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One World with Zain Asher

All Of Iberian Peninsula Experiencing Power Outage; Trump Nears 100 Days In Office With Sinking Poll Numbers; More Americans Using Buy now-Pay Later For Groceries; Major Power Outage In Portugal And Spain Disrupts Travel; U.S, And Iran Wrap Up Third Round Of Nuclear Talks; ""60 Minutes"" Criticizes Parent Company Paramount On Air; Robotics Team Rebuilds After Wildfire Destruction. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired April 28, 2025 - 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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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Chaos and a crisis. We're just hours away from sunset and thousands of Europeans could be in the dark. Second hour

ONE WORLD starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This has absolutely brought both of these countries Spain and Portugal to an absolute standstill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: In the dark. Authorities across the two countries are scrambling for a solution.

Also ahead, his first 100 days, the White House is set for a week of celebrations, but new polling says most Americans don't feel like partying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It isn't about who you get paired up with. It's about having fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Rising from the ashes. Meet the young inventors who turn tragedy into triumph.

Hi, everyone. Live from London, I Bianna Golodryga. You are watching ONE WORLD.

Spain's electricity provider says power is starting to return to some parts of the country after a massive outage. All of the Iberian Peninsula is

impacted. The disruption has caused chaos across airports, train stations and on the roads.

Spain's electricity provider says it could be hours until power is fully restored. Now, the outage took place at around 12:30 p.m. local time, but

you can see that their spectators at the Madrid Open are still left in the dark as nighttime falls.

The tournament has been suspended. The Portuguese Prime Minister is claiming that the blackout originated in Spain.

CNN's Melissa Bell is following the developments for us in Paris. We know that some parts of France were also impacted, not nearly as severe as Spain

and Portugal, but Melissa, what more do we know about the cause of this outage? And any information about as to when power can be restored?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we have heard from officials, both at the European Council level and on the Iberian Peninsula itself, is that

they do not believe that a cyber-attack, for instance, was responsible.

We don't have any word yet on what might the -- what the cause might have been, but we are expecting a press conference from the Spanish Prime

Minister, which we hope to learn more. That's been slightly delayed, so any news from that, we'll continue to track, Bianna.

But certainly, what you've seen over the course of the last few hours is a fair amount of chaos, not just at the two countries, Spain, Portugal, and

as you said briefly, Southern France's airports, train stations, petrol stations, but also supermarkets as people sort of started panic buying.

Just in case these power outages lasted for any longer.

I think there was something also in the fact of how sudden this was, just after half past 12:00, just after lunchtime, across these two countries and

again, parts of the French vast countries, everything just stopped, all of the electricity, all at once.

And that, of course, caused a great deal of chaos because you're talking of not just the trains and the airports, but you're thinking also of traffic

lights, which is why emergency services had urged people to stay off the roads and had urged only those with the most important emergency calls to

try and ring them.

So there's been a lot of puzzles and a great deal of questions and chaos over the course of the day in the two countries where power outages, as you

said, are only beginning to return to some parts of Spain.

So that is Portugal, and huge parts of Spain, that remain without power, and it may take several more hours for it to come back.

But certainly for the time being, and I think this had been one of the big questions to begin with, whether this was some kind of cyber-attack, that

does not appear to have been the case, Bianna.

All right. Melissa Bell, thank you so much for that update.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Tuesday marks a significant benchmark in Donald Trump's presidency, his first 100 days in office. But new CNN polling shows most

Americans are not happy with what they've seen so far. The president's approval rating is at 41 percent, a historic low compared to his

predecessors.

[12:05:09]

The White House, meantime, is trying to keep the focus on one of its signature issues, immigration. Trump's border czar spoke earlier and

defended the deportation of three children who are U.S. citizens over the weekend, one of them, a cancer patient.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: If you choose to have a U.S. citizen child, knowing you're in this country legally, you put yourself in that

position. You put your family in that position.

What we did is remove children with their mothers who requested the children depart with them. This was a parental decision. Parental one --

parenting 101. The mothers made that choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Now despite his slipping poll numbers, even when it comes to immigration, when asked what would happen if someone was mistakenly

deported, Trump told "The Atlantic" in an interview, quote, quote, nothing will ever be perfect.

