Return to Transcripts main page

One World with Zain Asher

Russia Launches One Of Deadliest Offensive In Months; Sources: trump's Phone Call With Netanyahu Became Heated; Mayor Karen Bass faces Stiff Competition From Reality Star; CNN Visits Hospital Grappling With Rare Strain Of Virus; Canadian P.M.: Jewish Community In Canada Is Being Targeted; Weston McKennie Brings Harry Potter Magic To The Pitch; Aired 12- 1p ET

Aired June 02, 2026 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:05]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Wide-ranging and lethal. Russia launches its worst attacks on Ukraine in months.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.

Under the cloak of night, thousands take cover in Ukraine as Russia launches hundreds of drones and missiles their way.

ASHER: Also ahead, entering the red zone. CNN takes you inside a hospital at the epicenter of the Ebola crisis.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES MAYOR: No time for amateurs. We don't need a T.V. reality show villain.

SPENCER PRATT, LOS ANGELES MAYORAL CANDIDATE: You burned down my whole town with your experience, ma'am. We're good on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: It is Election Day in America. And the races in California are the ones to watch. How a reality star is shaking up the battle for mayor of

Los Angeles.

ASHER: And later, Sir Idris Elba, Hollywood legend, receives a role honor.

All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."

An onslaught of hundreds of drones and missiles. We begin with one of the most lethal offensive -- offensives launched by Russia on Ukraine in

months. You're looking at a car dealership on fire in Kyiv. The Ukrainian capital was one of two main cities targeted overnight. A total of at least

21 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded according to officials.

ASHER: Yes. This was the aftermath in the city of Dnipro, which also bore the brunt of the strikes as well. Ukrainian officials say that Russia fired

more than 650 drones and over 70 missiles. You can actually see crowds sheltering in this Kyiv metro station overnight.

Sebastian Shukla is following developments from Berlin.

So, Sebastian, the Russians are clearly trying to overwhelm the air defenses of the Ukrainians at a time when they are in desperate need of

additional support including Patriot systems from the United States. And the U.S. is clearly distracted by its war in the Middle East.

Just walk us through the dynamics here.

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yes. I mean, Zain, I think what we have to start with is the sheer ferocity that we saw last night. And it's the third

such attack now in the space of a month or so, which has seen this level of sustained violence, which is saying something for a city in a country that

is going through -- has been going through this awful war now for -- for -- for over four years.

What we saw last night, that number of dead now risen to 22, six in the capital 16 in that central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

And so what we've seen as a result of these attacks, Zain, is an incredible amount of damage. We're seeing some of those rescue operations that have

taken place across Ukraine on our screens right now.

And even that photo that you showed of some 40,000 Kyiv residents taking shelter in the underground, that is almost an image that takes me back to

February 2022 in those initial hours after the invasion of Russia to -- into Ukraine.

And I want you to take a listen to what some of the residents of Dnipro, or one resident in particular, and how they described last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLHA MUDRA, RESIDENT OF DAMAGED BUILDING (through translator): Smoke was everywhere. We cracked with my daughter and tried to cover her, but a stone

or debris from the building hit her and tore her jacket.

She's saying her back hurts. Everything was covered with smoke. We couldn't understand what was happening. Some kind of apocalypse.

TETANA, 70-YEAR-OLD RESIDENT (through translator): The first strike shattered the glass. And during the second attack, my daughter was killed.

A piece of shrapnel struck her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Was she in the stairwell?

[12:05:01]

TETANA (through translator): She was in the apartment. She was just walking through the kitchen into the hallway. She didn't manage to reach the

hallway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUKLA: Guys, the question is increasingly becoming as the war grinds to a stalemate on the battlefields or a seeming stalemate. You know, these two

sides exchanging meters of land, let alone huge swathes.

It seems that both sides are resorting to these massive aerial barrages. And the Ukrainians are doing the same to Russia too. They have been known

to hit facilities, military and civilian infrastructure facilities as far away as Moscow but also in oil infrastructure facilities outside St.

Petersburg and further afield.

