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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Firings Underway at the Office of National Intelligence Director; Note Linked to Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Says She Died; Conflicting Statements from Vance, Iran Over Nuclear Access; Eight Candidates Running for House Seat in New York Democratic Primary; Rubio Heads to Middle East to Discuss Iran with Allies; Starmer Resignation Follows Steep Popularity Decline; Argentina's Messi Sets All-Time World Cup Scoring Record; Europe Swelters Under Record-High Temperatures. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired June 23, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Life and in her death but there's so many names. What do you think?
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: I think of her all the time because I just love Whitney Houston.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
COATES: The very first concert, she was in it. And also, I think Alicia Keys, I think Bruce Springsteen, I think of so many greats, but I also think about he was instrumental as well in hip-hop. People don't know that story about him as well. I encourage everyone to look him up even further. But everyone can watch your show instead first.
Have a great one.
MICHAELSON: Thanks, Laura. Have a great night.
THE STORY IS starts right now.
THE STORY IS firing frenzy. Sources say mass layoffs are happening right now by the acting director of National Intelligence. Why some are questioning his motives.
THE STORY IS Nancy Guthrie's ransom note. New details about what was in a second note sent to media outlets including CNN. What it may indicate about her fate.
And THE STORY IS Messi makes history. The Argentinian soccer star becomes the World Cup's all-time leading goal scorer. How he and other legendary players like Kylian Mbappe fared on the pitch.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Good to be back with you in Los Angeles to start a new week. I'm Elex Michaelson. And the top story tonight is at the office of the Director of National
Intelligence, where sources tell CNN largescale firings are now underway. Bill Pulte took over as acting DNI last week, despite bipartisan criticism of his lack of any national security or intelligence experience. He is a housing official with a record of making mortgage fraud allegations against President Trump's political enemies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: Bill Pulte has zero intelligence experience. Never been in the military, never served in law enforcement. He's not been associated with any of the 18 separate government agencies that currently make up the intelligence community. So if charged with culling the workforce by 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent, how on earth will this guy know who to fire?
I'm told that one of the other questions, his first questions when he arrived last Friday at the DNI, was -- he inquired as to would he get a security clearance and what kind would it be? He doesn't know already that the job he's stepping into will enable him to have every piece of the government's most sensitive intelligence. Not just secret, not just top secret, code word protected, ultra-sensitive programs that identify human sources, that identify exquisite cyber collection platforms.
All of that could cross his desk at any moment, and he doesn't know what sort of security clearance he has?
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): You don't just go in in a DOGE way and start throwing people out. You do it in a substantive, methodical way by somebody who has extensive national security experience. He has absolutely none.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Sources previously said Pulte was looking to cut hundreds of intelligence jobs. He was at the White House on Monday, standing next to reporters as the president signed executive orders and answered questions.
Now to a heartbreaking update in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. According to investigators, a note sent to media outlets just days after Guthrie went missing from her Arizona home in February says she died soon after she was abducted. It followed a first note demanding millions of dollars in exchange for her release. Authorities believe both notes came from whoever kidnaped Guthrie.
Soon after learning of the notes, Guthrie's family responded with an emotional video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, DAUGHTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE: We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That is a clip of Savannah Guthrie in the days after her mother, Nancy, disappeared. She was communicating to people that may have been her mother's captors. Well, now we have new information of what was happening behind the scenes.
CNN's Nick Watt here with that.
Nick, what did we learn?
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, two notes, two notes from the potential kidnaper that authorities believe are authentic. One was on February 3rd, a couple of days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared. Pretty standard ransom note. They wanted four million bucks by a certain date. If that deadline was missed, they wanted six million standard ransom note.
Savannah Guthrie came out afterwards and said, we need proof that you have her. We need proof that she's alive. Then the second note, and this is the one that we're talking about today, February 6th. And in this note, we now learn the kidnaper, potential kidnaper, said Nancy Guthrie was dead already.
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She had died shortly after the kidnaping and that they did not mean to kill her. We then saw Savannah Guthrie the following day come out and say, you know, it's very important to us that we get her back. It was a very different tone. And now, looking back on that video message from Savannah Guthrie, you can see that perhaps she knows at that point that her mom is gone and they want the body back.
Now, I mean, is this feasible? Sure. Nancy Guthrie was 84 years old. We know she didn't have her meds with her. We know that her pacemaker detached from the app on her phone 2:28 that morning, February 1st. So yes, this seems to suggest that this months-old mystery could perhaps be solved and partially in that Nancy Guthrie died early. Authorities, it appears, still have no idea who took her.
