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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Man Shot by ICE Agents During Operation in New York City; El- Sayed, Rogers Trade Barbs in Michigan Senate Debate; Susan Collins Clashes with Troy Jackson in Maine Debate; U.S. Gulf States on Alert as Hurricane Isaias Intensifies; Georgia's Ossoff and Collins Face Off in Senate Debate; Demonstrations Continue as Police Clash with Students in France; Sorkin's New Film Looks at Facebook Whistleblower; USS Lincoln Returns to U.S. after Near-Record Deployment. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired October 09, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much for watching. THE STORY IS, Elex Michaelson, is next.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson, live in Los Angeles. We begin with breaking news in New York City, where protesters have gathered after a shooting involving ICE agents on Thursday.
The Department of Homeland Security says ICE agents encountered a 28- year-old man and then fired shots into his vehicle. The man, who is from the Dominican Republic, was wounded. A child in the car was not hurt.
The NYPD says the man has a criminal record, but federal authorities have not said what led up to the shooting.
Just a short time ago, within the last hour, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed reporters and demanded an end to ICE operations in the city.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY: Let me say this plainly. What happened today was an outrage.
Tonight, a five-year-old child sits traumatized and terrified. Tonight, millions of our neighbors are wondering whether they will be safe on our streets, in our schools, at their work sites.
Tonight, New Yorkers across the five boroughs are asking whether their civil liberties will be respected, whether law and order is supposed to look like a man carrying a long gun, wearing a mask. We know that ICE is rotten to its core. Today's shooting is only
further devastating confirmation of what we have long known, which is that ICE operates with impunity, that they sow chaos and terror across our country, that they have killed far more of our neighbors than they could ever have claimed to save.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: This video shows the scene in New York's Marble Hill neighborhood, where the shooting took place. New York's governor, Kathy Hochul, is also demanding answers from federal authorities, saying they must provide them immediately.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: ICE officers were involved in another shooting, this time in New York City.
You can see the car. That is the car that the individual was driving, we're told, and there is a bullet hole on the windshield on the driver's side.
And what we're told from law enforcement officials that this was an ICE targeted operation, that they were targeting an individual. The Department of Homeland Security says it was a -- what they say is a criminal illegal alien with a -- an arrest history dating back to December of 2023. And that they were trying to apprehend this individual.
Now, the man that was inside the car, we don't know his identity. He was taken to a hospital. He is expected to be OK.
But also inside that car was a five-year-old child. The mayor, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, posting on X, saying that this is unacceptable, what happened here. The time of day it happened, and that there was this five-year-old child inside that car. That child is OK.
And many of the community members here came out, wanting and demanding answers over why this happened. And for now, we don't exactly know, as the Department of Homeland Security has not provided any of those details.
Shimon Prokupecz CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Simon, thank you.
Our political panel here live: Melanie Mason, the California bureau chief for "Politico" and coauthor of "The California Playbook"; and Bob Shrum, former Democratic strategist and director of the USC Center for the Political Future. Welcome back, both of you. Zohran Mamdani, very intense, very emotional within the last half
hour. Here's what he talked about when it comes to his relationship with President Trump. We know they've seemingly had a warm relationship recently. It seemed like he tried to cash in on this. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAMDANI: For the past two hours, I have been on the phone with President Trump and Secretary Mullin, negotiating the release of the man ICE agents shot. Those negotiations were unsuccessful. Just moments ago, ICE put the man in an unmarked vehicle and whisked him away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Bob, your thoughts on this and the mayor's very strong comments?
BOB SHRUM, DIRECTOR, USC CENTER FOR THE POLITICAL FUTURE: Well, the mayor's right, No. 1.
No. 2, people voted for a secure border. They did not vote to have storm troopers in masks, running through the streets of American cities, shooting into a vehicle with a five-year-old kid in it. It's outrageous.
MICHAELSON: Do we know all the facts?
SHRUM: No, we don't know --
MICHAELSON: In terms of what happened here?
SHRUM: -- all the facts. We don't know all the facts.
MICHAELSON: We know -- know these are storm troopers?
SHRUM: There are no facts. We know that they were covered. They were masked. We know that they didn't have a warrant, as far as I know. They -- they don't wear I.D. What else do you want to call them?
MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, a reminder of the potency of the politics of this particular issue, which in the last few weeks has been relatively quiet compared to affordability and other things. But earlier this year was the dominant issue in American politics.
MELANIE MASON, CALIFORNIA BUREAU CHIEF, "POLITICO": Well, and here we are in the weeks leading up to the midterm. And if this is going to be thrust back into the limelight, you know, I think it's a real question of -- of who sees benefit from this politically.
I mean, first of all, I do think that we have to say that this whole incident is very disturbing, especially the fact that a child was in such close proximity.
But to talk about politics for -- for a second, this is going to be a battle of the narratives, right? I mean, I think that conservatives look at this and say, Look, this is a person with a criminal record.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MASON: This is exactly what the type of people that -- that President Trump said he was going to go after. And what, still in polls, Americans say they want: people with criminal records to be deported.
But on the flip side, we also know that these type of ICE operations are also very unpopular. The fact that they are violent, the fact that they are happening in the middle of, you know, crowded streets, that a children -- a child is close by.
And so, I think that Democrats can point to this and say, this goes too far. And it reminds people how they think that Trump has overreached. And again, just in the lead-up to these very important midterms.
MICHAELSON: And also interesting, Melanie, to see Zohran Mamdani in -- in a leadership test moment for him.
MASON: Right.
MICHAELSON: We haven't seen him doing this sort of thing that often. And very sort of dramatic in the way that he did it.
SHRUM: No smile.
MASON: Right. For somebody who's known for his smile --
SHRUM: The trademark smile completely gone.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MASON: I mean, this is going to be a real, as you said, a test for him. And also, the question of sort of what's the public facing conversation versus what's going on in private?
I mean, the fact that he said that he was talking to the president and DHS secretary for two hours. It sort of underscores we do have this relationship. This was not him having to sort of go through intermediaries. What are those conversations like?
Clearly, he did not think that the result of those conversations yielded what he wanted. But the fact that he can get on the phone and talk to the president for two hours, I don't think any of us would have expected that a year ago.
I do think it speaks to the type of private relationship that he's cultivated with the president. The question now is, like, what does that yield? What comes of that relationship?
MICHAELSON: Of course, Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, now leading, a big fan of folks on the left and some of the far-left, which we saw out in the streets of New York tonight.
Another gentleman who is a big -- celebrated by folks on the left is Abdul El-Sayed, who is not a Democratic socialist but was on the stage, on the debate stage for the first time tonight with Mike Rogers, who is the Republican running for Senate in Michigan. That debate got testy. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: All of a sudden, he's reversed course. He's doing an ad, drinking a Labatts and talking about the Red Wings, pretending like he was not for this the entire time. Be serious, Mike.
MIKE ROGERS (R), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Detroit Diesel added a third shift because of those tariffs. He wants to undo it, because he can't see past his own political rhetoric.
We didn't change. What we said is things move. We're trying to get it wrapped up. We want a deal on those tariff deals.
What my friend here just wants to do is -- he's kind of like a glitchy A.I. chatbot -- is say the same thing over, and over, and over again.
EL-SAYED: He says I like to say the same thing. He's done the same thing over and over and over again. You know what that is? Vote to keep your prescription drug prices high 19 times.
ROGERS: That's just --
EL-SAYED: Here we are fighting this stupid war, because people like him have been pushing for it for 20 years. When you've got an international problem, he's got a war for that.
ROGERS: He can't condemn a terrorist act that happened on our soil in the state of Michigan. He can't bring himself to condemn --
EL-SAYED: I did condemn it. And you know.
ROGERS: You did not. You absolutely did not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Bob, you've prepared candidates for debates like this for decades. How do you assess the two performances and the strategies at play here?
SHRUM: Well, I tried to watch this and as much of Maine as I could.
MICHAELSON: Yes, the Maine, also Senate debate, which we'll talk about in a moment.
SHRUM: But look, a lot of what we're listening to, what we just listened to is kind of a sideshow. You know, you live in Florida. You know, the tariffs, et cetera.
The key question here, which I think El-Sayed focused on over, and over, and over again, is affordability and the economy. He said at one point, this election is not about you and me. It's about you, the voters.
And I think that Republicans are kind of stuck, because they got elected in '24 on the notion that they were going to deal with affordability, and instead, things have gotten worse.
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And so now, we're doing trans athletes, and Labatt's beer, and houses in Florida, and all this other stuff. People are not going to vote on that.
