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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Quake Toll Rises To Around 235 Dead And 4,300 Injured; Supreme Court Hands Trump Two Wins On Immigration; U.S. Clinches Top Spot In Group D Despite 3-2 Loss To Turkey; Hundreds Die as Europe Endures More Record-Breaking Heat; Search and Rescue Efforts Ongoing in Venezuela Amid Rising Death Toll; U.S. Fans Indulge in Donuts as Group Stage Ends. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 26, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: World Cup nail-biter. Team USA losing a tight match to Turkey, but the dream continues. We're live at the stadium in Englewood with highlights and reaction from the team.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michelson.
[01:00:21]
MICHAELSON: The top story is in Venezuela. The country is reeling from two massive earthquakes. The health minister says more than 230 people are dead, more than 4,300 people are injured, and those figures are expected to rise potentially dramatically. Interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, and top officials visited the hardest-hit areas a few hours ago to assess the crisis. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, now into the second night since the quakes caused extensive destruction.
Officials say the priority at this hour is to rescue people who remain trapped under rubble or are missing. Venezuela has felt nearly 140 aftershocks following two powerful earthquakes Wednesday evening. The first, magnitude 7.2, less than a minute later, a stronger quake struck, a magnitude 7.5, the strongest hit the country since 1900. The world now responding to help. Mexico sending troops to assist, neighboring Colombia, Spain, China, the E.U., all pledging support. Elite rescue teams from the U.S. now deploying to Venezuela.
Trump administration announced $150 million in aid, along with military forces, aircraft, and other resources.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We took over Venezuela in less than one day, and the oil is flowing, and we're getting along with them great. We're going to, by the way, help them where they're big. They had a tremendous earthquake last night that you read about, massive, like a massive in Caracas. But we're going to help them out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: A close look at the damage in Venezuela reveals a tragic common thread between many of the buildings that came crashing down. CNN's Bill Weir explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Venezuela reels from two devastating earthquakes, the rush to rescue survivors is facing a significant challenge because of the way many buildings collapsed. CNN reviewed dozens of videos of the destruction and noted a deadly pattern common after major earthquakes.
Many of those residential towers suffered what's called a pancake collapse. When a building falls into itself, with each floor stacking atop the one below.
NECATI CATBAS, CIVIL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA: What happens is the first story collapses and then the others, others and then people are stuck in the floors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are walking in Los Palos Grandes.
WEIR (voice-over): CNN was on scene in Caracas after this 15-story residential building crumbled. If you look at a photo of that same building from before the quake, each story was around 10-feet tall. But now, the space between each floor is compressed into just a couple of feet. That's why pancake collapses are so dangerous.
The weight of debris weighing down on each floor doesn't leave survivors as many gaps or air pockets as a building that falls to one side. And a pancake collapse makes rescue all the more complicated. Any movement could bring more heavy debris crashing down.
CATBAS: The search and rescue is a very important and very specialized operation in these cases because you don't want to put your search and rescue mission people in harm's way.
WEIR (voice-over): Search and rescue teams are beginning to dig into the building. While nearby families of those trapped inside wait, hoping against hope their loved ones will soon be pulled from that debris. But the scale of the damage is overwhelming. And it comes at a time when Venezuela remains in deep political and financial crisis.
Bill Weir, CNN New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: We are joined now by Claudia Manresa, the regional manager in Venezuela for Project Hope. She joins us from Caracas. Thanks so much for being with us. Project Hope is a relief organization on the ground. And I'm just curious, after experiencing this earthquake yourself, now having more than 24 hours to process it, to be out and about. What are you seeing on the ground right now?
CLAUDIA MANRESA, REGIONAL MANAGER IN VENEZUELA, PROJECT HOPE: It is devastating what we're seeing. But I am one of the lucky ones that get to not only tell this experience, but have the chance to work to relieve the suffering of the people of my own country. What we're seeing on the streets, it's heartbreaking. Definitely, the country was not prepared for two earthquakes on less than 30 seconds apart. It is devastating. But everyone in the streets are trying to help each other and trying to help everyone find their loved ones.
MICHAELSON: What is Project Hope and what are you doing right now?
MANRESA: We're a humanitarian organization. We provide health services around the globe. Currently, in Venezuela, we just assess the reality of what's going on in the health care facilities. We have been implementing health programs in Venezuela since 2019. We're currently supporting more than 55 health care centers around Venezuela.
