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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Ex-Prince Andrew Released "Under Investigation" After Arrest; Trump Says Decision On Iran Action Within "10-15 Days"; Football Returns To Gaza After Two-Year Paused Caused By War; Eric Dane, Star of "Grey's Anatomy" & "Euphoria" Has Died; Chalamet & McConaughey Weigh in on Craft, Career & A.I.; Sen. Bernie Sanders on His Pushback Against Artificial Intelligence; Winter Olympics Day 13 a Lucky One for Team USA. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 20, 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: Team USA's Alysa Liu took home gold in the fiercely competitive women's figure skating at the Winter Olympics. Liu landed all her jumps, earning a final score of 22 -- 226.79 between the short program and free skate. That catapulted Liu to the top spot on the podium, beating out Japan's three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto. Liu is the first American women's figure skater to claim gold in two decades.
Thanks for watching this hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.
The Story Is, former royal under arrest for the first time in centuries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is seismic. I mean, it is the biggest catastrophe crisis to engulf the royal family.
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MICHAELSON: The latest on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The Story Is, Republican governor of California? Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's polling shows he's a top contender. He's with us live in studio.
And The Story Is remembering Eric Dane, the actor gone far too soon after a short battle with ALS.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michelson.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching The Story Is. I'm Elex Michelson. Right now, the top story is the crisis jolting the British monarchy. For the first time in nearly 400 years, a senior royal has been arrested. Former Prince Andrew is sinking into the backseat after he was released from custody on his 66th birthday. What a birthday present.
No charges have been filed, but British authorities say he remains under investigation for possible misconduct in public office, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. During the decade, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor served as U.K. trade envoy. He was in contact with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Police previously said they are looking into claims that he shared information with the late sex offender while representing the monarchy. More now from CNN's Richard Quest.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE (voice-over): An unwise and costly friendship leading to a spectacular fall from grace for the man once known simply as Prince Andrew. The British police are carrying out searches at two of the former prince's residences after arresting him early on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The investigation was launched after a new tranche of documents relating to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were made public by the U.S. Department of Justice. Some of the e-mails released appear to show Andrew sending confidential material to the late Epstein, a potential breach of his duty of confidentiality while serving as Britain's trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
As trade envoy, the former prince facilitated deals between British and foreign companies, promoting the country's interests abroad.
ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR, MEMBER OF THE MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR FAMILY: If we can open doors and give the U.K. an advantage over our competitors, then I think that's absolutely right and proper.
QUEST (voice-over): But concerns about Andrew's ability to serve as Britain's trade envoy are not exactly new, something I asked him about in 2006.
MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR: I don't know. I mean, I am bringing a discipline to this that I believe is having the right effect.
QUEST (voice-over): He stepped down from the role already under fire for his association with Epstein, who pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges in 2008. Andrew claimed he terminated his relationship with the convicted sex offender during a now infamous visit to New York in 2010.
In an interview with the BBC in 2019, the then prince said he regretted the visit and the delay in cutting ties, but not much else.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you regret the whole friendship with Epstein? MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR: Now? Still not, and the reason being is that the people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn, either by him or because of him, were actually very useful.
QUEST (voice-over): None of that seems to matter now. The police suspect him of misconduct in public office, but there's also an ongoing investigation into allegations Epstein trafficked a woman to the U.K. for a sexual encounter with Andrew.
[01:05:03]
The former prince has not publicly responded to the latest allegations, but has consistently denied all accusations of wrongdoing. Amid the crisis, the crown is putting on a brave face.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good afternoon, your majesty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have any reaction to the arrest of your brother, sir?
QUEST (voice-over): King Charles avoiding questions about his brother's arrest. The king had previously stripped Andrew of his titles, and in a statement released on Thursday morning, Charles vowing the monarchy's full and wholehearted support, adding the law must take its course.
Richard Quest, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: The most well-known accuser of Epstein and the former Prince Andrew is the late Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year. She repeatedly said that she was forced to have sex with the then prince while underage. Her relatives say Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest is a step in the right direction.
