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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
DNA Found On Gloves Near Nancy Guthrie's Home Yields No Match In Database; 15,000-Acre Wildfire Crosses Oklahoma State Line Into Kansas; White House Rejects Democrat Offer To End DHS Shutdown; Waste Piles Up In Cuba As U.S.-Imposed Fuel Blockade Halts Collection Trucks; Peru Ousts Interim President Over Corruption Probe; Remembering The Life And Legacy Of Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson; Interview with Milwaukee Bucks Broadcaster Marcus Johnson; Six Companies Tied to Sarah Ferguson to Shut Down; Women's Figure Skating Kicks Off with Short Program. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 18, 2026 - 01:00 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: And they're off running through the streets of London flipping pancakes. It's tradition known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day that marks the last day before the start of Lent in the United Kingdom.
Crowds gather to watch and then check out the unique costumes competitors have to keep those pancakes in the air as they race the finish line. Winners were presented with frying pans and trophies.
Thanks for watching this story -- this hour of The Story Is. Stay with us. The next hour starts right now.
The story is not a match. DNA test results from a glove found near Nancy Guthrie's home don't belong to anyone in the FBI's database. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Arizona with the details.
The story is crisis in Cuba.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I first came to Cuba, the Soviet Union had just fallen and there were bikes on the road than there were cars. As this crisis goes on, it feels more and more like we're returning to those times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: CNN on the ground on the island where a fuel crisis is quickly turning into economic uncertainty. Residents are worried about how they're going to make a living.
And the story is Marques Johnson, former college basketball player of the year, is here with a remarkable tale about how one south LA school became a cornerstone for generations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: And welcome to The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaelson. Tonight the top story is a potential setback in the investigation to 84-year- old Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. DNA test results from a glove found around two miles from her home does not have any matches in the FBI's national database.
The Pima County sheriff also confirms it does not match any DNA found in Guthrie's home. The FBI claims the glove looks like those worn by the person seen on doorbell footage approaching Savannah's or Nancy Guthrie's front door just hours before Nancy was reported missing on February 1. It will now be subject to genetic genealogy analysis to see if the DNA matches publicly available family trees.
CNN's Ed Lavandera once again in Pima county for us with the latest. Ed.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The hope that DNA tests could provide a new lead for investigators in the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has fallen apart here. Investigators say that the DNA tests from the gloves that were found within several miles of Nancy Guthrie's home do not match the DNA that was found here at the home that the sheriff said belongs to an unknown person.
And that DNA also doesn't match anybody who is in the CODIS criminal database system as well. So that has kind of come to a dead end.
But however, the investigators do say that the DNA that was recovered here at the home is now in the process of being put through genealogical databases so it could prove and create a possible lead for investigators here in the days of days ahead. But we just don't know where that stands at this moment.
Here on day 17 of the search for Nancy Guthrie, we have seen investigators once again return to the neighborhood. We saw investigators at her home. One of them was wearing plastic gloves and carrying a bag and was at the property for about an hour or so. We also saw another group of investigators at a nearby home working on a camera and floodlight on the corner of a property.
We don't know exactly what they were doing except to say that investigators only categorized the work as follow up detective work here in the neighborhood. So that continues as well.
And we do know that investigators have also been going around to various gun shops in the Tucson area. And many of them that we spoke with, we spoke to about a half dozen or so today.
Most of them said that they were not able to comment on what investigators were asking about. But one of the gun shop owners did tell us that investigators came to that shop about a week ago showing them pictures of various people that they were interested in talking to.
And we do know that investigators have been spending a great deal of time trying to track down the clothing, the backpack, the mask, the holster that the suspect was wearing in the videos from the front porch door camera. And they're trying to figure out where those were sold and who bought them because they believe that video and those items in that are going to be the strongest leads to figuring out who abducted Nancy Guthrie back on February 1st. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.
