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One World with Zain Asher
Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Plan To Control Gaza City; Germany Halts Arms Exports To Israel For Use In Gaza; Condemnation Grows For Israeli Plan To Control Gaza City; Russia Launches Drone Attacks On Ukraine As Trump Deadline Arrives; Hot, Dry Weather And Strong Winds Hinder Firefighting Efforts; OpenAI Launches New Version Of ChatGPT; Trump Still Looking For New Bureau Of Labor Statistics Chief; Young Democrats Try To Win Over Gen Z Voters; Mboko Caps Dream Run In Canada With Victory Over Osaka; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired August 08, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:36]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Widespread condemnation. Benjamin Netanyahu has a plan for Gaza and it is unpopular. The second hour of "One World" starts
right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This decision by his security cabinet to double down in Gaza, to take Gaza City, to conquer
and to occupy it, is being seen as a political move.
(EXPLOSION)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Reckless disregard. Hamas says Israel's plan to take over Gaza City will come at a high cost.
Also ahead, thousands evacuate in Southern California as the canyon fire explodes. High temperatures, and gusty winds aren't helping. We'll take you
there live.
And later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTORIA MBOKO, 18-YEAR-OLD WINS FIRST WTA TITLE: I couldn't be more grateful. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Beating the odds, all of them. The teenage sensation who faced one of tennis biggest stars and Vicky walked away with victory.
Live from New York, I'm Paula Newton. Zain and Brianna are -- Bianna, pardon me, are off today. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
Now, despite mounting opposition and a global outcry, Israeli forces are now preparing for a full takeover of Gaza City. The five-month plan would
take place in several phases, beginning with the evacuation of Gaza City that's according to the Prime Minister's office.
An Israeli source says a million people would be forced. Think about that. A million people would be forced to leave the area by October 7th. And
that, of course, is the two-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The Palestinian Authority says this will lead to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. Palestinians in Gaza have already endured 22
months of war and a hunger crisis.
Egypt says the decision amounts to a full occupation that will eliminate the Palestinian cause. Germany has halted arms exports to Israel that could
be used in Gaza.
Meantime, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel says the world should condemn Hamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: The President has made pretty clear that his biggest concern is that there is a humanitarian crisis. And
that something has to be done to urgently break the law.
I don't understand why some of these other nations are once again putting all the pressure on Israel and why they're not putting the pressure on
Hamas to let the hostages go, all of them, including the ones that are clearly starving. That's what I think we all scratch our heads over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, Israel's own military chief warned of the danger, but his concerns were brushed aside and the heated 10-hour security cabinet
meeting.
Protests also erupted in Israel itself. That was ahead of the vote. A hostage family's group calls the decision, a colossal catastrophe.
Now, in the last hour, I spoke with the former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHUD OLMERT, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: It's a consensus that it is not likely to achieve anything. And then when there are so many soldiers killed
and hostages that may be lost and many thousands of Palestinians that may be killed, this is a crime. By definition, this is a crime. This is
something which should be avoided.
When the majority of Israelis, 70 percent, according to other polls, are urging the government, including, by the way, all the former commanders of
the Israeli army and the senior generals and the commanders of Mossad and the commanders of the security service, all demand the government to end
the war now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: CNN's Melissa Bell has international reaction from Paris, but we do want to begin with senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes.
You know, Kristen, we just heard JD Vance say that the president himself has been moved by the humanitarian situation in Gaza. And yet, we just
heard from the ambassador, right? Trump's ambassador in Israel saying that he doesn't understand why there isn't more condemnation of Hamas.
Where do you believe the president stands at this hour with this? Is he going to condone this move by Netanyahu?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, a couple things to keep in mind here. One, we are going to hear from president Trump
several times today, and it is almost a guarantee he will be asked about this, and we'll address it directly.
But just to point to something he said a few days ago when there were reports simmering that this might be a plan of Prime Minister Netanyahu's,
he said that essentially it was up to Israel to do anything that they wanted beyond the aid in Gaza, humanitarian aid. So, it does seem as though
they were opening the door for this.
[12:05:09]
Now, as you mentioned, JD Vance was also asked about this. The vice president was in a sit-down bilateral interview with the United Kingdom's
foreign secretary. He reiterated the goals that the U.S. had.
They also did something else. He also said that the U.S. did not intend to recognize a Palestinian state. Now, this is important given what we have
seen in terms of declarations from Germany, France, United Kingdom, saying that they would recognize a Palestinian state.
So let's take a listen to what Vance said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the president obviously has been very clear about his goals, about what he wants to
accomplish in the Middle East. And he's going to keep on doing that.
