Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
E.U. Leaders Holding Special Summit On Ukraine And Defense; Macron Warns U.S. May Not Be By Europe's Side In Ukraine-Russia War; How Popular Are Elon Musk And His DOGE Cutbacks?; Pastor Leads Call For Target Boycott Amid DEI Program Changes; Rights Groups Issues Stark Warning Over Gaza Aid Blockage. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired March 06, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:24]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: First steps for peace, an emergency summit for the future of Ukraine is wrapping up.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of ONE WORLD starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Europe faces a clear and present danger. We have to put Ukraine in a position to protect itself and to push for lasting and
just peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Scrambling for safety, European leaders race to craft a new plan for defense.
ASHER: Also ahead, release the hostages now or it is over. Donald Trump puts Hamas on notice.
And later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELAINE ZEILBERGER, FRED ZEILBERGER'S WIFE: It just feels wonderful that we're still together.
FRED ZEILBERGER, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: We do the best we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Sixty-nine years in the making. How these lovebirds made it through the ups and downs. We want their secrets.
All right. Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. You are watching ONE WORLD.
European leaders, right now, are holding an emergency summit in Brussels to discuss the way forward following a massive shift in U.S. foreign policy
and what's being described as really a watershed moment. We are expecting to hear from them at any moment now. We'll bring you their comments. We're
expecting a press conference. And we'll bring that to you as and when it happens.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And today's summit is focused on bolstering security for Ukraine while strengthening European defenses. And it comes amid a
heightened sense of urgency after U.S. President Donald Trump paused military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv this week, while appearing
to pivot towards Russia.
Some European leaders are making it clear that the time to act is now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTA METSOLA, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT: It is about damn time. This is something that we have been asking for a long time, that the European
Union, that Europe is capable of standing up on its own two feet.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I would like to believe that the United States will stay by our side, but we have to be
ready if this isn't the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who attended the meeting, thanked the E.U. for its strong support and said he has press
-- presented the council with what he's calling the first steps for peace.
ASHER: Let's go to CNN's Nic Robertson, who joins us live now from Brussels. So, Nic, obviously, the big question centering around this is
getting 27 EU leader member states to step up the defense spending as a percentage of GDP.
Just take us through how much cohesion there is among all the member states just in terms of stepping up their financial commitments.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yet, there's broad cohesion of those 27 leaders. There are, of course, two who are quite well
known to the room already, Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, and Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, who are pro-Russian, pro-Putin,
anti-Zelenskyy, anti-Ukraine.
And Orban has a long track record at the E.U. of trying to gum up the works every time the E.U. wants to push funding towards Ukraine or give weapons.
So the idea that he will come willingly aboard any plan to ramp up defense spending in the context of supporting Ukraine, in the context of filling in
a blank where the United States might be withdrawing its fulsome support, certainly as it is for Ukraine, but also more broadly for the European
Union, which is an underlying concern here.
I don't think those two leaders will go along particularly willingly. But the way that this is being done and the way that its approach is
principally twofold. There's a lot of detail in the weeds, but there's a $150 billion of euro funding.
And the way to get to that is sort of through a sort of emergency, if you will, E.U. mechanism. And they go to the big banks and say, we're a big
group of countries, we're worth a lot of money, loan us 150 billion. And it's kind of what they did during COVID to buy vaccines, and it worked
then. So that, in principle, that's something they can do and that Orban and Fico can't get in the way of.
The other 650 billion euros that could be raised would be for each of the nations to increase their defense spending by 1.5 percent. And that's
something that maybe Orban and Fico won't go along with and won't do for their nations.
However, the other countries may, and that could still really give a very big overall figure for how much money within the European Union they can
spend on defense. And then you sort of jump to the next stage. This is something we're hearing from diplomats, but not as part of the -- not part
of a conversation today about how you spend that money.
[12:05:16]
And within the European Union, there are about seven or eight big military industrial manufacturers or countries capable of that. But there are a lot
of smaller companies and medium-sized companies that contribute and flow into that from all the other nations.
And then the questions will be about how those work together. So when you start to divvy up how and where that money could be spent, then there's
potential buy-in for Slovakia, for Fico. There's a way for him to see there can be some cost benefit in this.
So these are the sorts of mechanisms and discussions that go on. And just to give you a sense of how long they might go on this evening, we've heard
they are discussing what the dinner menu will be which in E.U. terms tends to indicate that the meetings could go late tonight.
