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One World with Zain Asher
U.S. Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Ban On Foreign Students; Trump Threatens E.U., Apple With Steep Tariffs; Fifth Round Of U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Have Ended; Kim Furious Over Botched Ship Launch; Suspected Gunman Elias Rodriguez Charged With Murder; Age Is Just A Number For Senior Bowlers. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired May 23, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:27]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Breaking news. A U.S. judge has just blocked President Trump from barring foreign students. The second hour of
"ONE WORLD" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY SUMMERS, FORMER PRESIDENT OF HARVARD: We're an American university, but we're an American university that is much stronger because of the
opportunities that we have to bring people from all over the world together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Donald Trump has set his sights on the hallowed halls of Harvard University. More than 25 percent of the university students are in the
crosshairs.
Also ahead, tariff tirade. Trump makes two market-changing tariff announcements in less than 10 minutes. One of them could lead to a $3,500
iPhone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have so much fun here, I need a week off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to bowl to like be a hundred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Age is just a number. The bowling league that's giving Rhode Island seniors something to look forward to.
All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. My colleague, Bianna, is off today. You are watching "ONE WORLD."
Let's start with some breaking news for you. The tip for tat between President Donald Trump and Harvard has now entered the legal system. A
federal judge in the U.S. has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students.
This comes just hours after Harvard filed a lawsuit against the government one day after it revoked the university's ability to enroll international
students. The elite institution called the ban unconstitutional, something disputed by the Homeland Security Secretary, who said it is a privilege,
not a right for universities to be able to enroll international students. But the move is being met with widespread condemnation.
Here's what Harvard's former president, Lawrence Summers, told CNN a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUMMERS: This is extortion. It's a vendetta using all powers of the government because of a political argument with Harvard. It is violating
the First Amendment. It is also violating all the laws we have regarding administrative procedures.
This is about a vicious attack to pursue a personal agenda.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The White House accuses the Ivy League institution of fostering anti-Semitic violence, but critics argue that President Trump's actions are
an attempt to exert control over universities and reshape them ideologically. Some denounce the move as straight out of the authoritarian
playbook.
In the meantime, the fate of thousands of Harvard students remains up in the air. A few of them spoke with us earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FANGZHOU JANG, HARVARD STUDENT FROM CHINA: So basically, it's a mixture of like shock then to kind of just, you know, you know, devastation, you know,
like frustration and uncertainty, anxiety.
LEO GARDEN, HARVARD STUDENT FROM CHINA: Literally like -- like teenagers in like thousands of miles away from their hometowns having to deal with the
situation which lawyers often fear to engage in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have we done to deserve this? It is -- it is just tragic.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us live now from Washington. So, Katelyn, let's just start with the latest news here. Just the fact that a judge -- a judge
has now blocked the Trump administration's ability to bar international students. Walk us through what more we know at this point.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Zain, in less than a day, we had a drastic move by the Trump administration, a major
court case of Harvard trying to put a stop to -- to it. And then just minutes ago, a judge putting an emergency stop to what the Trump
administration is trying to do here.
This judge, Allison Burroughs, in the federal court in Massachusetts, she is looking at what Harvard is saying that they would face immediate and
devastating harm, not just to the 7,000 students on their campus or expected to be on their campus in the coming months that this would affect,
but to the entirety of the university, everything that they're doing in academic programs, in research labs, in clinics, the entire lifeblood of
the university.
The judge says, so far in a very short order just coming in, that Harvard has showed that it looks like they would sustain immediate and irreparable
harm if this does go into effect.
[12:05:06]
And so she has told the administration, they cannot give any force to what the Department of Homeland Security said that they were doing yesterday
immediately revoking that ability of Harvard to have foreign students essentially on their campuses.
Again, it affects more than a thousand students with visas studying at Harvard. Many of them graduate students but undergraduates as well, also
their families that would be there in Boston or Cambridge, Massachusetts.
And those people, they're not just from certain countries or countries that the Trump administration has strong foreign policy stances on right now.
They're people from 143 countries, at least at Harvard.
So the judge is putting this block right now on what the Trump administration is trying to do. But, Zain, this is going to be a very big
case moving forward. It is moving extremely quickly. And there's already going to be two hearings next week at that federal court in Boston that
really are going to kick this into high gear in this massive fight between the Trump White House essentially and one of America's most significant
cultural and academic institutions, Harvard University.
Zain?
