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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Is Interviewed About GOP Lawmakers Divided Over Future Of U.S.-Iran War, Trump Boost U.S. Oil Production As Iran War Strain Markets; Democrats Weigh Future After Democratic Socialist Victories, Anti-Semitism And Israeli Influence Spark Divisions In U.S.; Aftershocks Keep People On Edge As Death Toll Tops 1,700; Round of 32 Delivers Nail-Biters, An Upset and Penalty Kicks; Inside the Psychology of Penalty Shootouts; Examining Role of White House Aide Close to Trump; Schiff Explains Politics Through Lens of "The Big Lebowski". Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 30, 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, THE ANCHOR: Computerized speech device on "Good Morning America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS JOHNSON, RETIRED NFL RUNNING BACK: I first noticed weakness in my right hand. At first it was little things like my grip didn't feel right and I wasn't as strong as I've always been.
It's continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined. I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body. Just over a year ago I was picking up my seven-year-old daughter so she make a wish with her birthday cake. Today I couldn't do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Johnson says his mind is still sharp despite his body not cooperating. He says I still think the same. I still dream. I still love my family.
Thanks for watching. The first hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now. And the story is pushing for peace. One of President Trump's envoys is now enroute to Qatar for a new round of talks with Iran.
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff of California joins me on set to discuss.
The story is recovery in Venezuela, more than 1,700 dead as search and rescue crews scour the rubble for any lingering signs of life. And the story is World Cup fever, a series of electrifying matches early in the knockout rounds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is With Elex Michaelson. MICHAELSON: President Donald Trump says talks between the U.S. and Iran are set to take place in Doha in the hours ahead. But Iran is denying that there are any negotiations scheduled. U.S. officials say -- tell CNN that special envoy Steve Witkoff is now enroute to Doha. It's not clear if he's traveling together with the president's son-in- law, Jared Kushner.
All this down taking place after an escalation of tensions over the weekend near the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. and Iran exchange strikes. On social media, President Trump wrote that "Iran had requested a meeting in the Oval Office." But in the Oval Office, he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not. We're going to find out. But we're winning militarily. It's almost one militarily, I would say. And it's really very simple.
It's the denuclearization of Iran. We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon and they're not going to have a nuclear weapon. They've agreed to that in all fairness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: We are also hearing from Iran's president who said on X, quote, "Mutual understanding is a two way street. If the American side adheres to the agreement, we will also fulfill our commitments. Our approach to unreasonable saber rattling and baseless threats is to rely on rationality and human dignity in decision making and to defend decisively and fearlessly when it comes time to act."
More now on all of this in our conversation earlier with Adam Schiff of California, a Democrat who joined me here on set.
Do you think that America has already lost the war with Iran?
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I think there is already a very serious strategic loss, and that is that before the war, Iran may have theorized that it could shut down the strait, that it could withstand a massive military attack by the United States. It may have thought that in theory, but now Iran has seen that in practice that even with minimal amount of military force, with very rudimentary drones and missiles, they can stop shipping, they can choke the oil supply for much of the world. And in effect, they already have a nuclear bomb and it's being able to close the strait. There's very little way to put the genie back in that bottle. So that's been a terrible strategic loss already.
Now, how you overcome that, I don't know. And this is the problem with a war of choice when we were not attacked by Iran, when there was no imminent threat of attack. This is part of the unpredictability of war. But we've already suffered a terrible strategic loss.
MICHAELSON: The president wants $70 billion more in part to fight this war continuously. Some Republicans stood up to President Trump and said, we don't want to give you war powers. And then they changed their vote, including Bill Cassidy, senator from Louisiana.
SCHIFF: Going forward to this funding question, I think your pointing to Bill Cassidy is illustrative that just because they voted with us that this war is illegal and it has gone on too long does not mean they're going to vote against funding it. That's where the rubber is going to hit the road. I hope they do. I hope they continue to vote with us.
Ultimately, you know, I've always debated what is the most important power of Congress, is it the war making power or is it the power of the purse? I always felt it was the power of the purse because that's where you can actually effectuate things. You can cut off funding for a war.
[01:05:06]
MICHAELSON: Yes.