The President, as you know, speaks to these issues commonly. I'm -- I'm sure that he'll talk at some point to the media about his response to
what's happened or what was announced earlier today in Gaza.
But our goals are very clear, we want to make it so that Hamas can't attack innocent people. We want to solve humanitarian problems in Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, of course, again, we know that there is a big focus right now, particularly from the president from the White House on this humanitarian
aid, as we've been reporting for the last several weeks. Trump and Melania Trump, the First Lady, witnessed -- witnessed these images and made the
spark to the president to say more had to be done. And that is what he has continued to say every time he's been asked about this for roughly the last
week. So again, we do expect to hear from him later today. And will -- he will likely be asked about this.
But one other thing to point out here. I think President Trump, the administration and the Israeli prime minister, most of what they have done
has been in lockstep. It seems highly unlikely that the prime minister would take action like this, move this forward without first consulting at
least members of the administration.
So just something to keep in mind there while we wait for the president's reaction.
NEWTON: Yes, indeed.
Now, we do turn to Melissa Bell, who is in Paris.
Now, allies of the United States like Germany, like France, have been trying to push against, you know, what Kristen Holmes has been talking
about, this carte blanche that they've given the Netanyahu administration.
What more are you learning about what the reaction has been? And what more can be done if indeed these allies agree that this could really spell
disaster for Gazans themselves and for the hostages?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If you set aside, Paula, Washington's support, there's been pre-near universal condemnation
of this move from Beijing through Ankara to European capitals with one particularly noteworthy announcement by the German Chancellor.
The Germany, remember Israel's most steadfast ally inside Europe announcing that it would pause sales of weapons that could be used in Gaza in its
opposition to this latest plan that's been announced.
So, there's been a great deal of anger expressed, a great deal, a lot of warnings about the fact that according in the words of the British Prime
Minister, Keir Starmer, this will not result in solving anything. It will only lead to further bloodshed. And that's something we've heard in the
mounds -- in the mouths of many world leaders over the course of the day.
As indeed the Beijing put it, Gaza is a Palestinian territory and needs to remain a Palestinian territory. The U.N.'s human rights chief pointing out
that according to humanitarian law, international law rather, this plan is actually illegal.
So, there's been a lot of urging Israel to back down, to think again, but there's no hint of the suggestion, Paula, that that is what Israel is
planning to do.
In fact, what we've seen repeatedly over the course of the last nearly couple of years of this conflict is that as long as Washington backed it,
Israel seemed prepared to go ever further in Gaza, whatever the rest of the world had to say about it.
Perhaps the only real thing that might have a tangible effect is the pausing of arms sales as Germany has led the way for Europeans. It's
interesting to see how many other countries choose to do so over the course of the next few days.
Paula.
NEWTON: And Kristen Holmes for us at the White House, Melissa Bell in Paris, thanks to you both.
Now, this video just in to CNN shows the extent of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. An outdoor balcony, you see it there, collapses as Palestinians
scramble to get an airdrop that got stuck. No word yet on how many people were hurt in that incident.
Now, for more on the dire situation in the plight of the children there, we want to bring in James Elder. He's the global spokesperson for UNICEF. And
-- and, James, good to see you again as we try and understand what is next for the people of Gaza.
What do you believe this would mean even in the hours to come when nearly a million Gazas now -- Gazans now will have to leave Gaza City?
JAMES ELDER, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: Yea, Paula. It's -- I mean, any expansion will be -- will be horrific. I mean a continuation. We'll see
more displacement as you say. We will see more devastation. We'll certainly add who knows how, how deeply to the already 18,000 girls and boys who have
been reportedly killed.
[12:10:15]
And but let's be honest, there's this thing of devastation, displacement and death, this has been the case for 21 months whilst the -- the world
seemingly has watched on move.
So, those things will continue. And it's -- it's a very -- very difficult day today, I think for people in Gaza. I've had a lot of contact with them.
I think beyond the obvious thing of families, again, trying to wrap their head around the idea that they'll be moved again. Is this is -- is this the
trauma?
Paula, we -- it's no exaggeration to say there is nowhere on earth and there hasn't been a living memory where every single child in a place
requires some sort of mental health support. That's the case in Gaza.
But right now, we're at this point where trauma's not just going to deepen among girls and boys, it's -- it's going to calcify. So, we really risk
losing an entire generation of girls and boys now as, you know, getting no chance of a recovery.
So this is the situation now. And it's -- it's -- it's worse than I think any -- anyone really feared, though, in fairness, these statements have
been made time and again. There is a reason why humanitarian aid was put on a hold by the Israeli forces, a reason why they opened a few sites in the
south. That was to try and push a population to the south.
