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One World with Zain Asher
Next Hour: Israeli Security Cabinet Weighs Possible Lebanon Ceasefire; Data Shows Ships Intercepted In Persian Gulf, Gulf Of Oman; Israeli And Lebanese Officials Agree To More direct Talks; Tens Of Millions In Path Of Severe Storms Across U.S.; Family Seeks Answers In Death Of American Social Media Influencer; United Nations: 14M People Hungry And Displaced In Sudan; Fresh Strain On U.S.-U.K. Diplomatic Ties Over Iran; Brazil's President Takes Workout Routine Online; Students Take Action To Fight Modern-Day Slavery; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired April 15, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:10]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: A source says that a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon could be on the table. The Israeli Security Cabinet meeting is
meeting next hour.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He wants to make the grand bargain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Very close to over. Donald Trump thinks the war with Iran will soon be coming to a close. One official tells CNN the U.S. has yet to agree
to extend the ceasefire though.
ASHER: Also ahead, multi-day storm threat to tornadoes and baseball-sized hail tear through parts of the American Midwest. Stunning images we just
got to see.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. This means that she's saying hi? This is one of the coolest things I've ever done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: That is indeed an assignment we're all jealous of. A CNN exclusive meet the Smithsonian National Zoo's newest edition. And it's not
Dana Bash.
ASHER: And later, 10 years of courage, awareness and justice, CNN marks My Freedom Day.
All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
In the next hour, CNN has told, the Israeli Security Cabinet will discuss a possible ceasefire with Lebanon.
ASHER: This just one day after those direct talks in Washington. Despite that meeting, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire, though
under American pressure. We've seen Israel recently scaled back the pace and scope of its strikes in Lebanon.
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us from Tel Aviv. And, Oren, how much of this potential ceasefire has the United States pushing both sides?
I -- I would argue Israel more at this point, just 24 hours after these historic talks between Israel and Lebanese officials.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, President Donald Trump knows he has leverage with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and very much
seems like he is pushing that pressure to good use, trying to get to a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that would see the fighting stop
between Israel and the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah.
There is a security cabinet meeting scheduled to start at 8:00 P.M. local time, which is one hour from now. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is
expected as part of that talk, according to -- part of that discussion, according to an Israeli source familiar with the meeting, to talk about the
possibility of a ceasefire with Lebanon.
And this comes one day after the first direct talks between the Israeli and Lebanese governments in some 40 years. Those talks held in Washington,
D.C., under the auspices of the Trump administration.
And -- and you can see that the White House wants to invest political capital in this. And that's because Secretary of State Marco Rubio was part
of those talks.
Now, it was more about setting a framework for future discussions. But what's crucial here is that the discussions didn't fall apart about the
possibility of some sort of agreement between Israel and Lebanon. That doesn't mean it's a done deal far from it. It is still a very difficult
diplomatic path ahead.
But the Trump administration and Trump himself clearly see this as worth the effort. The U.S. has already pushed Israel to scale back its strikes on
Lebanon. Certainly, we are seeing a hot war there and Israel continues to carry out strikes.
But for several days now, the military has not carried out strikes on the capital of Beirut. And the -- and the number of those strikes seems to have
diminished somewhat.
Now, the Israeli military still says they carried out some 200 strikes over the past 24 hours. And the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health says that
they had 35 Lebanese killed in a -- in a short period earlier this week.
So you still see that it's a hot war, but the U.S. is investing effort to try to see if it's possible to bring this to a close.
These are again, Bianna and Zain, difficult discussions, especially because of the first direct talks take place within some 40 years.
[12:05:08]
But the U.S. is investing effort in this. And it's worth noting that Trump and Netanyahu had, at least, three calls last week where Lebanon was a key
focus. So, there is very much an effort underway. And we'll have to wait to see here whether it bears fruit.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Oren Liebermann, thank you.
ASHER: All right. We are tracking the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran warns that its military could shut down shipping
operations in the Red Sea if this continues.
GOLODRYGA: Now off the coast of Iran, new data suggests some ships have been intercepted in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Meantime, President Trump continues to claim victory over the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS ANCHOR: Is this war over?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's close to over. Yes. I -- I mean, I view it as very close to over.
You know what, if I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we're not finished. We'll see what happens. I
think they want to make a deal very badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Let's bring in Haley Britzky who is tracking all of this from Washington.
Just in terms of Iran's threats to retaliate by blocking sea traffic in and around the Red Sea. I mean, what would be a particular concern for the
global economy would be the Bab el-Mandeb Strait?
