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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
U.S. Launches New Strikes on Iranian Military Site; Five People Trapped in Laos Cave Found Alive; Recovery Efforts Resume After Chemical Tank Rupture in Washington State; New York and New Jersey Attorneys General Examine Ticket Pricing Practices; DOJ Launches Criminal Probe of E. Jean Carroll; Newsom Vows to Tax Trump Anti- Weaponization Fund Payments; New Polling Shows Becerra in Lead in California Gubernatorial Primary; 'Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose" Premieres May 30. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired May 28, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Or should Ferrari just say, bring back the gas?
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you know, folks that can afford a $640,000 car probably can pay for the gas. I don't know if the gas prices are a real big issue for them. But it's interesting, I think, to see it. I don't know. I don't know if that's worth the money. You think that's worth it?
COATES: No, I could -- you know, if I had that much money, I'd buy K.I.T.T. from "Knight Rider."
Have a great show, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Thanks, Laura. Have a great night.
THE STORY IS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): THE STORY IS new U.S. strikes in Iran after days of mixed messaging about a potential deal.
THE STORY IS criminal probe. The Justice Department is investigating Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't even know who this woman is.
MICHAELSON: My panel, Fabian Nunez and Abel Maldonado join me on set.
THE STORY IS alive in Laos. Rescuers found five of the seven people who've been trapped in a cave for more than a week. As our Mike Valerio reports, the danger is far from over.
And THE STORY IS American on purpose. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the word immigrant, you've said this, it's a
word of honor.
MICHAELSON: Comedian Craig Ferguson celebrating America's 250th birthday with a new CNN Original Series highlighting immigrants from around the country. He joins me from New York to share some of their stories.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson, live in Los Angeles.
Tonight the top story is escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. A U.S. official telling CNN that the U.S. has carried out new strikes in Iran, targeting a military site near the Strait of Hormuz that they say posed a threat to American forces and commercial traffic. It was being used to launch attack drones. The official says the move was purely defensive and aimed at maintaining the ceasefire amid ongoing efforts to reach a peace deal.
Now all this comes after Iran's state media reported three explosions were heard near an Iranian port close to the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN's Ivan Watson starts us off. He's live in Hong Kong.
Ivan, what do we know about these strikes?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf, that strategic strait that Iran has basically shut down ever since February 28th when the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran. Meanwhile, U.S., the U.S. military, a U.S. official tells CNN that the U.S. military shot down four Iranian drones, and then it carried out an attack on Iran on what it describes as a ground control station near the Port of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.
CNN has reached out to U.S. Central Command to learn more about this. This comes after there was also an exchange of fire on Tuesday, also around the Strait of Hormuz. As part of what it was doing, Iran claims that it was opening fire on a U.S. oil tanker that was trying to pass through. We're trying to get clarification or confirmation on that claim right now, Elex.
MICHAELSON: And Ivan, we heard President Trump today even threatening Oman. What was that about?
WATSON: That's a good question. Oman has been considered to have pretty good relations with the U.S., has mediated in the past to help get hostages out of Iranian custody, for example.
Why don't we just take a listen to what he had to say?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: The strait is going to be open to everybody. It's --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And who would control it?
TRUMP: It's international waters. Nobody is going to control it. We're going to watch over it. We'll watch over it. But nobody is going to control it. That's part of the negotiation that we have. It's international waters. And Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Which I don't know how the Omani leadership is responding to that threat right now, but I think part of the point here is that as the U.S. and Iran continue in their negotiations behind closed doors, they are also, to some degree, negotiating in public making claims and counterclaims with Iran continuing to insist that it is going to control the Strait of Hormuz in the future, suggesting that the other coastal state that borders the Strait of Hormuz, Oman, would share custody of that area.
So I think that's part of where this latest threat from President Trump is coming from. Of course, the White House is arguing, no, this is an international waterway.
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Nobody is going to control it. And this is one of a number of sticking points, even as we've heard notes of optimism from the White House in the past couple of days about the possibility of an MOU, a memorandum of understanding, being reached between Tehran and Washington. It's very clear that there are still major gaps here, including in whether or not the U.S. would unfreeze billions of dollars' worth of money of Iranian assets as part of this agreement, which the White House has also denied despite reports in Iranian state media to that effect.
MICHAELSON: Ivan Watson, starting us off in Hong Kong. Ivan, thank you so much.
Just into CNN, word of new Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military says it hit Hezbollah infrastructure in the city of Tyre, which is outside of Israel's self-declared security zone. Israel earlier issued what appears to be its largest evacuation warning for the city on the Mediterranean Coast.