Now that will be backed by military means. So, I guess the warnings have been there. Though, Paula, as your correspondent said, this is again in
breach of a whole range of international humanitarian laws.
NEWTON: We had the former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, on our -- just last hour, saying pretty much the same thing. And yet, you know, allies in
Europe that are against this seem to be impotent to do anything about it. He called out to the president himself to say, President Trump, look, you
can stop this.
Does anyone have any hope that no matter how much -- how much of a fine point organizations like yours have put on it, that this will change the
decision of the Israeli government?
ELDER: No. I think it's a great question. And I -- and I think it's terrifying for people in Gaza who are well aware. I mean, I've had -- I
remember a fourth year English literature student talking to me in Deir al Balah from a tent, of course, because the family home had been destroyed.
And two things struck me. One, she said, James, starvation is just so humiliating. And the other, she said, she understood the amount of outrage
around the world from people about what was happening to them, everyday people. But she said, we understand humanitarian law doesn't apply to us. I
found that a staggering thing.
So, I think it's both deeply troubling for people in Gaza to know what's occurring. But also, Paula, in a way, you know, to see a generation around
the world, you know, come of age, those in their teens and 20s in a world where war is being live streamed and hypocrisy is laid bare, where human
rights and work in some conflicts and others, they -- they are ignored. They're at always broken.
So, there's an impact of this war almost even beyond Gaza somehow. And certainly, we must also remember this has an impact on the hostages. But
we've made the point time and time again here. Let's talk seriously about hostages.
More than 150 hostages have been released when there have been negotiations and ceasefires. Less than 10 under military means, less than 10. And so as
ever, evidence speaks very loudly here. We are serious about that.
And there's a photo I carry in my phone of one of those mothers, and I look at the face of her, of her son somewhere in a tunnel. I can -- I can't
really imagine the pain she endures, but hostages go home during ceasefires. Children go to bed safely at night during ceasefires. Families
get food during ceasefires.
The alternative, more devastation, more destruction, more trauma, well, I mean, that's why we're speaking now, but it's a horrifying thought for
everyone right now.
NEWTON: And when we talk about that horrifying thought and shared, as you said, equally by the -- the hostage families, the hostages themselves, and
the children in Gaza, you know, I noticed that one of your executive directors just came back from a trip. And he pointed to the fact that the
stabilization center itself is in Gaza City.
James, where does your organization go from here if you're going to have hundreds of thousands of people told, you must now leave Gaza City?
ELDER: Yes, exactly, Paula. It's one of the most difficult things. With malnutrition, UNICEF often goes door-to-door. We have centers everywhere.
We have experts everywhere. Now, our supply line has been regularly broken because Israel consistently restricts food coming in.
But when we get food coming in, the -- the process is so very important, you identify malnourished children, and then you start them on that
process.
And luckily, the science, the -- the very simple nutritionist food, which is vitamins and minerals in like a peanut paste, works miraculously
quickly. But only if we get to treat that child for a couple of weeks.
What we invariably have and what you're pointing to is we're now going to see all those families, thousands of severely acutely malnourished children
in that -- in the Gaza city, in that northern area, pushed, pushed somewhere, pushed to Rafah, pushed to Al Mawasi. We don't know where --
where they'll go because they don't know where they'll go.
[12:15:07]
And invariably, they die in tents, because all these populations being pushed to the south, there is one functioning hospital in the south of
Gaza, one, there were 36 across the Gaza Strip, there is one in the south and it's surrounded by an evacuation order.
So really, the only way you get there is if you've got a trauma wound from a bomb or a shell and you go with an ambulance. If you have a malnourished
baby, you can't get there.
Now we're talking about another three quarters of a million people pushed into that whilst we are all seeing with our own eyes levels of starvation
that, well, we've not seen certainly in a place like Gaza that didn't have malnutrition, much less starvation.
NEWTON: It is indeed manmade and the suffering is profound. James Elder for us. We'll continue to keep in touch with you. Appreciate it.
Now, we do, of course, want to remind viewers once again that Israel does not permit news organizations to enter and freely report inside Gaza. We do
have freelance journalists. You've seen some of those videos that they provided to us. They are inside Gaza and they are doing brave and
incredibly difficult work under the circumstances, but there is no substitute for unrestricted access from our correspondents.
Those of us who have been to Gaza before understand the power of that reporting and that witness to what is going on there and we continue to
push for that.
Now, meantime, Russia -- meantime, launched a new wave of drone attacks on Ukraine just ahead of a critical deadline set by President Donald Trump.
Trump had said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin must agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine by today or face severe new sanctions. However, it's unclear
whether he will follow through on that threat.
