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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Trump Attacks Justices Who Ruled Against His Tariffs; Business Leaders Grapple With Impacts Of Tariff Ruling; Military Buildup Ramps Up As Trump Ponders Possible Strikes; Epstein Estate Agrees To Pay $35 MN In Survivor Class action Suit; Police Search Former Home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor; Epstein Files Reveal Deepak Chopra Had Friendship With Epstein; CA Atty. General - Taking Close Look At Warner Bros. Merger; Eric Dane Championed For ALS Research After His Diagnosis; Deadly Fires Force Utility To Pay Feds $575M In Damages; Team USA's Alysa Liu Wins Gold In Women's Free Skating; Aired 1-2a ET

Aired February 21, 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 HOST: -- set to happen in Zocalo Square on March 1st. Singer sold out more than 12 shows during her last tour. Shakira is also expected to headline at Rio De Janeiro's public concert at Copacabana Beach. Thanks for watching this hour of "The Story Is." The next hour starts right now.

"The Story Is" tariffs slap down. Supreme Court rules against President Trump, and now some states want their money back. California Attorney General Rob Bonta with us live.

"The Story Is" spiritual adviser in the Epstein files. A look at Deepak Chopra's relationship with a convicted sex offender.

And "The Story Is" swimming with the sharks. CNN's Nick White in the water up close and personal with great whites just off the California coast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: And welcome to "The Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson. Thanks for watching. President Trump is opting for Plan B and finding other ways to impose tariffs, and the Supreme Court ruled his use of emergency powers is unconstitutional. He is now slapping a new 10 percent tariff on all countries under a trade law known as Section 122. But these tariffs can only be in place for 150 days. That's unless Congress extends them.

President is lashing out at the justices who ruled against his tariffs, calling them a disgrace to our nation. Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, who were appointed by President Trump, joined with Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal justices in the 6-3 ruling. The decision is a massive blow to President Trump's foreign policy and economic agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They're just being fools and lapdogs for the rhinos and the radical left democrats. They're very unpatriotic and disloyal to our constitution.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, I'm not here The Supreme Court justices who ruled against this poll -- the policy striking it down, are they still invited to your State of the Union next week? And will you sort of speak with them?

TRUMP: They are invited. Barely. Barely. Three are happily invited. No, no. They're barely invited. Honestly, I couldn't care less if they come, OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: CNN's Kristen Holmes was in that press conference in the front row, and she has more now from the White House.

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump on Friday night announcing on Truth Social, he had signed a 10 percent global tariff. Now, this of course came after the Supreme Court had ruled that his tariffs were illegal and after we saw President Trump giving a press conference in which he essentially berated the Supreme Court. It was very clear that he took this incredibly personally. He also singled out those justices that he had appointed to the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch. This is what he had to say about the decision and those justices.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing. And I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what's right for our country.

HOLMES: Now, it didn't stop there. At one point, he was asked if he regretted appointing those two justices to the Supreme Court. He wouldn't answer that, but said that this was an embarrassment to their families. Getting incredibly personal here. Now, of course, we should note that these tariffs are not just a critical part of President Trump's economic agenda, but he's also been using them as leverage in almost all of his foreign policy and these meetings with foreign leaders, something that he clearly took incredibly personal that they ruled against him. Now we, of course, know that they are going to work around this.

One of the biggest questions now, of course, is what happens to that money that had already been collected. The Supreme Court didn't mention that. President Trump believes it's going to be tied up in litigation for roughly two years. I've talked to a number of Trump advisers who say, well, the court has made this ruling. They're not going to have to step in and fix this because there is a belief that a lot of these corporations are going to try to litigate this to get refunds back on some of these tariffs.

Another question is what happens to the money that has already been used? We know, again, they've been using this revenue for quite a few endeavors if President Trump's list is accurate. Still a lot of questions as to what exactly this ruling means. Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

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MICHAELSON: Thank you, Kristen. Earlier, I spoke with Gene Seroka, the Executive Director of the Port of LA, which is the busiest port in the U.S. About 40 percent of all goods come in through the Port of LA in Long Beach. I asked him how the average person might be impacted by all this.

