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One World with Zain Asher
Some Iranians Appeal for Peace as Others Arm Themselves; Russia Launches New Arial Attack on Ukraine; Trump Pursues Political Vendettas and Targets his Critics; American's Growing Outrage Over AI Data Centers; Under Staffing, Poor Care Blamed for I.C.E. Detainee Death; Pope Leo Catches up on a Trend and Goes Viral. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 18, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN AHSER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Guns on the street and on TV, Iran on edge amid fears war could resume. "One World" starts right now. CNN attends a
night rally in Tehran, where the government calls on people to rally for war. Plus, dozens of people killed, hundreds of suspected cases connected
to a new Ebola outbreak in multiple East African countries scramble now to contain the virus, and the U.S. is getting involved.
And we'll look at the fight over America's data centers with the Associate Director for the Center for AI and Digital Policy. All right, coming to you
live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World".
Iran is reaching out to the United States via Pakistan, even as a tense truce threatens to collapse. Tehran says it has responded to U.S.
criticisms of its previous proposal aimed at ending the war. It comes one day after Iranian media described Washington's demands as excessive.
Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump advised Iran to move fast on a deal or risk re-escalation. He wrote the clock is ticking on his social
media account. Every day Iranians, though, are on edge, bracing for the possibility that the war will resume, and living with a profound
uncertainty of when those attacks might begin.
CNN's Matthew Chance is on the ground for us in Iran. But it's worth noting CNN operates there only with government permission, but does maintain full
control over what it reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across Iran tension, and the rhetoric is getting stronger. Thousands have been
gathering every night for state-sponsored rallies, mobilizing supporters against the United States.
CHANCE: How concerned are you that the war may start again soon?
TIANA, RALLY ATTENDEE: I'm not worried. Why should I be worried? Because I'm so ready to sacrifice my life for my country, for my people. So, no,
I'm not worried at all, at all.
CHANCE (voice-over): This man's sign reads; nuclear technology missiles are as important as borders. Key sticking points: installed peace talks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need nuclear, nuclear, not for the bomb.
CHANCE (voice-over): Still, amid escalating threats from the White House, ordinary Iranians are now being urged to prepare for war.
CHANCE: Well, these rallies or gatherings have been taking place every single night for the past several weeks, and so they're not new. But what
is new is the introduction of weapons, and these kiosks have been set up in each of these sort of squares where members of the military, there, you can
see them with masks on, they're showing people, in this case a woman, basic skills of how to use what I think is an AK-47 or a Kalashnikov, and things
like that.
Look over here, they're showing children how to use them as well. It's all part of a sort of state-sponsored call to arms in case the war begins
again.
CHANCE (voice-over): It's all guns on state television, too. It's several Iranian channels broadcasting their hosts brandishing assault rifles. They
gave me a weapon, so I could learn how to use it like you, this anchor tells her viewers.
After his on-air training, this presenter fires off a round into the studio ceiling, but not all Iranians are gunning for a fight. Just around the
corner from the rally hints at the diversity of views about their country's plight.
CHANCE: Well, it's a very different atmosphere in this part of town. People are sitting with their partners, having coffees, strolling around the
bookstores, are just hanging out with their friends. And you talk to people; you get very different views as well.
[11:05:00]
You know, people didn't want to talk on camera, but off camera, one woman said to me, she just wanted peace and freedom. Another one said she wanted
to live in a normal country, where there was a potential future for her children.
CHANCE (voice-over): But Iran's future to many Iranians looks increasingly clear, especially amid regular threats from president.
CHANCE: Waiting for the war?
FATIMA, RALLY ATTENDEE: We're waiting. We are here because we know this war isn't over. We know he's not negotiating. He's not going to negotiate
anything. He's just going to be like, either you do what I tell you or I'm going to kill you again.
CHANCE (voice-over): And it may be that bleak sense of inevitability drowning out any voices compromise. Matthew Chance, CNN in Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: For more on President Trump's latest threats, let's bring in CNN's Kevin Liptak joining us live now from the White House. Just in terms of the
president's latest comments, this idea that the clock is ticking for Iran, warning that if the Iranian regime does not come with a better offer for a
deal, that they are going to get hit much harder.
