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One World with Zain Asher

U.K. Sanctions Illegal Israeli Settlements In West Bank; Two Renoir Paintings Missing After Art Heist In France; King's Letter Reaffirms Harry, Meghan Are Not Working Royals; Lowell Brings Hurricane Conditions, Flooding Threat To Hawaii; Clancy Attorney Makes Plea To Trump To Pardon Client; Sources: U.S. Officials Mulling Smaller Middle East Presence; Nepal's Prime Minister Vows No Letup In Rescue Efforts; Lucas Museum Of Narrative Art Set To Lift Off. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired September 08, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:30]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. You're watching the second hour of "One World."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED MILIBAND, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Britain is not silent in the face of deep injustice and more is it powerless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: A coordination move, the U.K. slaps Israel with economic sanctions and more from 11 other nations are on the way. What Israeli and Palestinian

officials have to say about it?

Plus, ripped out of the pages of a Hollywood screenplay. What do you know about the French art heist worth millions?

Plus, surprise from the Sussexes. Harry and Meghan react to King Charles' letter about their status as royals.

All right. Israel is retaliating after Britain unveiled sanctions on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Eleven other countries say,

they'll introduce similar trade restrictions with France and Canada set to make announcements in the coming hours.

Israel says, it's closing Britain's consulate in East Jerusalem among other measures. Britain's move comes as Israel pushes to advance the

internationally condemned E1 settlement project. Critics say it will make contiguous Palestinian state virtually impossible. The British foreign

secretary says, the U.K. must act to oppose the expansion. They didn't hold back on explaining why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILIBAND: Ethnic cleansing is defined by the U.N. as a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-

inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.

The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists.

And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support

the forced displacement of Palestinians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Israel's prime minister called the British move, quote, "An absurd political decision and morally corrupt." But the Palestinian Authority

ambassador to the U.K. said today marks a turning point in the U.K.- Palestine relations from recognition to action, from condemnation to consequence.

There has been a dramatic surge of settler violence in the West Bank in recent months, but it has been steadily climbing for nearly three years.

The U.K. sanctions could trigger a response from the Trump administration. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee warned that the move could have a huge impact

on British businesses in the United States. He spoke before Britain announced its move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: The repercussions are going to be significant, 25 percent of the medicines that are purchased in the U.K. are

manufactured in Israel. So, where will you replace those?

And I guess a big question is, why put this kind of pressure on Israel? Is the U.K. also putting the same kind of very strong sanction on North Korea,

on China, on Russia?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. Let's take a look -- a look at this development with Ghaith al-Omari. He's a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near

East Policy. He's also a former Palestinian negotiator and a former advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Ghaith, thank you so much for being

with us.

I just want to start by talking about the actual economic impact of these sanctions. I mean, it's worth sort of reiterating to our organize --

audience that these sanctions specifically target goods from settlements, not Israeli goods as a whole. So, many people would argue this is just a

drop in the ocean.

Walk us through what the economic impact of this is going to be, because a lot of people would argue that it is mostly symbolic.

GHAITH AL-OMARI, SENIOR FELLOW, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Thanks, Zain. Actually, we don't know. I mean, we heard today from the

foreign secretary the broad outlines of the plan. And he went out of his way to emphasize that this is targeted at the settlements, not on Israel

itself.

However, the question is, what are the ripple effects when you talk about targeting entities that finance a settlement project? Does that mean the

Israeli government, et cetera? So, there's a lot of details to be worked out.

However, right now, this is primarily diplomatic signaling. And it's interesting that they're talking about six to nine months for enacting

these, which basically will take us after the Israeli elections and after the formation of the next Israeli government.

[12:05:02]

So, I believe at this stage, this is more about diplomatic messaging, very strong diplomatic messaging. But as of yet, it has not translated into

concrete economic steps.

ASHER: When you think about the sort of traditional responses we've seen in the past from a lot of European countries, it's been sort of some variation

of strongly worded statements of condemnation. Now, we're seeing this move towards action.

