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One World with Zain Asher
Many "Essential" Government Workers will be Asked to Work with No Pay; U.S. Government Shuts Down with No Deal in Sight; EU Proposes Using Frozen Russian Assets to Aid Ukraine; Federal Law Enforcement Officers Deployed to Memphis; Officials Says Hamas Consulting Other Factions on Gaza Plan; Fran Drescher Received Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 01, 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)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: The U.S. government is shut down now with no deal in sight. "One World" starts right now. Hundreds of thousands
of U.S. federal workers are now furloughed amid a total deadlock between the President and Democrats in Congress.
Plus, European Leaders are meeting in Denmark today to discuss the war in Ukraine, as well as recent violations of European airspace. And will Hamas
agree to return the remaining Israeli hostages and disarm? I'll discuss Trump's Gaza peace proposal with the Former Advisor to the Palestinian
Authority President.
Hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World". At any minute, the U.S. Senate is
expected to vote once again on a measure to end the government shutdown. But like all the previous votes, this one is also expected to fail.
The shutdown is in its first day, and both Democrats and Republicans are showing no signs of backing down. Republicans say Congress must keep the
government operating, and Democrats say they are fighting for affordable health care for all Americans.
Some 700,000 government employees have been furloughed, with President Trump saying this will be an opportunity for him to fire many of them as he
seeks to shrink the federal work force. Essential workers like air traffic controllers or military personnel are being asked to report to work even
though they are not being paid at this time.
It is worth noting that members of Congress are paid whether the government is shut down or not. And just minutes ago, Republican Congressional Leaders
made their pitch about why the shutdown is the fault of the Democrats?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): Everybody is now asking the question, how does this end? Well, it ends when the Senate Democrats pick this bill up, passed by
the House of Representatives, and vote for it. It's on the floor of the Senate. We're going to vote later this morning on this, 24 pages. Does this
look partisan? Does this look dirty to you? 24 pages to fund the government. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right, let's start with CNN's Arlette Saenz on Capitol Hill. And Arlette, we just heard from John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader. We
had also heard him standing next to -- we also heard Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House who was standing next to Thune, what did Johnson have
to say about this?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, right now Republicans are really engaged in this messaging war, trying to argue that this is a
shutdown that was brought on by Democrats. That is the message that GOP Leaders had to say in that press conference a bit earlier today. Here's
what House Speaker Mike Johnson had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Rather than work with President Trump and Republicans to get this job done, as our party has done repeatedly in the
same situation over the years, Democrats want to play political games with the lives and the livelihoods of Americans.
The simple truth is, Democrats in Congress have dragged our country into another reckless shutdown to satisfy their far-left base. That is the
truth, whether or not the government remains open or reopens is entirely up to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Democrats have tried to argue that Republicans bear the responsibility because they won't come to the negotiating table on health
care issues such as extending Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year, and send premiums for many Americans skyrocketing.
But even as this messaging war is going on in this back and forth between the two parties, there appears to be no clear end in sight to this
standoff. Now there will be a key moment to watch in the next hopefully a half hour, the Senate is expected to start voting on two funding bills.
One is the Democratic bill with those priorities like extending Obamacare subsidies and reversing Medicaid cuts. The other is that seven weeks stop
gap funding bill that the Republicans have been pushing. They are saying that Democrats need to come to the table on that bill specifically.
And last night, there were some signs of cracks within the Democratic coalition. There were three Senators who caucus with Democrats who sided
with Republicans on that seven-week funding bill that included Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and
Senator Angus King of Maine, who is an Independent.
[11:05:00]
Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, has said that he's been talking with Democrats that he hopes to peel off, especially as the real-world impacts
of the shutdown start to become a reality. So, we will be keeping our eye on that vote, specifically the GOP proposal, to see whether any other
Democrats join.
Back in March, there were 10 Democrats who had sided with Republicans to keep the government open. So, there are certain Senators in that group that
we will be watching. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the two Senators from New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen, as well as Maggie Hassan, to see if there
will be any movement towards Republican in this matter.
But right now, there really does not appear to be a clear end in sight, as both sides are digging in on their positions, on their answers for the way
out of this shutdown.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Arlette Saenz on Capitol Hill for us. Thank you so much. Joining us now is Democratic Congressman John Garamendi of
California. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. So, as we heard in the last hour or so from both the House Speaker and the Senate Majority
Leader.
