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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Spurs Win Game Three 115-111 on Knicks' Home Court; CNN Projects Nithya Raman to Face Karen Bass in L.A. Mayor's Race; Israel and Iran Halt Strikes After Escalation in Hostilities; Trump Talks Jobs Numbers, Markets in New York; Spurs Win Game Three 115-111 on Knicks' Home Court; Xi and Kim Agree to 'New Chapter' of Relations; Sanjoy to Perform at World Cup Opening Ceremony. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 09, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:43]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson, live in Los Angeles. Welcome to THE STORY IS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON (voice-over): THE STORY IS in Los Angeles. Spencer Pratt will not be the next mayor of L.A. Nithya Raman is moving on. New reaction just in.

THE STORY IS in New York. President Trump is loudly booed at game three of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs, where the series goes from here.

THE STORY IS in Iran. Relative calm after a flurry of military activity over the weekend.

And THE STORY IS in Toronto, where a DJ about to play the World Cup joins us live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: Our top story is the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999, and the first win for the San Antonio Spurs this series. De'Aaron Fox hitting a jumper with 13 seconds left in the game to put the Spurs up by five. But the Knicks come right back and answer themselves. They ended up with a three-pointer from OG Anunoby with nine seconds left in the game.

The Knicks, here is that, you see it right there, swish from the corner. The Knicks get another chance but ultimately the Knicks could not convert the final score in this game. 115 San Antonio, 111 Knicks. Knicks lead the series two games to one. Victor Wembanyama with 32 points for the Spurs. Jalen Brunson with 32 for the Knicks.

Let's bring in CNN's Mark Morales, who is live outside Madison Square Garden. We talked to you on Friday night after a big Knicks win. A little

different scene tonight, I guess.

MARK MORALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is a different night for sure with about two -- with about 12 seconds left, we started to see the first groups of spectators leaving Madison Square Garden. And as you outlined what happened at the end of the game, it wasn't too much longer before the Garden started emptying out.

Now we talk about the vibes here. Obviously there's a lot of excitement, but it's kind of a multi-layered thing when you talk about the vibes here for today because not only did you have the excitement, but you also had the tension of a security overlay done by the NYPD and by Secret Service to secure this area because the president was going to be here.

So if you look over my left shoulder, you'll see some police officers that are behind this barricade. They're wearing police -- those riot helmets. And that's just in case it's necessary for possible crowd control. It's really, for the most part, been without incident at the end of this game. There was a small crowd that got together that was getting a little rowdy, but that really has largely dispersed for the most part.

And when we talk about what's been the vibe here at Madison Square Garden, we can't forget about the watch parties. Now because Trump was here, we couldn't have the watch party that we had at Madison Square Garden, but there was a watch party that was over by Bryant Park, which is not too far away. But that one seemed to get out of hand for a little bit. NYPD responded, broke up the issues that were a problem.

They made some arrests for rowdy behavior, for assault on a police officer. But that issue has largely been mitigated. So the vibe here, it's -- crowds emptied out. You can sense a bit of somberness. You could sense a bit of frustration. You're already starting to hear some folks either blame the president for being here or yell out "Nixon Five." Either way, you can also, you can also know that there is-- it's a look ahead to the next game.

MICHAELSON: Well, and you hear "Nixon Five," which would mean that they would win in San Antonio and not in New York. They were hoping to win in four. Are people -- I mean, the price to get in, Mark, very, very, very high. Are people saying, worth the price to see a loss?

MORALES: Yes. You know, it's that price tag of those tickets that went so high that, believe it or not, increased the value of those watch parties.

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It's very hard to get a ticket inside. You know, you only had a select number of people who could even go once you were able to select through their raffles to try and get those tickets. But that's what increased the value of the watch party so that kind of puts a lot of emphasis there. And we talked to a lot of people who were upset that they didn't have a watch party outside of Madison Square Garden, like we did for game two.

Will that be the case for game four? We think it might be, but we'll have to get more details about that later.

MICHAELSON: I'm sure they want to do that just for the luck of it.

Mark Morales, starting us off. I know you're a Knicks fan so sorry about tonight. We'll see you for the next game.

Let's get to California's elections now. Here in Los Angeles CNN can now project that City Councilwoman Nithya Raman will face off against incumbent Karen Bass in the race for mayor in November. Raman taking the second spot from Spencer Pratt, the Trump-backed former reality TV star. Not officially backed by Trump. Trump has just said some nice things about him.

