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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Signs Epstein Bill; DOJ Has 30 Days To Release Files; Trump Signs Bill Directing DOJ To Release Epstein Files; Delayed Report: U.S. Economy Added 119,000 Jobs In September; Paris Louvre Museum To Tighten Security, Install 100 Cameras; A.I. Teddy Bear Pulled After Giving Potentially Dangerous Advice; Humanitarian Crisis Worsens In Sudan; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired November 20, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:10]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: With Donald Trump's signature on the Epstein bill, will the release of the files be next? Depends on who you ask. The
second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Department of Justice has 30 days now to release the Epstein files. How much faith do you have that it will?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very little.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The Epstein saga has entered a new phase, and what happens next is really anyone's guess.
Also ahead, a crucial update on the crisis in Sudan. After a conversation with the Saudi Crown Prince, Donald Trump says that he's ready to offer his
assistance.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine a plush toy from your kid's collection offering sex advice, or suggesting where to find knives in the house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The A.I.-enabled teddy bear that has been torn from the shelves. We'll have stunning new details, ahead.
And later, in a word iconic, Princess Diana's legendary revenge dress gets an encore.
Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
We're in the next stage of the Epstein political battle here in the U.S., and it's one characterized by suspicion, uncertainty, and a demand for
speed and transparency.
President Trump signed a bill last night directing the Justice Department to release all files tied to the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey
Epstein, within 30 days. The moment marked a significant turning point after Trump tried to prevent the documents from becoming public for months,
only to reverse his position last week.
During a news conference, Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the DOJ would follow the law, but she did not say when the files would be
released, or whether any might be held back because of an ongoing investigation.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, along with Epstein survivors, are worried that the administration could slow walk the process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY ROBSON, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Of course, there's a part of me that wants to be full on happy, but I am, I do have reservations because, you know,
he's very -- he's become very unpredictable, especially with the Epstein files.
So I want to celebrate, but I want to kind of wait and see what unfolds in the next couple of days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Alayna Treene joins me now live from the White House. And, Alayna, Trump's signature does not guarantee the release of all the files.
As we have reported, they should be coming out within the next month.
But as you heard there at the top of the show, in an interview earlier today with John Berman, Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy has very little
faith that that will actually happen full transparency. What are you hearing from your sources?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Look, Bianna, when I talk to people here at the White House and throughout the broader Trump
administration, what they tell me is essentially that they expect most of the files and materials to be released. So, of course, that's what they are
telling me. We'll see if that actually is what happens.
But part of that is because they don't really have a choice. Yes, the president could have months ago called on the Justice Department to just
release these documents himself. He did not need Congress in order to do this.
But by having Congress pass this and also with such an overwhelming majority of people, everyone except one member, actually, one House
Republican voted in favor of this legislation. And the president is signing it, now this is law. And so essentially that means that the Justice
Department does need to. They are being forced to procure these documents and make them public to all of America.
And so where things get murky is as this pertains to ongoing investigations. The law clearly states, if you look at the fine print
inside this legislation, that the Justice Department has 30 days to release these documents. They also have to redact the victims' names and
identities.
[12:05:08]
But they also do have the ability to withhold some materials as it relates to ongoing investigations. And so that's where things are going to be
unclear.
Now, they're -- we know that the president just recently, just a couple of days ago, actually, called on the Justice Department to open a new
investigation into Epstein's tie to very prominent Democrats.
That includes people like the former president, Bill Clinton, the former Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers. And, you know, that could, again, be an
area where maybe we see the Justice Department argue that they can't turn these over.
And so, again, from my conversations, people say they expect most of these files to be released. But, of course, there are likely also going to be
some that are withheld. And -- and that's really going to present a far bigger issue, I think, for the Trump administration that has been unable to
dismiss this or brush it aside, despite several attempts, including from the president.
And even with this vote, I mean, he tried to take credit for it last night on social media. I would argue to his point that his post-encouraging
Republicans to get behind this did likely was the reason for those overwhelming numbers from Republicans to support this.
But I'd remind you that he had been fighting this bill for the last several months, including just days earlier, just last week, trying to stop this
from happening.
