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One World with Zain Asher
Growing GOP Criticism Amid Anger Over Alex Pretti Killing; AXIOS: Trump says Iran Wants a Deal with U.S.; Ukraine: Massive Russian Attacks Hit Kharkiv, Odesa; Top General Under Investigation Amid Anti-Corruption Drive; Tech Giant Sued Over Social Media's Mental Health Impacts; Mexico's President Requests More BTS Concerts. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 27, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right big changes in I.C.E. operations in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. "One World" starts
right now. Top border officials, Greg Bovino is expected to leave Minneapolis as the White House Border Czar Tom Homan takes over operations
there. We are live for you at the White House with the very latest.
Plus, new reporting exclusive to CNN U.S. plans for Venezuela, including a big role for the CIA. And the world's biggest social media companies face
trial over claims they pose a risk to young people's mental health. All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher, you are watching
"One World".
The White House is showing signs of what could be a rare de-escalation, as its signature policy comes under fire. It comes amid nationwide groundswell
of rage grief and calls for accountability after the second shooting death of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents.
On Monday, President Trump announced he is sending his Border Czar to Minnesota Tom Homan is expected to replace the man currently running the
immigration enforcement operation, Gregory Bovino, and he may not be the only one getting sidelined.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who responded to Alex Pretti's killing by calling his actions domestic terrorism, met with Trump for two
hours on Monday. That same day, Trump said he had great conversations with Minnesota Leaders while the White House signaled a notable shift in tone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in
America's streets. This has obviously been a very fluid and fast-moving situation throughout the weekend, as for President Trump, whom I speak for,
he has said that he wants to let the investigation continue and let the facts lead in this case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Betsy Klein joins us live now from the White House. So, in terms of Tom Homan's arrival in Minneapolis, Gregory Bovino essentially
being demoted and being removed from his position, there. Just walk us through what changes now on the ground, Betsy.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. Well, as you heard from Karoline Leavitt there, seeking to put a little bit of distance
between President Trump and comments from others in his administration. We are just seeing in real time this shift in both tone and strategy from the
White House.
And I just want to recap the messaging that we were hearing over the weekend in the immediate aftermath of the federal law enforcement killing
of Alex Pretti. We heard from senior officials like Stephen Miller, the President's Deputy Chief of Staff, along with Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, referring to Pretti as, quote, a domestic terrorist.
They said that, in their view, it was they believed he wanted to massacre federal law enforcement. The White House receiving significant push back to
that from long time traditional allies, that includes lawmakers, conservative media personalities as well as the NRA.
Internally we have learned that some administration officials were left deeply frustrated this weekend by both Bovino and Kristi Noem's handling of
this situation. President Trump, for his part, spent significant time watching the coverage unfold over the weekend, and he was unhappy with how
his administration came across.
And we saw this leadership shake up. Bovino out, Homan is in. He is someone with significant experience in immigration enforcement. He's expected to be
more of a partner to state and local officials on the ground. And we know that President Trump spoke with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota
Governor Tim Walz on Monday.
By all accounts, those were productive, constructive conversations. According to Walz, he said that he pushed the president for an independent
investigation into this incident, as well as for a reduction in the number of federal law enforcement agents on the ground. And Frey for his part,
said that Trump agreed with him that the present situation cannot continue as it currently stands.
But we also heard from President Trump indicating that there could be an off ramp earlier this morning listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think so. Yeah. I mean, I think so what, what we need is their criminals. You know, they
have criminals. And all I said, just give us your criminals. And if you give us the criminals, it all goes away. They're there to pick up murders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KLEIN: And we also have learned that President Trump met in the Oval Office with Kristi Noem and her top Deputy, Corey Lewandowski, for nearly two
hours yesterday evening. That meeting came at Noem's request.
[11:05:00]
And according to our reporting from our colleague Alayna Treene, Trump did not threaten their jobs, but they did have a frank conversation on the path
forward in Minnesota.
ASHER: Betsy Klein, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right Iran may be trying to negotiate a deal with Washington amid a growing U.S.
military buildup in the Middle East. That's according to President Trump. In an interview with "AXIOS" on Monday, the president says the situation is
in flux, but thinks Tehran genuinely wants to cut a deal after he quote, sent a big Armada, in his words, to the region.
