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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
FAA Cuts Flights at 40 Major U.S. Airports Due to Staffing; Rep. Nancy Pelosi Won't Seek Reelection; Typhoon Kalmaegi Does Major Damage in Vietnam; Anger Over Political Deadlock Grows Across Country; Gary Simmons Exhibition Explores American Frontier. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired November 07, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: And of course, makeup and wardrobe helps this, but my God, this is going to mean millions and millions and millions of views in, like, hours.
[00:00:11]
I'll be watching. I have a lot of thoughts. I'll watch it all. But tell me -- I'm watching you tonight -- what else you got coming on?
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, well, we're talking about Nancy Pelosi stepping aside. We've got Barbara Boxer, her longtime friend --
COATES: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- is joining us. We've got Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, and a lot more. And we're looking forward to it.
COATES: I can't wait. Love the show. Elex, have a great one. I'm going to go relearn "Thriller."
MICHAELSON: Yes. "The Story Is" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): "The Story Is" flight cancellations. What the government shutdown means for you if you're traveling in the U.S.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Know the power of you.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): "The Story Is" end of an era. Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi announces she will not be seeking reelection. With us, longtime Pelosi friend and colleague and former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer.
"The Story Is" a devastating typhoon slams into multiple Asian countries. We're live.
And "The Story" Is exploring the American West. We talk with Gary Simmons about his new exhibit opening in Denver.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: And welcome to "The Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson. It is 9 p.m. here in Los Angeles, but it is midnight in Washington, D.C., as we take a live look at Capitol Hill.
The U.S. Senate appears to be barreling towards a dead end after what we thought would be a deal. There was a big push this week to end the government shutdown.
Democrats now indicating that they might block Republicans from forcing a vote Friday to reopen the government until they deal with those expiring Affordable Care subsidies.
This comes as Americans brace for chaos at the country's airports. The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering airlines to cut flights, and -- amid staffing shortages fueled by the shutdown.
President Trump trying to assure Americans that it is still safe to fly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you at all concerned that it might not be safe to fly right now?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: No, no. That's why they're --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what do you tell people who are gearing up?
TRUMP: -- cutting. Yes, it's a fair question. Sean Duffy announced they're cutting, in certain areas, 10 percent. And they want to make sure it's 100 percent safe. That's why they're doing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So, since the shutdown began, there have been 450 staffing problems reported at air traffic control facilities across the country.
The government is now asking airlines to reduce the number of flights by 4 percent in the coming hours. That will impact 40 of the busiest airports. You can see them all. Those are the ones that are highlighted on this map.
Those flight cuts are expected to increase every day, go up to 10 percent by next Friday if the government is not reopened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: As we come into Thanksgiving, if we're still in the shutdown posture, it's going to be rough out there. Really rough. And we'll mitigate the safety side. But will you fly on time? Will your flight actually go? That -- that is yet to be seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: So, take a look at the flights already canceled on Friday by the four largest U.S. airlines. Delta announcing 170 flights. United, 200 flights. Southwest, 100 flights. And American Airlines says it's canceling about 220 flights.
Joining us now is CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector David Soucie.
David, thank you. Welcome to "The Story Is" for the first time.
DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: So, the big question: are we safe right now to fly?
SOUCIE: You know, I think we're very safe. I don't think that there's any change in the safety. I think that's the reason that they're cutting the flights.
The concern is, how do I get home? I'm in Orlando right now, and I don't even know if I'm going to be able to have a flight from Orlando to Denver tomorrow night. They're not telling us that in advance.
MICHAELSON: And as we look at a live picture right now from LAX, we see the -- the big backup there, although we see that many nights at this time.
Talk to us about what is going on behind the scenes at air traffic control, because we know all these folks are being asked to work, but are not being paid to work.
SOUCIE: Right. Well, let's clear that up a little bit. They are being paid. They're just not getting their checks. And that sounds funny, but the fact is, is they are guaranteed to get paid as soon as the government is back in order. They'll get back pay for anything that they worked during this time.
And they have to work it. There's not a choice. It's their job. So, if they -- if they call in sick or they take some kind of job action, they're going to lose their job. They can't even work for the federal government anymore if they do that.
So, they're going to continue to show up for work.
But there's a bigger problem than that. And it has to do with the fact that the government is not looking for ways out of this, other than getting the shut back -- shutdown back and handled. And that's not the right way to look at it.