And so the politics around this are very weird. We'll really have to wait and see how much is produced, when it is produced. But again, because this
is a law that is compelling them, they do have to turn these over or they will face heavy consequences, potentially contempt of Congress, if they
don't abide by this.
GOLODRYGA: All right. And to your point, the president posting yesterday, quote, as everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and
Senate Majority Leader John Thune to pass this bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost
unanimous.
Once again, the president trying to spin this in a way that would favor him. But we have all been following the travails over this saga and how the
president has been hoping to put a close to this chapter without leading to this point right now.
We'll see what happens in the next month. Alayna Treene, thank you so much.
Well, for more on this topic, let's bring in CNN politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson. And, Stephen, you write in your piece today and describe
this as one of the most politically damaging weeks of the president -- of Trump's presidency.
Just talk about the damage that the president could perhaps continue to bear from this saga in the weeks and months to come.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. I think the most interesting thing about this is that for all we've gone through in the past
few days, the undermining of the president's authority over Congress and his own party after months in which he has been the dominant figure in
Washington, this saga still hasn't gone away.
Really, we're back where we started when Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi said, we're going to release all the Epstein files. And then they
turned around and said, they wouldn't. That's what caused this huge political conflagration.
So, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens. I would be very skeptical that we're going to get all of these papers soon. It may be the
case that many of them come out, but as Alayna was saying, there are a lot of caveats in the law and in normal Washington behavior that moves against
immediate disclosure.
For example, in the law, there's a clause that says, anything can be withheld if there are national security implications. And as you know, in
Washington, that kind of definition can be applied to almost anything.
And we have the question of how much do we trust the Trump Justice Department, which has become basically an engine of the MAGA movement and
Trump's personal political goals to play this straight. And I think that is a question that's going to be right to the fore in the coming weeks.
GOLODRYGA: Democrats have been viewing this as a win for them following on the momentum that they've been gaining from the election a couple of weeks
ago for governorships in both New Jersey and Virginia, obviously, the -- the vote in California, also on redistricting, working in their favor.
But there is an argument to be made that none of this was brought forward by Democrats when they were in control of the White House, when they were
in control of the House in the Senate. Is that a credible argument at this point, Stephen?
COLLINSON: I think it's a fair argument. I don't think it takes into account all the current political dynamics here.
Generally, the Justice Department doesn't release papers about investigations when people aren't criminally charged simply because it
could incriminate witnesses or identify people or hurt the victims.
[12:10:06]
Obviously, the Epstein case is much different because there are these real worries that Justice was not done here, especially after he took his own
life in 2019. And there was never a big accounting.
So it's a fair point. And I think there's going to be damage to Democrats when all of these or most of these files come out. There are going to be
prominent Democrats who are caught up in questions about were there relationships with Epstein appropriate, and did they know what was really
going on behind the scenes?
So, yes, that is fair, but at the same time, the president caused this by his political choices in many ways. He made it much bigger than it needed
to be. The question is still being asked, why didn't he release all these papers when he has the power to do so? It didn't really need an act of
Congress to force that to happen.
And Democrats will argue that it's distracting from his presidency. It has fractured his authority in Washington. It's made some Republican
politicians start to look to the future without Donald Trump, and -- and polls don't tell you everything.
But if you look at the polling on this, 70 percent or more of Americans believe Trump has mishandled this, and only about 43 percent mid-40s
Republicans believe he's handled this well as well.
So you can see how this is very corroding to his political authority after a year, and which has swept everything before him.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And this has been a scandal that's been, for the most part, promulgated by the Republican Party and the MAGA base too for a number of
years. And to that point about any sort of lasting damage that this may have on weakening the president, you know, he is, by all intents and
purposes, a lame duck at this point.
Do you think that this fissure that we've seen over this particular scandal within the Republican Party, within the MAGA base, do you think that this
could lead to or other divisions, and perhaps weaken the president within the party? Or do you think that this is a one-off?