ASHER: All right. Nic Robertson, live for us from Brussels. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Let's take you live to Kyiv and CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, where Kyiv has endured another night of bombardment by Russia.
Interesting you hear President Trump continue to say that Vladimir Putin is ready for peace. That doesn't seem to be reflected in the actions by Russia
over the course of the last, well, three years.
But specifically, since he and Vladimir Putin spoke of that we now know, back in February. It's reported that some 90 Ukrainians have been killed by
Russian attacks just in the last few weeks alone.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, the toll mounts. And last night, not so much here in the capital, but
Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a ballistic missile, exactly the kind of thing which the key part of USA that's been
paused, the Patriot air defense missiles, is the only thing able to stop.
A ballistic missile hit a hotel, killing four, injuring dozens. Now, that is something that happens, not nightly, but with increased regularity,
frankly. And some nights, 200 drones are indeed launched. We don't always get full transparency on exactly what is hit, particularly if it involves
sensitive infrastructure.
So this is a relentless toll on Ukrainian civilians. And remember, the front lines too, where certainly hundreds die daily.
Bear in mind too that we are also hearing now from the Foreign Ministry spokesman, woman of Russia, Maria Zakharova, indications that Moscow
actually rejects two of the initial parts of a ceasefire idea floated by the European Union, France's president Emmanuel Macron and indeed repeated
by Zelenskyy recently too.
One of those was a partial ceasefire that could potentially use sea, air, and prevent energy infrastructure being attacked. Zakharova says they're
not interested in partial stops in the conflict. That just allows, in their minds, Ukraine to re-equip.
It's interesting to hear exactly the narrative being used by Europe's allies about the need for a permanent ceasefire with strength on the
Ukrainian side to stop the Russians refitting and re-equipping to hear that being used now by the Russian foreign ministry to knock down a European
police ban.
It's head spinning, frankly, the tit for tat here in rhetoric, as indeed it is interesting too to hear the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio refer to
how this is a U.S. proxy war against Russia. That indeed too is a Kremlin talking point.
So outside of the show of solidarity, the second in five days for Zelenskyy with European leaders, there is still a very dark moment here for many in
Kyiv and across Ukraine. U.S. military aid is paused. Forty-eight hours we've known of that publicly. Twenty-four hours we've known of the
intelligence sharing pause, an indication that might lift at some point.
But National Security Advisor Mike Waltz suggesting they wanted to see the Ukrainians closer to some specifics on a peace deal. But what exactly is
the peace deal in question here that the Ukrainians have to show greater commitment to in order to have this aid and intelligence sharing that's so
vital to preserve lives here and prevent further Russian advances, actually resumed again.
And so, yes, this is an exceptionally dark moment for Ukrainians. Remember, it is now a clear public position that the United States is not Ukraine's
ally, but says it's an intermediary between Ukraine and Russia, and it is applying pressure on Ukraine to get Ukraine to come to a negotiation table.
We've yet to see pressure exerted, as far as we know, publicly on Russia. That's an extraordinary change, not only here in this war, but in global
geopolitics period in the transatlantic alliance of security and it's sparking, obviously, scrambling amongst European powers.
But in the back of their minds they know that their initiatives probably won't succeed without the backing of the United States.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Stunning enough to hear you just say that the view is the United States is not an ally, but a perhaps neutral broker here, but it's
hard to describe it as neutral when it seems the concessions are only going in one direction, and that is in Russia, the aggressors' favor.
[12:10:14]
Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Let's get the view in Washington with our senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak.
So, Kevin, part of the issue here for the Europeans, the fact that the U.S. has paused, not just military aid but also intelligence sharing. Europe, of
course, is scrambling now to figure out how it is going to step up its game to assist Ukraine during this transition period.
Just explain to us if there's anything Zelenskyy and Ukraine can do at this stage to get the U.S. to reconsider its actions here.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think that there is, and when you listen to American officials, they have, in the last two days,
tried to start edging away from this pause, saying that it's not permanent, that there are steps that the Ukrainians could take to eventually allow the
resumption of these aid treatments, including a commitment to the peace talks, including showing some conciliation when it comes to that Oval
Office meeting.
In fact, that's exactly what Zelenskyy posted ahead of the president's State of the Union address earlier this week, and the president seemed open
to those steps. So now I think the question is how all of this moves forward.
