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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Source: Iran Open To "Sustainable" Proposals To End War; Maui Residents Assess Damage After Sever Flooding; Israel Launches New Aerial Barrage on Beirut Overnight; Anxious Days for Members of Iranian Diaspora in the U.K.; NASA Announces New Mars Mission, Reshapes Moon Goals; Markwayne Mullin Sworn In as Head of Homeland Security Department. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired March 25, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Los Angeles, featuring Italian soccer legend Alessandro Del Piero and LA Mayor Karen Bass. Upcoming U.S. stops include Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Boston and New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO, FORMER PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER: Football and sports in general represent more than a sport. It's a way to be connected. You were talking about how many different nationality lives in Los Angeles, you know, and FIFA with the World Cup embrace most people as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The World Cup tournament kicks off in Mexico in June with matches scheduled across the U.S. and in Canada. And the first match for the U.S. is right here in Southern California. And bosses, if you're listening, we should cover that, right? Got to be there on the field.
Stay with us. The next hour of The Story Is starts right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is with Elex Michelson."
MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaelson. 10:00 here in Los Angeles. The top story is the war with Iran. As missiles light up the night sky over Israel, President Trump is claiming victory. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I think we're going to end it. I can't tell you for sure. You know, I don't like to say this, we've won this. This war has been won.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: Sources tell CNN that about 1,000 U.S. soldiers are expected to deploy to the region in the coming days. Meanwhile, an Iranian source tells CNN there has been outreach between the U.S. and Iran and Tehran is willing to listen to suitable proposals to end the war. But we're also hearing from an Israeli official that a deal, quote, "does not appear to be tangible right now. In the foreground of these mixed diplomatic messages, missiles are still flying over the skies of Israel and the west bank as the war rages on. Let's bring in CNN's Mike Valerio live from Beijing.
Mike, what do we know about these potential talks?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we have new reporting, Elex, at 1:00 p.m. Beijing time at this hour, courtesy of Simone McCarthy, who's our lead China reporter, also happens to be my bestie here in the Beijing bureau. Big news with her reporting, the China's top diplomat is urging the Iranian side to initiate peace talks as soon as possible. This phone call between the top diplomat that China has, Wang Yi, with his Iranian counterpart, was held at the request of Tehran and the Chinese side saying that all parties should seize every opportunity and window for peace. And you know, when you read Simone's analysis that's just posted on CNN.com, this could read as Chinese building frustration that the war is still going and has not ended.
You know, China is energy independent. It generates all its energy mostly from coal, which is sometimes where we have hazy skies like our background today, but it does need a whole host, you know, boatload, shiploads of Iranian oil for the stuff it makes, for producing plastics for all the delivery drivers, for people who don't have electric vehicles yet. So interesting potential light touch pressure that China is now leveling in this phone call that was held on Tuesday.
In terms of the talks themselves, we have new reporting out of Washington, D.C. that Iran has signaled that it doesn't want Steve Witkoff or Jared Kushner to be part of the mix. It's part of sort of the movie that they have seen before from their point of view of those two gentlemen leading the discussions on the American side before the war actually happened. They now have a preference for Vice President Vance because of his isolationist views. So we heard from the president earlier talking about who exactly is leading the discussions. Let's listen one more time and we'll talk about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're in negotiations right now. They're doing it along with Marco, J.D. We have a number of people doing it. And the other side, I can tell you, they'd like to make a deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's been reports that the vice president is leading those negotiations. Is that true?
TRUMP: Well, he's involved in them. J.D. is involved, and Marco's involved. And Jared Kushner is involved. Very smart guy. And Steve Witkoff, smart guy, is involved, and I'm involved. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: OK, so it seems to be everybody. And just in case you weren't with us last hour, we want to talk about those 15 point plan. The 15 point plan that the president said yesterday that Iran has agreed to all of it, to everything. The Iranian side came back pretty quickly and said, paraphrasing for our discussion, Elex. No, we didn't. So what this 15 point plan calls for, the biggest points.
