Return to Transcripts main page

One World with Zain Asher

Trump Urges Iranians To Keep Protesting Against Their Government; Minnesota And Illinois Sue Trump Administration Over ICE Operations; FBI: Suspect Confessed To Mississippi Synagogue Fire; Greenland's Minerals In Focus As Trump Eyes Territory; UNICEF: At Least 100 Children Killed In Gaza Since Ceasefire; WWII Vet Identifies His Dog Tags After 80 Years; Aired 12- 1p ET

Aired January 13, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:33]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Lethal force continues. Activists in Iran say the death toll is growing. The second hour of "One World" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY LAURENCE, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS SPOKESPERSON: This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Iranians fight for their right to demonstrate as the world is watching. Donald Trump says, help is on the way.

Also ahead, President Trump says a day of reckoning and retribution is coming to Minnesota. We are live in Minneapolis with the very latest.

And later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EWELL MOORE, WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN: I didn't even look for them. They were lucky to find them, I guess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Eighty years in the making. The incredible steps one man took to reunite a World War II veteran and his lost dog tags.

Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."

And we begin in Iran, where a nationwide internet blackout is in place as the regime brutally cracks down on protesters. Activists are saying the

death toll is soaring into the thousands. And the U.S. president promises that help is on the way without offering further explanation.

Now it all comes as demonstrators throughout the Islamic Republic take to the streets for the third straight week of anti-government protests, all

triggered by inflation and a currency crisis. It's ballooned much more since then.

And as violence against protesters is increasing, prompting this warning from the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURENCE: The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop. The labeling of protesters as terrorists to justify violence against them is unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Now because of the communications blackout, it is very difficult to get a clear picture of what's happening in Iran. But a U.S.-based rights

group says nearly 2,000 protesters have been killed and thousands of others arrested. Tehran is accusing the U.S. and Israel of fueling the unrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We have a large amount of documents and evidence indicating the involvement of both

the United States and Israel in this terrorist act.

Preemptive operations are not on our agenda. We do not seek war, but we are fully prepared for it indeed, even more prepared than before the previous

war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: I should note, there are no credible sources or information suggesting that these protests are being led externally.

Well, from the past two weeks, Trump has warned about possible U.S. military intervention in Iran if violence against protesters continues.

And this afternoon, he's set to meet with his national security team to discuss what he's calling a number of strong options. The White House is

already threatening to apply economic pressure on Tehran.

On Monday, the U.S. president said that any country doing business with Iran would face an additional 25 percent tariff on exports to the U.S. Now

that would include China, the biggest customer for Iranian oil and also a major trading partner of the United States.

CNN's Kevin Liptak joins me now live at the White House.

The president is expecting a briefing with top advisors to go over his options as well. And notable over the past 24 hours, the president had

first said that perhaps there was an opportunity for some sort of talks with Iranian officials. He's making it clear in a Truth Social protest,

however, that that window has closed, telling Iranian protesters to keep protesting. Help is on the way. How should we interpret that, Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And it seems as if the president either saw images, or limited images to be sure, or received

reports of this continuing crackdown overnight in Iran. And essentially did a 180.

You know, it was just Sunday on Air Force One when the president suggested that this message that the administration had received. It was this channel

between the foreign minister and Steve Witkoff, was somewhat more conciliatory than what the Iranians were saying in public.

Just yesterday, we heard from Karoline Leavitt, who said that diplomacy was still the first option, that the president would prefer to go down that

route than any sort of military action to what we saw this morning, the president saying that all meetings had been cancelled.

We don't know if any meetings had actually been scheduled, but the president seeming to rule out diplomacy, at least for now, which seems to

leave the president weighing these other options that are on the table, whether it's actually firing a missile into Iran, which would lead to

another host of decisions for the president to make.

[12:05:14]

What would the targets be? Would he go after the nuclear sites? Again, would he target some of the security services, any type of facility that is

leading the crackdown on these protests? Or does he go for the so-called non-kinetic options, things like a cyber-attack or sanctions or trying to

boost the internet in Iran to try and get around some of the information crackdown?

