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One World with Zain Asher
Rubio On Iran Talks; "The Straits Have To Be Open"; U.S. Targets Iranian Missile Sites, Boats; Heatwave Blankets Western Europe; Rescuers In Laos Trying To Reach Seven People Trapped In Cave; Trump Administration Creates $1.8 Billion Fund For President's Allies; Green Card Changes Spark Widespread Confusion; U.S. Coffee Chain's Low Price Model Causes A Stir; India's Youth Adopts Cockroach Protest Symbol; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired May 26, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:36]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. strikes Iran and calls it self-defense, as the Trump administration says, a peace deal is just a word or a sentence
away.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think the strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft should look like. If there's going to
be a deal, we're going to have to work through that.
But this is -- you know, it's either going to be a good deal or there isn't going to be one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The Iranian delegation is reported to have headed home after talks in Qatar. After a late-night last night strikes by the U.S., where do
negotiations go from here?
ASHER: Also ahead, if you are joining us from Western Europe, you might already know what I'm about to say. It is hot and it is unseasonably so.
When is it going to cool off? We'll talk about that later on in the show.
ASHER: Also ahead.
GOLODRYGA: They have no summer yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It means crazy in Italian. People think we're crazy for charging $3 for coffee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: $3 specialty coffee. File that under words. A New Yorker almost never says. I don't know. I pay a lot for coffee here in New York. How this
New York City Cafe is able to undercut the opposition by 50 percent.
ASHER: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
Iran is threatening to expand its war with the U.S. and Israel beyond its borders if there are any further ceasefire violations.
ASHER: And the supreme leader warns the U.S. will no longer have a safe haven in a Gulf region. It comes just hours after the Pentagon launched
with its calling self-defense strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, rather jeopardizing a tense truce that was already hanging by a
thread.
GOLODRYGA: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile insists the two sides are closing in on a peace deal, but he's also making clear that the
U.S. has some non-negotiable red lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: Well, the Straits have to be open. They're going to be open one way or the other. So they need to be open what's happening. It's unlawful, it's
illegal. It's unsustainable to the world. It's unacceptable. I don't know of any country in the world that doesn't (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us now live from the White House.
So, Kevin, what's non-negotiable is a crisis that didn't exist prior to this war beginning. And then obviously, there's the nuclear question as
well, what to do with the enriched uranium. What is the president's view at this point?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And those are all sort of vital points of discussion that still seem to be being debated
between the two sides, as they try and get this memorandum of understanding across the finish line.
President Trump, one, says he's in no rush, but does seem to be showing some new flexibility about one of those key points, which is the fate of
around stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Remember, it's about a thousand pounds believed to be very -- buried very deep underground.
Before yesterday, the president had seemed -- and seemed insistent that the U.S. take possession of that. But in a Truth Social post late yesterday, he
did seem to be offering some alternatives, either that it be destroyed inside Iran or be moved to a third country. So showing some movement on
that front, which I do think gives you a sense that the negotiations still seem to be advancing. The strikes that occurred yesterday do not seem to
have derailed those entirely.
Just to run you through exactly what happened. The U.S. says that it saw Iranians ships laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. It shot those boats.
The Iranians responded by firing surface-to-air missiles towards the U.S. than the U.S. struck some of those missile launch sites.
I think that gives you a sense of two things here. One, the Iranians still seem to be laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz despite what appeared to be
an imminent deal to reopen the Strait, which I don't think is good news for the U.S.
You also get an indication that the Iranians have retained some of their missile capabilities despite what the U.S. has said about seriously
degrading those over the course of this conflict.
So, I think all of this adding up to quite a fragile position as they work to get this deal finished, the presence of the Iranian delegation yesterday
in Qatar was viewed here as relatively good news. The Qataris, obviously, mediators in all of this.
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But perhaps more importantly, Qatar is where a large portion of those frozen Iranian assets are held as the Iranians try to get more clarity
about what financial relief they'll be able to get as part of this deal. I think those conversations were very, very important.
Now, according to Marco Rubio, they're still debating back and forth individual words, individual sentences in that memorandum. I think in a lot
of ways, sort of downplaying the differences that exist, you know, in the end, what is a memorandum of understanding except a collection of words and
sentences? So, I think it remains to be seen how much longer they'll be going back and forth.
But still, despite all of that, a sense of optimism here at the White House that it will eventually get finished.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you.