Pratt had the lead over Raman for several days after the June 2nd primary, but fell behind over the weekend after more votes were counted. California's elections often take days to resolve because postmark mail-in ballots can be received up to a week after election day. They can still be counted. There's a whole process of signature verification.

But because of the lengthy process, President Trump is claiming without evidence that California is rigging its elections. The president wrote on Truth Social, quote, "Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the LA. runoffs after the big lead he had. Third world nation, rigged elections." Here's what Trump said over the weekend on NBC's "Meet the Press" about what he claims was fraud in the 2020 presidential election and now in California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They sent people to jail who did nothing wrong.

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS' "MEET THE PRESS": Just to be very clear, there's no evidence of what you're saying. But let me ask you about Todd Blanche.

TRUMP: There's a lot of evidence.

WELKER: Let me ask you about Todd Blanche.

TRUMP: Listen. Listen to me. Listen to me.

WELKER: Let's talk about Todd Blanche.

TRUMP: There's tremendous evidence. There's nothing but evidence.

WELKER: That's not been presented in the court of law.

TRUMP: The election was rigged. It was a dirty election.

WELKER: Mr. President --

TRUMP: And it's happening again right now in California.

WELKER: You've never presented evidence that the 2020 election was --

TRUMP: It's happening right now in California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Then earlier today, House Speaker Mike Johnson added fuel to the fire on these voter fraud allegations when speaking with our Manu Raju.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're saying it's rigged like the president?

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I'm not saying it's rigged. I'm saying it stinks to high heaven. And everybody knows that. I think California is playing around with this.

RAJU: But what evidence is there to prove that it was rigged?

JOHNSON: Look, I don't -- some of these efforts are so diabolical and so far upstream that it is impossible to prove. But I think everybody knows instinctively something is wrong here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Joining us now live is Peter Hamby, the host of Snapchat's "Good Luck America," founding partner of Puck News as well.

Peter, you've joined throughout this whole process of Spencer Pratt being a mayoral candidate. And one of the things you talked about over and over again was this question of whether he could turn clicks into votes and whether he could build a base beyond wealthy white people on the West Side. What's the final answer?

PETER HAMBY, HOST, SNAPCHAT'S "GOOD LUCK AMERICA": I mean, the final answer is clearly no. Look, he did sort of do what Donald Trump did here in 2024, which was run up the score a little bit in some Jewish and Persian neighborhoods in Los Angeles and build on that 14 percent base of registered Republicans in the city. And he did force a conversation about crime and homelessness and public safety. That's what Karen Bass and Nithya Raman ended up talking about.

But to your point, I think, he did not have support, very much support at least in nonwhite areas of the city. It didn't feel like he had much of a mobilization effort to get out the vote. And this was also said repeatedly during this race in all the analysis from the commentariat that Bernie Sanders beat Joe Biden in Los Angeles in the 2020 presidential primary.

This city is liberal on top of liberal on top of liberal, and you know, it is the thing that -- we could talk more about these conspiracy theories and what Mike Johnson said is extremely irresponsible, in fact. But look, it's just not a surprise that Spencer Pratt did not make it to the runoff, even though polls and smart people in politics here were all suggesting he would. The city is just so blue, Elex, at this point.

MICHAELSON: Yes. So the day before the election, Spencer Pratt came on with me and said that he was going to win, outright get 50 percent of the vote on election day. And we saw all over social media, especially right-wing media, especially our friends over on FOX News talking confidently about how Spencer Pratt was not only going to make the runoff, but was going to be the next mayor of Los Angeles.

And they cannot believe this result, saying that the only way that this could be true is if it was fraud and cheating. What do you make of that disconnect with reality?

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HAMBY: Some of it is, you know, intentional and malicious, and people who know better, Mike Johnson, Megyn Kelly, people on FOX News, are doing it for clout, for audience capture. People on Twitter do it because they can make money the more attention they get from their posts.

Mike Johnson's comment is silly because in 2022, Elex, as you well remember, there were plenty of contested House races right here in California that took weeks to count that weren't called until December of 2022, and they ended up breaking Republicans' way. You didn't hear Mike Johnson talk about that at the time because of course it increased his Republican caucus.

Something else I really want to point out here, too, is the role of prediction markets. These things are being taken as bible by people on the internet, and they're very new. Look, I know we talk a lot about the death of expertise in politics and media and the discourse these days. But look, there are people who work in politics. There are reporters who are savvy and understand how politics works.

