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One World with Zain Asher
Senate Begins Marathon Vote on Trump Domestic Agenda Bill; Canada and U.S. Trade Talks; Netanyahu Makes Release of Hostages Top Priority; Russia Escalates Attacks, Zelenskyy Seeks more Air Defenses; Remembering Sarah Milgrim & Yaron Lischinsky; Malala Turns Her Fight for Equality to Women in Sports. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 30, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, Vote-a-rama is underway, and the U.S. President's entire domestic policy agenda hangs in the balance.
"One World" starts right now. The Senate is voting on amendments to Donald Trump's massive tax and spending bill, racing to get it passed by the end
of this week.
And Israel's Prime Minister says opportunities have opened up to free the hostages after the country's military operations in Iran. And Amanda Davies
speaks exclusively to Malala Yousafzai on her efforts to bring equality to sports. Coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. You are watching
"One World".
I want to begin with a drama and debate on Capitol Hill over Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill that contains his entire domestic policy
agenda. The U.S. Senate has begun a marathon of voting session known as Vote-a-rama, where lawmakers can offer as many amendments as they want
before voting on the final passage of the bill.
Republicans are racing to pass the measure before a self-imposed July 4th deadline. At the heart of it all some $4 trillion in tax cuts, including an
extension of the massive tax cuts that Trump passed in 2017 in order to offset those costs, the nation's social safety net would be slashed with
steep cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs.
The Non-partisan Congressional Budget Office meanwhile says the bill would increase the federal deficit by $3.3 trillion over the next decade, and
only two Republicans have actually joined the Democrats in opposing legislation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Even using the formulas that the supporters of the bill, like the deficit will grow by 270 billion next year. This that's just
not good if you profess to be fiscally conservative.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Republicans are about to make a mistake on health care and betraying a promise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Republican Senator Thom Tillis announced that he will not be seeking re-election after refusing to sort -- to support that bill. We'll begin our
coverage with CNN's Betsy Klein joining us live now from the White House. So, Betsy just sort of break down the process here for us.
Because obviously you've got the Senate voting on it. They've made amendments to it; it then has to go back to the House before it passed.
You've got this July 4th deadline. And, of course, so much controversy about how many trillions of dollars this would add to the deficit, and also
the fact that it's going to lead to massive slash when it comes to Medicaid and also food assistance programs walk us through that.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, for all of the reasons you just laid out, Zain, it's going to be a huge challenge to get this bill
on the president's desk by that self-imposed July 4th weekend. But President Trump really views this bill as critical to unlocking his
domestic agenda.
And this is a very important mission for the White House to get this done over the finish line while Republicans control both the House and the
Senate. And it's for that reason that President Trump has been working the phones, negotiating on the golf course over the weekend, fielding calls in
the Oval Office late into Saturday night as they held that first key vote.
And also taking aim at those two Republicans who voted against that preliminary vote. That is Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Senator
Rand Paul of Kentucky. The president said it was great news that Tillis would not be seeking re-election. But the reality is that this bill is
sprawling. There's a reason they call it the big, beautiful bill.
It includes provisions on border security, it ends green energy subsidies, it raises the debt ceiling, re-imagines Medicaid policy. It also extends
tax cuts. And so, there are real and serious and diverse concerns within the Republican Party that we are going to watch play out on the Senate
floor in the coming hours.
President Trump, for his part, appeared to acknowledge some of those concerns, saying in a post to social media last night quote for all cost
cutting Republicans, of which I am one, remember, you still have to get re- elected. Don't go too crazy. We will make it all up times 10 with growth more than ever before.
Now Democrats, for their part, are starting to coalesce around some messaging saying that this bill will cut taxes for the wealthy and it will
be bad for working class Americans. But all of that setting up a major test for the 2026 midterm elections.
President Trump for now, viewing this as a loyalty test for those in his party. The White House says that failing to vote yes is, quote, the
ultimate betrayal. But this is far from over Zain once, and if this passes the Senate, as you mentioned, it still has to pass the House with all of
these changes and the president is going to have to continue those intensive lobbying efforts.
[11:05:00]
ASHER: Betsy Klein, live for us there. Thank you so much. Let's bring in CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein. He's also an Opinion Columnist
for Bloomberg, and joins us live now from Los Angeles. So, as Betsy was just saying, the Republican President is viewing this as its sort of
loyalty test among Senators.
