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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

World Leaders Gather At U.N. Amid Wars, AI Fears And Global Divisions; CNN, MS NOW, Politico Suing Trump Over White House Ban; State AG's Agree To Settle Paramount Merger Lawsuit; Equipment Outage Hits Major East Coast Airports With Delays, Cancellations; Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian to Visit US Amid War, Attend UNGA In New York; Iran Medicine Shortages Deepen As War Continues; Iran's Sick Facing Severe Medicine Shortages Due to Conflict; Grand Jury Finds No Evidence of Criminal Wrongdoing in Nolan Wells Case; Carney Pushing for New Laws after Shooting Near Synagogue; Lindsay Clancy's Defense Seeks Dismissal on Double Jeopardy Grounds; House Republican Opposes Pentagon Fund for Trump Arch; U.S. Military Publicly Admits It has Put Weapons in Space. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 22, 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]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As President Trump doubles down on the ban. And the story is the United Nations world leaders are descending on New York for the biggest events in world diplomacy. And this is President Trump is set to address them just hours from now. A preview on the way.

And the story is travel nightmare. Technical issues shut down airports across the northeastern United States. But the ripple effects are being felt all across the country and even some leaders added here for the UN.

So the United Nations General Assembly debates get underway in the coming hours. President Donald Trump will be speaking in the morning, but the gathering is expected to be overshadowed by the US's war with Iran as well as the lingering Russia, Ukraine conflict.

The UNGA is also taking place amid President Trump's ban on CNN and other outlets from the White House. While the world will be able to see Donald Trump's speech thanks to UNTV, the U.S. President's trip to New York will not be receiving the coverage it normally would. And that's because major television networks are currently standing with CNN by declining to replace its White House pull crew.

And this after the Trump administration barred the network from fulfilling its assigned duties on Monday. A preliminary hearing on the potential restraining order is scheduled for Wednesday. MS NOW and Politico were also banned from the White House on Friday. They've also joined CNN in this retaliatory lawsuit.

The networks are alleging the president ban violates the Constitution's due process protections and it also requests that journalistic access to the White House be restored immediately for members of these outlets. And in a joint statement, the media outlets wrote, quote, this ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendments nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles in a show of solidarity, a rare one, other major television networks declined to replace CNN's White House poll coverage on CNN issued a statement with four other networks responsible for covering live presidential events. ABC, CBS, NBC and also Fox News.

All parties agreed that no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.

Federal Judge Tim Kelly, who will hear arguments on Wednesday, has previously ruled against the White House in First Amendment cases. And the president already appears to be anticipating a loss, posting this on Truth Social that he expects to appeal the judge's eventual ruling.

President Trump is insisting that his ban is not an attack against the free press, but rather on what he keeps calling fake news, which he described as a cancer in America. But Vice President JD Vance described the move quite differently.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JD VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: He's not banning media outlets. What he's doing is saying we're not going to give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is affecting effectively propaganda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: With me now is CNN media analyst and Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer. Welcome to The Story Is. Good to see you, Sara.

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Good to see you. Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: Let's begin with just how unprecedented this moment is where a U.S. President bans a group of outlets, but then the rest of the major networks step up with what appears to be a pretty significant show of solidarity.

The first part is definitely unprecedented. Look, we've had presidents that have had very contentious relationships with the press, from Richard Nixon to John Kennedy, but none have gone so far as to ban them from the White House. But the second part is actually not so unprecedented.

You know, I remember in the Obama administration when the Obama White House tried to say that a Fox News reporter couldn't come to a certain interview and the rest of the news outlets in the sort of TV space all stood in solidarity with Fox and eventually got the White House to overturn its position.

I remember with the AP ban, there was strong language around supporting the AP. So I don't think it's unusual that these outlets are standing in solidarity. What is notable though, Polo, is that a lot of these outlets are saying we're not going to backfill and assets for the press pool, which is sort of the rotating video distribution that comes from the five networks if some of these outlets, including CNN, which is part of the video press pool, are banned. And that's a really significant update of what happened today.

SANDOVAL: And these moves, Sara, we saw the Washington Post announcing that some of their stills won't be published until midnight. Also, some of the audio off the coverage of the day not being published. I mean, these kinds of measures, in addition to that show of solidarity for a president, I mean, it's no secret here, I mean, seeks out that level of attention, that level of press coverage.

I mean, this has to get under his skin.

