Return to Transcripts main page

The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 05, 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]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Analysts say the domestic box office could top $10 billion this year, which is awesome for the industry here in Southern California.

Thanks so much for watching the first hour of "The Story Is." The next hour starts right now.

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

MICHAELSON: It's 10 o'clock here in Los Angeles. I'm Elex Michaelson.

Coming up, "The Story Is" a hotly contested murder trial ends without a jury decision. What's next for the mother who admits that she killed her three kids?

President Trump's new push for restrictions on mailing voting may leave some ballots in limbo. We'll per take down the potential election overhaul.

And after a miraculous rescue, are there more to come? CNN is on the ground in Nepal where crews are searching for flood victims with a renewed sense of hope.

Friday saw a stunning close to a trial that has gripped the nation, a mistrial declared in the Lindsay Clancy case after jurors said that they were hopelessly deadlocked. Jurors telling the judge Friday that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict after some seven days of deliberating. Prosecutors have not yet said whether they plan to retry Clancy who faced three counts of first degree murder in the deaths of her three young kids. Clancy's lawyers do not deny that she killed the kids, but argue she is not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis an extreme mental illness.

Crowds gathered outside the courthouse throughout the trial with many people dressed in pink to show their support for Clancy. The case has focused new attention on maternal health. On Friday, angry bystanders interrupted the district attorney as he spoke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You only cared when the kids were dead. Why don't you care about the mother? Hey, man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: CNN's Ivan Rodriguez is in Plymouth, Massachusetts with more on the day's events.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The judge in the Lindsay Clancy trial declared a mistrial after jurors weren't able to come to a unanimous verdict. Despite that, Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, called it a victory for him. He says, I won the case. He also said that the prosecution was crushed. He also claimed that the jury was split 11 to one for acquittal and sharply criticized the holdout juror.

JUDGE WILLIAM SULLIVAN, MASSACHUSETTS SUPERIOR COURT: I'm going to declare that the jury is deadlocked, and I'm going to declare a mistrial.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Following about 38 hours over seven days of deliberations, jurors remain deadlocked, unable to reach a verdict in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial.

SULLIVAN: I understood how hard everybody worked in this case. I understood that you all gave everything you could.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Prosecutors argued Clancy acted, "Intentionally, rationally, and swiftly to kill her three children."

KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY'S ATTORNEY: Children were murdered. It's our job to seek justice.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): While her defense team said she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

ROSEMARY SCARPICCHIO, LINDSAY CLANCY'S CIVIL ATTORNEY: We need to make sure that when there is postpartum or maternal mental health, that these doctors start listening to women because that's not what they're doing right now.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Jury notes indicated they were split 11 to one, but any verdict must be unanimous. The judge denied a request from the defense to further question a juror who it said was the lone holdout.

REDDINGTON: They know that they were robbed by one man.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): While next steps in this case are unknown, Clancy's defense attorney said that if a retrial happens, he would request that the jury be sequestered, yet noted that finding unexposed jurors would be near impossible. REDDINGTON: I don't know if we will ever be able to get jurors that aren't aware of this case anywhere. New York, Washington, Georgia, Japan, India. I don't know.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Both the prosecution and defense will be back in court on September 29th for a status hearing on the case. The Plymouth County district attorney says that they still aren't in a position to make a decision regarding a retrial. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Ivan, thank you. Joining me live on set here is RJ Manuelian. He is a Criminal Defense Attorney. He is also the host of the American Crime Podcast on YouTube. Welcome to our set for the first time. Nice to have you with us.

RJ MANUELIAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thank you. Thank you, Elex.

MICHAELSON: You've tried 78 cases yourself. You watch this stuff very closely. What it's like to be in the case. You say the defense won in your view. Why?

MANUELIAN: I think they won for several different reasons. Number one, the foreperson wrote a letter to the judge saying something to the effect of with a heavy heart. I have to tell you that we can't come to a unanimous decision. It wouldn't have been said that way in my belief if it was a guilty verdict. And I believe that one of the jurors were holding out because they claimed that they didn't understand the law, didn't meet the reasonable doubt definition, but they all disagreed. They all believed that he understood it. He was just refusing to do it, which is why the Attorney, Mr. Reddington, filed an emergency appeal to move him away because he believed that he wasn't doing his duty as a juror and following the law.

