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One World with Zain Asher
House To Vote Next Week On Whether To Release Epstein Files; Tensions High In Venezuela With U.S. Warship Offshore; Trump Administration Slashing Number Of Refugees Admitted To U.S.; Nearly 1,000 Flights Canceled Thursday As Shutdown Ends; Zelenskyy Calls For Two Cabinet Members To Be Fired Over Scandal; Race Is On For A.I.-Powered Shopping Tools; New Book Helps Kids Tackle Anti-Semitism. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired November 13, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:00:43]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World."
Now that the U.S. government is back hoping for business, the Jeffrey Epstein files once again front and center in Washington.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. New questions are being raised about the U.S. president's ties to the convicted sex offender along with renewed demands for greater
transparency.
On Wednesday, House Democrats released some never-before-seen emails between Epstein and others, including his co-conspirator, Ghislaine
Maxwell. Multiple messages mentioned Donald Trump.
ASHER: Hours later, Republicans released more than 20,000 documents from Epstein's estate, accusing Democrats of cherry-picking information. Trump
has denied anyone wrongdoing and calls the whole thing a hoax.
GOLODRYGA: And now that the government shutdown is over, House Speaker Mike Johnson says that the vote on the Epstein files release bill will come next
week.
ASHER: Yes. CNN's Arlette Saenz joins us live now from Capitol Hill. So essentially, this bill will direct, possibly direct the Attorney General to
release unclassified records about Epstein and obviously his relationship with Donald Trump.
Obviously, this continues to be a thorn in the president's side. Just walk us through his reaction so far.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, the House Speaker Mike Johnson has essentially fast-tracked a vote on a bill to release the full
Epstein files, saying that the House will vote on that measure next week.
This is something, a vote on this, was something that House Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House had really fought against for some time. But
Johnson's hand was forced here after a bipartisan group of lawmakers got enough signatures to use an arcane tool known as a discharge petition to
force a vote on the House floor.
This discharge petition required 218 signatures to compel a vote on the House floor on this measure to release all of the Epstein files. It was led
by Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
There were four total Republicans who signed on to this discharge petition. That included Massie, Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, as well as Marjorie
Taylor Greene. And this had really stalled for quite some times as -- as they awaited that 218 signature.
But that finally came yesterday when Speaker Johnson swore in Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, she became the 218th signature, really
unlocking and paving the way for this vote to occur.
Now originally, it was thought that the House would need to use up the full seven legislative days needed to allow the legislation to ripen. But last
night, House Speaker Johnson told reporters that it's now a moot point that the signatures are there so they might as well hold a vote next week.
Now, there's also an expectation that there will be a number of Republicans who vote with Democrats to release the Epstein files. Thomas Massie, one of
the lead -- leaders of that discharge petition, predicted that there could be a snowball effect and have a cascade of Republicans sign on with this
measure. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): The deal for Republicans on this vote is that Trump will protect you if you vote the wrong way. In other words, if you
vote to cover up for pedophiles, you've got cover in a Republican primary.
But I would remind my colleagues that this vote is going to be on your record for longer than Trump is going to be president. And what are you
going to do in 2028 and -- and 2030 when you're in a debate, either with a Republican or a Democrat, and they say, how can we trust you? You covered
up for a pedophile back in, you know, 2025.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now, even if this vote to release the Epstein files passes in the House, it would still need to make its way over to the Senate where it
faces a very uncertain future. It's still unclear whether Senate Majority Leader John Thune would bring this bill up for a vote, and then they would
need 60 senators total in order to advance this measure.
It is expensive in the Senate. Democrats would be on board with this, but whether they could get the few Republicans needed is really very unclear.
But all of this episode really highlights some of the agitation within the Republican Party around this issue relating to the Epstein files, something
that some have pushed for since the summer, but Johnson and the White House have really tried to resist. Johnson now saying he will allow that vote to
move forward next week.
[12:05:06]
ASHER: All right. Arlette Saenz live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Another news, British journalist Sami Hamdi is back in the United Kingdom after spending 18 days in ICE detention in the United
States. The London-based commentator says that he was detained for speaking out against Israel's war in Gaza. He was taken into custody at San
Francisco International Airport one day after he spoke at a gala for the Council on American Islamic Relations.
ASHER: The U.S. Immigration Authority say that Hamdi was detained for overstaying his U.S. visa. However, Hamdi and his team argue that he was
actually in the U.S. on a valid visa. For more than two weeks, Hamdi says, he endured harsh conditions inside the facility and was kept in shackles
despite never being charged with a crime.
Hamdi is one of the latest pro-Palestinian foreign nationals whose visas were revoked by the Trump administration.
GOLODRYGA: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that America's recent military strikes in the Caribbean did not come up during his meeting with
G7 foreign ministers in Canada this week.