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GENE SEROKA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORT OF LOS ANGELES: Probably little change. But if we continue down this path, the tariffs that were announced today, the Section 122 of the Trade Act are only temporary. By law, they're allowed to be in place for 150 days. So that means yet another wave of decisions and investigations could take place and likely additional tariffs go in that may be even higher.

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Now we've seen over the past year, Elex, that realistically coffee and bananas are up 10 percent compared to where they were 12 months ago. Same with footwear and furniture. So these additional taxes on American imports lead to higher prices for you and me.

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MICHAELSON: We will talk more about tariffs with California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a moment. But now let's go overseas where Iran is laying out its vision of a nuclear deal with the U.S. Just as more American military assets are moving in for possible strikes on Iran, the USS Gerald Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, is set to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and other vessels in the region already.

But Iran's Foreign Minister said there is still a way out of this. It could be a win-win that would allow Iran to keep a peaceful nuclear program in return for lifting some sanctions. He also says the U.S. has not demanded a halt to nuclear enrichment, President Trump said was his goal. President Trump has threatened to strike Iran over its nuclear program, even though, the two sides are still negotiating.

For more now, let's go live to Beirut Lebanon where we're joined by Maha Yahya. She is the Director of the Carnegie Middle East Center. Thank you so much for being with us where it is now Saturday morning. What do you think is happening behind the scenes right now?

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning, Elex. Thank you for having me. Look, it's clear that there are backdoor negotiations happening in sync with a massive military buildup. The last time we saw a military buildup of this size was during the 12th day war last year, between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. So, the negotiations are going on, but frankly, I'm not extremely hopeful. I'm not very hopeful in part, because the red lines of the Iranian regime are just -- are not in sync with the red lines of President Trump. The minimum that each side will agree is something that will -- the other side will not accept. That's one.

Two, the Iranian regime, it seems or it feels like it's still operating in a 2015 kind of Modus Operandi. Its operating system is very much in that era without recognizing that the world has changed and the regional dynamics also have changed. So the expectation is that you can go on with these negotiations for quite some time. It simply will not play out.

President Trump, as we all know is very impatient. On the American side, the assumption that the regime will somehow fold also is not quite right. Iran is 90 million people and what we've seen over the past year is real -- sorry, over the past few weeks is a real consolidation of the regime. Everybody's come together in a way that is quite striking, a folding in of the ranks, a massive clampdown on any opposition, et cetera.

MICHAELSON: What are people saying in Lebanon right now? How does the region think -- what does the region think about this?

YAHYA: The region is very worried. I mean, countries in the region are extremely worried. The last thing we need is yet another war. This region has been in the midst of just been recurring conflicts over the past at least half decade, but sorry, half century. For the past 50 years, we've had recurring conflicts. But over the past -- on so many fronts. So everyone's worried. The Gulf, particularly Gulf countries are worried that they may be targeted. In Lebanon, there's a big question mark as to whether Hezbollah will get involved or not, which then would bring the war to our doorstep in a more significant way. And it's the same sentiment across the region.

MICHAELSON: Maha Yahya, thank you so much for waking up early for us on a Saturday morning. Thank you so much, and have a great weekend.

YAHYA: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: The estate of Jeffrey Epstein is agreeing to pay up to $35 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by survivors of the late sex offender. The 2024 complaint alleges Epstein's former personal lawyer and accountant helped to create a complex financial web that led Epstein to hide his abuses, while themselves being richly compensated for their work. Both Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn deny having any involvement in Epstein's sexual crimes.

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About a dozen Epstein survivors will return right there to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. They'll be guests of several Democratic lawmakers at President Trump's State of the Union address. That appearance comes weeks after Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to acknowledge survivors presence at a house hearing about the justice department's handling of the Epstein investigation.

British police will likely continue to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor through the weekend. This comes after the former Prince Andrew was released from custody on Thursday. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing. He has not been charged. Once police finish their investigation, the U.K. government could introduce legislation to remove Andrew from the line of royal succession. That's according to U.K. media reports. He's currently eighth in line to the throne.

