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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Interview with Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Nigeria Pushes Back on Trump's "Christian Massacre" Claims; Pelosi: Trump is 'The Worst Thing on the Face of the Earth'; NYC Mayor, New Jersey & Virginia Governor Up for Grabs. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired November 04, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Because I can't get enough of that.
COATES: I bet you can't. Well, listen, have a great show, Elex. I can't wait to watch.
MICHAELSON: Thank you so much, Laura, and happy election day almost to you.
COATES: Oh, my god. Yes.
MICHAELSON: It's my favorite day of the year.
COATES: Well, there you go. Well, now "THE STORY IS" that you're about to start. I'll see you, my friend.
MICHAELSON: Starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): THE STORY IS election day is here. Within the next 24 hours, voters will have their say. We'll break down all the big races across the U.S.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): He's just a vile creature. The worst thing on the face of the earth.
MICHAELSON: I sit down exclusively with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco to discuss California's Proposition 50, her relationship with President Trump, and her political future.
Our panel here to respond. On the left, attorney Lisa Bloom. On the right, John Kobylt of iHeartMedia.
And we take you to the celebration of the world champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: And welcome to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.
We are live in Los Angeles but if you're joining us from the East Coast, it is already election day where voters will go to the polls. A number of key races, we're looking live right now at New York City. This is one of our main focuses. New York City set to elect a new mayor. New jersey, Virginia, voting for a new governor. And here in California, the vote on Prop 50 will determine if the state goes forward with a controversial redistricting plan proposed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
Let's start in New York where polls show Zohran Mamdani is leading in the mayor's race. The 34-year-old state lawmaker is a Democratic socialist promising a progressive plan forward for the largest city in America. His closest challenger is former New York City or New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary and is now running as an independent.
Big development today President Trump now urging New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo, his one-time rival.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORAH O'DONNELL, "60 MINUTES" CORRESPONDENT: What if Mamdani becomes mayor?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York because if you have a communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there. So I don't know that he's won, and I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it's going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I'm going to pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Mamdani says that he is not a communist, but a Democratic socialist. The president went further on social media telling voters, "Whether you like Andrew Cuomo or not, you've got no choice." Cuomo tried to dispute that Trump's comments were actually an endorsement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He also said he'd vote for you, sir. How do you respond to Trump saying he'd vote for you?
ANDREW CUOMO (I), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: He didn't say that. He did not say that. He didn't say that. He said, he said I'd rather have a bad Democrat than a communist. That's what he said. He called me a bad Democrat. First of all, I happen to be a good Democrat and a proud Democrat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: What a weird politics going on in New York.
Mamdani telling CNN the president's somewhat endorsement of Cuomo is no surprise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Even just until these final days, he denied that he was Donald Trump's preferred candidate. But now it's written out for the entire world to see. This is the man that Donald Trump wants to be the next mayor of New York City, and not because he'll be good for New Yorkers, but because he'll be good for Donald Trump. And New Yorkers are exhausted of this agenda in Washington. They don't want to see a mimic of it come here to city hall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, next door in New Jersey, voters are selecting a new governor, Democratic Congressmember Mikie Sherrill leads in the polls. She is a moderate who served 10 years of active duty as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKIE SHERRILL, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: New Jersey is not a purple state. New jersey is a blue state. And so New Jersey, when we vote, we win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Her opponent is Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a businessman, former state representative with the endorsement of President Trump. His son, Army Captain Jake Ciattarelli, returned from Kuwait to give his father a boost on election eve.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But your biggest supporter that serves this country just came over overnight to serve you.
JACK CIATTARELLI, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: Who's here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jake, your father. Your son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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MICHAELSON: Virginia will make history no matter who wins, by electing its first ever female governor. Former Democratic Congress member Abigail Spanberger has a narrow lead in the polls there. She is facing lieutenant governor Winsome Earle-Sears. President Trump joined an election eve tele-rally late Monday to support the Republican ticket, but it is notable he did not appear in person in Virginia, and he stopped short of endorsing Earle-Sears.
We spoke to voters in Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just tired of what we're seeing, like the chaos that's going on with the president. We just want real change and make sure that Virginia is protected from it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need new leadership. And we're on the hunt for that and hope Abigail can start us off. This is what we need. I'm ready for it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we have to send a message to Washington that the republic is important. And there are people here who want to protect the republic from authoritarian movements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, California voters must decide whether support Democrats' fight against the GOP's redistricting spree. In San Francisco, you see him there, two political heavyweights from San Francisco, Governor Gavin Newsom and House former speaker Nancy Pelosi, rallying for the ballot measure known as Prop 50. I was there earlier today in San Francisco.