ASHER: Yes. Rubio was asked about European concerns regarding the attacks on alleged drug boats and the recent deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier
to the Caribbean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I don't think that the European Union gets to determine what international law is. They certainly don't get to
determine is how the United States defends its national security.
I do find it interesting that all these countries want us to send, you know, and supply, for example, nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles to defend
Europe. But when the United States positions aircraft carriers in our hemisphere where we live somehow, that's a problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, there are concerns in Venezuela that the U.S. could be trying to engineer regime change.
CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon is in Caracas with the very latest from there.
We've heard from President Maduro saying that he is perhaps days from calling up the military forces there in preparation for what he views as a
potential coup attempt here from the United States. How are ordinary Venezuelans responding?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, today, Bianna, is the day that we are seeing the -- the arrival in force of some of the Maduro supporters,
which is frankly something that we haven't seen in the last few weeks and in the last few months on this side right here in Venezuela in October.
We've come a little bit far away because, of course, there is a march just behind my back. And I -- I -- so it's here to avoid sound of the march
that's coming to the mic. It would be a Latin American political march, by the way, Bianna -- Zain and Bianna, that it -- if it is really loud.
However, it's a day where the government is trying to rally some of its troop. We've been here for about an hour now. We've spoken with a few of
the -- of the protesters -- of the -- of the supporters of the Nicolas Maduro right now, sorry. And they are from all over Venezuela, some of them
are from the state of Zulia, some of them are from the state of Tachira, of Aragua. Different states of Venezuela all converging into Caracas in a show
of support for Nicolas Maduro.
We understand that Maduro is deeply unpopular, of course, in Venezuela but he still has a base of supporters. And today, we're going to see these days
taking out to the streets of Caracas. Yes?
GOLODRYGA: Stefano Pozzebon, I think you had said you may be having difficulty for us to hear you, given the loudspeaker there behind you and
what appears to be a government sanctioned march or protest in support of the current Maduro regime.
It's very difficult for us to hear, but it's clear that you are in the middle of a lot of action that's about to begin. So we'll be checking in
with you later, but thank you so much for giving us a sense of, in response to the answer to my question, how are Venezuelans responding. I think -- I
think we've got firsthand view of what they are doing right now.
Thank you so much, Stefano.
ASHER: Thank you, Stefano.
All right. To get the Trump administration's view on the situation in Latin America, as well as other foreign policy issues, including the tension, the
ICE attention of British journalist Sami Hamdi as well, we're joined live now by Tommy Pigott. He is the principal deputy spokesperson for the U.S.
State Department. Thank you so much for being with us.
As I mentioned, I do want to start with the detention and obviously subsequent release two weeks later of British journalist, Sami Hamdi.
Immigration authorities in the United States are essentially saying that he overstayed his visa.
Just walk us through specifics of that. Because obviously he's denying that, his lawyers are denying that. When was he supposed to leave the
United States? And are you willing to publish evidence that he did overstay his visa?
TOMMY PIGOTT, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Well, two quick things on this. First, I'm not permitted for my -- my situation
here and talk about specific cases. And on specifics of deportation in any event would refer you to DHS.
But from the State Department's perspective, what I can say is that under the previous administration, we saw an abuse of our immigration system. We
saw an abuse of our immigration laws. We saw the worst border crisis in U.S. history.
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And so under this administration, we have been clear that we are going to enforce our immigration laws. We are going to secure the border. From the
State Department, that manifests itself when it comes to visa revocations, for example, when we see people break our laws. When we see people act in
ways that contradict the terms of their visa, acting to correct that, and they may see that visa revoked.
So we've been very clear that border security is a high priority for this administration. It's essential to our national security, and we are going
to enforce our immigration laws.
ASHER: But -- but he's -- he's saying that he did not overstay his visa. So just in terms of any evidence, any evidence that he did overstay his visa,
are you willing to publish that evidence? Because his lawyers are saying something different here.
PIGOTT: Well, again, I'm not permitted to speak on specific cases, and would refer you to DHS for more information on specific deportations.
But again, to reinforce, we are going to enforce our immigration laws. We have brought the abuse of our immigration system to an end. We are securing
our border. We're revoking visas when appropriate in line with our national security. And we're continuing that process here. It is a high priority.
Every single one of these decisions is a national security decision, and the American people want us to take that seriousness, want us to hold this
responsibility as seriously as we are taking it now in this administration.
GOLODRYGA: If I could go back to the report there from our colleague, Stefan Pozzebon, from the streets of Caracas, and what is happening in the
Western hemisphere, we now have deployed the USS Gerald Ford. That is the most sophisticated nuclear power aircraft carrier that this country
produces.
We have the largest military presence in the region since the invasion of Panama back in 1989. We've reported now for weeks on the number of strikes
on what the United States is deeming narco-terrorist boats and ships, though once again not providing direct evidence of that.
