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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Trump Ramps Up GOP Push Ahead Of Midterms; Students Protest As Cornell Faculty Weigh No-Confidence Vote; New Records Highlight Gaps In Cornell Police Investigation; New Supreme Court Term Begins With Justices Stumped By Climate Change Case; Sources: Israel's Main Airport Was Suspect's Likely Target; Russian Plague Lab Worker Dies of Pneumonia of "Unknown" Origin; Outrage Over Trump's Remarks to "Take Out" San Diego, Los Angeles; New Study: About 1 in 8 Cancer Cases Linked to Infections; "The New Menopause Kitchen". Aired 1-2a ET

Aired October 06, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Of his country forever when he brought home the World Cup trophy in 2022 after nearly a four decade drought. He will continue playing, by the way, for Miami in MLS.

Thanks so much for watching the first hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.

I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Coming up, the story is countdown to the midterms. President Trump rallies in Republican states promising to lower prices. But is it too late?

The story is Cornell under pressure, protests abrupt across the university over an alleged gang rape. We have new details, possible evidence in this case.

And the story is landmark lawsuit. The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on whether two big oil companies should be held responsible for the impact of climate change.

But we start with this. The campaign trail heating up with just four weeks left until the final day to vote in the U.S. midterm elections. President Trump pulling out all the stops to secure wins across the country for Republican candidates. But it comes as his own approval ratings continue to slip.

President and Vice President JD Vance hitting different parts of the country on Monday. President Trump stumping for Senator Pete Ricketts in Nebraska while the vice president spoke in Alaska, trying to boost the campaigns of Republicans there.

At his Nebraska tour, President Trump tried to show voters that he's doing something to relieve the economic pain that they're feeling from his war with Iran. He signed an executive order aimed at bringing down the near record prices on diesel fuel. He claimed the order will reduce the cost of all goods, including groceries. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more from Nebraska. Jeff. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: and Elex, President Trump gave those remarks here in Grand Island. You can see his supporters trickling out of this rally now. Now, there is no doubt that they are firmly with him. I mean, thousands stood in line here in deep red Nebraska.

The concern of Republicans, of course, are the people who are not here, the people who are concerned about the rising cost of gas, the rising costs of diesel. Now, President Trump acknowledged the cost directly in ways more than I've heard him do recently. He said, yes, the Iran war has cost -- has caused costs to go up, but they will come down soon. But we have heard that pledge that the Iran war will end soon.

The question is, do voters believe it? But there's no doubt in the final month of this campaign, the president's red state blitz is not simply a vanity tour. It is a necessity for Republicans to try and maintain their control in the Senate. It's remarkable how many of these competitive races are playing out in Trump country here in Nebraska, in neighboring Iowa, in neighboring Kansas, in Texas, other states as well.

Now, there's no doubt that Democrats are concerned about the Republicans spending. They're outspending Democrats in virtually every state. But it's also clear that the economy is a big drag on this ticket. So we will see as the President marches on, he implored supporters here to vote for him one more time. Many Democrats also want their voters to believe Trump is on the ballot as well. Elex.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Jeff Zeleny, with an assist from Laura Brannigan and her song Gloria, the theme song of our often panelist Gloria Allred, who's not with us tonight, but with us, our panel, Michael Tubbs, former mayor of Stockton and founder of End Poverty in California. And Matt Bilinksy, an attorney and host of the prevailing narrative podcast. Gentlemen, welcome back.

Here was President Trump's pitch When it comes to lowering your gas prices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're kicking Iran's ass. You do know that, right? It's going to end one way or the other. It's going to end very soon and your prices are going to come, all your prices have been tumbling down, but it'll end very quickly and prices are going to come down very sharply.

You might say, please, sir, it's going down too fast. You watch. You watch what's going to happen in a very short period of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Does that message have credibility?

MATT BILINSKY, ATTORNEY: No.

MICHAEL TUBBS, FOUNDER, END POVERTY IN CALIFORNIA: No.

MICHAELSON: I mean, what did the Republicans buy that?

BILINKSY: No, I don't think they do. Right. Some of them will still stay with, with President Trump. As to the trade offs and benefits of the Iran war. Donald Trump is over his career, even before he was a politician, the business world had a certain ability to speak certain truths into an into existence. But on gas prices there's no hiding.

