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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

New Strikes Testing U.S.-Iran Interim Agreement; Israel, Lebanon Sign Trilateral Agreement with U.S.; Centcom - U.S. Launched New Strikes Against Iranian Targets; Trump - Democrats are Godless Communists & Threat To U.S.; Trump - No Food, Housing, Military If Democrats Win; California Gov. Gavin Newsom Proposes Natl Billionaires Tax; Kim Jong Un Unveils Largest Warship Ever For North Korea; Plane Crashes Into Beijing's Tallest Skyscraper; Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 27, 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 HOST: I'm Elex Michaelson, live in Los Angeles. Welcome to "The Story Is."

The top story is new strikes against Iran. U.S. military says it hit Iranian targets in response to Tehran's attack on a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Story Is" devastating earthquakes as the death toll in Venezuela continues to climb. We'll speak with a journalist who says the conditions on the ground are growing more desperate by the minute.

And "The Story Is" Red Scare. President Trump escalates his rhetoric ahead of the midterms calling a group of New York Democrats, "Godless communists."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: The temporary agreement between the U.S. and Iran to end the war is being put to a major test right now, just nine days after it was signed. On Friday, the U.S. Central Command said it struck a series of Iranian military targets. It said it was a response to an Iranian attack on a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, which President Trump called a "Foolish violation."

Iranian state media says that Tehran responded by targeting U.S. positions in the region, which Washington has not confirmed. A U.S. official tells CNN the latest strikes do not imply a return to major combat operations. Now ahead of the attacks, President Trump sidestepped questions about whether the ceasefire with Iran is still in place, but he later said that Tehran still has some military muscle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We still have a fight. They have some capability, not much. They're not winning or anything, but they have some -- they can still shoot. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, diplomats say Israel and Lebanon have just made the first step towards a potential future peace deal. They signed an agreement with the U.S. on Friday after four days of talks in Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls the agreement, "The beginning of the beginning, describing it as a step towards a broader peace." Under that document, Israel will pull force out of two areas in Southern Lebanon and hand the sites regions to the Lebanese military. But a Hezbollah member of Lebanon's parliament called on the government to retract anything that's been agreed to with Israel.

For more on all this, we're joined by CNN National Security Analyst, Alex Plitsas. He's also Director of the Counterterrorism Program at the Atlantic Council. Alex, you're as plugged in as anybody on all of this. No response yet from Iranian officials on these latest strikes from the Americans. What do you know about the back and forth and sort of the status of this ceasefire that still has a lot of fire?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN, NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So in the 14 points in the MOU between the United States and Iran, Iran specifically sought to include Lebanon in the ceasefire, and that meant more Israel's attacks on Hezbollah inside of Lebanon, because Israel has not been attacking the Lebanese, State of Lebanese armed forces. And so Iran was seeking to protect one of its proxy forces. But today, we saw, quite frankly, a historic agreement between Israel and Lebanon, two sovereign states who decided that they were not going to allow a non- state actor under Iran's patronage to continue to operate with impunity inside of Lebanon's borders.

And we saw the reaction from the Lebanese, Hezbollah member of parliament. There's about four or five of them who quite frankly said that we're not going to tolerate this. We're going to do our own thing. They're still a designated terrorist organization. And at the end of the day, Lebanon and Israel stepped up to the table. They signed the agreement, and no one thought this was going to happen. This is quite defeat to the United States.

MICHAELSON: So can those folks from Hezbollah, can they bring down the agreement, or does this agreement go forward with or without Hezbollah?

PLITSAS: So that's part of the problem is that there's a clause in the 14-point memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran that says that there's a ceasefire in Lebanon, but neither Hezbollah nor Lebanon nor Israel are party to the -- to that MOU and none of them are signatories. So today, it was almost as a sub agreement between Lebanon and Israel in terms of a ceasefire between the two of them and how this was going to work out.

So it's -- from what I've been told by U.S. officials I've been talking to, there are a couple of phases that'll be agreed to in terms of, geographic territory where Israel will withdraw and will hand the territory over to the Lebanese armed forces. But in return, the Lebanese armed forces will attempt to begin to disarm Hezbollah in those specific areas as part of a pilot program. And if that continues, then they'll try that through the rest of Southern Lebanon. That's been unsuccessful for almost 40 years, which is why this is historic.