Both countries are preparing for a possible summit between Trump and Putin, but the time, place, date, yet to be announced. Trump says, including
Ukraine's president is not -- not in the talks, not a pre-conditioned for those talks. He's just ready for the war to end. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They would like to meet with me and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killing. So, last month, they
lost 14,000 people. Killed. Last month. Every week is 4,000, 5,000 people. So, I don't like long waits. I think it's a shame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Meanwhile, in Ukraine, more than 100 Russian drones, including new jet-powered ones, hit at least 10 different locations right across the
country. Officials there say three people were killed in the last 24 hours alone. Nick Paton Walsh joins us now live from Kyiv with the latest.
And, Nick, I am very curious to hear from you and to latest out from us. If there is a meeting, depending on who attends and -- and how it unfolds,
what can possibly be achieved?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, look, just to remind everyone, we have kind of been here to some
degree before back in May when a trilateral summit, Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, was proposed for Istanbul and Putin rejected it.
We've now gone today from this essentially being a deadline into which secondary sanctions already announced for a few weeks from now against
India, but potentially against another customer of Russian energy, China, that they were meant to be on full.
That could still happen in the hours ahead, but instead, the narrative has very much switched towards this potential for a Trump-Putin meeting.
Zelenskyy doesn't have to be part of that, as you said, for that to go ahead. Undoubtedly a win for the Kremlin to have that bilateral without
kind of preconditions. And we've clearly seen Vladimir Putin on the phone a lot today speaking to China's Xi Jinping.
The readout of that suggested that Beijing was pleased to see U.S.-Russian relations improving. And indeed Prime Minister Modi of India has been on
the phone with Putin as well. Also, the readout from that suggesting that India maintains its desire to see a negotiated settlement here.
So, is that pressure from the two nations that might be hit by these secondary sanctions for their Russian energy purchases trying to get Russia
to the table? Unclear. Publicly, they've shown some element of resistance to that kind of pressure.
But we've also heard from the Polish President Donald Tusk echoed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy here that ceasefire may indeed be near or closer than
it is far away. Hard to always pass what's going on behind this language, but clearly, a lot of movements.
What we don't know yet is, is there going to be a bilateral meeting? When will it be? The Kremlin seem to suggest expedited timing and planning in
the last two days about that, but we still don't have a place or a date.
Until indeed we have that, the White House can't be assured that they're not seeing again the Kremlin trying to just string them along to paraphrase
President Trump there.
This is a matter of days and weeks being important to Russia here. They're seen progress on the front lines and places that they have made clearly
part of their war goals. And it's simply a case of having this diplomatic process continue avoiding secondary sanctions.
[12:20:08]
It's all a win for Russia at this point. And the pressure, I think, now on President Trump, from his European allies, from Ukraine, to go ahead with
some kind of consequences for Russia.
But just a reminder, back in May, European leaders came here, demanded a non-conditional ceasefire, said they had the backing of President Trump,
and he would impose sanctions with them if that didn't happen. It didn't happen. Trump didn't impose sanctions and instead launched into a lengthy
process of talks in Istanbul that ultimately went nowhere.
So, much of a sense of deja vu here. What is certainly new though, is Russia's progress on the front lines, which may explain their some appetite
for talks when they happen, though. The ultimate question here, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. And that context is incredibly important as we wait to hear more from the White House.
Nick Paton Walsh for us in Kyiv. Appreciate it.
Now, brutal summer weather is making things tough for crews battling fires in the state of California. The Canyon Fire are forced more than 4,200
people to leave their homes northwest of Los Angeles as it nearly tripled in size, just for the matter of hours.
And the early 3,000 firefighters are trying to get a handle on the massive Gifford Fire, which has scorched nearly 100,000 acres or about 40,000
hectares.
CNN's Nick Watt joins us from Los Angeles. I mean, the issue is here, there really is no reprieve in terms of the weather helping things along.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, Paula, right now, we basically have perfect fire conditions here in the Los Angeles area. It is hot. The
sky is blue. It was 100 degrees yesterday. We'll be again today. The humidity is low. And, Mike, if you pan around, you can see all of that dry
brush. We've had a very dry summer.
The only thing that is not perfect for fire right now is the wind. High wind drives fire. And right now, there is not a breath of wind and that is
great.
Now you can see over there, you've got hand crews. So these guys and women have been up in the canyon behind me with hose, with shovels -- fire lines,
fire breaks. There have also been dozers up there. You can see a little bit of the smoke. We've had water dropped here.
So, what the primary function of these firefighters is to protect life and property. And here, we have another perfect example of why we get these
fires and why there are problems here in California. This little subdivision built in the early 2000s right up against the scrub land with
all of that dry brush for kindling.