I mean, I think you could do a better job of reminding people that gas -- the big bump in gas happened under his predecessor. And really in comparison it's only been, you know, the fact that President Trump hasn't really done much to bring them down. However, you can't ignore it. This is stuff that people see right there in their face.

MICHAELSON: And to that point, let's put it up on the screen. People are seeing these numbers every day. Regular today is at 4.37. Regular in February was at 2.91.

[01:05:02]

We love those prices in California. Diesel at 6.32 today. In February, it was 3.72. And diesel really impacts people in the middle of the country.

TUBBS: And to your point, they may have started a little bit higher than people want it, but this is ridiculous. Like, it started high, but it's even higher. So I hope for all of us that these gas prices go down, but from $7 to $6.50, and with a month to election, I'm not sure that's going to be enough of a jolt that he's going to need, which is why we see him in Nebraska and Oklahoma and Alabama. Those must be Trump, Kennedy.

Why are you not in Michigan? Why are you not contending for these swing states? Because he's losing his base. Because whether you're Democrat or Republican, you can't afford $6 gas.

MICHAELSON: Well, and let's show up on the screen. These are all states that were won by President Trump where the Senate races are really competitive. In Alaska, Mary Peltola up 50 to 43. In Iowa, neck and neck between Josh Turek and Ashley Hinson. In Kansas, Kansan, a statistical tie right now. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown looks like he could win his seat back 49, 46. And in Texas, James Talarico opening up a lead against Ken Paxton.

Now, most of those are within the margin of error. Could go either way. I mean, there's all this attention about a Democratic domination. Republicans could win a lot of those states, but these seats should not be competitive.

BILINKSY: No, not at all. Right. And I think there needs to be another layer of reflection by the Trump administration as to why certain of its messages, in fact, ones that were resonating recently as about a year ago, are not resonating right now. And, you know, but there might be just too much insularity around President Trump.

Too many yes men, too many people telling him not just in his belief that these polls are fake news, but a lot of sycophants around him supporting those views. And, like, you know, might have to tell they might need a few people. Susie Wiles during the 2024 campaign seemed to be very effective at giving him constructive criticism and him actually being receptive to it. That might just not be happening these days.

MICHAELSON: Well, and it seems like the number one reason people elected him was to lower costs and two policies, tariffs in the war have without a doubt objectively raised costs for everybody around the country. And people are frustrated by that.

BILINKSY: Yes, I would say just from my personal views. I think he's done so many of the -- way more of the small things well than people are giving him credit for. But it's all being overshadowed by screwing up on a couple big issues. Ross Douth at the New York Times said it very well. He's just -- he forgot why he was -- he wanted to be elected for other reasons. He forgot why he was elected and that was cost of living.

MICHAELSON: Well --

TUBBS: And I think he -- he's not a dumb person on everything. He knew what people wanted to hear, but I think he knew going in, I mean, Project 2025 laid it out. That was not a document around how to make America more affordable. So he -- the Republican Party was brilliant in campaigning on the issue of affordability, but they had no policies and no plans really bring down costs.

In fact, the deficits increase, inflation's increase, unemployment increase, gas prices have increased. So o the issue isn't a messaging issue. He could go out and say gas prices will be low tomorrow, that the growth he's going to bring, the grocery prices down. But the issue is that he's in charge now.

He has the House, he has the Senate. He's had two years and everything has objectively gotten worse.

MICHAELSON: You mentioned Michigan. That race is incredibly close right now. Abdul El-Sayed against Mike Rogers, the candidate who barely lost to Abdul El-Sayed in the primary was sitting in that chair last hour, Haley Stevens and we learned that Barack Obama is going to be going to Michigan campaigning with Abdul El-Sayed, showing how important that race is.

Here was Haley Stevens' message last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY STEVENS, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: The Democratic Party is not defined by just one person. Right. We -- you often hear, oh, we're the big tent party. How about we're the party that says you matter, that your access to health care is, that is not going to bankrupt you matters. That's really on the line.