So the next week or so, I think is going to be a pretty amazing opportunity to work towards peace, or it's quite frankly going to be an opportunity for Iran to sow discord in this area and potentially disrupt the agreement. And that's the problem because we have the IRGC in Iran, which has been at odds with the civilian government. So we'll find out whether or not they've been operating at odds with each other or whether or not they're actually in coots.

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MICHAELSON: One of the big stories out of Washington this week was the senate push to sort of pull back some of President Trump's war powers. Even some Republicans voted against President Trump. Then Bill Cassidy, senator from Louisiana, changed his vote after getting a briefing at the White House yesterday. Now those strings no longer apply anymore. Bill Cassidy talked about why he changed his mind in an interview with Margaret Brennan from CBS watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CASSIDY, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: As it turns out, I got a briefing afterwards. In one sense, I actually accomplished the mission of what I needed to do.

MARGARET BRENNAN, MODERATOR, FACE THE NATION WITH MARGARET BRENNAN, SHOW: But you had also said the American people need that information. The American people aren't getting those public hearings and briefings.

CASSIDY: So I -- so last night when I asked about that in my briefing. They said right now the negotiations are delicate, and they could collapse if they're not nursed along in the appropriate way. I can accept that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So you're talking to lots of people on the record, off the record, behind the scenes at the highest levels. What's some of the information that he's talking about? What are we talking about here?

PLITSAS: So I actually found his statements to be reinforcing from what I heard actually from regional mediators who told me very similar things and that there's behind the scenes agreements even if they're not signed in the implementation side between the U.S. and Iran from civilian officials in terms of what they'll agree to, but only if the U.S. is going to meet them halfway. But if things leak out in the interim, in terms of what they've agreed to without the U.S. also providing concessions, that they're worried about domestic political considerations.

And so for that reason, they've been holding back, and also their public statements haven't matched what's been going on in private. And so I was told actually earlier today by regional mediators that it's gotten to the point where they've told the Iranian civilian government officials, we can no longer accept the gap between what you're saying and what the IRGC is saying, and you need to come back and explain the difference or get it together on the same page. And I've been told that the response has been we'll get back to you, and so far there hasn't been one.

But, at that point, between the U.S. and GCC officials, they're now on the same page. It's quite clear that they're not going to tolerate the gap at this point. So we'll see where it goes in the next week or so. It's much more positive than it's been, and the regional officials have said, look, just give it some time. The rhetoric's going to play out because it's they're both playing for domestic political audiences. So we'll see where it goes.

MICHAELSON: Well, you've joined us on so many Friday nights, and it's good that you're sharing some good news to start off this Friday night. Alex Plitsas with us live. Thank you so much.

Tough news though from Venezuela. Frustration growing over the government's response to Wednesday's deadly twin earthquakes. More than 48 hours later, some residents say there are not enough rescue crews or heavy machinery forcing communities to clear debris on their own. Hospitals are reporting a shortage of critical supplies. Venezuelan forces, rescue crews, and international teams are still searching for survivors trapped under the rubble.

The country's acting President says the government is militarizing the hardest hit area where more than a 100 buildings have collapsed. Venezuela top lawmaker says at least 920 people were killed, more than 3,300 injured, two of the strongest quakes to hit the country in more than a century. Officials fear those numbers will rise and could rise dramatically as they assess the full scope of the destruction.

Joining us on the ground in Venezuela is Juan Pablo Arraez, Photojournalist for the Associated Press. Thanks so much for being with us and the incredible work that you're doing. Let's start with some of your own video. You were in your apartment when this happened, and you got right to work. What did this feel like for you?

JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ, PHOTOJOURNALIST, ASSOCIATED PRESS: When I saw glass coming through the -- to the floor, I mean, I knew it was serious, very serious. So I immediately tried to grab my phone. So a video journalist instinct to film. I couldn't grab it at time. Then my cat, I guess, went crazy, and I went straight to work after that to the street and talking to the neighbors.

MICHAELSON: Right. And you shot some drone video that was really extraordinary that gives a sobering perspective of the size and scope of the devastation. What went through your mind when you saw an image like this?

ARRAEZ: Well, you see it from the ground, and it's horrible. You see it from the air, and it's beyond devastating.

MICHAELSON: Well, you also shot some video of some of those frantic moments, and you see this woman being pulled out. Talk us through what's happening here.

ARRAEZ: Yeah. Well, this woman is -- it's like most, like everything in these past few days.

