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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Hillary Clinton Testifies Before Congress about Jeffrey Epstein; Source: Trump Briefed on Potential Military Options in Iran; WBD Deems Paramount Offer 'Superior,' Netflix Drops Bid; Columbia Student Freed after She Was Detained by ICE; Calls Grow for Casey Wasserman to Resign as LA2028 Chairman; Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Player Reflects on Win; Jasmine Crockett Faces Off Against James Talarico in Democratic Primary; Mexico's Message to FIFA and Tourists: The Country is Safe for World Cup. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired February 27, 2026 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Going to weigh in on that.

[00:00:02]

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: I've got dots on my show. What are you talking about? What do you mean? There's dots behind me. No, I'm just laughing.

It's set to open big at the box office this weekend. Clearly fans, as you say, are not on the same page as critics. But I'm on your page, so I'm going to scream for Elex Michaelson. His show starts now.

MICHAELSON: Yes, no creepy masks here in the next hour as --

COATES: No masks. A good one.

MICHAELSON: -- THE STORY IS starts, right? Laura, have a great night. THE STORY IS starts right now.

COATES: You, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON (voice-over): This story is Clintons deposed.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): We're hours away from Bill Clinton's testimony. A congressman who was in the room for Hillary Clinton's deposition today is with us now.

THE STORY IS military options. A source tells CNN that President Trump was just briefed on a potential action plan in Iran.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Why did Netflix walk away?

MICHAELSON (voice-over): THE STORY IS Netflix out, Paramount in. The major merger with Warner Bros. Discovery that could reshape the entertainment industry.

And THE STORY IS MVP. Caroline Harvey led the U.S. Women's Hockey Team to gold. She's celebrating with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: And welcome to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. It's 9 p.m. here in Los Angeles, and the top story is Republicans grilling the Clintons about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Bill Clinton is scheduled to be deposed in the coming hours. A CNN review of Epstein documents shows that the former U.S. president did ride on Epstein's private plane 16 times. He said his dealings happened well before the disgraced financier's crimes were exposed.

But it was Hillary Clinton who was questioned first. She repeatedly and defiantly told the House Oversight Committee that she never met Jeffrey Epstein and had no information about his criminal activities.

The former secretary of state blasted Republicans on the committee for fixating on her, instead of questioning other prominent figures mentioned in the Epstein files, such as President Donald Trump.

Clinton also slammed Republicans for refusing to hold a public hearing, and she addressed her husband's relationship with Epstein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I think the chronology of the connection that he had with Epstein -- Epstein ended years, several years before anything about Epstein's criminal activities came to light. I think that that is exactly what my husband will testify to tomorrow.

I answered every one of their questions as fully as I could, based on what I knew, and what I knew is what I said in my statement this morning. I never met Jeffrey Epstein, never had any connection or communication with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: The chair of the Republican-led committee has said that he hopes to release recordings of Hillary Clinton's deposition on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): I think this was a productive deposition today. I think we -- we learned a lot. There were a lot of questions that we asked that we, you know, weren't satisfied with the answers that we -- that we got. But we will continue to -- to move forward.

We're going to try to get the video out as quickly as possible, hopefully within the next 24 hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: For more, I'm joined now by Congressman Suhas Subramanian, a Virginia Democratic congressman who is on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and was in that room today.

Congressman, welcome back to THE STORY IS.

REP. SUHAS SUBRAMANIAN (D-VA): Thanks for having me.

MICHAELSON: So, take us inside the room. What was it like?

SUBRAMANIAN: It was definitely tense at times, but my takeaway was that I wish it had been public, because Secretary Clinton simply didn't know anything, first.

And second, you know, Republicans were trying to corner her. But the reality was they had nothing. And by the end, they were asking about UFOs and Pizzagate.

And they were even asking her for advice on how to continue the investigation. And so, it was kind of embarrassing for them in the end.

But certainly, there was no value to our investigation. Never really thought there would be, because there's so many other people to talk to that have actually met Jeffrey Epstein, at least, unlike her, and that have associated with him and that are in the files. And so, you know, it was really puzzling that we had to had her in for testify in the first place.

MICHAELSON: Well, and she wanted it to be public and to be on camera. And then Lauren Boebert, the congressmember, Republican from Colorado, takes a picture and releases it to a right-wing influencer. What do you make of that moment?