ASHER: Let's bring in CNN's Nic Robertson joining us live now from London.
So, Nic, Kevin brought up a few key points. This sort of goes to show that the Iranians are still laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and also that
they do retain some degree of missile capabilities. Explain to us where this now leaves things with the ceasefire.
You have the Iranians clearly blindsided by these strikes by the U.S. This ceasefire was already hanging in the balance just in terms of negotiations.
Where are things now?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. The Iranians have said that the ceasefire is -- is -- is not a ceasefire, if you will, at the
moment anyway, because they say the United States blockade is a violation of the ceasefire.
So, I think that view that we've heard from Tehran continues to exist. They say that they have a right to strike back. They say -- they say they shot
down an RQ-9 Reaper drone as part of what transpired last night. They say they fired shots at an F-35. We don't know if that's correct, but that's
certainly the messaging inside Iran.
But I think if we sort of flip back three weeks ago, in the days after Project Freedom, which lasted a day, and that was the day the United States
used its frigates to get into the Arabian Sea and to help escort out a couple of tankers. And it -- and it worked, but there was a lot of
confrontation with the Iranian Navy at that time.
And then a couple of days later, there was a similar scenario to what appears to have played out last night, where the United States attacks
Iranian targets, this time because the -- the -- the -- the Iranians were seeing laying mines.
But again, they attacked targets, missile bases, onshore in Iran, as well as those small boats. And so it kind of mimics and looks a lot like what
happened three weeks ago. And that didn't lead to a catastrophic breakdown in ceasefire.
And I think we see both sides here really trying to push and stay the course on this agenda, a couple of words, a sentence here. Secretary Rubio
says, when the Pakistani mediators, over the weekend, got what they thought was the sort of the agreement from the Iranians with the understanding of
the United States and -- and sort of gave that to Washington, it really was on President Trump at that moment to decide whether or not he goes with it.
And my understanding is that there is still some wrangling over a little bit of it, but I don't think people think that that's going to drive
everything off track. But, of course, the longer it takes from that moment of understanding over the weekend, further into the week, escalations,
intentions, there's always the possibility that it could escalate and -- and derail what is a very, very difficult, diplomatic political process.
GOLODRYGA: Nic, where does Lebanon fall in all of this? Because it does appear that the Israelis were blindsided by this MOU that -- that appeared
to be just moments away from being announced and finalized.
And the Israelis said that it was their understanding that their fight against Hezbollah could continue. The Iranians are saying that any deal
would have to fold in a ceasefire in Lebanon. Just give us the latest on that front.
ROBERTSON: Yes. Again, Lebanon is another piece of this very delicate jigsaw that President Trump, the media, it is in Pakistan, the Iranian
leadership, are trying to sort of pull together. And the more that there are strikes on Hezbollah, the more likely Iran is to -- is to sort of, you
know, show hesitancy about getting into a deal.
There's no doubt that when the ceasefire was called over a month ago now, that spelt bad political news for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
still believes there is a threat in Iran that in essence, the war is not over, that the Iranian leadership is a hardline leadership and is still an
existential threat, a potential existential threat to Israel.
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So it's -- in that perspective, the war with Iran is unfinished business. And Hezbollah is an extension of that unfinished business.
So, in an interregnum where there isn't a locked-in signed memorandum of understanding and steps to a peace process, if there are, if there is a
serious escalation in strikes in -- in Lebanon that calls high civilian casualties, you could see Iran backing away again from where they've got
themselves to right now.
ASHER: Nic Robertson live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, summer hasn't even arrived yet, but you wouldn't know it in Western Europe, where several countries are setting
high temperature records.
ASHER: Yes. The southeast of England is expected to hit up to 35 degrees Celsius today, that is, by the way. And this is in a place that very few
people have air conditioning --
GOLODRYGA: Right.
ASHER: -- right? So it's -- it's really painful when temperatures are this high. But 95 degrees Fahrenheit, if you're American, that's the story
across the continent and in places like Paris, in Madrid, 10 to 15 degrees above the normal into the weekend.
GOLODRYGA: CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now with a look at the forecast.
And given that we have a global audience, we always have to break down the different metric systems here as outliers that United States having to put
it in terms -- exactly.
ASHER: I'm now a (INAUDIBLE) girl, by the way. I -- I didn't even speak Celsius anymore. I become so American.