What do you think triggered this move towards action? Because obviously, there has been steadily -- steadily rising violence ever since October 7th

in and around settlements. A lot of people say that the Israeli government, the idea has not done enough. Or at the very least, their response has been

somewhat inconsistent.

What do you think has triggered the action now by the U.K.?

AL-OMARI: First of all, it's been -- it's been a while coming. I mean, the -- the Brits and other European officials have been very frustrated in

recent months, but I would say three things actually triggered this. One is what you just mentioned.

The wise and settler violence in ways that become harder and harder to ignore. They're on T.V. screens all over the world every -- all the time,

so there's a lot of pressure coming on that.

But also the -- and maybe this is technical, but the announcement of tenders for a new settlement, what we call the E1 settlement, was the

actual immediate trigger. This settlement project has been in the planning since the mid-1990s. It's been opposed by, not only British and European

governments, but also by U.S. government. And now, it has become Israel has moved towards actual implementation, so that was a trigger.

And the third one was, frankly, an increasing shrillness in the public statements coming from both sides recently. The Israeli prime minister has

called the U.K. the Islamic Republic of Great Britain.

So, there's a sense that even the kind of diplomatic process that in the past was used to manage this is breaking down and they feel pressure to

come and do something concrete.

As you mentioned earlier, it's not only the U.K., we saw 11 other countries in a joint statement saying they're going to be doing something about it.

So, this is a tide that I think has started because of these factors.

ASHER: Right. And you mentioned, obviously, the E1, which we spoke about, sort of in the introduction to you.

In terms of the response to this inside Israel, you mentioned there are elections coming up. Do you think that this will simply sort of harden

political resistance within Israel and therefore potentially help Netanyahu in the upcoming elections?

AL-OMARI: First of all, until now, all of the reactions that we've seen from all of the parties, at least mainstream parties, have been

condemnation of the British move, because I think Israelis feel that this is targeting Israel as Israel.

There is a sense in Israel that they're singled out and I think this reinforces that. Yes, for sure, Netanyahu will use this to his interest,

but I don't think it's going to be a major factor.

At the end of the day, Israeli elections right now are primarily about whether or not Israelis feel that Netanyahu is fit to govern. And all of

these are things that are happening on the margin. So, I don't think it's going to fundamentally change that direction.

Though, again, as I mentioned, the -- there's been a wall-to-wall condemnation by Israeli political actors of these steps.

ASHER: Officials within Israel, I mean, Netanyahu himself, has condemned settlement violence many times. But the response by the Israeli military,

the IDF, an enforcement of that condemnation has been inconsistent.

So, what do you think Israel needs to do to show Palestinians in the West Bank that it is taking meaningful steps to address this particular issue?

AL-OMARI: They need results. Basically, in Israel right now, we see each agency blaming the other agency. If you look at the IDF, the Israeli

military statements, they're blaming the police for not doing their job, et cetera.

Palestinians and the world don't care, what they want to see is results. They want to see settlers being arrested, and we've seen recent arrests to

settlers, so that's a good step, but they also want to see convictions.

There's a great concern that we've seen cases where people who are involved in violence get arrested and get released a few days later.

Without results, I fear that not only for the Palestinians, but also for the whole world, they will not take Israeli statements seriously that

they're dealing with it because they're not seeing results stopping this kind of phenomenon.

ASHER: And from the perspective of Palestinians in the West Bank, when they see this move by the U.K., and obviously you have other countries in Europe

that are on board as well, issuing sanctions against settlement goods, what is the perception? Is it -- is it perceived as meaningful action in terms

of showing solidarity with the Palestinians in the West Bank? Or is it seen as potentially too little too late, given the rise in violence we've seen

over the past three years?

[12:10:05]

I think in general, people welcome these kinds of statements as a sign of solidarity, but what really concerns me, and this is from just anecdotal

conversation I've had with friends there, is there's a sense of powerlessness and futility. You know, talk to me or say, like, you know,

this is nice, but it's not going to change anything.

And I worry about this because a sense of hopelessness, the sense of futility is exactly what creates extremism and security instability.

So today, I think, and I -- and I get the sense not only talking to Palestinians, even talking to Israeli security officials and Jordanian

security officials, there is a real concern that the public is getting to a point of -- of exploding. There is a real concern of overall breakdown in

security and stability in the West Bank.

