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One World with Zain Asher

GOP Rebukes Trump On Iran War, $1.8B Fund, Ballroom, Intel Pick; State Media: Kim Calls For "Exponential" Increase In Arsenal; Trump Administration To Dismantle Deep-Ocean Monitoring System; Protesters Clash With Police Over Murder Of Student; Knicks Fans Take To Streets To Celebrate Game One Win; Nigerian Prospect's Remarkable NFL Journey; Israel, Lebanon Agree On Ceasefire If Hezbollah Stops Fighting. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired June 04, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:39]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Friendly fire. When it comes to the war with Iran, some members of Donald Trump's own party are voting against him.

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are tired of this. They're tired of $5 gallon gas and $6 gallon diesel and fertilizer, we can't afford to.

I think it sends a good message at the people's house, which represents the people is tired of this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Members of the Grand Old Party stand up to Donald Trump in a rare rebuke.

ASHER: Also ahead, the raw materials of weapons. North Korea releases never-before-seen images of Kim Jong Un's brand-new nuclear facility. Why

the timing is key.

And later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The enthusiasm here, it is not going anywhere. It's not going anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: What a game last night. What a win. Knick's fans hope their team can keep the momentum going after game one of the NBA finals.

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's Revolutionary Guard is demanding that Israel withdraw to its pre-war positions in Lebanon, warning that there will be no peace in the region

until that happens.

ASHER: Yes. Hezbollah is also rejecting the U.S.-backed ceasefire, saying it amounts to surrender and defeat. The truce calls on Hezbollah to stop

its attacks and withdraw from Southern Lebanon.

But just two hours after it's announced, the militant group and Israel exchanged fire. Authorities say that Israeli strikes killed at least four

people and a U.N. peacekeeper in Southern Lebanon.

GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti government released this new video of a deadly attack on its airport Wednesday. Iran claims it was actually a U.S.

patriot missile interceptor, something that the Pentagon denies. And the U.S. president suggests that Iran may have been provoked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a reason for everything. And we hit them pretty hard the night before and actually last

night.

And what it was explained to me, I said, all right, so we'll do that. They did something very -- not a big deal. We got it. We nipped it in the bud

very quickly.

Some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for different reasons. So they were reciprocating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Also complicating matters, a political rebuke to the president from Congress. Four Republicans crossed party lines to vote to rein in the

U.S. president's war powers in Iran.

Now, if this were to pass in the Senate, President Trump would be required to either withdraw troops or get the approval of Congress to continue the

war. The House Speaker says this move weakens the president's ability to negotiate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I -- I think it is a -- a very dangerous prospect to take away from the administration and the commander-in-chief right now

the ability to negotiate. That's what this does. It -- it weakens us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Donald Trump is also lashing out at the vote, calling it meaningless and un -- unpatriotic. He's also facing backlash from some other issues as

well, including his $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis says that he will not vote for an immigration enforcement funding bill if it does not include an amendment to

kill Trump's controversial fund.

GOLODRYGA: Alayna Treene joins us from the White House to break it all down for us.

So, Alayna, it really is a case of he said versus he said. And in this case, both of these two men are in the president's camp. And I'm talking

about the president himself telling Kaitlan Collins last night that -- that perhaps this fund could come back in some capacity, that he was a fan of

it, while his attorney general or acting attorney general said vehemently that this would not come up anymore and that this was a closed case.

So just talk about some of this contradiction. What is the president trying to convey here?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I think what this is all about, honestly, Zain and Bianna, is that it is very hard for

President Donald Trump to back down from something, one, that he really wants. He believes in this fund. You could hear him saying that yesterday.

I know from my conversations with White House officials that he does believe a fund like this, you know, the so-called anti-weaponization fund,

is worthy for people who believe that they have been wronged by the Justice Department.

[12:05:06]

Of course, the president himself is someone who feels like he has been wronged by the Justice Department in the past, so that's where the stems

from.

However, of course, I think all of the Republican backlash to it, and I should note that is a very rare in this day and age in the new Trump era to

have so many Republicans, and not just some Republicans who, you know, maybe have been pushed out by the president, people like Congressman Thomas

Massie, or people who are already retiring this year, but leaders in the Republican Party acknowledging how damaging this fund is, that is very

rare.