The IDF has been ramping up its operations in southern Lebanon in recent days. Israel said on Wednesday that it had struck more than 150 Hezbollah targets in the preceding 24 hours.
Now to a story first reported by CNN, sources say the U.S. Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E, Jean Carroll, who is the former magazine columnist who accused President Trump of sexual assault. We've learned that probe is focused on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied to her two civil lawsuits against the president. If you remember, juries awarded Carroll millions of dollars in damages
following judgments in the sexual abuse case and a separate defamation case. She is still embroiled in legal battles with the president as he appeals. This marks the latest effort by this Justice Department to investigate President Trump's personal foes.
Former first lady Jill Biden says she was worried her husband, then President Joe Biden, was suffering a stroke during the 2024 presidential debate on CNN. Her comment is a rare public acknowledgment that former President Biden delivered a disastrous debate performance. That poor showing ultimately doomed his bid for a second term.
The former first lady opening up about that debate in a new interview with "CBS News Sunday Morning."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RITA BRAVER, CBS NEWS SUNDAY MORNING: Were you horrified as you saw it unfold?
JILL BIDEN, FORMER FIRST LADY: I wasn't horrified, I was frightened because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never.
BRAVER: Or since.
BIDEN: Yes, or since.
BRAVER: You've never seen him like that.
BIDEN: Never. No.
BRAVER: What happened?
BIDEN: I don't know what happened. I mean, when -- as I watched it, I thought, oh, my god, he's having a stroke. And it scared me to death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: This interview comes as Jill Biden prepares for a book tour of her forthcoming memoir about her time in the White House.
THE STORY IS found alive in Laos. Divers have now located five of the seven people who have been trapped in a cave for more than a week. That moment caught on tape. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five alive. We found them. Yes.
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MICHAELSON: The men found sitting on a rocky ledge surrounded by flood waters while they're still stuck in the underground cavern. They're said to be in good spirits. Now rescuers are focused on getting them supplies and preparing them for the difficult process of extraction. CNN's Mike Valerio has been following this story for several days now.
He's live in Beijing with this update.
Mike, how did this rescue unfold?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll tell you, it was extremely difficult. I'm most struck by one of the rescuers. The Finnish rescuer, Mikko Pasi, telling our own team at CNN that in order to get through an opening like this, 23 inches wide, 60 centimeters wide, that he and some of the rescuers needed to exhale, get rid of as much of the air in their bodies as possible to try to wiggle through these small spaces.
But I want to play a clip, Atlanta friends, let's play that sound bite, 39:04, the last four digits. This is the moment that some of the rescuers came back above ground and let the world know that five people had been found alive. Let's just listen really quick. I mean, incredible. That is the best thing by far we've seen all day.
So let's take that and then move to the next phase, which is we still don't know where two people in this group are. We don't know if they're alive or dead. They've been down there for more than a week. Because if you remember how this story began, these are miners who were looking for gold. There are gold deposits in this part of the jungle in Laos.
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This is a very secluded area where the United States, incidentally, used to have a secret CIA base during the Vietnam War. So what's going to happen now is arguably almost as hard, finding them definitely the hardest part. Getting them out alive could be almost as difficult a proposition in addition to trying to find where the other two people are, because you have a length of a cave that is essentially the same distance as the Empire State Building, 1,115 feet is from point A to point B.
And they were exactly where they thought they were going to be, on that ledge, which thankfully was raised above that water. So they are getting fresh water, we should note. They haven't gotten food yet according to our latest reporting, and they need some first aid. So getting them out certainly will be what we are all watching during the daylight hours today. We'll update you on CNN.com.
We've got a big article charting what needs to happen between now and hopefully their incredible moment when they come back above ground -- Elex.
MICHAELSON: Yes. So what is next? I mean, what should we look for in the next few hours?
VALERIO: I think that pumping water, as much water as possibly can be pumped out, that's going to be proposition number one because it's still monsoon season in this part of the world. I should say, in that part of the world, farther south from where we're broadcasting in Beijing. There's also certainly the danger that this cave could collapse. This is a very old hand-dug cave when people were looking for gold.
And of course, one of the most compelling elements of this storyline is that there are rescuers who saved the Thai soccer team in 2018 who are working on this case, and they've told us that even though the Thai soccer team spent 18 days underground, that cave was arguably much more stable, much larger. This is a hand-dug cave, which, as it's still monsoon season, as there's still rain, there is the danger of collapse -- Elex.
