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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Machado Gives Trump Her Nobel Prize Medallion During White House Meeting; Pentagon Moving Carrier Strike Group Toward Middle East Amid Tensions With Iran; Minneapolis Official: ICE Violating Constitutional Rights; NCAA Players Charged Over Rigged Basketball Games; U.S. Senate Votes To Approve Billions For Federal Science Agencies; California's Billion Dollar Plant To Fund Scientific Research; Interview with California State Senator Scott Wiener; Interview with Patient and Disability Rights Leader Ryan Manriquez; Reuters: South Korea's Yoon Gets Five Years for Obstruction; What Movies to Watch This Weekend. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired January 16, 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: The 12 track record is produced by his longtime collaborator, Kid Harpoon. Styles last release, "Harry's House," featuring the mega hit "As It Was," won the Grammy and the Brit Award for Album of the Year.
The 31-year-old singer, of course, raised to fame as part of the boy band One Direction. And he is having quite a time in life right now. That music's going to be a big hit.
Thanks for watching. The first hour of The Story Is. The second hour starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Trump has wanted this. He's got it. It's just shameful that this is the way the president of the United States behaves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The story is peace offering, the gift that could reshape Venezuela's internal politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Department of Justice will step in to protect what is a sacred institution of American life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The story is sports betting, dozens of college athletes charged in connection to fixing games.
The story is science research, an exclusive interview with a California lawmaker who wants taxpayers to borrow 23 billion to fight the Trump administration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michelson.
MICHAELSON: Thanks so much for watching. I'm Elex Michaelson. The story is in Washington where in a meeting at the White House. Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, gave President Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal. That's a photo of what her gift looked like.
Of course, we know President Trump has said over and over again that he wants the Nobel Peace Prize. He believes that he deserves it for, in his words, ending eight wars. The Nobel Committee says the prize is not transferable. So you can give somebody a gift, but that doesn't mean he's a Peace Prize winner.
President Trump posted about the Nobel Peace Prize on social media, calling it a wonderful gesture. Machado told reporters why she gave her medal away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize. And I told him this. Listen to this. 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simone Bolivar a medal with George Washington. Bolivar since then kept that medal for the rest of his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So apparently in return for the medal, President Trump gave Machado a bag that was full of materials that had his signature on them and general understandings of his support for a, quote, new genuine electoral process. Machado also met later with some U.S. senators on Capitol Hill and some supporters outside the White House. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more on that meeting. She reports from us, from the White House. Kristen?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Elex, it does seem as though President Trump is going to keep the Nobel Peace Prize presented to him by the Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Machado. A source familiar with the matter says Machado left her prize here for the president at the White House. Again, an indication that it is not going back to Machado.
This, of course, is despite the fact that the Nobel Peace Committee has said that sure, you can give your medal to someone, but the winner of the actual Nobel Peace Prize cannot change. It is not transferable. Even Machado really needed this meeting here to try and have a conversation with President Trump as she tries to shore up support from the president.
Just a reminder, this lunch is happening after President Trump declined to endorse Machado in the aftermath of capturing Maduro and in fact went further saying that she he didn't believe she had the support of the Venezuelan people in order to actually lead the country. This comes as President Trump has begun working and the administration has begun working with this kind of Maduro adjacent leader, the former vice president of Venezuela, now Acting President Delcey Rodriguez, who President Trump himself has said is a terrific person and that they are working really well together.
And I do want to point out another remark that we heard from the press secretary today because it goes into all of these conversations around what's going to happen with the future of Venezuela and the future of Machado.
And Leavitt was asked specifically about elections and bringing democracy back into Venezuela and essentially said that she wouldn't go into a timeline and that right now what they're doing is they're working with the current administration. The administration is doing everything that the United States wants. And so that is what they are focused on at this time. Elex.
MICHAELSON: Kristen Holmes reporting from the White House. Kristen, thank you. Tonight, CNN's Kaitlan Collins spoke with former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, who has not been very close with the president for a long time, which is an understatement about Machado's gift.
