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One World with Zain Asher
President Trump To Host African Leaders At White House; Trump Threatens More Countries With Tariffs As High As 30 Percent; Russia Stages Biggest Drone Attack After Trump Criticizes Putin; Rains Trigger Severe Floods, Deaths In New Mexico; Camp Mystic Vigil Brings Together Former And Current Campers; U.K. Welcomes French President For Three-Day State Visit; "MAGA" World Outraged Over Justice Department Epstein Inquiry; "Superman" Hits Theaters Friday, July 11; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired July 09, 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]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
Well, any minute now, we expect Donald Trump to sit down for a very important lunch meeting.
ASHER: He'll be joined by the presidents of five African countries, Liberia, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The thing all these countries have in common is that they are not seen as being allied to BRICS, the group of emerging economies
founded by among others, America's adversaries, including Russia and China.
Joining us now to dig deeper into the seven-nation summit, our CNN White House reporter Alayna Treene and our Larry Madowo in Lagos, Nigeria.
Alayna, let me start with you. What are some of the expectations from the White House's perspective going into this meeting?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. They haven't been very forthcoming with some of these details. And some of my conversations with
people here at the White House, they argued that they see this as a good opportunity to work on different potential economic agreements.
One White House official said that they are here to discuss commercial opportunities. And, of course, all this comes as we're seeing the president
continue to send more letters to different countries on tariffs and whatnot.
But I think your point, Bianna and Zain, just about probably the real meaning behind this and the context of this is that these countries, you
know, are not part of the largest economies in Africa. They're, you know, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia. None of those countries are
actually going to be present for this, you know, mini summit that he is having, the president, with these five different countries.
And many of the countries that I just, you know, the largest economies that I was just laying out, those are allied with BRICS, with, you know, that
economic group that's really paired with some of the biggest economies in Africa, but also China and Russia. And that's a big part of this as well.
You know, we've heard from different experts on this saying that perhaps the president is reaching for low-hanging fruit. That's what one professor
had told CNN, essentially saying that perhaps this is a good way to try and get some of the smaller countries in Africa to work on different ways to
try and counter act, some of the aggression we're seeing in China and Russia trying to encroach into Africa. So that could come up as well during
this conversation. It's still unclear.
But it does come as the U.S. is growing more concerned about Russia and Chinese aggression in Africa. And so all of that kind of playing out, I
think, behind the scenes here.
I do want to note as well that some of the leaders from these different countries are going to be here through Friday. We're told that after this
lunch today, there will be some economic meetings behind closed doors. So we'll be keeping an eye on that as well.
ASHER: All right. Alayna, thank you.
Larry, let me bring you in. Just in terms of what, again, what the U.S. stands to gain from this meeting. I mean, obviously, Bianna and Alayna laid
out just this idea of the fact that, you know, the countries that are not allied with the BRICS were invited. So that's an important point.
But it's also this idea of the natural resources of some of these nations. It's also this idea of the U.S. sort of trying to counter Chinese influence
and to a lesser extent, Russian influence on the continent too. So give us your take on that.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Zain. Yes, these countries are not the biggest BRICS allies on the continent.
But the other thing is they all have one thing in common, despite being small economies, they have lots of untapped mineral resources. We're
talking oil, gold, iron ore, manganese. These are mineral resources that President Trump wants to get his hands on.
That is the only reason why President Trump would invite the leaders of Liberia, President Boakai, President Ghazouani of Mauritania, President
Diomaye Faye of Senegal, President Brice Oligui Nguema, who was a military leader until very recently he won a democratic election. And that's why
they're here.
Even President Umaro Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, he actually completed his term at the end of February. He is in power unconstitutionally, according
to the opposition party there. So, it's very unusual to have the United States inviting a leader of a country whose obviously overstayed their term
here.
But this is the commercial diplomacy that President Trump wants to promote on the continent. And these are low-hanging fruits, as experts are saying,
they want to do these deals. They probably want to avoid tariffs as well.
You saw a small country like Lesotho in the first version of tariffs get the highest amount of the tariffs because they export a lot of textiles to
the U.S. and they import almost nothing.
[12:05:08]
So these countries want to make sure they are first in line to some kind of trade deal, especially with the expectation that the African Growth and
Opportunity Act will lapse and President Trump administration might not renew it. This is an act that allowed for quota-free, tariff-free access to
U.S. markets. So that's one aspect.
The other one is that these countries, especially Mauritania and Senegal, also send a huge amount of migrants through Nicaragua and into the southern
border of the US. So if they can work out something around migration, that will be helpful to the President Trump administration as well.
