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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Trump Meets With Natl. Security Officials To Discuss Iran; Trump - The War With Iran Will Be Over With Soon; Iran - We Are Not Close To Reaching A Deal With The U.S.; Rubio - Some Progress Made In Peace Talks With Iran; 1 Dead, 36 People Injured In Fire And Explosions; 40,000 Under Evacuation Order In Southern California; More Than 80 Dead In Mining Disaster; W.H.O. Revises Risks To Ebola To Very High In The D.R.C.; Putin Vows Retaliation For Ukraine's Drone Strike In Luhansk; Aired 1-2a ET

Aired May 23, 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]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Story Is" evacuation orders in Southern California as one community fears a toxic chemical explosion 5 miles from Disneyland.

"The Story Is" holiday travel. Peter Greenberg is here. What you need to know if you're leaving home.

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

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: Thanks for watching "The Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles, where it's 10:00 p.m.

"The Story Is" the war with Iran. President Trump met with top national security officials on Friday to weigh his next steps. He's been presented with options to restart military action or let diplomacy continue grinding ahead. Sources says the meeting ended without a decision from him, but Trump is -- says he's confident that the war will end soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: They're not going to ever have a nuclear weapon. They're never going to have a nuclear weapon. And we'll have that over with soon. It'll be over with soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Delegations from Pakistan and Qatar are now in Tehran and hopes of ending the conflict. CNN's Kevin Liptak has more on where things stand from the White House.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump convened his national security team again on Friday to discuss a path forward in Iran as he appears to be nearing a decision about whether to restart strikes in that country or to allow more time for diplomacy to proceed. And we are now in the timeline that the President himself set earlier this week to try and come up with a deal that he can agree to with Iran. He said that the strikes would begin by early next week, unless Iran submitted a proposal that he could sign off on.

Now, it doesn't appear as if the President has made a decision quite yet. The diplomacy does seem to be proceeding apace. There was a Qatari delegation in Tehran on Friday continuing these discussions. You also have the Pakistani mediators continuing to trade back and forth proposals between the United States and Iran. What Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State said on Friday, was that there was progress being made, but that "We're not there yet." We heard a slightly more pessimistic tone from the Iranian Foreign Ministry saying that a deal was "Not close" and that there were "Very deep differences remaining, between these two sides."

At least from the White House's perspective, they say that they have not changed their red lines on this conflict, saying that any agreement must include the provision that Iran turned over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. So a lot of issues that still need to be worked out before the two sides can reach a deal.

The question now is whether the President will allow time for those issues to be worked out or whether he will begin the strikes anew. We know that Pentagon has prepared options for him, and they stand that they're ready to do that. They're simply waiting for his order. As the President said on Friday, "Iran is dying to make a deal, and we'll see what happens." Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

MICHAELSON: Kevin, thank you. Last hour, I was joined live by CNN National Security Analyst, Alex Plitsas, and asked him how close he thinks President Trump is to restarting military action in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think the President's patience are wearing thin at this point. We're at the tail end of a diplomatic effort in which the United States is working through partners through the Qataris and through the Pakistanis to try to get a framework together in which the United States will then engage in more substantive discussions largely around a few areas that are left that we need to work out a deal on, and that would be the remaining nuclear material, the highly enriched uranium that's present as well as opening the Strait of Hormuz permanently.

So at this point, it's about potentially ending the war in the short term, getting a ceasefire, and then opening up the Strait of Hormuz to then facilitate those discussions. But from what we're hearing, the Iranians are still digging in their heels on a couple of those positions, and there hasn't been enough movement. And the President is concerned at this point. So if that doesn't come to fruition, there's a very good chance additional military action could be taken.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. I mean, Secretary Rubio has been talking about that talks were progressing, but is there any evidence that Iran has any interest in ever giving up nuclear power?

PLITSAS: So they've moved a little bit in the discussions. There's been some talk about moratorium on enrichment given some time, and that's to enrich uranium in the future. There were discussions about the need to give up their 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium at about 60 percent. That's been a sticking point, which quite frankly has been problematic for the president.

