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One World with Zain Asher

U..S And Israel: Lebanon Not Part Of Ceasefire With Iran; No Reports From Gulf States Of Iranian Strikes On Thursday; Artemis II Crew Prepares To Return To Earth; Rory McIlroy Begins Title Defense At Augusta; Israel P.M.: Wants To Begin Direct Peace Talks With Lebanon; Meta Invested Over $14B To Set Up Superintelligence Lab; CNN Talks To Best-Selling Author Nir Eyal; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired April 09, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:37]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We are just hours away from high-stakes peace talks in Islamabad despite attacks in Lebanon. Sources tell the

Americans -- tell us the Americans are preparing and the Iranians are scheduled to arrive this evening.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour "One World" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the

ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The Israeli military has just issued a broad evacuation order for southern Beirut. We are live in a Lebanese capital.

ASHER: Also ahead, meet Meta's Muse Spark. What it is and why it could be company's most important launch yet?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: We've still got two more days. And -- and riding a fireball through the atmosphere is -- is profound as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: They're doing it with a smile. An update from Artemis II. That's coming up.

ASHER: And later, let's face it, many of us are using A.I. on a daily basis, like it or not. Later in this hour, learn how to control your

attention span and become indestructible. I'll speak to the man who literally wrote the book.

All right. Coming to you live from New York, I am Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."

Israel's prime minister says that he has instructed his cabinet to begin direct peace talks with Lebanon as soon as possible. Benjamin Netanyahu

says the negotiation should focus on disarming Hezbollah.

ASHER: Yes. Israel has conducted airstrikes in Lebanon, even after the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran went into effect. Lebanon says that

nearly 200 people were killed and hundreds wounded in strikes that hit densely populated areas of Beirut.

Israel says the strikes targeted the Iranian-backed militant group, issuing evacuation orders for Southern Beirut earlier today. Tanks were seen today

on both sides of the border.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. The U.S. and Israel insist the truce does not include Lebanon contradicting Iran and key mediator, Pakistan.

ASHER: Lebanon says at least 10 people were killed today amid a national day of mourning.

Let's discuss all of these developments with Nada Bashir joining us live now from Beirut. We've also got Jeremy Diamond for us in Tel Aviv.

Nada, let me start with you because we just got word that Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his cabinet to actually begin live negotiations or

rather currently negotiations with Lebanon. This is an important development. It's something that the Lebanese have wanted for quite some

time. They've, of course, been caught in the middle of this.

But the key issue is going to be disarming Hezbollah and how much control Lebanon, as a state, actually has over Hezbollah in that regard?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And, of course, the Lebanese government has, for some time now, been pushing for talks and direct

negotiations with the Israeli government that has certainly been the position of the Lebanese president and prime minister.

In fact, there have been moves to put pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah to come to some sort of peace agreement as well to secure Lebanon's borders.

Of course, the Lebanese government has previously written to the United Nations. In that letter declaring that it has outlawed Hezbollah's military

wing and that it is working to disarm the -- the military wing of Hezbollah as a group.

But, of course, that clearly hasn't been the case. And we've seen further moves by the Lebanese government as referenced by the Israeli prime

minister's office with regards to the -- the opening and offer of negotiations.

The Lebanese government has essentially called on its security forces to clear the capital, Beirut, of any non-state arms. And this is believed to

be heavily focused on any Hezbollah actors who are armed and in the city.

And, of course, there has been mounting concern, mounting pressure across the city, across the country. We've been speaking to people on the ground

telling us that they want an immediate and peaceful resolution to the world, that they do not want to see conflict in Lebanon.

And we've been feeling the civilian impact of Israel's air assault, not only across Lebanon but here as well in the capital, Beirut. As you

mentioned, we saw the largest wave of airstrikes across the country since the war began. And we saw the impact of that here in the capital where

residential building, civilian buildings were struck and destroyed.

[12:05:06]

Again, the Israeli military has said that it was targeting what it described as Hezbollah command and military targets. But the civilian

impact has been clear. More than 180 people killed, at least nearly 900 people wounded.

We've been speaking to families today who are still waiting to identify their dead. So, there is a real feel -- feeling here of fear of what the

next steps will look like, whether perhaps this indication of -- of willingness to take part in talks between Israel and the Lebanese

government will mean a ceasefire here in the country.

And, of course, this comes just hours after the Israeli military issued a new evacuation order for parts of southern Beirut, a broad area of southern

-- southern Beirut, it has to be, said including areas that have not previously been under evacuation orders. So that has certainly raised

concern.

