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One World with Zain Asher
U.S. And Iran Signal Progress in Negotiations to End War; Trump Urges Middle Eastern Countries to Sign Abraham Accords; Russia Fires Powerful Ballistic Missile on Kyiv Region; Pope Leo Takes on AI in First Encyclical Letter as Pontiff; AI is Learning to Fly Planes and Talk to Air Traffic Control; Tens of Thousands of Homes Evacuated in Southern California. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 25, 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: U.S. and Iranian officials signal progress, but no deal yet. "One World" starts right now. As negotiations
continue, we'll look at the remaining points to be ironed out, including Iran's nuclear program and opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Plus, Pope Leo is taking on the rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence. We'll look at his warning that technology is fueling world
conflicts. And we'll also look at the controversial new competition where performance-enhancing drugs are actually allowed.
All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are watching "One World". U.S. and Iranian officials are
signaling progress in a deal aimed at ending the war. But they're also presenting conflicting restriction -- descriptions, excuse me, of the
emerging agreement earlier.
Iran's Foreign Ministry acknowledged a degree of understanding with the U.S. had been reached on many points, but stressed that a deal is not
imminent, and pointed to quote institutionalized inability and frequent contradictions on the American side. A short time later, U.S. President
Donald Trump warned that if a deal is not reached.
There will be bigger and stronger shooting than ever before, and for the first time he linked negotiations to the Abraham Accords. America's top
diplomat meantime said a deal to reopen the strait could be announced as soon as today, while emphasizing that the president is not in any hurry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: So, we have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits,
get the straits open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters, and hopefully we can pull it off.
It has a lot of support in the Gulf, has a lot of support globally, every country that we've walked through it, understands it's very -- not just
very reasonable, but it's the right thing for the world to get done. As the president said, he's not in a hurry, he's not going to make a bad deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Betsy Klein joins us live now. In fact, one of the things the president said is that this is either going to be a great deal for all or
there will be no deal at all raising the prospects that the resumption of fighting could happen, of course, at any moment in time.
The Iranian side is saying that it's not necessarily imminent, the side signing of any kind of agreement. Just walk us through what the sticking
points are right now, Betsy.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah Zain, and there's still so much uncertainty at this hour, but President Trump spent the weekend
working the phones with Gulf leaders, and both the U.S. and Iranian side say that there has been progress made toward reaching a deal that could
ultimately result in a more lasting solution to this conflict.
So, in other words, they are working toward a deal to then make a deal. Now, both sides are working toward a memorandum of understanding that would
provide somewhat of a road map for some of these thornier negotiations going forward. There's still so much we don't know about what is in this
memorandum of understanding, but I want to lay out a little bit about what we do know.
It would include reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, that is, that critical oil thoroughfare, along with the U.S. gradually ending its blockade on
Iranian ports. There will be commitments by Iran not to pursue a nuclear weapon, along with a 60-day clock starting to reach some of those final
stickier sticking points, and that includes what Secretary Rubio described there, as you saw, as quote a real significant time-limited negotiation on
nuclear matters.
Now, President Trump has repeatedly said he is not in a rush to get this done, but he warned in that post this morning that if they aren't able to
reach a deal, that fighting will resume, but added quote, nobody wants that. President is also pushing back this morning on criticism that this
deal would not be any different from the Obama era Iran nuclear deal that he pulled out of back in 2018.
He says in this post, quote, critics quote, know nothing about the potential deal that I'm making with Iran, things that haven't even been
negotiated yet. President going on to say the deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one or there will be no deal. It will be the exact
opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a nuclear weapon for
Iran.
No, I don't like deals like that. So, among some of the outstanding sticking points in these negotiations is how the Strait of Hormuz operates
going forward, as well as what is going to happen to Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles, and how long the moratorium on Iran enriching uranium
will last.
[11:05:00]
Now we're already starting to hear some pushback from conservative Republicans who are warning that this deal does not end Iran's nuclear
threat. However, we know that the president is hesitant to resume this war. There's so much political pressure on him. Gas is at $4.50 a gallon here in
the U.S., and it is also today, Memorial Day.
All of that, the 13 service members who have sacrificed their lives during this conflict, all weighing heavily as these negotiations move forward,
Zain.
ASHER: All right, Betsy Klein, live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, despite the note of optimism surrounding a potential deal. Washington and
Tehran do not seem to agree on some key issues, as Betsy was just pointing out there. Earlier Iran made it clear that its nuclear program is not part
of the discussions.
