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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Venezuela Hit by Back-to-Back Earthquakes; Trump Won't Sign Housing Bill, Demands Election Reform; Rescues Underway after Deadly Earthquakes in Venezuela; Trump Refuses to Sign Bipartisan Housing Bill Until Voter Restrictions are Passed; Using Resilient Materials to Rebuild from Palisades Fire. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 25, 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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VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: So I don't know how a singer loves herself if she's just been created through an algorithm. And then that painting by artist Tariq Oliver called "Peace" with the distorted features about what it takes in this time and the feelings to keep one's peace and global peace wearing on our face what we feel on the inside. So that's what I'd want people in 250 years to see.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: What does it say about you and me that yours is so deep and profound and says so much about you in this book.

BLACKWELL: And yours is football.

MICHAELSON: And mine was just like, let's play football and get on text each other. But I don't know, I guess, I guess that's America, right? It's all, it's all.

BLACKWELL: Hey, we're all on the spaceship together.

MICHAELSON: Yes, exactly. And 250 years, we may actually be on a spaceship together.

BLACKWELL: It is true. All right. Have a good show.

MICHAELSON: Victor, great job tonight. Thank you very much.

And we begin here on THE STORY IS with breaking news.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

MICHAELSON: And we are following a major breaking story in Venezuela right now where rescues are underway at this moment after two deadly back-to-back earthquakes hit the country just hours ago. Venezuela, now under a state of emergency.

This is a live picture from Caracas, Venezuela, where it is now after midnight. You see those crews standing by, hoping, pleading to try to find somebody under that rubble. Homes and buildings have collapsed, sending residents running for safety. First responders and security forces are deploying nationwide. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, just posted on Truth

Social just minutes ago, quote, "The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths. USA stands ready, willing and able to help. I've instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports, though, are not good."

Let's talk about some of those early reports. New video shows the moment that the ground began to shake as a family in Caracas here rushed outside. Remember, Caracas, 200 miles from the epicenter. Videos from around the country geolocated by CNN show extensive damage to infrastructure. The USGS says a 7.2 magnitude quake struck near Venezuela's northern coast just after 6:00 local time.

Less than a minute later, an even stronger quake hit, a 7.5 magnitude quake not far from the first one. USGS warns that thousands of casualties, thousands of casualties, and widespread destruction are likely, though the extent of the damage still not clear.

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, confirms that there have been fatalities. She did not give any specific numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, ACTING VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We have also suspended the metro and railway systems in order to facilitate both rescue operations and the recovery of vital infrastructure. I want to announce that there will be no classes for the remaining days of this week. There will also be a suspension of activities that are not considered essential services.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: CNN producer Mary Triny Mena is in Caracas, with more on the aftermath of these quakes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

I'm at the residential area of San Bernardino in the city of Caracas. This is the aftermath of the two powerful earthquakes that hit the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, and several areas of the country. Here there are heavy machinery that search and rescue teams are using in order to locate possible survivors.

Here in this residential area, one building collapsed. This building had six floors and they are struggling since 6:00 p.m. when the first earthquake happened, to looking for some of the under those debris and rubble, looking for people alive. They were able to take some people to the hospital, but they have informed that sadly some people died during this event.

For CNN, Mary Triny Mena, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: I want to bring in CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon, who joins me live from Bogota, Colombia.

And, Stefano, this quake was so strong. You're in the country next door and you still felt it. What did it feel like for you?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, exactly. I mean, we felt it here in Bogota, which is also a city that is standing on top of the Andes Mountain Range at more than 10,000 feet above sea level. And yet those two earthquakes were powerful enough to be felt here, more than 800 miles from the epicenter. Clearly, Caracas is where most of the damage has been reported.

I was able to speak, for example, with the president of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, who told me that the state of La Guaira, which is just north of the capital, Caracas, is literally on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, is the one most affected.

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They have reports of dozens of buildings collapsing there. They're still trying to assess the damage. The mayor of one of the municipalities that make up the greater Caracas urban area have told us, for example, that at least three people have been reported dead.

And of course, Elex, unfortunately, that number seems to be destined to grow. But one person that we were able to speak on camera with, with our team in the Venezuelan capital, is the son of the former president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. You probably remember him. Maduro was the authoritarian leader that lived and ruled over Venezuela for more than a decade, and was removed from office by U.S. Special Forces on January 3rd.

