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One World with Zain Asher
Gaza Ceasefire Starts 72-Hour Clock For Hostage Release; Thousands Trek North In Gaza As Ceasefire Begins; White House Criticizes Nobel Committee After Trump Didn't Win; How Americans Feel About trump's National Guard Deployments; Source: Trump Administration Sought To Ban Grants For Muslim Groups; NBA Returns To China For First Time Since 2019; Detroit Seniors Strut Their Stuff On The Runway; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired October 10, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:04]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The ceasefire in Gaza is in full effect.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: We are now in -- in the midst of that 72-hour countdown, perhaps even an ultimately total end to this
war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Now Palestinians are streaming back to Gaza City after two years of displacement.
ASHER: Also ahead, chaos in the world of French politics. Will French President Emmanuel Macron nominate the same prime minister who literally
just resigned this week?
And later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women and men can carry themselves with dignity and charisma and poise at any age in life. It's just a matter of attitude.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: I love it. You know what they say? Age is just a number. We'll introduce you to a group of seniors breaking barriers.
ASHER: It's going to be us, Bianna. It's going to be us.
GOLODRYGA: I'm closer to it than you are, my friend.
ASHER: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
Daring to hope for the first time in two years. A new chapter is underway in the Middle East with both Israelis and Palestinians cautiously
optimistic that at least part of their violent past will be behind them.
ASHER: Yes. Ceasefire deal negotiated by U.S. President Donald Trump is in its seventh hour and the caucus ticking. Hamas now has 65 hours left to
release all of the hostages under the first phase of the plan. And nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are also set to be freed including 250 who are
serving life sentences.
This come as -- it comes as the Israeli military says it has withdrawn to agreed upon deployment lines. But here's what the IDF spokesperson warned a
short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. EFFIE DEFRIN, IDF SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Now that we have hit Hamas very hard wherever we fought it, we have defeated it
militarily. We will be prepared to return and fight it wherever necessary. We cannot live with Hamas governing Gaza Strip in the day after.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Tens of thousands of exhausted war weary Palestinians, many have been displaced multiple times now, are returning north but it is unclear if
any of them have homes that are still upstanding. President Trump meantime is set to travel to the region this weekend.
ASHER: CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live now from Cairo. So, as we just mentioned, Nic, that 72-hour window to release the hostages is now open.
Just talk to us about what is happening behind the scenes logistically to prepare for the hostages release and also the release of those 2,000
Palestinian prisoners too.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, one of the things that we know this happening is preparations at the Israeli hospitals that
have now received many of those hostages over the past two years.
Prime Minister Netanyahu to -- went to one of the hospitals in Tel Aviv to -- to inspect the facilities there. They can expect to be overwhelmed with
emotion in a couple of cases as well as surrounded by a lot of well wishes in Gaza.
The picture you painted there people returning along the coastal highway. The image is there so sort of stark and telling such a strong picture the
sort of dusty sand and destruction at the side of this once beautiful coastal highway now a black river of people moving northwards.
The IDF's Arabic spokesman has warned people Palestinians in Gaza not to go too far north, not to go to Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and other towns at the
very north, not to go to the very south to Rafah, the Philadelphi Corridor, the border with Egypt, not to go to Khan Younis as well because there are
concentrations of troops and it may be dangerous for them.
So very clear warning that when people move back, there are potential for dangers, potential for unintended interaction with Israeli forces that
could be deadly. Hamas back on the streets with their gunmen, security officers if you will, back on the streets showing their presence.
Hamas itself telling people that this is an historic turning point, telling people to cooperate with government and humanitarian bodies. Humanitarian
organizations are beginning to get more trucks of food. They want to get 600 trucks of food a day into Gaza.
But Hamas themselves paint a very bleak picture of what those people are going home to. They say 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure is
destroyed in Gaza, 670 schools damaged or destroyed, 835 mosque damage or destroyed, 38 hospitals damaged or destroyed.
UNRWA puts the figure out perhaps about 80 percent of all infrastructure destroyed, 98 percent of all farming land destroyed beyond use.
So it -- it is a bleak prospect one that still has dangers, but the Hamas is framing as a turning point for the Palestinian population in Gaza.
[12:05:12]
ASHER: All right. Nic Robertson live for us. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, as the ceasefire takes hold, residents are starting to return home. But as you can see, there is not much left standing.
