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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Trump Headlines Night One of Republican Event in Dallas, Texas; Interview with Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA); Tight Michigan Senate Race with No Clear Leader; Trump Touts Economy, War with Iran, Blasts Democrats in Republican Convention; Trump Touts Economy, War with Iran, Blasts Democrats; Appeals Court Considers Future of Medication Abortion; Thousands of Migrants Remain More Than a Month after Crossing into Ceuta. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired September 10, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:37]
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson.
It is 9:00 p.m. here in Los Angeles. It's 1:00 p.m. in Dallas, Texas, where the first night of the Republican midterm convention is now in the books. The president closing out the night asking voters once again to pretend that he is on the ballot. He claimed credit for economic gains, border security and the war with Iran.
He even promised a $5,000 dividend to every American adult if Republicans keep control of the House and the Senate in the midterms, though he didn't explain how that would actually work. In the end, the president said, the choice for voters is clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democrats are asking you to vote for their failed far-left agenda. It's never worked. That destroyed your finances and delivered you four years of disaster, bedlam and death under Sleepy Joe Biden. And I'm asking you to let us finish the job we began with the greatest two years in the history of the presidency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: We start things off live in Dallas. John Thomas, Republican strategist, managing director of the advisory firm Nestpoint. He is joining us live right now.
John, welcome back to THE STORY IS. What was it like inside?
JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, it was actually the enthusiasm was fairly contagious. It was actually more enthusiasm than I expected going into an unprecedented midterm convention that really has no governing authority, and going into a midterm cycle where, look, honestly, a lot of Republicans anticipate they're going to lose one of the chambers. But people were exuberant. They were happy to see one another, and they were happy to turn out for President Trump.
And so the question to me, Elex, is President Trump's gamble going to pay off? Is he able to shift the turnout model going into midterm cycle and turn out his base at record levels? Maybe. And tonight was foreshadowing that.
MICHAELSON: Well, part of the way he's trying to do that is by promising people money. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Here is my promise. If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic -- tremendous economic success, like in history we've never had anything like what's happening. But because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So where is that money coming from? How is that going to work?
THOMAS: That's a great question. And that's going to be up to the administration, you know, to explain between now and November. But I think probably what the president is alluding to is an additional tax cut that he'll push to go to every American. That seems most likely what he's going to be pushing. But, look, the president has to pull out every stop he can, Elex, to convince voters to break with a historical trend, which is to typically toss the power and party out.
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, before President Trump had promised a $2,000 rebate for tariff policy to every American, we're all still waiting for our money. It's interesting, Joe Biden said one of the biggest regrets of his presidency is that he did not sign checks to the American people in the way that Donald Trump did. People like getting money and seeing the president's signature is something that can be very good politically.
The president suggesting that he is going to be out on the campaign trail a lot. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If 35 races that are, I guess you'd call the swings, right? Like we had seven swing states, we won all seven, right? Now. So I said, not that I'm looking for the work. You know, I said the other day, I've got so much of a schedule. I said, I thought I won, what do I have to do? I'm campaigning, but I am. We're campaigning to make it incredible, to really make it great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: You're a Republican strategist. You're paid a lot of money for this.
[00:05:02]
Is he helpful in these races? Would you want President Trump there with you?
THOMAS: Elex, the answer is it depends. You know, it depends on the district. There are a handful of districts that really could, in fact, use the president's turnout help. And then there are others where the member, the sitting member should be busy or otherwise occupied if the president came to visit them in a given district. But the answer is it depends. But look, we've never really seen this strategy deployed in a midterm cycle because typically, Elex, the party in power, when the White House has held, by the main party.
Typically the president goes dormant or in hiding in the home stretch, allowing members district by district to bob and weave as they see fit. But this president believes that he can go in and actively cherry-pick districts to shift the turnout model. The risk is that President Trump turns every race into a referendum on him, and that can backfire, given certain districts or he's just upside down in.
MICHAELSON: Well, as we know, President Trump doesn't do things the typical way. And it is great to see you, John. And by the way, is that a Republican elephant light fixture behind you?