A U.S. carrier strike group entered the Indian Ocean on Monday amid soaring tensions between Washington and Tehran. Now to a CNN exclusive more than
three weeks after the U.S. ousted Nicolas Maduro, multiple sources tell CNN that the CIA is quietly working to carve out a permanent U.S. presence in
Venezuela.
This is Venezuela's Acting President, delivers a tough message to Washington in a speech to oil workers. Delcy Rodriguez says she has had
enough of U.S. orders and interference in the country's politics. CNN's Senior National Security Reporter Zach Cohen joins us live now from
Washington, DC.
Just in terms of this idea the CIA is working to establish some kind of a permanent presence in Venezuela. Just walk us through what that, signals
about the U.S.'s long term strategy and long-term goals in the country.
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, it's really notable that it's the CIA and not the State Department, who is leading
this, at least initial push to re-enter Venezuela after that operation to capture Former President Nicolas Maduro.
And despite that tough talk we're hearing from now Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, I'm told it's going to have almost certainly no impact on the
CIA's plans to establish this foothold inside Venezuela itself. As the CIA is really preparing to take on a major role in trying to shape the
country's future going forward.
We know that from sources that there have been ongoing planning discussions between the State Department and CIA focus on both the short term and long-
term plans, as far -- as part of a U.S. presence -- as far as a U.S. presence goes inside the country.
We know President Donald Trump wants to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, but due to the unstable security environment and the ongoing political
transition, I'm told that it will likely U.S. officials will likely work out of a CIA Annex in the near term.
That at least offers an opportunity for U.S. officials to begin to lay the groundwork for the long-term diplomatic engagement with Venezuela
officials, military officials, and members of the opposition groups that exist there.
It's also a place where CIA can start identifying potential threats, third parties that are viewed as potential threats to U.S. interests as the Trump
Administration seeks to wield its influence over the new the country's new leadership.
And something -- that's something that we heard from CIA Director Jon Ratcliffe, and that was his message to Delcy Rodriguez when he visited
Venezuela just a few weeks ago. He was actually the first top Trump official to travel to Venezuela after that operation to capture Nicolas
Maduro.
And he made very clear to the Acting President that the U.S. will not tolerate Venezuela being a safe haven for U.S. adversaries like Iran,
Russia, China. And I'm told that the CIA will take the lead going forward in briefing Venezuelan officials about those ongoing concerns about those
countries operating in the country.
And look, this is going to be a tricky line to walk for the CIA. Nicolas Maduro spent much of his time in power, blaming the CIA for effectively
anything that went wrong during his --during his time in office, and essentially using that as a boogeyman of sorts to accuse the U.S. of trying
to topple his regime.
And ironically, the CIA did play a significant role in the operation that ultimately did result in the capture of Maduro, now poised take on an even
greater role in trying to steer the country toward what the Trump Administration wants to see from them.
And at the same time, I'm told that this is all happening as the CIA and State Department have not received really explicit directives from the
Trump White House about what its broader objectives in Venezuela are. So really trying to do what they can in the short term, expecting that
directive and that explicit guidance to come down later and be folded in.
ASHER: All right. Zach Cohen live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, let's bring in CNN Military Analyst and Retired Air Force, Air Force
Colonel Cedric Leighton. So, just in terms of what Zach started off saying there, I mean this idea that it's the CIA leading the charge in this, in
terms of an expanding presence in Venezuela over the long term, not necessarily as much the State Department. What are you getting from that?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, hi, Zain. It's very interesting to hear Zach say this, because this is kind of going back
to the way in which the U.S. handled a lot of its relations in Latin America in decades past.
[11:10:00]
The CIA had a very influential role in a lot of different Latin American countries, and one of the closest ones that actually borders Venezuela and
Colombia, I had a large CIA presence. Has had a large CIA presence, really, since the 90s -- in -- the even before that, in order to prosecute the
counter drug efforts.
So, CIA involvement other intelligence agencies from the U.S. is kind of normal for these kinds of operations. What's different here, though, is
that it's going to be in Venezuela, because Venezuela, of course, has been denied territory for the CIA for all practical purposes, except for, of
course, very covert operations.
So that's the -- you know we're kind of seeing a change in perhaps the localities that the CIA is using, the specific countries that it's using,
but it's also indicative of the kind of movements that the U.S. is conducting under President Trump, because we're looking at more covert
operations and more CIA aligned operations at this point.