ASHER: All right. Katelyn Polantz live for us there. Thank you so much.
For more on this, I want to welcome Erwin Chemerinsky. He's a Harvard alum and a dean of UC Berkeley Law School. So, Erwin, thank you so much for
being with us.
Obviously, we just got this news moments ago that a judge is effectively blocking the Trump administration's ability to bar international students.
So this is a legal battle that is moving very, very quickly.
But I just want to get your reaction to the news that we got yesterday. This idea that the Trump administration is essentially barring
international students or Harvard's ability to enroll international students or trying to rather, by revoking their certification under the
Student Exchange Visitor Program, essentially stripping the University of their ability to sponsor F and J-1 visas. Walk us through your reaction to
that.
ERWIN CHEMERINSKY, DEAN, U.C. BERKELEY SCHOOL OF LAW: It's clearly unconstitutional and illegal. That's why the federal district courts are
quickly issued a temporary restraining order. It was done without any semblance of due process of law.
Also, it is clearly in the words of the Administrative Procedures Act, arbitrate, capricious, and abusive discretion.
This is an attempt by the Trump administration just to punish, even destroy Harvard University. And that's not allowed under the Constitution or
federal laws.
ASHER: I think what a lot of people find sort of terrifying about this, or especially international students, is that, yes, of course, the -- this --
we have this judge effectively blocking the Trump administration for being able to do this temporarily.
However, based on what we've seen over the last four or five months, the administration doesn't always abide by the rule of law, as you know.
So, what does that mean for international students who are currently on campus? Some of them, by the way, are not even in the country. I mean, I
literally just spoke to a Danish international student who's living in Paris, who is currently out of the country, but was planning to come back
to the U.S., come back to Boston in about two weeks.
And he has no idea what's going to happen to him. If he chooses to still come back, what would happen to him at the border?
CHEMERINSKY: The cruelty of this can't be overstated. Think of all the students who are attending Harvard or have been enrolled at Harvard for the
fall. They now have great uncertainty about whether or not they'll be able to go to school next year.
Think of the PhD student in the middle of research. You can't just transfer to another school at that stage. Nonetheless, I'm confident that the courts
will stop this, that the Trump administration won't be able to do this. You're so blatantly and clearly unconstitutional and illegal.
ASHER: When you think about what Kristi Noem said, the Secretary for Department of Homeland Security, that a university's ability to enroll
students from other countries is a privilege and not a right, your reaction to that.
CHEMERINSKY: However, those students have a liberty interest under the Constitution to continue to be able to attend school unless there's due
process to take it away. The university's benefits can't be taken away without due process.
The federal government can't act in a way that's arbitrary, capricious, and abusive discretion. It's interesting that right after she said that, she
said all college and universities should take notice that it could happen to them too.
I think what we've got to have in mind is what the Trump administration is trying to do is to go after Harvard to send a message to all universities.
Because after all, if Harvard capitulates, then all other universities will know they're at the mercy of the Trump administration.
I think there's sort of two issues at play here, and I just want you to help me break them down from a legal perspective because obviously for the
students, I mean, I would -- I'm not a legal scholar, but I would imagine that the students who are already in the United States, who have already
been granted their F and J-1 visas and who are here are much more protected than say the students who are overseas.
[12:10:17]
And just this idea of Harvard no longer being able to enroll students who are in other countries period. So yes, the ones who are already here are
protected, but what about the university's ability to enroll international students going forward next year or the year after? How has that impacted?
CHEMERINSKY: Well you're right. If the Trump order stands, then foreign students won't be able to come to the country in order to attend Harvard.
But even for those who are already here, the executive order yesterday said, they'll have to transfer to other schools.
We're talking today on May 23rd schools have already done their admissions for next year. I say in many instances transferring isn't possible. So the
effect on these students would be enormous, but I do think the courts are going to stop the Trump administration from doing this.
ASHER: Yes. So, what does this message send? I mean, obviously, Harvard is one of the most revered international academic institutions in the world.
But, you know, what message does this send to, you know, not just other Ivy but other -- other American universities period, especially because a lot
of American universities rely on international students for a big portion of -- of their income. So, what does it mean for them?
CHEMERINSKY: Well, it would be devastating for universities to lose their international students. It would be devastating financial, as you say. But
also, international students very much enhance the education of all.
Christopher Rufo who's advising President Trump on education said that he wants schools to fear, quote, existential terror and he wants to put elite
universities in recession.