People are being pushed to the brink. You've got Detroiters leaving the middle class in just two years time because of Trump's reckless tariffs and these policies that are driving us off a cliff. Elex, this doesn't work for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: When I asked her about Abdul El-Sayed, she said the party's not defined by one person, which I thought was an interesting way to not answer that particular questions. So I don't know where they are in their, you know, makeup after the primary. But your thoughts on the Michigan race?

TUBBS: Yes, I think we are lucky to have a candidate on the Democratic side like Abdul El-Sayed. I mean, the brother's a Rhodes scholar, a doctor, did work in Wayne County is a brilliant communicator, is young, married, no felonies. I think we have -- we have opportunity to elect someone really great to the Senate. And I think it was also great.

[01:10:00]

We have an opportunity to elect someone really great to the Senate. And I think it was also great. We had a very close primary where it showed it's not just one part of the Democratic Party vision for what people want, but people want leaders who can speak to a variety of issues, who can speak to things abroad, but also things at home. They're going to really fight for them.

And that was very clear versus him versus Mike Rogers. There is no -- there's a ton of daylight between them. So I'm excited. Now I'm glad President Obama, V.P. Harris, Rep. Stevens and others are out there campaigning for Abdul because we need a Democrat to be elected in Michigan.

MICHAELSON: But given how close it is in Kansas. Right. Like red states. I mean, Michigan should be a blue state. There's a Democratic senator now. Shouldn't Abdul El-Sayed be up by more?

TUBBS: But she, I mean, Michigan's been blue, but the Senate --

MICHAELSON: They have two Democratic senators.

TUBBS: But both those races were pretty close, right?

MICHAELSON: Yes.

TUBBS: So.

MICHAELSON: Oh, go ahead.

BILINKSY: Yes, I think we see that's why Barack Obama is visiting the state. Right. That's a bit of the bellwether here, the battleground. Because in this type of atmosphere, you would expect this race to go blue. And you know, Abdul El-Sayed, he might be a Rhodes scholar, didn't imbue him with enough common sense not to cozy up to certain and sympathize with Islamic terrorism unwilling to criticize -- unwilling go -- go watch the videos. Unwilling to -- unwilling to criticize the Muslim Brotherhood very blatantly in reaction to terrorist -- acts of terrorism against Jewish synagogues hurt people, hurt people. No, I'm sorry. That is -- it's completely, entirely valid to say that he has been far too receptive or sympathetic to acts of Islamic terrorism. And that's why this race is close and everyone can ignore it as much as possible.

This race should be a blowout. It should not be close. But enough people are seeing that El-Sayed little too is not willing to disavow Muslim terrorism. And it's giving some people pause and that's why this race is close.

MICHAELSON: Never said terrorism is a good thing. You don't dare come out --

BILINKSY: Elex, Elex, you don't have -- you don't have to say it that expressly. When an act in response to an act of terrorism against a Jewish synagogue, your response is, oh well, hurt people, hurt people. That is blatantly showing too much receptivity or sympathy. Not disavowing acts of Muslim terrorism.

MICHAELSON: That's different. That's different than in favor of terrorists.

BILINKSY: Whoa, whoa. That's very thin, not that different.

TUBBS: But I got -- no, I think to the point about the president. I mean we've had eight, six years of a record of Trump cozying up to autocrats and dictators some of the worst leaders in this country. So I also think it's preposterous that we have a nominee for U.S. Senate being held to a different standard than the leader of the free world who is the president.

But I would have to disagree. I don't think Abdul El-Sayed Islamic terrorist sympathizer or someone who's anti-American. His politics around the Middle East may be different than others. But that makes him cozy --

MICHAELSON: Last word really?

BILINKSY: Yes. I won't even give a statement on this. I would just pose it to other people. Go see all when he has been posed with commentary being asked to comment on the Muslim Brotherhood and you could say, well, he doesn't know some of the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood. He's a Rhodes scholar. He certainly knows what they're up to. I'd ask people to wonder why is he so hesitant to criticize them. That's all I'd say.

MICHAELSON: OK, Matt, Michael, thank you guys so much for sharing your views. We appreciate it.

