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One World with Zain Asher
U.S. Government Shutdown Could Become the Longest in History This Week; Trump Approval Rating Dips to Lowest of Second Term; Israel Receives Remains of 3 Hostages from Hamas; Turkey Hosts Ministerial Meeting on Gaza Ceasefire; Trump Considering Military Action in Nigeria; Trump Administration Skips World's Most Important Climate Summit. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired November 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: The countdown is on. Tomorrow is election day in America. "One World" starts right now. As voters across the
U.S. head to polls tomorrow for high stakes races. New CNN's polling shows the lowest approval ratings of Trump's second term and his highest
disapproval rating ever, as the president.
Plus, Nigeria, hopes to talk to Donald Trump as he threatens military action in the West African nation. And business leaders, innovators and
creatives are gathering for CNN's "Global Perspectives" on Africa today. We'll look at untapped potential of the African diaspora this hour.
Live from London, I'm Christina Macfarlane. You're watching "One World". Now the countdown is on. Tuesday is election day in America, and it will be
the first major test of Donald Trump's second term. But it's also a test of identity for the Democrats, with two very different front runners offering
starkly different visions for the future of the party.
Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, remains in the lead in New York's high profile mayoral race. Trailing him is Former Governor
Andrew Cuomo, followed by Republican Curtis Sliwa. Early voting is already underway and has so far smashed records.
Polls indicate that Democrats are also ahead in gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, where much more moderate campaigns are being run,
though the race is much tighter in New Jersey. And in California, voters will decide whether to approve a redistricting measure on the ballot that
would help counter Republican gerrymandering in other parts of the country.
Well Congress is about to crush its own record for the longest U.S. government shutdown in history. On Tuesday night, the funding lapse will
surpass the current record set in 2019 which also took place under Donald Trump. But lawmakers don't appear to be in a huge hurry.
The Senate is back in session this afternoon, but not expected to vote on any spending bill. And Speaker Mike Johnson is still refusing to call the
House back into session following an ongoing -- this ongoing now more than six-week recess. All the while, tens of millions of food stamp recipients
who aren't receiving their benefits, along with federal workers who are going without a paycheck, are facing growing anxiety and uncertainty.
Meanwhile, President Trump is indicating he's in no mood to negotiate by once again, calling for an end to the Senate filibuster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have helped and these government shutdowns in the past, when they came about and you did it by bringing them -- you --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I did. I am very good at it. I'm not going to do it by extortion. I'm not going to do it by
being extorted by the Democrats who have lost their way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sounds like it's not going to get solved the shutdown.
TRUMP: It's going to get solved. Yeah, oh, it's going to get solved.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How?
TRUMP: We'll get it solved, eventually they're going to have to vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're saying the Democrats will capitulate?
TRUMP: I think they have to, and if they don't vote, that's their problem. Now I happen to agree on something else. I think we should do the nuclear
option. This is a totally different nuclear by the way. It's called ending the filibuster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well upside down at historic levels. A new CNN poll shows Americans are not happy with the job President Trump is doing, the state of
the country or the state of the economy. The poll shows Trump's approval rating has dropped to 37 percent the lowest of his second term, with a 63
percent disapproval rate.
When asked how things are currently going in the country, the numbers are even worse. 68 percent say not well at all. And when asked about the state
of the U.S. economy, 72 percent say it's in bad shape. Well, 50 percent of voters believe the nearly six-week government shutdown is a major problem.
And only one in four of Americans surveyed approve of the way the president is handling the shutdown while 61 percent disapprove. Well CNN's Kevin
Liptak joins me from the White House now. And Kevin, just before we get to these pretty explosive polling numbers, we saw a clip of it just there.
Sit down interviews, as we know, with Donald Trump during his second term have been very few and far between. And this "60 Minutes" interview came on
the eve of a pretty seismic week in U.S. politics. Just quickly give us the key takeaways from that interview that we saw.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and you're right for as often as we see President Trump in front of cameras answering questions,
it is fairly rare that he sits down for a lengthy sort of in-depth interview like this.
[11:05:00]
And I think the backdrop was kind of interesting here, you know, for the president last sat for "60 Minutes", which is the sort of the premier news
magazine program in the United States, back in 2020 and he walked out on the correspondent. At that time and you'll remember, he's also sued the CBS
parent company Paramount, and they settled.
And so, this was all sort of a fraught backdrop to it, but it was a pretty in-depth interview the president answering questions on a whole range of
topics, whether it's the government shutdown which the clip you played, but also his deportation campaign in the United States.
