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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Affordability, Immigration, A.I. Among Top Midterm Issues; Becerra and Hilton to Meet in California Governor Debate; Supreme Court Allows Trump to Resume Controversial Deportations; France's Public Sector Workers Strike Over Pay, Budget Cuts; U.S. Troops Leave Iraq after 23-Year Military Presence; More Than 100 Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Village; Cornell Students Speak Out as Rape Investigation Unfolds; Manchester City Found Guilty of Financial Rule Breaches. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired September 30, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:27]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson, live in Los Angeles.

Coming up, THE STORY IS the debate. We're hours away from CNN's governor's debate in the studio behind me. We've got a preview of that, and we'll talk midterms.

Plus, THE STORY IS super intelligence. President Trump wants to rebrand artificial intelligence. He signs an agreement with tech leaders for them to self-police. But will it work? And are there any actual guardrails?

And THE STORY IS leaving Iraq. After more than two decades, U.S. troops are scheduled to leave Iraqi bases in the day ahead. What does that mean for the conflict with Iran? The former U.S. ambassador to Iraq joins me live.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: We're just 35 days away from the final day to vote in the midterm elections. But some folks have already started voting by mail. Democrats and Republicans are making moves on key issues to show that they're listening to voters' concerns. But there are stark differences in the party's approaches to affordability, immigration and A.I. safety.

President Trump is planning an aggressive campaign schedule with appearances this week in deep red Oklahoma and Alabama. He brushed off concerns about the midterms today, saying, he doesn't worry about anything. The top Senate Republican explains why the president is focusing on GOP strongholds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): It's a nonpresidential year and a midterm election. The challenge is always voter turnout. And in this case, you have a lot of voters out there who might not be inclined to get out and vote. The president going out there and telling them how important it is will help turn those voters out, whether it's in a red state or a, you know, a swing state or a blue state. Those are all, you know, scheduling decisions the White House is making.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: New details are emerging about the president's midterm ad campaign. What the White House calls public service announcements. Two sources tell CNN the TV commercials are being paid for with $20 million in taxpayer money that was allocated for Customs and Border Protection. The White House Budget Office approved the spending as, quote, "commemorative events" under the so-called "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act."

Now, a big midterm contest we're following is the governor's race right here in California between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton. A majority of likely California voters say they think that the state is heading in the wrong direction. Will they blame the Democrats who run the state or the Republican Party led by President Trump, who runs the federal government?

Hilton and Becerra will get a chance to make their pitches in a CNN debate in the day ahead, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash in our studio.

Let's bring in our panel to discuss all this. Melanie Mason is Politico's California bureau chief and co-author of the California Politico Playbook. And Ron Brownstein is CNN's senior political analyst and a Bloomberg opinion columnist.

Welcome to you both in our newsroom for the first time because our studio is being used for the debate tomorrow. So they're working there, we are out here, although our team did a great job with this place.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I feel like we should all roll up our sleeves.

MICHAELSON: Yes. We should roll up our sleeves and look like Anderson Cooper.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Yes.

MICHAELSON: But let's talk about this debate and not great poll numbers for the Republican coming into it. Let's put this up on the screen. Public Policy Institute of California survey shows Becerra, the Democrat, ahead 60 to 38, among likely voters.

Ron, what does Hilton have to do to change that? And that's a big change that he has to get.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, Hilton, first of all, I think Melanie knows this better than I, he just has to get Becerra to engage. He has been remarkably detached from, you know, this campaign. He's been very low key campaign. He really has. Hilton hasn't been able to force him to respond on any issues or force Becerra to be more specific on issues. I mean, that is like -- that is the threshold. He has to get into engage.

Conversely, I think for Becerra at the debate, the -- don't stop breathing, I would say that would be the first, that would be the first necessity given where he is. But beyond that, beyond that, I would say make Hilton delineate where, if at all, he would stand up to Trump. I mean, because in the primaries, as you know, during those debates, no matter what you ask him about what the administration was doing, he would really not go to criticizing them. The Medicaid cuts, well, they're still spending more on Medicaid.

MICHAELSON: That's changed. That's changed.

