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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Marist Poll: James Talarico 47 Percent, Paxton 45 Percent In Texas Senate Race; U.S. Judge Extends Media Outlets' White House Access; Pope Leo Recovering From Surgery At Hospital Amid Lung Cancer Diagnosis; U.S. And China Engaged In Battle To Be At The Top Of Tech; China Steps Up Data Center Construction as Demand Surges; "CNN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES". Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 14, 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: Virtual assistant Siri a bigger part of your life with Siri AI showing you relevant information based on your text messages, calendar and more. Until now, Siri AI only worked on the iPhone 15 Pro and later models. HomeView is one of several new products launched under Apple's new CEO, John Ternus. Remember, he's got the engineering background.
Thanks so much for watching the first hour of The Story Is flew by. The next hour starts right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: I'm Elex Michaelson. It's 10 o'clock here in Los Angeles. Coming up, the story is candidate clashes. We'll have the highlights from three Senate debases and races that could prove critical in deciding who wins control of Congress after the November midterm.
The story is talking Texas. We have brand new poll numbers from a close U.S. Senate race ahead of Wednesday night's town hall.
And the story is a sudden surgery, why doctors are optimistic about the Pope's health after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
But we begin with brand new polling from Marist. In one of the closest Senate races, certainly the most expensive Senate race in the country. The poll shows Democrat James Talarico with 47 percent support among likely voters. Republican Ken Paxton is at 45 percent.
The margin of error in this one pretty high, 4.9 percent, which could go either way, meaning this thing is a statistical dead heat where frankly one of them could have a big lead.
Talarico does slightly better among registered voters with a four point lead, but that's down from six points last month. If this poll is to be leaped, it seems like this particular race is tightening and Paxton is starting to do a little better. The 37-year-old Talarico is looking to become the first Texas Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate since Lloyd Benson back in 1988.
Early voting begins next week. Spending in the race has now surpassed an eye popping $500 million.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Now before we get started, I love you too, sir. In a totally platonic way. To be clear. I'm the vice President, not James Talarico. He was asked what he loves in life besides his own family and friends, and he responded without skipping a beat, and I quote, trans children. Now you got to wonder what the Internet search history of a man like that looks like. Ladies and gentlemen, you don't want to find out. Neither do I.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Our panel is back with U.S. conservative commentator Elisha Krauss and global consultant Fabian Nunez. I mean, is he suggesting that he's a pedophile? Is he suggesting that he's gay? I mean, what's he doing there as the Vice President of the United States?
FABIAN NUNEZ, FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER, ACTUM: Well, you know, here is the vice president basically has learned reading off the presidential script of President Trump, which is to insult people, which is to try to dehumanize people, which is to try and separate communities to hide from the fact that they've ruined the economy. This is the worst presidential administration in the last 60 years that has delivered nothing, nothing positive for the country, in fact, has delivered the worst economic disability that the country has faced in the last -- in the last 30 years.
If you think about the standard of living for Americans, the cost of goods and services, the cost to pay rent, the cost of gasoline, and all of these things that are really happening, they're trying to hide, they're trying to create a social agenda to try to hide the fact that they've ruined the country and the economy of this country is really the voters paying the price for what's really happened.
And this level -- this level of disregard and disrespect for the, for, for human dignity, I think is one of the reasons why Texans are saying, you know what, we've had enough of the Republican leadership. It's time to vote for someone like Talarico. That poll has them up to 2 points. The Siena Poll has them up 4 points. I think Democrats have a shot in Texas this time around. And we also have a shot, by the way, in the gubernatorial race.
MICHAELSON: I mean, do you think that that's the right kind of language for the Vice President, United States to be used?
ELISHA KRAUSS, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: I'd have to watch the entire clip to see what he's doing here. I understand what you're saying, but I think what he is trying to do is what Republicans have long known are winning issues for them. And when it comes to transing children, when it comes to people that think that Jesus is non-binary and, you know, God is a woman and other blasphemous things that Talarico has said.
[01:05:00]
I think JD Vance knows that the average voter, Democrat or Republican in Texas, doesn't jive with those viewpoints. And so he's trying to shift it to a major winning issue for Republicans that frankly, is not on the ballot this time around, because thank God, we've won those arguments in court cases in schools across the country for parental rights and children's rights and so on. I think that he should be talking about very specific issues of what Ken Paxton can do better.
