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One World with Zain Asher
Protests Across Israel Demanding Ceasefire-Hostage Deal; IDF: Gaza Hospital Strike In Response To Hamas Camera Position; House Republicans Investigate D.C.'s Crime Statistics; Trump Threatens To Send National Guard To Chicago; False Reports of Active Shooters Spark Panic In Schools; Trump Says He Has Fired Fed Governor Lisa Cook; Trial Of Donna Adelson Over Professor's Murder Continues; GLP-1 Weight Loss Pill Closer To Regulatory Approval. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired August 26, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:37]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: 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."
Protesters in Israel are making their demands loud and clear. They want their government to agree to a ceasefire hostage release deal with Hamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PROTESTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Crowds, burned tires and blocked major roads in what they're calling a day of struggle. Despite the growing anger within Israel, the Israeli
government has not responded to the latest ceasefire proposal that Hamas accepted last week.
GOLODRYGA: Qatar, which has been a mediator along with Egypt and the U.S., says, quote, the ball is in Israel's court. Israel's security cabinet is
expected to meet today to talk about its new offensive in Gaza City.
CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now from the scene of the protests in Tel Aviv. And, Oren, you have been there for a number of hours now. Crowds
continuing to pile in. Quite notable given that this war is now approaching its second year.
There were concerns that among these protests that people would just tire out, and yet, here we are masses are turning out, especially the family
members and the loved ones of those hostages that remain in Gaza right now.
You've spoken to a number of them. What are they telling you?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Bianna and Zain, you can -- you can feel the energy here. And you can see the crowd growing behind us.
There are already hundreds, if not thousands in Hostages Square here. And there's a march from the nearby train station to here and that's when this
crowd real -- will really swell.
And this is just the culmination of the day. There have been events throughout the day taking place across the country, what organizers call
the Day of Disruption.
And we saw protesters and demonstrators shut down a lot of the major highways either laying down on the street. In one case, they actually sat
in a cage on the street representing the hostages. They lit -- they lit fires to shut down some of the highways.
Police say the disruptions didn't last that long. But in looking across the country today, you get the sense of the energy here and the urgency with
which the protesters have come out on this day.
I'm joined by one of those, Amos Kates. Amos, you actually came up from the Gaza periphery, so a couple of hours away. There are, in fact,
demonstrations there. Why did you choose to be here today? Why was this important for you?
AMOS KATES, PROTESTER: Well, these -- these demonstrations are mainly to support the hostages' families and the hostages themselves and to give
hope. Hope for -- for the Israeli people, hope for our bleeding country.
And I see all the gathering here and gives me a sense of hope, a sense of someone is -- is with them in these terrible times. And our call for the
government is to stop the war. There is no aim to this war anymore.
We want our daughters, our sons, our families back home to where they belong, and to reunite and to reconstruct our nation and country.
And I think the government doesn't do anything or nothing too much to bring them back home. And -- and I see the people and it really amazes me.
LIEBERMANN: The security cabinet is meeting right now, but they're discussing the takeover and occupation of Gaza City, not the ceasefire deal
on the table right now.
Do you believe the security cabinet is listening? And what is your message to them?
KATES: Well, it's been almost two years. Two years of endless bloodsheds and sadness and -- and grief. We have to stop this right now. I'm -- I
don't have any expectations from the cabinet.
The only thing that I have is my people. And the ones that will make the change will be the people. And when I come here, I see thousands of people
and it gives me hope and relief to know that most -- most of the Israelis want this war to end and bring all the hostages back. This can't go on
anymore. We're -- we're brokenhearted. It must stop now.
[12:05:02]
LIEBERMANN: Amos Kates, you will be joined by many of those people here this evening. Thank you.
KATES: Thank you.
LIEBERMANN: We'll be here throughout the evening as the protest itself swells and gets towards the culmination in just about an hour from now and
that will be really the heart of today.
And, of course, this is just one in many demonstrations that we've seen, not only in recent weeks as they have grown in number, but protests we will
keep seeing here until the protesters see some engagement from the government.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It never ceases to amaze me, Oren. I've been where you are at Hostages Square a number of times covering this war now over the past
couple of years. And the amount of people coming together, as Amos said, in a broken-hearted country right now, continues to just be -- just be
stunning to see.