COLLINSON: I think we're going to be able to tell. There's going to be a test coming up fairly soon because you -- you were talking about all the
Republicans that got on board and voted for this, especially after Trump said everyone should vote for this measure. That's true, and it was a
rebuke of Trump.
Now, if the Justice Department starts dragging its feet, if prominent Republicans on Capitol Hill start to believe that not all of the
investigative files that should be coming out are coming out, are they then willing to use the investigative powers of the Congress, oversight powers
under the Constitution to hold the administration to account and keep being a thorn in the president's side?
I think that will tell us quite a lot about the level to which Trump's authority has been undermined in the party ahead of the midterm elections.
And those elections are going to weigh on this as well, because, as you rightly said, this all started out as an obsession, really, of the
Republican base.
If lawmakers are getting trouble in their districts and their primaries on the Republican side for not pushing this hard enough, that could really
begin to create some more cracks between them and the president.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Stephen Collinson, thank you so much.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: And if you want more, you still want more. We've talked about it at great length now on this Epstein story, head to cnn.com among the
coverage there. It's a deep dive into Epstein's emails. It reveals the powerful network of influential friends that Epstein spoke to even after he
was convicted of sex crimes.
Well, a long delayed U.S. jobs report is finally out after being put on hold due to the government shutdown. The U.S. economy added 119,000 jobs in
September. That's better than expected.
But unemployment rose to a nearly four-year high. It is worth noting the October payroll numbers will be included with November's report to be
released next month. Ahead of that, the issue of affordability is making very big noise across the country.
A new poll just out from Fox News paints a picture of a nation deeply frustrated by the Trump administration's economic policies. A staggering 76
percent of those surveyed view the economy in a negative light. This is a Fox poll, reminder.
Speaking at a business forum on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump jokingly had a message about interest rates for his Treasury Secretary,
Scott Bessent. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only thing Scott's blowing in on is the Fed. Because the Fed, the rates are too high, Scott.
And if you don't get it fixed fast, I'm going to fire your ass, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Some uncomfortable laughter there. CNN's Matt Egan joins us now for a look at that long-awaited U.S. jobs report.
[12:15:04]
As we noted, the economy rather healthy, robust number better than expected. But it's an out-of-date picture. Remember that it was delayed by
six weeks because of the government shutdown. We got some questionable and worrisome economic news, the tariff debate and the legal drama over that is
still hanging over the president since then. Just walk us through these numbers and how significant they are.
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Bianna, we were hoping that this long delay, the September jobs report was going to give us some clarity on the
job market. Instead, we really just have more confusion and mixed signals.
The good news is job growth, right? The forecast was for just 50,000 jobs to be added. But look at this, we're well above that at 119,000 jobs.
Now, a few years ago, that might have seemed like a soft number, but a lot of things have changed and this is well above what's needed to keep the job
market in equilibrium. So that's a good number.
Here's the bad news. We learned that August was revised from a tiny jobs gain to a tiny loss. That means that really after a stretch of about four
years of uninterrupted job growth, we now have a situation where two of the last four months that we have data on, the U.S. economy actually shed jobs.
Now, the other piece of bad news was the unemployment rate. It continues to tick higher. Went up to 4.4 percent. That's not a massively high number
historically, but look at this chart. Looking at the jobless rate going back to early 2021, you can see it's really started to tick higher in the
last few months, and that is something that's going to get the attention of the Federal Reserve.
Now, when you look at the sectors and where the jobs are, look, healthcare continues to be a major source of strength. Another nearly 60,000 jobs
added in healthcare and social assistance last month alone.
Construction had been losing jobs, but this is encouraging. It added jobs.
Bad news, though. Look at manufacturing. That's the sector that the president is trying to prop up with those historically high tariffs. They
continue to lose jobs. Another 6,000 manufacturing jobs lost in September. That's the exact opposite of what the White House wants to see.
And relatedly, as we hear that imports are plunging because of high tariffs, the transportation and warehousing sector losing 25,000 jobs in
September alone.
One other point here, we're talking about the affordability crisis in the United States. This shows wages in blue and prices, the inflation rate in
red. And thankfully, we're seeing that paychecks are still going up faster than prices.