ASHER: Yes. I mean, it's interesting, Larry, because it wasn't so long ago. I think it was in 20 -- 2018 when Donald Trump used a slur, as I'm sure you
remember, to refer to African countries, including Haiti as well. And a lot of people who are from the continent, like myself, obviously I'm from
Nigeria, I took -- I took a lot of offense to that.
So the about-face and the turnaround is quite interesting. But as you point out, there are natural resources involved, as usual.
All right. Larry Madowo, live for us there. Alayna Treene. Thank you both so much. Appreciate it. We are keeping a close eye on this meeting taking
place with Donald Trump and the leaders of five African nations.
All right. Another story that we are following, Donald Trump is escalating the trade war, the global trade war, on the day the so-called reciprocal
tariffs were actually supposed to end. Obviously, today is July 9th. That deadline has been pushed back yet again.
But we're now learning the U.S. President is threatening five more nations with levies as high as 30 percent, just in terms of tariffs.
CNN's Anna Stewart joins us live now from London. And we're also talking about dramatically higher tariffs on copper as well, so much going on as it
pertains to this trade war. Anna, walk us through it.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, keeping me on my toes, we have no letters from President Trump, including to Brunei, the Philippines,
Moldova, Libya. New tariff levels set, many of them much like what we saw on April 2nd for so-called Liberation Day before that 90-day pause.
They're just round the numbers. Generally, they're actually lower. The Philippines is the only one I see here It's three percent higher. It's now
got a 20 percent tariff rate that will kick in on the 1st of August.
The other difference we have as -- as from when we last spoke, 24 hours ago, is that these letters are now being termed deals by President Trump, a
bit of a rebrand there. I'm not sure that these trading partners will view them as deals. It seems like quite a sort of one-way deal at this stage.
But some countries haven't yet received anything. For instance, some big trading partners to come include India and the E.U. For the E.U., they feel
like they are getting closer to some sort of at least framework agreement at this stage. But we still don't have anything.
The president did say a letter was likely to be going out to the E.U. in two days time. That was last night. So perhaps that's a letter for
tomorrow, which we can all talk about.
But in addition, you mentioned copper. This is possibly one of the bigger announcements we've actually had this week, a 50 percent tariff on copper
imports to the U.S. to take effect, probably around the end of the month, although that hasn't been confirmed yet.
This is far different to what analysts were expecting. This is one of those sectoral tariffs that we knew the White House was looking into. Copper has
been being investigated for some time. There was already a tariff in steel and aluminum.
The expectation was for a tariff of 25 percent. It is double that. So we saw quite a bigger price increase yesterday, particularly when we looked at
New York futures. They were up around nearly 18 percent. One of the biggest rises in terms of daily rise in copper prices, I think since the 1980s,
which is something quite extraordinary.
Another one to watch is pharmaceuticals. Last night, the president did threaten a 200 percent tariff on pharmaceuticals. You did hear me right.
However, that's likely not kicking for a year or a year and a half.
And as we all know, ladies, these deadlines are somewhat fluid and the markets are reacting by doing really nothing at all other than buying green
across the board with Nvidia hitting a new record as a $4 trillion market cap company.
ASHER: I love that you said, you know, you did hear me right.
GOLODRYGA: Right.
ASHER: There's so many numbers floating around and like those triple digit tariffs spreads are now the norm it seems.
GOLODRYGA: But the sectoral tariffs, we should remind viewers, are the ones that -- that he is legally entitled to impose. The reciprocal tariffs are -
- are still being argued in court, though they have been allowed to proceed forward. So yet another uncertainty looming over the legality of these
tariffs in the long run.
In the meantime, we'll all be watching to see what happens on August 1st. Not many countries are spared, except for perhaps the next one we'll be
talking about after this segment.
Anna Stewart in London, thank you so much.
ASHER: Thanks, Anna.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the Kremlin, one of the few countries that has not had tariffs against it, says that it's responding calmly to increasingly tough
rhetoric from the U.S. president.
[12:10:00]
But just hours after Donald Trump sharply criticized Vladimir Putin and pledged to send more weapons to Kyiv, Russia unleashed its largest drone
attack on Ukraine since the start of the war.
ASHER: And Tuesday Trump openly expressed his frustration with the Russian leader for not engaging in serious ceasefire negotiations. The president
called Putin's words meaningless and said Washington was resuming weapons shipments to Ukraine.
The Pentagon paused critical arms deliveries last week. Something the president said he wasn't aware of. Multiple sources tell CNN that was
defense secretary Pete Hegseth's decision.