THOMAS: Oh, you've noticed that? Yes, it is.
MICHAELSON: Very, very on brand there. There it is. John Thomas, joining us from Dallas. Thank you so much.
THOMAS: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Now, to somebody who is not going to have a Republican light fixture behind her, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Democrat from Los Angeles, one of the many members of Congress that has been dispatched by the Democrats to Dallas, to counter-program what's going on with the Republicans.
Congressmember, welcome back to THE STORY IS.
REP. SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE (D-CA): Good to see you, Elex. Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: So this $5,000 idea, which was sort of the news of the night, what do you make of that? And does Congress have the money to give everybody a check?
KAMLAGER-DOVE: Well, you say idea. I say bribe. Sounds really fishy. I would love to bring the administration before House judiciary when we went in November and asked them about this bribery scheme that they have going on. I will say at least the president, even though he won't admit it, understands that people are hurting, people are hurting with the gas, with the groceries, with the housing, and with the health care. I wish he would have talked more about the affordability crisis,
rather than calling it fake and really acknowledge the fact that people are dealing with economic pain in their pocketbooks right now, and they want a vision for the future that they can afford. He certainly didn't talk about that. And, you know, we would actually have the money to give to families if we were not giving tax cuts to the richest of the rich, while cutting everyone else's health care. And he did that with the big ugly bill.
MICHAELSON: Of course the news of the day, this $5,000 bill. The other thing that was surprising today is the fact that John Fetterman, who is a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, appeared on a video introducing the Republican senator from Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Yes, I'm a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today? Because, well, I'm a commonsense Democrat. I'm always going to stand with America. I'm always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So one of the questions a lot of people had after watching that, is this guy switching parties? Why is he showing up at a Republican convention? Well, they put out a statement from the Fetterman team later in the evening. We put this up on the screen. It says, "I'm a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party. And should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on."
What do you make of Senator Fetterman showing up, or at least by video, at the Republican convention?
KAMLAGER-DOVE: Well, they certainly do things differently in Pennsylvania than they do in California. You know, I will say that it is not uncommon for folks of the opposite party to show up at convention. I mean, Democrats have had Republicans when we've had our, you know, DNC conventions.
I will say that I did not get a chance to watch his video because I've really been focused on talking about the cost of gas in my district and what we can do to put forth a plan to lower costs and to hold this government accountable, and ultimately, you know, the people who make the decision about Fetterman are going to be the voters in Pennsylvania. So good luck to him.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Although, of course, you all could use every vote that you can, and I'm sure that's good news for people --
KAMLAGER-DOVE: Every vote.
MICHAELSON: -- that he wants to remain a Democrat because it could come down to that particular vote.
[00:10:06]
Meanwhile, President Trump trying to cast this election this way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's really about common sense more than anything else. It's not about the stupid policies that led us down the drain. We were going down the drain. If we hadn't won the last election, I'm not sure that our country right now would even exist. It was going so bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Do you think if Kamala Harris was president, the country would no longer exist? And how do you see the stakes of this particular election?
KAMLAGER-DOVE: I mean, you're making my head hurt with these clips because it is obvious that this president is delusional. I mean, commonsense policies to me are keeping WIC, keeping SNAP, making sure that your community clinics and your hospitals are able to stay open, getting out of -- hey, how about this? Never getting into an economic war like the conflict with Iran that's closed the Strait of Hormuz so that you don't have higher prices when it comes to fertilizer and gas and diesel and moving goods?
How about having tax credits and tax breaks for working families, not just for the richest of the rich? How about doing all of those things while you're protecting Social Security and Medicare? Those are commonsense measures and policies that Republicans, Democrats and independents get behind. The problem is, Donald Trump doesn't seem to want to get behind them because he is far more focused on having edifices made in his name. Like, do we need an arch? I don't think so. We need lower prices at the gas station.
MICHAELSON: Congressmember Sydney Kamlager-Dove, hanging with the Republicans this week in Dallas, Texas. Thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.
KAMLAGER-DOVE: Thank you. And I'm vaccinated, so I'm safe.
