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One World with Zain Asher

President Biden Expected To Announce The Establishment Of A New Port Off The Coast Of Gaza To Facilitate Humanitarian Aid Entering Into The Enclave; U.N. Experts Accuse Israel Of Intentionally Starving The Palestinian People In Gaza; NTSB's Chairwoman Rips into Boeing for Not Turning Over Key Documents In The Door Plug Incident; World Awaits President Biden's State Of The Union Speech; Mass Shooter's Father Faces Four Involuntary Manslaughter Charges; Stars Get Ready For The Full Red Carpet Treatment In Hollywood, Just Days Away From The Academy Awards. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired March 07, 2024 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, live from London, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. You are indeed watching ONE WORLD. Nine hours from now, President Joe Biden will

stand before the American people and make what could not only be the most consequential speech of his presidency, but actually of his entire

political career.

GOLODRYGA: That's right. President Biden's State of the Union Address will effectively kick off the 2024 general election. And he's expected to make

the case for a second term by showcasing his economic record.

But despite a booming stock market, low unemployment, strong wage growth and a predicted recession that never materialized, one of the President's

biggest challenges is battling public perception. President Biden is also expected to focus on reproductive rights tonight.

ASHER: And also calling out Congressional Republicans directly for failing to pass a bipartisan border deal. And it won't just be domestic issues.

Sources are saying that Mr. Biden will spend time defending America's role abroad, as well.

GOLODRYGA: He's also set to make the future of U.S. democracy a central theme tonight and warn Americans that his main rival, Donald Trump, is a

dangerous alternative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He's going to talk about his unity agenda. There are issues. There are issues that both sides care

about. You know, ending cancer, fighting for veteran families. Those are important. Making sure we're getting fentanyl out of our communities.

And it is important for this President to continue to talk about our freedoms and how they are under attack. They are in extreme ways by extreme

Republicans. And so, he's going to continue. You're going to see whose side he's on. He's side of the American people.

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: If you're sitting around your kitchen table and talking about the future of democracy, you probably

don't -- you're not paying a lot of attention or don't need to -- to the cost of the food on your table. And most Americans have more immediate

concerns. Biden has to address those tomorrow night and explain how he's fighting for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Meantime, with so many questions surrounding the 81 year old President's age, voters will be listening not only to what Mr. Biden has to

say, but how he delivers that message. There is so much talk about here. I want to bring in CNN's Lauren Fox joining us live now from Washington.

So, in terms of what the President has to do or say tonight, I mean, some people will say, look, we all know who Donald Trump is. So, is tonight

really about drawing a contrast between himself and Trump? Or is it more about the President showcasing his own achievements? What is he going to be

focusing on tonight, Lauren?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I think you can do all of the above. And that is what the President is going to be aiming for in

the House chamber tonight when he walks in to give his State of the Union address. I think a couple of things I'm going to be keeping a close eye on.

Number one, what is his message when it comes to getting the House Republicans to push forward with more aid for Ukraine? This has been a top

issue for him. He summoned all of the leaders on Capitol Hill to come to the White House just last week in order to try to impress upon the Speaker,

who was the only one in that room not to act yet on this.

I'm very curious what he says in that room. If anything, he can say would change the minds of some of those hardliners who've made clear that not

only will they not support additional aid for Ukraine, but they would be willing potentially to oust the Speaker if he puts on the floor any

additional aid to Ukraine. So, that's one area to keep an eye out for.

The other one is the question of how he talks about immigration. A number of Republicans tonight are going to be bringing guests who have been

affected by violence caused by someone who was in the United States illegally. You can expect that that tension, that dichotomy is something

that the President is going to want to address head on by arguing, we had a bipartisan bill that came out of the Senate that I was supportive of.

My administration made major concessions when it came to getting tougher border security. It was Republicans who rejected it. I think that that is

something to keep an eye on tonight. And then obviously, we are in an election year.

This is a very different state of the union than one that you would give in the early months of your presidency, where maybe you're trying to build

bridges, build relationships. This is about setting out that major difference between him and Donald Trump, who now looks to be the person who

will be challenging him on the ballot in November. Zain.

[12:05:00]

ASHER: And just in terms of what an important opportunity is, I mean, you can't really overstate it. This is a speech that is going to be watched by

around about 30 million people. There is no greater platform for the President between now and November.

