Return to Transcripts main page

One World with Zain Asher

Violence In Haiti Continues; America's Push For Peace Suffers A Major Setback At The U.N.; Hundreds Of Migrants Breach A Border Razor Wire Fence In El Paso, Texas. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired March 22, 2024 - 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)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Blinken is wheels up, leaving Israel, and a resolution for a ceasefire has been shut down.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: ONE WORLD starts right now. For the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began, the U.S. is calling for a ceasefire

at the United Nations. We'll tell you what went down and how it failed.

ASHER: And shutdown averted. Moments ago, the U.S. House passed a spending bill that will keep the government running. We'll look at what happens

next.

GOLODRYGA: And Donald Trump needs half a billion dollars, and he needs it fast. Could a huge new business deal be the answer to his prayers? Hello

everyone, live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You are indeed watching ONE WORLD. All right, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as I speak, is on his way back to

Washington after another round of intense diplomatic talks in the Middle East. His trip, all part of a three-pronged effort by Washington to address

the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

GOLODRYGA: Blinken departed Tel Aviv just a short time ago after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's war

cabinet. He was in the region on what is now his sixth visit since the October 7th Hamas attacks to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to try

and deter Israeli invasion into Rafah, and to see for the release of hostages. But before he departed, Blinken spoke to the press. Here's what

he said just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've made progress in the last couple of weeks on the hostage negotiations, closing gaps, but almost by

definition, when you get down to the last items, they tend to be the hardest. So, there's still a lot of work to be done -- hard work to be

done. But we're determined to try to get it done."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: But America's push for peace suffered a major setback at the U.N. earlier. Russia and China both vetoed a U.S.-led resolution calling for an

immediate and sustained ceasefire that was meant to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.

GOLODRYGA: It was the first time Washington authored a resolution calling for a pause in the conflict after vetoing three previous attempts. The U.S.

Ambassador slammed the veto as outrageous, but vowed the diplomatic efforts would continue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: The United States, Egypt and Qatar are working around the clock in the region to

secure an immediate and sustained ceasefire. We believe we're close. We're not there yet, unfortunately. Colleagues, you don't need me to tell you

that every day without a deal, meaning every day without a ceasefire, leads to more needless suffering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Washington for us. And Richard Roth joins us live from the United Nations. So, a first since the war began,

Richard, for the United States. Nonetheless, it was met with a veto vote from Russia and China. I guess they objected to this being an immediate and

sustained ceasefire as opposed to a permanent ceasefire. Walk us through what happened this morning.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Each side could pick out an issue such as Hamas, hostages, Gaza, Ramadan and put them into the blender

and you can easily get an objection. We've had the U.S. already veto three of these resolutions. They're trading resolutions here. Now, the French say

they will indeed come up with their own.

The 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council will have a different text that maybe others can agree with, since it's not either Moscow or

Washington. But the U.S. Ambassador told the Security Council, besides being outraged, she pointed out the cynicism of Russia and China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS-GRRENFIELD: Russia and China still could not bring itself to condemn Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7th. Can we just pause on that

for a moment? Russia and China refuses to condemn Hamas for burning people alive, for gunning down innocent civilians at a concert, for raping women

and girls, for taking hundreds of people hostage. This was the deadliest single attack on Jews since the Holocaust. And a permanent member of this

Council can't even condemn it. I'm sorry, it's really outrageous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The Russian Ambassador said the U.S. was trying to win political points and throw a bone to the U.S. or to allies on the Council.

[12:05:00]

China felt the U.S. text was not balanced. Here at the U.N., this has been going on for months. Since the start of the war on October 7th, there

hasn't been a resolution passed by this Security Council.

GOLODRYGA: I mean, the Security Council can't even condemn Hamas for the attacks of October 7th. And now, once again, they are at a crossroads and

can't get anything resolved on this point. Time is of the essence. Richard Roth, thank you.

ASHER: And all of this happening, of course, just as Antony Blinken just left Tel Aviv. CNN's Oren Liebermann joining us live now at the Pentagon.

So, Oren, just in terms of the meetings that Antony Blinken had in Israel, I mean, obviously there are a lot of demands right now from the U.S. in

terms of Israel holding off on that incursion into Rafah and also trying to get more desperately aid -- desperately needed aid into Gaza. Obviously,

for Blinken, this cannot have been the easiest of meetings. Walk us through it.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: So, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then he met

with the War Cabinet.