And also, I think, inspiring as well. So many coming. These are all family members for those that are gathering there.
Oren Liebermann, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Breaking news into CNN. The Israeli military says it has concluded an initial inquiry into the strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza
that killed 20 people, including five journalists.
The report says the troops were targeting a camera positioned by Hamas in the area. Photographers working for both the "Associated Press" and Reuters
were among those who were killed.
GOLODRYGA: Both news organizations have demanded answers and accountability. This initial report from the IDF may not do enough, though,
to tamp down the international condemnation that has come in since.
Despite this report, Israel continues to not allow journalists into Gaza or independent investigations into their actions.
ASHER: Let's bring CNN media analyst Sara Fischer. She's a media correspondent for "Axios." She joins us live now from Washington D.C. Sara,
thank you so much for being with us.
First of all, just explain to us, what sort of impact does the targeting of journalists intentional or not, right, intentional or not, have on the
ability to cover this war, objectively, especially when it comes to the humanitarian crisis on the ground in Gaza?
SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Well, as you mentioned, Israel is not letting journalists into Gaza, so we are very reliant on Palestinian
journalists to be showing us images, video, and documenting some of the atrocities that are happening in that area.
Without access to that footage, the only thing that we can rely on are reports from both sides. And, you know, in a conflict, you want an unbiased
third party.
One of the challenges we're facing, however, is that a lot of Palestinian journalists are not considered by the IDF in Israel to be unbiased third
parties. That's the reason why in the past the IDF has cited for targeting some of these journalists.
But as you both know, targeting journalists violates U.N. international law. And that's why they're facing so much condemnation and heat, not just
from third party groups, but from news editors themselves, as you mentioned, the "AP" and Reuters this morning.
GOLODRYGA: And, Sara, it's interesting, because Amos Harel, who is one of the most distinguished and respected war journalists for "Haaretz Magazine"
in Israel, has just written a piece, and essentially stating that this deadly strike on the hospital could change the course of the war.
It is notable that we had, not only the IDF issue a response so quickly yesterday, saying that they were launching an investigation and that
they're never intentionally striking or targeting journalists and aid workers and that was followed by the prime minister in a very unusual
statement calling this a tragic mishap.
Do you think that the pressure from other countries outside of the United States, because the United States, thus far, has remained rather muted,
Israel's closest ally.
Do you think that the -- the pressure from other news agencies and countries around the world is finally starting to make an impact here on
the Israeli government?
FISCHER: Yes, absolutely. So, you saw a few weeks ago when there was that other Israeli attack that resulted in the deaths of journalists, that there
was a huge international outcry from press groups based all over the world and newsrooms about that attack.
And what I think happened then was it was the beginning of a turning point in this war in which Israel realized they're really starting to lose the PR
war here. It's not just the strategic war that matters, it's public perception around the globe that matters because that's what impacts their
ability to get support from allies.
And so, I think that the prime minister coming out with those comments indicates that they recognize how big of a PR crisis this is, not just in
the U.S. They've been facing the U.S. PR crisis for a while, but with other Western allies around the globe.
ASHER: Sara, about a month or so ago, we actually interviewed the editor- in-chief of the Agence France-Presse, who was sharing with us that journalists, his own journalists on the ground in Gaza, simply did not have
enough food to eat, that literally they couldn't report, they couldn't gather information because they were so tired and so hungry. I mean, it was
incredibly moving for him to share that.
Based on that and also this idea of journalists being killed at this particular hospital strike, just walk us through, again, the long-term
consequences of whether or not we're going to be entering some kind of unintentional, unintentional information blackout where the narratives end
up being controlled by the warring parties as opposed to independent journalists themselves.
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FISCHER: We are absolutely already on our way to that. And part of it comes from the fact that, yes, so many journalists have died. But part of it, to
your point, is that the conditions in Gaza are so horrific that news agencies are very hesitant to put more war correspondents on the ground if
they even can.
They recognize that it's on them to keep their people safe. And it's very difficult for them to place journalists in places where they can't
guarantee that. I mean, that's been the reality in places like Russia, for example, with that war.
One of the reasons actually you haven't seen that many journalists killed in that war is because news organizations are just too afraid at this point
to send journalists to places like that where journalists don't have protection.
In this case, it's not just protection, but as you mentioned, it's access to food, access to water, access to places where they can even charge
cameras to be able to capture footage.
