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One World with Zain Asher
Ceasefire In Place In Lebanon, Both Sides Report Violations; Sources: U.S. navy Secretary Told To Resign Or Be Fired; European Business Activity Drops Due To Iran War; U.N.: Even If War Stops, 30M Plus People Will Fall Into Poverty; Site Accuses Three Candidates Of Betting On Their Own Races; CNN Investigates Claims Of Sexual Abuse by Other Men; Officials: Nearly 800 People Killed In Gaza Since October Ceasefire; Eta Breaks Glass Ceiling As Manager Of Berlin's Men's Team; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired April 23, 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: Shoot and kill. Donald Trump orders the Navy to shoot any Iranian boats placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The second
hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Look at where we are right now. The president chose to extend the ceasefire because it's Iran who
needs to get their acts together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: No firm deadline for Iran to respond. Why the White House says President Trump is satisfied with the economic pressure campaign.
Also ahead, the cost of war. For the first time in 16 months, European business output has fallen, which sectors are being hit hardest?
And later, meet the football goddess. For the first time in history, a woman is calling a shunt, one of the top men's teams in Europe.
All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are once again watching the second hour of "One World."
A new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon is set to start in Washington in just a few hours after the first direct talks in decades last
week. Lebanon is hoping for an agreement to extend the fragile truce in Lebanon, while Israel wants to see the Iranian-backed Hezbollah dismantled.
The talks come as Israel has vowed to maintain its presence in Southern Lebanon, an Israeli strike that killed a Lebanese journalist on Wednesday
has raised tensions ahead of this meeting.
Oren Liebermann is joining us live now from Jerusalem. So just given how far apart both sides are, I mean, obviously Israel's priority is, of
course, security. They want to see Hezbollah completely disarmed. That is obviously a tall order for Lebanon, just in terms of what they are capable
of.
Just explain to us what is the best case scenario in terms of the outcome of these talks between both sides.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Zain, you're absolutely right that we're not going to see a broad, massive agreement to end the war for
good and see peace between Israel and Lebanon and diplomatic relations for the first time in decades. That's far too much for our expectations for
this meeting that's scheduled to start in about four hours.
What we do expect is possible is an extension of the ceasefire, essentially creating room for more diplomatic efforts to go through here as the Trump
administration tries to push forward to get to a point where you can see a more permanent ceasefire agreement and -- and a broader peace deal. That's
really what the Trump administration is pushing for, expanding what's known as the Abraham Accords, where Israel normalizes with more countries, is a
big goal of President Donald Trump. And that perhaps is -- is what they're looking to accomplish, but that's a long way off.
In a statement a short time ago from the Lebanese government, President Joseph Aoun said he had a lot to discuss as part of this meeting. He
wouldn't be there personally, but his ambassador who would be in Washington, he said he -- he wants to discuss breaches of the ceasefire,
prevent the destruction of homes, attacks on civilians, places of worship, journalists and the medical and educational sectors.
So, he intends to -- to talk about all of the actions the Israeli military has taken. Now, the reference to journalists there is what happened
yesterday, where two journalists, Zeinab Faraj and Amal Khalil were traveling in a convoy into Southern Lebanon under report on what was
happening there, as you know, a large swath of Southern Lebanon is occupied by Israeli forces. The convoy they were in came under attack from an
Israeli strike.
The two journalists then went to a nearby building to seek refuge and safety from any further Israeli strikes. But that building, according to
Lebanon's national news agency, was then hit by another strike. Faraj was seriously injured, but rescue workers were able to get to her. Amal Khalil,
it took hours for rescue workers to get to her, according to the national news agency, because the Israeli military prevented and restricted the
access of rescue workers to that site.
When they finally did reach her hours later, they realized she had been killed in that Israeli strike. This is the fourth journalist to have been
killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the start of the war with Iran over the course of the past seven weeks or so.
And this adds to all of the tension and the diplomatic difficulties going into this meeting. The Israeli military, acknowledges carrying out the
strikes. They say they saw the vehicles headed towards Israeli forces and viewed them as a threat. They say the incident is under review and insist
they never stopped rescue workers from reaching the site.
All right. Oren Liebermann, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
[12:05:01]
After striking a more considerately tone earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump is once again threatening Tehran. Earlier today, he announced
he's ordering the Navy to shoot down Iranian boats placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz. That vital waterway remains a sticking point in peace
talks and the site of increased tensions.
This video released by Iran shows commandos storming cargo ships in the Strait on Wednesday, but experts say some of it appears to be staged.