Just walk us through sort of the strategy of Thom Tillis, because what we're learning here is that, listen, you can break with Donald Trump if you
want to, but obviously that's going to be the end of your career, as Ron Tillis is pointing out here -- as Thom Tillis, rather, is pointing out
here.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Zain. Right, I mean, this is a dramatic moment. I mean, because not only Thom Tillis
announced that he's not running again, Don Bacon, who is one of the few Republicans in the House who have demonstrated any degree of independence
from Trump, announced on Friday that he's not running again.
And the message, I think very clearly, is that there is simply no room, at least at the federal level, House and Senate, for Republicans who are not
willing to go completely down the line with Trump and the MAGA agenda on virtually all issues.
Now the question is whether that leaves Republicans competitive in enough places to hold their majorities in the House and the Senate. And on that
it's kind of a close call. You know, Donald Trump did win a majority of congressional districts in 24 not in 2020. He's won 25 states three times.
But basically, I think it's a very clear signal that there is, in the second Trump term, any room for dissent in the party that was still there
the first time is almost completely extinguished.
ASHER: So obviously, because Republicans control the Senate, they control the House by a little bit. Obviously, they control the White House. This
bill is, of course, likely to pass. But walk us through what Democrats need to do in terms of controlling the messaging around this bill as they
explain to ordinary Americans how hurtful this will be to their pocketbook and their quality of life.
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. I mean, first, the history suggests this will pass. I mean, it has become common practice for every newly elected president since
Reagan in 1981 to bundle the core elements of their domestic economic agenda into one big, beautiful bill known as a Reconciliation Bill,
formally and then muscle it through Congress.
And, you know, it's often been a tight wire, a tight rope, kind of act, and lots of twists and turns, but they have all passed it in the end, this kind
of core economic bill, I suspect that they will in the end here too. But it is unusually complicated, and it is an unusually broad opportunity for
Democrats, because Republicans are trying to do two things in one bill.
They are cutting taxes in a way that mostly benefits people at the top, and simultaneously, in the same bill, they are cutting programs that benefit
mostly people at the median income or below. They haven't tried to do that in 30 years since the Newt Gingrich Congress in 1995 when Bill Clinton
ultimately vetoed that bill.
I mean, you have a bill that will give $100,000 plus annual tax savings to the top 0.1 percent and cut off 17 million people from health care health
insurance, the biggest loss of coverage in any bill ever. And that is, I think, the centerpiece of the argument Democrats want to run on in 26.
Everything going on in the world, everything Donald Trump is doing. If you ask Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, what the core of their message will
be in 26 it's that Republicans cut health care for the middle and working class to pay for tax cuts for the rich. And that's what they're going to
bet on to try to win back one or both chambers next year.
ASHER: Yeah. I mean, this has been the core messaging from Democrats for a while now, this idea that Donald Trump, both in the first term and now that
he is -- his policy is solely to benefit his rich friends. And obviously all of that comes at the expense of those who are middle class, working
class, and, of course, the poor.
So just in terms of the midterms. I mean, you touched on this in your last answer there, but just in terms of the midterms I mean, what does this mean
for Democrats, especially in terms of their ability and likelihood to at least win back the House?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, there are -- there is no avoiding that there are a lot of Republican constituents and constituencies that will
face serious harm from this bill. You know there are, if you look at the 15 states that have added the most people to Medicaid under the provisions
allowed in the Affordable Care Act.
There are 11 Republican Senators in those states. There are 64 House Republicans now representing districts where the number of people on
Medicaid exceeds the national average. I mean, basically what's happened Zain is that the Affordable Care Act raised the impact of Medicaid up the
income ladder.
At the same time that the Trump revolution has raised the reach -- lowered the reach of the Republican coalition down the income ladder, so there's
just much more overlap than there used to be.
[11:10:00]
The Republican Party is now overwhelmingly based on non-college educated voters across racial lines. 85 percent of the adults on Medicaid lack a
college degree. So, you know, basically there's just no way around that they are going to be taking government benefits from a lot of their own
voters in service of tax cuts that mostly benefit the rich.
Now they have elements of this package that do draw popular appeal, ending tax on tips and overtime, the work requirement on Medicaid is initially
popular. But overall, this bill is facing significantly negative reviews from the public, and it is an obvious risk for Republicans in 2026
especially if voters don't feel like their cost of living is getting under control.
Because then it falls into an argument that Donald Trump ran above all in 2024 on getting your cost of living under control and didn't do anything to
solve your problem while enriching his rich friends.
ASHER: All right, Ron Brownstein, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. All right, court is back in session for Sean Diddy Combs'
sex trafficking and racketeering trial. The jury of eight men and four women just got their instructions and are beginning deliberations after
seven weeks of intense testimony.
