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One World with Zain Asher
Source: White House Pressing Israel To Halt Gaza Strikes; Crews Battle Wildfires Raging Across Spokane, Washington; Aung San Suu Kyi Meets ICRC Official After Proof Of Life Campaign; Blanche Formally Rescinds Fund Amid A.G. Confirmation Push; Kentucky Voters Ask: Where is Mitch McConnell?; England To Withdraw Support For Infantino Re-Election; Investors Eye Venezuela oil After years Of Sidelines; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired August 03, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:45]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: All right. Palestinian sources tell CNN the White House wants Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: A definite ramp up in Israeli attacks over the weekend. It came, you know, only hours after President
Trump announced what he described as a historic agreement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Israel says they will continue to thwart any threat from Gaza.
ASHER: Homes are being leveled, families are being evacuated, and fires are expected to burn for weeks. How a little bit of good weather could make an
impact.
GOLODRYGA: And later, a return to the pitch, Jason Sudeikis on "Ted Lasso's" new challenges and the hit show's fourth season.
ASHER: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I am Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga, you're watching the second hour of "One World."
Iran says that it has no plans to hold talks with the U.S., despite President Trump's claim that negotiations would resume today.
ASHER: Yes. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he called off a massive attack on Tehran, saying progress was being
made on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end Iran's nuclear threat.
Just one day earlier, the president vowed to hit Iran hard until its leadership couldn't take any more.
Just a few minutes ago, though, Trump began and took to social media, lashing out at the Iranian regime and casting doubt on its ability to
strike the deal.
GOLODRYGA: Tehran, meanwhile, says that it is holding discussions with Oman on a new temporary route through the Strait of Hormuz.
ASHER: As Israel intensifies its strikes in Gaza, the top diplomat overseeing the Board of Peace is slamming the deadly attacks and urging de-
escalation.
As source says that Nickolay Mladenov met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today to discuss an agreement announced by President
Trump last week that would disarm Hamas and lead to the phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
GOLODRYGA: And while Israel has not publicly responded, one official says the IDF will not retreat from its current line in Gaza. And Hamas says it
will only comply if Israel halts its fire. Israeli strikes kill 28 people in Gaza over the weekend. The IDF says that it was targeting Hamas
commanders.
ASHER: Well, officials' estimate more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the October ceasefire.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now live in Tel Aviv. So, much was made about optimism when this deal was announced on Friday. A lot of skepticism, too,
given the players specifically that Hamas said that it would lay down its arms.
Now, there appears to be a game of chicken in terms of who blinks first. Jeremy, what are the Israelis saying?
DIAMOND: Yes. Well, Bianna, on Friday, as you know, when this agreement was announced and came to light, Hamas started talking about it in very clear
terms, where they said, yes, we've agreed for the first time to this plan that would see Hamas relinquish their weapons.
But at the same time, they also made clear that they were only going to begin this process of disarming if Israel first carried out a series of its
own obligations under the ceasefire agreement, namely stopping the near- daily Israeli strikes that we have seen in Gaza since this ceasefire began back in October.
And instead, what we saw from the Israeli military over the weekend was a very clear ramp-up in attacks on the Gaza Strip. At least 28 people were
killed, according to the Palestinian health ministry by these Israeli strikes, since President Trump announced this deal in the early hours of
Friday morning, local time here.
And the Israeli military said that in these strikes, it was targeting Hamas commanders and militants, including some who were involved in the October
7th attack on Israel.
Today, what we've been seeing is a diplomatic effort to try and bring Israel back into compliance with this agreement.
Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza on the Board of Peace, who works very closely with the U.S. administration, he met with the
Israeli prime minister today. And I'm told by a source that Mladenov was there to speak to the prime minister about implementing this deal going
forward. And included in that was a request for him to stop these Israeli strikes that we have been seeing in Gaza.
[12:05:16]
Now, it's important to note that we haven't seen any additional strikes in Gaza since yesterday evening. And so the question is, was this ramp up
something that the Israelis were doing in order to carry out several additional strikes before they would agree to the halt that the U.S. and
the Board of Peace are asking them to? Or is this simply more of Israel defying this ceasefire agreement going forward? We will get the answer to
that in the days and weeks ahead.
But it is important to note that amid this meeting between the Prime Minister and Nickolay Mladenov, the High Representative for Gaza, an
Israeli official told reporters today that Israel would continue to thwart any threats that it sees in Gaza and also that Israel would not withdraw
from the current yellow line, meaning, where the yellow line stands now after Israel seized additional territory beyond what was agreed to in that
October ceasefire agreement.