ASHER: I mean, what sort of long-term planning, reliable long-term planning, can they be -- can there really be for Venezuela, just in terms
of the CIA presence there? And this administration strategy in the country overall, especially given that this administration only has technically
about three years later, technically, about three years left on its term.
I mean, it's highly possible that another administration post the next elections could come in and have a completely different approach. And what
does that mean for the future of the country?
LEIGHTON: Yes, certainly that's very true. What it could mean for the future of Venezuela is that they would have perhaps a -- you know,
depending on what kind of government Venezuela ends up establishing, could have a more direct link in a future administration, through the State
Department, to more normal things like development aid, reconstitution of their oil industry, things like that.
But with the CIA in place in Venezuela what could happen in the intervening three years is basically a realization of the Trump Administration's
National Security Strategy, at least for Venezuela.
What that looks like is greater emphasis on the Western Hemisphere, and very specifically, as far as Venezuela is concerned getting rid of the
influence of countries like Iran, countries like Cuba, countries like Russia, which have had a primary influence in Venezuela up until this
point.
ASHER: And what would you expect in terms of the eventual sort of set up, establishment of the possibility of elections in the country.
LEIGHTON: Yeah. So that gets very interesting. So, if things work the way they should, the CIA efforts would be focused on basically the security
issues surrounding that. So, if things work correctly and the U.S. policy, allows for an election, free and fair elections, then they could serve, as
you know, perhaps a stabilizing influence, but should not get involved in the direct implications of picking a certain candidate, doing things like
that.
The CIA, in the past, of course, has been implicated in events going as far back as the 1950s such as the situation in Guatemala in the 1950s and in
other countries in South and other parts of Latin America, where CIA was involved, you know, in or allegedly involved in certain election influence
operations.
That is the kind of thing that you know we you know could see happen in this particular case, but the real job should be a security job. It should
be related to providing for the security of the country, for the security of the American presence in that country going forward, and really a
security for economic development of that country.
But that is something that really is not the function of the CIA generally, in terms of the security aspect, that should normally be the function of
indigenous forces. And that is something that you know -- we'll have to see going forward, what the Trump Administration actually does.
ASHER: And Colonel I just want to pivot to Iran, because Donald Trump, in an interview with "AXIOS" on Monday, essentially told publication that the
situation with Iran is in flux, and that he believes that, because he sent a big Armada, in his words to the region, that Iran genuinely wants to cut
a deal.
Obviously, we've seen the President, the U.S. President, make several threats against Iran in retaliation to its crackdown on protesters.
Thousands of people in the country have been killed. Just walk us through what a possible deal with Iran could look like? What exactly would the U.S.
be wanting from Tehran?
LEIGHTON: Well, one of the supreme ironies would be, if that deal involved nuclear weapons and the nuclear program in Iran. The Iranians, of course,
have had a long-term, a movement and an operation designed to produce, you know, the potential for at least the fissile material that is needed for
the construction of nuclear weapon.
[11:15:00]
So, if they could achieve another type of Iran nuclear agreement, that would actually be quite, quite useful, quite beneficial, not only for the
U.S., but for the region and generally speaking, the rest of the world as well. That would be the ultimate goal.
I more tactically and more likely, would be some kind of an agreement that would allow for the regime to back off of its anti protestor stance and
move toward democratization in Iran. Now that is a bit utopian, and I don't think the administration is necessarily going to go that far, but some of
their rhetoric has indicated that they just might.
And if that's the case, that could potentially change some of the calculus on the ground for not only the protesters in Iran, but also, of course, for
the regime itself, but the regime is really bent on survival. And I think that, you know, President Trump's statements that they're looking for a
deal may not bear out in the final analysis.
Because what could happen here is that the Iranians may find themselves, you know, trying to provide for that regime survival, and they may very
well get to very hardline positions in front of the U.S., and that could result either in prolonged negotiations or potentially a military strike
against them.
And that's, I think they are kind of the fine line that the Iranians have to walk at this particular point.
ASHER: All right. Cedric Leighton, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still to come here on "One World", an emotional moment in Tel
Aviv as the last hostages, last hostage, rather, in Gaza, has finally been returned. The details ahead about what this moment means for the next phase
of the peace plan.
