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One World with Zain Asher
Iran's Supreme Leader Says Israel Must Be Punished While He Addressed A Prayer Ceremony In Tehran; Trump Faces 34 Counts Of Falsifying Business Records Allegedly To Hide Payments To Porn Star Stormy Daniels After An Affair In 2006; Journalist Lucy Aharish Talks About The Continuing Israel-Hamas War; Taylor Swift Returns To TikTok. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired April 12, 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]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Bracing for retaliation, Iran has vowed to strike back against Israel and the world right now is watching.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: ONE WORLD starts right now. Real, credible, and viable. Words from the White House on the threat of Iranian revenge on
Israel. The Biden administration is monitoring the situation very, very closely. The Pentagon just announcing that it is deploying additional
assets to the region.
ASHER: Also ahead, 10 years on, dozens of the Chibok girls are still in the custody of Islamist militants. Some mothers in Nigeria are so scared of
a resurgence, they're keeping their children home from school.
GOLODRYGA: And later, the video that you simply must see. Thanks guys for putting this in the show. Lenny Kravitz has officially set the internet
into a frenzy.
ASHER: All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching ONE WORLD. And we begin with growing fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East amid a dire
new warning from the Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu says that he is preparing for scenarios in areas other than Gaza. And a source tells
CNN that the Prime Minister convened his war cabinet earlier to discuss readiness for a possible attack by Iran.
ASHER: Yeah, Tehran is vowing retaliation after accusing Israel of a deadly strike on its consulate in Syria. That happened about two weeks ago.
U.S. officials say they expect an Iran-backed strike on American or Israeli targets to take place any moment now. But an IDF spokesperson warns, if it
happens, Israel is ready.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL HAGARI, REAR ADM., IDF SPOKESMAN (through translator): An attack from Iran's territory will be solid proof of Iran's intention to escalate
in the Middle East and stop hiding behind the proxies. We are prepared both defensively and offensively in a variety of capacities of the army.
ASHER: All right, the White House isn't giving any details about the timing of a potential attack, but it says it's taking the Iranian threat
and the U.S. commitment to Israel very seriously. The Pentagon is moving additional assets to the region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: -- personnel. I'm going to be -- that America's support for Israel's security is ironclad,
especially against these threats that's coming from Iran and their proxies. We warn Iran not to use this attack as a pretext to escalate further in the
region or attack U.S. facilities or personnel. I'm going to be super mindful not to speak beyond that from here or elaborate further. But we've
been very clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: On Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Leader said that Israel must be punished while he addressed a prayer ceremony in Tehran. You can see here
that he has a rifle and we delivered those remarks. Several nations are warning their citizens against traveling to the region. Meantime --
ASHER: CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live now from Jerusalem. So, Nic, Iran's leader basically said that the attack on Damascus just a couple of
weeks ago amounted essentially to an attack on Iran itself. Just walk us through how Israel is preparing for possible retribution, because
speculation right now is that this could come any day now.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, it's preparing in multiple ways. It's preparing the public by having statements, as you
heard from the Israeli Defense Force spokesperson just yesterday evening, saying that the country is prepared. We've heard from the foreign minister
saying that if Iran strikes on Israel, they'll strike back.
The Defense Minister has said effectively the same. The Prime Minister was at an airbase in the center of Israel just yesterday, meeting with F-15
pilots, talking about how the country is ready to respond to potential conflicts out with the conflict in Gaza, a clear reference towards Iran.
And just today, you had the CENTCOM Commander, General Eric Kurilla, meeting with the defense minister at an airbase in the south of Israel
today. All of this is designed to send the message both to the Israeli public, that Israel is ready and prepared, and to Iran, that Israel is
ready and prepared.
[12:05:00]
And Iran is already able to inflate an element of -- significant element of concern into the situation right now and into the minds of the Israeli
public. Regional sources were talking to here, think that Iran is potentially within 24-48 hours of a response strike, a retaliatory strike,
maybe you could say, on the consulate in Damascus.
So in this context, the situation is that Israel feels and is telling its public it's ready, but it doesn't know quite what it's ready for. Is it
ready for a direct response to Iran directly targeting Israel? There's a sense that Iran knows not to cross a red-liner threshold, and certainly if
Iran struck directly into Israel, that would cross a threshold that would trigger a response from Israel.
