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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Arrives in China as War with Iran Looms Over Trip; U.S. Officials Gas Price Outlook Amid Energy Crisis; Spike in Fuel Prices Costs U.S. Households Nearly $300 Each; Princess of Wales on First Foreign Trip Since Cancer Scare; Hormonal Condition That Impacts Millions of Women Gets Name Change; Florida Brush Fire Burns 11,000 Acres, 80 Percent Contained. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 13, 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: President Trump is now in China ahead of his much-anticipated summit with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping. "One World"
starts right now. As China rolls out the red carpet for Trump, all eyes will be on the agenda for the summit trade Taiwan and the conflict with
Iran.
Plus, a CNN exclusive, sources tell CNN, the CIA is ramping up its secret war on Mexican cartels. And the condition known as PCOS now has a new name.
We'll look at what this means the care of millions of women around the world who have this condition.
Right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are watching "One World". A high-stake summit with global
consequences. China rolled out the red carpet as the U.S. President arrived at the start of a state visit. Children chanting welcome greeted Donald
Trump as he landed in Beijing.
He'll meet with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Thursday, under the shadow of the war in Iran and a historic energy crisis, before leaving Washington, he
downplayed the idea that the U.S. needs China's help in ending the conflict. Taiwan and trade are also on the agenda as well.
More than a dozen business leaders are accompanying Trump on this trip. Nvidia CEO and Elon Musk at the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, traveled with
the president on Air Force One as well. CNN's Mike Valerio joins us live now from Beijing. I mean, obviously we've been talking a lot about how
Donald Trump is going to navigate some of the issues coming up in this meeting.
Obviously, he's going to try to persuade or put pressure on Xi Jinping to sort of assist with the war in Iran. But of course, Taiwan is going to come
up as well, and that's going to be a difficult one for the U.S. President to navigate as well.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, and I think that China sense is a moment of weakness for Donald Trump, because he has this wildly
unpopular war at home. He faces an election coming up in a couple of months, so perhaps additional pressure for him to make a deal on this trip.
And of course, if he wants something from China, China is going to ask, well, what do we get in return? And that could mean a change in position on
Taiwan. We're going to talk about that in a couple of minutes after we play a sound bite, but let's talk about, Zain, what we've been able to intuit
and see from this statement so far from the Air Force One arrival at Beijing's capital airport.
The Vice President of China, Han Zheng is showing up there at the red carpet. Quite a statement, considering the nadir of this trade war that
both countries went through more than triple digit tariffs sent across the ocean for both countries just a couple months ago.
And now we're here when Han Zheng shows up on the red carpet, that is quite a statement. This is the guy who went to Donald Trump's inauguration last
year, and it is one of the top officials who meets people at the airport in a huge sign of respect whenever these state visits happen here in Beijing.
What the Americans want deals and help with Iran. I'm so glad you mentioned at the top of the show, Zain, that Donald Trump, before he left D.C.,
seemed to downplay paraphrasing his statement that the United States doesn't need that much help from China about Iran.
Well, that doesn't seem to be the same song that Republicans on Capitol Hill are singing. We're going to play a sound bite from the Senior Senator
from Ohio, Bernie Moreno, talking to our own Manu Raju, about how China can potentially solve a big problem for Trump at home, that's gas prices. Let's
listen. We'll talk about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE MORENO (R-OH): The gas price situation stuff, but I think that's going to be resolved in the next few weeks. I think this trip to
China is going to be instrumental in getting the Chinese to weigh in. If that happens, gas prices will crash, just like they did on the way up.
They'll come on the way down. So, I think by call it Labor Day, it's all in the rear-view mirror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:05:00]
VALERIO: OK, so again, Taiwan could be, and I stress, could be, an area of concessions. What do both sides want? Let's put up the graph again for
China. It's the 3Ts Taiwan tech and tariffs. It would be seismic if the American President does some iteration of changing the American position
from does not support Taiwanese independents to opposes Taiwanese independence.
What the United States wants? Help from Iran, rare earth minerals to keep on flowing, beef, beans and Boeings, those trade potential deals to emerge
through trade discussions, but I'll tell you, as we wrap up here, Zain, a lot of American officials I've been talking to over the past couple days
are very nervous about what these deals with beans, beef and Boeings could look like.
A lot of them being hammered out at the last minute. So, it'll be interesting to see what exactly materializes.