MICHAELSON: So why is this coming out now? And why weren't we told about this then?
WATT: We weren't -- well, CNN actually knew about this at the time, as did the local Arizona station that received the message. But authorities at the time and the family said, please don't release this information because we want to be able to verify future communication with this person. So they wanted it kept under wraps. So a few months later now, it is coming out. It was published by another organization.
And listen, who knows? This may kickstart something. You know, five months nearly she's been gone. And remember that video, Elex, that came out like 10 days after of the guy standing on the porch, you know, the mask?
MICHAELSON: Sure.
WATT: Investigators got a pretty good description. They got the brand of the backpack. Everybody thought that was going to be a breakthrough, but still, nearly five months later, you know, now we're beginning to understand, yes, maybe Nancy Guthrie is dead. But, you know, Pima County Sheriff's Department, they say the investigation is active and ongoing, but it doesn't appear that they have any suspects.
MICHAELSON: I mean, it really is remarkable, if you think about it, the entire world's attention, at least for that period, was on this and still nothing.
WATT: Yes. I mean, you know, they went through that house for DNA, nothing. They went -- they appealed for video -- surveillance camera from, you know, businesses, homes, nothing. That video, still nothing. But, you know, listen, one of the tragic things of this story obviously, is, you know, not knowing where your mother is.
MICHAELSON: Sure.
WATT: Now, Savannah Guthrie probably, you know, definitely still doesn't know where her mother is, but it appears she may have known pretty early on that her mother had probably passed away.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Well, we're thinking about Savannah and her whole family. And I'm sure even this coming out publicly has got to be painful for them again.
WATT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: But maybe it does lead to some leads to finally get them closure and allow them to bury their mother, if that's in fact what happened here.
Nick Watt, thanks for your reporting.
WATT: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: President Trump's top diplomat will be heading to the Middle East to discuss the agreement with Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, key U.S. allies in the region. He will also meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council. The group is expected to play a key role in implementing elements of the memorandum.
Meanwhile, there are conflicting statements from the U.S. vice president and Tehran on if nuclear inspectors will be allowed back into Iran. Iran's state media reports that Tehran did not discuss the nuclear issue during negotiations in Switzerland, and did not accept any new commitments.
Let's bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout, live from Hong Kong, with the latest.
Kristie, there is movement on easing sanctions, but progress on nuclear issues still unclear. What do we know? KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Elex, we do have these
conflicting statements over the issue of nuclear monitoring. Now earlier, we heard from the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, and he sounded this upbeat note about the status of U.S. Iran peace talks as they continue to get underway this week. And he said that Iran had agreed to accept inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA. But Tehran has pushed back, saying that it has not agreed to any new commitments in regards to its nuclear program.
The U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is zeroing in on the nuclear issue. On Monday, while he was speaking to reporters, he said this. Let's bring it up for you. U.S. President Donald Trump saying, quote, "If Iran does not live up to their agreement or if they're not behaving, I will do what I have to do," unquote. And that's the U.S. president there saying that the military action, military option remains firmly on the table.
Now, we continue to follow developments from the Strait of Hormuz of course, and Iran has agreed to set up what they're calling this telephone hotline. So the United States and other countries can coordinate and avoid any sort of misunderstandings as vessels cross through this strategic waterway. And you're looking at sort of a live visualization of the Strait of Hormuz from Marine Traffic on your screen.
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Marine Traffic data has been reporting that over the last 24 hours or so, about two dozen vessels had crossed the Strait of Hormuz. And breaking it down, that includes eight tankers and two cargo ships exiting the Gulf. It includes eight tankers and six cargo ships entering it. But still, this is just a fraction of what was then, before the war, a daily tally of about 125 ships that would cross the Strait of Hormuz on a given day.
Now, we're also following the issue of oil sanctions, and the U.S. has temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil. This is significant. This was a key commitment in the MOU. This allows Iran to sell oil crude, crude-related products and to receive payments for that. We continue to monitor the price of Brent Crude. That's the global oil benchmark. As you can see, Brent Crude is now trading about half a percent lower.
West Texas Crude, that's the U.S. benchmark for oil, that is now trading down lower about two-tenths of 1 percent. The technical talks for peace between the U.S. and Iran will continue in the days ahead, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you so much.
Now to THE STORY IS politics. Three states set to go to the polls in primary elections in just a matter of hours. And some of the most closely watched races will be in New York. That includes the 12th Congressional District, which lies entirely in Manhattan. Eight Democrats are vying for the nomination, and since the Republican hasn't held the seat since the 1960s, whoever wins Tuesday is likely to win in November as well. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A political insider.