So, a very, very delicate situation and one that U.S. and Board of Peace officials anticipated would be quite difficult even after securing this
agreement with Hamas following months and months of negotiations. They know that what lies ahead is going to be even more difficult, even trickier to
accomplish, but that is the task at hand. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Jeremy Diamond, in Tel Aviv for us. Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Let's take a closer look at the situation in Gaza with Ghaith al-Omari. He's a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near
East Policy. He's been an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, former and is a former Palestinian negotiator and joins us live now from
Washington, D.C. Ghaith, thank you so much for being with us.
So, just talk to us about where things go from here, because we have a situation whereby Hamas is only agreeing to disarm if, of course, Israel
stops any sort of future additional strikes. At the same time, the Israeli military is essentially saying they're not going to withdraw from Gaza at
all unless Hamas disarm.
So -- so where do things go from here? I mean, this is a very sort of tricky, complicated thing to achieve here.
GHAITH AL-OMARI, SENIOR FELLOW, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEA EAST POLICY: I mean, let me start maybe with the positive. I think the agreement itself is
significant because the whole process since signing the ceasefire last October has been stopped. So, this is injecting some diplomatic energy.
However, we have two sets of problems here. The first set is, frankly, neither Israel nor Hamas want to implement their part. So, how can you
diplomatically push them in that direction?
And the second set of problems is even if there's diplomatic will, the reality on the ground just doesn't yet support implementation of this. You
know, the deal asks for an international force to come in. The only number we have right now is 200. That's meaningless.
But more importantly, it asks for 5,000 Palestinian soldiers to come in. And none of the soldiers has yet been recruited or trained. So, we have a
lot of challenges. But at least we see movement where just a few days ago, things were completely stuck.
GOLODRYGA: Ghaith, it's, I guess, a bit refreshing to start the show with some optimism. Typically, that comes from Zain and myself, but it's great
that it's coming from a guest who knows more of these players than -- than even we do here.
As it relates to what you just mentioned, and that is the international force that at some point would be coming in in overseeing affairs in Gaza.
It has long been understood that they would never agree to something like this.
And most of these would be Arab and Muslim countries that would be sending their peacekeepers unless Hamas disarms as well. So, where is their
position in all of this? Has anything changed on that front?
AL-OMARI: Not really. I mean, when I talk about 200 people committed, they're mainly from Morocco.
And if you look at the details, they actually are saying, yes, we're committing, but we're not going to go in and disarm Hamas. We might stay
around the parameter, et cetera. So, this is all maybe diplomatic speak.
But unless we see a real progress on Hamas disarmament, it's very hard to see how any external actors will come in.
On the other hand, Hamas is saying, we're willing to disarm, but Israel has to meet its own obligations. And Hamas knows that Israel right now is in
election season. They're going to have an election, I think, October 27th, and unlikely to move on any of these fronts.
This is where I think today, the meeting that Mladenov, the Board of Peace envoy with Netanyahu is very important, because we need to see sustained
pressure on the Israelis to do their part, but also on Hamas. And pressure on Hamas has to come through pressuring their supporters, mainly in Qatar
and Turkey. So, a lot of complicated diplomacy ahead of us.
[12:10:01]
ASHER: I mean, it's interesting because you -- you answered my -- my next question, but I'd like you to expand because this idea of sort of
pressuring the Israelis to do their part is, as you point out, going to be very difficult, given that it's an election season for Israel, an election
in October, Netanyahu faces a tough reelection battle. He's supposed to be the sort of security prime minister.
And also, there's going to be a lot of pressure within Israel from his right wing coalition parties who really want to make sure that the pressure
is kept up on Hamas and, of course, on Hezbollah as well. So, how does that resolve itself?
AL-OMARI: It's hard to see how it resolves itself. Partly because it's not only by the way the right wing members of his coalition. Just a few minutes
ago, two of their ministers said they want to re-vote on this issue. So, we're seeing that pressure.
But also his opposition. I mean, his key opposition figure, Gadi Eisenkot, political moderate but security hawk, came out against it and said, this is
going to keep Hamas in power.
Now, Netanyahu though, you know, this is one set of pressures. The other set of pressures is coming from President Trump, because Netanyahu just
does not want to say no to President Trump. He does not want to go on his backside. Yes, President Trump's popularity in Israel has diminished
recently.
We had for Netanyahu, there's a lot of political costs in going for that fight. I suspect what we will see Netanyahu trying to thread the needle. I
mean, uncharacteristically, by the way, Netanyahu has said nothing as we had about this directly. He's going to try to thread the needle hoping that
Hamas will save him by doing something outrageous and maybe excusing any of his actions.