[00:05:01]

BROWNSTEIN: That's changing, and -- but forcing him, you know, the core problem Republicans face in blue states is that Trump faces an unbelievably high disapproval, 71 percent in that PPIC poll in California, 83 percent of those Trump disapprovers now say they're voting for Becerra. That's historically somewhere around 85 percent of people who disapprove of president vote for the other party's candidates. You do the math. That is not a survivable number. Becerra simply has to tie him to Trump.

MICHAELSON: Well, let's hope that Becerra continues to breathe.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: According to Ron.

MELANIA MASON, CALIFORNIA BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO: Yes. Like there's a medical emergency.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: Right. That would be the first goal.

MICHAELSON: But to Ron's point, though, there has not been that much back and forth in this race. You cover this for a living. It's been kind of remarkable, and it's kind of remarkable that Becerra is doing this at all.

MASON: Well, look, let's say from the get-go, from a journalist's perspective, we want these candidates to be engaging all of the time. We think that it is important for them to delineate how they are going to govern the state, what their vision is for the future. From a political strategist's perspective, if you're looking at those numbers right there, what Xavier Becerra wants to do is make as little news as possible, because the trajectory of the race right now, it favors him.

And so as much as Steve Hilton is going to want to needle him, is going to want to try to put him on the defensive about Democratic governance, the truth is, is that, you know, Xavier Becerra wants nothing to change in the trajectory of this race. And Hilton is the one that's incumbent upon him to really shake things up.

The thing that's so interesting about Hilton's campaign is that his message, which is, you know, aren't you frustrated with the governance in the state. That should, in theory, appeal to voters in California. We saw from that same PPIC poll that the majority of voters are not happy with the direction of the state. And yet we're seeing that, you know, 22 point differential. I think that's precisely because of this Trump factor that you're talking about that's so hard for Hilton.

MICHAELSON: Well, and one of the things in that PPIC poll, Ron, was that 37 percent of voters said the number one thing they want is to stand up to Trump administration policy.

BROWNSTEIN: And that is --

MICHAELSON: And those people are probably not voting for the Trump endorsed candidate.

BROWNSTEIN: No. And right. That is the core problem for Hilton. And as I said, for Republicans throughout the blue states where they are hoping to compete this year. I mean, you're talking about 70 percent disapproval of the president. And again, 83 percent of those voters now saying they're going to vote for Becerra.

What Hilton has going and we saw this in the primary debates. You know, I think as you look across that whole stage, was there anyone who stood up, even on the Democratic side and said, yes, things in California are going really well. Let's keep going the direction we're going. No one really did that.

Becerra probably came the closest, actually, in saying that Newsom has made progress on problems. But Hilton's, I think it's the same thing as Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey and Winsome Earl Sears in Virginia. Unless you are willing to convince voters you will stand up to Trump when he is demonstrably hurting your state, I don't think they hear you on anything else.

MICHAELSON: And most of those candidates lost.

BROWNSTEIN: By double digits.

MICHAELSON: In their races.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Let's talk about the president and that reporting from CNN, which is really interesting, Melanie, about those ads that we've been seeing. And if you watch football this weekend, you probably saw them on your TV. This CNN reporting taxpayer money spent on Trump ads a total of $20 million has been allocated for the effort, which watchdog groups have deemed illegal. The TV airtime for the three different Trump ads has cost at least $2.5 million, the ad tracking firm AdImpact told CNN.

I know there's a lot of Democrats who are running for Congress who may say, maybe the Department of Homeland Security doesn't need as much money, if that's what they're spending money on.

MASON: I am utterly baffled that the pot of money that they took this from is from Customs and Border Protection.

MICHAELSON: Right.

MASON: I mean, if there's any core issue that for Trump, you would think would be, you know, at least slightly ahead of the game, obviously, he's lost a lot when it comes to approval ratings on immigration in the last year and a half. But even still, that is such a core issue to him. And once again, you're serving up a talking point for the Democrats that he is taking away from border security so that he can publicize himself. Was there not any other pot of money that they could have taken this from?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, even if it may be counterproductive, let's not lose sight of how inappropriate and probably illegal this is. I mean, we were on the air together when the Supreme Court ruled on the postal service issue. And I said to you that the problem in this situation is that each time Trump tries to push the boundaries of what is legal in terms of the federal government's ability to interfere in the election, the worst that happens is somebody stops him.