And he was pressed on some of these images that we've seen in cities around the country of immigration agents deploying tear gas or throwing young
women to the ground or breaking glass in cars. But the president says that, in fact, he doesn't think that they've gone far enough, which really stands
in contrast with some of the polling numbers that we saw today.
You know, 57 percent of Americans say that the president's immigration efforts have gone too far. So, the president kind of out of step with the
majority of the country there. He was also asked about that directive that he issued to the Pentagon last week to resume nuclear testing.
You know, the U.S. hasn't tested a nuclear weapon since 1992 and the president's rationale here is that the United States needs to keep pace
with countries like China and Russia, although those countries too have also observed a moratorium on nuclear testing for decades.
But in this interview, the president suggested that Moscow and Beijing are in fact, testing those weapons in secret. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Russia has a lot of nuclear weapons, and China will have a lot. They have some. They have quite a bit --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So why do we need to test our nuclear weapons?
TRUMP: Well, because you have to see how they work. You know, you do have to -- reason, I'm saying testing is because Russia announced that they were
going to be doing a test. If you notice, North Korea is testing constantly. Other countries are testing. We're the only country that doesn't test.
And I want to be -- I don't want to be the only country that doesn't test.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: Know, it was kind of interesting hours before that interview aired, the U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright. And you'll remember, the Energy
Department is the one responsible for maintaining the nuclear stockpile, not the Pentagon. But the Secretary, Chris Wright said that these tests
would be systems tests that the U.S. would not actually conduct a nuclear detonation.
President Trump, seeming to say something very, very different. Now, he also hit on two foreign policy topics. One, Venezuela, you know, the U.S.
has been conducting this massive military buildup. The president says that he doesn't think that the U.S. is going to war with Venezuela, but that the
President Nicolas Maduro's days are numbered.
And then on Taiwan, the president was asked if he would use U.S. troops to defend that island in the event of a Chinese invasion. He doesn't really
give a clear answer. He says quote, you'll find out if it happens, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Read that as you will. Kevin. I appreciate it for now. I just want to dig in a little bit deeper to these polling numbers that Kevin was
mentoring. There we're joined by Republican Strategist Doug Heye and Democratic Strategist Antjuan Seawright. Great to have you both with us.
Look, we're at now one year away from the midterms. And Antjuan, I want to start with you first, the president's approval, of course here is down
across the board, particularly over the central issues of inflation, the economy, which, let's be honest, is getting worse by the day, with the
government shutdown.
But with these polling numbers that we're seeing, you know, 50 percent of voters saying this is a problem, only one in four, proving of the way the
president is handling this shutdown as we enter month two, what do you think this could spell for this shutdown continuing?
ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, America is a nation on ICU because of this failed majority, by this failed Republican majority, who
have the House, the Senate and the presidency in Washington. The fact of the matter is, maconomics has been a disaster for the American economy.
And so, voters have given the president and this Republican majority piss poor markings on that regard. And now we have this Republican healthcare
government shutdown, by which 18.2 million Americans in Donald Trump won states enjoy those ACA subsidies, as well as 76 percent of those who enjoy
those subsidies are in places that Donald Trump won.
And then there's there happened to be spin offs from this Republican majority shutdown that we're experiencing in this country. Now we have 42
million Americans who have not received their SNAP benefits, all because the resident does not want to come to the table and negotiate in a
bipartisan way with Democrats on issues that the American people clearly are on the right side of history on and Democrats fall on that side as
well.
MACFARLANE: And Doug, it was interesting to see as well that approval had dropped for the president over immigration. One of his central campaign
tenets is use of ICE for undocumented immigrants, I mean approvals down there.
[11:10:00]
But in this CBS interview, and Kevin just touched on it here, Donald Trump said this. Have a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think they haven't gone far enough, because we've been held back by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by
Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're OK with those tactics?
TRUMP: Yeah, because you have to get the people out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Doug, this raises the question, and no matter how bad these polling numbers are, will Donald Trump pay attention to it, and who in his
orbit is going to tell him that he has a problem here?
DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think he's hearing that he has a problem here, but this goes to the very core part of his base. His base
loves seeing these ICE tactics, and that's going to continue. What we've seen is the shift in polling here, when Donald Trump is talking about
border security, that's positive.
Voters, like hearing about that. But the reality is now that the border has been largely secured. We don't hear that much about it. We see ICE tactics.
We see people being tackled, women or children being arrested. Voters don't like that. They respond to that, and that's going to affect Trump's
numbers.
