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One World with Zain Asher

Russia: Ukraine Drone Attack Targeted One Of Putin's Residences; Soon: Trump And Netanyahu To Discuss Phase Two Of Gaza Ceasefire; U.S. Pledges $2B For U.N. Humanitarian Aid; British Boxer Anthony Joshua Injured In Deadly Crash; How Recalled Products Can Linger On Store Shelves; Bulgaria To Introduce Euro On January 1; Dubai Tennis Exhibition Pits Sabalenka Against Kyrgios; 11-Year-Old Donates His Hair After Growing It For Two Years; U.S. Lawmakers Sound The Alarm On A.I. Development; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired December 29, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:35]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. My colleague Bianna Golodryga is off today. You are watching

the second hour of "One World."

We begin with an already fragile peace process, now potentially threatening to unravel. Russia is vowing to retaliate after accusing Ukraine of

attacking one of President Vladimir Putin's residences in the Novgorod Region. And the Kremlin is threatening to rethink its negotiating position

as well.

Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met with U.S. President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort over the weekend, immediately rejected the

claim, calling it an attempt by Moscow to derail peace talks. And he's accusing Russia of using this as a pretext for massive strikes, possibly on

the Kyiv region.

It all comes as Trump wrapped up his second phone call with the Russian president in two days. The White House calls the discussion positive.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us live now from Berlin. So Zelenskyy is essentially saying that these accusations by Russia, that Ukraine

essentially attacked or tried to attack one of Putin's residences, is really a -- a pretext to try to sort of sabotage the peace talks. Is it,

Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's very -- obviously very difficult to -- to say, but certainly what we're hearing

from the Russians, and we have a readout or a statement from the Russians from that phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader

Vladimir Putin, it came from a senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, and that seems to indicate very strongly, at least as far as the Russians are

concerned, that that alleged attack on a residence of the Russian president there in the Novgorod Region, which is about two-thirds of the way between

Moscow and St. Petersburg, but that was a large part of that conversation and certainly played an important role.

One of the things that Ushakov said is that Vladimir Putin informed President Trump about that alleged attack, and also claimed that that

attack would not go unanswered as far as the Russian side is concerned.

And also that the Russians, as you stated, were rethinking their negotiation position, or their negotiating position towards the Ukrainians

and whether negotiations could continue in the way that they have been so far. Obviously, that very much of concern for a U.S. president, Donald

Trump, who has been working very hard to try and end the conflict in Ukraine. The Russians that also saying that President Trump was allegedly

shocked at all of this.

But again, right now, we only have the Russian readout of all of this. We don't have a detailed readout from the U.S. side, aside from the White

House saying that the call was positive.

And you're absolutely right to point out that the Ukrainians came out pretty much immediately, both Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and

now the foreign minister as well, saying that the Ukrainians did not attack a residence of the Russian president and indeed calling this a pretext, if

you will, to possible Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.

Again, the Russians are saying that all of this would be retaliation. So certainly right now, big hiccup potentially in those efforts to end the

conflict in Ukraine. But again, the Ukrainians are saying that they're obviously proceeding with everything in the way that they had wanted to,

and at the same time claiming that they did not attack this residence.

I think one of the interesting things to point out is some of the details that we're getting from the Russians. The Russian foreign minister, Sergey

Lavrov, came out and claimed that it was 91 drones that attacked this residence that all of them were shot down.

The Russian defense ministry then came out and said it was a little bit of over 40 drones that were shot down by Russian surface to -- to air systems.

And so the Russians, obviously, they're giving some details as to what they say went down there. But again, the Ukrainians claiming that none of this

happens, Zain.

ASHER: And, Fred, just aside from these accusations, just talk to us about some of the sticking points in terms of the peace plan and what Russian or

rather, Zelenskyy and Trump had been discussing when it comes to the peace plan.

Some of the major sticking points obviously include this idea of land concessions. Zelenskyy brought up potentially a referendum across Ukraine

to ask the Ukrainian people about that, but also what happens with the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as well.

PLEITGEN: Yes. So -- so also, I'd say that there are still some sticking points. It's been quite interesting to -- to see that both the White House

and Kyiv both say that pretty much a little bit over 90 percent of a possible agreement, at least one between the United States and Ukraine, or

as far as that side of -- of the process is concerned seems to be hammered out.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he came out and said that there are essentially, as far as the Ukrainians are concerned, still two

major sticking points. One of them is the future of the Zaporizhzhia power plant, which is one of the biggest nuclear power plants in the world

currently held by the Russians.