President Trump is now ordering the U.S. Navy to, quote, shoot and kill boats that are laying mine in the Strait of Hormuz. This comes after the
U.S. boarded a sanction vessel in the Indian Ocean. The Defense Department claims that vessel carried oil from Iran.
As of Wednesday, U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan has been ousted. Sources tell CNN that tension has been building for months between the Phelan and
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Meantime, the White House is defending Trump after he said there is, quote, no timeframe for ending the conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEAVITT: The president's offering them a little bit of flexibility because we want to see a unified proposal to the president's very strong proposal.
And he's made his red lines very clear.
The president has not set a deadline himself. Ultimately, he will dictate the timetable.
Iran is in a very weak position and the cards are in President Trump's hands right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Let's discuss these developments with Brian Todd live from Washington. I mean, obviously, you want consistency within the
military when you are conducting a war. And the fact that the head of the Navy has now been ousted.
Just a few weeks ago, you had the Army Chief of Staff ousted apparently based on reporting because of disagreements with Defense Chief Pete
Hegseth. Walk us through what you know so far.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Zain. This is again a very dramatic personnel move in the upper echelons of the Pentagon coming, as you just
laid out, as tensions in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz are still running very high.
This is reporting from our colleagues, Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, Kristen Holmes, Natasha Bertrand and Kaitlan Collins, Navy Secretary John
Phelan has been ousted very abruptly from his position. That's according to six sources familiar with the matter.
Two sources telling CNN that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Phelan that he needed to resign or be fired.
Multiple sources told CNN that there had been tension for months between John Phelan and Pete Hegseth who believed that Phelan was moving too slowly
on implementing shipbuilding reforms. But our sources also said that Pete Hegseth was also upset by Phelan's direct communications with President
Trump, which Hegseth saw as an attempt to bypass him.
The issue came to a head during a meeting on Wednesday between President Trump and Pete Hegseth. That is according to a senior White House official
who said that Trump who had also been frustrated himself with the slow pace of the shipbuilding became convinced that John Phelan needed to be
replaced.
Now, this does come at a very fraught moment. We've been talking about it for weeks and months now with tensions in the Persian Gulf and the Strait
of Hormuz running high, the potential for peace talks there, but also a lot of tension in the Gulf with the ships being intercepted.
But we should point out that the Navy Secretary really does not have a role in overseeing forces that are deployed. The Navy Secretary's main
responsibility is to oversee the building of naval and marine core forces for the future.
So the actual impact on the U.S. military operations in the Gulf could be minimal, Zain, by this -- you know, with this ouster of John Phelan.
But it certainly, of course, lends to the intrigue in Washington. And it comes, as you mentioned, briefly there that, you know, after Pete Hegseth
has already moved out several top military officers.
This is the first secretary that he's moved out, but several military officers in the top echelons there already moved out of their positions by
Pete Hegseth.
ASHER: All right. Brian Todd, live for us. Thank you so much.
All right. The war in the Middle East has caused the first fall in European business output in 16 months and sent prices surging. Closely watched
survey data of 21 countries that use the euro show war-induced economic woes are deepening.
A senior economist says that supply shortages threatened to hurt growth even further and push prices even higher.
Let's go to CNN's Hanna Ziady in London. I mean, obviously you're dealing with the aftermath and the fallout of rising fuel costs. So, it's not just
the output in Europe that is being affected, but also on top of that, there's jet fuel shortages that is also weighing heavily on the travel
industry and on airlines, Hanna.
HANNA ZIADY, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: That's right, Zain. That's a huge concern in this region. And in fact, the European Commission announced yesterday a
pan-European buddy to monitor jet fuel supplies across the block, identify potential shortages, coordinate possible sharing of fuel and the release of
emergency stockpiles.
The European Union has spent, it says, an additional $28 billion on energy imports since the start of the war. That's more than $500 million a day for
not any extra oil and natural gas. And we are seeing that pressure across the board.
[12:10:06]
So jet fuel is one huge area, but also higher prices at the pump, higher food prices. Few and more expensive airline tickets connected to that jet
fuel price. So we saw Lufthansa saying earlier this week it would take out about 20,000 flights from its schedule over the next six months to save on
jet fuel costs.
The impacts go beyond even that. We've got European fishermen, some of them just, you know, no longer fishing because energy costs have increased so
sharply. The chemicals industry, particularly in Germany, warning of possible job cuts.
So every day that this war goes on, the economic consequences become more apparent and become more severe here in the United Kingdom.
Just, you know, speaking of shortages, we actually had the U.K. government last month kind of restarting a mothballed bioethanol plant to shore up
carbon dioxide supplies.
