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One World with Zain Asher

Trump Speaks To Business Leaders In Saudi Arabia; Trump Gets Royal Treatment On First Stop Of Tour Gulf; Trump's Plan To Accept Qatari Jet Raises Legal Questions; U.S. Judge Won't Block IRS Data Sharing With ICE Officials; Kim Kardashian Testifies In Paris Robbery Trial; Israel Targets Hamas Leader Mohammad Sinwar In Gaza Strike. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired May 13, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:40]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching the second hour of "ONE WORLD."

U.S. President Donald Trump is addressing a gathering of Saudi investments and prominent American business leaders in Riyadh. So far in his speech,

he's railed against the nation building in the Middle East policy touted by his party for decades.

He also touted his foreign policy agenda and says it's his dream for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords.

GOLODRYGA: This is the first major international trip of his second term. And it's focused largely on expanding Middle East partnerships and

hammering out business deals.

Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also signed several bilateral agreements, including a military defense sale.

CNN's Alayna Treene joins us live now from Washington with details. So Alayna, what more can you tell us about the specifics of some of these

deals that have been signed?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, look. I mean, I think the clear goal for the Trump administration, not only with his visit to Saudi

Arabia, but of course in Qatar where he'll be going tomorrow and then United Emirates later this week, is really these financial agreements.

Now, the president, part of what he did this morning, when he sat down directly with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was to try and

tout some of these agreements. He talked about the $600 billion or excuse me, $600 trillion or no, it is billion dollars. Sorry, I'm getting my

numbers wrong here.

$600 billion investment that Saudi Arabia is going to be making for the United States. The president actually joked that he wanted to get that

number up to $1 trillion. However, of course, unclear if that would actually happen. That's about roughly a year of GDP for Saudi Arabia.

But that's really the big goal of a lot of what he is doing in the Middle East. And, of course, I remind you, if you look back to his first term,

Saudi Arabia was one of the stops that the president actually took on his first trip back in 2017 during his first term.

And so it's kind of a full circle moment for the president here. And, of course, and he actually mentioned this a bit at the top of his speech and

his remarks just moments ago, was that he really appreciates the hospitality that Saudi Arabia is showing him.

Of course, we know that the president really does love the pomp and circumstance that he is being treated with while arriving in Riyadh today.

Now, one thing I do want to talk about as well is you mentioned he brought up the Abraham Accords during his remarks. I actually think that is

probably the most notable part of that speech he just gave.

We had some reporting on Friday where my colleague, Kristen Holmes, and I broke the news that that is actually one of the major topics behind the

scenes that his administration wanted to talk about while in Saudi Arabia.

A big goal of the Trump administration, particularly during the president's first term, was to try to get a number of Arab nations to sign diplomatic

agreements, normalizing relations with Israel. And really, the key architect of that was Jared Kushner, of course, the president's son-in-law.

We have the reporting that actually behind the scenes Kushner has been working with Trump -- top Trump officials to try and work on some progress,

particularly when it comes to Saudi Arabia, but other countries as well, to sign on to the Abraham Accords. So this is really notable.

And, of course, the first mention we've actually heard from the president himself publicly saying he really has a dream to have Saudi Arabia sign on

to it. But again, the main purpose of this trip and his other trips on his tour, really, of the Middle East this week is to sign these economic

agreements.

And then I would be remiss, of course, to not mention some of the key people who are also in the audience today. One person who was very much

front and center to all of this was Elon Musk. Some people had questioned whether or not he would have a big role on this first foreign trip of his.

He obviously attended that lunch today that they had with different -- number of different high-name investors.

But he also, if you noticed, during the president's remarks, he was sitting just behind the Saudi Crown Prince, the person who was really kind of the

man of honor at this event today, apart from the president himself. And so very interesting to see him play such a big role in this first trip of this

week.

GOLODRYGA: No doubt. And, Alayna, it's interesting that you bring up what the president said about his desire, hopefully one day for Saudi Arabia to

actually join the Abraham Accords. Obviously, that would entail Saudi -- Saudi Arabia and Israel agreeing to a relationship of normalization, Saudi

Arabia recognizing Israel's right to exist.

[12:05:04]

And from all reporting, it -- it did appear that that was the path they were headed on before October 7th. And since then, MBS has made clear that

that can only happen now once the war in Gaza comes to an end and a pathway to a Palestinian state is established.

What more do we know about that issue in particular? We know that there have been U.S. envoys now that have been dispatched to the latest round of

ceasefire talks.

TREENE: That's right. So a couple of things I want to point out. You're exactly right. I mean, of course, one of the big sticking points to any

sort of agreement that Saudi Arabia would sign, potentially, if they were to actually ultimately agree to the Abraham Accords. One sticking point, of

course, is the Saudi Crown Prince has made clear, redline, for him, is really he wants there to be a clear pathway for citizenship for the

Palestinian people and a permanent end to the war between Israel and Hamas. And that is, of course, something that is not at all imminent right now

with the state of play, with where things are and -- and the war right now.

And so I actually spoke with some people who have talked to Jared Kushner about this, and he said that he believes there is a way to maybe get the

Saudi Crown Prince to move away from that.

But again, it's very unlikely we will see any sort of signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and Saudi Arabia on this trip. But it's

definitely, they view this moment, this visit from the president there as a great opportunity to try and make progress on that.

And then for the other part of your question, Bianna, about the status of talks, we do know -- I mean, it's -- it's pretty obvious that the president

is not traveling to Israel. He is not going to be making a -- a stop there, despite him going to the region this week.

It was something we were actually told that many people in Israel had -- had been hoping he would add it onto his trip, but he decided against it.

All of that happening as we know that there are continued talks between the United States and Hamas, or I should say, not directly between them, but

through intermediaries like Qatar, where the president is visiting tomorrow, to try and continue to see how they can find an end to the war.

And a big thing that happened yesterday, as you've been covering, was the release of the last living American hostage who was being held by Hamas,

Edan Alexander.

That -- I know that the Trump administration really saw that as what they were describing as a jester of goodwill, and that it was something that,

hopefully, and I think this was what Hamas was hoping for as well, because they asked for nothing in return.

They were hoping the timing of it right ahead of the president's visit to the Middle East this week could potentially lead to further progress and

kind of more motivation for the Trump administration to really increase pressure on Israel to continue to try and push for a more broader ceasefire

agreement.

Of course, all of that very much up in the air, but looming over this entire trip while in Saudi Arabia, and of course, Qatar, and the UAE later

this week.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Alayna Treene, thank you so much.

ASHER: Thanks, Alayna.

GOLODRYGA: Let's discuss more with CNN politics senior reporter, Stephen Collinson. He is joining us live from Washington.

And you get whiplash, Stephen, when you just look at the difference in approach and tone and reception from two back-to-back presidents, President

Biden has got a lot of pushback, mostly from his own party, when he traveled to Riyadh to meet with the Crown Prince. He was not received at

the airport. There was no pomp and circumstance like we've seen now with the arrival of President Trump. Even the fist bump between President Biden

and MBS was viewed as controversial.

Now, however, we have President Trump back in -- in office. And I was struck by what one analyst described about how the president views the

Gulf. And this analyst said, Trump is a businessman from New York who knows the Gulf very well and sees the Gulf as a region of opportunity for his

presidency. And that really helps explain why he chose this visit as his first in his second term.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICS REPORTER: Yes. I think all the things you mentioned there, Bianna, are the reason why he feels very

comfortable here. This is a place that is willing to indulge his penchant for adulation.

Its offers him opulence, a luxurious welcome, and pageantry, all of which Trump believes he's due as the president of the United States, and which in

many ways he craves.

But more importantly, it is a region with a lot of money. Trump is trying to drum up investments in the United States. And it's a place all of these

countries is visiting on this trip, where the line between business and politics is often very hard to decipher.

I think in many ways, and it's also all these countries are authoritarian, which means a leader has a great deal of power. In many ways, Saudi Arabia,

Qatar, and the UAE are places that Trump would like the United States to be more like. And it's significant that he's not going to Europe, for example,

where he doesn't have a lot of the impediments in the history, and even the demonstrations that greet his visits to the older continent.

[12:10:10]

So I think this is somewhere where Trump feels very comfortable and it aligns with a lot of his personal political and, of course, his personal

business priorities.

ASHER: And -- and, Stephen, what stood out to you about the way that Trump sort of heaped praise on Mohammed bin Salman? I mean, just talk to us about

the relationship between these two men specifically. Obviously, Bianna was mentioning that Biden got snubbed at the airport by MBS, partly because

Biden had vowed to make Saudi Arabia pariah.

There's been so much talk about, especially under the Biden administration, there had been so much talk about just the human rights abuses in Saudi

Arabia, specifically as it pertain to Jamal Khashoggi.

