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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Harry and Meghan Plan to Move Back to U.K.; Moderna and Merck Say Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Large Trial; Trump's Devoted Aide Natalie Harp Thrust into Spotlight. Psychologist: Clancy was Not Able to Understand Right from Wrong; Erin Patterson Appealing Convictions for Poisoning In-Laws; Arizona Secretary of State to Federal Officials: I Don't Trust You; The Ups and Downs of Living in Modern- Day 'Maids' Rooms'. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired August 20, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00]
DEAL: -- that. When I would see some of these guys still hanging out and chilling with each other, you know what I'm saying? But to the tabloids and to individuals in the law enforcement community, they say it was an East Coast-West Coast war. I heard an individual get on the stand just the other day, Mob Jane.
Mob Jane said that Tupac --
COATES: Inherited.
DEAL: Inherited the East Coast-West Coast war between Suge Knight and Puffy. No, Tupac and Puff hated each other all the way before that.
COATES: Coverage of the trial continues tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN Access. All Access is available as well Amazon Prime and HLN. If you're following me on social media, you'll never miss any of the updates.
And that's it from me tonight. "THE STORY IS WITH ELEX MICHAELSON" is next.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles.
Coming up, THE STORY IS a royal return. Prince Harry and Meghan are reportedly preparing to leave California and move back to the U.K., six years after dramatically stepping away from royal life. We've got details from London.
THE STORY IS mushroom murder. One of Australia's most notorious murder cases is back in court. Erin Patterson wants the court to throw out the convictions that sent her to prison for life. We'll go live to that region.
And THE STORY IS Natalie Harp. She may be one of the most powerful people around President Trump, but just how did she become a presidential aide? We've got that story ahead.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson. MICHAELSON: Our top story is here in California, but not for long
apparently. CNN understands that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning a move back to the U.K. after living here in the U.S. for the past six years. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan left Britain in 2020 after stepping back from their royal duties. They've lived here in California ever since. The couple said racism, tabloids, online abuse and complex family problems prompted their original move. They've also had a public falling out with other members of the royal family since then, but now, for some reason, they're going back.
CNN's Max Foster has more from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't know why. We got very little information. The Sussex's office aren't officially saying anything about this, but it is my understanding that the king was only told on Sunday. But the children are enrolled in British schools. So clearly there's been a lot of planning involved here. We know that Harry and Meghan were over in the U.K. in July. They met the king and queen.
It wasn't discussed then, but you would have expected, obviously, the mother and father to visit the schools that the children would be attending. So, you know, putting two and two together, you would have expected that trip to have confirmed for them that they were coming back to the U.K.. They may well be keeping their house in California. So maybe not a complete move, but with the kids going to school, it does suggest that.
It's also my understanding the king is very clear they will not be returning to their royal roles. You can't be half in, half out, as he sees it. So, we wait to see where they move, but it could be in the next few weeks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: It'd be fascinating to see what happens there. Thanks so much to Max Foster in London.
Now to a potential breakthrough in cancer treatment. Listen up to this. Moderna and Merck say that a personalized MRNA vaccine combined with the immunotherapy Keytruda succeeded in a late-stage trial for melanoma. The vaccine is based on the same technology behind COVID-19 vaccines. The study is still ongoing, but so far results have shown the treatment prevented cancer from returning or spreading among high risk melanoma patients.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: They take the MRNA that codes for those mutations in the patient's actual tumor, and they give that back to the patient. And the patient makes antibodies to their own -- their own tumors. This is a customized, personalized vaccine to treat your own tumor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer affecting more than 1.5 million people in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute. Moderna and Merck say they plan to file for approval from regulators within months. The announcement sent Moderna shares soaring as much as 160 percent.
Now to politics, President Trump says that the U.S. will be putting more financial pressure on Iran. He took to social media just hours ago to announce, quote, "the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country." He did not, though, offer any details on what that will entail, but his comments come as a deal to end the war remains at an impasse and on the same day that he said the situation with Iran was, quote, "so good."
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The president had this to say earlier about the possibility of restarting talks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Maybe at some point, but right now I think the situation is so good. But maybe at some point. Look, it's very simple. They have to get rid of -- completely they have to get rid -- no nuclear weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Since the start of Iran war in February, more than 750 U.S. service members have been wounded, according to the Defense Department's war casualty database. The latest update came on Wednesday when the Pentagon recorded more than 50 additional wounded soldiers.
