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One World with Zain Asher
Trump: NATO Will Buy U.S. Weapons To Send To Ukraine; U.S. Senate Working On Bipartisan Bill Aimed At Ending War; Trump Defends Bondi Over handling Of Epstein Investigation; CNN Given Rare Access To Lab Specializing In Sporty Robots; UNWRA: Gaza Has Become The Graveyard Of Children; Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired July 14, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:44]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
And just moments ago, we saw a remarkable turnaround from the White House, as the U.S. president has greenlit a surge of weapons to Ukraine.
ASHER: Yes. Donald Trump confirmed a deal for the U.S. to sell weapons to NATO, which in turn the alliance can give to Ukraine. He announced it at a
meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House. That meeting just wrapped up minutes ago.
GOLODRYGA: The president also said that he was very unhappy with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and he vowed to impose severe tariffs in 50 days if
there's no deal to stop Russia's war with Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm disappointed in President Putin, because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it
doesn't seem to get there.
So, based on that, we're going to be doing second-year tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days. It's very simple. And they'll be at 100 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: NATO Secretary General says the weapons shipment will be broader than just the defensive patriot missiles. CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us live
now from the White House.
So, Kevin, I just want to sort of pick up from what the president was saying, and that sound bite there, that these sort of secondary tariffs
will be at 100 percent. Quite significantly smaller than the 500 percent tariffs making its way through Congress and that bipartisan bill.
I thought it was interesting that the president, and Bianna and I were talking about this, that the president had basically intimated that at 500
percent, you know, essentially the tariffs are meaningless, which is what a lot of people have been saying about his tariffs. I know we had a shaky
camera moment with Kevin there. Kevin, can you hear me?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, OK. Yes.
ASHER: OK. Your camera is literally shaking.
So, now we can. So, just talk to us about why President Trump has decided to go with a 500 percent or rather 100 percent tariffs and how that will
work in sync with the bipartisan bill that is working its way through Congress right now.
LIPTAK: Yes. And the president didn't dismiss that bill outright. He has said it was a good bill, but he essentially described it as unnecessary
because he was going forward with his own secondary sanctions at 100 percent and suggesting that anywhere past that you get essentially
diminishing returns.
You know, I think if you talk to Lindsey Graham today, he would probably still be pretty pleased that the president is heading in the direction of
any kind of sanctions or tariffs at all.
You know, the president had been reluctant to do that for so long because he was afraid that it would push Vladimir Putin away from the negotiating
table, but he does seem to be coming to the realization that Putin is nowhere near the negotiating table at present and that anything that could
potentially put pressure on Moscow would -- would potentially move this in the right direction. And so, the president there laying out his plan.
I do think it was notable, the president, even as he does execute what is a remarkable about-face, sending these new weapons to Ukraine through NATO,
applying these new economic pressure points on Russia, he is still very much trying to distance himself from this conflict, saying that if this all
doesn't work out, Biden will be the one to blame, that he is the one who inherited this conflict.
Yes, he's trying to reach peace, but he's still saying, he said, for example, that there's an ocean between the U.S. and Europe and that this
should be Europe's war, which this plan that he's executing on today does put more onus on Europe to try and get those weapons to Ukraine.
And so you do really hear the president working to strike a balance here, clearly trying to insulate himself from some of the political criticism
that he's backing away from his campaign promises to do less for Ukraine, to -- to focus more on domestic matters in the United States.
But I think clearly the president has been swayed in some part by the Europeans. He talked about listening to the Europeans at the NATO summit
last month in the Netherlands, saying that he didn't initially believe that the Europeans had much spirit for the war, but now he says they have a lot
of esprit de corps, which is not a phrase I would have expected to ever hear from the president, but clearly, he thinks that the Europeans are on
board with this plan and wants to do what he can to help them.
And so taken altogether, I do think this is a remarkable turnabout for the president, but the question really is whether it will have any effect on
Russia.
[12:05:03]
You know, when it comes to the weapons, he really is in a way reverting to the policy of his predecessor, Joe Biden, of surging these weapons to
Ukraine. No amount of American weapons has so far caused Vladimir Putin to change his approach to the war.
