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One World with Zain Asher

Thousands Trek North in Gaza as Ceasefire Begins; Gaza Ceasefire Starts 72-Hours Clock for Hostage Release; U.S. Justice Department Indicts New York Attorney General; IDF Warns it's Prepared to go back into Combat if Necessary; "Torn: The Israel-Palestinian Poster War on NYC Streets"; Loyola Chicago's Beloved Sister Jean has Died at 106. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 10, 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)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Right, the Gaza ceasefire is now, in effect.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: "One World" starts right now. The Israeli military says that its forces are pulling back in Gaza as thousands

of Palestinians trek back to Gaza City. We're live in Tel Aviv with the very latest.

ASHER: Plus, Venezuela's Iron Lady is now the latest Nobel Peace Prize winner.

GOLODRYGA: And New York State's top prosecutor indicted as President Trump's Justice Department continues to pursue charges against his

political opponents. Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". The painstaking process of rebuilding shattered lives after two years of relentless war

will soon get underway in the Middle East.

GOLODRYGA: Now, the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that U.S. President Donald Trump to help negotiate is officially in effect.

And the clock is now ticking under the deal that took hold six hours ago, Hamas has 72 hours to release all of the hostages, including those who are

now deceased.

Though Prime Minister Netanyahu has implied for the first time that all of the remains may not be found.

ASHER: Earlier U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that Israeli forces have begun to withdraw to pre agreed positions. Still, the IDF is

warning Palestinians to avoid entering any areas that remain under Israeli control. And the military warns that it's well prepared to go back into

combat if necessary.

It comes as tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are returning north, not sure of what they will find once they get there, or even if

their homes will still be standing.

GOLODRYGA: Right, some areas of Gaza have been entirely decimated, buildings leveled, infrastructure destroyed, and hospitals no longer

functioning. The Israeli Prime Minister was quick to offer his praise to Donald Trump for getting the deal done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I wish to thank President Trump for his global leadership and his tireless efforts in formulating the plan

for the release of the hostages. Once again, he has demonstrated his great friendship toward our people in our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House. But let's begin our coverage with Jeremy Diamond, who is at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Jeremy, it's worth noting that Square's official name is Golda Meir Square. And since October 7th, it has become Hostage Square, where so many Israelis

family members of those hostages have turned out every week, sometimes every day, to pay their respects and demand the release of all the

hostages.

I would imagine as there's so much enthusiasm for these hostages to finally come home, hopefully a sense of closure as well for the need to even come

to a Hostage Square going forward.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. And there is a very different atmosphere here than there has been over the course of

much of the last two years, joyful, tears of joy, rather than tears of sadness, frustration and anger, as we have seen so many times here, week

after week, amid the Israeli people's frustrations that the governments they felt wasn't doing enough to secure the release of the hostages.

But now finally, this deal has arrived that will secure the release of all of the hostages, and we are now in the midst of that 72-hour countdown

until the last possible moment when those hostages can be released. And that countdown was triggered today at noon, when the Israeli military

announced that they had completed their withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of the Gaza Strip.

And that means that the latest possible time when Hamas must release the hostages is Monday at noon. But we could see that happen earlier, perhaps

as early as Sunday, according to Israeli officials who I have been speaking to. And certainly, there will be a sense of relief among so many Israelis

when they actually see those hostages emerge from the Gaza Strip.

In Gaza today, as well, we have been watching not only scenes of celebration, but also people finally being able to return to Gaza City,

where over the course of the last month, we have seen hundreds of thousands of Palestinians forced to flee amid Israel's intensifying bombardment and

ground offensive into that city.

So many people had left and have now begun to return in droves alongside that coastal Al Rashid Street into Gaza City.

[11:05:00]

Many of them, though, are coming back to Gaza City to find a city that has been heavily, heavily damaged by the bombardment of the Israeli military.

Some of them finding their homes in ruins. But for now, certainly a sense of relief that they know that there will be a surge now of humanitarian aid

coming into the Gaza Strip.