ASHER: Yes. These are scenes into us today from Khan Younis. This is how one displaced Palestinian described the moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAMAM RADWAN, KHAN YOUNIS RESIDENT (through translator): The situation is tragic. There are no houses. There are no streets. No cars able to enter.
We went on foot and came back on foot. There is no life at all. There is destruction, total destruction.
For those who are going back, what are they supposed to find? Either they find their houses destroyed or find no signs of the house at all, or the
windows and doors gone.
There is nothing. There is no life. But the people would like to go back as they think it's better if they build a tent on the ruins than staying far
away from their land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Our next guest is Jacob Granger, the emergency coordinator in Gaza for Doctors Without Borders. He is joining us live now from Deir al-
Balah. Thank you so much for joining us.
So, if all goes according to plan, the aid delivery is expected to be similar to what we saw during the ceasefire back in January, where there
were about 600 trucks allowed to come in daily.
Is that what you are hearing and expecting any moment now to see? And in terms of the scale of what is needed at this point, is 600 a day enough?
JACOB GRANGER, EMERGENCY COORDINATOR IN GAZA, MSF: So for now, this is what we are waiting for. We are waiting. We have no substitutes. We don't know
what is going to happen. And we hope for the ceasefire to last. And we hope for this amount of trucks to be able to come inside.
So 600 trucks per day is a big number. We could think that this is good, but this is not enough. It's not neither quantity of the items that are
going inside, but it's also what item are OK to come inside.
There's a lot of items that are being refused because consider it as dual user items by Israeli authorities and a lot of medical supply and a lot of
supply necessary for the water distribution.
So 600 trucks a day would be a good start, but it's not enough. We need also this to use item to be inside Gaza.
ASHER: I just imagine that this is obviously, aside from obviously being a very important moment for Palestinians, it's one that requires cautious
optimism because while there is so much hope that this ceasefire is going to last, that there will eventually be a cessation of hostilities, the
Palestinians have, of course, been disappointed in the past. And I'm sure there is fear that at any moment that this war could obviously resume.
Just in terms of the psychological impact of this war on ordinary Palestinians in Gaza, can you put that into words for us?
GRANGER: So we need to understand that it's, of course, the physical needs, but also the mental needs for the people. There's this uncertainty about
the ceasefire and the fact that the hostilities are going to continue to be frozen and not to start again.
But next to that, there's also despair about what Gaza has become. Gaza is destroyed. So while we are calling for cessation, total cessation of
hostilities, Gaza health system houses are totally destroyed.
And the people here are a bit torn apart between the hope of having finally, let's say, peace. And the fact that there's no Gaza, there's no
home anymore. So the impact it will have on Gaza people is huge for the mental health.
It's very difficult to understand that. And for me being in Gaza, I can see that with the children I see on the streets during the days. So the
children have not been able to go to school since two years.
And some of the behavior of the children is so abnormal. It's very aggressive. They look sometimes like aggressive grows up, despite the fact
that there are only six, eight, 10, 12 years old.
And the question we have is, what will be the consequences for these children? How can we help to reconstruct, of course, Gaza, but also its
human beings, the Gazan people?
[12:10:14]
GOLODRYGA: How are you planning to do that? I mean, you just laid out an enormous amount of work that needs to be done, and obviously, first and
foremost, you need to provide food, shelter, water, medicine.
But looking forward, God willing, that this peace plan holds, that Hamas lays down its arms, that there is a -- a return to some sort of order
there, are you planning now to be invested in the long term to -- to make sure everything that you just addressed there, hopefully, you and your
organization and other humanitarian organizations will see it through?
GRANGER: What is needed now to do so is a foreseeable future, to be sure that we will have a ceasefire that will hold on the long term. And then
it's to have unimpeded supply, medical supply, food, water going inside the Gaza Strip.
And -- and then it's going to be an enormous work. What will be needed for that is, of course, money. But the first thing is just to be sure that the
ceasefire is going to hold and to be sure that the hostilities are not going to start again.
ASHER: And for people who are watching this show, you know, from the comfort of their living rooms in their Manhattan Apartments or from London
or sitting in business class on a flight, what can you explain to them?
For people who will literally never understand the level of suffering that has taken place in Gaza over the past two years, how would you explain it?
