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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
U.S. Justice Department Appeals California Voter Case; U.S. Economy Is Top Concern For Midterm Voters; Milwaukee Brewers Face Off against Tampa Bay Rays; Interview with Bob Costas; Trump Accelerates Plans to Build Triumphal Arch; Authorities Ban Some Protests in Major Cities in France. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 23, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Reported in Wednesday evening, but that has not been confirmed. The storms swept through the state overnight into Thursday after severe weather prompted Arizona's first Tornado watch since 2010. And while the worst of the storm moving out, heavy rain has raised concerns about flash flooding in that state.
Thanks for watching the first hour of The Story Is. The next hour starts right now.
Great to have the election music. It's already started and we've -- with us for the next couple of weeks. I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles.
Coming up on The Story Is, voter roll investigation, why the Justice Department is gunning hard to get a case against California to an appeals court ahead of Election Day. The Story Is a stock market slide while investors are watching closely for new ripples in the economy. And The Story Is baseball's big event. We'll talk with broadcasting legend Bob Costas about what we can expect from the World Series, which begins in the day ahead.
But we start with politics. Trump administration making a new push to get thousands of ballots yanked from the California voter rolls during the midterm elections. The Justice Department has filed an emergency appeal even though a judge has already scheduled a hearing for next week. Without providing evidence, the DOJ has claimed that some 30 -- 20,000 voters in California may be non-citizens and wants to block state officials from counting their ballots. Legal experts call the case a long shot. But the U.S. attorney general is defending the lawsuit saying, quote, "We didn't pull names out of a hat."
And he denied allegations of election interference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD BLANCHE, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: It is not DOJ's intention to, and it's never our intention to improperly interfere with elections or the state confirmation process or certification process. But you know, to say that there's no circumstances that we would ever do that, of course I'm not going to say that. But my -- planning my days around the election to be somewhere to not certify, of course not. No, not at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, a federal judge is dialing back the U.S. statement Department of Homeland Security's efforts to investigate possible non-citizen voters in several states, including here in California. The judge says the data the department is relying on is, quote, "admittedly flawed and incomplete," adding that the public's right to safe elections free from intimidation far exceeds the Trump administration's interest in combating unlawful voting.
Let's bring back conservative commentator and op-ed writer Elisha Krauss and former Republican congressman and podcast host Joe Walsh. Welcome back.
Elisha, when it comes to this DOJ investigations, including here in California, is there meat on this bone?
ELISHA KRAUSS, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: I think there's meat on the bone. Simply because if there was no meat on the bone, then how come it's taken more than two years for the state of California to actually adhere to the DOJ's request and hand these over. We saw this -- a similar situation happen in the state of Nevada where it ended up that once Nevada handed over the -- or Nevada handed over the --
MICHAELSON: Nevada.
KRAUSS: -- the voter rules.
JOE WALSH, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Nevada.
KRAUSS: I don't know. Missouri, Missouri.
MICHAELSON: Nevada is how they say in Nevada.
KRAUSS: I don't know.
MICHAELSON: Everybody in Nevada calls it Nevada.
KRAUSS: I'm from Oklahoma. That --
MICHAELSON: All right.
KRAUSS: -- it's very easy to say.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KRAUSS: And the -- when they handed over the voter rolls, they were able to kind of pare it down pare it, down pare it down, and what the DOJ originally thought had been over, I think, 30,000 votes there, went down to a couple thousand votes. I would argue that I don't want a couple of thousand people, I don't want a single person that shouldn't be voting, able to vote. And I think if the state has nothing to hide, then they should collaborate, much like they should if, I don't know, they arrest an illegal immigrant for something and he's in state prison for a little bit instead of just releasing him and not informing ICE because of their sanctuary state or a sanctuary city. We should also maybe let the people know that we should get the bad guys out and deport them. This, to me, is a similar argument.
WALSH: Without providing any evidence, the DOJ. Look, let's just cut to the chase. This president is trying to sabotage another American election. And we're talking about --
KRAUSS: It's 20,000 votes in a two in one Democratic state --
WALSH: We're talking about -- we're talking about --
KRAUSS: -- is not going to jeopardize this election.
WALSH: -- the only president in American history who lost and refused to accept the result and then tried to overthrow an election. This notion of non-citizens voting in America's elections. The Heritage Foundation, not a liberal joint. Again, going back 40 years, billions and billions of votes cast. You can count a handful of non-citizens who voted.