And at least a respite from the Israeli military offensive and attacks in Gaza, and perhaps even ultimately, a total end to this war. We have heard

President Trump say that he believes he has now ended that war in Gaza. We heard the Egyptians, the Qataris, the key mediators to this agreement,

saying that this phase one agreement will definitively lead to an end of the war, but we also know that there is some difficult work ahead.

That's part of why we are still seeing Jared Kushner and President Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, still in Israel, meeting with the Israeli

Prime Minister today to try and start to go over the next phases of this agreement and to ensure that Hamas is willing to disarm, that Israel is

willing to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and prepare for that transition to a technocratic Palestinian governance in Gaza, as well as this

international security force.

ASHER: Right, Jeremy Diamond, stand by. Alayna, let me bring you in to talk about how Donald Trump or how rather, the U.S. Administration is trying to

do their best to ensure that the ceasefire holds, in terms of CENTCOM essentially sending 200 American troops to the region to monitor for any

violations. Walk us through that.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, they're going to have 200 U.S. troops in the region. Actually, a White House official said

that they're going to be joining soldiers from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to help and ensure, of course, that this is all

carried out peacefully, to help this process.

But a part, big part of this, of course, as well, is to make sure that U.S. priorities in the ways that they're trying to guarantee that this peace

actually lasts. This is their way of doing that. And there have been a lot of questions over whether there would be a military presence.

This has long been a major topic of discussion, not only with this conflict, but also when we -- they've been discussing the conflict in the

war between Russia and Ukraine, a question of whether or not there would be boots on the ground as a security guarantee, and at least in this ceasefire

proposal, and what they're doing here in the Middle East.

That is exactly how they are trying to guarantee that this lasts beyond and that all sides are agreeing to the terms laid out in that 20-point plan

proposed by the president. One notable thing, though, is that it's very much unclear if that all of these troops are going to be in Israel, where

they will be stationed.

And one official said that no U.S. troops are intended to go into Gaza, at least at this point, and so we'll have to actually see how this is carried

out. Because, of course, a big question is going to be, how do they rebuild Gaza? We've heard the president and the other leaders who have been heavily

involved in these negotiations, saying, rebuilding Gaza making it a livable place for all of the people who have been displaced there, is such an

important part of this as well.

And so, it doesn't appear at this moment that the U.S. troops are going to be involved in that. And then broader, I think you know, this weekend is

going to be very important for these negotiations. We note, the president is planning to travel to the Middle East. He's expected to arrive there

early next week.

He has said Monday or Tuesday. We know he's going to be addressing the Israeli parliament. We should note that that he would be the first

president since Former President George W. Bush, to do that. And then he's also expected to travel to Egypt. That, of course, is where these

negotiations were really in their final stages this week where the president's son in law, Jared Kushner, and also his Middle East envoy Steve

Witkoff, were.

When he's in Egypt, he is going to be signing that agreement formally. A big question we have is, who else will be there? But a huge moment for the

president. He also wants to be there, of course, as we're seeing these hostages released by noon on Monday. So, a big moment for this and a lot of

work still to be done.

But of course, a lot of people celebrating at least the first part of this plan really being carried out and in action now.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, no doubt, a historic moment. And one would imagine President Trump, given his popularity, specifically in Israel, will be

receiving a hero's welcome when he does arrive to speak before the Knesset. All right, Alayna Treene, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for both.

ASHER: Right, Dana Stroul is the Director of Research at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for

Defense for the Middle East. She joins us live now from Washington. Dana, thank you so much for being with us.

So, talk to us about how much Hamas' power in Gaza has been weakened as a result of this war, both politically and militarily, and also ultimately,

why they chose to agree to this deal this time around?

[11:10:00]

DANA STROUL, RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Well, Hamas is certainly very weakened, if it wasn't under pressure

both militarily and politically from these outside traditional backers of Hamas, Qatar, Turkey, and then also the Egyptians, who have maintained this

consistent liaison relationship, we wouldn't have gotten to where we are today.

If you look at the past two years of this war, they've lost all of their top leadership, their leadership that was living abroad in Doha no longer

feel safe. So much of their tunnel infrastructure has been devastated. Their weapons have been eroded. And of course, they understood to some

extent that the remaining living hostages, the leverage was diminishing quickly.