[01:05:20]
Today we got the chance to visit La Guaira, which is almost 30-40 minute drive from Caracas, the capital city, to assess the needs of the health care centers, of the health providers and the needs of the communities that were most affected by the earthquake.
MICHAELSON: And, of course, people can donate if they're interested at projecthope.org. Now that's your day job, but you're also a regular person who experienced this earthquake just like anybody else. Talk to us on a human level. What did it feel like to be in the middle of these two massive quakes?
MANRESA: Yes, it was absolutely terrifying. I was just having lunch with a friend and her dog. We were at a mall, and first we thought it was the dog moving around the table when we found out it was an earthquake, so it was really shocking.
We tried to, like, help each other and be there for each other while this happened. We thought the earthquake was done when then it started increasing again, and that was absolutely, yes, horrific for us and for all the people around us. We were at this mall. There were, like, a huge glass wall, and it totally collapsed behind us, so it is scary.
Of course, immediately I started to call my sister, my father, and my cousins, my nephews, and we -- I didn't get response from anyone, so we just decided to get our car and start to drive around Caracas to see if we could find, like, our parents at the least, and seeing all the buildings collapsed, buildings where I had friends that lived there, not being able to communicate with my loved ones, it is really -- it is a terrible experience, but as I said before, I'm one of the lucky ones. I get to do this job.
I get to support the people of my own country, and that makes me really, really proud, so if anyone can visit projecthope.org and support us in this very difficult time for Venezuela, I, not only as a humanitarian aid worker, but as a Venezuelan, I will totally appreciate.
MICHAELSON: Yes, I mean, was this the scariest moment of your life?
MANRESA: Yes, I mean, totally. My dad was alone at his apartment, so I didn't know if he was safe, if he was OK, so it is really -- it is terrifying.
MICHAELSON: Yes, and was he OK?
MANRESA: Yes, he was fine.
MICHAELSON: Wow, we're glad to hear that, and we're glad to hear that you're OK, and we're glad to know that you're going to be doing this important work in the weeks and months ahead. It's going to be a long haul. Claudia Manresa from Project Hope, thanks so much for joining us, and thanks for the good work you do.
MANRESA: Thank you very much.
MICHAELSON: We move on to other news now. There are no claims of responsibility yet after the latest strike on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping traffic has been starting to pick up on the heels of the interim agreement between the U.S. and Iran, but the U.S. says an Iranian drone hit a cargo ship on Thursday.
A British maritime group says the vessel was damaged, but it reported no casualties or environmental impact. The U.N. is now suspending its evacuation of about 11,000 seafarers who have been stranded in the Gulf because of that war.
Meanwhile, Israel's military says it will temporarily reduce its forces in Lebanon and Gaza. The move will affect several brigades, which is described as a training rotation. Thursday's statement made no reference to giving up any of the territory that Israel is holding, but an Israeli source told CNN earlier that the country is considering a symbolic pullback as a goodwill gesture to Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, says Israel and Lebanon are very close to reaching a commitment at their ongoing talks in Washington. Negotiations will continue on Friday after being extended for at least an extra day.
Live picture from Washington. House Speaker Mike Johnson is sending lawmakers home early as Republicans remain deadlocked over President Trump's SAVE America Act. A small group of Republican holdouts has been blocking House business to pressure the Senate into voting on the President's voter I.D. bill. Johnson met with Trump for hours on Thursday. Afterwards, the President urged the holdouts to stop grandstanding and end the stalemate.
[01:09:55]
The Trump administration scored two wins on Thursday in its efforts to limit immigration. The Supreme Court ruled that immigration officials at the U.S.-Mexico border can turn away asylum seekers before they enter the country. The justices also allowed the Trump administration to end temporary protected status, or TPS, for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians living in the U.S. TPS protects people from being returned to countries struggling with war or natural disasters. In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that, "more people will die."
Attorneys are urging Haitians who could lose temporary protected status after the Supreme Court's ruling to seek other legal pathways. Christina Vazquez has more from Miami, where many Haitian immigrants are reacting to the decision.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA VAZQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): News of the Supreme Court's decision rippled through members of South Florida's Haitian community gathered at Miami City Hall to protest the city's agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of these battles are intertwined.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My people, they can't go back. It's real. The reality in Haiti is real.
