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One World with Zain Asher

Battle Over DHS Funding Threatens Spending Package; House To Vote On Whether To Hold Clintons In Contempt; Democrat Taylor Rehmet Flips Texas State Senate Seat; Rafah Crossing Partially Reopens After Nearly Two Years; 300 Plus Reported Dead As Floods Sweep Across Southern Africa; Freezing Temperatures Settle In Across Southern U.S.; Trump: Renovations Start July 4th, Will Take Two Years; First Black Woman To Play For U.S. Olympic Hockey Team; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired February 02, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:50]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching the second hour of "One World."

GOLODRYGA: We begin with fast-moving developments in Washington amid a political, a partial U.S. government shutdown. It is expected to last

through at least Tuesday. That's when the House is set to vote on legislation to fund most of the government through September. Funding for

the Department of Homeland Security is the main area of disagreement.

ASHER: It comes amid more protests over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The phrase, "ICE out," reverberated around the

nation this weekend.

GOLODRYGA: The House is also expected to vote on whether to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt. They refuse to testify about possible

connections to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

ASHER: This after the Justice Department released another huge cache of files from the Epstein investigation on Friday. The deputy attorney general

is signaling there's no case for fresh charges.

Let's bring in CNN senior politics reporter Stephen Collinson to talk about all of these developments. And there's a lot of them. Just talk to us,

first and foremost, about the Clintons here because the House is voting whether or not to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of court

because they haven't responded to subpoena to testify. Just -- just walk us through that. What more do we know, Stephen?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. We expect this to happen later in the week. The Clintons have refused to show up to testify

to a House committee investigating this because they say that there is no legislative purpose, which the House needs in order to compel someone to

testify.

There have been various attempts to negotiate. The former president offered to do an interview with the committee. That was turned down.

The -- the interesting thing about this is that some Democrats, and of course the Clintons are -- are celebrated Democrats, voted with Republicans

to move this contempt motion to the floor of the House in the committee doing the investigating.

So you're seeing a bit of a breakdown of party lines there and perhaps a sign of the Clintons' lessening power of the Democratic Party, which they

once controlled for decades. So very interesting developments.

One of the arguments is that why should the Clintons be subpoenaed to talk about former President Bill Clinton's friendship, past friendship with

Jeffrey Epstein, if the president himself, Donald Trump, isn't getting the same treatment?

And we should just stipulate that there have been no allegations of criminal wrongdoing either against Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, or

President Donald Trump in this case.

GOLODRYGA: Right. And you are hearing from Democrats who are saying that they would agree to subpoena the Clintons as long as they could also hear

from some Republicans, including the attorney general. They're saying that it is being partial in terms of who Republicans are focusing on right now

and not making this a bipartisan investigation and only singling out the Democrats here.

Stephen, in terms of this partial government shutdown, potentially even expanding tomorrow with the deadline if we don't have some sort of

agreement here, specifically from Democrats, is this more of a symbolic move in terms of the leverage that they have given that DHS is flush with

cash?

So it's not a matter of whether their funding would come to an end. Obviously, this is a protest in terms of what we're seeing play out on many

city streets specifically in Minneapolis as it relates to ICE.

COLLINSON: I think it's symbolic to some extent. And we saw the last time there was a government shutdown of how it's almost impossible for Democrats

to get what they want, simply because they don't control the House or the Senate or the White House.

That said, they are sticking out quite a hard line here. This vote would fund the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks to allow time for

discussions about trying to rein in some of ICE's practices.

And for example, how they get warrants to deport people or to arrest people they believe are undocumented migrants.

[12:05:06]

So, the Democrats are trying to make a play here. I think they have to because of the anti-ICE sentiment that they're confronting from many of

their voters. And this is a tough one for Republicans, even if it is symbolic.

The president did a deal with Chuck Schumer in the Senate for this two-week bridging financing. There are very few Republicans in the House who

actually want to vote for this, even though it's the president's deal. And Mike Johnson, the Speaker, can only afford to lose two votes.

Democrats have said they're not going to back this, even though this was an agreement with their Senate majority leader.

So, I think this is a sign of just how complex the politics of immigration have become after the Minnesota shootings, how the pressures are weighing

on all of the parties.