There was a lot of fear, previously, that the Houthi rebels would have done this. And a lot of shipping can actually be diverted around the Cape of
Good Hope, just in terms of South Africa. But still, we would see oil prices rise even more than they already have, Haley.
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes. And we've seen that the Houthis in Yemen, who are backed by Iran, are very capable of
carrying out pretty severe damage in the Red Sea and really impacting commercial shipping there.
Just a few years ago, we saw, I mean, hundreds of -- of attacks, drone missile attacks from the Houthis into the Red Sea. So, it's certainly
something that officials will be watching and be cognizant of.
And I want to point out, you know, we just heard the president say the war is very close to over, that he has been saying that for the last month or
so. We've heard this time and time again.
And just last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference, essentially that the war was over, saying that it was a -- a
profound victory for -- for the U.S. forces in the region. Called it a capital V victory.
And so, we've been hearing these sort of different markings here of it's very close to over, it's almost over. But certainly, this -- these issues
are still happening.
We've seen just yesterday the U.S. military saying 10,000 U.S. forces who are enforcing this blockade of ships to and from Iranian ports.
Importantly, they're saying it's not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, but it is a blockade of ships coming in and out of these ports from Iran.
The military saying yesterday that no ships have gotten through, that they have turned ships around.
And the U.S. official saying today that those interdictions of ships are happening not necessarily in the Strait of Hormuz, but in the Gulf of Oman.
And so it's -- it's certainly something that we are continuing to watch develop here. We know that the ceasefire deadline is just coming up next
week.
And as Oren mentioned, you know, there's still these conversations happening between Israel and Lebanon. We had a U.S. official saying today
that their -- the U.S. has not requested an extension for this deadline yet for the ceasefire.
And so what could be coming up in these next few days? Certainly something that we are continuing to watch, but the U.S. military is very actively in
this region, trying to enforce this blockade, saying they're having a lot of success in doing so.
But what that could mean for talks is still very much up in the air, Zain and Bianna.
ASHER: All right. Haley Britzky, live for us. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. A lot to discuss. We want to bring in Firas Maksad. He is the managing director for the Middle East and North Africa, the
Eurasia group and an expert on the politics of Lebanon and the region as a whole. Firas, it's good to see you.
So on the one hand, there are some conflicting reports as to whether the United States is willing and open to extend its current ceasefire with Iran
while maintaining that blockade over the Strait of Hormuz.
And at the same time, reports that Israel, perhaps even imminently, will be agreeing to announcing a ceasefire in its war with Hezbollah in Southern
Lebanon, this coming 24 hours after these historic talks for the first time in some 40 years between Lebanese government officials and Israeli
officials.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is viewed obviously as a reprieve for everyone. But what message is it sending to both Iran and Hezbollah if
it does appear that the United States is pushing Israel to do this?
FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR MENA, EURASIA GROUP: Bianna and -- and Zain, good to be with you again.
Let's start with the Lebanon ceasefire. There were much hope last week that in fact that we'd be able to get to a ceasefire by now in Lebanon.
President Trump did get in touch with the prime minister of Israel, essentially pressuring him to scale back and limit the scope of military
activities in Lebanon.
[12:10:01]
As a result of that, we've seen that Israel has not struck Beirut now in almost a week, coming on the back end of a horrific campaign that within
the scope of 10 minutes saw some 300 people killed in Beirut.
A significant portion of that, I would say, were Hezbollah fighters. But nonetheless, there was a -- a grave civilian toll.
So what the Iranians want as a precondition, or wanted, I should say, a precondition to talks with the U.S., was a ceasefire in Lebanon that
safeguards whatever is left of their proxy, Hezbollah.
The American position is that a ceasefire in Lebanon will only come as a result of an agreement with Iran and not as a fulfillment of the Iranian
precondition.
And so bringing you back to your question of whether we're likely to see a ceasefire in Lebanon, I think we're moving in that direction. I think it
will be temporary. I think it will be conditional. And I think it will come as a result. And after there is an American-Iranian deal rather than a
precondition that Iran wants.
I would also very quickly just add that the Americans are telegraphing to the Iranians, that Lebanon will no longer be an area of -- or a sphere of
influence of Iran and will no longer remain in Iran's orbit after all this is said and done.
ASHER: You bring up an important point, Firas, just about the fact that Israel hasn't struck Lebanon in more than a week, but that came off the
back of one of the worst strikes against the country right as the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was being signed.
How much of a challenge is it for Lebanon though? I mean, even though there have been no strikes around Beirut. Just the fact that the Lebanese are
having to negotiate with Israeli diplomats while their country is technically still under fire, obviously, that makes them sort of weaker
hand around the negotiating table.
