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One World with Zain Asher
Hegseth lauds "Historically Successful" U.S. Attack On Iran; Republicans Still Working On Details Of Budget Bill; Mamdani's Success Exposes Divide Among Democrats; Hundreds Of Cybersecurity Personnel Left Since Trump Took Office; Iranian Religious Asylum Seekers Detained By Immigration Agents; CNN Reports From Inside Iranian Holy City Of Qom; Source: Netanyahu To Hold Meeting On Gaza With Top Officials; Ecuador Recaptures Notorious hang Leader Adolfo "Fito" Macias. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired June 26, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:29]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: A war of words, the Trump administration says the raid on Iran was a huge success no matter how you spin it. The second
hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The reality is you want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated,
choose your word. This was an historically successful attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: He said, she said, the Trump administration sticks to its guns as it addresses the controversy around last week's strikes on Iran.
Also ahead, Ecuador's most wanted man is behind bars again. Last time he was in custody, his cell had a mini-fridge and he even managed to film a
music video. Why officials want him extradited to the U.S. this time around.
And later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOGAN O'GRADY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MINNESOTA SOLAR ENERGY INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION: And before 2013, we -- we really weren't in industry. Now, we
represent over 5,000 Minnesotans. And every single one of those 5,000 Minnesotans owes their jobs to Melissa Hortman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: She was known for being a congresswoman but she was so much more than that. Weeks after her politically motivated murder, we reflect on the
trailblazer who took solar power to the next level.
Hello, everyone, live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is of today. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
The U.S. Defense Secretary says Donald Trump created the conditions to end the Israel-Iran war. We begin with new assessments and fresh details about
the damage from U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The results are being closely watched to see how far the strikes may have set back Iran's nuclear program. Pete Hegseth called the strikes
historically successful and pushed back at early intelligence reports.
The Defense Secretary says no matter what for words you use to describe it, Iran's nuclear capabilities were destroyed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: President Trump created the conditions to end the war. Decimating, choose your word, obliterating, destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Time and time again, classified information is leaked or peddled for political purposes to try to make the president look bad. And what's really
happening is you're undermining the success of incredible B-2 pilots and incredible F-35 pilots and incredible refuelers and incredible air
defenders who accomplished their mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs said that the operation went as planned and laid out new technical details.
General Dan Caine also played video of Pentagon tests of bunker-buster bombs. He says the 30,000-pound bombs dropped on the Fordow site, quote,
functioned as designed meaning that they exploded.
He declined to provide his own assessment of the strike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What has changed? Would you use the term obliterated as well?
GEN. DAN CAINE, U.S. CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Sir, like I said, we don't do BDA. I'll refer that to the intelligence community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're talking with them. I mean, what changed in the past three days that make you so, you know --
CAINE: Sir, I think I --
HEGSETH: I mean, think I explained what changed. There was a great deal of irresponsible reporting based on leaks, preliminary information in low
confidence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins us now. It was really helpful there and eye-opening to see the split screen.
On the one hand, you had the defense secretary who said, listen, that he was there to answer some of the political questions. And then you had the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Caine, that really gave more substance and new details as to how the operation unfolded.
Also noting that this was an operation that was in the works and planning for over four administrations, both Republican and Democrat, going back 15
years.
I don't think there was much controversy in the question that he was asked, well, how come, you know, what you said Sunday is a bit different from now.
They've -- they've gleaned more information where -- where the frustration was really felt was from the defense secretary, though, towards the, what
he described as media not carrying this story properly, though.
Natasha, talk to us about how you're reporting from earlier this week now seems to align with what we know in that early DIA report.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, so what we reported earlier this week was that the Defense Intelligence Agency,
they put together this very preliminary assessment in the day or so after the U.S. carried out its military strikes on three separate facilities
inside Iran, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
[12:05:08]
And what the Defense Intelligence Agency assessed is that based on the preliminary findings that they gathered from the intelligence community in
different forms of intelligence, including satellite imagery, including signals intelligence, including basically everything that they had at that
moment to make that assessment, they believed that at that point, they could only say that the U.S. had set back Iran's nuclear program by a
matter of months.
But the report itself cautioned, as we reported, that it is preliminary, it is early, and it is not the judgment of the entire intelligence community
at this point, because it simply can't be. They have not finished their battle damage assessment.
And so what the Secretary of Defense was taking issue with was the fact that this early assessment was leaked and provided an incomplete picture in
his view of what the military strikes actually accomplished.