They're saying that, listen, we're basically projecting common sense here and trying to be a voice of reason for the Democrats. Keep the government
open for another seven weeks and with a clean CR and then the negotiations can continue. Why not just do that? And over the course of those seven
weeks, continue your push for the extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies.
REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Well, let's be very, very clear here, the can would be kicked down the road seven weeks, but the fight will continue.
We've been very clear since the initiation of the big ugly bill some months ago that we would not be in a -- want to be in a position where Americans
would lose their health care.
The Medicaid cuts that were in the big ugly bill will occur next year, and the premiums for health insurance are going to go skyrocketing across
America. 22 million Americans are going to have extraordinary increases in their health insurance premiums beginning immediately.
So, what we've been saying to the Republicans, to Trump, is, let's solve this problem. What they did in the big, ugly bill was to cut taxes for the
super wealthy, a trillion-dollar tax cut, 80 percent of which went to the millionaire, billionaire class leaving and to pay for that, they cut health
care for Americans.
It is unconscionable, and yes, this is a fight that we're having today to this moment, the Republicans Trump as well as the Republicans in the House
and the Senate have refused to negotiate any solution to this problem, other than take it or leave it. Take the seven weeks clean. CR.
But let's be very clear, that doesn't solve the problem. It simply extends the fight for another seven weeks, and then we'll come back at Thanksgiving
and have this all over again. Let's get it done now. It's an easy solution. We do not need tax cuts for the super wealthy.
Certainly, tax cuts are paid for by cuts to health care for Americans. In my district, there are some 200,000 people that are going to see a $1,300
per month increase in their health care premiums. This is just not acceptable.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
GARAMENDI: So, yes, we are involved in a major fight here over tax cuts for the super wealthy or health care for Americans.
GOLODRYGA: Congressman typically during shutdowns in the past, the party in power gets the blame. But I'd like to read for you from "The Washington
Post" in their editorial today, warning Democrats that they've, in fact, walked into President Trump's shutdown trap. And here's what they wrote.
Left wing Democrats like the Freedom Caucus before them enter the shutdown in a position of weakness. President Donald Trump and his Budget Director
Russell Vought have now extraordinary, extraordinary authority to choose which agencies to close, what spending to prioritize, and even which
government workers to lay off.
And as Trump warned on Tuesday, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible. I would imagine he's speaking to the threat of firing
government workers as well. How do you respond to that editorial from "The Washington Post"?
GARAMENDI: So, what's new? What is new? The day that Trump came into office, he shut down the USAID the foreign assistance programs closed it
period. People are starving around the world as a result of that. There's nothing new here.
He has been on a terror program, shutting down, decimating government programs, left, right and center, from environmental programs to worker
programs. He even tried to make serious cuts in the airline safety programs.
[11:10:00]
There's nothing new here. It's a continuation of everything he has done since he came into office. So, what do we do about it? Well, we take back
the House and then with that and we will have some sort of minor control over the craziness of the Trump Administration. So, they're threatening to
do what they've done from day one, and that is to shut down various programs.
They continue to do that with or without this current fight over this funding program. So yes, we will fight back. But right now, let's
understand what we're trying to do as Democrats, and that is to restore some of the cuts that they have already made.
The Medicaid cuts are going to devastate Americans across this country who are in nursing homes, who are relying upon the Medicaid programs for their
basic health care, for hospitals, for clinics, all of which stand the risk and some of which are already shutting down in anticipation of what's going
to happen in 2026.
And for the health insurance programs that have been subsidized since COVID 22 million Americans beginning this month in October, are going to see very
significant increases in their health care premiums basically being unaffordable for California's in the public --
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
GARAMENDI: -- California programs, it's $15,000 a year increase if we -- if Trump is successful in maintaining the current cuts that they have in
place.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, premiums for subsidy enrollees would rise, on average, over $1,000 a year. In response
to my last question you asked, what else is new? What's new here?
Well, what's new here is that by having a government shutdown, we have about 800,000 federal workers who have been furloughed. You have warned
that families will lose access to critical programs, and federal workers will be left without a paycheck.