Just obviously, the elephant in the room in terms of voters' concerns is, of course, his age. What does he need to say or not say? What does he need

to do? How does he need to deliver the message tonight in order to quell those specific concerns, Lauren?

FOX: Yeah, I think this is about delivery, right? It's not necessarily having a message that resonates with every single person who is tuning in.

It is about looking strong. It is about completing this speech in a way that you have energy, that you have gusto, in which you can make people in

the audience, the Democrats in this case, rise to their feet. The energy in the room will matter tonight.

And that starts with the President. It also starts with his party and how they sort of raise to do applauses, et cetera. But I think that that is

something that is so important for the President tonight because a number and top issue for voters is the President's age.

And it's important to remind people that he's not that much older than Donald Trump. These are two elderly gentlemen who are running to be the

next President of the United States. But it is an important moment for Biden because he's the one that's in the spotlight tonight.

ASHER: All right, Lauren Fox, live for us there. Thank you so much. We will all be waiting with bated breath to see how the President delivers the

speech tonight. Thank you, Lauren.

GOLODRYGA: And this just in. We learned from the White House that tonight President Biden will announce new steps to establish a port in Gaza for

humanitarian aid during his State of the Union address. That's according to senior administration officials.

ASHER: The President will announce that he's directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a port in the Mediterranean on

the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters, as well. We will give you more information on this

as and when we get it.

GOLODRYGA: Meantime, Donald Trump is promising a real time rebuttal to President Biden's speech tonight. Trump says he's going to be making

comments on his social media platforms during a series of live posts.

We're also told that the Trump campaign will be putting out videos in real time, in real time as well, refuting some of the things that President

Biden is going to be saying tonight. Meantime, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is encouraging Republican lawmakers to be respectful of the

President while he is speaking tonight.

GOLODRYGA: We'll see if that does happen tonight. We've have seen some heckling over the past couple of years. That's for sure. CNN's Alayna

Treene joins us live from Houston, Texas. So Alayna, typically after a State of the Union, we get the other party's response.

And tonight we will hear from Republican Senator of Alabama Katie Britt. She is the first female senator in that to be elected in Alabama, 42 years

old. These typically are not memorable, these rebuttals. But I'm just wondering the optics in terms of Donald Trump real time, one upping

whatever the Republican official message will be.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well that's right. And look, Bianna, I have covered Donald Trump for several years now, and he sees this as an

opportunity to insert himself into tonight's State of the Union address, try to have his voice be heard, to have his own rebuttal to what the

President is saying.

And he will be watching this speech in live time, in real time, at Mar-a- Lago, I'm told, with a small group of advisors. And as you both mentioned, he is going to be live posting on his Truth Social -- social media site,

trying to do a play by play of what Joe Biden is saying.

And I'm just going to quick read for you some of what Donald Trump wrote yesterday in previewing that. He said, quote, "I am pleased to inform you

that tomorrow night, we will be doing a live play by play of crooked Joe Biden State of the Union address. I will correct in rapid response any and

all inaccurate statements."

The post went on to say that he is really going to be focusing on any of Joe Biden's comments on immigration, as well as anything related to the

series of legal trials that Donald Trump is facing. Now, I think the border is really something to focus on here. We know from our conversations with

the Trump campaign, but also Republicans on Capitol Hill, that they really want to focus on immigration in their response tonight.

They see this as one of Joe Biden's and Democrats, overall, one of their key vulnerabilities heading in to November. So, I think you can expect a

lot of attention on that topic when Republicans have their turn to speak. And the other thing I just want to mention to you, Bianna, is that this

address comes one day after Nikki Haley had dropped out of the race, essentially making Donald Trump the presumptive Republican nominee.

[12:10:00]

So, that dynamic of having Joe Biden speaking on Capitol Hill, giving this address and knowing that he is going to be in a rematch with Donald Trump

in November definitely changes the dynamics of this address tonight. Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And both, in particular, Joe Biden in response to Nikki Haley dropping out yesterday, really making an effort to reach out to Nikki

Haley voters. And we'll see if he says anything about that specifically tonight. Alayna Treene in my hometown of Houston. Thank you.

TREENE: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: And let's bring in Leigh Ann Caldwell joining us live now from Washington. She's the co-author of "The Washington Post's" early 202

newsletter. She closely follows the White House, Congress and other political stories, as well. Leanne, thank you so much for being with us.

