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One World with Zain Asher

Soon: Signing Ceremony For U.S.-Venezuela Oil Deal; Controversial U.S.-Venezuela Oil Deal Imminent; U.S. And Iran Trade Fire Again As Attacks Escalate; IDF Removes Soldier For Praying With West Bank Settlers; Jury Enters Day Five Deliberations After Previous Deadlock; Princeton Review: 15 Colleges Cost more Than $100K A Year; Inside Nepal's Unthinkable Devastation After Deadly Floods; 91-Year-Old Is Oldest Hiker To Complete Appalachian Trail; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired September 02, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:34]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.

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

This hour, all eyes are on Venezuela for a diplomatic and controversial meeting. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright will take part in a signing

ceremony with interim president Delcy Rodriguez.

Secretary Wright has just arrived at the presidential palace in the capital of Caracas. Once again, the country's vast oil reserves are taking center

stage.

ASHER: Yes. Under a new agreement, the U.S. plans to help with the development of untapped oil fields across Venezuela. In exchange, the U.S.

will then get the rights to a share of the oil that the new venture produces.

However, Secretary Wright argues this moment does not mean the U.S. is making a deal with the Venezuelan government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: The United States involvement both benefits the taxpayers of the United States with discounted oil and

enormous reserves, but the United States government will not be the operator or producer of those reserves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, is this a taking of the oil? That is -- you know that is out there, that the United States is heavy-handed coming in and

taking Venezuelan property in violation of the Venezuelan constitution.

WRIGHT: And absolutely not. It's actually not even a deal between the U.S. government and the Venezuelan government. It's a deal between the United

States government and a Venezuelan company to help develop the resources.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. Let's go straight now to Mary Triny Mena. She's joining us live now from Caracas, Venezuela.

I mean, we all know, Mary, that the oil sector in Venezuela has really been degraded by years of mismanagement, underinvestment, degrading

infrastructure, all sorts of problems.

You know, and so there are some people who say that perhaps, you know, there is a world where you can envision, perhaps the U.S. coming in and

helping sort of with the production of that oil could actually perhaps benefit Venezuela in some way.

However, at the same time, there are those who say -- and by the way, both things can be true that this deal is exploitative as well.

Not to mention the fact that this could actually backfire in the U.S. because who knows what the political system in Venezuela is going to be in

10 years or 20 years. Never mind the fact that they're trying to sign a 100-year deal.

Just walk us through what people in Venezuela are saying about the -- the fears and this sort of perspective that the U.S. is perhaps exploiting

Venezuela's resources, because that is certainly the perception by many Venezuelans on the ground.

MARY TRINY MENA, CNN JOURNALIST: Well, first of all, both governments are pushing the -- the opportunities, the prosperity, the money that will bring

these type of agreements coming to Venezuela.

As we speak, the U.S. Energy Secretary is meeting with Delcy Rodriguez and with other companies as well, for example, Eni, which is an Italian

company. So, we will see more contracts coming, not only from the U.S. but also other companies.

Right now, there's a significant shift in Venezuela's oil policy over the last 20 years with Maduro administration and the Chavez administration. A

different approach selling oil to Russia, to China and, of course, coming or returning to the U.S. is -- is for some people here in Venezuela, the

right choice to make because it is easier to engage in the business with the U.S. considering that the heavy, extra (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES) to

Africa and sending those -- those tankers to Russia or China.

Of course, the government (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES).

ASHER: Mary. Mary, unfortunately, we're having trouble hearing you. Your shot sadly keeps on going in and out.

But thank you so much, Mary Triny Mena there in Caracas, essentially breaking down the U.S. energy secretary's visit to Caracas. He's meeting

with interim President Delcy Rodriguez. And we will bring you his remarks as soon as they come in.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And what we hear from Delcy as well. For more, let's bring in S&P Global's Oil and Gas Risk Analyst, Ford Tanner, who is joining us

live.

[12:05:04]

So, I think we got a gist there from our reporter, Mary Triny, about what the expectations are here. I'm curious about the timing of this, as the

president clearly is weighing the escalation once again in the Middle East, a war he said that would last six to eight weeks. Now, we're into six

months of this war and its impact on energy prices ahead of the midterms.