And I think it is changing the politics towards immigration. It's very unusual to see the president even contemplate any changes, not just to

immigration policy, but to any of his policies that are -- that the Democrats are trying to enforce.

So it's going to be a very interesting couple of weeks here. And I wouldn't rule out another shutdown, even if this shutdown ends on Tuesday.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We'll see how much political capital the president is willing to exert in the days and weeks to come here.

Stephen Collinson, thank you so much.

Turning now to Texas where a major political upset ahead of a 2026 midterm election caught a lot of attention over the weekend. And a contest for the

state Senate Democrat Taylor Rehmet succeeded in flipping a solidly Republican district.

ASHER: Yes. It was a local race, but it commanded nationwide attention, including from President Trump. Rehmet won by 14 points in a district that

voted for Trump in 2024 by a margin of 17 points. The Texas Lieutenant Governor calling Saturday's election a wake-up call for Republicans.

In the months following President Trump's return to office, Democrats have been overperforming in special elections by big margins.

Harry Enten explains what this moment means for the upcoming November elections.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey, there, Zain and Bianna. Look, we're going to go down to Bianna's home state, the great state of Texas,

because on Saturday was a special state Senate election. And sometimes special elections are but a whisper, but sometimes they speak loudly like a

bullhorn, almost like I always talk. And that was the case down in the ninth district, the state Senate district down in the great state of Texas.

Take a look here. OK. This is the Texas ninth Senate district election margins. Back in 2024, Donald Trump easily won in the ninth district by 17

points. This is a ruby red district and has been so for a considerable period of time.

But look at what happened on Saturday in the state Senate special election. Look at that. The democratic candidate won. The democratic candidate won

and not just by a little margin, but by a wide margin. This is not a shift to left. This is a rocket ship to the left. We're talking about a 14-point

win. We're talking about an over 30-point shift from the baseline of 2024.

Now, of course, if this was one special election, that would be, you know, an interesting data point, but it would just be one data point and we might

dismiss it rather easily.

But it is part of a larger trend. And that is what is so important. It's indicative of a larger trend.

Take a look here. Take a look at all the special election, state legislative and federal, the average from 2025 to 2026. We're talking about

Democrats are doing on average, get this, 12 points better than Kamala Harris did back in 2024. That again is a rocket ship to the left.

And I will note that if we just look at those federal special elections, those for the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats are even doing

better than this 12-point over performance.

Now, of course, special elections are one thing, but I think the real question is, what does it mean? What does it mean for the midterm elections

coming up in November, right? Because you see that 12-point over performance. It looks a whole heck of a lot like the shift that we saw back

during the 2017-2018 cycle when Democrats, of course, had a net gain of 40 seats. And that is the big, big problem for Republicans because just take a

look here.

OK. Special elections and midterm results. When a party outperformed, when a party outperformed the presidential baseline, get this, since 2005, that

party went on to win the U.S. House of Representatives five out of five times.

So what we saw in Texas is part of a larger pandemic special elections. And those special elections, historically speaking over the last 20 years, have

forecasted, or do forecast, very good news for Democrats for November and very bad news for Republicans come November.

Ladies, it's been a pleasure. Now, I have to go off to see the dogs at the Westminster Dog Show. See you later.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Oh, that's why he decided not to join us live. I was trying to - - I was starting to feel like he's abandoned us, but a dog show it is.

ASHER: All right. We're going to update you on a U.S. immigration case we've been following very closely on CNN.

[12:10:01]

On Sunday, a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father were actually released from a detention facility in Texas amid ongoing legal battles and

a national firestorm surrounding their case.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, they were taken to ICE custody last month in suburban Minneapolis and are now back in Minnesota. The family's attorney says they

are in the U.S. legally as they pursue a claim for asylum.

ASHER: And staying in Minnesota, two more people have been arrested in connection with last month's anti- ICE demonstration at a church in St.

Paul as well.

GOLODRYGA: And a post on X, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said, Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson face federal charges for their

involvement in a protest that disrupted a church service.

They are among nine people, including the former CNN anchor Don Lemon, charged in connection with the incident.

