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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Trump Hints U.S.-Iran Talks Could Resume in Coming Days; Israel and Lebanon Agree to Hold More Direct Talks; New Accuser Says Eric Swalwell Sexually Assaulted Her; Trump Hints U.S.-Iran Talks Could Resume in Coming Days; Hong Kong Students Take Part in Sweatshop Labor Simulation; Billy Idol on Induction into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; Brazil's President, 80, Posting Workout Videos. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired April 15, 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: But maybe there's a real thing here.
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Maybe. I mean, how can I -- say it's a real thing, if you could teleport to any fast food joint on the planet, where are you going?
MICHAELSON: Well, for us here in Southern California, there's no option. I mean, In and Out is clearly the -- I guess I've just been teleported there. I'm ready for a Double-Double Animal Style and fries.
COATES: Oh, wait, am I at Del Taco? Am I at -- hello, Del Taco. Nice to see you again, my old friend, when I had a stronger metabolism.
MICHAELSON: Del Taco is your choice?
COATES: Yes. Don't judge me. It wasn't the Waffle House. Have a great show, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Del Taco. Wow. Thank you, Laura.
THE STORY IS -- the serious news starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Vice President J.D. Vance expected to lead negotiations to potentially end the war with Iran.
THE STORY IS new accuser. CNN sits down with the new woman, accusing now former congressman Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct.
And THE STORY IS new Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Billy Idol is here on our set on a historic day for his rock career.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson. MICHAELSON: And welcome to THE STORY IS. It's 9:00 here in California,
7:30 a.m. in Tehran, and 12:00 a.m. in Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump teased that something could be happening over the next two days as the U.S. and Iran try to hammer out a peace deal. Sources tell CNN Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to lead a potential second round of talks with Iranian officials, and Vance says he's committed to fighting for the grand bargain that Trump wants with Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Honestly, after 49 years, there's a lot of, of course, mistrust between Iran and the United States of America. You're not going to solve that problem overnight. But, yes, I think the people we're sitting across from wanted to make a deal. And I know the president of the United States told us to go out there and negotiate in good faith. That's what we did. That's what we're going to keep on doing.
So you never know, though, right? I mean, I've sat across from United States senators that I thought I agreed with. And you know, you don't know with those people. Right? I won't say who. You can guess. But I feel very good about where we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: All this as the U.S. military says it is continuing to blockade Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf. But tracking data shows multiple Iran linked ships have transited the strait since the blockade started.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers are reacting to President Trump's violent rhetoric about Iran, including last week's threat to wipe out its civilization. Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who's retiring, said the president had, quote, "bad judgment" and made a, quote, "horrible statement." But Senator Lindsey Graham, one of President Trump's fiercest advocates for military action in Iran, who is not retiring and potentially facing a Republican primary electorate, defended the threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm actually OK with the way he's talking to a bunch of terrorists. I could care less what words he uses. I want outcomes. As to delaying the negotiations or extending the ceasefire, that could be a mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Now, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer says the Democrats will force weekly votes in the Senate to require congressional approval for continued military action in Iran. He calls the war, quote, "a colossal failure."
Let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson live in Hong Kong.
Ivan, what is the likelihood of another round of talks between the U.S. and Iran?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is being fueled in large part by President Trump, Elex, where he spoke to a "New York Post" reporter who was in Pakistan and said, hey, I would stay there because there's a decent chance of more discussions, as he put it, over the next two days.
We are approaching now the end of the temporary two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. That's going to end on Monday, on April 21st. There have been other sources who have suggested optimism, saying that there are -- there is the possibility that any kind of talks would be led again by the Vice President Vance, as well as the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
And -- but we're still not hearing from the White House any definitive answer about this. So basically, watch this space. As for what broke the final talks, the 21-hour marathon session in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, last Saturday between the two delegations, there were a number of issues. It was about enrichment.
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Apparently, the U.S. side had proposed a suspension of uranium enrichment in Iran for 20 years. Iran countered that with five years. There's disagreement over what to do with some 400 kilograms of already highly enriched Iranian uranium, which is believed to be buried after the May rounds of air strikes. And then another big issue is the Strait of Hormuz, which was open free for international shipping prior to the U.S.-Israeli bombardment on February 28th and now remains closed, both from Iran and from a new U.S. Navy blockade of any ships coming and going from Iranian ports -- Elex.