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I mean, you see everyday people, volunteers from everywhere. I mean, grabbing with their bare hands, grabbing rubble. And in case of this woman, I mean, they were all just desperately trying to remove debris to do anything they could. And when they saw the woman and they carry her, it's very bittersweet, because you see these scenes, and then right, the next other minutes, you see devastating scenes. So it has been nothing like these past few days. You see happiness of people finding a relative miraculously getting out alive like the woman, and then you see two dead children on a blanket.

MICHAELSON: What have people been saying to you?

ARRAEZ: Well, many people say when they get to these places, the first thing they always -- they say is that they need help because as days go by, it's less likely for people to survive. So these hours are really critical, and as time passes, people are getting more desperate and losing a bit more hope of finding their relatives alive. It's one heartbreaking story after another heartbreaking story. Today, a man was telling me that they were celebrating the fifth birthday of her granddaughter. And both her granddaughter, both his granddaughter and his daughter died in the -- when the house next door collapsed over their house.

In the middle of the kid's birthday, the fifth birthday, it's like that hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times.

MICHAELSON: You're doing extraordinary work documenting history in real time. And, hopefully, in the days ahead, we'll still be able to see some more of those rescues because that was quite something to see that. Juan, thank you so much for everything that you're doing right now, and please pass on our best to everybody in Venezuela.

ARRAEZ: Well, really appreciate this connection. You're very welcome. We're trying to do our best here.

MICHAELSON: Extraordinary story on to other news now. The Texas State Board of Education is requiring millions of K-12 students to study bible stories in the classroom. The board approved a new list of required reading that includes Bible verses alongside classic literature. The move is part of a broader nationwide effort to bring more Christian teachings into public schools. Critics say mandating bible readings violates the constitutional separation of church and state in the first amendment.

President Trump has accused democrats of being an existential danger to the country days after a handful of self-identified Democratic socialists won primaries in New York. The President called the Democratic party, "Godless communists on social media, and he said that they were the biggest threat to the country since its founding." He continued in that vein during remarks Friday night in Washington D.C. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's happening right now in New York and California, but you'll start living in Squalor. You'll live in Squalor. There will be no food. There will be no housing. There will be no military. There will be no law and order. There will be no nothing. There'll be no nothing. You'll be a third world inhabitant in every way, and everyone will suffer or die. You'll suffer or die. This is what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Let's talk about this to our political panel. Democrat Jay Inslee was the three term Governor of Washington State, a former member of Congress, and Presidential candidate in 2020. Republican Abel Maldonado served as Lieutenant Governor of California and as a member of the State Assembly and State Senate. Two of the best resumes we've had on the show. Welcome, gentlemen, both Governor, Lieutenant Governor. Great to have both of you here.

Governor, as the democrat on the panel, I'll start with you and your response to President Trump's warning about the danger of the democrats.

JAY INSLEE, FORMER GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON: Well, when politicians are failing, sometimes they really make asinine assertions, and Donald Trump is failing and falling and flailing. This is not unique to his attitude and his habits. Look when you listen to what he said was, he basically said that we'll have a nightmare if you ever vote for a Democrat. There'll be death in the streets and squalor. He wanted to make it sound like a Hollywood disaster movie, a nightmare on Elm Street. We're living the nightmare. We're living the nightmare of gas prices going through the roof because of one man, Donald Trump, who is responsible for the nightmare of these gas prices going through the roof.

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We're living through a nightmare of housing prices going up, and what does he do? He says he's going to not let a housing bill that was bipartisan get through the U.S. Congress. Why? Because he wants to take over the voting system of the United States. We're living in a nightmare of this war that he started against the will of the American people illegally without Congress being involved. So the nightmare he describes, we're already living it because of this one guy.

MICHAELSON: Abel?

ABEL MALDONADO, FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA: Well, obviously, with all due respect to Governor.

INSLEE: Where is that respect?

MALDONADO: With all respect. President Trump was relating to what's going on. What happened to Venezuela? You have a country that was beautiful, the richest country in South America, and all of a sudden, you had Hugo Chavez come in and Nicolas Maduro come in. Socialism. Socialist. Look what happened to that country. People are had nothing to do with the earthquake. But look at what the country's gone through. People were, I mean, needing food, no protection. It's what President just said. I mean, he exaggerated a little bit, obviously. No doubt. But, look, socialism doesn't work.