And so it's a dire situation right now. And the information vacuum, as you know, always, almost always gets filled with misinformation, which causes
these wars to cause even more chaos than they would have originally.
GOLODRYGA: And also a different type of war as well. This is a very confined space, Gaza versus the enormous size of Ukraine, obviously.
Sara, how much of a difference does it make that you're seeing a lot of this pressure and calls for the Israeli government to let independent media
organizations and journalists into Gaza without embedding with the IDF, which is the only way journalists have been able to get into Gaza?
This call is also coming from Israeli journalists, too.
FISCHER: Yes. And by the way, you have to take a zoom out look at what's been happening in press freedoms in Israel.
You know, a few years ago, the government tried to consolidate some of the power over independent news organizations and journalists were quick to
push back against that. Bibi himself has been, you know, investigated for some of corruption as it regards to media outlets. And so the climate for
press freedom in Israel already was bad heading into the war.
Now, you see journalists intensifying that pushback, intensifying that fight, because they are recognizing that if they don't do so, their -- and
their country itself is going to lose this PR war.
Again, I'd say, I think that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understands that. But I think that we're at a point now, turning point now, where
everyone recognizes that if we don't figure out a way to let independent journalists in to cover this conflict, it is not good for anybody, but it's
also not good for Israel.
ASHER: Sara Fischer, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Well, Donald Trump is calling it a crackdown on crime. Critics, meantime, slam it as unnecessary and unconstitutional. The U.S. president
signed an executive order Monday calling for specialized National Guard units to be formed to deal with what he called public order and other
issues.
It's yet another indication of his plans to deploy military troops beyond Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., yet to other blue states and cities as
well.
ASHER: Yes. He's facing vocal oppositions from Democrats, including the governor of Illinois, who says Trump's move has nothing to do with
combating crime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): Find a family who's enjoying today sitting on their front porch and ask if they want their neighborhoods turned into a
war zone by a wannabe dictator.
This is not about fighting crime. This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city, in a blue state,
to try and intimidate his political rivals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Trump also said yesterday he'd soon announce a name change for the Department of Defense to restore the name it had before World War II, the
Department of War.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you plan to do that? It requires an act of Congress to rename the Defense Department to the Department of War.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're just going to do it. I'm sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don't think we even need
that. But if we need that, I'm sure Congress will go along.
Defense is too defensive. And we want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive too, if we have to be. So, it just sounded to me better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The U.S. House Oversight Committee is investigating allegations that D.C.'s crime statistics have been manipulated. Local officials argue
that the stats show a drop in violent crime over the past few years, even though Trump continues to cast the city as crime-ridden, as CNN's Brian
Todd with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the second investigation launched into the alleged manipulation of D.C. crime statistics that has been
announced in recent days. The first one was a Department of Justice investigation. This latest one is an investigation announced by the
Republican-led House Oversight Committee.
In a letter Monday from that Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer to the D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith, the House Oversight Committee asked
for, among other things, crime reports, audit reports and memoranda for crimes whose classifications were changed.
[12:15:11]
They also asked for communications records regarding discussions between the Metropolitan Police Department leaders and city officials. And they
asked for communications related to weekly district commander meetings.
In addition to that, the committee also wants Chief Smith to make seven D.C. Police District Commanders available for interviews by the House
Oversight Committee on several dates between September 23rd and -- excuse me, October 20th. Between September 23rd and October 20th.
Now, all these investigations, these two investigations we're talking about, they follow reports that a now former D.C. Police Commander was
placed on administrative leave amid accusations that the department was falsifying crime data in one police district by allegedly marking offenses
as lower-level crimes than they otherwise might have been classified.
D.C. officials have been stressing all along that this is one commander from one district being investigated and that their own internal
investigation, the police department's internal investigation into that is ongoing.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has also kind of pushed back to the idea or the implication at least that D.C. crime stats were widely manipulated. She
says that the facts are that crime in the city in almost every category has been going down steadily for a couple of years now at least, and especially
over the past year.
She said, quote, those don't comport with what some people are saying, she said, but those are the facts. So, the mayor pushing back on the idea that
crime stats in the D.C. police department were widely manipulated.
Again, they are stressing that this was one police commander in one district who is now under investigation. That investigation not completed
as of yet.