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MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Ed. The story is the weather in Oklahoma. Authorities warn that a fast moving wildfire has crossed state lines into Kansas. The 15,000 acre inferno is being fueled by wind gusts over 65 miles an hour. For our international audience, that's just above 6,000 hectares and nearly 105 kilometers per hour. Powerful winds are wreaking havoc across the region.
In Colorado, at least four people are dead in a multi vehicle pileup on a major interstate.
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Law enforcement says the pileup happened after wind gusts blew dust and dirt around, reducing visibility. The danger far from over. Another storm on Wednesday could kick up winds and increase fire danger to critical conditions. It's the second highest level that could affect the southern high plains.
A White House official says President Trump has rejected Democrats latest offer to end the partial government shutdown. As we look live in Washington, it's after 1 o'clock in the morning there. The official adds that the two sides remain, quote, pretty far apart from a potential agreement.
Democrats sent a counteroffer to the White House Monday night with their demands for reforms within the Department of Homeland Security. The partial shutdown has been going on for days with no immediate end in sight.
President Trump says the U.S. and Cuba are talking as the island nation deals with the impact of a crippling oil blockade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Cuba is right now a failed nation. They don't even have jet fuel to get for airplanes to take off. They're clogging up their runway. We're talking to Cuba right now and Marco Rubio talking to Cuba right now. And they should absolutely make a deal because it's a humanitarian. It's really a humanitarian threat.
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MICHAELSON: Cuba's oil supply has fallen off after Washington cut off shipments from its ally Venezuela, and that has threatened to penalize other countries sending oil. Trash is piling up across Savannah because there isn't enough fuel for garbage trucks to keep their routes and drivers are struggling to keep their engines on. CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports from Havana.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Owning a classic car in Cuba used to be a gold mine until recently Mandy Pruna earned more from one hour driving tourists in his vintage 1957 Chevrolet than most Cubans do in a month. But he's no longer able to make a living.
Just before taking me out for a spin, Mandy canceled his permit to work as a chauffeur.
Everything is uncertain at the moment, he says. There's no fuel. We don't know if there will be any and how we will pay for it. There's no tourism. Cuba is becoming an increasingly paralyzed country as the Trump administration's policy of blocking oil shipments from abroad cripples an already ailing economy.
We're just weeks ago cars lined up for hours at the pump, now there's no one because there's no longer any gas. Each day, public transportation is harder to find. Many switch to bicycles.
OPPMANN: When I first came to Cuba, the Soviet Union had just fallen and there were more bikes on the road than there were cars. As this crisis goes on it feels more and more like we're returning to those times.
OPPMANN (voice-over): The White House is strong, arming Cuba's communist run government to open politically and economically in exchange for the fuel shipments to resume. Cubans are seeing food prices soar as the crisis drags on.
We are paying two, three times as much to restock and keep people happy, a vendor tells me. There's no food and there's no immediate solution in sight.
OPPMANN: This is the kind of place that I buy vegetables from my family. Most of the products are coming from outside Havana. Transporting them from the countryside is going to get more difficult, if not impossible. Cuban officials have responded by saying people need to start growing their own food.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Cuba may just be weeks or perhaps days away from running out of fuel. A humanitarian disaster could be on the horizon. Already many fishing boats sit idle.
One can't work. The country is stuck. There's no industry. Nothing is happening, this fisherman tells me and we will see how this ends.
Until then, the best many Cubans can hope for is to stay afloat as their country goes under. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE) MICHAELSON: Great reporting there from Patrick. Thank you. A third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine with the U.S. mediating will get underway in the hours ahead. It's unclear how much if any progress has been made.
Russian state media called the talks very tense and Ukraine's lead negotiator said the discussions have focused on practical issues. Not long ago, U.S. Special envoy Steve Witkoff posted, quote, president Trump's success in bringing both sides of this war together has brought about meaningful progress and we are proud to work under his leadership to stop the killing in this terrible conflict. Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal.
Iran and the U.S. walked away from Tuesday's nuclear negotiations with, quote, guiding principles for future talks. That's according to Iran's foreign minister. He says this round of indirect negotiations with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law in Geneva were more serious than the first set of talks in Oman. Negotiators from both countries say they made, quote, progress. But there's still a lot of sticking points to work through.
