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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Trump Says Ceasefire with Iran on "Massive Life Support"; Final Passengers Disembark from Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Ship; OpenAI's Sam Altman to Testify; Trump Expected to Depart for Beijing on Tuesday; Trump Teases 2028 GOP Presidential Ticket; L.A. Mayoral Forum Scrapped After Candidates Drop Out; Iranian Regime May Be Linked to Recent Antisemitic Attacks. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired May 12, 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]

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up next is "THE STORY IS" with Michael -- I got your name. I know your name, baby.

Elex Michaelson is next.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson, live in Los Angeles. Here's what's coming up on THE STORY IS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS the president's trip to China. We're live in Asia as preparations are underway for a historic summit.

THE STORY IS ChatGPT on trial. The founder of OpenAI, Sam Altman, about to take the witness stand in a case that could impact A.I. forever.

And THE STORY IS a rise in antisemitism. CNN investigates a link between the Islamic regime and a recent series of attacks on Jewish people around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

MICHAELSON: And thanks for watching THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.

Our top story is President Trump's visit to China. He's expected to depart for Beijing in the day ahead with the Iran war, U.S. tariffs and tensions over Taiwan all on the agenda. On Monday, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on 12 companies and individuals it says are helping to facilitate the sale and shipment of oil from Iran to China. Direct talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping will begin on Thursday, with other events planned throughout Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, I have a great relationship with President Xi. We're doing a lot of business, but it's smart business. I respect him a lot and hopefully he respects me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: The White House says more than a dozen business leaders will accompany the president to Beijing, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

As for the war with Iran, sources tell CNN that President Trump is now giving serious thought to resuming major combat operations in the region. They say the president has been voicing his frustration and impatience with how Tehran is handling negotiations to end the war.

Here's what he said earlier from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us, I didn't even finish reading it. They said -- I'm not going to waste my time reading it. I would say it's one of the weakest, right now, it's on life support. I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, sir, your loved one has approximately a 1 percent chance of living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, Iran's top negotiator took to social media to warn against any aggression, saying, in part, quote, "We are prepared for every option. They will be surprised."

Let's bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout, live from Hong Kong.

Kristie, the president rejecting Iran's latest peace offer. What are the chances of a deal now? Doesn't sound very optimistic there.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Elex, the two sides, U.S. and Iran, are just so opposite ends of the spectrum right now with the U.S. President Donald Trump now saying that the ceasefire with Iran is, quote, "on massive life support." This after the U.S. president received and rejected Iran's counterproposal to end the war.

Remember, the United States had proposed a sort of MOU, saying, look, let's first end the fighting, and then we can tackle and untangle those more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program. But Iran had something else in mind.

Let's bring up a reminder of what was in that counterproposal from Tehran. Iran was asking for an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, compensation for war damages, an end to the sanctions, end to the U.S. naval blockade, a resumption of Iranian oil sales, guarantee of no further attacks, an Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

As a result, we are at this impasse. And so oil prices just keep on rising. We continue to monitor the price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, as well as West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. oil benchmark. And you can see Brent Crude is trading higher, about 1 percent higher. Both remain in elevated levels. And we continue to keep an eye on AAA gas prices.

The average cost of gasoline at the pump in the United States is now -- I can't really read it on that screen, pardon me, but on this screen here, $4.52 a gallon. And that is the highest level since 2022. And I want to add that this spike in gas and diesel is costing Americans nearly $300 a month.

[00:05:05]

Look, were at an impasse. The U.S. president is digging in. Tehran is digging in as well. And economists are issuing a warning. We heard this from an economist at Jefferies, Mohit Kumar. He said this, quote, "We still think that we are moving towards a deal, but both parties want to have upper hand in negotiations. The longer the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the more negative it is for the global economy."

And just to give you an idea of the tone that we're getting from Tehran, this is what we heard from Iran's parliamentary speaker, who continues to be very active on the social media platform X, saying this, quote, "There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal. The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it," unquote. And so it goes, another day, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.

And Elex, analysts are saying each day 10 million to 12 million barrels of crude each day are getting choked off from the global energy supply as a result. Back to you.

MICHAELSON: And you think about how many days we've now gone through with this. So we know that President Trump is headed to Beijing. The U.S. has issued new sanctions for Iranian oil shipments to China? What can you tell us about that?