On the day of the election, Spencer Pratt was given a 75 percent chance of winning or making the runoff here in Los Angeles on Kalshi. Did anyone in L.A. think that? Probably. I mean, it was probably close, but, you know, people take that as taking it to the bank. And when the election happened, and elections are full of unpredictable things, there are things that you can't measure. Voters are whimsical and change their minds. There's different ground games and turnout efforts, et cetera.

Obviously, this election had many late ballots coming in favoring Democrats. That stuff doesn't show up in prediction markets. The prediction markets have been right many times this cycle, but they've also been wrong. They're also wrong last week in Iowa when they had Randy Feenstra at 60 percent of winning the gubernatorial contest there. And so lots of right-wing people are taking snapshots of these percentages and pretending that that's what was supposed to happen when elections happen.

MICHAELSON: Right, and --

HAMBY: And they frequently don't follow --

MICHAELSON: Right. And the actual -- and the best poll, the "L.A. Times"-Berkeley IGS poll had this happening almost this exact same way. People said, who knew Nithya Raman, she was this distant third? No, she wasn't in the main polls that were coming before the election.

But let's get now to the next election, which is going to be Karen Bass versus Nithya Raman. Karen Bass put this out on social media tonight. "We won on Tuesday and L.A. rejected Spencer Pratt and the MAGA agenda. Next we'll win in November because this is an election with a choice between whether we keep making change together or Nithya Raman, who allows encampments near schools and fights against hiring more cops. Yet is MIA on saving Hollywood jobs and fighting back when ICE invades L.A."

Nithya Raman putting out her own statement, basically saying a time for change is coming. How do you see this next go around? And what could be a real challenge for Karen Bass politically?

HAMBY: Absolutely. I mean, the -- it's been lost in the Spencer Pratt discourse and all the Nithya Raman ballot counting in the last few days that Karen Bass is the first incumbent mayor of Los Angeles in decades to be forced to reckon with a runoff. And half of the city in every poll going back to the Palisades Fire doesn't want her to be mayor. So that's the big main story. And you have a progressive challenger now in Nithya Raman, who's going to, you know, yes, try to run to her left, but also just say -- make this race a referendum on Karen Bass.

The flip side is what you just read. Karen Bass is trying to make this a choice. And this gets to Spencer Pratt dominating the conversation around public safety. Karen Bass is going to have the police union on her side say that Nithya Raman wanted to defund the police, then changed her mind, that she's resisted hiring more cops, that she wants tent encampments or permits tent encampments near schools and playgrounds.

She's going -- it's going to be fascinating for people around the country to watch this race, Elex, because it's going to be Democrat- on-Democrat warfare, and it's going to be an ideological fight around public safety, policing all the things that are in the discourse. Should the Democratic Party moderate, or should it go a little bit more to the left? I mean, it's not purely that, again, because Karen Bass is so unpopular, but Nithya Raman found a message late in the campaign.

But that message was running against Spencer Pratt saying, we don't need this MAGA guy. Well see if she can do an affirmative message in the general election when Spencer Pratt is no longer a foil for her.

MICHAELSON: And Karen Bass can't make it all about Donald Trump, which is what she wanted to do if Spencer Pratt was there. It'll be interesting to see who adopts his language, at least the popular things he was talking about, and whether any of his supporters even vote in the fall and if they vote for one of these two women.

Peter Hamby, thank you so much for sharing your perspective. Always enjoy you on Snap and on Puck as well.

President Trump is suggesting the U.S. will be declaring, quote, "total victory" over Iran in the next two weeks, a time frame he is referenced before when promising significant progress. This time his comments come on the same day that Israel and Iran agreed to halt strikes against each other following the worst escalation of hostilities since April.

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Israel had been preparing a significant attack on Iran when President Trump called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to back off strikes in response to an Iranian attack. Trump telling Axios that he warned Netanyahu that if he continued to strike Iran, he would, quote, "be on your own very soon."

The intervention appeared to have worked. Still, both sides are warning that they are ready to resume attacks if provoked.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is following all of this. She is live in Abu Dhabi.

Good morning to you.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Elex. Well, what we have seen here is both sides pulling back from the brink. So both Israel and Iran appear to have taken a pause. But of course, we don't know how long that might last. As you say there, they have both said that they are ready to resume if need be.