SCHIFF: So we will see just how committed they are to putting an end to this illegal war. I wouldn't bet on it.
MICHAELSON: Because of the war we have seen, you know, changes and challenges to the oil supply line around the world because of what's happened in the Strait of Hormuz. We've seen gas prices go up. We've seen President Trump enact what's called the Defense Production Act to start producing oil off the California coast. There's this company called Sable in Santa Barbara County where oil is flowing once again, there's a bunch of legal fights back against that.
I went out and visited that platform with the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Interior. Here's some of that conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Critics say you started a war that was unnecessary in Iran, and now you're able to give handouts to oil companies because of that. What do you say to that?
CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: The war in Iran is critical. This is how you end Iran's nuclear weapons program. And of course, this is not a handout.
MICHAELSON: Sable's going to make a lot of money off of this opening, no?
WRIGHT: Well, the federal government's going to make a lot of money off this. Sable might make a lot of money on this. They spent two thirds of billions of dollars to buy this option to maybe make some money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHIFF: First of all, the reason we're paying through the nose for gas right now is because of the war. There's no denying that. They didn't even try to deny that.
MICHAELSON: California also has very high gas taxes and other things that make more expensive in California than other place.
SCHIFF: That is true. But they have gone up dramatically from that baseline in California as they've gone up dramatically all over the country because of the war. But in terms of Sable, this is the site of a terrible spill. Sable has a bad track record, that pipeline in particular.
And while we are going to suffer the risks of another spill along that coast, the money is not going to go to California. In fact, the oil is not even going to California. And this is where their argument falls apart in their use of the Defense Production Act, because they're allowing Sable and these other countries to export that oil out of the country. In fact, oil companies in America are exporting more oil now than ever. They're making higher profits than ever.
So this isn't going to help American consumers. Most of that oil is going to leave our shores. If you really wanted to try to bring down costs, that's not the way to do it. And what's more, by killing all these renewable energy projects, which they're doing simultaneously, they're eliminating oil's competition and they're allowing oil companies to charge even more.
MICHAELSON: Sable would point out that much of that oil is going to fuel jets at LAX, and that's what they're using it for. But we understand --
SCHIFF: I guarantee that is going to be a small proportion --
MICHAELSON: OK.
SCHIFF: -- of the oil going through that pipeline.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about the Democratic Party, and it's an interesting moment and sort of a question now in terms of where the party goes. We just saw elections in New York last week with Democratic Socialists doing very well. We've heard about Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is a Democratic socialist who won. Some of her tweets have come to light. Some of her older tweets since deleted a Twitter account where she has sympathetic references to Communism, talks about a Marxist ideology, talks about seizing the means of production, abolish police, prisons and borders.
Wiping her hands on a U.S. flag, she now says, quote, "I have grown considerably in the years since these tweets, and I'm focused on our community and our community's future," which is not exactly disowning the comments. Do you -- what do you make of these comments and the fact that this is a growing brand of the Democratic Party?
SCHIFF: Well, I wouldn't say that those comments are reflective of a growing brand in the party. I understand that she's advocated closing all prisons, defunding police departments, opening borders, none of those views are within the mainstream of the Democratic Party. Now, what went on in her -- MICHAELSON: She's probably going to be a member of Congress, though.
SCHIFF: She will, at this point, having won the primary, probably be a member of Congress, that doesn't mean that she's reflective of the whole party. You also saw some very centrist wins in primaries. We had a centrist win in Iowa in the primary. We had centrist win in the governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia. All that's to say, it's hard to extrapolate from one campaign or even three in New York City and say this is a nationwide trend.
But I will say this, it is reflective, among other things of the power of Mamdani, of Mayor Mamdani. I think he is incredibly charismatic leader. I think he is inspiring New Yorkers and winning people over and has enormous clout in New York. There was a lot of fear when AOC first ran for office that she was going to be this dangerous influence. She's been a great member of Congress.
She's been articulate and forceful and made a profound case for change. So I'm not afraid of new members or new ideas in the party. I welcome it. One thing, though, I think is an absolute takeaway in these races, as in others, and that is the status quo is just deeply unacceptable to the American people and they're looking for change agents.
