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One World with Zain Asher
President Biden Delivers A Fiery State of the Union Address; U.S. Military Constructs A Port To Ramp Up Humanitarian Aid Deliveries Into Gaza; Planned Parenthood's Actions Fund CEO Takes Part In CNN's "As Equals"; Legendary Boxer Mike Tyson Gets Back In The Ring. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired March 08, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher and my colleague Bianna Golodryga is off today. You
are indeed watching "One World". U.S. President Joe Biden is taking his message on the road today after delivering a very fiery, very forceful and
starkly political speech during his State of the Union address on Thursday night.
In the next hour or so, he's set to depart for Pennsylvania. That is, by the way, a crucial swing state that really could determine whether or not
he wins reelection in November. And on Saturday, he's going to be visiting the battleground state of Georgia.
Vice President Kamala Harris is also hitting the campaign trail, as well. She's actually leaving for Arizona today. That is another pivotal state
that could play an outsized role in determining the control of the White House.
The trips by the President and the Vice President are taking place just hours after what we got this morning, a solid jobs report that was released
a few hours ago, providing yet another indicator of how strong the U.S. economy is right now.
And something else the President may indeed be happy about, how his speech last night is being perceived by a lot of people. Mr. Biden covered a wide
range of topic topics rather. And he tackled the questions about his age head on. I want you to listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know it may not look like it, but I've been around a while. When you get to be my age, certain things
become clearer than ever.
REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D-TX): You are on fire. You are on fire. Nobody's going to talk about cognitive impairment now. Yeah, you are on fire.
BIDEN: I kind of wish sometimes there was cognitive impairment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Yeah, a lot of people say that the President did a really good job last night. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us live now from Washington. I
mean, there are those, Priscilla, who said that last night's speech really felt like more of a political address than a State of the Union address.
But I suppose in some ways that's really what it had to be, right, given what is at stake for Democrats right now, given what is at stake for the
President. Just give us your take on how well he did and how much he managed to allay concerns about his age and about what a second term
presidency from Joe Biden would actually look like.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, there's no doubt that this was a critical time for President Biden to deliver these remarks. Of
course, it came just a couple of days after Super Tuesday, after GOP candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the race.
So, this was a week that really crystallized what the campaign had been hoping for, which is making this election about President Biden going
against former President Donald Trump and all the stakes that come with that.
And so, these remarks were a moment for the President to package all of his accomplishments so far, the ones that he talks about when he has been on
the campaign trail and deliver it all at once. And what was interesting about these remarks was also the structure that he took these issues. He
kicked off his remarks by talking about Ukraine.
That has been a top issue for the President in trying to get House Republicans to take up a bill that would give Ukraine $60 billion in
additional aid and framing it as a way to not cede ground to Russian President Vladimir Putin. And in that way is how he began to draw the stark
contrast with former President Donald Trump and to the point where he referenced Donald Trump, not by name, but calling him his predecessor 13
times.
So, that really gives you the sense of how the President was thinking about this speech and using it to make his political points on foreign policy, on
domestic accomplishments like reproductive rights and also lowering health care costs and also on border security, an issue that Republicans have
seized on to try to attack President Biden.
But now one that he is trying to turn the tables on as he was heckled by Republicans during these remarks. But this was as much about style as it
was substance. And that is where Democratic strategists and Democratic lawmakers have been quite pleased. Obviously, there have been polls that
have shown deep concern among voters about the president's age and his acuity.
But this was an opportunity for him to show voters that he is strong, that he is ready for a second term.
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And Democratic lawmakers feel like he did just that. His campaign, thrilled by his performance yesterday and saying that this -- that Republicans have
been criticizing the President for being political in yesterday's speech, but not for being tired or low energy. So this was, again, something that
needed to come through in these remarks and that the President knew going in. He obviously spent weeks and hours rehearsing these remarks.
And that is what Democratic strategist lawmakers want to see on the campaign trail. Now, as you mentioned, the President is going to
Pennsylvania today, an important state and one that he has visited multiple times.
And then tomorrow, he'll go to Georgia where he only narrowly won that in - - in 2020 and will now be going up against former President Donald Trump, who, by the way, will also be in Georgia. So, another split screen moment
for these two candidates coming off what the Democrats in the campaign has seen as a win this week.