And let's just talk about the State of the Union address tonight.

There are quite a few issues, I would say, for the President to contend with. Number one, he's certainly not getting much credit for the economic

rebound. There's, of course, a lot of division among liberals in this country in terms of the correct stance the U.S. should adopt when it comes

to Israel.

Of course, Republicans have really honed in on immigration and the crisis at the southern border in terms of making that a national crisis and making

that sort of front and center. And of course, there are concerns about the President's age, as well. There's a lot of issues, a lot of hurdles here

for the President to sort of overcome. Just give us your take on that.

LEIGH ANN CALDWELL, THE EARLY 202 CO-AUTHOR, "THE WASHINGTON POST": That's a lot to accomplish in just one speech, right, Zain? But it is what

President Biden has to do right now. The fact that he's been struggling in the polls now that the general election is officially underway against he

and the former President Donald Trump.

President Biden has to address all of the challenges facing him and his presidency. And one of those is his age. Some voters are concerned that he

is perhaps too old for the job. It's important to note that Donald Trump has been talking about Biden's mental acuity since President Biden became

the nominee in 2020.

So, he has had more than four years to really hone in on this message. And it's something that Biden is having to struggle with in this sense. So,

tonight is going to be really important. You can be sure that the President is going to lay the blame on a lot of policies on Republicans, saying it is

Republicans who declined to fix the border when there was a path before them with bipartisan legislation. It is Republicans who are declining to

fund Ukraine. And so you can see there's going to be an attempt to shift blame to Republicans, but also to take credit for what Biden thinks is due,

especially on the economy.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and Democrats lately think that they have an opening in terms of having the upper hand on the issue of immigration and border

security, specifically after it was Republicans who would not pass new legislation, some of the strictest, toughest immigration legislation and a

bipartisan package.

I want to get you to respond to a new "Wall Street Journal" survey that says 59 percent of voters say they would actually support that bipartisan

package. Roughly equal percentages of Republicans and Democrats are in favor of that. The poll also found that 20 percent of voters now rank

immigration as the number one issue, up from 13 percent back in December.

But here's the issue that this administration and this President in particular still faces. A plurality of voters put more blame on Biden than

on Republicans for developments in border security. So, how can Biden sort of navigate that and continue to try to push the narrative that this is

actually something that Democrats take more seriously at this point?

CALDWELL: Well, historically speaking, and this is a challenge for President Biden, that Democrats have always been seen as weaker when it

comes to the border specifically. They've always been seen stronger on the issue of immigration and comprehensive immigration reform. But when it

comes to border security, that's where they have historically struggled.

And that is the issue right now. And that is why that President Biden is really going to expected to lean into this issue tonight to say that there

was a solution on the table, not a liberal solution, but a solution that included lots of policies that Republicans demanded. And now Republicans

have walked away from that.

So, he's going to try to shift the blame. He's not going to get every voter. But my Democratic sources tell me that if President Biden can seep

into that even a little bit, five, six, seven percentage points and just soften that, that it will help him in his re-election.

[12:15:00]

And that is why Donald Trump is going to continue to focus on this issue. That's why he's going to talk about it after the speech tonight. And he's

going to continue hammering it every single day. And that is also why Donald Trump and his allies in Congress walked away from that legislation.

And President Biden is going to point that out.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Donald Trump continues to say that this is something that President Biden can handle with an executive order and can address

unilaterally, not what the administration is saying. And they're blaming Republicans and specifically Donald Trump with killing this legislation,

this bipartisan legislation, we should note. Leigh Ann Caldwell, thank you so much.

CNN's coverage of Biden's State of the Union address will begin at 8 P.M. Eastern time. Stay with CNN to watch.

ASHER: All right, as we mentioned a few minutes ago, President Biden is expected to announce the establishment of a new port off the coast of Gaza

to facilitate humanitarian aid entering into the enclave. That's according to senior administration officials. The announcement comes as a ceasefire

deal at this point looks increasingly unlikely ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Hamas delegation left talks in Cairo without a breakthrough on a ceasefire agreement or the release of hostages. Israel

didn't have a negotiating team at that meeting. Ramadan is expected to begin over the weekend. Now, remember that Ramadan is the deadline that

Israel previously set for Hamas to release the remaining hostages or would begin a military offensive into Rafah in southern Gaza.