And what this is raising now though is the simple question of, does Ukraine have the air defense missile systems that is so badly needs which are

supplied by the United States, those Patriot battery missile systems?

And the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to social media last night to ask that very simple question to say that we are relying on the

United States and our European partners to be able to supply us to these vitally needed weapons.

And the only way the Ukrainians are able to buy them, because they cannot buy them directly from Washington anymore is on the European allies

stumping up the cash through a NATO mechanism to be able to purchase them.

But, guys, it boils down to a very, very simple equation. It doesn't matter how much money is gathered for these packages. The simple question is, do

the Americans have the missiles in stock to be able to transfer them to the European allies and then to the Ukrainians? Because if not, we could be

seeing more attacks like we've seen in the last few weeks and particularly last night. And that level of devastation continuing as a new phase of this

war becomes more and more likely. Guys.

ASHER: Sebastian Shukla. Thank you so much for that.

All right. The U.S. Secretary of State is confirming a report by Iranian media and says the peace talks between Washington and Tehran are still

happening.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Marco Rubio made the comments a short time ago while testifying on Capitol Hill. He also said negotiations on Iran's nuclear

program would be highly technical and could take months.

It comes one day after Iranian media said Tehran was suspending negotiations with the U.S. citing Israel's intensifying military operations

in Lebanon, but Iran's top negotiator is threatening escalation if those attacks continue.

ASHER: And they are, Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire. And Lebanese media reports that four people were killed today in Israeli strike

near a hospital in southern Lebanon.

GOLODRYGA: On Monday, sources say Trump had a heated phone call with the Israeli Prime Minister and later said, Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to

hold their fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: It's not the first difficult and tough call they had. Although a senior U.S. official told me

yesterday that it was definitely one of the worst calls they -- they had.

What led to this is a growing feeling that the president had that Netanyahu is out of control. I heard it from several of the president's people. And

Trump, at the end of the day, wants to end the war with Iran and to de- escalate in the region more broadly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Alayna Treene joins us now live from the White House.

First of all, has there been any response from your sources, Alayna, regarding that reporting from Barak Ravid at "Axios?" There had been some

expletives in that reporting exchange. Or I think there were one direction sent from President Trump to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

And at the same time, the president came out of that phone call saying that they had agreed to a ceasefire. Israel restrained from going into Beirut,

but the firing continues between both sides in Lebanon at this point.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, that's exactly it. I'll start with your first question, Bianna.

Look, we know, and Barak had mentioned this as well that President Donald Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they have had

these kinds of tense phone calls in the past.

What I was hearing from my conversations with sources is that there is no question that Trump was incredibly frustrated by how Netanyahu was moving

forward and how he was really approaching kind of this campaign into southern Beirut and into specifically that Hezbollah stronghold in the

suburbs of Beirut.

And Trump administration officials recognized, as does the president, that such a move like that, such antagonistic action, even as Israel says it is

in retaliation to strikes from Hezbollah, they knew that that could upend these very, very fragile talks, particularly as we know both Washington and

Tehran, are really trying to work toward finalizing this memorandum of understanding, the short-term framework, on a agreement to then, of course,

have those highly technical conversations that the Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned.

[12:10:15]

Look, one thing that I think has been interesting through all of this, is that at some point, and this is something I've heard repeatedly from my

sources, Bianna and Zain, is that at some point in this war, the path for the United States and Israel and their objectives in this war were likely

to diverge.

And it's kind of been clear that Netanyahu has been behind the scenes really pressuring Trump to be more aggressive. He is not happy with the

continued diplomatic approach.

And really a lot of the time, I should say, that Trump is giving the Iranians for these negotiations. And it all did come to a head yesterday

during that phone call. Doesn't surprise me.

My sources confirmed that he did use expletives, that he was cursing throughout that phone call to bring his point forward. Part of that, of

course, is because Trump does have a close relationship with Netanyahu, but he is someone who also tends to do that behind the scenes and some of these

calls.

One thing I'd remind you as well that I found really interesting. It's a couple days ago, maybe a week or so ago now, Bianna and Zain, I asked the

president, President Donald Trump myself, you know, do you think Israel is going to be ready to end this war when the United States is?

