifepristone. And that's very, very important, because the other side wanted to argue they should have to appear in person. How middle class is that? A lot of poor women, they are working two or three jobs. They have children. They don't have time to go in-person. They need to be able to get that in the United States mail.

And so I hope that ultimately when the U.S. Supreme Court hears us again, they will provide access. This is about access. This is about a health care, and we need to have this available to women.

MICHAELSON: Elisha? KRAUSS: I think if it was truly about health care, I think every woman, no matter what her socioeconomic status is, should have the right to go and see a doctor and be viewed through the process of this. And I say this as a prolife person. It is -- I actually think it's a huge stain on our society, and I wish that the Democrats would spend as much money and as much time as making better health care access and supporting women who choose to keep their babies throughout. Oh, I don't know. Maybe child support from the moment of conception, maybe going after deadbeat dads, maybe providing better maternity care. The list can go on and on.

Paid maternity leave that that can do things to actually help women long term. Mifepristone is a medical pill that is taken that prevents the baby from being attached to the lining of the uterus and that has a lot of side effects. We've unfortunately seen women die all alone on their bathroom floors. I don't care if they're middle class or poor. They have a right to medical protection. And a follow-up from a doctor when that occurs.

ALLRED: Are you talking to -- I think you're talking to somebody who almost died alone in a bathtub hemorrhaging from an illegal abortion when that in the 60s when it was a crime in California to have a health care provider provide it. So we had to back alley abortion.

KRAUSS: But most states and else don't even require a doctor. They don't really about you to be within --

ALLRED: I'm glad you stand for at least some women's rights. That's good. This is really about controlling women. It's about controlling health care. We're talking about reproductive health. We're talking about access.

KRAUSS: It's not reproductive. It's ending the production of a human being growing in world.

ALLRED: OK. Well, that's the way you see it from your religious point of view.

KRAUSS: No. From a scientific perspective.

ALLRED: Well, but I respect the fact that you have that right to have that view, but we've -- it's all about choice. It's all about a woman having the right to decide for herself and not having the Supreme Court, the male justices who are against abortion, who would like to control women and their lives and their choices. We don't want that. We are -- we want to once again have a constitutional right, choose abortion. For now, the majority of women in this country are using telehealth and getting the pills in the mail so that they can have access.

[00:40:00]

They don't have time. They don't have the money. We have to understand not everybody has the privileges we have.

MICHAELSON: But is this a workaround, though, to basically go against the spirit of the Dobbs decision, which says that this is a states' rights issue? Just from a legal perspective, I mean, is this a way to get around that decision?

ALLRED: Well, that's the way Justice Thomas and Justice Alito see it. That's not the way we see it. It's going back to the Fifth Circuit Court of --

MICHAELSON: How is it not a workaround?

ALLRED: Pardon me?

MICHAELSON: How is it not a workaround?

ALLRED: Well, it's essentially letting more -- letting the court of appeals dive more deeply into it, and then we'll go back to the Supreme Court, and we'll see what happens there. Am I optimistic? I don't know. But I'll take it for now because women should not be forced to take a pregnancy to term if that's not what they think is in the best interest of their health and their families.

MICHAELSON: Last word quickly on this Elisha.

KRAUSS: I just think I do continue to say I think it's sad and I think it's a stain on our country that women feel like they have to go such great lengths in order to protect their economic or educational or maybe even physical and mental health future that we can do so much better to support women and children in this country.

MICHAELSON: Obviously, this is such a serious and important debate. We also like to have fun here, especially going into the weekend. So we just want to end on something fun. James Bond is now, there's auditions going underway. Elisha, who is your ideal pick for James Bond?

KRAUSS: Well, the man that we know can do so many jobs, Marco Rubio, guys.

MICHAELSON: Oh, my God. No.

KRAUSS: I think the Gen Z in my life tell me the guy that was in Wuthering Heights. What's his name?

MICHAELSON: Jacob Elordi.

KRAUSS: Jacob Elordi. But I think I've seen some buzz online for Theo James from White Lotus fame and other successful shows. I think that there are plenty of new potential options out there, but I am not a casting director.

MICHAELSON: Gloria Allred, who's your choice to play James Bond?

ALLRED: All right. I want somebody who's tall, dark, handsome and brilliant and really loves the news. So I say Michaelson. Elex Michaelson. And I want to see him dressed just the way he is. Don't you out there want to see him standing, leaning over an Aston Martin and just like this. MICHAELSON: And dancing with you.

ALLRED: I'll take it.

MICHAELSON: We got a deal. I'll take the race. Gloria, Elisha.

ALLRED: Your mom is going to agree with me on that choice too.

MICHAELSON: Thank you so much. Back with more news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: 10 minutes. That's how long a witness says it took medics at a remote I.C.E. detention center in Southern California to respond to a medical emergency. That left detainees desperately calling for help as one of their cellmates struggled to breathe. "The story Is" the death of 52-year-old Jose Ramos. He is one of nearly 50 detainees who have died in I.C.E. custody since President Trump took office.

