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One World with Zain Asher
Russia, Ukraine Strike Energy Targets after Trump Announces Proposed Pause; Supreme Court Rejects Trump Plan to Limit Mail-In Voting in Midterms; FBI Director Kash Patel Faces Senate Grilling; Trump Calls AI Summit to Downplay AI Worries; From Cooking on the Ground to Dining in the Air; Mariska Hargitay Calls in Friends for First-Time Hosting Gig. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 15, 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)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Live from Abu Dhabi. I'm Eleni Giokos. This is "One World". Ahead on the show, I'll speak to CNN's Fareed Zakaria,
who was in Ukraine in the vicinity of the Russian drone attack on a passenger train. What he says happened.
Plus, questions about AI-dominated Capitol Hill as lawmakers debate regulation, citing China as a security concern. We'll look at China's role
in the debate. And the winners, the history makers, and the person dressed as the actual statuette. We have all the big moments from the Prime-Time
Emmy Awards.
Welcome to the show, and we start with Russia and Ukraine that are trading fresh strikes targeting energy infrastructure, despite the U.S. President's
claim that both sides had agreed to stop. Moscow hit two gas stations on busy streets in the Capital Kyiv overnight, while Ukraine says it struck a
Russian oil refinery.
On Monday, Donald Trump blamed Kyiv's targeting of Russian refineries for a global diesel fuel shortage. Ukraine's President says Kyiv is ready to
support President Trump's de-escalatory measure, but any agreement must be long-term.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: There is also now a strong proposal from the United States for a mutual cessation of strikes against
critical infrastructure. And if this can become the first de-escalatory step, a step toward ending Russian strikes against our critical
infrastructure and our retaliatory strikes in response, then Ukraine is ready to support de-escalation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: The Kremlin called Trump's energy ceasefire proposal a very good idea, but Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the move would not address global
fuel supply issues. He called for the lifting of sanctions on Russian energy exports. Meanwhile, there's renewed concern that the war could spill
beyond Ukraine's borders.
Earlier today, a NATO fighter shot down a drone over Lithuania after it entered the country's airspace. The drone likely entered from Belarus,
according to the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Center. Ukraine is blaming the incident on Russia.
I want to bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian, who joins us now from London. A lot going on there, and we're seeing the images after NATO fighters
shooting down that drone that went into Lithuanian airspace. What more do we know, Clare?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Lithuanian authorities are saying that the drone was shot down shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Italian
fighter pilots did this as part of the NATO Baltic air defense mission that has been going on now for a while in these countries on NATO's eastern
flank.
There was debris that was scattered over fields, but no injuries have been reported. Obviously, the concern is of hybrid attacks. No one has
officially confirmed the origin of this drone, but the Italian Defense Minister who is in Lithuania said that it most probably originated from
Russia, so this obviously raises the concern.
This coming on the same day, by the way, that Denmark summoned the Russian Ambassador, saying that a Russian warship fired two emergency flares
towards a Danish military helicopter. But I think, aside from sort of hybrid war attacks, the other concern is, as you say, spillover in this
war.
Several Ukrainian drones, stray Ukrainian drones, have had to be shot down over Baltic countries in recent months. And as this air war escalates, it
does increase the scope for miscalculation. So, this is just another incident that has put European countries, especially those on NATO's
eastern flank, on high alert.
GIOKOS: Yeah, and that was always sort of the big concern. You know, is there going to be a miscalculation, an accident that drags in other
countries? But I want to focus on what we're seeing on energy infrastructure. President Trump says that Russia and Ukraine have both
agreed to stop targeting energy infrastructure. And the Ukrainian President says that this is a proposal, and so do the Russians. So, where do we stand
on this?
SEBASTIAN: So, there is no deal. There's no energy ceasefire in place at the moment. Overnight strikes from both sides certainly confirmed that. I
think, look, both sides are keen to keep the U.S. on side. That's why you see these conciliatory statements. President Zelenskyy coming out, calling
it a strong proposal. Ukraine is ready to support it.
The Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov also called it a very good idea. But I think this is this whole episode of President Trump first blaming Ukraine
for the rise in diesel prices as a result of its attacks on Russian refineries and the subsequent decision by Russia to ban diesel exports,
followed by the announcement of this so-called agreement between the two sides, that really plays into Russian hands.