There is no consequence, and therefore they will just keep trying it. So here we are again only a few weeks later, doing something you could not have imagined any previous president doing. And by the way, with a McCarthyite message, you know, essentially branding his political opponents as communists, right? I mean, we really haven't -- I know he's the disciple of Roy Cohn, who was Joe McCarthy's right-hand man. But still, we've just gotten numb to the idea of the president of the United States describing the mainstream of the opposition party as communists.

MICHAELSON: Right.

MASON: At the same time that he was welcoming China's Xi Jinping to the White House. There was a lot of cognitive dissonance about the --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWNSTEIN: Exactly. Yes.

MICHAELSON: Who is, of course, himself a communist.

Speaking of CNN reporting, let's show some of yours. So there's, of course, the best column is your column, which is up right now, "Where Republicans are playing offense ahead of the midterms."

[00:10:07]

And you write, "In different ways. Republicans are hoping to disconnect the Minnesota and New Hampshire races from the national environment and focus the debate on local concerns." Again, this through line, which we saw in California.

BROWNSTEIN: In the blue states. Right.

MICHAELSON: Can you change the two dynamics?

BROWNSTEIN: Really hard.

MICHAELSON: And, you know, in Michigan, I'm sorry, in Minnesota, the Republican candidate is Michele Tafoya, who was a longtime sportscaster that a lot of folks know.

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

MICHAELSON: And in New Hampshire, it's John Sununu.

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

MICHAELSON: Former senator.

BROWNSTEIN: So in New Hampshire, they're trying to change the dynamics simply by pointing out that his name is Sununu, like the son and brother, you know, he is the -- he is the son and brother of former New Hampshire governors. And it's a very popular name. And they're hoping to just kind of make it that -- he's been out of politics since 2008. So he doesn't -- he isn't really personally tarred by all the controversies of the Trump era.

In Minnesota, Tim Walz is leaving, very unpopular with, you know, major welfare fraud scandal. His approval is as low, if not lower than Trump in the state. But it is really hard to localize these races in modern politics, especially, you know, in the Trump era. And again, like if you're looking at states like Minnesota, and New Hampshire, California, two-thirds of voters disapprove of the president.

And as a Republican, to win, you've got to win 20 percent or more of voters who disapprove of Trump. I think I told you that Susan Collins in his first term was the only Republican Senate candidate who won more than 9 percent of voters. So whether you're Mike Rogers or John Sununu or Michele Tafoya, or Steve Hilton or Bruce Blakeman running for governor in New York, that is the fundamental obstacle.

MICHAELSON: I mean, Melania, it's one thing if you're a mayor or a governor running in a local election, but if you're running for United States Senate, which is a federal office where everything is done based off of majority control, that party really matters.

MASON: That's absolutely right. I think that any -- as you're saying, in a mayor's race where you can say this is a nonpartisan position, we don't want to get into this.

MICHAELSON: Right. This is about potholes. It's not about the rest of that.

MASON: Right. That's much, much harder to do in these federal races. And I do think it's remarkable, say, in a place like Minnesota where there have been some local issues that Democrats are on their heels on, but it was also the site of one of the biggest immigration crackdowns showdowns. I mean, if you're talking about where these headlines were coming from and the disapproval of the Trump administration's actions, a place like Minnesota, it's going to be very, very hard for Michele Tafoya to get over that. BROWNSTEIN: You know, but the argument you bring up is actually the

best I think argument left for Republicans in the Senate races. I mean, because, you know, other than Maine, the key Senate races that Democrats have to win are all in states that voted for Donald Trump. Alaska, Ohio, Iowa, Texas, all states that voted for him by double digits, much less Kansas and Nebraska. And there are a lot of things working against the Republicans in all of those states.

But I came back from Alaska, you know, feeling that the one thing that is possibly working for them is that, you know, most voters there are probably uneasy about a Democratic majority controlling the Senate.

MICHAELSON: Right. And Schumer does not really represent that.

BROWNSTEIN: Same thing in Texas. Iowa. Not clear that's enough when voters are this discontented with the way things are going. But that probably is the whole card that's left for Republicans in these red states where they are struggling.

MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, to that point about national issues, I spent the weekend interviewing voters here in California about the governor's race, and several of them mentioned ICE as an issue, even though that's really a national issue. But they mentioned that as one of the reasons they want to push back against the Trump administration.