But if there's a strike by a proxy into Israel, that could be something else. Or could Iran strike at Israel's interest in the region, perhaps
diplomatic premises in the region? No one knows at the moment, but that level of concern is high, and Israel posturing itself to be ready to meet
it. And the United States clearly stepping up.
The comments that we've heard from the Pentagon saying clearly that they are posturing to provide better security for U.S. troops in the region, and
to be prepared for what may be coming. And that speaks to the level of concern. It speaks to the level of concern the United States has that it's
advising diplomatic staff here in Israel to stay close to Tel Aviv, close to Jerusalem, close to Beersheba, and not to go beyond that. And that,
again, is an indicator of the level of concern at the moment.
ASHER: Yeah, there's a lot of calculations for the Ayatollah to weigh, just in terms of whether the retribution comes from Iran itself, or as you
point out, through a proxy, and what Israel might do in response to the retaliation. Nic Robertson, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Back in the U.S., U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to the crucial battleground state of Arizona today, where she's hoping to
galvanize voters over one of the most hot-button issues this year's election, and that is reproductive rights.
ASHER: Yeah, the Vice President's visit comes just days after a controversial ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court that a Civil War-era
near-total abortion ban can actually still be enforced. Harris is expected to take direct aim at former U.S. President Donald Trump for the wave of
restrictions on abortion following the overturning of Roe v. Wade decision.
GOLODRYGA: And while the Democrats are highlighting abortion, for Republicans, one of the major themes of the 2024 campaign is the false
narrative that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
ASHER: Yeah, that will certainly be front and center in the next few hours, as the embattled Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives makes
a pilgrimage to visit Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Mike Johnson will appear with Trump today to discuss their concerns about election
security. They're expected to highlight the issue of non-citizen voting, even though there is no evidence non-citizen voting is actually a
meaningful problem in U.S. elections.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Johnson is no doubt hoping that an appearance alongside Trump will help him with hard-line Republicans. They say there is a very
real chance they will vote to oust him from the speakership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Mike Johnson doesn't have the trust of the conference, and that's become very clear. Most of the
members I'm talking to support the letter that I sent, and they completely agree with it. It's a very serious letter, and the motion to vacate is
real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: So, let's get more on this from CNN's Alayna Treene. Quite unusual, Alayna, to see the Speaker go down with the President to hold a
press conference on all issues -- of all issues, rather, being election security, when you look at some of the top concerns for Americans, for
Republican voters. That is not at the top of the list. You could say maybe immigration, crime, inflation. What is the strategy behind this specific
course, and is it just to save Mike Johnson's job?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, there are a few parts to this, but you're exactly right, Bianna. And part of the reason Mike Johnson is
trekking to Mar-a-Lago today is, in part, because he wants to try and emphasize his close ties to the former president as he faces this threat
from his House Republican colleagues over stripping him of his Speaker gavel.
And "Election Integrity," or so-called "Election Integrity," the theme of this event today, is something that means a lot to Donald Trump. And that's
part of why they are going to be touting this at that event today.
[12:10:00]
But, look, when I talk to Trump's advisers, they say that the real focus of this press conference is that they want to draw attention to what they call
are these potential laws and lawsuits in certain states that would allow non-citizens to vote in elections. And to be very clear, there is already a
federal ban that prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections. But at the same, this is something that Donald Trump and Republicans, in
general, are really pushing ahead of November.
Donald Trump himself has gone so far as to argue that Democrats want undocumented migrants coming into the United States in order for them to
participate in the 2024 election. Of course, there is no evidence of that, but this is a key theme that they are pushing, and particularly trying to
tie this idea of election integrity and, you know, false claims of election fraud to the very real issue that many Americans care about and say is top
of mind for them, which is immigration.
And so, that's really what we're going to be looking at them trying to tout today. And I do want to point out as well, Bianna and Zain, that there is
some nuance to this. There are some cities in the country that do allow some non-U.S. citizens to vote in some elections, for example, school board
elections, local elections, that sort of thing. But this is not a widespread problem, and we have to be very clear about that.
Now, some other reporting we have is that there is another issue at the top of Speaker Johnson's mind today, and that is about Ukraine funding. This is
something that has really been difficult for Republicans to grapple with for the last several months. And so what he wants to do when he talks to
Donald Trump today, and this will probably happen more so behind the scenes, is to figure out where is he on that.
