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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
L.A. Galaxy Coach Greg Vanney on U.S. Team at World Cup; Nithya Raman on Democratic Socialism, Run for L.A. Mayor; District Attorney Speaks on Decision to Not Retry Weinstein; Intense Heat, Wildfires Hammer U.S. as July 4 Nears; New Details Emerge about Taylor Swift's Wedding to Travis Kelce; USA Overcome Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 Despite Red Card; Trump Attends Theodore Roosevelt Library Opening; Democratic Socialist Oust Another U.S. House Incumbent; Rescuers in Venezuela Not Giving Up as Death Toll Reaches Nearly 2,300. Aired 12- 1a ET
Aired July 02, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Welcome to THE STORY IS.
The top story is the men's national soccer team is moving on the Round of 16 at the World Cup for the United States. We are live from outside the stadium where the parties are happening tonight.
THE STORY IS the new Air Force One. President Trump shows off his luxury gift from Qatar, a Boeing jet worth about $400 million, and he might get to keep it when he leaves office.
And THE STORY IS Kyiv under siege. A live picture right now from Ukraine after Russia's latest wave of attacks forces residents to seek shelter in underground metro stations.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Our top story tonight, the stars and stripes are shining bright. Fans of the U.S. Men's World Cup Team are celebrating in a big way after their two-nil win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The victory means that Team USA advances to the Round of 16, with their next match scheduled for Monday against Belgium.
It was nearly half time when the U.S. got their first goal. Watch it here. That's very exciting. Then there was a controversial red card in the second half, which put them at a disadvantage. But midfielder Malik Tillman scored on a free kick in the 82nd minute, there it is, to seal the victory.
Highlights from the other days' matches are coming up. But now let's go live to Santa Clara. That's where CNN World Sport's Coy Wire got to watch this inside the arena.
Coy, this was the site of the Super Bowl earlier this year, but it sounded a lot louder for the World Cup. COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: This has been the site of two Super Bowls,
Elex, and I can guarantee you it was louder than either of those. It was about a 99.9 percent packed with U.S. fans, by my best summation. Listen, if sports are an emotional roller coaster, this one skipped the breaks. American fans saw joy, then panic, then relief, now euphoria. Their World Cup dream is still very much alive, and it is full steam ahead.
The fans, wearing stars and stripes, were flying high hours before kickoff, Elex, and once again the U.S. team came out breathing fire. Breakout star Folarin Balogun lit the fuse early, burying the opener, and then he broke out the LeBron James celebration. King James saw it and gave it his royal seal of approval on social media. But then came that plot twist you mentioned. Balogun given a red card. So 30 nerve- wracking minutes of 10 Americans versus 11 players from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
But Malik Tillman uncorked a laser from 20 meters out after a yellow card that hit the back of the net like it had a boarding pass. Cue the bedlam. You can still hear him going crazy here outside the stadium today. The U.S. win two-nil. First World Cup knockout win since 2002, only their second ever America marching on to the Round of 16.
I asked the soft spoken Tillman how he felt when he scored that second goal. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALIK TILLMAN, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: For me, I'm a different type of person on the pitch. Of course, maybe you know it. You don't really see my emotions. But then if you notice, I mean, I think also you guys saw my emotions and then that's a great feeling. And of course, a very proud moment for me.
CHRIS RICHARDS, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: I think it's a proud moment and it's a moment that we can get a lot of confidence from. We kept two clean sheets in the last four games, and I think before then we didn't quite have the best record when it came to clean sheets. So again, it gives us a lot of confidence going to the next round.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Lots of confidence. And the next mountain to climb, you mentioned, Elex, Belgium in Seattle. And it comes with a glass case of emotions. Their top goal scorer Balogun suspended after that red card. He will not play. For now, though, American fans they're floating on cloud nine, maybe 10. Any way you cut it, their confidence is sky high.
We caught up with some of them on their way out of the stadium just a bit ago. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA is not a joke. They are really the real deal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten man or nine man. It doesn't matter. Two-zero, baby. Let's go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're the team to beat. Get out of here. Everywhere in the world. See you, Spain. See you, Argentina. What's up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are playing Belgium. All right, those waffles aren't even good anyways. I don't care. USA all the way. Let's go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Let's hope the players stay a little more humble than the fans seem to be getting, Elex. Losing your leading man, though, could crack a team, right? Or it could further forge one. Championship runs as you very well know are rarely smooth. They are forged in moments exactly like this one and that next moment for these fans might include some Belgian waffles, it sounds like.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Some of those fans sounded like they'd had a few more beverages than others. I loved the way that Tillman spoke into that mic softly.