But one day earlier, a senior U.S. official said that a potential deal would commit Iran to giving up its highly enriched uranium. U.S. President
Trump also said that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened, but Iranian media report that it will remain under Tehran's supervision.
And Iran is also demanding that the U.S. blockade on its ports be lifted, but President Trump says it will remain in full force until an agreement is
reached. CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas joins us live now. He's also Director of the Counter Terrorism Project at the Atlantic Council.
Welcome, Alex. One of the things that I think a lot of people found intriguing is something that President Trump also said, that he's tying
this Iran deal to getting more Arab and Muslim states to sign up to the Abraham Accords to basically normalize relations with Israel. Explain the
geopolitical strategy here for President Trump.
I mean, is it about weakening Iran politically? Walk us through what he's thinking of this.
ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, I think he's trying to go for a grand bargain, basically. So, if we look at the U.S. National
Security Strategy that was released earlier this year, the goal was to pivot away from the Middle East and focus on homeland defense in the
Western Hemisphere, and then also, like many previous administrations, to pivot to the Pacific to counter growing Chinese influence.
And in order to do that, you really have to resolve two issues: you have to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict that has gone on, and you also have to
resolve the remaining issues with Iran. So, if he's able to get a grand bargain that includes the denuclearization of Iran and the security threat
there, and as well as Abraham Accords, you know, with the remaining countries in the region.
I think there's a desire to see if you can sort of push that forward and get a grand bargain, but at the end of this, there still isn't a
Palestinian state, so there still is that remaining issue that will go unsolved.
ASHER: Yeah, exactly. Saudi Arabia said that if it was ever to join the Abraham Accords, the one thing that I care most about is resolving the
Palestinian issue. I do want to talk about just Israel, sort of separately from this, because if there is some kind of deal that is reached between,
obviously, there are still sticking points right now.
And very significant sticking points, especially as it pertains to the nuclear issue, but if there is a deal that is reached between the U.S. and
Iran, what will that mean for Israel? And what will it mean for Trump's relationship with Netanyahu specifically? Because Israel, of course, sees
Iran very differently, just in terms of how much of a more direct threat it is to their country.
PLITSAS: Sure, so I was at U.S. Central Command headquarters last week, and I was able to ask about the level of destruction, because that was an open
question. Even our own network had done some reporting suggesting that some of the intelligence assessments stated that there was actually more left
over after the bombings than CENTCOM had stated during testimony but they're standing by Admiral Cooper's testimony.
They're saying the battle damage assessments are that there was significant damage to the missiles, the drones, the industrial base, et cetera. And so
that becomes part of the equation, part of the reason that there was concern in Israel, and that the operation would have been launched in six
months, according to the Israelis, even if the U.S. didn't launch strikes earlier this year, is because the ballistic missile threat and the
inability.
At some point, it was just simple math, the number of missiles being produced versus the ability to intercept and defend against them. So, at
that point you'd see a degraded Iran in terms of ability to launch drones and missiles at Israel to the point where it was indefensible that now is
no longer the case.
The question then becomes, what about the proxies in the region, which are also of concern both to Israel and largely to the GCC states prior to the
conflict being initiated. So, the last point on that part of this is also allegedly tied to a ceasefire in Lebanon, which is a tacit admission by
Iran that Hezbollah is part of this and under its control, and Israel does not want to see Hezbollah strengthened and have to deal with a proxy force
on its border in Lebanon.
ASHER: And finally, Alex, I know we have so much more to discuss with you on separate issues, but finally, just in terms of the likelihood of this
deal, I mean, obviously it really hinges upon the nuclear issue being resolved, the issue of highly enriched uranium being resolved.
How can both sides actually come to an agreement on that front, do you think?
[11:10:00]
PLITSAS: I'm actually reading between the lines in a lot of the statements, and I think they're closer than people are letting on, and I'll kind of
explain. I'll hit each one of these rather quickly for you. So, for the highly enriched uranium, there's really two ways to deal with this.
The Iranians want to keep it, but they would like to dilute it, meaning they would like to reduce the concentration of the U-235 which is the
fissile material that you need to make a weapon, in comparison to U-238 which is the other type of uranium which you don't need for a weapon,
because in a natural concentrations found in about 99 percent U-238, 1 percent U-235.
And through the enrichment process you increase the 235 until you get to a small percentage for energy, but up to 90 percent for weaponization. So, if
you could dilute it backwards, that's one option, or the U.S. would prefer to get it out of the country. The harder point is now about domestic
enrichment and the technology that would enable Iran to do that domestically, because keeping that tech is kind of how they got to 60
percent in the first place once the U.S. exited the deal.
