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One World with Zain Asher
Trump: I'd Like Turkey To Stop Buying Oil From Russia; FBI Investigating ICE Shooting As Act Of Targeted Violence; Starbucks Announces Store Closings, More Layoffs; What Science Says About Leucovorin For Autism In Children; Australian Government Minister On Social Media Age Restrictions; New AI-Powered App Helps Parent Protect Children; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 25, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I think President Erdogan is the one responsible for Syria, for the successful
fight in ridding Syria of its past leader. And I think this man is responsible. He doesn't take the responsibility, but it's actually a great
achievement. They've been trying to do it for 2000 years. I said, he doesn't, he did it.
I mean, there your surrogates. I think you should take the credit for it. I told him, take the credit. For 2000 years, you've been trying to take over
Syria. He took over Syria, and he doesn't want to take the credit. You know, all of those people are his surrogates. But the leader of Syria, the
new leader, as you know, I took sanctions off in order to let them breathe, because the sanctions were very strong.
But I think we should have a major announcement today. He was responsible for that victory. It was a victory for Turkey, because they've been
fighting, as you know, for like 1000 years, and it never went, you know, it was back and forth. But he's responsible for that. So, he would have a lot
to say with respect to Syria.
But at his request, I took -- and the request also of the king of Saudi Arabia, very interesting, and Qatar. They said, if you could take the
sanctions, we had very strong sanctions. I don't -- they couldn't have lived with those sanctions. And I took them off to give them a chance to
breathe. But the president was one of the people that was responsible for that. He asked me to do it.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, (inaudible) a very typical, when the government shuts down, why is the administration directing federal layoffs
of federal workers this time around?
TRUMP: Well, this is all caused by the Democrats. They asked us to do something that's totally unreasonable. They never change. They want to give
money away to illegals, illegally, people that entered our country illegally. They want to give them massive federal money. And we don't want
to do that because it means everyone is going to just keep pouring back.
Right now, we have absolutely perfect borders like you haven't seen in many years, even better than the -- I had great borders during my four years.
But these borders are stone cold flows. You can only come into our country legally now, but the Democrats want to give it all away. They want to also.
They want to open up the borders. Take a look at that. Big thing.
They want to open borders again, after what we're going through now, getting rid of prisoners, getting rid of all of these people, dropped out
from mental institutions, drug dealers, drug addicts, everything that -- they're putting everybody into our country. It's all ended now, but this is
what Schumer wants. This is what the Democrats want. They want to have -- and they want to take our money. We're doing well because of tariffs, we're
doing unbelievable. We're making more money than we ever have made.
And by the way, we're going to take some of that tariff money that we made, just to get off the subject for a second. We're going to take some of that
tariff money that we made, we're going to give it to our farmers who are -- for a little while, going to be hurt until it kicks in, the tariffs kick
into their benefit. So, we're going to make sure that our farmers are in great shape, because we're taking in a lot of money.
We're finding -- the other day, it was very interesting. They found $31 billion they said, sir, we found 31. I said, you mean positively, right?
They said, yeah. 31 million more than we knew. And they said, we don't know where it came from. I said, check the tariff shelf. They came back the
following morning. They said, you're right, sir. It came from the tariffs. We've never seen anything like this.
So, what we're going to be doing is we're going to be taking some money from all of the tariff money that we've taken, and we're going to
distribute it to our farmers until the tariffs kick into their benefit, which ultimately the farmers are going to be making a fortune. But it's a
process of, it has to kick in on. Maybe one more question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was another shooting at an ICE facility in Texas yesterday, detainees were killed. The FBI director posted on social media
bullets that were engraved with the message, anti ICE. He just posted another thing on social media saying they recovered a handwritten note from
the subject that read, hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror to think. Is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof? Who do you hold
responsible for the uptick in left wing violence in the country?
TRUMP: Radical left rhetoric. The radical left is causing the problem. If they're out of control, they're saying things and they're really dumb
people. I mean, I look at Crockett. I look at some of these people, they're very low IQ people, actually. But the radical left is causing this problem,
not the right, the radical left.
And it's going to get worse, and ultimately, it's going to go back on them. I mean, bad things happen when they play these games. And I'll give you a
little clue, the right is a lot tougher than the left, but the right is not doing this. They're not doing it, and they better not get them energized
because it won't be good for the left and I don't want to see that happen either.
