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One World with Zain Asher
Senator Dianne Feinstein Passes At 90; New Hampshire Governor Sununu Talks Politics; Goodwill Ambassador For The UNHCR Kristin Davis Talks About Her Mission; Celebrations Marking The Birth Of The Prophet Muhammad Marred By Violence In Two Parts Of Pakistan; Migrants Continue To Attempt Crossing Borders In Search For Better Life. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 29, 2023 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for being with us on this very, very busy news day. We just got breaking news just a
few hours ago that Senator Dianne Feinstein dead at the age of 90. In fact, we are just hearing from former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi paying
tribute to her colleague and long-time friend. Let's play it for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY PELOSI, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: All of us do so with great pride as the great senator she has been to our state. The longest-serving woman-senator
from California. She came here with Barbara Boxer. She stayed on and she left on her own terms.
The first woman-mayor of San Francisco coming into office under sad circumstances but leading us with great dignity, with great effectiveness
and great leadership. Much more will be said about it. We'll have so much time to talk and brag about Dianne Feinstein.
Her legacy will be a long one that we have all -- we will all be inspired by. But today, at this time, just hours since her passing, rather than talk
about her, let's just pray that she rests in peace.
In that regard, Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent that all present in the chamber as well as members and staff throughout the Capitol to
please rise for a moment of silence in remembrance of the late Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein. Mr. Speaker, thank you.
GOLODRYGA: There you see a moment of silence led by the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and close friend of Dianne Feinstein. A trailblazer in
true sense of the word.
ASHER: Absolutely.
GOLODRYGA: So many firsts when you speak about her career. The first female mayor of San Francisco. The first woman to represent California in
the senate back in 1992.
The first woman to serve on the Judiciary Committee. She would end up leading the Judiciary Committee, as well as the Intelligence Committee as
well. We have so much more to discuss about her legacy and the indelible mark that she left on Congress.
ASHER: And also, somebody who, when you think about it was just so willing to embrace bipartisanship.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
ASHER: Someone who was so willing to be an independent thinker, reaching across the aisle, willing to do business and cut deals with Republicans if
necessary.
ASHER: Something that is sadly
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
ASHER: -- missing in this --
GOLODRYGA: And that's why the tributes are coming in from both sides of the aisle. I mean, we were looking at a number of senators and members of
Congress --
ASHER: Right.
GOLODRYGA: -- Republican, Democrat who were just speaking so effusively in praise of her dedication and loyalty to the senate, to her constituents and
--
ASHER: Legacy --
GOLODRYGA: -- legacy
ASHER: -- when it came to fighting gun violence --
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
ASHER: for example, obviously.
GOLODRYGA: -- torture. Right? In the CIA. Yeah.
ASHER: Right, right. When you think about the things that she's going to be remembered for 31 years in the U.S. Senate.
GOLODRYGA: And notable that her last vote was yesterday --
ASHER: Just yesterday.
GOLODRYGA: And that was in an attempt to keep the government open another big headline that we are covering for you today where it appears that hope
has died in averting a shutdown -- that we had a ticker up and we'll probably have it up in just a moment as well, just leading down to Sunday
which is the deadline to keep the government open and continue the resolution vote happening on the floor now, but appears that it will,
indeed, fail.
[12:05:00]
ASHER: And we do have American Historian Tim Naftali to talk more about this. There's so much to talk to you about, Tim, either, the government
shutdown but also, I think, Dianne Feinstein and her legacy, especially when it came to, as I was just talking about there, you know.
I was in my office just, you know, watching the news as it broke, thinking about, you know, this government shutdown and thinking about how hyper-
partisan the climate is in Washington right now and how Dianne Feinstein just really tried to buck the trend and fight against that. Just walk us
through your thoughts in terms of her legacy.
TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It's very -- it's hard for some people watching now to recall how difficult it was for women 30 years ago
to attain positions of elected power in the United States. A quarter of the Senate today is women, at least was until the death of Dianne Feinstein
last night. A quarter.
And that there have only been 59 women in the U.S. Senate. Dianne Feinstein was the longest serving woman senator. And so, her passing marks a moment,
I think a moment to reflect on the glass ceilings that have been broken only recently for women in the United States.
There's also -- this is also a time. I think, to reflect on her professionalism, her poise, her wisdom as a leader in the Senate. I was
very impressed, obviously watching from the outside by her tenacity and leadership in pushing a very difficult investigation of the CIA because of
its detention and interrogation program of Al-Qaeda following 9-11.