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He sounded like an NPR host or something, which was interesting to see. And so now you've got this red card situation. It is possible for Team USA to appeal right?
WIRE: Yes. It would only likely be if he was told that he was going to be suspended for more than one game. If not, it is not likely that the U.S. would make that appeal. So it does look like a pretty strong chance they'll be without their top goal scorer. And -- but, you know, sometimes you rally around moments like that. It makes -- it brings you even more tightly knit together. And that's one thing that Coach Mauricio Pochettino has been so good at.
More than anything tactical on the field, it's bringing these guys together mentally, spiritually, emotionally, to be able to perform under the brightest lights and they have certainly been delivering.
MICHAELSON: What a fun ride it has been. Can't wait for Monday. We've got the coach of the L.A. Galaxy here in studio to talk more about this, to break down the match in just a few minutes, but, Coy Wire, thank you for your excellent reporting, talking to the players and the fans tonight.
WIRE: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: On to other news now, President Trump spent part of his day celebrating America's 250th anniversary. He attended the opening of the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, which looks amazing. All this honoring the nation's 26th president.
Now traveling on the new Air Force One for the first time, Trump praised the luxury jet donated by Qatar. He said the U.S., quote, "couldn't build a plane like this." President also shrugged off concerns that he may be profiting off his job after new disclosures revealed that he made more than $1 billion from his crypto businesses last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't get involved in my personal. We have funds that run my money.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But you are benefiting.
TRUMP: Well, I've made a lot of money before I became president, and they invest my money and I don't talk to them. I never -- I don't even speak to them. So I have many people, I don't know what they call it, closed accounts or something. You put your money in and that's it. I don't talk to them.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: To critics who say you're profiting off the presidency --
TRUMP: Well, you know why I'm profiting? Because the stock market is going up. Everybody is profiting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Let's bring our panel, discuss this and more. Former federal prosecutor and former House candidate, Democrat Will Rollins, and Elizabeth Barcohana, a Republican strategist and attorney.
Welcome to you both.
Will, let's start with you as somebody who's run for office before. What do you make of this idea of making billions of dollars off the job? He was asked about this from "The New York Times," and they said, in February, this idea of conflicts of interest, the president said, quote, "I found out that nobody cared."
WILL ROLLINS, FORMER U.S. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I mean, sad. A sad comment. Right? And I think especially coming from somebody who's supposed to be leading us. And you look at what happened with the jet, with the cryptocurrency deals from the Qatari government, from the UAE, and you just have to ask yourself, is this guy fighting for us or for himself?
And you look at the history of what's been done by every past U.S. president. This guy has broken with that tradition. And it is not just a Donald Trump problem, right? There are elected officials in both parties who have profited off their jobs historically.
MICHAELSON: Sure. Lots of insider trading in the House that should probably be stopped.
ROLLINS: Hundred percent.
MICHAELSON: Right.
ROLLINS: And President Trump has said that he favors a stock trading ban for members of Congress. The problem is he doesn't want that law to apply to himself. And so my question is, where was that original slogan that he ran on in 2016 that got the everyday Joe to vote for him, I'm going to drain the swamp? Well, he's taken it and made it so much worse by these kinds of deals that put billions of dollars into his family's own pocket.
And that's a sweet plane. The American people don't get to keep it. It's going to go to him and his family for the next 50 years.
MICHAELSON: Well, he may need to drain the Reflecting Pool a second time so I guess there is some draining of the swamp there.
But, Elizabeth, this is something that even some conservatives have called him out on. Let's watch this from Megyn Kelly and from Dana Perino who used to be a press secretary for George W. Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGYN KELLY, HOST, "THE MEGYN KELLY SHOW": You know, the Trump family is grifty. There's been like story after story about all the money that his sons are making off of the government. These government contracts they're getting, all that. I can't stand that stuff.
DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS: Then your children are involved in this. And if you remember, we spent a lot of time talking about Hunter Biden. Maybe his mistake was only asking for $10 million from Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Do you agree with them? What do you think of all this?
ELIZABETH BARCOHANA, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND ATTORNEY: I don't agree with Megyn Kelly. I wouldn't even call her a conservative at this point. But, you know, making money in America is not a crime. The family business is separate from the president. The crypto business that they went into was in 2024 before he got elected. He always was running on a pro crypto platform. And so --
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MICHAELSON: But he's a lot more pro crypto this time around than he was the last time around.
