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One World with Zain Asher
Rights Group: 2,400 Plus Protesters Killed In Iran Crackdown; CNN Poll On Reaction To ICE Agent's Fatal Shooting Of Renee Good; Backlash Over DOJ Probe Into Fed And Chairman Powell; Former Au Pair Resumes Testimony In Virginia Double-Murder Trial; Doctors Shares Account Of Iran Crackdown: "So Much Fear"; A Dream Wedding For Frances And Harold Pugh; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired January 14, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:39]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
U.S. president is weighing action on key countries as he pushes a more aggressive foreign policy. President Trump is doubling down on his rhetoric
to acquire Greenland, saying the vast Arctic territory is vital for America's national security. This even has top diplomats from Greenland and
Denmark huddle at the White House to find a way forward.
And the U.S. president is encouraging protesters in Iran to keep demonstrating, but warning to Iran's leaders against executing them, saying
it would result in strong action from America.
The streets of Iran is where brutal acts of repression are now unfolding that the regime doesn't want the rest of the world to see. And there are
signs that the violence isn't ending anytime soon.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that Iran's Internet blackout will last for the next one to two weeks. Despite that, we are getting
glimpses of the government crackdown as protesters take to the streets nationwide.
But we must warn you, the next video is disturbing. Scores of body bags lined up outside a makeshift mortuary as the death toll skyrockets.
U.S.-based rights groups report that 2,400 people have been killed amid the demonstrations. And the U.S. State Department says that a 26-year-old
Iranian man could be executed at any moment.
Meanwhile, the exiled son of Iran's last Shah spoke to Fox News earlier and had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REZA PAHLAVI, EXILED SON OF IRAN'S LAST SHAH: We have come to the point where people are just fed up with this regime. They are saying, death to
the dictator. They want to liberate themselves.
And their demand for freedom is met with the most brutal reaction by a regime that is waging war on its own citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: We're joined by Kevin Liptak in Washington, but let's begin with Nada Bashir in London.
And, Nada, this as Iran is signaling that it's preparing to conduct swift trials in the execution of these anti-government protesters, despite the
warning from President Trump last night that the U.S. will respond swiftly if any of those demonstrators are executed.
Just walk us through the -- the last 24 hours and how things have intensified both on the streets and in terms of rhetoric.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, Bianna, there is certainly mounting concern over the fate of those who have been arrested. According to one
U.S.-based human rights organization, more than 18,000 people have been detained over their involvement in these protests.
We've heard from Iranian officials, including officials from within the judiciary, saying they are prepared to fast-track those involved in the
protests for trial, and in their words, punishments, of course, as you've mentioned, concern around the possibility of execution. That is something,
of course, that the U.N.'s human rights chief has sounded alarm bells over.
But, of course, in addition to those arrested, we have seen a staggering death toll. Now, over 2,400, according to that same human rights
organization. Again, CNN cannot independently verify these figures, but it does give you a sense of the scale and intensity of the regime's crackdown.
And these figures have been rising significantly with each update.
Just yesterday, we were talking about 1,800 deaths. Now, more than 2,400. And as you mentioned, we have seen some distressing video now coming out of
Iran. And a warning to our viewers again, this is a disturbing video.
We have seen video of morgues overrun with bodies, body bags lined outside of hospital complexes as family members trying to identify their loved
ones.
And, of course, this is just a snippet of the information that we have been able to access, given the total incident and communications blackout that
is in place over Iran that has been in place now for six days.
And there has been a warning, according to the state media that we could see that incident blackout remain in place for one to two weeks,
potentially.
Now, some individuals have been able to gain access to the outside world via landlines, via Starlink satellites connection. And we have been hearing
testimonies from some people who have been able to share what they have seen unfolding inside Iran over the last few days.
Of course, these protests began in late December, and they did pick up momentum quite quickly. We saw these protests spreading to every province
of Iran.
Now, some are telling us that the protests in the last two nights have been somewhat smaller as a result of this violent crackdown.
[12:05:08]
We've heard reports of a sort of curfew being put in place where people in Iran cannot move between neighborhoods after 8:00 P.M. because there is
that heavy presence of security forces on the ground.
But we've also been hearing from several individuals inside the country who have managed to reach out through minutes or seconds of phone calls to
relatives outside the country who have said that security forces are using live ammunition, firing indiscriminately at protesters, that hospitals are
overwhelmed and overrun.