And then there was a discussion that the Iranians still wanted to be able to toll the Strait of Hormuz and be able to control access to it, which they didn't before the war began and is at odds with the principle of freedom of navigation of the seas. President made quite clear he's not going to allow that to happen. So the question is, is there room for negotiation on those over the course of say a month if there was to be a ceasefire to allow those discussions to take place.

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So, the Pakistanis and the Qataris are on the ground, attempting to push the Iranians into a position where they'll have that discussion meaningfully with the United States. I think the President is waiting for a firm sign that that is in fact going to take place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Alex Plitsas with us last hour. As President Trump grapples with the Iran war, another one of his cabinet members has announced her departure. Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard says, she is resigning at the end of June. In a letter to the President, Gabbard said she needs to be by her husband's side after he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. President Trump says Gabbard's deputy, Aaron Lukas, will step in as Acting Intelligence Chief.

He also praised Gabbard on social media writing, "Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her." Those comments come despite Gabbard's often contradictory messaging while in office. Her remarks on Venezuela and Iran sometimes put her at odds with the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: President Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve has been sworn in. Kevin Warsh will hold his first meeting with the Reserve Board as Chairman next month. 56-year-old is taking one of the world's most powerful economic positions during a time of geopolitical conflict and volatile financial markets with consumer confidence at an all-time low. It's widely seen as aligned with Mr. Trump who sang his praises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Honestly, I really mean this. This is not said in any other way. I want Kevin to be totally independent. I want him to be independent and just do a great job. Don't look at me. Don't look at anybody. Just do your own thing and do a great job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: 36 people have been injured in a deadly fire and two explosions at a New York City shipyard. Many of them firefighters and other first responders. Emergency crews received reports of two workers trapped in a basement at the back of the shipyard on Staten Island. An explosion happened shortly after crews arrived. One civilian was killed, five firefighters and paramedics were looking for the trapped workers when a second blast happened. More people were hurt, including a fire marshal and a firefighter.

The threat of a toxic explosion here in Southern California has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This reminds me of the burn pit in Iraq. The smell. It's just ridiculous that we have to just sit here not knowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Some 40,000 residents within a 9 square mile area around an aerospace facility in Orange County are now under evacuation orders. Reporter Michelle Gile from CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CRAIG COVEY, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: This is as bad as I've ever seen. This is real. Don't mess around.

MICHELLE GILE, REPORTER CBS LOS ANGELES: Emergency responders in Orange County are giving orders to 40,000 people in several cities, including Garden Grove, Stanton, Westminster, Cypress, Anaheim, and Buena Park to get out to evacuate neighborhoods and businesses before the compromised hazardous materials tank explodes.

COVEY: The other option that was told to us is that it blows up. That was what we were handed, a leaking tank or tank that blows up. That's why we extended the evacuation today in an overabundance of caution. This is highly volatile, it's highly toxic, and it's highly flammable.

GILE: The chemical leak was discovered Thursday at GKN, an aerospace manufacturing facility in Garden Grove. Fire officials say the cooling system failed on a tank containing toxic epoxy used for windscreens on fighter jets. An initial evacuation order was lifted, but officials say on Friday, they expanded it to a larger area as the tank continued to heat up and threaten the surrounding community.

COVEY: I've been in the fire service for 32 years, and it is the most significantly dangerous event I've ever been part of. DR. REGINA CHINSIO-KWONG, ORANGE COUNTY HEALTH CARE AGENCY: And when you have limited short term exposure, meaning maybe you inhaled some of the vapor, it can cause significant irritation in the lungs, the nasal passages, and it can also cause nausea. It can also cause dizziness.

GILE: At an afternoon briefing, authorities say that the air quality registered within normal limits. Contractors for the Environmental Protection Agency are monitoring the air. They set up devices in the parking lot of Rancho Alamitos High School that was closed for the day. As experts across the country work with local hazmat teams to try and mitigate the danger, it's a wait and see game.

BATTALION CHIEF NICK FREEMAN, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: The other concern we have is it's extremely flammable and in its current state, very reactive and can cause that explosion, which is why we have that hard perimeter in place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: It's Michelle Gile reporting for us. This Memorial Day weekend is a big travel holiday here in the U.S. It's going to cost people a lot more this year.