But also, let's be honest, everyone's numbers in Washington are terrible. Congressional Republicans don't have a great number. Congressional
Democrats don't have a great polling number. Washington is unpopular, and that's, I think, a challenge for both parties as they go into these midterm
elections to focus on, what should our message be, and how do we communicate to voters that we understand what their concerns are, and we're
doing something about it. Democrats are unpopular. Republicans are unpopular.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. I mean, Democrats' numbers aren't exactly where they should be, but of course, all of this polling for Donald Trump, Republicans
is going to put a bit of wind in their sails. And Antjuan, I mean, you could view this as a good thing for the Democrats, and while we know, of
course, that they've got this ongoing identity crisis, judging by the polls, it doesn't seem that that's going to translate into any deflections
at the ballot box.
SEAWRIGHT: Well, I think that Democrats on the healthy side when it comes to the issues that the American people care about, and where I think our
posture has changed from the 2024 election is that we're now on the offense talking about things that the American people care about, like health care,
like cost of living and affordability.
That's something again, the Republicans have failed the American people, including voters who came out in large numbers for them in the 2024
election. Now what I will caution my party is just because people are pissed off with Republicans and Donald Trump who have power in Washington,
does not mean that they are automatically on our side when it comes to showing up at the ballot box.
That's why we have to continue to engage and inform every single voter. Take no constituency for granted, but more importantly, frame the issues,
frame the majority party, and do not let the messaging come back to frame us. And I think if we do that, that the best days ahead of us are Democrats
are just around the corner.
MACFARLANE: Doug, one intriguing question this week is, of course, going to be, how might the upcoming elections on Tuesday shift Republican tactics,
especially when it comes to the shutdown. What do you think a democratic sweep in New Jersey, Virginia, New York could spell Doug? If we see that?
HEYE: Well, I think there will be a democratic sweep. And that's what I've expected all along. New Jersey usually elects Democrats. Virginia, by and
large, usually elects Democrats as well. A Republican hasn't carried that since 2004 in the presidential race. So, I expect them both to win in those
governor's races.
But Republicans aren't really going to recalculate here, especially when it comes to the shutdown. The reason that the House of Representatives has
been out now for an unprecedented six weeks is because they feel very comfortable with where they are.
Now clearly, now we're in a different phase post October 31st with SNAP benefits and other government actions now taking hold. That means the
pressure points are changing, but if they're changing for Republicans, they're going to change for Democrats as well. It's where I think John
Fetterman and some of the things that he's been saying very critical of his own party, really come into play here.
Republicans do have a majority in the Senate, obviously, but they don't have 60 seats, and that's what's needed to get something done. What is
going to be the pressure point to get 60 votes in the United States Senate? That's what we still have to wait and see.
MACFARLANE: Yeah.
SEAWRIGHT: Doug, if I can just follow up, Doug, if I can just say to you, November 1st is here. We are now a couple of days into November, and so
people are starting to window shop on their ACA subsidies. They see a family that normally pays -- a person that pays $8,000 a year for health
care will now pay 24, 28 to 32,000 we know that the SNAP benefit crisis is here.
And I think Americans have been clear and all the data I've seen, and I'm sure you have too that Republicans are to blame for this, the pain falls at
the feet and on the hands of Republicans. And when it comes to SNAP benefits, it's not just about the end user.
It's about banks, it's about grocery stores, it's about farmers, it's about all the SNAP community. And make no mistake, this is not a Democratic
issue.
[11:15:00]
This is a Republican, Democrat and American issue, when it comes to SNAP benefits, and Trump world is going to feel that in a real way.
MACFARLANE: And if I can just follow on from that, Doug to ask, because you know, on the day that we saw these SNAP benefits disappear, Donald Trump
was hosting a Halloween party in the White House, a very lavish Halloween party in the White House, which, you know, has been met with plenty of
criticism for the fact that this is completely tone deaf.
You were saying earlier, Doug, that you know Donald Trump is playing to his base, that he doesn't necessarily care really where the public sentiment
is, but doesn't he need to tread carefully here, given the polling numbers we're seeing?
HEYE: Look, I'm not a big Donald Trump fan. I've been pretty honest about that. I'm not going to get worked up over anybody having a Halloween party
on Halloween. I think there's so many important things that we need to focus on, whether you know, whether it's what's going on with health care
costs that are rising, whether it's what's going on with the economy, where costs are rising as well.
Whether it's a Halloween party or a demolition of the East Wing, we tend to lose sight of what's important pretty quickly in Washington. This is a
perfect example of that.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. All right. Doug Heye, Antjuan Seawright? So great to have you both. Thank you.
HEYE: Thank you.
SEAWRIGHT: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: All right. Still ahead, Israel confirms the identities of three deceased hostages following the latest handover remains from Hamas, an
update on the ceasefire after the break. Plus, U.S. Tomahawk missiles like these could potentially help turn the tide of the war in Ukraine, but they
may not make it there. We'll tell you why, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Turkey is hosting a minister level meeting to discuss the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. The foreign ministers from several
Muslim countries met in Istanbul today to discuss the next stage of the U.S. brokered deal. This as Israel confirms the identities of the three
bodies it received from Hamas on Sunday.