Now CO2 is a byproduct of fertilizer production. E.U. fertilized production has been severely disrupted by soaring natural gas prices and that's made
CO2 imports into the U.K. less readily available.
So you see all the ways that supply chains can be disrupted here. We've also seen a spike, say fuel retailers, in theft by motorists because fuel
prices have climbed so strongly here. So motorists, you know, going to a gas station, filling up their car and then simply driving away.
And that includes from first time offenders. So that really, you know, kind of underscores the fact that these impacts are being widely felt by -- by
households and by businesses.
And just to make the point that even if the war were to end this week, which is, of course, what we're all hoping for, at least some of the
economic damage has already been done. We've seen in Asia how hard hit some of those. Economies have been fuel rationing, four-day work weeks,
temporary closures of some businesses and schools. And that is now, you know, rapidly moving waste.
The European Commission is saying yesterday, and I think we have that quote to pull up for our viewers that let me just get it here. Even if
hostilities seized immediately disruptions to energy supplies from the Gulf will persist for the foreseeable future. So economic consequences
snowballing every day that this war continues, Zain.
All right. Hanna Ziady in London, thank you so much.
All right. As with many conflicts, it's the most vulnerable who get hit hardest. And today, the United Nations is reinforcing that point. The U.N.
says that even if the Iran war stops tomorrow, it could still push more than 30 million people into extreme poverty globally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDER DE CROO, ADMINISTRATOR, U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: Very often, these were countries that were just being lifted out of poverty in the last
-- in the last decades, that are now in a very brutal way being -- being pushed back due to a combination of regions.
First of all, energy prices going -- going up, energy shortages. Food insecurity because of the fertilizer supply, which has been impacted in a -
- in a very -- very dramatic way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Ian Bremmer is president and founder of both GZERO Media and the Eurasia Group. He joins us live now.
We've talked a lot in this program about how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, especially with not just fuel not being able to get through, 20
percent of the world's fuel not being able to get through, but also fertilizer, also humanitarian aid is having a massive impact as far away as
Africa as well.
But just in terms of what is happening on the negotiation front. We're sort of in this cycle now where both the U.S. and Iran are seizing commercial
ships.
Obviously, President Trump made that threat on social media about shooting and killing any vessel that's laying down mines.
What needs to happen for either side or both sides really to get back to the negotiation table at this point?
IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, GZERO MEDIA AND EURASIA GROUP: Well, they -- they are still negotiating. All week, there has been a consistent
engagement through the Pakistani diplomacy from the United States and Iran. And I -- I will say that the sides are reasonably close.
Now, in my view, their closeness, their proximity comes more because the Americans are conceding than because the Iranians are prepared to negotiate
more. And we can look at the -- the components of that.
At no point were the Americans demanding, since the first round in Islamabad, that the Iranians were going to have to give up their ballistic
missile capabilities, which remain substantial, of course, or their support for proxies in the region. And all of this was very important to Trump at
the beginning of the war. So that makes it easier.
Since the first round of talks, there's been a lot of engagement on the nuclear file, specifically about whether or not the Iranians would have to
give up all of their nuclear material, if so, to what country?
The Americans were saying the U.S. then maybe Pakistan, now they're saying, well, maybe you don't need to give up all of it. Maybe it can be diluted
but verified in place.
[12:15:07]
Then there's the question for how long the Iranians would have to give up on going enrichment, including for civilian purposes. This would be a 100
percent cessation by the Iranians. They're saying five years, the Americans are saying 20, but there's active conversation around that.
Then in return, the question is, how much economically will the Americans give up to allow the Iranians to make this give on the nuclear file? How
much of the frozen assets will go to Iran? And what is the staging since neither side trusts each other, also sanctions removal?
And if they can come to that agreement with a second round of talks, then in principle, the straight is open without further Iranian tolls. And the
reason why the -- the -- the talks have been delayed is because President Trump really doesn't want a second round of talks to lead to a third round
of talks without a big announcement. He wants to make a big announcement.
And the final thing I'll say here is that Trump has been all week very, very cautious about not threatening a resumption of hostilities against
Iranian targets in Iran, against critical infrastructure, against Iranian leaders. He really doesn't want to restart the war.
The Strait, there's been a lot of contested back and forth, including boarding of ships, interdictions, threatening, you know, ships that might
lay mines. But there hasn't been any threat from Trump in days now to go back to war against Iran itself.
And -- and that is a meaningful de-escalation from where we were in the first five weeks of this war.