You're absolutely right that those were two of the big topics here -- humanitarian aid -- he at least got statements of commitment to allow in

and facilitate the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. At this short press conference he held right before boarding his plane, he said that a

hundred percent of Gazans are suffering from food insecurity and more aid needs to get in.

The U.S. has been pressuring Israel on this. There have been airdrops, but those are just a drop in the bucket of the aid needed. The U.S. now trying

to or in the process of building a floating pier to get that aid in, but it's clear the U.S. is pushing Israel to do more to get humanitarian aid

in, to get food in, and to get more supplies that are desperately needed in Gaza to the population there. On the flip side of that is the conversations

about potential Israeli ground operation into Rafah.

The U.S. says it's not the way to do this. And we heard that from Blinken in the statements he made and in that short press conference he held before

boarding the flight, the U.S. is trying to push Israel in a different direction, to more targeted, smaller and more precise operations, but that

frankly has been an ongoing effort since the beginning of the war, and we haven't seen that truly materialize across Israeli operations in Gaza.

So, it's also worth noting that in the statements from both Netanyahu and another member of the war cabinet, Benny Gantz, they both said, look, to

destroy Hamas, to accomplish our goal of completing this war, it is necessary for Israel to go into Rafah.

So, Israel clearly stating there will be some form of ground operation into Rafah, and that very much concerns Washington on what you do with nearly

one and a half million Palestinians who are in that area.

It's worth noting that Netanyahu even said, look, this has to happen, and effectively if we have to do it alone, we will do it alone there. So, very

much a statement about Israel's intentions here with the war in its fifth month.

ASHER: Yeah, Blinken also saying that, look, if Israel does go into Rafah, that risks Israel's further isolation in the region. Oren Liebermann, live

for us there. Thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: Our next guest is a former Middle East negotiator for the USA Department and a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International

Peace, Aaron David Miller. Welcome to ONE WORLD.

So, let's pick up there with Rafah. You know, from everything I've read, from everyone I've spoken to, Israel is not close to being in a position to

be able to even enter Rafah, not to mention the hesitation and the pushback that they're getting from Washington and really around the world.

So, given that, and given that, you know, regardless of what Prime Minister Netanyahu says, go it alone or not, Israel does depend on the United States

for military aid and assistance largely. So, is this more political posturing at home for him to be able to say something domestically as

opposed to any short term incursion that we're expected to see? Because it doesn't seem like that's going to be likely.

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMET MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: You know, every press conference the prime minister gives, he mentions the

importance, the need to, for total victory and they need to go into Rafah. The IDF is not ready to do that. It's weeks, if not longer away. You'll

have two high-ranking Israeli officials, Ron Dermer and Zafian Negby, coming to Washington. Neither of them are military experts --

GOLODRYGA: Right.

MILLER: -- which is quite odd. And then you're going to have Minister of Defense Gallant come later in the week to talk to Secretary Austin. So, the

question is, are they really coming with a detailed, serious plan for a ground campaign and a pre-emptory effort to deal with or pre-empt the

humanitarian catastrophe should they operate that ground campaign in such a densely populated area?

So, I think right now it's politics. But Bianna, let's be clear. This is not just Benjamin Netanyahu. This is the vast majority of the Israeli

people, public, on Rafah, and it's Benny Gantz and Gagdi Yusuf, both of whom believe that some kind of operation, campaign, serious, significant

campaign in Rafah is necessary to deal with the remaining -- the remnants of Hamas's organized military infrastructure.

[12:10:00]

ASHER: Yeah, Benny Gantz describing an incursion into Rafah as absolutely imperative. Just in terms of Antony Blinken, I mean, this is his sixth

visit to the Middle East, sixth visit to the region. What would you say were his most substantial achievements with all those trips since the war

began?

MILLER: I think, frankly, that it's almost impossible to produce a metric or some transformational or even transactional achievement that could move

the needle. He's doing what George Shultz, one of my former bosses, suggested, that you need to tend the garden. And Blinken has been there six

times. By the time this is over, let alone the post-conflict diplomacy that hopefully will follow, he's going to be a frequent visitor and you ought to

pack a few more shirts in his briefcase.