[12:05:15]

The Ukrainians say it's theirs. The question is, how is that power plant going to operate? Where's the electricity from that power plant going to go

in the future?

And then you're absolutely right, the biggest sticking point. And that's certainly something that the Ukrainians are also saying is that question of

territorial concessions. Are they going to happen? How are they going to happen?

And in that, the Ukrainian president who in recent days has shown himself more open to possible concessions said there needs to be a referendum on

all of that by the Ukrainian people. And in order for there to be a referendum, there needs to be a ceasefire of about 60 days.

The Russians have said that's not going to happen. They believe that the Ukrainian military will regroup. So they're strictly against that. That

certainly seems to be one of the big sticking points.

And then one of the things where the Ukrainians say that pretty much everything is hammered out is those security guarantees. However, the big

question there is, how long would those security guarantees last as far as the U.S. is concerned?

Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that President Trump had offered up 15 years, but the Ukrainians want something longer that the Ukrainians saying

potentially 30, 40 or even 50 years because they say that the current conflict with Russia has already been going on for 10 years. And so

certainly they would want security for a lot longer than that, Zain.

ASHER: Yes. When you consider it's been going on since 2014, it's understandable why Zelenskyy thinks the 15 years just simply doesn't mean

much.

Fred Pleitgen live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. In the next hour, President Trump hosts the Israeli Prime Minister at Mar-a-Lago to discuss the critical and next phase after Gaza

ceasefire. Washington is hoping to create fresh momentum for the U.S. broker plan. Both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the deal.

Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to bring up the danger that he says Iran poses the region, the situation in Lebanon and his 2026 reelection

bid. Netanyahu met the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, a short time ago in Florida.

CNN's Matthew Chance is in Jerusalem and has more on what that state here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, this is a crucial meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu

because these two leaders have very different ideas about what should happen next in Gaza.

President Trump is keen to move to the second phase of his much-vaunted peace plan, the centerpiece in many ways of his foreign policy to try and

create a lasting peace in the Middle East.

And U.S. officials have been working hard behind the scenes to try and create the conditions to make that happen. But Netanyahu, who oversees a

fragile right-wing coalition is skeptical. It would mean the disarmament of Hamas, of course, but Israel would also have to make painful concessions

like withdrawing from territory in Gaza, handing control to an international stabilization force, which both Netanyahu and his coalition

partners are, I mean, not particularly happy about it.

The fact that the remains of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, have also still not been handed over by Hamas, has also been cast in Israel

as a major obstacle to moving forward.

And it's interesting, the parents of the hostage who are opposed to starting the second phase of the peace plan until their remains are found

are with Netanyahu on this trip to Florida and are also expected to meet President Trump.

There are other items, of course, on Netanyahu's agenda as well. Iran rebuilding its ballistic missile program and its nuclear program. The

failure of Hezbollah to disarm in Lebanon and the security situation between Syria and Israel.

But it's that issue of Gaza and the second phase of Trump's peace plan that they prove to be most contentious. Back to you, Zain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Many thanks to Matthew Chance for that report.

All right. After sweeping foreign aid cuts this year, the Trump administration has announced $2 billion for U.N. humanitarian aid. The

funding is a fraction of past U.S. support down from a $17 billion annual peak in 2022.

U.N. aid chief, Tom Fletcher, says the U.N.'s humanitarian response is overstretched and underfunded.

Peter Yeo is the president of the Better World Campaign. He joins us live now from Washington. Peter, thank you so much for being with us.

When you think about the fact that where the U.N. rather is experiencing or rather various humanitarian organizations around the world are experiencing

major foreign aid cuts, you think about the fact that Europe has decided to sort of dedicate a lot of its money and funding towards defense,

understandably, because of the war in Ukraine, there isn't enough left over to go to various humanitarian crises around the world. And then on top of

that, the United States.

[12:10:05]

I mean, that's a massive decline from $17 billion in 2022 to just $2 billion this time around. It sounds like a huge amount of money. And it

does sort of put the U.S. in the category as -- as the world's sort of largest humanitarian donor.

But that kind of dramatic cut does not bode well for a lot of -- of the humanitarian crisis that the world is facing right now.