Here we are right now. If that pain becomes more severe, remember the last shutdown when President Trump was in office during his first term lasted 35
days. Are you not worried that the blame will be placed squarely on Democrats, and you've already had three defections now within the party and
an independent. What happens if you lose more?
GARAMENDI: Well, let's assume that we do vote for what the Republicans want. We simply have kicked the can down the road seven weeks. The problem
is not solved. The problem of health care cuts across America, for tens of millions of Americans, remains in place, and we'll simply go back through
the same thing just before Thanksgiving as that seven-weeks expires.
So yes, the shutdown is terrible. Government workers are going to be heard, and services are going to be -- are not going to be available to many, many
Americans. It is a problem. We've been there before, and by the way, that previous 35 days was caused by Trump, all by himself.
And I would opine that this one is also caused by Trump, who is refusing to negotiate. Now let's understand as we speak, the Senate is now taking up a
Democratic bill that would restore the cuts that I have been talking about. So, let's see where the Republicans are. If you want -- if you don't want
to shut down, then let's have some Republicans.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
GARAMENDI: Let's have 10 Republicans join the Democrats and vote for the restoration of these health care programs.
GOLODRYGA: Well, what's at stake here is arguably even more significant than the last shutdown, as noted, the longest ever 35 days. But then
Congress had at least passed some appropriation bills going into that shutdown, none have been passed now, so effectively freezing the entire
government. Yes.
GARAMENDI: Let's be clear here, essential government services will continue. Essential health care services, emergency rooms and the like the
military, the police, the air traffic controllers, all of those will continue. The problem is that the paychecks will not be available while
there is a shutdown for those people that are returning to work, for some, what are considered to be nonessential --
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
GARAMENDI: -- I think that's the wrong word.
GOLODRYGA: You know -- you know that in the past, essential workers, if the shutdowns continue for a long period of time, ultimately start to call in
sick. They start not showing up as well, and that is felt by average Americans.
Listen, we're out of time now, but it's a very important topic, and obviously every hour, every day that the government is shut down becomes a
bigger, bigger problem for average Americans. Democratic Congressman John Garamendi of California. Thank you so much.
GARAMENDI: Thank you.
[11:15:00]
GOLODRYGA: Well, the clock is ticking on U.S. President Trump's Gaza peace plan after he said on Tuesday that he was giving Hamas three to four days
to respond. But we're also waiting to see when the Israeli Cabinet will formally consent to the deal? Qatari Egyptian and Turkish officials met
with Hamas negotiators on Tuesday night to discuss how to reply to the proposal.
Hamas told mediators that it's carefully reviewing the plan and will prepare a final response once it completes consultations with other
Palestinian factions. Meanwhile, officials tell us that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who agreed to the Trump plan at the White
House on Monday, then defended it to skeptical hardliners in his government. Let's get more now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hamas negotiators sat down Tuesday night with top officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to go
over President Trump's 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. According to an official familiar with these talks, Hamas is now, quote, carefully
reviewing this proposal and consulting with other Palestinian factions.
They are expected to prepare and then submit their response to this 20- point proposal. This comes after President Trump said that Hamas has about three to four days to respond to this proposal, and there's no question
that a lot of pressure is being brought to bear on Hamas to accept this 20- point plan, or at least respond positively and with reasonable counter proposals.
You know, I spoke with a source familiar and involved with this U.S. plan, who said that the United States is willing to engage in reasonable
negotiations with Hamas, willing to accept reasonable counter proposals from Hamas, but this source said that the United States will not engage in
what they described as lengthy, protracted negotiations.
One example I was given is that the United States is willing to negotiate over how exactly Hamas' disarmament, Gaza's demilitarization will actually
take place but not over whether or not that is going to happen. And this is where we are already seeing how difficult and contentious these
negotiations may very well be.
Hamas has said that disarming is a red line for them. They have refused it when it's been raised in the past. Israel, of course, has said that it will
not end the war unless Hamas is disarmed and Gaza completely demilitarized. There are a series of other issues here that Hamas is also likely going to
want to negotiate.
But this source involved in the U.S. plan told me that the message that is being sent right now is that the region and that the United States and
Israel are moving on with or without Hamas, and that's because we saw that in this 20-point plan from the United States, there are provisions for what
happens if Hamas rejects this proposal that Israel would be able to continue with its military operations.
