Return to Transcripts main page
The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Trump's Taxpayer-Funded Ads Air Despite Restraining Order; Federal Officers Search Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar's D.C. Home; Trump's Russia-Ukraine "Energy Ceasefire" Put to the Test; Pope Leo to be Hospitalized Ahead of Surgery; Sanders Stumps for Jackson in Tight Maine Senate Race; Philippines Faces Online Child Abuse Crisis. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired October 13, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:30]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles.
Coming up on THE STORY Is, President Trump's taxpayer funded ads aired hundreds of times after a judge ordered them to be stopped. Joining me live, a leader of the coalition suing the president.
THE STORY IS death at an amusement park. A man tragically falls to his death while riding a roller coaster at Six Flags in Georgia. How did that happen?
And THE STORY IS the Pope's health. The Vatican says Pope Leo will be admitted to a hospital in Rome in the coming hours for surgery. CNN's papal analyst standing by live with an update.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: We are less than three weeks away from the final day to vote in the midterm elections. President Trump just back to Washington from Ohio. In the days ahead, the president will head to Alaska to pump up the Republican base. Polls indicate that Republicans are on track to lose the House. The Senate also at risk due to growing anger over the Iran war and rising inflation.
Some Republicans have warned his presence on the campaign trail may actually be more of a liability than an asset. The president, appearing in Youngstown, Ohio, a Republican stronghold, where he made this request to voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So what happens is every time I run, we do great. We have a tremendous turnout, 48 percent, 49 percent more than when I don't run. So I'm asking everybody to pretend. Just pretend that I'm on the ballot because in a way I am on the ballot.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, we are learning just how much the world's richest man is spending on the upcoming elections. Elon Musk's main political group, America PAC, confirmed it has poured at least $276 million into the midterms in recent months, and a lot of that money being funneled into Texas, where the Republican Senate nominee locked in a tight race. Texas, hugely important to Musk's business empire and has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994.
Meanwhile, a Justice Department lawyer has apologized after those Trump political ads paid for by American taxpayers aired hundreds of times after a judge slapped a two-week restraining order on them. The Justice Department said it was not aware of the order that came down on Sunday until Monday, were told $19 million in taxpayer money has already been spent on those ads.
A week ago, President Trump acknowledged the backlash and said he paid for patriotic ads himself with money he raised for MAGA. And yet, the ads paid for by taxpayers aired for another six days. The restraining order was requested by a coalition led by Common Cause, a nonprofit watchdog group.
Omar Noureldin is the organization's senior vice president for policy and litigation. He joins us now live.
Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.
OMAR NOURELDIN, SENIOR VP FOR POLICY AND LITIGATION, COMMON CAUSE: Hi, Elex. Thank you for having me.
MICHAELSON: So talk to us about where we are right now because there's been some updates late tonight.
NOURELDIN: Yes. Currently, we have a temporary restraining order. So a judge ordered the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to stop using taxpayer dollars to pay for these political propaganda ads for the president. As you mentioned, there seem to have been some communication gap between the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, although everyone online knew that the order had come down. But somehow the folks at the Justice Department couldn't, like, pick up the phone and call folks at the Department of Homeland Security and tell them to stop airing those ads.
MICHAELSON: What about Trump TV? You say that there's a potential loophole. This is the YouTube page that the president is putting out there, but is officially a taxpayer funded arm of the White House.
NOURELDIN: Exactly. I mean, Trump TV is like, you know what Trump likes to do, he likes to brand things. So he put Trump TV as like the branded programing of the official White House YouTube page. The White House YouTube page is maintained by federal government employees. Its domain is likely hosted by the federal government. And so that is taxpayer dollars being used to host these ads now on Trump TV or the White House YouTube page. And we're taking a close look to see what else can be done.
[00:05:09]
MICHAELSON: So you're potentially going to ask the judge to take them down from YouTube as well.
NOURELDIN: Yes. We're going to talk to the Justice Department first to see exactly what happened and ensure that the judge's order, which ordered the Department of Homeland Security not to use any funds that there isn't -- they're trying to, like, be too cute for themselves and try to go around and say, well, you didn't -- we're not using the Department of Homeland Security funds. We're using some other funds.
But the judge's reasoning and argument is the same. It's that Congress gets to decide how taxpayer dollars are spent. The president doesn't get to like borrow from Congress's purse, so to speak, to fund his own commercials.