I'm the president of all the people, but the radical left is causing this. Radical left Democrats are causing this problem. And it gets worse. It gets
worse. And it'll be a point where other people won't take it anymore, and that will not be good for the radical left, and we don't want that. OK.
Thank you.
[12:05:00]
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, it seems like an indictment of James Comey is intimate. Would this be the first step in accountability for
pushing the hoax of Russia, Russia, Russia, along with Barack Obama involved as well?
TRUMP: Well, I can't tell you what's going to happen because I don't know. You have very professional people headed up by the Attorney General Todd
Blanche, and Lindsey Halligan, who is very smart, good lawyer, very good lawyer. They're going to make a determination. I'm not making that
determine.
I think I'd be allowed to get involved if it was, but I don't really choose to do so. I can only say that Comey is a bad person. He's a sick person. I
think he's a sick guy, actually. He did terrible things at the FBI, and -- but I don't know, I have no idea what's going to happen. Thank you very
much.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You've just been looking at a live press conference between U.S. President Donald Trump and, of course, president of
Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It's interesting, because the relationship between the U.S. and Turkey was certainly very different, much more strained under the Biden
administration. These two men, however, do have a bit more in common, especially when you consider the fact that both have a culture personality
around them. Both men have been seen to be bending the judiciary in their countries and democracy to their own advantage as well.
One of the things that both of these men are going to be talking about in their private meeting is going to be a lot to do with defense and energy
deals, worth tens of billions of dollars. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is coming to the U.S. with essentially a shopping list, looking to buy F-35 fighter jets
to help Turkey sort of be up to speed and up to par with other NATO allies. It's part of Turkey's strategy when it comes to regional security
ambitions, especially when you consider that countries like Greece, neighboring countries like Greece are investing heavily in that arena as
well.
Another topic that might be a sticking point between these two men is going to be, of course, the Middle East, especially when you consider the war in
Gaza when Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke at the U.N. earlier this week on Tuesday, he talked heavily, talked a lot about ending the war in Gaza.
And really expressed some dismay about the fact that Palestinian officials who were initially invited to the U.N. ended up having their visas revoked.
That's going to be an issue that both these two men discuss.
But one of the things that made headlines in terms of what Donald Trump said to Recep Tayyip Erdogan is that he wants Turkey to stop buying Russian
oil and gas.
I want to bring in CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson joining us live now from London. We also have CNN's global affairs analyst
Sabrina Singh in Washington.
So, Nic, I just want to touch on what's happening with Turkey first and then we go to Gaza. This idea that Trump is asking Recep Tayyip Erdogan to
stop buying Russian oil and gas.
When you consider the fact that Turkey relies heavily on Russian oil, I think about 40 percent of its oil imports come from Russia and it buys that
oil at a discount. Technically, that would be very, very difficult for Turkey to do, especially when you consider some of the economic pressures
that it's facing.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it would be. And it's unclear how Erdogan's going to respond to that. I was interested in -- in -- in Trump's language there, specifically on Russia, talking
about them being on a rampage.
You know, we've all been looking for clues to see if the president has really shifted his opinion on supporting Ukraine and -- and -- and how he
thinks the war should play out, you know, making comments earlier this week that Ukraine can take back its territory.
Well, here he was saying Russia's on a rampage for a negative language about Russia, saying that they, you know, essentially keep on like this and
Russia's going to crash its economy. So that was, I think, noteworthy.
Look, Trump has leverage over Erdogan right now. Erdogan comes into this meeting, and President Trump spoke about it, wanting F-35s, wanting F-16s,
wanting other goods from the United States.
Patriot defensive missile systems was -- was another one on the list there. Erdogan was very close to getting, or at least on track for F-35s back in
2019. And that went off the rails because he bought a Russian-made a surface-to-air missile defense system, the S-400. And he was part of a
group of countries who are actually helping in the development of F-35s.
[12:10:00]
Now, he comes back to the table with Trump, and Trump is saying this is on the table again. So in those terms, there is some form of leverage that
President Trump has there over Turkey on the oil.
But it's not clear that that's something that is realistic for Turkey to sign up to right now. Perhaps the president's going to look for commitments
for a reduction over time. Not clear.
ASHER: And just to pivot slightly, Nic, and obviously, Gaza is going to be another issue that is going to be discussed, even though the two men have
very differing opinions on that.
Just in terms of the U.S. presenting this 21-point peace plan in Gaza, to end the war in Gaza and what the war in Gaza will look like the day after.
Just walk us through what that plan entails, Nic.