And so, Hamas is a terrorist organization. They're going to try to figure out how to survive, to claim some sort of victory, and they ultimately made

a calculation that agreeing to this peace proposal was a better way to survive than continuing to be at risk from Israeli military operations.

GOLODRYGA: Right. No doubt, as you note, that Hamas has been under a lot of pressure, increased pressure, not only from the United States and

militarily from Israel, but for the first time, really, from a number of Arab countries and Muslim countries as well. Interesting to see Turkey's

role here.

But it's one thing to get through phase one, which is a huge accomplishment, don't get me wrong, but there's no real pressure for

disarmament and surrender that Hamas has to agree to under phase one. Prime Minister Netanyahu addressing Israelis, and again, we're aware of the

audience here, speaking to a domestic audience.

He did say that Hamas will be disarmed, either by negotiations or by force. Hamas only agreed to the deal when the sword was around its neck. So, let's

talk about getting to that next phase who will be ultimately responsible for putting that pressure on Hamas to disarm and ultimately surrender.

STROUL: I think you're absolutely right to have a lot of skepticism. What we have agreement for right now is just this initial phase of Trump's 20-

point plan. So, hostage, release Palestinian prisoner release some IDF withdrawal. But really important to remember that Israel will still be

present in 50 percent of the Gaza Strip, and some humanitarian aid coming in.

And the rest of this peace proposal in order to bring recovery stability, begin to dismantle Hamas. The objectives are really broad, and the details

have not been hammered out. There's been a lot of different militaries. Militaries have said they might contribute forces, but they're not going to

do that.

If they think that their boots on the ground, their young men are going to come under attack, either from the remnants of Hamas or from Israel, who

still maintains presence. So, negotiating all of this, these details, who's going to be in charge is going to be key.

Of course, I think the U.S. military is going to play a really important command and control role, providing oversight and intelligence support, but

we're not going to have American boots on the ground. The boots on the ground are still Israeli.

ASHER: When you think about what Hamas is leverage has been for the past two years. It, of course, has been hostages, and now they're essentially

handing over the hostages, both, of course, the living and the remains of the hostages who have unfortunately passed away.

So, when it comes to then getting them, as Bianna was talking about, to demilitarize and to hand over their weapons. What on earth would their

motivation be to agree to anything like that? And obviously Bianna was talking about where the pressure would come from.

But even just if your Hamas is sort of leadership, why on earth would you agree to that when you would have absolutely no leverage against Israel,

which you view, if you are looking at this from the perspective of Hamas as the source of Palestinian suffering?

STROUL: I think you're exactly right, and that's just it. How to sustain pressure and leverage to get Hamas to give up its weapons is going to be

the sticking point in implementation. So, Trump has put his personal name and brand on the line that Israel will not return to war in Gaza.

But I think Hamas understands, if it gives up its weapons, it's already unlocked from its governance position, that's the end of the organization.

And full implementation of this peace plan means Hamas surrender. So again, this is a terrorist organization. They're going to look for any foothold to

say that they survived, and survival for them is victory.

GOLODRYGA: As we've been discussing the past few days, the real turning point does appear to have been that failed strike on Doha by the Israelis.

And it is really interesting to take a look at how President Trump tried to maximize any leverage he had, not just on Israel, because it does seem like

Israel has contributed a lot, from everything we're hearing to this 20- point plan, the bare minimum of what they would accept.

[11:15:00]

But then giving every other player here, aside from Hamas, something to invest in and take away from. Then, that's Turkey with the planes, the F-

35s Qatar with a security deal, for a man who has been criticized for being a political novice, a foreign policy novice. Just talk about what you think

made this one successful.

STROUL: Well, first of all, I think that after two years of war, all sides, all stakeholders to this conflict are exhausted, and were most of them

looking for a way out. What is unique is that it took American commitments to all stakeholders to get this done. You're right.

Turkey wanted the F-35s, they want out from certain sanctions for purchase of Russian equipment. The Qataris got a security commitment that, in some

ways is better than article NATO five. Egypt was extremely concerned about a flow of Palestinians into Sinai, and the security risk that that would

entail.

