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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Frustration Grows Over Government Response To Deadly Quakes; Top Lawmaker - At Least 920 Dead, More Than 3,300 Injured; New Strikes Testing U.S.-Iran Interim Agreement; IDF To Pull Out From Two Areas In Southern Lebanon; Closure Of Strait Of Hormuz created Oil Supply Shock; Centcom - U.S. Launched New Strikes Against Iranian Targets; IRC - Quake Response Will Take Months, Not Weeks; U.S. Allows Limited Release Of Anthropic's New AI Model; New Clues Swift & Kelce Will Marry At Madison Square Garden; Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 27, 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]
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So we're at the base of the building hours after this crash happened, and a silence has fallen over this normally bustling area of the CBD. Behind us, couple yards, couple meters, across the street from us, there's still police tape that is set up around the perimeter of the building. The tower itself, one of the tallest in the world, the CITIC Tower, standing as a 109-story symbol of Beijing known across China. For now, the people of China's capital still processing how this could happen in the citadel of a city.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: A wild story. Our thanks to Mike Valerio for his reporting in Beijing. Thanks for watching the first hour of "The Story Is." The next hour starts right now.
And coming up, "The Story Is." Growing desperation more than 48 hours after earthquakes leveled parts of Venezuela. Survivors still searching through piles of rubble for their loved ones.
"The Story Is" retaliatory strikes by the U.S. in response to an Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, both countries, accusing the other of violating the terms of their ceasefire.
And "The Story Is" orange wave more on this oranje army of fans taking over U.S. cities as it follows its team in the World Cup.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: I'm Elex Michaelson. Thanks for being with us. It's 10 o'clock here in Los Angeles, 1:00 A.M. in Venezuela, where frustration is growing over the government's response to Wednesday's deadly twin earthquakes. More than 48 hours later, some residents say there are not enough rescue crews or heavy machinery forcing communities to clear debris on their own. Hospitals are reporting a shortage of critical supplies. Venezuelan forces, rescue crews, and international teams are still searching for survivors trapped under the rubble.
The country's acting President says the government is militarizing the hardest hit area where more than 100 buildings have collapsed. Venezuela's top lawmakers says at least 920 people were killed, more than 3,300 injured in two of the country's strongest quakes in more than a century. Those numbers expected to go up dramatically. One young man has been searching for his mother and brother digging through debris by hand and with a shovel. He says he had no idea the destruction was so extensive until he arrived with his family.
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SIMON MEDINA, SEARCHING FOR MOTHER AND BROTHER: I am looking for my relatives, my mother, and my little brother. The only thing I know is that they were in the apartment. I was not there. We are trying to find anything to understand what happened and to find even just a small piece. Even if we only find belongings or papers, it would be good to find them. We are searching.
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MICHAELSON: CNN Contributor Stefano Pozzebon has the latest on Venezuela's recovery efforts.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Panic on board as passengers braced through powerful tremors. Just one glimpse of the chaos unleashed after two massive earthquakes struck Venezuela.
This image from the public broadcaster, teleSUR, shows large cracks splitting the tarmac at Caracas International Airport, underscoring the damage to critical infrastructure.
On Friday, authorities said almost 1,000 people have been confirmed dead, but this toll is expected to rise. Tens of thousands are still reported missing. Emergency teams are racing against time to dig through shattered concrete, listening for any sign of life. In the Caracas district of Chacao, rescuers pull survivors from a collapsed apartment building while others remain trapped inside.
GUSTAVO DUQUE, MAYOR OF CHACAO, VENEZUELA (translated): We have rescued three people, and there are three more alive inside the structure. God willing, they will be rescued very soon.
POZZEBON: As Venezuela struggles to cope with the scale of the disaster, international help is finally trickling in. The United States is sending elite rescue teams, military transport, and $150 million in humanitarian aid.
El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, and several other countries have also deployed search and rescue crews, medical teams, and emergency supplies.
DIANA CORRALES, HEAD OF USAR COL-1 TEAM (translated): We specialize in urban search and rescue and collapse structures. Our team is trained to conduct search, rescue, and recovery operations in structural collapse scenarios, the kind of emergency Venezuela is currently facing.