ASHER: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, live for us there. Thank you so much. The President talks a lot about domestic issues, but he also used the State
of the Union address last night to talk about foreign policy, as well. He focused a lot of his attention on what he called the gut-wrenching crisis
in Gaza. He said that humanitarian assistance cannot be used as a bargaining chip.
And he touted his plan to establish a temporary port in Gaza to deliver aid. The U.S. is joining allies, including the E.U., the UAE, Britain and
Cyprus, to open a maritime aid corridor to Gaza. The E.U. commission President visited the port of Narca today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, E.U. COMMISSION PRESIDENT: Despite all the challenges -- and this is truly inspiring -- we are now very close to the opening of
the corridor, hopefully this Saturday --this Sunday. And I'm very glad to see that an initial pilot operation will be launched today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Nada Bashir is in Cyprus for us, so, she joins us live now. So, the U.S. military really constructing this port to essentially ramp up
humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza. Just explain to us how much this ramps up and increases much needed supplies entering into Gaza. What sort
of difference will this make, do you think, Nada?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look, then, the fact that we are seeing international allies now taking this step after, of course, Gaza has been
under a blockade, particularly a sea blockade since 2007, really paints a picture as to how dire the situation inside Gaza is.
The hope is that this maritime corridor, that this port that is set to be built, this temporary port by the U.S. military, will significantly ramp up
the amount of humanitarian aid and, crucially, the amount of food and safe drinking water getting into Gaza.
Now, we've been speaking to people on the ground who have been participating in those preparations for the maritime corridor, and in
particular NGOs and aid agencies that have been already now preparing humanitarian supplies, crucially food, to be shipped to Gaza. But there are
still a lot of unknowns.
It's unclear how long this will take. We've heard from a U.S. official saying that it is expected to take weeks for that port to be fully
established. You heard there from Von Der Leyen saying that there are hopes that this maritime corridor can begin to be used as of Saturday or Sunday.
But, of course, this is a complex situation.
The security situation on the ground in Gaza has certainly raised concern when it comes to getting aid in. And we have heard from aid agencies, as
well as the United Nations, saying that while this will certainly provide an uptick in the amount of humanitarian supplies getting in, providing that
aid through land crossings is still the best way forward.
But they simply haven't been able to get enough aid across those land crossings, particularly around the Rafah border crossing, and, of course,
from crossings within Israel into Gaza. We did hear from the United Nations earlier this week, saying that some 40 percent of aid missions under the
U.N.'s coordination were either denied or obstructed by Israel last month.
And, of course, we have continued to see protesters physically blocking trucks from crossing from Israel into Gaza. And, of course, we continue to
see those prolonged closures of border crossings. So, there is a huge amount of pressure building from the International Community to see more
aid getting in. And, of course, we are hearing those warnings repeatedly now around the potential for Gaza to fall into an outright famine.
More than half a million people in Gaza, according to the United Nations, are now said to be at risk of starvation. So, as we know, the situation is
particularly desperate. You heard that in President Biden's address yesterday in the State of the Union address. We've been hearing that from
the U.S.' international allies, particularly in the European Union.
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This maritime corridor has been established with the coordination, with coordination with Israel. But, of course, as we have seen over the last few
weeks, the U.N. has also repeatedly accused Israel of intentionally obstructing aid from getting into the Gaza Strip.
President Biden has said himself there is simply no excuse for Israel not to allow more aid to get in. And while, of course, Israel has consistently
said it is allowing humanitarian aid to get in, the situation on the ground paints a very different picture. Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, children dying of hunger, mothers unable to feed their children, their children dying of starvation, their children dying of
starvation. People suffering from severe malnutrition right now in Gaza. Gaza on the brink of an unimaginable famine right now. Nada Bashir, live
for us there. Thank you so much.
All right, you're looking at all that is still visible of a U.K.-owned vessel. This is in the Red Sea. It's the first ship to actually sink -- to
actually sink as a result of an attack by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Houthi drone and missile attacks have targeted commercial shipping in the region
for months. Iran-backed Houthis say the attacks are a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
All right, still to come, there are more questions and answers. Ten years since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Could new
technology help locate the missing plane? We'll have the latest developments ahead and more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, it is one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries that has continued and gone on for 10 years and counting. For the families of
those who are on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the decade has been absolutely heartbreaking.
Today, some of them actually protested outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing, upset, distraught over the lack of progress in finding out what
exactly happened to their loved ones 10 years ago. Now, there are signs the Malaysian government may -- may be willing to renew the search for that
missing plane. Here's our Anna Coren with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Somewhere in the depths of this vast, seemingly endless Indian Ocean is believed to be the resting place
for the 239 souls on board MH370, the Boeing airliner that vanished a decade ago.