[00:05:00]

SUBRAMANIAN: Yes, that was clearly not allowed by the rules.

But when that happened, Secretary Clinton and her team said, Well, why don't we bring all the photographers and all of the press in? And let's just televise the rest of this deposition, because, you know, we like transparency.

You know, I think that would have been great for the American people to see the entire deposition go through like that.

And so, you know, instead of taking these secret pictures, why not just have it all out in the open? And I think they still have the opportunity tomorrow, because Bill Clinton wants the same thing.

So, if we want the American people to see what's going on, why don't we just release the whole deposition and have it done live?

MICHAELSON: Speaking of that, what's your main question for Bill Clinton tomorrow?

SUBRAMANIAN: Well, there's several pictures of him in the files, and there's reports of him going on the plane that Jeffrey Epstein owned.

And so, I just wanted to know some context for those pictures. I want to know his association with Jeffrey Epstein, if he knew of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. Those are the main questions we're going to ask him.

MICHAELSON: I mean, it's an extraordinary moment to have a former president testify like this. Obviously, Hillary Clinton, a former first lady.

Do you think that Melania Trump should have to testify if -- she actually met Jeffrey Epstein? And clearly, her husband had a lot of interactions with him. Why shouldn't she have to testify?

SUBRAMANIAN: Melania Trump has met Jeffrey Epstein; was friends with Ghislaine Maxwell. She certainly should have to testify if we had Secretary Clinton come testify.

I think President Trump should have to testify. Now, we're setting that precedent by making former President Clinton testify.

I think Howard Lutnick should resign or should be impeached, but should at least come and testify before our committee about the Epstein files.

And so, you know, we're going to keep pushing those subpoenas, certainly, for -- I think even Chairman Comer said that he would be OK with having Howard Lutnick come testify.

But, you know, they're setting an interesting precedent. But in the end, we should talk to the people that actually knew Jeffrey Epstein, not Secretary Clinton.

MICHAELSON: I mean, are there any specific plans for any of these high-profile conservative figures that had relationships with Jeffrey Epstein to actually testify, as well?

SUBRAMANIAN: The Democrats on the committee are going to push forward on that. And Republicans so far have not gone after conservatives or people on the right unless they're -- (AUDIO GAP) Right?

And so, we're putting the pressure on, and I think even now, hearing Chairman Comer say that he's OK with having Howard Lutnick come, I think is a sign that perhaps they feel at this point it's inevitable.

I think it's probably a longer shot to get President Trump, but we're going to continue to push, because he's in the files so many times. And, you know, now we hear about him potentially being in files that were withheld, as well. And so, there's a lot of questions that he has to answer to.

MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, there is not a lot of precedent for an active president coming and testifying before Congress, but certainly plenty for a member of his cabinet. And there would be plenty of precedent for somebody like Howard Lutnick to have to come and testify. Those cabinet members testify before Congress all the time.

Congressman, thank you so much for joining us at the end of a very long day. We appreciate it. Best of luck with the hearing tomorrow.

SUBRAMANIAN: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Stories in Washington, where a source tells CNN that U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on potential military operations in Iran over its nuclear program.

The commander of U.S. Central Command briefed the president on Thursday. The chairman of the joint chiefs, also in attendance.

That briefing comes as U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance tried to address concerns of Americans wary of another potential war in the Middle East.

Vance telling "The Washington Post," quote, "The idea that we're going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight, there is no chance that will happen."

The U.S. and Iran wrapped up talks in Geneva on a potential nuclear deal with signs of progress, but no major breakthroughs. The talks are set to continue in Vienna next week.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the things that we have to know about the talks that took place here --

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- is that they were a lot longer than the talks that we've seen, the first two rounds that we saw --

PLEITGEN: -- between the United States side and the Iranians over the past couple of weeks, those lasting, I would say maybe two to three hours.

These had two sessions that were three hours each, so a lot longer. And it seems as though the two sides delved a lot more into details on a possible text than they did before.

But the Iranians already came to this meeting here with a proposal that they had formulated, something the United States asked them to do. The U.S. in the last meeting had said that there were certain red lines for them, and they wanted the Iranians to work out at least what a document could look like. And that seemed to be the basis of what was going on.

[00:10:08]

There are, of course, still a lot of things where the two sides still appear to be, maybe, not that far apart, but pretty far apart.