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The U.S. has been building up its military assets in the Middle East. Vice President J.D. Vance on Fox News explaining it this way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Everything is on the table. We certainly want Iran to stop being a state sponsor of terrorism. They're one of the world's largest state sponsors of terrorism. There are a lot of ways in which they endanger America's national security. But the most important way they could is if they acquired a nuclear weapon. And that is the red line the President of the United States has consistently set.
Yes, of course, the Iranians say that they're not issuing a nuclear weapon. We know, in fact, that's not true. They have shown a number of things that make it clear that they're interested in acquiring a nuclear weapon. Our goal is to make sure that doesn't happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Abbas Melani is Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University. He's also a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institute. Translation, he's really smart on this stuff. He joins me live now from Stanford. Thanks so much for being with us.
What was your big takeaway from the talks and what does guiding principles mean?
ABBAS MELANI, DIRECTOR OF IRANIAN STUDIES, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Guiding principles means we haven't agreed to anything, but we have agreed to have another meeting to see whether we can actually agree on something. To me, that's what it means. I think it's clear that they don't have
any progress. If you have been listening to Mr. Khamenei, the talk he gave yesterday, if you have been reading some of the stuff that he has put on his website, you can clearly see that he thinks that there is no way forward.
He threatens the United States. He threatens the President of the United States. He threatened sinking the U.S. ships that are there. So clearly his was the language of non-negotiations. Iran had an exercise of how to close the Strait of Hormuz. I think it's more bluff and bluster than actual capacity, but that's the posture they have. So that, to me, is the meaning of looking for guiding principles.
MICHAELSON: I mean, to that point, what leverage does Iran have on the U.S. right now? You say it's bluster. I mean, what can they do?
MELANI: I think the leverage is zero, and I think they know it. I think the United States also knows that. That's why I am befuddled, why the United States is now negotiating with this regime. I've always been for negotiation. But this regime that continues to kill. It is not true that they stopped killing.
Actually, in the last 24 hours, they have attacked peaceful mourners who were trying to mourn their death, but they're not doing it the way the Islamic Republic wants. They're not doing it by weeping. They're doing it by music. They're doing it by chance. And they have actually taken bullets to these people. So they haven't stopped the killing. And thousands of people in prison, several thousands of people have been killed.
To say that these negotiations have actually stopped the brutality of this regime against the Iranian people, to me, is not accurate.
MICHAELSON: What's your read on how long President Trump will keep the diplomatic window open because he keeps threatening military action as well? We see the buildup of U.S. troops in the region.
MELANI: I don't know. It's very difficult for me to read what Mr. Trump's next move will be. I see -- I think himself, as repeatedly says nobody other than himself knows what his actions will be. It's basically not based on, as far as I understand, the kind of a strategic thinking he goes by what his gut feeling is at any moment, and tomorrow he might end the negotiations if he thinks the Iranians are prolonging it, or tomorrow might send Mr. Witkoff to Tehran if he thinks he can make a deal.
To me, I can understand the logic and I can understand the indicators. The Iranian regime is clearly trying, in spite of all the bluster and all the rhetoric of the last few days, is trying to make concessions, to see whether they can get some economic relief.
But have no doubt, if they have economic relief, they're not going to use it to improve the lives of the people. They're going to use it to consolidate themselves and oil this oppressive apparatus. So to think that if you break this sanction, you'll help the Iranian people, I think is the opposite. MICHAELSON: Abbas Melani with a strong perspective from Stanford
University. Thanks so much for being with us.
MELANI: Thank you.
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MICHAELSON: Peru's interim president has been removed from office following a political scandal. Just four months after he was sworn in, Congress there voted to censure Jose Jeri following accusations that held off the record meeting with Chinese business people. He apologized for the meeting but denies any wrongdoing.
His ouster marks Peru's eighth change of leader in nearly a decade. Meantime, lawmakers there set to vote on the next interim president, a general election expected to take place in April for a permanent replacement.
