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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Israeli Barrage On Lebanon Tests Fragile U.S.-Iran Ceasefire; Iran Struggling With Long-Term Internet Blackout; Strait Of Hormuz Uncertainty Tests Shaky Truce; "Matlock" Reboot Renewed for Third Season; Iowa Farmers Struggle Amid Iran War, Trump Tariffs; Spectators on the Hunt for the Masters' Gnomes. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired April 09, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

OLIVIER WIDMAIER PICASSO, GRANDSON OF PABLO PICASSO: My grandfather was a pioneer in many ways. He has totally changed the work, the art of the 20th century. He has interest for different mediums like ceramics, drawings, sculpting, and I think that he was always very interested about participating to new things.

I would say that he was interested by video or maybe today with the artificial intelligence. But medically, I think it would have been a great support in bringing the maximum of his efforts to support the action.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: The draw will take place at Christie's in Paris on Tuesday, April 14th. The winner has 45 days to collect their prize from France. The foundation will even cover part of that trip.

Thanks for watching this hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.

The Story Is, ceasefire holding for now. New reaction from inside Iran.

The Story Is, China's role. CNN's Will Ripley with an inside look at how China's leadership helped make the Iran deal happen.

And The Story Is, "Matlock" is back. Co-stars Jason Ritter and Skye Marshall on our set discuss a big cliffhanger on the hit drama.

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

MICHAELSON: I'm Elex Michaelson. Thanks for watching The Story Is. It's 10:00 p.m. here in Los Angeles. It's 8:00 a.m. across Lebanon and Israel. And the Iranian proxy militia Hezbollah have been firing rockets into Israel for the first time since the Iran ceasefire was reached. This is a live picture right now from Tel Aviv.

This is in response to the brutal Israeli bombardment a day earlier. We are told that Israel struck more than 100 sites across Lebanon in just 10 minutes and carried out some of the most extensive attacks on Beirut in decades. Israel says Lebanon's government deserved it for failing to disarm Hezbollah.

The country's health ministry estimates almost 200 people were killed and close to 900 injured. The Israeli siege came after the shaky ceasefire with Iran, which the U.S. and Israel claim does not include Lebanon. Iran says it does.

Meanwhile, Iran now says shipping has come to a halt in the Strait of Hormuz following what it calls an Israeli ceasefire violation. Iran's parliament speaker is also accusing the U.S. of violating the agreement by failing to halt the strikes on Lebanon. Vice President of the United States J.D. Vance is dismissing that claim, says negotiations are still progressing.

He is set to lead a negotiating team of his own this weekend in Pakistan. He's in Europe now and spoke about the proposals they've seen coming out of Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are three different 10-point proposals at least that I've seen floating around. The first 10-point proposal was something that was submitted. And we think, frankly, it was probably written by ChatGPT that was submitted to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. That immediately went in the garbage and was rejected.

There was a second 10-point proposal that was much more reasonable that was based on some back and forth between us, between the Pakistanis and between the Iranians. That is the 10-point proposal that the President was referencing in his Truth yesterday.

And then, frankly, I've seen a third 10-point proposal that's even more maximalist than the first 10-point proposal that's been floating around various social media channels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Just a short time ago, President Trump posted on Truth Social, that U.S. military personnel will, "Remain in place in and around Iran until such time as the real agreement reached is fully complied with." CNN's Ivan Watson following all this. He is live for us right now from Hong Kong. Ivan, tell us more about what we are seeing in Lebanon and the extraordinary damage we saw overnight.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And death, quite frankly, the deadliest day of this round of this war. Hours after Iran and the U.S. announced a ceasefire, Elex, Israel carried out a massive bombardment of the Lebanese capital and large parts of the country.

As the Israeli military said, it was 100 targets in about 10 minutes. The Israeli media says the name of this operation was Eternal Darkness. The Lebanese prime minister has declared a day of mourning after, in a single day, at least 182 people were killed and some 890 people were wounded.

The Israeli military says it was targeting Hezbollah command centers. I know some of the neighborhoods that were bombed in Beirut. They are areas that are Sunni, Muslim or Christian that do not support Hezbollah and that are busy on an afternoon, busy for schoolchildren and shopping and commuters.