Hamas got a Trump commitment that Israel would not start this war again. And for Israel, and especially for Prime Minister Netanyahu, you couldn't

have more definitive backing from President Trump, from his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, from his son in law, Jared Kushner, who have been all over

Israel saying that it was Prime Minister Netanyahu is courage that got this done.

So, it's such sustained high level presidential commitment on all sides. The question going forward is whether President Trump will maintain that

level of commitment and interest.

ASHER: All right, Dana Stroul, live for us. Thank you. Appreciate it.

GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Dana. Well, she is known as Venezuela's Iron Lady, but now the world will look at her as the latest winner of the Nobel Peace

Prize. Maria Corina Machado is a leader of the opposition movement in her country, and she's been awarded the honor for in the committee's words,

promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.

ASHER: She was a presidential candidate in Venezuela's 2024 election, until President Nicolas Maduro, his regime, prevented her from running. She has

since been forced into hiding over threats to her life.

GOLODRYGA: Stefano Pozzebon is following the story for us from neighboring Bogota, and tell us what the reaction has been to this news, Stefano.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the reaction Bianna has been, frankly, overwhelming. It was not expected. And even speaking with the

members of Maria Corina's team, they've also told us that it was definitely unexpected. We have heard, not directly from her. She posted a statement on

X a couple of hours ago, immediately making a reference to Donald Trump.

Of course, it's no secret that Donald Trump was beaten for this award, for this prize himself. So here is what Maria Corina said in a statement on

Twitter a couple of hours ago, saying that, we are the Venezuelan people, are on the threshold of victory and today more than ever we count on

President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to

achieve freedom and democracy.

This, I think Bianna, Zain, it's a vindication for years of struggle for democracy and freedom in Venezuela. And it's a vindication and a statement

to that struggle that really came surprising to many in Venezuela in the rest of the region, like I said, we weren't able to speak with Maria Corina

just yet.

But we -- I was able to speak with her international advisor is the person that from Washington, D.C., tries to present her plea to the other leaders

of the world. Here is what he told me when I asked him if he had been able to speak with him in the last couple of hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO URRUCHURTU, INTERNATIONAL ADVISER TO MARIA CORINA MACHADO: Yes, of course, this is overwhelming. She is really busy with a lot of you know,

calls and messages. But yes, of course, grateful, but at the same time excited. And of course, really moved of this recognition that, as I said,

it was totally respected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: I think this recognition and whatever happened this morning stresses. I want to stress on two things, Zain, Bianna, the first one is

that, of course, the cause of the Venezuelan freedom and democracy and the opposition movement remain popular all around the world.

Less, actually, just more than a year since Maduro took that victory in very unclear conditions in that election, back in 2024 we see that the

statement of support from the international community to Maria Corina Machado, at a moment where we know that geopolitical tensions are really

high around Caracas.

And so, it shows that the eyes of the world are still focused on Venezuela, and that the cause of Venezuelan freedom remains extremely popular.

[11:20:00]

At least in what used to be the western world of the free world in Europe, in the U.S., across Latin America, by judging on the reaction, very lot of

celebrations on social media in front of this achievement. And on the other one, of course, the role that the White House is playing in these -- in any

geopolitical deal that is currently being negotiated.

It's not a small detail that the first person that Maria Corina Machado thanked is President Donald Trump directly making a plea directly to him to

keep showing interest and showing support for the cause of the Venezuelan freedom. So, I think that it's a sign of, still how strongly Trump's shadow

looms all over this story, Bianna, Zain.

GOLODRYGA: It does indeed. All right. Stefano Pozzebon, thank you so much. And still to come on "One World", Donald Trump publicly called for charges,

and now the Justice Department has acted. I'll tell you about the latest indictment against one of Trump's perceived political enemies.

ASHER: Plus, how the conflict in Gaza echoed on the streets of New York, a new documentary captures the personal stories behind the poster war that

erupted. We'll talk to the director and an advocate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: The U.S. Department of Justice has brought charges against another of Donald Trump's enemies.