In New Orleans, a festive finale to one of the biggest celebrations in the world, carnival season. Massive, colorful floats rolled through the city streets lined with cheering crowds during Mardi Gras festivities.
Louisiana is home to one of the nation's largest annual carnival traditions, filled with lively street performances, elaborate parades, flying beads and lots and lots of drinking. Celebrations mark Fat Tuesday, a day of feasting and fun before the start of Lent, the 40 day Christian period of fasting and prayer.
Reverend Jesse Jackson is being remembered as a tireless pioneering civil rights activist. Just ahead, one of Jackson's longtime friends will join me live to talk about his legacy and working with him in the political world. Stay with us.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: When you see Jesse Jackson, when my name goes in nomination, your name goes in nomination. I was born in Islam, but Islam was not born in me and it wasn't born in you. And you can make it.
Wherever you are tonight, you can make it. Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes but the morning comes. Don't you surrender. Suffering breeds character. Character breeds faith.
In the end, faith will not disappoint. You must not surrender. You may or may not get there, but just know that you are qualify when you hold on and hold out. We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: That was civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta in July of 1988. Reverend Jackson died Tuesday at the age of 84. He was a protege of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. He is being remembered for his moral vision, fiery speeches and mobilizing millions to register to vote.
Jackson ran for president twice in '84 and '88. His rainbow push coalition helped to reshape and pave the way for a more progressive Democratic Party that years later would elect the first black president.
Joining me now from San Francisco is Rabbi Steven Jacobs, a longtime friend of Reverend Jackson's. Rabbi Jacobs, welcome to The Story Is.
RABBI STEVEN JACOBS, FRIEND OF REV. JESSE JACKSON: Thank you. It's good to be with you on a day of mourning throughout the world for an amazing individual. Appreciate being on your show.
MICHAELSON: All right, so I'm going to full disclosure. You were my rabbi growing up and I will never forget your relationship with Jesse Jackson and interfaith services that both of you did with each other. Talk about the nature of your relationship and this concept of interfaith services which was clearly very important to both of you.
JACOBS: Well, first of all, let me say it's with a great deal of pride that growing up that I was your rabbi. And it's with the same pride that I met Jesse Jackson 40 years ago When Martin Luther King had an interfaith gathering in Washington, D.C. to protest the war in Vietnam.
And I happened to spend some time with Reverend Jackson, and we just took to each other and we stayed in touch. And then he asked me to join him to go throughout the world and in really places that where there were soldiers that were being kidnapped. When we met with Arafat, we met with Assad, we met with Prime Minister Peres.
We went to Belgrade to meet with Milosevic, which was very controversial, to release the three prisoners of war, which did happen after a while, but it was the interfaith world that we inhabited together. We traveled throughout the country. The Gore campaign went into disarray. We traveled up and down Florida to meet with people and the Jewish community that embraced him.
And one of the most touching parts of our relationship was his standing up for the three young men that were killed. Two Jews and a black Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney, who were killed trying to register to vote. And the 25th anniversary, we went to Philadelphia, Mississippi. He invited me to join him there. It was a dramatic, touching moment, filled with tears and yet hope that we could prevail, and in particular, that Jews and blacks could trust one another.
MICHAELSON: Yes, and you touched on this a little bit, going to Belgrade, meeting with Milosevic, you were able to free three American POWs, and then you went to the White House together for that, right?
[01:25:10]
JACOBS: Correct. We flew back all night. We got the soldiers out, dropped them off in Germany for check their health, and then went to the White House late at night. And I will say in retrospect that Madeleine Albright was not too happy with us, with an NGO that negotiated the release of the soldiers with Milosevic.
In my own Jewish community, it was controversial that a rabbi was going to meet with Milosevic. But the Talmud says that the release of captives is one of our most values, the greatest values in our faith. And so I went.
MICHAELSON: Of course, Madeleine Albright was the Secretary of state at the time for Bill Clinton. So how do you want Jesse Jackson to be remembered? What do you think is his legacy?
