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[12:00:45]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are watching the second hour of "One

World."

International diplomacy in the spotlight in Washington this hour. The presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are set to sign

new peace deals in the ceremony with President Trump. The two leaders have already agreed to an economic compact and a U.S.-brokered peace deal, which

has not yet been implemented.

Today's ceremony, marks Donald Trump's latest attempt to cement his role as the world's top mediator.

Our team is tracking the story from all angles. We've got Alayna Treene in Washington. We've also got Larry Madowo live from Lusaka, Zambia, south of

the DRC.

Larry, let me start with you because one of the things about that we're talking just last hour about this conflict is that it is a really thorny

one because there are so many different factors at play. There's so much mistrust.

How much hope is there that these two men signing this peace deal in Washington could actually lead to lasting peace on the ground?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When I was in Goma, in the eastern DRC in September, the people I spoke to are optimistic that any peace deal helps

them, because they've been through so much war for so long.

However, Amnesty International's warning that any peace deal signs today in Washington has no impact on the ground. The people are still facing dire --

dire humanitarian conditions. They're still trapped in a war between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, Rwanda denies that, and the Wazalendo, another

militia group that's allegedly backed by the Congolese government.

So, even though the president of Rwanda, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, due to sign this agreement in Washington, the situation

on the ground has not changed since we're there in September.

I spoke to the leader of the M23 rebel group who told me that they don't trust President Tshisekedi, that he has reneged on previous agreements they

have signed.

And their intention as M23 and the Alliance Fleuve of Congo, the Congo River Alliance, is to go to Kinshasa to overthrow him.

And so they said, good luck to President Trump, but this makes no changes nothing for us. They're not a party to this deal. They are part of a

separate negotiation process that's currently ongoing in Doha mediated by Qatar. And that might yet lead to some peace, but in the months since this

happened, for instance, they've accused the Congolese government of refusing to implement the confidence-building measures such as releasing

prisoners in exchange for what the Congolese government has done to withdraw from the two key cities in eastern DRC that they can take control

of, Bukavu and Goma.

ASHER: All right, Larry. Stand by. Let me bring Alayna Treene in. Just talk to us about the U.S.'s interests here.

I mean, obviously, on the one hand, you've got Donald Trump wanting to sort of tout his role as a mediator. He's been keen to get that Nobel Peace

Prize.

But on top of that, there are serious sort of U.S. economic interests just because of the -- the rich sort of mineral resources that are found in the

DRC. Walk us through that.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, that's right. And that's actually what we heard, you know, Zain, the president discussed when some

of the foreign ministers from both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo were here at the White House a couple months ago, back in June, when

they met at the White House and, you know, touted the tentative agreement.

And one of the things that the president said at the time, he actually said, quote, we're getting, for the United States, a lot of the mineral

rights from the Congo as part of it. And when he was referring to the deal.

And so that is a part of this. And -- and for this peace agreement that they are expected to sign later today at the Institute of Peace, some of

the things that are in there includes not only the release of prisoners and the resettlement of refugees and new humanitarian access for some of, you

know, the millions of people who have been caught up in a lot of this fighting and in the conflict between these two countries.

But it's also a deal that is meant to attract billions of dollars in Western investments and also, in turn, provide a lot of potential

investments for the United States.

And they have been so focused. I mean, one of the key focuses we've seen of this Trump administration, thus far, has been kind of looking to help in a

lot of conflict areas and regions and seeing how they can draw, particularly, minerals from some of these countries.

[12:05:58]

That has been a huge priority for the Trump administration. I've talked to many people, for example, in the U.S. trade representative's office who say

that that is a big goal of theirs. And we've seen similar deals and conversations held around, you know, for example, the talks as it relates

to the war between Russia and Ukraine with the president and his team pushing for a minerals deal with Ukraine. So that's just part of this.

But to bring it more broadly, I do think, as well, the president has really tried to paint himself as a global peacemaker. And he's repeatedly touted

this tentative deal as -- as an example of that. One of the, you know, the many wars he says he likes to say that he tried and solved.

And so that's going to be a big part of this. But I look forward to, you know, we're not really necessarily going to see the three of them together

behind closed doors during this White House meeting, but we will see them when they travel to the Institute of Peace and signed this peace framework,

again, a tentative one, as we had heard earlier.