A NATO official tells CNN the military alliance is prepared to, quote, "address any threat" following reports that Iran is considering attacking U.S. military targets in Europe if President Trump escalates the war. An official also saying that NATO will always do what is necessary to defend all allies, and pointed to four occasions earlier this year when NATO air defenses successfully intercepted ballistic missiles headed to Turkey from Iran.
Iraq's state media reports that the country's parliament speaker is calling on Iran to grant Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, quote, "special status." We're learning that that suggestion was made by Iraq's parliament speaker during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart in Baghdad on Wednesday. One-fifth of global crude oil had been flowing through the strait. But since the start of the war, traffic in the critical waterway has slowed to a trickle.
The Kennedy Center says it plans to put President Trump's name back on the building early next month. That's according to a new court filing in a drawn-out legal battle over the future of the storied performing arts venue. The board voted again last week to close the center for renovations and add an inscription saying it was, quote, "restored and renovated by President Donald J. Trump."
A federal judge previously ruled that the board acted unlawfully by adding Trump's name alongside Kennedy's. Attorneys for Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, who brought the legal challenge, planned to seek an order blocking the latest change.
The president's supporters are going all out in defense of his executive assistant, Natalie Harp. She has dominated the headlines in social media this week over her role in the White House and a strategic jab from Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff.
Here's what Harp's brother told CNN about her role in the Trump administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON HARP, NATALIE HARP'S BROTHER: Trump's best friends are people who are his fan club. You know, like, and so she's his biggest fan. And so that's probably why he likes her and, like, she's good looking. She's got a good personality. She's written letters to other presidents. Let me put it that way. And so like her dream came true finally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Clearly the two of them are estranged. They do not have a good relationship.
So how did Natalie Harp become Trump's closest aide?
CNN's Kristen Holmes looks into that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATALIE HARP, WHITE HOUSE AIDE: I'm Natalie Harp, a formerly forgotten American from California.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forgotten no more. President Trump's executive assistant, 35-year-old Natalie Harp, has been thrust into the spotlight after it was revealed she was one of a few aides that joined Trump on a secret flight out of Turkey.
Harp is Trump's most devoted aide. She once jumped in the trunk of an SUV to ensure she would be able to be with the president for a court appearance when there weren't enough seats in the motorcade. She serves as a gatekeeper to the president, providing him with a constant flow of articles and social media posts. She has earned the title of human printer because she travels with a printer wherever the president goes to ensure he has whatever he needs at his fingertips.
HARP: It goes faster if you plug it into the generator.
HOLMES (voice-over): And spends hours typing up his social media posts as he dictates them.
TRUMP: I will keep women safe.
HOLMES (voice-over): Her loyalty surpasses politics. She says the president saved her life when she was diagnosed with bone cancer, citing 2018 legislation.
TRUMP: And I was watching and I heard the story of an incredible, unbelievable young woman who was battling a rare bone cancer.
HARP: As I like to say, I'm not dying from cancer anymore thanks to President Trump. I'm living with cancer.
TRUMP: Her name is Natalie Harp, and she lit up the television screen like very few people I've ever seen do it.
HOLMES (voice-over): It was her television presence that led to the president inviting her to speak at the 2020 Republican convention.
HARP: I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for you.
HOLMES (voice-over): Harp then worked briefly as an anchor on the ultra-conservative One America News Network, where she amplified Trump's rhetoric on elections.
HARP: It's like, um, if President Trump, who's the most popular president really in history, the most loved president, if they can rig it against him, what makes you think that all of a sudden you're going to win in 2024 if you do nothing on election integrity?
HOLMES (voice-over): And bolstered his administration's work.
HARP: Just one year ago, the Democrats were the anti-vaxxers because they didn't want President Trump to get the credit for the medical miracle that was Operation Warp Speed.
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HOLMES (voice-over): Before officially joining his team.
HARP: He was my first exposure to politics. And I loved it. Like this guy, you know, he gets it.
HOLMES (voice-over): Harp can often be seen in the background during President Trump's events, smiling at the president and nodding along as he speaks, always in his corner.
HARP: You picked us up and you made us great again.
HOLMES (voice-over): Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, President Trump says he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year, but it's not clear how concrete those possible plans are. A reporter asked the president about his communications with Kim Jong-un earlier. Listen to that exchange. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you exchanging written letters with Kim Jong-un?