I mean, obviously, military action is something the U.S. clearly does not want either, because the longer the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, Kevin,
it's American consumers, American citizens that are paying the price as well.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And I think that gives you a sense of the conundrum that the president faces. He's kind of
painted himself into a corner in a lot of ways. No, he doesn't want the war to resume because it's unpopular and because gas prices are high.
But on the other hand, he can't necessarily credibly claim that the military action so far has achieved all of the objectives that he laid out
when the war began, namely that Iran not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon. Nothing seems to have changed on that front.
The Iranians have hardened their positions, and that stockpile of almost thousand pounds of highly enriched uranium remains buried underground. And
so, it is a very sticky position that the president finds himself in, and I think when you talk to officials here, the sense is emerging that he is now
reaching a decision point.
You know, he will have to decide whether to resume the military campaign. He huddled with top national security officials over the weekend at his
golf course in Virginia. We understand that he will convene that group again sometime early this week to kind of plot a path forward, and the
president's social media post yesterday, I think, just indicates that he is growing impatient with the state of the diplomacy here.
Yes, we did hear earlier today from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, that they have responded to this 14-point proposal with what they call sort of
corrective measures, trying to address some of the president's issues, but this is to be clear a very grinding process.
You know, it continues to move forward almost at a glacial pace, and that's something of a frustration for President Trump, and it does seem clear that
he is now talking with his team and with the Israelis at a new intensive level about resuming the military campaign. You know, he spoke yesterday
with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
There are differing opinions on this inside the administration. There is one subset who is advocating for a much more aggressive posture going
forward to try and convince the Iranians to come back to the negotiations with a better proposal.
There is another subset who is encouraging the president to allow room for this diplomacy to proceed, with the expectation that eventually it will
lead to some kind of negotiated settlement. And so clearly a decision in front of the president, and one that I think all expectation is he will
make fairly quickly here.
ASHER: All right, Kevin Liptak, live for us. Thank you so much. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is now a public
health emergency of international concern; that's the word from the World Health Organization.
The virus is mostly impacting Northeastern DRC, with the Head of the African CDC saying more than hundred suspected deaths have been linked to
the outbreak, and U.S. officials saying that hundreds more cases are suspected. Only two cases have been confirmed in Uganda, including one
death, that's according to the W.H.O. The CDC is working to relocate what it says are a small number of Americans who are affected by this as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JEAN KASEYA, AFRICA CDC DIRECTOR GENERAL: We need to open borders, we need people to fly, but what we need is to make sure that we are screening
each person, we are isolating those who are at risk, and we are taking all public health measures that can protect all of us. I think for now we are
on top of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Larry Madowo joins us live now from Nairobi with an update. You know, Larry, since Ebola was first discovered in the mid-1970s DRC has had
about 20 different outbreaks, so of course this is not their first rodeo, but because, of course, there's no particular set vaccine for this
particular strain.
[11:10:00]
And just how rapidly this number of cases are growing. There are a lot of fears about how this might be contained. I mean, Ebola is very deadly and
also very infectious too. Walk us through it.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Zain. The fear here is that this strain could have been spreading for a few weeks before it was
detected and confirmed. That is why we see these very high numbers, nearly 400 suspected cases, more than 100 deaths, 105 deaths of today, according
to the Africa CDC.
There's also that cross-border infection. The one person that died in Uganda was sent back to the DRC. The other person, who's currently
receiving treatment in Uganda, also believed to be Congolese. This area, Northeast DRC, in Ituri Province, where this outbreak is concentrated, is a
border area, apart with a lot of conflict.
People travel constantly to Uganda, to Rwanda, and to South Sudan, that's why this entire region on high alert right now. But why does this keep
happening in the DRC? I asked the public health expert who has managed previous Ebola outbreaks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED OGWELL, KENYAN PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST & CEO OF VILLAGE REACH: The whole world needs DRC to be safe, so we are not just pitching in to support
DRC, we are pitching in to support global health.
MADOWO: Are you concerned by these early numbers we're seeing out of this Ebola outbreak in the DRC in Uganda?