MICHAELSON: I mean, there's been a lot of attorneys who have been on TV all day today who have criticized him for going after the juror, saying that that itself is considered unexcusable. Do you agree with that?

[01:05:00]

MANUELIAN: Well, he's doing it. First of all, he's doing his job. He's zealously representing Lindsay Clancy. Second of all, if the juror is misappropriate he's not doing his duty, he has a duty to follow the law. The judge told him, do you understand? If I give you the jury instructions and if you understand it, can you follow the law? And the juror said yes. If he understands that there's reasonable doubt, which is the highest level of certainty under the law required, if he understands that and is refusing to vote not guilty, then that's a violation of his duties. So I can't tell you what was going on, but I can tell you the judge had discretion. And the judge looked into it, he just found that it was just an issue of disagreement, not an issue of not following the law.

MICHAELSON: All right. The judge basically said, you have a right as a juror to not agree with everybody. That's part of the system.

MANUELIAN: Correct.

MICHAELSON: And we've all seen 12 angry men.

MANUELIAN: Right.

MICHAELSON: Unfortunately, this this didn't go that same way. The old movie where one juror convinced all everybody else to change. So now the Prosecutor has an interesting decision in front of him, the district attorney there, on how to move forward. What happens next?

MANUELIAN: I would look into whether or not it was 11 to one guilty or not guilty. If it's 11 to one not guilty, it's an indictment on the mental health system for women, which I believe have been overlooked for many, many, many years. Postpartum depression and acute depression is real. Happens, I think, one out of every eight women. And I think Mr. Cruz, who's the DA in Massachusetts, in that county, should take a look at that. I understand he's not going after public sentiment. He said that he's going to look at the law and the evidence. But if you look at the law and the evidence, Mr. Cruz, you'll see it was 11 to one most likely not guilty, and your witnesses couldn't rebut the evidence that was presented. You couldn't show that she couldn't understand the wrongfulness of her conduct.

In my book, the guy lost, and he should not pursue this anymore. If anything, that she should be committed. She's not going to go home tomorrow. She should be committed to a hospital. They could easily do a not criminally responsible, have her stipulate to going to a hospital, and I think that's the right result.

MICHAELSON: Yet, as a district attorney, you often want to be perceived as tough on crime. And there are other people who view this case as she murdered her three kids, and they don't really buy all of this in terms of voices and all the rest of it. And they may see a prosecutor letting her off as a negative thing. I mean, doesn't he also think about even though he says he doesn't think about the politics of it when you're an elected official and a politician?

MANUELIAN: Well, he should not be looking at the politics of it. And if he's looking at the politics of it, I think it's bad for him to prosecute a victim who went through postpartum depression, who was asking the government for a long time to help her. She checked herself into residential treatment. She was seeing doctors. She was telling everybody she had suicidal ideation. She was telling everybody she not sleeping for many, many days and weeks. She was on Benadryl. The list goes on and on and on. This lady was crying for help. What more did the does Mr. Cruz, the DA, want her to do? This is a perfect example of overzealous prosecution in my opinion.

MICHAELSON: I mean, a lot of people would not describe her as a victim. They would describe her as a murderer.

MANUELIAN: What was the motive for her to kill her children?

MICHAELSON: I don't know. MANUELIAN: Well, I mean, isn't it common sense to say why would she why would a labor nurse delivery person, somebody that gave the Hippocratic Oath to help people, why would she kill her children? It doesn't make sense. And if you say to yourself, well, what's the simplest answer? The simplest answer is something must have went wrong. Is it possible that lack of sleep, Benadryl, Ativan, all these cocktail drugs that are that she was placed on, combined with everything else in her the brain fog that the psychiatrist said that she was going through. Isn't it possible? Isn't that reasonable answer that maybe she was going through some sort of mental psychosis that caused this? Or did she just want to kill her kids because of, I don't know, some identifying unknown motive? Does that make more sense to you?

MICHAELSON: Well, that I guess is going to be the issue if there is another case for the jury going forward. RJ Manuelian, thanks so much for being here and sharing your views. Appreciate it.

MANUELIAN: Thank you, Elex.