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SKY ROBERTS, BROTHER OF LATE JEFFREY EPSTEIN ACCUSER VIRGINIA GIUFFRE: Forward, we don't know, but we're hopeful. I think we're very hopeful that the dom -- this is the start of the domino effect. This is where the house of cards starts falling. And, you know, kudos to the U.K. for taking the first step, for saying, you know what, we are going to arrest somebody who is held to one of the highest esteems out there, somebody who was a former prince.
I mean, this hasn't been done before. And so to know what we should expect, it's really naive to say that we do, but we won't stop. I mean, Virginia said it so clearly in her statements. And I'll say it again here today, like we won't stop until justice is served.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, pressure is mounting for investigators amid the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie. Mexican officials say there is no indication that the 84-year-old is in their country. Authorities on both sides of the border were told to be on the lookout for clues as part of a standard investigative procedures.
Guthrie was last seen on January 31st before she was apparently kidnapped from her home in Arizona. Investigators continue to run analysis on DNA found at the house. Right now, they have no leading theory about a motive.
Meanwhile, President Trump is extending his timeline for making a decision on whether to attack Iran, saying it will be another 10 to 15 days. He has already ordered the largest military buildup in the Middle East in 22 years. Sources tell CNN the U.S. could be ready to strike Iran as early as this weekend, though officials did not expect an attack to happen that soon. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more from Washington.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And now he said 10 to 15 days, that was just hours after he had said 10 days, so clearly there is a shifting timeline and really this kind of ambiguity or vagueness is something that we are hearing is happening behind the scenes as well. I talked to a number of advisers who seem to not know how to communicate or did not know why exactly it was in America's best interest to get involved now in some kind of military intervention in Iran and how to communicate that to the people.
Remember, there are still a number of questions here as to what exactly the United States is hoping to achieve if they are going to, in fact, strike Iran. Is this going to be a targeting of top leadership? Is this a targeting of enrichment capabilities or ballistic missile facilities? We do not have those answers from the White House or from the administration. And if it is to be some kind of regime change that the United States is hoping for, it is unclear that the United States or the administration has a plan as to what exactly that would look like on day two after these strikes.
Right now, the White House has not really sold to the American public why there might be this heightened sense of needing or urgency to go into Iran. But we do know President Trump has not yet made up his mind. He is waiting, weighing these various military interventions, as well as this idea of trying to reach some kind of diplomatic solution.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
MICHAELSON: The first meeting of President Trump's Board of Peace saw lofty pledges for Gaza's future, but uncertainty remains about next steps. Mr. Trump said nine nations pledged more than $7 billion for relief aid. He vowed the U.S. would give $10 billion to the group. But he did not say whether he'd ask Congress for those funds.
Many other questions remain. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is still dire. And perhaps the biggest issue is the disarmament of Hamas. Israel's prime minister says the U.S. agrees that Hamas must disarm and Gaza must be demilitarized before reconstruction can begin.
Some Gazans are getting a taste of the life they had before the war with Israel by enjoying a beloved sport. But for many Palestinians, it's not just about physical activity. As CNN's Christina Macfarlane explains, it's also about hope. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A battered soccer field amid a wasteland of ruin in Gaza City. For the first time in two years, Palestinians are playing again. Determined to get back on the pitch after a devastating war.
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KHALED SAMI, FOOTBALL PLAYER, AL SHATI CLUB (through translation): Hope is an essential part of a human's life. Seeing this pitch amidst all the rubble and debris gives you hope that we can play sport again in Gaza.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): The Palestine Football Association and Gaza's soccer clubs cleared rubble from a destroyed building that had collapsed onto this half-sized pitch. Restoring it to life and using it to host friendly tournaments.
The ravaged landscape, a reminder that life beyond the pitch remains fragile and uncertain. But for these young fans, it's a momentary escape to life as it used to be. Climbing over broken and collapsed buildings just to get a better view.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): As you can see surrounding this pitch is all destruction. All the other pitches have been destroyed. Despite that, we try to create willpower with the least that we have.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Since October 2023, more than 550 soccer players have been killed in the war, the majority by Israeli strikes. And more than 130 facilities destroyed, according to the Palestine Football Association. Four months into the ceasefire, and the territory has seen almost no reconstruction.
