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One World with Zain Asher
Saudi Arabia Vows Retaliation after Houthi Rebels Attack; Former Anthropic Employee: AI could Kill us all by End of Decade; Jurors in Lindsay Clancy Trial Speak Out about Deliberations; First Republican Midterm Convention Kicks Off in Texas; Witness who was in Van with Man Killed by I.C.E. Speaks Out; Blood Tests May Reveal Clues to Risk Under Age 45. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 09, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: And I'm Zain Asher. Coming up on "One World", tit-for-tat attacks. Iran fires a barrage of missiles at a U.S.
base in Jordan after the U.S. military struck several Iranian oil tankers.
GOLODRYGA: A chilling warning from a former AI employee. He says the people building the technology believe it could kill us all by the end of the
decade.
ASHER: And U.S. Republicans kick off their first ever midterm convention, but it's unclear if the star of the show, President Donald Trump will help
or hurt the party's chances in November. All right, a dramatic surge of fighting in the Middle East is threatening to reignite a full-blown war
between the U.S. and Iran, and this time it's coinciding with another major regional escalation.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Jordan said that it intercepted 18 Iranian missiles after a barrage of attacks on an American military base overnight. But according
to state media, Tehran is warning, this powerful fight will continue. The strikes came after U.S. forces hit five Iranian tankers on Tuesday in
response to what Central Command said was attempted missile attacks on an American warship.
And today Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard says that it targeted 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz, including two American vessels. But CENTCOM
denies that any U.S. ships have been struck, calling the claims completely false. That all comes as the price of Brent Crude, the international
benchmark for oil, hit $100 per barrel Wednesday morning. That is the highest level since late July, as the war with Iran continues to disrupt
global energy supplies.
ASHER: CNN's Haley Britzky joins us live now from Washington. So, just in terms of this massive escalation we're seeing. Have both sides essentially
given up on the possibility of returning to negotiations at this point?
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah. Well, it certainly seems so. I mean, the things we've seen over the last week, in
particular, not even just the last 48 hours. I mean, last week, remember that the U.S. conducted major strikes along the Strait of Hormuz, hitting
roughly 60 targets, air defense sites, radar, mine land capabilities, et cetera.
And now, as you just mentioned, I mean, at least 10 tankers destroyed, according to U.S. CENTCOM, over the last week, saying that they did so
because Iran was firing on U.S. Navy warships. Iran saying it damaged U.S. warships. The U.S. saying that that's not accurate. That no impact was had
on the U.S. Navy's abilities to, you know, conduct its operations, turning missiles on Jordan.
Jordan, saying they shot down roughly 18 of those 20 ballistic missiles. So certainly, no sense that this is going to be ending anytime soon. And of
course, I want to point out that just last week, we heard from Vice President J.D. Vance, who said that this was not a war; that he did not
consider this conflict a war, saying that active combat operations ended months ago.
But clearly, as we can see, there are still very active combat operations occurring, even as the U.S. has said it wants to turn its focus towards
economic pressure of Iran announcing more sanctions and sort of taking those steps. But clearly the military operations are still very active, and
of course all of this coming right as the Republicans are gearing up for midterm elections.
They're meeting in Dallas this week for a midterm convention. And as you mentioned, I mean the increase in oil prices that just since July the
global oil prices hit its over $100 a barrel for the first time since July. So, all of this kind of coalescing at the same time here, raising a lot of
questions for President Trump and for Republicans on how they're going to talk about this in the midterms.
But more than that, how the U.S. is going to respond and continue acting in the Middle East? Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said just yesterday
that the back and forth is straightforward, saying Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and every time they do that, he says they're going to
lose tankers.
So certainly, leaving it open-ended here for what the U.S. could continue to do and more activity we could continue to see.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Haley Britzky reporting for us. Thank you. Well, despite efforts to stay clear of America's war with Iran, Saudi Arabia is
now facing fresh attacks. On Tuesday, Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they fired what it claims were dozens of ballistic missiles. These attacks
targeted oil and other infrastructure in the southwestern region. Saudi-led forces are vowing a strong response and say that more than 70 people are
hurt.
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A source tells CNN the Kingdom is working to bring other countries into its efforts to push back against Yemeni rebels. All of this comes after Saudi
Arabia ended its four-year ceasefire with the Houthis back in July.