ASHER: Yeah, Letitia James, New York Attorney General, has been charged with two felonies connected to a mortgage. She took out in 2020 on a home

in Norfolk, Virginia. The indictment alleges that James claimed the home was for personal use, but she ended up using it as a rental property

instead.

Trump has been calling for James to be punished since she won a civil fraud case against him in 2024. James says that she's innocent and that this is

nothing but Trump trying to take revenge.

GOLODRYGA: It is worth noting that one U.S. Attorney resigned under pressure to bring charges against James. He was replaced by a prosecutor

handpicked by President Trump, who brought this case and also recently secured the indictment of another Trump enemy, Former FBI Chief James

Comey.

ASHER: Yeah, CNN's Kara Scannell is tracking this story for us. So, talk to us a bit more about what Letitia James is accused of here, and also the

point that Bianna, just made Lindsey Halligan's role in all of this as well.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, great to be with you guys. I mean, what we just learned, our colleagues are reporting, according to sources,

is that Lindsey Halligan, Trump's handpicked U.S. Attorney, had decided to move forward and seek this indictment without coordinating with the Justice

Department, or the Attorney General, Pam Bondi.

[11:25:00]

And that Bondi herself was caught off guard with the timing of these charges that were announced yesterday. And you know, Halligan is Trump's

pick for the U.S. Attorney's Office that U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia had been investigating James and several

mortgages that she had taken out on properties, including this one that ultimately resulted in the criminal charges.

James is facing one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution. They relate to a mortgage she took

out in 2020 on a property in Norfolk, Virginia. And what the allegations are is that James had said that this would be a second home.

Prosecutors allege she was renting out that property, and because the interest rate for a mortgage on a second home is lower than what it would

be for an investment property. They allege that James has made ill-gotten gains of just shy of $19,000 over the life of the loan.

So that's the basis of these charges. It's a relatively small amount for there to be a federal charge against someone for, but that is the

discretion of prosecutors. James's team is pushing back. They said that these allegations are baseless, and James herself went before a camera,

sent out a video yesterday to address the charges. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is nothing more than a continuation of the president's desperate weaponization of our justice

system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General.

These charges are baseless, and the president's own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCANNELL: The history between James and Trump goes back years, of course, Letitia James had campaigned for Attorney G of New York on the promise that

she would investigate Trump's real estate business. She ultimately brought that civil fraud lawsuit against him, where the judge found that Trump and

his adult sons had improperly inflated the value of their properties in order to obtain better interest rates on loans.

It's coming full circle now with Trump pledging that he would bring a case against Letitia James that resulted yesterday also the allegation there

that she got a better interest rate on her mortgage property. We do know, and we have reported, that the prosecutors in the Eastern District of

Virginia did not think that this case was strong, and that they did not think they had enough to bring a case that U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert was

under pressure.

He ultimately resigned, and then Lindsey Halligan was put in place, and she moved pretty swiftly. She's only been in office a few weeks to bring both

the case against Letitia James yesterday and the case against Former FBI Director James Comey, Bianna, Zain.

ASHER: Kara Scannell, thank you. Right, still to come, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza begin the long trek home, unsure of what they will

find. More on our top story when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

ASHER: Right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Here some of the headlines we're watching today. A Gaza ceasefire deal negotiated by President Trump is

officially in effect under the terms Hamas now has less than 66 hours to release all of the hostages, including those who are deceased.

And the IDF says it has moved its troops back to pre-agreed positions, but warns Palestinians to avoid entering any areas that remain under Israeli

control.

ASHER: French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting with leaders from France's main political parties as he races to name a new prime minister by

the end of today. Macron's last Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu new resigned on Monday after just 27 days on the job.

Leaders from the far right and the hard left have been excluded from today's talk. Ukraine says that Russia has launched a massive attack on its

energy infrastructure, killing at least one person and leaving parts of the capital Kyiv without power. Other regions of Ukraine are also reporting

widespread outages. It's a familiar tactic Moscow has used before targeting heat sources before the winter months.

GOLODRYGA: At least one person was killed after a powerful earthquake struck Southeastern Philippines. The 7.4 magnitude quake hit off the coast

of Mindanao Island, briefly triggered a tsunami warning, which had since been canceled. Hundreds of aftershocks have already been recorded.

