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One World with Zain Asher

Thousands Overrun Aid Site On First Day Of Distribution Effort; U.S. Consumer Confidence Improves In May; Trump Administration And Harvard In Court Over Foreign Student Ban; Liverpool Car Ramming Leaves Dozens Injured; Scientists Study Climate Impacts From Earth's Highest Peaks. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired May 27, 2025 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:29]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Chaos amid desperation. We're hearing reports that an aid site in Gaza has been overrun. The second hour of "ONE WORLD"

starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The children and families in Gaza, every single day, is a day of terror and horror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Chaos in southern Gaza as humanitarian aid trickles in. We're hearing that thousands have stormed an aid site in southern Gaza.

Also ahead, the numbers are in and consumer confidence is on the rise for the first time since November. We'll tell you why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

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GOLODRYGA: She is back. Janet Jackson performs on the small screen for the first time in nearly a decade.

Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "ONE WORLD."

The desperation in Gaza after a nearly three-month aid blockade spilled over today as a controversial humanitarian distribution effort backed by

the U.S. In israel got underway in southern Gaza.

CNN has received dramatic new video showing thousands of Palestinians overrunning the site. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: This video from the distribution site in Tel al-Sultan also showing large crowds tearing down some of the fencing and appearing to

climb over barriers designed to control the flow of the crowd.

CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins us now. So, Jeremy, this independent distribution organization was starting today, in fact, and

thus, we see these images just hours in.

What do we know about the situation now? Has any aid been able to be distributed?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Bianna. This is indeed the first full day of operations for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and

it quickly devolved into a very chaotic situation.

We saw in those videos thousands of Palestinians overrunning one of these newly established what's called a secure distribution site in Tel al-Sultan

in the western part of Rafah.

And you can see people climbed over barriers, going over these sand berms that were established there. And this -- this all happened because of the

desperate humanitarian situation that currently exists in Gaza.

It is a testament to the desperation of people that this site would be overrun in this manner. And it is also why the -- now the since resigned

executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, for the last several weeks, urged the Israelis to increase the amount of aid going into

Gaza before they got up and running because they anticipated this the possibility of this very scenario.

Now a security source familiar with these plans tells me that American security contractors on the ground withdrew from the area before the crowd

made it into this site and that that was in accordance with the protocol to avoid any harm being done to any of these civilians.

I'm also told by this source that those security contractors did not fire any shots during this time, which is why they pulled away and preferred to

let the site be overrun rather than having to try and block people from getting in.

We do hear gunshots in some of the videos from the scene, however. And we've asked the Israeli military for comments on whether or not they were

responsible for that gunfire.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said that they were still able to distribute some 8,000 boxes of food today from that one site. They say that

that totals 462,000 meals in Gaza, so far. That is still well short of this organization's goal of ramping up to about 1.2 million people being fed by

the end of their first week of operations or about 60 percent of Gaza's population.

And, of course, there are still enormous questions looming over this effort. I'm told that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will get this very

same site operational again by tomorrow and plans to distribute aid from there once again. So we will see whether or not this happens again.

[12:05:11]

And then, of course, the questions about their ability to actually ramp up to meet the overwhelming food need that currently exists in the Gaza Strip.

This is just one of four sites that they were supposed to establish at the beginning.

And all of those four sites, three of them are in southern Gaza. One is going to be in central Gaza. No sites for at least the first few weeks of

their operations will be operational in northern Gaza. And that is still a glaring, glaring hole in this operation so far.

As we are seeing the humanitarian situation in the northern part of the strip, even following the entry of limited aid over the course of the last

week remains desperate. And that's because really almost none of those trucks have been able to make it to northern Gaza.

All of the aid that has entered, so far, has been distributed primarily in southern and the central part of the Gaza Strip. Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Two of those four distribution hubs are said to be operational as of today.

Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem for us, thank you so much.

Well, we're getting a fresh look at the state of the American economy and what appears to be a hint of optimism. A survey released a short time ago

shows consumer confidence in the U.S. rose in May beating expectations. It is the first monthly gain since November.