[01:05:05]

FISCHER: Absolutely. I think that these outlets are doing a very good job of hitting him where it hurts. We know that the President cares a lot about the cameras in particular, and I'll give you a quick point on that. When the AP was banned by the White House, the AP sued, and they did get an injunction, which essentially said the White House has to let them back.

But there was some confusion, as this is still being litigated, as to what that would look like. Notice that the White House first was very eager to get the AP photographers back in, not necessarily rushing to get the reporters back in. The AP, of course, was the photographer on scene when President Trump had an assassination attempt in Philadelphia or in Pennsylvania, and they took that iconic photo that President Trump now hangs in the White House of him being victorious right with the bloody face.

So President Trump really cares about cameras. And I think that's what makes what all of the news outlets have done today, both the video outlets and the photography outlets, very notable. They are, again, hitting him where they know it hurts.

SANDOVAL: And as part of this latest litigation that was filed after Friday's announcements, no doubt a judge will be taking a close look at President Trump's explicit statement about his reasons for not wanting the teams of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico what he perceived as negative coverage. Have previous Trump efforts proved unsuccessful when challenged in court? I mean, you mentioned the AP proceedings that are still going on.

FISCHER: No. The Trump administration very much is a losing track record when it comes to trying to target media outlets and then getting sued in response to them. They've tried to file a bunch of appeals. That hasn't worked. You know, the latest big loss would be the New York Times prevailing over the Pentagon over its policy to restrict the press if they didn't sign a pledge.

But the problem here, Polo, is that I don't think President Trump really cares about losing in court. Like I said, it's not like he's going to personally have to put up millions of dollars. And for him, what's the penalty? OK, you have to reinstate them.

All he's trying to do is drive a news cycle to distract the press and the American people from what's happening in the midterms. So there's very little for him to lose, which is why he's being so flippant about this. You know, the First Amendment says that you can't block outlets that you don't like for their viewpoint, for their point of speech.

Well, he basically said that on Friday when he was asked about why he was doing this. And so he knows that he has a weak case. I just don't think it really matters to him for what he trying to accomplish.

SANDOVAL: And then before we let you go, Sara, I wanted to get your thoughts on this. The Trump administration is also touting the Monday launch of a so called Trump TV, which is basically just a channel on the White House's YouTube page. I watched earlier, it streamed some old Trump speeches. There was some military drills on Monday night.

What do you make of that? And I mean, is there an appetite for just basically archived footage of the President?

FISCHER: I don't think there's a huge commercial appetite. I mean, if you take a look at Truth Social, there is not a massive following there. It's not been able to overcome Threads or X or Bluesky or any of those types of platforms. But I do think it speaks to a broader trend of the president trying to go direct to the American people at a time when he feels he can't rely on the press to get his message out the way that he wants.

The irony here though, Polo is, you know, better than anybody, is that he really likes traditional press coverage. He cares about having the New York Times cover him. He cares about what their opinion board thinks. He cares about having his face on the television screen.

And so even though he's doing all of these efforts to go direct to consumer, I think he's doing those with the hope that he's going to get his cameras back.

SANDOVAL: Yes. In the last decade we have heard from White House insiders about his tendencies to watch and stay up late watching much of that news coverage. CNN media analyst and Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer always appreciate your perspective. Thank you.

FISCHER: Thank you. Good to see you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: What I said is that I believe in a free press and I believe in the importance of engaging in questions from all, no matter whether they are based on a compliment or on a critique. And even in our press availability today, you saw that when we spoke to representatives from CNN, from MS NOW, from Politico, from Cranes, from the City reporter from a wide variety. And that is something that will continue under my administration because I believe it's a critical part of the Fourth Estate being able to do its job.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANDOVAL: That's New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour Monday amid the president's ban on some media outlets from the White House.

[01:10:00]

The mayor is defending his decision to meet with President Trump. And the two sat down at the mayor's official residence, Gracie Mansion here in New York and discussed a number of issues. You see a photo that was posted there by the mayor's office.