And we know that the president spoke just in the last couple of days with Elon Musk about trying to get more Starlink apparatuses into the country to

try and get more communication flowing for the outside world.

And so the president's clearly has a whole host of options before them. Of course, each of them comes with their own set of risks. You know, a strike

on an Iranian facility would almost certainly draw reprisals from Iran.

You've already heard officials in that country saying that American facilities in the region would become targets. And we've seen Iran in the

past target, you know, military outposts, including the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar.

If the president goes for a lesser option, there's the potential that his threats could be seen as empty, that it could potentially lead the Iranian

regime to sort of bolster themselves, to become more entrenched in this position of a crackdown.

And so you can see how the president has set himself up here by claiming that there was a red line and claiming that Iran had already potentially

surpassed it. He certainly will, and I think in his own mind have to take some sort of action.

Now, we understand that this briefing is set to occur later today. A lot of these options have already sort of been floated with the president in more

informal meetings.

One thing we do understand is that any action isn't expected to take place for at least the next several days, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: We'll continue to be watching it all. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much. And we'll have much more on the situation in Iran about 20 minutes

time.

Meantime, underway this hour, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in two cases involving transgender rights. Specifically, justices

are hearing challenges to Idaho and West Virginia laws that ban transgender athletes from participating on girls and women's sports teams.

At issue, whether the bans violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, an amount to discrimination on the basis of sex.

Elsewhere in Washington, Bill and Hillary Clinton are refusing to testify before Congress in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Lawyers for the

couple sent a letter to the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer. It says that the Clintons won't be showing up to their

scheduled depositions, calling the subpoenas invalid and legally unenforceable.

Former U.S. president was scheduled to appear earlier today and the former first lady on Wednesday. Comer says the panel will now deliver on its

threat to hold Bill Clinton in contempt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): He visited the White House. Jeffrey Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president. I've

been in Congress nine years. I think I've been to the White House nine times in nine years.

Epstein was in the White House, double the amount of time that I was under one president. And then we know that Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's plane

somewhere around 27 times after the presidency.

So no one's accusing Bill Clinton of anything -- any wrong doing. We just have questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Temporary means temporary. That is the message to thousands of Somalis living in the United States. Department of Homeland Security has

revoked temporary protected status for Somalis who came to the U.S. fleeing from threats in their own country. They now have to leave the U.S. by March

17th.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says conditions in Somalia have improved enough that protected status for Somalis is no longer justified.

Well, two U.S. states are now suing the Trump administration over its deployment of immigration agents. Officials from Minnesota and Illinois say

that it's terrorizing their communities and violating the Constitution.

Minnesota filed suit as about a thousand more U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are expected to deploy to the city according to federal

law enforcement sources.

Trump says ICE agents are there to remove criminal undocumented immigrants. But the state's attorney general says the increased presence is leading to

excessive force and harassment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH ELLISON, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We're not saying that -- that ICE cannot have a presence in Minnesota. We're saying the dramatic

escalation which is unwarranted and politically motivated is harming our state and our cities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:10:03]

GOLODRYGA: The frustration comes after an ICE agent shot and killed a mother of three, Renee Good last week.

Ryan Young joins us now from Minneapolis and has seen more unrest in the last couple of hours. Tell us what you've witnessed, Ryan.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Actually, the last 30 minutes, and this has been a pretty wild day. We thought we were at the

site where Renee Good was killed. So it was a peaceful day. There were some people who were coming out to pay their respects and all of a sudden we

heard a massive sound of whistles in the distant about a block away, so we ran that direction.

And we'll show you this video and what unfolded over the next 45 minutes or so, which is flash bangs, pepper ball sprays. You will physically getting

into it with these agents.

We saw people push to the ground. People were very angry and upset. So as we were doing our reporting, we witnessed as this chaotic scene continued

to get more out of control. There were even ICE and border patrol agents, unfortunately, spraying each other with the irritant to try to get folks

off of themselves.