STOUT: That's right. This is what we heard from the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday. A new round of sanctions being targeting a number of individuals and companies that are accused of facilitating Iranian oil shipments to China. On the list we have four Hong Kong based companies. And this follows a previous round of sanctions that was announced by the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday.

On that list, two China based companies and one Hong Kong based firm. Analysts have pointed out the U.S. Treasury Department has yet to go after Chinese banks. But all this is happening just days before the upcoming and highly anticipated meeting between the U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping due to take place May 13th to May 15th this week.

It is expected that Trump will press Xi to try to rein in Iran and find a way to reopen that critical waterway that is the Strait of Hormuz -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: And real quickly, Kristie, how are people in Hong Kong thinking about that, talking about that? What kind of coverage is that getting in Hong Kong? STOUT: Oh, well, people are actively looking forward to what's going

to be happening between these two major power players. I mean, it's very interesting the politics, the personalities at play here. You have U.S. President Donald Trump, who is highly charismatic, who's been described as a bit of a bully, but who believes that might is right. You have Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a technocrat, very astute, some will call him intellectual, who also believes that might is right.

And so in that Venn diagram of these two leaders coming together yet again later this week in Beijing, we could see that these are two power players who represent the two most powerful economies in the world. Loggerheads over a number of contentious issues, whether it's trade, whether it's fentanyl, whether it is access to advanced Chinese chips, whether it's advanced American chips, or access to rare earths from China.

How are these two power players going to come together to bridge the divide? And also in the midst of this ongoing war, when it is believed that China does have a lot of leverage when it comes to Tehran, can Trump be able to move Xi Jinping's hand on that?

Back to you.

MICHAELSON: Yes. It'd be fascinating to witness. And a lot of that will be happening live right here during our hours. Here on THE STORY IS.

Kristie Lu Stout, live in Hong Kong. Thank you so much.

Health officials are now monitoring 18 passengers who arrived back in the U.S. from the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak. Sixteen of them now at the University of Nebraska. Two others flown to Atlanta for further assessment and care at Emory University.

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R), GEORGIA: Doing like we've done in the past with COVID-19. If you remember, we took patients and our fellow Georgians off of cruise ships at Dobbins Air Force Base, the Georgia National Guard. We're as prepared as any state in the country to do this, and it's just the right thing to do. I mean, you think if you were one of those passengers that were stranded, especially if you were from Georgia, you would want your state to come to your aid.

And that's exactly what we're going to do. And there is nobody better to handle that than the folks at Emory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Those American passengers are among dozens who were evacuated from the ship off Spain's Canary Islands.

CNN's Melissa Bell is there following all the developments.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last of the passengers may have left the MV Hondius ahead of its onward journey to the Netherlands, but amongst those 17 Americans evacuated on Sunday, at least one new case of hantavirus now confirmed, with another passenger showing symptoms which can include fatigue and a fever. The two had been kept in isolation away from the others as they traveled to Nebraska.

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The American case is interesting because that passenger had been identified as having had close contact with some of the deceased passengers on board the MV Hondius, which is why, when he was brought ashore on Sunday, he was brought ashore separately from the other American passengers. It's also a reminder of the length of this virus's incubation period.

(Voice-over): The other confirmed case from those disembarked on Sunday, a French woman who began feeling unwell on the flight home to Paris. That's according to France's Health Ministry. She is now in quarantine at this hospital to the north of the French capital.

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: The French passenger is deteriorating now. Imagine if that happened in the ship, and her fate would have been more dangerous actually. So she's in good hands and she's protected now.

BELL: And even as you have sought to contain this virus, the World Health Organization, with this operation, your understanding how it function is better and better. Are you confident now that we know enough about it, that this is it? This is an outbreak that will have been confined to this and thanks to the work that you've done here.

GHEBREYESUS: We learned our lessons from COVID as well. As we said, this is not another COVID. It will not be a pandemic.

BELL (voice-over): What started as a voyage of adventure to some of the world's most remote islands turned into a nightmare for dozens of passengers after three people died and several others fell ill with the virus. The evolution of the infection has been closely tracked by the World Health Organization, even as it has sought to contain its spread.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most important aspect from now, because all the symptomatic people were offloaded last in Cabo Verde, the issue now has turned to the remaining passengers and crew, who had, to varying degrees, contact with those sick individuals before they were offloaded.