MICHAELSON: So then, Ivan, what is next when it comes to the U.S. blockade? Where are we at right now?
WATSON: Well, let me point you towards a statement that recently came out from CENTCOM, where the admiral in charge said that he declared that the blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented. He went on to point out that 90 percent of Iran's economy is fueled by international trade, by sea, and claims that in less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.
Now we have seen a trickle of movement. We've seen some ships that seem to be coming from Iranian ports that were ultimately either turned back or seemed to pause as they reached the Gulf of Oman. We've seen a trickle of ships apparently going into the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on the way to other non-Iranian ports.
I talked to a CEO of a ship management company who's had, he pointed out, 16 ships that were in the Gulf on February 28th, the start of the war. He says they're still in there. And that, quote, "We are not even contemplating trying to transit out." It's not safe. The U.S. is clearly trying to squeeze the Iranian economy. The question is, is that we've got more than six weeks of other commodities, oil, gas, aluminum, helium, fertilizer that have also been stopped by the conflict and the ensuing blockade and efforts by both governments. And that is squeezing the global economy.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
WATSON: Who's going to hold out longer?
MICHAELSON: Yes. And clearly, the U.S. economy is being squeezed when it comes to gas prices as well. So everybody right now being squeezed. And the question is, who's going to be squeezed the most, I guess?
Ivan Watson starting us off in Hong Kong. Ivan, thank you for that.
Now let's go to negotiations happening in the Middle East. Israel and Lebanese officials have agreed to hold more direct talks following Tuesday's meeting at the U.S. State Department. Lebanon called for territorial sovereignty and a ceasefire to alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict. And while Israel conceded both sides were on the same page on the Iran backed group Hezbollah, Israel refused to commit to a ceasefire.
You see him right there, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who attended the talks, appeared optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: All of the complexities of this matter are not going to be resolved in the next six hours, but we can begin to move forward and create the framework where something can happen, something very positive, something very permanent, so that the people of Lebanon can have the kind of future they deserve, and so that the people of Israel can live without fear of being struck by rocket attacks from the terrorist proxy of Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Now, despite the talks, cross-border strikes are ongoing. Hezbollah claimed that it fired rockets towards northern Israel, and Lebanese media reported new Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. These -- Lebanon Health Ministry says at least 35 people were killed in the last 24 hours alone.
For more on this, we're joined by Hicham Bou Nassif, an associate professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. He is Lebanese. He's an expert in this space. He teaches in this space.
It's good to have you back here. I know last week we were talking with you.
HICHAM BOU NASSIF, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE: Thank you so much.
MICHAELSON: You said it was a very big deal that negotiations were going to potentially happen. And now they're happening. Why do you think they're happening at all? BOU NASSIF: I think because it has become very clear for the Lebanese
government that, although the war is between Israel and Hezbollah, but the people suffering from the war are not just the supporters of Hezbollah or the fighters of Hezbollah. Lebanese are being killed by their hundreds. Some of those are fighters fighting for Hezbollah, but many of those are Lebanese civilians. Some, unfortunately, Lebanese children.
Cities are being burned to the ground. Lebanon is suffering so much that the government eventually had to break the taboo, so to speak, of speaking with Israel. So I think this is the background of what we're seeing right now.
MICHAELSON: And you've said on this show before that about two-thirds of the country does not support Hezbollah.
[00:10:04]
About a third of the country does support Hezbollah. What is Hezbollah's reaction? What are that one-third of people saying about the concept of these negotiations?
BOU NASSIF: Well, Hezbollah began shelling actually Israel the moment the negotiations were happening in Washington to signal its objection. And of course, when Hezbollah is refusing something, you can guess that Iran, the paymaster of Hezbollah, is also refusing that same thing. In this case, the negotiations.
Now, of course, the base of Hezbollah is accusing the Lebanese government of betraying Lebanon, of being a stooge of the Israelis, et cetera. So the usual rhetoric for anybody familiar with Lebanon.
MICHAELSON: So let's go through what everybody wants here.
BOU NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Let's start with Israel.