TRUMP: I can't tell you that.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And are you hoping --
TRUMP: But I get along with him. And you know what? The fact that I get along with him, that's a good thing. Not a bad thing.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you hoping --
TRUMP: He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. Should have never allowed it to happen. They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he's got him. I get along with him very well. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon. And I know Kim Jong-un very well, and he's going to be fine as long. As we have a smart president, he's going to be fine. If we have a dumb president, then he's probably not going to be so fine.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you expecting to meet with him later this year?
TRUMP: Yes, I will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: However, the North Korean leader's powerful sister released a statement saying that she is completely unaware of any upcoming meeting. Kim Yo Jong is one of her brother's top lieutenants and closest confidants. She did acknowledge that he personally has good memories and feelings for President Trump.
A White House official says President Trump is going to travel to South Carolina on Friday to campaign for Senator Darline Graham. She's facing criticism for her performance in a debate on Tuesday with her opponent, Congressman Ralph Norman. That's when she said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm just going to be honest here. I'm not on national security that -- I'm not that informed on national security so -- but I do support the military. My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years. So I will do everything I can to support the military.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: She went on to say that national security is, quote, "not her thing." Graham says she's smart and will learn about national security issues, and voters in her district are more concerned about the cost of groceries, gas and health care.
Graham was sworn in last month to replace her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in early July. He, of course, was known as a master of national security issues. That was what drove a lot of what he did. She has never held elected office.
Our panel is here. Elisha Krauss, conservative commentator and op-ed writer for the "Washington Examiner," and Will Rollins, former federal prosecutor, former Democratic candidate for Congress.
Welcome back, both of you.
So Darline Graham was out on the campaign trail today on FOX News tonight. Here's what she said out on the campaign trail to sort of clean up what she said last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: You know, I answered it honestly because I'm not a national security expert. I've asked people, are you all concerned about Taiwan? You know what they said? No. They're concerned about the price of groceries, the price of gas, rising health care costs. Is national security important? Absolutely. Can I learn? I'm smart. Yes, I'll learn. I'll become informed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: And she was on with Sean Hannity on FOX News Channel tonight. Sean Hannity suggested, well, if you ask the average person, they couldn't even point to Taiwan on a map. So do people really care about this?
ELISHA KRAUSS, OP-ED WRITER, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER: I think when you are running for your brother's seat, and that, to your point is what he was known for, for so long a stalwart when it came to issues, I mean, he passed away right after being in Ukraine. I mean --
MICHAELSON: Yes. With Zelenskyy days before he passed away.
KRAUSS: I mean, he was very strong when it came to, you know, America, the importance of America being the, you know, the good guy with the guns. And I think that, I mean, Nikki Haley and other Republicans within the state as well were kind of criticizing her of like, you should be ready for this. And it's kind of interesting that she was obviously incredibly close to her brother, who had that strong military record that she pointed out, who adopted her and raised her as his own after their parents passed away.
I mean, it's a very interesting story, and I think it's a major fumble by her campaign that they didn't have her prepared for an answer like this or that after all of these years of knowing her brother and his stance and what, you know, his constituents wanted him to represent them in D.C. as like that, she didn't, I don't know, copy-paste his foreign policy beliefs. It's kind of crazy.
WILL ROLLINS, FORMER U.S. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I mean, I think the other political problem for her is that national security is the reason that gas and groceries are so expensive. And so I agree with her. She's right that -- KRAUSS: Not entirely.
ROLLINS: That's a huge part of it. Right? I mean, gas right now is going to be, I think, a huge issue in the midterms. And so when she delivers that kind of an answer and I respect her honesty, but I completely agree it's a major political problem for her and also for the Republican Party writ large when they seem out of touch on these major issues that are affecting pocketbooks.
[00:15:12]
KRAUSS: I also don't know about you, but I'm kind of frustrated with Republicans and Democrats who seem to think that voters are single issue. Obviously voters tend to trend towards money in their pocket. Right? And then it comes to -- from somebody like me, safety for my kids, you know, at school or here in the country broadly. But I think that voters can -- and actually now in this age of internet and social media and constant information and 24/7 news cycles, we're capable of having multiple issues that we care about.
I don't just have to care about Iran or just have to care about gas prices. Turns out it's kind of all connected, and I can care about a lot of things.
MICHAELSON: Well, and clearly she's new to this. And I think Sean Hannity is right, that most people probably couldn't pick out Taiwan. And it's probably not the issue that's driving --
KRAUSS: But they don't want the CCP to invade Taiwan.
MICHAELSON: But the job of being a senator is to vote on national security issues. Your job is to vote potentially to declare war. So to say that national security is not my thing is like saying giving speeches or voting is not my thing. Then why are you running for that job?