So we heard from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that he did agree to stop attacks against Iran. We know that it took the U.S. president getting involved to bring him to that point as we understand that Israel was preparing a more significant attack against Iran in retaliation for their strikes on Israel.

Now, what we heard from the Israeli prime minister as well is that he believes that Iran is trying to create a new equation by linking what is happening in Lebanon with the Iranian response. Now, we have heard from Tehran a number of times that if there is going to be more attacks on Lebanon by Israel, then they will get involved once again.

Now, less than an hour after both sides agreed to pull back, Israel did strike southern Lebanon once again, saying that they were striking against Hezbollah that was firing against their soldiers and into northern Israel. So that just shows how precarious this agreement by both sides to pull back was. It was the most significant escalation in strikes and in violence that we have seen since the ceasefire started back in April 8th.

It will be the next few days and hours even to see whether or not it can hold and whether or not Israel does decide to continue its strikes in in Lebanon. What we're hearing when it comes to the talks, though, from the Iranian side, we have heard from a top Iranian official speaking to CNN that they are willing to continue to negotiate, but they still don't believe that the United States and that President Trump is to be trusted and does want to get to this deal. What we're hearing from President Trump, though, is he believes that there could be a deal within a couple of weeks.

Now, I must caution, we have been hearing timelines from the U.S. president consistently. And these timelines as to when this peace deal is going to be completed have been shifting. Remember, back on April 8th, that was only supposed to be a two week ceasefire to put this deal into place. And once again, we are seeing the timeline shifting forward, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Yes, we've been waiting a few weeks for a lot of weeks at this point.

Paula Hancock in Abu Dhabi to start us off. Thank you, Paula.

Joining me now here live in Los Angeles is Benjamin Radd, political scientist, senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.

Ben, welcome back. What do you see as the significance of Iran attacking?

BENJAMIN RADD, POLITICAL SCIENTIST: This in the late '60s, '70s you had in the height of the Cold War, President Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger linked Soviet, what the Soviets wanted from diplomacy with Vietnam, basically saying, OK, you want concessions from the U.S., then we want support on ending the war in Vietnam. Did the same with China. This linkage was a way to bring a third front or third party into a conflict.

This is now we're seeing that here. Lebanon should not be a front in this war. But Iran made it so in the last few days by linking that. And so that's a new area that we're in.

MICHAELSON: And do you think that gives Iran leverage?

RADD: It not only gives them leverage, but it now changes the dynamic. You now need a deal that's going to please the United States, Iran and Israel, and that also somehow involves Lebanon. You've now made it harder to attain that deal on terms that the U.S. would want.

MICHAELSON: So you have been talking for weeks with us about this potential for Iran essentially like running out of money and losing power with its own people because conditions there get so bad that they get desperate. Where are we at on that?

RADD: Yes. And if you'll forgive the reference, the block -- that the blockade the United States has on the Strait of Hormuz is basically like the Spurs' defense in the paint. Nothing is getting in, nothing is getting out. And so Iran is suffering under this. We know now, you know, there have been small protests by student groups in Iran the last few days. Not big, but still notable.

[00:20:05]

And there was a great "New York Times" story today about how, you know, the people are feeling that they're in an economic freefall and that they are at the breaking point domestically. How long can the government sustain this pressure while that's taking place inside their country, while keeping this outward front? It's difficult.

MICHAELSON: What do we think in terms of that timeline?

RADD: So again, it's basically a race to, you know, who's going to capitulate first. I keep saying that. We've seen that over and over the last few weeks, is that somebody has to blink, but it looks like President Trump, in his eagerness to make the deal, is willing to throw that lifeline to Iran before Iran hits that breaking point. That's, at least there's a concern by many Republican hawks and those who feel the United States should, quote, "finish the job."

MICHAELSON: Yes. And sort of what would you see as a tipping point for the blockade?

RADD: The tipping point would basically be, and I think the fact that we saw Iran lash out at some of the Gulf States over the weekend and at Lebanon is now indicating that Iran is reaching that breaking point. If we start to see increased protests within the country happening parallel to these negotiations, that's a point where Iran has to decide now, which way is it going to go? Is it going to back down now, open up the strait, stabilize everything and tend to its economy? Or will it go the other direction and double down?

MICHAELSON: And lastly, what do you make of the relationship between President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, which we're now getting leaks about the conflict and tension between the two of them?

RADD: On the one hand, this could be an act of play, them sort of staging this --

MICHAELSON: Hard to imagine either one of them ever doing that.