OGWELL: The variant does not have a vaccine that can be able to act against it effectively. Second, is the area where the outbreak has actually
happened is a relatively insecure area, there's a lot of conflict that is going on in that space by many different groups.
Third is that it is across several countries, although one case has been imported into Uganda, South Sudan is very near, Rwanda is also not far. And
finally, is that it comes at a time when the global health space is undergoing a lot of turmoil as a result of adjusting interest and therefore
resource availability.
MADOWO: This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Why are there so many outbreaks just in the DRC?
OGWELL: Some of the populations actually eat bats, and therefore the exposure to the Ebola virus is much, much higher in the belt across central
part of Africa, and particularly in the DRC, where Ebola virus was first characterized in 1976 and that communication between the human population
and the fruit bat in the forest continues, and anytime that a fruit bat has the Ebola virus, then the human being is exposed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: The U.S. State Department warning Americans not to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo, that's a level four travel advisory. At the
same time, it says the U.S. CDC sending extra help to the DRC to deal with this. In Uganda the United States has stopped issuing any visas to all
basically visa applicants because of that Ebola outbreak, even though there's just two confirmed cases in Uganda.
But the wider issue here, Zain, is that with the U.S. having withdrawn from the World Health Organization, there's less money available to deal with a
problem like this. So far, the World Health Organization has called this a public health emergency of international concern. It fell short of
declaring this a pandemic emergency.
But as the U.S. and other countries have reduced their overseas development assistance a lot of that is to go into health support and dealing with
pandemics, emergencies. That is going to bite, and that's what Dr. Ahmed Ogwell was referring to there, that there's a lot of readjustments in the
global health sector.
And the problem is that if the DRC does not deal with the Ebola outbreak, it will come to you wherever you are in the world, because viruses don't
have visas, viruses don't respect borders, they get around Zain.
ASHER: And that's what we remember from 2014 that's exactly what happened. Larry Madowo, live for us there. Thank you so much. And we'll have much
more on this developing story next hour with the International Rescue Committee's Country Director for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
And at this hour, crews in the Netherlands are disinfecting that cruise ship that was struck by the HUNTA Virus. The MV Hondius arrived in
Rotterdam with a skeleton crew, the final stop after a long journey from South America, during which three passengers died from the outbreak.
Its original final destination was actually Cape Verde last week. Passengers were actually not allowed to disembark because of the outbreak.
They were eventually taken to Spain's Canary Islands. The World Health Organization says the threat to the general population remains low.
Russia's state news agency says that at least three people were killed in Ukraine's largest attack on Moscow in more than a year. Russia says that
Ukraine used more than 500 drones in Sunday's strikes. At least a dozen people were injured. Ukraine says its targets near Moscow included oil
installations and a plant that makes semiconductors for the Russian military.
Meantime, Ukraine says that Russia launched nearly 300 drones overnight into Monday. Ukraine's air force says it shot down all but eight of them.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had this message for Russia.
[11:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The Russians need to think about their refineries, their oil facilities, their enterprises, and not about
how to disrupt the lives of other peoples in Ukraine, Moldova, or any other neighboring country.
This is a very serious result. We will increase all forms of supply for our armies, drones, ground robots, shells, all resources to maintain proper
protection and our active frontline operation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Anna Cooban is following all the developments from London for us.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN REPORTER: Ukraine's massive attack on Moscow involved over 500 drones fired towards the Russian capital, that's according to Russian
state media agency TAS. And TAS says that this was the largest attack on Moscow in over a year.
This comes a few days after, over Wednesday, Thursday, we saw a huge bombardment of Russian drones and missiles towards Kyiv, the Capital of
Ukraine, where at least 20 to 25 people died, according to Ukraine authorities said this attack involved over 1500 drones and over 50
missiles.
Now it's painted stark picture from where we were a little over a week ago, when there was a limited three-day ceasefire agreed between the two sides,
an agreement to exchange prisoners, and comments from Putin that suggested that he believed the war was nearing its conclusion, but quite clearly,
with huge attacks over the past few days, it seems the war is very much raging on.
Now zooming out, it's important to note that Ukraine's had some recent successes, or at least Russia has been stalling in its territorial gains.