We should understand that that's what this is about. It's not about anti- Semitism. It's not about Harvard's policies for national students. It's all about a blatant attempt to try to intimidate all universities by going
after one of those prestigious Harvard.
ASHER: All right. Erwin Chemerinsky, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right. U.S. President Donald Trump is also threatening to kick his trade war back into high gear by issuing two back-to-back threats on
tariffs.
In a social media post this morning he said, trade negotiations with the European Union are going nowhere and he also threatened a 50 percent tariff
on goods from the E.U. starting June 1st.
He also took aim at Apple and CEO Tim Cook. The U.S. President wants Apple to make its iPhones in the U.S. or face a 25 percent tariff.
The Treasury Secretary doubled down on that call during an interview on Fox News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: The president is trying to bring back precision manufacturing to the U.S. And, you know, I think that one of
our greatest vulnerabilities, you know, are these external production, especially in semiconductors. And a large part of Apple's components are in
semiconductors. So we would like to have Apple help us make the semiconductor supply chain more secure.
BILL HEMMER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: It takes time to move those production facilities. What's realistic for Apple?
BESSENT: Again, I -- I -- I don't know from company to company. So, you know, we'll -- we'll have to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: One tech analyst calls that a fairy tale, the idea of Apple producing its iPhones in the U.S.
Dan Ives posted on X saying that, "This would result in an iPhone price point that is a non-starter for Cupertino and translate into iPhone prices
of about $3,500, if it was made in the U.S. which is not realistic in our view."
CNN's Clare Duffy joins us live now from New York.
I mean, Clare, Dan Ives is right. I mean, the whole point of the reason why iPhones are manufactured in China is because it makes them much more
affordable for American consumers. That goes away if the iPhone is made here. Walk us through that.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER:That's right, Zain. I mean, China just has this infrastructure that the United States doesn't have. It has the
production facilities. It has the components that need to go into the iPhones. And crucially, it has the talent. The people with the really
specialty skills to produce iPhones. The United States doesn't have that.
And something that Dan Ives also said this morning is that it could take five to ten years for Apple to try to build up that production capacity in
the United States.
And as you say there, if they were to do that, iPhones could cost three times what they do now, which most people just wouldn't be able to afford.
So this is just not realistic for Apple to move iPhone production to the U.S.
Now what Trump seems to be responding to is the fact that Apple, in response to the China tariffs, has moved a lot of its U.S. iPhones. iPhones
that are going to get shipped to the U.S. to India. But that obviously was not good enough for Trump. He wants that production here.
[12:15:02]
But I think what's more likely to happen is that consumers will just see the price of their iPhones go up. There were already rumors that Apple was
going to have to raise prices for its new slate of iPhones when it releases them in the fall. And that is even more likely to be true if Trump puts in
place this 25 percent tariff on Apple's goods.
ASHER: All right. Clare Duffy, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. New details have been emerging about Donald Trump's now infamous meeting with the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, in which the
U.S. president falsely said a genocide against white farmers is taking place in South Africa.
You might remember this moment earlier this week when President Trump presented supposed evidence of the claims. It's since been revealed one of
the images wasn't even from South Africa at all.
The news agency Reuters has confirmed it was a screenshot of their footage from Democratic Republic of Congo. The video shows a mass burial after an
assault by M23 rebels on the city of Goma. Reuters says the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
All right. Still to come, we break down a day of high stakes and low expectations as Iran and the U.S. wrap up their latest round of nuclear
talks in Rome.
Plus, Kim Jong Un vows punishments after North Korea's disastrous launch of a new warship. A look at the fallout just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN FRY, NEIGHBOR: I heard that the shooter was from Chicago, but have it be my next door neighbor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Neighbors are shocked after they learn the suspect in the D.C. shooting is actually from their city. Details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: We're bringing our people home. Those words from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as he confirmed an earlier statement from Russia that
a major prisoner swap is underway between Moscow and Kyiv.
About 800 prisoners, roughly 400 from each side were released on Friday. The exchange will continue in the coming days. It's part of a deal reached
at recent talks in Istanbul. The first time Russia and Ukraine have held direct talks at any level in about three years.
All right. Now to Rome, where the U.S. and Iran have just wrapped up their fifth round of high-stakes nuclear talks. Oman's foreign minister mediated
the indirect talks and says they ended with some but not conclusive progress.
