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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Firefighters Battling Flames in Southwestern France; Spain Races to Contain Fires; Trump to Speak Tuesday at Lindsey Graham's Funeral; 15-Year-Old Detained After Seattle Festival Shooting; Calls for Tougher Security Measures After Deadly Berlin Rampage; "Extremely Dangerous" Tornado Hits Northeast Wisconsin; OpenAI Faces Lawsuit Over ChatGPT Medical Advice. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired July 28, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles.
Coming up on THE STORY IS, Europe on fire. As temperatures soar, crews in France and Spain are racing to stop the flames from spreading, while hundreds of thousands of residents are forced to evacuate.
THE STORY IS at the White House. President Trump will soon welcome the leaders of Ukraine and Israel as war, diplomacy and new allegations against Russia take center stage.
And THE STORY IS the risks of A.I.. The man who turned to ChatGPT for medical advice says it almost killed him, had the case fueling new concerns about how much people should actually trust artificial intelligence.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: The top story is in Europe, where another heat wave and drought conditions are threatening to make the wildfires in France and Spain even worse. Spain's prime minister calls it a climate emergency. More than 63,000 people have been forced from their homes near Madrid, and a fire in the province of Avila is now the biggest in Spain's history, burning more than 190 square miles.
In southwestern France, authorities warn that the fires could burn for months. More than 220,000 people have been evacuated there. French President Emmanuel Macron says the fires have been stabilized in Gironde and are now contained in neighboring lands. Officials say 162 arrests have been made on suspicion of possible arson in France since July 6th. President Macron says the situation is unlike any the country has faced in decades.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We must understand that we are facing a completely unprecedented wildfire. The situation we are dealing with today is the most severe we have ever recorded, the toughest since the Second World War. More than 160,000 hectares have already burned, and the season is far from over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: We'll have a report from Spain in a moment. But first, here's Melissa Bell in France.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are some of the 42,000 hectares of devastated land here in the Gironde region. And you can see that even as firefighters continue to try and bring this monstrous blaze under control to the southeast, even those parts that have already been devastated continue to threaten to re-erupt in flames. That is because the weather that we've had, of course, have created these drought conditions, allowing this fire to start.
But the winds have continued pushing it over the weekend, and it has become so strong, this fire, and vast that it has created its own weather systems, its own winds, its own tornadoes, its own momentum. For the time being, five days in, authorities say that they believe there's a small window now, over the next few hours, when the moisture conditions in the air are such. The wind a little bit lower than it has been for them to try and bring it under control.
But that window will be small because temperatures are expected to continue rising with yet another heat wave expected by midweek.
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Spain, authorities are still very worried about wildfires raging in western Madrid. Actually, it's very easy to see the impact of the flames silhouetted against the clear blue skies. You can see a vast, dense column of smoke rising from the blaze. So far the authorities estimate that this wildfire has scorched around 28,000 hectares of forest area and forced the evacuation of around 30,000 people.
The next few hours are going to be critical as to contain the advance and progress of the wildfires, according to the government, and this is because over the next few days, weather conditions are going to worsen as it is expected. A fourth heat wave to impact the Iberian Peninsula on Wednesday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Pau Mosquera and Melissa Bell, thank you so much.
In the day ahead, President Donald Trump will host Ukraine's president and Israel's prime minister in separate meetings at the White House.
[00:05:06]
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Benjamin Netanyahu are both in town to attend the funeral for the late Senator Lindsey Graham. A White House official tells CNN that President Trump's conversation with Ukraine's leader will revolve around the ongoing efforts to end the war -- Russia's war in Ukraine. The president downplaying Zelenskyy's allegation that Moscow is providing Iran with intelligence on U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Trump saying, quote, "I don't think they've been doing it, certainly not at a high level."