VAZQUEZ (voice-over): In a six to three vote, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration the green light and temporary protected status for more than a quarter of a million Haitians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no grounds for terminating Haiti TPS based on the country conditions inside Haiti. This is absolutely absurd.
VAZQUEZ (voice-over): But with the State Department Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory still in place for Haiti, TPS Haiti advocates say the Supreme Court's decision is cruel. They described forced deportations to the gang riddled nation like a death sentence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would not say we would likely going back. We're going to stick together. We're going to keep on fighting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The battle is not over.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our panel is back to discuss. We're joined again by civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom and the host of the John Kobylt show, John Kobylt. John, let's start with you. You've been talking about immigration as sort of your main issue for 30 years on the radio.
JOHN KOBYLT, HOST, "THE JOHN KOBYLT SHOW": Yes.
MICHAELSON: The conservatives on the court are pointing to the word temporary protected status. That's their argument.
KOBYLT: What's the definition of temporary? I mean, they were given this status in 2012. That's 14 years. That's a long time for temporary protected status. I mean, at some point there has to be limits. There has to be limits on how much time you're here and how many people we're going to take in.
We tried open borders all the time during the Biden administration. It's disastrous for the country. That's why more than any other reason, Trump is president. People don't want this and no other country does anything like this. So you do have to have limits.
MICHAELSON: Lisa? LISA BLOOM, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY, THE BLOOM FIRM: Well, unfortunately, the situation in Haiti has not improved since 2012. I mean, why don't we just take off of the Statue of Liberty? The inscription, give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We're going to send people back to Haiti, which is filled with gangs and violence.
I mean, it is a death sentence and it's absolutely appalling. There's no reason for this. Many Haitians are in Ohio. The Ohio governor has said he doesn't want them to leave. They're filling jobs.
MICHAELSON: Republican governor.
BLOOM: That's right. And they're filling jobs that Americans don't want, like caregivers for the elderly. They're working. They're here legally. They following all the rules. There's no reason to send them back.
MICHAELSON: I mean, that's part of the argument of Mike DeWine, is these people are good citizens or not, maybe not citizens, but they're good members of our community who are contributing in a positive way.
KOBYLT: Yes, that's what they say. That's what they argued about all through the Biden administration. And then when you pointed out all the crime that was going on, we were told, oh, it's not really happening. You know, you're stereotyping.
MICHAELSON: Do you have evidence that Haitians are causing that crime?
KOBYLT: I don't have any evidence of Haitians or anybody else.
BLOOM: And they're not eating dogs. They're not eating the cats. And, you know, that was one of the Trump's arguments was that, I mean --
KOBYLT: That was nuts and it was racist.
BLOOM: That was nuts and it was racist. And some of the dissenters on the Supreme Court today said this is racially motivated. The majority couldn't even quote the language. They were so embarrassed by it.
KOBYLT: Well, yes, he says it's a --
BLOOM: He says racist words. But what's the limit then? In all the debates I've had with people, I've said, how many people should we let in illegally a year?
MICHAELSON: This wasn't illegally. It says illegal process.
BLOOM: These people are here legally.
KOBYLT: They didn't get protected status forever. It would go back to temporary.
BLOOM: OK.
KOBYLT: So 14 years is not enough? BLOOM: And temporary will end when Haiti becomes a workable state. OK, then why not let them continue --
KOBYLT: Then does that open every other country that's in disaster?
BLOOM: -- staying here, working, paying taxes.
MICHAELSON: Part of the problem is what they're saying is now you can apply for asylum and our asylum system is so screwed up --
KOBYLT: Oh, yes. It is.
BLOOM: That's right.
MICHAELSON: Because there are not enough judges, there's not enough funding. And if we actually want to solve the problem, the answer would not be temporary status. It would be actual asylum with a workable process that works. But both parties have been so unable to come to an agreement because they're playing to their bases that we end up with this screwed up system.
KOBYLT: Well, we've had a busted system for decades. And if the -- if they don't want to fix it, either party doesn't want to fix it. It still doesn't mean we keep taking more and taking more and taking more people in. That's a lot of cost.
[01:15:04]
BLOOM: But these are human beings who are being given a death sentence because of technical arguments like we don't want immigrants. They are here legally. They're paying taxes. Immigrants commit less crime than American citizens. Study after study says that. You can always find a couple examples of immigrants committing crimes and a lot of American citizens commit crimes, too. But this is just plain cruel.