Now the release of the Epstein files have brought to light a number of surprising connections between famous names and the convicted sex offender. CNN has reviewed hundreds of messages between Jeffrey Epstein and spiritual author Deepak Chopra, revealing a closer relationship than was previously known. CNN's MJ Lee has more.

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MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR U.S. ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT: Best-selling author and wellness guru Deepak Chopra had a close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein discussing with the convicted child sex offender, spirituality and sex, visiting his homes, and bantering about women's appearance according to a CNN review of the Epstein files. Chopra and Epstein were in frequent contact between 2016 and 2019, the year that Epstein was arrested on charges of operating a sex trafficking ring and sexually abusing underage girls. With Chopra telling Epstein in the summer of 2017, I'm deeply grateful for our friendship.

Chopra has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein who was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor. And a statement posted on X after the latest release of the Epstein files, Chopra said, I was never involved in nor did I participate in any criminal or exploitative conduct. Any contact I had was limited and unrelated to abusive activity. Some past email exchanges have surfaced that reflect poor judgment in tone. I regret that and understand how they read today.

But CNN found that Chopra's interactions with Epstein were not limited with hundreds of messages between the two men in the Epstein files. The pair arranged to see each other multiple cities with messages indicating that Chopra visited Epstein in his New York City townhouse, West Palm Beach home, as well as his Paris apartment. They frequently discussed everything from spirituality to health and wellness to mutual friends, and at times, girls.

On at least two occasions, Chopra, who is now 79-years-old, invited Epstein to bring his girls on trips according to the files. If you want to use a fake name, bring your girls, Chopra wrote in a 2017 email asking Epstein to come to Israel. The files show Epstein's passport identified him as a convicted sex offender. Chopra followed up with a subsequent note, your girls would love it as would you.

The same year, asking Epstein to join a workshop that he was hosting in Switzerland, Chopra again encouraged Epstein to come with your girls. Once discussing former Saudi Princess Ameera Al-Taweel, Chopra described her as being very sweet like your girls. The DOJ's Epstein files also contain videos of Chopra, including guided meditation and discussions about spirituality.

DEEPAK CHOPRA, MIND AND BODY EXPERT: Be aware right now of the space around you.

LEE: None of the videos that CNN reviewed feature Epstein or appear to be made specifically for him. In one of their more philosophical exchanges in 2017, Epstein asked Chopra did you find me a cute Israeli? Chopra responded, universe is human construct. Cute girls are aware when they make noises. He later added, god is a construct. Cute girls are real.

And in one 2016 exchange that began with a link to a TED talk about the end of physics, Chopra wrote to Epstein, statistics is like a girl in a bikini. What she reveals is obvious. What she conceals is more interesting. CNN has reached out to a spokesperson for Chopra for comment. The files show Chopra often showed warmth and respect towards Epstein, affectionately signing off some of his messages with love or XO.

And the Epstein files show that Chopra and Epstein were in touch in the months leading up to Epstein's arrest in 2019 with Epstein more than once lamenting the bad press that he was receiving at the time, and Chopra responded by encouraging Epstein to meditate. MJ Lee, CNN, Washington D.C.

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MICHAELSON: All right. Thanks to MJ Lee for that report. We will note that Chopra has denied any criminal conduct, and the presence of someone's name in the files is not indicative of wrongdoing.

We'll be back with more. "The Story Is" right after this.

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MICHAELSON: Supreme Court did not explain what would happen to the billions of dollars that has already been collected through President Trump's reciprocal tariffs. The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, believes the administration should immediately issue refund checks with interest. He says, "Donald Trump has been illegally taxing your groceries, furniture, and cars for over a year."

Joining us now is the Attorney General of California, Rob Bonta, live in San Francisco. Mr. Attorney General, welcome back to "The Story Is."

ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Good evening, Elex. Thanks for having me.

MICHAELSON: Governor Newsom says he wants the money back. How does that work? Is that for the state? Is that for consumers? How does that go?