The initiative is part of Democrats' efforts to win back control of the House next year. Newsom, who's really become the face of Prop 50, praised the former speaker's efforts to get it passed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: Some people go off and they talk about the way the world should be. But they don't do anything to manifest it. The difference is Nancy Pelosi doesn't go out to try to make points. She makes a difference. And we are building that legacy with Proposition 50.
So, Nancy, thank you for your inspiration. Thank you for your work. Thanks for allowing us to build on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Earlier, I sat down with former speaker Pelosi in our exclusive interview ahead of California's special election. The former speaker weighing in on what's at stake for California, the nation, and her own political career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Madam Speaker, welcome to THE STORY IS, our new show.
PELOSI: Wonderful. Congratulations. I'm delighted to be with you.
MICHAELSON: Thank you very much. So we're here in San Francisco at a "Yes on 50" rally. What's the closing argument for Prop 50?
PELOSI: Goodness, goodness. It is about who we are as a state and of course as a nation. The fact that the president knew that he was going to lose the House and he then went to Texas to pick up more seats, it behooved us to then counter that. So people say, oh, well, I don't like either of that. And I said, well, we have to defend democracy, but it's not just democracy. My view is that you save democracy at the kitchen table by meeting the needs of people.
It's about goodness. By goodness I mean you do not say that when it's time to feed the hungry, according to the Gospel of Matthew, that you as Republicans say, we just really can't do that. In fact, they took over $150 billion out of their ugly bill, which they called beautiful from SNAP, from food stamp program. I just -- I just think that's totally wrong. In fact, I think it's evil.
MICHAELSON: So are you suggesting that the president is not a good person?
PELOSI: I'm saying that his policies are not good. I don't know what his -- I don't know. Let's not go into that.
MICHAELSON: OK. Let's go into a little bit about what this is about, though, Proposition 50, which is about redistricting California. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's against Proposition 50, who helped put independent redistricting, had suggested instead of changing the rules, you should outperform Trump. Don't out-cheat Trump. That why do you have to change the rules in the middle of this? Democrats should be competitive as is.
How do you respond to this concept that this is like cheating?
PELOSI: I always say to people who are no longer in the game, enjoy your retirement. We're in the fight and this is how we're going to win.
MICHAELSON: But what about the merits of what he's talking about, that essentially --
PELOSI: I don't think it has any merit.
MICHAELSON: That if you're living in a place like Huntington Beach or Norco, these deeply red areas that will now have Democratic Congress members most likely, how is that good for you in terms of democracy?
PELOSI: The fact is that the president rigged -- wanted to rig the system because he knew he would lose. People said, well, two wrongs don't make a right. We don't like redistricting mid- decade. We don't think that that's right. But the fact is, we have self-defense for democracy because this is a president who's doing what he's doing to reinforce abolishing the House of Representatives, getting rid of the beauty, the exquisite beauty of the Constitution.
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MICHAELSON: I know you've said the focus is on Prop 50. I know you've said you won't talk about your future until after Prop 50.
PELOSI: Right.
MICHAELSON: But there is speculation about what you're going to do next. Can you talk to us just about what the thought process is? How do you weigh the personal and the political?
PELOSI: Well, first of all, when people start as in the press speculating, is she going to run? Is she not going to run? Other people file or say they're going to run, you know what that does? That gives me so much support. People calling me, saying, I'm for you, I'm for you, I'm for you, representing organizations, representing communities that some of these people are leaders in. But calling and saying, if you go, I'm with you.
So it's a lovely thing to see the friendship. I have no doubt that if I decided to run, I would win. I don't -- that isn't even a question. It isn't arrogant, it's confident. So for me it's just a question of one thing. Winning the House for the Democrats. And that's what we're doing with Proposition 50.
MICHAELSON: Do you think the Democrats have a better chance of winning the House next time around if you're on the ballot?
PELOSI: No, I'm saying if I'm out there politically active, yes, yes. No. Politically active.
MICHAELSON: So Scott Wiener, who's the state senator for this area who has talked about running for your seat many times, has deferred to you many times, recently got into the race.
PELOSI: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Did he give you a heads up? Was that with your blessing?
PELOSI: He gave me a heads up. But I think he's more concerned about other people getting in. And why don't you talk to him about his thing? No. I thought, you know what my message is to all of them?
MICHAELSON: Yes.
PELOSI: Fight for Proposition 50 and then make your plans about what comes next. And that's my message to all of them. So some have participated, some not at all. We haven't even seen them. I have said I won't do anything until after Proposition 50. So tomorrow night will be very fraught with meaning for all of us.