Well, his son and namesake, Nicolas Maduro, Jr. or Nicolas Maduro Guerra, he is still in Caracas. He's a local lawmaker, and we caught up with him as he was out trying to press -- to present some help and provide some services to the local population. This is what he told us for example.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO GUERRA, NICOLAS MADURO'S SON (through translator): The president declared exceptional measures to address this tragedy, and all the politicians have been on the streets. Here in Caracas, at least four buildings have collapsed, and we're hoping to rescue survivors. And we're already rescued several. Most of these buildings are old from the '50s and '60s.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: Those buildings are old. And I think, Mike -- Elex, this is a good moment to take a step back and understand the context where this tragedy took place. Venezuela is a country that, of course, is really, for more than a decade of deep economic crisis and is not prepared to deal with such a tragedy. The hospitals have not been renovated in the last 20 years. There are constant blackouts and power cuts all across the country on a regular basis. You can imagine how, on top of the feeling of a country that is just

about to get him back into its feet after the experience of the economic collapse of the last decade now being hit by an earthquake, that really seems one of the strongest we have reported in the last couple of years worldwide. Well, this can clearly be a death blow to that country. So we're standing by our team in Caracas. We're trying to get as much information as possible, as much information as we can.

Of course, we couldn't speak with Mary Triny live on the air because of how difficult it is to get hold of them, for example. But as soon as we hear more from Venezuelan authorities or from our colleagues in Caracas, we will bring back to you and the audience, because this story is probably going to stay with us for the coming days and weeks unfortunately -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: Yes. The largest earthquake in that country since 1900. Back in 1967, there was a quake where 200 people died. And the fear is that the number could be significantly higher with this particular quake.

Stefano Pozzebon, we will go back to you in a moment.

For now, though, we want to bring in William Yeck, who is a research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey.

Thank you so much for being with us as we continue to monitor live pictures from there. Talk to us about what we know about this earthquake and the sort of back-to-back nature of these massive earthquakes, 7.2 and then 7.5.

WILLIAM YECK, RESEARCH GEOPHYSICIST, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: Right. So there are these two very large earthquakes. There are 39 seconds apart. So the first one likely triggered the second one. And really when a big earthquake like this occurs, what we're worried about is not just the size of the earthquake, but how shallow the earthquake is and how close it is to dense population centers.

And then in those population centers, how fragile the buildings are, how -- what's the likelihood that they could collapse from shaking. So we've seen, you know, examples of buildings that have collapsed. In this case, it was a very shallow earthquake. It occurred close to people. So, you know, it's very worrying and we expect it to be very damaging. And, you know, I think it's going to take days to weeks to really understand the extent of this damage.

MICHAELSON: Because we've seen a lot of seismic activity around the world just today. We had a report earlier of a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in northern California, which we have some video of that happening. And then not long after that, we had a report of a quake that was a 6.9 magnitude quake in Japan. And yet both of those quakes, we do not have reports of widespread damage.

Talk about the difference in building codes in a place like California and Japan versus Caracas, and how that impacts something like what we're seeing right now.

[00:10:00]

YECK: Right. So we know in the United States and Japan are areas where we have lots of activity and we have very strict building codes in the United States, and similarly in Japan. You know, I can't speak to exactly the codes in Venezuela, but we do know that unreinforced masonry buildings are likely to collapse. And that's really an example of what we've seen a lot in these images that are coming out.

These are, you know, large masonry structures that can just pancake. And, you know, when we talk about the effects of earthquakes, we say, you know, it's not the shaking that kills people. It's buildings that kill people. And it's really the collapse of those buildings that can lead to the catastrophic loss of life.

MICHAELSON: So in terms of, do we know of all this activity happening on the same day, is that some people think is that connected? Does that all trigger other quakes? Usually the answer is no. Right?

YECK: Yes, that's exactly right. I mean, in this case, the three cases you mentioned, the California 5.6, these earthquakes in Venezuela, and then the earthquake in Japan soon after, are not related. But we do know that earthquakes do trigger aftershocks around their immediate area that can last, you know, days to weeks to months after that main shock. So a large earthquake like this, you know, you can expect to have aftershocks in the region for a long time after they occurred. So people who felt shaking from the earthquake should expect to feel shaking again in the future.