GOLODRYGA: I grew up Fahrenheit. My parents had to adjust, right? The rest of the world's on Celsius. Nonetheless, the same answer though, is that it
is very, very hot, however you measure it.
VAN DAM: Little -- little sticking point in a trick for you that I always use, 86 degrees Fahrenheit, 30 degrees Celsius, you flip 86 and put it to
68 and it's 20 degrees Celsius. So that's how I kind of interpolate between those two.
ASHER: Did that come over your head?
VAN DAM: Yes, kind of interesting.
ASHER: OK.
GOLODRYGA: Well, he's the expert here. We're just easy for your, Derek.
VAN DAM: Sidebar m. Sidebar me in an email. OK? Hey, these people didn't seem to mind the heatwave, right? Like they're going to the pools, but in
all seriousness, this -- this can be a dangerous heatwave, especially when it hits in such ferocity and this early in the season, and only about five
percent of households in the U.K. have air conditioning within their home.
This is really interesting. The highest maximum May temperature ever recorded occurred yesterday at Kew Gardens. Just outside of London, 34.8
degrees.
But my producer just informed me that the latest information from today being Tuesday, 35.1 degrees Celsius has occurred in Kew Gardens, again,
making this the all new all-time May record high temperature ever recorded.
So that's really something highest minimum temperature. So it's extremely warm overnight. So without the ability to cool oneself, it can be
dangerous, right? The U.K., in essence, is built for a climate that no longer exists, really. So it's hot across all of the U.K. and much of
Western Europe.
And we're talking about 10 to 15 degrees above average. Here's an example. Paris, you're high of 34 today is well above that 20 degree average for
this time of year.
We've got heat alerts across parts of Western and Central Europe. And, of course, we've got the morning lows that are staying very balmy as well. So,
what's the culprit of all this? Not a cloud in the sky really. And that is because an impressive area of high pressure is really acting as like a -- a
lid on the atmosphere, trapping the heat in, not allowing it to escape back into the atmosphere.
And that, of course, heats the surface of the earth and we get these spikes in the temperatures that will continue through the course of the day and
lasting right through the better part of the work week as well.
Zain, Bianna, you just need a quick thinking brain or a calculator, one of the two, and you can get that conversion done in no time.
ASHER: And actually, Bianna and I are actually going to go into business together, selling A.C. units to Europe because apparently --
GOLODRYGA: There's a mark -- there's a market for it.
VAN DAM: I think we're on to something. Can I join? I'm in.
GOLODRYGA: Built for a climate that no longer exists. That's a perfect way of encapsulating the dynamic today.
ASHER: How do you sleep in a weather like I can't -- I can't even. Anyway, Derek, thank you.
VAN DAM: You're welcome.
ASHER: Let's see how Madrid is bearing with the rising temperatures. Pau Mosquera joins us live.
Pau, so Europe is melting. Spain is of course no different. You're in long sleeve shirt. So hopefully it's not too bad for you. Just explain to us how
hot it is where you are.
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's it. We decided to search for some refuge in the shade because today, we were suffering the heat.
Actually, we -- the temperature has already reached the 31 degrees Celsius. So if we make the conversion, it is around 88 degrees Fahrenheit. And just
as I did, so many people decided to come to this park, the Retiro Park that is located downtown Madrid to stay cool, to stay cool from this heat.
Many decided to take a nap, to enjoy a picnic with the family, to get a good book and enjoy a nice read because this situation is still going to
last until the end of the week.
[12:15:05]
From the Spanish National Weather Agency, they are saying that, for example, Thursday and Friday, here in the capital, the mercury can actually
reach the 35 degrees Celsius, which is around 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
And it's also the reason that we come prepared every time that we step into the street. In my case, Zain, Bianna, I'd always come with a bag like this
one, the black one that I'm going to show you the contents right now using some cold water. Very helpful, I can tell you. Also, a cap, a cooperative
one to hide from the sun, which is necessary during the central hours of the day. And, of course, some sunblock, also very necessary to prevent any
damage on our skin.
This is something that we're going to have to get used for the rest of the week, because the temperature is going to be so high that it's not common
for this time of the year.
The authorities are saying that this is actually very unusual. So, the people that are watching us right now from home, so they have an idea,
these temperatures are like eight to 10 degrees above what is usual. Zain, Bianna.
ASHER: And, Pau, you forgot two things in your backpack. You need a handheld fan. That's one thing I would recommend. And also a t-shirt,
because you're in long sleeves. Why -- I appreciate the professional look.