But really, when you zoom in, you can see that gap is starting to narrow. And, Bianna, I do think that gets at one of the frustrations here as people
continue to see higher and higher prices at the grocery store. And their wages are going up, but they're not going up dramatically right now, even
as they see prices rise. Back to you.
GOLODRYGA: And even a bifurcation among consumers, those that are earning more continue to spend. But we're seeing a -- a growing discrepancy from
those who are younger and are earning less in terms of how much they are willing to spend as prices continue to nudge higher as well.
Matt Egan, thank you so much.
EGAN: Thanks, Bianna.
I want to bring in Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Michigan Justin Wolfers, our good friend.
So, Justin, this is an out-of-date picture from September, still better than expected. The economy continues to be chugging along, it appears. How
much are you reading into this report? And I guess, equally, if not more importantly, how much is the Fed reading into this report?
JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC POLICY AND ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: I think this is actually a very important report. We're coming
out of a data blackout. So, figuring out where we were, even though it's back in September, really matters.
Look, I think Matt Egan did a -- a wonderful job describing what's going on and getting all the details.
So, let me take a step back. The thing that worries me most is the unemployment rate now is at its highest level in four years. It's at a
level that we hadn't seen since 2017, except for during the pandemic.
So, what's happened with unemployment, it's been a slow burn. It's slowly risen as a result hasn't raised the headlines.
But if you talk to me as an economist and you ask me for what is one single indicator, this best indicator for the health of an economy, I'd say the
unemployment rate. And if unemployment's creeping up, then people are finding it harder to -- to get by right now.
GOLODRYGA: OK. So, if we look at the two mandates for the Federal Reserve, one is unemployment, the other is inflation, where is inflation at this
point in terms of a concern for policymakers?
WOLFERS: Yes. So, the good news is, again, taking that longer-term perspective, we had high inflation during the pandemic. That's now behind
us. We got most of the way back and we got inflation down to three percent.
The big challenge all along has been what we've been calling the last-mile problem. How do you get from three percent down to two percent, which is
what the Fed's target is?
[12:20:09]
That's why the Fed is so very divided right now. Some people sort of say, if you look at it one way and you're squinting, you remove the tariffs,
maybe we're at two percent. And then others say, well, actually, the numbers are three percent and have been above the Fed's target now for
years and years.
We're not hitting our goals there. And if we don't hit our goals, that might start to become self-reinforcing. So it's -- it's a difficult moment
for the Fed because you've got both of the things that's worried about unemployment and inflation at uncomfortable places.
GOLODRYGA: And the conversation over A.I. and how much it is driving the economy, whether we were in a bubble or not, I believe just given the
NVIDIA report from yesterday, that conversation about a bubble perhaps is a bit premature at this point.
But the question of how much the economy at this -- at this stage is still driven by A.I. and what that means for employment going forward. I mean,
how much are economists looking at that question now?
WOLFERS: Bianna, this is why you're so good at what you do. A.I. is the most important problem for our economy right now. We spend all day debating
about the latest White House outrage. But what really matters is how is the workforce going to change over the next decade, the next couple of decades?
What are the jobs our kids going to have? What jobs are our kids going to have? How should I teach my students differently?
So that's the debate we're not having. So there's a few issues here. One is the short run one. In financial markets, a lot of the strength we're seeing
in the financial markets is mostly about investment in data centers.
If you've ever seen a data center, it's just a big room with a lot of computers. There's no people there. It's not a -- a driver of employment.
And it's less likely that it's going to drive broader prosperity across the economy.
And then the thing that's going to play out, maybe not this quarter or even this year, is hiring in these sectors for jobs like coders, for jobs like
translators, for jobs like mid -- mid-tier legal professionals, which are going to be eaten up by A.I. What jobs are those folks going to go on in
the depths to in this new age?
GOLODRYGA: And to talk about how much this is consuming the global economy, the fact that you had the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia sitting in the Oval
Office not talking about oil prices or production, but about A.I. itself speaks volumes.
It's clear that that is the future, not only here in the United States, but where a lot of economies are headed.