During closing arguments Combs' defense accused prosecutors of going after Combs because of his lifestyle. Prosecutors said by using his money and
violence Combs did whatever he wanted, and now it is time to hold him accountable.
The latest on the trial let's bring CNN Entertainment Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, who joins us live now from New York. So, Elizabeth
just, first and foremost, just walk us through the sorts of instructions that jurors have been given, and also what is at stake for Diddy in all of
this, both in terms of the charges he's facing and the potential jail time for him.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I mean, what's at stake for Diddy, and I will break this down for you, is really his life, if
convicted on the most serious charges, he is facing life in prison. So, he's facing five different counts, the first one being racketeering, which
is the most serious charge.
Now, if convicted on racketeering, that maximum is life in prison. Now he's also facing two counts of sex trafficking, one pertaining to Cassie Ventura
and one pertaining to the woman who testified anonymously under the pseudonym Jane. Each of those charges Zain carries a minimum of 15 years so
both very serious charges there.
Now the final two charges that he is facing are two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. These are the two counts with the
least penalty, but still, each carries a maximum of 10 years if convicted. So, this is very serious for Sean Combs, of course, he is facing decades,
if not life in prison.
Now these jury instructions are incredibly complicated. To give you an idea of just how complicated the judge spent nearly an hour and a half
explaining just that first charge of racketeering. So, these are very complex alleged crimes. In my experience, from covering cases dealing with
sex crimes, the jury usually is confused.
There's not a lot that's black and white here. There is a lot of gray area, so we will likely get some questions from the jury once they are in that
deliberation room. This could take a very long time. It also could come quick, because remember that here in New York, the July 4th holiday is at
the end of this week, and sometimes it takes things like a holiday to expedite a jury and to want them to get out.
You remember they have been here for actually longer than seven weeks because of jury selection. So, they have been listening to seven weeks of
testimony and argument, but they have been here for roughly nine weeks, so this has been a lot of time for them.
Now, final point that I want to tell you, I just came down from inside the courtroom, and Sean Combs is there with his entire family. His six adult
kids are here. I saw the kids' passing notes to one another. His mother is here. She has been here most every day of this trial.
And Sean Combs he looks very stoic today as the jury is getting their instructions. His hands are classed together. He's looking down for a lot
of this. So, he knows just how serious this is and that his fate is in the hands of 12 strangers. For anyone that would be quite something, but
especially for one of the most famous celebrities in the world to know that, possibly by the end of this week, that he could be going to prison or
he could be free again, by 12 strangers.
ASHER: All right. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you, appreciate it. All right, still to come here on "One World", Israel's leaders are changing --
Israel's leader, rather, is changing his mind about the top goal in the war with Hamas. What that could mean for Gaza and the remaining hostages. We'll
have more on that story after the break.
And Canada decides to rescind a digital tax on American big tech companies. What that means for trade -- as a deadline nears, that's also ahead as
well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:00]
ASHER: All right, it appears the focus in Israel is shifting in its war with Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says quote; opportunities
have opened up to free the remaining hostages in Gaza. This marks one of the first times he's actually prioritized the return of the hostages over
the defeat of Hamas, and comes amid increasing pressure on Israel from U.S. President Donald Trump to make a cease fire deal.
Let's go live to Jerusalem and CNN's Nic Robertson. So Nic, Netanyahu essentially now saying that rescuing hostages is now the priority in Gaza.
Of course, this is very welcome news for a lot of the family members who have seen their loved ones trapped in Gaza for almost two years now. I
understand that you've been speaking to a man whose twin brothers are still in Gaza. Walk us through what he said to you.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, this was Liran Berman and his younger twin brothers, Ziv and Gali, have been held now for
well over 630 days. And you know when I sat down with him, this was sort of in the context of all that you've described there, that the conflict with
Iran over 12 days, and the sense of victory that people have here in Israel.
And what that means is really giving another part of another factor that's giving people like Liran and other families hope that their loved ones can
be released. So, this is what we talked about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: It's been more than 630 days trying to get your twin brothers freed. Why is this the moment when it could happen?
LIRAN BERMAN, BROTHER OF MEN ABDUCTED IN OCTOBER 7 ATTACK ON ISRAEL: We just ended a 12 days war devil with a lot of accomplishment for Israel.
ROBERTSON: Is it a victory for Israel do you think?
BERMAN: The victory -- a victory is when the hostages will come back?
ROBERTSON: How does having a good result against Iran help get your brothers out?
BERMAN: Because it's isolate Hamas even more.
ROBERTSON: President Trump said he thought a deal could be done within a week. Are you as confident as him?