[12:20:06]
Ahead of negotiations, the two signs seemed really deadlocked on one issue, Tehran's uranium enrichment program, which the U.S. says it once
dismantled.
CNN's chief national security correspondent, Alexander Marquardt, has been following the developments for us.
So, Alex, just walk us through just the -- the -- the amount of daylight between both sides here as it pertains to uranium enrichment.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does appear that the daylight is narrowing a little bit. Remember, Zain, in the
last round, the two sides exchanged proposals. So the expectation was for this round, this fifth round, that the two sides come together and try to
align their positions a little bit more.
And in addition to what you just read from the Omani Foreign Minister, who was the mediator in these conversations, we've also now heard from the
Iranian side, from the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, as well, who rather notably called the meeting today one of the most professional
rounds of negotiations yet.
He said that the two sides will get together again once the two sides announced their views, he said. And the next -- in the next one to two
meetings, he says, he hopes that they will reach solutions that will allow the negotiations to progress.
So nothing appears imminent based on -- on those statements, but it does appear that they are making progress.
But you're absolutely right, Zain, that there is still this very fundamental question about whether or not Iran will have the right to
continue enriching uranium, including at a very low level that would only be used for civilian energy purposes of the Iranians.
The Iranians have repeatedly said that that is non-negotiable, that it's a red line for them, while the U.S. has really been -- been -- been hammering
home the point that Iran cannot enrich at all.
This is something that Steve Witkoff, the lead U.S. negotiator, said just a few days ago that Iran can't even enrich to one percent. This is a little
bit more of what he said about the U.S. position. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even one percent of an enrichment
capability. We've delivered a proposal to the Iranians that we think addresses some of this without disrespecting them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: So, Zain, as it stands right now, we don't know how they are going to thread the needle and -- and close that daylight. In my
conversations with U.S. officials, they have talked about trying to come up with creative solutions as -- as they've put it. They're all kinds of
theories about how they could do that.
But the U.S. position right now is that Iran would have to import fuel in order to be used for civilian purposes. So, there's still some discussion
that -- that needs -- a lot of discussion needs to be done on that very issue.
And then kind of lurking in the background is the question of Israel, Zain. We do know that Steve Witkoff, in addition to going to these meetings in
Rome, was also going to be sitting down with Ron Dermer. He's the top aide to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
You can imagine that -- that Israel wants to be sure that the U.S. holds a very firm line when it comes to the Iranians and -- and ruling out, if not
dismantling altogether their -- their nuclear enrichment program.
Of course, the Israelis have been trying to enlist the Americans to help with a military strike against Iran because Israel sees Iran as being
historically weak in this moment, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Alex Marquardt, life for us, thank you.
North Korea's latest warship debut did not go as planned, and now Leader Kim Jong Un is furious and vowing to punish those responsible for the
botched launch on Wednesday, saying it brought shame to the country.
The Navy destroyers severely damaged when state media says a malfunction occurs in the launch mechanism. Satellite imagery shows the vessel lying on
its side, the stern in the water, and the bow still on land.
Our Will Ripley has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were supposed to be North Korea's double threat. A pair of brand-new 5,000- ton
destroyers, heavily armed. A massive upgrade from their aging Soviet-era fleet. Modern warships designed to strike fear and project power far beyond
North Korean shores.
But only one made it off the dock.
New satellite images reveal the aftermath of a catastrophic launch failure. The second destroyer lies partially capsized in the water, one side
submerged, sections of the hull draped in blue tarps.
This was that ship just days earlier, before the botched launch left it on its side, half sunk, dead in the water.
[12:25:59]
Worse still, Marshal Kim Jong Un was watching from shore. North Korean state media quoting Kim, calling the warship launch a criminal act that
brought shame to the nation. Kim blaming "absolute carelessness" and "irresponsibility" of shipbuilders, scientists, and military leaders.
RIPLEY: What's going to happen to these people that were -- that were directly involved with this?
MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, there's no doubt he will hold everybody responsible for this. And anybody who is
tangentially responsible for this. He'll hold them accountable.
And without being graphic, he'll put a bullet in everybody's head if he has not already.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Retired General James "Spider" Marks served on the Korean Peninsula. He believes Kim will punish what he sees as a national
betrayal swiftly and brutally.
Over more than a decade in power, Kim has built a reputation for exactly that, ordering the trial and execution of his own uncle. North Korea denies
Kim also ordered the assassination of his half-brother.