BROWNSTEIN: Will the governor stand up, though, is a local issue. I mean, that is --

MICHAELSON: Right.

BROWNSTEIN: That's what Hilton can't get away from and he's tried to avoid.

MICHAELSON: All right. Well, you guys are going to be back with us in our next hour to dive more into that. It's great to have two of my favorite people of all time, Melanie, Ron Brownstein, here at the desk in the newsroom. Thank you so much.

More news here. President Trump believes that the artificial intelligence industry can regulate itself. That's exactly what came out of Tuesday's closely watched meeting at the White House, with the heads of some of the top A.I. companies, leaders from Google, Anthropic Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia XAI, along with the president, all signed a voluntary agreement for better self-policing of the company's A.I. models.

President Trump has largely dismissed growing concerns about the dangers of the rapidly evolving technology, suggesting that the government could not slow down on A.I. development or risk falling behind China. Even promised a new executive order to rename artificial intelligence as super intelligence. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg breaking down the basics of Tuesday's agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARK ZUCKERBERG, CEO, META: We drafted a set of principles and commitments around building robust internal controls and detecting if there are any issues with the technology, coupled with multiple layers of auditing and controls, starting with internal risk review, external auditors and evaluators, and agreeing that we're going to have all of our boards of directors independently review the reports that come from the auditors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:15:11]

MICHAELSON: The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to resume its controversial deportation program. The temporary ruling allows the government to send migrants to countries other than their own, including places that they have no ties to. The court's three liberal justices dissented. The justices will hear arguments in this case later this year.

The administration launched the policy last year as part of President Trump's expanding immigration crackdown. An estimated 25,000 people have already been removed from the U.S. under that policy.

CNN's Joan Biskupic explains the concerns activist groups are raising.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: The disputed policy in this case does not give migrants a chance to claim they could be tortured in these countries where they have no ties, or to raise any other human rights concerns. Lower court judges had blocked the policy. The conservative Supreme Court majority revived it on Tuesday without any explanation in an unsigned order, and over the descent of the three liberal justices on the nine-member bench.

But it seems the dissenters pulled one concession from the conservatives who control the court and have largely favored Trump administration on immigration. The court scheduled arguments in the case for this December on an expedited schedule. The justices said they will decide whether U.S. lower court judges actually have jurisdiction to hear claims against the removal policy, as happened here, and whether, more importantly, these third country deportations are lawful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Still ahead, why a judge is ordering New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to redo the tax rollout on second homes. Plus, the "Wall Street Journal" reporter who was detained in Russia for 16 months, has published a new memoir. We'll hear from Evan Gershkovich as he reflects on what he endured behind bars.

Plus, social unrest erupts in France as public sector workers go on strike over pay and budget cuts. Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [00:21:40]

MICHAELSON: A judge is set -- dealt a setback to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rollout of taxes on secondary homes in New York City. The judge ruled in favor of three plaintiffs who had sued over that rollout. They claim that the city incorrectly identified their primary residences as second homes. The court ordered the city to remove the tax roll of more than 900,000 homeowners from its Web site, and replace it with a roll of properties that are actually subject to the surcharge.

Former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as Republican members accused him of abuse of authority and political targeting. Smith explained his steps around investigating President Trump's retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Both those cases were dismissed before trial, but Smith told lawmakers he stands by his investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK SMITH, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL: I made those decisions without regard to president Trump's political association, activities, beliefs or candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Jack Smith debunked several claims from Senate Republicans, including a conspiracy theory about his attendance of a basketball game. He defended his staff of prosecutors against attacks from Republicans and also defended subpoenas for lawmakers' phone records, saying he was forced -- focused on the actions of Trump's alleged coconspirators and not members of Congress. He also said he will not be silenced, quote, "by the continued threats of prosecution from the president or others."

"Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich is speaking out about his 16-month imprisonment in Russia. In 2023 Gershkovich was arrested on suspicion of espionage while working as a correspondent in Moscow. He was later used as a key bargaining chip in a landmark multi-country prisoner swap between the U.S., Russia and Germany.

