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One World with Zain Asher

Trump Places New Condition On Nuclear Deal With Saudi Arabia; Top U.S. And Iranian Officials Harden Rhetoric As War Escalates; Day Three: Musician D4vd May Face Trial Over Killing Of Teen Girl; India's Government ready To Address Student Grievances; Taco Bell Offering $1 Lettuce-free Deals; Deaths Surpasses 1,000 As Ebola Outbreak Spreads In DRC; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired July 23, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:25]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump's message to Saudi Arabia is clear, join the Abraham Accords or no nuclear deal. The second hour of "One World"

starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yes, this deal with Saudi Arabia, the energy deal, is contingent on this condition as far as the

president is concerned. So, we'll continue to talk with our Saudi counterparts to get the deal finalized.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Donald Trump sets a major new condition in the Saudi nuclear deal.

Plus, the Ebola outbreak in a Democratic Republic of Congo is intensifying. And official say, they don't have what they need. We will take you to the

epicenter.

And later, hold the letters. Taco Bell is trying to win back customers after being tied to that cyclospora outbreak.

All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. You are watching the second hour of "One World."

Donald Trump is placing a new condition on the nuclear deal. The U.S. has already signed with Saudi Arabia, potentially throwing the agreement into

doubt.

The U.S. president said the kingdom must now join the Abraham Accords in order for the pact to move forward. The Abraham Accords signed during

Trump's first term as a deal brokered by the U.S., normalizing diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab states. The president also emphasized

that the agreement does not include uranium enrichment.

Last hour, the White House press secretary had this to say when asked about one of the major challenges of getting Riyadh on board.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the past, the Saudi government has said they will not consider entering into the Abraham Accords unless and until there's a

Palestinian state. What makes you think that they're going to change their minds on their position regarding that?

LEAVITT: Again, I won't get ahead of the president's conversations, but this is something that he feels very strongly about and has spoken about it

in the past and will continue to uphold.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us live now from the White House.

So, I think what's interesting here is that, Kevin, Karoline Leavitt really downplayed the idea that the Saudis would be blindsided by this, that this

shouldn't be a surprise because the president has talked about the importance of the Abraham Accords before.

And, yes, obviously, we have heard the president talk about the importance of the Abraham Accords, but have we really heard the president tie the

Abraham Accords to this, because that seemed to be what she was suggesting, Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No, no. And -- and when we saw the energy secretary, Chris Wright, signing this deal less than 24

hours ago, we also heard nothing about this new condition that the president is putting on the deal.

Now, the idea of linking them together isn't necessarily new. It's something that the Biden administration attempted as well, trying to get

Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel as part of this broader pact that would also include a civilian nuclear arrangement with the United

States, but that completely fell apart after the October 7th terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel.

And when the Trump administration restarted these discussions about the nuclear arrangement, they -- it was completely divorced from the idea of

normalization with Israel, in part because it doesn't seem as if Israel is ready to meet the conditions that the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has

put on that.

You know, he has said very plainly that Saudi Arabia will not normalize those relations unless they see a viable pathway to Palestinian statehood.

The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has really taken that off the table at the moment because he says it is untenable with Israeli security.

And so I think if you were the Saudis and you had this deal in place, you signed it, you put out statements sort of proclaiming it as a new way to

bring the U.S. and Saudi Arabia closer, this will have surprised you, even though the president, yes, talks about the idea of Saudi Arabia joining the

Abraham Accords over and over.

And Karoline Leavitt, I think when she was pressed about why this wasn't a stipulation that was made public as the deal was being signed, really

didn't have much of an answer. She suggested that the president had not spoken to Mohammed bin Salman about this arrangement since he made it

public a few hours ago.

She also suggested that he hadn't spoken to Prime Minister Netanyahu about it either, which I do think leads the question of who exactly got in the

president's ear to convince him to attach this to the nuclear arrangement.

[12:05:05]

The other stipulation that he made this morning, which also came as something of a surprise, was that there would, quote, be no enrichment of

material. He's talking about enriching uranium for civilian purposes.

We haven't seen the actual text of the deal, but when we are speaking to officials yesterday, they did say that it include this -- included this

multi-year study period to determine whether it was viable for Saudi Arabia to enrich its own uranium.