POZZEBON: But the logistical challenges to mobilize the aid remain. These relief convoys loaded with food and water are heading toward the hardest hit communities as officials work to support tens of thousands of displaced families. While the priority remains to rescue survivors before time runs out. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota, Colombia.
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[01:05:00]
MICHAELSON: Well, the interim U.S. agreement with Iran to put an end to the war is being put to a test just nine days after it was signed. On Friday, U.S. central command said it struck a series of Iranian military targets. It said it was a response to an Iranian attack on a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, which President Trump called a "foolish violation."
Iranian state media says Tehran responded by targeting U.S. positions in the region, which Washington has not confirmed. U.S. official tells CNN the latest strikes didn't imply a return to major combat operations. Now ahead of the attacks, President Trump sidestep questions about whether the ceasefire with Iran is still in place, but he said that Tehran still has some military muscle.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We still have a fight. They have some capability, not much. They're not winning or anything, but they have some capability, they can still shoot.
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MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, diplomats say Israel and Lebanon have just made the first step towards a potential future peace deal. They signed an agreement with the U.S. on Friday after four days of talks in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls the agreement, "The beginning of the beginning, describing as a step towards a broader peace." Under the document, Israel will pull force out of two areas in Southern Lebanon and hand the sights to Lebanese military.
But a Hezbollah member of Lebanon's parliament called on the government to retract anything that's been agreed to with Israel. Hezbollah, the Iran proxy group whose militants are fighting Israeli troops in Lebanon, not part of the agreement. In the last hour, I asked CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas if Hezbollah could bring down that agreement.
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ALEX PLITSAS, CNN, NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It was almost as a sub- agreement between Lebanon and Israel in terms of a ceasefire between the two of them and how this was going to work out. So it's -- from what I've been told by U.S. officials I've been talking to, there are a couple of phases that'll be agreed to in terms of geographic territory where Israel will withdraw and will hand the territory over to the Lebanese armed forces. But in return, the Lebanese armed forces will attempt to begin to disarm Hezbollah in those specific areas as part of a pilot program. And if that continues, then they'll try that through the rest of Southern Lebanon. That's been unsuccessful for almost 40 years, which is why this is historic.
So the next week or so, I think is going to be a pretty amazing opportunity to work towards peace, or it's quite frankly going to be an opportunity for Iran to sow discord in this area and potentially disrupt the agreement. And that's the problem because we have the IRGC in Iran, which has been at odds with the civilian government. So we'll find out whether or not they've been operating at odds with each other or whether or not they're actually in coots.
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MICHAELSON: Joined now live here in Los Angeles by the three term Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, and the former Lieutenant Governor of California, Abel Maldonado. Welcome back both of you. Lieutenant Governor Maldonado, let's go to you first and talk about this Iran war in the context of gas prices, which is the way that so many people here who are struggling to make ends meet have seen this war. They've seen their gas prices go up. We've seen gas prices fall a bit, in the last few weeks as the conflict has lessened a little bit. How do you sort of see what this war has taught us about energy?
ABEL MALDONADO, FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA: Well, on the energy side, I can tell you this. There's no American that's happy with gas prices today. And as a farmer, there's no farmer in America that's happy with diesel prices. That's just the way it is, Elex. So let's look. This Iran war has been something that from the get go we were told, and President Trump was very clear that the reason was to make sure that Iran would never ever have a nuclear weapon and to come up with an agreement, Elex.
But I can tell you this. I feel like, I feel personally feel like, Iran doesn't want an agreement. And what do I say that? Because that keeps the Mullahs in power, the Ayatollah in power. I feel like the Castro's never wanted us to have a relationship with them. But at the end of the day, this has been a hardship for farmers. It's been a hardship for the American people, and that's why President Trump is trying to finish this and close it off as quick as he can.
MICHAELSON: So does it sound like what you're saying is that the war wasn't worth it?
MALDONADO: I mean, I don't want -- I mean, at the end of the day, I think Iran, I mean, for us I'll just be very blunt with you. Iran is a long way from the USA, and the last thing we need is for them to have a nuclear weapon that can reach us. We know they reach Diego Garcia, which is about 4 kilometers away. So they're getting close. I don't want them to have a war. So for me, non-nuclear weapons for Iran is very important. I took a lump on the diesel. The American people are taking up. We want this to come to an end now.
