Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
Taylor Swift Now Owns Her Entire Music Catalog; Transgender Debate Hangs Over California State Track and Field Finals; Faizan Zaki Wins 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired May 30, 2025 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:30:00]
JEM ASWAD, EXECUTIVE MUSIC EDITOR, VARIETY: ... that it ended up being a win for her and now it's really a win, but it was a long way to get there.
SANCHEZ: Yes, it says a lot about her and the support of us, her fan base, supporting her version of these re-recordings. You know, we've all been eagerly anticipating the release of the Reputation re- recording. She says it's the one album that she thought could not be improved upon by redoing it.
She also says it was very specific to this time in her life. She felt like she was hitting a stopping point when she tried to remake it.
Tell us about that time in her life and what Reputation means to us Swifties.
ASWAD: Well, that was the album she made after the 1989 album, which personally I would argue is the one that couldn't be improved upon. That was the album that really fully took her out of being a country artist and made her into the mainstream pop juggernaut that she is today.
So Reputation had a lot of -- a lot of her emotions around that in it, you know, because like whenever somebody gets that popular, there's a lot of criticism and a lot of unfair online hate and things like that.
So when you saw certain things in the imagery of Reputation, like the snake, you know, like she felt betrayed by some people and look what you made me do and things like that. That's probably a big statement from her in that sense.
Now, in terms of what she said, because everybody's been expecting the Reputation, Taylor's version of the album any minute, and she's sort of backpedaled a little bit.
She's like, yes, you know, because that album and her debut album are the only ones she hasn't done newer versions of. She's like, yes, their day will come. But knowing Taylor, she is an absolute master at knowing how much to give, how much to hold back.
She may just be building anticipation for it, and as one of my colleagues said today, look out for it in the fall. She'll be like, because you demanded it and wanted it so much, here it is. So, you know, we wouldn't be surprised if that happened.
KEILAR: Boris does want it.
SANCHEZ: I'm demanding it. I'm demanding it. Jem Aswad, thanks so much for walking us through that.
ASWAD: Thank you.
KEILAR: You're such a Swiftie. I'm so glad you're fully converted.
SANCHEZ: I'm just trying to not get yelled at on the internet. That's what it is. All right.
Serious news ahead. Still to come, high school athletes are back on the track after new rules for the California State Championships as a transgender athlete competes for a state title. An important story coming up just minutes away.
[15:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: So the World Boxing Organization just announced it will mandate genetic sex testing of all competitors.
The group says it's part of a new policy to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes and designed to ensure, quote, the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field.
World Boxing also sent a letter to the Algerian Boxing Federation stating that Olympic gold medalist Iman Khalif must undergo a genetic sex screening if she wants to compete in the female category at an event next month in the Netherlands or any other competition that it sanctions.
The uproar over transgender athletes competing in girls youth sports is clouding the weekend state track and field championships in California. Protesters there are expected to rally against A.B. Hernandez, a transgender high school student who will compete after winning the girls long jump and triple jump. Her advance to the championship meet and the public backlash that it's prompted has led state high school sports officials to change the rules. They will now allow additional athletes to qualify for the state meet if they'd been bumped out of a spot by a transgender girl.
The controversy even led President Donald Trump to threaten to withhold federal funding from California for allowing her to compete.
Let's take you now live to Clovis, California, where the meet is set to take place with CNN's Julia Vargas. So, Julia, what can we expect from today's competition?
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, it's going to be an interesting awards ceremony if A.B. places in any of the events that she's qualified to compete in. Not only will those extra slots be added for the cisgender students that don't make it, they will also have extra medals, basically duplicate medals for the student that would have placed had she not been there. The federation will also give the medal, they say, to a biological female student athlete who would have earned the specific placement on the podium. They will also be awarded a medal for that place.
Now, California has allowed transgender student athletes in the high school level to participate in the gender that they identify with since 2013. But now the Justice Department is taking a look, investigating the law to see if it is a violation of Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination for schools that receive any kind of federal funding.
Governor Gavin Newsom said that these changes that the federation has made, they are already a reasonable compromise, even though we know that in March he did say that the participation of trans girls in sports is raising an issue of fairness. And that concern, it is echoed by parents, especially here in the Clovis area, where we heard from an organization called the California Family Council. They are a conservative organization.
[15:40:00]
They say that basically these new policies, they don't go far enough and that they are ignoring the, quote, fundamental biological differences between men and women. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANE PEARCE, MAYOR PRO TEM, CLOVIS, CA: Today, I call on CIF to do the right thing. Updates one and two were not enough. But the third time can be the charm. Remove biological boys from girls' sports and restore the integrity of our girls' divisions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS JONES: Now, A.B. Hernandez and her mother have both defended repeatedly her ability to be here. They say that she identifies as a girl and that she also needs protection, just like these other teen girls. They spoke at different meetings of the school board trying to defend that.