MICHAELSON: OK. The other big story that, frankly, probably more people were watching tonight than this convention was the NFL. The league's season opening up wrapped up just moments ago. It was a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. And it was a similar outcome, too, with the Seahawks defeating the Patriots 13 to 10.
Next up, the L.A. Rams take on division rivals the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. The first ever regular season game to be played in Australia. That happening tomorrow around this time on Netflix.
Still ahead this hour on THE STORY IS, more from the Republican midterm convention, including some fiery remarks from Senator Tim Scott. Hear what he had to say about Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, and the way that he said it getting a lot of attention.
Plus some new CNN polling just out today shows a tight race for Michigan's open Senate seat. That and how the Republican candidate is trying to woo Democrats. A report from Michigan, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): James Talarico claims there are six genders. He believes God is non-binary. He thinks God needs special woke pronouns. But, Texas, we know who God is. We're talking about Jesus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina leveling sharp criticism at James Talarico, who is the Democratic Texas state representative who's running for a Senate seat.
Talarico was one of several Democratic Senate candidates that Scott blasted during a fiery speech hours ago. Scott leaned into culture war debates, but what's getting attention is the way that Scott delivered this, with a tremendous amount of energy that some people are praising and other people are mocking online right now.
Here's what Talarico himself had to say earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2021 you said God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary. Do you still stand by that?
JAMES TALARICO, TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE: I was being provocative with that statement, I get that. What I was trying to say is that you can't use human categories to define God, and that's not controversial theologically. In fact, the late Charlie Kirk, the late Pope Benedict, all said the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Speaking of Charlie Kirk, President Trump paid tribute to him and honored his widow, Erica, at that GOP convention a few hours ago. Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot exactly one year ago Thursday at Utah Valley University.
Now the organization that Kirk helped to build Mobilize Conservatives is working to secure its own future and perhaps a political future for Vice President J.D. Vance. Turning Point USA is also expanding its operation in key battleground states to deliver Republican election victories this year and in 2028. Kirk and Vance were close friends.
We are less than two months away from the midterm elections. Michigan's Senate race has no clear leader. New CNN polling shows likely state voters are split between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, 47 to 44, within the poll's margin of error. Essentially a statistical tie.
CNN correspondent Arlette Saenz has more on how Rogers is trying to close the gap.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the battle for control of the U.S. Senate, Republicans are setting their sights on Michigan.
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MIKE ROGERS, REPUBLICAN MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: We should send the first Republican in a quarter century back to help this president.
SAENZ (voice-over): Former congressman Mike Rogers looking to flip this toss up seat red as he faces off against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. A new CNN poll released today showed no clear leader in the race, with about a quarter of likely voters saying they're still persuadable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sayed is reaching out a little bit to me. Mike Rogers is reaching out a little bit to me, but I'm undecided right now.
SAENZ (voice-over): After narrowly losing a Senate race in 2024, Rogers is reintroducing himself to voters with a pitch aimed at working class voters and boosting Michigan industry.
ROGERS: We will be the envy of manufacturing around the country again.
SAENZ (voice-over): Once a Trump critic, Rogers has run close to President Donald Trump's agenda.
ROGERS: When I get back there, Mr. President, if you haven't gotten it done, we're going to pass the SAVE Act, save America.
SAENZ (voice-over): At the same time, he's grappling with political headwinds facing GOP candidates across the country amid voter dissatisfaction with the state of the economy and the president's job performance.
ROGERS: I think people are missing the boat, if you want to just label this as Washington versus here. What we're finding is people are enjoying the very fact that these tax breaks for the working family tax cuts are huge.
SAENZ (voice-over): For Michigan voters, the economy and cost of living top their concerns. Trump's trade war with Canada also unpopular in the state, with nearly two-thirds of likely voters saying the tariffs on Canadian goods are a bad idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Currently, what's going on today with that trade war is just nonsensical. There's no upside. SAENZ (voice-over): Speaking to reporters today, Rogers trying to
navigate the political crosscurrents.
ROGERS: Let's send the one guy who can go back and say, this isn't working for Michigan. We'll get it fixed. If it's good for Michigan, I'm for it. If it's bad for Michigan, I'm going to be against it.