And I've long said on this show and many others that Paxton himself is not that great of a candidate. And I think that that's why you're see Democrats after dumping tens of millions of dollars into this seat for longer than I've been alive. I mean, I was two years old last time a Democrat won the Senate there, as you pointed out at the start of the show, like, they -- this is the best chance that they've ever had because even though the margin of error is pretty large in a lot of these polls that we're seeing, Ted Cruz never was behind in the way that Paxton has been.
And so I think that Democrats, if I were them, I'd be putting all my money on Texas.
NUNEZ: Yes, but what's interesting about this is, you know, look, the strategy here is to move away from the economic conversation. Right. Because that's what's hurting in Texas is the pocketbook issues. Stir.
KRAUSS: I think his strategy is actually to stir up the Republican base and get them to --
NUNEZ: Well, yes, get them to vote. But it's also --
KRAUSS: I don't necessarily think that JD Vance or any other Republican on the ground --
NUNEZ: But it's also stir --
KRAUSS: -- trying to move away from --
NUNEZ: But it's also stirring the pot on the social issues. Because if you can --
KRAUSS: Because that's how we've won in the past.
NUNEZ: Well, that's exactly how you've won in the past. But the chickens are coming home to roost because this time around, it's not working. And this time around, people are really focused on the economic conditions that they're comparing.
KRAUSS: And by the way, Republicans can point out Talarico's, I think, very extreme stances on the economy, and we should be able to win on that.
NUNEZ: By the way, the answer to that question was really all the children. He thinks about the children. All the children. And someone mentioned trans. And he said, yeah, trans children as well. Children are children. He loves -- he said his love and respect for all the children.
But, you know, the vice president wants to focus on trans kids. He has a right to do whatever he wants. But they're going to lose an election in the U.S. Senate in Texas, and they may lose the gubernatorial seat as well. By the way.
MICHAELSON: If the Democrats win Texas, then the Democrats have a very good shot at winning the United States Senate. And it certainly seems like the Democrats are going to win the House by every single projection that's out there. So our colleague Stephen Collinson has a provocative article up on CNN.com right now with the headline that says this, analysis, Democrats will face a harsh reality if they win the midterms, he writes, with the House looking increasingly likely to go blue and with Republicans sweating on the Senate, the question of whether Democrats could take tangible, fast action to ease Americans financial burden deserves more scrutiny.
Basically suggesting that the Democrats get in power and then what do you do about affordability? Can you actually make this happen? It's interesting. You were at an event today with Arnold Schwarzenegger. You were the speaker of the assembly when he was the governor. You were a Democrat, he was a Republican. The two of you worked together to pass something called AB32. We've got some video of the two of you together.
AB32 was this landmark climate initiative that is 20 years old now and is being celebrated. You had this event today with leaders from both parties coming together to celebrate the fact that you got something done.
Is something like that even possible in today's environment?
NUNEZ: Well, I hope it is possible. And I hope that if and when the Democrats win both the House and the Senate, that they focus on getting the job done for the American people. It's time to focus on the American people and put aside the political bickering. It's time for Democrats and Republicans to come together and to look at the problems that the country confronts, not the least of which is the energy crisis that we're facing, the affordability crisis with respect to the lack of reach that young families have to having affordable housing and the question of affordability, just generally speaking, access to jobs for young people, college affordability.
We have to really focus on the things that are important for the American people. And if the Democrats win, what they need to do, yes, they need to keep an eye on all the corruption that's taken place. You know, there has to be accountability for what has gone on. But at the same time, on a parallel path, we have to work on constructive issues with this president.
He is the president of the country. He did get the votes. He won the majority. He sits in the White House. And we have to respect the office of the presidency. Even though we don't like him as a person, we have to work with him in concert with him to get things done. That's what we did in California when I was speaker and Governor Schwarzenegger was governor. You have Democrats and Republicans coming together to tackle the most important issues that the state of California confronted.
So I hope that we do the same thing in Washington. It may not seem like it's the likely thing that will happen.