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There's other options. There's guaranteed government loans that could be put in place with the swipe of a pen that would allow the air traffic controllers to use that loan for now; money that gets repaid as soon as the government is back in order. There's nothing wrong with that. I just can't believe that they're not looking out of the box for some
other solution. They're using it as a -- as a pry bar to the American public, to try to get that thing passed.
MICHAELSON: I mean, you're essentially suggesting that they're turning all of us travelers into pawns in this game to sort of ratchet up the pressure?
SOUCIE: Yes, and that's not new, Elex. It's something that I used to prepare the budget for Congress when I was with the FAA in the early 2000s. And it's always, constantly being used as a pawn.
They add markups. They do everything they can, because no congressman wants to turn down the FAA budget. They don't want to be responsible for anything that happens.
So, it's constantly been used as that: as a pawn. But in this case they're using it as a pawn to get this back in order.
MICHAELSON: So, there are people watching us all around the world right now that may have a flight tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. And they're wondering, what do I do? What's your advice to them?
SOUCIE: Well, what I would do is make sure you show up early, like they always say, two hours before. Show up three hours before, because you just don't know what's going to happen.
And the challenge, too, is to check with, when you buy that ticket, I would spend the extra money to get a refundable ticket right now. Because there's no law or regulation that says that they have to refund it if you buy a cheap ticket that doesn't have refundability.
So, you need to watch for those and go ahead and take that extra money and pay for the extra for the refundable ticket. That's my recommendation.
MICHAELSON: And bottom line, it sounds like right now this is going to get worse before it gets better.
SOUCIE: Oh, absolutely. It continually will, because the fact that when you take them out, you can't just say, we're going to fly 10 percent less. Because if you do that, typically, if they have a missed flight, you can get booked on another flight. You can handle it some other way and get there.
In this case, since they're 10 percent less, there's no additional flights. There's no additional way to get home. We're going to see people stuck at the airport. We're going to see people that can't get home.
And I might just be one of those. I'm coming back from Orlando, as I mentioned, and I'm concerned I may have to stay another night here or two.
MICHAELSON: Well, let's hope that you have safe travels tomorrow, which means that you're on a flight out of there. But thank you for joining us late-night in your hotel room. David Soucie, appreciate the perspective.
SOUCIE: All right. Thank you, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Big story in the world of politics. A titan of U.S. politics, Nancy Pelosi, is calling it a career after a 38-year career in Washington. Here's the video she released announcing that she will not seek reelection to Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: For decades, I've cherished the privilege of representing our magnificent city in the United States Congress. It seems prophetic now that the slogan of my very first campaign in 1987 was "A Voice That Will Be Heard," and it was you who made those words come true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That's a video she made for her constituents in San Francisco.
Pelosi was the first and only woman to serve as speaker of the House. The 85-year-old Democrat was first elected to Congress in 1987. She presided over historic clashes with President Trump during his first term.
And in recent months, she worked closely with Governor Gavin Newsom to pass California's Prop 50 redistricting plan. I spoke with her just a few days ago and asked her about her keys to success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: Be yourself. Know the power of you. In the history of the world, there's been no one like you. I also say to people -- this morning we were laughing about this -- treat everyone as your friend, but know who your friends are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Well, one of her friends is Democrat Barbara Boxer, who served in the House with Pelosi in the late '80s, in the early '90s. But for her own election, the U.S. Senate in 1992. She left the Senate in 2017.
Former Senator Boxer joins me now live from Palm Springs. Senator, welcome to "The Story Is" for the first time.
BARBARA BOXER, FORMER CALIFORNIA REPRESENTATIVE: I'm so happy to be on with you. Congrats on the show.
MICHAELSON: Thank you very much. Really appreciate it and grateful to have you with us.
And I know you've known Nancy Pelosi for decades. You're close with her. BOXER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: How would you describe her legacy?
BOXER: It's almost indescribable, because there's no one else like her.
And just to set the stage, I got to the House in 1983. She came in 1987, and the AIDS epidemic was raging. And for those who are too young to really understand what it was like to be faced with a situation where your constituents were -- were dying, and nobody knew why.
And so, when she joined, I was so grateful. She was reinforcements. And we pushed so hard to get attention paid and get the funding we needed for AIDS.
[00:10:02]
But Nancy, I mean, I love her personally; and I love her politics, because she was there for one reason. She was on a mission -- and she still is -- just to make life better for everyday Americans. And it's -- that sounds, you know, easy, right?