JACOBS: I think he's a transcendent person and I think he will always be remembered in the same way that Martin Luther King. People may not be happy that I'm comparing Jesse Jackson to Martin Luther King, but he will be remembered particularly running after Shirley Chisholm ran for president. But he ran twice.
And I remember, interestingly enough, he was always for the working class people. He could stop on a street and pick up a kid. He could go into the poorest parts and people just loved and adored him because he was standing up for everybody.
And I think that will be remembered and I think it will inspire other people to step up in this discordant world, to challenge what's going on, particularly in this country and around the world, but in this country to bring people together, Muslims, Jews, Asians, blacks.
We've got a job to do. And Jesse will still be the kind of person that inspires us because today, all over, it has not stopped the people that had a relationship that met with him. He's that kind of transcendent individual.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
JACOBS: Hope alive. That was it. And he did.
MICHAELSON: Keep hope alive. And we're just looking at pictures of him tearing up. That was the night that Barack Obama was elected president and he saw some of his legacy come true there.
Rabbi Steven Jacobs, who knows a lot about being a rabbi, knows a lot about politics, too. Now involved in a new campaign his wife, Betty Yee, running for governor of California. But we appreciate you joining us from the campaign trail in San Francisco.
JACOBS: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Rabbi, great to talk with you.
JACOBS: Thank you. Thanks. MICHAELSON: Coming up, communities are gathering around the world for
the beginning of Ramadan. The Islamic holy month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Saudi Arabia says the crescent has been spotted, meaning the first day of fasting in the kingdom and many other countries is set for Wednesday. For its part, Iran says Ramadan begins on Thursday.
Muslims around the world observe a fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, followed by a large meal at night. Ramadan this year also has a rare overlap with Lent on many Christian calendars. They start on roughly the same day.
Coming up, former NBA All Star Marques Johnson joins me live here on the show. Discuss his new book about his alma mater, Crenshaw High School. We'll also talk NBA trades, top collegiate basketball players in the country, what's going on with Giannis.
Plus, he's got a very cool award he's bringing in the studio, next.
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MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.
Let's take a look at today's top stories.
DNA from the glove found about two miles away from Nancy Guthrie's home will now be sent for genetic genealogy analysis. On Tuesday, Pima County sheriff announced it did not find a match in the FBI's national database or any links to the DNA evidence from the missing 84-year- old's home.
The "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert says broadcaster CBS intervened over his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico before it could air on TV. Colbert claims the network was responding to pressure from FCC regulators and the Trump administration.
CBS says the "Late Show" was provided legal guidance, but was not prohibited from broadcasting the interview, just encouraged to interview other candidates as well.
Warner Brothers Discovery is briefly reopening takeover talks with Paramount Skydance. The media giant and parent company of this network said it is moving forward with its deal struck with Netflix, but the streamer granted Warner a seven-day waiver to negotiate a possible deal with Paramount. Shareholders are scheduled to vote on the Netflix bid on March 20th.
Now, THE STORY IS sports. Could one of the biggest stars in the NBA soon be on the move? There's rampant speculation that Milwaukee Bucks all-star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could be traded during the off season. The NBA trade deadline has passed for this season, and Giannis is still a Buck.
Former NBA player Marcus Johnson is Bucks broadcaster. He knows this story well. He's also telling his own story in a new book called "The Crenshaw Chronicles". See it right there.
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MICHAELSON: Plus, Marcus is here to talk about the Wooden Award, which he brought with him, as we pan out. This is an amazing award, which is the -- which is the college basketball top player award, which we will talk about in a moment. So we got a lot to get to with you, Marcus.
MARCUS JOHNSON: Ok. All right.
MICHAELSON: Welcome to THE STORY IS. Let's start with the news of the day with the team that you cover.
JOHNSON: Ok.
MICHAELSON: What's going on with Giannis?
JOHNSON: Well first of all, Giannis is my guy but he speaks in parables. So you know, he's kind of like Jesus, speaks in parables.