MICAH LASHER, NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Micah Lasher. Micah for Congress here in the neighborhood.
PAZMINO (voice-over): A technocrat facing Silicon Valley opposition.
ALEX BORES, NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: When we fight --
CROWD: We win.
PAZMINO (voice-over): A former Republican turned Trump critic.
GEORGE CONWAY, NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: We are facing an existential crisis in the form of Donald Trump.
PAZMINO (voice-over): And a Kennedy scion running on his social media reach.
JACK SCHLOSSBERG, NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I will be able to change the political system just by arriving in D.C..
PAZMINO (voice-over): Just some of the candidates in the crowded Democratic primary for New York's 12th Congressional District. The race to become the new face of Manhattan.
The solid blue district, home to some of the most highly educated and politically engaged voters in the nation. And the contest has attracted big names.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jack isn't good at singing.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Jack Schlossberg, son of Caroline Kennedy and grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, has positioned himself to the left of his rivals, seeking to build a young following online.
SCHLOSSBERG: The central question in this election is who is going to be able to galvanize the support of young people, the people our party has lost over the last two decades, and build a more effective fighting force to take on Donald Trump and MAGA.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Candidates agree on several issues like abolishing ICE and opposing the war with Iran. George Conway, a former Republican once married to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, is centering his candidacy on opposition to the president.
CONWAY: We cannot fix these problems until he's gone. The cart is before the horse, if we do anything other than focus on impeaching Donald Trump. PAZMINO (voice-over): The 12th district is home to many of the city's
landmarks. Several Fortune 500 companies and Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence of Zohran Mamdani.
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK: I'm excited to see how this turns out, and I'm excited to be one of the many voters casting my vote.
PAZMINO (voice-over): While Mamdani is backing three primary candidates in New York, including two who are challenging Democratic incumbents, he is publicly staying out of this race.
MAMDANI: I'm going to be keeping my vote in this race between myself, the ballot and that incredible pen that the Board of Elections gives to every voter.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Two candidates with established political roots in the district are hoping that gives them an edge going into Tuesday. Assemblyman Micah Lasher is a former senior aide to Governor Kathy Hochul and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
LASHER: I think voters want to make sure that the next congressman is both going to push the party to be more effective in fighting against Trump and Mike Johnson and their fellow fascists.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Fellow assemblyman Alex Bores, a former computer engineer whose efforts to regulate artificial intelligence, have triggered millions in spending by Silicon Valley.
BORES: I think this district deserves more than establishment or entitlement. It deserves effectiveness.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Outside money and influence have been a major factor in the race. Lasher getting at least $5 million in a boost from Bloomberg, his former boss.
SCHLOSSBERG: The last time that a New York billionaire tried to steal a third term, Michael Lasher was right there to help him do it.
PAZMINO: Lasher has also secured the endorsement of outgoing Congressman Jerry Nadler, who is retiring after 17 terms in office.
Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Now to the World Cup, soccer sensation Lionel Messi has made World Cup history in the latest round of group stage matches.
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He is now the tournament's top all-time scorer following Argentina's win over Austria. Messi had both goals in Mondays two-nil victory, securing Argentina's spot in the upcoming knockout round. Right behind Messi for most World Cup goals is French superstar Kylian Mbappe, who scored a brace against Iraq. Despite thunderstorms and a weather delay in Philadelphia France finished strong, shutting out Iraq three-nil. France is also now on to the knockout stage.
Meanwhile, Norway topped Senegal 3-2. A pair of second half goals from star Striker Erling Haaland was enough to hold off Senegal's late-game push. And right now in Northern California, Jordan is facing off against Algeria in a must-win matchup.
Looking ahead to Tuesday's action, Portugal and Uzbekistan get things started in Houston as Ronaldo looks to secure his first win of the tournament. Then it's a showdown in Boston between England and Ghana. Across the U.S. border, Panama will face Croatia in Toronto, and Colombia takes on the Democratic Republic of Congo in Guadalajara, Mexico.
President Trump is threatening 10 years in prison for anyone vandalizing the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. We'll discuss that and more with today's political panel. They're standing by live. Brian Tyler Cohen on the left, John Ziegler on the right. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: One of the biggest trades in NBA history just went down moments ago. That's our breaking news. Sources tell ESPN's Shams Charania that the Milwaukee Bucks are trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. The deal reportedly includes Bobby Portis heading to Miami. In exchange, the Bucks are getting Tyler Herro, Jaime Hawkins, Jr., two other players, at least three future first round picks.