But, you know, when we're looking at a fuller picture now, as the days go on, what the Secretary of Defense and what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
were trying to do is say, OK, let's step back and let's create a fuller picture here for the public of what these bombs actually can do. And that
is what we saw General Caine lay out with these massive ordnance penetrating bombs. He showed videos of tests of what the Department of
Defense has tested them on in the past. He said that they are capable of carrying out immense underground destruction.
And importantly, as you mentioned, that a plan for doing so, for hitting these nuclear strikes in Iran and nuclear sites in Iran and -- and making
it so that they hit their target in the exact right way to destroy the underground facilities, which are the core parts of Iran's nuclear program,
has been in the works for well over a decade. And so that was very compelling new information that the Chairman provided.
But still, as you mentioned, there was no new intelligence that they have gleaned since Saturday that would allow them to say for sure just how much
of Iran's nuclear program itself has been decimated and just how much the program has now been set back.
That is going to take a lot more time as Dan Caine alluded to in his briefing. And, of course, he also said that the battle damage assessment is
not what he does. It's not what the Joint Staff does. It is the job of the intelligence community.
Although ironically, we should note that the Defense Intelligence Agency is a part of the intelligence community. They put that out that early
assessment.
But the White House, the Defense Department for now saying, hold on, we still have a lot more to investigate here. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The DIA is just one of 18 intelligence agencies. And as more time goes by, more reports, more thorough reports will be issued as
well. Early indications from both the Israelis, the IAEA, and then other sources suggest that there's quite a bit of optimism about the scale of
this operation and its success in setting back Iran's nuclear program a significant amount of time.
But again, we're not going to know for sure. It's just going to require more time and more analysis in the days and weeks to come.
Natasha Bertrand, thank you.
Well, in just about two hours, the key U.S. players in the operation to bomb Iran's nuclear sites will brief U.S. senators. The Secretary of State,
Secretary of Defense, and the top U.S. military officer and the head of the CIA plan to share what led up to President Trump's decision to launch those
strikes. House lawmakers will be briefed on Friday.
Now, Democrats have criticized the President's decision to attack without seeking congressional approval first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): I'm ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, and I have had precisely zero outreach, you know, before, during or after
this very significant moment.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And what was that target?
HIMES: It tells me that the Trump administration is not interested in the law and that they're not interested in the facts.
SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): If people are misrepresenting a line about the effects of this attack, who's going to trust us going forward?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Republican leaders in Congress are scrambling, meantime, to get the votes to pass Donald Trump's sweeping budget. Trump is holding an event
at the White House today to promote what he calls the Big, Beautiful Bill.
But deep concerns over Medicaid cuts combined with worries about the size of the deficit has the budgets fate very much up in the air.
Senate leaders are pushing to have a vote this weekend, and the House Speaker says he expects to have everything passed before the 4th of July
holiday break.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We believe we're going to be able to get this done and get it done by the deadline in July 4th. So we're -- we're moving
in long. I've talked to a countless number of members and senators today, and we're working through the -- the final details. And I'm convinced we'll
get it -- get it to the point where everybody can be satisfied with it, and we'll get it done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Annie Grayer is tracking all of this for us from Capitol Hill. And to add more attention, Annie, just today, the Senate parliamentarians
struck a number of critical healthcare provisions from the Reconciliation Bill. Republicans are going to either be forced to -- to drop them or
rewrite them now as they're scrambling to meet this deadline.
[12:10:02]
What more are you hearing from Republicans now?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN REPORTER: Well, scrambling is absolutely right. Republicans over in the Senate are a bit in limbo right now after the
Senate parliamentarian, which oversees what can ultimately go in this bill, ruled that a key provision related to the Republicans and Medicaid
provisions have to be stripped out.
Now, there's a debate in Republican Conference on the Senate side if they can overrule the parliamentarian, but Senate majority leader, who's long
said he wants to abide by those policies, is going to now have to grapple with what to do on this very tight timeline that the White House has
imposed on Capitol Hill, the president and his team has been very critical that -- very clear with lawmakers that July 4th is the absolute be-all and
all deadline.
But even before the parliamentarian gave this blow of a ruling to Republicans, there was serious disagreements about what was going to make
it into this final version of the bill. And there was already questions about if they were going to make this tight timeline.
And keep in mind, what is now being discussed in the Senate looks very different than what the House passed a few weeks ago. So, once the Senate
passes their version of the bill, it has to be kicked back to the House, where there's going to be another debate on what changes have been made.