And on these sanctions, you know, 50 days is a lot of time for Russia to execute on this offensive that has been waging over the last several weeks.
And so whether all of this has the effect of bringing Putin back to the negotiating table, I think remains to be seen.
GOLODRYGA: And reporting suggests that Vladimir Putin still believes, despite the surge in weapons and about-face from President Trump and
perhaps even more sanctions, that this war is still for Russia to win, and that they are making achievements on the battlefield and are waiting for a
significant weakening of Ukraine. And that's forcing Ukraine back to the negotiating table to really see any sort of resolution.
Of course, Ukraine not willing to do that at -- at all, thus far.
Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.
Lauren Fox joins us now from Capitol Hill for reaction. I'm wondering, Lauren, what you're hearing from your sources. We heard from Kevin Liptak
that Lindsey Graham, despite this not being the robust 500 percent sanctions that has been agreed to by so many, both Republicans and
Democrats supported in this bill, and the secondary sanctions for those countries that continue to buy oil and gas from Russia, nonetheless, this
should be good news for Republicans who have been pushing for the president to make these moves.
What are you hearing from your sources?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think one thing that will be really interesting to watch for in the hours ahead here on Capitol
Hill as lawmakers are returning to Washington to begin this week is whether or not that sanctions bill that you just were referring to sponsored by
Senator Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, they have more than 80 co- sponsors on that bill.
Whether or not there is any extra effort to try to push that through Congress, given the announcement that we heard from Trump today, he had
signaled that he's not sure that this sanctions bill is actually necessary, but lawmakers yesterday on the Sunday shows were touting the fact that they
believe that this would give Donald Trump maximum flexibility as he tries to move ahead with his relationship with Russia.
And I do think it's really interesting, given how big and broad that support for the bill is, whether or not it will make it to the floor.
Now, Republican leader, John Thune in the Senate, he would likely go first with putting this on the floor, but he signaled in the past that he wants
to know that Donald Trump is behind it before he puts it on the floor of the Senate.
If it were to get through the United States Senate, we heard yesterday from Speaker Mike Johnson that he believed there would be a large appetite to
support this in the House of Representatives. But I think that that's a really key question right now, given the president's announcement, and
given the fact that lawmakers are just returning to Washington in the hours ahead.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. So, it must be a -- a bit disappointing for those lawmakers who have been supporting and touting this piece of legislation as they were
hoping it would be enacted immediately and signed by the president immediately. We never heard the 50-day mark from them as they were
describing the impact of this, but nonetheless, some news from the president.
Lauren Fox, thank you so much.
ASHER: In addition to talking about Russian-Ukraine, Donald Trump addressed his controversial tariffs during that Oval Office appearance short time
ago. He made it clear that he's not concerned about cutting new trade deals. Another tariff he's proposing are likely the final word on the
subject.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The deals are made. There are no deals to make. They would like to do a different kind of a deal, and we're always open to talk. We are open
to talk, including to Europe. It's the fact they're coming over that they'd like to talk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: European negotiators say trade between the U.S. and E.U. could be effectively cut off if Trump goes ahead with a 30 percent tariff that he
threatened over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAROS SEFCOVIC, EU TRADE COMMISSIONER: Prohibits the trade. So, if you're talking about 30 percent or 30 percent plus, there will be a huge impact on
trade. It will be almost impossible to continue the trading as we are used in the transatlantic relationship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Joining us now to discuss all of this is CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. David, it is good to
see you.
Also, really fascinating to see the relationship, the effectiveness of the relationship thus far between the president and Mark Rutte, the -- the NATO
Secretary General there, that they've developed over the last few months here.
And to work out a -- a deal where the United States would effectively be selling weapons to Europe that could then quickly be sent to Ukraine is a
different step for this president to make, quite confrontational against Vladimir Putin given his previous stance.
[12:10:05]
And also notable to hear Mark Rutte say as it relates to these sanctions that could go into effect in 50 days. If I was Putin, I would reconsider
taking negotiations more seriously. Do you think he will?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I have my doubts, but the whole interchange was fascinating on so many different
levels.