Giannis, at 31 years old, is a two-time MVP, 10-time All-Star and led the Bucks to an NBA championship in 2021. This trade completely changes the complexion of the Eastern Conference. More of that throughout the night.
But now back to the politics. President Trump says that vandals have damaged the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall in D.C., and they should face up to 10 years in prison. The president hasn't provided any evidence of that vandalism, but security cameras have now been installed around that pool. Five arrests have been made for alleged vandalism, and citations have been issued to five other people. But prosecutors haven't filed any formal charges.
The Reflecting Pool is clouded with algae and peeling paint despite a $14 million renovation by the Trump administration. The president says he wants the pool to be American flag blue.
Our panel here to discuss that and more. On the left is Brian Tyler Cohen, host of the "No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen" podcast. On the right, John Ziegler, host of "The Death of Journalism" podcast. And although he's on the right, not the biggest fan of President Trump.
OK, Brian, your thoughts on the Reflecting Pool.
BRIAN TYLER COHEN, HOST, "NO LIE WITH BRIAN TYLER COHEN" PODCAST: This is all bad community theater. I mean, let's be honest about what this is. Donald Trump hired a company that was not qualified to do this. They did a shoddy job, which we can all see now. The liner is coming up. And because he has such a fragile ego, because he is so delicate, as delicate as a Faberge egg, now Donald Trump has to pretend, play make-believe that in fact this was the work of elusive vandals.
And even though the Reflecting Pool is under 24/7 surveillance, we're all sitting here and watching his administration officials and right- wing acolytes all play make-believe and pretend that, yes, you're right, President Donald Trump, sir, it absolutely was these vandals. And so he's coming forward with these stories that there was a 200- foot gash and then a 250-foot gash, and then a 350-foot gash that somebody did at some point that nobody saw a gash the length of a football field.
And he apparently has video evidence from the Park Department that he refuses to release, even though that irrefutable evidence would immediately validate his story. Again, this is all just bad community theater because Donald Trump has a fragile ego, can never admit he's wrong. And this is what happens when you have incompetent governance, whether it's something as ridiculous as the Reflecting Pool or as important as the rest of the issues that he's failed at governing with.
MICHAELSON: Do you think this is sort of bad community theater? Because somebody on FOX News tonight, Sean Hannity, said that this is an example of the Democrats' reflecting on their lack of soul as a party.
JOHN ZIEGLER, HOST, "THE DEATH OF JOURNALISM" PODCAST: Well, I don't know about that. But, look, I think that this story is getting, from a media perspective, as a critic of the media, way too much attention. We have now gotten more analysis, more investigation of the reflecting pool than we did of Joe Biden's intellectual decline during the first half of 2024.
Now, as far as the Reflecting Pool itself, it's going to look great on St. Patrick's Day and for Christmas. That's right. And you guys are a little bit too giddy about this. That's the part I find most interesting. You know, the Babylon Bee, the satirical Web site, has a fake story out about a poll where the reflecting pool algae is now leading the 2020 Democratic presidential race. And I actually believe that would probably be true if they put that in the poll, because that's how giddy you people are.
You want -- you're rooting against the pool. Why? Why are you rooting against the Reflecting Pool?
COHEN: The reason everybody --
ZIEGLER: It's America's 250th birthday.
COHEN: The reason everybody is talking about this is because Trump himself inserted it into the zeitgeist, because he can't not talk about his vanity project.
ZIEGLER: I get it. But you are enjoying the fact that this isn't working way too much, and it's exposing the fact that you guys really don't like America. You know --
COHEN: Look, I love America, I don't love -- I don't like Donald Trump. That's why I'm -- that's why I'm --
(CROSSTALK)
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ZIEGLER: But you're letting Trump cloud your view of America.
COHEN: Everything is clouded as the Reflecting Pool.
MICHAELSON: And I don't like -- I don't like algae. So we're anti- algae here.
That story is still kind of silly, but the story that I think is really important is what's happening with this DNI. Bill Pulte, who bipartisan, no real credentials for this job, and is now apparently firing hundreds of people at a time when the United States is at war with Iran, at a time when we've got -- we're hosting the World Cup, have the world coming here. Is that something to be concerned about?
ZIEGLER: Yes, although apparently counterterrorism is not being touched by this. But I have my Donald Trump decoder ring. And whenever someone who is unqualified and unknown is hired for a position, it means that Trump wants to be able to control them. And the reason why Trump wants to be able to control this position is he thought that Gabby -- that Tulsi Gabbard was going to come up with evidence that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
She did not do that because it wasn't stolen from him. And that's why they're cleaning house at the DNI. And that's troubling. I mean, it shouldn't -- frankly, you know, the 2020 election was influenced by COVID and Gabbard put out this information about Dr. Fauci on Friday, which I think is actually interesting. And the medias kind of ignoring it. But I agree with those that are upset by this wave of firings and what the message that sends.