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Multiple searches spanning hundreds of thousands of square kilometers found nothing. Dozens of pieces of floating and washed up debris, the only
evidence of the 777. For the families and loved ones of those who made that fateful flight on the 8th of March 2014, from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, it
has been an agonizing 10 years. At a memorial in Malaysia, time has not eased their anguish and pain.
SARAH BAJC, PARTNER PHILIP WAS ONBOARD MH370: Families need closure. The world needs closure. And somebody needs to be held accountable.
COREN (voice-over): Sarah Bajc hasn't spoken to the media for many years. Her partner Phillip was on board MH370 and the search for answers consumed
her life, as it did for so many others who shared in the collective anger, frustration and grief.
BAJC: Waking up in the middle of the night and expecting him to be there, that still happened for a while. And maybe that's because of the lack of
closure.
COREN (voice-over): She believes closure only comes once MH370 is found. And there is now renewed pressure from the families and a verbal commitment
by the Malaysian government to reactivate the search.
UNKNOWN: This is the biggest mystery of aviation in the whole world. And we must solve this mystery. It is a commitment and a promise that the search
will go on.
COREN (voice-over): Malaysia has agreed to speak to Ocean Infinity, the U.S. Marine Robotics company that ended its last search in 2018. But world-
renowned aviation expert Richard Godfrey believes they'd be looking in the wrong place again. Armed with new information from the latest technology,
he believes he knows the coordinates of the crash site and the area they need to search, 1500 kilometers off the coast of Perth.
RICHARD GODFREY, AVIATION ENGINEER: I think it will only take one more search -- search technology has improved. The crash location has been more
narrowly defined. It will take them, I think, just a few weeks to find MH370.
COREN (voice-over): A bold statement, yet one families cling to. Jiang Hui, who lost his mother on MH370, has taken Malaysia Airlines to court on
behalf of the Chinese families that represent nearly two-thirds of the victims. He says he knows his hard-working mother, who instilled the same
ethos in him, is driving her son to find the truth.
COREN (voice-over): I can find her shadow in me, he says. Whatever I am doing now is what my mother wants me to do. As for Sarah, the trauma has
forced her to rebuild her life, running an eco-tourism resort in Panama with her new husband. But she says on this day, her thoughts are always
with Philip.
BAJC: I make my coffee exactly like Philip used to drink it, and I sit and I think about him and maybe look at some pictures, and then I put it away.
You know, I don't think that you can effectively walk forward. You can't walk forward with positivity and confidence if you're always looking
backwards.
COREN (voice-over): Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, joining us live now is CNN's very own Richard Quest. He's the anchor of Quest Means Business, and he quite literally, by the way,
wrote the book on the MH370 tragedy. It is called "The Vanishing of Flight MH370". He joins us live now from New York.
Richard, so obviously you can't sort of relive this story without thinking about the hundreds of families here who have had to go without closure for
over a decade, I can only imagine. But ten years on since this flight went missing, what do we know for sure? What do we know for sure, Richard, about
what actually happened on that day, March 8th, 2014?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: I can be honest. Just go back to the two or three files, well, the large voluminous files that were
produced by the various authorities at the time. What can we know for sure? We know that the plane took off. We know it headed towards Beijing.
We know roughly within an hour of it being taken off, somehow the transponder was switched off. The plane then turned round, went back over
Peninsular Malaysia, round Indonesia, and then off down into the South Indian Ocean. Crashed roughly about seven hours later when the fuel was
exhausted.
Now, look, don't buy a bridge from anybody who tells you we know more than that. Yes, parts of the plane have washed up in reunion exactly where the
experts said they would be. At the time they said in about a year, bits of the plane will wash up on the other side of the ocean.
[12:20:00]
And they did. And they've been confirmed to be part of the plane. Some of that suggests it broke up as it hit the water.
Others say, there you are, that's the flapper on. And how it actually went into the water. Did it get ripped off? Was it smashed in? And that's it. We
do -- I'm going to say this slowly. We do not know why the plane stopped transmitting, made the turn and went down. There are a million and one
theories. Everything from pilot suicide, through to hijacking, through to fire from lithium, through to decompression.
ASHER: Right, so we really don't know much. And, of course, at this point in time the priority of the families is trying to get --
QUEST: Right.