[01:10:00]

39 million Americans expected to hit the roads for holiday visits this weekend. Sky high gasoline prices nationwide average $4.55 a gallon according to AAA. Here in California, gas costs $6.13. Price is not the only issue at New York's busy LaGuardia airport, a sinkhole that opened days ago shutting down a runway still forcing flight delays. And the millions of people who are flying could be hit hard by severe weather. Thunderstorms threaten most of the Eastern U.S. that will affect some of the busiest airports, including Atlanta and Orlando. Even those who stay home and barbecue may get drenched by the storms.

Joining me now from Rome is CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg. Peter, I love that you're on our show often, and every single time you're in a different city and oftentimes a different continent, which makes sense as the travel guy, but it is amazing to figure out where you're going to be. How is it in Rome?

PETER GREENBERG, TRAVEL EDITOR CBS NEWS: It's busy. Believe it or not, it's crowded. All the flights are full. The trains are full. Europe has not slowed down because a lot of the Europeans who might have been coming to the United States are staying in Europe this year.

MICHAELSON: Interesting. So in the United States, of course, Memorial Day is being observed, not being observed other parts of the world. Why is travel so busy? You say a lot of this has to do with when people booked.

GREENBERG: Exactly. If you take a look at all the planes that are full right now and they are all full, these are reservations that weren't made last week or last month. These are reservations that were made three or four months ago before the fuel started skyrocketing, and of course, people tend to make their reservations three to four months in advance.

The key right now to understand where the travel and tourism business is relative to airfares, fuel prices, everything else is to look at the forward projections, the advanced bookings, and those are starting to get very soft.

MICHAELSON: And so what is your advice if you've got to book future travel? Should you book now? Should you wait? How do you think about that?

GREENBERG: Well, let's take a look at the numbers. Since February, international airfares have gone up between 37 percent and 40 percent. Domestic airfares are averaging 20 percent last week. They're up about 24 percent now. So this is raising the actual cost by about 1 percent to 2 percent every four to five days. Even if they open the Straits of Hormuz tomorrow, fuel prices won't stabilize between six and nine months from now. No guarantee the prices will come down. So you're not in a good shape. If you want to wait to book, you book now, and then later on, if the price comes down, you can adjust it because you can always get a credit or a refund after the price goes down. But waiting right now, not a good idea.

MICHAELSON: Let's talk about gas prices, compared to last year and for all the folks that are hitting the road. And for folks in rental cars, you've got some practical advice in terms of what to do.

GREENBERG: Well, we're still a nation addicted to our cars. I was in Los Angeles last week, filled up my tank. It was a $132, and I don't drive a tank. This is serious. However, because we're addicted to our cars, that explains why everybody's on the road this weekend. Now the question is how many people will be in each car? The more the gas prices go up, the more we crowd more people into the car, becomes almost a clown car by the time we're finished with granny strapped on the roof.

But if you're wrecking a car, there's an issue here that you have to be aware of. Number one, every time you run a car, you're given an option. You want to return the car with whatever's in the tank and let the rental car company refill it. That's not an option you want. The rental car company will charge you over $10 a gallon to refill that tank. The second option you're given is to prepay the gas so that no matter what the tank level is when you come back, you don't have to pay anymore.

Again, not a good option. That's about $8 a gallon as well. The only option that makes sense is the only option that's always worked, fill it up before you return the car and do the best you can.

MICHAELSON: Did you just say granny is strapped to the roof? What kind of car are --

GREENBERG: Beverly Hill Brews reference. Come on.

MICHAELSON: OK. And in terms of the best time to drive, you say there is one time that's the best time to drive this weekend. GREENBERG: And it always has been that time. It's Sunday. Don't wait till Monday to come back. Get in the morning, come back early, and avoid the trouble because it's going to be bad.

MICHAELSON: But isn't that the whole point that you have Monday off, that's why you go away?

GREENBERG: Yeah. But Monday -- if you have Monday off, then you're going to have to take two more days to recover from the trip back, because everybody is coming back at the same time. It's the same thing with Thanksgiving. You want the best day to travel over Thanksgiving? It's the Friday after Thanksgiving. While everybody's stuck at the mall, on Black Friday, you have to go home. Same thing here. Do yourself a favor. Avoid the problems. Come back on Sunday and have your own real holiday on Monday.

