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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Missiles Intercepted Over Riyadh as Diplomats Hold Meeting; U.S. and Israel Attack Oil, Natural Gas Facilities; Interview with Representative Cory Mills (R-FL); Asian Markets Fall as Iran Hits Energy Facilities in the Mideast; Artist in Cuba Speaks About Daily Life Amid Energy Crisis; Cuban Resident Speaks about Daily Life and Energy Crisis; Sex Abuse Allegations Revealed against Cesar Chavez; Muslims in Gulf Region to Celebrate Ramadan Despite Conflict. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 19, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: This town are very worried that their names and likenesses are going to be used without their consent and that could cost people a lot of money. So that issue is going to be going for a long time but this is an instance where it is being used with his consent, with his family's permission. so I feel like it's a little bit different.

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Well, you know what? I'm looking forward to your show, the real Elex Michaelson is there, although he probably could be a good A.I., too. Have a great show.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Yes, well, I will be with you in D.C. tomorrow night which I'm excited to do.

COATES: I can't wait.

MICHAELSON: But for now I am here in L.A. and THE STORY IS starts with breaking news.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

MICHAELSON: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles where it's 9:00 Wednesday night. It's Thursday morning in the Persian Gulf and the story once again is the war with Iran.

President Trump says that the U.S. knew nothing about Israel's plan to strike a key Iranian gas field. This breaking late tonight after state media in Tehran reported that the U.S. and Israel have attacked Iran's oil production facilities and natural gas fields. The U.S. president also called for an end to all strikes on energy targets.

Now, Iran is reportedly retaliating with strikes of its own on energy infrastructure in several Persian Gulf states, including near the United Arab Emirates and a ship near the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar also reported extensive damage at its main energy hub. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted four ballistic missiles over the capital of Riyadh. The foreign minister there says two refineries were also attacked.

Those strikes have sent oil prices surging again. Brent crude, the global benchmark, is at more than $111 a barrel right now, up 11 bucks from just yesterday. President Trump temporarily lifting key limits on oil and gas shipping in an effort to bring down prices.

More now on the situation in Saudi Arabia from CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Very significant that just as the Gulf foreign ministers and other foreign ministers from the region, Turkey, Egypt Jordan, the Pakistani foreign minister here as well, the Azerbaijan foreign minister also, just as they were gathering in Riyadh, the heaviest ballistic missile barrages on the capital since the war began.

And I asked the Saudi foreign minister after their meeting how he interpreted this action by Iran and what Saudi Arabia was going to do about it.

PRINCE FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL-SAUD, SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER: And I think that's the clearest signal of how Iran feels about diplomacy. It doesn't believe in talking to its neighbors. It tries to pressure its neighbors. And what I can say categorically, that's not going to work. The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure. And on the contrary, this pressure will backfire. The Iranians will have to understand that this has consequences.

ROBERTSON: So a very clear and strong message to Iran that their actions are illegal, that they should stop immediately, that if they continue, there will be consequences. Escalation, he said, would be met with escalation. He didn't give what the red line would be, where Iran would cross and Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries would act. Neither did he give a timeline but he also indicated that he didn't think Iran was listening, that he didn't think that they would change their actions.

So really appearing to set the scene for very possibly for a further escalation. And he also criticized what he called fake information coming from the Iranians saying that they were only targeting American related facilities in the region. He said that was an absolute fake, not true. And he pointed to the impacts of some of those ballistic missiles or the debris falling from intercepts of those ballistic missiles around Riyadh tonight, saying that there were two oil facilities that were hit.

We also understand from the Ministry of Defense that four civilians were also impacted, caught in some of the falling debris from those intercepted ballistic missiles. But this the heaviest attack on Riyadh by the Iranians so far in the war. A very clear message from the Saudi foreign minister but very clear as well that Iran just may not be listening right now.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Nic, thank you.

Now we check in with senior international correspondent Ivan Watson.

