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One World with Zain Asher
Border Czar: I.C.E. Surge In Minneapolis Is Concluding; Russia Blocks WhatsApp, Restricts Access To Telegram; Gisele Pelicot Shares Details About Abuse In New Interview; Nigeria: About 200 U.S. Troops To Arrive In Coming Weeks; Athletes, Politics, And The Olympics; High-Profile Tech Staffers Quit Amid Concerns Over A.I. Risks; Dawson's Creek Actor James Van Der Beek Has Died Aged 48; ;Aired 12-1p ET
Aired February 12, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:49]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
The Minneapolis mayor is responding to an announcement by the Trump administration that it's ending its surge of federal immigration agents to
Minnesota.
In a social media post, Jacob Frey wrote, they thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an
occupation.
It comes just hours after border czar Tom Homan said Operation Metro Surge is over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: I'm very pleased to report that this surge operation and our work here with state and local officials to improve
coordination and achieve mutual goals, as well as our efforts to address issues of a concern here on the ground, have yielded the successful results
we have came here for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Homan said the drawdown is already underway and a small footprint of personnel will remain in Minneapolis, but he didn't specify exactly how
many.
Homan took over at the operation more than two weeks ago amid of fierce nationwide criticism after two American citizens were fatally shot by
federal agents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOMAN: We don't want to see any more bloodshed. I don't want to see any more bloodshed. I pray every night for the safety of our law enforcement
personnel and the safety of those in the community, whether you're here legal or illegally. I don't want to see anybody harmed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Priscilla Alvarez joins us live now from Washington. So, he did indicate obviously that there will be a drawdown continue to happen, but didn't say
how many federal agents will remain on the streets of Minneapolis.
Just walk us through your perspective on how those in Minneapolis who have been dealing with ICE agents will respond and react to Tom Homan's comments
here.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have a little bit of that from what the mayor posted on X following this announcement. But certainly
the drawdown of the surge of federal agents who had been sent to the state is going to be welcome news.
Now, of course, we were talking about an unprecedented number of federal agents, including from immigration and customs enforcement and U.S. Customs
and Border Protection. There was a point where there was around 2,000 federal agents on the ground there.
Now, typically, there are around 150 agents, ICE agents on the ground in the state, so you can see how big of a surge this was. And that's what the
nuances here. The surge is coming to an end. That is to say that there is a drawdown that is going to happen according to Homan, quote, over period of
time. They'll also work on transitioning full command.
Now, this still leaves open the question as to how many will be left on the ground. But again, there were 150 before ICE has been operating in the
state for decades, so we can anticipate that it will likely get back to those numbers.
And in addition to that, the White House border czar justified how he came to this decision, one that he proposed to the president, and one of the
president concurred with him on by describing what he had been doing over the last couple of weeks. That is, for example, speaking with local and
state officials, getting what he and the administration has been pushing for, which is that cooperation, which would allow the jails to notify ICE
when they're releasing undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
He said at one point, quote, Minnesota is less of a sanctuary state for criminals. Now, this has been the political football that's been going back
and forth between the White House and local officials. It's this idea of limited cooperation that is something that Tom Homan and other senior
officials have long criticized both Minnesota but other states over.
And so he is saying now that they have achieved some level of cooperation. He also said that they are conducting more targeted operations. That is a
difference from the broader sweeps that had been happening under then- commander Gregory Bovino.
So the operations have looked different over time. He also announced they had identified issues and have worked on improving them, which includes,
for example, body cameras for agents, again, that targeted operation, and also an increased -- increased footprint from internal affairs with zero
tolerance for misconduct.
[12:05:03]
So he kind of walked through what the issues were on the ground when he arrived and then how those have been attempted to resolve to resolve since
he's been there.
So, of course, the big question is always, what does this look like moving forward? But as of now, they are claiming victory in the state of Minnesota
as they draw down that surge and also strike more agreements with local and state officials.
Now, of course, coming back to this -- the headline here, while the surge is going to end, so there will be a drawdown of federal agents, immigration
enforcement will continue. And that's important here.
Of course, ICE has been operating in Minnesota for decades. They are expected to continue to do that in the weeks to come, but it will look
markedly different than it had in both December and January.
ASHER: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, live for us there. Thank you so much.
Let's bring in Jason DeRusha. He's journalist and host of the podcast, Drivetime with DeRusha. He joins us live now from Minneapolis.