GOLODRYGA: And meantime, CNN has exclusive audio revealing that President Trump told the private fundraiser back in 2024, ahead of the election, that
he once threatened to bomb Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With Putin I said, if you go in to Ukraine, I'm going to bomb the (BLEEP) out of Moscow. I'm telling
you, I have no choice. (INAUDIBLE) So he goes like, I don't believe you.
He says, no way. And I said, way. And then he goes like, I don't believe you. But the truth is he believed me 10 percent. I told you this, he
believed me 10 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, the Kremlin isn't confirming that such a conversation took place. So spokesman saying there were no Trump Putin calls at the time
because Trump wasn't in office.
CNN's Natasha Bertrand joins us live now from Washington. Natasha, back to the weapons shipment pause. You have new reporting from multiple sources
laying out the timetable here and the fact that President Trump himself was not the one who ordered this pause ultimately.
It was the defense secretary. The president had asked for a state of the inventory, I believe according to your reporting, but didn't go as far as
to say pause the aid to Ukraine. What is the fallout here? What more are you reporting?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Bianna. So my colleague Zach Cone and I spoke to five different
people familiar with what happened here. And what appears to have happened is that back in June, towards the end of the month, when Secretary Hegseth,
the defense secretary, was traveling with President Trump to NATO, all of the attacks going on between Iran and Israel were happening.
And of course, the troops in the Middle East were caught in the crossfire. And so the president asked Secretary Hegseth to give him an assessment of
U.S. weapons stockpiles, particularly air defense systems and tell him whether the U.S. troops in the region needed anything more or whether they
had sufficient stockpiles of the munitions that they needed.
And so at that point, we're told Secretary Hegseth delegated downward and he instructed his undersecretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby, to
take a look at this.
But ultimately, Colby recommended that the United States pause that weapons shipment to Ukraine, which included many of these munitions needed for the
air defense systems that Ukraine was scheduled to get based on a package that the previous administration had allocated.
And he recommended that for now, at least, the weapons package be halted until the Pentagon could complete this broader review.
Now, ultimately, Secretary Hegseth did sign off on that. But there appears to be have been a breakdown in communication between the Pentagon and the
White House, not to mention all of the other relevant agencies across the U.S. government, including the State Department, because we are told that
Secretary Hegseth did not inform the White House that he had signed off on this pause in the weapons shipment, nor did he inform the Secretary of
State, who is also the National Security Advisor Marco Rubio. And he also did not inform the United States Special Envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
And I think what this really underscores is the often haphazard process in terms of deliberations and policymaking in this administration,
particularly under Secretary Hegseth at the Defense Department, because this is not the first time that he has signed off on a pause in a weapons
shipment to Ukraine only to have it reverse days later, just like what we saw earlier this week when President Trump announced that actually the U.S.
is going to be sending these defensive weapons to Ukraine. Hegseth did this back in February as well.
And so it remains to be seen just what the dynamic is moving forward between the Defense Secretary and the President. But everyone we spoke to
said that it was really kind of unprecedented that the Defense Secretary wouldn't tell the White House every step of the way, that he was going to
be pausing this weapons shipment, given the fact that the Ukrainians were very much expecting it, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And it also underscores the differing policy views within the Pentagon as well, especially the role that Elbridge Colby has played in
this decision, because he's been very vocal about his skepticism toward providing additional aid for Europe. He has been much more Asia-focused
throughout all of this.
We'll continue to see the White House thus far standing by the Defense Secretary. We'll see what happens in the days and weeks to come.
[12:15:03]
Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Pope Leo is offering to host peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv at the Vatican. That's what he told Ukraine's wartime president
just a short time ago. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the new pontiff held talks in Castel Gandolfo, not far from Rome.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. This comes as Germany's Chancellor spoke in Berlin earlier, saying diplomatic means for ending the war in Ukraine are, quote,
exhausted.
Friedrich Merz went on to offer a key of his support in the wake of that latest massive Russian drone strike.
Let's go live to Odessa and bring in Michael Bociurkiw, a senior fellow at The Atlantic Council and the former spokesperson at the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe.
And, Michael, it -- it appears that new records are set every week in terms of the scale of attacks Russia is launching against Ukraine this coming day
after the president really chastised and criticized Vladimir Putin and how he's been handling the war and the messaging that he's been delivering to
the White House, not matching his actions on the battlefield, something that most everyone else in the West has been acknowledging since this
invasion.
Talk about the response in Ukraine, sort of the whiplash to the news last week that there would be a pause in aid to now the president saying, no, we
are reinstating that aid and also the criticism now against Vladimir Putin.
MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Yes, great to be with you. Well, whiplash is a very, very good term for what's going on in
Washington. It's difficult for Ukrainians -- Ukrainian media to keep track of it.