Let's break down more of those poll numbers. Harry Enten joins me now. And, Harry, here is a president who came in overwhelmingly the strongest poll

numbers of his political history.

And here we are 100 days later, and he's making history for all the wrong reasons compared to his predecessors. Walk us through every single line

issue that polls are showing him to be under water in.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: I mean, look, this poll is awful, awful, awful, awful for Donald Trump, the CNN 100-day poll. And, you know,

you mentioned the issues. We can look at all the key ones. You know, you mentioned immigration. Well, he's below water on that. Look at that. He's

at 45 percent. He's disapproving, north of 50 percent, a clear drop from our last poll in which we asked about immigration. His approval was above

50 percent on that particular topic.

But then it's all the other ones, right? The economy, 39 percent. Inflation, 35 percent. Tariffs, 35 percent. All below 50 percent, Bianna.

The only issue in which he is above water is gender identity policy, which is not playing a big role in the political zeitgeist right now.

These are the issues that matter most. And, of course, you were mentioning it last hour. The economy, it's the economy. And this is where I think

Donald Trump has just lost the American public.

Let's take a look here. I mean, this just sort of gives the ball game away, right? Trump's economic approval rating at 100 days.

Back in 2017, he was at 49 percent. He was elected to fix the economy. But what instead has happened is economic approval rating has gone through the

floor. It's now 39 percent.

I went back and looked at every single president I could in which there was a poll around the 100-day mark that asked about the economy. You can go all

the way back, since James Earl Carter, back in 1977, his approval rating on the economy, Donald Trump's status, is the lowest on record.

And when you put it all together, you put all the issues, the economy, inflation, tariffs, immigration, where does that put Donald Trump overall?

You were hinting at it at the top. Let's take a look here. Approval ratings at 100 days. I've got all the presidents on the screen who have been

president this century.

And take a look here. George W. Bush, 62 percent. Barack Obama, 63 percent. Donald Trump in term number one is first presidency, 44 percent. Joe Biden

came in, 53 percent, not half bad.

But look here, 41 percent approve of Donald Trump's job right now. That's not just lower than he was at this point, 100 days in back in 2017. It is

the lowest on record this century.

And if you compare it to all the presidents on which we have polling going all the way back, since Dwight David Eisenhower in 1953, Donald Trump's

approval rating right now is lower than all of them at the 100-day mark. They're simply put, Bianna, it is no good news in this poll, in my humble

opinion, for Donald John Trump. He has his work cut out for him. Of course, we're only 100 days in. There are plenty of thousands of days to go in this

presidency.

GOLODRYGA: But, Harry, I look at the 63 percent for President Obama in 2009, the 53 percent for President Biden in 2021. What was happening at the

time?

The country was in a financial crisis that President Obama inherited and President Biden inherited the COVID, the COVID catastrophe.

So here you have higher approval ratings for the two of them relative to where you see President Trump now. He inherited a rather strong economy

where he campaigned forever on lowering prices at the grocery store and inflation. The opposite it had has happened.

ENTEN: You have to royally screw up in order to get an approval rating at 41 percent, merely 100 days in your presidency.

The American people want to give you a honeymoon. There is a reason why no President before Donald Trump back in 2017 had an approval rating below 50

percent after 100 days. And that is because the American people give you the benefit of the doubt.

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But at this particular point in the American people's minds, Donald Trump has screwed up so much that he is so far below water. He's below where he

was in 2017. And again, I heart back on the issues. You just go back here.

You just see it on all the key issues of the day. Immigration, the economy, inflation, tariffs. Donald Trump is at 45 percent or below. I never thought

I would see the day in which Donald Trump's appropriating on the economy, which again, he was elected to fix, would be 39 percent.

They hate what he's doing on the tariff war. It's impacting the overall views of him on the economy. And it's in there for impacting the overall

views of him overall. Because as we've spoken about before, it is as James Jimmy Carter said, the economy stupid. Of course, as I like to say with

you, it is the economy smarty.

ENTEN: Back at you, Harry Enten. Donald Trump seems to be taking it stride, at least publicly right now.

Harry, appreciate it, my friend. You know who never has to worry about their approval ratings because it's set permanently at 100 percent is you,

is Mr. Harry Enten.

ENTEN: I thank you. And I also just want to say congratulations on competing 100 percent of the marathon this weekend.