Plus, rescue operations in Ukraine's Odesa region are underway. Details ahead on deadly attacks carried out overnight as negotiators search for a
path to peace.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Israel is marking the end of a very dark chapter now that there are no more remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, on Monday, the Israeli military
announced that it had recovered the remains of Ron Gvili, the final deceased hostage in Gaza.
Gvili was killed in the October 7th attack and his body was taken into Gaza. Moments ago in Tel Aviv Square, a clock that had been counting the
days since the first hostages were taken captive stopped counting after more than 843 days.
[11:20:00]
Gvili's return now paves the way for the second phase of the Gaza peace plan and the potential reopening of the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and
Egypt.
In the last hour, Jeremy Diamond spoke with my colleague, Becky Anderson right when the clock stopped. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: You just think of how many times I have come to you live from right here in Hostage Square at the
scene of demonstrations and of people you know, raising their voices to try and secure the release of the hundreds of Israeli hostages who were taken
captive on October 7th, 2023.
Now it was 843 days later, just yesterday, that the final hostage finally came home. The remains of Ron Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer,
were finally returned after extensive search efforts inside of the Gaza Strip. And now today, on that 844th day, some Israelis have gathered here
to see as the clock behind me is finally going to be turned off.
This has been the clock that has counted the days, the hours, the minutes, and even the seconds that these hostages have spent in captivity. And now,
in about one minutes time, this clock will finally be turned off, a recognition of the fact that not only have all of the hostages alive and
dead come out of Gaza who were taken on October 7th, 2023 but also that this is the first time since 2014 that there are no Israeli hostages inside
the Gaza Strip.
And this is obviously an enormous moment for the public here in Israel, which has known the names of almost every single hostage by heart who have
come to hold those hostages and their thoughts and prayers over the course of the last two plus years. And finally, now a moment of closure, not only
for Ron Gvili's family, but also for so many Israelis here as this country now closes the page on one of the darkest chapters in its history.
And you can see the clock has now stopped at a fixed point. It hasn't gone off yet completely, but Becky, this clock has stopped ticking 844 days
after October 7th.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And on the next hour of "One World" we'll actually discuss the second phase of the Gaza peace plan. Joining us live now, or rather in an
hour or so, will be Stephen Cook, a Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Overnight, Russia launched what Ukraine calls a massive attack on the Odesa region. At least two people are reported to have been killed, with several
injured. President Zelenskyy says that more than 50 strike drones were launched at the city, causing damage to housing, a church and a
kindergarten in Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv.
Officials say last night's attack knocked out much of the power. Plans are still in place for peace talks to resume at the weekend, but while the U.S.
and Ukraine say that progress was achieved in last week's meetings, the decisive issue of territory continues to be a key sticking point.
Let's discuss all of this live now with Melissa Bell from Paris. City's continued attacks, including the attacks on energy infrastructure,
certainly hitting Ukrainians hard, walk us through what it actually means and how much all of this affects diplomatic efforts to end the war,
Melissa?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And hitting them hard Zain, of course, for the fourth winter in a row. We heard Mark Rutte
yesterday, this NATO, Secretary General, speak to the fact that he believed this was the harshest winter yet for Ukrainians because of the very cold
spell that they're going through.
As a result of those infrastructure hits on Kharkiv, you mentioned Ukraine's Second City. It is 80 percent of the city now that is out without
water, electricity, heating in these sub-freezing temperatures, so a very difficult winter for Ukrainians to get through. It is true in other major
Ukrainian cities there were also those strikes on Odesa that killed several civilians overnight.
So, it has been relentless from the point of view of ordinary Ukrainians trying to go about their lives and withstand the pressure of this now very
long war. Even so there has been some hope, of course, in the wake of what you mentioned for the first time, those trilateral talks between
Ukrainians, Russians and Americans over the course of the weekend in Abu Dhabi.
It was the very first time the sides, the three sides, met all together at once, and that was considered crucial and really beginning to make the kind
of progress that has been elusive as a result of subsequent rounds of consecutive rounds, rather, of negotiations that have happened either
between Europeans the United States and Ukraine, or the United States on Russia on the other hand.
[11:25:00]
And the fact that there's a sort of cyclical inability to make any real progress. Still, despite those trilateral talks and the hope that was hopes
that were raised as a result of them, there remain these key issues. One of them, of course, the question of territory.