Justin, aside from your brilliant commentary and analysis, complementing the host is what makes you also so good at what you do and gets you another
guaranteed invitation down the road to the show, my friend.
Good to see you. Give our best of Betsey.
WOLFERS: All day.
GOLODRYGA: Take care.
All right. It's country over partisanship. As America says goodbye to former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. Past presidents, vice presidents,
and politicians from both sides of the aisle are paying their respects at his funeral underway right now in Washington, D.C.
More than a thousand people are attending, including former presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden, as well as all four living former vice
presidents, including Kamala Harris and Mike Pence.
But notably not in attendance are President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. A source tells us neither was invited to the funeral.
Cheney served as vice president under Republican President George W. Bush, who spoke earlier about his longtime friend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You did not know Dick Cheney unless you understood his greatest concerns and ambitions were
for his country.
Across 40 years of service -- across 40 years his service was consistent, faithful and noble. All in all, not a bad showing for a career in a life,
especially when you consider his sheer physical endurance.
As Dr. Rainer (ph) pointed out, he became an authority on cardiovascular disease and a marvel at what resourceful doctors and one very determined
patient can accomplish.
Dick had faced down fears and hardships, but he really didn't speak about them. Their reward was more of a life than he ever expected, including
seven grandchildren to complete the picture.
One of them Richard even asked his grandfather to attend kindergarten class for a show and tell. I wish I had been there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Cheney remembered as America's most powerful modern vice president died this month at the age of 84.
And still to come on "One World," details of a train collision in the Czech Republic, what authorities think went wrong.
Plus, brand-new security measures for the Louvre after the stunning October heist of the French crown jewels. But over a month later, the jewels are
still nowhere to be found. We'll discuss.
[12:25:04]
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELIQUE KIDJO, SINGER AND ACTRESS: Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you, CNN. Happy birthday to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Celebrating 25 years of CNN's "Inside Africa." We'll hear from five-time Grammy winner, Angelique Kidjo and Academy Award-winning actress,
Lupita Nyong'o, as they reflect on their lives since the first episode aired.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Well, we are following the collision of two passenger trains in the Czech Republic. At least five people were seriously injured with dozens
more sustaining minor injuries.
An investigation into the cras -- into the cause of the crashes underway, but preliminary information shows that one of the trains likely ran through
a signal when it was supposed to stop.
Well, the Louvre Museum in Paris is tightening security and installing 100 external cameras by the end of next year. This comes one month after a
remarkable heist, where four burglars made off with more than $100 million worth of proud jewels. Four suspects are charged for their involvement, but
the priceless jewels still nowhere to be found.
Joining us now is CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller.
A hundred cameras by next year. I would imagine those could have been installed sooner, but who am I to judge?
In the meantime, John, given that those jewels have yet to be found, this has been over a month now, what's the likelihood that they will be?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, there's a couple of scenarios there. And, you know, the best predictor of
future behavior is looking at past similar cases.
There's always the chance that the jewels will never be found. We've seen that in -- in cases, Bianna. Think of the case of the Gardner Museum heist,
where those priceless works are still missing.
But there are other cases. Think of the -- think of theft of the Star of India from the Museum of Natural History a long time ago. Similar case,
these were high-end burglars. They were caught within a couple of days.
And over a period of months, arrangements were made that the jewels would reappear in return for the robbers who were caught getting a light
sentence. They only did three years in this case. Is that a workable scenario here? Three of the four robbers, according to French police, are
in custody. The fourth is still at large. Do the three in custody know where the gems are hidden? Does the fourth have them?
[12:30:02]
Or have they already been passed to some fence who gave them to some technician to break them out of their fittings and cut them down into the
black market in a place like Antwerp? These are some of the unknowns, but there are scenarios that could bring this to a positive end.
GOLODRYGA: You've mentioned past high-end burglars. From what we know of the suspects thus far and what we've heard from prosecutors, that's not
necessarily the case with these burglars.
Now, it does appear perhaps they -- they had inside information from somebody who -- who knew the Louvre quite well.
