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One World with Zain Asher
CNN International: Trump In Qatar On Second Leg Of Middle East Tour; Trump Praises Syria's Leader After Meeting In Riyadh; Zelenskyy Insists Peace Talks Must Involve Putin Himself. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 14, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ZAIN ASHER, CNN INT HOST, "ONE WORLD": All right. President Donald Trump gets a lavish welcome in Qatar.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INT HOST, "ONE WORLD": One World starts right now.
Overshadowing Trump's trip in Qatar is the controversial offer of a free luxury jet that may not be so free.
ASHER: Plus, with potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine now just one day away, we'll look at what leaders could be in attendance.
GOLODRYGA: And U.S. aviation authorities are meeting with airlines today to discuss their plans to cut flights to Newark to combat delays.
Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching One World.
U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing for a state dinner with the Emir of Qatar. He is on the second leg of his trip to three of the Middle East's
richest nations, where the focus is not on geopolitics, but an attempt to draw up deals and investment pledges as well.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. That's right. The President arrived to an opulent welcome ceremony in Doha earlier and a Cybertruck-led motorcade. He then
participated in a bilateral meeting with the country's Emir, where they signed several agreements. During his visit, the President says he plans to
accept a luxury $400 million jet from the Qatari royal family, amid mounting bipartisan criticism and corruption concerns.
ASHER: Yeah. Earlier, while in Riyadh, Trump met with the Saudi Crown Prince and Syria's new leader as well, after a surprise announcement that
the U.S. would lift sanctions on the Islamic-led government and move to normalize relations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICASHER: I felt very strongly that this would give them a chance. It's not going to be easy anyway. So,
it gives them a good, strong chance, and it was my honor to do so. So, we've -- we will be dropping all of the sanctions on Syria, which I think
really is going to be a good thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The U.S. President later told reporters aboard Air Force One that his meeting with Ahmad al-Sharaa went well, adding that he is a young,
attractive, tough guy with a strong pass.
CNN's Alayna Treene joins us live now from Washington. So, this is historic, Alayna, because this is the first time in about 25 years the
leaders of the two countries have met. Obviously, Syria has been in diplomatic isolation since the rise of Bashar al-Assad. Just walk us
through what was discussed. Obviously, we now know that the U.S. is lifting sanctions on that country, which is huge for them, specifically, just in
terms of creating much more investment opportunities for them. Walk us through that.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No. Absolutely, and it's something that the President has tried to refer to as wanting to give Syria a fresh
start. Of course, this comes after the President of Syria now, Ahmad al- Sharaa, had helped in toppling the Bashar al-Assad regime late last year. And so, from my conversations with Trump administration officials, they say
to view this as the President recognizing there is new leadership, recognizing as well that many other nations in the Middle East are also
trying to give Syria more of the benefit of the doubt now. They do view this new -- this regime change as being incredibly significant and wanting
to help them get off to a better start than where they had been, of course, under the Assad regime.
Now, I actually just spoke with Brett McGurk, someone who has served on several National Security Councils here in the United States. Most
recently, he was former President Joe Biden's Middle East coordinator, and he was telling me, he actually thinks this is a really smart move by the
Trump administration. He thinks that it is right to try and ease some of the sanctions that the U.S. government has had on Syria. So, that's just
one side. And of course, he is someone who had previously served in the Biden administration, praising this move by the President.
But, a few things that I also found very notable from that meeting between President Donald Trump and al-Sharaa is, one, the way that the President
characterized him on Air Force, when you heard some of that in that clip you played. He said that he was great. He called him a young, attractive,
tough guy. He said, he has a strong past, notable, of course, because al- Sharaa is someone who previously had founded a militant group that had previously pledged support to Al-Qaeda, something that was, of course, very
concerning when the United States was watching him take over power in Syria. But, he had later left that group in 2016. And again, we're seeing
the President now refer to him as a young, attractive, smart guy.
But, some other things they discussed as well that we're learning is, one, the President had said that he thinks that he would love to ultimately get
them to sign the Abraham Accords, of course, a diplomatic agreement, something that was really kind of a key achievement of the Trump --
President Donald Trump's first administration, the signing of diplomatic normalization, or excuse me, normalizing diplomatic ties between Israel and
a number of Arab nations.
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He also argued that he wants al-Sharaa to tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria and to help the United States prevent the resurgence of ISIS.
So, if all of these things were to ultimately happen, a massive deal for Syria, and of course, the U.S.-Syria relationship moving forward.
GOLODRYGA: And a massive about-face too, just when you take into consideration that there was a $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa's head just
from the United States months ago, and now here you are, the President lifting all sanctions.