Now 4,000 or so people under mandatory evacuation orders already and other 14,000 told to get ready just in case.
There is a whiff of optimism, I would say amongst the firefighters. They say that today they'll really see, if all that work they did overnight
digging those trenches, if all that work is going to pay off.
And, you know, during the night, this fire was intense. It was chewing up a football field in size in just two seconds. It really exploded overnight.
They are trying to contain it before it reaches major population centers.
I mean, up here we've got Castaic, about 20,000 people. We're about 40 miles from Downtown Los Angeles just to let you know roughly where we are.
But, of course, in this entire area, people are still scared after those terrible fires back in January. People are still worried. People are more
worried having seen that damage in January.
And Castaic, you know, I was up here late January when it was threatened by another fire. This is the new normal. The firefighters, few hundred of them
on the ground right now, they know what to do. They're hopeful today. They'll get this under some sort of control and save the houses and lives.
That's their priority. Paula.
NEWTON: While the heat will continue, we certainly will pray that the winds stay calm. Nick Watt for us reporting from Los Angeles.
WATT: Yes.
NEWTON: Appreciate it.
Now, coming up on "One World," Donald Trump says the U.S. economy is doing better than the numbers would have you believe what he is doing to make his
case.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: So Turning Point has canceled all of Un-F America's credentials, and now they're trying to sneak in
Destiny so he can debate inside here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: A group of young Democrats is working to counter popular right wing activist Charlie Kirk ahead of both sides that are fighting for the Gen Z
vote.
And after the break, the new ChatGPT promises users a smarter, faster, and more accurate experience. Is it? We'll let you know.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:18]
NEWTON: OpenAI has launched GPT-5, a new version of the technology behind ChatGPT. Now, the company claims it is a significant step up from its
predecessor. Apparently significantly faster and more capable.
Earlier today, the company CEO spoke with CNBC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ALTMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, OPENAI: A little smarter and it's faster. It's more intuitive. It's more useful in a bunch of ways.
One of the biggest things though is it's an integrated single experience. We built a system that can answer easy questions quickly. It can think for
a long time and answer hard questions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: The new model launches today across the company's free and paid versions of chat GPT. The launch comes amid fierce competition, I remind
you, around artificial intelligence.
Joining me now from New York and CNN business tech editor, Lisa Eadicicco.
Now, Lisa, listen, there are a lot of viewers watching right now that are completely intimidated by this. So break it down for us.
What is this version and -- and how should users, you know, use it now that apparently, according to OpenAI, it's new and improved?
LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: Yes, absolutely. So, the way that you use it won't change that much. You'll still be typing into the chat box
or speaking, however you usually use ChatGPT.
But really what OpenAI did here is they tried to focus on the areas where people really use ChatGPT the most. So, that's writing like if you're
drafting documents, reports, poems, things like that, asking health questions. So, trying to interpret health results from your doctor.
And also coding. So, if you work in software engineering, a lot of people are now starting to use assistance like ChatGPT to assist with those tasks.
And then also, even if you don't really have a background in coding, OpenAI says you should be able to just type in a prompt, like, make me a website
to help me learn French. And it should be able to do that for you. And we saw that in a demo.
But I say should for a really important reason, Paula. And that's because this model just launched, so we don't really know how it's going to behave
and how it's really going to act at scale. And if people are really going to like those changes.
It's very early. This model just rolled out yesterday. So, not everyone even has access to it.
But even just the early users and feedback that I've seen on-- on places like Reddit, not everyone is really happy with the idea that you'll only
have this one model to choose from instead of other models.
But again, this all depends on whether GPT-5 kind of lives up to these claims because as much as you test these things, and as much as you
benchmark them, there really is no test to kind of match real-world usage at scale.
NEWTON: Yes. And that's what they're banking on, right? They want to learn more about this model as people continue. It's supposed to live and breathe
with all the users themselves.
Lisa, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
EADICICCO: Of course.
NEWTON: Now, still to come for us. Vicky's victory. An 18-year-old tennis sensation, and takes home the trophy in Canada. And it was so exciting. It
actually interrupted all different match. We will explain, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:44]
NEWTON: And welcome back to "One World." I'm Paula Newton.
We are still waiting for Donald Trump to pick a new head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump fired Erika McEntarfer last week after her
department released troubling statistics about the U.S. job market.
Now, on Thursday, the president further attacked the numbers that have shown economic weakness and rising inflation by presenting alternative
statistics, compiled by a conservative think tank.
Now, he displayed charts that he says prove his economy is much better than anything Joe Biden ever presided over. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MOORE, ECONOMIST, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: I was telling the president that he did the right thing in calling for a new head of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics because this shows that over the last two years of the Biden administration, the BLS overestimated job creation by 1.5 million
jobs. That's a -- Mr. President, that's a gigantic error.