BONTA: First, I agree with them. The Trump administration, as determined by the U.S. Supreme Court today in their opinion has indicated that Trump's tariffs, that he imposed against essentially every one of our trade partners were unlawful, and importers had to foot the bill U.S. businesses.

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And so they've had to pay tariffs that were unlawful. They've had to give that money and the federal government has held that money for weeks and months. So they deserve their money back with interest. How do they get it? Well generally there's a quarter of international trade process where they can bring a refund action and show how much they paid, show the bills, show the payments, show the payments that they made with respect to the unlawful tariffs and get a refund.

MICHAELSON: Do you think that's going to work? And if it doesn't, are there actions you're willing to take to make sure that that happens?

BONTA: I mean, it's because so many importers, American businesses were harmed and hurt, there's going to be a high volume of claimants who -- the number of victims victimized by Trump's unlawful tariffs are enormous. So that can slow down the process. I think there is a role to play for Congress to efficiently and expeditiously move the refunds back into the pockets of business people. The money is sitting there in different pots of funds that Trump likes to talk about. It's illegal -- illegally gotten, and he needs to give it back to the American businesses that he's taking it from.

MICHAELSON: So you were in the Supreme Court for the tariffs hearing. You watched all this happen. You were with us on the show after that. You thought that this would be the way that this went based off of the hearing.

BONTA: Yeah.

MICHAELSON: And yet President Trump seemed really surprised with his press conference today and was very upset with the court. What did you make of that whole thing and the way that he lashed out?

BONTA: He definitely lashed out, it seemed like he was having a temper tantrum of some type, not very becoming of the President of the United States. He must be in denial, I think maybe everyone but him saw this coming. If you were in the courtroom, if follow the arguments, if you follow the law, you follow the facts, you saw the questions from the bench of the justices, if you saw his solicitor general perform in the oral argument, you knew this was coming. This is exactly what I expected, like exactly.

The opinion tracks our arguments that California made with our first state in the nation case that we brought last April. And the alignment of the justices, that the six justices that were part of the majority are the exact six I thought it would be based on their questions, based on their statements. So anyone who didn't see this coming in this way has their head in the sand or is in some sort of denial. It's unfortunate that he went on the Trump to attack the justices that were part of the majority. They did exactly what they're supposed to do. Follow the facts. Follow the law. Let the chips fall where they may. Even if it means that a President's tariff policy, what he said was his centerpiece economic policy is struck down. If it's unlawful, it should be struck down. And it wasn't even close here. It was clearly unlawful. And the U.S. Supreme Court found that.

MICHAELSON: Does today and the way that the conservative Republicans, at least some of them on the court acted. Does that make you feel better about our system, about checks and balances, about American democracy?

BONTA: Call me hardwired, hopeful. I always thought it was going to be this way, that if you have the facts presented to you, if you apply the law as it exists, then they will find for us most of the time, and they have. The courts generally, 80 percent of the time, the U.S. Supreme Court when we have fully briefed arguments in front of them where there's briefing and amicus and an argument and back and forth from the bends.

We've won on major cases. We won on National Guard. We won on prop 50. Those didn't have the full briefings I just mentioned, but they did have really substantive engagement. And we won on tariffs. This is a centerpiece policy, but it goes to the point that no one is above the law and everyone must follow it. And if you break the law, those actions will be struck down. And that's what happened here.

And I was grateful to see three justices on the conservative side of the bench Roberts and Gorsuch and Barrett, I'll be part of the majority opinion.

MICHAELSON: While I've got you a quick question about a press release that you put out today saying that your office is taking a "Close look at the proposed Warner Brother mergers potentially with Netflix or with Paramount." Big deal for the entertainment industry. Big deal for California. Of course, Warner Brothers owns CNN at least right now. What do you mean by taking a close look, and what makes you bring that issue up?

BONTA: We have a ongoing role to look at corporate consolidation, to examine different deals, different acquisitions, mergers to see if there is any anti-competitive conduct, any violation of antitrust law. It's a tried and true role, traditional role that we play that we should play to be a watchdog in a regulator to make sure that there is no unlawful transactions that violate antitrust law.