Now, for the past few months, President Donald Trump's sweeping policy changes, including his ongoing trade war, have taken a toll on consumer

attitudes. And last month, consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since the start of the COVID pandemic.

CNN reporter Matt Egan has the latest from New York.

So, consumers like the markets, Matt, seem to be taking in at least a pause on the initial beginning of these tariffs for a short period of time. Walk

us through these numbers.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes. Bianna, looks like Americans are feeling a lot better about the economy after a pretty scary March and April. There

were five consecutive monthly declines until now. This is actually the biggest one-month increase in consumer confidence in four years. And April

was actually revised lower to tie with COVID as the lowest level in 11 years.

So, clearly, there's been some big shifts in consumer confidence. And it's not like confidence is high right now, right? It is still lower than it was

in 2023 or at any point during 2024. But it is finally moving in the right direction. I think as you can see on that chart, you see that bounce on the

right side of the chart after going almost straight down to start the year.

And to your point, Bianna, it makes some sense here because we know what was happening in April, right? The tariffs were going higher and higher,

right, almost unthinkably higher. And many Americans, therefore, went caves, right? Their nest eggs were going lower and lower because of all of

the fear and near panic on Wall Street.

And we know that markets have rebound. This has been a historic rebound. And so, it kind of makes sense when you think about it, that not only have

some of the tariff rates come down, some of the trade tensions have eased, but also people are feeling better because they see that their market

values, their 401(ks) have gone back up. And we're seeing that again today with the Dow up more by more than 600 points, around 1.5 percent on the

day.

This rebound in the stock market being driven in part by relief that the president has walked back his threat to put this 50 percent tariff on the

European Union. He's delayed that. He said on Friday that could happen on June 1. Now he's saying that's not something that would happen until July.

Of course, we know that could change.

Looking at the internals, though, for this consumer confidence report, there are a lot of positives, right? People are feeling better about the

current, the present conditions of the economy. They're feeling way better about the short-term outlook. This was the biggest one-month increase for

the short-term outlook among consumers since 2009 during the Great Recession.

Also, recession fears have come -- come down as well. And that's nice to see.

The Conference Board said that this was really something they're seeing across the board. They said, May's rebound in confidence was boosted -- was

broad-based across all age groups and all income groups. It was also shared across all political affiliations with the strongest improvements among

Republicans.

And, Bianna, as you know, the reason why we look at this is because consumer spending is the biggest driver of this economy, right? And when we

saw those surveys really tank in March and especially in April, it did raise these concerns that maybe America's are going to start shopping less

and hunkering down.

And that, of course, is where you could get a significant slowdown or even a recession in the economy. So it's obviously nice to see that consumer

confidence has rebounded because that does suggest that some of those worst fears may not come to pass. Back to you.

[12:10:08]

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And we still don't know the outcome of some of these trade deals, but the fact that the president has put them on hold as negotiations

continue in the start of these increased tariffs off for at least another few months, clearly a relief for consumers and investors. As you know, the

stock market rebounding quite well today, following Friday's sell-off.

Matt Egan, thank you.

EGAN: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: So, what does the average American think? CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten joins us with that. That's kind of a loaded question,

Harry. What does the average American think? Go.

No. This as it relates to tariffs and uncertainty to the main points of frustration, I would say for both the markets and for consumers.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes. I would say up and down and all around. And I'll note, I don't think I've ever been referred to as average.

I'm either well above or well below, depending on who you speak to.

GOLODRYGA: Only above water with us, Harry.

ENTEN: Thank you. Thank you.

But let us talk a little bit about the average American. You know, you were mentioning, obviously, the trade policy. One minute there seems to be

tariffs that are going to come into effect. The next minute there's not. Then, Donald Trump changes his mind and they're back on, and then they're

back on.

The bottom line is the American people think that Donald Trump is about as clear as mud when it comes to trade policy.