And I -- I don't know if she's -- I'm not making it --
TRUMP: Might it had been an error. That's the bad part. If it's an error, it would be one thing. I don't think it's an error. I think they did it
purposely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Quite an accusation there. Critics say President Trump is engaging in a war on statistics.
Time for "The Exchange" now. Joining me is economist Jed Kolko. He served as Undersecretary for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Commerce Department
during the Biden administration. He is now a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
[12:35:07]
Given you served in the Biden administration, I feel like you do you want to have a rebuttal to what the president just accused the Biden
administration of?
JED KOLKO, SENIOR FELLOW, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: I think it is very, very difficult for anyone, in any administration, to rig
or fake our economic statistics. Almost everyone who touches the economic statistics are nonpartisan, non-political, technical experts.
There are lots of quality controls. They follow established procedures. And the political appointees who might sit in the leadership positions or
oversee these agencies, don't see the numbers to the last minute. There's not a way they could manipulate them and certainly not with lots of people
knowing and blowing the whistle.
NEWTON: And that is an important point as we continue to try and parse exactly what went on here and what's going to happen with these statistics
in the future.
How was this firing? How has it upended the reliance, the veracity, the trustworthiness of data that you say obviously is so important to get
right?
KOLKO: So, it's unprecedented for a president to fire a termed head of a statistical agency. And that's why this was so surprising, particularly
with the accusations without evidence that the numbers were -- were rigged.
And so the concern is, are we going to start to see attempts to meddle with or manipulate or undermine federal statistics?
Now, there's no evidence of that yet throughout this administration and the previous administration and the administrations before that.
The U.S. statistical system is the global gold standard. Businesses, households, policymakers, investors, we all rely and trust in these
economic statistics.
But this firing starts to raise the question, are we going to get to a point where there could be political interference with their economic
statistics? And does that mean that that could erode trust in those data?
NEWTON: And I want to get to the point of what happened with the -- with the survey itself. There were problems with this data, right? It -- not
that there was political interference and not that anything was doing -- anyone was doing anything wrong, but it seems that COVID in particular
upended a lot of the data collection?
How would you proceed with reform? Because again, it wasn't that someone was trying to cook up different statistics here. It's that it has taken so
much longer to get an accurate picture of what the economic data actually is.
KOLKO: Two big things are happening. The first is that there's been a very long-term decline in the share of people who actually respond to surveys.
Both people and businesses are less likely to respond to government surveys when asked. That's been true for years, that decline. It's true globally.
It's true across pretty much all the surveys that the government does.
But also in recent months, there have been lots of losses of staff and resources from the statistical agencies. Already there's been significant
attrition. And right now, a third of the leadership positions at the Bureau of Labor Statistics are vacant. That makes it very hard to even conduct
business as usual, let alone try to invest in some of the modernization that the statistical system needs.
There are things we absolutely can do. We can complement the -- the survey data we have with administrative records, including private sector data
that don't depend on surveying people and businesses to improve our statistics already.
The government is doing this. And there's a lot of room to continue doing it, but it takes resources. And the statistical agencies are in a worse
position to make those investments and do that modernization than they were six months ago.
NEWTON: And you point out, in fact, that gathering some of this information and having an accurate picture might get more and more problematic just
because it's going to become more difficult. I don't understand really why tools like AI aren't going to help out here. I hear you on the fact that
they need more resources.
But let me ask you this. You know, I reported extensively from Venezuela, any government statistic that was put out from that government in the last
15 years is totally and utterly ignored. I'm not suggesting we're there in the United States.
But what is the risk if people begin to really look suspiciously at government data?
KOLKO: We have examples from around the world of what happens when people no longer trust government statistics. People look to alternative sources,
though those alternative sources won't paint a complete picture. They're not representative. They're not designed to tell us how the economy's
doing.
[12:40:07]
It's a second best way of looking at how the economy's doing. And if we have a less clear sense, if our view gets fuzzy, we make worse decisions.
Businesses might hire too slowly or make the wrong investments.
The Fed might take longer to make decisions about interest rates if they have less confidence in the data that they're getting about inflation and
unemployment.
When people don't trust official statistics, it's not good for the government either, because if people suspect that the government is
manipulating or meddling with statistics, they're going to assume that the truth is worse than what the government's telling them. And that makes it
really hard for a government to try to make the case that they're helping the economy even if they are.
And so in the end, it's not even in a government's interest to undermine economic statistics. And yet, sometimes around the world, it happens.
