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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

At Least 32 Dead, 700 Injured In Venezuela Earthquakes; Global Oil Price Fall To Lowest Level Since Iran War Began; Trump Touts Economy At Great American State Fair; At Least 32 Dead, 700 Injured in Venezuela Earthquakes; Interview with Michigan Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate Mallory McMorrow. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 25, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

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

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

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Jonathan doesn't have any financial stake in this technology. He simply wants to use his sizable platform to increase awareness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It used traditionally if you wanted a fully hardened home, it was going to be like twice the price. That's not the case anymore. It's just a matter of people don't know about it.

MICHAELSON: Right. And now they do. Thanks to The Story Is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now they do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Jonathan says at least 16 of his neighbors are currently rebuilding with that technology. He hopes this story will inspire more to do so.

The next hour of The Story Is begins right now with breaking news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

MICHAELSON: We begin here with live pictures from Venezuela. It's 1 o' clock in the morning there. Rescues are underway after two deadly back to back earthquakes hit the country just hours ago. This is what it looks like in Caracas. You see crews there standing around hoping that there are some signs of life in that particular pile.

Just minutes ago "The Associated Press" reported that at least 32 people are dead and 700 are injured. Those are new numbers, 32 people dead, at least 700 people injured. That is according to the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez putting out those new numbers. The government declaring a state of emergency. You can see why.

The USGS says a 7.2 magnitude quake struck near Venezuela's northern coast just after 6 o' clock local time. Less than a minute later, an even stronger quake, a 7.5, hit not far from the first one. Homes, buildings have collapsed all over the country. Others badly damaged. Hundreds of first responders and security forces are deploying nationwide searching for survivors as we speak.

The USGS warns that thousands of casualties could be happening here, thousands, widespread destruction likely. The extent of the damage is not yet clear. This is video from the airport that was reported. And you see the dust, you see people fleeing, you see the terror. Here is what the president of the country, Delcy Rodriguez, said a little earlier ago.

(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: Short time ago I spoke live with Tony Frangie Mawad who is a journalist based in Caracas and I asked him what he experienced.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY FRANGIE MAWAD, JOURNALIST: 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 case. At first I thought it was just malfunctioning, but my friend was like, no, it's -- 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 WiFi 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 WiFi, 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: No. 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 at least not in my area, the damage is wide. But in areas near Caracas and in northern Caracas, there's report 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 I was actually very scared 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 signals started to come back to some and also WiFi. 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. So it's actually becoming a sad hour for Venezuela. It's actually becoming a really sad moment and I suspect overwhelming for all Venezuelans.

[01:05:21]

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 bottom, 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, 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, so I'm really grateful for tonight.

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

MAWAD: Thanks so much for having me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: What a story. We go live now to CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon, who is in Bogota. This is in neighboring Colombia where he still felt the earthquake. You've spent so much time reporting in Caracas, you have so many sources there. What are you hearing about what's going on right now?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the latest we're hearing from Caracas is this new announcement from the interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, who spoke to local radio saying that at least 32 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds, she mentioned 700 more injured. And she pointed out that the -- this death toll does not include the crucial state of La Guaira. That is the state that is pretty much between the city of Caracas and the Caribbean seas, just north of the capital on the coast. That is where we know that the impact of this earthquake has been felt the strongest.

I was able to speak, for example, with Rodriguez's brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who is also statesman in the country. He is the president of International assembly, pretty much the president of the Congress or Parliament there. And he told me that according to preliminary -- a preliminary estimate, at least 15 buildings have collapsed in that particular state of La Guaira. So that is where they're trying to reach as quickly as possible, providing as many emergency services and first responders there.

Delcy Rodriguez, in her Last message from two local radio, also said that several countries have already offered to send in some teams of first responders. Among them is, of course, Colombia, where I am. We were able to speak with the unit of first responders from the Colombian government. They are saying that they're standing by and trying to reach Caracas as quickly as possible.

Of course, one of the challenges is that the Caracas International Airport in Maiquetia, which is in that particular state, La Guaira, that has been so badly damaged, is currently closed. Jorge Rodriguez, the statesman that I was able to speak with, told me that they believe they hope to be able to open it in the upcoming hours or perhaps early on Friday. But at the point as of right now, which is early Thursday morning, that airport remains closed.