There is a lot of concern, not just in Latin America, but around the world, even some of our closest allies, including the United Kingdom, we've
reported, has stopped sharing intelligence as it relates to this region about the possibility that the United States is preparing for regime change
in Venezuela.
Is the United States doing just that? And if not, why can't the USA explicitly that?
PIGOTT: Well, the United States, as the secretary and the president have made clear, is engaged in a counter narco-terrorist operation. That is what
we are currently engaged in.
The important number to remember here is 25,000. Every single one of those boats represents 25,000 Americans that could be poisoned by the deadly
drugs that narco-terrorists are trying to sneak into this country.
There is a whole-of-government approach to stop the flow of deadly drugs into our country, and that is part of that. When we're talking about the
region in general, the Secretary has traveled numerous times to our region. And there is an enthusiasm across our region with our allies and partners
to partner with us to combat these narco-terrorists, to stop the flow of illegal migration, which narco-terrorists follow in order to -- to -- to
conduct their illicit activities.
There is an enthusiasm from a security perspective, from a perspective of ending illegal migration. We're seeing that across our region. And the
results speak for themselves in terms of the most secure border in U.S. history, when just a few months ago, we had the worst border crisis in U.S.
history.
GOLODRYGA: Absolutely, Tommy. No one in this country would like to see illegal drugs smuggled into the United States. This had been a problem that
has been grappling the country for many years. I think most Americans would support the war on drugs coming into the United States, but there are still
a number of questions that are yet to be unanswered as for what type of drugs the U.S. is looking to keep from this country. There's been a focus
on fentanyl. We know the majority of fentanyl crosses into U.S. borders through the Mexican border, not from -- not from Venezuela or Caribbean
nations.
But I do want to ask you again in fighting against these narco-terrorists, if that is who you are battling against, why then send those who have
survived attacks on their ships back to their home countries instead of to the United States where they could be further questioned? And again, why
the need for a nuclear-powered warship to go against them?
PIGOTT: Well, a couple key points here. The secretary has made clear that these are important in terms of a deterrent effect to keep these illegal
drugs coming into our country. He spoke to this just yesterday, talking about how, of course, we're -- we're securing our border in terms of trying
to catch these drugs when they cross our border, but also these are an important effect in terms of a deterrent effect.
On top of that, when we're talking about our cooperation with Mexico, the secretary also speaking to this. We have seen unprecedented cooperation in
terms of our relationship with Mexico. We have a great working relationship with them, and we're continuing to do more.
We're seeing that cooperation across our region. You mentioned fentanyl as well. An important context of this is the recent agreements regarding
precursors of fentanyl. Fentanyl, of course, as you mentioned, being a main driver of all of the overdose tests that we are seeing. Overdoses being the
leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.
[12:15:59]
The bottom line is this. We have the assets in the region necessary to defend our country, to combat narco-terrorists. We're going to continue to
combat narco-terrorists. We're going to continue to protect the American people.
ASHER: Tommy, I do want to pivot to South Africa. As you know, the Trump administration is only allowing about 7,500 refugees into this country per
year. That's a 95 percent decline from the Biden era.
When you think about the different minority groups across the world who are suffering and who are under threat, whether it's the Rohingya Muslims in
Myanmar, whether it's the Uyghur Muslims in China, whether it's the people of Sudan and South Sudan as well who have been suffering as a result of
conflict and -- and extreme hunger in those countries, why were white South Africans the only, emphasis on the word only, group to be singled out for
priority status?
PIGOTT: Well, there's two issues here. First, the refugee cap we saw under the previous administration was an abuse of this system, costing the
taxpayer tens of billions of dollars in a single year for that abuse of this system. That is part of the broader picture of making sure the era of
mass migration comes to an end.
There's no one that wants to be a refugee. And that is why we're seeing the continuation of life-saving foreign assistance where we deem its
international interests to do so, as well as encouraging other countries to step up in terms of burden-sharing to address these crises.
Fundamentally as well are the peacemaking efforts of this administration to end conflicts before they become conflicts or to end conflicts as soon as
possible, and then make sure --
ASHER: But Tommy --
PIGOTT: -- there's a longer term plans to make sure there's a piece of prosperity.
ASHER: Tommy -- Tommy, Tommy, tommy, why were white South Africans the -- that's my question, why were they the only group, the only group on the
list to be singled out for priority status?
PIGOTT: Well, there is a clear government-sponsored race-based discrimination in South Africa. Our policies are a response to those
policies, but you cannot look at this policy in a vacuum. You have to look at this policy in terms of all of the steps we are taking around the world
to solve conflicts, to get life-saving foreign assistance.