BOU NASSIF: Yes.
MICHAELSON: What does Israel want? Why are they now at the table?
BOU NASSIF: On the immediate level, what Israel wants from Lebanon is security. Israel has been bombed in the last five decades, really, by non-state actors from Lebanon, the Palestinians back in the day, and later Hezbollah. So on the immediate level, what they want is security for northern Israel. But I think beyond security, they also want and they said it clear, they want the peace treaty with Lebanon. That's what Israel wants.
Now, what Lebanon wants is on the immediate level, stopping the Israeli war machine. Perhaps at this point, the Lebanese government does not have enough courage to say, we too want peace with Israel. But then again, it's a big taboo that has been broken today. So at least we have to give that for the Lebanese government.
MICHAELSON: Meaning the fact that they're talking at all.
BOU NASSIF: Yes, yes, absolutely. Remember, Elex, technically Lebanon and Israel are two countries at war since 1949.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
BOU NASSIF: And --
MICHAELSON: Of course Israel started in 1948.
BOU NASSIF: '48. Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: So it's been a long time. Yes.
BOU NASSIF: So it's been a long time. And no Israeli official met a Lebanese official since 1993.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
BOU NASSIF: So we're talking decades of war, a decade of complete, if you will, separation between the two governments. And for now, they're talking. So it is indeed a big taboo that has been broken.
MICHAELSON: So it's not a great time to be in the prediction business. But what is sort of the most likely outcome of this based off of everything we know right now?
BOU NASSIF: It almost never is in the Middle East to be in the prediction business.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Yes.
BOU NASSIF: I think the most likely outcome at this point is negotiations continuing between Israel and Lebanon. So the track of politics and diplomacy is going to continue. But at the same time, Israel has been very clear they're not going to stop their war against Hezbollah. So it's going to be a negotiation under fire, so to speak. This at least we are almost certain of. What happens after that remains to be seen.
MICHAELSON: Hicham Bou Nassif, thank you so much for sharing your perspective on a historic day for the Middle East.
BOU NASSIF: Always a pleasure. Thank you, Elex.
MICHAELSON: President Trump has told an Italian newspaper that Pope Leo doesn't understand Iran's nuclear threat and shouldn't be criticizing the war, even talking about it at all. The president's latest insults come as the Pope presses ahead with his tour of Africa. He recently visited a care home for the elderly in Algeria and also paid a personal pilgrimage to the Basilica of Saint Augustine, where he helped plant an olive tree as a symbol of friendship between Christians and Muslims.
Saint Augustine, who inspired Leo to become a priest, denounced wars and said fighting should only be for defensive purposes. Leo XIV is the first Augustinian pontiff. Several hours from now, he will travel to Cameroon, the second stop on his swing through Africa. Pope Leo is also scheduled to visit Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
Tens of millions of people from Texas-Mexico border up to the Great Lakes are at risk of severe storms, tornadoes, strong winds, gusts and hail. The size of baseballs could be possible in some places in Central Plains and Upper Midwest. Some of the supercell thunderstorms that developed could continue to produce tornadoes like we've seen across the region. This week, there were over a dozen reports of tornadoes Monday in parts of Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The governor of Kansas declared a disaster to ensure resources are available for counties as they recover. Storms in the southern plains, including Oklahoma City, could produce isolated tornadoes and damaging hail larger than apples. Meanwhile, major flooding is ongoing or forecast to develop this week, and nearly a dozen locations along rivers in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Still to come here on THE STORY IS, another woman has gone public with new claims of sexual assault against the now former congressman Eric Swalwell. And throughout the day, CNN is marking the 10th anniversary of "My Freedom Day." It's a call to action that brings together young people from around the world to raise awareness of modern-day slavery.
Here you see students and scientists in Antarctica celebrating what it means to be free. We're on multiple continents. Join us at CNN.com/Myfreedomday.
More of THE STORY IS when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: The resignations of now former U.S. congressmen Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales are now official. Swalwell, a Democrat, is facing several allegations of sexual misconduct, including now two allegations of rape. In his resignation letter, he wrote in part, quote, "I am deeply sorry to my family, staff and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past. I will fight the serious false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."