Most people still live in makeshift tents without enough food or clean water. But for these players, returning to the game is an act of resilience, a way to bring joy and life back to Gaza.
CAPTAIN MOHAMMAD KHALIL, FOOTBALL REFEREE: Destruction does not prevent the future. We are building the future right now, and we hope this tournament will make way for others.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Christina Macfarlane, CNN, London.
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MICHAELSON: In California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, more heavy snowfall is complicating efforts to recover the bodies of eight people who died in an avalanche on Tuesday. Forecasts are now warning of the possibility of new avalanches. CNN's Stephanie Elam is here now with more, and we have some new information on this.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we've received a statement from, that represents six of the women that were killed in this avalanche. They're saying that they were wives, they were mothers, they were friends who bonded over their love of being outdoors, and that is what they were doing on this mountain at the time.
I want to read a bit of the statement that was put out here, just to give you some context. It says, we have many unanswered questions, but here is what we know at this time. Eight close friends planned a professionally guided, two-night backcountry hut trip to Frog Lake Huts outside Truckee, California. The trip had been organized well in advance.
They were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains. They were trained and prepared for backcountry travel and trusted their professional guides on this trip. They were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.
What we also learned from the statement too, Elex, is that they were from the Bay Area. They were from the Tahoe Truckee region, and at least one of these women was from Idaho. According to the statement, they were skilled skiers. These were not people who were just, you know, just taking this lightly. This is something they believed in doing, that they loved doing.
And just to give a little bit more context of who was out there, we also know one of the people that lost their lives was a member or a spouse of a team member who is actually a part of the search. Someone who's married to someone in the Tahoe Nordic search and rescue team, and that person is also still, you know, losing someone and also part of this rescue team.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
ELAM: You just can't even imagine how much they're dealing with.
MICHAELSON: And we just looked at some of this video, the conditions right now and how that's complicating the efforts.
ELAM: Yes, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are rugged for people who may not have been up into that region. They're rough. They're very remote where they were. That's why people like to go backcountry skiing there. And according to the officials, it's also vertically challenged. To get out there to rescue the first six people, they had to take snowcats to get out and then hike in two miles and then get them back.
So now they had to go back to do that to recover these other bodies. Now, there's still one person missing, but they're presumed to be lost as well in the avalanche. But they're looking for them. And hopefully they're saying because of the snowstorm, which is supposed to end tonight, that they'll be able to work on it and get these bodies recovered through the weekend.
But it's such a big and heavy lift that they've even the Tahoe National Forest is closed to all people until March 15th, because I think it's going to be a Herculean effort.
MICHAELSON: Wow. Such a sad story.
ELAM: Really is. MICHAELSON: Stephanie Elam, thank you for being here and bringing it to us.
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Up next, the California gubernatorial primary is very close and very important. Republican candidate Chad Bianco is here to discuss his platform, his plans for the state, if he wins. He is at the top of many polls and he's with us live next.
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MICHAELSON: Now to a CNN exclusive. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is admitting that its website showcasing arrested immigrants they claimed were the worst of the worst was rife with errors. They made the admission after a CNN analysis of the site found discrepancies in the charges associated with hundreds of immigrants on the site. The Trump administration has heavily promoted the site on social media to justify its aggressive immigration enforcement tactics. In response to CNN's review of the site, a Homeland Security spokesperson said the discrepancies were due to a glitch.
New polling from Emerson College shows that the California race for governor is close. Right now, Republican Steve Hilton leading the field with 17 percent support. Democratic Eric Swalwell and Republican Chad Bianco both have 14 percent.
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Keep in mind, 21 percent of voters still undecided according to the poll. And with the margin of error, it's essentially a three-way tie. Under state law, the top two candidates in June's primary advance November's general election, regardless of party. You could have two Republicans. You have Democrat and Republican. Who knows?