All three were members of the military whose bodies were taken to Gaza after they were killed on October 7th. Israeli-American Jew national, Omer
Neutra is among the three. There are now eight deceased hostages still remaining in Gaza. CNN's Paula Hancocks is following developments from Abu
Dhabi, and joins us now.
Paula, before we just get to that minister level meeting that's been happening in Turkey, the Red Cross confirmed the return of these hostage
bodies on Sunday. What more have we been learning about those identities?
[11:20:00]
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, we know that all three of them were Israeli soldiers. One was an Israeli American, as you
mentioned there, and they were all killed whilst they were fighting Hamas on October 7th. They were all in the kibbutzim just along the border of
Gaza, and lost their lives there.
Their bodies were then taken into Gaza by Hamas, potentially by other groups as well. So, what this now means is that there are eight hostages
still in Gaza. The remains of eight hostages have yet to be handed back. Now we do know that there is an Egyptian group in Gaza at this point using
heavy material -- heavy equipment, having the know how to be able to locate, potentially, these bodies under rubble.
So certainly, there are efforts ongoing. We know the Red Cross involved as well, accompanying Hamas as they are trying to discover more of those
hostage remains. The IDF Chief of Staff saying, as these three were identified and families notified that the mission isn't over until they
make sure that they have all of those hostages back in Israel.
Now, at the same time we have been seeing today in Turkey, that as you say, there has been a foreign ministers meeting. This has really been focusing
on the security of Gaza, of the governance of the future Gaza Strip. And we heard from the Turkish Foreign Minister giving some headlines of
discussions that had been ongoing, saying that as far as he was concerned, Hamas is ready to hand over to a committee of Palestinians.
Also pointing out there is no love lost between Israel and Turkey, certainly at this point, but pointing out that he believes Israel is not
doing as much as it could to ensure that humanitarian aid is getting into Gaza. It is an accusation we have heard elsewhere over the past couple of
weeks, and it's an accusation that Israel has been rejecting.
Now we also heard questions about this international stabilization force, so the force that is effectively to keep the peace on the ground in Gaza.
The Turkish Foreign Minister saying that those countries involved, or potentially that will be involved, want to see exactly what the definition
of this ISF is, first of all, before committing.
And they also want to make sure that it has a mandate, potentially a U.N. Security Council resolution to give it that mandate, and they have to make
sure that the proposal means it won't be vetoed by any of those with the veto power, Christina.
MACFARLANE: All right, Paula, appreciate the update. Thank you. U.S. Tomahawk missiles apparently won't be going to Ukraine anytime soon. On
Sunday, President Trump told reporters that he's not really considering providing Ukraine with the long-range missiles, at least not for now.
President Zelenskyy has been pushing for the tomahawk so that Ukraine can hit targets deep inside Russia. Speaking on Air Force One, Mr. Trump was
non-committal about what it would take for him to pursue more drastic steps.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: There's no final straw. Sometimes you have to let it fight it out, and they're fighting it out, and it's been a tough war for Putin, he's lost
a lot of soldiers, maybe a million. That's a lot of soldiers. And it's been tough for Ukraine. It's been tough for both. Sometimes you have to let it
get fought out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Clare Sebastian is joining me now. And Clare, this from Trump comes just days after the Pentagon actually cleared giving Ukraine Tomahawk
missiles saying it wouldn't negatively impact their stockpiles. So, is this a surprise?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, that information from the Pentagon was reportedly, and we've reported based on sources delivered to
Trump before his meeting in the White House some two weeks ago with Zelenskyy. So, he knew about this the last time he told Zelenskyy that they
weren't going to get tomahawk missiles immediately.
So, I think in that sense, it's not a surprise. I think certainly the information from the Pentagon that it wouldn't negatively affect stockpiles
got the hopes up in Europe, but those have already been dashed. And I think it just reconfirms that this is a political decision for Trump, rather than
one based on U.S. military readiness.
And Zelenskyy, you know, he came out of that Washington meeting saying, we're realistic about the prospect of tomahawks. Yes, they would help
enormously. Yes, they would certainly, I think, change the calculus in Moscow as to the level of U.S. commitment to the Ukraine as to how long
they can potentially drag out this war.
But what is also clear, I think, from the state of things on the battlefield, is that Ukraine is continuing with its own long-range strikes
without that. Just over the weekend, we saw an oil loading terminal in the Krasnodar region. An oil tanker was set on fire overnight this morning.