So, first of all, there is the very fact that the president has reversed himself and come out, as I think you may have been discussing a few minutes
ago, with almost the perfect picture of the Biden era strategy, right, which was supply weapons, put pressure on -- on Russia, help the
Ukrainians, and that's how you get the Russians to the table.
So in other words, he is scrapping what he tried for the first nearly six months of his presidency, which was blame the Ukrainians for the invasion,
tell President Zelenskyy he didn't have the cards, pause weapons to Ukraine. So he's done a full flip.
The second was, it was clear the president was very sensitive to the criticism that he was sucked in by Vladimir Putin, both in the last term
and in the past few months.
And at one point toward the end, I don't know if you've caught this, but he said, you know, they were all fooled by Putin, Clinton, Obama, I think he
had -- had President Bush in there too, Biden. He said, he never fooled me.
So you can -- you can see how this is such a sensitive point for him. The third thing was he never expressed a commitment to the war on a legal or
moral basis.
You know, he never discussed the possibility that the Russians would continue beyond Ukraine and go off into Europe. Instead, he described it as
a business deal. We're selling weapons, we'll make money at it. We'll give them to the Europeans. Boy, those Europeans are tough and they're going to
give them to the Ukrainians.
ASHER: Yes, you're right. It certainly was fascinating on so many levels as you laid out there. Just to your last point, I mean, this idea of actually
selling weapons to Ukraine and also having the Europeans pay for it instead.
You know, the president also said, look, there is an ocean, right, between the United States and Europe. It's not our job to be paying for weapons for
Ukraine. Just give us your take on that aspect of it, especially the political effect that that will have on his base.
You know, Donald Trump walked into this term essentially saying at the beginning, you know, I'm going to end this war pretty much on day one being
very much against this war, especially because of just the sheer cost of it.
Now, he sort of made this dramatic reversal, but is kind of backtracking and -- and sort of saying, listen, we're not going to -- we're not going to
pay for it. The U.S. is not going to pay for it. We're going to have Ukraine pay for it. That is a message to his base.
SANGER: Well, there were two parts to this. One is, I --I think you've got it just right. The arm's length nature of this, which is to say, I'm not
giving these to Ukraine directly. He never said he'd go back to Congress for another arms package. He's going to let the Europeans pay for it and --
and then express admiration for the Europeans.
But that line that you mentioned, it -- it jumped out really, we have an ocean between us. That was sort of the classic isolationist argument used
before World War I, before the U.S. entered that. It was the classic argument used in the 1930s before World War II and used by the original
America First Movement.
One that -- that President Trump, a phrase he only grabbed onto midway through the campaign in 2016. And then said later on it wasn't in reference
to the America First Movement before World War II.
I think it sort of speaks of -- of his base's concern, the MAGA base is concern that the U.S. has not -- has got to be sure not to get sucked into
more wars. That was the worry a few weeks ago when he made the decision to bomb the Iranian nuclear sites.
There, he was able to -- to calm them down by saying this is a one and done event. Here what he's saying is, this really isn't our conflict. It was
Biden's war, it's Europe's war, but we have an ocean.
And, of course, what we've learned in a world of terrorism, cyber, and other threats is oceans don't mean a whole lot.
GOLODRYGA: All right. And as much as this was a collective sigh of relief for Europe and especially for Ukraine to see this change in policy that's
more favorable for Ukraine from President Trump, it does seem the bigger change as the president is more confident in -- in the nature of the
European alliance and their support for increased defense spending and supporting Ukraine than he is -- in Ukraine at this point.
[12:15:19]
I mean, also another notable moment was when he said, I think Ukraine wants peace. I think they do. And it was Mark Rutte that had to reassure him, no,
no, they want peace. They definitely want peace.
ASHER: I think they do.
GOLODRYGA: So this is, again, something that the Ukrainians, I'm sure, will be viewed as welcome news. But I think they may also still be a little
nervous about how long this policy will be in place.
ASHER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: David, good to see you as always.