But there has been a clear, identifiable problem in South Africa about the Afrikaners, the government-sponsored race-based discrimination. And our
policies on this issue are a reflection of the policies that we have seen allowed to flourish in South Africa that are unacceptable.
ASHER: OK. Tommy, there is a difference between somebody being killed, who happens to be white or black, and somebody being killed because they are
white or black, as I'm sure you know.
When you talk about people in South Africa who have been killed, who have been murdered, there has been no evidence that the Trump administration has
ever provided about the motivation of those killings, and that they are race-based, that the motivations have been race-based.
Are you willing to provide any evidence to anything that you've just said?
PIGOTT: We have seen "Kill the Boer" chants being broken out in South Africa. We see legislation that is clearly targeting and government-
sponsored race-based discrimination. We've seen that clear as they are policies.
ASHER: The legislation is about addressing inequality --
PIGOTT: Our policies -- our policies are direct --
ASHER: -- from apartheid, as you know.
PIGOTT: Our policies are direct response to government-sponsored race-based discrimination. That is what our policies are response to. We have seen the
chants in South Africa.
This is not even an issue that is about a race-based issue from our perspective. What it is, there was a reflection of the policies that we
have seen in South Africa. And fundamentally, this is part of a broader picture here when we're talking about the refugee cap, when we're talking
about our foreign assistance around the world, when we're talking about ending conflicts. It's a broader picture from this administration about
ending the era of mass migration and then identifying a key problem where our policies are a reflection of the actions we're seeing on the ground
from South Africa that are unacceptable.
GOLODRYGA: What is the United States doing to end the conflict the worst humanitarian crisis in the world by the United Nations? That's how they
describe the genocide that is ongoing right now in Sudan. It has been two years now.
We've seen the images. We've seen the documentation. We've seen the satellite images showing the bloodbath and the reports of rape, of
indiscriminate killing of men, women and children.
What is the United States doing on that front? Because I know you've heard the accusations and the condemnation coming from many that not enough is
being done and not enough focus from the United States specifically on those directly involved.
PIGOTT: Well, this was a key issue that was discussed at the G7 with so many of our partners. It truly is heartbreaking that the images that we are
seeing out of this area. We are working every single day to make sure we're addressing this crisis.
In the immediate term, we're working towards a humanitarian truce in order to address the devastating need that is on the ground. In the longer term,
we are working to try to end this conflict, working with partners across the region that can each bring different things to bear in terms of trying
to end this conflict.
We're working every day and that's the highest levels of government, as the Secretary have said, are engaged on this issue. It's heartbreaking. It is
devastating. We're working as hard as we can to bring it to an end. In the immediate term, working towards that humanitarian truce.
[12:20:02]
GOLODRYGA: As you know, the RSF is being accused of being supplied with a lot of its weaponry from the United Arab Emirates, a -- a close partner
with the United States, the UAE has denied providing military aid. Nonetheless, one of the criticisms against the United States and other
world players is that not enough pressure is being put on the United Arab Emirates to end supplying aid and military supplies to the RSF.
What does the United States know about any sort of weaponry that the UAE is supplying and what can the United States do? Surely, there are resources to
put more pressure on the UAE to stop and prevent the supply of military assistance.
PIGOTT: Well, as Secretary Rubio said, we're not going to call out certain countries at this point through the media or through a press conference, as
he said yesterday, because we're searching for that positive outcome.
But let me say this. We have been raising this issue at the highest levels of government in terms of saying the supply of weapons to the belligerents
needs to come to an end, not only those supplying it, but also those countries that allow their territory or other resources to be used to
facilitate those weapons to enter that area.
It's an issue being raised at the highest levels of government. It's also clear that those that continue to allow this to happen, it will, at the
very least, reflect extremely poorly on them. But we are working every single day to bring this conflict to an end. It's an issue we've raised at
the highest levels of government. We are continuing to raise this issue. We're continuing to work to get humanitarian assistance into those who need
it.
ASHER: Final question for you, Tommy. Just a couple of weeks ago, the U.S. President threatened military action against Nigeria to protect the
Christians in Nigeria, who the Trump Administration believed were being targeted violently and persecuted.
Before threatening military action, why didn't the Trump Administration go through, A, any diplomatic channels? And second of all, if the Trump
Administration truly believed the Nigerian Christians were being unfairly persecuted, unfairly targeted, why not offer them the same refugee status
that you're offering white South Africans?
PIGOTT: Well, two points here. First, this is not a new issue that's been raised by this administration. It's not the first time that the president
has raised the persecution of Christians that we're seeing in Nigeria. They're -- they have been designated a country of particular concern by
this administration, which is a reflection of countries that, in terms of freedom of religion, where we have those concerns and are identifying them.
In terms of the refugee status, no one wants to be a refugee. That is key here. We need to see the persecution come to an end. And the president's
making clear that he needs to see this persecution come to an end. We need to see action to stop this persecution.