They went after Nevada, they've gone after a lot of states. Non- citizens are not voting in this country. But this is the fear that Trump is trying to create.
MICHAELSON: And you know, meanwhile, the voting continues.
WALSH: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Some 20 million people have already voted around the country, many of them here in California. Hakeem Jeffries, who wants to be the speaker of the House, is here in California tonight campaigning with California congressional candidates. Here's some video of him with Derek Tran, somebody who was in one of the closest congressional races last time around, probably isn't going to be as close this time around because California redistricted and gerrymandered to help the Democrats after Republicans redistricted to help Republicans in Texas. You see Hakeem Jeffries there.
[01:05:18]
Earlier, Hakeem Jeffries was in San Diego where he sat down with CNN's Manu Raju. Here's some of their conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: You have to assume, as we've done from the very beginning, that Republicans are going to try to come up with any diabolical scheme to prevent November 3rd from being a free and fair election.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What do you mean by that?
JEFFRIES: Well, we've been planning from the very beginning to push back against all of the voter suppression efforts that they've tried to jam down the throats of the American people. Now, up until this point, we've successfully stopped their scheming.
RAJU: But are you saying that's the only way they can hold on to power?
JEFFRIES: I've said that from the very beginning that they -- listen, they failed the American people. Donald Trump and Republicans aren't running on issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Do you agree with that?
KRAUSS: I mean, if that was the plan, why wouldn't they do it in a state where they have more registered Republicans on the voter rolls and there's a tighter margin of error in, you know, a poll? Like, why wouldn't they do that somewhere in like --
MICHAELSON: Well, he would say -- they would say --
KRAUSS: -- Alabama or Mississippi.
MICHAELSON: -- that they were not --
KRAUSS: Once again, there are more non, what is it, no party affiliation registered voters in the state of California than there are registered Republicans. Democrats outnumbered me two to one in this state. I just wish that the California, you know, voter rolls would, or the secretary of state would just be honest about it and be like, here you go. Because as the DOJ said, they're not going to not solidify the election. But they're -- these names came from somewhere.
Maybe they're illegal immigrants, maybe they're felons. Like, let's just get to the bottom of this.
WALSH: Here's the context. All of us sitting here, everybody listening right now knows that no matter what happens in two weeks, Donald Trump will not accept the results of this election. I mean, think about that.
KRAUSS: Even if he wins?
WALSH: Maybe.
KRAUSS: Even if he wins?
WALSH: Maybe if it was -- maybe.
KRAUSS: Even if it's -- even if it's tighter.
WALSH: So, let me -- let me tighten that a little bit.
MICHAELSON: I mean, I guess he did in 2018 when he lost the House. And that was a -- that was an embarrassing loss for him. WALSH: He's all -- yes, he's already signaled he's not going to accept the results of this election. I mean, think about what that does to a nation. Think about what that tells his voters.
KRAUSS: But you don't think that the potential, like that guy right there, Hakeem Jeffries, is probably going to be the speaker of the House, and you don't think him saying all Republicans are just trying to steal the election. All Republicans are trying to disrupt the system. All Republicans are being dishonest and unfair. I mean, that is something for him to say. So if you're going to call out Donald Trump for doing it, you need to call it out the other side --
WALSH: That's too far. I'd say one Republican, leader of the Republican Party is trying to sabotage the election. I don't know about all the other Republicans, but the president is trying to sabotage the election.
KRAUSS: I don't think so. I disagree completely.
MICHAELSON: Well, and while all that's happening, there is so much money being poured into politics. I want to put up on the screen some of the billionaire spending that we know of so far. Look at this. Elon Musk, at least $445 million. Michael Bloomberg, at least $80 million. Mark Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, at least 50 million. Sergey Brin, at least 100 million.
And that's just to try to stop the tax on billionaires here in California that would impact him.
KRAUSS: George Soros was 102 million.
MICHAELSON: Yes, I mean, exactly. The --
KRAUSS: Over. I think 100 million of it is Democrats support into the Talarico-Paxton race in Texas. I mean, this --
MICHAELSON: And Elon Musk has spent huge here.
KRAUSS: Yes.
MICHAELSON: But this concept, though, it just -- does it not feel a little obscene that the money in politics --
WALSH: But and we will agree on this as two conservatives, what's your answer? I mean, can a private individual contribute as much as he wants to try to win --
KRAUSS: Absolutely.
WALSH: -- a race. And I agree as well. So everybody --
MICHAELSON: Should there be -- there should be no campaign finance limits?