Get this, clear plan for tariffs and trade. The majority of Americans say, no, no, no, no, 55 percent say no compared to 45 percent say yes that

Donald Trump has a clear plan for tariffs and trade.

And I will note in the center of the electorate where elections are won or lost, independents 64 percent of independents say that Donald Trump does

not have a clear policy when it comes to tariffs and trade.

And, of course, this isn't coming out of left field. There's a reason why Americans feel like there's so much uncertainty. And that is because there

is, and I'm not just saying that because I'm reading the news, it's because we can actually quantify it.

Take a look here, the trade policy uncertainty index, through the roof. Oh, my. Up 846 percent compared to a year ago. The number just keeps getting

higher and higher and higher. Although I will say in the last maybe few days, maybe it's dropped a little bit.

But get this. The number right now in terms of the trade policy uncertainty index is higher than at any point prior to 2025. And they have been taking

this number since 1960. My goodness gracious. There's just so much uncertainty, although there's not uncertainty that we make good television.

Now, I will note, finally, you were talking about the tariffs potentially on the E.U., right? What is number one in America, right? We were talking

about tariffs last week, potentially on iPhones coming in from China, coming in from Asia. What's the number one smartphone in America? The

iPhone, 155 million active units in the United States of America.

Who is the number one trade partner with the United States? It's the European Union. We're talking about 4.9 percent of US GDP in 2024.

So while Donald Trump's trade policy may be clear as mud, the one thing that is clear is that these tariffs did in fact go into effect. You're

talking about that 50 percent tariff on the European Union.

What is clear is it would be no bueno for the United States economy. And that is why I think you're seeing the stock markets recovered today as

Donald Trump has taken a step back.

And one last thing that is very, very clear, Bianna, can I say it?

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

ENTEN: What is absolutely clear is this segment. I have just been told, in my earpiece, is the greatest segment in American history as well as

international history. We've made -- we've made history on television you and I here today.

GOLODRYGA: Best ever, nothing uncertain, I will say. It's about how viewers feel.

ENTEN: Nothing uncertain. Nothing uncertain. No.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And by the way, if we can just go back to that graphic quickly of that uncertainty index, I don't know how many times we've

referenced this before, but just that image right there alone. I can't imagine that's something the president likes to see in terms of how his

economy is being viewed so soon into his second term. But -- but I like the viewers like our segment, Harry. That -- that -- that is what makes us

happy.

ENTEN: That -- that is what makes us happy. And I'll just give you one last one of these because that is the stock market these days up and down and

all around.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Crazy. Crazy.

ENTEN: Crazy.

GOLODRYGA: Crazy times we're in. Harry Enten, thank you so much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Donald Trump's feud with Harvard University seems to be growing more bitter every day. The Trump administration is issuing a letter

today instructing federal agencies to cancel all contracts with Harvard.

Now, the move could mean a loss of $100 million for the school. And Trump says Harvard has not done enough to crack down on anti-Semitism on campus.

Harvard's president says the attacks on his school just don't make sense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN GARBER, PRESIDENT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: What is perplexing is the -- the measures that they have taken to address these that don't even hit the

same people that they believe are causing the problems.

[12:15:03]

Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the country because after all, the research funding is not a gift.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Trump is demanding that Harvard give him the names and countries of origin of all of its foreign students and has tried to ban Harvard from

enrolling international students.

But a federal judge has stopped him. That judge met with both sides just hours ago as she considers whether to continue to block Trump's moves.

CNN's Alayna Treene is tracking the Trump versus Harvard showdown from the White House. At this point, Alayna, most experts say Harvard has no choice

but to fight back in the courts and many expect them to win a majority, if not all of these cases, nonetheless, the damage is pretty intense that the

White House is leveling against this one school in particular.