And, the governor said, with all due respect, he -- that the President didn't say that if you vote for a democrat, he said if you vote for socialism. What happened in New York, they voted for three socialists who want to abolish I.C.E., abolish the police, abolish prisons, abolish the border. That message just doesn't jive with the American people.

MICHAELSON: Well, he also called them godless communists, which is not what they are.

MALDONADO: I just said he over exaggerates a little bit. And, obviously, he's trying to sell his message.

MICHAELSON: But, Governor, there is a broader question in terms of sort of the future and the soul of where the Democratic party is. And there is a bit of split between the Democratic socialist, more of the Bernie Sanders wing, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the sort of more traditional, "mainstream establishment Democrats." How do you see that issue in terms of where the Democrats can go? And if they go the way of the Democratic socialist, can they win a Presidential election with that message?

INSLEE: I believe we are going to win for several reasons, one of which is Donald Trump. We are totally a unified party that our job today is to stop this train wreck, this existing nightmare. We have to stop a man who's driven up our prices of gas and food and housing. We need to stop a man who's taken away our protections of our health care from pollution. We need to stop him. Look this is a unified group. It is unified as, it's ever been. And I don't think you got to worry about us being unified.

MICHAELSON: But it seems like the unifying thing right now is that everybody hates Trump.

INSLEE: That's good enough in November.

MICHAELSON: Right now.

INSLEE: OK.

MICHAELSON: But then going forward, once he's out of there, assuming he's out of there at the end of the time, then the question is sort of where does the party go from here? And we saw somebody who may be running for President in 2028, Gavin Newsom, today come out with a proposal that would be something he might run on. Here in California, there's going to be a vote in the fall on a statewide wealth tax, a 5 percent tax on people who have over $1 billion and assets. Governor Newsom is against that, but he wants to do a national version of a billionaire's tax. Here's some of what he had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAVIN NEWSOM, CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: The system is fundamentally broken. The federal tax code, the corporate tax code, and the inheritance tax code seem to be written for a different set of Americans. It's time for an economic reset, a true minimum tax, a true minimum tax on billionaires that, well, ensures the people at the very top pay at least the tax rate their own workers' pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So here's what he wants to do. It would be a minimum tax on anyone worth a $100 million. He wants to rewrite the inheritance rules, return to pre-2017 corporate tax rates and tax free lifestyle loan, close offshore loopholes, and create a national public equity fund for every American. Abel, what do you think of this as a concept and why Governor Newsom's doing it? Why is he saying this now?

MALDONADO: He's doing it, because you said that he might run for President. This guy's running for President. There's no doubt about it.

MICHAELSON: It only seems like this is part of the campaign right here.

MALDONADO: Of course. Of course. This is his breakout moment supposedly. For him to all those things that he just said, it's good on a national level, but it's not good for California because he's not supporting the California initiative, which doesn't make sense to me. Maybe his donors that are billionaires that have given him so much money in behest payments in California to the tune of $300 million, maybe that's why he doesn't support the California one, Elex.

MICHAELSON: But isn't there an argument though that if you don't do this nationwide, you're going to have people just leave the state and go somewhere else. But if you do it nationwide, I mean, I guess they could leave the country. But it's a different deal. I mean, that's the argument that he would make.

MALDONADO: That could be an argument, but the billionaires are already leaving California. So this notion of an initiative, I think we've had five leave in the last seven to eight months.

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MICHAELSON: Who's going to replace that income tax in California? So this is straight political on Governor Gavin Newsom. He wants to be President in the worst way. And he'll do anything and say anything to try to get votes. But this message is not going to work in the swing states. I can guarantee you that.

MALDONADO: Governor, you in Washington have been home to some of the wealthiest people in the country. You understand the sort of balance of keeping people as part of your tax base, but also not necessarily driving them out of the state. How do you see this issue? INSLEE: When you talk to people, there is a very broad, deep, and robust feeling that there is corruption in our system that is allowing people to become wealthy beyond human imagination, while people are struggling to pay their gas prices that are going up because of Trump and struggling with housing costs. This is a very broad sentiment that the game is rigged against working people.

I see a proposal to right the wrongs that were done in the Trump bill, which gave these billionaires enormous benefits. Look I just came to a small business, person lost their house in the Altadena fire. Those are the people that need help, not the billionaires right now. So I think this what the governor's proposed is very much in keeping with the broad sentiment in America that somebody ought to pay their fair share. We ought to go back to systems that we had before Trump disrupted it and have a little bit more fairness. This is a fairness issue, and billionaires are not going to leave America because of this. I think it's a common sense.