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MICHAELSON: It's quite a comparison.
JOHNSON: Kind of a Rorschach test. Depending on how you feel about him that's what you take from what he says. But the thing that I take as long as the team that he feels like is headed in the right direction in terms of trying to put together the best personnel they can.
And we've done that. We picked up Cam Thomas from the Brooklyn Nets, who was waived. We picked up Usman Jiang. They're playing great basketball right now.
Giannis wants to be in Milwaukee. But also he knows that the window of opportunity is turned into a porthole about to turn into a peephole and so he's got to maximize these final few years he has left and try to win another championship. He's driven to win. He's the most competitive person I've ever been around.
MICHAELSON: Ever? Even more than Michael Jordan?
JOHNSON: Well, I haven't been around Michael Jordan that much. I know about Michael's competitiveness, but just in terms of being around the guy and watching how --
MICHAELSON: He's there all the time.
JOHNSON: How he works, he's in the gym, the weight room every single day and night.
MICHAELSON: If he requests a trade, where do you think he goes?
JOHNSON: Man, I have no idea. You know, I would think that the league would love to see him in a bigger market if that were to happen. But the only thing about that is that, you know, in order to get Giannis you have to give up so much. You have to gut your team, decimate your team. So now is it worth it to give up substantial pieces of your own championship aspirations to get Giannis. I don't know.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about your journey. You played for the Bucks yourself. You played for plenty of other teams here. You played here at UCLA. But you started in Crenshaw.
JOHNSON: Right.
MICHAELSON: And you've got a new book called "The Crenshaw Chronicles". Why was it important for you to talk about that high school?
JOHNSON: Well, it was important because this is one of the most iconic schools in the country, maybe in the world. I mean, I've been traveling all over the world, and I see people that know about Crenshaw. And so this kind of traces the reasons why.
And you think about all the great, not only athletes, but scholars and entertainers that have come through the school. It was just built in 1968.
So we've had a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist Lynn Duke who was a cheerleader when I was there. She was head of the South African Bureau for "The Washington Post" when Mandela and the whole majority rule movement was happening in South Africa.
Darryl Strawberry is a Crenshaw high grad. Kevin Ali, who won a championship at UConn. Dr. Joy DeGruy, who has written a tremendous book called "Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome".
We've just had so many. Donald Baker, a renowned jazz pianist from Nicaragua who spoke no English, had a cleft chin, came over, and the Crenshaw student body embraced him, loved him. And now he's a professor at Juilliard and one of the best jazz pianists around.
So just an eclectic, eclectic combination.
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: Of course, one of the great baseball players of all time that came out of there. Larry Elder came out of there.
JOHNSON: Larry Elder came out of Crenshaw.
MICHAELSON: From South Central.
(CROSSTALKING)
JOHNSON: Polar opposites but --
(CROSSTALKING)
JOHNSON: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Several times. What is it about that school?
JOHNSON: Well, it's the demand for excellence and it's a lot of pressure when you're at Crenshaw especially during the times that I was there. It's a combination of that demand in excellence in the classroom and on the court and on the football field. But also it was a time of gang violence, rampant gang violence.
The "L.A. Times" had a had a story back in those days. They called it Fort Crenshaw because the gangs were there, the Crips and the Pirates and the bloods, all there at once. The police presence in front of the school was massive every single day.
And so you had to go to school. You had to -- had to take care of your business, get college courses taken care of. At the same time being able to navigate through all the craziness in terms of gang stuff that was going on.
MICHAELSON: So after that, you went to UCLA, where John Wooden was the coach, the greatest basketball coach of all time. He won ten NCAA championships and you won the 10th.
JOHNSON: I know it's hard for you to say from being from USC.
MICHAELSON: Yes, well that's ok. I grew up at UCLA. I think John Wooden is like the smartest, most interesting person of all time. His books are my favorite books.
What -- and John Wooden, this award that we've got here for the best player in college basketball is named after him. And you won the very first one 50 years ago.