KRAUSS: I actually think that there should. And I gave this answer to a liberal student at Berkeley a couple weeks ago. I said, as long as it is totally transparent, I think George Soros, Michael Bloomberg, Elon Musk --
WALSH: Oh God, yes.
KRAUSS: -- and Mitt Romney should be able to donate as much as they want. I actually think our problem is the PAC system where you have all of these PACs and these Super PACs that, you know, create --
WALSH: That are not transparent. And these Super PACs came into existence because we limited what people can give to candidates. You cannot keep money out of politics. You're right, just make it open and transparent, period.
MICHAELSON: But -- so then --
WALSH: Oh, my God, unity. Unity.
MICHAELSON: But I mean, is there -- but there's no value in having -- because basically that just means that a billionaire has a lot more voice and more power than everybody else, right --
WALSH: No.
MICHAELSON: -- into that system?
WALSH: No, what -- but what are you going to do?
MICHAELSON: I mean --
WALSH: What is the answer? You can't get money out of politics. And I don't think you --
MICHAELSON: I mean, one of the answers they would say, some would say on the left is public financing of campaigns.
KRAUSS: Oh, God, no.
MICHAELSON: And that -- and that --
WALSH: God, no.
MICHAELSON: -- and that would give --
WALSH: God, no.
MICHAELSON: -- people an opportunity and did not have to give --
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KRAUSS: And kudos to the candidate -- and kudos to the candidates, I think Curtis Sliwa was one of them, a friend of this show and a friend of ours, that ran for mayor of New York City, that was like, I'm not going to do that. I think other people have said, like, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to take -- that's -- do -- that's not even soft socialism. That's hardcore socialism with now the --
WALSH: I wouldn't say wealthy at all. As a member of Congress, I had to call constantly on the phone to try to raise money, whereas individually wealthy people didn't have to do that. Get rid of limits and just give me transparency.
KRAUSS: Especially when it comes to social media, especially CCP, and I would argue even Russian infiltrated and controlled social media. We've had this conversation before that there are limitations on what people can and cannot do in ads. You have to have a candidate that's like, I'm Elisha Krauss and I approve this message.
Not when it's a PAC ad or not when it's a TikTok influencer that's paid $100,000 by a Democratic gubernatorial candidate here in California.
WALSH: Elex, look what you've done. You've created an alliance here. Look what you've done.
MICHAELSON: Well, both you guys sort of started in the same petition. It's just that Donald Trump drew the red. So you're red -- would you come back to the Republican Party post-Trump?
WALSH: Oh, God, no. Because I don't think the Republican Party will ever change. I think it's a MAGA party for good.
MICHAELSON: For good.
WALSH: For good. I'm Tea Party. MAGA is the antithesis in the Tea Party.
KRAUSS: I completely disagree. I actually think the Tea Party was the beginning of the MAGA movement, and we should definitely be grateful to that.
WALSH: All right. The alliance is broken. The alliance has been broken, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
KRAUSS: And I think that -- and I think that there are still core principles of our party that have not changed. The Democrats really are the ones that have an issue coming up with this DSA infiltration. And I don't think Hakeem Jeffries, if he was here, I'd say the same thing to his face, can get them together like Queen Nancy could.
MICHAELSON: When Anthony Scaramucci was with us last week, he said that the Tea Party in Occupy Wall Street had a baby and it was called MAGA. That was his --
KRAUSS: Oh.
WALSH: No.
MICHAELSON: That was his -- that was his --
WALSH: Gosh, no.
MICHAELSON: But, yes, it would be fun to have him on a panel with the two of you.
Elisha, Joe, thanks so much for coming in --
WALSH: Thank you so much. Thank you.
MICHAELSON: -- and for sharing your perspective.
Republicans increasingly anxious about losing in a landslide in the midterms. They're now buying up ads in one of their strongholds. We're not talking about Texas or Ohio, although they're certainly spending money there. It is -- we're talking about reliably read Mississippi, where the Republican incumbent for U.S. senate, Cindy Hyde-Smith, is facing a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat Scott Colom. Republicans say they don't really believe they'll lose Mississippi, but this ad spent by a super PAC would have been pretty unthinkable not long ago.