Israel's prime minister says Iran is one of the top issues on the agenda for his talks with the U.S. president. Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for a renewed U.S. offensive against Tehran. President Trump acknowledged that he has, quote, "a little difference with Netanyahu on Iran, but they are still closely aligned." And he claims that Israel needs U.S. backing in order to survive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Frankly, it would be very nice to a lot of countries that would not survive without us. And, you know, who wouldn't survive without us? Israel. Bibi is coming. He'll tell you, if I didn't get involved and if I didn't blow up those nuclear, essentially soon to be nuclear weapons, the dust, as I call it, Israel would have been terminated months ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: President Trump also claims that the U.S. paused strikes on Iran because Iran wanted to resume peace talks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Iran took a beating over the last 14 days, and they asked us very nicely, please stop. Let's meet. And that's where we are right now. We'll see what happens. If we don't make a deal, we go back to the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, President Trump is hoping to change American voters' deeply negative outlook on the economy ahead of November's midterm elections. He held a campaign style speech at a General Motors facility in the swing state of Michigan, where he called Democrats communists and claimed falsely that they want to raise taxes to 80 percent. President says his success on investment, job creation and tax cuts will be paying off soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You're going to see the results very soon. I'm a little bit upset because in two and a half years you may have a different president. May. And -- and that president will be saying how great the economy is doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Trump is also asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let his administration implement an executive order aimed at curtailing mail- in voting. It requires that states give the Postal Service lists of eligible voters. Anyone not on those lists would not receive a ballot by mail. 23 Democratic-led states have challenged that order, noting the Constitution leaves the running of elections largely to states, not to the White House. A federal district court has blocked its implementation for this
year's elections in the states that sued, and a federal appeals court upheld that ruling this past weekend.
President Trump will also speak Tuesday at the funeral for the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The South Carolina Republican served eight years in the House and 23 years in the Senate before his sudden death this month.
Christale Spain is the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party. She joins me live now from Columbia.
Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
CHRISTALE SPAIN, SOUTH CAROLINE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
MICHAELSON: Madam Chairwoman, how do you see Lindsey Graham's legacy in South Carolina?
SPAIN: You know, I think that, you know, Lindsey Graham does have a good legacy in South Carolina. You know, I'm not going to speak ill of the dead. I think he did do a lot of good for the state. But I think that he was also a politician and he definitely knew how to play to his base. And I don't think that that made him, you know, that helped his legacy in any way. But I think that he has brought home tangible results for South Carolina. But again, he did kind of push him -- put himself in a position where he was a villain.
MICHAELSON: A villain. Interesting. South Carolina and your party making news in the last few days with news that South Carolina is going to be the first primary for the Democratic Party in the 2028 presidential election, moving up to number one.
Jonathan Martin in "Politico" argued that this may not be an advantage. He wrote this, quote, "The state traded the prospect of nominating power for attention and money. It will get a wealth of candidate visits, and its state party will reap a financial windfall. But South Carolina will now effectively become what Iowa was for the preceding half century. The contest, where also-rans are culled rather than the one that vaulted Democrats to the nomination, or at least narrowed the race to a final two."
How do you respond to that, this idea that what you guys will now do is take this big group and narrow it down as compared to taking a narrowed group and picking the one or two that win?
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SPAIN: You know, listen. South Carolina has a long history of picking winners. I don't think that Iowa had that history. But South Carolina voters are -- have and always have been pragmatic voters. We're thoughtful in this process. We're thinking about who can win in November. And I don't think that our placement on the calendar changes that. I think that we're going to battle test the candidates in the way that we have always done. And I think that South Carolina also gives our -- South Carolina going first gives all the candidates an opportunity to come in and make inroads in communities that are important to a November victory.
MICHAELSON: Why was it important for you to be first?
SPAIN: Because we were already first, right?
MICHAELSON: Right.
SPAIN: So we weren't going to be first then why not? So we were already first. So it was important for us to keep that status as being the first early state in the window because more importantly, we had never tested this calendar. You know, this calendar was created in 2022 for the 2024 election. So we all know that in 2024, President Biden had the White House. So we had a primary. It was contested, but it was in no way competitive. So we have no idea if this calendar even work for our candidates or not.
MICHAELSON: Well, it's going to be interesting. And I'm sure you're going to get a lot, a lot, a lot of candidate visits in the meantime. Now, of course, the Democratic National Committee helped to make this happen. There's been a lot of reporting about the chair of the National Democratic Committee, Ken Martin. There was a story that came out in "The New York Times" this weekend. We want to p it up on the screen where there were allegations "inside the phone throwing drama at the troubled, broke Democratic Party," and allegations that he threw a phone at a staffer.