[01:10:15]
MICHAELSON: One thing Merman has talked about often is his opposition to the current government in Israel. And it's something that these candidates talked about as well. We had an interesting moment with Scott Wiener, who's a state senator here in California running for Congress, running for Nancy Pelosi's seat in the Bay Area, one of the biggest advocates for LGBTQ of anybody in the state. He went to a trans march and was thrown out. There's some video of him leaving there and the folks there said that he was good on trans issues but terrible at Gaza.
And this is something we're hearing consistently, especially amongst a lot of the Democratic socialists. As a Jewish member of the Senate, do you feel like some of this has crossed the line into anti-Semitism? And are you concerned about the future of the Democratic Party that some fringe on the left may be taking the party into a place where Jews do not feel comfortable, safe or welcome?
SCHIFF: Look, I'm concerned about the fringe on the right and on the left that is more anti-Semitic than taking a position on foreign policy. And you, I think, can find that in certain people in both parties. I think Tucker Carlson is an example on the right. I think the treatment that Scott Wiener got was appalling, and I'm supporting the more progressive candidate in that race, Connie Chan. But I reached out to Scott to tell him how appalled I was at the kind of treatment that he got.
There's just no place for that. People can disagree on policy, but they should be respectful in how they do it. And to treat him in that kind of intimidating, awful way I think is deplorable. MICHAELSON: A little later, we will talk cultural issues with Senator Schiff. But first we head to Venezuela, where aftershocks are keeping residents on edge nearly a week after two deadly earthquakes rock the country. Officials say more than 600 aftershocks have hit since last Wednesday. That number is climbing alongside the death toll, which now tops the 1,700. The government has created a new commission to assess the nation's infrastructure and any homes damaged by the quakes to determine whether it is safe for people to come back.
Now, all of this comes as rescuers are still finding survivors in the rubble, which is amazing, including this 21-year-old man who was pulled to safety on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON CANTILLO, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): I'm a nobody. I'm just a young man who spent five days trapped beneath a building. But I'm here today and I'm alive thanks to my God. He is the only one who got me out of there and sent his angels.
Who are his angels? The people who worked tirelessly on my rescue. The people who cared about how I was doing. The people who were there when I came out, who shouted my name when they saw me emerge.
As far as I know, I was just informed that I was the only person in that building who was found alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: CNN's Isa Suarez is in Caracas with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: So this is roughly the plan of this eight story building here in the Caracas. They've broken it down into floors to get a sense of who lived and what floors. It tells you how many people have died? Twelve people. How many people have rescued?
Three so far, 20 approximately families. People still missing here from this eight story building in Caracas.
SOARES (voice-over): But over the last two days no one has been found alive. Still, the rescue operations continue and families wait for however long it takes.
MIRELLA HERRERA, RELATIVES MISSING AFTER EARTHQUAKE (through translator): It's maddening because in the same way that I feel desperate. I walk, I stay hydrated, I wonder how must they be if they're still alive, they must be desperate to get out of there.
SOARES (voice-over): It has been an agonizing wait for Mirella Herrera, who has been here every day longing for signs of life, waiting for her son, her daughter-in-law and her granddaughters, both in their twenties. HERRERA (through translator): I feel that my son is strong. And I feel that he's waiting for me that he knows that I'm here waiting for him. For that reason, I don't want to give up.
SOARES (voice-over): There's also fury from those who say the Venezuela was not prepared for a tragedy of this magnitude. It's certainly the case at the main pediatric hospital in Caracas. Right now they're treating a 12-year-old girl for multiple and life threatening injuries. (FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
Her little body in excruciating pain as she was crushed by the weight of the collapsed floors.
[01:15:00]
DR. HUNIADES URBINA-MEDINA, INTENSIVE CARE PEDIATRICIAN: We could receive at least 10 patients here in this area, but since at least 10 years ago we don't have enough personnel, we don't have enough medicines, we don't have enough mechanic ventilators. So we only can work with four patients here in this area.
SOARES (voice-over): More than 100 children have ended up here following last Wednesday's back to back earthquake tells me Dr. Huniades Urbina-Medina, who has been a pediatrician for 20 years.