ROBERTSON: Well, this is a plan that entails an end to the war, a hand over all the hostages. And -- and here we got from President Trump a detail of
those 48 remaining hostages. He said 38 were dead. That means 10 remain living. President Trump saying it's absolutely vital that we get all those
hostages back, all in one go, not in dribs or drabs. He said he thought that this 21-point plan this -- that was put to the Arab and other Muslim
majority nations that he met with earlier in the week, that this was something that could be done fairly quickly.
And it's one where Hamas ceases to have a -- a -- a presence, a military presence, and a presence one where -- where Israel potentially pulls its
troops out of.
The -- the exact and precise details really haven't been made public at the moment, but the President, you know, talking in terms of his optimism,
reflecting Steve -- Steve Witkoff's optimism, but not really landing any more details for us, other than really focusing on the return of the
hostages.
I -- I thought it was very interesting just to sort of digress slightly into Syria, telling Erdogan who was sitting there right next to him, who
he'd called tough and opinionated in positive terms, actually. Then going on to say, and you were the one that essentially should take credit for --
for overthrowing Assad in Syria and installing Al-Sharaa and saying that these people were your surrogates, I would be totally fascinated to hear
what Erdogan has to say about that.
Because at the time, at the end of last year, that was sort of the assumption of what was happening again inside details on that scant.
President Trump laying some of them bare it seems.
ASHER: And, Nic, do stand by for us.
Sabrina, let me bring you in just to talk a little bit more about Gaza, sort of separate, tangentially related to this press conference between
these two men, but separate, just in terms of the major news that we are focusing out of the Middle East.
When it comes to how much leverage outside states have, whether it's the U.S., whether it's the E.U., whether it's other regional allies in the
Middle East, how much leverage do they actually have to bring both sides to the negotiating table and get them to actually comply with this plan?
SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, some of the -- the countries that you're mentioning, whether it's European allies or -- or
just other countries around the world, they have diplomatic and economic leverage that they can use, and you're seeing that play out at the U.N.
General Assembly with certain countries -- countries part of the G7 are recognizing a Palestinian state.
I think the difference here is the type of commitments that the United States make really stand in contrast to what some of these European
countries provide to Israel.
I mean, at the end of the day, the United States really does hold a lot of the cards and a lot of the leverage that Israel is using right now. But
there are, you know, these European countries coming out and recognizing a Palestinian state, there's no denying that that is further isolating Israel
on the world stage and pushing Israel not only to a point of isolation, but really regionally as well being isolated. And I think that is important.
They're pulling their own levers of power right now that they have.
ASHER: So the recognition, though, of Palestinian statehood. It is symbolic and it is really, as you point out, the U.S. that really holds the cards in
terms of pressuring Israel.
Speaking of which, Netanyahu has obviously got this meeting with Trump coming up in a few days. When Trump spoke at the U.N. on Tuesday, he did
talk about the importance of ending the war. He put the onus on Hamas, didn't really put any pressure on Israel so much, didn't really talk about
the humanitarian crisis so much happening in Gaza City right now.
Will it be different behind closed doors when these two men meet?
SINGH: You know, it's hard to say. And I think what I heard at the U.N. General Assembly address from the president is a lot of rhetoric, but not a
lot of follow through. I mean, what are the commitments that the United States is willing to make when it comes to ensuring peace if there is ever
a ceasefire in Gaza? And I didn't hear any of that when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly.
And so, yes, there is this 21-point plan that Nic, of course, walked through earlier. But what is the United States' role going to be?
[12:15:05]
And at the end of the day, if the United States is going to -- is going to try and implement this plan, it's going to have to use leverage to force
Israel to accept some terms that Netanyahu and his government have really drawn lines at it, including, you know, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. I
mean, what does that look like?
And something that, you know, when I served in the Biden administration, something that we continue to impress on, our Israeli counterparts is, what
is your day after plan if there is a ceasefire? And we never got one. And I still fear that that is the case now.
So while there is progress, and it's a good thing that we're talking about this, you know, 21-point plan, what is the United States' role going to be
in actually forcing Israel to accept some of these terms? I -- I -- I'm left with a lot of questions.
ASHER: Sabrina Singh, Nic Robertson, thank you both so much for that. Appreciate it.
All right. Still to come, the cleanup has begun across Asia after Super Typhoon Ragasa lashed the region. Take a look at the damage left behind by
this storm.