GOLODRYGA: Thank you. Thank you. Wait till I stand up in that. Yes, we got through it. It was very hot. Very hot, Harry Enten.

ENTEN: Very --

GOLODRYGA: Good to see you.

ENTEN: Nice to see you.

GOLODRYGA: I'll see you back in New York soon.

ENTEN: See you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, joins me now.

So digging into these numbers, Ron, I mean, there's nothing here that the White House can look in tout as somewhat positive for them just 100 days

in. And you focus specifically on the fact that you have an administration that walked into some pretty good standing with the American public

relative to Donald Trump's previous polling. Where do you see this going?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, I think the short version of the poll is that -- and many polls that came out over the

weekend. They're about half a dozen polls, all with very similar results.

The short version is that Donald Trump is doing a lot of things that Americans don't want him to do. And he is not doing the biggest thing that

they elected him to do, which is get their cost of living under control.

If there is a silver lining in the poll, it is a finding that CNN had and some others had versions of this, where, you know, pretty close to half of

Americans, which is where we've always been with Donald Trump, say that he is clearly moving in the wrong direction. And his agenda will hurt the

country.

Only about a quarter, say his policies are producing benefits so far. But in the CNN poll, there is another quarter who are essentially saying it's

too early to tell. And that, you know, that things might get better.

So I think, you know, you look at Ronald Reagan in 1981, you can't, you know, decide what a presidency is going to look like in 26 or 28 based on

the first three months.

But this clearly on -- if he stays on the trajectory that he's on, where he is pursuing an agenda that is aimed only at his base, is frightening a lot

of people beyond his base, and simultaneously, Bianna, failing to make progress on the biggest problem that people elected him to solve, which is

the cost of living. And in fact, maybe now compounding that problem with his tariffs, you're on a track for a very difficult election for

Republicans.

He a bad election in 2018 when he was a 45 percent approval, if he comes in under 45, obviously, that would be very threatening to them.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. He's defied trends in the past. And it does appear that Republicans, at least, I mean, given the hyper partisan world we live in,

are giving him a bit more leave room right now.

The approval rating among Republicans is 86 percent with -- I'm sorry, the Democrats at 86 percent disapprove on Republicans approving at 93 percent.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: When you look at those numbers, though, and you mentioned something about how this is going to impact Republicans at large, this

doesn't seem to be an issue that President Trump, at least publicly, seems to be caring much about how this impacts the midterms.

What is it going to take? And what are you hearing from Republicans about how this trickles down to their standing?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, first, as you note, I mean, you know, the Republicans in Congress have been incredibly deferential, surrendering authority,

institutional authority, defending pretty much anything Trump does, even on something like the tariffs, when it is a clear threat to their states, like

agricultural states.

Part of that is what you saw, what you noted. I mean, there's approval rating among Republicans remains very high, but also it is that, you know,

they are fearful that he could turn voters against them, primers, what we saw with Thom Tillis, you know, and so forth in the Senate on the Pete

Hegseth vote, maybe Senator Cassidy in Louisiana earlier on the RFK junior vote.

But at some point, you know, they are, you know -- and in fact, not only are they not deferring to him, they are going further in this direction. I

mean, what is the biggest thing that the Congress is going to do in the coming weeks? It's a massive budget bill that will cut taxes primarily for

the affluent and fund that partially by cutting programs that benefit the middleclass, particularly healthcare, Medicaid, which adds to the, you

know, concern that they are raising people's costs.

[12:15:21]

So far from separating, they are doubling down and aligning more closely with Trump. You know, I mean, it could look better in a year. But right

now, they are, you know, going deeper into the water that is already threatening to them.

GOLODRYGA: President Trump may not be specifically worried about where his standing is with his base, obviously, and even amongst Republicans as these

poll numbers show. But when it comes to independence, his approval rating has dipped to 31 percent. That's matching his first-term low point with

that group. How much of an issue could this be for him?

BROWNSTEIN: These are -- these are brutal numbers across the board. I mean, you know, the independent numbers, I -- that was predated even in the

tariffs. I mean, he was looking at double-digit deficits with independent voters.

And I think that goes to this idea. You know, he is not really what people hope for out of the Trump administration. They are not seeing what they

feared, maybe, they are seeing. And you really see that among independent voters.

