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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Clean Sweep For Mamdani-Backed Candidates; Cristiano Ronaldo The First Man To Score In Six World Cups; Senate Passes Resolution Directing Trump to End Hostilities With Iran; Rubio Kicks Off Middle East Trip As Allies Seek Answers On Iran; Scotland Fans Take Over American Baseball Stadiums; Rubio in Middle East to Discuss Iran Agreement; U.S. Easing Restrictions on Iran's World Cup Team; Heat Wave Grips Multiple European Nations; Madame Tussauds Debuts Wax Figure of F1 Champ Lando Norris. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 24, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Including Sarah McLachlan and Stevie Nicks. Organizers say proceeds from Rodrigo's event will go towards nonprofit groups focused on supporting women and girls.

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

And the story is election night in America. All three candidates backed by Zohran Mamdani win their primaries in New York. The message it sends the Democratic Party around the country.

The story is diplomatic moves. U.S. Secretary of State is in the Middle East right now as confusion reigns over nuclear inspectors in Iran.

Plus, the story is World Cup fever. Fans erupt in cheers as Cristiano Ronaldo scores in his sixth World cup tournament as Portugal blows out Uzbekistan.

It's election night in America.

My favorite song. It is election night in America. I'm Elex Michaelson. Americans across four states casting their vote in primaries and runoffs pointing towards the November midterm elections.

And the big story we're following is a clean sweep for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Knicks almost swept their series, and Mamdani did even better than them. All three candidates he endorsed won their House Democratic primaries, including Brad Lander, who upset incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman in New York's 12th district, which Mamdani did not get involved in. CNN projects state assembly member Michael Lasher will advance to the general election.

Eight candidates were vying for the chance to replace Representative Jerry Nadler after 17 terms in Congress. That race featured bids from JFK's grandson Jack Schlossberg and George Conway, longtime Republican ex-husband of Trump's 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. Tough night for George Conway.

In South Carolina, CNN can project a winner in the Republican governor's runoff. State Attorney General Alan Wilson will defeat Lieutenant Governor Pamela Yvette. Yvette was backed by Donald Trump first, but when it looked like she wasn't going to win, the president also endorsed Wilson last week, saying, quote, it can't go wrong. By backing both candidates.

President Trump says he plans to push for a controversial elections overhaul bill when he meets with Senate Republicans in the next few hours. For months now, he's been urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act despite repeated insistence from senators within his own party that there are simply not enough votes.

The president dismissed those warnings during a visit to swing state Pennsylvania on Tuesday, telling a crowd of supporters that he will talk about with Senate Majority Leader John Thune about that.

Meantime, a rare bipartisan bill on housing affordability has passed both chambers and is headed to President Trump's desk for his signature. Landmark legislation sets the stage for the most sweeping federal housing package in a generation. The bill aims to tackle America's housing affordability crisis, primarily through increased supply and encouraging local governments to reform zoning and permitting restrictions.

The bill also includes a first of its kind limit on private equity, prohibiting large investors from buying up single family homes.

Our panel tonight here to talk about all of it. Melanie Mason is the California bureau chief for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO's California Playbook. And Michael Genovese, a political analyst and president of Loyola Marymount University's Global Policy Institute. He's also the author of the Modern Presidency. Welcome back to both of you.

Let's talk about New York's 12th congressional district because there was a lot of star power in this race, probably more written about this race than any other congressional race in the country because of course, it happens in Manhattan. It's the wealthiest congressional district and it's where most of the media is. So amazing how that happens.

Let's put up the leaderboard. Michael Lasher ends up winning even though he did not get the most national attention. This is a guy who was backed by Jerry Nadler, who has been the long term incumbent.

Alex Bores, whose whole campaign was about fighting AI, comes in second. Jack Schlossberg, JFK's grandson, comes in third. And George Conway comes in fifth. At the end of the day in all of this. Interesting. What happened here. I mean, how do you think Lasher pulled this off?