The main thing, of course, is nuclear enrichment by the Iranians. There was an Iranian source with knowledge of the talks that told me the Iranians are continuing to insist on nuclear enrichment, saying that is a right that they have and not something that they're going to give up.

The U.S., of course, wants zero enrichment. But it's unclear whether or not the Trump administration would be willing to settle for something along the lines of very little uranium enrichment possible for medical purposes and maybe other smaller purposes, as far as research is concerned.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): And for the Iranian side -- and this is something that an Iranian source told me, as well. For them, sanctions relief is really something that's extremely important to sort out.

PLEITGEN: They want major sanctions relief if they're going to make big concessions on their nuclear program. And they say that involves not only U.S. sanctions but also United Nations Security Council sanctions, as well.

For the Iranian economy, obviously, that would be very important. It's being strangled.

And at the same time, of course, as you mentioned, that military buildup by the United States still going on in the Middle East, the Iranians saying that, if they get attacked, they're going to hit back in a major way.

So, right now, the tension is still there. And I think everybody who took part in these talks today and everybody who's observing these talks certainly waiting to see what President Trump's next words are going to be, whether or not he also assesses that these talks went in a positive manner.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Fred Pleitgen in Geneva. Thank you, Fred.

A live look outside our window right here in Burbank at the iconic Warner Bros. tower at the main WB studio lot. Tonight, there is major news for this network, CNN, and our parent company, Warner Bros Discovery.

Paramount Skydance is now in pole position to acquire WBD after rival suitor Netflix refused to match its latest offer. Paramount is willing to pay $31 a share for all of WBD's assets, whereas Netflix only wanted the Warner Bros. movie studio and HBO and not CNN.

CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter joins me now from New York. Brian, break down for us what's really going on here.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Well, this is a corporate tug of war. And today, Netflix let go of the rope. They essentially looked at Paramount bidding $31 per share for WBD and making lots of offers to sweeten the deal and said, Hey, we think Netflix, we think Paramount's overpaying, so go ahead and buy these assets.

For Paramount, which is in desperate need of getting bigger, of bulking up, of having more intellectual property and more television and film production arms, well, it's a huge success for Paramount. Although the financial challenge cannot be overstated.

Paramount is highly leveraged. There's a lot of debt involved in this deal. It will be a challenge for CEO David Ellison, but one that his allies believe he is well up for.

It's a big movement, a big change for all of Hollywood to see Paramount about to probably get a lot bigger.

MICHAELSON: Well, it's interesting also, it happens on the same day that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is at the White House for a meeting with President Trump. He left there not looking all that happy afterwards.

So, for the average person that doesn't work for this company, what does this mean for them? What does it mean for people watching Netflix? What does it mean for people watching Paramount+, watching HBO, and movies, including some of the biggest movies of all?

STELTER: The great unknown is about that White House meeting. And Senator Elizabeth Warren called it out, saying, what did Trump officials tell the Netflix CEO today? She thinks something fishy was going on. We don't know yet.

But for consumers, it probably means something like Paramount+ and HBO Max. They're going to be someday together if this deal goes through.

You're going to see consolidation and probably layoffs in Hollywood, possibly a better, easier way to consume TV and film in the future.

For CNN, it probably means a merger with CBS News, although not, I'm told, for at least a year.

MICHAELSON: It will be interesting. It shakes up the entire entertainment industry, but again, it still needs to be approved. And as we've seen, there's been twists and turns every step of this whole thing.

Brian Stelter in New York, thank you for your great reporting on this. We'll see you next hour with more reporting.

STELTER: Thanks.

MICHAELSON: For now, though, THE STORY IS immigration. A Columbia University student detained by federal immigration agents has now been released from custody.

Her name is Ellie Aghayeva. She posted that she was freed after the university said that agents used false pretenses to enter a campus building in New York City.

She's from Azerbaijan. She was arrested Thursday after DHS claimed her student visa was terminated in 2016.

The university's acting president said agents entered her apartment by saying they were searching for a missing child. DHS denies agents misrepresented themselves. [00:15:04]

Joining me live from New York with more on this is CNN's Omar Jimenez. Omar, what happened here?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman says that five agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered this off-campus Columbia residential building without a warrant, as she says.

And what's more is she also claimed that the agents got entry to the building and apartment, because these agents were posing as police looking for a missing child. And she even said that security cameras captured these agents in the hallway, showing pictures of the alleged missing child.