And so I think what we saw from Blanche is someone who recognized in order to get a -- a high priority bill through Congress, you know, it's the new

funding for different immigration enforcement for ICE and CBP. They needed to do away with this fund and really stop from moving forward with it. And

so that's why Blanche had to come out and say, no, we are not going to move forward with this. There are no plans to do so ever.

Of course, Trump, though, again, is trying to downplay this. He does not want to show that there is any sort of capitulation, particularly in

response to political backlash within his own party. He's tried. We saw this in an interview that was published yesterday, try to play this off as,

you know, he is abiding by a court ruling.

But I think by and large, there is a broad recognition and acknowledgement throughout the White House that this is very politically damaging for them.

But again, not something where Trump wants to admit that fully, particularly on camera.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Politically damaging for them because so many members of the president's own party find this extremely distasteful.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much.

ASHER: All right. Let's bring in senior political analyst Mark Preston, joining us live now.

So, Mark, just in terms of this war powers resolution, I mean, even if it was to pass in the Senate, just talk to us about the legal ability, the

legal authority that Congress may actually end up having in this situation.

Obviously, there will be legal hurdles to actually withdraw troops from Iran.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Well, no doubt.

Well, look, what we're seeing right now here in Washington is that Donald Trump still has an incredible amount of power. He still has an incredible

amount of sway over his political party. But there are certain things that happen in Congress that Congress does try to have some responsibility for,

and this is one of those, going to war, putting our men and women overseas into combat situations.

This is where Donald Trump has underestimated how much willingness he can get from his own party to get things done. And that's what we saw in the

House of Representatives, where they pushed back.

Now, there's only a couple of Republicans. There's only four Republicans. But again, that's just a fissure of what we're starting to see.

People should keep in mind, Donald Trump only has two more years left after the sheer in office. That means his power is going to slowly wane.

And what we saw with the Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted for the War Powers Resolution Act is that one of them had already

lost to a Donald Trump-backed Republican challenger. And two others are in very competitive states for reelection.

So, what we're starting to see now is a lot of political expediency from people looking inwards of themselves, Republicans in and of themselves

trying to support Trump, because they know they don't want to be on the wrong side of them.

But at the same time, they know that their political fate is not always exclusively tied to Donald Trump.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. They're being called the -- the YOLO faction here, You Only Live Once. Many of them not running for Congress again, because they have

been primaried or just choosing to retire.

Mark, I do want to ask you about the other big jarring headline we saw this week. They've got a lot of pushback from Democrats, but notably also

Republicans as well. And that is President Trump installing his housing director, Bill Pulte, who runs FHFA as acting DNI. That blindsided a lot of

people in Congress, and not in a positive sense.

You're getting pushback from Speaker Thune as well, saying, we don't need a weaponized DNI. Senator Tillis declaring that he has no prayer of

confirmation.

We know the president, at least in his first term, was fine with many acting officials in his cabinet. Just talk about this decision and now,

given all of the hurdles he's already facing within his own party.

PRESTON: Well, again, look at his political power. How much political power does he have? Now, by and large, I mean, three of us have watched a

Congress over the last decade or so. And basically, Congress wants to be able to give up people of the political party, want to be able to give the

president his own personnel. He can make his own personnel decisions.

However, when it comes to a situation like the DNI, a role like the DNI, what we're seeing from Donald Trump is not putting somebody in there who

has experience in intelligence agencies or experience in foreign policy, but somebody who's just clearly a political loyalist, somebody who's going

to go in and perhaps do retribution on behalf of Donald Trump to those he thinks that have harmed him. That's what we're seeing with Bill Pulte right

now.

[12:10:13]

Again, Bill Pulte, somebody a very successful businessman, somebody who understands the housing industry, somebody who Donald considers a top ally,

but it's not somebody that understands the international scope of -- of what's happening.

And more importantly, really, the things that happen behind the scenes when it comes to across the -- the intelligence agencies, that is why you're

seeing pushback from Republicans right now, because specifically in the Senate, they do take their role as much as they are going to be supportive

of President Trump. They do take their role very serious when it comes to issues of intelligence, intelligence gathering, and what have you.