So this July 4th timeline that the president is hoping and demanding for is looking less and less realistic. So, it is a pretty gloomy picture right
now for this big, beautiful bill on Capitol Hill.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And that means that in terms of when it goes back to the House, they're still going to be hashing out issues like SALT, Medicaid,
clean energy. There's a lot of work to be done to -- to meet this timeline. It's down to the wire.
Annie Grayer on Capitol Hill for us. Thank you.
Well, the New York City Mayor's race is turning into a fascinating electoral battle. Any moment now, the current mayor of New York City, Eric
Adams is expected to formally launch his re-election bid. Adams has been battling scandals and is running now as an independent.
Meantime, Zohran Mamdani is poised to be the democratic nominee in the mayor's race after he came out on top in Tuesday's primary. He is a self-
described democratic socialist and some of his policies may be at odds with more centrist democratic politicians. But his message on issues like
affordable housing resonated with voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I think ultimately, this is a campaign about inequality. And you don't have to live in the most expensive
city in the country to have experienced that inequality because it's a national issue.
And what Americans coast to coast are looking for are people who will fight for them, not just believe in the things that resonate with their lives,
but actually fight and deliver on those very things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, politics in Washington, politics in New York, let's bring in someone who can talk about it all. Molly Ball is the senior political
correspondent for "The Wall Street Journal."
So, Molly, whatever happened to one big tent happy party, we're starting to see real internal friction and divisions, both generational and in terms of
policy issues. Moderates are now scrambling. You've seen some sort of soft endorsement or at least congratulations to Mamdani from the likes of the --
Chuck Schumer and the -- the Senate Majority Leader and the House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, Bill Clinton as well.
Where do things stand for the party right now? And what are the challenges posed? Because this is all coming to the fore when Republicans appear to be
salivating at -- at this division within the party.
MOLLY BALL, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: That's right. I mean, Republicans are -- are -- are eager to make Zohran Mamdani
the new face of the Democratic Party, alongside figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who they contend are -- are far too far left for the -- for
most American voters, particularly in middle America.
And you hear this concern from members of that democratic establishment as well. Some of our readers on -- on Wall Street very concerned about the
policies that Mamdani is pushing if he is -- if he actually wins the election this fall.
But beyond that, just the impression that it is giving to America that Democrats are a far left party that embraces socialism and is not
necessarily friendly to Israel.
On the other hand, you know, Mamdani ran a very energetic campaign and Cuomo was seen as a relic of the past who had a lot of support from that
same establishment that it seems that democratic base voters are tired of. There is a real youth movement in the Democratic Party and I think it's not
confined to the left.
It does want to see generational change that wants to see the Cuomo's and the Clintons and all of these story dynasties pushed out in favor of
younger, more dynamic voices.
And finally, the fact that Mamdani campaigned so relentlessly on the economy is something that I think both centrist and left-wing Democrats can
agree is the most important thing for their party to focus on going forward, as they look to win this fall's elections, the midterm elections
next year, and ultimately the presidential campaign in 2028.
[12:15:11]
GOLODRYGA: But whether it's some of his more progressive economic views or some of the more controversial views, specifically as you noted as it
relates to Israel, the bigger picture, we're seeing some signs of that outside of just New York alone.
I mean, I had Becca Balint on -- in the last hour in terms of just the -- the controversy looming among Republic -- among Democrats in both the House
and the Senate frustrated over what they view as being blindsided by the president not seeking their authorization or briefing them before strikes
in Iran.
And it's quite notable to see the difference in reaction from various factions within the Democratic Party. Rebecca Balint said that the
operation was reckless, illegal from the president. He doesn't have the authority to enter war.
And then you have people like Nancy Pelosi say, yes, you know, it was probably wrong for him not to seek congressional approval and brief
Congress before time, but let's not lose sight of the bigger picture, and that is the national security threat that Iran poses, not just to our ally
Israel, but to the region and world.
So, where is that going to land, ultimately?
BALL: I -- I think, look, there's been a feeling for months now among the democratic base that their leaders in Washington are not fighting hard
enough for them, whether it's leaders, as you mentioned, like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House Democrats, it isn't
Nancy Pelosi anymore, but you wouldn't necessarily know it from the way some people talk.
But there is a feeling, and as I've -- and when I've been out there, you know, in America talking to the kinds of people who are showing up at
democratic town halls and campaign events, and they're -- they are very angry. They're very angry at Donald Trump. And they would like to see the
Democrats in Washington put up a far stronger opposition to him.