[01:05:05
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLATON: Look, it's the price of admission, but it's really -- it's like somebody giving their Super Bowl ring to somebody else. They're not saying the person won the Super Bowl. They're just saying now they have the ring. Trump has wanted this. He's got it. It's just shameful that this is the way the President of the United States behaves. But I think it was wise of Machado to do it. You have to play with the hand that's dealt you.
I think it's worth the effort. I'm sure she can always get another medal. It's just the medallion. It's not the prize itself. And if it moves Trump even a little bit, I think that's helpful. I'm not sure it will at this point. And sometimes when the moment passes, it just may mean the opposition is condemned to be on the sideline.
That's not good for our long term interest. There's no evidence that Delcey Rodriguez has taken any steps whatever to reduce the Russian, Cuban, Chinese and Iranian presence, which is the real threat to the United States and Western Hemisphere stability. I'm worried this chance is slipping away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Tensions are sky high in Iran, where President Trump is weighing potential military action over a crackdown on protesters. This is significant piece of news. Right now a U.S. carrier strike group is headed to that region, according to a source familiar with the matter. Whenever we've done things, we've usually had a strike group in the region. U.S. based activists say at least 2,400 people have been killed since
the protests began. But a cybersecurity watchdog says Iran has been under the internet blackout for more than a week now, so that full death toll actually could be a lot higher.
An Iranian dissident broke down as she read the names of some of the people allegedly killed in the crackdown at the U.N. Security Council. She said they fought for justice, fully knowing that they would face guns, bullets. An Iranian diplomat said if any military action is to come, Tehran is ready.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHOLAMHOSSEIN DARZI, IRANIAN DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Iran seeks neither escalation nor confrontation. However, any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a decisive, proportionate and lawful response under Article 51 of the Charter. This is not a threat. It is a statement of legal reality. Responsibility for all consequences will rest solely with those who initiate such unlawful acts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: But the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations put Iran on notice, saying all options are still on the table for President Trump. He also pushed back against Iran's claim that the protests were instigated from the outside.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: I would like to address the allegation put forward by the regime that these inspired protests are somehow a foreign plot to give a precursor to military action. Everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before and therefore is putting forward this lie because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets. They are afraid. They're afraid of their own people.
Iran says it's ready for dialogue, but its actions say otherwise. This is a regime that rules through oppression, through violence and through intimidation. And has destabilized the Middle east for decades. Well, enough is enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Now to Minneapolis. One more night on edge after clashes between federal agents and protesters, plenty taken to the streets tonight. A number of people have been arrested during demonstrations against President Trump's immigration crackdown and the tactics used by immigration agents. This was the scene tonight. CNN once again there on the ground as authorities deployed what appeared to be tear gas on protesters as outside a federal building.
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SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Protesters have been kicking cars, throwing things at cars, as there are federal law enforcement vehicles that have been going into this building. And we have watched and federal law enforcement has done nothing.
And here we go. We're starting to throw those -- hold on, let me just come back here. As you can see, basically now they're just deploying tear gas because what's been happening is that they -- we have more tear gas here. Leonel, let's move back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz there. Protests have escalated in Minneapolis in the wake of those two recent law enforcement involved shootings.
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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says that residents should be prepared to prove their U.S. citizenship for ICE agents. Meanwhile, President Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops over those protests. White House press secretary says only the president can say what it would take for him to invoke the Insurrection Act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think the president's Truth Social post spoke very loud and clear to Democrats across this country, elected officials who are using their platforms to incarcerate violence against federal law enforcement officers, who are encouraging left wing agitators to unlawfully obstruct legitimate law enforcement operations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, the Minneapolis City Council president says some of the tactics used by federal immigration agents are unconstitutional. Is that true? CNN's Josh Campbell, who spent years himself in law enforcement, has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid growing controversy over the tactics being used by immigration agents, a stamp of approval coming from the top.
KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: They are doing everything correctly. Every single action that our ICE officers take is according to the law and following protocols that we have used for years.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): On Wednesday in Minneapolis, an agent shot and injured a man Homeland Security officials say was assaulting law enforcement. Protests erupting in the street over the use of force.
CAMPBELL: Many have asked when federal agents can use force, if they're arresting a suspect, they can only use the amount of force necessary to get that person to comply. If the person poses a threat, that can escalate. But when we're talking about demonstrators, federal agents can only lay a hand on someone if they're actively interfering with that immigration operation.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Many activists are also sounding the alarm over immigration agents demanding random people prove their citizenship. Like this woman filming agents who stopped her in Minneapolis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Do you have some ID then, please?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't need.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If not, we're going to put you in the vehicle. We're going to ID you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am U.S. citizen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Can we see an ID please?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am U.S. --
CAMPBELL: (voice-over): CNN reached out to Homeland Security for comment on the incident.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing an immigration check. We're doing a citizen check. We're asking you where you were born.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): The DHS secretary defending the questioning of bystanders. In certain situations.
NOEM: If we are on a target and doing an operation, there may be individuals surrounding that criminal that we may be asking who they are and having them validate their identity. That's what we've always done in asking people who they are so that we know who's in those surroundings.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): According to legal experts, questioning can't be indiscriminate.
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It's illegal, and it's unconstitutional to require people to show their citizenship papers without some other basis to make a stop.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Meanwhile, Minnesota is on alert as Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act, a move that local officials say would only inflame the situation further.
LATRISHA VETAW, MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: You know, I'm just speechless from hearing about this, but I really hope that the president does not do that. Our city needs a plan for how government can work together to make sure that ICE can do their business and the citizens of Minnesota and Minneapolis are safe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL: And Elex, all eyes remain on Minneapolis as we wait to see whether there will be a repeat of the protests that we saw last night. There were demonstrators that were gathered this evening outside of a federal building there in Minneapolis, which has served somewhat of a flashpoint in that area.
At one point, you could see a phalanx officers come out trying to push the crowd back to give a bit of a distance between themselves and these demonstrators that have shown up there. Of course, beyond Minneapolis, we're waiting to see what the president himself will do. Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act. We've heard local officials in Minnesota warning residents remain peaceful and their words don't take the bait. Elex.
MICHAELSON: Josh Campbell reporting for us here in Los Angeles. Josh, thank you. And the weather could impact all those protests as well. People in Minnesota have had relatively mild weather for that region, but winter comes howling back this weekend across the Twin Cities.
They'll get some light snow, but the biggest change will be frigid arctic winds which will gust at 30 to 40 miles an hour. Temperatures on Saturday night and Sunday morning will fall well below zero with wind chill as low as minus 20 degrees. Hard to protest for long in that.
Now to sports. Another betting scandal is rocking the sports world after investigators uncovered a sprawling scheme involving NCAA and Chinese basketball games. Prosecutors are charging more than a dozen U.S. college basketball players, accusing them of trying to rig games.
This comes as sports betting remains a lucrative source of revenue, raking in billions of dollars. According to the indictment, this scheme revolved around so called fixers who recruited players to rig games for big payouts.
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$20,000 here, $30,000 there. Fixers would then place bets against those players' teams. Join us now to explain how all this works is Arash Markazi, who is the CEO and founder of The Sporting Tribune as well as a former columnist, Sports Illustrated, the LA Times and ESPN.
Arash, great to see you back here. But we started first time you were here was about a sports betting scandal --
ARASH MARKAZI, CEO AND FOUNDER, THE SPORTING TRIBUNE: That's right.
MICHAELSON: -- and now you're back here again --
MARKAZI: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- for another sports bet scandal. What happened here sort of break down how this worked.