And then this quote in the article, "The Democratic Party and its allies are far behind Republicans when it comes to money. Mr. Trump controls a $400 million Super PAC and the Republican National Committee is sitting on nearly $130 million. Mr. Martin's DNC is $2 million in debt."
Do you have confidence that Ken Martin should be the person leading the DNC right now?
SPAIN: You know, look, I'm no Ken Martin apologist. But what I will tell you is that Democrats have been winning across the country for the last year and a half. I know that we've celebrated victories here in South Carolina and we've closed the gap in places where we weren't supposed to. And that's because we've been getting a lot of support for Ken Martin and his team at the DNC.
And the DNC is the only entity that understands that Democrats have to win county council races. We've got to win statehouse races, state Senate races. And they have been focused on helping us do those things. And so one thing Ken Martin does know how to do, and that's win elections. So, you know, that work is what is important to us in this moment. And that's what I'm absolutely focused on.
MICHAELSON: You said you're no Ken Martin apologist. Do you think that there's somebody better out there?
SPAIN: You know, I will let the pundits decide, you know, if Ken Martin is a good leader or not. But as far as I'm concerned, the investments that he has made in the state parties, the investment on the ground so that we can turn that investment into victories, we flipped city council races here in South Carolina. We flipped county council races in South Carolina, and we could not have done that without the investment, the financial resources, the investment of staff, support that Ken Martin's DNC has provided.
MICHAELSON: And of course, Ken Martin's DNC making sure that South Carolina stays number one in the primary calendar in 2028. Congratulations on that, and best of luck with all the candidates about to come your way.
SPAIN: Thank you so much.
MICHAELSON: After the break, Savannah Guthrie's emotional new plea to the kidnapers of her still missing mother, Nancy. Her message nearly six months after her mother was taken from her home in the middle of the night. Plus demands for answers after a deadly attack on one of Europe's largest pride celebrations. We'll have the latest on the investigation in Berlin.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: We have new information on the deadly shooting in Seattle, Washington. According to the Associated Press, a 15-year-old has been detained in connection with Sunday's incident. Court documents reveal that the police believe that the teen is one of at least three shooters who may have engaged in a gang related shootout at the popular food festival.
CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is in Seattle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down, get down, get down, get down.
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Festival goers in downtown Seattle fleeing and ducking for cover as gunfire erupted after at least two people started shooting towards each other, Sunday, shortly after 6:00 p.m., according to court documents reviewed by the Associated Press.
CHIEF SHON BARNES, SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Our officers, as well as members from the Fire Department, medic team, ran toward gunfire in an attempt to render life-saving aid and to disarm someone who was actively firing a weapon into a crowd.
JONES (voice-over): The shots were fired close to the city's landmark space needle at a popular food festival that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Machine gun just went off. Oh, my god.
[00:20:01] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw families, kids, everyone, just like running out of the fair. Someone was yelling, active shooter. I jumped the fence quickly and I ran.
JONES (voice-over): Three people, including one of the shooters, according to the AP, were killed. A 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman. At least four others were injured, including a 2-year-old boy. Dispatch audio captured the tense moments after shots were fired at the Bite of Seattle Festival.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suspect may have an automatic weapon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rapid fire, rapid fire.
JONES (voice-over): Including calls to treat the child.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anyone have a small -- a child tourniquet size?
JONES (voice-over): Only the toddler is still hospitalized and he is in satisfactory condition, according to the hospital. It took stunned festival goers just moments to realize something was terribly wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shooting, shooting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shooting? Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED). (EXPLETIVE DELETED) right here.
JONES (voice-over): But soon, surprise turned to panic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a lot of chaos. You know, my brother actually got pushed, you know, and he fell. He's pretty bruised up right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Multiple shots. But I can't say how many. And then a lot of people didn't react at first because we thought, oh, it must be firecrackers or something.
JONES (voice-over): Two weapons were recovered after the shooting. So far, one suspect, a 15-year-old, is in custody.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES (on-camera): And Elex, police said that 15-year-old surrendered on scene. He was then booked in a juvenile facility, and this afternoon, a judge determined that they had indeed been probable cause for his arrest. Now he is being investigated for both firearm violations and first degree assault, but it is still unclear which and if prosecutors will bring any charges against him -- Elex.