MICHAELSON: So obviously, one of the big things about Proposition 50 is for control of the House. And we're seeing right now what a Republican House looks like. We're seeing the shutdown. You've been in there, you've negotiated, you've found off ramps for men who have strong egos. So what is -- what's the off ramp for this shutdown? What's a deal that allows President Trump to save face, that allows Democrats to get what they want and gets most importantly the government back open?
PELOSI: Well, I would say that at the off ramp has to be meeting the needs of the American people rather than the face of what's his name. Now, you said something about the Republicans in the House of Representatives. They have abolished the House of Representatives. They don't even want to take a vote on anything. It's very strange. They fear Trump. They're puppets of Trump. And Trump doesn't mind shining the light on the strings. He makes them
look terrible. Public sentiment will open up Congress not saving face for the what's his name.
MICHAELSON: What's like one word you would use to describe Mike Johnson's leadership?
PELOSI: Puppeteer. Puppet, Puppet. Yes. Puppet. It's sad. He's probably a very decent person.
MICHAELSON: Do you talk to him at all? Does he ever --
PELOSI: Not lately. He doesn't talk to -- we're not even there lately. It's not a question of talking. We -- there's nothing there. There's no there, there. Understand this. The only person that he takes any advice from is insistence, demands from the president of the United States.
MICHAELSON: I mean as somebody who reveres the House of Representatives itself.
PELOSI: I do. I do.
MICHAELSON: I mean, more than just about anybody, how does it make you feel to see what's happening in the House right now?
PELOSI: Our founders did not want to have again, how can I say this? It'll sound like I'm awful about Trump because he's just a vile creature. The worst thing on the face of the earth. But anyway.
MICHAELSON: Do you think he's the worst thing on the face of the earth?
PELOSI: I do, yes, I do, because he's the president of the United States, and he does not honor the Constitution of the United States. In fact, he's turned the Supreme Court into a rogue court. He's abolished the House of Representatives. He's chilled the press. He's chilled the press. He's scared people who are in our country legally by making them smashing into their cars and the rest. Now, I don't want to even go into that, but that's a whole other story.
MICHAELSON: But does that not inspire you to want to stay and to keep fighting?
PELOSI: I want to win big tomorrow night. That's my goal.
MICHAELSON: If Prop 50 passes, the entire country --
PELOSI: When.
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MICHAELSON: When. So you're confident.
PELOSI: I'm confident.
MICHAELSON: You think it's going to pass?
PELOSI: Definitely.
MICHAELSON: So the entire country is watching California. What's the message that California is sending to the rest of the country?
PELOSI: So I think the message from our win is one of hope. We've drawn the line, speak out, Lincoln said public sentiment is everything. With it, you can accomplish almost anything. Without it, practically nothing. But for public sentiment to prevail, people have to know.
Now, see, I always wear these bracelets. You reminded me of them. I wasn't even going to bring it up. But if you -- and it's faith, hope and love. If you have faith, if you believe in the goodness, charity of others, it gives you hope. Now people can believe that in the goodness of our country that gives them hope. And that's what I -- my spirituality, my faith in all of this comes with strict separation of church and state, but with a commitment to goodness.
MICHAELSON: Do you have a reaction to this new Jonathan Karl book about what President Obama said to you after Kamala Harris got the nomination?
PELOSI: I haven't read the book. I heard that -- no. After she got the nomination?
MICHAELSON: That --
PELOSI: You mean after --
MICHAELSON: According to the reporting that President Obama called you and was frustrated that you endorsed her quickly and that that he wanted there to be --
PELOSI: It wasn't quite that way.
MICHAELSON: How did it go?
PELOSI: It wasn't quite that way. The president of the United States endorsed her. I had always thought that she would be stronger if she won a process. Not that it would take her place, but she, if she emerged from that, which she probably would since she had the endorsement of the president of the United States. And that was, I think, the perspective that President Obama was. But once the president and it happened, he endorsed her, that was it.
Now, it's funny that he said that because on the other side of it, her supporters said, I was one of the last people to endorse her, which wasn't even true. But I think I got from both sides. But the president, President Obama is, you know, he's our hero, nothing to compare him to. So his view is very important. But and I do think we would have been better off if we had a process. But there wasn't probably enough time if the president was going to make an endorsement. MICHAELSON: Lastly, I mean, clearly you're in a reflective mood right
now. And just when we think about the most important leadership lesson from you, not even just for politics, but just in terms of everybody in their everyday life. What do you think is the most important lessons we can learn from your story?