And so he's throwing into this arrangement all these new conditions that were not made public yesterday. And I think that will lead to some

questions about what -- what the pathway forward is here.

You know, this arrangement was really considered something of a triumph for Saudi Arabia and for the crown prince who have been seeking something like

this for such a long time. You know, years and years and years, even going back before the Biden administration.

And now the president appears to be putting roadblocks and hurdles in place that in a lot of ways will be very difficult to overcome.

ASHER: All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you for that.

CNN's Nic Robertson is live with us from Jerusalem. So, Nic, obviously the Israelis were certainly concerned yesterday when this 30-year nuclear deal

was announced between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

What's been the reaction among Israeli officials to this new precondition that President Trump has added?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It feels like a very positive reaction. And yesterday, there was no official response to the

stated terms loose oversight and Saudi having its own enrichment.

There was nothing coming from the prime minister's office. Nobody from -- nobody from within the government. There are various people, former defense

minister, former general, others in think tanks saying very clearly that this was dangerous and it would lead to proliferation, a potential nuclear

arms race in the region. There was a high level of dissatisfaction.

But very quickly after this announcement came out on -- from President Trump on Truth Social, we have from the prime minister's office saying

quite simply that the United States and Israel working together against Iran and Israel against this proxies have helped widen the circle of peace

in the region.

And he -- the prime minister's office quoted President Trump saying that if Saudi Arabia was to join the Abraham Accords, that would be historic. It

really does fly in the face of the logic of getting the deal done.

I -- I think, look, just take an even bigger step back from this, because I think we have to at this moment, because it's such an abrupt about-face.

It's such an immediate curtailing for all the reasons Kevin mentioned of the possibility of -- of Saudi getting this nuclear arms agree -- nuclear,

excuse me, civil nuclear program with the United States. It brings out to an abrupt screeching halt.

It really just builds up that question that's brewing here in the region at the moment. What is President Trump doing? What are his tactics to win

again with Iran, the oil price of oil now over $100 a barrel or at least it has been earlier today. What is his tactic? Does he know what he's doing?

So, something that it comes as such a surprise as this is only going to feed into that assessment. What is the president doing? Who's giving him

the advice? The region is in a mess. How are we going to help him and the United States get out of it?

Because this region, Saudi, all the others do not want a continuing war that stops their products getting to international markets.

ASHER: All right. Nic Robertson, live for us. Thank you so much.

All right. As the U.S. and Iran trade dangerous threats, it is the Iranian people, of course, who feel the brunt of this conflict the most. Some

residents in Tehran are expressing anxiety after the U.S. escalated lethal attacks deep into parts of Northern Iran.

One man in the Iranian capital says, the time for negotiating has passed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't think there's any need for us to sit down for talks, understanding, or compromise anymore, given what

has happened. I believe we have to see this through to the end and finish it, either death or life. One of those will happen. And that's better than

this cycle of war followed by peace and everything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Negar Mortazavi is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and the host of the Iran podcast. She joins us live now from

Washington. Negar, thank you so much for being with us.

[12:10:01]

You know, it's always hard to get a sense of how ordinary civilians in Iran are -- are feeling because of obviously security restrictions and internet

disruptions and obviously it's impossible to generalize. You're dealing with tens of millions of people, but there are, of course, some who support

the regime, others who are fiercely opposed to it.

For those who are fiercely opposed to this regime, for those who had hoped that somehow the U.S. intervention would lead to regime change, did those

people still believe, at this point, that the U.S. has their best interests at heart?

NEGAR MORTAZAVI, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY: Thanks for having me. No, I don't think so. And I mean, I would add a third group

which is sort of a big gray area somewhere in the middle who is unhappy with the status quo very much opposed with social, political, economic

grievance says, but also never saw this foreign intervention as the, quote unquote, help that President Trump has suggested.

And since the war has actually happened and unfolded, I think it's become clear, even for most people who thought that this would change things on

the ground that not only didn't it help Iranian protesters or the Iranian people, it actually makes things worse.

And considering the number of the death toll, the civilian death tolls for the almost 4,000 Iranians dead, most of them civilians, many children, lots

of civilian infrastructure has been damaged, destroyed, the war open with an attack on a school full of children, hospitals, universities, cultural

heritage which have nothing to do with any government, they've been there for centuries.