RADD: There you go, right? Exactly. Right.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

RADD: Has it been done before?

MICHAELSON: Yes.

RADD: But there is daylight between the two men. Their objectives are different. Netanyahu needs Iran to be defanged. The threat from Iran, especially from the north, from Hezbollah, eliminated. President Trump doesn't need to reach that level. He just needs the strait open. He needs Iran neutralized but not defeated. And so their objectives are now diverging.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Well, Benjamin Radd, thank you for that, for not only giving us analysis on the Iran situation, but also some NBA analysis as well. Spurs? Knicks?

RADD: Spurs, I think it looks like it. Yes. MICHAELSON: OK. The NBA Finals of course are in New York. We'll have

the highlights of game three. A look at the frosty reception for President Trump. Christine Brennan, who covers sports for a living, doesn't do international relations for a living, joins us live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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MICHAELSON: The postseason winning streak is over for the New York Knicks. It happened on their own home court at Madison Square Garden. The San Antonio Spurs held on for a 115 to 111 win in game three of the NBA Finals. Victor Wembanyama scoring 32 points for the Spurs. Jalen Brunson with 32 for the Knicks. New York leads the series two games to one with game four on Wednesday night in New York City.

Fans showering President Trump with boos when he appeared on the jumbotron during the "Star-Spangled Banner." The president attended the game as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan. He's the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.

President Trump is speaking right now. Let's listen in.

TRUMP: And we have a lot of respect for a lot of the people before me. I know some of you very well, but take a look at that plane. See that plane? That's in perfect mint condition. Take a look at that. Look at that. Isn't that amazing? And everything should look that way. We work with the military. We do a real job. If you look at the polish, look at that. Everything is beautiful. And that's the way we want D.C. and some people would laugh or smile at it, but there's nothing to smile at.

So D.C. has become really safe and really, really beautiful. And we have some great things planned, like the promenade. We've got a promenade at the Lincoln -- at Lincoln, and you have to see this. This will be one of the most beautiful things. The Lincoln Memorial is going to be unbelievable. It was supposed to front on the Potomac, and they built two highways behind it and we're taking care of that by bridging over the highways.

It's going to be beautiful what they're doing there. So we have some really -- and the arc will be maybe the greatest thing. I think the ballroom. But a combination of the ballroom and the arc will be the two greatest projects of them all. So we've got a very -- we've got a lot of exciting things happening. Getting back to other things like jobs numbers. We have record jobs. We have more people working in the United States today than at any time in the history of our country.

And you see the numbers on the stock exchange. We had just today a 73 record. So, you know, we have 73 new highs so out of my short one and a half years, we have -- we've had 73 brand new highs on the various stock exchanges. And that's a record. Nobody's ever had anything like that. And that's during a military conflict. So, you know, pretty amazing. And even the oil and gas, it's lower during a military conflict than it was during the Biden administration. And they didn't have that because to them it was OK that Iran has a

nuclear weapon. And I say it's not OK. So we -- the B-2 bombers did a big job and a great job, and we have got that in very good control. They will not have a nuclear weapon. OK.

[00:30:10]

But I asked Lee. He's done an incredible job, as you know. The environment is good, and he's approving more plans than any human being I think has ever approved anywhere in the world. We have more factories going up, car plants, A.I. plants.

We have about $18 trillion being invested in the United States, which is a record by far. There's never been anything like it. Many, many times more than the last administration. I won't get into the numbers. The numbers are astronomical.

But in the history of the world, there has never been a country that's had $18 trillion invested in it, and that's in 11 months. The last administration had much less than 1 trillion over a period of four years. We have 18 trillion in 11 months. We haven't gotten the final numbers on the 12th month, which will be very good.

Lee, do you want to say something?

LEE ZELDIN, TRUMP'S EPA ADMINISTRATOR: Sure. Well, you know, the Spurs, they have some good players: Wembanyama. Castle did well tonight, but I'm still going with the Knicks. I think that they're going to pull it off.

And Mr. President, it was awesome to be able to spend the night with you. The energy was amazing. Jim Dolan was a -- was a great host.

But this Knicks team, I mean O.G. Anunoby was fantastic. Jalen Brunson is Mr. Clutch. They have great heart.

So, I'm feeling good about how that series is going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many, Mr. Zeldin? How many games?

ZELDIN: I'm going Knicks in five. I feel -- I feel like it's a resilient, strong team.

TRUMP: He knows basketball. He knew every player.