And he essentially told me that Netanyahu will do what I tell him to do. And that's clearly the message Trump was trying to portray yesterday when

he came out. He started speaking on social media, saying talks were progressing nicely, that the Israel and Lebanon issue was solved. And then

also going on to say that he believed a deal could be reached with Iran over the next week. That's an ambitious timeline.

But again, that is the message he is trying to project that diplomacy is really the preference, and he will try to keep Bibi in line in order to

achieve that.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the president also saying that at this point, negotiations are boring him. So a lot of news developing over the last 24

hours or so.

But I think a key takeaway is that Iran, at this point, believes it has leverage to hang the war in Lebanon over any sort of MOU agreement at this

point.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much.

Well, it is another primary election day in America. This time, voters in six U.S. states are casting ballots. The results could shape the national

political landscape come November.

One of key states to watch, California, of course, where dozens of candidates are vying to be governor.

ASHER: Yes. All eyes are also on the race to be the mayor of Los Angeles, current mayor, Karen Bass, is facing a police stiff competition from a city

council member and a former reality T.V. star, Spencer Pratt's unusual rise that is creating quite a buzz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASS: No time for amateurs. We don't need a T.V. reality show villain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pointing your line, no time for amateurs?

BASS: No time for amateurs. No time for people who have been there and haven't gotten done what they said they wanted to get done.

PRATT: The reason I'm here is because I'm not like these people. I don't have the experience of failing like they have, you know. Oh, he doesn't

have experience. We don't want your experience anymore. We've all seen it. We've lived it.

You've burned down my whole town with your experience, ma'am. We're good on it. We've seen you increase homelessness no matter what numbers you make

up. We see it with our own eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Kyung Lah joins us live now from Los Angeles.

I mean, it is going to be a very interesting mayoral race, right? Because you've got the country's second largest city. And the fact is that, you

know, a lot of people are going to decide who to vote for based on these two issues. Number one, homelessness. Well, not necessarily in this order,

but just in terms of two key issues, homelessness, and then also the response to the L.A. fires that we saw at the beginning of last year.

They are neck and neck right now. Just walk us through, you know, the dynamics of the race, Kyung.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What -- what you have there also is sort of the long shadow of Donald Trump in a city that is run by Democrats. And so

all of this is in play, Zain.

And I want to walk you through this particular polling spot. It's just a community college in Los Angeles. And the reason we chose it is because

you're really getting a slice of what voters are going through as they enter.

You can see. Oh, she just got her "I voted" sticker. And so what voters are going through is there are two big races that they're thinking through as

they're greeted here, as they're picking up or dropping off ballots. And then they're seeing this army of workers.

And then they head over to these booths. You can see these are yellow booths. And that's where they decide who is going to be the next governor

on their ballot, the next governor of California, in this primary selection, as well as the people who are going to make that primary playoff

in November.

So, what is really at play here is Democratic governance versus challenges.

[12:15:01]

And in the mayor's race here, it is a marquee race. It is one that is sort of taken over everything in large part because you are seeing those

national dynamics come to roost in a very blue city.

And I want you to listen to this voter. A voter this morning who said that she might not be voting for exactly who she wants, but there's a reason

behind this vote. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want Pratt in. So for me, it was really I wanted Raman, but I didn't know if voting for her might take away votes

from Bass and then Pratt would get in. So, it was kind of a mixed thing, voting for the person I wanted, but also trying to keep somebody else out

because in my opinion, our country's not being run well right now. And I think he would just duplicate that.

You have to figure out, it's not only who you want in that you think could make the changes, but if you're voting for them is going to cause someone

that you think will not be good in the office. And I think you have to kind of change your vote based on that, which is unfortunate, but I think it's

what we have to do nowadays.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: So a strategic vote there. She didn't vote for the person she wanted, but what she's worried about is what we're seeing in the United States,

what she is seeing in the United States playing out here in the city of Los Angeles.

But what the mayor, the current mayor is facing is a challenge from the left, a challenge from the right. And it is going to really be a question

of who is going to be the final two to make that November ballot.