Many will be waiting tonight to see whether or not these talks, this offer of negotiations, does mean the beginning or some respite for many families

here in Lebanon or whether perhaps we will continue to see hostilities and, of course, how Hezbollah will respond to this.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Nada Bashir in Lebanon for us.

Let's go to Jerusalem and Jeremy Diamond. And, Jeremy, first question, what caused the sudden decision from Prime Minister Netanyahu to issue these

talks now with the Lebanese government?

And the -- the -- the argument that we had heard all along for years now from the Israelis was that the Lebanese military, either did not have the

desire or the ability and capability to disarm Hezbollah. So, what could change now?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're still working to learn details about exactly what led the Israeli Prime Minister to seek

these negotiations at this very moment. But obviously, if you look at the context and the timing of this decision, you can start to put some of the

pieces together.

I mean, we've been talking over the course of the last day or so about the fact that this continued -- continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon could

potentially put at risk the broader ceasefire between the United States and Iran. We have seen the Iranians repeatedly object to continued Israeli

attacks. We have also seen the Pakistanis talk about it. And into all of that comes the Israeli prime minister with this promise of negotiations

with Lebanon to address the issue of disarming Hezbollah, something that the Lebanese government has been seeking for weeks now, basically since

very shortly after Hezbollah began firing rockets on Israel and Israel began retaliating with strikes of its own inside of Lebanon.

Now, it's important to note that as of now, we have no indication that these talks also mean that Israel is going to cease fire in Lebanon.

In the past, we have seen that Israel typically prefers to negotiate or to force its opponents to negotiate under fire, meaning, that it will likely

continue to strike even as it negotiates. But we don't yet have a very clear sense of that.

We heard the Vice President J.D. Vance yesterday talking about Israel potentially scaling back some of its strikes in Lebanon. And so, you know,

perhaps that is what we could see from the Israelis here.

But as Nada has been reporting on the ground, so far, we haven't seen any indications of any kind of changed posture from the Israeli military.

Multiple strikes that have taken place today, evacuation orders for the parts of southern Beirut, which typically precede additional Israeli

military strikes.

So we're just going to have to wait and see. I am, however, learning from an Israeli official that Ambassador Leiter, the Israeli Ambassador to

Washington, is going to be the official leading the Israeli side of the negotiations.

It's also important to note that Israel and Lebanon have held direct talks in the last year. They held them at a relatively lower level in the

southern Lebanese city of Naqoura. In December of 2025, those were Israel, Lebanon, and the United States were all at that negotiating table.

But all of that, of course, fell apart, subsequent to the launch of this war in Iran, Hezbollah then entering the fray, and a new explosion of this

conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us. Nada Bashir, thank you so much, both of you.

I want to bring in CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward who is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

So, Clarissa, on the one hand, things are quieter today. No missile launches reported from Iran over the last 12 or so hours. But at the same

time, things are not status quo as to where they were before the war. I believe with regards to the Strait of Hormuz, only four oil vessels were

able to pass through or were allowed to pass through yesterday compared to the 100 or so daily before the start of the war.

[12:10:04]

So, what are you hearing from sources there on the ground about the state of this fragile ceasefire?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there is broad optimism that today has been much quieter than yesterday.

Yesterday, there was a feeling of distinct anxiety that was creeping in.

Today, for the first time, the UAE reporting not a single attack on its airspace. So this is meaningful progress.

But the issue of the Strait of Hormuz is one that is pivotal for the Gulf countries. And the issue of Iran seemingly under the impression that they

will continue to implement control of the Strait is simply put, Bianna, a - - a red -- a red line for the GCC countries.

And what their concern is going forward is regarding these U.S.-Iran direct talks that are expected to get underway in Islamabad on Saturday, they want

to be sure that their security concerns and guarantees that address those concerns are baked in to any agreement that comes about as a result of

those negotiations.

At the same time, they understand what a tall order that may be, given the status quo right now with the U.S. and Iran singing from very, very, very

different hymn sheets and indeed one 10-point plan versus another 10-point plan versus the 15-point plan.

And by the way, I should add, the specter or the possibility that these talks could even break apart before they've even started, given that Iran

has issued a number of threats saying that if Lebanon is not declared as being part of this ceasefire agreement, that they would not entertain

continuing this ceasefire or indeed these bilateral negotiations.

Now, part of that may be braggadocio largely for domestic consumption, but certainly, we have seen statements today from Iran's prime minister, from

Iran's foreign minister, and critically from Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament, who is the -- one of the central Iranian

interlocutors in these U.S. talks, essentially saying that if this is not explicitly articulated by the U.S. and the Israelis, and now it remains to

be seen whether this move from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu towards some kind of direct negotiation with -- between Israel and Lebanon will be

enough to appease the Iranians, and they will indeed continue to meet in Islamabad on Saturday.