And a lot of people in Caracas are sleeping outside. For example, I was able to speak with several residents over the last half an hour or so, and they're telling me that they are too afraid to go back into their houses. They're too afraid to go back into their flats. Some are speaking about sleeping in their cars, others in, like, tents. I mean, as much as you can perhaps sleep or try to catch some rest after such a dramatic experience, like going through those two earthquake that hit the capital within seconds of each other, 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude.

Those were big, big quakes. And one of those people that we were able to speak with was a local resident. This is what they told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AVILIO GONZALEZ, CARACAS RESIDENT (through translator): Fortunately, my family, my wife, my granddaughter and I were out of the apartment building. When we got back, we saw it was completely destroyed. Luckily, the neighbors managed to save their lives, too. What can I say? How many families will end up like this with destroyed building buildings in Caracas, even though it hadn't happened in a while? Caracas is located in a seismic zone. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:10:16]

POZZEBON: Now, this is one of the -- it's perhaps the strongest earthquake that has been felt in Venezuela in at least 100 years. It's a catastrophe that has really no precedent in the last 20 years. And come on the back of the most dramatic economic crisis of a country not at war in recent history. So it's almost creating a perfect storm of a catastrophic condition for death, that death toll to grow further and further. Right now we are reporting 32 killed by this earthquake in Venezuela. Unfortunately, probably that number is destined to grow much, much higher.

MICHAELSON: Yes. But because of that, President Trump has this renewed relationship with Venezuela and is promising United States' help. We'll see how much comes of that. And just to clarify your reporting, Stefano, when you said buildings collapsed, did you say 15 or 50?

POZZEBON: Fifteen. The President of the national assembly to me on the phone told me 15, 1-5. Delcy Rodriguez, when she spoke to the radio, said dozens of buildings collapsed. It's clearly preliminary, a preliminary assessment, but we know that is the area that is most badly felt.

MICHAELSON: Stefano, thank you for your reporting. Now, late into the night, I know it's been a scary evening for everybody, even in Bogota. We appreciate it.

Meanwhile, The Story Is politics. President Trump bragging about the economy as he kicked off the Great American State Fair in Washington. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had the greatest economy in history, and now we are going to blow that away. We're doing better, much better than even the first term. America's 250th year is set for an economic boom the lights of which no nation has ever seen before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Now, earlier on Wednesday, he clashed with Republican senators on Capitol Hill. You're looking at live pictures right now. After canceling his signing ceremony on Capitol Hill for a landmark bipartisan housing bill that Republicans supported and his White House says was great and said that he was going to sign. The President is demanding that the Senate pass his election reform package, known as the SAVE America Act, before he will sign the housing bill.

But Republicans, including the Republican leader right there, John Thune, says there are not enough votes, even among Republicans, to pass it. Hardline Republicans are threatening to shut down the party's agenda in the House until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act. Remember, it's already passed in the House. House Speaker Mike Johnson insists the President is not undercutting the Republicans message of affordability.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: 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: While the President is in Washington talking about the Iran war, we're now looking at live pictures right now from Venezuela. The secretary of state is visiting the Middle East where he is assuring regional partners that the U.S. will not undermine its allies in the negotiations with Iran. Right now, Marco Rubio is in Bahrain where he will attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council before wrapping up his trip. Rubio also visited Kuwait, where he revealed that expert level technical talks with Iran are likely to begin next Tuesday.

But Rubio is not meeting with a key regional ally, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, during his Middle East visit, even though U.S. mediated discussions between Israel and Lebanon are taking place in Washington this week. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is live right now in Hong Kong. Kristie, as the diplomatic push for peace continues, the price of oil once again the focus. What's the latest on that?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Elex, the price of oil is falling. This is more and more ships are transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. In fact, on Wednesday, U.S. oil prices fell to their lowest levels since the war began. We continue to monitor the price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, as well as WTI, the U.S. benchmark.