[11:05:00]
It comes just as the U.S. is trying to kickstart diplomacy. It really speaks of a default position from President Trump of reverting to taking
Russia's side over Ukraine. And it puts Ukraine in a bit of a bind because it's going into this winter with a serious lack of interceptors to defend
against Russian aerial attacks, and with deep strikes like those on oil refineries, really its best form of defense at this moment.
But meanwhile, of course, it has to balance that with the opinion of the U.S. President, who is grappling with these record-high diesel prices less
than two months out from the midterms.
GIOKOS: All right, Clare Sebastian, thank you so much for that update. Now, Former CIA Director David Petraeus was at a Ukrainian train station when a
Russian drone struck a passenger train. The attack coming just moments after another train carrying Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and
other foreign dignitaries had passed through, Ukraine's rail operator says the strike was likely a targeted attack.
For more on this, I want to bring in CNN's Fareed Zakaria, who was in Ukraine in the vicinity of that Russian drone strike. Fareed, thank you so
much for joining us. We're seeing images right now of that drone strike on the train station. You were in the vicinity. Where were you exactly? And
what did you experience? What did you see?
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": So, there was a very big international conference held in Kyiv. It's called the "Yes Conference". It
every September brings together very distinguished group of people. This time there were four or five national security advisers from Britain,
France, Germany, Italy, Foreign Minister of Poland, Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, David Petraeus.
You know, very large number of people. There were -- we go and return on two trains provided by the conference, which leave from a you know a
location in Poland, and they're overnight trains that go to Kyiv and then back. So, there were these two trains left Kyiv, coming back to Poland. I
was on one of them, and David Petraeus was on another.
The one David Petraeus was on was also the one Boris Johnson was on. What happened there, and they went about I think 10 or 15 minutes apart. What
happened apparently is that there was a -- we were stopped. Our train was stopped, and we were. They initially were going to evacuate us, but then
they didn't.
In the case of David -- the other train, there was a strike it appears to have been in the vicinity, maybe the train station. We're not exactly sure.
It did result in the train being halted. They evacuated people, then brought them back, then evacuated them again. It ended up being a you know
a lot of confusion, long delays, and it was all somewhat surprising because trains in the western half of Ukraine have not tended to be hit.
Trains in the eastern half, which is where the fighting is you know that's where -- that's where the Russians and the Ukrainians are fighting over the
territory. That has happened. But trains in the west, that is, in the part of Ukraine that is closer to Poland, were unusual. It was also unusual for
the Russians, who have very good intelligence, and in any case, this conference was publicly known.
It's very unusual for the Russians to do something that could have killed a Former American Four-Star General, CIA Director, Boris Johnson, the Former
Prime Minister of the UK. Several, I don't know the exact list, but at the conference there were American Congressmen, there were you know foreign
ministers.
So, the whole thing seems like a very, very dramatic escalation by Putin. If they were, if it was intentional, it's possible it was unintentional,
but we don't know.
GIOKOS: Yeah, I mean, such incredible points there. You've got this international conference going on. You've got people returning back, and
frankly, from our reporting, Fareed, we know that usually foreign visitors take a train from Poland into Ukraine. You know that is the route that is
taken.
So, and frankly, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff also took a train from Poland into Ukraine during those talks. You talk about this being potential
escalation. The rail operator in Ukraine says this could have been an actual targeted strike. What is the sense that you felt on the ground
there, experiencing it in real time?
ZAKARIA: It was a -- the whole trip was much more tense and nerve wracking than my previous visits to Ukraine.
[11:10:00]
And I've been there before the war. I've been there since the war has been going on every year. This time it really felt like there was an inflection
point, a big change. And it was largely because the Russians appear to have now decided that they are going to systematically and deliberately target
civilian targets.
That was not happening, as at least to the best of my knowledge, was not happening intentionally, systematically. Now they are targeting, you know,
fuel depots, warehouses. They have hit you know residential communities. One of the things we reported on my show last Sunday was the Amazon of
Ukraine, the largest online retailer in Ukraine, had a huge $75 million facility outside of Kyiv.
It was the central logistical hub of Ukraine's civilian economy. It's not a military target. It was hit, burned to the ground with three missiles. So,
it does appear that there is a decision to target civilians. And so, you know, we had many, many more air raids, sirens, many more, you know,
evacuation drills, many more real evacuations.