ASHER: Police in the state of Arizona are asking for the public's help in finding a missing 84-year-old woman. Nancy Guthrie is the mother of NBC

News Today's show anchor, Savannah Guthrie, she was reported missing on Sunday. Police say Nancy Guthrie's home is now considered a crime scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: She is very limited in her mobility, right? We know she didn't just walk out of there. That is -- that

we know.

There are other things at the site -- at the scene that indicate there was -- there was a -- a -- she did not leave on her own. We know that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Authorities would not say if the crime was random or if Nancy Guthrie was targeted. And, of course, we are praying and thinking of our

friend and colleague Savannah Guthrie right now.

ASHER: What was once a crucial lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza has now partially reopened. Israel has kept the Rafah Crossing shut for nearly two

years, and even now it's opening to very few people, just a few dozen per day in both directions.

It's worth noting in the past the high price of using the crossing meant it wasn't an option for most Palestinians. It's not clear if that is still the

case.

GOLODRYGA: In the meantime, Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Israel Tuesday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

We're hearing that from an Israeli source and it comes after the head of the Israeli military held talks with Pentagon officials in Washington over

the weekend.

Ghaith al-Omari is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He's also a former Palestinian negotiator and a former advisor

to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. And he joins us now from Washington. Ghaith, it is good to see you again.

So, you described the Rafah reopening as symbolically very important. Obviously, this is mandated in the 20-point peace plan, but you also

describe it as being full of theater. Give us more insight into why you've come to that conclusion.

GHAITH AL-OMARI, SENIOR FELLOW, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: First of all, in terms of the importance, it's, first of all, important for

the people of Gaza, even though the number of people who can move is limited, it's an indication that things are improving.

Diplomatically, this was the last outstanding issue in phase one of the 20- point plan, President Trump's ceasefire plan. And with this done, now we're moving to phase two.

Now, I talk about theater because the situation is so complex that there's a lot of make-believe that you have to get engaged in in order for things

to move forward.

To give you an example, Israel has no legal or form of standing to be in the Rafah Crossing, yet, Israel has real security concerns. So they open up

a facility just before the -- the crossing for people to be checked. So everyone can pretend that they got what they wanted.

Similarly, Israel does not want the Palestinian Authority, Hamas is right up, to be on the Rafah Crossing. The region wants the PA to be there. So,

we have PA officials in the crossing without the uniformity and insignia.

All of this indicates kind of the amount of diplomatic gymnastics that you need to do in order to make this work. This requires constant U.S.

engagement. That's one of the things that would come up. It's going to be discussing there tomorrow.

And unless we deal with these kind of issues as they arise in coming days, there's a real concern that the phase two might just be born and they don't

arrive on (ph).

ASHER: Right. And -- and to my next question -- you laid it up perfectly. What are the potential sort of political, diplomatic, and regional risks if

phase two ends up stalling?

I mean, there are so many roadblocks to its successful implementation. What are the risks for Israel, for the United States, for Gaza and for Egypt?

AL-OMARI: For Israel, the risk is clear. Hamas being able to reconstitute itself. We have to remember that Hamas, as of yet, has not agreed to

disarm. And it's a reasonable for Israel not to want such a terror organization rebuilding on its border.

For the people of Gaza, if (INAUDIBLE) that we're back to war. And I think the last two years have been, you know, tragic for the people of Gaza, for

the people of Israel, and the resumption of war is something that's not in their interest.

But if you, and for the United States, you know, there's a lot of credibility. This is, in many ways, President Trump's kind of, you know,

the jewel in his diplomatic crown and its failure is a huge U.S. failure.

[12:15:11]

And for Egypt finally, the last two years have been extremely disruptive. The interests of different countries, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE have

already impacted by the war.

And the introduction of the war is something that all of these countries are not interested in. So everyone wants it to succeed. Yet, there are such

huge obstacles, maybe the most important of which are Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal one that happens. But if it doesn't happen, then the

future does not look good for the region.

GOLODRYGA: And you and others have noted that perhaps the primary reason in terms of timing for Envoy Witkoff's visit to Israel is related to Iran, and

less as much related to Gaza.

If that's the case, what does that tell you about the fragility of phase two? And given that there are so many other issues that the U.S.

administration is now focused on, specifically, Iran in the region, how much political energy will the United States, realistically, be spending on

keeping this peace plan together in Gaza?