When it comes to the relationship between these two men though, talk to us about how the Crown Prince is trying to position himself as a key U.S. ally

here.

COLLINSON: Yes. The -- there's always been this dance between the United States and the West regarding its relations with Saudi Arabia, a key

strategic power, a country that buys a lot of Western armaments, a country that's got the power to invest in left Western economies.

And then there's this question of human rights and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi became a flashpoint for that.

During Trump's first term, he argued, well, Saudi Arabia has got a lot of money, so it's time for us to get over these kinds of things. And I think

you're seeing that play out very much in this visit and in all of his dealings with the Saudis in particular.

And, of course, you know, the -- the -- the rationale of Trump's second term is to get money into the United States. He sees countries with massive

sovereign wealth funds. He thinks he can tap that money.

And a very important thing about Trump is he sees himself as the ultimate dealmaker. In many ways, that was a fiction during his life as a

businessman. It was played out when he was on "The Apprentice" on NBC.

But countries like Saudi Arabia, where he can go and sign these big deals, even if what actually is delivered years later, doesn't, you know, live up

to what is promised, they can feed this mythology of Trump as the great dealmaker, the successful businessman who's bringing back trillions of

dollars to the United States, which is a key part of his political appeal.

GOLODRYGA: And, Stephen, among the comments that the president made, we -- we noted that he touched on a multitude of issues, including rehashing the

election from last year. But it had been reported he'd even floated the idea possibly if talks continue between Ukraine and Russia later this week,

that he may be traveling to Turkey for those talks.

He just said that it would be Secretary of State Marco Rubio that would be traveling to Turkey for those negotiations, which just suggests President

Putin likely will not be taking President Trump and President Zelenskyy up on their offer to meet face to face.

COLLINSON: Yes. And very -- and very much, this is a rebuke of the U.S. position by the Russians, or at least defined if Putin doesn't show up,

because you remember at the weekend, the European leaders who went to see President Zelenskyy in Kyiv called for a ceasefire before talks.

The president intervened and said, no, the Russians don't want that. We should just have the talks. So if the Russians don't show up, I think it's

again another sign in which the Russians perhaps believe that they can manipulate the United States, not follow Trump's pressure such as it is and

keep the war going. We'll see how Trump reacts to that.

And I think, you know, Rubio going instead of the president is a sign because you can bet that he would have loved the spectacle of being the

peacemaker in the middle. That shot of him in the middle of Zelenskyy and Putin will be something that Trump would very much like to have, you know,

for his legacy and for his own political project and his political reasons in the United States. So I guess that's a disappointment for the United

States.

You know, if you look at it, a lot of its peace making so far in the Middle East, in Ukraine, hasn't really been that successful, even though Trump has

made a core part of his -- the beginning of his second term.

So I think perhaps we're going to see -- rethink of the U.S. approach. You know, I think again, we're going back to the business side of this. What

Trump wants is a deal. And I don't think in many ways, it really matters what's in that deal.

But if all you want is a deal and you're not prepared to discuss the root causes of conflicts, getting that deal is going to be very difficult.

GOLODRYGA: No doubt, which is why there's increased concern that in his quest for a deal, he perhaps settled for a less than ideal deal with Iran

as well and talks about the Iran nuclear negotiations also came up in the president's speech as well.

[12:15:11]

Stephen Collinson, thank you so much.

ASHER: Thank you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Well, it's a highly unusual present and it's raising substantial ethical and legal questions.

ASHER: Yes. The American president is defending a move to accept a luxury jet from Qatar as a gift. Donald Trump wants to retrofit the newer Boeing

747 to replace an aging Air Force One.

GOLODRYGA: Democrats are slamming the idea. Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, wants to put a blanket hold on all Justice Department nominees as

he seeks answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): News of the Qatari government gifting Donald Trump a $400 million private jet to use as Air Force One is so corrupt that

even Putin would give a double take. This is not just naked corruption. It is also a grave national security threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The plans also not taking off with several Republicans either. Some of his staunchest supporters rather are becoming his loudest critics over

this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN SHAPIRO, COFOUNDER, DAILY WIRE: That's not America first. Like please define America first in a way that says you take -- you should take sacks

of cash from the Qatari royals who are behind Al Jazeera. It just isn't America first in any conceivable ways. If you want President Trump to

succeed, this kind of sleazy stuff needs to stop.

ERICK ERICKSON, HOST, THE ERICK ERICKSON SHOW PODCAST: My problem with taking this plane from Qatar is I do not think the president of the United

States of America should sit and fly on a plane purchased with the same money used to murder American citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy who we interviewed yesterday also said that he would not advise the president to accept such a

controversial and lavish gift by Qatar.

CNN's Tom Foreman has more on this plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The possibility of a $400 million gift jet from Qatar to serve as President Trump's new Air Force One

is drawing lightning strikes of criticism. Trump's latest grift -- "It's not just bribery; it's premium foreign influence with extra leg room."

And from the vice chair of the Senate Ethics Committee --

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE), VICE CHAIR, SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS: This is almost exactly the sort of gift that our founders had in mind that

Americans shouldn't accept. And I'll remind you, other federal employees can't accept even $50.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The plane would appear to fly in the face of the U.S. Constitution's emoluments clause, which says no person holding any office

shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present of any kind whatever from any king, prince, or foreign state.

Asked about that, Trump hit back.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not a gift to me. It's a gift to the Department of Defense.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Analysts say the gift plane would likely have to be entirely stripped down and rebuilt to make sure it does not hold technology

detrimental to presidential security.

After all, Qatar has long ties to Hamas, a terrorist group in the eyes of the U.S. government.

TRUMP: The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high-level.

RICHARD PAINTER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ETHICS LAWYER UNDER GEORGE W. BUSH: Why is the United States of America accepting a gift of this magnitude from a

foreign government that supported terrorist organizations?

FOREMAN (voice-over): In his first term, Trump hit upon the idea of revamping Air Force One, upgrading it, changing the color.

TRUMP: You know what colors we're using? Take a guess.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Red, white and blue.

TRUMP: Red, white and blue.

FOREMAN (voice-over): He became frustrated by the long, expensive process of doing all that. But now, Qatar has offered him a quick fix, and he's on

board.

TRUMP: I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, no, we don't want a free, very expensive

airplane.

FOREMAN: The president saying this is a gift to the Pentagon, not to him, doesn't necessarily hold water either, because the emoluments clause

basically says, you can't give a gift like this to an elected official or anybody who works for him, which would include the folks at the pentagon.

So even though the president may want to treat this like it's no big deal, it is a big deal and likely to stay that way until it's settled.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Still to come --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: This is just of a piece of an overall campaign to try to conceal from the American people, the extent to which the president

was really struggling to do his job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And inside look at what went wrong at the end of the Biden administration.

GOLODRYGA: Plus, a U.S. judge backing a Trump administration plan to share sensitive tax data to deport immigrants. We have a live report ahead.

[12:20:58]

And later --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody in all of us. No wizard that there is or was, is ever going to bring me down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope you're happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: They are back. The stars of "Wicked" have just made a huge announcement.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: A major win for the Trump administration after a federal judge refused to block the IRS from sharing highly sensitive tax pay information

with immigration authorities and lawsuit brought about by an immigrant rights group.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. The ruling gives ICE officials access to data that could quickly identify and help deport anyone deemed to be illegally in the

United States.

ASHER: Yes. Joining us live now from Washington, D.C., is CNN's senior report to Marshall Cohen.

So, Marshall, just walk us through what the judge actually had to say about this.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey guys. It was a pretty big win for the Trump administration. The judge concluded yesterday that this program

can move forward. She refused to block the IRS from handing over this confidential tax payer data to DHS, which is the Department of Homeland

Security, and ICE, which is the Immigration Enforcement Authority.

Look, the legal groups, the immigrant rights groups that filed this lawsuit have argued that the Trump administration is basically trying to create a

pretext to share this data. The federal tax code is very strict when you can and when you can't share information.

And remember, undocumented immigrants pay taxes. They have been encouraged for decades to come forward, pay what they owe, register with the IRS,

provide their home address, and if they do that, their -- their private information will stay private. But maybe not for long.

Let me read for you what the judge said in her decision last night. This is Judge Dabney Friedrich who was appointed by President Trump in his first

term. She said, quote, requesting and receiving information for civil enforcement purposes would constitute a cognizable injury, but none of the

organizations have established that such an injury is imminent.

And so she concluded by saying that the case presents a narrow legal issue. Does the memorandum of understanding between the IRS and DHS violate the

internal revenue code? And she said, it does not.

Now, that means that the administration can move forward with this plan that top officials have said they hope will get, in their mind criminals,

undocumented immigrants that have defied deportation orders, get them out of this country.