He is govern -- you know, he's not the first president who has inflated a rather modest victory in his mind to a sweeping mandate to do everything he

has wanted to do. But he is taking that tendency, I think, to the max and pursuing a lot of ideas that simply have no support outside of his hardcore

base, pardoning violent January 6 rioters, ending the education department, sending U.S. -- you know, sending people legally here in the U.S., abroad

to prison without due process.

I mean, these are not ideas that have support outside of the Republican Party. And you are seeing that recoil.

And adding to that, again, you're not seeing the other side. I think a lot of people voted for Trump in '24 with hesitation. I mean, you can look at

that. Some of it between 15 to 20 percent of his voters expressed serious doubts about him, but they thought they kind of bit their lip and said, OK,

I will take this risk because it's going to pay off in a better economy where I can afford shoes and clothes for my kids, put food on the table

better.

And instead, he is doing the things they feared and not delivering what they hoped in terms of better cost of living, and in fact, making that

worse with their tariffs.

By the way, all of this polling is before the real bite of the tariffs comes into play, probably beginning in later May. So, you know, this may

not be the absolute floor that he could be experiencing.

GOLODRYGA: And there's no resolution as to what ultimately happens with these tariffs. He put a 90-day freeze on the majority of the reciprocal

tariffs --

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: -- but we have no major deals yet announced with other countries and partners. And we know that can take months, if not years, to iron out.

Ron Brownstein, thank you so much. Good to see you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Well, speaking of the cost of living, car loans and home loans are common, but what about grocery loans? It's a worrying sign of the

times. We'll have the details, after the break.

Also ahead, the U.S. and Iran set to hold a fourth round of nuclear talks after meeting in Oman last weekend. We'll have analysis from a former

Israeli ambassador to the United States.

Plus, CBS News flagship show "60 Minutes" criticizes its parent company Paramount in a growing feud over media independence. We'll have details,

ahead.

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GOLODRYGA: Well, we have yet another indicator that Americans are struggling to cover basic everyday expenses. A new survey from Lending Tree

shows a quarter of those getting, buy now, pay later loans, use them for groceries. Now, that number was 14 percent just one year ago.

These are short-term interest-free loans that let people pay in installments. Experts worried that they encourage shoppers to buy more than

they can actually afford.

CNN's Matt Egan joins us with the details. And this speaks to one of the biggest issues now consuming Americans, and that is what is happening with

prices at the grocery store and how these tariffs are going to impact them. Tell us more about this new information.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Bianna. That is obviously the big concern right now. And this survey doesn't even fully capture the impact of the

trade war and the potential price increases from tariffs.

But it is another indicator that Americans are feeling stress right now financially, right? Because they're essentially using borrowed money to buy

essentials.

So this survey from Lending Tree found that about one in four, buy now, pay later borrowers say that they've used these short-term loans to purchase

groceries. And as you mentioned, that's up significantly from a year ago.

And, yes, buy now, out pay later has exploded in popularity because as you mentioned, there's no interest rates typically with these loans. They do

let people break up their payments into installments, which is very convenient.

But there is this concern that it's so easy to use that it's going to cause people to take on more than they can afford.

Now, other categories beyond groceries that have been popular with buy now, pay later users include buying furniture, clothes, electronics, beauty

products.

And one item that's actually not on that list is the 16 percent of people who say they've used buy now, pay later for delivery, for food delivery or

for food takeout. Think about that for a moment.

Also Billboard, recently reported that more than half of the people who attended Coachella, they bought their tickets using buy now, pay later,

which is also pretty striking.

And as you noted, this comes at a time when not only are prices high, but the cost to borrow is high too.

Now, what's hard to understand here is how much of this is happening just because buy now, pay later is a relatively new and convenient option. And

how much of it is happening because people are having trouble making ends meet.

Now, one telling finding from the survey is the fact that a growing share of buy now, pay later borrowers say that they've paid late, especially

younger Americans. More than half, 57 percent of Gen Zers say they've paid late in the past year, about 50 percent of millennials as well.

Also, higher income borrowers are more likely to say that they've paid late here.

And so I do think that when you take a step back, this is another reminder, Bianna, that beyond those pretty solid national economic numbers on

unemployment and consumer spending, there are some yellow lights here flashing in this economy.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. A lot of uncertainty about what the future holds and what, if anything, comes out of these tariff negotiations and how that impacts

everyday Americans and businesses.