And we are getting the sense of the scale of what some have described now as a massacre. And, of course, the regime is not letting up. What we have
heard from state media and from officials broadcasting these messages on state media is that the regime remains steadfast that this crackdown will
continue.
They have characterized protesters as in their words terrorists. They have accused these individuals of being involved with foreign entities. And, of
course, we have seen rallies taking place in support of the regime as well.
Whether this protest movement continues, of course, remains to be seen as the crackdown continues to intensify. And, of course, there is the fear
that the death toll will only continue to rise.
And, of course, the looming fear of possible international intervention namely U.S. strikes on Iran.
GOLODRYGA: And that is something the president has warned of for days now. Nada Bashir, thank you.
Kevin Liptak, let me turn to you for some perspective. I'd like to quote from Karim Sadjadpour, one of the top experts on Iran who -- who posted on
X that the Islamic Republic has already killed far more protesters perhaps as many as five times in the last two weeks that were killed over the 13
months of protests leading up to the 1979 Iranian revolution.
So, when it comes to President Trump's credibility, as seen through the eyes of the world and in particular Iranians when he says that help is on
the way, just talk about the pressure now on the president to live up to those words.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And he has drawn a red line. He used that word. And I think the president is mindful of
predecessors who failed to enforce red lines in the past and that's something that we're told has been weighing on his decision making here.
You know, he feels obliged to take some kind of action. That is sort of the latest perspective on his thinking that we've gotten from people who have
been talking to the president. You know, he was in this briefing last night at the White House after he returned from Michigan to discuss some of the
options that are in front of him but to also get an update on the situation on the ground.
You know, he said heading into that meeting that he wanted to get a better picture of, for example, what the death toll was, acknowledging that it's
been very difficult to ascertain some of the figures from the ground.
And so I think it all adds up to a president who does feel an obligation to take some action but also acknowledges that there are going to be
consequences and risks to anything that the U.S. does.
And we just saw today, for example, the U.S. is evacuating some personnel from the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar because of these regional tensions. And
that is something that officials are very mindful of that if the U.S. decides to take some sort of kinetic action essentially to fire a missile
into Iran that the response could potentially be outsized, that the Iranians could target American military facilities in the region as they
have done in the past. And so it all adds up, I think, to a very complex set of decisions for the president to make.
He did say yesterday that help was on the way. We know that he spoke to Elon Musk about potentially boosting the Starlink capabilities inside Iran
to get around some of this information crackdown.
We understand that Starlink is now being used for free in that country but certainly that has not necessarily eased up entirely this information
blackout that we're seeing.
We will hear from the president later today mid-afternoon. He's expected to sign a bill, but also potentially to discuss some of this Iran -- Iran
decision making.
But I think, you know, talking to officials who were in this meeting or got briefed on this meeting that the president was in yesterday, it was clear
that the president is moved by some of these images and descriptions of what is happening does feel obligated to respond, but is sort of
constrained by some of the fears about reprisals and fears about potential escalation in the region, potential for destabilization in the region.
It's a complex choice for the president to make, but one that I think he does feel obligated to make pretty quickly here.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.
Meantime, a new CNN poll finds that most Americans see last week's fatal shooting of Minneapolis mother of three, Renee Good, as an inappropriate
use of force.
[12:10:03]
Now, it comes as we have routinely begun to see videos like this one of clashes between protesters and ICE agents. Roughly 50 percent of Americans
see the shooting as they sign a broader issues with the way U.S. immigration is operating. Less than one third say ICE operations have made
cities safer.
So, let's bring in our chief data analyst Harry Enten. My good friend, I was thinking about you over the weekend when your Bills won. What a game
that was.
All right. Josh Allen, conversations to be had at another time. I think his popularity is soaring. What is not soaring is how Americans are viewing
some of these operations conducted by ICE. Walk us through the numbers.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, Bianna. I could just say quite unpopular, you know.
Let's just start off with the baseline. You know, you mentioned in your intro, you know, use of force in the Minneapolis ICE shooting, not
appropriate, inappropriate.
Fifty-six percent of Americans say not appropriate. The clear majority. We're talking about just 26 percent who say it's appropriate.
Even amongst Republicans or independents who lean Republican, yes, 56 percent of them do say it was appropriate. But 56 percent of Republicans is
just barely a majority of the Republican base who say it is appropriate at this particular point.