Approximately 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in that city right now. So let's get to CNN's Alex Marquardt. And Alex, you've been covering

these talks and it looks like they're not promising at this point. The administration at least trying to offer a stopgap measure in terms of

addressing the humanitarian crisis by opening this port, also making clear that it doesn't require any U.S. boots on the ground. But this is only a

temporary measure. As we know, walk us through some of the ramifications at this point.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Bianna, this is a pretty remarkable announcement from the Biden administration made

just moments ago. It's something that Biden that President Biden is going to speak about in his State of the Union tonight. And it really just

underscores the desperation that Palestinians are facing in Gaza right now.

Not enough aid getting into the Gaza Strip, not enough aid getting to where it needs to be, notably in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, where we

saw that horrific incident last week in which more than 100 Palestinians were killed, Israeli troops opening fire.

So, now, you have the Biden administration saying that they are going to establish a port likely in the coming weeks. Shipments, at least initially,

will be coming from Cyprus. And as you note, the administration making clear that there will be no American boots on the ground, that the

Americans will stay in ships off of -- off of the coastline.

But that port to be established on the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza, it will give aid agencies and other countries a capacity of several hundred

truckloads, the equivalent of several hundred truckloads of aid per day, food, water, shelter, medication, that kind of thing. And so, again, it

does underscore the desperate need in Gaza.

But I think it also highlights the fact that despite immense American pressure on Israel to open up more land crossings, Israel is still

resistant. So, what the U.S. has had to do is those airdrops. We've seen several of those in the past few days, American and Jordanian planes flying

over the Gaza Strip, dropping food from parachutes into Gaza. And now there's going to be this maritime solution, a port to be established.

And so, the Biden administration is admitting that it's much more efficient and cost effective to have those land crossings open up. But so far, the

Biden administration has not, despite this huge amount of pressure, been able to convince Israel to do that. Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And despite the pressure and hopes that President Biden had just a few weeks ago, that a ceasefire is in the works and is possible

before Ramadan, it looks less and less likely that that will happen. Alex Marquardt, thank you so much.

ASHER: All right. It's been five months since the October 7th attacks in Israel and a former Hamas hostage is talking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour

about the harrowing, harrowing 51 days she and her children spent as they were held captive. She actually told Christiane they weren't even allowed

to cry. I want you to listen to part of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN ALMOG GOLDSTEIN, FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE (through translator): There's incredible bombardment of the Israeli Air Force and artillery, serious

fear. We understand that there are mere cogs in the system, the captors, and we're hoping that they're not going to have instructions to kill us and

that they would do it.

We would ask them and they told us that they were guarding us and that they hoped that we were going to be okay and that we were not going to die, that

they were going to die ahead of us or we were going to die together.

[12:20:00]

This was supposed to calm us down. We were not allowed to cry. They wanted us happy and told us to be okay. If we cried, we had to snap out of it or

hide it. It's a kind of emotional abuse that they didn't let us cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Just unimaginable. And there are over 100 hostages that remain in Gaza as we speak. You can watch more of this interview with Chen Almog

Goldstein in the next hour on Amanpour.

ASHER: And for the civilian population inside Gaza, a terrifying new threat is quickly becoming a deadly reality. That is because all of Gaza's

2.2 million people -- 2.2 million people are quite simply going hungry right now. Over a quarter of the population are facing catastrophic

malnutrition. And that is, by the way, the most severe classification.

GOLODRYGA: Gaza's health ministry says at least 20 people have died from starvation and dehydration since the war began, most of them children. That

number is only expected to rise. With hospitals running out of food and supplies, CNN's Nada Bashir reports that more parents are burying their

children. And while these images are difficult and distressing, the mothers interviewed say they want the world to see them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER (voice-over): Tiny limbs, bones protruding. The constant sound of crying from children now facing

starvation in Gaza. In this overrun hospital ward, anxious mothers watch on as doctors provide whatever care they still can. But for some, there is

nothing more to be done.

Three-year-old Mila, who had been suffering from acute malnutrition, now another victim of this merciless war. She was healthy. There was nothing

wrong with her before, Mila's mother says. Then suddenly everything dropped. She wasn't eating anything. We had no milk, no eggs, nothing. She

used to eat eggs every day before the war, but now we have nothing.