MICHAELSON: Governor, your sort of life's passion work has been talking about climate, energy issues. We've seen with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, energy prices going up around the world, sort of questions about what we should be doing in terms of that. Also, our reliance on fossil fuels has been highlighted again. How do you see this?
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JAY INSLEE, FORMER GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON: Well, this has been a disaster by Donald Trump on many measures. First off, he tore up an agreement. We had an agreement to keep them from becoming nuclear. We had open straits.
MICHAELSON: The Obama agreement.
INSLEE: The Obama agreement. We had the straits are open, so he basically has dug a deep hole and pulled Americans down into it. Now we're trying to climb out of the hole. But there's a deeper lesson for this, I think, out of this this terrible tragedy, which is this is the kind of thing happens when we continue to be dependent on fossil fuels. No one has fought a war over bringing wind turbines through the Straits of Hormuz, and we fought at least two wars. I was adamantly against the Iraq excursion. I was adamantly against this, and we're all tied up on fossil fuels. And the good news is we now have the ability to break free of that monkey on our back.
We've had 90 percent of all the new energy coming on now as renewable energy. It's cheaper in 90 percent of the country. So batteries have come up 97 percent in California. So we got all these good things. We need to make a choice to seize the future in clean energy and get this monkey off our back.
MICHAELSON: And yet, politically, it has not always been a winning issue, so much so that some Democrats have been talking about whether Democrats should even talk about the issue of climate change. I was just in Austria recently hosting a climate conference on behalf of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with Kamala Harris on stage. She said we should talk about this issue. Here's what she told me.
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KAMALA HARRIS, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There was a time where we had to convince people it's the right thing to do, even though, it is not readily available. Even though, solar is a thing you may have to invest in, right? So we can also center this conversation in a way that we think about the consumer of products and how is it in their best interest when they're looking at their monthly bill.
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MICHAELSON: Because we know that the Trump administration is moving forward with more coal powered plants. They are trying to look at doing more oil drilling potentially off the coast of a place like California. We know that they're pushing back. The Energy Secretary saying all that stuff is great, but it's actually cheaper to do things the old fashioned way. What's your advice in terms of talking about this in a way to win over voters and win the argument?
INSLEE: We should definitely talk about the disaster that climate change is imposing on this. I just met a couple who lost their business in the Altadena fire. I've gone through five fires. I was in the Paradise fire and the Woolsey fire, and it burned down two whole towns in my state. We now have massive floods. We all know that this is a problem. So the question on how to talk about this, I think it's very clear for us. One, we should start the discussion on cost because that's the first thing in people's mind of gas prices.
We should talk about the chaos that Donald Trump is causing in foreign policy. We should talk about the corruption that he's responsible for, because, basically, he had these oil guys come in and say, give me $1 billion. I'll shut down access to these your competitors of solar and wind because it's cheaper. The oil and gas guys are afraid of this. And we need to talk about the tremendous possibility to adopt clean energy and stop climate change. It needs to be part of our discussion in part, because we're so right. And by the way, it's not just that Donald Trump wants to do coal. He's stopping Americans from being able to get access to the cheapest energy in America, which is solar, wind and batteries. He's stopping them. And why? Corruption. It's pure and simple.
MICHAELSON: You're shaking your head.
MALDONADO: I don't see it that way, obviously, and I with all due respect to the Governor. But, I can tell you this. You look at the, you look at 10 years ago, I would say that folks on the conservative side or on the Republican side or even agriculturalists, I would say that they were kind of skeptic on climate change. But as time has gone on, you ask people. For example, the vineyard guys here in California, they used to harvest grapes in September, October. Now they're harvesting in June and July. Why?
Climate change has been warmer. The same thing with other crops here in California. So they're starting, the question is how do we get here? How do we move forward? You had Kamala Harris with the Governor Schwarzenegger in Austria, Elex. What did, Governor Schwarzenegger said? I think he said we should look at maybe some new refineries. We have new technologies. Why are we exporting gas to Texas to where we're bringing it back, increasing the cost?