And the -- the one thing I just want to explain here to your viewers is that the way California votes is that you can drop off your ballot all the

way until the end of today. That means, there could be counting for some time we may not know who those two going into November will be by the end

of today.

ASHER: Good context, Kyung. Thank you. Thank you for that. Kyung Lah, we appreciate it.

GOLODRYGA: And we'll bring you the primary election results live as they come in here on CNN and the CNN app. The first polls close at 8:00 P.M.

Eastern time.

ASHER: All right. The World Health Organization reports that at least 49 people have died so far from an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic

of Congo and neighboring Uganda.

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Clarissa Ward gained extraordinary access to the so-called "red zone" at a hospital in the DRC. And she shares the heart-wrenching mix

of fear and grief among those affected by the disease.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a surreal but now all too familiar ritual. Healthcare workers painstakingly

disinfect the coffin of the latest suspected victim of the Ebola virus at Bunia's General Hospital.

His family members look on in anguish, unable to get close to their loved one. Torn apart by grief and consumed by fear.

Oh, my father. Why God, this woman cries. Oh God, this is my only father.

As the dead are carried out, new potential cases are arriving. At the entrance to the hospital, everyone's temperature must be taken.

WARD: So this is the room where they take people who are found to have a fever. There is a woman in there now, obviously they don't know if she has

Ebola or not, but they're going to keep her here until they do more tests and get a better sense of what's going on.

WARD (voice-over): At a makeshift coordination center inside the hospital, Dr. Richard Kajol and his team are working round the clock to keep up with

an outbreak they say is out of control. They agreed to show me and photojournalist, Alex Platt, what they're up against.

WARD: We are now getting ready to go into the so called "red zone" of this hospital. That is the area where all suspected Ebola patients are put. And

there is a lot of protective gear, unsurprisingly, that one needs to wear to go inside.

WARD (voice-over): Bundibugyo is a strain of the virus that few were expecting. There is no vaccine and no cure.

The doctors write our names on our backs so they can recognize us. And then it's time to go in. At the moment, patients are treated in hastily

constructed tents.

Thirty-year-old Gloria is a lab technician, one of dozens of healthcare workers believed to be infected.

WARD: She says it's difficult to breathe.

WARD (voice-over): Earlier, we met her sister waiting outside for news.

WARD: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: I saw your sister. She's waiting for the moment she can hug you again. Do you want us to tell your sister something from you? A message.

[12:20:04]

WARD (voice-over): Do not be afraid, she says.

But it's impossible not to be scared. Some of the patients here are in very bad shape.

WARD: How do you stay strong when you're seeing this?

KOJAN: For me, it's -- it's our humanity.

WARD: Your humanity?

KOJAN: Yes, yes, it's our humanity. Many people are suffering like this, you know. I feel it. I feel it.

So he was in comma.

WARD: Yes.

KOJAN: It's Ebola confirmed.

WARD: Ten-year-old Meshack (ph) is still very weak. His mouth ravaged with blisters from the virus. He asked the doctors for a banana, an encouraging

sign.

"Slowly, slowly," Dr. Kojan warns him. His condition is improving, but he has a long way to go.

KOJAN: You lay down. Yes.

WARD: He wants to lay down? Let's help him lay down then.

They lay him down in the corridor while his room is disinfected.

Nothing about this situation is OK. But these doctors are doing everything they possibly can.

As we walk to another ward, a familiar sound in the distance.

WARD: You can hear the cries of a family who are claiming the body of their loved one. This is a scene that's playing out here multiple times every

single day.

This is a temporary ward for suspected cases. Patients lie waiting for test results that are taking up to a week to process.

So, this is the situation that healthcare workers really want to avoid and are racing to put a stop to. You have five patients in the same room, all

of them suspected of having Ebola, but doctors can't be sure. They can't rule out the possibility that one person in here may not have Ebola and

then, of course, there's a strong chance they could contract it.

Every exit from the red zone is as careful as the entry. Protective equipment must be sprayed down with chlorine and methodically removed.

WARD: We were in there for maybe half an hour and I could barely stand up by the end. It's incredibly tiring, really hot. You're sweating so much.