BERMAN: We are hearing a lot of optimism from the administration in the U.S. Right now, it's not happened yet. I wish I could be as optimistic as
President Trump. I'm taking his optimism because I need it. I need it for my brothers. I need for myself to keep going, but until the deal is signed,
I'm still realistic.
[11:20:00]
ROBERTSON: What is it that President Trump needs to say to Prime Minister Netanyahu, or do to convince him to make this comprehensive, all the
hostages end of war deal.
BERMAN: The only thing that we didn't try is to end the war, to get hostages, not to end the war just to end the war. We need the hostages. And
to get all of 50 now is to end the war. This is what Hamas has said, and we didn't try this by now.
We had a ceasefire with Lebanon. We have a ceasefire now with Iran. Why is Gaza still a problem?
ROBERTSON: Why?
BERMAN: I don't know. I don't know. I'm really don't know. I just want my two little brothers back.
ROBERTSON: You had proof of life earlier this year.
BERMAN: We have eye witness who saw them by February.
ROBERTSON: And now you're saying that they're separated in the tunnels.
BERMAN: This is the longest they've been separated. They have a bond. We do believe that they can sense each other and send each other's strength
inside the tunnels. I wish they were together, but I know them. I know that they are strong.
ROBERTSON: What's that missing link that hasn't been there that President Trump can help your prime minister achieve?
BERMAN: I think it's a promise that if something will happen inside Gaza, then Israel will have permission to go back. If Hamas will hold two more
hostages, if Hamas will start building itself again this is what we have in Lebanon, and this is what we have in Iran. The hostages need to get out by
any means necessary right now. 20 of them presume to be alive, including my two little brothers. They have limited time, limited time.
ROBERTSON: And if the deal, the one that's been on the table for just releasing 10 living hostages, if that happens, and your brothers are not
among those 10?
BERMAN: Terrible situation, it is a terrible situation. It's not an ideal deal by any means, and everyone knows it.
ROBERTSON: Do you want it taken off the table?
BERMAN: No, because this is what we have right now.
ROBERTSON: And what's the pressure that President Trump can put on Hamas to get them to make a final compromise?
BERMAN: I wish --
ROBERTSON: He's already -- Eden Alexander --
BERMAN: Yeah.
ROBERTSON: -- when he wanted to, he got the last American hostage free.
BERMAN: That there was the left alive American hostages.
ROBERTSON: So, he can do that the U.S. President?
BERMAN: I don't know. I wish it was a magic wand who can, like, wave it, and Hamas would say, take them. It needs to happen through the Qataris and
the Egyptians, both of them, the mediators, need to pressure the leadership in in Doha.
ROBERTSON: If you could speak to your brothers now. What's your message to your brothers, Gali and Ziv?
BERMAN: Gali and Ziv, stay strong. Everyone is safe at home, and everyone is fighting for your release. And we are doing whatever we can to bring you
back. And you will be here, and you will hug our father, and my mother will hug you, and you will have a future, and you will have kids, and I will be
an uncle for their kids.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (on camera): And another thing that we talked about as well, and this is sort of also relates to a sort of a new position that the
government here seems to have. Yesterday, the government said that it no longer saw a security threat around the Gaza envelope in the Kibbutz's that
were overrun by Hamas on October 7th, including Kfar Aza, where Ziy and Gali were taken from.
And we talked about the possibility of families going back, and their family, the Berman family, going back to Kfar Aza. And, you know, the sense
that I got was, look, you know, Liran was saying, where are the security guarantees? What's really changed here? How we go -- how could we go back
and be safe? How could the family go back and be safe?
So, he was pretty clear on that, that it -- that the context at the moment really isn't there for a lot of families to go back, although this now has
become the government's position. And again, I think that sort of speaks towards this increased sense that's being created that there is going to be
a change between the Israeli government and Hamas coming up.
What sort of deal really isn't clear. It may not happen. I think we have to stress that as well. But when the government says that these communities
are now safe, that you can go back to them, but the families are saying, hold on. They've still got our hostages.
And what's going to make us any safer than we were before. But -- you know from a sense of hope, yes, hope is up among the families that they will get
their loved ones back right now.
ASHER: All right. Nic Robertson, live for us there. Thank. All right, the White House says it is absolutely ready to restart trade talks with Canada
after Canada rescinded attacks on digital services on Sunday.
[11:25:00]
It's also after President Donald Trump threatened to cancel talks last week, calling the tax egregious. Digital service tariff is a way to tax
online companies, rather than physical products, Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have now agreed to resume negotiations with hopes of
signing a deal by July 21st.