Jason, your reaction to Tom Homan's comments earlier.
JASON DERUSHA, JOURNALIST AND RADIO HOST: Well, Zain, I think there's a degree of a way to being lifted off the shoulder of people here in
Minnesota and Minneapolis and St. Paul and the surrounding area. There's also skepticism because the federal government has told a lot of stories
that have turned out not to be true.
So what the specifics of this look like matter, that said, I think most people in Minnesota feel a little bit of relief this morning.
ASHER: What do you think will be the lasting impact of ICE's presence on the streets of -- of Minneapolis?
DERUSHA: I mean, you have the short-term impact of if Homan's numbers are correct, 4,000 people detained, we don't know how many will ultimately be
sent out or sent back to their home country, but that's a significant difference in a community that is not enormous.
This isn't New York. This isn't Los Angeles. This is, you know, the 13th largest metropolitan area in the country, but the cities of Minneapolis and
St. Paul combined are about 650, 700,000 people. So that is a sizable number of people to be detained.
You know, I think I am hopeful that there's a little bit of lasting lesson here for the federal government, that one, you can't just come into any
state and do things however you want to do them.
This surge was incredibly unpopular. There was a poll done or released just yesterday that showed not just Democrats in the urban cities are upset at
this all throughout Minnesota. This surge was wildly unpopular.
And it's not because enforcing immigration laws is necessarily unpopular, it's because there's a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things.
And I hope that there will be a lasting lesson for how ICE continues to do its business.
We don't want it just to move on to some other city and have this sort of similar chaos. Let's do things the right way.
ASHER: Yes, because that's one of the things that Tom Homan talked about, this idea, yes, they're drawing down in Minneapolis, but operations will
continue in other American cities.
So just in terms of the two weeks that we've seen since Homan's arrival in Minneapolis, how has his arrival changed so far? How federal agents
interact with the local population?
DERUSHA: Well, to a certain degree, the agents who are remaining, you know, Homan said last week that 700 agents left, you're still left with 2,000
plus people. There hasn't been as much smoke, if you will, in the central cities, but they've been out in the suburbs. There's still been action
going on all throughout Minnesota.
And in fact, just yesterday, you saw federal agents in the city of St. Paul doing a high-speed chase that ended in a crash and could have killed
someone. And it's something that local law enforcement would not have done.
You would not have chased, you know, if you're chasing a murderer, that's one thing, but you wouldn't be chasing someone through the streets of a
heavily populated urban area.
So there are still daily dust-ups here, but it's much less chaotic. It's much more organized. It's much more professional.
And so I don't -- I -- I think there are fair questions. Homan is claiming victory. You knew this was how this was going to end, right? Before you
could leave, they would have to claim victory.
I'm not convinced that there's been a massive change. There's been more communication. And that has been a good thing. A lot of us have been asking
for that the whole way.
ASHER: All right. Jason DeRusha, live for us. Thank you. Appreciate you joining us on the program.
All right. We are following a number of new details in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance story. A short time ago, NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie released
this video as a desperate search for her 84-year-old mother moves into its 12th day.
Savannah, her video posted to her Instagram page, was filmed when she was a child. It's a tribute to Nancy as the family continues the difficult search
to find their mother.
[12:10:07]
And new today, this white tent, it was temporarily placed outside the door of Nancy Guthrie's home just a short time ago before being taken down. It's
unclear which agency put up the tent or why.
In the meantime, Guthrie's neighbors are also being asked to review their security camera footage from two days in January as investigators worked to
piece together a potential new timeline in the cases according to a post shared on the neighbor app by Ring. It's unclear whether the alert was
posted at the request of authorities.
Also, developing a "New York Post" reporter told CNN that a black glove was found -- was found about a mile and a half from Guthrie's home on
Wednesday. It's unclear if authorities believe that it's the same glove worn by the person in the doorbell camera video released by the FBI
captured the night that Guthrie disappeared.
And we're also learning more about what TMZ is calling a bizarre letter received from someone reporting to know who Guthrie's kidnappers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARVEY LEVIN, FOUNDER, TMZ: The letter essentially says, I've tried to get in touch with Savannah's brother and sister to no avail. And they sent it
to us then. And they said, if they want to get the name of the individual who is involved in this kidnapping, send the Bitcoin. Send -- send -- give
us a Bitcoin through this address.