ASHER: As Israel retaliates, Britain is doubling down on its move to sanction illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank. The British
Prime Minister says words about a two-state solution are just that, if not backed by action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY BURNHAM, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: In this difficult and dangerous world, Britain has to stand for something. Britan has to show leadership.
Britan has to stand for fairness against injustice. Where people are being bullied out of their homes, intimidated, we will always stand with the
underdog and take what action we can to support them. That, Mr. Speaker, is leadership on the world stage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: France, Canada, and nine other nations also announced similar moves. Speaking in Parliament Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Ed
Miliband talked about his own Jewish background. He accused what he calls settler terrorists of carrying out ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.
Israel has strongly denied the accusations and announced retaliatory moves, including the closing of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem. Israel's
Foreign Minister called the sanctions an absurd political decision and morally corrupt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIDEON SAAR, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: The message to every government that harms us is clear; whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against
them, and they will lose their influence and relevance in this region. Measures against Israel will not go unanswered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: So far, there's been a muted response from the United States. The U.S. Secretary of State says his government wants stability in the region,
but declined specifically to comment on the sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We were made aware that they were going to make this decision. We heard their arguments as to why? But look,
we share the goal of stability. We don't want to see some uptick in violence or an uptick in conflict or tensions in the West Bank at a very
tenuous time in the region.
There's always tenuous times, but beyond that, I don't think, as at this moment, we don't have any further comment on the UK decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing fierce political backlash. This after a new report about the October 7th
Hamas attack was released.
GOLODRYGA: The account published in Israel's Haaretz Newspaper alleges that the President of the UAE warned Netanyahu about a major Hamas operation
about 10 days before the deadly attack took place. The Israeli Prime Minister dismissed the report as an absolute lie, and it comes just weeks
before Israel heads to the polls.
ASHER: CNN's Oren Liebermann is live now from Jerusalem. Just, I mean, how damaging is this for Netanyahu, especially given that we are just weeks
away from the elections? And also, something that Netanyahu has really prided himself on is the fact that he is the sort of security guy for
Israel? Just walk us through what the reaction has been to this report by Haaretz.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, there has been a predictable political backlash of this, and it kind of dominated the news
here. Not only yesterday when the initial investigation from Haaretz and from journalists who focus on this came out, but also today. It is still a
major story here.
Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has repeatedly denied it and called it an absolute lie. They have said they will sue Haaretz over
the investigation and the report itself. Meanwhile, Haaretz stands by its reporting. The real question, though, is what you just asked; does this
really change anything politically?
And we haven't seen a series of polls that have come out since this investigation landed, although we do expect to see those polls in the
coming days here. But I think it's unlikely that this will dramatically shift the political landscape, and that's because a lot of this is already
baked in.
This isn't the first report that suggests or that says that Netanyahu either got warnings or was slow to react after October 7th happened and the
Hamas led attack began, so this just builds on that narrative. And because of that, a lot of the reporting here is already baked in.
And to review what the report itself says, according to Haaretz, about 10 days before October 7th, the UAE's Ruler Mohamed bin Zayed called initiated
a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that lasted about 45 minutes, in which he gave a warning of what was described in the report as a
potential earthquake, and that Hamas was preparing some sort of operation that could and would destabilize the region.
According to the report, Netanyahu was quote relatively calm when he responded, and felt that the bigger risks of destabilization were on other
fronts, such as the occupied West Bank.
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Again, Netanyahu's office has denied the report. In terms of the waves it's making, we saw a rare joint statement from the opposition leaders calling
for an investigation. In that joint statement, they said there needs to be quote an immediate and thorough investigation into Netanyahu's quote
failures and malfunctioning.
Now, of course, there are two ways to know the absolute truth of this. First is if the United Arab Emirates came out with a statement and simply
said this didn't happen. Well, they did come out with a statement, and that's not what the statement said. It didn't deny that a phone call had
taken place.
Instead, the statement which came out from the foreign ministry said that they don't comment on these sorts of private conversations between leaders.
And that intelligence sharing and the communication between the intelligence agencies happened and was -- and will continue to happen
regardless of the report itself.
The other way to know the absolute truth of what happened here would be a state commission of inquiry, an independent commission that is Israel's
strongest investigative body. But Netanyahu has refused to launch a state commission of inquiry for nearly three years now.
