Return to Transcripts main page
The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Let Him Curtail Mail Voting; Trump Set To Meet With Netanyahu And Zelenskyy; Massachusetts Mother Goes On Trial For Killing Her 3 Children; Los Angeles Judge Orders D4vd To Stand Trial In Teen's Killing; Family Seeks Answers In Nolan Wells' Death On Horn Island; New Heat Wave Could Worsen Wildfires in France and Spain; France Battles Flames Around Historic Bordeaux; "Ted Lasso" Celebrates Season 4 Premiere in Los Angeles; "The Odyssey" Shatters Expectations at the Box Office; Savannah Guthrie Renews Plea for Help Finding Mother, Nancy; Trump's Attacks on Journalists Draw Criticism; France's D-Day Beaches Become UNESCO World Heritage Site. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 28, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: 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 for any users who are asking AI chat bots for medical advice, make sure you're also talking to human professionals. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: yes, that is good advice. Clare Duffy, thank you and thanks for watching the first hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.
UNIENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: I'm Elex Michaelson. Coming up on the story is, mail in voting. President Trump calls it a disaster and inherently corrupt. Now he wants the Supreme Court to let him restrict it.
The story is deadly wildfires. They're tearing across Spain and France in what the French president calls the toughest situation when World War II will take you there live.
And the story is a daughter's plea. A heartbreaking new message from news anchor Savannah Guthrie to whoever took her mom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, TODAY SHOW ANCHOR: Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The top story, though, is in Washington where President Trump is stepping up his fight for changes in the way that Americans vote. He's asking the Supreme Court to let his administration implement an executive order aimed at curtailing mail-in ballots. It requires states to give the postal service lists of eligible voters. Anyone not on those lists would not receive a ballot by mail. The president repeated some familiar and false claims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt except for illness, disability, military deployment or travel. If you're in the military, you're far away. Absolutely. If you have to go someplace, absolutely.
But mail-in ballots have proven to be a disaster. We're the only country in the world that in this form does them. There's no other country in the world because they're crooked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: 23 Democratic led states have challenged Trump's executive order, noting that the Constitution leaves the running of elections largely to states, not to the White House. Federal district court has blocked its implementation for this year's elections in the state that sued and a federal appeals court upheld that ruling this past weekend.
Joining once again our panel, former California state Assembly member, Democratic leader Ian Calderon and Republican David Tangipa representing California's 8th district in the State Assembly. Gentlemen, welcome to you both.
You're both Californians. We know a lot about mail-in balloting here. You think the president has a point here or do you think that this is much ado about nothing?
DAVID TANGIPA, ASSEMBLYMEMBER, CALIFORNIA'S 8TH DISTRICT: Well, I think what the main thing people are really concerned about is election security. And I'm old enough to remember that when New Jersey just told us that non-citizens are on the voter rolls when we've been told for years that it wasn't happening. I think right now what he really feels is we need natural safeguards. We need to make sure that our election system is truly safe when we have now confirmation for what we were called conspiracy theorists for a long time, that it's actually happening.
And so what I really believe that the President is asking for are normal safeguards to bring us into the modern 21st century and especially if we have this new type of election system.
MICHAELSON: But what he actually said was that it's inherently corrupt to vote by mail. Do you think it's inherently corrupt?
TANGIPA: I do think that there are issues with our mail-in ballot system here in not only California, but across the United States. I think when we've seen statistical anomalies when it comes to data, when we see that there's 81 million votes cast in one election and then the next election it diverts back to 66 million, there are numbers that become really out of the norm and we should look into that.
And he feels one certain way. But I do know that Republicans, Democrats and Independents do like to vote by mail. They like to receive their mail. I think we should have normal safeguards when it comes to it.
MICHAELSON: What do you think?
IAN CALDERON, FORMER CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY MAJORITY LEADER: Well, this own president has voted by mail-in the past himself. I think voter fraud largely exists in the mind of Donald Trump and of MAGA Republicans. We are a universal vote by mail state. And when you take a look at election cycle after election cycle, actual, you know, cases of potential voter fraud are in the single digits and the system catches those issues.
And so to continue to harp on and on this idea that it's fraudulent, it's just another way to suppress the vote, keep people from voting so that, you know, it advantages Republicans elections because apparently they think if less people vote, then they win.