We know that Moscow is still insisting Zain on the entirety of the Donbas, which is does not yet control, and which it is described as the key to
peace. It describes it as the anchorage formula as a result of that Summit you remember last summer in Alaska between the United States and Russia, at
the time of which, of course, President Trump had said there was no deal till there was a deal.
Still Moscow insisting that that was the agreement that they now want to see respected for their agreement to appease deal. On the other side,
Ukraine has been very clear that it doesn't intend to make any territorial concessions, and certainly not in terms of territory not yet conquered.
In terms of hope on their side, though, they do understand that their security guarantees between the United States, Kyiv and Europe are now
ready to be signed and then ratified. That's the source of some hope. And there is one more outstanding question Zain, and that is the question that
Moscow has been very clear on.
It has said, once it was announced that NATO troops, boots on the ground, as we call them, both British and French troops would be in Ukraine in a
post war settlement. Moscow has made it clear that, very clear, that they will make them they will be legitimate targets in the eyes of Russian
forces. That is another big sticking point that will need to be ironed out.
Still, the hope is that the next round of talks that we believe will continue in the next few days, Zain will bring some further clarity on it
those issues, and at least this feeling is that all the sides are now around the same table and hashing these things out, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Melissa Bell, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, the "Mother of All Deal" that is what the European Union is calling
it. As it wraps up a trade agreement with India, we'll have a live report for you after the break. Plus, China's most powerful General has become the
latest military figure to be swept up in an anti-corruption purge. Why he's under investigation next?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some headlines we are following for you today. The face of U.S.
President Donald Trump's signature domestic policy agenda is changing. President sending his Border Czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis, while the man
currently in charge of I.C.E. operations there, Border Patrol, Official Gregory Bovino, is expected to leave.
We are learning a little bit more about Alex Pretti, the man who was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Saturday. Sources tell CNN that Pretti
suffered a broken rib about a week before his death, when a group of federal officers tackled him while he was protesting their attempt to
detain someone.
And CNN has learned that earlier this month, federal immigration officers had been asked to collect information about protesters in Minneapolis. In
the U.S., more than 200 million people are under extreme cold alerts following the historic winter storm. An Arctic Blast has now moved in,
bringing dangerous freezing temperatures that are expected to linger for days. Officials say that more than 15 deaths have been attributed to the
cold weather so far.
President Trump says that he's raising tariffs on South Korean goods from 15 to 25 percent in a "Truth Social" post, he said that South Korea was not
living up to a trade deal reached in July. South Korea's Presidential Office says the trade minister will go to Washington for talks.
After nearly two decades of stop, start negotiations, the European Union and India have signed a landmark trade deal. It means that India opening up
its vast market to free trade with a 27 Nation, EU, already India's biggest trading partner for both sides, boosting two-way trade is a way to reduce
rather reliance on an increasingly unpredictable United States.
Trade between India and the EU stood at $136.5 billion in the latest year. European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen is hailing it as "The
Mother of All deals".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Prime Minister, distinguished friend, we did it. We delivered "The Mother of All Deals". We
are creating a market of 2 billion people, and this is the tale of two giants, the world's second and fourth largest economies, two giants who
choose partnership in a true win-win fashion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Our Business and Economics Reporter Anna Cooban joins us live now. So, she's hailing as a win-win for the EU and India, two extremely, very
large trading partners, but it is widely being seen, as I mentioned, as a strategic hedge against the U.S., which of course, has increasingly
volatile trade policies. Just walk us through that. And if we've seen any reaction from the Trump Administration?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yes, well, I think the timing is very interesting. You mentioned earlier that this deal between
the EU and India has been negotiated on and off for the past two decades. And the fact that it's come to this agreement today is not perhaps a
coincidence, given all of the turmoil we've seen in the global trading landscape over the past year or so.
India has been bearing the brunt of Trump's tariffs. We had a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods put on them last summer as punishment for India
continuing to buy oil from Russia as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. And then the EU as well, has been bearing the brunt of many tariff threats.
The latest of which came just last week when Trump threatened to put tariffs on five countries, some within the European Union, which had,
sorry, eight countries, some within the European Union that had opposed his plans to take Greenland. Now both the Greenland threat and also the terror
threat have dropped, but that just shows you how mercurial the U.S. President is.