Now she says, once they were in the apartment, and that it was clear they misrepresented, as she says, a warrant wasn't produced for public safety officers. And then Ellie Aghayeva was taken into custody.

DHS did confirm her arrest and said her student visa had been terminated in 2016 under the Obama administration for failing to attend classes.

Now, what's interesting is in the aftermath of this taking place, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was meeting with President Trump in D.C. to discuss housing and said that he urged President Trump that she be released and that, in a follow-up call, President Trump said she would be released imminently. And we know that ended up being the case.

When DHS was asked about the misrepresentation claim, they denied that, saying that homeland or Homeland Security investigators identified themselves properly, that they didn't identify themselves as police.

But university leadership feels differently, and it's rattled a lot of the Columbia University community, Elex.

MICHAELSON: And Omar, this -- this ties into your reporting on immigration tactics, really, all around the world. You've got a whole hour special coming this weekend on THE WHOLE STORY. Talk to us about some of what you found.

JIMENEZ: Yes. So, we traveled to Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, some of these American cities that have been the focal points of, really, the most significant immigration enforcement crackdown that we've seen, at least in this country.

And obviously, we talked to a lot of people that were directly affected by this. And it was really this escalation pattern that started with L.A., Chicago, and then culminated in Minneapolis.

But one of the things we also wanted to see was how were these tactics actually translating to some of the very migrants, or at least some of those migrant paths that people would take to get to the United States? Essentially, how was it affecting demand?

So, we went to what has typically been known as one of those transit points, the Mexico-Guatemala border. Here's some of what we saw.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (voice-over): We're heading to the Suchiate River separating Southern Mexico and Guatemala. It was a major transit point for migrants on their way North to the U.S.-Mexico border.

This was 2023 some days. The river was full of migrants on makeshift rafts that day, hoping to continue their journey.

In 2026, many of those same types of rafts sit empty or handle everyday commerce. Those who run them remember what it used to be like.

JIMENEZ: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: You were working here in 2023?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Yes, 2023.

JIMENEZ: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: And what did you see here that year?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: This was when all the migrants passed by. When the migrant caravans passed by. The whole place was full of just migrants.

JIMENEZ: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Around 500 people you see a day crossing.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): They say they started to notice a difference in the months after President Trump was inaugurated, not just because people were afraid of being turned away at the U.S. border. They were also afraid of what could happen if they did cross over.

JIMENEZ: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: What do you hear about what's going on in the United States?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: The truth is, a lot of people complain they're scared of going out on the streets there, where ICE might grab them.

(END VIDEOTAPE) JIMENEZ: He said he had seen videos on TikTok. Now, obviously, this is just one element of things. It's a combination of policy. Also, rhetoric, enforcement tactics that seem to just play out into the imagery of what could happen if you get here.

But obviously, the way that those enforcement tactics played out here in the United States were much more difficult to handle, made a lot of cities and communities feel incredibly unsafe, some that still feel unsafe to this day.

And we know that, at least in some cases, there are operations that ended in the deaths of two American citizens -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: Well, this issue is so nuanced, and it deserves an entire hour to break down the nuance of it. Because sometimes, a lot of it is lost in a soundbite.

And you're one of the best reporters on this network, and nobody better to do it. Look forward to this. Thank you, Omar, for staying up late with us and can't wait to watch.

JIMENEZ: Of course. Good to see you.

MICHAELSON: And you can watch "Immigration Crackdown: A Year Of Enforcement: on THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER. Omar's reporting this Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN, and it will be available the next day on the CNN app to stream.

[00:20:03]

Now to a CNN exclusive: Could Rick Caruso soon become the chairman of the L.A. 2028 Olympics? The businessman and philanthropist toured the Palisades burn zone today alongside San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who he endorsed for California governor. We'll have more on that and the governor's race tomorrow.

But right now, we want to bring you some Olympic-related news. Casey Wasserman is currently the chairman of the L.A. 2028 games organizing committee. But there's increasing pressure on him to step aside because of flirty emails he sent to Ghislaine Maxwell years before she was convicted of child sex trafficking.

Wasserman has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, but several high-profile California leaders, including the L.A. mayor, have asked for him to step aside and said he's a distraction.

The board of the games, who could fire Wasserman if they wanted to, have stood by him publicly, at least for now.