How would you describe in a way that everybody watching can understand?
GRANGER: So two or three weeks ago, I was in the car going to Khan Younis, and I spoke with one of my colleagues. I had this question of before
October 2022, what was the worst condition of living in the Gaza Strip?
Well, people sleeping outside. Well, people having no food. And he looked at me a little bit surprised and stating, no, they had some shelter. There
was some charity food for everyone. So just imagine for this colleague, all of the other colleagues we have here and the population of Gaza, basically.
Two years ago a little bit more, they had a home, they had a car, they had showers, they had toilets, they had a screen television, children that
could go to school every day and come back from school every day.
And two years later, the children, the same children that are sometimes not even six years old, they are going to wait the entire morning for water to
come so they can have five liters of water going home to the family.
You just need to understand this is as if me personally, I'm from Paris, that Paris would be the strain and I would have to live in the ruins of
Paris in the tents or in plastic sheetings.
ASHER: Jacob Granger, live for us there. Thank you. Thank you so much for the work that you have done. And thank you so much also for laying it out
so well, so succinctly what people in Gaza have been experiencing these past couple of years. Thank you, Jacob.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
GRANGER: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Venezuela's Iron Lady will soon be sporting gold. Maria Corina Machado has won the Nobel Peace Prize. She's the leader of the
opposition movement in Venezuela and has been recognized for her commitment to democracy, but the White House is not happy.
President Trump's loud lobby for the award, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung writing on X that the committee, in his words,
proved they placed politics over peace.
GOLODRYGA: Machado appealed to President Trump in a social media post after her win. Today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of
the United States, the people of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies for achieving freedom and democracy.
ASHER: For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Alayna Treene. She joins us live now from the White House.
This has really been an obsession, a mini obsession, I would say, of -- of the president's, especially considering his competition with Barack Obama.
As you remember, Barack Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize early on in his presidency. And President Trump was one of the first people that said, why
did he get it? He did nothing.
[12:15:12]
And now, obviously, President Trump did not get it this time around in terms of missing the deadline. There's all sorts of reasons as to why. But
he is, of course, also in addition to, you know, what's happening with Gaza and the Israelis now and obviously a lot of people are praising him for
that. He is also a controversial figure in many other ways.
Just walk us through why this has been the focus of the American president.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. This is something he has wanted for several years. And you -- and you mentioned, Zain, by going back
to his first term, he had talked about wanting to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Then he mentioned it a lot around the work that his administration
was doing with the Abraham Records, you know, the accords to normalize relations between Israel and countries -- other countries in the Middle
East.
And this is something he has now talked about though far more repeatedly throughout the last several months, particularly as he's been involving his
administration and himself in a lot of the negotiations around trying to end conflicts around the globe.
Of course, one of the big ones was this week. There was so much talk about the Nobel Peace Prize as his team and himself were negotiating an end to
the war between Israel and Hamas.
He was actually asked about this yesterday. He gave less of an impassioned, you know, kind of lobbying campaign as we've seen for this when he answered
reporters yesterday, but he essentially acknowledged that the committee would have to do what they will do what they have to do is what he said.
Whatever they do is fine. I know this. I didn't do it for that. I did it because I saved a lot of lives. So that was his statement yesterday when
asked if, you know, he's expecting to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
A few things I want to walk through, because you mentioned that statement from Steven Cheung, the White House Communications Director, essentially
saying that the committee is putting politics over peace.
You mentioned this as well. But the deadline for the nominations was February 1st. So notably just a couple days after the president was sworn
into office for his second term.
Now, we have seen several world leaders since then come to the White House say that they were going to be nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
One of those people includes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But again, by the time -- you know, most of the time that the president has been in office was too late for much of what he has done or accomplished
would be too late for the committee. A lot of people are saying perhaps next year he could be considered particularly with an eye on some of the
negotiations happening with this peace deal that's going on in the Middle East.
And of course, if he could -- if he is ultimately successful with his goals to try and end the war between Russia and Ukraine, that could be another
thing.
And that's really, we've heard this from the president though several times that he believes his role in a lot of these conflicts shows that he
deserves it. But, of course, today, we saw him get passed over for it.
And then I just want to turn to some of what we saw though from Maria Corina Machado because she is someone who, back in January, actually, the
president posted about her on social media noting that the work that she is doing is very important back then.