ASHER: -- the search going again. So, just in terms of what sort of technology is needed, I mean, just listening to Anna Coren's piece there,
she was talking to one expert who said that the technology has really advanced from where it was ten years ago. But what sort of technology is
needed at this point to really pinpoint --
QUEST: Yeah.
ASHER: -- where the remains are of this plane? Especially given that it could be, as many people believe, miles. Fragments of it could be miles
under the ocean at this point.
QUEST: Oh, no, it could be years, five or six miles down in terrain that looks like land. I mean, in valleys or things. The big difference now,
remember at the time they were towing sonar buoys up and down, all tethered. It took hours to do it.
Well, now, of course, robotics. Submarine drones you can put into the water. Many, many more drones, sub drones, that will search a much bigger
area with much greater sensitivity. They can go right down to the bottom. They can do a much more detail.
And then you have A.I., which can then interpret what's being seen and immediately say, oh, hang on, that looks like -- so there is a greater
confidence, credibility in the search. And then finally -- but you know, here's an interesting point.
Even if they find it, you're still going to end up with something like this. This is a black box. It's not the one obviously, it's something like
this. And you're still going to have to bring this up to the surface. And you're going to have to hope that they should have lasted 10 years. They're
very well made. That this will give away the real secrets.
ASHER: Right.
QUEST: Otherwise, you'll be bringing bits of the plane up. You will be seeing what likely happened. You will be doing forensic examinations to see
how did that bit rip off, what's left. Did it go -- awful to talk about.
ASHER: But the answers are really with the black box, as you point out. I mean that is supposed to give you concrete information about what actually
happened here.
QUEST: The black -- the flight date recorder, the cockpit voice recorder, and some crucial bits of fragments, that will tell us what happened. The
new technology is the answer. I always said they'll find it, and they will. Maybe not in my lifetime or yours, but they'll find it.
ASHER: Maybe not, but hopefully soon, so the families can have closure. Richard Quest, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still to
come, it should be time for celebration, but on International Women's Day, billions across the globe are still fighting for their basic rights.
Ahead, my conversation with the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood's Action Fund. And later, decorations are all set. Now, all we need are the
stars and the statues. A preview of Hollywood's biggest night, the Oscars, of course, coming up this weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World", I'm Zain Asher. Today marks International Women's Day, but for more than four billion people around the
globe, being female comes with significant challenges. The percentage of men and women living on the planet is roughly equal, but that's just in
numbers only.
While women and girls are not a statistical minority, they of course do not share the same power, the same privileges, rights and opportunities as the
other half of the population, with gender inequality a real problem worldwide. That can actually vary significantly based solely on geography,
and in some regions, being female can cost you your life.
A new United Nations report shows the female genital mutilations has actually increased globally by 15 percent in the past eight years, a
practice described by the U.N. as inhumane, degrading, barbaric, and at times, of course, deadly.
But even in highly industrialized developed nations, the hard-fought rights of women and girls are slowly eroding. Here in the U.S., the man who might
be North Carolina's next governor is facing backlash for these controversial comments he made several years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ROBINSON, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, NORTH CAROLINA: I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn't vote. Do you know why? Because in
those days, we had people who fought for real social change, and they were called Republicans. That's the America we want to bring back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: American women are already losing other rights, as well. They no longer have protection under the Constitution if they decide to get an
abortion, following last year's Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and Alabama is taking that one step further. The state's top court
just recently ruled that frozen embryos are considered children and deserve the same protections under the law, causing some fertility clinics to close
their doors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIA RUMBLEY, ALABAMA MOTHER WHO HAS FROZEN EMBRYOS: I mean, I was angry, but I wasn't surprised because it's one of those things that we've
been expecting to come down the line once Roe was overturned. We're going to move our embryos. We have to move them. I don't feel like they're safe
here.
I'm afraid that the more they get away with overreaching, they're going to continue overreaching. If they have the same rights as one of my children
who's born, there's really nothing stopping them from at any point coming in and saying that we're neglecting them or abusing them in some way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Time now for The Exchange. A woman who has been on the front lines fighting for social and racial justice, Alexis McGill, joins us live now.
She's the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood's Actions Fund and is taking part in CNN's "As Equals" initiative.
[12:30:00]
Alexis, thank you so much for being with us. So, just worth noting, as I talked about Alabama there, that Alabama did actually pass IVF immunity
law. But still, I mean, this is a scary time for this country. How concerned are you that what happened in Alabama could be replicated in
other parts of the country, as well?