MICHAELSON: And that's the real danger also for people in Venezuela right now, that there could be more earthquakes happening at any moment.

YECK: That's right. You know, we've seen few aftershocks in this specific earthquake. Every sequence is slightly different, but you should always be prepared for more shaking after you experience a significant earthquake like this.

MICHAELSON: William Yeck from the USGS. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise. We really appreciate it.

YECK: Thank you for having me.

MICHAELSON: We'll be staying on top of the situation in Venezuela throughout the next few hours as the response to these powerful back- to-back quakes ramps up across the country. Plus, fireworks on Capitol Hill. Big night of politics. It's not even the Fourth of July. What prompted a shouting match between the president and a Republican senator, and what deal was made late tonight that caused him to change his vote? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was here when I managed to get dressed. He helped me and all the walls were cracked. We managed to open the door however we could. There was a cloud of smoke that wouldn't let us see and when we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie. We had to climb over the rubble and everything. The building superintendent with the baby and all the neighbors coming down. But from that building, I only saw that one family got out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Just heartbreaking. Rescue teams in Venezuela working right now to try to free people trapped under rubble hours after two powerful back-to-back earthquakes hit an area west of the capital of Caracas. The USGS says 7.2 magnitude quake followed less than a minute later by an even stronger 7.5 magnitude quake.

I want to go live right now to Caracas. We're joined by Tony Frangie Mawad, who is a journalist based in the city. Amazingly has internet right now. So let's try to hopefully this will work.

Talk to us about your experience. What were you doing? How did it feel? Walk us through it.

TONY FRANGIE MAWAD, JOURNALIST: Hi. Thank you for having me. I was actually in the elevator of my building about to go and watch a match of the World Cup at a bar with friends. And the moment I got into the elevator, the elevator started to shake from side to side really strongly and go all the way down on a very quick pace.

At first I thought it was just malfunctioning, but my friend was like, no, this is clearly a sort of earthquake. So we, you know, we grabbed the long thing that the elevator has until it opened in the basement of the building. And we managed to get out. And there was no signal. Actually I still -- my Wi-Fi is working, but my carrier isn't working. So we went out into the gardens of the building and all the neighbors and my family started to come out.

And when we got some signal and some people managed to connect to some Wi-Fi, we started to see the first reports and messages about, you know, major damages in parts of the city.

MICHAELSON: Have you been able to walk around? What's it look like outside?

MAWAD: I've stayed in my home all day with my family. We stayed a few hours in the gardens of the building, and then people started to go up again. But I know that in the northern side of the city where many of my friends live, the damage has been actually widespread and many buildings have collapsed. So, I also know about the coast in La Guaira having major damages. That's a major city near Caracas where like tens of buildings have actually collapsed.

So, so at least not in my area the damage is wide, but in areas near Caracas and in northern Caracas there's reports of many buildings, but we don't know yet how many casualties and injured people.

MICHAELSON: How are you processing this? How are your friends and family processing this? MAWAD: So at first it was actually very scary because I was calling a

lot of friends, especially those that live in those parts of the city that had major damage. But I finally managed to contact all of them and signal started to come back to some and also Wi-Fi. So thankfully all my friends and family are OK, but now at this time, we are opening, you know, the WhatsApp groups or Instagram stories and people are posting a lot of friends and family that are missing, like their friends and their families that are missing and asking for information.

[00:20:02]

So it's actually becoming a sad hour for Venezuela. It's actually becoming a really sad moment. And I suspect that the next days are going to be really overwhelming for all Venezuelans.

MICHAELSON: And lastly, just what was that elevator ride like? I mean, that literally sounds like a ride that they have at Disneyland. Just what was going through your head?

MAWAD: It was kind of like that. It felt like that, but definitely much scarier because the one in Disney, you know, it's a ride and this one wasn't. So, I actually had all sorts of intrusive thoughts at the moment. I started to pray. And I was just pressing the button hoping something would open at some point. But, you know, I was thinking about all this stuff I've read, in fact, like a few weeks ago, like a week ago maybe, I read about the 9/11 attacks and how many people died in the elevators of the towers.

And I was just thinking like, wow, OK, so what if this falls just like what happened in the towers? So that was my thought going on because I had read about it recently. But thankfully it opened up and I managed to get out of the building, but the building also thankfully didn't have any major damages. So I'm really grateful for tonight.