This is a -- a Truth Social post from January 9th before even was sworn into office. He said that she was peacefully expressing the voices and the
will of the Venezuelan people. She's also someone we know that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered a lot of support and praise for.
And then today, shortly after being awarded this, she posted herself on social media, in part, thanking President Donald Trump for this. She said,
we are on the threshold of victory and today more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States and the peoples of Latin
America and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve freedom and democracy.
Now, this is something that we saw the White House press secretary repost. And we also saw the president share this post on Truth Social as well.
That wasn't the only post he shared. He also though shared something from Russian president Vladimir Putin. There was a video of Putin essentially
saying that President Donald Trump solves complex crisis that lasts for a decade. That was a quote from the Russian president.
President Donald Trump shared that on social media saying, thank you to President Putin. So we're seeing him kind of, you know, still sharing in
some of the acknowledgement that he is getting from people around the world including Machado herself. All to say this is something that I think a lot
of people were hoping he would receive particularly in this building behind me because it is something he has so coveted for so long, but there's
always next year.
GOLODRYGA: That's true.
ASHER: Well, that's what he's thinking too.
Alayna Treene live for us there. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Well, another of Donald Trump's political enemies has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
ASHER: Yes. New York Attorney General Letitia James has been charged with two felonies related to a mortgage she took out on a home in Norfolk,
Virginia back in 2020.
[12:20:07]
Trump publicly called legal action against James and even pressured a U.S. attorney to resign after he declined to bring a case against her. James
says that she's innocent and this is a clear case of Trump weaponizing the Justice Department.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LETITIA JAMES, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF NEW YORK: 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)
GOLODRYGA: The prosecutor secured the indictment against James, also brought the case against former FBI Director, James Comey, who has also
been a fierce critic of Donald Trump's.
Well, federal judge on Thursday angrily slapped down Donald Trump's attempt to deploy the National Guard to Chicago.
ASHER: Yes. The judge said there was no evidence that protests in Chicago rise to the level of rebellion that would justify Trump's move to
federalize National Guard troops.
At the same time, an appeals court on the West Coast heard arguments on Thursday about Trump's efforts to send troops to Portland Oregon. That
appeals court has not ruled yet. We're looking at those suits.
The Illinois Attorney General was emotional as he talked about keeping the guard out of American cities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KWAME RAOUL, ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'd like to thank the heroes behind me, who has stood up, not just for the citizens of the city of Chicago,
citizens of the city of Broadview, citizens of the state of Illinois.
But I might add that this is an important decision not just for the state of Illinois, but for the entire country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: So, what do the American people think about President Trump sending troops into democratic cities? Let's bring in CNN's chief data
analyst Harry Enten.
ASHER: Why did you emphasize that?
GOLODRYGA: There's something about --
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Chief.
GOLODRYGA: -- a title chief.
ASHER: Chief.
GOLODRYGA: Listen, I'm senior global affairs analyst. So not, you know, once you get that chief --
ASHER: You made it.
GOLODRYGA: You made it.
ENTEN: My mommy's very proud.
ASHER: But are there any other data analysts though is the question?
ENTEN: No. No, there's nobody else. I'm one --
GOLODRYGA: Chief.
ENTEN: -- I'm one of one. I could be the junior, the senior and the chief.
GOLODRYGA: Commander in chief, so tell us how Americans are feeling about these troops, potentially, on more and more democratic streets, especially
since we're now into week two of a government shutdown.
ENTEN: Yes. Look, I think the definition of political insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different result from the
American public.
Simply put, guys, they don't like what's going on, what Donald Trump is doing, federalizing these troops are trying to do it. Let's take a look
here. OK.
A president sending troops into a state. Get this. Oppose if a state's governor objects. That's the plurality winner here. We're talking about 48
percent. Just 37 percent of Americans support the idea of a president being able to send troops into a state if a state's governor objects to it.
Among independents, the spread is even wider. We're talking about 50 percent opposed to just 28 percent support.
And of course, Chicago and Portland are not the first instances of this, right? Donald Trump has been trying to do this for months now. Of course,
the first time he did it, he wanted to do it and tried to do it out in Los Angeles, right? And simply put the political ramifications for it, where
that the American people went against Donald Trump.