So I would say definitely a brighter picture here than it was a day ago, but still, a number of clouds looming overhead. And again, the central

issue for many of these Gulf countries is, of course, that vital Strait of Hormuz, which continues to be under somewhat of a chokehold, even the

Iranians saying that at this stage due to the security concerns to the mines and other issues, they can only let in a maximum of 15 ships a day,

Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. A huge point of leverage that Iran has picked up that it has and retains over the United States and really the rest of the world and

the region.

Clarissa Ward, thank you.

All right. Well, we are counting down to the big splashdown. The Artemis II astronauts are on their way home after journeying deeper into space than

any human before them.

ASHER: Yes. They woke up last hour to the song, "Lonesome Drifter" by Charley Crockett aboard the Orion Space capsule for their final full day in

space. Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean is scheduled for Friday evening, Eastern Time here in the U.S.

Pilot, Victor Glover, says that he's really looking forward to coming home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLOVER: The entry thing, I'll be honest and say, I've actually been thinking about entry since April 3rd, 2023, when we got assigned to this

mission.

And one of the first press conferences we were asked, what are we looking forward to? And I said, splashdown. And it's kind of humorous, but it's

literal as well that we have to get back.

There's so much data that you've seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There's so many more pictures, so many more stories.

And, gosh, I -- I haven't even begun to process what we've been through. We've still got two more days. And -- and riding a fireball through the

atmosphere is -- is profound as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: How Commander Wiseman can just look so natural and comfortable at that angle in space beyond me?

ASHER: Arms folded.

GOLODRYGA: All right. The four crew members are not only they only made history this week, they've also brought a lot of joy to the mini earthbound

people. An Ipsos poll finds that most Americans have a pretty starry-eyed view of NASA and its space program.

[12:15:13]

ASHER: And look at these stunning images that the crew shot.

CNN's Randi Kaye joins us live now from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. I mean, this has been a jam-packed mission. I mean, aside from

some of the stuff that they've had to do in terms of research, we were looking at some of the most gorgeous pictures I've seen of -- of space.

And I was joking with Bianna yesterday. It's like, gosh, you want me to be an astronaut and the content creator, too? They have -- they have done a

lot.

But just in terms of this 10-day mission coming to an end, obviously, splashdown in the Pacific Ocean is on Friday. I mean, they have been

reflecting on just how much of a monumental and life-changing mission this has been. What have they said, Randi?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are -- they have been talking about that a lot. And they've really bonded. I mean, this team, you see

them often in space, hugging, holding hands, just really celebrating each other, celebrating this mission.

But, of course, they are coming up on one of the trickiest parts of this mission. There's a lot of questions about the heat shield and how well it

will hold up during reentry and splashdown. It's made of this avcoat material. And they're expecting temperatures outside that capsule of, like,

5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

So it's going to be very, very hot. And this -- this material is supposed to gradually burn off. But with Artemis 1, which was an uncrewed mission in

2022, it didn't work as properly as it should have, and it came off in big chunks.

So there is a lot of concern about that. NASA, of course, is -- is said that they're very confident that it will hold up.

But in terms of how life has been going in space as they prepare for reentry, they were asked at this press conference with the media last night

about life in the capsule. And this is what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II CREW MEMBER: Wow. We have loved living in Orion. And, in fact, we've all said that sometimes you can forget where you really

are, because we're in this small -- this small space that just gives us everything we need.

But the answer to your question is, yes, it is bigger in microgravity. And, yes, we are bumping into each other 100 percent of the time. A phrase that

you often hear in the cabin is, don't move your foot. I'm just going to reach for something right under it.

Or, you know, can I get there? And my goal is to get over there. And we're constantly moving around, whether it's to complete a task, to just eat, you

know, to -- to look out the window to take a picture.

Everything we do in here is a four-person activity. But it's also really fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I don't know about you, but one -- one of my favorite moments in the capsule watching them is when Victor Glover was -- Pilot Victor Glover was

attempting to, quote, shower. You know, they have these wipes. And he was showering and washing his body while mission specialist Jeremy Hansen is

sitting there trying to eat food and catch the crumbs that were flying and escaping around him.

So those are some tight quarters. And they have certainly bonded and managed that very, very well.

ASHER: All right. Randi Kaye, you've had the best assignment. I'm sure you're going to miss it. You're going to miss it, aren't you? It's been the

best assignment, really.

KAYE: I am.

GOLODRYGA: Brought us a lot of joy, Randi Joy Kaye.