PETER YEO, PRESIDENT, BETTER WORLD CAMPAIGN: Well, there's no doubt that as we look at 2026 in the humanitarian situation around the world, as Tom

Fletcher noted, we are overstaffed and underfunded. Are -- and there's just not enough money to be handling the humanitarian challenges out there.

But I was really heartened by Jeremy Lewin's comment from Geneva today. Jeremy Lewin is the senior Trump administration official who negotiated

this deal with the United Nations, in which he said that this was initial down payment, a beginning of the U.S. commitment to the U.N.'s humanitarian

work moving forward.

And I think as we think about Congress continuing its work on the 2026 budget, hopefully there will be additional flows of U.S. investments to

hotspots such as Yemen and Sudan and D.R. Congo through the United Nations.

Because I think it's important that we remember that our investments in humanitarian aid, yes, it's about providing food and shelter to people

around the world who need it. It's a moral responsibility.

But ultimately, it's in America's long-term interest to do this. Because if you allow these humanitarian hotspots to go, you know, unaided, then over

the long term, that poses a problem for American national security interests and ultimately to the safety of Americans.

So this is hopefully the beginning of a -- a new vision between the Trump administration and the United Nations as it relates to humanitarian

assistance.

ASHER: All right. So it's a potentially a down payment. Perhaps, we will see much more humanitarian aid from the U.S.

But the fact that there is still at this point a sort of $15 billion shortfall that's no small change, who suffers as a result?

YEO: Well, I was in Afghanistan -- I was in Afghanistan in April when I was in Damascus in October meeting with families who need this humanitarian

assistance. So, ultimately, when there are shortfalls in the international system for humanitarian, its individual families who have been dislocated

from their homes, who have been subject to violence, who ultimately are bearing the brunt of this shortfall from the international community.

It's my hope that the U.N. will be able to meet as many of their needs as possible moving forward. They've set a goal of meeting the needs of 87

million people suffering from humanitarian challenges in 2026.

The U.S. down payment of two billion will be helpful and hopefully will spur other countries in the Gulf, in the private sector in Europe, to make

additional commitments in order to allow the U.N. to meet this 87 million figure as it relates to humanitarian assistance. Because if you don't meet

it, then it's ultimately individual families who suffer as a result.

I was actually heartened to hear that there's a real focus on Syria moving forward, because 2026 will really be about making sure that the

humanitarian situation is dealt with there.

ASHER: All right. Peter Yeo live for us. Thank you so much.

Nigerian police say that British boxing star, Anthony Joshua, was injured in a car crash that killed two other people. This is social media video

showing him being rescued from the wreckage.

The crash happened Monday morning on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Ogun State. Joshua suffered only minor bruises and is receiving treatment.

Born in England to Nigerian parents, Joshua does have close family ties to the area. Patrick Snell joins us live now with the details.

I mean, Patrick, when you look at that social media video, he looks like he's in agony. I mean, I understand that when reporting that he only

suffered minor injuries. What do we know about how he's doing? And also, who else was -- was with him? I don't know if we necessarily have that

information yet.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes. We -- we do to some degree, Zain. Yes, and it is -- it is worth actually looking at that video, again, that you

just referenced, because it is very strong. It's very powerful. You can see Joshua clearly in pain. You're quite right, Zain.

This is the aftermath of the incident. He's helped out being helped out of the vehicle. And you can see the crowd of onlookers as well, who gathered

very quickly among them, people filming the incident as well.

Joshua is conscious at this point, was to say, wincing in pain, really wincing in pain. Probably what officials say was a collision between the

car Joshua was in and a stationary vehicle. Joshua was in the back seat of his car at the time.

[12:15:09]

And over the last couple of hours or so, we've been learning more throughout this day about what happened. The incident taking place around

11:00 A.M. local time over there in Nigeria. That busy stretch of the expressway connecting Ogun to the commercial center of Lagos.

We do have to point this out though, sadly it's one steeped in tragedy, two people losing their lives. Joshua himself as you said, he's -- he's well

and responding to treatment. That's confirmed by the police as well suffering minor bruising.

But just to reiterate, according to the officials there, the British boxing superstar with those minor bruises, and we -- we were trying to get more

information throughout the day. We have now had it, but police, at the same time, also confirming that two other occupants in the vehicle with him,

including the driver were killed and that those who died were in fact foreign nationals.

The 36-year-old Joshua born to Nigerian parents. He was actually born in Watford near London in England, but he has stayed connected to family in

Nigeria over the years.