She totally, fully understood the threats to the United States posed by Islamist extremism, but she also understood that the United States has
rules and has sense of values. And she and her team and her colleagues on the intelligence community concluded that the intelligence community had
overstepped the lines of American values.
And she herself in the forward to the summary of the report, the report's very long and still remains classified, but the executive summary, so I
think comprise of 600 pages, was declassified. She said that she had personally concluded that the CIA had engaged in torture by any commonly
understood meaning of the word.
And to be able to achieve that kind of oversight, she exhibited tremendous strength and faced actually opposition from not only the intelligence
community, but then President Barack Obama, who had his concerns about the extent of their -- look at this way, by the conclusions that they had
reached.
Nevertheless, she pushed forward and her colleagues pushed forward. And we have, as Americans, access to information about when our government has
done the wrong thing.
And for those who are concerned about an unelected, unaccountable deep state, the existence and success of that oversight process led by Dianne
Feinstein between 2009 and 2014 is proof that there are guardrails and there are guardians.
People will talk about other achievements. She had many in the Senate, but for this observer, her ability and willingness to reign in the secret world
was one of her greatest achievements, and it's not simply her achievement. It was the achievement of the Senate, and it is something that will live
forever.
GOLODRYGA: Tim, she also spearheaded an attempt to ban assault-style weapons, which she was successful in for a period of time. And it's
interesting, because this was something personal for her.
It helped launch her political career, ironically, given that she became mayor of San Francisco following the assassination of that city's mayor,
which she witnessed. And that memory stayed with her throughout entirety of her career, beyond just California politics but she brought it with her to
Washington.
[12:10:00]
NAFTALI: Well, for people of a certain age in the United States, they have a memory regardless of how old they were at the time, of that horrible day
in November of 1978, when a little-known outside of the State of California, Dianne Feinstein spoke to the nation and announced the deaths
of the mayor of the city, George Moscone, and the city supervisor, Harvey Milk, both of whom had been assassinated by a former colleague of theirs.
Her poise, her sense of empathy, and her strength not only carried the city over the difficult days to come, but was a source of comfort to those
watching, not simply in the United States, but around the world. That was the beginning of her national prominence, although she would spend the next
10 years as mayor, the first woman mayor of San Francisco.
But that tenacity, that strength, that wisdom, would define her entire time on the national stage. And indeed, she was one of the great advocates and
it was personal for her, of the assault weapons ban that was passed in the 1990s.
Although I believe she wasn't that happy that as one of the compromises that had to be made, there was a sunset clause, which meant that within 10
years, unless the Senate reauthorized the ban, the ban would disappear. And as we know, sadly, the ban disappeared in the George W. Bush era in the
early 2000s.
ASHER: And as you point out, gun violence was, you know, personal to her because she was the one who found Harvey Milk's body and she actually told
the city about it. It was just such a really tragic, touching moment when she addressed the city telling them about the death of Harvey Milk.
But when you think about all of her titles, Senator, Chairman, Mayor, wife, grandmother, you know, she had talked about this idea that, yes, she is
aware of the fact that she's a woman, what that means in terms of breaking down barriers, but she also wanted the fact that she was a woman to be
incidental to her legacy. Just give us your take on that.
NAFTALI: Well, when you talk about her achievements, legislative and oversight achievements in the Senate, the fact that she was a woman was
important for her biography and I think important for the story of women's rights in America, but it was incidental to her sense of purpose and to the
role she played. She was a Senator and was a very effective Senator.
The fact that she was a woman, I think is remarkable in terms of the enlargement of women's rights and the power of 50 percent of the American
population. But Dianne Feinstein had these achievements as a Senator. And she created a level of performance that was something to be aspired by any
senator, whether a man or a woman.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Tim Naftali, thank you so much for putting all of that into perspective. As we noted, flags will be lowered and have already
been lowered at the White House. Tributes continue to be just pouring in from across the aisle, both sides of the aisle. Thank you for your time
today. We appreciate it.
NAFTALI: Thank you.
ASHER: What a legacy.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, indeed.
ASHER: What a legacy. All right, just moments ago, Republicans advanced a procedural vote to keep the federal government open. Let's bring in Lauren
Fox, or rather Melanie Zanona, who is on the Capitol right now. Do we have Melanie?
MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Hey.
ASHER: Melanie, just walk us through what we know.