[01:05:07]

Here's what a couple of residents said that are busy on an afternoon, busy for schoolchildren and shopping and commuters. Here's what a couple of residents said after this bombardment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RASHA FARRAN, RESIDENT OF DAMAGED BUILDING (through translator): We were sitting on the balcony when we heard three very loud booms, more than just a sonic boom. And then all the smoke started coming into the house. That's when we knew it was a strike, a major strike.

ALI ISMALI, OWNER OF DAMAGED STORE: We went outside and found them bringing down injured children, an elderly man and an elderly woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Apparently, these airstrikes came very close to the foreign minister, the top diplomat of Belgium, who was visiting at the time, and says that he was preparing to congratulate the Lebanese president for being open to holding negotiations with Israel to head for a ceasefire. He put out a statement saying that Israel launched, with no previous warning, one of the most massive strikes since the beginning of the hostilities, allegedly causing hundreds of civilian victims.

We were at the embassy with my delegation just a few hundred meters from where the missile struck. This must stop. The ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran, must include Lebanon. A growing list of governments, including Spain, Qatar, Turkey, France, the U.N. secretary-general, have condemned the Israeli bombardment, saying this is a violation of the two-week cease-fire.

The Trump administration is very much standing alongside its Israeli ally. Listen to what more the U.S. Vice President, J.D. Vance, had to say from Hungary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't. The Israelis, as I understand it, again, I'm supposed to get a fuller report when I get on the plane, have actually offered to be, frankly, to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon, because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Overnight, the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah claims to have fired rockets into Northern Israel in retaliation, it says, for this deadly Israeli bombardment on Wednesday. I might add that before the 182 people were killed on Wednesday, the death toll within Lebanon as a result of a month of Israeli bombardment stood at more than 1,700 people killed, some 5,800 people wounded, and the Israeli airstrikes had killed at least 130 children in Lebanon after more than a month of fighting. Elex?

MICHAELSON: So all these leaders from around the world are telling Israel, stop. President Trump, at least not publicly saying stop, but if he either privately or publicly said to Benjamin Netanyahu, knock it off, man. We're trying to do a ceasefire here. We're trying to get the strait reopened. What are you doing? I mean, would basically Netanyahu have to stop?

WATSON: Look, we have watched U.S. administrations, the Biden administration and now the Trump administration, wrestle with Prime Minister Netanyahu and years of consecutive wars, effectively, starting with the Hamas October 7th attacks, the Israeli offensive on Gaza, and subsequent rounds of fighting.

So we have had years now of fighting with tens of thousands of people killed and watched successive American administrations criticize, try to establish red lines on the Netanyahu government with varying degrees of success. We don't really know where President Trump stands right now on this latest Israeli offensive. We do know where Iran stands.

Iran is openly accusing Israel and the U.S. of violating the ceasefire agreement and pointing to, I have to point out that the Pakistani prime minister, when he announced the ceasefire, which was very much mediated by Pakistan, he included Lebanon as part of the ceasefire. I find it hard to imagine that the Pakistani government would take such a risk with its own credibility and misrepresent a ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran publicly. So I guess we just have to watch where this goes.

For now, Iran is saying that this is going to affect part of the agreement, which was to allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian -- the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Elex, says that it is not allowing ships through right now. And if you look at 24 hours of ship tracking, very little movement went through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian military says only two Iranian oil tankers and a Chinese ship went through this period. And the Iranian foreign minister is saying explicitly the U.S. must choose ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both. Let's see where this goes. The talks between the U.S. and Iran haven't even begun yet.

[01:10:20]

MICHAELSON: Yes, I mean, because in this situation, it's not just he said, he shed when it comes to the United States and Iran. I mean, Pakistan was that, you know, neutral arbiter that was supposed to fix this. And the fact that they're saying that Lebanon was part of this ceasefire is very significant. Ivan Watson reporting for us live from Hong Kong. Ivan, thank you so much.