So keep that all in mind as we -- as we watch the series of events today.

ASHER: All right. Alayna Treene, stand by.

Larry, let me just bring you back in because the DRC's government continually talks about this idea that the M23 rebels are essentially a

Rwandan proxy. You obviously have spoken to Paul Kagame himself, and he denies that. He sort of -- sort of denies having any kind of control over

the M23 rebels.

Walk us through what we know for sure about how much the Rwandan government does control the M23 rebels, just in terms of military support, financial

support, you know, training from the Rwandan army, for example. What do we know for sure?

MADOWO: I asked President Paul Kagame directly, does he have troops in Eastern DRC? And he said, I don't know. I followed up and said, but you

have a commander in chief. And he said, well, there are many things I don't know.

He did say this, though, which is important. But if you ask me if there is a security challenge in Eastern DRC that concerns Rwanda, then yes. And I

think that's a wiggle room that is at the center of this conflict.

The Congolese government accuses Rwanda-backed, the M23 rebel group of training them, of supplying them with equipment, heavy duty machinery. And

that's how they were able to very rapidly acquire large parts of territory in Eastern DRC.

On the other hand, Rwanda accuses the Congolese government of supporting the Wazalendo. It's a competing militia group that's also accused of gross

human rights violations. They've done lots of horrible things in that region. And that is at the center of this conflict.

Neither of those groups are a party to this conflict. The other subtext here is that the Congolese government accuses Rwanda of essentially

exploiting the minerals in Eastern DRC and exporting them through Rwanda and exporting them to the world as Rwandan minerals. And this is cobalt and

other tin and tantalum that are important in the production of everything from electric cars to mobile phones. And so the Rwandan government, again,

denies that.

But in -- in just the last two days, both the Congolese government and the Rwan --and the M23 rebels accused each other of sabotaging this deal. They

said that they came under attack. The FARDC, the Congolese military said they came under attack. The M23 said they also came under attack.

So this mistrust is so deep. These people can barely look at each other. So it should be interesting to read the body language when they show up with

President Trump and they invited President Ruto from Kenya, for instance, to witness this. It should be very telling how this goes down.

ASHER: All right. Larry Madowo, Alayna Treene, thank you both so much.

All right. Fred Bauma is a human rights activist and executive director of Ebuteli, a research institute based in Kinshasa, the capital of the

Democratic Republic of Congo. He joins us live now. Fred, thank you so much for being with us.

You heard our Larry Madowo on the ground there talking about the fact that mistrust is -- is so deep. His words were, these groups can sort of barely

look at each other in the eye, because there was so much hatred and so much mistrust.

When you consider that and also consider sort of deep historical trauma, the fact that this war has been ongoing in some way, shape or form for the

past 30 years since Rwandan genocide when the Hutus left the country and -- and went to the DRC. Just walk us through based on that.

And the fact that you have each side believing that the other side is sort of arming rebels against them, you know, how can peace ever be lasting

here?

FRED BAUMA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EBUTELI: I mean, Larry is right. There is a -- a high level of distrust between, not only leaders who are in D.C.

today, but also community. And I think this conflict has contributed to making that distrust even -- even -- even worse. The -- it has had a

devastating consequence on the lives of -- of the community.

But that being said, it's not an impossible conflict to resolve. It's actually one of the easiest if I consider other conflicts in the -- in the

-- in the east. But it's required a -- a long commitment by Congo and Rwanda and by the U.S. and -- and Qatar and other countries who have

leverage on -- on both party on -- on -- on the crisis.

[12:10:07]

I think this -- the signature of the agreement, the different agreement today, should not be the end of the -- the -- the process, but it should be

only a beginning of a hardest part of -- of the -- of the -- the attempt to resolve this conflict that has last for 30 years now.

ASHER: So you say this conflict is not necessarily a difficult one to resolve, but ending this particular conflict doesn't automatically mean

peace, because there are multiple rebel groups operating in Eastern DRC. It's not just the M23 rebels. You've got ADF, for example, you've got

militias. Larry listed a bunch, I believe there's at least 120.