ASHER: Yeah, so the House, moments ago, voted to advance a bill, a stopgap spending bill, that would keep the government open for around 31 days. It
also includes border security provisions and additional spending cuts.
But the thing here is that this bill would not only be dead on arrival in the Senate, where there's Democrats in control, but we're being told that
it's likely not even going to pass on the House floor later today.
And that is because there are a number of hardline conservatives who are opposed to any stopgap spending measure under any circumstances. They have
said that there's nothing that Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House, can do to win his vote at this point.
[12:15:00]
And Speaker Kevin McCarthy can only afford to lose four Republican votes. And I personally have talked to at least eight Republicans who say they are
a no-vote later today. So, after that vote fails on the floor, as expected. The question is going to be what happens next.
Kevin McCarthy has not said, in fact, some of his own GOP leadership team is in the loop about what their next path would be. But so far, Kevin
McCarthy is refusing to work with Senate Democrats. We were asking about that early today at a press conference, and Kevin McCarthy said, why would
I surrender?
But, of course, hanging over it all is the political calculus here for Kevin McCarthy, which is that if he were to work with Democrats, those same
hardline conservatives would likely try to force a vote to remove him as speaker. So, that is why you see the impasse you are seeing right now in
the United States Congress.
And meanwhile, over in the Senate, they do have a bipartisan plan to keep the government open. It does not include those border security provisions
or spending cuts. It's a pretty much what is known as a clean bill here.
So, just a pretty straightforward bill. That does have wide bipartisan support, but it's been moving through the Senate. But one Senator there,
Rand Paul, has been vowing to hold that bill up because it does include some modest money for Ukraine, around $6 billion.
And so, over there, any single senator can hold things up and derail the process. And so, they might not even get to their bill until Sunday or
maybe even Monday, which is after the government funding deadline. So, all signs right now point to a government shutdown. It's just a matter of how
long is it going to last.
ASHER: All right, Melanie Zanona, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: We see the countdown clock.
ASHER: There is a countdown clock.
GOLODRYGA: It came back up, reared its ugly head. All right, well as you just heard, many are blaming the looming shutdown on hardline Republicans
in Congress who are closely aligned with former President Trump.
ASHER: One Republican governor says he's had enough of the Trump wing of the party and he seems confident that more mainstream Republicans will soon
be in control once again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVAN SMITH, JOURNALIST: You know that the critique in the Democratic Party, certainly, but in some quarters of the Republican Party, is that re-
electing President Trump would be a danger.
CHRIS SUNUNU, NEW HAMPHIRE GOVERNOR: A danger.
SMITH: Do you believe that?
SUNUNU: A danger to --
SMITH: To all of us, to democracy. Do you believe that?
SUNUNU: Trump's too dumb to be a danger to democracy. Let's not give him that much credit. I want you guys to relax. It's all going to work out.
SMITH: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: So, is it all going to work out? We'll be chatting with that man, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu who seems very relaxed, right
after the break.
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[12:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: We want to get back to our top story this hour, and that, of course, is the looming shutdown of the U.S. government. If it happens, many
will say that it is the fault of the fractured Republican Party.
ASHER: Yeah, they are likely to get the blame on this. The GOP, led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, fought so, so hard to gain control of the
House, but they have accomplished very little with that control.
McCarthy's problem is that his agenda has been pretty much hijacked by a very small but very vocal wing of hardline Republicans who are fiercely
loyal to Donald Trump.
They're the ones who have resisted any kind of compromise when it comes to funding the government. And they are the ones who pushed and pushed to
start an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
They kicked off that impeachment investigation on Thursday, but the handpicked witnesses brought forth by Republicans acknowledged GOP
lawmakers don't even have any evidence proving that Biden has actually done anything wrong. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: Are you presenting any firsthand witness account of crimes committed by the President of the
United States?
UNKNOWN: No, I'm not.
EILEEN O'CONNOR, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE TAX DIVISION OF U.S. DOJ: I have not.
UNKNOWN: I have not.
UNKNOWN: I do not believe that the current evidence would support articles of impeachment.
UNKNOWN: I'm not here today to even suggest that there was corruption, fraud, or any wrongdoing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, we now want to bring in one of the leading Republicans saying the influence of Donald Trump needs to stop. Chris Sununu is the
Governor of New Hampshire and a fierce critic of the so-called Trump wing of the Republican Party governor. It's good to see you.