GOLODRYGA: And of course, those around him in his government in leadership positions after October 7th, the majority of them have either resigned or
also, in resigning, acknowledged their own responsibility in not being able to prevent the October 7th attacks and their own accountability.
One person who has yet to do so, of course, is the prime minister. Oren, if I can just get you to speak to the reaction in Israel to the sanctions that
were levied against Israel on West Bank sanctions on West Bank settlements started by the UK. Obviously, France, Canada, other countries have signed
on.
We've heard fierce response from not only the Israeli government. I know yesterday we talked about the President Isaac Herzog saying that this is
interference in the elections and that this would hurt Palestinians who work in the West Bank as well. Here we are, some 24 hours later
reverberations are still being felt.
LIEBERMANN: Yeah, there seems to be quite a lot of unanimity across Israel's political spectrum in opposing and condemning these sanctions.
There's two different ways to look at it. The effect on actual trade is not that much. There's $8 billion in trade, according to the UK's trade office,
between the two countries.
Very little of that likely comes from settlements in the occupied West Bank. So, the actual effect on the ground isn't likely to be all that
great. It's also not clear that it will have some great effect on the elections, as Israeli President Isaac Herzog said yesterday. Again, that's
because a lot of this is already baked in, so it's not clear that it'll shift votes, but we'll get a better sense of that after we see the next
round of polls.
For Israel the real risk and the real danger here is that this is just the beginning here. The UK has said it will take action; these other countries
will follow as well. But this potentially opens the gates to more severe actions against Israeli settlements, and then we'll see if it proceeds from
there.
In terms of Israel's response, the closing of the UK Consulate in Jerusalem, the ending of the UK's training of Palestinian Authority forces
in the West Bank, and several other steps. We'll see now if the UK responds to that, and if this becomes an escalating series of measures against each
other.
If so, that too could have a great impact on the ground here, because Israel might not -- might end up doing that not only with the UK but with
other countries as well, many of whom were, until very recently, some of Israel's longest standing and strongest allies.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Oren Liebermann, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right, still to come here on "One World".
GOLODRYGA: A former AI researcher is breaking his silence and sharing a dire warning about artificial intelligence.
ASHER: Plus, a jury divided and a verdict that never came. Some jurors are speaking out about what happened behind closed doors in the Lindsay Clancy
trial.
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[11:15:00]
ASHER: A former Anthropic employee sounding the alarm over artificial intelligence.
GOLODRYGA: A 27-year-old researcher says people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. He made the
bombshell admission in a resignation post on X. His warning comes as more AI workers publicly raise concerns that technology is advancing faster than
our ability to control it.
For more on this, let's bring in CNN AI Correspondent Hadas Gold. Hadas, this may be the most alarmist that we've heard from an insider. A number of
people have spoken out, including Bill Gates, as of late about the concerns, perhaps longer term, about the impact of AI. But this former
employee is suggesting that we could see the end of humanity within years here. How is he backing that up?
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: I want to emphasize, though, that this sentiment, even this doomer, you know, this AI could cause the end of us
all, is actually not new, and it's something that we've heard even from the very top of the AI industry.
I think why this has gone so viral is because not only is he a current employee, but also because he's not just alleging that you know everybody
in the AI industry believes that this could cause the end of humanity. He says that neither of the leading companies that he's worked for, OpenAI and
Anthropic, are acting responsibly.
Essentially, saying that they are racing to try to get to super intelligence, but are as he says, gambling with our lives. And I think
that's one of the reasons why this is going viral, and also because it's coming on the heels of this summer, we have had, where we're seeing AI take
amazing leaps and bounds in its capabilities.
But also, having some of these sort of scary sci-fi moments where AI agents are escaping their lab environments, hacking into other companies. We've
had AI agents pretending to be human beings and trying to trick other human beings into posting malicious code. So, it's easy to see how these very
capable AI agents that can take a lot of actions on their own could potentially lead to real world harm.
I think what's also notable in this case is that his sentiments were backed up by another current Anthropic employee who's actually in charge of their
alignment, which is kind of like a safety person, where he says, you know, this is correct. We do believe that AI could potentially kill humans.
And he personally thinks there's a greater than 10 percent chance of it doing so in the next decade. And the other thing that I think these people
are worried about, and again, I've never seen an industry where the people creating the technology are so afraid of what they're creating is that a
lot of AI is sort of a black box.