[12:25:09]

Obviously, the groups on the other side of this lawsuit, feel very differently and they think that this is a significant trampling of the

rights of these migrants.

I want to read for you what one of their attorneys said. In reaction to the ruling, this is from Alan Morrison. He said, quote, plaintiffs will be

keeping a close watch to be sure that the defendants, which is the U.S. government, carry out their promises to follow the law and not use the

exception for unlawful purposes.

They say they're going to be watching like a hawk to see how the administration implements this and if they go beyond the letter of the law,

which is very strict for when you can share and when you can't, that they will probably go right back to court to try to stop it in the future. Guys.

ASHER: All right. Marshall Cohen, live for us there. Thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we're getting new details of what it was like behind the scenes during Joe Biden's final days in the White House.

CNN's Jake Tapper co-wrote a book with Axios' Alex Thompson, called "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline Its Cover-Up And His Disastrous

Choice To Run Again."

ASHER: Yes. The book reveals that some of Biden's aides discussed him needing actually a wheelchair if he were to win a second term. Here's more

from Jake Tapper himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: This is all part of a larger hole where the Biden White House tried to hide the extent of his deterioration, both physical and cognitive, as

much as possible.

In fact, as you we all know, we all saw as his shuffling gait got worse and worse from 2003 to 2004. They started putting aides around him as he walked

to Marine One, the helicopter. That was to kind of hide from public view how bad his gait was, how bad his walking was, his shuffling. And also in

case he stumbled again to make sure somebody was there.

And this is just of a piece of an overall campaign to try to conceal from the American people the extent to which the president was really struggling

to do his job.

Alex Thompson and I were on the case, as were lots of other reporters trying to figure out what was going on behind the scenes. But the bottom

line is the White House was lying, not only to the press, not only to the public, but they were lying to members of their own cabinet. They were

lying to White House staffers. They were lying to democratic members of Congress, to donors about how bad things had gotten.

And in fact, Alex and I started writing this book after the election of 2024. And we spoke with more than 200 people, most of whom, almost all of

whom were Democrats, and almost all of whom wouldn't be honest with us or wouldn't be candid with us until after the election.

And then after the election, we found out all of these things that when you looked at what was going on with President Biden at the time, it probably

doesn't surprise you the extent to which he was deteriorating. But now we have anecdotes and facts about what was really going on behind the scenes

with details that Democrats wouldn't share with us until after election day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: All right. And more tidbits from the book are expected to be released very, very soon. Our thanks to Jake Tapper for that.

And still to come on CNN, we're following Kim Kardashian's chilling testimony in a Paris courtroom over the multi-million dollar armed robbery

she endured nearly nine years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:05]

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "ONE WORLD." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.

After plenty of twists and turns in their case, convicted murderers, Erik and Lyle Menendez are hoping to secure their freedom.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. A resentencing hearing for the brothers is happening in Los Angeles today. The Menendez brothers are serving a life sentence without

parole for murdering their parents in 1989.

This case captured worldwide attention. Last fall, the L.A. District attorney said the brothers were no longer dangerous and should get a shot

at parole. But a new D.A. has since been elected and opposes setting the brothers free.

In another high-profile case, Sean "Diddy" Combs criminal sex trafficking case continues in New York. Star witness, Cassie Ventura, on the stand

today with explosive testimony regarding her relationship with ex-boyfriend Combs.

ASHER: Now, Ventura has so far detailed the alleged abuse she received from Combs, saying he would smash her in the head, drag her, kick her and stomp

on her if she was down.

Ventura also detailed the nature of the Freak Offs claiming that Combs would watch her have sex with other men. Combs has pleaded not guilty to

all charges. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to life in prison.

Reality T.V. star Kim Kardashian has been in a Paris courtroom today, facing the people accused of tying her up with duct tape and plastic ties

and robbing her at gunpoint nearly nine years ago.

ASHER: Yes. She's testifying against the so-called grandpa robbers. They're accused of stealing millions of dollars in jewelry from her while she was

in Paris for fashion weeks.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): They shuffle into court, frail, aging, some battling serious health issues. But these men,

known as the Grandpa Gang, stand accused of a violent heist.

Ten people are on trial, most are over 60, among them alleged mastermind Aomar Ait Khedache. He's accused of being part of the gang that tied up Kim

Kardashian, locking her in a bathroom and making off with millions in cash and jewelry, including her diamond engagement ring, which was never

recovered.

Now, partially deaf, the proceedings are being transcribed for him to follow along.

ME CHLOE ARNOUX, LAWYER FOR AOMAR AIT KHEDACHE: My client already apologized to her while he tried to do so by sending her a letter. And I

think he is really remorseful about what is done. And the fact of having a senior on T.V. describing fear, describing the stress she felt.

KIM KARDASHIAN, T.V. REALITY STAR: I didn't know who he was. And I'm like, what is happening? Are we going to die? Just tell them I have children.

Like I have babies, I have a husband, I have a family, like I have to get home.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Khedache, a school dropout who spent much of his adult life in and out of prison, is pleading guilty to armed robbery and

kidnapping, according to his attorney.

Yunice Abbas, a repeat offender with a long list of crimes to his name, wrote a book on the heist. He admits taking part in the robbery, but denies

involvement in the kidnapping.

[12:35:04]

YUNICE ABBAS, AUTHOR (through translator): It will happen, naturally, I will apologize. But will it make a difference? I've done it several times.

I did it during the hearing, in T.V. interviews. I've always done it.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Abbas has blamed the T.V. reality star for flaunting her jewelry online and says he tracked her movements in the days

leading up to the robbery.

The prosecutor says this was no spur of the moment crime. It was a carefully planned job by seasoned offenders. Their case is built on DNA

evidence, security footage and wiretapped calls, tying key suspects to the crime.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Time now for "The Exchange." Joining us now is former state and federal prosecutor, David Weinstein.

David, we have so many cases to talk to you about. There's obviously the Diddy case. We were just talking about the Kim Kardashian case. The list

goes on, especially with the Erik and Lyle Menendez case as well.

I think I want to start with Cassie Ventura and Diddy just because she took the stand today, which obviously you can imagine what that testimony would

have been like to hear. We all saw the video.

The fact that the jurors were shown that video in court, that infamous video where he is in by the elevator banks and he is on a hotel floor,

essentially shoving Cassie to the ground, kicking her, dragging her. I mean, it's even difficult to talk about, right? Let alone to actually watch

it.

The fact that the jurors were played in that video right at the start of this case, what impact do you think that's going to have?

DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE AND FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, I think the prosecution wanted to start this case off with a large impact. And they did

that by putting this video in front of these jurors. They told them during jury selection that the testimony and evidence in this case was going to be

graphic and it wasn't going to be pleasant sitting on this jury.

And they held up to their promise to them and they did that. And by catching their attention right from the start, that guarantees these jurors

are going to pay attention to the testimony that comes in.

And they heard testimony today from the person in that video. And it's going to be tough for them to separate. Whatever comes out during cross-

examination, but they saw in that video from the testimony they're hearing in court, and it's going to be a tough job for his lawyers to get them to

separate. And they did some of that or tried to do some of that in their opening statements by saying that this was not about battery and about

assault, but rather about sex trafficking and racketeering, trying to get the jurors to focus on the charges and not the person sitting in front of

them.

GOLODRYGA: And the defense now will have to cross-examine Cassie Ventura too. So it's one thing to set the stage in terms of their opening

statements to the jurors on this very issue. But as it relates to cross- examining Cassie, talk about the strategy that they may be portraying.

WEINSTEIN: Well, they're going to have to have a soft touch here. She's visibly very pregnant. So now not only are the jurors going to see a lawyer

cross-examinating a victim and a victim of assault and battery and sex trafficking, but a pregnant victim.

And so normally, you're very aggressive on cross-examination because the point you're trying to make is maybe you didn't recall exactly what

happened. Maybe you have another vendetta here against the defendant. Maybe you're not being truthful.

Well, the question is how far can they push it while still vigorously defending their client? So it's going to be a bit of a balancing act.

We've already seen them use a female attorney to do some openings. I suspect that one of the female attorneys will be doing the cross-

examination to soften what's going to be going on here. But again, they need to handle this very gently to get their point across.

ASHER: And just in terms of Kim Kardashian, I believe she's going to be leaving the courtroom any moment now. So hopefully we will have live

pictures which we can share with our audience.

But this is a really -- I mean, this is another very emotive case because she talked about fearing for her life. You had several men who were masked.

They were dressed as police officers. They held her at gunpoint. They essentially taped her feet together.

I mean, the list goes on. This is all taking place in her luxury apartment in Paris back in 2016. And they ended up stealing about $10 million worth

of jewelry from her. In fact, one of the suspects apparently wrote a book about the whole ordeal.