Talk about an about-face as well, and that is the makeover image for the country of Qatar, where the President is right now. It was eight years ago
that he described this country as a supporter of terrorism, and there he was today signing deals, the announcement of Boeing, then taking multiple
orders for over 100 planes from Qatar. But also, the criticism remains over the decision by this President to accept a $400 million plane that would be
ultimately retrofitted as Air Force One. And Alayna, the fact that there is bipartisan criticism from both Republicans and Democrats about this gift
from the Qataris doesn't seem to be impacting the President's decision here. Just talk to us about how serious he appears to be about this plane.
TREENE: Well, there are still a couple of questions here, which is, one, the President has now repeatedly said that he has plans to accept this
plane. He has been trying to characterize it as the Qatari defense team giving it to the Defense Department here in the United States to try and
insulate himself a bit from this. We kind of heard him in an interview with Sean Hannity last night. I heard Fox News as well try to frame it that way.
But, of course, this is drawing intense criticism, as you mentioned, from Republicans and Democrats alike, particularly those in Congress who worry
that this is unconstitutional, that it's illegal, that it potentially amounts to corruption, to some sort of bribe.
And what was really striking to me, Bianna and Zain, is how the President framed this during that interview with Fox that I mentioned last night,
because he kind of framed it as if the Qataris came to him saying, let us help you out and give you this plane. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If I wanted to, I could hurt Boeing, and I don't want to hurt Boeing, but they are very late with the plane, and Qatar heard about it,
and he is a great leader. And we were talking, and he said, if I can help you, let me do that. And they had a plane, not a new plane at all, but they
had a plane. My attitude is, why wouldn't I accept the gift? We're giving to everybody else. Why wouldn't I accept the gift? Because it's going to be
a couple of years, I think, before the Boeings are finished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREEENE: So, a lot to kind of break down there. One is clearly and this interview shows that that the President has been so fixated for years now
on wanting there to be a new Air Force One, and when he came into office, that was definitely a priority of his. And he has been talking with Boeing
about trying to have them give him a new plane. He is arguing it's going to take too long, and that's why he wants to accept what he is calling a free
gift from Qatar's government.
But, of course, again, ethical questions about this, questions about whether this is legal, and of course, you have to account for the fact that
this plane is not equipped security-wise to actually serve as Air Force One. It would take years and likely hundreds of millions of dollars to try
and retrofit it to the way that really lives up to Secret Service's standards, one, of course, midair refueling, having the type of defense
capabilities that Air Force One needs, all of those key questions that are still unanswered.
ASHER: All right. Alayna Treene live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. On that flight from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, Donald Trump said he is willing to make a detour in his overseas trip to sit in on peace talks
between Russia and Ukraine. The talks are scheduled for Thursday in Turkey, but it's not clear yet if Vladimir Putin is actually going to be attending
or not. Trump says that one way to entice Putin to come is for Trump himself to show up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He would like me to be there, and that's a possibility if we could end the war I'd be thinking about it. So we have a very full situation now,
that doesn't mean I wouldn't do it to save a lot of lives and come back. But, yeah, I think they're thinking about something. I don't know that he
would be there if I'm not there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he will be at the talks, but he is not there to talk to underlings. He wants a face-to-
face meeting with Vladimir Putin. Russia has not yet confirmed who it will be sending to those talks.
ASHER: Let's bring in CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in Kyiv, Ukraine, for the very latest year. So, Nick, it's interesting because Putin was the one who
proposed these direct talks in the first place, but since, he sort of wavered as to whether or not he is going to be attending himself.
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Just talk to us about the Kremlin's calculation, their line of thinking, what they're weighing in terms of whether or not to attend.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I'm sure everyone would like more of an insight into that. I can only kind of
speculate from afar. But, it's important to point out they proposed a Russia-Ukraine direct talks, not on the presidential level. That was
something which President Zelenskyy of Ukraine suggested that he would personally go to those meetings and challenge Putin to meet him face to
face, even suggesting, when I spoke to him yesterday, that maybe Putin was afraid of such a meeting. We've not heard from Putin about that specific
invitation. Indeed, his spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told the TASS news agency recently that he was actually not sure anyone would know who was
going to go until these talks indeed began.
So, very much leaving who is going to be in the Russian contingent down to the last minute to be made public. I would suggest, potentially, that this
sort of theater, this kind of stringing the White House along, frankly, listening to Trump speak there, it's clear he believes the possibility of
Putin's attendance is there, that it may even be increased if Trump is there himself. It would perhaps add to the snub for Putin to not only
refuse the meeting, but allow Trump to feel it was potentially a possibility for this amount of time, but still peering inside the Kremlin's
mindset, often a very tricky and perilous task.