We heard from Mike Waltz yesterday that he had spent much of the day on the phone with some of his Ukrainian counterparts trying to piece this
relationship back together. And I'm told just -- I heard this in the last hour from an American official, the senior delegation of Trump aids will
head soon to Saudi Arabia to meet with their Ukrainian counterparts, hopefully to try and put some of this relationship back on track,
potentially to try and sign that minerals deal that had been planned to be signed when Zelenskyy was here at the White House, but ended up falling
apart at the last minute.
And so you do see some signs that things could be coming back together, that the relationship could at least be put back on the rails. But
certainly, it's not the kind of relationship that the Ukrainians had under the Biden administration.
There's no question that the skepticism on the part of the president will remain on the part of some of his top advisors, including the Vice
President, J.D. Vance, towards the Ukrainian president.
You have heard repeatedly that they think he may not be the man for this job, that he may not be the person who's best positioned to liaise with
this particular administration.
And so I think even if they are able to meet, even if they are able to sign this minerals deal, there's no question that the relationship will be
strained going forward. Because remember, this deal contains none of the security guarantees that the Ukrainians have been asking for.
None of the security guarantees that the Europeans are looking for as they pledge their own troop commitments to Ukraine once this war ends. They're
still looking for that American backstop. They're still looking for some support from the United States elsewhere in Europe to make that plan work.
The White House Trump, his top advisors, have not said specifically what that would look like. So I think there's still a lot of questions, even as
they try and get this relationship with the Ukrainians back going in the right direction.
GOLODRYGA: Meantime, two steps back now between the relations with Ukraine and the United States, the Ukraine suspending all military aid and
intelligence sharing as well.
Let me move to another development that we have been following in the last few hours. Man, we've been talking about whiplash for the last few weeks,
but that's definitely how to describe what is happening with these tariffs from the United States, because one once again, following a seemingly
amicable conversation with the president of Mexico, the U.S. president says that tariffs on all Mexican products will be paused through next month.
What are some of the details you're hearing out of that call?
LIPTAK: Yes. The president speaking with Claudia Sheinbaum earlier today, and he posted sort of shortly after that, that he would be providing what
he called an accommodation, a one-month -- one month reprieved on these new tariffs for imports from Mexico that fall under USMCA, the new NAFTA, the
North American Trade Agreement that he negotiated during his first term in office.
Obviously, yesterday, we saw the start of this when the White House announced a reprieve just on autos, both from Canada and Mexico, from the
tariffs that he had announced. Now he's saying this will apply to all products from Mexico.
There is an open question of what this means for imports from Canada. We did hear from Howard Lutnick, the American commerce secretary who said on
another network earlier this morning that this one-month reprieve would likely apply to both nations, Canada and Mexico.
Trump is saying that his conversation with Sheinbaum was relatively amicable. That is not necessarily how the conversation he held with Justin
Trudeau went yesterday. I'm told it got quite heated, expletives flying between the two men.
[12:15:04]
Trump tweeted afterwards that it was a somewhat friendly conversation which I think kind of tells you everything you need to know.
But certainly we should also be on the lookout later today for what happens with those Canada tariffs, which we heard from Lutnick could also be
exempted at least for one month.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The relationship between Trudeau and Trump, hard to describe it as anything but toxic at this point.
Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.
Well, for more on the insight on the Brussels summit and its potential wider impact, let's bring in author and CNN political and national security
analyst David Sanger, our good friend who's joining us live from Washington, D.C. David, good to see you.
Earlier this morning, John Bolton, who was Trump's former national security adviser in his first term, put it pretty bluntly and said, by giving Russia
day by day a stronger position, quote, if you're set about weakening Ukraine, you couldn't have come up with a better plan.
Those are pretty stark words from somebody who worked closely with the president. Is that the interpretation you have at this point?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, first, thanks for having me on, Bianna. And I would say it's pretty close to it.
I mean, let's just back off and think about what we've seen in the past 45 days, 46 days, since the president was inaugurated. We have seen him first
declare that he wants to be the neutral player here who negotiates a peace between Ukraine and Russia.
We have seen him walk away from any discussion about whether or not Ukraine's sovereignty was violated or whether Russia was an aggressor.
We've seen his defense secretary say that entry into NATO is off the table. That takes off one issue that could be negotiated.
We have seen the president now, after the blow up on Friday, declare that we are suspending arm shipments. And we heard his intelligence chief say
that intelligence has been suspended as well.
Meanwhile, the Russians have been on the offensive. As you reported before, there have been 90 Ukrainians killed. We've seen continued air attacks. So
the Russian strategy is keep the pressure on, on Ukraine. And the American strategy seems to be build pressure on Ukraine. Pretty reasonable to assume
that at this point, the U.S. and the Russians are pretty closely aligned.