MICHAELSON: You can't legally do that. But --
KOBYLT: I run my country differently.
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about somebody who's in favor of this. And this may be part of the next presidential election, J.D. Vance, here in Southern California on his book tour. It was at the Nixon Library today. Tomorrow he's going to be on Bill Maher on our sister network, HBO. Here's what he said about Watergate while at the Nixon Library. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm actually fascinated by Nixon as a character in history. I think that his historical legacy is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, but I think deservedly so. As I joked with Robert backstage, if Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story.
The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy. And by the way, if you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it's not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions tried to do to Donald Trump in the first Trump administration. There is a parallel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Do you think this would be a 12-hour news story?
BLOOM: You've got to be kidding me. The biggest political corruption and cover up scandal of the 20th century. He doesn't know his history. But I do agree. It is very much like Donald Trump in terms of the corruption and the cover up. We are still missing 3 million pages of the Epstein files.
MICHAELSON: To his point, is he actually right, though, about the 12- hour thing, that we would not have the patience as a society to stay on this, to investigate it?
KOBYLT: Maybe not 12 hours, but yes, probably wouldn't have taken him down. Because you look at all the stuff from Bill Clinton, you know, to Trump and incredible colorful scandals, neither one of them was forced out of office. And after a while, everybody got tired, tired of it.
MICHAELSON: Right.
KOBYLT: People get tired very quickly of news stories.
BLOOM: There was a burglary. There was a break in. There were wiretaps. There was a cover up.
MICHAELSON: Well, the reason that Nixon ultimately left is that his own party went to him and said, you've got to go.
KOBYLT: Oh, that would never happen.
MICHAELSON: That has not happened.
BLOOM: Yes, yes, because he was about to be --
MICHAELSON: And it did not happen for Bill Clinton either.
BLOOM: Well, because he was about to be impeached. He surely would have been.
MICHAELSON: So it sort of this has been an interesting testing ground, this book tour for J.D. Vance as a potential presidential candidate. We don't know if he's going to run. Marco Rubio may run instead. What do you make of this rollout for J.D. Vance, who's been all over the country?
BLOOM: Appalling. I mean --
KOBYLT: Appalling?
BLOOM: -- if you're going to run for president, you should know U.S. history. I think that's kind of a basic requirement. And to say that there's a renaissance for Richard Nixon. I'm sorry. Where -- where's this renaissance?
MICHAELSON: Maybe at the Nixon library where he was sitting.
BLOOM: You've got to be kidding me.
MICHAELSON: They feel that they are the very nice people. John, what do you make of J.D. Vance and do you think he's the strongest Republican potential?
KOBYLT: I mean, I like Marco Rubio a lot because he's an incredible diplomat. He's very strong and decisive. He handles Iran really well and all the other crazy countries we deal with. He handles the press really well. He handles Trump really well. And he seems to be a very experienced, powerful leader who really takes control of the situation. Vance still has this whiff of junior varsity about him.
He hasn't done much yet. He hasn't been around very long yet. He's incredibly smart and he can out talk and out debate anybody.
BLOOM: Is he? Is he?
KOBYLT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Well, and as we've seen through history, that job of vice president is just very tough to look very strong in regardless of who's in it.
BLOOM: -- for every scandal of the Trump of administration is going to sitting there.
MICHAELSON: There's a reason we have not had a lot of vice presidents win right afterwards. Yes.
KOBYLT: But Rubio has his own, like, semi-presidency running.
MICHAELSON: And he's doing 18 jobs at the same time, which is quite something.
KOBYLT: I know.
MICHAELSON: All right, John, Lisa, we'll have to have you guys back.
BLOOM: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Always enjoy talking to both of you. Thank you so much.
The Story Is, the financial markets. And here's a look at what's happening in Asia right now. The markets there all in the red. That's not a good thing, but different story. European markets. Let's look at those. Both markets reacting to a mixed day on Wall Street on Thursday. And so you see at least good news if you're watching us in Europe.
The Turkish team came roaring back as they face the U.S. in the World Cup. Still ahead, we go live to the stadium in Inglewood, California, where the two teams have just played their final group stage match. We will hear from some of the players.