GOLODRYGA: Well, Netanyahu, I don't think has said anything after President Trump seemingly put words in his mouth surprising him with that
announcement over the weekend that the United States would not be attacking Iran, even though it did seem as though Israel, at least, was planning that
the United States would.
But as it relates to Gaza, what we've seen from this administration, time and time again, are sort of these big announcements, a lot of optimism
surrounding them, and not much follow-up.
What do you expect to see now to make sure that this case perhaps is an outlier? Does it need to be the appointment of one point person who will be
in charge of all of this?
Because between Israel and Hamas, I can't imagine you think this is going to work itself out between them.
AL-OMARI: Absolutely. You need an American -- senior American who be -- who is fully in charge of following the day-to-day implementation of this.
Today, we don't have anyone like this in the U.S. system. Yes, you have Steve Witkoff, but he's very sporadic. You need someone who's doing it day-
to-day. Because without that, you know, I have a lot of respect for Nickolay Mladenov. He is probably one of the most accomplished diplomats I
have ever dealt with.
Yet, without having clear direct American support, there's only so much Mladenov can do so. If we don't have an American in charge, it's hard to
see how this is going to continue.
And by the way, this is not only a problem when it comes to Gaza. I mean, I think there's a larger image problem for the U.S. and the region. Big
announcement, no follow through.
If we don't follow through on this one, I fear that the American standing and effectiveness in the whole region will further diminish.
ASHER: All right. Ghaith al-Omari, thank you. Thank you for that analysis. We appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Turning now to the U.S. and wildfires that are raging across parts of Washington State. Bodycam footage shows us just how
dangerous the situation is in in Spokane -- Spokane. Firefighters are rushing from home to home to put out the flames as three wildfires burn in
the area. They are currently at zero containment.
ASHER: Yes. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and nearly 65,000 people have been evacuated. Fire officials say they've never seen anything like
this before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF KRIS MAYNARD, SPOKANE COUNTY, WASHINGTON: It's devastating. Something we've never seen before. It's a fire that just moved
quickly. As our crews went in, it's just -- it's something that hadn't been seen before because of our -- our dry conditions that we've had, but these
winds that came through here quick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us with the latest on these fire conditions. What can residents expect any relief anytime soon,
Derek?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right about now is our narrow window of opportunity to try and get an advantage on the leading edge of these fires.
But this is what we were contending with this weekend and this is sporadic very -- or I should say erratic fire behavior. It was very volatile. The
winds you can clearly see how quickly they are fanning these flames. This is just one of the many wildfires that were ongoing.
And this satellite image shows a lot as well. Look at the plumes of smoke and how quickly the direction of that smoke is ushered to the Northeast.
So, what that tells me? These are all the ignition spots of the individual fires across Washington State. Here's Oregon.
[12:15:07]
But the winds coming out of the Southwest, they were gusting over 40 to 50 miles per hour at times, roughly 80 kilometers per hour.
This is a look at the burn scars, so far, for the three largest wildfires that are threatening Spokane, Washington right now. You saw the video on
your screen just a few moments ago. Fairview, Old Trails Fire and the Autumn Lane fires.
These fires have been known to hop across rivers. That's the Spokane River. This is entering into populated parts of Spokane. Clearly, we've seen the
burned out buildings, but it's also jumped highways and roads. So, it just shows you the ferocity of the forward flank of these -- of these fires.
Now, the winds have relaxed a little bit, but they are coming out of a different direction. So we not -- this is not time to let our guard down if
you're in and around Spokane or maybe you have family relatives or friends. There are mandatory evacuation orders across this area that have been in
place all weekend long.
The winds right now, again, are lighter than what they experienced over this weekend, but the forecast going forward is going to be very
challenging because we are going to see the temperature skyrocket over the next couple of days.
And for wildfires to burn, we need heat, fuel and oxygen. So, that is all going to return into this weather forecast.
And not to mention, Zain and Bianna, the quality of the air is so degraded from these wildfires. I'm going to show you one last image because this
really says a lot that is sucked in across the Pacific Northwest, impacting large population densities with hazardous air right now.
GOLODRYGA: We know what that air quality feels like all too well. We were experiencing it here in the Northeast from the Canadian wildfires just a
couple of weeks ago.
VAN DAM: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: Derek Van Dam, thank you.
ASHER: Thanks, Derek.
All right. In Greece, people are being evacuated from their homes as wildfires continue to blaze there as well.
Please, officers, there alerting people to the danger. More than a hundred homes were destroyed northwest of Athens on Sunday.
GOLODRYGA: Flames also spread to a military firing range where they ignited unexploded ammunition. But efforts to contain the fires led to tragedy on
Sunday when two firefighting helicopters collided midair.