MICHAELSON: Peter Greenberg joining us from Rome, which sounds great. I'm bummed you didn't come visit us when you were in Los Angeles last week, but I hope you will the next time.

[01:15:00]

Have a great weekend.

GREENBERG: You got it. Same here.

MICHAELSON: There's a lot more to come on CNN, including the Russian President's threats of retaliation after Ukrainian drone strike and conflicting accounts about what the damaged building actually is. Plus, how the conflict in Iran is disrupting the food supply in the impoverished nation of Myanmar more than 2,000 miles away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: We have some breaking news just in. New information about a tragedy in China. At least 82 people are confirmed dead. An unknown number of people are trapped after a gas explosion in a coal mine.

[01:20:00]

The mine is in Northern China's Shanxi Province. The Xinhua News Agency reports that carbon monoxide levels exceeded limits in the mine. Rescue efforts are now underway. 247 workers were underground when that explosion happened. At least 201 of them were evacuated. The cause of that explosion still under investigation.

World Health Organization has revised the risk assessment of Ebola to very high in the DRC, while the global risk remains low. W.H.O. says at least 177 deaths are thought to be linked to Ebola outbreak in the DRC with nearly 750 suspected cases. The W.H.O. declared this strain of Ebola an emergency about two weeks ago. There is no approved vaccine or treatment for it. Listen to what the Director General of the World Health Organization told reporters on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, W.H.O. DIRECTOR-GENERAL: We're now revising our risk assessment to very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at global level. So far, 82 cases have been confirmed in DRC with seven confirmed deaths. But we know the epidemic in DRC is much larger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Meantime, the U.S. is expanding the list of airports that can screen people traveling from certain African countries grappling with the fast moving Ebola outbreak. International airports in Atlanta and Houston as well as Dulles Airport outside Washington have been cleared to receive passengers who have been in Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan for the past 21 days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening retaliation against Ukraine in the wake of a deadly drone strike. He has ordered his military to prepare options for an attack after at least six people were killed and dozens injured in a Ukrainian drone strike in Russian occupied Luhansk. Kyiv says it struck an elite drone command unit, but Moscow claims it was a student dorm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (translated): The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to inform international organizations and the international community about this crime. But, of course, we understand that in such cases, statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alone are not enough. Therefore, the Russian Ministry of Defense has been ordered to submit its proposals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Farmers in Myanmar were already struggling with low price -- less rice prices and soaring fuel and food costs due to the civil war there. Now the war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is pushing those farmers to the brink of starvation. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maung Nu Sein savors this small meal, unsure how much longer his farm in Myanmar's Rakhine state can keep his family fed.

MAUNG NU SEIN, FARMER STRUGGLING TO FEED HIS FAMILY (translated): Life has been very difficult. I'm struggling to feed them, he says. I've reduced half of the farmland that I used to work since last year. Much of the fuel and fertilizer he and others like him need to nourish their fields is stranded more than 2,000 miles away waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. Myanmar imports 90 percent of those crucial supplies, and the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran has disrupted deliveries, sending their prices soaring.

The rice we sell doesn't even cover the cost of fuel, let alone workers' costs, the 72-year-old says. Even before the conflict in the Middle East, many of Myanmar's farmers were struggling with plunging profits and rising costs, a result of the country's civil war. The World Food program says that 12.5 million people in Myanmar are already acutely food insecure, a crisis that's only deepened since February.

SAMIR WANMALI, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, WFP ASIA AND THE PACIFIC: Across the country, we've seen 22 percent increase in basic food prices. So that's usually a staple like rice if it's there or an alternative, salt and pulses. Families and parents will make choices about how much they eat, what they eat.

MONTGOMERY: For those displaced by violence stemming from the 2021 military coup that decimated Myanmar's economy, the situation is even more dire.

MA KHIN THAN, FAMILY DISPLACED BY VIOLENCE (TRANSLATED): We didn't have food to eat yesterday, so we starved, Ma Khin Than says, as she grinds chili into rice for a rare meal at a displacement camp in Myebon. My tears welled up in front of my kids. They don't want me to beg, but I don't want them to starve. Many farmers nearby are abandoning their land, unable to hold out until supplies begin to flow once again through the Middle East. But for Maung Nu Sein, who has seven family members to feed, that's not an option.