You're thirsty.

I just like, help us understand the kind of stamina that you need as a doctor to be going in and out of that red zone multiple times every single

day.

KOJAN: It's really hard. We have to stand strong for those patients and otherwise, you know, the situation will be really very, very bad.

WARD: That 10-year-old boy, that's hard to see.

KOJAN: At first day, you know, he was really bleeding, a lot of diarrhea and shock, you know. So you have to get a way to give IV fluid. It's not

really easy.

So -- and for me, you know, like an ICU doctor, when you have a situation like this, it's very hard to just say, I have to stop because I'm tired.

WARD: On the outskirts of the city, the family we met earlier is burying their father, 72-year-old farmer Papababona Bodwang (ph).

The burial team forms a cordon around his grave. The mourners forced to grieve at a distance, the final cruelty of this vicious virus.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:45]

ASHER: All right. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says that anti- Semitism in the country has soared to levels not seen in the post-World War II era. And that Canada is failing Jewish-Canadians.

GOLODRYGA: Carney spoke at the Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto citing targeted hate towards Jewish schools, synagogues and community centers

since October 7th of 2023. He said $54 million in funding will provide more security infrastructure and personnel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: The horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local. And they start. They start with clearly admitting

that Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish-Canadians. And they extend to all Canadians, recognizing that if that covenant fails one of our

communities, it fails us all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: According to Carney's office, over two-thirds of all religion- motivated hate crimes in Canada were directed at the Jewish community last year.

Time now for "The Exchange." Joining us from Toronto is the editor of the Canadaland podcast, Jesse Brown. Jesse, it's good to have you on the

program.

We should note for our audiences that Jews are about one percent of the population in Canada. And as we just noted, 70 percent religiously

motivated hate crimes in 2024 were directed at the Jewish community.

So my question to you as someone who has been covering this extensively is 18 months after synagogues in the country were shot at, B'nai Brith logging

a record 6,800 incidents last year.

Was the prime minister's response, in your view, the right step? Did he meet the moment at this point? Or was this more of a politically motivated

gesture on his part?

JESSE BROWN, EDITOR, CANADALAND: This was a politically motivated gesture on his part, as both my opinion and the growing consensus amongst Jewish

voices, Jewish leaders, Jewish organizations.

As you say, this has been going on for a very long time. It's very extreme. I know that this is happening all around the world, but surprisingly, it is

acute in Canada. We've had more synagogues burned, shot at, vandalized in Canada in absolute terms than any other country in the world as far as I

can tell.

We've had no fewer than six mass murder attempts like Bondi Beach style attempts that thank God the police have thwarted in Canada. And the anti-

Zionist protest movement has targeted Jewish schools and camps. Jewish businesses have been burned down. It's -- it's relentless.

There've been the beatings, a woman was stabbed. So for the prime minister, who up till now has sort of, up to this speech, we've had statements of

thoughts and prayers, and, you know, this is not who we are.

To hear that he's going to finally address this, there was a lot of hope that he was going to get this right and meet the moment and come forward

with concrete actions, a recognition of what's happening.

And most importantly, that he would name who is behind this because there's no mystery there. We know who is behind this, it is the anti-Zionist hate

movement. It's Islamist radicals and progressive radicals who, you know, just last week were hanging Jews in effigy on the streets of Montreal. So

the situation is completely out of hand.

[12:30:16]

And I think I'm not just speaking for myself when I say that the prime minister did not meet the moment, and people are quite frustrated and

disappointed.

ASHER: As you both have noted, there has been a sharp rise so sadly in -- in anti-Semitism across the world. We've talked about it in the U.K., for

example. We've talked about it here in the U.S.

But you touched on something that I -- I think I would love for you to expand on. This idea that, you know, you sort of feel it's -- it's

particularly acute in Canada, especially.

Talk to us about the dynamics at play that make Canada ripe for something like this.

BROWN: Thank you for that question. I-- I think it's surprising to a lot of people because Canada is associated with politeness and kindness. And these

are the values that I think every Canadian values, you know, holds -- holds very dear, is that we're a pluralistic multicultural society where people

generally have lived harmoniously together.