For global context, I want to just broaden this out. Joshua is a massive, massive global star in the sport of boxing. One of the best British

heavyweights in the sports history, a former two-time unified world champ with an Olympic gold medal as well to his name.

And we most recently saw him just a few days before Christmas. He was in action against the YouTuber turned boxer, Jake Paul. A.J. winning that one

very convincingly indeed in their heavyweight fight.

It was all very one-sided, a total mismatch really, if I'm being honest. Paul suffering a double fracture of the jaw.

Paul though is interesting because he has, just a short while ago, Zain, taken to social media, taken to X in which he references, "Life is much

more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, A.J. and anyone impacted by today's unfortunate accident."

And that -- that fight against Paul, Zain, was seen as basically an opportunity for Joshua to get his career back on track. It was his first

bout since Daniel Dubois knocked him out in five rounds. That was late last year in September. He's trying to get his career back on track, as I say,

with a -- with a potential clash against Tyson Fury in 2026 possibly on the card the fight that many fans have been calling for -- for years now.

I remember it was back in 2020 Joshua was still flying high at the top of the heavyweight division having won his world titles back from Andy Ruiz

Jr. and retaining them in a really convincing big win against the Bulgarian challenger Kubrat Pulev as well.

A lot has changed since then. But on this day, the -- the -- just -- just the -- the updates that we're waiting to hear from Anthony Joshua. And I

think when we do hear from Anthony Joshua, we will get a lot more to bring you on this story.

But again, I do want to stress that this is a day steeped in tragedy with two lives lost as well, Zain. Back to you.

ASHER: Yes. Thinking really about the family members of those who lost their lives in that car accident and also Anthony Joshua as well making

make a -- a really quick recovery.

Patrick Snell live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, a massive waterspout hit Spain's northeastern coast as serious flooding ravages the area. We'll have the latest for you.

Plus, an important reminder to double check before you buy. We'll explain why some American stores are still selling recalled products.

And later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHASE WILCH, 11-YEAR-OLD HAIR DONOR: Just be a good person and you don't have to grow your hair out or donate. Just maybe go help somebody. Maybe go

volunteer or something like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: How adorable. Meet the 11-year-old who is making a difference, his inspiration behind the cause and why he's called the Cancer Ninja.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:28]

ASHER: Incredible scenes on Spain's southeastern coast where a waterspout hold debris skywards over the town of Puerto de Mazarron. Only material

damage was reported. Torrential rains have battered southern and eastern Spain in recent days leaving one person dead and two missing.

Authorities issued red orange alerts across nine provinces urging residents in some areas to seek higher ground.

When passing through the aisle of her local Kroger store CNN's Brenda Goodman recently spotted a can of ByHeart baby formula. A product that had

already been recalled after it was linked to dozens of cases of infant botulism.

The can had a recall notice attached underneath. And Kroger says there was a block at the point of sale so it couldn't be purchased.

Meg Tirrell explains how some dangerous products can actually still linger on store shelves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, folks might remember the recall of baby formula back in November over a concern about contamination

with botulism. And in fact, 51 infants were reported ill and all were hospitalized. Thankfully no deaths were reported as part of this recall.

This was spread across 19 states with most cases being reported in Texas and California, but really across the whole country.

And so November 11th, the company that makes this formula, ByHeart, issued a recall of all lots of this formula and we should note that this makes up

about one percent of the baby formula market. So, there aren't concerns about shortages of baby formula as part of this recall.

But our colleague, Brenda Goodman, on the health team was shopping in her local supermarket in Atlanta, a Kroger, when she saw one of these

containers of baby formulas still on the shelf.

Now, there was a sign underneath it noting that the product had been recalled, but she and experts in this space were concerned that this

product was still on shelves.

Now, Kroger says in a statement that, quote, when the recall was issued, we urgently removed the affected product and immediately placed a block at the

point of sale to make it impossible for a customer to purchase the recalled item.

So essentially saying even though it was on the shelf, if somebody had tried to take it and actually purchase it at the register, they wouldn't

have been able to do so.

But, obviously, still a major concern that it was on the shelf at all. Kroger not saying exactly why that was still the case.

Now, the FDA had sent warning letters to Kroger and three other retailers December 12th because there were items, according to their inspections and

state and local inspections that found that these products were still on shelves.

And experts note that this has happened before that products can be recalled but either due to lack of manpower or other issues that retailers

sometimes still don't aren't able to get them off of shelves.