MICHAELSON: Well, it's fascinating. The whole world is watching it. And just a note on the global nature of our coverage, that video coming to us from Laos. Mike is in Beijing giving instructions to our control room in Atlanta while I'm anchoring in Los Angeles. So CNN operating all around the world for you right now in 200 countries.
Mike Valerio, thank you so much for being with us.
A treacherous search is underway after a deadly chemical tank rupture in Washington state. Still ahead, emergency crews worked to recover nine people who are now presumed dead.
As we go to break some live pictures from Saudi Arabia. It is just after 7:00 in the morning in the city of Mina. There, Muslim pilgrims taking part in the annual pilgrimage in the Hajj, performing the ritual known as Stoning of the Devil for a second day. Just extraordinary numbers of people visiting there.
We'll be right back.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio there during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday as an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to grow. The Trump administration says it is focused on keeping the disease out of the U.S. The administration is now making plans to send Americans who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus but don't have symptoms to health facilities in Kenya.
The U.S. already has its own specialized network of hospitals that they are highly equipped to treat Ebola patients some experts say would be much better suited to handle the situation. Critics warn the plan could be unethical and illegal, and potentially lead to, quote, "awful consequences."
Search crews are conducting the grim task of recovering nine people presumed dead after an industrial incident in Washington state. At least two people have been confirmed dead after a tank containing hazardous chemicals ruptured at a paper plant on Tuesday. Eight others were injured. The rupture also led to a chemical spill in the Columbia River. Officials are still assessing the impact, but say there are no public health concerns outside of that plant.
CNN's Nick Watt reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So what's happening at that plant in Longview, Washington, is no longer a possible rescue operation. It is a recovery operation. Nine workers still missing, now presumed dead. Two other workers already confirmed dead. They were among the 10 people taken to the hospital after this accident, suffering from burns, issues with breathing issues with their eyes.
One of those taken to hospital was also a firefighter treated for chemical burns and released. So what happened here is there was a tank, capacity, 900,000 gallons. From that tank flowed about half a million gallons of what they call white liquor. They used that. It's a very, very strong alkaline, PH 13, 14, extremely caustic. They use it to basically break woodchips down into pulp. That is how potent this stuff is.
So that half a million gallons released from this tank and also a fire hydrant was compromised. So you then had water, so you had water and this toxic substance slopping around inside this plant at about 7:15 in the morning, Tuesday, just after a shift change. Now, we've been told that this was a blast, a rupture, a failure. Still unclear exactly how this happened.
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Federal officials have now launched an investigation. So at some points, rescuers were met with waist-to-chest deep water. They were also concerned that tank that was compromised was actually going to collapse. So overnight things were locked down at first light. They began again what was a rescue operation that turned into a recovery operation.
Now this is a small town on the banks of the Columbia River, just across the border from Oregon and Washington. This mill has been around since the 1950s. About 500 people work there. As I say, it's a small town, so there will be pretty much everybody in that small town of under 40,000 people will know somebody or will have lost somebody themselves.
So it is a huge disaster for that little town. And the local representative said that first responders and others, what they've seen are, quote, "unthinkable horrors."
Now, one of the victims, the first victim to be named, Gilbert Bernal. He was described by his daughter as a one-of-a-kind grandfather. She said on Facebook, "I really can't picture our lives without him." So the recovery operation goes on. We're told that will be slow and deliberate to keep fire personnel safe and to also treat the remains of the dead with dignity. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: What a sad story. Nick Watt, thank you.
The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped a high profile bribery case involving FIFA. A federal judge dismissed the charges after the DOJ said the case is not a priority for the Trump administration and that it doesn't want to put resources towards the prosecution. Former 21st Century FOX executive Hernan Lopez and an Argentine sports marketing company were accused of bribing soccer officials to win media and broadcast rights. Lopez said he's relieved that a court case that they never should have started is over.
And that decision comes exactly 11 years after the Justice Department launched a corruption case against FIFA figures, which caused a reckoning in football's governing body and the resignation of top officials. And this comes nearly six months after FIFA presented President Trump with its so-called peace prize.
Meanwhile, the attorney generals of New York and New Jersey are investigating the sky high ticket prices for the upcoming World Cup. They've already sent subpoenas for FIFA documents on pricing practices for matches at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. They say fans may have been misled about the location of their seats.
CNN's Brynn Gingras picks up the story from there.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we've been hearing about how these tickets are so expensive for the World Cup games. But what we're now hearing through these investigations as announced is did basically FIFA violate rules when putting these tickets online, allowing for people to buy them?