MICHAELSON: But you know, the point that like Republicans make in a state like Florida where President Trump votes by mail, is that you've got to request a ballot. It can't be arriving days afterwards. And that this idea of sending ballots to everyone, which happens in California, happens in lots of other states, including some Republican states like Utah, that is inherently potential for fraud, that you got a bunch of extra ballots sort of laying around for people to do ballot harvesting. And that's potentially problematic.
CALDERON: I mean, don't we want people to vote though? I mean, we want to, you know, in this state, you register to vote, you get registered, you know, through the DMV.
[01:05:02]
This is a significant process that we undergo through the state so that we can ensure that everybody has an opportunity vote. We want more representation in our elections. We want to be able to have more voting and being able to take advantage of, you know, having more people register to vote and going through great lengths to allow them the opportunity to vote is the better way to go rather than suppressing that vote.
MICHAELSON: One of the safeguards that you want and a lot of Republicans want is voter ID. It's something President Trump talked about tonight. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They don't want to have a thing called proof of citizenship. So why doesn't somebody want voter ID or proof of citizenship? Because they want to cheat. OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: You think it's because they want to cheat?
CALDERON: Well, last time I checked, you have to be a citizen in order to register to vote. I mean, you can't -- you can't get an election and have access to vote unless you're -- you're a citizen. And so, you know, this is just a lot of nonsense and chirping about a problem that just doesn't exist.
MICHAELSON: So you all are on the California Republican Party are now suing in California over this issue. So there's a proposition called Prop 39, which is basically a voter ID bill in California. And the original title we want to put up on the screen would be establishes additional voter identification and citizenship verification requirements. The Attorney General, Democrat Rob Bonta, changed that title.
And we'll put this up, it says, prohibit citizens from voting unless they prevent government issued identification. So that's a pretty major change in the language. And now you all are suing over that change.
TANGIPA: Well, and just out of all respect for my colleague here, he just said something's not happening. When even Jake Tapper admits that what happened in New Jersey, Jake happened 6,600 non-citizens were registered to vote. And what we're asking for here in California is to do something that Mexico has to require voter ID is to do something that Canada has to require voter ID, Portugal.
And what we've seen Rob Bonta do right now is called electioneering and rigging. And while his argument is something that we like to refer to as cheating fair and square, that has empowered the Attorney General in the middle of an election season to change title and summary after we've collected 1.4 million signatures of a title and summary he gave us. We know exactly why he's doing it, and it's to frame this argument so we lose in November.
MICHAELSON: And let's put his response up on the screen. Rob Bonta basically saying that right here that the defended the changes, stating that they were lawful and intended to provide clarity.
CALDERON: I mean, what he's saying is factually correct. And you know, it's the -- it's the -- it's the job of the attorney general to determine what these ballot designations are or these descriptions are. And you know, they're going to sue and that's going to play itself out in court.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And also an interesting topic that's happening tonight is in the United States Senate. And one of the questions is what where is Mitch McConnell? He is in a rehab facility. He posted another picture today, but we have not heard his voice.
He has not posted a video of him speaking. He has not zoomed in to Fox News Channel or anywhere else to sort of do, you know, give us a perspective of where he's at. And the governor of Kentucky, who is a Democrat, Andy Beshear, says as governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve or resign.
David, you all talked about Joe Biden and his health and complained about that a lot, a lot, a lot. Mitch McConnell is in way worse shape than Joe Biden was. I mean, is it time for him to leave the job?
TANGIPA: Well, I think Mitch McConnell is in his last term. He's coming out in the end and he hasn't been in the limelight, especially since he stepped down as leader. And I think that they're working through that process. And you know, Andy Beshear, they're asking for proof of life and he's putting out pictures right now.
MICHAELSON: Is that enough?
TANGIPA: I think right now it is. Especially he's not the leader of the Republican Senate anymore. You know, we have Thune and it's where he's making that transition and the exit out.
MICHAELSON: Both of you were among some of the youngest legislators in the history of California. And I'm sure you've seen some legislators that maybe stayed a little too long.
CALDERON: Yes. Where in the world is Mitch McConnell? I mean, certainly, yes, they keep putting out their picture -- his picture. But I think we need to see proof of him being a functioning, you know, adult that can actually serve the United States Senate.