ROLLINS: I will say this is also a testament, I think, to why voters don't want their candidates picked for them by the party. Right? And this was actually a criticism lobbed at Democrats about Biden's transition to Harris in 2024. And it's somewhat similar in that they went out and anointed the sister to fill a very important U.S. --
KRAUSS: Who'd never been to the border.
ROLLINS: A very important U.S. Senate seat.
MICHAELSON: Yes. But Kamala Harris had been the vice president of the United States.
ROLLINS: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: A senator and attorney general. Darline Graham had never held elected office before.
ROLLINS: Absolutely. MICHAELSON: And there's a difference between her being a caretaker for
a few months and honoring Lindsey Graham and now running for the seat on her own for six years. And so you got to be judged in a different way.
Do you think that President Trump gets her over the top, him going to South Carolina? He's clearly invested his capital. We see he's not as powerful as he once was in Republican primaries.
KRAUSS: Oh, come on.
MICHAELSON: But still very powerful, very powerful.
KRAUSS: Come on, the guy is -- how many has -- how many candidates that he endorsed? Over 260 candidates and I think his success rate is 95 percent?
MICHAELSON: Yes, I mean, very high.
KRAUSS: I mean, if his endorsements in this primary season were Wall Street picks, I would be doing exactly what the president is doing. So, yes, I do think that him going to South Carolina is going to help her over the top. And I also think that the name of Graham is going to help her over the top, because lots of voters in South Carolina have a deep respect for the late senator and the hard work and the sacrifice that he made for his constituents there.
I don't think that a little flub like this, it's -- actually it's a big flub, but I don't think a flub like this is going to completely destroy her chances.
MICHAELSON: So you think she wins next Tuesday?
KRAUSS: Yes.
MICHAELSON: You think she wins?
ROLLINS: I think the last name helps more than the president's endorsement. I mean, I agree with Elisha in terms of the stats overall, and it has been a mixed record for him on his endorsements in a lot of these primaries. But the trend is the key. And right now you look at what Byron Donalds did after winning in Florida, didn't mention his name. Right? And that was with an endorsement that still didn't get Donalds over 50 percent.
And so I think that's where the trend is going. And I don't know that his support in this particular race, the president's that is, is actually going to help Darline as much as the last time.
MICHAELSON: In the first round of voting, she only got about a third of the vote with that name. So it will be interesting to see what happens there.
Speaking of names, the name Natalie Harp, a name that a lot of Americans didn't know before Jon Ossoff said her name.
KRAUSS: Was kind of a jerk about it.
MICHAELSON: A few days ago.
KRAUSS: He didn't just say her name.
MICHAELSON: He --
KRAUSS: Let's be honest.
MICHAELSON: Insinuated some stuff about her name, although --
KRAUSS: He said something incredibly sexist.
MICHAELSON: Pretended that he wasn't insinuating certain things. So let's talk about her for a moment, because there's gotten a lot of attention. "The New York Times'" Maggie Haberman, Sean McCreesh wrote this story, put it up on the screen. The headline here, "With all my heart, Natalie, Trump's most devoted aide emerges."
If anybody has read "Regime Change," which has been the number one best-seller book for many weeks now, eight weeks in a row, Maggie Haberman, the author of that, wrote a lot about Natalie Harp in the book. She was on CNN earlier tonight. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGGIE HABERMAN, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: He will describe to other aides that -- and said this during the interregnum period that, you know, everyone else will go off and make money. She'll never leave. That essentially she is the person who loves him as much as his wife and children. She is a channel by which, as you said, foreign leaders try to reach him if they can't some other way.
She has a channel by which he reaches people he sees on television who he likes what they are saying, or that he will just send out notes to. She is with him so much of the day during those meetings, and she is talking to him throughout the evening about social media posts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: How do you see this conversation about her, and what do you make of her role in the White House?
KRAUSS: I think that her role is the role of an executive assistant. I mean, I've worked for famous people, and I was kind of available to them 24/7 as well. You're traveling on private planes, you're traveling in, you know, planes, trains and automobiles.
[00:20:03]
You're talking to their wives, you're talking to their producers, you're talking to everybody in their life. Like, this is kind of the job of a woman that is the right hand of the most powerful politician, not just in the United States, but I would argue in the world. And I think that the attacks on her or the interest in her all of a sudden are actually quite disgusting and sexist, and good for her for taking, you know, a job at a little known cable news network and now being at his right hand and clearly trusted by the president.
I don't see anything wrong with this. It's a woman succeeding. I thought the left was supposed to be OK with that.