Across Gaza, too many are feeling the pain of this deepening hunger crisis. Small children emaciated and malnourished. These were little Yazan's final

moments. His tiny fingers gripped in his mother's hand. He, like Mila, would not make it.

Others are still just barely holding on, but there is no telling how long they will survive. Standing beside Mila's body, Dr. Ahmed Salem says many

children at this hospital are now dying due to a lack of food and oxygen supplies. With limited aid getting in, many have grown desperate, searching

for food wherever they can.

Nine-year-old Mohammed says he walks for about a mile every day to collect water for his family. You seem sad. Why? This journalist asks him. Because

of the war, he says. It is all too much.

On Tuesday, U.N. experts accused Israel of intentionally starving the Palestinian people in Gaza. Noting that the Israeli military is now

targeting both civilians seeking aid and humanitarian convoys. Israel has denied targeting civilians and says that there is, quote, no limit to the

amount of humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza. But the reality on the ground paints a very different picture.

There is no food, no water, no flour, cooking oil or anything, this woman says. Death is better than this. According to a senior U.N. official, at

least a quarter of Gaza's population is now said to be just one step away from famine.

With aid agencies facing overwhelming obstacles in getting the bare minimum of supplies into Gaza. And as Israel's ground offensive threatens to push

further into the strip's densely populated south, time is quickly running out.

While international efforts to airdrop humanitarian supplies have provided some respite, it is simply not enough.

[12:25:00]

With stalling negotiations leaving little hope for an end to the suffering and hunger of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Aviation giant Boeing is being slammed for dragging its feet on an investigation into what went wrong more than two months after a door

plug panel flew off a Boeing 737 MAX-9 jet midair.

ASHER: Yeah, National Transportation Safety Board investigators believe that employees removed but did not reinstall critical bolts when the plane

left the Boeing factory last year. At a Senate hearing, the NTSB's Chairwoman ripped into Boeing for not turning over key documents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER HOMENDY, NTSB CHAIR: Boeing has not provided us with the documents and information that we have requested numerous times over the

past few months, specifically with respect to opening, closing and removal of the door and the team that does that work at the Renton facility.

TED CRUZ (R-TX), U.S. SENATOR: Wow. Are you telling us that even two months later, you still do not know who actually opened the door plug?

HOMENDY: That's correct, Senator. We don't know. We don't have the records. We don't have the names of the 25 people that is in charge of

doing that work in that facility. It's absurd that two months later, we don't have that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Since that testimony on Wednesday, Boeing says that it has turned over the list of employees who were involved. Let's bring in CNN's Richard

Quest, who's been closely following this story. So, for the NTSB's perspective, they wanted a list of these 25 employees so they could

interview them to figure out how on Earth this could have happened.

But if you sort of pull back a little bit, Richard, how rare is it to see the NTSB reprimand -- publicly reprimand an airplane manufacturer in this

way? Just give us your take on that.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: It's certainly much stronger language to talk about it's absurd, this, that and the other. The

relationship between the regulators, in a sense, the NTSB is sort of an investigative body.

The FAA is the main regulator, per se. But between the FAA and the NTSB, and whether it be Boeing or Airbus or any of the aircraft manufacturers,

they're always going to be very respectful to them because, putting it crudely, you don't want to piss them off.

[12:30:00]

You don't want to annoy them to the point where, you know, they get angry with you and start doing further investigations. And that's really why

Boeing talks about great respect in their statement. They talk about, you know, we've done this, we've done that.

But here's the dirty little secret that only really came out yesterday when Boeing stated they don't have the documents. The documents don't exist.

Boeing has said, we have provided all the documentation we have. Now, ergo, dot, dot, we don't have it. We can't tell you who took the door plug off

because it's not written down anywhere. And that's a much more serious issue.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah.

And the NTSB Chair, Richard, we should note, is not accusing Boeing of malfeasance, per se, but she is suggesting that the foot dragging calls

into question whether Boeing and its contractor, Spirit Aerosystems, tracked the aircraft's assembly as meticulously as it should have.

QUEST: Well, they clearly didn't. Absolutely not. I mean, the, you know, res ipsa loquitur, as the lawyers would say, the facts speak for

themselves. If Boeing had done what they were supposed to do, then, ergo, this would not have happened.