Students and faculty at Cornell University are demanding change over the school's handling of an alleged gang rape by several fraternity members in 2024. Members of Cornell's faculty Senate now introducing a resolution to take a vote of no-confidence against the school's administration.

CNN has reached out to Cornell for comment on that. Monday, chanting shame and also resign in reference to university administrators. And a seven-hour seven sit in is planned for Wednesday in solidarity with the alleged victim. Protesters say they want to see accusations like this taken more seriously by the university in the future.

Newly obtained documents show Cornell University police drafted requests to preserve cell phone data and records about a week after the accuser reported the alleged assault. But the local district attorney says his office never received any phone records. CNN's Jason Carroll has more on the new evidence emerging in the case, including secretly recorded calls between the alleged victim and one of the accused fraternity members.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protests across Cornell's campus today over how the university handled the investigation of an alleged rape case at the Kai Phi fraternity house two years ago. This as secret audio recordings of a phone call between Jane Doe, the woman who said she was raped, and a fraternity member she went to see the night of the alleged attack were obtained by ABC News.

UNIDENTIFIED MMALE: Want me to give my recollection of the entire night?

CARROLL (voice-over): According to ABC, the call was recorded by Jane Doe three weeks after the alleged assault, where she told the fraternity members she spent time in the emergency room and in therapy.

[01:15:00]

Because there's so much damage on my body and my brain. If I just know what happened, then I can feel a little bit better and move on and maybe be able to stay at this school. In the recorded call, she also said what y'all did would be classified as gang rape. And you already knew when I came in, I was 10 shots deep. The fraternity member recounted it differently.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did tell me you were sober, by the way. You did. You said you hadn't been anywhere.

CARROLL (voice-over): ABC reported that Jane Doe pushed back, saying, that is not true. I never would have said that. And she wanted to know how they ended up in a threesome with another fraternity member.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you come in, say hi. We start dancing for like maybe three to five minutes. And then I pop the question. You say yes. Then I remember like, we didn't know who else to bring. So I go to who was on the dance floor too. And I popped the question and he was, he's like, yo. And then we go upstairs.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jane Doe continued to ask how so many people ended up in the room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have racked my brain for this mystery. You know, it's possible that both of us, like, remember this and it's not true.

CARROLL (voice-over): According to ABC, again, Jane Doe pushed back, saying, no, no, because I remember looking up and being like, that is too many people. ABC News says that in that same call, the fraternity member never mentions to Jane Doe the Snapchat message inviting others to join in that night.

Jane Doe's attorney told CNN he's thankful information's being leaked, though he's concerned evidence of cell phone picks may have been lost.

THOMAS GIUFFRA, ATTORNEY FOR JANE DOE: I think they're in the bottom of Lake Cuyahoga because once they knew there was a problem, they cleared everything out and they got rid of it. And the fact is that the investigators let that happen.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Thanks to Jason Carroll, the parents of Nolan Wells are renewing calls for a federal investigation into his death, saying they still need answers about what happened to their son.

Last month, a grand jury unanimously found no evidence warranting criminal charges. The 18-year-old died after a Fourth of July boating trip with friends off the Mississippi coast. The grand jury concluded his death was consistent with drowning, but the state autopsy and a separate one requested by his family described his manner of death as undetermined.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CRUMP, ATTRNEY FOR NOLAN WELLS' PARENTS: The Mississippi district attorney said after the grand jury proceeding that they have closed their case. And so -- but we have not closed our case and we refuse to close the chapter on Nolan Xavier Wells.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Still ahead on The Story Is this hour, the Supreme Court is weighing a critical climate change lawsuit against big oil companies. Jessica Levinson, legal expert, with what emerged from Monday's oral arguments after the break.

Plus, bring you the latest on the investigation into the Flydubai attack, including the suspect's likely target.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:22:28]

MICHAELSON: CNN, MS NOW and Politico have submitted a new court filing in their battle to maintain their White House access after President Trump barred the outlets last month for, quote, negative stories. A judge temporarily restored their credentials and the outlets are now seeking a longer term injunction.

In today's filing, the news organizations argue that the Trump administration has offered shifting justifications for the ban, including national security concerns, but have not submitted evidence to support those claims. The filing comes after Politico was barred from Air Force One today, leaving the flight without print pool coverage after other outlets refused to take Politico's place.