SAENZ (voice-over): After a divisive Democratic Senate primary, Rogers is courting Democrats uneasy with El-Sayed's progressive policies.
ROGERS: You have a home with us.
SAENZ (voice-over): While Rogers and his allies are running ads attacking the Democrat as too far-left for the battleground state.
ROGERS: Abdul is too extreme for Michigan.
SAENZ (voice-over): Longtime Democratic voter Linda, who asked CNN not to share her last name, said she had concerns with El-Sayed's positions and past comments about Israel.
LINDA, MICHIGAN VOTER: The candidate that is the Democratic runner is not somebody that I can vote for. I have to vote for Mike Rogers. I have to, and I don't agree with him on many things.
SAENZ (voice-over): Arlette Saenz, CNN, Detroit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Thanks to Arlette.
We are getting reports of five people dead and more than 80 missing after a fiery -- a ferry caught fire in the Western Philippines. According to Reuters, the Philippine Coast Guard says 43 people were rescued after the incident Wednesday night. Coast Guard video showed flames engulfing parts of the vessel. Officials said the ferry's manifest listed 117 passengers and seven crew members. The cause of that fire is still under investigation.
Still ahead, my political panel joins me to discuss the first night of the Republican midterm convention. Gloria Allred on the left, John Kobylt on the right, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: Welcome back. I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
President Trump says he expects Iran will abandon its war effort after the midterm elections. He also conceded that American gas prices are unlikely to fall before then. Global oil prices are back above $100 per barrel as fighting in the Middle East raises concerns about prolonged disruptions to the global oil supply. A coalition of Democratic-led states is warning that the Supreme Court
that's siding with the Trump administration on mail-in ballots could keep millions of Americans from voting. For a third time the high court is weighing whether to let new Postal Service rules take effect before the November midterms. Election officials have also raised red flags, saying it's too late for when to comply with the proposed rules. The court's decision is expected in the coming days.
President Trump is telling voters once again to pretend that his name is on the ballot in November's elections. He wrapped up day one of his midterm convention in Dallas a short time ago. The president falsely claimed that consumer prices are falling, and he again exaggerated the amount of foreign investment in the U.S.. Republicans will gather for day two of the convention on Thursday. Vice President Vance expected to speak. He will be there speaking as well, the president,
CNN's White House correspondent Alayna Treene is in Dallas, where she's been following all of the convention speeches -- Alayna.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Elex, President Donald Trump spoke for nearly two hours on Wednesday. I really think the purpose of this two-day event, which of course, is Republicans' first ever midterm convention, is really summed up in this one line from him. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: That essentially is the exact goal of the conversations I'm having with members of the president's political operation. They say the thing that they want to do with this convention, but also in the next 55 days before the elections, is to try and convince the president's fiercest supporters, the core members of his MAGA base, to go out and go to the polls on election day, to try and convince them to vote, even though the president's name isn't on the ballot.
Now, we'll have to see whether or not the president's speech tonight is going to go far in the way of accomplishing that goal.
[00:30:11]
TREENE: As someone who covered the president all throughout his 2024 campaign trail, I'll tell you, Elex, I had a lot of deja vu. You heard a lot of the same themes that he would talk about: the culture war issues, the opponents that he chose to go after.
But he also talked a lot about the things you hear him say on a daily basis now.
TREENE (voice-over): He talked about Iran, you know, acknowledging at one point, yes, maybe the economy isn't great. And this could continue until after the midterm elections.
But that he believes it's important that Iran never has a nuclear weapon, a line you hear him say repeatedly on a daily basis.
He talked about the presidential ballroom. He talked about the economy. Some of these issues, of course, not things that Republicans at large, you know, especially those in vulnerable battleground states, might really not want to talk about right now. He did address.
TREENE: So, again, I think a key question is, did this accomplish the goal that his team has set out?
I also would just note that he did bring up Ken Paxton.
TREENE (voice-over): I think that was just super interesting, as obviously, this convention is in Dallas, a very red state. And the fact that Ken Paxton, the current attorney general who's running for Senate, is actually not polling ahead in his race, has raised some alarm bells.