ASHER: Just in terms of where Zelenskyy goes from here, I was just speaking to our Kevin Liptak, who was essentially saying that, yes, even though the
U.S. has paused intelligence sharing, you know, they might reinstate it soon enough if certain requirements are met. It's not -- it's not clear
what exactly are those requirements, but they might reinstate --
SANGER: Right.
ASHER: -- intelligence sharing.
But if Zelensky decides, listen, you know, the U.S. obviously is not a reliable partner anymore. We're going to go it alone. We're just going to
rely on the E.U., and hopefully the member states can step up their defense spending and we're going to just rely on our E.U. friends.
Realistically speaking, how much longer can Zelenskyy afford to fight for without the backing of the United States?
SANGER: Yes. It's probably not a viable long-term strategy for President Zelenskyy. And I think that's why you saw him issue that kind of non-
apology apology to try to get things back on track.
Look, the president -- President Trump was right, as was President Biden before him, and President Trump and President Obama, for them, that the
Europeans had been far too slow in taking their own defense seriously. And if these events have finally kicked them into gear, that's not a bad thing.
The problem is that the time the Europeans needed to build this capability was probably 2011, 2012, certainly 2014, when the Ukrainian -- when the
Russians invaded parts of Ukraine to Crimea. And they were very slow to do it. And these are not capabilities you can create overnight.
What the U.S. can provide for intelligence comes from space assets, comes from networks that take years to build. And, of course, from an arms
provision side, that's going to take both the United States and the Europeans' time to rebuild.
So the timeframes just don't match up here. The Europeans can meet and say, we're going to spend a lot more, but you're not going to see the effects of
that for a number of years. And Zelenskyy doesn't have a number of years.
GOLODRYGA: But, David, isn't the bigger concern that it's not just the timeframes that don't match up at this point? What's even more ominous is
whether the ideologies even match up, because this seems to be much bigger than Ukraine and Donald Trump. This seems to be Europe versus Russia.
[12:20:13]
And we hear time and time again from this president that he seems to be more aligned with Vladimir Putin, or at least more sympathetic. It's not a
matter of, OK, we're not going to give Europe as much money as we typically did. They should step up. It's a matter of who's right and who's wrong
here.
And the fact that we can't answer that question by the president of the United States is pretty stunning.
SANGER: It is stunning, Bianna, and you get it the most important point here. What we have seen in the past month and a half is the biggest
reorientation of American security policy since the end of World War II.
Democrats and Republicans differed throughout the Cold War on defense spending, on strategies for containing the old Soviet Union. But they
fundamentally were on the same side of the Cold War conflict. And that's what's changed here now.
We have the Europeans pursuing what had been the old Western strategy of pushing back, helping support a democracy. And making the case that if you
didn't stop Russia in Ukraine, there's no telling where they would push on next, perhaps even after NATO countries.
You know, the United States now pursuing a very different strategy, which is that they want to -- the Trump administration wants to fundamentally
reset and reorient their relationship with Russia. Ukraine is a piece of that. And their approach to it is basically to give the Russians a good
deal of what it is they've been asking for.
And the question is, can you sustain this when you have the United States, the biggest member of NATO, going in one direction and most other members
of NATO, including our closest allies, Britain, France, Germany, going in another, and it's a fundamentally unsustainable path.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And then you have the president of the United States just a few weeks ago openly saying that Russia should be readmitted to the G8.
Russia, that's become a pariah state now, conducting an illegal war for three years that has aligned itself with North Korea and Iran, readmitted
into the G8. That would have just been unheard of. And here you hear those words coming out of the president's mouth.
David Sanger, always good to see you.
SANGER: That's right, Bianna. And I was just in Europe for a couple of weeks. And I heard no other member of the G8 express that view.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's not surprising. Thank you so much for joining us.
ASHER: Thank you, David.
SANGER: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Still to come here on ONE WORLD, how popular is Elon Musk? What do Americans think about his federal cutback? We'll tell you
what polls and Republican lawmakers are actually saying.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't believe in DEI, so I don't believe in giving you money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do not shop at Target. We are boycotting them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Target is at the center of a new boycott. It's the latest challenge for the retailer. We'll tell you what's behind the 40-day fast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:56]
GOLODRYGA: Well, Elon Musk may have been surprised at the questions he got on Wednesday.