ASHER: Mike Valerio, thank you so much. Appreciate it. The leaders of the world's two largest economies are expected to roll out a series of new
deals and could discuss plans for a U.S.-China Board of Trade and Investment on the tariff wars that President Trump sparked last year.
A landmark meeting in South Korea last October resulted in a temporary truce. Both nations suspended their most punitive tariffs and export
controls. Also on the agenda are China's controls of exports of rare earth minerals vital and making items from electric cars to advanced weapons.
Let's bring in Kyle Chan. He's a fellow at John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution. Kyle, thank you so much for being with us. When
you think about the Iran war, I mean, obviously there is just the fact that the two countries are at war. The U.S. and Israel are at war with Iran.
But more broadly, just how it's impacted. The global economy is a massive problem, yes, for the U.S., just in terms of rising prices, rising gas
prices here and energy prices affects literally everything. But China also has felt the impact as well of this war. When you think about the fact that
you got this crucial shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, basically grinding to a halt.
What that means for Chinese exports and demand for Chinese goods across the board, is a problem that's going to affect this meeting as well?
KYLE CHAN, FELLOW OF JOHN L. THORNTON CHINA CENTER AT THE BROOKING INSTITUTION: That's exactly right. I think in the near term, China feels
like they have insulated themselves, especially from some of the energy shocks. Keep in mind, they have been investing for years and even decades
in shifting to alternative energy, renewable energy, and stockpiling oil, for example.
At the same time, though, if this war drags on, this is really going to start to make it difficult for Chinese exporters to sell their goods to the
rest of the world, and this is happening at a time when China's overall economic growth is slowing and exports are a bright spot, if not one of the
key drivers for China's continued economic growth.
ASHER: When you think about the conversation this time last year, it was really all about tariffs. I think if you look back 12 months ago, Donald
Trump had just announced sort of Liberation Day. We were talking about the triple digit tariffs between the U.S. and China.
And a lot of Chinese exporters sort of began diverse effect, diversifying their supply chain really away from dependence on the United States. Just
explain to us how that worked and how that is sort of impacting the Chinese economy.
CHAN: Yeah. So overall, there has been this longer-term process of diversification. Some of this involves rerouting or shifting some
production to third countries, like countries in Southeast Asia that do go into finished goods that end up back in the United States.
So, some of this is sort of diversion, but actually what's striking is there really is a structural shift that China has been trying to bring
about in terms of moving its export dependence away from the U.S. and really targeting other markets, talking about Europe, Latin America, other
parts of Asia, Africa.
And so, you see this sort of diversification approach that began earlier, you know, years back, perhaps even with the first Trump Administration and
the start of the Trade War, really taking off now and hitting its stride right at the moment when China needs to reduce reliance on U.S. purchases.
ASHER: And one of the ways that China responded to Trump's punishing triple digit tariffs was controls of rare earth minerals, his export controls of
rare earth minerals, and that is likely going to come up in the conversation as well, especially because China still has that as leverage.
It's really been politically quite humbling for the president after the U.S. certainly did have the upper hand in some ways economically by
launching this trade war, China has proven itself to be an economic formidable foe.
[11:10:00]
CHAN: That's right. China showed that they were willing to hit back and hit back pretty hard, not only ratcheting up their own tariffs, but playing the
rare earths card, which keep in mind rare earths and rare earth magnets are crucial for a wide range of commercial applications, as well as the U.S.
Defense industrial base.
So, this is something that the U.S. cannot simply ignore or hope to get around in the near term. Obviously, this has really spurred a lot of action
in the U.S. and around the world to try to reduce dependence, but this is going to be a years' long process. So, in the meantime, this is a key
source of leverage from Beijing over the United States, and symbolically shows that China is willing to play to push back in a big way.
ASHER: And finally, just in terms of the main item on this, just for this discussion, is going to be, of course, the Iran war. Just talk to us about
you touched on this in an early answer, how China has managed to somewhat shield itself from the global oil crisis by focusing on, progressively over
many, many years, electrifying a lot of its fleets.
CHAN: That's right. China has been very worried about its own energy security for a long time, and they have really invested heavily in clean
technology. We're talking about solar, wind, batteries, electric vehicles, electrifying water parts of their industrial base, really shifting away
from that reliance on imported oil and gas.
They still have some of that. But in addition to the shift to alternative energy, they also have a coal base. Coal is fairly abundant in China, they
still have many coal plants, and this is viewed as another sort of backup source of energy. So overall, the impact, again, in the near term, at
least, is very much blunted by these measures that China has taken over a long period of time.