Gonzalez, a Republican from Texas, stepped down while facing a House Ethics Committee probe. Last month he admitted to an affair with a staffer which violates House rules. That staffer later died by suicide.
[00:20:01]
Both Swalwell and Gonzales faced possible expulsion votes, supported by members of their own parties. Democrats, in particular have demanded that Swalwell step down. One of his closest friends in Congress, in fact, somebody who once described him as his best friend, senator from Arizona, Ruben Gallego, says he is shocked and disgusted by the allegations. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ): We all heard rumors in Washington, D.C. about Eric Swalwell for many years, and my family, again, was with him all the time, with his wife, with his kids, and we saw a different side of Eric that I never saw.
MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Looking back at it, when you first heard these rumors about flirtatious behavior, should you have done something differently?
GALLEGO: I think I should have talked to him about it. I think I should have told him, you know, this is what I'm hearing out there. And I think, you know, you should know about it. And if you're doing it, stop, you know, I fell into the trap again because I think I was too inside the family bubble.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: A lot of questions about what he knew. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department says it is now investigating a new allegation of sexual assault against Eric Swalwell. On Tuesday, a woman held a news conference where she publicly accused Swalwell of rape.
CNN's Kyung Lah spoke with her about those allegations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Another woman has stepped forward publicly. This woman, Lonna Drewes, is now accusing Eric Swalwell, the former congressman and California gubernatorial candidate, of putting something in her drink and raping her. She says that this occurred sometime in 2018, and she has now filed an official law enforcement report with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
Taking this now here in California to a different level. She says that her incident happened in 2018. Drewes says that she was really interested in running for local government, perhaps a local office, and she also wanted to expand her entrepreneurial business. She turned to Swalwell, someone she admired. She met him three times, and on the third time she says that they went to dinner, that she believes she -- he put something in her drink and it was at that point an assault happened.
Here's what she told CNN after she held a news conference with local press.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LONNA DREWES, ERIC SWALWELL ACCUSER: I can't believe that he felt so cavalier that he would just drug me. And then rape me and then choke me. I couldn't move my arms, so he was on top of me, choking me, and all I could do was just watch. And I passed out. I thought I was dead, I thought I died, and then I woke up at like 4:00 in the morning, and he was next to me. And I left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: The interview was quite charged. Drewes had to take a break. And then another lawyer of hers came in, Lisa Bloom. And then she explained that the reason why she wanted to come forward is because of all the women who were speaking out. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: Why have you decided now to become public?
DREWES: My motivation was for other girls. I know that I can't be the only one. And so I kind of wanted to be a voice for other women that they could feel -- that they could come forward and say something and for a long while, I've wanted to say something when I knew he was running for governor, I was like, oh, God, this can't happen. Like somebody has got to -- I've been waiting for somebody else to come forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: The lawyers representing Drewes have not provided to CNN corroborating information. They're not providing that to the media at large. They say that they will first give that to law enforcement.
We reached out to Swalwell, his representatives and his lawyer. We did get a statement that says, quote, "Congressman Eric Swalwell categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him."
Kyung Lah CNN, Beverly Hills.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Thank you, Kyung. And meanwhile, Eric Swalwell has a new attorney tonight, Sara Azari.
Let's discuss all of this with my panel. Kelly Hyman is a Democratic strategist and a trial attorney. And Elizabeth Barcohana is a Republican strategist and an attorney.
Welcome to you both. Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time, both of you. Great to have you both here. Obviously a serious subject.
Let's start with you on the legal front here. What is Swalwell looking at?
KELLY HYMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND TRIAL ATTORNEY: These are serious allegations, but not only is he looking at potential criminal liability, he's also looking at potential civil liability as well.
[00:25:04]
So when we talk about the criminal aspects, that's where the prosecutor would bring the criminal case, whether that's potentially rape or that's sexual assault or some type of sexual harassment for those types of cases. And in those cases, the criminal cases, the penalty is potential jail time.
Now from the civil standpoint, that is more of, to make the person that has been -- the survivor of the accused person whole, those type of compensation would be monetary damages. And that could potentially be cases of sexual abuse as well. So he's looking at all potential cases, not only in New York but potentially in California as well.