The United States Supreme Court appears conflicted over a major climate change case as it begins a new term. On Monday, justices heard arguments about a lawsuit from the city of Boulder, Colorado, which claims that two oil companies are responsible for the worsening effects of climate change.

That City is suing ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy for billions of dollars to help offset the cost of fires, floods and public health impacts linked to global warming. Dozens of other cities have filed similar suits against oil and gas companies. The court's decision on the matter is expected next year.

Joining now live to discuss is Jessica Levinson, professor of law at Loyola Law School. Jessica, welcome back to The Story Is.

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Happy first day of the term. I'm so happy to talk to you about it.

MICHAELSON: Yes. So real quickly, sort of, what is the backstory on this case? What is it?

LEVINSON: So I think you actually gave the backstory, but it's not what the court heard today. The consideration for the court was, number one, can they even hear this case? Do they have jurisdiction? And it gets a little technical.

But that part of the case boils down to this was a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that said to Boulder, OK, you can go ahead with your claims under state law that these energy companies have essentially created a nuisance and have cost you money. Suncor then appealed to the Supreme Court. Just on that question, can these cases even move forward in state court, or are they better situated, in fact, preempted under federal law? And can they only be heard in federal court?

So, again, the first question for the justices was can they hear this? Because there really hasn't been a final decision in one sense from that Colorado Supreme Court.

[01:25:04]

They just made a decision on can the case go forward? And then even if the Supreme Court can hear the case, is the state law case just preempted by federal law because there are all these national and international implications when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions?

MICHAELSON: So what did the justices say? Sometimes you can sort of read the room based off their questions.

LEVINSON: So I have to say I went into this morning. You know, oral arguments stream live at 7:00 a.m. and I was all ready. And I thought there is no way that Boulder can win this case because it would create this patchwork where essentially you can have so many different jurisdictions suing the same energy company for not asking for an admissions cap but instead asking for monetary damages. And I thought, I don't think that's going to move forward with this court.

I listened to oral arguments. I still think that's how it goes. But I'm less convinced. The justices had tough questions about jurisdiction and even tougher questions about why this case couldn't be heard in state court. Why it is the case that this isn't like from Justice Kagan's point of view, she said, isn't this kind of like the new tobacco case or isn't this new like a new an opioid case? If that's true, then these claims can move forward in state courts.

MICHAELSON: Justice Samuel Alito, one of the most conservative members of the bench, was not part of this. He recused himself because he has some stock ownership of one of these companies here. There was some thought that Justice Alito may have retired over the summer to give the Republican majority in the Senate a chance to replace him with a conservative justice where the Democrats would be shut out of the process.

He chose not to retire. He's back on the court in his late 70s. Your colleague at CBS, Jan Crawford, asked him about that on Friday Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO, SUPREME COURT: Well, it's something I think that somebody at my age has to think about every term, but I thought that I could still make a valuable contribution.

JAN CRAWFORD, CHIEF LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, CBS NEWS: So you'll be kind of reconsidering this probably every year rethinking it.

ALITO: Yes, I think I have to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Alito, now 76 years old, talk about how that impacts the court. And a reminder, as we're now at the midterms and there's very much a question whether it's going to be a Democratic or Republican Senate, how much of an impact that has on the Supreme Court for the next couple of years.

LEVINSON: So look, Supreme Court justices, like the rest of us, are very much aware of how they get their jobs. They have to be nominated by a president, confirmed by the Senate. And let's remember that it wasn't that long ago that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was replaced by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. And they have very different judicial philosophies.

And I think for anybody who's looking at trying to think about is this person going to time their retirement, in the back of their mind, they're thinking about Justice Ginsburg. And the court has changed fairly dramatically since she was on -- she was on the bench. I heard Justice Alito say, I still think I have a big contribution to make here. I think he look, it is possible that he looks at the midterm results and he changes his mind.

But I really heard him saying, I, I'm in good health, I understand my age. I'll reevaluate year to year. But I didn't hear him say, I want to time this according to election results, of course, with the caveat of everything we just said about Justice Ginsburg.

