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One World with Zain Asher

Sean Diddy Combs Sentencing Hearing Underway; Israel's Seizure of Aid Flotilla Sparks Global Protests; Munich Airport Reopens after Drone Sightings Forced Shutdown; Trump Administration: "Thousands" of Federal Workers to be Fired; Two Dozen Cases of People Posing as ICE Officers in 2025; Album "The Life of a Showgirl" Dropped at Midnight. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 03, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: It's sentencing day for Hip Hop Mogul Sean Diddy Combs. "One World" starts right now. We're following the

latest from inside the courthouse as the sentencing hearing for Sean Diddy Combs is underway, and the decision could come down soon.

Plus, tragedy in the UK, new details about that terrorist attack outside a synagogue. Why police now believe two of the victims were hit by gunfire

from police? And Taylor Swift's newest album is out, and fans couldn't be more excited. We'll examine Swift's new era "The Life of a Showgirl". Live

from London. I'm Christina Macfarlane, and you are watching "One World".

Well, sometime soon we could learn the fate of Sean Diddy Combs. His sentencing hearing started about an hour ago in a federal courtroom in

Manhattan, and is still ongoing. You will recall, the disgraced music mogul was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution

back in July.

He was acquitted on more serious sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. The hearing could go on; we understand for some time.

Sean Combs himself is expected to address the judge. His lawyers plan to show a highly produced 15-minute video that's in addition to a letter Combs

sent to the judge saying he is, in his words, humbled and broken.

Let's bring in David Weinstein, who has been both a State and Federal Prosecutor in Florida. He's joining us now live from Miami. David, so great

to have your expertise on a day like this. So, I just want to begin with what I just mentioned there, this campaign style video that we're about to

see in court, and the letter that Combs reportedly wrote to the judge an attempt, I guess, to show that he is a changed person. How likely is any of

that, in your view, to have sway with the judge?

DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE & FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, at this point, based on some of the reporting we've seen coming out of the courtroom, it's

likely to have not that much sway, Christina. It's not uncommon lately, and it's certainly been a trend for the defense to produce these types of

videos and sort of get a day in the life or a collection of what it is the defense wants the judge to hear every defendant is entitled to make a

statement at the time of their sentencing.

And we'll see one of those from Combs when the time comes. But again, given some of the early rulings that we're seeing from in the court and some of

the pre-trial, post-trial rulings that we've seen, pre-sentencing rulings, I'm not sure it's going to have that much sway.

In fact, one of the rulings recently handed down a few minutes ago was that the judge doesn't think that Combs has been showing acceptance of

responsibility for the two crimes actually been convicted of. So, while the defense hopes to portray him in a different light, I'm not sure that's

going to happen.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, one of the key aspects here that I've been listening to our reporters outside the courthouse talk about today is to what extent the

judge will take into account the violent accusations referred to in that courtroom previously, but that Combs was not convicted for, such as the

charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.

How likely is the judge to draw upon that -- those previous discussions that he's been privy to in his sentencing today?

WEINSTEIN: I think 100 percent and again, that's one of the rulings I was talking about. The judge said that he will consider what's called the

acquitted conduct, and those are those acts of violence for which he was either not charged or the main charge that was he was found not guilty.

So, the judge is going to consider those, and he's entitled to and allowed to do that under rulings from both the circuit courts of appeals and the

U.S. Supreme Court. And so, he can consider this when he's looking at the factors that he'll be considering when he imposes the ultimate sentence on

food. So, they are going to play some factor in the length of time the Combs is going to serve.

MACFARLANE: Got it. And in terms of the other persuasive factors, he might be looking at in weighing the consideration of the range of his sentencing

here, what else do you think is going to play in?

[11:05:00]

WEINSTEIN: Well, he looks at the background of the defendant. He looks at the victims, what the victims have to say on the prosecution side. He looks

at the actual accounts he was convicted of. He looks at any mitigating circumstances in Combs' life, any factors that are being brought forth.

And then the judge is going to look at what both is the deterrent effect on others who are considering committing this type of crime, and ultimately,

what the message about punishment is going to be to Combs. And that, again, is where Combs' statements about how changed he has become, whether or not

he takes any responsibility for his past actions.

And then, last but not least, the judge is also going to look at some other, you know, medical and biographical background issues here.