When you look at the deals signed here and the timing of when we could see some results, Zain touched on sort of the infrastructure problem that we've

had in Venezuela for -- for decades now at its peak, I think in around 1997, three and a half million barrels of oil were pumped today -- a day.

Now, we're a little over one million.

I mean, realistically, even with these announcements, when could we actually see a robust increase in production?

FORD TANNER, OIL AND GAS RISK ANALYST, S&P GLOBAL: Well, thank you for having me.

I think one -- one piece of context is important. Since 2025, production has gone up about 100,000 barrels a day in Venezuela. That's not really the

-- the kind of level of progress that I think the administration is hoping for.

There have been maybe 12 or 13 deals with some of the largest oil companies in the world as -- as -- as has been said, you know ENI, Repsol, Shell,

Chevron, B.P. But so far, those deals really haven't catalyzed the investment that's needed.

So, to answer your question, you know, you could see if the United States does, in fact, make a long-term kind of financial commitment here, that's

going to inspire investors to actually unlock the capital that's kind of been waiting on the sidelines to -- to bring some of those volumes that

have not reached final investment decision onto the market.

So, you know, this could happen in the near term, six -- six to 12 months, I think you could see a meaningful uplift in production, depending on kind

of what the U.S. is U.S. government's level of commitment looks like.

ASHER: You know, obviously, I -- I touched on the sort of exploitative element of this, which a lot of people are concerned about which I'll get

to in just a moment.

But just in terms of the task ahead for American oil companies, when you think about, you know, the -- all the sorts of infrastructure problems that

I listed, all the issues when it comes to the oil in Venezuela itself being very heavy and therefore requiring specialized equipment and sort of

specialized chemicals to make sure it's thin enough to actually travel through pipelines.

I mean, there's -- there's all sorts of issues when it comes to Venezuelan oil. And that is why some oil companies have been reluctant to go into

Venezuela in the past.

I mean, obviously, Chevron does have a presence there, but oil companies like ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, have been very reluctant for this reason.

I mean, how concerned are you, just from an investor's perspective?

TANNER: They also have their assets expropriated.

ASHER: But how -- how -- how concerned are you?

TANNER: Yes. Absolutely.

ASHER: How concerned are you just from a sort of financial reward perspective that the investment may or may not end up actually being worth

it? And -- and actually the initial investment and what the projections are for the investment might actually be way higher than everyone anticipates

at this point in the time.

TANNER: That's true. That's true. What we've seen, so far, is the Venezuelan interim government of Delcy Rodriguez has implemented

hydrocarbon reforms that I think have taken industry feedback into account.

You know, there's -- there's a lot of conversations directly between the government and the industry.

And one of the things that we've seen in -- in the recent weeks is changes to fiscal terms that are pretty significant. So, the government is offering

major discounts for heavy oil projects, for greenfield projects, which are the ones that basically don't have infrastructure.

Those are projects that are economically challenging in the government. The interim government recognizes that and is offering, you know, significant

tax relief for those projects to make them more economic.

So, our view is that there's additional room for kind of negotiating directly those fiscal terms, because the actual -- the secondary

legislation that was passed in a last month or so allows for those additional negotiations.

So, I think you're going to see a lot of these projects have contracts that are negotiated specific to account -- specifically to account for kind of a

subsurface risk and the technical issues that you're talking about.

[12:10:11]

GOLODRYGA: So, picking up on that, Chevron, which has been in Venezuela for 100 years now, just announced and committed to a $7 billion investment,

instead it's doubling output from 300,000 barrels a day to 600,000 barrels a day.

But notably, Exxon and ConocoPhillips are -- are sitting or Conoco are sitting this one out. This could all change under a different U.S.

administration, not to mention a different Venezuelan administration.

So, what are the risks to other major U.S. players who are very much needed in terms of having a financial backstop to any of these deals?

TANNER: Right. Yes. So, in the examples, you know, Exxon (INAUDIBLE) they have their assets actually expropriated, so iIt's understandable that they,

you know, are scarred by that experience and are very hesitant to go back in.

But, yes, I mean, it -- it -- it depends on what the U.S. government's role is. If you -- if the government provides loan financing, loan guarantees,

it provides kind of an insurance policy.