The people who are working on it, the researchers, there are some things they don't even know how and why the AI is acting the way it is. And that's
why you're seeing these calls from so many people saying we need to slow this down. But again, this isn't new. I want you to take a listen to what
Dario Amodei, who was the Head of Anthropic, actually said a few years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARIO AMODEI, CEO & CO-FOUNDER, ANTHROPIC: I think I've often said that my chance that something goes, you know, really quite catastrophically wrong
on the scale of you know human civilization, you know, it might be somewhere between 10 and 25 percent.
[11:20:00]
When you put together the risk of something going wrong with the model itself, with you know something going wrong with human you know people or
organizations or nation states misusing the model, or it's kind of inducing conflict among them, or just some way in which kind of society can't handle
it.
That said, I mean, you know, what that means is that there's a 75 to 90 percent chance that this technology is developed and everything goes fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: That was from 2023. So, think about where AI was in 2023 compared to its capabilities today? And you know, many people in AI have called for
slowing of the development of the technology. In July, we had more than 1,300 of the top staffers at the biggest AI companies sign on to that
letter, asking the government, begging them, can you please help us slow this down so that the safety elements can catch up?
You know, Sam Altman himself has said, that you know if we don't get a handle, especially on the cybersecurity, things could go really bad. Just
two days ago, OpenAI's Chief Scientist wrote he is concerned no one is prepared for the consequences of a continued rapid rise in machine
intelligence.
The question is, of course, what will be done about this? You know, the industry could get together and create industry-level standards where they
all come to an agreement and say, hey, this is what we're going to do to try to keep things safe. And then, of course, there's Washington, where
things are slow. Washington is sort of waking up to what's going on, but the regulations and the laws seem to be quite a bit behind, guys.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And by industry, I mean, does that include China as well? That's something that Elon Musk has suggested that China has to play a role
here in terms of any sort of uniform approach. But we are far from that because obviously these are still independent businesses as well and
competitors. Hadas Gold, good to see you. Thank you.
Well, jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are speaking out publicly, revealing just how close they came to a verdict.
ASHER: Yeah, most of the 12-person panel appeared ready to find the Massachusetts mother not criminally responsible for strangling her three
young children. But they say that one juror in particular prevented them from reaching a not guilty verdict, even after he expressed that he did
actually have reasonable doubt.
The case ultimately ended in a mistrial after a deadlocked jury deliberated for more than 38 hours. Clancy's defense attorney spoke a short time ago,
saying, in light of all the juror's comments, he plans to file a motion to stop a retrial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY'S ATTORNEY: It'll be a motion to dismiss based on what's called double jeopardy grounds because there's no, the term
is manifest necessity. You have to have a manifest necessity to declare a mistrial for obvious reasons. The invested time that the jurors put into
it, the court, the staff, the defendant, the prosecution, everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Here to discuss is CNN's Jean Casarez. And Jean, you know this case better than most others. You sat in that court room day in and day
out. Just curious, your reaction to what we heard from Lindsay Clancy's attorney.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, I've been researching the case law, and there are two presidents setting cases in Massachusetts that
talk about dismissing the case outright based on manifest necessity because the mistrial was declared when it was unwarranted.
And both of those cases truly make it a high bar for the defense attorney to be able to get double jeopardy to attach. You have to remember the judge
initially when they said they could not reach a result of unanimity; he sent out a very soft words to them of continued deliberating.
Then the second note, he gave them the official charge in Massachusetts. And then when they came out again with a third note, that note said, it is
with a heavy heart that we tell you we cannot reach unanimity, and we will not be able to do that. And that's when he gave the when he ordered the
mistrial, and the Kevin Reddington kept saying that he needed to inquire about this one juror that wouldn't switch sides.
The defense really being very aggressive on that, but that's not the point of deliberations. Deliberations are something that are just left alone for
the jury to do amongst themselves. But in other notes, the jurors, some of them, have come out actually taking us inside that jury room, deliberation
room, to show what they talked about, what the issues were.
And that one juror who they said that he would not get off the fact that she viciously killed her children. Let's go in and let's listen to some of
the jurors themselves talking about that deliberation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONI CARLSON, FOREPERSON, LINDSAY CLANCY TRIAL: We weren't trying to figure out if she murdered the children. She did. And she's admitting that. We're
trying to figure out did she know right from wrong at that time?