BARCOHANA: That's true.
MICHAELSON: Literally changed his view on it.
BARCOHANA: Well, the conditions change, the markets change, you can react. And he has actually been more in favor of, you know, innovative tech and American innovation and taking the lead in these industries. Better us than China. And so, you know, the sons and their business, they have invested in a market and have done well. And over the course of his presidency, we should, you know, note that he's also lost money, too.
And he spent his own money on lots of things. He doesn't take a salary from the taxpayers. So, you know, to criticize him for making money when obviously he's the most scrutinized person in America. If he was doing something illegal, everybody would be talking about it. Making money is not a crime.
ROLLINS: This should be illegal. And he has the power to make it illegal. And he should make that part of his legacy instead of being -- and if he went to Teddy Roosevelt's library today, he should take a page out of his history book. Teddy Roosevelt, also a super-rich dude, who actually enacted some meaningful reforms that benefited the American people.
Donald Trump is not doing that. And if he actually cared about ethics and making sure that the American people knew he was fighting for them, he would put his assets into a blind trust like most elected officials. So it's not --
MICHAELSON: Which he has not done. He has not put his assets into a blind trust. So he still has the ability to influence where his money goes, which is not true of the way that other presidents have acted. Gavin Newsom has his assets in a blind trust, so he literally cannot move his money around. Donald Trump still can.
BARCOHANA: Well, I don't think it's true that the American people are not benefiting from his policies. The S&P 500 has increased about 18 percent. And that benefit obviously does flow to people who have, you know, who are invested in the stock market, and that was his point today.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
ROLLINS: I don't think this is about whether Donald Trump can get rich or not. I think it's great that he gets rich like everybody else by playing by the rules. The difference is when you use inside information or our nuclear launch codes or the position of your office to enrich yourself, we don't get those advantages. I'm all for all of us rising with the stock market. The 18 percent return is awesome. That's great.
That's not how he's making his money. And the reality is there are national security and regulatory issues involved in this because when he's making decisions about the Strait of Hormuz, we want to know that he's acting in America's interests, not the UAE's or Qatar's, both of whom have given him essentially billions of dollars to his own family.
MICHAELSON: Or is there inside information that people know what he's going to say, and then are they able to make money off of that as well, which is another part of this.
Another big story of the day is this question about the rise of Democratic socialists. Last night, Melat Kiros won in Colorado, knocking off an incumbent, longtime incumbent Congress member there. That happened twice in New York last week as well. Kiros spoke to Erica Hill on "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" tonight. Here's some of what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELAT KIROS, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR U.S. HOUSE: I think what we're seeing right now is that candidates that are actually speaking to and fighting for the kind of policies that a supermajority of voters in our party support are winning things like Medicare-for-all, universal child care, and arms embargo and Israel. Each of these issues have a majority support of the voters of our party, but yet we don't see any meaningful progress for them in Congress.
And so voters are taking power back into their own hands and sending in fighters that are going to fight for those issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Elizabeth, why do you think that Democratic socialists are doing so well in some of these districts? And what do you think that says about the state of the country right now?
BARCOHANA: So we're very familiar with Democratic socialists in Los Angeles and what their strategies are. They select, on purpose, vulnerable establishment Democrats in blue districts, and they go after them. And that's been what has been happening in Los Angeles and in California in general. And also now it's coming to the rest of the country. It's not just the coasts. It's not just California and New York. Now we have Colorado. It's going on in Michigan.
And I think, you know, to your question about why is this happening, they have been organizing for many, many years. I am surprised that everybody else is so surprised that this is happening. I'm not surprised to see it at all because when you make public schools in the United States Marxist indoctrination factories, starting from kindergarten all the way up to your PhD, you -- when they become voters, they are going to vote for Marxists.
And this is the product of all of that, that we're seeing.
MICHAELSON: Of course some people would push back that are in the school districts that's saying they're not Marxists indoctrination places.
But in terms of, Will, your thoughts as a Democrat, as a moderate Democrat who ran in a tough purple district, does this help or hurt in those swing districts?
ROLLINS: I think some of the focus on these victories, to be honest, is a little bit overblown.
[00:15:03]
Like you look at the actual turnout in these primary electorates and it's very, very low. And a lot of the areas where these DSA candidates have had upsets are in deep blue places like New York. Ultimately, for the party long term, those are not the candidates who are going to deliver a House majority. And I'm opposed to socialism of all kinds. And I think that the Democratic Party should be opposed to socialism, too.