Now, we are expecting some protesters to come here today, Boris. And as we go forward in the championship and the finals tomorrow, it's only expected to be more heated.
SANCHEZ: Julia Vargas Jones, live for us in Clovis, thank you so much for the update -- Brianna.
KEILAR: And joining us now is attorney Julie Hamill, who is the president and founder of the California Justice Center. Her group opposes transgender athletes competing in girls' youth sports. Julie, thanks for being with us.
What do you think of the rule change in this specific case?
JULIE HAMILL, PRESIDENT, CALIFORNIA JUSTICE CENTER: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate CNN bringing me on to talk about this issue. And I want to be clear that my position isn't that I oppose any athletes.
I want to see Title IX, which was enshrined in law in 1970s in the United States of America, in order to give equal opportunity to women and girls in educational programs. I want to see that law enforced. And many federal district courts in our country have already held that this principle that gender identity can be used in place of sex is in direct conflict with the clear language of Title IX.
So what CIF has done with these new revisions to their policies, it might mitigate damages that these female athletes otherwise would have had by being ousted by a male who is competing in a girls' competition. But what it doesn't do is get at root of the problem. The root of the problem in California is AB 1266, which became law, Education Code Section 221.5F back in 2013. That law requires school districts to allow students to compete in the athletics and use the facilities that align with their gender identity instead of their sex. That is the root of the problem. That needs to be rescinded, and the state of California needs to stop enforcing that law if we are going to abide by Title IX.
If California doesn't want to do that, fine, but they need to stop accepting federal funds. That's a condition. You have to comply with federal law to accept federal funds.
KEILAR: What would make this fair for her to compete for those who are competing against her? What would that kind of structure in competition look like?
HAMILL: Who is her?
KEILAR: A.B.
HAMILL: A.B. Hernandez is a male who identifies as a female. What would be fair is to have Hernandez competing in the male category. It is not fair to the females competing to have to compete with a male.
KEILAR: OK, so in Trump's federal funding threat, is that something, though, that would hurt all student athletes, including athletes who are assigned female at birth?
HAMILL: Would his federal funding threat hurt athletes?
KEILAR: If the money is taken away.
HAMILL: Right. So the law actually says that schools that do not abide Title IX or other federal laws cannot receive federal funds. So that's not Trump's fault. The problem is that the state with A.B. 1266 --
KEILAR: But you understand, Julie, there's two views here on Title IX. So just to be clear, not everyone agrees with you on how you're viewing it. So in that regard, if you were to take away the funding as it pertains to trans athletes, not everyone agrees with you. I think we just have to be clear about that. If you are taking away the funds for athletes, student athletes in California, isn't that going to hurt all of them?
HAMILL: Taking away federal funds is going to hurt all California kids, which is why the state of California needs to comply with federal law. It's very simple.
[15:45:00]
KEILAR: So when you dig into the science on trans athletes, what is really clear is that there needs to be a lot more research on a lot more trans athletes to be able to draw better conclusions about the effect of whether gender affirming care actually reduces or eliminates the advantage conferred on an athlete who is genetically male. Would you welcome more research?
Is this a situation where more research might help?
HAMILL: I absolutely think that more research and more careful and thoughtful discussion is necessary here. Pediatric sex change procedures are very harmful and they cause lifelong damage to children. And this is something that the United States of America needs to examine thoughtfully and people need to be able to discuss openly without being called bigots and transphobes.
KEILAR: Yes, totally hear you. So there are obviously clear benefits to playing sports, to competing in sports. So when you're looking at an athlete like A.B. Hernandez, what would you have her do so that she can benefit from sporting?
HAMILL: I view A.B. Hernandez as the victim in this situation. I feel for him and I feel that he has been lied to for his entire life and it's probably very destabilizing and difficult for him right now to realize that what he's been told is not actually reality. He cannot become a girl. What he can do is compete in the male category --
KEILAR: So you say compete in the male category or what?
HAMILL: Or if the state and CIF want to create a separate category for people like A.B. Hernandez, and that's something that they want to do, fine. It is not fair to female athletes who have worked their entire lives for this kind of competition, who also, by the way, cannot speak out for fear of retaliation, which A.B. Hernandez's mother has personally threatened against them. So it's very unfair for our girls and women in California to have to compete with males, have to share facilities with males, and then not be able to speak up about the unfairness because people are going to label them as bigots.