I don't know if it was reassuring to see you relaxed as you were in Austin, given what's going on in Washington right now on the eve of a government
shutdown. I'm going to ask you what we asked Asa Hutchinson yesterday, and that is the split screen of what's going on in Congress.
A looming shutdown, continued defiance by a handful of hard right-wing Republicans, and then you see that investigation into President Biden and
an impeachment inquiry where even the Republicans' own witnesses say they do not have any firsthand evidence that he did anything that's impeachable.
Are Republicans right now putting Americans' interests first and foremost?
SUNUNU: If you're trying to convince me that Congress has their priorities wrong, yeah, that's been going on about 150 years as far as I'm concerned.
Washington is messed up. It's upbroken, but they have their priorities messed up. There's a lot of other influences that go on there.
The fact that a looming government shutdown is huge. It really, really is. It can impact a lot of lives, especially in states that haven't planned for
it and can't manage on the cash flow side when all this federal money just kind of disappears, the grant programs all dry up. That has to be first and
foremost.
And again, the Republicans have the responsibility of leadership in the House to put a plan forth. If I were them, I'd look at what the Senate did,
right? The Senate put forth a bipartisan plan. If I were Speaker McCarthy, I'd put that on the floor and get it done. I know he thinks it puts his
speakership at risk. I kind of disagree. I think when you get stuff done, you're politically rewarded. There's no doubt about that.
So, there's a path there. You're going to have about a dozen or two dozen extreme Republicans joining with 200 Democrats voting against whatever
measures that they put forward. The Republicans, they get blamed for it, of course. But really, they're all at fault. They really are.
And where's the President? Like, as the Governor, if I have a House and Senate battling it out, if I have a looming budget that's not going to
pass, you know what I've done time and time again? I get in the room and I help negotiate and I try to find, okay, where's the push and pulls? How can
we, you know, bridge this dynamic? Because to go into a government shutdown, it would be just, it's not catastrophic.
GOLODRYGA: But he had a deal.
SUNUNU: It's manageable for the short time, but it's tough.
GOLODRYGA: But he already had a deal with the Speaker back in the spring, Remember? And the crisis over the debt ceiling. I mean, you ask where was
the president, the administration went to bat for that.
SUNUNU: Yeah, I know, but where is he today? I mean, last time I checked, he was out in Michigan on a picket line, right? So, he's got to be there.
He's got to be in the room. He's just sitting back and waiting for this to fall apart so he can blame the Republicans. I don't think that's
leadership.
And so, there's blame to go around, certainly blame on the Republicans in the House. They take the vast chunk of it, to be sure. But there's blame to
go around all across Washington, D.C. Isn't it like that place is running like a well-oiled clock and it's coming to some screeching halt? I mean,
that thing has barely been on life support and now it's going to come to a stop.
So, America looks to the states. They look to folks that actually have accountability, that have balanced budget, that actually have to keep
things going. We're going to keep things going in New Hampshire. I think most governors will, as strong as they possibly can. So, it's unfortunate.
Let's just hope that if it does shut down, assuming that we're there, it doesn't go on too long. Because if this goes beyond two weeks, maybe about
a month, everything's going to be pretty much OK.
Maybe some WIC benefits will get reduced across the country. Not gone, but reduced. Beyond a month, now you get into more serious programs, some
education grants and funding that a lot of states rely on.
[12:25:00]
Beyond two months and three months, now you're really affecting your National Guard, your furloughs for federal government workers will really
compound upon themselves. So, access to a lot of those services will dry up, there's no doubt about it. So, for a few weeks we're okay, okay, but
beyond that we get into real trouble.
ASHER: When you think about the fact that your party has essentially been hijacked by a group of sort of hardline Republicans in the House, I mean,
what do they actually want?
Some people are saying, look, this is the first time they've seen a government shutdown that is actually pretty much about nothing, a
government shutdown that is 100 unnecessary.
Obviously, you're a governor, you know that there are a lot of livelihoods at stake here, you know, a lot of people in your state that are going to be
affected by this. What do these hardline Republicans actually want? Can they actually be appeased?
SUNUNU: Well, so let's be fair. There have been government shutdowns driven when the Democrats were in a majority, as well.
There's always some extreme fraction, whether it's the extreme left or the extreme right. The ball's in the Republicans' court today.
Look, they want fiscal responsibility, and I'm all for that. Don't get me wrong. This is kind of a compounded problem brought on by, definitely by
the Democrats, somewhat by the Republicans as well in recent years, that no one seems to want fiscal responsibility when the cameras are off.