But that also includes Republicans being opposed to the other form of socialism for rich people, which says that they get to pay zero dollars in federal income taxes, while people like the three of us are paying 40 percent. So you're talking billionaires literally paying zero on their tax returns the past couple of years.
MICHAELSON: Well, you guys are talking about L.A. and Democratic socialism. The candidate who is running as a Democratic socialist for mayor, Nithya Raman, is here and will be with us live in a few minutes here on THE STORY IS, and you guys will be back in our next hour to react to that conversation. So we'll see you soon.
In the meantime, though, to some other news.
And this is breaking at this hour. Explosions have been rocking Kyiv after Russia launched an overnight attack. Ukraine says the Kremlin fired a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles, killing at least one person and injuring at least 11 others. Many residents took shelter in underground metro stations. The mayor of Kyiv says a nine-story building was destroyed, leaving people trapped beneath the rubble.
And you can see as Ukraine wakes up, this is a live picture right now, just after 7:00 in the morning, and you can see some of the rubble that is left behind. Earlier, the president of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, warned that intelligence suggested that Russia was planning a massive attack. The strikes come after Ukraine carried out a series of drone attacks deep inside Russia in recent weeks. A building now has collapsed.
We're going to keep an eye on this in the hours ahead. Meanwhile, Qatar is reporting, quote, "positive progress" after indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran in Doha. The Foreign Ministry said that Qatar and Pakistani mediators held separate meetings on Wednesday with delegations from the U.S. and Iran. Qatar says that the two sides agreed to continue discussions after progress on the issues tied to that memorandum of understanding.
U.S. service members helping with the search and rescue in Venezuela say they are fully focused on saving lives until they're told to leave. About 2,000 U.S. troops are assisting local volunteers in search for the missing more than a week after those two powerful earthquakes. The death toll has now risen to almost 2300 people.
Help from the international rescue crews is making a difference. This video shows Chilean firefighters who found a man inside a collapsed building. Remember, this is after a week after the earthquake. They found somebody alive under a collapsed building. They're giving him food and water until they can hopefully get him out. That is an amazing story.
Some families are holding out hope that they, too, can find their missing loved ones, even though they haven't been seen since before the earthquake over a week ago. But as unidentified bodies pile up in temporary morgues, it is clear not all of those reunions will happen as expected.
CNN's Isa Soares is in Caracas with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Venezuelans are still looking, desperately searching for their loved ones, a week since back-to-back earthquakes rocked this country. At the main morgue in Caracas, I meet a shellshocked Karelis D'Wuentt.
KARELIS D'WUENTT, RELATIVES MISSING AFTER EARTHQUAKE (through text translation): They are under the rubble, and I haven't been able to identify them.
SOARES (voice-over): Her 22-year-old brother was pulled out alive from the ruins by his own friend, but he succumbed to his injuries last night. And there's more.
D'WUENTT (through text translation): They are missing. My nephew, my cousins, my aunts.
SOARES (voice-over): She tells me a dozen family members are missing. Three confirmed dead.
The magnitude of loss has yet to be fully felt here in Venezuela, as families drift from hopeful to disbelief. There's a real sense of bewilderment and now face the very painful task of having to track down their bodies.
(Voice-over): I make my way to see a forensic pathologist who has just returned from the makeshift morgue in the hard hit area of La Guaira. We meet in the car and protect her identity for fear of retaliation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): We are seeing around 400 bodies every day. The bodies that have not been identified are being placed in refrigerators that are cargo trucks.
SOARES: So the containers are all full now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): Yes. They are all full.
SOARES (voice-over): Shocking but hardly surprising.
[00:20:02]
Despite thousands missing, the official death toll is sitting at just over 2,000.
Are the numbers that we are getting from the government, are they trustworthy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): No. Those numbers are not trustworthy.
SOARES (voice-over): A blunt take from a frontline worker seeing death up close.
Isa Soares, CNN, Caracas, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: As those search efforts continue across Venezuela, aid groups on the ground providing assistance. We want to encourage you to help them out. For more information about how you can help them, you can go to CNN.com/impact where you can scan the QR code, which is on the screen right now.
Coming up, sweltering heat hits Europe last month. Now it is America's turn. Still ahead, an update on several western wildfires and how the heat could impact the Fourth of July plans. Plus, we continue our top story, Team USA celebrating a big win in the World Cup Round of 32. The head coach of the L.A. Galaxy is standing by live. You see him in studio, he'll break down the big match and what's next, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: Let's get you updated on our top story.