MICHAELSON: Well, and it's been interesting, Melanie, that Mike Rogers has had to pull back for early statements supporting the Iran War; to pull back on statements supporting President Trump's tariffs, as well.
But up there, and trying to especially prosecute the case against Abdul El-Sayed on some other issues, too, including his support or lack of support for Israel.
Let's listen to some more of the back and forth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGERS: Listen to this guy and what he's trying to sell here today. You're going to find out that this guy is not what he says he is. He is actually selling the best con I think I've ever seen.
EL-SAYED: It's about whether or not you can see your doctor. It's about whether or not you trust your next U.S. senator to stand up to Trump and Trumpism.
But you're running because Donald Trump called you and asked you to run. You can tell he's not going to stand up to anybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MASON: It's so interesting to see. In some ways, you know, we've talked so much about the generational challenges, a lot of times within the party. And in some ways right now, we're looking at that debate, and it's two very different styles of politicians. Right?
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MASON: And I had to laugh each time that Abdul El-Sayed called him "my guy."
MICHAELSON: My guy.
MASON: I mean, that is, like, so millennial coded.
And, you know, Mike Rogers had been in Washington for a long time, which of course, El-Sayed wanted to hold against him.
And I think the question is. like, what style works for these voters? I mean, I think that in some ways, what has always been, I think, a challenge for El-Sayed is he doesn't seem like so many of the Democratic candidates that we've seen in the past. And I think he's had to convince a lot of Democrats and now sort of swing voters that you can be comfortable with him.
I think he did hold his own, particularly on these policy issues. You know, talking about the prescription drug pricing, talking about the sort of bind that Rogers has found himself in tariffs.
But I think ultimately, as a question of, like, this is a guy that has a new style, how do voters feel about that?
MICHAELSON: Are you comfortable with that sort of thing? Do you think that Rogers got some shots in?
SHRUM: Not on issues that people are going to vote on. I do not believe that people are going to vote against Abdul El-Sayed, although the president's now calling him Mohamad. I don't think people are going to vote against him because of that.
I don't think they're going to vote against him, because they disagree with him on Israel, if -- which I do, for example.
But I think what they're going to say is, I can't afford my groceries. I can't afford my gas. I can't afford my rent.
And what was remarkable about Sayed, I thought, was how he stuck to that, whether he was talking about prescription drugs or gas prices or any other issue.
MICHAELSON: Also, debate tonight in Maine. Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent senator who's been able to fight back against Democratic challengers for many cycles, now facing off against Troy Jackson. Susan Collins in a state that voted against President Trump.
Listen to how they talked about the Trump issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TROY JACKSON (D), MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: You know, Senator Collins talks about a crook. I mean, Donald Trump is a convicted felon, 34 felons. She has no problem doing his bidding.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I have served Maine with integrity the entire time, and I deeply resent these false allegations.
JACKSON: We certainly never had any pay-for-play scandals like Senator Collins seems to be doing every day now.
COLLINS: If you look at the number of times that Troy has flip-flopped his position on issues. And it usually has to do with issues that his son has been hired to lobby him on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: A lot of back and forth that we see there. How do you see this race? MASON: I think in some ways we see a little bit of the same strategy
from Troy Jackson that we saw from Abdul El-Sayed, right? Try and link the Republican to President Trump.
The challenge, of course, with Susan Collins is we know that Maine voters can sort of see her independently from Trump. In 2020, they voted to reelect her, even when that state went for Joe Biden.
And so, you know, Collins, in that way, has a political superpower. And I think the question now is, is the president such an anvil around her neck that it would -- she kind of can't defy gravity anymore?
But I think that -- you know, I think El-Sayed was maybe a little bit more effective in Michigan, sort of hooking Rogers to the president, than Jackson was in Maine.
MICHAELSON: How has Collins done this over and over again? How does she keep winning?
SHRUM: She's persuaded people that she's independent and moderate. And I think the moment that hurt her, long-term, was Brett Kavanaugh.
I think people said, Wait a minute. She's the person who put onto the court the decisive vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The real question -- this is a 50/50 race. And the real question is whether or not she's worn out her welcome.
I do not believe that standing up there and saying, I resent these attacks on my integrity, will get her one vote. People want folks to talk, candidates to talk about issues that concern their lives. It's not about the candidates. It's about the voters.