ASHER: Right. Kyle Chan live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, as we mentioned, the war Iran is looming large over this critical summit, and the
pressure is on for the U.S. President to deliver a foreign policy victory. Still, Donald Trump is brushing off any suggestion that the U.S. needs
Beijing's help.
So far, China has stayed on the sidelines, but as the largest importer of Iranian oil, Beijing certainly does have a lot to lose. Before he left,
Trump vowed to stop Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon, while dismissing the economic pain the war is causing a lot of Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, I see nothing but an upward trajectory.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm trying not to drive as much because I can take -- and I can walk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If the prices continue to go up, we're going to have to limit driving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we really want Iran to have a nuclear weapon? Imagine what they would do with that, you know. So, it's going to take a few months
to settle this thing, so we learn to live with it. Big deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The president, meanwhile, is slamming media coverage of his stalled war, claiming reports that Iran is doing well are virtual treason. CNN's
Brian Stelter joins us live now. So just in terms of what the president said, he called the U.S.'s media war coverage treason, accused journalists
of aiding and abetting the enemy.
So, Trump's thought process when it comes to any sort of crisis that his presidency goes through is really the truth is, whatever I say it is. You
know, winning the war in Iran for this particular administration, is just as much about winning the narrative about the war, the information that
goes out about the war, as it is actually about winning the war.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, journalist is not journalism is not a crime. Journals are not the enemy, but President Trump believes
they are when he's in a difficult or precarious situation, and that's where he finds himself now. His latest post, the one you just showed invoking the
word treason.
It came just as "The New York Times" was about to publish a story showing how the reality on the ground in Iran does not match the president's
claims. "The New York Times" wrote quote, the Trump Administration's public portrayal of a shattered Iranian military is sharply at odds with what U.S.
Intel agencies are telling policymakers behind closed doors.
So, "The New York Times" in quite a bit of detail showing that Trump's exaggerations his public portrayal does not match the reality. CNN and
other news outlets have had very similar reporting for weeks now, but Trump seemed to be invoking the word treason in response to "The New York Times",
and he has done this several times before.
You know Trump has been very loose, very irresponsible with the word treason going back about a decade. The difference now this year is that he
is telling his inner circle to take action based on how he feels. CNN and "The Wall Street Journal" recently reported that Trump wrote the word
treason on a sticky on a posted note on top of a bunch of newspaper articles about the war.
Basically, he was directing the Justice Department to go flush out the sources for those stories, and we know "The Wall Street Journal" and some
other news outlets have received subpoenas from the government trying to obtain reporter records as a result.
[11:15:00]
So, it's not just Trump bloviating anymore, his government is also taking action based on his rhetoric around the word treason, even though it's
completely detached from reality.
ASHER: Raises so much concern. We've had a lot of these concerns for quite some time about press freedom in this country.
STELTER: Yeah.
ASHER: Just talk to us a bit more about these sorts of DOJ subpoenas against in particular "The Wall Street Journal" because of an article they
wrote about concerns over military action in Iran.
STELTER: That's right, and that was an important story, showing some of the behind the scenes talks that have been happening the times. CNN, other
outlets with that similar reporting ever since March, helping the public know what's happening behind closed doors.
We know the journal has confirmed receiving a subpoena. There are other news outlets that have also received these government demands, that have
not gone public about those demands are trying to work it out legally behind the scenes, but historically in the U.S., demanding reporter phone
records has been seen as an extraordinary and abnormal step when only taken under extreme -- in extreme scenarios, Trump isn't trying to normalize it.
Treat it like it's a normal part of doing business. So that is definitely concerning. And when you look at that post, you know, with him saying the
word treason on Truth Social it's one of dozens of posts we've seen from him this week. Some of them completely conspiratorial and unhinged, some
with wild TikTok memes.
You know, a reporter at NPR observed last week that Trump's conspiracy posts and memes are mostly just treated as background noise now, and I've
certainly noticed this as well. NPR said most Americans, perhaps even most journalists, never see most of his posts.
So, Trump's out there making these outlandish claims, posting memes about his enemies, claiming Barack Obama should be in prison, for example, many
Americans don't even hear about this stuff anymore, and I would argue that's a growing problem. Maybe there was too much attention paid during
Trump 1.0 to his tweets, but if anything, the opposite is now true, and there's not enough attention paid to just how outlandish some of his
rhetoric on social media is.