Meanwhile, D.C. officials, again, claiming just about every day now pointing to statistics that say that crime in almost every category is down
considerably from a year ago. That includes violent crime, homicides, assault with a dangerous weapon, robbery, all down considerably from a year
ago.
And they point to downward trends in violent crime over the past two years. Again, claiming the D.C. city officials from the mayor to the police chief
claiming that this law enforcement surge by President Trump is neither needed or really called for in any way here in the city.
But President Trump, of course, saying that not only is he going to continue that surge, but he is considering taking the same kind of strategy
to other cities as well. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Our thanks to Brian Todd for that report.
Meantime, the governor of Illinois is calling Donald Trump's suggestion to send troops to Chicago, quote, a dangerous power grab.
ASHER: But on Monday, the president pushed back against his critics, insisting he does not want to be a dictator, though he says, quote, a lot
of people are saying maybe we like a dictator. And some, and believe it or not, some polling suggests that some Republicans may actually be warming up
to the idea.
When asked about Trump's past comments during the campaign that he wouldn't be a dictator, except for day one. A survey last year showed that 74
percent of Republicans actually endorse the idea.
Another poll earlier this year indicated that 59 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe that Trump shouldn't have to worry
so much about Congress and the courts, the two major checks on his presidential power.
GOLODRYGA: And yet, another poll shows 44 percent of Republicans claiming that the court shouldn't even be allowed to review Trump's policies.
We should tell you that President Trump right now is hosting a cabinet meeting. We are listening to that and we'll bring you any news headlines
that come out of it.
Meantime, Sabrina Siddiqui is a national politics reporter for "The Wall Street Journal" and she is joining us now in Washington.
Sabrina, let's just start with what we're seeing in the streets of Washington, D.C. and this war that the president feels very eager to engage
with, with Democratic governors, governors that perhaps may be looking towards running for president in 2028 as well, this back and forth.
And the fact that the president, when answering the question or at least the criticism that he's acting like a dictator, says things like, I'm not a
dictator, I'm a man with great common sense.
What do you make of how Democrats who have been criticized for how they've responded to Trump, not just in this term, but obviously over the past 10
years? What do you make of the -- the turn they are making right now in changing their tone and in response to President Trump?
SABRINA SIDDIQUI, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Well, I think that there's been a lot of frustration from the democratic
base, you know, in terms of the response that the party has had to these very aggressive measures by President Trump to exercise more federal
control over states and localities.
[12:20:00]
And so, you know, lot of voters I -- I hear from believe that oftentimes Democrats are essentially bringing, you know, a knife to a gunfight and
they want to see them take a more aggressive response and pushing back.
What they can do is not entirely clear. I think a lot of this is ultimately going to be litigated through the courts. But you are seeing more of this
struggle between state and federal control.
And when it comes to this crackdown on what, you know, Trump, what he says is crime in some of these cities, including Washington, D.C., where crime
rates have actually fallen, it's also inviting a lot of uncertainty and unrest, as well as confusion about the chain of command between these
National Guard troops and local law enforcement.
And as you said, you know, he may do this in other cities, which I really think just raises the stakes about this battle between the federal
government and the states.
ASHER: And so, what can elected officials in places like Chicago actually do? I mean, beyond just sort of coming out in front of a podium and having
other junior elected officials behind him, talking about Governor Pritzker, obviously, you know, beyond sort of trying to win the PR war when it comes
to this, is there anything that they can actually do here to fight back?
SIDDIQUI: Well, that's what's been challenging, of course, the question of, you know, the legality of it. And so far, it's -- it's not entirely clear
that there is a way in which democratic governors can push back.
You know, of course, again, there's a question of whether or not this can be litigated in the courts. But even if there was some kind of legal basis
upon which they can challenge the president's authority or his motivations, what we've seen from President Trump is that he's actually been defying
court orders on other issues such as immigration enforcement.
Because a lot of the, you know, federal presence that you're seeing in these cities has also focused on expanding his crackdown on undocumented
immigrants and trying to ramp up arrests and deportations.
So, you know, if he's defying the court orders, then what do you do? I think this is really going to be one of the central themes of next year's
midterm elections, what is perhaps seen as a constitutional crisis, because, you know, a Republican-controlled Congress is not going to take
any steps to intervene.