Let's bring in CNN Correspondent Paula Newton. So, I am curious how this is being viewed in Canada. I mean, this -- is this sort of being seen as Mark
Carney essentially caving in to Donald Trump? You know, he didn't really have a choice in the matter if he wanted to get a trade deal signed
essentially.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think most people in Canada Zain understand that this is a gun to the country's head. Having said that, I
think they'll give the benefit of the doubt to the prime minister for now. You mentioned that date, July 21st.
There will be expectations that that will be more than some kind of a framework agreement that the punitive tariffs on Canada right now, which
have been up to 50 percent on things like steel, will come down substantially, if not lifted altogether.
And if Mark Carney, the Prime Minister, is not able to meet that expectation, it's not so much his reputation or anything like that, that's
on the line. It is really a realization for Canada that these are the rules of the game when you negotiate with the United States, that at any point in
time, they will put that gun to your head and they will threaten to pull the trigger.
I think it is a very good message, though, as well for other allies Zain to understand when they negotiate with the United States, exactly the kind of
leverage that they will use. Now the good news in all of this, and perhaps this may indicate that Canada could be closer to a deal than many people
realize, is that Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary, did post, in fact, that it was a good thing that Canada did basically rescind the digital
services tax.
He writes, thank you, Canada for removing your digital services tax, which was intended to stifle American innovation, and would have been, and this
is key here, a deal breaker for any trade deal with America. Let's see what happens in the next three weeks or so.
But remember Zain Europe has a digital services tax. Many other countries are looking at a digital services tax. This is a trade irritant that will
continue to come to the fore, along with many others. This is what the United States trading partners are dealing with at the moment.
And again, it will give purpose to countries that are looking to make any kind of a framework agreement, but then to move on, because these cannot at
this point in time, be guaranteed to be trade agreements that will last the test of time, and for that reason, they want to get as much as they can
done with the United States and move on to trading with other allies.
So, that they do not have this unpredictability and, quite frankly, vulnerability to President Trump, and what he believes is afraid for -- as
a free trade deal is a fair-trade deal.
ASHER: Paula Newton, good to see you. Thank you. Right. All right still to come, an ambush in Idaho has left two firefighters dead and another
critically wounded. What police are saying about the investigation just ahead?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher. Here are some of the international headlines we are watching today. The U.S. Senate has started
a marathon voting session on amendments Donald Trump's domestic policy agenda. Republicans hope to get the bill approved and sent back to the
House for final passage this week. The bill has sparked bitter partisan divide, with all Democrats and two Republicans opposing it.
Israel's Prime Minister says he sees what he calls many opportunities to free the remaining hostages in Gaza following the country's military
operation in Iran. Netanyahu's comments on Sunday put the release of the hostages ahead of the defeat of Hamas the very first time.
Two firefighters are dead, and another is fighting for their life as after a sniper attack in Idaho, authorities say the suspect intentionally started
brush fire to lure the firefighters in. That's when he opened fire on them. Police say the suspect is dead.
And Ukraine's military says that one of its pilots was killed and his F-16 fighter jet crashed in one of Russia's largest ever aerial attacks on
Saturday night into Sunday. Russia launched hundreds of drones and scores of missiles towards six locations. For more on Russia's latest attacks in
Ukraine, let's go to CNN's Clare Sebastian joining us live now from London.
What we're seeing and what we saw overnight was pretty much one of the largest attacks since the war began. And actually, what's interesting is
that the western part of the country was also targeted, which is rarely targeted, or less frequently targeted. And the Russians also use decoy
drones, which are essentially designed to drain Ukraine's air defenses as well, Clare?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Zain. I think, look, we have two wars essentially going on in parallel, right? We have the war on the front
line, where we see Russia engaged in a slow but grinding summer offensive that is pushing very slowly forward, albeit not making strategic gains.
And then we have this very fast, escalating air war, which has been growing in intensity over the past few months. Case in point, in June, we've seen
them fire 35 percent more drones than in the whole of May. So, you can see the escalation there. And of course, it does cover the whole country.
Russia will say that it's only attacking military targets, but I think pictures like this disprove those claims.
And of course, it's becoming increasingly deadly for civilians. So, in this context, I think it's worth pointing out that when it comes to the
frontline weaponry, Ukraine is becoming increasingly effective at producing a lot of that domestically, especially drones. But when it comes to air
defenses, it really needs Western help.