What is the president's strategy, if there is one from what you're hearing?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, look, I think what's been very clear, and this is true not only in, I think, you know, the

evidence of what they've been doing thus far and -- and the actions that they have taken against Harvard, but also my conversations with senior

Trump administration officials, which is that they've really come to view Harvard or really make Harvard a symbol of what they argue is the education

system that they disagree with, particularly this idea that there are these liberal, elitist schools. This is how many people when I talk to them about

the White House referred to places like Harvard and some of the other Ivy Leagues in the U.S., and they're kind of using Harvard as this symbol of --

of their thought process on, you know, arguing that it is the sign of the liberal woke front and that they are not embodying the type of principles

and curriculums and practices that this administration believes in it so far.

I mean, we have seen a number of actions. Of course, the news today is what I reported this morning, which is that, you know, they are directing the

Trump administration, all federal agencies, to cancel their grants and other contracts with Harvard and also specifically in this letter I

obtained. This is the letter that the General Services Administration sent to other agencies is to try and find other vendors that are not Harvard and

give them that money instead.

Again, all of this is part of a broader strategy of -- of the Trump administration wanting to kind reshape the way that the higher education

system in America operates.

And we've seen that through a number of different moves that they've taken, yes, against other Harvard but other university as well. I do think this is

something that will have to ultimately be settled in the courts.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Alayna Treene from the White House. Thank you so much.

The Kremlin is slamming what it's calling a dangerous decision by Kyiv's European allies to lift a ban on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons. Now,

it comes one day after German Chancellor Merz said that removing the restrictions would allow Ukraine to defend itself even by striking military

positions inside of Russia.

Now, you may recall last year Vladimir Putin warned NATO leaders that lifting such restrictions would be considered an act of war.

Earlier, Russia's foreign minister suggested the decision was not a recent one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This statement by Mr. Merz once again demonstrates the level of competence of people who had risen to power in Europe. Yesterday,

he made such a pretentious statement that from now on and forever, there will be no-range restrictions on strikes against Russia.

It makes us think again that a decision on allowing Ukraine to do what are once within certain limits, which includes conducting strikes at aims on

the Russian territory. This decision have been taken a long time ago, but kept secret.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Colonel Peter Mansoor is a senior fellow at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. and he's a former aide to General David

Petraeus. He joins us now live from Columbus, Ohio. Colonel Mansoor, thank you so much for taking this time.

It is interesting because Chancellor Merz followed up his comments with saying that this has actually been the case for months, that the policy

among European allies has, for months, allowed for Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia, essentially having no limits at this point as to how far deep

it would strike.

So given that, how big of a changing position does this allow for Ukraine in terms of not only its defensive position, but also its -- its counter,

its striking position against Russia?

PETER MANSOOR, SENIOR FELLOW, MERSHON CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES: Well, this would be a big plus for Ukraine if it's given the

weapons that can hit those targets that are attacking its energy infrastructure.

You know, on the last three days, Russia has launched more than 900 crews and ballistic missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities. And if Ukraine now

has the ability to strike back at those launching facilities, it would be a big boost to its defense.

The question is, is the European nations that have now lifted their range restrictions on Ukrainian use of their weapons, are they providing the

weapons necessary that can reach deep into Russia, such as the Taurus missile from Germany?

[12:20:12]

GOLODRYGA: I guess my question, and perhaps you just don't know in terms of what we're hearing from European sources and Ukrainian sources. But Merz

has been saying that this isn't a new policy, that this has in fact been the case for several months.

So, have we seen any benefits to Ukraine and its positioning if this has in fact been the policy for the last several months, no restrictions on how

far it can go into Russian territory?

MANSOOR: Well, not that I can tell if it has the weapons and the -- the range restrictions lifted to reach that deep into Russia. It's certainly

not having a -- a huge impact on the Russian capabilities to conduct strategic warfare deep into Ukraine.

So, you know, what this may do though is put more pressure on Vladimir Putin. It's just another screw to turn to get him to come to the

negotiating table saying, look, you know, our patience is at an end and we're going to start giving Ukraine more wherewithal to attack you.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And analysts have been warning that Ukraine's supply of interceptor missiles has been depleting quite quickly and Russia's missile

technology has been advancing.

So, what is it that Ukraine needs most right now and who among the allies is best equipped to provide it?