MOSQUERA: Absolutely. You're absolutely right.
GOLODRYGA: He's on air. As soon as he's off with us, that shirt's coming off, right?
ASHER: Like it must be boiling underneath that. But we appreciate it. Go and dip. I hope there's a pool close to where you are that you can just run
into, Pau. In Madrid, thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. I know that -- that park very well. It's beautiful, but there's no pool in there. So you go to another location, Pau.
All right. A sign of what's ahead this summer for Europe.
Turning out to Laos, where rescuers are trying to reach seven people trapped in a cave by flash flooding.
ASHER: Yes. Cave divers are navigating a 340-meter-long tunnel with some points as narrow as 60 centimeters.
Our Mike Valerio has more on the rescue effort.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rescue teams squeeze through narrow, flooded tunnels in rural Laos. Their goal, reaching seven people
trapped underground for almost a week.
We're told local villagers often visit the site to search for gold deposits. Videos recorded by rescue divers from Thailand show them
navigating a more than 1,000-foot-long tunnel. For most of the way, they have to crawl.
In some places, they have to submerge completely to find a way through.
One of the groups coordinating the rescue says that at its narrowest point, the tunnel measures just 23 inches.
Outside, other team members run cables through a gap between the rocks to guide rescuers to its lower reaches. Three divers from the crew were
involved in the dramatic 2018 cave rescue of 12 Thai boys and their football coach.
VALERIO: No word on this latest incident from Laos Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Southeast Asian nation is a one-party communist state that
often closely regulates the release of information.
Mike Valerio, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Well, Mikko Paasi is an instructor trainer with the Tech Dive Asia, a group involved in the rescue operation. And he joins us now from
Laos. Mikko, thank you so much for taking the time.
You pulled off the miraculous rescue in 2018 in Thailand. I'm just wondering, given what you've experienced there and the conditions now that
those who are trapped are facing today, just walk us through any similarities, any differences here, any new challenges?
MIKKO PAASI, INSTRUCTOR TRAINER, TECH DIVE ASIA: OK. Thank you for having me.
Compared to the Laos Mine Rescue, compared to Tham Luang cave rescue, completely two different scenarios, I would say, when we talk about -- when
we go back to 2018. Think about the Thai cave rescue, Tham Luang system was -- is about 10 kilometers long, natural cave, where we have like chambers
size of hundreds of meters in the diameter.
Now --- now where were are -- where we are at the moment in Laos, doing the mine -- mine rescue is that, first of all, it's man-made environment, so
it's dug by hand. It's extremely small, tight, complex of tunnels. Not 10 kilometers, but 300 something plus meters.
But all the tunnel -- the tunnels are -- there's no natural fall, first of all, it's a mine that's supposed to be dry, but then -- then in the rainy
season, sometimes they flood like this one.
[12:20:02]
The tunnels are so small that when we went there yesterday first time for a dive and -- and to see how -- how the conditions are, we need to leave our
sidemount system outside of the wing, because I couldn't fit in through the first restriction and through the tunnels with my sidemount wing.
And also, we're talking about every centimeter counts. And some of the restrictions, the -- the dive spots in this mine are so tight that you need
to exhale to wiggle through. So I'm not that big person. I'm 180 and 90 kilos, but still, I'm a big person compared to a Laotian miner.
So for us cave divers, it's very hard to move around in that mine and the restrictions are not short. They are constant. They -- they are tens of
meters or hundreds of meters long before you come to a next chamber.
Other than that, yes, both of these places in Thailand and Laos, they are very remote areas and that it's collecting like a -- there's a big village
building up in Laos at the moment right outside the mine.
ASHER: Mikko, I was just sort of reading up on this story. I was kept on thinking to myself, what on earth it must be like for the people who are
actually trapped in this cave?
Because there are so many sort of primal fears that we as human beings have, some of them rational, some of them irrational. But when you are
trapped in a cave and that cave is flooding, so many of those fears are activated at once. You've got the darkness, the fact that you are worried
that nobody is going to find you, the feeling of sort of being trapped, the feeling of being isolated, the feeling of potential drowning. There's just
so many fears.
And it is virtually impossible in that kind of scenario not to panic. Even though if you panic, it can cause all sorts of problems. It is so difficult
not to panic.
Can you explain to our audience what the people who are trapped in this tunnel must -- must be going through?