And also the U.S. president tweeting or Truth Social in multiple times that he wants to wipe out a civilization or destroy the civilization. That has

nothing to do with the government. It's very much, you know, portraying the war as a war on Iran and Iranians.

And I think that's what most people understand, regardless of where they stand politically vis-a-vis their own government.

ASHER: You know, I'm so glad you brought up this sort of third category, this idea there are people who might be opposed to the Iranian regime, but

were skeptical as to whether or not the United States would really be there for them in the way that they had promised.

And I think it's important to note that in the past five years, you know, for the Iranian people who are opposed to this regime, you've seen, you

know, moments of hope, oscillating between moments of hope and then deep, deep disappointment.

We all remember in 2022, the Mahsa Amini protests. A lot of people were saying, at that time, that that represented the most sort of serious threat

to the Iranian regime that we've seen in many years. And then the crackdown afterwards by security forces was so severe that, of course, you know,

hopes were extinguished very quickly.

We also saw the economic protests several months ago. The U.S. intervention with the, you know, killing of the ayatollah. The latest ceasefire which

only lasted a few days.

You're sort of seeing this oscillation for the Iranian people who, again, who are opposed to the regime. Lots of hope and then a lot of despair.

So, if all the sort of events that I've listed just now, the various protests, whether it's Mahsa Amini, economic protest, the U.S.

intervention, the U.S. killing the ayatollah, none of that has worked to bring about changed and what will?

MORTAZAVI: Well, you know, that's the million dollar question, right? It's very difficult.

But I think what serious activists and change makers inside the country keep saying is that change has to happen by Iranians, inside Iran, and the

way they want it. Now, there may be disagreements or differences of opinion, but bombing schools full of children, universities, and hospitals,

homes, as we can just see on the screen. This is a home. This is not a government building.

That's just not going to bring change. It's not going to bring better governance or transparency or democracy. It's not going to remove

repression in the country. In fact, you can argue that the war in this sort of security environment has made political dissent even more difficult.

It's made it -- it's closed the space for any form of opposition or dissent.

Do we see any protests on the street? No. Part of the reason is because of this external foreign threat that has made things much worse.

And, you know, most Iranians look to their neighbors, to Afghanistan, to Iraq, to these places where the U.S. has used hard power, immense hard

power even to the point of regime change to supposedly bring a better future, better governance, democracy nation building, even in the case of

Afghanistan women's rights.

And none of that happened. You can argue things matters have become even wars. And I think that's also reflected in the opinion of Americans, the

American public, majority polls show are opposed to these kind of endless - - pointless wars in the Middle East because they don't bring the promises either from a U.S. national security perspective, destroyed their nuclear

program, changing the regime.

Or from an Iranian perspective helping the Iranian people, making things better for them. None of that happens. It's just U.S. blood and treasure

that's wasted. Lots of Iranian lives, as we pointed. Civilian infrastructure that's going to make -- take years to rebuild and

reconstruct.

[12:15:16]

ASHER: I want you to sort of lay out for us what life is like in Iran for ordinary people right now, given the war.

You know, I mean, I think all of us will agree that the sort of fallout from this war between the United States and Iran is certainly lopsided.

Here in the United States, it's felt through obviously, yes, the death of 18 American servicemen and women, which is obviously very tragic for this

country, but also it's largely felt through the effects of higher gas prices which is a major political issue.

And, of course, the people who are living below the poverty line, who are living below a certain income threshold, the price of gas affects your

daily lives in -- in multiple ways.

But the effects in Iran, I mean, you're talking about death, destruction, injury, you know, people having to bury family members. Obviously, there

was that horrible attack on that elementary school in the early days of the war.

I mean, obviously there is a massive difference between how both countries are experiencing the effects of this war inside their countries.

Just talk to us about how ordinary civilians in Iran are experiencing this.

MORTAZAVI: Absolutely. So, as you lay out, you know, the war is waged over there. So, it's not felt as closely here in the U.S., although yes the

death of -- you know, every death is tragic. The death of service members and then also it's reflected in gas prices.

In Ira, it's reflected in every aspect of daily life. First of all, security. You know, from the viewpoint of a civilian, no matter where you

live in the country, because areas across the country have been hit.

You don't know if you're the next target, if your home is the next target, or the next collateral next to a target, if your child's school is going to

be the next target, the hospital, the university, the road that you're about to go on.