Now, one person that I talked to, a lifelong soccer fan, basically says they feel like FIFA pulled a whole bait and switch. He described to me how he waited online the FIFA Web site to purchase tickets for the World Cup, spent 12 hours online in a queue, waiting just to actually purchase tickets, picked two seats next to each other, $515 each. Good seats on the side of the pitch. And then when he spent another five minutes to get to the checkout, his ticket confirmation showed completely different seats, seats that are on the opposite side of the stadium he wanted to go to, behind the goal.
So this is the kind of stories that we're hearing about. But also I imagine these attorneys general are also hearing and wanting to hear more about how this could possibly be in addition to those high ticket prices. Like I said, it's the New York and New Jersey attorneys general that filed the subpoenas requesting this -- some information, starting this investigation. But just a couple of weeks ago, the attorney general in California sending a formal inquiry as well to FIFA asking for specific details about their ticketing strategy. Basically, what sort of disclosures are given to people who purchase tickets, what are their maps look like when someone is on their Web site trying to purchase tickets. So a lot of fact finding, trying to figure out how this process goes.
Unclear if there will be any restitution in this. Certainly the World Cup starts in just a couple of weeks, so probably not likely before these games start. But maybe afterwards. At least that's what one soccer fan told me he hopes for. But I can tell you that we did talk to some fans who are saying at least somebody is on our side because they do feel like they are getting a bit cheated and losing this game for sure.
Brynn Gingras in New York, for CNN.
MICHAELSON: Brynn, thank you.
The first match for Team USA, June 12th, here in Southern California.
The former assistant to actor Matthew Perry has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for injecting Perry with a fatal dose of the drug ketamine. The "Friends" star legally took the drug for depression, though he used more than his doctor prescribed. Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, lived in his home, administering the medication six to eight times a day before his death.
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His attorney argues that his client was following his boss's orders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN ELSNER, ATTORNEY FOR KENNETH IWAMASA: But we feel that the sentence didn't reflect those substantial mitigating circumstances. The power dynamic here was disproportionate. One person had the power and one person had no power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Iwamasa found the actor dead in his jacuzzi in October of 2023 after administering ketamine and learning -- and leaving to run errands. The assistant isn't the only person charged in the actor's death, but Perry's family says there's no one they blame more.
Here's what his business manager told reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA FERGUSON, PERRY'S BUSINESS MANAGER AND ESTATE EXECUTOR: Matthew was afraid of death. Why do you think he tried so hard to get sober? Why he went up and down like that? He wanted to live. He didn't want to die. And this guy facilitated his death, which he was afraid to die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Coming up, we have the first new poll in weeks for the California governor's race. We'll see who's leading the pack just ahead here on THE STORY IS. And our guests here to break it down joining us live in studio. On the left, Fabian Nunez, on the right Abel Maldonado. These two old friends and foes here to duke it out next.
But first, we go to break with live pictures. Viva Las Vegas. Look how beautiful the strip looks tonight as it's now 9:00 -- nearing 9:30 in Vegas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
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The United States has launched new attacks against Iran. That is according to a U.S. official who says that U.S. forces struck a military site near the Strait of Hormuz. They also shot down at least four Iranian drones that were being launched from the site.
The official says the strikes were purely defensive and aimed at maintaining the ceasefire.
Former president Joe Biden is suing the Justice Department. He wants to block a House committee from obtaining and potentially releasing audio and transcripts of conversations with the ghostwriter of his memoir.
The tapes are part of a Justice Department investigation into Biden's potential mishandling of documents after his term as vice president.
Sources say the U.S. Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll. It's focused on whether Carroll, who accused President Trump of sexual assault, committed perjury in testimony tied to her two civil lawsuits against him.
Juries awarded Carroll millions of dollars in damages following judgments in the sexual abuse case and a separate defamation case.
Let's talk about that and more with our panel, joining us live in studio. Fabian Nunez, the co-founder of the global consultancy group Actum, former speaker of the assembly here in California; and Abel Maldonado, the former lieutenant governor of California, Republican.
The two of them were in the House together, had their battles, had their handshakes, had their stogies with Arnold Schwarzenegger, had all of it. So, it's great to see both of you here tonight, together again.
ABEL MALDONADO, FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA: Thanks.
MICHAELSON: E. Jean Carroll, your thoughts on this and sort of the theme of -- of going after one's political opponents?
FABIAN NUNEZ, CO-FOUNDER, ACTUM: I just feel that what we're doing with the Department of Justice in this country is a -- is a travesty to our democracy. It's one thing to say somebody committed a crime, but we've seen the
Department of Justice go after many people. And in most cases, it doesn't land anywhere.