KRAUSS: I think it depends.
NUNEZ: You never know. But you never know.
KRAUSS: I think it depends on who ends up in power, who kind of becomes the power players within the Democratic Party, because if you guys win the House, you know who's going to likely be your speaker. And I think that -- despite the fact that I disagree, of course, but I don't think he's a Nancy Pelosi.
[01:10:02]
And listen, I disagree with Nancy Pelosi on a lot of politics, but that woman is the queen of the Democratic Party. And she was kind of able to wield the squad and AOC and some of the radicals in your midst and say, sit down, shut up. You know, queen's in charge now. And I don't think that.
MICHAELSON: And that's how he used to lead to Hakeem. That's how they got a lot of.
KRAUS: I don't know that Hakeem able to do that.
MICHAELSON: We don't know if he does but interesting. Speaking of new jobs.
NUNEZ: Yes.
MICHAELSON: There's some new reporting tonight about the new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, who had her first day today, and a lot of folks felt like it didn't go all that well. Let's watch some of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE ZACHARIA, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me. I have wanted to work for him for a very long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Some new reporting from CNN's Kristen Holmes that President Trump was the one who wanted her to do this briefing. A source tells Kristen Holmes. And that even though it was so quick, he wanted to do it. He knew the plan. He told her about the Kimberly Guilfoyle thing, that other folks in the administration were worried that it may have been too soon. But this was President Trump's idea, and she went out and did what he wanted. Your thoughts, your reading on it? I mean, we've, we've all known Katie Zacharia, your thoughts on it? KRAUSS: Yes. Politics in California is a very small world.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KRAUSS: I know she's been on the show numerous others with me and others many times. And I think that -- but she is new to this game. She has, I mean, you and I have worked in media for the majority of our adult life. Katie has not. Her background is in doing other things. She worked with Rick Grinnell. She's been in the fundraising game for a long time. So Karoline Leavitt left very large, very qualified, very talented shoes to fill. It'll be curious to see what she goes on to do.
I mean, you have other White House press secretaries, Dana Perino, Kayleigh McEnany, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, you know that, like these are -- this is a stepping stone to set you up for the rest of your career on the right or the left. Jen Psaki as well. Right. And so I think that it's Katie's first day at this job, and this is all very new to her. And I think that she's potentially smart enough to get her stuff together and do better tomorrow.
MICHAELSON: Your thoughts on you?
NUNEZ: I mean, look, I'd never like to kick anybody when they're down, particularly when it's your first day on the job. But I will say, you know, in the Trump administration to be press secretary, you just got to get up there and, you know, make it up as you go along. I mean, the fact that facts matter very little with this administration. So if you're representing President Trump, you could just make it up. He does that all the time. His other press secretaries do that. It's very easy if you don't know the facts.
KRAUSS: That never happened under Biden or Obama at all.
NUNEZ: Make them up as you go along. Make them up as you go along. And kick out the reporters that you don't like, like CNN. If they ask you tougher, just kick them out. That way you only have friendly reporters that tell you what you want to hear and you can answer the questions however you want. And when the facts really, really don't matter.
KRAUSS: I think it's --
NUNEZ: And I think this administration is, needs to understand that in our country that the right of the free press is so, so important. And I think this issue to me is secondary. I mean, this is her first day on the job. Let's give her a break. But let's not take our foot off the pedal where democracy is concerned and the voice of the American people are really, really important. We can't silence that voice.
MICHAELSON: And the job is to be the White House press secretary. You are a paid employee by taxpayers to try to get information out to the American public. It is not to be a spokesperson for the RNC.
KRAUSS: I know, but longer than we've been alive. You are the spokesperson for the guy that's in the Oval Office.
MICHAELSON: By the way --
KRAUSS: That's the way it is.
MICHAELSON: -- hopefully it can be a bit of a combo. Just like the Attorney General is not the President's lawyer, it's the lawyer for the country.
NUNEZ: As it should be.
MICHAELSON: Elisha, Fabian, thank you guys so much. And speaking of that fight, we've got some news on the front of that fight with a federal judge has extended the order allowing CNN, MS NOW and Politico to continue to have access to the White House just as the current order was set to expire about an hour and 15 minutes ago.