[11:25:00]
The Saratov Oil Refinery in Southern Russia, they claim to have hit. So, these strikes continue, and they are having an impact on Russia's economy.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, perhaps what's more concerning about what Donald Trump says, there was his comment about, sometimes you have to let them fight it
out, especially at a time when, as I understand it, Ukraine Special Forces are joining defenses in Pokrovsk right now. I mean, how precarious is the
situation there for Ukraine?
SEBASTIAN: So, it is getting more serious for Ukraine. They are admitting this, but what we're seeing is intense, not only actual kinetic movements
from Russia as they're fighting, attempts to fight, but intensive information operations going on there. They really want to paint this as a
victory, to bank this as a victory.
So, they are claiming that they are tightening the encirclement of Ukraine in that area. We know that there are Russian troops already in Pokrovsk,
but Ukraine is saying that it's counter attacking in some areas, that it's continuing to push Russia back in Dobropillia, which is just to the north
of that area.
But Pokrovsk, I think the bigger context here is, yes, it is a huge priority for Russia. They've made it clear that they want the whole of
Donetsk as part of negotiations. And I think this turnaround in relations with the U.S., the sanctions and all of that. That makes the prospect of
the U.S. pressuring Ukraine to give it up more remote.
It raises the stakes in this battle. But equally, they've been at this for more than a year. They have been trying to take this town with a prewar
population of 60,000. It's a medium sized town. They now have a force, according to Zelenskyy of about 170,000 troops in that area, that is, you
know, almost three times the prewar population of Pokrovsk.
It's 2.5 times the size of the British regular army. I think this reveals sort of the overarching sense of this war that Russia, you know, just
cannot take the territory that it wants to take, even with its manpower advantage --
MACFARLANE: Astonishing numbers, isn't it? Clare, thank you. Right. Still to come on "One World", Nigeria is a nation struggling with violence. And
now Donald Trump is threatening to bring in the U.S. military. Why he's telling the Pentagon to prepare for possible action when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Here are some of the headlines we're watching today. The second
longest U.S. government shutdown in history is less than one day away from breaking the all-time record. Meanwhile, the Senate is back on Capitol
Hill.
They're not expected to vote on any spending bill today. And the House Speaker is refusing to call lawmakers back into session amid an ongoing
recess lasting nearly seven weeks. A British man is facing 10 attempted murder charges after a mass stabbing on a train in England.
Police say the 32-year-old man was targeted passengers as they traveled through central England on their way to London on Sunday. Authorities do
not believe the attack is terror related. The suspect faces a further attempted murder charge for another attack hours earlier.
Lines for fuel are growing in the West African nation of Mali, this says an al Qaeda affiliated group continues its attacks, ambushing tanker trucks
and stealing government weapons. Mali's governing military junta is struggling to keep the militants out of the capital. Several countries are
advising their citizens to leave Bamako.
Search and rescue operations continue after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Northern Afghanistan, the death toll is rising as well, with
officials saying more than a dozen people are dead, hundreds more are injured. The quake struck near the City of Mazar-e-Sharif early Monday
morning, some damage was seen in the city's iconic blue mosque.
Donald Trump is doing some pretty serious saber rattling about Nigeria. He says Nigeria is not doing enough to protect Christians in that country from
Islamic terrorists. Trump has ordered the Pentagon to look into military action as an answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They're killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria, and they have other countries very bad also, you know that, part of the world very
bad. They're killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. Not going to allow that to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, Nigeria's President responded by stressing that his country believes in freedom of religion. And analysts say while Christians
have been victims of attacks by Boko Haram and other Islamist insurgent groups in the north. Most of them the victims have been Muslim.
Well, our International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson has been tracking this story. Nic, this has come as a bit of a bolt out of the blue, I'm
sure, for Nigeria, Nigeria's President as well. What is the reality of these claims by Donald Trump?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, it's interesting, because here in London today, the Director General of the WTO is in town.
She's the Former Finance Minister in Nigeria, the Former Foreign Minister in Nigeria. So very experienced politician and finance official.
And she said, look, this is a very complex issue. It's not just about religious issues. It's about other background issues, community issues, you
have resources, resource issues, particularly in the north of the country that tends to be poorer. She points and other officials have pointed to,
you know, the tensions that exist, the ethnic tensions that exist there, as well.
The tensions that exist between the farmers who traditionally farm the land and the herders who traditionally follow the moving cattle, and they tend
to be Muslims and the farmers tend to be Christians. So, there's a lot of underlying tensions in that area, but absolutely everyone from Nigeria
government officials and other agencies that look at the figures here say, without doubt, it is as you were saying, the majority of the country is
Muslim.