MICHAELSON: Supportive of the Newsom plan?

INSLEE: I think, well, I haven't looked at the details of it, but the general thrust that we should go back to a fairer system. That is more responsive to the needs of working families than billionaires, I think that's the right thing for America.

MICHAELSON: You've run for President. What do you think of him as a Presidential candidate?

INSLEE: I think he's a good Presidential candidate. He's not alone. There's a lot of talent in the pool, but I'm looking forward to it.

MICHAELSON: All right. Well, that's going to be fun. It's awesome to be fun the fact that you guys are sticking around. You're going to be back in our next hour. We're going to talk about your biggest issue of all climate or terminating pollution as Arnold Schwarzenegger likes to say. We'll talk about ways to do that and some of the big issues there and also what's going on in Texas with their bible verses all in our next hour. We'll see you guys then. Thank you so much for being here tonight.

INSLEE: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Europe has been sweltering through a heat wave this month, which many say has to do with climate change. It has been too hot for some schools and tourist attractions to stay open. Just ahead, we'll show you some of the hottest places to work in this weather.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: A federal judge in Los Angeles has declared a mistrial in the Palisades arson case. The prosecution accused Jonathan Renderkinek of starting the deadly Palisades fire back in 2025. But after a day of deliberation, the jury told the judge on Friday they were deadlocked. According to the foreperson, 10 jurors voted not guilty. Two voted to convict. Despite the mistrial, the prosecution says it intends to retry the case for a different jury.

The record breaking heat wave that is broiling Europe would have been, "Virtually impossible just a few decades ago." That's new analysis from a scientific network which blames the climate crisis caused by humans. Scientists say the world has warmed by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years, and that increases the chances of extreme heat.

The heat wave in Europe has led to power outages, disrupted rail services, closed tourist attractions, and forced thousands of schools to close this month. CNN's Anna Stewart went looking for the hottest places where people are working in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It feels pretty much too hot to do anything here in the U.K., let alone work. It's one thing if you work in an air conditioned office, but not everyone does. Join me on a sweaty trip around town. Let's see who is roasting the most. As you can imagine, it gets pretty hot in a dry cleaners. We put the thermometer right by the ironing station. It hit 36 degrees centigrade. That is around 97 degrees Fahrenheit. It is hot, but I think we can find somewhere hotter.

Restaurants are struggling. At the Hoppers restaurant in Soho, the kitchen is between 46 and 48 degrees centigrade. That's roughly 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Tam, the General Manager, spent the morning on the roof fixing the air conditioning unit.

TAMLIN ARMSTRONG, GENERAL MANAGER, HOPPERS RESTAURANT: This is my second T-shirt today, so it's yeah. Lot of sweat, but, yeah, it should be good.

STEWART: How hot does it get in the kitchen? Because there's somewhere that's much harder to control.

ARMSTRONG: So yeah. I mean, kitchens all year round are hot, but this particular time of year is increasing in temperature. So we have put in added fans in there.

STEWART: Pretty hot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. Very hot.

STEWART: Very, very hot. This pizzeria is also pretty hot, with the front of house describing the pizza oven as the gates of hell.

ZOLILE NYANGWA, FRONT OF HOUSE, BREADSTALL: The fridges over there, we have lots of drinks in them. None of them are cold. So it's just a really big uphill battle. Like, we're constantly rotating things from different fridges to make sure that things can all get cold, customers get cold drinks, and then we're constantly circulating fans in one spot, fans in another spot because we want everybody to at least feel a breeze. We don't want people to, like, pass out due to heat exhaustion or anything.

STEWART: And there are workplaces that may be even hotter than the kitchens. Well, this is probably one of the hottest places you could work, a construction site.

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Workers here have told us it is unbearably hot, really dusty. We weren't actually allowed in by management to put my thermometer up there, so I haven't got a reading. But if you take a look, you can see all the tarpaulin. That's where the workers are. When the sun hit that, it must have created something of a furnace.