But when the cameras are on and they can raise money and claim to be fiscally responsible -- the thing that gets me crazy is that these guys are
willing to shut down the government over fiscal responsibility and half of them are supporting former President Trump, the most fiscally irresponsible
Republican president in history. So, it's kind of faux outrage a little bit on the fiscal side of things when it comes to Congress and overspending.
This country has been massively overspending for years. We do need to bring it to a halt, but you don't hold the entire government hostage to do it.
It's good management. You've got to get back to good management practices, better sense of customer service, better sense of how these programs are
really impacting the individual.
Governor, just quickly, I read an op-ed you wrote in "The New York Times" where you said -- this is back to the debate that we had two days ago --
where you said, "Narrowing the fields of candidates is the single best chance that we have to stop Donald Trump.
Too much is at stake for us to have wishful candidacies." A lot of you out there in your party who are not for Trump would agree with you. Governor,
tell me now, who should drop out of this race?
SUNUNU: Well, if you weren't in the second debate, I think you've got to go. I think this is down to about seven people and dogs.
ASHER: So, Asa? Asa, fine. Asa Hutchinson, fine. Who else?
GOLODRYGA: You're polling at one percent.
SUNUNU: Well, Asa and Larry Elder and all those who didn't make the debate. I think by Thanksgiving, if you're in the low single digits, the 3,
4, 5 percent range on polling, after Thanksgiving, you probably got to go.
This is going to come down to a race of six or seven candidates in Iowa, four or five in New Hampshire, and as long as it gets down to one-on-one
with Trump by Super Tuesday, and we've got a long way to go till then, then again, Trump will maybe hold 42 percent of the vote. The other individual
will get 58 percent, and we'll get the Republican Party back on track.
GOLODRYGA: Well, right now, according to CNN's latest polling, Trump is holding steady at over 50 percent. The seven who were on stage combined are
at 37 percent.
SUNUNU: National polls don't matter. You guys got to stop looking. National polls don't matter. You guys got to stop looking at national
polls. Look at where the conversation's happening. Like New Hampshire, Trump's at 39 percent with other candidates rising.
So, where the conversation's happening, it's getting through. People realize, thank you for your service, you know, former President Trump. You
can't win in November of '24. We're going to find someone who can win. That's the issue of 2024, winning.
ASHER: Governor, good luck trying to get your fellow colleagues to drop out of this race.
SUNUNU: We'll get there.
GOLODRYGA: Asa's not going anywhere.
ASHER: Until at least November, so we'll see.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks so much, Governor Sunu. We appreciate your time.
SUNUNU: Thank you.
ASHER: All right, still to come, global crises you may know nothing about. After the break, we'll be talking with actress and U.N. Goodwill Ambassador
Kristin Davis about awareness.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Very busy Friday for us. Global leaders gathered last week at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York
to discuss some of the major issues facing the planet.
Their main focus was the war in Ukraine. While casualty figures are hard to come by, U.S. officials say nearly half a million people have been killed
or wounded in the conflict. But Ukraine is not the only crisis the world is facing right now. In fact, sadly far from it.
ASHER: Yeah, and an ethnic enclave in Azerbaijan, a desperate exodus is underway. We are getting staggering, staggering numbers today from
Armenia's prime minister who says three-quarters of Nagorno-Karabakh's population has fled to his country. That is more than 91,000 ethnic
Armenians leaving their homes, leaving everything they know just a week after Azerbaijan seized control.
And in East Africa, fighting is still raging in Sudan, despite numerous ceasefire attempts to bring two warring generals in line. The U.N. says
four million are now displaced, that's the largest number of internally displaced people in the world. By the end of the year, nearly two million
people will be forced to flee to other nations.
ASHER: And gang violence tearing apart Haiti. Waves of crime and unrest have hit the Caribbean nation since the assassination of the president
there two years ago, causing tens of thousands of people to flee.
GOLODRYGA: Families under the constant threat of violence, war and persecution are risking everything to get to safety. Well, now some
countries hosting refugees are themselves pleading for help.
ASHER: Time now for The Exchange. Our next guest has been shining a spotlight on the plight of refugees. Joining me live now is actress Kristin
Davis, who is a goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR. That's the U.N.'s refugee agency. Davis has traveled across the globe visiting refugees, also
displaced people in various countries around the world. Kristin, such a pleasure -- such a pleasure to be with you.
KRISTIN DAVIS, GOODWILL AMBASSADOR FOR UNHCR: Hi. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for having me.