But when you're up against it and you -- you run up against philosophies that say, no, that's not what we're here for. We're here for the special interests, the people who already have. She cut through that.
She doesn't get enough credit for her expertise on each issue. She would know more about an issue than anyone else, and then she would be fearless and focused.
And what made her so effective, Elex, is that she knew every member literally, especially on her Democratic side. She could count. She knew how many people she needed. If somebody said, you know, Nancy, I can't be with you on this vote; doesn't work for me. She would either try to persuade them or say, it's OK. I have the votes. No one like her.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And I've spoken to members over the years who say that she knew their districts better than they knew their own districts, and she knew all the pain points.
BOXER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Where to push them, as well.
And in the early days, Senator, I know there weren't a whole lot of women in those halls. Talk about the way you were treated in the early days.
BOXER: Oh, it's so crazy. When Nancy and I were in the House at the beginning years, which was the '80s, listen, there were 25 women, OK? Twenty-five women, most of whom were there --
MICHAELSON: Out of 435.
BOXER: Out of 435. It's important for everyone to note: 25 out of 435. And most of the women who were there, more than half of them, were there because their husbands passed away; and people went, Oh, OK. The husband passed away. Let's just let them have that seat for a couple of years.
So, we were -- there were so few of us there in our own right. And people, I mean, the men did not take us seriously. There's so many stories Nancy and I share about that. We would go to different events with a lot of colleagues, and the -- and the lead Democrat at the meeting would introduce all the colleagues.
And they go, you know, Senator Jones and Senator Smith and Senator Dodd and congressman this and congressman that. And then they go "And the two women from San Francisco." That's how they introduced us.
We said, whoa, whoa, whoa, something's wrong with this picture. But we -- you know, we -- we laugh, but we got even. You know, we worked it hard.
And, you know, when I left to go to the Senate, I saw she was on her way straight up to the top. But I can't emphasize enough what it took for her to win the respect of all these men, you know, who would put her in charge.
And, of course, I think she'll go down as perhaps the greatest speaker of all times, because she could get the job done. And she did some major, major legislation.
MICHAELSON: And it is so interesting to think of her starting there and then ending up where all of these men -- and I can tell you this -- were really scared of her, even though she's about your size, a little bit bigger. And yet --
BOXER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- she was she was definitely the boss.
And she's had a -- an interesting relationship with the current president of the United States. Made some news the other day when I talked to her about him. And then he responded today in the Oval Office. Let's show that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: 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?
PELOSI: I do. Yes, I do.
TRUMP: I think she's an evil woman. I'm glad she's retiring. I think she did the -- the country a great service by retiring. I think she was a -- a tremendous liability for the country. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And on Dick Cheney?
TRUMP: I thought she was an evil woman who did a poor job, who cost the country a lot in damages and in reputation. I thought she was terrible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: What do you make of both of their comments?
BOXER: Yes, well, all I'll say is this. These two people couldn't be more opposite. And they don't -- they don't even understand each other.
One, Nancy is in it for what I consider all the right reasons. Right? To stand up to power, to be heard, to speak for those without a voice, especially the children and people who, you know, just can't -- don't have the strength to fight for themselves.
And Trump, who clearly is in it, you know, for the wealthiest and who is -- is on -- he goes all over the world when there's a shutdown.
Nancy, let me put it this way. I'm saying this truly, and nothing to do with Trump. Nancy does not suffer fools well. And if she thinks you're a fool, if you're in that list, she's not going to, you know, make it sound nice.
[00:15:04]
Because she is who she is. She -- she's straight from the heart, straight from the shoulder. No kidding around. She's pretty amazing.
By the way, you said that were about the same size. She's a few inches taller, which makes a lot of difference. And. And we don't really look alike at all, but people thought -- they got us mixed up all the time, because there were so few women. We were both from the Bay Area.
And so, I took it on the chin for a lot of things she did. For example, I was for open -- opening fair trade with China and giving them favored nation status. And she was so opposed to it based on human rights.
So, I would be in the airplane, and somebody would come up to me. And they'd say, Oh, I'm so proud of you for standing up for human rights with China. And Nancy.
And I'd say, Well, I'm Barbara Boxer, and I voted the other way.
No, you're not. You know?