Now, maybe that's because Truth Social is relatively small. You know, doesn't have the same audience as Twitter or now known as X, but what he's
posting on Truth Social does still matter, especially when he's targeting private individuals, threatening politicians, threatening public officials.
There's so much of that background noise out there that I think we might need to interrupt the volume a little bit sometimes.
ASHER: Right. Brian Stelter, live for us. Thank you. Appreciate it. On Tuesday, President Trump made it clear when negotiating with Iran, he's
thinking about nothing else, not even your bottom line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters, when I'm talking about Iran, they can't
have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about American financial situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The latest CNN poll shows that it is, of course, top of mind for average Americans. Three quarters of those we polled say that the war is,
in fact, having a negative impact on their financial situation. President Trump adds that he believes the American people will understand the
importance of the war, even if the stock market goes down.
Right, so, as you can see, the energy price spike is the real hit for consumers. Inflation is at three-year highs, real wages falling, and prices
are rising rapidly on groceries, air fares, and, of course, gasoline. Let's go straight now to Matt Egan. Joining us live now for a closer look at
this.
Just in terms of these inflation numbers, inflation jumped actually, Matt, to its highest level since 2023 and if you look at energy prices, they
actually account for, I believe, 40 percent of the monthly increase in CPI in April. Just take us through that.
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Zain, we were bracing for a hot inflation report today, but this report, this was sizzling hot, and a lot
of it has to do with the war and yes, the energy price spike. So, today's report was producer prices. This is wholesale inflation before it hits
consumers.
Producer prices up by 1.4 percent between March and April, some contacts that is twice as big of the increase as economists had anticipating. In
fact, they've been tracking producer prices since 2010. And over that span, there's only one month with a higher figure than this, and that was back in
early 2022 before the 40 years high in U.S. inflation.
Now producer prices on an annual basis. The expectation was 5 percent the reality was 6 percent, right? So, a full percentage point worse than the
consensus from economists. Peter Boockvar, market veteran, he summed it up best. He described this as Tabasco hot PPI.
And when you look at the trend for producer prices, you can see this goes back to late 2022 there was this significant improvement with inflation
coming down. Things did seem to be largely under control. And this green line is basically when the year started, and you can see it's going almost
straight up.
Now we pay really close attention to producer prices, because there's a close relationship between this and what consumers pay, right? They tend to
go up and down in tandem. Let me show you.
[11:20:00]
So, this goes back to COVID early 2020, the blue line is consumer prices. The red line is producer prices. And you can see, again, there's this
historic increase after COVID, after Russia invaded Ukraine, a massive improvement. And now in the last few months, they're starting to both go up
in the wrong direction.
So why is this happening? Well, as you mentioned, a lot of it has to do with gasoline. About 40 percent of the increase for producer prices is tied
to gasoline, but it's not just gas. It's also diesel, jet fuel, vegetables, chemicals as well. And companies, they don't always pass along all of these
costs to consumers, but they do tend to pass along a large amount of it to consumers.
And so, Zain, this does suggest that the inflation that Americans are already experiencing will get worse before it gets better.
ASHER: And it's interesting because, of course, whether you are in Europe or the United States, if you live in a big city with, of course, public
transportation, you are somewhat shielded from this, just in terms of the price of the pump, but for most Americans, you have to rely on your car to
move around.
Even if you are in a big city, you are still going to feel the indirect costs of rising oil prices. I mean, especially in places like California,
where the idea of potentially $7 a gallon is being talked about.
EGAN: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it is hard to avoid these increases in energy prices. And there's a psychological impact too, because Americans
driving by gas stations, they see the increases in prices every single day, and there's been some new research from Brown University really breaking
out the impact for consumers.
They found that the hit from higher gasoline and diesel costs, just as the war started, is $38 billion to consumers here in the United States. That
amounts to almost $300 per household. And again, that's just since the war started, and this is a running tally, something that's going to continue to
increase.
We just learned today that diesel prices. Diesel is a crucial fuel for farmers, for truckers, ultimately, for all of us consumers. Diesel hit all-
time highs today in four states, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, as well, all of the last three here above $6. And even the Energy Department,
their forecasting arm, they just raised their price forecast, their warning of higher prices both this year and next year.
They don't see an immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. They think it will stay effectively closed through late May, reopening next month, but
only gradually. And Zain, they don't think the Strait of Hormuz, traffic is going to go back to normal until perhaps the end of the year.