Flash bangs were going off. We believe, again, three people taking to custody, but we also saw dozens of others running through the alleys nearby

because they were scared. They were sort of trying to figure out what was next in the situation.

We believe this was a targeted event that they probably targeted a house somewhere on the street here, but we're not sure why. When we asked

officials exactly what was going on, no one could tell us what they were here for.

The agents then blocked off all the streets and they left and this really sent a chaotic scene through this area because neighbor after neighbor came

out and they were screaming at ICE to leave this area.

Now, just to give you some numbers, we believe there are more than a thousand agents here in the city and this police department here only has

600 police officers. St. Paul only has 600. So when you think about the swelling of agents, now the agents sort of outnumbered the local police

department.

And city officials are telling us that it's costing them millions of dollars to be able to work the emergency calls that are coming in from

people who are scared when they see these agents pull up in black and dark SUVs with masks on their face and grabbing people off the street.

We know there's been a lawsuit. We're not sure when that's going to go to court, but the state and local government is trying to force these federal

agents out.

When I tell you this thing sort of unravels very quickly, it happened just in seconds.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Ryan Young, thank you. Thank you for being on the ground there. So important to have your insights there and to see all of

these things up close and personal.

Well, an arson aspect has confessed to starting a fire at Mississippi's largest synagogue. This news coming from a criminal complaint submitted by

the FBI.

The synagogue and the state capital of Jackson was set on fire early Saturday. The American Jewish Committee has called it a hateful act and

says that several Torah scrolls were destroyed. In the U.S., anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise for several years.

Rafael Romo joins us now with more on the investigation. We're getting more insight into who the suspect is, Rafael. And it's coming at a time when the

community continues to reel.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is true. And I've been in touch with the community there, Bianna, and there's a lot of concern and sadness, as you

can imagine.

We've learned many things. One of them, the suspect, he's been identified as 19-year-old Stephen Spencer Pittman. He made his first court appearance

Monday via video call from his hospital bed because he's being treated for burns to his ankles, hand and face as the "Associated Press" reported

earlier.

And according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI, the suspect's father called the agency saying his son confessed to him to setting the

fire. Pittman was arrested at a hospital where he's being treated for non- life threatening burn injuries.

According to the complaint, Pittman laughed as he told his father what he did, later referring to the Jewish temple as synagogue of Satan when he was

interviewed by investigators.

He faces five to 20 years behind bars if convicted and is expected to appear again in court on January 20th.

CNN has reached out to the public defender representing Pittman for comment. Surveillance video obtained by CNN shows a person wearing a hoodie

and a mask pouring liquid from a can inside the synagogue. Some of the liquid appears to drip on the person's clothing as well.

I spoke with the Beth Israel Congregation president, Zach Shemper told me, there was significant damage to the temple's library and offices as well as

smoke and ash damage throughout the building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACH SHEMPER, PRESIDENT, BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION: They had broken in through one of the windows from the outside with an axe, apparently, and

then proceeded to pour gasoline or some kind of accelerant from a gas can all over our library, as well as -- as well as in front of the

administrative offices.

Anything and everything that was in the library is no longer. It's just ash.

[12:15:00]

But like anything else, you know, the Jews, if anything, as our history shows we're -- we're people of surviving, we're survivors and physical

things can always be replaced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Bianna, according to the synagogue's website, the 1967 Beth Israel's temple was bombed by local Ku Klux Klan members, in part because

of the congregation's work in the civil rights movement.

The fire comes amid an uptick of anti-Semitic events across the country. The Anti-Defamation League documented 9,354 anti-Semitic incidents across

the United States in 2024. This is the highest number since the organization began tracking those incidents in 1979.

Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: If there's any solace to be had here, it's -- it's heartwarming to hear that members of other faiths and their communities have welcomed

congregants of this temple to their places of worship during this time.

Rafael Romo, thank you. Really appreciate it.

Well, coming up for us, we take a closer look at the plight of children in Gaza months after a truce went into effect there. We'll speak with the

global spokesperson for UNICEF.

Then a little later, we'll have the latest on the run-up to Uganda's election. Reports say the country's internet has been shut down.