So that gives you an idea of just how much the majority is on the side of inappropriate when you can only get 56 of Republicans to say appropriate.
But, of course, this shooting has happened, you know, in a larger political context, a larger context of immigration enforcement in this country. And
obviously, ICE has been at the center of that.
And, you know, I think this sort of just gives you an understanding that ICE, at this particular point, is not -- is not a popular entity. ICE's net
approval rating.
Look at this. In Trump's first term, it averaged zero points. So an equal number approved and disapproved. And that, of course, also held during the
second year of Trump's first term, which will be entering the second year of Trump's second term by the 20th of this month.
But look at where we are now, negative 17 points. A 17-point shift against ICE compared to where we were during Donald Trump's first term at this
point.
So Americans don't just dislike what's going on in Minneapolis, they dislike ICE's actions overall. And they are taking it out, as you see here
with this greatly negative approval rating, very much down from where we were at term number one.
Now, of course, Minneapolis part of ICE, but, of course, it's also part of the larger immigration context. And this I think reflects back on President
Trump.
And, you know, in our latest CNN-SSRS poll. Look at this. Trump's net approval rating on immigration. You go back a year ago or a little bit less
than a year ago, look at that. He was on the positive side of the ledger at plus three percentage points on the net approval rating.
It was one of the reasons why Donald Trump got elected back in 2024 to a second term, was people like to mourn immigration than they like Kamala
Harris.
But look at where this was a one-time strength for Donald Trump no longer. I think we have to get this through our heads that immigration is no longer
a strength for this president. His net approval rating, now it's 16 -- negative 16 points, way below water. That's a nearly 20-point shift in the
negative direction against Donald Trump from where he was in term -- at the beginning of term number two.
So, overall, this poll very much indicates Americans don't like what happened in Minneapolis. They don't like what's going on with ICE. And they
don't like what Donald Trump is doing on immigration, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. They voted for law and order. And we've seen anything but these last few weeks.
Harry Enten, good to see you.
ENTEN: Nice to see you. We'll talk Bills next time.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, and Texans too, both on a roll.
ENTEN: There you go.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Thanks, Harry.
Well, many Americans are also hot under the collar over the cost of living. U.S. wholesale inflation picked up speed in November, pushed higher in part
by rising energy prices.
Well, not long ago, Donald Trump said talk of an affordability crisis in America was just a hoax. Now, the president is teasing a series of
affordability initiatives to be rolled out in the coming weeks.
At the same time, his feud with the chair of the Federal Reserve has now escalated into a legal probe into Jerome Powell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: More people like it than not. He's been a lousy Fed chairman. He was reappointed by Biden. I was a little
surprised at that because I didn't think he really earned the stretch. He's been too high on interest rates. And I call him too late. He's too late to
reduce.
And he's either corrupt or incompetent.
TONY DOKOUPIL, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: But on this direct question about political retribution, what it looks like, sir. What's your response?
TRUMP: I can't help what it looks like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Economists, academics, and former Fed officials broadly agree that safeguarding the independence of the Central Bank is necessary for the
well-being of the U.S. economy.
[12:15:59]
Joined now by Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan. Justin, always good to see you.
So here we are. This war of words has only escalated between, well, not even between. It's sort of one direction aimed at Jay Powell from the
president, now, this inquiry into perhaps legal prosecution.
You're hearing from a number of people from both sides of the aisle. In fact, monetary policy leaders from all over the world really cautioning
against this.
Just talk about some of the ramifications. And if there's an off-ramp still available for the president, because it's reported that even his own
treasury secretary said, he's creating more chaos.
JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Yes. So this is not just a war of words. This is the president
sending a message to his Federal Reserve chair that he's threatening to jail him. He's threatening to jail him because he disagrees with the
decisions he's making.
Now, it turns out it's fine for a president to disagree. It's not OK to threaten to jail someone for doing the job that Congress tells him to do.
Congress has been absolutely clear. The Fed's job is to focus on inflation and unemployment. That's what Jay Powell has been doing. You might not like
the way -- the precise way he's been doing it, but that's what he's been doing.
Threatening to jail him over this is simply unprecedented in American history. It's the sort of stuff of tinpot -- tinpot dictators. It's not
unprecedented in the world. We've seen Russia try this. We've seen Venezuela do this. We've seen -- we've seen Zimbabwe do this. We've seen
Turkey do this.