So, yes, people welcome this, but unless you see results, I fear that the trend lines are heading towards more despair, and with that, more chances

for -- for instability and for insecurity.

All right. Ghaith al-Omari, thank you so much. Appreciate your perspective.

AL-OMARI: Thank you.

ASHER: All right. Two paintings by the Impressionist painting, Renoir, are missing after an art heist in the South of France this morning. The Renoir

Museum's alarms sounded in the early morning. The thieves stole four paintings worth an estimated $10 million, but abandoned too, as they fled

the scene.

The local mayor says the thieves were well prepared using an electric saw to cut through bolts holding the paintings frames. He's calling for tighter

security at France's museums. So, this comes obviously nearly a year after the Louvre in Paris was also targeted in broad daylight by another raid as

well.

Melissa Bell is following this story from Paris. So, Melissa, I lived in France for a year, and I can say that in France there is this sort of

reverence. Reverence for French artists and French culture that runs so deep.

You have the likes of Renoir and Monet and Manet and Matisse, they're sort of not just national, I call it the national identity, but really part of

the national culture. You have buildings named after them, schools named after them, streets named after them. It's sort of very different from

other countries I've lived in.

Therefore, really beggars believe that there isn't greater security, especially when you consider it was just one year ago where we were having

the same conversation about the museum behind you, Melissa, the Louvre, and another art heist taking place there.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I think what a lot of people are thinking, particularly given what you just

mentioned, Zain, that huge attachment to their heritage is that that wasn't a wake-up call. It was last October, you're quite right, we were talking

about the heist here.

A few arrests have now been made, but those jewels worth more than $80 million still unaccounted for, still out there. And the fear is now that

there have been this -- this high-profile heist this morning. There have been others over the course of the summer and that there's two Renoir

paintings that are still out there. The thieves involved as well may not be found given what happened here just under a year ago.

We've been getting more details though, Zain, about exactly what unfolded in that Renoir museum. This is the museum in which Auguste Renoir, the

Impressionist, spend the last few years of his life. There are 12 works of his. And all the thieves initially made off with four, dropped a couple,

two still out there.

This is what the local town mayor had to say about what happened in the early hours of this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYAN MASSON, CAGNES-SUR-MER MAYOR (through translator): They were equipped with, if I may say so, an electric knife or a metal saw, whatever you want

to call it. They cut through the bolts holding the frames of Renoir's paintings in place.

The arrival of the municipal police, along with the sirens from the museum and the police, caused the burglars to rush off. They stole only four of

the 12 works in the Renoir museum. They fled by running through the gardens and it seems dropped two works along the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: I think that to your point a moment ago, Zain, the fact that these treasures were taken with, in the case of the Louvre, it had been a stolen

mechanical ladder. In the case of the Renoir museum in the south of France today, that mechanical saw fairly rudimentary implements that they were

able to get in and out and get away with their bounty, that is quite shocking, I think.

So, there is clearly a security issue here in France. Those authorities in the south of France now calling for the French state to do a lot more to

secure these treasures.

But there is another factor in this and we were hearing about it just a month ago when Interpol published this report saying that the nature of the

criminals involved is changing. These are heists that are more frequent, Europe wide (ph), better organized, involving criminals that recruit the

people who carry them out on social media to get in and out targeting cultural artifacts, but also precious gems like the ones stolen here that

can be melted down and sold.

[12:15:08]

So, they are more aggressive, more violent criminals involved in these organized targeting of treasures that is another part of this story as well

clearly as a security issue that France has. Zain.

ASHER: Hopefully, this will be a -- a wake-up call. As if France needs another one though. Melissa Bell, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. Another twist in the royal saga with a new letter from King Charles making it clear where Prince Harry and Meghan stand. The couple is

said to have been surprised by this letter, which essentially reaffirms that they are no longer working royals. It comes after the Duke and Duchess

of Sussex moved back to the U.K. with their children recently.

The palace says there is no chance, no change, rather, to their status and they should continue to be treated as private citizens.