ZELDIN: They're going to come out for game four, and they are going to deliver.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. That there is Lee Zeldin, who used to be a congressman from New York and a candidate for governor of New York. Now going back to New York as the EPA administrator alongside Donald Trump, who, of course, is a New Yorker himself.

Also by his side was Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, who used to be a college or high school basketball player. I've talked to him about that in the past. So, Donald Trump up late after going to that Knicks game tonight.

Let's talk more about the Knicks game with Christine Brennan, CNN sports analyst and sports columnist at "USA Today." Let's see how your analysis compares with the EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin. What is your big takeaway from the game?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Elex, it's great to see you. And obviously, the president has moved on from the loss, and -- and that makes sense because, you know, obviously New York lost the game.

Here's the difference from the first two games. And of course, that second game was so close and could have been gone for the Spurs if it were not for the turnover from Wembanyama. And, you know, there were other things that happened there, too.

But -- but the Spurs could have had it be 1-1 going into New York. And then when this one instead, of course, they're down still. 2 to 1.

What was different? Their defense was swarming. As several of the players said afterwards, Elex, they were communicating. They were forcing turnovers. They had more force, more turnovers, obviously, than -- than they gave up themselves. They got out to an early lead. The Knicks came back and were ahead at halftime.

But then again, it was almost like putting their foot on the accelerator and coming back and controlling it. When -- when you're the road team, as I think you know well -- and I'm sure many people who are watching us -- when you're the road team, you have to quiet that crowd.

And obviously, the president got all the booing, but otherwise the electricity in that crowd. And when the Spurs were able to come out early in that fourth quarter and -- and again, build a lead, I think that really gave them that opportunity, then, to seal the Victory as the Knicks desperately tried to do something, but obviously, didn't quite have enough.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And having Wembanyama in the middle, just being able to block shots, is such an intimidating thing, even if he's not blocking the shots.

Let's talk about this as a sort of cultural moment, because if you look back on the NBA finals last year, you had the Indiana Pacers versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. And all due respect to people in both of those markets, which are great basketball markets, but the ratings were very low. And it seemed like a moment where the NBA was not connecting beyond the hardcore basketball fan.

This is a cultural moment. You've got the president of the United States there. We just showed the video of all the celebrities there in the biggest TV market in the country. This is a big moment for the NBA right now, which has struggled in recent years.

BRENNAN: Oh, without a doubt. In fact, I had people who I know do not watch basketball, talking to me about this game over the last -- well, in the series, over the last two, 2 or 3 days.

And Elex, it's because it's New York, and it's because it's the Garden. And you have this iconic place. Obviously, you have the -- the people of New York just coming out into the streets to cheer this. They got pushed back a little because of the perimeter and had to go to Bryant Park, but nonetheless, it's --it's New York.

[00:35:07]

And -- and, I think, it's also the long drought. 1999, the last time they actually hosted an NBA finals game. And of course, 53 years ago was the last time that they -- in 73, the last time they actually won the NBA championship.

So, for an iconic franchise, as you were saying, the biggest, you know, city in the country. And -- and I think it really does help that it is this iconic venue that everyone knows about that the concerts and everything that has happened there, it brings it all into play in a way that we haven't seen in, in the NBA in quite a while. again, to your great point, you know, Indiana, fantastic. Oklahoma City, these other -- Golden State, of course, has been terrific. But nothing brings it home like an East Coast final in New York.

And then you throw in the president and you throw in all the issues, pro and con. Nothing but controversy. And I think that certainly, again, is what certainly takes the headlines and, as you said, makes this a much bigger moment than just a sports event.

MICHAELSON: So, Knicks fans were hoping for a sweep. They were hoping that game four, they'd be able to win it on their own home court. That is now not going to happen. There's at least going to be a game five. Where do you see the series going from here?

BRENNAN: Clearly, this next game is -- is crucial for the Knicks because, if they go back to San Antonio tied 2 to 2; well, then, it's advantage San Antonio.

This is, you know, again, a young 22 years old Victor Wembanyama. You know this -- you give him life. You give him and his teammates the sense that they are fearless. And if they come to New York and steal both games, then that would be, obviously, a huge boost for them.

Six of the Spurs players were in double figures tonight. So, while they have one superstar, they -- it was balanced in a way that obviously is something that can carry a team through a series.

But the Knicks are not done yet, by any means.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

BRENNAN: And I think -- but it is an interesting thought that, just by this game four, the Spurs come right back in and actually could control it by winning that -- that game.