Calls on Iran to dismantle its three main nuclear sites. This is reporting, according to the Wall Street Journal. And any enrichment on Iranian soil, suspend its ballistic missile work, curb support for proxies, and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. So sources we've talked to understandably say this is going to be a very hard pill for Iran to swallow. Those are all of its main points of leverage.
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And in terms of what we also started to talk about yesterday, are there going to be talks in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, yes or no? Because Pakistan has very warm ties with both Washington D.C., Tehran and Beijing for that matter. The sources we're talking to say that, yes, people are still advocating for these talks, but the prospect of them actually happening in Islamabad seem to be dimming because there just seems to be this impasse. How are these two sides going to talk, especially when Iran is still launching missiles at Israel, when the United States is still, you know, actively engaged with Israel in targeting positions in Iran? So watch this space to see what, if any, specifics over the next couple days develop as to whether these talks are going to happen, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Well, and who do you talk with? We don't even know who's leading Iran, much less if the supreme leader --
VALERIO: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- is even alive. So --
VALERIO: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- who are you talking with and who has the power? That's another big question right now. And who's necessarily in charge in the United States government too? Clearly he mentioned a lot of names there that are all a part of this as well.
Mike Valerio starting things off in Beijing. Once again, Mike, thank you so much. We want to bring in the conversation now. Lt. Col. Hal Kempfer, retired U.S. marine intelligence officer, CEO and founder of the Global Risk Intelligence and Planning.
Great to see you, Hal. Welcome back to The Story Is.
LT. COL. HAL KEMPFER (RET.), INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Thanks Elex. Great to see you.
MICHAELSON: Do you see anything at this point that the U.S. and Iran can agree on?
KEMPFER: Well, there's actually, there are some things like reopening the Strait of Hormuz. That's actually an area -- I I could see a potential cease fire on the Strait of Hormuz and maybe limiting this type of strikes to make sure they don't hit oil facilities, critical infrastructure, things like that. So that's a distinct possibility. But all of this is just kind of projecting. It's not clear who we're talking to.
It's not clear what connection they have with everybody. You know, Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament, keeps coming up, but he claims they're not talking to me. And so I'm not sure who we're talking to, who we can even get agreement with.
MICHAELSON: Well, and you say the Strait of Hormuz, isn't that Iran's biggest point of leverage? So if they give that up, don't they sort of lose a lot of their power?
KEMPFER: Frankly, without the Strait of Hormuz being blocked, they don't really have any leverage. You know, to use the metaphor, what cards can they play? They can -- they can fire some more ballistic missiles, they can fire some more drones, but they don't really have a lot. And we're putting forces into place that potentially could start seizing islands, and not just the Strait of Hormuz, but potentially in the Persian Gulf, like Kharg Island, where 90 percent of the oil comes out of Iran. If that is controlled, at that point, Iran has nothing.
So they can hear that talk click, you know, ticking in the background. They know that there's pressure on the president. Pressure, of course, today put out by saying that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia is quietly saying, keep fighting, keep fighting. So they hear all of that. And the -- and the idea is that's going to pressure them into making concessions.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, the prime minister of Pakistan offered to host talks between the U.S. and Iran. President Trump reposted that on Truth Social. We've heard a lot about Pakistan in the last few days. Why are they so important to this?
KEMPFER: Well, Prime Minister Sharif has kind of pushed himself forward. You know, the one thing that Pakistan has is a close relationship with the United States, but on the other hand, it is not hosting U.S. bases. No attacks have been launched on Iran from Pakistani bases or Pakistani soil. And even though there's been some friction certainly between Pakistan and Iran, if you remember it wasn't that long ago, that Iran was actually firing into Pakistan to hit, you know, supposedly Baluchi terrorist targets, they're not an active combatant. And frankly, if you look at the map of the Middle east, that's kind of rare right now because Iran's basically firing on everybody.