Let's bring up the data for you. And there has been this downward trend. As you can see, Brent crude is now trading at about $73 a barrel. It's trading 1.23 percent lower. WTI in the U.S. is now trading at $69.46 a barrel, down about 1.25. Traders are leaning into optimism, optimism over of talks for peace in the region as well as reports of an uptick of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

[01:15:14]

We're also keeping an eye, though on gas prices at the pump in America and it's still far higher than pre-war levels. They do remain elevated. In fact, if we bring up the triple a data for you, price at the pump on average in the United States should be around $3.93 a gallon. This is according to AAA and or rather $3.92 a gallon, as you can see there on your screen. And U.S. President Donald Trump, he has taken notice. In fact, on Wednesday he called out big oil companies. He name checked ExxonMobil as well as Chevron and he accused them of, "gouging consumers." And he's ordered the Department of Justice to look into the matter. He mentioned this on Truth Social. Let's bring up the president's Truth Social post. He said the companies are not driving their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they're paying for oil. Those prices are dropping like a rock. In other words, customers are being, "gouged." I should add here that analysts do point out that gas prices do not move in lockstep with the price of crude. That's a key point to underscore there.

Now, on the diplomatic front, America's top diplomat, Marco Rubio is there in the region. He is speaking to key Gulf allies, trying to bring them on board and get their buy in on a number of issues including the and future of Hormuz, the fate and future of Iran's missile program and also top of mind, that $300 billion reconstruction package that still requires their buy in. Back to you.

MICHAELSON: Kristie Lu Stout, there's just so much news happening around the world right now. We appreciate your help in explaining this.

Still to come, we'll go back to Washington. President Trump opening the Great American State Fair late tonight. We'll take you there. We'll hear from people celebrating America's 250th anniversary. Plus, our panel weigh in on the future of the Democratic Party. Big questions about that tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:21:26]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I felt like a roar coming from the ground because on the fourth floor I heard a roar and the walls were moving and I felt as if I were in water. Something like when a boat is in the water and it's rocking. What I did was throw myself on the floor to call on God. The walls cracked. The kitchen collapsed. The living room wall is about to fall. One more movement and it will come down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Residents in Venezuela are describing the shocking moments. A pair of powerful earthquakes hit that country's northern coast just a few hours ago. The acting president now confirms at least 32 people are dead, 700 others injured. Those numbers could go up. Hundreds of rescuers are being deployed to help find those trapped under the rubble of collapsed building, including rescuers from the United States.

The USGS says a 7.2 magnitude quake was followed less than a minute later by a 7.5 quake. There are reports power failures, sharp drop in Internet service. The U.S. has pledged to send rescue teams along with medical and humanitarian supplies. Also happening tonight, the Great American State Fair is now underway as part of the nation's 250th anniversary celebration. President Trump held a rally late Wednesday to kick off the event. That event runs through July 10th. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan spoke with people at the opening ceremony about what they're looking forward to most.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All the fun of the fair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very excited. I have come all the way from Honolulu, Hawaii.

O'SULLIVAN: This is The Great American State Fair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to see the President and we're really excited. This is a great day.

MARILYN SMITH, CINCINNATI, OHIO: I remember as a kid celebrating 1976 in the bicentennial, you know, and here I am all these years later, probably dressed as stupid as I was back then. But I'm very proud of the United States. No matter who the President is, I love the country.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Ostensibly, this is a celebration of America's 250th birthday. But like all things here in Washington, D.C. President Trump has made it about himself. Trump is kicking it all off with a campaign style rally, one that he says is the rally to end all rallies.

EDWARD X. YOUNG, OCEAN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: Today will be my 116th Trump rally. A Trump rally, it's the greatest show on earth.

O'SULLIVAN: Now, there was supposed to be a whole slate of musical artists playing at this fair over the next few weeks, but many of them pulled out because they said it was too political an event.

ZACK, HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA: You know, I mean, the artists who pulled out, you know, they have the right to make their own choice. We're allowed to make our own decisions, you know, but we can also get along as far as that.

O'SULLIVAN: Instead, Trump favorite Lee Greenwood will be performing and Alexis Wilkins, she's the girlfriend of the FBI director, Kash Patel. Lee Greenwood is performing tonight and so is Kash Patel's girlfriend, who's a country singer, so.