Matt Egan, thank you so much.

EGAN: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Coming up for us, Spain and Portugal are working to bounce back after a major power blackout. It's created chaos for just about everyone

there, and we'll have the latest in a live report.

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[12:25:15]

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to ONE WORLD, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

We're turning back to our breaking news. Power is out across much of the Iberian Peninsula.

Moments ago, Spain's prime minister addressed the nation. Pedro Sanchez says they do not know the cause of the outage, but are working to restore

power across the region. He adds it has been difficult to reach people by phone, so he's asking the public to keep their calls short to not overwhelm

the grid.

It is 6:30 in the evening in Lisbon, and people obviously want to go home from job schools and places of business.

But as CNN Portugal's Phillipe Vieira told us last hour, that is not easy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPE VIEIRA, CNN PORTUGAL: There are no working traffic lights in the city of Lisbon, and this is rush hour right now. So they are asking drivers

to drive extra cautiously. But Lisbon right now is basically the entire city is a traffic jam.

There are cars piled up on multiple entrances into the city. No easy ways out, no easy way in. And all of this again, because there's no power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Car traffic is snarled, and so is airline traffic. CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean, joins me now for more on this.

So again, we hear from officials that the likelihood of this being a cyber- attack are slim to none at this point, but they're offering no other information.

And meantime, you have major metropolitan areas, basically at a standstill, without any power. Talk to us about the process, specifically as it relates

to air traffic control and airports functioning in a situation like this.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Let's also talk about the rail system too, because that's so --

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

MUNTEAN: -- critical in Spain. And Spanish Transportation Minister, Oscar Puente, just said the focus now is rescuing all the countless number of

rail passengers who have been stranded by trains that have been brought to a halt by this blackout.

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Puente just posted on X that even though the power is coming back on slowly, likely only commuter train service will be restored today. He says

that regional and long distance trains probably not going to be brought back online by the end of the day.

Remember electricity so critical to rail travel in Spain. National rail provider Renfe says about 80 percent of all of its rail traffic has been

electrified, the remaining 20 percent diesel powered. So an unfortunate flip side of the push to clean energy and renewable energy sources.

This is the video just in the CNN of Atocha station in Madrid. It's the largest rail station in Spain, a major hub for commuter and long distance

rail.

Passengers could be heard saying that they were going to miss connections, not just to other trains, but also to their flights In fact, one of those

passengers said she was going to miss her daughter giving birth.

Let's also talk about air travel because that's so critical here. Portugal's flag carrier TAP Air Portugal has advised all travelers to avoid

heading to the airport until further notice.

Here's the statement. The airline posted on Facebook. They say, due to the power cut in several European countries, the operation of airports is

temporarily very limited. TAP requests that you not go to the airport until further information.

The latest data from flight tracking site, FlightAware, says Lisbon tops the list for cancellations. Barcelona and Madrid airports also being hit

hard, but we know though, Bianna, that when these cancellations begin to hit, it can be really hard for airlines to recover. It's like a deck of

cards that comes tumbling down.

It can be very, very difficult for airlines to get things back on track. Sometimes they simply have to wait until the next day. Essentially, it's

like plugging in, unplugging the system and plugging it back in again, although there's electrical major blackout in this part of Europe has

essentially done that for the airlines already. It could be very, very hard to get things back on track.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And you've got hundreds of thousands, not millions of people between those two countries now impacted by this. You have the prime

minister of Spain saying that they aim to restore power nationwide soon, as we noted Pete at nighttime is about to fall in Europe right now. And you've

got thousands upon thousands of stranded and very frustrated understandably commuters right now.

Pete Muntean, thank you so much. We'll continue to follow this story.

Well, the U.S. and Iran are painting a positive but cautious picture of talks between the two nations over Tehran's nuclear program. The fourth

round of talks is expected this week.

Iran's foreign minister and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff led the delegations. And the third round held Saturday in Oman.

Iran's foreign minister says, any potential deal would differ from the 2015 agreement reached under the Obama administration, which was abandoned by

the Trump administration. Several issues still need to be ironed out and Iranian officials add some things are not up for negotiation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: I guess everyone understand that we are not going to negotiate in public. But as a matter of

principle, enrichment is and has to be part and parcel of any fair and realistic agreement that we may entertain with other partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Israel's prime minister is repeating his calls for Iran's entire nuclear infrastructure to be dismantled.