Just how much of a challenge is that, you know, typically what the, I guess, right thing to do is, if I can say that, is to pause hostilities and
then negotiate. But this scenario puts Lebanon in a very strange position.
MAKSAD: Zain, the proponents of power is in favor of Israel, not in favor of Lebanon. And even Hezbollah, which dragged the country into this war by
opening up a second front in support of Iran after the supreme leader there was killed. Even Hezbollah cannot bring to bear the kind of military
pressure, let alone the Lebanese state, to thwart Israeli actions in Lebanon. So continued warfare in an effort to achieve Lebanese demands is
not the answer.
I think what the U.S. administration is telegraphing is that a ceasefire is possible and is within reach, but it will only come through U.S.-led talks
between Lebanon and Israel.
And I think where the pressure is on Israel right now is not only to scale back its military operation and, in fact, with the goal of getting to a
total ceasefire in Lebanon, but also to telegraph and message very clearly to the Lebanese that Israel does not have designs on Lebanese territory and
plans for a long-term occupation.
If, in fact, Hezbollah is eventually dismantled, this will take some time. It will be a bumpy road. There's considerable challenges given the weakness
of the Lebanese state and the Lebanese military.
But if the security threat towards Israel is no longer what it currently is in Lebanon, then Israel will, in fact, eventually pull back from the buffer
zone that it's currently creating in South Lebanon.
GOLODRYGA: And I'd like to pick up on perhaps what you were describing as a ray of light and optimism and another wise very dark and dangerous region.
And obviously, that's only been exacerbated over the last few weeks with this hot war now.
Is there an opportunity for the first time, as you said, if the demands on Iran that Lebanon no longer can be in their sphere of influence through
their proxy, Syria now, different leadership as well, is there an opportunity that Lebanon can have its own agency and autonomy and, most
importantly, peace with its neighbor, Israel?
MAKSAD: It's been a generation since you've had a Lebanese president, a Lebanese prime minister, and a Lebanese government that is not controlled
and nominated either by next door, Syria, with the Assad regime that had dominated Lebanon for decades, or Iran via Hezbollah.
And as Hezbollah has been repeatedly weakened first by a year, or I should say, a war with -- with Israel in 2024, some year and four months ago, and
now by a second run of fighting, yes, the Lebanese government is increasingly willing to stand up and demand what most Lebanese wants, which
is that its own ability to exercise sovereignty over its territory, and to control decisions of war and peace, whether it be with Israel or anybody
else, rather than have Iran via Hezbollah make those decisions for it.
[12:15:18]
So, am I hopeful? I think longer term, Lebanon is certainly trending in the right directions for the very reasons that you pointed out the Assad regime
no longer being there. Iran's power projection capability is being diminished, but I do think that short-term, it's going to be a trek to get
there.
And there's going to be some significant challenges to internal stability in Lebanon as Hezbollah continues to have a support base within its own
support -- support community in Beirut.
So, this is a -- a long process, a political process, but Lebanon is trending in the right direction given the changes in the overall region.
GOLODRYGA: And sadly at a cost of way too many civilian lives lost.
Firas, I know that among them killed last week was a family who you knew as well. So our condolences to you and thank you, as always, for your
expertise your voice of reason and your analysis.
ASHER: Thank you, Firas.
MAKSAD: My pleasure. Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Nearly two dozen tornadoes have torn through multiple states in the United States over the past week; Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota,
and Wisconsin saw severe damage to buildings and homes. And baseball-sized hail also battered the Midwest region as well.
GOLODRYGA: And the severe weather threat is not over yet. CNN's meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us live now.
A lot of states have really been through it. Just talk to us about what's next, what's over the horizon just in terms of more on the way.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Today, we're in fact having another risk of severe weather, and some of the same locations in the video that you
just saw on your television screens a moment ago.
And then we picked that intensity back up into the end of the week. We'll get into that in just one moment.
But look at this incredible video. This is flooding. This is a combination of the winter snowmelt and repeated rounds of storms bringing heavy
rainfall to northern Michigan.
This is a stunning video. We call this a rope tornado, clearly picking up a lot of dust there. But just when you expanded out there with this drone, it
is a phenomenal looking sight.
This moved over open land, but there were other tornadoes that caused damage parts of Wisconsin. Saw damage from tornadoes yesterday.
So, in the past 24 hours, we've had roughly -- past two days, we've had nearly two dozen tornadoes. And here again, we have a chance of severe
weather. Some of them could produce more tornadoes today. And so roughly the same locations.