It's something, of course, that the former president and other Republicans have harshly criticized, say that perhaps the U.S. should not continue
helping aid Ukraine in their war against Russia. But it's something that Mike Johnson recognizes is also very popular. So that's one thing that will
be coming up.
And I also just want to point out that both sides, both Johnson's team and Trump's team, are touting this as a press conference. However, it's still
unclear if they're actually going to take questions. When I talk to Trump's team, they say they expect that they will do so. But as we all know,
sometimes they say they'll take questions and then they don't. So, we'll have to stay tuned for how this unfolds at 4:30 P.M.
GOLODRYGA: So, either a press conference or just speaking before the press and taking no questions. Quite a difference. Alayna Treene, thank you.
ASHER: All right. For the first time in American history, a former president is about to take or attend and face, rather, a criminal trial.
Major news here next.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. After a week filled with motions and appeals trying to push this off, all of which have been rejected, it appears that Donald
Trump has run out of ways to delay his hush money trial. Jury selection will begin on Monday. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records
allegedly to hide payments to porn star Stormy Daniels after an affair in 2006. Prosecutors will attempt to show that all of this happened in the run
up to the 2016 presidential election to keep her from speaking publicly.
ASHER: Katelyn Polantz has been following all of the developments for us on the legal front. Katelyn, this is huge because it could take Donald
Trump away from the campaign trail for at least, at least a month. We know that jury selection begins on Monday. What sort of questions will potential
jurors be asked, Katelyn?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, these hundreds of potential jurors who are summoned to the courthouse starting on
Monday, they're going to be answering questions first that are written out and try to suss out if they have biases they can't set aside to look at the
facts and the evidence on this case.
Things they're not going to be asked about are some really obvious ones. They're not going to be asked about -- asked about if they voted for Trump
in the past, what their political parties might be and the political contributions they made. But they are going to be asked about whether they
have feelings about how Donald Trump has been treated by prosecutors or in the judicial system.
They're going to be asked about their attendance of rallies or adherence to political extremist groups in the U.S., the QAnon movement, Proud Boys,
Oath Keepers, Antifa, groups like that. They're also going to be asked if, straight up, can they set aside their emotions or feelings or beliefs about
Donald Trump to be able to look at this case in a fair and impartial way.
If they say no, they cannot, those people will not be serving on the jury. The judge has made that quite clear.
There's going to be further questions. Both lawyers, the prosecutors and the defense team can ask jurors as we go through this process. It's going
to take a couple days, but it is the kickoff of a really sobering moment in American history with Donald Trump as a criminal defendant facing a jury of
his peers.
ASHER: Yeah, we will be watching. No cameras in the courtroom, but we will be covering it very, very diligently here on CNN. Katelyn Polantz, it's
going to be a busy weekend for you prepping for this, Katelyn.
GOLODRYGA: Lots to learn.
ASHER: Thank you.
[12:15:00]
Thank you so much. And you can watch CNN special coverage of the Trump hush money trial, Monday, starting at 9 A.M. That's if you're watching from New
York and for those of you watching from London, that is 2 o'clock in the afternoon where you are.
GOLODRYGA: Meantime, coming up for us today, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has now been raging for six months. Does Israel have a plan for the future?
We'll talk to an Israeli journalist about that and much more when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has now been raging for six whole months. It's been six months, half a year since October 7th, with
none of Prime Minister Netanyahu's initial goals met. That is, of course, the defeat of Hamas and the release of all Israeli hostages.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, instead, while Hamas has been crippled, its leadership remains intact, while more than 100 Israeli hostages remain in captivity.
And in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis only intensifies, with the death toll climbing to now more than 33,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
ASHER: Now, pursuing Hamas at all costs is leaving Israel increasingly isolated on the global stage, and with yet another looming threat on the
horizon, which is, of course, as we've talked about this morning, a potential attack any day now from Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is
coming under increasing pressure, both at home and also abroad.
GOLODRYGA: So, let's talk more about this with Lucy Aharish, a prominent journalist and anchor on Israeli Channel 13. She joins us now live from New
York. Lucy, it is so good to see you. And if our viewers might think to themselves, wow, she looks familiar --
LUCY AHARISH, JOURNALIST AND ANCHOR, ISRAELI CHANNEL 13: Thanks for having me.