That's what the president is saying. He was very clear in terms of his truth on this, but this is not the first time we have raised this issue.
This has been an issue we have been raising for many, many months. And we need to see this persecution, this -- this violence against Christians come
to an end.
ASHER: U.S. State Department spokesperson, Tommy Pigott. Thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
PIGOTT: Thanks for having me on.
ASHER: All right. We'll have much more news after this short break. Don't go away.
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[12:25:38]
ASHER: As we mentioned a few minutes ago, the Trump administration has restricted the number of refugees to the United States with a notable
exception when it comes to white South Africans.
GOLODRYGA: The White House has made accusations of persecution against this group. And in a new episode of "The Whole Story," CNN senior correspondent
Donie O' Sullivan, traveled there to investigate these plans.
Donie joins us live now from New York. So, I think you did hear my interview, our interview with the State Department spokesperson who
essentially said that white South Africans are under threat and under attack. You obviously traveled there. What did you see, Donie?
DONIE O' SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And just to -- to level set here, I mean, the reason why this issue or this storyline in the U.S.
about what is allegedly happening in South Africa has really taken root here is that the Trump administration and sort of the -- the MAGA world,
write large, are trying to paint a picture of South Africa to say, you know, this is the chaos that happens when whites lose control.
Of course, apartheid ended in South Africa more than 30 years ago, but even to this day, there is still massive inequalities there. Seven percent of
South Africans are white people, but they own about three quarters of the land.
All of this is serving with the backdrop that in the next 20 years or so, the U.S., for the first time in its history, will become a minority white
country, which I think to most people doesn't come as a shock or a surprise or a worry.
It's part of, I think, the natural evolution of -- of what the United States is, a sort of melting pot, but it's really something that is
motivating a massive part of the Trump base. And that is why they are trying to paint South Africa in this way.
One person that's been very involved in -- in doing this, of course, is the world's richest man, Elon Musk. And while we're in South Africa, we spoke
to his father, Errol. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULLIVAN: America, in the next 20 years, will become for the first time in its history, a minority white country.
ERROL MUSK, ELON MUSK's FATHER: Well, that will be a very, very bad thing to happen. You want to see the U.S. go down? Why?
You don't like cars and electric cars and you don't like technology or what is it? Do you want to go back to the jungle or?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SULLIVAN: So, yes. I mean, that language is obviously quite shocking.
I found it quite clarifying as -- as somebody who -- who spends a lot of time reporting on these spaces on the far right. And then even in white
supremacist spaces, you know, there's a lot of coded language, there's a lot of dog whistles, but really sort of what you heard from there is this
attitude that I think is reflective of a lot of what we see online and what is sort of motivating a lot of what is happening when people talk about
South Africa in the United States.
I should, of course, just state for the record that, you know, the reality is -- is crime is very bad in South Africa. And South Africa has many
problems. But, you know, there isn't any evidence that those problems are - - are impacting people who are white because they're white, and certainly that they're -- are they impacting white people in ways different to black
people?
So, our documentary airs on Sunday evening, and hopefully it shines a light on -- on a topic that has really been discussed here.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. You delve deeper into what we had been covering a few months ago when the South African president visited President Trump in the
-- the White House and when there was a very heated and at times quite uncomfortable to watch confrontation --
ASHER: Unforgettable.
GOLODRYGA: -- between the two. And the South African president basically alluded to what you just said there, that crime is bad in general in the
country, and it's not specifically targeted against one race or one ethnic group in the country as well.
All right. Donie O'Sullivan, thank you.
ASHER: Thank you. And you can actually watch Donie's full report on "The Whole Story" at 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time on Sunday.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the government reopening should mean some relief, finally, for travelers across the country. The United States airlines aren't out of
the woods, though. Nearly a thousand flights have been canceled today, and these disruptions are expected to last until staffing can get back to
normal.
CNN's Isabel Rosales is at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.
[12:30:02]
Isabel, what are you seeing behind you? We know that people have decided, and my parents as well, they were supposed to travel to New York this week.
They decided to cancel their trip because they wanted to avoid having been told to just that once they arrived at the airport are major delays. Things
look pretty quiet behind you, but is that because travelers just change their plans or things are going actually quite swimmingly?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zain, Bianna, great question, first of all, and good morning from the world's busiest airport.
I've been talking to travelers all morning and they have also been pleasantly surprised to see this right over here. We have a bird's eye view
of again the world's busiest airport but look at this, look at all this space, all this gap. Most people would be weeping in joy to seeing a
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport like this.
I mean, they would take this any day out of the week, but this has not been the site here the past few days, and it's certainly not the case across the
board nationwide, as I've taken a look at FlightAware's misery map.