For our international viewers, if you're traveling to or from or throughout the United States today or you have family and friends within this area
Chicago, Des Moines, Kansas City to Oklahoma City, those are the hotspots for the day. Greatest risk of tornadic development really located across
Central Iowa and throughout the Southern Plains.
This is tornado alley, of course. But when you start talking about EF to a greater tornadoes, that has the potential of winds in excess of 150
kilometers per hour.
This is the setup. So, it's a stationary boundary, so that means it doesn't move very fast. So, we've got these pulses of energy that come through. And
that brings the heavy rounds of rain but also with the daytime heating the sun starts to blossom these supercell thunderstorms that have the potential
of dropping a funnel cloud to the ground and producing a tornado. So that's what we're concerned about as these storms march eastward.
A little bit of a reprieve tomorrow, but look at Friday right here. This is the central parts of the U.S. This could be another big ticket severe
weather day that we're going to monitor and then once again into Saturday across the Ohio River Valley from Indianapolis to Cleveland.
Zain, Bianna.
ASHER: All right. Derek Van Dam, live for us. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Police in Tanzania are questioning the fiance of a U.S. social media influencer who died after an alleged suicide attempt while the couple
were on vacation in Zanzibar.
ASHER: Yes. The family of American content creator, Ashlee Jenae, say that they want answers. Her parents have been speaking to journalist, Cheyenne
Corin, about what they've been going through.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY ROBINSON, ASHLY ROBINSON'S FATHER: Uncertainty, mystery, anger, sadness. It's like a part of me has been taken away.
CHEYENNE CORIN, JOURNALIST (voice-over): On April 5th, influencer Ashly Robinson who goes by Ashlee Jenae on social media, was celebrating her 31st
birthday in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
She was on the vacation with her boyfriend of one year who popped the question just two days before.
YOLANDA DENISE ENDRES, ASHLY ROBINSON'S MOTHER: We believe they're -- that they were in love. We believe that their relationship was genuine.
CORIN (voice-over): Ashly's mother says she never would have expected that less than a week later, her daughter would be dead.
On April 8th, she says Ashly called saying she and her fiance got into an argument and were moved to separate rooms. The next day, she received
another call, this time, from her fiance.
[12:20:02]
ENDRES: He told me that Ashly did something to herself and that she was being taken to the hospital. I said, what happened? When? And he told me it
had been 11 hours prior.
CORIN (voice-over): Hours later, the luxury hotel the couple was staying at called saying Ashley passed away. According to the hospital's medical
report, Ashly had an unidentified mark around her neck. They wrote, quote, "According to the husband, he found she hanged herself on the door," with
several question marks.
ROBINSON: Sometime Joe went back to her room with security, and that's how they found her.
CORIN (voice-over): Ashly was also taken to a second hospital who listed her calls of death as cerebral hypoxia by strangulation and suffocation.
ENDRES: (INAUDIBLE) done anything that would ever, ever lead me to believe that she would do something to harm herself.
ROBINSON: She was not just going to be discarded and forgotten about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come on "One World," mass hunger and displacement in Sudan, as the civil war drags into a fourth year. How the
most vulnerable are now coping. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. There is still no end to the violence in Sudan as the country's brutal civil war extends into a fourth year. Warning that what
you are about to see is very disturbing. The U.N. says that more than 14 million people are hungry and also displaced.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Many surviving on one meal a day. And the health system is in ruins. Here you see the most vulnerable who are suffering amid war and
hunger.
U.N. officials say fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has pushed 70 percent of the country into poverty.
ASHER: That's nearly double what it was in 2023. Germany pledged over $23 million in aid this year before an international aid conference in Berlin.
It's hoping to raise a billion dollars in funding commitments.
Here's what the senior advisor to the U.S. president said earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASSAD BOULOS, SENIOR ADVISOR TO U.S. PRESIDENT, ARAB AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS: The people of Sudan have suffered enough. And that's why we have
been calling for an immediate acceptance of this humanitarian truce. And it's only a truce at the moment.
Of course in the meantime, we will be working on a permanent ceasefire. But let's start first with this humanitarian truce.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Time now for The Exchange. Let's bring in Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation. He's also a research
professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Alex, thank you so much for being with us.
[12:25:09]
So, we're in a situation now where 14 million people have been displaced by this war, that has dragged on for three years. Nine million seeking safety
elsewhere in a country whereby 4.4 million people have been crossing the border into Chad, into Egypt, into South Sudan. We're dealing with
basically a prolonged stalemate. So God knows how long this war is going to actually last.