But ultimately gradually transfer over territory to this international security force that will be established as part of a transitional authority
in the Gaza Strip. But there are still a lot of questions to be answered about that as well. This 20-point plan is quite light on the details of the
implementation of a lot of this, so there's no question that there are a lot of negotiations, a lot of discussions that still need to happen before
any of this can have a chance of becoming a reality. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
GOLODRYGA: And later in the show, we'll have on Ghaith Al-Omari, a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Peace and a Former
Palestinian Negotiator and Former Adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. And still to come for us, European Union Leaders
are meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine and ways to protect the continent from drone incursions. We'll have a live report from London.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
GOLODRYGA: European Union Leaders are meeting in Denmark today to discuss the war in Ukraine and European security. The talks include a proposal to
use frozen Russian assets to fund billions of dollars in loans to Kyiv. The summit comes as Denmark is on high alert since last week's suspicious drone
activity at several airports and military sites.
The nation has temporarily banned civil drone flights. The Danish Prime Minister says Europe is in its most danger situation since the end of World
War II.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
METTE FREDERIKSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER: I hope that everybody recognizes now that there is a hybrid war. And one day it's Poland, the other day,
it's Denmark, and next week, it will probably somewhere else that we see sabotage, or we see drones flying, or we see, yeah -- you can -- you can --
there many different kinds of episodes. So, I see this from a European perspective. There is only one country that are willing to threat us, and
it is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now from London. As we heard from the prime minister, in terms of a strong answer in response to Russia's
aggressions there, not only in Ukraine, but to other sovereign European countries, including NATO members, what if anything is said about the
frozen Russian assets that have been highly debated upon now as the war has passed its third year.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Bianna, the issue of these frozen Russian assets has been a big source of debate, as you know, since the very
start of the war, since the Central Bank assets were seized by the West in the first place. They are already using them to an extent.
They're using the interest they generate and funneling that to Ukraine, but that is in much smaller amounts. What they're proposing to do now is
essentially transfer the cash and use that as a loan to Ukraine that would be repaid in the event that the war ends.
Ideally, the European Commission feels that would get around some of the legal questions that still abound about this issue. But take a listen to
the EU Commission Chief, Ursula Von Der Leyen how she explains this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: We have to increase the pressure on Russia, and this is why I have proposed reparation loans
for Ukraine on the basis of the mobilized Russian assets. We are not confiscating the assets, but we are taking the cash balances for loan to
Ukraine. Ukraine has to pay back this loan if Russia pays reparations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So, look, there are still questions about this. It's clear in Europe, support is building. Chancellor Merz of Germany backed this idea in
an opinion piece in "The Financial Times" last week. But the questions obviously related to international law, related to what this would do to
the credibility of the Belgian banking system where these assets are held, the European banking system as a whole, the euro?
They are still there, even though, legally, as the commission presents this, this would not be confiscation, but more alone structure and the
Kremlin today made it very clear that they don't differentiate between this plan and outright confiscation, saying they would see this as theft and
would seek legal action against those involved. But this, I think, at this stage in the war is not just about pressuring Russia.
[11:25:00]
This is about Europe now, without the financial backing of the United States, finding a way to fund Ukraine, to fund its military through this
ongoing war in a fashion that doesn't involve going back to their own taxpayers and asking for more money, which, of course, is politically
difficult, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Clare Sebastian, thank you so much. And now that the government is shut down here in the U.S. Americans may see a lot of these
closed signs. Coming up, we'll look at what services are shut down and which are still up and running. Plus, we'll take you to Memphis, Tennessee,
the latest target of the President's prime crackdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York. Here are some of the headlines we're watching today. All but the most
essential government services are stopped at this hour after U.S. lawmakers could not agree on a budget. Republicans and Democrats are blaming each
other for the shutdown.
The Senate will vote again later on a Republican spending plan, something they promise to do daily until enough lawmakers agree to reopen the
government. Part of a high-rise apartment building in the Bronx, New York has collapsed. Officials say a ventilation shaft connected to the boiler
exploded. They are investigating the cause of that explosion. The Mayor of New York says no one was injured.
Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany was shut down earlier today after a letter containing an explosive threat. Police discovered explosives in a
residential building that was deliberately set on fire over a family dispute, leaving one person dead and another missing. Authorities say the
operation posed no threat to the public.