MICHAELSON: Yes, of course she resisted folks who wanted her to retire. And then she died in office. And then the Republicans had power and they did not, you know, they used it. And so that is the challenge sometimes in staying potentially too long.

Jessica Levinson with us live right now. Thank you so much for your perspective.

Coming up next on The Story Is, Yemen's Saudi-backed forces claim to have regained key positions from the Houthis that could impact global trade in a major way. Those details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:33:50]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yemen's Saudi backed government forces claimed to have retaken key positions near the Bab al-Mandab Strait from the Iran backed Houthis. Yemen's military spokesperson says government forces have succeeded in controlling the strait, which has become a vital alternate route since the Iran war severely disrupted traffic through Hormuz.

The Houthi controlled media denies reports that Yemen and Saudi-led forces are advancing. Yemen's military also claims it has regained control of a key road leading to the port town of Mocha.

CNN has not independently verified any of these claims, but if successful, the offensive would loosen the Houthis' grip along the Red Sea Coast.

Officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan convened on Monday for an emergency meeting where they agreed to deploy military resources to Saudi Arabia as part of the Mecca Defense Pact.

Sources tell CNN the co-pilot accused of trying to hijack a FlyDubai flight last week was likely targeting Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.

[01:34:51]

MICHAELSON: We're also learning from a regional diplomatic source that FlyDubai did not reach out to his previous employer, Oman Air, before they hired him.

CNN's Tamara Qiblawi did a deep dive into the suspects social media, which portrays a man with disturbing and extremist views. A warning: some of the images you're about to see are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: CNN has exclusive video that may give us insight into the mindset of the co-pilot, who sources say, allegedly tried to down a FlyDubai plane en route to Israel.

Hamam al-Hammami, whose views were so extreme, two sources said, that he was removed from a position with Oman Air before joining FlyDubai.

Al-Hammami appeared to have posted two videos to his now-deleted LinkedIn and Instagram pages on the day he allegedly attacked the captain with an axe.

The first post is a compilation of videos showing multiple planes belonging to El Al, Israel's national carrier, both on the tarmac and in the sky.

We geolocated one to Dubai. It was filmed in 2023 from inside the cockpit of an Oman Air flight from Dubai to Muscat. You can see here that date and flight number tracks with Hammams time at Oman Air.

The video ends with a tribute to al Qaeda's former leader Ayman al- Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's successor, as well as to a suicide bomber who killed nine people at a CIA outpost in Afghanistan in 2009.

The second video he posted is A.I.-generated, showing Islam's three holiest sites from the sky.

The videos appeared on LinkedIn and Instagram nearly nine hours after the incident, well after Hammami was detained. We don't know if the posts were scheduled in advance or if they were published by someone else.

CNN has reached out to LinkedIn and Meta for comment.

We looked at earlier posts, more than 3,000 Tweets from a deleted account bearing his name. They were published between 2021 and 2022.

These portray a murkier mindset, one obsessed with women. Nearly half the posts reference women, including this one. The post brags about putting women through quote, unquote "slut tests". In other posts, he refers to them as quote, unquote "banging machines".

Now, it's still too early to tell what the possible motives were, but the findings raise many questions, namely, how did Hamam al-Hammami pass the security checks, and how did he end up flying a plane on one of the world's most sensitive routes?

These are questions security officials in the region will be asking as they try to understand what happened.

Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: The World Health Organization is seeking answers from Russia after the death of a lab worker at a plague research institute in Siberia. The U.S. State Department says it is monitoring the situation and urging Russia officials to quote, "share accurate information quickly and openly".

Russia's infectious disease agency says the lab worker died after being diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin. However, one official in the far eastern region where the anti-plague lab is located, initially said that she died, possibly from the pneumonic plague.

Local media have identified the worker as Darya Shipilova. Despite the spreading fear, the WHO says the threat to public health appears to be low.

Russian authorities say they have found no evidence linking Shipilova' death to her work. But some experts find it difficult to take those statements at face value.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNIE JACOBSEN, AUTHOR, "BIOLOGICAL WAR": I mean, first of all, I don't think you can really take seriously anything that the Russian government says about any of this.