ASHER: Of course. You are an accomplished actress. And I think for a lot of people in Hollywood you eventually come to this point in your career
where you realize that if you have been blessed with such an enormous platform, you have to use it for good.
I'm just curious, you know, some actresses and actors might choose the environment or clean drinking water in parts of the global south. What was
it about the plight of refugees specifically that really spoke to you?
DAVIS: Well, I was already traveling a lot and I began to see people who were displaced and I remember thinking it seems to be really growing.
[12:35:00]
This is about probably 15 years ago and I had no idea how horrible it would actually get. Like the number of displaced people is a shocking number at
this point. It's -- I can't even keep up with it. But, you know, as you said, there's so many conflicts at any given time in our world.
And those conflicts affect people. So, you know, sometimes we forget about that when we talk about statistics, but people are forced to flee from
their homes with sometimes literally nothing.
So, I happened to be in Kenya, Northern Kenya, and I went to Dadaab in 2011, which was the famine in the Horn of Africa. And the sites that I saw
were just stunning and so, so hard to believe so many children alone where people had robbed them of their clothes even.
And different people were taking them under their wing and bringing them to Dadaab, which at that point was the largest refugee camp in the world. And
all of the NGOs in the camp were bringing supplies out because they couldn't register the people quick enough to come into the camp and they
were worried that they would die outside the camp.
So, it was such a really moving and also deeply, deeply troubling scene that I saw and I thought, you know, this is -- this is where I need to be.
I need to try to help in any way that I can. And if I can help by using my platform to tell people stories, then I feel like it's the least I can do.
ASHER: I mean, you know, you talk about the Dadaab refugee camp, obviously a very famous refugee camp in Kenya, but obviously East Africa is dealing
with so much. You think about the conflict in Sudan. And also, just in terms of the climate crisis as well in parts of Somalia.
You know, I think that if you are watching those sorts of stories, right, the plight of what people are going through in East Africa. If you're
watching those sorts of stories from your apartment in Manhattan, right, or a hotel room in Geneva, it is really difficult to truly feel connected to
them because the plights of a lot of these people is so different from your everyday experience.
DAVIS: Yeah.
ASHER: How do you bridge that gap so that people who are living totally different lives can feel a sense of connection to their fellow humans?
Because ultimately, that is what's going to motivate them to help.
DAVIS: I agree with you totally. I struggle with this myself. I mean, I think that is the struggle is how do we bridge that gap. And for me, I'm
very lucky that I get to travel and I get to meet people and hear their personal stories and those stories stay with me, you know, forever.
I remember all of the very first refugees that I met and sometimes I get to go back and see them and sometimes they've been resettled in America and I
can go see them here, which is really amazing.
But I think the way that we all connect is through hearing details of personal stories, because it's one thing to look at statistics or to read
the paper or to hear you guys talk about it.
But unless you're hearing the personal stories, I think it still can remain a little bit aloof. I also think sometimes, it's just overwhelming because
there's so many problems. You know, so, how do you find the way to connect?
And I think sometimes you have to just accept that not everyone's going to connect, but that there are a lot of really, really good people out there
and well-meaning people. Like for instance, in Ukraine, you know, the Ukrainian refugees have found this tremendous welcome in the countries that
surround Ukraine.
And I was just there and it was just such a joy. I was in Moldova to see the warmth and the true -- true welcoming that the Moldovan government and
the people themselves just drove to the border to pick people up who were fleeing Ukraine.
So, sometimes you have a story where you're really like, oh my gosh, my heart is filled. I'm so honored to see the goodness in humanity. And I
think that also is helpful to tell the positive stories, you know, because sometimes it can just get really heavy.
ASHER: I'm so glad that you mentioned just sort of the generosity of spirit of in terms of the people of Moldova because guess what, my co-
anchor, Bianna, is from Moldova. She's right here and I know that she --
DAVIS: I didn't know!
GOLODRYGA: Surprise, Kristin!
DAVIS: Yay. It's wonderful. Moldova is so wonderful.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, and it's so nice out of all this darkness and covering this war that Moldova gets a moment to shine. And Kristin, I was just
interviewing the president of Moldova last week. And before I even knew about this interview with you today, her team was just gushing about you --
DAVIS: Oh, I love them
GOLODRYGA: -- coming to the country and having a celebrity like Kristin Davis really focused on what Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, by the
way, has done since the war began. They have four million people in the country, and they've seen over one million refugees come through.