The reality is, though, let's be very clear. The one consequential thing that is taking place, in my judgment, the only way to surge humanitarian

assistance into Gaza, free some of the hostages, break, perhaps, the battlefield momentum for a time being, is an Israeli Hamas deal in Doha.

If the Biden administration cannot get that, and Bill Burns' close relationship with David Barnett, the Mossad Chief who's been working on

this -- CIA Director. If they can't get that, then you might as well hang a "Closed for the Season" sign on America's options in Gaza. Because what you

have now is the insurmountable challenges of trying to surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Can't do that.

You've got the prospect of a ground campaign in Rafah. And you've got a failed effort in New York to even do a station identification Security

Council resolution. Plus, the politics on this issue, as both of you know, are not heading in the right direction. The Republicans are bringing

Benjamin Netanyahu in from the cold. So, the headlines here are not great. And the trend lines are even worse. They need that Israel-Hamas deal. It's

key.

GOLODRYGA: On that point, is there enough pressure, you think, on Hamas? Are they in a position to finally agree to a deal? Because the last few

weeks, reporting suggests that Israel had been willing to meet some of their demands for a temporary six-week ceasefire that would see over 40

hostages released.

And Hamas seems to keep moving the goalpost. It appears that the latest demand is that they would like to see some residents return back to the

north. Israel does not seem open to that, yet, at least when it comes to the return of military-aged men. And what, if anything, do you think can be

done to get Hamas to that point of pressure, where they finally will agree to this deal?

MILLER: You know, you have one guy, Yahya Sinwar, communicating how they're communicating with one another by courier, clearly, because the

Israelis are trying to pick up any SIGINT intelligence to identify where Sinwar is. You have one guy, Yahya Sinwar, meters, 20, 30 meters below

ground, either in Khan Younis or Rafah, sitting there trying to figure out what to do.

The Israelis killed one of the four top Hamas military officials, Marwan Yassin, in an airstrike. They're still pressing in Khan Younis. It may well

be that Sinwar believes now is the time to reach a deal, or alternatively he sees U.S. pressure on Israel building, the International Community

pressure on Israel building. Maybe he thinks by holding out he can improve the terms of the deal.

I think the inconvenient reality here is that neither the government of Israel nor Hamas sees a whole lot of urgency in cutting this deal. And

unfortunately, or fortunately, it's the administration who seems to be in a hurry, and it's understandably -- it's understandable why.

GOLODRYGA: You mean the Biden administration?

MILLER: The Biden administration, correct.

GOLODRYGA: Listen, we've been in this place so many times, these poor families, and then of course the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There needs

to be some sort of pause for them to get aid in and for these hostages to come home. Secretary of State Blinken says it's gotten down to a few

remaining gaps, but this is still a very difficult negotiation. Aaron David Miller, thank you.

ASHER: Thank you.

MILLER: Thanks.

[12:15:00]

GOLODRYGA: Thank you.

ASHER: All right, the U.S. House has just passed a funding bill that would avert a partial government shutdown. The $1.2 trillion spending package now

goes to the Senate.

GOLODRYGA: And some House Republicans are not happy about the government funding bill. Just seconds after the bill passed, Georgia Representative

Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to oust the House Speaker Mike Johnson. Moments ago, she spoke on the steps of the Capitol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: I won't give you a number, but I've talked to many who probably won't go public, but silently they're

breathing a sigh of relief. Everyone is, you can look at the numbers and the votes of this. This bill was passed without a majority of Republicans.

This is a --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right, let's bring in Sunlen Serfaty, who's standing by on Capitol Hill. So, Mike Johnson not necessarily reacting to that, but I do

want to talk about this funding bill. Twelve hours to go until the deadline. It now goes to the Senate. And Chuck Schumer really telling

members, listen, we have to get this through. No dilly dallying, no slowing things down.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Zain. This bill cleared its first hurdle over here on Capitol Hill today by

passing the House. But it has a next big hurdle immediately in front of them, and that's passing in the Senate now 12 hours before that midnight

deadline.

And you did hear from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer really firing a little bit of a warning shot to his members saying, look, please be in

compliance today. This is important. And he said directly to the members, if an individual senator shows partisanship or dithers here, it will almost

certainly go into a partial government shutdown.

And that is because the Senate rules, in essence, all 100 senators have to agree to move forward to the bill. And that takes agreement from 100

politicians up here and some who have in the past, we've shown the desire to, in essence, gum up the work, slow things down, offer amendments. They

don't have time for that today because they have wasted so much time leading to this point, getting to this point that they're so close to the

deadline.