SMITH: Oh, no. Country music. Well, I did. I think the army band is in, the choirs. So I'm sure they're going to be really good.

O'SULLIVAN: You're looking forward to that.

SMITH: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: All of this is happening with a backdrop of a split in MAGA about Israel, Iran and the economy. SUZETTE, ALABAMA: I'm never happy with war, I will say. However, I have chosen to trust that the administration knows things I don't know. And I can only hope that it's over soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Let's bring in our political panel. Caroline Heldman is a Democratic strategist and professor of critical theory and social justice at Occidental College. And Matt Klink is a Republican strategist and owner and President of Klink Campaigns Incorporated. Welcome back.

Matt, I know you remember 1976, right, which was the bicentennial for the country.

[01:25:01]

MATT KLINK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes.

MICHAELSON: People really came together.

KLINK: I was dying. It was a big deal for a long time, too.

MICHAELSON: And it doesn't feel like we have that same level of bipartisanship about that. What's that about?

KLINK: Well, a couple things. I mean, I think that, for one, people are just busier now, master of the obvious statement of the day. I also do think that we're much more polarized now. And I mean, look at the Gallup and other polling. Like Republicans, 90 percent of them are proud to be American. Democrats, it's about 60 percent. I think that has everything to do with the man who occupies the Oval Office right now, so.

MICHAELSON: And that's sad, right, Caroline? I mean, this idea, this should be a celebration for everybody. And it's become very politicized, even the way it's talked about, even the way it's covered by the media.

CAROLINE HELDMAN, PROFESSOR, CRITICAL THEORY & SOCIAL JUSTICE, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE: Yes. I think it's a real point of grief for me and probably millions of other Americans that this is very obviously not a celebration for all Americans. Trump has made that very clear. I would guess that most of the people on the mall are Republicans, are MAGA Republicans at that.

And I go through my neighborhood and I see the 250 signs. I live in a part of L.A. that has a lot of, you know, MAGA Republicans. And it very clearly sends the message that you are a very conservative Republican. It is not about the country coming together. And I hear these stories about people in '76 who said it was this great time, and I spent time in D.C. and would go every 4th of July, and it was a wonderful celebration. So, yes, it's -- it is sad that this is where we are.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Because Trump isn't America. He's part of America. But we're all Americans. Yes.

KLINK: Well, neither is L.A., or neither is New York City. So if you go to the middle of the country, I guarantee you there's way more America 250 paraphernalia out, because people are generally more patriotic than they are in big cities.

MICHAELSON: Part of what they're doing with this America 250 is they're creating a time capsule in Congress where they're putting stuff away to be opened in 250 years from now. So what would you contribute to the time capsule?

KLINK: A couple of things. One, I'm putting a Shohei Ohtani baseball jersey to remember the fact that we are witnessing the greatest baseball player since Babe Ruth.

MICHAELSON: What about you?

HELDMAN: I'm going to put in K Pop "Demon Hunters" something or other, maybe a commemoration of our first black president, our first woman vice president. Maybe some things we want to leave in the past. Maybe a photo of people with filler face. Not sure what's happening there.

KLINK: Or photos.

HELDMAN: Maybe -- or photos in general. Right. Maybe plastic bottles. Some of these things that we want to be artifacts.

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, you know, the big news of last night was Zohran Mamdani and winning three different elections with the candidates that he endorsed for Congress. A lot of reaction to that throughout the day today, including from the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: You've been hearing me say for weeks. There are many Mamdanis popping up all around the country. It is a dangerous thing. This is not a joke. We are in a fight right now to save the Republic. And every American needs to take this seriously. You need to wake up. This upcoming midterm election is not the midterm elections of years ago. It's going to decide the direction of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: How do you respond to that as a Democratic strategist? This fear, certainly the strategy that Republicans are trying to make, that everybody out there is a democratic socialist.

HELDMAN: Well, it's not the case, right? Democratic socialists are only going to play well in places that have a strong Democratic contingency, like Seattle, Washington, right? Their mayor is a Democratic socialist. And New York, maybe in Los Angeles with Nithya Raman, but -- and AOC and her success. But you can see these are all Democratic strongholds with a very large progressive population.