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And so we have the authority to sue and block actions if we think that they violated the law. But the first step is to get our arms around the facts, look at the proposed deals and evaluate them, assess them and see if there is any anti-competitive conduct here. So we are looking at both deals, Paramount and Warner Bros, Netflix and Warner Bros. We're looking at their relevant marketplaces, streaming and studio, and we're going to take a close look as we should. And the people of this state, we owe it to them to make sure that there's no anti-competitive conduct that can decrease competition, raise prices, and harm the economy and consumers. MICHAELSON: And you haven't found any evidence of that so far?

BONTA: Well, we're just starting to look and so when you get under the hood, you don't know what you'll find, so we're at the early stages.

MICHAELSON: Rob Bonta joining us from San Francisco. Thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

BONTA: Thanks, Elex. Thanks for having me as always.

MICHAELSON: For our international viewers, the link is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be right back.

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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.

President Trump says he signed a new 10 percent global tariff after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping emergency tariffs. The court agreed 6-3 that his so called reciprocal tariffs violated federal law, but the justices did not say what should happen to the more than $130 million in revenue that has already been allocated. All have been collected, I should say.

More U.S. warships are headed towards Iran as President Trump considers possible strikes on that country. USS Gerald Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, has entered the Mediterranean Sea and will join other warships in the region. Iran now says a possible compromise could include keeping its nuclear program peaceful in return for sanctions relief.

Another American strike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Eastern Pacific Ocean has left three people dead. The U.S. military released an online statement saying the vessel was operated by "Designated terrorist organizations." At least a 138 people have been killed in strikes on boats which are aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.

Netflix has released a final message from actor Eric Dane to his two young daughters. It is part of the platform's posthumous interview series Famous Last Words. In it, Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria star reflects on what he has learned about his life since his diagnosis with ALS and what his daughters can learn from his life.

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ERIC DANE, AMERICAN ACTOR: Finally, fight with every ounce of your being and with dignity. When you face challenges, health or otherwise, fight. Never give up. Fight until your last breath. This disease is slowly taking my body, but it will never take my spirit. The two of you are different people, but you're both strong and resilient. You inherited resiliency from me. That's my superpower.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Dane died Thursday at age 53. He revealed his ALS diagnosis last year and advocated for more research funding and easier access to better treatments. He also took his message to the halls of Congress with the non-profit I AM ALS. He partnered with the group on a short documentary chronicling his fight against the disease and his efforts to raise awareness. That documentary expected to be released later this year.

Joining me now to discuss this and other entertainment stories is Emmy-nominated TV host Jeff Conway. Jeff, welcome back to "The Story Is."

JEFF CONWAY, EMMY-NOMINATED TV HOST: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: That video, I cried watching the video.

CONWAY: It's an incredible thing to have. But Billy and Georgia, which are his teenage daughters, these are for them to hear. And is it a beautiful moment to be able to give this to your daughters, but to also share with the world.

MICHAELSON: Give it to the world.

CONWAY: People have loved him since Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Mark Sloan. It still says Grey Sloan on Grey's Anatomy in Season 22, whatever it is right now. He has such a lasting impact. And we just had James Van Der Beek last week. It just feels like one after the other. It's a really hard time in Hollywood right now.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. And this also is a reminder of just the horrible nature of ALS. I've worked and volunteered and hosted events for them for 15 years now, and the community is unbelievable. They were so inspired by him and the way that he used his voice and fought just like he talked about resilience.

CONWAY: Yes. He has been spirit.

MICHAELSON: He deserves a lot of credit, and what a loss.

CONWAY: Yes.

MICHAELSON: All right. He loved acting. He talked about that in the video. He said even when he had ALS, he was still acting. He wanted to highlight some entertainment. So let's highlight some entertainment, including escapism, which he said is important even when you're fighting ALS.

CONWAY: Yes.

MICHAELSON: And you had a conversation with the two stars of a new show coming to NBC, Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe, which is an interesting pairing.

CONWAY: It is.

MICHAELSON: And you had this conversation with Tracy Morgan about a car crash that happened.