MARKAZI: What makes this so unique is the size and scope of it, right? Like every now and then you'll hear about, you know, right, you remember like the Pete Rose scandal, you know, that was one manager or you'll hear about one player. You're talking about nearly 40 players over two seasons. 17 schools were involved in this. It began with the Chinese Basketball Association. And when you talk
about these fixers, it's like, you know what, this works in the Chinese basketball league. Like maybe we can talk to some players. And I got some players just to really quickly explain what this point shaving is.
And a lot of these have to do with first half bets. If you're favored to win or you're favored to lead by 10 points, you're basically telling the people who took the bets don't play hard.
Like we, like we want them to win by 20 or to at least take the lead in the first half by 20 or more than 10. So that was the thing. Basically do not play hard. We want the other team that we're going to place a large wager on to cover the spread.
MICHAELSON: And so it started in China and then one of the guys who was real successful in China said I'm going to take this to the U.S. and then he starts working with these college players who are all in on it as well.
MARKAZI: One of the things that we talked about when we first touched on this is that this is not something that is going to affect multimillion dollar players. By the way, that now includes multimillion dollar college players, right? This is not a North Carolina or Duke problem. These are smaller programs and players that don't have any like aspirations to play in the pro. But if they do play pro, where are they going to go? They're going to go to China.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MARKAZI: They're going to go to China. And what was am this, Elex, when you look at the 70-page indictment and this is why this got flagged, you had a nearly a half a million dollar bet on Towson to beat UNC, like GNT. Like these are smaller schools that you would not hear until maybe in the tournament if they got that far.
MICHAELSON: So nobody's usually betting half a million dollars on those games.
MARKAZI: No.
MICHAELSON: Nobody's even watching those games.
MARKAZI: Well, that's -- most of these games were not even televised.
MICHAELSON: Right. And so all of a sudden that happened. So how did they do it? Some of them fake injuries.
MARKAZI: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Some of them, you know, how do they play?
MARKAZI: One of the more amazing thing was great, majority of these bets were made in the first half. And the way you can kind of get this to players to agree upon it is like you can play hard in the second half, don't play hard in the first half. So some of these players were celebrating getting payments of 10, 20, $30,000 in the first half. And then listen, you can come back from 20 points down in the game.
So all you need is a couple of players who are involved. These guys work out with each other, they talk to each other. So you need a couple of fixers in the begins in China. And hey, I got a friend in Towson, I got a friend in UNC, A&T, I got another -- next thing you know, you got 40 players involved in this thing.
MICHAELSON: It's really horrible. You think about how much money is now going into sports, not only with NIL and college basketball and now all those guys are getting paid. But you think about fanduel and betting and every network is talking about it as part of their broadcasts as well. And so it is incentivizing a lot of this in a kind of unhealthy way.
Speaking of big money breaking news in the sports world, in terms of the Dodgers, who you cover so closely, the rich get richer. Kyle Tucker, who is the best free agent out there.
MARKAZI: Yes.
MICHAELSON: All the teams wanted him and he's going to the team that just won the World Series two years in a row. What do we know about his deal and what does it do for the Dodgers?
MARKAZI: I mean, he's going to be getting paid $60 million per year, a four-year short term deal. $240 million to your point. The rich get richer. This was supposed to be a quiet offseason for the Dodgers. Back to back World Series champions, they go out and sign the best closer in baseball.
And Kyle Tucker was there and the Dodgers said, you know what, let's make him some kind of an offer. Four years, $260 million. They get the best right fielder. By the way, his birthday is Saturday. He's going to be 29 years old making $60 million a year.
MICHAELSON: Well, maybe there's an argument for the salary cap if you're one of the other teams.
MARKAZI: We're going to get a lockout after this season. But, hey, maybe the Dodgers go into the LOC with the 3peat. We'll see.
MICHAELSON: It's fun. If you're a Dodger fan, Arash Markazi, you can check out his work at the Sporting Tribune. Thank you so much, Arash.