So, really, this may very well be a battle in the court of public opinion, what people want the United States of America to look like. And if
Democrats can use this to drum up enough enthusiasm for their supporters to turn up at the polls and try and at least change course through Congress
next year, through who controls Congress come 2027, and if that may be the only check and balance that exists on this administration.
GOLODRYGA: One battle the president is itching to -- to make is having more control over the independence of the Federal Reserve. He may not say it as
explicitly as that, but we've seen relentless attacks of Fed Chair Powell over the last few years.
And now the president, in an unprecedented decision, says that he has fired a Fed governor, the first black-appointed female governor to the Federal
Reserve Board. This is, again, an independent institution.
Most scholars, legal scholars, say that this is illegal, that he -- he cannot do this without just cause. And we know the president is saying that
there is just cause. There have been no charges filed against her. But he says that she was not honest in her mortgage applications. And thus, that
gives him cause for firing her.
The -- the semantics and the details aside, just the significance here of the president trying to interfere with an independent body like this --
like the Federal Reserve, this will no doubt go up to the Supreme Court. Just talk about the consequences here, whether or not he wins on this issue
or not.
SIDDIQUI: I mean, it's extraordinary, right, because the Fed, as you noted, is designed to be independent of politics and to make decisions that are
based on economic data.
We've seen President Trump, since he took office, really ramping up pressure on the Fed to lower interest rates. It's -- it's -- it's kind of
confusing because just last week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell did signal that a rate cut might be coming not because of any pressure from the Trump
administration.
In fact, Powell specifically cited the independence of the Fed and the importance of that, but simply because of economic conditions, perhaps
allowing for a rate cut down the road.
But, you know, what's -- what's not only at stake here is the traditional independence of the Fed, but also the future of the U.S. economy, the
strength of the U.S. economy. Because the reason that decisions are made, based on economic data, is because artificially low interest rates could
very well backfire and thrust the U.S. economy into a period of uncertainty.
Eventually, the -- the data will correct itself, even if Trump wants to keep interest rates artificially low. So, there's sort of two parallel
issues here that this battle really gets at the heart of.
[12:25:04]
But again, it's just another way in which he's really testing the limits of executive power. But, you know, we are hearing that Lisa Cook is planning
to stay in her role and, in fact, filing a lawsuit of her own. So, I think this very well may be one that makes its way perhaps up to the Supreme
Court.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the Supreme Court, while on the one hand has given enormous powers to the office of the presidency and the executive there has
also gone out of its way to note the independence of the Federal Reserve as well. So, you're right. I think this no doubt will end up before the
Supreme Court.
Sabrina Siddiqui, thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you.
The federal judge has ruled that Kilmar Abrego Garcia must remain in the U.S. while she considers whether deportation to Uganda violates his due
process rights.
Abrego Garcia was taken into custody yesterday. The Department of Homeland Security posted this video with the caption, he doesn't belong here. Abrego
Garcia has already been wrongly deported once to El Salvador.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. He was brought back in June only to be hit with human smuggling charges from the federal government.
CNN spoke to one of his lawyers about the case in the last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN OSORIO, ATTORNEY FOR KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA: It's not fair that they just go out and defame him and slander him in public, but in their court
filings and in the actual charges, none of that's there.
I mean, if you look at the actual charges in Tennessee, none of those allegations or actually being litigated or actually being what he's charged
with. So, I mean, I just think it's extremely unfair for an administration that is often complaining about libel slander laws and defamation laws. And
then the government gets to do it willy-nilly because of sovereign immunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Abrego Garcia's lawyer is set to speak with him again this Friday. We'll bring you more updates as we get them.
ASHER: All right. Still to come here on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK STOLLSTEIMER, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: If this was indeed a cruel hoax, this is a crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: It spreads fear and panic through communities. Now schools and police are fighting back against shooting hoaxes. Details, coming up.
GOLODRYGA: Also ahead, the trial of a Florida woman accused of orchestrating the killing of her ex-son-in-law continues. Her own children
now taking the stand.
ASHER: And later on the heels of this blue jeans ad from a few weeks back, another denim retailer hopes its viral ad gets it right. That's later on in
the show too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:00]
ASHER: It's a notification that no student or parent ever wants to receive that there is an active shooter at their kids' school.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The ensuing panic often turns to anger when it turns out the report of a shooter was just a hoax.