Why has the international community failed the people of Sudan, Alex?
ALEX DE WAAL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORLD PEACE FOUNDATION: So, there's a terrible statistics that you cite and today is a terrible, sad anniversary.
And Sudan is no stranger to civil war, to mass displacements and famine. But the war that erupted three years ago is -- has -- has broken all
records in terms of the infliction of human suffering, the -- the -- the depth of deprivation, but also the extremes of depravity, brutality
inflicted by -- by the two -- the two sides and -- and genocidal violence by the Rapid Support Forces.
Now, just as there are many examples of Sudan -- of war in Sudan, there are also many cases of -- of peace, of bringing peace.
And I think the key reason why peace has not been achieved, over the last three years, is that this war is entangled in regional rivalries. There are
very powerful states compared to Sudan in the Gulf, in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and above all the United Arab Emirates that are
entangled in this war and are supporting different sides.
And for what -- what for them is, for these rich Gulf states, is -- is small pocket change is enough to sustain a massive war effort by the two
sides in Sudan.
So the first step is that these countries, either have to stay out or they have to come to an agreement. And getting to that base has been the biggest
international diplomatic obstacle.
GOLODRYGA: And clearly, it has been a complete failure to get to that phase. And you see the consequences of that and the human toll there and
the suffering that's been going on for years, Alex.
And we're also seeing regional spillover from the war in Iran right now as well as we're seeing the bottleneck over the strait. We're seeing the price
of energy, of commodities, of fertilizer, of everything, skyrocket.
What impact is that having on a population that's already desperate for need, for these basic goods?
DE WAAL: So this is -- this is sadly, it looks like the -- the perfect storm, the worst possible conjunction of circumstances. So food prices are
going up, fuel prices, fertilizer is -- is -- is also becoming scarce, et cetera.
And Sudan's neighbors are also being destabilized both by the war and -- and -- and the war in Sudan and also by the knock-on effects from the --
the war and -- and the obstruction of the Persian Gulf.
Now, there could potentially be a silver lining to this, which is that Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have been rivals. They've been locked in
this rivalry as to which one will be the dominant state in -- in this part of the world.
They could see -- well, actually, we have a much bigger issue here, which is the threat of the -- the war with Iran and -- and -- and of the question
of, is the United States -- is the security of the United States based order? Is that sustainable?
And they could come together and say, OK, at this point, let us withdraw from Sudan or let us come to an agreement over Sudan.
And this is the hope that the Berlin Conference, where international donors, including those -- those states are meeting today. This is the hope
that they may be able to achieve something. And we simply don't know what will be the outcome of that.
ASHER: Bianna brought up such a good point about how the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting, has a knock-on effect,
obviously, around the entire world, but of course, Africa is particularly vulnerable.
But there are a number of other crises facing the continent even before the war in Iran took place. You had the massive sort of funding that dried up
from USAID, for example, but even more broadly, the continent faces food insecurity. It faces climate change shocks. Population growth is outpacing
job creation, for example. There's debt stress. I mean, the list goes on.
My question to you is, how is all of that affecting the neighboring countries that are now having to welcome more and more refugees, especially
Chad? Because, Chad, even on a good day, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. Give us your take on that.
[12:30:10]
DE WAAL: So, you're absolutely right. You have these countries under extreme stress. So, Chad faces its own problems of -- of -- of poverty, of
climate stress, et cetera.
It's desperately far away. Getting any assistance to -- to Chad requires supplies to be trucked from the Atlantic coast. We have -- we have the --
we have Egypt, which is under serious stress because of -- of being next door to -- to -- to Gaza.
Now facing, you know, having five million refugees. We have South Sudan, which faces a war of its own desperate poverty there, which has got many
hundreds of thousands of Sudanese seeking refuge there.
We have Ethiopia, which is extremely unstable, and the Ethiopian government has -- has got a terrible reputation of meddling in -- in -- in the affairs
of its neighbors.
And -- and that is going to be extremely stressed by high price of -- of -- of -- of fuel and of -- of -- of fertilizer. And the -- if -- if -- if
interest rates go up and go up, it's going to be facing massive debt servicing problems.
Africa is -- is -- is - is being forgotten, but it is really in the crosshairs of -- of -- of this compound poly crisis that threatens the --
the viability of -- of many of these states.
ASHER: Alex de Waal, thank you. Thank you so much. We appreciate.
Reminding everyone of the tragedy that is unfolding in Sudan. Hopefully the world will be doing more on that.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm not going to change my mind. I'm not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The British prime minister standing firm saying that he will not let his nation be dragged into the war with Iran. The White House is saying
in response, that's next.