One of those candidates, Chad Bianco, joins me here on set. He is the sheriff of Riverside County. Sheriff, welcome to The Story Is for the first time. Great to have you here.
CHAD BIANCO, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: Thank you. Glad to be here.
MICHAELSON: So the Republicans seem to be coming down to you and Steve Hilton. What's the biggest difference between the two of you?
BIANCO: I think there's a lot of difference. I think past is the big difference. I had 32 years of irrefutable integrity, honesty, leadership in service to the public, outside of politics. So, I mean, there's a lot of talk about it has to be someone else, outsider. He even says all the time, it has to be an outsider. Well, he's a career politician.
So he's absolutely right. It does have to be an outsider. And I think California --
MICHAELSON: But you've been in elected office. He hasn't been in elected office before.
BIANCO: Right. Exactly. Two times in a major county, major law enforcement. We're the fourth largest sheriff's office in the country. And it's -- so there is that knowledge of California government, of U.S. government that simply he just doesn't have. I mean, he has enormous amounts of London, of England government, but not the U.S. So I think the ability to know what truly is wrong with California, to be able to relate to Californians, and then Californians, I think, why they're flocking to my campaign is that California attitude that we have that we're just looking for someone that we can believe.
We don't trust our politicians. We don't believe our politicians. And that's different for a sheriff. They look to the sheriff to do the right thing outside of politics and just do stuff for the community, for Californians. And I think that's why it fits. I mean, there's so many things that are different.
MICHAELSON: Steve Hilton, by the way, you say the London experience. He worked for David Cameron in the British government there. He worked as a "Fox News Channel" host. He has not been himself elected to office before.
BIANCO: Right.
MICHAELSON: The biggest issue in this state, which is really the biggest issue in the country, but especially in this state, is affordability, making it cheaper to live. You say you want to do no income taxes.
BIANCO: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: How do you do that?
BIANCO: Absolutely. Number one, we cut all of the waste that we now know, even according to our own government, our own budget office is saying that the waste, fraud and abuse in California is worse than any other state in the country. So we have to eliminate that. But the biggest issue is we import all of our oil into California when we have all of the oil here.
If we were oil independent in our state, like other states are, we could completely fund government just with the oil revenue. No different than Alaska, no different than Texas. There are 10 other states that don't have an income tax. I guarantee you California can do it better than all 10 of those states.
MICHAELSON: But the oil thing, I mean, do you think you're going to get that through a Democratic super majority when climate change is such an important issue to so many people on the left?
BIANCO: I do, because the reality is it's all been a lie. One of the things with me is everything about me is the truth. That's all I live off of is the truth. And we've been lied to. We've been misled. We've been told wrong information about oil. Importing 80 percent of the oil is way more than 10 times worse for the environment than doing it here ourself. We're importing it from the Middle East, which is far worse. Zero regulations at all. And then you're shipping it across the ocean to bring it here. The carbon footprint is 100 times more, but it's far more worse for the environment.
So that is a lie. It doesn't make sense. We have the ability to drill our own oil, pump our own oil, and do it in a way that we can still be good with the environment. That has to be key and main, but we can still do that.
MICHAELSON: Another huge issue in this state is immigration. We're really a majority-minority state.
BIANCO: Yes.
MICHAELSON: There's millions of people who are here undocumented right now.
BIANCO: Yes.
MICHAELSON: What do you do with them? Should there be a pathway to citizenship for them?
BIANCO: It's a -- this is an entire show conversation. This is where I get in trouble because I like talking for an hour instead of little tiny soundbites. We absolutely cannot have something like amnesty. We can't have that here. The immigrant community doesn't want that here, especially ones that came here and did it the right way.
But we also have to have the federal government fixing our immigration system. We absolutely must have immigration into the country. It has to be controlled. It has to be made much bigger. And in California, we rely on it. We rely on guest workers, and they're being cut back.
This year, we had a big increase in it, but we have to do better at that. The ones that are here illegally, I have to tell you, Sanctuary State is a disaster for this state. It has to go away. We absolutely must deport the people who are here illegally and victimizing our communities.