MICHAELSON: Right. The statement now from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department investigating this latest incident that they were talking about today with Lisa Bloom.
Meanwhile, the political reality of this, I mean, quite stunning that Swalwell is out and interesting to hear from a lot of the people, including his best friend there who said we didn't know anything at all, which a lot of people find hard to believe.
ELIZABETH BARCOHANA, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND ATTORNEY: It's impossible. It was reported in the media. There are videos online. This guy is a habitual predator and he has been -- he's had that reputation for now 16 years since he started running for local office. The establishment has covered for him. And as a result of that, he graduated not only to higher office to be a more powerful congressman, but also he graduated to violent sexual assault crimes, leaving a trail of victim --
MICHAELSON: Alleged.
BARCOHANA: Allegedly. Yes. It's all alleged at this point, and it's under investigation. That's true. But there is a trail of victims who all have a similar story. And so even Swalwell's own words, that is very credible evidence.
MICHAELSON: What do you think this does now to the governor's race? I mean, where do we go from here?
BARCOHANA: So yes, so Swalwell -- so in California we have a jungle primary, which means that on June 2nd, it's open. Anybody can vote for either party. And the top two vote getters will now -- will advance to the November election. And the polls had Swalwell being the top Democrat, the Republicans have been in the number one spot, and the number two or three spot. And he's, you know, alternating around that time frame. I mean, excuse me around that ranking.
And after this weekend, first he dropped out of the governor's race and then he resigned from Congress. So now it remains to be seen where his support, both endorsements, money and voters, is going to go from here. We don't know that yet.
MICHAELSON: We don't know. And obviously Tom Steyer has spent over $100 million of his own money trying to do this. He just got the endorsement of the California Teachers Association, which had backed Swalwell before. We've seen Matt Mahan get out there, raise a lot of money, Xavier Becerra raise a lot of money, and we'll see what it does for the Republicans in the race as well.
Just sort of big picture in terms of this moment, though, what this tells us about powerful men, not -- and this is the Republican and a Democratic issue that get into power and then think that they're invincible and have preyed on young women, which is something that has been -- we've seen that for decades and decades, and it's just horrible.
HYMAN: No one is above the law and no one should be. As someone that represents victims who have been sexually abused, it's important for us to remember that it takes tremendous amount of courage and strength for these women to come forward, and usually, sadly, it happens when one comes forward. They have strength in numbers and they feel comfortable about coming forward. So there needs to be some type of change. There needs to be some type of accountability. There need to be more women at the table so they can make changes. And so that is really important.
MICHAELSON: Yes, because that's been some of the question of why now. And yet some of that kind of sounds like victim blaming when you hear some of that language out there.
Let's talk about the other big political headline of the night, which is what's going on with President Trump and Iran. The potential end of the Iran war with negotiations. President Trump on tonight with Maria Bartiromo. FOX News put out a clip. Let's watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS HOST: Is this war over?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's close to over. Yes. I mean, I view it as very close to over. You know what? If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we're not finished. We'll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Elizabeth, what do you make of the politics of this? Because this war has been splitting the Republican Party?
BARCOHANA: Yes, and no. There's a lot of support for President Trump in the war. It's pretty high, actually, because most of the party understands that we have been at war with -- well, excuse me, Iran has been at war with us for 47 years.
And this was an opportunity for the United States to put an end to that war.
[00:30:16]
We have a very strong commander in chief to do that with a very strong partner in Israel. And also, he has been building towards this with the Abraham Accords and other diplomacy that he's been, you know, working on in the Middle East during Trump one and now, Trump two.
So, the timing of it, it was somewhat spontaneous, because there was uprisings in the country, in every province in Iran. But also, it was an opportunity.
And now we -- you know, I think he's speaking about the end of it, kind of in the past tense, because he always had this timeline --
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
BARCOHANA: -- in mind. And the ceasefire is ending. And he -- he has a plan.
MICHAELSON: Do you think this is going well? Do you think he has a plan?
KELLY HYMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST & TRIAL ATTORNEY: Operation Epic Fury has been an Operation Epic Failure. We keep moving the goalpost. When is this going to end? How much is it costing taxpayers' money?
It's been reported it's costing taxpayer money, billions of dollars every single day.