So, there is a feeling, I think, again, not necessarily even confined to the left fringes of the party that simply wants to see Democrats have a
louder voice, learn to use new media, learn to fight harder, and put out this message against Trump that is -- that is as strong as they would --
would like to see it.
And I think you have some Democrats who are cautious about that because they believe that if the party goes all in on opposition to Trump, it won't
stand for anything else. And that part of the reason they lost the last election was that all people saw from the Democrats was this antagonism to
Trump and not a substantive agenda.
So there's a real struggle within the party. I think you're going to see a lot of arguments between and among Democrats over the course of the coming
years. And then I think you're going to have a presidential contest that's a real contest of ideas as they look to win the hearts and minds of this
party that is in such anguish and -- and -- and so far out of power.
GOLODRYGA: Back to the strikes on Iran, because it is notable that it's come down to just perhaps language itself where the president is calling
the operation complete success and that Iran's nuclear program was totally obliterated. That's not a word you hear from military officials really
ever. It's hard to quantify.
But it does seem from the Israeli intelligence, from the IAEA, and most likely in the days and weeks to come we'll learn more about the significant
damage done to the nuclear program itself.
So that in and of itself perhaps should be viewed as a success for the president. But is he shooting himself in the foot now by focusing so much
on what he calls a complete victory and obliteration as opposed to what seems like early on a rather successful operation?
BALL: I think, you know, as -- as you were saying, and as Natasha was saying earlier, there's so much information that we're still waiting to
know about this strike.
But if it turns out -- and -- and you can certainly understand given the president's past statements why many people don't necessarily give him
complete credibility when -- when he makes a claim like this.
If he turns out to have been right that this was a limited operation, a single basically airstrike that accomplished its goal and brought a piece
to what could have been a protracted Middle Eastern conflict, I think he will get a lot of credit for that. And that's part of the reason that some
Democrats haven't wanted to go out on a limb being critical because they feel like they could end up with egg on their faces.
You know, at first, there -- there seemed to be this debate about the overall philosophy of interventionism versus isolationism. But in
retrospect, this looks like a much smaller operation than necessarily warranted that. You know, this is not a war into which we sent ground
troops and prepared to dig in for months or years, if -- if in fact the president's claims are correct and this was simply a matter of a simple --
a single airstrike to -- to back up an ally.
[12:20:59]
So, I think a lot of people in Washington are simply waiting to -- to get more information about the scope of this operation, the -- the success or
failure of this operation, and what comes next.
As you say, there are several assessments now backing up the president's claims, but you also have the Iranians coming out defiantly and -- and
claiming that -- that they're doing just fine.
GOLODRYGA: Right. Well, that the foreign minister actually we should know came out and said there was significant damage. And maybe there's reason to
-- to doubt him coming out or some of the implications of him saying that now in terms of going -- going back to the table buying more time. But yes,
the Supreme Leader came out and said nothing was done. They -- they completely failed in these strikes.
Let me ask you about the president's signature piece of his domestic agenda, this Big, Beautiful Bill. We know that there's this deadline for
July 4th for his signature.
Would you go as far as to say that this will likely pass, that Republicans will, at some point, be forced to come together and agree to this bill? But
is the question now just about timing?
BALL: You know, the devil's in the details and having been through several of these cycles in Washington, things are always darkest before the dawn.
This is the part where they have gotten to the very hardest remaining issues that they're trying to work out.
And -- and at this point, it doesn't look good for the timeline. At this point, you have a lot of Republicans who have yet to give their support to
this. And, of course, the more they change in the Senate version of the bill, which is the deadline that we're talking about, the more than they
potentially get in trouble with the House of Representatives, which has already passed one version of the bill but has to pass the final version
once the Senate gets through with it.
So there are a lot of hoops to jump through. And I think at this point, a lot of doubt and a bit of pessimism among the Republicans that I speak to.
But at the same time, there's an understanding that they are working through the hardest parts and that is what they have to do if they are
going to get to the end goal and that in the very big -- biggest picture, you know, this is a bill that is not popular, that the American public is
not particularly wild about at this point.
There's a feeling among Republicans that they will do even worse by not passing it than by passing it because once they pass it, they will at least
have an accomplishment that they can go out there and try to sell to the American people, try to explain to the American people the things in the
bill that they think will be popular.