Now, whenever an accident happens, you always look back. That's what the investigative process is about, to find out where was the loose point in

the chain. What was the weak link? Here, Boeing can't even show that. They can't even show.

You see, it's never mind who didn't do what they were supposed to do. This is worse than that. This is who didn't keep track of who was doing what,

though we can find out who didn't do what they were supposed to do.

And that's the significance of all of this, which is why Boeing has restricted the number of, they won't allow it, sorry, this is why the FAA

won't allow Boeing to increase production on the MAX. They won't allow Boeing to do further operational work that they intended to, and why Boeing

has had these so-called stop days where they've looked at quality control.

What we are seeing, look, there's nothing wrong with the MAX. Can I just say that quite clearly? There is absolutely nothing wrong with the MAX

aircraft as a piece of engineering, as a piece of aeronautics. It's a brilliant plane with great economics, and the airlines love it. The problem

is Boeing screws up on its manufacturer. It's delayed in being delivered, and Boeing has got the problems that it needs to put right.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah. The door plug panel flying off is bad enough, but then when you go behind the curtain and you see how literally the sausage in

this case is being made, that's what's raising a lot of questions.

QUEST: Right, but that's too, but that's, the door panel falling off is the end point of all those other things. If you go through, I mean, it's

the Swiss cheese, the holes in the Swiss cheese mentality. If you go through all those things that did not happen, then you end up with the door

flying off. What you hope is that at some point, I mean, this whole design is so that this does not happen.

And for Boeing to have to admit that actually the documentation doesn't exist, you know, we don't know who was working on the plane at that

particular time. We don't know who took the panels off. We don't know who was responsible for putting it back on again or supervising it. We don't

have the documentation. That's what Boeing has said.

ASHER: I'm glad you mentioned, Richard, that there is nothing wrong, you know, with your point that there's nothing wrong with the Max Jet. This is

just a series of human errors that all lead back to Boeing.

QUEST: Geeks, avgeeks, hashtag avgeeks, will be emailing me and trolling me saying, you're on quest. They should never have stretched the 737. It's

a 50-year-old plane. The engines are too high, the various technology. But substantially, the people wouldn't have ordered it. The orders that came in

only a few weeks ago wouldn't have come in from American Air and other airlines. Nothing wrong with the plane at all. Nothing at all.

GOLODRYGA: When it becomes an issue, though, of trust and questioning management and how this was all assembled, that's where you have a big

problem with not only investors, but more importantly with travelers. Richard Quest, thank you.

ASHER: Thank you, Richard.

GOLODRYGA: Coming up for us, Joe Biden's State of the Union speech will be closely watched half a world away in Ukraine. One of the Ukrainian

President's top aides will be sharing Kyiv's hopes to hear tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(INSIDE AFRICA)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. We have been talking all day about the importance of tonight's State of the Union speech by U.S. President Joe

Biden. And Americans won't be the only ones watching it.

ASHER: That's right. The people of Ukraine are eager to see how Biden pushes Congress for more military aid. Without Western help, Ukraine will

run out of essential munitions. Democrats in the U.S. Senate have approved an aid package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine, but it is stuck in

the Republican-controlled House. Coaxing Republicans to allow a vote on Ukraine aid will be one of President Biden's main goals tonight.

GOLODRYGA: Time now for The Exchange, where we want to get the Ukrainian perspective on all of this. Joining us now is one of the top aides to

Ukraine's President Zelensky, the Deputy Head of the President's office, Rostyslav Shurma.

Thank you so much for joining us. I know it's going to be a very late night for you and all of America's European allies as they'll be watching the

President speak tonight, addressing not only domestic issues in the U.S., but obviously international, as well, specifically with regards to Ukraine

and this administration's push to get that $60 billion of aid that Ukraine desperately needs across the finish line through legislation.

It's quite surprising that it's taken this far and nothing yet has happened. And I wanted to read for you a quote that a European diplomat

gave about this issue. And here's what the diplomat said. "Allies don't doubt the administration's resolve, but are concerned that what six months

ago were fringe isolationist conservative opinions are now becoming mainstream. Is that a concern that your administration is having as well?