Or is there something behind the scenes that's happening, whether it's just trying to say that he is there so that, you know, Andy Beshear could be, you know, doesn't appoint somebody or they don't have a special election.
MICHAELSON: And of course not the only legislator in either party to do this. We saw this with Dianne Feinstein.
[01:10:00]
We saw this with Strom Thurmond. We've seen this with other senators in the past who stay there, even though maybe they shouldn't be there anymore. Ian Calderon, David Tangipa, but thank you both. Great to see both of you.
Ahead of those midterms, Democrats have their eyes on a key Senate race in Michigan where Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens are both vying for the win in the state's Democratic primary next week. One of them will take on former Congressman Mike Rogers in November. He's the Republican.
On Monday, they faced off for the final time on the debate stage. Here's some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HALEY STEVENS, MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE: Look, we need proven fighters in these positions. And that is what I have done time and time again. I've got the receipts to show it. And this is also why Governor Whitmer and AG Nestle, you know, two proven fighters who want to see results have endorsed me in this race.
The only thing that ever motivates my work is the people of Michigan. The people who I hear from. You know, 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, MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC 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 because they know that she'll be a reliable vote, just like she took last week to send your tax dollars to a foreign government that is aiding, arming and abetting the very people who want to foreclose on the possibility of Palestinian self-determination.
Look, at the end of the day, my job is to take care of you here. I want to be your U.S. senator. I want your tax dollars spent in Michigan, to provide schools in Michigan, to build health care in Michigan, to build roads in Michigan. And I think that money sent over there to kill kids and women is the worst use of our tax dollars. And yet that's exactly what $46 million in spending will buy you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: President Trump will host Ukraine's president and Israel's prime minister in separate meetings at the White House on Tuesday. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Benjamin Netanyahu also attend the late Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral.
A White House official tells CNN that President Trump's conversation with Ukraine's leader will revolve around the ongoing efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine. The U.S. President is downplaying Zelenskyy's allegation that Moscow is providing Iran with intelligence on U.S. military bases in the Middle East, Trump said, 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 a little difference with Netanyahu on Iran, but they are still closely aligned and he claims that Israel needs U.S. backing to survive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Frankly, we're being very nice to a lot of countries that would not survive without us. And you know who wouldn't survive without us? Israel. Bibi's 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 the U.S. paused strikes on Iran because Tehran wanted to resume peace talks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Iran took a beating over the last 14 days and they asked this very nicely, please stop. Let's beat. 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: The story is courtroom dramas across the country will hear testimony from the ex-husband of Lindsey Clancy, the mother accused of killing her three young children. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:18:06]
MICHAELSON: Court will resume on Wednesday in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy. The Massachusetts mother is accused of killing her three young children in 2023. Jurors heard from her ex-husband today. CNN's Jean Casarez reports in a warning, some of the content you're about to hear is graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDNET: Defendant Lindsay Clancy. The prosecution told a jury on Monday that with deliberate premeditation, this mother of three killed her children on January 24th of 2023 and she is only blaming it on her mental state.
Through witness testimony, they showed that the defendant did go to doctors in the months before the killings and she got prescriptions. But they also show that the many prescriptions she got she only consumed three, four, five pills out of a 30-day supply.
They also say that she was blaming the medications for a psychotic mental break, but that she was actually researching on the computer ways to commit suicide before she took any of the medications. Here is part of the prosecution's opening statement.
SHANAN BUCKINGHAM, PLYMOUTH COUNTY ASSITANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We are here, ladies and gentlemen, because they are not. They were strangled deliberately and meticulously killed by this defendant on January 24th of 2023. One by one, she wrapped exercise bands around each one of the kids' necks and pulled until their little bodies were limp and lifeless. First Dawson, then Cora, and finally Callum.
Your job, ladies and gentlemen, is not easy in this case.
[01:20:00]
CASAREZ: The defense theory is that Lindsay Clancy was suffering from postpartum depression and because of medication that was out of control, with various doctors giving her various amounts that led to a mental break and that led to hallucinations where she heard a voice telling her to kill her children.
The first witness of the prosecution was Patrick Clancy, the father of those three children, Lindsay's ex-husband. He testified for the prosecution. Part of what the defense theory is.