SOARES: You're not prepared. Venezuela's hospitals are not prepared, not --
URBINA-MEDINA: Are not prepared.
SOARES: Never (inaudible).
URBINA-MEDINA: Any hospital, no hospital in Venezuela is prepared for the day by day. But with this catastrophe, it's worse because we don't have enough medicines, equipment, personnel.
SOARES (voice-over): The tragic consequence of years of crisis and mismanagement now coming to the forest.
Isa Soares, CNN, Caracas, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Karol Bassim is the senior program manager of the emergency response unit for International Medical Corps. She is in Caracas right now.
Karol, what's the situation like on the ground as you walk around?
KAROL BASSIM, SR. PROGRAM MANAGER, EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT, INTL. MEDICAL CORPS: Hi. This situation remains extremely critical. Several days have passed since the earthquake and tragically many people are still trapped under collapse building. International Medical Corp conducted a rapid assessment in the affected communities in La Guaira and within the first 24 hours. And what we saw was heartbreaking. People in tears, families searching for relatives, visible distress and trauma everywhere. People are exhausted. They're torn between hope or -- hope and despair. Some are still --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
BASSIM: -- waiting for news about their loved ones and others are still grieving.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, your team provided CNN with images of hospitals that are just stretched to their limits. We can show some of that. With some patients being treated in tents, what is the biggest challenge that your team is dealing with right now?
BASSIM: You know, that's correct. The health system has completely collapsed. And you know, with such a massive earthquake as we've seen, there's -- you can imagine there's a lot of difficulties. Access is one of the challenges. Roads are damaged, blocked by debris.
The health facilities of lack of health supplies, medical supplies, medicine, there's lack of water. And as you can see on those waters, there's even lack of space, adequate space for them -- for the patients or affected communities to be treated. So our focus is on supporting those efforts and getting emergency care and supplies to these affected hospitals that are stretched thin. What matters most is, you know, coordinating, getting help as soon as possible, as quickly as possible.
MICHAELSON: So speaking of that help, how can our viewers help? What can people do?
BASSIM: You know, currently we are trying our best to support these overwhelmed hospitals that continue to receive large number of trauma cases. We're trying -- we're going to deliver essential medical supplies and working to ensure water hygiene conditions do not deteriorate. We are preparing -- deploying -- deploy a medical mobile unit and we have two large field hospital prepositioned.
As you can see this is a massive response and anyone who wants to support would support in anything related to medical supplies, equipment, food, NFIs. Yes, we -- you know, anyone who wants to support our emergency as well where can find more information at our website.
There's a lot of needs. There's a lot of needs and there's a lot of mental health gaps as well. Mental health and psychosocial support gaps.
MICHAELSON: Well, you're doing heroic work on the ground. It is so important and we're so glad that you are there doing it. Karol, best of luck to you and all of the volunteers and rescuers and professionals on the ground in the days ahead. Thank you so much.
BASSIM: Thank you so much.
[01:19:50] MICHAELSON: A city in Ohio is preparing to lose a significant part of its community. Just ahead, why a recent Supreme Court ruling has thrown the future of Springfield's Haitian population into serious doubt.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Many Haitians living now in the U.S. are looking for other legal immigration pathways after the Supreme Court ruled last week that the Trump administration could remove their temporary protected status. Attorneys say some may have options to stay in the country legally, but many of the roughly 350,000 Haitians could lose their protected status, and they may be out of luck. America's Haitian population came under attack by President Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign, including this bizarre claim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: In Springfield they're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:25:09]
MICHAELSON: An immigrants advocacy group says nearly 190,000 Haitians with temporary protected status were employed as of last year. Many have settled around the country, including in Florida, Maryland, Virginia, and in Ohio, where we find CNN's Omar Jimenez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've been here multiple times over the past two years, and each time during a period of fear or uncertainty for the Haitian population here. And we're getting ready to meet with a man I first met a little bit more than a year ago. He's had a steady job throughout all of this, but is now among the many trying to figure out what he's going to do next.
Daniel, how's it going?
DANIEL AULA, HATIAN IMMIGRANT LIVING IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: Hey, Omar, how are you doing?
JIMENEZ: Yes. Doing OK?