Mamdani says that he has consistently been willing to, quote, work with anyone that could deliver for New Yorkers. And the mayor confirmed that he's the one who initiated this meeting where the two discussed immigration and migrant safety and the leaders also discussed affordable housing and plans for a massive development backed by the mayor. Trump said that he would consider supporting the project, noting that it would need quite a bit of federal approvals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you talk about affordability and did you -- is there anything you can do for affordability for New Yorkers?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, I know a lot about affordability because I did that housing. I did many, many low income and moderate income buildings over the years and had great success with it. We have really -- it was very important. I would think that Sunnyside would have to have a component, at least a pretty substantial component of exactly that. So yes, we discussed that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The 12 state antitrust lawsuit which sought to block Paramount from purchasing Warner Brothers Discovery, this network's parent company has reached a landmark settlement and that's cleared the path for one of the largest mergers in U.S. history.

In order to get the suit dropped, Paramount made several commitments. They include the theatrical release of 30 films per year. It also pledged to establish a board of journalists to support CBS News and CNN's continued editorial independence.

The planned acquisition is still being finalized, but the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery expects that it will close no later than early October. Despite the concessions, California Attorney General Rob Bonta is still wary of the pending deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: This settlement is not a vote of support for this merger. It is not a blessing of the broader merger. I'm always willing to come to the table for honest, good faith negotiations and when we can find a strong solution that protects competition and consumers, I'd rather resolve the case the issue in the boardroom instead of the courtroom. And that's what happened here. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Travelers across the northeastern United States on Monday, they faced flight disruptions after an equipment outage. The issue impact five major airports in the Northeast and that includes three here in New York City. But the problems had a ripple effect on travel across the country. As CNN's Jenn Sullivan reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENN SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Thousands of flights delayed or canceled across the Northeast Monday due to an equipment outage. The issue forcing a ground stop at Philadelphia International Airport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clarence Brickyard, 4639 we saw there was a ground stop due to equipment outage. Do you have any information for us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, man. Nothing works.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): The Federal Aviation Administration blaming the issue on a backup line being cut at a construction site in New Jersey.

BRYAN BEDFORD, FAA ADMINISTRATOR: All data, all data coming through that circuit was lost. So all the services associated with it.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Five major airports were impacted. Newark Liberty International Airport, Teterboro, Philadelphia International, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International. Verizon telling CNN, quote, construction contractors working in the area dug up and cut our cable. Verizon bears no responsibility for this incident.

The initial problem was a failure of a crucial circuit in Philadelphia. Controllers tried to turn to a back which used a fiber line, but construction contractors in New Jersey had to cut that line. The damaged section of fiber stretches about 600 feet, according to the FAA.

BEDFORD: Unfortunately, that circuit failed today. And when it went to flip into the backup, we discovered that the backup fiber had a break.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): The traffic turmoil in the skies is having a ripple effect at airports across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So many flights originate on the east coast and it's just aviation central.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): The outage comes as hundreds of diplomats and world leaders are meeting at the United Nations New York headquarters for the General assembly beginning Tuesday. Canada's prime minister among the travelers affected, his office saying his flight was impacted by the ongoing issues. In New York, I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Bad day to fly, but pretty good day for Wall Street with an across the board rally on Monday. The NASDAQ finished the session at a record high as AI related stocks rallied. The market also got a boost from a pullback in treasury yields and a drop in oil prices. Brent crude also briefly dipping below $100 a barrel yesterday.

Diesel fuel prices, however, that was up to a new record. And Nike, though they saw their stock price dip early on Monday as the struggling sportswear giant faced a new controversy and also the exit of one of the biggest advertising stars for the company.

[01:15:08]

Nike's stock has been really dropping over the last few years, as you can see here, with shares down more than 43 percent this year alone, and the company has seen a roughly 80 percent slump in its market revenue amid slowing sales. Nike, which is the parent company of the Converse shoe brand, issued an apology over the weekend for an ad that critics say evokes racist imagery.

Nike says that it's currently working to remove the ad, which depicts the bottom half of a person wearing a white garment, which some liken to a Ku Klux Klan robe.

Nike has also been hurt by the loss of major advertising star, French soccer star Kylian Mbappe. He ended his sponsorship deal with the company after a roughly 20-year partnership.

And still ahead on The Story Is, some tough choices. People with chronic illnesses are coping with crippling pressure on Iran's health care system. The details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:20:28]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to The Story Is. World leaders are gathering in New York this week for the U.N. General assembly and that includes Iran's delegation. That's Iran's foreign minister arriving as the Trump administration has said that it is allowing a, quote, core delegation to attend this year's global meeting.

And also President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected to attend the UN General Assembly. And although tensions between the two countries remain high, there have been no publicly reported U.S. strikes on Iran in more than two weeks now.