If the U.S. government directly invests, as -- as the government does in -- in strategic sectors, critical minerals, steel, certain technology, you

could see that inspire, you know, a different level of confidence from -- from the investor community.

One of the things that, you know, we've seen with the hydrocarbon reforms is that they do include international arbitration, which didn't exist

before. They include fiscal, regulatory, and legal stabilization clauses. Those are important things.

But I guess more fundamentally, if you think about the future of Venezuela's political economy, it all depends on the success of the oil

sector.

So, if you do have a different government, and we anticipate that there will be, eventually, a freely -- freely and fairly elected democratic

government in Venezuela, it behooves or will behoove that government to, you know, kind of keep the investment flowing.

So, you know, renegotiating a deal like this is probably not really in -- in that future government's best interest.

The other thing I would say about your point about the U.S. political changes, which are absolutely real, is that, you know, these types of

financing agreements, federal financing agreements, would be very difficult to unwind by a future administration. They're going to be long-term.

And as we know, you know, policy, once it's enacted, kind of becomes entrenched in Washington, D.C. It becomes very difficult to unwind.

So, you know, even if an administration comes to power after the 2028 presidential election that has a different political orientation, I think

whatever this administration gets kind of entrenched in the next two years is going to be difficult to undo.

GOLODRYGA: All right. There, we were seeing images of the signing ceremony as -- of Mike Wirth. He is the CEO of Chevron. Really appreciate the time,

Ford Tanner.

We will bring you the ceremony live when it happens. We're going to take a short break. We'll be right back.

TANNER: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:18]

ASHER: All right. Key mediators in Pakistan say they remain engaged, rather, and are not discouraged after escalating attacks by the U.S. and

Iran. Pakistan's foreign ministry says, international conflicts have their cycles before an eventual return to the negotiating table.

GOLODRYGA: This has both Washington and Tehran renew attacks. U.S. Central Command says it strikes Tuesday targeted air defense sites, radar systems,

and communication sites associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

ASHER: President Trump posted on social media that he's in no rush to negotiate with Tehran, saying that they were just playing out the

inevitable.

For a second time since the war began, he said this, quote, when are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?

GOLODRYGA: Iran says shrapnel from a U.S. strike hit a wedding party in a coastal town near the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran says at least four people

were killed, including a toddler. This video purports to show the aftermath of the attack. CNN cannot independently confirm it.

ASHER: CNN's national security reporter Zach Cohen joins us live now from Washington, D.C.

So, Zach, when you -- when you hear the president's words, when are the Iranian people going to stand up and fight?

I mean, it's hard to know if this is something the president just said on a whim or whether these are sort of part of active discussions in Washington

about alternative ways to end this war and bring about regime change that was discussed at the beginning of this war.

ZACH COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes. President Trump's comment's almost harking back to something he said at the very beginning of

this conflict. Even before the U.S. and Israel launched joint combat operations to target Iran, when he told the Iranian protesters at the time

that help was on the way. And, of course, it would take weeks before U.S. military assets were in place to initiate those combat operations, which

were supposed to be over after a couple weeks. And were now more than six months into that conflict with no real clear pathway to a resolution.

But I think the president's comments also about not being in a rush to negotiate some sort of a deal is also telling. That comes after a brief

pause in the back and forth, the fighting between the U.S. and Iran, as the two sides tried to hash out the terms of some sort of a deal only getting

as far as the memorandum of understanding before the -- the most recent flare-up that we've seen play out of the last few days.

And so you're -- you are seeing the -- a continuation of the U.S. military strategy of concentrating strikes around and near the Strait of Hormuz, and

specifically targeting assets that Iran uses to credibly threaten commercial shipping through that key waterway.

And I'm told that that reopening, so to speak, of the Strait of Hormuz is now the top priority, if not the only priority for the U.S. government, and

one that is going to prove difficult and time-consuming if they can accomplish it at all.

And it consists of a couple different things. One is, obviously, strikes like what we saw play out yesterday and the day before, targeting radar,

targeting missile launch locations, targeting these capabilities that Iran has to, again, threaten the shipping companies and -- and their assets in

the Strait.