Last month, for the first time since August 2024 Ukraine managed to liberate more territory than Russia was able to seize. However, it is still
a deadly war that's raging on.
Last year, according to the UN, marked the deadliest year for Ukrainian civilians since 2022 which is the year the war started, and Russia still
controls around a fifth of Ukrainian territory. Anna Cooban, CNN, London.
ASHER: Right ahead of high-stakes midterm primary elections, President Trump takes aim at his critics, including this man, Republican Congressman
Thomas Massie. An explanation and analysis ahead. And coming up later, he's one of dozens of detainees who has died at I.C.E. detention centers as the
Trump Administration ramps up its immigration crackdown. A CNN investigation coming up.
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ASHER: The U.S. President is continuing his retribution campaign and punishing critics from his own Republican Party ahead of primary elections
tomorrow.
[11:20:00]
Kentucky House Representative Thomas Massie is his latest target in an unusual move Donald Trump is dispatching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to
campaign for Massie's opponent. Massie calls it a sign of desperation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): I'm the one they haven't been able to bully, so they're putting all the brunt and the force on me, but you can tell that
I'm ahead in the polls, and they're desperate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Donald Trump also lashed out at Congresswoman Lauren Boebert after she campaigned for Massie. He called Boebert weak-minded and asked if
anyone was interested in running against her. In his latest analysis of CNN's Stephen Collison writes that Trump's vendettas deliver, but at what
cost to the GOP? He joins us live now from Rugby, England, home with the family I take it, Stephen.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah.
ASHER: Just in terms of -- just in terms of what this means for the GOP? And I mean, obviously you have a history of President Trump really
attacking anybody. I mean, you risk so much as Republican if you have the guts to actually stand up against the president. Just walk us through what
the risks are for the GOP as a whole.
COLLINSON: Well, there's a massive list, as you say, of Republicans who have stood up to Trump and lost their political careers in the party, from
Liz Cheney to Mitt Romney to plenty of Republicans in the first term.
So, in some ways Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who stood up to Trump over the Epstein files, voted against his domestic policy bill, and
is against the Iran war, is quite a throwback to a previous age of Republican Party orthodoxy, and he is now risking getting thrown out of the
party and losing his job in this primary.
Just this weekend, Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Senator, he voted to him to convict Trump in an impeachment trial after the Capitol Insurrection in
2001. He lost the primary after being opposed by Trump. So, what the president is trying to do is drive out any source of opposition in the
party.
And what this is doing is exposing the real conundrum for Republicans in this election, because Trump still has great power over the base of the
party, the grassroots voters who show up in primaries, yet he is increasingly and historically unpopular in the country as a whole.
That's not a problem if you're a Republican in a very conservative state, but if you're running in a swing seat, you're trying to attract independent
and moderate Republican voters to vote for a Republican. That is a real problem.
ASHER: So, he's historically unpopular, but still wields so much power over his party. How is that?
COLLINSON: I think you know, Donald Trump is not just a political force in the United States, especially in the heartland. He is a cultural force. He
is an exemplar of a sort of anti-liberal, anti-enlightenment view of America that has perhaps been suppressed over the last 100 years or so, but
is very authentic.
It's a real kind of frontier attitude that many Americans have, and he has really tapped into that culturally. So, I think that's one reason why he
has been able to stay powerful and popular among the grassroots when he's not popular nationally.
The problem is there is clear signs and polls that more moderate Republicans are starting to peel away from him that his concentration on
legacy projects on a very unpopular war. His defiant refusal to accept that the economy is not great for many Americans, that is starting to have an
effect.
And I was in Kentucky last week, and it's clear that even for many conservatives who would be temperamentally inclined towards Trump, and
politically, who voted for him twice or three times in presidential elections. Some of them do start to wonder about his behavior, his personal
conduct, and the track he's taking right now.
So, it's possible for him to be deeply popular with the most loyal Republicans, and increasingly unpopular, with some Republicans who are
starting to question exactly what he's doing.
ASHER: Yeah, so moderate Republicans have to ask themselves, you know, even if I don't agree with everything the president does, am I willing to put my
career on the line by standing up to him? And so, one of the things that you talked about in your piece is that this idea of, you know, moderate
Republicans eventually peeling away, that leaves more room for extreme candidates. How much of an opening does that present for Democrats?