And they say time is more than relevant. That's the way it ends. Time is more than relevant. We have sent this on to the FBI and to the sheriff's
department. And that's all we have heard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN has a number of teams covering Nancy Guthrie's disappearance and we'll continue to bring you any updates just in terms of whether we hear
any new developments in this case that has captivated the nation throughout the day.
All right. In Brussels, world leaders are holding crucial discussions on the future of Ukraine's military support. This is happening just hours
after Ukrainian officials say that Russia launched hundreds of missiles and drones towards their energy systems.
For a second time in a row, a top official of the Trump administration is skipping a NATO meeting. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not with
European allies today.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutter spoke on more responsibilities being handed to European countries and Canada.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: The U.S. is completely anchored. And at the same time in NATO, where Europe is stepping up with Canada, taking more
of a leadership role.
And at the same time what you were seeing is therefore a stronger transatlantic alliance. So, yes, I think, as I said, this -- this for me
was one of the most pivotal meetings I've been part of since I have visited NATO meetings since 2010.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Meantime, Russia confirms it has blocked the instant messaging app, WhatsApp. Fred Pleitgen explains how this move is part of a wider clamp
down on social media, including another popular messaging app, Telegram.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russia just restricted its most important messaging app, and that is a huge deal for
millions of people here in this country.
Telegram is, by far, the most popular messaging platform here in Russia. People use it to share news. They use it to chat. And, of course, also to
get information about what Russia calls the special military operation in Ukraine.
Now, millions of users here in Russia are reporting issues with Telegram. And this comes after the Russians have already severely restricted the use
of WhatsApp and also of YouTube.
The Russian media authority, Roskomnadzor, has confirmed the restrictions. It accuses Telegram of not doing enough to protect user data, personal
data, and also not doing enough to prevent what it calls the spread of both criminal and terrorist content.
Telegram itself accuses the Russians of wanting to push people towards the government-endorsed messaging app, which is called MAX. Military bloggers
are even complaining they say that all of this could hamper communications for Russian soldiers near the front lines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And counting is underway in Bangladesh's landmark national election. Tens of millions of people turned out to vote in the first election since
the so-called Gen-Z rebellion toppled the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina back in 2024.
The contest pits former coalition allies against each other. One of the frontrunners is the son of a former prime minister whose party has long
dominated politics in the country. He's up against a 67-year-old Islamist leader whose party has fielded no female candidates.
In 2024, Giselle Pelicot became a global feminist hero in turning her horrific story into a battle against rape culture. She's now giving her
first televised interview. You will recall that her former husband was convicted of orchestrating her rape by various men over several years.
CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has details from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GISELE PELICOT, RAPE VICTIM (through translator): This book is a message of hope.
[12:15:04]
SASKYA VANDOORNE, PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Gisele Pelicot is speaking on camera for the first time since the landmark criminal trial that shocked France
and turned her into a feminist global icon.
(APPLAUSE)
VANDOORNE (voice-over): With her new memoir out next week, Pelicot describes the moment the police delivered the bombshell that her former
husband had been orchestrating her mass rape for almost 10 years.
PELICOT (through translator): I don't recognize myself in those photos. I said, that's not me. Then I put on my glasses, and there I discovered this
lifeless woman on her bed, unconscious with the man she doesn't know. I think my brain disassociated.
VANDOORNE: Despite the ordeal her ex-husband put her through, Gisele says she still plans to see him again.
PELICOT (through translator): I wasn't able to address Mr. Pelicot directly during the trial. And we haven't spoken in over five years. That's part of
my healing journey to go and have a conversation with him, look him directly in the eye and ask him, why, why did you do that?
VANDOORNE: She says she's been trying to rebuild her life, including finding love again.
PELICOT (through translator): This encounter I've had is incredible, because I never imagined for a second that I would fall in love again or
even want to, but I believe there are connections in the universe where, well, I met this man who's also been through hard times, and it's changed
our lives.
VANDOORNE: While her relationship to her son and daughter has been strained because of the revelations, Gisele Pelicot hopes the book will provide some
answers that may help them.
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. Coming up, a scuffle breaks out in Turkey's parliament ahead of the swearing-in of a controversial man as the new justice
minister, details ahead.
Also ahead, dozens of American troops are headed to Nigeria to train its military in the fight against extremism. We'll talk to an expert on that.
And another Ukrainian Olympian is speaking out after he says, officials called the message on his helmet war propaganda.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. A brawl erupted in Turkey's Parliament over a controversial appointment by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The scuffle broke out Wednesday, ahead of the swearing-in of the new justice. Wow. The new Justice Minister.