But, yes, what happened overnight was pretty extraordinary, Bianna. This was the biggest record wave of drones, mostly drones and missiles going as
far west as Lutsk in western Ukraine.
And, yes, it happened shortly after Mr. Trump used that expletive to criticize Vladimir Putin. And we got a bit of a look, if you will, in the
Russia's press this morning of what is going on. It looks like, it does look like the bromance or the restart of the bromance between the two men
is falling apart.
Bianna, you might have heard of the term the Russians use as our (INAUDIBLE). That's the way they're describing relations right now as a
chill between the two powers. And they really went out of their way to ridicule Mr. Trump, saying the man has seven Fridays in a week, the Russian
saying that he blows hot and cold all the time.
So, to me, I think this signal is quite a break in what we've seen come that Mr. Putin was basically immune from tariffs, from being criticized by
Mr. Trump. But now, it's -- it's game over. And each side, I think, is going to go the way they feel.
ASHER: But Mr. Trump now has to figure out what leverage he has. I mean, obviously, sure, he can send more military aid to Ukraine. But that's not
going to be enough, obviously, to actually stop this war, which was President Trump's aim when he first started his second -- second term in
office, he said that on day one, on day one, I'm going to stop this war clearly, obviously, that hasn't happened.
BOCIURKIW: Yes.
ASHER: So in terms of options that President Trump has at his disposal, if appealing and trying to appease Vladimir Putin doesn't work, if chastising
Vladimir Putin doesn't work, if sanctions haven't worked, then what will work at this point?
BOCIURKIW: Great question. And I think there's a lot of frustration here on the ground, including in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, by the
way, is undergoing a reorganization to keep track and to formulate policy. They are now sending a new ambassador to Washington, perhaps someone who's
more of a pit bull to move things along.
But I think what will work, and it does seem that Mr. Trump is being influenced by people in Congress who are sympathetic towards Ukraine. It
does seem that he will go ahead with committing to sending weapons to Ukraine. And that includes those very, very valuable patriot missile
defense systems.
According to CNN reporting, Ukraine has only about half a dozen. Zelenskyy said he's -- he needs as many as 25. The problem is they're in very short
supply.
The other thing that's happening that could be very careful for the -- sort of very painful for the Kremlin, is the Senate bill being sponsored by --
co-sponsored by Lindsey Graham, 85 co-sponsors at the moment. And that would place a 500 percent tariff on goods from countries that do business
with Russia. So that would really hurt China and India.
But let me throw this into the mix as well, if I will -- if I can, is that, again, it's very difficult to forecast what Mr. Trump would do at the end
of the day. I have too much respect for the office of the presidency to say what I feel, other than he has the attention span of a mosquito.
So, how are policymakers and mirrors capitals around the world meant to keep track of what will happen next?
GOLODRYGA: He has turned Vladimir Putin a number of lifelines and ways to end this war --
[12:20:02]
BOCIURKIW: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: -- that would even be seen by some as favorable to Vladimir Putin. And he has not bitten once. In fact, he seems to just be spitting in
the president's.
All right.
BOCIURKIW: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: Michael Bociurkiw, senior fellow at The Atlantic Council. Thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you.
All right. Still to come, hundreds of people forced to flee and forest burnt to the ground as intense wildfires hit Syria.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They got so wild, so quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Relentless rain, deadly flooding, and rivers rising in record time in New Mexico. Coming up, meteorologist Derek Van Dam's insight into
what happened there.
ASHER: And plus, Jeffrey Epstein is back in the news. But the U.S. Attorney General's handling of the case isn't keeping President Trump's mind of base
happy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Wildfires in northeastern Syria are forcing hundreds of people to flee. Thousands of hectares of forest have already been destroyed
in Latakia. The fast-moving flames are being fueled by intense heat and strong winds as well.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The fires present a major challenge for Syria's new government, which is trying to recover from more than a decade of war and
crippling sanctions. The country is also dealing with a long-running drought.
ASHER: At least three people, including two children, were killed after flash floods hit a town in New Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: According to officials, monsoon rains triggered flash flooding on Tuesday at a village in the southern part of the state.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The Rio Ruidoso River rose to an unprecedented six meters or 20 feet, shattering its previous record by over one and a half meters.
At least 85 swift river rescues in the area were carried out by rescue crews, including people trapped in their cars and their homes. Ruidoso's
mayor spoke about the flash flooding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNN CRAWFORD, RUIDOSO MAYOR: It didn't look like it was going to be this massive, but it was. It hit hard. It hit fast. We did breach all of our
bridges. We did lose some more homes. We have some folks that are missing. We're looking for them right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[12:25:02]
ASHER: Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, joining us live now from the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta.