We've seen increasingly loud calls from President Zelenskyy for more air defenses from its allies. The German Foreign Minister in Kyiv today, I
think, in a show of support building what we saw at NATO and the European Council last week. Germany a key supplier of air defenses to Ukraine. And
this is what he had to say today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHANN WADEPHUL, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Putin accepts every human sacrifice in the process. And he is speculating that our attention will
wane, that our focus will shift to another crisis. The last few weeks have shown this, and that's why I say very clearly, he will not succeed in and
with Germany will stand firmly by Ukraine's side. We will support you for as long as necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Support for as long as necessary is certainly very welcome in Ukraine. But I think the key thing to remember here is that the U.S. as the
sort of main provider of patriots, which are the most effective weapons, especially against Russian missiles, has not provided any new weapons since
Trump took office.
Now we heard from President Trump at NATO last week that he was potentially considering seeing if they could supply more patriot missiles to Ukraine.
No more word on that as of yet, but this would be absolutely critical to Ukraine as this air war escalates and becomes increasingly deadly for
civilians Zain.
[11:35:00]
ASHER: And Zelenskyy, sort of using the attacks that we saw overnight to essentially show the U.S., especially the U.S. President, that not only can
Russia not be trusted, but that the U.S. needs to step up sanctions against Russia to really hit its economy hard. We don't necessarily know, or
there's some debate as to whether sanctions at this point would even work. What more can you tell us on that front?
SEBASTIAN: Well, so Russia, as you know, has been very resilient to sanctions so far. But obviously we can see that its economy is struggling
under the strain, not only, interestingly, of sanctions, but of course, the lower oil price as a byproduct of Trump's trade war, which I think was not
intentional on the part of Trump, but certainly is putting pressure on the Russian economy.
I think this is where we see this gap between what the Europeans are doing. And by the way, for the most of this war, the Europeans and the U.S. have
been coordinating sanctions. Now there's this gap where the Europeans keep stepping up the sanctions, and the U.S. has stopped.
The tactic from the Trump Administration is to not put too much pressure on Russia, because they believe that would get in the way of peace talks,
which they are still pushing for. But there is this bipartisan bill co- sponsored going through Congress, and some hope that that might lead to more sanctions, though, of course, I think the final decision on that, as
Lindsey Graham said over the weekend, will rest with President Trump Zain.
ASHER: Clare Sebastian, live for us. Thank you. All right, we are learning more about a deadly ambush on first responders in the Western U.S., State
of Idaho. Two firefighters were killed after a man opened fire on them while responding to a brush fire that he allegedly set.
Police say the suspect la trap in what they describe as a sniper attack, the shooter was later found dead. A third firefighter was wounded in the
attack and is said to be fighting for his life. Veronica Miracle has some new information about the suspect. Veronica, of course, this is a bizarre
and really disturbing story, especially because firefighters in our society are so beloved. What more can you tell us Veronica?
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Zain. Just such a traumatic and really terrifying story. We now know the name of the shooter, according to
a law enforcement source who tells CNN that suspect is 20-year-old Wes Rowley. This is just information that is coming out. So, we are still we
need to hear more about this suspect, including what was this man's motivations?
Why did he, according to investigators, set a fire, set a brush fire to lure in firefighters and began shooting at them. Investigators say Rowley
was so hidden in the mountainous terrain that they didn't know during the shootout -- during the manhunt if there were multiple shooters or if he was
just a single shooter, they felt like they were taking bullets from all angles.
For 90 minutes they engaged in a shootout with Rowley. About 300 law enforcement officials responded to the scene. Eventually, a cell phone
signal pinged his location, and that's when they discovered his body next to a weapon. Take a listen to what the sheriff had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF ROBERT NORRIS, KOOTENAI COUNTY, IDAHO: We don't know if there's more weapons up there that he had. There is -- there is a belief that he
ran and shot so we don't know what we might be collecting once the fire threat diminishes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MIRACLE: Now, they also acknowledged that they had to scoop his body up and they could not preserve the scene because the fire was approaching the
area. Keep in mind, they could not do any kind of firefighting while this manhunt was unfolding. That fire has now grown to 26 acres today, and the
firefight has started in earnest today.
They are tackling it, but it is also in an area with very steep terrain. It is difficult to access, and it's in a remote area in the mountains. We also
know that a firefighter from the Coeur D'Alene Fire Department, as well as the Kootenai County Fire Department were killed, and that third firefighter
is in the hospital, fighting for his life, but in stable condition. Back to you.