PATRICK CLANCY, LINDSAY CLANCY'S EX-HUSBAND: She described thoughts of, of hurting the kids or, or having, or them having some sort of ailment. I said, do you have a plan and is it disturbing to you? And she said, no. And then she said yes.
CASAREZ: This case will last weeks and the prosecution must show beyond a reasonable doubt to the jury the elements of Murder One in Massachusetts. The defense will assert, the defense, that Lindsay Clancy bears no criminal responsibility because she did not understand the criminality of her acts. She did not know right from wrong. She was mentally insane when she killed her children.
That shifts the burden back to the prosecution. They will have to show beyond a reasonable doubt that she fully well knew the criminality of what she was doing. Gene Casarez, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Joining me live here in the studio now is legal affairs commentator and civil rights attorney Areva Martin. Areva, thanks for being with us. You just feel for those children.
AREVA MARTIN, LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Such a horrible case.
MICHAELSON: Who has the tougher job here, the defense or the prosecution?
MARTIN: Well, I think they both have a difficult job because there's no doubt that this lady suffered from mental illnesses or mental illness. But the issue is, was it so profound as it prevented her from knowing right from wrong?
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MARTIN: And the prosecution is claiming, look, she sent her husband out the house on the day that she did this. So this wasn't someone who suffered from some kind of, you know, severe breakdown, but this was a planned murder.
Now, that's going to be difficult given the husband. We've already seen him testify about some of the thoughts that she had hearing voices. So I think there's going to be a lot of evidence on both sides. These jurors are going to have to really grapple with this question about whether in the state that she was in, could she appreciate right from wrong?
And that's really the issue here, because otherwise, just because you have a mental illness doesn't mean that you can plead insanity and be absolved from criminality in a case like this.
MICHAELSON: Because we know in the past she took different prescription pills, struggled to figure out the right presence prescription pill combination. She had spent time in mental hospitals. She had suicidal thoughts. And so she was clearly troubled, but yet she was home alone with these kids.
MARTIN: Yes, and home alone because she planned it that way, according to the prosecution. So this wasn't just coincidental. And that's going to be really important for the jurors to look at. Was she sufficiently, you know, capable of planning something like this or was this again, just such a profound mental illness that she could not appreciate right from wrong?
She didn't know what she was doing. And we know she tried to commit suicide herself after killing her children. So all of that evidence is going to be really important for the jurors to weigh. This is such a difficult case. Heart goes out to the ex-husband, to the whole family of these three children.
MICHAELSON: Another case that has really captured the nation's attention is happening here in Southern California involving the musician known as D4VD and a 14-year-old who was found in his car. Here is District Attorney Nathan Hochman laying out the case. The news of the day today and this preliminary hearing that the judge deemed that there is enough evidence to move forward with a murder case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID HOCHMAN, L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: First degree murder, with the special circumstances of lying in wait, doing this crime for financial gain, murdering a witness to an investigation. David Anthony Burke has also been held to answer for the mutilation of the remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez on September 8, 2025. And he has also been held to answer for engaging in continuous lewd and lascivious acts with a 13-year-old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Yes, her body found mutilated in his Tesla. He was 21. She was underage.
MARTIN: Such a troubling case when you look at what we now learn through this preliminary hearing and so many of the reports that have come out, she was met him online, lured into some kind of relationship with him, actually left her home, moved into an apartment with him and then according to reports, she was going to report that he was sexually assaulting her and in order to prevent her from going public.
[01:25:05]
Because at this point, now he's touring, he's becoming somewhat of a pop star, and he did not want this, according to the prosecutors, this information to come out. So he kills her, he mutilates her body, stuffs it in a car, and then he's off on tour when he gets arrested. He was actually, you know, pursuing his music career. MCHAELSON: What's his side of the story from defense?
MARTIN: Circumstantial case, no eyewitnesses we've not heard and we didn't see during this preliminary hearing, which the prosecution doesn't have to put on this entire case, just enough evidence for there to be a determination that there's probable cause to move the case to trial.
But his lawyers continue to say he's innocent, continue to say there's not going to be any credible evidence that links him to the crime. Despite what we've heard from the prosecution about text messages, DNA evidence and other forensic evidence that clearly, you know, makes him, according to the prosecution, guilty of this crime.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, another case we're following. CNN affiliate obtained audio of Nolan Wells' friends calling a private towing company for help after their boat began taking on water. In the call, a teen says that the boat is sinking and tells the dispatcher everyone is on board. But Wells was later left behind on Horn Island.