Just explain to us how -- how -- I mean, just in terms of the defense strategy here, I mean, we have been given so much detail as to what

happened, especially in the book of one of the suspects.

How -- what is the defense strategy going to be here do you think?

WEINSTEIN: Well, the first thing we all need to keep in mind is that as an American, this is something that we're all unfamiliar with. The process in

France is not like the U.S. judicial system.

There's no presumed innocent until proven guilty. You're almost presumed guilty and you have to fight back out of that bag to get there. The judge

is very involved in the prosecution of the case.

[12:40:04]

So it's more like a sentencing hearing to those of us who follow the system here in the U.S. By admitting the guilt and all of these details, they're

now starting to try and show some remorse or at least some of the defendants.

One of the defendants almost alleged that it was Kardashian's fault for being so public with the jewelry and her social medias like she was

inviting them to come after her.

But again, it's more like a sentencing hearing where they'll be seeking to say, OK, I did it, but I don't need to be put in jail for double digits or

presumably the rest of my life for some of these defendants.

GOLODRYGA: And how do you anticipate the resentencing hearing for the Menendez brothers to occur today?

WEINSTEIN: There needs to be a lot of remorse shown on behalf of the Menendez brothers. What they need to prove here is that they've been

rehabilitated. Their lawyers talked about the fact that they were allegedly sexually abused and back when the trial took place. That was not something

that was at the forefront. And so the prosecution was somehow misinformed about what was going on.

And what the prosecution has said, putting all of that aside, have they really rehabilitated themselves while they were in prison? Or are these the

same two young men who were convicted those many years ago and are now trying to just take advantage of the system and get someone to feel sorry

for them?

So it'll be an interesting balance between how hard the prosecution is now going to push with a changed D.A. and how vigorous the defense can be to

show these two men have rehabilitated themselves.

ASHER: All right. David Weinstein, live for us there. That was a lot to get through. You did a fantastic job. Thank you so much, David.

We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: We want to update you on a significant foreign policy shift just announced by President Trump in Riyadh. He announced the U.S. will be

lifting sanctions on Syria.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. That country had been under significant sanctions since the Arab Spring uprising in 2011.

Last December, the Assad regime was finally toppled and rebel leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, took power. Trump is expected to meet him in Riyadh tomorrow.

Now, in his speech, Trump said, lifting sanctions will give Syria a chance at greatness.

And this just breaking into CNN. Israel has targeted Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar. We do not know his status right now.

[12:45:59]

We want to get to Jeremy Diamond, who's in Israel for us, tracking a lot of breaking news. It also appears that Israel just intercepted another missile

from Yemen as well.

But as it relates to this targeting of Mohammad Sinwar, we should remind viewers that he is the brother and sort of the de facto leader now of Hamas

after his brother Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israel last year. What more do we know about this development?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is a very significant strike that Israel has just carried out around the vicinity of

the European hospital in Khan Yunis, that southern city in the Gaza Strip.

We saw within the last hour several very, very large plumes of smoke explosions that shook the ground in Gaza. And now I've learned from two

sources familiar with the matter, as well as a senior Israeli official that that strike targeted Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' de facto leader in Gaza, the

brother of the late Yahya Sinwar, who had been killed in October by Israeli forces shortly after becoming Hamas' overall leader.

If indeed Muhammad Sinwar has been killed, that will be very, very significant for the future of these ceasefire and hostage negotiations. And

that's because any agreement needs the green light of Hamas' leader in Gaza, whoever that may be. And at the moment, that has indeed been Mohammad

Sinwar.

The timing of this strike incredibly note -- notable here. It comes just a day after Edan Alexander was released by Hamas, unconditionally, in a

goodwill gesture to the United States, one that was intended to try and push along the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations.

And it comes as Hamas, you know, kind of played this card going around the Israeli government directly to the United States in the hopes that the

United States would then increase the pressure on Israel to reach some kind of agreement.

And -- and so the fact that this came right after all of that, right after Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, to

Israel and then left today is very, very significant.

So on the one hand, it raises the question of who is going to make a deal if it can be made, especially as the Israeli Prime Minister says that

Israel is just days away from escalating its military operations in Gaza.

On the other hand, we have to remember what happened last time after Yahya Sinwar was killed. And that is that it gave the Israeli Prime Minister

something to tout as a win order to then be able to move towards a -- a ceasefire deal, the deal that we saw this past January.

So at this early stage, difficult to know which direction this goes in. And we also will have to learn whether or not the United States was informed of

this strike. But certainly, you know, it would seem at first glance amid this kind of renewed optimism of a potential ceasefire and hostage deal

following the release of Edan Alexander.

The fact that the Israeli Prime Minister would have ordered this strike very, very significant. And -- and I'm sure will be interpreted by some as

-- as a slap in the face to the United States' latest diplomatic push.

Bianna, Zain?

ASHER: And just talk to us, Jeremy -- Jeremy, about how Hamas' sort of leadership structure has really changed and how they've been politically

weakened over the course of the past year and a half since October 7th.

As Bianna mentioned, Yahya Sinwar was killed back in October. We also had Mohammed Deif who was also killed. We also had Ismail Haniyeh who was

killed during a visit to Tehran. And now, obviously, this attack on Mohammad Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar's brother being attacked in hospital.

What does this mean for the leadership structure and Hamas' overall weakness?

DIAMOND: Yes. Look, Israel has been very successful in going after Hamas' top leaders. Those you mentioned are or indeed the most significant. And

you have seen every time someone climbs to the top of the Hamas echelon, they are rather swiftly dismissed via some kind of Israeli military or

clandestine action, as seems to have been the case with the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

But, of course, it also speaks to the fact that even as Hamas' leadership is kind of repeatedly decapitated, Hamas as a -- an ideology, Hamas as a

militant force on the ground in Gaza, very much has not been vanquished.

And this, of course, speaks overall to the questions that have been raised about the lack of an alternative governing structure in Gaza that has yet

to be presented. The criticism that this Israeli government hasn't thought enough about the day after in Gaza and -- and -- and who else could emerge

besides Hamas. And -- and -- and yet at the same time, you do obviously see one after another these Hamas leaders falling.

[12:50:09]

Now, it's important to note that it will likely take several days before we get confirmation of whether or not Mohammad Sinwar has indeed been killed

in this -- in this strike.

But again, just the -- the size of those blasts suggests some type of bunker busting bomb that would have been used similar to what we saw, for

example, in the strikes that killed the leader of Hezbollah in Beirut over the summer. Very similar types of plumes of smoke and -- and large kinds of

explosions here.

But again, we'll have to wait probably at least several hours, if not several days before we actually know whether or not Mohammad Sinwar has

indeed been eliminated.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. It was more of a closer range shootout, we should note, last year that led to the killing of Yahya Sinwar. And even that was

announced and confirmed just a few days later, the IDF not knowing who that was at the time of that shootout.

But as you note, even with Mohammed Deif, I believe it was weeks before final confirmation of his -- of his death as well.

Jeremy, what more can you tell us, switching gears, to this yet another intercept of a ballistic missile from the Houthis, the timing, of course,

coinciding with the president being nearby in Saudi Arabia?

DIAMOND: Yes, that's right. I mean, listen, the -- the Houthis have continued to fire these ballistic missiles as Israel has also intensified

its strikes. We should note in -- in Yemen against the Houthis, of course, the most significant Houthi attack came just over a week ago when is --

when the Houthis actually got a ballistic missile that went through Israel's air defense systems and struck right alongside Israel's

international Ben Gurion airport. Israel then responded with a massive strike on the international airport in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital that is

controlled by the Houthis, destroying that airport, according to the Israeli military.

Since then, we've also seen Israeli strikes on the port of Hudaydah, which Israel has accused Iran of smuggling weapons to the Houthis -- Houthis via

that port.

And -- and earlier this week, we saw more Houthi ballistic missiles. I heard the sirens sounding just before I was getting on air with you guys

from that Houthi missile. I haven't actually been able to check it, whether that missile has been intercepted. But so far, we're not getting any -- any

reports to the contrary.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And this coming just a week or so after the president of the United States surprised many here in the U.S., but also those in Israel

by announcing sort of a truce had been arranged between the Houthis and the United States, excluding strikes against Israel.

ASHER: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. I know --

ASHER: Thank you, Jeremy.

GOLODRYGA: -- you've got a lot of news to go cover right now for us. We appreciate it. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:55:40]

ASHER: All right. Recapping our latest breaking news out of Gaza. Israel says it has targeted Hamas leader, Mohammad Sinwar, in a strike on a

hospital in southern Gaza.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. As of now, it is unclear if he was indeed hit in that strike. Sinwar became the militant group's de facto leader after the

Israeli military killed his brother, Yahya Sinwar, last October.