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MICHAELSON: Also, tonight, there was a debate with Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins in Georgia. We will talk about that in our next hour.
We'll also talk about that with the congressman in Georgia in a little bit.
Melanie Mason, Bob Shrum, stick around. We've got more to discuss on the next hour of THE STORY IS.
Also coming up, the Atlantic's first hurricane this season is barreling towards the U.S. Gulf Coast as we speak. We'll talk live with a meteorologist to learn how officials are preparing and what locals can expect, timing out this storm, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE EVANS, DIRECTOR, MOBILE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: It's time to prepare like we're going to get the worst-case scenario for our community and get your business in order. Get your home in order, take care of your loved ones, get the things you need. And then if it -- if it doesn't happen to be as bad as we thought, well, then, hey, that's always a good thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Preparations are ramping up as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season barrels towards the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Isaias is currently a Category 2 storm, but it is getting stronger and expected to become a major hurricane at Category 3 strength before weakening as it approaches the coast Saturday morning.
Let's bring in meteorologist and climate scientist Chris Gloninger. Thanks for joining us here on THE STORY IS.
What do we know about what we should expect in the day ahead in terms of the timing and track of this?
CHRIS GLONINGER, METEOROLOGIST: Elex, the worst of the storm will be 24 hours from now as the storm makes landfall very close to Pensacola. That is right in the center of the National Hurricane Center's track right now. To the East of that track, that is where we expect the worst surge, the worst wind, the rain, and also the possibility of seeing some tornadoes, as well.
On the -- say yes, as it's been battling out between the wind shear, winds aloft, trying to blow the storm apart and really warm waters in the Gulf. Record warm water across the Gulf that has been made 30 times more likely because of climate change.
So, you have this tug of war going on, the warm water which you need for the storm to explode and then shear, trying to tear the storm apart.
And right now, the warm ocean waters are winning out. That's why we're expecting it to be a major Category 3 hurricane by tomorrow morning. The tropical storm force winds will ramp up along the Gulf Coast by 2 to 6 p.m. tomorrow.
The worst of it, Elex, will be closer to 11 p.m. Eastern Time and midnight when that storm makes its final approach and makes landfall early Saturday morning in the pre-dawn hours.
MICHAELSON: So, what does that look like? What could we be seeing in those hours?
GLONINGER: Right along the immediate coastline, certainly could get up to about 100 miles per hour. We are expecting it to weaken, as you mentioned.
Thankfully, the shear will win out, but this is still going to be a strong storm.
Rainfall totals East of the track could range from ten to as much as 12 inches. Storm surge anywhere from 6 to 7 inch -- feet, rather, above dry ground. And that is what we're really worried about. Right?
Only six inches of moving water can knock a human off their feet. A foot of moving water can float a vehicle. And you talk 6 to 7 feet of storm surge marching inland. That's when you start to see some structural damage for those structures right along the coastline.
Again, the worst of that will be concentrated between 11 p.m. Friday and probably 2 a.m. Saturday, and then conditions will begin to improve as we go into the morning on Saturday, right along the Gulf.
But again, the heavy rain, the high winds, and the storm surge, the primary impacts. But then we could see a fringe tornado threat in the outer bands. That -- that threat will likely extend all the way out to Eastern Georgia during the afternoon tomorrow, Elex.
MICHAELSON: So, it's October 9th now on the East Coast, and this is hurricane No. 1. Talk about how extraordinary that is, why that's happening, and how -- you've already talked about this a little bit -- the warmer waters could impact all this.
GLONINGER: Again, that is what's fueling this storm, are those record warm waters in the Gulf.
Now, you have to go back to 2013. That was a year where we had two hurricanes, minor hurricanes, only Category 1 storms. And this is very late in the season.
Again, peak hurricane season is early September. We are about a month and a half away from the end of hurricane season in the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Pacific is where all the activity is happening, and now our attention focuses on Tropical Storm Rachel, which will likely now impact southern California with some heavy rains and high winds this weekend.
So, that's where all the activity has been, minus this one hurricane. It has been very, very quiet all across the Atlantic and into the Gulf. So very rare.
MICHAELSON: Very rare. But it's not going to be very quiet in the day ahead. Meteorologist, climate scientist Chris Gloninger. Thanks for helping to get us prepared for what's going to be quite a day ahead.