I mean, some of these images, you know, that home being swept away, being carried down the river, I mean, that is unbelievable. And then you have
stories about RVs being swept away as well.
Three people killed two of them, children, it's always heartbreak, especially when you think about what happened out of Texas, really
heartbreaking to see this happening somewhere else in another state as well.
Derek, just walk us to what we know so far.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's another tragic flash flooding event here in the United States. This time over the western U.S.
This is what we mean by flash flood. This is a literal wall of water. And you can see with the Rio Ruidoso River, as it picks up the debris from the
surrounding area.
So, this has been exacerbated by a wildfire that was in the region back in 2024. So this left a burn scar.
And then on top of that, heavy amount of rain in a topographical area, so an elevated region with mountainous landscape, funnels all this water down
into the valleys below and, unfortunately, that's where people live, right?
So, there's a lot of information on this graphic, but what I want to point your attention to on these North American monsoon flash floods, that's what
that was, burn scars make these areas very susceptible and also the steep terrain. So that's helping funnel and concentrate the precipitation.
So, how does this work exactly? Well, we get the wildfires, right? So that happened last year. And then what that does is it creates kind of an
impermeable surface at the top levels of the ground, right?
So, the water cannot get absorbed into the ground like it normally would be because of the recent wildfires. Eventually, gravity wins with a topography
and that landslides and it picks up everything in its path, just like you saw in the video a moment ago.
So what you're looking at is a river graph. This shows all the various spikes in the river gauge here over the past few days. This is the most
recent one where it crested at its record shattering 20 feet or roughly six meters.
So that's just really incredible amounts of precipitation funneled into this region. There's another chance of flash flooding across that area,
another watch hoisted by the National Weather Service. Equally as important, but a different type of flash flood threat here exists across
the mid-Atlantic.
New to CNN. This area, the level three or four where you see that darker shading of red, that has been expanded to conclude Baltimore as well as
Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. These areas have the potential for flash flooding, but the difference here is there's no burn scars in the area.
This is all because of the impermeable surface that really is the concrete jungle across the mid-Atlantic of the United States, not able to absorb
this amount of water.
Zain, Bianna.
ASHER: Derek Van Dam, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the mayor of Kerrville, Texas says the rising death toll after last week's catastrophic flooding breaks his heart, like all of ours.
Officials now say at least 119 people were killed and more than 160 are still missing after the disaster that unfolded July 4th weekend. Rescue
crews are still combing flood-affected areas.
ASHER: Yes. Due to the challenging terrain and the extent of the damage inflicted, searchers are turning to horses and mules to get all kinds of
essential gear into tough locations along the Guadalupe River.
GOLODRYGA: And we're also learning more about the operations at Camp Mystic. That is the all-girls camp at the epicenter of the tragedy. One
councilor says they did not have access to walkie-talkies in the event of a disaster.
ASHER: Across Texas, residents have been gathering to hold candlelit vigils to remember lives lost in the devastating floods.
GOLODRYGA: Many of them say their best memories of their childhood are from Camp Mystic.
Christian retreat was our happy place, says one former camper. Maria Aguilera from KHOU has the report from a vigil in Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA AGUILERA, KHOU REPORTER (voice-over): Women of all ages, leaning on each other for strength. They formed a circle, Camp Mystic songs flowing
from their hearts, melodies that bind them together.
(MUSIC)
Inside the sanctuary at the Church of St. John the Divine, the service opens with grief in the air, lost and trauma weigh heavy on this Texas
community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And every single person in this room, at varying levels, is experiencing loss.
AGUILERA (voice-over): Former campers take the stage, sharing memories, making space for sorrow for those they've lost and those still missing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The peace that lives in Mystic not disappear has somehow reappeared in the midst of it all.
AGUILERA: Outside, others carry fresh memories.
KHAKI GROVES, CAMPER: We were there last week, so (INAUDIBLE).
AGUILERA (voice-over): Abigail Hilgers and Khaki Groves reflect on the good, finding comfort in each other.
[12:30:01]
ABIGAIL HILGERS, CAMPER: It feels really like nice to have people that are like going through the same stuff as you and like know that there's people
there for you, like -- and we all like are going through at the same time. And everyone is just like there to like love you and like support you
through these hard times.
AGUILERA (voice-over): Camp Mystic holds some of their best memories, but now those memories are shadowed by tragedy.
GROVES: Just keep praying because God has a plan for us.
AGUILERA (voice-over): Others haven't been back in years.
SHAWN GALLAGHER, WENT TO CAMP MYSTIC FOR 12 SUMMERS: Camp Mystic is our happy place. It was our safe place that we went to every summer where we
got to be girls.