President Erdogan chose Istanbul's chief prosecutor for the job. They're really going at it.
[12:20:05]
The man behind the crackdown on the main opposition party, he's overseen a wave of arrests and indictments, including the president's main rival, who
has been jailed since his arrest last year. That arrest sparked Turkey's largest street protests in years.
All right. Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez says she has been invited to the U.S. Rodriguez says she's considering going once cooperation
has been established.
Currently, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright is in Venezuela. CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon has details from Caracas on his first day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The images that you are seeing are nothing short of historic. The Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, from the
United States, arrived for a two-day visit to Caracas in Venezuela. And it marks the first time such a high ranking US officer came here since 1997.
And this is happening less than 40 days after the Venezuelan former president, Nicolas Maduro, was abducted in the middle of the night by U.S.
Delta Forces, Special Forces, and taking to New York, where he's now facing narco-traffic in charge.
Wright met with Maduro's successor, the interim president Delcy Rodriguez. And what they are saying, they have just agreed upon a new energetic
cooperation in the long term.
Wright said that President Trump is committed to transforming the relationship between Washington and Caracas. And that's why we're seeing,
for example, the stars and stripes in front of the presidential palace here in Venezuela.
It's been 39 days that have completely changed the history of this country, and perhaps the history of the Western Hemisphere.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. Nigeria says about 200 U.S. troops will arrive in the country in the coming weeks to help its forces fight Islamist militants.
Nigerian -- Nigerian general tells Reuters that the troops will provide technical training and service advisors and will not take part in any
combat.
Washington has stepped up pressure on Nigeria after President Trump accused the government of failing to shield Christians from Islamist militants.
Nigeria rejects the allegations of religious persecution, saying armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.
Let's bring in Yinka Adegoke. He's the Africa editor for Semafor at -- a global news company. He joins us live now from New York.
Yinka, always good to see you, my friend. So just in terms of this being the next step after the Christmas Day strikes, we saw last year, just a
couple of months ago. This is the next step. Just walk us through what stands out to you. How surprising is it?
We knew that the Nigerian government and the Americans were cooperating in the fight against terrorism, even though Nigeria says that Christians are
not being unfairly targeted.
Your reaction to this being the next step in that cooperation.
YINKA ADEGOKE, AFRICA EDITOR, SEMAFOR: Well, on some level, you have to say that so far the Nigerian government is -- is -- is working out in terms of
what they can spin out of this, right?
This is a -- a positive thing that, you know, we didn't just have these guys, the -- the U.S., bombed these terrorists on Christmas Day, but now
we're working with them. We invited them, you know, last month and now -- in December. And now, we're inviting them again to work with us and to help
us combat this, you know, problem we have.
I mean, you know, a cynic might say, well, why -- why didn't you invite them before now? And why did you wait until you were criticized and
attacked by a Trump administration before you asked for help?
I mean, they would say that they've asked for help in the past and haven't been given the right weapons and the right assistance, but clearly, that is
the right thing happening now.
And the hope is that this can have some sort of impact. But you have to say, I mean, the -- the -- the new says 200 trainers and, you know,
Nigeria's army is like 160,000, you know, soldiers. And you wonder how much impact they can have, but, you know, it was done strategically. It could be
a very positive thing.
ASHER: And just aside from the numbers, you know, the Nigerian military has been dealing with all sorts of issues. I mean, not to mention low pay, lack
of resources, low morale, issues when it comes to corruption, inadequate training, inadequate medical care for injured soldiers.
I mean, the list goes on. They're overstretched. They deal with burnout. There are lots of different crises facing the country when it comes to
security happening at one time.
I just wonder how much of a difference, you know, 200 American soldiers can really make when the issues that they face are quite extreme, actually.
[12:25:08]
ADEGOKE: Yes. No, you're -- you're spot on. It's a real, like, it's a drop in the ocean, really. I mean, you know, if you -- if you -- if they always
were argued that they just wanted to target the problems in one region of the country, maybe that could help.
But as well as the training, this also has to one hopes come with equipment as well, right? Because that's also a huge challenge for Nigeria army and
something which they -- they often complain about.
They're not allowed to even buy certain weapons from the United States because of certain restrictions around the kinds of equipment they're
allowed to buy.