ASHER: Plus, is Brazil's Lula da Silva the next viral -- next viral sensation? Why the 80-year-old president -- we're laughing with love.
GOLODRYGA: I wasn't expecting that.
ASHER: Yes. This is so cute. The 80-year-old president is live streaming his workout routine, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:33]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.
President Trump is threatening to revisit a U.S. trade agreement with Britain, signaling a fresh strain in diplomatic ties.
In an interview Tuesday, Donald Trump criticized the British prime minister's policies on oil, on energy and immigration, claiming Britain was
being invaded amid insane government policies.
ASHER: The president has repeatedly complained about London's refusal to allow U.S. forces to use British military bases in its offensive against
Iran. Keir Starmer says, he will not back down. He's not going to change his position on this war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STARMER: My position on the Iran war has been cleared from the start. We're not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war. And a lot of
pressure has been applied to me to take a different course. And that pressure included what happened last night.
I'm not going to change my mind. I'm not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war. We will not do so. I know where I
stand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us from the White House.
Where does the president stand now hearing that, Kevin?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: He does -- he doesn't think it's particularly helpful for what he now calls a very sad special
relationship. He was asked about it in an interview with the Sky News earlier today.
And it's clear, you know, this relationship that Keir Starmer has spent the last year really trying to cultivate, really trying to ensure that it
doesn't come off the rails despite the political differences between the two of them, that all of that effort seems to have been for not.
You know, this is now a full bottoming out of the two leaders' ties. And I think it leads to some questions about where it goes from here. You know,
the president's suggesting that he could rip up the trade agreement that the two men signed off on last May.
Keir Starmer was really the first foreign leader to come out, and get this, tariff agreement signed with the president amid all of that back and forth
over those duties in the early part of his presidency.
And every sort of instance that they met, over the last year, was really colored by his almost fealty to President Trump. And it seems to have
gotten him nowhere.
And the way the president described it in an interview with Sky News earlier today was that it was a relationship where we asked them for help.
They weren't -- weren't there. When we needed them, they were not there.
Of course, the president made real no effort to build a coalition before this war began. He didn't try and get buy-in from Starmer or really any
other world leader for assistance before the strikes began in Iran.
And I think the timing here is going to be uncomfortable. You know, King Charles III is due here at the White House the week after next. He's here
for a major state visit.
Obviously, Charles, constitutionally bound not to wade into politics, but it does lead you to envision some pretty uncomfortable moments here at the
White House if the president is standing alongside the king and criticizing Keir Starmer. That would be very uncomfortable,
I think, something that the palace and Downing Street would want to avoid.
So it would be interesting to see how that plays out. But clearly, this relationship at a low ebb at the moment.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Kevin Liptak for us. Thank you.
ASHER: Thanks, Kevin.
All right. Voters in Brazil have been getting a glimpse of their president's fitness routine a few months before Lula da Silva runs for re-
election.
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Julia Vargas takes a look at why the president is live streaming his lunges.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil.
Now, why is this 80-year-old politician livestreaming his workout routine? His latest video went viral, but he's been posting his workouts for years.
In 2015, at the beginning of his fitness journey, he posted this video from the treadmill, to supercuts of strength training during his current
administration.
Recently, that's ramped up even more, with the president doing squats, calf raises, and lunges on a live stream.
LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translator): If you want to live to 120, you have to do what I do.
JONES (voice-over): Brazil has a chronically online culture where memes spread like wildfire, so content that drives engagement like that, not only
makes sense, it's part of the government's strategy.
Or maybe Lula is trying to appeal to the global manosphere. From France's Emmanuel Macron to Americans like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Pete Hegseth,
all in various degrees making physical prowess part of their political message.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[12:40:11]
ASHER: Well, if I'm still doing that at 80, I think that's a win for me.
GOLODRYGA: Impressive. Yes.
ASHER: All right. Just ahead on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALL: My Freedom Day.
ALL: My Freedom Day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Oh.
GOLODRYGA: So cute.
ASHER: Students in Kosovo celebrate the 10th anniversary of My Freedom Day. We are live for you at the Atlanta International School after this short
break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To listen before judging.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To ask but a question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To interact with learners across the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To turn awareness into action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Those are students in Mumbai, learning how to have difficult conversations about human trafficking. Students are leading the
charge to raise awareness about modern-day slavery.
ASHER: Yes. It is the 10th anniversary of My Freedom Day. Young people are posting what freedom means to them across social media. And we have heard
from people on all seven continents, including, by the way, Antarctica.