Meanwhile, the former Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, campaigned there just hours ago in Mississippi, making several stops with Colom. Democrats clearly believe that Mississippi's Senate seat is in play, or at least they want to create the impression that it is. Announcing they'll spend about a million dollars on ads for the race, which is not crazy amount of money, but says something. President Trump set to campaign in Mississippi next week. He discussed the race with reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I need to, you know, I want Mississippi as like I did just about everything else in a landslide. So if I need to get her over the top, I would go there. She's great. Cindy Hyde-Smith is great.
So if I need to go, I mean, I'm pretty well booked up, as you see. But if I need to go, I go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So maybe he's going to go to Mississippi.
Now the growing backlash over that incendiary ad from Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign in Ohio. That touches on some very sensitive issues. The spot has been slammed far and wide, even by Ohio's Republican governor. CNN's Lauren Fox picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MARTINEZ, DEMOCRATIC OHIO VOTER: Like, why? Why? And I don't know what his angle was. Like, did -- who -- is that speaking to anyone?
DONNA ARTHUR, AMY ACTON'S ESTRANGED MOTHER: She is a liar.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A brutal political ad from gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is dividing the Republican Party and voters in Ohio. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, with what I know, I would probably lean toward Acton.
FOX: Do you think that ad might backfire for Ramaswamy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the ad is definitely going to backfire, particularly with women. I think there's going to be some problems for Vivek and also potentially the Republican Party across the board.
FOX (voice-over): Even in an era of hyper partisanship, the ad featuring Acton's estranged mother calling her a liar has struck a nerve.
BILL HAWAL, DEMOCRATIC OHIO VOTER: I couldn't believe it. And the fact that he hasn't disowned it is beyond my comprehension, really is. It's the ugliest thing I've seen in pretty much my lifetime.
KARI FREUDENBERGER, SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, SOCIAL WORKER & UNDECIDED OHIO VOTER: It's heinous and horrible. And I just, I think, I don't care if Ramaswamy's policies are the best. That shows just a judgment of character that I don't want to see anymore.
FOX (voice-over): Acton's mother lost custody of her and her brother when she was just 12 years old and her stepfather was indicted by a grand jury of sexually abusing her.
DR. AMY ACTON, (D) OHIO GOV. CANDIDATE: I had a childhood of extreme physical abuse and sexual abuse as a kid. My brother and I frequent fliers and children's services finally removed after a grand jury saw evidence that was so, so shocking that we were removed from my mother's custody.
[01:15:19]
FOX (voice-over): The ad comes as voters here say they want their leaders more focused on the economy and less on personal attacks.
KATHY BROWN, INDEPENDENT OHIO VOTER: Talk about the plans you have to make grocery costs go down, to make gas prices go down, to do something about the tariffs and how they're charging us more money at the grocery store. Don't talk about people's parents.
FOX (voice-over): One Republican operative told CNN that Republican officials in the state are furious at Ramaswamy for airing it at a moment when the party is trying desperately to guard against a Democratic comeback in November.
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): The ad on its face, is deeply, deeply troubling. But when you know the rest of the story, when you know the back story, it makes it just more wrong.
FOX (voice-over): Governor DeWine is a Republican who is sticking with Ramaswamy despite hating the ad. Acton holds a six point lead over her Republican rival, according to the CNN poll of polls in Ohio. Republicans in the state probably couldn't be more pissed at him, the source told CNN. President Trump sees it differently.
TRUMP: I don't know what it is, but I guess the mother said very bad things about the one who's running for governor. And I think you have to take that seriously.
FOX (voice-over): That message may be resonating with some Republican voters.
SHERI VORHERR, REPUBLICAN OHIO VOTER: I don't think it reflects well on Amy Acton, but I also don't think it reflects well on her mother. It's a messy situation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Yes, it is. Lauren Fox with that reporting for us.
Still ahead on The Story Is, the price of oil rises, stocks take a plunge. Check the numbers from Wall Street as the Nasdaq posts its worst day in months. What does it mean for you and your money? Ryan Patel breaks it down live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:21:34]
MICHAELSON: Let's talk about your money. A rough day on Wall Street as rising oil prices and worries about the longevity of the AI boom rattle investors. Tech stocks down with Meta shares losing 7 percent on an earnings report that forecasted hundreds of billions of dollars in AI spending that led the Nasdaq to post its worst day in four months, dropping 2.6 percent.
S&P 500 snapped a three day winning streak to close down 1.6 -- 1.2 percent. Good news though, for prospective homebuyers, the cost of that loan just got a little cheaper after eight straight weeks of increases. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 7.32 percent this week, which is down from 7.4 percent last week. It marks the biggest one week drop in more than six months. President Trump signed an executive order that the White House says will make homeownership more affordable for all Americans.