Certainly, though, this is fully the consequence of the ceasefire demand from last Saturday by European leaders in Ukraine. Russia brushed that
aside, suggested direct talks on Thursday in Istanbul. That's now morphed into potentially the three presidents meeting together. We know Zelenskyy
is going direct, he said, to Ankara to meet the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They may then fly on to Istanbul, either way, or if there
is a need, unclear at this stage, but he'll be in country too. You heard Trump suggest he might take a detour.
I think the issue really comes down to exactly the format of those meetings. That may be why we're not hearing public signals yet from the
Russians about their attendance. It's clear, I think, perhaps Moscow would see some merit in getting a bilateral with Trump and Putin ahead of this or
during this at some point. That's not something that's really been held out as a possibility, despite the entente we've seen forming between Moscow and
Washington over the past months. Maybe that's something they're looking to secure as well as part of this. And then, of course, to Putin may well see
this as an opportunity to try and drag Trump back more towards Moscow's orbit, in terms of the thinking.
It's something he has s done quite successfully over the past weeks, as Trump seems to have swung on a pendulum between the European allies in
Ukraine and Moscow's point of view when it comes to this war. But, it is a staggering moment we face here, the brinkmanship, the last-minute
announcements and the make or break nature of this. If Putin doesn't go, that will feed the Zelenskyy-European narrative that he simply doesn't want
negotiations or peace at all, and then they will all push the White House to implement hard sanctions, massive sanctions, in the words of French
President Emmanuel Macron. Indeed, Trump himself referred to the possibility of secondary sanctions just in the last 24 hours.
Will indeed the White House go along with that harsh consequence, or will this somehow bring another sense of yet more process down the line in this
diplomacy, instead of concrete results? We'll have to see in the hours ahead.
ASHER: All right. Nick Paton Walsh live for us. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Joining us now is a leading member of the Ukrainian parliament. Oleksandr Merezhko is the Chair of the country's Committee on Foreign
Relations. Oleksandr, thank you so much for joining us once again. So, a big meeting ahead for tomorrow, regardless of who attends, from both the
United States' perspective and Russia, given that President Zelenskyy has already made it clear that he will be there, and he has put an ultimatum to
President Putin for him to show up as well, at least Russian media is reporting thus far. Kommersant is reporting that Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov will not be attending that meeting. It seems pretty clear the odds of Russian President Vladimir Putin attending are pretty low as well. What
is President Zelenskyy's, what is Ukraine's fallback plan if President Putin does not show up?
OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO, UKRAINE PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Well, President Zelenskyy, as he promised, he is coming in person to meet in a face-to-face talk
Putin. And now it's -- the ball is in the court of Putin, whether or not he will come, and if he is not going to visit Istanbul, it will signify that
it's impossible to persuade him to start, in earnest, any kind of negotiations, that he has absolutely no credibility. And in this case, I
don't see any point for President Zelenskyy to negotiate with someone, so to speak, representing Russia at all, because it must be summit. It must be
a meeting between the heads of state, not between the head of state of Ukraine and someone insignificant or irrelevant from Russia.
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It will never happen. And in this case, I think the President Zelenskyy will go back to Ukraine, and the whole world, and President Trump,
hopefully, will finally understand that it makes no sense to negotiate with the Kremlin dictator.
ASHER: So, as you're sort of pointing out, if Putin doesn't go, it essentially feeds the narrative that, look, Putin doesn't want peace. It's
what Zelenskyy has been trying to say all along. Putin clearly doesn't want the peace. That's why he is not attending these talks. But, if he doesn't
go, where does that leave your country, just in terms of trying to establish a ceasefire going forward? I mean, what would be your next step
after Putin chooses, as is likely, not to attend these talks?
MEREZHKO: The only right way to deal with Putin, who has totally discredited himself because he has violated in the past all possible
agreements, and he is absolutely not reliable as a partner in terms of negotiations and abiding by any agreements, the only way to deal with him
is to put maximum pressure. So, we hope that President Trump will deliver on his promise. In case, if Russia rejects his initiatives, he sees five
proposals. The United States and the European Union will impose stricter sanctions, including secondary sanctions, including sanctions against
Russian energy, banking and financial sectors. And of course, it's about providing Ukraine with more weaponry which allows us to defend ourselves.
That's the only way how Putin can be dealt with.