And I was there just last year for a day or two. I'm sure the same with you, Kristin. I was blown away by the generosity --
DAVIS: Absolutely.
GOLODRYGA: -- of the people of Moldova and the efficiency of coming together so quickly at wartime.
[12:40:00]
DAVIS: Yes. So quickly, you know, a lot of the people just got in their car and immediately drove to the border. And for the Ukrainian refugees who
were coming, who were in shock still, they were confused. Like, who are these people?
So, Madam President told me that they had to send people from the government to the border to help explain to the Ukrainian refugees, oh,
these people have just come to take you to their home because they just want to help you and you're their brothers and sisters, which really could
make me cry right now.
It was just so beautiful. And Madam President herself is just so impressive. And the things that they're dealing with now are so
interesting, because of course, the Ukrainian people want to go home when it's safe. And they've left their husbands, their brothers, their fathers
home to fight.
And they're really, of course, traumatized and worried about them. And they want to go home, but yet on the other hand, they can't. So, they're having
to kind of accept the fact that they need to stay in Moldova where it's safe and obviously very friendly.
So, Madam President is trying to get all of the Ukrainian children into school which is just so wonderful and something that you don't always see
in refugee crisis is obviously and she's really into the details of why they don't want to go to school, what are the issues at school, how can it
be more welcoming, like her level of detail and involvement and her warmth towards, we had a round table of female refugees telling us all of their
stories and their issues and she was so in it.
I was really, really impressed by her and her team. They were quite amazing. And the whole country is just so beautiful and warm and welcoming
and even though it's tiny and doesn't have a lot of resources, they don't seem to mind. They're just like, you can share our resources with us.
You're our brothers and our sisters, which in reality is true. But not everywhere is that the response that refugees get.
ASHER: You know, I love that, as you're speaking, I can just feel your enthusiasm. Do you know what I mean?
DAVIS: Thank you.
ASHER: It just feels so genuine. You know, because obviously, a lot of people might link themselves and tie themselves to causes. But I could
really feel, as you're speaking, Kristin, that you genuinely care about this issue. So, thank you so much. one on a --
DAVIS: I do, I love it, I love it. I'm so honored to be able to be part of it, you know, just a tiny part, but every time I travel with UNHCR, I'm so
inspired by the people I meet and the stories that I hear.
It always really invigorates me to do more and it makes me thankful for my life and my platform and you know, everything you guys do, trying to tell
the stories that aren't always told, that's so important. You know, there's so many things you can do.
ASHER: You're going to make me cry. You're going to make me cry now.
DAVIS: It's true, though. It's true.
ASHER: Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you, Kristen.
DAVIS: Thank you. Thanks guys.
ASHER: Kristin Davis there.
GOLODRYGA: That was special.
ASHER: What a lovely --
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
ASHER: And the fact that she'd been to your home country as well.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
ASHER: So touching. All right. Celebrations marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad today were marred by violence in two parts of Pakistan.
The two attacks left more than 50 people dead.
GOLODRYGA: So horrific figure there. The first attack was during a religious procession in southwest Pakistan. It happened in Balochistan,
which has seen an insurgency by separatists for years.
And this pile of rubble is all that's left of a mosque in northwest Pakistan. Two suicide bombers attacked the mosque, causing the roof to
collapse, trapping people inside. At least four people died in the attack. Well, let's get the very latest from Sophia Saifi in Islamabad.
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Zain, Bianna, and this has been an incredibly tragic day here in Pakistan. In the south of the country, in the province
of Balochistan, there has been a much larger death toll where a procession was targeted. Now, this is a public holiday.
Today was a public holiday in Pakistan. The processions that take place across the country, people decorate their homes, children let off crackers,
and it is a day of joyous celebration. That is obviously not going to be the case after what's happened there in Balochistan. That is a region which
has seen many militant attacks if not in the past couple of weeks but also in the past couple of years.
In the north of Pakistan we've seen another suicide take place suicide attack take place with not as high a number of dead but still that entire
building was demolished because of the suicide attacker. The roof, in fact, are caved in the Pakistani government, the Pakistani prime minister has
condemned the attack.
The interior minister came out and said that there is a zero tolerance policy for terrorists in this country, which has of course seen many
militant attacks over the past two decades, and especially so in this year, where there has been an increase in militancy in every single month in this
country, in this year.