[01:25:00]

If we don't do the farming, he asks, who will feed us? That's all we've got. Hanako Montgomery, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: The Pentagon has released a second batch of declassified documents related to UFOs or as the government calls them Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UAPs. The documents include lists of alleged sightings as well as military reports. This latest batch of documents also features video material requested by Members of Congress. U.S. military says one of the videos was likely captured by an infrared sensor. The video appears to show several unidentified objects moving across the field of view before another object moves in rapidly from the left. Released the documents as part of a broader initiative that President Trump off ordered earlier this year.

Thanks for watching "The Story Is." For international viewers, Quest World of Wonder is next for our viewers in North America. We'll be right back to sox sports.

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[01:30:00]

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MICHAELSON: Sox sports, the Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business in Texas defeating the San Antonio Spurs in game 3 of the NBA's Western Conference finals. The Spurs exploded from the start, leading the Thunder 15 to nothing. But the drought did not last long. OKC continued to push and pulled off the victory 123-108. They now lead the series 2-1. Game 4 in San Antonio is set for Sunday.

WNBA star Caitlin Clark returned to the court after missing a game with back injury. She put on a show scoring 22 points to lead the Indiana fever to a 90-82 victory over the Golden State Valkyries. That is the third straight win for the fever. Both teams will square off again in San Francisco on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: While Ginger was a multi-sport athlete growing up, it was her battle for respect as a cheerleader that empowers her these days to shut down anyone dismissing her as just a weather girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: That's a short sample of Champions Edge, a new series from veteran sports journalist Bonnie Bernstein on ABC. It highlights the importance of women's sports in developing future leaders.

Let's bring in the creator of that new show, Bonnie Bernstein, who is also the Founder and CEO of Walk Swiftly Productions. Bonnie, welcome to "The Story Is" for the first time. Great to have you here.

BONNIE BERNSTEIN, FOUNDER & CEO, WALK SWIFTLY PRODUCTIONS: Oh, Elex. It's so nice to see you again. Thank you for having me.

MICHAELSON: So talk to us about the premise of this show.

BERNSTEIN: It is research based, which is what I love. So the champion's edge, every week we profile a successful woman from different industries, doctors, lawyers, women on Wall Street, women in tech and education. And their common link is that they played sports, and they harness life skills learned through sports like leadership and teamwork and resilience and confidence to thrive in their careers.

And when I say it's research based, there's an inordinate amount of data that we've been seeing that connects sports participation with career success for women. And the stat we love throwing around, and it's a big one, is that 94 percent of female C suite executives played sports. And it's not just the C suites. It's female founders. It's women who are sitting on boards. And so we know the data's there, and I realize there's just not a platform to tell the stories that bring the data to life, and that's what the champion's edge is.

MICHAELSON: Why is it? What is it about sports?

BERNSTEIN: Well, I think for women, and people say why 94 percent, how is that possible? But you have to put it all in perspective, right? There's still only a fractional number of women who are at the very, very top of the food chain. And you think about the drive that you need to have to thrive in sports, the ambition you need to have to thrive in sports, the confidence, the resilience. How many times women trying to work their way up to their respective mountaintops are being told no and having doors shut.

And so a lot of what we learn through sports when it comes to stick- to-itiveness, which I know is kind of a sports term, you're not going to find it in the Webster's dictionary. But those things are so critically important and you have to have those in order to get to the top.

MICHAELSON: Talk to us about your sports journey and what you learned from that.

BERNSTEIN: I am a living, breathing embodiment of all of this stuff. I was a multi-sport athlete growing up. I focused on gymnastics in college. And a lot of people will ask, what is your core skill set? And I would always say resilience. I had a really, really bad knee injury in college, and the orthopedic had said, you have to brace yourself that your career is over. And I said, no. I determined that you don't. And I worked my way back, and I competed again, and I would always reflect during difficult periods in my broadcasting career and think, if I could get through that knee injury, I can get through this. These days with a new show that also has a podcast component and executive producing and hosting and --

MICHAELSON: traveling.