But for this to be a victim, someone who actually accused the president of sexual misconduct, won a civil case against the president of the United States. And now in retribution, they're going to send the Department of Justice to go after a -- a survivor of such a serious criminal act, to me is just a -- it's just a tragedy that, in our Democratic form of government, we're using the Department of Justice, or at least the president is using the Department of Justice to, you know, launch campaigns against people that he feels did not respond to the things that he wanted them to respond to.
And in this case, it's just, to me, a real travesty.
MICHAELSON: What do you think of the substance of this and the optics of this?
MALDONADO: Well, the optics are one thing, Elex, and I'm sure the optics don't look good. I mean, obviously, it's what Fabian just stated.
However, you know, you look at it -- she perjured herself. I mean, she was asked point-blank during the process, Was there any outside money coming to you for your cases? She said no.
And now, the Department of Justice has come out and said that, yes, Reid Hoffman, a billionaire, funded a lot of her cases. So, she perjured herself.
So, I don't know if Trump knows about this investigation. This is the Department of Justice.
MICHAELSON: You don't think he knows about this investigation.
MALDONADO: Well, I mean --
NUNEZ: Elex --
MICHAELSON: Really.
MALDONADO: Not only --
NUNEZ: Come on. Not only does the president -- not only does the president know about the investigation --
MALDONADO: Elex, he's been asked before. He said, I don't know anything about what the Department of Justice is doing.
NUNEZ: OK.
MICHAELSON: All right. Yes, yes.
MALDONADO: I mean, it's just a fact that he states. MICHAELSON: Yes, that that is possible, that he did. Well, it's
possible that he -- that he didn't know that this was coming today. But it -- but we obviously know he knows about it now --
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MALDONADO: Of course.
MICHAELSON: -- and he's been notified.
NUNEZ: But we also know that the Department of Justice is ask -- is acting at the behest of the president to curry favor with him.
MICHAELSON: We don't necessarily know that.
NUNEZ: Well, we've seen there's a pattern and practice of that. And I think that one can conclude that, because there's a pattern and practice of that, that in effect, that is exactly what's going on here. This is a --
MALDONADO: It's OK if you perjure yourself. I mean, it's --
NUNEZ: Well, this is not about perjuring yourself. This is --
MICHAELSON: Well, it is, isn't it? I mean, legally it's about perjuring yourself.
NUNEZ: Well, that's what it is. But -- but originally, the case is a much deeper case.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
NUNEZ: It's sexual violence. It's sexual violence. A woman -- a woman who says that she was raped, that she was --
MALDONADO: But that has been said. That case has been said.
NUNEZ: Well, no, but that -- but that's in that context; that this -- the claim about her perjuring herself happened in the context of her making the case that the president sexually assaulted her and raped her.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
NUNEZ: This is not a small thing. So, OK, well, maybe she perjured herself in the process.
But the real fundamental issue here is that this is a -- a survivor who is dealing with a very, very serious matter, whose life has been turned upside-down.
MALDONADO: She will not be -- she will not be -- she was --
NUNEZ: Now, the Department of Justice is going after her.
MALDONADO: she was not being honest about who was paying for her case and everything.
NUNEZ: But Abel, it would be --
MALDONADO: What was she not else honest about?
NUNEZ: It would be -- it would be one thing if it was, like, a -- a local or a state attorney general going after her. But the Department of Justice of the United States of America.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Which --
NUNEZ: It's a wholly different situation.
MICHAELSON: -- right now, of course, is led by President Trump's former personal attorney --
NUNEZ: That's right.
MICHAELSON: -- Todd Blanche.
Let's talk about something happening here in California, in Sacramento, where both of you served.
Governor Newsom today was doing a press conference in his office, which had very similar optics to a White House press conference, which he didn't used to do very often. But he had all the cameras come in there, and he talked about this anti-weaponization fund, which President Trump's team has pushed; this idea, potentially, of $1.8 billion to pay to people that they say were victims of the Biden Justice Department.
Governor Newsom said this about what California is going to do about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): One thing that I think we're going to try to do, with your support, is tax 100 percent. Anyone from California that receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100 percent of those proceeds.
And that's an action the state of California can take. It's an action we look forward to taking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Abel.
MALDONADO: I mean, Gavin Newsom, with all due respect, he's just straight political. This is all political.