And round two of Jimmy Kimmel versus Donald Trump. What the late-night talk show host said in his second night back on the job.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, FORMER GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA: This is a battle between the Democrats and the Republicans. Who should have more power? I am
for the power of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And a CNN exclusive. The reason Arnold Schwarzenegger says he has refused to join the Trump administration.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Super Typhoon Ragasa is no more. The year's most powerful storm dissipated early on Thursday after dropping heavy rains on northeastern
Vietnam. The cleanup is now underway across southern China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
The storm uprooted trees and damaged streets and homes. At least 14 deaths are blamed on Ragasa and another 22 people remain missing in Taiwan alone.
The FBI is investigating a deadly shooting at an immigration facility in Dallas as an act of targeted violence.
In a social media post, Kash Patel says the FBI is processing the suspect's residents and written notes, computer files, and phone out of suspect. Is
accused of fatally shooting one immigration detainee and critically injuring two others on Wednesday before turning the gun on himself.
In a social media post from Wednesday, and you heard him again just now, U.S. President Donald Trump is blaming the deadly shooting in Dallas on
rhetoric from the radical left.
Vice President. JD Vance is also echoing the president's remarks during a media event. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[12:20:04]
JD VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Political violence has gotten out of control in this country. We got to stop it. We got to condemn
it. And that starts unfortunately at the very top of the Democratic Party.
If you want to stop political violence, stop attacking our law enforcement as the Gestapo. If you want to stop political violence, stop telling your
supporters that everybody who disagrees with you is a Nazi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SINGH: CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein is following this story. I mean, obviously, details are still emerging about the shooting at this
ICE facility, but when you have people who occupy the highest political office in the land, the vice president and the president, immediately
attacking what they call the radical left, attacking Democrats, I mean, it only strengthens the political divide in this country, especially given
what happened with Charlie Kirk on September 10th.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Certainly, and it comes at this moment of just very heightened political tension, Zain.
But here's what we do know at this point. One person who was detained by ICE, in ICE custody, was shot and killed. There are two other people also
detainees who are in critical condition. One of those injured detainees is a Mexican national, according to the U.S. consulate in Mexico.
The shooter is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. And at this point, there are so many major questions about the shooter's intent and motive.
Who was he trying to shoot here?
We heard from FBI Director Kash Patel very shortly after this shooting yesterday, he posted an image that showed bullet casings that had been
inscribed with the words "Anti- ICE." He is describing this as, quote, a despicable politically motivated attack. And as you mentioned, we heard
from President Trump blaming this on left-wing radicals.
We also heard from Vice President JD Vance, who took it a step further. He said that they have some new evidence that is not yet public, but it does
indicate that this person was a violent left-wing extremist.
Again, they have not shown or told us what evidence that might be. And our colleague, Kaitlan Collins asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem,
what evidence her department has that would make that kind of a conclusion. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY The indication and the evidence that has been revealed to the public so far indicates that it is
someone who is very much against our ICE officers and the work that they were doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KLEIN: All of this as political tensions are so high in this country. And we have seen an escalation of efforts by the Trump administration to crack
down on criticism of this administration and its policies, including an executive order signed by President Trump that is going to designate
certain groups as domestic terrorist organizations.
There have also been threats to revoke the tax exempt status of some left- wing nonprofit groups. The White House says that all of this is an effort to cut down on a coordinated left-wing effort to instill violence in this
country.
Critics, meanwhile, say that this White House is cracking down on dissent, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Betsy Klein, thank you so much.
All right. Night two of Jimmy Kimmel's return to T.V. was just as fiery and combative as night one. Kimmel remained on the offensive Wednesday blasting
Donald Trump as a bully who's trying to silence any criticism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": The mad red hatter wrote, "I can't believe ABC fake news gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back."
You can't believe they gave me my job back. I can't believe we gave you your job back.
This was his big closer. "Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad ratings." And he does know bad ratings. He has some of the worst ratings any president has
ever had.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And appears Kimmel is gaining more fans because of the fight with the president. His monologue from Wednesday night has already racked up
close to four million views on YouTube, making it among his most watched videos of the year. His emotional message from Tuesday night is now
approaching 20 million views.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is criticizing Donald Trump as well for his stance on climate change. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Schwarzenegger said he
was surprised this week when he heard Trump call climate change a hoax and a scam at the U.N. General Assembly.
Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, says that his disagreements with Trump about environmental issues are why he refused to
endorse Trump or take a position in the first Trump administration back in 2016.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHWARZENEGGER: And say in California, we started talking more about the health aspect. We started talking about pollution. We started talking about
the amount of death that occurred.
This is kind of has a devastating effect on your health and then your life. And therefore, we have to do something about it.
[12:25:04]
So that over-setting woke them up. And the people therefore were 100 percent behind our environmental movement.
But the bottom line is that he just never believed in it. And to me, I said, I was okay, then I cannot really go and be on his team because I'm a
big believer that we have to do something about reducing pollution. And we have to do something about, you know, having people die, seven million
people a year die.
And so I felt very strongly about what -- the way I was thinking. And I totally understand that not everyone has to think like me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The World Health Organization estimates that climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths a year between 2030 and 2050.
All right. Still to come, the world's largest coffee house chain cutting jobs and closing hundreds of locations. What Starbucks' restructuring plan
could mean for the store nearest you.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT WUN, FASHION DESIGNER: Obviously, don't recommend anyone to do it at home. Don't play with fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: How designer Robert Wun plays with fire, dye and wine to create bold, innovative designs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Zain Asher.
Starbucks is struggling. And today, the coffee house chain announced it's taking what it calls significant action to restructure its business. That
includes closing hundreds of its stores in North America and slashing 900 corporate jobs for the second time this year.
[12:30:06]
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has the latest from New York. So, Vanessa, I mean, just walk us through. This is part of a $1 billion restructuring plan for
Starbucks.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Unfortunately, that means closing of stores and layoffs. This is part of
that big restructuring as Starbucks tries to turn its business around.
As you mentioned, about one percent of stores closing in North America, that's about 434 stores, and then 900 corporate layoffs, that's in addition
to the 1,000 jobs that were announced, that were -- people that were being laid off in February.
And really at the heart of this is trying to turn Starbucks around. And the CEO, Brian Niccol, this is what he told employees about why they're closing
these stores. He said, essentially, if the stores are unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don't
see a path to financial performance, that is enough reason to close those stores.
Now, Brian Niccol has been in the job as CEO for about one year. He's been trying to really right the ship. Starbucks simply just has too many stores
and too much competition. A lot of customers say, well, why am I going to pay $7 at Starbucks when I can go to McDonald's and pay a lot less and
still get a good cup of coffee?
This is going to be a $1 billion turnaround in terms of these layoffs. And these store closures likely more to come. But, obviously, you know, a tough
day for many employees who are going to be losing their jobs at Starbucks. The layoffs should be completed, Zain, by next year.
ASHER: And another -- another story we're watching in the business world is, of course, this Amazon story. This idea that Amazon is actually paying
a settlement of about $2.5 billion because Prime members allege that it tricked them into paying Prime. And also that the Prime membership is
really, really tricky to cancel. What more do we know about that?
YURKEVICH: Yes. This just coming in from the FTC saying that Amazon agreed to settle paying $2.5 billion. They're calling it a historic settlement.
It's a $1 billion civil fine and then $1.5 billion being paid out to about 35 million customers.
There was a trial going on right now, Zain. Amazon was on trial and clearly they believed settling was the better option. It was because the FTC
alleged that Amazon made it very easy for customers to sign up for Amazon Prime, but made it very, very difficult to cancel.
And Amazon Prime is about $139 a year. So for many Americans, they felt very, very tied into that payment that they had to make. And it was
impossible for them to get out of.
In terms of the company, we have not heard from them yet, but this came right from the FTC. This is a -- a large settlement. And this will, of
course, end the trial that was happening.
But really for Amazon, kind of a -- a black smear in terms of a customer experience. Amazon Prime is really sort of the hallmark of their business.
It is how many people shop on their website.
But according to the FTC and Amazon, saying settling in some ways, you know, pointing out that maybe it was hard for customers to -- to get out of
that Amazon Prime membership. And this is the payment that they're going to get at the end of the day.
ASHER: All right. Vanessa Yurkevich live for us. Thank you so much.
All right. Brazil's federal police are expanding a program which traces gold from illegal mines in the Amazon. The program known as Ouro Alvo
captures the metal's unique gold DNA and links it back to environmental damage caused by illegal mining.