PELOSI: Well, I always say to the members and they tell me back that it was the most useful is be yourself, know the power of you. In the history of the world, there's been no one like you and your authenticity and your -- just the power of you, the certain person you are, is really what is something that the country needs and society needs. And if you don't even go into political arena. I also say to people this morning we were laughing about this. Treat everyone as your friend, but know who your friends are.
MICHAELSON: Friends are.
(LAUGHTER)
MICHAELSON: Great. Thank you, Madam Speaker. What an honor.
PELOSI: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: There is a lot to unpack there. We're going to break it down with our panel just ahead. And in the next hour, we'll be getting a very different view. I'll be speaking live with U.S. House Republican Doug LaMalfa, who is one of those who could lose his job because of Prop 50. His view in our next hour.
But up next, the former House speaker was talking about SNAP benefits. There could be a temporary reprieve for folks who depend on them. We'll have that story. Plus, on a lighter note, the L.A. Dodgers basking in their back-to-back World Series wins. We take you to the big parade.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: Tens of thousands lining the streets of L.A. to celebrate the Dodgers following this weekend's thrilling Game Seven win over the Toronto Blue jays. There he is right there. Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers are now the MLB's first repeat champion in over two decades. The parade ended at a packed Dodger Stadium, where members of the team addressed the hyped up crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE ROBERTS, MANAGER, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: What's better than two? Three. Three-peat. Three-peat.
FREDDIE FREEMAN, FIRST BASEMAN, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: Job in 2024 done. Job in 2025, done. Job in 2026 starts now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: You feel like the Lakers when they had their three-peat years ago?
All right. Meanwhile the U.S. Defense secretary is in South Korea for talks. Pete Hegseth and the South Korean defense minister visited the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.
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Hegseth is also taking part in a welcome ceremony with the American and South Korean Military officials, enjoyed an annual meeting where the two discussed their military alliance. He's expected to meet the South Korean president soon. We'll have a live report from that region in our next hour here on THE STORY IS.
Meanwhile, President Trump is sticking by his claims of a Christian massacre in Nigeria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria, the killing of Christians, and killing them in very large numbers. We're not going to allow that to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The president has warned that he might send U.S. troops into the West African country, quote, "guns a blazing, protect the country's Christian population." But Nigeria says both Christians and Muslims have come under attack by radical Islamists, arguing it is not a case of religious persecution.
CNN's Victoria Rubadiri reports.
VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Trump's comments painting Nigeria as anti-Christian has been met with reactions from the country's president Bola Tinubu who says that simply is not a reflection of his country, also adding that his government has made concerted efforts in protecting the freedom of religion.
We also heard earlier today from the WTO chief and former finance minister in Nigeria, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. This is what she had to say on the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION: This is an incredibly complex question. Let me say this. Nigeria is a very complex country. The situation is very difficult and needs careful thought. It has religious issues involved in it. It has resource issues involved in it. It has different complexities. So I just think we need careful thinking through. (END VIDEO CLIP)
RUBADIRI: Now complex is certainly the word to describe the issue of insecurity and insurgency in the country. And even though religion is a very important fault line in Nigeria, it's not the main driver of the violence. In fact, according to reports from individuals that have been monitoring the violence over the last few years, they say more Muslims are killed in these attacks. And the reason for this is because groups like Boko Haram or other ISIS affiliated groups carry out their attacks primarily in the northeastern part of the country.
Northern Nigeria is occupied primarily by Muslims, and the south is predominantly Christian. And so this is a very multi-layered and complex issue as was said by the WTO chief. And it brings other issues such as conflicts over resources like land and livestock between herders and farmers. And so it definitely points to this issue of geography being a bigger determinant as to who is a victim than it is religion or faith.
Victoria Rubadiri, CNN, Nairobi.
MICHAELSON: Ukraine's president says part of the Donetsk region has become the center of recent front line fighting. For weeks, Russia has been targeting the strategic hub and cutting off supply routes for Ukrainian forces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The enemy has not been successful in Pokrovsk. In recent days 26 percent to 30 percent of all combat operations on the front line have taken place in Pokrovsk. Moreover 50 percent of all guided bombs are being used in Pokrovsk. So you understand how difficult it is for our people. In Pokrovsk we told you that there are a couple hundred Russians. We estimate between 260 and 300 Russians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Moscow's offensive comes amid comments from President Trump, who told reporters he's, quote, "not really considering sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine." Kyiv has long sought to acquire the long range missiles to bring the war deeper into Russian territories.