MICHAELSON: Well, Tony, we are so --

MAWAD: I'm safe.

MICHAELSON: We are so grateful that you are OK. And we're so grateful that you're able to share your story with us. And we are sending you and your family and friends love in this moment of need in Caracas. Thank you so much for being with us.

MAWAD: Thank you so much for having us. And good night.

MICHAELSON: Now to the major breaking news in Washington, where President Trump is honoring America in the lead up to the country's 250th birthday. He spoke to supporters late tonight at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall. But the mood was not so festive. Earlier on, Capitol Hill the president clashed with Republican senators after canceling his signing of a landmark bipartisan housing bill that he was all set to sign. The president is demanding that the Senate pass his election reform package, known as the SAVE America Act. Republicans say they don't have the votes to do it. Trump also vented his anger over a Senate vote limiting his war power in Iran, which they've since walked back.

The meeting devolved into a shouting match, with one source saying the president called Senator Bill Cassidy, who you see right there, a lunatic. Despite all that, the president tried to put a positive spin on things.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we had a really great meeting, and we're very proud of the party. We like our leader, we like everybody really in the room. I don't like a few people, but that's OK. I think you know who they are, but we -- I'll give you, I'll give you that information someday. But for the most part, we have a really well-unified party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Well, that's not such a secret of who he doesn't like.

Let's bring in our panel. Caroline Heldman is a Democratic strategist and professor of critical theory and social justice at Occidental College. Matt Klink, Republican strategist and owner and president of Klink Campaigns Incorporated.

Welcome, both of you. So we've got some breaking news when it comes to politics. So earlier today, we just showed Bill Cassidy. Bill Cassidy is not going to be in the Senate anymore because Donald Trump endorsed his primary opponent. So he's not a huge fan of President Trump at this point. And he has no reason to kiss the ring. So he gets up and confronts him on the Iran war.

In the middle, there's this shouting match. He's told to sit down. Well, then he's invited -- well, let's show you what he said after the shouting match first off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): I felt like I was trying to get answers for the American people, and I'm not going to be bullied when I'm trying to get answers for the American people. And so, so it escalated from there. At some point, I de-escalated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So he's trying to get answers. He's standing up for the American people. Then he's invited to the White House, where he meets with J.D. Vance and Steve Witkoff, who is President Trump's negotiator on basically every single conflict around the world, and changes his vote on the Iran Powers Act. We've got a full screen that we can show. This was what he put out on X.

"I want to thank the vice president and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns."

So he changed his vote. Rand Paul, senator from Kentucky, agreed to vote present. So now all of a sudden, instead of the Senate, Matt, saying to President Trump, you can't do what you want to do on Iran, all of a sudden he can do whatever he wants. What happened?

MATT KLINK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Isn't politics great? I mean, look, this is how Washington, D.C. works. And Bill Cassidy may be running out the clock, so to speak, but he still has things he wants to accomplish, not only for the state of Louisiana, but also, as he said, for the American people. So clearly he went to the White House, whether he was summoned or went of his own volition, we'll leave that up to the viewers' discretion.

But what did he get? We don't know. But he changed his vote. And the vote was -- it was more symbolic than anything. They can't enforce Donald Trump to do anything. But he changed his vote. And it still shows Donald Trump has that power. But Cassidy clearly got something.

[00:25:02]

MICHAELSON: There was a lot of folks, especially on the left, that were celebrating Bill Cassidy earlier today, standing up to President Trump, the same Republican. Tonight, your thoughts?

CAROLINE HELDMAN, PROFESSOR, CRITICAL THEORY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE: Well, tonight, the question is, what Bill Cassidy got? I would agree with Matt. He got something from this meeting. But what I'm really distressed about is the fact that Donald Trump is harming his own party. Maybe I shouldn't be so concerned about that, because I'm not a Republican.

But, Matt, tell me, what is going on here? This housing bill was bipartisan. Elizabeth Warren, Senator Scott, you know, support across the aisle because it would have reduced the -- it would have created more housing by reducing the cost. Private equity couldn't buy single homes. And also, you know, in the vein of Ezra Klein and all of this red tape, it would have cut through it. Donald Trump, this would have been a win for his party.

It would have helped them in the midterms. And he decided he wasn't going to sign it. It will probably pass anyway because it's probably veto-proof if the coalitions hold in the House and the Senate. But what the heck is going on with the Republican Party?