There's a lot. And now I feel it's time management. Because in high school, I was doing track and high school gymnastics and club gymnastics and four bands because I was kind of a band geek.

MICHAELSON: Wow. What did you play?

BERNSTEIN: Well, I played tenor sax in nobody's ever asked that before, by the way, this is why you're good at what you do. So I played tenor sax in marching band and wind ensemble and piano in jazz ensemble and pit orchestra.

MICHAELSON: Oh, man.

BERNSTEIN: And then the sports. But when we're growing up and we're doing all of these days.

MICHAELSON: My college essay you have.

BERNSTEIN: Well, I don't think my college essay was nearly as interesting as what I pulled off in high school. But you're just kind of doing it. It's wash, rinse, and repeat. And it is just something that subconsciously you do, and it's not really until later in life that you realize, wow, I learned something really important when I was in high school that is equally as important today.

[01:35:00]

MICHAELSON: And so you talk to all these different women, one of them is Ginger Zee who we just showed a clip of, who, of course, is on Good Morning America.

BERNSTEIN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: You meet with her at Good Morning America. And we find out that she was a cheerleader. And you like, that's an example of how she feel like that really prepared her for this.

BERNSTEIN: It does. And it also raises a broader topic in terms of what do we consider sports.

MICHAELSON: Right.

BERNSTEIN: Traditionally, it's your stick and balls, it's your gymnastics, tennis, volleyball, what have you. But the conversation with Ginger helps us broaden it, too. Competitive cheer, competitive dance, and she talked about, even though she was named most athletic, people would poo, poo that because they'd say, oh, you were a competitive cheerleader. And she would say, I welcome you to come do the sort of training that we have to do in competitive cheer. She's like, soccer, it was so easy. It was just running. And it's that same conversation with dance.

And Elex, why I think that's so important is that there are lots of girls that for whatever reason, may not gravitate toward what we would call traditional sports. But if they lean into cheer, if they lean into dance, you have that camaraderie, you have all of the discipline you need. You get all of those same life skills, and then we broaden the -- what is sports conversation, and that just gets more girls involved.

MICHAELSON: Well, she also talks about the fact that she was sort of discounted because she was a cheerleader, and now she's a meteorologist, a scientist, the chief meteorologist for the whole network of ABC.

BERNSTEIN: And she have to fight that same fight.

MICHAELSON: And they call her a weather girl.

BERNSTEIN: Oh, yeah, that --

MICHAELSON: And so some of that she learned when she was a cheerleader to fight back about that as well.

BERNSTEIN: She had to fight as a cheerleader and she's had to fight to get the respect as a weather scientist.

MICHAELSON: Life skillsets. So where can people watch the show?

BERNSTEIN: You can watch it on ABC. And if you can't get it on TV, you can get it on YouTube. It is called Champions Edge TV. And then the podcast version is called the Athlete Effect YouTube and wherever you get your podcast.

MICHAELSON: Congratulations, Bonnie, important. And a really great thing for parents to watch as well --

BERNSTEIN: Absolutely.

MICHAELSON: -- as they're thinking about what to do with their young kids and daughters.

Coming up, would you get on an airplane piloted by AI? Our Pete Muntean did. He takes us on that journey, next.

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[01:40:00]

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MICHAELSON: This next story takes autopilot to a whole other level. A Boston startup has developed a system where artificial intelligence can fly planes and even talk to air traffic control. Our Pete Muntean went on board one of these flights and filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm in the copilot seat of a Cessna.

MATT DIAMOND, TEST PILOT: One, two, three good.

MUNTEAN: And I'm about to find out what happens when the pilot flying is not human, but artificial intelligence.

TIM BURNS, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MERLIN LABS: This is our experimental caravan --

MUNTEAN: Tim Burns is the Chief Technology Officer at Merlin Labs, a Boston startup developing a system that can be bolted into existing airplanes. Merlin says its system can fly the plane, talk to air traffic control, and even help make decisions about weather and routing.

BURNS: We're trying to capture the judgment and abilities of a real aviator.