So, this is what happened in those early days.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
BOXER: The women kind of looked alike.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Well --
BOXER: Crazy stories.
MICHAELSON: Yes. It's crazy what both of you did after that, as well. And, Senator Boxer --
BOXER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- it's great to have you here on the show. And hope you come visit us.
BOXER: Can I say one more thing, Elex?
MICHAELSON: Real quickly, sure.
BOXER: Can I say very, very quickly, I'm sitting in my office. Jackie Robinson, one of my heroes. His poster's across. This is what it says. He said, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." My hero, Jackie Robinson. That's Nancy.
MICHAELSON: Well said by him and by you. Thank you so much.
BOXER: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Coming up, Elon Musk just got a pay raise that could dwarf what many countries make an entire year.
Still ahead, the staggering amount he could be making and a lavish list of things you can do with that kind of money.
Plus, people in central Vietnam are struggling to recover after a deadly typhoon damaged homes and uprooted trees. We have a live report on that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:21:31]
MICHAELSON: Elon Musk is one step away from becoming the world's first trillionaire. That's $1 trillion. Remember when Justin Timberlake talked about "billionaire" in "Social Network"? We're talking about 12 zeros here, more than an annual GDP of most countries in the world.
Tesla shareholders cheered after they approved the pay package by 75 percent on Thursday. Musk will get enough Tesla shares to become the world's first trillionaire, with a big "if." If the company hits several benchmarks over the next ten years.
Among them: raising Tesla's value to $8.5 trillion. That might be a challenge, as Tesla sales and profits have plunged recently.
For perspective, $1 trillion is enough to buy all cars produced in the U.S. this year, or purchase every home in Hawaii, or sign up more than 1,400 Shohei Ohtanis, if you could count the Dodgers star current contract.
Or simply hand out more than $2,900 to every person in the U.S.
Now to this very sad story. Typhoon Kalmaegi slamming into central Vietnam on Thursday. Its torrential rains, destructive winds causing significant damage.
So far, the storm has killed at least five people in Vietnam. There are reports of homes collapsing, roofs blown off buildings, trees, power lines down. More than a million people without power.
And it's one of the strongest storms to hit Vietnam ever, with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour. That is equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.
Days earlier, Kalmaegi left after a deadly trail of destruction in the Philippines. Authorities say the storm killed at least 188 people there.
CNN's Mike Valerio, live for us tracking this storm -- Mike.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Elex, you know, the story line here is this dual storm track that we have at roughly a 30-degree angle.
We have Kalmaegi, which is making its way through Vietnam. It's going to go through Cambodia, Laos, make its way through Thailand by the end of the day.
And then, we're looking at a second typhoon, Fung-Wong. And if we put up the forecast track, that is expected to hit the Philippines by late Sunday night into Monday.
Why this is such a big deal. One of the reasons why this is such a big deal, I should say, is because the Philippines has already been hit by this first typhoon, Kalmaegi that we're talking about.
So, we're verifying the damage in Vietnam. Some initial pictures and video coming in. We're just trying to make sure that we have verified video before we show more coming in from other social media sources.
So, as we go through that, we're able to report 500,000, half a million people, Elex, evacuated mostly by boat, according to the Associated Press from Dak Lak Province. That is essentially in the center of this path of Typhoon Kalmaegi.
Three people are still missing from Ly Son Island. If you know Vietnam well, from family ties or going there as a tourist, that's in Quang Ngai province.
This is all happening as Vietnam was inundated with rain just a few days ago. So, adding insult to injury.
The ancient town of Hoi An, the former imperial capital of Hue. Certainly impacted by last week's flooding and now this storm.
When we change the picture, looking at the Philippines, recovering from this typhoon at this hour -- checking my notes here -- there are 135 people who are still missing.
The epicenter is Cebu City, where there is waist-deep water. The Red Cross members of fire brigades from the government trying to get people off of their roofs and out of their submerged homes.
[00:25:06]
The greater context of this story is that people have been protesting, Elex, in the Philippines for weeks now, saying essentially, for the sake of our conversation back and forth across time zones, you know, where are our flood control projects that we've been waiting for years for?
There are allegations of local legislators, construction companies getting kickbacks instead of that money going to flood projects. And then we see this damage on our screens.
So, again, we're waiting for this second storm to enter the picture. That would be Typhoon Fung-Wong, which is expected late Sunday into Monday -- Elex.