And on Monday, six universities had active shooter reports. All of them turned out to be false.
ASHER: While the calls may be fake, the resulting trauma can actually be very real.
Josh Campbell takes a look at this alarming trend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: A sad reality in this country is that back to school can mean back to school shootings. And now, we're
seeing this uh other type of sinister crime, so-called swatting, where someone calls in two authorities reporting some type of violent incident in
progress that prompting a massive police response.
We've seen this in numerous incidents, this current wave last week at in Chattanooga, the University of Tennessee authorities were dispatched after
being told that a man with an AR-15 and open fire a few hours later at Villanova University just outside Philadelphia, the same thing. This
causing widespread panic. People fleeing, people injured at times. You can imagine just the chaos.
Take a listen here to the local district attorney there outside of Pennsylvania speaking right after that incident.
STOLLSTEIMER: I think literally thousands of people here today who are here because their kids are being dropped off for school, right? And it should
be a joyous occasion was ruined by somebody.
My office, Criminal Investigation Division, and the FBI, we're all going to work to try to get to the bottom of who might have done this. Because if
this was indeed a cruel hoax, this is a crime. And we will track you down if it's the last thing we do.
Now, authorities take this so seriously because even if no one was shot, again, there could still be injuries.
We've also seen in the past at least one man was killed when police responded to an incident. You can imagine the stress, the stress hormones
coursing through an officer's body as they're rushing to a scene, not knowing if a threat is around the corner.
And so again, although these are fake hoax threats, they can often be very dangerous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Josh Campbell reporting there.
All right. Still to come, Donald Trump has been attacking the Federal Reserve for months. Now, he's made an unprecedented move against one of its
governors. Details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:50]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. As we mentioned earlier in the hour, U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is fighting back. She is filing a
lawsuit to challenge President Trump's attempt to fire her over allegations of mortgage fraud.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. This is the first time a president has fired a central bank governor in the Fed's history.
Cook, however, is vowing to stay on the job. She hasn't been charged with any crime. Cook, the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor, was
appointed by former President Joe Biden.
ASHER: Let's bring in CNN's Richard Quest who is watching the implications of all of this.
So, Richard, obviously for months now we witnessed President Trump go after Jerome Powell, asking him to cut interest rates, attacking him time and
time again. And now it seems as though he's targeting a sort of lower hanging fruit.
Just walk us through what the consequences are of President Trump essentially trying to remake the Fed's board into people who essentially
agree with him.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Well, it would be somewhat disastrous in terms of the independence of the institution. If you look at
the terms that they get, it's a 14-year term deliberately set like that so that there's no question of political interference.
Once you're appointed a Fed governor, I mean, and therefore for the president, for Donald Trump to attack a governor on very dodgy grounds,
this is the point about it. Lisa Cook, the allegation is that she has claimed first one home as a primary residence for a cheaper mortgage.
Then within weeks, a second home as a primary residence for a cheaper mortgage. She has said she's looking into it. She's going to find out what
the facts are.
But Donald Trump is not waiting. He's basically saying, I now have cause to fire Lisa Cook. And, yes, the law does allow the president to fire a
central bank governor for cause. But here, the cause either doesn't relate to her work as a governor and it -- and it hasn't been proven anyway. She's
been charged with nothing.
GOLODRYGA: And, Richard, could one argue that, however, this ends up resolving itself, whether she does end up leaving the Federal Reserve
Board, whether this goes to the Supreme Court and they state, as they have in the past, despite all of the power that the executive wields, that the
independence of the Federal Reserve is sacrosanct.
Is it fair to say perhaps that even the independence of the Federal Reserve is in question now, regardless of whatever decisions the board makes in
terms of interest rates going forward because of all of the scrutiny?
QUEST: Yes. The -- I -- I can answer that in brief rather. Yes. The -- the independence of the central bank, whilst not threatened at this point, has
been called into question. A scintilla of doubt. Why? Because we have what has to be amongst the most pathetically weak cases that has been brought.
I mean, if you're going -- if -- if you're going to try and overturn a 111- year virginity of never firing a central bank governor, you better have, to mix my metaphors, a very strong peg upon which to hang your coat. And this
is just a reed in the wind.