So those two things will be negotiated. When it comes to the strait, I think Iran had a face-saving measure today. They said, look, we -- you
know, we tacitly control it, the U.S. won't recognize it, and you know, we're not going to toll the strait, but we're going to look for an
environmental cleanup fee, which I've heard from multiple sources, is basically an idea that Iran needs a short-term liquidity solution, because
even if sanctions are lifted, I was in Syria at the end of August, and after the president lifted sanctions.
It takes a while for banks to reintegrate and things of that nature, and Iran is in a cash crunch, so if they get their assets unfrozen, they can
charge a cleanup fee, they'll have access to some cash to float them along until the sanctions are relieved, so it's all in the language that's being
used.
Well, we're not going to -- we haven't agreed to give it up. Well, you also haven't agreed not to yet, because that negotiation hasn't happened yet.
So, there's a lot of face saving going on. This is by no means done, but I think there's more movement in the background than people are realizing
based on the face-saving statements I'm hearing from both sides at this point.
ASHER: That is interesting analysis. Right, Alex, please do stand by. We're going to have a lot more to discuss in literally just a moment, because
Ukraine says that Russia's attack on the Kyiv region at the weekend was one of the biggest assaults of the war. Russia unleashing hundreds of drones
and missiles, including one of its cutting-edge hypersonic ballistic missiles.
It is only the third time that this kind of weapon has been used. At least four people were killed. U.S. mediation efforts have failed to bring an end
to this war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that it is vital that Russia's conduct does not go unpunished.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: And this is civilized schools, the museums, schools, just apartments, the Museum of Chernobyl, which was
built by the way it was built just one month ago. So, they attacked, they saw this museum, they attacked this exactly to the museum. So just crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, let's bring back CNN Security Analyst Alex Plitsas. So, Alex, just in terms of what the Oreshnik actually is, the U.S. classifies
it as essentially an intermediate-range missile that can carry multiple conventional or nuclear warheads. Its trajectory and its speed make it
virtually unstoppable by air defense systems, especially ones that Ukraine has.
It is the only third time, only the third time, rather, that Russia has used this. Just explain to us, do you think this could materially sort of
change the balance of this war, or is this more about psychological terror and political signaling? Your thoughts.
PLITSAS: It's more about psychological terror and signaling at this point, because it's not going to materially change, although I think Putin would
like that. Really, what this is about is once again we were just talking about Iran, looking for a financial solution for liquidity.
It's also almost the same thing, to a certain extent, when it comes to the Russians, and I'll sort of explain why all of a sudden, if this happening,
why was there this massive assault on Kyiv with these types of weapons? As you mentioned, they release independent warheads, which makes them, you
know, much more difficult to shoot down, lots of drones striking at once.
It's because in the earlier part of the year, Russia was on track to gain a lot of the territory it wanted in the northeastern portion of Ukraine, in
the Donbas, particularly one area that's got a super highway that gets to Kyiv, that the Ukrainians have successfully defended against since 2014
because if Russia gets that, Putin can stop, and then once he reconstitutes the military, he can take a future run on the capital.
So, they've been trying to prevent against that. Ukraine has successfully launched very long-range missions with drones into Russia, taking out
Russian oil and gas facilities to make sure that Putin doesn't benefit from the rise in the increased price of oil as a result of the conflict in Iran.
That's really hurting the Russian economy, that's making Putin look foolish. And then, lastly, Ukraine has inflicted significant casualties and
up the number of Russians killed on a monthly basis to the point now where it exceeds Russia's ability to replace those troops, especially without a
mass mobilization in Russia, in St. Petersburg and Moscow, which is home to Putin's political base, which is really infeasible for him politically.
So, for lack of a better term, he's pissed off and he's lashing out, and he's looking to take action that's going to get the, you know, the
Ukrainians hopefully to stop in his view.
ASHER: Negotiations to end this war have obviously more or less stalled. I mean, how much of that is in part because the world, and especially
obviously the United States, is very distracted by what's happening with Israel and Iran, and how much has all of that really sort of weakened
Ukraine's hand?
[11:15:00]
PLITSAS: So, this is a battle of wills at this point, you know, and that's because Putin thinks he can sort of wait this out. If he waits long enough,
he can take the rest of the territory he wants without having to do a deal and give up anything to concede. However, again, recent Ukrainian gains
have called that into question.
And there's a bit of a divide between the Europeans and the U.S. over this issue. I'm told that when Putin visited President Trump in Alaska for that
failed summit, he told him, you know, that he doesn't care how many more casualties there are on the Russian side, he'll keep pushing forward.