CONWAY: Well, back in 2014, he had a car crash that was near fatal. He lost a friend and a fellow comedian in this crash, and he had a long rehabilitation time. But he is back in when I spoke with him, I said, I hope you're doing well, sir, and I'm so glad you're doing well. He got emotional knowing that he is OK now these 12 years later and getting to do this with Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe on this sitcom.

MICHAELSON: Let's take a look at that.

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TRACY MORGAN, ACTOR: To go from being 10 days in a coma to being with him? You know how I feel?

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JEFF CONWAY, EMMY-NOMINATED TV HOST: Yeah.

MORGAN: I think about it every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Think about it every day, 12 years later.

CONWAY: Absolutely. On a lighter note though, playfully enough, he says that he's in the good graces of his kids right now because they're always like, you're actually working with Harry Potter. This is the coolest thing.

MICHAELSON: Right.

CONWAY: So Tracy was awesome about this. It's a show about a disgraced former football player that is trying to redeem himself. And Daniel Radcliffe plays a producer that also has some ways that he needs to get resilience. And it's a documentary being filmed about his rise back to hopeful stardom and good graces of people.

MICHAELSON: The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. Is it good?

CONWAY: It's funny. It's enjoyable. It's lighthearted. It is pretty clever. I think Tracy Morgan since 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live is funny, and it's funny to see Daniel Radcliffe in this kind of way. He's actually very funny playing this kind of like straight producer.

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, Milo Ventimiglia is out with a new movie about Tim Timmons, a natural based Christian artist.

CONWAY: Yes. I can only imagine too.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. And he talked to you about that. Let's watch some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILO VENTIMIGLIA, ACTOR: Who he presents himself to be is exactly who he is at his core.

JEFF CONWAY, EMMY-NOMINATED TV HOST: Yeah. Hell of that.

VENTIMIGLIA: He is pure love. He is pure goodness. And he is giving so much and asking for nothing in return.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONWAY: So he's speaking about Tim Timmons who, like you said, as a Christian singer. He had five years to live when he was diagnosed with an incurable liver cancer and its gone 25 years now.

MICHAELSON: Wow.

CONWAY: Which is incredible. And those are the kind of films we want to watch right now. This is in theaters right now. And, also, Milo's gone through the highs and lows. He talked to me about back in January 2025. He lost his home in the Malibu fires. And then a few weeks later, his wife gave birth. So he talks about the highs and lows of life. Sometimes we fall, sometimes we rise. And it's a really beautiful story, and Milo's living it himself.

MICHAELSON: And meanwhile, Scrubs is back.

CONWAY: Yes. We have them back. It's great. It's super Zach Braff. We have Bill Lawrence who's also done, like Ted Lasso. We have shrinking. It's back, and it's actually very funny. It has a great ensemble. Most of them are back, and they're also going into the burnout of post COVID. They really do touch upon things that, like the medical field that we can appreciate as a society today.

MICHAELSON: So where can people check that out?

CONWAY: So that will be on Wednesday on ABC, and you can see the Tracy Morgan show on Monday this week on NBC.

MICHAELSON: Wow. And Scrubs originally was on NBC, right? But now they're doing it on ABC.

CONWAY: Yeah. And now we have an ABCer.

MICHAELSON: OK. Interesting. Congratulations on all the great reporting, Jeff. Great to see you.

CONWAY: Thank you. Great to see you.

MICHAELSON: Coming up, researchers are using drones to reveal what is swimming beneath the surface of Santa Monica Bay. Our Nick Watt literally went swimming with great white sharks. You got to see this story. It's really something. Stay with us.

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An agreement between federal prosecutors and the utility company PacifiCorp will cover some damages from six wild fires in Oregon and California. The $575 million payout is the company's latest settlement related to deadly blaze in 2020 and 2022. The government says neglect of electrical lines caused the six fires. Several people in both states died. Thousands of homes were destroyed. The money will help restore public land that burned. It will also repay the government for the cost of fighting the fires. Several juries have ordered PacifiCorp to pay $100 million to victims. The company has continued to deny any liability.