MICHAELSON: Yeah. Well he has to says we should do nuclear too.
MALDONADO: People can't afford gasoline either.
MICHAELSON: And he also says we should talk about it differently. He says we should say (inaudible) pollution --
MALDONADO: Absolutely. I think we should.
MICHAELSON: -- which people can understand versus talking about climate, which is a concept that people don't get. But you say that that people are starting to get it. President Trump says that climate change is a hoax. I mean, he is showcasing the oil industry, showcasing coal leaders, and he is stopping some of this -- the solar issue from going forward.
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MALDONADO: Well, I don't know if you remember when, he was campaigning. He said that he didn't support wind, because it kills the birds. He didn't support solar because if your wife says they want to watch Trump at night, but there's no sun that day, your TV wasn't going to work. So he's making he's being comments about it. So, look, there is climate change. It's happening. How do we get it in a pragmatic, reasonable way to move forward without hurting the bank? Because some people can't afford these electric cars. These cars can't get you to where you want to get to. So we're getting there. We're not there yet.
MICHAELSON: What is the best way to do that?
INSLEE: First thing, you got to get rid of Donald Trump, and, unfortunately, his cult of the Republican Party. And it is a cult who's following. Look. What American President should have the right to tell any American, you can't have cheaper electricity. That's what he's doing. He's saying, you can't have solar because it's cheaper than coal. You can't have wind because it's cheaper than coal. You can't have batteries, because it's cheaper than coal. I don't want my buddies that I took money from to have to compete. Now that's just flat wrong for any American President to do that.
MICHAELSON: But if you believe in freedom of choice, then should you also have the choice to have coal, to have nuclear, to have all these other things? I mean, is it do you believe in an all of above energy price?
INSLEE: I do not believe we should be subsidizing. Right now, we heavily subsidize the coal industry. Look, he's issued an order. This is unbelievable. To keep a coal plant open in Washington where nobody will buy the electricity, because it's too expensive. This is a corruption that makes tea part two Teapot Dome look just like an absolute misdemeanor of what's going on here. And first, we have to break this this stranglehold of this cult on our energy policies, and that means voting for Democrats this year.
MICHAELSON: All right. Well, I know that's not able solution, but I appreciate you making the argument. Both of you guys, great to see you on a Friday night. Have a great weekend. Appreciate you being here.
After the break, a look at Friday's World Cup matches as teams fight for those coveted knockout round slots and a conversation with the Netherlands Football Association about the Dutch fans turning American cities into this. We see a lot of orange, and we're not talking Donald Trump. We're talking the Dutch. Stay with us.
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[01:20:00]
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MICHAELSON: Dutch soccer fans there turning World Cup venues into a sea of orange, bringing incredible energy to host cities across the U.S. in support of team Netherlands. Their eye catching pre-match parades have become one of the tournament's defining sites, drawing thousands of visitors and locals alike in their celebrations. All part of a soccer tradition, the Dutch Football Association has spent years cultivating.
Joining us now from Kansas City, Missouri is Marianne van Leeuwen. She is the Vice President and Director of Professional Football at the Royal Netherlands Football Association. Welcome to "The Story Is." Congratulations on your success. All that looks like so much fun. Talk to us about what it's like to be in the middle of the thousands and thousands of people in oranje jerseys in the middle of Kansas City.
MARIANNE VAN LEEUWEN, VP & DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL, THE ROYAL NETHERLANDS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: Thank you so much for having me, Elex. It's -- I mean, we are just flabbergasted by the energy that comes to us through all these people here in America that are following our orange team and supporting our team. And, of course, it's partly Dutch people from the Netherlands who have traveled here, but somehow their enthusiasm is so catching that it's -- it brings all other kinds of people from here in America to follow us in the partying before a game, in the partying, after a game, in the supporting our team. And, yeah, it really gives me goosebumps when I see that.
MICHAELSON: What do you make of Kansas City, and what do you make of the barbecue?
LEEUWEN: Well, what I feel is that people in Kansas City, but also we were in Dallas and in Houston and in New York before that, I feel and correct me if I'm wrong, but it feels like American people are happy to receive the world here and to interact with people from all around the world from outside America.
MICHAELSON: And what about that barbecue?