So based on that and the fact that it is -- you've got two men coming to Washington. Paul Kagame is denying that the Rwandan army is training M23

rebels. He's denying having any control over them.

So, isn't it just based on those two factors still going to be quite tricky to -- to see lasting peace in this part of the world?

BAUMA: I mean, it's true that there is more than 100 groups in Eastern DRC, but saying that make it look like it isn't possible to resolve it. The

reality is that most of those groups are small, a group other than ADF and -- and few others.

But the most important things here, and I think that need to be mentioned, is that the particularity of -- of Rwanda and M23 crisis. It's because it's

rooted in the - in the 30 years of violence.

So whenever Rwanda is involved in aggression in DRC, it's kind of recall people of many years of -- of -- of trauma. And it's also captured all the

national attention.

So instead of resolving other conflicts, instead of investing in infrastructures, in -- in road, in other things, people tend to focus in

this escalation of -- of violence.

That's why resolving the M23 crisis is a key step in the -- in the general approach of resolving other conflicts.

I think it should -- it should go with also reinforcing the Congolese states, its capacity to -- to protect communities, its capacity to build a

-- a place where people can live freely together. And that -- but all of that, that cannot happen if we're still having active fighting in many

places and have millions of people displaced from their home.

ASHER: How important is accountability in all of this? Because, you know there have been devastating human rights violations committed by, yes, M23

rebels, but as you point out other smaller rebel groups as well.

You know, there's been murders, there's been killings, there's been displacements, I mean the list goes on. So what does accountability look

like here, Fred?

BAUMA: I mean, that's an important question that my view has been left aside. Accountability, in this case, may mean justice. Justice mechanism.

And civil society -- Congolese civil society and international civil society have been advocating for many years for some international

mechanism of -- of justice, which I mean, I think should be very important.

Because as an event today, as we see, they are sending this agreement, their atrocities being committed in -- in South Cuba.

So every time there will not be justice mechanism alongside these processes to be limited. So that -- that is the first one.

The second one, I think, is the -- the -- the necessity to involve communities in these discussions. This has happened to be very top-down

discussions within a small -- a small elite. I think people in DRC, most of them do not know in detail what is happening.

And I think it will be very important for the Congolese government and from -- for other parties to -- to go back and explain what has been agreeing

upon the responsibility of everyone so that communities can keep everyone on check.

Peace cannot -- can only happen if communities are empowered to build that peace and if they found interest in doing so.

And I think we are tired of 30 years of -- of violence. People are ready to try something else, but -- but they need to be -- the processes need to be

designed in the way that they -- they -- they capture opinion of people and the accountability mechanism are clearly in place.

ASHER: And -- and -- and finally, just in terms of the motivating factors behind the war. I mean, I think that it's important to explain to our

international audience how much the fight over natural resources has really fueled the violence in the DRC and the conflict there.

[12:15:02]

And also, the fact that access and control over the DRC's sort of critical minerals is a motivating factor in the U.S.'s involvement here as well.

BAUMA: Yes. Definitely minerals have a huge role in -- in both fueling the conflict heavily from (INAUDIBLE) it's the original called conflict.

I also put a possibility of being part of the solution. The -- the -- it's -- that the region in the Kivus and -- and DRC in general, it's a very rich

country, very rich region where -- where most of critical minerals are coming from. Most of which are smuggled to Rwanda and -- and -- and Uganda.

And I think minerals have been playing a major in -- in the conflict, not - - not -- not only that.

Now, the attempt, and I think this is where the original economic framework that would be signed today, is an important step because it has a potential

ability to transform that it is -- its economy into something that can benefit the region.

But that to be done, it has to be done in the way that -- to be successful, it has to be done in the way that benefits really the community and not to

only transform that region to a region -- to a -- a place where big power politics will -- will -- will play and where people will come and extract

minerals and leave.

So I think we need to have the interest of local communities in mind whenever we are -- we are -- we are talking about this conflict. And this

has not always been the case.

ASHER: All right. Fred Bauma, Executive Director of Ebuteli. Thank you so much. We appreciate your perspective.

All right. Turning now to a new watchdog report on U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Sources familiar with the classified inspector

general's report tell CNN that Hegseth risks compromising sensitive military information when he used the Signal app to share highly sensitive

attack plans targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen. And that could have put the lives of American troops in danger.