So, you know, one hopes that the Trump administration gives them some opportunity to -- to get better equipment to deal with these problems
because, you know, in modern-day warfare, this is not -- this is not going to war with another army. These are insurgents.
So -- so you have to have not just the best training, but the equipment in which we wish to challenge these insurgents. Whether that will play out,
we'll see, you know. One hopes for the best.
ASHER: You know, right after the strike on Christmas day, I interviewed the special advisor to the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu. And he was saying
that, you know, Nigeria in the U.S. are essentially on the same page in the fight against terrorism.
Even though, you know, there's some disagreement as to whether or not Christians are being targeted -- targeted, but the fact that there is
obviously terrorism in Nigeria, there is issues when it comes to insurgency that the U.S. and Nigeria are on the same page. He intimated to me that
there could be more strikes in the future.
But the fact that the U.S. at least for now, at least for now, and it's been almost a couple of months since the initial strike, they've chosen not
to go down that road and instead choose a partnership in which U.S. troops are being sent to Nigeria. Your perspective on that.
ADEGOKE: Well, I -- I think this is what's so interesting about it because it becomes less about -- less about the actual challenge or that they're
facing them more about, you know, trying to make sure we look like where it's clear that we're working with the -- with the U.S. government, right?
Because they're real concerns.
We -- we just had a story this week about how much money the Nigerian government is spending. And other people of -- Nigerian officials are
spending sort of lobbying around Washington, where I spend a lot of time sort of speaking to people and they're really concerned about that this
doesn't get out of hand
And they don't get to that kind of what we call the South Africa kind of relationship where the U.S. really starts to target the -- the country and
-- and its business and its organizations.
So, they're -- they're really trying to tamp this down. So as much as possible, they want to be seen to be working with the U.S. government,
where that really solves the, you know, the multiple problems you and I have spoken about many times on -- on your show.
Like, it goes beyond just one terrorist problem. There are issues throughout the country, security issues throughout the country, and they
all need to be addressed.
The U.S. can only help with some of them. Some of these things are just fundamentally Nigerian issues which needs to be solved by Nigerian
governments, whether they're the current one or future ones, but they really need to -- to be addressed.
ASHER: All right, Yinka Adegoke, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right. We may be getting a glimpse into the future of the world's most secretive and isolated nation. South Korea's spy agency says that North
Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have taken steps to confirm his teenage daughter as his successor.
National Intelligence officials say the girl is believed to be around 13 years old. And an announcement could come sooner rather than later. North
Korea's largest political gathering is set to take place later on this month.
All right. Coming up, a Ukrainian skeletal slider is, it's been withdrawn from competition, for violating Olympic rules, and emotional Olympic
official explains the decision next.
And actor James Van Der Beek has died. We'll take a look back at his life and career.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:26]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Zane Asher.
Ukrainian short-track speed skater says the International Olympic Committee told him to take over an inspirational message on his helmet because, as I
said, it was war propaganda.
The 26-year-old says the message read, where there is heroism, there can be no final defeat. He says he will comply with the IOC so he can compete,
unlike his fellow countrymen, a skeleton competitor who has been disqualified over a tribute helmet that he planned to wear.
The helmet features images of athletes who were killed during the war in Ukraine. Heraskevych says he plans to appeal the decision. The committee's
president, Kirsty Coventry, appeared close to tears as she spoke about the disqualification.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTY COVENTRY, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: I really wanted to see him race today. It's been an emotional morning. So, yes.
You know, I think for me, yes, I think -- I don't think we were in tears, but it was a -- he is an athlete, and for me, I was not speaking to him in
that room as a president. I'm speaking to him as an athlete.
We -- we have these rules in place to try and be fair. And also to try and allow for us to do both things, right, to allow for athletes to express
themselves, but also to allow for athletes to be safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The war in Ukraine isn't the only political issue popping up at the Olympics. After the opening, ceremony, American skier Hunter Hess said,
just because I'm wearing the American flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S.
President Trump came out afterwards and called Hess a real loser on social media.
All right. Time now for "The Exchange." I want to bring in CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan. Gosh, so much to get through here.
Let's start with Heraskevych being disqualified. I mean, what's interesting is that he knew that this was a possibility that he wouldn't be allowed to
compete because of this helmet remembering and honoring athletes who had been killed since the war in Ukraine, but yet, he chose to wear the helmet
anyway, which many would say was a remarkable example of courage.