And so there is a feeling of urgency among Republicans that this is basically the only thing this Congress is trying to do all year. And if
they can't get it done, that will be much worse for them politically than if they can. But these issues that are still on the table, these are real
important substantive issues that they have not yet resolved.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the president, though, is not budging. And I guess Republicans will just have to pray that by the time the midterms come, a
lot of their constituents who are very worried about what's in this bill will be forgotten at that point. Again, once again, the House Speaker
facing a lot of pressure.
Molly Ball from "The Wall Street Journal," thank you so much.
BALL: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARA TOROSIAN, PASTOR: I will never imagine I can see this scene in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: A pastor in L.A. says many of his congregation are Iranian nationals who came to the U.S. for a better life. Well, now, some have been
arrested by ICE. We'll hear from him later.
And also coming up, Iran's Supreme Leader is speaking out for the first time publicly since a ceasefire went into effect earlier this week. We'll
tell you what he's saying.
Then later this hour, we'll take a closer look as the Israeli military appears to shift its focus back to Gaza. Families of the hostages are now
stepping up their calls for action from the Prime Minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YEHUDA COHEN, FATHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE NIMROD COHEN: Hey, Netanyahu, stop the war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:18]
GOLODRYGA: Current and former U.S. officials say the Trump administration's DOGE-driven cuts could weaken its ability to handle the conflict with Iran.
The federal agencies that handle cybersecurity hundreds of outgoing staffers have heightened concerns about U.S. vulnerabilities to cyber-
attacks. Staffing shortages at other agencies have also raised fears about how ready the U.S. could be in the face of potential retaliation from Iran
or its proxies.
Let's get over to CNN's cybersecurity reporter Sean Lyngaas who has more from Washington to see. Explain the concern here, Sean.
SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Bianna, every administration, you know, wants to reshape government to a certain degree, and has every right,
obviously, to do so for their policy priorities.
Here, the problem that we're hearing from current and former U.S. officials across the political spectrum, really, is that the sort of chainsaw
approach to these cuts where DOGE has come in and cut programs and people just, you know, very, not surgically, very broadly.
We've got hundreds of cyber security personnel. That may leave the U.S. government and critical infrastructure firms here vulnerable to attack from
Iran, whether in cyberspace or -- or physically.
The Iranians have been known to use, you know, their agents to try to come in and target U.S. government officials, whether for assassination,
according to the Justice Department or other plots, and they also use cyber-attacks to -- to aid in those -- in those endeavors.
So, it's a very serious situation. And when you have all these people who have been let go of government and are not at their stations, it's very
hard to turn that around, you know, it's hard to turn an oil tanker, you know, quickly.
You have to get people in position. So what we're hearing, Bianna, and from our sources, is that as -- as one example, the FBI has told agents to focus
on immigration who were previously on cyber cases with Iran, and that's been a real concern.
So, all kinds of, you know, sort of scrambling going on to try to get back in position to address these threats.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. We know over the years that Iran has really invested a lot more of their cyber capabilities, a concern not just for the U.S. but for
Europe and around the world as well.
Sean Lyngaas, thank you so much.
Well, now to Los Angeles where a video shot by local pastor shows an Iranian asylum seeker thrashing during an ICE arrest. A number of Iranian
religious asylum seekers have been detained by immigration agents in L.A. this week.
KCAL's Joy Benedict has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOROSIAN: Why are you taking him?
JOY BENEDICT, KCAL NEWS REPORTER (voice-over): It's an image becoming too familiar.
TOROSIAN: He's -- he's asylum seeker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't matter, sir. We're just following orders. He's got a warrant.
BENEDICT (voice-over): A man in West L.A. is taken into custody by Border Patrol agents, but this week, their target seems to be expanding.
TOROSIAN: They came from restitution from (INAUDIBLE) from Iran. I'm from Iran.
BENEDICT (voice-over): This video was shot by their pastor Tuesday morning.
TOROSIAN: In a million years, I will never imagine I can see this scene in America.
BENEDICT (voice-over): Ara Torosian is a pastor at Cornerstone Church in West L.A. where he gives his Christian based sermons in Farsi, as many in
his congregation are Iranian nationals who fled.
TOROSIAN: Afraid about their life because there's -- there's lots of Iranian Christians. Most of them background are in prison. They're burning
their business. They're putting them in -- in jail. So, I'm hoping the world will hear this and help -- help our people.
[12:30:59]
BENEDICT (voice-over): This week alone, he says he's had five members of his congregation detained first a family of three on Monday and Tuesday it
was Reza Vadar (ph). And then his wife, Majan (ph).
TOROSIAN: Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this?