SANGER: That's right. I think Rutte -- Rutte really handled him pretty masterfully, I think.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Calling him daddy may be helped after all. Who knows?
All right.
SANGER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks so much.
All right. Well, President Trump is coming to the defense of his Attorney General Pam Bondi involving major MAGA backlash over her decision to not
release documents from the Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation.
ASHER: Yes. And a show of support, Trump flashed Bondi a thumbs up at Sunday's Club World Cup Final in New Jersey, where she watched the game
from the president's box.
This as CNN learned FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was considering resigning over the handling of the Epstein files. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan
hears from some of Trump's supporters about their taking all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is the first topic that all of us as Americans, not as Democrats, not as liberals, not as Republicans, are actually lining
together and saying we all want the Epstein files as a, come on, Donald, give us those files.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: We are here at the turning point USA, some of it in Tampa, Florida. It is a big gathering of Trump
supporters.
And one thing everybody seems to be talking about here this weekend, Jeffrey Epstein.
STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: We need to get to the bottom of Epstein because Epstein is the key that picks the lock.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me just ask you, make some noise if you care about Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
O'SULLIVAN: What do you think is going to happen?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they're going to maybe give us pieces and maybe not the whole thing, and think that that's going to suffice. And I
don't think people are going to be quiet about it until they really do it. But who knows if we'll ever know the true story.
O'SULLIVAN: Can't Trump just say, look, release everything?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I -- he -- if you know anything about him, he can do and say whatever he wants. Do they have to listen? I don't know the
legalities of that or the policies and procedures.
O'SULLIVAN: This is Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit. It is an event aimed at mobilizing young conservatives.
Ultimately, I mean, how bad do you think it would be for the MAGA movement, for young people's trust in Trump, if by the end of his term they don't
release everything they know about Epstein?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that if they don't releases the Epstein files, whatever JD Vance says then is irrelevant because it's like
everybody is going to take it as like a lie.
O'SULLIVAN: Bring it in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of what Donald Trump did.
But I think JD Vance wants these files released as well. And I think that Donald Trump, he promised them, so he needs to do it. No matter who's on
them, we need to release the Epstein files.
O'SULLIVAN: Because right now the whole debate is about Bongino versus Bondi. But ultimately, it's Trump's decision, right? I mean, he has the
power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Its Trump's decision. It's Trump's decision. I think -- I think, again, and I'm not going to make the decision for the president.
It's not my job. It's not my place. But I do think the way that I am seeing it played out is that Bongino will be here and Pam Bondi will be the fall
guy.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you think that's fair?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think anything is fair in politics.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:19]
GOLODRYGA: All right. You're looking at French troops as they marched along the Champs-Elysees in the dramatic show of pageantry earlier today to mark
Bastille Day.
Same holiday marks a turning point in the French Revolution back in 1789.
ASHER: Worth noting that today obviously Bastille Day, it is also my son's birthday. We named him Louis. Interesting enough.
ASHER: Bigger priority here in terms of celebration.
ASHER: We have Bastille Day celebration, we name to Louis given the history of that, you know.
GOLODRYGA: Happy birthday, Louis.
ASHER: We like -- we like the name.
French President Emmanuel Macron and other dignitaries were on hand to watch the festive events in Paris.
GOLODRYGA: Well, in Chi -- happy birthday, Louis.
ASHER: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Well, in China's bid for global technological dominance, robotics and AI are now key. CNN was given rare access to the lab of a
Chinese tech firm.
ASHER: Yes. It specializes in robots used in sporting competitions that are partly powered by AI.
CNN's Marc Stewart has more on that in China's bid to excel in the robotics sphere.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is where robots come to life. They mimic mankind, yet, depend on these Chinese engineers to
function.
We were given rare access to this lab by tech startup Booster Robotics on the outskirts of Beijing. We saw how robots can be built to play soccer.
STEWART: Look what happens when we try to make a goal. See, it sticks its leg out very much like a real-life goalie would.