And how these massive economies need to really buttress themselves, need to have more independence from the United States, and so they are forming a
stronger alliance together.
Now, HSBC, in a note today, is talking up this deal, saying that it provides opportunities beyond just liberalizing trading goods also
potentially creates opportunities to liberalize services trade and also increase investment opportunities between these two economies, which
collectively represent almost around a quarter of global GDP.
So, Zain, this is a really important deal, I don't think the signing of this deal today is a coincidence, given everything we've seen in the trade
landscape over the past year.
ASHER: Anna Cooban, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, now to a shake up in the upper echelons of the Chinese military. The country's top
general is under investigation. He appears to be the latest figure swept up in China's long running anti-corruption drive.
[11:35:00]
CNN's Will Ripley has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The stunning fall of China's most powerful General, Zheng Yi Sao, battle tested
survivor and long-time Lieutenant to President Xi Jinping, seen by many as untouchable until this.
A 32nd shock announcement from China's Defense Ministry. Zheng is suspected of leaking information to the U.S., allegedly revealing secrets of China's
nuclear weapons program. "The Wall Street Journal's" Lingling Wei reports citing a high level Chinese military briefing.
LINGLING WEI, WSJ CHIEF CHINA CORRESPONDENT: Our reporting only shows that such a briefing happened, and the leaking state secrets was one of the
allegations that was disclosed during the briefing. We haven't been able to really verify any of those allegations.
RIPLEY: Why would a Chinese General leak such sensitive information to the United States, if indeed that happened?
WEI: There are all kinds of speculations. There has been a track record of the party drumming up charges against people they wanted to take down.
RIPLEY (voice-over): General Zheng, second in command of the People's Liberation Army, behind only Xi himself, purged and accused of corruption,
along with the PLAs top Operational Commander, Liu Zhenli. Zheng and his boss share an elite upbringing, two sons of communist revolutionaries
making this purge earth shattering.
Chinese state media accuses Zheng and Liu of undermining Xi's ultimate authority over the military. China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong,
likely seeking an unprecedented fourth term next year, turning on lifelong allies and hand-picked proteges.
JONATHAN CZIN, FORMER CIA OFFICER: This really demonstrates nobody in that system is safe, truly.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Former CIA Officer Jonathan Czin spent years analyzing China's military.
CZIN: Getting rid of somebody he's known for so long, and talking about him violating the chairman responsibility system does make me wonder, is he
starting to veer more into kind of a paranoid or dictator mode?
RIPLEY (voice-over): The lack of clear answers is fueling intense online speculation. Inside China, government censors only allow comments
supporting the investigation. Outside China, unverified rumors of a shootout between security teams loyal to Zheng and Xi, there's no evidence
those claims are real.
CZIN: I think this is more reflective of the information vacuum inside the system.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Zheng now joins a long list more than 20 senior military leaders removed since 2022.
CZIN: Xi has somehow concluded that the rot is so deep in the PLA and the mismanagement is so gross at the top that he needs to clean and house with
an entire generation of leaders.
RIPLEY: What happens to people when they're purged?
CZIN: They come out, they look gray, they look gaunt. They look haggard. It's pretty rough.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Imprisonment is common, execution still legally possible. Xi Jinping's China power offers no protection from the chairman's
purge. Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, teens and screens. Any parent knows they are certainly often inseparable. But is that doing more harm than good? We'll have
details of a landmark trial next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
ASHER: All right, we have some new developments about a lawsuit against the largest social media companies. TikTok has just settled with a mother
daughter who initially filed suit against four social media companies including Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap. Snap settled last week avoiding
the trial over alleged changes of social media.
The mother and daughter claim the companies knowingly created addictive features that harmed daughters' mental health. Tech companies have rejected
that idea, saying they're apps provide entertainment and connections to friends. Top executives from the two remaining companies are expected to
take the stand. The outcome of this and other cases against them really could affect how these companies do business.
Also, France is taking it one step further. The National Assembly has just backed legislation to ban children under 15 from using social media. Their
main concerns are online bullying and mental health risks as well. One member of parliament says the tech giants are making money by preying on
children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURE MILLER, MEMBER OF FRENCH PARLIAMENT: These social networks promise to connect, but they have fragmented. They promise to inform, but they have
overwhelmed. They promise to entertain, but they have confined. The conclusion is clear, our children read less, move less, sleep less and
compare themselves more.