When the train was leaving, we were -- we had evacuation briefings. We had notices as to what to do. As I said, in the case of my train, because it
was right next to the other one, they did stop it. They initially were going to evacuate us. All this, you know, is very different.
I mean, I've often joked to people before that, you know, the train ride to Ukraine should be nerve-wracking, but it's not because the Ukrainian
railways are actually very good, very high quality. They run on time. It's an overnight train. I've always had a good night's sleep. Not this time.
This was tense.
GIOKOS: Yeah, I mean, look, you know, we're looking at the escalation today. You know, Lithuanian NATO shooting down the drone that entered the
Lithuanian airspace. You mentioned the energy infrastructure. There's definitely been many markers of the escalation that we've seen.
And it's very notable, Fareed, that just over a week ago you had Jared Kushner in Russia and then in Kyiv as well. They had actually agreed to a
48-hour halt in targeting each other's capital cities. There was sort of an effort to try and bring back some kind of diplomacy. You know what is the -
- what is your understanding of where this is headed, and importantly, Trump's messaging here?
ZAKARIA: Right now, there is no diplomatic agreement that is holding. There is no pause. That 48-hour pause was only because Jared Kushner and Steve
Witkoff were in Kyiv. In fact, as you've noted, they took the train apparently, and I was told this in Ukraine. I haven't confirmed it.
Kushner and Witkoff wanted to fly in, and essentially Putin said no. So, and bombed the airport that they would have flown into just for good
measure. So, things are in a very bad situation. The Russians have been brutally targeting Ukrainian civilian targets. You know, any talk of a
pause right now on energy would be one-sided in the extreme.
Because the Russians have essentially destroyed most of Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The Ukrainians have just begun taking that fight to the
Russians. So, if you were to pause now, you would leave the Russians with an enormous advantage. But there is no negotiation going on, as far as I
can tell.
Look, the Trump Administration has haphazardly and fitfully gotten involved, and when it gets involved, most of the time it's essentially to
act like a lawyer for Russia. That is not going to be an effective way to get this conflict resolved because the Ukrainians are fighting for their
freedom, for their independence, for their country.
And they're not going to bargain it away without you know what they've been willing to die for on the battlefield. They're not going to give away to
try two envoys in air-conditioned rooms in Kyiv.
GIOKOS: Well, Fareed, we are very grateful for you joining us on the show today for your insights, and importantly, we are glad that you're safe. We
appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
ZAKARIA: Thank you so much.
GIOKOS: Thank you. A huge defeat for now, but it's not over yet. The U.S. President is slamming the Supreme Court for rejecting his attempt to
restrict mail-in ballots for the midterm elections, saying these are not the people I interviewed.
In a brief, unsigned opinion, the High Court has blocked Donald Trump's executive order that would have essentially, given the federal government
the ability to decide who can actually vote by mail. The Constitution, of course, gives states the power to run elections.
[11:15:00]
It all comes at a critical moment as some states are already sending out ballots. Still, it is not the final word. Justice Kavanaugh, who died with
the majority, sided with the majority, rather, basically said the postal service may have the authority to implement the rules, but there's no time
to put them into effect before the November vote without causing chaos.
Now that could leave the door open for an attempt to implement the changes in the 2028 presidential election. CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us now live at
the White House. Kevin, good to see you. I mean, what a moment? President Trump says it is a bad decision. Look, what does SCOTUS ruling mean for
mail-in ballots from here onwards?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. Well, it's a hugely significant opinion, probably one of the most significant rulings that
we've seen come across from the Supreme Court in the last several years. You're right that it is not necessarily the end of the road for the
administration's attempts to change how mail-in voting works, but it certainly won't be in place in time for the midterm elections.
And what the administration had been trying to do is compel states to provide lists of registered voters to the postal service. And it had also
required states to make changes to the envelopes that the ballots were being sent in. And what the states argued one is the website that the
administration was asking them to upload the voter rolls to wasn't working yet.
And also, that the changes to the envelopes would have taken an enormous amount of time this close to the midterm election. Some states have already
begun mailing out ballots. And so, they said that there just wasn't time to put this into place. But the confusion that it put into this system, in
some ways, was a victory for President Trump.