MICHAELSON: Julia Vargas Jones in Seattle. Julia, thank you.
The man convicted of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022 wants to take back his guilty plea and go to trial. Brian Kohberger pleaded guilty last year to the murders as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty. But on Monday, he filed a petition to withdraw that plea, claiming it was the result of threats, false promises and wrong information. He's serving four consecutive life sentences without parole.
NBC's Savannah Guthrie has posted a new emotional plea for information about her missing mother, Nancy, who was taken from her home in February. The latest appeal comes after federal investigators said earlier this month that all three of the notes linked to the case were fake. Guthrie says her family is in agony not knowing what happened to her mother, as she appealed to those who took her for help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, HOST, NBC'S "TODAY SHOW": The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, and I know that you have tried to do things the right way, so I'm asking you, begging you to do the right thing now. Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her. I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Germany's interior minister is reportedly promising a sweeping security overhaul after the deadly attack on Berlin's pride celebration on Saturday. The vehicle ramming and stabbing attack, which left one person dead and 29 people injured, has led to calls for tougher security measures and debate as to why the suspect wasn't in prison for a prior conviction.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're actually on the scene where all of this happened, and this is inside a public park, one of the main parks in Berlin called the Tiergarten. This is actually a footpath and bike path here in this park. It's not a public road. Nevertheless, the attacker drove the car down this footpath, ramming into lots of people.
I want to show you something here because actually this tree that the vehicle rammed into, which then stopped that driving rampage, if the attacker hadn't driven into this tree, potentially even more people would have been injured and potentially killed. As it stands, the authorities are saying 29 people were injured, one person was killed, and afterwards the attacker apparently left the vehicle and as he made his getaway, started stabbing people along the way.
Now, there are several questions that the authorities here are answering. First of all, they say that this is an Islamist motivated terrorist attack, as they put it. They've named the attacker as a man named Abdul B., who was born in Berlin, is 21 years old, is of Lebanese descent, and apparently tried to go to Syria to join ISIS in the past. So he had already been convicted by a juvenile court here in Germany and was on probation actually when all of this happened.
Now, the authorities are also questioning how the vehicle managed to get into this park because, of course, there was that big pride event going on. There were a lot of barriers that were actually set up in the days prior to this event. So that's one of the things the authorities are looking into. And one of the other things they're also still looking into is whether or not there might have been others who were also involved in this plot.
[00:25:06]
They say right now that's still very much up for investigation. But as you can imagine here, city of Berlin, very much in shock. Of course, the pride community also very much in shock as well. The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he came out and he urged people to stay strong in the face of acts like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Fred Pleitgen, thank you.
The National Weather Service says its team is surveying the damage from an extremely dangerous tornado in Wisconsin. That twister ripped off roofs, caused major damage in Menasha. Look at some of the images here.
In Appleton on Monday severe storms throughout the Great Lakes region have left more than a half a million customers without power.
CNN's Marybel Gonzalez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely not a normal skyline for noon.
MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Skies blackened midday Monday as a preliminary report from the National Weather Service shows an EF-2 tornado ripped through parts of northeast Wisconsin.
CHIEF MATHEW ALBRECHT, MENASHA POLICE DEPARTMENT: Multiple businesses and homes have been severely impacted. The damage is extensive.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): The Menasha Police Department posted on Facebook asking neighbors to, quote, "Stay indoors and watch out for downed power lines, and do not drive around road closures due to the severe damage."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the main street in Menasha.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): The destruction is impacting first responders' ability to get to the affected areas.
ALBRECHT: At this point, we are unaware or unsure of how bad the damage is because many roads in those same areas are impassable.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): Images are beginning to reveal some of the damage, including a semi-truck over the median barrier of a highway, along with large debris in the road near Menasha. Another video shows a shed tumbling across a parking lot and into a truck, as the owner records.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that's unfortunate. That's my truck.
GONZALEZ (voice-over): Following the tornado, a post from Menasha Utilities said they believe power outages impacted the entire city of Menasha. After hitting Menasha, the tornado moved over Lake Winnebago and dissipated over water. It was observed for at least 20 minutes from near Appleton to the northern coast of the lake.