But judging just by their lack of experience, I would say, or finesse, mistakes were still made. How did this happen? Because I get this question
from a lot of people about the Louvre in particular that makes it more vulnerable. What does make it more vulnerable compared to other museums
like the ones here in the U.S.?
MILLER: Well, Bianna, let's circle back to where you started as we were leading into this story. When this happened, you know, we took a look at
Louvre's security. And, you know, according to the guards, they say they're understaffed. They say a third of the rooms, including some of the high-
value rooms, don't have cameras. They say being understaffed means not enough people on the floor, but also not enough people to monitor the
cameras.
And a report by the Cour des Comptes, which is the French version of what in America they'd call the U.S. Accountability Office, really came up with
points that -- that they had outdated security infrastructure, a lack of outside cameras.
So a lot of what they're talking about doing now is the vulnerabilities where a bunch of robbers whose prior crimes had been knocking over ATM
machines and regular street crime suddenly appeared to be, you know, the pink panther from the movies.
They had two things going for them. They had -- they had good information, they'd done pre-surveillance, they had obviously walked through the scene,
but they also had a weak security infrastructure that they were going up against, and they knew what they were after.
GOLODRYGA: Even with the fact that they were doing this at 9:00 in the morning in broad daylight in front of everyone.
MILLER: With the museum open.
GOLODRYGA: With the museum open. And I have to say, even looking at this headline, I'm not an expert here. Why it takes a year to install cameras? I
-- I also don't know that that is so smart to advertise too.
John Miller. Always good to see you, my friend. Thank you.
MILLER: You too.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Sales of an artificial intelligence-enabled plush toy have been suspended after it was found that it engaged in conversation
around sexually explicit topics and offered potentially dangerous advice.
CNN's Steven Jiang has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Imagine a plush toy from your kid's collection offering sex advice or suggesting where to find knives in the
house. Sounds like a nightmare for parents with young children like myself.
But that's apparently what this A.I.-enabled Teddy Bear does. Its poor safeguards, really alarming researchers from U.S. PIRG Education Fund, a
consumer advocacy group.
The $99 Kumma talking bear integrates OpenAI's GPT-4o chatbot and it's advertised to be a friendly interactive toy that would bring, quote, a
little extra curiosity to your day.
Well, researchers found the bear taking its curiosity way too far. When they tested it by mentioning just a single sexual topic, they said the bear
would take it to conversation to graphic details and inappropriate instructions all by itself. Other potentially dangerous tips include how to
light a match.
Singapore-based, the FoloToy, told CNN the company has pulled Kumma and the rest of its A.I.-enabled toy lineup off the market while conducting an
internal investigation.
We've also reached out to OpenAI, which has reportedly suspended the developer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come for us, we'll discuss the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan with an expert, just as the conflict gets the
attention, finally, to President Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:43]
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
While the White House works on achieving peace in Europe, President Trump is now also turning his attention to Africa, saying that he will work to
help the war -- end the war in Sudan.
The president said he began looking into the conflict there after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked him to get involved. He later called
it the most violent place on earth in a Truth Social post, and spoke about his intentions at a Saudi investment conference on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And I'll tell you, His Majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan. It was not on my -- my charts to be
involved in that. I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control.
But I just see how important that is to you and to a lot of your friends in the room. Sudan, we're going to start working in Sudan. I didn't think that
that was one that was going to be -- so easy to do. We're going to start looking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The decision comes as the humanitarian situation on the ground reaches an all-time low, particularly for children. Aid workers say that
out of those accounted for who fled fighting in Al Fashir, nearly half are kids, many of whom are injured, malnourished, and some of whom are without
their families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHELDON YET, UNICEF REPRESENTATIVE TO SUDAN: Well, the numbers of unaccompanied children also continue to grow. As of now, there are over 200
that we've identified and those numbers are growing by the day.
The first part and the first thing we have to do is make sure that they're physically OK. We need to make sure that they get the nutritional support,
the health support, the emergency support they require.
Then, of course, we need to unite them if we can with their families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Time now for "The Exchange." Joining me is Cameron Hudson, senior fellow at the Africa Program Center for Strategic and International
Studies who has researched peace, security and governance issues across the continent and is describing the news of U.S. involvement in Sudan as game-
changing.