KAYE: Thank you.

ASHER: Randi Kaye.

KAYE: I'm going to hold on to that name.

GOLODRYGA: I know. It's a good name. People that didn't watch a few days here will be, what is she talking about? All right. Go back and watch the

show.

Golfer Rory McIlroy aims to join the history books as he tees off at the Masters. Just ahead, we'll take you live to Augusta, Georgia to explain how

it could happen.

ASHER: Plus, the famous friends who helped Pope Leo show off basketball skills at the Vatican.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:29]

ASHER: All right. One of golf's greatest tournaments is now underway, the Masters.

GOLODRYGA: Defending champion, Rory McIlroy, is trying to become the first to win back-to-back Masters title since Tiger Woods did it more than 20

years ago. Ninety-one players, including six amateurs, are vying for the coveted green jacket.

World Sports' Don Riddell joins us live from Augusta, Georgia. It looks beautiful behind you, Don. I'm not going to even pretend to know any of the

other players. I know Rory. So just walk us through --

ASHER: You're so honest.

GOLODRYGA: -- who to look out for. I -- I know some sports, golf is not mine.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: The Masters is always wonderful. And as you rightly point out, the weather is absolutely fabulous. And we're expecting

it to stay that way right throughout the weekend.

Hard to know exactly what's going to happen over the next four days. But, of course, so much attention, as you would expect on the defending

champion, Rory McIlroy.

Last year here, he overcame years and years and years of heartbreak at Augusta to finally win his first green jacket, making him only the sixth

player to win all four majors, completing the grand slam.

And he just seems like a completely different guy here now. He's just so relaxed. It's as if all of the sort of pressure and anxiety that he was

dealing with for all those years is now gone. And he just seems to be a completely liberated golfer, now wondering what else he could achieve.

Have a listen and get a sense of Rory's mood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RORY MCILROY, 2025 MASTERS CHAMPION: And for the past, what is it, 17 years? I just could not wait for the tournament to start. And this year, I

wouldn't care if the tournament never started.

So it is so nice to walk around property or be out on the golf course and just not have that hanging over me. You know that. It feels like it's a --

it's a big weight off my shoulders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: So he is, as we say, a golfing legend. If he wants to further cement his legacy, he could win here this week, becoming only the fourth

player to win back to back. The other three players are legends of the game, Jack Niklaus, Nick Faldo, and as you mentioned, Tiger Woods.

If he's not going to be Rory, well, how about the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, who absolutely loves this tournament? And he's won it twice in

2022 and 2024.

So I guess three and five years would be extremely impressive. That would be yet another thing that somebody like Tiger Woods has achieved in the

past.

We're not too sure where Scottie's game is at the moment, but of course, this is going to be a fabulous week for him.

Just anyway, he arrived here with his new son, Remy. So the Scheffler family is growing, regardless of what happens on the golf course.

And one of the most remarkable stories here this week, regardless of what happens between now and Sunday, is another American golfer, Gary Woodland.

And now, this guy is a former Major winner. He won the U.S. Open back in 2019. He's won five times on the PGA Tour. He's got a ton of money in the

bank.

But by his own account, he has been to hell and back. Most notably, he had a growth on his brain. It was a lesion that he had to have removed in 2023

that had been really pressing on the part of his brain that controls emotions.

And back then, he was suffering from a lot of stress and anxiety. He underwent surgery to remove it. And things seemed to be much better. But

recently, he revealed that he'd been coping with a lot of PTSD. He was essentially out there on the golf course thinking that somebody was trying

to kill him.

[12:25:09]

Despite that, he was able to overcome. He won in Houston just a couple of weeks ago. It was highly, highly emotional, and that got him back to

Augusta. And now here he is.

We listened to him speak in the press conference a couple of days ago. And he just seemed to be on the verge of tears right throughout, but he is

thrilled to be back here. And, of course, what is pretty much everybody's favorite golf tournament. Have a listen to Gary Woodland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY WOODLAND, UNDERWENT BRAIN SURGERY IN 2023: I got a worry about today. That's a -- that's a big tale. I love this place. I love the tradition.

There's nothing like driving down Magnolia Lane. I -- I definitely drove down a little slower this -- this year than I ever had even the first time

when I was here in 2011. I'm definitely taking it all in this week for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: That was in response to my question, how would it feel to win here this week? And he said, I just got to get through each and every day. That

answer, very telling, guys. Back to you.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. In some sense, a winner, given everything that he's gone through to make it back to Augusta as well, putting life into perspective

as he's pursuing yet another, perhaps win.

Don Riddell, thank you.