GOLODRYGA: It is pretty clear, just given by his language and his behavior thus far, that President Trump is not inclined to exert maximum pressure on
Vladimir Putin thus far. And I guess the question then becomes, what about the Europeans? We saw leaders from three major European countries come to
Ukraine in solidarity last week for President Zelenskyy and reaffirmed their commitment that they indeed would levy more sanctions on Russia, and
yet they have not yet done so. What does that signal to you about where the Europeans are right now?
MEREZHKO: Well, first of all, the European countries, the members of the European Union, has accepted a new package of sanctions against Russia, the
so-called 17th Package, which includes sanctions against Russian shadow fleet and other kinds of sanctions. So, the European Union is doing what
they can. But, of course, we need more sanctions which would allow to isolate Russia, to stop Russian war machine, and that's why we need
sanctions from the United States. Luckily, we observe now strong European leadership, including the UK, France and Germany, and this leadership is
determined to continue to support Ukraine as long as it takes to defeat Russia.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It was just my understanding that the ultimatum they gave last week was to implement additional sanctions last week, and that has yet
to happen. So, I guess it's just a matter of whether or not they will hold up their promise to do so in the near future. We will wait and see,
important day tomorrow.
Ukrainian parliament member Oleksandr Merezhko, thank you so much for joining us.
ASHER: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-girlfriend is testifying for the second day in the rap mogul' sex-trafficking, racketeering and
prostitution case. A spokeswoman for Combs says she is feeling optimistic and eager to cross-examine Ventura.
ASHER: In her emotional testimony yesterday, Ventura described the alleged sexual and physical abuse she says she endured because of Combs. Combs has
denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Joining us live now, CNN Correspondent Leigh Waldman, outside the courthouse in New York. Leigh, just sort of reading what Cassie Ventura
said. I mean, it's impossible not to feel sick to your stomach. I mean, she talked about being coerced intersects with prostitutes for days at a time
with these free coughs. Obviously, we've all seen that horrible video of her being beaten in a hotel floor by Sean Puffy Combs. Just talk to us
about how all of this is going to weigh on the jury. You have a visibly pregnant Cassie. She is about to give birth any moment now, visibly
pregnant, testifying all these sort of horrific details, what her ex- boyfriend did. Obviously, that's going to have an impact on the jurors there.
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's something that the defense in this case was actually hoping to address. They asked the judge that if they
could have the witness, referring to Cassie Ventura at the time, in the witness box before the jury was brought in, so they could avoid the jury
seeing her with her pregnant belly, walking towards the witness box itself, saying that pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but it could also create
feelings of sympathy for her as a witness in this case, and that's obviously something that the jury would have an impact with them, and the
defense wanted to avoid here, but it's not something that was successful.
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Cassie walked in, her pregnant belly showing throughout the tough moments of her testimony that was heard on day one. She was seen rubbing her belly,
cradling it at times, when she was talking about what she endured with her relationship with the defendant, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, over the past or over
more than 10 years together. So, it was something they were trying to avoid, but obviously could not avoid in this.
GOLODRYGA: And Leigh, the decision by the defense to cross-examine her with a female prosecutor, obviously, this is a delicate dance for them as well,
not trying to come across as too harsh here in their cross-examination, how is that expected to weigh on the jury?
WALDMAN: Yeah. It's delicate balance that they're hoping to face here. She is being questioned by the prosecutor, who is also a female, Emily Johnson,
throughout all this, and her direct line of questioning is still continuing on today. It's expected to last for half the day today. But then, like you
mentioned, defense is also using a female on their defense team to begin that cross-examination, trying again to approach this with some level of
sympathy, because she is eight months pregnant. She is due at the beginning of June. They don't want to come across too harsh, and they're also
addressing the allegations and talking about the domestic violence that we've seen.
You mentioned that hotel surveillance video earlier. It's now been shown to the jury six times since this trial started on Monday. And Cassie, on the
stand, is talking about some of the context that led up to that video, saying that they were participating in a freak-off. She said things took a
violent turn. She said that Combs hit her in the face, and as she -- as he went into the bathroom, she ran out trying to leave, and then that's when
we see him chasing after her in a towel, kicking her and trying to drag her back to that hotel room, again, providing that context. She is building on
that today, and saying that when she left there, she took two photos inside of a ride share, and in the photos that were shown for the jury afterwards,
she has a split lip and a black eye underneath some sunglasses.
But, the defense, their whole case in this is saying this is not a domestic violence case. If it was, they wouldn't be here. This is a case about sex
trafficking and about racketeering conspiracy, and they're saying domestic violence is not sex trafficking,
GOLODRYGA: All right. Leigh Waldman in Lower Manhattan for us. Thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Still ahead, a California judge has reopened a door many believe would remain closed for the Menendez brothers convicted of killing
their parents. The stunning ruling just ahead.