MELANIE MASON, CALIFORNIA BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO: Well, I think part of this does sort of speak to the strength in some cases about the Democratic establishment. I mean, as you pointed out, Congressman Nadler had backed Lasher. Lasher was a state assembly member. He has been involved in Democratic politics in the region for a very long time. And I think those relationships really mattered.

And I think in some ways you had so many storylines in this race that maybe this was a case of sort of slow and steady and kind of the guy that people have seen for a long time actually been able to pull ahead while there were so many other shiny objects.

MICHAELSON: And one of those storylines, Michael, was artificial intelligence.

[01:05:00]

A lot made about, you know, different AI companies backing different candidates. That was talked a lot about in the debates. It was almost a single issue for Alex Bores, who came close in this. And one of the first races we've seen around the country where AI is such an important part of the race.

MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: And, you know, it's on the minds of almost everyone in America and there's a lot of confusion about it. And so is it going to be good for us? Is it going to be bad? More jobs, fewer jobs.

This was a race that the AI folks got behind Bores's opponent and funded him. It was the most expensive race of the year, I think almost $30 million spent. And so a lot of the money went opposing Bores. And it just shows you how powerful they are as a force.

That it's going to, you know, they are powerful. They have money and they will put their money behind a candidate. And so I think that's also a warning shot that AI is not going to be tolerating too much discussion of regulation and controls on them. So I think this is a -- this was a big win for AI and a big loss for those who want to regulate it.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Because Bores was basically saying, I'm going to be the main guy in Congress to regulate AI. Now he's not going to be in Congress.

Meanwhile, Jack Schlossberg, who obviously has a huge name, the most social media followers, like we talked about in the L.A. mayor's race, Spencer Pratt had way more social media followers, got way more attention, but ultimately did not get the voters.

MASON: Well, that's right. And I think it's a good reminder that online popularity does not necessarily translate to votes. And I think particularly because as an online influencer, Schlossberg was going after really the most inconsistent of voters. Right. Younger voters.

And I think particularly in this district where you do have a lot of older voters who are sort of stalwart Democratic voters who are going to show up at every primary, every general. I think maybe trying to go for the voters that are a little bit less reliable was not necessarily a winning plan. MICHAELSON: And also, what was his message? I mean, he's clearly good at talking and getting attention, but what is he talking about?

MASON: Well, look, we have seen elsewhere in the country some, you know, challengers wanting to bring out this, like, generational argument. Right. Democrats need a younger, fresher face for the party, but I think, A, It's kind of hard to do that when you are part of the Kennedy dynasty. Right. Like, how fresh of a face are you really going to be.

And also, I do think that, you know, just being a fresh face is not enough. You sort of do have to articulate what that new perspective will be. It's not just enough to say, I'm new and exciting.

MICHAELSON: Right. And one person who is new and exciting for a lot of folks in New York is Mayor Zohran Mamdani. And what a big night for him. He backed three candidates. All of them won, beating back establishment candidates, including the chair of the Hispanic Caucus, wasn't able to win. Dan Goldman, who had helped run the impeachment for Nancy Pelosi, got his -- her backing. He wasn't able to win.

What does this say about where Democrats are? What does this say about the strength of Hakeem Jeffries if he becomes the speaker of the House and what kind of caucus he's going to have?

GENOVESE: I think one of the things it says is that Democrats are looking for something to believe in, something to get passionate about. And if you look at Mamdani, the guy has kind of a charisma, he has a buoyancy, he smiles a lot. And you contrast that to Donald Trump, who seems to be cranky most of the time. And the Democrats were trying to find that, I think that hopeful message that Mamdani did very deliberately, I think the message he tries to push.

And so I think that might be what the Democrats are looking for. Energy, optimism, and hope.

MICHAELSON: And, you know, is this going to be the Tea Party movement? Because you think about what happened in 2010 for the Republicans when there was a lot of anger in their base. They elected sort of a fresh wave of people who weren't necessarily the traditional establishment folks, and we're still dealing with that all these years later.

MASON: Yes, I think that there's absolutely potential for this to be sort of recasting the direction of the Democratic Party. But I also think it's worth remembering that throughout this primary season, we have data points kind of backing up both narratives. Right.