We, of course, will continue to follow this for you and bring you any updates as they come in.

ASHER: All right. That does it for this hour or two hours of "ONE WORLD." I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks for watching. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back with "AMANPOUR."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END Type: SHOW

[12:00:40]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching the second hour of "ONE WORLD."

U.S. President Donald Trump is addressing a gathering of Saudi investments and prominent American business leaders in Riyadh. So far in his speech,

he's railed against the nation building in the Middle East policy touted by his party for decades.

He also touted his foreign policy agenda and says it's his dream for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords.

GOLODRYGA: This is the first major international trip of his second term. And it's focused largely on expanding Middle East partnerships and

hammering out business deals.

Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also signed several bilateral agreements, including a military defense sale.

CNN's Alayna Treene joins us live now from Washington with details. So Alayna, what more can you tell us about the specifics of some of these

deals that have been signed?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, look. I mean, I think the clear goal for the Trump administration, not only with his visit to Saudi

Arabia, but of course in Qatar where he'll be going tomorrow and then United Emirates later this week, is really these financial agreements.

Now, the president, part of what he did this morning, when he sat down directly with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was to try and

tout some of these agreements. He talked about the $600 billion or excuse me, $600 trillion or no, it is billion dollars. Sorry, I'm getting my

numbers wrong here.

$600 billion investment that Saudi Arabia is going to be making for the United States. The president actually joked that he wanted to get that

number up to $1 trillion. However, of course, unclear if that would actually happen. That's about roughly a year of GDP for Saudi Arabia.

But that's really the big goal of a lot of what he is doing in the Middle East. And, of course, I remind you, if you look back to his first term,

Saudi Arabia was one of the stops that the president actually took on his first trip back in 2017 during his first term.

And so it's kind of a full circle moment for the president here. And, of course, and he actually mentioned this a bit at the top of his speech and

his remarks just moments ago, was that he really appreciates the hospitality that Saudi Arabia is showing him.

Of course, we know that the president really does love the pomp and circumstance that he is being treated with while arriving in Riyadh today.

Now, one thing I do want to talk about as well is you mentioned he brought up the Abraham Accords during his remarks. I actually think that is

probably the most notable part of that speech he just gave.

We had some reporting on Friday where my colleague, Kristen Holmes, and I broke the news that that is actually one of the major topics behind the

scenes that his administration wanted to talk about while in Saudi Arabia.

A big goal of the Trump administration, particularly during the president's first term, was to try to get a number of Arab nations to sign diplomatic

agreements, normalizing relations with Israel. And really, the key architect of that was Jared Kushner, of course, the president's son-in-law.

We have the reporting that actually behind the scenes Kushner has been working with Trump -- top Trump officials to try and work on some progress,

particularly when it comes to Saudi Arabia, but other countries as well, to sign on to the Abraham Accords. So this is really notable.

And, of course, the first mention we've actually heard from the president himself publicly saying he really has a dream to have Saudi Arabia sign on

to it. But again, the main purpose of this trip and his other trips on his tour, really, of the Middle East this week is to sign these economic

agreements.

And then I would be remiss, of course, to not mention some of the key people who are also in the audience today. One person who was very much

front and center to all of this was Elon Musk. Some people had questioned whether or not he would have a big role on this first foreign trip of his.

He obviously attended that lunch today that they had with different -- number of different high-name investors.

But he also, if you noticed, during the president's remarks, he was sitting just behind the Saudi Crown Prince, the person who was really kind of the

man of honor at this event today, apart from the president himself. And so very interesting to see him play such a big role in this first trip of this

week.

GOLODRYGA: No doubt. And, Alayna, it's interesting that you bring up what the president said about his desire, hopefully one day for Saudi Arabia to

actually join the Abraham Accords. Obviously, that would entail Saudi -- Saudi Arabia and Israel agreeing to a relationship of normalization, Saudi

Arabia recognizing Israel's right to exist.

[12:05:04]

And from all reporting, it -- it did appear that that was the path they were headed on before October 7th. And since then, MBS has made clear that

that can only happen now once the war in Gaza comes to an end and a pathway to a Palestinian state is established.

What more do we know about that issue in particular? We know that there have been U.S. envoys now that have been dispatched to the latest round of

ceasefire talks.

TREENE: That's right. So a couple of things I want to point out. You're exactly right. I mean, of course, one of the big sticking points to any

sort of agreement that Saudi Arabia would sign, potentially, if they were to actually ultimately agree to the Abraham Accords. One sticking point, of

course, is the Saudi Crown Prince has made clear, redline, for him, is really he wants there to be a clear pathway for citizenship for the

Palestinian people and a permanent end to the war between Israel and Hamas. And that is, of course, something that is not at all imminent right now

with the state of play, with where things are and -- and the war right now.

And so I actually spoke with some people who have talked to Jared Kushner about this, and he said that he believes there is a way to maybe get the

Saudi Crown Prince to move away from that.

But again, it's very unlikely we will see any sort of signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and Saudi Arabia on this trip. But it's

definitely, they view this moment, this visit from the president there as a great opportunity to try and make progress on that.

And then for the other part of your question, Bianna, about the status of talks, we do know -- I mean, it's -- it's pretty obvious that the president

is not traveling to Israel. He is not going to be making a -- a stop there, despite him going to the region this week.

It was something we were actually told that many people in Israel had -- had been hoping he would add it onto his trip, but he decided against it.

All of that happening as we know that there are continued talks between the United States and Hamas, or I should say, not directly between them, but

through intermediaries like Qatar, where the president is visiting tomorrow, to try and continue to see how they can find an end to the war.

And a big thing that happened yesterday, as you've been covering, was the release of the last living American hostage who was being held by Hamas,

Edan Alexander.

That -- I know that the Trump administration really saw that as what they were describing as a jester of goodwill, and that it was something that,

hopefully, and I think this was what Hamas was hoping for as well, because they asked for nothing in return.

They were hoping the timing of it right ahead of the president's visit to the Middle East this week could potentially lead to further progress and

kind of more motivation for the Trump administration to really increase pressure on Israel to continue to try and push for a more broader ceasefire

agreement.

Of course, all of that very much up in the air, but looming over this entire trip while in Saudi Arabia, and of course, Qatar, and the UAE later

this week.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Alayna Treene, thank you so much.

ASHER: Thanks, Alayna.

GOLODRYGA: Let's discuss more with CNN politics senior reporter, Stephen Collinson. He is joining us live from Washington.

And you get whiplash, Stephen, when you just look at the difference in approach and tone and reception from two back-to-back presidents, President

Biden has got a lot of pushback, mostly from his own party, when he traveled to Riyadh to meet with the Crown Prince. He was not received at

the airport. There was no pomp and circumstance like we've seen now with the arrival of President Trump. Even the fist bump between President Biden

and MBS was viewed as controversial.

Now, however, we have President Trump back in -- in office. And I was struck by what one analyst described about how the president views the

Gulf. And this analyst said, Trump is a businessman from New York who knows the Gulf very well and sees the Gulf as a region of opportunity for his

presidency. And that really helps explain why he chose this visit as his first in his second term.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICS REPORTER: Yes. I think all the things you mentioned there, Bianna, are the reason why he feels very

comfortable here. This is a place that is willing to indulge his penchant for adulation.

Its offers him opulence, a luxurious welcome, and pageantry, all of which Trump believes he's due as the president of the United States, and which in

many ways he craves.

But more importantly, it is a region with a lot of money. Trump is trying to drum up investments in the United States. And it's a place all of these

countries is visiting on this trip, where the line between business and politics is often very hard to decipher.

I think in many ways, and it's also all these countries are authoritarian, which means a leader has a great deal of power. In many ways, Saudi Arabia,

Qatar, and the UAE are places that Trump would like the United States to be more like. And it's significant that he's not going to Europe, for example,

where he doesn't have a lot of the impediments in the history, and even the demonstrations that greet his visits to the older continent.

[12:10:10]

So I think this is somewhere where Trump feels very comfortable and it aligns with a lot of his personal political and, of course, his personal

business priorities.

ASHER: And -- and, Stephen, what stood out to you about the way that Trump sort of heaped praise on Mohammed bin Salman? I mean, just talk to us about

the relationship between these two men specifically. Obviously, Bianna was mentioning that Biden got snubbed at the airport by MBS, partly because

Biden had vowed to make Saudi Arabia pariah.

There's been so much talk about, especially under the Biden administration, there had been so much talk about just the human rights abuses in Saudi

Arabia, specifically as it pertain to Jamal Khashoggi.

When it comes to the relationship between these two men though, talk to us about how the Crown Prince is trying to position himself as a key U.S. ally

here.