The Senate Armed Services chair says that Hegseth acted within his authority when he used the chats. Some U.S. lawmakers disagree as Hegseth's

performance comes under scrutiny.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): I think this and what's now happening in Venezuela.

All this demonstrates that he is unqualified for this job.

SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): We'll make our decisions based upon the facts of the case. We haven't got the facts yet in front of us in the classified

setting.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): The fact that he's standing on the legal principle that his ability to classify, you cleared him, I don't think passes a smell

test.

If this was a one-off, you might find some rationale, but this is a pattern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. Happening now on Capitol Hill, U.S. Navy chief who oversaw a controversial second strike on alleged drug boat is briefing

senators. The briefing comes as questions grow over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's role in the incident.

Some military and legal experts warned that the double-tap strike on this boat back in September, while survivors were on board, could leave the U.S.

open to accusations of war crimes.

The Trump administration says the U.S. Navy Admiral Mitch Bradley had the authority to give the order for the follow-up strike. Some Republican

lawmakers disagree with the decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): If someone knowingly launched a second missile at that boat, which led to the -- the deaths of the other two, then they have

to be held accountable and they shouldn't be in whatever role they're in.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Each day, there's a new explanation. I think it was wrong on all front, but I don't like the Secretary of Defense blaming on --

on a military commander. These commands came from him and I think the buck stops with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Yes. For more on this, let's bring in Arlette Saenz. I mean, that's something that we've heard from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Clearly, this idea that the buck stops with Pete Hegseth that he sort of shouldn't have thrown this admiral, I guess, to a certain extent under the

bus here.

But just in terms of what congressional lawmakers are looking to get to the bottom of here. Walk us through some of the questions that are being asked.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, heading into these classified briefings with Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, the man who directed that

double-tap strike on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean.

Lawmakers have said that they want to get the full facts surrounding this case. One thing that many lawmakers have pressed the administration to do

is release the unedited video of these strikes to really help them ascertain how exactly this was carried out, how it was determined. There

were survivors on board and then what came next after that.

Now, throughout this morning, Admiral Bradley, along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, have been in and out of

classified briefings with senior lawmakers, meeting with the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee, then both the Senate Armed Services, and the

House Armed Services Committee. We believe right now they are meeting with members of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

[12:20:12]

And we heard from one of those lawmakers who heard directly from Bradley this morning, that is Congressman Jim Himes. He's the top Democrat on the

House Intelligence Committee. And he said he was incredibly troubled by this video and briefing that he had received. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): Admiral Bradley defended the decisions taken. And Admiral Bradley has a storied career.

But what I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service. You have two individuals in clear distress

without any means of locomotion with a destroyed vessel who were killed by the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now Senator Jack Reed and Senator Roger Wicker who lead the Senate Armed Services Committee, they both declined to comment after their

briefing with Bradley.

I will also note that Himes, when he spoke to reporters, said that Bradley said there was not an order to kill them all. That comes after earlier in

the week, "The Washington Post" had reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered them to kill all people aboard those boats, even if

there had been survivors. That is something that lawmakers had wanted to get to the bottom to as well, according to or how Hegseth's involvement in

these strikes had played out.

But certainly, there's a lot of questions that lawmakers have. For Admiral Bradley, there are others who have said that they want him to come testify

in a public setting as they are trying to gather all the information about how these strikes played out and whether in fact they were legal within the

Trump administration's legal authority to take them.

ASHER: All right. Arlette Saenz live for us. Thank you.

Pete Hegseth is facing a lawsuit from "The New York Times" over the Pentagon's new restrictions on reporters. Hegseth is named as a defendant,

along with the Defense Department as a whole.

The suit aims to repeal a policy that requires journalists to sign a pledge agreeing to avoid reporting on information that has not been approved by

Pentagon officials.

"The Times" is actually one of dozens of news outlets, including CNN, that have taken a collective stance against the policy, but it's the first to

actually take legal action.

All right. Still to come here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FIORE, FORMER CDC INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: It does saves lives. We're afraid we're going to move back to the time when children were

-- were slipping through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Advisers debate changing their recommendations on vaccines. Critics say it will put children's lives at risk. We have a special report for you

on that.