Team USA pushing through to the Round of 16 with a two-nil win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Midfielder Malik Tillman, with the icing on the cake right there, scoring on a free kick in the 82nd minute. The victory comes despite a questionable red card for the U.S. midway through the second half, leaving them with only 10 players on the pitch.
Other matches, England will advance to the Round of 16 thanks to two goals from Harry Kane. The Democratic Republic of Congo took a stunning one-goal lead in the opening minutes of the match, but Kane scored twice in the second half to seal the victory. And Belgium celebrating a dramatic late game comeback capped by a penalty kick in extra time. They knocked out Senegal 3-2 to advance to face against the United States on Monday.
Joining me here in the studio is the head coach of the L.A. Galaxy, Greg Vanney.
Greg, Coach, welcome. Thanks so much for being here.
GREG VANNEY, HEAD COACH, L.A. GALAXY: Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: Your big takeaway from the match tonight.
VANNEY: Just really, really pleased with the U.S.. Their performance overall was excellent. I think having to deal with the adversity after the red card, showing their ability to sustain the one-zero lead and then even make it two-zero, it's important. To get through a World Cup and to be successful, you've got to deal with adversity. And this is the first adversity the team has really had to overcome.
MICHAELSON: Well, you brought up the red card. Let's watch that play together.
VANNEY: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: So this is Balogun, who is their top scorer, has this play where we see him and watch his feet towards the end of this as well. When you watch this play, do you see red card?
VANNEY: I don't see red card. It's not serious foul play for me because it's just two players that are in a normal sort of battling position, if you will, fighting for space, fighting for position. It wasn't a tackle. Neither player had possession of the ball. They're just to -- it's kind of an unfortunate situation. I don't see that as a red card, and I definitely don't see it as a serious foul play.
MICHAELSON: So you as a coach have had to talk to teams after red cards, out of situations like this. As they play up against Belgium, he has to think of a different scheme. What's the -- what's sort of going through the mind of the coach and how will he do you think address this?
VANNEY: Yes, in the game he just -- it was a reorganization. The team had to take on a defensive posture inside of a game. They've had a lot of the ball. And the mentality you can tell of the group is really strong. And I think that's the most important thing when you get into this type of situation, is that the guys believe that they're working hard for each other and they're connected.
And now as they move into the next game, it will be next man up. It's going to be Ricardo Pepi. It's -- the coach is going to have to choose what the look of the team is going to be as they move forward. But they definitely have options. This team is deep and guys that can step in to help to be successful against Belgium.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk for a moment about the MLS, where you now coach. The MLS started right after the last time there was a FIFA World Cup in America in 1994. It started in '96. You were part of the first year of the MLS. It's now grown dramatically. What does this moment of soccer being so top of mind for Americans do for Major League Soccer?
VANNEY: I think the bounce that the sport and MLS is going to have coming out of this is going to be enormous. I think you get now -- in '94 we were a country that didn't really have a lot of history in soccer, and especially from fandom. 30 years of MLS, 30 teams, and now you have fans that are filling stadiums, who have knowledge of the sport, and new fans are going to be drawn to the game and to the sport and ultimately to our league.
There's so many people that I've encountered over the last few days who said I didn't really understand the soccer thing, and now I totally get it. And so now they have become fans of the sport, and that should translate into our league, which is becoming bigger and better and more exciting, and more of these players who are playing this World Cup are going to start coming in this direction.
MICHAELSON: And the very first match back of any team for Major League Soccer is your team. L.A. Galaxy hosting on July 17th, starting it up, and then soon you all will be changing the schedule to line up with a lot of the European teams as well to make it even more competitive going forward, which is going to be really exciting.
Now you've played all over the world. You've played in France. Talk about the competition, who you see as the front runner, who you see as the best team.
VANNEY: I think the best team and the team to beat really is going to be France again. They have three of the best five attacking players in the world, probably, all in the same team, and then an entire team of high, high quality players. They're athletic. They can -- in every phase of the game, they're very, very good.
[00:30:10]
So, I think they're going to be the team that somebody's going to have to knock off to get to the championship. But there are teams that can do it, because it is soccer. On any given day, there's a lot of teams that can beat a team on a -- on a given day. But they have a lot of talent.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Does Team USA beat Belgium?