COLLINSON: Yes. The -- there's always been this dance between the United States and the West regarding its relations with Saudi Arabia, a key

strategic power, a country that buys a lot of Western armaments, a country that's got the power to invest in left Western economies.

And then there's this question of human rights and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi became a flashpoint for that.

During Trump's first term, he argued, well, Saudi Arabia has got a lot of money, so it's time for us to get over these kinds of things. And I think

you're seeing that play out very much in this visit and in all of his dealings with the Saudis in particular.

And, of course, you know, the -- the -- the rationale of Trump's second term is to get money into the United States. He sees countries with massive

sovereign wealth funds. He thinks he can tap that money.

And a very important thing about Trump is he sees himself as the ultimate dealmaker. In many ways, that was a fiction during his life as a

businessman. It was played out when he was on "The Apprentice" on NBC.

But countries like Saudi Arabia, where he can go and sign these big deals, even if what actually is delivered years later, doesn't, you know, live up

to what is promised, they can feed this mythology of Trump as the great dealmaker, the successful businessman who's bringing back trillions of

dollars to the United States, which is a key part of his political appeal.

GOLODRYGA: And, Stephen, among the comments that the president made, we -- we noted that he touched on a multitude of issues, including rehashing the

election from last year. But it had been reported he'd even floated the idea possibly if talks continue between Ukraine and Russia later this week,

that he may be traveling to Turkey for those talks.

He just said that it would be Secretary of State Marco Rubio that would be traveling to Turkey for those negotiations, which just suggests President

Putin likely will not be taking President Trump and President Zelenskyy up on their offer to meet face to face.

COLLINSON: Yes. And very -- and very much, this is a rebuke of the U.S. position by the Russians, or at least defined if Putin doesn't show up,

because you remember at the weekend, the European leaders who went to see President Zelenskyy in Kyiv called for a ceasefire before talks.

The president intervened and said, no, the Russians don't want that. We should just have the talks. So if the Russians don't show up, I think it's

again another sign in which the Russians perhaps believe that they can manipulate the United States, not follow Trump's pressure such as it is and

keep the war going. We'll see how Trump reacts to that.

And I think, you know, Rubio going instead of the president is a sign because you can bet that he would have loved the spectacle of being the

peacemaker in the middle. That shot of him in the middle of Zelenskyy and Putin will be something that Trump would very much like to have, you know,

for his legacy and for his own political project and his political reasons in the United States. So I guess that's a disappointment for the United

States.

You know, if you look at it, a lot of its peace making so far in the Middle East, in Ukraine, hasn't really been that successful, even though Trump has

made a core part of his -- the beginning of his second term.

So I think perhaps we're going to see -- rethink of the U.S. approach. You know, I think again, we're going back to the business side of this. What

Trump wants is a deal. And I don't think in many ways, it really matters what's in that deal.

But if all you want is a deal and you're not prepared to discuss the root causes of conflicts, getting that deal is going to be very difficult.

GOLODRYGA: No doubt, which is why there's increased concern that in his quest for a deal, he perhaps settled for a less than ideal deal with Iran

as well and talks about the Iran nuclear negotiations also came up in the president's speech as well.

[12:15:11]

Stephen Collinson, thank you so much.

ASHER: Thank you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Well, it's a highly unusual present and it's raising substantial ethical and legal questions.

ASHER: Yes. The American president is defending a move to accept a luxury jet from Qatar as a gift. Donald Trump wants to retrofit the newer Boeing

747 to replace an aging Air Force One.

GOLODRYGA: Democrats are slamming the idea. Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, wants to put a blanket hold on all Justice Department nominees as

he seeks answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): News of the Qatari government gifting Donald Trump a $400 million private jet to use as Air Force One is so corrupt that

even Putin would give a double take. This is not just naked corruption. It is also a grave national security threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The plans also not taking off with several Republicans either. Some of his staunchest supporters rather are becoming his loudest critics over

this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN SHAPIRO, COFOUNDER, DAILY WIRE: That's not America first. Like please define America first in a way that says you take -- you should take sacks

of cash from the Qatari royals who are behind Al Jazeera. It just isn't America first in any conceivable ways. If you want President Trump to

succeed, this kind of sleazy stuff needs to stop.

ERICK ERICKSON, HOST, THE ERICK ERICKSON SHOW PODCAST: My problem with taking this plane from Qatar is I do not think the president of the United

States of America should sit and fly on a plane purchased with the same money used to murder American citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy who we interviewed yesterday also said that he would not advise the president to accept such a

controversial and lavish gift by Qatar.

CNN's Tom Foreman has more on this plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The possibility of a $400 million gift jet from Qatar to serve as President Trump's new Air Force One

is drawing lightning strikes of criticism. Trump's latest grift -- "It's not just bribery; it's premium foreign influence with extra leg room."

And from the vice chair of the Senate Ethics Committee --

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE), VICE CHAIR, SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS: This is almost exactly the sort of gift that our founders had in mind that

Americans shouldn't accept. And I'll remind you, other federal employees can't accept even $50.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The plane would appear to fly in the face of the U.S. Constitution's emoluments clause, which says no person holding any office

shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present of any kind whatever from any king, prince, or foreign state.

Asked about that, Trump hit back.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not a gift to me. It's a gift to the Department of Defense.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Analysts say the gift plane would likely have to be entirely stripped down and rebuilt to make sure it does not hold technology

detrimental to presidential security.

After all, Qatar has long ties to Hamas, a terrorist group in the eyes of the U.S. government.

TRUMP: The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high-level.

RICHARD PAINTER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ETHICS LAWYER UNDER GEORGE W. BUSH: Why is the United States of America accepting a gift of this magnitude from a

foreign government that supported terrorist organizations?

FOREMAN (voice-over): In his first term, Trump hit upon the idea of revamping Air Force One, upgrading it, changing the color.

TRUMP: You know what colors we're using? Take a guess.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Red, white and blue.

TRUMP: Red, white and blue.

FOREMAN (voice-over): He became frustrated by the long, expensive process of doing all that. But now, Qatar has offered him a quick fix, and he's on

board.

TRUMP: I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, no, we don't want a free, very expensive

airplane.

FOREMAN: The president saying this is a gift to the Pentagon, not to him, doesn't necessarily hold water either, because the emoluments clause

basically says, you can't give a gift like this to an elected official or anybody who works for him, which would include the folks at the pentagon.

So even though the president may want to treat this like it's no big deal, it is a big deal and likely to stay that way until it's settled.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Still to come --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: This is just of a piece of an overall campaign to try to conceal from the American people, the extent to which the president

was really struggling to do his job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And inside look at what went wrong at the end of the Biden administration.

GOLODRYGA: Plus, a U.S. judge backing a Trump administration plan to share sensitive tax data to deport immigrants. We have a live report ahead.

[12:20:58]

And later --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody in all of us. No wizard that there is or was, is ever going to bring me down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope you're happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: They are back. The stars of "Wicked" have just made a huge announcement.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: A major win for the Trump administration after a federal judge refused to block the IRS from sharing highly sensitive tax pay information

with immigration authorities and lawsuit brought about by an immigrant rights group.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. The ruling gives ICE officials access to data that could quickly identify and help deport anyone deemed to be illegally in the

United States.

ASHER: Yes. Joining us live now from Washington, D.C., is CNN's senior report to Marshall Cohen.

So, Marshall, just walk us through what the judge actually had to say about this.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey guys. It was a pretty big win for the Trump administration. The judge concluded yesterday that this program

can move forward. She refused to block the IRS from handing over this confidential tax payer data to DHS, which is the Department of Homeland

Security, and ICE, which is the Immigration Enforcement Authority.

Look, the legal groups, the immigrant rights groups that filed this lawsuit have argued that the Trump administration is basically trying to create a

pretext to share this data. The federal tax code is very strict when you can and when you can't share information.

And remember, undocumented immigrants pay taxes. They have been encouraged for decades to come forward, pay what they owe, register with the IRS,

provide their home address, and if they do that, their -- their private information will stay private. But maybe not for long.

Let me read for you what the judge said in her decision last night. This is Judge Dabney Friedrich who was appointed by President Trump in his first

term. She said, quote, requesting and receiving information for civil enforcement purposes would constitute a cognizable injury, but none of the

organizations have established that such an injury is imminent.

And so she concluded by saying that the case presents a narrow legal issue. Does the memorandum of understanding between the IRS and DHS violate the

internal revenue code? And she said, it does not.

Now, that means that the administration can move forward with this plan that top officials have said they hope will get, in their mind criminals,

undocumented immigrants that have defied deportation orders, get them out of this country.

[12:25:09]

Obviously, the groups on the other side of this lawsuit, feel very differently and they think that this is a significant trampling of the

rights of these migrants.