Majority of the victims in these attacks in the north have been Muslim as well. And what officials are saying is this language we've heard Donald
Trump using this before, perhaps he's going to get into a conversation with us. We're happy for the United States to support us, as long as they
respect our territorial integrity, sovereignty. This is what an adviser to the president said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL BWALA, ADVISER TO NIGERIAN PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU: For now, we are using Super Tucano. We haven't been given the opportunity to have F-15, F-
18 and F-22 and it is hard to get that from America for now. But these are the areas that we need that kind of, you know, cooperation from the
American government.
Our soldiers have the capability to deal with this thing. So, we do not require the American soldiers boots on the ground. What we need is the
apparatus, the equipment, the access to some of these things that will aid our own military force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:35:00]
ROBERTSON: So, it seems that they're shaping their response to President Trump's language as we're ready for you to help us. Respect us. We need
your military equipment to tackle these, Islamis.
MACFARLANE: And I mean, Nigeria can't dismiss this, because it comes amidst a sort of backdrop of a troubling time of intervention by the U.S.
government. It has echoes of the threats to Venezuela, the attacks we've seen on boats in international waters. What would be the impact of Donald
Trump going in all gun's blazing, as he claims, to Nigeria and cutting aid? I mean, that's been the main threat here.
ROBERTSON: This north of the country, and the Boko Haram problem has been a problem for couple of decades. And add ISIS on to that over the last decade
and a half, and they see an opportunity to try to grab land. Hark back more than a century to the caliphates that existed in the Muslim north of
Nigeria.
They're trying to go back in in that direction. I was traveling there with Boris Johnson when he was foreign secretary about eight years ago, before
he became prime minister. And Priti Patel, at that time, the Foreign Development Minister, was there as well. On the aid front, they were there
to sort of see what was required for aid.
And we were in the north of the country, and they were going to hospitals there, visiting people who'd been caught up in the Islamist terrorist
violence there. It was very clear that people in that region wanted peace, stability, that the fighting there was stopping them producing on their
farms, selling in their markets.
So, it was having a huge economic drag, boots on the ground. That's a huge proposition. 220 million people in the country, a vast swath of territory,
with the Islamists in the north of Nigeria slipping across the border, around into Chad, into Niger, around the lake of Chad there.
There's a broader Islamist problem in the sort of sub Sahale region. It's a massive area to put a handful, or however many troops in, they would almost
be eaten up geographically by the countryside. When I was there with Boris Johnson, we saw British troops training Nigerian forces to try to
interdict.
I haven't really noticed the change in the numbers of attacks substantially over that period they continue.
MACFARLANE: Yeah.
ROBERTSON: You have to make a massive commitment, and no aid makes it very hard for the population.
MACFARLANE: Yeah -- How closely the Trump Administration have considered the logistics the size of this. Nic, thank you. For more now on all of
this, we're joined by journalist Yinka Adegoke. He is the Editor for Semafor Africa. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm sure you were
listening in there to my -- what Nic was saying.
YINKA ADEGOKE, EDITOR FOR SEMAFOR AFRICA: Yeah.
MACFARLANE: Look Donald Trump saying radical Islamists are committing mass slaughter in Nigeria, and Christianity is facing an existential threat. I
just first want to get your thoughts on that statement and how all of this is being received in Nigeria?
ADEGOKE: Yeah. I mean, it's very much like your editor was saying that this isn't -- it's not ever downplayed the horrific, you know, number of lives
that have been taken in Nigeria, but they have been arguably more Muslims than Christians. This isn't a Christians or Muslims issue.
It is really a general insecurity issue across Nigeria, but it's particularly in the north of Nigeria is also an economic one, right?
Because people are fighting over resources and find themselves in situations where these bad actors, as you like, will come into their
territory.
And, you know, take over their land, or take over their resources under the guise of religion or what have you. So, you know, it's what's being
received well, the -- you know, ordinary Nigerians have enough problems to worry about without having to worry about the idea of, you know, American
troops coming into the country. Nigeria has no history of this, of course.
MACFARLANE: Yeah.
ADEGOKE: But you know, distraction from so many other public issues in the country.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. And we actually spoke to Nigeria's Minister for Information last week on this show, who echoed what you just said. I just
want to play that sound bite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED IDRIS, NIGERIAN INFORMATION MINISTER: Nigeria is not that bad, as it is said, yes, we have seen attacks on some Christians. It is true, we
have also seen attack on Muslims as well. But it's also wrong to characterize Nigeria as a country that does not tolerate religious freedom.