It doesn't play well in purple states. It's not going to play well in the Midwest, for example. And so at the end of the day, this is democracy doing its work, right, where progressives are going to get elected in these Democratic strongholds and pull the party maybe a little bit further over. But if you look at what they're running on, it makes. They are critical of the billionaire class, which I think the Epstein files and I would argue Donald Trump's graft and how much money he's making off of government are raising those alarms. They're running on the treatment of immigrants. They're running on what's happening in Israel. And only 37 percent of Americans support Israel at this point in time. So it's a popular agenda.

MICHAELSON: Is that all they're running on?

KLINK: No. I mean, look, it's the defund the police, soft on crime, diminishment of property rights, growth of government, higher taxes, the Green New Deal. So, yes, it is. The Democratic Party is not your grandfather's Democratic Party. They've moved decidedly left. Right now they concentrate in urban environments, but it's spreading like a plague, and it's coming. And the Democrats need to, I mean, they need to answer for it across the United States.

[01:29:36]

MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, last, real quickly.

CAROLINE HELDMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I would just say I wish it were spreading as someone who's part of the very liberal, progressive wing of the Democratic Party. But no, we tend to elect traditional conservative Democrats.

MICHAELSON: All right. We have to leave it there. Great to see both of you.

HELDMAN: Good to see you.

MICHAELSON: Thank you so much.

KLINK: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Coming up, we continue our breaking news in Venezuela, where they are responding to back-to-back powerful earthquakes. We'll bring you the latest on the search for survivors. We will go live to Caracas with the report when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.

Let's take a look at today's top stories.

[01:34:44]

MICHAELSON: The NATO chief is praising President Trump's leadership on Iran, even though the military alliance stayed out of the war. Secretary General Mark Rutte met with President Trump in Washington on Wednesday trying to smooth relations that sank to a new low during the war. He spoke ahead of a crucial NATO summit in Turkey next month. The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, is in Bahrain, where he will attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council before wrapping up his three-day trip to the Persian Gulf. Rubio also visited the UAE and Kuwait, where he revealed that expert level technical talks with Iran are likely to begin next Tuesday.

Authorities expect mass casualties in Venezuela after powerful back- to-back earthquakes. Right now, the death toll stands at at-least 32, according to the Associated Press.

Rescue efforts are underway as buildings have collapsed in the capital Caracas and surrounding areas. The acting president has declared a state of emergency and shut down the international airport.

Let's go back live to Caracas. We're now joined live on the phone by Norris Soto, who is a journalist who was in her home when the quake hit. Norris, thanks for being with us. We're glad that you are ok.

Walk us through what happened. What did it feel like?

NORIS SOTO, VENEZUELAN JOURNALIST: Well, what I can tell you is that it felt like nothing that I have ever felt before. We Venezuelans are not used to these kind of situations happening, even though we are in the city in Caracas, where I am currently. We are on top of a huge seismic fault which has been inactive for at least 60 years.

The last earthquake that we saw in the capital was in the 60s. I wasn't even alive. So, what I can tell you right now is that we were totally unprepared and that the situation has been a shock for everybody here.

MICHAELSON: Yes, that last major quake was in 1967. 200 people died in that quake. This was the largest quake in the area since 1900.

So talk to us about what it's like outside, what it's like in the streets. What are you seeing? What are you hearing?

SOTO: Well, what I -- what I could see because I had to go out from -- I had to go out of my house because we were without power or Internet. So I had to step out.

What we could see were a lot of people on the streets. People are afraid to come back to their buildings, to their houses, because we're afraid of replicas (ph). And we are -- we have been feeling replicas of these earthquake in the past hours.

So people are on the streets. They are trying to, you know, to pass the shock and to find out about their loved ones, their families, their relatives.

There's a huge critical situation in, in one of a municipality in Caracas named Chacao (ph), which is on top of this seismic fault that I've been talking about.

And there the situation is critical. Some buildings have totally collapsed. Only 18 people have been rescued. And at least 32 people have died during this natural disaster.