GOLODRYGA: -- you were on with us just days after the October 7th horror and the attack there that had just left you completely heartbroken,
devastated as an Israeli, obviously shocked the world. And you left such an impression on us when you came on just a few days later.
AHARISH: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Here we are, six months after that horrific date. This war has ensued. You have the unique perspective as an Arab, the first Arab Israeli
news anchor in Israel. Talk to us about what the six months have been like from your perspective, and having spent some time here in the U.S., just
the difference that you may or may not have noticed from how you're covering it and how the West and the United States in particular has been
covering it.
[12:20:00]
AHARISH: First of all, thank you very much, Bianna and Zain, for having me. It's a great honor to be here with you again. If you would have asked
me six months ago that I will go on your show again and I will speak about the fact that we still have 133 hostages being held by Hamas, I would have
told you that it will be impossible.
And yet we are sitting here and we will have 133 hostages being held by Hamas. I would have told you that it will be impossible. And yet we are
sitting here and we are talking about the fact that we still have 134, 33 hostages that are being held by Hamas, that Hamas basically in the last few
days said that they cannot identify 40 hostages, which I find very, very questionable, you know, especially when we know that these hostages are a
great asset to Hamas, you know.
And now, we're talking about a possible greater war between Israel and Iran. So, you know, all these things and coming here to the U.S. and
watching what is happening from a little bit like, you know, a broad perspective or a broad perspective, it makes me -- I'm a little bit
worried, especially after my visit here.
Because, you know, in the last few days, what we saw in Israel and the last few weeks, what we saw in Israel is basically Israelis going to the
streets, going back to protest, questioning and criticizing Israeli government, demanding the release of the hostages, demanding a deal, the
hostages families basically asking to bring back their loved ones home.
And this is on a positive note, this, you know, makes me very -- I watch the Israeli community and I watch Israelis and I say to myself, wow, we are
still fighting for our democracy. We're still fighting. We're criticizing our government. We are fighting for our right to live. We're fighting for
our citizens. And while I'm coming here and I'm watching, you know, protests being held on the streets here in the U.S., protests being held on
the street and in European countries.
And I see, and I hear people saying, you know, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free by any means. And when I hear this, I hear this from
the young generation calling and saying by any means, you know, putting claims to these colonizers, to these colonizers countries. And I'm asking
myself, what do you mean by any means? Basically, you are supporting everything that this terror organization did on October 7th. Not only that
you are supporting what they did, you're basically telling them do it again. And you know what? Because we are also colonizers and we in the
United States also are taking part in this colonizers idea.
So, do it also on our soil. You can do October 7th also in the U.S. again, and you can do October 7th also in European. And this is, I think, a great
danger to Western civilization, to democratic countries who unfortunately don't understand what these terror organizations are doing, are basically
using democratic values to hurt democracy.
And this is what we're watching and seeing in the streets. You know, I've been on American campuses, I've been on high-ranked universities, and the
fact that I hear Jewish students saying that they're afraid to say that they're Jewish in 2024 in the United States of America, this is
unacceptable. This is something that I don't understand how the decision - makers are not doing anything to actually fight this bigger, like this war, this war that is happening with this Gen Z generation.
ASHER: And some of the, I mean, Lucy, to be honest with you, some of the rhetoric we've seen surrounding this war is absolutely disgusting. You
know, we've seen people lose their jobs, heads of universities lose their jobs because of it. I do want to focus on Netanyahu and his future.
There are sources, according to local media in Israel, there are sources who say, who have been at the negotiating table, who say that Benjamin
Netanyahu seems somewhat indifferent, right, indifferent about the fate of the hostages six months in, his priorities, of course, defeating Hamas.
Obviously, the major news over the past couple of days is the possibility of this pending attack from Iran. If this attack does happen, right, over
the next couple of days, how does that change and complicate the road ahead for Netanyahu from a political perspective?
AHARISH: You know, I will use a phrase, you know, politicians in Israel made sure us, you know, journalists in Israel, they always talked about
since October 7th, that we should not talk and speak about politics, that this is not a time for politics.
[12:25:00]
And unfortunately, what each and every politician did is basically, you know, do politics throughout this war. And also Benjamin Netanyahu,
Benjamin Netanyahu is a great politician. This is something that nobody can take away from him. But at the end of the day, I also saw these
investigative reports that came out yesterday. And I'm really worried.