AULA: Not too bad.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Daniel Aula came to the U.S. from Haiti in 2022, running from what he says was a serious threat on his life. He had to leave behind his wife and daughter.
AULA: I have to protect my life to save a life, to stay alive, to take care of my family. JIMENEZ (voice-over): Since he's been in Springfield, he's worked steadily at a local metalworks manufacturer, building a life he fears he could soon lose.
JIMENEZ: Are you scared right now?
AULA: Very. I'm afraid they take me and go back in (inaudible) with me by force.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): He's not alone either. Viles Dorsainvil is the executive director of the local Haitian Support Center.
VILES DORSAINVIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAITIAN SUPPORT CENTER: Haitian Support Center.
JIMENEZ: We've just been trying to talk to him for a few minutes, and he's getting calls.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): He's helping manage the immigration paperwork for their attorneys.
JIMENEZ: What are you telling people who are calling in?
DORSAINVIL: We told them that if they have children, choose a trustworthy person and give that person our attorney in case something happens to them.
JIMENEZ: A lot of the Haitian population here came pretty suddenly over the last five years through a combination of immigration programs, but among them temporary protected status, along with just word of mouth from other U.S. communities. But as you might imagine, not everyone is happy about their presence here.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): But economically, the City and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine have pointed to the influx as one of the reasons the area has seen an economic revitalization. Since the Supreme Court decision, Dorsainvil says some people have been calling in to the community center, taking a victory lap.
JIMENEZ: Are you nervous at all about what comes next here in Springfield?
DORSAINVIL: Basically, yes, because there is so much at stake.
JIMENEZ: So people are calling --
DORSAINVIL: Yes.
JIMENEZ: -- the community center saying it's time for you to leave.
DORSAINVIL: To leave. And they are not saying that in that beautiful words that we are using now. So they are using n words to tell us to leave.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Are you afraid if you're sent back that you would be killed? AULA: Very afraid. If AD will be safe, it will be a good pleasure to go back on my account.
JIMENEZ: Yes. But right now that's just not --
AULA: No. Right now, no.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Omar Jimenez for that report from Ohio.
Coming up, serious drama in the World Cup knockouts. Not one, but two matches go down to penalty shootouts. One of them wrapping up not long ago and two European powers have been sent packing. Talk all about that live with our next guest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:32:45]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: The latest World Cup knockout matches were beyond captivating. Two games ending in high-suspense penalty shootouts, this is as good as it gets.
Morocco overcame the Netherlands. Look at this. Three goes to two. There it is. A nail-biting series of penalty kicks of devastating result for the Dutch, who are now out of the World Cup. They got all those great fans in the orange and they all leave disappointed.
Earlier, Paraguay versus Germany also went down to PKs. Paraguay eliminated the four-time champs, winning 4 to 3. The heavily-favored Germans thought they had scored the winning goal in extra time, but it was overturned after review.
Then there's this.
Fans in Rio going wild after Brazil survived a surprisingly close match against Japan, surprising in Brazil that they would not be wearing many clothes.
Brazil came from behind to narrowly win 2 to 1. The Samurai Blue held the lead at half, but the Brazilians answered with an equalizer before scoring again deep into stoppage time.
The action resumes in the coming day. Former champion France and co- host Mexico among the six teams battling for a spot in the round of 16.
For some expert insight into these games, we want to bring in Clinton Yates. He's a sports journalist, columnist and professor at LMU, former "Washington Post", ESPN. Great to have you with us here on THE STORY IS for the first time.
CLINTON YATES, SPORTS JOURNALIST, Professor at LMU: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Welcome. YATES: Yes, I'm glad to be here. It's always fun to talk the world's
games.
MICHAELSON: I mean the penalty kicks.
YATES: Yes.
MICHAELSON: I mean is there anything better than that? And times two. I mean in all of sports that -- is there anything more exciting than that?.
YATES: You know, some people don't like penalty kicks because they think it's kind of a weird way to end a game. But personally, I mean, listen, you played two hours, which is what effectively it is after full time, then extra time. And it comes down to those 12 yards.
It's not as easy as it looks. I mean there is a goalkeeper there and you saw it a couple of different matchups there. Some wild finishes, guys missing the target entirely.