The president said he's going to come back to Texas to stump for him. So, you're likely going to be hearing a lot more from him here.
TREENE: But then, of course, in a lot of other battleground states, as he gets ready to really go on a campaign blitz at a much faster pace than he has in the past -- Elex.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Alayna Treene in Dallas. Thank you.
Let's bring in our political panel. Joining me here in L.A. is victims' rights attorney Gloria Allred, on the left. And on the right, John Kobylt, the host of "The John Kobylt Show," available on iHeartRadio.
Welcome, both of you.
JOHN KOBYLT, HOST, "THE JOHN KOBYLT SHOW": Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Good to have you back together again.
John, Alayna just asked the question, did he accomplish his goal? What do you think?
KOBYLT: I mean, it's a -- it's a Republican infomercial meant for Republican customers.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KOBYLT: So, it's not really meant for normal people. It's meant for inside political obsessives.
And it was a laundry list of his greatest hits, like his version of the greatest hits.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KOBYLT: So, I would think most everybody watching tonight is already going to vote for him. But the question is, are they going to show up? They would vote for him, but are they going to show up?
And he's got to manipulate their emotions, like all politicians do, to get them all crazy excited.
But you know, as far as new content in it, he's got -- he's got a real problem with the gas prices. I mean, he may be right that this is the price to pay to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. And I think a lot of people can understand that.
But they hate the gas prices, and the gas prices lead to inflation in everything else.
MICHAELSON: Well, and it was interesting, Gloria. In terms of Iran, he used the phrase tonight "when we win the war with Iran," which is interesting, because he's already said we've won the war with Iran several times before. He mentioned the fact that people come up to him and complain about the gas prices. He said it's worth the cost. He also said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If I didn't cancel the JCPOA, and if we didn't hit them with our beautiful -- the wing -- our beautiful B-2 bombers, they would have a nuclear weapon right now, and I would be addressing them as supreme leader: Mr. Supreme leader, sir, how are you?
But now I don't have to do that. If they had a nuclear weapon, I'd be calling the supreme leader. And I'd be saying, Mr. Supreme Leader, how are you, sir? Is there anything we can do for you, as opposed to bombing the crap out of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Of course, the JCPOA was the nuclear arms agreement that President Obama negotiated and had signed. Your take?
GLORIA ALLRED, VICTIMS' RIGHTS ATTORNEY: And that -- and that President Trump tore up.
MICHAELSON: He tore up.
ALLRED: And now he's trying to negotiate another agreement, and he can't make any headway doing it. He hasn't made any headway.
But Christmas came early for Democrats, because when President Trump says that, think of me as being the one on the ballot, OK, that's exactly what Democrats want. Because the public disapproves in huge numbers of the performance of President Trump.
And also, didn't he say that the first day on his job, he was going to solve the war in Ukraine, which he hasn't done? Didn't he say on the first day, after he was sworn in, that he would also get prices to come right down? And instead, they've shot way up, as John said. Gas prices are at a level I don't -- I don't think we've ever seen this level. And he keeps promising that they're going to drop as soon as the so-
called war is over. By the way, the war that has not been declared by Congress.
[00:35:02]
And also, Vice President Vance didn't use the word "war." He intentionally didn't use it. So, apparently, he's not marching in line with the president, who's calling it a war. He was afraid to call it a war.
MICHAELSON: He's -- well, President Trump has called it both a war and incursion and other things, depending on the day.
ALLRED: Yes, right.
MICHAELSON: The messaging has changed.
All that being said, John, the Democrats are not popular either.
KOBYLT: No.
MICHAELSON: The party's approval ratings are similar with President Trump's.
KOBYLT: Bubba Gates [SIC] hates everybody right now.
MICHAELSON: So -- and what Trump is trying to do is say, you may not love everything we're doing, but they're crazy communists, even though many of them are, of course not communists. Some of them are socialists. But point being --
KOBYLT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- as you may not love us, but they're worse.
KOBYLT: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Is that working?
KOBYLT: Is -- that -- that probably is the best way to go, because the stuff coming out of the DSA candidates is so whacked-out that most normal people are going to look at it and recoil in horror. I mean, it's really crazy.