So, it is surprising to see that Canada become one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to this post-October 7th spike in -- in anti-

Jewish hate.

There are many factors. I think that you can't ignore the fact that we have tripled our Muslim population in just about 20 years.

By and large, Muslims have lived in Canada just as -- as Jews harmoniously and without incident up until this post-October 7th era. The fact of the

matter isn't an uncomfortable topic for some. We are bringing in people from countries where hatred of Jews is taught in schools.

And unlike other countries, there's very little done when people come to Canada to -- to educate and naturalize them to say, this is not how we do

things here.

Just yesterday, there were five arrests made under hate speech laws. All five people were Muslim faith and -- and born in other countries. So,

there's a radicalization problem that's documented almost half of Muslims in Canada have espoused anti-Semitic views. That's one factor.

Another factor is that we're too tolerant of intolerance. This -- this Canadian ethic of, you know, everybody should just be left alone. And we

don't want to step on anyone's unique culture has allowed a very small minority, the Jewish population to be trampled.

Our -- our -- and I am a Jewish person, our interests to be safe in our own country have, I think, been superseded by a hesitancy to be considered

Islamophobic or to -- or to name the problem.

Another factor in something that Mark Carney could have addressed is the fact of the matter is Canada is an ally of Israel. They support the Zionist

state of Israel. And whether people love or hate Zionism, if they wish to protest it, they should be protesting the government.

But our politicians in Canada sound like anti-Zionist protesters themselves. They have denounced Israel at every opportunity. They have

recognized Palestine. They have promised to arrest Netanyahu. Mark Carney has a few sets foot on Canadian soil.

This means that Jews in civil society are targeted. There's no point in going after politicians when they seem to be on the same side as you. So

there's a hunt for Zionist Jews in Canadian society who are being scapegoated and blamed.

A -- an act of leadership would have been for Mark Carney to say, I am a Zionist and Canada is a Zionist country. And we support a two-state

solution. I think the way he put it once before, but never again, he said he supports a Zionist Palestinian state that -- that lives peaceful next to

Israel. He doesn't say those things anymore.

ASHER: And worth noting that there are two billion Muslims around the world and many of them, as I'm sure you know, strongly oppose anti-Semitism. I

think that's important to button this conversation with that point.

BROWN: Absolutely. In fact, I think that most of the anti -- most people who are doing these things to Jews would say that they are not being anti-

Semitic, which is why it's so important to -- to speak about who actually is behind this in Canada, which is extremist anti-Zionist.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's -- it's one thing to criticize government policies. It's entirely different to criticize a nation as a whole. There has been a

Jewish community in Canada since the inception of the country.

Jesse brown, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

And we'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:35]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.

Just over one week to go before football's biggest competition gets underway, one player on the U.S. team is combining fantasy and football.

And it just might conjure up some good luck for him.

GOLODRYGA: Weston McKennie or Magic McKennie, as fans call him, leans on a little Harry Potter action on the pitch for goal celebrations.

Here with more is CNN World Sport's Don Riddell.

You know what I love? I love this story because it's so playful. You know what I mean? We take soccer, it's just a game, but we take it so seriously,

especially the players. They're training for months at a time, you know, they're under the pressure of the world's spotlight.

And then you have someone who brings some Harry Potter fun onto the pitch. I --

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: You know, he said you didn't even have to set him up with that.

ASHER: No. I know.

RIDDELL: Let me cast my spell, guys.

ASHER: I know.

RIDDELL: Yes. This is a fun story. Weston McKennie, he's been doing this for a few years, actually. But I thought with the World Cup approaching,

and of course, the U.S. team being co-host and McKennie being one of the biggest stars on the team, I thought it was time I called him up and asked

him about it. And it is just so cool.

He was at Juve a few years ago. And he was playing alongside a galaxy of established international stars, notably Cristiano Ronaldo, who had his

famous Siuuu celebration. And he was like, I kind of need to get a celebration of my own.