Ivan, what led to the strikes on Saudi Arabia?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what we've seen in the last 24 hours, Elex, is that the war in its 20th, 19th day expanded with these energy facilities on both sides of the Persian Gulf being targeted, starting with Iran announcing that its facilities on the Gulf that are part of the South Pars gas field, the world's largest natural gas field, were struck. Serious explosions.

Iranian state media saying that the red lines in this conflict, if you can believe there are red lines, have changed. And a spokesperson for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowing retribution. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EBRAHIM ZOLFAGHARI, IRANIAN MILITARY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): This is a firm warning to those responsible for attacking parts of Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure in the south. In response, the fuel energy and gas facilities at the source of the attack will be set ablaze and reduced to ashes at the earliest opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So on the southern side of the Gulf, across from where the Iranian facilities were struck, we saw that Qatar saw its kind of crown jewel of its economy, its own natural gas sites hit and substantial damage from two separate strikes in that area. The UAE, Abu Dhabi reporting that it's shutting down its own natural gas operations right now after strikes in that area as well.

And Qatar then going and further and declaring that Iran's security and military attaches to Iran's diplomatic mission in Qatar are now persona non grata, given 24 hours to leave in a sign of kind of the escalation on both sides of this.

Now an Israeli source tells CNN that the strikes on Iran were coordinated with the U.S., but take a look at what President Trump announced a couple of hours ago on Truth Social. This is remarkable. He says, quote, "Israel, out of anger for what's taking place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as the South Pars gas field in Iran. The United States knew nothing about this particular attack. No more attacks will be made by Israel pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars field."

He seems to be trying to establish some red lines in the conflict. If it's true, the U.S. didn't know that Israel is going to strike these gas fields in Iran. That's a startling admission, Elex, that a little bit two and a half weeks into the war that U.S. and Israel launched together, that they're not in coordination. I don't know what that says. And it remains to be seen how Tehran will respond to what Trump is trying to signal right here.

But if you add the attacks on the energy infrastructure, in this energy rich region to the bottleneck in the shipping, it all stacks up to skyrocketing energy prices, which we've already seen hitting levels that haven't been seen since 2022, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Ivan Watson, thank you for that reporting from Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, top Trump administration officials have testified publicly for the first time since the launch of the war with Iran nearly three weeks ago. But comments from National Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard are drawing the most attention. She said it's not her job to determine what constitutes an imminent threat, even though the administration has argued military action was necessary because of an immediate risk from Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was a, quote, "imminent nuclear threat" posed by the Iranian regime? Yes or no?

TULSI GABBARD, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president. It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.

OSSOFF: It is precisely your responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Gabbard's testimony also omitted part of an intel assessment that said that Iran's nuclear program was, quote, "obliterated" by U.S. and Saudi -- U.S. and Israeli bombs last year. Senate Democrat Mark Warner, ranking member on that committee, asked her why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): Even in your printed testimony today on page six and your last paragraph on page six, as a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran's nuclear enrichment program was obliterated. There's been no effort to try to rebuild their enrichment capability. You've omitted that paragraph from your oral opening. Was that because the president had said there was an imminent threat two weeks?

[00:10:02]

GABBARD: Sir, I recognize that the time was running long, and I skipped through some of the portions --

WARNER: So you chose -- you chose to take, omit --

GABBARD: Of my oral delivered remarks.

WARNER: You chose to omit the parts that contradict the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: But the former U.S. counterterrorism chief says there was no intelligence that Iran was preparing to attack the U.S. Joe Kent spoke Wednesday with conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson one day after Kent resigned due to disagreements over the war with Iran. Kent told Carlson that Iran was not close to creating a nuclear bomb.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, THE TUCKER CARLSON SHOW: Was Iran on the verge of getting a nuclear weapon?

JOE KENT, FORMER DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER: No, they weren't. You know, three weeks ago when this this started and they weren't in June either. I mean, the Iranians have had a religious ruling, a fatwa, against actually developing a nuclear weapon since 2004. That's been in place since 2004. That's available in the public sphere but then also we had no intelligence to indicate that that fatwa was being disobeyed, or it was on the cusp of being lifted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: I'm joined now live by Cory Mills, a House Republican from Florida. He's a member of both the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees, as well as an Iraq war veteran. He's live in Washington right now.