But also to try to encourage the shipping and commercial shipping industry that it is safe to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

We've seen the president and U.S. Central Command insisting that there are no more mines, for example, laid in the Strait of Hormuz. That's been a key

concern since reports first emerged that Iran had been laying mines there back several months ago.

And also trying to push commercial shippers to start transiting through this established shipping lane that the American military has set up in the

Strait of Hormuz. It's a very limited, narrow water -- part of the waterway, but it's one that they are encouraging commercial shippers to

start using and hope, over time, they can erode the Iranian's military capabilities to the point where the Strait of Hormuz really becomes a

depreciating asset, and one that they can no longer use as leverage and ultimately hoping it will force them to capitulate and sign some sort of

deal.

[12:20:17]

So, I think all that being said, there is no clear end in sight, at least not in the short term to this conflict and we have now seen days of

consecutive fighting.

Iran demonstrating, once again, it has the capability still to launch ballistic missile attacks at Gulf countries, U.S. partners where U.S. bases

are residing. That is something that we will continue to see as long as Iran has the ability to retaliate.

ASHER: All right. Zachary Cohen, live for us. Thank you.

All right. In Israel, the military says it has removed a soldier from command after he prayed with West Bank settlers. The soldier was supposed

to remove the settlers from the Palestinian town of Qusra.

GOLODRYGA: It follows a surge in violent incidents involving Jewish settlers, most recently this weekend, when masked settlers surrounded a

Palestinian home. Witnesses say these settlers threw stones at the house with several Palestinians inside.

Earlier, I asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog for his take on the violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISAAC HERZOG, ISRAELI PRESIDENT: There are juvenile delinquents, absolutely, that come into the West Bank to Judea and Samaria. They are

there for a long time.

And it could be that they have aligned with other groups, but honestly to say, there is a major effort by our authorities to undermine these

activities and, of course, to bring people to justice, to be arrested and brought to trial.

There have been efforts in recent days. Only about 10 of them or 12 were arrested. I strengthened Ambassador Huckabee, but let's put things in

perspective. It's like saying, what about inner-city violence in the United States?

And I mean, there's a major effort to tackle inner-city violence. There's a major effort to tackle these groups in the -- in the Judea and Samaria.

And I am actually quite confident that the efforts that have been taken together with the Secret Service, the Shin Bet, and others, will bear

fruit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live with us now from Tel Aviv. And, Jeremy, there is substantial reporting from the military, from the defense

establishment, that they are very worried about the increased violence, have warned the prime minister as such, and have really made an effort to

have him and his government directly respond. You've got elections coming up.

How is this all impacting the government's decisions?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, I do want to first talk about the remarks by the Israeli president, because, Bianna, as you know,

I've spent a lot of time on the West Bank reporting on instances of settler violence on the impact on Palestinian communities.

And a lot of what we just heard from the Israeli president is, frankly, disconnected from reality. There's no question that Israel's security

establishment is more concerned about this issue of settler violence and is turning more of its attention to it.

But the notion that there is a major effort by Israeli authorities to go after settler violence in the West Bank simply is not true, and certainly

not at the levels that would be needed to actually, you know, take this problem out, root and branch.

In addition to that, the notion that he is comparing settler violence to inner city violence in the United States is also completely disconnected

from reality. Settler violence in the West Bank is not just a group of juvenile delinquents, as President Herzog and the Israeli prime minister

have suggested.

This is an organized and coordinated effort to use violence and intimidation in order to force Palestinians off their lands. And it's run,

not just by juvenile delinquents who are certainly on the ground in large numbers, but also by adults, including very, you know, connections to

people with very -- with connections to very senior members of the current Israeli government.

Now, there's no question that Herzog is not downplaying this as much as the Israeli prime minister who has suggested that this is just, you know, a

handful of juvenile delinquents, but -- but the rhetoric of both men, frankly, points to a misunderstanding of the situation on the ground at

best.

Now, as you were talking about the election season, there's no question that what's happening in the West Bank is playing into the election season

in Israel right now. Many right wing members of this current Israeli government, you know, in -- in both rhetoric and action in terms of trying

to approve more settlements and show their support for settlements activity in the West Bank are using this issue as a key part of their campaigns.