ROLLINS: Full disclosure, I think I've actually met her brother at a Taco Bell drive thru at 3:00 in the morning a couple times.
(LAUGHTER)
ROLLINS: No. But I think --
MICHAELSON: He was wearing his like pro-cannabis.
ROLLINS: That was the first time I had seen that actually.
KRAUSS: I was like, no wonder they're estranged, man.
ROLLINS: Yes,. I --
MICHAELSON: You guys live here in California. Yes.
ROLLINS: Yes. But look, I think Ossoff's point is more about what the president is doing than it is about her, right? Flying around the world, getting off of Air Force One while all the reporters and the rest of his senior staff and Cabinet officials are sitting on board and getting on this donated 747 with Natalie. Right? I mean, that's more the point than it is, I think. Yes, he's making a schoolyard insinuation, but that's a page right out of the president's own playbook.
KRAUSS: A disgusting --
ROLLINS: And I agree that the insinuation is --
KRAUSS: Then be better.
MICHAELSON: Would you not agree --
KRAUSS: Be better.
MICHAELSON: Would you not agree that President Trump sometimes picks on women, though?
KRAUSS: Absolutely. And I've disagreed with him for years.
MICHAELSON: All the time with words that are worse that that? Yes, you have and you --
KRAUSS: I mean, this is why I was dubbed never Trump in 2016.
MICHAELSON: You'd called him out, which we give you credit for. But to that point, if Ossoff wouldn't have said that, he wouldn't have gotten as much attention. It wouldn't have been all over cable news, but it also might not have been a distraction the way that it has.
ROLLINS: Right. And I think that's a sad commentary on the state of our politics, unfortunately. Right? And I think -- but the question is, how do you get attention? How do you get people to pay attention? And I honestly haven't seen the White House respond like this or a comment like this strike a nerve the way that this one did with the attention that it got. And so is it unfortunate that --
KRAUSS: I don't know. You've seen the first lady respond back when it came to bullies and haters. She had a whole campaign about it. I mean, like, I think --
MICHAELSON: How'd that work out?
KRAUSS: I think that it's very --
MICHAELSON: Is everybody listening to that concept of stop being a bully online?
KRAUSS: Of course not. But literally like it has happened before where the White House will hit back when one of their own is attacked.
MICHAELSON: And nobody likes that sort of thing for people in their own. It's just like we've seen people at CNN defend our own colleagues who have been harassed in the workplace as well.
ROLLINS: I try to be best every day.
MICHAELSON: Yes, yes, exactly. That's Melania Trump's line. Be best.
You both are the best. And we'll be back with us in our next hour to talk about some real ethics issues that are happening in Congress, including a California congressman who's now in it. And a very intriguing thing that Paul Begala said about potential president Tucker Carlson. We'll talk about that in our next hour.
But now we want to get to some other news. It was the murder case that gripped Australia. A woman accused of poisoning her in-laws with mushrooms. Now, Erin Patterson is appealing her conviction in the case. Hear what her defense team argued in court in a live report next. Plus, new testimony in the murder trial over the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. A former L.A. police detective says a suspect on trial spoke to him years ago about the shooting while the detective was investigating a different case. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:27:46]
MICHAELSON: Now to Las Vegas and the murder trial over the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur 30 years ago. A former FBI special agent testified in court on Wednesday about a confidential agreement made in 1998. It was with Duane Davis, who was accused of facilitating the murder of the rap legend. The ex-agent said he spoke with Davis to try to get more information about gang activity as part of an investigation into drug trafficking.
The court also heard from a former L.A. police detective who was part of a 2006 investigation into the killing of rival rapper Christopher Wallace, The Notorious B.I.G.. the detective said when Davis was asked about Biggie's murder, he denied any connection with that incident, but then volunteered the killing of Tupac Shakur.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARYN DUPREE, FORMER LAPD DETECTIVE: Mr. Davis had the gun at first. But they came up on the passenger side of Suge Knight and Mr. Shakur's vehicle, so he couldn't shoot across the driver. So he handed a gun to Dre in the back seat, Andre Smith. He was afraid to shoot. Mr. Anderson grabbed the gun and shot across Mr. Smith into Mr. Knight's car that Mr. Tupac Shakur was in with Mr. Knight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Tupac Shakur was 25 when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. The trial is expected to resume Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Now to the murder trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy. Her psychologist telling the court on Wednesday that she did not know right from wrong when she killed her three young children. That is a key factor in her defense and could determine whether she should be convicted. Her psychologist told the court that Clancy reported hearing a male voice on the day of the killings, but she hadn't mentioned hearing it before or since.