MICHAELSON: Well, in the past, we have seen White Houses put out ads with patriotic themes featuring the president and this White House says, what's wrong with highlighting how great America is? Markwayne Mullin, the secretary of Homeland Security, was on CBS's "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARKWAYNE MULLIN, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Anytime we can do a public service announcement and brag about America, I'm all about it. We should be bragging about what's happening inside America. I commend the opportunity to have the -- I commend the opportunity of President Trump to give us the opportunity to brag about America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Is this bragging about America? Isn't that a good thing?
NOURELDIN: This was more like bragging about President Trump at a time when his party is poised to suffer defeat in the midterms. As the clip you just showed before here, Trump said, I'm on the ballot. Pretend that I'm on the ballot. But folks in his own party are saying, we don't want you to be on the ballot next to us and in fact are running ads trying to distance themselves from the president.
So this is really, in my view, a desperate attempt of the president, who has to be the center of attention, to try and bring the story back to him, paid for by lots of folks who are watching tonight, the American taxpayer.
MICHAELSON: So this is a temporary restraining order. That means it's in place for 14 days. It could be lifted at that point, which would be the final days to vote in this election. Why does this matter? What's sort of the big principle you're talking about here and how could this impact beyond this particular case?
NOURELDIN: Well, here the big picture is, is that taxpayer dollars should be used for the public good, not for the president's private gain. And not just this president, future presidents. If President Trump can get away with this, what's to make a future president, Democrat or Republican, try to use taxpayer dollars to boost themselves, their political party, rather than focusing on the American people?
Today, Americans are struggling with the price of gas, with the price of groceries, the president is waging an illegal war that is driving up costs. And instead of focusing on the American people, he's focusing on himself. And we want to make sure that no president present, past or future is able to do this.
MICHAELSON: Omar Noureldin, who, at least temporarily, has defeated the administration in court on this issue. And we should see these ads now stopping because of that. We'll see what happens in 14 days. Thanks so much for joining us live from Washington, and congrats on your success in court.
NOURELDIN: Thank you, Elex.
MICHAELSON: On to this now Democratic Congress member from Minnesota, Ilhan Omar, is calling the search of her home the, quote, "latest escalation" in Donald Trump's, quote, "campaign of political intimidation." Her response coming after federal officers executed a search warrant early Monday at her home in the Washington, D.C., area. It's a highly unusual move so close to the midterm elections.
CNN's Sherrell Hubbard has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Washington, D.C., area home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar raided.
SHARON JACKSON, NEIGHBOR: I thought they were banging on my door because I'm a light sleeper. It was about 4:00, 4:30 in the morning, and they told me to go back inside. And I did.
HUBBARD (voice-over): Neighbor Sharon Jackson was awakened when federal agents executed a search warrant Monday morning at Ilhan Omar's residence. The Department of Justice confirmed investigators with Homeland Security Investigations were involved. That's the branch of Homeland Security that oversees criminal investigations. But authorities have not said what prompted the search.
JACKSON: I saw them with blue gloves on. I said, I hope everybody is OK.
HUBBARD (voice-over): The Minnesota Democrat posted on social media she was OK, but said she believes the action against her was, quote, "an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement." In the post, Omar called the search part of a political intimidation campaign by President Trump and said that she will not be silenced.
Since joining Congress, Omar has been a frequent target of Trump.
[00:10:03]
He doubled down on the rhetoric Monday, but said he was not involved in the search.
TRUMP: Well, I understand they're looking at it very carefully. I've always found them to be totally crooked personally, but that has nothing to do with me.
HUBBARD (voice-over): Constituents of Omar rallied around her Monday evening in Minnesota.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When immigrants are under attack, what do we do?
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: Stand up. Fight back.
HUBBARD (voice-over): Omar is running for reelection with early voting in Minnesota well underway.
I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: President Trump says he is now considering meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when he travels to Asia next month. In November, he'll attend two summits, one in the Philippines, and the other in China. CNN has previously reported that White House officials are eyeing his travel to Asia for a possible opportunity to rekindle direct diplomacy. Trump last met with Kim in 2019.
Saudi authorities say the kingdom's main airport will remain closed until further notice. That decision comes after a series of Houthi attacks that have killed at least 14 people over the weekend and wounded hundreds of others. President Trump says he has spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the attacks, but did not say what they discussed.