When you start getting into abolishing the Supreme Court, and changing the presidency, and abolishing the police and ICE and prisons, people, normal people don't want to hear that.
ALLRED: OK, well, the first thing is, though, that they don't represent all of the Democratic Party. And of course, he's part -- doing the whole red-baiting McCarthyism kind of routine with "these people are communists."
They're not communists. They're Democratic socialists. They're a very small number in the Democratic Party. And there are people who have voted for them and who like them. OK?
MICHAELSON: There's a lot of Democrats that like them.
ALLRED: They like a lot of what they say.
MICHAELSON: Most show -- like, 30 or 40 percent of the party likes them.
KOBYLT: I mean, we've got the mayor of New York, maybe the mayor of Los Angeles. They're winning.
ALLRED: Yes. Yes, that's what I'm saying. So, you know, I don't know, when you say maybe normal people don't like them.
First of all, I don't know what normal people are, because everybody is different, and everybody is interesting and important.
But having said that, you know, I think -- I think the reason that Trump is out there is because he's trying to rally his base. It's, again, the red meat for the base. He's crossed off Democrats. He knows Democrats are not going to vote for him.
MICHAELSON: Most people do not support the idea of abolishing police, abolishing the Senate, or abolishing Thanksgiving.
ALLRED: Exactly. Or Christmas.
KOBYLT: That's what Trump or Republicans are going to bring up over and over again.
ALLRED: Right.
KOBYLT: They are going to try to paint all Democrats as DSA members.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KOBYLT: The hardest thing he has to sell is something that hasn't happened, which is the -- we didn't get hit with a nuclear weapon from Iran. So, he has to keep reminding people, hey, this didn't happen. That's hard to do.
MICHAELSON: That is --
ALLRED: And he hasn't been successful, because the polls show that.
KOBYLT: Right. Because they hate the gas prices.
MICHAELSON: Because they hate the gas prices, which is what they see.
ALLRED: And they hate Trump.
MICHAELSON: They don't -- they don't see what's happening?
KOBYLT: I hate the gas prices.
MICHAELSON: You talk about the Supreme Court. And one thing that seems to be coming popular amongst Democratic potential presidential candidates is the idea that the court should be expanded because, you know, we could have a Republican conservative Supreme Court for many years if it's not.
And the president talked about Abdul el-Sayed, candidate for Senate from Michigan, and what he wants to do with the court. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: In Michigan, the Democrat nominee is Abdul el-Sayed, who brags about the fact that he wants to pack the Supreme Court with 23 far- left lunatics, justices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: About the idea of having 13 Supreme Court justices.
But the point of the Supreme Court, of course, has been made very clear with what they did with Roe v. Wade. Right? This same court overturned the national right to an abortion, made it a states' rights issue. Different states have different policies right now.
In a state like California, there is a right to an abortion. In a state like Louisiana, there is not.
But there's an interesting case about mifepristone --
ALLRED: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- which is medication that people use to get an abortion.
ALLRED: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Folks in Louisiana, they use telehealth, say they call up a doctor in California, say, I want to get an abortion. They write them a prescription. They send them the medication over the mail.
A lot of folks think that's a way around Roe v. Wade. Folks in Louisiana are suing over that. Supreme Court looking into this.
Isn't it just a way around Roe v. Wade [SIC]? Isn't it going -- violating the spirit of the law?
ALLRED: The Dobbs decision, trying to get around.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
ALLRED: Well, look, let's get down to the level that it's operating.
There are women and girls, poor in rural areas, who cannot go and meet a doctor in person. And Louisiana is saying, you have to get a prescription in person from a doctor.
And they can't pay for a bus fare. They can't -- they don't have a car. They can't pay for childcare. They can't -- you know, they -- they can't lose a day from work to go and see a doctor. They need to have telemedicine to have somebody write them a prescription.
[00:40:02]
And they should have the right to choose abortion. They can't get it in Louisiana. And Louisiana is, you know, not a democratic state anymore, because it's depriving women of the right to choose reproductive freedom.