BELL (voice-over): As the military style operation wrapped up in Tenerife, the ship's captain put out this message thanking everyone for their solidarity.

CAPT. JAN DOBROGOWSKI, MV HONDIUS: The past few weeks have been extremely challenging to us all, as I'm sure you know. What touched me the most, what moved me the most was your patience, your discipline, and also kindness.

BELL (voice-over): The flurry of evacuations and repatriation flights seems to have gone smoothly. But even as the last passengers are offloaded, it is those in contact with anyone who is both positive and symptomatic that are now at greatest risk.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Tenerife.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is expected to testify in the next day or two in the case that Elon Musk brought against him and his company. High-profile figures like Microsoft CEO took to the witness stand on Monday in the final weeks of testimonies.

Musk was an early investor in what has become one of the biggest names in artificial intelligence. The Tesla tycoon claims the company, with Microsoft's help, deceived him and shifted from a nonprofit mission to a profit oriented structure. OpenAI and Microsoft both denied those claims and accused Musk of trying to knock down a rival. Remember, Musk went on to open his own A.I. company called xAI in 2023.

With me now is CNN contributor Jacob Ward. He's a technology journalist, host of the "Rip Current" podcast. He's been following this every day. He's going to be in the courtroom tomorrow.

Jacob, welcome back to THE STORY IS. There's been this parade of witnesses who all seem to be suggesting that Sam Altman is a liar.

JACOB WARD, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: That's right. He has had a very unflattering portrayal from the people that are really closest to him. These are the people that co-founded the company with him in some cases, you know, people who worked to build this thing into the monolith that it is now. That was, you know, people like Mira Murati, the former CTO. She described him as not always candid. She said he undermined her leadership and pitted OpenAI executives against one another.

We heard from other board members who said that there was just sort of too much power being wielded by Altman, and that that would mean the end of -- that self-governance really wouldn't work here. At one point, Tasha McCauley, the former board member, said I think there was a pattern of dishonesty. But the big one here is Ilya Sutskever, who today testified and this guy is really a hero of the A.I. world and one of Altman's, I think, most cherished hires at OpenAI.

He put together a 52-page memo on Altman for the board of directors back in 2023, in which he said, quote, "Altman exhibits a consistent pattern of lying," and that, you know, is pretty tough stuff considering this guy goes on the stand tomorrow, Elex.

MICHAELSON: And you say that Ilya, who testified today, sort of has a unique space in the A.I. world where he's respected by both Sam Altman and Elon Musk.

WARD: Yes, this is the crazy thing. You know, you really don't bump into many people like Ilya Sutskever.

[00:15:02] He's a -- back in 2012, when he was a 24-year-old student at the University of Toronto, he published a paper that is to A.I. people what basically like the discovery of the electron would be to physicists. I mean, just a really, really big deal guy. And he's known for seeing the future. Musk and Altman, when they were partners, hired him in. And even today, in the midst of suing OpenAI, Musk still speaks extremely highly of this guy. He did it on the stand.

And you don't hear that from Elon Musk very often. And so that's why they hold this guy in incredibly high regard. And the fact that he has now come on to the stand and said under oath that he, you know, just sort of observed a pattern of lying on Altman's behalf must be a big blow to Altman, who worked so hard to hire this guy and made him the chief scientist at OpenAI.

MICHAELSON: And yet this case really is not about whether Sam Altman is a liar. What does he have to do on the stand? What's the standard that he has to meet?

WARD: Yes. I mean, you know, in the screenplay version of this movie, right, you'd say, oh, this sort of duplicitous guy and he's been found out and he's going to go face a jury, you know, the truth of the matter is CEOs are not exactly the most honest people a lot of the time. These are, you know, it's a category of person that really has to fight their way to the top. And so the fact is that, you know, that isn't really an uncommon thing.

And it's not really the thing at issue here. The question at issue here is, was Elon Musk fooled into funding a nonprofit and then tricked into doing so such that it became a for profit? Well, that's a hard, you know, thing to prove, I would say. And the thing to also understand here, Elex, just remember, is that the jury doesn't make the final decision. They make a decision and they offer it as a piece of advisory to the judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

She's the one who's going to make the eventual determination here. And she's not someone who I think is going to get bogged down in which of these billionaires is more of a liar. I think she's really going to stick to the facts of the case and the facts of the case, you know, are so far, as far as the testimony I've observed, I think probably mean a pretty uphill battle for Musk here.