MICHAELSON: We want to take live pictures right now from Washington. This is a look there, and President Trump has offered some insight into how he is making spending decisions for the U.S. midterm elections. He told reporters at the White House on Friday that he is personally involved in plans for dispersing his super PAC's sizable fortune. A group affiliated with a pro Trump Super PAC recently started buying ads in major media markets to play up the president's record.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think I have, like, a close to $1 billion in the super PAC, and I'm allocating probably $400 million, $500 million. So I'll be spending -- we'll be spending --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the midterm election?

TRUMP: Yeah. We're going to spend a lot of money because we don't want to lose our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Now to the President's push to restrict mailing voting. A federal judge has blocked new U.S. postal service rules aimed at carrying out the President's recent executive order.

[01:10:00]

The preliminary injunction keeps the rules on hold while the Trump administration goes forward with an appeal. Those rules would require state and local officials to meet certain conditions before mailing out ballots, including uploading lists of mailing voters to a new postal service portal.

Now the whole thing, a little late for North Carolina. That state has already begun mailing ballots to voters for the midterm elections. The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the new rules to take effect.

Let's go live to North Carolina and bring in Sarah Michels. She is a Reporter for Carolina Public Press. Her latest article is titled, What's Up With Mailing Voting In North Carolina In 2026. She's live in Raleigh, North Carolina. Welcome to "The Story Is" for the first time. Thanks for being with us.

SARAH MICHELS, REPORTER, CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS: Thanks for having me.

MICHAELSON: So what is up? What is going on right now in terms of where everything is at?

MICHELS: So North Carolina has the honor of being the first state in the nation to start voting. And North Carolina is not new to being in this position. We're a swing state. Things are always happening here. There's always lawsuits. So nobody's really, not surprised by any of this. But right now, today, they started voting absentee, and voters have already some of them have received absentee ballots. Some might have already returned them. So things are in full swing.

MICHAELSON: So what happens if the rules change because the game's already begun? The ballot's already out.

MICHELS: Right. So state board officials have said that if a court order comes down, they intend to comply with it. They want to follow federal law. But like you said, things have already come into motion. Some voters have already voted. So what happens, there's two parts of this order. The part with the ballot design, the North Carolina has already complied with that. They complied with that before the court stopped it, and they already work with the USPS to do that.

But the other part, the part about the portal and giving information about who is voting absentee, they have not complied with that because that is not ready, the court has not allowed that. And that would be the problem if something that did change. Election workers would have to work long hard hours to make sure they're complying with that. And it would also give way to a possible litigation because same election, different rules might be a little tough for the courts.

MICHAELSON: I mean, that seems like a very obvious piece of litigation right there. Some election officials gave an update via Zoom tonight. Here's some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL DICKERSON, MECKLENBURG COUNTY ELECTIONS DIRECTOR: We're continuing to go until we hear order or directive from our state to do anything different. So we're moving forward right now. The confusion can be for the voter. What are you going to do? What am I going to -- they may not understand. We have started the voting process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Clearly, that was not via Zoom. Sarah, what you're talking to a lot of election officials on both sides. What are they telling you?

MICHELS: So election officials, they're always ready for anything, especially North Carolina. I'm reminded of 2024. There was a last minute change in ballots, and they worked hard to fix that, and the election went well at the end of the day. So they will take on whatever challenges come their way, but, of course, they are going to be constantly monitoring the situation and hoping that things go smoothly.

MICHAELSON: Well, it's interesting to see, what happens next here, but the midterms are officially underway. Voting is now happening. People have gotten their ballots back and some put it right in the mail. So the first, votes are coming in in North Carolina. Sarah Michels from Carolina Public Press, thanks for staying up late for us. Have a great weekend.

MICHELS: No problem.

MICHAELSON: Still ahead on "The Story Is," we showed this live as breaking news last night. Two men rescued after spending nine days trapped in a flooded tunnel in Nepal. Now there's a race against time to reach others who may also be alive. Hanako Montgomery helicoptering in for a very special report next.