I'm Marybel Gonzalez, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: I think I would be more emotional about my truck than that guy.
Donald Trump talks economy. Hear what he's saying about the prices once the war with Iran is over. Our political panel here to get into that and more. Ian Calderon, David (INAUDIBLE), live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Just months ahead of the midterm elections, new polls are providing insight into the mindset of voters. That includes their view of the president.
[00:32:19]
The Pew Research Center finds his approval rating stands at 34 percent, while 64 percent of Americans say they disapprove of his job performance. That has not changed since April.
The top issue for voters this election -- and it's pretty overwhelming -- the economy. Nearly 30 percent of those surveyed want candidates running for Congress to focus most on economic issues, including prices and affordability.
Government ethics and reforms came in a distant second. And look at immigration and health care, which have been at the center of so many midterm elections in the past. Only in single digits.
Let's bring in our panel. Democrat Ian Calderon is a former California state assembly majority leader, former candidate for governor of California. He's also the founder and CEO of Majority Advisors.
And Republican David Tangipa is an assembly member for California's 8th District.
Gentlemen, welcome back.
So, on that issue of the economy, President Trump speaking in Michigan about it specifically tonight. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Now, eggs are much lower than they were when we first started. And that's true with everything else. And you'll see how true it's going to be after we get rid of the nuclear threat of Iran, which will be very quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Does that message work?
IAN CALDERON, FORMER CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY MAJORITY LEADER: I mean, it's just what he does. He says, here, look over here. Don't -- don't believe your own eyes. Just believe what I tell you.
And I think that that's the biggest problem that -- that Americans are having.
When he was running for president, he said, All the prices are going to come down. Things are going to get better. Life in this country is going to get easier. And that's not what's happened. We've started an unnecessary war with Iran.
When, finally, Congress agrees on a major bipartisan piece of legislation to reduce the cost of housing, he chooses not to sign it. I mean, these are just softballs that he should be hitting out of the park, but he's not.
And it is very, very expensive. This market, when you take a look at what all of the major bankers and investment funds guys are saying right now, the next ten years in this stock market, you're not going to be positive on the -- on -- on the money that you're going to make. You're going to be negative.
That is an indictment on his presidency and the policies that he's been passing, and it's unaffordable.
MICHAELSON: Well, we'll see on that part. But -- but in terms of the messaging, I mean, the war with Iran is not necessarily helpful for the affordability message, is it?
DAVID TANGIPA (R), CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY MEMBER: No, it's not. But here's the biggest thing that a lot of people need to look at, is that political memories are short.
And what President Trump is really working on is ending the war and then making sure that we're tackling issues when it comes to creating surplus and abundance again. We still have time to get to that point.
And if -- if the war in Iran ends, and we tackle when it comes to gas prices, grocery prices, and we focus on the actual tabletop issues, when they swipe their debit card or their credit card, they're thinking about that.
No one's thinking about anywhere else but their own pocketbooks right now. And we've really got to dial that in.
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MICHAELSON: What evidence do you have that President Trump is focused on ending the war with Iran? TANGIPA: Oh, I think that -- it's because he's talking about it every
single time. And I do think that there's -- there's a lot of -- what people need to see is that this is the most peaceful time in human history.
And what we're trying to do right now is actually address something that's in the future, that a lot of people aren't going to realize. But it was necessary and needed to be done now.
But now we've got to bring everything back to our shores and focus on housing, affordability, groceries, and tackle the prices here. We've got to blow up those costs first before we take on anybody else.
CALDERON: You know, Elex, I'm -- I'm old enough to remember that one of the pillars of Donald Trump's platform was no new wars. And here we are in a new war that apparently has ended, and it was a great success, three or four times. And we're right back in it.
And so, I just -- I respect what -- what David is saying, but that's just not what has been the reality.
MICHAELSON: Now, the question, of course, is if people are frustrated with the Republicans, will they be ready to vote for Democrats?
And we saw the Democratic Socialists of America national co-chair, Megan Romer, on "FOX News Sunday" with Shannon Bream over the weekend, and Shannon asked her true or false on some agenda items for the Democratic Socialists of America. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHANNON BREAM, HOST, FOX NEWS CHANNEL'S "FOX NEWS SUNDAY": Abolish the Senate.