Officials say they could continue for several days or even weeks.

ASHER: Right. First Lady Melania Trump, has just announced that over the past 24 hours, eight Ukrainian children have been returned to their

families after being held in Russia. The first lady sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin back in August about the issue of children

displaced by this war. First lady said, President Putin wrote back to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, U.S. FIRST LADY: President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children. For the

past three months, both sides have participated in several back-channel meetings and calls, all in good faith. We have agreed to cooperate with

each other for the benefit of all people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Ukraine has accused Moscow of kidnapping thousands of children from Ukraine during the nearly four year long war started by Russia. And

turning back to our breaking news, after two years of a brutal war in Gaza, a ceasefire is in effect, and the clock is ticking.

ASHER: Right, these images show thousands of displaced Palestinians trekking north in the enclave as Israeli troops pull back behind lines

agreed upon in the U.S. broker deal. Hamas has less than 72 hours to release all the hostages, dead and alive.

GOLODRYGA: The U.N. says it plans to dramatically scale up food, medicine and supplies to Gaza over the next few months, but Israel is warning that

it's well prepared to go back into combat if necessary. Listen to the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces.

[11:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EFFIE DEFRIN, IDF SPOKESPERSON: Now that we have hit Hamas very hard, wherever we fought it. We have defeated it militarily. We cannot live with

Hamas continuing to rule the Gaza Strip in the day after, if that the outcome is achieved merely through negotiations, that will be sufficient.

If not, we will be prepared to return and fight it wherever necessary. We cannot live with Hamas governing the Gaza strip in the day after.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: A new documentary captures how the war in Gaza fractured life in a major American city thousands of miles away. The film torn the Israeli

Palestinian post war on New York City streets begins after the October 7th terror attacks, during which Hamas killed 1200 people and kidnapped more

than 250 others from Israel.

GOLODRYGA: Some New Yorkers put up kidnapped posters featuring the hostages. Others tore them down. Take a look at a clip from the film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I think the kidnapped posters gave us something tangible and actionable. It was able to provide sense of belonging, a sense of feeling like you're

doing something. And at the same time, I think it illuminated something for us through the tearing down of the posters we learned about this fracture

in our society, this gaping hole of, you know, moral compass that exists in our society.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, shining a light on something that we need to fix is inherently a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The film examines how that poster campaign ignited confrontations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian New Yorkers. Nim

Shapira is the Director and Executive Producer of that film also with us. Alana Zeitchik, an advocate who was featured in the documentary.

Several of her family members were kidnapped on October 7th. I believe a few still remain in captivity in Gaza as we speak. Both Alana and Nim join

us now, live from New York. Welcome, both of you. This is such a powerful film. And Nim, I'm so glad that you decided to bring it to audiences,

because watching this play out in real time when posters went up to shine a light and advocate for those hostages in Gaza, these innocent hostages,

some of them babies.

And also give people the opportunity to feel that they're contributing and doing something tangible, was then met with a lot of pushbacks, people

ripping these posters down and calling them propaganda. This obviously turned into a major lightning rod of an issue. Just talk to us about why

you decided to turn this into a film, and were you surprised by some of the responses you saw?

NIM SHAPIRA, DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF "TORN": So, thank you so much for having me. The film is exactly as you said, the first three months of

the war, where not only the posters were torn, but also the social fabric of the city. I was very happy at first when I saw these posters that are

being put up, I've been living here for 13 years, and then seeing them being torn down, it became a war of paper and glue.

And you know, the first casualty in New York streets was empathy. And I think that these posters symbolize not only the 251 kidnapped people from

Israel, from Hindus and Buddhists and Christians and Muslims and Jews from over 40 nationalities. But these posters were a symbol of identity, of

belonging and of course, of grief.

And once they were put up and then torn down, this poster war between New Yorkers became about whose grief deserves more recognition, instead of

understanding that we don't have to be pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, we can be pro human. And I think that after two years, next week, the hostages

are going to come back.

Gazans can finally breathe, and this long day of October 7th that lasted over 700 days can finally be over and we can start to breathe again.