MICHAELSON: Talk about the -- what sounds like the sort of collective shock of just seeing other people and the way all of you are processing this in real time.

SOTO: Yes. Like I said, it's been a shock. Everything happened so fast. We were on a public holiday also Here in Venezuela, today was a public holiday.

Many people were at home just, you know, watching the World Cup, the football, the football -- the football on TV. We were on our pjs. Many people had to step out of their pjs.

We were unprepared for the situation. We were on holiday. So yes, everything is happening so fast that I think people haven't had the chance to actually react and to thinking on what's going on in the capital right now.

And not just the capital.

MICHAELSON: Right.

SOTO: There is a place, there is a state near Caracas, La Guaira, which has totally collapsed, and it's in a state of emergency, bigger than the -- than the capital.

MICHAELSON: And all natural disasters are bad, but nothing is quite like an earthquake because there is no way to prepare. It just comes out of nowhere and your body is not ready for that.

And we're glad that you're ok. And we are thinking about so many of your friends and neighbors at this hour.

Noris Soto, thank you for sharing your reporting with us.

SOTO: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Still ahead here on THE STORY IS. My discussion with a Democratic candidate for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat about what's at stake in the midterms later this year. This is perhaps the most competitive primary in the entire country.

Stay with us.

[01:39:45]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALLORY MCMORROW (D-MI), CANDIDATE FOR SENATE: The Gordie Howe Bridge is finished, but Donald Trump won't open it because the billionaire family that owns the other bridge gave him a million bucks.

I'm Mallory McMorrow, and I've got one message for the president: open this damn bridge. And you better believe I approve this message. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: That is the first TV ad running for Democratic State Senator Mallory McMorrow, as she tries to become the next U.S. Senator from Michigan.

McMorrow is competing with Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Abdul El- Sayed in what has become one of the closest watched and most competitive primaries in the entire country. Ballots go out this week.

Mallory McMorrow, welcome to THE STORY IS for the very first time.

MCMORROW: Happy to be here.

MICHAELSON: Why of all issues, are you starting your ad campaign with this bridge? And what would you do as a senator that the current two Democratic senators have not been able to do when it comes to this bridge?

MCMORROW: Look, this is a symbol right in the heart of Michigan of the corruption of the Trump administration. This was a bridge that has been built for years.

[01:44:46]

MCMORROW: More than two decades have gone into bringing this bridge to life. This is a crossing that is responsible for 25 percent of North American trade.

The current crossing is owned by one family. It's 100-year-old bridge. So under a Republican governor, Rick Snyder, the process of this bridge was started. Canada paid for the entire thing. The bridge is finished.

Thousands of union men and women built this bridge and the Maroon Family that opens the other bridge made $1 million donation to Trumps super pac. They got a meeting with Howard Lutnick, and then all of a sudden, they finally found a guy to do their bidding in President Trump, who is now railing against this bridge.

We were supposed to have a ribbon cutting just a couple of weeks ago. It was abruptly canceled. And it is a symbol right there of international cooperation of all of the hard work. And Trump is blocking it for his billionaire donors and not for a lot of the same people that voted for him.

MICHAELSON: You know, a lot of people around the country are trying to figure out where the Democratic electorate is right now. That's part of the reason that your race is getting so much attention.

Obviously, Michigan is not New York, different electorates. But what we saw in New York last night was a big win for Zohran Mamdani. All of his candidates, very leftist candidates, won.

You're running against Abdul El-Sayed, who's been on our show, who is more to your left than you are and who is very much in line with a lot of the folks that won last night. Are you worried that he may be more in touch with where the electorate is right now than you?

MCMORROW: What is clear across the country is that people are looking for a fighter, that the status quo is fundamentally broken, and there is an outcry for a new Democratic Party that actually meets this moment.

And I've been saying the same message for a long time. We have to acknowledge as a party that Donald Trump didn't create this mess. He is the result of years, if not decades, of decisions under both parties that continuously left more and more people out of the American dream.

Now, the bet that I'm making is that Michiganders want a fighter who can beat Mike Rogers, the Republican running in November, and who also knows how to do the job on day one.