LEEUWEN: The barbecue is great. I had barbecue at many places, and it's a bit much meat for me, but the meat that I take is super.
MICHAELSON: Monday, you guys are in Mexico.
LEEUWEN: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Are we going to see similar numbers, potentially more people in Mexico? What are you expecting?
LEEUWEN: I don't know, but sometimes it feels like it's a snowball because we were in Dallas. And I don't know if you have this saying in America, the snowball that gets bigger while it rolls. But we were in Dallas, then in Houston, then here, and it gets bigger and bigger. And, yeah, I think that in Monterrey, it will even be bigger, and then we come back to Houston, and it will be bigger again. But we'll see. Anyway, it's a lot of fun. MICHAELSON: Congratulations. You guys look like a lot of fun, and it would be fun to party with you.
LEEUWEN: Yeah.
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MICHAELSON: Best of luck on Monday. Marianne, enjoy all this. It looks like you certainly are.
LEEUWEN: I do, and I hope you're coming.
MICHAELSON: I got it. Somebody's got a work.
LEEUWEN: Yeah.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. I will be here on Monday. But if you're in Philadelphia, you could be at this stadium in just a few hours where they're going to have Croatia and Ghana playing, as we move towards the next rounds, in World Cup soccer. Thanks so much for watching "The Story Is." For our international viewers, Quest's World of Wonder is next. For our viewers here in North America, I will be right back with more on Venezuela. Captain Aaron Katon from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, you see him standing by there live. He is to talk about how U.S. search and rescue teams are helping those on the ground. You're watching "The Story Is."
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[01:30:00]
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MICHAELSON: Welcome back "To Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
The U.S. Central Command says it launched new strikes on Iran on Friday. Says the attack was a response to an Iranian attack on a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz the day before. Iranian state media says the country responded by hitting U.S. positions in the region, which Washington hasn't confirmed.
Diplomats are describing a new agreement between Israel and Lebanon as the first step towards a lasting peace. They signed the trilateral agreement with the U.S. on Friday after four days of talks. Under the document, Israeli troops will pull out from two areas in Southern Lebanon and hand them over to the Lebanese military.
Relief efforts are intensifying in Venezuela two days after a deadly twin earthquakes devastated the country. Rescue teams are combing through the rubble searching for survivors. Officials say at least 920 people were killed, more than 3,300 injured, and two of the strongest quakes to hit the country in more than a century.
The International Rescue Committee says that the response to the deadly quakes will be a long-term undertaking lasting months, not weeks. Several countries are deploying search and rescue teams and pledging humanitarian aid to Venezuela. CNN's Isabel Rosales has more on the global response.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: International rescue teams are on their way and on the ground in Venezuela, bringing critical manpower, equipment, and expertise to support search efforts, like this unit from the U.K.
RUSS GAUDEN, U.K. ISAR NATIONAL COORDINATOR: So as soon as we land, we'll bolt into the network that's already there. We'll work with colleagues, international colleagues, and the local responses to build that bigger picture. Teams will be deployed straight away into the field.
ROSALES: Help is also coming from across Latin America, including specialized search and rescue units from Colombia, Chile, El Salvador, and Brazil, as well as tons of medical supplies and hundreds of military personnel from Mexico. Mexican volunteer groups are also deploying.
VICTOR MANCERA, TOPOS MEXICO (translated): Sometimes, we have found people who have been buried for more than seven days. So that is what we are going for, to try to recover more people alive, right?
ROSALES: The U.S. is pledging a $150 million in aid, sending the USS Fort Lauderdale and dispatching its own elite rescue teams skilled in excavating collapsed buildings.
BATTALION CHIEF ROBERT SCHOENBERGER, SPECIAL OPERATION DIVISION, FAIRFAX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE: The first key is to detect, right, just to make sure that we're even in the right vicinity. And then we move into not just detecting, but then a location of where we exactly start to dig.
ROSALES: Beijing has deep ties with Venezuela, and many Chinese funded companies are assisting with rescue and cleanup efforts. Teams from Spain, France, Germany, and Switzerland are also on the ground. But despite the outpouring of help, international agencies say recovery efforts will take months, and damage from the quakes is slowing some responses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The airport is damaged. That is presenting a real obstacle right now to getting in supplies at scale. But for to meet the needs, we're going to need airport access. There are telecommunications issues. Internet connectivity is very patchy.