But President Trump is signaling major decisions on the conflict may be coming while Iran is warning that any new attack would trigger strikes on U.S. targets across the Middle East. CNN's Alayna Treene has more on what to expect at the UNGA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The big focus on foreign policy is really going to come into play on Tuesday when Trump addresses the U.N. General Assembly. Now his speech is going to touch on a number of different issues, but this is what the U.N. Ambassador, Mike Waltz, had to say to reporters last week about his address.

He said that the president will, quote, highlight how he has and how his administration have confronted complex problems head on around the world. He said he will touch on the importance of ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon.

Now the reason him bringing Iran up, part of the reason it's going to be so interesting is because there's actually going to be Iranian officials at the U.N. General Assembly. We're told there's going to be a slimmed down delegation including Iran's president. But he's also going to touch on other topics, I'm told, and really wants to tout himself as a leader of peace around the globe.

But what I think is going to be even more interesting is in the meetings that come after we're told the president has a series of bilateral meetings, one of which is going to be with a series of leaders of Gulf nations, leaders from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait.

The list goes on. And part of the reason that's so interesting is because we know that the president has listened to these leaders in the past, particularly as it relates to military action in the war between the U.S. and Iran at times, the Saudis, for example, have asked the president to hold off on attacks out of fear of retaliation for their countries. And the president has held off.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: President Trump's U.N. address will be coming as gas prices in the U.S. continue rising amid the war with Iran. According to AAA, the national average gasoline, now $4.48. That's a gallon compared to $4.12 just last month alone. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in New York for the General Assembly.

He says Ukraine is pushing to strengthen its air defenses and says, quote, a new drone deal is also ready to be signed. That's him arriving just a few hours ago here in New York. Mr. Zelenskyy is set to meet with several world leaders while he's here, including the U.S. President himself.

On Monday, Donald Trump renewed his calls for Russia's war in Ukraine to end. And he says that one reason is because Russia has, quote, lost control of its diesel oil industry. And this comes the day after Ukraine launched a major drone attack on the Moscow region, damaging one of Russia's largest oil refineries.

Mr. Zelenskyy is saying that Ukraine is targeting facilities that bring in billions of dollars to fuel Russia's war machine. Mr. Trump, however, says that it's causing a diesel shortage at a time when the U.S. war with Iran is spiking global diesel prices. In fact, just last week, he asked Ukraine to stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I've asked President Zelenskyy not to hit the diesel plants, refineries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it potentially that --

TRUMP: Because that's what's driving it up. Wait a minute. The diesel is being driven up by the fact that it's having a hard time coming out of Russia. And that's a case that hurts the world. We got to stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Earlier, I spoke with Benjamin Radd. He's a political scientist and senior fellow at UCLA Berkle Center for International Relations. And I asked Benjamin if the Iranian president's presence at the UNGA may possibly help revive peace efforts. I want you to listen to some of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN RADD, POLITICAL SCIENTIST: Well, under Iran's Constitution, under specifically Article 110 of the Constitution, the president of Iran has no power really, to make foreign policy decisions or decisions pertaining to matters of war and peace. That is purely up to the Supreme Leader. Now, that doesn't mean that the United States can't engage the Iranian delegation, either directly or indirectly on the sidelines.

[01:25:00]

But expectations have to be managed as to what can actually come out of a meeting with the President given how relatively unempowered he is under Iran's constitutional framework.

SANDOVAL: And when it comes to any possible deescalation, be it, you know, working through, through the President or as you just mentioned a little while ago, through the Supreme Leader, just how much of the burden also falls on Gulf nations? I mean, we know the Qataris could be play a key mediating role with support from other neighboring countries, the Saudis, Turkey, et cetera.

RADD: The challenge with that is, is now Iran -- Iran's leverage in the last few weeks has increased somewhat and this is in large part due to the advances that the Houthis have accomplished in the last few days. Specifically, they've been able to capture the town of Boja, which is near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and now threatens the second major strait through which 30 percent of the world's oil reserves, crude and diesel flow through.

Now you mentioned in your last segment the issue of diesel. So you have now two issues. You have a supply constraint coming as a result of Ukraine's attacks on Russia's refineries and then you have a supply constraint as a result of the chokehold on both of these two straits in the Persian Gulf.