Certainly, Combs has talked about it in addiction he suffered from, and that's going to factor into sentencing that may allow the judge to

recommend an addiction treatment program while Combs is serving his time, which will result in additional time off on his sentence.

So, I think those are some of the highlights of what we're going to see here. But remember, the court is going to take into consideration what the

victims have had to say. They have a right to present those statements to him, whether they do it in person or through the prosecution. So that on

the prosecution side is going to be a big factor.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and is that partly the reason why we are expecting this federal sentencing to last for several hours is what we're hearing. Why is

that exactly because we know obviously this is a high-profile case, but both sides have already thoroughly briefed their positions?

WEINSTEIN: Well again, because it's a high-profile case, and because of the large discrepancy here, and what the prosecution is asking for? What the

advisory guidelines say should be the appropriate sentence? And then what the defense is asking for? The judge wants to flesh out some of the

arguments that he's read about already in the papers that have been filed.

Now look, normally when I participated in sentencings on both sides, they can range anywhere from a half an hour to an hour or maybe two at the most.

And on this one, they've asked for all day, six hours. That's not going to happen. And again, because the judge has reviewed a lot of what's been

written, but some of what we're seeing right now is what's going to take up some of the time.

The judge is going through the pre-sentence investigation report and addressing issues that are in conflict, and has to make a ruling on that,

supported by the law and the facts. And so that has to be done first. And if that takes up at this point, what has been about an hour, they didn't

even get to the presentations from either side. So that, in part, is why this is taking so long.

MACFARLANE: And it's worth mentioning again, David that Combs has already served significant -- well, sometime in prison, I think, just over a year,

so that will count eventually to any sentence served?

WEINSTEIN: Absolutely. So, he's already got a year in the bank. So, if for example, he's sentenced to five or six years, that'll be automatically

reduced by the year he's been in, and then he'll be serving another five. Now, I do not normally find judges to think to themselves, well, he's

already been in a year.

I was going to give him eight or nine years, or five or six years. I'm going to tack on an extra because he's been in so long. That's not the way

it works. They get credit for the time that they've been in, and that's something that's generally outside what a judge considers, but it will

ultimately reduce the amount of time he serves.

And remember, he's not going to serve day for day either. You do about 85 percent of the time that you're sentenced to. You become eligible for home

confinement within six months of the time that your sentence is going to expire, and again, we're going to ask for this addiction treatment program

while he's in that reduces your sentence by additional time as well.

MACFARLANE: Well, David, we obviously will keep a close eye on the courtroom to see what happens and get you back if any news breaks in the

next hour or so. Appreciate your analysis, though, at this point, thank you.

Now, four days after Donald Trump unveiled his 20-point Gaza peace plan, we're still waiting to see what Hamas and the Israeli government will do.

And the U.S. President is now giving the militant group a new deadline to respond. In a social media post a short time ago, Donald Trump warned Hamas

they have until 06:00 p.m. Sunday to make a decision, or quote, hell like no one has ever seen before, will break out.

On Tuesday he said the timeline would be three to four days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile agreed to the proposal at the White

House on Monday, but the deal still needs to be formally approved by his cabinet, and so far, a vote hasn't been scheduled.

Meanwhile, global outrage is growing, not just over the war in Gaza and the disastrous humanitarian crisis there, but also after Israel interception of

all votes in a Flotilla that were trying to break the IDF blockade and deliver aid to starving Palestinians.

[11:10:00]

Hundreds of people on dozens of vessels were arrested, including Activist Greta Thunberg, who said the mission was nonviolent and abided by

international law. Well, people around the world took to the streets in protest. Thousands of demonstrators marched in Barcelona, Spain, chanting,

Gaza, you are not alone. And in Madrid, protests turned violent when demonstrators clashed with police.

Jeremy Diamond is joining us now for all of this from Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, just to get to that announcement by Donald Trump, the President, as we

said, had originally said he would give Hamas three to four days before expecting response, but now this seems to be a firm ultimatum, 06:00 p.m.

Eastern Time on Sunday evening.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. And that's not even an ultimatum for Hamas to respond to this, it's for an agreement

to actually be reached. That is what the president has just said in this Truth social Post.

He says an agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday evening, 06:00 p.m. Washington, D.C. time that would be Eastern Time or about 01:00 in the

morning here in Israel, same time zone for Doha, Qatar as well, where we know that a number of the Hamas negotiators are currently located, and that

is a very, very short timeline for a deal to actually come together here.