So, it's very -- it's seen from the viewpoint of civilians very, very arbitrary. And, you know, 4,000 people have been killed. And so that's

evidence and lots and lots of destruction.

And we're just seeing more images coming up because there was also an internet blackout in the country. So, we haven't seen enough images in real

time of the destruction in Iran. Now, we're getting to see that.

And then also inflation, of course, it's reflected in their on the economy across the board. It's not just gas prices like here in the U.S. It's the

price of everything, everyday goods.

Although the country is running, it's interesting how they have been able - - the government has been able to maintain some form of -- you know, public service has been ongoing and it's -- there hasn't been, let's say,

shortages of any basic goods reported, but still inflation and that increase in prices something that civilians talk about a lot.

And then, of course, this idea of your safety and security which is, first and foremost, when you hear the bombs, when you hear the jets flying, then

when you don't know which city, which neighborhood is going to be next. It's very, very horrific. And, of course, people who have lost loved ones

are -- are still grieving for them.

ASHER: When all is said and done and this war is over and, of course, we all hope it will be soon, what will be the consequence for the Iranian

people?

I think that there are some who fear that the Iranian regime would have learned the wrong lesson and perhaps crack down on the Iranian people even

more. I mean, obviously, in this kind of environment, you're not going to see protests.

And perhaps with the Iranian people, there is, you know, political scientists refer to revolutionary fatigue, when you've tried and tried

again so many times to perhaps, you know, through protests or through political activism, to try to sort of steer things, democratically in a

different direction and your efforts don't amount to much.

Just explain to us whether there is that fear that the security forces in Iran will crack down even more on the Iranian people after this war is said

and done and they did prior to this war.

MORTAZAVI: Right. I mean, certainly right now, like I said, there's a securitized environment, very little room for dissent, for any form of

political dissent.

After the war is done, we don't know when that is because it keeps, you know, starting, stopping. But after it's done, I'm not sure, because this

is also sort of a new chapter for the Islamic Republic. I hope they will learn some lessons from the war, but also the society.

I don't think the grievances are going to go away, the political economic social grievances, none of those will disappear. Yes, now, there's no room

for public presentation of any form of dissent.

But I think once this external foreign threat is removed, you know, the idea of getting bombed any minute, then this will be more internal between

the state and the society and that gap has been really wide and they will have to address it or close the gap. Economic grievances are very, very

serious because livelihood has been the reason for many protests over the years.

[12:20:11]

And that we also see that reflected in how Iran is trying to negotiate, so were the main demands in their negotiations from the U.S. is economic

relief. They understand that there has to be economic relief. They're looking for their frozen assets. They're looking for sanctions really from

the U.S. because that problem is very, very severe.

So, we'll have to wait and see in long-term if they can address any of these grievances or not. If this new chapter is going to have more opening.

So after, for example, just one example, the Mahsa Amini protest, Woman, Life, Freedom, this society, yes, there was oppression, but a society

women, young people were able to push the state back one step and make some achievements because of the very high price that they paid in those

protests.

So now you, for example, look at public life in Iran, the dress code, mandatory hijab, you know, the core of that -- of those protests, they have

made some gains and they have been able to push the state back, but, you know, it's very slow process. It's -- and it's been coming at a very high

cost.

And what I want to reiterate is that this foreign external, you know, hard power military attack is not going to make things better. In fact, it may

even make it worse in the long term.

ASHER: All right. Negar Mortazavi, thank you so much. And thank you so much for reminding us all that the state of the economy in Iran, even before

this recent war was already dire, just in terms of currency, valuation, inflation, obviously, the sanctions, unemployment, poverty, that sort of

thing.

So, the Iranian people were already suffering now to obviously add -- add this war to it. This doesn't help exactly.

All right, Negar, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

All right. Still to come on "One World," prosecutors reveal gruesome details in the death of a 14-year-old girl and her connection to a

musician, D4vd. His preliminary hearing, just ahead.

Also, the Ebola outbreak is spreading in the DRC and the numbers are skyrocketing. We'll bring you the latest on the response on the ground.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: It's day three of musician D4vd's preliminary hearing in Los Angeles where the judge will decide whether or not this case is going to be going

to trial.