VANNEY: They can beat Belgium. I think Belgium has shown that they can be inconsistent and beatable as a collective group, and I think the U.S. has shown a ton of consistency, has quality and depth, and certainly, has a home field advantage.
MICHAELSON: Well, I'm biased, but I hope you're right. Coach, thanks so much for coming.
VANNEY: I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: And good luck with the launch of the season, again.
VANNEY: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: That's July 17th.
Coming up, Nithya Raman says she wants to build a city that works for everyone. The L.A. mayoral candidate joins me here live in L.A. after the break to talk about the race against Karen Bass and this national rise of Democratic socialism.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:35:37]
MICHAELSON: Democratic socialists are scoring wins in primaries across the U.S. The latest victory came in Colorado this week, where 29-year- old Melat Kiros ousted a veteran congresswoman in Denver.
Just one week earlier, three progressive candidates, backed by self- described Democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primaries in New York.
All of this offering a possible preview of the battle to come in the midterm elections.
Joining me now in Los Angeles is city councilmember Nithya Raman, a Democratic socialist who is running for mayor and is challenging incumbent Karen Bass in November. Welcome to THE STORY IS. Great to see you.
NITHYA RAMAN (D), L.A. MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Thank you for having me on your show again.
MICHAELSON: So, when I talked with Spencer Pratt, I asked him, why are you a Republican? So, I want to ask you simply, why are you a Democratic socialist?
RAMAN: You know, I'm a member of the DSA. I'm also a member of the Democratic Party. And I really got into this work to make sure that we are serving the people of Los Angeles.
And I don't think there's particularly a Democratic socialist way or a Democratic Party way of fixing a streetlight, or fixing a pothole, or making sure that were delivering for the residents of the city.
But what is clear to me at this moment is that the residents of Los Angeles are frustrated with the status quo, that they want change. And that's exactly what I want to deliver for them as their mayor.
I want to make sure that people don't have to work two jobs to afford a home here in the city of Los Angeles. I want to make sure that people feel safe in their neighborhoods, that essential services are functioning across our city.
And if that's a Democratic socialist vision of Los Angeles, so be it. But that's the city I want to deliver for -- for -- for this -- for these residents.
MICHAELSON: But you choose to be a Democratic socialist and to be a part of that. Why? Why a Democratic socialist and not just a regular Democrat?
RAMAN: You know, here in Los Angeles, the DSA was the only place where people were really talking about tenants' rights and renters' rights in the context of a political movement.
And in my work on city council, I have delivered for residents across the city who are renters. We have passed the strongest suite of tenant protections in 40 years in the city.
And that perspective was something that the Democratic Party simply, many of the people in the Democratic Party, simply didn't have.
I think also what we've seen here in Los Angeles is that so much of what defines establishment politics has been pay-to-play. Airbnb gives a donation to a powerful political figure, as they did to Mayor Bass, and new legislation comes up that takes precious housing units off the market as part of her budget.
That's the kind of pay-to-play politics that has defined the Democratic Party in so many ways.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
RAMAN: Establishment politics here. And I think Angelenos are ready for something new. And that's what I want to deliver for them.
MICHAELSON: So, "The California Post" has a new op-ed out today, and it says L.A. needs to stop the next Mamdani from taking power. It is an author named Shirin Yadegar, who says, "This is about far more than socialism. It is about a worldview that increasingly casts America as the villain; capitalism as inherently oppressive; and Israel, America's closest democratic ally in the Middle East, as uniquely illegitimate."
How do you respond to that?
RAMAN: You know, I'm running for mayor of Los Angeles, and people here in this city are not caught up about political worldviews or ideologies. They want the city to work for them.
That is the change that I'm promising to deliver, exactly as I've delivered in my district. We've reduced tents and encampments by 54 percent in just three years. The district feels different than it did when I first started.
We've delivered renter protections in a city which is majority renters for residents across the city. In my time in office, we've delivered governance reform.
This is the kind of change that people are asking for. This is not about ideology. This is about making a city that really works for working people here in the city of Los Angeles. And that's what I'm committed to delivering.
MICHAELSON: But do you consider yourself a capitalist?
RAMAN: You know, we are in a capitalist system. It's a city government.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
RAMAN: It's the -- it's -- the role is the mayor of Los Angeles. You operate within this context, and I'll do whatever it takes in order to deliver for my residents.
So, on the issue of housing, I'm a strong fighter for renter protections, but I strongly believe that we also need to build more housing --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
RAMAN: -- in order to build the -- reduce the cost of housing, which is one of the biggest issues shaping Los Angeles right now.