This is just not anything like what a healthy economy or a healthy respect for economic institutions looks like. And, honestly, the stakes are
incredibly high for the American economy.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Even more notable though that you have Jay Powell standing up to the president by issuing that video over the weekend saying this only
relates to one issue and one issue only, and that is the president disagreeing with the Fed's decision and their policies on interest rates.
The president also keeps saying that Americans have never had it better. The economy is booming. We heard him reiterate that yesterday when he was
speaking in Detroit. Yet, most polls show that people are still worried about making ends meet.
When voters feel squeezed, are they right to worry? Because on the one hand, the numbers aren't so bad. On the other hand, it does appear to all
come down to how American consumers are feeling. That's something that the Biden administration was plagued with as well.
WOLFERS: Look, Bianna, I'm just going to tell you the truth here. I've been so worried. I had to go and get Botox because otherwise, I just look like a
mess right now.
And look, I'm not alone. I might not -- I might be alone. I might be the only bloke who got Botox as a result. But I will tell you that moms and
dads are sitting around the kitchen tables worried and they're worried about affordability.
When we look at surveys of consumer confidence, consumer confidence right now is literally as low as it's ever been in American measured history.
So if you think about the dark days following a Wall Street meltdown or during the COVID pandemic, people are even more worried right now.
I think part of it is the genuine concerns about affordability. But part of it is just that people don't feel in control. This doesn't feel like a
White House that's running a coherent, well thought-out economic policy.
You're threatening to jail the Fed chair one day. You're firing the chief statistician another day for telling the truth. This is honestly
unprecedented times. And I -- I share the worries that people have.
GOLODRYGA: And as you have the president calling affordability crisis a hoax, he's also introducing some quite progressive policy ideas that I
think would be quite unheard of for any Republican to introduce that is now getting some pushback from both Wall Street and economists.
I don't know how you feel about this but putting caps on interest rates that credit card companies can charge consumers and also some of his ideas
on -- his ideas on bringing the cost of housing down.
WOLFERS: Yes. So, I think this is really an important conversation because the president is a master at manipulating the media. There's -- there's two
President Trumps, Bianna. There's what he says, yep, yep, yep. And there's what he does.
What he says, sometimes it sounds like he's been hanging out with Bernie Sanders, just looking for some great populist ideas.
What he does is completely different. So on the one hand, he's saying, I'm going to cap -- credit card interest rates. It's a different question
whether that's a good idea or another or not. But that's something that, you know, at the very least seems like it would be popular among working-
class Americans.
On the other hand, what he's actually done is being enormous tax cuts for the rich and tax hikes on working-class Americans in the form of tariffs.
So he has an idea a day. It means you and I talk about what he's talking about. But the reality is those populist ideas he simply hasn't followed
through on. The redistribution from poor to rich, though, that is something he's come back to time and time again.
[12:20:05]
The disruption of the American economy, that's something he's done a lot about. And the attempt to tear down our institutions that are the
foundation of our prosperity, that's something that he's actually doing.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the president's touting all of these economic achievements to -- to his tariffs, which we'll have another conversation
about that. I think most economists suggest that the economy is growing despite the tariffs.
Justin Wolfers, good to see you. I'll have to talk to Betsy. I am not in favor of you getting botox. You're aging quite well, my friend. Good to see
you.
WOLFERS: To you too, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, the White House is calling President Trump's response appropriate after he appeared to make a root hand gesture towards
a heckler who was screaming at him.
Now, it happened during a tour of a Michigan Ford plant on Tuesday after a man reportedly yelled "pedophile protector" at the president. And an
apparent reference to Trump's association with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
In the video, Trump also appeared to mouth an expletive at the man twice. The plant worker has reportedly been suspended pending an investigation.
Coming up for us, a sister's pain echoing across a Texas courtroom. Just ahead, an emotional outburst as the trial of a former Uvalde police, their
school protection officer, unfolds.
Plus, dramatic testimony in a Virginia double murder trial. We'll hear from the woman who says that she was having an affair with the defendant.
And Elon Musk has responded to the backlash against two of his companies. We'll have the latest on the Grok backlash, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Jurors in the trial over one of America's deadliest school shootings were shown what could be crucial video evidence Tuesday.