[01:19:38]
Plus, a federal jury will return to court on Friday after saying they have deadlocked on a verdict in the Palisades wildfire arson case. That story and more coming up here on The Story Is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: There's no clean sweep for the U.S. as they head into the knockout stage of the World Cup. The team ended the group stage games on a sour note, losing to Turkey 3-2 a little over an hour ago. The winning goal came in the final seconds of the game, but it was only a consolation prize for the Turkish squad. The U.S. still clinched the top spot in their group before the game even started. And they're headed now to a likely showdown with Bosnia-Herzegovina in the knockout stage next week.
Andy Scholes was inside the stadium for the game, which is usually called SoFi Stadium, but it's being called Los Angeles Stadium because, as we know, Andy, FIFA knows nothing about money coming in, so it's all about just the sport. Talk to us about what it was like inside.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I mean, well, Alex, not the ideal way you'd want to end group play for Team USA, but I tell you what, I mean, you could not tell that there were no stakes in this game based on the atmosphere. It was just electric outside the stadium beforehand, inside of the stadium that entire game. I mean, it was just unbelievable. But as you said, the U.S. had already won their group coming into this one.
[01:25:18]
Turkey, they were already eliminated from the World Cup. But this match still turned out to be incredible. I'll show you the highlights of how it all went down. Early on, this stadium had the chance to erupt right away because off a corner, Auston Trusty, he buries the goal three minutes in, and the U.S. would take a lead almost immediately. It was the second fastest goal in U.S. World Cup history.
The defense, though, for the U.S. showing some cracks. You know, it was a whole new back line playing for the U.S. in this one. And Turkey, who hadn't scored at all in this World Cup on more than 60 shots, finally found the back of the net twice. They took a 2-1 lead into the half. But the U.S., they responded 49th minute, there was a throw, and then Sebastian Berhalter, he was just awesome in this entire game. He leveled the match at two with a one-timer.
And then in the 58th minute, kind of the moment all of these fans here were really waiting for. Christian Pulisic making his return from injury, and then every time he touched the ball, I mean, the crowd just went wild. All the fans really wanted a goal from him so badly. He came close a couple of times, but the U.S. never able to get that go-ahead goal. And then in the 98th minute, everyone thought this game was just going to end in a tie. But Turkey, on the last kick of the game, would win it.
The crowd in the stadium was just absolutely stunned at that point. Final ended up being 3-2 Turkey, but the U.S. still wins the group, and they say they're not going to lose any momentum with this result. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHANDLER GALT, USMNT FAN: The first two games, incredible. Again, I think today they showed that even their second string can come in, compete against a world-class team. We're so excited for the next round.
ALEX WATSON, USMNT FAN: It's a weird feeling. I'm a lifelong USA team. It's weird to think that we lost, but it didn't really mean anything, and we're still going through first place in our brackets. I mean, this experience was phenomenal, and I couldn't wish for anything else. Obviously, that last goal sucked, but at the end of the day, it is kind of crazy that we played with basically our entire subs, and we still showed out against one of the better teams in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, so those are actually the fans that were leaving the stadium. As you can hear, they're still optimistic about the U.S. chances going forward in this World Cup. Here's what the players had to say after that last-second loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN BERHALTER, USMNT MIDFIELDER: I think you saw the second half, how we came out, and I think they deserved more out of that game. At one moment, we slipped in the last-second game, and, you know, I think we're proud of Pulisic put-in. I think the guys, you know, did well, and, you know, we fought. And, you know, unfortunately, not the good result, but we'll be ready for sure.
BRENDEN AARONSON, USMNT FORWARD: You can always take these things as fuel. You know, having that moment in the last one where they score, it's tough. We wanted to walk away with, you know, no loss in the group stage, but, you know, we've got to take it as it was still a fantastic group stage. We had so many really, really good performances, and even before the group stage, with the friendlies, we're at a top level. I'm not worried whatsoever. We're going to move on to the next one and be ready to go for Bosnia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, and again, this was obviously not the way you'd want to end group play, Elex, especially when the team was on such a high, but the result here did not matter. U.S. wins the group. Their next match is now going to be on Wednesday. They're going to go up the coast to Santa Clara, California, where they're going to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
And Elex, this team continues to just talk about, and all the fans continue to talk about how they feel like this is a special group and they can make a serious, deep run at this World Cup. You know, now the drama's really going to begin because it's do or die the rest of the way as we enter the knockout stages.