Congressman, welcome back to THE STORY IS.

REP. CORY MILLS (R-FL): Thanks for having me.

MICHAELSON: You've known Joe Kent for years. Is he right that Iran was not an immediate threat?

MILLS: Well, let me just first say that, you know, Joe is a man who had served honorably for this United States for 20 plus years, the special forces community, as well as the Ranger Regiment, went on to work for the CIA ground branch and others. And it's been a tremendous service to this nation, not to mention the sacrifice that his family has made with the loss of his former wife, Miss Shannon Kent.

And, you know, that left behind two young boys to be able to raise without their mother. So you can be reasonable in the fact, as a Gold Star husband, that he feels a certain way about this that many can't. But what I would say is, is that from my understanding, from what my briefings have given me, Joe was not in a lot of these intelligence briefings. He only gets a portion of that just as Tulsi Gabbard, just as others.

And as it was explained, the president ultimately has the decision, which is a very difficult choice as commander-in-chief, to determine imminent threat to ensure the safety and security of America, Americans and American interests. So everyone is getting a portion of this, but ultimately the only one with the full picture, full package would be people like the chief of staff, Susie Wiles, or the president himself, or a couple of the advisers that surrounds him.

So I think that it's comfortable to say that the president, given the intelligence that he had, looking at the threats that were surrounding. And yes, you can say that Natanz, Isfahan and Fordham had all been damaged or they couldn't have any further centrifuged nuclear capabilities. But that doesn't mean that the 350 plus, you know, kilograms or thousands that they had in storage couldn't be immediately pushed to a nuclear grade capability, knowing that they were continuing to increase their ICBM, their mid-range, their long range.

And what did we find out? They also had hypersonic ballistic missile capabilities that's traveling at roughly three plus Mach, at 15,000 miles per hour. So delivery payload imminence. I think that's something that only the president could technically discern.

MICHAELSON: You just said about Tulsi Gabbard that she doesn't have the full intelligence picture. Her job is literally director of National Intelligence.

MILLS: Well, she has the full intelligence package. But yes, she has a full intelligence package. But you also have input from your secretary of state which is all the diplomatic relations and all the things that he's getting in from foreign state ops. You also have ally meetings where heads of state are speaking together. They're sharing this Five Eye partners. I mean, they do have a portion of it, but ultimately, Tulsi Gabbard is absolutely correct.

As the director of National Intelligence it is her job to collect intel, but it's ultimately the president's job to determine the imminence.

MICHAELSON: Yes, I would just hope that she's got as big a picture of what the intelligence as says as anybody.

MILLS: Oh, she absolutely does. Tulsi is on top of it. I know Tulsi. Let me tell you something, she's as tough as they come.

MICHAELSON: All right. So we see tonight this news, President Trump posting on Truth Social just recently that sort of distancing the U.S. from an Israeli strike, sort of the first break that we've seen publicly between the two countries. What do you make of that? Israel saying the U.S. did know, the U.S. saying we didn't know about this Israeli strike?

MILLS: Well, I think it makes it very clear that the president's decision to strike as a result of imminent threat had nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with the protection of America, not to mention the president made it very clear --

MICHAELSON: Nothing to do with Israel?

MILLS: This is not a declaration of war. Let me -- let me just finish my thought here. This is not a declaration of war. What this is, it was a strategic military strikes to denigrate the IRGC' capability, to eliminate the mid-range and mobile ballistic missile capabilities, to eliminate one-way drone manufacturing like the Shahed-136. But what the president was very clear on is that if we're going to see a transitional government away from this regime, what we don't want to do is have an economic impact on Iran's capability to provide their GDP, energy. water infrastructure, et cetera.

Targeting infrastructure was one of the key mistakes of the Iraq war. This is not Iraq and Afghanistan. We are not looking at nation building, boots-on-the-ground and diplomacy development. This was about eliminating an evil regime that had killed 40,000 plus innocent Iranians, was hanging individuals from cranes, was raping and torturing women in prisons like they did with the murder of Mahsa Amini, not to mention the political persecution.