Give us your take on that.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: So, Zain, this is a topic that comes up every now and then. There's nothing more of concern and -- and care for
most of the world than Ukrainian athletes, of course, after the invasion by Russia.
And so there are rules and there are rules for a reason. And what Kirsty Coventry, of course, the first female president of the International
Olympic Committee, 42 years old, won gold in 2004, gold in 2008. That's why the emotion.
[12:35:09]
It was just, you know, just several years ago that she was competing. She gets it. And she is following the rules. And by that, there's no any kind
of message at all (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES) competition while you're at the medal stand.
These are the rules and the rules are there. You know, in this case, it seems unfair, right? It's like, oh my gosh, why can't this person do this
on an issue that is so important to millions -- billions of people around the world in favor of Ukraine?
But what about the one who then goes and says something about another country? And now everyone's wearing symbols on everything against their
competitors. And it would just be, it would be a free for all.
And you -- you have to have some rules in sport. What I'm -- I feel is a shame is that had he competed, as Coventry said, he would have been able,
of course, to wear that without the tribute in the mix of that's where all the journalists are. That's where I am all the time.
In the press conference, it would have gotten so much more air times. People would have been reporting on it, pictures being taken, and that now
isn't happening because he's gone.
So it is unfortunate. I think that's why Coventry was near tears because she saw the opportunity while also following the rules, which can be
confusing and infuriating. But it makes sense if you start thinking of the larger world and what could happen if everyone could put anything on their
uniforms, their helmets, et cetera.
ASHER: You know, I totally get that, that you have to be fair. However, in the West, there is unanimous agreement generally that Ukraine is the victim
in this war between Russia and Ukraine.
And based on that, is the IOC going to be on the right side of history here?
BRENNAN: Oh, it looks as though -- unfortunately, we lost Christine Brennan's audio. Can't hear her. Hopefully, we could try to get her back
but she was talking to us.
Apparently, she's back.
BRENNAN: I'm here.
ASHER: Can you hear -- can you hear me, Christine?
OK. I have you back. Good.
BRENNAN: I can hear you now. It went out for a few seconds.
ASHER: Did you hear my questions?
BRENNAN: And I apologize.
ASHER: Did you hear my question?
BRENNAN: I did. Well, about -- about that -- that Ukraine is different. Was that the gist of it?
ASHER: Well, it was -- it was really about whether or not. Because I think that a lot of people unanimously agree in the West that Ukraine is the
victim in this war with Russia.
Is the IOC going to be on the right side of history here?
BRENNAN: Well, certainly. I agree with that, even though as sports journalist. But as an American and as a human being, of course.
I -- I think, again, the issue, and Coventry is a, you know -- I -- I covered her as a swimmer. And you could see how -- how important and how
emotional she was. I -- that for an IOC president to show that, it shows how fraught this issue is.
Again, what we believe and we understand that, what about other countries? Let's forget the Ukraine story. This is -- this issue comes up every
Olympic Games.
And someone wants to put something about another nation or their nation or something awful or words that would inflame another country.
Do you allow that? Because if the -- if the IOC did allow that, then all you would see is slogans and messages in various languages that could be
inflammatory on like, you know, hundreds of topics, right, Zain?
So while I understand the concern, of course, it's a shame. What I'm saying is that the message would have been disseminated in a much bigger way and a
grander way, had he gone by the rules that -- that she mentioned.
And then had the opportunity to have that reach people for hours and hours and hours in interviews afterwards and days afterwards. And that's the
point she was making, the blur, as he goes by, no one could see the actual pictures anyway as he is going down the track. That, I think, is the -- the
issue there.
But the rule is in place and it will remain in place. And I think a lot of people will be very happy the rule is in place.
Another issues. But this is something that we've talked about every Olympics that I'm sure we'll talk about in the future Olympics as well.
ASHER: Yes. I mean, it's not just a Heraskevych. It's also another speed skater, Handei (ph) who had a quote, a quote by a Ukrainian poet and writer
on his helmet saying, "Where there is heroism, there is no final defeat." And he was told he had to sort of put tape over it.
And so it is a blanket ban, as you point out. And there has to be from their perspective, at least. You know, it is one size fits all in terms of
the rules here. They can't make exceptions, because, as you point out, what if somebody else justifies it in a -- in a different situation?
[12:40:11]
All right. Christine Brennan, live for us there. Thank you. Thank you so much.
BRENNAN: Yes.