[12:40:00]

ROSTYSLAV SHURMA, DEPUTY HEAD, OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: Good morning to everybody. In fact, we are absolutely confident in the support

of the United States. We are 100 percent sure in the support of the American people. And we are sure that this decision will be taken

ultimately.

The key question is about the time, because on the front line where the people are fighting every minute, every second, they're paying with their

lives for any delay, for any day of the delay with the package.

So, we don't have any doubts that it will be voted and the support will come. The question is only about the timing. And we really hope that the

decision will be finally done because we really urgently need it because the situation is tougher and tougher every day on the front line and on the

cities. And this is absolutely critical to do it now.

ASHER: And of course, you know, we do obviously expect to hear from President Joe Biden just in terms of him bringing up Ukraine, it will be a

centerpiece of his speech tonight, of the State of the Union address tonight.

But we have to be honest. I mean, previous sort of White House demands and previous White House attempts to try to get Congress to approve the $60

billion in Ukrainian aid have failed to produce results. So, what do you expect to be different this time? What do you hope the President is

actually going to say tonight?

SHURMA: We are sure the decision will be taken. We are absolutely sure that the President Biden and his administration will find the words to

convince. I think that the best arguments are the people's lives, the kids' lives.

If you look what happened in Ukraine for the last couple of months and weeks, let's take for example the seaport Odesa, which is being attacked

almost every day by the dozens of drones. They are trying to block our infrastructure, to block the economy, but they are killing the civilians.

Just a couple of days ago, 12 innocent civilians were killed and five kids, small kids, were killed. If you take the eastern border, eastern front

line, so they have huge supremacy in the air. They are bombing the cities. And dozens of our military guys every day are paying their lives. So, we

believe these are the strongest arguments. The lives of those people are paying that for the democracy and the values to convince the House today.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, you mentioned the missile attacks in Odesa. And we should note that President Zelensky was just meters away from those missiles,

speaking there with the visiting Prime Minister of Greece and once again reiterated the need for air defense and that weaponry right away.

And that's been the number one ask in addition to artillery ammunition from Ukraine for a while. If I could turn the conversation to representation in

Congress tonight. Last year you had Ukraine's ambassador to the United States there as a guest of the First Ladies.

If I could get you to respond to what seemed to be an unfortunate mishap from the White House, inviting both the First Lady of Ukraine and the widow

of Alexei Navalny, equally important figures, but I know that there are some background and some, for lack of a better word, tension between the

two. Both declined the invitation. If you could, A, respond to the reason.

Is it because the First Lady didn't want to be seen with Yulia Navalnaya? And if not, do you think that that misses an opportunity to show to the

world, to the United States in particular, a figurehead sitting there with the First Lady that the President could call out and address?

SHURMA: I think this has nothing to do with these misinterpretations, first of all. Second, we believe that everything that could have been told

has been already told. We are always ready to be present there and we believe that enough was said, enough was shown, and the President will

manage to convince the Congress.

ASHER: And just in terms of one other question I had for you, in terms of some news that we got this morning, the formalization of Sweden joining

NATO. I mean, this is a country that has had two centuries of non- alignment, two centuries of neutrality, years of diplomacy, actually joining NATO. This is a huge deal. Just give us your response to that as

the Presidential Adviser to Zelensky and also what you anticipate Russia's response will be to this, as well.

SHURMA: I think this is a very good example of the path that we should go because the Ukraine's participation in NATO is an absolutely vital

decision. Because to be able -- Russia will exist for decades, for hundreds of years, and we have to be able to defend ourselves and to pay for our

defense.

[12:45:00]

And to do it, we have to have a sustainable economy. And the key thing that does not allow the economy to evolve is the physical protection of our

cities, of our companies, of our factories, of our seaports, and basically the military risk, the risk why the investors are not coming, not investing

in Ukraine.

And perhaps the only solution to resolve this is the security guarantees, but not just the paper security guarantees or bilateral signings, but the

security guarantees that the real business will trust, and the business will trust in NATO. This is what we see from our conversation with all the

financial and strategic business leaders. This is absolutely critical to NATO.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, NATO being your ultimate aspiration, but E.U. accession talks are progressing as well, which is something that you've been hoping

for. Ukrainian Presidential Adviser, Rostyslav Shurma, thank you so much for the time. We appreciate it.

ASHER: Thank you. All right, still to come, new developments in a landmark case. A father is in court for a mass shooting carried out by his son.