Top-ranking officials accused of failure have vanished. South Korean intelligence believes some were executed, others sent to forced labor camps
for reeducation.
MARKS: This is going to be incredibly painful.
RIPLEY (voice-over): General Marks says the warship disaster also exposes deeper problems inside the North Korean military, well beyond the navy.
MARKS: What is the state of those nukes? How are they maintained? What does the inventory look like? Is this the possibility for a mistake?
RIPLEY (voice-over): The South Korean and U.S. military say Kim's crown jewel lies crippled, possibly damaged beyond repair, just weeks ahead of a
major political summit in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, where observers say the reckoning will come.
RIPLEY: We're also learning North Korea's new destroyer, the one that did make it into the water, may lack a functional engine. Satellite imagery
suggests the ship has never actually been sailing independently.
Experts believe it may be relying on tugboats for movement, raising some serious doubts about the ships real operational capability and undermining
North Korea's claim, as if this accident didn't already do that, of advanced naval modernization.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. Still to come, Donald Trump is pushing boundaries and blasting through long established norms, raising major ethical questions
from the Qatari plane with his meme coin. We'll discuss, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:02]
ASHER: Welcome back to "ONE WORLD." I'm Zain Asher.
President Trump has towed the line of government ethics this week. He accepted a 747 from Qatar that he hopes to turn into his new Air Force One.
The plane costs about $400 million and Democrats have called the deal the largest bribe in American history.
Just last night, he held a dinner at one of his golf clubs for the largest investors in his crypto coin. Collectively, the estimated -- the estimated
that the investors, rather, paid nearly $150 million to invest in the Trump coin.
Time now for "The Exchange." Joining me live now is Brown University political science professor, Corey Brettschneider. He's also a podcaster
and author of the book, the "Presidents and the People."
I just want to start by just getting your take on this idea of Donald Trump hosting a dinner based around his meme coin, the crypto token, and
essentially raising about $150 million.
A lot of people are saying this is corruption at its finest. Your thoughts, do you agree?
COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER, AUTHOR, " THE PRESIDENTS AND THE PEOPLE": Absolutely. In fact, as you mentioned, I have a new podcast that is about this topic
and it's called -- the podcast is called on all podcast places, the oath in the office. Why would I call a book that? Because the first few seconds in
office, the pre -- not just a book, sorry, but the new podcast that because the first few seconds in office, the President under Article Two of the
United States Constitution has taken out to promise to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.
And when George Washington took the oath the first time, what he spoke about afterwards, in his first inaugural, was the idea that the oath
committed him to not take emoluments or to profit from the office.
And that's exactly what's happening here. The Constitution bans emoluments or in other words, profiting from the office. And yet, Trump is doing the
inverse. And it's part of a pattern to really reject the idea that a President is not above the law, the meaning of our Constitution, and to do
the opposite.
ASHER: So the Constitution bans emoluments on paper, but here you have a President who is essentially selling access to himself.
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Yes.
ASHER: What are the -- for -- for -- for international viewers who are watching this, what are the checks and balances? I mean, there's obviously
one thing for the Constitution to say that on paper.
What are the actual checks and balances to prevent the American President from actually being able to do what he did last night?
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Well, on paper also, and the way that American civics is often taught, it's supposed to be the Congress. And we haven't seen the
Congress stop him here, and it's supposed to be the courts.
And at least on this issue, the courts have been mixed. They have stopped him on some issues. But on the issue of emoluments, they've been very slow
and weak.
And unfortunately, that fits a pattern in American history when we've had authoritarian presidents before, and we have John Adams, for instance, shut
down free speech, Richard Nixon had crimes that went well beyond Watergate.
The thing that has stopped, it's been the real bulwark has not been the courts, but it's been the American people. And so that's why shows like
this, the media reporting on emoluments, why the podcast is emphasizing the oath and the office, the idea of respecting the oath and really getting
listeners and Americans to hold this president to account.
Because the honest truth is I don't expect that the courts are going to stop these many emoluments violations, this for-profit presidency, but the
American people are going to have a chance during the midterms and of course in four years to stop this for good.
ASHER: I mean, you're not -- it's not just about what we saw yesterday with the dinner that sort of sells access to himself. And a lot of, by the way,
the people who attended the dinner were actually from overseas, which makes it that much more alarming.