But clearly the president is intent on adding more pressure to the situation, putting more pressure on Hamas, to make them feel like this is

the final moment for them to accept this deal. Now it is important to note that President Trump has made similar ultimatums to Hamas before that have

not ultimately borne fruit.

He has warned them before to release the hostages or all hell will break loose. The only difference this time is that it is now tied to a very

specific proposal that is on the table, this new 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages.

But what is quite surprising, perhaps in the president's behavior, or at least going to be impactful here, is the fact that you know, until now,

every party around the table had basically signaled that there would likely have to be negotiations, that Hamas was not going to give a simple yes or

no answer to this proposal.

Was likely going to be seeking changes, and that negotiating those changes would require some back and forth. That would mean that you would need some

time for a negotiating process. Well, if the president is to be believed, here, he has just short circuited that negotiating process altogether,

giving just -- you know, two more days, basically, for Hamas to not only respond, but for an agreement to actually be reached.

Now the question is, if Hamas comes back to the table, which with a serious counterproposal that requires some time to negotiate. Will the president

extend that deadline? That will certainly be a question that people in the Middle East are asking right now. We know that over the course of the last

few days, Hamas negotiators have been meeting with other Palestinian factions.

But critically, they've been having meetings with Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, who have been pressing Hamas to respond positively to this latest proposal,

but even those countries acknowledge that there is going to be a negotiating process here.

And also, important to note, as some of my sources have said, Israel had a chance to weigh in and to shape this 20-point plan before it was released

to the public, and they believe Hamas should also have the opportunity to make some changes that it desires, or at least to have -- to be able to

seek those changes.

But again, if the president's ultimatum is indeed to be believed, all of that short circuited just 48 hours, basically, until his deadline is up and

an agreement must be reached otherwise, the consequence is quite clear here. He says that all hell like no one has seen before will break out

against Hamas.

MACFARLANE: Certainly, seems to be losing patience, isn't it? Jeremy elsewhere, we were just seeing images before we came to you, there of

protests erupting around Europe following the intervention of that Flotilla. And there is concern as to where these activists are being held

now and how quickly they're going to be deported? I mean, have Israel said anything about this?

DIAMOND: Well, we know that Israel intercepted some 42 ships in the Mediterranean Sea outside of its territorial waters. In the case of many of

those ships, it detained some 473 activists who were on board. We know that at least four individuals have already been deported.

The others are being held at a prison in Israel awaiting deportation proceedings. Interestingly, the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-

Gvir, a far-right member of this government, actually went to visit some of these detained activists, using the moment to kind of grandstand to make

his points.

[11:15:00]

And he has been actually seeking to hold these activists for months in Israeli prisons, not to deport them immediately. But it seems that the

decision of this government is to speed that process up to get them on flights as quickly as possible, out of Israel and back to their home

countries.

We don't know how quickly this procedure will go through, but in the past, it has taken a matter -- anywhere from a matter of hours to a matter of

days. But you know, we know that these Flotillas are going to continue. The question is always, you know when the next one comes, will it be just as

peaceful as we saw Israel? You know, no shots seem to have been fired, arresting all of these activists on board and ultimately deporting them

back to their countries.

MACFARLANE: Jeremy, for now, we appreciate it. Thank you. Now, in a historic move, the Church of England has appointed Sarah Mullally as the

new Archbishop of Canterbury. The first woman to hold position in 1400 years. She's now the Spiritual Leader for 85 million Anglicans across the

globe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH MULLALLY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY-DESIGNATE: We are witnessing hatred that rises up through fractures across our communities. I know that

the God who is with us draws near to those who suffer. We then, as a church, have a responsibility to be a people who stand with the Jewish

community against anti-Semitism in all its forms, hatred and racism of any kind cannot be allowed to tear us apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: The 63-year-old was appointed Bishop of London back in 2018 the Church of England's third most senior leader. Before her ordination,

Mullally was a nurse and served as Chief Nursing Officer for England.