[11:25:00]
And with everybody saying she loved her children so much, and everything proved she loved her children, from her journals to her mother-in-law,
everything proved that she loved her children, so she had to have snapped. He admitted he had reasonable doubt, and I started filling out the forms.
I was so excited. I actually -- there were three forms I had to fill out, and I started filling them out. I wrote my signature on each one, and then
he said, but I'm still not going to say that she's not guilty by reason of uncertainty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will say a majority of the people on it doesn't matter what side it was on was very firm in their like stance and their
beliefs coming from the beginning. You know, the standalone juror was not the only one that was unwilling to see things from the other side, so I'm
going to kind of defend that individual in a sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: And that was from NBC Boston and WBZ, our affiliate. Also, jurors told NBC Boston that they had to listen or they wanted to listen to the 911
call again, and it was so chilling, and it was so horrific that they will live the rest of their lives remembering it. But some jurors didn't want to
listen to it again, so they put their earbuds in.
They loved the Defense Attorney Kevin Reddington, absolutely loved him. They loved his personality. They thought there was entertainment value in
that court room, which was necessary, and he just adored his client. When asked, you know, any positive words about the prosecutors, and they said
no, none. And those were the jurors that you saw on camera.
GOLODRYGA: Wow, Jean Casarez, this was such an emotionally challenging and difficult case to cover and follow, and you more than most, so thank you
for all of the incredible reporting you continue to do. But in particular - -
CASAREZ: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: -- on this very difficult story. Still ahead on "One World".
ASHER: 55 days from now, American voters will decide who controls Congress for the final years of the Trump Presidency. We'll take you live to today's
midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Here are some of the headlines we are following today. U.S. Central Command is rejecting Iran's claim that it hit
two American ships near the Strait of Hormuz earlier. It comes after the U.S. military says that it attacked five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday.
Tehran retaliated by firing a barrage of missiles at an American base in Jordan.
ASHER: Hundreds of flights are canceled across the U.K. for a second day in a row. This after an air traffic control outage caused widespread travel
chaos. More than 1,700 flights were canceled Tuesday. Disruptions are continuing at Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted Airports.
GOLODRYGA: Norway's King Harald V is being laid to rest today after the 13- day national mourning. Harald was remembered as a popular monarch with a down-to-earth touch. Heads of State and Royals, including Britain's Prince
William, attended the service in Oslo. Harold reigned for 35 years and died at the age of 89.
ASHER: All right, happening now in Dallas, Texas. Republicans gather for an event. They are calling a Trump Palooza. This comes as battleground
candidates sprint towards Election Day.
GOLODRYGA: Today's midterm convention is a calculated risk, though. While Republicans could benefit from national exposure, they also risk alienating
swing voters disappointed with the president's second term. Major conventions like this are typically only held in presidential election
years.
ASHER: Let's bring in Steve Conturno, who's standing by for us in Dallas, Texas. I mean, that is the main point. Just what Bianna just said there.
The fact that we typically only see every four years during presidential elections. The fact that you have this taking place during midterms is odd,
especially because there's no real platform, no one's being nominated. So, it just sort of feels like a sort of exaggerated Trump rally, so to speak.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Certainly, that is one of the criticisms we have heard. And I just spent some time walking the floor, and
it does have sort of the look and pageantry of those conventions that take place every four years. There are delicate delegates. We'll hear speeches
tonight.
There's supposedly going to be a balloon drop. But there's no real agenda for the evening. They're not going to be passing a platform, nominating a
president. Instead, this is an event that was designed by President Trump for President Trump in hopes of helping President Trump keep a Republican
majority in Congress for the final two years of his presidency.
And look, it is certainly a testament to the control Donald Trump still has over his party that he could summon them for an event that he created out
of cloth. But it doesn't solve one of the central problems for the GOP, which is how do we overcome this historically bad approval rating of the
president going into these midterm elections?
Now, the White House believes that this can't hurt. And this could potentially create enthusiasm for their base and start to get those
Republicans who have come out for Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024, but tend to fall off in those mid-year elections, get those people out to the polls.
Obviously, there's a lot of people, even within the Republican Party, who are skeptical of that. But I talk to Trump officials who say, look, what do
we have to lose at this point, we're 55 days out from the election. We have a lot of headwinds that the party in power historically faces. Let's try
anything we can to change our fortunes.