JOHNSON: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Talk to us about this award that we're looking at.
JOHNSON: 50 years ago. No, no. So my junior year I was about to go pro about to sign with the Denver Nuggets right before the merger the ABA and the NBA. The NBA found out that Denver was going to sign me without going through the draft, they pulled the offer. And so I had a choice of going to the NBA with Detroit or going back to school.
They were just starting the Wooden Award and my mother had the bright idea like, hey, why don't you be the first winner of the Wooden Award?
And so I went back to UCLA, and that was the first year that the dunk shot was being put back into college basketball. Ten-year hiatus since Kareem scored 56 points against USC.
[01:39:48]
MICHAELSON: He was so good.
JOHNSON: 56 points against USC, his very first game most of them dunk shots.
MICHAELSON: Kareem -- Lew Alcindor was so good they changed the rules.
JOHNSON: They banned the dunk shot.
MICHAELSON: To get rid of slam dunks.
JOHNSON: So they brought the dunk back in and my workout partner Melik Abdul Mansoor from Neptune, New Jersey I'll never forget. He told me man look for you to win the Wooden Award, you got to dunk everything you can. We're going to work all summer long going to dunk it.
So they had a team, Louisville, the doctors of dunk. They had 60 dunks as a team, everybody was like oh my God. I had 63 by myself by myself --
MICHAELSON: By yourself.
JOHNSON: By myself, my senior year. But this award, man being the first winner, it just means so much to me because of what Coach Wooden meant to me in my life then, and even more importantly now, as I go through different challenges and struggles. Right now, he means a lot.
MICHAELSON: Favorite quote from John Wooden.
JOHNSON: Oh man its always "failing to prepare is preparing to fail" is one of them you know. And all his quotes about character, the pyramid of success. I mean I look at a tenant every day. Even today, I meditate on it, I reflect on it, I write about it, whether its ambition or adaptability or resourcefulness or whatever it is.
So he's a bigger part of my life now as someone who just turned 70 years old than he was back then as a player.
MICHAELSON: So we look at this award, it's like the Stanley Cup. There's one award, and every year somebody new's name is etched into it. So you won the first.
JOHNSON: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Cooper Flagg, who's now a big NBA star, won the last. The favorites this year, Carlos Boozer, probably the favorite for men. Sarah Strong probably the favorite for women. There's a man and woman.
JOHNSON: Cameron Boozer.
MICHAELSON: Cameron Boozer.
JOHNSON: Carlos is --
MICHAELSON: Carlos is -- yes.
So we'll see who wins that in the end. But congratulations and thank you for bringing it in here. It's pretty amazing to see it up close.
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: And thanks for all that you do for the game of basketball. We love it.
You are watching THE STORY IS. For our international viewers WORLDSPORT is next. Hard for them to be better than Marcus Johnson when it comes to sports.
Here in North America, I'll be right back with more of THE STORY IS.
[01:41:43]
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MICHAELSON: The fallout over the Epstein files continues to impact the British royal family and some former royals. The latest furor involves companies connected to Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York.
Max Foster reports from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Six companies listing Britain's Sarah Ferguson as sole director are set to shut down as the Epstein firestorm rolls on.
The former Duchess and her ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, are under renewed scrutiny over their ties to the late financier after Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution charges involving an underage minor.
Last year, Ferguson's spokesperson said she'd cut off relations with Epstein, quote, "as soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him." DOJ files suggest otherwise.
Epstein's crimes were publicly reported in 2006, the year he was also first arrested.
The latest tranche of files released by the Department of Justice, revealed the depth of Ferguson's friendship with the late financier with one e-mail thread discussing a lunch date in Palm Beach.
This was 2009, just five days after Epstein was released from jail after serving 13 months.
"It will be myself, Beatrice and Eugenie," Ferguson tells him," referring to her daughters, at the time aged 20 and 19 years old. "Cannot wait to see you," she tells Epstein in a subsequent e-mail.