Adrian Gonzales, a former school district police officer for Uvalde, Texas, is facing 29 counts of endangering or abandoning a child. He is pleading
not guilty.
The jury heard an interview with Gonzales recorded just hours after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at the Robb Elementary School.
In that police interview, Gonzales talked about making a mistake. Tuesday's proceedings were briefly interrupted when the sister of a teacher killed
inside the school screamed at the defense attorney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wanted to (INAUDIBLE). She did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Just heartbreaking. The judge later addressed the court saying that any more outbursts could result in a mistrial.
[12:25:05]
And in Virginia, pivotal testimony has resumed today in a double murder trial. Brendan Banfield is accused of killing his wife and another man in
February of 2023.
On Tuesday, the family's former au pair testified that Banfield began hatching his plan to kill his wife shortly after she and Banfield started
having an extramarital affair. She described the killings in detail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIANA PERES MAGALHAES, FORMER AU PAIR: I was just crunching down on myself and covering my ears and covering my eyes. And I feel times I looked
and I was able to -- to see him stabbing her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Reid Binion has more on the testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNA SANDS, PROSECUTOR: Brendan Banfield killed his wife, Christine Banfield, and another man named Joseph Ryan.
REID BINION, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Prosecutors laying out their case against a Virginia man accused of plotting with his au pair to murder his
wife and frame another man.
MAGALHAES: He mentions his plan to get rid of her.
BINION (voice-over): Prosecutors say Brendan Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, were having an affair.
SANDS: They would use Christine's email accounts to create a fake profile to lure someone in who was into (INAUDIBLE).
BINION (voice-over): The plot, according to prosecutors, included trips to a gun range, fake 911 calls, and allegations of BDSM sexual role play.
SANDS: They would get this guy to come into the house and fake rape Christine.
BINION (voice-over): Prosecutors say in February of 2023, that man, Joseph Ryan, entered the house after being tricked by Brendan and Peres Magalhaes
into thinking Christine had invited him to play out a fantasy.
SANDS: Brendan would be the hero of the day. He would show up, kill the guy, kill his wife, pretending that it had been that guy.
BINION: According to prosecutors, Brendan Banfield shot Joseph Ryan in the head then stabbed his wife.
MAGALHAES: I was able to -- to see him stabbing her.
BINION (voice-over): But Banfield's attorney argues the prosecution's case hinges on testimony from Peres Magalhaes, who the defense says was put in a
position to lie in exchange for a lenient sentence.
JOHN CARROLL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The whole reason she was arrested was to flip her against my client.
BINION (voice-over): I'm Reid Binion reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: For more, let's bring in Jean Casarez who is live from New York. Yet another really disturbing story.
Jean, first, let me just get your take on how credible the defense's argument here in your view is.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the defense argument -- and we don't know who the defense is pinning this on because there are two people that
were murdered in that bedroom. One being Joseph Ryan, who was the escort that brought his chains and his bondage and his knife. The other being
Christine Banfield, a pediatric nurse that worked in a hospital, had long hours.
But the issue here with the defense is that their client didn't do it. And that's Brendan Banfield right there. He was an IRS criminal investigator.
They lived outside of Washington, D.C., very upscale neighborhood in Virginia. And he was the one that prosecutors are saying created this
master plan.
And the au pair that they hired to take care of their four-year-old little girl, she actively participated because she was in love with him.
So the question is, the defense is trying to take the spotlight away from Brendan Banfield, but the plot is so sophisticated.
And as she testified for the prosecution, every step that was made in this plan for Joseph Ryan to come to the house and -- and he be the hero to kill
this intruder that came into their home, he always had forensics in his mind.
She would talk about that as we were on the computer, Christine's computer, hiring this escort to come over. She had to be at the house because
otherwise her phone could be tracked at the grocery store, wherever she is, and not on the laptop, which had the -- the fetlife.com account.
And she's from Brazil. This was her first job basically coming to the U.S., becoming an au pair. She's doing really well with her English, but she
learned English in their home.
So, does she have the experience to really have that -- that amazing plan to make sure that neither one of them would get caught in all of this and
pin it on Joseph Ryan basically?
GOLODRYGA: Jean Casarez, you continue to follow it for us. Thank you.
CASAREZ: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the 19-year-old who has said who have confessed to setting fire to a synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi, has been charged with arson
committed as a hate crime. That is according to a statement obtained by the "Mississippi Free Press."