MICHAELSON: In some ways, reminds me of here in Los Angeles when all these folks lost their fire insurance right before we had this massive fire.
VALERIO: Yes.
MICHAELSON: So -- so talk to me about in the Philippines, the leader there has declared a state of calamity. What exactly does that mean, and what does that allow to happen?
VALERIO: You know, similar to the United States, it's very analogous to a disaster declaration.
So, a state of calamity allows aid to get to where it needs to go faster. It cuts red tape. So, usually there's a lot of bureaucracy involved in getting aid to X, Y, Z town; spending X amount of dollars for this project.
So, a disaster declaration or the state of calamity for not just a town, but for all of the Philippines, it's going to allow money to get where it needs to go faster, and also caps prices of essential items like gas, groceries; keeps them at a certain level, so that people don't jack up the prices and are not accused of profiteering during these desperate times, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Mike Valerio, live for us in Asia. And we are -- our thoughts are with all these folks impacted; really, really hurting tonight.
VALERIO: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Thank you, Mike.
Now let's shift gears, talk about something that's pretty wild. You think your hot tub -- your hot tub is hot. Well, that's nothing compared to some steamy lakes in the Amazon.
Scientists examined two dozen lakes there two years ago. Found some hit a searing 105 F. That's more than 40 Celsius. That is above recommended levels for some home hot tubs.
So bad it appears linked to a die-off of 200 endangered freshwater dolphins and thousands of fish.
Scientists blame an extreme drought that caused shallower lakes to heat up more than usual. They call it a long-term problem linked to climate change.
Still to come, our political panel here to talk about what's going on: the cuts, Nancy Pelosi, a lot more. We've got Elisha Krauss, Will Rollins when we come back.
Edge of the Sphere in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, where "The Wizard of Oz" is playing. I'm jealous, because I think this show looks awesome. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:32:35]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Americans know that Republicans control the House and the Senate, and they're looking and going, well, why are you shut down?
And also, I'll go back to this. Senate Republicans can use the nuclear option and override the filibuster and open up this country today. And so, I put blame on both Republicans and Democrats for basically -- Kaitlan, I can't say it on CNN -- but it's basically a you know what measuring contest between the men in leadership. And I think the country is sick and tired of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So, that's Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on Kaitlan Collins' show earlier, airing her frustration over the U.S. government shutdown.
By the way, she's been on pretty much every single show on TV except for this one. You're welcome to come on if you want to.
Those frustrations, though, shared by millions of people across the country, both parties frustrated. Our panel is here to talk about it.
Elisha Krauss is a conservative commentator and columnist for "The Washington Examiner." Will Rollins is an attorney, former federal prosecutor, and former Democratic candidate for Congress here in Southern California. Welcome you both to "The Story Is." Great to have you here.
WILL ROLLINS, ATTORNEY: Thanks for having us. MICHAELSON: Elisha, to you, what do you make of the politics of this
shutdown and what Marjorie Taylor Greene is saying?
ELISHA KRAUSS, COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER": I mean, even the president slightly agreed with her, although I don't think he wants to exactly agree with her, that maybe the election results of this week are showing that the American people are casting the blame of the shutdown on Republicans.
I have to say, it was a very bad look. And it's hard for conservative people like myself to argue that keeping food out of the hands of 40 million Americans is a good look.
I think that we should maybe minimize government involvement in that and have more public private partnerships. Thank God that a lot of charities and churches stepped up to fill those plates and those bellies of those innocent kids.
Maybe we don't need 40 million Americans on SNAP. Some -- another conversation for another day, but it's not making the Republican Party look good. And the politics of this has shown, I think, it contributed to major losses for the GOP this week.
MICHAELSON: What do you make of -- of the politics of this? And how does this thing end?
ROLLINS: Well, I think we definitely don't want 40 million people on SNAP. But, you know, if they need it, they need it. I mean, these are some of the poorest Americans in the country who should not be deprived of the ability to eat in the wealthiest country in the history of the human race, where we've got a new trillionaire as of today.
So, I think that Congress needs to do its job. I think that the Democrats are doing the right thing to hold out, to make sure that those healthcare subsidies get restored and continued on, so that people can actually afford health care, too, which I think, by the way, from a fiscal conservative perspective, is a huge benefit.
I mean, these folks are going to go to E.R.s anyway if they don't have coverage. And so, if we want to save money, let's keep those subsidies in place.