NEWTON: Yes. And we hope that is a lesson that the Trump administration knows well. I will note it is not just the American economy, but so many
economies around the world, but the pen on statistics from the world's largest economy to be absolutely as accurate as they can be.
Economist Jed Kolko, I appreciate the conversation. Thanks.
KOLKO: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, still to come for us here on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love the fact that we are now becoming like -- we're becoming the cool kids now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Ahead, a new movement by young Democrats to win over America's Gen Z voters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: To U.S. politics now. For years, conservative powerhouse Charlie Kirk and his get out the vote organization, Turning Point USA, have debated
politics on college campuses to reel in young voters into that MAGA movement.
Now, a new liberal activist group with the help of well-known online streamer, Destiny, is fighting back by taking a page from Kirk's book.
Donie O'Sullivan has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just got Kirk. Yes, I just got escorted in for bringing Kirk, baby.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): We are in Tampa, Florida, for Turning Point USA's Annual Student Action Summit. TPUSA is a voter-driving juggernaut for the
Republican Party, led by 31-year-old Charlie Kirk.
[12:45:00]
CHARLIE KIRK, FOUNDER, TURNING POINT USA: They're happy, that's why, you know, they haven't been on social media.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But this year's event will be menaced by something called the Un-F America Tour, started by a group of progressive influencers
and organizers, including the massively popular streamer, Destiny.
STEVEN BONNELL, ONLINE STREAMER: This is the all roads lead to Rome thing, right? He can do the exact same behavior he said that Biden couldn't get
away with doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Destiny --
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): They want to bring progressive debate to Kirk's doorstep. But first, they have to get in.
O'SULLIVAN: So, Turning Point has cancelled all of Un-F America's credentials, and now they're trying to sneak in Destiny, so he can debate
inside here. Oh, he's in?
So, Destiny has made it inside the building, and we'll see how long he lasts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a major streamer named Destiny, who's a democratic liberal streamer. He appears to be debating Myron Gaines, who's
more of a right-wing red pill guy. They're both sort of creatures of internet trolldom, but it should be a lot of fun.
You know, it's like blood sports, it's like watching a cockfight effectively.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd love to see it though.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd love to see it. It's great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're at Student Action Summit. We've got Destiny and Myron here today. Have a little friendly conversation.
MYRON GAINES, AUTHOR: Good to see you, bro.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Young people may be tuning out the news, but this new form of live, provocative political debate is blowing up online. Its
cultural significance is something well known to Kirk because he's part of it.
CHARLIE KIRK, FOUNDER, TURNING POINT USA: Hello, everyone. I am Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. And I am surrounded by 20 woke college
kids.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Under a tent with the words, "prove me wrong," Kirk brought online debater culture directly to hundreds of college
campuses during the last election cycle.
KIRK: We have a problem in black America. The biggest problem is not racism. It's the lack of dads.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): And while he uses it to make viral content, its primary goal is to register Gen Z to vote MAGA.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love the fact that we are now becoming like -- we're becoming the cool kids now.
KIRK: But no, I just want to be clear, is there something wrong with talking to voters?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, there's nothing wrong with talking to voters.
KIRK: Well, that's what we're doing here today. It's an open mic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that you push a dangerous agenda.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): It's a strategy that those behind Un-F America say the DNC has been absent to counter.
BONNELL: I hate Charlie Kirk, I think he's actually a Satan spawn, but he's very, very strategically minded.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): At an event organized by the Un-F America crew down the street from the convention center, both conservatives and liberals
packed into a pub to eat chicken wings, drink beer, and watch conservative voices try to take on Destiny.
O'SULLIVAN: Charlie Kirk's been doing this a long time, more than 10 years. Why has it taken the left so long to catch up, and it still hasn't caught
up?
BONNELL: Republicans, vertically, are very well integrated when it comes to making sure that they're winning elections.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
BONNELL: There's people who in 2020, they thought the election was stolen in every state, basically --
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
BONNELL: -- but they still showed up to vote next time. So something is happening there where they're really big on going out and winning
elections. And I think that that shows at every single level to where when people are organizing, or when people are creating alternative media
networks, whether you're talking Tim Pool, influencing other ones like Joe Rogan, or trying to do things with college kids like Charlie Kirk.
They're making these events and they're gathering all these different people for Charlie Kirk and school kids, but the single focus is winning
elections. It's incredibly important.
O'SULLIVAN: Did Democrats have anything like this?
ZEE COHEN-SANCHEZ, DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZER, NATIONAL GROUND GAME: Nothing. And I will say, like, Charlie Kirk is honestly one of the best organizers of
our generation. And I think that, you know, as much as I disagree with Charlie Kirk, I believe that what he's doing has worked. And that's why I'm
here to replicate what he's doing.