Also to come on "One World", Manchester is in mourning for the victims of yesterday's terror attack. British police admit their efforts to stop the

violence had a tragic and unforeseen twist. We have a live report just ahead. Plus, a mission to deter any incursions into NATO airspace. CNN is

on a NATO surveillance flight looking out for Russian drones and warplanes. That story when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:00]

MACFARLANE: Turning now to that terrorist attack outside a synagogue in Manchester. Police in the UK have now acknowledged that one of the two

people killed in choose -- in Thursday's attack was likely hit by police gunfire, and one of the three individuals injured was also wounded by

police gunfire.

The officers were aiming at the suspect, but apparently hit two people huddled behind a door in the synagogue. The male suspect, who rammed his

car into a crowd and began stabbing people, was killed by police at the scene, and three other people are in custody. The British Prime Minister

praised law enforcement for their quick response earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I've been to the scene to pay my respects and to get a sense of what we were confronted with. I've also seen

the body worn cameras and the footage out of that, and I am absolutely clear in my mind as to the professionalism of the response, the speed of

the response, and also that an absolutely awful incident would have been even worse if it hadn't been for your response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: CNN's Nic Robertson has the latest from Manchester.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, in the North of Manchester, just down the road from the synagogue that was attacked. And

we're getting new details from the police. They say, in the shooting of the attacker, a person they name, has Jihad Al-Shamie, a British national of

Syrian descent.

They say in the shooting of him, a bullet may have gone through the door of the synagogue and into the worshippers inside, and what that stray bullet

may indeed have killed one of the congregations there? They're also saying that there is another injured person in hospital who has a bullet wound.

And the police are saying, and the witnesses here all say as well, that the only people with weapons, with guns at the scene were the police. The

attacker, the assailant had a knife, had rammed members of the congregation outside of the synagogue with his -- with his vehicle, and then tried to

stab them.

And what we've been able to understand and learn from eyewitnesses, inside survivors from inside the synagogue, they describe a situation where they

can hear a banging on the door of the synagogue, a banging, and they're saying that the attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie was trying to sort of smash the

door with flower pots.

They describe it as being a newly renovated door. It was secure. It was strong. But the video that we've seen of the police tackling the assailant,

tackling the attacker, the alleged attacker, at least who the police at that time described as wearing what appeared to be explosive. So, you have

a situation here of the police, the first responding police, the first police to arrive.

They're confronted with an attacker trying to break through the doors of the synagogue. He appears to be wearing some kind of explosives. Later

proves not to be a viable device, and the police shoot him. And it appears to be at that point that one of the bullets goes through the door.

And what eyewitnesses inside the foyer of the synagogue have described as seeing people -- two people injured inside the foyer of the synagogue, one

of them bleeding. There's a call that goes out inside the synagogue for a medic to come and try and help. But inside the synagogue, this is the

moment that people are beginning to realize that this situation is incredibly dangerous.

They've been deep in prayer. There are children, they say, hiding under the pews. And now the armed police have arrived, and as we know, the suspect

didn't respond to what the police instructions. He tried to get back up off the ground appears to be wearing some kind of explosive device.

The police shoot him again and kill him. We know now that two people, two Jewish members of the congregation from the synagogue, are the victims. Two

people die. Three others are believed to be in hospital, at least three others believed to be in hospital.

MACRARLANE: CNN's Nic Robertson there with that report from Manchester. Now, another major European Airport has had to shut temporarily down after

a wave of unexplained drone sightings. Munich Airport in Germany was forced to spend operations for almost seven hours overnight Thursday, dozens of

flights and nearly 3000 passengers were affected.

The airport is a hub for German flag carrier Lufthansa. Last week, the Airport in Copenhagen closed for several hours after a spate of drone

sightings. Denmark later banned all civilian drone flights ahead of a European Summit. Meanwhile, NATO is responding to those incidents by

beefing up its military presence in Eastern Europe.

[11:25:00]

Operation Eastern Sentry includes surveillance flights near the alliance's borders. CNN's Fred Pleitgen flew on a military plane that keeps an eye on

possible Russian intrusions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A quick take off from an air base in Western Germany, we're on a NATO E3

Sentry Surveillance Plane on a mission deterring Russian incursions into NATO airspace.

PLEITGEN: The reason why these flights are so important is that this plane has a massive radar on top, and it can see really far in all directions,

about 650 kilometers for higher flying objects, a little less for lower flying objects, but that means that it can see planes and other aircraft

coming towards NATO airspace long before they get there.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While Moscow is praising what they say are improved relations between Russian Leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald

Trump, it's also been testing NATO's readiness. NATO jets recently scrambling to shoot down several Russian combat drones that crossed into

member state Poland's airspace.