ASHER: Yes. In a meeting with Republicans on Capitol Hill, Musk was told he needs to work more closely with Congress. Republican lawmakers want more of
a say in how Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is going to be making cuts going forward.
Musk did not push back and seemed to agree that Congress should actually be more involved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a lot of -- a lot of opportunities to improve expenditures in the government.
And then we're making good progress in that regard.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Should Congress have a vote on this? Should Congress have a vote on this?
MUSK: Well, they do have a vote on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Now all of this comes as Republican lawmakers are getting more and more questions from constituents about Musk and his role. Have a listen
to some recent town halls held by Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to talk about Elon. We know that he's an un- elected, unconfirmed billionaire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you willing to use your subpoena power to say Trump, or sorry, Musk, come in here, stand in front of Congress and answer some
hard questions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elon Musk does have a security plan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he does not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All of this left us wondering, of course, how popular are Musk and his DOGE cutbacks? Well, nobody better to answer that very question for us
than our very own beloved Harry Enten.
So, Harry, here's the thing I thought was really interesting is that regardless of what people think of Elon Musk, shrinking the government and
cutting back is actually more popular, despite the loss of jobs that we've been seeing, is actually more popular than one might have expected. Take us
through it, Harry.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes. I would just say hopefully there are no like crowds like that around this TV set currently, because I
couldn't take the booing. I need positivity in my day. Positivity. But no.
GOLODRYGA: Only positive.
ENTEN: Only positive. Positive vibrations. You know, sometimes I get really surprised with some of the numbers that I see in polling and I think this
is part of it, right? Because you've mentioned, Elon Musk not that popular of a guy.
But take a look here, Americans on Trump and the DOGE efforts. Musk and DOGE should influence government spending and operations. Look at this. You
get a majority, 54 percent. How about this? A proof of Trump trying to cut staff at government agencies. Again, a majority, 51 percent.
It's almost as if Americans can hold two viewpoints in their mind at the same time. They may not like Elon Musk, but they're kind of OK with what
he's doing or at least what he's trying to accomplish.
And more than that, you get an understanding of why you're seeing majorities here when you ask Americans, what type of spending do you think
Musk is trying to cut? All right? Is he trying to cut mostly wasteful spending or necessary programs? Look at this. You get a majority, or
plurality, who say wasteful, 42, higher than necessary programs which comes in under that at 36 percent.
So, again, you get six points more here. And that, of course, in this day and age in which you can get six points more of the Americans to agree on
one thing than the other is almost, you know, a huge number basically because we're always 50-50.
And then more than that, more than that, I think it's important to take a look at the long-term trends of what we're seeing and why we're seeing
these numbers of why folks might be more open to cuts than they used to be.
So take a look here. All right. This is a great question. Government is doing too much or too little? You go back to 2020, look at this. The too
little number gets the majority at 54 percent, too much comes in at 41 percent.
Now jump ahead to 2024, right? The political environment that helped get Donald Trump elected. Look here, 55 percent say too much compared to 41
percent who say too little.
So basically, we've seen a flip flop of this. And I think that is a big reason why you're seeing the numbers that we're seeing that even though
Elon Musk might not be the most popular guy, what he's trying to do seems to have the slightest, but still a majority of folks agreeing, at least
with the concept of it, whether or not they ultimately agree with the implementation, well, that, my dear friends, is something we're just going
to have to wait and see.
ASHER: Wait and see.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. There's a difference between the mission.
ENTEN: Yes. You finished my sentence. It's like we're together. We're together.
ASHER: I know. It's like -- it's like we're together.
GOLODRYGA: We're all in sync.
ASHER: I see you every day, Harry.
ENTEN: Oh, my God.
ASHER: And so there's a -- there's a sync between us.
ENTEN: Every day on T.V. and every day in the makeup room where I spread vicious --
ASHER: Yes. He's next to me.
ENTEN: -- rumors about my younger self.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Only you could see Harry when he comes into the makeup room.
[12:30:00]
(CROSSTALK)
ENTEN: Oh. My hair is like -- look like this It's like all over the place. You never would know.
ASHER: We like the haircut though.
ENTEN: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: It suits you.
ENTEN: I'm looking quite stylish. I'm like the Fonz, baby. Yes.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Harry Enten, always --
ENTEN: Bye.
GOLODRYGA: -- a pleasure to chat with you. Thanks.
ASHER: Thank you, Harry.