COLLINSON: I think it presents an opening if they have the ability to drive home that message, and they come up with a way of talking to Americans that
they have sometimes failed to do in recent elections.
[11:25:00]
Clearly, the message here is that gas is at $4.50 it could be soon $5. Prices are rising, inflation is going up. These are the things that
President Trump had said he would fix in the last presidential election, and yet he's taking steps that are making them worse.
The Iran war and the economic situation are causing many Americans, and we've seen this in the polls, to directly link their dissatisfaction with
the way things are going with the decisions and the policies that Trump is pursuing. That's a very dangerous point, politically, so it does offer an
opening for Democrats.
But if you look at the polls as well, the disdain that many voters have for the Democratic Party has not really been purged by a year and a half of
President Trump back in office. There's not a great deal of faith in the Democratic Party among the wider electorate.
And I think that mirrors what is going on in many Western democracies, where one party might be exceedingly unpopular, but other parties can't
seem to get a majority either, because there's a great deal of upset with the state of political system. Politicians constantly vowing to invoke
change and implement change yet are unable to actually pull it off.
ASHER: All right. Stephen Collinson, thank you so much for your smart analysis. I enjoyed reading it very much. Stephen Collinson, live for us.
All right, there is growing anger over AI data centers. Ahead, what people in one community are doing to try to stop them? Plus, the effort to create
new laws regulating data centers, as well. That's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some headlines we are watching for you today. Iran says it has responded to
U.S. criticism of its previous proposal to end the war, while also warning the Tehran is quote fully prepared for any eventuality. It comes just one
day after Donald Trump threatened there won't be anything left if Iran doesn't make a deal soon.
[11:30:00]
An international effort is underway to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Health officials say the virus
may be linked to more than 100 deaths and say that hundreds more may be infected. The Head of the African CDC tells CNN there's urgent need for
more screening capacity.
And the crew of the cruise ship hit by the HUNTA Virus is now under quarantine in the Netherlands. The ship arrived in Rotterdam earlier on
Monday for decontamination. Three passengers died following the outbreak. The World Health organization says there's little risk to the general
public.
Jury deliberations are scheduled to begin this hour in Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI. CEO Sam Altman, Musk wants the judge to order OpenAI to
once again become a nonprofit. Altman says that Musk is trying to harm a competitor to his own AI business.
All right, outrage over data centers in the U.S. appears to be growing. This was a protest by hundreds of people last week at Utah State Capitol.
County Commissioners have already approved a data center developers hope to start construction in the fall, but the protesters want to vote on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: AI is just destroying everything. We don't need it. We need water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The more and more we learn about it, the more it's going to be obviously harmful to the community.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We care about Great Salt Lake, we care about our water, land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: A new Gallup Poll shows that 71 percent of Americans oppose data centers in their communities. Half of the people responded cited the
center's potential environmental impact. Christabel Randolph is the Associate Director for the Center for AI and Digital Policy. She joins us
live now from Washington.
Christabel, thank you so much for being with us. And one of the things that you had a protest is really talking about is the impact on the environment,
electricity consumption, water usage, noise, and strain on local infrastructure. Just walk us through what the actual impact is of these
large data centers within the communities where they're constructed?
CHRISTABEL RANDOLPH, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR AI AND DIGITAL POLICY: Hi, Zain. Thanks so much for having me on this call. So, as you've seen,
there's been a lot of backlashes to data centers, and it's because that the abstract issues about AI become really concrete when people see the impact
on their electricity bills, when they see the impact on the water supply on noise and pollution, and all the things that people are protesting about.
And the data center issue is a symptom of a broader AI policy problem, because we are building out the AI infrastructure faster than we are
building the public rules around it. And a lot of times without community input, without considering the environmental impacts.
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory mentioned that there is, after almost 15 years of flat demand, there is a real spike in energy consumption
and energy requirement, and all of those bills are being passed on to the retail consumers at the same time, local and state governments, counties,
they're negotiating a lot of secret, closed-door deals.