But CNN is reporting there have been private discussions about who might take his place if he were to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: There -- there's some conversation now about Casey Wasserman, who's the head of L.A. 2028, that he may have to step down because of his connection to Ghislaine Maxwell; sending her emails. Have you been contacted about potentially leading L.A. 2028?

RICK CARUSO, BUSINESSMAN/PHILANTHROPIST: No.

MICHAELSON: You haven't been?

CARUSO: No. I mean, I know my name has been out there. I've read, you know what people have posted or --

MICHAELSON: Would you -- would you potentially be interested in that?

CARUSO: You know, I think any time you get an opportunity to do something big to help the city of L.A., to help the country, of course, you have to look at it and take it seriously.

MICHAELSON: Do you think he should step down?

CARUSO: My opinion shouldn't matter on that. It really shouldn't matter. That's up to the board who he reports to.

And that's -- I think that's a very personal decision within him, to ask himself can I continue to do the job that I need to do? And I think he should make that decision.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: So, Caruso clearly not ruling out that job.

Who else could potentially replace Wasserman? Sources tell CNN the name of outgoing Disney CEO Bob Iger has also been floated.

For now, though, Wasserman remains in the job, and it's important to point out that no board member has publicly called for him to step down.

Well, speaking of the Olympics, hockey remains in the spotlight after the U.S. men's and women's teams both brought home gold, beating Canada at this year's Winter Olympics.

When THE STORY IS returns, we speak with the Team USA's Caroline Harvey, the tournament's MVP, on winning for her country and returning to college today. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:27:14]

MICHAELSON: The U.S. Women's Hockey Team is still celebrating after capturing the gold in an overtime thriller against Canada.

Caroline Harvey is the MVP, likely going to be the first draft pick in the upcoming professional women's hockey league draft. But first, she's back in school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and that is where she joins us from right now.

Caroline, congratulations.

CAROLINE HARVEY, MVP, U.S. WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me, too. This is an honor.

MICHAELSON: So, what has been the most surreal celebration so far?

HARVEY: There's been many great celebrations. If I was to pick one, I would just say the -- the day following, like the same day of winning the Olympic gold with my teammates and family and friends. We -- we of course, celebrate on the ice. And we heard that anthem united as one, arms around each other. That was very special moment.

But following that, we went to the USA House, and we celebrated and all hung out collectively as a team and then with our family and friends. So, that was a pretty special time, and I really enjoyed that night with everyone.

MICHAELSON: Describe that moment, which we're looking at right now, of when -- when you're all on the ice. The national anthem is playing. You see the flag. What goes through your mind in that moment?

HARVEY: Yes, there's a -- pretty speechless, but obviously, it's just a special feeling. You feel so united and together as one.

I mean, we've been working so hard this whole year towards this common goal of capturing gold. And of course, like, there's been many camps and hard work and efforts gone into it.

And the team behind our team that's been there for us and getting us to that moment and just -- it was such a sweet moment. Cherry on top, of course, bring the gold home. But yes, in that moment it was just you're with your sisters, and you feel so united.

And you guys are -- you're screaming the national anthem, and it means everything.

MICHAELSON: So, you got started in this very young, right? Like 3 or 4 years old, and you were skating, right? What is your message to all the little girls and little boys that are watching you all right now?

HARVEY: Yes, it's -- it's been a great journey so far. And it started because my brother and wanting to follow in his footsteps.

But for -- for young -- for young kids out there who want to, who want to get started on their own journey and partake in hockey, I would just say follow your dreams and dream big. And if you're willing to work hard and put in the consistent work every day, you can really achieve whatever you put your mind to.

MICHAELSON: What did your teammates teach you about you? How have you changed because you were a part of this team?

HARVEY: Yes, I think just learning from them, especially like the veterans, just like someone like Hilary, Lee Stecklein, Megan Keller. Like learning from them, their habits on and off the ice.

[00:30:05]

You know, you can really learn a lot from them and their professionalism and how they carry themselves.

And then also even the newcomers, you can learn something from all your teammates. And I think just being in it with them throughout this journey, you really grow close, especially over the month together. And yes, just continuously learning from them has been special. And I don't take that for granted.

MICHAELSON: President Trump said at the State of the Union that the women's team is coming to the White House. Is that true? And if so, is there a date for that?

HARVEY: I'm unsure. Yes, I don't -- I'm not sure. Obviously, right now, we're all back with our respective teams, pro or college. But yes, I don't -- I haven't heard any word on that.