Cameron, thank you so much for joining us. I mean, just the fact that the president seems to have only been made aware of this crisis. This war has
been going on for over two years now. It's been described as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, a genocide.
[12:40:06]
There have been experts who I've spoken with who have compared what's happening in Al Fashir to what happened in Srebrenica. Nathaniel Raymond at
Yale's satellite program and analysis shows that there were tens of thousands of what appeared to be dead bodies there.
Your reaction first, I mean, I understand it could be a game changer finally for the United States to get involved, but that -- that it took the
Crown Prince to bring this to the president's attention in the first place.
CAMERON HUDSON, SENIOR FELLOW, AFRICA PROGRAM CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Well, right. I mean, I think that's sort of
unsurprising that there's been an advocacy movement in the United States and even from within the United States government.
People here who've been watching and paying attention to Sudan have understood that this is as bad as it has ever been in the country. And
again, this is a country that has experienced multiple genocides in its history, but we have never seen a scale or scope of conflict in the country
like we are seeing today.
So there has clearly been a role for the United States to play. I think that President Trump, not unlike other presidents, however, look at Sudan
and don't see the strategic return on investment. You know, Sudan is -- is in East Africa.
It is a country that has been wrought with conflict for the better part of its history. We've had over a dozen special envoys to the country trying to
resolve conflicts there over the past 30 plus years to know real success.
And so, you know, if you're an American politician, you might look at Sudan and say, you know, is it really worth the investment of diplomatic capital?
Clearly, it took someone like the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia to push the United States to play a more active role. And I think there is a -- a very
important role that President Trump himself can play in resolving the conflict there.
GOLODRYGA: I mean, just to hear of a humanitarian crisis, and, you know, one could describe somebody as -- as naive for -- for saying, you know, how
could this be viewed as -- as an investment type of scenario through the lens of some of the atrocities that have been reported now for months?
I mean, Nathaniel Raymond was adamant. He said he brought this issue to the U.N. Security Council six times and got no response. So the fact that the
president is finally speaking out about this comes -- comes very late and sadly couldn't have saved many countless lives.
But nonetheless, better late than never. How would you assess the effectiveness now of the president's comments? And what specifically should
the U.S. do? There's a lot of pressure and question as to the UAE's role here in supporting the RSF.
This is an ally of the administration. What should the U.S. administration do?
HUDSON: Well, I think we have to really be -- be mindful of the two conflicts that are going on in and around Sudan right now, right? And I
think the one that we focus on a lot is the internal conflict between Sudan's army and this Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group that are
committing all of these horrific atrocity crimes in the country.
I actually think that Washington is not particularly well positioned to resolve that conflict, right? We have emptied out our state department and
government bureaucracy of any Sudan experts that -- that might have been there.
We don't have a deep understanding of the -- the main drivers of the conflict that have been going on for many generations in Sudan.
But where we do, I think, have a -- a card to play is in mediating in this second conflict, this proxy conflict among regional states, all of whom
have taken sides in this conflict, whether it is the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar. They have all played some role in this
on one side or the other.
And there, I think, because of the president's, I think, unique personal relationships with all of these leaders and the trust that they have in
him, I think he's positioned to mediate this regional competition that is playing out in Sudan today.
Now, that doesn't help, I think, the Sudanese in the long-term, but I think in the short-term, he can bring about a ceasefire, he can increase
humanitarian access. And then I think, hopefully, we can create the space for the Sudanese people to decide on their future together.
GOLODRYGA: And can end the killing. I know that humanitarians are now looking at Tawila. I think there are some 600,000 displaced people there,
and some are concerned that that could be the next Al Fashir. Hopefully, with the United States finally paying attention to this crisis, that that
can be avoided.
Cameron Hudson, thank you so much. Really important conversation.
And still to come for us, a preview of a special 25th anniversary episode of CNN's "Inside Africa" Program. We'll bring you part two of a
conversation with Angelique Kidjo and Lupita Nyong'o.