ASHER: This is a very interesting point, because on Tuesday, you know, a lot of us were reading into the fact that J.D. Vance, who was supposed to
be traveling to Islamabad, eventually delayed his trip, and then they officially canceled it to be rescheduled a different day.
And part of the issue was on Tuesday was because they weren't necessarily sure whether Iranian negotiators were going to show up.
Just in terms of the strategy here, I want to just be clear on this. The fact that the meeting did not take place, and the fact that the U.S. has
chosen to sort of continue negotiations without necessarily sending J.D. Vance in person to Islamabad just yet, that is the better way, and the
smarter way, just in terms of the strategy here, to go about it. Your -- your thoughts on that, specifically.
BREMMER: I don't know if it's better or smarter. I mean, I think the important thing is that the sides are engaging.
And I also do recognize that even if Trump is exaggerating how much disagreement there is inside Iranian leadership right now, all you need is
a small number of individuals or even local military commanders that decide that they want to veto a deal, and then you've got strikes.
So I do worry about the capacity of the Iranians to make good on any deal that the diplomats agreed to. And even if the foreign minister has been
sidelined, even if this is being directly engaged by the Speaker of the Parliament who's very close to the head of the RIRGC. And I accept all of
that.
But 150 of their leaders have been assassinated in the past two months. A lot of these leaders are new. Their capacity to chat with among each other
and with the Americans very limited, kind of like the difficulties the Israelis had in engaging with the political and the military leadership of
Hamas, some of whom were there in Qatar engaged in negotiations, some of whom were in Gaza. And you couldn't get messages to them appropriately,
right? So this is not going to be trivial.
ASHER: And just to your point about the leadership in Iran being in disarray, that's actually something that the president tweeted about or
went on social media to post about this morning saying that Iran was having a hard time figuring out their leader, who their leader was and sort of
talking about the infighting between the hardliners and -- and the moderates.
How is all of that, those specifically affecting their strategy when it comes to negotiating with the U.S.?
BREMMER: Well, again, they -- so far in the last week, there hasn't been a lot of give from the Iranian side. And, you know, the fact that -- that
President Trump, you know, who was threatening that they were -- he was -- five different times over the last month and a half, he has threatened he
was going to hit critical infrastructure of the Iranians or else, he's backed down every single time.
This ceasefire was Trump's ceasefire unilaterally. He has shifted his war goals. He's constrained them significantly, not to mention the fact that he
said, well, it's already regime changed because we killed a bunch of leaders. I can assure you, from the Iranian people's perspective, there
isn't regime change.
So, if you're an Iranian leader today, number one, no matter who you are, you have zero trust for the Americans or the Israelis that they will
ultimately make good on deal and not decide to target you at some point. This has happened before, right?
[12:20:09]
Secondly, they also have good reason to believe that the Americans are less prepared to take pain than the Iranians are. I mean, Trump is now talking
about this idea that, well, we don't need the military. The economic blockade is enough to bring this regime to its knees. Biden made that
mistake on Russian baiting Ukraine. That didn't work out so well.
Iran certainly has a much more constrained economy, but Trump himself decided to actually suspend sanctions against the Iranians for the first
month of this war because he wanted to keep gas prices low.
So, if he now thinks a blockade is going to bring them to their knees, that might -- that -- that sensibility would have worked a lot faster if you
hadn't given them over a month to make as much money as humanly possible with a very high energy price environment.
So, I mean, again, if you're the Iranians and you're thinking about this rationally, as opposed to the Supreme Leader and, you know, the United
States, Israel just killed your dad, you know, one of your kids, you know, your -- your mother. So, it's not -- it's not just about vengeance and I
want to kill these people, but you really are thinking rationally about the future of your country, your regime.
There's probably good reason to believe that you have the ability to back the Americans down.
ASHER: Interesting point. All right. Ian Bremmer, live for us. Thank you so much.
BREMMER: My pleasure.
ASHER: All right. It is always good to have faith in yourself, but may not always be a good bet. Why some political candidates were kicked off a
popular prediction site.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNIE FARMER, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Before we can even get to, you know, to prosecution, we need investigation, right? And so unfortunately, what we're
seeing right now is that there's been so little investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Ahead, CNN examines the other men accused of sexual abuse in the Epstein files.
Then, with hundreds of Palestinians killed in airstrikes in Gaza since the October ceasefire, we take a deep dive into the recent violence and the
looks and we'll take a look at efforts to cement the truth -- truth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. The prediction website, Kalshi, has kicked three political candidates off its platform for what it calls political insider
trading.