And one of the most iconic K-pop bands is finally returning to the stage after a nearly four-year hiatus. And they could be performing in a city

near you. We'll have more on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: The foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland are planning to meet with the U.S. Vice President and Secretary of State at the White House

on Wednesday. The meeting coming as U.S. President Trump repeats his desire to acquire Denmark's self-governing territory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He wants to see the United States acquire Greenland because he feels that if we do not, then it will

eventually be acquired or even, perhaps, possibly taken over by either China or Russia, which is not a good thing for the United States or -- or

for Europe or for Greenland as well.

Let's not forget, it would not just be in the best interest of the United States, but perhaps, it would be in the best interest of Greenland as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The Trump administration's interest in Greenland also tied to its untapped mineral wealth.

CNN's Matt Egan takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: No secret that Greenland is at the top of the president's wish list. And, yes, that is because of the island's vast

untapped mineral wealth.

[12:20:01]

Officials in Greenland, they've identified more than 1,100 mineral sites there, everything from zinc and iron and uranium to those rare earths that

we hear so much about. And yet, there is no mining boom in Greenland.

Look at this, just two active mines there right now. But researchers tell CNN, that's not because Greenland is owned by Denmark. It's because of the

harsh Arctic environment there where a lot of these mines and these minerals are located in the Arctic where there's mile thick ice sheet and

where it's dark most of the year.

And that's why the founder of the Arctic Institute, he told me the idea of turning Greenland into America's rare earth factory is science fiction. He

said it's just completely bonkers.

And he went on to say, you might as well mine on the moon because that might be easier than mining in Greenland. Think about that for a moment.

And yet, some people do think the U.S. could make a strategic acquisition here. Because look at this, over on the prediction market Kalshi, as

recently as last summer. There's just about a 20 percent chance that the U.S. could take control of any part of Greenland, but that has surged to 45

percent now. And this surge occurred after the U.S. intervention in Venezuela.

But there's key differences, of course, between Greenland and Venezuela, including the fact that you have a situation in Greenland where they're

very much open to foreign investment including from the United States.

But the risk here is that all this talk of acquiring and taking over Greenland will end up damaging the U.S. relationship with the people of

Greenland and creating a whole new obstacle altogether.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Matt Egan for that report.

We want to take a fresh look at life in Gaza after the U.S. brokered ceasefire in early October. Last month, foreign ministers from 10 countries

said conditions in the Palestinian enclave were still catastrophic.

In voice concerns, the situation was only getting worse as winter sets in. They said 1.3 million people urgently need shelter and health facilities

and are barely functioning.

Now, UNICEF says at least 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire. That's about one day on average.

So time now for The Exchange. Let's bring in the global spokesperson for UNICEF James Elder who joins me now from Gaza City. James, it's good to see

you.

From what you've seen on this recent trip, now that you've been back, I believe. Is this your first since the ceasefire has been in place? Tell us

what you've seen and the reflections of this figure, 100 children, having been killed in the last three months.

JAMES ELDER, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: Yes, Bianna, it is the first time I've been back since the celebrations of -- of three months ago. Those

celebrations have faded. It's miserable now. I mean, I wish I could take you outside. It's 20, 30 mile an hour winds, sideways rains, tents on the

beach are just being blown across the sand.

So, if you're a child and you get cold in this, remembering your immune system has been shattered by two years of man-made scarcity, then -- then

you're in a very perilous state. We had another child died of hyperthermia overnight. That's now seven.

As you rightly say, there are 100 girls or boys killed, still the drones, still the airstrikes. Obviously, not nearly like they were for two years,

not nearly like that. There has been a reduction, of course.

But when you've still got a girl or a boy killed every single day, then it's not nearly enough. The reduction is not nearly enough.

So room progress has been made, Bianna. There's no doubt I can speak to that. You can see that when I go to communities and they're getting -- you

know, you see a rainbow of seven-year-olds running to a UNICEF temporary learning space, but there are still far too many hindrances here.