MANSOOR: Right. So this is a -- a different question to the one that goes to air defense systems. Ukraine is running out of missile reloads for its

air defense systems such as the Patriot. And it's quite clear those systems primarily come from the United States.

So this is really up to the Trump administration to get over its fascination with bringing Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and --

and creating a deal which clearly is not going to be in the offing anytime soon and give Ukraine the wherewithal to defend itself and put pressure on

Russia to stop its attacks that you can see in the last three days have taken so much loss of lives in Ukraine.

GOLODRYGA: And quickly, I know you're pressed for time. We heard some of the toughest rhetoric from President Trump yet in terms of Russia's actions

in Vladimir Putin directly point -- directly implicated by President Trump.

What do you make of his comment, President Trump's, just moments ago, saying that Putin is playing with fire?

MANSOOR: Yes. Now, this is really interesting. You know, President Trump thought he could use his relationship with Vladimir Putin to bring him to

some sort of peace terms and that clearly has not happened.

Now the question is, will President Trump reverse course and put pressure on Putin by ramping up sanctions, by giving Ukraine more defense systems

and -- and missile technology and so forth and -- and make it clear to Putin that he can't win on the -- in a military sense, and therefore, he

needs to start cutting a deal.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the president does have resources to ratchet up that pressure against Vladimir Putin. That's why he has not utilized them.

Peter Mansoor, thank you for the time.

MANSOOR: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: And coming up for us, dozens injured including four children after a celebration turns to chaos. What officials are now saying after a

car rammed into a crowd of Liverpool football supporters, that's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:19]

GOLODRYGA: We are learning new details in the Liverpool -- Liverpool car ramming incident that left dozens injured. Police in the U.K. are ruling

out terrorism after this car plowed into a crowd celebrating Liverpool's 20th Premier League title on Monday. Police say they have arrested a

suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN JAUNDRILL, DETECTIVE CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT, MERSEYSIDE POLICE: We have arrested a 53-year-old man from West Derby on suspicion of attempted

murder, dangerous driving offenses and driving whilst unfit through drugs. He remains in custody where he is being interviewed.

We have a total of 65 confirmed casualties, many of whom required hospital treatment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Police said that the suspect is believed to have followed an ambulance into a closed off street before colliding with dozens of football

fans.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more from Liverpool.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the very latest we have from the police in their most recent press conference, they say

that they have now arrested a 53-year-old British man who lives about five miles away from here.

They say that they are charging him with attempted murder for dangerous driving and for driving under the influence of drugs. Very serious charges.

We have also got an update now on the number of people who needed treatment at the hospital. Police say 50 people required treatment at the hospital.

Four of them had previously been reported with serious injuries. The police now saying that 11 people only remain in hospital and they -- they are all

in a condition of recovering.

So the indications are that of all the people injured, they are through the worst of it at the moment. The police are still appealing for more

information from the public, appealing for the public not to share videos on social media of the incident happening, but to share them rather with

the police so the police can help build their investigations. This remains an active crime scene.

Behind me here, behind the police truck is the vehicle that crashed into the crowd. It's in a police forensic tent. Police forensic team still on

site here, still going through the evidence that they have. But they are beginning to sift through the information and build a picture of what -- of

what happened.

And one of the things that have been raised as a question was, how did with hundreds of thousands of fervent Liverpool supporters on the street

celebrating the 10-mile trophy tour through the city did a vehicle managed to get into the crowd and mixed with the crowd.

And we've heard from the police now explaining how that happened. They say on the street here, Water Street, where I'm standing, that an ambulance was

allowed onto the street through a cordon because there was somebody suspected of having a heart attack and they wanted to treat that person who

was having the suspected heart attack.

And the vehicle then followed the ambulance onto the crowded street. And that appears to be, from what the police are saying, how the vehicle got

into the crowd and how all this happened.

Although the police are saying that this man is being charged with attempted murder, dangerous driving, driving well under the apparent

influence of drugs, they don't have an explanation yet of why he did this.