We'll have details for you in a live report just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Now, to an unusual trial in which a parent faces charges for a crime carried out by his child. Prosecutors say James Crumbley should have

done more to stop his son from opening fire in 2021.

ASHER: Right, he faces four involuntary manslaughter charges, one for each student that his son Ethan shot and killed at Oxford High School. It's near

Detroit. Last month, James's wife, Jennifer, Ethan's mother, was found guilty on those same charges. CNN's Jean Cazares is following the trial for

us. She joins us live now from New York.

Jennifer was found guilty. That's the mother. We'll wait to see what happens, of course, with James Crumbley. But just explain to us how these

two cases are different and how they're similar.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think they are different because there's different theories, but there's a lot of similarity because they

were the parents and it was James that purchased the gun. So, that's going to be a very big piece of evidence for the prosecution.

But today, opening statements really focused in on James, of course, and the foreseeability that he knew that he could prevent a mass shooting and

that it was in his hands and that it's not about the facts in general, but it's about these specific facts.

[12:50:00]

It's not about the guns. It's about this gun. And here's a little bit from the prosecution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC KEAST, ASSISTANT PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: You will learn throughout this trial that he was the adult out of anyone in the world in the best position

to prevent these kids' deaths. You're going to learn that those kids would still be alive today had James Crumbley seized any one of the tragically

small and easy opportunities given to him to prevent his son from committing murder, any one of them. These were opportunities that were

literally given to him, yet he disregarded.

MARIELL LEHMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: James Crumbley did not know what his son was going to do. He did not know that his son could potentially harm other

people. He did not know what his son was planning. He did not purchase that gun with the knowledge that his son may use it against other people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: So, it was Black Friday, 2021. Guns were a hobby for the family. Ethan was begging his father for a 9mm. It's a strong gun. And so, on Black

Friday, his father purchased it for him using Ethan's money.

But four days later was that mass shooting. And foreseeability is an element of conviction. It's necessary that the father knew that his son

could commit this violence. And the defense is saying no. He had no idea this was going to happen.

ASHER: I mean, the fact that you have the shooter's father on trial, I mean, it's a test case. And just in terms of really expanding the scope of

responsibility for mass shootings in the United States. Jean Cazares, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much. We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, the stars are getting ready for the full red carpet treatment in Hollywood. Last minute dress fittings, which shoes to wear and

how to stay off the worst dress list. That is right. We are just days away from the Academy Awards happening on Sunday.

GOLODRYGA: Really unrelatable problems to have, at least for me, Zain. Even those who don't take home statues won't go home empty handed, though.

This year's Oscar gift bags for the top nominees include nearly 60 items worth over $170,000. That's right, $170,000. Here's a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LASH FAR, FOUNDER, DISTINCTIVE ASSETS: It's a celebration of movies, so you've got to have popcorn, right? We've got eatable gourmet popcorn. This

is so delicious. It's inspired by the flavors of Happy Hour.

[12:55:00]

And these chocolates from Fetcha Chocolates. This is a female-owned vegan brand. Each of these chocolates is inspired by a different nominated film.

Pink hearts for "Barbie" and these yellows are "Oppenheimer's" because they've got Pop Rocks.

Now, if they're losing sleep over losing that Oscar, we're here to help them. So we've got Heelight. This is a red light sleep therapy, NASA-

inspired. You put it on your nightstand before you go to sleep. It helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply. And Wesper. This is a

clinically-based system. They get a diagnostic done. They get a consultation with a neuroscientist to help them have better sleep.

I think one of the more unique items this year is from a company called Dooplikit. So, literally the most unique because these are color 3D-printed

selfie figurines that they can have done of themselves. People always ask, like, what's the most expensive item?

And that's, like, a very clear-cut answer because it's the $50,000 trip to Chalet Zermatt Peak in the Swiss Alps. And this is an all-inclusive getaway

for them. They can bring nine friends along with them to enjoy the entire award-winning chalet. It's six floors, five suites, absolutely incredible

vacation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Those goodie bags are just legendary.

ASHER: Hashtag, this is why they hate us. Hashtag, this is why they hate us, right? Oh, my God.

GOLODRYGA: Unbelievable. Well, to be an Oscar nominee with a bag full of goodies, one can dream, right? In the meantime, that does it for this hour

of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END