And this is hurting women. And why shouldn't they have the right to get it? And why should --
MICHAELSON: Well, because --
ALLRED: And the Fifth Circuit, a conservative court of appeals, is going to decide this issue.
MICHAELSON: But the state law says that abortions are illegal in these states.
ALLRED: That's true.
MICHAELSON: Isn't that part -- isn't that the reason, John?
KOBYLT: Well, that's what happened since you had the Dobbs decision, right? You had 25 states, roughly, that have strict laws; 25 that have lenient laws on it.
And once you gave it back to the states to decide, you end up with a split nation, which is what we've always had on that issue.
MICHAELSON: Is that good or bad?
KOBYLT: It just is. It's the way the system works.
ALLRED: Well, except that --
KOBYLT: You know, they -- they never successfully sorted out Roe v. Wade, because there was never specific language about abortion in the Constitution. And that was the argument the conservatives always had. It's like, you show me in the Constitution where it says abortion.
MICHAELSON: You know, it wasn't a big issue back in the 1700s.
KOBYLT: Right. I know, but they -- but they take it literally. You know, they are traditionalist originalists.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KOBYLT: And it's like, if it's not in there, it doesn't exist.
MICHAELSON: Yes. That's true.
ALLRED: Well, there -- you know, there are women and girls who suffer from this kind of tyranny by the state of Louisiana.
There are 17 states now, Elex, that ban or restrict abortion in some way. And these girls can't -- you know, they don't have any means to travel to a place like California, a sanctuary state, to be able to get an abortion.
So, this is really significant, because a majority of abortions are done with this pill.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Yes. Well, and of course, women's rights was not a big thing back in the 1700s.
KOBYLT: No.
MICHAELSON: They didn't even have the right to vote back then. Of course, they got that when the Constitution was amended.
ALLRED: It's -- it's not a big thing --
KOBYLT: This has been the debate, whether --
ALLRED: -- in this convention either, apparently.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KOBYLT: Liberals want to update the Constitution, and conservatives don't.
MICHAELSON: There is a way to do that with a constitutional amendment.
KOBYLT: Yes. Well --
MICHAELSON: All right. Still to come, you guys are going to be back in our next hour to talk more about this convention.
Also to come, new documents show Spain received a warning about a potential influx of migrants before thousands of people stormed the border. We'll take you to Ceuta. Clarissa Ward with a special report from there, coming up.
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[00:47:05]
MICHAELSON: President Donald Trump says his Russian counterpart is eager to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin says the two leaders had a one-hour conversation on Tuesday, which President Trump described as, quote, "great."
The White House resumed its push for peace between Russia and Ukraine over the weekend, but without any breakthroughs so far.
Newly released government documents show that Spain's intelligence agency warned Moroccan and Spanish officials about plans to storm Ceuta. That warning came a day before more than 70,000 migrants crossed into the enclave at the end of July.
Spanish intelligence says the mass crossing was largely organized online. Now, more than 10,000 migrants remain in limbo, as CNN's Clarissa Ward reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the streets of Ceuta, anger, desperation, and a warning for Europe as residents of the Spanish enclave of 84,000 demand their city back.
WARD: You can see just thousands of people have taken to the streets tonight to say they've had enough, that they want more help to resolve this crisis.
WARD (voice-over): It's been over a month since more than 70,000 migrants poured across the border from Morocco, dozens drowning along the way.
The Spanish government says that 90 percent returned within 72 hours, but an estimated 5 to 10,000 remain, overwhelming this small Spanish territory at the tip of North Africa and igniting a furious debate about immigration.
The political right has seized on Ceuta.
TRUMP: It looks like an invasion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Muslim invasion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an act of war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a battle for the future of our civilization.
WARD (voice-over): And on the streets of this religiously and culturally diverse city, the language has hardened. As we speak with teacher Juan Manuel, we hear a striking chant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: Invaders, expel them.
JUAN MANUEL, CEUTA RESIDENT: The point is, are they invaders or are they victims? We are all victims here. They, we are all victims, too.
But what -- what we cannot put up with is that this left, radical things that they say, they have more empathy with the immigrants than with us.