ASHER: Alana, let me bring you in, because Nim, made a very important point, this idea of empathy being scarce, which I think is probably one of

the most heartbreaking aspects of this documentary. What is it about this conflict that makes it wrong to have empathy for people who have been

suffering on both sides.

This idea that I am not allowed to have empathy for both the Palestinian mother who has been waiting for hours in line for a loaf of bread to be

able to feed her five children. And also, at the same time, have empathy for an Israeli mother who has been waiting for two years for a hostage deal

to bring back the remains of her child from Gaza. What is it about this particular conflict that makes compassion for both sides politicized?

[11:40:00]

ALANA ZEITCHIK, RELATIVE OF HAMAS HOSTAGES: Well, it's hard for me to say why exactly this conflict. I think when I look at, you know, I grew up

here, I'm from here, when I've seen, sort of the last 10 years of the way identity politics and sort of we have wrapped ourselves around our

political views and what that means to us.

Then where you stand politically, right, which is, in this case, pro-Israel or pro Palestine, not pro Israelis, pro-Palestinian like this isn't a

conflict that focuses on the people. It focuses on states or, you know, non-state actors. And I think that people take it very personally.

They take their politics very personally, and an attack on one sort of political identity feels like an attack on oneself. And I think that this

conflict, for what it's worth, really shatters the binary. And a lot of people don't seem to be able to grasp that, or to sort of process and

internalize that and then open themselves up, because it is vulnerable, to a degree to care about a lot of people and to care about both people.

And I don't know that everyone has maybe the capacity for I mean, I think everyone does have the capacity for it, but I do think it's a challenging

thing to do, even though it shouldn't be.

GOLODRYGA: Right, even though you're talking about innocent people, children, grandmothers, holocaust survivors that were tragically kidnapped

on that day, and if somebody wanted to just avoid looking at those posters, they had every right to, but the fact that they would make the effort of

going and ripping them down and even confronting you as you were talking to them and asking them why they were doing that. Let's play a clip of one of

those moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was putting up these posters, it would spark a lot of conversation. People cried to me, and I cried to them on the middle

of the street, and then also negative comments from people. This man came up to me and told me that if I really cared about, you know, children, I

would be putting up posters of Palestinian children.

And then I said, this is my cousin's daughter. She is captive in Gaza. She's a hostage. And he told me that she looks like a white colonizer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: So, I believe that was your cousin. But I mean, this is something that you endured and saw firsthand as well. We're not made for

these types of moments, and you really get a reality check in terms of how you respond in real time, and you responded by speaking out.

And just talk to us about how that's felt as you're speaking out and also advocating for humanity and your family to come home.

ZEITCHIK: Yeah. I think that speaking out for me was the coping mechanism. I started speaking out right away on October 7th, and I was already

addressing people in my community who were calling it resistance. And what I sort of decided very quickly is that my family mattered the most, and

that the polarization I sought happening all around me, and I knew I couldn't do anything about it.

I couldn't stop the people tearing down the posters, but I could use my voice to speak up for my family, to try and bring people together best I

can and really be as compassionate as I have the capacity to be, which I think is pretty great, and I had to bring them home. I mean, I have now

been advocating for two years.

And on Monday, when the hostages come home finally, the last ones. That will mark exactly two years from the first day I spoke at the U.N. and it

is surreal. It is very surreal. But I think that my voice is my strength. It's free, and so I had to use it.

ASHER: Yeah, that is such a such a powerful thing, that almost two years to the day since the start of this war, we are going to see all of the

hostages return. Let me ask you the final question, Nim. I think one of the things that surprised me the most about this documentary is that you know

New York City, and this is the reason why I even moved here.

New York City is probably, I would imagine, the most diversity on the planet. I mean, you literally have everybody here, black people, white

people, Asian-Americans, Latinos, Jewish people, Arabs, everybody. And that's what makes the city so beautiful.

So, if this happens here in New York City, which is supposed to be the most tolerant place in our world. What does that tell you about where we are as

a society when it comes to this war?

SHAPIRA: That's a great question. And the film really asks, why is empathy a limited resource?