Over the weekend, the president said that the U.S. would consider whether to join the Saudi-led offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attacks on airports and other targets within the kingdom. The militant group has warned to airlines against operating flights to Saudi airports.
The British prime minister says that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard was almost certainly behind the suspected plot to attack a military base used by U.S. forces in England. Tehran has categorically rejected what it calls baseless accusations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY BURNHAM, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams, and we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: President Trump's so-called energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is being put to the test. On Monday president appeared to acknowledge that neither side had explicitly agreed to it before his announcement, telling reporters that Kyiv and Moscow agreed to the deal because he said they agreed. Trump declared on Sunday that the ceasefire was effective immediately. But Ukraine says that new Russian attacks on energy facilities in Kharkiv have already violated that agreement.
CNN's Matthew Chance is in Moscow with the latest response from the Kremlin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's being actually very tight lipped, and you get the impression that the Kremlin was also sort of taken by surprise by this announcement by President Trump, that an energy ceasefire had been agreed by both sides. There's been a conference call, a daily conference call by the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, over the course of the past several hours.
He was obviously repeatedly asked about this, and he just said that contacts are ongoing and that he had nothing further to add. So that's not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it, of that energy ceasefire announced so prominently by President Trump at the weekend. There have been ceasefires like this, energy ceasefires, you know, undertaken in the past. There were a couple last year. It didn't amount to much. There was one earlier this year that lasted for just a few days.
What's different this time, though, it seems, is that President Trump has so much more at stake. He's facing the midterms in, what is it, three weeks. High prices at the pumps in the United States. Really wants to show he's doing everything he can to U.S. voters to try and bring that down. And that's why there's all this enormous pressure being placed right now on Ukraine, on the leadership in Kyiv, to stop their attacks on Russian oil refineries, to try and allow Russian diesel and other fuel products to continue to flow and to pick up.
If they don't, it also potentially provides President Trump with a scapegoat in the form of President Zelenskyy in Ukraine. He can blame them for the fact it didn't happen. All of this, of course, music to the ears of the Kremlin. Absolutely rubbing their hands with glee that they are once again on the same page when it comes to Ukraine with the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Matthew Chance for us there. Thank you, Matthew.
Police in the U.S. state of Georgia say that a man has died after falling off a roller coaster at a Six Flags Park outside of Atlanta. Several people were injured in the incident, and witnesses say they saw the man fall. Video shows police evacuating people from the ride, which was stopped on the lift hill. It's unclear how the victim fell. He had been riding the Goliath, which is at 200 feet tall or nearly 61 meters, known as a hyper coaster, ride reaches a top speed of 70 miles per hour or 112 kilometers per hour.
[00:15:05]
Six Flags over Georgia told CNN affiliates that they are cooperating with authorities as they investigate.
Still ahead on THE STORY IS, Pope Leo will soon be hospitalized ahead of his upcoming lung surgery. We'll bring you the latest updates on his health. Katie McGrady live on that next. Plus, Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico is speaking out against wide-ranging speculation and conspiracy theories over his absence from the campaign trail.
We'll discuss with my political panel what is so wrong with our system right now that conspiracy theories are flourishing. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:20:10]
MICHAELSON: A piece of Parisian history went up in flames in the early hours of Monday morning. The fire completely destroyed the French capital's oldest covered food market. The market opened in 1615. It was a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Authorities are investigating the blaze, but so far the cause is still unknown.
The Vatican says Pope Leo will be admitted to a hospital in Rome in the coming hours for surgery. This is a live look at Vatican City, where it's 6:20, too early for the sun to come up so far. That procedure aims to remove an early stage lung nodule that was discovered during recent health checks. The pontiff is expected to remain hospitalized for at least a week as part of his recovery. The Vatican has announced that all of the Pope's audiences are canceled until October 20th.
Joining me now to discuss is Katie Prejean McGrady. She is a CNN Vatican analyst and host of "The Katie McGrady Show" on Sirius XM's the Catholic Channel.
Katie, thanks so much for being here with us once again. What do you know about the Pope's schedule in the last few days? Has he slowed down at all?