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And the argument that they shouldn't be, they're victimizing the immigrant communities more than anyone else. So it's -- Sanctuary State policy has to absolutely go, and we have to work to force the federal government to fix these policies that have been broken for years in the immigration system. They have to fix it.
We have a mass influx or we have a mass influence of California delegates that are Democrats in the national government. Why aren't they working to fix it? Why are they not saying that they want to fix the immigration policies?
MICHAELSON: Well, they say that they do.
BIANCO: Well, they actually don't. They don't do anything. They promise where they're going to.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
BIANCO: But no one does. And both sides do. They use it on both sides of the argument. We have to fix it because it's the rest of us here in the country and in our state, particularly, that are really being punished for it and suffering the consequences. The people who are coming here legally, they're the ones that are really suffering.
MICHAELSON: And so lastly, just the point is, though, people that have been here for a long time, not committed crimes, maybe there should be a pathway for them.
BIANCO: We have to come up with something. I don't know if it's an amnesty. I think they have to suffer a consequence. You're not going to get a free ride. You have to pay a fine. You have to be legal. I mean, you have to not be breaking laws. But there has to be something that we come up with. It makes absolutely no sense. The ones that are criminals, there's no question they've got to go.
MICHAELSON: Sheriff Chad Bianco, Riverside County, a candidate for governor of California. Best of luck out on the campaign trail. Great to see you. Thanks for coming in.
Coming up, we're talking more about artificial intelligence, how it will impact Hollywood. It's one of the questions actors Matthew McConaughey and Timothee Chalamet are talking about in a new CNN variety town hall. We'll show you a preview of that. Let's talk to our film critic, Grae Drake, next.
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[01:31:15]
MICHAELSON: Eric Dane, the actor who steamed up prime time TV on "Grey's Anatomy" at the height of the show's popularity, has died. A statement from his publicist said Dane died on Thursday following a courageous battle with ALS, adding that he was surrounded by his wife and two daughters and friends.
ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Eric Dane was just 53.
Actors Timothee Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey are talking craft and career on a special CNN and "Variety" town hall event. You can catch it on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 p.m. Pacific on CNN and on the CNN app. In a room full of aspiring young actors and filmmakers, Chalamet and McConaughey also weigh in on the impact that artificial intelligence is having in Hollywood.
Here's a preview.
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LAURA ALCANTARA, STUDENT: I'm Laura Alcantara. And I'm a freshman studying theater and dance here at U.T. This is a question for both Timothee Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey.
Mr. Chalamet and Mr. McConaughey, you both have been part of the film industry for numerous years and have seen it change throughout the years.
How do you think the film industry will change with the rise of new technologies such as A.I.? What steps do you think will be taken to ensure that artificial intelligence doesn't replace creatives, but is rather used as a helpful tool?
TIMOTHEE CHALAMET, ACTOR: Wow, that's a great question.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, ACTOR: Yes. And we kick off --
(CROSSTALKING)
MCCONAUGHEY: So, first off it's coming. It's already here, don't deny it. Don't -- just creative world. It's not enough. It may be for you, but it's not going to be enough to sit on the sidelines and make the moral plea, the moral plea that no, this is wrong. It's not going to last. There's too much money to be made, and it's too productive. It's here. All right.
So I say get, get, get your own -- your own yourself, voice likeness, et cetera trademarked or whatever you got to do.
CHALAMET: So you did that?
MCCONAUGHEY: Yes. Get -- own yourself. So when and if -- when it comes, Not if it comes. No one can steal you. But they're going to have to come to you to go, can I, or they're going to be in breach, and you'll have the chance to be your own agency and go yes, for this amount or no.
Ok. It's coming. Is it going to be another category or is it going to infiltrate our category? Its damn sure going to infiltrate -- infiltrate our category.
I think it will end up, does it become another category? Will we be in five years having films, the best A.I. film, the best A.I. actor? Maybe. I think it might be -- that might be the thing is that it becomes another category.
I'm not sure. It's going to be in front of us in ways that we don't even see it. It's going to get so good, we're not going to know the difference.