And that sort of shaped the U.S. thinking that, you know, that casualties aren't going to be enough to do it, but in speaking to European
intelligence officials in multiple countries, they said, look, we don't see it that way. There's no way he can sustain this level of casualties in the
long run, because he can't replace the troops.
So, at this point, it's not a battle of attrition, it appears to be a battle of wills.
ASHER: All right, Alex Plitsas, live for us there. Thank you so much for your analysis. All right, still to come, Pope Leo delivers the first major
theological document of his papacy, we'll hear about the pontiff's words of warning up next. Plus, the push to put artificial intelligence in the
cockpit.
How long before your flight takes off without a human pilot? Just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, Pope Leo is taking on artificial intelligence in his first encyclical letter as pontiff, entitled Magnifica Humanitas, or
Magnificent Humanity. The document warns of the need to protect human dignity in the era of AI. The pope also says the control of AI must not
remain in the hands of just a few adding that technology is fueling world conflicts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed. The word is strong, I know. But deliberately chosen because this
moment needs words capable of attracting attention, awakening consciences, and indicating paths forward for humanity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Christopher Lamb joins us live now from Rome. He also felt the importance of AI really serving humanity as well, Christopher.
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Zain. This was a really comprehensive and significant intervention into the AI debate
by Pope Leo. It's a topic he is very concerned about, and something he's talked a number of times about since his election.
[11:20:00]
And I think it was also, very significant, the way this text was presented to the world. Pope Leo himself personally presenting it, which is something
that hasn't happened before with a papal encyclical. And also, alongside Chris Olah, the founder, or a Founder of Anthropic, the leading AI company.
And I think that presentation, and the way it was done of this encyclical showing that the Pope and the Church want to engage in the discussion about
the development of AI, not simply sit on the sidelines and issue a document that people won't necessarily read.
But issue a text that can influence the debate, and the Catholic Church and the Vatican have been involved in a years' long discussion with Silicon
Valley executives about the development of this technology. And Leo really concerned about preserving humanity within the development of AI, saying
that machines and computer systems cannot replace what is distinctively human.
And more broadly, this is the church entering into a scientific discussion, but saying that within what seems to be very scientific or technological,
there is a place for, the church to address certain questions, which, of course, it's different from being involved in helping develop the
technology, the church is asking questions about philosophy and about the importance of humanity.
So, Pope Leo, who is known to be quite tech savvy, really issuing very important text, his first encyclical, a weighty document that has authority
in the church, and he wants it to influence not just Catholics, but the wider world, Zain.
ASHER: Right, Christopher Lamb. Thank you so much. We'll have much more on this story in the next hour with Father Tom Reese, a Senior Analyst at
Religious News Service. Artificial intelligence could be coming to a cockpit near you. The startup Merlin Lab says it could eventually take the
controls of planes in our skies.
And the aviation industry is warming up to the idea. CNN's Pete Muntean hot in the passenger seat for his first AI ride.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm in the co-pilot seat of a Cessna.
MUNTEAN: 1, 2, 3, good.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): And I'm about to find out what happens when the pilot flying is not human but artificial intelligence.
TIM BURNS, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AT MERLIN LABS: This is our experimental caravan --
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Tim Burns is the Chief Technology Officer at Merlin Labs, a Boston start-up developing a system that can be bolted into
existing airplanes. Merlin says its system can fly the plane, talk to air traffic control, and even help make decisions about weather and routing.
BURNS: We're trying to capture the judgment and abilities of a real aviator.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Merlin says it has completed hundreds of test flights to see how the system performs in real-world conditions, though it is
likely years away from carrying passengers. In the back of the plane, one of the company's engineers is monitoring what the AI is doing in real time.
MUNTEAN: I don't know if I know exactly what I'm in for here.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Alongside me is test pilot Matt Diamond, who on this flight won't be doing much piloting at all.
MUNTEAN: So, this is just a manual take.
BURNS: This is going to be an automated take.
MUNTEAN: Oh, this is an automated tip.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Meaning the AI system is flying the airplane from the very start.
MUNTEAN: Nicely done. The next part of the demonstration, communicating with air traffic control. Merlin's system displays its language processing
on an iPad as it listens to a mock controller, repeats the instruction, and then flies the airplane to match it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Magic 01, turn left, heading 090, descend 2000.
left 090 and down 2000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Left 090 and down 2000 Magic 01.
MUNTEAN: Quit, authorized.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Authorized.