AGUILERA (voice-over): They walk the same trails and sang the same songs.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.
We want to return now to one of our top stories. The meeting with African leaders is scheduled to begin any moment now at the White House.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Donald Trump invited the presidents of five African countries to talk about economic cooperation and trade and valuable natural
resources. But there is another reason that Liberia, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Senegal were invited to Washington. Unlike many African
nations, none of these countries have close ties to either China and Russia.
ASHER: Yes. Time now for "The Exchange." Joining us live now is Gyude Moore from the Center for Global Development. He's a former minister in the
Liberian government.
[12:35:03]
Gyude, it has been so long. So long since he's been on the show.
GYUDE MOORE, NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, CENTER FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT: It's been a while now.
ASHER: Yes. I'm very excited to have you on again.
Just in terms of Trump meeting with the leaders of these five African countries, just tell us, you know, what stands out to you in terms of the
specific countries that were chosen for this and -- and the sorts of natural resources that they have to offer.
MOORE: Thanks, Zain. It's good to see you again, Zain. I think, first, from the American side, there's a certain amount of randomness to these
countries. I think it's from the African side, it's pretty clear.
In Liberia, you have iron ore, you have some gold, diamond, you have manganese. Same thing in Mauritania, they have gold, they have iron ore,
they have other minerals. Senegal has oil. Gabon has oil. Guinea-Bissau, it's unclear how they got in there, but -- but apparently, Guinea-Bissau is
actually the country that is to get at this meeting when the president made the suggestion to President Trump when they met at the rededication of the
Notre Dame Cathedral in France.
So, it -- on -- it's difficult to imagine outside of having minerals and being in Africa, how these countries fit together. But I think there's some
sort of logic on the American side, although it's difficult to see what that is.
GOLODRYGA: And it's interesting, because on the one hand, as we noted, these are not BRICS -- BRIC-associated countries, and they don't
necessarily have close relationships with China or Russia, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they have a close trusted relationship with the
United States.
And I'm wondering how some of the recent policy changes from the Trump administration, most notably, dissolving USAID for a country like Liberia,
I think that makes up almost three percent of its gross national income.
What moves like that does in helping to restore or build up more support from these countries as far as relationship building and confidence
building?
MOORE: Sure. I think from the African side, that the incentive and the logic for this meeting is pretty clear. As you know, that Liberia is one of
the countries most affected by USAID cuts.
Four of these countries are on the threat of visa bans. The fifth one, Guinea-Bissau, is under an effect of visa bans, because they do not have a
U.S. embassy. The embassy is in (INAUDIBLE).
And so for these countries, there's a clear reason why you will want face to face time with the American president to try to, at the very least,
stave off any more negative actions that might hurt them.
And so, yes, I think from the American side, though, as you noted, these are not BRICS-related countries, but it's also important to note that China
is still the largest trade partner for almost all of these countries.
So even if they do not have strong political ties with China, they're still pretty strong economic ties with China, because most of the resources they
export are exported to China.
ASHER: Just talk to us about the -- and this is a broad question. Overall, the kind of relationship that Trump wants with Africa. And how much of a
priority that relationship really is?
When you think about, you know, USAID and the fate that that suffered, when you think about the visa bans that some of these countries are experiencing
right now, when you think about the tariffs that were threatened against South Africa, for example, when you think about Donald Trump granting
refugee status to white South Africans to the United States, and they were -- they were sort of greeted by American officials upon arrival, which you
never see, ever.
So just walk us through specifically, what does the Trump administration actually want from Africa here do you think?
MOORE: Well, I think, you know, I'll be a very wealthy man, if I can answer that question correctly.
ASHER: I know, but that's a very broad question.
MOORE: I think across -- across the continent,I think people are struggling with that question. I should note, however, that the Trump administration's
policies that have affected Africa disproportionately were not specifically targeted at Africa.
They were shoving down USAID because USAID was caught in some sort of cultural war in the United States. And then because its footprint was
largest in Africa, it affected Africa. The visa bans are not just about Africa. Well, there's an immigration change happening in the United States
and it's affecting Africa.
So, because Africa -- and most African countries start off from a weaker position, they have been more disproportionately affected. However, this is
the continent that still holds about 30 percent of the critical minerals. And there is a push in the United States to win itself off critical mineral
value chains that are linked and controlled by China.
And so the primary response goal and objective of the Trump administration, when it comes to dealing with Africa, is access to minerals that is outside
supply chains that are controlled by China.
And so whether it's copper in Zambia, manganese in Liberia, or nickel in Tanzania, you can see the Trump administration strategy around securing
these deals and sort of lining countries up so that it's competing to -- to offer a deal to the American president.