Surprisingly, Democrats and Republicans often can come together on that. And this is one of those situations right now where Donald Trump has put

somebody in there who is an ally, but is not necessarily equipped or has the background to fill that role.

ASHER: And just in terms of what you touched on, this idea that Donald Trump only has two more years left, so it's natural to see his power wane.

And when you think about, you know, having some Republicans stand up to the president as it pertains to the War Powers Act, having some Republicans

sort of stand up to the president as it pertains to Pulte. And then obviously, the $1.8 billion fund, we saw Randy Feenstra, who the president

endorsed for Governor of Iowa, not win, despite the president sort of putting his thumb on the scale.

Just explain to us, is this part of a broader trend in terms of the president sort of losing his grip on the Republican Party? Or do you think

things will start to settle for him again when the Iran war comes to an end?

PRESTON: Well, so let's go back to the beginning of his administration, right? We were told by his allies that if President Trump wins election

back, you know, wins reelection, is able to get back in office, they're going to do everything they can, they're going to push everything they can

through. They are going to disrupt as much as they can.

Nobody believed that they would do that. And guess what happened? They have absolutely done that, down to the point of this $1.8 billion weaponization

fund.

And I have to tell you, I was on the ground up there. I was hunted down by those protesters. That was not a peaceful protest. That was a very

dangerous situation up there. And I think what's happening is that you're seeing Donald Trump, perhaps reaching a little bit too far, especially

politically now.

And -- and I know this is absurd to say this about Donald Trump to have any idea where he's going to look back at the strategic standpoint and say,

this is what I'm going to do because this is what I think I can get done. Donald Trump's just going to do whatever he wants to do.

But -- but in doing so, though, he puts his allies in some very difficult situations, this fund being one of those, the -- the billion dollars or so

to put -- to help build the ballroom, you know, where he took down the East Wing because he wanted a big, beautiful ballroom, things like that,

especially in these economic times when we're talking about gas going up, a war with Iran.

At some point, Donald Trump sometimes goes a little bit too far. Again, he's so powerful though within his party that he will still have

considerable influence. There are going to be times though when we're starting to see these little fissures and fractures where he is going to

lose. And we're starting to see some of these losses now.

ASHER: All right. Mark Preston, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Mark.

Well, turning now to North Korea, where state media reports Kim Jong Un is calling for an exponential increase in nuclear weapons production.

ASHER: Yes. Kim recently toured a newly operational uranium enrichment facility, offering a rare glimpse into the secretive sites used to produce

weapons-grade material.

CNN's Will Ripley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What's striking here is not just what North Korea is saying, it's what they're choosing to show.

For decades, North Korea went to extraordinary lengths to conceal the facilities, producing the fuel for its nuclear weapons.

Now, their leader, Kim Jong Un, appears increasingly eager to show them off. These images show Kim walking past rows of centrifuges, the machines

used to enrich uranium, which can be used to produce nuclear bomb fuel. This is not a one-off.

Before September 2024, North Korea had never publicly released images from inside a uranium enrichment facility.

Since then, state media has shown Kim touring facilities tied to nuclear material production multiple times, including another visit reported in

January 2025. The location of this latest site remains undisclosed. And that matters, because outside experts are now trying to determine whether

this is a known facility, an expansion of one, or something entirely new.

North Korea claims its production capacity for weapons-grade nuclear material has more than doubled in five years. That claim cannot be

independently verified.

The visual message is clear, though, Kim is not just showing off missiles or military hardware in a parade. He's showing the industrial backbone of

his nuclear program, the machinery that could help North Korea build more bombs.

And this comes as Kim continues to describe his country as a permanent nuclear power, one that is not moving toward denuclearization, but toward

expansion.

So the big question for U.S. and South Korean intelligence now is not only what North Korea has shown, but how much more remains out of sight.

[12:15:08]

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Environmentalists are sounding the alarm over the Trump administration's plan to dismantle a critical deep-sea monitoring system

put in place 10 years ago.

GOLODRYGA: It's a collects data to track major changes going on beneath the surface. Climate experts warned the move comes at a particularly risky time

as ocean temperatures continue to reach record highs.