But also three days into his presidency, Donald Trump actually signs an executive order to create some kind of regulatory framework that promotes
the growth of cryptocurrency, or crypto -- digital currencies in the United States. And he would be a major beneficiary of that.
[12:35:07]
Just the fact that he is essentially, at times, changing the law in order to enrich himself. You know, you talk about the midterm elections, that is
a while away. How else can Americans hold this president accountable for that?
BRETTSCHNEIDER: You know, the reality is that we have created a presidency and partly through the theory of the Unitary Executive of the courts have
been a big part of this, not enable -- not imagining an authoritarian or even a fascist president who is really using the country to profit and to
benefit himself, but they built up that power of the presidency. And that's justices appointed by Democrats and Republicans.
And so in that power, we have an enormous danger. Patrick Henry at the founding warned, look, we're assuming a good person. We're assuming George
Washington, after all, gave that speech about emoluments. But he said, don't ratify this constitution. He was famous, forgive me liberty or give
me death.
But more importantly, he said, don't ratify it because the power of the presidency is such that if you have a criminal president, he or she will
use powers like the pardon power to undo the democracy.
And the truth is that throughout American history, and I outlined this in my book, the presidents and the people of five leaders who threaten
democracy and the citizens who fought to defend it, it hasn't been the courts. It hasn't been Congress. It's been Americans speaking out through
media, through newspapers, through elections, and holding a president to account.
The -- the unfortunate truth is that we are victim right now to this criminal presidency. And what we need to do, and if we don't do it, the
system might not last at all. We might go the way of Russia's Putin, for instance, almost permanent criminal executive.
That it's the American people have to use that right to free speech, that right to dissent. That's the thing that ultimately can stop them.
Courts might slow it down. And we did, I should say, in Trump 1.0, see versions of this. The hotel, for instance -- to his hotel in Washington,
D.C., the Trump hotel, to host foreign dignitaries. And he was profiting from that on a repeated basis. Dignitaries knew that to influence the
president, you should financially benefit him. That was in emoluments too. And a group called CREW and others tried to challenge that in court.
Now, the courts didn't ultimately stop it, but at least these lawsuits, and I expect there'll be many that start soon, can slow it down and can bring
attention to it, which is the ultimately the thing that we need, the -- the lens of public scrutiny and ultimately elections.
ASHER: But is this top of the list? I mean, you think about everything that's happened since January 20th. I mean, is this really top of the list
of Americans' concerns and priorities?
I mean, you know, just -- just in terms of the Middle East. I mean, obviously Donald Trump has a lot of personal and business interests in the
Middle East. You know, we know that his sons have been traveling across the Middle East to drum up business for the Trump Organization.
And then you have the fact that his sort of first international trip, both in this term and the first term, was to Saudi Arabia. And that is primarily
because the Saudis were investing a lot of money in American assets, or rather American companies.
And then on top of that, just this idea of the Qatari jet, the 747, worth an approximate $400 million that he was gifted.
You talk about Americans holding this president to account. I'm just not sure of everything we've seen. I mean, we've been talking about Harvard and
what's happening there with international students for the bulk of this show. I'm not necessarily sure if this issue, the issue of corruption, is a
top concern for most Americans.
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Well, I think that Americans might not be framing it in the way that you and I are framing it. And so that's partly up to us to -- to
bring that discussion to the American public.
But I'll say, too, that it really is one story, as much as we can focus on the emoluments violations, or the violation of free speech and the threat
to destroy Harvard University, one of our greatest universities and one of the greatest universities in world history.
And they tend to shut it down because they won't hire essentially his own people under the language of supposed ideological diversity. That's the
language he's using to push his own supporters into jobs in these private universities.
But what it's all about, the one story here is what I've been calling a self-coup, because in a military coup, from the outside, it's obvious
what's happening. But less obvious is what political scientists call a self-coup.
And what that means is when the person in power destroys, detects, and balances that we started by talking about, refuses to obey court orders, as
they have in the Venezuela case, usurps the power of Congress, as they have with DOGE and the refusal to spend funds that were allocated by Congress or
the destruction of departments created by Congress, like the Department of Education and USAID.
What all of that amounts to is an attempted authoritarian takeover of the United States. And when you see that, of course, corruption and the kind of
monarchical corruption that the claim is worried about becomes apparent.
[12:40:08]
ASHER: Well, the American sort of checks and balances that we just talked about, it's institutions are absolutely being tested. We'll see what
happens in a year and a half from now at the midterms.