ASHER: Journalist, Elinda Labropoulou, spoke to CNN earlier about that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: Dozens of fires still burning across Greece. New fires are breaking out every single day. Just to give you a
sense of scale, over 200 fires have been -- have started in the last 24 hours.
The biggest fire, megafire as experts have started calling it by now, is going for the fourth day. It's raging just outside Athens, 14 miles of
Athens. And it is there that the two pilots died yesterday during that collision.
At the time, there were extremely strong winds in the area. Generally, there have been gale force winds blowing for three days so much so that
those aircraft has not been able to fly at all for three days.
The Greek prime minister, just hours before the collision said, sometimes there's not much you can do no matter what means you have. And he meant
that all the aircraft was on the ground unable to move just because of these strong winds.
Of course, the news of this collision has been absolutely tragic. And it comes just after three firefighters died last week battling fires in Crete
on an island -- in the island of Crete and in the mainland as well. And mass evacuations continue in that area.
There is a glimmer of hope simply because although you can see that it's still very windy behind me, the winds have dropped but the country will
remain on high alert tomorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come on "One World," she has spent years in detention and now we're able to get a rare glimpse at Myanmar's former
leader. We'll explain why there is now international concern about her health.
ASHER: Also, ahead, Todd Blanche spending under pressure. We'll tell you about the latest move by the man nominated to be U.S. Attorney General.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, more concerns about Mitch McConnell's whereabouts. We'll hear from voters in the senator's home state of Kentucky. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:55]
GOLODRYGA: Well, there are mounting concerns about the health of Myanmar's detained former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
ASHER: Yes. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirms that one of its representatives met with the 81-year-old earlier today. This moment
comes after Suu Kyi's son launched a campaign demanding the military of her proof of life.
Ivan Watson explains why she's been in detention now for five years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The military government in Myanmar has released an image of Aung San Suu Kyi, the
imprisoned and elected former leader of the country, in what the military says is a meeting with a representative of the International Committee of
the Red Cross. CNN has reached out to the ICRC for independent confirmation of this meeting.
It is important because this is effectively proof of life. The son of Aung San Suu Kyi, Kim Aris, has mounted a public pressure campaign demanding
some proof that his mother is basically alive since she has been held by the military authorities now for more than five years since the military
carried out a coup in 2021 and through the elected leadership, including Aung San Suu Kyi in prison and set the country on the pathway for a
devastating civil war.
Aung San Suu Kyi has not really been seen in public for quite some time. And there have been calls and questions about her welfare since she is 81.
And again, she has spent years in detention in Myanmar.
Now, why the timing of this and also the release of several other photos that are purportedly taken in June showing Suu Kyi apparently celebrating
her birthday and what looks like a house? Well, there has been a -- a flurry of diplomacy lately.
The military regime in Myanmar has not had full membership to the association of Southeast Asian nations, basically since the coup. And
they're believed to be meetings scheduled between the government in Thailand and the top general in Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, in the coming
days.
So, this may be an effort to try to -- to curry favor with other Southeast Asian governments and to perhaps open a door towards engagement with them.
This as the civil war in Myanmar continues to rage with estimates of more than 100,000 people killed millions of people displaced and large parts of
the country that are out of the government's control.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. The acting U.S. attorney general has formally rescinded President Trump's so-called the anti-weaponization fund.
GOLODRYGA: Todd Blanche put it in writing after a couple of Senate Republicans threatened to block his nomination over it. Lawmakers had
criticized plans for the $1.8 billion fund saying, the taxpayer dollars should be used to reward those convicted in the January 6th Capitol riot.
[12:25:10]
ASHER: Though the president continues to defend it, here's what he said Sunday before Blanche's announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of people like it. If they don't -- if they don't approve Todd, I can put it back on the table. A
lot of people like it. A lot of big supporters have felt like it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us live now from the White House.
So, what does this mean for -- I mean, obviously, one of Todd Blanche's goals is to no longer have the word acting in front of his title of
attorney general. What does it mean for that, Kevin?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it seems like the major hurdles that were in the way of this confirmation are now lifted. And
so it seems as if he will be confirmed eventually. The Senate Judiciary Committee will have a vote tomorrow.
And now that both Thom Tillis, the Republican from North Carolina and John Cornyn, the Republican from Texas, have said that they will allow that
nomination to proceed, it does seem as if he is now on track to be confirmed.
Of course, there could be other hurdles that get in the way, but at least for now, it seems as if it's happening.
And the decision by those two senators to come out today to say that they will allow it to go forward, I think is significant. There had been these
behind-the-scenes talks for some weeks now to come up with some sort of arrangement whereby Blanche would come out and put into writing both that
anti-weaponization fund was dead but also that he would clarify some of this immunity arrangement that had also been part of the IRS settlement.