We want to talk more about the fact of what's going on in Iran. And keep in mind, Iran has now been without internet for about 40 days. Let's talk about that more now with internet freedom activist Mehdi Yahyanejad, who is the co-founder of Net Freedom Pioneers. He joins me live here in Southern California. Mehdi, thank you. Welcome back. Just talk to us about what that means. I mean, think about how reliant we all are on internet. I mean, I got my laptop, I got my phone, everything that we do all day long to go without internet for 40 days while all this is happening.

MEHDI YAHYANEJAD, CO-FOUNDER, NETFREEDOM PIONEERS: So first we have to say Iran is a very, well-connected country. A lot of people have mobile phones, a lot of people have laptops. So this is not a country that's, you know, is kept in like 70s or 80s. This is a country that's fully online. And --

MICHAELSON: Has money.

YAHYANEJAD: Absolutely. So people are using all sorts of services online. And being disconnected for 41 days is pretty much the longest internet shutdown in the history of Iran and what we hear worldwide. People are disconnected from outside. They can make phone calls. I mean, that's the only connection they have to the outside.

And that's even monitored. And a lot of times it gets shut down. People can't call from outside to Iranians inside Iran. So people pretty much have been isolated. They are still using messengers that our Iranian government has built and only available inside Iran. And they can chat among themselves.

But they are not able to use WhatsApp or Telegram or any other of those chats to connect to outside. Except the people who have Starlink terminals, or they have managed to get access to some sort of VPNs that are still working. And this is a very small percentage of Iranians at this point.

MICHAELSON: So Starlink, for people that don't know, is basically technology that Elon Musk has helped to create. And it's like kind of mini satellites, right? So you're able to bypass a lot of the blackouts because you're going to your own satellite up around the earth. You've worked with Elon Musk in this process.

You've helped to, you know, advocate for more of these going into Iran. And you've been able to talk to people who have Starlinks. What are they telling you?

YAHYANEJAD: What we hear is, of course, a lot of Iranians initially, I mean, they went through that massacre in January by the Iranian government. And they were asking for outside help, a lot of them. Of course, not everybody, but a lot of them were asking for outside help. And initially in this war, they were hoping for the regime to fall rather quickly and inexpensively.

But as the war prolonged, they saw the massive destruction. And especially in the past two weeks, when the attacks against civilian infrastructure started, I mean, there were attacks against steel industry in Iran. There were attacks against petrochemical industry in Iran. And these are massive industry, a lot, hundreds of thousands of Iranians are dependent on, their livelihood is dependent on these industries.

And once they saw that, they started questioning about the goals of this war. And they also saw that the regime changes now the end goal.

MICHAELSON: And you've talked about the financial impact on X. I want to put up one of your posts. You said that a small company owner from Iran said that most small companies relying on giant steel production factories, including his, will have to shut down soon. He predicts it will take several years to recover. He intends to let his employees go next month.

You also say, not surprisingly, that a lot of the businesses associated with the internet, which is, you know, think of how many businesses are connected to the internet, are just in terrible position right now, too.

YAHYANEJAD: Absolutely. There are tons of businesses online. They're using Instagram for marketing, Telegram, other chats. And they actually, a lot of purchases are happening online. Considering that they basically have lost access to all those accounts and all those marketing, they haven't been able to make any, have any businesses past months. And a lot of people are wondering what's going to happen once the ceasefire holds on and they start coming back to work.

[01:15:12]

And I think a lot of people are worried that there's going to be massive amount of unemployment due to the internet shutdown and due to the fact that all these big industries have collapsed.

MICHAELSON: And even though technically we're in a ceasefire, even though people seem to be firing right now, internet's not back on yet.

YAHYANEJAD: Yes.

MICHAELSON: And so it'll be interesting to see if and when that happens. Mehdi, thank you for your work trying to spread this important resource to get the word out and have more transparency in government. We appreciate it.

YAHYANEJAD: Thank you for inviting me.

MICHAELSON: The White House is crediting China for its role in the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran. Officials say Washington and Beijing held high-level talks in the run-up to the truce. As our Will Ripley reports from the region, China has a number of reasons to see the war come to an end.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No one knows decapitation better than I do, says the eagle in the golden robe. This A.I.-generated viral video produced by Chinese state media, it portrays the United States as an aggressor killing Iran's supreme leader, burning through expensive weapons while Iran responds with cheap drones. Eventually, running out of missiles, triggering a global oil crisis, satire that hits uncomfortably close to reality.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: South Korea didn't help us. You know who else didn't help us? Japan.