MICHAELSON: Yes, because there's this moment where they literally built the stage for him. Everything was set. They had announced from his own White House that he was going to be there. And then he decides at the last minute, I'm not going to do it. Do you think that's smart politics?

KLINK: No, it's terrible politics. But he can still sign it. He hasn't vetoed it yet. He can sit on it for a while. And he says he wants the SAVE Act to pass. And, you know, the SAVE Act by name isn't particularly popular, but the individual components in the SAVE Act are very popular. He's upset at John Thune because John Thune won't push it through, and in part because John Thune wants to respect the filibuster.

The Democrats have already said they're going to do away with the filibuster to pass their --

MICHAELSON: Not all of them.

KLINK: The overwhelming majority of them have, unlike the Republican Party. I don't think that they should do it. And, look, they can do what --

MICHAELSON: You think Republicans should nuke the filibuster?

KLINK: No, not at all.

MICHAELSON: No.

KLINK: I'm a traditionalist. I like -- that's the saucer that cools the tea in the Senate.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And for people that don't -- filibuster is you got to get 60 votes to pass major legislation instead of 50, which means you got to incorporate the minority party into the discussion most of the time and let a party get 60 votes, which doesn't happen very often.

This idea of the SAVE America Act, do you think that's good legislation? Do you think that's -- and is that the hill to die on, which is President Trump's hill to die on?

HELDMAN: Well, I think in his mind he thinks it's going to win elections for Republicans. But not only is it premised on the false claim that there is massive voter fraud, we know from one study from the Heritage Foundation, which is a right-leaning organization, a study from 2024 100 million votes, 30 different elections, the voter fraud rate was 0.0000003 percent. It's not a problem.

So it doesn't matter how much Trump says it is, I think his party doesn't have the votes. They're not whipping this as hard as they could be because there's no clear evidence that even if we were to restrict it, it is a voter restriction bill, the most restrictive in American history. Even if he passes it, it is unclear whether or not it will harm his party more than it will harm the Democrats. So I think at the end of the day, he doesn't have the votes because it's bad legislation.

MICHAELSON: Do you think it's bad legislation?

KLINK: I think that individual elements of the SAVE Act are -- they make common sense. You should have to show a photo I.D. to vote. Everybody has them. You talk to people. It's not that difficult. Yet for some reason, it never seems to happen. So, I mean, look, the Republicans are pushing the SAVE Act. The Democrats pushed HR-1, which would have California-like voting practices nationwide. That would be a whole mess as well.

So it's all about politics right now that Thune is counting heads. He doesn't have the votes even in his own caucus to move it. And that's what upsets Donald Trump more than not having Democrats vote for it.

MICHAELSON: Basically, this idea that maybe Congress is a co-equal branch.

KLINK: Heaven forbid.

MICHAELSON: I mean, honest -- but honestly, right? He's not --

KLINK: Yes.

MICHAELSON: I mean, Donald Trump, look at his whole life, is not used to dealing with that, of somebody who can say no.

KLINK: More bite than ether.

MICHAELSON: Right.

KLINK: The president, what do they call it, Caroline, the imperial executive? I mean --

HELDMAN: The imperial presidency.

KLINK: Yes.

HELDMAN: Biden was not an imperial president.

MICHAELSON: And Joe Biden came from the Senate. I mean, he knew how the Senate worked. He spent 35 years there. He had to deal with Joe Manchin doing the same thing to him that Bill Cassidy did to him tonight. When you've got the leverage, you can use it and get some things. But that's got to be frustrating when you're used to being in charge.

KLINK: Yes. When you don't get your way and you throw a temper tantrum. Look, my children used to do that, and we used to send them to their room. You can't really do that to the president.

MICHAELSON: All right, well, you guys are sticking around, which we appreciate. We're going to talk more about all this with Sam Liccardo, who's a congressman who was involved in all of this in a few minutes. And in our next hour, we're going to talk to you about the future of the Democratic Party, which there's a lot of questions about that after the big win for Zohran Mamdani. A lot of people talking about that today.

So we'll get into that. We'll see you guys in a moment.

And also coming up, we're going to have an update on the situation in Venezuela. That's right after this. That country left reeling after two powerful back-to-back earthquakes just hours ago.