ROSALES: Additional support also coming from Pope Leo who sent an initial donation of more than a $100,000 for the victims. Isabel Rosales, CNN Atlanta.
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MICHAELSON: Joining me live is Captain Aaron Katon of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Welcome to "The Story Is." So your team is part of this special international team going on behalf of the United States State Department. They've now arrived in Venezuela, folks from LA, working with folks from Fairfax County, Virginia who we just saw there, and folks from Miami who are helping to rescue as well. Talk about how it works.
CAPT. AARON KATON, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Sure. Absolutely. Well, thank you for having me here too. I love to bring the spotlight on the excellent work that our people do. So the way that a response like this works is Los Angeles County Fire Department is fortunate that our urban search and rescue task force is one of two that collaborate with the Department of State to consistently deploy internationally. We are task force two, task force one being Fairfax County in Virginia.
Now our members train year round, literally non-stop for these events. And just this last October, they deployed to hurricane Melissa in Jamaica where they did great work. For a situation like this, we get the alert that they're going to be activated. We all know that a disaster happens, but the alert comes from the state department that tells our personnel to start getting ready. We maintain a warehouse at our facility in Pacoima where we also have our air operations division. But there we have our gigantic urban search and rescue warehouse with all the equipment. So that means personnel start going there and start getting everything ready to deploy.
[01:35:00]
Then when the time comes, when we get mobilized, they load it up on trucks. We take it all out of wherever we're flying from, get on those planes, and go to wherever we're needed.
MICHAELSON: And that includes 84,000 pounds of equipment that is there as you mentioned, which is quite something. So you're there. You've been through this before. You did this in Turkey where they had a huge earthquake and had to go through these rescues. How do they work? And how do you not create more damage.
KATON: Excellent.
MICHAELSON: By potentially moving things around?
KATON: And that's always the question, right? And just like our colleague from Fairfax said in that clip, first step is detect is detection. Now we're going to get there, and we're going to work collaboratively, of course, under the umbrella of state with local resources to get to where we need to be, where we can be most effective. And the situation in Venezuela, the big issue now is structural collapse.
Fortunately, a large number of our team consists of structural collapse technicians. The first thing we do is detect where people are. We have high-tech electronic equipment that can do it and also something very simple, dogs. There are six dogs that are deployed on our team that are experts in detection of humans below the rubble. Then once we've detected our hopefully survivors, what we need to do is stabilize the rubble and then start digging, which we also have high-tech equipment to do that. They range from any everything from jackhammers and saws and everything you can think of to get through.
But as you as you alluded to, it's a big key to not move that rubble. You need to move a lot of material, but delicately enough that you don't because more damage.
MICHAELSON: How long can people survive under rubble?
KATON: Well, a human can survive quite a long time without food or water, but time is of the essence. And our personnel on the ground know that, that literally the clock is ticking. Depending on the severity of for the people trapped, depending on the severity of their injuries, time could be very short or it could be days. And when it stretches into days, those are the ones we have a good chance of saving.
MICHAELSON: How does it work with all of these different agencies from different countries there, including you guys are foreigners. This isn't your jurisdiction. How does that coordination happen?
KATON: Well, it's -- you know what? Shockingly well. Really, that looking back on Jamaica, the -- this last fall for hurricane Melissa. Again, when our personnel deploy, they're not wearing the LA County fire patch like I am right now. They're wearing a Department of State patch. And Department of State has a representative with the team who I talked to yesterday before they deployed. That's where the overall coordination comes from. Our personnel regularly train with our counterparts in Fairfax.
And then going out there, as it was mentioned in your clip, you've got state, you've got department of defense. But as recently as Jamaica, the high ranking officials said it was the best civil military collaboration they had ever seen, which is -- which we really hope to repeat in this.
MICHAELSON: How long do your guys stay on the ground?
KATON: This one's going to be a long one, at least two weeks, as long as we're needed. As our -- we know what our mission is, and our mission is life safety. It's to rescue the people who need it. So as long as there are people for us to rescue, we're going to be there.