And his critics have suggested that that was the intent all along to make people so confused about whether they were allowed to vote by mail or
whether their ballots would actually be counted that it would deter them from doing that at all. And so, in some ways, the president has already
done that.
But still, this ruling is still a major setback for him, and he is lashing out. He said that the Supreme Court has really let our country down. He
said, certain justices are petrified of these crazed and depraved Democrats and are totally unable to show the courage necessary to save our America.
And he really singled out the three justices that he himself appointed to the Supreme Court during his first term. So, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney
Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, all of whom did not dissent, so sided in the majority. Although this was an unsigned opinion, they did not dissent.
And he says that these are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court. They are merely a shell of their original
selves, a court that is costing the United States trillions of dollars with shockingly bad rulings that are such a magnitude that it won't be easily
possible for our country to recover or heal, so really lashing out at those justices that he himself appointed to the court during his first term.
GIOKOS: Yeah, big moment here. Kevin Liptak, always good to see you. Thank you so much. Right, still coming up on "One World". New ethical concerns
out of the so-called Alligator Alcatraz we'll explain why the now shuttered facility is back in the spotlight. Plus, Senators on Capitol Hill are
grilling FBI Director Kash Patel. Details ahead on his controversial record, including mass firings and alleged excessive drinking.
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GIOKOS: Happening this hour in Washington, FBI Director Kash Patel is back in the hot seat for the Senate Judiciary Committee. Patel is facing intense
scrutiny over allegations of excessive drinking and using taxpayer funds for personal travel. Sources tell CNN just days before the U.S. launched
its war in Iran. The FBI Director fired a dozen agents and staff from a counterintelligence unit. That unit was tasked with monitoring threats from
Iran.
Our Senior U.S. Justice Correspondent Evan Perez is tracking the story for us. He's live now from Capitol Hill. Evan, good to see you. The hearing is
on the go right now. What are you hearing? What are the main messaging lines that you're hearing from Kash Patel?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, the main message that the FBI Director is trying to deliver is that the FBI is working
better under his leadership that crime is down around the country. And he's taking credit for it. He's also, you know, delivering a lot of numbers that
are somewhat questionable, I will say.
When it comes to certain FBI responsibilities, it's not clear to me, for instance, where the FBI would take credit for the number of carjackings
being down, or the fact that he said that there are 1,100 terrorist attacks that have been thwarted by the FBI. Now, those are numbers that the FBI.
I've asked them. They say they stand by those numbers.
I will see what -- where exactly they're getting them from. But that is the tone you hear from the FBI Director to try to rebut some of the criticism
he's getting from Democrats who are arguing that under his leadership, because of all the firings of career seasoned, experienced employees under
his watch, that the FBI is doing less of a job than it did before.
Now, one of the more bizarre parts of this hearing so far is the discussion of bestiality, which is a very odd thing to have come up in this hearing.
But from a Republican Senator John Kennedy, he asked the FBI Director why there'd been some change in the hiring practices, whereby someone who may
have participated in bestiality is no longer, you know, removed from even consideration in the job.
The FBI Director said that people who are victims of sex trafficking, for instance, may no longer be removed from being considered for jobs in the
FBI. That is his defense of that change in FBI hiring practices. But one of the more important things is obviously the discussion of AI and artificial
intelligence.
The director said that the FBI has now has made an increased use in that tool in some of its investigations. I think we have a clip of him talking
about that right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: Artificial intelligence, when used appropriately under the parameters of the law, when I got to the seat, this FBI had two
test use cases for artificial intelligence. We just hit our 140th. That's a 605 percent increase since I've been in the seat to process information, to
triage intelligence, analyze, and get this information out to our local partners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREZ: And what you heard there from him is this 605 percent increase. It's kind of the way he has been delivering his message today to try to show
that things are better under him. Again, we'll see what these questions from the Democrats, who are very critical of his tenure, whether they can
get under his skin today. These hearings tend to be a little more heated because of that, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Evan Perez, thank you so much for staying on top of the story. Good to see you.
[11:25:00]
I want to take you now to a disturbing report from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General. It found the Florida Detention Center,
known as Alligator Alcatraz, briefly held dozens of detainees in metal cages. The report included these images of the small enclosures.