BURNS: Were about 1500 feet now over Newport, Rhode Island, and we just turned on to the final approach here at Quonset State Airport. Now this is
going to be an automated landing, and the system will fly the airplane all the way down to the pavement. It's a challenging problem for the
automation, but once you crack the code, then it's so much easier on the pilot.
MUNTEAN: You seem pretty confident over there.
BURNS: Oh, yeah.
MUNTEAN: -- pretty relaxed. Should I be this relaxed?
BURNS: Yeah --
MUNTEAN: OK. All right.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): As a pilot and a bit of a control freak, this is not exactly easy for me, but the system lines up with the runway and flies a
gradual descent all the way to touchdown.
BURNS: Smooth, easy, right on center line.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Even still, putting AI in control of an airplane raises big questions about safety and trust. Merlin CEO Matthew George.
[11:25:00]
MATTHEW GEORGE, MERLIN LABS CEO: What we're building is certainly very sci- fi, but we're doing it in a responsible, incremental way.
MUNTEAN: Will this put pilots out of jobs?
GEORGE: It won't. This is sitting alongside pilots, not necessarily replacing pilots, and enabling those pilots to do more of what they do
best, which is operate aircraft safely.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): That could be appealing to airlines worldwide, which will need to hire more than 600,000 new pilots over the next 20 years,
according to Boeing. Merlin has already secured $100 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to eventually fly cargo planes without pilots on board
at all, but convincing passengers may be the hardest part.
MIKE TANNENBAUM, PASSENGER: As long as it's safe and more efficient and test it out in advance. I'm for it.
MEG MCKNIGHT, PASSENGER: I don't know if I trust AI in the air. I doubt I trust it.
STEVE COLEMAN, PASSENGER: I like the idea of humans having control. I don't like the idea of machines having control.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Pete Muntean, CNN, Quonset, Rhode Island.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Right, so we come here on "One World", a race against time in Southern California will have the latest on a chemical tank at risk of
exploding as thousands remain evacuated. Live report for you coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching for you today. Iran and the
U.S. are signaling some progress when it comes to a framework agreement aimed at ending the war to allow for broader negotiations, with both sides
still appear to be far apart on some key issues.
And Iran's Foreign Minister warns that a deal is not imminent. Meantime, for the first time ever, U.S. President Donald Trump has linked the
negotiations to the Abraham Accords. At least four people died after a major Russian bombardment of Ukraine's Kyiv region, which includes a
hypersonic ballistic missile.
It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered retaliation for a deadly Ukrainian attack in a Russian-occupied part of Ukraine.
[11:30:00]
Pope Leo says that artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed in his first major theological document as pontiff. In the encyclical letter, Leo
writes about the need to preserve human dignity and for the use of AI in warfare to be subject to the most rigorous ethical constraints.
A small sigh of relief in Southern California, where officials say the chance of a catastrophic vapor explosion has now been eliminated, while the
worst-case scenario no longer exists. There is still the threat of an explosion of some sort after massive tank filled with toxic chemicals
overheated.
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated. More now on that situation in California. CNN's Veronica Miracle joins us live now from the City of
Cyprus. So, Veronica, as I understand it, there is a crack potentially in the tank, and that has released a significant amount of pressure.
The threat of an explosion still exists, but likely not as devastating as what had been feared.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's exactly right, Zain. Crews have been working overnight, and we've all been waiting here to hear
how that overnight mission went, and this really is the best-case scenario news, because the other alternative would have been that the crack did not
release any pressure, it didn't relieve any pressure, and then the possibility of a catastrophic explosion would still be on the table.
What we're being told is that the crack has eliminated pressure, that it's been significantly reduced in terms of that tank exploding, a more
catastrophic vapor explosion that essentially is off the table. The threat of an explosion still existing here, however, the other good news that they
found is that the temperature inside the tank has also decreased to 93 degrees, it had over the weekend maxed out at 100 degrees.
Where the authorities want this chemical to be sitting is around 50 degrees, so still a long way to go, but it's trending in the right
direction. So, in terms of people being able to come home, there's about 50,000 people still under evacuation orders. And we are told that the
evacuation orders, those are still holding until the threat for any life, any damage is completely removed.