We are putting our service people who fight for our country on the lines. They're dying. It's hurting our economy. Look at gas prices. I mean, how much more do we have to go through?
MICHAELSON: Operation Epic Failure? You agree with that?
BARCOHANA: Absolutely not. Gas prices are still lower than they were under Joe Biden, even with the war right now. And, you know, it's war.
MICHAELSON: At a certain point. At one point. But yes. But -- but main point of why you think this is worth it.
BARCOHANA: Because it's the national security interest, and it actually has global implications for everyone, including Americans; including our interests in the Middle East and at home.
They had weapons that could reach the United States and our strategic partners all over the world. They were using them, you know, from Yemen, through their proxies against Israel, from Lebanon. They were using them. And they were threatening to use them when they developed the capability to reach the United States homeland. And we cannot allow that.
MICHAELSON: All right. We've got to leave it there for time. But great having both of you in. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Elizabeth, Kelly, great to have you both --
BARCOHANA: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: -- for the first time here on the show.
Still ahead, rock legend Billy Idol sits down with me for a one-on-one interview about his new documentary from overcoming drug abuse, to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, to being a dad and grandfather. He opens up about all of it. Billy Idol, still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MICHAELSON: President Trump's Justice Department is working to dismiss the January 6th-related convictions for members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
The move would eliminate the last remaining seditious conspiracy convictions stemming from the attack on the U.S. Capitol, which aimed to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory.
Donald Trump has long denied there was any violence committed on January 6th, calling it a day of love and peace, despite extensive video evidence showing his supporters fighting with police and forcing their way into the Capitol building.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My Freedom Day!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My Freedom Day!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Students from Kosovo there, celebrating the start of CNN's My Freedom Day. It's a call to action that brings together young people from around the world to raise awareness of modern-day slavery.
This year's theme is marking ten years progress and obstacles in combating trafficking. Richard, a member of the Caricom Youth Ambassadors Program, posted the message to social media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD PINAS, MEMBER, CARICOM YOUTH AMBASSADORS PROGRAM: If we truly want freedom to mean something for every child, then we must act with urgency, courage, and unity until trafficking and exploitation are not just reduced, but completely ended.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: CNN's Ivan Watson went to a school in Hong Kong participating in My Freedom Day. Students there experience what it's like working in a sweatshop. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're at the King George V School in Hong Kong. And right now what you're seeing is a simulation of what it looks like to work in a sweatshop.
Now, this is part of CNN's initiative, My Freedom Day. It's the 10th anniversary for fighting against modern-day slavery. This is a student-led action that CNN has been involved with.
So, what's going on right now? The kids here, volunteers, are getting an experience of what it's like to work in these terrible conditions. They're sitting here with beads, making these kinds of necklaces over and over again, and getting yelled at --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is not difficult. Do not drop the beads. Come on. Faster! Time is money. Let's go!
WATSON: -- by people playing the roles of bosses.
You can hear the sound of what's supposed to sound like -- like a factory in the background.
And there are very strict rules here, right? The workshop rules: Complete silence, no breaks allowed, mistakes equal no pay, no bathroom breaks, slow working equals less pay, no phones, drinking water not permitted.
[00:40:07]
And this is to try to expand awareness about a situation that millions and millions of children are stuck in right now.
Now, CNN has partnered with the non-governmental organization The Mekong Club, run by Matt Friedman, which focuses on trying to spread awareness and to combat modern-day slavery.
This is a campaign that's far from over, this battle against this criminal activity. What are some of the obstacles out there?
MATT FRIEDMAN, CEO, THE MEKONG CLUB: General awareness is the big one. You know, if you don't know about an issue, you're not going to care. If you don't care, you're not going to do anything.
So, I often get in front of businesses or get in front of students. In about a quarter of the way into the presentation, I ask, how many of you knew even 10 percent of what I was talking about, and I never get a hand.
People need to understand that this exists. It exists here in their own community.
The simulation will give you a small taste of the number of people in the world who are doing modern slavery-type activities.
Here in Hong Kong, you have modern slavery and human trafficking. All across Asia. Every country in the world has this particular issue, but very few people know about it.
WATSON: There has been progress made. We have been able to inform people and educate people about this crisis.