So, you put it all together and again, this does suggest that energy prices, which are high, are going to stay high for some time now.
ASHER: Yeah. Matt Egan, live for us. Thank you.
EGAN: Thanks Zain.
ASHER: Next, for king and country, the British monarch addresses Parliament as turmoil in Gulf's Downing Street. Plus, a visit from a princess -- Italy
meets the Princess of Wales on her first overseas trip since her treatment for cancer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:25:00]
ASHER: An occasion for pageantry against a backdrop of political warfare. In the past few hours, King Charles has laid out the British government's
agenda for the year ahead in the speech that marks the opening of Parliament. He spokes of the importance of unity and fairness in the face
of global challenges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES, UNITED KINGDOM: My Lords and Members of the House of Commons, an increasingly dangerous and volatile world threatens the United Kingdom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Whether the UK's Current Prime Minister survives long enough to turn his government's plan into action, is, of course, another question. Keir
Starmer may be defiant, but British media reporting he could be about to face a leadership challenge from his own health secretary.
CNN's Clare Sebastian is at Downing Street with the latest on the political turmoil in London.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a real feeling here that things could be coming to a head after what's been a week of turmoil for the
British Prime Minister, Wes Streeting, a key potential challenger to the prime minister. We saw him arrive here in Downing Street this morning for
what was a strikingly brief meeting in and out of Downing Street in about 17 minutes.
And then, just before the king's speech got underway, later that morning, we had a report, as you say, from the British media that Wes Streeting may
be preparing to resign and then launch a leadership challenge. Now, that is not confirmed yet, but I think it's fair to say that this turmoil that we
see in the Labor Party, in the prime minister's party, we've seen throughout the week.
Members of Parliament have come forward and said that they want him to resign. Others have come out and said that they don't favor a leadership
race like right now. This turmoil isn't going away, despite a small reprieve today from the king's speech, but this was obviously a day of
political theater.
It's a set piece event in the British calendar, but I think it was, to an extent, overshadowed by what's been going on behind the scenes. And there
was a moment that I want to bring you in that speech where Black Rod, who is an official who is tasked with summoning the members of the House of
Commons to the State Opening the Official Opening of Parliament, bangs on the door of the House of Commons. Take a look at what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Close the door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not now, Andy -- Black rod.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Not now, Andy. The voice there, we believe, of a Labor Member of Parliament, a reference to Andy Burnham, who is currently the mayor of
Manchester, but also seen as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, if he is able to find a way to get reelected back into parliament.
So, I think you can see really how much this is playing out behind the scenes. And just to step back a minute, less than two years from this, the
general election that brought Labor and Keir Starmer into power with a landslide, and now we're at a point where the chaos that they promised to
stop, where we saw multiple prime ministers in quick succession under the previous conservative government, that same chaos seems to be coming back
to the fore.
And the legislative priorities that the king set out in that government speech today. Well, it's really not clear at this point who is going to be
the leader who is going to deliver them.
ASHER: Clare Sebastian reporting there. All right, right now Britain's Princess of Wales is making her first official overseas visit since she
received cancer treatment. She's in Italy for a two-day solo trip with the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood Organization.
She launched to highlight the importance of preschool education. She's visiting the Anne Frank preschool for children between the ages of three
and six. Max Foster is following the princesses' trip and joins us live now from Reggio Emilia, the birthplace of a pioneering approach to early years
education.
I mean, Max, she looked radiant. You know, she looked wonderful and so happy, and the kids around her seemed to be absolutely delighted to see her
as well, Max.
[11:30:00]
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so she -- this is -- this first visit since she had cancer, of course. So, it's been a couple of years
since she's been out and about on an event like this. Paul (ph) is saying she's really carefully trying to balance her recovery with her public work.
But at the same time, coming back to work after such a life changing experience has made her want to get more and more involved in this
particular issue, which is early learning. She believes it's as crucial to the world as climate change, and she wants to find creative ways creative
solutions.
And she's very keen to come here to find out how they're doing it here, because this city has become quite famous, and the system that they've got
here has been adopted across Italy and indeed, other countries around the world. So, there was a big welcome for the princess today.
Obviously, the glamor that comes with that, also the fact that she's come here to highlight one of their crown jewels as it were. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I gave her a present. It was a little rose which will last five years because it has been stabilized. It was in a small box, and
she was very happy. And then she said that my hand was very glamorous. So, I'm so happy. I'm so, so happy. She's beautiful and she's amazing.