Now an investigation by CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has revealed that many of these deaths may have been preventable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Antonia Tovar's husband, Jose Ramos, died in March, only about a month after being detained by immigration officials. He's now one of nearly 50 I.C.E. detainees who have died since President Donald Trump's return to office.

Ramos came to the U.S. nearly 30 years ago. Last year, he was charged with theft and possession of a controlled substance and was placed in a diversion program, which meant that if completed, those charges would have been dismissed. We know from ICE that Jose was arrested on February 23rd. His wife said they were making a stop here at the Superior Courthouse in Torrance so he could deliver some paperwork.

Antonio told us she briefly stepped away, and when she looked back, she saw this. Antonio worried about Ramos' medical conditions, diabetes, and high blood pressure. He was sent to the Adelanto I.C.E. processing center about two hours from where they lived. According to I.C.E. records, Ramos went through a medical intake and was prescribed medications.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think it really hit me until I walked into the room and I saw him.

ALVAREZ: What was that feeling like?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I walked into the room, his back was towards us and we walked in and I walked towards him and he was just sitting down, looking down. ALVAREZ: We're driving to the Adelanto Detention Facility. This is where Jose was held for several weeks, and it's one of many facilities across the United States where I.C.E. holds detainees. As you can see in this case. It is an pre-remote area of California about an hour and a half of more outside of Los Angeles. Now Adelanto had stopped accepting new detainees because of a federal judge during the coronavirus pandemic, but that was lifted in January of 2025.

[00:50:00]

And since then, the population ballooned from around three people to nearly 2000.

A CNN investigation found that deadly outcomes in more than a dozen cases could, at times, be linked to substandard treatment at facilities where populations are rapidly growing. At Adelanto, four people in detention have died since 2025. A spokesperson for GEO Group, the private company that operates Adelanto, did not answer questions about Ramos' death, but told CNN that the company provides detainees with, "Around the clock access to medical care" and is "Independently accredited by industry groups."

We spoke to one of Ramos' cellmates, Marco Martinez, who called for help when Ramos collapsed.

VOICE OF MARCO MARTINEZ, ICE DETAINEE: The guard didn't do anything at all. Like, he just sat and stood there and watched him, like, shake, and it got to a point where his eyes, like, rolled into the back of his head, and he still didn't do anything. The medical showed up, but they didn't show up until, like another 10 minutes.

ALVAREZ: According to a public ICE detainee death report, a registered nurse arrived one minute after a guard first noticed Ramos in medical distress and began providing aid. Emergency medical care services arrived 10 minutes later and began administering care. Ramos was transferred to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead three minutes after he arrived.

ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lack of adequate health care staffing has been a theme across the facilities including in Adelanto.

ALVAREZ: The California Attorney General has the unique authority as of 2017 to inspect detention facilities in the state. The AG's office exclusively shared those findings with CNN.

BONTA: I think a big part of the really difficult set of results and data that we're seeing, including the deaths, is the surge in number of detainees and the complete inability and unpreparedness of the facilities.

ALVAREZ: Ramos' family still has been notified of the cause of death. The uncertainty over what happened is a living nightmare.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security disputed there had been a spike in deaths, saying in a statement, "Consistent with data over the last decade as of April 30th, death rates in custody under the Trump administration are 0.009 percent of the detained population." As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained higher a standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens, including providing access to proper medical care. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Thanks to Priscilla. We'll be right back with a look at today's top stories.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: "The Story Is" the grand finale of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, but this year's contest is unfolding under a shadow of controversy as CNN's Isa Soares reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISA SOARES, ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: United by music and divided by controversy, the Eurovision Song Contest currently underway in the Austrian capital Vienna is traditionally a good natured and campy pop music showdown. But tensions over Israel are threatening to overshadow the annual competition. Eurovision organizers have faced mounting pressure in recent years to ban Israel over its military activities in Gaza.

There have also been accusations that the Israeli government unfairly influenced the results of the last two contests by promoting a mass voting campaign. The European Broadcasting Union never commented publicly on the allegations. And this year, the decision to include Israel prompted five other countries, Spain, The Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, and Slovenia to withdraw from the contest in protest, making it the smallest Eurovision competition in more than two decades.

SIMON BENNETT, PRESIDENT, OGAE INTERNATIONAL: Obviously, there's been a lot of controversy over the last few years. We've got some countries who've pulled out. Some fans have kind of gone sour a little bit on the contest. Some are sitting it out to see what will happen and whether the fun will come back into it.

SOARES: Even with tensions flaring in the city, fans inside the host venue remain excited to cheer on their favorites during the grand finale. A total of 35 countries started out participating in this year's contest. That number is now whittled down to 25 competing for the grand prize.

Traditionally, viewership for Eurovision rivals that of the Super Bowl, an estimated a 166 million viewers last year compared to nearly a 128 million for the Super Bowl. Those numbers are expected to be down this year after the withdrawal of those five national broadcasters. But despite the political divisions rippling through the wider community. Many of the fans flocking to Vienna ahead of the grand finale said the focus should be --