Here's part of that testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PAUL ZEIZEL, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: Intrusive thoughts are unrelenting. They don't stop. They're what we call ego dystonic. You don't want them. They keep interfering with your ability to get through the day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she have at this point intrusive thoughts or continuing regarding voices in her head that she heard constantly?
ZEIZEL: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What were these voices saying to her?
ZEIZEL: They were getting worse, and they were telling her to kill herself.
-- That she did have, indeed, a mental disease or defect. That's a legal construct, not a DSM-5 one. But she had bipolar disorder with postpartum psychosis.
In addition, she was unable to conform her behaviors to the rule of law, and she had no appreciation for the wrongfulness of her act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: The psychologist said that Clancy was experiencing symptoms of psychosis, including intrusive thoughts and paranoia before the killings. He also said he didn't examine her until after the crimes occurred.
Prosecutors suggested that the psychologist is biased.
Now to an Australian woman convicted of murdering her in-laws by serving them poisonous mushrooms. She is now appealing her convictions.
Lawyers for Erin Patterson raised several issues about the case during a hearing in Melbourne on Wednesday. Patterson has maintained that the poisonings were an accident.
Let's bring in CNN's Hanako Montgomery.
Hanako, what's this case all about?
What's this case all about?
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Elex, this is one of Australia's most high-profile murder cases in recent years. And it all goes back to one fatal lunch in July 2023.
Erin Patterson, a mother of two, invited four family members over to her house for lunch: her estranged husband's parents, her husband's aunt, and also uncle.
Now, during this meal, she served them individual Beef Wellingtons, which is essentially a steak seasoned with mushrooms wrapped in a pastry.
Now, in this dish, however, it contained toxic death cap mushrooms. And after this lunch, three out of four of those family members died, and one family member was hospitalized for several weeks and then also survived.
Now, during her trial last year, Erin Patterson maintained her innocence. She said that this was a tragic accident and that she didn't intend to kill her family members, that somehow the toxic death cap mushrooms ended up in the dish.
However, the prosecutors argue that she did intend to kill them.
Now, last year, the jury sentenced her to 33 years in prison without parole. They found her guilty of killing those three family members and also attempting to murder that additional family member.
Now, fast forward to today. Erin Patterson's team is trying to appeal this sentencing on several grounds, including that various pieces of evidence should not have been introduced to the trial; that she suffered unfair cross-examination; and that an error that led to the jury being housed at the same hotel as other parties in the case, prejudiced the outcome.
Now, at the same time, the prosecution is also filing for an appeal, saying that the sentence was actually too lenient.
Now, the judges are deliberating over these appeals. They haven't made a decision yet. We don't have a timeline as to when they could be making a decision, but this case has once again entered the spotlight, both in Australia and around the world, Elex.
MICHAELSON: You can see why. I mean, it is a wild set of circumstances. It will be interesting to see what happens in that appeal.
Hanako Montgomery, live for us in Tokyo. Thank you so much.
Now to Central Pennsylvania, where a pilot was killed and two state troopers injured after a state police helicopter collided with a small plane.
Officials say the two-man helicopter crew was conducting routine training exercises in an area adjacent to a runway when the two-seater Cessna struck it from the rear.
Officials say only the pilot was believed to be on board that plane, and the two pilots inside the helicopter were initially trapped but managed to push out a window and free themselves.
An investigation into the incident is now underway.
The governor of Pennsylvania showing up at the scene late tonight, Josh Shapiro.
Ahead, questions about election security and whether federal officials can be trusted to protect the integrity of the U.S. election system. The secretary of state of Arizona, one of the most important swing states, is raising that question in a contentious meeting with federal officials. Next, he's live with us.
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[00:39:09]
MICHAELSON: The U.S. National debt has crossed a staggering new threshold in what economists are calling an unsustainable path forward.
The Treasury Department says the federal debt has topped the $40 trillion mark, and that will have serious consequences for years to come.
A number of factors involved: Congress has passed multiple packages that cut taxes and increased spending over the past few decades; interest payments are expected to top a trillion dollars this fiscal year; and an aging population means more spending on Social Security and Medicare.
Now to Arizona, where the secretary of state told federal cybersecurity officials, quote, "I don't trust you," according to the nonprofit news organization Vote Beat.