MICHAELSON: Which means that probably a win for Sam Altman. But we will see. Meanwhile, since you're our tech guy and we got you, big thing happening in the next few days when it comes to tech. President Trump heading to China but with him is Tim Cook, the head of Apple, at least right now. And Elon Musk as well.

How do you read that situation and what their message may be with President Trump and Xi Jinping?

WARD: You know, I'm not -- I don't know enough about why Musk is there. I know he wants to sell, you know, all kinds of products in China. He probably wants to stay close to Trump. But Cook is the interesting one. Tim Cook, right, built the whole legacy of Apple on the ability to make the phone and make the computers in China. China is why that company is as huge as it is now, and why Tim Cook is sort of going out on top.

And so you can imagine that both those guys are going to go along. And, you know, neither of them, and especially Tim Cook, want tariffs. They don't want any more of these tariffs that are being levied against things that are made in China. So you can bet that any moment they have to sit with Trump, whisper in his ear and try and say, drop these tariffs, please, or get along with China better, they're going to take it.

This is really the thing about my job, right, is that you watch these guys that are ostensibly the heads of business, but they are more and more the heads of their own sort of nation state. And in this case, we're seeing two of the biggest nation states out there, right? Musk's empire and Cook's empire joining Trump in this negotiation with China.

MICHAELSON: And of course, the two actual biggest nation states out there, the United States and China. What a high profile, high important trip that we're going to be following all week here.

Jacob Ward, thank you for helping us unpack, break down both stories. We'll probably see you tomorrow with that Sam Altman testimony happening in Oakland.

Now to France, French President Emmanuel Macron seemed to channel the energy of a school teacher at an event in Kenya. The Africa Forward Summit is aimed at strengthening France's business ties to that continent. Macron interrupted a presentation when he felt the audience had gotten out of hand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Excuse me, everybody. Hey, hey, hey. I'm sorry, guys. But it's impossible to speak about culture, to have people like that super inspired coming here, making a speech with such a noise.

(APPLAUSE)

MACRON: So this is a total lack of respect. So I suggest if you want to have bilaterals or speak about somebody else, some -- I mean something else, you have bilateral rooms or you go outside. If you want to stay here, we listen to the people and we play in the same game. OK? Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:20:00]

MICHAELSON: I've wanted to do that several times making speeches as well. Good for him.

Taiwan will be high on the agenda when Donald Trump visits Beijing this week. Just ahead, the island's opposition leader explains how she wants to avoid armed conflict with mainland China.

Live to Will Ripley next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: President Trump says he doubts tensions between Taiwan and Beijing will erupt on his watch. One of the island's most outspoken lawmakers wants more discussion with the mainland. Taiwan's opposition leader tells CNN dialogue with Beijing is the only way to avoid war.

She spoke to our senior international correspondent Will Ripley.

[00:25:03]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As President Donald Trump heads to Beijing for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with Taiwan expected to be high on the agenda, the island democracy that China claims as its own seems to be sending a divided message on defense.

After months of political fighting, and with Chinese fighter jets and warships routinely circling around Taiwan, the opposition-controlled legislature approved a dramatically smaller military package. Many blamed the gridlock on the leader of Taiwan's largest opposition party, KMT, Cheng Li-wun, who has called for less military spending.

What's your response to calls from U.S. lawmakers that Taiwan needs to spend this money on its defense to send the message to the global community that Taiwan is serious about its defense?

CHENG LI-WUN, KMT CHAIRPERSON: Actually, we're very serious. We have been serious all the time. And that's why we keep explaining --

(Through text translation): Most of it, USD 40 million budget, is too vague and lacks details. So we can't give a blank check authorization.

We are trying our best.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Some fear her best may not be enough to deter China's mounting military pressure campaign. The opposition plan funds U.S. weapons, but trims domestic programs like drones. Taiwan's ruling party, the DPP, has accused Cheng's KMT of taking orders from China. Just weeks ago, she went to Beijing for a rare meeting with Xi Jinping, who refuses to engage with Taiwan's elected leader, seen by China as a diehard separatist.

You obviously have your critics that accused you of being a pawn while you were in Beijing, saying that you and Xi Jinping had almost the same language.