MICHAELSON: Right.
YATES: Never mind getting shots saved by the netminder.
[01:34:47]
YATES: So look you can say that it's kind of goofy. But it's the way they've done it for a long time. And I think there's no higher drama in sports.
MICHAELSON: There's no higher drama. The Netherlands missing three out of five --
YATES: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- of their penalty kicks. And you can't necessarily advance with those kinds of numbers. You feel for them.
Meanwhile, just talk about the fact of the upset of today --
YATES: Yes. I mean --
MICHAELSON: -- of a four-time champion going home.
YATES: Yes. And Germany had never lost in a penalty kick shootout in the World Cup. And for a team like that, a team that is consistently in, you know, final, you know, semifinals and finals of the World Cup, it's a very tough way for them to go.
But I do think that, you know, for two powerhouses like the Dutch and the Germans to be out, it's an indication of the fact that the game has grown.
We've seen the expanded tournament, we've seen the different type of nations that has brought to the draw, if you will. And I think that, listen, that's why they play the games is because you just might lose. And this is another situation where once you get into the knockouts,
anything can happen.
MICHAELSON: Right. This idea of a one-game elimination --
YATES: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- is what makes this so exciting. What makes the NFL playoffs so exciting. You don't see that in like the NBA playoffs --
YATES: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- or other places where you have multiple games in like a World Series.
One of the big storylines is the expansion of Africa --
YATES: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Morocco among them now moving on.
YATES: Yes, they've had -- they had ten teams get in. Nine teams went through to the knockouts. Now that number is obviously different because of the expansion, as we mentioned, of the tournament.
But the issue with the African teams I think is always not how good is the best team, but how poorly is the worst team going to perform?
And in this case, with only one of the squads from the entire continent not making the knockout rounds, it's tough to say that it hasn't been an addition for everybody.
The Asian continent has not done well, unfortunately. So, you know, globally, while the game has changed as a result of different ways that rosters are constructed, they allowed, you know, you to basically say, my grandparents lived here a while ago to be on a team now. So teams have changed over the years.
But I think it's a great day for soccer when African nations can look and show that they're equally as skilled and prepared as any other team on the planet.
MICHAELSON: So we had a lot of emotional moments. We talked about the Netherlands. They had this great fan army --
YATES: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- which we talked about last week. We had them on with us. And they had this very emotional moment for Cody Capco, who's one of their players who just had unimaginable loss in his family and was embraced after scoring a goal by his team.
Tell us his story.
YATES: You know, I can't imagine what it's like to be a player in that position. We've seen other players who've gone home and over some controversy because of their children being born, and they didn't want to miss that moment.
For a guy like him to be able to keep it together on the field up until the point where he netted a goal and then finally break down and have his team finally come together --
MICHAELSON: His wife lost a baby.
YATES: Yes. His wife lost a baby while he was -- well, they were obviously, you know, on the road for this tournament. And, you know, they might have lost this match. And we talked earlier about how disappointing it is for the Netherlands.
But for a human moment like that to occur, I think you've really got to hand it to who that team is in terms of the guys, in the camaraderie that they put together, because that's not easy to deal with on any level.
Never mind when you're on the world stage and trying to play in the biggest games.
MICHAELSON: So obviously a lot of people that are watching us in America right now are focused on the American team.
YATES: Yes.
MICHAELSON: They're going to be playing on Wednesday night in Santa Clara.
YATES: Correct.
MICHAELSON: Up against Bosnia. Talk -- break that match down.
YATES: You know, the U.S. -- I was at the game where they played Turkey. They lost that match. It was the final group game match that they had.
And I thought that there were various things they could have done better. I mean, listen, Pochettino has done a great job. He obviously got an extension offer in between these two games because the head coach, that is such a I think he's been such a driving force.
But players like Tim Weah have to be better, in my opinion. Guys like Gio Reyna have to play better. I don't think we saw the best performance out of the U.S. that we're going to see in this tournament, in that last game.
And I don't just mean that evidenced by the loss, I mean the manner in which they played. Obviously the Paraguay game when they came out and banged them out for four-one was, you know, an eye opener.