So the president is absolutely right to distance himself from targeting key infrastructure that's not military or IRGC related.

MICHAELSON: And real quickly, when you talk about regime elimination, that's something you've made that point on our air live the night that this happened. What's the timeline to actually do that?

MILLS: Well, again, I think it is very dangerous for us ever to go ahead and announce what a certain specific timeline is. That just tells your adversaries how to lay low and launch counteroffensive, or how to do a counterinsurgency on the transitioning government. But what I'll tell you is, this is a president who's not going to leave until the job is done. This is a president who's going to ensure that the new transition in government that is selected by the Iranian people, not by any other nation, that they're going to have the ability to go ahead and stand up free and allow a democracy to exist that hasn't in 47 plus years.

MICHAELSON: Congressman Cory Mills, thank you for once again joining us and sharing your views. And thank you again for your service to our country. We appreciate it.

MILLS: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Soaring energy prices stalled interest rates. We are live next in Hong Kong with how these setbacks are affecting the markets all over the world. Not a great sign from Asia right now, as we look at that picture live. Plus Cuba's ongoing energy crisis and the U.S. oil blockade take a toll on the island's health care workers, hospital patients. We'll hear from an artist living in Havana. What's it like for ordinary folks during all of this? His message, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:21:49]

MICHAELSON: We are tracking rising gas prices amid the war with Iran. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance addressed the climbing costs during an appearance in Michigan on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president said this and I certainly agree with it, this is a temporary blip. OK? What happened under the Biden administration is that gas prices were high for four years. Gas prices are higher right now, and frankly they're not even as high as they were during certain parts of the Biden administration because of what's going on in the Middle East.

It's not going to last forever. We've got -- we got a rough road ahead of us for the next few weeks, but it's temporary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Because gas prices have risen $0.86 per gallon on average since the start of the war, and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to help offset those costs, Trump administration announced it is temporarily waiving the Jones Act, which will allow foreign flagged ships to transport oil and gas between U.S. ports for the next 60 days.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is predicting the disruption of the global energy markets will be relatively short lived, but is giving itself some wiggle room. Fed Chair Jerome Powell says we just don't know how things are going to shake out. But we do know is that interest rates will not be going down yet. As expected, the Fed voted to keep benchmark lending rates unchanged at 3.5 percent and 3.25 percent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: You can worry about all of the ways that oil, commodities -- oil related commodities go into manufacturing and that kind of thing. The truth is, it's completely out of our hands. And we just, like everybody else, we have to just wait and see what happens. And it'll be -- it'll come down to how long, you know, the current situation lasts. And then what are the effects on prices? And then how do consumers react to that kind of thing?

Really we -- I wouldn't speculate in any way. And there's really not a lot we can do other than kind of watch and see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Powell went on to say that a rate cut won't happen until there's progress on inflation and the overall performance of the economy.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me live from Hong Kong.

Kristie, after strikes on gas facilities across the Middle East, what are we seeing for Asian markets right now?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Elex, right now Asian shares are trading lower. They're tracking U.S. losses overnight. The price of oil is also gaining. All of this following tit-for-tat strikes on critical gas infrastructure across the Middle East. We are in the middle of a trading day here in Asia.

Let's take a look at the markets. And as you can see right there, Japan's Nikkei is currently losing over 3 percent. Just a couple hours ago, the Bank of Japan announced its plan to leave rates unchanged. Here in Hong Kong the Hang Seng is losing one in six-tenths of 1 percent. The Seoul KOSPI losing one in seven-tenths of 1 percent. In Shanghai, it's down almost 1 percent.

Let's also check in on the price of Brent crude, the global oil index. As you can see it is on the rise. Look, the conflict in the Middle East is widening. It's also escalating to the form of these state-on- state strikes on critical energy infrastructure, starting first in Qatar. Qatar, they're reporting, quote, "extensive damage" to its gas facility after it was hit by Iranian missiles.

[00:25:04]

Iran earlier had vowed retaliation after its gas field, the world's largest, was attacked. And earlier today, we heard from the United Arab Emirates, the UAE, announcing that its gas facility is now closed after intercepted missiles.