COHEN: I mean, look, the reason that Bill Pulte is in this position is because he is willing to be a hack for Trump. I mean, when he was in his previous position at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, he launched these high-profile investigations and ultimately offered up criminal referrals of a bunch of Donald Trump's opponents, Letitia James, Lisa Cook, Adam Schiff. And so he is willing to be a hack for Trump. And so that's what he wants. And if he has the opportunity to get somebody like that who has adherence to Donald Trump and not the Constitution in a position like the DNI, then he's going to be perfectly willing to do that.
MICHAELSON: You guys largely agree on that issue. You may disagree on this next one. Axios had an interesting story from CNN contributor Alex Thompson out today talking about Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, really sticking by Joe Biden in a run-up to the 2028 primary. He said a lot of nice things about him. He had his son, Hunter, on his podcast, kind of putting Kamala Harris in potentially an interesting place, if she's going to be running or not. Still unclear if she's going to.
What do you make of that strategy, John, to sort of hug Joe Biden, who polls show is one of the most unpopular presidents we've seen in a long time.
ZIEGLER: The way I view this as a conservative who loathes Newsom but understands him having watched him for over two decades in this state very closely, is that there's clearly going to be a battle within the Democratic race in 2018 between Newsom and Harris. Now, you're very familiar with both of these people.
You've interviewed both of them many times, including Harris over the weekend in Austria. And Harris once again showed that watching her answer a question can be like a 12-year-old gymnast doing the balance beam for the first time. You're holding your breath the entire moment that she's speaking. But the reality here is Newsom has to beat Harris first, because they're both from California, and Harris creates problems for Newsom.
She's a female. She's a woman of color. She was vice president. 95 percent of Democratic voters will have already cast a ballot for her for president from 2024. If he doesn't beat her, he cannot be the nominee because there's about 40 percent of Democratic voters in New Hampshire and South Carolina where it matters. Iowa doesn't matter anymore because you guys don't like white people.
But in New Hampshire and South Carolina, there's going to be about 40 percent of people who will never vote for a Californian, which means that there's a very limited path for Newsom and Harris. Newsom has to beat Harris, and this might be the way he's going to try to do it.
MICHAELSON: Iowa did a terrible job of counting ballots. That's the main reason.
ZIEGLER: That's true. That's true.
MICHAELSON: I don't know if it had to do about white people. They're just not good at counting. But your thoughts on this and this strategy, Joe Biden, who is not widely beloved by the Democratic base right now. Is that a smart strategy?
COHEN: Well, look, I think he's carving out a lane for himself, and there's going to be a lot of jockeying for different lanes within the party. I think the progressive wing may have Ro Khanna, it may have AOC. And so there are going to be different lanes that people have to occupy. I think that Gavin Newsom is probably making the judgment call here that within a more establishment lane where Joe Biden still has some degree of popularity, maybe not nationwide, but still within that lane, some degree of popularity that by attaching himself to him, by linking himself to Joe Biden, that it may pay off, especially at a time where there's pressure on Kamala Harris to do what she wouldn't do during the 2024 campaign, which was create some distance.
MICHAELSON: And it puts Harris in a tough position either way because if she creates the distance, she looks disloyal and maybe she looks inauthentic before. But if she doesn't, then she may not have a path to victory. Real quickly. Last word.
ZIEGLER: I'm on Team Harris all the way. I'll give my left pinky, at least for Newsom not to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
MICHAELSON: All right, there we go. We have to leave it there.
John, Brian, very entertaining. Great to see both of you. Thank you so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
MICHAELSON: Still ahead, parts of Europe is in the midst of a dangerous heat wave, sending locals and tourists searching for relief. More on that still to come.
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MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
Investigators looking into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance now confirm that a note believed to be from her kidnaper says that Guthrie had died.
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It was sent to media outlets just days after she went missing from her Arizona home in February. The message followed a first note demanding millions of dollars in ransom.
It's still unclear who abducted Guthrie.
Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has died. He served five terms under four presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan.
Greenspan presided over one of the strongest economic expansions in the history of the U.S., but he was later blamed for bank failures in the collapse of the housing market in the late 2000s.
Alan Greenspan was 100 years old.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be heading to the Middle East to discuss the Iran agreement with key regional allies. He will meet with officials in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
Meanwhile, Iran has agreed to set up a telephone hotline to prevent and resolve any misunderstandings with the U.S. when ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Joining me now to discuss, one of our favorite Iran experts, Benjamin Radd, senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.