I mean, you have certainly victories for the establishment like we just talked about with, with New York 12 or here in California. I mean, look, who is the Democratic nominee for governor. It's Javier Becerra, who has been in office for 30 years or has had a, you know, government role. And so, you know, that is not an insurgent candidacy at all.

And so it's a little bit of choose your own adventure. In Los Angeles, for example, you know, the DSA -- City Council members all won their reelection. So did the most conservative members of L.A. City Council. So I think that there's proof points on both sides.

MICHAELSON: At a time when all politics is national, there still is some truth in all politics is local. We remember when Mamdani won his election that very same night. Abigail Spamberger won in Virginia, a moderate candidate in a more moderate state. So sometimes knowing the makeup of the electorate is really important.

Going back to Spencer Pratt, that's the challenge in running in a very, very Democratic area, running somebody with a Republican background.

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Melanie, Michael, great to see both of you. Thanks for being with us throughout the night on this election night in America, when we got to hear that great song, when we get to listen to it. Thank you so much to both of you.

President Trump is firing back at the U.S. Senate after they voted to limit his war powers in Iran. He posted this on Truth Social saying in part quote, the U.S. Senate decides to have a poorly timed and meaningless War Powers Act vote telling the number one sponsor of terror in the world that the United States does not like what I am doing to them and must -- I must stop and by doing so has provided aid and comfort to the enemy.

President Trump also blasted members of his party who voted in favor of that resolution. The measure which passed on Tuesday, directs the president to remove military forces from the conflict with Iran. But as you heard, doesn't really sound like the president plans on listening to it anytime soon.

President Trump's top diplomat is in the Middle East right now to hear what Gulf allies are saying about the U S. Iran agreement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Abu Dhabi. He will then travel to Kuwait and Bahrain. This is the latest round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are taking place in Washington. Although Tehran insists the issues are linked to negotiating with Iran. Rubio says Lebanon separate talk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's separate because Lebanon is a sovereign country. Now there's an Iranian issue with regards to Lebanon and that is their support and sponsorship of Hezbollah. And so factor will be discussed as part of our conversations with the Iranians. But as far as the future of Lebanon, the future of Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese people through their sovereign elected government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: We're also hearing conflicting statements about the U.S.- Iran agreement. Despite Tehran's denial, President Trump claims that Iran has agreed to new nuclear inspections. Eleni Giokos is live in Abu Dhabi with the latest. What do we expect to see in this hour from the Secretary of State?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's made it very clear that he's here to listen. And importantly for regional allies, it's about where they stand in terms of long term security. The Secretary of State was talking about a separate issue when it comes to Israel and Lebanon and that deviates quite extensively from what Iran has consistently been saying, that if there's a ceasefire, it must always include Lebanon. And in fact, that has derailed cease fire issues. It's delayed talks. And importantly, Iran uses the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage. Any time you see Israeli strikes into Lebanon.

The other important issue here is so it's not just in Abu Dhabi here in the uae, but also for Kuwait as well as Bahrain. That is the trip that Rubio will be making is to ensure that they are convinced of this memorandum of understanding of the framework that's on the table.

What it does not include is Iran's ballistic missile program. And that of course could be a sticking point for the region. I also want you to take a listen to what Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian said on this issue. He says it wasn't included in the MoU.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The issue of our missiles does not exist in the memorandum we had and it never will. If we did not have our missiles, which were for our self- defense, Israel and America would have attacked Iran like they did Gaza, showing no mercy to anyone, young or old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Right. So very different to what we're hearing across the board. And of course there's a 60-day window. Right, Elex, to try and work through these issues.

The other one is the nuclear problem. President Trump and Washington has been consistently saying that Iran has committed to further nuclear inspections. Iran says that they have not agreed to this. And of course that is going to be something that we'll see, I think come to the forefront in the next few days.

And it really, the big flashpoint is the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says they're opening it up. They've also posted on their Twitter page, on their page saying that the Persian Gulf Strait Authority will allow vessels to pass through if they fill in a form. There's also been a joint statement between Oman and Iran about future navigation through the straits. So there's a lot at stake right now as diplomacy is at the forefront.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And yet it seems like not a lot of understanding when it comes to that memo of understanding.