This deal that would shield the president from audits of past taxes.
And what Tillis and Cornyn came out today and said was that they were pleased that the Justice Department had issued this formal order
terminating the weaponization fund but also that they had acknowledged in the binding order that the settlement agreement, the audit settlement
agreement, is limited to the plaintiffs and the scope does not extend beyond the defendants.
And Blanche, in the social media posts last night, did say that the anti- weaponization fund, quote, was -- note that there was no fund beyond any doubt. And says when it comes to the audit arrangement that it applies in
its terms only retroactively, so only to claims that were open at the time of the settlement.
But there is, I think, some still questions about the wiggle room here. One, Blanche is the one that signed it. President Trump himself didn't sign
this order.
And when you look through the original settlement, it's pretty explicit on page four that any changes have to be agreed in writing by the parties, so
Trump and the government.
And Trump, as you played there, has been pretty clear that he still supports the idea of this weaponization fund. And so there are a lot of
people who wonder now that this confirmation seems to be heading in the right direction that after Blanche has confirmed that the president could
just come back out and try and reconstitute it somehow, but that doesn't seem to be a concern at least for Tillis and Cornyn at the moment and they
are allowing this nomination to go through.
ASHER: All right. Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the Trump administration is again targeting Dr. Anthony Fauci's reputation.
Just days after an intense congressional hearing, Fauci was lambasted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday. Kennedy spoke to our Dana
Bash and pinned the blame for pandemic lockdowns on Fauci.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Anthony Fauci and the president had opinions, but the lockdowns were done by governors and largely because -- and largely
because -- largely because they were hearing -- they were hearing from hospitals saying that their ICUs were overrun and they needed some help
while that was happening.
But I want to -- I want --
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECURITY: Well, that's not true and that's not true.
BASH: It is true.
KENNEDY: But you're saying it's not true. No they were doing it because Anthony Fauci was telling them from the top, you need to lock down. There
were ICUs that were empty all over the country, including in New York at the height.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The clash undisclosed a deepening division around the science and ideology of public health. Kennedy's been to recast the facts of the
pandemic comes as the U.S. fights its worst measles surgeons in more than three decades.
GOLODRYGA: One question a lot of people in Washington and throughout the country are now asking, where is Mitch McConnell? That simple question
continues to pop up in discussions, especially among residents in Kentucky.
The 84-year-old senator has been sidelined from Capitol Hill ever since a fall in June landed him in the hospital.
ASHER: Yes. McConnell was notably absent from the Fancy Farm Picnic, which is a 150-year-old tradition in Kentucky. Audrey Ash has new reaction from
the senator's constituents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[12:30:00]
TERRY THOMPSON, PADUCAH, KENTUCKY RESIDENT: Where is he?
AUDREY ASH, CNN PRODUCER: Yes. Is that your question for him?
THOMPSON: Yes.
ASH: I'm here at the world's largest picnic. It's a 150-year-old Kentucky tradition complete with 20,000 pounds of barbecue, 15,000 people and
usually one Mitch McConnell.
Senator McConnell has been a regular of Fancy Farm for years and he rarely misses. Both times that he recently missed, he sent a pre-recorded message
for the crowd.
JACKSON ANDREWS, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY RESIDENT: Last time I spoke at this Fancy Farm, Mitch was here.
ASH: Really?
ANDREWS: Yes, 1986. I think he should be more forthcoming. I don't think there's any question that he should give an interview to the press. Why is
he hiding from the press?
We, as a state and as a nation, don't need that kind of doubt about one of our senior leaders in the U.S. Senate.
ASH: The senator was hospitalized in June. And he hasn't been to Capitol Hill since. He released a statement saying that his doctor hadn't released
him from work. And he also hadn't given a go-ahead to come to the farm.
ASH (voice-over): A new photo and statement said, "There's no place I'd rather be on the first Saturday in August than with the good people of
Western Kentucky feasting on pork and mutton."
ASH: But the Kentucky voters that I've spoken to today, they want an update on his health. They don't necessarily think he needs to step down, but they
do want to know exactly what's going on with him.
NANCY SPRING-EPLEY, KENTUCKY RESIDENT: Yes. I've been feeling his absence since June 14th when he went into the hospital.
ASH: Do you think he should step down?
ANDREWS: No, I do not. That's his prerogative. It's his decision.
ASH: Both Democratic Senate nominee Charles Booker and Republican nominee Andy Barr gave speeches in McConnell's absence as they campaigned for his
open seat.