During a national election security call, Adrian Fontes bluntly questioned whether states will still get help from Washington to protect upcoming elections, and he reportedly unloaded on the cybersecurity and infrastructure agency.
[00:40:08]
Arizona's Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes, is with us live now from Scottsdale.
Mr. Secretary, welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
ADRIAN FONTES, ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE: Thanks for having me, Elex.
MICHAELSON: What happened in that meeting, and -- and why don't you trust them?
FONTES: Well, the meeting was convened by the National Association of Secretaries, usually very bipartisan. And usually, these meetings are not reported on, because we get to speak with candor.
But when somebody talked to the press, I came out and said, yes, I'll talk about what I said, and confirmed that.
The reason I don't trust a lot of these folks at this stage of the game goes back just a little over a year and a half, when the second Trump administration eviscerated the duties and the capacity for CISA to help state and local elections officials.
And then, we started seeing the lawsuits and the illegal demands for voter records. And then, we started seeing the threats, not just from the Department of Justice, but from the secretary of homeland security himself.
And this, coupled with that complete abandonment of duty, negation of resources. Now, at the last second, they want to call one of these meetings and say, Hey, we're the federal government. We're here to help.
I don't trust these folks. I just don't. And particularly because they've been threatening us with criminal prosecution just for doing our jobs. Would you trust them? I don't think so.
MICHAELSON: So, what was their response to your concerns? You say, I don't trust you. What do they say back?
FONTES: Well, I mean, their -- their response was sort of a nothing burger. It was just like, well, you know, we're going to continue to try to work to build communication and so forth. It was -- it was a little weaselly and mealy-mouthed.
I mean, what are you going to do when somebody confronts you with the reality of your bad faith? When somebody confronts you directly and says, "I'm not going to just sit here and take it. I'm going to push back on behalf of my voters and voters across the entire country."
This is, in my view, what is necessary at this point in time. Since CISA and the Department of Homeland Security have not just abandoned state and -- and local elections officials, but all of our voters, as well. They've got to be told the truth. And they have the job now because
they abandoned us, because they took those resources away. Resources, by the way, that were started to be built up during the first Trump administration. So, give credit where credit is due.
We need them and they need us probably more than we need them, because we've really kind of rebuilt these systems.
So, I do want to assure folks: our elections are going to go forward. They're going to be fine. But we'd be in a lot better shape if we'd had a federal government that we could trust.
MICHAELSON: And people, when they hear CISA, that's the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. People may remember back in 2020, it was led by a guy named Chris Krebs, who came out publicly and said that the election was safe and secure, and there was not problems with it.
And after that, President Trump was very upset because, of course, he has been claiming consistently that the election was rigged and that he won, not Joe Biden, even though he hasn't put -- put forth evidence with that.
So, what is the biggest thing that you are worried about in terms of the 2026 midterm election? What's the flag that you're waving now?
FONTES: Well, for the state's perspective, I think we're in pretty good shape.
What I'm really worried about is that we no longer have that federal coordination, that federal convening in CISA, because of the fact that they've totally abandoned us. They don't have our eyes or our ears anymore.
We were the No. 1 source of their intelligence gathering in the first place. We would tell them when systems needed updating, if there was a bug in a particular software that was used in multiple states. They would gather that information, distribute it across the country, and help react very quickly.
They got a lot more information from us than we ever really got from them, but they did coordinate with us. They helped us do the trainings.
And so, it's really this weakness at the federal level that now exists, because they've abandoned their duty to the states. This is supposed to be a partnership: with the states running elections and the federal government putting forth the assistance and coordination that only the federal government can give.
It is not supposed to be an adversarial relationship, where they let us do our own thing, abandon us without resources, and then threaten us with criminal prosecution. That's not how partners work together.
And so, I think the biggest weakness we have now is that self- inflicted wound of this administration in eviscerating their own capacity to react when it comes to threats, either internal or external to the United States of America, and to protect our voters and our voting systems.
MICHAELSON: Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who runs the elections in Arizona. He's himself on the ballot in November.
And of course, Arizona could be the most important swing state come 2028. And who runs the elections in that state could be very, very important for the future of this country.
[00:45:06]
Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. Great to have you here on THE STORY IS.
FONTES: Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: An update on the special election in California's 14th District.
Voters cast their ballots on Tuesday and beforehand, and they're still being counted. Democrat Aisha Wahab appears to have a slight lead over fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez.
They're trying to compete to fill Congressman Eric Swalwell's seat after sexual misconduct allegations tanked his run for governor.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, spending millions campaigning against Wahab, was a critic of the Israeli military action in Gaza.