So, the Senate Majority Leader, as well as the minority leader, Mitch McConnell, came to the floor. He says time to finish this up now. They do

not want this to slip into a partial government shutdown over the weekend. So, we'll see very soon, at least on the Senate side, what happens if

there's an indication from any one individual senator that they'll stand in the way of the voting from going forward.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And someone it's worth noting that the bill in the House had more Democratic support than it had Republican support. Now, it

ultimately passed. But we did hear about Marjorie Taylor Greene filing a motion to vacate, saying that Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, effectively

capitulated to Democrats. What happens now? And is his job really in jeopardy?

SERFATY: Bianna, you're so smart to pull up those numbers because there's so much that we can learn from the numbers. One hundred and one -- excuse

me -- 101 Republicans voted for this bill. One hundred and twelve Republicans voted against this bill. You had a hundred and eighty five

Democrats voting for the bill.

So yes, it is true that you had this bill being brought over the finish line by Democratic support. And that's why we saw a lot of consternation

leading up to the vote, a lot of frustration among House Republicans with Speaker Johnson.

So, we heard Marjorie Taylor Greene there and she brought a motion to vacate, in essence to try to kick out Speaker Johnson. Now, she will not

bring it up right now. It will not be voted on right now. She said, consider this your pink slip, slip a warning shot.

So, they will likely have to deal with this after they get back from their two week recess. They'll be back on April 9th. And she's saying, look, this

bill was voted on very quickly. It was released at 3 A.M., Thursday. He waived -- Speaker Johnson waived the 72 hour rule that he promised we would

have to be able to read a bill of this magnitude.

So, she's saying, look, there is an unhappiness among House conservatives. And I think those numbers, which she kept leaning on when she spoke, really

spoke volumes to that. So, we will see if this is a fight that House conservatives will wage full throatedly when they come back to Capitol Hill

in just a few weeks.

ASHER: All right, Sunlen, live for us there, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

GOLODRYGA: All right, coming up for us, two attacks in two days, while Ukrainian officials say Russia's latest strike could be the largest attack

ever on the country's power system.

ASHER: Plus, CNN is in Haiti with a close up look at the terror raining down on the streets as gang violence escalates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: There are no front lines in this war. The boundaries are blurred and they're constantly shifting. And these

officers know driving around in an armored vehicle like this, well, they expect to be shot at. They're moving targets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(12:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: More than a million Ukrainians have been left in the dark after Russia launched one of its largest attacks on the country's energy

infrastructure.

ASHER: Yeah, officials are saying that Russia hit power supplies across the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Gosh, among the targets, Ukraine's largest hydroelectric power complex that lies along the Dnipro River in the Zaporizhzhia region. The

site operator there says it's not clear if the plant will ever be able to resume normal operations after suffering such massive damage.

GOLODRYGA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted this video of firefighters working to put out the blaze at the power plant. He went on to

say, quote, life must be protected from these non-humans from Moscow. And one Ukrainian mother tells us what it's like trying to protect her son

during strikes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLESIA BORODAY, UKRAINE RESIDENT: There were a lot of explosions after the first one. There was so much flying above. One couldn't realize I had only

one goal, to ensure that my child is alive. I've rescued him from the rubble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Let's go right to Fred Pleitgen standing by with more from Berlin. A million people without power, a massive strike there, Fred. And

Ukraine once again reminding the world how much it is in desperate need of defensive weapons.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and if you look at the numbers, it really is staggering the amount of weapons that

the Russians fired at Ukraine in the early morning hours of today, and, you know, probably also one of the reasons why the air defense systems couldn't

pick off all of them.

The Ukrainians are saying that the Russians used a hundred and fifty one missiles and drones in this early morning attack. Now, the Ukrainians say

that they did manage to take down a substantial number of those, 92 of those missiles and drones. But of course, they weren't able to take down

all of them.

And you guys just showed that video of that missile striking the hydroelectric power plant. That certainly is a massive installation. It's

near the town of Zaporizhzhia. I've driven across that a lot of times. There's a big dam and the Ukrainians are saying, luckily, that dam right

now is not in danger of collapsing, but it was only after the workers there were able to let off some water to make sure that the dam will still stand.