In the U.K., praise for railway workers for their heroic response to a knife attack on a train on Saturday. A 32-year-old man has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder in the stabbings. Officials say casualties would have been far worse if not for the driver who diverted the train to allow police swift access and the crew member tried to stop the attacker inside the train. He remains in critical but stable condition and was honored in parliament on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHABANA MAHMOOD, U.K. HOME SECRETARY: I would like to draw particular attention to one member of the on board crew who ran towards danger, confronting the attacker for a sustained period of time and stopped his advance through the train. He put himself in harm's way. On Saturday, he went to work to do his job. Today he is a hero and forever will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Up next you see our panel standing by live, Lisa Bloom, John Kobylt, to break down election day, which is officially, finally here. Stay with us.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): He's just a vile creature. The worst thing on the face of the Earth. But anyway.
MICHAELSON: You think he's the worst thing on the face of the Earth?
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PELOSI: I do. Yes, I do.
MICHAELSON: Why is that?
PELOSI: Because he's the president of the United States, and he does not honor the Constitution of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So, the White House is already firing back to our interview. They watched it; post this on X, referring to former House speaker as, quote, "Crazy Nancy."
The post said, in part, it's, quote, "very sad to see what little was left of her addled, demented mind evaporate as she becomes fully engulfed in hatred. Sick."
So, I'm glad everybody is getting along. We're really doing subtlety.
Let's break it all down with our panel. Lisa Bloom is a civil rights attorney at the Bloom Firm, a proud progressive. John Kobylt is host of "The John Kobylt Show" on KFI, AM 640 here in Los Angeles and available everywhere in podcast form on the IHeartRadio app. One of the most popular podcasts on the IHeartRadio app.
Welcome, both of you. Good to see you.
LISA BLOOM, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Welcome to "The Story Is," our new show.
BLOOM: Thank you. Great to be here. Well done, CNN.
MICHAELSON: Yes. JOHN KOBYLT, HOST, "THE JOHN KOBYLT SHOW": Good looking set you have
here.
MICHAELSON: Thank you very much. It's fun.
You just watched the interview with -- with Nancy Pelosi. Very strong words. Almost very personal words. What do you make of what she said? And why do you think it was so personal about the president?
BLOOM: Well, she's got guts, and she's been fighting against him not only this time around, but the first time around, as well.
And she's right. He doesn't honor the Constitution. That's why 7 million Americans, including me, were out at the No Kings protest. Because he's not a king. He's supposed to respect the separation of powers, respect the rule of law. And he doesn't do that. That gets her mad. That gets a lot of us mad.
MICHAELSON: Does it get you mad?
KOBYLT: No. I thought she said earlier in the interview she didn't want to get personal about Trump. I guess she forgot that by the end of the interview.
She also said that Trump abolished the House of Representatives. I -- I was out of the country for two weeks. I don't remember that happening. It's just more hyperbole, more hysteria.
MICHAELSON: But Mike --
KOBYLT: We have run out of things.
MICHAELSON: I mean -- her point is that Mike Johnson has not called it into session in over a month.
BLOOM: Right. And they all have to bend the knee to Trump and do what he says. And that's what they do.
KOBYLT: I -- I can't remember a Congress not following the lead of the president, if they were both in the same party.
BLOOM: Well --
KOBYLT: That's what they do.
BLOOM: There's a difference between the lead and the president saying he's going to primary you -- primary you, if you dare to disagree with anything that he says.
KOBYLT: Well, then you have to fight for your -- your opinion. You have to fight for your seat.
BLOOM: For your seat. And then you lose your seat.
KOBYLT: Yes, then you do.
BLOOM: No, but --
KOBYLT: People get primaried all the time. That's the way life is.
BLOOM: This is a separate branch of government that's supposed to have their own backbone. And none of the Republicans will stand up to him, even though they know he's wrong, even though they say in private they disagree with a lot of the Trump policies.
KOBYLT: Well, then maybe they should be run out of office if they're that way.
BLOOM: And then we're going to get Trumpers in.
KOBYLT: Or maybe they're doing what their constituents want.
BLOOM: Why can't you just admit that Trump is the one that's causing this problem, not allowing Congress to be independent?
KOBYLT: What problem? What problem?
BLOOM: Not allowing Congress to be independent.
KOBYLT: He allows them. They can do whatever they want. They can go into session tomorrow and vote against him.
BLOOM: Well --
KOBYLT: I mean --
MICHAELSON: Yes, that -- that Speaker Johnson is choosing not to.
BLOOM: Because he's -- he's afraid of Trump.
MICHAELSON: He called -- he called -- I mean, Pelosi called him a puppet. What did you make of what -- of what Pelosi said?
KOBYLT: About?
MICHAELSON: About -- well, let's -- let's talk about Prop 50 now.