ASHER: All right. Pope Leo may be ready for the basketball court. He performed a classic trick in St. Peter's Square with an assist from the

Harlem Globetrotters.

GOLODRYGA: I thought baseball was his sport. A member of the team showed the pope how to do one of their signature moves, spinning a basketball on

his finger. And he was presented with a team jersey as well.

The Globetrotters are on a world tour, marking their 100th anniversary. I love the Globe.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. A reminder of our breaking news this hour. Israel's prime minister says, he has instructed his cabinet to begin direct peace talks

with Lebanon as soon as possible. Benjamin Netanyahu says, the negotiation should focus on disarming Hezbollah.

[12:30:05]

GOLODRYGA: Israel has conducted airstrikes in Lebanon, even after the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran went into effect. Lebanon says, nearly

200 people were killed and hundreds wounded in strikes that hit densely populated areas of Beirut.

Israel says, the strikes targeted the Iranian-backed militant group, issuing evacuation orders for southern Beirut earlier today.

Joining us now from Jerusalem is Amit Segal. He's an Israeli journalist and author of "It's Noon in Israel," a newsletter that goes out every morning.

Amit, it's good to see you. Welcome back to the program.

So this all comes with reports that there may be discussions between Israeli officials happening as soon as today and Lebanese officials in

Washington, D.C., for some sort of ceasefire.

And yesterday, we heard Vice President Vance say that Israel, quote, offered to check themselves a little bit to help these negotiations succeed

in Islamabad. But are -- are they really checking themselves? Does prime minister really checking himself? Or -- or is he looking for a way to make

this ceasefire negotiation fail?

And if it is the latter, Amit, does that not put him squarely at odds with the president of the United States?

AMIT SEGAL, ISRAELI JOURNALIST: Well, President Trump kept saying, over the last 24 hours, that the ceasefire does not include Lebanon.

I think the target of the Israel, the goal of the Israeli government, is not to break the ceasefire but to break Hezbollah.

On day two or day three of this current Epic Fury operation, Hezbollah started firing at Israel. That's the reason for the Israeli forces to

actually enter Lebanon. That's the only way. It wouldn't have happened otherwise. And that's why Israel is actually or Israel kept demanding that

the ceasefire would not include Lebanon.

By the way, I think it's a strategic event. I know Lebanon is quite a marginal spot on the map of the Middle East for -- for the most Americans,

but it's very, very important even -- because the strategy of the Iranian regime has been, for the last 47 years, not to fight directly with Israel,

but to have the army of proxies attacking Israel.

Now, if they are to give up Hezbollah their most significant proxy left to be fought by it, as if -- I mean, the U.S. would have signed a peace

agreement or a ceasefire agreement with Iran, but letting them to attack Israel.

How would we look at this? I think it's dramatic. And that's exactly the reason why Israel should insist and the entire world should insist on

Hezbollah dismantling itself.

ASHER: Amit, right after these sort of -- this sort of temporary ceasefire fell into place. It's obviously very fragile right now. But right after it

fell into place, we saw Israel really step up its attacks in the Southern Lebanon, basically unleashing one of the largest amount of -- of bombs on

Hezbollah, striking legitimate sort of Hezbollah command centers.

And obviously, from Israel's perspective, they are trying to ensure that Northern Israel remains safe. That is why they're targeting Hezbollah.

But for just in term -- just in terms of international optics, the visible result has, of course, been hundreds of people killed. It has been over a

million Lebanese people displaced. You're seeing hospitals running out of supply.

So, obviously, there has been so much pressure from the international community. And obviously now, a little bit more pressure from the Americans

as they really want to make sure that this ceasefire with Iran actually holds.

Obviously, there's economic pressures on that front. But how concerned is Israel that the U.S. is going to make some kind of a deal with Iran that

does not address Israel's security concerns as well?

SEGAL: I think that's the reason why Prime Minister Netanyahu has just announced that he -- he's willing to directly negotiate with Lebanon. A

step that hasn't happened since 1948 and not because of Israel, 1949, I think.

The -- the main reason for the casualties on the Lebanese side is because Hezbollah tried to hide as a conclusion of -- of the 2024 war in -- between

Lebanon and Israel to actually hide itself, hide its headquarters, not in Shiite centers, but in the Jews' neighborhoods and Christian neighborhoods

without the neighbors knowing about it.

However, the -- I -- I think the -- the lion's share of their casualties is Hezbollah commanders themselves. Two hundred and twenty Hezbollah

commanders died yesterday in the Israeli attack. So the collateral damage while tragic, of course, is -- is, first and foremost, the reason emanates

from the decision of Hezbollah to -- to hide behind the civilian population. That's the main thing.