[12:40:17]
So if 54 countries, if five of them get chosen for face time with the American president, I'd imagine every single one of them would have jumped
at it.
I should add though, it doesn't mean anything's going to come off this. South Africa have their face time, and still got 30 percent ties. So -- and
so far as the Trump administration is concerned, having a medium face to face with the president doesn't necessarily mean that your -- your
circumstances change substantially.
ASHER: Yes. I think a lot of -- a lot of leaders around the world have learned that lesson, and many of them have learned that lesson the hard
way.
Gyude Moore, always good to see you. Love to have you on. And I hope --
MOORE: Same here.
ASHER: -- we will have you on again very soon.
MOORE: Please. Of course. Thanks for having me.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks so much.
Well, it is day two of French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the United Kingdom. Britain has rolled out the red carpet from Macron's
three-day visit, the first by a French president since 2008.
Now, earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer greeted the Macrons at Downing Street.
ASHER: Now, the leaders are tackling topics ranging from wars in Gaza and Ukraine and migrants crossing the English Channel.
CNN's Melissa Bell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A royal welcome for French President Emmanuel Macron, the first state visit by a European
leader since Brexit with no pomp and circumstance spared.
Welcomed first by the Prince and Princess of Wales, then greeted by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Onto a procession through the streets of Windsor, along with the French first lady, Brigitte Macron.
The pageantry and the tone, a stark contrast from the Brexit fallout that so tested the U.K.'s relations with its European neighbors.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Amid these upheavals, the alliance between France and the United Kingdom has not faltered. It has even become
stronger. Yes, during the past few years, this alliance became stronger.
BELL (voice-over): Speaking to Parliament at the Palace of Westminster's Royal Gallery, the French president vowed that, together, they would bring
an end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Over the three-day visit, President Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer are also expected to address U.S. tariff wars, post-Brexit trade,
and migration.
MACRON: We love monarchy, but especially when it's not at home.
BELL (voice-over): Whilst much still divides them, there was also a reminder of their shared past and the suggestion from the French president
that it might just be time to lay their differences to rest.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. We'll be right back after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:37]
GOLODRYGA: Well, there's growing outrage in MAGA world over the U.S. Justice Department's findings in the Jeffrey Epstein inquiry.
ASHER: Yes. Attorney General Pam Bondi is getting criticized by MAGA supporters after her department released a memo saying there's no evidence
the sex trafficker's death in prison was anything but suicide.
One other thing the DOJ says doesn't exist, a list of Epstein's clients, even though a few months go Bondi appear to say it did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: So what happened to the Epstein client list that the attorney general said she had on her desk?
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I think if you go back and look at what the attorney general said in that interview, which was on
your network on Fox News,.
DOOCY: I've got the quote.
LEAVITT: Go ahead.
DOOCY: John Roberts said, DOJ may be releasing a list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients. Will that really happen? And she said, it's sitting on my desk
right now to review.
LEAVITT: Yes. She was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. That's what the attorney
general was referring to and I'll let her speak for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Randi Kaye has more on the furor in the MAGA World.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked whether the Department of Justice would release
accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's so-called list of clients.
PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's sitting on my desk right now to review. That's been a directive by President Trump. I'm reviewing that.
KAYE (voice-over): That was red meat for many on the far right, who since Epstein's death in his jail cell in 2019 have suggested that the government
is hiding secrets related to him.
One of the conspiracy theories, that Epstein kept a client list to use as blackmail against named powerful figures. Bondi did not discourage the
conspiracies.
BONDI: What you're going to see, hopefully tomorrow, is a -- a -- a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot -- a lot of information.
KAYE (voice-over): Bondi never delivered, except to offer a few social media influencers' binders of documents in February this year, much of
which had already been made public.
She wasn't the only one throwing a bone to conspiracy-minded theorists in MAGA world. Here's Dan Bongino on his podcast before he became deputy FBI
director.
DAN BONGINO, THE DAN BONGINO SHOW: What the hell are they hiding with Jeffrey Epstein?
KAYE (voice-over): Bongino also raised doubts about Epstein's jail cell suicide.
BONGINO: The questions surrounding this alleged suicide are numerous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
BONGINO: And are worth entertaining, and worth getting to the bottom of quickly.
KAYE (voice-over): The Department of Justice and the FBI have now put those questions to rest with an unsigned memo released this week that rules out
any smoking gun.
The memo confirms Epstein died by suicide, something Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel were already starting to admit publicly.
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: You know a suicide when you see one, and that's what that was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He killed himself.
KAYE (voice-over): The memo also says there is no incriminating client list. Adding, "There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein
blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions."