Plus, small potatoes? So President Trump is describing the war with Iran. Details on the White House latest attempt to try to minimize the deadly months long conflict. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Breaking news. You are looking at the path of hurricane Lowell, and that hurricane has just been upgraded to a Category V hurricane. Hawaii is under state of emergency as it braces for Lowell. Doesn't look like a direct hit, but it has rapidly strengthened. Lowell expected to turn sharply north over the weekend with its center forecast to pass near Hawaii's westernmost islands early next week. Forecasters warn its exact track still not exactly certain. This is the third storm in as many weeks to threaten Hawaii as El Nino supercharges the Pacific hurricane season. The water is warmer that's fueling more of these hurricanes.

With low approaching, Hawaii Governor Josh Green says the state is preparing for the worst.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH GREEN, HAWAII GOVERNOR: It's a heavy storm, and we're hopeful it will miss us. But if it does what Iniki did in 1992 or even does anything close, of course, we could see tragic consequence.

[01:20:00] So that's why we're taking this so seriously. On Wednesday, the September 2nd, I did sign an emergency proclamation, in anticipation of not just hurricane Lowell, but also hurricanes Karina and Marie, which are kind of coming up behind this hurricane. Again, we're hopeful that those hurricanes will be less consequential and will also move past the islands, but this is, a serious storm season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: It has been 10 days since catastrophic flooding hit the border between Nepal and China. Hope is still alive that more can be found in tunnels blocked by water and debris. They hope raised by Friday's miraculous rescue of two men who were trapped in a tunnel for nine days. We showed you this live yesterday at this time. Since then, Nepal's army says that rescuers have dug about 700 meters farther. They've established a link with another tunnel. They're using rafts and boats to move in while simultaneously pumping water out.

Nepal's army says that civilian and military aircraft rescued more than 50 people on Friday. The UN is appealing for more aid saying more than 40,000 people in Nepal need help right now. The death toll from the disaster has reached nearly 1,400 people, but get this, more than 5,000 are still missing. CNN's Hanako Montgomery continues her reporting on the ground in Nepal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After days of desperation, cries of joy. This is the incredible moment two survivors were pulled from a tunnel in Nepal after being trapped for an agonizing nine days. The relief and exhaustion is palpable on 30- year-old Sanjay Sah's face. He was hauled out of the water filled tunnel along with 45-year-old Kabir Mahajan on Friday morning. Both were rushed by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu.

From his hospital bed, Sah, a mechanical foreman, described how he got trapped.

SANJAY SAH, RESCUED FROM TUNNEL (translated): My responsibility was to save everyone's life. After the accident happened, I could not run by myself. I had to save everyone. In the process of saving everyone, I told them that there was an accident in the big dam. I asked everyone to escape outside. Doing so, I wasted time, and I could not get out. I got trapped.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): When news broke of the rescue, we flew to the site.

MONTGOMERY: Right now, we're flying over Nepal towards the Trishuli-3A tunnel where authorities believe that there might be still some survivors inside who are alive. They were able to rescue two individuals and they're hoping the operations can continue and that they will have more luck getting more survivors out.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): As we approached, a deafening sound of heavy machinery drilling grew louder and with it, a sense of hope. Nepali army rescuers surrounded a hole where the two survivors were hauled out from earlier in the day. We watched as dozens of workers pulled at a piece of rope.

MONTGOMERY: They tell me that on the other end of this rope is someone who was stuck inside the tunnel. They don't know if this person is alive or is dead, but clearly, there are dozens of workers right now trying to get this body out. And these people have been stuck inside for 9 days now since that flash flood first hit Nepal. We've spoken to the Major General, the Head of Military Operations in Nepal, and he told us that it was really difficult to find signs of life, especially inside the tunnel, which was one of the worst hit.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The Trishuli-3A Hydropower Station has a conduit that's a staggering 26 meters deep. An Army General told me Thursday, the rescuers here explained that it's filled with water rather than mud, allowing them to use white water raft to travel down the tunnels.

As we left the scene, oxygen tanks and body bags were being passed towards the opening. Authorities later said a body was extracted from the tunnel. Nepali authorities have previously warned there are more than 900 workers missing at multiple energy projects in the Himalayas after catastrophic flash floods swept through the area. They don't know how many are dead or still alive, but the search goes on with the hope that hundreds more families will be reunited. Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Nepal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A lot of people don't call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us.