And I think that a lot of Israelis are really worried about the way that our leaders are taking decisions concerning this war. And having said that,
you know, with this optional regional war that we're about to face, or we will or will not face, you know, I think that October 7th brought to the
table a great opportunity with all the atrocities that happened with every single thing that we went through. And we went through some horrible
things.
You know, I think that what October 7th brought to the table is basically a great opportunity for Israel to combine all the political interests in the
Middle East. Let's not forget that the bottom line of this entire story is what we're facing and we're reporting right now is Iran. And what we're
watching that is happening right now, Iran is not the only -- the worry, only the worry of Israel.
You know, not Israel. Israel is not the only one who's worried about Iran. The United States is not the only one who's worried about Iran. You know,
Europe countries are not the only ones who are worried about Iran. I think that the countries who are really worried about Iran are the moderate Sunni
Muslim countries in the region.
And, you know, the opportunity that I'm speaking about is the fact that Israel has a peace agreement with Egypt. It has a peace agreement with
Jordan. It has a peace agreement with the Abraham Accords with the United Emirates. We have Saudi Arabia saying, guys, I want to normalize my
relationship with you. And we are also talking about reports that you also reported on that Malaysia is basically talking also about normalizing
relationship with Israel.
So, you know, I'm looking at this entire regional and I'm saying to myself, this is a great opportunity to combine all the forces that we have in the
Middle East. And basically all these forces are coming to the benefit of Israel, to the benefit of the existence of Israel. And I hope, I really
hope that our leadership in Israel will seize the opportunity and will understand that we are in a historic moment. We are in historic moments in
the history of Israel and the history of the region.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
AHARISH: And, you know -- I'm always talking, you know, the people of Israel are amazing people. And unfortunately, we're living in an era that
is different a little bit than the era of Menachem Begin, of Ben-Gurion, of Golda, or of, you know, people who did peace and paid a price for it, or
Yitzhak Rabin.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. There's, there's --
AHARISH: You know, I don't think that we have leadership.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And there's concern, Lucy, as we wrap up here, that the Israeli leadership is squandering whatever opportunity there may be given
the images that we've seen out of this war and the devastation in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis, the huge death toll there, that some of these other
countries that were willing to make peace would be part of the rebuilding process are very frustrated and have a lot of pressure on them, as well,
when their citizens see these images.
AHARISH: We need an exit plan.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Yeah.
AHARISH: We need an exit plan. We need an exit plan. We need to understand that we --I don't know if we knew how we're going into Gaza and what the
plan was when we were going into Gaza, but we definitely need to know how we're going, coming out of Gaza and what the day after would look like for
Israel and for the entire region.
GOLODRYGA: And that we don't have. Lucy Aharish, always good to see you. Thank you so much for joining us again.
ASHER: Thank you, Lucy.
AHARISH: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Ten years ago, the unthinkable happened at a Nigerian school. Armed men kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls. Today, we want to take
a closer look at the lasting impact on the girls themselves and also the entire country as we mark the 10-year anniversary of the Chibok kidnapping.
Stay with us.
(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. Monday will mark one year since the bloody civil war broke out in Sudan.
ASHER: That's when the Sudanese armed forces began clashing with the Rapid Support Forces, leaving millions of civilians paying the price. A new round
of peace talks hosted by Saudi Arabia has not yet begun.
GOLODRYGA: And no firm date is set, but a U.S. envoy previously said that it could be next week, following the end of Ramadan. The U.N. says the war
triggered the world's largest hunger crisis, and Doctors Without Borders calls the humanitarian response deeply inadequate. The group adds 25
million people urgently need assistance in Sudan. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations is calling on the Security Council to take action to end
the suffering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Should the SAF not reverse course immediately, the Security Council must intervene to
ensure life-saving aid is delivered and distributed, including if necessary, through a cross-border mechanism. What's more, we must continue
urging the warring parties to stop the fighting and get back to the negotiating table, as well as urge those outside supporters prolonging this
conflict and enabling these atrocities to stop sending weapons to Sudan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, I want to turn now to Nigeria -- where I can hardly believe it. It's actually been 10 years. It's been a full decade since a
mass school kidnapping stunned the world. Back in April of 2014, Boko Haram militants stormed a school in Chibok, Nigeria, snatching nearly 300
girls from their dormitory in the middle of the night.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, the kidnapping sparked a global cry to bring back our girls. A decade later, the world has largely forgotten the plight of the
so-called Chibok girls. Stephanie Busari and CNN's As Equals makes the journey to Chibok to meet some who managed to escape and the families of
those still missing.