So they can do that. Also, the army chief of staff has a very close relationship with the U.S. Pretty good relationship, I guess, with Iranian counterparts. So there is a chance to maybe use them as an interlocutor. I think part of it, too, is Turkey kind of pushed itself to be an interlocutor, but that didn't really seem to get a lot of traction. So I think they're looking for an alternative country that could actually do this.
MICHAELSON: So you've worked on de-escalation in the region before. Broadly, what's the most likely thing to happen next?
KEMPFER: Well, I think what's going to happen is they're going to push real hard for some sort of diplomatic talks. I mean, they're looking for something. They're looking for something. And part of this is in the background. For example, Japan has a lot of minesweepers.
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They need minesweepers for the Strait of Hormuz. Japan has said very clearly there has to be some sort of, you know -- you know, some sort of stop or a halt to combat action in the -- at least there in the Strait of Hormuz itself. And I don't know if it'll be a full ceasefire, but just something for them to hang on. I think that's going to be the big push for the end of this week just to get something on the Strait of Hormuz.
On the other hand, you got 82nd Airborne coming in with its first thousand troops of, I guess, three or 4,000 coming in. You got 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KEMPFER: -- pretty close to the Gulf, Oman. That's a lot of combat power that could be used that kind of puts pressure on Iran to make concessions now.
MICHAELSON: Yes. We will be following that in the days ahead. Hal Kempfer, thanks again for joining us.
KEMPFER: All right, thank you, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk politics now. The Story Is a potential deal to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Senate Republicans are working to get Democrats and possibly President Trump on board as we take a live look at Capitol Hill. The plan calls for restoring all of DHS funding except for a small portion of the immigration enforcement budget. Senate Republican leader John Thune says DHS could reopen this weekend, but the ball is in the Democrats court.
Democrats say they're working on a counter offer and could ask for changes to the plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): We have offered 10 times now on the floor to say fund TSA, fund FEMA, fund the parts of DHS that are not ICE. And so far, Trump has told Republicans to say no. It is encouraging that they're making counteroffers and that there are some real conversations going on.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We had a deal like 48 hours ago. I was asked to intervene because the president didn't like it. Through some effort, we're in a spot where we can end this madness. And to my Democratic colleagues, let's end this madness. We're very close to a situation where the public is going to be irreparably harmed if they travel.
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MICHAELSON: U.S. officials say more than 450 TSA agents have resigned since the start of that partial government shutdown. More than 3,200 hundred TSA workers called out on Monday. That figure isn't far off from the record number of callouts on Sunday, which came close to the 12 percent of workers across the nation, TSA employees have been working without pay, and union leaders say they feel abandoned and unvalued, especially as ICE agents who are getting a paycheck have stepped in to assist at select airports. Long lines, extended passenger wait times are already expected for Wednesday in some places. Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport warns travelers they have to wait upwards of four hours before catching their flights.
Federal investigators are releasing new information about the deadly runway collision between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport, and they're taking a close look at a number of potential factors in Sunday night's crash. CNN's Pete Muntean has more.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New details from Investigators reveal the final moments before an Air Canada express flight features fatally slammed into an airport fire truck crossing the same runway. National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy says just two people were working in the LaGuardia control tower at the time, with both starting their shifts about an hour before the crash. Investigators now say one controller was handling the active runways and airspace immediately surrounding the airport. The second controller, a supervisor, was also responsible for issuing route clearances to departing flights, an arrangement investigators, say was not uncommon for that hour of the night.
JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIRMAN, NTSB: That is in the standard operating procedures for LaGuardia. Our air traffic control team has stated this is a problem, that this is a concern for them for years.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): But investigators still do not know which controller was specifically overseeing ground control, the movement of planes and vehicles on taxiways. Richard Kennington spent 25 years as an FAA air traffic controller.