KAYE: The backlash in MAGA world has been swift. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones broke down in tears as he accused the White House of being part of a
cover-up. And far-right activist Laura Loomer is calling on Bondi to resign.
KAYE (voice-over): Bondi suggested her earlier promise of a client list was misconstrued.
BONDI: My response was, it's sitting on my desk to be reviewed, meaning the file, along with the JFK, MLK files as well. That's what I meant by that.
KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. Still to come here on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CORENSWET, AMERICAN ACTOR: Hey buddy, eyes up here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Whoa. Look at him go. He's breaking records and it hasn't even hit the box office yet. We'll take you behind the scenes of DC Studios brand
new, "Superman."
GOLODRYGA: You want to go with it's a bird, it's a plane?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:14]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, Tinseltown just might be in for one mega summer blockbuster. The early audience reviews for the new "Superman" are sky-high
on Rotten Tomatoes. That's where we always check first.
And the studio is hoping that will translate into a huge opening weekend.
ASHER: Our Elizabeth Wagmeister has more on all the buzz surrounding the 2025 edition of The Man of Steel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CORENSWET: Eyes up here.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just as Superman has the weight of the world on his shoulders --
JAMES GUNN, WRITER AND DIRECTOR, "SUPERMAN": My wife, who's sitting over there, tries to calm me down.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): -- James Gunn has the weight of a movie studio on his. Not only does he write and direct "Superman," but he's the CEO of the
new DC studios. This is its first film.
GUNN: I'll try to be as sober as I possibly can. I really try to live with a stoic philosophy about these things.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): As an early comic book fan, Gunn was born for this role.
GUNN: I started reading comics when I was very young. I learned to read on comic books and started reading them at three. Looking at the pictures,
starting to read it, four and five.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Gunn, who directed blockbusters like "Guardians of the Galaxy" calls "Superman" the hardest movie he's ever made.
GUNN: We had to shoot in extreme cold. We had to shoot in extreme heat.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): To say nothing of casting the right Superman.
CORENSWET: What is this?
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): David Corenswet, like Christopher Reeve in 1978, is not a household name. But Gunn's instincts made Chris Pratt a superstar.
And he thinks he's about to strike again.
GUNN: Yes. I have a bit of an ego about it. I think I'm really good at finding people who become huge stars. I think David Corenswet is the
biggest movie star in the world. And people don't know it yet. And that's what I --I said that about Chris Pratt early on, too.
CORENSWET: People were going to die.
GUNN: There are very, very few people that have the acting chops, the comedy chops, and happen to be extraordinarily handsome at the same time.
CORENSWET: I wear my trunks on the outside of my pants, like, liberating.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The film reflects today's world, with TV and social media used to sow doubt and fear about Superman's intentions, all
for the benefit of political and corporate interest.
GUNN: And the story was, what if Superman really existed in a world that was somewhat like ours?
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Lex Luthor is the selfish corporate villain, but Gunn insists he's not a stand in for anyone in real life.
GUNN: I did want him to have some of this Wall Street machismo, you know, corporations has -- have become so incredibly powerful. They're almost as
powerful as governments are now, maybe more powerful than governments.
CORENSWET: Ow. Ow. Stop it. Stop.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Still, this Superman is lighter and arguably funnier than those of the recent past.
CHARACTER: We feed the canine but he is unruly.
[12:55:01]
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And with the cute dog and a cape inspired by Gunn's own chaotic canine, how can you miss?
PRODUCER: Is that -- is that your baby Yoda?
GUNN: I -- I don't know about that, but people definitely like Krypto a lot. I'll tell you that.
CORENSWET: Sit, sit. Stay.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Just goes to show the staying power of that franchise, right? I mean, we grew up --
ASHER: Totally.
GOLODRYGA: -- watching. I'm --I'm older than you as we've noted. But the Christopher Reeve Superman is still, I mean, that -- that is --
ASHER: I know.
GOLODRYGA: -- the pinnacle of this storyline.
ASHER: I just watched the documentary a week ago and you just think about, you know, all the greats that were in the original, not only Christopher
Reeve obviously, but you had Gene Hackman, who we just lost as well. And obviously Marlon Brando, obviously one of the most iconic actors in
Hollywood of that time. And, yes, we'll see what this one brings.
GOLODRYGA: Good -- good ratings in Rotten Tomatoes. That's a -- that's a good start.
All right. Superman is being released by CNN's parent company Warner Brothers Discovery. It hits theaters this Friday, July 11th.
All right. That does it for "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm the very young. The very young.
GOLODRYGA: I am still young, Zain. You're just younger.
ASHER: "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