ASHER: All right. Staying with the Olympics, but with less politics now and more bling, Americans here, Breezy Johnson is topping off a stellar
Olympics by adding silver after her gold medal win.
But this piece of jewelry is not a medal. Johnson's boyfriend proposed her the Finnish area of the women's Super-G event. Uh, the American had crushed
out of the race earlier that day, but that disappointment was quickly left behind on the proposal. She says that her fiancee's words were so
beautiful.
Coming up, the very real concern over artificial intelligence, a wave of Silicon Valley insiders quit their job and ring the alarm bell.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Let's check and see how the markets are doing here in the U.S. right now. Let's take a look.
All right. So the Dow is down on percent as is the S&P 500. NASDAQ down about 1.5 percent. This is your business breakout.
All right. European Union leaders say is urgent to cut energy costs and make the bloc more competitive amid pressure from the U.S. and China.
They've been attending an informal retreat at a Belgian castle, and few decisions are expected as leaders put forward contrasting ideas. France is
pushing joint borrowing and a made in Europe plan, while Germany favors boosting productivity and new trade deals instead.
A rare resistance to President Donald Trump's trade agenda, six U.S. House Republicans broke with Trump voting with Democrats to block his tariffs on
Canada. The vote provoked a threat from the president, who quickly warned of primary challenges for those who oppose him.
The head of Instagram testified in court Wednesday, the first executive to take a stand in the landmark trial against YouTube and Meta. Adam Mosseri
said he doesn't think users can be clinically addicted to the social media app. A now 20-year-old woman is suing the companies, accusing them of
intentionally developing features to hook young users, which she claims harmed her mental health.
And Silicon Valley is seeing a wave of high-profile staffers quit their jobs over concerns about A.I. In just the past few days, several employees
have left their positions. Saying the companies they work for are moving too fast and downplaying the risks associated with the technology.
[12:45:05]
A former employee at tech brand Anthropic even went so far as to say, quote, the world is in peril.
Hadas Gold has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: Silicon Valley is known for a lot of turnover, especially in the A.I. industry. But lately, it's been sort of
like a game of musical chairs. And there's been a stream of departures recently.
And along of those departures from some of the major A.I. companies are some warnings from these staffers who worked at some of the biggest labs,
like OpenAI and Anthropic.
And just this week, at least two of them have posted essays along with why they're leaving that are pointing to sort of warning signs that they say
the rest of society needs to be aware of in terms of A.I.'s quick development and what it could be capable of in some of the negative aspects
of A.I.'s capabilities.
So one of those people is Zoe Hitzig. She is a researcher for OpenAI for the past two years. She resigned. She said on the same day that OpenAI
rolled out ads within ChatGPT. OpenAI has announced that part of their strategy for revenue is going to be putting advertisements in free --
people who use ChatGPT for free.
Now they did say that these ads will not be, you know, reading your conversations necessarily and putting an ad right in there, but it's gotten
a lot of blowback.
And Zoe Hitzig, this researcher, she wrote that she has deep reservations about this advertising strategy and about ChatGPT's potential for
manipulating users, especially because they have so much history in all of these conversations.
And a lot of people talk with these chatbots in a very intimate way. She wrote in part the erosion of OpenAI's own principles to maximize engagement
may already be underway. And that she fears a technology that manipulates the people who use it at no cost and one that exclusively benefits the few
that can afford to use it.
Another top safety researcher this time at Anthropic, Mrinank Sharma, posted his own resignation letter this week warning that the world is in
peril. And he said throughout his time at Anthropic, he says, I've repeatedly seen how hard it is to truly let our values govern our actions.
And he said he's leaving to potentially go write some poetry and completely get out of the tech space.
Now, doomsday predictions about A.I. have been around for a very long time. I mean, we've even seen the heads of some of these companies, including
Anthropic and OpenAI, talk about sort of their fears of how A.I. can go wrong.
There was another essay that went viral this week from HyperWight CEO, Matt Shumer, who wrote about how the latest A.I. models have already made a lot
of jobs obsolete. And we need to be prepared for what's coming with A.I., thinking of it as though we are in February of 2020 and the COVID virus is
about to completely change our lives.
He says that's how we need to see A.I. as changing our lives very soon. He's writing from a tech executive perspective, writing, we're telling you
what already occurred in our own jobs, he wrote, and he's warning you that you're next.