You know, they have really a sort of vested interest in covering up what might actually be going on in that lab. We don't know. It's behind a six-foot wall. There's concertina wire on top of that. It's a controlled entry facility.

But I agree with the other guest who said that the test tube breaking is a bit wonky. It doesn't really add up. If you are a researcher working with plague, you're aware of what you're working with.

Pneumonic plague, if that was, you know, a slurry of yersinia pestis in that test tube, that would have had to splash up on her face and go in her eyes or her mouth, she would immediately know the consequences and would have, you know, followed protocols to be in some kind of a quarantine situation directly adjacent to that lab.

The most important issue here, I think when you follow the logic of the reporters, the local people on the ground who are writing about this last Friday, FSB shows up. That's Russia's federal armed law enforcement agency, and they're escorting people to quarantine, which is not voluntary.

This was a very big situation, and it was sort of the kibosh was put on it by Russia very quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:39:51]

MICHAELSON: A comment by President Trump during a rally tonight in Nebraska is going viral and evoking strong reactions from all the top leaders in the state of California. The president was discussing the war with Iran and how he feels some gas prices will come down when he said this, about two southern California cities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to see a tremendous victory. You want to see a tremendous victory because it verifies all the things we did. And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial.

It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.

They can take out a city. Let them take -- let it -- let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. That's -- this is a very small price to pay. And it's going to be over very soon. It's essentially almost over with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: It's unclear if the president misspoke in poor wording when talking about L.A. and San Diego, but California officials are not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

The governor of California, the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego, and the members of the Senate and the House from the area have all put out statements in the last hour slamming the president.

Governor Gavin Newsom called him deranged and dangerous.

Again, the president there talking about the concept of Iran taking out Los Angeles and San Diego. No word from the White House clarifying his comments, at least not yet.

Thanks so much for watching THE STORY IS.

For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. For our viewers in North America. I'll be right back with Dr. Ian Smith talking about the foods you should eat if you're going through menopause. An interesting new book getting a lot of attention.

Stay with us.

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MICHAELSON: New research suggests that roughly one in eight cancer cases worldwide may be linked to infections, many of which are preventable or treatable. The study found that about 2.3 million or 12 percent of new cancer cases in 2024 were attributable to infections.

Two biggest contributors were H. pylori, linked to stomach cancer and HPV associated with cervical cancer. Hepatitis B and C were linked to hundreds of thousands of liver cancer cases. Researchers say vaccination, testing and treatment could prevent these infections from developing into cancer.

For more on this study and his new book, "The New Menopause Kitchen", I want to bring in Dr. Ian Smith. Welcome to the show. Great to see you.

DR. IAN SMITH, AUTHOR, "THE NEW MENOPAUSE KITCHEN": Good to see you again.

MICHAELSON: Congrats on the new book.

SMITH: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Let's talk about the cancer study first.

SMITH: Yes.

MICHAELSON: What's the most important thing for us to know about that.

SMITH: That vaccines actually save lives. That treatment, early treatment and definitive treatment can actually prevent cancer. We knew this, by the way, for years for Epstein-Barr virus, that's one of the first viruses that we knew was linked to cancer, particularly lymphoma.

But now this is just more evidence that we need to keep the pressure on vaccinations. And this is unfortunate. You know, one out of eight cancers worldwide are attributed to infections that are treatable and preventable. That's not -- it's bad, but it's also good. It's bad because it shouldn't exist, but it's good because you can do something about it.

MICHAELSON: And we can make a difference when it comes to that.

SMITH: Absolutely.

And so unfortunately, so many people experience cancer.

But every woman of a certain age experiences menopause. And you've got a new book about that called "The New Menopause Kitchen". It is written by you with recipes by Rachael Ray. It is number one in the menopause section of Amazon already.

So when I look at you, the first thing I think of is not menopause.

SMITH: Thank you. I appreciate that.

MICHAELSON: Why this particular topic?

SMITH: Well, 1.5 million American women reach menopause every year. 75 million women are either living in perimenopause, menopause or post- menopause. So this is a big issue.