There's other airports that are not fairing as well, but you can see up there in the monitors for Delta. This is the headquarters of Delta. A lot
of white, not a lot of red, meaning, not a lot of cancellations or delays.
And in fact, as we take this downstairs, let me paint you a picture of flight cancellations across the U.S. overall over this past week with the
flights actually trending down, the cancellation's trending down. We saw on Sunday nearly 3,000 cancellations. Today, it's a third of that, a third of
that. So overall, that's an optimistic sign.
But as you said off the top there, we are not out of the woods. And that is because after a government shutdown ends, the airlines, they take some time
to snap back. It's not something that's instant.
Let's not forget, by the way, that the flight capacity is so cut to six percent. We saw the Department of Transportation, just last night, freezing
that amount of the flight schedule to six percent. It was supposed to be eight percent today and then increasing to 10 percent tomorrow to help out
with the staffing shortages with air traffic controllers understandably calling out sick because they weren't getting paid but still required to
come in.
So as I mentioned, I've been speaking to a lot of travelers. Hear what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOLA CHAFFIN, TRAVELER: I'm really happy about that for the people that are traveling for the holidays, you know, at least that takes it off their
plate.
METREIA WHITE, TRAVELER: I am happy that it'll get back to some kind of normalcy or just a little bit better before the holidays. I know it's
important for people to see their families especially right now because things are a little bit crazy, you know. You might need that comfort of
your families.
JUSTIN BATTLE, TRAVELER: Family time is so important and during the holidays and travel. So getting everybody back to work with flights and
airplanes is very important.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSALES: Yes. So what about the holidays, right? That's been the big question from travelers. We've spoken to airline insiders and to airlines
directly who say that it could take a week or more for things to return back to normal.
We saw Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary say that the hope here is that things could normalize by Thanksgiving. So knock on wood. We should be
OK for the busy holiday travel season.
GOLODRYGA: Thanksgiving exactly two weeks away.
ASHER: Oh, I'm actually staying here. I'm not going anywhere. You're getting anywhere?
GOLODRYGA: Well, we're staying here, but, oh, we --
ASHER: So we can't take advantage of that.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. But we want everything.
ASHER: What about you, Isabel, are you going anywhere?
ROSALES: Me? No, thank goodness.
ASHER: OK.
ROSALES: I don't have to worry about any of this.
GOLODRYGA: Well, of course, we were thinking about all the viewers that will be traveling for Thanksgiving.
ASHER: Yes. I'm from London. We don't -- we don't celebrate.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, it's worth your holiday. Two weeks from today.
All right. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much.
ASHER: We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:25]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.
Ukrainian troops are facing worsening odds on the southeastern frontlines. Russia has been advancing in the Zaporizhzhia area, forcing Ukrainian
troops to retreat.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. They got a welcome visit from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier. He thanked all the soldiers and admitted in his words that eastern
Ukraine is without a doubt a major challenge.
ASHER: And public anger is growing in Ukraine after a $100 million corruption scandal in the energy sector. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is
asking parliament to fire two cabinet ministers of an alleged plot to seize control of key state enterprises.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Among them is Ukraine's nuclear agency. Many Ukrainians say such scandals hurt Ukraine standing in the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INNA DIDENKO, KYIV RESIDENT (through translator): In my opinion, such scandals, first of all, spoil the country's reputation at the international
level, which is extremely important for us now.
And as for the mood of citizens, the moods here are different. Everyone's opinions are different. Of course, we are holding on, but of course, it is
clear that this is very, very unpleasant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The ministers -- the energy minister on the left and the justice minister on the right, both deny any wrongdoing.
GOLODRYGA: Ben Wedeman joins us now with the details.
And, Ben, we know that Ukraine historically had been rife with corruption, corruption charges, allegations. And this has been something that a number
of U.S. administrations had been closely watching in terms of the amount of assistance, financial aid that they've been providing to Ukraine,
especially President Trump.
Tell us more about this latest scandal and how President Zelenskyy is responding.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Bianna, you're right to point out that this is perhaps not the worst corruption scandal in
Ukraine's history since it gained independence in the early 1990s, but it certainly couldn't come at a worse time for the country.
Now, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced today that since last summer, the summer of 2024, it conducted an investigation into a scheme, a
corruption scheme involving kickbacks with comfort, taken from contractors working with the country's state-run nuclear energy company.
And this is implicated, of course, the energy ministry, the minister, the justice minister, a former deputy prime minister, in addition to, perhaps
most damningly, a very close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one Timur Mindich, who is the co-owner of the media production company that
Zelenskyy himself founded. This man is being described as the mastermind in this scheme.
[12:40:12]
And we understand that this individual, Mr. Mindich, who is a dual Ukrainian-Israeli citizen, left the country a few days before the
investigations results had been announced.