And presidential candidates in Peru begin their campaign under a cloud of fear and insecurity. There is so much fear for their safety. Authorities

are actually issuing bulletproof vests. More on extreme measures authorities are taking, coming up.

And later. How old does Spotify think you are? Some people will be pleased with their listening age and others maybe less so. Stick around for a look

at this year's Spotify's Wrapped.

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[12:25:46]

ASHER: All right. Major changes could soon be made to the U.S. childhood vaccination program. Public health advisers handpicked by Health Secretary

RFK Jr. are weighing out whether to abandon a universal recommendation for newborns to be given a hepatitis B vaccine.

An independent expert review published this week found that the current vaccination program has cut infections by 95 percent.

Ahead of the meeting, former U.S. public health officials published two letters warning that the proposed changes would undermine public interest.

Universal vaccination against hepatitis B has been recommended in the U.S. since 1991.

CNN's Meg Tirrell met one American who caught the disease before the immunization program was actually rolled out. He says that no child should

have to live his experience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At 16, John Ellis went to the doctor with severe stomach pain and left with a diagnosis no one

expected. Incurable chronic liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus.

JOHN ELLIS, HEPATITIS B PATIENT: You know, at 16 years old, there was conversations around what it would look like for me to get a liver

transplant. To be blunt, I --I thought I was going to die.

TIRRELL (voice-over): John was born in 1990, one year before the U.S. recommended that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine. So he hadn't

been vaccinated by age three or four, the time his doctors think he contracted the virus based on the scars on his liver. John and his family

don't know how he was infected.

Hepatitis B is incredibly infectious and people who don't even know they have it can transmit it to babies and young kids.

ELLIS: I would much rather vaccinations be available at birth than, you know, to -- to have someone else live the experience that I've lived.

TIRRELL (voice-over): But now, some people might. Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, handpicked this year by Health

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., may recommend delaying the shots by months or years after expressing skepticism of the vaccine in previous meetings.

VICKY PEBSWORTH, CDC VACCINE ADVISER: There are gaps in what we know and understand about the effects of hepatitis B, particularly on very young

infants. And I think that the conclusion that we know that it is safe is perhaps premature.

TIRRELL (voice-over): But experts say it has a more than three decade track record of safety and delaying the birth dose could result in an estimated

1,400 or more preventable infections in kids each year.

Dr. Anthony Fiori, a former CDC infectious disease specialist, tells CNN there's no rational justification for changing the recommendation.

FIORE: We've seen tremendous reductions in childhood infections with hepatitis B. This saves lives. We're afraid we're going to move back to the

time when children were slipping through.

TIRRELL (voice-over): The virus is strongly linked to liver damage and cancer.

John Ellis is now 35. Right now, his viral load is low and he's been able to lead a generally healthy life.

He hopes the vaccine that wasn't yet recommended for newborns like him remains available for newborns today.

ELLIS: The perceived fear of the risk of vaccination has outweighed the real fear of the hepatitis B virus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TIRRELL: CDC advisory committee is scheduled to vote on the hepatitis B vaccine at the end of the day Thursday, but that's just the first day of a

two-day meeting.

The second day, they are scheduled to talk about the entire childhood vaccine schedule. It's a bit vague right now on the agenda exactly what

they're going to be doing there. But among the topics that they say they're going to discuss is, how the CDC evaluates safety of vaccines as well as

looking at ingredients called adjuvants which essentially make vaccines work better.

And there are certain adjuvants that are in a lot of different childhood vaccines. So if they recommend changes there, that could really affect the

-- the entire childhood vaccine schedule.

We should note that this committee is so influential because the recommendations they make, if they are adopted by the CDC, they can really

influence things like insurance coverage of vaccines.

So there are a lot of fears among experts that the changes that this committee recommends could make vaccines more expensive and harder to get.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:28]

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

More now in our main story. The presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are about to sign a new peace deal aimed at ending a

long-running conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting the Washington signing ceremony. Ahead of this, there has been an escalation in fighting in resource-rich

eastern Congo.

Time now for "The Exchange." Joining me live now is Yinka Adegoke. He is the Africa editor of the global news company Semafor. Yinka, thank you so

much for being with us.