[00:40:07]
And the private real estate market has a role to play.
I will do anything it takes and put into place any policy that we need to in order to make sure that Los Angeles is a more affordable, more ambitious, a more functional city for its residents. That's the mayor that I want to be.
MICHAELSON: So, there is a big issue happening here in Los Angeles and the Boyle Heights neighborhood. There was this massive fire, and now there is left behind 85 million pounds of rotting food that smells really bad. It's unhealthy air for the community.
Mayor Bass put out two executive orders that require the owner of Lineage Warehouse to put out a comprehensive plan for removal of rotting food within 45 days. She says that's the fastest that she can legally do this.
How would you handle this differently if you were mayor?
RAMAN: You know, I -- people deserve clarity and answers about how they can keep themselves safe and how they can keep their family safe during a crisis.
I think firefighters, the council office, people were working hard on the ground to address immediate needs, and we saw that happening.
But as smoke poured into Boyle Heights and into the surrounding neighborhoods, there was contradictory evidence being shared about whether that smoke was dangerous or not.
The mayor said the smoke was not dangerous. Contradicting information from public health officials and from air quality management experts.
People need accurate, clear information about how they can keep themselves safe, how they can keep their families safe, how they can keep their children safe during a crisis. That's the minimum that a city needs to provide.
That is what I will provide as mayor. The mayor is responsible for emergency response in the city, and I will take that responsibility extremely seriously.
MICHAELSON: Well, this is such an important race. We look forward to, hopefully, many more conversations in the months ahead.
Nithya Raman, thanks for coming in tonight. We really appreciate it.
RAMAN: Thank you so much for having me.
MICHAELSON: Still to come, CNN speaks with the Manhattan district attorney about his decision not to retry convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein.
How the wishes of some of Weinstein's accusers influenced that choice. It's an exclusive interview, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:47:09]
MICHAELSON: A New York district attorney is revealing more about his decision to stop pursuing an unresolved rape charge against Harvey Weinstein.
Weinstein is currently in prison, convicted of sexual assault crimes in New York and in California.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister spoke with Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg in this exclusive interview -- Elizabeth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Elex. So, I sat down with Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg this morning, and he stressed --
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): -- to me that he does believe Jessica Mann's account. That is not the reason why they dropped this rape charge against Harvey Weinstein.
Now, Harvey Weinstein says that he never believes that this case should have been brought against him. And as you know, Elex, he has denied for years all of the accusations against him.
WAGMEISTER: Take a look at some of what Bragg told me about, ultimately, why he decided not to proceed with this case.
So, I want to start off by reading some of Jessica Mann's letter, which is emotional and heartbreaking to read. She says, "I could no longer endure going through this any longer. In my fight to see justice, it has nearly stolen a decade of my life and put me through more harm than good."
Was the decision not to proceed with another trial because of Jessica Mann, and that she did not wish to do so?
ALVIN BRAGG, MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: So, the letter is, like, sobering and heartbreaking, and it grabs you. I thought it was great to hear her in her own voice.
You know, so much of this process is lawyers talking, a judge talking. We hear from jurors. We hear from witnesses. And to have her, unfiltered, speak.
Yes, yes, in consultation with her, mindful of her thoughts, you know, some of which are, you know, articulated. I think one thing I can say unequivocally is that there are no winners here. but I think there are lessons learned. I think there's accountability. I think there's support.
And I think, as you mentioned earlier, you know, one positive development is that the courage of survivors who have the power to come forward, given who he was at that time.
WAGMEISTER: Now, Elex, you heard us talking about some of the more high-profile cases there, but Alvin Bragg stressed throughout my interview that he really wants to put a spotlight on the everyday cases, the ones that you don't hear about. He says that sexual assault in this country is a crisis. That's the
word that he used. And I want to read you a few statistics that really underscore that point.
According to RAINN, 98 percent of perpetrators walk free. For every 1,000 sexual assaults, 50 reports lead to arrest, and only 28 cases lead to conviction.
[00:50:13]
So that, again, really highlights how pervasive this problem is. And that is why Bragg really wants to highlight the survivors of sexual assault -- Elex.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: I understand that. Elizabeth, thank you for that.
Let's talk about the weather now. America's 250th birthday celebrations will be taking place amid an intense heat wave. Look at these numbers.