The fourth day of youth protests in Morocco turned violent, escalating into clashes with security forces Tuesday evening. Demonstrators are demanding
better education and health care. Protests across cities are being organized by an online, anonymous youth group.
[11:30:00]
We want to take a closer look at the U.S. government shutdown, where Republicans are planning another vote in the coming hours to try and get a
seven-week stop gap measure passed and reopen the government. As with most things in Washington, each party is blaming the other. The main sticking
point, according to Democrats, is restoring health care subsidies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Republicans thought that they could barrel us into a shutdown because they didn't want to protect the health care of the
American people. Well now they've seen they can't bully us. They can't barrel us. They don't have the votes to push their partisan bill through
that did nothing to protect American health care. So, the solution now is for both sides to sit down and come to an agreement that protects American
health care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The government shutdown will have a range of effects on the U.S. economy from employees not getting paid to a halt in some public services.
Brian Todd runs through some of the impacts.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What's going to be open and what hasn't. Here are some of what we can tell you what will continue to operate.
Crucially, Social Security and Medicare payments will continue normally. Everyone who gets those will continue to get those.
Now the question regarding some of these benefits is, if you call and have questions about your benefits, or if something is if you have a hitch and
you need to ask someone, is there going to be someone there to pick up the phone and answer your questions at these agencies? We'll have to see about
that.
That's been an issue in previous shutdowns. Unemployed people will continue to get their jobless benefits during the shutdown that will be
uninterrupted. Now, crucially, the State Department is going to be still issuing passports and visas during a possible shutdown, and will continue
to assist Americans who are abroad.
But we have to say that only about 10,000 State Department employees will be considered essential workers out of a workforce of almost 27,000 people.
So how fast these visas and passports will be processed? That is going to be a big question.
Crucially, also, the National Weather Service is going to continue its forecasts and warnings regardless of whether there is a shutdown or not.
That is crucial, because we're still in the middle of a hurricane season. Now, what could be compromised or actually shut down in the event of a
shutdown?
Well, the Food and Drug Administration, we're told that their inspectors could have their work halted or delayed, or possibly that they won't go on
at all. Also, we're told that Americans can expect travel delays, especially at airports if there's a government shutdown because TSA
screeners, those security screeners at American airports will not be paid.
In the past, when that has happened, some TSA employees have called in sick. You get staffing shortages. We're also told that air traffic
controllers will be on the job, but they will not be paid. Now, in a previous government shutdown, the decision by some air traffic controllers
to stay away from work actually led to the ending of that shutdown.
So, keep a close eye on that and on travel delays in the United States. A big question national parks and whether they will continue to stay open.
That's a little unclear. We have contacted the National Park Service. We haven't gotten answers on that as to whether the parks and the monuments in
Washington will continue to be open to visitors.
In the past, they've relied on some additional funding, some extra funding, to stay open for a few days during a government shutdown. We're not sure if
that's going to happen this time. One Department of the Interior Official told me they've received almost no guidance as to whether appropriations
will be available to keep national parks open or not if there is a shutdown.
GOLODRYGA: All right, thanks to Brian Todd for that report. Meantime, federal law enforcement officers are now on the ground in Memphis,
Tennessee. The U.S. Attorney General says nine arrests have already been made. It's all part of President Trump's move to use federal forces to help
fight crime in mostly Democratic run cities.
Tennessee's Republican Governor says that he doesn't expect more than 150 National Guard troops to be sent to Memphis, as in other cities that have
been the target of Trump's crime crackdown, the decision has spawned protests. Some protesters call it an occupation. CNN's Ryan Young joins us
from Memphis.
So, Ryan, as I noted, some protesters there are calling this an occupation. Are you hearing from any others that perhaps may be welcoming this news?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is a mix here, especially when you're dealing with the cities dealt with so much
violent crime. When you talk to some folks who work in the police department, they're saying violent crime is down. In fact, they're seeing
five-and-six years lows.
A lot of crime spiked after the pandemic. You know that we've covered it all across this country. What people are concerned about is violent crime.
But before I get too far into the numbers here, I really want to set the scene for what we're seeing as we speak.