ALEXIS MCGILL JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, CEO, PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FRAUD: Well, obviously we are very concerned about what could happen in Alabama
transferring into other countries. The real question we have to be asking is why did it happen in the first place, right?
Why is it that a state Supreme Court justice using, you know, essentially a theocratic manual decided that embryos are children and that we should no
longer have access to IVF services in the way in which we have modernly practiced IVF over the last few years?
Watching that language that we have seen evolve around personhood bills across this country should be incredibly alarming. And we need only relate
that to the fact that the Dobbs decision just less than two years ago has not only made abortion bans, make abortion out of reach for so many people
across this country in 21 states, third of all women, but they've also made pregnancy more dangerous.
They've also criminalized miscarriage. So, you know, to the earlier quote, you know, why should we be surprised when essentially they are telling us
exactly what they think about us and what they think about us is that we are not equal.
ASHER: It's interesting, isn't it? Because, you know, so many people just politically look at this, and obviously this is going to be a hotly
contested presidential election year. So, many people look at this and say that, you know, this is not going to be a winning issue for Republicans. It
just isn't going to be.
And we've seen what happened in the mid-term elections just a couple of years ago. Why is it that this has been the focus for the Republican Party?
I mean, this is obviously a scary time in America for reproductive rights, but why have they taken up this issue just to sort of get you to answer the
very question that you were posing there?
MCGILL JOHNSON: Well, again, I don't have an answer for why they're taking it up politically because it is not a winning issue, and we have
demonstrated at every turn that reproductive freedom is on the ballot. We win, right? The people who are champions for reproductive freedom show up
and they show out because they understand how fundamental that freedom is or set of freedoms are for, you know, our lives, our careers, our families,
and for democracy itself.
I think that, you know, what it says to me is that, you know, the leaders of the Republican Party are also out of line with where their constituents
are, right? That they are actually being driven to extremes by a, you know, a theocratic majority that really wants them to use the levers of
government and do it in a way that is going to force their view of Christian nationalism onto every, you know, every person across America.
And, you know, again, it's not popular, right? We know that eight out of ten Americans believe that we should be able to make private medical
decisions ourselves in concert with our, you know, families, with our providers, and that we don't want politicians in the middle of our
decisions around IVF, right?
We don't want them in the middle of our decisions around whether and when we become parents. And yet, they are not able to hold their constituents,
or their constituents are holding them to an extreme that goes beyond.
ASHER: Last night at the President's State of the Union address, just looking at who some of the sort of high-ranking Democrats brought as
guests, it was interesting. They brought Elizabeth Carr, the first person in the U.S. to be born via IVF, Amanda Zurawski, a Texas woman who nearly
died of septic shock when she was denied a medically necessary abortion, and also, among others, Kate Cox, who had to flee to Texas to get an
abortion after she learned that her child, her baby had -- her fetus, rather, had a fatal chromosome condition.
I mean, obviously, Democrats have really woken up to the fact that this is not a popular issue for ordinary women in America, ordinary women who are
championing and who want to champion reproductive rights. What can they do at this pivotal time, do you think, Alexis?
MCGILL JOHNSON: Yeah, well, first of all, I was lucky to be there as a guest of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and it is true. One in ten
House Democrats actually had leaders and patients and providers of the reproductive rights and freedom movement just to be there to bear witness
to the incredible speech that the President gave, which was clear and unapologetic and very forceful, not only around how we needed to restore
Roe, but literally the idea that we need to build Roe back better in a way that expands access and protections for women all the way across the board.
[12:35:00]
The idea that we need to build Roe back better in a way that expands access and protections for women all the way across the board. You know, I think
what people understand right now is the fact that abortion bans are deeply unpopular, they are deeply undemocratic, they are deeply unsafe, and the
only way, right, that we are able to both support a governing majority in this --in '24 is to vote, is to organize, is to ensure that people have all
of the education around what is coming next, all right?
It's not just abortion bans, it's not just IVF. They're looking for a national abortion ban and they're really trying to build up a strategy
around power and control. And I thought it was very, very clear. I thought the President was incredibly clear and very forceful in drawing the
distinction between abortion bans and reproductive rights and the fundamental fight for democracy and freedom.