Time now for the exchange. Joining me is Michael Herzog. He's former Israeli ambassador to the United States and a fellow at the Washington

Institute for Near East Policy.

Ambassador Hertzog, welcome to the program. Thanks so much for joining us.

In addition to being Israel's former ambassador to the United States, obviously, the issue of Iran and its nuclear program is one that you are

very familiar with.

And so you're the perfect person to have on right now. We have Prime Minister Netanyahu, even over the weekend, as these talks, the third round,

wrapped up stating that unless Iran removes its capacity to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, nothing will be considered a real deal.

What is your understanding about what the United States is willing to permit at this point?

MICHAEL HERZOG, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: Thank you for having me. This is an open question. We hear mixed messages from the

administration. And the big question is, will the administration insist that there will be no enrichment on uranium soil?

Our prime minister spoke about the Libya model where you dismantle the whole infrastructure. You destroy it, you ship it out, you leave nothing.

But there is another model whereby one might be allowed to have a civilian peaceful program, civilian one, but without mastering the fuel cycle,

mainly that they will not enrich on their own soil and they will get the enriched material from the outside. It's called the Golden Standard in

professional language and there are other countries with peaceful intentions who already subscribe to that model.

[12:35:13]

For example, the United Arab Emirates, they have an agreement with the United States based on that golden standard. So the jury is out. And I'm

not sure where the U.S. stands right now. And will it insist on no enrichment on Iranian soil?

GOLODRYGA: Is that golden standard that you just described where enrichment would happen outside of the country and closely monitored? Is that

something from your understanding that Israel would accept? And also, would Iran accept?

HERZOG: Look, I'm not a spokesman for the Israeli government. I'm no longer a government official, but I believe based on my experience that this is a

model as was articulated by Secretary Rubio that I think Israel could live with.

It means that they don't master the fuel cycle, they don't enrich, they get material from the outside. And this also is an indication of peaceful

intentions.

The Iranians have been enriching to 60 percent, which is really near military grade enrichment. And as the director of the International Atomic

Energy Agency said, there's no other president of any country in the world enriching to 60 percent for a civilian program. So that has to be dealt

with.

GOLODRYGA: Prime Minister Netanyahu said that this is part of Iran's plan to essentially drag this process out. You have warned that Iran's breakout

time is now less than one week with enough enriched uranium for multiple warheads.

What are the practical steps, both the United States and perhaps Israel, whether or not it would be an agreement with the United States, can do to

avoid that scenario?

HERZOG: First, the Iranians' last breakout time to one's worth of military grade in which uranium is about a week. And that's very, very dangerous.

And overall, the amount of enriched material they had to various -- they had to various levels of enrichment could be sufficient for 17 bombs.

That's an unacceptable level and has to be dealt with, hopefully through diplomacy.

If diplomacy doesn't work, we have to be prepared with a credible military option. Nobody is rushing to war. But as both the United States and Israel

stated, we will not tolerate Iran becoming a nuclear arms state. And we have to be ready to prevent that.

GOLODRYGA: As you said, one week now for a breakout period, do you have any sense as to whether Israel, despite the United States saying now is not the

time for military action, that Israel would unilaterally go about it on its own without the blessing of the United States?

HERZOG: I believe that Israel will give a chance to use diplomacy and see what comes out. And I believe that for Israel, it's critically important to

be coordinated with the United States. Israel has its own capabilities and options.

But obviously, I think we are much better off coordinated -- being coordinated with the United States because, ultimately, even if Israel

decides to employ the military option, we have to work together with the United States and other international actors on the day after or years

after.

GOLODRYGA: Ambassador Michael Herzog, thank you so much for the time. Appreciate it.

Well, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have vowed to work towards a truce to end deadly fighting in the eastern part of

the country. That's inspiring some hope among civilians who have been caught in the crossfire. As Ben Hunte reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN HOST (voice-over): Whispers of the faintest prospect of peace don't stop the daily chores for this woman living in the Democratic

Republic of Congo. But a lot more than laundry is hanging on the line in this war-torn nation.