For the Gulf states this becomes important. And the idea that they can create, reroute and create pipelines that bypass these straits is not a reality right now. I mean, the Qataris said as much today at a conference. And so it is critical for them and for the other states that depend on these vital waterways to get them reopened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: U.S. sanctions, rampant inflation and a collapsing economy, they are all crippling Iran's ability to treat people with chronic illnesses. Severe shortages and daily prices increases are forcing many to kedosis or to self-medicate as President Trump ratchets up his maximum pressure campaign on Tehran.

U.S. and Israeli airstrikes earlier this year damaged more than 40 pharmaceutical companies and suppliers. And that's according to Iranian officials. CNN's Leila Gharagozlou reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: What is brave when you are dying? That's what a 55-year-old woman in Iran, recently diagnosed with cancer, told CNN. She is just one of millions of Iranians impacted by the shortage of medicine in the country.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Unaffordable medication shortages and underdosing, some even unable to be treated for late stage cancer. These are just some of the struggles ordinary Iranians told CNN they're facing.

GHARAGOZLOU: So how did Iran get here? The dire strait of the Iranian pharmaceutical industry is a result of a few factors.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): In late March, Israel struck the factory of a major Iranian pharmaceutical company, Tofigh Daru, which is responsible for producing active ingredients found in anti-cancer drugs and anesthetics, claiming the company produced substances used for research and development of chemical weapons.

Iran's former foreign minister Javad Zarif identified the company in an X post and in April, U.S.-Israeli strikes hit the Pastor Institute, a pillar of Iran's public medical system focused on medical research and vaccine development. This, combined with the ongoing blockade and President Trump's sanctions, have decimated the industry.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration in Iran, Mehdi Pir Salehi, addressed the rising prices and difficulties of war earlier this week.

MEHDI PIR SALEHI, HEAD, IRAN FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (through translator): With the current economic situation, the shortages of vital medicines is as minimal as possible, but if they were in short supply before this war, then they are still in short supply. However, brand medications are nearly unavailable.

GHARAGOZLOU: Iran's struggling insurance system plays another role in the growing problem. The system is nearly bankrupt due to mismanagement and the lack of oil revenue coming in because of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.

GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): While sanctions allow for some exemptions, the layered and complicated nature of Trump's maximum pressure sanctions have created its own problems. Overcompliance. Eric Ferrari, founder and managing shareholder of Ferrari and

Associates, is a lawyer who focuses on U.S. sanctions and national security law. He says this is one of the biggest issues when looking at the shortage of medication in Iran.

ERIC FERRARI, FOUNDER, FERRARI AND ASSOCIATES: If you don't have banks to process transactions, transactions don't get done. So that's kind of the first level of it. The second level of it is if you don't have distributors that are willing to sell the products, or you don't have manufacturers that are willing to let their products be sold, then it impairs the ability for that type of medicine or that type of item to flow into Iran and limits the access to it within Iran.

There's a lot of exemptions and guidance under the law that allow humanitarian relief to flow to Iran. The problem is you have private parties, financial institutions, distributors, manufacturers that have concerns about whether or not, one, they're in full compliance with the law. Just from kind of a structural perspective.

[01:29:43]

But also whether the parties that they're dealing with in Iran are the parties that might be involved in processing the transactions in Iran fall within sanctions programs.

When you take that and you marry it alongside these massive penalties that have been imposed upon banks and others for violating Iran sanctions, in particular, you have an environment in which financial institutions and others who are necessary to engage in this activity over-comply with the law, out of -- out of fear that they might not fall strictly within the letter of the law.

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iranian officials are continuing to try to import the necessary medication, including the flu vaccine, as they head into winter months, looking to China and India to help alleviate the shortages.

However, both the country's health minister and the head of its FDA have said imports from Europe specifically have been more difficult than ever.

Leila Gharagozlou, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Now, I do want to share some new video with you that appears to show the moment of an airstrike on Yemen's southwestern coast. The video you're looking at here, posted on social media, shows people gathering at a rest stop just off a main road.

You see people scrambling as this projectile hits the ground, and it causes that large explosion. This took place some 300 kilometers south of the capital of Sanaa. It's not clear where the projectile came from or who actually fired it. But this does come as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have been carrying out a major offensive in their war with the Saudi-backed government. And next on THE STORY IS, a Mississippi grand jury has reached its

final decision on potential charges in the death of Nolan Wells. Well, some reaction from the young man's family's attorney in a moment.