The 21-year-old whose legal name is David Anthony Burke has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges connected to the disappearance and death of 14-

year-old, Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

[12:25:08]

Prosecutors say her decomposed remains were found in his car last September. Those charges include -- the charges, rather, include first-

degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilating human remains.

Let's bring in CNN's Kyung Lah standing by for us in Los Angeles.

You know, for those of us who haven't been following this case, just walk us through, you know, the details surrounding this and what we're expecting

in day three of this preliminary hearing, Kyung.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really been just a heartbreaking and gruesome week, as some of these details in have

been coming out. And we expect much more of that today.

This hearing is about to begin in just about 10 minutes or so. And yesterday, there were these details that we're learning about, a passport

card found on the side of the road where prosecutors say evidence was discarded, that they also found 11 air fresheners throughout the Tesla

where this 14-year-old child, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, where her body was found dismembered in cadaver bags along with preliminary evidence of blood.

Now, D4vd is facing a first-degree murder charge with special circumstances. So, what does that mean? That's involving continuous sexual

abuse of a child under age 14 and mutilating human remains.

Prosecutors really have spent this week building an argument that this was at the core about money. D4vd's music representatives were called to the

stand and one testified that the singer made an estimated 10 to $11 million in gross earnings from 2023 to 2025.

And prosecutors have also laid out in court documents that the first contact between D4vd and this young girl was when she was just 11 years

old. And that a sexual relationship began when she was 13.

Prosecutors say because of a fight that Celeste threatened to expose the sexual relationship, prosecutors alleged that that was a possible motive

for murder.

And the -- the gruesomeness, Zain, that I'm talking about, they've been showing graphic photos of the recovered body parts, among them severed

hands and fingers. And one photo she is missing a ring finger.

And the reason why that's pertinent in this case, as gruesome as it is, Zain, is because that finger contained a tattoo that linked the singer to

Celeste. Zain.

ASHER: All right. That is gruesome stuff.

Kyung Lah, in Los Angeles, thank you so much.

"One World" continues after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:52]

ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Zain Asher.

The calvary is coming for pubs across the U.K. Those words from new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Thursday announcing that he will cut tax

rates by 20 percent from next April. That's going to apply to many pubs, clubs, and live music venues.

The government says it will save the typical pub almost $1,500 a year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY BURNHAM, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Pubs need to know that, you know, the cavalry is coming. You know, this is, to me, our heritage. It's working

class culture.

Once pubs have gone, they -- they don't come back. So, we've just got to signal what support, when we can. That's why I've made this early

announcement. This is a significant cut to the business rates that pubs and other venues pay. It could make the difference for a number of venues that

are struggling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Venues have been closing at a rapid rate with owners complaining of high costs imposed by Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer.

All right. India's capital were another day of widespread protests with students demanding action over job shortages and the league of medical

school entrance exams.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(PROTESTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Thousands of demonstrators packed the streets of New Delhi vowing to continue their month-old protest until the education minister resigns.

India's government now signaling they're ready to talk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JITENDRA SINGH, INDIAN ATOMIC ENERGY DEPARTMENT MINISTER: It is my humble appeal to the students on agitation that the government is ready for talks

whenever you want and whichever hour of the day, and for as much length of time that you wish to.

We are ready to discuss the issue on which the agitation has happened and all the other related issues as well with an open mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is breaking his silence, promising swift and stringent punishment for those involved in exam league.

CNN's Rhea Mogul has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RHEA MOGUL, CNN SOUTH ASIA REPORTER (voice-over): The so-called Cockroaches first filled New Delhi streets. Now, they're showing up thousands of miles

away.

From New York to London, supporters of India's Cockroach protests are going global. Amplifying movement in India that's become one of the biggest

challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

And it's growing at home too. Some of India's biggest celebrities have voiced solidarity. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan praised the student's

dedication and has called for a solution.

Support galvanized after a police crackdown on protesters earlier this week when tens of thousands of mostly young people marched through New Delhi.

They're demanding the resignation of India's education minister and sweeping reforms to an examination system, they say denies millions of

students of fair chance at success.

Police fired tear gas, baton swung, injuries were reported on both sides, but the protesters aren't backing down. They've reclaimed their main

protest site in the capital, vowing to stay for as long as it takes.

India's opposition has seized on the anger, calling for Modi's resignation and clashing with police.