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ASHER: All right. Two California brothers serving a life sentence for killing their parents in 1989 now have a chance at freedom. The judge
reduced the Menendez brothers' sentences from life without parole, rather, to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole immediately.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. The brothers' case has fascinated America for decades now. A Netflix docuseries recounting the case in alleged sexual abuse by their
father renewed a push for their freedom. The brothers' attorney said the judge's decision brings hope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK GERAGOS, ATTORNEY FOR THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS: I'm hopeful that now that they -- that the right thing will be done in the walk out. Their trauma has
become kind of the subject of prurient interests, but they are a real family, real people who have lived through unimaginable whores, and I'm
hopeful and glad that we're one huge step closer to bringing the boys home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Our Nick Watt has all the latest details from Los Angeles. We heard there from Mark Geragos saying they are one huge step closer to
bringing the brothers home. Just how much closer, Nick.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, for most of the time that they've been in jail, they have had no hope. Now they have some hope. There
are a couple of hurdles still to overcome. So, what happened here is, as you mentioned, they were sentenced life without the possibility of parole.
So, they had no hope. Now they've been sentenced to 50 years to life. So, under California law, they are right now eligible for parole. Now, the
judge yesterday could have said, manslaughter, and I sentence you to time served, and they could have walked out. He did not do that. He is, in some
ways, kicked the can down the road a little bit.
So, what happens now is there is going to be a clemency hearing in front of the parole board June 13th, and then it will be up to the Governor of
California to decide whether they are released or not. So, there could be a little bit of politicking, as we've seen already in this case. How this
started, was the old DA here in Los Angeles, he recommended that they be resentenced. Then he lost the election, and the new DA, who was much
tougher on crime, that was his vibe, he argued against the resentencing.
So, the governor is also in a little bit of a tricky situation there. Does he release them? Does he not? He is going to annoy some people, either way,
because, as you said, this case has really captured the public imagination, one of the first televised trials way back in the 90s, but also a new
generation brought to this by the documentary, the drama, and by TikTok. Teenagers now have opinions on this case, teenagers who weren't even close
to being born at the time of the murders. So, huge public interest and a massive, massive day yesterday. For the first time in a long time, those
brothers have some hope of seeing freedom before they die.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Nick Watt for us live from Los Angeles, thank you so much.
WATT: Thanks.
ASHER: All right. Still to come, Israel pounds northern and southern Gaza. We'll have a live report for you from Jerusalem.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, airlines and U.S. federal regulators are meeting behind closed doors today to discuss the weeks of chaos and massive delays at one
of New York's busiest airports.
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ASHER: All right. Welcome back to One World. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Here are some of the international headlines we're watching today.
ASHER: Qatar is hosting Donald Trump for the second leg of his Middle East trip, preparing to attend a state dinner held in his honor. Earlier, Doha
signed an agreement to purchase jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing. The President said it's worth $200 billion.
GOLODRYGA: Donald Trump says he is considering attending peace talks between Russia and Ukraine as a way of convincing Vladimir Putin to also
attend. The Kremlin has refused to confirm whether Putin will go to the talks on Thursday in Turkey.
ASHER: Israel launched a strike on a hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Tuesday. The Israeli -- an Israeli official, rather, says the
target was Mohammed Sinwar. This video of Sinwar traveling inside a tunnel was provided by the IDF. Sinwar is the de facto leader of Hamas after his
brother Yahya was killed last October. The Palestinian health ministry says 28 people died in that strike.
GOLODRYGA: And we want to warn you about the video you're about to see, which is quite graphic. Israel pounded northern Gaza hours later, striking
two hospitals. Health officials say at least 56 people were killed. One nurse says that one hospital -- one nurse at one hospital says that the
majority of victims were women and children from the Jabalia refugee camp.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now, more from Jerusalem. Jeremy, just give us a sense of the civilian toll here, and whether Israel has any more
information it's provided as to whether they, in fact, were able to kill Mohammed Sinwar.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Still no confirmation from the Israelis as to whether or not this targeting of Mohammed Sinwar, as we've
been told, was actually successful from the Israeli point of view. It could take days, perhaps even weeks, before we know whether or not Sinwar was
actually killed in this strike. You'll recall that over the summer, when there was a strike targeting Mohammad Deif, the military commander of
Hamas, it took nearly a month before Israel was actually able to confirm that he had indeed been killed. We are learning about the death toll in
this strike and others that have taken place over the last 24 hours. At that strike, for example, at the European hospital, which officials tell us
was targeting Mohammed Sinwar, at least 28 people were killed. More than 50 others were injured.