Coming up on THE STORY IS, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the execution of a man who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas will be public.
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Nidal Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist, will be put to death by firing squad on December 3. The last time the U.S. Army executed one of its soldiers by firing squad was during World War Two.
Hegseth says, quote, "People need to understand that there's serious consequences for these type of things." President Trump has announced that the U.S. will not attack Iran
before the midterm elections. The president revealed the decision on his social media platform on Thursday.
He says the U.S. is having productive discussions with Tehran, and he plans to keep up economic pressure. He says the U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports will remain in full force. The treasury revealed new sanctions will be placed on more than a dozen vessels.
Trump's comments come after multiple media reports detailed the administration's planning for potential new strikes before the elections, now just over three weeks away.
Meantime, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are warning Saudi Arabia to prepare for a long conflict. The group is expanding and intensifying its attacks, targeting airports and military facilities in the kingdom for a third consecutive day.
Images and video posted on social media and verified by CNN shows smoke rising over Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, as well as what appeared to be damaged aircraft.
Several explosions were heard in the Saudi capital on Thursday, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to the Associated Press.
The Houthis claimed to have launched both cruise and ballistic missiles in the attack.
Officials say the attacks on two airports this week have killed at least three people and wounded 36, Saudi authorities said on Thursday they intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh, and that falling debris had damaged a kindergarten and a medical clinic.
Still ahead this hour, the personal insults were flying in the heated debate between the Democrat and Republican candidates running for Georgia's Senate seat. We'll get reaction from Democratic Georgia Congressman Everton Blair, who is standing by live in Atlanta. He's with us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: Back now to our breaking news this hour out of New York City. That's where officials say a man from the Dominican Republic was shot and wounded by federal immigration agents during a targeted enforcement operation.
That incident sparked protests in the city, which is now marking the first shooting involving ICE agents since President Trump's immigration crackdown.
Officials say an ICE agent discharged a weapon, injuring a 28-year-old man who police say has a criminal record. A five-year-old in the back seat was not hurt. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani demanding an end to ICE operations in the city.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAMDANI: There is no explanation for federal officers firing this many rounds into a car that has a five-year-old in the car. There is no explanation.
We are standing here, so close to the site of where this actually took place. And look at how many people live right here. This is a residential neighborhood. We are right here by a subway and the pretext of ICE is, in their words, to keep this country safe. How is it keeping everyone safe?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Video from the scene shows the man's vehicle with a bullet hole through the windshield.
New York Police say the evidence indicates at least one ICE agent fired seven rounds. The driver was hit in the neck. A source says his injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff faced off against Republican challenger Congressman Mike Collins in their first debate in the critical Senate race in Georgia.
The main issues reflect the national concerns: the economy, health care, data centers, immigration.
Ossoff opened the debate by highlighting Collins' association with a white nationalist; and what Ossoff called Collins' childlike devotion to President Trump.
Ossoff raised an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations that Collins' congressional office misused taxpayer dollars. He also pushed Collins to defend President Trump's tariffs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): Our economy is being strangled by Donald Trump and Mike Collins' economic record. We're now almost 12 minutes into this debate. We still haven't heard an explanation of how the tariffs are helping Georgia families.
REP. MIKE COLLINS (R-GA): It should be America first. It -- we have bowed down to the rest of this world and took it from -- from companies [SIC] -- or countries charging us tariffs over and over again.
My opponent's a trust fund kid who's never had a job in his life. He doesn't understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Joining us live from our STORY IS studios in Atlanta is Congressmember Everton Blair, Georgia Democrat. Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
REP. EVERTON BLAIR (D-GA): Thank you, Elex. It's good to be here.
MICHAELSON: You watched the debate. Your reaction?
BLAIR: Well first of all, Senator Ossoff has had multiple jobs, including the one that Congressman Collins is pursuing. And he's doing a much better job at it than anybody else.
And I just -- I thought it was a shellacking. It proved once, time and time again, that Senator Ossoff is serious about doing the work for the people of Georgia. He takes this job seriously. He was able to articulate a message of what he has accomplished and what he intends to do in the seat.
And, you know, Congressman Collins is just kind of there. He -- he spoke a lot in platitudes and things that he would like to see done.
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But he has every capacity right now to be doing those things, because Republicans control everything: the legislature, the executive branch, the judiciary. If they wanted to make life more affordable for us, they would be doing so.