So I think first question, how optimistic are you that this deal will actually change anything or lead to any kind of significant lasting peace

on the ground?

YINKA ADEGOKE, AFRICA EDITOR, SEMAFOR: Well, one, professionally, has to be, you know, somewhat, you know, skeptical because of the history of this

conflict and the history of these two countries.

But, you know, as I spoke to a -- a minister, a Congolese minister last -- late last night, who had, you know, for a long time being quite, how can we

say, you know, sort of pushed against much of what Rwanda had said in the past.

And -- and he said, listen, it's good to be optimistic, was his line to me. And, you know, if the people involved, even those who have in the past are

trying to see some, you know, some cause of optimism, then, you know, I can only, you know, hope because let's be clear, you know, millions of people

have displaced in that region. Thousands have been killed. And anything that can stop that in a fair way and a lasting way is something for us to

be optimistic about. Whether that can really happen is obviously this is where we start to get into the details.

[12:35:29]

ASHER: And, Yinka, from the perspective of Kagame and Tshisekedi, why was American involvement in this necessary?

ADEGOKE: Well, because there have been many, many attempts by African leaders and African partners by -- because remember, this conflict just

sort of spreads over the region, right? So it's not as if African governments and leaders haven't tried in the past. And more recently, we've

seen the involvement of the gold nations in particular Qatar and obviously the United States.

Now, the -- the idea is that if these larger more economically powerful countries can put some leverage on this -- on this issue, it will force

them to -- to come to the table and really work out their -- their differences.

Well -- well, whether this is -- you know, the details of this is -- is which I can keep on coming back to, is it's all about the, you know, sort

of the -- the personal animus both sides have towards each other on the issues that affect so many people.

ASHER: And just, you know, sort of digging deeper on the U.S. involvement here. I mean, it's not -- Donald Trump isn't just doing this out of the

kindness of his heart. I mean, obviously, yes, you know, look, he does want that Nobel Peace Prize, but also there are key economic interests.

The U.S. is trying to sort of circumvent and go around China in terms of acquiring rare earth minerals. DRC, as you and I both know, is incredibly

rich in resources and in critical minerals. And so the economic incentive is -- I mean, you can't ignore that as a factor here.

ADEGOKE: One hundred percent. You are totally correct. I mean, the -- the State Department, the U.S. State Department have done an estimated recently

as 2023 which estimated that the -- the minerals in D.R. Congo are worth 24, 25 trillion. That's trillion with a, trillion dollars.

So, you know, of course they see the opportunity here. They also want to encourage U.S. companies to come in. U.S. investors to back local

businesses hopefully, right?

So -- so that -- that is an opportunity for the U.S. to have more influence in the region. And as you very rightly say, have access to the many, many

minerals that are found there.

Many of those minerals are going to power the future of the global economy, especially when you think about things like renewals and electric vehicles

and the phones that we all have in our pockets.

So many of them. So many of them are rare are found only in large quantities in Congo. I'm not necessarily all in the eastern region but

across Congo. But really what you'll -- what they need to try and do is to really create an economic -- economic opportunity for Congo, but also

frankly for Rwanda as well because that's kind of -- what's kind of about the heart of some of this.

ASHER: Yes. I mean -- yes. I mean, listen, you -- you talk about the fact that there are economic interests for the U.S. in terms of natural

resources, but natural resources are also what has fueled this conflict for so long as well in part two. Obviously, there is history going back to the

genocide as well.

But Yinka Adegoke, we have to leave it there. Africa editor of Semafor. Thank you so much.

As presidential candidates in Peru prepare for the upcoming 2026 general elections, it is likely they'll all be wearing the same thing on the

campaign trial, and that is a bulletproof vest. That's following a string of recent attacks on pre-candidates in a persistent climate of violence and

insecurity, pushing the electoral authority to take action. We need to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTO BURREO (through translator): The National Elections Board is already evaluating and acquiring bulletproof vests for our staff and for

the special election officials. We are in the process of evaluating and acquiring bulletproof vests because we cannot skimp on security measures

for our staff, not only for our staff, but also for the candidates and for the entire population that will be participating in the election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Earlier this week, liberal pre-candidate Rafael Belaunde escaped unharmed -- unharmed, excuse me, after several shots were fired by unknown

attackers at his vehicle.