And you can see from some of the images of the aftermath of those strikes, the power of what was likely enormous, very heavy bunker-busting bombs that
were dropped in order to target what the Israelis say was underground infrastructure, leaving enormous craters in the ground. And the power of
that blast actually just throwing people into the air who were in the courtyard of this European hospital in Khan Younis. It has also done pretty
significant damage to the hospital, according to officials there, at a time when hospitals are already struggling to stay afloat because of the lack of
fuel, the lack of medical supplies that have not gotten into Gaza for more than 10 weeks now.
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There were also a series of strikes overnight in northern Gaza, in the Jabalia refugee camp just north of Gaza City, at the India -- Indonesian
hospital there in Jabalia. More than 50 bodies were brought in from those strikes, including the bodies of multiple children, including at least one
baby who was carried by his father.
And so, what we are seeing is that even as these negotiations are now taking place in Doha to try and see if a broader deal can be reached for a
ceasefire and hostage release in the wake of Hamas' release of the last- living American hostage, Edan Alexander, we are seeing that the Israeli military is not only keeping up but intensifying its airstrikes in Gaza,
and all of this also, as the Israeli Prime Minister, who actually phoned in to some of those negotiations happening today, is still vowing that as
early as next week, the Israeli military will dramatically escalate its military operations in Gaza with plans to take over and occupy large parts
of Gaza. Bianna, Zain.
ASHER: Yeah. So, all of these strikes in Gaza, including the one at the hospital in southern Gaza, that targeted Yahya Sinwar's brother Mohammed
Sinwar, killing at least 28 people, injuring at least 50, all of this coming at a time when the international community is calling on Israel to
lift that blockade that has been in place for at least 10 weeks. You've got people in Gaza, ordinary civilians, on the brink of famine, very little
food to go around. Give us a sense of what the ordinary Palestinian is experiencing as a lot of people are struggling to get their hands on basic
necessities, including food and medicine, Jeremy.
DIAMOND: Yeah. I mean, look, the leading authority on global food insecurity just issued a report a couple of days ago, following a month-
long survey in the Gaza Strip conducted by experts on these issues, and nearly the entirety of Gaza's population is at emergency levels of food
insecurity, and they have now projected that if the Israeli military ramps up operations, if no aid continues to get into Gaza, then as soon as now,
until late September, that is their projected timeline for when total famine could indeed strike the Gaza Strip.
And when we're talking about famine, we are talking about multiple, I believe the threshold is at least two out of every 10,000 people dying
every single day. And we also know, of course, that when famine strikes, it is the most vulnerable in that population that tend to die first. That
means those who are sick, the elderly, as well as children, and we are indeed seeing cases of acute malnutrition rising among children.
I was just looking at some footage from today at a couple of community kitchens in both northern Gaza as well as in the southern part of the
strip, and you can see as these children and women and as well as men, come to these kitchens with pots in hand, the look in their eyes is looking
increasingly desperate compared to footage that I saw from last week or from a couple of weeks ago, and that is because many of these kitchens are
starting to shut down themselves due to a lack of supplies. And those who are able to get a meal from these kitchens, for many of them, it will be
their only meal of the day.
And so, the situation is just growing worse and worse day by day, and the Israeli government, for now, showing absolutely no sign of being willing to
allow aid in, in an unfettered way that humanitarians have talked about. There is, of course, this plan that the U.S. and Israel have been devising
to get aid into limited parts of the Gaza Strip to tightly control the flow of that aid, which has been rejected by the United Nations and other
humanitarian aid groups, who say that that type of mechanism could actually make the situation worse because of the dangers that would be presented to
people on the ground who would have to walk long distances through Israeli military lines in order to get to those distribution points.
So, a lot of uncertainty about how and when aid will get into Gaza. The best path forward, it would seem, is some kind of a ceasefire deal. But,
right now, the gaps between Israel and Hamas still remain very, very large.
GOLODRYGA: Though we do know there is at least some hope in the fact that there have been renewed negotiations that are happening right now in Qatar.
So, I know you're also monitoring that, Jeremy, for us. Thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. We'll have much more on this developing story next hour with our guest, Michael Milshtein, the Head of the Palestinian Studies
Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University. Stay with One World for that.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come for us, U.S. aviation officials meeting with major airlines today to deal with the crisis at one of America's
busiest airports. We'll have a live report up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. U.S. aviation officials are meeting with major airlines to try to curb the issues that have hit Newark airport, one of the busiest
in the country. The airport is struggling -- has been struggling for weeks now, after issues like congestion, runway construction, and severe staffing
shortages for air traffic controllers have created massive delays and cancelations.