[11:45:00]

I don't think we can ever understand what Alana is going through having so many of her family members kidnapped or other characters or other subjects

in the film, but we can step outside of our own shoes and try to understand the other and the film does exactly just that.

It asks more questions than it gives answers we want -- the film talks about disagreement without dehumanization, and can multiple things be true

at the same time. And I think that after two years of New Yorkers, some with skin in the game, some without skin in the game, shouting and

screaming and arguing.

I think the most radical thing to do right now is listen, and that's what I'm trying to do with the film.

GOLODRYGA: And Alana listening and so much healing is ahead of us. And I am thinking of you and all of the family members of those who will finally be

reunited with their loved ones. I know that your cousin's husband and his brother are on this list to come home.

Of course, we're thinking of those who will not be reunited with living family members as well, but will at least have some closure. And let's all

focus on bringing the humanity back. You do that so beautifully in this film. Nim Shapira, Alana Zeitchik, thank you both for joining us.

ZEITCHIK: Thank you so much.

SHAPIRA: Thank you.

ASHER: Thank you both so much. Thank you. And just a reminder to everyone, "Torn" is now officially racing to be shortlisted for the best documentary,

and the film is now available for streaming at tornfilm.com.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, really powerful movie. All right. Still to come on "One World", a renowned Nigerian author talks about inspiration, identity and

her literary journey and "African Voices Changemaker". That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, turning now to acclaimed author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, for whom storytelling isn't just a passion, it is a purpose.

GOLODRYGA: She's one of your good friends too, right? She tells CNN how both her Igbo heritage and belief in the universality of human stories

continue to shape her voice and craft. She's this month's "African Voices Changemaker".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE, NOVELIST: I don't think there is a time when I knew that storytelling was the love of my life. I've always known. So, in

other words, I think I would say I don't remember not knowing I've always known.

[11:50:00]

And this is why I think of storytelling as my vocation, as another risk of sounding a little precious as what I'm here to do, as what I'm supposed to

do, as what my ancestors want me to do. But I think cultural identities should be celebrated. I think we assume starting out that were not

universal, but I started thinking that I am universal.

And so, I've never felt the need to somehow overly explain myself, because you know when you think about it. And I think this starts from my love of

literature when I was a little girl, I read the Russians, I read, I think I read fathers and sons. When I was maybe 11 or 12, I read Anna Karenina,

when I fully understand everything about them, but I still got it.

And so, I think there's a part of me that just feels that I will tell my stories as they are. Literature, in the end, is universal. Somebody will

get it. They might not get you know exactly what the Kola nuts means, but they get the larger human story. And so, I've never felt the need to

apologize or to explain for who I am.

So, when I was growing up, in my family, we, my father, my parents actually, and it was very important to them that their children speak Igbo,

understand who we were. And as a child, it didn't -- it just seemed normal. I think as I got older, and when you start to kind of think about who you

are and try to find a sense of what you are.

I think that's when I started to, honestly, just fall in love with my culture. And later I started to think, my goodness, I come from a people

who are wise, people who are you know, it's interesting to me that Igbo culture on the one hand, is very individualistic. So, I think there's a

strain of me that's just fiercely individualistic.

I want to be allowed to create my own path. On the other hand, I do feel a very strong sense of being part of a larger whole.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: We are certainly proud of her as a fellow Nigerian. All right. We'll be right back with more after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: And finally, this hour, Chicago's beloved Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, simply known as Sister Jean, has died. She was the long-time

Chaplain at Loyola University Chicago.

[11:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SISTER JEAN DOLORES SCHMIDT, TEAM CHAPLAIN AT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHIACAGO: I think sports are very important because they help develop life skills, and

during those life skills, you're also talking about faith and purpose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The basketball loving nun became a good luck charm for the ramblers in 2018 when TV cameras showed her pregame prayer and her cheering from the

sidelines. Sister Jean was 106 years old.

GOLODRYGA: Amazing. Key to longevity. Enjoy a sport.

ASHER: Basketball specifically.

GOLODRYGA: All right, what a life will live? Well, do stay with us. We'll have more "One World" after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END