And he thought, well -- well, what do I like? He said, well, I really like Harry Potter. So that's how it came up. He just cast a spell the first time

he scored a goal for Juve. And it really took off. Now, he sees the fans doing it in the crowd. People stop him in the street to try and cast a

spell with him, filming it for videos.

His foundation is McKennie's magical youth mission, which focuses on -- on helping, in particular, kids in orphanages, which is, you know, Harry

Potter is an orphan.

And he just loves it. And you're absolutely right, it is so playful. And he knows his stuff. He's really into Harry Potter.

I asked him, well, look, if -- if you could cast a spell to help the American team go all the way in the World Cup, what would it be? And he

instantly came back with Avada Kedavra, which, if you know your Harry Potter canon, is one of the darkest spells you can possibly cast.

And he quickly stopped him himself. And he was like, no, no, just playing because basically that just means you get rid of all of your opponents and

-- and that's not cool.

So he said, Expecto Patronum is the spell he would cast because it's a shielding spell, and it would help out his defense and -- and the

goalkeeper. So, yes, he's really into it.

[12:40:03]

But, of course, football is serious business. The World Cup is serious business. But I would expect that if the American team are going to go far

in this competition, Weston McKennie will have a lot to do with it.

He's a great player. He's one of the most high profile players on this team, very established in Europe. He's extremely versatile. He can play

pretty much any position in the outfield. So, keep your eye out for Weston McKennie this summer. And his --

ASHER: And the spells.

RIDDELL: -- pretty magic. Yes.

ASHER: A lot of the players do a dance, right? That's what I -- if I scored a goal, I would probably dance.

RIDDELL: Right.

ASHER: That's what I like, but -- but I like the spell.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. That could be a new dance.

ASHER: I like the spell.

GOLODRYGA: A new dance for Weston.

All right, Don Riddell. And he is a super talented player. So fun to watch.

All right. New York is pumped up. The Knicks are making their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. Now that year, they lost in five games to

guess who, the San Antonio Spurs. But they hope to turn things around when they face the same team, different players, but same team, again, tomorrow

night.

ASHER: Only issue, the game kicks off at 8:30 P.M. Eastern, which is a little bit late for the Knicks' youngest fans.

So, New York mayor, Mamdani, is stepping in with an executive order. Take a listen.

GOLODRYGA: This is so cute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: Who's ready to watch the Knicks?

ALL: Me.

MAMDANI: Who's ready to watch the Knicks win the championship?

ALL: Me.

MAMDANI: All right. Here we go. Here is our mayor's order, repealing kid's bedtimes for the Knicks' finals run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: It's so cute.

GOLODRYGA: You see how excited they are? All right. Well, I love that. We - - I think his parents should all give our kids a little more leeway just to be able to watch history in the making.

All right. Before we go tonight -- today, congratulations are going to be in order for Sir Idris Elba.

ASHER: You know, you said tonight. And that's interesting because that is linked to this story because he was actually knighted. You get it?

GOLODRYGA: Oh, yes. I did it on purpose.

ASHER: OK. So, I thought you were going to.

GOLODRYGA: The 53-year-old star. It is nighttime in Europe, right?

ASHER: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: The 53-year-old star of "Luther" and "The Wire" was knighted today by King Charles at Windsor Castle. The actor and director is known

for his humanitarian work supporting young people and education.

ASHER: Yes. When he was a teenager, Sir Idris Elba, got a grant from what was then the Prince's Trust to attend Britain's National Youth Music

Theater.

Today, he's working on a Netflix documentary marking the 50th anniversary of what is now the King's Trust.

He just seems like such a great guy.

GOLODRYGA: He's one of my favorite actors here.

ASHER: Doesn't he?

GOLODRYGA: And a great smile.

ASHER: Great smile.

GOLODRYGA: Now, sir.

ASHER: Now a sir.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Well deserved.

All right. That does it for "One World."

ASHER: OBE. I'll take OB -- MBE is what I was saying.

GOLODRYGA: OK. OK.

I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching.

"African Voices" is up next. Bianna is going to be back in 15 minutes with "Amanpour."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:00]

(AFRICAN VOICES)

[13:00:00]

END