This is the case of an African American high school football player surrounded mostly with white friends and Benjamin Crump, Al Sharpton, others involved. What does this new audio potentially change legally in the investigation here?
MARTIN: Well, one thing we should be really clear about, Elex, so much disinformation about this audio already circulating online. People have taken the audio and added clips to it. I was on a show earlier with an FBI agent who was very clear that based on what we're able to hear on this clip, there's nothing that establishes that Nolan Wells was even on this boat. So we know that there are multiple boats that left the island.
We learned that according to some of the witnesses, Nolan stayed behind. But this is not a smoking gun in the sense that it puts Nolan on this boat or really gives us much information about still what happened to Nolan Wells. And that's the question that we're still hoping that investigators, after having interviewed over 60 witnesses, we know there have been two autopsies conducted on his body. And we still don't know what happened to this young man.
MICHAELSON: Why do you think this particular story, more than almost any other story, has really captured the country's attention?
MARTIN: The history of Mississippi where this happened. The distrust that African Americans rightfully have with the law enforcement system, the judicial system in Mississippi that has not treated African Americans as victims and even those involved with the criminal justice system has not treated them fairly.
These photos that we saw early on of, as you said, this African American kid seemingly on a trip with all white kids, goes with this group of kids, but somehow stays behind. His parents said that wasn't like him to stay behind. And then he ends up dead.
And initially the kids and their parents lawyered up, weren't providing much information. The law enforcement wasn't providing much information. So I think there was the lack of transparency. That fear fueled this sense that something nefarious happened to this kid and that these friends knew something and weren't coming forward.
So I just think that the distrust that we as a community have with a law enforcement system like Mississippi has fueled the public, you know, interest in this case, the celebrities that we've seen that have gotten involved in this case and how it's, you know, been such a big part of national media.
MICHAELSON: Well, hopefully all that attention can lead to justice for his family.
MARTIN: Yes. Absolutely. Such a tragic case.
MICHAELSON: Areva, thank you for sharing your insights on all those cases.
MARTIN: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Coming up, "The Odyssey" continues to defy expectations. We'll take a look at the film's epic blockbuster run. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:33:14]
MICHAELSON: THE 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 fires could burn for months. More than 220,000 people have been evacuated there.
The president of France, 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): 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: With us now -- we want to take you now to a report from our colleague Melissa Bell, who is on the ground in France.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An inferno raging beyond all control. Five days in, the Gironde fire keeps growing despite the rotation day and night of 2,500 firefighters.
[01:34:48]
BELL: Plus, the civilians who've been drafted in to try and tame a blaze that seems to have taken on a life of its own, creating its own winds.
This is what the firefighters are dealing with, even in those parts of the forest that the fire has gone through, that have been ravaged where the pines have been destroyed, as you can see, the ground, the soil, the nature of the vegetation are such that it is so hot that flames are constantly popping up from it again.
The other challenge is this westerly wind that's been driving this monster fire always further to the southeast, where the biggest flames continue to progress.
And ever closer to Bordeaux and its satellite towns, forcing over the weekend an extra 55,000 from their homes. Overall, the number evacuated so far -- 220,000 according to authorities.
Wendy and her family fled in the early hours of Saturday morning.
WENDY, EVACUEE (through translator): It's really not knowing why we're here in the first place, whether it's because the fire is approaching our home or because of the ash that was blown our way by the strong winds? And in the end, not knowing when we'll be able to go back home.
BELL: Christophe wouldn't leave without his neighbors, both in their 90s and diabetic. The hard part, he says, was getting them out of their homes with their medicine in time.
CHRISTOPHE, EVACUEE (through translator): We never knew the war, but we have known calamities. Nothing like this, though. This type of fire.
BELL: Spain too, is battling several wildfires. One on the outskirts of Madrid. Another in the east of the country. Authorities say that 60,000 people have now been displaced.
MARIA ANGELES SERRANO, EVACUEE (through translator): More than anything, I'm afraid because of what is being lost -- nature itself.
Material damage is one thing, but that can be repaired, so to speak. What really hurts is emotional loss.
BELL: A loss that will only be measurable when the fires are finally contained.
Melissa Bell, CNN, in the Girone region of France.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS what to watch.