AL-OMARI: I think that the president himself is personally invested in its success. So I expect to see a lot of investment in political capital. You

know, the Israelis going to turn. They call it babysitting (ph), when American officials come to make sure that the Israeli Prime Minister plays

ball. And by the way, they do the same with Egyptians, Qataris, et cetera.

The real challenge though is that we have such a limited team. The administration in charge of everything. It's basically Steve Witkoff who's

doing this, doing Iran, doing Ukraine, in addition to others.

So the concern is not that the U.S. will not be paying attention, but that we will have not enough staffing, not enough people who actually will be

able to kind of deal with these issues, particularly when you have a crisis arising.

Right now, we have normal tempting, which the current team can do. But if there are multiple crises, then there is a real concern that we have a

staffing issue here.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And in the short-term, it -- it appears, given all of the limited resources, that it is Hamas who stands to gain the most, at least

in the short-term, given that there are so many fires the administration is trying to put out right now.

Ghaith al-Omari from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, thank you so much.

ASHER: Thank you.

AL-OMARI: Thank you.

ASHER: All right. Iran's top diplomat tell CNN he is hopeful that the talks with the U.S. can lead it to a deal, even as the U.S. military buildup in

the Middle East continues. The U.S. has just sent a naval strike route to the region, headed by the carrier Abraham Lincoln.

GOLODRYGA: But Iran's Foreign Minister says that he's confident Iran and Washington can come to a deal over Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian state media is reporting that senior Iranian and U.S. officials could meet in the coming days to try to ease tensions.

ASHER: Yes. CNN senior correspondent Fred Pleitgen sat down with the Iranian Foreign Minister for an exclusive interview and started by asking

what he thinks about the ongoing tensions with the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: So, I'm not concerned about war. What I'm concerned of is miscalculations and military operation based on

misinformation and disinformation campaigns.

It is obvious to us that there are certain elements, certain parties who want to drag President Trump into this war for their own benefits. And I

think President Trump is wise enough to make a correct decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Kyiv and Moscow have confirmed that the next round of their peace talks with the U.S. will be taking place later this week in Abu

Dhabi.

It comes as Russia is facing new accusations of targeted -- targeting civilians. At least 12 coal miners were killed after a Russian drone struck

a bus in Southeastern Ukraine Sunday.

The same day, a separate strike on a maternity ward injured six people and forced patients and staff to seek shelter in a basement.

Earlier CNN spoke with the head of Ukraine's biggest private energy company, whose coal miners were killed and injured in Sunday's strike. He

told Clare Sebastian that his company is in, quote, survival mode and facing critical days and weeks ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAKSYM TIMCHENKO, CEO, DTEK: I think that it's already designed so this humanitarian catastrophe when people live in their -- their apartments with

temperature of six degrees with -- with babies, with kids with -- with older people.

So -- and that's how massive it can be and depends on what the next -- next weeks.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How do you view the energy ceasefire happening over the last few days? Does it give you confidence that more

initiatives like this can be achieved? Does it give you confidence for the peace process going forward?

[12:20:59]

TIMCHENKO: It gives us a whole, not confidence. And I think that what was announced the next -- the next meeting or coming days, we will see. I think

that one of the most important outcomes of this meeting is the obligation (ph) of this energy ceasefire.

And if it's happened, that gives more or which hope they can be converted into confidence that this process is -- is -- is contained and that we have

real outcome of these meetings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right. Still to come here on "One World," Old Man Winter is holding on tight to much of the southern U.S., which is not great news if

you're an iguana. We'll explain why, details ahead of them.

GOLODRYGA: Well, there it is.

All right. Donald Trump says that he's shut down the Kennedy Center for two --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. According to media reports, more than 300 people are dead and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes after weeks of

torrential rain and flooding in Southern Africa.

CN's Lynda Kinkade reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Residents of Zambia's capital city wade through knee-deep waters after heavy floods swept through

southern Africa, with children picking their way across waterlogged alleys and streets to attend class.

Community members say they've largely had to rely on their own efforts to drain the water from submerged roads and homes.

STELLA KUMWENDA, LUSAKA RESIDENT: Condition was bad. We were immersed in water, even some houses were flooded with water inside, inside and the

outside. So, as a community, we try to -- to help ourselves by buying a machine to -- to pump the water out into the main drainage.