And again, they are created. They are not political -- they are not logistical rather. They are still political problems.

GOLODRYGA: And Israel, we should note, says they do not target civilians, and that any military action during the ceasefire is in response to

threats.

What response, if any, has Israel given to UNICEF about this number of children that have been killed, and as you say, the conditions have

improved, though nowhere near where they should be, in terms of getting more aid in and doing anything they can additionally to secure those

civilians.

ELDER: Yes. No -- no -- I mean, we speak on a regular basis. It's so critical to get our supplies in. And -- and -- and our supplies mean a

million thermal blankets have gone to children last three months, hundreds of thousands of -- of clothing kits for children.

On the back of Palestinian ingenuity more than spare parts, we're rebuilding the most critical water and sanitation systems. It's

extraordinary. That's on the back of education. Education is such a key one, Bianna, 130,000 kids are now in school, and -- and it's a beautiful

site, I have to say. These -- these perfectly clad children all eagerly sitting at desks.

[12:25:02]

But for every one of those child, in one -- in one of those spaces, there's five who aren't. And I sit with, you know, a 14-year-old girls who speak

perfectly fluent English. And they haven't got a pencil or a notebook there because education materials are banned here. Education materials are banned

in Gaza.

So we continually, you know, lobby and have dialogue to try and get those things in, to get the essential medicines, to get the parts to rebuild.

When it comes to children being killed, no, we have the same, the same narrative of you. But unfortunately, someone has spent far too much time

sitting with bereaving parents or sitting with children with wounds, knowing where they were, knowing where they were collecting fire, knowing

where they were playing with their friends.

You know, a little boy I saw the other day who's got shrapnel in his eye. I mean, again, what shrapnel does, I -- I held a piece of shrapnel the other

day, Bianna, maybe the size of two of my fingers, but very, very heavy.

And I -- I thought it would cut my hand just by being there. And this move with supersonic speed.

So the idea that that is still happening from a tanker and airstrike, obviously, still makes it very hard to begin to address the trauma of a

whole generation of children here.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Difficult to hear children having to endure shrapnel in their eyes. Just one example as you give, just give you an insight into how

fragile this ceasefire really is and how much more is needed to rebuild these lives.

When you look at Gaza alongside the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that U.N. calls the worst in the world, in Sudan, specifically as it relates to

children, just talk to us about the status there in Sudan. The plight of millions of children also dire.

We've heard numbers. We've heard from reporting on the ground, not able to get really more detail and insight, but we do know that it is horrific.

Give us the latest on what you're hearing there.

ELDER: It is, Bianna, and again, an amazing work done by my colleagues and many others on the ground in some of the most difficult and dangerous

conditions of coming under fire.

Are they themselves living without all the basics, including food, trying to deliver those services for children in another place again where -- you

know, we've walked back from famine here, but we know the damage done to children.

There is still a famine in Sudan, and yes, numbers are perilous because they become slightly meaningless. But this -- this war's gone on for a

thousand days. The world is a thousand days late for the children of -- of Sudan. The region is a thousand days late.

And for every one of those days, around -- around, you know, 200 classrooms of children have been displaced every single day. So I've met those

families. You see the lengths moms go to -- to -- to keep their children safe, but they've run out of options. They've seen their crops destroyed.

They've seen their homes destroyed. And they've been on the move for months after months after months.

So, it is the world's biggest humanitarian crisis. Two million girls and boys need that support. Two million. And you've got to remember each one of

those, you know, trying to look into the eyes of that child.

And we sit at a funding crisis. If the, you know, the financial crisis, the world remembers of 2000 and 2008 and the banks were bailed out. No one is

bailing out the children.

And when you talk to health workers in Sudan, it worked for three, four or five months without being paid a penny, but quote-unquote, we do it because

it's our people, but they don't understand why they don't have now the emergency food or the medicines.

And it's very hard to explain to them why, you know, somewhere across the globe, a decision has been made and funding and all those life-saving

services that it's been pulled away at their moment of greatest need.

GOLODRYGA: And meantime, the fighting there continues.