[12:35:03]

However, I think President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu on the same page when it comes to Hezbollah. And we have to bear in mind something

which is very important. Even if Israel actually stops firing at Hezbollah, it's because Hezbollah pledged to stop firing at Israel in the first place.

And at the very same spot, Israel is still behind the Litani River, which means that unless Hezbollah is dismantled, Israel will -- will have to

actually make sure that its citizens are safe and are protected from a -- a, you know, from -- from borders that -- that can be protected from.

GOLODRYGA: Amit, I know you follow U.S. politics and news very closely. And you're aware that there is a growing perception that Israel, Prime Minister

Netanyahu, specifically dragged or convinced President Trump to launch this war in Iran. And that was only exacerbated by reports this week.

A very detailed report in "The New York Times" that the Prime Minister Netanyahu oversold the likelihood of within the first few weeks of this war

toppling the regime, eliminating Iran's nuclear program, and ending its ability to threaten its neighbors. Even former Prime Minister Naftali

Bennett has said that the war's objectives have not been achieved.

If the White House feels ultimately that they were sold a false bill of goods here, how much damage, short and long-term, will that inflict upon

Israel's relationship with Washington?

SEGAL: Personally, I'm not worried about this administration being detached from Israel or this illusion. I think no one has dragged President Trump to

anything since -- since, I don't know, second grade, you know, in -- in -- in elementary school.

However, have -- or did President Trump think that Iran was a low-hanging fruit? It's a possibility. Is it harder than expected? It's possible. Is it

too early to say whether it's a success, a total victory, a victory, or something in -- in -- or something less than this? Absolutely.

And that's why I have to admit, I'm quite worried about the -- the -- the standing of Israel, especially within the Republican Party, the Democratic

Party, as far as I understand is -- is a lost case for the next three, four, five years.

But it's early to say, I mean, we're still -- let's go to the -- to the drawing board. After the first week when Israelis and Americans have

already been disillusioned from the image of the Iranian -- the Iranian regime being -- being toppled by its protesters in the middle of the war,

the ultimate scenario was as follows; a unilateral ceasefire respected by Iran, the Hormuz straits are open, and the U.S. forces are still in the

neighborhood in order to make sure that protesters know that they are not alone. This is a give-or-take what we have. So I think it's too early to

call and too close to call the outcome of this war.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. As we know, the Strait of Hormuz is anything but officially open, though. At this point, I think only four vessels were allowed to pass

just yesterday.

Amit Segal, thank you so much for the time. Really appreciate it.

ASHER: Thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:40:08]

GOLODRYGA: Well, Meta is rolling out a new A.I. model, and it looks to turn billions in investment into real-world products. The company says Muse

Spark will power features across Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, focusing on everyday personal tasks like shopping or estimating calories in

a meal.

ASHER: CNN's Lisa Eadicicco joins us live now for more on Meta's new A.I. model.

I mean, obviously, Meta has invested so -- I mean, billions. They've invested so much money into A.I. And this is one of the results, this idea

of personal super intelligence. And these models can basically outthink humans, which I find terrifying.

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: So exactly. This is the first model coming out of Meta's super intelligence lab. And a lot of the use

cases and the experience that users can engage in today in the Meta A.I. app aren't really all that different from what you can already do with

ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

But what's significant here is that Meta, especially their CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has said for a while that the company has this vision to create

a personal A.I. assistant.

And as you mentioned, it's pouring billions into doing that. It's, you know, whether that's through investing in A.I. infrastructure, making high-

profile hires, acquiring companies. It's been pouring a lot of money into this and -- and kind of making a lot of statements about what it wants to

do.

But this model, what it shows is a -- an -- a concrete step in that direction. And I think that's what a lot of people were looking for here,

especially on Wall Street analysts, investors looking for a lot of certainty about where all of that money is going and how it's going to

shape the future of Meta's products.

And we still don't have all of those answers today. For example, right now, the model is available in the Meta AI app. Anybody can use it. And you'll

notice that there's a few different modes in it. There's one that gives you a really fast answer. There's one that tells the model to reason and think

through and show the steps that it's going through to reach an answer. There's a shopping mode. There's going to be more stuff rolling out to

Instagram and Meta's other platforms in the coming weeks, as you mentioned.

But I think this sign of progress is showing that Meta's super intelligence lab that it's been spending all this time and money building is really

turning up some results.

And that's going to be really important as the landscape in A.I., which is already super competitive, just gets even more and more competitive in the

coming months.

ASHER: All right. Lisa Eadicicco, thank you for that.

GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us, we're going to take a closer look at how reshaping belief systems could unlock potential and help you live your

best life. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:21]

ASHER: All right. We're going to take time out now for a segment looking at how A.I. is, of course, completely appending our daily lives.

As we rely more and more on artificial intelligence to make everyday decisions, to process information, and to generate ideas, and to spark

creativity, what is happening to our ability to think for ourselves? The recent study found that workers who over rely on multiple A.I. systems for

output are experiencing brain-fry, reduced concentration and exhaustion.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We're going to talk to an expert who explores neuroscience and psychology and how A.I. social media affects our ability to focus.

ASHER: Yes. Joining us live now is author of the best-selling books, "Hooked" and "Indistractable." His latest book is "Beyond Belief: The

Science-backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Extraordinary Results."

Welcome, Nir Eyal. So good to have you on the program. And thank you so much for staying up late for us.

So, you know, one thing I find interesting is that we are living in a world where we are continually outsourcing our own intelligence to A.I. Any sort

of random question, any piece of advice that we need, any sort of idea that we want to generate, we simply ask ChatGPT or Claude.

And I really do wonder how that affects our ability to focus, our ability to think. I mean, that whole process. I mean, if I was going to, I don't

know, deliver a speech, that process of coming up with ideas, of focusing on, of concentrating, of, you know, trial and error, maybe I should tweak

the beginning, maybe I should tweak the middle, maybe I need to try a different ending. That whole process has now been sort of taken away from

us. We can just literally ask ChatGPT.

What does that do to our brains, Nir?

NIR EYAL, AUTHOR, "BEYOND BELIEF": Well, there is a whole line of thinking that the problem isn't that the technology gets smarter, it's that we get

dumber. And I think this is what we need to be careful of.

But there is a way around this that, in fact, when you do use A.I., you want to make sure that you are separating the parts that are uniquely you,

your thoughts, your story, your insights. And you want to make sure you write those down before you start using the A.I.

I think where people get in trouble is that they ask GPT what they think. And that's a big problem. I think what we need to do is to separate the

two.

GOLODRYGA: And in terms of differentiating developing brains and teens versus developed brains and adults, we use A.I. I think, you know,

obviously, we're distracted as well. But we use it more as a tool. And obviously, this is still novel for us where if you look at teenagers, this

is something that they've been working with. And -- and for some, this is all that they know in terms of research.

How concerned are you that that could impact their development? And on the flip side, there are still positives to helping teens learn and adapt as

well. No?

EYAL: Absolutely. As the philosopher Paul Virilio said, when you invent the ship, you invent the shipwreck. So every new technology is going to have

goods and bads. Is the internet good? Yes. Is it bad? Yes. Is A.I. good? Yes. Is A.I. bad? Yes. So we're going to have good and bads with every new

technology.

Now, the -- the important thing here is just like, you know, when you build a ship, you -- you -- you create the shipwreck. You don't stop sailing

ships. That ship has sailed, right? A.I. is here. We need to know how we deal with it. We make the A.I. safer. And especially when it comes to

children.

It's obvious that children require special restrictions. You know, I wouldn't let my 17-year-old daughter walk into a bar and order a gin and

tonic. I wouldn't let her walk into a casino and play blackjack because there are certain restrictions that we need on children.

[12:50:05]

And so I think that's perfectly reasonable to suggest there are certain tools out there that kids should not be using until they come of age.

And I think it's parents' responsibility to make sure that -- that -- that the children are provided access to what they're ready for.

The good news is that used to be quite difficult. Today, it's getting easier and easier because what we're finding is that many of the very tools

that we use every single day come built in with applications that actually let us use them less. And so we need to use those tools that are right

there for our disposal.

ASHER: Nir, one sort of -- I hope I can say this. But one sort of stroke of luck that I've been blessed with is that I have quite a good memory, I

would say. And that has brought me so many opportunities because you think about just what a gift having a good memory is.

People who have good memories, they're obviously faster learners. Obviously in school, we often do learn by rote. So as the kids who have good

memories, that often do better. That's a whole controversial different thing in and of itself.

But even just this ability, the ability to do my job, to do this job, you need to have a good memory, to be a news anchor, to be a correspondent. I

mean, the amount of information that Bianna and I have to process and retain everyday beggars' belief.

And so when you think about just something so random and not -- that I've had no control over has brought me so many opportunities, having a good

memory.

And one of the things I worry about, as Bianna was saying for the next generation is that the key to having a good memory really ultimately, there

are lots of factors involved, but one of the main keys to having a good memory is your ability to focus.

And in this world that we are in with so many distractions, social media, Instagram, if you -- you want a video to do well on Instagram, it has to be

less than 60 seconds. That tells you what kind of generation we are living in.