MARKAZI: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Senators on Capitol Hill said yes to billions of dollars to fund NASA and other science agencies. That is the opposite of what the White House wanted to do with the science budget. Up next, we'll talk about a big plan here in California that would be the biggest investment in science and ever by a state, the state center behind it.
[01:20:08]
Scott Wiener joins us live with exclusive details when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Welcome back. A live look at Capitol Hill, where it is after 1:24 in the morning. The U.S. Senate has voted to approve billions of dollars in funding for federal science agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That is after the White House science advisor proposed cutting the science budget in half.
Now to a story is exclusive. California state senator Scott Wiener wants to pass the largest bond measure in California history that would make California the largest independent funder of scientific research in the nation.
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It proposes $23 billion bond on the November ballot, establishes the California foundation for Science and Health Research to fund research grants, loans and facilities. And it makes pharmaceuticals developed through that research available to Californians at a discount.
Joining me live from San Francisco is State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat who is also running to replace the retiring Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House, and Ryan Manriquez, who lives with spinal muscular atrophy disorder and is an advocate for medical research. Gentlemen, welcome to The Story Is.
SCOTT WIENER (D) CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR: Thank you.
RYAN MANRIQUEZ, PATIENT AND DISABILITY RIGHTS LEADER: It's a privilege to be here.
MICHAELSON: Senator, you're here to announce some exclusive details on how this will work. So how will it work?
WIENER: Sure. Just, you know, bottom line, California has long been a global epicenter of scientific research. At the University of California, Stanford, other institutions. California played a key role in creating the Internet and creating high yield rice, which has helped reduce hunger around the world in gene editing in so many critical technologies and health treatments. And we want to keep it that way. And you know, Trump is trying to destroy the federal science agencies and is slashing science funding for universities.
And so California needs to double and triple down so we don't have a brain drain. And so this critical part of our identity and economy just strengthens.
And so we're proposing a $23 billion bond to create this new foundation for science and health research so that we can address everything from preventing wildfires to making clean energy more affordable for people to creating great new treatments at a discount to Californians and benefiting California's budget.
And so we are, you know, this, we've, we're introducing, we just introduced legislation to allow this bond and it will move through the legislative process and our goal is to get it passed in November.
MICHAELSON: Ryan, how has your life changed due to scientific research?
MANRIQUEZ: Well, my story is one of transformation, hope and resilience for millions of people across the country. I live with a rare neuromuscular disease called spinal muscular atrophy. And at the time I was born, it was the number one genetic cause of infant death in the United States.
But in 2016, everything changed thanks to decades long NIH funded research that helped the first breakthrough called Spinraza be approved by the FDA for treatment of my disease.
Now, before starting treatment, I remember coming home from high school not being able to have enough strength to drink a glass of water or feed myself at the end of the day. But after starting treatment, the progression of my disease completely stopped in its tracks.
I've been able to give back to my local communities as a Civic Spark AmeriCorps member and my energy boosted enough to be on scene CNN at 10:30 at night.
MICHAELSON: Well, we love having you here and it's so great to hear that for you.
Senator, the stated mission is that this is going to fund all of science. Who decides what that means? Does that mean JPL is going to get like $1 billion to build the Rover? Will UCLA get money for astronomy? How does this work?
WIENER: Yes, so this will be a foundation with a board that's carefully structured of experts and policymakers with strong controls around low administrative overhead and real protections to make sure that the money is actually going to important science and grants will be made. And the way that, you know, agencies make these grants based on the merits and proposals, whether it's to try to develop a new Alzheimer's treatment or to try to prevent wildfires.
So we don't have people's homes burning down for new technology to make agriculture more productive or to make clean energy more abundant and cheaper. So it could be a variety of different ways in. The foundation will be comprised of people who are highly qualified to make these brands.
MICHAELSON: So it's not just limited to like medical research. It could be anything. It sounds like in the science related field.