JD VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I wouldn't call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: President Trump and Vice President Vance there, those comments are the latest attempts from the White House to minimize the six month conflict that has led to the deaths of 18 American service members with hundreds more wounded and a major spike in fuel prices that has rattled the global economy.

The President's remarks calling the war not a big thing comes a day after Vance said the conflict should not be called a war in its current state.

[01:25:00]

That is despite at least three consecutive days this week when the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire. And on Friday, the President also raised the prospect of a new operation targeting a suspected Iranian nuclear site south of Tehran. But he still insisted the conflict is not a war. Thanks for watching "The Story Is." For our international viewers, Inside Africa is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be right back with more on the politics of the day, including a disturbing story about Pennsylvania Senator Josh -- John Fetterman and Governor Gavin Newsom on the campaign trail in South Carolina. CNN was there with him. How did it go? How did people respond? We'll have that.

Well, "The Story Is" continues in North America next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: The U.S. labor market rallied in August after spinning downward over the summer. The economy added more than a 162,000 jobs more than double what economists predicted. It is the strongest showing since March. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent. President Trump is putting fresh pressure on the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates with an unconventional threat. He says he would block trade with some key U.S. partners if the Fed doesn't do what he wants.

He says the U.S. would have the lowest rates in the world, and he said he could cut trade with countries and blocks with which the U.S. has a deficit, including the EU, China, and Mexico. But after the bumper job reports, an industry group says the chances of a hike at this month's meeting jumped to 60 percent, up from 40 percent on Thursday.

Fresh controversy surrounding President Trump's controversial triumphal arch. Opponents are seeking emergency court action after plans were announced to break ground within days, even though the project lacks congressional approval and a lot of paperwork. Sunlen Serfaty has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: That's pretty great.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Without the usual approvals and still in legal limbo, the Trump administration is pushing forward to break ground on President Trump's triumphal arch.

TRUMP: I think we'll be the most beautiful in the world.

SERFATY (voice-over): Announcing they will start excavating the ground to build the arch in the next two weeks.

TRUMP: The Arc De Triomphe would be the one that you would probably know in Paris. It's one of the most beautiful. It's a very similar size, slightly larger. We're doing we have to do slightly larger.

SERFATY (voice-over): The proposed 250 foot arch planned for Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery has not been approved by the National Capital Planning Commission, the last of the two agencies that need to review and approve the work, nor has it gone through a full review necessary under the National Historical Preservation Act.

The FAA's final aeronautical study looking at the safety impact to the nearby airport has also not been finished. And the project is still bogged down in the courts with the veterans rights group seeking a temporary restraining order Friday, saying the arch obstructs the view of DC from Arlington Cemetery.

TRUMP: You get a better view right over here.

SERFATY (voice-over): All this comes after the administration scored a major victory for one of the president's other projects. The Supreme Court allowing the construction of President Trump's ballroom to move forward.

TRUMP: This will be the greatest military complex/ballroom anywhere in the world. There won't be anything like it.

SERFATY (voice-over): That decision appearing to embolden the administration.

TRUMP: What I do best in life is build. I build buildings really well.

SERFATY (voice-over): With justice department lawyers now using that ruling to make the case that other challenges to the president's construction projects should be dropped. Administration lawyers for the arch and for the president's desired championship golf course he wants built in DC this week both requested the courts to dismiss each case.

TRUMP: This will be here long after we're gone. No matter what happens with the world, this is not moving.

SERFATY (voice-over): Meantime, as the President pushes ahead with all these projects to remake Washington in his style and liking.

TRUMP: We weren't necessarily thrilled with the contractor.

SERFATY (voice-over): His reflecting pool renovations continue to growing cost. The administration hiring yet another new company to help clean and maintain the reflecting pool, adding another $2.7 million to a project that has already ballooned in cost to now over $16 million.

SERFATY: And all this comes even as the president's own administration, the National Park Service, recently acknowledged that the arch would cause a slew of adverse effects to historical landmarks nearby. But so much of this does come down to the president's legacy as Trump acknowledged himself. A source telling CNN though, even if his assessors go on to undo his policies, the ballroom, the arch, those will likely still stand, and he believes that has lasting impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: Sunlen Serfaty for us in Washington. A damning new report about Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is raising questions about his performance in Washington. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pennsylvania Democrat routinely skips meetings with constituents and fellow lawmakers while making time for conservative media like Fox News Channel.