It's been nearly one month since the White House originally revoked the credentials for the outlets. President Trump has defended the ban, claiming the outlets coverage was negative or one sided and the Justice Department says it poses a threat to national security. The attorney for CNN, MS NOW and Politico issued a statement after that ruling saying in part when the president issued his ban on the free press, he blatantly and explicitly violated due process and the First Amendment to the harm this ban did to our clients.
The First Amendment and the public as a whole is profound. The court was right to enjoin the White House from enforcing this unconstitutional ban on the free press for the foreseeable future. That is from Ted Boutrous Jr. who is pretty much undefeated in these cases in the past.
Joining me now is Adam Rose, deputy director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Adam, you are a lawyer who works and specializes in this space. Explain for us in layman's terms for folks that aren't lawyers, basically what this decision means and the practical effect of it.
[01:15:07]
ADAM ROSE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS FOUNDATION: Well, I want to be very clear about something. Unlike Ted, I am not a lawyer. I am a nerd.
MICHAELSON: OK.
ROSE: And I nerding out on First Amendment issues for me journalists.
MICHAELSON: There we go.
ROSE: Yes, well, I unfortunately, and here's the reality, I practically had to learn all of the law around this, and I work with lawyers every day on these very issues. So we're working together. But my background is actually in journalism, having had to overcome various sorts of challenges related to press freedoms. So that's where I dovetail into this.
And you know, frankly, you mentioned what a great track record that Ted has had as a lawyer representing the press in this matter. If there's anyone I might feel bad for, it's probably the lawyers for Trump. Because as I have read over this ruling this evening from the judge several times now, what strikes me more and more is how much the worst witness for President Trump is President Trump himself.
This opinion is littered with screenshots from Truth Social showing exactly what the president was intending to do, what his real motives were. And then when the lawyers for Trump after the fact had to sort of make up excuses about national security and things that they couldn't really get any fact pattern to establish, you know, the judge wasn't having it.
And so that's what's led to a very clear and decisive ruling on behalf of the press when it comes to the hard passes that journalists have to access, White House grounds, meaning they get expedited security and they also are able to walk to certain areas without an escort. This comes as a preliminary injunction which follows a temporary restraining order.
So while that sounds like lawyer speak, I want to be clear that it's not. It is, however, very good news for the press because it means that now, for some indefinite period here, those hard passes will remain with CNN, MS NOW and Politico. What this does not address, however, is the issue with the pool, meaning the five television networks which rotate coverage of the president. That will be an ongoing legal battle. As realistically will the hard passes. That's going to be appeal for sure.
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, that's, that's my question. What's next in terms of the pool fight and how could that fight be different than this particular fight?
ROSE: Excellent question. So just so everyone out there knows, and I would think that many viewers of CNN are news nerds like me and appreciate this sort of coverage, you've probably recognized that there are plenty of places where you can't fit a thousand people from the White House Press Corps and whether that is on Air Force One or the Oval Office or traveling around the globe, there's generally one TV camera, actually usually two. But there's one lead TV camera that follows the president and documents what happens.
This is important for historical reasons. We could think about anything from, you know, the JFK assassination to any sort of modern day equivalent of major news stories that change our history. And so the president has effectively blocked those outlets from participating in pools. And that really matters because CNN is 20 percent of the TV pool. And that means that on 20 percent of the days we don't necessarily see coverage of the president from a television camera which would inform us how is he performing as president, is he fit? Is he falling asleep at his desk in the middle of important meeting? These are questions that, you know, the public may very well have.
So while that remains unaddressed in this ruling, just in the last few days, we've also heard that the president through the Department of Justice apparently is having an investigation into those TV pool networks where there's allegations of anti-competitive actions when they boycotted additional coverage.
Now realistically that boycott is over. The press cameras have gone back on the days where they're allowed to because they want to document history. But you know, this is a weaponized Department of Justice at this point.
MICHAELSON: Adam Rose sharing his perspective as the deputy director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Of course, the Department of Justice would say that is not the case and we welcome them to make their case as well. Thank you so much for being with us.