Translation. The three were betting on their own campaigns, according to a Kalshi internal probe. These prediction sites let users build on anything
from elections to sports and even daily high temperature.
[12:25:07]
Marshall Cohen was first to report this. He joins us live now from Washington with all of the details.
So, what do we know about what this investigation found and the three candidates?
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Hey, Zain, this is pretty complicated stuff. So let me just explain how this all works. We're talking about
prediction markets where, as you mentioned, users can bet on so many different things, whether it's sports or entertainment or elections, and
that's what happened here.
According to this internal investigation from Kalshi, they found three federal candidates running for Congress this year in the midterms actually
placed bets on their own campaigns in violation of company rules and also, of course, those actions raising questions about the integrity of the
election process itself.
Let me read for you a quote from Kalshi's head of enforcement announcing their findings yesterday.
Robert DeNault said this, regardless of the size of a trade, political candidates who can influence a market based off whether they stay in or out
of a race, violate our rules. He said that any trade found to have violated our rules will be punished, and that's exactly what happened here. Kalshi
fined all three of these individuals and suspended them for three years.
But that's where they stopped, Zain. They said that they were not referring this to the Justice Department for potential criminal investigation for
insider trading.
The experts I spoke to said that probably makes sense. You might be surprised, alluring that the legal definition of insider trading is a
little more complicated than how we all understand it colloquially, and it's probably technically legal for a candidate to bet on their own race in
this fashion.
For the record, Zain, as well, I should add that CNN has a partnership with Kalshi. We use their data to cover politics and major cultural moments, but
CNN employees are not allowed to use their prediction markets. Zain.
ASHER: Very important to note that. All right. Marshall Cohen, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. Turning now to the Jeffrey Epstein files. CNN review finds that the files shed little light on how investigators followed up with other men
named by victims in this case.
To date, only Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, have been charged in the U.S. with sex trafficking. CNN's Kyung Lah takes a closer
look at the allegations against the other men.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're the faceless figures in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring. Women and girls whose stories fill
the Department of Justice files. Some explaining they were raped. Others lent out to Epstein's friends and another given sexual instructions for
other men and trafficked.
Epstein went to jail for sex trafficking, so did accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. But the Trump administration says evidence doesn't show other men
participated in the abuse. From the FBI.
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: There is no credible information. None. If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other
individuals.
LAH (voice-over): -- to the DOJ.
TODD BLANCHE, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Anybody with evidence, come to the FBI and tell us.
LAH (voice-over): Victims did tell the FBI, but the files show little sign of any follow-up by investigators.
A CNN review of the DOJ's own publicly released Epstein files finds more than a dozen times where victims told the FBI that Epstein facilitated
sexual encounters with his rich and powerful network.
But here's what we can't find in the public files, much evidence of further investigation after those women spoke to the FBI.
LAH: What does justice at the end of the day look like for you?
FARMER: Before we can even get to -- you know, to prosecution we need investigation, right? And so unfortunately, what we're seeing right now is
that there's been so little investigation.
LAH (voice-over): Annie Farmer is an Epstein survivor. She says she was sexually abused by Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell when she was
just 16.
She's joined House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia in a public push for more accountability.
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): This is about some of the most powerful, wealthiest people believing that they can just get away with anything, and
they empowered Jeffrey Epstein to be that person.
LAH (voice-over): The files reveal how Epstein built a trafficking ring. The victims were teenagers or young women who needed money and influence to
start their lives. Epstein paid for gifts and exotic trips to his Caribbean island for parties.
Victims told the FBI at first, he seemed harmless. One victim told the Palm Beach Police Department two decades ago how Epstein would groom his
victims.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every girl that meets Jeffrey starts off with giving him a massage. The more you do with him the more you make.
LAH (voice-over): In this 2021 report, a victim told the FBI she believed "they trafficked me." She says Epstein sent her to Dr. Henry Jarecki, a
renowned psychiatrist who could help her with college. This is Jarecki pictured here with Epstein in the files.
[12:30:05]
Because she really wanted to attend college, she says she gave Jarecki oral sex. There's no sign of an FBI investigation with Jarecki. He says he's
never abused anyone.
A wealthy banker named in an FBI report is Jes Staley.
JES STALEY, CEO, BARCLAYS: I had a longstanding professional -- or had a longstanding professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
LAH (voice-over): A woman told the FBI that she met Staley at Epstein's New York mansion. The woman says Epstein was paying for her to attend massage
school and told her to give Staley a massage. Photos show Epstein owned an elaborate massage room. The massage ended in rough sex. She told Staley she
did not want this.