In his newly published memoir, "This Cursed Beautiful Land," Gershkovich explores his time in captivity as well as what the Russian population as a whole is enduring. Earlier, he spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper and reflected on his experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVAN GERSHKOVICH, AMERICAN JOURNALIST DETAINED IN RUSSIA FOR 16 MONTHS: They treated me like the sort of pristine package to be kept and swapped so my value would stay very high. And that was a kind of known, you know, known secret from day one. My first night in prison, you know, there's a -- we have a television on, on state news, you know, a newscaster like you, except it's for a state propaganda says, you know, it might be cynical, but we've replenished our exchange fund, so to speak.

The term the Russians use for what they, you know, the group of people that they take capture to then trade. And so that, knowing that as a reporter who was working in the country for five and a half years up to that point, had reported on cases like this, that really helped. You know, also having this wide support network from my newsroom to other journalists like yourself, also my family, my friends, my girlfriend, who really, you know, rallied around me. So I really wasn't alone.

[00:25:01]

And also my Russian background that you alluded to at the beginning. You know, I spoke the language. I understood the customs and so I could have conversations with my cellmates, understand what was going on, on television and newspapers, but also talk to prison guards and talk to, you know, FSB officials. And as a journalist, it was a sort of a unique opportunity, kind of, you know, to end up there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: France's public sector workers are protesting government plans to freeze their base pay for a fourth consecutive year, as the cost of living continues to rise. The protests come from two days before the Finance Ministry is set to submit its draft budget for 2027 to lawmakers.

CNN's Melissa Bell reports from the streets of Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Social unrest has returned to the streets of France for the first time in a while. This over the government's budget for 2027 that freezes public service sector wages in 2027. What these unions and there's been a rare showing of solidarity between unions, they've all gotten together to take part in this protest, in this strike and in this march, is the idea that these wages will remain fixed when the cost of living continues to grow.

I think one of the most noteworthy things beyond the teachers and hospital workers and railway workers that we've seen out on the streets has been the huge presence of firefighters. Many thousands of them took to the streets in Paris today after a meeting they had with France's interior minister.

What they're asking for is not so much a hike in wages as the raising of the resources at their disposal as they seek to take on these wildfires that, as we saw this summer, are becoming more and more frequent here in France.

This protest about public sector wages has seen tens of thousands come out in the streets. There have been disruptions to schools, to railways and to air traffic control. The big question how the government over the next few weeks continues to try and get this budget through without causing too much more of this.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Melissa, thank you.

As the last U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq, there are growing fears they will leave behind a security vacuum. Former U.S. ambassador to Iraq joins me live next to weigh in. Plus, months after Israeli settlers forced them out of their house, a Palestinian family finally able to return to their home, only to be attacked once again. How the Israeli government is responding. Jeremy Diamond there next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Pentagon officials tell CNN that the U.S. defense secretary is expected to announce plans to cut senior military officer positions by 20 percent. 9]

[00:32:20]

The cuts will reportedly target positions reserved for generals and admirals.

Pete Hegseth is set to speak Wednesday at Marine Corps base Quantico in Virginia. He's previously said he wants to reduce the number of senior leadership positions within the military.

The cuts would double the reductions ordered last year.

Well, this is the end of a long and painful chapter in Iraq's history as U.S. forces withdraw their remaining troops in the day ahead.

The Iraqi government announced it will Mark the end of the 23-year military presence with a four-day national holiday. Official institutions will be closed through Saturday to Mark what's being called the country's Sovereignty Days.

While Iraq is celebrating the troop withdrawal, there are concerns it will leave behind a security vacuum.

Joining me now is Christopher Hill, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea and to Iraq, and former assistant U.S. secretary of state. Mr. Ambassador, welcome back to THE STORY IS.

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA AND TO IRAQ: Thank you very much.

MICHAELSON: As the former ambassador to Iraq, somebody who was there at the height of this war, did you ever think it would end like this?

HILL: Yes. You know, this has been a problem. It's -- it's always easier to go into a country than go out. And the Iraqis have had have been ambivalent about U.S. troops for a long time.

On the one hand, they need the protection. On the other hand, the protection is coming from troops who originally invaded Iraq.

So, there are a lot of concerns. At one point, of course, President Obama withdrew all the U.S. forces, only to bring them back a couple of years later, when the ISIS threat came.

So, now, after some years, there was an agreement within the last year to withdraw them all. But of course, in the meantime, we have an Iranian threat. And the problem right now is it appears that the U.S. is retreating in the face of the Iranian threat.