KINKADE (voice-over): Zambia is just one of the latest examples of the catastrophic flooding that's been hammering the region, with one report

finding some areas have seen more than a years' worth of rain in a matter of days.

According to the United Nations, it's estimated about 300 people have died, another 800,000 have been affected by the intense rainfall and floods since

mid-December. Mozambique has been especially hard hit, with powerful flood waters collapsing roadways in some areas and making evacuations and rescues

more difficult.

ANGELINA MACHAVA, DISPLACED JOSINA ISLAND RESIDENT (through translator): So local teacher, some of them are children. They took us to the top of the

desk so that we could be sitting. We sat there from night to morning. There was no way to sleep in the water. We stayed for three days in the water and

we left on the fourth day.

[12:25:02]

KINKADE: Scientists say the climate crisis and La Nina are fueling the devastating floods with a new report finding the intensity of extreme

rainfall events has increased by 40 percent compared to pre-industrial times.

DR. FERRIAL ADAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WATERCAN: We've experienced El Nino, La Nina for long time, you know, it's -- it's decades, centuries. We know

about it. But when you have climate change and you're dealing with a warmer climate, generally in where we are in the Southern African region, when it

rains, it's not the same kind of rain. It's much harsher. It's harder. And that is what results into the extreme floods we're seeing right now.

KINKADE: Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Lynda for that report.

Well, it seems as if much of the Southern U.S. is still in a deep freeze, thanks to that bomb cyclone that has now moved out to sea.

And before it did, though, powerful hurricane force wind gusts from the bomb cyclone toppled several homes along the North Carolina coast.

ASHER: Yes. Those in Florida swapped bathing suits for parkas as the bitter cold temperatures made their way down to the Sunshine States. No flurries

(ph) were even spotted along the Gulf Coast beaches. It was so cold that many iguanas appeared temporarily frozen as they fell from trees. My God.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, America is celebrating Groundhog Day today. You celebrating? That's when a rodent predicts if the U.S. will endure a longer

winter news flash, not much to celebrate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That there is a shadow here on my ground, six more weeks of winter abound.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Yes. As I said, not much to celebrate there. Weather predicting Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil says bring on even more winter.

ASHER: Yes. Legend has it that if Phil sees his shadow, six more weeks of winters on the way. If he does not, then it's at least.

I've never understood this American tradition. And whenever I see this, I always think of the movie.

GOLODRYGA: With Bill Murray.

ASHER: Yes. It's worth noting that Phil has only been right about 35 percent of the time in the past two decades. Phil has been forecasting the

weather since the late 1800s. The story goes, there's always been one Phil. We'll let that you come to your own conclusion about that.

Meteorologist Chris Warren joins us live now from -- I mean, please tell us we don't have to endure this kind of weather, this kind of winter, Chris,

for another six weeks. I'm like -- I'm going crazy right now. It is so cold outside.

GOLODRYGA: But it's also 34 degrees. So for people to put in perspective, that's a bit balmy in New York now after the last few weeks we've had.

CHRIS WARREN, METEOROLOGIST: Zain and Bianna, when you get above 32, you get above the freezing mark. Yes, it starts to feel a little bit balmy, but

tell people that here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the Groundhog in Pennsylvania might be acting a little bit more like the Grinch this

year, not a whole lot to celebrate.

But the snow here at the beach in South Carolina with palm trees is a reminder of how unusual this is. Big cold snap last weekend. And then

again, this most recent past weekend. So the past couple of weekends, areas that don't typically get the real cold and real snow have been seeing it.

This is the snow where it fell as that storm bombed out, as we say, intensified, strengthened very quickly just off the coast, bringing very

strong winds and a lot of snow up over your ankles in some areas in North and South Carolina.

The blue is where there was this morning widespread freezing temperatures. Anywhere in blue, it was below freezing right at or just below freezing.

Now, near record cold this morning, show you the average and how far away from average. Remember, 32 freezing. So you're below freezing in Orlando.

That's where all the theme parks are, Disney World, Universal.

Also in Daytona, also below freezing, similar story in Jacksonville. Unusual and all the scenes we were seeing with the iguanas and the farmers

putting water over their produce in order to try to help insulate it a bit and protect it even more, which is kind of weird to see the fruit with ice

on it, but actually helps preserve some of the crops and temperatures will be getting above the freezing mark in Florida.