MICHAELSON: And just what does that moment feel like when you are able to pull somebody from the rubble?
KATON: Well, you know what? I'm going to clarify that I am not on our urban search --
MICHAELSON: No. I Know. When you talk to these guys.
KATON: I do. I do. In fact, two of my good friends who were on my crew until I took this assignment in February are there. I said goodbye to them the other day as they got on. And what? These are guys who take so much pride in it. The amount of pride that you see that all firefighters take, we take pride in our work. But it even impresses me. The amount of pride these individuals take because of the amount of training they put in, they train and train and train. You never wish disasters on anyone. I want to emphasize that. But when it happens, when you've done all the training, you sure want to be the one who's there to put it to use. And so that when you can it's just like anything we do.
When we get a CPR save, how does it feel? Incredible.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. But that's got to be next level.
KATON: Right.
MICHAELSON: And to be able to find someone, have the dogs find somebody and then pull somebody out and literally save their life is incredible. Thank you for the incredible work that your guys are doing right now. We wish them the best.
KATON: Thank you very much.
MICHAELSON: Thank you, captain, for coming in.
A judge declares a mistrial after jurors deadlocked in the Palisades arson trial. After the break, we hear from one of the jurors.
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SYRENA, JUROR: There's just not enough proof. It was just happened so late in time, and I just felt like a lot of holes. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of holes.
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[01:40:00]
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STEVEN HANEY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They need a scapegoat. They need somebody to blame, and they picked on the convenient loner Uber driver that they did nothing, but engage in character assassination for two and a half weeks. It's all they did is attack his character and present no evidence, no direct evidence at all that he maliciously started a fire.
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MICHAELSON: That was the attorney for Jonathan Rinderknecht after a federal judge in Los Angeles declared a mistrial in the Palisades arson case. Prosecution says intends to try it again. CNN's Sherrell Hubbard has more from one of the jurors.
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SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After 14 hours of deliberations, a jury was deadlocked on all three arson related charges against Jonathan Rinderknish, accused of starting what would become California's deadly Palisades fire in 2025. Eventually, the judge in the case declared a mistrial.
SYRENA, JUROR: There's just not enough proof. A lot of holes. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of holes.
HUBBARD: Rinderknecht had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors allege he was alone in the area where the blaze that would become the Palisades fire started on New Year's Day. Defense attorneys disputed that, pointing to witness testimony about New Year's revelers setting off fireworks nearby. The jury foreperson said the vote was 10 for not guilty and two for guilty.
SYRENA: It was hard. And once we went into deliberations, I guess it was just didn't realize how passionate some certain people felt.
HUBBARD: In addition to the defense contending that Rinderknecht did not start the fire, they also noted he repeatedly called 911 to report it. Prosecutors painted Rinderknecht as a vengeful person who'd prompted ChatGPT to generate an image of a burning forest in the months before the fire and said investigators found a big grill lighter in the glove compartment of his rental car.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Having not secured a scene for almost two weeks says a lot. And to pin that on one person, this is a man's life, and we can't ignore that fact.
HUBBARD: I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.
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MICHAELSON: Several wildfires in Utah are growing in strength, fueled by dangerously dry and windy conditions. Here's a view of the Cottonwood fire, the state's largest. At the time, it is entirely uncontained. Fire started on Monday. The cause still not determined. On Thursday, the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued a particularly dangerous situation. Red flag warning, its first ever. That was the same warning in place when the Palisades fire started.
The U.S. government is allowing the limited release of a powerful new AI model. Anthropic has received approval to make its Mythos model available to a select group of companies and organizations. Company says the model will be used by a small group of cyber defenders and infrastructure providers despite cybersecurity concerns. Experts have warned the technology could help hackers and other bad actors find and exploit security vulnerabilities. Anthropic says it is working with the government to address those risks.
Still to come, there are new and compelling clues that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will get married at New York's most iconic arena. The latest details from the Mecca after the break.
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MICHAELSON: Speculation is growing that singer Taylor Swift will marry fiance Travis Kelce, one of the great chiefs, over the 4th of July weekend in or near New York's famed Madison Square Garden. Let's get the latest on the rumors from CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister.