[12:30:03]
Stephen Spencer Pittman was arrested in the hospital after his father called the FBI. Pittman's next court appearance is scheduled for next week.
And, of course, we'll continue to follow this troubling story as well.
And coming up more on the widespread protests across Iran, we'll have an exclusive look at the brutality of the crackdown against protesters when we
return.
And a former pop star versus an aging autocrat. Voters in Uganda are hoping for calm as they prepare to head to the polls for a crucial election.
Details ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm thankful for every year, for every day we've had together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: A journey that began in the 1950s culminated in a heartfelt renewal of vows for this couple. Their love story, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
The death toll in Iran is skyrocketing after more than two weeks of anti- government protests. Now, despite the internet blackout there, we're getting details about the violent crackdown on demonstrators.
Our Jomana Karadsheh has this exclusive report on what's happening inside Iran. And a warning, her report contains some graphic images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iranians are risking their lives to show the world the brutality the regime has unleashed.
A ruthless crackdown it's tried to conceal under the cover of a communications blackout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There were bursts of automatic fire, screaming, people gathering, protests, the staccato of Dushka bursts,
people shrieking and slogans in the street. I opened the window briefly. The smell of gunpowder and tear gas was everywhere.
KARADSHEH: This is the voice of a doctor who's just left Iran. He's sharing his account exclusively with CNN and the pro-reform news outlet IranWire.
He still fears for his safety, so we are concealing his identity.
[12:35:10]
KARADSHEH (voice-over): We're bringing you this rare firsthand testimony of what he witnessed inside the country.
He says the crackdown intensified dramatically on Thursday. It was just as we began getting pictures of larger crowds out on the streets of Iranian
cities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Everything fell apart. At 8:00 p.m. the internet was cut. At 8:20, I got a call from the hospital. Doctor,
come. You must come. When I arrived, I saw what we call a mass casualty situation. Every single one of the four operating rooms was full. I was
there from 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. until the morning. I don't know how many surgeries I did, maybe 10 or 11.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): This is one of the few videos to have surfaced from inside Iran's hospitals. It shows some of the injured. But the doctor's
testimony paints an even more distressing picture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): From midnight Thursday onward, the type of injuries changed. The live rounds started. By Friday evening, all
the beds were full. Most had pellet injuries and similar wounds.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Throughout these and previous protests, the regime's security forces raided hospitals and hunted down injured
protesters and the medical staff treating them. Turning places of healing into scenes of horror.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There was so much fear. Three patients contacted me through intermediaries. I was afraid to answer,
wanting to make sure it wasn't security agents trying to trap me.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The true scale of the carnage is only just beginning to emerge. Once again, so many Iranians find themselves abandoned
and alone in this nightmare.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The hope being pumped by external media is not what we feel inside. Inside Iran, it's a mix of terror,
desperation and a tiny flickering shred of hope.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Jomana Karadsheh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Time now for "The Exchange." We want to talk more about the developments in Iran. Suzanne Maloney is the vice president and director of
foreign policy at the Brookings Institution.
Suzanne, I know it is very difficult to watch reporting like that from Jomana, but so important that the world that we see, the bravery of those
protesters and the horrific nature in which the regime is responding to thousands of those that have been killed that death toll likely to rise as
the blackout there continues.
You have authored an opinion piece for "The New York Times" titled, "There's a Way to Topple the Ayatollah and Bombing Iran Isn't It.
Let me get to your solutions and your ideas in a moment, but I do want to ask you whether you think that it is the correct policy of President Trump
to announce yesterday that there will be no negotiations with Iranian diplomats as long as these scenes are happening on the streets of the
country because that differs from what we saw in 2009 from President Obama who began engaging with Iranian leaders specifically over their nuclear
program.
SUZANNE MALONEY, VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF FOREIGN POLICY, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well, Bianna, thank you so much for having me on here today
and thank you for all that you're doing to ensure that the information coming out of Iran is widely shared with the American public and the world
more broadly.
It's absolutely crucial that people are aware of the absolutely horrific scenes that are playing out even as we speak in Iran.
I do think it is the right decision by the Trump administration to turn down an apparent back channel offer from the Iranians to return to the
negotiating table around the nuclear issue.