KATIE PREJEAN MCGRADY, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: No. That's what's really remarkable. He has been full steam ahead pretty much since August, has kept a pretty frenetic, busy pace. We're talking multiple private audiences a day. He met with six bishops or archbishops today, and a pretty large group. So he's been keeping a fairly busy pace, which I think indicates something positive with this health news, which was surprising.
But he's not in pain. He's not actively suffering. They didn't kind of pull back what he had on the docket. Now, the stuff that was canceled for this coming week, including an award ceremony for Cardinal Czerny, this new medal that was given the Pope Leo title and also a closing mass for this big meeting that's been happening, those have obviously been struck from the schedule so he has a week to recover. But up to Sunday, nobody suspected really that anything was maybe
wrong or that they were looking at something because he really had not slowed down at all.
MICHAELSON: So there's no sort of like Vice Pope? So who's -- who's in charge in the hours ahead as he's under the knife?
MCGRADY: I mean, he still is. He is the vicar of Christ. There is no second in command. The closest would be perhaps the secretary of state, Cardinal Parolin, if there were some sort of, and I wouldn't even know what potentially would -- would call a crisis that a Pope would have to make some sort of a decision about. It's not like a prime minister or president under general anesthesia, with some potential threat of like a nuclear war, or having to make some sort of massive decision.
He'll be under general anesthesia for what, thinking a couple of hours, and then he'll have this week to recover. He'll take meetings as needed. They'll, of course, let him rest. Nothing should be too pressing that he would have to weigh in. But there are, of course, all of the dicastery heads. So these are like cabinet officials inside the Vatican who will continue on as normal.
Remember when Francis was hospitalized in the spring of 2025, there was a slowdown of, say, bishops appointments.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MCGRADY: And certainly he wasn't traveling. But the church continues operating. So the Pope is certainly needed. I'm not saying he's unnecessary, but he can be under general anesthesia and the church will be fine for a few hours.
MICHAELSON: We know there are so many things that go into papal travel. These trips are such complicated affairs. Do we know if any of that is being rolled back at all, or is it sort of full steam ahead after a week?
MCGRADY: Well, he certainly has a few trips on the calendar that we know he wants to continue. So he made reference to his South America trip before he told us about the surgery just on Sunday. And I kind of saw that as a little bit of a clue, the Pope is signaling he still has Peru and Uruguay on his mind. He's still planning to go to South America.
There is a scheduled trip for Assisi at the end of the month. A lot of us are beginning to think he's not going to take that little day trip. And there is some concern this transatlantic flight, the cabin pressure in an airplane changes and after you have a lung procedure, are there going to be maybe some restrictions on how many flights are taken in South America? All of that is really TBD. There is an archbishop that had a private audience with him today who gave kind of an on-the-record comment, essentially saying he doesn't seem to be in pain. He doesn't seem to be suffering in any distinct way.
He mentioned still wanting to make the trip. And of course, you know, the doctors will let him know if they had to cancel that trip or reduce the length of that trip. I would be really surprised. What we're kind of hearing in the internal commentary is the speed for this procedure is actually because he wants to make sure that trip can still happen. So the speed is not necessarily because there's urgency, oh, my gosh, this has to come out. What are we looking at here?
[00:25:06]
Instead it was, we should probably get this thing out and take a closer look. Let's do it sooner rather than push it to after the trip, just in case, and then give him ample time to recover so it can be wheels up November 6th. So that's kind of where my gut is with this, especially because he seemed rather chill in telling everybody about it on Sunday.
MICHAELSON: Well, we are glad to hear that. We of course wish him well in the day ahead. It's a big day for him and we appreciate all the insight from you.
Katie Prejean McGrady, staying up late for us. Thank you so much.
MCGRADY: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Spain's king and queen are set to begin a two-day visit to Ceuta on Tuesday. It will be the first visit by Spanish royals to the North African enclave in 12 years. That trip comes months after some 72,000 people crossed the border from Morocco there. At least 10,000 migrants remain in Ceuta.
More student-led demonstrations are expected across France on Tuesday. Students and teachers unions are calling for another round of strikes, demanding better conditions, more staff and additional resources for public schools. The planned protests come as French lawmakers begin debating the 2027 budget.
Still ahead this hour, an expensive error, a tight Senate race and a prominent figure stumping in Maine. Our reporter on the ground next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: You can call it a $25,000 mistake. A Republican group trying to boost U.S. Senator Susan Collins meant to run ads like this, attacking her opponent in Portland, Maine. But the ads actually ran in Portland, Oregon.