ASH: But things can get really rowdy here at Fancy Farm. People that are running for office only get a certain amount of time to speak and they get
cut off by bluegrass music if they go over.
And the crowd here will definitely let you know what they think.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to see one more thing.
ASH: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On my back.
ASH: Oh, let's see your back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, this is the fun time to come out. Good barbecue and a lot of hot air, most of it from the stage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:02]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher.
More backlash for FIFA and its embattled chief. UEFA's European football's governing body is now threatening legal action against FIFA over President
Gianni Infantino's failed plan to inject private money into the World Cup.
We're also learning that England is set to follow Wales and withdraw its support for Infantino's reelection as head of FIFA.
GOLODRYGA: A former FIFA vice president says Infantino used to be sensible, but his World Cup sell-off plan, which was dropped after a global outcry,
shows that he has changed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM BOYCE, FORMER FIFA VICE PRESIDENT: Gianni Infantino went a year at UEFA. And when he attended those meetings, he was a very decent, sensible
sort of person. I personally think that since the Qatar World Cup, and especially now with Donald Trump, sadly to say I think power has gone to
his head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Time now for The Exchange. We're joined by our next guest who operates in the football world. Ashish Prashar is live for us
from Milan. Ashish, welcome to the program.
So, the fallout here continues. UEFA's lawyers now have put 18 FIFA executives on formal notice not to destroy documents. That's typical
language that you hear in a corporate fraud case, not a sports governance dispute.
Does that tell you that UEFA thinks that this goes beyond just bad decision-making and bad business ideas to potential legal wrongdoing?
ASHISH PRASHAR, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Right. I mean, UEFA effectively drew the line in the sand last week that they would not accept the sell-off of
football to private equity, other people who have vested interests outside the game who don't care about the game.
And they're really showing they're putting teeth behind their words in this moment. You know, they -- they also, you know, this legal -- legal
submission have also named, you know, people like Arsene Wenger, a legendary football coach, because they realize that it's Infantino and his
close circle of people that have tried to sell the skin.
The majority of FIFA didn't even know that this was even a proposal on the table, including his COO.
And it's time, I think, what UEFA have started is something that's been brewing for a long time. I think it's time for FIFA in the footballing
world to simply kick Infantino out, because he's made it clear through the tenure of his presidency.
I'd say it started way before Qatar, but especially with this doomed proposal that he views football as his golden ticket to line his own
pockets. And he doesn't respect the fact that it's made up of the footballers, the fans, the -- the people that bring actual money.
And I've said this a couple of times in other interviews that he jokingly says, but he means that I made you 15 billion at the last World Cup. What
he truly forgets is the game made him 15 billion, and all these fans that travel across the world to see it in the United States, Mexico, and Canada
did.
He has consistently dismissed the collective effort of FIFA. He wanted to use this moment in time to see what he could take from football without any
resistance.
Because I think about this, Europe has always not resisted his engagement in this, right? So, he created something called the Club World Cup, which
is almost like he compared to the European Champions League. And Europe said, OK, we'll participate.
And I think he thought this would be an easy thing to put through. And no one would match him. No one have the ability to push back on him.
And unfortunately, being the end, obviously fortunately for football fans, Europe stepped up. And obviously other confederations like North America's
CONCACAF and even Asia said, no, you're not going to sell this off to people who only want to gut and strip the game of every asset it has.
ASHER: Just in terms, I mean, you -- you -- you've talked about your thoughts on Gianni Infantino's sort of perhaps less than generous motives,
right, when it comes to governing FIFA. You know, it's interesting because about a decade ago, he came in after Sepp Blatter, and Sepp Blatter was
obviously embroiled in a lot of corruption scandals.
And -- and then you have the fact that people sort of saw him as the way to sort of clean up FIFA. He was the man that was going to clean up FIFA.
I mean, how did, I guess, outsiders looking in get that, just at least from your perspective, so wrong?
PRASHAR: Look, I mean, I think Infantino saw where football's direction was going and wanted to get on the train, right? And like, again, I go back to
lining his own pockets with it. Like in Sepp Blatter's corruption while horrible. And we should not accept that he was corrupt.
I think for a lot of people in football, and maybe even guilty in Europe saying this, that it happened predominantly behind the scenes and nobody
knew of it, right?
Infantino's corruption is for all of us to see. And it's almost very Trumpian when I think about it, right? I think he -- he almost like, I'm
doing this thing, and there's nothing you could do about it. And I'm going to do it out in the open.
And I think at some point, there was a limit, and he's not the president of the United States. He hasn't got a base. He hasn't got people who adore
him. Infantino was never really truly liked. He was seen as a -- as you put it like the -- of the ultimate Sepp Blatter.