And of course, it's happening in the Kurdish area of Iraq. And these people have been beleaguered for, frankly, centuries. And U.S. forces have been very welcomed in the Kurdish areas.

MICHAELSON: You mentioned the Iranian threat. Obviously, we're in the middle of a war with Iran right now. How does the U.S. troops leaving Iraq impact the current war with Iran?

HILL: Yes, we're in the middle. We're really in the middle, because we don't know where we're going with this, obviously.

But I think a big -- a big issue, of course, is as U.S. troops leave, those who are those Iranian sympathizers in Iraq, the militia groups that have been funded by Iran, will say things like, well, the U.S. is retreating in the face of our -- of our successes. And therefore, it's -- you know, the U.S. doesn't seem to have the courage to face us, et cetera.

So, all this kind of negativity. Obviously, that's not bought by everybody. And I think, overall, the -- the Kurds are very concerned that they could be left as a target.

On the other hand, of course, part of the targeting that the Iranian militia had done in Kurdistan is targeting against the U.S. So, there may be fewer drones and bombs, because there are fewer U.S. forces to hit.

But overall, one always gets the sense -- I'm sorry to put it -- at least with this administration, that it does things before it thinks about things. And one gets the sense that it's not really thought all the ramifications of this.

MICHAELSON: Well, speaking of the Iran War, of course, the united states got into that with Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel, and Netanyahu pushing for that.

There's new reports that Benjamin Netanyahu shared intelligence on Iran's nuclear ambitions with the United Arab Emirates's Sheikh Mohamed. That's at least according to an Israeli source.

What do you think about that? And what does that potentially mean for the region?

HILL: Well, yes, really, really hard to -- to figure out whether that really happened or not. But what is clear is Netanyahu is concerned about himself, above all.

And the concern, of course, is if you share information with him, you're not really sure where it's going to go beyond that.

So, this entire Iran caper will go down in history as something that was not clearly understood or thought through. These are -- there are a lot of complexities to all this.

And the basic fundamental problem is the U.S. is now considered unreliable in the region. Hence the Saudi-Pakistan pact. And you know, hence this sort of basic disconnect we're having these days with the Israelis and with others.

The U.S. really has to spend some serious time on this issue with some serious people, and they haven't done so.

MICHAELSON: Ambassador Chris Hill, thank you so much for joining us on THE STORY IS and sharing your perspective. Always great to talk with you.

HILL: Thank you. Good to see you, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Speaking of Israel, in the West Bank, more than 100 Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian family overnight, storming their house and setting it on fire.

That incident highlights the growing issue of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, an issue CNN's Jeremy Diamond has been covering for some time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Just over two months ago, the Tubasi (ph) family were driven from their home in the occupied West Bank by a group of Israeli settlers.

Then, Monday night into Tuesday, the Israeli military finally escorted the Tubasi (ph) family back to their home, following an order by the Israeli Supreme Court.

DIAMOND (voice-over): But moments after they arrived at their home, which they found had been damaged by Israeli settlers, they came under attack once again.

More than 100 Israeli settlers stormed the area, pelting the home with stones. Some of them actually stormed into the house and attacked the family, as well as Israeli border police officers who were on the scene.

Some of the settlers even set the home on fire, as well as a car that belonged to the family. The -- the family had to be escorted out of the area in an armored vehicle by the Israeli military.

This is, of course, just the latest instance of settler violence, which has been exploding across the West Bank in recent months. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the

violence, but once again he sought to downplay it, attributing this violence to the actions of a, quote, "handful of rioters," even though the Israeli military itself said that there were more than 100 Israeli settlers involved in this attack.

Of those, only two of the settlers were actually apprehended by Israeli authorities.

And what's happening in the West Bank is one of several issues driving --

DIAMOND: -- the campaign in Israel right now. At the heart of it, of course, right now, is this issue of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was told, what he knew, and what he failed to act on in the days leading up to the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

His former Shin Bet director --

DIAMOND (voice-over): -- Israel's domestic intelligence service, says he is now going to sue the Israeli prime minister for defamation after Netanyahu tried to shift blame for the warnings before October 7 to this former Shin Bet director, Ronen Bar.

Bar is now firing back, saying that the Israeli prime minister was warned of a, quote --

DIAMOND: -- "impending disaster" in an unprecedented manner ahead of that attack.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Jeremy, thank you.