We don't have to accept this false choice that is either the status quo with Congresswoman Haley Stevens or somebody with Abdul with a ton of energy that I love that he's bringing into the race, but has never won an election or passed a bill.

I Googled how to run for office after the 2016 election. I flipped a district in my first ever run, beating a Republican incumbent. I helped flip the entire state senate for the first time in 40 years.

And as majority whip, I've delivered on everything from civil rights to voting rights to health care to housing. You name it, we've done it.

And as we think about our kids future, my daughter is five. As I think about her future, I want to know that we're sending somebody who, yes, knows how to fight and knows how to stand up, but also knows how to get the job done. And that's the bet that I'm making for Michiganders.

MICHAELSON: So part of that fight in the Senate right now is over the issue of Iran. Even some Republicans voting with Democrats this week to try to check President Trump's war powers.

President Trump's message basically was, who cares? And it's sort of suggesting he's not even going to listen to that, got into a big fight with the Republican caucus over that today.

If you're in the Senate, what do you do about that? How do you effectively fight on the issue of Iran?

MCMORROW: Yes, I just want to set the table here because, yes, the president, you know, in the Oval Office said that he loves inflation and he doesn't care that gas prices are high. He doesn't care that people are hurting. He only cares about himself.

And we've got a guy in Mike Rogers who is Trump's hand-picked candidate for this race, who when the president posted that he was going to annihilate an entire civilization never to be seen from again when he started the war in Iran, Mike Rogers said, good. That's peace through strength. So number one is beating Mike Rogers because we cannot afford to lose

Michigan. We cannot afford, for somebody who is going to be loyal to Donald Trump, to get into this seat.

But number two is Congress has to take back its power as a co-equal branch of government. I have built up a track record here in the state of not only working within my caucus, the Democratic caucus, but working across the aisle to get things done for people.

There is a moment, you pointed it out yourself, that Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated as they get phone calls from their constituents complaining about the price of gas, complaining about mortgage rates going up, complaining about the fact that fertilizer is not coming back to farmers.

They are not immune to their districts. We've got to reach across the aisle and say this is a moment to assert yourself, assert your power.

You got elected into the seat. Don't give that power up to a president who is not going to be in the White House in a couple of years.

[01:49:51]

MCMORROW: That is how you build a coalition to fight effectively and make sure that we take our power back to get our tax dollars out of these forever wars overseas and put it back into daycare and Medicare and Medicaid and the things that the president told us we cannot have because we're paying for his war.

MICHAELSON: Mallory McMorrow, running to be the next senator from Michigan. Best of luck to you out on the campaign trail. Thanks for coming on and sharing your views.

MCMORROW: Thanks, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Coming up, a stunning new look at the heart of our galaxy. Scientists unveil the most detailed image ever at the center of the Milky Way, offering new clues in the search for distant worlds.

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[01:54:51]

MICHAELSON: Venezuela is reeling from two powerful earthquakes that struck just minutes apart Wednesday night. Video shows extensive damage across the country.

The acting president confirms at least 32 people are dead, 700 injured.

A short time later, a magnitude 6.9 quake struck in Japan. There are no immediate reports of major damage, but emergency teams are still assessing the impact. Very strict building codes there.

Earlier in the day, a magnitude 5.6 quake shook northern California. You see some video here of that. Officials say there were some injuries, but no reports of significant damage. Certainly wasn't good for that line of the store there.

Experts say the quakes are not connected despite occurring within hours of one another.

Scientists with the European Space Agency have unveiled the largest high-resolution photo ever taken of the center of our galaxy, captured by the Euclid Space Telescope. This picture shows the heart of the Milky Way.

The mosaic contains more than 60 million stars and was assembled in a bit more than a day. Scientists say the image could help them confirm the existence of distant planets beyond our solar system, and even measure their mass by tracking subtle changes in starlight over time.

Thank you so much for joining us on a very, very busy news night.

I'm Elex Michaelson. Thank you for bearing with my voice. Hopefully I'll feel a little better tomorrow on THE STORY IS. I'm going to drink this tea.

NEWSROOM with my colleague Rosemary Church is next. She'll have the latest from Venezuela as we continue to follow that developing story.

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