Corey, thank you so much. Brown University professor Corey Brettschneider, thank you. Appreciate it.
BRETTSCHNEIDER: All right. Terrorism and hate crimes. The D.C. shooting suspect is under investigation for both. We'll look at what's next for him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers as both an act of terrorism and a hate crime.
Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were gunned down outside the Capitol Jewish Museum on Wednesday after a humanitarian event. The alleged gunman
Elias Rodriguez faces federal murder charges.
CNN's Whitney Wild reports from Rodriguez's home -- his hometown, rather, of Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As FBI agents in tactical gear search an address linked to the man accused of shooting
two people outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, the people who live in this busy Northside Chicago neighborhood are trying to make sense
of the tragedy.
FRY: It shocked me. I heard that the shooter was from Chicago, but have it be my next door neighbor.
WILD (voice-over): From Chicago to Washington, law enforcement has been working around the clock to learn as much as they can about the 31-year-old
shooting suspect, Elias Rodriguez.
Part of the investigation, according to law enforcement sources, a lengthy letter signed with Rodriguez's name and posted to social media Wednesday
night. The letter advocated for violent retaliation over the war in Gaza, called Israel's actions in Gaza genocide, and expressed fury over the,
quote, atrocities committed by the Israelis against Palestine.
The letter referenced armed action as a valid form of protest, calling it the only sane thing to do. "What more at this point can one say about the
proportion of mangled and burned and exploded human beings whom were children," the letter said. "We who let this happen will never deserve the
Palestinians' forgiveness."
The shooting happened outside the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, staff members at the Israeli
embassy.
PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The hate has got to stop and it has to stop now. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
WILD (voice-over): Israeli officials say Lischinsky and Milgrim were dating. Lischinsky planned to propose soon.
[12:45:07]
BONDI: What we saw last night was disgusting. I saw a young man's body being taken away who was about to get engaged. He had an entire life in
front of him and that was taken away.
WILD (voice-over): Eyewitnesses told CNN, Rodriguez first pretended to be a bystander after the shooting. When police arrived, Rodriguez turned himself
in, shouting, free Palestine, a moment caught on video obtained by CNN. Free, free Palestine.
YONI RIVER KALIN, WITNESS: He said, I did this for Palestine. He started yelling free, free Palestine Intifada revolution. There's only one
solution.
WILD (voice-over): Rodriguez appears to have been an activist for years. This GoFundMe page set up in 2017 raised the money for a trip to
Washington, D.C. for an event with a group called the People's Congress of Resistance.
Rodriguez apparently writing that he wanted to put an end to imperialist war.
He was also interviewed by "Scripps News" at a protest in 2018 over plans for an Amazon building.
ELIAS RODRIGUEZ, MEMBER, ANSWER CHICAGO: I feel like if we can keep Amazon out, that is a huge victory and it demonstrates sort of the power of people
coming together and being able to say no to things like gentrification and -- and these corporate subsidies.
WILD (voice-over): In the aftermath of the shooting, Rodriguez's neighbor shared this message.
FRY: I learned during the Vietnam War, you don't stop war with guns and bombs. Stop wars by going to your neighbors, talking to your neighbors.
WILD (on camera): Elias Rodriguez is facing charges including murder of a foreign official. Law enforcement in D.C. says this is being investigated
as a hate crime, being investigated as an act of terror.
And the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, says that it is likely that there will be more charges added in the future.
Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. Let's get some more perspective on the case. We're joined live now by CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John
Miller.
So we just heard our correspondent, Whitney Wild, essentially saying that it is believed that more charges will be added. What more charges are we
talking about here, potentially?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Things they would be looking at and the reason they are waiting is they want to
get through the digital evidence, what they find in computers, the rest of the investigation, people they interview, could be hate crime charges,
could be terrorism charges.
And that's something that prosecutors can decide as they go and either add those charges to an indictment or if they come out with an indictment, come
out with a superseding indictment later where those could be included.
ASHER: And what more do we know about the handgun that was used here? Because it's something that he purchased legally.
MILLER: So he bought that gun. It's a very expensive gun, a German made H&K semi-automatic, nine millimeter. It's the kind of gun that a real gun
enthusiast or a professional would use.
He got it licensed in Chicago. But really interestingly, he flew from Chicago to Washington with that gun on the plane by very carefully
following federal regulations that allow you to transport a firearm if it is unloaded and the ammunition is contained separately on an airplane if
it's in checked luggage.