BENEDICT (voice-over): He says they all arrived in America about six months ago hoping for a better life free from religious persecution in a country
dominated by a Muslim regime.
TOROSIAN: Iran in the last two decades is a top 10 in the list top ten most persecuted for Christian in the world.
BENEDICT (voice-over): He himself was arrested in Iran for having bibles before he arrived in the U.S. in 2010 and then became a citizen.
TOROSIAN: Lots of pressure on me and lots of pain in my heart because this is not what I hope. This is not I hope for my kids, my congregation and my
people.
Have you read the news what's happening in Iran? For women? They came here for freedom not like this. Shame on you.
BENEDICT (voice-over): He admits he got emotional during this arrest as he remembered his own treatment in Iran.
TOROSIAN: I know you're doing your job but shame on you.
BENEDICT (voice-over): An ambulance took her to the hospital but she too was arrested.
TOROSIAN: My heart -- heart hurts. I love America but not this like. I -- I don't want to see -- and this is not my America.
BENEDICT (voice-over): Joy Benedict, KCAL News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
Iran's Supreme Leader is speaking publicly for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect earlier this week. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says
his nation crushed Israel and that U.S. did not gain anything by getting involved.
Iran is still assessing the damage after some 12 days of conflict. CNN is the only western media in the city of Qom, which is home to Fordow, one of
Iran's most important nuclear enrichment facilities.
Our Fred Pleitgen spoke to clerics there who say the conflict has only strengthened their faith.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[12:35:04]
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the holy shrine of Masumeh in the holy city of Qom, which is the second holiest site
in all of Iran.
Now, this place is extremely important for the Islamic Republic of Iran. There's a lot of religious schools here, a lot of religious seminaries, and
of course, a lot of the thinking, the religious thinking that underpins the actions of the Islamic Republic is developed here.
All of that, even more important. Now that Iran is in this massive standoff with the Trump administration and with the Israelis. So we went out and we
asked a couple of clerics here how they feel about that standoff and what could happen next.
If Trump ever has goodwill, do not mess with countries and let people live their lives, he says.
This promise has been made by God, he says, that if you believe in God, he is the one who guides your arrows to the hearts of the enemy.
And he says, they think they're able to stop us from our chosen path through bombing, killing and terror. This is why these terrors and wars
will only strengthen our faith instead of weakening us.
Now there's one other reason why this part of Iran is so important. The province of Qom is also where the Fordow nuclear enrichment plant is
located, which of course President Trump claims to have, as he put it, obliterated with those U.S. bunker buster bombs that were dropped a couple
of days ago.
The Iranians acknowledge that their nuclear program has been damaged, but they say that it is still very much alive. And they also say that they're
not going to back down from what they call their right to nuclear enrichment.
And they also say that they are going to stay defiant in the face of pressure both from the U.S. and from Israel.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Qom, Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Well, CNN has learned from a source that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to discuss his Gaza strategy today with top
officials.
Now, the source says Israel is still interested in U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff's Gaza proposal. Ceasefire and return for the release of Israeli
hostages, both alive and dead.
Now, this comes one day after Donald Trump said that he was, in his words, very close to striking a deal on the conflict.
Meanwhile, an official says Israel has halted food supplies into Gaza for two days after images like this video circulated of masked men on aid
trucks.
Reuters is reporting that Palestinian clans in Gaza deny the food aid is being stolen.
In Israel, the families of the hostages, most of whom were kidnapped in the October 7th terror attack, are putting more pressure on Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
They're also urging the U.S. president to push for an end to the war and get all of the hostages released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: I'm calling President Donald Trump. Yes, you help us get rid of the Iranian threat, its nuclear threat. Please finish the job like you promised
and make Netanyahu stop the war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Time now for "The Exchange." We're heading live to Washington and joining me is Barak Ravid. He's been working nonstop as always. Our CNN
political and global affairs analyst. He's also the global affairs correspondent for "Axios" and someone I turn to constantly.
Barak, thank you so much for taking the time. So, let's talk about the possibility that the successful, at least in terms of the Prime Minister's
words and early intelligence assessments of this operation in Iran can lead to a permanent end to the war in Gaza.
Are the two mutually exclusive or not? Because this seems to be where the president is returning his focus. And as you hear from the hostage
families, they are desperate, have been desperate to see their loved ones both dead and alive finally come home.
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, Bianna, I think you're totally right. This is going to be a key issue in the next few weeks
between the U.S. and Israel. President Trump wants to end the war in Gaza. He wanted to end the war in Gaza before the war with Iran. And I'm sure he
wants to end the war with Gaza even more after his success in bringing this war to an end after only 12 days.