For more on this, let's bring in CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir.

So, Bill, give us a sense as to why you think this is happening now and I guess more importantly, its impact.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a tremendous pressure these days, Bianna and Zain, both to go after undersea minerals to

sort of fuel the next energy wave of devices that rely on copper and these other precious metals that lie on the ocean floor.

But there's also a lot of pressure to go after the old-fashioned fuels, oil and gas, around the world. And this serves both of those purposes for

friends of the Trump administration.

In fact, Sheldon Whitehouse, senator -- a Democratic senator, says this is basically giving Trump's stooges, as he calls them, and the oil and gas

industry cover from the effects of oil and gas on our ocean systems.

Right now, there's tremendous pressures at all levels. There's record- breaking sea temperatures, just off the charts in some places around the globe. That's before this imminent super El Nino starts off, which is

kicking off literally as we speak right now in the Pacific.

There's a system of ocean currents, the AMOC in the Atlantic, that it may be breaking down sooner than a lot of scientists had anticipated. And this

entire ocean observatory's initiative set up 10 years ago was measuring all of these sources, over 900 instruments, some fixed in place, some basically

moving underwater, gliders that measure all of these ocean currents and temperatures and the salinity, the pH, the -- that affects fisheries as

well.

But this is now being dismantled as part of the Trump administration's really all-out assault on anything that smacks a climate scientist.

Science is supposed to run for another 20 years, but in the next year or so, they're going to be dismantling this -- this equipment off the coast of

California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, even North Carolina off the coast of Greenland as well.

So oceanographers are just showing such dismay. A lot of these programs have already been paid for and are now just being dismantled as a result.

And this $300 plus million really a drop in a bucket compared to other initiatives that today the Trump administration is announcing. They're

going to put $700 million to prop up failing coal fired power plants and maybe even build two new ones. There hasn't been a new coal power plant

just because the economics built an over a decade, but Trump doubling down on that while at the same time just demolishing funding for science and

observation of Earth systems.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Bill Weir, reporting live for us. Thank you so much.

ASHER: All right. Far-right and anti-immigration groups are feeding tensions between police and protesters in the U.K. over a case involving

the murder of an 18-year-old.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(PROTESTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: This week, more violent disrupt -- demonstrations erupted in Southampton sparked by video from last December of officers who handcuffed

the victim and ignored his pleas for help.

Chief Constable Alexis Boon apologized for those police actions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXIS BOON, HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT CHIEF CONSTABLE: What was filmed there is a tragedy, an absolute tragedy. And you can't help but be affected

by it. It's -- it's very difficult to watch. It's -- it's difficult footage to watch.

And I really feel for the family of Henry at this time. And -- and I understand their point of view and why they're upset with the police. I

understand that and we get that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN producer Ivana Scatola takes a closer look at the case that started all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVANA SCATOLA, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Violent scenes in the south of England where hundreds of protesters clashed with police over the death of

a teenager.

18-year-old Henry Nowak was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa last December. Protests have been promoted by far-right and anti-immigration groups like

far-right leader, Tommy Robinson.

There's been backlash over the death because police arrested Nowak as he was dying because his killer falsely claimed he had been racially abused.

He's (INAUDIBLE) so I grab on my head.

Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder. Nowak was stabbed last December after an altercation between the

pair while Henry was walking home from a night out.

And police body cam footage Nowak has seen lying on the street saying --

[12:20:00]

HENRY NOWAK, 18-YEAR-OLD: (INAUDIBLE) mate. I've been stabbed.

SCATOLA: While an officer responds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've been stabbed? Whereabouts?

NOWAK: Over here, mate.

SCATOLA: Nowak died shortly after being handcuffed by police. Once they realized he was injured, they un-cuffed him and started CPR.

The police force, Hampshire Police, has apologized for Nowak's death and said one of the officers involved in the arrest has resigned. Three others

were being treated as witnesses in the investigation.

In a statement outside court Monday, the Nowak family said, we do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. They

also quoted the words of the prosecuting lawyer. This is not a case about Sikhism. This is not a case about racism. This is a case about murder.

The Digwa family have apologized. In a statement issued through the Sikh press association, they said, we are deeply sorry for the pain and

suffering the Nowak family has had to endure.