Here in Southern California, we are no strangers to sharks. But researchers using drones have noticed some unsettling behavior. They are spotting sharks very close to unsuspecting swimmers and surfers. And if you spend your time catching waves, you've likely had a close encounter with one and didn't even know it. CNN's Nick Watt is on that list.

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NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are great white sharks just off Los Angeles, in Santa Monica Bay, and all along this coast.

Just 70 yards off the shore here, people in the water oblivious that this apex predators are right next to him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, you slammed this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I slammed in this bay this morning.

WATT: Recently, I came face-to-face with the great white. So I was right about here nearing the end of my swim, turned to breathe and saw the fin just coming straight at me.

Yeah. Here I am talking to you. I kind of gave it to my fate, and then at the last second, the fin dipped, the sharks swam underneath me, and away.

CHRIS LOWE, DIRECTOR, THE SHARK LAB, UCLB: So we actually have video footage of a shark approaching a swimmer and getting to within 3-feet of that person right behind them.

WATT: They say this bay is a great white nursery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The juveniles tend to be a little feisty sometimes. They'll get really close, and then they see something big, and then they get really scared and go.

WATT: There are bigger ones here too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down in Santa Monica, the last two times I went down there, I've seen at least a 15-footer.

WATT: Why are they not eating me and my friends?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what the scientists are trying to figure out.

WATT: This is one of our automated buoys that is listening for tag sharks with an acoustic receiver underneath. We're quite close to shore.

LOWE: Yeah.

WATT: But you're expecting to get some hits here?

LOWE: Oh, absolutely. In fact, they'll be literally a 100-feet off the beach.

WATT: So Carlos Gaona just texted me. He's spotted a great white coming down to meet him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here.

WATT: Yeah. Oh, my God. And how far offshore is this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is about, I would say, 70 yards, maybe.

WATT: And we've got a bunch of people on the beach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, yeah.

WATT: And you don't need to warn them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

WATT: Look at all these people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I know.

WATT: They have no idea what you're looking at right now. No idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. The thing you see is eye.

WATT: Yeah. The scientists are also using drones.

LOWE: Now when we first started doing this, we told the lifeguards, if we see a shark within a 100-feet of a person, we will call you so you can pull the people out of the water. By the end of the week, they told us to stop calling because it was happening every 10 minutes.

[01:45:00]

MICHAEL FERGUSON, OCEAN SWIMMER: I don't really think they're interested in biting into humans. It would be quite a disappointment if one bit into me.

WATT: You are slightly skinny.

FERGUSON: Yeah. Yeah. LOWE: Even our fattest person isn't even close to what a northern elephant seal has packed in it in terms of its blubber layer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This shark is super curious.

WATT: So it's not this just sort of mindless eating machine charging at everything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely not. Definitely. definitely more inquisitive, calculated. Look at that.

WATT: Chris Lowe puts his students in the water, swimming, surfing, paddling. Records the sounds they make.

LOWE: If you play them at normal levels. Sharks ignore it. Sharks that are around people all the time may actually learn to identify us not as food and not as a threat. As shark populations come back and more people are in the water doing the things that you're doing, the per capita bite rate has been going down. And that to me as a biologist clearly indicates that we're not on the menu. Accidents happen, but we're not on the menu.

FERGUSON: There's a rumor that you can actually blame the shark anyway. I wish that was true, Nick. I do think about sharks.

WATT: You do?

FERGUSON: I do. I think I'm afraid of seeing one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now know what that's like. And --

WATT: Since I saw that shark, I now have zero fear. And I didn't really understand that. But it's kind of demystified, and I saw a shark, and it didn't eat me.

LOWE: That was probably happening over and over again before, and you just didn't know it.

FERGUSON: Apparently, they're here all the time. They could be circling us right now. I'm fine with that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me too.