[00:30:06]

Breaking news from CNN continues after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): What I did was throw myself on the floor to call on God. The walls cracked; the kitchen collapsed; the living room is about to fall. One more movement, and it will come down.

[00:35:02]

Here I'm going to stay. Here, in the street, I have nothing else. At that moment, I only ran out with my rosary; my phone, which I had on me; and my clothes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: We continue to follow that breaking news from Venezuela. Rescue efforts happening right now. Two powerful earthquakes struck within a minute of each other, USGS warns the number of casualties could be in the thousands.

A former local lawmaker captured video of the damage at the international airport just North of the capital. Look at this. Look at all that dust. Look at everything swaying, the terror in people's faces.

The acting president says the facility is closed for now and that schools will be shut down for at least a week.

Let's take you live to Caracas for a look at what's happening now. You see crews searching through the rubble. We understand at this particular building, they were able to find some survivors, but unfortunately, they also were able to discover people who had passed away because of that building collapsed.

For more, we're joined now by structural engineer Kenneth Odell.

Thank you so much for being with us. Given your knowledge of these type of buildings, what kind of damage can we expect from this earthquake? I mean, what kind of building codes are we talking about here?

KENNETH ODELL, STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Well, unfortunately, the damage is very evident, as you've been sharing with your viewers.

The types of buildings that will exhibit the damage are the concrete structures, vulnerable buildings that were likely built to older versions of the building code that they use there in Venezuela.

Current code is based on some very, very standard -- they're national and international codes. I've seen, in my research, that they use the American Concrete Institutes Code. They use some, some very common codes.

So, buildings constructed to the more current codes, we should expect to see much better behavior, much better performance. Unfortunately, those older buildings have inherent vulnerabilities just due to the nature and age of construction. MICHAELSON: So, based off of what everybody's been saying tonight,

then what we're -- what we're mostly looking at in terms of the damage, then, are buildings that were built maybe in the '50s and '60s that have not been retrofitted.

And so, they do not have some of those building codes, and they're more likely to collapse. Right?

ODELL: That would be my expectation. Yes. I have to be very careful when I, you know, go too far. I'm located in the Western United States. I have not been able to --

MICHAELSON: Sure.

ODELL: -- to view the structures myself personally.

So, but what we're -- what we are talking about here, '50, '60s, early '70s, these are going to be the buildings that are going to be most vulnerable. Yes.

MICHAELSON: We're looking at first responders right now on this live picture. There are first responders all over the country right now that are trying to rescue folks.

What sort of precautions should they be taking? What's the process to keep them safe?

ODELL: Oh, excellent question, Elex.

I believe one of the most powerful things is that -- take that deep breath. There will be very anxious -- they will be very engaged. And they will want to get into those buildings as fast as they can.

Unfortunately, even in their collapsed state, buildings remain of very vulnerable. So, the first step is to assess the building, to assure that, in trying to gain access to a building, we don't further cause collapse.

So, if -- if we are trying to rescue, we want to do everything we can to maintain whatever pockets of -- of viability there are. So, we want to take it -- take that cautionary approach, but absolutely, get there as fast as we can.

MICHAELSON: And we know that the United States of America is sending some of its best rescue crews as well. But it's going to take a beat for them to get there. Now, Venezuela really taking the lead on this.

Kenneth Odell, thank you so much for sharing your insights on a historic and very sad night in Venezuela.

ODELL: Thank you. I wish the circumstances were not such as they are to have me on the call.

MICHAELSON: Thank you.

So, we're going to continue to follow that story. The other big story we're following is in Washington, President Trump

pushing back on that bipartisan plan to make housing more affordable. His surprise move on Capitol Hill.

And how hardline Republicans in the House are responding. We will talk to a California congressman who has -- several parts of the legislation that the House just passed, he wrote. He'll talk to us about what it would do for you when it comes to housing affordability.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:44:45]

MICHAELSON: President Trump has canceled the signing ceremony for a bipartisan bill meant to erase and ease, I should say, the housing affordability crisis.

Live picture from Capitol Hill. Right now, he is demanding that the Senate pass his voter I.D. bill, the SAVE America Act. Hardline Republicans are threatening to shut down the party's agenda in the House until the election reforms are approved.

But the House speaker, Mike Johnson, insists the president is not undercutting the Republicans' message on affordability.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): The president, I believe, is going to sign that bill. He delayed it, and we're going to go -- I'm going to talk with him tomorrow about that, and we will work through the process, as we always do. That's how it works around here.