Now, the timing, as I said, couldn't be worse because, of course, Ukraine, particularly its energy sector, is highly dependent upon support from donor
countries. And this comes at a time when Russia is targeting the energy infrastructure of Ukraine.
And, of course, winter is on the way. So certainly, the fact that such a critical part of the economy has now been hit by this corruption scandal
has angered many Ukrainians, as we heard today, from people in the streets of Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVHENIA KYRCHENKO, PHOTOGRAPHER (through translator): The fact that all this is coming to light, that people so close to the president are involved
in such a corruption scandal, is simply appalling.
IHOR LAVRUSHKO, FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: I believe that the fight against corruption should continue both in peacetime and during the war we
are currently experiencing.
I think that if the president's office and the president himself take appropriate steps to quell the scandal and take a tough stance on it, then
I think that it will not damage his authority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: And we heard today that the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, spoke with President Zelenskyy.
And according to a statement from the Chancellor's Office, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would do all it can to regain the trust of the
Ukrainian people, European partners, and international donors.
It's significant, however, that in the readout we got from the Ukrainian president's office, there was no mention of the corruption scandal. Bianna,
Zain.
GOLODRYGA: That is -- that is notable indeed. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.
And still to come for us, you can buy almost anything with a click of a mouse or on your phone, but now tech giants are hoping to replace even that
with A.I. The race heading your favorite online retailers, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:09]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's check on how the U.S. markets are currently doing. And we've got red arrows. We've got the Dow down nearly one percent.
The S&P 500 a little over one percent negative. And the NASDAQ down nearly two percent. This is your "Business Breakout."
ASHER: A new Bank of America report finds that one in four American households are living paycheck to paycheck, spending nearly all of their
income on basic necessities like housing, food, and gas.
The findings come as President Trump continues to dismiss affordability concerns as a, quote, con job pushed by Democrats.
GOLODRYGA: President Trump says that he'll lower tariffs on coffee, a rare admission that tariff -- that tariffs raise costs for American consumers.
Coffee prices are up about 15 percent this year, largely due to import taxes on beans from countries like Brazil.
ASHER: Apple unveiled its latest product, the iPhone born -- iPhone Pocket, rather, born out of a collaboration with Issey Miyaki, is a knitted strap
designed to hold everything from your AirPods to your iPhone.
Some styles of the iPhone Pocket cost $230.
GOLODRYGA: Would you pay $230 for that?
ASHER: Probably not.
GOLODRYGA: All right. The battle of A.I. is now headed to your online shopping cart. Google, Amazon, OpenAI, Perplexity, and others are racing to
add A.I. powered shopping tools to their platforms.
So, how is this changing the landscape of online shopping? Our Lisa Eadicicco has the answer.
So, what is it about A.I. that's allowing shoppers to go ahead and I guess pre-order or order for them some of the items that they typically would
order themselves?
LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: So the big thing that we're seeing here from retailers and companies, there's really two approaches,
one is using A.I. to help with product recommendations and to make the process of actually finding items more natural and conversational, similar
to the way you would ask a friend. That's the idea behind kind of Google and OpenAI's approach to online shopping.
But then there's also this push to one day, as you mentioned, potentially have the A.I. agent do some of the shopping for you. And that's another
thing that it seems like Google and OpenAI are both working towards.
Google today just announced a new feature that can actually have Google call local stores for you if you're looking for a particular item to see if
they have it in stock. There will be a button under search results that you can press for certain items that are nearby to ask about whether the item
is in stock or the pricing or whether there are promotions or anything like that.
And OpenAI has also said that their new instant checkout feature, which they announced in September, is a step towards more agentic shopping, which
would be in theory have an A.I. agent shopping for you. And then the retailers are more using A.I. to kind of help with recommendations and
things like that.
GOLODRYGA: Unbelievable. Because we already have the ability for our smartphones and these apps just based on our previous purchases to let us
know when it's time to repurchase toilet paper or paper towels, right? Or if you like this type of footwear, maybe you'll also like this new product,
but this is taking it to a whole other level.
ASHER: Yes. Like please don't make buying clothes any easier for me. Like just don't do it. Don't do it.
EADICICCO: Exactly.
ASHER: All right. Lisa Eadicicco live for us.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you so much.
EADICICCO: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Coming up, how do you teach kids to recognize and fight back against anti-Semitism?
ASHER: I'm actually joined by two authors, one of them is right here, who have written a book about just that. Trust me, you do not want to miss this
conversation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:19]
ASHER: All right. Children ask questions, parents have answers, but sometimes, the questions are really difficult and parents don't have an
answer ready.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. You're actually explaining what happened to me. My son had asked me about anti-Semitism several years ago and I couldn't find age-
appropriate resources to teach him about how to spot anti-Semitism and what to do when faced with it.