Now, they also say, as you guys mentioned, that they're not sure whether or not that power plant is ever going to be able to produce electricity again,

which of course is a huge deal for the city of Zaporizhzhia.

[12:25:00]

Right now, also the city of Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, completely without power. The local residents there say they also see

massive issues with the water supply, as well. So, certainly a big attack that took place in 10 regions of Ukraine, so pretty much across the entire

country.

And you know, you said it, the president of the country, Volodymyr Zelensky, he came out earlier today in a social media post and he said the

Russian missiles clearly don't suffer the same delays as some aid to Ukraine, possibly speaking about House Republicans in Congress holding up

aid to Ukraine.

The Ukrainians, of course, saying they not only need more ammunition for the front lines, but they certainly also need more air defense systems and

they certainly also need missiles to replenish the ones that they're firing so many of into the air right now to try and pick off some of those Russian

missiles, guys.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much for reporting and please keep us posted on any developments.

ASHER: All right. The U.N. says the violence in Haiti has gone from very worrying to extremely alarming. The humanitarian coordinator for Haiti says

that more than 2500 people have been killed, injured or kidnapped since gang violence escalated there, and more than five million Haitians need

immediate assistance.

GOLODRYGA: Things keep turning from bad to worse. She's calling for urgent financial support and more aid from the International Community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ULRIKA RICHARDSON, U.N. HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR IN HAITI: I call on international solidarity even more and very grateful for donors and for

partners who are -- who are stepping up, but it needs more and it's definitely extremely urgent.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GOLODRYGA: CNN's David Culver is in Port-au-Prince with a closer look at a city that's been plunged into terror. And we want to warn you, you may find

some of these images in his report disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CULVER: Oh, my God. You can see a body just sitting right in the middle of the street there, and people are trying to figure out the best way to get

around it.

CULVER (voice-over): Across the street, this family rushes into a truck, shielding their little one's eyes. An effort to preserve what innocence is

left here in Haiti, the gruesome sight slowing but not stopping the morning rush hour.

CULVER: You can even see here, look at this. A police car is just going right past and it'll continue on. It doesn't even stop.

CULVER (voice-over): A neighbor explains how an overnight gang attack ended in vigilante killings.

CULVER: This is gunfire shooting here. This man says he and more than 50 others immediately set out to find those terrorizing their neighborhood.

They surrounded a man they didn't recognize.

CULVER: And you believe he was a gang member?

UNKNOWN (through translator): Yes, yes.

CULVER (voice-over): Carrying machetes, he tells me. They carried out justice, as he sees it. The only way they know to defend themselves. When

they come in, shooting all around, trying to scare us to flee, we won't just let them kill us. They have to die, he tells me. The way you see this

is kill or be killed.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Yes, yes.

CULVER (voice-over): Police don't condone the killings, but they are overwhelmed and overrun, and they don't have time to stop them. There are

daily gun battles in the capital, as police struggle to push the gangs back. The officers have willpower, but little else. We see that firsthand

as we patrol with Haiti's national police.

CULVER: There are no front lines in this war. The boundaries are blurred and they're constantly shifting. And these officers know, driving around in

an armored vehicle like this, well, they expect to be shot at. They're moving targets.

CULVER (voice-over): They cruise through gang territory, revealing a city in ruins and on fire. At this intersection, we find another gruesome scene,

three bodies half-eaten by dogs and still smoldering. People desperate for food and for shelter, even if it is in the shell of what was once a

government building.

CULVER: I mean, this is just a symbol of state collapse here. More than 1500 have now occupied this building and made it their home. Mostly

children, from what we see.

CULVER (voice-over): And there are those who line up for hours, trying to get visas to go anywhere but here.

UNKNOWN: It's not only there is no security but there's no jobs. And not only that there's no jobs. They are running after us wherever we are.

CULVER (voice-over): The gangs are now targeting more affluent areas. What's left of an ATM is still in there.

CHRISTOPHE ALPHONSE, VICTIM OF GANG THEFT: They're trying to show themselves as Robin Hoods or stuff, but they're just thieves. They're just

thieves. They're criminals.

[12:30:00]

CULVER (voice-over): For street vendors like this woman, who still have fruits to sell, no customers to buy them.

CULVER: Because folks can't afford most of these items.

CULVER (voice-over): More troubling for her, the horrors she witnesses on these streets. Many people have died, she tells me, and they have to make

trips to pick them up. We see that for ourselves as we head back just before curfew.