The U.K. is simply not built for this sort of heat, and some are feeling it more than others. So how hot is just too hot to work? Well, here in the U.K., legally, there is no upper limit in terms of temperature. Employers do have to provide, and I'll "a reasonable temperature in the workplace." But what does reasonable really mean? There's also a fun plot twist here. Legislation shows that employees have to provide thermometers for their employees so you can monitor just how hot you are in the workplace, but you may not be able to do anything about it. Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: After the break, an inside look at a new travel docuseries from the high times about the intersection of soccer community and cannabis. We sit down with former soccer pro survivor winner, cancer survivor, and host Ethan Zohn is here. You see him standing by live. He'll break down the World Cup and all the fun next.

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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.

The U.S. central command says it launched new strikes on Iran on Friday. Says the attack was a response to an Iranian attack on a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz the day before. Iranian state media says the country responded by hitting U.S. positions in the region, which Washington hasn't confirmed. Those strikes could be a major test of the U.S. Iran interim agreement.

Relief efforts are intensifying in Venezuela two days after deadly twin earthquakes devastated that country. Search and rescue teams are combing through the rubble as international aid begins to arrive. Officials say at least 920 people were killed, more than 3,300 injured in two of the strongest quakes to hit the country in more than a century.

Former National Security Adviser, John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of unlawfully retaining national security information, accepted a plea deal admitting that he shared sensitive information with his wife and daughter. Bolton will pay a fine of over $2 million. He'll be sentenced at a later date and faces up to 60 months in prison.

My next guest, Ethan Zohn, has lived an incredible life of resilience both on and off the soccer pitch. He's a former professional soccer player, went on to win the reality show competition Survivor Africa. He used his winnings from the show to launch a global health non- profit for children called Grassroots Soccer. Ethan's also a two-time cancer survivor whose story has inspired people across the world.

His latest project called Kicking Back is a World Cup Travel Show on YouTube for the multimedia publication High Times.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ETHAN ZOHN, CO-FOUNDER, GRASSROOT SOCCER: I'm traveling city-to-city to explore the intersection of soccer, cannabis, and community, and find out what happens when the world's biggest sport meets the world's fastest growing culture and brings people together in a way that little else can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Ethan, welcome to "The Story Is." Thanks for coming here. Thanks for giving me this jersey as well.

ETHAN ZOHN, CO-FOUNDER, GRASSROOT SOCCER: That good. Yeah.

MICHAELSON: It looks pretty good.

ZOHN: It's going to look pretty good.

MICHAELSON: High times. Kicking back is what it says there on the jersey.

ZOHN: Nice.

MICHAELSON: What is kicking back? What's the premise?

ZOHN: Kicking back is a travelogue where I'm going from city-to-city to explore the intersection of soccer cannabis community in the cities hosting a World Cup match. And this is the first time in the history of the World Cup where it's being held in countries that are cannabis friendly. So it's really the first time we can have this conversation publicly.

MICHAELSON: And it's sort of like an Anthony Bourdain sort of travelogue with a lot more weed.

ZOHN: A lot more weed. Although with Anthony Bourdain, I don't know.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. There might have been some of that too. But and sort of your connection to marijuana comes from being a cancer survivor, right? ZOHN: Yeah. I mean, I never touched this stuff growing up. Soccer was my life. I'm going to play pro-soccer. And so there's a lot of stigma associated. But when I got sick with cancer, cannabis came into my life, because I was just looking for alternative ways to make myself feel better. The doctors are pumping you full of synthetics and I just wanted a more natural way to kind of get myself off some of those synthetic drugs and it really helped.

MICHAELSON: And thankfully you're are still here.

ZOHN: I'm still here man. I survived.

MICHAELSON: You're still here. So going after all of that. And now you're travelling the country. Episode 1 that was just released in Boston.

ZOHN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Which you can watch on YouTube right now. You're sort of big takeaways from your time there.

ZOHN: I mean, yeah, I grew up in Boston, so this was like a homecoming for me, and it was wild. What's really fun for me to learn is, like, now cannabis is pretty much mainstream, right? 1994 when the World Cup was here, highly illegal. You couldn't touch the stuff. If you're seen with it, major issues. But now there's dispensaries right on lands downstream at Fenway Park, and you can walk in. You can buy some product. You can enjoy yourself. So it's progress, and it's really exciting to see. And what I'm fascinated with is all these foreigners are coming to the United States to watch the World Cup.

They're coming for countries where cannabis is highly illegal. You go to jail if you're caught with it. And now they can be in the United States. They can walk into a dispensary, and they can have a good time.