The FDA itself also has been criticized for moving slowly in this recall. Now, they know that there have been more than 4,000 checks of retail stores

that they and their state and local partners have conducted but, of course, seeing this just before Christmas by our colleague.

We should also note that ByHeart, the maker of this formula, said December 23rd that it had notified of retail partners and confirmed that that

communication was sent to stores. They also have said that they've paused all production. And they're auditing every step of their supply chain to

better understand this contamination issue.

Now, the FDA keeps a list of recalled items so consumers can go to the FDA's website to search items that have been recalled.

And for consumer products, this can be a big concern as well especially for baby items. There, the Consumer Product Safety Commission keeps a list of

recalled items as well.

[12:25:01]

And experts recommend, especially if buying second-hand, it's a good idea to go to the CPSC website and look through its list of recalls, ensure that

the product that you're considering buying hasn't been recalled.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Meg Tirrell reporting there.

Big changes are coming to the economy in Bulgaria, which will transition to the Euro at the start of the New Year. The European Central Bank calls it

historic milestone that will offer new opportunities for people and businesses.

It comes just weeks after the Bulgarian government resigned amid widespread protests over alleged corruption and the state of the economy.

CNN's Lynda Kinkade has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dual pricing at a Bulgarian grocery store, the cost of goods displayed in both the outgoing

Bulgarian currency, the lev and euros.

A soft launch of what customers can expect to pay on January 1st when Bulgaria adopts the euro as its official currency.

It's taken many years for Bulgaria to meet the economic criteria to join the euro, after becoming a member of the European Union back in 2007.

And now that the time has come for the switch, Bulgarians are divided on how it will affect them. Some people say it would be good to integrate more

with other E.U. countries.

VESELINA APOSTOVIOVA, PENSIONER (through translator): Because in the entire E.U., the euro can be used. Not only older people but also young people can

easily travel using euros instead of having to exchange currency.

KINKADE (voice-over): But a recent poll says that about half the country, which is one of the poorest nations in the E.U., is skeptical, fearing the

change would drive up prices.

EMIL IVANOV, PENSIONER (through translator): I am against it. First, because the lev is our national currency. Secondly, Europe is heading

towards demise, which even the American president mentioned in the new national security strategy.

KINKADE (voice-over): Euro starter coin kits are now being circulated. Analysts say there may be some confusion, especially amongst the elderly,

as people use the new banknotes and coins.

But some processes will be automatic. Lev bank accounts will be converted into euros on the first of the year, a necessary adjustment period,

according to some economists.

STEFAN LUKOV, ECONOMIST (through translator): First and foremost, it will further integrate our economy. And in the end, at least, our central bank

will become a full member of the European central bank family and will have the right to participate in decision making.

KINKADE (voice-over): But the transition comes at a time of political turmoil in the country. The prime minister resigned in December after less

than a year in office, following weeks of mass protests against corruption and a controversial 2026 budget proposal, which means Bulgaria's entry into

the eurozone will be happening as the country tries to form a new government.

That's a lot of change in the New Year, but one thing is certain: as of January 1st, there will be a period of one month where there will be dual

circulation of both the lev and the euro for payments.

And after that, the euro will be Bulgaria's sole legal tender, and the lev, part of the country's past.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Artificial intelligence has infinite ways to make life better but it can also make things worse.

After the break, we'll show you what lawmakers are doing to protect A.I. users.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:57]

ASHER: This weekend in Dubai, event organizers built a high-profile tennis exhibition match as a modern-day Battle of the Sexes, but it didn't have

the cultural stakes of the 1973 original, which has gone down in history as a defining moment in the sport. This event landed more as a spectacle than

a statement. CNN's Don Riddell explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WOLRD SPORT: It's been 52 years now since the famous Battle of the Sexes, when Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs at the Houston

Astrodome.

More than half a century later, another Battle of the Sexes. On Sunday in Dubai, Aryna Sabalenka went head to head with Nick Kyrgios.

Now, to set the scene for you, Sabalenka is on top of her game. She's won four grand slam titles, including the U.S. Open in September. She is the

world number one female right now.

Kyrgios, on the other hand, he's never won a major title. And his ranking has plummeted because of recent injuries. He's actually only played a

handful of games this year.

But there is so much disparity between the way that men and women strike the ball that the organizers reduced the size of Sabalenka's half of the

court to level the playing field. Neither player was given a second serve.