So a lot of fears coming up this week about A.I.'s potential and what can happen and whether we're all prepared for that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. Coming up, "Dawson's Creek's" leading man, James Van Der Beek has died at the age of 48. Tributes from his family and co-stars,
ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:58]
ASHER: James Van Der Beek, the actor best known for playing the leading role in the '90s teen drama, "Dawson's Creek," has died at the age of 48.
His family said he met his final days with courage, faith and grace.
In November 2024, Van Der Beek announced that he was living with stage three colon cancer. From 1998 to 2003, he starred in "Dawson's Creek"
alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams. They remain close in the wake of their success, with his co-stars coming together to
fundraise for his ongoing cancer treatments.
Following "Dawson's Creek," Van Der Beek went on to have further success on the big screen. Tributes have been pouring in. One of them a handwritten
letter by Katie Holmes praising her co-star's compassion and selflessness. Adding, I am so grateful to have shared a piece of James' journey.
CNN's Lisa Respers France joining us live now from Atlanta.
Just based on everything that I've read about Van Der Beek, I mean, he seemed like an incredibly sort of thoughtful, compassionate and kind human
being.
And even when he did talk about what he was dealing with, with cancer, he sort of seemed extremely courageous about it and -- and hopeful, at the
same time, believing in the possibility that there could be some miracle, but he met-- he met the whole thing with grace, Lisa.
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He did. He absolutely viewed it as a spiritual journey. He was very open about that. He talked about, you
know, that if God could love him, why couldn't he love himself with what he was going through?
And I think part of his legacy, Zain, also we have to look at the fact that people like Alfonso Ribeiro, who was a dear friend of his, have been
sharing what it was like to be with him and -- and walk this journey with him, especially in his final days.
He was so beloved. You know, as fans, you know, you look at him and you see this boyishly handsome man who seemed like he did not age at all.
And he also was just incredibly charming, but I think his biggest part of his legacy is going to be being a father and a husband. He talked about how
important that was to him. And he and his wife have six young children.
And so our hearts go out to the family. And so many people have just been saying what an incredible loss. He wasn't just a part of many people's teen
years and childhood years, he also is someone that people deeply admired because of his commitment to his family and his friends.
ASHER: You know, one of the things that also broke my heart in addition to obviously hearing about him passing is obviously we all grew up with
"Dawson's Creek," right?
FRANCE: Right.
ASHER: But is when his wife posted an Instagram that she needed to raise money via GoFundMe because they, you know, the -- the medical bills dealing
with cancer had left them, you know, just -- just lacking funds essentially.
And so it says a lot, doesn't it, that somebody who is a household name in America, a famous actor is completely left broke by dealing with medical.
I mean, obviously it is very expensive to deal with this particular illness, especially in the United States.
FRANCE: Yes.
ASHER: But it is heartbreaking that they're having to appeal publicly for help in this way too.
FRANCE: It is. It boggles the mind. And we see, you know, they're well over a million dollars because so much love is pouring in. And the money is
pouring in as well.
But it sparked an interesting conversation about here's a man who we loved and saw on screen for years who undoubtedly made Hollywood money.
So if he's struggling, think about your average everyday person, Zain, who has to deal with these type of medical bills.
So I think it says a lot about the healthcare system. It definitely is speaking to a lot of Americans about our healthcare system that his family
is so in debt just from trying to keep him alive. So it just further adds to the tragedy it feels like, Zain.
ASHER: Yes. I mean, obviously, you know, it seems as though that a lot of his income was made when he was 19, 20 years old. And so you forget that.
I mean, obviously he has a household name, but, you know, you're making hundreds of thousands of dollars at age 19. You never think that 20 years
down the road, you're going to have to deal with something like this.
FRANCE: So true. So true.
ASHER: All right. Lisa Respers France, live for us. Thank you so much.
[12:55:02]
FRANCE: Thank you.
ASHER: And a year before his death, James Van Der Beek shared this message of doubt, self-reflection and acceptance in a post on Instagram. And it's
what we want to leave you with today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES VAN DE BEEK, ACTOR: I always face for the question, if I am just a too skinny, weak guy alone in an apartment with cancer, what am I?
And I meditated and the answer came through, I am worthy of God's love. Simply because I exist.
And if I'm worthy of God's love, shouldn't I also be worthy of my own? And the same is true for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: That's going to stay with me for some time.
All right. That does it for "One World." I am Zain Asher. Thank you for watching. "Amanpour" is up next. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