MICHAELSON: You think they're favorites in the next round?
SCHOLES: Yes, they'll definitely be favored over Bosnia. They'd even potentially be favored in their next match, the following, if they're able to win that one, Elex, because that one will be in Seattle. They're 7-0 all time at Seattle Stadium. They've never lost there, so I imagine they'll be favorites if they're able to. We shouldn't be looking too far ahead. But I tell you what, a lot of fans are trying are daring to dream.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And if they win in Seattle, then they come back to Los Angeles again, which we hope that happens on July 10th. Andy Scholes, great to have you with us. What a fun night for you and for everybody out there, especially since the team gets to keep going.
Coming up, we're going to talk about what else is happening in the World Cup. On the other side of Group D, Australia and Paraguay tied nil-nil. That means the Socceroos are advancing.
Paraguay still has a chance as third place finishers in group E. Ecuador pulled off an upset, beating four time World Cup champion Germany 2 to 1. The German team had already secured the top spot in its group, but the victory for Ecuador means the squad came from behind to punch their ticket to the knockout stage.
[01:29:53]
In Dallas, Japan and Sweden tied at one-one. Both teams are moving ahead, with Japan taking the number two spot in Group F, followed by Sweden at number three.
And watch what happened in Kansas City.
It was party hardy as Dutch fans celebrated their teams three-one victory over Tunisia. The Netherlands clinched the prime spot in the group, while the Tunisians are headed home.
By the way, we'll be talking to one of those Dutch fans in the middle of it tomorrow here on THE STORY IS. That group knows how to have fun.
Parts of Europe are facing another day of record-breaking heat wave. Temperatures have spiked above 104 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris and other towns and cities across France.
In Rome, tourists tried to stay cool using paper and battery-operated fans. Remember, there's a lot of air conditioning there. Across the country, five heat-related deaths have been reported, including a vineyard worker and a homeless man.
A rare red extreme heat wave warning has been extended for a third day into Friday for parts of southern England.
And the Netherlands issued its first ever red alert for heat for Friday.
Spain broke national temperature records this week, with the heat turning deadly quickly. 212 deaths have been linked to the heat wave there over the past four days. 212 deaths.
CNN's Allison Chinchar has more on the forecast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: More and more records continue to be set across portions of Europe. Take the U.K., for example, Thursday, having their hottest June day on record, beating the previous record, which was set the day before.
And they're not alone. Many other countries have been setting records.
Take a look at this. This is Switzerland. Basel reached a temperature of 38 degrees on Thursday. That is the first time they have ever had a June temperature above 37 degrees. And for many areas, the heat is not over. It's only going to continue as we approach the weekend.
Here's a look at the alerts for Friday. Again, notice we still have a lot of them over central Europe, but they're starting to expand over areas of Eastern Europe. And that's because this dome of high pressure is also going to shift eastward.
That means it will be a little bit of a brief reprieve for areas a little bit farther to the west, but it's only going to get worse for areas in Eastern Europe.
Take, for example, places like Vienna. The high temperature on Friday 98 degrees, but then back into the triple digits as we head into the weekend.
Same for berlin. That's looking at the Fahrenheit. Now let's take a look at the Celsius temperatures again. Look at that 40 degrees two days in a row for Berlin as those temperatures continue to tick back up.
Now, as we mentioned, some places will actually start to see a brief reprieve from that heat.
Take London, for example, still very hot on Friday, still very hot on Saturday. But then we finally start to see those temperatures coming back down as we head into the latter half of the weekend and early next week.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: A massive search and rescue effort is underway in Venezuela. The death toll is rising after two back-to-back earthquakes, collapsed homes and buildings.
We'll have the latest on the crisis and head to Venezuela next.
[01:32:54] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.
Let's take a look at today's top stories.
The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a ruling that could send thousands of Haitians and Syrians living legally in the U.S. back to their home countries. The Court says that President Trump has the authority to end TPS or temporary protected status for foreigners in the states. TPS had been meant to guard against sending people into dangerous circumstances back home.
Sources tell CNN that lawyers for Luigi Mangione discussed the possibility of a plea deal in his federal case. Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO in December of 2024. He's facing prosecutions both on the state and federal levels. Sources said that the discussion with his attorney did not result in any agreement.