Left wing members of Israeli politics are also in their own way, you know, calling attention to this issue and using it as a central plank in their

campaign efforts as well.

[12:25:10]

And -- and in the middle of all of this is the question about Palestinians and -- and whether or not they will actually find, you know, support in the

next Israeli government to actually change the tide and, you know, tackle this settler violence with the seriousness that it deserves.

There's no question that this current Israeli government does not have an interest in doing so right now. We will wait and see how those elections

turn out in late October to see if there's a change in the next government.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Jeremy Diamond live for us. Thank you so much.

ASHER: Thank you, Jeremy. Appreciate it.

All right. The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln, docked in Thailand this Wednesday. Its first port call in more than eight months

following a marathon stint at sea in the Middle East.

GOLODRYGA: The extended deployment led to complaints of supply shortages and mental health issues. We heard from the mother of crew members who flew

to Thailand to be reunited with her daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAKEIRA FAIRFAX, MOTHER OF USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN CREW MEMBER: There was a time where, you know, the morale was at low. And I said, what can I do? You

know, what can I do? She said, just tell me old stories.

And that to be able to share stories and laugh and photographs to take that walk down memory lane was really nice. It was really nice. I just can't

wait to see her smile. I can't wait to hear "mom." I know that's the first thing she's going to say. I can't wait to hear her say, "mom."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Abraham Lincoln is expected to return to Southern California later on this year. According to one U.S. senator, it set a modern-day record for

consecutive days at sea during its combat and blockade duty in the war in Iran.

GOLODRYGA: And just ahead for us, the White House is calling it the biggest oil deal in world history. Details ahead on the controversy over the Trump

administration's influence in Venezuela.

ASHER: And the price of college just keeps going up, driving more families to find alternatives to finance their kids' higher education and zoom-in on

the statistics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY BURNHAM, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: In terms of what has he cut, tax is the simple answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Plus, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham holding his ground in his first prime minister's question session in Parliament today. The issues

he was challenged on, that's up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:41]

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

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.

Jury deliberations enter a fifth day in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. On Tuesday, the jurors hit a deadlock saying they could not come to a

unanimous decision. The judge telling them to continue on and try to break the impasse.

GOLODRYGA: Clancy's attorney argues that she should not be held criminally responsible for fatally strangling her three children in 2023.

If the jury cannot reach a verdict, he says, she is not emotionally ready for a potential retrial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you do anything different in the second trial if you have a second trial?

KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think that there's still a chance that the jury comes back with a verdict of some sort?

REDDINGTON: I hope so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you think it is a good sign that they were at an in-house, that it's a good sign for the defense?

REDDINGTON: I -- I don't know that it's a good sign or a bad sign or any sign. It's that they're working hard to try to come to a decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Ivan Rodriguez joins us live now from Massachusetts.

I mean, interesting that her lawyer essentially said that she's not emotionally ready for a potential retrial. I mean, this case is so heavy.

I mean, there's so much going on here, just in terms of, yes, obviously you have the tragic murder killings of three innocent children and then you had

also her own attempted suicide. Then there's a lot of other threads to this as it pertains to maternal mental health. A lot of people obviously

learning through this trial about postpartum psychosis.

Just walk us through what does happen. I mean, because the case is so complex and a lot of people have very strong opinions about this, it is

very feasible that the jurors might not come to an agreement here. So, what happens if they can't, Ivan?

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well -- well, Zain, Bianna, to give you guys a little background of just this morning. Jurors have been

deliberating for about three hours now. They kicked off to a late start today because of some incidents that happened yesterday, a woman was

arrested outside of court in the back part, which is restricted here of the courthouse trying to film, she says, Lindsay Clancy.

In the end, she ended up filming some jurors and now she was actually arraigned just a couple of hours ago this morning and she pleaded not

guilty.

But back to today's events, we still haven't heard anything from inside of the courthouse, which I guess some might say is a good sign. Jurors are

continuing to deliberate. There have been no sort of questions, notes or requests from jurors to the judge like we had seen in the past.