This build up, really, of federal resources and folks coming into the city is something that we've been able to witness ourselves. If you look over
here, you can see all the heavy machinery that's been brought in.
[11:35:00]
These are command posts that have been brought in from the outside. We also see the TBI is here, which is the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. We've
seen FBI agents here as well. We also have to note that in the last 48 hours, of course, Pam Bondi saying they've made some 53 arrests.
But this does make some folks in the community nervous, because they're not sure how this works. The mayor has said they want more federal resources.
They want more resources for the community to keep this violent crime streak going down.
There are some people in neighborhoods who are tired of the violent crime, so yes, they want to see more, but they're scared that young boys and young
men might be targeted by this, and that's something they're trying to deal with. In fact, take a listen to the mayor talking during a town hall just
last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL YOUNG, MEMPHIS MAYOR: I think we're still working through how they're going to fold into some of the things that are working within MPD. And so,
we do have every reason to believe that they're going to be collaborative and work with our police department.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Yeah. And I want to say this, especially for our international audience, it's not often that we show up to an area in a city like Memphis,
and there's this build up. This is a federal build up. All the cars that are in this direction are pretty much attached to this operation.
And we're still trying to find out the details about what neighborhoods they may be targeting, because, of course, with violent crime, there are
certain areas of the town that routinely have historically bad violence, and that's something that the community is wondering about.
Where will this targeted enforcement end up? Where will it go? How will it interact with the community? People have watched the video in DC, and
they're worried that people will occupy streets and that they won't be able to move and do business the way they normally do.
Now look, Memphis is one of those things that has a strong tourism area. We know Bill Street, we know Elvis, we know all those things. So, people are
concerned about how this will move. But let's be clear here, there are people in the community who want the extra resources.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Ryan Young reporting live from Memphis, Tennessee. Thanks so much. And still to come for us, talk of peace while escalating
war, Israel tightens its encirclement of Gaza City while the world waits for Hamas to respond to Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal. So where do
things stand? I'll speak with an expert just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: We are still waiting to hear if Hamas will accept Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for ending the war in Gaza.
[11:40:00]
On Tuesday the U.S. President gave the militant group three to four days to make a decision. Now, we're told, Hamas says it will prepare a final
response once it completes consultations with Palestinian factions.
The Israeli Cabinet, meanwhile, still needs to formally sign off on the plan, and that hasn't happened yet. On Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu
verbally agreed to the initiative while at the White House, but one of his main political rivals, is suggesting that he may not be true to his word.
In a social media post a Yair Lapid warned that Netanyahu has a pattern of publicly agreeing to policies abroad while undermining them at home.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross has just announced that it is temporarily suspending operations in Gaza City, as Israel has threatened to cut off
Northern Gaza. Civilians in Gaza have mixed feelings about Trump's plan, with one of them saying, we just want this massacre and nightmare to stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMED ZOWEIDI, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN IN GAZA: After two years of war, the decision calls for disarming Gaza. I feel both for and against it. I
support it because we are extremely exhausted, but I oppose it because we are rightful owners of the land, and disarmament would mean submission and
surrender.
ASHRAF ABU NADA, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN IN GAZA: I believe stopping the bloodshed of Palestinians is the most important thing for us right now, as
for the Palestinian resistance, it is not new. It has existed since this occupation of Palestine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Now it all comes as Israel's Defense Minister issues a final warning for Palestinians to flee Gaza City before the IDF's planned
military takeover. Ghaith Al-Omari is a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He's also a Former Palestinian Negotiator
and a Former Adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and he joins me live now from Washington.
Ghaith, it's good to see you again. So, Hamas has now, according to reports, signaled openness to the president's plan, but with some caveats,
and we don't know those specific caveats. But from your perspective, what is driving this shift? Is this the continued military pressure in Gaza
City, or is it the pressure politically from other Arab countries, in Muslim countries, including Turkey, Qatar and Egypt?
GHAITH AL-OMARI, FORMER PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: Thank you. I think it's the latter. I think it's the Arab pressure. I mean, what was interesting in
this latest initiative is that it created a regional coalition, a coalition that not only include Hamas' opponents, like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, et
cetera.
But Hamas' backers, namely Qatar and most importantly, Turkey, and they are pushing Hamas to move. They were brought on board because President Trump
accepted some of their own demands, having a plan for the day after the war, pathway to a Palestinian State. So, Hamas is facing tremendous
pressure from its Arab and regional backers.