I'm not here to, you know, disrupt Charlie Kirk's events. I'm here to say that there are alternative ideas and that we need to build the same thing
that he has because he is good at it.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Zee Cohen-Sanchez has worked more than a decade on democratic campaigns.
O'SULLIVAN: Is the DNC supporting this?
COHEN-SANCHEZ: No, not currently.
O'SULLIVAN: Why not?
COHEN-SANCHEZ: If Ken Martin's watching this, text me back. But really, I mean, I think it's disappointing that we haven't been able to see the DNC
really get off the ground since the election, because I think a lot of things have happened internally that have been distractions to the actual
ground game that we need right now.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Back inside, the packed event giving the Un-F America organizers hope there will be appetite for similar debates on
college campuses this fall.
KIRK: I do 100 hours of this a semester, 100 hours, in addition to two hours of podcasting radio. I mean, the physical crowds are now 3,000, 4,000
people almost every time we do this.
O'SULLIVAN: And so the plan for this semester is Charlie Kirk shows up at campuses all across the country, and you guys are going to be there too?
COHEN-SANCHEZ: Well, that's -- that's the goal. If we can raise the money - - enough money to get there, we absolutely will.
People wonder why the youth vote shifted nine points to the right.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
COHEN-SANCHEZ: And that's a big reason why. He's put the footwork in and we haven't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:35]
NEWTON: And with that, 18-year-old Canadian phenom, Victoria Mboko, became the tennis world's next superstar. She stunned fans at the National Bank
Open in Montreal Thursday by beating four-time Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka.
It wasn't a total surprise. She did upset the number one seed, Coco Gauff, already in the tour -- she already did that in the tournament. Victoria is
now the third Canadian women -- woman to win her national open.
Of course, I am loud and proud of Canadian. CNN's Patrick Snell joins me now indulging us in this story. But she has really broken through here,
hasn't she?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: She really has. Congrats, Paula. You must be absolutely thrilled with this.
NEWTON: I am. I am.
SNELL: It's a really proud moment for Canadian tennis. Now, it's just a great story all around. Victoria celebrating those scenes there in Montreal
in front of the home fans of the National Bank Open.
Eighteen years of age. That's all she is. Overpowering Japanese superstar, Naomi Osaka. Victoria, you know, she didn't even have a picture, Paula, on
the Women's WTA website ahead of this event. But I can tell you, I've checked. She does now.
Osaka won the first set, but having upset the number one seeded Coco Gauff in the last 16, Mboko throwing everything at her opponent, levelling the
match as well.
Hear the roar there, much of the delight of those home fans who were cheering Victoria on every step of the way.
A little bit more about Mboko, Paula. She was born in North Carolina in the United States to parents who'd emigrated from the Democratic Republic of
the Congo. That was in the late 1990s. And the local favorite wins the last five games of the match to take to the starting set, six-one.
She cannot believe it. Look at that. She doesn't really know. It's just starting to sink in. She gets the win over a player she grew up idolizing.
This is her first tour title. Let's hear now from one delighted teenager.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MBOKO: I also want to thank Naomi for an incredible match. I've always looked up to her when I was really little. So, it's always great to play
with such an amazing player like you.
And lastly, I want to thank every -- all -- everyone who came to support me today. Noel, Janine, Natalie, all my siblings. Shotti, Marion, and both my
parents who are standing right behind me. I wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for them.
[12:55:04]
And lastly, I want to thank every single one of you who came to support me throughout this whole week. You guys were incredible and I couldn't be more
grateful. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: I love you all. The proud parents looking on there, beating Coco Gauff, the reigning French Open champion under 16. Wasn't the only ground
slam champion Victoria overcame en route to the title. She also beat Sofia Kenin, the 2020 US Open champ. And Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champ
at the semi-final. Of course, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka in Thursday's final.
Definitely a difficult defeat there for Osaka to come to terms with. No question.
Now check this out, Paula. The men's final is being played at the same time, but about 330 miles or so away in Toronto.
And when Mboko clinched the victory, prolonged cheers interrupting the men's final. Their fans were applauding. The players were confused. They
stopped. They looked absolutely, totally confused.
The American player, Ben Shelton, he went on to win the title. But at this point, he goes over to the chair umpire to try and find out what is going
on. Shelton, seemingly told, I guess the Canadian player won in Montreal. That's how big a victory it was for Victoria.
Just great storylines all around as far as Victoria is concerned. A super proud moment for her, her whole family. And as I said earlier, for Canadian
tennis as well.
NEWTON: National pride knows no bounds. Those men found that out center court. Patrick Snell for us. Thanks so much.
And that does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Paula Newton. Thanks for watching. "Amanpour" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