GOLODRYGA: The Transportation Secretary says the goal for this delay reduction meeting is to come up with a manageable number of flights at
Newark.
CNN's Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Right now, the Department of Transportation is holding this meeting behind closed doors at FAA
headquarters, bringing other officials from Newark Liberty International Airport and all major airlines which operate in and out of there. This is
the last piece of the puzzle in alleviating these chronic Newark flight delays, federally mandating airlines to reduce the number of flights, so
short-staffed air traffic control can keep up.
Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was able to convene this meeting through a federal law dating back to 1958, and the announcement that went
out to airlines says that Newark is unable to handle current flight schedules, that the airport is unacceptably congested and a meeting is
necessary to reduce overscheduling.
The FAA proposal is to reduce the number of domestic flights in and out of Newark to 56 per hour until June 15th, then up that number to 68 through
the summer. The rub right now is that there is no official cap on the number of flights at Newark. That's something known as slot rules. United
Airlines is the biggest operator in and out of Newark, and I want you to listen now to United CEO, Scott Kirby, who told me live last week that slot
rules must be in place to manage these Newark meltdowns.
SCOTT KIRBY, CEO, UNITED AIRLINES: We just need to keep the number of flights equal to the capacity airport. There is 77 operations per hour,
theoretical. If we get scheduled at 86 or more, it falls apart. And so, what we need -- and the government is the only one that has the authority
to do. We just need the government to do that.
MUNTEAN: Here is what the Department of Transportation says is contributing to Newark delays, an antiquated air traffic control system and equipment, a
shortage of air traffic controllers. Remember, the loss of radar and radio last Monday caused five controllers at Newark approach control to take
what's called trauma leave, leaving the facility short staffed every day since. The Department of Transportation also calls out the closure of one
of Newark's main runways. It's being done right now, only adding to the congestion there. Luckily, that round-the-clock shut down is set to end
June 15th and move into weekend work through the rest of the year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: Thanks to our Pete Muntean for that.
Joining us live now to discuss these issues, CNN Aviation Analyst and former Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mary
Schiavo. Mary, always good to see you. I wish we had you on for better news, though.
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST, & FMR. INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. TRANSPORTATION DEPT.: I never get good news.
ASHER: No, you never do. But, just in terms of the key issue here, one of the things that's important to note about air traffic controllers is that
it is such a highly specialized position that it's so difficult to train new people. That is part of the issue here. Walk us through that.
SCHIAVO: Well, yes. So, to do full training for an air traffic controller can take up to two years. Usually, for the basic training and learning
everything you have to do, it's about 18 months, and then you actually go to the facility where you're going to work, and you have additional on-the-
job training. So, that's about two years. Then, of the people that you put in the pipeline that you start in the training, about 35 percent do wash
out, some because it's a tough job, some because they decide they don't really want to do that, or they don't like it once they get into the
training. So, you have to put a lot more people in the training pipeline than you're going to get out the other end.
And then another problem at it on top of that is the retirement rules and the hiring rules. So, you have to be under 32 to get hired, and the
retirement age now is 55, which, my personal opinion, is that's unnecessary. Americans, everybody around the world, they're healthier than
that. And so, now the government wants to extend and give incentives for people to work beyond age 55, like the rest of the American workforce. I
mean, the retirement age is getting kicked up to almost 70 for Social Security. So, they want to increase that as well. And hopefully, in that
manner and those different things, have more people in the pipeline. Plus, they're just going to enlarge the training classes. But, keeping in mind,
they have to make sure these people are trained and trained well and go through all the training.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Mary, I never really understood the retirement age issue there. Obviously, it is a very stressful job, but I believe, correct me if
I'm wrong, even pilots have a higher retirement age than the air traffic controller. So, hopefully they can get that situated and lifted sooner
rather than later.
With the FAA meeting with the airlines today, I know that you have long criticized the FAA for its dual role, both as a promoter and regulator of
aviation. Is it time to take a look at that again?
SCHIAVO: Oh, absolutely. So, the problem with the FAA is way back when the FAA was formed out of an older organization called the Civil Aeronautics
Board, it used to be in the Department of Commerce. There was not a Department of Transportation, and it said its mission was to promote
airlines and encourage flying. Well, a lot has changed in the last 60, 70 years, and that should not be the job of the FAA. The FAA's job should be
strictly safety and air traffic control, and they don't have to promote airlines. They don't have to worry about how many tickets airlines are
selling, but they still have that divided responsibility, they think, and then many times publicly, they say, hey, our customers are the airlines.