And this has been such a priority for the network over the past decade. I remember when we first covered it back in 2015. And every single year, the
kids end up doing something a little bit different to -- to mark My Freedom Day, to really honor the importance of freedom and modern-day slavery and
raising awareness of it.
Well, we're going to take a quick break. We'll have much more news after this short one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:59]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Back in February, there was much fanfare at the National Zoo in Washington when the first Asian elephant, in 25 years, was
born.
ASHER: Yes. Shortly after that, Linh Mai's mother showed no interest in being a mom, so the zoo came up with -- the zoo, rather, came up with a
plan B.
Now, the car is thriving and about to make her debut at the National Zoo on Earth Day April 22nd. Dana Bash gives us her preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBBIE CLARK, ELEPHANT MANAGER: Linh Mai?
BASH: There she is.
CLARK: Here. Good girl.
BASH: Hi, Linh Mai.
CLARK: Good girl.
BASH: Hey, you're so cute.
BASH (voice-over): Meet two-month-old Linh Mai, the first Asian elephant born at the Smithsonian National Zoo in nearly 25 years.
CLARK: Come on, Linh Mai. Let's go. She's motivated, my girl. Good girl, come on. You're going to come through the pool? You are. Come on.
BASH: There she goes.
CLARK: Let's go.
(ROARING)
BASH (voice-over): That's the sound of a very excited baby elephant who knows she's about to be fed.
And on this special occasion, I got to prepare her bottle.
BASH: Oh, my goodness.
CLARK: So, this is our bottle feeding station right here.
BASH (voice-over): Robbie Clark is in charge of the elephants at the zoo. He leads the team caring for baby Linh Mai.
CLARK: So, the first thing we're going to do is weigh out for the water. You're going to pour in approximately 275 grams of the powder.
So, if you could do a really good whisk of that.
BASH: OK. Just a regular day making baby elephant formula. No big deal.
How many times a day does she get this?
CLARK: Every two hours.
BASH: Every two hours?
CLARK: Every two hours.
BASH: Even through the night?
CLARK: Even through the night. So our team is here 24/7.
BASH: It's truly having a newborn.
CLARK: It is. Let's do it. I'm sure she's hungry.
You're just going to place that bottle up over this so she can drink it.
BASH: Here you go, sweetie. Here you go.
CLARK: And lift the end of the bottle up. Fantastic. You can see how fast she consumes it.
BASH: Yes, it's really fast.
CLARK: You're her best friend in the whole world right now.
BASH: I've never had a friend like you.
CLARK: There we go.
BASH: There we go.
CLARK: It's like you've done this before.
BASH: I don't have to burp or do I?
CLARK: No.
BASH: OK.
CLARK: Luckily, you don't have to.
BASH: This is one of the coolest things I've ever done. Hello. This means that she's saying hi?
CLARK: Yes.
BASH: With her trunk. Oh.
CLARK: So the trunk is her nose and her upper lip. It's the most important thing in an elephant's life. They use it to eat, drink, breathe, bathe and
communicate. And obviously, she uses it to pick things up.
BASH: Hi. Are you playing with me? This is the cutest thing I've ever seen.
CLARK: There's more muscles and tendons in her nose than our entire body.
BASH: Really?
CLARK: And when she's an adult, she'll be able to pick up 2,000 pounds with that nose.
BASH: Oh, my. Two thousand pounds?
CLARK: Mm-hmm.
BASH: She weighs like 400 pounds right now?
CLARK: Four hundred and forty.
BASH: And she's going to get to be?
[12:50:01]
CLARK: As an adult, she'll be close to 8,000 pounds.
BASH: I have to ask you about what happened with her mom. And try to do it without crying.
CLARK: So her mother, Nhi Linh, is a first-time mom. And where she came from, she did not have the opportunity really to grow up with other young
elephants.
We kind of had the contingency that there might be a chance that she wouldn't be interested in being a mom.
BASH: Her mom rejected her.
CLARK: She did. And that's not common among elephants, but it's not unheard of. And in fact, Nhi Linh's mom rejected her at first.
Over the last couple months, we've been doing our best to do what we call howdy by giving them access to each other through a fence. And hoping that
over time, that relationship continues to build. We haven't actually seen the spark just yet.
BASH: The whole world fell in love with Punch the Monkey.
CLARK: Yep.
BASH: After Punch the Monkey's mom rejected her.
CLARK: I hope that the world falls in love with her too. Understanding her story. Not -- not necessarily feeling bad for her, but recognizing that
nature does have consequences to it.