CNN's Anna Stewart is covering the latest on all this from London. So, Anna, why did the King feel the need to make this statement?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's the big question as is why the Sussex team are surprised. Because actually if you read the

letter, there's really not much that is new or different of the ground rules laid down by the late Queen many years ago.

They're not working members of the Royal Family. They don't use the titles his and her royal highness. They're essentially private citizens with

private charitable interests, with commercial interests. So -- so, what's new here?

As we understand that the Sussexes were surprised perhaps by the notice they were given. We understand the team wants to clarify a few points with

the palace, but it had already been released to the press at that stage.

It could be surprised though over the fact that guidance was needed to be given, given there hasn't really been any change other than the fact that

they've returned to the U.K. or with the timing, Zain.

And it is quite interesting that this week RAVEC is meeting. That is the committee that decides on taxpayer funded security. Something, of course,

that is a very hot topic for the Sussexes. And we know Prince Harry is very keen for review and for taxpayer funded security, particularly now they've

returned with the children.

You can imagine the anxiety over the trip to the school each day. That will be, you know, repetitive planned. Obviously, it's going to happen every

day. So, that is an under review, I believe. It might be as soon as today.

So, perhaps, the guidance from the King was ahead of that. Just making clear that from the Royal's household's standpoint nothing has really

changed in the role, but all of that, who knows?

So much of this, as you know, Zain, is we get the text and we get a statement and then we do a lot of reading in between the lines and try and

make things add up, which it doesn't always.

ASHER: And you're doing a great job, Anna, by the way. Considering that there's a lot of deciphering going on.

Anna Stewart, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. In other rural news, Prince Harry's nephew, Prince George, is starting his first day at school today at Eaton. The 13-year-old is

boarding full-time. He is following in the footsteps of his dad, Prince William, and his uncle, Prince Harry, who both attended the prestigious

school not far from London. George is second in line to the British throne.

All right. Hurricane Lowell is bringing hurricane force winds and heavy rain to parts of Hawaii. A hurricane warning is in effect for Hawaii and

Niihau while Oahu is under a tropical storm warning.

Forecasters warm a heavy rain could trigger dangerous flash flooding and mudslides particularly on a Kauai and parts of the Big Island. Officials

are urging people to stay home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK BLANGIARDI, HONOLULU MAYOR: We need everyone to take this seriously. It's not about a panic. It's about being smart for the next several hours

and through the night.

Tonight is the night to stay home. I'm going to emphasize that, we're asking everybody tonight, stay home. For most people our message tonight is

simple, if you don't need to be out, please stay home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: He really drove that point home. Let's bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam.

So, Derek, obviously, this is -- this threatens a lot of the major islands in Hawaii. The fear is, of course, heavy rains and potential landslides as

well. What's in store here?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, I think staying home is good advice. You remember, we're just now entering into the pre-dawn hour. So,

the sun's about to rise. We're going to get a better handle on the scope of the devastation that's left behind.

But this is a picture that was just posted by the County of Kauai. Why they're urging residents to stay home? Because there are downed power

lines, downed trees, lots of debris, crossing the roadways. You have to treat these like they are live. You do not want to be touching those wires.

Trust me, I've have been in a lot of hurricane situations.

That's extremely dangerous. And those wires can be hanging lower than you think they are. So, if you try to go underneath them, that is a recipe for

disaster.

So, where is Lowell now? It's exiting quickly, stage right, and well away from the Hawaiian Islands. There's still a couple of tropical feeder bands.

This is the southern portion of the storm. The real center is located here. It's about 145 miles northwest of Kauai, which is located there.

[12:20:07]

The storm is disheveled at best. It's really losing its punch. But in the meantime, what it's going to do is it pulls away from the western Hawaiian

Islands. This is going to drag a significant amount of moisture into these areas. So, that's why the flash flood and mudslide risk still exists.

The wind gusts that were associated with the storm's closest passage to the Western Islands overnight were impressive. They're not sustained, but they

certainly exceeded 80, 85 miles per hour. Many of those were in higher elevations, but there were some hurricane force gusts near the surface

where a lot of people live and reside.