But the problem is still staggering. There are some 50 million people that are believed to be stuck in bondage in modern-day slavery, and of them, only a fraction, about 0.2 percent of the victims, are helped every year.
And the profits, more than a quarter trillion dollars annually estimated to be made from this criminal activity. So, there's still a lot of work to be done. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, thank you.
So, we want to encourage you to join the worldwide event to raise awareness of modern-day slavery. You can follow the hashtag #MyFreedomDay on social media and check out CNN.com/MyFreedomDay.
We'll be right back.
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[00:46:54]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if suddenly, you did take off, and you were No. 1 in America, you were No. 1 in England. What would you do with the money then?
BILLY IDOL, ROCK STAR: I'd spend it on drugs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think that people expect rock stars to be outrageous?
IDOL: Yes, I guess they do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Billy Idol helped to define the MTV era of the '80s, with hits like "White Wedding," "Mony Mony," "Dancing with Myself."
The new documentary, "Billy Idol Should be Dead," follows his rise from punk rock in England to global superstardom and a lifestyle that spiraled fast and almost killed him more than once.
Billy Idol is very much alive, and he joins me right now on our set. Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time. Very cool to have you here.
IDOL: It's fantastic to be here.
MICHAELSON: And what a day to have you here, because we have news, which is that you are the newest inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, just announced. How's that sound? How's that feel?
IDOL: Well, it's pretty fantastic. I think it's great. I was part of Ozzy's -- Ozzy Osborne's induction, solo induction a couple of years ago, and that was a -- that was a lot of fun.
I mean, I heard a lot of criticisms about the rock hall and everything, but that night was really good fun. And, you know, just hanging out with all the different people backstage and -- and working with the musicians on the stage. You know, it was -- it was a fantastic night. So, I'm really looking forward to it.
MICHAELSON: I mean, what does that mean to you, being a hall of famer?
IDOL: Well, it's pretty incredible. I mean, I fell in love with rock and roll when I was seven years old, and I dreamed about being in a group or doing music as a career. And look -- look where -- look where it's ending up. That's pretty wild. I would never have imagined this at all --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
IDOL: -- when I started out. It's kind of fantastic.
MICHAELSON: Well, of course, a well-deserved spot among the greats, as you are one.
And let's get into the documentary, which kind of chronicles your life. And you know, they -- they talk about this idea of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. And there's a lot of all three in your life, right?
IDOL: Yes.
MICHAELSON: What is it -- what is it about that combo, do you think, that -- that works so well, especially for -- for the rock business?
IDOL: Well, I think that --
MICHAELSON: Sometimes it doesn't work so well, depending on the perspective. Yes.
IDOL: Well, I survived it is the -- it's really the tale that the documentary.
MICHAELSON: Right.
IDOL: It's not just a survival story, but it is part, part of it" that I kind of came through.
And I've had a really great time, as well. I've really enjoyed it. It's been fantastic. And I'm really glad that I took the -- a door opened when punk rock was happening that I walked through. I'm really glad I did that, because it enabled me to have this kind of life where I got to live a kind of a dream, you know?
MICHAELSON: Well, and the documentary you sort of described by some of your friends as like a monster when you got high, so much so that they literally created a monster, like drew a monster to represent you. Do you see -- do you see yourself that way? Did you feel like you were a monster?
IDOL: Well, some of the animation in the documentary is fantastic for that very purpose. And a little bit, yes. I would have these episodes. I didn't quite realize how drugs or drink can affect you, you know. So, I would have what I called episodes occasionally. And yes, I did turn into a bit of a monster at times.
[00:50:09]
And then I had to come to terms with that and realize, you know, I had to put drugs and stuff like that in the rearview mirror and overcome it all. And I think I hopefully -- touch wood -- I have, you know.
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, it was also kind of striking. It seemed like there was a lot of enabling around you. I mean, literally, like, your drug dealer moved in next door at one point, just like knock on the door.
Do you feel like in some ways, some of your friends and family may have let you down when you needed more help?
IDOL: No, actually, I think my family really were there for me when, in particular, my dad, my mother, mum and dad, you know, they came to -- my dad came to New York when I was going through a bit of a bad time with drugs and stuff, and kind of helped to show me, you know, that people cared about me more than just what my next record was, you know.