MUNTEAN: Merlin says it has completed hundreds of test flights to see how the system performs in real world conditions, though it is likely years away from carrying passengers. In the back of the plane, one of the company's engineers is monitoring what the AI is doing in real time.

DIAMOND: I don't know if I know exactly what I'm in for here.

MUNTEAN: Alongside me is test pilot, Matt Diamond, who on this flight won't be doing much piloting at all. So this is just a manual take off?

DIAMOND: This is going to be an automated take off.

MUNTEAN: Oh, this is an automated take off.

DIAMOND: Yep.

MUNTEAN: Meaning the AI system is flying the airplane from the very start. Wow, nicely done. The next part of the demonstration, communicating with air traffic control. Merlin System displays its language processing on an iPad as it listens to a mock controller, repeats the instruction, and then flies the airplane to match it. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Magic 01, turn left heading 090 descend 2000.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Left 090, and down 2000 Magic 01.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible).

MUNTEAN: We're at about 1,500 feet now over Newport, Rhode Island, and we just turned on to the final approach here at Kuantan State airport. Now this is going to be an automative landing and this system will fly the airplane all the way down to the pavement.

DIAMOND: It's a challenging problem for the automation, but once you crack the code, then it's so much easier on the pilot.

MUNTEAN: You seem pretty confident over there.

DIAMOND: Oh, yeah.

MUNTEAN: You seem pretty relaxed. Should I be this relaxed?

DIAMOND: Yeah. Absolutely.

MUNTEAN: OK. All right. As a pilot and a bit of a control freak, this is not exactly easy for me. But the system lines up with the runway and flies a gradual descent all the way to touchdown. Smooth, easy.

DIAMOND: Right on center line.

MUNTEAN: Even still, putting AI in control of an airplane raises big questions about safety and trust. Merlin CEO, Matthew George.

MATTHEW GEORGE, CEO, MERLIN LABS: What we're building is certainly very sci-fi, but we're doing it in a responsible incremental way.

MUNTEAN: Will this put pilots out of jobs?

GEORGE: It won't. This is sitting alongside pilots, not necessarily replacing pilots, and enabling those pilots to do more of what they do best, which is operate aircraft safely.

MUNTEAN: That could be appealing to airlines worldwide, which will need to hire more than 600,000 new pilots over the next 20 years according to Boeing. Merlin has already secured a $100 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to eventually fly cargo planes without pilots on board at all. But convincing passengers may be the hardest part.

MIKE TANNENBAUM, PASSENGER: As long as it's safe and more efficient and tested out in advance, I'm for it.

MEG MCKNIGHT, PASSENGER: But I don't know if I trust AI in the air, I doubt, I trust it.

STEVE COLEMAN, PASSENGER: I like the idea of humans having control. I don't like the idea of machines having control.

[01:45:00]

MUNTEAN: The push for AI in aviation is also gaining support in Washington. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, says that the Trump administration sees AI as a way to help modernize the nation's strained air traffic control system. Though, Duffy stresses that human controllers will always remain in charge of the airspace. At the same time, researchers say this technology still faces major safety and public trust hurdles. The head of the Airline Pilots Association says that technological advances can improve aviation safety, but he insists there will never be a substitute for two pilots controlling a commercial flight. Back to you.

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MICHAELSON: Never? A lot to process. We just saw there, Pete Muntean, thank you so much.

A record number of viewers tuned in to bid a fond farewell to Stephen Colbert up next, Segun Oduolowu here to discuss the future of late night.

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[01:50:00]

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STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE LATE SHOW: On night one of the Colbert report back in the day, I said, anyone can read the news to you, I promise to feel the news at you. And I realized pretty soon in this job that our job over here was different. We were here to feel the news with you. And I don't know about you, but I sure have felt it.

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MICHAELSON: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, went out on a literal high note yesterday. Ratings show it was the most watched weeknight episode of his 11-year run. Series finale was filled with celebrity guests like Bryan Cranston, Ryan Reynolds, and final guest, Paul McCartney, who sang, Hello Goodbye, as well as Colbert's late night counterparts. Colbert did not mention President Trump at all, which is notable given the facts that fans and critics pointed to White House pressure for CBS's decision to cancel the show.