A lot of this information is not public with regard to what tax incentives or what kind of subsidies are being afforded for these data center build
outs. And people are questioning whether that is really going to benefit them, whether that would have those kinds of funds, and the revenue that is
being foregone to support this data center build up would be better invested in schools and hospitals and local facilities.
So, there is a two-pronged problem: one is the visible impacts that people are already seeing in terms of noise and in terms of their utility bills,
and also the issue of opacity, because of how a lot of these processes are happening, and how a lot of these data center permitting and approval
processes are happening, where people don't really understand that what is the benefit to their local communities.
ASHER: I mean, you've laid it out so perfectly. I mean, this idea that it's the local communities that are bearing the brunt of these decisions of
these infrastructure decisions, and all the benefits seem to be flowing primarily to the technology companies, the wealthy technology companies.
When you talk about the lack of transparency and the fact that there's so much opacity. Just explain to us what needs to change on that front?
RANDOLPH: So, right now, data center permitting and approvals, firstly, there is no federal structure, or no baseline federal process for this.
It's a variety of state and local processes. And validly so, because citing property taxes, all of those are local issues.
[11:35:00]
However, the transparency issue is because there is no requirement for reporting on what and public accounting, number one, of the energy use, the
water use, the emissions. What kind of waste would be produced, if any? What are the tax incentive -- tax incentives to support this infrastructure
build out? And also, the expected impact on local bills?
So, there is this entire suite of concerns that really should be required and mandated, either through preferably through a federal framework, but if
not at the local and state level. And if we see the National Conference of State Legislatures, they are tracking how legislatures across the country
are responding to it.
We do see some, about 14 legislatures now considering some kind of moratorium pause until they better understand the impacts, but when local
counties, and we, we've seen, for example, these have political consequences as well, in Missouri, in North Carolina, when local counties
execute these data center deals behind closed doors, without at least informing their constituents about what really is going into the deal.
That is the real problem, and that is also infuriating local communities a lot more because they don't know what they're getting for these big massive
complexes that are coming to their backyards.
ASHER: And how much sort of research has been done on data centers that are less energy intensive, that are less data intensive, because that would
make a difference in certain local communities, if that was the case. Has there been enough research and investment on that front?
RANDOLPH: Thank you so much for picking up on that point, Zain. We found the Center for Digital Policy, and our congressional statements and our
advice to the White House, there are five key policy recommendations that we come up with, and we reiterate, and one is really innovation that is
less energy and less data intensive, and actually incentivizing that kind of information -- that kind of innovation.
As of now, what we see is all the resources in all our policy efforts being directed behind a singular dimension of scale without actually looking into
whether there are leaner, more efficient models. There are probably other countries in the world that are experimenting with these kinds of things.
This is the sort of incentives that would really benefit both the competitive ecosystem and the well-being of local communities. At the same
time, what is also required is transparency and public reporting again at the federal level, at the local level on the energy emissions, water usage.
Most importantly, you would require proof of benefit to communities. We often hear these numbers being touted about jobs created, but even the
Virginia, which is famous for being referred to as Data Center Ally, the Virginia Legislative Audit, also reveals that the jobs creation is mostly
during the construction phase and there are really not many permanent jobs created for operations.
So, the proof of benefit to local communities of these large-scale massive infrastructure build outs, the strain on the grid, the incidents that it
may cause from an environmental perspective, as well as from an overall well-being perspective, is not really well documented and studied.
So, on the one hand, there is a need for incentives into alternative models of AI innovation and alternative infrastructures that could be leaner, more
efficient, more beneficial for communities, and at the same time, what is already progressing in terms of infrastructure build up really needs to
have more democratic participation, more visibility, and more transparency.
ASHER: Christabel Randolph, thank you so much. I learned so much from this conversation. So grateful to have you on the show, and you're -- with your
expertise. Thank you. All right, now to CNN investigation, which has found a spike in deaths at I.C.E. detention centers during President Trump's
second term.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez examines one such case, the death of 52-year-old Jose Ramos. He's one of dozens of detainees who has died since the Trump
Administration ramped up its immigration crackdown last year. But as our investigation uncovered, it appears that many of these deaths could have
been prevented.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice-over): Antonio Tovar's husband, Jose Ramos, died in March, only about a month after being detained by
immigration officials. He's now one of nearly 50 I.C.E. detainees who have died since President Donald Trump's return to office.