GOLODRYGA: The plan also requires Hamas to disarm and dismantle its tunnels and weapons and release the hostages over the course of three days. Given
the group's rejection of such demands in the past, do you see any realistic scenario that they will follow through on it now, even if they agree to the
terms?
AL-OMARI: Most likely they will give a yes, but a qualified agreement. The three-day timeline is simply unrealistic. Most likely they will engage in
the process and will try to stall. But in some ways, it's good to start with anything right now. As one of the Gazan interviewees said, people in
Gaza want to see an end of the war.
Dismantling Hamas' capabilities is something is going to take some time like any insurgency, but at least, let's start this process of doing this
without the civilians being subjected to the -- you know brutality that we have seen over the last couple of years.
GOLODRYGA: In the introduction you heard me say that Hamas, as they're going through this proposal and have some caveats, say they also need to
discuss with various Palestinian factions. Would you have a sense of who these factions are? Because we know there's no love lost between Hamas and
the PA. I mean, maybe it's Islamic Jihad, but I'm just curious who these other factions could be.
AL-OMARI: When they say other factions, they mean Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, some of these small factions.
However, when I hear Hamas say we want to consult with other factions, what I'm hearing is we want to buy time. Hamas never consults with other
factions.
When they want to move forward, they do it by themselves. I think what is keeping Hamas or delaying Hamas is internal discussions, because Hamas has,
like any organization, different wings, some people are more leaning forward towards accepting. Some people are more hardline.
So, I think they're buying time, and also, they're going to see what's going to come out of Israel. As you indicated earlier, Bibi said the
Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu said yes, when he was in DC, but now is has not formalized it.
[11:45:00]
So, I think we, in a sense, we're waiting, you know, Israel is waiting for Hamas to take the first move. Hamas is waiting for Israel to take the first
move without sustained American and Arab pressure on both sides. I suspect both might end up letting this opportunity slip.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, because we're also awaiting a cabinet vote in Israel as well, and we know that there are some very vocal opponents, specifically in
the far-right faction of Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition that have threatened to even leave given some of the concerns and disagreements they
have had in the past with some of the points outlined here in the plan.
What is your sense on the public polling and opinion in Gaza at this point? We're now tragically approaching two years since that horrific October 7th
attack and the devastating war that has ensued since tens of thousands have been killed. You hear from those civilians on the ground that they just
want this war to be over. What does Hamas risk losing if they say no to a deal right now in terms of support from their public?
AL-OMARI: I think first of all, it's important to note that it's impossible to really get a good read of what people feel on the ground, but for people
that I talk to, its very clear people are just tired. They want an end to this, and they don't care who comes after. They just want an end.
I think this is the biggest challenge right now facing Hamas, besides the kind of external pressure. They know, if they insist on doing this, they
will be seen by the Gaza population as simply putting their factional interest ahead of the national interest.
Already, I hear from Gazans that Hamas members are unwelcome in shelters, in social occasions, et cetera. They fear and they might end up being
ostracized completely politically and socially in Gaza. And I focus on socially, because many of the Hamas fighters are part of this very closely
knit, you know, tribes and families, et cetera.
There's a huge price to pay, and that's why, in some ways, and this may be counterintuitive, we are hearing maybe more positive signs from the Hamas
folks in Gaza than we are hearing from the Hamas folks who are based in Qatar.
GOLODRYGA: Right, because they are not living on the ground and seeing all the devastation and feeling the pressure from those among them that are
demanding that this war come to an end, really important points. Ghaith Al- Omari, good to have you on as always. Thank you.
AL-OMARI: Thank you, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come on "One World", Elon Musk says he's building a rival to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, why he says it's needed, and
how he intends to do that. That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
GOLODRYGA: Well, Elon Musk says Wikipedia is too woke, and he tweeted that his artificial intelligence company X AI is building an alternative to the
online encyclopedia called Grokipedia. He's saying that it's a necessary step, but taking down Wikipedia will not be easy. It's one of the ten most
visited websites on the planet.
Joining us now is CNN Media Correspondent Hadas Gold. So, Hadas, we know when Elon sets his mind and heart at something in his pocketbook, he stays
pretty committed. What more are we learning about this new plan?
HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: We don't have a ton of details right now. All we know is, from what Elon Musk has posted on X and somewhat --
what some other people have been posting on X, who work at X AI, is that they are planning to create this Wikipedia alternative called Grokipedia.
Now, Elon Musk has a long-standing beef. You could call it with Wikipedia. He has called it wokepedia. He once jokingly offered a billion dollars if
they were to change their name to something inappropriate. He calls it legacy media propaganda. And as you can see right there.
He's talking about they will be that Grokipedia, he says, will be a massive improvement over Wikipedia and saying it's a necessary step towards the X
AI, goal of understanding the universe. He did repost what one of his engineers at X AI wrote, which was that it will be the world's most
comprehensive knowledge base, born with rich multimodal sources, image, audio, video.
One of the biggest questions, though, of course, will be, who will be writing this? Wikipedia is crowd sourced. Anybody can edit a Wikipedia
page. All of that history of the editing is very public. You can see it. It's not clear yet whether Grok Elon Musk's AI Chat will be used to write
Grokipedia, or whether it will be crowd sourced in the same way that Wikipedia is.
Now Elon Musk is not alone in having criticized Wikipedia. Conservatives for a very long time have criticized Wikipedia as biased. One of the
reasons being that Wikipedia has sort of a list of reliable sources that you are able to cite from in these articles and on the unreliable sources
list include a lot of conservative news outlets such as Breitbart.
Now left-wing outlets are also on this list as well, but conservatives say that this helps make Wikipedia inherently biased towards the left. There
have been other attempts at creating Wikipedia alternatives. There was a Conservapedia once launched in 2006 it still exists, but it's not making as
-- it hasn't made as much, you know, waves, as Wikipedia does.
But it's a lot different when you have Elon Musk, richest man in the world already owns a big social media company, owns an AI company, is now going
to be putting forth and doing this as well. And one thing it shows you is how there is such a desire to control the information, to control the media
environment.
And listen nowadays, if you agree with Elon Musk's world view, you can essentially surround yourself with it. You can be on X, a social media
company. You can only use the Grok AI Chatbot as soon, you'll be able to go to Grokipedia, and you'll be able to have all of those likely integrated if
you want to in the Tesla that will drive you to wherever you want to go.
GOLODRYGA: All right, everything in Elon Trump -- Elon Musk's a Freudian slip, little web that he has created. Hadas Gold, thank you so much. Well,
"Late Night Talk Show" Host Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert joined hands, each having the other on their respective shows nearly simultaneously,
Tuesday night.
They mocked President Trump and swapped stories about their programs being pulled off the air. Kimmel's show was briefly suspended last month, while
Colbert's show is being canceled in May of next year. Here's a snippet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, ABC'S "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": I'm on the phone with the ABC executives, and they say, listen, we want to take the temperature down.
We're concerned about what you're going to say tonight, and we decided that the best route is to take the show off the air tonight.
That's what I said. I started booing. I said, I don't think that's a good idea. And they said, well, we think it's a good idea. And then there was a
vote, and I lost the vote, and so I had -- I put my pants back on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Both comedians are frequent and unabashed critics of Trump and his administration. And true to form last night, alongside plenty of jokes,
Kimmel added quote, we thought it might be a fun way to drive the president nuts.
Well, Hollywood just added another star to its Walk of Fame. Fran Drescher made it big when she starred in the 90s Sitcom "The Nanny" a character fans
loved for her bold fashion and, of course, unforgettable nasal voice. More recently, she served as President of the SAG-AFTRA, before Sean Astin of
"Lord of the Rings" and Rudy fame took over.
[11:55:00]
As her star was unveiled, Drescher said, I always dreamt of becoming a star. And today, I guess this makes it official. Congratulations to Fran.
And finally, this hour, that's Lola Young's hit Single, Messy. The 24-year- old singer is making headlines after announcing on social media that she's going away for a while and canceling everything for the foreseeable future.
The rising number -- the rising star, had a number of performances scheduled in the UK before going on tour in the U.S. and Canada through
early December. The announcement comes days after the singer appeared to collapse on stage mid performance. CNN has reached out to Young's team for
more information. All right, do stay with CNN. I'll have more "One World" after the break.
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