[12:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR (voice-over): The road to Chibok, northeastern Nigeria, 10 years on from the kidnapping of nearly 300
schoolgirls. We've come to meet some of the girls who were taken that night in April 2014, and see how the threat of abduction still shapes children's
lives here.
HAWA: They come for this way. This one.
BUSARI: And there were many cars, many trucks.
HAWA: Yes, yes. There had plenty.
BUSARI: Hawa was just 16 when she was snatched from her boarding school late at night by Boko Haram militants.
HAWA: And then they burned the hall for writing your exams.
BUSARI: So, they burned the hall where you were supposed to write your exams.
HAWA: Yes, they burned it.
BUSARI: They were really against education that much.
BUSARI (voice-over): The Islamist group took more than 270 girls into the vast Sambisa forest, though some managed to escape. Amina, now 27, was also
abducted that night, told by Boko Haram leaders that marriage was the only way to avoid repeated abuse by fighters in the camp.
AMINA ALI, FORMER CHIBOK SCHOOLGIRL KIDNAPPED BY BOKO HARAM: They just say they will take us as a slave and then anytime he wants to sleep with you.
And then, when he is tired with you, he will hand you over to someone else. And so, I just think, I agree to get married to one person.
BUSARI: She was the first of the Chibok girls to escape after being held in a forest, emerging with her Boko Haram husband, who also fled the group,
and their young baby after two years. Now, eight years old, Amina's daughter has faced stigma for being a child of a Boko Haram fighter. School
kidnappings are a shadow that hang over the education system in northern Nigeria, with an estimated 1700 children abducted from school in the past
decade, according to Amnesty International.
Just last month, more than 100 students, some as young as eight, were taken by armed men who stormed their school in Kuriga, Kaduna province. In recent
years, criminal gangs have created a kidnapping-for-ransom industry spanning across the northwest of the country, which successive governments
have struggled to grapple with.
OBY EZEKWESILI, CO-FOUNDER, BRING BACK OUR GIRLS CAMPAIGN: The failure of governance around the Chibok girls' issue led to an industry of abduction,
a society that has scant regard for human life.
BUSARI: Many Nigerian mothers are now too scared to send them to school.
EZEKWESILI: Guess what Chibok girls' tragedy did? It made the mothers feel guilty in their mind that what they did by arguing for education for their
daughter was to say, pay with your life in order to be educated.
BUSARI: Fewer than 50 percent of Nigerian girls attend school at a basic education level, according to a UNICEF report, in a country with five
percent of the world's children by 2030. The United Nations has said, quote, what happens to children in Nigeria matters significantly to
regional and global development.
Back in Chibok, for many mothers, the pain continues a decade on. Yana's daughter, Rifkatu, was among the Chibok girls stolen from school and
remains missing, along with 81 others.
BUSARI: Do you believe in your heart?
YANA GALANG, KIDNAPPED CHIBOK SCHOOLGIRL'S MOTHER: Yes.
BUSARI: That she's alive?
GALANG: I believe she's alive. She's my blood and I believe she's alive.
BUSARI: She's kept her daughter's clothes ready for when she returns.
GALANG: This is how we keep it. We always wash the clothes, fold it and then keep it for almost 10 years now.
BUSARI: Never giving up hope, despite the agony she and so many parents in Nigeria have to endure. Stephanie Busari, CNN, Chibok, Nigeria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Time now for The Exchange. Our next guest is the author of a book on the Chibok girls and their kidnapping called "Beneath the Tamarind
Tree." Isha Sesay is a familiar face to a lot of longtime CNN viewers. She was an anchor and reporter here for many, many years. Welcome back, Aisha.
ISHA SESAY, AUTHOR, "BENEATH THE TAMARIND TREE": Thank you.
ASHER: So good to see you. You are a black African woman who was privileged enough to attend some of the best schools in the world,
including Cambridge University. So, you have seen up close the power that education has to transform a person's life, especially if you are a woman
and especially even more so if you are a black woman.