And I had a chance to speak with the Chairman of the Republican Party, and he made the point to me, look, our president, for whatever his polling may
be, is still incredibly popular with the base, and he is also our best messenger. And when you're down in the bottom of the ninth inning, you want
your best hitter at the plate, and they believe that is Donald Trump.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Steve Contoro, thank you. Let's continue this discussion with our next guest, John Moritz. He is the Chief Political
Reporter for the Austin American Statesman. So, this is in your backyard. I know it's not in Austin. I used to live in Austin, a UT major, UT graduate,
but Dallas, just north of the city.
And it's coming as there is a closely watched senatorial race there between Ken Paxton, who is viewed as one of the weakest candidates up for election
now even in a deep red state, against James Talarico.
[11:35:00]
The enthusiasm seems to be behind Talarico, but what does the president need to do tonight to change that momentum, if he can at all, as it relates
to Ken Paxton.
JOHN MORITZ, CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATEMAN: Well, Texas is kind of the whole ball game for the midterms, especially for the
Republicans. They've held Texas for 30-some-odd years in basically up and down the ballot every statewide election, both houses of the legislature.
And Talarico threatens to upset that. And what the president hopes to do, I would imagine, is to get some of that enthusiasm that Talarico has been
able to generate among the Democrats and some Independents, and sort of see if he can capture that and transfer it to Ken Paxton, who so far has not
proven himself to be a very dynamic campaigner, certainly not the prodigious fundraiser that Talarico has proven to be.
And therefore, kind of given all the head wins facing the Republicans, so far Attorney General Paxton has not been able to buck that on his own. He
needs some help.
ASHER: Just in terms of this convention, so to speak. You have Donald Trump not on the ballot, but certainly at the center of this convention. I mean,
is that a mistake? I mean, you have a lot of people who are skipping this, and you know, Trump is a polarizing figure. Give us your take on A, having
this kind of convention during a sort of midterm year in and of itself, and then making Donald Trump the center of it.
MORITZ: Probably the only folks happier than the Republican base about all of this, especially with the focus on the president, are Texas Democrats.
Trump is under water in Texas as he is in most places around the state. A little bit better, doing a little bit better here in in Texas.
But still more people say they disapprove than approve, and so Democrats really figure that they've got a shot. They've been saying it for years,
generation or more. Hey, this is our year, and it never seems to be. But given the economy, given the president's unpopularity, given the
disciplined campaign that James Talarico is running.
Given some of the stronger down ballot Democrats, both in Congressional races and statewide, they're kind of bullish on 2026, just a couple of days
after Labor Day, and what 50-some-odd days before the November 3rd election.
GOLODRYGA: And yet we've been here before, which is why it's always important to remind viewers that I don't think Texas has turned blue in
some 40-plus years. So, what needs to happen for those Cornyn supporters who may still feel bitter that their candidate, many would argue the better
candidate.
The one who was more stable in the polls and predictable here, who lost though to Ken Paxton in the primary. Their candidate is not on the ballot,
so they're just not going to show up. I don't think there are many false pretenses that Republicans, in particular, are going to vote for Talarico.
But how much concern is there that they just won't show up for Paxton?
MORITZ: Oh, there's plenty of concern, and that's one of the main reasons this convention has taken place in Texas. I mean, Independents have used to
always tilt toward the Republicans in Texas. That's not the case this year. If you believe the polling, you know, Paxton's hope is to consolidate those
Republicans that were not for him in the primary.
We're seeing ads now, digital and on the broadcast station, that has been absent so far. Talarico has more or less owned that space since his primary
victory way back in March. He's got plenty of money. Paxton does not have that kind of money. Trump though does and can help General Paxton drive the
message he needs to drive.
ASHER: And just in terms of the messaging that we're seeing at the convention. I mean, there's been a lot of time spent attacking Democrats.
Does that suggest that the Republicans don't really have their own sort of messaging and sort of positing messaging about themselves that they need to
just spend their time focusing on attacking Democrats. And if that's the case, how much does that backfire do you think?
MORITZ: Well, I do think that they do want to go on the offensive, especially with James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, who's the Republican. I
mean, I'm sorry, the Democratic Candidate for Governor. The Democrats, like I mentioned, have had this field to themselves for some time now.