WARD: Do you think most people here tonight agree with you? Share your views?
MANUEL: All of them. All of them. They wouldn't be here.
WARD (voice-over): As the light comes up the next day, the scale of Spain's crisis emerges. Residents wake up to find migrants sleeping rough in front of their homes.
Outside one of the government-run camps, a large group is waiting. They've heard rumors that there are free beds and food, but authorities say the camp is full.
[00:50:08]
It is a routine playing out every day, and everyone's patience is wearing thin.
WARD: The police are trying to clear this area outside the main camp, and you can see very quickly just how tense and disorderly it's becoming.
WARD (voice-over): Many of the migrants were lured here by false promises on social media that they would make it to mainland Europe. Spanish authorities have vowed that will not happen.
Just a mile away, the situation is even worse. This is El Trampolin Beach. Most of the migrants have ended up here.
A handful of showers have been hastily erected. Everything else is makeshift.
The majority of the migrants are Moroccan men seeking a better life. But there are also hundreds of women and more than a thousand minors scattered across the peninsula, as well as Sudanese, Syrians, Yemenis, and Palestinians. No one has assessed who among them has a claim to protection.
NOLTE BAUER, CHAIRMAN, MISSION LIFELINE INTERNATIONAL: Everything is going super, super slow, like the registration, just to be acknowledged to be here --
WARD: Right.
BAUER: -- to have a chance, then, to ask for asylum, is maybe 30, 40 people per day.
WARD (voice-over): At that rate, it would take months just to write down their names.
As German NGO Mission Lifeline waits for a permit to give medical assistance, it has improvised other services to help the migrants.
BAUER: We use our solar system to charge people's phones, so they can get in contact with their families and loved ones.
WARD (voice-over): Further down the beach, we see a man taking photographs of the migrants and talking on a two-way radio. We ask him what he is doing.
WARD: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: Are you security or police?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: It's for the security of my apartment block.
WARD: OK. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: Because they've tried to enter.
WARD: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: Ah, so you are filming --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: So, the people can see, so the government can see the reality and not what they want to show on the television. They show as if nothing is happening.
WARD: Si, si.
You want to show people the reality of what's going on.
WARD (voice-over): He tells us he can no longer walk home with his 9- year-old son. He says the migrants are up late every night, drinking and fighting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: It's been a month. I haven't slept.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: The government has abandoned the migrants. And they've abandoned the people of your town.
WARD (voice-over): The emergency in Ceuta is the biggest challenge Spain's socialist leader, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has faced, with many here blaming it on his lenient immigration policies.
Early this month, the government approved $359 million for Ceuta, but there is no clear plan for what happens to the people on this beach.
As night falls, a fight breaks out. Spanish soldiers watch from the hill above. They do not intervene. One week earlier, angry locals set fire to some tents on the beach.
Everyone here must fend for themselves. Some are more vulnerable than others.
ABDUL ALI, IMMIGRANT: Abdul Ali.
WARD: Abdul Ali.
He's deaf. He's just shared this placard (ph) that he carries with him to let people know that he's not able to hear and find ways to communicate.
WARD (voice-over): Abdul Ali tells us he was beaten, too. But not by a migrant. WARD: So, he's telling us that this is a photograph taken after the
police beat him. You can see the marks on his back. Obviously, you can't verify what happened. This is where he saw (ph).
WARD (voice-over): Spain's national police told CNN they have received no reports of police violence against the migrants.
Talking to Abdul Ali and the others, one thing is clear: almost no one here is willing to go back. And for now, no one here is moving forward.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Ceuta, Spain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Clarissa for that extraordinary reporting.
Another person who works with artificial intelligence has quit over safety concerns. That story, plus perspective from an expert, next hour on THE STORY IS. And concerns that artificial intelligence could kill all of us within a decade. Stay with us.
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[00:59:51]
MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS Apple. The company has announced the biggest change yet to its most important product, the iPhone.
The new CEO, John Ternus, unveiled the phone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone, along with a number of other upgraded products and features in Cupertino on Wednesday.
The new phone, Duo, is roughly the size and shape.