What are we talking about? Well, why don't we just take a look here? OK. Trump's net approval rating. You know, you go back to early June, Donald
Trump was kind of near the apex of his popularity during his second term. His net approval rating was minus four points. Not too great, but really
not too bad.
Again, that's really near the top of where Donald Trump is tended to be. But look where he is now. He's at minus 10 points.
I think there's this whole idea that somehow Trump might be playing four- dimensional chess, that this is a good issue for him, but simply put guys, it really isn't.
Now, let's talk about Chicago in particular, right? Chicago is a place where Donald Trump is not like and where this move is almost certainly not
going to be like, because why don't we just take a look here?
OK. Chicago wins on Trump and J.B. Pritzker, who of course is the governor there, who Donald Trump is not a fan of. And let me tell you that the
governor there certainly returns that dislike right towards Donald Trump.
You go to Chicago, last year, Donald Trump just got 20 percent of the vote in the presidential election. You go back 2016, 2020. He did even worse
than that.
The bottom line is that Donald Trump has never gotten more than 20 percent of the vote in Chicago. You look at the governor of Chicago, J.B. Pritzker.
Look at this. His job approval rating and a poll taken earlier this year, 64 percent.
That, of course, is more than three times as much as the 20 percent. And I was looking at some approval ratings for Trump. He's not any more popular
now than he was back then.
[12:25:06]
So the bottom line is, I don't know what Donald Trump is doing from an electoral angle. It just seems to me he's stroking his political ego and
going after cities that voted against him, guys.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's hard for Trump to say, maybe this isn't working either, so just keeps going.
ENTEN: Yes. Yes.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Chief.
ASHER: Chief.
ENTEN: Chief.
GOLODRYGA: Chief engine.
ENTEN: Chief is out and gone for the weekend.
GOLODRYGA: We need to get you a badge.
ENTEN: Yes. I'm going to get -- I'm going to get a nice badge. It's going to be a wonderful time. I'm literally going to be showing it around the
newsroom and telling people, it's chief's time, OK?
GOLODRYGA: All right.
ASHER: I missed you, Harry.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: It's been awhile, I feel like.
ENTEN: You know what? I don't -- I -- I -- I don't know why I have been on, but I'm glad that I have been on. And let me just tell you, just a little
thing in the text. I did wear pink yesterday. I did wear pink.
ASHER: Oh, I'm sorry. I texted him.
ENTEN: It was just the light pink.
ASHER: Blasting him for not wearing pink yesterday.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And his girlfriend. Just do not follow rules.
ASHER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: But when you're the chief, you get to make up the rules as you know.
ASHER: You do your own thing.
ENTEN: No. Even the chief has someone above him. And in this particular case, I definitely do.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, I know who she is. She's the senior chief. All right.
ENTEN: Exactly right.
ASHER: Harry.
GOLODRYGA: Harry Enten, thank you.
ENTEN: Bye.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Coming up for us, the clock is counting down to the release finally of all of the hostages being held in Gaza. We'll speak to a
former Israeli defense forces spokesperson.
ASHER: Plus, what happened when the Department of Homeland Security floated the idea of blocking security funding for Muslim groups in the U.S.? Don't
miss our exclusive report, next.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The NBA is back in China after six years of effectively being banned from here. And you can feel the enthusiasm here at
this enormous casino in Macao.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Zain thought that was actually Steph Curry staring at Ivan Watson. I (INAUDIBLE) you.
(CROSSTALK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. The wait is over for fans in China. We're on the ground there as the NBA returns after six years. That wasn't the real
Curry.
ASHER: It looked quite good.
GOLODRYGA: Real.
ASHER: Very Madame Tussauds there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: As French President Emmanuel Macron's self-imposed deadline to announce a new prime minister draws closer, a meeting of France's
mainstream political parties is taking place.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. France's central bank chief has warned that political turmoil is weakening the economy. And the next prime minister must appeal
to the center left and center right to gain passage of the 2026 budget in a very divided parliament.
[12:30:05]
ASHER: Ahead of the meeting, the president's office calls for a moment of collective responsibility which some pundits interpreted as a warning he
could call snap elections.
One prominent newspaper predicted, President Macron could reappoint Sebastien Lecornu who resigned on Monday.