Still to come, Spotify reveals your year in music. Maybe you're impressed by your numbers or mortified by your listening age. Either way, stick

around. We'll be unpacking which songs and artists are coming out on top as Spotify Wrapped is released.

[12:40:11]

Plus, Shaquille O'Neal and Tom Brady are just some of the sporting legends headed to D.C. for the FIFA Men's World Cup draw. More about the star-

studded affair, after the break as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. Let's take a quick look at how the markets are doing right now. Let's see, OK. Pretty much flat across the board. Dow down ever

so slightly. S&P 500, up. NASDAQ, up slightly as well, but pretty much a wash. Markets are basically flat This is your "Business Breakout."

All right. Donald Trump has announced plans to roll back Biden ear fuel economy standards in new vehicles. He says, the policy has driven up the

costs of cars and his changes would typically save consumers a thousand dollars.

The CEOs of Ford and Stellantis have praised the move.

And the CEO of AMC Entertainment will continue in his role after suffering a minor stroke last month. Adam Aron, who is 71 years old, has been working

full-time following his release from hospital. He's credited with leading the company to becoming one of the largest cinema operators in the world.

And Spotify Wrapped has finally arrived, but millions and millions rather of users are finding out what their most played songs and artists have been

over the course of the year.

Wrapped provides a personalized analysis for people's streaming habits and now even assigns a listening age.

If you're someone who's wondering how Spotify got your age all wrong or maybe how it's so accurate, CNN's business and economics reporter Anna

Cooban is here to explain.

Anna, see, normally, I would never ask a woman her age, but we are going to make an exception today.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: NO.

ASHER: So you -- OK. So tell me how old are you based on Spotify Wrapped?

COOBAN: I'm 31, Zain.

ASHER: OK.

COOBAN: But my listening age is 44. Now, this apparently is because I listen to a lot of music in from the late '90s and that's a fact which I

can't explain why but I feel particularly smug about.

But it's the case that, you know, all of my friends at the moment are sending each other these listening ages. One person I know has a listening

age of around 90 and she's in her 30s. And this is because she listens to a lot of music from the early '50s.

[12:45:59]

So this is all part of that Spotify Wrapped which has really become this end-of-year tradition where people will be sharing with each other, really,

that -- that distillation of the kind of music that they listen to over the course of the year.

ASHER: So interesting because I'm actually not a Spotify girl, I'm more of an Apple music girl. So the producers were saying to me, Zain, what is your

-- what are you listening to at Spotify? I'm like, oh, nothing. But I'm wondering how old I would be because I listened to a lot of Afro beats, a

lot of Wizkid, but also a lot of African high life music as well, which is African music that is from the '60s and '70s. One of my favorites is Oliver

De Coque as well from like the 1970s or so.

So I'm wondering what Spotify would say about me because I'm -- I'm very young, but also very old as well.

COOBAN: Well, it's interesting because Spotify has said that it has this hypothesis that somebody's listening age is most likely to be correlated or

aligned with the kind of music that was coming out when somebody was between the age of 16 and 21 in their, you know, very formative years. It

refers to this as the reminiscence bump.

However, anecdotally, all the people that I've been speaking to, it's very varied. One of my friends, she's 31, her listening age is 18. She's clearly

got her finger on the pulse of popular music. And others, you know, up to the age of 76 of somebody in their early 30s. So it's highly variable.

ASHER: Well, thank you so much for revealing your -- I was actually asking you just for your listening age, but you actually revealed your real age on

T.V. as well.

COOBAN: We need that comparison. So I'm just --

ASHER: Yes, you need that -- yes, that's fair. You need the comparison. OK. Well, Anna Cooban, thank you. That was fun. Appreciate it.

All right. Now to a bit of peace and quiet. Think calming influences and feelings of serenity. That is how Pantone is describing its new color of

the year, a shade it's calling cloud dancer. It's a very precise shade of white with an equal balance of cool and warm undertones. That's according

to the Institute.

The decision makers say that it represents new beginnings and fresh start. So welcome message for the turn of the year.