So, at this point, the judge would just let them continue to deliberate as normal. Now, if we get to that point again where they cannot get to a

unanimous verdict, they would alert the judge and the judge would most likely bring them back into the courtroom like we saw before and probably

still casually encourage them to continue deliberating trying to reach that unanimous verdict.

Now, if jurors go back and they still can't reach that unanimous verdict, at that point, the judge can read special instructions known as a dynamite

charge here in the state of Massachusetts. It's also called the Tuey- Rodriguez charge, which would give jurors that ultimate opportunity to reach that unanimous verdict.

If they still can't come to an agreement, if they remain deadlocked, the judge will typically declare a mistrial. And in that event, the proceedings

would end without any sort of resolution. And we could potentially have a trial down the road. That would still be decided. But that's sort of what

we're currently at right now, waiting to see sort of which direction we might go.

ASHER: All right. Ivan Rodriguez, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it.

GOLODRYGA: OK. We want to bring you to our top story now and take you live to Caracas where a signing ceremony is happening between U.S. Energy

Secretary Chris Wright and Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez. You are looking at live images.

I believe we are hearing a translation right now of what is being said before the official signing takes place. There you see the Energy Secretary

on the left side, Delcy on the right.

Now, under the agreement, they're signing the U.S. will take a majority stake in a venture that will invest long-term, a hundred-year investment in

Venezuelan oil. The President of the United States has been touting this. And obviously this has been something that the interim government in

Venezuela has agreed to.

[12:35:12]

This obviously has been an incredible year for Venezuela. We are now eight months after that shocking seize of the President Maduro from his bedroom

and his wife. He's here in jail in New York City.

And there you see a new chapter in U.S.-Venezuelan relations, at least as it relates to energy.

ASHER: Let's bring in Ford Tanner again from S&P Global. So, we talked about the ins and outs of this agreement, some of the potential pitfalls

here where we were just speaking over live pictures there with Delcy Rodriguez and Energy Secretary Chris White -- Wright beside her.

What are you hoping to hear from the energy secretary today just in terms of more details on this agreement?

TANNER: Yes, it would be nice to know kind of what this actually looks like in terms of, is it going to be kind of direct investment? Is it going to

be, you know, taxpayer funds?

We've heard about the Pentagon potentially, you know, investing in this joint venture. Are they going to additionally provide loans or financing or

loan guarantees, which is something the U.S. government does from time to time as kind of an additional backstop. So, hopefully, we'll get those

details in the next few moments.

GOLODRYGA: We were looking at a number of these executives reminder that these deals are separate from the one that President Trump announced last

week. But obviously, that was the start to what we're seeing right now with a number of energy companies, Chevron, ENI, ONGC, Geopark, G.E. Vernova.

I do want to bring up a man who's sort of at the center of this and a controversy here is Alejandro Betancourt. His company gets a 100-year

rights to 17 fields. The U.S. is taking a 35 percent stake in this deal.

And the controversy is that he is someone who is being investigated, not charged, but investigated by the U.S., the Swiss, and Spanish authorities

over embezzling allegations of more than a billion dollars from PDVSA, the state-run energy company, oil company there.

Just talk about this man and some of the criticisms that this deal has brought.

TANNER: Well, I don't know a whole lot about him. But, yes, I think it's -- it's one of those things that understandably people are concerned about,

especially when you kind of are talking about, again, potential taxpayer dollars, U.S. taxpayer dollars going into something like this, and you have

somebody who has, you know, corruption allegations against them. It's not a great look. But that's why we want to hear kind of more about the specifics

of this deal.

ASHER: One of the ways in which the Trump administration is sort of framing this deal is the fact that they believe it will limit and reduce Russian

and Chinese influence in Venezuela.

I mean, as Bianna mentioned, it's a 100-year agreement, part of it obviously, includes the U.S., essentially, or American companies

essentially operating 17 oil fields in Venezuela. We know that China and Russia do have a vested interest and ties to some of those fields.

Just walk us through how this deal will affect China and Russia's economic leverage in -- in Venezuela.

TANNER: Yes. I think it's their economic leverage has diminished significantly and will continue to.

You know, the Trump administration -- this -- this agreement with Venezuela is kind of part and parcel of a bigger approach, right, in the Western

Hemisphere.