And in late September, NATO says Russian MIG-31 fighters flew over Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes while alliance interceptors were rushed

to escort them back out. Even though Russia denies its planes ever crossed into NATO territory. This is part of the U.S. and its allies answer more

surveillance flights the operation named Eastern Sentry. Captain Jacob Anderson says if Russian jets come close, they will see them.

CAPTAIN JACOB ANDERSON, U.S. AIR FORCE: Well, at that point we probably been watching them for a while, so we're pushing them over the military

tactical data links. So, it's not just us that are aware of it. It's the whole theater is aware that this track is approaching the airspace.

PLEITGEN: If we go back and look at the map, you can see that we're cruising around Eastern Europe right now. This is Kaliningrad, that part of

Russia. You have Belarus down here. So, the plane is situated here, but can still look very far into territory, even beyond the borders of NATO.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): And the E3 needs to stay in this area for hours only possible thanks to U.S. Air Force tankers providing gas to extend the

mission. Air-to-air refueling a plane the size of a commercial jet liner is extremely challenging the pilots tell me.

MAJOR JASON SANCHEZ, U.S. AIR FORCE: Essentially, the power management, the lateral management, ensuring that you feel nice and comfortable in your

closure to and from a certain position.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Crew members come from various NATO member states, all of them with the same stake in the mission success Lieutenant Colonel

Stephen Wahnon tells me.

LT. COL. STEPHEN WAHNON, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's not one nation, it's all of NATO that's represented on this -- on this aircraft right now. So, when we

are patrolling these borders, they're our borders, right? So, it means a lot for us to be here to defend our borders.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): And NATO says surveillance seeing possible threats before they get close is key to keeping those borders safe Fred Pleitgen,

CNN, Geilenkirchen, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Our thanks to Fred for that. All right, next up on "One World", day three of the U.S. government shutdown. We'll tell you whether the

funding fight is likely to last into next week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, and here are some of the headlines we are watching today. Sean

Diddy Combs is expected to learn his fate today. The sentencing hearing for the rap mogul is underway in New York right now. Combs was convicted in

July of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors are seeking an 11-year sentence. The defense wants no more than 14 months.

The U.S. government shutdown is in day three, and there are no signs of Democrats or Republicans coming close to making a deal to reopen the

government. President Trump says the shutdown will allow him to fire government workers en masse, the first wave of those layoffs could be

unveiled today.

A massive fire at one of the biggest oil refineries in the United States is now contained. The blaze broke out Thursday night at the Chevron Refinery,

just South of Los Angeles. Firefighters have been able to limit the spread of the flames, and officials say no one was injured in the blaze.

Venezuela says it detected five U.S. fighter jets flying near its coast, calling it a provocation. Recent U.S. strikes have killed 17 suspected drug

traffickers. The Trump Administration says Washington is in, quote, armed conflict with drug cartels. That's according to a notice the Pentagon

provided to Congress that was obtained by CNN.

Now we want to take a closer look at the U.S. government shutdown, which appears to have no end in sight. You are looking here at pictures of

Republican Leaders talking with or looking at Capitol Hill here, but we will see pictures of leaders talking with reporters at the Capitol.

The Senate will vote again today on a funding bill backed by Republicans. It is virtually certain that Democrats will reject it. The Senate Majority

Leader says he will send Senators home at that point with no plans for any more votes over the weekend, neither side seems to be in the mood for

compromise.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and his Budget Chief, Russ Vought say they are going to permanently fire thousands of government workers, mostly in

programs supported by Democrats. It is possible those pink slips could get sent out starting today.

So, let's go live to the White House with Alayna Treene, who is covering all of this. And Alayna, we really are in slightly uncharted territory

here. I mean, no administration in the past has used a shutdown to lay off thousands of foot load workers. What are you hearing about how soon we

might expect this to begin?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. Look, I know that they are trying to move very quickly with this and seize on what the president

himself has called an unprecedented opportunity. And I think your point, Christina, is so important, because this is unprecedented.

We have never seen an administration or a president in the 14 or so shutdowns that we've seen in history use a shutdown like this to fire

workers permanently, not just furlough them. Now, in some of the conversations I'm having with White House officials, they tell me, yes,

they are expecting some of these notices, what they call RIFs, reductions in force.