Ben, welcome back to THE STORY IS. BENJAMIN RADD, SENIOR FELLOW, UCLA BURKEY CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: So, we know that J.D. Vance is just back from his own trip negotiating this. Is there a sense that Marco Rubio may be able to negotiate in a way that J.D. Vance wasn't?
RADD: You know, J.D. Vance is not a diplomat. That's not his skill set. Marco Rubio, having spent years in the Senate, and having dealt with foreign officials as part of that role, I think, has a better grasp on how to do this.
And he's there to allay some of the concerns the Gulf allies have. And I think maybe to help clean up a little bit of the inconsistency, the messaging coming from the White House.
MICHAELSON: So, what is his message? What's the Rubio message, and how is that maybe different than the Vance message?
RADD: Well, it'll be to reassure these Gulf allies that this MOU, whatever deal emerges, is not going to leave them unprotected, unprepared, unable to deal with an Iran in the future, whenever Iran emerges empowered, wealthier as a result of these sanctions being lifted, things of that nature. And how these Gulf states will still have the backing of the United States.
MICHAELSON: I mean, is that the area of biggest concerns? A lot of these Gulf states feel unprotected?
RADD: I mean, at the end of the day, we saw what happened. Iran's ballistic missiles targeted their facilities. Iran is using their ties to the United States as leverage, along with control of the Strait of Hormuz. So, this is absolutely a vulnerable point for them.
MICHAELSON: Iran also using Lebanon as leverage right now.
RADD: Yes.
MICHAELSON: That's been tied to the end of this deal, something you've talked about on this show before.
RADD: Right.
MICHAELSON: How are they doing that strategically? How is that impacting the negotiations?
RADD: Yes. So, this is linkage. Lebanon is not part of the deal. Israel, which is a party to the war, should be in the deal, but it isn't. And I should say Lebanon is not a party, but it is in the deal.
And so, what Iran has managed to do is to tell the United States, look, Lebanon is included in this. And President Trump, with the acceptance of the MOU, has agreed to that. That's a huge concession.
It's now bringing the Lebanese angle into the conflict, which means that's one more point where something can go wrong. MICHAELSON: And so, that makes it more complicated in terms of coming
to a deal, because you've got to deal with all of that, as well.
And it's also, you say, testing the relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu. Where are we at on that?
RADD: Netanyahu has elections coming up in a few months. He, on the one hand, is being pressured by Trump to not respond in Lebanon, to withdraw, and to hold back Israeli forces as Hezbollah's firing drones and rockets.
If he abides by President Trump's request, he looks bad domestically. If he defies President Trump, angering the president and straining that relationship further, he will upset his base, as well. So, he's in a no-win situation right now.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, you've talked about this blockade over and over again, and the U.S. Putting this blockade in place, which really could hurt Iran economically. And at some point, Iran basically can't survive that.
Where are we at when it comes to the blockade?
RADD: So, the lifting of the blockade and, more importantly, the lifting of the oil sanctions, which began -- there's a 60-day waiver, that gives Iran some breathing room, a lot, to basically now sell this oil and to sell it at market price.
For now, it's been selling. China is getting 90 percent of its oil from Iran. It's getting it at a discount. It knows Iran can't sell it legally. So, it's risking U.S. sanctions and everything that comes with it.
And now, Iran has -- Iran can sell it at market price, and the Chinese will have to pay that market price. So, I think it gives them a little bit more breathing room for at least these first 60 days. And then we wait and see what happens next.
MICHAELSON: So, it sounds like the bottom line of what you're saying is more leverage for Iran, as this negotiation moves forward.
RADD: It's difficult to see it any other way right now.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And we'll see what Marco Rubio is able to do in the days ahead.
Ben Radd, thank you so much for coming in.
RADD: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Coming up, British Labour Party is -- we're going to -- we're going to talk about what's happening here.
Britain's Labour Party is entering a new era after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he will step down. Newly sworn-in M.P. Andy Burnham, widely expected to succeed him as party leader. CNN's Max Foster has more from London.
[00:40:01]
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MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years ago, Keir Starmer walked through those black doors with one of the biggest mandates in modern British history.
And yet, Monday morning, he announced he was walking back out again after losing the support of his parliamentary party.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty, the king, this morning to inform him of my decision.
FOSTER (voice-over): Perhaps his best-known mistake was appointing veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, despite failing security vetting.
While Starmer said he wasn't aware of that, the scandal only compounded when the Epstein files revealed Mandelson had called the convicted pedophile his best pal.