RICHARD KENNINGTON, FORMER AIT TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: LaGuardia is one of the most difficult because they have so much aircraft and so little real estate when compared to a Denver or a Kennedy or a DFW.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Adding to the complexity, investigators say controllers were already dealing with another emergency just before the crash. A United Airlines flight aborted its takeoff twice, prompting the response from airport firefighters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2384 is declaring an emergency. Flight attendants in the back are feeling ill because of the odor.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): The NTSB says that one minute and three seconds before the crash, interference garbled a radio call from the fire truck to the control tower. The truck radioed again just 20 seconds before the crash, and the LaGuardia Tower granted clearance to cross the runway when the plane was just 100 feet above the ground. Just nine seconds before the fatal collision, the tower told the fire truck to stop. The plane was one second from touching down.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, Truck One. Stop, stop, stop. Stop, Truck One. Stop Truck One. Stop.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): The NTSB now says the fire truck was not equipped with a transponder, meaning ground collision warning systems in the tower did not alert controllers to the danger unfolding in front of them. A CNN review of anonymous safety reports from pilots showed growing concerns about conditions at LaGuardia. Before the crash, pilots filed at least a dozen reports warning of miscommunication, near misses and increasing pressure on controllers.
The pace of operations is building in LaGuardia. The controllers are pushing the line, one pilot wrote. On thunderstorm days, LGA is starting to feel like DCA did before the accident there. Please do something.
KENNINGTON I think this was preventable and we will get to the bottom of it and honor all those -- that were involved by reassuring that it doesn't happen again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Pete Muntean.
Now to another stunning defeat for Republicans. CNN projects Democrat Emily Gregory will win the special election for Florida State House District 87. The business owner and first time candidate will defeat Republican John Maples who got President Trump's endorsement. Now this is the district that includes Palm Beach, which is home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. He won the district by 11 points in the 2024 presidential race talking about President Trump there.
Coming up on The Story Is, one of the top tourist destinations in the world has been devastated by severe flooding. I'll speak to the mayor of Maui County as cleanup on that island gets underway.
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MICHAELSON: Cleanup is still underway in Hawaii after the worst flooding the state has seen in two decades. The storm could ultimately cost more than $1 billion in damage across the public and private sector statewide, according to Gov. Josh Green.
For more and I'm joined by the mayor of Maui County, Richard Bissen.
Mr. Mayor, welcome to The Story Is.
RICHARD BISSEN, MAUI COUNTY MAYOR: Aloha, Elex. Thank you for having me today.
MICHAELSON: Aloha to you. So talk to us about what you are seeing on the ground.
BISSEN: Sure. You know, we've had extreme flooding, obviously back to back events that happened here in our county, which includes the islands of Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe. But primarily we saw severe damage on Molokai, where went to today. We traveled there with some of our -- some of our directors to see the damage firsthand to the roads. You know, what happened throughout Maui and Molokai is there were areas where roads were blocked by trees or utility poles.
There were flooding in different areas. And of course, there were areas that were washed out or eroded and or sinkholes. So all of those things happened on various parts of the island, from Lahaina to Kula to South Maui, parts of Iao and Wailuku and the island of Molokai. And that's what we've been dealing with.
MICHAELSON: And we're seeing problems all over Hawaii. We're looking at some Images now from Honolulu, Oahu, also suffering. So what do you all need now? How can we help?
BISSEN: Yes, so -- yes, yes, thank you for that. You know, we've been getting help from, you know, our federal partners. For sure our state partners are on the ground as well with us here on Maui. Mostly what we've been doing is trying to clear thoroughfares so people can get out of their homes, out of their driveways, they can get on the roads and pick up supplies as needed. But what we're asking people to do is to report their damage to mauicounty.gov.
That's the first thing we want our residents to do, to report any damage to their individual properties. We're doing assessments for all our public properties, with drones, with crews that are out assessing the damages. The governor has estimated this will be in the hundreds of millions, if not up to a billion dollars. And so we are looking at as many, gathering as much information as we can so we can submit that information to the federal government for assistance. The Maui United Way has been very helpful.
The Hawaii Community Foundation, both of these organizations have been assisting us here with philanthropic dollars as well as with donors throughout the country, throughout the state. And we just appreciate that and welcome that help, for sure.