Brazil prosecuted its first case using the program last year, but says that they need to grow their database as smugglers move gold across borders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERICH MOREIRA LIMA, FORENSIC CHIEF AND COORDINATOR, OURO ALVO GOLD TRACKING (voice-over): The idea of expanding the database for Ouro Alvo is a
necessity. Our current samples are mostly Brazilian. And since we work with the comparison of statistical data, the validation of our method and
algorithm depends on expanding the sample base to neighboring countries, such as Peru, Colombia, French Guiana and Suriname.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. The program has caught global interest as Interpol is now launching its own program, which will train police across worldwide in
Brazil's technique.
It's one of the 21st century's biggest and most important challenges. How do we keep children safe when they're online? We'll look at Australia's new
approach to protecting teens in the era of social media.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:20]
ASHER: The FDA has approved a drug used to treat the effects of chemotherapy in some cancer patients to now treat autism in children. The
FDA Commissioner said the agency would fast-track a label change for leucovorin to help some autistic kids with a folate deficiency in their
brains. He made the statement at the same press conference where President Trump made unsupported claims that painkiller Tylenol caused autism.
CNN's Meg Tirrell looks at the science behind this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, leucovorin is a drug that has been approved since 1983, mainly to mitigate some of the side effects from
chemotherapy.
The FDA now is working to approve it for a condition known as cerebral folate deficiency, which is a neurological condition where essentially you
don't get enough transport of folate or vitamin B9 into the brain.
There have been some small studies in autism spectrum disorder looking at using leucovorin. And the FDA also notes that some folks with this
condition also sometimes show autistic features, including things like speech delays.
And so there have been small studies and there are also anecdotal reports of some people experiencing fairly dramatic effects of using this medicine.
One, our colleague Brenda Goodman on CNN's health team spoke to -- it was a family with a little boy named Jose, who's four years old. His guardian
Keith said that he struggled to even put together two word sentences.
They then tried this medicine. And after a few months, he said that he was having entire conversations with this little boy.
We should note though that those are small studies and some of -- sometimes these are sort of one-off reports. There are some experts who say overall
looking at the data, some studies show that it's sort of a moderate effect. And you don't necessarily see that effect for everyone.
The Autism Science Foundation says, quote, a much higher standard of evidence would be needed to determine if leucovorin is an effective and
safe treatment for autism. And they don't currently recommend it, but they say they welcome more study.
There also are some safety considerations to think about here with this medicine. While it is an essentially prescription vitamin that's been
around for some time, and is generally thought to be pretty safe for children who are on seizure medications. There is a concern this could make
seizures worse. It could also exacerbate hyperactivity in some cases.
And also, there's a warning that there's a version of leucovorin called folinic acid, which can be bought over the counter as a supplement or
vitamin. And there's a warning that folks should not use that thinking they're taking leucovorin.
For one thing, the dose is much lower and is much different. There could be additional additives in those supplements that aren't good for children in
large quantities. So urging caution on that as well.
[12:40:05]
We should note there has been increasing attention around leucovorin in autism this year as there's been some news coverage. And already, we've
seen an uptick in prescriptions of leucovorin, about 50 percent higher just this year alone, according to data and estimates from GoodRx. And so that's
even before this press conference from the Trump administration. So we'll see where that goes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Our thanks to Meg Tirrell for that.
All right. Some experts believe the unexpected side effects of increased social media use is leading to mental health concerns.
According to recent Johns Hopkins survey, nine out of 10 teenagers said they use social media every single day. And even though most social media
has a minimum mandated age of 13, 40 percent of children surveyed between the ages of eight and 12 said they actually use it. And this use, not so
great for them.
In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory highlighting social media and its potential impact on the mental health of children and
adolescents including impulse control, social behavior, emotional regulation and sensitivity to punishment and rewards.
Australia already had laws in place to protect kids online. Last year, they became the first country to raise the age to have a social media account to
16 years old. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, face up to $50 million in fines if they don't comply.
Other platforms like YouTube, Roblox and Messenger kids have fewer restrictions. Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese touted the new law
at a meeting on the sidelines of this week's U.N. General Assembly. He warned that the challenges to keep kids safe are constantly evolving. So he
wants social media companies to use AI and behavioral data to estimate a user's age rather than just trust the usual age verification methods.
Time now for "The Exchange." Joining us live now on "The Exchange" live from the U.N. is Australia's Minister for Communications and for Sport,
Anika Wells. Anika, thank you so much for being with us. Just explain to our international audience why Australia is moving now to implement this
recent ban just in terms of raising the minimum age to 16 to use social media.
ANIKA WELLS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND SPORT MINISTER: We think it was too important for us not to have a crack at this even if we're the first to
do it and even if it's not perfect. It's too important not to try and make a meaningful difference.