Community groups Sikh Federation U.K. said the incident was, quote, a moment of madness by an individual. And on X said, "The actions of one

person, quote, should not be used to demonize the law-abiding Sikh community."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Ivana Scatola with that for our story there.

All right. Still to come here on "One World." Some tough rhetoric coming from both Iran and Hezbollah. What this could mean for a new and very

fragile ceasefire for Lebanon?

GOLODRYGA: And on a much lighter note, a New York-sized celebration takes to the streets out to the next one, game one of the NBA finals in San

Antonio. We'll take you right into the middle of all of that fun chaos.

ASHER: Plus, he'd never played a single down of organized American football. Now he's been drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. Uar Bernard's

remarkable journey, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, if you are heading to the World Cup this year, don't expect to bring your reusable water bottle. FIFA has updated its stadium

rules banning reusable bottles at all World Cup venues over safety concerns.

ASHER: Yes. Officials say the move is meant to reduce the risk of objects being thrown, but some fans are raising concerns about staying hydrated in

the summer heat because it is going to be so hot over the next month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: All right. This was the scene not in my house, but it could have been, at New York's Madison Square Garden for a watch party for the Knicks

fans as their team won game one of the NBA finals.

[12:25:04]

The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Texas in the back and forth battle to start the championship series 105 to 95. The Knicks extending

their playoff win streak to 12 games.

ASHER: And there was this moment when a fan rushed the court with a cell phone in hand to take photos. And was immediately taken -- it's

interesting. That doesn't happen more often, I'm sure. The Spurs will look to even the series in game two, Friday night in San Antonio.

CNN's Omar Jimenez has more from the Knicks watch party in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: This is the reaction after a game one win in the NBA Finals for the New York Knicks. We have been outside Madison Square Garden throughout

all of this.

And look, if you doubt any of the enthusiasm, even for an away game for the Knicks, look no further than the crowd that gathered over the course of

this game.

But I want to show you what we've been seeing over the course of this, as the celebration really begins here in New York City. It's the beginning of

a long series. You know that if you're a basketball fan.

But you can't tell the people here who have been chanting "Knicks in four" for hours. I was talking to them beforehand. They were saying "Knicks in

four" beforehand too.

So this is just the beginning. They got a game one. It came down to a back and forth game throughout all of it. But the excitement in New York City is

the chance to do something they have not done in over five decades now that they are back in a place they have not been in more than two decades.

So moving forward, like we said, is a long series. But the enthusiasm here, it is not going anywhere. It's not going anywhere. (INAUDIBLE) This is New

York City.

Back to you, guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: An SOS call from Omar.

ASHER: Is he OK? I'm hoping he still hears us. Is he OK?

Oh, I'm reading. OK.

GOLODRYGA: You love this story.

ASHER: I do.

GOLODRYGA: There's a connection here.

ASHER: A fellow Nigerian, that always warms my heart. OK. From a small village in Nigeria to one of the NFL's most storied franchises.

Philadelphia Eagles draft pick, Uar Bernard, never played high school or college American football.

GOLODRYGA: But his remarkable athleticism has already turned heads across the NFL. Carolina Peguero has his extraordinary journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UAR BERNARD, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES DEFENSIVE TACKLE (through text translation): I am Uar Bernard. And I greet you all from Bayelsa State,

Nigeria.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Control. Good.

CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Measuring six-four and weighing more than 300 pounds, Uar Bernard is currently one of the most

talked about prospect in the league, having never played a down of high school or college football, yet, was drafted in the seventh round by the

Philadelphia Eagles.

BERNARD: I just want to thank God for everything. Him first because he's brought me through this journey. Man, it's been an amazing, but I feel like

a normal person. It's a big win for me. I didn't experience this until -- until I got to the U.S., like the whole training stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talent is evenly distributed across the world, opportunities are not.

PEGUERO (voice-over): With the help of the NFL International Pathway Program, Bernard at 22 years old, came from a small village in his native

Nigeria, looking for a better future for himself, his mother and siblings after his father passed away.