I know that White House envoy Steve Witkoff will most likely be in the region next week for both talks with the Iranians and most likely also
talks on the Gaza issue.
Witkoff has been in touch with both the Qatari and Egyptian mediators in recent days and with the Israelis obviously. And I think there's an attempt
to see if this thing could be pushed forward.
The problem is that at the moment, the gaps between Israel and Hamas are wide. One senior Israeli official who is dealing with this issue told me
that the negotiations are stuck and that at the moment Hamas' minimum does not meet Israel's maximum.
[12:40:10]
GOLODRYGA: So, what leverage, if any, aside sadly from the human toll, both on the hostages and the Palestinian civilians, does Hamas have now? If
their benefactor now, Iran, may be completely, you know, aside and set aside and weakened from this war itself, and the majority of the known
leadership of Hamas has also been eliminated. What -- who's the decision maker? What's the hold-up at this point?
RAVID: So, I think that inside Hamas there's no one decision maker. It's a combination of the leadership in Qatar and the leadership in Gaza, the
military leadership, most likely -- first and foremost, Izz al-Din al- Haddad, who's the senior military commander of Hamas right now in Gaza. And he's the person holding the hostages. We're talking about 20 live hostages
and 30 deceased hostages, and that's leverage. That's the leverage Hamas has. This is what they're going to use to try and end the war.
For now, Israel does not agree that as part of this hostage deal, this potential hostage deal, the war will come to an end. Israel only agrees to
a permanent ceasefire of 60 days, and that's -- that's the real gap. That's the real issue.
Whether we're talking about another temporary ceasefire, that afterwards the war in Gaza will resume, or we're talking about something that will end
the war and will start building some sort of another future in Gaza, it's - - it's a -- it's a heavy lifting.
It's not something that you can do in two days, not in two weeks, at least at the moment. I don't see a breakthrough in the next few days.
GOLODRYGA: That is really tragic and sobering to hear.
Barak, you have a piece out focusing on Trump waging an all-out, as you've described, fight to control of the Iran strike narrative, that -- that he
wants to be controlling how this is playing out.
And what's interesting is per your sources, and from others that we've had on the show, a lot of the early intelligence seems to line up with where
the president has been publicly, and that is that this operation seems to have set back Iran's nuclear program significantly.
One word that is missing, though, however, is obliterated. You had an Israeli intelligence official tell you that the Trump shouldn't have used
such definitive language, but the emerging intelligence picture is much closer to what both the CIA and what the president himself have said. What
more are you learning?
RAVID: So, I think this, you know, when you -- when you take, you know, certain terms and put them aside for a minute, I think that this -- the
Iranian nuclear program got a very serious hit. OK?
It's not something, at least at the moment, it doesn't seem like, you know, somebody's going to come with a, you know, with a -- with a broom or with a
mop, and then like, you know, clean up the dust and reopen the enrichment facilities and everything will work again. That's not the case. It's not
even close.
We're talking about thousands and thousands of centrifuges that were destroyed. We're talking about centrifuge production lines that were
destroyed. We're talking about facilities themselves, that some of them got completely destroyed, like the facilities in Natanz, and one of the
facilities in Isfahan and the facility in Fordow, that the Israelis at least have intelligence that shows that there was internal collapse
underground.
So, I think we're talking about a very serious damage to this program, damage that would take a long time to -- to fix if the Iranians decide to.
It's not even clear if the Iranians will decide to fix it and to rebuild it. It's a question mark.
So I think that, obviously, I don't think it was the right thing to do for President Trump to use the word obliterated, because I think it's -- it's a
very definitive term.
But was this operation a success? I think that at least for now, all the signs are that it was. And therefore, I think we're sort of like got stuck
on this discussion whether it was obliterated or if it was not obliterated.
The bottom line is the Iranian got hit very, very hard, and only the decision to start rebuilding will be a strategic decision for them. It's
not like a decision that you do in a moment and say, OK, we got hit, now let's rebuild.
[12:45:10]
This is huge resources that they will have to allocate for it and they have to think very, very hard before they go down this path again.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And also thinking hard about whether Israel and the United States will once again strike at the way they did now.
RAVID: Definitely. Yes.
GOLODRYGA: Barak Ravid, CNN political and global affairs analyst, hope you get a little bit of rest before we start calling you again. Thank you so
much for taking the time. And we'll be right back.