You've seen the United States become more involved with the -- the currency swap deal with -- in Argentina. So, kind of ideologically kindred leaders

in the region the Trump administration is -- is fostering ties with.

And that's all part of kind of trying to push out really Chinese influence, less so Russian. Russian influence in Venezuela was significant maybe 10-15

years ago. It's much less so now. And Russia obviously has its own problems.

But, yes, I think this is more about China and -- and, you know, kind of U.S., the Donroe Doctrine, right? Kind of making America the hegemon

influence-wise within the Western Hemisphere.

[12:40:10]

Also, you know, what's going on in Cuba with the economic pressure that the U.S. has applied. So, this is -- this is kind of, I would say, a

cornerstone of that broader geopolitical foreign policy.

ASHER: All right. Ford Tanner, thank you so much. Appreciate you joining us with your perspective.

TANNER: Thank you.

ASHER: And when we hear from Delcy Rodriguez, the acting president of Venezuela and Energy Secretary Christopher Wright, we'll bring our audience

those comments live.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has taken on lawmakers and his first prime minister's question sessions today in

Parliament. He was pressed on government spending, welfare and tax.

ASHER: Yes. Burnham insisted that his government would tackle government debt and ease the cost of living crisis.

However, opposition leader -- opposition conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, questioned his approach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEMI BADENOCH, CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER: He wants to bring the welfare bill down by spending more money.

Yesterday, the prime minister told the House that his summer of promises would be paid for by reprioritizing within government. So, what exactly has

he cut?

BURNHAM: Well, in terms of what has he cut, tax is the simple answer to that question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The grilling comes a day after the U.K. Parliament returned from summer recess, which the British Prime Minister has spent focused almost

exclusively on domestic issues.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: All right. There is new data out on the cost of college in the United States showing what isn't a surprise to most of us, it is quite

expensive.

ASHER: Yes. According to "The Princeton Review," annual tuition costs have hit six figures at a growing number of American colleges and more families

are turning to financial aid to help cover it all.

CNN's David Goldman has it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: So, a new study from "The Princeton Review" shows that there are now 15 colleges in the United States

that cost more than $100,000 per year in tuition.

[12:45:01]

And so you might wonder, why it is that 98 percent of people still say that college is worth it, according to the same study?

Well, it is worth it, according to the New York Fed that ran the numbers on college going all the way back to 1991. And they have found that despite

the rising cost of college, that the return on investment is just about the same, around 12.5 percent, according to their calculations. And that's been

consistent.

Now, that is surprising, considering that the cost of college in the United States, has risen 914 percent since 1983. Since 1983, inflation for

everything else, has risen 241 percent. That's a lot, but not nearly as much as college.

But here's the thing, and here's why it pays. Because if you go to four years of college, then that puts you -- that gives you a big leg up really

over folks who don't.

The median income for someone who goes to four years of college is $80,000 in the United States. And it's just $47,000 a year for someone who went to

high school but didn't graduate college.

So, clearly, there is a big divide in salaries, but with the cost of college rising so dramatically, a lot of folks are looking at other

options, particularly as A.I. starts to potentially take some of the jobs away that a four-year college degree was providing access to.

And that's why trade schools and other paths for high-paying job, those are starting to become more popular in the United States.

So, the question remains, is college worth it? Well, yes, according to the economics, but you have to be able to afford it for it to make sense for

you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: All right. We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, a week has now passed since devastating floods swept through parts of Nepal and China, and the human toll continues to mount.

Authorities say more than 1,200 people are now confirmed dead and some 4,200 others remain missing across both countries.

[12:50:05]

ASHER: The scale of destruction is making it very difficult for many families to learn the fate of their missing loved ones. For those still

waiting for answers, hope is dwindling, but the search continues.

A new video obtained by CNN captures the terrifying reality of just how quickly the flood waters overtook some communities in Betrawati, Nepal.

This woman and her two children barely escaped the raging water last week.

GOLODRYGA: My goodness. Their story is one of survival, and so is the story CNN's Anderson Cooper brings us from another devastated Nepali city. He

introduces us to a bus driver who narrowly saved 50 children just moments before a bridge was swept away. He also shows us more of the devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It's been one week since disaster struck, and in Trishuli, this is the end of the road. Once a bustling

market, now soggy and cement-soaked, it looks like a wasteland.