Here's a look at the Lihue Airport, 48-mile per hour gusts. Honolulu, many of our international viewers are familiar with that area, still very

squally type weather moving through. The wind has done the damage to the electrical infrastructure here, 90 percent of Kauai County without power as

it stands, eight percent across Oahu.

Imagine trying to navigate the dark hours before the sun rises following a hurricane in complete darkness. That's very challenging. The good news is

the tropical storm force conditions are going to be lessening very quickly as the system pulls away from the northwestern islands, but again, it is

still the threat of flash flooding across the islands.

Some of these areas have seen over a foot of rain. And we know, Zain, that the mountainous terrain here funnels that down to the communities in the

coastline below and that's where we get the rapid rises in the river, so we need to watch out for that.

ASHER: Derek Van Dam, thank you for that.

All right. Still to come here on "One World," not giving up hope. Details, ahead, in terms of the latest rescue operations after two weeks. It's been

two weeks, rather, since those devastating floods swept through both Nepal and China.

Plus, Lindsey Clancy's attorney makes an unusual request to Donald Trump on American National Television.

And we'll take you to a galaxy far, far away for a look at the new George Lucas Museum. Well, it's a feast for "Star Wars" fans, of course. It also

actually houses a whole lot more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney is asking President Trump to pardon his client. She's the Massachusetts mother who was on trial

for killing her three young children.

Attorney Kevin Reddington made the request during his first T.V. interview since the judge declared a mistrial. The trial ended Friday when a jury

failed to come to a unanimous verdict. Here's what Reddington said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:25:13]

KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I'd like to say that perhaps Donald Trump, who felt compelled to speak out about this case, made

very well, Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady. The type of person she is, what she's been through and consider a

pardon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. Let's discuss all of this with CNN's Jean Casarez. I mean, Kevin Reddington made no secret of the fact that going through

another trial, the fact that we had a mistrial last week and going through another one was going to be just mentally and psychologically very taxing

for his client.

Here he is now reaching out to the U.S. president, essentially saying, listen, would you consider a pardon for Lindsay Clancy? That is obviously

going to be a long shot based on how difficult pardons are generally to come by. Your -- your take on this, Jean.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you why it's a long shot. Also, number one, there's been no conviction. To get a pardon, you got to

be convicted of something, right? Which gives us a hint at it -- as if because he said he wants to entertain plea negotiations with the district

attorney, which conceivably could result in a guilty plea to something.

But furthermore, here in the United States, as you know, the president of the United States can issue pardons on federal cases, something with the

federal government. This was the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This had no correlation with a federal case at all.

Now, possibly Kevin Reddington has something up his sleeve, something that he is going to file or take this into federal court or do something like

that. But at this point, there's really no jurisdiction for the president of the United States to do anything.

ASHER: All right. Jean Casarez, live for us there. Thank you so much for breaking that down for us.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:11]

ASHER: All right. The Trump administration seems to be looking ahead at new post-war strategies for the Middle East. Sources tell CNN, U.S.

intelligence and military officials are quietly discussing possibly scaling back personnel and facilities after the war with Iran ends.

CNN's Zach Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACH COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: It would be a huge shift and it's also reminiscent though of past plans to pivot away from the

Middle East that really were in the works under successive U.S. presidents but ultimately never really came fully to fruition.

And, obviously, this is a notable that these informal quiet conversations are happening in corners of the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence

community as the U.S.'s war with Iran continues on and really shows no sign of ending imminently.

And so, U.S. officials, both military and intelligence are essentially trying to walk and chew gum at the same time. Here, in part, having these

discussions we're told, in order to try to anticipate what might be acceptable to President Donald Trump, if and when the war with Iran

ultimately ends.

And it's interesting too, multiple sources describing how the war with Iran actually laid bare several vulnerabilities two U.S. installations across

the Middle East that were known to U.S. officials prior to the start of the conflict but really were never acted on with any sort of urgency the damage

inflicted by Iranian missile and drone attacks even just during the first few weeks of this conflict really fueling a renewed sense of urgency to

reevaluate the U.S.'s military and intelligence footprint in the region.