MICHAELSON: Of course, Maui is one of the greatest places to visit in the world. Tourism is such an important part of your economy. What is your message to potential tourists right now? Is it still a good time to come to Maui? Do you guys need a breather?
What's your message on that front? BISSEN: Well, you know, certainly we've been hit with, you know, sluggish tourism, as has really the country and the state. So, of course, visitors are welcome to Maui. There areas that are -- that are more, I guess, acceptable to be at visiting than others. And they'll see that when they arrive here. But certainly that hasn't changed.
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We have -- you know, we have limited resources when it comes to opening shelters or again, the roadways and they're flooded and blocked. That's -- we're on the, you know, clearing those and having more accessibility. So of course that is something that we've been working towards. But you know, obviously for our residents mainly, and then of course, where it's clear for them, it'll be clear for visitors as well.
MICHAELSON: Well, mayor of Maui County, Richard Bissen, thank you so much for sharing your perspective. We're all thinking of you. Sending our love. Aloha.
BISSEN: Thank you so much, Elex. You take care.
MICHAELSON: We'll be back with more to The Story Is right after this.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to THE STORY IS.
Right now you're looking at live pictures of Beirut after Israel unleashed seven airstrikes on the Lebanese capital overnight. The barrage comes as the IDF also targets Lebanese fuel sites and expand strikes on homes and bridges along the Litani River, which links southern Lebanon to the rest of the country.
Israel defense minister says the offensive seeks to sever Hezbollah supply lines. But over the weekend, the Lebanese president referred to the Israeli military action as, quote, "prelude to a ground invasion".
For more on all this, we have Hicham Bou Nassif joining us live here in L.A. He's an assistant professor of government at Claremont McKenna College.
Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time. Thanks so much for being here.
HICHAM BOU NASSIF, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE: Thank you for having me.
MICHAELSON: You're also Lebanese. You're from Lebanon.
NASSIF: I am.
MICHAELSON: Your family is still there. How are they doing?
NASSIF: They're doing well. The action, so to speak, is mainly focused on the south. We live in Beirut.
Now, of course, in Beirut proper, there are the southern suburbs, essentially an outpost of Hezbollah. And they are being bombed a lot. But we, mercifully, we don't live there either.
MICHAELSON: What's day to day life like in Lebanon right now?
NASSIF: So trying to -- I mean, most people try to continue if possible, as usual. So kids are still going to schools, certainly not in the south. But kids in the rest of the country are still going to schools.
Of course, when, when it's a tough day, then kids go to teaching online. So it's not -- I mean, you cannot live a normal life 100 percent, even in the other parts of the country. But to the extent possible, people are trying to cope with what's going on.
MICHAELSON: And the south is where most of Hezbollah is. So let's talk about Hezbollah --
NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- because we keep hearing about it as a terrorist group.
NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And you say they are terrorist group.
NASSIF: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: But they're also more than that.
NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Kind of like Hamas --
NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- is more than just a terrorist group. They do a lot more.
NASSIF: Yes. So essentially they are a militia, a paramilitary force, a state within the state so to speak.
They are also a political party. They have, you know, MPs in the parliament. They have ministers in the government. They are also a kind of social welfare network, so they can give you jobs. They can, I mean, there are hospitals there on. So they are, as I mentioned, a multifaceted organization.
MICHAELSON: And because of all that --
NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- they have support from some people. Break down, if you -- if you had to do the polling --
NASSIF: Sure.
MICHAELSON: -- of who's pro-Hezbollah --
NASSIF: Sure.
MICHAELSON: -- and who's not in Lebanon.
NASSIF: Sure. So, so Lebanese society is divided into four groups. The three biggest groups in Lebanon -- the Christians, the Lebanese, the Muslim Sunnis and the Shia Muslims. So Christians, Shia, Muslims.
And there's also the Druze community.
MICHAELSON: The Druze.
NASSIF: The Druze community.
MICHAELSON: Which is less than like 1 percent.
NASSIF: No. Maybe 5 percent.
MICHAELSON: Ok.