The journal says that Fetterman's office ignored multiple requests for comment. Here's the article's co-author telling CNN's Phil Mattingly on the lead about her efforts to get a response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIOBHAN HUGHES, REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The Fetterman office did not respond at all, and they had multiple chances to respond. I, my colleague, Will Hobson, both reached out to the office. Will went up. He drove up to Erie, Pennsylvania to talk to Fetterman in person at one of the few appearances he's had in the state, and it was crickets.

The next big thing is on September 14th when the senate comes back into session.

[01:35:00]

They all stream in, and, oh, by the way, this story can't move on because a group of former Fetterman staffers has formed an account on the social media site X where they plan to release additional information, additional texts to really drive home the point. And so everybody's going to have to answer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you're reporting that's a legitimate account?

HUGHES: I have verified that account. I have talked to a former aide who has said, yes. That's legitimate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: For more on all this, our panel is back. Elisha Krauss, Conservative Commentator and Opinion Writer for the Washington Examiner, and Rebecca Sun, Journalist and Cultural Critic and former Senior Editor at the Hollywood Reporter.

Welcome back, ladies. So we remember John Fetterman years ago, was the local official in Pennsylvania. Very progressive. Big Bernie Sanders fan. Gets to the senate, and then after October 7th becomes a huge supporter of Israel, and often voting against his party. So look at these poll numbers you want to put up on the screen. This is John Fetterman's approval rating with different parties. With Republicans, he's at 73 percent. With Independents, he's at 49 percent. With Democrats, the Democratic Senator is at 22 percent.

John Fetterman has a higher approval rating than the Republican Senator from Pennsylvania among Republicans. Rebecca Sun, what do you think is senator Fetterman and what he's doing? REBECCA SUN, JOURNALIST AND CULTURAL CRITIC: I mean, I think that the poll numbers reflect that you should judge any politician by their actions and not by the letter, after their title. And so it must be said that Senator Fetterman everybody knows he had a stroke. He's had many health issues. He has had physical health issues that have affected his cognition.

MICHAELSON: Yeah.

SUN: His condition also --

MICHAELSON: And mental health issues. And been very open about depression in a way most public officials are not.

SUN: Exactly. So and, again, it's -- I'm not a physician. It's not but these are all things that have happened circumstantially. Either way, he does not seem to be a politician who is, legislating, along what he campaigned for. So --

MICHAELSON: I mean, what the report points out according to the Wall Street Journal is that he oftentimes doesn't show up to meetings he doesn't want to go to. Comes into a committee hearing, says present, and walks out, and is sort of one of the least engaged members, in terms of his colleagues or some of the jobs of being a senator.

ELISHA KRAUSS, OP-ED WRITER, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER: I just find it interesting that back at the beginning of his senate campaign when he was hospitalized and his wife was out on the campaign trail for him, we were hearing from national democrats that thought, oh, he's going to be our progressive puppet like we want in the senate for this seat in Pennsylvania that, oh, no, no. Republicans, how dare you talk about his mental health and his physical health? Don't worry about it at all.

And now that he -- and by the way, he still votes with his party, the most of the time. I mean, he even was talking about when it came to the welfare vote and food stamp stuff, saying to his party, hey, guys. I have millions of Pennsylvanians that need these food stamps. Let's vote on this. I also find it really ironic. Like, Democrats, where are your priorities when you seem to be more perturbed at Fetterman not showing up to constituent events, which I think is part of the job and part of the oath of office that you take, than you do about Hasan Piker or Graham Platner?

SUN: Hasan Piker.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. Well --

SUN: I'm sorry. This is a podcaster like --

KRAUSS: A podcaster who's embraced and protected by the upper echelons of the Democratic party and lots of politicians. He's out there campaigning with El-Saeed. You have people.

SUN: Upper echelons of the Democratic party, and you're saying Abdul El-Saeed is in the upper echelons of the Democratic Party? He's barely embraced by the Democratic Party.

KRAUSS: You have sitting congressmen and senators and media members that have welcomed him, embraced him, and refused to refute what he has said about America, about western standing, about Christianity, and about women, that America deserved 911?