Another exchange between Epstein and his assistant shows that he paid more than $14,000 to fly the Duchess and the two princesses to the U.S. on that trip.
Just days later, Ferguson thanks him for being "the brother I've always wished for". And the following year she goes as far as saying, "You're a legend. I'm at your service. Just marry me."
Then, in March 2011, Ferguson publicly apologizes for being associated with Epstein, saying in an interview, "I abhor pedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf."
Except that, in private, she appears to apologize to Epstein for publicly denouncing him, calling him a "supreme friend".
Ferguson's spokesman told British media, this e-mail was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats.
Now, publicly available documents show that in the past few days, six companies which list Ferguson as the sole director, all filed an application to strike the company off the U.K.'s official company's house register.
It is not clear exactly what services those companies provided or whether they were active at all.
We reached out to Ferguson's representatives multiple times for comment on the exchanges seen in the Epstein documents. CNN has also requested comment from Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Well, it is known as one of the crown jewels of the Winter Games, women's figure skating.
CNN's Coy Wire in Italy on how the frontrunners fare, next.
[01:48:48]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS the Winter Olympic Games. The Italian hosts are enjoying a record-breaking medals blitz. We have highlights from women's figure skating as well as engagement on the slopes.
CNN's Coy Wire has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN WORLDSPORT: One of the crown jewels of the Winter Olympics women's figure skating kicking off with the short program tonight and American Alysa Liu put herself in prime position for medal contention.
After the last Winter Games, she took time away from the sport, traveled a bit, enrolled in college at UCLA, but decided to make a comeback. She told me ahead of these games that she loves fashion, she loves dancing. Therefore, she missed figure skating.
She put up her season best routine. Her whole family was there to see it. Clearly, she needed that time away. She said ahead of these games that she didn't feel like her life was on the line anymore. She's currently in third place after the short program.
It's Japan's 17-year-old Ami Nakai in the lead. She said she didn't expect to be at the Olympics when she made her senior debut this season. She's been absolutely crushing it. Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time world champ also of Japan, is currently
in second. Only one Japanese woman has ever won Olympic figure skating gold. That was 20 years ago in Italy.
Speaking of Italy, the Italian team has made the most of the home advantage here at these Winter Olympics, smashing their previous best performances in terms of gold medals and total medals won.
They claimed another gold, a surprising one in speed skating on Tuesday in men's team pursuit, beating world record holders and world champion, Americans, nicknamed the Pain Train.
[01:54:44]
WIRE: The Italians, responding to the roar of the home crowd with just laps to go storming back to deliver an unforgettable gold.
Now, just a bit ago, I caught up with one of the fastest, fiercest athletes on the planet, Team USA's Breezy Johnson Olympic downhill gold medalist.
But that's not the only bling she'll be taking away from these Italian games. Her boyfriend proposed at the bottom of the slopes. I asked about that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BREEZY JOHNSON, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: I did have an inkling that he was going to do that. I had suggested that it was always kind of my dream to get engaged at the Olympics.
And so yes, he planned the whole thing out, and it was a very awesome moment with all of my teammates and friends and family around. So yes, it was pretty special.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: All right there will be nine more gold medals up for grabs on Wednesday. Norway still topping the medal table, and Mikaela Shiffrin, she will be back on the slopes for her last shot at a medal at these games.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Coy Wire in Italy. Thank you Coy.
British pop star Charli XCX hit the red carpet for the U.K. premiere of her upcoming film "The Moment". The Brat singer was joined by costar Alexander Skarsgard and director Aidan Zamiri.
The film premiered to mixed reviews earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. In the mockumentary, Charli XCX plays an exaggerated version of herself while preparing for her Arena tour debut.
Thanks for watching THE STORY IS.
Tomorrow, I'll be speaking one on one with Senator Bernie Sanders at a big rally happening here in southern California.
Plus film critic Grae Drake on what to watch and what to skip. We'll see. Maybe she'll review that Charli XCX movie.
And we'll have the latest on the search for Nancy Guthrie.
We'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for watching.
[01:56:26]
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