So, how do we reclaim the ability to focus? How do you actually practice that?

EYAL: Yes. Well -- well, you'll be surprised to know that as good as your memory is, it's nowhere close to what the ancient Greeks could do.

You know --

ASHER: Wow.

EYAL: -- they could memorize entire volumes of information.

And this is why Socrates, the Greek philosopher, you know, he talked about this terrible technology in his day, over 2,000 years ago, that sounds as

if he was talking about social media. He talked about this technology that was going to (INAUDIBLE) our minds. You know what he was talking about? The

written word.

Because every new technology has a cost. And he -- you know what? He was absolutely right. Because writing things down does let you do what

psychologists call cognitive offloading. That whenever we think, oh, a memory, a piece of information is somewhere else, we don't commit it to

memory.

And in many ways, that costs us. We cannot do what the ancient Greeks could do. But you know what? We can do all kinds of things they could never

imagine.

So, it's not necessarily about saying, oh, technology good, technology bad. It's about finding how to use it in a way that serves us rather than hurts

us.

GOLODRYGA: So for viewers who are tuning in and want some tips from you as well, it was notable that you say the opposite of distraction isn't focus,

it's traction. So put into real life what that entails. What does that mean?

EYAL: Absolutely. So anything that you decide to do in advance is traction. And that could be things you enjoy. Who am I to say that playing a video

game or scrolling social media is somehow morally inferior to watching golf on T.V.? Whatever you want to do with your leisure time is fine as long, as

you plan it on your schedule and your values, not someone else's, certainly not the tech companies. So as long as you plan for it, great.

Conversely, just because it's a work-related task doesn't mean it's not a distraction. How many times do we sit down at our desk and we say, I've got

that big project. I can't be distracted. I need to focus. I need to do what I -- I said I was going to do. But first, let me check some email. First

let me just scroll that -- that group chat channel. Right? Because that's part of my job. I have to check email sometime today, don't I?

But what you don't realize is that that is the most dangerous form of distraction. If I'm here checking, you know, a YouTube or Instagram, well,

then clearly, that's a distraction at work.

But if I'm checking email when I said I was going to work on that big project, that is also a distraction because it's not what I said I was

going to do in advance.

So you cannot call something a distraction unless you know what it distracted you from. If you've got big white space on your calendar, you

can't complain. What did you get distracted from? You didn't plan your time in advance. You can't get distracted from something you didn't know you got

distracted from.

ASHER: So, Nir, I mentioned that one sort of blessing or one sort of key to being able to, I guess, garner opportunities in life, especially in this

particular injury, not industry, not injury, industry is having, of course, a good memory.

EYAL: Sometimes I can hurt though, right?

ASHER: The other is, of course, your opinion of yourself and your belief in yourself. You've written a new book about how our beliefs affect our

performances. Just walk us through it, Nir.

[12:55:07]

EYAL: Absolutely. So, you know, we tend to think that our personality is fixed, that I'm an anxious person. I'm not a morning person. I'm bad at

math. I'm bad with technology. Well, I'm Sagittarius (ph). Whatever the case might be.

And the science says that these are limiting beliefs that are identities, these foreclosures. It's called identity foreclosure. When we believe we

are a certain type of person, well, our labels become our limits.

And so beliefs are upstream of our personality. And that changes everything from how long you live, to how much money you make, and ultimately, how

happy you are.

ASHER: I bet you have a great memory. You do, I'm sure.

GOLODRYGA: Or at least -- or -- or at least --

ASHER: You do. I'm sure. I can -- I can --

GOLODRYGA: Or -- or at least a calendar that you keep up to date, because that is very important too.

EYAL: You know what's -- you know what's interesting, actually, it's funny you should say that. I used to tell myself a limiting belief that I'm no

good with names and that I can't remember things properly and I -- I would -- here's what would happen. And this is what's -- it what happens with all

limiting beliefs.

You tell yourself the story, I'm no good at this. I'm not ready. The -- you know, people are going to think I'm an imposter.

GOLODRYGA: Right.

EYAL: We tell ourselves these stories and it becomes true. Because what are you thinking when you say, I have a bad memory?

ASHER: Nir -- Nir, I'm -- I'm so sorry.

EYAL: You're thinking about how you're anxious about forgetting someone's name.

ASHER: Nir, we are -- we are out of time. But, Nir, thank you so much. That was -- that was really helpful and we're grateful.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We're anxious about cutting you off too.

EYAL: Likewise.

GOLODRYGA: We're up against the clock.

That does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. "Amanpour" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END