That's one of the big questions. What we're doing right now is the question of reality. That's -- it's more hazy than ever in a very exciting way, I think. But also a scary way.
It's not only coming, it's here. I say prep for it and own your own lane. So when it comes, you can at least have your own agency when it starts to trespass.
CHALAMET: That's great that you know I think it's going to be all of our war to wage, sounds confrontational. I don't mean to say it like that but it's a dual responsibility.
[01:34:46]
CHALAMET: Unfortunately for your guys' generation, I think it's going to be you guys that figure out how to integrate it.
There's a huge part of people that are in positions of power now, like myself like Matthew, to safekeep, that doors stay open. That's like very -- that's extremely important.
Some of the roles I got that helped kickstart my career, I won't even know if they're available today. Not because of A.I., but because of less TV being produced, less streaming being produced.
And yet there's a level of fatalism, I feel too, where I'm like ok, this things coming. So it really is -- it will be on your generation and mine to an extent, to know how to, to some extent, ethically integrate it, if at all, or do away with it.
But the fatalist in me feels like this stuff is coming, you know. And the dreamer in me wants to go, hey if it enables a 19-year-old to produce something they couldn't otherwise because there's gatekeepers standing in the way then -- but ultimately it's not my place to say.
But that was the most serious question I felt like I was asked today because it's like, that's the thing, you know? And I'm fiercely protective of actors and artists, artisans, you know, in this industry.
Anyway, that was a great question, man and TBC like in ten years, in five years and ten years, well know where that's going.
MCCONAUGHEY: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Joining us now to talk about A.I. in Hollywood and other entertainment news is film critic at cbr.com, Grae Drake. Welcome back to THE STORY IS.
What I was struck by in that is Timothee Chalamet is ten years older than that crowd. And doesn't he look younger than them?
GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, CBR.COM: Right.
MICHAELSON: Yes. What did you make of those comments and this very real issue?
DRAKE: I think that Matthew McConaughey is certainly coming from a place of privilege, talking about trademarking his own likeness. That doesn't really have anything to do with anyone but him and Chalamet. I can't do that or can I? Do I have those resources?
MICHAELSON: That hair is quite, quite -- quite a thing to trademark.
DRAKE: But look out government, here I come with my application. But I think that, really what that conversation does for me is like, oh, they have no idea either. Everybody's doing the best that they can. And I think that it's every day the answer changes.
MICHAELSON: And the speed in which it's changing. I mean, we look at the robot --
DRAKE: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- the fighting robots in China.
DRAKE: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And all of it is just a lot to keep track of.
And we'll talk about that a little more with Bernie Sanders in our next segment, talk about artificial intelligence.
Now just talk about the saddest story of the night. Eric Dane, you know, McSteamy --
DRAKE: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- who had this short but beautiful, courageous and brave battle with ALS, dying at just 53.
DRAKE: This is sad and shocking. This was too soon. This should I really am so happy with -- for all the work that you and so many people do to help find a cure for this, because he has given us so much in the way of entertainment.
Last year he was in a great movie called "Borderline". He's in "Euphoria" that's going to be coming. You know, he's everywhere and he has cemented such a place in our hearts and entertainment ever since "Saved By the Bell" days. You know, with over 100 credits to his name, plus. You know this is a huge loss for us.
MICHAELSON: So I've had the honor of hosting the ALS Walk here locally and hosting events for ALS network for about 15 years.
DRAKE: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And just recently at their big gala, it was to honor Eric Dane. And unfortunately, that day he was feeling so sick he wasn't able to come, but he was able to Zoom in and watch it.
And this video of all of his colleagues in Hollywood, biggest names in Hollywood, who just shared the best stories about him and the way that he used his platform in the last year to advocate for ALS, to go to Congress, to use what voice he had to lift up everybody else around him was really powerful and inspiring.
And may his memory be a blessing and sending so much love to his family.
DRAKE: Truly, because that is exactly what to do with your platform, is what he did. He gave so much of himself to us. MICHAELSON: And it meant so much to the people in that community who I know so well. And he was such an inspiration to them.