MEGAN ROMER, NATIONAL CO-CHAIR, DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA: True.
BREAM: OK. Replace the presidency and Supreme Court as we now know them.
ROMER: Yes.
BREAM: Abolish ICE.
ROMER: Absolutely.
BREAM: Abolish borders and give amnesty to anyone currently in the U.S. illegally.
ROMER: As a long-term plan, yes.
BREAM: Defund the Pentagon?
ROMER: Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: Ian, is this good for your party?
CALDERON: Well, I mean, you saw what the Republicans go through with the Tea Party and, you know, look, there is a faction within our party that is looking for change or looking for something different.
And, you know, and there are policies and ideas that are being presented. And it's up to voters to decide, you know, what they agree with and what they don't agree with.
But I think, ultimately, in a lot of these races across the country, it's going to come down to economics. And it's going to come down to not whether a candidate is DSA or establishment. It's going to come down to what is your economic policy and your economic agenda?
MICHAELSON: But is that a good economic policy and agenda?
CALDERON: Well, I didn't really hear much of an economic policy or agenda there.
MICHAELSON: I mean, don't you think a lot of that would sort of dramatically change the economy?
CALDERON: It would dramatically change a lot of things. But I think people are looking at their pocketbook issues. And, you know, we just need to stay -- keep our eye on the ball.
MICHAELSON: When you hear that from the DSA national co-chair, what do you hear?
TANGIPA: Well, here's the difference. The Tea Party was a return to the original values of the United States. The DSA is a systematic dismantling of America, in itself.
When you want to abolish the Senate, when you want to abolish the presidency, when you want to abolish all of these things, you're telling everybody you want to dismantle America.
And that's not just something that they're saying. They're winning races. That is becoming a major platform in the Democratic Party.
And that's what people need to see, is when they tell you they're going to do something, you should listen to them. When Hakeem Jeffries is losing to DSA members, they're winning. That's the movement in the party.
MICHAELSON: I mean, part of what happened with the Tea Party is that they grew in numbers, and then they actually had a lot of power and leverage in Congress.
We see a lot of Democratic socialists now likely to win in Congress. And even if the Democrats get a majority, they're going to have some leverage if there's Speaker Hakeem Jeffries. Is that scary to you?
CALDERON: Look, it -- it's -- it's just politics. And, you know, right now, under the America that we have, everything is for sale. Under this presidency, everything has been for sale. And I think that that's what a lot of people are responding to. And that's why you're seeing this DSA movement.
I mean, you could see this movement coming a long time ago with the Occupy Wall Street movement from years ago. I don't know if you remember L.A. city hall, and them all camped out.
MICHAELSON: I was there and reported on the ground as it all happened.
CALDERON: So, people have --
MICHAELSON: A lot of those people screamed at me.
CALDERON: Well, I'm sorry.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
CALDERON: But I mean -- I mean, this -- this has been bubbling up as an issue for a really long time. And it does create challenges.
But also, at the same time, you know, they are Democrats, and we are going to work together at the end of the day. But --
MICHAELSON: Are they Democrats?
CALDERON: Well, they're Democratic socialists.
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, that's -- that is part of the question. I mean, it's interesting, because part of this battle for the Democratic soul is -- is on display in Michigan right now, where you have Abdul El-Sayed on the left. Haley Stevens, more in the -- in the middle. She's a current congressperson.
Abdul El-Sayed, backed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Both of them debating tonight on the local FOX station with Roop Raj. Here's some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HALEY STEVENS (D-MI), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: The only thing that ever motivates my work is the people of Michigan, the people who I hear from. You know, my opponent is on these big podcasts. You know, he's running a podcast himself. These folks are making fun of the way I sound, but yet, I sound like the people who need help.
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: So, I just want to say the difference between us is $46 million of AIPAC spending. They've set a record in this race to help elect my opponent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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MICHAELSON: Quick reaction from each of you in terms of how you see this race -- David. TANGIPA: Yes, I think this is both the extremes versus the extremes in
the party. And when somebody is talking about, again, what they are planning on doing, what they are against, we should listen to them. And we should see the radical arm that's really taking control.