There's sort of two sides to this issue, one is the cost, billions of dollars worth of damage inflicted on U.S. installations in places like

Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, as well as other regional partners that house U.S. forces and assets on a permanent basis.

And the other issue here is what Iran has demonstrated about its ability to identify U.S. strategic installations across the region and really leverage

that as an asymmetric capability to respond and retaliate against American and Israeli combat operations.

And so all those things taken together are prompting the simultaneous effort to reevaluate the U.S. footprint in the Middle East, one that has

been substantial and significant since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and that is we saw U.S. forces surge in numbers over 250,000 in the height of the

Iraq war.

We've also seen a pretty consistent presence of about 50,000 U.S. forces in the regions in recent years, but -- and that's the number that remained

there as of now while this conflict with Iran continues.

ASHER: All right. Zachary Cohen there.

All right. Nearly two weeks ago, massive floods, as we know, engulfed the Nepal-China border. Nepal's disaster agency says the official death toll

has risen to more than 1,300 people.

Thousands of families remain in limbo, not knowing if their loved ones made it out alive. Authorities in Nepal say that more than 5,400 people remain

missing at this point in time.

As some survivors dig through the ruins of their homes, rescuers are still working to save more lives. Authorities believe dozens of workers are

trapped in three hydropower project tunnels still. Nepal's prime minister vows, there will be no letup in those rescue operations.

And in an interview with "The Guardian," Nepal's foreign minister is calling for climate justice. He says, the country, quote, "Contributed so

little to climate change which is why they are now seeking $20 million in compensation from the U.N."

Time now for The Exchange. My next guest is the director of Institute for Environment and Society at Brown University, Kim Cobb, joins us live now

from Providence, Rhode Island. Kim, thank you so much for being with us.

When you think about what Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal is saying it's essentially something that we've seen other nations in the developing world

also reiterate, this idea that you have these countries that aren't necessarily massive polluters. They don't emit that much compared to the

rest of the world in terms of greenhouse gases.

But now because climate change doesn't -- it doesn't -- doesn't discriminate essentially in terms of who bears the brunt of it, you're now

seeing countries like Nepal really suffer as a result of what happened two weeks ago.

What the foreign minister is saying, many people argue, is fair. Give us your take on how climate justice should work and who should be paying for

it.

[12:35:59]

KIM COBB, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Well this has been -- thanks for having me. This has been a

longstanding conversation at the international level for decades already. And it really falls under the umbrella of what is called the Loss and

Damage Fund which was actually established after outcries from developing nations, noting that they are exceptionally climate vulnerable. They lack

the infrastructure, the technology and the wealth to provide resilience to communities that are hard hit from these man-made disasters.

And so this fund established in 2023 of hundreds of millions of dollars pledged thus far, unfortunately, would need billions to reach the level of

need. And of course, this disaster in Nepal really puts an exclamation mark on establishing and maintaining that fund for the continued prosperity and

safety of communities around the world on the front lines of climate change.

I think what -- what -- what I fear is that when you think about the mountains of the Himalayas, which spans across India, China, Nepal, Bhutan,

it is warming at a rate nearly 50 percent faster than the global average.

And so that really does suggest that there's more to come. And so this might not be it for Nepal. I mean, this could really just be the beginning

essentially.

So, when it comes to who should pay, I mean, obviously, they're asking for money from the U.N. in this particular case, but who should be paying for

all of this? I mean, the United States and China are the world's largest polluters, but even in just that particular part of the world, you have

India, for example. I mean, just give us your take on -- on how responsibility should be distributed here.

COBB: Well, the framework calls for wealthy developed nations to contribute to this fund at the United Nations, again, to the tune of billions and

billions of dollars per year is what is called for and written into those agreements.

Now, whether that will ever come to be is another story. But certainly many wealthy nations, when this Loss and Damage Fund was created, did pledge

hundreds of millions of dollars, 800 million, thus far, is pledged. How much of that is paid, of course, is another matter, but the United States

has declared that it is -- does not intend to contribute to this fund going forward or with a limbo.