KOBYLT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Which is what this whole bill was about. And I tried to sort of get into the specifics of it. She made it a lot about President Trump. But -- but this idea of gerrymandering California, because Texas Republicans gerrymandered their state.
KOBYLT: It was wrong in Texas. It's wrong here. Now there's about seven other states that are going to gerrymander and get about ten extra seats back to the Republicans. So, this Newsom plan is going to backfire. It's a fiasco.
He got five to match. Texas. Now he's going to lose another ten, because it's a back-and-forth thing. There was a lot more room for the Republicans to gerrymander and pick
up seats than there was for Democrats. Democrats have been doing it for so long, they're kind of out of room. There's nowhere to go.
MICHAELSON: I've said that to Nancy Pelosi, by the way. We had to cut that for time.
KOBYLT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And she sort of disagrees with the way you do the math. But -- but it is an interesting point.
BLOOM: Well, Democrats in California have not been doing it. We've had an independent commission that's established the districts.
And Texas did what it did, skewing things in favor of Republicans, because Trump told them to. And then they did. And two wrongs don't make a right, but they do make a point.
KOBYLT: I don't buy this thing that Trump told them.
BLOOM: We can't allow the Republicans --
KOBYLT: They choose -- they chose to.
BLOOM: To behave badly and grab power.
KOBYLT: But --
BLOOM: And the Democrats are going to sit back and do nothing. That's why we have to vote yes on 50.
MICHAELSON: The President did -- the president did put out a Truth Social post --
BLOOM: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- saying that he was entitled to five seats. That were his own words that he put out publicly.
KOBYLT: Right. But -- but he's not. And you could always contradict him. You're -- you're just talking about the --
BLOOM: Texas was too afraid to contradict him. They bent the knee just like all the Republicans.
KOBYLT: If -- if they were afraid, they're not doing their job. And then they ought to be voted out.
BLOOM: OK, they're not. OK, I agree, they're not doing their job.
KOBYLT: But they -- they have the free --
BLOOM: We agree on that.
KOBYLT: They have the freedom to agree with Trump. Everybody in the Republican Party can agree with the Republican leader. I don't think Obama or Biden ran into too much friction.
BLOOM: They -- they have the freedom to agree with Trump. But they don't have the freedom to disagree with Trump. Otherwise, they're voted out.
KOBYLT: By who?
BLOOM: There -- there's a campaign of retribution.
KOBYLT: Wait, wait. What did they get voted out by?
(CROSSTALK)
KOBYLT: They get voted out by --
BLOOM: May I make my point?
KOBYLT: -- the constituents.
[00:40:00]
BLOOM: The DOJ will come after them. You know, former Republicans.
MICHAELSON: But to -- to John's point, I mean, the Republicans are representing Republicans. And is it fair, if this whole thing happens with Prop 50, that people that live in very Republican areas are now going to be represented by Democratic members, who really are not representing their interests?
BLOOM: No, it's not fair, but it's the only thing that we can do, now that Texas is picking up five seats unfairly.
KOBYLT: And you tell me democracy is under threat.
BLOOM: It is under threat.
KOBYLT: Now you're taking a Republican congressman --
BLOOM: Because of what the Republicans have done.
KOBYLT: -- who might have been there for decades from rural areas in California.
BLOOM: OK.
KOBYLT: And I saw one of the districts. It's drawn from the -- from East California all the way to Marin County.
BLOOM: So why don't you complain about what Texas is doing?
KOBYLT: I did. I said it's wrong.
BLOOM: OK, but --
KOBYLT: I just said.
BLOOM: But you're complaining about California. And not --
KOBYLT: Because I live in California.
BLOOM: Texas started this problem.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Well, let's -- let's --
BLOOM: Can we agree on that?
KOBYLT: Texas started the problem. But that doesn't mean Californians lose their congressperson. That makes no sense.
BLOOM: Well, that doesn't make -- well, yes it does.
KOBYLT: That's two different states.
MICHAELSON: Yes, meanwhile.
KOBYLT: I don't care what they do in Texas.
BLOOM: No, because we have to equalize.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, let's talk about what's happening in New York, this big race that's going to get a whole lot of attention.
Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, sort of looks like the future.
BLOOM: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo, the traditional Democrat, kind of looks like the past.
BLOOM: Yes.
MICHAELSON: President Trump weighing in and then, quote -- and saying that he would back Cuomo. This is what Cuomo said.
This is what Trump said. Excuse me. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORAH O'DONNELL, HOST, CBS'S "60 MINUTES": What if Mamdani Becomes mayor?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York. Because if you have a communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there.
So, I don't know that he's won, and I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other. But if it's going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I'm going to pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: I mean, that's quite an endorsement.