Colombia's right-wing candidate was formally declared the winner of the country's presidential runoff on Wednesday. Abelardo De La Espriella is set to take oath of office on August 7th. The former criminal lawyer, who calls himself The Tiger, was endorsed by President Trump.
Rescuers are racing to find survivors in Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes rocked the country on Wednesday. At least 235 people have died. More than 4,300 were injured and many more remain missing in the largest earthquake to hit the country in more than a century.
Officials fear that the death toll will be much higher as crews dig through the rubble. Many survivors are left on the street with nowhere to go, creating an urgent need for humanitarian aid and shelter.
Countries around the world are sending aid. A U.S. Marine Corps general has arrived in Caracas to help lead the U.S. military response.
Earlier, CNN's Erin Burnett spoke with Jason Wang, an American who was vacationing in Venezuela and on a mountaintop. He described the chaos he experienced. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: So just people understand you had just gotten into the country. This was your first day. You decide to go on a hike.
We understand these two earthquakes, one of which is the largest in a century, happened within 40 seconds of each other. Can you just tell me what that felt like? And at what point did you realize something was terribly wrong?
JASON WANG, AMERICAN ON VACATION IN VENEZUELA: Yes, so it was right at 6:05 p.m., I was waiting in line to go back down the mountain by using the cable car. And I was actually next up to board the cable car. I was recording myself going into the cable car, and all of a sudden,
like the building started shaking and the floor started moving. And then mass panic, like everyone that was in line inside the building, we were all running for the one exit. It just happened so fast.
[01:39:50]
WANG: Yes, the shaking lasted about -- I mean, it felt like a long time. I think it was up to a minute and we didn't know what was going on because as you mentioned, the cell phone got cut out.
I couldn't look up any information, couldn't call for help. So we were pretty much on our own after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: For more now on the massive humanitarian effort underway in Venezuela, we're joined by Loyce Peace. She's the regional director for the Americas for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Loyce, welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
LOYCE PEACE, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE AMERICAS, INTL. FED. OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES: Thank you very much, Elex. Appreciate you having me on.
MICHAELSON: Yes. She's joining us now from Panama. Talk to us about what is the greatest need on the ground right now in Venezuela.
PEACE: Well, we really just have to find people wherever they are. There are so many that are unaccounted for, including some of our volunteers and families and friends, and the search and rescue effort is real. It is constant. It is 24/7 around the clock. And we just don't have enough time or people necessarily to reach everyone that we want to and that we need to.
MICHAELSON: You were just in Venezuela a few weeks ago working on the immigration issue there. And you saw firsthand some of the challenges, some of the poverty issues there. Talk about that.
PEACE: Yes. You know, I really like this question because the way we think about things at the International Red Cross Federation is not just in silos, but recognizing that all of these people who have now returned to Venezuela from the U.S. or elsewhere are just getting settled in some of these communities.
Maybe they were living together in some of these apartments that have now toppled. Where are they going to go? Especially if they don't have jobs, especially if they were just getting reestablished in countries -- in the country.
So this is going to be an ongoing issue for a variety of reasons.
MICHAELSON: So we've got viewers watching from 200 countries around the world right now, and many of them are seeing these pictures, and they want to help.
What's the best thing that they can do to actually help? What's the most efficient way to help?
PEACE: Honestly, the fundraising drives mean everything to the Red Cross and its volunteers. We're launching ours in the next hours or so, so people will see updates on that.
But all across our network, you see these campaigns already underway to try to help the Venezuelan Red Cross buy kits and supplies so people can stay safe, stay clean, get the food and meds they need. But anything that people can send will really go a long way.
MICHAELSON: And in terms of timing of rebuilding, what are we talking about here? Years?
PEACE: Yes, absolutely. That is a great question. In our experience, and we have vast experience over 100 years, this is never easy. And I think what people are starting to learn is that these disasters have a long tail.
There's the initial impact, of course, but then the headlines go away and the problems don't. And we often have to stay in these countries and these communities for a long time, especially when something like this happens only once in a century.
MICHAELSON: Loyce Peace, thank you so much for your important work on the ground, which I know will be happening for several more years with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Thanks so much for being with us and good luck in the weeks and months ahead.
PEACE: Thank you very much, Elex.