The people that protested ICE, that shut down the 101 here, left Olvera Street, shut down the 101. There were some innocent people prosecuted there. Should there be some support for them? Is he going to tax them 100 percent? Gavin Newsom, as you saw the setting there, he wants to run for
president. The poor guy wants to be president so bad. He comes up with all these things, Elex.
Look, I went to the swing states the last -- the swing states are full of Californians. They're not even going to vote for this guy. But look, he's making -- making noise.
MICHAELSON: You're saying it's full of Californians that left the state, because it was too expensive. And so, they've moved to other states.
MALDONADO: Well, too expensive, and all the ridiculous laws that Gavin Newsom has signed that's put businesses in jeopardy. I mean, we have six billionaires that just left, Elex. Who's going to replace that money?
MICHAELSON: Well, that's why he's voting. He says the wealth tax is a bad thing, but that's a whole other argument. Your thoughts on this?
NUNEZ: Elex, while -- while I love Abel, I couldn't disagree with him more on this.
I mean, Gavin Newsom has governed over the state of California. And basically now, we're the fourth largest economy in the world. We beat most of the countries in the Western world in terms of economic strength.
Seeing the governor sitting at that -- at that desk does look a little bit like the Resolute Desk. It's fitting for him, because he's the only person in the Democratic Party who's been able to meet the moment face-to-face and confront President Trump in the way nobody has.
Not only putting a ballot measure, a measure on the ballot to confront the threat of them stealing the elections by gerrymandering and doing the things that they want to do in other states.
But in addition to that, this is a governor who -- the statement that he's making is -- is in reference to the January 6th insurrectionists, who basically attacked the Capitol, because they had two ingredients that Donald Trump liked.
No. 1 is that they were election deniers. And No. 2, these are all white -- for the most part, white folks.
If they were black and brown, we wouldn't be offering them an opportunity for any way to go and collect any money.
Officers were killed that day.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
NUNEZ: They tried to impede the election process that would certify a presidential election. And now, we're going to reward them by giving them money? I think -- I think that Gavin Newsom --
MICHAELSON: You like this, again. The 100 -- the 100 percent tax?
NUNEZ: I think it's a fabulous idea. And I think every governor around the country should do the same thing.
MICHAELSON: You think it's a good idea to give money to people that maybe attacked police officers on January 6th?
MALDONADO: No, I don't think -- nobody believes in that, Elex. And --
MICHAELSON: Well, we don't know that. Nobody believes in that.
MALDONADO: That should not be happening, no doubt. And whoever came up with the number of 1776 for that fund, that's just stupid. That -- that doesn't -- that doesn't work, Elex.
[00:40:02]
But what's going on here, this is a -- the president's tax returns were leaked by some independent contractor in the Department of IRS. The president goes, sues the IRS.
The IRS says, Yes, there's damages. Here's the money.
He says, I don't want the money. Let's give the money to -- that have been hurt by the Department of Justice. Like the people here in L.A. that -- that were protesting Olvera Street.
Fabian, do you think some of them were -- were, you know, wrongly prosecuted by the DOJ? Should they have some resources coming back to them? Absolutely.
NUNEZ: Well, this -- this is a 1.6 --
MALDONADO: And those were brown folks.
NUNEZ: This is a $1.6 billion, something like that, slush fund that the president got set aside, so that he can give a couple of nuggets to some of the people that are his supporters.
Because, in reality, the president doesn't need to get more money. He's already made over $2.6 billion, him and his family, by -- by -- by squeezing governments, by ripping off governments, and the corruption that's taking place in the White House between him and his family.
So, he doesn't need another 1.6.
MALDONADO: Seventy-seven --
NUNEZ: He's already made more than $2.5 billion on the backs of American.
MALDONADO: Seventy-seven million Americans voted for him. Seventy- seven million people voted against Joe Biden, voted for him.
NUNEZ: Well, that -- MICHAELSON: I understand that those two things could be true at the
same time. But --
MALDONADO: They are. They are.
MICHAELSON: Let's -- let's get to some breaking news that's happening here in the governor's race here in California.
A poll just came out from PPIC, one of the more respected pollsters --
MALDONADO: There it is.
MICHAELSON: -- with new numbers. And this is where the governor's race is right now among likely voters.
Xavier Becerra, former HHS secretary, taking a lead at 23 percent. Steve Hilton, Republican, at 20 percent. Tom Steyer, who spent over $200 million of his own money in this race, is in third place now, 15 percent.
Chad Bianco, Republican, Riverside County sheriff, at 13 percent. Katie Porter, former Democratic congressperson, at 12 percent. Everybody else under 10 percent, including Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa.