RAVID: Thank you, Bianna.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: In Ecuador, notorious drug lord, Adolfo Macias, also known as Fito, is behind bars again after security officials captured him on
Wednesday.
According to Reuters, Ecuador has requested that Macias be extradited to the U.S. where he is set to face international drug and gun charges in a
federal court in New York.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once known as an oasis of peace, Ecuador, the small Andean nation of around 17 million people, has
been convulsed by record levels of gang-driven violence in the past few years.
Spearheading the violence, this man, Jose Adolfo Macias, also known simply as Fito, Ecuador's most wanted man, leader of Los Choneros, a gang believed
to be allied with Mexican drug cartels in a war for dominance over Ecuador's drug trade.
The gang, along with Fito and rival gang Los Lobos, were hit with sanctions by the U.S. Department of Treasury for drug trafficking activity and
violence.
Fito, the leader of the Los Choneros gang since 2020, escaped from a medium security prison while serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and
homicide.
This wasn't the first time. In 2013, Fito escaped prison but was recaptured a little over three months later.
Fresh into the presidency, Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency. A day later in a show of force, gangs unleashed an unprecedented wave of
violence. Gangs set off bombs in several cities, attacked police stations and took prison guards hostage.
A TV studio was raided by gunmen while on air for millions to see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moments of panic, of terror.
[12:50:01]
OPPMANN (voice-over): President Noboa declared an internal armed conflict, ordering security forces to neutralize members of what his government calls
narco terrorist groups.
As Ecuador reeled from the violence, Fito remained on the loose. Little is known about the 44-year-old gang leader's life, other than his criminal
exploits.
Fito lived large while in prison. His cell, equipped with a four-piece bathroom set, a queen size bed and a mini fridge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at Fito's cell, four outlets. It looks like a Marriott. He has more outlets than a room at the Marriott.
OPPMANN (voice-over): While in prison, Fito even managed to shoot a music video.
(MUSIC)
Ecuador's security forces are zeroing in on Fito's inner circle. Argentina detained and deported the gang leader's wife and children and returned them
to Ecuador.
Fito is Daniel Noboa's main target, but the president has said eliminating the country's gang violence is the ultimate goal.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert, will lie in state at the Minnesota Capitol
tomorrow. She will be the first woman in Minnesota history to receive that honor.
The couple and their golden retriever were shot and killed almost two weeks ago on what's being described as a politically motivated assassination.
Hortman's political career span more than 20 years and including -- included leading the state's solar reforms.
Caroline Cummings of WCCO News reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROLINE CUMMINGS, REPORTER, WCCO NEWS (voice-over): As it downpour to cross Minnesota on Wednesday, solar energy advocates remembered Melissa
Hortman as a bright light who made their work possible.
O'GRADY: Before 2013, we were -- were really weren't an industry. Now, we represent over 5,000 Minnesotans. And every single one of those 5,000
Minnesotans owes their jobs to Melissa Hortman.
CUMMINGS (voice-over): Twelve years ago, long before she was the longest serving woman to be speaker of the House or leader of the DFL Caucus,
Melissa Hortman chaired the House Energy Committee.
In 2013, she led the way in passing landmark legislation to boost the solar industry. It set benchmarks on how much solar energy utilities have in
their supply and established community solar, allowing people like renters or those who couldn't afford solar on their homes or businesses to get
access and credit on their bills. Work she proudly highlighted on her social media.
[12:55:03]
Logan O'Grady, Executive Director for the Minnesota Solar Industries Association says, she was their champion.
O'GRADY: We lovingly call her the -- our solar godmother.
CUMMINGS (voice-over): Community solar gardens like this represent 60 percent of solar energy in Minnesota.
Evan Carlson, founder of Enterprise Energy, develops those types of projects. He says, while he didn't know her personally, her advocacy for
the industry is personal to him.
EVAN CARLSON, FOUNDER, ENTERPRISE ENERGY: So the, you know, effects of her work had a profound effect in my life. It allowed me as an energy
professional, formerly in oil and gas to move home to Minnesota, where there is no oil. There is no gas. There is only wind and solar.
CUMMINGS (voice-over): Carlson and Grady say other states took a page for Minnesota's book after that law passed and replicated those policies, a
testament they say to her powerful legacy.
CARLSON: She created this industry and it's something that we're all very grateful for.
CUMMINGS (voice-over): Caroline Cummings, WCCO News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: And that does it for this hour of "One World." Thanks so much for watching. I'm Bianna Golodryga. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