And they were always really supportive, really.
And so, yes, it was, it was, you know, I had -- and I have children, as well, children and now grandchildren. So, I had to think about what would I be saying to them if I just remained a drug addict the rest of my life? I had to sort of really think about that.
MICHAELSON: That's what got you out of it?
IDOL: Well, kind of. I mean, yes, initially, my children. And now I'm really glad I'm the way I am for my grandchildren, because it's -- it's -- they know this -- this Billy.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about some music, because part of what you get into IN the documentary is this idea that you and MTV sort of took off at the same time, and both really helped each other a lot.
And sort of one of the original music videos that helped MTV soar was your video "White Wedding." Let's watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IDOL (singing): Hey, little sister, what have you done? Hey, little sister, who's your only one?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: I mean, this was playing, like, every half hour, because there weren't that many music videos back in the day. What -- what do you remember most? What do you see when you look at that?
IDOL: Well, you know, it's -- it's a young guy sort of finding his way. And I really cared about what I was doing. I mean, you can see a lot of the imagery in the videos was -- came from me. I mean, I knew I had to set the pace for my music and for the imagery in the -- in the videos. MICHAELSON: You know, the title of this is "Billy Idol Should be
Dead." Why do you think you're alive?
IDOL: I don't know, sheer luck, really. I was really lucky that there was a number of times when I -- It was -- it was touch and go that I was going to be here.
But I am here, and I'm in good shape. I'm enjoying it. You know, that's the thing. I'm enjoying what we're doing.
We did one of the biggest tours I've ever done last year. So, for me, it's all going forward. It's -- it's getting bigger. It's -- we're getting more people coming to the shows.
MICHAELSON: What do you think is the most important lesson we can learn from your life story?
IDOL: Well, I think it's worth going after your dreams. I really do think if I hadn't have -- I don't know what -- what I would have done if I hadn't have done what I -- what you're going to watch in the documentary, if you watch it. You're going to see what I -- what I went for.
And it was a bit of a dream to do music, and I went for it, you know. And when I got -- saw the chance, when punk rock -- punk rock opened this door, I saw my chance and I went for it. And I'm -- I'm so glad I did, because I've had a fantastic time. And I've really enjoyed it, and I'm still enjoying it today.
MICHAELSON: And you have so many millions of fans around the world who are enjoying it, me among them. What an honor. What a thrill to have you here. Thank you so much. And congratulations, the hall of famer.
IDOL: All right!
MICHAELSON: Billy Idol.
IDOL: Cheers. Thank you.
MICHAELSON: We love that.
IDOL: Thank you, everybody.
MICHAELSON: Thank you so much. We'll be back with more of THE STORY IS right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:58:24]
MICHAELSON: Buckingham Palace says King Charles will address a joint meeting of Congress and meet privately with President Trump when he visits the U.S. later this month.
The king and Queen Camilla will also attend a state dinner at the White House and a ceremony honoring fallen soldiers. Royals will also take part in a number of public engagements to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. independence from British rule. They're celebrating us, breaking up with them.
Meanwhile, the king's son Harry and his wife, Meghan, the duke and duchess of Sussex, are visiting Australia. They began their tour Down Under with a stop at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, where they met with some young patients at that hospital.
Later, at the Australian Football Club, Prince Harry tried his hand at Australian rules football and spoke to some charity members about men's mental health.
Six months ahead of Brazil's election, the country's 80-year-old president is looking to convince voters he is fit for the job by taking his workout to social media.
CNN's Julia Vargas Jones reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil. Now, why is this 80-year- old politician livestreaming his workout routine? His latest video went viral, but he's been posting his workouts for years.
In 2015, at the beginning of his fitness journey, he posted this video from the treadmill. To supercuts of strength training during his current administration. Recently, that's ramped up even more, with the president doing squats, calf raises and lunges on a live stream.
LUIS INACIO LULA DA SILVA, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translator): If you want to live to 120, you have to do what I do.
JONES (voice-over): Brazil has a chronically online culture where memes spread like wildfire, so content that drives engagement like that not only makes sense, it's part of the government's strategy.