NASSIF: My Druze friends will not be happy with you.
MICHAELSON: Ok.
But the rest are basically --
NASSIF: The rest are mostly Christians, Sunni --
MICHAELSON: Like one-third, one-third, one-third --
NASSIF: One-third, one-third, one-third. Yes.
Now Hezbollah does not have any support among the Christians and the Sunnis. Hezbollah may have clients among these people, but not really support.
So the real base of support is among the Shia. So one-third of the country. Now within the Shia community, Hezbollah is the biggest party. So perhaps maybe 50 to 60 percent of the Shia support, support Hezbollah. So that's, that's the situation essentially.
So in a nutshell, within the Shia community, Hezbollah can count on the loyalty of tens of thousands, indeed hundreds of thousands. But outside the Shia community, really, Hezbollah is regarded as an enemy of Lebanon.
MICHAELSON: Which is really interesting because that's within the country, which potentially could mean civil war within Lebanon, right?
NASSIF: Yes. Well, it happened -- civil war did happen before in Lebanon. Clearly, the situation is very tense currently because those who support Hezbollah essentially argue that Hezbollah is defending Lebanon against Israeli aggression.
By contrast, those who do not support Hezbollah essentially argue that Hezbollah is a tool of Iran, and Hezbollah is using Lebanon in order to promote Iran's national interest, not Lebanese national interest.
And in fact, Hezbollah, instead of defending Lebanon from Israeli aggression, Hezbollah is indeed inviting Israeli aggression into Lebanon. And so when you when you argue along one side or the other, clearly these are very different positions to take. Hence the current polarization.
MICHAELSON: So we saw a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon --
NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- about 18 months ago, not that long ago.
NASSIF: Yes. No.
[01:34:48]
MICHAELSON: Now we're back in this situation. Some in Israel say that we need to get rid of Hezbollah, eradicate Hezbollah, which is also what they said about Hamas. Is that possible?
NASSIF: Yes, I think it's -- I mean, clearly what they did to Hamas can be done to Hezbollah as well. Of course, Hezbollah is bigger as an organization than Hamas. Lebanon is bigger as a place than Gaza. So it's -- clearly it's a -- it's a bigger fish to fry, so to speak.
But clearly, if not getting rid of Hezbollah completely, it can be downgraded. It has been downgraded already. Hezbollah has lost thousands of fighters so far. Hezbollah has lost, of course, its historical leader, Hassan Nasrallah. So Hezbollah has lost a lot already.
And if the fighting continues maybe it will not be pulverized completely, but it will get weakened even more.
MICHAELSON: And if there is a different leadership in Iran --
NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- which typically has funded Hezbollah, does that sort of majorly weaken them?
NASSIF: Yes. It will be like, say, if you are a Communist Party and the Soviet Union is no more, will you disappear overnight? Not necessarily. But clearly that's not a positive development for you.
Iran gives a lot of money to Hezbollah, a lot of weapon, a lot of political support, and perhaps something even more important. Iran is the source of Hezbollah's ideology. So if the regime collapses in Iran, Hezbollah will get weakened even more.
MICHAELSON: And that's why this war could have such domino effects for the entire region.
NASSIF: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: If somehow there's a pro-western Iran at the end of this, that majorly changes the game for everyone, especially Israel.
NASSIF: Absolutely. But even if --
MICHAELSON: That's a big if.
NASSIF: It's a big if. True.
But even if there's no regime change, if only the regime is diminished, if the regime survived but is diminished, then that's still a major change in the Middle East.
MICHAELSON: Hicham Bou Nassif, thanks for coming in for the --
NASSIF: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: -- first time. I appreciate your insights.
NASSIF: Thank you so much.
MICHAELSON: For the Iranian diaspora around the world, this war is a deeply poignant moment no matter their distance from Tehran. In London, many Iranians hold memories of the 1979 revolution and maintain strong connections to their homeland.