ASHER: Typically, John, as you and I know, when these sorts of things happened, you always hear, you often rather hear people who knew the
suspect coming out and saying, you know, we never imagined. We never imagined that this person could be capable of doing something like this.
What are we learning about this suspect's past, especially when it comes to some of the things he wrote on -- on X?
MILLER: Well, he is a -- a person who has worked at an audible history organization as a researcher. He's a person who works at the osteopathic
information association, which is a healthcare related organization.
But he's been an activist. He marched against police brutality after a police involved shooting in Chicago. He marched against Amazon in Chicago
when they wanted to place a big facility there that the city was giving them a tax break on.
He marched many times in pro-Palestinian demonstrations against Israel. And is likely to be the author of that complicated communique, a well-written
document that is full of empathy, sympathy for the tragic situation of Palestinians in Gaza.
So it's hard to reconcile that with the individual who would allegedly shoot two strangers in the back on a rainy street after a -- after a
conference and then keep on shooting, reload ammunition, and keep on shooting as people looked on in horror.
[12:50:02]
ASHER: John Miller, thank you so much for joining us.
We'll be right back with more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: There's the old saying, count the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. Well, not anymore.
The U.S. Treasury says it will stop producing pennies and stop putting them into circulation. People will still be able to use the one cent coins, but
eventually businesses will have to round cash purchases up or down, probably up though.
And while each one cent penny costs more than three cents to produce, nickels are even more expensive costing 13.8 cents to manufacture.
All right. Strikes, spares, and splits. Some Rhode Island seniors are putting their bowling skills to the test. Their group needs every week to
have a little fun and to help them stay young.
As our Samantha Read found out, their proving age is nothing but a number.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMANTHA READ, NBC 10 NEWS REPORTER (voice-over): Since September, light clockwork every Tuesday morning.
Meadowbrook Lanes is home to a lot of action.
PAUL NORATO, BOWLING ALLEY MANAGER: They're -- they're here, sometimes, in the morning before I get here. They love it.
READ (voice-over): Starting promptly at 9:30 for the next three hours, this great group will get into it.
JOHN DRISCOLL, PRESIDENT OF THE LEAGUE: We have a total of 72 bowlers. But on a typical Tuesday, we have somewhere around 60.
READ (voice-over): And while many of them may be retired athletes, most of them are retired.
MARTY KUDROWITZ, SENIOR CITIZEN WHO PLAYS BOWLING: I have so much fun here. I need a week off.
READ (voice-over): This is the senior bowling league.
DRISCOLL: Early 60s to -- we have people in their 90s.
READ (voice-over): A place to prove age is only a number.
DRISCOLL: Most of us here have -- have some kind of a physical ailment somewhere.
READ (voice-over): And staying in your lane, well, that's out of style too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of us just throw the ball and wherever it goes, it goes.
READ (voice-over): With so much spare time, throwing a few has worked wonders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It gets them out of the house and they're having conversation with other people. And they're -- they're learning that
they're not the only ones that are in a situation.
READ (voice-over): In fact, everyone here is from all over Rhode Island. Raising bowling alley closures have prompted the group to grow
significantly.
DRISCOLL: People have made a lot of new friends. People leave here, you know, after bowling, they go to lunch together.
READ (voice-over): Manager Paul Norato has a front seat to the live action.
NORATO: I've seen some come and go.
READ (voice-over): And sadly, he's seen some days that are better than others.
NORATO: Some have to leave on injury, you know, and unfortunately passed away, you know, on the -- on the side -- side of it. But other than that,
it's been a great league. I love this league.
[12:55:07]
READ (voice-over): 92-year-old, Heather Driscoll (ph), leads the league for age.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to bowl to like a hundred.
READ (voice-over): And 87-year-old Marty Kudrowitz of Coventry says being here brings people back.
KUDROWITZ: And they make them feel young again. When he leaves here, he's 25.
READ (voice-over): While the senior bowling season is set to come to an end this week until it's re-launched in September, all involved are hoping to
be a motivation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just because we're seniors doesn't mean we can't get out there.
READ (voice-over): And many say even beyond bowling, extracurricular activities are always a go.
KUDROWITZ: We're -- we're planning a cruise. And -- and you can come.
READ (voice-over): Showing you something good.
I'm Sam Read.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. That does it for us here in "ONE WORLD." I'm Zain Asher. I appreciate you watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