BERNARD: I always want to have my siblings. I always want to help my community, my country. So it's a big opportunity for me to do that. And I

feel like kids back home, not only in Nigeria, back home in Africa, have been inspired by my story.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Since coming to the U.S., he has been introduced to a whole new world at rookie camp.

PEGUERO: What do you like so far of what you've learned of the sport of football? Not soccer, but football.

BERNARD: I love the -- the physical aspect, but I'm more interested in the techniques, actually, because, man, it's tough. I love the way my coaches

work with me to understand the playbook and how to move on the field.

PEGUERO (voice-over): The African athlete's astonishing performance at the NFL Combine, wowing coaches and scouts with his overt combination of speed,

strength and athleticism, secured him this nearly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

JORDAN LUALLEN, X3 PERFORMANCE AND PHYSICAL TRAINING COACH: He jumped 10-10 which is the furthest broad jump ever for a defensive tackle. And he wanted

to hit 11 feet.

You know, and I think those are -- those are the things that are going to really serve him well.

SCARLEN MARTINEZ, NFL'S INTERNATIONAL PLAYER PATHWAY PROGRAM: I think you know, Philly's falling in love with Uar. And -- and -- and that's the right

guy to fall in love with because he's so great, so humble, so passionate.

PEGUERO: All right, Uar. So we're done with the hardest part of the interview. But I want to see what it is to be Uar Bernard for one day. Can

I do that?

[12:30:01]

BERNARD: Of course. Why not?

PEGUERO: So I changed into some workout clothes to see how it is that Uar got those one of one stats. Come with me.

PEGUERO (voice-over): We first started with vertical jumps.

PEGUERO: Yes. Same way as that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down, explode up. Reach as high as you can. Tap it.

PEGUERO: All right.

BERNARD: You try.

PEGUERO: I think I got this.

BERNARD: Go. Let's go. Down, up. Yes.

PEGUERO (voice-over): We then did the dreaded broad jumps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. You're up now. Let's see what you got.

BERNARD: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.

PEGUERO: Ready?

PEGUERO (voice-over): And to finish off strong, we put our forces to the ultimate test.

We did it?

BERNARD: Yes.

PEGUERO: Awesome.

PEGUERO (voice-over): While Uar keeps training, he says to have one last message.

I want to be among the best Eagles have ever given a chance to learn and play football. The best rookie. And in the next five, six years, I'll be

among the best defense in the world.

Carolina Peguero, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher.

Hezbollah says it is rejecting a ceasefire agreement reached between the Lebanese government and Israel. The Iran-backed militant group is calling

the deal a, quote, imaginary ceasefire.

GOLODRYGA: The conditional truce is already looking frail. Smoke is rising today after Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fresh strikes.

And it is important to note for the deal to take effect, Hezbollah must stop fighting and leave Southern Lebanon.

ASHER: Iran, meantime, is ramping up its criticism of Israel, warning it's not to deepen its military campaign in Lebanon.

GOLODRYGA: Time now for "The Exchange" and a conversation with Firas Maksad. He is the managing director of the Middle East and North Africa for

Eurasia Group. And he joins us now live from Washington. Firas, it's great to have you back on.

So, Hezbollah wasn't a party to these negotiations. Lebanon's government had signed on as did the Israeli government. But as we've been reporting,

there's back and forth confusion as to whether or not Hezbollah will agree to these terms.

[12:35:08]

So, where does that leave things right now? Is this a ceasefire as we've come to say over the past few weeks and months now in name only at this

point?

FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, EURASIA GROUP: Well -- well, first, Bianna, the declaration that was signed on to

by the Lebanese and the Israelis yesterday is nothing short of historic.

It ends almost or declares the intention to end almost 80 years of official hostility -- the hostilities between the two countries. It also sets the

stage for a gradual and conditional Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, although there's no timetable associated with that.

It then puts in place a U.S.-led mechanism to achieve that goal, a pilot program where Israel begins to pull out from certain villages only for the

Lebanese army, not Hezbollah, to move in and hold that territory.

There are early signs today of such withdrawals taking place on the ground. So this is all very historic unprecedented in the history between the two

countries.

Obviously, where the rubber meets the road is going to be whether Hezbollah begrudgingly accepts this or not. The secretary general today gave a speech

ostensibly, rhetorically rejecting this deal.