And I know that there are so many Americans out here who saw that, who heard that message and understood that it's really about our political
power. It is our electoral and political power, as he used the words of the Supreme Court justices back on them, to say it is about our power that
really will decide our future. And so, that's my takeaway from the State of the Union and I think it was a clear message that the President sent.
ASHER: When you look at what's happening just in terms of, you know, the erosion of reproductive rights or the attempted erosion of reproductive
rights in this country, just walk us through from your perspective how that compares to sort of the global backlash when it comes to gender equality
around the world. You think about what's happening in France where just the idea of enshrining abortion rights in the constitution. Just give us your
take on that.
MCGILL JOHNSON: I mean, it's an incredible parallel this week, right, that we literally are having France with language such as enshrining a
guaranteed freedom. We have language our own, right, around inalienable rights, but as the President noted, you know, we have been fighting for
these democratic ideals of equality and yet we haven't fully realized them and that we need to continue to fight to actually make them real.
You have Ireland taking proactive measures to modernize its constitution around a vision that is consistent with women's equality right now. And so,
we're watching, you know, country after country move forward and yet we look here in the United States and we see a state like Alabama moving
backwards on IVF. We see states like Texas and Idaho suing the federal government to not provide so they don't have to provide emergency abortion
care when patients are in danger.
So, the reality is quite stark, but I think it continues to be a reminder that all of the rights and the fights that we have seen overseas are rights
that have come through movement, right? Rights that have been hard fought by communities coming together, organizing, and continuing to demonstrate
to their elected what they want and what they need to live free and equal lives.
And I think it is no different than the work that we need to continue to do here and remind people that these rights are never settled, that we will
have to continue to litigate and relitigate these for every single generation so we don't go back in the way that we have in the last two
years.
ASHER: All right, Alexis McGill, life for us there. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
MCGILL JOHNSON: Thank you.
ASHER: All right, still to come here on "One World", he was once the most feared fighter in the entire world, but that was actually more than two
decades ago. So, why exactly is Mike Tyson heading back into the boxing ring at the age of 57? We'll explain after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Fifty-seven-year-old Mike Tyson, boxing legend known for his vicious knockouts and ear bites, by the way, is getting back in the ring. He will
be taking on 27-year-old YouTube celebrity Jake Paul, who has a nine to one record as a boxer. Tyson, by the way, has not fought professionally since
2005.
The fight is going to be taking place July 20th in the huge stadium that ordinarily hosts Dallas Cowboys football games. It will be aired live on
Netflix and is likely, of course, generate millions of dollars for both of these guys. Patrick Snell joins us live now from Atlanta with more on this.
Listen, Patrick, the last time Mike Tyson fought professionally, I was a kid, okay? I was a kid. Does he still have it?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD: I was kind of a kid, but not really, maybe in spirit. Yeah, 2005, yeah, I'm going to give the year -- 2005 was the last
time he fought professionally. It remains to be seen. He's approaching 60, still 57, but he will be 60 before too long. But look, this hype -- the
hype machine around all of this is really ramping up already.
July 20th is the date for your diary -- 80,000 is the capacity of the AT&T arena in Texas. It's home of the Cowboys, as you say. Iron Mike Tyson, the
former world heavyweight champ of the world, iconic legend of the sport, someone who's widely considered to be one of the best boxers of all time.
But as you say, he's up against the 20-something-year-old -- 27-year-old Jake Paul, internet celebrity turned pro boxer. You mentioned this hype,
but I tell you what, there's massive amounts of money, I would imagine, for both men likely on the table. It's going to be fascinating to see how that
all plays out.
I will say Paul is a very interesting story in his own right. He transitioned from YouTube, going on to win nine of his ten fights to date.
His only defeat coming, I will say, was against Tommy Fury, the younger half-brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury. That was in February last
year. You really do sense, though, that he's a genuine. He has this genuine passion and love of boxing. He wants to be taken seriously. He flexes his
muscles there. He's worked hard to try and achieve that.
I want to get to a statement from Paul, because it's interesting. It gives good insight. He says, "My sights are set on becoming a world champ, Zain,
and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavy weight champ ever, the baddest man on the planet, and the most dangerous boxer of
all time. This will be the fight of a lifetime, I told you, Zain, the hype is already reaching -- three or four months to go.
ASHER: As you point out, though, 80,000 is the capacity for the stadium. So, gosh, I mean, this is going to be the fight to watch. So, you were
talking about the age gap, right, which we can't overstate. Jake Paul in his 20s. Mike Tyson is almost 60. So, what has Mike Tyson been doing at
this point just to ready himself, to prepare himself?