It's been amazing to see this run for Xavier Becerra. What do you think that's about?
NUNEZ: Well, I think what's happened in this race, because of the open primary, which was very well-intentioned. Now we have a jungle primary in California.
MICHAELSON: Which is where the top two people advance, regardless of party, which was that guy's idea.
NUNEZ: A well-intentioned idea which I support, which I 100 percent support it.
MALDONADO: Yes. Give the people the choice to choose for their politicians.
NUNEZ: What's happened -- what's happened is --
MALDONADO: Not the politicians, political party bosses choose the politicians.
NUNEZ: What it's done is it's closed down the middle lane. If you see people like Matt Mahan, Antonio Villaraigosa have not been able to surface in this race. Those are the moderates.
We need all voices to have a voice. I think we need to go back to the old -- to the old election process.
But I will tell you what's interesting about this race is, while Xavier Becerra is in the lead, you know, my wife and I voted for Antonio Villaraigosa the other day, because we still support him. The fact that there are so many undecided voters or voters who maybe
in the polls have said who they're going to vote for, but why are they holding onto their ballot? A lot of Democrats are still waiting this out, because they still haven't made up their mind. So, these --
MICHAELSON: Fifteen percent undecided.
NUNEZ: -- these numbers could change.
MICHAELSON: Fifteen percent undecided in that poll, which is very late.
MALDONADO: Under the old process, Fabian, I mean, with all due respect, I mean, Swalwell had the endorsement of the party. The machine, everybody.
MICHAELSON: He did not have the endorsement of the party.
MALDONADO: I mean, he was -- I mean, he had -- he was rolling. I mean, the guy was rolling. They came out with his indiscretions, and he went down.
And Becerra -- and Elex, he goes back to -- where did Xavier come from? And you know what I'm asking myself every single day. Where's this lane for him?
I've watched his interviews. I watched his debate. I mean, I'm not inspired. I mean, Hilton has got the message of affordability.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MALDONADO: Change the -- this is a change election. Xavier is a 35- year typical California politician. Part of the problem.
NUNEZ: I tell you, Xavier Becerra --
MICHAELSON: Last word.
NUNEZ: If Xavier Becerra wins this race, he owes Abel Maldonado a lot. Because Abel Maldonado was the architect of the open primary in California.
And if -- but not for the open primary, he probably wouldn't be in the lead today. And I mean that.
MICHAELSON: So --
NUNEZ: And -- but look, it is what it is.
MICHAELSON: It was -- it was that fear of the two Republicans shutting out the Democrats that put a lot of the energy behind Xavier Becerra at a key moment.
Great to have both of you. That was one of my favorite panels we've had since we started this show. We've got to have you guys back together. NUNEZ: Yes, let's do it.
MICHAELSON: You've got to go on the road together. Geez, what a team.
MALDONADO: The three of us.
MICHAELSON: All right. Thanks, guys.
Still to come, a first look at a new CNN original series, "Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose." Craig Ferguson is my guest when we come back.
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[00:49:15]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG FERGUSON, HOST, "CRAIG FERGUSON: AMERICAN ON PURPOSE:" So, the word "immigrant," you've said this. It's a --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a word of honor.
FERGUSON: It is a word of honor. And a word of honor. It comes with a bond, and it's a sacred bond. You come here, and you own it, too. Belongs to all of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Comedian and former "Late, Late Show" host Craig Ferguson is celebrating America's 250th birthday with the all-new CNN original series, "Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose."
Born in Scotland, now a U.S. citizen, Ferguson is traveling the country, exploring what it means to be an American, 250 years after the nation's founding.
Craig Ferguson joins us now from New York. Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time, and congrats on the new show.
[00:50:04]
FERGUSON: Thank you very much indeed, Elex, and welcome to New York. As you can see, I'm sitting -- I have a window right out onto the outside here. And New York is looking beautiful this evening, if a little bit purple for some reason.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
FERGUSON: But the weather here is purple.
MICHAELSON: It's very in line with our show colors, so thank you. It's amazing how -- how Mother Nature --
FERGUSON: It kind of goes with your tie a little bit. It does. MICHAELSON: It clearly, clearly watching the show, part of what you've done in this special is you've talked to a lot of immigrants from around the country. What are some of the main reasons people talk to you about why they wanted to become an American?
FERGUSON: Well, there -- the reasons are as diverse as the people themselves. There are so many different. There's my -- my story. There's -- I talked to Abdi Nor Iftin (ph), a gentleman who won the golden lottery ticket in Somalia.