The stars of "Ted Lasso" hit the Red Carpet here in L.A. a short time ago to celebrate the premiere of the comedy's fourth season. The Apple TV smash hit, produced in part by CNN's parent company, will drop a new season on August 5th.
It's been three years since the series wrapped its third season, which followed American coach Ted Lasso as he led an English soccer club.
Now, season four gives him a new challenge, bringing his inspirational coaching skills to women's soccer.
Hannah Waddingham, one of the show's stars, says this season is especially important.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNAH WADDINGHAM, ACTRESS, "TED LASSO": The fact that we're highlighting that there needs to be more funding put into women's sports, absolutely. And it has to be from like schools upwards. And it needs to not be a thing like, oh, look, let's go and watch a women's game.
You know, it has to be equal. We've got to fill those stands, inspire our girls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Christopher Nolans "The Odyssey" dominating the box office for a second straight weekend and the film's momentum shows no sign of slowing. The epic has shattered expectations, pulling in nearly $640 million globally.
Many theaters report iMax showings sold out into September. It's become the highest grossing film ever at Hollywood's TCL Chinese theater.
CNN's Brian Stelter breaks down the films box office run. Hey, Brian.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey there. Yes, "The Odyssey" is really going the distance. Christopher Nolan's epic film has made more than $600 million at the box office in its first ten days of wide release. That's enough to beat some of the Hollywood expectations, even though those expectations were pretty high to begin with.
Some fans bought tickets for "The Odyssey" months in advance, especially in locations with the very biggest iMax screens.
Movie critics say this is a movie that you should see on the biggest screen available, but tickets are selling really well, even at ordinary theaters with "The Odyssey" now well on its way to become Nolan's highest grossing film ever.
Historically, that was 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises", which made a little more than $1 billion. But analysts say "The Odyssey" will be there soon despite its nearly three-hour running time and its reinterpretation of a 3,000-year-old poem.
Industry insiders have been really abuzz about the films performance because of its second weekend. It had a really strong first weekend, of course, back on July 17th and 18th, that was no surprise. But the second weekend for "The Odyssey" broke a bunch of box office records because it made almost as much money the second weekend as it did the first weekend.
And that's rare in Hollywood. Usually films drop a lot from the first weekend to the second, but so far "The Odyssey" is doing better than Nolan's last film, "Oppenheimer". And "The Odyssey" hasn't even opened yet in China, Japan, or South Korea. So there's a lot more money for the distributor to make.
[01:39:44]
STELTER: That's why this is a big win for Nolan and for the studio behind the film, Universal, which got on board with the estimated budget of $250 million.
I saw the film about a week ago, and I'm still thinking about it ever since. You know, it's the kind of movie that really sticks with you. You can see why it costs so much to produce, but why it was worth every penny.
And now for Universal, it's clearly going to turn a profit, really highlighting the power, the star power that someone like Nolan brings.
There are a handful of directors in Hollywood with Nolan's power to put butts in movie theater seats. And the success of the film this summer also underscores that that narrative that we heard a lot after COVID about whether people would ever return to movie theaters was off base. It was off course.
Of course, people are happy to show up at movie theaters, spend the money, buy the popcorn, show up for the film. But they want to see something larger than life. They want to see something big and loud. That's the kind of film "The Odyssey" is.
Now, Nolan hasn't said what his next big feature will be, but he recently told NBC that thanks to the success of "The Odyssey", quote, "I can get something made that I couldn't otherwise get made." Whatever that is, he says it's years away, but that's already a tantalizing tease for audiences.
Brian Stelter, CNN.
MICHAELSON: Brian, thank you.
Singer Carly Simon says she's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after recently undergoing treatment for skin cancer. The 83-year-old told the Associated Press that she is learning to live with the disease in her worsening mobility.
Despite those challenges, Simon will release her first album of original songs in nearly two decades next month. It's titled "Comes in Waves". She said making the album reminded her that, quote, "Illness can change your life without becoming the whole of your life."
You're watching THE STORY IS.
For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be right back.
[01:41:38]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Journalist and host of NBC's "Today Show", 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.
CNN's Jason Carroll has more on Guthrie's latest message to her mother's kidnappers, and where the investigation now stands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC HOST: It has been months since our mom was taken from us. Our family is in agony. We are in a nightmare that will not end. Nothing about our situation has changed.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A new heartfelt plea coming from Savannah Guthrie.