All right. An Atlanta-based mega church is spearheading a boycott of Target and it's actually gaining a lot of traction online.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The boycott is expected to last throughout Lent in response to changes made to the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
CNN's Ryan Young has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMAL BRYANT, SENIOR PASTOR, NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: There's never a revolution without inconvenience.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are calling it a spiritual act of resistance.
Prominent Atlanta area megachurch pastor Jamal Bryant calling for at least a 40-day boycott of Target during Lent.
BRYANT: It is not over in 40 days. That is a benchmark for us.
This is being driven by the church. The Montgomery bus boycott was effective, not just because of its strategy, but because of its spiritual
underpinning.
YOUNG: What do you want people to do?
BRYANT: We're asking people to divest from Target because they have turned their back on our community. Black people spend upwards of $12 million a
day, and so we would expect some loyalties.
YOUNG (voice-over): Customer visits to Target have slowed since they announced it was eliminating hiring goals for minority employees, days into
the Trump presidency.
BRYANT: Target made overtures to meet with me on last week, and I told them I'm only going to meet with the CEO. I need a decision maker. I don't need
a photo-op.
YOUNG (voice-over): And Dr. Bryant is not the only pastor calling for the Target fast.
MICHAEL PFLEGER, SAINT SABINA CHURCH: If we do this strong and we come on strong and we weaken Target and flex our muscle and let these other
corporations know we are going to respond.
YOUNG (voice-over): In a note from Target's chief equity officer, they say they are still committed to inclusivity and offers a wide range of products
and services, including items from vendors that are black and minority- owned.
The company has declined to comment to CNN further about the boycott.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: FAFO stage.
YOUNG (voice-over): As strong reactions by supporters continue online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't believe in DEI, so I don't believe in giving you money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do not shop at Target. We are boycotting them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have hit up Target's official page and they are getting torn up.
YOUNG (voice-over): The CEO of one of the largest Black-owned makeup companies carried in Target says they are disappointed about Target's
rollback of DEI policies.
MELISSA BUTLER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THE LIP BAR: It's a really (bleep) situation to be in.
YOUNG: But emphasizes concerns with the realities of a long-term boycott.
BUTLER: By not shopping in these stores, you are also impacting the hundreds of black owned businesses.
YOUNG: The idea now that the pullback is going to affect that customer base, what do you think about those businesses?
BRYANT: Yes. There are over 1,000 black vendors who have their wares in Targets across the country. We've reached out to all of them to shift their
focus to online.
YOUNG (voice-over): Some Target shoppers we met were supportive of the boycott.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm all for it.
YOUNG (voice-over): Yet skeptical.
YOUNG: You see benefit in people standing together.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do, but I'm not sure if this is the only vehicle to get the word out and to unite us as a country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's where I get my prescriptions. And so no, I'm not going to do no total block on Target.
BRYANT: It is what makes America a democratic space is that people have the space to disagree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this is about reforming the --
YOUNG (voice-over): Bryant says he wants the show the White House they have a responsibility to all Americans, not just MAGA supporters.
BRYANT: I think we're getting ready to see a revival of the civil rights movement, much akin to what we saw in the 1960s.
YOUNG: Yes, it's still the early days of the fast, so we'll have to see how it plays out economically for Target. But we know the retailers already
facing headwinds, especially with the downturn that they've been reporting as of recently. We'll have to see how this all plays out. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Ryan Young reporting there.
All right. We'll be right back with more after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:54]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.
The U.S. president has issued an ultimatum to Hamas, release all hostages in Gaza immediately or face the consequences.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And a post on Truth Social Wednesday, Donald Trump said that not a single Hamas member would be safe if that doesn't happen.
ASHER: This comes just hours after the U.S. confirmed it is negotiating directly with Hamas, a move that goes against Washington's precedent, its
tradition of not talking to groups that it has deemed terrorists.
U.S. Secretary of State says that President Trump is frustrated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: He's tired of watching these videos every weekend where hostages that are emaciated are released and bodies are
turned over and sometimes it's the wrong bodies and this five here and three there and these games that are being played. And he's lost his
patience with it.
He's been very clear about this from the beginning. He's created space and time for this to be solved. And now it's time for seeing it come to an end.
It's enough of this already.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: President Trump hosted eight released hostages at the White House on Wednesday. Keith Siegel, who was one of those who met with President Trump,
thanked him for his role in getting him freed.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Meantime, human rights groups are issuing a stark warning about aid in Gaza. Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv with more.