Those are essentially the firings that we're talking about. They're saying that they could come as soon as today, potentially over the weekend. But

again, they want to move quickly with this, particularly because it's not clear how long the government will remain shut down.

I'm also told that they already have a list compiled of the agencies where they want to see these cuts. Now, they did not get into the specifics with

me, but some reasonings for some of these firings. When pressed on this, they essentially told me, look, they're going to be policies that or

agencies that do not align with the president's agenda.

[11:35:00]

They said some might be, you know, targeted for DEI policies, diversity, equity, inclusion and other areas like that. But it's not just workers who

are going to be fired. We're also seeing cuts and funding pauses on different programs and benefits and also funding for projects in different

states and cities. For example, Russell Vought today, you mentioned the White House Budget Chief.

He announced that they are going to be pausing $2.1 billion in infrastructure funding for Chicago, for essentially projects that include

the Red Line Extension and other transportation. We saw similarly him announced that they were pausing roughly $18 billion in federal funding for

two different construction projects in New York City.

I should note, New York City, of course, is where both Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer the Democratic Leaders in Congress where their constituents

are. So, we really are seeing some of this pain inflicted on Democrats. I'm told some of the programs that they are looking at downsizing are what they

argue are Democratic priorities, and so we really have to see which areas they target with these firings as well.

But again, this has never been done before. And meanwhile, we are hearing from a number of different Republicans who are kind of framing this

differently. Some are arguing, you know, this is unfortunate. Russell Vought, doesn't want to be the one to have to do this. Other saying they

have been waiting for this moment for a long time, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Russ does this reluctantly. He takes no pleasure in this.

SEN. MIKE LEE (R-UT): Russ Vought, the OMB Director, has been dreaming about this moment, preparing this moment since puberty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So again, very different interpretations of how Russell Vought is looking at this. I would argue I mean, you heard there from Senator Mike

Lee, a Republican of Utah, arguing that vote has been preparing for this for a long time. He has a point. And we actually saw the president kind of

nod to this, nod to votes a role in Project 2025 that was the conservative platform outlined by the Heritage Foundation.

And a lot of what was in it was outlining all of the areas of the federal government that they believed needed to be cut, needed to be removed,

needed to be downsized. And now we are seeing that be put into action. And I know as well Christina, from my conversations that Vought has had a list

of what he's wanted to do with these cuts for some time. So, stay tuned for whenever that announcement may be.

MACFARLANE: Preparing for this from puberty is quite a line, isn't it? We will wait to see how the day goes on and how it transpires? Alayna Treene

at the White House. Thank you. All right, still to come on "One World", there are immigration agents in the U.S., and then there are fake ICE

agents.

What a CNN investigation has revealed that story just ahead? Plus, fans of Taylor Swift, who've been waiting to listen to her latest album, are

ecstatic. "The Life of a Show Girl" is out, and we'll talk to a knowledgeable, Swift Author, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:00]

MACFARLANE: You are looking at live pictures from Illinois, where law enforcement is in a standoff with dozens of protesters outside an ICE

facility near Chicago. That's where Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was spotted earlier. Illinois State Police say they have arrested at least

one person for disobeying a police officer and resisting arrest.

They moved in when the person refused to get out of the road. A CNN investigation has uncovered at least two dozen instances of individuals

impersonating ICE officers this year alone. That disturbing report amid the ongoing U.S. immigration crackdown, Senior Investigative Correspondent

Kyung Lah takes a closer look now at how and why it's been happening?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He asked me for ID. He's like I need to see some ID I'm from ICE.

KYUNH LAH, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All across the country, victims confused and terrorized by people posing as ICE officers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where you from Mexico? You from Mexico?

LAH (voice-over): CNN found a jump in cases this year. Philadelphia, police say an auto shop worker was zip tied and robbed by a man in tactical gear

pretending to be ICE. Houston, Texas, police arrested a man for impersonating an ICE officer accused of stealing $1,800 from a Guatemalan

man during a fake traffic stop.

New York, police say this man claimed to be ICE and accused him of assaulting, robbing and attempting to rape a woman. CNN found two dozen

reports of people posing as ICE officers in Trump's second term. That's more than the last 16 years combined. While CNN found some of the reported

cases are violent. Others are meant to torments.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The ICE letters, three ICE letters were huge.