For many in his own party, it confirmed what they already feared: Starmer's judgment couldn't be trusted.
The warning signs came again in May 2025, when the hard right U.K. Reform Party swept the local elections, ending decades of Labour dominance. The same month, more than 100 of his own lawmakers were calling for him to go.
Then, Donald Trump piled on: "Keir Starmer will resign," the U.S. president posted on Sunday, before Starmer had even said a word. "He failed badly on two very important subjects: immigration and energy."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We now come to Andy Burnham.
FOSTER (voice-over): The man almost certain to replace him, Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, whose by-election win last Friday dealt the final blow. He now had a seat in Parliament and an eye on something much bigger.
Where Starmer was a London lawyer turned party leader, Burnham's a political chameleon who built his name running Greater Manchester, speaking directly to the industrial communities that abandoned Labour for Reform.
Whether that's enough to win them back is the question his party now has to answer.
As for the man leaving, an emotional ending.
STARMER: When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job: being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife, Vic, who's been a rock by my side through good times and bad; and being the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and my joy. Thank you very much.
FOSTER (voice-over): A rare crack of character for a famously controlled politician.
Nominations for the leadership contest open July the 9th. Britain may have its seventh prime minister in a decade by the summer.
Max Foster, CNN, Downing Street, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: We'll go live to London in our next hour for more on that.
But up next, right here, Argentina's Lionel Messi has once again etched his name into the World Cup record books. We'll take a look at his latest achievement following another win in the group stages.
Max Bretos from Apple TV MLS coverage is here to break down a historic day on the pitch.
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[00:47:54]
MICHAELSON: A monumental day at the World Cup for Argentina superstar Lionel Messi. With two goals against Austria, Messi became the tournament's all-time leading scorer.
Monday's 2-0 victory also makes Messi the new record holder for all- time World Cup wins.
Defending champion Argentina is now guaranteed to advance to the knockout stage but will finish group play against Jordan on Saturday.
Joining now to break it all down is Max Bretos, play-by-play announcer for Major League Soccer on Apple TV Plus. Max, welcome back. Messi.
MAX BRETOS, PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER FOR MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, APPLE TV PLUS: Just a great day.
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, big, big players scoring big goals today. Messi. All the -- all the goals from Argentina this whole tournament are just Messi.
BRETOS: Because Argentina is Messi. They might as well call the team that.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
BRETOS: I kid. But they're, like, one and the same. So, his teammates play for Argentina, but they play for him.
And they're not deferring to him. But that's how they view it. He is the program. So, they do all the hard work. They run for him, and he scores the goal. But it is a team effort. And the thing about this, he scores a goal.
He has -- I mean, this is his best performing at the World Cup ever. I mean, five goals in two games is astronomical when you do the math. Six World Cups, he has 18. Five in two days -- or two games.
But his defense have not allowed a goal. They've allowed one shot on target. They are a really good outfit. They look better right now, small sample size, than the team that won it in 2022.
MICHAELSON: So, the player who is most likely to catch up to him with that most goals would be Kylian Mbappe, who is playing, of course, for France.
They played today against Iraq, had to deal with a whole lot of weather problems. I mean, crazy rain delay, but yet, France still won, and Mbappe still did well.
BRETOS: A lot of folks that tuned into the World Cup were saying, "You have weather delays?" Because it doesn't happen if it's in other countries.
That's something we do. We err on the side of caution. There's a lightning strike. You can't play for 30 minutes. So, the rest of the world are like, What? What is this all about?
But better safe than sorry. We saw this when FIFA had the club World Cup in the U.S. There were a lot of weather delays. This was the first one. There will be more, I am sure about it.
[00:50:01]
But it didn't faze Kylian Mbappe, so he's going to catch Messi. This is the sixth World Cup for Messi. I think it's the third World Cup for Mbappe. He has 16 goals.
MICHAELSON: In three.
BRETOS: In three. He had eight last tournament.
MICHAELSON: Wow.
BRETOS: And by the way, these guys scoring goals. The Golden Boot, the top scorer, had eight overall in the last World Cup. Prior to that, they had six and then five the one before.
So, someone's going to blow that --
MICHAELSON: Wow.
BRETOS: -- record out of the water. Someone's going to get 12 goals in this tournament. It's insane.
MICHAELSON: Why is that? Because the competition is worse?
BRETOS: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Because there's -- there's more teams?
BRETOS: I would say that. But I mean, Argentina's played Algeria, which is a very top African team. And Austria that came in with a lot of hopes and expectations.