James Elder, thank you so much. Really appreciate your time and reporting.

ELDER: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And we'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:05]

GOLODRYGA: Authorities in Uganda have shut down access to the internet and restricted use of mobile phone networks. The move comes just two days

before Thursday's election when President Yoweri Museveni will stand for a seventh term.

Uganda's communications authority says suspending internet access will curb what it calls misinformation and disinformation and electoral fraud. That's

according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Well, the U.N.'s Human Rights Office, as Thursday's election, in which Museveni is being challenged by the pop star, Bobi Wine, is taking place in

an atmosphere of repression and intimidation.

Returning now to the anti-government protest in Iran. U.S. President Trump says help is on the way and that he has canceled any meetings with Iranian

officials until they end their crackdown.

For its part, Iran is accusing the U.S. and Israel of fueling the unrest. According to a U.S.-based rights group, at least 1,800 protesters have been

killed in more than two weeks of anti-government demonstrations because of the internet blackout.

It's very difficult to get a clear picture of what's happening on the ground, but the little that we do know is that the horrifying death toll

continues to rise.

Let's discuss all of this with my next guest. Holly Dagres is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute.

And, Holly, let's pick up there because you and others have noted on social media that one of the differences outside of the external factors from the

12-day war with Israel, post-October 7th, and the denigration of Iran's proxies. And, obviously, the Trump factor is that these protesters are not

echoing what the government is saying, and that is that it is external countries that are pushing these protests.

It is internal. It is protests about this government in particular and how they have operated and controlled everything from the economy to their

oppressive regime and rules over the past several decades.

Just talk about the importance of that in highlighting that argument and that narrative versus what we are seeing come out from the leadership there

itself.

HOLLY DAGRES, SENIOR FELLOW, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE: Thank you for having me on. And, yes, unfortunately, the Islamic Republic has resorted to its

outdated playbook of blaming foreign agents and accusing the West, the United States and Israel specifically, at -- as fomenting this unrest.

And so they've accused the protesters of being, quote-unquote, rioters, agents of Israel and the United States, when this is actually an organic

anti-regime uprising.

We've seen anti-regime protests for years and most famously in 2022, the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising. And it is because of systemic mismanagement,

corruption and repression.

And this is why Iranians are out on the streets now fighting for freedom because they want the Islamic Republic gone. And that's what you're seeing

play out over the past three years now.

[12:35:07]

GOLODRYGA: And so when the president of the United States basically closes the window for any talks with government officials now, and says that that

opportunity has ended after making that threat and issuing that -- that redline, that if protesters and civilians are killed, the United States is

ready to act.

Now, he's saying that help is on the way. What is the best form of help that these protesters could have from the United States? I've had Karim

Sadjadpour and others on saying that at this point, it is internet access. It is the ability for the world to see, for Iranians to see for themselves

with the help of Starlink or other technology.

What is happening there on the ground? What are your thoughts?

DAGRES: First, I think it's a welcome statement from Trump to say that he's no longer going to be speaking at Iranian officials. It was a real worry

for a couple of days there that he would be open to diplomatic talks with Tehran over its nuclear program that's in shambles.

But as you noted very well, Karim Sadjadpour, and others, myself included, have been pushing for internet freedom. And that's because internet and

social media is the only way for the world to have hear their voices inside the country.

There is Starlink in the country. There's about 50 to 60,000 users. What Iranians need is something called direct to sell. It means that anybody

with a 2020 model onwards, iPhone, Android, can connect to Starlink and use that as a satellite phone in essence. And that's what we're calling right

now.

And, of course, more importantly, I think that the international community as well led by the United States should be calling for a democratic

transition in Iran. It's something that activists have been pushing for, for a long time and that we should be heeding those calls.

We've luckily heard from the Australia's Prime Minister that they have called for this as well. So hopefully other countries will follow soon.

GOLODRYGA: I think the German Chancellor made similar remarks over the last 24 hours as well, saying that the Iranian regime is in its last days, just

to paraphrase what he has said publicly.