MOGUL: On Thursday, while avoiding any direct reference to the protests, Modi said India's youth were, quote, important and pledged action against

exam paper leaks. A rare acknowledgment for a leader known for keeping a distance when the political pressure mounts.

MOGUL (voice-over): Modi has weathered major crises before. From year-long farmer protests against agricultural reforms to public anger during India's

COVID pandemic, but this challenge may be different.

Nearly two-thirds of the country's 1.4 billion people are under 35. And Modi can't afford to lose the support of India's youth, making them not

just the face of this movement, but potentially one of the most powerful political forces in the country.

Rhea Mogul CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:29]

ASHER: All right. Let's check and see how U.S. markets are doing. Let's take a look on the screen. OK. This is the Dow. It's down just under one

percent or so. This is your business breakout.

The oil prices are climbing sharply with Brent crude surging past $100 a barrel for the first time since May, as the Middle East conflict threatens

another major blow to global supply, as it comes after Houthi rebels claimed attacks on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, putting a critical route

for oil exports at risk.

Google is facing a $1 billion fine from European Union regulators for allegedly violating rules designed to curbs -- curb a big tech's power. The

penalties target companies search practices and restrictions on app developers, though E.U. officials say Google is making progress in

complying and could avoid further fines.

The FDA is investigating a new cyclospora outbreak with 72 cases now tied to an unknown source. It's the latest in a growing wave of cases of the

parasitic illness across the U.S. Midwest, including Michigan, and four other states linked to iceberg lettuce.

Taco Bell, though, is trying to bring customers back through their doors after the cyclospora outbreak, put some regulars off. The restaurant's

daily foot traffic fell by nearly a third last week when federal health officials said the chain was part of the diarrhea outbreak investigation.

Now, in hopes of winning back wary customers, Taco Bell is offering lettuce-free enchiritos and nachos fries for a dollar each, just $1.

CNN senior reporter and Taco Bell enthusiast, David Gold -- David, that is not the screen that I expected behind you. Take it away.

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS REPORTER: You didn't think that this was going to come up?

Listen, you were talking about a major blow.

ASHER: In bright yellow.

GOLDMAN: Yes, that's right.

You were talking about a major blow to the oil market. We got a major blow to Taco Bell, if you know what I mean.

Listen, I mean, enchiritos are potentially a solution here. They are now $1 and they were a lot more expensive.

Now, Taco Bell is known for its cheap food, but this deal, these lettuce- free deals, are supposed to be able to get folks back, those nacho fries down from $2.89 to just $1.

Let's see what the problem was. Well, as you mentioned, traffic is down a third at Taco Bell over the past couple of days. Other brands have also had

a similar problem; Panera, Chipotle, other brands like that.

[12:40:10]

But Taco Bell is bearing the brunt of this problem. And Taco Bell was the shining star of the fast food industry. Its sales were up eight percent in

the first quarter and it had eight consecutive quarters of growth. So, this isn't new growth, this is continued growth.

Its profit was up 16 percent in that last quarter alone. Now, it doesn't want to let that go because it's, you know, competitors are doing pretty

good. Burger King up almost six percent. Wendy's having a little bit of a problem, down 2.1 percent.

But we know that this is a fickle business and customers are willing to change. How do we know that? Well, because in 2024 McDonald's faced a very

similar problem. Its sales were up 4.3 percent in the fourth quarter of '23. But after an E. coli outbreak, they fell 1.4 percent.

And so the company needed to pay $100 million to a P.R. firm to do a massive P.R. push. Got its CEO out everywhere. This was a big, big ad

campaign.

Taco Bell's starting with some deals to try to lure some customers back, but it might need to do more than that if it wants to avoid the fate that

McDonald's had.

ASHER: All right. David, thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right. The Democratic Republic of Congo is struggling to control a deadly Ebola outbreak that is now in its third months. The rare Bundibugyo

strain has killed more than a thousand people, according to the latest official figures.

And the number of confirmed cases surpasses 2,500. Containment efforts have been complicated by armed conflict in Eastern Congo and a lack of medical

supplies. There's still no vaccine against the strain.

Last week, WHO said it had only received about 40 percent of the funding that it needs to fight the outbreak.