BLOOM: Well, you -- you can always count on Trump to support the guy with multiple sexual harassment allegations. In Cuomo's case, 12. In Trump's case, 26. I represented four of them.
So, there's no way that I could ever support Cuomo, given that I'm a sexual harassment lawyer.
KOBYLT: So, you go for a communist?
BLOOM: I think Mamdani -- he's not a communist.
KOBYLT: Oh, please.
BLOOM: He's a Democratic socialist. And there is a difference.
KOBYLT: He's going to take over all the grocery stores in Manhattan.
BLOOM: He's not taking over all the grocery stores. You know that's not true.
MICHAELSON: Well, that -- that was his pitch
KOBYLT: That was his pitch.
BLOOM: He's saying there should be some.
KOBYLT: I heard him say it.
BLOOM: Not take over all.
KOBYLT: Some?
BLOOM: There should be some --
KOBYLT: See how it goes and then grab the rest?
BLOOM: John, do you know the difference between "some" and "all"? There's a big difference. And he's talking --
KOBYLT: "Some" is a test run to see if he gets away with it.
BLOOM: Meanwhile, the Republican Party is denying food benefits to people right now. The Democrats actually care about lowering prices, getting groceries to people.
And free and fast buses is a great platform.
KOBYLT: Free and fast buses.
BLOOM: We should have that. Yes.
KOBYLT: Nobody. So, where do you get the money to pay for the free buses?
BLOOM: By taxing billionaires. You know, New York City is not just for the billionaires. It's for the working people.
MICHAELSON: Are you concerned, though, that that may drive some of those billionaires to leave New York City?
BLOOM: You know, people have been saying that for years. And taxes have been raised on billionaires, and they're not leaving.
KOBYLT: Have you see -- wait, wait, wait. Have you seen the outflow from New York to Texas and Florida?
BLOOM: Let them go. Let them go.
KOBYLT: Well, then how do you pay for the buses? If you let them all go?
BLOOM: Because they're not going to -- they're not going to --
KOBYLT: You're not going to have buses.
BLOOM: What do you mean, let them all go? They can go now if they want to go. People love New York City.
KOBYLT: Big chunks of Wall Street have already moved to Dallas and Miami.
BLOOM: Good. Let them go.
MICHAELSON: So, you think Mamdani wins?
BLOOM: Absolutely. I think he should win. I think he's going to be wonderful.
MICHAELSON: Do you think he wins?
KOBYLT: Probably, if you believe all the polls. But it's going to be bad.
MICHAELSON: Would you vote for Cuomo if you lived in New York?
KOBYLT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Even though he would be a bad Democrat?
KOBYLT: I would -- I would put up with a guy who's a multiple sexual harasser over a communist guy. But if that's what they want --
BLOOM: What about Curtis Sliwa?
KOBYLT: Curtis Sliwa's kind of a local joke.
BLOOM: All right.
KOBYLT: I mean, that's the thing. I mean, when he talks, he makes sense. But nobody -- nobody takes him seriously.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, you're a New Jersey guy originally, right? KOBYLT: Originally, yes.
MICHAELSON: They're having a race, which is -- seems to be surprisingly close between -- what do you make of that race and where we are at on that?
KOBYLT: You know, in Jersey, Chris Christie was the governor there just a few years ago, right?
Back in the '90s, Christine Todd Whitman, Tom Kean, back in the '80s. Like, all my life growing up in Jersey, there were always Republican governors. Moderate, nothing outrageous.
They had bad property taxes, and they had bad electricity rates in New Jersey. And one day this phenomenon is going to hit California. Because there's nothing worse than the gas prices and the electricity rates we have in this state.
And people there are doing something about it. And you've got, like, a 50-50 race.
MICHAELSON: So, what do you think happens in New Jersey, real quick?
BLOOM: I think Democrat -- I think it's going to be a Democrat sweep tomorrow. People are 2 to 1 against Trump now. And the Republican agenda, they're sick of it. Just like we saw an interview a little earlier on CNN of a Trump voter saying she regretted her vote.
KOBYLT: Except, Trump's not responsible for electricity prices, gas prices, and property taxes.
BLOOM: No, but he's responsible for mass people -- grabbing people off the streets.
MICHAELSON: I think the big question in both New Jersey and California and other places is, is it truly a national race about Trump?
BLOOM: That's right.
MICHAELSON: Or is it about local issues?
BLOOM: And in Virginia --
[00:45:04]
MICHAELSON: Seems like in California, they've made it --
KOBYLT: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- a national race about Trump. We'll see what happens in New Jersey. It will be interesting to see the results.
Great to see both of you guys.