In terms of the end game, it's very easy, I guess, to say, hey, there should be a democratic process that we're having the same conversation

after the fall of the leadership in another regime. And that is in Venezuela.

But we know that it can be much thornier and history has proven just that, especially in authoritarian regimes. You say there are a number of options.

There's been conversations about whether the Crown Prince of Pahlavi here in the United States. There are those who are chanting his names among

protesters.

But you also reference those that are within the country that are currently, some of them is sitting in jails as we speak. Just tell us who

they are.

DAGRES: Yes. As you noted, the former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. It's extraordinary that this week will be 47 years since his father got on a

plate never to return again because of protests against him. And so there are real chants and calls. There's an institutional legacy there for him.

That being said, I've always said that we have many Nelson Mandelas in Iran, but many of them in our -- are in prison. We have a Nobel laureate,

Narges Mohammadi, currently in solitary confinement. There's many other activists and dissidents in the country.

So there are options. And -- and what I find problematic here is that these options have existed, that the international community has always resorted

to diplomacy, always resorted to the status quo, despite the fact that the Iranian people have over and over again in recent years declared that they

do not want this regime.

GOLODRYGA: What's the most crucial thing to watch in the next 24, 48 hours, Holly?

DAGRES: I think the most crucial thing to watch is the president, his commentary, of course. But more importantly, there's supposed to be an

important interagency meeting, I believe, today. And that will be offering options to the president. And then we'll get a real sense of what options

he's going to decide to take next.

GOLODRYGA: All right. We'll be paying attention and following it all closely.

Holly Dagres, thank you so much.

Well, now to a historic reunion, more than 80 years in the making. An American World War II veteran identifies his own lost dog tags, thanks to

help from a stranger who spent six years tracking him down.

Ajay Patel reports from Kentucky.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AJAY PATEL, REPORTER (voice-over): Reunited for the first time in more than 80 years. Ewell Moore didn't even remember how he lost his dog tags in the

'40s.

MOORE: I didn't even look for them. We looked for them in the sand. I heard people been dropping around. They were lucky to find them, I guess.

[12:40:03]

PATEL (voice-over): The former machine gunner didn't think twice about the tags until a few days ago when he got a call from a random gentleman.

PHILLIP BERGMAN, TRACKED DOWN VETERAN: I said, do you remember you're serving as a soldier in that area of Texas? He said, yes, I do.

PATEL (voice-over): Yes. Phillip Bergman's friend found the needle in a haystack. His buddy lives in the El Paso area and was metal detecting one

day near a former training base, when he came across Moore's tags, buried in the sand.

BERGMAN: I happened to be visiting him in New Mexico and he gave me a few old things. He gave me some buttons. He gave me this dog tag. And I said,

because I showed an interest, I said, let me see if I can try to maybe find his family.

PATEL (voice-over): Bergman's been working on this unlikely mission for six years.

BERGMAN: It's a real honor, really. It's just very appreciative that I keep a small part of it. But, yes, bring him some joy and reconnect with his

past.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said, thank you so much for your service.

PATEL (voice-over): And the miracle doesn't end there.

PATEL: But your -- your dog tags, they look brand-new.

MOORE: Well, that's saying clean them up. It's different clean, I guess. I don't know. They're just lucky. They turned them up somewhere (INAUDIBLE).

PATEL (voice-over): In Montgomery County, Ajay Patel, LEX18 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: What a great story.

And finally for us on "One World," after a nearly four-year hiatus, K-POP's mega star boy band is back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: BTS have just announced dates for their highly anticipate -- highly anticipated 2026 world tour featuring a fifth studio album, which

drops this March.

The beloved seven-member band will play in more than 30 cities across the globe with more dates set to be announced in 2027 in Japan, the Middle

East, and more.

The group had to take a pause from the stage in 2022 so members could complete their military service in South Korea, a mandatory component for

all 18 to 28 year old males there.

All right, some good news to end on for those fans.

All right. This does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga. "African Voices Changemakers" is coming up next. And I'll be back in about

15 minutes time with "Amanpour."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS)

END

END