I mean, she's not being charged. There's been no full investigation. The allegation has nothing to do with her work for the central bank. It's just
appallingly designed to threaten, to cajole, to call into question so that he can make -- I don't think it's -- I don't think it's particularly about
this interest rate cut or whatever. He's going to get his interest rate cuts in a couple of months anyway.
[12:40:59]
This is about having an institution in Washington bend to the Trump presidential knee. Donald Trump cannot abide the thought that there is an
institution in Washington that is not going to do his bidding when he requires it. And that's what this is about.
ASHER: And if Wall Street even gets a whiff that perhaps Donald Trump is able to control the Fed in any way, I obviously, Jerome Powell's term is
over in May of next year. And obviously he's attempting to fire Lisa Cook. I mean, you can only imagine, Richard, what will happen to financial
markets.
QUEST: Yes, because -- because unlike those countries where central banks are puppets of the government, in the United States, the European Union,
Britain, all of these other countries, private economists are not stupid. Banks know what's really happening.
So if the central bank goes off on a -- on a political frolic, everybody's well aware, and it's going to have incredible repercussions because there's
-- it's the largest single market in the world is the U.S. treasury market and for that to be called into question would be calamitous.
ASHER: Richard Quest live for us. Thank you so much.
All right. Still to come, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex is sharing new details about her relationship with Prince Harry in her Netflix series.
We'll talk about it after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. The trial of Donna Adelson is continuing today. And the prosecution is aiming to prove that Adelson orchestrated the murder of her
son-in-law more than a decade ago. This was back in 2014.
Dan Markel, a law professor at Florida State University, was killed after being stalked by two hitmen. His death followed a custody battle with his
ex-wife Wendi. The couple had divorced a year earlier. One of the hitmen, already convicted, has claimed the purpose of the killing was to gain
custody of the children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[12:45:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you hired to participate in the murder of Dan Markel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was the purpose of this murder as you understood it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That they wanted the kids.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who wanted the kids?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wendi.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And did you understand that you were killing the father of the kids so that Wendi could have the kids?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The trial follows the conviction of four co-conspirators, including Adelson's son, Charles. The defense says there is no evidence
Adelson planned or paid for the killing.
Jean Casarez joins us now for a look at what's ahead. Testimony from Adelson's own children as well, Jean. It's a tragic story, and at the very
heart of it are children that have now lost their father and are watching their grandmother on trial.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So true. The children are starting to take the stand. So, all of a sudden, we have had now Wendi Adelson, who is the
daughter of Donna, and she testified for the prosecution.
You could tell she didn't want to because she was -- and that's her right there on the right. She was, I don't know, I'm not sure. But she couldn't
contest the e-mails that her mother had sent her.
Now, these were Jewish families, and Dan Markel, the victim, his Jewish faith was extremely important to him. So, Donna, and this is to show the
intent and the motive. She was so intent on having those children go up to where she was, along with her daughter in Miami. She said, all right. I've
got some plans. Here we go.
Tell Dan that we're going to baptize the children in the Catholic Church and find a church. I actually found a Catholic church, put the children in
front, take the picture and give it to Dan.
Second, a million dollars Donna offered to Dan. And that was never -- Wendi never imparted that message, but that was the intent.
The third one, really shocking. She said, you know, my son Charles said that during World War II, that combatants actually dressed up in Nazi
uniforms went over the line because they had a job to do. Dressed the children in Nazi uniforms, parade them in front of Dan so he knows we're
serious about you going to Miami.
Prosecutors will really use that for intent. But then her other son took the stand. And his name is Rob. He is an ENT surgeon in New York. He moved
out of state, but he talked about when he found out from his mother that Dan Markel had been shot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT ADELSON, SON OF DEFENDANT: It's one of those moments that you'll just remember forever. So, I remember being in the lobby of the Westin.
And, you know, I assumed something terrible had happened. And I wasn't ready for it.
She said, you know, we just want to let you know that Danny's been shot and they took him to the hospital, but he didn't make it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was she crying in that conversation?
ADELSON: Not in the conversation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir?
ADELSON: No, she was not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
ADELSON: It was very matter of fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: So, what we just finished minutes ago was the former boyfriend of Wendi, the daughter. She started dating him right after her divorce. And he
testified that she had a lot of questions about where he was going to be on Friday, July 16th, 2014. He was taking a trip. It was a road trip. She
wanted to know what route he was going. And he was very suspicious about that from the beginning. But that is the date that Dan Markel was shot.