They broke each other throughout the opening set, and although Kyrgios seemed to be tiring halfway through the match, he ultimately won it in

straight sets. Six three, six three.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARYNA SABALENKA, WOMEN'S WORLD NUMBER TENNIS PLAYER: I think it was a great level. I made a lot of great shots, moved a lot to the net, great drop

shots, knee, great serving. And, yes, I really enjoyed the show.

And I think -- not I think, I -- I feel like next time I'm -- when I play him, I already know the tactic, I know his strength, his weaknesses. And

it's going to be a better match for sure.

NICK KYRGIOS, TENNIS PLAYER: I had to strap in because she was putting the pressure on. She -- she was hitting some amazing shots. And, honestly, I

would love to play her again and -- and -- and showcase her talent and also what I have left in the tank.

But ultimately, it was -- it was a really hard-fought battle and it was breaks back and forth. And I think this is a great stepping stone forward

for the sport of tennis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: This match did not capture the world's attention like the original in 1973, nor did it feel like there was as much riding on the outcome. It

was an exhibition match with a twist.

So both players said they enjoyed it. They said they'd be open to a rematch and it's clear that Sabalenka thinks the next time, she could win it. Back

to you.

ASHER: 11-year-old Chase Wilch has gone two years without a haircut, not because he hasn't needed one. He was growing it to donate his hair and

raise awareness about cancer.

Sydney Babb from our affiliate WOWT showed us why he's called the Cancer Ninja.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I mean, it's pretty short, but that's what you're wanting.

C. WILCH: Yes. You can make somebody really happy.

SYDNEY BABB, WOWT REPORTER (voice-over): Every kid gets haircuts. But not every kid is Chase Wilch. Does it get pretty curly too?

C. WILCH: Yes. Like all these curls are natural.

BABB (voice-over): He's 11 now, but started growing his hair out when he was nine.

[12:35:03]

C. WILCH: Oh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.

BABB (voice-over): Today is the day he's finally cutting it.

C. WILCH: My hair can make someone happy. It feels like so weird. Like it almost feels like I'm just losing part of myself. It's so weird.

BABB (voice-over): And this trim is for a special cause.

BETH WILCH, CHASE WILCH'S MOTHER: He knew that I did it, and then one day he just came to us and just said, I think I'm going to grow my hair out

because I want to donate also.

C. WILCH: So -- so I can raise awareness for like breast cancer and kids of cancer.

BABB (voice-over): Raising awareness not just through his hair, but through another thing, his alter ego.

C. WILCH: I am the Breast Cancer Ninja.

BABB (voice-over): He's been a ninja warrior at Midwest Warrior Academy for the past four years.

C. WILCH: It's crazy, but it's also crazy fun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BABB (voice-over): And his inspiration is someone special.

C. WILCH: My grandma had breast cancer. And I decided it'd be a good name to have, so I can kind of help like support and raise awareness to it.

B. WILCH: It's incredible. He is one of a kind. We tell him all the time that he can change the world and he is.

BABB (voice-over): While Chase's grandmother is OK now, his message is still one he stands by.

C. WILCH: Whenever I kind of end off when I tell my growing-my-hair-out story, I'm like, just be a good person. And you don't have to grow your

hair out or donate. Just maybe go help somebody. Maybe go volunteer or something like that.

I kind of come from a big family of people that are just trying to put the good out in the world.

Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Up top.

BABB (voice-over): In Omaha, I'm Sydney Babb, First Alert 6.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Wow. What a beautiful thing to do.

A group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers want guardrails in the development of artificial intelligence. And it is Bernie Sanders and Katie Britt tell CNN

unrestricted A.I. development threatens democracy and it can have a harmful impact on minors.

They want companies to face responsibility for their creations and to restrict access to minors. Sanders adds, A.I.'s effect cannot be

underestimated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): This is the most consequential technology in the history of humanity. It will transform our country. It will transform

the world. And we have not had in Congress, in the media. And I'm glad you're doing this show. Or among the American people the kind of discussion

that we need.

SEN. KATIE BRITT (R-AL): It is imperative that we put up guardrails, especially when you're looking at A.I.'s. If these A.I. companies can make

the most brilliant machines in the world, they could do us all a service by putting up proper guardrails.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: The man known as the godfather of A.I. agrees. Geoffrey Hinton tell CNN President Trump's support of not regulating A.I. is, in his words,

crazy.