PAASI: Not really, but I can try. We're talking about -- we're talking about -- we're not talking kids this time. We're talking about miners who
do this for work. So this is something that we talk about also, like, how - - how is that mental -- mental health at the moment.
But in a -- I would start from -- from the fact that over here in -- in Laos, the way they mine these gold mines is that they pack their backpack,
they put food and water into the backpack and they go -- they crawl inside the mine in order to mine for a few days at least and then come out. So
they're kind of like prepared to stay there for a few days.
And if you're a miner as your profession, I'm sure you are pretty good with claustrophobic environment -- in a claustrophobic environment and can
handle that quite well.
So in this case, I think the -- the mentality of this group is one of the strongest points as they are used to work and live kind of underground.
GOLODRYGA: Mikko, at this point, just to be clear, have you detected any sign of life, thus far, from those seven trapped?
PAASI: This has not done, to be honest. Yes. We are -- we are out 268 (ph) meters into the mine. It's hard to estimate. There's no maps of this place.
And then there's a terminal chamber where they are assumed to be resting or taking shelter. If everything went fine and they find that place when the -
- when the mine was flooding, this place should have like a -- it's described to us that it has an elevated dry section. And the chamber is big
enough to -- to handle 10 people.
And we -- it's quite high, so there is -- there's gas to breathe for a few days at least. And it should be dry to avoid hypothermia for the -- for the
victim.
But at the moment, we have -- haven't reached that chamber yet at diving so difficult with restrictions where you can't move, turn around, or -- or do
-- and the visibility is zero. So the making ground is very slow process. And we need to think about power safety as well.
So we are 30 meters away from that chamber and hoping that soon we will reach and find out if they are alive or if they're even there.
GOLODRYGA: Well, your help in Thailand led to a miracle there, and we are all praying for one as well in Laos as well. Thank you so much for
everything that you're doing and for joining us, Mikko Passi.
ASHER: Thank you, Mikko.
PAASI: You're welcome. Thank you.
ASHER: Stay safe. Thank you.
All right. Still to come, President Trump created a so-called anti- weaponization fund for his allies, but could his long-time foes be technically in line for compensation as well? We'll have live report for
you from Washington.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, Ferrari is roaring onto the E.V. scene with its first ever fully electric sports car. What the luxury vehicle is going to cost you.
It's more than that $3 coffee, I can tell you that. It's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:42]
ASHER: All right. A new group of people could file a compensation from President Trump's $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Targets of Donald Trump's political retribution efforts say that they are the real victims of a weaponized Justice Department. They
include former U.S. Capitol riot prosecutors, fired federal officials, even journalists.
Senior reporter Marshall Cohen joins us now from Washington, D.C. with more. And, Marshall, it does appear that the acting attorney general sort
of walked into this potential scenario as well when he was trying to justify to Paula Reid last week about why this fund is necessary.
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, they say anyone can apply. You're absolutely right. But when they announced this $1.8 billion anti-
weaponization fund, they invoked some of President Trump's longstanding grievances for why amends need to be made now in the form of financial
compensation.
They pointed to the Russia probe. They pointed to the classified documents investigation in the raid at Mar-a-Lago. And they also pointed to January
6th.
But as you mentioned, a lot of the people who say that they've been targeted by the president are flipping the script. And they say they're the
real victims and Trump is the perpetrator. And that's why some of them have already sent letters to the DOJ outlining their claims. Or At least are
considering or discussing filing claims to this fund.
Some of them say that they might do this to test out and see if it really is nonpartisan as the DOJ insists. Others have said it's a form of protest.
But some people in the group are concerned that they might be legitimizing a fund that they don't even think should exist.
So you can see these faces on your screen here. These are some of the people that we spoke to that said that they are considering applying FBI
Director James Comey who was fired in 2017 during the Russia probe.
Michael Cohen, the Trump lawyer turned Nemesis, fired federal prosecutors who prosecuted the January 6th case and were dismissed last year and mass.
And some Democratic lawmakers who were investigated by the DOJ for that video they released a few months ago where they encouraged members of the
U.S. military to not follow any unlawful orders that they might receive.
[12:30:03]
And also on that list is Andy McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI. He had his fair share of battles with the president during the Russia
investigation. He's now a CNN contributor and his attorney blasted this weaponization fund.
And I want to read for you what his attorney told us. Quote, "The idea of this slush fund, his words, is crazy, ridiculous and illegal. There was
weaponization in the first Trump administration and they've taken it to a whole new level in the second administration."