GUTHRIE: 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.
CARROLL: Guthrie posted the emotional message today on Instagram, the same platform the family has released many of its messages to the public ever since Nancy Guthrie, Savannah's mother, disappeared nearly six months ago.
Days after her kidnapping, the family received its first ransom note, unknown publicly at the time, but revealed last week by crime journalist Briana Whitney on the "Crime Junkie" podcast.
That note to the Guthries said, "We have your mother, Nancy. She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed."
Whitney says the note referred to details about Guthrie's Arizona home, including a smartwatch in her bedroom and a damaged floodlight in the backyard to validate its authenticity.
BRIANA WHITNEY, CRIME JOURNALIST: I'm going to read you three more parts of this ransom note. CARROLL: Whitney says the note also indicated Guthrie would be held for a maximum of seven days and went on to say, "if the payment is not received by the last deadline, she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands.
You will not be able to contact me from here on out. There will be no negotiation. Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you."
Just last month, CNN reported on the contents of another note that the Guthries received back in February. That note said Guthrie died shortly after the kidnapping, that according to law enforcement sources.
Whitney said the author also wrote, "We never intended to hurt her, and that they were truly sorry."
The last time the family reportedly saw Nancy Guthrie was about 9:45 p.m. on January 31st. That's when a family member dropped her off at her Tucson home after dinner. The 84-year-old was reported missing around noon the next day when she didn't show up at a friend's house. to watch a church service online.
On February 4th, the Guthrie family's first public plea.
GUTHRIE: On behalf of our family, we want to thank all of you for the prayers for our beloved mom, Nancy. We feel them and we continue to believe that she feels them, too.
She is a devoted friend. She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you'll see.
CARROLL: On February 10th, the FBI released doorbell camera footage showing what it described as a masked armed individual outside the home the morning she disappeared.
Still, authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or a motive in the investigation. Now, six months later, another plea for closure.
GUTHRIE: I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. Help us bring this situation to an end.
JASON CARROLL, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:49:20]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: In the last few hours, CNN's Kaitlan Collins reacted to Friday's White House Correspondents' Dinner. Kaitlan received an award for her reporting on Donald Trump's contentious Oval Office meeting with Ukraine President Zelenskyy.
Her reporting has made her a frequent target of personal attacks from the president. She told "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart a short time ago what she makes of those attacks, including during his White House Correspondents' Dinner speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: One of the best parts of the dinner was Wolf reading the descriptions of the awards --
JON STEWART, TV HOST: In front of him?
COLLINS: And why? Why people? Why the reporters got them? You know, my colleagues who also did esteemed reporting, great reporting and deserved those awards.
And so I loved hearing Wolf read the descriptions of what they were and why, why people got them.
In terms of my reaction, I've always felt this. Regardless of who's the president, whether it's Joe Biden, Donald Trump, those are the two I've covered, it's really not about me. And I don't want it to be about my reaction.
And so I think if you let it become about that, then it becomes a back and forth between the two of us.
[01:54:44]
COLLINS: And instead, I think it's more effective to remind people in those moments when he is insulting me or when he is criticizing me about the question I asked or the reporting that I did that he was so angry about in this moment, and the fact that I got an award for it really bothered him clearly.
And so I just think in those moments, it's important to put the reminder back on the work, on the question and on the non-answers that we get.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The French beaches where Allied Forces landed on World War II's D-Day have been added to the UNESCO list of Protected World Heritage Sites. 156,000 Troops landed on by sea or by air on the beaches of Normandy on June 6th, 1944, marking a key step towards the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.
The U.N. Agency says the five landing beaches form an exceptional cultural landscape shaped by the events of D-Day and their enduring remembrance.
Scientists are getting a rare look at the Amazon's elusive ghost dog from over two decades of hidden camera footage. Researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society used 34 camera trap surveys to document the short-eared dog in a major study conducted between 2001 and 2024.
You are looking at the men's freestyle world champion in highlining, Sebastian Egger's gravity defying flips gave him the title at the Highline World Championships in Switzerland. He said he was super happy how it turned out. Good for him.
Thanks for watching THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson, I'll see you tomorrow.
The news continues right here on CNN after a break.
[01:56:22]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