And I want to show you this graphic. It's a map of the region, and it shows you the number of attacks on key and major gas and oil production facilities across the region. And as you can see there that is just a powerful visualization of the scope and scale of the strikes that this critical industry has sustained throughout this conflict. And this is the reason why analysts say that this could cause lasting global gas shortages.

I just want to quickly mention overnight those comments that we heard from the Fed chief Jerome Powell. He said that the conflict with Iran is going to insert fresh uncertainty in terms of the inflation outlook. The Fed is leaving rates unchanged. The Bank of Japan as well.

Elex, back to you.

MICHAELSON: Well, and Kristie, we've talked all about the problems along the Strait of Hormuz. What are governments actually doing to try to navigate that disruption, to make that situation better?

STOUT: You know, Elex, it's really interesting. We're seeing a series of interesting moves by governments moving around and through the Strait of Hormuz as we have this selective blockade by Iran in place and underway. For example, and starting first with Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia is bypassing the Strait of Hormuz entirely in order to boost oil exports by relying on the East West pipeline.

The UAE also making a similar move, relying on a pipeline just to get gas and oil out of the country into its consumers. In terms of the consumer point of view, one of the world's major consumers of liquefied natural gas as well as oil is India, and India has announced that it is sending warships to accompany oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz to reach its shores. The Strait of Hormuz, this critical channel through which 20 percent

of the world's global oil and gas supply flows through, it's now becoming a choke point, so governments around the world are scrambling to figure out how to navigate this.

Back to you, Elex.

MICHAELSON: A reminder of the importance of oil in our economy right now.

Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you for that.

STOUT: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Now we head to Cuba, where desperately needed aid is slowly arriving as the country there grapples with an energy crisis of their own, which started before all this. A shipment of supplies from Europe arrived in Havana on Wednesday. Now, almost three months after the U.S. effectively imposed an oil blockade on Cuba that worsened its energy crunch, nearly every aspect of Cuban society has been feeling the strain.

Human Rights Watch says the humanitarian situation is extremely fragile. Without fuel, hospital treatments and surgeries are limited. People are using wood fires to heat water. Power blackouts have become commonplace and essential services are stretched to their limits. The energy crisis and U.S. oil blockade is taking a toll on Cuba's health care system as staff and patients suffer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA MIRANDA LEY, HOSPITAL DIRECTOR (through translator): The situation, which has worsened in recent weeks due to the fuel shortage, has had a major impact. Now things have become even more difficult because many of the important supplies require fuel especially for sterilization products, consumable and non-consumable supplies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: That is singer-songwriter Luka Hollinger, also known as the artist Rondo Banks. He's been living part time in Havana for the past 10 years after studying at the National Art Institute of Cuba. Right now, he's living without any power.

Thanks for joining us, Luka. Thanks for sharing your perspective on what's happening there. What is day-to-day life like, and how has that changed in the past few months?

LUKA HOLLINGER, SINGER, SONGWRITER, PRODUCER, CREATOR: Thank you. First and foremost, thank you very much for having me. It's an honor to be here, and thank you for listening to my voice and perspective. It means a lot. I'm currently here in Parque Central, in Central Park of Havana, where we are losing electricity on a daily basis. So we're living day to day, but that doesn't stop me or the Cuban people because I'm just happy to be alive. We're happy to be here. MICHAELSON: What is the greatest need on the ground right now?

HOLLINGER: There's multiple, right? So I think materialistic need a tangible need would maybe be gasoline at this moment, we're running out of gas. But I feel like the people, the Cuban people, what they most need right now is maybe a voice.

MICHAELSON: What would be the message to around the world? This is on in 200 countries that you want people to know from the Cuban people.

[00:30:05]

HOLLINGER: I cannot speak for the Cuban people. I can speak for myself and, you know, my friends and the community, I guess.

Someone asked me recently. They said, Luka, what is freedom for you?

I thought a little bit about it. And I said, the clarity of choice. When it is kind of clear to you as an individual that you have a say or a choice or an option. And right now, Cuban people don't have a say; don't have an option.