RIPLEY (voice-over): But President Trump is giving China more credit, telling AFP Beijing helped broker the ceasefire. Just weeks before, he's set to travel there again for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China's foreign ministry says, Foreign Minister Wang Yi made 26 calls to counterparts, while a special envoy traveled to the region to mediate.

China has actively worked to promote peace and push for an end to hostilities, she says. Why? Because a wider war threatens something Beijing depends on, oil. The ceasefire hinges on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. A fifth of the world's supply passes through it, most of it headed to Asia. China is by far the largest buyer of Iranian crude, around 80 to 90 percent, more than a million barrels a day. They've spent years propping up Tehran.

Beijing cannot afford a prolonged conflict that shakes global markets. China also helped broker a breakthrough between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023, and now appears to be working both sides again, publicly calling for calm, positioning itself as a responsible global power. But online in China, a flood of comments like these.

Trump is the most incoherent and untrustworthy tribal leader in the history of mankind. The U.S. has an artillery shortage. A two-week timeout to replenish weapon stockpiles? After these two weeks, fights and bombardments will probably just resume.

In China, political content like this never goes viral, unless government censors allow it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: China is walking a very careful line here, striking a diplomatic tone in public, possibly working behind the scenes, and at the same time, embracing the power of this A.I.-generated content, seizing the moment to shape the global narrative, casting President Trump and the United States as reckless and itself as the peace- loving, responsible power, even as it continues almost daily PLA military activity near Taiwan.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Will.

[01:18:58]

Oil prices are fluctuating again amid the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, but Tehran is reportedly still holding oil shipments hostage in a key waterway. What's going on with your money? What's going on with gas prices? When is this all going to get cheaper for you? We've got a live report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MICHAELSON: Uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz is putting the shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran to the test. Earlier reports showed traffic starting to resume through the waterway. It carries one-fifth of the world's oil. But Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later said shipping was stopped again, blaming Israel's continued military operations in Lebanon. The White House says it's a case of Iran saying one thing publicly, but doing another.

And U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says the ceasefire will end if the Strait is not reopened. Kristie Lu Stout following this and more. And importantly, what it means for your money, what it means for gas prices, all that kind of stuff. She's live in Hong Kong. So let's just start with the most basic question, Kristie. Is the Strait open or is it closed?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iran says it is closed because Iran is upset. It says there's been a ceasefire violation caused by Israel in Lebanon. And that is what is rattling the markets right now. You know, on Wednesday, we saw that wave of optimism.

It is quickly diminishing. We are witnessing a dip in optimism, a dip in investor sentiment here in the Asia-Pacific region after Wednesday's surge in euphoria after the ceasefire was announced. We have noticed that the ceasefire is fragile.

We've also noticed that announcement from Iran saying that the Strait of Hormuz is closed because of what it calls that ceasefire violation. If you look at the markets now, let's zero in on Japan and South Korea, because those are two markets that performed really strongly on Wednesday. In Japan, the Nikkei is losing 0.66 percent. The Kospi is down 1.86 percent. We're also seeing losses here in Hong Kong. And we're also keeping an eye on the price of Brent crude.

[01:25:17]

And after it fell so dramatically on Wednesday, we are seeing that Brent crude is resuming its rises. Brent crude, you're seeing there trading higher. We're also looking at the price of gasoline at the pump in the United States. And if you check in on AAA, we see that the price of gasoline at the pump is rising. It's now at $4.16 a gallon, compared to the price before the war. It was at $2.98 per gallon, average prices across the United States.

Look, all eyes now are on that vital waterway known as the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, that was the channel through which 20 percent of the world's oil and gas flowed through, 80 percent of that coming here to the Asia-Pacific region. And since this ceasefire announcement was announced, and as we see just how shaky it's become, a number of industries are on high alert, especially, as you can imagine, the shipping industry.