[00:31:25]
Collins is locked in a tight race with Troy Jackson, who is now calling in a top surrogate.
CNN's Arlette Saenz picks up the story from Maine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here in Maine, a Senate race is entering the final stretch, with Democrat Troy Jackson bringing in progressive reinforcements.
BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: If you want to hold Donald Trump and his disastrous policies accountable, the only way to do that is by electing a Democratic Senate. And this election here in Maine may well determine whether or not that happens.
SAENZ (voice-over): Senator Bernie Sanders is trying to boost turnout among Democratic voters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go, Troy.
SAENZ (voice-over): As the power of the progressive movement faces tests in battleground states like Maine and Michigan.
SANDERS: We have got to be more than anti-Trump. We've got to be pro- working class.
SAENZ (voice-over): Sanders initially was a strong backer of Graham Platner, whose populist message energized the Democratic base.
Platner's withdrawal from the race after an allegation of sexual assault, which he denied, forced Democrats to scramble to pick a replacement.
TROY JACKSON (D), MAINE SENATE NOMINEE: Working people have built this country, and working people ought to have a government that works for them.
SAENZ (voice-over): At the Fryeburg Fair, we spoke with Jennifer Messinger, an undecided voter who had supported Platner in the primary.
JENNIFER MESSINGER, UNDECIDED MAINE VOTER: For me, it's -- it's trying to weigh both sides, because there's a lot of vitriol right now on both sides.
SAENZ: What do you say to those Democrats who are very enthused about Graham Platner and might be disillusioned about the process right now?
JACKSON: It's about the issues that we care about, the issues that Graham fought for, that I'm fighting for.
It was a different messenger, absolutely. But -- but the things that, you know, they were drawn to are still right there in front of us, and we can do it.
SAENZ (voice-over): But the close contest between Jackson and Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is running for a sixth term, could be decided by moderate and independent voters.
SAENZ: What do you think about Bernie Sanders?
GARY SALAMACHA, INDEPENDENT MAINE VOTER: I think he's crazy. So probably not. He definitely wouldn't sway me to Troy Jackson.
SAENZ: Bernie Sanders will obviously rev up the base, but is there any worry that he could potentially alienate moderates and independents who you need to win this campaign?
JACKSON: I honestly -- I don't think so.
In Bernie's world, he tells you exactly what he's fighting for. I mean, you know, you don't have to play those games or anything like that. And, you know, he's going to do it unlike Senator Collins, who pontificates, goes back and forth. And -- and in the end, leaves you wanting more, big time.
SAENZ (voice-over): For many of the Democratic voters we spoke with, the mission of ousting Collins was their shared goal.
ELLEN BARRY, DEMOCRATIC MAINE VOTER: She really lost me at Kavanaugh. That was the -- the breaking point for me. And I'm really glad I broke when I did, because I don't think she deserves the vote.
SAENZ (voice-over): But Collins has proven resilient in the past, winning a tough reelection battle in 2020 by more than eight points, even as Donald Trump lost the state by a similar margin.
SAENZ: How excited are you to vote for Susan Collins?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eighty percent maybe. You know, not -- I just think she's the best of all the picks. She's still the best candidate.
SAENZ: After already debating twice, senator Susan Collins and Troy Jackson will face off for two additional debates this week.
And Maine is one of those states where Republicans are outspending Democrats on the airwaves. But there is one notable group that is not spending on behalf of Collins, and that is President Donald Trump's super PAC, after the president has expressed some frustrations with Collins votes in the past.
[00:35:16]
Arlette Saenz, CNN. Portland, Maine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Let's bring in -- let's bring in our political panel: Steven Olikara, former Democratic Senate candidate in Wisconsin, senior fellow for the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and founding CEO of Bridge Labs Entertainment; and Benjamin Sheehan is the host of the PBS series "Civics Made Easy." The new season debuts on Wednesday, by the way. He's also author of "What Does the Constitution Say?" and writer of the Substack "Politics Made Easy."
All you guys have, like, three jobs. Busy. Thanks for finding some time for us --
STEVEN OLIKARA, SENIOR FELLOW, USC SCHWARZENEGGER INSTITUTE: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: -- to be here. Congrats on your new season. And you were just renewed for a new season today. BENJAMIN SHEEHAN, HOST, PBS'S "CIVICS MADE EASY": We were.