Still ahead on the story is, the Vatican reveals Pope Leo's cancer diagnosis after he underwent surgery. What we know about his condition as he recovers in the hospital.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:23:24]
MICHAELSON: The Vatican says that Pope Leo is recovering after undergoing what they describe as a successful surgery to remove a growth that was determined to be lung cancer. The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed during a 90 minute procedure on Tuesday. All of his public events have been canceled for the next week as he recovers. CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has the latest on the Pope's diagnosis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's obviously alarming news that Pope Leo has been diagnosed with this form of cancer. You know, initially the Vatican said on Tuesday that the surgery that Pope Leo had been admitted to undergo had been a success. And then we were told in a follow up statement by the doctors at the Gemelli Hospital that the Pope had part of his right lung removed and that it had showed the subsequent tests that he had this cancer.
Now the statement also said that it was suspected that he might have cancer and that this simply confirmed what had been suspected initially.
Now Pope Leo is in the Gemelli Hospital recovering following the surgery that lasted around 90 minutes. He's in the 10th floor of this hospital which has been visited by a number of popes over the years. It's expected that he'll take about a week to recover, but then it's unclear what happens next. There will be further tests that will be undertaken on the Pope.
[01:25:00]
He does have a planned trip to Latin America in early November. There's obviously a question mark over that. His audiences have been cancelled until the 20th of October. This news, of course, causing a lot of anxiety and alarm in the Vatican and across the Catholic Church. Pope Leo only elected in May 2025. He's 71 years old. He had been seen to be in reasonably good health. So this has been a shock. However, a lung expert I spoke to said that if this kind of cancer is detected early, then the outcomes are looking quite positive, but obviously a lot of uncertainty. On Tuesday night here at the Gemelli Hospital following the news that Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Dr. Stephen Liu is the chief of hematology and oncology at the MedStar Georgetown Hospital. He spoke with CNN about the pope's diagnosis and what it could mean for his recovery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. STEPHEN LIU, CHIEF OF HEMATOLOGY AND ONCOLOGY, MEDSTAR GEORGETOWN CANCER INSTITE: We think the decision to proceed with the surgery is encouraging. The surgery is only offered when the cancer is localized and potentially curable. Most patients diagnosed with lung cancer cannot undergo resection. Lung cancer typically presents at a much more advanced stage because when it's small and localized to the lung, it generates no symptoms.
We only find these cancers if we go looking for them or by chance. Lung cancer is a cancer that spreads early, and we're fortunate when we find it at an early stage where the outlook is quite good and surgery alone is likely to be curative. But if that cancer has found a way to spread to those lymph nodes, and we typically do look at more therapy, which could be a combination of chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Artificial intelligence has become a divisive issue in the U.S. but other countries are racing to expand their AI capabilities. President Trump has said that he wants the U.S. to beat China in the AI race. But China has its own challenges with development. AI infrastructure is booming there, with plenty of space to grow.
CNN Simone McCarthy visited one of the massive hubs where Chinese data centers are being built.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the edge of the Gobi Desert in northern China, rolling planes are being rapidly transformed.
MCCARTHY: Sprawling data centers like this are at the heart of the race of the century.
MCCARTHY (voice-over): As Americans push back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who's counting?
MCCARTHY (voice-over): While President Trump demands the U.S. stay ahead. DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Whoever wins AI wins.
MCCARTHY (voice-over): Beijing is playing to its advantages. Green energy, open spaces, and the power to build wherever and however it wants. We've come to Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, a rural Chinese city where nearly every passing vehicle shows its AI push. At least 89 data centers are slated to be built here.
MCCARTHY: There is block after block of construction here. Data centers from some of China's biggest companies.
MCCARTHY (voice-over): Among the marquee projects, what will be one of the world's largest data centers by area. A facility by Chinese green technology company Envision. We are the first international media allowed to visit and see inside the tightly guarded server rooms that will soon be filled with specialized tech.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The demand for computing power almost doubled every year.
MCCARTHY: Do you think you have enough space here to meet the kind of demand that you're expecting to see in the coming years?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This data center is already fully occupied, so we are building more.
MCCARTHY (voice-over): Zhang says the state of the art facility uses a so called zero water cooling system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We only consume a bath tank of water every day. Those waters are not mostly for cooling, it's just for maybe regular use.