So, I'm -- I'm really proud of my senator, and I can't wait to see him be reelected next month.
MICHAELSON: Senator Ossoff has accused Congressman Collins' son of being a white nationalist and has asked for him to disavow his son.
He says, "I condemn racism, antisemitism and hate," is what the congressman said tonight.
Ossoff said something pretty striking when it came to somebody he used to work for, Congressman John Lewis, who famously was beat up in Selma, Alabama, when marching for civil rights. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OSSOFF: If John Lewis were marching today from Selma to Montgomery, Mike Collins would be grabbing a billy-club. His office has been in cahoots with some of the most notorious white supremacists on the country. He himself has amplified neo-Nazi propaganda. He's never apologized for it, and he should tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congressman Collins, you have 60 seconds.
COLLINS: Yes. You know, I'll say this. Voters need confidence. They need to know -- y'all, we live in the -- the -- the best country in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: He later said, again, that he condemns racism, antisemitism and hate. It's striking that immediately after being said that you would beat up
black people on a bridge, your immediate response is, no, I wouldn't.
BLAIR: Right.
MICHAELSON: Do you really think that's what he would do? And -- and what do you make of injecting that? And what do you make of the way he responded to that?
BLAIR: Mike Collins is coward and not equipped to do anything to make any of our lives better. And I believe that our senator hit it spot on.
When you -- when you strike a nerve like that, you saw him just scribbling down on his paper, because he didn't actually have anything to respond to. You know, it's because they have no plan. And -- and they're not suited to lead us. Not today and definitely not tomorrow.
If there were things that he wanted to say in combating racial bigotry in this country, right, then they wouldn't be issuing all of these anti-DEI measures across the country.
And if there are things that he actually wanted to prove that he and his family had stood up to combat, you know, sort of antisemitism in this country, they would have said that.
And they don't have the ability to speak with authority on the issues that -- the social issues or the economic issues that plague us today. And it's another one of many reasons why they should not continue to govern our nation.
MICHAELSON: Well, let's talk for a moment about you. You're, I guess, the newest member of the House. You were elected in a special election in August. And you got to the House, and then everybody left.
BLAIR: Yes. These people don't even work.
MICHAELSON: Was it you? What was that?
BLAIR: Maybe it was because I was ready to work. But, you know.
MICHAELSON: So, the House is out of session until after the midterms. That's what Speaker Johnson has decided.
What is priority No. 1 for you in, I guess, the month and a half you get to be there for the lame duck session. And why do you think the House is out of session right now?
BLAIR: The people of Georgia's 13th Congressional District deserve so much more. And we need leaders who are going to use power, and take action, and actually make our lives more affordable.
So, I'm honored to be here. I wish that we had Republicans who are willing to do anything. But they want to take every measure to send us home early to avoid the hard questions and to avoid doing work at every turn possible. So, with the remaining days, I'm going to, at a minimum, expose their
malfeasance. Because at a time when we should be taking action, passing legislation, regulating A.I., looking forward to enabling people to have more money in their pockets, we're doing nothing. And it is because of Speaker Johnson and the Republicans who control everything in our government. So right --
MICHAELSON: What's priority one for you in the lame duck session?
BLAIR: Pass legislation on A.I.
MICHAELSON: OK. And in terms of another thing that Democrats, before you got there, have been trying to do, which is reform ICE, that did not work. The Republicans were basically able to roll them on that and give ICE a lot of funding without any major reforms.
Tonight, we see a shooting in New York City. That's the major breaking news. Zohran Mamdani saying we need to abolish ICE.
I'm curious for your thoughts about that and how Congress should think about and potentially act on that issue in the months ahead.
BLAIR: You know, I support our mayor's statements as this tragedy befalls New York once again.
And ICE has gone without reform for far too long. We need bold, visionary Democrats who are coming to Congress very soon, who will do everything in their capacity to reform and abolish this terroristic agency.
[00:40:08]
It should not be the case that we're looking at any individual who's being gunned down, or wounded, or killed by the very agencies that are supposed to protect us.
And that's -- we have so much to fix in our immigration system. And this is not the way.
MICHAELSON: And lastly, we've got about 20, 30 seconds left. You're the first openly gay member of Congress from Georgia. You're -- tell us a little bit about you and how your worldview is shaping the way that you think about this job.