MICHAELSON: Would you go?

HARVEY: I mean, I -- I'm just busy right now with school. And obviously, like you said, we've got a championship to win here, and we've got a lot of stuff ahead of us.

So, personally, I need to finish out school and take care of business in that way. But I mean, I -- yes, I feel like I have my hands pretty tied right now.

MICHAELSON: Let's talk about school. So, you come back to the University of Wisconsin. Now, you've got the gold medal. Have you worn the medal to class? How do people interact with you? What's it been like walking on campus?

HARVEY: Yes, it's been nice. Like, it's been special. Obviously, warm welcomes back from teammates and then also at -- at class today, it was really special.

I'm in a sports communication class. And my professor, he loves sports, of course. And he's super passionate and being -- he was kept -- kept up with everything as we were gone and tuning into games.

So, I actually got into class today, and I walked in like, right as class was starting, and he had, like, a set. I had no idea, but he had a set, like, plan. Like he called me out in front of the class, and then they shot off confetti, which was pretty special. I didn't expect that.

And it was a warm welcome. And I shared a few words with the class. But yes, it was really nice to get welcomed back in that way. And it's just been nice for my teammates, too. We're all excited to be back as a group.

MICHAELSON: And then it's back to homework and everything else, too. So, got to do all that.

HARVEY: Yes. MICHAELSON: So -- so you're expected, as we mentioned, to be the No. 1 pick in the draft coming up, the Women's Professional Hockey League.

Talk about what's next for you and how people can continue to support women's hockey. Because there are so many eyeballs on you all right now. How people can support the professional game, as well.

HARVEY: Yes, I think that it was great having the tournament. And like, the way it carried out, and obviously, as a high -- high level hockey to watch. And I feel like there's, like you said, so many eyeballs, especially on just women's hockey in general.

But from a standpoint of people tuning into Olympics, it got a lot of attention of people. So, I think it's phenomenal. And especially the pro league continues to grow every year. And just everyone's tuning into hockey more. And you know, supporting that. So, it's pretty special.

And to think about stepping into that next year, it's very exciting. And yes, it's -- it's awesome to see the growth of the game and how it continues to do so.

MICHAELSON: Well, as an American, we are so proud of you and so grateful for you. And you are the best hockey player in the world right now, which is pretty incredible. And it's an honor to have you on our show.

Caroline Harvey, thank you so much. And once again, congratulations.

HARVEY: Thank you so much for having me.

MICHAELSON: We'll be back with more news, but we go to break with images of that gold medal run. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:38:32]

MICHAELSON: Welcome back THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Netflix has dropped its bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount Skydance is now poised to acquire the media conglomerate, which includes the Warner Bros. movie studios, HBO, and this network, CNN.

Netflix declined to match Paramount's current offer of $31 a share, plus a number of financial sweeteners.

The regulatory review process will likely take months.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with President Trump in Washington on Thursday. He's there to make a pitch for a major federal investment in housing.

Mamdani also brought a mock-up of a newspaper front page with the headline: "Trump to City: Let's Build," which mirrors a real 1975 front page featuring former President Gerald Ford.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will testify about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in the hours ahead. Earlier, Hillary Clinton told lawmakers she had never met the late pedophile or communicated with him.

She criticized the Republican-led committee for refusing to hold a public hearing. A closed-door deposition lasted more than six hours.

Let's talk about that and more with CNN's senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, who is also an opinion columnist with Bloomberg.

Ron, welcome back to THE STORY IS.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Elex.

MICHAELSON: Kaitlan Collins talked with Congressman Robert Garcia, who is the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee. Here's what he said about Bill Clinton's testimony tomorrow.

[00:40:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Any information he can provide about Jeffrey Epstein: what he may have seen, what he may have known. We have questions about foreign intelligence issues. I mean, there have been a lot of questions about whether Jeffrey Epstein was involved with any sort of foreign intelligence or gaining wealth or resources from foreign governments. Those are all legitimate questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: We know that Bill Clinton has gotten in trouble before for testifying under oath when he wasn't so truthful. It is very, very unusual for a former president to testify before Congress; hasn't happened in decades. What do you make of this moment tomorrow?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think this is the first time that a former president has testified against his will. I think Gerald Ford testified as president on -- on Nixon.

And I think that that is probably going to be the biggest significance of this -- of this hearing: that it happened at all.