Medics clearing the remains of that suspected gang member. They hurry, not to save a life, but to pick up two more bodies on this same street. Here in

Haiti, humanity has disintegrated into a brutal fight for survival.

CULVER: And late Thursday, a Haitian security source confirming to us that police were able to kill a gang leader -- one of many gangs here in Port-

au-Prince. However, this is a man who recently escaped from prison. And they also confirmed to us that several gang members were also killed.

However, for police, it's always a question of how long they can hold the line. For that reason, they're looking for reinforcements. David Culver,

CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: It is heartbreaking what is happening in that country right now. All right, still to come, we have brand new CNN polling from a couple of

2024 swing states. We'll tell you what it tells us about where Trump and Biden stand with voters right now.

GOLODRYGA: And we'll take a look at what happens if Donald Trump does not pay that huge legal fine that is due on Monday.

(INSIDE AFRICA)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. A pair of brand new CNN polls released just hours ago paint a tough picture for Joe Biden against Donald

Trump. In a key swing state of Michigan, Trump leads Biden by eight points, with Trump doing better among independents and young voters than he did

four years ago.

ASHER: Yeah, the race is closer in Pennsylvania, where the CNN poll shows Trump and Biden tied. Biden won both of these states in 2020. And it's hard

to find scenarios where he wins this time without carrying both Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Again, Biden is going on the offensive on one of Trump's key campaign messages. Trump and Republicans have been asking voters the question, are

you better off than you were four years ago? The Biden campaign has responded with a brand new ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And then I see the disinfectant. And is there a way we can do something like that by

injection inside? We're doing, I think, really, really well.

UNKNOWN: I'll tell you what. How? A thousand Americans are dying a day.

TRUMP: They are dying. That's true. And it is what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, more than ads or messages, the thing that could change this race is Donald Trump's legal problems.

ASHER: Yeah, the clock is ticking on a Monday deadline for Trump to pay almost half a billion dollars in bonds in his New York civil fraud case. If

he fails to pay on time, the New York attorney general could see some of his prized real estate assets to pay the fine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek, you know, judgment enforcement

mechanisms in court. And we will ask the judge to seize his assets. We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers. And yes, I

look at 40 Wall Street each and every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Just hours ago, Trump posted on his social media platform that he has $500 million in cash, but he plans to spend it on his presidential

campaign. That runs counter to the argument he made to a New York appeals court that he doesn't have the money to pay the fine. He has asked the

court for a delay or to pay a lesser amount.

GOLODRYGA: And the Biden campaign has been having some fun with Trump's troubles paying this fine. It has been referring to him as Broke Don in

fundraising appeals to supporters. But Broke Don could be about to get a lot richer.

ASHER: Just hours ago, investors in Donald Trump's social media platform approved a plan to turn it into a publicly traded company. After years of

legal and financial struggles, the deal could close next week. When it does, Trump's stock in the new company could be worth more than three

billion dollars.

GOLODRYGA: But he won't get to reap that windfall right away. Company insiders like Trump are generally prohibited from selling their stake in a

company immediately after it goes public. A lot to bring out here.

ASHER: Yes, so much. All right, time now for The Exchange. And to help us sort through all of this, we're joined live now by David Weinstein, who has

been a prosecutor at both the state and federal level, as well. He currently serves as a partner at the law firm Jones Walker. David, thank

you so much for being with us. I'm not really sure where to begin, because obviously the deadline is on Monday.

And it's a tall order for Donald Trump to try to fork up that kind of cash in just, what is it, three days from now? But in terms of his post on Truth

Social, this idea of just telling the entire world that he has $500 million in cash, how much of a smart idea was that for him to do, really? Give us

your take.

DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE AND FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, Zain, not a really smart idea to begin with. Look, at the heart of the case that was

brought against him, and for which he now faces this judgment, was this whole issue where he was overvaluing the properties he owns, his holdings,

and everything else.

And so, on one hand, to continue this, if he doesn't have that much money, which is what it appears that he is saying to the Court of Appeals, versus

saying that he has the money, well, if you have the money, then you need to put up the money. Something has to bend or break here, and we'll find out

what happens and what breaks on Monday.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, because that Court of Appeals really could have been his lifeline if they intervened at this point and pushed it back, delayed it,

or said that he didn't have to pay the whole fee. Here we are now with the Attorney General saying she's already got her eye on some properties and

what to go after. Just walk us through how that process would actually work.