As some of them gather to celebrate the Persian New Year, our Jomana Karadsheh asked them about their thoughts on the current conflict.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thousands of faces adorn this wall-turned-memorial. These are the victims of the Iranian regime who paid the ultimate price for rising up against tyranny.
For many Iranians in the U.K. diaspora, it has become the place to mourn and remember those who have fallen in the fight for freedom.
And they've chosen to gather here for the start of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
For this family, it's personal. A young relative was shot and killed during the brutal crackdown on protests in January. Mustafa's photo is the closest thing they've got to visiting his grave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just hope that this is the last time we experience such thing. And hopefully what they have done, their blood, it's going to be used for good things.
I still believe that the revolution has happened already. They have done it.
KARADSHEH: Nowruz is a time of celebrating life starting again. For this crowd, hope springs eternal, even at this time of war and uncertainty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The second I look back on that wall with all of those brave people, I cannot stop myself from crying. But then again, look at my child, and I see someone who doesn't know the pain behind and is going to grow in a country that is free.
KARADSHEH: Most here are monarchists, supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last Shah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring our king to our country.
KARADSHEH: And like him, they believe America and Israel's war in Iran is the only way to overthrow the theocratic regime. Their gratitude for those who launched that war on full display.
Nearby in this part of North London, known as Little Tehran, because of its large Iranian community, more signs of support for Pahlavi and the war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump and Netanyahu basically did the most noble thing in their whole political life.
KARADSHEH: Everyone tells us it is hard to celebrate this year knowing loved ones and innocent Iranians are under bombardment. That initial euphoria that came with the killing of former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for some quickly faded as the war got uglier and deadlier.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And those are the mixed feelings that every day we need to deal with it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the monster is dead, but in the same time, (EXPLETIVE DELETED) my neighbor is getting attacked.
KARADSHEH: In every corner, hints of nostalgia for the Iran that once was but that even here brings intimidation and threats.
The CCTV video shop owners shared with us captures one of a series of vandalism incidents they say targeted local businesses.
And this is what they were targeting, the flag of Iran before the Islamic Revolution that has very much become a symbol for the hope that so many have that regime change in Iran is near.
They use paint balls, and you can still see the red paint splattered on the pavement here. You also see it outside some of the stores in the area.
And speaking to shopkeepers, they say that they had gotten threats before this happened from individuals here in the UK who they believe are regime supporters, warning them to take down the flags.
While filming outside this shop, people came up to us to tell us they fear what may happen if the war stops and the regime survives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This regime, no one wants them, and then, except Donald Trump, no one can change them.
This is what he says.
KARADSHEH: Not everyone in the diaspora would agree with that and a foreign intervention with aims that seem to grow murkier by the day.
They're united in the hope that this war will soon end, as will the repressive regime.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN -- London.
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MICHAELSON: CNN has reached out to the metropolitan police for comment on the vandalism incidents in London. So far, no word back.
For our international viewers, "WORLDSPORT" is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be back with the mission to build a base on the moon.
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JARED ISAACMAN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: America will never again give up the moon. That brings us to the next step -- building the moon base.
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MICHAELSON: NASA's new administrator there announcing ambitious new goals for the space agency. Those include revamped plans for a moon base and other projects.
NASA plans to invest approximately $20 billion over the next seven years to build a base on the moon through dozens of missions. The agency announced it was pausing plans to develop a space station to orbit the moon and would redirect some of those resources to the lunar base.
Among the other projects, a brand-new nuclear-powered Mars vehicle that NASA hopes to launch by 2028. The Mars mission would put nuclear electronic propulsion -- electric propulsion technology to use in space for the first time.
For more on all this, let's bring in Casey Dreier. He is the chief of space policy at The Planetary Society. He joins us now live from Seattle, Washington.
Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
CASEY DREIER, CHIEF OF SPACE POLICY, THE PLANETARY SOCIETY: Thank you. MICHAELSON: So why does NASA need a $20 billion base on the moon.
What's it going to do?
DREIER: This is our anchor point to the surface of the moon. It's like how we have bases in Antarctica. We can have rotating scientists go and visit and learn more and more deeply about the area.