So, he's going to -- if he plays, they're going to play Jordan next. And you would expect him to score two or -- all due respect to Jordan, you would expect him to score two or three goals there.
MICHAELSON: Because the weather can have a big impact here, because some of these games are inside --
BRETOS: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- where there's no weather at all. And then other games you're dealing with the heat, you're dealing with the rain, and people coming from all different regions.
BRETOS: Yes. And look, they have hydration breaks when their stadium's inside. So, this is just the -- the protocol. Security and safety for fans and everything. They're going to be -- they're going to be on top of it.
This is the first rain weather delay. Expect some more.
MICHAELSON: Norway. We've got to talk about their star, who looks like a real Viking.
BRETOS: He does. He looks like "Game of Thrones." Erling Haaland.
MICHAELSON: Yes, yes. Talk to us about him, because he's -- he's turning heads at this tournament.
BRETOS: The three big stars of the day, before it happened, was Messi, Mbappe, Haaland. So, Messi scores twice, then Mbappe scores twice. And then Haaland's like OK, I've got to score twice.
So, he scores twice. A big win for Norway over Iraq, which they were supposed to. But now they've beaten Senegal and Iraq. Their next game's against France. That's the final group game. That becomes one of the big games of the competition.
But the Norwegians, who haven't been in a World Cup since '98, they've come in big numbers. They have taken over Times Square. They were all over. This was the game at MetLife Stadium in New York-New Jersey.
They've become a really big story. They're good on the field, and they're good in the stands.
MICHAELSON: Yes, they do a lot of rowing, right.
BRETOS: Yes.
MICHAELSON: I mean, we're looking at some of the videos.
BRETOS: It's the Viking row. Goes whoa, whoa. It'll hurt your back. You'll see them. But they -- they get at it.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
BRETOS: They do it in escalators. They did it in Times Square. People are showing up to go see "Les Miserables," and they see these thousands of guys in red and blue Viking hats.
MICHAELSON: That looks dangerous.
BRETOS: Oh, yes. That is very dangerous. Don't do that, kids.
MICHAELSON: Yes, but they look like a lot of fun.
BRETOS: They're having a good time.
MICHAELSON: Getting to know all these people.
BRETOS: Every city that's hosting Norway or Scotland, they're over the moon, because businesses are doing pretty well, if you know what I mean.
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, well, Team USA plays next Thursday night here in a game that they don't need to win to move on to the next round. So, that'll be fun to pay attention to, as well.
Max, great to see you.
BRETOS: Great to be here. Never a dull moment at the World Cup. I know you're watching, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Yes, it's a lot of fun.
Some sad news, although a life well-lived. A titan of the music industry has passed away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLIVE DAVIS, RECORD PRODUCER AND EXECUTIVE: You look for the -- it's a natural gift within people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: We'll remember the life and career of Clive Davis, who brought us so many legendary artists in the next hour of. THE STORY IS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:57:50]
MICHAELSON: Europe is sweltering under a growing heatwave, with record temperatures expected across the continent this week. CNN's Melissa Bell reports from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is an intensifying heat wave that is spreading across Europe, from Greece all the way through to the West of the continent.
BELL (voice-over): Here in the world's fastest warming continent, we are seeing a heat wave that authorities are warning will not just intensify, but could prove much longer than average.
Already here in France, we've been seeing --
BELL: -- sweltering temperatures for the last few days, including here at the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris.
BELL (voice-over): Normally you're not allowed to swim, but they've made a special exception, with many people just seeking a little respite from these temperatures.
Some of the highest expected here in Paris today, with authorities predicting they could be some of the French capital's highest ever on record.
We saw it already on Sunday. France had its national music festival, the Fete de la Musique, across the country. In those hardest hit parts of the country, the public consumption of alcohol was banned in order to try and protect people's health. Authorities are really warning people to stay at home as much as they can.
What we're seeing are these alerts across the continent and across with red alerts here, across half of France. They're the highest level of alert, with things only likely to get worse.
What we expect is an intensification through to Wednesday. Thursday, by which time the heat wave should move Northwards. It is in the United Kingdom that they expect their heat wave --
BELL: -- to come Wednesday and Thursday.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Thank you for watching the first hour of THE STORY IS. The next hour starts right now.
THE STORY IS firing frenzy. Sources tell CNN Trump's acting director of national intelligence has begun large-scale cuts at his own agency.
THE STORY IS a bipartisan push. Democrats and Republicans can at least agree on one thing: keeping kids safe online. But will the new measures actually work?
And THE STORY IS remembering the man with the golden ears. We look back at the life and legacy of music legend Clive Davis, who discovered some of the world's biggest stars.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