Certainly, President Trump is very, I think, keenly aware of the precedent that is being set here and the relevance it may have. You've got to think that, if there's a Democratic House in 2029, and Donald Trump does not try to stay in office, that this precedent is going to be very relevant.

Look, I think there is -- you know, there's an opportunity for the House committee here to really highlight what is a genuine issue, which is the astonishing way in which this individual, Jeffrey Epstein, ingratiated himself with powerful people all over the world. I suspect that is not going to be what comes out of tomorrow. You know, it's probably going to be kind of a partisan sparring that

looks like an obvious double standard when the committee has had no interest in the Justice Department scrubbing the files, apparently, of references and allegations, unproven allegations, against the current President Trump. This will probably be just a partisan standoff.

But, you know, there is a reason why so many people across the political spectrum are disgusted by what they are seeing come out of the files and come out of the other investigative work, which is how did this person become close to so many powerful and influential people around the world?

And Clinton says his relationship ended. All evidence his relationship ended before Epstein's first conviction. For others, it obviously went on much longer.

MICHAELSON: Yes, it'll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a very interesting race happening --

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: -- in Texas right now. Tuesday, the last day to vote in the primary there. Both on the Democratic side and the Republican side, very interesting.

Let's start with the Democratic side. You've got this battle between James Talarico the state legislator, and Jasmine Crockett, who is a congressmember from Texas getting all sorts of attention. How do you see this and how do you think this ends up?

Yes, I mean, it seems people down there believe it is really close. It's been polling with Crockett generally ahead, although the people on the ground that I've talked to as recently as today, most of them seem to think Talarico might pull it out.

You know, there hasn't been a Democratic senator in Texas since 1993, when Bill Clinton named Lloyd Bentsen as treasury secretary. I was down there in the spring of 1993 when kay bailey Hutchinson won the special election to replace Bentsen, the Republican, and there hasn't been a Democratic senator since then.

George W. Bush got elected governor the next year in '94. In '98, Republicans swept all the statewide offices in Texas. There hasn't been a Democrat in a statewide office in Texas since 1998.

But a combination of factors leads them, leads a lot of people on both sides of the aisle in Texas to believe that this year could be competitive.

I mean, Republicans feel that Crockett is too polarizing, and that's why Greg Abbott is spending money to try to elevate her, the Republican governor, to elevate her in the primary.

But if you had an election of Talarico against Ken Paxton on the other side, potentially, you could have certainly a race that was as competitive as 2018, when Beto P came within roughly two and a half points of Ted Cruz, the Democratic statewide showing in quite some time.

MICHAELSON: Well, let's talk about that Republican side. So, you've got the current senator, John Cornyn, who's one of the top leaders in the Senate, who is not backed by Donald Trump, who so far hasn't endorsed anybody.

You've got Ken Paxton, the attorney general, who's more to the right than Cornyn, who has, certainly, some of his own personal scandals that he's dealing with.

And then you've got a congressman named Wesley Hunt. What do you make of the fact that this is so close?

BROWNSTEIN: Most people down there think Paxton is ultimately going to win at this point. Maybe probably not outright Tuesday, although they don't rule that out.

But if no one gets 50 percent, you go to a primary in a one-on-one with Cornyn or Hunt. I think Paxton would be favored at this point.

And he's someone who has all sorts of issues, personal issues. he's had financial -- you know, he's had allegations of financial misconduct in office, as well. And is someone who is well to the right.

You know, in the -- in the late Obama years and the first Trump presidency, Texas seemed to be moving along the same track as places like Virginia and Colorado in the early 2000 and then Georgia and Arizona in the 2010s, which was a combination of a growing minority population and increasing Democratic strength among white-collar workers in the big metros, was making it more competitive.

Now, as you said, Beto got to within two and a half points of Ted Cruz in 2018.

But the Biden presidency really set Democrats back in Texas he was quite unpopular there. The border policies inflation, you know pretty much the whole nine yards. And so, by 2020 -- 2024, Harris lost by -- I think it was 13 points in Texas. That's a lot of distance to cover in only two years.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: But the conditions -- the conditions are there. If you have a Paxton race probably more against Talarico than Crockett, where the discontent over Trump has resurfaced in those white-collar suburbs.

South Texas, which had moved dramatically toward him, heavily Latino South Texas, moved dramatically toward Trump in '24. It's pulling back, too, because of ICE enforcement.