Inspectors found that the time spent inside the cages ranged from several minutes to nearly two hours. Priscilla Alvarez has more details on the now
shuttered facility.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A new Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report reveals disturbing conditions at Alligator
Alcatraz. That was a facility that was quickly erected in Florida last year and then closed in June of this year.
Now, this was a visit that the inspectors took in January, where they found cramped conditions among detainees, as well as lack of access to clean
water, among other concerns. But perhaps most revealing was the small metal enclosures that they observed while on their visit. Those enclosures,
according to facility staff, were used as calming areas. They also said that some detainees chose to be in those enclosures.
Now, again, there were enclosures, according to this report, that were indoors as well as at least two that were outdoors, according to the IG.
What was stunning, however, about this observation, they said, is that it is a practice unlike any they have seen before. Now, quoting here from one
part of the report, where they say the use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane
treatment.
Now we asked the State of Florida about this report as well because they, according to the Department of Homeland Security, were charged with daily
operations of the facility, and they said, the left-wing media wants to focus on a confinement area for violent criminal aliens who have proven
they cannot remain peaceful while awaiting deportation, while it adheres to all federal standards for criminal confinement, we'd make it even smaller
if we could.
Now, I will note that it is the inspector general that highlighted the small metal enclosures in its report. And it also noted concerns about what
standards Florida was complying with in holding I.C.E. detainees, and trying, and rather the inspectors trying to track down what exactly they
were using to base the standards of living on in this Alligator Alcatraz Facility.
Now, again, this was a visit that took place in January of this year. The facility has since closed. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had said
previously that the facility was only meant to be temporary, but these concerns add to those that had already been expressed by Democratic
lawmakers, detainees, and family members about what detainees experienced while they were held at this facility. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.
GIOKOS: All right. Still to come on "One World", don't worry about AI. That is what President Trump is suggesting. Is that the smart approach? We'll
take a look after the break. And China's role in this whole AI debate. Could there be a little more to the story? We'll bring you an update right
after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Eleni Giokos, live in Abu Dhabi. Here are some headlines we are watching today. U.S. President Donald Trump
is slamming the Supreme Court for rejecting his attempt to restrict mail-in voting for the November midterms, the decision allows states to keep
sending out ballots.
Election officials warned implementation of the order so close to the vote could have catastrophic consequences. President Trump calls the recent
uproar over AI safety a hoax. His comments came Monday night when he called into an AI Summit. The president says instead of slowing AI development,
companies should be concerned with staying ahead of China.
Surging fuel prices are fueling anger across Syria. Protests erupted over the weekend after the government raised diesel prices by 40 percent. The
increase putting more pressure on Syrians already facing years of economic crisis. The protests marking the country's most widespread unrest since
Bashar al-Assad was toppled nearly two years ago.
There are concerns Russia's war could slow beyond Ukraine's borders. Earlier today, a NATO fighter shot down a drone over Lithuania after it
entered the country's airspace. Ukraine blamed the incident on Russia.
It's all a hoax. That's the word from Donald Trump when it comes to the recent alarms being raised around artificial intelligence. And he insists
the bigger issue is staying ahead of China. This comes after the CEO of one of the leading AI developers, Anthropic, called for the AI industry to slow
the pace of development and increase regulation and global cooperation.
The fear is someone developing and wreaking havoc with a dangerous AI model. The big players in AI seem to be on board with the plan. President
Trump, calling into an AI Summit last night, has a different take on the recent AI concerns. Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I also have common sense about AI. The robots will not be taking over. The AI will not be
taking over the rest of the world. The whole thing is a hoax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: CNN's AI Correspondent Hadas Gold has been following the story for us and has a lot more details. I mean, it's not often you see the President
of the United States calling into a conference, disrupting a conversation and a panel discussion, but really clear around this is a hoax, and he says
that you know it's all full steam ahead. How are companies responding to President Trump's comments?
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we're seeing is the pushback to that groundswell of concern that we saw over the past week, which I
should note, the concern over AI's risks to humanity are not new. But what we saw over the past week were those concerns leaving the confines of the
AI industry in Silicon Valley and breaking out into the public in ways that I had never seen before.
And it got to the point that that's why you had Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei sitting down for an interview with us and with others. You had that
proposal in the essay, and you had other people like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and even SpaceX CEO Elon Musk all endorsing Dario Amodei's proposal.