MICHAELSON: So, what's the off-ramp, Elisha, where everybody saves face. President Trump says I got to win. The Democrats say I got to win. But ultimately, the American people don't have to wait in long lines at the airport, because their flight was just canceled.
KRAUSS: I don't know, but I am not agreeing with MGT there where -- where she talks about the -- like, saying goodbye to the filibuster. I think that whoever is the minority party -- and one day Republicans need to remember that they're -- they're potentially going to be back in the minority. You can't have winning forever, even though Trump says that's what he provides.
And so, when you don't have winning forever, you can't be getting rid of that filibuster.
I think, unfortunately, in this shutdown and past shutdowns, Democrats have been the one that, you know, came out in the negative. And this one, it's looking like it's going to be Republicans.
MICHAELSON: Well, Republicans in the negative here in California this week. Prop 50 passed, which is redistricting California and is going to create new congressional opportunities for Democrats in seats, including the district that you ran on twice and came close to winning in against Ken Calvert.
We want to put up on the screen all the dominoes that are falling because of this. This is the look at the map that we're talking about. Those were the old districts and then going to be the new districts. And you see how the state is changing in terms of safe Democratic or lean Democratic. And we've got some stats in terms of who is changing.
Ken Calvert and Young Kim are now going to be running against each other. Democrat Ami Bera announcing he's running in a different district. Kevin Kiley considering running in a different district.
That's all in basically one day after all this.
So, first question to you, Will: now your district is clear. Are you going to run in that district?
ROLLINS: No, I'm done asking people for money. I still have PTSD from that. I think actually, all of us as Americans can agree that we need to end that somehow.
And so, I hope that there are more candidates in both parties that get into the arena and actually fight to get money out of politics. Do a six-week cycle instead of this constant campaigning, especially at the House level.
But look, I think California responded appropriately, as they had to, to Texas.
And honestly, if I were President Trump in this moment, I would go back to my Republican colleagues in Congress. And I would say, we have an opportunity to get our approval ratings up by passing a national gerrymandering ban.
I mean, the guy was sent there to drain the swamp, so drain it. You can do it, and you can put a whole end to it right now. And you'd actually probably get some bump in your own approval rating.
MICHAELSON: Elisha, do you -- are you running for Congress because of this?
KRAUSS: Oh, God, no.
MICHAELSON: No.
KRAUSS: It's in my non-existent prenup that I cannot.
MICHAELSON: But what do you make of what's happening now in California, as a Republican?
KRAUSS: Yes.
MICHAELSON: You know, part of the -- the best thing for Republicans in this state was this commission allowed for really competitive elections, the most competitive elections in the country.
KRAUSS: I don't know about really competitive when you only have nine Republicans out of the, what, 58 that are in there were close.
There have been close races up and down the state for sure for years. And now it's pitting two well-known Republicans against one another.
And I mean, got to love you, but I don't understand. You can say Prop 50 passing is a good thing, but then also advocate for a federal gerrymandering bill ban, which has been presented by Kevin Kiley, to his credit.
I -- I just don't think that two wrongs make a right here. And I think what Texas did was -- was shortsighted and not wise. I think what other states are doing is not OK. I am against gerrymandering across the board. I think that California, it's really disappointing until 2031.
Well see if Democrats ever give up their stronghold on that, or if it just keeps getting extended and extended. Because I'm sorry, I don't trust that they're going to hand that power back to the independent commission.
But California was one of seven states. It was praised by both sides of the aisle --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KRAUSS: -- that we were one of the very few states with this independent commission that was signed into law by Schwarzenegger, pretty moderate Republican. And -- and I think that we need to go back to that. We need to go back to it very swiftly.
MICHAELSON: Legally, it's supposed to go back to the commission. But as we know, Democrats can find a way to change it, as they just did.
You worked for Schwarzenegger, and were part of all this years ago. What do you make of what she's -- she's saying, though, in terms of two wrongs don't make a right?
ROLLINS: Well, look, that's the best argument for not having passed Prop 50, I think. And look, I think we agree: gerrymandering sucks. I agree with Arnold. Gerrymandering sucks.
And I think the whole country honestly agrees with it, which is why I'm here on CNN, you know, appealing and giving free campaign advice to Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress.
You guys own the whole place right now. You're the most powerful president in the history of my lifetime, right? You can do it. And you started it.