In an exclusive report, CNN has learned the Trump administration allegedly sought to block Muslim groups from receiving security funding.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Three sources with knowledge of the episode say top brass of the Department of Homeland Security, approach the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, or FEMA, with a blanket ban on grants awarded to Muslim organizations around the country.
We're hearing that ultimately the idea was dropped, and DHS, which oversees FEMA, denied to CNN that it ever considered imposing such a ban.
But months after the alleged ban episode, dozens of Muslim groups were stripped of their eligibility for security funding, which helps protect
against hate crimes and extremist attacks.
CNN's Gabe Cohen joins us now with his exclusive report. So, what more did you learn, Gabe?
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, Zain and Bianna, these are funds that go out to a couple thousand organizations each year, most of them
religious institutions for all faith backgrounds. And they provide things like fencing, cameras, guards, different aspects to bolster their security.
What we learned is that back in April, while these grants were paused, DHS officials approached FEMA, which runs the program, and asked if they could
essentially disqualify all Muslim organizations from getting these funds.
Now, sources told me the FEMA leaders were stunned to hear this. They were given no reason, and they pushed back, saying that a blanket ban would be
improper, and would potentially be illegal since these groups had already been vetted and approved by the Department of Homeland Security. As you
mentioned at that point, the idea seemed to fizzle.
Now, DHS has denied that this ever happened, telling me in a statement, quote, DHS and FEMA do not make policy decisions on the basis of religion.
Such claims are ludicrous and deeply unserious.
But that was not the end of this. A few weeks later, officials from the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, came back to FEMA staff, we have
been told by sources, and provided a list of dozens of Muslim organizations that they said had ties to terrorism and should not be getting funding.
They said they had gotten this information from someone outside the agency. They did not say who it was. A FEMA official voicing concern to me told me,
quote, everything about it seemed wrong. This felt like a manufactured narrative designed to justify excluding Muslim organizations from funding.
Now, last week, DHS confirmed that they have stripped certain groups of funding, but they say it was based on an extensive internal review at FEMA
that's been going on for months now and has ultimately led them to improve their vetting process. They did not acknowledge DOGE's involvement.
And, Zain, Bianna, I can tell you more than a half dozen sources that I have spoken with have said this -- this episode really raises a lot of
serious questions about whether Muslim groups have been unfairly targeted in recent months and whether some of the information that's caused them
funding may be frivolous.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. A lot of questions still left unanswered.
Gabe Cohen, thank you so much.
You can read more of Gabe's exclusive reporting on our website. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:10]
ASHER: All right. Some of the most searing images out of Gaza today are the pictures of Palestinians moving north along the coast.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas goes into effect. Both Israelis and Palestinians will
begin the process of rebuilding their shattered lives.
ASHER: This Palestinian woman says it's time for children to go back to their studies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATEN AL-HADDAD, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN WOMAN (through translator): The ceasefire announcement made us very happy because our children have been
without schooling for two years without education. The children in Gaza became ignorant. They should go back to their education.
Their simplest rights, including having a family atmosphere, which they have missed, access to healthcare, which we are missing here. We need
everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And Israel, the focus, is on bringing all of the hostages home. The father of an American citizen taken hostage hopes his son is alive, but
fears the worst.
Ruby Chen spoke to our colleague, Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE: I think it's a mixed bag of emotions. One is the excitement that finally, you know, many of us will be
able to see our loved ones, anticipation that indeed, you know, there's a better future waiting around the corner.
But also there's an anxiety aspect because the agreement was put in place in such a way that Hamas only provided to do best effort.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Time now for "The Exchange." You want to take a look at what's ahead. So joining us live now is a former IDF spokesperson, retired
-- retired Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus. He's a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and co-founder of Bottom Line
Media. Jonathan, thank you so much for being with us.
I just want to talk about the IDF perspective and how they're viewing this ceasefire, this phase one of this ceasefire. Are they viewing it as a
tactical operational pause or a real step, a real genuine step towards lasting peace here in a way that actually guarantees Palestinian security
and dignity going forward?
LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS (RET.), FORMER IDF SPOKESPERSON: Yes, good evening from Israel. Thanks for having me on. Peace is a very big word. And
I think in as much as I would want to apply it with relation to Gaza, that is not how the IDF, or I would say 99 percent of Israelis, I haven't done a
survey, but I think a vast majority of Israelis would look at this.