And so the question is, was she allegedly trying to make him the bad guy in all of this that he as that new boyfriend had shot the ex-husband? We don't
know that. We'll hear in summary whether the attorneys feel that way.
But obviously, a lot came out today about Wendi also. And the question remains, everybody's wondering, is Wendi going to be charged? Now, Wendy
has those two children. And she is the one that's raising them. So, if that would happen, they would have no family virtually.
GOLODRYGA: Unbelievable. Jean Casarez, thank you so much.
CASAREZ: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:45]
GOLODRYGA: Well, the pill form of those popular weight loss injections is a step closer to reality. Eli Lilly says that it will file for global
regulatory approval for its GLP-1 pill based on the results of a recent trial. Currently, their injections are used to treat obesity and type 2
diabetes.
ASHER: Yes. CNN's Jacqueline Howard explains the results.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: The company Eli Lilly says that its GLP-1 pills were found to be safe and have compelling efficacy results in
new phase three trial data. Based on these results, the company says it plans to move forward with filing for regulatory approval.
Now, what we know about the phase three trial, it included adults with diabetes who also had obesity or were overweight. Some of the participants
were given the GLP-1 pill, some were given a placebo.
After 72 weeks, the company says the participants who were given the GLP-1 pill at its highest dose lost, on average 22.9 pounds. And in comparison,
the adults who were given the placebo only lost about five pounds.
Also during those 72 weeks, the company says that the GLP-1 pill lowered A1C levels, on average, by 1.8 percent.
So, based on these positive results, the company says it wants to file for approval and if approved, it wants to make the GLP-1 pill available to the
public.
Now in the trial, some of the side effects were similar to the side effects we tend to see with the GLP-1 injections. This is nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, constipation, again, gastrointestinal symptoms.
And this medication, at its core, it is a GLP-1. So, it's very similar to the current injections on the market. The only difference is how the
medicine is delivered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Much easier pill to swallow, literally, than an injection.
ASHER: That was good of you.
GOLODRYGA: I just made that up on the spot. She'll tell it for you.
All right. The global girl group KATSEYE has teamed up with the Gap to deliver a new jeans campaign for the TikTok generation.
ASHER: Yes. The Better in Denim campaign with its catchy tune is going next level viral.
Lisa France has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gap is hoping that its milkshake brings all the customers to the yard.
(MUSIC)
FRANCE: The clothing company has a viral commercial featuring girl group KATSEYE. The ad hits all the sweet spots for the TikTok generation. KATSEYE
is a girl group that was formed on the reality show. It's got a hit song from the early 2000s, "Milkshake" by Kelis, and a dance that people are
dying to learn the steps to.
Now, we're hearing a lot about jeans these days. And the timing of this commercial is really stirring conversation because of American Eagle and
their controversial ad with Sydney Sweeney, which has sparked a lot of backlash.
But when it comes to the Gap ad, it seems like they just stuck to the tried and true. They've been doing these types of ads for almost 30 years,
featuring a monochromatic background, lots of fun, dancers, and of course, a song that everybody can groove to. It feels as comfy as an old pair of
jeans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: We love us some Lisa, right? Speaking of lovers.
ASHER: She's so hypnotic. I'm just mesmerized.
[12:55:00]
GOLODRYGA: You want to this next read?
ASHER: Yes. I do love her.
GOLODRYGA: You're a fan.
ASHER: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is revealing a lot of new details about her life with Prince Harry in the latest season of her next Netflix show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Now put music on.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right on cue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Tan France, Chef Jose Andres, Chrissy Teigen, and many others are all guests on the second installment of "With Love, Meghan."
In episode three, Meghan reveals that she realized she loved Harry on their third date and said that Harry was the one to say I love you first in their
relationship.
The couple wed in 2018. They have two children. In the show, she says she always wanted to be a mom and that it's even better than she expected. The
series hits Netflix on Tuesday. That's today, right?
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: Today.
GOLODRYGA: You'll be watching. One of us will be watching. All right.
ASHER: I love her and I don't care. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: That does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. She'll be back right after break with "Amanpour."
[13:00:00]
END