ASHER: Veronica, thank you so much. Appreciate it. All right, still to come, our own Wolf Blitzer sits down with the father of Sarah Milgrim, one
of two people who were gunned down after an event at the Council Jewish Museum more than a month ago. How he wants her to be remembered is next?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
ASHER: All right, it's just been over one month since the lives of Sarah Milgrim and her boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky were tragically cut short. The
soon to be engaged couple were fatally shot by a gunman as they left the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Now her family grapples, of course,
with the unimaginable. CNN's Wolf Blitzer speaks with Sarah's father about her life, her legacy, and how she helped him see the good in the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT MILGRIM, SARAH MILGRIM'S FATHER: I had already tried calling Sarah on her phone, of course, there was no answer. And texted her there was no
answer. My wife had the presence of mind to do find my phone. You know where you find the location of Sarah's phone, and it showed the precise
location of the Capital Jewish Museum. Momentarily after the ambassador called us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ask God's blessing on Yaron and Sarah and their families. Thank you.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the prime of their lives, this young couple worked and fell in love at the Israeli Embassy in
Washington, D.C.
MILGRIM: Sarah started working for the Embassy the first week of November, after October 7th, 2023.
BLITZER: What was going through your mind when you get a call from the Israeli Ambassador to the United States and informs you that your loving
daughter has been shot and killed?
MILGRIM: Just total shock. You know, we were literally shaking. Soon after breaking the bad news, he told us that your own had, the week before,
purchased an engagement ring.
BLITZER: So, the Ambassador told you that they were going to get engaged --
MILGRIM: That Yaron was going to give her the ring.
BLITZER: He wanted to do it in Jerusalem.
MILGRIM: In Jerusalem, correct.
BLITZER (voice-over): Devoted to diplomacy and peace in Israel, Sarah and Yaron had just concluded a meeting about getting aid into Gaza.
BLITZER: She was actively involved in various projects to bring people closer together.
MILGRIM: Oh, very much so. She worked for an organization called Tech2Peace, and what that organization did was bring the young Palestinians
that had never met Israelis and young Israelis that had not met Palestinians together. Some of her closest friends were Palestinians. She
would go into the West Bank on her own.
BLITZER (voice-over): But these connections didn't shield Sarah or Yaron from hate.
MILGRIM: She experienced anti-Semitism. Some of it was directed to the Jewish people as a group, and some of it was directed to her personally.
BLITZER: The anti-Semitism she experienced presumably, correct me if I'm wrong, pushed her towards a new love of Israel.
MILGRIM: She was in love with Israel from the time of her -- just something clicked.
BLITZER (voice-over): Bob and his wife Nancy visited Sarah, often forging a close relationship with Yaron as well.
MILGRIM: Yaron wanted to be an Israeli diplomat. They had a special relationship, and after we got over the hurdles of the parent meeting, the
boyfriend we became -- we saw Yaron every time we came to Washington, D.C. Yaron came to our house. We did all the usual Kansas City things.
[11:45:00]
And, you know, going out for barbecue.
BLITZER: What will you remember most about Sarah?
MILGRIM: Who she is? What she stood for? She did everything. She did all sports. She was theatrical, she sang. She was a beekeeper. She was very
into the environment. She would bring stray dog home. She was a vegetarian --
BLITZER: Because she didn't want to kill animals.
MILGRIM: You're right, she didn't want to kill -- she loved all animals.
BLITZER (voice-over): And this affection for animals lives on through her beloved dog Andy.
MILGRIM: Andy loved Yaron as much as he loved Sarah.
BLITZER: Andy her sweet little dog. What happened Andy?
MILGRIM: So, the FBI agent said, we'll take care of it. Don't worry. Nancy said to the FBI agent, Andy does not fly cargo. He has to fly in the
passenger compartment. Two FBI agents went to the Israeli Embassy, picked up Andy. They took Andy straight to the very first plane that was going to
Kansas City.
BLITZER (voice-over): Andy now brings comfort to Bob and Nancy, who recently made a trip to D.C. to pack up Sarah's belongings.
MILGRIM: We were the first people to go in her apartment since the murder. It was just like -- it was -- it was like a freeze frame in time. You know,
the cup of coffee half-drunk was on the counter. There was a little bit of coffee left in the coffee pot, and all of her plants were dead. It was --
it was one of the hardest -- one of the most difficult days of my life.
BLITZER (voice-over): This close-knit family of four now forever changed.
MILGRIM: We have -- we have our son, who we're very close to, and the three of us, Nancy, Jacob and I will do our best.
BLITZER: What would you like her legacy to be?
MILGRIM: I want people to remember her and remember what she did, and remember that she didn't have anybody. She didn't hate Palestinians. She
loved them all, yet many people hated her from being Jewish.