FOSTER: You brought some flowers? I saw you earlier on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
FOSTER: She took them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fortunately, with the help of kind woman, I managed to give her my flowers.
FOSTER: Yes, and -- what did you say to her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it was really, really an emotion as she answered, she thanked me and for the flowers. And I really, and I really like that
moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Amazing. Really, there are thousands of people out to see her, Zain, but they're pretty proud of why she's come here as well.
ASHER: Yeah, absolutely. Max Foster live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, the CIA has stepped up its war on the cartels. And now CNN has
an exclusive report on the agency's secret campaign in Mexico. Up next, details you will see nowhere else.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:35:00]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some headlines that we are following today. President Trump
arrived in Beijing a short time ago to a red-carpet welcome. I'll sit down for a summit with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping on Thursday.
They're expected to discuss the war in Iran, trade, technology. More than a dozen high profile business leaders have joined the president on this trip.
The President of the Philippines is vowing to get to the bottom of a chaotic situation in the Senate building gun fire broke out, leaving people
scrambling.
It happened as authorities tried to arrest the lawmaker wanted by the International Criminal Court for allegedly conspiring with Former President
Duterte in a brutal war on drugs is unclear. Who fired the shots. No one was hurt. King Charles has laid out the British government's agenda for the
year to come. In his speech at the opening of parliament in London.
The king spoke of the need to -- a need for unity and fairness in the face of global challenges. It comes as the prime minister is fighting for his
political survival. With British media reporting, he could face a leadership challenge any day from his own Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
A trial pitting two tech billionaires against each other is expected to wrap up soon. Closing arguments are expected Thursday and Elon Musk lawsuit
against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Musk wants a judge to order opening eye to return to being a non-profit. Altman took the stand yesterday telling
jurors he believed Musk wanted to take complete control of the company.
Right now, to a CNN exclusive sources are telling CNN, the CIA is escalating a secret war on drug cartels in Mexico. They say the U.S.
campaign goes beyond sharing intelligence. CNN's Natasha Bertrand has details, but first, I'm warning to you that her report does contain some
graphic images.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: The CIA has been conducting covert and lethal operations inside Mexico over the last several
months. CNN has learned directly participating in deadly attacks on several, mostly mid-level cartel members, according to multiple sources
familiar with the campaign.
In one shut operation, earlier this spring, a mysterious explosion blew up a car carrying an alleged cartel operative in broad daylight on one of
Mexico's busiest highways just outside of its capital city. Francisco Beltran was killed instantly, along with his driver. Their bodies found
slumped over in their seats after the concentrated blast.
Video and pictures of the attack on March 28 shown here show a quick burst of flames with the car continuing to roll forward, drifting off the highway
known as El Payin. Beltran was accused of being a mid-level member of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico's most notorious drug trafficking syndicates,
according to Mexican security analysts and sources familiar with his activities.
But Mexican authorities have maintained extreme secrecy around the explosion, with multiple sources telling CNN that in fact, the attack was a
targeted assassination that was facilitated by CIA operations officers. An explosive device had been hidden inside the vehicle, according to the State
of Mexico's Attorney General in a statement to CNN.
Prior to publication of this story, CNN presented the CIA with details of its reporting. The CIA declined to comment. After publication CIA
spokesperson Liz Lyons released a statement to CNN saying, quote, this is false and salacious reporting that serves as nothing more than a PR
campaign for their cartels and puts American lives at risk without specifying what aspect of the reporting is false.
The CIA's involvement in recent operations targeting high profile cartel figures like El Mencho has been well documented, though much of that
activity has publicly been described as mere intelligence sharing, but the agency's covert activity inside Mexico goes far beyond those few cases that
attracted international attention and involves much more direct participation according to our sources.
Several Mexican government agencies did not respond to CNN's request for comment prior to publication, but after publication, Mexico's Security
Minister denied in a statement on X that any foreign agents are conducting lethal covert or unilateral operations inside Mexico.
The Mexican government is walking a delicate political tight rope under a national security law passed in Mexico in 2020. All foreign agents are
required to disclose their whereabouts to the federal government and can't participate legally in operations on the ground, but Trump has threatened
to deploy the U.S. military to Mexico if it doesn't do more to rein in the cartels.
And the CIA's covert campaign carried out largely with elite Mexican security partners, but not always with the full knowledge of the federal
government, preserves plausible deniability, but risks creating tensions with Mexico's President when details of these operations come to light,
according to CNN sources.