So, Jeremy, quite moving to see those images of the hostages there, the released hostages speaking with President Trump. And their message is a
united one, and that is that these deals have to move forward, that the rest of the hostages have to come home. And, of course, that means Israel
continuing to allow the aid to go back into Gaza as well.
Talk to us more about what you've seen in your reporting.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Bianna, there is certainly a sense of urgency on both sides of this issue, both for the
families of the hostages, but also for people in Gaza who now face the very real possibility that the aid will dry up as Israel blocks all aid going
into Gaza and Gazans now brace for the worst.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (voice-over): In the desolate ruins of northern Gaza, Hala (ph) assembles scraps of wood and chunks of foam to build a fire. Proper housing
and basic infrastructure are nowhere to be found.
[12:40:09]
But for now, at least, there is flour, water, and oil. And Hala's mother can make bread.
The food aid is what's keeping us alive, she explains. Like so many others, Um-Muhammad (ph) and her family of 11 are surviving thanks to the tens of
thousands of aid trucks that entered Gaza during the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
We eat and drink for the whole month from aid. Without that, it will be very difficult. Food and drinks are very expensive, especially when
crossings were closed. We couldn't buy sugar or flour, she says. Aid makes us live.
That lifeline is now under existential threat. Israel is laying siege to Gaza once again, shutting down the supply of food and other humanitarian
aid in a move decried by the United Nations and human rights groups as a violation of international law.
Israel says it is trying to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages and accuses Hamas of profiting from the aid to, quote, rebuild its war machine,
a claim Hamas calls a baseless lie.
It is also threatening to cut off water and electricity if Hamas does not give in to the conditions. And a return to war could also be on the
horizon.
In Gaza, where markets have only recently begun to come back to life, Israel's renewed blockade is already driving up prices. Aid groups say
minimal stockpiles of aid are beginning to dwindle.
Without more aid, the World Food Program says bakeries and soup kitchens will likely shut down in less than two weeks.
For those living amid the rubble, aid running dry will revive the threat of famine and spell an end to what little they can still rely on.
We are so happy when aid keeps coming, Ibrahim (ph) says. We have no work, our lives are on hold, our businesses and homes are gone, so when aid comes
the children are happy, whether it's food, drinks, cleaning products, this is the only way we can live.
For some, the aid blockade already feels like a return to war.
They are fighting us through food, Abu Mohammed (ph) says. Netanyahu is now publicly saying, I will close the crossings in starve you. No one is
standing against him. He wonders who will stand with the people of Gaza and how he will feed his children when the aid runs dry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND: And amid all of this, of course, President Trump issuing that ultimatum to Hamas demanding that they release the hostages now or warning
that there will be hell to pay. Not the first time, of course, that he's made threats like that directed at Hamas.
But this time, he is also saying that he's going to send Israel, quote, everything it needs to finish the job in Gaza at a moment when Israel is
very much reconsidering a return to war, that would certainly add fuel to the fire. Bianna, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Jeremy Diamond, live for us there. Thank you. Appreciate it.
All right. Still to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
F. ZEILBERGER: Extermination camp. Not even a concentration camp where very few people survive. And I'm one of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: He survived the unimaginable, but his story is now one of resilience and love. We'll have more on that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:35]
GOLODRYGA: The South African-based company, Aerobotics, is striving to make farming more fruitful. They've built drones that fly over farmland and drop
insects meant to control other pests.
ASHER: Yes. Those drones also use an AI mapping tool that helps improve crop yield and quality.
In today's Africa Insider, we take a look at new technology with the potential to change agriculture across the continent.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIAAN JANSE VAN VUUREN, GLOBAL HEAD AGRONOMIST, AEROBATICS: We're currently in quite a unique, beautiful, beautiful position where we're a sector
that's providing food to a lot of people, jobs to a lot of people, bringing a lot of income into South Africa. And, of course, with that comes the
challenge of making sure that every square inch that you farm is optimized. And that's where the technology plays a massive role.
JAMES PATERSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AEROBOTICS: Aerobotics is a computer vision and AI company for agriculture. We use drones and
smartphone technology to collect imagery across the farm and then turn that into actionable data and insights for the farmer to optimize their crop. So
we started the SkyBugs part of our business, which uses drones to actually drop beneficial insects into the crop, which then eat the bad insects that
are damaging the crop, but without using any hard pesticides.
SAADIQ JACOBS, DRONE SPECIALIST, AEROBOTICS: The drone can release about 20 hectares worth of beneficial insects in about 12 to 13 minutes. It flies at
an altitude between 20 and 30 meters and it can fly up to four meters per second wind speeds.