[11:40:00]
It's also wrong to say that everywhere is not safe in Nigeria. Nigeria is indeed -- a safe country, but we do recognize that we have security
challenges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Yinka, we know that President Tinubu will be likely meeting with Donald Trump in the next few days to address the threat. What are
those security challenges the minister was talking about there? Can you talk to that in more detail? And is it your feeling, that something
constructive could actually come from this with U.S. military support in the right way?
ADEGOKE: I think the Nigerian presidency has pushed back against reports that, you know, President Tinubu is coming to United States. So that hasn't
-- we're still to have that confirmed that there's been any changes, but they put out a statement at some point a couple of hours ago about this.
But aside from that, listen, just the fact that we're talking about this, and it's forcing the Nigerian government to, you know, sit up and take this
seriously, if nothing else, that could be a kind of positive outcome. I mean, what's really strange about this moment is it's because I'm here in
the United States where it feels like, you know, you get this kind of thing where America's cultural worlds are kind of going global.
Like, this is kind of a thing that conservative Christians over here, you know, in a kind of evangelical Christian circles. This is kind of -- these
are the kind of stories that they kind of talk about, they share fairly often, right? Like, oh, the Christians are being killed in this country and
that country.
And Nigeria has been at the top of that discussion for a while. And it was always only a matter of time before it got to Donald Trump. And the real
thing, problem with Tinubu Administration here is they should have been aware of this, and they should have spent some time, you know, just sort of
working diplomatic back channels.
MACFARLANE: Yeah.
ADEGOKE: To really get in touch with White House State Department. And sort of reassure them and work with them on, you know, trying to figure out, you
know, ways where they just don't get blindsided with the tweets, you know, over the weekend --
MACFARLANE: Yeah, because I don't think Nigeria have got a U.S. Ambassador in place, or a special envoy, or anyone that could have perhaps got out
ahead of this, as you say.
ADEGOKE: Yeah.
MACFARLANE: And I think as a reflection of that, the response from Nigeria's President and the government has been very careful. You know that
the fact they've said that Donald Trump has a unique way of communicating. How carefully, though, does President Tinubu need to tread here, not just
for his own reputation, but because there is a genuine threat here to cut aid assistance to Nigeria?
ADEGOKE: No, I mean, at the end of the United States, regardless of what you might think of it, it's still the world's most powerful country. They
you know, just this is what? Why this period, this time in history, is so unique, right? Because, you know, it doesn't matter what country you are,
even if you're another power, you know, powerful country.
You have to be concerned when the United States suddenly changes decades or years of policy or diplomatic approach, you know. So, when you suddenly
make this kind of announcement, even if you're in agreement with President Trump, you are -- if you're caught off guard, then you're having to, you
know, work it back and figure out, you know, move people around, all that kind of thing.
This is why it's so important for them to always be to have people operating in Washington, D.C., talking to people, because they -- this
moment, they also got lobbied by, you know, separatists in Nigeria who were concerned about their own issues and push this agenda. And then the then
the Nigerian governments are playing catch up afterwards.
MACFARLANE: Yeah.
ADEGOKE: So, you see there's plenty of opportunity here, but you just have to work, you know, with the gut, with the White House.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. Well, fascinating that you are there on the ground in Washington, able to give us that perspective. Maybe you can step into the
breach. Yinka, we appreciate you joining us. Thanks very much.
ADEGOKE: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: All right, leaders, CEOs and innovators from around the world are in London to discuss the world's emerging challenges. Hear from one
influential voice on the power of African diaspora, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
MACFARLANE: Top business people and thought leaders from the world of politics, economics and fashion are in London this hour for CNN's "Global
Perspectives" live event, the inaugural Summit is focusing on Africa, a continent increasingly seen as a leading indicator of global change.
My colleague Zain Asher spoke with Anne-Marie Imafidon, a British Nigerian woman and Oxford University graduate, about the power of diaspora.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNE-MARIE IMAFIDON, CEO & COFOUNDER OF STEMETTES: The untapped potential for me, across our family and in all the kind of networks and communities
that we're part of, is something that excites me, because it is untapped, right? I think we would be frustrated and we'd continue to be upset and
look down on ourselves.
If we thought that that potential wasn't there, if it had been proven for all the research and the studies that folks have done over the years,
African brains, these black brains, that African continent, that but the untapped potential, for me is so exciting, because there's so much that's
still being done, still being discovered, still being explored.
We're currently in this fourth industrial revolution, things like AI and all the other kind of hype topics, trends that I'm sure all have been
hearing about from previous panelists. You know, we're at the beginning of these journeys. And so that untapped potential means that actually, when we
are able to show up, when those systems do align, when we have the right kind of opportunities that are opened up.