Guys, we reached out to DOJ for comment. They did not respond to us, but they have said that a five member commission will go case by case and look
at any submission that comes through and they say that they will not be putting a partisan tint onto the analysis.
GOLODRYGA: One can only imagine President Trump's reaction if someone like James Comey was actually awarded any compensation from this fund.
Marshall Cohen, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Still to come here, green card applicants in the U.S. are in limbo after a major policy shift by the Trump administration. We'll talk
to an immigration attorney next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.
A new Trump administration policy on green cards is sparking so much alarm among immigrants and their attorneys.
On Friday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a major shift saying that foreigners will now be required to leave the country if
they are going to apply for permanent residency, AKA green cards.
Spokesman Zach Kahler had this to say on the new policy, quote, "When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and
remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency."
[12:35:00]
ASHER: Time now for The Exchange, joining us is CNN opinion writer, Raul Reyes. He's an immigration attorney and analyst as well.
Raul, I just -- I have so many questions about this. Just -- just in terms of how this would work. I mean, you have a lot of people who apply for
green cards in the United States for so many different reasons. Sometimes people get married --
RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER: Right.
ASHER: -- to Americans. Other times they get a job that sponsors them. They sponsor -- the job sponsors their green card. And so when you're asking
people who are working in this country, who have livelihoods, to now leave the country and therefore no longer work at the company that they're
working for, that puts them in a very difficult position because who's to say that the company's still going to continue paying them or even keep
them on the books?
And not to mention, of course, separating families as well. Give us your thoughts on this.
REYES: Right. This new plan, it's -- it's -- for me, it is a radical policy shift that is going to cause massive disruption in people's lives.
And, unfortunately, it seems to be part of this administration's assault on legal immigration, because these are -- who's impacted and affected by this
are people who are here in the country legally. They're just trying to obtain permanent residency.
But with this memo, the memo makes the process a logistical nightmare. As you mentioned, people who -- who have a job offer or people who may be fall
in love, they want to marry a U.S. citizen, now have to go back to their country of origin and wait there for months or years with no guarantee of -
- of being able to return.
So that -- for so many people, this has caused tremendous anxiety and confusion with everything from people wondering if they stay abroad too
long -- too long, will the job still be there?
And also people wondering if it's worth it to potentially split up their family just to try and comply with this -- this incredible shift in -- in -
- in policy was just dropped with a memo right before holiday weekend.
GOLODRYGA: Raul, aside from the massive disruption that this could have on lives and the question of whether it's a moral policy at all, is it a
constitutional policy?
REYES: Right. I -- I see many legal challenges arising from this because the -- the USCIS, the U.S. government is saying here that they're --
they're adjusting the policy. But -- and -- and -- and that they have the authority to make people grow abroad to adjust their status.
But back in the 1950s, Congress specifically created a provision so that people could adjust their status here. And that's what people have been
doing for -- for decades through both Republican and Democratic presidents. This has been normal practice.
In fact, more than half of people who adjust their status, they do do it with -- within the United States. And that's because they've already been
vetted in their home countries. They're already here on visas.
So, I -- I do see very significant legal challenges. But as we all know, legal challenges take a long time. And so in the meantime, we will have --
we have a lot of people in confusion and limbo.
And honestly, a lot of immigration attorneys are confused by this policy, especially because, again, just touching on the logistics of it, there are
many people who can't go back to their home countries. People say from Iran or Russia. Some people can't go back to Haiti or Ukraine because it's not
safe.
And many people are -- are -- come from countries that are now on a list of where -- where the U.S. government has paused all visas.
So those people are stuck in a type of catch-22 situation where the government's telling them to leave the country, but they have no plausible
ways of coming back.
ASHER: What does the United States lose by this? Just thinking about the number of sort of tech entrepreneurs, for example, who are foreign-born.
You think about Elon Musk, right? He's from South Africa, Sergey Brin, Satya Nadella, head of Microsoft, Jensen Huang, head of NVIDIA, Sundar
Pichai, head of Google.
There's so many people in the United States, especially in Silicon Valley. We're just talking about the impact on the economy, have come from someone
-- somewhere else into this country, emigrated on a visa, got in a green card, and many of them have eventually become U.S. citizens.
What does the country lose with this policy?
REYES: There are countries stands to potentially lose a great deal, and not just in the tech field. Many of the people who come here on visas and then
adjust their status here are people like academic researchers, people working in the medical fields and engineers.