Ryan, you know the federal government says that half the country doesn't have $500 liquid. The price tag of this is $23 billion larger than any California bond, larger than California's entire rainy day fund. How are Californians supposed to afford this? Paying this back over 40 years?
MANRIQUEZ: Health care affordability is a huge issue. So lowering costs is important to provide a way to access these drugs which can be really expensive. There are some new gene replacement therapies that we've seen cost families over $2 million just for a single dose.
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So I'm thrilled to see that medications will be provided to Californians at a discount.
And really, that California is leading the way on innovation and scientific breakthroughs for millions of people across the state.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: And Senator, this is supported right now by the United Auto Workers, who are deeply involved in University of California. They're behind this as well. You've got a few Republican co-sponsors, about a third of the legislature behind this.
But you need to get two-thirds support of both Houses to get this thing on the ballot.
STATE SENATOR SCOTT WIENER (D-CA): Yes.
MICHAELSON: You need to get Governor Newsom's sign off to help make that happen, not necessarily, but it's helpful certainly.
Where are you at on that? Do you think this thing has the votes?
WIENER: Well, we have a very broad and deep coalition behind the bill. United Auto Workers, UAW has been essential and they're amazing in terms of just budding scientists. And they really care about this.
Weve been working closely with the University of California and Stanford and a massive coalition of scientists, including many Nobel laureates.
And, you know, Governor Newsom is a -- has always been a strong supporter of science and innovation.
When it comes to the ballot and bonds on the ballot in California, it's always a conversation and a negotiation because there are always various ideas for bonds.
So we're not guaranteed to get this onto the ballot. But we have a shot and we're going to really make the case. And there's a lot of excitement around this bond. Californians understand that science is a good thing.
We have a federal administration that wants to take us back to the Middle Ages. They're against vaccines, against scientific research, against wind energy. It's really bizarre and destructive.
And so California needs to lead. And Californians know that we need to lead.
MICHAELSON: And is this a one-time thing that will be paid out to people, or is this paid out over 40 years? How does that work? Real quickly, Senator? WIENER: Yes. So when a bond is passed, it doesn't mean that the entire
bond is floated at once. You can float it over years. You're not tapping into the entirety of it on day one.
So this will happen over years. And this will ensure long term stability to make sure that people know this is not going to be, like a one-year thing. This is going to be over time.
And because not only will Californians receive a discount on any medication, that's invented under this foundation but when -- in addition, California taxpayers will get a cut of the profits of the revenues of these new medications that will go directly into our general fund, into our state budget.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
WIENER: So it is designed to benefit Californians.
MICHAELSON: State Senator Scott Wiener and Ryan Manriquez, thank you both for joining us. Really appreciate you talking about it first here on THE STORY IS.
WIENER: Thank you.
MANRIQUEZ: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: We are just getting some breaking news in South Korea. Just ahead, the verdict and sentence on obstruction charges for the country's former president. We'll go live to Asia when we come back.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Major breaking news from South Korea, where a court has just found the former president of South Korea guilty of obstruction of justice, sentencing him to five years in prison. That's according to Reuters.
The charges stem from his short-lived declaration of martial law in December of 2024.
Let's get right to CNN's Mike Valerio, who is live in Beijing. Mike, walk us through these charges.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Elex, the big takeaway here is this really shows how quickly South Korea's system of justice can move to hold public officials accountable all the way to the very top, to the president of the country, and we should say at this point, ex- president of the country removed after he declared martial law in December of 2024.
So what this all means, a court in Seoul has found South Korea's president, Yoon Sung Yeol guilty of essentially Elex, using his bodyguards on January 3rd of last year to keep police officers and national corruption investigators from arresting him. So if you can imagine the American equivalent, this would be like if
the Secret Service prevented federal investigators or city investigators from arresting the president from going into the White House.