[01:31:48]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: A Mississippi grand jury has found no evidence to support bringing charges in the death of Nolan Wells. He's the 18-year-old who had gone out with friends on a boat to Horn Island, a very popular destination just off the Gulf Coast, to celebrate the Fourth of July.

While Wells' friends all made it home, his body was found face down in the water just off the island's shoreline two days later. The grand jury agreed with authorities that Wells had -- that he drowned and found no criminal or racially-motivated wrongdoing in this case.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, sharing his response with CNN, he wrote, quote, "Today, the state of Mississippi is attempting to close the chapter on Nolan Wells' death without getting to the truth. We are releasing the final independent autopsy report in this -- in its entirety, so everyone can read it for themselves."

Well, Crump also called on the U.S. Justice Department to pick up the case if Mississippi won't continue investigating.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says that he's now pushing for new laws to combat hate and extremism following Sunday's shooting just outside of a synagogue in Ontario.

Police say that a 29-year-old man with a shotgun exchanged fire with a -- with some constables as worshipers gathered nearby to observe Yom Kippur.

One officer was seriously wounded in the shooting and he remains in the hospital in critical condition. Officials say he faces a long road to recovery.

And the synagogues president is telling CNN that the constable had been hired to protect the congregation that day. In fact, he was inside an unmarked vehicle nearby and made contact with the shooter as he approached the building.

Police have since increased patrols, especially around places of worship.

Lindsay Clancy's defense has now filed a motion dismissing the murder charges against her, arguing a second trial would violate her legal protections against double jeopardy.

Now, the motion comes after a mistrial was declared earlier this month, when jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the case of the Massachusetts mother, who was accused of killing her three children -- her three young children. Clancy's defense says the mistrial was declared without fully

investigating concerns about a single holdout juror, who other jurors have accused of not following the law regarding reasonable doubt.

CNN's Jean Casarez breaks down the defense's case for dismissal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The defense and the Lindsay Clancy trial has filed a brand-new motion on Monday in regard to this holdout juror. They want information preserved in many different areas.

Number one, they want his juror questionnaire preserved. His juror summons preserved. They want any background information that prosecutors got about this juror way back in February with a potential jury pool at that point, preserved.

They want all of the electronic communications surrounding jury deliberations, including sidebars, preserved. They also want video -- court video from inside the hallway that was next to the deliberation room.

And this goes in regard to his cellphone, because one of the other jurors said publicly in an interview that he wouldn't deliberate, that he had his phone, and he just kept doodling on his phone.

Well, that now creates an issue with the defense of what was happening on the phone. Was he investigating on the phone? Was he corresponding on the phone or just doodling and doing nothing on the phone?

[01:39:50]

CASAREZ: So they are asking the judge to have a summons issued to the phone company to preserve the court records and the telephone records of this juror.

So they know exactly what he was doing on his phone during the days of deliberation, during the court day.

And they want also a neutral examiner to take his cellphone to actually look at the phone. Now they want an inquiry, additionally, of the juror, his truthfulness on his questionnaire.

For the judge to bring him into court and to ask him, number two, if swearing he could follow the law during the jury deliberations, was that honest and truthful? And also asking him about the use of his mobile phone during the jury deliberations.

Now, we have not heard from prosecutors. They have not filed a response to all of this. But the defense headline here is that they are not letting this holdout juror go.

And remember, what the defense wants in all of this is a dismissal outright of all the charges, for double jeopardy to attach so the prosecutors cannot retry this case.

Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: You're watching THE STORY IS.

For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be right back with you in a moment with more of your headlines.

[01:41:17]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to THE STORY IS.

President Trump's plan to build a triumphal arch is -- in Washington is now coming under criticism from House Republican Mike Simpson. He says that Pentagon funding should not be used for its construction.

Meanwhile, the president is adding a new twist to the project, one that wasn't in the original plans.

Here's CNN's Tom Foreman to tell us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amid raging controversy over the president's proposed arch and relentless claims from the White House that construction will proceed as planned, a surprise change.

"At the strong request of the United States military," Trump wrote on social media, "I have agreed to convert the project to a top-grade military complex Triumphal Arch to house, store and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus snipers.

The about-face comes amid fierce outcry from preservationists and veterans groups, who clearly saw Trump as an arch villain and claimed his original plan would detract from nearby Arlington Cemetery.

Some of them now say the new plan should start the approval process all over again.