Well, the airlines aren't being served well, and that traveling public is certainly not being served well. So, it's time for them to put that aside,
and they have to get tough with the airlines. They do have the power to put in place these limits. They don't have to beg the airlines for anything,
but they usually do try to do that, and they usually do try to keep everybody happy under the big aviation tent.
ASHER: So, Mary, just final question for you, just in terms of what this means for the flying public. Obviously, a lot of people rely on Newark
Airport. So, with all the sort of limited and staff shortages when it comes to air traffic controllers, does it affect flights landing at Newark more
than flights taking off from Newark?
SCHIAVO: Well, technically, it affects both, because the limits that Pete was just talking about, that means it's limited to about 28 taking off
every hour and 28 landing every hour. And obviously, if they have to delay people, they delay the takeoffs, because as the old saying goes, it is
better be on the ground wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were on the ground. So, obviously, when someone is coming in to land, it's
a very dangerous part of flying, the most dangerous part is where you're taking off or landing. So, certainly.
But, a lot of people, certainly in the United States, people are voting with their pocketbooks and with their feet, and they're just not booking on
airlines where they have to connect in Newark. Now, if you're going to Newark and that's your destination, you do have other options with New
York's Kennedy Airport, LaGuardia Airport, but people are canceling and changing their flights in and out of Newark, because you cannot say it is
not affecting safety when you're supposed to have, for example, 14 controllers on duty and overnight there was some news release that they had
three on duty, that affects safety.
[11:50:00]
You can't have equipment outages now for that we know of where aircraft are literally flying blind and say it doesn't affect safety. People know that
it does, and I think people are voting with their feet.
ASHER: Mary, thank you so much, because I have a flight to catch on Friday morning out of Newark, and you have just made me terrified. So, I
appreciate.
GOLODRYGA: I'll credit for telling you. No, Mary. She is not disclosing the full story because the novice here, who is not an expert, advised her to go
to a different airport earlier this week, full disclosure. Mary, I, along with probably millions of other Americans, received an email from United
CEO Scott Kirby earlier this week, reassuring travelers, obviously, that is a hub, Newark Airport, reassuring travelers that I'm going to read for this
right now. As you can see from our video, United's pilots are trained for a wide range of potential issues, including radar or communications outages.
The truth is that obviously I'm going to go on. Neither the FAA nor united will ever compromise on safety. Was that the right message for him to send?
SCHIAVO: Well, I think that's the message that he has to send, given his job. But, that's just simply not accurate. You cannot say that three of the
four ways you avoid collisions, with the equipment, with the controllers, etcetera, and say, oh, the pilots can do this. Well, yeah, pilots are
highly trained, and they're great, and yes, their retirement age 65, but you cannot take away all these ways to direct traffic, and say, well, if
they're all gone, the pilots can still do that.
We don't want our pilots being barnstormers, and we don't want our planes to be UFOs. We need all this equipment, and say, when the construction is
done on June 15th, it will improve some. So, let's just hope the construction helps alleviate the situation. While they're training more
controllers and fixing the equipment, they're also working on fixing that equipment, literally right now.
ASHER: Mary, remind me, never, ever to interview you just before I have a flight. Never.
GOLODRYGA: But, we do love having on this show, Mary.
ASHER: We do, but better interview her after I've already landed back in New York, right, not before about to take off.
GOLODRYGA: You have options. There are other airports.
ASHER: Go to call and change it to LaGuardia, right, right after the show.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you, Mary.
ASHER: Thank you, Mary.
SCHIAVO: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be right back.
ASHER: Sorry. We'll be right back.
GOLODRYGA: Sorry. We said that. That's why I said that.
ASHER: Sorry.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: French police are investigating an attempted kidnapping of a cryptocurrency tycoon's daughter and grandson in Paris. Authorities say
Tuesday's brazen attack happened in broad daylight when assailants ambushed the daughter, her partner and their young son, and tried to force them into
a van. There you can see on this really disturbing video. The couple fought back, the woman grabbing a gun off of one of the attackers and flinging it
into the street.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
ASHER: The screams you heard there attracted the attention of passersby who intervened, one fighting the assailants with a fire extinguisher. The
suspects then drove off. The family escaped with minor physical injuries. So far, no arrests have been made. The attack follows a stream of
abductions of other prominent cryptocurrency figures in France.
GOLODRYGA: So frightening.
All right. Stay with us. We'll have more One World after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:00]
END