MICHAELSON: Well, you got to hang out with folks from the Netherlands who know a thing or two about weed.

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ZOHN: Yes. You do.

MICHAELSON: And we saw these incredible pictures.

ZOHN: Yeah.

MICHAELSON: Out of Kansas City where you just were.

ZOHN: Yes. Yes.

MICHAELSON: Where just look at this.

ZOHN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: I mean, orange 35,000 people in the streets. They're on their buses. And we can see right there in the middle of it. Talk to us not only beyond just the cannabis, but just sort of that that cultural moment of being in the middle of that.

ZOHN: I mean, as a lifelong soccer fan, this -- that was a bucket list item for me. Not only was I in the crowd, I got on the bus. They have an orange bus they ship over every World Cup or every major tournament. And for me to be on the bus and then be in the crowd, I mean, it was wild. I've never experienced anything like that. It was like an entire country just had a party on the street to Kansas City, and I was right there in the middle of it. It was unbelievable. You have to -- if you get the chance, you have to do it.

MICHAELSON: And in our next hour, we're talking with one of the organizers of that group, which is really cool as well. So you're going to all these different cities. That's why you're here in Southern California right now.

ZOHN: Exactly. Yeah.

MICHAELSON: You're going to games at SoFi Stadium called Los Angeles Stadium right now. You've been to a lot of different World Cups.

ZOHN: Yeah.

MICHAELSON: What's different about this particular year?

ZOHN: Yeah. I've been to many World Cups like you said, and I just feel like this time's a little bit different. I feel that people are just that much more excited about celebrating their culture and their community and their flags and their colors and their jerseys. And it's just beautiful to see. Like, soccer brings the world together. And I'm really seeing that. Again, it's inspiring for me to see that.

MICHAELSON: And lastly, because you've also been a Professional Soccer Analyst, Team USA, how do you feel? What do you think as we head into the knockout round?

ZOHN: I'm so excited. One, I love the expanded field of 48 teams, but the fact that the U.S. has made it to the round of 32, I think we're going to make a run. I think we're going to go for it. I mean, last night, we had a little trouble against Turkey, but that was OK. We're playing our bench players. But we are on point, and I'm really excited to see us play.

MICHAELSON: Well, we're excited to have you here, and congratulations again on the show.

ZOHN: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: Kicking back, which people can check out right now at High Times and also on YouTube. Best of luck with the remaining episodes which will be coming out about every five days or so.

ZOHN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Thanks so much. ZOHN: Thank you.

MICHAELSON: All right. So let's talk more about the World Cup. And that race to reach the World Cup knockout stage delivered more drama on Friday, continuing one team's fairy tale story and dashing the dreams of a tournament heavyweight. France finished at the top of their group with a 4 to 1 win over Norway in Boston capping off their group stage performance of three straight wins.

Spain also locked up first place in their group eliminating two times world time World Cup Champions Uruguay from the tournament with a one nil win in Guadalajara, Mexico. Meanwhile, in Houston, Cabo Verde's World Cup fairy tale heads to the knockout round after the debutante team eliminated Saudi Arabia in a scoreless draw. And Senegal keeps its World Cup hopes alive, routing Iraq 5 nil in Toronto. That win gives Senegal a chance to advance into the knockout as one of the best third place teams in the tournament.

CNN's Andy Scholes spent the day talking World Cup at the fan zone here in Los Angeles and asked how far people think team USA can go in this year's tournament.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Top of the group, Amy. We are ready. Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am absolutely sure that the USA is going to win the World Cup.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not stopping till the finals, baby.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Our USA fans are more optimistic than ever that they can make some noise at this World Cup. Some even think that they can actually win it, but what do other countries think about that? Do you give the U.S. any chance of winning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. Sorry, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's great. But France is going to win.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, they don't have, like, that good of a rap sheet, but they're playing really good. You can't deny that. They do have a chance.

SCHOLES: What do you say to that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, sorry. This time it's Brazil.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The US team?

SCHOLES: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they're pretty good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's literally no chance. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look forward to seeing what they can do, but I don't know.

SCHOLES: Do you think the fans are right to think that they can win it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe. Maybe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they have the potential to go, if not all the way, very close. Very close. They're looking very nice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course not. We are better man. France going to win this year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not the sport for the any U.S. team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: I'm here, and we have a chance. Our thanks to Andy Scholes for his reporting from here in Southern California.