[11:40:00]
Republicans have got to use that old adage; attack at the strength of your opponent. Sort of undermines some of the goodwill and positive vibes that
the Democrats have been able to have for themselves so far. There is the counterbalance, and some of the Democrats are making it.
If you think things are bad in Texas, who's been in charge these last 35, 40 years or so? And in that sense, maybe there's a backfire, maybe not. But
there's also the tradition of attacking early and finishing positive. We're not quite close to that finishing stage yet, so we'll see. But first,
they've got to drive down the negatives of the Democrats who've had a fairly good summer so far.
GOLODRYGA: Fairly good summer, but nationally, it is interesting to see that Democrats are not polling overall much better than President Trump is,
despite all of the headwinds that he is facing and his policies are facing. And thus, the Republican Party itself is facing. Will be interesting to
watch. You'll be covering it, John Moritz. Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you, John. All right. Still to come here on "One World".
GOLODRYGA: A man who was inside the van when a Houston father was shot and killed by I.C.E. is speaking out for the first time. What went through his
mind as he says a federal agent pointed a gun at his head?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: A chilling first-hand account of the I.C.E. shooting that killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
GOLODRYGA: 52-year-old father of three was killed in July during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas. One of the passengers in his van is describing what
he saw in the seconds before the shooting. Ed Lavandera brings us the CNN exclusive. And a warning, some of the images in his report are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Daniel Tirado Pantoja says he constantly thinks about the moment Lorenzo Salgado Araujo
was shot and killed by an immigration and customs enforcement officer in Houston. And still doesn't understand why it happened.
LAVANDERA: He had no reason to shoot in that moment?
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Tirado and his stepdaughter sat down exclusively with CNN to vividly detail what he says happened to Salgado.
[11:45:00]
Tirado and two other men were riding in Salgado's van that July 7th morning. He walked us through the videos that show some of the events that
led up to the shooting.
LAVANDERA: I.C.E. officers pursued Lorenzo Salgado's white van here on Canal Street, and then just a few houses away, he makes a U-turn.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The U.S. attorney in Houston has said the fatal shot occurred during this turn. If you look closely at the video, you can
see two I.C.E. officers appearing to stand around the side of the van.
AARON REITZ, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS: Preliminary information indicates the driver shifted the van into reverse, then forward
again, while an officer was partially inside the van or immediately next to it. During this confrontation between federal agents and a group of illegal
aliens attempting to flee, one of the officers fired a single shot. That round struck Lorenzo Salgado.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): But Tirado tells a different story.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's the truck making the U-turn.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): He says after the U-turn, Salgado drove back up Canal Street and stopped the van. During this moment in the video, you can
see the officers do not appear to be in the van's path. They're chasing it down from behind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No shots have been fired at this point, and then there's one, two, and a third agent.
LAVANDERA: And this is where the van comes to a complete stop. It's not captured on video that we've seen so far, but Daniel Tirado says this is
where the I.C.E. officer fired the fatal shot.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): For the first time, he's showing us which I.C.E. officer he says fired the deadly shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says that the I.C.E. agent that shot Lorenzo was the first agent here running after the van.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): I.C.E. officials have not identified the shooter, but said the agent shot Salgado in self-defense. We asked I.C.E. to confirm
Tirado's account of where the shooting happened and which officer fired the shot? And if they plan to identify the officer, a spokesperson refused to
confirm or deny, saying in a statement, publicizing their identities puts their lives and the lives of their families at serious risk.
Tirado says the officers were never in danger, and that what happened next terrified him. Tirado says he was sitting on a cooler behind the front
passenger seat when he saw the I.C.E. officer point his gun through the side window and fire one shot at Salgado.
He says the last words he heard Salgado say, they just killed me, and Salgado's brother told the officer, you just killed him. He says the same
officer then opened the van's back door and pointed the gun at his head.
LAVANDERA: When the gun is pointed at your face, what are you thinking?
LAVANDERA (voice-over): He says if the officer just shot and killed my boss, he's going to shoot me too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He thought that was the end right there for him.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): I.C.E. has not offered new details about why this happened? The agency initially said Salgado weaponized his vehicle and
attempted to run over an I.C.E. agent, and that the officer fired in self- defense. The agents were not wearing body cameras.