[12:40:08]
So, he doesn't have that support where he can actually get away with some audacious things that he's been trying to do.
And it's interesting because if you look at the nations that are supporting Infantino right now, it shows even more than ever that how geopolitical --
so geopolitics and football are intertwined in the way they've never been before.
We can now see with a straight line the corruption between FIFA and effectively the vast estates of the U.S., you know, the countries that have
actually supported them are Qatar, Morocco. I mean, the Lebanese new government effectively said the F.A. should support him.
These are people obviously with mass football heritage, but they do have a certain allegiance to the administration and obviously Infantino who's
been, you know, with Morocco's case, given them a World Cup. Qatar, who have had a World Cup. These are people who benefit from Infantino's
presidency.
And then what's really interesting about all of that is in this moment in time, as we speak today, he is looking for help from the administration to
save his job, because the rest of the world is turning on him and saying this is not acceptable.
Now, again, you know, you've seen reports this morning that he's been trying to reach the Trump administration to support him to keep him in his
role in this -- in this presidential role at FIFA.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The same President Trump who he awarded the very first FIFA Peace Prize to not so long ago.
And as you note, it is pretty clear there is nothing puritanical about FIFA. It's been rife with corruption for years now. But the fact that this
is playing out so publicly, perhaps because of his close relationship with the Trump administration, do you think that that relationship, however,
buys him time until the next leadership elections in March in Morocco, ironically, of all places?
PRASHAR: So, it's really interesting you say that. I think he's been around Trump a long, long time where he thinks he's actually in the Trump bubble.
But -- but anyone who's worked in U.S. politics himself or other people know that if you, you know, if you suddenly become not useful to the
president, you slowly move out of that bubble very quickly.
And it's like, do I even know you? I mean, you saw his abrupt answer when someone asked him about Infantino last week, where he was like, who? And
then said he had no connections. But look, all of us know watching know that anything to do with the Kushners has something to do with Trump.
Trump clearly knew about this proposal before it ever saw the light of day, but he wanted nothing to do with him. And he saw the immediate backlash,
the global sentiment against that. Trump likes picking winners.
And you could probably see from some of the reporting right now, Infantino has been trying to contact the administration. It seems like from the
reporting I've seen from all serious publications, both in Europe and the United States, but having no luck up to this point of getting any public
support.
And I think what he's looking for with the president and maybe the administration is to say to football authorities -- football -- football
authorities in each country, look, the president is on my side.
And -- and historically, when the president's on your side, they'll get -- governments will get phone calls to say, you know, I want you to back this
man. You know, what can the U.S. do for you? And this played out in various business -- in business areas already, but also policy areas too.
So, I think he's looking for -- he wanted a public -- possible public endorsement for the president or his administration. So he could point to
that. So people don't turn against him in the upcoming vote.
My personal thing is I think he'll be gone way before the election. He has no base. He is not the president of the United States who has 70 or million
people who voted for him. He is detested by the majority of football.
And I think they're going to use this moment to remove him from office. And I think people at FIFA, in the executive leadership team, should be
advocating to remove him from office themselves because he's going to take the whole organization down with him.
Because here's the thing, UEFA have one more thing in the -- in their war chest. They can leave FIFA. FIFA needs UEFA more than UEFA needs FIFA.
And here's the funny thing for your viewers. Gianni Infantino designed the plan for UEFA to leave FIFA when Sepp Blatter was the president. He
threatened Mr. Blatter with that very plan. And that very plan might be used by Aleksander Ceferin to remove UEFA from FIFA and cripple FIFA
permanently.
GOLODRYGA: It's like a movie drama playing out in real life. Ashish Prashar, thank you --
PRASHAR: It is.
GOLODRYGA: -- so much.
ASHER: Obviously, backfired on him.
GOLODRYGA: We appreciate the time.
ASHER: All right. Still to come, Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves and now investors are eyeing a return, but the risk could be just
as big as the opportunity.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, Apple T.V.'s beloved football coach heads to England to take on perhaps he's the next new FIFA leader here to take on the women's
league. More of what have --
ASHER: He has the base.
GOLODRYGA: -- in season four of "Ted Lasso."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:18]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's go check on how U.S. markets are doing right now. All green arrows for us this Monday morning. The Dow up nearly one
percent. The NASDAQ up a little over two percent. And the S&P 500, up 1.3 percent. This is your business breakout.
ASHER: All right. Oil prices have tumbled after President Trump's decision to call off strikes against Iran and resume negotiations to end the war.
Both Brent crude and the international benchmark and U.S. crude prices, WTI, have fallen more than four percent since Sunday.