What impact did covering the Chibok girls, girls who were robbed of their lives, who had their lives completely destroyed for nothing more than
seeking an education, what impact did covering that story have on you, Aisha?
[12:40:00]
SESAY: Well, first, thank you for having me, Zain and Bianna. It's good to be with you. This story changed my life. I think it formed the framework
around everything I do now and the stories that I'm committed to telling.
You know, when I think about the story and I think about a lot of the anger and the energy, if you will, that I brought to the broadcasting during
those days of the abduction, it struck some people as maybe out of place, but for me, it felt deeply personal, not simply because I am a black
African woman who has had enormous privilege in her education and my life, but because I felt it on a very keenly intimate level because my mother,
and I've told this often and it's in my book, my mother comes from a place not that different from Chibok.
You know, she comes from a small village in Sierra Leone. Her parents weren't educated, but she was. She was educated to high levels of having a
PhD and et cetera and going on, and by that lottery of life and her education, I have the life that I have. So, I felt really like I had an
intimate knowledge of what these girls had lost by being stolen.
GOLODRYGA: First of all, it's just great to get to at least work with you in this capacity. I think our time here just overlapped, but I'm in awe of
you taking this journey and focusing on this very important story that came really at the pinnacle of social media. We remember the hashtag movement,
"Bring Back Our Girls."
But that came and went, and behind it all was a deep story, was the story of -- Chibok was a story of the girls, was the story of their families, and
the scar that this left, even for those lucky enough to come back, and those that still are missing. What surprised you the most as you took this
journey to tell this very important story?
SESAY: I think that I have been struck and continuously saddened by the somewhat callousness that still is applied to this story, and I don't think
it's just about Chibok. I think there is a general tendency in too many parts of the world to normalize and trivialize black female pain, black
female trauma, and to just say, well, you know, terrible things happen to black women or terrible things happen to black women in Africa.
Sometimes it's one and the same, sometimes they're different. And there was a readiness to brush the story aside. There was a readiness to say, first
of all, it didn't happen, because that's what the Nigerian government initially said.
Then, you know, to say it's too hard to get them back, and as the years have gone by, we've seen this waning interest. The hashtag really did
galvanize the world, and really it did bring together global voices to keep the pressure on the Nigerian government that led to the negotiated release
of some of the girls.
But I'm still sad today, and I shouldn't be surprised, but sometimes I still wonder how I can live in a world where there are almost a hundred of
them missing, and there is somewhat of a, well, you know, they're gone now, and they can be forgotten, and let's move on. That surprised me then. It
still surprises me now.
ASHER: And I'll tell you what also surprises me. Yes, of course, we know that the plight of African girls has largely been ignored by Western media,
but what surprises me, and I think disillusions me even more, is the fact that we are 10 years on from Chibok, the missing schoolgirls, that story
where there was so much attention on what was happening in Nigeria, and still to this day, you see kidnappings continuing in Nigeria all the time.
Stephanie Busari, in her piece, was just saying that 1700, over the past few years, 1700 girls or children have been kidnapped, abducted in Nigeria
since this story first broke. So, what have we learned? Why are we still talking about this? I should say thank you so much for coming on the
program. Good to see you again.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
ASHER: We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, all this week, we've been taking a long hard look at the work being done to transform Berlin's economy by Seme City.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, it's an organization with grand plans for the future as it looks to unlock the potential of Berlin's youth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Seme City is an education and innovation hub in Berlin with ambitious plans for a new campus.
CLAUDE BORNA, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER, SEME CITY: The campus in Weder (ph) that we are so excited about is being built on 330
hectares, so it's a small city.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): The new site will feature classrooms as well as research and workspaces for entrepreneurs and startups with sustainability
at the core of the design.
CLARISSE KRAUSE, ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT, COBLOC ARCHITECTURE (through translator): The overarching concept driving the design of this campus
revolves around bioclimatic architecture, prioritizing environmental respect and minimizing reliance on electronics and machinery like air
conditioning.
Additionally, we emphasize the use of biosourced materials to drastically reduce the building's carbon footprint. Moreover, our approach entails
designing modular buildings featuring a structural framework that allows for seamless evolution.
This means that spaces can easily transition from classrooms to laboratories or meeting rooms, demonstrating a high level of flexibility
integrated into the project. Furthermore, as an eco-city, the campus is designed for convenience with every building located within a five-minute
walk, promoting accessibility by bike or on foot.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): With the Beninese architecture firm heavily involved in the design, the new campus is looking to harness the expertise on their
doorstep.