We were the first country in the world, about 10 years ago, to deliver an eSafety Commissioner. It's -- it's unlike other regulators in that. It's
actually a shop from Australians know that they could go to the eSafety Commissioner if something harmful happens online.
But we have statistics, you just mentioned some there. We have statistics now that one child in every classroom has been the victim of a deepfake
image or deepfake image abuse. And that's too horrifying not to act. So the laws start in December.
ASHER: You know, one of the sort of criticisms, as you would expect, from the likes of Elon Musk and people who obviously own social media companies
who have invested interest in more people using their platform, of course.
But one of the things that some of them are saying is that this limits freedom of expression and also access to information. What do you make of -
- of -- of that -- that argument?
WELLS: I don't -- I don't put much stock in that argument. We are here at the U.N. There are international covenants for the rights and well-being of
children. And when there is too much research now that tells us how harmful the impact of social media abuses to children's mental health, the number
of suicides that happen now as a result of what's happening online. The -- the rights of the child to a childhood for us takes precedence.
ASHER When you consider, you know, how kids -- kids being kids will always try to find a workaround. I mean, obviously, social media is addictive, as
I -- I know for well myself. When you think about, yes, obviously that the Australia is recommending the A.I. be used instead of just the typical age
verification methods which clearly a lot of the time don't work.
But this idea that teens might go on to other platforms that they will use VPNs, that they will use possibly fake accounts or other people's accounts.
I mean is that a concern? How do you work around that aspect of it?
WELLS: We're working through all of that. These are some of the world's richest form leading and innovative companies. They have age assurance tech
that they use for their own commercial revenue they use for their own purposes. We believe it is reasonable to ask them to use that same tech to
protect Australian kids online.
ASHER: How are young people themselves within Australia reacting to this ban? And also, their parents too?
WELLS: Parents are overwhelmingly relieved. I think this is a very popular policy. And I also think that sometimes, you know, he shows some
leadership. Good policy is also good politics. Yes, we're going to be the first in the world to do it. No, it won't be perfect on the 10th of
December.
[12:45:08]
But I think parents feel it's almost like the genie is out of the bottle with the internet. You know, there's a helplessness around what is actually
still possible. But there is possible if you are -- if you -- if government chose leadership there is possibility for us to still make tangible
differences to save kids online.
So there's a mix of reactions. Some kids have said to me they're relieved and they wish it had happened earlier for them. Some kids have said to me
they're relieved that they're not on social media yet, so this won't be a problem for them. And some kids who are caught in that 13 to 16 gap who
have a social media account that will be deactivated.
Look, there is some trepidation around that, I won't lie. And we're looking at ways that we can support them and their families when this happens.
But like you said, messaging services, gaming services, they're still available, so -- because gaming is classified or through the national
classification scheme, it's regulated a different way. So kids will still be able to be on things like Roblox or things like a messaging service to
connect with friends.
But really, ultimately, we want to get them off the screens, back onto the footy pitch or back into an art class or interacting with each other in
real life.
ASHER: And just in terms of criticism within social media, how much criticism has there been about potentially government overreach that there
should be the parents who decide how long their kids spend on social media, not to the government?
WELLS: Well, this is still a -- this is still matter for families to determine what screen time looks like for them in their households.
I guess as a government, you know, the prime minister led here and took the view that social media platforms have had 10 more years to do this on their
own terms. They knew the damage that was out there. They knew about the deaths that were happening on their platforms. They chose to do nothing, so
we've had to come in and do it for them.
And I think it's reasonable for them, if they want to come and transact business in Australia, they want to make profits in Australia, they're
welcome to do that. Social media has a purpose, but they should also be able to have a duty of care to Australian kids online and that's what these
laws will do.
ASHER: All right. Minister Anika Wells, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right. The developers of a new app powered by artificial intelligence says their technology is providing a safer experience for kids on social
media.
CNN's Christina Macfarlane reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new A.I.- powered app aims to help parents protect their kids online, called Sway.ly.
The app is designed to alert both kids and their parents when harmful content appears on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
DANIELA FERNANDEZ, CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER FOR SWAY.LY: Sway.ly is -- what I love to say is a very different app out there in the
market. It's an -- it's A.I.-powered.
And what it does is it helps families take control of social media and make it healthier and safer for them. So, it helps both the parent and the child
and any out there.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Instead of banning or restricting access to social platforms, the app retrains content algorithms and gives parents insight
into their child's online activity.