SUN: He did not say that.

MICHAELSON: He repeated --

SUN: Are you saying El-Saeed said that?

KRAUSS: No. That Hasan Piker says that.

SUN: Podcaster said that.

MICHAELSON: Hasan Piker once said that and has not said --

KRAUSS: Not one. He's said it numerous times. He's also said he hates America a lot of times.

MICHAELSON: He's himself has walked that back, but this isn't about Hasan Piker. We're talking about John Fetterman.

KRAUSS: This is about Democratic Party.

MICHAELSON: Do want John Fetterman to throw in the Republican party?

KRAUSS: Wanting to throw Fetterman under the bus because, oh, he seems to be --

MICHAELSON: You think he is going to be Republican?

KRAUSS: I don't know. I mean, at this point, he kind of has to be, right? With those independents, though, maybe he could win.

MICHAELSON: You think he is going to be Republican?

KRAUSS: Again, I think what it shows is that the label is truly immaterial. He's not doing his job, and anybody who is not doing his job as Fetterman is shouldn't be a senator just like anybody who has been gone for 85 days and is not maybe shouldn't hold one of the most important --

MICHAELSON: I mean, the senate's going to be really close, and the democrats could use his vote.

KRAUSS: Once again he vote to his party most of the time.

MICHAELSON: It just like a lot of Democrats hated Joe Manchin. They used to, give him such a hard time.

KRAUSS: Republicans don't love Susan Collins.

MICHAELSON: Who is the Democrat from West Virginia where Donald Trump won by 40 points. [01:40:00]

So, of course, he's not going to vote the same way the senator from Vermont is. But now they got a Republican senator from West Virginia, and the Democrats are in the minority. So sometimes when you want a big tent, that means embracing people with different perspectives.

KRAUSS: I don't know that the Democrats want a big tent.

MICHAELSON: Well, you can't govern if you don't get a big tent. You want to get to the majority. Let's talk about the future of the democratic party. And the 2028 race has already begun. Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, is in South Carolina. He says he's not campaigning for President, but come on. This is the first state for the Democratic primary. He's there. Our colleague, Edward-Isaac Dovere, has been traveling with the Governor the last few days to watch him in action to see how crowds are reacting to him. He sent us this video about what it's been like with Governor Newsom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Gavin Newsom did a lot of events last two days in South Carolina, and reporters got to attend most of them. Here's what it looked like inside. He got a very warm reception. People who showed up in mostly rural, less traditionally democratic areas of the state wanting to see the guy that they've seen on TV and really eating it up when he talked about things like the prop 50 battle or Trump corruption.

Now there are a lot of questions left about what happens next, including whether he's actually running. But based on the reception that he got that I saw, I'll tell you, and that included people lining up for 10, 20, sometimes 30 minutes waiting to take a photo with him, it does seem like he would have a running start over most of his likely competition there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Rebecca, your thoughts on the presidential campaign potentially of Gavin Newsom.

SUN: I mean, I think that Gavin Newsom has been running for President since he was our Governor. So I'm not --

MICHAELSON: Well, maybe before.

SUN: On that, we can agree.

MICHAELSON: Maybe before.

SUN: I'm from the Bay Area. I remember when he was Mayor of San Francisco too. So, personally, we have midterms to get through. So I think that, because he's not currently running for an office or sitting in an office.

MICHAELSON: Well, he's sitting in an office. SUN: You're right.

MICHAELSON: Yes. He is.

SUN: He is --

MICHAELSON: You may not know that from the fact that he's out of state a lot. But --

SUN: Because he's currently not campaigning for a reelection. He's got the time to do that, and Gavin Newsom is going to Gavin Newsom. I don't know what to say. I'm not going to, like, cape for him. Like, to be honest, I don't need to. We don't have --

MICHAELSON: So that's not your person, it doesn't sound like.

SUN: I'm not even think honestly. Honestly, I'm not. There's midterms.

KRAUSS: So what -- how she -- how you feel about Gavin Newsom is actually how I'm hearing from a lot of Democrat donors and liberal friends that I have in the campaign world. Yes. I do have some. That have said that he's kind of like the Tim Scott for the Democrat. It's like people are want there to be a they're there, and then there kind of is no they're there. So he's getting these crowds, I guess, in North Carolina, but we'll see if that actually turn --

MICHAELSON: South Carolina.