So all kinds of people who contribute to this country are now potentially facing these huge obstacles. And even when some people maybe have their own
work visa to be here, I -- I think it gives a lot of potential immigrants pause when they think they might have to be separated from their wives and
children for years, just because of this seemingly very arbitrary rule.
[12:40:10]
And just for context, the president obviously was elected to combat illegal immigration. But what we're talking about here is people doing things the
right way, waiting in line, following all the proper processes.
And even when we look at the American public in general, the latest "Associated Press" poll shows that 83 percent of Americans think that legal
immigration, it contributes to growth of our economy.
So, it's really hard to see any type of rational justification for this policy, other than just to be restrictive and -- and punitive. It solves no
problem. And it seems to create so many and the -- the threats and potential lack of skilled workers that we may face in fields where we need
them is -- is just one.
ASHER: And not to mention just in terms of the family immigration, two of the president's three wives actually emigrated from other countries.
Raul Reyes --
REYES: Yes.
ASHER: -- live for us there. Thank you so much.
We'll be right back with more.
REYES: Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's go check on how U.S. markets are doing, about a mixed bag. The Dow down a quarter of a percentage point. The NASDAQ up
nearly one percent. The S&P 500 up half a percentage point. This is your business breakout.
ASHER: The global crude oil price is on the rise again today, reversing some of Monday's losses. It comes as renewed U.S. strikes on Iran club
optimism that a deal to end the war is in sight. Meantime, WTI, the U.S. oil benchmark is down from Friday's close.
GOLODRYGA: European winter power contracts are now at their highest premium since the 2022 energy crisis driven by low gas supplies and shrinking hydro
power reserves. Disruptions to liquefied natural gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz are also making it harder for countries to build up
storage. That means homes and businesses could potentially face higher energy bills.
ASHER: Oil giant, B.P., has sacked Chairman Albert Manifold after less than a year in the role citing serious conduct concerns. The company says the
board's decision was unanimous. Though it has not provided further details. B.P. shares fell sharply on the news before recovering some losses.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, the New York coffee scene is getting a jolt as global prices soar, a $3 coffee of your choice.
[12:45:02]
ASHER: In a city where a cup can easily set you back about $7. How much do you pay for coffee?
GOLODRYGA: I'm not telling you.
ASHER: OK. Not $3. I'm not saying it.
GOLODRYGA: Too embarrassing. Not $3.
ASHER: Richard Quest stops by a coffee house serving quality coffee at a discount.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Can you give me a job? Well, maybe not. Very nice. That really is excellent. Cheers.
JENNIFER MAMAN, CO-FOUNDER, MATTO ESPRESSO: I was in Italy with some friends, and wherever we would go in Italy, we would have the most
incredible cappuccinos and lattes with the perfect foam. It didn't matter if we would go to the most expensive place or inexpensive place, you could
get an incredible cup of coffee.
And so, that was really the big moment where we said, why doesn't something like this exist in the United States?
QUEST: Right. Because the coffee you're talking about in Italy is a couple of euros. It was the price point that became important, as well, wasn't it?
MAMAN: Right. The big part of the business is the $3 menu. So, when you say, I want to charge $3 for coffee, then you build an entire system around
that.
QUEST (voice-over): The Matto app is the key to that system. And it's the only way to get your hands on that coveted $3 coffee.
MAMAN: We decided to put together a menu that really targets the most popular items that people order every day. And we decided we want the top
quality.
So, we partnered with a coffee roaster from Italy that's been roasting coffee for over 100 years.
QUEST: Right. But you also have to be very attuned to what people are -- the needs. So, for instance, we've got an affordability crisis --
MAMAN: Right.
QUEST: -- at the moment. Are you going to be able to keep $3, bearing in mind every one of your costs are going up at the moment?
MAMAN: Our model was designed to be profitable at $3. So, we have small store footprints. So, that lends to lower operating costs. And our app has
been really revolutionary in terms of serving the customer and how they experience Matto.
QUEST (voice-over): All that talking has made me thirsty.
QUEST: Would one of you come here, please, and make me a nice, hot cappuccino?
Now, what have you discovered works? And what have you discovered doesn't?
MAMAN: It's really the simple things; make a good quality cappuccino Espresso. Give it to them on time. Give them friendly and quick service.
That's what they want.