And of course, without Donald Trump, I think that also makes it much more about sports and less about everything else, as you know, Elex, that was all surrounding it.

MICHAELSON: There's a lot.

BRENNAN: And I think that will, you know, bring it back to where it belongs.

MICHAELSON: A lot going on tonight. Yes, yes. And when our pal Rachel Nichols was on last week, she described Victor Wembanyama as a supercomputer and that he got stronger every game, because he learned so much about what was happening. And we'll see if that happens again in this series.

Christine Brennan, great to have you. I think this is your first time on the show. So, we -- we love having you.

BRENNAN: It -- it is.

MICHAELSON: And hope it's first of many. Thank you.

Still to come, China and North Korea are pledging a deeper alliance. What we're learning about the high-stakes talks between Xi Jinping and Kim Jiang-un. We go live to Asia next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:42:37]

MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Israel and Iran have halted attacks against each other for now after trading strikes for the first time since April. Iran is warning, though, its attacks will resume if Israeli strikes continue, including in Southern Lebanon.

Israel also threatening to respond with force if Iran launches more strikes.

The death toll has risen to at least 37 after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Southern Philippines early Monday. It triggered landslides and caused buildings to collapse.

Tremors were also felt in part of Northeastern Indonesia. More than 100 aftershocks have been recorded, and authorities warn Iran -- warned that more could follow near the quake's epicenter.

Sam Bankman-Fried, who orchestrated one of the world's largest financial frauds, has officially asked President Trump for a pardon.

The co-founder and CEO of the crypto exchange FTX was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy. He's serving a 25-year prison sentence.

In a January interview with the "New York Times," Trump said he would not pardon Bankman-Fried. Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jiang-un are

pledging closer ties. North Korean state media says the two have agreed to open a new chapter of relations.

Xi is in Pyongyang for his first visit to the country in seven years. Chinese state media reports the talks have centered on expanding cooperation in trade and industry.

Let's go live now to CNN's Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang, with the latest. Steven, what do we know?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Elex. Xi's second day and last day of his state visit to North Korea is equally busy. The two leaders, accompanied by their wives, actually just paid respects to a friendship tower marking the Korean War, the Chinese contribution to the Korean War, and the Chinese soldiers who died on the battlefields there.

And then the two leaders went to a school run by North Korea's ruling party. Apparently stopping by in classrooms and also planting a tree together to mark their friendship.

All of those visual cues, along with what we saw on Monday, in terms of all the pomp and pageantry, very much at reaffirming this special bond between the two neighbors, often described as close as lips and teeth.

[00:45:07]

And obviously, this is happening at a time when there is this narrative that North Korea is growing ties with Russia, come at the expense of its relationship with China. So, without being explicitly saying so, they are very much addressing this by really portraying this relationship, by saying things in their statements that, no matter how the international situation changes, this special bond would never change.

Now, of course, if you dive deeper into what the Chinese have said so far, a lot of what Xi Jinping has promised and pledged, in line with expectations in terms of deepening and expanding mutual coordination and cooperation, not only on the trade and economic front, but also notably on diplomacy, law enforcement, and even the armed forces.

So, even though Russia could provide North Korea, perhaps, with more on the front of security and military guarantee, Russia's economy is simply in no position to offer Kim the kind of economic benefits and support he obviously needs. So, China's fairly confident in its role as North Korea's most important ally, despite what others have been saying -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Steven, close as lips and teeth is quite the phrase. Thank you for that reporting. We'll see you next hour with more from Beijing.

As we go to break, we want to show you a live look at the stadium in Mexico, a city ahead of the World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday.

Up next, we'll talk live to a D.J. who's going to be a big part of the World Cup in multiple countries. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:51:27]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Our champion's rising. Our champion's rising. Our champion's rising. Our champion's rising. The world is moving. The world is moving. Our champion's rising.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: That song, "Champions," could soon become one of the earworms of the upcoming World Cup, meaning you may be hearing it a lot over the next six weeks. But this is the first time the world is hearing it. The world debut here on THE STORY IS. Bangladeshi American music producer Sanjoy is one of the performers in that video. He's taking part in a multi-city World Cup kickoff concert on Wednesday.

Sanjoy coming to us live right now from Toronto, Canada, where he is going to be performing later this week. Congratulations and welcome to THE STORY IS.