The river is running fast. The water still high. Residents and visitors stand and stare.

BIBHU RAJ ACHARYA, NEPALI RESIDENT: This water source has been a life for people living here, and by that, I mean, they've been living here for

generations and generations.

COOPER: Looking in the water today, does it look different to you?

ACHARYA: Yes, it does.

COOPER: In what way?

ACHARYA: It makes me sad. Makes me sad and emotional as well, because this is one of the sacred water resources that we have. And, you know, when --

when you mourn for somebody in your family, once they have died, people go up across this river, and then they do all the rituals over there. So, this

is kind of like a holy river for us.

COOPER (voice-over): Buddhist monks came from Kathmandu to pray and offer blessings. Traffic snarls on broken roads. The jackknifed truck is hardly

noticed.

A local school bus driver, Chhiring Tamang, saved the lives of some 50 children, picking them up just before their school was destroyed and

crossing a bridge before it was washed away.

CHHIRING TAMANG, BUS DRIVER (through translator): After two minutes of me crossing the bridge, the flood came on my side. Kids started screaming

after seeing the flood.

They were shouting. One kid fainted inside the bus. They were asking me to drive faster. On the road, there were people running like ants to save

their lives.

After I drove near the uphill, I could see the flood is already ahead of me. I'd reached a higher location and I felt safe with the kids. I took a

long breath, and then I continued my duty of dropping the kids. Came back and parked the bus at the police station.

COOPER (voice-over): I asked him what it feels like to be a hero.

TAMANG (through translator): It's a sad time for me. I have lost my nephew. She was working in the same school. I'm very sad that my nephew is dead. My

nephew called me before I crossed the bridge. This was right after I informed the principal regarding the flood.

He told me, uncle, where are you? There's flood coming in the river. She was a helper at the school. He informed me to not go to the school. He

lives in the same school with his family. He has a daughter and his wife is disabled. They are safe now. They have nothing left as my nephew was my

only breadwinner of the family.

COOPER (voice-over): Later, he showed us a photo of his nephew. His name was Tridam Lama. There are many heroes here, but even they have heavy

hearts.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, Trishuli.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: That was heartbreaking.

All right. Finally this hour, he fell more than 70 times on the grueling hike which took him nearly a year to. Meet Grey Beard, a 91-year-old who

proves age is nothing but a number. This is good for us to hear.

GOLODRYGA: I'm smiling. I'm smiling because I told his story on "Amanpour" this week. I'm glad that he's getting a second to tell here.

Dale Sanders has reclaimed the title of the world's oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. It is a 2,000 mile or 3,200 kilometer trek.

CNN producer Giana Asterito reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DALE SANDERS, 91-YEAR-OLD HIKER: I am 91, so I'm blazing new grounds hiking long distance like this.

GIANA ASTERITO, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Dale Sanders, who goes by Grey Beard, sports a long full white beard and became the oldest person to

complete the Appalachian Trail, a more than 2,190 mile trek.

He started the hike in West Virginia last September and reportedly finished it almost a year later at the top of Maine's highest peak on Monday.

He fell 71 times according to his own count with six hard falls including one that led to a brief hospitalization.

[12:55:03]

SANDERS: To be honest with you, I didn't think I would be able to get back and finish it to get the thru-hike record.

ASTERITO (voice-over): Sanders first set the record in 2017 at age 82. But four years later, 83-year-old, M.J. Eberhart, took the title.

Within months, Sanders started planning for his comeback.

SANDERS: That is a huge, huge difference between hiking the trail at 82 years old or at 91.

ASTERITO (voice-over): Now, nine years later, he has become a celebrity among fellow hikers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was so sad I thought maybe I'd ever meet this legend. You're a legend for me.

ASTERITO (voice-over): The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which offers certificates to hikers who complete the trail, says Sanders can apply for

the certification if he wants to.

SANDERS: No one in the 90s has ever thru-hike or section hike the Appalachian Trail. But maybe they'll start coming out now after I'm setting

the example. Ooh.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Ah, I can't wait to see what he does at 101.

All right. That does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. "Amanpour" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END