MCCARTHY (voice-over): And draws most of its energy from outside the grid. Around 100 miles to the north, we find the source. Wind turbines will directly power at least 80 percent of the campus. While the U.S. faces a power crunch building out data centers, China has an oversupply of clean energy.
MCCARTHY: China is using that to its advantage, planning data center hubs in places with ample green energy.
MCCARTHY (voice-over): Beijing has designated eight national computing hubs. But the U.S. had 10 times as many data centers as of last year. And China faces a crucial obstacle.
KYLE CHAN, FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The U.S. has a significant advantage in terms of having more powerful, more capable AI chips.
MCCARTHY (voice-over): Back in Ulanqab, we saw no sign of pushback as it becomes a data city.
MA RONG, GROCERY STORE OWNER (through translator): Before we'd just sit here and wait for customers. Now we're busy all the time.
MCCARTHY (voice-over): Residents we spoke to largely saw the benefits. [01:30:04]
LIU BAOPING, RESTAURANT OWNER (through translator): The environment isn't as clean as before, but people's incomes and the economy, it's way better.
MCCARTHY: And for China's tech companies, these centers are a play to win the A.I. race.
Simon McCarthy, CNN, Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Fascinating.
Up next on THE STORY IS, NASA's Perseverance rover has set a new record. More on what the vehicle has achieved on Mars. One of the top guys who runs the program is with us in studio to explain what's next on the Red Planet.
[01:30:40]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is living up to its name. The U.S. space agency announced the six-wheeler has driven farther than any other vehicle ever has on the surface of another planet.
It took Perseverance less than six years to break the record set by NASA's Opportunity rover, which explores Mars for nearly 15 years.
Who better to speak on this achievement than Steven Lee, the project manager of the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, which is based right here in southern California.
Steven, this stuff is so cool. This is my favorite thing to talk about the entire show. So, thanks for the good work that you do, not only for our country, but for humanity.
All right. So let's start with how this thing works. We've got some animatronics to show how this thing gets around.
STEVEN LEE, PROJECT MANAGER, PERSEVERANCE AND CURIOSITY MARS ROVERS, NASA JET PROPULSION LAB: Yes. So the Perseverance rover is able to do much of its driving on its own. Self-driving, like your self-driving car. But the difference here is we have ground controllers who defined what the target point is at the end and also say, hey, here's keep out zones you should avoid.
But from there, the rover is able to take care of itself. It's able to take images of the terrain in front of it, stereo images. It figures out where it's a little hazardous, where it's the safest, and it picks its way through to the ultimate target.
MICHAELSON: So that's a look at how it works. We also have some animation that shows the path that it has taken, which is like if it's the self-driving Waymo, if it was -- this is -- this is the path. So talk about why it's gone here and sort of what it's found along the way. Yes.
LEE: We landed in a place called Jezero Crater. It was an ancient impact crater back when Mars was very wet, think rain and rivers. And here, there was a river that fed a lake in in this crater and created a river delta. And so we've been exploring the delta.
MICHAELSON: How long ago was that?
LEE: It was about 3.5 billion years ago.
MICHAELSON: 3.5 billion years ago.
LEE: Where there was -- it was very wet and this lake existed.
MICHAELSON: All right. So it's been a minute. So you're exploring that and getting around it and telling it where to go. Right.
LEE: Correct.
MICHAELSON: Is there an end destination you're trying to get to?
LEE: Yes. Actually, we've completed our explorations of inside the crater where there used to be the lake and used to be the river. And we've now moved our way up onto the crater rim, which is whole new terrain and whole new ancient geology.
MICHAELSON: So, so far we've shown you animations, but now we want to show you an actual picture. And this is a selfie that that it took of itself. This is an actual image from Mars. What do you see when you look at this?
LEE: That's correct. This is a selfie image as you describe, of a place called Shuaiba Falls in the lake bed or the river bed that I was describing. And we made a very interesting discovery there of a rock that had spots that in the end, after a lot of analysis we've determined is a potential biosignature.
It could be evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars. It's possible also that it was created through natural geological processes. But it was so compelling, we took a sample of it in order to eventually bring it back to earth for analysis here.