CHENG (through text translation): Although it may seem I have a common language with Xi Jinping, but it is precisely because there are so many differences between the two sides of the strait. It is critical that we find a common foundation for peaceful dialogue. Otherwise, war is unavoidable.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Next month, Cheng heads to the U.S., hoping to convince lawmakers and Trump allies Taiwan does not have to choose between Washington and Beijing.

You had said publicly you're worried about Taiwan being treated like a pawn. Are you talking about the United States treating Taiwan like a pawn?

CHENG (through text translation): I believe it is the DPP government's wrong policies that have reduced Taiwan to a pawn. Being friendly with the U.S. does not mean there is hostility towards China.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Cheng dodges questions about her presidential ambitions, but does make a bold promise if her party wins in the 2028 elections.

CHENG (through text translation): A KMT administration would make the possibility of war totally preventable.

RIPLEY: How can you guarantee it won't happen if Taiwan doesn't have what your military leaders say are enough weapons to deter military action by China?

CHENG (through text translation): When the KMT is in power, Taiwan's defense capabilities, its deterrence will still exist.

RIPLEY (voice-over): But China's military pressure around Taiwan continues, even during Cheng's recent trip to Beijing. And now, as Trump prepares to meet Xi Jinping face to face, Taiwan confronts two radically different visions for avoiding war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (on-camera): And this really underscores, Elex, the debate that's happening here in Taiwan right now. You have the KMT side, which says you need to have dialogue with Beijing. They are stalling the passage of the remaining $15 billion of this defense bill that the DPP says needs to be urgently passed, that Taiwan can bolster its military deterrence. The State Department, in a statement to CNN, said it's unhelpful stalling. And they're saying it's essentially handing a concession to the Chinese Communist Party right before the Trump-Xi summit. In fact, there are some Taiwanese security officials accused Beijing of using Cheng Li-wun to shape the narrative ahead of the summit.

But she claims that Xi Jinping told her behind closed doors that China respects Taiwan's democratic system and that the two sides can coexist peacefully without having to arm up to the teeth. But of course, even while she was in Beijing having that meeting, Elex, Chinese military drills around Taiwan were continuing.

MICHAELSON: Yes, it'll be fascinating to see what happens on that front this week as well.

Will Ripley live in Taipei for us? Will, thank you.

Coming up back here in North America, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has gone viral after a new political ad and his performance at the L.A. mayoral debate. We'll talk about what his realistic chances are of getting the top job in the second largest city in the country. Our political panel next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:34:23]

MICHAELSON: President Trump is floating up a potential 2028 GOP what he calls dream ticket. Earlier he turned a White House Rose Garden dinner into an impromptu political testing ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Who's it going to be? Is it going to be J.D.? Is it going to be somebody else? I don't know. Does anybody have -- OK, let's go. Are you ready? Who likes J.D. Vance?

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Who likes Marco Rubio?

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: All right. Sounds like a good ticket. J.D. and -- it's a perfect -- that was a perfect ticket. By the way, I do believe that's dream team but these are minor details.

[00:35:03]

That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: The president has reportedly been asking friends and advisers if Vance or Rubio would be a good Republican nominee.

Joining me now to discuss that and more is Yemisi Egbewole, former chief of staff and adviser to the Biden White House Press Office, and a fellow at USC Center for the Political Future, and Caroline Sunshine, communications aide to the Trump 2024 presidential campaign.

Welcome back. Welcome for the first time. Great to have you here.

YEMISI EGBEWOLE, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF AND ADVISER TO THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE PRESS OFFICE: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: We fight on now that you're working at USC, my old --

EGBEWOLE: Amen.

MICHAELSON: My old stomping grounds.

Caroline, as the Republican here who's helped to elect a Republican president, let's start with you on this topic. Who do you think is the stronger nominee?

CAROLINE SUNSHINE, COMMUNICATIONS AIDE, TRUMP 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: I don't think it's going to be Vance or Rubio. MICHAELSON: Really?

SUNSHINE: And I think Marco Rubio needs to knock it off. I know exactly what he's doing. I watched him at the podium the other day. And for Karoline Leavitt, and he answered a very aspirational question about the future of America that I think was planted in the audience for him. And then I watched him turn that answer into an edit on social media that looked a lot like a presidential ad.