All right. Still to come, America, the beautiful and the fashionable. Details ahead and what American athletes will be wearing at the next winter

Olympic Games.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. Lace up your football boots, grab at your kits, and pull up your lucky socks. We're now just 24 hours away from the highly

anticipated FIFA Men's World Cup draw. All to decide who will face who in next year's tournament with a huge ceremony planned at Washington D.C.'s

Kennedy Center.

[12:50:06]

And it's not just soccer stars will be in attendance. Sporting legends Shaquille O'Neal and Tom Brady will be in the lineup of A-listers expected

to attend tomorrow's draw.

For a preview of what's to come, here's CNN's Amanda Davies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voice-over): Three years ago when Leo Messi and Argentina got their hands on the World Cup trophy in Qatar, we'd

never seen a World Cup final or trophy left like it.

GIANNI INFANTINO, PRESIDENT, FIFA: The last one we lifted that is Leo Messi and here it is in the Oval Office.

DAVIES (voice-over): But here we are in 2025.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Can I keep it?

DAVIES (voice-over): It's long being called the greatest show on earth. But next year's edition of the FIFA Men's World Cup should be greater than

ever.

For the first time with three host nations and more countries taking part than any other edition of the tournament.

We've had the minnows making major waves in qualifying. Curacao, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cape Verde, amongst those benefiting from the

expansion from 32 teams to 48 and set to make their debut.

And let's not forget the big guns. Erling Haaland set to grace football's biggest stage at last with Norway. So too 18-year-old sensation Lamine

Yamal with European champion, Spain.

And one final international bow for Egypt's Mo Salah, Argentina's Messi, and of course Cristiano Ronaldo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Canada, Mexico, and USA have been selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

DAVIES (voice-over): When the tournament was awarded to the trio of hosts in 2018, it was dubbed the United Bid. Times have changed politically, at

least.

TRUMP: We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

DAVIES (voice-over): With Trump's threats to annex Canada as the USA's 51st state and his far-reaching trade tariffs, this is a tournament playing out

against the backdrop of the international politics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you see the World Cup playing out with the -- the, you know, the tensions you have with Canada and Mexico?

TRUMP: Oh, I think it's going to make it more exciting. Tension is a good thing.

DAVIES (voice-over): Domestic politics are at play as well with President Trump warning he could move games away from already allocated tournament

venues in cities he deems not to be safe.

TRUMP: If we think there's going to be the sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city.

DAVIES (voice-over): From a fan perspective, two qualified nations, Haiti and Iran, are on the list of countries whose residents are currently banned

from entering the United States. So traveling supporters won't be able to attend.

The Trump administration has confirmed only players, their immediate families and national team staff will be allowed, with exemptions, quotes,

very rare.

Questions about security after the 2024 Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia in Miami descended into chaos.

FIFA say ticket sales total nearly two million so far, and there's a hope that a prioritized visa process for fans from the non-excluded countries

will smooth the way for more.

TRUMP: You've been my great friend.

DAVIES (voice-over): Never before have we seen FIFA's leadership so publicly closely allied to the leader of its host country.

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has said their relationship is crucial.

INFANTINO: I'm really lucky I have a great relationship with President Trump who I consider really a close friend.

DAVIES (voice-over): But never before have we seen a World Cup hosted in President Trump's America.

And if the club World Cup celebrations in July are anything to go by, it's not only the football set to be center stage.

Amanda Davies, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: This time tomorrow, the big event will actually be in full swing and CNN will be live from the draw in D.C. to bring you the very latest.

And we are only two months away from the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy, and as every athlete knows, that means getting dressed to the nines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's where doubt breaks and fire ignites.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you step out in that uniform --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't walk alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where dreams become destiny.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is where legends rise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: For the 10th time, Ralph Lauren will outfit Team USA. This modern partnership has been going strong since the 2008 Beijing Games. Athletes

will arrive for the opening ceremony dressed in winter white wool coats and an American flag turtle next sweater.

[12:55:03]

Next year's Games will be co-hosted by Cortina and the City of Milan.

All right. That does it for this edition of "One World." I'm Zain Asher. We appreciate you watching, as always. "Amanpour" is up next. You're watching

CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END

END