But also very interestingly in one of those phrases says that Hezbollah remains interested in a full ceasefire.

The bottom line here is going to be, Bianna, is how weak Hezbollah is on the ground. The signs are so far that Hezbollah has been losing territory

and losing it fast. And that Israel has escalation dominance.

So the many that I am talking to are still hopeful that there might be a window which Hezbollah begins to gradually escalate in the coming hours,

and then this tacit agreement, this ceasefire, begins to take shape.

ASHER: So that is the hope. But if you look at the situation now where, on the one hand, you've got Iran saying in various forms that they're not

going to necessarily agree to anything until the war with Lebanon and Israel comes to a halt.

And then yes, you obviously did have a historic day yesterday, but on top of that, you have Hezbollah coming out and saying that any kind of

agreement to a ceasefire would amount for them to essentially defeat humiliation surrender.

And so when you have that kind of rhetoric, what is the off-ramp here for this war to actually come to an end, Firas?

MAKSAD: Yes, Zain, excellent question. This was a declaration that is designed for Hezbollah to reject. Hezbollah cannot sign on to an agreement

that essentially blames Iran for its attack on all the countries in the region, calls for the not disarmament, but the full dismantlement of the

organization. And then essentially ushers the way to a pathway to peace between Lebanon and Israel.

So Hezbollah, in no shape or form, was going to accept this, at least not rhetorically. What everybody's looking for are clues in that statement by

Hezbollah secretary general today, in which he did say that they are very much interested in a ceasefire and then signs on the ground, whether we can

begin to gradually de-escalate.

The first watch point is whether Hezbollah will continue to fire these fiber optic drones against northern Israel or will in fact limit its

military action against Israeli occupation forces in Lebanon.

So the pathway forward is a gradual de-escalation that can ultimately build towards a ceasefire. Yes, the Iranians have very much made a ceasefire

condition, a precondition, I should say, to a deal that ends the war with the United States and Israel.

But I think it's expected that a de-escalation in Lebanon that safeguards its proxy, Hezbollah, will be enough for the Iranians to move forward and

to deal with the Iranians.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And what I'm hearing that is, as you said, that Hezbollah has been significantly degraded, and perhaps this would be an opportunity

for them to regroup as well, but they have proven to be quite adaptable with the use of these fiber optic drones as well.

A number of Israeli soldiers have been killed just in the past through a couple of weeks due to those drones.

Firas, I'm just curious if you have any insight into the current coordination and communication between Hezbollah and the IRGC.

MAKSAD: The IRGC and Hezbollah are melded and fused as one. We know from past wars, between Hezbollah and Israel, that top IRGC commanders lost

their lives in the bunkers of the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Dahieh district, where Hezbollah's headquarters are, together with Hezbollah

commanders.

We also know that within the leadership council of Hezbollah, there are IRGC generals. So this is an organic link between the two organizations.

They are not two separate organizations.

[12:40:09]

And so whether Hezbollah continues firing or not can be very much reflective of where Iran is, and its decision as to whether it wants to

escalate this war with Israel through the Lebanese theater or begin to de- escalate.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Firas Maksad, we will continue to be watching, of course. Thank you, as always, for coming on.

ASHER: Thank you, Firas.

All right. French-Iranian author, artist, and woman's rights activist, Marjane Satrapi, has died at the age of 56. She was best known for her

graphic memoir, "Persepolis," which chronicled her childhood during Iran's Islamic Revolution.

Satrapi's work reached a global audience through the best-selling book and award-winning film adaptation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARJANE SATRAPI, FRENCH-IRANIAN NOVELIST AND FILM DIRECTOR: If the American, they can watch this movie and just say to themselves, these

people, they are just like us and we can identify too. That is the most thing that I want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The French president's office says that she was an artist deeply committed to freedom whose work carried a universal message.

Satrapi was also a vocal critic of Iran's leadership and a prominent supporter of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.

This is a significant loss, a devastating news this morning, the death of Marjane Satrapi at such a young age, 56.

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

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. Bianna will be back in 15 minutes from now with "Amanpour." African Voices, though, is in the

meantime.

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[12:45:00]

(AFRICAN VOICES)

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