The purpose is for the control of mealybug which is a pest found in grapes.
PATERSON: Traditionally a farmer would use calipers or go and have a look at the fruit to try and measure it. Now we're able to scale that out across
big areas and also standardize it. So the same technology is used to measure across many different farms and there's no bias in the collection.
ANTON VILJOEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, VILLION FARMS: Every year, technology is playing a bigger role. But for me, the most important thing is, as long as
we can do it on our smart phones, if we need to go to a computer or office, for me as a farmer, it's wasting time. So with an app, that's what we as
growers are looking for.
VAN VUUREN: I think that the biggest role technology plays is most of our growers are faced with the challenge of how do they use what they have and
make more of it.
PATERSON: I'm always most excited when we speak to a customer and we just hear what impact it's making on the farm and how things have changed for
them. And obviously, are they getting more fruit from the farm through to the table.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:54]
ASHER: The robotic lander named, Athena, is making its descent on the near side of the moon. Live pictures here of mission control, that is what we're
watching. They're working to sort out the exact location and orientation of its lander, but it certainly does sound like good news.
We are waiting for full confirmation if it is on the surface, but the mission says it is powering down the engines that are no longer in use
right now.
GOLODRYGA: I always get excited, even as a kid and even as an adult, whenever you see mission control.
ASHER: Yes, I know. I know.
GOLODRYGA: You see all of them working there. The Athena lander was developed by Houston-based, Intuitive Machines, which last year became the
first private sector company to soft land a vehicle on the moon.
Now, the probe is on a scouting mission of sorts, searching the area for confirmation of water ice.
ASHER: All right, a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor and his wife celebrated nearly seven decades, seven decades of marriage on Wednesday.
GOLODRYGA: Fred Zeilberger came to the United States as a war orphan after surviving five of Hitler's concentration camps. He met his wife Elaine
after joining the U.S. Army. And this is their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
E. ZEILBERGER: Just feels wonderful that we're still together.
F. ZEILBERGER: We do the best we can.
JENNIFER MCLOGAN, WCBS (voice-over): At ballroom dancing, sipping champagne, sharing a kiss. Devoted to each other, the Zellbergers have been
married 69 years.
E. ZEILBERGER: What do I see? Caring, love.
MCLOGAN (voice-over): Elaine is 89. Fred 95 years old. Their secret, compromise and activity.
E. ZEILBERGER: We play tennis and golf and lived a good life. And this country has been very good to me.
MCLOGAN: What brought you to America?
F. ZEILBERGER: Brought me to America as a war orphan.
MCLOGAN (voice-over): A war orphan from Wurzburg, Germany where his father, a tailor, was forced to make S.S. uniforms.
F. ZEILBERGER: And in 1938, that's when the whole thing started crystal now.
MCLOGAN (voice-over): Fred was just 9 years old when Hitler's forces moved him through five concentration camps.
F. ZEILBERGER: Extermination camp, not even a concentration camp where very few people survived. And I'm one of them.
MCLOGAN (voice-over): Sad and alone, Fred came through Ellis Island. And in 1951 was drafted by the U.S. Army in honor of his life and their marriage,
the Bristol-assisted living honored the Zeilbergers.
MCLOGAN: When the Korean War ended, a friend's mother asked Fred if he had a girlfriend. No, he said. So she gave him phone numbers of two nice girls.
F. ZEILBERGER: She gave me Elaine's number, one. The other one I never called and I'm stuck.
MCLOGAN (voice-over): Their first date driving to the Copacabana in a pink convertible. Fred and Elaine were soon married at the Empire Hotel in
Manhattan.
E. ZEILBERGER: Just gets better.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: The phone numbers of two nice girls, he picked the right -- a 50-50 chance, eh? And he ended up picking the right one.
GOLODRYGA: The matchmaker knew what she was doing. And she just -- it just gets better to hear her say. I mean, that's just amazing to see the two of
them together, everything that he's survived, you know.
[12:55:02]
ASHER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: I mean, that is the power of resilience, that is the power of moving on with your life and standing up in the face of hate and creating a
beautiful life here in America.
ASHER: And I listened carefully to the two wise words and just in terms of what he said about what the secret is to a happy marriage, compromise and
activity.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And be nice to your wife too.
ASHER: That one.
GOLODRYGA: That always goes a long way as well.
All right. Well, that does it for this hour of our two-hour ONE WORLD show. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. I appreciate you watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