I want to read for you what one of their attorneys said. In reaction to the ruling, this is from Alan Morrison. He said, quote, plaintiffs will be

keeping a close watch to be sure that the defendants, which is the U.S. government, carry out their promises to follow the law and not use the

exception for unlawful purposes.

They say they're going to be watching like a hawk to see how the administration implements this and if they go beyond the letter of the law,

which is very strict for when you can share and when you can't, that they will probably go right back to court to try to stop it in the future. Guys.

ASHER: All right. Marshall Cohen, live for us there. Thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we're getting new details of what it was like behind the scenes during Joe Biden's final days in the White House.

CNN's Jake Tapper co-wrote a book with Axios' Alex Thompson, called "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline Its Cover-Up And His Disastrous

Choice To Run Again."

ASHER: Yes. The book reveals that some of Biden's aides discussed him needing actually a wheelchair if he were to win a second term. Here's more

from Jake Tapper himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: This is all part of a larger hole where the Biden White House tried to hide the extent of his deterioration, both physical and cognitive, as

much as possible.

In fact, as you we all know, we all saw as his shuffling gait got worse and worse from 2003 to 2004. They started putting aides around him as he walked

to Marine One, the helicopter. That was to kind of hide from public view how bad his gait was, how bad his walking was, his shuffling. And also in

case he stumbled again to make sure somebody was there.

And this is just of a piece of an overall campaign to try to conceal from the American people the extent to which the president was really struggling

to do his job.

Alex Thompson and I were on the case, as were lots of other reporters trying to figure out what was going on behind the scenes. But the bottom

line is the White House was lying, not only to the press, not only to the public, but they were lying to members of their own cabinet. They were

lying to White House staffers. They were lying to democratic members of Congress, to donors about how bad things had gotten.

And in fact, Alex and I started writing this book after the election of 2024. And we spoke with more than 200 people, most of whom, almost all of

whom were Democrats, and almost all of whom wouldn't be honest with us or wouldn't be candid with us until after the election.

And then after the election, we found out all of these things that when you looked at what was going on with President Biden at the time, it probably

doesn't surprise you the extent to which he was deteriorating. But now we have anecdotes and facts about what was really going on behind the scenes

with details that Democrats wouldn't share with us until after election day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: All right. And more tidbits from the book are expected to be released very, very soon. Our thanks to Jake Tapper for that.

And still to come on CNN, we're following Kim Kardashian's chilling testimony in a Paris courtroom over the multi-million dollar armed robbery

she endured nearly nine years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:05]

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "ONE WORLD." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.

After plenty of twists and turns in their case, convicted murderers, Erik and Lyle Menendez are hoping to secure their freedom.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. A resentencing hearing for the brothers is happening in Los Angeles today. The Menendez brothers are serving a life sentence without

parole for murdering their parents in 1989.

This case captured worldwide attention. Last fall, the L.A. District attorney said the brothers were no longer dangerous and should get a shot

at parole. But a new D.A. has since been elected and opposes setting the brothers free.

In another high-profile case, Sean "Diddy" Combs criminal sex trafficking case continues in New York. Star witness, Cassie Ventura, on the stand

today with explosive testimony regarding her relationship with ex-boyfriend Combs.

ASHER: Now, Ventura has so far detailed the alleged abuse she received from Combs, saying he would smash her in the head, drag her, kick her and stomp

on her if she was down.

Ventura also detailed the nature of the Freak Offs claiming that Combs would watch her have sex with other men. Combs has pleaded not guilty to

all charges. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to life in prison.

Reality T.V. star Kim Kardashian has been in a Paris courtroom today, facing the people accused of tying her up with duct tape and plastic ties

and robbing her at gunpoint nearly nine years ago.

ASHER: Yes. She's testifying against the so-called grandpa robbers. They're accused of stealing millions of dollars in jewelry from her while she was

in Paris for fashion weeks.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): They shuffle into court, frail, aging, some battling serious health issues. But these men,

known as the Grandpa Gang, stand accused of a violent heist.

Ten people are on trial, most are over 60, among them alleged mastermind Aomar Ait Khedache. He's accused of being part of the gang that tied up Kim

Kardashian, locking her in a bathroom and making off with millions in cash and jewelry, including her diamond engagement ring, which was never

recovered.

Now, partially deaf, the proceedings are being transcribed for him to follow along.

ME CHLOE ARNOUX, LAWYER FOR AOMAR AIT KHEDACHE: My client already apologized to her while he tried to do so by sending her a letter. And I

think he is really remorseful about what is done. And the fact of having a senior on T.V. describing fear, describing the stress she felt.

KIM KARDASHIAN, T.V. REALITY STAR: I didn't know who he was. And I'm like, what is happening? Are we going to die? Just tell them I have children.

Like I have babies, I have a husband, I have a family, like I have to get home.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Khedache, a school dropout who spent much of his adult life in and out of prison, is pleading guilty to armed robbery and

kidnapping, according to his attorney.

Yunice Abbas, a repeat offender with a long list of crimes to his name, wrote a book on the heist. He admits taking part in the robbery, but denies

involvement in the kidnapping.

[12:35:04]

YUNICE ABBAS, AUTHOR (through translator): It will happen, naturally, I will apologize. But will it make a difference? I've done it several times.

I did it during the hearing, in T.V. interviews. I've always done it.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Abbas has blamed the T.V. reality star for flaunting her jewelry online and says he tracked her movements in the days

leading up to the robbery.

The prosecutor says this was no spur of the moment crime. It was a carefully planned job by seasoned offenders. Their case is built on DNA

evidence, security footage and wiretapped calls, tying key suspects to the crime.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Time now for "The Exchange." Joining us now is former state and federal prosecutor, David Weinstein.

David, we have so many cases to talk to you about. There's obviously the Diddy case. We were just talking about the Kim Kardashian case. The list

goes on, especially with the Erik and Lyle Menendez case as well.

I think I want to start with Cassie Ventura and Diddy just because she took the stand today, which obviously you can imagine what that testimony would

have been like to hear. We all saw the video.

The fact that the jurors were shown that video in court, that infamous video where he is in by the elevator banks and he is on a hotel floor,

essentially shoving Cassie to the ground, kicking her, dragging her. I mean, it's even difficult to talk about, right? Let alone to actually watch

it.

The fact that the jurors were played in that video right at the start of this case, what impact do you think that's going to have?

DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE AND FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, I think the prosecution wanted to start this case off with a large impact. And they did

that by putting this video in front of these jurors. They told them during jury selection that the testimony and evidence in this case was going to be

graphic and it wasn't going to be pleasant sitting on this jury.

And they held up to their promise to them and they did that. And by catching their attention right from the start, that guarantees these jurors

are going to pay attention to the testimony that comes in.

And they heard testimony today from the person in that video. And it's going to be tough for them to separate. Whatever comes out during cross-

examination, but they saw in that video from the testimony they're hearing in court, and it's going to be a tough job for his lawyers to get them to

separate. And they did some of that or tried to do some of that in their opening statements by saying that this was not about battery and about

assault, but rather about sex trafficking and racketeering, trying to get the jurors to focus on the charges and not the person sitting in front of

them.

GOLODRYGA: And the defense now will have to cross-examine Cassie Ventura too. So it's one thing to set the stage in terms of their opening

statements to the jurors on this very issue. But as it relates to cross- examining Cassie, talk about the strategy that they may be portraying.

WEINSTEIN: Well, they're going to have to have a soft touch here. She's visibly very pregnant. So now not only are the jurors going to see a lawyer

cross-examinating a victim and a victim of assault and battery and sex trafficking, but a pregnant victim.

And so normally, you're very aggressive on cross-examination because the point you're trying to make is maybe you didn't recall exactly what

happened. Maybe you have another vendetta here against the defendant. Maybe you're not being truthful.

Well, the question is how far can they push it while still vigorously defending their client? So it's going to be a bit of a balancing act.

We've already seen them use a female attorney to do some openings. I suspect that one of the female attorneys will be doing the cross-

examination to soften what's going to be going on here. But again, they need to handle this very gently to get their point across.

ASHER: And just in terms of Kim Kardashian, I believe she's going to be leaving the courtroom any moment now. So hopefully we will have live

pictures which we can share with our audience.

But this is a really -- I mean, this is another very emotive case because she talked about fearing for her life. You had several men who were masked.

They were dressed as police officers. They held her at gunpoint. They essentially taped her feet together.

I mean, the list goes on. This is all taking place in her luxury apartment in Paris back in 2016. And they ended up stealing about $10 million worth

of jewelry from her. In fact, one of the suspects apparently wrote a book about the whole ordeal.

Just explain to us how -- how -- I mean, just in terms of the defense strategy here, I mean, we have been given so much detail as to what

happened, especially in the book of one of the suspects.

How -- what is the defense strategy going to be here do you think?