But it's come as an absolute shock in this city. So many people out celebrating the Liverpool Football Club. The second time they've won this

Premier League trophy. Of course, last time was during COVID times, the city couldn't come out and celebrate. So this was a really huge day

bringing in people not just from Liverpool, not just from the surrounding region from across the country and even, you know, other parts of Europe. I

met somebody who was here from the -- from the Middle East come because he was such a big Liverpool fan. So, so many fans out, so much celebration

going on.

[12:30:20]

The Prime Minister in the UK, Keir Starmer, has offered his condolences and thoughts, a lot of praise being given for the emergency services here, who

the police described as quite literally rushing into a scene that they didn't know what was going on to try to support and help the public.

And the firefighters who arrived on the scene described how the first thing they had to do was lift a vehicle off of four people who were trapped

underneath that vehicle. And one of those trapped was a child underneath that vehicle.

It gives you a sense of the scale now that we now know that 50 people ended up in hospital getting treatment. Sixty-five people required the -- the

attention of emergency services throughout the -- throughout the course of those events.

So it's touched a lot of people. It's touched the city, and it was a tragic end to what had otherwise been a day of celebration, but some understanding

now coming into this situation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Nic Robertson for that report.

Well, just two of the original 10 inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail more than 10 days ago are still on the run. Authorities say both men

should be considered armed and dangerous. Three escapees were caught on Monday, one Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the other two in Southeast Texas

after a high-speed chase.

All 10 of the original prisoners escaped through a small hole in the wall of a jail cell on May 16th. And we'll continue to stand top of the story.

And still to come for us, scenes of desperation and chaos and Gaza as a controversial U.S.-backed aid organization begins distributing food to a

population from the humanitarian groups warned is on the brink of famine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:45]

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

Well, it's what the U.N. and humanitarian groups have been warning about for weeks. They say a new Israeli and U.S. approved aid distribution

mechanism can't meet Gaza's overwhelming need with a population of millions facing an acute hunger crisis.

On the first day of distribution, thousands of people in Rafah overran a newly established aid site. Israel says, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

is needed to keep aid out of the hands of Hamas.

But here's what the U.N. is saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS LAERKE, SPOKESPERSON, OCHA: It is a distraction from what is actually needed which is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure

environment within Gaza and faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the

border and needs to get in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Time now for "The Exchange" in my conversation with David Satterfield. He's the Director of Rice University's Baker Institute for

Public Policy. He joins me now live from Houston. Thank you so much for taking the time.

So the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as we had reported just within the last hour had been at least temporarily overrun. We saw some chaos in terms of

how that aid was being distributed. They said that no shots had been fired, that apparently aid has now started once again to be redistributed.

And they also said that they, quote, would not be deterred and it planned to reach more than one million Palestinians by the end of this week.

In your view, is that a realistic goal?

DAVID SATTERFIELD, DIRECTOR OF RICE UNIVERSITY'S BAKER INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY: The goal of feeding the two million Palestinians right now who are

entirely dependent on external assistance, food assistance, medical assistance, is something that's going to require aid coming in, food aid

coming in from all sources.

That means this distribution mechanism, however it can develop itself and a continued utilization of the traditional U.N. World Food Program

principally and international NGO mechanisms, both need to together contribute to meeting the needs which are extremely urgent of Palestinians

in Gaza.

GOLODRYGA: The GHF has said that, so far, it has distributed a little over 8,000 food boxes including 462,000 meals what specific metrics should be

used in terms of judging how fair this operation is working at this point and how effectively the food and aid is being distributed?

SATTERFIELD: There -- there's one fundamental metric and it's been the metric that we've used since the beginning of this crisis, which is are all

of the populations in need wherever they may be in Gaza in the north, the center and the south receiving the assistance that they require. And are

they receiving it on a consistent enough basis that the incentives to storm or self-distribute aid, whether through distribution sites are off of

trucks.