And all acknowledging the risk that is posed to humanity by AI's capabilities, especially as AI is able to develop so quickly, and it will
soon be able to improve itself, train itself, fix itself in ways that humans might not even be able to intervene or be involved in any which way.
[11:35:00]
And so, what you were seeing from President Trump and from Jensen Huang of Nvidia and others is the pushback on this groundswell of concern, saying,
hey, you guys are overreacting. This is not as dangerous as you guys are all saying. And from President Trump's perspective, a lot of it is about
China.
Because there is a huge fear within the administration that the moment that the AI industry in the United States slows down for any reason, China is
going to race ahead because the general consensus in the industry is that the Chinese AI industry and its models are a few months behind on
capabilities when it comes to the American models.
And so, if we are to do anything that pauses the American development of AI, then it means that China can win the race. And this is really being
seen as the modern nuclear arms race. And whoever has the best, most advanced AI would not only win economically, but will also win when it
comes to security.
Because as we have seen, AI is incredibly capable on cybersecurity incidents, you know, on both attacking and defense. And there is a fear
that as AI starts controlling more and more of our lives, whoever has the best AI, the best offensive and defensive capabilities, will be the best
position, and that's why you're hearing from the Trump Administration of resistance from doing anything.
Now, that is notable also because it is in stark contrast with how much of the public feels and how a lot of members of Congress feel, including from
President Trump's own Republican Party, where there is a hunger for something, anything to be done.
Because, Eleni, there are no standards when it comes right now to AI development. Very few standards. You know, if an existing industry, for
example, financial industry, has rules and regulations, and you're using AI in that industry, then some different rules may apply.
But when it comes to the work that these AI companies are doing, the models they're developing, and even how they're testing them, and that's where we
saw things go wrong where they were testing these models in a lab environment. They escape and they hack into other companies.
There are no regulations when it comes to those labs. There's no you know set standard to say hey to keep things safe. These are the things you guys
should do so that these agents don't go rogue and hack into other companies, which by the way is a crime. And so that's where you're hearing
from the industry saying, hey we have to do something.
And some of these leaders, including Sam Altman, are saying we are going to set some sort of standards with or without the government because it's for
everyone's own good, also for their own company's own good. So, you know they can stop committing crimes and hacking into other companies.
GIOKOS: I mean, so fascinating. I mean, you're seeing you know the corporate side of things, taking it to their own hands and saying self-
regulation is the way, but actually global coordinated action, Hadas, is going to be just as important. You know, if we're listening to the warnings
here, so we always appreciate speaking to you. Thank you so much.
All right. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers on Capitol Hill face the challenge of finding a bipartisan solution to tackle AI safety risks. Senate Majority
Leader John Thune says there should be guardrails to ensure safety, but prefers the government use a light touch so the U.S. can remain competitive
with China. House Speaker Mike Johnson also put an emphasis on the AI race against Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We have to be very careful about this, as I've explained, and many people have explained. We have to maintain our edge
over China. That's we do not want to jump in the reflex of legislative bodies is to cover things up with red tape and in hyper regulation. If you
do that, then you lose your edge, and that is a national security concern for the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Senator Bernie Sanders argues that President Trump should attempt to reach an agreement with China for both nations to slow AI development.
And Former Vice President Kamala Harris also urged the White House to pursue an international treaty to address the technology.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry agreed that all parties should collaborate to promote AI that is open, inclusive, and beneficial to
all. But he warned the spread of threat narratives and malicious competition will only interfere with progress on global AI governance.
This comes as Chinese state media referred to the Anthropic CEO's warning as something out of a Cold War playbook to target and contain Chinese
progress in the technology. I want to get some perspective on this, and we've got, of course, focusing on the China angle here. We're joined by
Matt Sheehnan. He's the Co-Director of the China AI Initiative at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Really good to have you with us, and what a moment to be having this conversation. You know, this is a race that I guess is very unavoidable. In
hearing lawmakers saying, well, you know, perhaps we need to take a light touch approach to regulation, there's major concerns, there's alarm bells
ringing. And I just wonder how you're viewing this moment. That is not just in debate, but could fundamentally change the pace of AI.
[11:40:00]
MATT SHEEHNAN, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Sure, there is an underlying reality to the concerns that China will
overtake us, and that has dire implications. But it's really worth unpacking a little bit about what it means to regulate and what that does
to progress.