GIOKOS: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Eleni Giokos for us in Dubai, not in Abu Dhabi. Thank you so much for your reporting at this hour. And good morning to you.

Israeli forces are continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. That is according to an independent United Nations commission. That's what they say. It is new reporting which finds that Israel is deliberately targeting Palestinian children, saying that is a key indicator of Israeli authorities genocidal intent to destroy the Palestinian people.

The Commission says Israel is causing, quote, unprecedented death, injury and trauma to children in Gaza. The report also details Israel's continued attacks in Gaza and its blocking of humanitarian and medical aid to Palestinians.

[01:15:04]

Israel's government has repeatedly denied committing genocide. Temperatures soaring in France and much of Europe will tell you what people there are doing to stay cool.

Plus, the battle for a spot in the World Cup knockout round has fans on the edge of their seats. Results from the latest matchups, including a stunning finish between England and Ghana and Scottish fans having the time of their lives. The first World Cup in almost three decades. CNN caught up with some of the tartan arm they took over Miami's baseball stadium.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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MICHAELSON: World Cup group stages are heating up ahead of the upcoming knockout round. Earlier, Colombia won their match against the Democratic Republic of Congo, 1 nil in a critical game for group K.

Another action Tuesday, Ghana held England to a nil draw in Boston. A missed header late in the game gave English striker Henry Kane a chance to score. They kicked the rebound shot high out of play.

Meanwhile in Houston, Portugal steamrolled Uzbekistan despite a slow start to the tournament. Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo got hot, scoring two goals in Portugal's five nil blowout. Ronaldo now has scored a goal in six separate World Cups, setting a new FIFA record. Portugal fans, beyond excited, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENDA SILVA, PROTUGAL FAN: I'm so proud of him because he's like such an example to the young kids and I see it every day with the kids, like how they look up to him.

AAMNA KHALID, PORTUGAL FAN: This was the best day of my life. I'm so happy I got to see Ronaldo score two goals. I've waited so long to see this in real life and I think the whole team works so well together. Portugal.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: Earlier on World Sport, airing on CNN International, our Don Riddell spoke with senior sports analyst Darren Lewis. This was his reaction after Ronaldo's red hot performance on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARREN LEWIS, CNN SENIOR SPORTS ANALYST: It left me kind of thinking, welcome back, Cristiano Ronaldo. We thought we'd lost you because he's the most famous number seven in the world, as you've been saying. But he's back in business at this World Cup and I'll tell you now, Don, and I'm sure you'll be well aware anyway, the golden ticket at this World Cup, and you and I have been to one or two, was held by the fans who saw him become the first player to score in six World Cups at 41 years and 138 days, which makes him the second oldest scorer ever at a World Cup behind the Cameroon legend Roger Milla, who scored in 1994.

And you're right, you know, Ronaldo's celebration, though for us England fans it was reminiscent of Stuart Pearce at Euro '96, a real outpouring of emotion. He clearly felt the pressure. He was clearly determined to show the world that the magic had not yet gone. And now he's rolling with the big dogs in that fight for the World Cup golden boot.

The world was willing to get him to score a hat trick. He couldn't do it, but he's still three behind and that leaves him three behind Lionel Messi. But I think he will say to himself tonight as he watches CNN World Sport job done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Starting on Wednesday, the Group stages will hold six matches per day in the lead up to the knockout rounds. Some of the most highly anticipated games include Scotland showdown against Brazil and Miami, followed by Mexico playing on home soil against Chechnya.

This World Cup marks the first time Scotland has qualified in almost 30 years. And Scottish fans, known as the Tartan army, are having a blast in the U.S. even enjoying America's favorite pastime. CNN's Randi Kaye caught up with some of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're looking for the Scottish World cup fans, they're not hard to find.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love to party. Any sport event. We love to drink. We love to party.

KAYE: Is the stadium going to run out of beer tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Absolutely. We need to phone up Scotland and say, can you send more beer? Because we're going to drink it all tonight.