And he needs to knock that off and quit his shadow campaign for president and do his actual job right now, which is to end the war that he helped start. Marco Rubio is deejaying a wedding this past week instead of doing his actual job, which is --

MICHAELSON: Well, he has about four jobs right now.

SUNSHINE: Which is -- well, the most --

MICHAELSON: He's the secretary of state, he's the national security adviser, I mean, he's got a bunch of other -- yes.

SUNSHINE: And the most important part of that job right now is to be at the negotiating table as the nation's chief diplomat, ending this war that he helped start because he thought it was going to help his political career. I mean, you know, who doesn't get to go to weddings right now? Our 5,000 Marines that are in the Strait of Hormuz because Marco Rubio helped start a war.

I mean, Marco Rubio made sure he was in the situation room when we were dropping the bombs on the 165 school children. But he wasn't there at the Dignified Transfers when our soldiers were coming home in flag-draped caskets. J.D. Vance was there. President Trump was there, Tulsi Gabbard was there. Marco Rubio was not at any of those Dignified Transfers. And politicians are in the room when the bombs are dropping. They're not there when the dead are coming home.

MICHAELSON: So who is the strongest nominee then?

SUNSHINE: The strongest nominee is the outsider that we have not heard from yet. But it's going to be the outsider who comes on the stage and says, I am everything that you pretend to be. I think AOC is going to run in 2028. She's going to run an Eva Peron style campaign. She's going to be the young, beautiful face of socialism. That's going to be very seductive to a large portion of disaffected Americans and Republicans. Better have an answer to her, and they don't have one yet. And it's not Vance or Rubio.

MICHAELSON: And as we know, by the way, one of President Trump's favorite shows is "Evita."

SUNSHINE: Yes.

MICHAELSON: "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina."

SUNSHINE: Yes. And yes.

MICHAELSON: So maybe he'll be -- yes. And what do you think of this, this whole thing?

EGBEWOLE: Oh, my gosh. Rubio, get off the floor. She's got you got you down. She's got you down.

MICHAELSON: She has a lot to (INAUDIBLE). Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

EGBEWOLE: I am really actually going to enjoy Rubio and Vance both having to vie for the president's attention here.

SUNSHINE: "The Apprentice."

EGBEWOLE: I really do think it is like "The Apprentice" but at the White House. I mean look, this is a president that doesn't know what it's like to be lame duck after his first administration. He immediately got to work at doing what, getting back in there. And now we're at a point where we're coming up to the midterms. He's never going to be on a ballot again. And so the attention is eventually going to shift.

Look, I sat in the White House, in the Biden White House when everybody was looking at Kamala Harris on the road. The attention and the energy shifts. But what do you do when you're a president, when you're used to all of that attention? I don't know, do you take people around Washington, D.C., to see the reunification process, or do you make your two closest advisers duke it out a bit? And I think he's going to enjoy doing that.

And for Democrats, we're going to look and see who's the best candidate. I think if it's J.D. Vance, the Democrat that we put forward has to look different than if it's somebody like a Marco Rubio. So it's going to be exciting.

MICHAELSON: When you mentioned "The Apprentice," there's rumors that "The Apprentice" is going to start up again on Amazon with Donald Trump Jr., and could he be a candidate? I mean, could Trump maybe get behind him, his son?

EGBEWOLE: Well, the president does love supporting his children in business and in life. Sometimes those gray areas do expand. I think that a Donald Trump Junior is definitely somebody that Democrats would love to see put up. Yes.

MICHAELSON: Well, we'll see there. But sometimes, you know, people wanted to run against Donald Trump in 2016. They thought that he was a joke. Hillary Clinton thought that she could easily beat him. And then we saw what happened. Now there's a situation with a Trump like figure, kind of, running in Los Angeles, Spencer Pratt, who is running for mayor against Karen Bass. It is clear that the Bass campaign thinks that they can beat Spencer Pratt.

We've seen these ads that went viral for him. We saw this debate where he got a lot of attention around the country and the news today that Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, dropped out of this debate that was supposed to happen later this week, that Pratt was not going to be in.

[00:40:04]

Then Nithya Raman dropped out of this debate on FOX 11. Now this debate is canceled. And new polling that showed from Raman's team that showed that Raman would beat Bass, but Bass would beat Pratt by 31 points.