[11:40:00]
Natasha Bertrand, CNN in Washington.
ASHER: All right, still to come, a condition that impacts millions of women is getting a new name. Why doctors say that a simple name change could
actually improve care around the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: A condition that affects millions of women across the globe, is getting a name change. Experts hope that this will improve treatment and
also boost diagnoses. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome will now be called Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. It impacts an estimated 10 to 13
percent of women who are of reproductive age, but most don't even know that they have it.
It's characterized by hormonal imbalances that can impact weight, mental health, skin and the reproductive system. Medical Group say that the
previous name was actually misleading and focused too heavily on the ovaries and cysts, often causing delay to diagnosis and inadequate care.
Joining me live now from London is Rachel Morman. She was diagnosed with a condition and is now a Chair of Verity UK, a charity that promotes
awareness surrounding the new PMOS. Rachel, thank you so much for being with us. I think this is such an important discussion to have, because this
does affect 10 to 13 percent of women who are of reproductive age, as I mentioned.
And part of the issue with this, as I mentioned, is when you have a name like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, the fact that name is so heavily focused on
one organ can cause so many problems when it comes to misdiagnosis, when it comes to care, when it comes to not even realizing that you have it,
because you don't really understand the sort of full, wide ranging impacts of this illness. Just walk us through why this name change is so important?
RACHEL MORMAN, CHAIR OF VERITY UK: Yeah, thank you so much for having me and having this discussion. So, 170 million women, as you said, around the
world, have this condition, and 70 percent don't know about it. So, you rightly said it's centered all on the ovaries, previously, not anymore, and
around cyst on the ovaries, and they're not cyst at all.
They are follicles with eggs inside that have failed to grow and be ovulated. They look like cysts on the ultrasound scan, but they don't grow
bigger, they don't cause pain, and they don't burst.
[11:45:00]
So completely different to ovarian cysts, and that causes a lot of confusion, both with patients who may miss other diagnoses because they're
associating pain that they might be having with having PCOS. And it also changes the conversation in doctor's clinics. It limits funding for
research and what we know about the condition, and it changes how medical curriculums are taught.
So, the impact of an incorrect and inaccurate name was wide ranging.
ASHER: Yeah, because if you look at the old name, PCOS, you might think, well, I don't have a very insist, so I can't have it. But when you think
about the symptoms, they include --
MORMAN: And -- even need to have that appearance.
ASHER: Right. Right. So no, no, no, please. When you think about the symptoms, it includes, you know, irregular periods, difficulty getting
pregnant, potential baldness, potential diabetes, cardio vascular disease. I know that, as I mentioned, introducing you, you've battled with this
particular condition.
Obviously, it is lifelong and it is, of course, incurable. Just talk to us about your journey and your experience in dealing with PMOS.
MORMAN: Yeah, sure. So, I started going to the to the doctor at around the age of 14, about my irregular, or actually non-existent periods. All my
friends were having them, and I wasn't. So, I felt very isolated within my peer group. It took me 10 years and about six different doctor's visits to
get a doctor to take me seriously.
And at that point, was diagnosed with PCOS, and had never heard about the condition before, and I was told to just go away. I probably won't be able
to have kids, but if I want to try at some point in my future to come back, and the world just crashed for me. That was all I ever wanted to do, was
have a family, and I was just given this diagnosis of potential infertility.
And what we know now, and actually, you know, I wish more people knew, is that it is not a condition about infertility, and it doesn't just affect
you during your reproductive years, and thankfully, I was able to have a family later in life. At the age of 37 I had my first child, and I've got
three now. I've got two girls as well.
ASHER: Congratulations
MORMAN: So -- thank you, but I carry on now, because my -- the likelihood is at least one of my two girls might have this condition, and for them,
and for every other young girl that's going to grow up, one in eight of them will likely have it, and it needs to be a better experience, because
so many people have missed out on just even feeling seen and heard by their doctor, let alone whether they have goals to have a family, many women
don't have that goal.
But as you rightly mentioned, this is a condition that affects you from your whole life, from adolescence through menopause and beyond. It carries
really serious health risks like cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, fatty liver, increased risk of stroke, and you know, it finally now will
hopefully get the attention and the treatment that it deserves, and patient care can finally be improved.
ASHER: I mean, you bring up such an important point. Congratulations on your little ones by the way, I'm so happy that you do have a family.
MORMAN: Thank you.