So, now the Pakistani Taliban, which usually are behind many similar attacks in the country, have come out and said that they're not behind
these attacks. So again, a day that was supposed to be joyous has ended with tragedy and 52 families and more will be burying their dead tonight.
Bianna, Zain.
[12:45:00]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Our thanks to Sophia Saifi. Well, coming up next hour, I will be taking a closer look at Dianne Feinstein's legacy,
including the mark she left on the Senate and the laws she helped pass. My guests will include her long-time colleagues and friends, Senator Patty
Murray and former Congresswoman Jane Harman. That's up next on Amanpour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Every day, migrants attempt to cross the border between Mexico and the United States in search of a better life. Many have already
made the long trek from Central and South America in a journey that is exhausting and, of course, often very, very dangerous. CNN's David Culver
walked beside one group of migrants as they headed north.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): They stick together throughout, no one left behind, from falls to steep climbs. There's a lot of young
children, so some of them are just basically being carried up to dead ends. They started to go the wrong way for the moment, and now they're
backtracking a little bit.
Setback after setback. He's saying that they paid, were promised another pickup on the other side, but it seems like that driver just took off with
their money. This, just part of a day's journey for these migrants, a day that started not here in southern Mexico, but across the Suchiate River in
Guatemala.
With passports stamped, we take the official land crossing, stepping into a vibrant Tecunaman. In the shade of the town square, we meet two families
from Venezuela traveling as one. They are saying they are ready to cross. They welcome us to join. Seven years old.
A 15-minute stroll to the river, after 18 grueling days on the road. Gemilio Rodriguez tells me it's been costly. She says, like, going through
the jungle is like dealing with the mafia. She says, you have to pay in order to leave, and they had to pay $250 a person.
[12:50:00]
As they arrive at the river, another expense, the crossing. Meanwhile, we go back to the Mexico side, using the official entry, and hop onto a raft.
We're waiting for the two families that we met to make their way across, and they're about to board a raft and meet us in the middle as they cross
illegally to Mexico.
Their raft drifts over the border, and we meet again in Mexico. He's saying they're headed to the land of opportunity. Migrant children scramble to
help tug them to shore. They step off and into Ciudad Hidalgo, a small border town. It allows for just a moment of joy, if only for the kids.
Their goal tonight? Tapachula, to get Mexican transit documents. They learn it's not as close as they'd hoped, 20 miles, normally an hour's drive, but
there's a catch. Because they never entered Mexico legally, they need to avoid the multiple migration checkpoints.
Otherwise, the Mexican drivers could be accused of smuggling every crevice of the van filled. Then they're off on the road for only about 10 minutes.
We watch as they pull over just before the first checkpoint. Everyone out.
They walk the direction they think they're supposed to head. They're basically just trying to figure out their way as they go. They have no real
guide. They were told some general instructions, and now they're just trying to figure it out.
Weaving through brush and high grass, up and down hills, they skirt around the first migration checkpoint. But on the other side, the same driver who
they paid to wait for them has taken off. So, they're trying to figure out if they can get into the van or they keep walking. Looks like for now
they're just going to keep walking.
A few minutes pass, another van pulls up. Fifteen minutes later, another stop, another checkpoint walk-around. Thirty minutes after that, yet
another. This one takes them on a bridge directly over the migration checkpoint. Back on the van they go.
Before sunset, they make it to Tapachula. Relieved? Sure. Also overwhelmed, thinking about the unknowns ahead, but determined to keep moving north,
smiling and waving. We'll see you later. They tell us. David Culver, CNN, Tapachula, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, you're watching ONE WORLD. We'll have much more news after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, in the face of a looming government shutdown, new plans have been announced to celebrate the 99th birthday of former U.S. President
Jimmy Carter. The Carter Presidential Library and Museum has moved some of the big events to tomorrow, so that's a day earlier than they had been
expecting.
The shutdown is threatening to temporarily close, museums and national parks across the country. Thousands of people from around the world have
sent President Carter well-wishes for special birthday mosaic that will be displayed across the United States.
He and his wife Rosalind made their most recent public appearance last weekend when they took a ride through the peanut festival in their hometown
of Plains, Georgia. President Carter entered hospice care in February.
And finally, I want to leave you with a quick programming note. This weekend, we're featuring a special on how seaweed is one of our planet's
most valuable resources. So, please watch our "Call to Earth Sea of Hope" special. It's airing this weekend on CNN.
All right, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. Amanpour with my colleague, Bianna Golodryga is
up next. Have a great weekend.
END