Nearly half of all Americans, about 150 million people, are under heat alerts this week. CNN's Marybel Gonzalez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wildfires are raging across parts of the Western U.S., with high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds fueling further red flag warnings.
From Utah --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said it was just so ferocious, like a monster creeping up the canyon.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): -- to Colorado.
PHIL DANIELS, INCIDENT COMMANDER FOR TEAM COLORADO: It's been very challenging to get resources. We're the fifth fire in about the last four days in Colorado.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): The Aspen Acres Fire ignited Monday morning, exploding to more than 28,000 acres, prompting evacuations across two counties.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many people have had to leave their homes, not knowing what they may return to.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): Just getting to the fire is difficult, with the Custer County Sheriff's Office releasing video of this bridge, believed to be about 100 years old, that burned and collapsed on Tuesday, sending crews, quote, "the long way around."
Right now, other states are sending help with the Texas Division of Emergency Management deploying to Colorado. Moving to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, an intense heat wave is
here.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Look at this: 80 million Americans currently under heat alerts. That balloons to 150 million Americans. Nearly 1 in 2 Americans will be impacted by these heat alerts.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): In the nation's capital alone, the forecast is set to be the hottest on record, at 101 degrees on July 4th.
Thursday to Saturday could be the hottest three-day stretch in Washington, D.C., since 1930.
VAN DAM: This heat wave is going to be different, because it is going to linger.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): I'm Marybel Gonzalez, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Well, it's believed that in less than 24 hours, the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding festivities will kick off. All the new details we're learning. Plus, our top stories from around the world, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:57:05]
MICHAELSON: Excitement is building in New York City ahead of the expected wedding celebrations for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Sources are revealing new details about when and where the ceremony will take place, and the massive celebration afterwards.
Here's CNN's Brynn Gingras.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Easter eggs keep dropping all across New York City.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel so excited.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are expected to tie the knot at Madison Square Garden, with a rehearsal planned for Thursday, a source tells CNN.
It's being held in the theater section of MSG. Roughly 100 people are expected to attend.
And then Friday, the main event. A source tells CNN the wedding is expected to take place on the arena floor at 5:30, with a party lasting into the morning hours.
Preparations for the two-day event underway as workers -- this one spotted wearing a Swift Carpenters T-shirt -- working through the night to transform the iconic venue into what reportedly will be a garden wonderland.
Tarps have been put up at MSG's loading dock. Trucks are being parked in precarious ways. A tent is expected to be erected soon, and sources tell CNN 500 vehicles are expected to drop off wedding guests inside the world's most famous arena, all out of the view of the public eye.
GINGRAS: What are we so excited about for Taylor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to see what it's going to look like on the inside. Like, I've never pictured a wedding being at MSG ever, because there's no natural lighting and stuff. So, I'm very curious of what's going on, like, how they're going to decorate. I'm sure it's very over the top, but it's unlimited. So --
STEVIE NICKS, SINGER: Hi, how are you?
GINGRAS (voice-over): Stevie Nicks expected to perform, according to published reports, in front of roughly a thousand guests. Among them we know will be San Francisco 49ers star and Kelce friend, George Kittle.
GEORGE KITTLE, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS PLAYER: Yes, we'll be there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did, yes.
KITTLE: I'll be there. I'm wearing a blue suit. So, that's all I got.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is, yes.
KITTLE: I'm half expecting there just to be a jumbo jet on a runway. And they put us on a plane to somewhere.
GINGRAS (voice-over): "The New York Times" reports it will be a black- tie affair, and no phones or cameras are allowed inside.
It appears Taylor may already be in town. Her private plane arrived at a nearby airport Wednesday.
The future Mrs. Kelce's big day is happening in the midst of New York City's summer madness. The World Cup, the Knicks' recent championship win, a heat wave and, oh, celebrations for America turning 250.
Security is expected to ramp up in midtown.
COMMISSIONER JESSICA TISCH, NYPD: The NYPD will, of course, have a detail in place, but I am not going to go into more specifics on that.
GINGRAS (voice-over): As for the Swifties, no doubt they will continue looking for clues. Many of them already gathering outside MSG.
CATHERINE MCGETRICK, SWIFTIE: If I was having the biggest wedding of the century, I would do the same. I want to pack as many of my close, cool, famous friends in as possible. Why not have everybody in the most famous arena? Hello! GINGRAS: And if you're wondering why someone who can literally get
married anywhere in the world chose Madison Square Garden as the likely venue, well, it is infamously secure. There are no windows in this --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