ASHER: But you know that you were 14 and you felt as though, well.
MORMAN: Yeah.
ASHER: You know, I should have my period by now, and I don't have my period. And you were going to the doctors, and you said that you had to go
to six different doctors.
MORMAN: Yeah.
ASHER: I mean, that is incredibly especially at such a formative age where you're going through so many changes in your body, and you're having your
body change in so many different ways, you don't necessarily know what is, quote, unquote wrong with you. You think there's something wrong with you.
MORMAN: Yeah.
ASHER: And then you go to the doctors, and doctor says it's fine, but you know that that's not true, and you go back and just that whole experience
must be incredibly frustrating and really difficult to grapple with as a teenage girl and so many other women are going through that exact journey
as we speak.
MORMAN: Absolutely and even at school, not knowing, I mean, I would have the occasional period, but not knowing when it was going to come, and so it
would just come randomly in the middle of class, and I would have no idea and be completely unprepared for it.
So, it was really kind of devastating to navigate, and sadly is still the same for many hundreds of thousands of young girls across the world, and
they don't even need an ultrasound scan. They don't give ultrasound scans to teenagers to diagnose this condition. And so, the fact that it was
centered around ultrasound scans and the appearance of cyst on your ovaries really did such a disservice, mostly to young girls.
And setting them up for a life long battle with a condition that we know through evidence that if managed and intervened with at a young age,
improves long term health outcomes.
[11:50:00]
ASHER: Yeah, because you are dealing with physical symptoms of having PMOS, but also the emotional challenges and the psychological challenges that
come with just so much uncertainty and so much frustration.
MORMAN: Yeah.
ASHER: And again, as you point out, not being seen or heard by your doctor, which regardless of what condition you have, it is so unbelievably
frustrating. Rachel Morman, thank you so much for your work in --
MORMAN: Thank you so much.
ASHER: -- awareness about this disease to the entire world. Thank you so much. And for more information and resources on Polyendocrine Metabolic
Ovarian Syndrome, the new name, PMOS, you can visit the endocrine.org website. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Massive wildfire in the Florida, Everglades is still burning. The fire has ripped through more than 11,000 acres, or more than 4000 hectares.
It's expected to be about 80 percent contained. Right now, heat and drought are fueling fires across the U.S. right now, especially out west, where a
fire threat is stretching from the four corners in the southwest to Montana.
Derek Van Dam is live for us from the weather center, where he's tracking both the wildfires in Florida and also a critical fire danger in place
across parts of the Western United States. Derek, what more can you tell us?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Zain, we'd love to say that it's the beginning of the fire season across the United States, but simply put,
there really is no delegated fire season, because it seems to be all year round, right? The conditions over the Western U.S. have been alarming,
especially the rate of drying that we have experienced over the past winter season.
So, today's fire threat is critical. Like you mentioned, this is including portions of Montana, but there are other areas that are elevated throughout
the course of the day today. And then also want to point out that shading of brown there, this is where thunderstorms that often create lightning but
don't produce any rainfall, meaningful rainfall as it reaches the ground, it actually evaporates, so that could actually spark additional new fires.
So, with all this in place, the National Weather Service has issued these red flag warnings, just kind of indicating to the communities that they
need to be aware that fires can start very quickly, especially when you have winds gusting over 50 to 60 kilometers per hour.
There high wind warnings across this region as a cold front attempts to sweep in. The winds pick up out of the south and that is what is fueling
the dry conditions and helping with the additional fire spray.
[11:55:00]
So, there's the cold front across the Pacific Northwest. We're also talking about what's happening in Southern Florida. Again, this is amongst the
drought conditions that are ongoing. And I want to take you to Broward County, because some of the air craft that they're using to try and douse
the fires there, you'll be able to see on your screen the water buckets being carried by the large air tankers, the helicopters moving in.
These fires are encroaching on populated areas Miami-Dade County, into Broward County. They haven't threatened any structures just yet, but we're
closely monitoring them, because they are just all too close. Again, set amongst an extreme drought that is ongoing across the state of Florida, the
worst in decades.
The good news out of this is that the wet season, which really begins the middle of May and last through October, is going to pick up in earnest in
the days and weeks to come. So, we see above average chances of rainfall that will help at least the firefighters on the ground, Zain.
ASHER: Right, Derek Van Dam, live for us. Thank you so much for that report.
DAM: Thank you.
ASHER: -- I have much more "One World" after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