BLOOM: And I was going to say, Virginia is going to have a female governor, no matter what happens, for the first time. And that's a good thing.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Yes, it is.
Lisa, John --
BLOOM: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: -- good to see both of you. This is fun.
More of "The Story Is" right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:50:01]
MICHAELSON: The U.S. is nearing the busiest travel season of the year and what could become the longest government shutdown in the country's history.
Airport delays are getting worse. Houston's airport warning passengers that security wait times could hit three hours, due to staffing shortages.
And there were at least 17 reports of air traffic controller shortages across the U.S. on Monday. These issues are resulting in massive flight delays, totaling in the thousands every day this week.
The shutdown is also impacting SNAP benefits and other federal programs giving assistance to low-income families. The Trump administration's -- say they will fund only half of this month's benefits, after it looked like the families would receive nothing at all.
Officials say they are using more than $4 billion from the program's contingency fund after being ordered to do so by a federal judge.
The administration said in court papers they decided against pulling other funds to provide full benefits.
All the while, lawmakers continue to point fingers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): All Republicans care about is the opinion of one man, the puppetmaster of the Republican Party, Donald J. Trump. They don't care about anything else.
How else can you explain the fact that they are weaponizing hunger?
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): The president is desperate for SNAP benefits to flow to the American citizens who desperately rely upon it. He has bent over backwards, as you know, to get the troops paid, to keep funding going. He's found creative solutions.
So, what the president said logically was, OK, your honor, if you're saying we can do it, I'll go for that, because I want SNAP to go to the people. It's the Democrats that stopped it, not us. So, tell me how to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Nearly 42 million Americans receive Food Stamps, which amounts to just over $350 a month, according to recent data.
As we look at a live picture in Washington, where once again, they're not doing anything in the United States House of Representatives.
Comedy Central says Jon Stewart is not going anywhere anytime soon. He will stay at "The Daily Show" through next year's midterms.
Stewart returned to the satirical news program last year, citing his need to, quote, "unload thoughts" heading into the presidential election. And unload he has.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, CO-HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE DAILY SHOW": Truth is, indications are very clear he's going to do it. Because you don't move into a house, knock down a wing, and build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom for the next guy. Trump's not a house flipper. He's not Ellen. He's in it for the long haul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That kind of edge has made Stewart both a lightning rod for political pushback and a reliable ratings draw.
Paramount, which owns Comedy Central, canceled "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," which Jon Stewart was an executive producer on.
A federal judge has thrown out actor Justin Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against actress Blake Lively after nearly a year in court.
He had accused Lively of extortion and defamation after she sued him for misconduct on the set of their film, "It Ends with Us," and for allegedly coordinating a retaliatory smear campaign against her.
Baldoni has denied those claims. His countersuit was dismissed after he failed to respond to amended complaint.
Lively's original lawsuit against Baldoni is still active, which means this whole saga, which most of us -- which ended a long time ago, still technically continues on.
A worker who had been trapped under a partially collapsed medieval tower in Rome has died, according to Italy's ANSA news agency.
There were two separate collapses of the tower, which has been closed since 2007 and is undergoing renovations. Prosecutors are reportedly weighing charges over that tragedy.
Prince William is on the first leg of his visit to Brazil to highlight environmental causes. Right now, he's in Rio, the host city for this year's Earthshot Prize ceremony. The award, which the Prince of Wales launched, rewards innovative and
groundbreaking ideas that address environmental issues.
Prince William also kicked around a soccer ball with children at Brazil's famous stadium on Thursday. He will travel to the Amazon rainforest, where he will deliver a speech at the U.N.'s annual climate meeting.
Looking pretty good there.
Here's a live look at the Bay Bridge in Northern California, where voters heading to the polls in the coming hours. I was out there a few hours ago, speaking to Nancy Pelosi. We will have more on that interview.
Plus, the other side from a leading Republican Congressmember, as "The Story Is" heads into our next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:59:15]
MICHAELSON: Putting together a traditional Thanksgiving feast can be costly. But discount grocer Lidl is offering a Thanksgiving dinner bundle that feeds 10 people for under 36 bucks before taxes. That's nearly $10 less than last year.
The bundle includes a 14-pound turkey, 20 other Thanksgiving staples, like potatoes, pie crust dough, cranberry sauce, Hawaiian sweet rolls. That deal runs from Wednesday through the day before Thanksgiving.
You'll need to use Lidl's app, and prices can vary by location. But that is an amazing deal.
If you'd rather do Thanksgiving in dessert form, Oreo has you covered with six new cookies with Thanksgiving-themed flavors, including turkey and stuffing, sweet potato, and creamed corn. There's also apple caramel.