Major leap in North Korea's naval capabilities as the country shows off its new warship, but the question is, did they build it themselves? Stay with us.

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[00:45:00]

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MICHAELSON: North Korea is showing off its military might by debuting its largest warship ever. But did they actually build it? CNN's Will Ripley has more.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: North Korea's largest ever warship, the Choe Hyon, can fire a salvo of nuclear capable missiles in seconds, state TV says. As seen in this multi- camera cinematically shot demonstration earlier this year.

[00:50:00]

A carefully choreographed show of military might starring North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter and rumored successor, believed to be in her early teens, Kim Ju Ae. She did not join her father at this week's grand commissioning ceremony, also broadcast on North Korean state television. Kim donning a Panama hat in classic strongman style, inspecting his new destroyer's big guns. Crew members smile for a photo with their Supreme Leader. But nobody was smiling just over a year ago when a similar destroyer partially capsized during launch.

Satellite images showed a catastrophic failure. One side submerged parts of the hull draped in blue tarps. Worse still, marshal Kim was watching from shore. He called the botched launch a criminal act that brought shame to the nation. They arrested shipbuilders, engineers, and military leaders, but never disclosed their fates. The capsized ship was eventually refloated, launched again, and began sea trials this month.

Now Kim is declaring a new chapter in North Korean naval history, an end to over 70 years of stagnation. He said, in terms of military hardware, the navy was the weakest of all the services of our armed forces. Things have changed. Sanctions were supposed to stop Kim from building warships like this. Instead, North Korea says it built this destroyer entirely on its own. Outside experts are not so sure. How did they build a warship this sophisticated this quickly? Some analysts suspect Russian assistance, pointing to Kim's growing military alliance with leader Vladimir Putin. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has acknowledged any such help.

Some experts also point to similarities between North Korea's new warships and Russian naval designs. Kim says he wants to build two of these 5,000 ton destroyers or bigger every year for the next five years. As Kim sets sail on his quest to build a nuclear capable navy, whether North Korea can actually match those ambitions remains to be seen.

North Korea is still no match for the naval power of South Korea and the United States, but this destroyer does mark a turning point. For decades, Pyongyang relied on submarines, fast attack boats, and coastal defenses. Now Kim Jong Un is trying to build a blue water navy capable of operating in deep ocean much farther from home and carrying his nuclear ambitions with it. Will Ripley, CNN Taipei.

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MICHAELSON: Thanks to Will. A plane crash in China's capital sent debris falling to the streets below. Coming up, more details about that crash into the tallest building in Beijing.

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MICHAELSON: A small aircraft has crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper. The plane struck the 109 story tower. It is an unexpected incident in one of the world's most fortified cities. CNN's Mike Valerio is there.

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MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From the dizzying heights of Beijing's tallest tower reaching more than 1,700 feet high, aircraft wreckage raining down on the streets of one of the most populous cities in the world. Photos from social media showing a section of a small plane that flew through some of the world's most secure airspace above China's fortified capital, where drones and planes are highly restricted. So we've just moved about two blocks away from the tallest building in Beijing. And if you look above the yellow lettering, you can see a gash in the side of the building. The stunning sight leaving Anna, a Beijing student home from college in Boston, wondering how this could happen here just a few minutes' drive from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

ANNA, BEIJING STUDENT: I'm actually, like scared about it, because like, this is central business district. I work in this. I have an intern in this area, so it's kind of more scary for me if what if I'm still working in this area?

VALERIO: Beijing authorities have released no details about the crash, including whether this was an accident, intentional, or what the pilot's motivation could have been.

Police on the scene stopping people from taking pictures or videos. Posts of the scene quickly erased from China's strictly controlled and censored social media.

ANNA: This is all, like, what always, like, Chinese social media, how it's worked. Like, there's a lot of, social media police. They will delete it, everything sensitive.

VALERIO: Online images showing the plane's registration code seem to point to a domestically manufactured light sport aircraft, a Sunward SA 60L Aurora owned by a local general aviation company. We don't know how many people were on board, with Beijing's local police division responsible for where this happened, telling CNN over the phone they were, "Not familiar with the situation."

Preliminary flight data from FlightRadar24 posted online appeared to show a severely deviated flight path for the aircraft.

So we're at the base of the building hours after this crash happened, and a silence has fallen over this normally bustling area of the CBD.