MICHAELSON: A federal jury is expected to return to court tomorrow in the Palisades arson fire. When we return, the latest on their efforts to reach a verdict and why they're having such a tough time. Nick Watt is there.
[01:43:24]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Jurors in the federal criminal trial of Palisades fire suspect returned to court on Friday after they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The jury initially sent a note Thursday to the judge indicating that they had reached a verdict, but shortly afterwards they sent another note saying they're deadlocked.
Prosecutors say that suspect intentionally set the blaze that later became the deadly Palisades Fire. However, he has maintained his innocence. His attorneys spoke outside the courtroom shortly after the judge read the jury's note.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEVEN HANEY, ATTORNEY FOR JONATHAN RINDERKNECHT: A lot of anxiety. You can imagine his life's on the line. Very stressful time for him. And he's hanging in there. He's doing great.
So it's been a long run for him. He's been locked up for ten months. And his fate is here today or maybe tomorrow. And we'll see which direction this takes tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: CNN's Nick Watt was in the courtroom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The jury deliberated for about 13 hours, and they sent the judge a note saying, "we cannot reach a unanimous decision", not on any of the counts against Jonathan Rinderknecht. The word "cannot" was underlined.
The judge sent a note back. "Is there anything the court can do to help?" "No," came the very definitive answer.
Listen, this case is built entirely on circumstantial evidence. The prosecution says Jonathan Rinderknecht was angry. He hated the rich, set this fire as revenge.
He was definitely on the hill the night the fire broke out. He had a lighter in the glove box of his car, but nobody saw him set the fire. There's no video of him setting the fire, and he did not confess to setting the fire.
So what happens next is the judge and both sides -- both legal sides, are trying to figure out what they do next and in what order.
But this looks like it is heading towards a mistrial. If they can't reach unanimous decisions, this will become a mistrial.
And then the government has to decide, do they try to charge this guy and try him again?
Now, of course, there are also civil trials. The city, the state, various other entities are being sued by people who lost their homes.
And interestingly, we have not seen a lot of people who lost their homes at this trial. There are not people here baying for this guy's blood.
In fact, one woman told me, this guy is a patsy. I don't want him convicted. She and others are hoping to find truth in those civil trials.
But we will find out tomorrow whether this one guy will be found responsible for this fire that burned 37 square miles of Los Angeles, destroyed over 6,000 structures and killed 12 people.
Back to you. (END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:49:50]
MICHAELSON: Thank you, Nick Watt, downtown L.A.
We'll be right back to wrap things up with some World Cup fun.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: World Cup fever is proving sweet here in Los Angeles at the iconic Randy's Donuts in Inglewood. Fans lined up for World Cup- themed donuts ahead of the Team U.S.A.'s match against Turkey.
Before the game, many fans appeared to be swept up in the tournament hype.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God. I am a huge fan, U.S.A. soccer. We're here to cheer on our country, our team and just have a lot of fun and bring the spirit back to America. And let everybody know how nice and how amazing we are as a country, you know, and everybody is welcome.
[01:54:46]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The energy has been just so cool. It's been nice. Like just seeing everybody get to experience America for the first time. I think it's reinvigorating the American spirit and it makes you proud to be an American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That sugar high didn't last long. Team U.S.A. wrapped up the group stage a short time ago with a three-two loss to Turkey.
But U.S. had already qualified for the knockout round. This game really didn't mean anything. They still finished top of their group despite that defeat.
Scientists are hoping that three Brazilian sisters, who are all centenarians, can help them find the key to a long and healthy life. There. They're the De Deus sisters. They're 103, 104, and 109.
Guinness named them the world's oldest living trio of siblings. They attribute their long lives to a healthy diet, an active lifestyle.
Researchers at the University of Sao Paulo are working with the sisters looking for genetic factors that protect against aging. Scientists want to study 500 centenarians to draw definitive conclusions.
It's pretty amazing, if you think about it. How lucky that family is. Looking great.
Thank you so much for watching THE STORY IS. Tomorrow, Governor Jay Inslee, former speaker Fabian Nunez and former
lieutenant governor, Abel Maldonado join our panel.
Plus, former "Survivor" winner and soccer standout Ethan Zone is here to talk about the World Cup.
Hopefully, I sound a little better tomorrow. Thank you for bearing with me tonight.
We'll see you tomorrow.
The news continues after a short break. See you tomorrow for more of THE STORY IS.
[01:56:18]
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