So that is somewhat bad news. There are so many people who have been forced to leave with a moment's notice, and they have been severely impacted. Take
a listen to what one evacuee had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm scared because I don't know what's going to happen, and I don't know if anything that already is in the air is going to
affect us, or if it blows, what's going to happen. You know, that's the unknown is really scary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got an evacuation notice, and we had to get out, you know. So, we did. I've worked in refineries my entire life, so I know the
danger of the chemicals that they're talking about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MIRACLE: And Zain, it should come as no surprise that there have already been lawsuits filed. At least one couple, they have filed a lawsuit, and
the lawyer there says, the lawyer representing them says that they filed it as a class action lawsuit, and a couple 100 people are expressing interest
in joining it at this point.
The company at the center of this crisis, GKN Aerospace, they have put out a statement apologizing, say they are working with first responders to
mitigate this crisis. About 800 local and state responders are here on the scene, trying to resolve this issue as quickly as they can.
And as soon as we have more updates, of course, we'll bring them to you. Back to you, Zain.
ASHER: Right, Veronica Miracle, thank you so much. Evacuations were underway late Sunday at a hospital in the Eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo, the facility which is treating Ebola patients was stormed by local people demanding that the bodies of their loved ones be handed over.
It is not yet known if anyone was hurt, but the hospital's medical director said there was gunfire. The remains of people who died of Ebola can be
highly contagious, and the government has mandated that the task of burying suspected Ebola victims be managed by authorities.
It was the third attack in the last week on health care facilities. The Congolese Ministry of Communications says that there have been over 900
suspected cases of Ebola. Still to come on "One World", K-pop has danced its way into the heart of Mexico. A look at a dance studio embracing the
wildly popular Korean sounds just ahead.
Plus, in sports an emotional end to the English Premier League over the weekend. Highlights ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:35:00]
ASHER: Mexico sure does love BTS. Earlier this month, thousands of fans screamed their way to the National Palace to support South Korean
sensations. Valeria Leon visits a K-pop dance class to find out why so many people in Mexico have embraced the phenomenon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is K-pop, South Korea's biggest cultural phenomenon, which has found a huge audience as far away as
Mexico. I decided to join a class at the country's biggest K-pop dance school, where everyone was grooving to the hit band twice, and it didn't
take long to see why this musical style is so popular.
LEON: Everybody feels so free here, letting go and just enjoying.
VALENTINA, STUDENT OF K-POP DANCE CLASS: I started listening to K-pop in 2020, and little by little I liked it more and more until I found the
academy and decided to sign up for classes. And well, I had never danced before.
LEON (voice-over): For students like 54-year-old Yesenia Morales. It's all about feeling accepted.
YESENIA MORALES, STUDENT OF K-POP DANCE CLASS: I feel like it's a family because, honestly, this K-pop class doesn't really see age differences the
way other academies sometimes do.
LEON (voice-over): But for many fans it goes beyond the music itself. Some say they see themselves reflected in the messages with lyrics that often
explore hope, everyday struggles, and a sense of belonging.
CARLA AVILA, STUDENT OF K-POP DANCE CLASS: It came into my life during a difficult time. During the pandemic, my grandfather passed away, and around
that time, I discovered a group that talked about hope, and about dealing with depression and getting through it. So that really inspired me.
LEON (voice-over): And according to the school's director, stories like Carla's are in town common.
CRIS DI CARLO, DIRECTOR OF K-POP DANCE MEXICO: For example, people who were physically harming themselves or had certain struggles started getting
better after finding K-pop because they hadn't learned how to channel anxiety, and they didn't know how to process it.
There were cases involving bullying, anorexia, and bulimia. Very delicate situations.
LEON (voice-over): Most students here are between 10 and 20 years old, but age quickly becomes secondary once the music starts. And here in Mexico, K-
pop has found a home. Earlier this month more than 50,000 fans flocked to Mexico City's main square to see the global sensation, BTS.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome. Hello.
[11:40:00]
LEON (voice-over): The excitement even reached Mexico's National Palace, where President Claudia Sheinbaum welcomed members, and embedded them back
in 2027 after three sold out concerts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you like to come back to Mexico next year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LEON (voice-over): Mexico is now Spotify's fifth largest K-pop market, proof that a sound board nearly 12,000 kilometers away can count on fans
singing along on the other side of the world. Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: I love Valeria's dancing in that. I actually just messaged her about it. Amazing. Still to come here on "One World". A controversial sporting
event claims a new world record in swimming, but is it really a world record if the athletes are using performance enhancing drugs to do it all
about the so-called enhanced games in Las Vegas, ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 20.81 in the final events --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: At a controversial sporting event organizers are hailing a new world record in the men's 50-meter freestyle by Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev.
The catch is he did it by using performance-enhancing drugs. Sunday marked the inaugural enhanced games, hormones, steroids, so-called super suits.