MICHAELSON: So I think we have a picture of that rock as well, right.
LEE: Correct.
MICHAELSON: And so -- and so why does that matter? Why does the -- if that -- if there was water, why does that matter?
LEE: So on earth, wherever there's water, there's life, there's many ingredients that go into forming life.
And so Perseverance, the instrument suite was designed to try to see, is there evidence of those ingredients? And this rock had a bonanza of that evidence, including organics.
These spots, which possibly could be evidence of microbes actually eating parts of the rock and using it for nutrients.
MICHAELSON: Wow. That's really interesting.
So, you know, to do all this is expensive, right? And there's -- there's -- there was a push to try to bring samples of this back. And some of the funding of that got canceled. And I'm sure you didn't -- weren't thrilled about that.
For folks that are watching this, that are like, this is great, but I'm worried about paying my gas. And I got a lot of other problems. And this is just so far out.
Why does this matter to an average person, an average taxpayer? What's the benefit of this mission?
LEE: Well, for really millennia, thousands of years, humans have asked ourselves, what's out there? Are we alone? And we really yearn to explore, and we are at the cutting edge of modern exploration and really especially looking for signs of life off the earth.
And we're really at the vanguard of that. And having a small amount of our resources, NASA represents about 0.3 percent of the overall federal budget.
[01:39:44]
LEE: It really enable us to lift our eyes above the horizon and think beyond the day-to-day worries and really help scratch that itch of the yearning for exploration we all have.
MICHAELSON: So we got about 30 seconds left.
What is next? Where does this thing go from here?
LEE: Yes. So we are on the crater rim. It -- where we're exploring right now has some of the most ancient rocks ever explored, including on earth.
And not only that, but these areas have hydrothermal systems, which could potentially be a completely different type of ancient ecosystem.
So we've already found a potential biosignature in a nice watery environment, and now would be awesome to find a potential biosignature in a hydrothermal environment, kind of similar to Yellowstone on earth.
MICHAELSON: And realistic timeline for humans to visit Mars would be?
LEE: Well, there's -- there are precursor missions to start that exploration process. We have a set of helicopters called Skyfall that will be exploring sites that potentially, potentially could be used by humans in the future for landing and for resources.
MICHAELSON: So a potential year where we might visit Mars?
LEE: We're not quite ready to say exact year --
MICHAELSON: Ok.
LEE: -- but we certainly are -- have it on the plan, starting with the moon. Learn -- learn at the moon, and then work our way to Mars.
MICHAELSON: Steven Lee, project manager for Perseverance Mars rover, one of the coolest jobs there is. Thanks so much for coming in and great work there.
LEE: You're most welcome. Thank you so much.
MICHAELSON: You are watching THE STORY IS.
For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be right back with this: "CNN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES" in Bangkok.
We will head there, where global leaders are discussing a wide range of topics including A.I., climate change and the economy.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is among the CNN journalists taking part and leading this event. She will join us live from Bangkok, take us inside the room, when we come back.
[01:41:34]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Well, happening right now, a very special conference called "CNN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES", which is happening in Bangkok. The one-day live event is bringing together dignitaries, visionaries and leaders from across business, technology and culture. They're exploring big ideas, bold leadership and conversations being led by CNN journalists.
And one of those is Kristie Lu Stout, who joins us live right now from Bangkok.
This seems really cool, Kristie. Talk to us about what's happening and, and what you're learning, including making some news.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Elex. And it's so great to be joining you.
I am here in Bangkok, and let me tell you this week, the Thai capital is commanding the world's attention. We have some 18,000 dignitaries here.
I'm talking finance ministers, CEOs, government officials from all around the world to attend the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, as well as "CNN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES".
And as you can guess, a number of very big and consequential topics are being discussed.
For example, the conflict in the Middle East that continues to push energy prices higher, especially here in Southeast Asia. The climate crisis has been further whipped up by El Nino. And on top of that, A.I. and the promise and perils of this transformative technology.
So a lot to get to. We did hear from the IMF this week calling A.I. a, quote, "slow moving tsunami" that is set to affect some 40 percent -- four, zero -- 40 percent of all jobs.