That is essentially what we all witnessed, our team at CNN -- myself, Godwin Bei Yoon (ph), Yun Jung Soo (ph) our super producers in Seoul, Charlie Miller, our photojournalist there. We were on the streets of Seoul in front of the presidential residence, waiting for corruption investigators to go in and arrest the president after he declared martial law.
And there was a standoff. It didn't work the first time, so they had to go in a second time. Roughly -- how many days was it -- just more than a week later, almost two weeks later, to arrest the president. And they finally did. And then he was removed for declaring martial law.
To catch up all our viewers, he declared martial law December 3rd of 2024 because, in short, this ex-president was in a political logjam. So for a brief six-hour period, he outlawed political activity across South Korea, said that the opposition political party was, in essence, for the sake of our conversation here simplifying it again, in league with North Korean forces.
[01:39:52]
VALERIO: So again, this is an effort to try to hold him accountable, Elex.
MICHAELSON: And that six-hour period could lead to five years behind bars now. So where does South Korea go from here?
VALERIO: So he has another trial. There are actually four other trials. February 19th, Elex, is when the former president here Yoon Sung Yeol Is expected to be sentenced for insurrection. And this has made headlines over the past couple of days because Seoul prosecutors have requested that he face the death penalty.
We don't think that he is going to be put to death. That is extremely rare for anybody to receive in terms of a punishment in the South Korean judicial system.
But where South Korea goes from here, it's a huge reckoning as to what will happen to the president for that crime, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Fascinating and extraordinary breaking news happening right now that is being seen all around the world.
Mike Valerio live for us right now in Beijing with this big news coming out of Seoul. Mike Valerio, thank you so much.
VALERIO: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Thank you all for watching THE STORY IS. For our international viewers, I'm going away. WORLDSPORT is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be right back with one of our
favorite guests. Grae Drake is going to be with us to break down the week in movies and streaming -- what to watch, what to skip if you're looking for getting into something this weekend. Grae Drake with us next.
Thank you so much for watching THE STORY IS.
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MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS entertainment. It's awards show season. It's cold in a lot of the country right now, many people want to watch movies.
Here's one of the new films arriving in theaters on Friday.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So is this all your doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you Old Nick?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Old Nick? You mean Satan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
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MICHAELSON: "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple". The "Hollywood Reporter" gave it quite a description. A dystopian horror movie unafraid to mix an iron maiden anti-Christ anthem with dreamy Duran Duran synth pop in the trippiest display of bromance bliss you've ever seen. It's also getting high marks on film review site Rotten Tomatoes.
Joining me here in studio is Grae Drake, film critic at cbr.com. Grae, welcome back.
GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, CBR.COM: Hello.
MICHAELSON: How do you describe this?
DRAKE: "Bone Temple", it is completely unlike any other movie in the "28 Days Later" franchise. Ok.
It is so unique. It's the fourth movie. You shouldn't see it if you didn't see the last movie that just came out less than a year ago. It's very deeply connected to that.
But whereas all the other movies are about like the gore and the zombies and the fast and argh, this one is very much about the characters. So you saw Ralph Fiennes in that clip --
MICHAELSON: Sure.
DRAKE: -- and you've got a really bad guy that he's talking to, whose name in the movie is Sir Jimmy Crystal. Never has a name so dumb and so terrifying.
And really, this is about how people are surviving in a post- apocalyptic world, and they make it fascinating. It's directed by Nia Dacosta that did the remake of "Candyman". She crushed it.
And Ralph Fiennes has a scene in this movie I will not forget any time soon. They showed this to a group of us very early. Our response was so passionate. It's not coincidental that like three days later they announced that they were greenlighting the next movie.
MICHAELSON: Oh, wow. It's because the critics loved it that much.
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DRAKE: That's how good it is.
MICHAELSON: So you love it. So it sounds like this is a definite watch for you.
DRAKE: Yes. Loved.
MICHAELSON: Two very big stars are on Netflix -- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The "Goodwill Hunting" bros are back together for a project on Netflix.