I mean, she wouldn't go physically to 40 Wall Street with a padlock, right, and say, now I have a lien on this property.

[12:40:00]

GOLODRYGA: How is this going to play out if he doesn't come up with the money and the Appeals Court doesn't intervene?

WEINSTEIN: Well, she's already started the process. She's filed notices of these judgments in the jurisdictions in New York State, where she can and

where he has property.

You might not get a padlock on the front door, but you're right. There's going to be a lien applied to that property. She's then going to move the

court for a forced sale of these assets. And the former president is not in a position where he can start negotiating with them and say, okay, well,

I'd like you to take this one. Don't take that one. It's up to her. She has this judgment.

And I think what people are failing to understand is that until a Court of Appeals says either we're going to put a stay on this judgment, we're not

going to allow it to be enforced because the bond has been met and the appeal is proceeding forward, or they reverse the lower court's decision,

the attorney general has a valid judgment against the foundation and the properties that they own.

And a person with a valid judgment is entitled to go ahead and collect the money that they're owed. So, he's playing a very dangerous game of chicken

here, which is going to, come Monday, have a very detrimental effect on the properties that he holds.

ASHER: So, wouldn't a way out, and I know that he's unlikely to do this, although he has done it many times before, but wouldn't a way out be for

Donald Trump to declare bankruptcy? And again, I understand that he is loath to do that because obviously it goes against, you know, the persona

that he's created of being a winning businessman. But that would work for him.

WEINSTEIN: That's an option that exists that's out there. He'd then be subject to the bankruptcy court and a trustee and somebody else would be

looking at all his assets and having charge and control over those assets. And then, look, from a non-legal position, politically, that's dynamite

because he's held out this persona as being this very wealthy person and someone who's business savvy.

And for him to then have to say, oh no, I need to declare bankruptcy, the foundation has to declare bankruptcy, that's going to have a whole trickle-

down effect, not only politically, but on his ability to continue to do business.

He's already got one person who's been put in place by the lower court to take care of and to maintain and monitor all of his holdings. Now, he would

want somebody else to monitor his holdings? Look, it's always a possibility, but I don't think that that's one road he's going to go down.

GOLODRYGA: So, then how do you see this impacting him? How do you see this playing out? I mean, one argument you could make is that if he does file

for bankruptcy, I mean, does that have any impact on some of his other cases, in particular the E. Jean Carroll case? He already put up a hundred

billion dollar bail for that case.

WEINSTEIN: He's already put up the money on that one, so that one's not going to fall within here. And remember, this is the foundation that the

judgment was against. You'd have to see what organizations or whether individually he's going to be declaring bankruptcy.

I think it's a very messy path for him. The path of easiest resistance and one of least resistance is for him to go out and pony up the money. If he

has it, put up the money. If he doesn't have all of that money, then find a bonding company or a number of bonding companies who will support and post

this bond for him.

But the danger with that is that when a bonding company posts a bond, they're on the hook for the full amount. And so, if they don't think they

have recourse against the person or foundation or organization who's posting it, they're not going to take the bond.

And that, quite frankly, is probably what's going on right now. But he has to do something by the deadline on Monday or the attorney general is going

to start marching her way through courthouses, setting liens, asking courts to impose liens in her favor, and she's going to start selling off his

properties.

ASHER: Yeah, because Donald Trump would have wanted -- his lawyers would have wanted for a smaller bond, right? A hundred million dollars was what

they were saying, but that's obviously not going to happen. But as you point out, the deadline is on Monday. We'll wait to see what ends up

happening. David Weinstein, live for us there. Former federal prosecutor, thank you so much for being with us.

GOLODRYGA: All right, coming up, a rush of migrants break through a border fence in Texas, pushing their way through National Guard soldiers. We have

the latest on the U.S. migrant crisis just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, a really tense situation actually unfolded along the U.S. southern border with Mexico on Friday as hundreds of migrants breached

a border razor wire fence in El Paso, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: It's not clear what caused this rush, but officials say the situation is now under control. Authorities say they arrested between 400

and 600 people for illegally crossing the border between ports of entry. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in El Paso with the latest.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zain and Bianna, we don't know what the exact circumstances or what was happening there on the ground in the

moments before this large group of migrants pushed through and overwhelmed a number of Texas National Guard soldiers on the southern border here in El

Paso, Texas.