LAH (voice-over): Outside Seattle, Washington this SUV pulled up to Emish Market, a store that caters to the Ukrainian community.

OLENA RAY, MANAGER, EMISH MARKET: He was going back and forth on the car, back and forth.

LAH (voice-over): Olena Ray is the store manager.

RAY: This is our main area, where people are cafe, majority of times, police speaking Ukrainian. It's a place where they can feel like home. So,

people were scared because they did not know if it's a real ICE or not, and what to expect if it's a real ICE.

LAH (voice-over): The store security guard scene here, called police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They barricaded the front so nobody could get in or out of the lot. Then I went over and I'm like -- what the you guys doing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Find it.

LAH (voice-over): Law enforcement found the driver of the ICE labeled SUV. He wasn't ICE at all. His name is Ilya Kukar (ph). Police say they got

numerous tips about his social media like this video of a fake ICE arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, what are you doing?

LAH (voice-over): Kukar explained to police his motivation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a video frankly.

LAH (voice-over): A video to generate likes on his social media account.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, guys? Today, we're going to be going around today and delivering ICE to everyone and seeing their reactions.

LAH: When you found out that this was a joke. What was your reaction?

RAY: Mine was like, who would do that? Who would play with, you know, people's problems like that and try to scare people like that?

LAH (voice-over): These are real ICE officers captured on video, masked, often in plain clothes, many in unmarked cars, detaining people they

suspect of being undocumented immigrants across the country in Trump's second term.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't do that. You can't do that. What are you looking for?

LAH (voice-over): Without showing their faces, it's not hard to understand why that may inspire ICE impersonators and why that's terrifying residents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, are you ICE or a cop?

MIGUEL ARIAS, FRENSO CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: When ICE officers began to mask themselves, they gave the green light for Eastern prisoners to do the same

thing.

LAH (voice--over): Fresno, California saw the impact. Councilman Miguel Arias says two men wearing these vests pulled people over in fake traffic

stops. Police say they then went into 11 businesses saying they were ICE. Police say again, this stunt was for social media fame.

LAH: Were they masked?

ARIAS: They were masked for the general public. They believe that they're being pulled over by law enforcement and ICE officials given their

bulletproof vest with ICE lettering and police lettering on it.

[11:45:00]

LAH (voice-over): Making it all worse now, Councilman Arias says the real ICE doesn't tell the city who they're targeting and when?

ARIAS: So, we have no way of knowing whether these are folks impersonating ICE or actual ICE engaging in legitimate enforcement activities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going back to Mexico?

LAH (voice-over): It's imposters and moments like these blurring the lines between who has real authority? Who is an official agent, and who is

looking to take advantage of people's genuine fears?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (on camera): We reached out to ICE, and a spokesperson tells us ICE officers and agents always have credentials visible and clearly announce

who they are. ICE strongly condemns the impersonation of its law enforcement officers or agents. This action is not only dangerous, but

illegal assaults on ICE officers are up more than 1,000 percent since this time last year.

The brave men and women of ICE choose to wear masks for safety, not secrecy. And earlier this week, Ilya Kukar, the defendant you saw in the

Ukrainian market case, was in court. He and prosecutors agreed that the charge against him will be dismissed in two years if he doesn't violate any

criminal laws and apologizes to Emish Market.

His attorney also tells us this began as a joke. He's a good kid who did something very politically charged and regrets how it got interpreted.

MACFARLANE: Our thanks to Kyung Lah for that really important report. And do stay with us. We'll be back with Taylor Swift after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Break out the feathers and sequins, Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl", is out now. Overnight, fans across the

U.S. showing up to Target at midnight to snag an exclusive copy, and by reaction on social media and critical reviews, the album is already a

success.

So, who better to bring in than someone who knows so much about Taytay that she's even written a book about her Stephanie Burt is the Author of

"Taylor's Version the Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift". She's also a Professor at Harvard University, where she taught the Taylor Swift

class.

[11:50:00]

And I know Stephanie in your class at Harvard, there were some 200 students who poured over every lyric, every verse, for a year. I've been reading,

you know, a lot of these reviews today from fans, from critics, but the one I'm most interested in is your review. So, tell me, what did you make of

the album?