MICHAELSON: That's very cool. So -- so let's talk about what we're seeing in Maine. Bernie Sanders, does he help or hurt?
OLIKARA: I think he helps because, first of all, Troy Jackson, he's up by about four points. But people have tried to write the obituary for Susan Collins many times, and she's overcome polling deficits even larger than that at this point in the race.
Even though Troy Jackson and Bernie Sanders both represent the progressive wings of the party, they approach the party itself differently.
So, Troy Jackson, he quite remarkably consolidated support of mainstream Democrats to become the nominee. Bernie is a movement outsider, insurgent kind of politician. And so, to build that kind of movement feel in Maine with populist voters, with nontraditional voters, with young voters, I think Bernie can help add that to the coalition for Troy Jackson.
MICHAELSON: How do you see the Maine race? I mean, Collins finds a way to win over and over again.
SHEEHAN: She does. But I do think the current circumstances, with people being worried about cost of living, is going to potentially overcome that.
You know, I don't think it's a surprise that the Republican Party is spending over $100 million on -- on this race. I mean, this is going to be a $200 million race in -- in Maine.
And you also look, looking at a candidate, Susan Collins, you know, she's running in a state that Kamala Harris won in 2024. And just with gas prices continuing to be over $4, I think that there's a real kind of anger at the establishment, and I think that's going to work out for -- for Troy.
MICHAELSON: We'll see what happens there. One state that President Trump won in 2024 is Kansas. And nobody at the beginning of the year would have thought that the Kansas Senate race would be up for grabs.
But the Democrats have a candidate there named Adam Hamilton. He is a pastor at the largest United Methodist Church in the country, and he's leaning in to sort of his religious background in arguing that the Democrats should actually be the choice for Christians. Here's what he told Manu Raju today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM HAMILTON (D), KANSAS SENATE CANDIDATE: I wake up every morning and say, here I am, Lord. Please use me to do whatever you want. Help me to pay attention. Help me care for people. That's my faith. I follow Jesus and I want to encourage others to do the same.
And I guess I would ask the question, do -- you know, do the policies of Vice President Vance and Donald Trump, do they reflect the Jesus of the gospels? And the answer is no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: A reminder that somebody like Abdul El-Sayed or Zohran Mamdani would have no chance in a place like Kansas. But Adam Hamilton apparently does.
SHEEHAN: Yes. Well, I mean, you do have the ballot measure that passed in Kansas, the abortion ballot measure. And you also have somebody who's a two-term Democratic governor in Kansas. So, there is a little bit of a -- an independent streak.
But I will say that, you know, it seems that, you know, obviously him being a pastor, but he seems to be pulling from the, you know, the Talarico playbook, of taking religion and taking the words of scripture and sort of turning it in a way to align with sort of Democratic policies and cost of living, you know, adjustments.
MICHAELSON: And nobody, of course, has been in the Senate from Kansas in, like, 100 years.
In Texas, it's been three decades or so. Let's talk about what's happening there with James Talarico.
So, there was this big conspiracy theory over the last week, if you were watching our competitors on a different cable channel or ever turned on X, you saw a tremendous thing of where is James Talarico?
And let's put up the headline from CNN today of "MAGA Watches Another Conspiracy Theory Blow Up in its Face."
There was this conspiracy theory that he had left the state of Texas, went to Ohio, checked into a mental health facility, and was gone for two weeks. There are so many things that are untrue about that. James Talarico on MS NOW responding tonight. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES TALARICO (D), TEXAS SENATE NOMINEE: I had the flu. This is the craziest thing I've ever heard. It's wild that someone can just post something on the Internet, and then the media just runs with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So, let's talk about how this happened. The CNN story lays it out this way: "Over a few days, it went from an admitted rumor; to some, like former Los Angeles GOP mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt claiming they had actual sources; to winks and nods from Talarico's GOP opponent Ken Paxton and President Donald Trump; to right-wing sites covering the still baseless claims; to some attempted independent journalism that has been repeatedly promoted by Elon Musk."
[00:40:15] So, it turns out that James Talarico says he's never been in Ohio. He provided "The New York Times" video of him being at his house this whole time.