GOLODRYGA: The U.S. is helping out a friend by buying some yen. The Japanese currency dropped to a 40-year low against the dollar, so the U.S.
Treasury Department traded some euros for yen. President Trump told reporter Sunday, supporting the yen is good for the world economy.
ASHER: Yes. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" delivered its second best, or rather the second best ever opening weekend of any film either in the U.S.
or globally. Worldwide ticket sales came to $927 million. The movie gives a giant boost to a robust summer box office that seen major films like "The
Odyssey" and "Toy Story 5."
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, for the first time in years, investors are eyeing Venezuela's oil industry as a new opportunity.
ASHER: Some energy companies say the time is right to move in as sanctions ease, and the country opens its massive oil reserves to foreign investment.
But experts warned, the risk range huge from crumbling infrastructure to political uncertainty.
CNN business and economic reporter Anna Cooban is covering the story, joins us live now from London.
So, I mean, Anna, I mean, there are major risks in -- in terms of going into Venezuela. You're going in as a foreign investor into an industry that
has been run by the state for many decades.
Just talk to us about, despite the fact that there are some people who are saying the time is now. Talk to us about what a massive undertaking this
is, given the energy infrastructure in that country.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yes, Zain. Well, this event last week, it really would have been unthinkable about a year ago.
There was 200 people in the room, investors, oil companies, really considering the prospect of going back into Venezuela.
Now, this would be a huge prize. It's a country that sits in the world's largest proven oil reserves, over 300 billion barrels were. So, it's quite
obvious what the economic incentive would be.
But you're right, this is a country that is dealing with massive problems, decaying infrastructure over several, you know, many, many years because of
lack of investment, because of successive economic crises, because of sanctions.
And so, it's -- it's a real undertaking. You know, I was speaking to one analyst from Kpler, an energy research firm last week, who was saying that
it's going to take up to $100 billion worth of investment to get this infrastructure up to scratch.
[12:50:01]
You know, famously, ExxonMobil's CEO said in a -- in a White House meeting in January that the country was uninvestable. I'm not sure, you know,
currently what his views are, but it's quite clear that many oil executives are wary.
And also political stability. You know, this country has had an ouster of its -- of its leader in January. And so, what oil executives want to know,
they invest for the long-term, is that if I commit billions of dollars to upgrading this infrastructure and pumping out the oil, is the political
weather going to shift all of a sudden and will be, you know, essentially expelled from the country again, which is exactly what happened to
ExxonMobil in 2007?
So, there's so much uncertainty around this. But I think it's worth pointing out that this investor showcase what happened in London. This was
something that would have seemed unthinkable just a few months ago.
ASHER: Yes. Absolutely.
Anna Cooban, live for us there. Thank you so much.
We'll be right back with more after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Well, finally, on "One World," everyone's -- I love the football theme today. This is a -- a better football story.
Everyone's favorite fictional football coach returns this week to Apple T.V.
ASHER: Yes. "Ted Lasso," the Emmy-winning comedy is back with its fourth season and new challenges as well, coaching a British women's football
team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED LASSO, FOOTBALL COACH: Whoa. Boy, y'all don't have a lot of wiggle room in here, do you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only space available to us was the academy locker room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're just happy to be here, coach.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aw.
LASSO: So, hold on. You all have to share this room?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and every other Saturday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we get to keep our toiletries overnight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Lasso brings his optimism to coach at a Second Division team and all the challenges that come with it.
GOLODRYGA: The show star co-creator Jason Sudeikis talks about the uncharted territory that his character faces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON SUDEIKIS, ACTOR: But there is a fundamental difference with the way he personally interacts with --with, you know, men and boys, you know,
being one of them and throughout his entirety of his career, versus the women that we've seen in his life.
Even though he has, you know, great relationships with -- with anyone, anybody that we've seen on the show, there still is that he doesn't know
what he's allowed to do, you know, or say and what's appropriate.
And I feel, again, as a father of a -- of a boy and a girl, that -- that -- that shows up for me all the time, you know, like, oh, and I catch myself,
you know, treating Daisy differently than I treat Otis, and I don't know why.
And even when I ask them the question, I'm like, I don't know. I have -- so, I'm still figuring that out. And I think Ted's just doing that times,
22 players and -- and a doozy of an assistant.
[12:55:12]
GOLODRYGA: Show writers consulted with leading figures in women's football to better understand the needs of female athletes. It premieres August 5th
on Apple's streaming platform. Can't wait.
ASHER: Oh, excited. I love that show.
GOLODRYGA: I do too. I do too. We all need a little bit of Ted Lasso on our lives right now.
All right. That does it for "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. Bianna will be right back with "Amanpour" after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