What do you make of Spencer Pratt, the candidate? And should you be scared of running against him?

EGBEWOLE: I don't know, if I'm Karen Bass if I'm that scared of running against him. I think if I'm Nithya Raman, I'm thinking, oh, my gosh, I'm already coming in this. And I was going to be second place. And now she's looking at being maybe a distant third, especially after that debate performance. What the takeaway from that mayoral debate was, was that Nithya Raman was not prepared to defend her DSA policies in a city that is definitely struggling with a lot --

MICHAELSON: That's Democratic Socialists of America. Yes.

EGBEWOLE: Yes, with a lot of the issues that Spencer Pratt speaks so plainly to. I think that's what was refreshing for a lot of people who are watching. They said, look, here is a man who is just as frustrated as I am because he saw a social contract of, I work hard, I provide for my family, and this city and this place that I love takes care of me. And that contract was broken when the fires happened.

And according to him, it hasn't been repaired under the tutelage of Mayor Karen Bass. And that's just something that people are going to have to answer for.

MICHAELSON: Your thoughts.

SUNSHINE: Absolutely. And I think, you know, what Spencer showed on that debate was it went so well that clearly there isn't going to be another one because he was the sunlight is the best disinfectant. I also think what matters in elections is each politician has their base, but sometimes what it comes down to is, can you turn out more than your base? And can you turn out people who don't typically vote?

And Karen Bass has a ceiling in terms of the base that she can turn out. So does Nithya Raman. What we saw in that debate stage was Nithya doesn't have the charisma of her fellow Democratic socialists like Mamdani. And what we saw with Spencer Pratt is Spencer Pratt has a real chance here in Los Angeles to turn out voters who don't typically vote, who might be apolitical, who are disaffected, but who are feeling what exactly you just said, which is this guy relates to me. This guy speaks for me. I'm not even that political, but this is my guy.

MICHAELSON: Well, the mayor's race is technically a nonpartisan office. So it will not say Republican or Democrat on the ballot. That being said, if he's in there, there's going to be on every single ad that the Democrats run against him that's going to say Spencer Pratt, Republican, or Spencer Pratt, Trump. And so for him to win, he needs to turn out an enormous number of Democrats and independents who typically have never voted for a Republican in their life to say, the city is so bad, we are going to vote with Spencer Pratt, the reality show star, because we're that angry.

It'll be interesting. It's a tough thing to do, but like we thought with Trump was impossible, sometimes you got to watch the election and when people are really charismatic on TV, that can be a powerful thing.

Great to see you both. Thank you so much for coming in. Great to have you for the first time. Hopefully come back much more.

SUNSHINE: Thank you.

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

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[00:47:40]

MICHAELSON: CNN's Jomana Karadsheh investigated alleged links between Iran's Islamic regime and a recent series of attacks on Jewish people around the world. Take a look at what she found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventeen claims of attacks targeting mostly Jewish sites in seven weeks. We've been investigating Iran's possible links to these incidents. An investigation that has led us to a stunning discovery of something so sinister that, as we'll show you, is happening right in the open.

They're asking me if I have access to Zionist individuals or assets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just a matter of time that one of our communities was going to come under attack.

KARADSHEH: We saw him taken away by an ambulance.

(Voice-over): Days after the war in Iran began, fire bomb and arson attacks hit buildings, including synagogues, Jewish centers and schools in Europe, a previously unheard of group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous, claimed the attacks in not-so- sophisticated videos and statements. We found that the claims seem to first appear on these Telegram channels that are associated with Iranian backed Iraqi groups.

A source close to Qatar of Hezbollah, the most powerful of Iraqi Shia paramilitary groups that works closely with the IRGC, confirmed to us its links to Ashab al-Yamin and told us some of its members are Iraqi. Security experts believe the group is just a front for the IRGC. British counterterrorism police are investigating Iran's potential links to the London attacks and whether the regime may be hiring criminal proxies to carry them out, possibly recruiting people online. When you think of online recruitment by foreign intelligence services,

you might assume that's something happening in the deep, dark corners of the internet. But take a look at what we found.

(Voice-over): This Telegram channel in English and Hebrew called VIP Employment says it's recruiting, quote, "high paid agents," it claims for Iranian intelligence. If you're ready to take the next step, it says, hit the start button.