On the same token, the IMF this week in Bangkok also announced that because of A.I. investment, they have slightly upgraded the global economic outlook to 3.1 percent. So as you can imagine, decision makers, business leaders need to be very, very nimble in this environment.
Now here at "CNN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES" on the stage, we were able to break some news.
I spoke to the CEO of Grab. Grab is the Southeast Asian super app. This is used by tens of millions, if not more people across Southeast Asia. It's in eight countries and over 950 different cities.
It's a ride-hailing app that beat Uber on its home market, but also does deliveries, also provides supports for SMEs and entrepreneurs.
And he announced a deepening partnership with OpenAI, the global tech giant that's based out of the U.S., and they plan to upskill and give practical A.I. skills to Grab riders, workers, entrepreneurs here in Thailand.
I want you to listen to this
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY TAN, CEO/CO-FOUNDER, GRAB: Today, We're very pleased and honored to announce our "Go Forward with A.I." "Go Forward with A.I." is a partnership with OpenAI.
Across the region, we will help over 30,000 driver partners, delivery partners, merchant partners embrace A.I. ChatGPT Pro for free, the best models.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: So this is a program between Grab, the Southeast Asian super app, and OpenAI to provide free A.I. services like ChatGPT for thousands of delivery riders and drivers and merchants in Thailand, and they plan to roll it out to some tens of thousands, a total of 30,000 gig workers across Southeast Asia.
So bottom line, they can make more money. And Southeast Asia is a market that is so ripe for this. I mean, this is a place that is home to 700 million people and it's young.
In fact, 34 percent of the population here is between the ages of 15 and 34. So you've got a population that is young, that is very tech- savvy, that is mobile first and very eager to master the technology that is A.I., Elex.
MICHAELSON: Well, it looks like an awesome event. I hope -- I'd love to join you sometime in the future, but Richard Quest is there --
STOUT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- and Sanjay Gupta --
STOUT: Yes. That would be great.
MICHAELSON: -- and lots of -- lots of great colleagues.
And you can check this out on, on social media throughout the day on our accounts, on various programs throughout the day, on CNN as well. And it really looks like fascinating programing.
Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Bangkok, Thailand. Thank you so much, Kristie. Best of luck with the rest of the conference.
STOUT: Thank you. Elex.
[01:49:51]
MICHAELSON: Still to come, we're going to be talking baseball. Major League Baseball postseason is heating up. We'll look ahead to game three of the NLCS and recap game two of the ALCS. Plus a look at what's happening in the day ahead.
When we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS.
Here's a look at some of the top stories in the day ahead.
President Trump is set to campaign in Arizona and Montana in the coming hours. The White House says he's added upcoming appearances in Kentucky and Florida.
[01:54:42]
MICHAELSON: The president's midterm blitz took him to Alaska on Tuesday to stump for the incumbent, Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Polls show an unexpectedly close race between Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola.
CNN is getting ready for a Texas-sized town hall in the day ahead. Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico will answer questions from voters in Fort Worth. He's hoping to become the first Texas Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate since 1988.
Talarico, locked in a tight race with Republican state attorney general, Ken Paxton. Dodger fans are hoping the third time is the charm for their hometown
heroes. The NLCS heads to Los Angeles for game three on Wednesday where the two-time defending World Series champions hope to bounce back from a two-nothing deficit to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers, chasing their second pennant and first in the National League. They have never won the World Series.
In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays have taken two of their championship series against the Cleveland Guardians.
They capitalized on an error by Jose Ramirez, winning 3 to 1 earlier tonight. That series now tied at one game apiece. Game three of the best of seven series heads to Cleveland on Thursday.
Tomorrow, we're on at a special time because of the Talarico town hall. You can watch a re-airing of the town hall from midnight Eastern until 1:30 a.m. Eastern, or 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. Pacific.
Then, a special post edition of THE STORY IS from 1:30 a.m. Eastern until 3:30 a.m. Eastern, or that's 10:30 p.m. Pacific until 12:30 a.m. Pacific, which means we'll all be up late.
If only they paid me overtime. I wish.
We'll see you tomorrow. Thanks so much for watching THE STORY IS.
[01:56:20]
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