Or the incentive to criminal organizations to seize the aid in order to -- to resell is that diminished. That's the metric. It's always been the

metric and it will be now, but it will require if it is to be met assistance coming in through all channels.

GOLODRYGA: Well, the hubs that have been open so far, at least, and I think Israel had initially set out for four operational hubs. The hubs that we

know of are all in the south and not in northern Gaza where I think the majority of the military operation is ongoing from the IDF.

So, does that fail then in your view to meet those benchmarks?

SATTERFIELD: Any distribution mechanism that does not meet on an urgent timely basis, the needs of all of the population of Gaza including in the

north, will not be adequate.

[12:40:03]

Look, the situation today is one of imminent, and that's not a matter of months, but weeks. Imminent emergent of famine and starvation, at least on

a localized level. That's something recognized by the IDF, the Defense Forces, as well as by the political echelons.

The method of dealing with that crisis brought about by Israel's suspension of humanitarian assistance on March 2nd is to allow whether through this

new mechanism or through the classic U.N. international NGO mechanism, or both, the assistance that's needed everywhere. That's going to be a measure

for success, both within Israel and externally.

GOLODRYGA: Well, it seems like there -- there is no trust or much of a salvageable relationship at this point between Israel and the U.N. And I'm

curious to get your views on U.N. -- on Israel's claims that through the previous established format, that is under the auspices and guide of the

U.N., that Hamas was stealing, profiting, and diverting the majority of the aid that was coming in, that that is Israel's claim. How do you respond to

that?

SATTERFIELD: No such allegation or evidence in support of allegations like that were ever provided privately by informed Israeli security or political

officials. It is a claim which, on the face of it, is not reflected in any of the experience that those involved in the humanitarian effort have seen.

Did Hamas benefit politically from its presence at distribution sites to reinforce to the population of Gaza that they remained effective and in

place? Certainly they did. Did Hamas take some assistance? Quite likely.

But from the UN and INGO channels, which were highly accountable, whatever aid was ultimately diverted in any fashion, by Hamas, was minimal compared

to the aid that was received by the general population.

Now the same can't be said about aid that came in outside the U.N. or international NGO channels. That's a different matter. And Israel

understands that. But we're speaking now of the U.N.

The allegations that the majority, I've heard some claims, all of the assistance was seized by Hamas, that has never been made privately to

officials involved in this process nor demonstrated through evidence.

GOLODRYGA: What more do you know about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation? And how confident are you that it is equipped for this very ambitious and

important task of avoiding what so many experts are saying is a catastrophe already ensuing, but perhaps on the precipice of becoming that much worse?

SATTERFIELD: I -- I cannot comment on the structure or the efficacy of this foundation or mechanism. The details are -- are not clear.

I would cite the statement of the former head, Jake Wood, when he resigned on Sunday, saying that the humanitarian principles upon which his

participation had been based, were not being met.

Whether they can be met, whether there is, as I said earlier, an adjunct, a supportive role that the distribution centers can provide, that remains to

be seen.

What's critical here is that aid come in to all Palestinians in need wherever they may be in Gaza.

GOLODRYGA: David Satterfield, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you so much for your expertise. We appreciate it.

And still to come for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAKER PERRY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER: We know more about the weather on Mars than we do on the highest peaks of the Himalaya here on our planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Scientist climb to the top of the world to study how climate change impacts glaciers and water resources. We'll have that report just

ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:00]

GOLODRYGA: Scientists are setting up weather stations on the planet's highest peaks, including Mount Everest, to track and study the impacts of

climate change.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is taking a closer look at their mission and how it will help us down below. A fascinating mission, Derek, but again

to the question just posed, how will it help us?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Great question. It was fascinating and an incredible opportunity to speak to a National Geographic explorer,

this team of researchers.

They spend a considerable amount of time on Everest known -- in an area known as the death zone. That's above 8,000 meters. You've got depleted

levels of oxygen at that altitude. And it makes just simple task that much more difficult, let alone installing this very intricate hardware that you

see behind me, which by the way, that they trek up the mountains to the world's highest locations to study the climate.