It instructs several government backed mortgage providers to reduce their rates on single family home loans. And it orders government agencies to automatically cancel mortgage insurance premiums for eligible borrowers once they build enough equity in their homes.
Joining me now, Ryan Patel, senior fellow in the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Welcome back to The Story Is.
So we got the election look, we got the special music, we're in midterm mode, right? James Carville famously said "it's the economy, stupid," back in 1992. And every poll indicates that the economy is still issue number one for 2026. Everybody's trying to spin the economy. So give it to us straight, what is the state of the economy as we -- as we approach the midterms? RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: Well, I can't spin it to anybody else except for it feels at what are you -- how do you feel at the kitchen table?
MICHAELSON: Yes.
PATEL: We can -- we can talk about the GDP, you could talk about the economy is growing. The market had a bad day, but market's been pretty strong. And the low unemployment rate, that -- that's true. What is also true is that what you're spending in costs are much higher than ever before.
MICHAELSON: Right.
PATEL: Just because inflation comes down a little bit doesn't mean the cost comes down. The rising of the costs, we've seen the cumulative piece of cost of living continue to be there. I think there is the disconnect that I think this election or the midterms that are coming is not addressing versus just the higher numbers that you're mentioning.
MICHAELSON: Right. When you go to the gas pump, when you go to the store, activities that people do every single day whether they're voting or they're not voting. You -- we just talked about mortgage rates down a bit, this President Trump executive order on housing. Is it going to help? What's it -- what's it do?
PATEL: I mean I think when you look at it -- it's making progress, right, of if you think about overall plan to getting people to get into homes. But there's two things that it doesn't fix -- well, nothing fix the affordability of homes. So think about being a first time homebuyer. Just because mortgage rates come down, you still got to pay a down payment, still got to pay insurance, you still can't afford a new home just because your mortgage drops, right? And so that doesn't solve that unless you have more new housing that is more affordable in the overall plan.
So what does that mean? That means it's still a slow progress to even getting to solving the solution for people to get to new homes and they're just going to sit on the sideline.
MICHAELSON: So we saw the headline, first time unemployment claims at a three-year -- three-month low. Is that good news or does that actually bad news because it means that people aren't looking for jobs?
PATEL: It's the latter. People are not wanting to look. I mean, there's two parts. I think, one is people who have jobs, really hard for them to go look for jobs. Companies have done layoffs, but they're not a -- they're not haven't done too big of a layoffs, but they haven't aggressively looked to hire.
[01:25:12]
So when they're not aggressively look to hire, people are looking for jobs, it's very competitive to doing it. So it is very discouraging for the person who's looking for a job to find the right fit where companies are being really tight with who they're hiring. So it becomes really, and I say, dysfunctional at that moment but people feel disingenuous about going -- getting a job.
MICHAELSON: So Wall Street is all about betting, really, right? You're predicting stuff based off of learning what's likely going to happen. Where's Wall Street putting their money in terms of the midterms? What's the talk behind the scenes in terms of how things are going to go?
PATEL: I think there's a couple of things. I think one, they're betting on the consumer or they're looking at the consumer. Is the consumer going to spend or not going into fourth quarter, you know, holiday spending, and based on what we've seen with oil prices and just in general, I don't think that they're really looking at that too. I think the policy uncertainty is the second thing to see what they're trying to see what they can put their money in to.
MICHAELSON: But I mean, are they expecting that the Democrats are going to hold the House and what that means for them or take the House, I should say.
PATEL: Yes, I don't think that they're putting that on there. I don't think they're going to be reactive to what happens. I don't think they're betting to say, hey, that's going to change the -- change how they're going to look strategy wise and how they're going to growth plans. I think they've taken the playbook out for the past few elections and not to try to jump ahead and see what they can do.
MICHAELSON: Interesting. Ryan Patel, always great to see you. Thanks so much for coming in.
Now to a new warning from the World Health Organization. The agency is calling for vigilance as the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading. New cases have been reported in Kenya and Nigeria. Officials say multiple patients traveled from the DRC and transited through Uganda before arriving in other countries. In the DRC, the virus has spread to an eighth province with more than 9,000 confirmed cases and at least 4,000 deaths as of Tuesday.