KAYE: Scotland hasn't been to the World Cup in nearly three decades, so the soccer fans who came here to the U.S. for the games are certainly making the most of it. But it's not just soccer that has them cheering. It's baseball.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love baseball. We know the one song you've got. It goes like this. And that's all we really know.

KAYE (voice-over): Scottish fans call themselves the Tartan Army. In between World Cup matches, they've been taking over stadiums in host cities. In Miami, the Marlins team dubbed Monday night's game the Tartan takeover after about eight tickets were purchased by Scottish fans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are here to see Scotland play Brazil, so we thought we would just come and see the baseball and support the Fighting Fish.

KAYE: What do you think makes the Scottish fans so unique?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, no one else wears kilts. We have lots of fabulous songs.

KAYE (voice-over): And where the Scots go, the party follows.

KAYE: Many of these Scottish fans have never attended a U.S. baseball game, but that doesn't seem to be getting in the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He throws it and he hits it as far as he can. Is there more than that?

KAYE: Can you explain the rules of the game to me here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a Scottish man, I would say there's a man throwing a ball at another man who's trying to hit it out the park, and nine times out of ten, he misses.

[01:25:02]

KAYE: Do you think they should just use a bigger ball out here? Would that make more sense to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say a bigger ball or a bigger bat.

KAYE (voice-over): The Marlins lost to the Texas Rangers 4-3, but that didn't dampen the Tartan Army's spirits.

KAYE: I don't think there's anybody happier in America right now than the Tartan army and the Scots. I got so many random hugs and so much beer spilled on me, but it was worth it. Of course, they are a great group and many of them are going to be back here for another Marlins game tonight. Not as many fans though.

I am told by the Marlins that they broke a record for attendance at Monday night's game. More tickets were sold on a Monday night since 2017 and they credit the Scots for that. But of course, Wednesday is the big game. That's when Brazil takes on Scotland in the World cup here in Miami. Randi Kaye, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MICHAELSON: They're their own little economic boost for every city that they come to. That's amazing. 8,000 fans going to that game. Randi Kaye. Thank you. That was fun.

The U.S. Secretary of state is getting in plenty of miles. He's talking with Gulf allies who were targeted by Tehran during the course of the Iran war. We'll bring you the latest as he's on the move this hour. Take you there live. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:29:48]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.

Let's take a look at today's top stories.

We're following results from primary elections and runoffs across the U.S. Both major parties looking to tip the scales in their favor when the November midterms come around.

In Utah, CNN projects incumbent Celeste Maloy will win the Republican primary in the 3rd House district. She's favored to win in the newly- redrawn district.

Jury deliberations begin in a few hours here in L.A. in the trial of the Palisades Fire suspect. Prosecutors argue that Jonathan Rinderknecht was angry at the world when he allegedly started a fire near the Pacific Palisades community in January of last year. The defense says there's no evidence he started the fire and that he actually called 911 for help.

U.S. Secretary of State is visiting key Gulf allies to discuss the Iran agreement. Marco Rubio says it is to, quote, "make sure that their views are taken into account".

He's currently in the U.A.E., then traveled to Kuwait and Bahrain. All three countries which house U.S. military bases were targeted by Iran during the course of the war.

Joining me now live is Arezou Rezvani, a reporter with NPR who has reported on the region. Welcome back to the show. Good to see you.

Secretary of State Rubio is out and about this hour expecting to be meeting with folks right now in that region. You say he's doing damage control for VP Vance. Why?

AREZOU REZVANI, NPR REPORTER: Well, as America's top diplomat, Secretary of State Rubio is out there really to reassure Gulf allies. Now that the Memorandum of Understanding has been out for several days, we know that there are a lot of missing details from what could turn out to be a deal. And that has been a cause for concern for a lot of the Gulf countries.

And so Secretary of State Rubio is really out there to answer questions to smooth over any concerns they might have. Because if you look at the text, there are some really key details that are missing.

One of the biggest ones being there's no sense of whether there will be any restrictions on missiles, for example. And as we know, during the height of the war, there were quite a few missiles lobbed at some of the Gulf states.