So we can look at it this way. Anywhere there's blue for highs today is going to be around freezing. Green still going to need your jacket. But you

get into the darker yellows, yellow and the darker yellows, I start thinking about losing our jackets. You might not need them and notice it is

still definitely jacket weather, if not freezing, all the way up through much of the week from Maine all the way down to Florida.

ASHER: Chris, by the way, only Bianna would describe 34 degrees Fahrenheit as balmy. In fact, one of the things that we always bicker over is the

temperature in the studio. I'm from West Africa, OK? So I like it warm.

[12:30:08]

GOLODRYGA: It felt good to run outside this morning with only two layers.

WARREN: Yes, with only two layers. And also, if you're -- you're wondering about the tradition of the groundhog in Pennsylvania.

Let's remember, a lot of people have been cooped up and it isn't a chance to spend all night and then all day with friends partying here in the

middle of winter.

GOLODRYGA: I don't know how many people I know been partying. We have to go hang out with your friends, but really appreciate you're trying to put up -

-

WARREN: You go to Punxsutawney.

GOLODRYGA: Punxsutawney, yes, exactly. Thanks so much.

ASHER: Thanks, Chris.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come, athleticism, skill, and spectacle against the stunning backdrop of the Italian Alps. Get ready. 25th Winter

Olympics kick off in just a few days. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.

Several members of the Kennedy family have slammed Donald Trump's plan to close Kennedy Center for renovations. According to the president, those

renovations will take about two years. In December, he renamed it the Trump Kennedy Center.

GOLODRYGA: In response, JFK, John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, wrote that Trump can make changes like the renovation and the name, but JFK

is kept alive by us. Now, rising up to remove Donald Trump, bring him to justice and restore the freedoms generations fought for.

He's not only speaking, -- he's not only family members speaking out about it. CNN media analyst Sara Fischer joins us now with more details.

So, Sara, obviously, this is personal for the Kennedy family, understandably so. The president himself says that this building has been

in disrepair. He obviously put his own name to it after this was voted on by the board that he put together and personally handpicked.

[12:35:05]

Just talk about how much repair is actually needed and the timing of it all. It's set to go into effect, I believe, July 4th this year.

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Yes. I've been to the Kennedy Center so many times. And I think it definitely looks dated, but I'm not an architect

or a building manager. But I think that to say that it needs desperate repairs feels a little bit overstated, especially considering the fact that

the Kennedy Center underwent a major expansion in 2019 when it expanded outdoors with a new facility called the REACH.

So, my presumption is that if there were massive safety issues, you probably would have heard about them then. The president also tacked on

some funding for the Kennedy Center renovations not too long ago with the latest appropriations bill through Congress.

So to me, this feels like an interesting coincidence because you also have at the same time of the president saying that this building is in disarray,

many artists pulling out of the Kennedy Center, which is really impacting things like attendance and ticket sales, the two big ones that happened of

late were Philip Glass who was supposed to debut his new Lincoln-themed symphony and the Washington National Opera.

Both of those parties saying that they were going to leave the Kennedy Center. So, you know, if the president commissioned somebody to observe

this building and they found that it was in great enough disarray that it warranted repairs, I'm not going to dispute or discount that, but it is

notable timing considering all of the big names that have dropped out of the Kennedy Center performances and the lack of attendance as a result.

ASHER: Yes. So maybe this part of the decision was financial in nature, but still. Just explain to us why President Trump has made reshaping the

Kennedy Center, such a focus in his second term, just in terms of adding his name to it, hand picking a board of trustees.

Why is this such a priority for him, Sara?

FISCHER: In the first Trump administration, it was all about going after critics and really silencing dissent.

The second Trump administration has some of that, but really his big focus is cementing his legacy and in particular in Washington around arts and

culture. That's why he wants to build an arch. That's why he's gutted the East Wing. He's redecorated the West Wing. That's why he's changed a lot of

exhibits at the Smithsonian Institute.

He wants a long lasting legacy in Washington as somebody who came in and made it more beautiful, made it more grandiose, and made it more relevant.