It seems to me that we could and should unite behind a simple yet essential fight to refuse to allow childhood to become market and our youth to be the
playground of algorithms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The bill now moves to the Senate before a final vote in the lower house. Australia just passed a similar bill that banned kids under 16 from
using social media too, or other countries are also considering bans too. Let's get some perspective on the story.
Nicol Turner Lee is the Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation and a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. She's also
written a book called "Digitally Invisible: How the internet is creating the new underclass". Nicole, thank you so much for being with us.
Before we get to what's happening in France. I do want to start on this trial resuming in the Los Angeles Superior Court. I mean this idea that
social media companies potentially misled the public about the harm that their apps can cause, especially young people.
Depending on the outcome of this particular case, just explain to us what new regulations might we end up seeing when it comes to some of these
social media companies.
NICOL TURNER LEE, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION: Well, thanks for having me. This case that has actually been brought into the Los
Angeles Court is going to be quite interesting. It's, I think, a response to the lack of legislation in the United States over the last few years.
Well, we've actually had several conversations, especially when parents have come to Washington, DC to really ask for social media legislation. I
mean, this is a trial of about 1600 plaintiffs that are going to go up against the big tech companies really assessing their platform design and
suggesting that that design has a lot to do with teen addiction.
And it's going to be interesting how this really falls out, because some of the retribution that many of the plaintiffs are asking for is financial or
something related to some compensation for their harms to their children. But I'm not sure if we're going to get legislation out of this, or it's
going to be at least a prompt that we need something to be something to be done in the United States.
ASHER: Explain to us about the role that Section 230 plays in all of this, because that's part of the Communications Decency Act, and essentially, it
protects them from internet speech, or rather, it protects internet speech. So, a lot of these companies are using that to sort of shield themselves
from any kind of liability when it comes to the content, the actual content that is posted on their platform. How does section 230 from the
Communications Decency Act play into this?
LEE: Well, I think it's important for people to know that the tech companies do have protections in light of the fact that there's no
legislation and that protection does come from what you talked about Section 230. They are publishers.
[11:45:00]
You know, they perceive themselves as people who are publishing a modern- day newspaper where they should not be subject to any harms or consequences that may come from individual users or readers. That may not be working and
standing up to parents whose children are being affected by the addictions that come when it -- when it results in depression or body image
challenges.
So, Section 230, I think, is on a fragile inflection point right now. I don't think that there's been huge appetite to completely transform that
law. But it is something that is standing in the way of tech companies being on the hook for some of the consequences that many people in this
lawsuit are suggesting that they've actually incurred.
ASHER: And let's talk about what's happening in France right now, because the National Assembly in France has actually backed legislation to limit
the use of social media from children who are under 15. So, people over 15 can use it. Under 15, they cannot.
We saw similar legislation passed in Australia, right? That took the entire world by surprise. Theirs is for under sixteens. We're seeing the UK
possibly debate something very similar. So, we're seeing this kind of ripple effect across the globe. Just your reaction to that.
Because in Australia, it turns out that one particular MP, his wife actually read Jonathan Hates' book "The anxious generation" was so moved by
it that she literally said to her husband, you have to do something about it. And that, as my understanding, is the genesis of what happened in
Australia. Your reaction to the number of countries that are now considering similar bans?
LEE: So, it's interesting, right? As we talked about the U.S., you know, right now, people are suing, and in the across the sea, people are actually
finding ways to regulate. I mean, bans are going to be interesting. Australia put out a ban in December of last year. They disabled about 4
million accounts just overnight in the January, lot of people were looking, particularly kids, right for their social media platforms.
And I think Australia put out a point. You know, no more we're going to actually cease and desist what this stuff is. But we don't know yet whether
that's actually going to result in better mental health outcomes, or we're going to see a lot more engagement in just everyday activities that are not
necessarily tethered to social media applications.
Denmark has also followed suit the UK. I mean, President Macron has been real, real clear that part of his intention for the ban is to stop American
platforms and Chinese algorithms and taking advantage of young people.
Again, bans can be very instructive. They can come with a new set of guidance and rules that I think can correct the course that we've been on
with social media companies. But it's not clear if they're going to curb young people who really want to be on these platforms from actually making
it to their destination.