WEINSTEIN: Well, the first thing we all need to keep in mind is that as an American, this is something that we're all unfamiliar with. The process in

France is not like the U.S. judicial system.

There's no presumed innocent until proven guilty. You're almost presumed guilty and you have to fight back out of that bag to get there. The judge

is very involved in the prosecution of the case.

[12:40:04]

So it's more like a sentencing hearing to those of us who follow the system here in the U.S. By admitting the guilt and all of these details, they're

now starting to try and show some remorse or at least some of the defendants.

One of the defendants almost alleged that it was Kardashian's fault for being so public with the jewelry and her social medias like she was

inviting them to come after her.

But again, it's more like a sentencing hearing where they'll be seeking to say, OK, I did it, but I don't need to be put in jail for double digits or

presumably the rest of my life for some of these defendants.

GOLODRYGA: And how do you anticipate the resentencing hearing for the Menendez brothers to occur today?

WEINSTEIN: There needs to be a lot of remorse shown on behalf of the Menendez brothers. What they need to prove here is that they've been

rehabilitated. Their lawyers talked about the fact that they were allegedly sexually abused and back when the trial took place. That was not something

that was at the forefront. And so the prosecution was somehow misinformed about what was going on.

And what the prosecution has said, putting all of that aside, have they really rehabilitated themselves while they were in prison? Or are these the

same two young men who were convicted those many years ago and are now trying to just take advantage of the system and get someone to feel sorry

for them?

So it'll be an interesting balance between how hard the prosecution is now going to push with a changed D.A. and how vigorous the defense can be to

show these two men have rehabilitated themselves.

ASHER: All right. David Weinstein, live for us there. That was a lot to get through. You did a fantastic job. Thank you so much, David.

We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: We want to update you on a significant foreign policy shift just announced by President Trump in Riyadh. He announced the U.S. will be

lifting sanctions on Syria.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. That country had been under significant sanctions since the Arab Spring uprising in 2011.

Last December, the Assad regime was finally toppled and rebel leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, took power. Trump is expected to meet him in Riyadh tomorrow.

Now, in his speech, Trump said, lifting sanctions will give Syria a chance at greatness.

And this just breaking into CNN. Israel has targeted Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar. We do not know his status right now.

[12:45:59]

We want to get to Jeremy Diamond, who's in Israel for us, tracking a lot of breaking news. It also appears that Israel just intercepted another missile

from Yemen as well.

But as it relates to this targeting of Mohammad Sinwar, we should remind viewers that he is the brother and sort of the de facto leader now of Hamas

after his brother Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israel last year. What more do we know about this development?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is a very significant strike that Israel has just carried out around the vicinity of

the European hospital in Khan Yunis, that southern city in the Gaza Strip.

We saw within the last hour several very, very large plumes of smoke explosions that shook the ground in Gaza. And now I've learned from two

sources familiar with the matter, as well as a senior Israeli official that that strike targeted Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' de facto leader in Gaza, the

brother of the late Yahya Sinwar, who had been killed in October by Israeli forces shortly after becoming Hamas' overall leader.

If indeed Muhammad Sinwar has been killed, that will be very, very significant for the future of these ceasefire and hostage negotiations. And

that's because any agreement needs the green light of Hamas' leader in Gaza, whoever that may be. And at the moment, that has indeed been Mohammad

Sinwar.

The timing of this strike incredibly note -- notable here. It comes just a day after Edan Alexander was released by Hamas, unconditionally, in a

goodwill gesture to the United States, one that was intended to try and push along the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations.

And it comes as Hamas, you know, kind of played this card going around the Israeli government directly to the United States in the hopes that the

United States would then increase the pressure on Israel to reach some kind of agreement.

And -- and so the fact that this came right after all of that, right after Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, to

Israel and then left today is very, very significant.

So on the one hand, it raises the question of who is going to make a deal if it can be made, especially as the Israeli Prime Minister says that

Israel is just days away from escalating its military operations in Gaza.

On the other hand, we have to remember what happened last time after Yahya Sinwar was killed. And that is that it gave the Israeli Prime Minister

something to tout as a win order to then be able to move towards a -- a ceasefire deal, the deal that we saw this past January.

So at this early stage, difficult to know which direction this goes in. And we also will have to learn whether or not the United States was informed of

this strike. But certainly, you know, it would seem at first glance amid this kind of renewed optimism of a potential ceasefire and hostage deal

following the release of Edan Alexander.

The fact that the Israeli Prime Minister would have ordered this strike very, very significant. And -- and I'm sure will be interpreted by some as

-- as a slap in the face to the United States' latest diplomatic push.

Bianna, Zain?

ASHER: And just talk to us, Jeremy -- Jeremy, about how Hamas' sort of leadership structure has really changed and how they've been politically

weakened over the course of the past year and a half since October 7th.

As Bianna mentioned, Yahya Sinwar was killed back in October. We also had Mohammed Deif who was also killed. We also had Ismail Haniyeh who was

killed during a visit to Tehran. And now, obviously, this attack on Mohammad Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar's brother being attacked in hospital.

What does this mean for the leadership structure and Hamas' overall weakness?

DIAMOND: Yes. Look, Israel has been very successful in going after Hamas' top leaders. Those you mentioned are or indeed the most significant. And

you have seen every time someone climbs to the top of the Hamas echelon, they are rather swiftly dismissed via some kind of Israeli military or

clandestine action, as seems to have been the case with the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

But, of course, it also speaks to the fact that even as Hamas' leadership is kind of repeatedly decapitated, Hamas as a -- an ideology, Hamas as a

militant force on the ground in Gaza, very much has not been vanquished.

And this, of course, speaks overall to the questions that have been raised about the lack of an alternative governing structure in Gaza that has yet

to be presented. The criticism that this Israeli government hasn't thought enough about the day after in Gaza and -- and -- and who else could emerge

besides Hamas. And -- and -- and yet at the same time, you do obviously see one after another these Hamas leaders falling.

[12:50:09]

Now, it's important to note that it will likely take several days before we get confirmation of whether or not Mohammad Sinwar has indeed been killed

in this -- in this strike.

But again, just the -- the size of those blasts suggests some type of bunker busting bomb that would have been used similar to what we saw, for

example, in the strikes that killed the leader of Hezbollah in Beirut over the summer. Very similar types of plumes of smoke and -- and large kinds of

explosions here.

But again, we'll have to wait probably at least several hours, if not several days before we actually know whether or not Mohammad Sinwar has

indeed been eliminated.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. It was more of a closer range shootout, we should note, last year that led to the killing of Yahya Sinwar. And even that was

announced and confirmed just a few days later, the IDF not knowing who that was at the time of that shootout.

But as you note, even with Mohammed Deif, I believe it was weeks before final confirmation of his -- of his death as well.

Jeremy, what more can you tell us, switching gears, to this yet another intercept of a ballistic missile from the Houthis, the timing, of course,

coinciding with the president being nearby in Saudi Arabia?

DIAMOND: Yes, that's right. I mean, listen, the -- the Houthis have continued to fire these ballistic missiles as Israel has also intensified

its strikes. We should note in -- in Yemen against the Houthis, of course, the most significant Houthi attack came just over a week ago when is --

when the Houthis actually got a ballistic missile that went through Israel's air defense systems and struck right alongside Israel's

international Ben Gurion airport. Israel then responded with a massive strike on the international airport in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital that is

controlled by the Houthis, destroying that airport, according to the Israeli military.

Since then, we've also seen Israeli strikes on the port of Hudaydah, which Israel has accused Iran of smuggling weapons to the Houthis -- Houthis via

that port.

And -- and earlier this week, we saw more Houthi ballistic missiles. I heard the sirens sounding just before I was getting on air with you guys

from that Houthi missile. I haven't actually been able to check it, whether that missile has been intercepted. But so far, we're not getting any -- any

reports to the contrary.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And this coming just a week or so after the president of the United States surprised many here in the U.S., but also those in Israel

by announcing sort of a truce had been arranged between the Houthis and the United States, excluding strikes against Israel.

ASHER: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. I know --

ASHER: Thank you, Jeremy.

GOLODRYGA: -- you've got a lot of news to go cover right now for us. We appreciate it. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:55:40]

ASHER: All right. Recapping our latest breaking news out of Gaza. Israel says it has targeted Hamas leader, Mohammad Sinwar, in a strike on a

hospital in southern Gaza.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. As of now, it is unclear if he was indeed hit in that strike. Sinwar became the militant group's de facto leader after the

Israeli military killed his brother, Yahya Sinwar, last October.

We, of course, will continue to follow this for you and bring you any updates as they come in.

ASHER: All right. That does it for this hour or two hours of "ONE WORLD." I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks for watching. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back with "AMANPOUR."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:00]

END