KEILAR: Julie Hamill, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
HAMILL: Thank you.
KEILAR: We'll be right back.
[15:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KEILAR: All right, after a nail-biting evening at the Scripps National Spelling Bee final last night, there is a new champion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eclaircissement.
FAIZAN ZAKI, 2025 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CHAMPION: Eclaircissement.
E. C. L. A. I. R. C. I. S. S. E. M. E. N. T.
Official.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Faizon Zaki, you are 2025Scripps National Spelling Bee champion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That young man getting up off the ground full of confetti is 13-year-old Faizon Zaki from Allen, Texas. Spelling the winning word, eclaircissement. I can't say that word.
It means a cleaning up of something obscure, according to Merriam- Webster's dictionary. That was Faizon's fourth time competing in the National Spelling Bee. He was runner up last year.
He joins us now live. Friend of the show, Faizon, congratulations. I mean, this is so exciting.
You knew as you were spelling out a word that I can't even pronounce that you were going to be the champion. What was going through your mind at that moment?
ZAKI: So when Dr. Bailey gave me the word, I instantly recognized it. I knew it was French and I knew it meant enlightenment. So without hesitation, I just went for it.
So I spelled it. And I mean, I don't know if you were able to hear, but for the last couple of letters, I was kind of like gasping for air at the end. I was just like really excited. I was like kind of hyperventilating at that point. So it was definitely a great moment.
KEILAR: Faizon, take us behind the scenes of a champion. I mean, what has it been like since you won? Have you gotten any sleep?
ZAKI: So I mean, barely. So I mean, I slept for like two hours last night. I got a good nap in just now.
So I am feeling a little well rested. But yes, it's been a lot of interviews and like a lot of like media appearances. I think I've had like 10 or 11 interviews just today.
So it's definitely been a lot of fun. But yes, I'm excited for the B- week bash tonight where I get to present a speech and stuff. So yes.
SANCHEZ: That's really exciting. Everybody obviously wants a piece of Faizon right now. But I have to remind you, you came to CNN NEWS CENTRAL first.
In fact, you made a prediction when you were last here. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We wish you the very best of luck. We'll be watching.
ZAKI: Thank you.
KEILAR: Good luck, Faizon. We have a lot of faith. This is going to be your year.
ZAKI: Yes, hopefully, hopefully. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: More than hope. It looks like you were right. So I think maybe we also should deserve some credit for boosting your confidence. I mean, you had to have known that you were the favorite going in.
I wonder how that impacted your training, the buildup to get to this moment. Because when that word came up, you said that you knew it. How many hours did you spend practicing, and how many times did you review that word, again, that I can't even pronounce, before you got up on the stage last night?
ZAKI: So I've seen "eclaircissement" multiple times.
[15:55:00]
So I study words for about five to six hours on weekdays and seven to eight on weekends. So I have seen "eclaircissement" a couple of times.
So I was really confident going in, and especially when I got the word.
KEILAR: Can I just want to ask one more question before we let you go, Faizon, which is this. I'm looking at how you progressed over four years, and it's just a testament to your hard work and preparation and dedication.
What is your message to kids out there about giving it your all and coming back even when you don't win and you get so close? What do you want them to know?
ZAKI: So I was really discouraged when I got second place last year. Obviously, I was excited, but I wanted to go back and win it all. So I studied really hard, and I worked harder than I ever have over the summer and throughout the school year, and it finally paid off.
So my best advice to newer spellers who want to be like me, just if you really work hard and you're passionate about something, then you can achieve anything.
SANCHEZ: Someday, too, I will be able to pronounce that very difficult word. Faizon Zaki, thank you so much for joining us. Congratulations again.
Give us a shout out tonight. Remember, you were here and we boosted you, man.
KEILAR: That's right. He had confidence. He knew.
He knew he was going to win, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, we'll be right back. Stay with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eclaircissement.
FAIZAN ZAKI, 2025 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CHAMPION: Eclaircissement.
E. C. L. A. I. R. ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: One of Hollywood's biggest young stars, Sydney Sweeney, is selling soap, apparently infused with her actual bathwater. This is all a response to her viral ad for Dr. Squatch soap that shows her sitting in a bathtub shouting out young men.
[16:00:02]
KEILAR: So she posted online, you kept asking about my bathwater, so we kept it. Sydney's bathwater bliss goes on sale next month for $8 a bar with only 5,000 bars available. And as part of the promotion, Dr. Squatch is giving 100 of them away for free. But the brand stipulates people have to be 18 years old.
I don't know, whatever it is, some people just Etsy stuff. This is, you know, they just Etsy the soap.
It's a real different thing. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.
END