This is, first and foremost, a ceasefire that hopefully will facilitate the return of Israeli hostages after more than two years in Hamas captivity.
[12:40:01]
If and when that stage is successfully completed, then that will bring about or facilitate many positive things, the disarmament of Hamas, the
freeing Gaza from Hamas and making sure that they don't govern.
And you ask about the IDF, well, the IDF is prepared. I think they're pretty vigilant, redeployed now, according to the first withdrawal line,
but also battle-wise, and knowing that Hamas may very likely want to derail, perhaps not now, but perhaps when it becomes more challenging for
Hamas to implement President Trump's deal, for instance, when it comes to disarmament, maybe then the IDF will meet Hamas attacks, and the IDF is
prepared for that.
GOLODRYGA: Jonathan, it is amazing to have even gotten to stage one here and to see that these hostages will be reunited finally after two horrific
years with their family members, that civilians in Gaza can get some quiet now and semblance of building their lives back together and the
humanitarian aid that they need.
But in terms of phase two, Hamas has not agreed to laying down its arms. In fact, even now, they've deployed their own internal security forces in
areas where Israel has already pulled out, even though Israel still controls about 53 percent of the enclave. So, I don't know who these
internal security forces are.
But going forward, I mean, isn't realistic to assume that you could see international Arab peacekeepers inside of Gaza patrolling the streets? Or
is this something that you think ultimately, if things derail, will fall on the IDF again to resume fighting, and as we know, that is not something
that President Trump wants to see happen or anybody in the world really wants to see happen at this point?
CONRICUS: Yes. I mean, you speak of the hostages, and I think you're one of very, very few journalists who really have followed this issue. I think
when you speak about human suffering on both sides of the border, it is genuine. And, yes, it is a very happy moment in Israel to finally,
hopefully, have our brothers and sister back home.
About, you know, the chances, I've been saying and tweeting and -- and, you know, speaking about this, that Hamas is a jihadi terrorist organization,
which whole creed, is about the destruction of the state of Israel.
Therefore, I agree with the premise of what you're saying. It is indeed difficult to envision that Hamas will lay down their weapons. But I think
what, you know, the -- the -- the core of the agreement, the end of the war agreement that President Trump formulated, there's the publicly available
document, which everybody has seen based on Israeli media. And then there are the not available hidden or confidential writers to the agreement.
Now, here is really where the most important matter is, because I believe and I understand that those scenarios, if Hamas refuses to do what they're
supposed to do, what the Qataris and the Turks and the Egyptians and everybody else has told them to do, if they refuse to disarm, if they
refuse to relinquish control over Gaza, and if they try to continue to establish control, then there will be kinetic countermeasures.
Now, I agree, yes, we do not want to go back to war. That's pretty, pretty clear. There are perhaps some parts of Israeli society who would or
politicians. But at the end of the day, the Israeli population, the nation is battle-wary, and we would really want to get on with life, rebuilding,
recovering, tending to our more than 7,000 wounded soldiers, and really going on with doing what we want to do, and that is to live.
But if Hamas refuses, if they renege on the deal, then there are consequences. And I believe that they have been established ahead of time
with between the U.S. and Israel.
ASHER: Jonathan Conricus, live for us. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Jonathan.
CONRICUS: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come on "One World" U.S. stocks tumble after the latest comments from the U.S. President about China. We'll fill you in on
what he said, as well as your top business headline. That's coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:05]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's get a check on how the U.S. markets are doing. Last time we checked, all down, red arrows. The DOW down one percent. S&P
500, down 1.5 percent. And NASDAQ, a little over two percent.
ASHER: Yes. The threat of another massive tariff increase on China is one of the reasons why stocks are down today.
President Trump blasted Chinese leader Xi Jinping on social media, threatening economic retaliation and made a dispute over rare earth
minerals. Trump said he doesn't see the need to meet with Xi later this month as previously planned.
GOLODRYGA: The Trump administration has proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on routes to and from the United States. U.S.
airlines have long argued that Chinese carriers have an advantage with shorter flights unless fuel consumed. Russia has banned U.S. carriers from
flying over its airspace since after the war on Ukraine began in 2022.