Federal investigators spoke to local cops about accusations against Staley, but the files don't show much follow-up. Staley said in court he did have
sex with one of Epstein's assistants, but it was consensual.
LEON BLACK, PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTOR, FORMER CEO, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT: I love doing business. My whole life I've enjoyed doing business.
LAH (voice-over): Leon Black is a Wall Street titan. A woman said Epstein told her to massage Black, who started becoming sexual. She then ran out of
the room. Another woman said Black raped her.
Files show the DOJ spoke about Black with the Manhattan D.A.'s office, which began looking into him, but he has not been charged for anything.
An attorney for Black said, "He has never abused, assaulted or raped any girl or woman and the idea of doing so is repulsive and reprehensible to
him."
SPENCER KUVIN, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN SURVIVORS: It's just an absolute travesty the way that the entire thing has played out.
LAH (voice-over): Attorney Spencer Kuvin has represented multiple Epstein victims. One of his clients says Epstein and Maxwell loaned her to a
corporate executive in Palm Beach, Florida.
KUVIN: Girls were not people to him; they were objects to be traded. He would utilize both underage victims, but he would also utilize other women
who were over the age of 18 to satisfy men that he wanted to curry favor with.
LAH: You're almost talking about an economic ecosystem based on the abuse of women.
KUVIN: It was.
LAH (voice-over): Moses Castillo is a former LAPD sex crimes detective. He says he'd expect to see more basic investigation and follow-up in the
files.
MOSES CASTILLO, FORMER LAPD SEX CRIMES DETECTIVE: It's actually policing 101 -- police investigations 101. You check the flight. You -- you check
all the hotels. You check this -- this victim said this and that. Can you go out there and corroborate that?
So it's time consuming but it's not impossible.
LAH: We asked the Department of Justice about the documents in the files that stated allegations against other men. A spokesperson for the DOJ said,
"The allegations contained in them were thoroughly investigated. Prosecutors at the time did not feel that the evidence was sufficient to
prosecute."
We also reached out to a spokesperson for Jarecki who said that he has advanced dementia, is non-communicative, and that silence should not be
construed as tacit approval.
We did not hear back from representatives for Maxwell of Jes Staley.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:05]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Zain Asher.
The war with Iran has, of course, been dominating the news for weeks. But now, I want to give you an update on the situation in Gaza, where more
violence is overshadowing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal signed back in October.
Mourners have gathered in Gaza City today to bid farewell to the latest victims of Israeli airstrikes. Five Palestinians, including three children.
In the meantime, the U.S. president's Board of Peace has been meeting this week. The lead envoy for Gaza tells Reuters that work is under way for a
plan to disarm Hamas. And then unlock Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, but he says the clock is ticking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICKOLAY MLADENOV, HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR GAZA, BOARD OF PEACE: I do not think we have months. We have a matter of days, maximum a couple of weeks.
That is my assessment. Because otherwise, we will lose the momentum of what we have. And -- and -- and then every decision will become even more
difficult.
It is now --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: This weekend, we'll see a rare election in Gaza City, not dominated by Israeli ground forces. Reuters reports that the municipal elections will
feature some pro-Hamas candidates.
Hamas' disarmament is still a sticking point in talks that cement the October ceasefire, which halted two years of full-blown war.
Today on The Exchange, we're getting more insight from Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and the
author of "Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump." He joins us live now. Khaled, thank you so much for being with us.
So, obviously, the world's attention, much of our viewers' attentions, have been, of course, focused since February 28th, and the killing of the
ayatollah in Iran on the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran.
But I think it's important to really update our audience on what the situation is like in Gaza, because what you have is essentially a ceasefire
on paper for the past six months, but still, of course, not full-blown peace.
I mean, no way even close to it. There is still sort of this low intensity but ongoing background conflict happening in Gaza, not to mention the
humanitarian situation, of course, remains dire.
Just give us your perspective for our audience on what -- what things are like right now in Gaza.
KHALED ELGINDY, SENIOR FELLOW, QUINCY INSTITUTE FOR RESPONSIBLE STATECRAFT: Yes. Thanks for -- for having me. And for taking up this really important
issue that would otherwise, I think, has been neglected by so many people around the world.
The situation in Gaza is extremely dire. We're not seeing, obviously, the levels of -- of bloodshed that we saw for every day for -- for more than
two years since 2023.
But we are still seeing, as your report pointed out, Israeli airstrikes, Israeli killings of Palestinians, again, in most cases, they are civilians,
and widespread destruction.