The shipping industry wants clarity on what is the security situation, especially around the Strait of Hormuz. And also, with this shaky two- week ceasefire apparently underway, the pragmatic matters here, how do you broker a transit through the Strait? I spoke with a maritime insurance executive. He's based in London. He had some really interesting points to share. Let's bring it up for you. This is according to Simon Kaye of North Standard.

He told me this, "This is a wait-and-watch situation. Each ship needs to get special dispensation to transit the Strait. As a result of that, will there be preference for Gulf states, U.S. ships or anyone else who is back-channeled through Tehran? And getting the ships out during a two-week period, that's going to be really difficult indeed."

I should note, we know that at least three ships have transited the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire was announced on Wednesday, that according to Lloyd's list. But also, right now, according to Marine Traffic, there is very little movement in the Strait. Hundreds of vessels remain trapped in the region.

And as we discussed in the last hour, Elex, that conversation I had with a Hong Kong-based shipping CEO this morning, he told me, we also don't know if it is indeed open or if it reopens. Who do we pay and how do we pay Bitcoin, crypto or the Chinese yuan, too? He pointed out there is no public standard operating guideline on how to even broker a transit if it becomes reopened again. So many questions here, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, a suggestion that Iran is going to do it, that the U.S. is going to do it, that the U.S. and Iran are going to work together to take everybody's bribe money. I mean, the whole thing is kind of wild. And still, we don't know. Meanwhile, what most people care about, their gas prices are going up once again. Kristie Lu Stout, live for us once again in Hong Kong. Thank you, Kristie.

Relatives and friends mark the first anniversary and pay tribute to the hundreds of victims of the deadly nightclub tragedy in the Dominican Republic. Many lit candles, left offerings in front of photographs of their loved ones. Two hundred and thirty six people were killed when the roof suddenly collapsed at the Jet Set nightclub last April. More than 100 people were injured. Officials blame the collapse on prolonged structural overloading and lack of proper maintenance by the nightclub's owners. They're facing a manslaughter trial, which has been delayed repeatedly.

[01:28:27]

Coming up, we're going to have a little bit of fun. We're on the case of the legal drama "Matlock." Talk to two of the lead characters about the reboot. What's it like to work with legendary actor Kathy Bates? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:32:59]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON RITTER, ACTOR, "MATLOCK": I'm confused. What just happened?

SKYE P. MARSHALL, ACTRESS, "MATLOCK": Nothing.

RITTER: I know your algorithm. It glitched.

MARSHALL: No glitch. Programs running smoothly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: That is Skye Marshall and Jason Ritter in the hit CBS drama "Matlock". They portray a formerly married couple in a law firm that may or may not be behind a massive cover up being investigated by Kathy Bates' character, Matty Matlock.

Skye Marshall and Jason Ritter, welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time. Great to have you guys here. Love the show.

RITTER: Thanks.

MARSHALL: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Congratulations on the show.

MARSHALL: Thank you. I love your show.

MICHAELSON: Oh, that's very kind.

Skye, for people that haven't seen the show. It seems like the premise, even from the first episode, was this idea that this drug company Welbrexa may have been part of this massive cover up and there's this investigation to see who's responsible.

MARSHALL: Yes. Matty Matlock, played by the legend, Kathy Bates, she infiltrates a prestigious law firm in New York City to take down the lawyers responsible for hiding the Welbrexa document that could have stopped the opioid epidemic.

And she gets thrown onto my team. And very quickly we bump heads. We're not quite friends, but we're also not enemies. And over Season One, you start to see this bond get built.

And every week there is, you know, the case by case. But the overarching mystery of Matty Matlock getting justice for the death of her daughter, who had an overdose. That is what carries us to what is about to be one of the best season finales in primetime history.

MICHAELSON: Really? I mean, are we finally going to get an answer, Jason?

RITTER: Yes, I can say that we are. Wait one second, let me just --

MICHAELSON: I'm so excited.

MARSHALL: You're fired.

(CROSSTALKING)

RITTER: Yes. We are going to get a definitive answer on the entire Welbrexa storyline this season.

MICHAELSON: But it's not the end of the show, right?

[01:34:47]

RITTER: It's not the end of the show. No, we've got a third season coming out -- well, I don't know when it's coming out, but we'll start shooting in September.

MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, Kathy Bates, obviously one of the greats of all time. What's the biggest thing that you've learned about acting from Kathy Bates?

MARSHALL: You know, this is actually the dress that I wore to my "Chemistry" read audition. We were like the final five women.

MICHAELSON: Oh wow.

MARSHALL: And I left the tag on because I was like, if I don't book the job, I'm returning this dress because I am not a Neiman Marcus woman. But if I booked the job, I'm going to keep it. And this is my second time wearing it.

But yes, she taught me how to ground myself and square her in the eyes and humanize her because I came in such a fan and she did not know who I was.

And so once we would lock in and our emotions would just kind of take over because she was 76 at that time, your old poster girl. She never imagined that for herself.

And here I was, you know, in my 40s, having my big break after deciding to become an actor at 28, which is like 58 in Hollywood years, right?

And so, you know, for she and I to meet each other in that moment, and then have Jason Ritter there --

MICHAELSON: I know.

MARSHALL: -- to just add a whole different secret sauce, I am in my Cinderella story right now, and my heel is not coming off.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And it's a great dress, by the way.

MARSHALL: Thank you. I'm so glad it still fits, all that good catering and craft services on set.

MICHAELSON: I mean, you obviously come from Hollywood royalty, too. What's the biggest thing you learned about acting from Kathy Bates?

RITTER: Oh my gosh. Well, she's so -- she's always so real. And I think that's the thing that you, you know, sometimes you can get in your head, oh, my character would do this or that, and then you're in a scene with her and she's so grounded like you said.

She's always listening and always present. And it forces you to kind of let go of your old plans that you had coming into the scene and just be present and listen and sort of just tell the story and let the audience make their own decisions about your character. MICHAELSON: Ok. It's what's been amazing about "Matlock" is it sort of

flies in the face of everything everybody is saying about TV, right?

RITTER: Yes. Sure.

MICHAELSON: This idea that the network drama is dead.

RITTER: Right.

MICHAELSON: That network dramas can't be nominated for Emmys. That people aren't going to watch that sort of thing.

Totally untrue. "Matlock" totally flying in the face of all of that.

MARSHALL: Because we have Jennie Snyder Urman. That's right.

RITTER: That's the big key.

MARSHALL: She's the -- my goodness, she is the golden ticket.

MICHAELSON: That's your showrunner?

RITTER: Showrunner, yes.

MARSHALL: Yes. She is the creator of "Matlock". Our version of "Matlock". And when she and Kathy Bates had their first sit down meeting, when they pitched "Matty Matlock" to Kathy Bates, one of the -- one of the things she said to Jennie was, I have no notes. Just don't change anything in this first script. And to stay loyal to her and listen to each other.

And that's what Jennie Urman does, not just for Kathy Bates, but for all of us. She is an active listener and she makes sure that she gets to know who we are so that we can put our own essence and our strong attributes into the characters.

Like Jason is so funny in Season Two. And during Season One, I was just like, please let him out the gate comedically. And we are unhinged together. We cannot keep it serious at all. And it's just so fun.

(CROSSTALKING)

MICHAELSON: It's got to be such a great ride to be on and to see this happen. And I think Kathy Bates was robbed at the Emmys, but that's a whole other story.

MARSHALL: 100 percent.

RITTER: Right.

MICHAELSON: Yes, maybe next year.

MARSHALL: But it's a great thing she already has a ton of awards.

RITTER: Yes. MARSHALL: I've held a few of them and taking pictures for my vision board.

(CROSSTALKING)

MICHAELSON: We've got to get you guys in there this next year too. So obviously you guys are married on the show. You've been divorced on the show.

In that, I'm curious to see in terms of the two of you, what you have in common, maybe culturally, as we get to know some of your favorites.

So we'll do some rapid-fire questions and see if we find some similarities or differences between the two of you, ok.

RITTER: All right.

MICHAELSON: All right.

Skye, we'll start with you. Who's your favorite band or musical artist?

MARSHALL: Oh, that would be Prince.

RITTER: Nirvana.

MICHAELSON: Nirvana. Good one.

Jason, favorite tv show other than "Matlock"?

RITTER: Oh, boy. "The Pitt".