It's all allowed and actually encouraged, but it's been dismissed by the global swimming body World Aquatics as the quote, circus built on
shortcuts. Some more, let's bring in CNN Sports Analysts and Sports Commerce for USA Today, Christine Brennan. Christine, first of all, thank
you so much for joining us on Memorial Day.
I am so grateful, especially on this story. Just in terms of your perspective on these games. You had American sprinter Shania Collins
essentially saying that listen, we're being upfront and honest, the fact that we are doping, we're doing it out in the open, it's better that than
you know athletes who do participate in the Olympics and they're doping behind the scenes undercover. What do you make of that argument?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: This is a joke. This is ridiculous, Zain. It is a circus. It's almost like a failed bank robbers convention or
something. I mean, I tuned in for a few minutes on YouTube, and there were less than 5000 people watching and very few people in the stands in Las
Vegas.
[11:45:00]
So, it looks like that most of the world is reacting the same way that I am, and you know, I've covered the Olympics since 1984. Is there cheating
in the Olympic world? Yes. Do they get caught most of the time? Yes. So, this notion that these athletes are being honest and being forthright, it
well, first of all, we don't even know, right, what they're taking, and so the whole thing is a house of cards.
It's built on nothing but a fallacy. It's all a farce, and I couldn't obviously be stronger on this, and the idea that that's a world record,
folks, that is not a world record. If there is no way ever that, that is a world record. So of course, I know you brought up right away, it's the
enhanced games, it's the Steroid Olympics, but it's a joke, and that is not a world record, and will never ever be a world record.
ASHER: Christine, do you mind telling us what you really think -- my humor, anyway. I just --
BRENNAN Yeah -- Zain, you know --
ASHER: -- go ahead, go ahead.
BRENNAN: As I said, yeah, I've covered the Olympics, as I said, since 1984. I've covered hundreds and hundreds of athletes doing it the right way.
Also, athletes who cheated, Ben Johnson got caught, and, you know, in Pariah, the 88 Olympics, the Canadian sprinter.
Lance Armstrong from the United States, the worst cheater ever, caught, you know, gone and disgraced, and obviously people who thought one way of him
now think another way, as they should. I think of all these athletes, Zain, who have toiled for years, who get drug tested, Katie Ledecky, the greatest
of all time, in swimming, gearing up for another Olympics.
She will text, the app, she will go into the app and put it, send a message to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. If she goes to whole foods for 15 or 20
minutes to say that I will not be in my apartment or my home for those 15 or 20 minutes, and I'll be back at this time. Why does she do that?
Because a drug tester can show up 365 days a year, basically like 16, 18 hours a day, knock on the door, and she so wants to prove that she is
clean. She doesn't want anyone to knock at her door and think she is avoiding a drug test. That's what hundreds of athletes do. Think of them,
and think of all the athletes who have had medals stolen by the East Germans, the Soviets, all the cheating.
To glorify this is to take away just a little piece of the heart, the soul, and the hard work of millions. Well, let's say hundreds of thousands of
athletes around the country, not just Americans, but who have been deprived of a medal ceremony, who have been cheated out of a medal by cheaters, just
like the people who are being glorified in Las Vegas.
ASHER: And Christine, just to play devil's advocate, because the whole argument of this is that while what you're saying is true, their whole
argument is that they're doing it out in the open, so it's not taking anything away from the likes of Katie Ledecky, et cetera.
But also, on top of that, one of their arguments is they just want to push the limits of human performance, just to be able to see using performance
enhancing the drugs, whether you agree with or not, just from scientific perspective, to see and to push the limits of what mankind can achieve on
the tracks in the water. What do you make of that argument?
BRENNAN: Yeah, I -- right. Well, I get that argument, but then it failed miserably. There was one quote unquote world record. Everything else was
not a world record. So clearly, either their drugs are not working or they picked the wrong people, and of course, we're not talking about the best
athletes.
None of these people are the best athletes, because the best athletes are not going to go and ruin their reputations in this manner. I mean, these
people will forever be known for this. And so, you're not going to have the best athletes, so therefore you're never going to get the best times or the
best performances.
And the best performances, the best times, of course, are at the Olympic Games, which is why those are on network TV, and obviously social media,
and people like me cover them, and we at CNN cover them legitimately, whereas this is on some YouTube channel with not even like 5000 people
watching.
So that's the reality, sure, they can go ahead and do it, it's a free country, but we should, as a journalist, all of us should be very honest
about what is going on out there.