It serves as an anchor point for supplies. It makes it easier to go back and forth. It's the base camp of America's presence on the lunar surface.
MICHAELSON: So like, how long would somebody be able to stay there? And what would happen in terms of gravity inside?
DREIER: I think a lot of that we're going to figure out -- generally, we've seen astronauts do six months rotations on the International Space Station, probably something similar on the moon.
It's actually probably a lot more pleasant to be on the moon than on the International Space Station, because you have some gravity. You have a lot more creature comforts. Things fall when you drop them. You know, they stay where you expect them to be. It would feel a bit more like home than other parts of space, but it will still feel pretty weird.
And that's part of the thing that we go to figure out what it's like to live off earth. That's a huge part of this.
MICHAELSON: Is seven years as a timeline -- is that realistic?
DREIER: It depends how much more money they get. It's not unrealistic necessarily.
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DREIER: It's possible. And it's very ambitious. And I think we need to temper our expectations.
The important thing is having a clear goal and a clear focused effort with this. And a lot of -- and a broad coalition of people who agree with doing it. And I think that's what we're starting to see here.
MICHAELSON: Of course, in the 60s and 70s so much of the space race was this competition between U.S. and Russia, with each country trying to -- challenging each other, which frankly, made the world better because it got both of them going. You say there's now a competition with China, right?
DREIER: That's one of the big motivations here to do this sooner rather than later. China's been building up its space capabilities very rapidly over the last few decades.
They have their own space station. They have lunar ambitions themselves, probably around 2030. And it's great to have this kind of healthy competition. I'll say the downside is after, you know, we won the moon race with
Apollo back in the 1960s, we stopped going in 1972. That, you know, the race was won, but it didn't really leave us with this lasting lunar capability.
So it's really great to have competition. It's great to race, but you want to keep doing stuff after you win and designing this for a longer duration, bigger picture, more people can benefit and do more exciting things. That's how you get long lasting capabilities in space.
MICHAELSON: Would you want to visit the base on the on the moon?
DREIER: Only if my wife could come with me and my family. I'd love to go for a vacation, for sure.
MICHAELSON: Yes, and I'd love to go. I think it would be amazing. But maybe that'll be the next part of the human experience.
Casey Dreier, thank you so much and thanks for your great work. I love The Planetary Society.
DREIER: Thank you very much.
MICHAELSON: Still to come, OpenAI is set to shut down its popular video generation app. What the company is saying about that decision, next.
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MICHAELSON: Markwayne Mullin has been sworn in as the next secretary of U.S. Homeland Security. The former Oklahoma senator says he wants to keep the embattled department out of the headlines, and has suggested he won't unfairly target so-called Blue or Democrat-run states. However, he remains a staunch supporter of President Trumps controversial immigration crackdown.
He will also inherit the department shutdown that has caused Transportation Security Administration personnel to go unpaid.
Tech company, OpenAI, is shutting down its video generation app Sora, just months after its released. It gained a lot of buzz online after its release in September of last year.
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MICHAELSON: But the app also drew criticism from copyright holders since it was widely using intellectual property and the likeness of celebrities in the videos that it generated. OpenAI says it will instead focus on other priorities.
Sources tell CNN a deal with the Walt Disney Company won't be moving forward due to the change. That deal would have cleared the use of Disney characters in Sora's A.I.-generated video. Well, air travel, of course, is very stressful right now because of
the partial government shutdown affecting security checkpoints. But United is offering a new way to help fliers relax on long-haul flights starting next year.
It is called the United Relax Row. The leg rests for three adjacent economy seats can be raised or lowered to create a cozy space for lying down and stretching out.
You will also get a mattress pad, a blanket and two pillows. If your kids are traveling with you, they'll get a plush toy. Pricing will be released at a later date. But doesn't that sound great?
Thanks so much for watching THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson, we appreciate your attention.
We'll see you tomorrow for more. Have a great night, great morning wherever you are.
The news continues here on CNN right after a quick break.
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