MICHAELSON: Great choice.

MARSHALL: Love Noah Wyle.

MICHAELSON: Yes. What about you?

MARSHALL: Oh, "How to Get Away with Murder", Viola Davis.

MICHAELSON: Oh.

RITTER: That's a good one.

MICHAELSON: That's another great one.

What is your favorite food to eat for dinner?

MARSHALL: Oh, a really good lasagna. I like a good stretch of cheese and sauce, carbs.

MICHAELSON: That's a good time.

RITTER: Chicken tikka masala. It's -- the spicier, the better.

MICHAELSON: That is good stuff. And doing this show, do you now have more or less respect for lawyers?

MARSHALL: More for me.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

MARSHALL: Yes. It is very scary walking into that courtroom and having to perform and convince a jury to save someone's life.

[01:39:44]

MARSHALL: That amount of pressure, even me as a performer, I call it my black box theater. Like I really have to go in there and it's not just delivering the lines, but it's the props and it's the judge and it's the, you know, the gallery.

And we have such incredible guest stars on our show. Oh my goodness, wait until you see the guest stars in the final four episodes of Season Two, hottie (ph).

RITTER: More or less, I would say -- I would have to say more. I understand them more, at least. High stakes.

MICHAELSON: And last two questions. Jason, what's the best part of working with Skye?

RITTER: Oh my gosh, we just laugh all the time and we dance and we have fun. And I think my favorite part though, is getting all the hot tea from the set.

MARSHALL: Don't tell nobody. I will text Jason. I'll be like, I got some tea. You thirsty? He's like, I am set and prepared.

RITTER: I am always thirsty.

MARSHALL: Do it.

MICHAELSON: Come on, it's CNN. Give us an exclusive. What have we got?

MARSHALL: My trailer literally rocks. Every time you see one of his dance videos that he posts on Instagram.

RITTER: Those are the --

MARSHALL: What is he doing in there? And then I go to Instagram and he's like --

MICHAELSON: Thank you guys. Congratulations on the show. Love watching it.

Of course, you can check out "Matlock" on CBS Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. and also get caught up on Paramount+. If you haven't seen the show, you can watch all of them right there as well.

Thanks so much for being here.

MARSHALL: Thank you so much.

MICHAELSON: Good luck the rest of the season.

We'll be back with more of THE STORY IS right after this.

[01:41:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: An 18-year-old freshman at the University of Southern California has lost an eye after he was allegedly struck by a projectile fired by a federal agent last month.

Tucker Collins' lawyer, says it happened while the student was documenting the "No Kings" protest on March 28th.

Demonstrations took place across the country, with thousands rallying against President Trump's policies. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says rioters threw items at officers before crowd control measures were deployed.

The student's lawyer said Collins was not attacking anyone and taking photographs is, quote, "not a riot".

Higher oil prices are hitting U.S. farmers especially hard, including in Iowa, a state President Trump won three times. And some of those farmers say they're on the brink of something bad.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny reported from Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AARON LEHMAN, IOWA FARMER: A lot of farmer discouragement out there. Prices of our soybeans, prices of all our commodities started going down; prices of fertilizer and other things we import to plant a crop started going up.

So, for a year, we've seen some real chaos on all sorts of trade tensions.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: There's always uncertainty, obviously with farming. But as you start this season, are there more uncertainties than most?

LEHMAN: Oh, yes. So many farms are reporting that they're on the brink of something bad, that their communities are on the brink of something bad.

ZELENY: Aaron Lehman is a fifth generation Iowa farmer and worried like never before, with fallout from the Iraq war.

LEHMAN: No one anticipated that we would have a shock to the system, like a massive increase in fertilizer prices because all the experts did not see this coming when we see this -- this rise in fertilizer prices because of this war. And really, no one's really seeing a way out. ZELENY: Spring planting is just around the corner here in Iowa where the cost of fertilizer and diesel have soared since the war began.

LEHMAN: We're filling over 100 gallons in our fuel tank multiple times a week.

ZELENY: So that cost will be thousands of dollars.