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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Leave it to this showgirl to create folklore over the love story of the decade.
Some are calling it the wedding of the century, and it hasn't even happened yet. We already knew Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were getting married. We didn't know where until maybe now.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: We are used to big events.
WAGMEISTER: Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani dropped in so many words that he's welcoming the wedding of a generation over the July 4th weekend.
MAMDANI: We know it coincides with July 4th, America 250, Taylor Swift's wedding all happening at the same time, and we are so excited to welcome the world here.
WAGMEISTER: Swift's publicist did respond to CNN's request for comment on the mayor's possible slip of the tongue. But new evidence points to Madison Square Garden, of all places, as the site of the wedding. While Taylor won't speak now, here's what we know.
CNN has confirmed through city and law enforcement sources that an application was filed to hold an event in the vicinity of the garden. It asked for a tent or canopy to be set up outside the arena, and the permit would allow street closures around MSG between July 2nd and 4th. Swift and Kelce weren't named, but the application was filed by a company that handles major productions, including high profile weddings.
JESSICA TISCH, NYPD COMMISSIONER: NBA finals, World Cup, all as potentially Taylor Swift's wedding. I'm kidding.
WAGMEISTER: While New York officials drop hints.
GEORGE KITTLE, 49ERS TIGHT END: She's warming up for the wedding.
WAGMEISTER: So as Travis Kelce's friend and fellow NFL tight end George Kittle, who told Entertainment Tonight he's on the invite list.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it MSG?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. We don't know.
KITTLE: I actually asked Travis last night and he laughed at me, so no. I'm half expecting there to just be a jumbo jet on a runway and they put us on a plane somewhere.
WAGMEISTER: The Garden wedding would come on the heels of the Knicks' first NBA championship in decades, where we all saw Swift seated courtside. The poetry of that moment is, for now, just poetry. Because until Swift confirms the MSG wedding, the rest of us are left in the tortured poets department.
Hey, Elex. So I know the obvious question here is really Madison Square Garden. If you could get married anywhere in the world, this is where you are going to choose, but it actually makes a lot of sense. And let me run you through the reasons why. First of all, there are no windows at Madison Square Garden, so that keeps the paparazzi out. When you are the most famous couple in the world, you do not want cameras getting in and leaking any photos or footage from your big day.
The second thing is that Madison Square Garden has underground parking, and that is very rare in New York City that provides a very discreet way to bring the VIP guests in and out. It's obviously not just about keeping the paparazzi out, but first and foremost, it's about safety. And when you, again, are the most famous couple in the world, if you have the funds and resources to secure a place like Madison Square Garden, well, then you've actually created quite a secure and safe venue.
So those are all the reasons why we think that it probably is happening at MSG. But, again, anything can happen. We'll just have to wait and see. I will be there in New York. So I'll let what I find out. Thanks, Elex.
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MICHAELSON: Good for you, Elizabeth. Thank you so much. Maybe they're just going to be on some tropical island somewhere.
Some iconic artifacts from Hollywood movies and the music world will go on the auction block in New York next month. Fans of Star Wars will have a chance to pick up Luke Skywalker's severed hand holding a lifesaver. Look at that. The starting bid is a $1 million.
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Other items include the hat worn by the wicked witch of the West in a Wizard of Oz and a pair of commemorative Ruby Slippers made for the film's 50th anniversary. Heritage Auctions is also selling lyrics handwritten by the late John Lennon. Some good stuff there. John Lennon.
A giraffe that escaped a ranch in rural Texas has finally been found, but she is not home just yet. The ranch owner says Gracie the giraffe managed to scale a steep rocky area where his other giraffes don't normally go. She's been missing for two weeks. The sheriff's department says she was found during an aerial search near the ranch on Friday. Now he's putting a team together with a veterinarian to safely capture Gracie and bring her back home. Thank you all for watching "The Story Is" all week long. Senator Adam Schiff will be with me in studio on Monday. I'm Elex Michaelson. Have a great weekend. We leave you with a picture from outside our building here, and you see the Warner Bros. Tower has the Supergirl logo on it. They're hoping you'll go see that movie this weekend. Whatever you do, have a good one.
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