But I do think this is a point where if the U.S. men's national team believes that they've actually taken a step, this is in many ways a must-win game.
That's no knock on Bosnia. They are one of the lower ranked teams that got through in the total rankings in the FIFA world rankings. However, if the U.S. men's national team actually believes that this
coach who they just offered a contract to is as good as they think that they should be, this is a game you have to win.
MICHAELSON: Yes, I mean, well, the last game obviously they -- there was like no stakes to that game.
YATES: No.
MICHAELSON: They didn't play all their best people.
YATES: Sure.
MICHAELSON: They were holding back. So it's hard.
You wonder though how that messes with the team's rhythm even making the choice to do that.
But this next game is the game to take them to the -- to a next level. Although they got to win a couple more after that.
YATES: Certainly but --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
YATES: -- you're on home soil. This is about as good as the situation is ever going to get regarding natural advantages, assumed or otherwise.
And again, for me, if Pochettino is worth his price in gold, you win this game.
MICHAELSON: Yes, but it is so exciting because one goal can make such a difference. It's so close and it's crazy, which is why it's the biggest sport in the world.
Clinton, thanks for being here with us.
YATES: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: It's going to be fun to keep up with this. And we'll have you back as we continue to follow this night after night.
Hopefully tomorrow is as good as today. It's going to be tough for it to be that way.
As we saw tonight, a penalty shootout can define a team's World Cup performance, but the work of preparing for them goes beyond the pitch.
[01:39:43]
MICHAELSON: "WORLD SPORT's" Don Riddell spoke with a sports psychologist about how the mentality of team managers on the sidelines can sway the outcome of a shootout long before the first kick is ever taken.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Football managers have to prepare for penalty shootouts, and the one thing many have learned the hard way is that it just cannot be left until the last minute.
GEIR JORDET, AUTHOR: If this is the first time you're thinking about the penalty shootout, you're way too late. And your probability of winning with your team, in my opinion, is considerably below 50 percent.
So how do we set up a plan for a penalty shootout? What is our psychological plan? How do we win this battle with this opposing team? How do we dominate the opponents in different phases of the shootout?
RIDDELL: Of course, they'll always need to be flexible, but they need to have a plan. And the calmer they remain, the better the outcome will be.
JORDET: The managers should definitely not leave it up to the players themselves. The manager knows better than anyone. And the manager needs to spend his attention and his time on communicating the plan.
It needs to be very clear to everyone involved what they're supposed to do. And also the manager needs to provide proper psychological support for the players also, at this moment.
RIDDELL: How would you stack your 1 to 5? Where do the strongest go? Where do the weakest go?
JORDET: You want to make sure that your best penalty takers for sure will be featured in this event. And the safest way to do that is to stack your best penalty takers early.
Most teams tend to put their most senior players at number one, because you really want to have a good start to penalty shootout. That can do a lot for your team, and it can do the opposite for the opponent team.
And other players, they know that they want to take a penalty shot, but they're much more comfortable with a less, let's call it, high- profile shot if something like that exists in the shootout on number two or number three.
We know that shots number four, number five -- these shots tend to be more critical than others because those shots are typically the shots where if you miss, you will instantly lose the shootout. But if you score, you will instantly win the shootout.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Don Riddell, thank you for that.
Ahead, why a White House aide credits President Trump with helping her overcome cancer and why some staffers question her role.
[01:42:08] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: A woman who works as a personal assistant to President Trump says he helped cure her cancer. Natalie Harp handles much of his social media and reportedly works late at the White House.
CNN's Randi Kaye introduces us to the Trump administration insider and explains why she is known as "the human printer".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATALIE HARP, SPECIAL AND EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. I'm Natalie Harp, a formerly-forgotten American from California.
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Her name is Natalie Harp. She's a former host for the far-right network One America News. And today, at just 34 years old, is considered one of President Donald Trump's closest personal assistants.
JONATHAN SWAN, CO-AUTHOR, "REGIME CHANGE": She's just totally devoted to him. In Oval Office meetings, she sits on the chair, the side of the room with her laptop open.
KAYE: Harp is known for toting around a portable printer and printing stacks of papers and positive press for President Trump on the spot. She's become known as "the human printer".