MICHAELSON: How do most people on the streets feel right now? And what is day-to-day life like for them?

HOLLINGER: It's a weird moment, Elex, because some people have been waiting for this moment their whole life since they're alive; for a change, for something to happen.

Some people are obviously very worried. Some people haven't seen their families for decades, you know, who go to the states or go around the world and don't have the opportunity or the possibility to come back to Cuba.

So, people right now are feeling hopeful, maybe. Afraid, confused. Is Trump going to come and make new rules that the population is going to have to abide by? We don't know. It's confusion, a little bit of fear.

MICHAELSON: Yes. But the feeling, it sounds like, that you feel like change is going to come soon.

HOLLINGER: I love change. I used to be afraid of change.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

HOLLINGER: Change is scary. Change requires --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

HOLLINGER: Change requires patience and understanding. And for a whole country or a culture to change, it takes time.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

HOLLINGER: So, I think that people have waited a long time and are ready for the change. And what I'm understanding from the Cuban people, they would like change to happen as soon as possible, but on their own terms.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Well, thank you for being with us. I know it's not easy to even make this work. It's kind of amazing that we're able to do this with no power on the island like that. And -- and we appreciate your work, as well. Thank you for sharing your artwork with us.

HOLLINGER: Well, thank you for giving me this moment.

MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS developing. The family of a U.S.. College student who went missing in Spain is pleading for information that could help track him down.

Twenty-year-old Jimmy Gracey, a junior at the University of Alabama was last seen in the early hours of Tuesday morning while on spring break in Barcelona.

His family says he went to a nightclub but never went home. Gracie's mother says police have his phone that was recovered after being stolen.

Coming up, a tense hearing on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers questioned President Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security for three hours. But were Markwayne Mullin's answers enough to advance to the Senate floor? That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:37:39]

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

President Trump is set to meet with Japan's prime minister at the White House on Thursday. The president has been urging Japan and other allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the war with Iran.

But Japan is limited by its pacifist constitution. The prime minister has said she has no plans to send warships to the Middle East.

The Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, has been demolished nearly ten years after a deadly mass shooting. Forty-nine people were killed in the attack on the LGBTQ-friendly club.

It's being replaced with a permanent memorial, set to open next year.

And two NASA astronauts completed the first spacewalk of the year on Wednesday. Crewmates Jessica Meir and Chris Williams of Expedition 74 spent about seven hours outside the International Space Station, prepping it for a new solar array that will be installed at a later date.

The U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee is set to vote Thursday on President Trump's nomination to led [SIC] the -- lead the Homeland Security Department. This comes one day after Senator Markwayne Mullin faced a fiery

confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers questioned him about immigration, disaster response, his temperament, and his own career.

At one point, Democratic Senator Gary Peters confronted Mullin over comments he made about Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse who was shot and killed by a federal agent in Minnesota shortly after his death. Mullin described him as a deranged individual. He now says that was a mistake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK), HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY NOMINEE: Those words probably should have been retracted. I shouldn't have said that. And as secretary I wouldn't.

The investigation is ongoing. And there is -- like I said, there's sometimes going to make mistakes and I own it. That one, I went out there too fast. I was responding immediately without the facts. That's my fault. That won't happen as secretary.

SEN. GARY PETERS (D-MI): So, you regret that statement?

MULLIN: I already said that. Yes, sir.

PETERS: Would you want to apologize to the family of Alex Pretti?

MULLIN: Well, sir, I just said I regret those statements.

PETERS: Is that the same as an apology?

MULLIN: I haven't seen the investigation. We'll let the investigation go through. And if I'm proven wrong, then I will, absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Gary Peters will join us tomorrow night on THE STORY IS.

If confirmed Mullin would replace Kristi Noem, who was ousted as DHS secretary earlier this month.

[00:40:06]

Celebrations of the most prominent Latino civil rights leader in U.S. history, Cesar Chavez, now canceled amid shocking new sexual misconduct allegations.

"The New York Times" says that its reporters over a five-year period spoke with more than 60 people for an investigation detailing stories from the women who say that they were as young as 12 when Chavez first began molesting and abusing them.