There's -- there's so many. Or some graffiti artists in Niami or people who've been here for generations in the Everglades.
It wasn't just immigrants I talked to. I talked to all sorts of Americans. And what became more and more obvious to me is just that it was just the story of people. It's the story of people, really.
You know, I used to -- I've seen a lot of it, and I'm sure you have too, a lot of sort of lazy British documentaries where they say, well, the thing about America is.
And you go, how can you even say that? It's -- it's too big a subject to say the thing about America. It's as different as the 350 million or so people who are in it.
MICHAELSON: What does being an American mean to you?
FERGUSON: To me, I think being an American means the -- the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, to be honest. I mean, really, that's what it is.
It became a sense of freedom, a sense of the -- the possibilities were not marred by a class system or a, or a, or a historical concept that was designed for me to stay in one particular area. I think that's what it means to me. Now, it's just home.
MICHAELSON: Yes. and you traveled all around the country to get a sense of, of different people's American dream, including here in Southern California. You spent some time at Jay Leno's garage --
FERGUSON: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- which I've also visited. What was your takeaway from that experience? And did that make you more into cars or -- or more intimidated by cars?
FERGUSON: Well, look, I've got to be honest with you. I've known jay for a long time. Jay was kind of a lighthouse to me when I first moved to Hollywood, because this won't be a problem for you, Elex.
But when I first moved to Hollywood, I was freaked out because everybody was good looking. Everybody was good looking. All the men were.
MICHAELSON: Look at you, though. FERGUSON: You know, all the women were good looking. It was terrifying. And then I met Jay, and I was like, oh, great. Because it was -- because he looked like guys. He's like guys I grew up with, you know?
MICHAELSON: Yes.
FERGUSON: He's kind of like --
MICHAELSON: With the chin?
FERGUSON: How are you doing? The chin.
MICHAELSON: Did guys that you know have that sort of chin?
FERGUSON: Yes. And he's kind of, you know -- he's a little -- he looks like a guy. And -- and he is like a guy. And we became good friends.
Jay's mother was Scottish. I don't know if you know that. Jay Leno's mother was Scottish. And my mother was also Scottish. Different woman, but they were -- they were both Scottish. And if your mother is Scottish, you understand passive aggression in a way that normal people don't.
MICHAELSON: Also true of Jewish mothers. They're very good.
FERGUSON: I wouldn't know, but I take your word for it.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And the guilt, also a big thing for our community.
FERGUSON: Oh, we definitely do that in Scotland.
MICHAELSON: Did -- what was sort of the biggest surprise or the biggest thing you learned while making this show?
FERGUSON: There's too many of them. The whole thing is kind of like, like cracked it open for me. It's I loved doing this. I loved doing the show.
I'm very -- I'm actually very grateful to CNN for giving me the opportunity to do it, because they paid for all the transport.
MICHAELSON: Mm. You know --
FERGUSON: They'll-- they'll fly you. I mean, they'll fly you coach, but they'll fly you anywhere you want to go in the U.S. You -- you fly coach, but they'll fly you where you want to go, and you'll stay at a reasonably priced three-star hotel, handy for the freeway.
MICHAELSON: And what does it mean for you to be a part of the CNN family? To have a show like this on CNN?
FERGUSON: Well, I think CNN, I mean, I -- you know, my -- my -- a dear friend of mine, going back a long way, was Larry King. I loved Larry.
And -- and -- and Larry and I became very close in the last decade or so of his life. And -- and I used to -- always love -- CNN to me was always, like, I would turn -- wherever I was in the world, wherever hotel I was in, in the world, I'd go into a hotel room and take off my pants and turn on the TV. And Larry would be on TV, on CNN.
And I always loved that, you know, with his microphone and hey, well, what's -- what's going on over there? What are you guys doing? And I just --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
FERGUSON: I loved him. He was such a sweet man. So, I'm just happy to be part of something that that he was involved in, really, to be honest. I know that sounds kind of weird, but that's my connection to CNN, was Larry.
MICHAELSON: All new CNN original series, "Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose," premieres Saturday, 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN. And the next day on the CNN app.
[00:55:09]
Craig, thank you so much. I hope you'll come visit us in person sometime. And great to have you part of the family.
FERGUSON: It's lovely to be here. Thank you, Elex, and thanks for having me on the show. I really appreciate it. Come to New York anytime.
MICHAELSON: We'll be back with more of THE STORY IS right after this.
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[01:00:05]
MICHAELSON: Pope Leo XIV stepped into Ferrari's first fully electric car, which, based on first reactions.