Most of all, though Gaza has not had an opportunity to recover. There's no reconstruction happening. Ninety percent of Gaza's hospitals are still out
of commission. Schools are -- have been destroyed.
Almost all of Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed. But the process has been entirely held up in -- in part, because Israel is still restricting
aid. In fact, in the last three months, we saw about a 37 percent decline in the aid entering Gaza.
But in large part, because of this question of Hamas, disarmament, and other kind of political issues, and -- and I think it's important to point
out that, you know, those are important issues that need to be dealt with as part of this ceasefire arrangement.
But it is not legal, and it is not ethical, certainly, to hold up aid or reconstruction for some political outcome like disarming Hamas.
The two million people in Gaza, most of whom have been displaced, have a right to food and basic shelter and -- and -- and security that is
independent of whatever Hamas does or doesn't do.
[12:40:13]
ASHER: Yes. I mean, it's interesting because I -- and thank you so much for laying out the humanitarian crisis, especially just the fact that most
hospitals are offline.
Obviously, Israel continues to restrict aid, access to journalists, you know, and -- and just this idea that since the ceasefire was put in place
in October, you've had at least 700 Palestinian deaths and also at least 2,000 people injured.
And part of the issue here is that to a certain extent, the international community is somewhat powerless here because there is no strong enforcement
mechanism.
What can the international community do at this point, if anything?
ELGINDY: Yes. I think there's a difference between being powerless and not using the power that one has. And I think the international community has
power.
Obviously, the United States is the party that has the most influence over Israel. Two successive U.S. presidents have chosen to not use that leverage
with Israel to -- to force its hand in -- in meaningful ways, particularly when it comes to the humanitarian situation.
But Europeans and Arab states and the rest of the international community also have a responsibility in addition to -- to leverage. I mean, they're -
- they can put pressure on Israel, they can sanction Israel for what we know are very clear and well documented violations of international
humanitarian law.
We've seen this process unfold before our eyes for two and a half years. So, there's no lack of understanding of -- of what the problem is, but
there is a lack of political will.
So the international community could do much, much more to -- to force Israel to comply with its obligations under international law, but they
haven't done so.
ASHER: You know, from the Israeli perspective, I think it's important to note that -- that if you ask any Israeli, one of the key issues is that the
security issue has not been resolved in Gaza, especially as it pertains to the disarmament of Hamas and also the fact that Hamas does retain control
of certain parts of Gaza still.
What is the solution on that front, do you think? Give us your take on that.
ELGINDY: Yes. I mean, look, it's -- it's important to -- to -- to remember there are no absolute solutions. Israel -- Israel's leadership has talked
for two and a half years about the total dismantling of Hamas, which is simply not possible.
I think disarmament, some version of disarmament might be achievable, but it has to be within a broader context. It cannot be simply forcing Israel -
- forcing Hamas to -- to capitulate or to surrender in -- in a ceasefire arrangement when Israel couldn't achieve that through its massive, you
know, really annihilation of the Gaza Strip. So things have to be put in context and in perspective.
There is -- I don't think anyone, even in the Israeli security establishment, believes that Hamas poses any meaningful threat to -- to
Israelis any longer. That threat has been dealt with more than a year and a half ago. We heard that directly from Israeli military leaders.
What this is about is going forward. Hamas is not going to be destroyed or dismantled or bombed out of existence. So that means there has to be a
political accommodation of some sort. And simply demanding that Hamas surrender is -- is not reasonable.
And it is also not lawful to hold up reconstruction or to insist that Israel abide by its obligations under international law or the ceasefire
until some political objective is achieved. That's -- that's not workable.
ASHER: All right. Khaled Elgindy, thank you so much for being with us. I think that one of the key concerns for a lot of us is whether or not
fighting, full fighting will flare up in the future, especially since some of the key issues have not been resolved. Let's hope not.
But as we've discussed here, the ceasefire is continually being violated. And that also is a problem too.
Khaled Elgindy, thank you so much.
We'll write back with more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:11]
ASHER: This week's "Inside Africa" explores Kenya's vibrant creative scene, which contributes about five percent of the country's GDP.
Kenya has recently seen a rise in stand-up comedy with a wave of new venues and talent emerging across the capital, Nairobi. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One more time for (INAUDIBLE). Come on. Come on up here. Come on up, Mike (INAUDIBLE).
NJOKI NGUMI, STRATEGY CONSULTANT AND ARTS PRACTITIONER: The arts have really grown and developed and expanded in many beautiful ways.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When they come back this time, you give me the -- let me -- let me -- this way, you go, go handsome, go handsome.