Quote, "Many of the women stayed silent for decades, both out of shame and for fear of tarnishing the image of a man who has become the face of the Latino civil rights movement: his image on school murals and his birthday a state holiday in California." Among the women is Dolores Huerta, who co-founded United Farm Workers

alongside Chavez.

I want to bring in CNN's Stephanie Elam.

Stephanie, CNN has not independently verified these stories but what more are we -- we learning on this? And especially from Dolores Huerta?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, "The New York Times" reporting here is just shocking to me.

I mean, you can't underestimate how important Dolores Huerta is to the labor movement. Those of us who spent a lot of time here in Los Angeles, we are very familiar with her work. She is iconic in her own right.

For her to sit on the secret for 60 years is massive. And I want to read to you a bit of her statement that she put out today.

It says, quote, "As a young mother in the 1960s, I experienced two separate sexual encounters with Cesar. The first time, I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn't feel I could say no, because he was someone that I admired my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to.

"The second time I was forced against my will and in an environment where I felt trapped."

Now Elex, she goes on here in this statement to say that both of those sexual encounters led to her getting pregnant. She hid the pregnancies, delivered those babies, and managed to get them to families that she said would bring them up in a nice, stable way.

She said no one knew the full truth of how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago.

The statement goes on to say, "I carried this secret for as long as I did, because building the movement and securing farm worker rights was my life's work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights, and I wasn't going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way."

MICHAELSON: Wow. And for people that may not know Dolores Huerta, she has an extraordinary legacy. The phrase, "Si se puede, si se puede," which people say was her phrase.

ELAM: Hers.

MICHAELSON: Which Barack Obama adopted. "Yes, we can" was his phrase in 2008; came from Dolores Huerta.

When people think of the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, Dolores Huerta was standing right behind him. She's in that picture. She's been there every step of the way. You and I both have interviewed her over the years. She's always been

the biggest champion of Cesar Chavez and his legacy. And to think that this was happening behind the scenes, that she was keeping this while publicly advocating for her [SIC] is -- him is quite, quite something.

ELAM: It says so much about the strength of Dolores Huerta, to keep her eye on the ball and what she cared about. And it really was about this labor movement and making sure that people were being treated fairly --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

ELAM: -- in the -- you know, as they were working in these fields.

When you go from that, though, to the reason why she decided to speak out now, and she did talk about "The New York Times" reporting and the fact that these young women, at the time, said that they had been molested or raped by him.

Let me tell you about these two women. They're both now 66 years old. Anna Murguia, she says she was molested, and it began when she was 13 years old. Cesar Chavez at the time was 45.

She said that they had dozens of encounters over four years.

The other woman, Debra Rojas, said she was fondled by Cesar Chavez at 12 and forced to have sex with him at 15. She told "The New York Times" that he groomed her very well. Quote, "He should win an Academy Award" is how she put it there.

Now, when you look at the fact that they are the same age now that he was when he passed away, this is all happening so far after he is no longer with us. But obviously, the way people are looking at his legacy completely changing.

MICHAELSON: Including his own family, who put out a statement.

ELAM: Very, very true. They put out a statement to "The New York Times," and part of it here that I have that I can read to you says that they're not in a position to judge the claims as the family -- "As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual misconduct."

They go on to say that "These allegations are deeply painful to our family."

And you know, as Angelenos, it's really hard to go anywhere in the city and to not see, at some point, a mural, a school, a street named for Cesar Chavez. It's a reckoning that's coming.

[00:45:03]

MICHAELSON: I mean, he's essentially the Latino Martin Luther King Jr.

ELAM: Truly.

MICHAELSON: Has been for -- for a while. And now we're seeing interestingly, what states grappling, what to do.

The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, coming out today, saying we are not going to do Cesar Chavez Day, which was coming.

ELAM: Nor is Arizona.

MICHAELSON: Neither is Arizona. The governor of California today saying, We need to think about what we're going to do.

March 31, there's supposed to be a state holiday named after Cesar Chavez.