[11:40:00]
Ramos came to the U.S. nearly 30 years ago. Last year he was charged with theft and possession of a controlled substance, and was placed in a
diversion program, which meant that if completed, those charges would have been dismissed.
ALVAREZ: We know from I.C.E. that Jose was arrested on February 23rd. His wife said they were making a stop here at the Superior Courthouse in
Torrance, so he could deliver some paperwork. So that's their car.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): Antonia told us she briefly stepped away, and when she looked back, she saw this. Antonia worried about Ramos' medical
conditions, diabetes, and high blood pressure. He was sent to the Adelanto I.C.E. processing center, about two hours from where they lived. According
to I.C.E. records, Ramos went through a medical intake and was prescribed medications.
GLORIA RAMOS, FATHER DIED IN I.C.E. DETENTION: I don't think it really hit me until I walked into the room and I saw him.
ALVAREZ: What was that feeling like?
RAMOS: When I walked into the room his back was towards us, and we walked in and I walked towards him and he was just sitting down looking down.
ALVAREZ: We're driving to the Adelanto Detention Facility. This is where Jose was held for several weeks, and it's one of many facilities across the
United States where I.C.E. holds detainees. As you can see in this case it is in a pretty remote area of California about an hour and a half or more
outside of Los Angeles.
Now Adelanto had stopped accepting new detainees because of a Federal Judge during the Coronavirus Pandemic but that was lifted in January 2025 and
since then the population ballooned from around three people to nearly 2000.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): A CNN investigation found that deadly outcomes in more than a dozen cases could at times be linked to substandard treatment
at facilities where populations are rapidly growing. At Adelanto, four people in detention have died since 2025.
A spokesperson for Geo Group, the private company that operates Adelanto, did not answer questions about Ramos' death, but told CNN that the company
provides detainees with quote around the clock access to medical care and is quote independently accredited by industry groups.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This call is subject to recording and monitoring, press one to expect the call.
ALVAREZ: We spoke to one of Ramos's cellmates, Marco Martinez, who called for help when Ramos collapsed.
MARCO MARTINEZ, I.C.E. DETAINEE: The guard didn't do anything at all, like he just stood there and watched him like shake, and then got to the point
where his eyes like rolled into the back of his head, and he still didn't do anything. The medical showed up, but they didn't show it up until like
another ten minutes.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): According to a public I.C.E. detainee death report, a registered nurse arrived one minute after a guard first noticed Ramos in
medical distress and began providing aid. Emergency medical care services arrived ten minutes later and began administering care. Ramos was
transferred to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead three minutes after he arrived.
ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lack of adequate health care staffing has been a theme across the facilities, including in Adelanto.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): The California Attorney General has the unique authority, as of 2017 to inspect detention facilities in the state. The
AG's office exclusively shared those findings with CNN.
BONTA: I think a big part of the really difficult set of results and data that we're seeing, including the deaths, is the surge in number of
detainees and the complete inability and unpreparedness of the facilities.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): Ramos' family still has not been notified of the cause of death. The uncertainty over what happened is a living nightmare.
ALVAREZ: A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security disputed there had been a spike in deaths, saying in a statement, quote, consistent
with data over the last decade, as of April 30th, death rates in custody under the Trump Administration are 0.009 percent of the detained
population.
As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens, including providing access
to proper medical care. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[11:45:00]
ASHER: A judge has ruled that key evidence can be used in the murder trial of Luigi Mangione. He's a 28-year-old man who is accused of gunning down
United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. That was back in 2024. Today, a judge ruled that prosecutors can use the alleged murder weapon, a gun, along with
notebook found in Mangione's backpack at the time of the arrest.
But he said some other evidence will be excluded. Mangione's attorneys argued that police actually illegally searched his backpack when he was
arrested. CNN's Kara Scannell joins us live now from New York. So, just explain the logic behind which pieces of evidence can actually be included
this time. Obviously, the gun and the notebook, as I mentioned, versus which ones have to be excluded, according to the judge.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, the judge explained the ruling this way. He was, you know, the challenge was to get the evidence that was in
the backpack thrown out that included the alleged murder weapon, Mangione's writings that were in a red notebook, and the challenge was based on a
couple of different grounds. That's why this decision is mixed.