Still ahead this hour, students at Cornell University say they are outraged but not surprised at how the school has responded to an allegation of gang rape at a fraternity house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can sense the air on campus that nobody can trust the administration anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:11]

MICHAELSON: Welcome back. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Several top A.I. executives have signed a voluntary agreement to police themselves amid recent concerns over the safety of the technology. They met at the White House Tuesday for a summit hosted by President Trump.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the agreement involves multiple layers of internal and external auditing of A.I. models and robust controls to detect any issues with the technology.

Polo has weakened to a tropical storm as it moves across Northwestern Mexico. It first made landfall as a hurricane early Tuesday on the Baja Canal [SIC] -- California Peninsula.

Moisture from Polo is now moving North towards the U.S., where heavy rain is already triggering flood warnings in Southern New Mexico.

We now know where the money for President Trump's midterm ad campaign is coming from. Two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN $20 million was allocated from Customs and Border Protection.

Democrats and even some Republicans object to the commercials as taxpayer-funded campaign ads. But the White House is defending them as public service announcements.

The New York attorney general's office says it is reviewing Cornell University's response to an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house this month.

A former student filed a 101-page civil lawsuit, saying she was sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members in 2024. The suit also claims the university and prosecutors mishandled the investigation.

The case has sparked a wave of outrage. The local district attorney says he's now reopened the case to seek a grand jury review of those allegations.

But some Cornell students say this all is too little, too late. They spoke to CNN's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An unsettling mood of distrust and anger among some students at Cornell University.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can sense the air on campus that nobody can trust the administration anymore.

MATTHEW NUSSEN, CORNELL UNIVERSITY JUNIOR: Students are very upset at the miscarriage of justice. This has been a consistent trend with Cornell. The judicial system does not operate as it should. And this is just kind of another really horrific instance of that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cornell's administration -- administration failed us this time.

CARROLL (voice-over): Many here say more should have been done to protect a former student, identified as Jane Doe in a new civil complaint, where she alleges in 2024, several members of the Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted her while she was unable to consent. The complaint prompted local prosecutors to reopen a criminal

investigation and has sparked talk across campus about underage drinking and consent.

MANASA, CORNELL UNIVERSITY FRESHMAN: You hear a lot of people just talking about it while they're walking to class or on the bus, or even classmates I've never talked to. It's -- it's horrifying.

CARROLL (voice-over): According to the complaint, Jane Doe had been drinking the night in question and went to the Chi Phi house, where she alleges she was given more alcohol, marijuana and ketamine, and then was repeatedly assaulted.

Allegedly, a Snapchat message invited other frat members to join in, according to the complaint.

The Tompkins County D.A. says his office initially declined to charge the named fraternity members two years ago, because Jane Doe said in a sworn statement at the time the encounter was consensual. Her attorney denies that claim.

THOMAS P. GIUFFRA, ATTORNEY FOR JANE DOE: Her life has been really ruined by this. I don't know how anybody who was grossly intoxicated and drugged can consent to anything.

SAANYA AGARWAL, CORNELL UNIVERSITY SENIOR AND CORNELL WOMEN'S ISSUES REPRESENTATIVE: I think if you talk to people, especially women on campus, this question is always in the back of your head of what if that was me?

CARROLL (voice-over): Saanya Agarwal is a sorority member and a senior. She recalls being a sophomore and hearing about the initial allegations surrounding Chi Phi.

AGARWAL: Didn't know who. We didn't know how many, and then we didn't also know what specifically had happened. Like, what if they were walking around campus? What if they were sitting next to us in class? We had no idea.

And I think that's terrifying. That's absolutely so scary. And a woman should not feel like that.

CARROLL (voice-over): Agarwal says she felt so strongly about what she called the lack of transparency on behalf of the university at the time, it prompted her to run for a position on the student assembly focusing on women's issues, a position she now holds.

AGARWAL: It was that specific situation and not knowing what had happened. So, last year, I spent a lot of time talking to administrators, talking to sorority and fraternity life, trying to, one, understand, like, why there was such a lack of transparency.

CARROLL (voice-over): The university declined repeated requests for an interview. Cornell released a statement saying the university conducted its own investigation, which resulted in banning the fraternity chapter, suspending and expelling some of the students in question.