So, the fund is critically important to helping these countries navigate these threat -- threat of climate related challenges. And, of course, it's

not just Nepal that is in the line of fire here. There are many high latitude, high alpine countries that are at threat from glacial losses.

We remember the collapse of the glacier last year in Switzerland, very well forecasted. And, of course, no loss of life, even though a town was

devastated. So, this is coming to us quite frequently now all over the world.

ASHER: I mean, you bring up such an important point that it's not just about Nepal. It is -- I mean, obviously, since we're talking about climate

justice, there are other sort of less developed nations that are in the line of fire, just in terms of more and more climate disasters that they

really don't have the financial capability to deal with.

But just in terms of how Nepal moves on from this, yes, they have to rebuild. They have to rebuild businesses and homes and schools and that

sort of thing, but a big question is, of course, adaptation.

If they do end up receiving any money in terms of climate justice, how should that money be spent? I mean, they -- they're also going to be

receiving, they are receiving aid from a whole host of organizations.

I think the last thing people want is for that aid or assistance, financial assistance from other countries to come in the form of loans that end up

increasing Nepal's debt burden, but they will receive a lot of assistance from several countries.

The big question is, how should that money be spent in a way that ensures climate resilience for Nepal?

COBB: Oh, my goodness, what a big question. So, you know, we have to think about this in chunks of time. And so right now acute needs, as I understand

it, about $20 million, up to $50 million to help the tens of thousands of people that have been displaced from this disaster.

The total losses of -- of this alone is about $5 billion. I don't know how much of that they will be receiving back in terms of rebuilding critical

infrastructure and allowing these people to return to their work, to their homes, their livelihoods.

But looking beyond this, we have to think about how do we monitor these high-latitude, high-altitude glaciers that are melting very quickly now.

And where do we see those acute vulnerabilities on the ground in places like this river valley in Nepal, where this glacier accelerated collapse,

of course, was a devastating event.

Can we build the infrastructure scientifically to be able to monitor these environments and provide even hours or days of critical warning to these

communities? That's really what long-term resilience means in this instance.

[12:40:07]

ASHER: Yes. And, of course, the most important is reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That is really what this boils down to as well.

Kim Cobb, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. Lightsabers at the ready. There is a galaxy of stories coming your way, courtesy of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. No surprise, the

movie's memorabilia is heavy on "Star Wars."

CNN's Dan Heching reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN HECHING, CNN ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Looks like it's come from a galaxy far, far away. Today, about eight years after construction began, we're

finally getting a chance to take a look inside the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

So, the museum is the brainchild of "Star Wars" mastermind George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson. And it's been estimated that it cost over a

billion dollars to built. And it's casually been referred to as the "Star Wars" Museum, but it seems like it's a lot more than that.

HECHING (voice-over): The museum houses their expansive collection, objects amassed over decades. The inaugural exhibition has been broken up into over

a dozen sections, including one devoted entirely to Norman Rockwell and others focusing on manga and comic book art.

TRACEY BATES, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART: Storytelling has always banned communities together, given us a moral

compass, done many things. So, I think this is a very perfect time to have it on such a scale.

RYAN LINKOF, SENIOR CURATOR, HEAD OF FILM PROGRAMS LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART: Certainly all art tells a story, but not art. All art is

necessarily about storytelling. And that's really what the kind of focus of this museum is.

HECHING: Only seven percent of the collection here is devoted to "Star Wars," but what a seven percent it is. There's amazing vehicles everywhere

concept art on the wall.

And I spied C-3PO and R2-D2 back there. The building itself was designed by Chinese architecture firm, MAD Architects. Chief architect Ma Yansong just

told us that for him, the initial inspiration was cloud formations.

MA YANSONG, FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL PARTNER, MAD: The building actually less about shape, more about experience. I want to make the central part very

spiritual. Like everyone go there, they can imagine something very differently.

HECHING: To me, what this Museum of Narrative Art is doing or suggesting is ancient mythology is on the same level as "Star Wars," which is essentially

mythology of today that is just as resonant.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. That does it for "One World." I'm Zain Asher. "African Voices" is up next. You're watching CNN.

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[12:45:00]

(AFRICAN VOICES)

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