MICHAELSON: And really, a Memorandum of Understanding is just a memo to say we're going to keep talking --

REZVANI: Correct.

MICHAELSON: -- right, and gives them 60 days to try to negotiate a real deal, which is really what's most important.

You've been talking to people in the region, in Iran as well, throughout this process. What are you hearing in terms of reaction to this memo?

REZVANI: I've been talking to people from all kinds of political leanings across the political spectrum, and it's interesting that people who are pro-regime and anti-regime are both really, really frustrated with this deal.

People who back the Iranian government, the Islamic Republic, have said to me that they don't want the Iranian government to engage with the United States. They want the fight to keep going, and they don't want to give in.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have people who were very excited about this war and excited about the prospect of regime change, which is what President Trump promised at the outset of the war, and feel that they have been betrayed by him.

And so there's a great deal of disappointment for various reasons. But there's also this sense of relief that, at least for now, there will not be war.

However, there's also concern that once the midterm elections are wrapped up and finished, that perhaps President Trump might restart the war, that perhaps he's just buying time.

MICHAELSON: Yes, because I remember talking to you earlier in the process and certainly here in southern California, there were a lot of people, thousands of people that went out in the streets celebrating this idea that the Iranian regime might be ending. A regime that many of them believe killed their family members and are the reason that they're not in Iran. They're not getting what they want out of this deal.

REZVANI: No, I think what they have realized is that the Iranian government and the way that the Iranian -- the Islamic Republic was designed, was designed to last.

[01:34:50]

REZVANI: And I think that there's been widespread disappointment across the field over what's happened.

MICHAELSON: Also interesting, you have been covering for NPR Iran playing in the World Cup. And the players being here and sort of Iranian-Americans reacting in different ways to them being here. The American fans that don't have a connection to Iran, and also the players.

Starting with the fact that you say that the players are sort of being surveilled everywhere they go.

REZVANI: Yes. It's interesting. The head coach of Iran's national team, Amir Ghalenoei, says -- said after one of the post-game pressers that he believes that the team is the most oppressed of all the teams at the tournament.

And it is true that the United States has made life very difficult for the players. They issued visas only days before they started the World Cup. They denied visas for a number of support staff. They put travel restrictions on the team. And so life has not been easy for this team.

However, there's a great deal of oppression that comes from Iran as well. Whenever athletes leave Iran, they are very closely monitored and surveilled for fear that they might seek asylum, that they might defect. And so it's a very difficult place to be an athlete.

MICHAELSON: And you've talked to fans. What are they telling you?

REZVANI: People have very different opinions about this game. There are people who believe that this team is an extension of the government, and they refuse to watch the game. They refuse to buy tickets because they don't want to support anything that has to do with the Islamic Republic.

And there are people who just desperately want a break from a really brutal year and they are looking at the World Cup as a reason to come together, to celebrate, to find some pride in Iran again.

And so there's been a lot of disagreement within the Iranian community about how to view this moment.

But I will say, having gone to the game and talked to a number of people, I have found that even those who have a hard time supporting this team, they still, at the end of the day, do find quite a bit of excitement and they have a hard time not watching and not cheering when their teams do make goals.

MICHAELSON: And of course, the players have nothing to do with the political decisions. They just want to play football.

REZVANI: That's right. They are stuck in a very difficult situation. Many of them come from poor parts of the country. Very humble beginnings, and they are not in a position to speak out against the government. The price is quite high for those who do, and so they are just really focused on the game.

MICHAELSON: Arezou Rezvani, we can check out your reporting at NPR. Thank you so much for --

REZVANI: Thank you so much.

MICHAELSON: -- bringing it to us here on THE STORY IS. We appreciate it. It'll be interesting to see what happens next --

REZVANI: Indeed.

MICHAELSON: -- with that Iranian team as well.

THE STORY IS -- DNI downsizing. Sources tell CNN Donald Trump's hand- picked acting Director of National Intelligence, Bill Pulte, has fired six political appointees installed by his predecessor, Tulsi Gabbard. He's also removed 45 career intel officials who were on joint assignment.