BLAIR: You know, I come from a lot of intersections. I'm the son of Jamaican immigrants. I'm a former educator. I'm young, I'm black, and I'm openly gay in a time when so many of those identities are under attack and assault.
And, you know, it's not lost on me the historical significance of this moment.
But I also came here to work. I came here to serve the people who sent me here, and to make sure that there's nobody that feels neglected, undermined, or vilified. And I would love for a Congress that would do that in this short term. But if they won't, I'll make sure that the next Congress can. So, I'm
just -- I'm honored to be here, and I'm ready to do all the things that we can.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for being with us for the first time here on THE STORY IS. Congressman Everton Blair, staying up late for us. Appreciate it.
BLAIR: Thank you. Good to be with you. See you soon.
MICHAELSON: Still ahead -- still ahead. Another day of protests in France. Hear how the education minister responded to the demonstrations, after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:46:16]
MICHAELSON: Welcome back. I'm Elex Michaelson. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is barreling towards the U.S. Gulf Coast this hour. Traffic was backed up Thursday in parts of Florida as people evacuated ahead of Isaias' landfall.
It is currently a Category 2 hurricane. It's expected to strengthen as it passes over warm Gulf water. States of emergency have been issued for parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia.
Trump administration envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with Ukrainian negotiators in Miami this weekend. Ukraine's president has confirmed the talks are expected to last for two days.
The meeting comes as officials remain deadlocked in a bid to end the war with Russia.
At least 33 people were killed in a Russian strike on the public busses on Thursday.
In just a few hours, we will learn who will receive the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel committee is expected to announce this year's recipient Friday morning in Oslo, Norway. The committee received nearly 300 nominations.
President Donald Trump has argued that he deserves the award.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDOUARD GEFFRAY, FRENCH MINISTER OF NATIONAL EDUCATION (through translator): We have 3,000 substitute teachers who are currently not in front of students. They would like to be, but they haven't been assigned to a class.
There are 3,000 of them, partly because until now, we haven't been assigning them effectively. So, over the next few hours, these 3,000 teachers will be joining these schools. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: France's education minister there, speaking as the French government attempts to get schools open again following a wave of student protests across the country.
The government's response comes as protesters accused police of employing heavy-handed tactics during clashes on the street. Despite that, students say they plan to continue to call for extra funding for their schools.
Melissa Bell is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another big protest this Thursday, not just in Paris, but around the country. Even now, being brought to an end by policemen.
The students once again out in full force to make their anger plain, and the police, again, trying to keep things under control.
A lot of the anger that we've seen here today, just like on Tuesday, that big demonstration that saw some 260,000 people turned out around the country; has been aimed not just at the changes that they're demanding and the extra funding that they're asking for their schools. But now also at what they say has been a disproportionate use of violence by the police.
For its part, the interior minister defending the actions of the police. He says that there are inquiries underway in 20 or so specific cases of allegations of violence, but that, otherwise, that has been a proportionate response to what they've seen.
For now, the students say that they'll keep up the pressure, unsatisfied as they are with what has been announced so far by the prime minister, which is that there will be measures by the end of the month.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Still ahead, the USS Lincoln returns home after a near- record deployment at sea. The emotional reunions and the challenges ahead. CNN's Pam -- Pamela Brown is on board.
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[00:54:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have an interest in social media?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not even a little bit. Look, I'm an investigative reporter, and that guy, and this company, are playing an unprecedented role in our lives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Start with a gentle nod to show engagement. Yes, not so much. A little softer. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: "The Social Reckoning" is in theaters now. It is the latest film from writer/director/producer Aaron Sorkin, and it tells the story of former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, who blew the whistle on some of the company's most closely guarded secrets.
CNN's Jake Tapper sat down with Sorkin to talk about the film, and he also asked him about the problems people are facing with social media in general.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AARON SORKIN, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER, "THE SOCIAL RECKONING": These are huge problems that -- that are coming to get us. Facebook is not just pumping a firehose of misinformation out into the public, but they tweaked their algorithm. They want you to stay on the platform longer.
The thing that's going to keep you on the platform the longest is resharing stuff.
So, the algorithm wants to give you stuff that you're going to reshare, and Facebook knows, because they've done study, after study, after study, that the stuff that you reshare the most is things that make you angry.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: How do we break free of all these people making money and gaining clout, and power, and -- and riches by successfully tapping into our worst impulses, the need to have enemies?