KRAUSS: Sorry, South Carolina, but we'll see if that actually turns out and become votes in a democratic primary in that state and in other early states. I just think that both the Republicans and the Democrats have a really interesting future going forward in 2028. What kind of a candidate are they going to choose? Because the affordability issue is a bipartisan issue. National security is a bipartisan issue. The economy is a bipartisan issue. Education, bipartisan issue. And you have all of these issues that millennials and Gen Z specifically are interested in and Newsome and there's even some people like JD Vance, for example. They both kind of have I don't know, the Gen Z girls I mentor call it the ek, that they don't seem to be very genuine.

And I think that Democrats and Republicans need to look at who's going to be the most genuine candidate that can appeal to left, right and center in 2028.

MICHAELSON: Although Newsom is drawing big crowds, in all of the stops, and they seem to be liking what they see. So we will see a long time to go before 2028. But as we see, it's already underway. Rebecca Sun, Elisha Krauss, thanks for hanging out with us all night here on "The Story Is."

Next, the last summer getaway could come with a record price tag when we come back. How this Labor Day may be the most expensive yet for travelers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [01:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Welcome back to "The Story Is." I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories. We're waiting to see when U.S. mediators will try to jump start the stalled peace efforts in Ukraine. A U.S. official telling CNN that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be headed to Moscow and Kyiv for talks. Russia's state news agency says the trip will get underway on Friday. The peace efforts hit the wall last winter before the U.S. focused on the war in Iran.

Americans likely to face record high gas prices this Labor Day weekend. GasBuddy expects the national average to hit $4.03 a gallon, topping the previous holiday record. Adding to the cost of holiday travel is the skyrocketing price of jet fuel, leading airlines to increase airfare and baggage fees.

More than half a million customers in the Great Lakes and the Mid- Atlantic region are without power heading into the holiday weekend. Powerful storms battering the region Thursday night into Friday, downing trees and power lines, and more severe storms could bring additional damage and outages overnight.

Coming up on "The Story Is" how an old tribute to the late great Dolly Parton is getting a new look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: A new star has put an iconic name back on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Dolly Parton first received her star in 1984. The star had become worn over time. CNN's David Daniel reports on the effort to revitalize the area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID DANIEL, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): A week after Dolly Parton's Hollywood Walk of Fame star was strewn with memorial flowers. No flowers, no crowds, and no star. 42 of foot traffic and seismic activity had taken its toll as it has on many stars on the world famous walk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The original star was pretty damaged, so we want to -- the Hollywood Trust wanted to honor her with a new star.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When she passed, we immediately brought her up to the top of the list and we're like, this needs to be done. We want to be able to honor somebody so wonderful and important.

DANIEL (voice-over): After removing the old star, workers began constructing the new one in the same spot on Hollywood Boulevard. The same company has made all 2,800 plus stars since the walk was dedicated in 1960.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a pour in place, process. And today, they're doing the rough pour in. Once it's cured, they'll come and grind it, and they'll put a layer of the same, cementitious pink and black.

DANIEL (voice-over): Unsurprisingly, the work drew tourists, including one from Parton's home state.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just the way that she loved and respected everyone under any condition, and she's given so much back to the community, especially through her library.

[01:55:00]

A few days later, after grinding, sanding, and polishing, Dolly was back in all her glory.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's given back so much, and I think she deserves something that's just as polished and beautiful as she is.

DANIEL (voice-over): In Hollywood, I'm David Daniel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: See that. Also great to see this. The return of Serena and Venus Williams to the U.S. Open has ended. The sisters blew a five nothing lead in the match to tiebreaker fall into Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint in 3 sets. The Williams sisters hadn't played at the U.S. Open since 2022. A grand slam tournament they won twice. 44-year-old Serena returned to tennis this year, while 46-year-old Venus continues to compete. Sisters now 27 and 8 at the U.S. Open across 10 appearances. They look great. Trust me.

Thanks so much for watching "The Story Is," both tonight and all week here on CNN. Hope you have a great weekend, especially if you're able to enjoy Labor Day. I'll see you back here on Monday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)