I mean, China for the past three years has had probably the world's most burdensome AI regulations on its companies. It makes a lot of demands of
its companies, testing, technical standards, a whole variety of things they have to do, and even in that environment, they have still managed to
thrive. They have managed to catch up.
Now, the Chinese regulations on this are primarily focused on controlling information and content. They're not focused on these sorts of frontier AI
risks. But the fact is, they've had a high regulatory burden, and they've done that while catching up with the United States.
So, I think that binary between, you know, if we put any pressure on these companies, if we make any demands of them, it's game over, and China is
just going to rock it past us. I think that setup is just fundamentally flawed.
GIOKOS: OK, so I mean this is the big risk, and President Trump and a lot of other lawmakers are saying, look, we can't hold back because let's be
clear here. China has been able to win the resource race and processing so many of the world's vital resources. They're seeing this as an opportunity
for the United States to be ahead when it comes to AI.
And there's obviously a very fine balance here. But do you believe that there's any you know value, any truth in President Trump calling it a hoax?
J.D. Vance saying this is a Trojan horse? How are you reading into that?
SHEEHNAN: I think the hoax comment, the Trojan horse comment, those are -- they're not based on what the leading scientists who are exposed to this
technology are saying. You know, I think it has been an open debate for a long time. How serious are these safety concerns? How imminent are they?
But the fact is, the evidence is piling up that they are real and that they are happening on shorter timelines, maybe one year, two years, three years
from now. So, the idea that this just throwing cold water and just saying it's a hoax, that I just don't think is based in reality.
If these companies purely want to pursue profits, if they want to just IPO as fast as possible? They would not be talking like this. They are talking
like this often because they really believe it. This has been a deeply held belief of the companies for a long time.
GIOKOS: So Matt, you know you're Co-Director of the China AI Initiative. And I wonder if you're hearing similar dystopian concerns from Chinese
companies? And whether you think there's room for global coordinated action that includes the two major powers, the United States and China, to do
something about this, because we've seen collaboration before, especially during times of risk and threat?
SHEEHNAN: In China, these concerns about rogue AI, about catastrophic risk, are much more recent. They don't have the deep roots in China that they
have in the U.S. You know, in the U.S. a lot of people have been thinking about this for a decade plus. In China, it's a smaller number of people who
think about this stuff, and the work, the technical work on you know how do we test for this, how do we prevent this?
That's all just less mature in China than it is here. So, I think really a key determinant in terms of you know will the U.S. and China have space to
cooperate? Maybe by light touch coordination. Maybe eventually by a treaty. The key variable there is what do the Chinese leaders think about these
threats?
What are their own scientists telling them about these threats? If their own scientists are telling them, hey, we're not really sure that we're
going to be able to control these models six months from now, then the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, will react, and they will react strongly.
They are a very control-focused organization. And so, I think what we can do at this point in time is not necessarily trying to jump to binding
international treaty, but having technical exchanges between government officials, between technical experts in the two countries, we can share
evidence that we're seeing.
We can share the testing procedures that we use to try to identify these risks. And then see if that gains more traction in China and works its way
through the Chinese system.
GIOKOS: All right, Matt, Sheehnan, great to have you with us. Thank you so much. All right, we're going to a short break.
SHEEHNAN: Thank you.
GIOKOS: There's more "One World" right after the short break. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. So, for Emirates Airlines here in the UAE, in-flight dining is an important part of the travel experience, of course, but the
dessert climate presents itself. Apologies, my eyes are playing games with me. When it comes to sourcing fresh vegetables for Marketplace Middle East,
I spoke to one company that is taking farming to new heights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS (voice-over): 215,000 meals served across 500 daily flights. Emirates flight catering is no easy feat. And through Bustanica, the
world's largest indoor vertical farm, Emirates Airline is reshaping how food is grown and served 35,000 feet in the sky.
JEANETTE KRISTENSEN, GENERAL MANAGER, EMIRATES BUSTANICA: We have an indoor facility that grows daily three tons of leafy greens that is used inside
the UAE and for the airlines flying to and from UAE. Emirates Bustanica is 90 percent owned by Emirates Airlines and 10 percent by airports, so that
is our DNA. That was why Bustanica was born.