OLIKARA: Yes.
MICHAELSON: The date that they said that he checked out of, he had already been on the campaign trail for a couple days. They kept saying that he had been gone for two weeks. It was only nine days.
I mean, everything they said was wrong, and yet, they said it from their chest. And millions of people listened to this. What the hell is going on with our society where something like this could become a thing? And it's certainly not the first time.
OLIKARA: Not the first. Not going to be the last. This is the insanity of the politics we live in right now, Elex.
And I think, for everyone at home who's wondering what is going on here, they have to realize that there's a relatively small number of influencers who are manufacturing these stories. And so, a lot of time we look at these stories and we say, oh, that's disinformation, misinformation.
There's an even more important story here, which is the influencers collect the check.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
OLIKARA: And everyone at home, you pay the price.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
OLIKARA: And so, everyone has to be very vigilant about what I call the division industrial complex that is profiting on these types of stories that make you outraged, that make you suspicious of other candidates.
Now, you know, Elex, I like to call balls and strikes. So, I'll also say the Talarico campaign let this void, I think, stay open too long. I think they could have done a little bit more to squash the hysteria going online.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
OLIKARA: But the real story here, the conflict entrepreneurs that we really have to get serious about.
MICHAELSON: I mean, he did do a -- a Zoom video where he said he had the flu and didn't sound great. But you're right, they could have done more in real time to -- to squash it.
But -- but the point that Steven brings up is a really important one, which is that the way that X.com works, and other sites like it, is you get more money for more engagement on your post, whether it's true or not. They say they have some guardrails to try to not give you money if stuff is not true, but clearly that doesn't work.
So, these guys who put out these posts are going to make big money on something that is not true. So, what is the accountability? Not only is there no accountability, there's a negative incentive structure going on right now.
SHEEHAN: The platforms themselves have to -- have to change what they incentivize.
Right now, they incentivize speed. So, it's not just, you know, the emotional reaction and the amount of people you reach, but how quickly are you getting to those people?
And the more you play into people's base emotions, outrage being the main one, is how things spread on social media.
And we're also talking about two different income streams with this. So, one is performance of the post, right? You can generate money on different -- on different platforms based on how many people see your post, how quickly it spreads.
But you also can get paid by PACs and organizations, you know, and don't have to disclose that necessarily at the federal level. In California, there's very strict laws about disclosure when you get paid for posting.
But, you know, this is a huge blind spot where, at the federal level, the FEC did not actually vote to say that you need to disclose it every time you get paid for a political post. It falls into this gray area that the FTC doesn't cover.
MICHAELSON: Right.
SHEEHAN: And so, you have these people talking about federal elections that don't have to disclose it.
MICHAELSON: And then Elon Musk, who's got one of the biggest PACs of all, owns the site and is juicing these stories. Right?
And so, for like, if a news organization like CNN put out a story in print, on TV that James Talarico was at a mental health institution, and we've got proof of it. And then it turns out that everything in it was wrong, provably wrong, there could be a lawsuit that could cost CNN a lot of money.
Just ask FOX News when you bring up the word "Dominion." That cost them almost $1 billion.
What is the accountability for these guys? Do you think that the Talarico campaign should sue them?
SHEEHAN: They can. But you know, the problem, when this happens so close to an election is that, even if you end up winning in court and you say you do get financial, you know, you get paid for damages, you still have to deal with the results of an election.
MICHAELSON: Right.
SHEEHAN: You can't go back and undo that. And so, this is the issue with, you know, things happening 30 days, 60 days out of an election, is that even if -- the damage could already be done.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And that -- that is a good point. And it's going to be fascinating to see what happens in this race.
Last word, real quick.
OLIKARA: There's just no accountability for these influencers online. And so, even though to your point, Ben, the electoral consequences are already baked in, I do think there needs to be some type of legal action.
And we're talking about this on the, you know, day after or the weekend after the social reckoning came out. This whole conversation about social media companies, the impact they have, and drawing people to hate groups and disinformation.
There clearly needs to be some real consumer protections here. Those few influencers, they're fine, but we are all paying the consequences of that.
MICHAELSON: Well, unfortunately, some of the people who are in charge with regulating that are the people that are benefiting from that.
[00:45:06]
OLIKARA: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: And that may be part of the reason they're not into regulating it.