The potential and the power that Africa will be able to have in addressing that, in filling those gaps. You know, a really young population. There are
so many people across the 54 countries tapping and stepping into that. I'm super excited about what will happen when we are able to not just take that
seat, but claim those seats and build seats of our own.
And there's so much space in this revolution for those answers to be brought, those solutions to be made, those things to be created in a way
that non-African continents and countries aren't able to think about.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR, "ONE WORLD": 100 percent -- There needs to be a much more level playing field when it comes to representation, because
obviously it's remarkable what your dad, Chris did. And even though, yes, of course, you can take your children and you can get them into Oxford at a
ridiculously young age, but at the same time, there needs to be systems in place that address systemic racism.
IMAFIDON: And that's why sharing our story is so important. Because I think it's not just showing it's possible to the untapped potential, but it's
also showing, when someone like me comes through the system, what am I able to do, and therefore, who are the other Anne-Marie's that we're missing out
on?
Who the Anne-Marie's we're not recruiting, who are the Anne-Marie's we're not paying properly. Who the Anne-Marie's that we're suppressing that
actually, if we allow them to fly, there's so much that we'd be able to solve in the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now, nations across the world are set to meet at the most important climate summit of the year, but the U.S. is sitting this one out.
CNN's Bill Weir explores what's behind it and why it matters so much.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
MACFARLANE: First time in decades, the U.S. is skipping the world's leading annual climate summit. The Trump Administration won't send any high-level
officials to this month's COP 30 in Brazil, ending a long U.S. tradition. You may recall President Trump withdrew from the Paris climate deal for a
second time earlier this year and fired the last U.S. climate negotiators.
And now the U.S., which is the world's biggest historical polluter, will have no meaningful seat at the table at the U.N. climate negotiations.
Let's bring in the CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir. And Bill, even in times the past when there's been a lot of skepticism around the
climate emergency, the U.S. have always sent some form of delegation.
So, what reason have the Trump Administration given for being a no show this year?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, no reason given, but it's in keeping with their message that climate change in general, the president
says is a giant hoax, green con job. Of course, the rest of the world does not agree with this and is going on with business as usual to
decarbonizing, try to hold global warming to at least some semblance of the Paris Accords.
But overshoot will go far beyond that. But even in the first term of Donald Trump, people were sent, if not only to protect American interests. At
these negotiations, there's a tug of war, a push pull that goes trying to come up with a consensus on how to deal with the biggest challenge humanity
has ever faced.
The worry was though that they would actually send folks to sabotage this particular negotiation. So, there's some relief actually, earlier this
year, there were negotiations around plastic pollution and also maritime shipping. And in both of those cases, the U.S. threatened other countries
with either financial, economic, you know, embargo type punishment or visa restrictions.
And so, both of those efforts failed. One was postponed. There was worry that they would send folks down to Brazil to do the same here. That's not
going to happen. There will be a contingency of American representatives. America is all in is an organization led by Gina McCarthy, who is Joe
Biden's Climate Czar, Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, the fourth largest economy in the world, expected to attend this Leaders' Summit in
Rio ahead of the big COP 30 in Belem.
They're trying to convince players that there's a huge amount of American might and investment behind keeping up this fight against climate change,
despite Donald Trump. But honestly, it's just so much harder when the federal government is not only laissez faire about this, but actively
trying to undermine the climate legislation in the United States, like the endangerment finding, which underpins all of these laws.
[11:55:00]
So, it is really interesting time to see if maybe more global support can come.
MACFARLANE: Yeah.
WEIR: In the absence of an American delegation, they're trying to gum things up or not? This is unsorted.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. And just briefly, I just wonder what your thoughts are on, whether you know, countries could strike a stronger climate agreement
with the U.S., not in the room. What are the chances, do you think?
WEIR: That's what we're going to find out. That's what I'm talking to some of these folks later today about what they can hope to accomplish. And it's
really hard to convince a lot of these countries that the United States is a reliable partner and is willing to make the sacrifices.
When you've seen the history of this. This is COP 30. You remember back in COP 3 came the Kyoto Protocol, in which the world agreed to finally do
something about carbon dioxide and all these super pollutants, despite active negotiation by the United States.
At the time, there was a lobbyist named Don Pearlman who tried to blow things up back then, versions of that through history now this is really a
test to see if these kinds of global negotiations can survive without the biggest most powerful country and historically, the biggest polluter.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, well, we will watch to see where this goes. Bill, appreciate it. Thank you.
WEIR: You bet.
MACFARLANE: And that is it for us here on "One World". My colleague, Bianna Golodryga will be back after this break with more "One World". Stay with
us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