But in my Facebook groups, and you know this, you've known me for many years, Every time I write a book, I do a Facebook group to help people through the plan. The last group, women came up to me after the group and said, Dr. Ian,

we don't know what you wrote, but we're menopausal and perimenopausal. We start to lose weight. We haven't lost weight in years. Hot flashes are less, night sweats are less. Mood is better.

Can you write a program that specifically addresses just the nutritional part of treating these particular symptoms with exercise?

And so this is how "The New Menopause Kitchen" came about. And by the way, we now have a new Facebook group that's called "The New Menopause Kitchen". So people should join the group who are watching.

And then I went to Rachael and said, hey, Rachael, do me a favor. Write some recipes with the particular nutrients in Chapter Two that are talking about that can be helpful.

And we've got some video of some of Rachael's food --

SMITH: Yes.

MICHAELSON: -- which looks very delicious.

SMITH: Always.

MICHAELSON: As you would imagine.

SMITH: Yes.

MICHAELSON: So you both say the kinds of foods that you should be eating. And then some of the foods that you should not be eating.

What are the big top lines in terms of you should and you shouldn't?

SMITH: Yes. Well, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B6, 9 and 12, magnesium for sleep and mood. This is important because we talk about protein.

MICHAELSON: This is the good food --

SMITH: Yes. This is the good food.

MICHAELSON: -- that Rachael cooks. Yes.

SMITH: That's right. A lot of protein, a lot of whole foods, anti- inflammatory foods. A lot of women in middle age unfortunately have chronic inflammation. And that exacerbates their menopausal symptoms.

So in the book and the ten-week plan, we load up on anti-inflammatory foods. We load up on more protein, not excessive, but load up on the protein, but also more of the whole foods.

So there's ten weeks of the plan and there's an exercise plan that goes along with it.

MICHAELSON: Well, and speaking of that, an interesting concept, which I don't think I've ever seen before in your book. There are QR codes that are listed. And so if you scan this with your phone, it shows you and our mutual pal Joey Thurman doing the exercises.

SMITH: That's right.

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MICHAELSON: So, so you, you can like literally have you teach the exercises so you know that you're doing it correctly.

[01:49:44]

SMITH: If the book says you need to do a glute bridge, you've never heard of it, you hit the QR code, you see me or Joey doing that particular exercise.

And I did that because so many people are a full range of level of fitness. Someone who's been sedentary for a long time, all the way to an advanced fitness person.

I wanted to make sure that this plan can accommodate everyone. And so the QR codes are a nice touch.

MICHAELSON: And in terms of exercising, is there something different you should be doing if you're going through this period?

SMITH: Not enough women in this country are eating enough protein and doing resistance training, building muscle. As women go through midlife, they lose muscle, something called sarcopenia. That increases your metabolism.

So the women were coming to me saying, Dr. Ian, I'm gaining weight. Can't lose it. I'm having abdominal bloat because the estrogen is no longer there. So you redistribute your fat. With the plan of resistance training and with more protein that counteracts that.

MICHAELSON: Dr. Ian Smith, thanks so much for being with us again. "The New Menopause Kitchen", your 30th book.

SMITH: Number 30.

MICHAELSON: This is crazy.

SMITH: Yes.

MICHAELSON: I feel like I've done interviews about 20 of them.

SMITH: I was going to say you've known me for the whole time.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

SMITH: And make sure you join our Facebook group, which is called "The New Menopause Kitchen".

MICHAELSON: Excellent. Thanks so much for being here.

We'll be back to wrap things up with more of THE STORY IS right after this. [01:50:57]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Bidding has started on a piece of modern history -- a rare Apple One computer. It was Apple's first product and sold as an assembled circuit board. Buyers had to get their own monitor, keyboard, power supply and case.

The computer is signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and comes with a letter signed by Steve Jobs, expected to sell for between $500,000 and $800,000.

Scientists say they may have found a new type of planet. Most planets form alongside the stars they orbit, but researchers say this possible planet may have formed from material released after its host star died, making it a possible second-generation planet.

Scientists say more work is needed to confirm whether it is in fact, a planet.

Thanks so much for watching THE STORY IS.

Tomorrow, Brian Tyler Cohen and Elisha Krauss will be here for our political panel.

The news continues right here on CNN after a break. I'll see you back here tomorrow.

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