STEWART (voice-over): The robots can also play on their own, powered by AI, as they did in the recent tournament live streamed across China. The
technology is still a work in progress. The robots often lose balance and fall, scooped away on stretchers.
They look very much human-like in their movements.
CHENG HAO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BOOSTER ROBOTICS: Yes, yes, yes. This is a new technology about imitation learning.
STEWART (voice-over): Technology, the CEO thinks, can be used in everything from food delivery to factories, even how kids learn new languages.
STEWART: This whole robotic push comes at a time when the Chinese government is making technology, including AI, a national priority.
STEWART (voice-over): Already, China's a proven innovator, as we've seen with EVs. Now, it's looking to dominate the field of AI-enabled robots, and
the gap with the U.S. is widening, according to Morgan Stanley research.
STEWART: What does this symbolize beyond the soccer field?
ALEX CAPRI, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE BUSINESS SCHOOL: China is really pushing the envelope in all things leading-edge technology. And
there are so many practical and also strategic applications of AI and robotics combined.
STEWART (voice-over): Here in China, we've seen robotics at work during our tours of factories. And the Chinese military has shown off a robotic dog
with an automatic rifle mounted on its back. The U.S. Air Force is utilizing similar technology.
On the turf, the focus is on innovation and attention.
HAO: We need to push the technology development. So, we -- we need a real - - real scenario to task our technology.
STEWART (voice-over): Scrimmages on the soccer field that may help China to score further as a global tech leader.
Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: We'll be right back with more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:20]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher.
A new warning about Gaza from the U.N.'s relief agency for Palestinians. "Gaza has become the graveyard of children and starving people." That dire
at a declaration coming from UNWRA's chief.
We want to warn you that a video obtained by CNN shows the aftermath of a new and deadly airstrike, which many of you will find disturbing.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. On Sunday at a distribution point, officials say 10 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Six of them children as they tried to
collect water in central Gaza.
Israeli military says that it missed its intended target. UNWRA's acting director has been speaking to our colleague Ben Hunte about what
Palestinians, especially children, are facing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ROSE, ACTING DIRECTOR, UNWRA: If we try and put ourselves in the shoes of --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: As a suffering -- apologies for that video there. But as a suffering in Gaza grows more intense, we want to take some time to focus on the
children of that shattered territory.
GOLODRYGA: UNICEF says some 90,000 children in Gaza are in urgent need of help. Humanitarian agencies are warning of devastating consequences from a
deepening hunger crisis.
ASHER: Time now for "The Exchange." Arwa Damon, the founder and president of International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance joining us live
now. She's also a former CNN senior international correspondent.
Arwa, thank you so much for being with us. And when you think about what children on the ground in Gaza are experiencing, I mean, children suffering
as they go to collect water. We've talked a number of times about how you had several hundred people essentially shot at while they were going to get
aid in Gaza.
[12:30:05]
You know, obviously this is traumatizing for anyone, anyone who is in that enclave right now, especially those who are on the brink of famine, who
don't have enough food to eat, they are experiencing really sort of a cute trauma.
But when you think about children being highly impressionable, also being the most vulnerable among us and highly dependent on their parents and the
emotional fragility of a child, clearly, they are the ones that are suffering the most here.
ARWA DAMON, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR AID, RELIEF, ASSISTANCE: And that sort of trauma can't be sort of brushed aside because
that is actually what they're going to be carrying with them well throughout adulthood.
You know, a lot of us as children when we're growing up, we have a certain sense of security and the knowledge that when our parents tuck us in our
beds, we're going to be safe that, you know, mommy and daddy can, you know, kiss the boo-boo and it's going to be OK.
And children in Gaza have had that ripped away from them. They speak in language that, you know, no child should ever be speaking and they know how
to recognize, you know, the -- the different trajectories of -- of a bomb or artillery. And then you have to look at how they're spending their
dates.
You know, the -- the reason why so many children were killed in that strike that hit the water collection point is because quite often families will
end up having to send out one child to wait in line for hours to try to get a little bit of water.
Another child will go and run the death trap to try to get, you know, whatever scraps of humanitarian aid is -- is possible from the Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation. And another child might go and try to wait oftentimes in vain at one of the community kitchens.