And I think in that election that's going to happen in Michigan, people are going to see exactly where the movement is happening in the Democratic Party. And that shift towards radicalism.
CALDERON: Yes, I mean, I think -- yes, you can -- he is focusing on his base and where he thinks his base of support is going to come from. Because, I mean, he is up against a lot of money and a very popular candidate.
But at the end of the day, it's going to come down to the messaging. It's going to come down to economics, and that's what's going to win out in that race.
MICHAELSON: So, who wins out in that race?
CALDERON: I think Stevens wins out.
MICHAELSON: What do you think?
TANGIPA: I think El-Sayed. I mean, everybody knows his name. We even know his name here in California. So, if we know his name, the people know his name. News knows his name. We know that Michigan primary voters know the -- know his name.
MICHAELSON: She seems like she's got some momentum going right now, though, with Gretchen Whitmer endorsing her. And you wonder if Gretchen Whitmer would have done something like that if she hadn't seen some polling that was pretty good for -- for Stevens.
But we'll know one week from tomorrow.
Ian Calderon, David Tangipa. You both are sticking around. A lot more to talk about in our next hour. We appreciate both of you being here.
Also still to come on THE STORY IS, the tide could be turning in Russia's war on Ukraine. Just ahead, how North Korea may be coming to Vladimir Putin's rescue once again.
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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.
More extreme heat and no rain in sight could make wildfire conditions even worse for firefighters in Spain and France. Spain's prime minister calls it a climate emergency, and France's president says the country is facing its toughest situation since World War Two.
In total, about 300,000 people have been evacuated. Washington, D.C., will pay tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham
in the coming hours. Services for the South Carolina Republican will span two days. A ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday will honor Graham's military and political career. A funeral will follow at the Washington National Cathedral.
Graham's remains will then return to South Carolina for another service on Wednesday.
Ukraine's president and Israel's prime minister will meet separately with Donald Trump on Tuesday. The U.S. president will speak with both leaders ahead of that funeral for the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
A White House official says Trump will speak to Zelenskyy about ending Russia's war with Ukraine and discuss the Iran war with Benjamin Netanyahu.
President Zelenskyy is warning that North Korea is once again preparing to come to Russia's rescue in the war on Ukraine. He says Pyongyang plans to send another 30,000 troops to fight alongside Vladimir Putin's forces.
CNN's senior international correspondent Will Ripley has more.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a cemetery for North Korea's fallen soldiers this weekend, Kim Jong-un, his wife, and daughter walked past the graves of Korean war dead.
Now, Ukraine says Kim could send 30,000 more North Korean troops into another war, for Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kim sent more than 100 soldiers to march in Moscow's Victory Day parade in May.
South Korea and Western militaries estimate more than 10,000 North Korean troops helped Russian forces recapture the Kursk region. And soon Putin may be getting something even bigger from his partner in Pyongyang, says Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, set to meet President Trump tomorrow in the Oval Office, a White House official says.
"Russia wants to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops," Zelenskyy says, adding Ukraine's military has solid reports preparations are underway to receive them.
He says they're headed to Southwestern Russia, about 150 miles from Ukraine's border.
Zelenskyy says Kim may also be sending several ballistic missile launchers. North Korean missiles are a lethal part of Putin's war machine, Ukraine says they're growing more accurate with every strike.
"Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience," Zelenskyy says.
Kim built a new war memorial in Pyongyang with thousands of graves and space for many more. Ukraine's military estimates more than 6,000 North Koreans have already been injured or killed fighting for Russia, part of Putin and Kim's deepening anti-West, anti-U.S. Alliance.
A drastically different outcome than the vision of Kim's grandfather, North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung, who once hosted former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
MIKE CHINOY, FORMER CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: And I recall Kim il sung saying to me, we want to have good relations with the United States. That's all gone now.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Former CNN Beijing bureau chief Mike Chinoy made 17 reporting trips to North Korea. He says after Trump's diplomacy collapsed, Kim made a hard pivot to Russia and never looked back.