Time now for The Exchange. Joining me live now is Dr. Thierno Balde, live from the airport in Bunia, which is at the epicenter of the outbreak in the

Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He is the incident manager for Ebola response for the Africa branch of the World Health Organization. Thank you

so much for being with us.

I mean, this -- this particular outbreak that we've been talking about since May, it's been so hard to get under control. And with these sorts of

outbreaks, it really is a race against time, because if you don't get a hold of it early on, things can spiral out of control very, very quickly,

mostly because, you know, you have people who contract the virus and they're interacting with a lot of people all the time. And contact tracing

is very difficult.

Just -- just explain to us what efforts are being made to try to get this outbreak under control right now.

DR. THIERNO BALDE, INCIDENT MANAGER FOR EBOLA RESPONSE, WHO AFRICA: Well, thank you very much, Zain. And thanks for having me this afternoon. There

are a lot of efforts which has been made over the past two months really. I mean, they're trying to get control of this outbreak.

And at the moment, one of the most important element is to continue on the (INAUDIBLE) and get the pattern of the outbreak.

And if you are seeing these big figures, about 2,000 cases, 1,000 deaths, that's a reality. But at the same time, also, there is a more variance

also.

I mean, the situation here. We are in the province, which has been affected definitely. And we have some areas which have been firstly affected today.

And we are also the expansion, the topographic expansion of the outbreak.

So, there are different images at the moment of this outbreak. And it's actually challenging. It's happening in a very context -- in a very

challenging context, marked by a lot of mobility of the population, but also related limited accessibility, you know, for going and really trying

to identify the -- the -- the people and identify the contacts. And also, obviously, trying to give them the appropriate care.

So, this is the overall situation, I may say. But I think there is this possibility of making variance also between the different affected

localities. I mean, within the five provinces.

I'm just coming back now from Kisangani where also cases were reported about four weeks ago. And definitely while doing some prompt and effective

action is possible, but we also, you know, to make these outbreaks under control.

At the contrary of Bunia here, where I am, where is the epicenter, where the situation is by challenging even operational capacity, is limited

operational capacity that we have.

ASHER: Doctor, how are healthcare workers doing in this kind of environment? I imagine they -- I mean, they must feel so overwhelmed

because you're dealing with constant testing. You know, a lot of the doctors there are going without pay.

And as I understand it, there was a recent strike with healthcare workers as well. This is a very -- I mean, being a doctor is stressful enough, but

in this kind of environment, it's even more difficult. Just -- just walk us through what they're going through.

[12:45:13]

BALDE: I have to say that people here are working, honestly speaking, seven days per seven -- 20 -- almost 19 hours per -- per day. So, people are

really working extremely hardly. Frontline workers. People are supporting the frontline workers. So, it's actually challenging from expose.

We are seeing these numbers, the geographic extension of the outbreak, trying to handle it at the same time. We're trying to have it be quite very

much well customized strategies for (INAUDIBLE) this location, as I was mentioning.

So, it's really trying to get that balance of activities, how to intensify, like, all of the activities around the safe and (INAUDIBLE) barriers with

our partners like the Federation of Red Cross or FHR.

You know, how can we really work with them to augment the number of teams which can work, you know, from day to night or to -- or to -- to do the

(INAUDIBLE).

Of course, the (INAUDIBLE) event is one of the main super-spreader of these outbreaks. So that's one point.

Also, the other point is, how can we really make all of the suspected cases go? We've been able, at least, you know, to augment the acceptability of

the disease by the population.

But now, where are the capacities for really treating those people, the suspected cases, to host them somewhere, the time for doing the testing.

The testing also is improving.

So, we are really trying to capture somehow it's the outbreak. And at the same time, also there are some limitations, as I was saying, in terms of

operational capacity, in terms of the possibility of doing the right things at the right time.

So, we are catching up with these outbreaks in Bunia, especially at the epicenter.

But at the same time also, where is just starting. We are really doing energetic actions for trying to contain it.

And as I was saying, this is what we're doing, like today in Kisangani, where we just came from where there is all of this mobilization, you know,

with the prime minister, with the national health authorities, with all of the different partners, WHO, MSF, UNICEF, Africa CDC really working

together for containing that. So at least there is that hope. But at the same time, we are really struggling, I think, for controlling within Bunia

here.