The president will sign it, but he wanted to make a point today, which is an important one. That's where the American people are. The American people want safe and secure elections. And the SAVE America Act does that.

That's why it is such a big priority for him and for us. And we're going to get right on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Joining me now from Washington is Congressman Sam Liccardo, a Democrat from California's Bay Area, which includes one of the nation's most expensive housing markets, San Jose. Former mayor of San Jose.

First off, Congressman, welcome to THE STORY IS. Good to have you for the first time.

REP. SAM LICCARDO (D-CA): Great to be with you, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Talk to us about this sort of strange moment today, when they set up everything -- the president set to do the big signing ceremony. Actually, a moment of bipartisanship.

And then at the last minute, he surprises people, even on the Republican side, and says, I'm not signing it.

LICCARDO: Well, Elex, you described it well. This was a great moment to celebrate a rarity of bipartisanship here on Capitol Hill. He called off the signing ceremony and decided instead what needed to happen is, of course, that the -- the election bill needed to move forward on the Senate side.

And this is a case in which Trump clearly decided that his crisis was more important than America's crisis. Tens of millions of Americans are struggling right now, trying to pay rent, and trying to figure out how they will ever be able to afford a home.

And Donald Trump's crisis is the fact that he knows his party is headed to defeat in midterms. And so, he's going to look for ways to ensure that U.S. citizens cannot vote.

MICHAELSON: He would say that the SAVE America Act ensures that it is U.S. citizens voting, that it's stopping people from voting illegally, that voter I.D. is something that is wildly popular around the country. And what's wrong with ensuring that it's citizens voting who have identification? What's wrong with that?

LICCARDO: Well, this is a very political solution chasing a problem that doesn't exist. There's been many studies, including from very conservative groups like the Cato Institute, on what is happening with -- with voting.

And there's extremely low rate of non-citizen voting, extremely low rates of voter fraud. And it is already illegal for a non-citizen to vote. So, there is no problem to solve here, of course, other than the concocted ones.

And what is particularly problematic about this bill is that millions of Americans do not have access or ready access to the very documents that -- that Trump is demanding they present when they decide to register.

And particularly, that's true for women who may have changed their names since the time that they were born, or their name appears on their birth certificate.

And so, really, this disenfranchises millions of American citizens.

And you can imagine, particularly since it goes after women and perhaps based on all the data, an awful lot of low-income U.S. citizens, you can imagine that an awful lot of Democrats are harmed throughout the country in terms of where the votes will end up.

MICHAELSON: So, let's talk about this housing bill. The thing that actually passed in a bipartisan way. Housing affordability is the No. 1 issue for so many voters, especially in your home state of California.

What does this bill actually do? How does it make my house cheaper?

LICCARDO: Well, it does a lot of little things. And I'll be the first to say, although I've got four bills in this housing package, none of these are home runs. These are basically singles.

But at a time when we're not getting anything done, and this is the least productive Congress in modern history, hitting singles is significant.

So, a couple of the bills, for example, that I've got in there, would remove some barriers and some restrictions on the use of federal funding to build affordable housing so it can be built faster and less expensively; providing some funding to help for the conversion of vacant office and commercial buildings to apartments. These are all small steps that will help.

And I'd be the first to say it's not going to suddenly transform our housing crisis, but it would certainly help. And right now, people need help -- any kind of help -- in reducing the cost of living.

Apparently, this president doesn't seem to care that much about that.

But, you know, I should emphasize, you know, sometimes we just need to cheer that we're getting anything done. It's a little bit like going to the county fair and watching the dog play the piano. People cheer not because the dog plays particularly well, but the fact that the dog is playing at all.

The fact that Congress is doing this at all is worth cheering. but of course, Trump is the biggest buzzkill at the party.

[00:50:05]

MICHAELSON: Have you seen a dog playing piano recently?

LICCARDO: Not recently, but I'm told if you go to the county fair, you will see one.

MICHAELSON: We should be doing that story.

LICCARDO: As an advertising hit for the county fair.

MICHAELSON: There we go. All right.

Congressman Sam Liccardo, Democrat from San Jose, thank you so much for being with us. And please take us to the county fair next time.