CHINOY: And I don't think he's interested anymore in having that kind of relationship, because I don't think he trusts the United States.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Instead, Ukraine says Kim is betting big on Moscow, a bet that could soon mean another 30,000 North Korean troops fighting for Russia.
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RIPLEY: Despite thousands of North Korean troops fighting for Russia, only two are known to have been captured alive.
Ukrainian officials say that's because North Korean soldiers are under orders to avoid capture at all costs. Kim Jong-un has even praised what state media called soldiers who self-blasted with grenades rather than surrender.
Ukrainian forces say some North Korean soldiers have shouted Kim's name before pulling the pin on a grenade, choosing to die instead of being taken prisoner.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
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MICHAELSON: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is demanding that Senator Mitch McConnell release more details about his health or resign.
McConnell has not been seen in public for 43 days. His office released this new photo alongside a statement saying he wants to return to work but has not been medically cleared to leave a rehab facility.
In a letter to McConnell, Beshear wrote, quote, "The attending physician's written statement does not discuss your actual condition, including whether you can speak, reason, or carry out your duties as a senator. I understand anyone's desire for privacy, but when you run for office and serve as one of a state's two U.S. senators, you willingly abdicate much of your personal privacy."
Former FBI Director James Comey wants a judge to dismiss the U.S. Justice Department's latest case against him that was filed over a years-old social media post where seashells spelled out 86 47.
While the number 86 often refers to getting rid of something, and Donald Trump is the 47th president, Comey's attorney argued there was no actual threat against the president. They argue the indictment targets and chills core political speech.
The Justice Department had previously failed to bring a separate case against Comey. The latest one set to go to trial in October.
Ahead, we'll look at a new lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, over one man's claims that medical advice from the company's ChatGPT nearly cost him his life.
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MICHAELSON: This week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will travel to Washington to meet with members of the Trump administration and top lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
He's expected to brief officials on the company's latest A.I. models and their potential impact.
Now, all this comes as OpenAI's disclosure that one of its A.I. systems went, quote, unquote, "rogue" during testing, meaning it autonomously breached another computer's systems.
That incident has raised alarms, with lawmakers now proposing an A.I. kill switch in response. It would allow federal authorities to halt A.I. models and conduct independent security audits of the technology.
This comes as OpenAI and Altman are facing a new lawsuit. A Florida man claims that ChatGPT nearly killed him when he asked the A.I. chatbot about a medical issue. The lawsuit, among a growing number from people accusing ChatGPT of causing real life harm.
CNN's Clare Duffy reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE DUFFY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, 55-year-old Florida Pastor Scott Winters says he started using ChatGPT in June of 2024, like many people do, sort of like a search engine, looking for information.
He started asking it questions about health conditions that he was developing, looking for more information. And over the course of several months, ChatGPT gave him increasingly specific medical advice, including specific supplement and medication recommendations, lifestyle changes, and other clinical advice.
And even in the days leading up to this medical emergency, Scott says it downplayed his symptoms and his concerns, telling him at one point that his symptoms were likely not something dangerous. It also used religious language, playing on the fact that Scott is a
pastor, telling him at one point that his situation was under God's watch.
It also told him in one exchange that his brain must learn, quote, "I can feel dizzy and still be safe." ChatGPT also encouraged him not to tell his wife exactly what was going on.
That all leading to a June 2025 pulmonary embolism that Scott says nearly killed him. And even after that medical emergency, ChatGPT continued to encourage him not to follow the recommendations of his human doctors.
Scott Winters, now suing OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman for product liability, negligence, and failure to warn of the risks that he says were inherent in this platform.
And this, of course, a growing concern as more and more people do turn to A.I. chatbots for health information. OpenAI is defending its -- its product.
A spokesperson told us in a statement, quote, "Every day, hundreds of millions of people search the Internet for health information. We believe A.I. can make that experience better by helping them find clearer answers, organize their questions, prepare for conversations with medical professionals, especially in a world where not everyone has equal access to quality care. But ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care, diagnosis, or treatment."
OpenAI also says its terms of service tell users not to use ChatGPT for medical treatment, or as the sole source of health information.
But you can see how it might be confusing if ChatGPT is, at the same time, giving very specific medical advice and encouraging users not to turn to human medical professionals.
So, an important warning --
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