Despite their actions, some students and alumni have signed petitions, calling for a permanent ban of Chi Phi, another pledging to withhold university donations. A fragile trust between students and administration here clearly strained.

[00:45:14]

HAYDEN WATKINS, EVP OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSEMBLY: There's just a lot of administrative distrust. I don't think students feel comfortable going to anyone, like, vaguely associated with administration.

ELLIOT SCHEUER, CORNELL UNIVERSITY SENIOR: I think a lot of people already have this understanding that the university has disappointed them time and again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Jason Carroll for that reporting.

Caleb Flynn, a former church worship leader and "American Idol" contestant, has been found guilty of murdering his wife.

Prosecutors allege that Flynn murdered his wife, Ashley Flynn, and then staged the crime scene to look like an intruder came in and committed the crime.

They say Flynn did it to maintain his relationship with his mistress, full custody of his two daughters, and his lucrative job at his wife's family business.

Flynn now faces a sentence of life without parole. Sentencing hearing is set for next week, but his lawyer says they will appeal.

Morocco has a new prime minister. Why the appointment is being hailed as a historic moment. That's next.

Plus, we'll unravel the biggest scandal in Premier League history as Manchester City found guilty on more than 100 charges as part of a scheme to artificially inflate revenues to the tune of more than $1 billion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:51:12]

MICHAELSON: The king of Morocco has appointed the country's first ever woman prime minister. The royal palace says she was appointed after her liberal centrist party came out on top in the September 23rd parliamentary election.

The new prime minister is a lawyer who was housing minister in the outgoing government. She is set to lead talks to form a coalition government and submit a list of cabinet members for the king's approval. The English Premier League has found Manchester City guilty of all

charges related to serious breaches of its financial rules, potentially exposing the club to a points deduction, fines, or even expulsion from the league.

CNN's Don Riddell breaks down the scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: We knew that Manchester City were in trouble, but the details of their transgressions will take your breath away.

And after all those blue-sky days in Manchester, the future for one of the Premier League's most successful clubs now looks increasingly dark.

Earlier on Tuesday, the league announced --

RIDDELL (voice-over): -- that it had found City guilty of more than 100 breaches of its financial regulations.

This has been a long-running investigation, and City have always denied any wrongdoing. They've said they will appeal, but it now seems as though they could be facing some very serious penalties, possibly even expulsion from the league.

Here's what we're dealing with. It's an eight-year period between 2009 and 2018. That's when City broke through with the first of their Premier League titles. They won the league twice more in that period, and a total of eight trophies.

The independent commission, looking into their behavior, found that the club arranged sham contracts with a number of its commercial partners to artificially inflate their income by over $1 billion.

City filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of their finances from auditors and regulators, and they haven't exactly helped their case since. They're also accused of failing to cooperate with the investigation.

But City are defiant. And the word from their CEO, Ferran Soriano, bring it on.

FERRAN SORIANO, CEO, MANCHESTER CITY: The whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation: that the owners' personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi. This is just not true.

Irrefutable evidence has been provided to the Premier League commission that shows that it could not happen, and that it did not happen. The Premier League commission has issued an opinion that supports the Premier League's conspiracy theory.

RIDDELL: It is an absolutely extraordinary situation and it's hard to know where things will go from here. But the next thing to look for is Friday. That is the deadline for City to file an appeal. We'll know more then.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELSON: Don, thank you.

The 2028 Olympic torch will make history by traveling through all 50 states before arriving in the host city right here in Los Angeles.

The torch will be lit at the game's birthplace of Olympia, Greece, and will then begin its journey in Atlanta, which hosted the last L.A. [SIC] -- or U.S.-based summer games back in 1996.

Organizers say it will be one of the largest relays in Olympic history. The full route, set to be announced next year.

Be sure to tune in Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 Pacific for the California governor's debate. Democrat Xavier Becerra will face off against Republican Steve Hilton.

CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate. The debate will air in this time slot, 9 p.m. Pacific, midnight Eastern tomorrow, and we'll have a special edition of THE STORY IS right after it, 10 p.m. Pacific, 1 a.m. Eastern.

Turns out that's what time it is right now. Thanks for watching the first hour of THE STORY IS. The next hour starts right now.

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