WATT: Elex, one more reason why we're relatively safe here in Southern California. These waters are full of nutrients, so there are plenty of seals for the sharks to eat rather than eating us. And also, this is key. The weather is pretty good here year round, so we use these beaches year round. The seals don't really like humans, so they hang out elsewhere. And the biggest, hungriest great whites follow them. Off LA in the past 100 years, just six confirmed unprovoked shark attacks, I'll take those odds. Elex?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: I think I'll take those odds to it and keep swimming in the ocean, but those pictures were quite something. Nick Watt, thank you for that. More still ahead this hour, including our Olympic report. U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu fresh off winning two Olympic gold medals. She speaks one on one with CNN's Coy Wire in Italy. That's next.

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[01:50:00]

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MICHAELSON: The second to last day of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is just hours away, and gold medals will be awarded in 10 events. Athletes will be vying for the top of the podium in men's and women's speed skating, mass start, men's curling, women's ski halfpipe, women's bobsled, and men's team aerials to name a few. The U.S. men's hockey team is heading to an eagerly awaited final on Sunday after easily defeated Slovakia 6-2 on Friday.

The Americans will now face arch rivals team Canada who advance with a semifinal win over defending champs Finland. But Canada hopes to repeat its historic win over the U.S. from back in 2010 when the team's last faced off for the gold. Fans beyond thrilled with the matchup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FRICKE, U.S. HOCKEY FAN: We're finally going to meet Canada again in the final. The U.S. and Canadians are going to battle it out. No friends on the ice. Friends after, but no friends on the ice Sunday. We'll see you there, Canada.

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MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu is riding high after winning Olympic gold in women's free skating. Last time the U.S. took home the gold in back in 2002, three years before Liu was born. 20-year-old Bay Area native sat down with CNN's Coy Wire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: When you knew you won that gold medal, what was that feeling that hit you? And don't worry. We have a bleep button.

ALYSA LIU, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, WOMEN'S FIGURE SKATING: I mean, it didn't really change how I felt about anything. The moment I finished my program, I was like, on such a high. Literally, nothing could bring me higher or lower.

WIRE: When you stepped away from figure skating, what did maybe the silence and the absence of the crowd teach you that the roaring arenas never could?

LIU: I mean, it showed me a different side. That's for sure. And I got to experience something new, and that's always valuable.

WIRE: Watching you out there. I don't know what was stronger. Your jumps or your joy is just emanating from you.

LIU: Thank you.

WIRE: Who is Alysa Liu now compared to the 13-year-old kid who burst onto the scene?

LIU: Oh, I mean, I would say I know myself a lot better, but I hope I do at 20. But, yeah, I don't know. I -- I'm a lot happier now.

WIRE: As athletes through all the highs and the lows, the ups and the downs, parents, family are there every step of the way. How much has your family meant to you in this journey?

LIU: Family is everything to me. Same with my friends. They keep me grounded and, yeah, honestly, like, they're the reason why I feel like I am able to do so much.

WIRE: When young girls look at you now, what do you hope they see?

LIU: I hope they see that they have limitless potential. Limitless?

WIRE: Yeah. And this is unlimited. What's next for the hair?

LIU: I mean, it's -- I'll let it grow out, and then December, I'll add another one.

[01:55:00]

So this will end up down here, and I'll just add a new one.

WIRE: And what would this last ring say about this past year?

LIU: I don't know. I don't know. Another year.

WIRE: Just another year.

LIU: Just another year.

WIRE: Easy breezy. You come out here with your striped hair, your unique piercings. What do you hope you being you says to anyone out there kind of struggle to find their place?

LIU: Oh my god. I hope they know that it's good to break down, I guess, barriers and do risky things and go against some people sometimes. Yeah. It's liberating.

WIRE: Can you teach me a pose, a position? I got to show these to my daughters.

LIU: OK.

WIRE: All right. What do we got for you?

LIU: We'll do my ending pose.

WIRE: Your ending pose. LIU: So you point your toe.

WIRE: Point my toe.

LIU: Hand on your hip.

WIRE: Hand on my hip.

LIU: And then point up.

WIRE: Point up.

LIU: And that's it.

WIRE: Oh. I got that gold medal blow. Congratulations.

LIU: Thank you.

WIRE: Amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Looking good, Coy. Thanks, Alysa, and thank you for watching "The Story Is" all week. I'm Elex Michaelson. Have a great weekend.

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