KRAUSE (through translator): The vision of Seme City is to serve as a springboard for the youth of Benin and the broader sub-Saharan region. We
believe that this new campus will truly act as a demonstrator, fostering the emergence of talent and innovation. The campus has the potential to
serve as a hub for knowledge sharing and collaboration and presents a remarkable opportunity for Benin.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): As well as local architects, the design is also harnessing the expertise of Extech Labs, a Seme City-based start-up using
x-ray technology to develop new compounds suitable for the Beninese climate.
SEDOINE BONOU, HEAD OF RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND EXPERIMENTAL PLATFORMS (through translator): The slogan of Seme City is innovation made in
Africa. It's not about going to buy cement or sand to do what is usually done.
We have an obligation to be able to demonstrate through our scientific research that we can design new types of bricks that can be used for the
construction of the Ouida site and to try to create a branch in eco- construction that can really serve as a demonstrator.
BORNA: Look at our climate, look at our environment. Can we do something that actually makes sense from an environmental perspective, from an
economical perspective, from a design perspective that speaks to us? So, my ambition really is that, we, Africans, as a whole, just realize how much
more powerful we are when we work together and that for me, Seme City in the very near future is truly regional.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[12:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right, well, Taylor Swift has made a mighty return to TikTok.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The superstar's music is back on the social media platform a week before the release of her new album.
ASHER: She has another one coming out.
GOLODRYGA: Universal Music Group pulled various artists' songs from TikTok in January over a royalties dispute.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Yeah, it's not clear what exactly led to the return of Swift's music, but other Universal artists are still not listed on the platform.
Swift's 11th album, "The Tortured Poets Department" will be released on April 19th. It just keeps going and going.
GOLODRYGA: Meantime, you know who else keeps going and going? Drumroll, please. Lenny Kravitz has always been one of rock's most fashionable stars.
ASHER: Yes, but this time he's taking it to a whole another level in a brand new workout video that is sending the internet into overdrive. A lot
of people are talking about this. If you see leather pants next time you go to the gym, you may actually have Lenny Kravitz to thank. Jeanne Moos has
more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even superstars like Taylor Swift work out in athletic wear, work out or wipe out in an ad, but not
Lenny Kravitz. He posted himself pumping iron in leather pants, wearing a mesh top, sunglasses and boots, inspiring comments like, "My man never
breaks character, full time rock star." The video gave one guy an excuse, "Reasons why I haven't started working out. One, I don't own any leather
pants." Kravitz lifted weights to his own music.
(MUSIC BY LENNY KRAVITZ PLAYING)
MOOS (voice-over): Dressed to go direct from the gym to the stage. "Do you think he baby powdered his thighs in anticipation of sweating?" asked the
website "The Cut." Can't quite imagine Lenny having to make like Ross from "Friends" sprinkling powder and slathering on lotion in an attempt to get
sweaty leather pants back on. Not since Lenny ripped his leather pants on stage and accidentally exposed his privates in 2015, has his leather given
such pleasure.
[12:55:00]
UNKNOWN: Did you see the footage where his like pants split? Stuff fell out.
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Yeah. Yeah. Do you think I could get that?
UNKNOWN: On YouTube.
CLINTON: On YouTube.
UNKNOWN: It' on YouTube.
CLINTON: Okay, good. I'll look for that.
MOOS: At least Kravitz wasn't totally deep pants like this woman whose shoelace stripped her up and the treadmill stripped her pants off. Unless
you think the weightlifting video was purely staged, it spawned a surge in images of Lenny's abs, especially impressive as he's about to turn 60.
Nothing leathery about Lenny except his pants. As one fan noted, "The man is even immuned to chaffing." Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: See, that is the perfect image to leave the audience with as you end the show.
GOLODRYGA: Exactly.
ASHER: Too bad we couldn't actually see Lenny's face as he was working out.
GOLODRYGA: Well, he's got those shades on. I was looking at the poor guy next to him like, what do I do?
ASHER: That insecurity there.
GOLODRYGA: Anybody in that position would be insecure. Well, that was worth the wait.
ASHER: Yeah. A whole hour for that. All right. Thank you so much. That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. I'll be back in just a few minutes with Amanpour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