REBECCA MILLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, D.C. PRESERVATION LEAGUE: We've been going through this process now for about six months, where it's been reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts. It's been reviewed before the National Capital Planning Commission, and now this is an entirely different complex.

FOREMAN: It's not lost on those critics that Trump has made this maneuver before. When he tore down the historic East Wing of the White House, he stated his goal clearly.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're replacing it with one of the most beautiful ballrooms that you've ever seen.

FOREMAN: But after being demolished himself in the press, polls and courts, he repainted that pet project too as being as much about defense as dancing.

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

FOREMAN: This is more than just a battle of architecture and landscaping. Safety advocates, who had already raised alarms over such a massive monument crowding flights into Reagan Airport, now must grapple with the idea of drones and gunmen in the mix, even as the president keeps going, as he has all along, full throttle.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Coming up on THE STORY IS a collision in space. It's changed the look of our moon. Why scientists are calling it a once in a lifetime event

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SANDOVAL: Scientists are saying that the moon has a relatively new battle scar after a violent run-in with a space rock. They believe that a comet or asteroid about the size of a 3 to 6-story building, hit the moon's surface about two years ago. And the impact that you may be able to see there, it's about 140 feet deep and 728 feet wide, the crater that is.

Well, scientists say that it is the largest newly-formed crater that they have ever found in the solar system.

Fascinating, right?

And also, for the first time, the U.S. military has officially admitted that it has put weapons in space. According to the Air Force secretary, it's a measure to maintain U.S. dominance not only in the air but in space, and to deal with threats from hostile nations.

Here's CNN's Michael Yoshida to tell us more.

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MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, it's not clear what's been deployed to earth's orbit or when. But experts we spoke with say the acknowledgment itself is a big deal because for years, countries have talked around this issue.

But now with the U.S. saying it publicly, it could change how the U.S. and other countries approach security in space.

DR. TROY MEINK, U.S. SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE: The United States now has on orbit space control weapons.

YOSHIDA: For the first time, the United States military saying publicly it has weapons in space. DR. JESSICA WEST, SENIOR RESEARCHER, PROJECT PLOUGHSHARES:

Fundamentally, the technology and anything in orbit didn't change this week. What changed is acknowledgment.

YOSHIDA: Security experts say military activity in space is not new. For years, the U.S., Russia and China have accused each other of building capabilities that could threaten satellites, jam communications, interfere with GPS and more.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are seeing the space domain being more contested.

YOSHIDA: Some see the announcement as a warning to other countries. The U.S. can and will respond forcefully to threats in space.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an opportunity for the United States to just remind people, the public, it's not just the Chinese -- that we're watching the Chinese and the Russians, and we are being comparable to them. We are meeting what they are doing.

YOSHIDA: Others worry saying it out loud could make weapons in space feel more normal, and make escalation more likely.

THOMAS GONZALEZ ROBERTS, DIRECTOR, GEORGIA TECH'S ENGINEERING SPACE POLICY LABORATORY: When states invite one another for more demonstrations, more tests as part of a natural deterrence framework, we enter into a tricky pattern of a warmness to escalation.

[01:54:46]

YOSHIDA: And because so much of daily life now relies on satellites and other technology in space, what happens in orbit can have real consequences here on earth.

WEST: Space is the highway of our world when it comes to essential services, critical infrastructure, the data that we use day to day, our economies. This is not a space where we want to see, you know, open-armed confrontation.

YOSHIDA: And that's why those we spoke with say they hope more transparency and conversations and potentially more international rules or guardrails will follow this announcement by the United States.

In Washington, I'm Michael Yoshida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: A New Zealand company is showing off its battery-powered boats and just in time for climate week. Vessev VS-9 took a cruise through New York Harbor on Saturday, with its hull lifted above the surface of the water to reduce drag.

That's a key factor in allowing the electric boat to use a smaller battery, and that's according to the company's CEO. The vessel can purportedly run up to two hours on a single charge, with a range of up to 50 nautical miles.

And a six-year-old from southwest China shattered the women's Rubiks Cube world record twice in three days, ultimately completing the iconic 80s puzzle in just 4.27 seconds.

And if that's not impressive enough, she's already mastered more than 1,300 cube-solving algorithms. How's that? I should try that.

Thank you so much for watching THE STORY IS.

I'm Polo Sandoval in for Elex Michaelson.

The news continues right here on CNN in a moment.

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