The east of the country was plunged into violence when M23 rebels launched an offensive in January that led to the capture of two major cities in the

DRC.

Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

But just last week, the Congolese government and M23 issued statements saying they would work towards a truce.

That's brought a flicker of hope to this cramped house where two families now live. This woman says, she and her children were given shelter here

after her home was destroyed in the fighting.

One child is an orphan taken in after his mother was killed. No one here has been spared the brutality of this conflict.

[12:40:09]

MAPENDO M'WA BUSHENYULA, DISPLACED MOTHER (through translator): I want God to bring peace for people to hear and for this war to end. We're dying. Two

members of my family died, shot while fleeing. Where we hide, bullets reach us. That's why we ask for peace.

HUNTE (voice-over): But she says, having a roof over their heads isn't enough, as its often a daily struggle to survive.

BUSHENYULA (through translator): Eating is a problem. She has her children and I have mine. We end up being 30 people around one plate. We eat just to

calm our stomachs. It's not good at all.

HUNTE (voice-over): And there are fears the violence could escalate into a regional conflict. Relations between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda are

increasingly tense. The DRC says Rwanda backs the M23 rebels, which Rwanda denies.

But in Washington, in a sign of progress, both countries pledged to refrain from providing military support to armed groups and work on a draft peace

deal by May 2nd.

It could be a step closer to a much-needed peace in the eastern DRC. A weary hope and a prayer from civilians who have little left to lose.

Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: And a rare on-air rebuke, CBS News' flagship show "60 Minutes" called out its parent company, Paramount.

Now, it came after the show's long serving executive producer, Bill Owens, resigned. He stepped down amid a growing dispute over journalistic

independence and as the network faces a lawsuit from President Trump and the parent company targets a merger that depends on federal approval.

Here's how anchor Scott Pelley told viewers what's been happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount

began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism

requires.

No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing, he was the right person to lead "60 Minutes" all along.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, joins us now.

[12:45:59]

And it's quite obvious that in terms of the President's, at times, vitriolic relationship with the media, his ire thus far early in his

administration, and even during the campaign, was largely set on CBS, on "60 Minutes", on an interview that he sued them over with Kamala Harris at

the time, candidate Harris, vice president Harris.

Now you have the executive producer resigning. Bill Owens making it clear that he wasn't stepping down on his own volition, but that his journalistic

independence was really being questioned, and thus, he was leaving for the network.

My question to you -- of leaving the network. My question to you, Brian, is this wasn't a live television spontaneous moment that we just heard there.

All of their segments for "60 Minutes" are pre-taped.

So walk us through the machinations of what led up to that report.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: This was a bold statement by the journalist at "60 Minutes" about the parent company, letting the networks,

millions of viewers, in on the behind-the-scenes turmoil that has consumed the program.

And this was not just Scott Pelley speaking for himself. He was speaking on behalf of his fellow correspondents and producers as well.

I am really struck by the solidarity that I'm hearing about inside "60 Minutes." Nobody wants to see this program lose its credibility or luster.

But that's what's threatened right now, because of the lawsuit you mentioned. The lawsuit that Trump filed against "60 Minutes" is frivolous,

but it is very serious because CBS' parent company, Paramount, wants the Trump administration to approve its mega merger. There's a lot of money on

the line here.

So as a result, the pressure that is consuming "60 Minutes" resulted in Bill Owen's departure last week. I am told, by the way, he's still involved

behind the scenes through the end of the season next month, trying to figure out a transition plan, because that's what we don't know, is what's

the transition going to be like?

Is this the end of the ordeal or is this the beginning? Has Trump now received a scalp, so to speak, from CBS? And now some of this will move on?

Or is this the beginning of further pressure against the nation's most popular news magazine?

This is really a symbol, Bianna, in the same way that the Trump battle with Columbia University or Harvard is a symbol, in the same way that Trump's

battles with big law firms. We've seen some law firms capitulate, we've seen others stand up and fight.

Here, in this case, with "60 Minutes," you have the parent company wanting to capitulate, but you have the journalists wanting to fight.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And we've seen ABC capitulate, right, and settle with the administration in a lawsuit, as well.

Brian Stelter, obviously, this has ramifications for the industry as a whole, beyond just the building there at CBS News in New York City.