And you do have Democrats at least having, you know, a shot --

MICHAELSON: Right.

BROWNSTEIN: -- which is something you have not been able to say very often since 1998.

MICHAELSON: And if that were to happen, then the Democrats have a real shot not only of winning back the House --

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: -- but winning back the Senate, as well.

Ron Brownstein, great to talk with you. Thank you so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, thanks for having me.

MICHAELSON: Back with more news, right after this.

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[00:51:13]

MICHAELSON: Mexico's president reaffirmed on Thursday that the country is safe and will be secure for the upcoming World Cup.

This comes after violence erupted last weekend near a tourist hotspot following the capture and death of drug cartel leader El Mench. But some tourists are not convinced that it is safe, as CNN's David Culver found out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is not what most of us would think of when we think of Puerto Vallarta, normally a tourist hotspot.

We're with the marines, as they have recently arrived into this city so as to assure not only locals but also tourists that things are stable, calm, secure.

Those are the marines, as well, patrolling from above. Clearly, they have a very visible presence on the ground, in the air, and even at sea.

CULVER (voice-over): These reinforcements did not arrive soon enough for tourists eager to get out immediately following the cartel violence, even if, for some, it meant sleeping in the airport for days.

CULVER: And now are you trying to get on a flight?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We fly out tonight.

CULVER: You fly out tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back to California.

CULVER (voice-over): And those with plans to travel in, now reconsidering.

TATIANA GOMEZ, CANCELLED MEXICO TRAVEL PLANS: After everything that happened. I'm canceling my trip to Mexico. I just don't think it's safe right now.

CULVER (voice-over): Perception is everything. Hence, the efforts to scrub clean the aftermath.

CULVER: Have you ever seen this here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here in Puerto Vallarta? No.

CULVER: I'm looking around. And you have these burnt-out trucks, but then you have the gas station open. The Costco is open. People, families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Mexicans. We're resilient.

CULVER: How important is tourism?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very much. Very, very much important.

This is Puerto Vallarta. We feel we make the tourists welcome like you are at home, you are at home.

CULVER: And even seeing this, does it change your impression of this place and being here right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It never seemed like they were after people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it just always seemed like it was an inner battle of the cartels, and that they weren't after Americans or citizens.

CULVER: And you still feel that way?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do, definitely.

ANNIE GARCIA, TOURIST: From my rooftop, I could see that the fires were strategically making a circle around the city that caused a lot of panic within myself, because we were being boxed in.

CULVER (voice-over): Annie Garcia's drone helped her track the threats.

CULVER: When you get people asking you, Annie, should we travel in? We've got trips planned.

GARCIA: I'm not here to tell anyone if it's safe or not to come. My goal was just to show people what the current state is so they can make informed decisions on whether they want to come or not. CULVER (voice-over): The reality is for decades, cartels have

influenced many aspects of this region. Much of this state under the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which also has a significant presence within tourist favorites like Cancun and Tulum.

Cabo San Lucas, another coastal getaway under the Sinaloa cartel, whose factions call the shots there, along with most of the U.S. Southern border, including cities like Tijuana. Even the capital, Mexico city infiltrated by a host of other criminal groups.

But rarely are tourists impacted.

MICHELLE FRIDMAN, TOURISM SECRETARY OF JALISCO: I think right now Jalisco is even safer than it was before Sunday. Of course, something happened that's undeniable. But many things were took out of context.

CULVER: To your point, the amount of misinformation that spreads and how people cling to that.

FRIDMAN: I mean, I saw images of shootings in the airport. That never happened. Images of planes burning in fire that never happened. So, of course, it's important to understand what really happened.

CULVER (voice-over): And what's really going to happen. Jalisco's governor stressing to dozens of Mexican media that any suggestion the upcoming World Cup may be moved out of Guadalajara --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PABLO LEMUS NAVARRO, GOVERNOR OF JALISCO, MEXICO: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:55:02]

CULVER (voice-over): -- is also not true.

NAVARRO: It's safe to visit Jalisco now. You can trust in that. Yes, you can trust in that.

CULVER (voice-over): David Culver, CNN, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Our thanks to David.

Up next, our top stories as the next hour of THE STORY IS starts right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Call it a whopper of an announcement from Burger King. The fast-food giant is making its first major changes in a decade to the iconic burger.