BLITZER (voice-over): Wolf Blitzer, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ASHER: A Noble Laureate is turning her fight for equality towards women in sports. Malala Yousafzai is known as an activist and a human rights
campaigner, a voice of power and inspiration. But she is also a huge sports fan. Yousafzai sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN's Amanda
Davies, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALALA YOUSAFZAI, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER AND WOMEN'S EDUCATION ACTIVIST: We started working on recess 2.5 years ago, and we were looking for an
opportunity where we could bring in our expertise, our platform to benefit women's sports in general, just because of the lack of investments, lack of
opportunities.
Still, we have built an incredible team of people who are professionals, investors and experts, who believe in women's sports as a business
opportunity, and who believe that women's sports can help us promote gender equity.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Let's talk specifics. Are we going to see you in the NWSL.
ASSER MALIK, FOUNDER, RECESS: I think what we've seen in the NWSL is amazing. We -- it is definitely an area that we are exploring, and we'll be
exploring. It is one of the -- you know one of the most exciting women's sports leagues out there. So yes, I think you know, you will see us
hopefully soon.
DAVIES: WNBA?
YOUSAFZAI: Yes. I think these are -- these are sports that have actually reached that developed level, and there's just huge potential in how it
could be invested in. But also, the reach is wide, and it can help us really test the economics and the mission side of our work.
DAVIES: So, you're very much looking at the established leagues for women's sport, but there is -- there's kind of a two-pronged approach here, isn't
there? Because we've got the development of the women's sports and the fight for equity and equal pay, but then you've still got these massive
parts of the world where girls and women are fighting just to be able to compete. How do you marry those two issues with recess?
MALIK: I had the privilege to go back and run a cricket franchise about 2.5 years ago in Pakistan. And I was part of a leadership group, and we were
young, and we're like, OK, if we have a chance to run one of six cricket teams in the men's cricket league. That's probably the only biggest sports
league in the whole country, watched by literally the whole country and the cricket fans.
We should do things the right way. So, we went to just set out and find the best people to come and run those teams. And the best general manager that
could come and run that team was a woman. We knew that is going to be an unnecessary criticism -- you know not just based on what's happening on the
field, but -- you know what's online.
But like in that season, you know, we started winning. We won. We won -- we -- I think we won the greatest number of games were in the -- on the league
level. We qualified for the final. We lost the final on the last ball. But that was fine, but the online commentary was then we should hire these
women for the national men's team.
And -- you know so I think it was also great to see that you could use sport to push you can show folks -- you know. You don't have to say
anything. You just show it by hiring a more equitable team and getting the results.
DAVIES: Should we be expecting all female athletes to have a view on everything when a lot of them just want to be athletes and put all their
efforts into being the best possible athlete they can be, where is the balance, in your opinion?
YOUSAFZAI: So, I have been following the journey of amazing female athletes right now, from Caitlin Clark to -- and I know these sports because of
these incredible female athletes, I think they're doing -- they are -- they have a huge impact without actually saying much. So, I don't think we need
to ask them about every topic and every issue.
The fact that they're on the field and they're on the court is already changing perspectives. It's empowering girls. It's sending a powerful
message to women, to all of us, that the sky is the limit, and women's sports will thrive. We will have more equal opportunities for women and
girls and -- you know we can imagine a world where girls are empowered. They can have the confidence and they can decide a few -- you know, they
can choose their own future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIES (on camera): That was Malala and her husband Asser Malik exclusively revealing the launch of their new investment initiative, Recess. An eagle-
eyed followers of Malala will have noticed on her social media over the last couple of years. They've really been living the sporting dream, going
to some of the biggest and best women's sports events on the planet, the likes of the Football Women's World Cup final a couple of years ago in
Sydney.
The Olympic Games, sitting courtside watching Caitlin Clark do what she's been doing in the WNBA. But it hasn't just been for fun. They have been
going. They have been having meetings.
[11:55:00]
They have been getting the advice of some of the biggest and best names, not only in women's sport, but men's as well, to see how they can best use
their platform. The platform that we have seen Malala use so powerfully in a political context for her fight for gender equity and inclusion.
And it's really, really exciting times now to see what happens when she takes that into the sporting sphere. Her message is very clear. She wants
women and women's sports to be seen as the big business that they should be, and you only have to look at the reception from the likes of Alexis
Ohanian and Serena Williams, Lindsay Vaughn, some of the other big names who have recently been investing into women's sport, just to see how
excited they are about what is to come.
ASHER: All right, Amanda Davies, live for us. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. And that is it for this hour. Bianna Golodryga joins us after this
quick break for more "One World", don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