Pure lies, he says. Why don't they tell the truth? More than two months after Salgado's death, it's not clear where the investigation into the
shooting stands. Tirado says the officer should pay for what he did so he can suffer what they are suffering.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they're trying to cover for him. They're trying to protect him.
LAVANDERA: What would you like to see happen to that I.C.E. agent?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of things. We need him to get some type of punishment too. We need justice for Lorenzo more than anything. Putting
that I.C.E. agent's name out there, making sure he pays in jail or something.
LAVANDERA: You think he should be arrested and charged criminal?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Of course, yeah.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Daniel Tirado says he came to the United States 30 years ago and worked in construction to save money so he could build his
parents a home in Mexico. He says Lorenzo Salgado was more than his boss the last eight years. He was his friend. He says we weren't hurting anyone.
We just wanted to work. He's angry that I.C.E. officers targeted them instead of criminals.
LAVANDERA: This interview raises new questions about where the I.C.E. officers were standing when Salgado was shot. We've reached out to local,
state, and federal law enforcement agencies to get clarification. The U.S. Attorney in Houston did provide CNN a new statement saying that Tirado's
comments in this interview conflict with earlier statements made to federal authorities.
And the U.S. Attorney also says that nothing has come to light to change Tirado's original account of what happened. Daniel Tirado spent almost two
months in immigration custody. He was just recently released. His lawyer and his family stand by what he told us. They say this entire experience
has been incredibly traumatic. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:50:00]
GOLODRYGA: Routine blood testing could reveal clues to the colorectal cancer risk for people under the age of 45. That is according to a new
study released today.
ASHER: Yeah, it shows that some adults younger than 45 with lower levels of two liver enzymes were more likely to be diagnosed with early onset
colorectal cancer in comparison to their peers. Let's bring in CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard. Jacqueline, just I mean, just explain what the
research shows here.
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: It's really interesting, Zain. So, this research was done by the company Epic Research, and they found in
their analysis that adults with AST levels, that's the liver enzyme AST levels below a measurement of 14 units per liter were associated with a 65
percent higher likelihood of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 45, and those with ALT levels below 14 were associated with a 68
percent higher likelihood.
Now, the reason why this is really surprising is because typically you want to have low AST and ALT. High levels of AST and ALT are usually associated
with liver injury or other health issues. That's why those levels are typically checked during routine doctor visits. So, to see that low levels
of AST and ALT were associated with colorectal cancer risk was really shocking.
Now this is just an association; it does not mean low levels cause cancer. And if someone is younger than 45 and they have low levels. They should not
rush to get an early colonoscopy. Again, you typically want to have lower levels, but researchers say that this finding may open the door and could
lead to taking a closer look into what's behind these low levels that may explain this association.
Are these low levels also associated with lower muscle mass or nutritional deficiency, and could those be some factors playing a role here? So, what
this really does is it opens the door for more research to really get a better understanding of what's happening and what might be behind
colorectal cancer risk, especially at younger ages.
GOLODRYGA: And Jacqueline, this does not change screening recommendations, though. So, what are the circumstances where you would need to get a
colonoscopy if you are under 45?
HOWARD: That's right. Like I said, this is just an association, so screening guidelines stay the same. You want to start screening regularly
at age 45. The circumstances where someone may be recommended to screen at a younger age than 45 is if you have a personal history, a family history,
or if you yourself are experiencing symptoms of colorectal cancer risk.
And some of those symptoms may include blood in your stool, rectal bleeding, if you have a sudden change in your bowel habits that persists
over days.
[11:55:00]
You may have sudden weakness, unintended weight loss, or cramping. Those are the symptoms to look for and not to ignore. You know, a lot of times
people may ignore these symptoms, or you may put off getting screened. But it's really, really important to get your colonoscopy when it's recommended
for you.
Because with the colonoscopy during that procedure, you can often identify precancerous lesions that can then be removed and actually prevent cancer
from developing. So, colonoscopy is not just a screening tool, but it could be a preventive measure for you in certain instances when you may have
precancerous polyps. So, this is a very important reminder for people out there.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, you sleep well. I have to say, having had mine first colonoscopy a couple of years ago, but the prep the night before that is
the part that's not so fun, but totally worth it. Very important indeed, Jacqueline Howard.
HOWARD: Absolutely.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you. All right, and stay with us. We'll have more "One World" after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