The concept of that usually to me, has always been mediocre movies that get released this way. Is this one a mediocre movie?
DRAKE: No, "The Rip" is good.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: It's good, and it's directed by Joe Carnahan. So its great action and it's a lot of twists and turns.
So simple premise where they're cops, they get a tip that there's a whole bunch of money in a house. And they discover a whole bunch is actually kind of an understatement. It's over $20 million --
MICHAELSON: Wow.
DRAKE: -- that's in this house. And you think it should be simple for them to just turn the money into evidence and it's a done deal. You move on, go to sleep, wake up the next day. Everything's normal.
No, everyone goes crazy. There are cops showing up that shouldn't be there. There are people who want to get a piece of it. Everyone's double crossing everyone else, like you'll never know exactly where this movie is headed. It's one of the best Netflix releases ever. MICHAELSON: Wow.
DRAKE: No -- no kidding. I was so impressed.
MICHAELSON: These are all great reviews today.
DRAKE: I know. What's the matter with me. I'm in such a great mood. It's like I visited the bone temple or something.
MICHAELSON: Because so many Netflix movies are not.
DRAKE: Right.
MICHAELSON: They pay all these people so much money and then they say you have complete creative control, and then you realize that maybe if they had notes, they would do a little better in some of these instances.
Ok. What is "Dead Man's Wire"?
DRAKE: So this is directed by another heavy hitter, Gus Van Sant. And this is a true story in which a man in Indianapolis in 1977 felt that he had been deeply wronged by a mortgage lender.
They were going to take his land. It was all his family had. And he was very poor.
And so a desperate man did a desperate thing, and he took one of those mortgage lenders hostage. He fashioned like a horrible device around his neck that was basically just a shotgun pointed right at him. And if anybody made a false move, if anybody tried to kill him, the hostage was going to get it.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
DRAKE: It's very scary, very dramatic. It's also kind of relatable when you feel fed up. That's the heart of this movie.
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DRAKE: And Bill Skarsgard, who's very well known as "Pennywise" in the "It" movies once again, is just captivating as this real-life character and I -- this is another one where I just couldn't take my eyes off of it. It's well documented how it ended and also very surprising how it ended.
But the ride getting there includes like Colman Domingo, Al Pacino and even Dacre Montgomery from "Stranger Things" is so good as the hostage.
I was -- I'm impressed by all this week's movies.
MICHAELSON: This is like the best reviews you've ever given. And what a time for the Skarsgard family.
DRAKE: Right? MICHAELSON: Yes.
DRAKE: God, they're killing it. Dad wins an award. And like, we got Alexander has a movie coming out soon. Good times.
MICHAELSON: Grae Drake. Good time to always see you. Cbr.com, we can check out your work.
We'll be back to wrap things up here on THE STORY IS right after this.
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MICHAELSON: Well, if you were with us, live during our four-hour show last night, you showed us -- we showed you this in real time.
After 167 days in space, four crew members from the International Space Station returned to earth. Now, despite some smiles on arrival, their return was described by one crew member, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, as bittersweet.
The team were forced to leave the ISS about a month early due to a medical issue among the crew. It's the first time since the station was put into orbit in 1988 that astronauts had to leave early due to health problems.
So we still do not know what that medical issue is. We still don't know who had it, but we are told that they are being treated.
The head of NASA says the affected astronaut is getting the help that they need.
Well, from a two-star Michelin rating to a now one-star hygiene rating, food inspectors at a top restaurant in Wales with a one-star rating out of five, saying major improvements were needed in both food safety and cleanliness.
Ynyshir, named Britain's top restaurant of the year in 2022 and 2023, offers a 30-course tasting menu starting at 630 bucks.
In an interview with the BBC, the owner and head chef says he was not embarrassed by the rating but acknowledged the restaurants paperwork was not up to standards.
Thank you so much for watching us here for THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. We'll be back here tomorrow with more. Thanks for watching. Have a great night.
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