World Health officials are calling for fact stirred case detection, contact tracing and stronger surveillance at borders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MOHAMED JANABI, WHO REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR AFRICA: I strongly believe no country is safe until every country is prepared, so our focus now must be on rapid response and regional solidarity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Security camera footage captured the moments an earthquake struck. Look at this. This was happening in southwest China with people running to evacuate. The USGS says the magnitude 7 quake struck the Tibet region around 10:30 p.m. local time. State media reports 16 people are dead, 46 people injured. That quake is the strongest to hit China since January of 2024.
Up next on The Story Is, we continue our conversation with the legendary sportscaster Bob Costas to talk about his career with NBC Sports and the World Series. Plus, what's going to happen at the end of the year? Is baseball going to be locked out? Are we going to have baseball next season? Bob Costas with his inside sources next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:32:38]
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: What is it going to be like in this city if you guys are able to do this?
CHRISTIAN YELICH, MILWAUKEE BREWERS: Electric? I mean, it's a -- it's been an amazing -- it's been an amazing week. And, you know, just seeing how excited everybody is. So, were looking forward to it.
SCHOLES: What would it mean if you guys were able to be the group to bring Tampa their first ever World Series title?
CEDRIC MULLINS, TAMPA BAY RAYS: It'd be huge. you know, it'd be a first World Series for essentially all of us. And to cap it off with the guys that, you know, being put together and battled out an entire season, both ups and downs along the way, I think it would feel very special.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Andy Scholes there in Milwaukee coming to -- talking to some of the stars of this year's World Series. Final preparations are underway for game one in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the day ahead, the Milwaukee Brewers will host the Tampa Bay Rays from two of baseballs smaller markets.
Neither franchise has ever won a World Series before, and neither is anywhere close to the top in terms of payroll in baseball.
Look at this. Payroll in baseball at $345 million. They didn't even make the playoffs. The Dodgers who won the last two World Series are number two with a $338 million payroll. And they were swept by the Brewers, who have baseball's 19th largest payroll at $143 million. The Tampa Bay Rays have among the lowest payrolls in baseball at $98 million.
Joining me once again from New York is Bob Costas, the recipient of 29 Emmys who has broadcasted multiple World Series for NBC Sports.
Bob, welcome back to THE STORY IS.
BOB COSTAS, SPORTS BROADCASTER: Hi again, Elex.
MICHAELSON: So despite the salary difference, which is quite a difference, how did these two teams make it? What is it about their play where they end up as the final two? COSTAS: Well, you start out organizationally. They know that they have
relatively limited resources and so they have to be resourceful in how they use their funds and in what players they scout, the players they trade for, the players they bring up through their organization.
[01:34:45]
COSTAS: They have very good people within, the people that besides the manager and the general manager, some of the coaches.
For example, Tampa, just a good example. Freddy Peralta will pitch, I guess, game two of the World Series on Saturday. Former Milwaukee Brewers, traded from Milwaukee because they felt they couldn't keep him in free agency.
And they have to do that very often. Try and get whatever you can in return, because we won't be able to sign this guy when his salary goes way up. Goes to the Mets, who are loaded with money. But the Mets are going nowhere and Peralta was having a terrible season.
He winds up being traded to the Rays, and almost immediately he turns it completely around. His ERA falls like three runs in the second half of the season. Somebody within that organization spotted a flaw in his delivery or his pitch sequencing or something and fixed it. So Tampa has a reputation for doing that.
Both of these teams, the Rays and the Brewers, play smart baseball. They're very good defensively. They take the extra base, they steal a base. These teams are one-two in singles. They hit the most singles of any of the 30 teams in the major leagues.
These teams maximize whatever they have. Plus they have excellent managers. Kevin Cash has been in Tampa a long time. Pat Murphy has done a wonderful job. They've both been manager of the year on multiple occasions, and they hold their players accountable.
You screw up, you make a bad baserunning play likely to be taken out of the game, or certainly be given a stern talking to no matter what your salary is. There's accountability on these teams because they know their margin for error is much smaller and they have maximized everything they have going for them this year.
And it isn't just in the postseason. The Rays led the American League with 98 wins, and the Brewers led all of baseball and therefore the National League with 103 wins. These are the two best teams during the regular season. And now they've made it all the way through to the World Series.
MICHAELSON: Let's break down what's happening in baseball right now. Baseball's collective bargaining agreement is set to expire between the players and the owners in December. For folks that aren't baseball experts like you, what does that mean and why does that matter?
COSTAS: Well, the owners are almost certain to impose a lockout. They've done it before. That will put a freeze on any free agent signings or trades or anything else. Everything holds in place and then the hardcore negotiations begin.