So I reached out to my good friend, Yonit Levi, 5,000 miles away. And we wrote a book which is on bookstore shelves now called "Don't Feed the
Lion." It's aimed at children eight years and older. It's also a book we're hoping all of the adults in their lives read as well.
ASHER: And Yonit joins us live now. She's a lead anchor, an Israeli news channel, Channel 12 News and co-author of the book, with Bianna, "Don't
Feed the Lion."
Guys, I have to say, I absolutely loved, I love this book. And what I most loved about it was it was just so eye-opening for me to truly understand,
especially obviously myself, I'm -- I'm black, I'm an immigrant as well. But what it means for different people to be different, what it means to be
different in our society.
And, obviously, the kids in this book are battling anti-Semitism in various forms. You know, there's -- there's obvious anti-Semitism, for example, a
swastika being painted on someone's locker, which is very, very difficult to read about and really heartbreaking.
But there's also just your everyday examples of just being different in terms of, you know, not -- a kid not being able to participate with his
friends during Shabbat because it's Friday. It really gives you an insight into what it means to be different.
What did you want the readers to get out of this?
GOLODRYGA: Well, to begin, the book begins with sort of a bombshell anti- Semitic statement by a star soccer player who one of our protagonists. There are three voices in this book. A 13-year-old, his 11-year-old sister,
and their 13-year-old non-Jewish friend.
And when the star football player, soccer player, we have a global audience, says something explicitly anti-Semitic, there you see the
spiraling effect, where ultimately a few days later, there is this swastika found on the locker of the 13-year-old protagonist.
And as someone, you know, who is a minority in a country, there is this feeling at that specific age of, A, when are the adults going to do the
right thing and step up, because kids have this innate gut reaction of knowing the difference between right and wrong, but also wanting to just
fit in, and not wanting to be a problem, and not wanting to be different.
And I think the theme of this book is, again, this is not a book for anti- Semites. This is a book for people who don't address the issue head-on and allow anti-Semitism, not necessarily a swastika, but subtle comments,
comments that may offend other people, but maybe those that are stating them aren't even aware.
For them to learn from that, and to know that by not addressing that, that elevates anti-Semitism to a form of hate, where you do see explicit acts of
anti-Semitism.
ASHER: And, Yonit, one of the things that is, I think you both try to light on in this book, is that it is very different growing up today as a
minority compared to maybe 20-30 years ago because of the rise of online hate, and that is a massive theme in this book as well.
Talk us -- talk to us about that, Yonit.
YONIT LEVI, CO-AUTHOR, "DON'T FEED THE LION": Yes. First of all, I'm so glad that you liked it, Zain. I mean, it really --
ASHER: Loved it.
LEVI: -- it really makes -- it makes me very happy to hear that.
I mean, it really is -- you mentioned the fact that these -- these kids are dealing and they're 13-year-olds and they're 11-year-olds. And -- and the
fact that they're dealing with anti-Semitism, but also dealing with everything else that is happening in their own life. You know, it isn't
easy being a preteen or a teenager anyway, and having to have this land in their lap.
And, of course, one of these sort of stories that we tell here is how, without giving too much away about the plot, that the 11-year-old girl
starts to confront this online, and what she does, and what she reads, and what she's exposed to.
And I think that that magnifies a lot of what, you know, once could have been really in the margins, but now has been more and more normalized and
allowed to -- to perhaps fester.
[12:55:21]
And I think that is what we see. And when we see these spikes of anti- Semitism incidents in the United States and around the world, I think that is what we were so worried about when we -- when we started writing this
book.
ASHER: And just what I think to both of you, I mean, you're both women, you're both journalists, you both have kids, and you both wrote this book
5,000 miles apart. You're in Tel Aviv. That is -- you're originally based in New York right now. But in New York.
LEVI: Right now, we're a studio away. But, yes, that's a regular.
ASHER: I know. What was that process like?
GOLODRYGA: Yes. You would think it was an ambitious and crazy goal. But I have to say, it was -- it was quite smooth for us to work together. We are
both journalists. We're both mothers. We're very good friends. We've been covering a lot of heavy news over the past two years.
We would meet once a week, sometimes twice a week, for Zoom meetings. It helps that Yonit doesn't sleep. So I could call her or reach out to her at
any hour of the day. Israel is seven hours ahead.
And it was like a therapy session for us as we tried to address this. It's not a panacea, but perhaps it's just one resource that kids, Jewish and
non-Jewish and their families can have when addressing this gorge.
ASHER: Well, I will -- my kids are probably too young. My -- my oldest is seven, but when he's older, I will make sure that he reads this. Thank you
both so much for this.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you. Thank you for your support.
ASHER: It really, really, really, really moved me. Thank you. Yonit, appreciate it.
Bianna's book is out now. "Don't Feed the Lion." Come get your copy.
GOLODRYGA: All right. That does it for "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