And maybe take it in a different angle. He's been known to go back and forth. I'm advocating for it because I think it's the right thing to do for the country.
And in the meantime, though, you can't blame the Democrats for responding to Texas. It's -- it's just outrageous. They're diluting, you know, the effective power of the California voters. It's going to become a race to the bottom.
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MICHAELSON: Somebody who advocated for Prop 50 really intensely was Nancy Pelosi, who is now going to be leaving. And it'll be interesting to see what happens to her race.
I know you worked with her closely. She endorsed you. What do you make of Nancy Pelosi's legacy?
ROLLINS: She's a legend. Greatest speaker of the House in U.S. History. Objectively, regardless of whether you agree with her politics as a tactician and also morally, I just think about her first floor speech as a member of Congress in the 1980s. I was not old enough to watch that floor speech.
But, you know, she went out and talked about the AIDS epidemic when nobody was talking about it, when it was politically risky to talk about it.
And I think about her getting the ACA done: the ability to expand health care to tens of millions of Americans. To say to people in 2018 when they were trying to win back the majority, you know what? If you need to run against me as a Democrat because you're in a tough seat, I won't hold it against you.
That's leadership. It's strategy; it's tactics. She's great.
MICHAELSON: There's a lot of Republicans who clearly don't like her for a lot of different reasons, but there also seem to be a lot of Republicans that respect her ability to wield power.
KRAUSS: Uh-huh.
MICHAELSON: What -- where are you? Are you a little bit of both of those?
KRAUSS: I'll miss the outfits and not the politics.
I mean, clearly, she was a leftist. I think she tried to keep a lot of the radicalism of the AOC, Rashida Tlaibs, like, in check. We saw that battle constantly happening on the Hill. And to her credit, I think she tried to rein in, in some ways, and moderate her party.
And, I mean, God bless her. I hope she enjoys retirement. Maybe she and Joe Biden can hang out. MICHAELSON: I don't think that's happening anytime soon. Although Joe
Biden did put out a gracious statement about Pelosi today, a little different than Trump's statement that she's evil and a terrible person, although Pelosi not so nice about Trump a few days ago with us either.
Meanwhile, at the White House today, President Trump was talking about what he has described as the fat pill, which is how he describes Ozempic. I don't think he said that today.
But this idea of making those drugs available for $150 to folks.
And then there was a medical emergency for somebody who was there. And is there a doctor in the house? Of course, there's a doctor. TV doctor Oz, who also works for the administration. Watch what happened.
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MICHAELSON: So, this is -- this is a video of that. Dr. Oz walks over. The man basically collapses. They try to get the press out of there.
Your thoughts, Elisha, watching this and just the whole concept of the government subsidizing Ozempic.
KRAUSS: I mean, when 40 percent of Americans are considered obese, and I think 18 percent are considered morbidly obese. We live in Los Angeles. I think every other person we know is on Ozempic, because they have to be.
So, I personally am kind of like a hippie in the aspect of, you know, maybe we should try natural things before we just put people on drugs that are -- we don't know what the longevity of this is going to.
MICHAELSON: And stay on it for the rest of your life.
KRAUSS: And you stay on it for the rest of your life. And why do we need to be on these medicines?
But listen, if this makes the American pharmaceutical market more competitive, so we're not buying these types of things from the CCP, then I'm very much for this.
MICHAELSON: Your thoughts?
ROLLINS: This is a total curveball. I was not prepared for this topic, and I'm just getting used to Just for Men. So, I'm not going to.
MICHAELSON: All right. Well, Elisha, great to have both of you. Hope you'll come back. Fun to have you along.
Coming up, a new exhibition exploring the American frontier opens this weekend in Denver, Colorado. Well speak with artist Gary Simmons about his work, what you see right there. When we come back.
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GARY SIMMONS, ARTIST: It's difficult to predict how people are going to react to the work. Some people line up with a lot of the ideas, and some are pushed away.
I think that that's when you know you're really hitting a tone is -- is when you have this kind of multiple reaction to your work.
When dealing with erasure, it's an attempt, in some cases, to erase a stereotype. And that image gets blurred. The viewer is called on to fill in some of those lines and gaps.
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MICHAELSON: That was artist Gary Simmons. His new exhibition, "Rush," which explores the racialized mythology of the American West. It opens on Saturday.
He joins us from inside the show at the Cookie Factory in Denver. Congratulations on the new show and welcome to "The Story Is."