Now the owners have proposed for the first time, not just a salary cap, but a salary floor, which would bring some of the lowest spending teams up.
There's a long-standing feeling, and this wouldn't be an indictment of teams like the Rays or the Brewers, but that some markets pocket revenue sharing from the larger teams, rather than putting it into their team on the field.
And so a salary floor would force them to have a payroll, at least that met a minimum. And the owners have also proposed that as revenues go up, then both the cap and the floor would go up.
And they propose a number of other things that we won't get too deep into the weeds on here, but they're designed to appeal, not so much to the superstar players who make the huge salaries, but to the rank-and- file increasing minimum salaries, lowering from six years, maybe to five, the eligibility for free agency.
Cutting the season from 162 to 154 games, which would guarantee almost every team at least one off-day a week. It can get kind of grueling to play 162 and other -- other tweaks that should appeal to the rank-and- file.
The question is, will the players association buy any of that if it comes attached to a salary cap, which for them has always been an uncrossable line in one form or another.
Basketball, football, hockey all have salary caps of one kind or another. But baseball is the holdout, and it's always been almost a holy war issue for them.
MICHAELSON: Let's end on two quick predictions, if you will. From all of your sources, does baseball start on time next year?
COSTAS: It's possible, but I certainly wouldn't bet the farm on it. It's very likely, considering how dug in both sides appear to be, that at least you lose some spring training games, and quite possibly the beginning part of the season.
The owners have shown their willingness to do that before. The strike, it was a strike in this case, that blew out the end of the 1994 season. With it, the World Series carried over into 1995 until a court order forced the players back on to the field and forced the owners to go back to the previously existing collective bargaining agreement.
So all of that was for nothing. All the games they lost in the World Series was for nothing. But they showed their willingness once they dug their heels in, we're in this for the long haul.
And so it's possible that the owners will say, hey, we're here. When you decide to come to us, then we'll play baseball.
And in terms of baseball's revenues, its back loaded, especially media wise to the playoffs and to the World Series. [01:39:45]
COSTAS: So if you said to the owners to get the deal, you want -- salary cap, salary floor and some other considerations -- you lose half a season.
Well, in COVID, they only played a 60-game season and they played a World Series.
MICHAELSON: Right.
COSTAS: Would they be willing to do that in order to get the kind of deal they want? History tells us they would be.
MICHAELSON: And in last question -- Brewers, Rays -- who you got, who wins the World Series?
COSTAS: You know, I'm loath to make predictions, especially in baseball short series. Almost anything can happen. The Brewers have been the best team in baseball throughout the season, but the Rays are also on a heater right now.
I think it's a toss-up. The Brewers have four games out of seven. If it goes the distance at home by that narrowest of margins. And in honor of my close friend Bob Uecker, I will go with the Brewers.
You know that Pat Murphy, their deeply likable manager, reads a message, a supposed letter from heaven from Bob Uecker after each of their victories, clinched the pennant, clinched the division series win the LCS.
I have a letter here from Youk, and he reads it in the clubhouse with all the champagne spraying around. So if they win the World Series, Youk will be heard from.
MICHAELSON: Well, in honor of him, I guess Go Brewers. And Bob Costas, thank you so much.
COSTAS: Somebody should say Joe Davis or somebody calling the game on Fox. If there's a wild pitch, he should just in honor of Youk and Milwaukee, say it was just a bit outside.
MICHAELSON: There we go. Thank you Bob. Great to see you.
COSTAS: Thank you Elex.
MICHAELSON: Enjoy the World Series, which starts --
COSTAS: I will.
MICHAELSON: -- in the day ahead.
Costas, how cool is that?
All right. This is a live picture from our studio here in Burbank.
For our international viewers, thank you so much for watching THE STORY IS. "WORLD SPORT" is next.
And for our viewers in North America, an update on President Trump and his arch in Washington.
Stay with us.
[01:41:44]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: President Trump is speeding up plans to build his towering triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., despite opposition. The Justice Department says construction could begin in just two weeks.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has more from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the arch is going to be incredible.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Despite legal challenges and fierce resistance, President Trump is expediting plans to get his long-desired 250-foot Triumphal Arch built while he's still in the White House.
TRUMP: And I want to see if I can get it built before we leave.
SERFATY: In a new court filing, the Trump administration is now announcing they will commence construction in just two weeks, as early as November 5th.
November 5th is when the arch will likely pass the final regulatory hurdle at the National Capital Planning Commission.