But this incident happened just before noon on Thursday here in El Paso. And we've been told it's a large group. We've also been told it's several

hundred migrants who were in that area. And so, that people understand the dynamic of what you're looking there on the ground, that area where the

migrants pushed through an area of razor wire and fencing, that is all barricades that have been put in place by the state of Texas in recent

months as part of Operation Lone Star.

And it's really what is at the heart of this tension that has existed here between state authorities and the federal government and the Biden

administration and federal immigration authorities. And then beyond that is if you notice in that video you see all the migrants run past the razor

wire and then run up to the fence, that is essentially where they turned themselves in to Border Patrol agents who were on the ground there.

We've been told that all of those migrants were taken into custody -- Border Patrol custody, and are being processed through the immigration

system at this point. It's not exactly clear what will happen to all of them. We've been told some will apply for asylum, others might be deported,

as well. So, that takes some time. It's not exactly clear what has happened to all of them.

But Governor Greg Abbott says he expects DPS state troopers to arrest those who were involved for trespassing and also destruction of property. But

it's not clear at this point if any of those criminal charges have been filed, as well. Zain and Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Mexico is warning of, quote, substantial tension if a controversial Texas immigration law that's currently mired in the courts is

finally allowed to take effect. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that his country will not accept people deported from Texas under the state

law as before.

ASHER: Yeah, that is the law that essentially allows for people who are coming into the country from Mexico into Texas to be deported or arrested

upon arrival. Mexico's foreign minister calls the bill deeply unconstitutional. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, from space, the Earth, of course, looks blue. A planet of oceans and lakes. But not every region is, of course, water-rich. Two

point two billion people globally do not have access to clean drinking water -- that's according to a new United Nations report marking World

Water Day. This lack of access to clean water is actually threatening peace across the world. And more than one-third of African countries are

considered to be water-insecure.

GOLODRYGA: And because of the climate crisis, nearly 1.5 billion people have been affected by droughts between 2002 and 2021. The report concludes

that the world is not on track to meet the U.N.'s goal of ensuring everyone has access to safe and clean water by 2030.

ASHER: A group of young students in California recently made an unusual scientific discovery.

GOLODRYGA: While they were out playing one day, they found a pre-historic ground sloth fossil to the amazement of paleontologists and other

researchers. Jake Flores with affiliate KSBW has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE FLORES, KSBW AFFILIATE (voice-over): This group of students discovered something that's never been found in Santa Cruz County before. A

fossil of the Jefferson's ground sloth. And animal paleontologists had no idea we're in this region of the state until a few curious kids unearthed

it.

UNKNOWN: They're building a dam. They're looking for crawdads. They're just in the mud and pulling things out. And then one of them comes up and

is like, this isn't a stick, this is a bone.

FLORES (voice-over): What they discovered was a radius bone of the ground sloth. The animal was named in honor of the third president, Thomas

Jefferson, after he documented fossil bones he found of this animal in West Virginia in the late 1700s. Jefferson ended up carrying the fossils with

him to Philadelphia.

WAYNE THOMPSON, PALEONTOLOGIST: And it's part of Americana relief. And he brought the bones of Thomas Jefferson's ground sloth to Philadelphia. He

carried them with him when he went to Philadelphia to accept the vice presidency.

FLORES: An average size for these herbivores were around one and a half tons and about the size of an ox. Paleontologist Wayne Thompson says it may

be one of the largest known radius bones ever found from this creature. And it just so happens to be found by a group of youngsters in the Santa Cruz

mountains.

FELICIA VAN STOLK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SANTA CRUZ MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: We are so thrilled that young students were the ones who

discovered this fossil. It's part of the museum's history to have young naturalists -- young people who are interested in looking at nature,

exploring and collecting.

FLORES: With only one bone found, the job isn't finished for the rest of the youngsters. Does this make you guys want to look for more stuff like

this?

[12:55:00]

UNKNOWN: Yes.

UNKNOWN: Well, we are trying to find the rest of the skeleton if it's out there.

FLORES: Jake Flores, KSBW, Action News-8.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: He's having a lot of fun.

ASHER: All right, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. I'll be right back here in a few moments with "AMANPOUR."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END