The president chose Pulte, a housing official with zero experience in intelligence, to make drastic cuts at the agency. One source says there could be as many as two dozen additional firings in the coming weeks, but stressed that Pulte has been speaking with career intel officials about the planned cuts.

The U.S. Justice Department has charged 455 people for their alleged participation in health care fraud and abuse schemes. That includes $6.5 billion worth of false claims that resulted in significant harm to patients, including death. The defendants include 90 doctors and other health care professionals.

It comes as the Trump administration continues to crack down on Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche says this is just the beginning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: -- back the money, the luxury cars, the jewelry and these alleged fraudsters will face justice. The coordinated actions of the past two weeks have resulted in over $182 million in cash and other assets seized, making clear our health care fraud enforcement efforts generate a significant return on investment for our taxpayers

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Temperatures are soaring across much of Europe. How residents and tourists are coping. After the break, we'll talk to one of the top meteorologists in the region about what's coming next.

[01:39:19]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: A major heat wave has people sweltering across Europe, with France at the epicenter of the extreme weather. Tuesday was the hottest day on record in France, and Wednesday could be even hotter.

The heat forced officials to close the Eiffel Tower, leaving some tourists disappointed.

Extreme temperatures also disrupting transportation in Switzerland. Officials say the high temperatures can cause railroad tracks to expand, creating potential safety concerns.

And in the U.K., hundreds of schools are either closing or moving to half days. Officials are also warning of severe impacts on energy and water. Some people are struggling to cope with the unusually high temperatures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I came here quickly. I haven't even had my coffee this morning. I run here to buy an electric fan, maybe an air conditioner, but really there aren't any left.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Paris when temperatures go higher than 25 degrees, it's just hell on earth. It's catastrophic in the transport system.

No, I'm not sleeping well, but I don't think I'm the only one.

Of course I'm worried for the coming years. We've known about this climate change for a while, and no one does anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Akshay Deoras of the National Center for Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Reading in U.K., joins me live right now from there. Good morning to you. First off, do you have air conditioning where you are?

[01:44:45]

AKSHAY DEORAS, NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF READING, U.K.: Good morning.

No, I don't have an air con and I believe it's pretty much the same story for many people in the U.K.

MICHAELSON: Which is part of the story that some folks that are watching us in America may not understand why this is such a big deal.

Because there is not the air conditioning infrastructure in place. So all of a sudden, if it's 111 degrees and you have no air conditioning, that's a catastrophic situation for you.

From a meteorological perspective, why is this happening?

DEORAS: So at the moment, what we are seeing is that we are seeing a high-pressure build-up, and that is sitting right over the parts of the U.K. It's basically between the U.K. and western Europe.

So high pressure leads to clear sky conditions. It basically allows temperatures to rise because it's summer. There is a lot of sunshine available. High pressure also traps heat. It basically puts a lid on the air. And

what would happen is that the air will heat up further.

And the combination of this is basically supported by global warming. So we know that Europe is really, really heating up quite fast.

Like if you just look at from 1980s, it's accelerating and it's basically heating at the rate of double the global average temperatures at the moment.

So this is providing a natural springboard for the occurrence of heat waves.

MICHAELSON: And you say that climate change is also making these heat waves more often, right, and a lot less unusual.

DEORAS: That's right. So heat waves are pretty much naturally occurring phenomena. And, you know, like I said, you know, whenever we have a clear high-pressure system set up, it will lead to a heat wave.

But what climate change, and in particular, global warming, which comes from the emission of greenhouse gases. So unfortunately, we continue to emit a lot of greenhouse gases. These gases act like a blanket. They trap heat.

And this is actually increasing the baseline temperatures, which means that whenever we have a high pressure, clear sky, it becomes very easy to trigger not just a heat wave, but a severe heat wave, which is what we are seeing at the moment.

MICHAELSON: So those are some of the big picture, long -erm sort of issues here. Short-term, our friends waking up in Europe right now want to know what's it going to be like today? What's it going to be like tomorrow? When do we get some relief? So give us a forecast.