The judge said that the gun and that the notebook are allowed to be used at the trial and go before the jury, because that was reviewed as part of
what's called an inventory search, back when the bag was taken to the station, the judge said that the officers there followed the correct
protocol by the police officers in Pennsylvania, and that was a fair search.
But the search of the backpack at the McDonald's, where Mangione was first identified, and where officers first encountered him, they said the search
there was illegal. There was no warrant, and their warrant was called exigent circumstances. There was no risk to public safety.
The backpack had been moved several feet away from Mangione, and there were a number of officers between him and the backpack. What the officers found
there is stuff that cannot go before the jury, that includes the magazine of ammunition, it includes his passport, a computer chip, as well as his
wallet, and his cell phone, so that material can't go before the jury.
That will be an opportunity for his lawyers to try to, I'm sure, make some arguments about information that can be in or out related to that. But
that's kind of the key distinction there on this ruling, a split ruling, but certainly good for the government that they can present this alleged
murder weapon, as well as Mangione's writings, because they do need to prove his intent to commit this murder.
And in the notebook, Mangione has written things about his frustrations with the health care industry. He has written that the target is insurance,
and he also talked about looking for the bean counters as being a good opportunity, and the allegations here are that Thompson was shot dead on
the streets of Manhattan, just outside the investor conference, where he was expected to make a presentation.
[11:50:00]
The other part of this ruling about statements that Mangione has made, the judge said that most of the statements he made to officers can come in, but
there are certain ones that cannot. That relates, it all comes down to when Mangione was given his Miranda warning in the U.S. That's when he's told he
has the right to remain silent.
So, once he was given that Miranda warning, he indicated he didn't want to answer any questions. You know, right before that, the officers had asked
him why he had had a fake ID on him and why he had lied about using his name, Mangione.
We have seen the police body cam footage had said that I clearly shouldn't have, so that statement cannot go before the jury, but other statements he
made can, because they were spontaneous and not in response to any questions, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Kara Scannell, live for us. Thank you so much. Still to come, new developments in a dangerous mission in the Maldives to find the
bodies of four scuba divers. Details after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: The bodies of four missing Italian scuba divers who died last week have been found in the Maldives after a dangerous mission to locate them in
a network of sea caves. One body was found Thursday at the mouth of the cave. A Moldavian diver died Saturday in an earlier attempt to locate the
divers. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more.
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Well, it really is in many ways kind of a worst-case scenario, because this cave is very deep, some 70 meters or
230 feet at its deepest part, and that is exactly where they found the bodies.
Now, it had been very much a question going in whether or not it's worth it to risk the lives of more of the rescue divers to retrieve bodies of people
who are already dead? And that was a question that was being played out when these elite Finnish divers, that is part of this European group of
cave divers who specialize in this sort of recovery and rescue sorts of situations.
They were contemplating that this morning. They just arrived in the Maldives this morning, they weren't able to do to dive past the
decompression line because they had just flown and they were planning to go do a sort of a safety assessment later today or early tomorrow, and then
tomorrow potentially go deep.
Now they've got to rethink everything because it's about retrieving the bodies, whether or not they're really going to be able to take the risk to
go down there, if they have the sort of apparatuses, mechanics, robots, things like that, that can retrieve the bodies?
[11:55:00]
Of course, the families of these four people, including a mother and daughter, so you've got the father and husband there are just, you know,
really at their wits, and they want those bodies back, but of course they also don't want anyone else to die in this really horrific, terrible, in
paradise situation.
ASHER: That was our Barbie Latza Nadeau reporting there. All right, finally, before we go, Pope Leo just caught up on a trend. The Pontiff did
the viral six seven hand gesture at St. Peter's Square after a priest and some children taught him how to do the nonsensical my kids do this, but
popular online phrase.
He repeated the gesture, much to the delight of the crowd. Just goes to show that even a papacy over a thousand years old is not immune to immune.
All right, stay with CNN. There is much more "One World" where my colleague and friend Bianna Golodryga will join me after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:00]
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