Time now for "The Exchange." Joining me is Shelly Palmer. He's a -- a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University and CEO of The Palmer

Group.

Shelly, it's been a while. I think it's been at least a couple of years since I've had you on my show. So good to see you, my friend.

We all know how much A.I. can, of course, benefit humanity. And we've talked about the breakthroughs in medicine, education. I mean, the list

goes on.

But when you think about some of the key issues, be it jobs, be it A.I. chatbots or, you know, ChatGPT, for example, developing harmful

relationships with minors. I mean, there was the case in July of the 23- year-old that was essentially goaded.

I mean, if you look at the transcripts, he was goaded by ChatGPT to commit suicide. And part of the issue is that, you know, this is a map that tells

you literally everything that you want to hear.

So just walk us through whether you think at this point the risks outweigh the benefit. That's something that Geoffrey Hinton has -- has talked about.

SHELLY PALMER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THE PALMER GROUP: You know, it doesn't matter what I think. And I think what we really need to do is

ground this in reality. There's about $3 trillion that's been lined up behind A.I.

The United States government made it very, very clear in its A.I. action plan that they believe we need to beat the Chinese to AGI, which is -- is

initialism for Artificial General Intelligence. There's no agreed upon definition of what that means. Some people say it's when A.I. can do human

level work or above human level work. Others say that it's when it can do economically useful work.

But however you want to define AGI, we are, by government mandate, to beat the Chinese there. So while you talk about A.I. companies and you talk

about how you might regulate them, what no one is paying attention to is that this is now the Manhattan Project of our generation.

And we have militarized A.I. And so as long as that's true, the federal government is not going to want to put any constraints on A.I. research or

A.I. companies that would in any way slow them down. So that's one thing that's going on.

[12:40:06]

Then we all get to use A.I. through the consumer interfaces, which by the way are nothing compared to what the industrial interfaces are like and

what they're capable of.

And when you put these things together, you've got two opposing ideas. One is, hey, how does somebody who's very lonely, who's now going to caught --

treat ChatGPT as a -- as a friend or as a loved one, because it's set up sick -- to be a sycophant and it's set up to just cajole you and make you

happy and it's reward based. So it's going to do that to a person.

But on the other side, it's for cybersecurity and putting drones over battlefields and creating battle plans that are better than the other A.I.

created battle plans. We are in two different worlds here.

And to try to separate them into consumer regulation and government regulation for military, it's a really hard problem. And so it's easy to

say, let's regulate. OK. What do you mean by that? That's the question you got to ask.

ASHER: There has to be appetite at the government level, as you point out. And if the mandate is we have to -- we have to win the race against China,

there's not going to be much appetite for that.

One of the things that Bernie Sanders, especially given his progressive views, obviously, it makes sense. He's focused on what A.I. will do to

jobs. He says, and I'm quoting here, if there are no jobs and humans won't be needed for most things, how do people get an income to feed their

families, to get healthcare or pay the rent?

And he mentions, I think this is critical, that there's not been one serious word of discussion in Congress about that reality. Do you agree?

And what should Congress be doing on that front?

PALMER: OK. First of all, Congress is not paying any attention in class, so that -- that -- and that's not new. Everything that has to do with

technology, this is not a group that cares much about.

It's important to think about where we are and where we're going. AGI, however you describe it, Artificial General Intelligence, platforms that

can do human level work, if that's your definition, or ASI, Artificial Super Intelligence, which would be more intelligent than we are, unable to

do things we cannot do or cannot conceive of, if you believe these things are going to be possible, and I do, the question is, what's your timing?

So right now, A.I. has not taken anybody's jobs. You're not going to find a job that's removed by A.I. Some menial clerical tasks are being taken up by

A.I. You can call it agent -- agentic tools or tools with agency, or you can call them agents or autonomous agents.

These are small little bits of A.I. that can do things like summarize an email, send an after action report, do a proposal.

When you talk about losing a full job to A.I., we're not there yet, at any moment, Zain. And I mean at any moment, on any day, today, tonight,

tomorrow. We could achieve AGI and that would literally change the world. You have to time that.

ASHER: Shelly, we -- I'm so sorry. I am out of time. I wish I could literally talk about this with you for hours, right? You're fascinating and

I love your mind and I love speaking to you, but I do have to go.

Shelly Palmer, appreciate you joining us. Happy New Year, my friend. OK.

All right. That does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "African Voices Changemakers" is up next. You're

watching CNN.

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