GIOKOS (voice-over): But Bustanica's DNA goes beyond scale and ownership. It sees vertical farming as one possible answer to food security. In a
country with limited farmland and scarce water resources, the challenge is finding ways to grow food efficiently and at scale.
KRISTENSEN: If you look at the UAE Food Security Strategy 2051, it's very much our guiding star. Sustainability is what we're all about. Using 95
percent less water than conventional farming.
GIOKOS: I want to quickly talk about the logistical and operational side of things in terms of farm to flight.
KRISTENSEN: The way we grow is tailor made to the specific products. So, you will have lettuce that needs a specific nutrient to grow optimally. It
needs a specific temperature. It needs a specific amount of daylight. So, we are able to tailor make those requirements.
GIOKOS (voice-over): But getting that produce from harvest to takeoff at one of the world's busiest airports requires extreme attention to detail.
SHAHREYAR NAWABI, CEO, EMIRATES FLIGHT CATERING: Emirates Flight Catering is the world's largest single-site flight catering facility. When you're
producing a quarter of a million meals every day that have to be served at 35,000 feet. First and foremost, our attention to detail, our attention to
hygiene, our attention to food safety standards is something that we can never compromise on.
28,000 economy class salads are produced every single day using produce from Bustanica. From our perspective: the key challenges is to keep that
going at that high level, 365 days a year without stopping.
[11:50:00]
GIOKOS (voice-over): But keeping pace isn't just about maintaining today's standard, but about preparing for what's next.
NAWABI: Aviation is going through a boom in the Middle East. The Governor of Dubai is embarking on one of the most ambitious transformations of the
aviation industry over here, with the construction of Al Maktoum International Airport. And you know, Emirates Flight Catering is a huge
participant in that aviation ecosystem in Dubai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. Television's biggest shows and stars were honored last night at the 78th Emmy Awards. Apple TV was behind the night's biggest
winner, Widow's Bay. The horror comedy series took home more Emmys than any other show. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more on the star-studded
ceremony.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm backstage at the Prime-Time Emmy Awards, where it was a big night for Widow's Bay, The Pit,
and DTF St. Louis, topping the three major categories of the night. But the biggest winner was Widow's Bay walking away with the most trophies from the
Emmys.
Winning in Best Comedy and also winning for many of its stars. Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root, and Kate O'Flynn. Now, Matthew Rhys was one of the
history-making actors tonight at the Emmys. He becomes the first actor to win for two leading roles in the same year. He won for Widow's Bay and also
for Netflix's "The Beast in Me".
Now, another history maker, Jean Smart, who won for the fifth and final season of Hacks, she became the first woman in Emmy history to win for
every single season of a series. Now, Allison Janney, she was a surprise winner, of course, well deserved, but even she herself was shocked.
I spoke to her backstage after she won for her role in "The Diplomat", and she told me that she did not think at all that she was going to win. This
became her eighth Emmy. Now she is tied for the most acting Emmys, along with other actresses like Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and also
Jean Smart.
Now Mariska Hargitay was the host of the night. She had a ton of outfit changes. You could tell that she had a ton of fun, and of course she had to
bring some of her famous friends along. Of course, she's probably the most famous fan of the Knicks these days, and Jalen Brunson made an appearance
as well as her friend Taylor Swift.
Now Taylor was not actually here, but she had pre-taped a fun skit that was in the theme of Law-and-Order SVU Mariska Hargitay Show.
[11:55:00]
But Taylor Swift was actually a little busy at her husband Travis Kelce's game. The Chiefs had their first game of the season tonight, so she was a
little busy. It was a great night here at the Emmys. Back to you.
GIOKOS: It certainly looked amazing. All right, finally, before we go this hour, Star Wars fans will have a chance to own a piece of franchise
history, but that nostalgia will not come cheap. An exhibit in Japan offers a preview of what organizers hope will be a record-breaking sale of Star
Wars memorabilia.
Among the props and costumes on display is a lightsaber used by Darth Vader in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". The last time it was
auctioned, it sold for get this $3.6 million. The exhibit runs through next month, with the auction set for November. So, on that expensive note, I say
goodbye. Thank you so very much for joining us. I'm Eleni Giokos, and there's more "One World" with my colleague Bianna Golodryga.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