NGUMI: Kenyan comedy is having an incredible movement and the fan. There's many more practitioners. I -- I love being able to be a fan in Kenya. I
love discovering somebody new, doing something new every day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brother (INAUDIBLE) is that you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This weekly open mic night is run by the Punchline Comedy Club, one among a handful of collectives helping to provide a
pathway into the industry.
ERIC LU SAVALI, FOUNDER, PUNCHLINE COMEDY CLUB: It's the longest-running consecutive open mic in Africa because even during the pandemic, we never
stop.
So we take advantage of Nairobi's dope weather, you know, Kenya's crazy sense of humor, but also of the immense talent that's around. So that makes
it very unique. It's a cocktail of three things that are very important.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are we acting like you don't know where your home is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If this is your first time, please stand, introduce yourself. Let's start. What is a comedic voice?
SAVALI: We have workshops where people have to work on their material. And also, we go beyond that whereby at our workshops, we're looking at things
like financial literacy. What does it mean? How do you handle money when you get it? What does contract law look like? How do you know you're
getting a good deal?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the biggest names that you know are always at open mics.
SAVALI: Over and above, how do you breed a sense of continuity and sustainability in your craft so that you can do this for years to come?
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Make some noise for Mr. Ty Ngachira.
TY NGACHIRA, COMEDIAN: Are you guys (INAUDIBLE)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ty Ngachira quit his law job for comedy eight years ago and has gone on to headline open mics, host his own primetime show, and
perform at international comedy festivals.
NGACHIRA: I think what defines success in the comedy industry is, can you pay your bills with comedy? Not necessarily, like, directly from comedy,
but what comedy comes along with.
(INAUDIBLE) or you start writing for people or you just eventually you just become someone who people associate with laughter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[12:50:25]
ASHER: Marie-Louise Eta has made history becoming the first woman to lead a men's team in one of Europe's top five football leagues. She was named
interim manager of Union Berlin last week. The move is being held as a major milestone, breaking a long-standing barrier in men's professional
football and drawing praise across the sport.
But online, the reaction has exposed a wave of sexist remarks and abuse.
CNN's Sebastian Shukla reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): The welcome the F.C. Union Berlin fans gave their new interim coach, Marie-Louise Eta. Football
goddess, they found.
The climax of a week where the club and Eta became history makers. The first woman to take charge of a men's football team in any of Europe's top
five leagues, smashing through a glass ceiling.
SHUKLA: What was your feeling when you took charge of the game on Saturday when you walked out onto the pitch?
MARIE-LOUISE-ETA, F.C. UNION BERLIN INTERIM HEAD COACH (through translator): I was really looking forward to it because we had a good week
of training. And then it was just about getting it on the pitch right from the start.
A lot of energy, but also the tactics. And that's why I had a good feeling and I was just happy when it started.
PHILIPP KOSTER, FOUDER, 11FREUNDE: Marie-Louise Eta's football expertise is undisputed.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Philipp Koster is the founder of one of Germany's most popular football magazines, 11Freunde or 11 Friends.
KOSTER (voice-over): Much more important is the question of why football needed so long to be confident for a woman to also train a men's team. So
the questions you have to ask yourself are more embarrassing for football than for Marie-Louise Eta.
SHUKLA: Marie-Louise Eta's appointment has been widely hailed across the football world as a success. But online, there are still haters, abuse and
misogynism.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Since the historic appointment, a torrent of awful abuse has been hurled at her online. The club have been active in calling
out insolent fans and not afraid to issue their own rebukes.
A few days after their loss to Wolfsburg, I asked Louise as her players and staff call her how she's coped with the vitriol.
ETA (through translator): I'm focusing on what I can influence here and that's the work with the guys on the pitch, the daily football routine.
It's about staying focused and focusing on the thing. That's what we do every day.
They didn't win at the weekend and have struggled this season resulting in the sacking of previous manager, Steffen Baumgart, Eta called on her fans
to stick by their side.
[12:55:01]
ETA (through translator): We will also need it in the next few weeks and it will be important. And, of course, the team have to perform on the pitch
first and then I am convinced that we will have every fan with us.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Support from the Union diehards will be hard to dampen.
SIMON, F.C. UNION BERLIN SUPPORTER: She needs a little bit more time to get to know the -- the -- the guys better and then there will be also better
results.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Club President Dirk Zingler said Eta will only remain in charge until the end of the season as keeping her on would be a, quote,
disservice to women's football.
Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. That does it for this hour of "One World." I am Zain Asher. We so appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