ASHER: And the Trump administration has finalized plans to provide a $20 billion lifeline to Argentina. It is the latest step in trying to stabilize
the country's financial market.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. directly purchased Argentine pesos but didn't specify how many.
GOLODRYGA: And back to China now where the NBA has returned after a six- year exile. The league was essentially banned in 2019 after a team manager voiced his support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
But the relationship between the NBA and China is seemingly back on good terms. CNN's Ivan Watson was in Macao with all the excitement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: The NBA is back in China after six years of effectively being banned from here. And you can feel the enthusiasm here at this enormous
casino in Macao as fans of the NBA have come into this pavilion.
And the NBA has pulled out all the stops. It's got stars who've come here and people seem positively giddy.
I spoke with a dad who has spent thousands of U.S. dollars on tickets for the sold-out pregame that's going to be taking place here between the
Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets. And he says that people in China are crazy about basketball.
So this is a big deal, the NBA coming back to China.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WATSON: Huge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huge. We hope that NBA can come every year. So they don't have any jet lag.
WATSON: The NBA was effectively kicked out of China in 2019 because of a tweet at the time the general manager of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey.
He posted in support of protesters in Hong Kong during what had been a year of a political unrest there.
The Chinese government didn't like it and the NBA was no longer welcome here. So that's part of why this is such a big deal. For the first time in
six years, NBA teams coming to play again in China.
[12:50:01]
And there are hundreds of millions of Chinese fans, hundreds of millions of Chinese basketball players. So, if the NBA and China are to continue this
potentially very lucrative relationship, there are a lot of potential political and cultural minefields that they will have to navigate.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Macao.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still ahead for us, meet some seniors in the U.S. Midwest who are making the most of their third act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had the young phase, these buck wild, we had the work phase, family and kids. Now this is our time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: This is Bianna and I in 20 years from now. We're going to be doing sister.
Age is certainly not slowing them down as they strut their stuff up and down the runway.
GOLODRYGA: Look at her.
ASHER: That's me. That's me, girl.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Cool cats on the catwalk. That's a group of seniors in Detroit who are stepping out and strutting their stuff to show that age
truly is just a number.
ASHER: That's what I keep telling myself all the time.
Meghan Daniels with CNN affiliate WXYZ has this timeless story of sass and class.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women and men can carry themselves with dignity and charisma and poise at any age in life. It's just a matter of attitude.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please ready for the evening affair.
MEGHAN DANIELS, REPORTER, WXYZ CHANNEL 7 (voice-over): That attitude was on full display with models bringing plenty of energy and even more saas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come out and see that we still got it.
DANIELS (voice-over): And they definitely still do. For many, this runway isn't just about fashion, it's about celebrating life, laughter, and the
joy that comes with aging.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had the young phase, and these buck wild, we had the work phase, family and kids. Now this is our time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are so many adventures that are available to us and this is the opportunity to see this as another adventure.
DANIELS (voice-over): A chance to shine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the (INAUDIBLE).
DANIELS (voice-over): And to change how society sees aging.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Society needs to embrace the contributions of older adults because aging is just a number. Oftentimes, we don't recognize the
beauty of older adults. And this is a wonderful opportunity to see older adults in their finest.
[12:55:59]
DANIELS (voice-over): Guests at the fashion show and members of the board of the Detroit Area Agency on Aging say, it's important to celebrate the
gift of a long life. And redefine what it means to grow older.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are trying to combat the stereotype that somehow aging is a miserable thing to do. It is a wonderful thing to do. It is
healthy. It's a blessing.
DANIELS (voice-over): The proceeds of the gala will go towards supporting the Detroit Area Agency on Aging's mission to support local seniors with
education and resources to thrive.
We will have more information on their mission on wxyz.com.
On the West Side, Meghan Daniels, 7 News Detroit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: You want to start planning now?
ASHER: Well, I just booked my flight. No, but those outfits, I was looking at like how young they looked, but I was looking at the outfits.
Incredible.
GOLODRYGA: And the confidence they walked down that runway with.
ASHER: All that sass.
GOLODRYGA: That's -- that's life experience that gives you that confidence too. So that's something worth waiting for.
ASHER: All that sass.
GOLODRYGA: All right. That does it for this one hour of "One World." Two hours, actually. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm going to be back in time a couple years.
GOLODRYGA: Exactly.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