The same two candidates will face off in November, vying for a full two-year term.
And if you look at that and say those numbers look exactly like they did last night, well, they are. They are not going to be reporting any new numbers in that race until Friday.
A tourist helicopter trip turns tragic as the aircraft goes down with seven people on board. Now, recovery crews scour the crash site in Kenya as officials investigate what went wrong. That is ahead.
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[00:50:53]
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
CNN understands that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to move back to the U.K. Prince Harry and Meghan have lived in the U.S. since leaving both Britain and their royal duties back in 2020.
King Charles has made it clear that they will remain private individuals and non-working members of the royal family. At least six people are dead following Russia's latest wave of strikes
on Kyiv. Ukrainian officials say six others are injured after Russia targeted the city with ballistic missiles in recent hours. Kyiv's mayor says a number of nonresidential buildings are on fire.
The attack comes as Ukraine runs dangerously low on U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors.
The man accused of starting the catastrophic Palisades Fire in California has pleaded not guilty for the second time. Federal prosecutors are now pursuing only two charges against Jonathan Rinderknecht instead of three, following a mistrial in June.
He remains behind bars, with a retrial set to begin in November here in Los Angeles.
An investigation is underway into a helicopter crash that left seven people dead in Kenya. Officials say five Americans are among the victims, including an executive with Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo.
Ecuador's state media says the country's intelligence chief and his wife were among those killed.
The helicopter went down near a mountain in central Kenya during a trip organized by a luxury tour agency. Officials say it's still unclear what caused the crash.
The U.S. embassy in Kenya has offered condolences to the victims' families.
Chile has declared a catastrophe after heavy rains swamped Northern parts of the country. Officials say heavy flooding and landslides injured at least three people. Evacuations have been ordered in some areas, while hundreds of people are sheltering in place.
Dozens of homes have been damaged, but officials caution the numbers are preliminary.
Some residents say their big fear is that mudslides could hit their homes while they're sleeping.
Thousands of tiny spaces in Paris used to be the maid's rooms. Now they're being rented as rooftop apartments. We'll take a tour after the break.
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[00:57:39]
MICHAELSON: Tiny apartments at the top of some buildings in Paris were originally built centuries ago for the help. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne introduces us to some tenants who now call the cramped quarters home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANATOLY, LIVES IN A TINY PARISIAN APARTMENT: So, yes, the entrance here, that's the small, like, entrance area.
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are some of the smallest apartments you'll find in Paris. Some measure less than 100 square feet.
ANATOLY: A private shower.
VANDOORNE: Wow.
Can you open both doors at the same time?
ANATOLY: I've never tried, but I guess you could. Ish.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): They're called chambre de bonne, maids' rooms, hidden at the top of some of Paris's grandest buildings. Built for domestic servants, they were notoriously cold, with toilets often shared between tenants.
As of 2022, there were still more than 90,000 of these tiny apartments across Paris.
ANATOLY: The view from the rooftop is just amazing. Like, you see pretty much every big Parisian monument.
My friends commented that, like, oh my gosh, you're going to have a depression in, like, one month's time, because it's so tiny. Like, it's a prison cell. And technically, I guess prison cells are bigger.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Anatoly is an engineering student who's called this place home for the past year. He pays about $800 a month in rent, expensive by the square foot, but still cheaper than most Parisian apartments.
ANATOLY: It's not a sacrifice. It's a trade-off. In engineering, you don't have good solutions. You only have trade-offs. So yes.
VANDOORNE: What's the trade-off here?
ANATOLY: The space for the location, pretty much.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): And there's another price to pay for living in central Paris: lots and lots of stairs.
VANDOORNE: You do this every day.
GLADYS, LIVES IN TINY PARISIAN APARTMENT: It's terrible. I know. It's a sport (ph).
VANDOORNE: Lovely to meet you.
GLADYS: Lovely to meet you, too.
VANDOORNE: I need a minute.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): This is Gladys, and she lives right at the top, on the seventh floor. Unlike in the 19th Century, when the problem was the cold, today, it's
relentless heat waves turning these tiny apartments into furnaces, with temperatures climbing above 40 Celsius. That's more than 104 Fahrenheit.
GLADYS: I was also taking like ice during the night. All the ice next to me.
VANDOORNE: Like a pillow.
GLADYS: Yes, exactly. That was terrible. And also, I slept to my sister's house, so that was better. To my friend's house.
VANDOORNE: So, you actually had to leave?
GLADYS: Yes, yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