STEPHANIE BURT, ENGLISH PROFESSOR, HARVARD: Thank you. I should say the class was only one term, not a year. We did read a lot of things besides

Taylor's lyrics, but we certainly gave her song writing the close scrutiny that I think it deserves, because I admire what she does, and think about

it a lot, and I love the new album so far, it's still sinking in.

I am delighted by the variety, both in terms of the words and in terms of the music. Some of us, when we heard she was working with Max Martin and

Shellback, rather expected just straight up dance hall bangers, you know, 12 -- 12, versions of 22 and shake it off over and over again. And as much

as I love 22, I'm glad it's not that. I am --

MACFARLANE: Keep --

BURT: -- into eldest daughter. OK. I am super into eldest daughter, which I believe is track five. Is that right? Yeah, of course, it's track five. As

some of us know, track fives are where she puts her most introspective, deepest bits on most of her album, and she's thinking not just about what

it means to find the in her case, right guy for her to get married to and stay with, who treats her right.

But also, about how she got there? And how her work ethic and her good girl persona, and how her wish to please everyone and never get dissed by

anyone, and you know, learn her craft.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

BURT: -- got her to this point. And so, she's got eldest daughter, which is introspective and retrospective, and she's got "The Life of a Showgirl",

which brings us from past to present, and is also a bit of a baton handoff, of course, to Sabrina Carpenter, who duets with her on the track. She's got

a diss track. She's got actually romantic, which is so much fun. And she's --

MACFARLANE: Can we talk about that? Can we talk about diss track? Because obviously, there's a lot of you know, preoccupation with that today about

the question as to whether or not this is, in fact, a diss track. I just want to play off you as a little snippet of that. Let's have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard you call me boring Barbie when the cokes got your brain high fives my ex, and then you said you're glad he goes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: So, there is a question Stephanie as to whether this is actually a diss track over her alleged Beef with Charlie XCX. So, here fans

--

BURT: Right.

MACFARLANE: -- to connect the dots here, just give us the background.

BURT: Oh, probably so for those who don't know, and you know, I'd rather talk about her chord progressions honestly, because that's what makes her

great.

MACFARLANE: Yes.

BURT: But we do want the gossip, and I'll give you a tea. For those who don't know, Taylor had a brief and passionate thing with Maddie Healy, the

Singer from the Band in 1975 and quite a lot of her previous album Portrait Poets Department described that fling its delights and its passions and its

bad judgments and the way it ended when apparently, he ghosted her.

Why would you ghost Taylor anyway? That's what happened. Charlie XCX, the extraordinarily talented kind of electronic pop performer who opened for

Taylor on the Reputation Tour is now I believe married to, I forget if they've tied the knot, but either married to or engaged to, the drummer

from the 1975.

And Charlie had a song called "Sympathy is a Knife" on her album "Brat", which dropped last year, which appeared to be about how Charlie saw herself

as very different from very unlike Taylor and herself as an edgy girl who stays out all night and has fun and pushes the envelope, and Taylor as

someone who wants to be good and appeal to everyone and make all ages art, and how they're just the opposite. Which, in a way, is not wrong. They're

both quite talented.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

BURT: But of course, if you spend all your time with the drummer from the 1975 who has to get along with Maddie Healy, because that's literally his

job, you are going to have feelings about Maddie Healy's ex, who made an album about how badly he treated her.

[11:55:00]

And so, Charlie releases "Sibin is a Knife", and actually, romantic is probably about Charlie. And I love it because it's funny. I love it because

it's self-referential. I love it because it's just a guitar and vocals track and breaks up the sonic palette of this album that is otherwise quite

produced.

And I also love it, because the one thing that you should never do when you're writing diss tracks is punch down. And Taylor is absolutely going

after someone who arguably came for her first, who will be fine. Who will benefit, as well as Taylor will benefit from.

I hope, a discussion not just of you know whatever is going on in their love lives, but from a genuine discussion of how they differ as artists?

How they differ esthetically? How much Taylor is interested in the history and the past of pop music, going back, you know, really, to the early days

of country and to Carole King and Charlie is coming from a different place.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. I mean, they're two very different artists, but to focus on the good. I mean, like you said it, I think the whole feel of this album

is different, right? It's about love. It's about her history on the Era's Tour, and much more than that.

And Stephanie, it's been great to have your analysis, very deep analysis, on the album today. We really appreciate it. Keep enjoying that music, and

that is it for us here on "One World". My colleague Bianna Golodryga is up after this quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END