School has been taken away from them. Any sense of security has been taken away from them.
And then if we look at what is happening to children in terms of malnutrition, look, malnutrition affects, you know, a young body a lot
differently than it would, for example, affect one of ours. It can lead to illnesses in the future. It can lead to a lack of development. It can lead
to stunting.
And then again, on top of all of that, you have the fact that malnourished bodies, especially among infants and children cannot fight off disease. And
so right now, we're seeing a very startling increase in cases of meningitis, for example, which is basically an inflammation of the
protective membrane around your brain and your spinal cord.
And what happens if you contract meningitis and it's not properly treated, you can end up either dying or you can end up with a permanent disability.
And so to treat something like meningitis, you need specific antibiotics. You need to be able to be isolated in a hospital. You need to in some
cases, be on a respirator. None of this actually exists in Gaza.
And the reason why we're seeing a spread of diseases like meningitis, like scabies, like impetigo, is quite simply because people are so crushed
together and on top of each other that imagine this in terms of a frame of reference.
So Gaza's 2.2 million people and it was already one of the most densely populated places in the world have now been pushed into about 15 to 20
percent of the sort of territory that they used to be able to move around. And -- and that is because the rest of Gaza is either a no-go zone or has
been under some sort of displacement order.
And the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor did the math and found that every single Palestinian in Gaza right now has less space to themselves than if
you meet up on Guantanamo Bay and you don't have soap, you don't have water, you don't have a way to stay cool.
GOLODRYGA: Arwa, I know you've had multiple visits to Gaza since the start of this war and you've gotten to know a lot of these families and these
children in particular.
What type of communication do you still maintain with them? How difficult is that? And what stands out to you the most in terms of all of these
children that you met? Who do you think of when you go to sleep at night?
DAMON: You know, I'm in constant contact obviously with our team and there's a story along those lines that I do want to share because what I
actually think about when I reflect on my time in Gaza is the kindness that I saw there and the way that, you know, when I would show up at these camps
that we work at, you know, the kids just run around, they all want to hold your hand, they'll all pitch in and help out with the distribution because
even at such a young age, a kid in Gaza has learned that no, you know what, you don't go and you -- and grab something for yourself. You make sure that
everything is distributed equally.
[12:35:59]
But more recently, our program coordinator, Yousa (ph), went with the team to visit a family who was absolutely desperate. I mean everybody is
desperate in Gaza. And they had two twins, newborns, who were roughly six months old, and the mom is pulling back the -- the diaper. And I mean,
these kids' diaper rash, it was so red, so angry, and it's because their diapers are soaked, and they both have diarrhea.
But then with the -- one of the other children, a boy, happened to mention that it was his birthday. And his mother said that what he had asked for,
for his birthday, wasn't a cake. It was bread, because they were all craving bread. They hadn't had bread in so long.
And so our program coordinator, then on her own time, manages to find some bread somewhere, who knows where, and basically makes him a bread birthday
cake by stacking a couple of loaves on top of each other, finds a candle and puts it in there. And she did this because she just wanted to do
something for this little boy to bring him a little bit of joy.
And I think that's really what I remember, the lengths to which the people of Gaza, the Palestinians will go just to do little things, to try to bring
each other joy and just help each other through all of this.
ASHER: Arwa, that is an incredibly painful story to hear. I was just sharing with Bianna that it was -- it is my son's birthday today. And when
you think about the relative luxury that my son has compared to the children in Gaza, where we're talking about cupcakes, you know, chocolate
frosting and -- and race cars and the likes of that and people in Gaza, not only are they just talking about potentially just getting a loaf of bread
or a piece of bread, excuse me, for their birthday, but these children have not only seen dead bodies, but dead bodies have become normalized for them.
Not only have they seen bombs and bullets and injuries that you wouldn't believe, but seeing buildings collapse into rubble is also normal for them
as well.
Thank you so much for sharing that story with us. It's an incredibly powerful one. And I hope one that really allows our audience to truly
understand what people on the ground, children, especially on the ground in Gaza, are going through.