And one of the benefits of her being here at the National Zoo is that we have the resources and staff expertise to help her thrive.
BASH: She has a mother figure or an older member of the herd.
CLARK: Kind of like an adoptive mother.
BASH: Yes.
CLARK: Yes. And then --
BASH: It takes care of her.
CLARK: She is typically with her aunt, Swarna. They're not related, but Swarna was an elephant in our herd that has experienced raising elephants
from a young age. She has delighted us by stepping up to the plate and taking on a parenting role.
BASH: She couldn't have babies.
CLARK: Correct. She's never been able to --
BASH: And yet, she has that maternal instinct --
CLARK: Yes.
BASH: -- with Linh Mai. That's amazing.
CLARK: It is amazing. And that's just the testament of how socially and biologically complex elephants are.
It's important because they are an endangered species. If we're not careful, they could be extinct within our lifetime.
BASH (voice-over): There are only an estimated 30 to 50,000 Asian elephants left.
CLARK: Being at the National Zoo, Linh Mai and the -- the herd of elephants are ambassadors for their wild counterparts. The connection that people get
to make when they see her, hopefully sparks the interest in elephants, the passion to protect them.
BASH (voice-over): Linh Mai will steal your hearts. She stole mine.
BASH: Yes, I know. I'm in love. What can I say?
CLARK: We are too. We hope the rest of the world falls in love as well.
BASH: I mean, how could they not?
Dana Bash, CNN, at the National Zoo in Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. So as we mentioned earlier, My Freedom Day is being celebrated from Antarctica to Atlanta, which is where we find CNN's Lynda
Kinkade at the Atlanta International School.
Lynda, take it away. How are kids there marking My Freedom Day?
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Zain, Bianna, great to be with you. Happy 10th anniversary of My Freedom Day.
You can see some of the highlights here behind me from the last decade. This school has been at the forefront of this initiative since day one. And
these students, fourth graders, they were literally babies when this initiative launched. And they know what today is. What is it?
ALL: My Freedom Day.
KINKADE: Now throughout the day, these students have been creating incredible artwork. A lot of excitement here.
Oliver, this is one of the pieces of art that stood out to me. What does it say? It's from Enzo.
OLIVER EXARCOS, 9TH GRADER: So, Enzo said Martin Luther King had a dream of peace, of freedom. And today is my favorite day.
And, yes, what this means is that My Freedom Day is a multi-generational AIS. It's been going on for so long. And to me, it really just means like
the absence of oppression and being able to live your life, how you like it, a life of fulfillment. And clearly everyone has gotten that message,
AIS.
KINKADE: Amazing, Oliver. And, you know, it's one of my favorite days too, because it's inspiring seeing what these students are doing.
Anouk was one of the first students. We met many years ago. Great day. Come down here, Anouk. I want to see this art.
Anouk is one of the student leaders now. Just explain this piece of artwork for us.
ANOUK ROBBIANI-PAULETE, 11TH GRADER: Yes. So at our school, it's really important that we celebrate our community and all the different people that
we have here. So, this is the Freedom Prize Club. And they're working to learn about freedom throughout the entire year.
And so we wanted to integrate this -- this different club that's not only about anti-human trafficking, but just about freedom in general, because
it's important that we all understand that and remember what that means.
KINKADE: And we've got some highlights that we want to have a quick look back on.
But before we get to that, I just want to ask you what sort of obstacles you've overcome trying to rally people to get involved.
ROBBIANI-PAULETE: Yes, definitely. So, one of the things that -- one of the ideas that people have about human trafficking is that it's only affects
women or it disproportionately affects women. And this is actually a big myth. So, everyone can get influenced by human trafficking. And it's an
issue for everyone around the world.
[12:55:09]
So, I think that's one of the things that's been difficult to get everyone involved. So, it's important that we remember that we can always make a
change and that we can help everyone.
KINKADE: Excellent. Anouk, well done. And well done to all the students here today.
Who's going to get involved in this club going forward?
ALL: Me.
KINKADE: Wonderful students here at the Atlanta International School. Happy My Freedom Day.
ASHER: This is just so amazing. I love the level of enthusiasm.
As Lynda was saying, we've been doing this for 10 years now. And it's so interesting because every single year, the kids find a different and
creative way to mark My Freedom Day. It's such a special thing that CNN does.
GOLODRYGA: And what -- what an act Lynda has for corralling children and exciting them as well. Well done, Lynda Kinkade.
ASHER: Have a little practice.
GOLODRYGA: Exactly. All right. Thank you so much for watching "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