SANJOY, MUSIC PRODUCER: Thank you. Thank you so much. You have great hair, by the way. I always wanted to tell you this.

MICHAELSON: Thank you. As do you.

So, let's talk --

SANJOY: Thanks.

MICHAELSON: -- about -- about this moment for you. So, you're going to be performing at an opening ceremony in Canada with Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette. It doesn't get more Canadian than that.

SANJOY: I know.

MICHAELSON: Does any of this feel real for you? How are you, you know, comprehending all of this?

SANJOY: It's very overwhelming right now. And was I -- when I was just hearing you say those names, it was giving me chills. Just goosebumps just hearing that.

I -- I'm just so, so grateful. You know? Where I come from, you don't really get moments like this a lot. So, it's not just a moment for myself. It's a moment for my entire country, really.

And yes, I'm just -- I'm just proud of my people, my parents. And yes, I just feel really, really great right now, you know?

MICHAELSON: And you're talking about growing --

SANJOY: Like a champion.

MICHAELSON: Yes. You grew up in Bangladesh, and now you've got your own World Cup jersey behind you. We could show that shot of you.

SANJOY: Yes.

MICHAELSON: FIFA gave you a World Cup jersey, No. 26, which is pretty cool, for the year '26.

And you've got a new song, "Champions," which we just heard a little bit of. We want to play more of it now. This is the on-air debut of the song "Champion." Let's all listen to it together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC: SANJOY, "CHAMPIONS")

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So, talk to us about the song and the music video.

SANJAY: This is two of my best friends, Nora Fatehi, Rayvanny, and myself. This is a very D.I.Y. effort. There was no budgets to create this record. Rayvanny lives in Dar es Salaam.

And I had the idea of this record. It's -- it says "picu makana (ph)." That means it's everywhere. That feeling that's everywhere, you know?

And, you know, this is a record that I just came up with while I was showering one day, and I sent it to Nora. She loved it. And we automatically just made it into an extended version. And we, we thought of Rayvanny, because he's just the perfect person to collaborate with.

And Rayvanny was like, hey, if I'm going to jump on this song, you're going to come to my town, come to Zanzibar.

[00:55:03]

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SANJOY: And the next thing you know, we're on a flight to Zanzibar. And that's where we shot -- shot it.

And again, like no budgets, no sort of plans. This is just -- this is just how it is there. And you can see people's vibes and their feelings and --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SANJOY: -- yes.

MICHAELSON: And real quickly, talk to me about the moment when FIFA said, we want you, you're going to be part of this whole thing. SANJOY: When FIFA told me, I had -- I had serious goosebumps. It was

an unbelievable moment for me.

I honestly, I just -- I just thought of my parents. I was, like --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SANJOY: -- wow, like we were -- they, t they worked so, so hard, you know? And it's been a long time coming.

I've always, you know, sort of visualized myself trying to get to a bigger stage, trying to take my music, my culture. I've been the artist that's sort of in the mindset of exporting my culture, rather than attaching my name to, like, maybe like an electronic sound or hip hop. I want people to really feel my vibes and where we come from --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SANJOY: -- in my melodies and my rhythms. And I think we were able to do that.

And FIFA really bought into our story and really sort of supported this moment. And to be the first Bangladeshi American to be on this world stage is just -- I -- I don't have any words for it, honestly.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SANJOY: And I -- I can see on the YouTube comments, my people are standing up for me.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SANJOY: And yes, this -- I'm going to be, you know, representing all of us. So, it's -- it's insane.

MICHAELSON: Congratulations. At its best, that's what the World Cup is all about: bringing us together, learning and understanding from each other's cultures. And we're so grateful that you're helping us do that.

SANJOY: Football and music --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SANJOY: -- are the two things that just unite the world.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Well --

SANJOY: Sorry to cut you off there. I just wanted to add.

MICHAELSON: And -- and food. Food, as well.

SANJOY: Yes, yes.

MICHAELSON: Sanjoy, thank you. Thank you. SANJOY: When I come back, I'm going to take you to -- I'm going to

take you to downtown L.A., little Bangladesh, and I'm going to make you try some Bengali food.

MICHAELSON: Let's do it. That's -- that's a story. That's a story on -- coming up on THE STORY IS. But thank you. Good luck on Thursday.

And talking about the World Cup, FIFA is facing some backlash over its ticket sales tactics. Lots of grumbling over sky-high pricing, especially in Mexico. That story, when the next hour of THE STORY IS starts up, right after this.

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