ASHER: Totally. And also, just in terms of the prize money, because one of the things that really entices people to participate, whether they're the
best athletes or not, is that you're talking about eye-watering pricing. I mean, the kind of money that is at stake in these games is the kind of
money that really sort of real Olympic athletes could only dream of.
$25 million in prize money up for grabs, you've got some participants essentially being paid a million dollars for participating, just in terms
of bonuses, that really does draw people to participate, Christine.
[11:50:00]
BRENNAN: It certainly draws some kind of people. Yeah, people who could never win that kind of money in the Olympics, and by doing it fairly, and
at least within a system where there's constant drug testing, and you do catch the cheaters, or most of the cheaters, eventually they catch them,
because again, they can go back 10 years and test for drugs that they couldn't test for 10 years ago, and catch them, and then get the right
winners.
And that's from athletes around the world, from Japan and Australia and England and Germany, who finally get those medals they deserve, because the
cheaters got caught even years later. So, yeah, it's about the money, and go ahead, run, take the money, but then say it's about the money, right?
Don't tell us you're doing something that you're not doing. And again, I think most people understand that. But yeah, it's -- there's no doubt in my
mind what this is, and everyone on earth should know that, and as a journalist, of course, I'm not going to say anything other than what is the
truth, which is absolutely ridiculous, what is going on.
ASHER: Yes, Christine Brennan, thank you so much for your perspective. I'm sure a lot of people agree, but it's really incredible that these games are
taking place, and so many athletes are participating. And also, I think one of the fears is that it will normalize doping in a different kind of way.
Obviously, there's so much shame and scrutiny around doping in the real Olympic Games. Do games like this actually work towards normalizing that,
and that is the big fear. Christine Brennan, thank you. Happy Memorial Day, by the way. Thank you so much for joining us today. We appreciate it.
BRENNAN: Thank you, Zain.
ASHER: All right, the English Premier League season came to a dramatic end over the weekend and included a moment decade in the making. "World
Sport's" Don Riddell has all the highlights.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: The Premier League went out with a bang on Sunday. On the final day of action, there were cheers and tears, and just
absolute scenes. The spotlight was brightest at the foot of the table, where Tottenham had been staring down the threat of relegation for months.
They had to beat Everton in order to survive, and this was the kind of goal you score when you're fighting for your lives. Joao Palhinha getting the
ball over the line. Everton made them sweat out the death. This is Antonin Kinsky with the big save to preserve Tottenham's lead.
It finished one-nil, meaning the Spurs stay up, West Ham go down, despite the fact that the Hammers also won their last game. Mixed emotions for
Manchester City on their last day of the season, saying farewell to their legendary manager, Pep Guardiola. He's stepping down after 10 extraordinary
years in charge.
He won the Champions League, six Premier League titles, 17 major trophies in all. It is the end of an era at the Etihad. What a season it became for
Manchester United. They were awful for half of it, but then they turned things around with their new manager, Michael Carrick.
They ended up in third place and returning to the Champions League, and it turned out to be a record-breaking campaign for their captain, Bruno
Fernandes. His 33rd minute assist for Patrick Dorgu against Brighton was his 21st assist of the season, more than anyone has ever managed before,
and he made it a day to remember by getting a goal for himself later on United easing to a three-nil win.
Eight Premier League teams will feature in European competitions next year. Chelsea will not be among them. They lost to Sunderland on Sunday, and that
means Sunderland are heading to the Europa League. It's going to be their first European appearance in over half a century.
Their joy was absolutely palpable, and the champions, Arsenal, finished on a high-beating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, but this was the moment the
fans wanted to see the gunners hoisting the trophy for the first time in 22 years. And Arsenal might have even more to celebrate soon.
They are playing Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League final next weekend. Back to you.
ASHER: Don Riddell there. Right, tens of thousands of NASCAR fans honored the late two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch on Sunday at the Charlotte
Motor Speedway. He and his family was there for the tribute as well. Busch passed away on Thursday from complications from severe pneumonia that
progressed into sepsis.
Busch was meant to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 which ended with a win for one of his proteges, Daniel Suarez, during a shortened race because of
rainy weather. All right. Finally, before we go, two people who are just in Uganda are now being tested for suspected Ebola at a hospital in Milan,
Italy, that's according to the Ministry of Health.
They were hospitalized for tests after experiencing fever symptoms. The Ministry of Health says the risk in Italy remains very low. It's important
to note there have been no confirmed cases so far outside the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak is centered, and Uganda as well.
Right, stay with CNN. I'll have much more "One World" after this short break.
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[11:55:00]
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