ASHER: One of the things that I think a lot of people would worry about in the DRC, specifically, is because you're dealing with an area where there

is active conflict. You have a lot of people who have been displaced, and actually a lot of people in displacement camps, you know, refugee camps. I

think over a million people, roughly around a million people in the DRC are in the displacement camps.

And, of course, by their very nature, these refugee camps are crowded, right? And so when you're trying to conduct contact tracing in a refugee

camp that, by its very nature, is crowded, and it's very difficult to know who has interacted with who. How on earth do you begin to do that?

BALDE: I think it starts by the real community engagement. And the real community engagement, what does it mean? I mean, it's about working with

the people living in these camps. They're living in a very typical conditions, in a very challenging conditions with a lot of lack or limited

hygiene, limited possibilities of living in the good conditions.

However, I mean, they are living in those conditions. It's about getting their (INAUDIBLE). And that (INAUDIBLE) is extremely important. It's about

bringing also these possibilities. Like they are facing all other issues, because these people have been facing those issues for years and years of

years from this outbreak.

The Ebola outbreak is coming now, but at the same time, they've faced -- they were facing those issues.

So, it's about working with them, identifying the real strategies with them, have the accessibility to make them understand about the dangerousity

(ph) of these outbreaks, for them, for their families and for the -- for the entire other people.

So, to get them with us and therefore to be able to -- to -- to make the necessary work. Three times. There are some camps around here. There are

some camps in other places, but really it's too bad.

We work with the leaders of these camps and (INAUDIBLE) strategies and to bring to them the different capacities, the operational capacities.

But again, I think really the needs are extremely important. And I'm not really sure today if we are -- all of our operational capacities can help

us to meet these needs.

ASHER: And just in terms of just more specifics on how the international community can help. I mean, because there's so many issues facing the DRC

at once. This is a multi-pronged problem.

Obviously, the -- the level of displacement among people, sort of fleeing conflict is part of where there needs to be a ceasefire, there needs to be

assistance with medical and health facilities that are underfunded. As I understand, WHO -- WHO itself is largely underfunded as well.

But how can the international community assist with this particular outbreak beyond just cash at this point? I mean, obviously that you need to

have money to fight this outbreak. But more than that, what more do you need?

[12:50:08]

BALDE: If I may say, I will give -- I will give the level of knowledge that I have at my level. I think what we really need is to more -- to have more

global solidarity. I think it's a level of solidarity and trying to find the best ways of helping this situation.

This situation is quite very particular and it's about people coming together or working together, you know, for (INAUDIBLE) situation. This is

quite very important for the entire world.

I mean, WHO classified this as (INAUDIBLE) the public health emergency of international. Also the highest (INAUDIBLE). The highest rate of human

public health emergency.

So, it's to bring everyone. You know, today, we are looking for like international emergency medical teams which can come here and to augment,

for instance, like the -- the men capacity, which is also treatment capacity.

Teams which can come from the board, people all of the different capacity, like the tents, the beds, the medicines, the fuel, you know, all of these

different elements ready to come here, you know, and to help.

So, this is something that we are really looking for. And, obviously, the funding is extremely important because the number of people which are

supposed to be deployed on the field to do the investigation of the cases, to do the contact tracing, all of these people need to be supported. So,

it's extremely important.

And also, when you have like some people who are identified as contacts, how can we really help them to accept that? To engage them.

I think all of these elements, you mentioned the issues around (INAUDIBLE) vulnerability which exists because that can also help to have a better

addition of the community.

So, it's really a kind of global solidarity, more solidarity, more resources, more funding and also all of the different capacities. Then also

to pass the good message, because that's also extremely important. As I'm saying, to have a whole new analysis, you know. And I think that is

extremely important.

ASHER: Yes, solidarity is -- is important. Just to know the international community is behind you.

Dr. Thierno Balde, thank you so much. Live for us from the DRC.

We'll be right back with more after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. Bad Bunny wrapped up the final stop of his tour in Brussels touring fans around the world. Belgium's largest stadium. Puerto

Rican superstar skipped the U.S. leg entirely saying that he's worried ICE agents could show up at the venues.

Even so, Billboard Boxscore, which charts music industry finances says, the tour pushed his career earnings past $1 billion. He's the first Latin

artist to hit that milestone without performing in English.

[12:55:09]

All right. That does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. Bianna Golodryga hosts "Amanpour," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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