You guys are coming back. There's more to discuss in the next hour. We'll see you then.
And we want to let people know, since James Talarico is back on the campaign trail, one of the things he's doing is he's going to be in a town hall with -- moderated by our colleague Erin Burnett, live from Texas. That's Wednesday at 8 p.m. Pacific, 5 p.m. Eastern, then repeated again in this time slot. That's happening Wednesday right here on CNN.
Still ahead, a months' long CNN investigation reveals demand from the U.S. is fueling a horrifying trade in the Philippines, where families subject their own children to livestreamed sexual abuse.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:50:33]
MICHAELSON: Welcome back. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
President Trump has kicked off a week of campaigning in Republican-led states with a raucous rally in Ohio. While stumping in Youngstown, the president rallied against -- railed against Somali and Haitian communities, while members of the crowd chanted "deport," trying to boost incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted, who was being challenged by former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
Hackers have turned up the heat at hundreds of supermarkets across France. A massive and unprecedented cyberattack sent refrigerator and freezer temperatures soaring as high as 122 Fahrenheit, sparking fires, and spoiling huge quantities of food.
Several major supermarket chains have been affected, with losses expected to reach tens of millions of euros.
Recordings of 911 calls show that emergency care for Christa Pike was delayed by about 30 minutes after her failed execution in Tennessee.
The Associated Press obtained records showing confusion among prison officials and first responders as they tried to figure out if a call for emergency help in the execution chamber was even legitimate.
In a months-long CNN investigation, American men are directing and paying for the livestreamed sexual abuse of children in the Philippines. Children who are often forced by their own mothers and aunts into producing content for profit.
The Philippines has become the global epicenter of this trade, with nearly half a million children exploited. A U.S. buyer sends millions over encrypted apps for images and live sessions involving victims as young as three years old.
This report contains graphic descriptions that some viewers may find disturbing. CNN's Hanako Montgomery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE, CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVOR: He told me that when he goes to the Philippines, he will bring one of his guns and -- and then put it inside me.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the fastest growing crimes online is livestreamed child sex abuse. The Philippines is a hotspot for this content. Up to half a million children a year are put in front of cameras, usually by people the kids trust most.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: That's my child. I don't use other children, sir.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): For Kate, who was 13 at the time, it was her adopted sister.
KATE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: Instead of thinking, why is she making me do this? I just kept thinking, if we don't do something at all, we won't be able to survive. MICHAELSON: Kate can't remember the number of men she had to perform
for, but a lot of them, she says, were American, exploiting families desperate for money.
JOHN TANAGHO, IJM CENTER TO END ONLINE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN: A lot of the perpetrators in the Philippines are women, are people in their 20s and 30s, and they're not sexually motivated. The only reason they're abusing a child and livestreaming it is because somebody in the U.S. is willing to pay for that abuse.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): For over a decade, the U.S. has been the No. 1 buyer of child sexual abuse materials from the Philippines, according to the country's anti-money laundering council.
This material was harder to find, traded largely in hidden corners of the dark web. But in recent years, sellers have moved to encrypted messaging apps like Telegram. Private channels let horrific abuse material fester unchecked, making it just a few clicks away.
We entered some of these groups.
MONTGOMERY: I mean, it's just video after video of naked girls in extremely compromised positions with their genitals out.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): We try reaching out to a few sellers, advertising content. Almost all got back to us within minutes.
MONTGOMERY: It's only taken us three exchanges with an anonymous user to be offered preteen child sexual abuse content. This is how easy it is for people to get this type of abuse of thousands and thousands of Filipino children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Hanako Montgomery reporting there for us.
Still to come in the next hour of THE STORY IS, CNN investigates how growing opposition to A.I. data centers is dividing communities across the U.S. and, in some cases, reaching a dangerous fever pitch. Kyung Lah with the investigation in our next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:59:32]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One flight attendant and one passenger that sustained some minor injuries. A bloody nose as well as some bite marks, as well.
And then one additional add-on. It sounds like the disruptive passenger also bashed her head on the bulkhead or something like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Air traffic controller audio there, detailing an incident on a Sunday flight from Los Angeles to New York.
The passenger described in that tape was later confirmed to be actress Selma Blair, who was taken into police custody. Just a few hours ago, she appeared in court and was charged with two counts of second-degree assault. Blair did not enter a plea.