The company says it was purely a financial move, nothing to do with President Trump and the fact that they want to get a deal done that they need him to approve. The President has celebrated Colbert's exit in multiple online posts, including this AI generated video depicting him, tossing Colbert into a dumpster then dancing to the YMCA. That was posted late tonight. Trump also warned other late night hosts of a similar fate, calling this "The beginning of the end." Others have even less talent to soon follow, may they all rest in peace.

Earlier tonight, I filled in for Kaitlan Collins on her show, The Source, and I spoke with Emmy Award-Winning Entertainment Journalist Segun Oduolowu about the end of Colbert's run on CBS and the future of late night television.

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SEGUN ODUOLOWU, EMMY AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST & MEDIA ANALYST: Look, the numbers don't lie. The late night -- The Late Show was losing money, and it was losing money because the model was broken. But the numbers also say that it was the number one rated show for nine straight years. I'm a journalist, not that great at math, but can't be any better than number one.

Stephen Colbert also said that CBS never approached him about streamlining the show or making cuts or changing anything. And two years ago, they seemed really happy for him to sign a five-year contract when the President was a different person. But under this new regime, now he's persona non-grata. So wherever you want to look at the numbers, look Jay-Z says men lie, women lie, numbers don't lie. I guess whichever set of numbers you have -- can tell you which man or woman in the room is lying about Colbert.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: But from a numbers perspective, the idea of what they're replacing this with will be cheaper for CBS. Byron Allen is literally buying the time slot.

ODUOLOWU: Yeah.

MICHAELSON: So CBS cannot lose because he is paying them to run his program, Comics Unleashed, which is produced much, much, much cheaper than Colbert's show. Byron Allen was on with my colleague, Victor Blackwell, last night as he was filling in for Laura Coates. Here's some of what Byron Allen said about why his show will not be political.

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BYRON ALLEN, TAKING OVER COLBERT'S CBS TIME SLOT: I think there's a place for that political humor, and there's you can go get that from Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel and Bill Maher and John Oliver and Seth Meyers. If you want political humor, go get it. That is not what we're doing here. And I think, there's a huge audience out there that appreciates the fact we're not doing political humor. We don't care who you vote for, what's going on. We're just here to make you laugh.

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MICHAELSON: I mean, the old school late night model was to try to keep it down the middle. Jay Leno talked about that often to try to appeal to everybody in the country. In more recent years, it's gotten way more on one side or the other.

ODUOLOWU: Look. I'm not going to disagree with Byron Allen in the sense that that is black excellence and I love what Byron Allen has been able to create, and he's 100 percent correct. Look, there's a lane if you want to do political humor. And if that's not his lane, he has made a mint not doing it. If he can afford the time and do kind of conveyor belt TV where they can shoot a lot of episodes, he can do it for the cheap, and he can, again, afford to pay for the space, have added.

My fear is that that's what late night television will become, that it will become pay for play. Look, you're living proof. Late night television is great if you have the right host there. If you have the right talent in place, it can work, it can be smart, it can be funny, and you can choose your spot. I don't think CBS made the right move here in getting rid of Colbert the way they did. It feels as if they had a golden goose that was number one and is coming off just winning an Emmy and they killed the goose to see if it was made of gold while it was laying you golden eggs. Adjust the format, not throw it all the way out.

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[01:55:00]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three ignition.

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MICHAELSON: Lift off here on SpaceX Twelfth Starship mission as its 33 Raptor engines roared to life. Spectacular launch resulted in a voyage that was largely successful, but with some glitches. The huge capsule deployed 22 mock satellites when it achieved an orbital trajectory. One engine did not fire up during its landing burn. The craft still managed a controlled upright entry into the Indian Ocean, but then it fell over and exploded to the delight of cheering SpaceX employees at mission control.

Thank you so much for watching all week here on "The Story Is." It has been a jam-packed week and a very busy day. And thanks for watching us earlier today on The Source with Kaitlan Collins. It was fun to fill in on that show. Hope you have a great weekend, especially if you're here in the U.S. and you get to enjoy Memorial Day on Monday, and then come check us out later that night. We'll be back for more of "The Story Is." Thanks so much.

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