It's also not clear if by banning them, we're actually addressing the broader issues of just general mental health concerns and loneliness and
bullying that are really inherent in our society today. So, I do think as countries think about banning, they need to also be additive and figure out
ways to strengthen what those programs look like so young people have other alternatives outside of social media.
ASHER: Yeah, actually, the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albany has actually said he sort of addressed Australian teens in a video says, you
know, start a new sport, right? Learn a new instrument, go outside and play with your friends. But as you point out, it's not so simple.
It's not as if, yes, just because you make a particular ban, it means that children aren't going to find other ways to get on the platform, perhaps
using VPNs. Just explain to us what the reaction, though, from social media companies has been to a lot of these European countries and Australia
essentially trying to implement some of these bans.
LEE: I mean, I think these companies have pushed as hard as they can, and they're going to continue to push to find some illegality and what's
happening in these countries. I do think some of those companies have tried to adjust, you know, by putting in better age verification methods and age
assurance methods so that young people are actually the ones on their platforms.
And I think these companies are trying to adjust to the market, to figure out ways in which they can make these social media platforms much more
attentive based on the child's age. I mean, many of these bans are really for young people under a certain age, like 16, before they go to high
school.
But I do want to point out, I mean, much of what we're seeing is not untied to this general ban on cell phones. We as a society have just been, you
know, indoctrinated with technology, and I guess our inflection point is here to really think about what this has done to our society in terms of
our connectedness, but most importantly, to young people.
But I have to tell you, with the age of AI, we've got to be careful too, because we want technology to actually lead innovation, but we're also
telling young people don't use it. So, I think at some point we're all going to have to come to the table and figure out where does innovation fit
within the broader global economy that we have.
ASHER: Yeah, bring up so many good points. Nicol Turner Lee, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your perspective.
[11:50:00]
All right, still to come, for the first time in more than 50 years, Japan will find itself panda less. Why the beloved bears have been sent home to
China just ahead?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, as tensions between China and Japan rise, two of China's best ambassadors are leaving a Tokyo Zoo. Earlier today, crowds gathered to
bid farewell to a pair of four-year-old pandas. They're heading back to the ancestral home, marking the first time in decades there will be no panda
presence in Japan. CNN's Hanako Montgomery reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time in half a century, Japan will be panda less as its last two cubs, Xiao Xiao
and Lei Lei are leaving for China.
SHOKEN IKEDA, PANDA FAN: I'm really sad. We always said there's a panda here, so we'll get to see it sometime. And then this happened, I wish I'd
come more often.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): News of the twins' departure has drawn fans from across the country, some waiting hours for a final glimpse. Though they
were born in Tokyo in 2021 the cubs were always meant to return this year to their motherland, which loans the bears as goodwill ambassadors and to
strengthen trade ties.
But as tensions between Japan and China deepen, prospects for another panda loan seem increasingly far-fetched.
YUKIE KUYAMA, PANDA FAN: It feels like such a cute, innocent animal is being used as a trump card or weapon.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Relations between the two countries are at their lowest point in years. After Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in
parliament that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own, considers the issue a red line, and has responded with a flurry of economic pressure tactics, like cutting
flights, warning citizens against traveling to Japan, and suspending seafood imports. Now the pandas' departure, though pre planned, feels like
yet another blow.
HITOSHI SHIMIZU, GENERAL CURATOR AT UENO ZOO: Honestly, at the operational level, we don't know if we'll get more pandas, but we hope to continue
working with China on conservation and breeding research in the future.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Japan first welcomed pandas in 1972 to mark the normalization of ties with China. What followed was decades of panda fever
with a Zoo surrounding neighborhood transformed by tourism and Panda themed merchandise.
[11:55:00]
Tens of millions of dollars are generated each year from the panda economy, according to one economist's estimates. But with no new bear loan in sight,
Japan's 50-year chapter of panda diplomacy comes to a close. Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, finally, this hour, the demand for BTS concert tickets is so high in Mexico that President Claudia Sheinbaum is asking South Korea's
President to help arrange more shows for the K-Pop group. She says about a million people in Mexico want to buy the tickets for the group's come back
tour, but only 150,000 are available. BTS is releasing a new album in March, their first in nearly four years, and their world tour will begin
the following month.
All right, stay with CNN. There is much more "One World" with me and my colleague, Bianna Golodryga, after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