After the administration streamlined the process by abruptly cutting off a historical preservation review that's required under law.
CROWD: No arch. No arch. No arch.
SERFATY: The immediacy of breaking ground, potentially on that very same day, is despite the legal limbo that the project remains in.
CROWD: Veterans over vanity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop arch insanity.
SERFATY: With two separate lawsuits, including a high-profile one brought by a group of preservationists and veterans.
JOHN GUNDERSON, U.S. ARMY VIETNAM WAR VETERAN, PLAINTIFF IN LAWSUIT: It's a little ironic that a man who gets out of service for foreign altars should build a gargantuan arch, blocking the view of all these iconic memorials.
SERFATY: Today, the plaintiffs in that case responded to the building plans, filing a preliminary injunction to stop the administration from taking any steps to construct or to direct or facilitate construction of any structure in Memorial Circle while the lawsuit plays out.
TRUMP: I think it's going to be fantastic --
SERFATY: The arch has become a key part of the President's quest to remake Washington in his name and style as part of his legacy in office.
TRUMP: A totally magnificent, triumphal arch to honor the 250-year triumph of the American spirit, American military, and, frankly, American competence.
SERFATY: Intended to be the tallest arch in the world.
TRUMP: The most beautiful one is the one in Paris, the Arc de Triomphe. It's beautiful, big. Ours is going to be bigger and more beautiful.
SERFATY: Last month, the President debuted a new justification for building the arch.
TRUMP: It's going to be great. And it's got a military component. Everything has a military component nowadays.
SERFATY: Claiming it will become a top-grade military complex for drones, snipers, and ammunition storage.
However, the plans revealed this month did not include any military infrastructure at all.
And time really played into this, sources tell me. Last month there was a private call of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. On that call, the agency revealed that any plans for a military complex would be separate and reviewed separate entirely from the plans for the arch.
Because this dual track would provide them the opportunity to not have to go and re-review and re-approve plans for the arch as it has slowly been making its way through the approval process for the better part of this year.
A look at the arch as a military complex, sources tell, me that it would have to come straight from the Pentagon, and as of last month, nothing had been submitted yet.
Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Sunlen, thank you.
To France now, where authorities have temporarily banned some protests in major cities as they brace for mass demonstrations expected on Saturday.
Parts of Paris and other cities are under curfew following some of the worst rioting in years.
France's interior ministry says more than 2,700 people have been detained since last Saturday, and French courts have convicted and sentenced 217 people to prison.
Meanwhile, a student-led protest group marched peacefully through Paris Thursday after a court suspended a police ban on their demonstration.
France's main student union is calling for more protests on Saturday and one of the country's largest trade unions says it plans to join.
[01:49:50]
MICHAELSON: After meeting with his security council, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that only protests affiliated with a trade union would be allowed to proceed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Any requests to demonstrate or gather, especially those made by individuals or groups lacking the legitimacy to do so, will be prohibited by the prefects.
Now is not the time. Our priority is a return to calm. Everywhere, trade unions may submit requests to hold demonstrations. These will be reviewed by the prefects in accordance with the law.
However, alternative routes will be proposed to protect our city centers, specifically our businesses and public buildings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Coming up on THE STORY IS, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy appears to be trying to repair his strained relationship with President Trump. Details ahead.
[01:50:41]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Let's take a look at today's top stories that we're following for the day ahead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his differences with President Trump are not personal. Zelensky made the comments in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, following their public falling out.
He also said he believes that Moscow does not want peace and warned that easing sanctions on Russia would only strengthen Vladimir Putin.
The State Department of the United States is warning Americans to be aware of potential attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia. Non-essential embassy staff have also been ordered out of the Saudi capital. Iran- backed Houthis have launched a series of deadly strikes on the Riyadh International Airport in recent days.
The latest fundraising and spending reports by candidates in the U.S. midterm elections show warning signs in two key states.
In Republican-led Mississippi, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, has raised more than three times as much as the Republican incumbent in the first two weeks of October.
And in Minnesota, normally a blue state, the Republican senate nominee outraised her Democratic rival by $1.5 million.
Thanks so much for watching THE STORY IS. What a busy night we've had here.
Tomorrow, Steve Hilton, Republican candidate for governor of California, will be live with us. Plus, our panel, Melanie Mason and Brian Curtis.
I'll also see you tomorrow on "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash. In addition to being here tomorrow night. Have a good one.
[01:56:26]
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