All right. Well, he loved making art and so.
And I know, it's hard to transition to the movies of the week but let's do it and try to have some fun.
"How to Make a Killing" what is that?
DRAKE: Ok, so Glen Powell, ok, we've got another hot guy in a movie, right?
MICHAELSON: My God. Glen Powell.
DRAKE: Oh, we love him. He was just recently in "The Running Man" which started streaming, check it out. And in this film he is playing the cast-off heir to an obscene fortune, right. But his branch of the family has been ostracized.
But he has a sense of entitlement that's going to end up becoming very dangerous when he realizes that there's only like seven family members standing in the way of what he feels is rightfully his.
[01:39:51]
DRAKE: And so even though this is a dark comedy, there is emphasis on the "dark".
MICHAELSON: Ok.
DRAKE: Because Zach Woods from "The Office" and Topher Grace from "That 70s Show" as his family members, they better watch out. And Margaret Qualley is playing his childhood friend, a film noir like femme fatale. And it's super fun and inventive.
MICHAELSON: See it -- see it?
DRAKE: Big see it.
MICHAELSON: Glen Powell is not overexposed?
DRAKE: He's not. And you know, he's so goodlooking that I buy that he's up to something.
MICHAELSON: "Psycho Killer", real quickly. What's this?
DRAKE: "Psycho Killer" is a scary movie about a scary man doing scary things in Illinois. And only Officer Jane is apparently investigating this at all.
Where they end up is very good and surprising, but the journey to get there, I didn't feel was very fun. So this is not one of my favorite horror movies I've seen lately. It just felt mean.
MICHAELSON: Ok, so skip that one. And finally "Paradise Season 2". Is "Paradise" coming back. Sterling
K. Brown, This is one of your favorite shows, right?
DRAKE: Yes.
And you have to see Season 2, but don't skip out on Season 1 obviously. You need to know there's 25,000 people in a bunker during the apocalypse.
And in this season we're outside that bunker and we're focusing on what's going on outside.
MICHAELSON: Oh.
DRAKE: No, we didn't know that there was an outside before. Sorry, spoiler alert, but this season is quite a ride in a very different way from the first and I loved it.
MICHAELSON: That's great.
Grae, thank you so much. Got through a lot of topics there.
Thank you all for watching THE STORY IS. For our viewers internationally, "WORLD SPORT" is next. For our viewers here in North America, I'll be right back.
More of my conversation with Senator Bernie Sanders, including his thoughts on artificial intelligence. Stay with us.
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MICHAELSON: Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is set to give the Democratic Party's response to President Trump's State of the Union on Tuesday.
This comes as Democrats try to make their case to voters ahead of November's midterm elections.
Spanberger, who is Virginia's first female governor, has a reputation as a pragmatic moderate Democrat. She's expected to touch on health care and affordability during that speech.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders calls artificial intelligence the most consequential technology in the history of the human race. He says he's worried about it. He says A.I. and robotics could affect anything from our jobs to our children to our entire future.
I sat down with Senator Sanders last night here in southern California and asked him what he wants to do about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: About artificial intelligence --
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- which I know is something you're so passionate about, such a big issue here in California, especially in Silicon Valley.
SANDERS: Yes. Yes.
MICHAELSON: What is the most important thing that you want to see be done when it comes to artificial intelligence? And do you have the votes to get it done?
SANDERS: In my view, artificial intelligence and robotics are going to bring unbelievable change to this country and into the world. And we are not prepared for that.
I worry about tens of millions of jobs over the next decade being lost. I worry about the impact that it will have on making our children emotionally-dependent on A.I. agents.
And by the way, and this is people know a lot more than I do, there is a real fear that as A.I. becomes smarter than human beings, there really is a question about who will control the planet. That's not science fiction. That is what serious people are worried about.
So I think you have to understand that A.I. and robotics are being pushed once again by these same oligarchs, the same exact people.
MICHAELSON: Same people.
SANDERS: The Musks, the Zuckerbergs, the Bezos -- putting hundreds of billions of dollars. Do you think that these guys are staying up nights worrying about the working class, about the jobs that are going to disappear?