SWAN: Trump basically just says, Natalie, get me this. Or he's, you know, Google this.
KAYE: In their new book, "Regime Change," "New York Times" reporters Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman also report on letters that Harp has left for Trump. Swan described them as odd, adoring and intimate.
SWAN: She has written him numerous letters that she's left for him, including one that says, you are all that matters to me, or some version of that. Raised the eyebrows of the Secret Service during the campaign.
(CROSSTALKING)
SWAN: Some of these letters that were left in some of his private quarters.
KAYE: According to "Regime Change," Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, asked, "Where am I?" upon learning about the letters.
Harp first connected with Trump during her battle with stage two bone cancer, thanking Trump publicly for saving her life by signing the Right to Try Act in 2019. She claims that allowed her to receive experimental cancer treatment.
HARP: I'd like to say I'm not dying from cancer anymore, thanks to President Trump. I'm living with cancer.
KAYE: She shared her story and credited Trump again at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
HARP: I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for you. They didn't give me the right to try experimental treatments, Mr. President. You did. And without you, I'd have died waiting for them to be approved.
KAYE: "The Washington Post" has raised questions about her claims. In "Regime Change," the authors report that Harp stays late into the night at the White House, when President Trump is often active on social media.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, CO-AUTHOR, "REGIME CHANGE": Natalie Harp is one of the people who took over posting duties to the President's Truth Social post in this term, and that makes her fairly significant.
KAYE: In May, the "Wall Street Journal" reported that Harp has frustrated some White House officials because she typically doesn't share draft posts with the chief of staff's office, communications aides, or national security officials.
The paper also reported that Harp has told others she works for Trump and only listens to him.
Soon after Trump began his second term, according to the authors of "Regime Change," Trump told staffers that Harp was the only one who loved him as much as his wife and kids.
"All of you will go off and make money," Trump said. "She'll never leave me."
Randi Kaye, CNN -- Palm Beach County, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Up next, Senator Adam Schiff on what he says "The Big Lebowski" can teach all of us about politics.
[01:49:18]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Another big name player is reportedly on the move in the NBA. According to ESPN, the Memphis Grizzlies are sending two-time all-star John Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Chris Murphy. Jerami Grant.
Morant is 26 and was once considered a rising young star, but he has only played in 79 games the past three seasons due to injuries and issues off the court.
As for Memphis, it's another chance to hit the reset button as the Grizzlies build a new core around former Duke star Cameron Boozer, the third overall pick in last week's draft.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF BRIDGES, ACTOR: Opinions man, my buddy Adam's got one. Check it out.
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): All you ever really need to know about politics, you can learn from watching "The Big Lebowski".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California recently made this video for his official YouTube page, explaining that his all-time favorite movie, "The Big Lebowski", can teach you about politics.
I spoke with him about Jeff Bridges' famous character, the Dude, during our interview earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: What do you think the Dude would say about this moment in American politics?
[01:54:46]
SCHIFF: Dude, you're being very un-dude. That's what he would have to say. Not about you personally, but just how ugly, vitriolic, nasty it's become.
I do think that the line I find I could use most often, and it came to mind when Kevin McCarthy was attacking -- was being attacked by Matt Gaetz. I thought of a scene from "The Big Lebowski" where the Dude says to John Goodman, you're not wrong. You're just (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: There you go. This weekend, I was honored to be one of the presenters at the L.A. Press Club's 68th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards. They honored my old local news show called "The Issue Is".
And I got a chance to present an award to CNN. The network's reporting of the L.A. wildfires won the top award for breaking news coverage.
The judges said, quote, "CNN's coverage of California's wildfires is of the highest quality. It is responsible, compassionate, enterprising, going beyond news conferences and on-scene commentary to elevate stories of the community."
Congrats to our entire team, especially the team here at the L.A. bureau.
And thanks for all of you for watching THE STORY IS. It's been a busy news night.
We'll be back tomorrow with ELECTION NIGHT IN AMERICA in Colorado.
Plus Brian Tyler Cohen on his new book and reporting from the World Cup.
We'll see you then for more of THE STORY IS.
[01:56:09]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