DEORAS: So we are now into the middle of the heat wave. And just to give you a bit of a context, in the U.K. we have got a red warning for extreme heat. It's only the second time since July 2022 that we have got a red warning.

And that means that this is basically a danger to life if people don't take it seriously. It's pretty much the same scenario for parts of Europe, particularly western Europe, like France, Italy, and we have got Spain. Everyone is heating up quite rapidly.

And you know, this kind of situation is expected to continue for a day or two, depending on where you are in Europe and in the U.K.

And then we shall see temperatures going down. But I should also tell you one more thing, at least in the U.K., there's another thing that's going on which is high humidity.

So generally we get heat waves that are dry, but when it's humid we find it very difficult to cool down because human bodies primarily cool down when the sweat evaporates.

And at the moment, you know, it's very humid outside where I'm in the U.K. So it's really difficult for me to cool down.

MICHAELSON: Akshay Deoras, thank you very much for sharing your insights. And best of luck to you dealing with the heat and trying to stay cool in the hours ahead.

Severe storms have been tearing through parts of the eastern and midwestern United States. One of those storms hit northern Virginia, not far from the nation's capital, toppling trees and power lines. A number of homes and vehicles were damaged as well.

In Oklahoma, flash flooding swamped roads and stranded drivers in their vehicles. Emergency crews carried out water rescues after officials issued their highest flood alert for nearly 4,000 people.

And in Utah, fast-moving wildfires fueled by extreme drought and strong winds, are threatening homes and forcing people to evacuate.

So with all of that in mind, what if your home could survive a wildfire, a hurricane or a flood?

After the Pacific Palisades fire destroyed his fiancee's family home, HGTV star, Jonathan Scott, is rebuilding it with technology designed to withstand extreme disasters.

We will tell you how it works, why it's more energy efficient, and why it's attracting attention around the world.

That's tomorrow on THE STORY IS.

Still ahead on this edition of THE STORY IS, Formula 1 champion Lando Norris gets the wax treatment at Madame Tussauds in London. The racing star's reaction when we come back.

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MICHAELSON: Big night in the NBA. The next class of NBA stars getting a glimpse into their future on draft night.

The Washington Wizards selected BYU forward AJ Dybantsa Isa with the number one pick in tonight's draft. He played one season for the Cougars, averaging more than 25 points per game.

The Utah Jazz selected Kansas guard Darren Peterson with the second overall pick. The Jayhawks freshman averaged just over 20 points a game.

Meta has announced a new line of A.I.-powered smart glasses. The company says they'll be cheaper than other models, starting at $299. They'll also be designed in-house, including a model by Kylie Jenner.

It's a departure for Meta, which has previously collaborated with brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley for its smart glasses.

[01:54:46] MICHAELSON: The new ones can play music, translate languages and even answer questions about your surroundings while you're wearing them. Think about that. Wow.

Formula 1 fans will recognize the latest addition to Madame Tussauds in London that is reigning champion Lando Norris, or at least a wax figure of the 26-year-old driver. It features his McLaren race suit and a replica of the helmet he wore when he won the World Drivers' Championship at last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Madame Tussauds said it is the first wax figure of the F1 superstar. It is on track to go on display for the public next week.

Isn't that wild seeing the two of them? Wow, look at that.

The British-born Norris had this reaction when seeing it.

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LANDO NORRIS, FORMULA 1 CHAMPION: To feel immortalized by Madame Tussauds is incredible. It's something, yes, I guess a lot of people dream of having or getting done. And it's odd. I mean, it's a very odd sensation to see myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: It is a very odd sensation. Think about how weird that must be.

A team of New Zealanders have thrown themselves into a 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition.

They traveled to southern China to take part in a drifting dragon boat race, successfully steering the longboat through extremely difficult turns at full speed.

The race is part of the Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place in cities across China.

Thanks so much for watching THE STORY IS.

I'm Elex Michaelson in Los Angeles. We appreciate you being with us for ELECTION NIGHT IN AMERICA.

We'll see you tomorrow for more.

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