FERNANDEZ: We have 36 different filters that we identify, and then we alert, and we do tips and tricks in terms of how to deal with this type of
content and how to try and remove it from your own feed, so you can start to choose what is it that you're being exposed to? What is the quality of
the information that you're receiving?
MACFARLANE (voice-over): A recent survey commissioned by Sway.ly questioned more than 2,000 U.S. And U.K. families. Seventy-seven percent of kids
surveyed said social media harms their health, but it found most feel powerless to stop it.
While parents worry about explicit content, kids say it's the constant stream of toxic narratives that does the real damage.
PETER WHITMELL, DEPUTY HEAD AND SAFEGUARDING LEAD AT NOTTING HILL PREP: I think the -- the benefit of Sway.ly is that it makes it very clear for the
parents what's going on online. And it has the capability through its A.I. to understand the latest trends in a way that, frankly, even I as an
educator who works with children every day, we can't stay on top of it. And that's where Sway.ly comes in in a really helpful way.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Sway.ly is currently available to download on Apple and Android devices.
Christina Macfarlane, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[12:50:45]
ASHER: Couture designer Robert Wun has an impressive list of achievements from designing costumes for The Royal Ballet, to becoming the first Hong
Kong designer to be part of the Paris exclusive Haute Couture schedule and dressing celebrities like Lady Gaga.
His unique style sees him altering garments in unexpected ways. He took us on a tour of his London studio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WUN: Everything here is actually burned. The majority of them is had panned (ph), but there's also candle lights and there's lighter and torches as
well.
Ever since I was young, I loved burning shirt, you know. Obviously, don't recommend anyone to do it at home. Don't play with fire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wine stained, blood splattered, burned. Robert Wun's evocative and intricate designs are penned expectations of what luxury
looks like.
In 2023, his London label gained a rare place on the Paris Couture calendar, making him the first Hong Kong-born designer in history to do so.
WUN: So we're in Dalston, in the second floor. Used to be an old jeans factory. Welcome to the atelier. This is where everything happens.
It's a very hands-on atelier situation, so you don't really worry too much about is the chair looking good? Or if there's too many boxes around
because it's more about what we make here.
We leave all the drama to the work. We don't really want to go to the route where it's just about defining elegance. And, well, for us, is to really
look into the future of couture, how do we resonate with the younger audience of how they feel about the way the world is.
So, this is a piece from our autumn winter 24 collection, or the yellow rose. The majority of the jacket ones, I actually done it myself. I just
moved the whole jacket to my table, remember, and just start torching it.
I really enjoyed it. I don't know why. To get the details, we have to use like an incense tip, which almost if it's let alone itself, it looks like a
floor. But when it's a whole story together, it looks like a painting that's what I love about it.
As a smoker myself, I have a few holes here and there with jackets or coats. That is a bit longer than what it needs to be. So that comes very
naturally to me.
You see, for me, it's never about leaning to destruction. But for us, it's just about a powerful story of a whole collection where the burning
techniques comes in as part of a bigger picture to relay that emotion.
So these two pieces are from our latest couture collection, very much about the process of coloring your hair and bleaching your hair, getting ready.
And I want to really capture that story almost like you wake up in another room, you have no idea what you have done last night because you're drunk
as hell, but you know that you have another big night happening.
So you need to go shower, get changed. Change your hair color because you need to match your gown. So we actually got a big piece of towel and we
actually bleach and using pink hair dye to dye it. And then we gave it to the embroidery artist to try to follow and matches all the color.
So it's a mix of different kind of sequences, bead and crystals, one of our favorite (INAUDIBLE).
So this is called the Bleeding Love. And, you know, it really came from the memory that I had with my sister that when she was young, she had to go for
a very, very big surgery. Of course, thankfully she's OK. But the fear of losing is coming and stemming from love. And love itself can only shine
through when there is pain in the fear of losing someone.
[12:55:20]
It was fascinating the way with the artist and to do something that is a bit untraditional instead of making flowers and beautiful sequences. It was
a piece of very expensive silk chiffon fabric. And I just get a bit of red dye and I just splash on top of it.
One of our (INAUDIBLE) was in shock because the fabric itself was almost like 200 pounds a meter.
There's no secret. People know I love horror genre. I just like how we create things just to feel a bit more alive about the life we're in. I
mean, I think sometimes beautiful things doesn't come from beautiful inspirations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. That does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