SORKIN: I don't have an answer, but I'm sure that the first step is identifying the problem.
And yes, the problem is hate cells. You can make a lot of money hating people. Ask Megyn Kelly, who just every time you think she has hit bottom, she finds -- finds a new subbasement down there to go to.
How do we get out of this? I don't know, but one thing that has to be done, and it's what Frances ends up imploring Congress to do, is pass laws.
You know, the law has always lagged way behind technology, and -- but in the past, it's really only affected copyright laws, piracy. You know, movies and music is what it affected. Now, it's much bigger.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Aaron Sorkin with Jake Tapper.
After a near record 321 days at sea, sailors and marines on board the USS Abraham Lincoln have returned home. CNN's Pamela Brown was there for the emotional reunions with families and friends.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally, home.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mixed in the emotion on this Navy pier are 122 sailors who have never met their children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only person my daughter knows is my wife right now.
BROWN (voice-over): Joey Montemarano's daughter, Madeline Grace, was born while he was away at sea. These images are all he knows of his ten-month-old child.
BROWN: What are you going to do, you think, when you see them?
MONTEMARANO: Probably cry a little bit. Probably try to hold back the tears while I kiss my wife, hug my wife, and meet this baby that I've never met before that I can't wait to -- can't wait to meet and interact with.
BROWN (voice-over): We met Joey and many more of the roughly 5,000 sailors at sea on the USS Lincoln as they headed into port. Most admit they're returning home changed.
AJANAE KELLY, SAILOR, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: This is the hardest one I have to -- have to deal with. So, I feel like if I could do this one, I could do anything.
BROWN (voice-over): It's the end of a harrowing 322-day deployment that faced scrutiny over the living conditions on board and low morale that included attempted suicides.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The men overboard, that was a crazy day.
BROWN (voice-over): Many confirmed the uncertainty around the extended deployment brought mental challenges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just thinking about my family and things going on back home that you can't control.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would go to prayer service with the chaplains, and that would help out a lot.
BROWN (voice-over): Others we met confirmed food supplies ran low at times.
BARRY USERY, SAILOR, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: I was in cargo for a while, the people that bring the food up. And I was in there during the tough times. Not a lot of food was being brung [SIC] up. But as we progressed, it got better.
CAPT. DAN KEELER, COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE USS LINCOLN: It was stressed, but we never shut anything down. BROWN (voice-over): Captain Dan Keeler, commanding officer of the
Lincoln, tells CNN supplies were mainly affected when support ships under threat from Iran were forced to alter their movement in the region.
KEELER: We serve 14,000 to 16,000 meals a day, four times a day, so four meals a day. We never missed a meal, not for ten and a half months.
There were some sacrifices made. Maybe there was only one protein option instead of two, but there was always food.
BROWN: Some of the family members had a town hall with Navy leadership, because they were really concerned about their loved ones on this ship, and they were getting pictures of toilets overflowing and mold. What do you say to that?
KEELER: What I'll say to all the families is they were all so amazing. You can't do what we just did without a lot of support. I think a lot of the reporting focused on some anecdotal things, because we looked into all this stuff, and there really were no systemic issues.
It's a big ship. It's a floating city. We have, you know, a toilet gets clogged. It eventually gets fixed.
BROWN (voice-over): Keeler acknowledges there were five suicide attempts on the Lincoln itself and three others on its support ships. He says anyone with mental health problems had access to treatment on the ship. The most severe cases were sent home.
KEELER: We had zero suicides. We had zero casualties on the ship. Every single sailor that left is coming home.
BROWN (voice-over): And they're coming home awarded with a presidential unit citation, the military's highest honor for a unit in battle.
ARIANA WESTFALL, AVIATION ORDNANCEMAN, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: It's going to be pretty cool to be able to wear that and tell everybody why I'm wearing it and what I did to wear it.
BROWN (voice-over): On board, you could feel the anticipation as we pulled into port. Moments later, among this flood of emotion, Joey Montemarano, a father who served on a ship at war --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who's that? Is this your daddy?
BROWN (voice-over): Now with his daughter, together in peace.
MONTEMARANO: She's perfect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: So well done by all of them. Thank them all for their service. That great reporting there from Pam Brown and team.