Brian Stelter in New York for us, thank you so much.

Well, former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will make a rare public appearance on Wednesday. She's due to address one of the largest networks,

the female democratic elected officials, the day after President Trump marks his first 100 days in office.

Harris' speech is expected to be a call to action, calling out Trump's economic policies as reckless and spotlighting what she sees as a crisis

facing America's institutions.

Now, it comes as Harris is weighing her own political future, deciding between run for governor of California in 2026, or taking another stab at

the White House in 2028.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Brings back childhood memories. We're taking it back to the '80s with that one.

Pop star, Cindy Lauper, famous for "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," is among the acts chosen for induction this year into the Rock and Roll Hall of

Fame.

Among some of the others making the cuts, the Twist's singer, Chubby Checker and Hip-Hop Duo, Outkast.

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest announced the 2025 inductees during the show's airing on Sunday night. The induction ceremony is set for November.

They should all make the cut. They should all be inducted. Well-deserving.

Well, a group of California fourth and fifth graders suffered a huge loss when the Palisades fire swept through the L.A. area earlier this year,

destroying their schools and robotics lab.

But instead of giving up, these students decided to rebuild. And as CNN's Natasha Chen reports, hope and hard work got them a chance to compete on

the world stage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was riding away and I see the smoke like filling the sky. And I'm like, oh, my god, my school. Oh, my god, I had a robotics

name, the robot.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Charlotte Lu (ph), who goes by Charlie, is one of hundreds of students who evacuated Marquez Charter

Elementary School on January 7th, as flames hurtled toward their school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought that we might actually be able to save the school, but then I got the word the next morning.

CHEN (voice-over): They're part of a group of fourth and fifth graders who had built incredible robots during the fall to compete in regional and

national competitions, only to have the Palisades fire destroy them as it tore through more than 6,000 structures.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We never -- we never expected everything to burn down, otherwise, I would have saved it.

CHEN (voice-over): Many teachers and parents thought they were leaving temporarily, not thinking there would be nothing left for their children to

return to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most of them lost their homes, their schools, their parks, their libraries.

CHEN (voice-over): With no campus left, the staff and student body moved to existing empty classrooms at another elementary school. And the students

made their own choice to rebuild their robots, even as some were dealing with losing their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't have a place to live, so we didn't even know where school was necessarily going to be. So, yes, it seemed a little

overwhelming and daunting because it's a lot of, it's a big commitment.

CHEN (voice-over): Three days a week, hours at a time, and with the help of donations, support from the coaches --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said, if you want to continue, we will find a way.

CHEN (voice-over): And looking over notes from their first robots --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We made some improvements that definitely improved the bot.

CHEN (voice-over): A bot designed to launch a ball directly into a set of goals.

CHEN: How accurate is that when you launch it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, our bot is actually called Hole In One, so pretty frequently.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We usually get it in every time.

CHEN (voice-over): So good, in fact, that the two teams from Marquez took their quickly finished new robots to an Iowa competition.

The fourth grade team also beat out hundreds of other teams to qualify for the World Championships in Dallas, Texas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's probably going to be some really, really good teams that have like crazy scores.

CHEN (voice-over): But teammate, Winston Tire (ph), remembers hearing words of advice at the last meet-up as they prepare for their biggest match.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It isn't about what the awards you get. It isn't about - - it isn't about who you get paired up with. It's about having fun.

CHEN (voice-over): And his dad could not be prouder of the journey they've taken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've been like months, but they do impressed me. Just look at their spirit and the fact that they just were like, this happened,

but we're not defeated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Robotics, in general, it's all about, you know, not giving up. And then I think that that's what they're doing in their lives

right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[12:55:02]

GOLODRYGA: Wow. Those children impress all of us.

Well, one more update on our top story. We've been tracking the impact of a major power outage that hit Spain and Portugal around six hours ago.

Spain's electricity provider says power is starting to return to some parts of the country, though it could take several more hours to get fully back

to normal.

The outage led to travel chaos in both countries, bringing whole cities to a standstill. Officials aren't sure what caused the outage, but say there

is no evidence right now of a cyber-attack. Of course, CNN will bring you all updates as we get them throughout the day.

That does it for ONE WORLD, I'm Bianna Golodryga Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back with "AMANPOUR."

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[13:00:00]

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