SIMMONS: Thank you so much. I appreciate you inviting me to be here.
MICHAELSON: You got quite the background. Talk to us about what's behind you.
SIMMONS: Well, behind me is one of the newest drawings. A kind of new direction that I've been working on, which is based on the notion of sepia and those kind of old tools of photography and film.
And the ideas of the show really circle around some of the -- some of the things that were mentioned. But also, the film "Gold Rush" from Charlie Chaplin.
MICHAELSON: Of course, like the very early days of the film industry.
So -- so talk to us about how you're exploring the American West. What do you find so interesting about the American West?
SIMMONS: Well, I think moving -- the idea of moving across the country, with this idea of manifest destiny being the end goal, all of the things that that entailed and addresses.
Things like, you know, religion and the American dream, you know, this money pot at the end of a rainbow, was really a fascinating idea to me.
Usually in my practice, I really do a lot of research through film. And silent -- the silent era was one that really has -- something I've used in the past, and really left a -- you know, an impression on me. MICHAELSON: You've talked about this in your previous exhibit in
Chicago, this concept of erasure. What do you mean by that, and why is that significant?
SIMMONS: For me, particularly, it -- it really resonates with, sort of black history and the way that history has sort of erased over time.
And you're dealing with a kind of oral histories of passed down things. Images and facts get lost in -- in the mix. So, there's a -- there's a slippage and an erasure that happens. And you're forced into a position of trying to fill in those gaps, fill in those slippages.
And that's really kind of primarily where the erasure comes in. It's -- it's the space between representation and abstraction. And for me, I think that that is something that most people can relate to when they start to think about historical facts or places that they've been.
The more you move away from, you know, an experience, the more it becomes blurred. And these drawings are really circled around that kind of idea.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And we see that very big behind you right now.
So, this weekend is the opening. And you've got a lot of different stuff going on at that opening. You've got a -- a banned books reading area. You've got different celebrations. You've got a basketball court and a dunk contest. Is that true? And can you dunk?
SIMMONS: We do have all of those things going on. However, my skills to dunk have passed me by now. So, I now play the part of more of a -- a viewer and a fan. I'm a massive New York Knicks fan.
We do have the reading room, which is an ongoing project. And from institution and institution or gallery to gallery that that it moves around, books from -- and writers are invited to add to the book collection.
MICHAELSON: Which is a concept I know you worked on in Chicago, as well. And by the way, as a Knicks fan, you must be very used to the concept of heartbreak and disappointment.
SIMMONS: Oh, man, I can't even tell you.
In addition to being a Knicks fan, I'm a New York Mets fan. So, yes. Heartbreak is something I live with on a daily basis in my sports fandom.
MICHAELSON: Well, I'll say this. There's plenty of room on the Dodgers bandwagon, if you want to join. They're going to be good for a long time.
Thank you so much. Congratulations.
SIMMONS: I might take you up on that.
MICHAELSON: People can check out the show from Gary Simmons, "Rush." Again in Denver. Best of luck with the show.
SIMMONS: Thank you so much, Elex. Appreciate it.
MICHAELSON: Up next, the latest toys in the Toys Hall of Fame. You're watching "The Story Is."
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MICHAELSON: Scientists say ancient Roman road building was so groundbreaking it's comparable to the Industrial Revolution.
Check this out. Now you can virtually explore their intricate network: 63,000 miles of roadway stretching from Britain to Egypt and Syria.
Scientists made this visualization tool that shows them streets, as Romans used them, with carts and camels and pack mules. How cool is this?
The project is a work in progress. Scientists plan to add maritime and river connections. You can follow it all online at Itiner-e.com.
Three classic toys have been inducted in the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame. They include Milton Bradley's naval combat game battleship. That's a good one, right? Originally played with paper and pencil before selling more than 100 million copies.
Also, on the list, Trivial Pursuit. How is this not on there already? The board game has tested players' knowledge of obscure facts for generations.
And finally, Slime, the icky, sticky favorite that was more squashed than skill. These three beat out other childhood favorites, including Furby, Tickle Me Elmo, and the "Star Wars" lightsaber. I guess there's always next year for them.
Thanks so much for watching this hour of "The Story Is." But the next hour of "The Story Is" starts right now.
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MICHAELSON (voice-over): "The Story Is" shutdown consequences. How your travel plans in America could soon be interrupted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you be open to getting a.