This is obviously a very high priority for American national security, but we know from very long experience that the Iranians will use those
negotiations as a way to try to avoid responsibility and accountability for the crimes that they're committing against their own people and they will
use it to try to legitimize the regime at a time where it absolutely have no legitimacy.
So I think it is 100 percent the right thing that the Trump administration has done by walking away from that offer from Tehran.
GOLODRYGA: So let's get to some of the points that you argue in your piece. You say that bombing won't topple the regime, but a heightened pressure
campaign might.
So just walk us through as the president is threatening to respond in a number of possibilities that have been laid out from White House officials
to reporters.
Can you list some of the top perhaps non-kinetic ways that you think would be most effective if not toppling the regime then ending these horrific
scenes that we're seeing play out on the streets of the country?
[12:40:15]
MALONEY: Thanks very much. First of all, I do understand the moral case for military strikes at this time and even the strategic case, simply because
we don't know what is going to happen next, who might assume command within Iran in a very unsettled situation.
And I -- I understand why there would be an advocacy and a consideration of military strikes. Certainly, we've heard Reza Pahlavi, Shirin Ebadi, the
Nobel laureate, both call for military response to what Iran is doing. It is a military situation on the ground.
However, my concern is that this is a very deeply entrenched regime. Even if there were to be successful decapitation strikes, it's very clear that
the regime can actually replace itself. We saw this during the June war when a number of senior military commanders were taken out and very quickly
replaced.
It's also quite clear that this is a regime that is going to fight for its life. This is an existential crisis. And they're going to respond in ways
that escalate around the region and potentially put our allies and our assets in the region in harm's way at a time where we are stretched thin as
a result of operations in Venezuela and elsewhere.
My argument is that this is a -- a revolutionary situation, but we don't yet have a well-formed political movement within Iran that can actually
take on the system. That's what existed in 1979. And it is beginning to coalesce, certainly with a number of personalities driving some of that
effort.
But what we need to do is really invest in ensuring that information can come out of Iran, that there's funding for human rights documentation so
that we can identify and prosecute perpetrators of violence.
We need to provide broad-based support to Iranian civil society, to independent media. And we need to work closely with a variety of leaders
across the Iranian diaspora, which is so well-educated, so successful, and so influential and ready to help in a future Iran.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And you also proposed widespread cyber operations to degrade some of the IRGC command and control and going after some of the
ghost fleet ships as well that are sanctioned, but still avoid those sanctions by way of doing business with China and other countries.
Suzanne, quickly, what are the most important things that you would say the U.S. should focus on in the next 24 to 48 hours to avoid things escalating
and perhaps continue to cripple this brutal regime and some of the things that they should avoid doing?
MALONEY: I would say continue to make efforts to get information coming out of Iran. We know that Starlink is operational, but the Iranians have tried
to jam the signal. There appears to be a little bit more coming out today. That's absolutely crucial.
I think that the administration here in Washington should be rallying partners and allies around the world, especially in Europe, Japan, South
Korea, all the countries that have long engaged politically and economically with Iran to close their missions in the country to expel
ambassadors to make clear that it is no longer business as usual for the Islamic Republic with the international community.
GOLODRYGA: I keep going back to this post from Karim Sadjadpour for perspective. The Islamic Republic has already killed more protesters in the
last few weeks than were killed over the 13 months of protests leading up to the 1979 Iranian revolution. So much blood spilled and so much bravery
there on the streets of the country right now.
Suzanne Maloney, thank you as always for your expertise. We'll have you back on very soon.
Well, turning to Uganda now where polls open for less than 11 hours for the country's crucial presidential elections. Authorities cut public internet
and some mobile phone services ahead of the vote.
Uganda has been ruled since 1986 by President Yoweri Museveni, who is now seeking a seventh consecutive term. Thursday's vote will see a rematch
between the 81-year-old and singer-turned-politician Bobi Wine, as well as six other candidates.
In their previous encounter in 2021, Museveni won by a landslide. Wine says that the elections were rigged.
Well, small business owner say they're hoping for a calm vote after years in which election periods have brought chaotic scenes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH KENYANA RUSOKE, UGANDAN BUSINESSWOMAN: I am worried that there might be a question, that there may be violence that could affect businesses, but
I pray that the leaders that we are pushing into power are more sensitive to protect our concerns above their own personal interests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And we'll bring you much more on the elections tomorrow.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:28]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's go check on how the U.S. markets are doing right now. A sea of Red, really. The Dow down over 200 points. The S&P 500
down nearly one percent. And the NASDAQ down nearly 1.5 percent well below 300 points there. This is your business breakout.