SNELL: He's -- if you look at his social media, Zain, it's very interesting. He still looks in robust, formidable shape. If the images are
up to date, he looks absolutely in great shape, I will say. But as we discussed earlier, he lasts for professionally almost -- it's amazing.
Almost two decades ago, 20 years ago almost, he does have an overall career record of 50 and six -- 44 of his wins coming away of knockouts.
[12:45:00]
He is, of course, a boxing hall of famer. He did come out of retirement, I will say, to face Roy Jones, Jr. That was in an exhibition match. It was a
controversial split decision draw in the end, back in 2020. Interesting what Tyson has to say about Jake Paul. Iron Mike saying that Paul, in his
opinion, has grown significantly as a boxer over the years, adding, quote, "It will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a kid can do
against the experience and aptitude of a goat."
Goat meaning greatest of all time, and you're going to love this, Zain. Tyson then adding, and this is typical Iron Mike Tyson, really ominous, I
started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones, and now I plan to finish him. Zain, if you had to pick a winner, who
might it be? I'm kind of leaning towards Tyson.
ASHER: Yes, me too, based on the experience, and he called him a kid. Ouch. Called him a kid.
SNELL: Yeah, the battle lines have been drawn already.
ASHER: They certainly have. Patrick Snell, live for us there. Always good to see you, my friend.
SNELL: Thank you.
ASHER: We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Sunday night will be the biggest night of the year, of course, in Hollywood. The Oscars are being handed out and everyone is predicting that
of course, the big winner will be "Oppenheimer". The three-hour biopic that took box office by storm over the summer is the favorite in Best Actor,
Best Director, Best Picture and several other categories, as well.
The toughest race to call right now may actually be Best Actress. We have the awards pundits say it's simply too close to call between Lily Gladstone
from "Killers of the Flower Moon" and Emma Stone for "Poor Things". And as for the biggest hit of the year, "Barbie", its best chances for an Oscar
win are probably in the Best Song or Best Costume categories after snubs for Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie.
Joining us live now to dive deeper into this weekend's award show is entertainment journalist Michael Musto of the Village Voice. Michael, thank
you so much for being with us. Let's talk about Oppenheimer. When you think about Christopher Nolan's greatest hits, "Inception", "Interstellar", "The
Dark Knight", "Memento", I mean, this really is his time, right, this weekend?
MICHAEL MUSTO, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST, "VILLAGE VOICE": Yes, absolutely. He's had nominations before he has never won. This is a huge commercial
hit. And some people actually found it as a double bill with Barbie. They called it Barbenheimer.
ASHER: Yes, I remember.
[12:50:00]
MUSTO: Two very different movies, but both very financially successful. It's a very serious look at the founder of the atomic bomb. I thought it
was a little too long, but not as overlong as the Martin Scorsese film that's also nominated. But it's definitely Nolan's moment.
ASHER: Yeah, and so, yes, you know, just in terms of what everyone's betting, we all know, listen, it's in the bag, right, for "Oppenheimer",
basically, at this point. But in terms of the races that are tougher to call, I mean, what are your -- take -- what's your thoughts on Best
Actress, for example? Will it be Emma Stone or will it be Lily Gladstone?
MUSTO: It's a very good category. My personal choice is Annette Bening, who has never won, and she was brilliant as Swimmer Diana Nyad in "Nyad", but
she's like always the bridesmaid, like Glenn Close. She's not getting it over with. Sandra Uhler, a very respected German actress, is also brilliant
in "Anatomy of a Fall", a courtroom drama.
But, as you say, the choices between Emma Stone, who's won before, she won for "La La Land". She's terrific in "Poor Things". She plays a kind of
Bride of Frankenstein slash Eliza Doolittle. She's reanimated by a mad scientist, and she has no idea how to behave in society. But then you have
Lily Gladstone, who I'm predicting.
She's the star of Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon", and she plays a -- Osage County Indian, sorry, Native American, who is married to Leonardo
DiCaprio's character, who's kind of bumping off her relatives for money. It's based on real occurrences. Lily, if she wins, would be the first
indigenous actor to win a competitive Oscar. And that's one of the reasons I think she's going for it.