LEHMAN: Thousands of dollars, thousands of dollars. And it's not just for what we put into our combine. It's not just what we put in our tractor. In addition to that, what it takes to get my grain to my market, the trucks that are using diesel fuel there, they're feeling it as well.

ZELENY: President Trump's promises on trade and tariffs face even more scrutiny here now in a state he won three times.

Have you felt the whiplash of that tariff policy this past year?

WES RIETH, ROW CROW PRODUCTION MANAGER, LONGVIEW FARMS: Yes. I mean I think it's hard to say for any farmer that we haven't, right?

ZELENY: Wes Rieth is farm manager at Longview Farms, navigating an ever-growing set of obstacles.

RIETH: You can look at futures prices for soybeans, you know, again, and kind of watch the pendulum swing, a little bit. And I think, yes, that kind of lends itself to, you know, these parallels that we see in geopolitics or, you know, conflicts, Middle East, et cetera, that, yes, create, some of this uncertainty.

ZELENY: This year, the optimism of a new season comes with even more risk.

RIETH: So, we get one chance to plant and we get one chance to harvest and that's it for the year. So, we get one try every single year. And so even like in my lifetime, I might get 30 tries at this.

That really puts things into perspective. Like I only, you know, the prices of fertilizer, seed, whatever, like could go crazy, but like, we can't not plant. We still have to go out and plant the crop.

ZELENY: For the next seven months, as the crops begin to grow --

LEHMAN: Just starting to poke through.

ZELENY: -- a political season will also unfold, testing whether any of these challenges influence the midterm elections.

LEHMAN: But in addition to that, I think farmers are becoming more and more aware is that you need to say to our elected leaders, what are you saying about the fertilizer situation? What are you saying about the trade situation? Are we going to stand up to these things that are hurting us or are we not?

(END VIDEOTAPE) MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Jeff Zeleny for that.

This year's masters tournament is about to tee off but along with it comes the hunt for the Masters gnome. We'll explain next.

[01:49:49]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER (via telephone): We Canadians are so proud of what you're doing and the collaboration. And I just want to have a chance, if I may -- I mean, I'm thrilled. I'm absolutely thrilled to be speaking with you, Jeremy, and the -- and the crew.

We've all been watching and inspired by what you're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking by phone there with the astronauts of the Artemis II mission a short time ago. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen promised to present Carney with the Canadian flag he took on the mission. Hansen is the first Canadian to ever venture past the moon.

[01:54:44]

MICHAELSON: He and three U.S. astronauts are now making their way back to earth. They're set to splash down off the coast of San Diego, California on Friday, capping off the historic ten-day mission.

We will have live coverage from San Diego throughout the day Friday, live on CNN and live right here on THE STORY IS from San Diego Friday night.

Finally tonight, the Masters draws fans and spectators from around the world, but only a lucky few of those attending are able to snag one of the event's coveted souvenir gnomes.

CNN's Andy Scholes is at Augusta National and spoke to some of those hoping to get their hands on the elusive figures.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: What time did you get in line?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was 5:00, 5:15 this morning.

SCHOLES: 5:15. What are you -- what are you trying to do when you get in the gift shop?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gnomes? Of course.

SCHOLES: Why did you get here so early?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shopping for gnome.

SCHOLES: You want the gnome, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course. Yes.

SCHOLES: Are you getting nervous now that the line has stopped?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, very.

SCHOLES: Do you think you're going to get one still because the line's getting longer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think so.

SCHOLES: Do you think they're going to be gone?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I think they'll be gone.

SCHOLES: What do you think the odds of getting a gnome are at this point?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I'd say slim to none.

SCHOLES; Do you feel like you've won the Masters walking out with this guy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel successful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tired is what we feel.

SCHOLES: Did you get here early enough? That's ok though.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I mean, we got to go to hollow ground. So how much can you complain, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only 400 bucks on Facebook. We'll get one, maybe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: To each their own.

Thanks for watching THE STORY IS. We'll be back tomorrow. Debate live on our set between Brian Tyler Cohen on the left, Katie Zacharia on the right. All that tomorrow.

Plus a special look at the 3-D printing of cruise missiles. We've got an exclusive story. It's happening here in southern California.

We'll show you that tomorrow on THE STORY IS.

[01:56:25]

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