LICCARDO: Will do. Thanks, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Coming up, at a time when building codes are top of mind, a celebrity contractor is using industrial materials to rebuild a family home lost in the Palisades fire. Still to come, HGTV host Jonathan Scott shows me his latest project and why it hits so close to home for him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN SCOTT, HGTV HOST: It's hard to see your loved ones in pain, and everybody's experiencing it.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SCOTT: Everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:55:34]

MICHAELSON: Continue to follow breaking news. Residents of Venezuela are reeling after two powerful back-to-back earthquakes just hours ago.

A short time ago, the president of the United States said that the U.S. is ready, willing, and able to help Venezuela.

The quake struck near the country's Northern coast, causing extensive damage across the region, including the capital of Caracas.

The acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, says there are fatalities. She didn't provide specific numbers. She has declared a state of emergency.

From that earthquake to fire story. Jurors are set to resume deliberations Thursday in the federal trial of the man accused of starting a fire that later set off the deadly Palisades Fire here in Southern California.

Prosecutors argue that 30-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht was motivated, in part because of his anger towards the wealthy.

Defense attorneys say he is being made a scapegoat since the fire department did not completely extinguish the initial fire.

If convicted, he faces up to 45 years in prison.

And as Los Angeles rebuilds from that fire, the question is should we rebuild differently? I got an exclusive tour with one of the best- known contractors in the country, who says it'd be crazy not to do things differently.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT: I think it's a beacon of hope.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Celebrity contractor Jonathan Scott is showing us a way to build homes he says are virtually fireproof, earthquake proof, tornado proof, and hurricane proof.

MICHAELSON: This is something that could be implemented all across the country, right?

SCOTT: Absolutely.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Jonathan and his brother Drew are known as "The Property Brothers." SCOTT: And it just looks fancier.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): For over 15 years, they've renovated hundreds of homes, including many on HGTV, which, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really special?

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Jonathan is engaged to actress Zooey Deschanel.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL, ACTRESS: Get out! Don't look at me.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): She appeared in the Christmas classic "Elf."

DESCHANEL: So that happened.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): And starred on FOX's "New Girl" for seven seasons. Zooey and her sister Emily, also an actress, grew up in L.A.'s Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

For 42 years, the Deschanels lived in this 100-year-old Spanish style home. This is what it looked like after January 7, 2025.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): The Palisades Fire killed 12 people and burned nearly 7,000 structures, including the Deschanels'.

SCOTT: It gets emotional.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SCOTT: It's -- it's hard to see your loved ones in pain. And everybody's experiencing that. Everybody.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Soon after the fire, Jonathan returned to that home --

SCOTT: Just know that there is hope.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): -- to film a public service announcement for the city of Los Angeles. Around that same time, he first heard about a technology called RSG 3-D.

SCOTT: This wasn't a technology that was on my radar. I had seen it in, you know, industrial applications, but I didn't know it was available for residential.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Jonathan is now trying out that technology for the first time ever, while rebuilding his in-laws' home.

MICHAELSON: How does it work?

SCOTT: RSG is simply just no wood. You're building a structure that's reinforced steel with a polystyrene core, and it's concrete on the surface, both the inside and the outside.

The entire structure -- roof, walls, floors, everything -- is tied together. So, it's hyper-efficient, incredibly strong, and fireproof from both the inside and the outside.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Here are some examples of completed homes built with RSG 3-D technology. The Deschanel home should look almost identical to the way it did before the fire when construction is expected to wrap up by the end of the year.

SCOTT: It looks rough. I find it sexy. I think this looks really sexy.

MICHAELSON: It is sexy.

SCOTT: So, this is how it comes from the factory.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Scott says it takes about a third of the time to build like this, versus traditional wood.

SCOTT: So, it's way faster, and the cost is about 10 percent more than the traditional. But I would never have to deal with anything again. If anyone's ever had a flood or termites or rot.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SCOTT: It doesn't affect us, because there's nothing organic in here.

MICHAELSON: Now, while the Deschanel House is being built over here with the new technology, just across the street, multiple homes are being built with old-school wood.

When you see that, that would literally across the street from you, what goes through your mind?

SCOTT: I'm like, am I crazy? Either we're ignorant or we're stupid.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): On the Same day as our visit, Jonathan shows off the technology to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. He's also talking with insurance companies.

SCOTT: Tell us, if you build this way, we will make this neighborhood more insurable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)