ASHER: I mean, and that would be significant. That would be certainly historic. So, Jimmy Kimmel is hosting again, you know. So, obviously, we've
seen him host before. You've also got the fact that we know, I think it's fair to say that we know, we know that "Oppenheimer" is probably going to
win Best Picture.
And so, when you have an award ceremony where there aren't as many surprises, how do you still make -- this is for the producers of the show.
How do you still make it enticing for the audience?
MUSTO: Well, first of all, there'll be the five best nominated songs, which include two songs from Barbie. Ryan Gosling is going to do his Ken number,
and Billie Eilish is going to do her number. I think she's going to win. That's her second Oscar, believe it or not. She's in her 20s. I'm very
jealous.
But in addition to that, it's all about the spontaneity and the speeches and not just people pulling out a piece of paper from their cleavage and
reading a list of names, but that moment of real triumph and joy, and also generosity, and sometimes political opinions, as well. And that's what's
going to sell the Oscars.
Plus the fact that even though Oppenheimer is going to sweep so many categories, and that's a lot, by the way, it was seen by a lot of people.
It's not like one of those years where nobody saw the winner. Even I'm scratching my head, like, what movie was that?
And "Barbie", of course, was huge. It really saved the movie industry. And so, even the presence of "Barbie" in different categories and with the
songs is going to make a difference in the ratings.
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, listen, when you don't have Will Smith or Chris Rock, I mean, it is harder work in a way to get people to watch the Oscars,
unlike 10 years ago. I mean, it's a completely different ballgame. Getting tens of millions of people to sit down and watch the Oscars on network
television is not what it used to be.
So, you point out there are sort of various -- various, you know, surprises potentially in terms of the way people deliver their speeches. Obviously,
you have "Oppenheimer" which is a beloved movie. But really, in terms of getting people to watch this year, what is going to be the secret sauce?
MUSTO: Well, let me just say, I could do without the violence that happened.
ASHER: Right, right.
MUSTO: But maybe people are actually perversely enough watching, hoping for some outburst like that. That set a new low bar, and yet we all watched it
like a car accident. But I mean, there are going to be huge celebrities in the presenters, in the nominees.
It's a real Super Bowl for people like me. And there's no way that people are not going to tune in. I think things are turning around where people
are actually interested in the Oscars again. The only problem is it's a bit of an anticlimax --
ASHER: Right.
MUSTO: -- because it's come after the Globes, after the SAG Awards. It's always the last word, but it's the best word. It's always the most
glamorous word. And I'll be glued to it.
ASHER: Yes, as will I. Michael Musto, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
MUSTO: Thank you.
ASHER: The Oscars, of course, are not just a celebration of top films. The star-studded event is arguably the biggest fashion show of the year, as
well. Here you see what some stars wore at red carpet events leading up to Sunday's show.
The nominees and their stylists spend a lot of time -- a lot of time and effort, by the way, getting ready for the glitz and glamour of the awards
night. One celebrity stylist says that traditional ball gowns and pantsuits will actually lightly top this year's looks.
[12:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER AUSTIN, CELEBRITY STYLIST: We always have our rule when it comes to the Oscars. We're going to see, you're going to get their standard,
traditional ball gowns. We're going to see a lot of long -- we're going to see a lot of long gowns. But honestly, what I also think we're going to
see, I believe we're going to see a lot of pantsuits on women.
KATIE O'MAILEY, ELLE U.K. SITE DIRECTOR: I think Carey Mulligan has shown the sophisticated chic glamour that you can bring, whether it be an Armani
Prive dress or a Dior dress. Emma Stone as well has been a real champion of color.
And I think Lily Gladstone and Sandra Hula, as well. They have just shown what it means to be not only excited by being at an awards show, I know
Lily Gladstone, it's her first Oscar nomination, but also they're bringing that injection of excitement when it comes with the fashion, as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: So, get your popcorn ready and your critics hat out. Oscars will be airing this Sunday. I certainly will be watching. All right, before we
leave you, a quick programming note for you. Starting Monday, CNN International will feature a new line-up in the Europe primetime hours.
Amanpour and Isa Soares tonight remain at their current times, but at 3 o'clock Eastern Time, that's 9 P.M. Central European Time, CNN "Newsroom"
with Jim Sciutto will debut, followed by Quest Means Business at a new time of 4 o'clock Eastern Time, that is 10 P.M. if you're watching from Central
Europe.
All right, that does it for this hour of "One World". I'm Zain Asher. We appreciate you watching. Amanpour is up next. Enjoy your weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