ELAM: For his birthday, yes.

MICHAELSON: That name could be changing. This story is going to stay with us for a long time as we figure out the repercussions of it.

But Stephanie Elam, thank you for bringing it to us.

ELAM: Thank you, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Still to come, festivities marking the end of Ramadan are being scaled back in Kuwait because of the war with Iran. We'll show you which holiday traditions won't happen this year and how Muslims plan to celebrate, despite the conflict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:50:37]

MICHAELSON: We have breaking news just into CNN. "The Washington Post" is reporting that U.S. officials have detected unidentified drones flying above Fort McNair, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live.

That's according to three people briefed on the situation.

Officials are still trying to figure out where the drones came from. "The Post" reports that a senior U.S. official said that multiple drones were spotted over the Washington army base on a single night in the last ten days.

That's led to increased security measures and a meeting at the White House to discuss what to do next.

Now, to this. Muslims around the world will soon be celebrating to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But in the Gulf region, where the holiday begins on Friday. The war with Iran is forcing many Muslims to change their plans.

CNN's Nic Robertson reports from Kuwait.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Ramadan and its day-long fasting is ending. Eid al-Fitr is arriving. Families flocking to Kuwait's bright Souk, shopping for gifts for

loved ones, all part of the celebration of the Muslim holiday.

But this year, with a difference. Air raid sirens are suddenly a common part of everyone's life.

TALAL ABU TERRI, IT SPECIALIST: I think that we feel -- we feel a sense of safety, because we have the Ministry of Defense and the Kuwait Army. And thank them so much for keeping us safe and dealing with any threats coming from Iran.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Even so, some missiles have been getting through. An 11-year-old girl killed. Dozens of civilians, injured.

And this Eid, the government is telling Kuwaitis not to risk danger and hold big gatherings.

LOLOWA AL-AYOUB, FENCING INSTRUCTOR: Of course, we have to be cautious. That cautious is -- being cautious is also very recommended. But family gatherings are -- might not be 200 people; it can be 20.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Another bit of festive Eid fun is also being put on hold, per government instructions. Traditional theater performances.

ROBERTSON: The whole investment here has been huge. This whole wrap- around stage recreating the old streets of Kuwait right down to the chairs for the audience to sit on.

The whole theater put together for the Eid performances.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Eid is peak season, and rehearsals like this one now halted more than 80 staff involved in this production. The owner and lead actor, who put up close to half $1 million for the Eid shows, is taking it on the chin.

MOHAMED AL-HEMELY, THEATER PRODUCER AND ACTOR (through translator): We are extremely sad that we are in war. This financial situation of the theater, the money and the tickets, all can be compensated.

But Kuwait, our love to our nation. We should listen to our leadership. We are sad, yes, but we are not angry. When the war is over, we will return to our normal life.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): And how to do that, his answer is simple.

ROBERTSON: What's your solution?

AL-HEMELY: I don't know.

ROBERTSON: Really?

AL-HEMELY: I think I call for somebody: "Hello? Stop the war, please."

ROBERTSON (voice-over): But the jokes belie a darker reality. Everyone knows the war could get worse. ROBERTSON: The biggest worry for leaders here is escalation. So far vital infrastructure like desalination plants, power generating equipment doesn't appear to have been on Iran's target list.

But the leaders know, if they join the war, all that could change, putting their populations at even greater risk.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Kuwait.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Nic.

A plane full of pets and their owners trying to get out of the Middle East has now arrived in Athens, Greece. Tails wagging, people smiling as they stepped off that plane on Wednesday.

The Greek government organized a special repatriation flight from Abu Dhabi and said some pets, of course, are considered part of the family.

About 100 Greek citizens returned home along with 45 dogs and cats.

[00:55:00]

Coming up, President Trump, with a rare rebuke of Israel over attacks on the world's largest natural gas field in Iran. What the foreign minister of the Persian Gulf states are saying about those strikes in the next hour of THE STORY IS.

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MICHAELSON: British King Charles hosting Nigeria's president and his wife at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. It is the first state visit by a Nigerian leader to the United Kingdom in 37 years.