The challenge is just how long are taxpayers going to be OK with it? You know, there's still a lot of challenges domestically with things like

inflation, healthcare subsidies. There's so many things happening on the international stage with the U.S. getting involved in many different wars,

the latest being Venezuela.

And I think people look at some of these measures and they're thinking to themselves, is that the best thing that our president is focused on?

Now, I'll end by saying that the president has said that financing is fully secured for this new renovation project at the Kennedy Center, but he

hasn't explained how.

You know, if it's private funding the way that they did with the East Wing, critics are going to argue that that invites private individuals and

corporations to a pay-for-play scenario with Donald Trump for regulatory favor.

If it's being funded through taxpayer dollars, that's definitely something that I think he will face scrutiny over, especially if this is going to

really be a two-year renovation, Zain and Bianna. You got to imagine that's going to be pretty expensive.

ASHER: All right. Sara Fischer, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. The winter games, Olympic Games opens in Italy in just about four days. There will be 19 days of competition across eight cities in

northern Italy.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. The Olympic torch is also in its final stretch of the relay. A 63-day journey that began in Greece and ends Friday in Milan to

officially mark the start of the games.

Now, all eyes are on one Olympic athlete who's set to make history on the ice, Laila Edwards. She's the first African-American woman to play for the

U.S. Olympic women's hockey team.

Edwards sat down with CNN to talk about motivation, inspiration and her journey to one of the world's biggest stages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAILA EDWARDS, AMERICAN ICE HOCKEY PLAYER: One of my main focuses is paving the way for future generations. I think I've been, you know, gifted that

role in that position to have an impact on people and to continue to pave the way for, you know, minorities and honestly anyone but more specifically

minorities, because this is not a sport where minorities are seen often. So I think as of now I'm just doing the best I can to make the game more

inclusive.

I've dreamt of competing in the Olympics for about 12 years now. Just watching the U.S. team play Canada in the final just gave me chills and I

was like, whoa, this is cool. I want to be a part of that one day.

[12:40:00]

My dad played hockey when he was younger. So as soon as I could even crawl, he had me in skates. I was about two or three. And he was getting me on the

ice as often as he could.

Playing boys hockey growing up, I always thought I was going to go to the NHL where there's only men, but I thought, I'll -- I'll be good enough. I'm

going to work hard, but as I grew up and realized I wasn't so much of a possibility, I realized, OK, I want to be with the national team and play

with them as often as I can.

Being a trailblazer has definitely been a privilege. It's been overwhelming at times, but a long time ago, I decided to take it and run with it. So do

what I can to benefit as many people as I can with it.

You know, I could have tried to wait from it and not, you know, not made it a goal of mine to help others, but that's just not why I'm wired. And as

much as this can be intimidating, all the pressure and all the attention, I think I'm very grateful and I have to do what I can to positively use it.

I mean, there are times where I didn't see anyone at the highest levels looking like me, so I would have some doubt here and there, but I persevere

and I think it's just so important, you know, to have that someone that looks like you. It's just -- it literally shows that you can do it too.

A little black girl sitting at home and sees me on the T.V. playing at the Olympics, they're like, wow, you know, Laila did it, I can do it too. Or

Laila plays hockey, maybe I can try it out and see how I like it. Just simple things like that and just to be that representation is really

important.

As much as I want to embrace, you know, being that role model and being a minority in this game, I also want to just be seen for who I am as a

player, so to be recognized as that, after games is refreshing and it makes me feel good that I'm also known for my ability on the ice and my

leadership and my athletic ability, anything like that, I think it's comforting.

To make my first Olympics still doesn't feel real yet. It's something I've literally thought about almost every day. I want to represent my country at

the highest level, play in the sport I love.

Winning an Olympic medal, it's crazy to even think about for it to be a possibility. I'm very grateful, but to win one would mean the world. And it

would mean that, you know, I've done something right in this long process, but yes, it would be unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, we know who we're going to be cheering for with the rest of the country.

ASHER: Yes (INAUDIBLE) athlete there.

Appreciate you watching. That does it for "One World." I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Don't go anywhere. I'll be back with "Amanpour" in about 15 minutes time.

ASHER: "African Voices" is up next. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:00]

(AFRICAN VOICES)

[13:00:00]

END