Now, despite harsh U.S. tariffs, China managed to reach its biggest trade surplus ever in 2025. China says it exported $1.2 trillion more products
than it took in. That's a 20 percent jump from the previous year. U.S. tariffs forced China to pivot to emerging markets in Africa and Latin
America.
And the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue has filed for bankruptcy protection. Saks Global has been struggling since an ill-time purchase of
rival Neiman Marcus in 2024. Americans, for the last few years, have shifted away from big department stores and luxury retailers. Saks says it
just secured a billion-dollar loan to help it turn things around.
And Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, says the company will stop selling its full self- driving system for an $8,000 one-time payment. Instead, beginning in February 14th, it will be available only as a monthly subscription service.
The electric vehicle maker has been struggling to get customers to pay for the technology.
And a coalition of women's groups wants the AI chatbot, Grok, and the social media site, X, to be taken off of Google and Apple App Stores. This
after X was flooded with hyper-realistic sexual images of women and minors generated by Grok. X has adjusted what Grok can post, but it can still
reportedly generate those images.
One of the organizers says, the tech industry's excuses just don't add up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNA SHERMAN, CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR, ULTRAVIOLET: A lot of what you'll hear from tech companies is, oh, it's really complicated or, you know, we can't
restrict one app because then we have to restrict every app or, you know, it's just too hard to explain.
We're just not accepting that anymore. We know that is not true. That is a lie. That is a lie. That indicates to us that they care more about their
business and their profit and their political clout than they do about actually protecting women and children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: For his part, Elon Musk, who owns Grok and X, says that he wasn't aware of the images. And if any were generated, it was at the user's
request. He adds Grok operates within the law and in cases where it does otherwise, it's immediately fixed.
[12:50:03]
All right. Still to come on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCES PUGH, RENEWING VOWS ON 70TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY: Look at my handsome husband. I've spent (INAUDIBLE) after all these years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: A dream wedding for a couple celebrating 70 years of marriage. The story of Harold and Frances. That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Harold and Frances Pugh, 91 and 90 years old respectively, walked down the aisle one more time, 70 years after saying their first
wedding vows. A dream wedding and an uncommon love story.
Joi Fultz reports from Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOI FULTZ, CBS 6 NEWS REPORTER (voice-over): Just inside of Cawson Street Church of Christ in Hopewell Saturday afternoon, guests arrive for a
celebration seven decades in the making.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, buddy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a big decision. Are you sure you want to get married?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
FULTZ (voice-over): 91-year-old Harold Pugh all set to say I do to his 90- year-old bride, Frances.
PUGH: I feel so blessed.
FULTZ (voice-over): It's a love story that began in the 1950s. The two met at a skating rink and then eloped in their 20s and now having made it to
their 70th wedding anniversary.
Friends and family felt it was only fitting they renew their vows with the wedding they never had.
PUGH: Look at my handsome husband up there. After all these years, I still love him. I cherish him. I appreciate all he's done for me over the years.
FULTZ (voice-over): For the first time ever, the pair met at the end of the aisle, re-exchanging those very precious promises with each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To have and to hold.
PUGH: To have and to hold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We continue to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health and forsaking all others, continue to be faithful
to her so long as you both shall live.
HAROLD PUGH, RENEWING VOWS ON 70TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY: I do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Answer I do.
FULTZ (voice-over): Thousands of memories leading up to this meaningful moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're traveling, riding roller coasters in your 90s, hosting Bible studies in your home. We see in you a pair blessed by God
with years of life and the wisdom to take advantage of every opportunity to live it.
FULTZ (voice-over): Loved ones serving as a witness to the deep care they've had all these years, not just for each other but for their
community.
[12:55:01]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They would deny themselves everything and give to anyone that needs.
FULTZ (voice-over): Having overcome several health scares, the pair stand hand in hand at the altar.
PUGH: But I'm thankful for every year, for every day we've had together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What God has joined together, let not man separate. Harold, you may now kiss your bride.
FULTZ: For CBS 6 News, I'm Joi Fultz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: How beautiful. What a great story.
All right. Well, that does it for this hour of "One World. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thank you so much for watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
END