[00:50:04]

Undercover Producer Flo and I started two separate chats, exchanging direct messages over several days with these accounts.

FLORENCE DAVEY-ATTLEE, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: So my conversation begins with someone calling itself Sina. They quickly ask me lots of questions about myself, trying to get to know me. And then they assign me a task, two posters, anti-Trump, anti-war posters. They asked me to film myself putting them up on the streets of London, and offered me $2 per poster, paid in crypto. And later on the conversation, they seemed to coach me on how to avoid CCTV cameras. Do it in a place where there are no surveillance cameras, they say.

At one point I question, how can I confirm you're Islamic Republic intelligence as you say you are, and they say, the work I assigned you is against the policies of the filthy Zionist regime and America.

KARADSHEH: With me, they get straight into it. What are my capabilities? What action can you take against Zionist individuals or assets? Do you have access to specific individuals or information, they asked. I asked what they mean by access to specific individuals or information. People who work in security and military agencies such as the Shin Bet, the army and the Mossad, they say. And I asked them if they're only recruiting people in Israel, they said, no, we can hire anyone who can harm Israeli interests or individuals.

(Voice-over): And with those words, we decided to end the conversation there. But others appear to have taken the bait. We found VIP Employment, a channel with the same name, is alleged to have been used to recruit Israelis to spy for Iran. Referenced in this indictment and other official documents. The Israeli men were given initiation tasks very similar to the one we were given by the Telegram account.

From there, prosecutors say the men were tasked with filming government and military sites in exchange for money. One of them an IDF reservist was even offered more than $30,000 to assassinate his commander. We can't confirm any links between VIP Employment and the recent antisemitic attacks in Europe, but the one thing they seem to have in common is Iran.

Here in the UK, the wave of attacks has left the small Jewish community feeling more vulnerable than ever. One of the group's targets in London, the Kenton United Synagogue, attacked they claim for being, quote, "a center of Zionist influence," and its rabbi, a key instrument of Zionism.

RABBI YEHUDA BLACK, KENTON UNITED SYNAGOGUE: Just take you in here.

KARADSHEH: Oh, the smell.

BLACK: Yes, it's quite pungent, isn't it? And you can actually --

KARADSHEH: Still smell the fire days after.

BLACK: Ten days after, and it's still quite pungent, isn't it? They came from the outside. They smash this window in, and they threw a fire bomb in here. You can see the damage that's been caused.

KARADSHEH: Wow. I mean, how did you feel when you walked in and you saw this?

BLACK: I was really upset, obviously. I mean, it's only a medical room. I mean, we can replace it, we can redecorate it, and everything else. But what could have transpired that is really tough, you know.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): With antisemitism at record highs worldwide, Rabbi Black says the attacks were shock, but not a surprise.

BLACK: My biggest concern is that it has to stop. People have to realize that what's happening elsewhere is happening elsewhere, but what's happening over here is plain antisemitism.

KARADSHEH: A 17-year-old British national pleaded guilty to arson without endangering life. In a written statement, he apologized. He said he has nothing against the Jewish people, and said that he didn't know that this was a synagogue.

(Voice-over): Many of the suspects here and elsewhere in Europe are teenagers. Authorities are warning anyone considering getting involved in these attacks for quick cash, they will be, quote, "used once and thrown away." But it seems these attacks may have already opened the flood gates involving others to follow. On our way back from the synagogue, we noticed a heavy police presence.

As we were making our way, we heard that people had been stabbed here, and as we approached the police lines, we could see at the time, the suspect was still on the ground surrounded by the police.

(Voice-over): Two visibly Jewish men were stabbed. From the shadows Ashab al-Yamin claimed the attack without providing evidence of links to the suspect who according to police has a history of mental illness and serious violence. Claimed confuse, intimidate and inspire. That's all part of their tactics, leaving so many in this community bracing for even darker days ahead.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:55:02]

MICHAELSON: The Iranian embassy in London denied having any link with or involvement in the London attack, saying in a statement, quote, "Such baseless accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran lack credible evidence and appear to serve narrow political agendas and to mislead public opinion and distract from the real root causes of terrorism and violent extremism.

Later, I'll be joined in studio by Jonah Platt, host of the "Being Jewish" podcast, to talk about the rise of antisemitic attacks and how that's impacting the lives of Jews around the world. That's in the next hour of THE STORY IS.

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