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[12:45:32]
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KIDJO: Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you, CNN. Happy birthday to you. Twenty-five years now, now. Twenty-five years,
uh-uh. Twenty-five years of "Inside Africa." Happy birthday to you.
That I can't do. That's it. You see? Complimentary.
LUPITA NYONG'O, ACTRESS: We -- we both have our talents.
KIDJO: I love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: How do I follow that? That is Grammy Award-winning musician Angelique Kidjo, and Academy Award-winning actress, Lupita Nyong'o, wishing
happy birthday to CNN's "Inside Africa," which turns 25 years old this year.
To mark the occasion, the two sat down to reflect on how their lives and the continent have changed in that time. It's part of an anniversary
episode airing this Saturday.
Yesterday, we brought you a sneak peek of their conversation. Today, here's another.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NYONG'O: Five-time Grammy Award-winning, fireball queen of African music, Angelique Kidjo.
"Inside Africa" is celebrating 25 years. Where were you 25 years ago? And how do you think the story of Africa has changed today?
KIDJO: Twenty-five years ago, I think I was just arriving in France, running away from dictatorship, not knowing where the future going to look
like for -- look like for me, and being afraid of what might happen to my parents, because I didn't ask for an authorization to leave the country.
And after the first year, I realized the gift that my parents gave me. So 25 years, as you say, five Grammy Awards, is hard work, and Africa has
changed.
NYONG'O: Yes.
KIDJO: Drastically. Because if I have started my career today in Africa, I won't have never leave my continent. Because the technology will have
allowed me to have the same impact staying home instead of leaving.
NYONG'O: Oh, that's such an interesting point you make. Twenty-five years ago --
KIDJO: Yes.
NYONG'O: At this time, I was actually living in Mexico. I had left Kenya. I was 17 at this point. So my parents had sent me to Mexico because I was
born there and they wanted me to learn Spanish.
It was the first time that I realized how much my continent meant to me, because I had left it. We had both left.
KIDJO: Absolutely.
[12:50:00]
NYONG'O: We had both left.
KIDJO: Yes. Yes.
NYONG'O: And I was -- I was desperately lonely in Mexico, but I was experiencing this rich culture. And it was so great to see the contrast
between African culture and Mexican culture and the similarities.
KIDJO: Yes.
NYONG'O: And both, I definitely identified in like a zeal for family.
KIDJO: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
NYONG'O: I remember missing my traditions, my rituals, my people. You take them for granted when you're at home.
KIDJO: Yes. Absolutely.
NYONG'O: After seven months in Mexico, I was able to go back and finish my high school and be a child again for a minute before I went back into the
big bad world.
But we were both raised by quite unconventional parents.
KIDJO: Yes, indeed.
NYONG'O: And I mean we're from two generations, but when I hear your story, your parents remind me of mine, you know, in terms of like allowing you to
pursue the thing that you were most interested in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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GOLODRYGA: Date night for the Royals. Britain's Prince William and Princess Catherine broke out their best form of wear to attend the annual Royal
Variety Performance in London. It's the sixth time the couple has come to the event and the first since the princess' recovery from cancer.
Singer Katherine Jenkins kicked off the show singing the National Anthem. The charity gala raises money for people in the entertainment business in
need of care.
Well, a Museum in Paris has unveiled a wax figure of the late Princess Diana decades after she died in the city. The life-size statue showcases
Diana in high heels of pearl choker and that iconic black cocktail dress she wore to a 1994 event in London.
That event happening the same evening then Prince Charles acknowledged his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
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YVES DELHOMMEAU, DIRECTOR GENERAL, GREVIN WAX MUSEUM (through translator): Why now? I had the chance to go with the team to see her statue at Madame
Tussaud's London. And we thought that she was a bit lonely under a cherry blossom tree in front of the Royal Family.
And we felt the desire to reproduce her in a way that London could not in her revenge dress in which she was born again for a second time.
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GOLODRYGA: Diana died in a car crash in a Paris tunnel back in 1997. The city still draws mourners who leave flowers and notes at informal memorials
for the late Princess. Remember that iconic dress.
[12:55:59]
All right. That does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
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