A lot of the data that's being collected here, temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, solar radiance, that all filters into the glacial

activity on top of these large mountains.

So, glaciers, we often refer to them as the world's water towers. Remember, the freshwater melt that comes from glaciers, it services roughly a quarter

of the world's freshwater availability.

So, the data that these scientists are capturing through this -- this effort is incredibly, incredibly important. And I got to catch up and talk

to these individuals while they were on a recent expedition to Everest. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: I'm back on Everest for my fourth expedition.

VAN DAM (voice-over): It's an ambitious scientific project that has taken this team of researchers to the most extreme environments on Earth.

PERRY: We set up a network of weather stations from 12,500 feet all the way up to 27,000 feet.

Hi, everyone. Baker Perry --

VAN DAM (voice-over): Tasked with a single objective to study the impacts of a rapidly changing environment from the world's highest locations.

VAN DAM: Explain to me just the ultimate goal of what you are trying to achieve up there.

PERRY: Our weather station network is -- is really well poised to monitor and provide valuable data to the -- make better projections of how the

glaciers will respond to climate change.

VAN DAM (voice-over): I spoke with National Geographic explorer and Nevada State climatologist Dr. Baker Perry during his most recent expedition back

to Mount Everest.

PERRY: We know more about the weather on Mars than we do on the highest peaks of the Himalaya here on our planet.

It's critical to have a station here on the glacier.

VAN DAM (voice-over): It's a mission that began in 2019, documented by the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition.

PERRY: This is critical in the context of climate change and water resources and the fact that we've got hundreds of millions of people that

live downstream from these water towers that -- that sustain the communities.

[12:50:15]

VAN DAM (voice-over): Vital too for other environmentally stressed regions across the globe including Argentina, where in February, Dr. Perry led

researchers on a similar mission in the Andes to Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas.

The Wayra (ph) project, an international collaboration between the U.S., Argentina and multiple research institutions, installed weather stations

along the mountain glaciers to monitor conditions and added a crucial link in collecting meteorological information around the world.

PERRY: The weather station network is critical for improving our understanding of climate change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAN DAM: Now, if that wasn't cool enough, you can actually go online and see real-time data from the weather stations and the observation platforms

that you saw Dr. Baker and his team of scientists just installed.

So, what you're looking at right now is all the individual weather stations that they installed in Argentina.

Aconcagua, the highest point in the Americas, one of these reporting stations, you can see temperature, precipitation. Also the wind speed as

well.

But what I'm about to show you is the last reporting observations from the very tops of Mount Everest. So we're talking about 8,000 meters plus. We

call these the Balcony in the South Col. Well, they were destroyed because they have winds of a 150 miles per hour and temperatures of negative 40

degree Celsius.

Bianna, it's just incredible how little we know about the weather on the most extreme parts of our planet.

GOLODRYGA: And why studies like this are so important. Derek Van Dam, thank you.

And still to come, Janet Jackson makes a triumphant return to the American Music Awards. We'll have it for you straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: All right. Did you watch? Janet Jackson back on the American Music Awards stage. It was Jackson's first T.V. performance in seven years.

I couldn't really tell.

For Jackson, it was this year's Icon Awards. The AMAs describing her as an artist whose music has had undeniable cultural and global influence over

the music industry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:55:09]

JANEL JACKSON, AMA 2025 ICON AWARD RECIPIENT: No disrespect in any way, but I don't consider myself an icon. My -- my family, myself, our dream was to

-- it wasn't ever to -- to be famous. That -- we weren't always like that.

We -- we always had a special love for music, dancing, and singing, and fame came with the result of hard work and -- and dedication.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: A modest Janet Jackson there, but an icon in my books, and I'm sure for millions of her fans as well. Certainly a highlight and well-

deserved honor for Janet Jackson.

And that does it for this hour of "ONE WORLD." Thanks so much for watching. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Don't go anywhere. I'll be back with "AMANPOUR" after

the break.

(COMMERCIAL RBEAK)

END