MICHAELSON: Well, it's literally to get rid of the jobs, right?
SANDERS: That's exactly right.
MICHAELSON: All right.
SANDERS: They're in it for the wealth and the power. And I think we've got to say, excuse me, this has got to slow down. A.I. and robotics can work but it has got to work for human beings, for ordinary people, the working people, not just for billionaires.
MICHAELSON: And so what does that look like from actual legislation? What can you do?
SANDERS: Well, we're going to introduce legislation calling for a moratorium on data centers. Data centers are the infrastructure. No data centers, no A.I. And I think we need right now to slow it down. I think we got to work with China on some of these issues, other countries.
We're in a very dangerous situation, in my view.
MICHAELSON: And there are bipartisan votes for that? SANDERS: We will see.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Senator Sanders.
For the first time in more than two decades, a woman from Team USA is bringing home figure skating gold. We head to Coy Wire in Italy next.
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MICHAELSON: Day 13 of the Winter Olympics was golden for Team USA. Alysa Liu became the first American in 24 years to win the top prize in women's figure skating. And the American women's hockey team beat the defending champ from Canada in an overtime nailbiter.
CNN WORLD SPORT's Coy Wire has those stories and more from Milan- Cortina.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: One of the most highly-anticipated events of the winter games women's figure skating and Team USA's. Alysa Liu is the new Olympic champion.
She retired after last Winter Games needing time away and it paid off. She told me she loves dancing and fashion, therefore she missed skating. Unlike the stereotypical skater with her unconventional piercings and carefree striped hair skating to the beat of her own drum, the 20-year-old Liu takes gold.
Great sportsmanship afterwards as Japan's Ami Nakai took the bronze celebrated with her. Japan's Kaori Sakamoto takes the silver.
One of the greatest sports rivalries on the planet, Team USA and Team Canada women's hockey delivering an epic Olympic final. Again these two nations have won every Olympic gold dating back to the 98 Nagano Games. Canada was up one-nothing in the third, but Captain Hilary Knight scores the equalizer to send it to overtime becoming America's all time Olympic goal scorer.
And in overtime, it was Megan Keller hammering home the game winner. Team USA, taking down the defending Olympic champ in dramatic fashion -- unreal scenes in Milan.
We had a snow-mageddon at the Olympics in Cortina, Thursday. Our photojournalist Christian Streib was battling the elements and snowballs, as was my producer Dan Moriarty. Sorry, Dan.
Our live shot survived the snow globe but it was so bad we almost missed our interview with Mikaela Shiffrin. That's me in the blue, pushing our van. Did not work.
We switched to another van with chains on the tires and made it to the winningest alpine skier of all time, who finally cracked the code and won Olympic gold again for the first time in eight years.
[01:54:49]
WIRE: Here's part of our chat with Mikaela, sharing some of the tactics that helped her pull off the comeback.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: I've been writing sticky notes on my mirrors and all of this like self-talk stuff. It's been more than I've ever done in my career, but in these couple of weeks, I really -- I really bought into the self-talk idea.
You know, all the work that we do, day in and day out, to be able to just achieve this for two runs, 47 seconds on a slalom course is it just feels monumental.
WIRE: Cheers and congratulations to you.
SHIFFRIN: Cheers. Thanks for this. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: So there you go. One of the greatest skiers ever. Mikaela's keys to success -- plastering sticky notes, visualizing goals that bring home the gold, and celebrating with espresso martinis, of course.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Coy, found a way to make it happen. Way to go, Coy.
After 25 years off the air, "Baywatch" is back. Thousands gathered on a beach near L.A. Wednesday for a chance to audition for a reboot of the TV show. The original series ran for 11 seasons, centering on beach lifeguards facing high stakes rescues.
In syndication, the show later became the most watched TV series in the world. The show's producers say the revival will film on the southern California beaches that made "Baywatch" famous. It is set to air later this week. And you can see some of what made "Baywatch" so popular back on display there.
Thanks so much for watching THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.
More news after this. You're watching CNN.
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