You don't need to sell a lot of things. You just have to make it right. And you have to give them what they want.
QUEST: So, you know that being a barista was my pandemic project.
MAMAN: No, I didn't know that.
QUEST: So, during the pandemic, I decided, right, everybody else was baking banana loaf.
MAMAN: Yes.
QUEST: So, I went out and I bought myself the -- a proper espresso machine and learned how to make espresso. And I realized that my first ones were
truly awful. And my latte art is awful. How's your latte art?
MAMAN: I have to confess, I'm not good at that at all. I leave it to the baristas.
QUEST: Matto latte.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where's the latte? OK. So first, we need a shot of espresso. Take the tamper and press it. Just try to press it like straight.
Yes.
QUEST: Lock it in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Take the cup.
QUEST: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put a little bit of milk. Then swirl the cup a little bit with the milk. Yes. Now hold the cup like this. And now wait, wait. You
want to wiggle, right?
QUEST: I need to wiggle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Try to do like this.
QUEST (voice-over): Let me just say it took a couple of tries to get this right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not good.
QUEST: Try it again?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Like really relax. Like on the hand. Yes.
QUEST: Try again.
Let's begin.
QUEST (voice-over): Eventually, I got it. Well, sort of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, when you're going to put the milk, try to put like -- make circles. Yes, yes.
QUEST: Well, there is a sort of wiggle. That's the best wiggle I've ever done. I mean, it's sort of --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Flower. Heart.
QUEST: Finally, the name Matto.
MAMAN: It means "crazy" in Italian. People think we're crazy for charging $3 for coffee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Richard Quest. I love that. That's our grain of good news here. Affordable coffee.
All right. What's not affordable, a Ferrari.
ASHER: Perfect transition.
GOLODRYGA: Which are racing into the E.V. market with its first ever fully electric sports car. The four-door Luce, which is Italian for light, has
four electric motors and a top speed of 310 kilometers per hour or 193 miles per hour.
[12:50:01]
ASHER: Yes. The luxury vehicle comes with a hefty price tag to $640,000. That's nothing. It's a piece of cake. Nothing.
U.S. sales are expected --
GOLODRYGA: Drop in a bucket.
ASHER: Half a million dollars for a car. U.S. sales are expected to begin sometime -- in case you're interested, right? Sometime next year.
GOLODRYGA: All right. One can dream.
So still to come for us, a cockroach has become the unlikely symbol of a youth protest movement in India. We'll explain why, after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Cockroaches are behind a growing political storm in India.
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Rhea Mogul explains why young people there have adopted the insect as a symbol of protest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RHEA MOGUL, CNN NEWS DESK, SOUTH ASIA (voice-over): The cockroach has become an unlikely symbol of resistance in India, after the country's chief
justice lit up a firestorm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are youngsters like cockroaches, they -- they don't get any employment, they don't have any place in profession.
MOGUL: He later clarified he was talking about people who entered certain professions using fake degrees. But by then, the remarks had sparked a
viral protest movement.
MOGUL (voice-over): Gen Z flipped the insult into a badge of resistance, launching the Cockroach Janta Party. The party's mascot has appeared across
social media and news channels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It started off as a meme.
MOGUL (voice-over): Its Instagram has blown past 22 million followers, more than Prime Minister Modi's BJP, who have 9.3 million.
The party calls itself the voice of the lazy and unemployed.
MOGUL: But behind the humor is real frustration.
ABHIJEET DIPAKE, FOUNDER, COCKROACH JANTA PARTY: One should know, where does cockroach exist? They exist in a place which is rotten. So, is the
system so rotten that the cockroaches are coming out in such a huge number? We have to think about that.
MOGUL (voice-over): India's youth age 15 to 29 is the largest in the world. And they're growing increasingly more educated and ambitious.
But nearly 40 percent of graduates age 25 and younger are unemployed, according to a recent report.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are raising the issues of the nation.
SHAURYA GAGNEJA, STUDENT: By (INAUDIBLE) very nice come back. And the way the Cockroach Janta Party have put the point of views of this youth is very
different, I think. I'm enjoying it.
[12:55:03]
MOGUL (voice-over): Last week, the Cockroach Janta Party's X handle was made inaccessible in India, with the platform citing illegal demand.
Shortly after, the party emerged with a new handle. Cockroach is back.
CNN has contacted India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, X, and the BJP for a response.
What began as satire has become a rebellion.
Rhea Mogul, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. That does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