Thank you, Arwa. Appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Arwa.
Well, we turn now to the flooding tragedy groping Texas, where at least 132 people have lost their lives. Majority of those deaths, at least 106 were
in Kerr County alone. It is the home you'll recall of Camp Mystic, an all- girls summer camp.
"The Washington Post" reports that the camp director received an alert about an hour before he started to evacuate the camp. A spokesperson for
the director's family said that he started to immediately assess the situation.
Twenty-seven campers and counselors died in the catastrophic flooding and two girls are still missing.
ASHER: Yes. "The New York Times" reports that nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line, two days after the flood, went unanswered.
If you'd like to help those affected by flooding in Texas, we encourage you. If you have time to go to cnn.com/impact. And on that website, you'll
find so many links and resources to where you can make donations to charities that are working on the ground to help those who are suffering.
We'll be right back.
And Cameroon's 92-year-old president wants to keep his job until he's nearly 100.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Paul Biya has just launched his re-election campaign. He's led the African nation for nearly 43 years and wants to keep it that way
for another seven-year term.
Biya's office recently pushed back against speculation that he was sick or had died after a lengthy absence from the public eye.
In a statement, the president writes, much remains to be done and the best is yet to come. The election is scheduled for October.
ASHER: All right. Former Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, will be buried Tuesday in his home state of Katsina.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Buhari died over the weekend in London at the age of 82. In his life, he went from a military leader in the 1980s to a president
elected for his anti-corruption stance.
Larry Madowo takes a look back at his life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Muhammadu Buhari made history more than once in Nigeria. The former military leader first seized power of
the country in the early '80s in what he described as a war against indiscipline.
It was seized from him less than two years later, but Buhari stayed in the spotlight and ran for president four more times after the country moved to
democracy in 1999. The fourth time was the charm.
In 2015, with Boko Haram running rampant in Nigeria's primarily Muslim north east, destroying villages and killing thousands, Buhari handily
defeated the incumbent.
Goodluck Jonathan, who's Christian, had been widely criticized for his seeming inability to fight the militant group's insurgency that allowed
much of the region to slip from his control.
[12:40:06]
Among Boko Haram's outrageous, the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in the rest of Borno State in 2014.
Buhari, a Muslim from the north, was viewed by many as just a man to negotiate with Boko Haram for the schoolgirls' release and the man to bring
security back to the region.
MUHAMMADU BUHARI, FORMER NIGERIAN PRESIDENT: It amounts to question of security. Whether I was a -- a former military officer or a politician
through and through, whether there is an insecurity of this scale in the country, that takes the priority.
MADOWO (voice-over): Buhari took office on May 29, 2015, riding high on a way of popularity and hope for a better future.
But his actual record showed mixed results. Buhari's leadership was criticized as heavy-handed and tone-deaf, following national protests in
2020 against police brutality, called End SARS.
It took the president two weeks to release a pre-recorded speech that did not mention deaths at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, when Nigerian soldiers
fired into a crowd of protesters.
(GUNSHOTS)
BUHARI: The disbanding of SARS is only the first step in our commitment to extensive police reform in order to ensure that the primary duty of the
police and other law enforcement agencies remains the protection of lives and livelihoods of our people.
MADOWO (voice-over): Buhari earned the nickname Baba Go Slow for his hands- off slow approach to governing Africa's most populous nation. But he counted that he was going slow and steady.
He is credited with helping secure the release of more than 100 Chibok girls and as many as 800 other captives of Boko Haram. But thousands more
lost their lives in Boko Haram attacks during his tenure, despite Buhari declaring more than once that the insurgency was finished.
He came into power vowing to crack down on corruption, asking foreign governments, including the U.S., to help return $150 billion in stolen
wealth. And he arrested Nigerians he accused of siphoning off government funds for their own profit.
Still, many Nigerians had faith Buhari was the man to turn their nation around. But his government fell back to the same old patterns of previous
administrations, military and civilian.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, that does it for today's "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "African Voices Changemakers" is up next. You're watching CNN.
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(AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS)
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