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One World with Zain Asher
Many Victims have not been Recovered Others May Never Be; Massive Humanitarian Effort Underway in Nepal; Jury in Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial Says it is Deadlocked; Sources: U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Submits Resignation; Trump to Meet with Energy Company Bosses at White House; Airline Defends Daring Flyover Just 50 Feet Over Stadium. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 01, 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 ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. This is "One World". Ahead on the show, more than 1,000 people dead
in the Nepal-China flood. CNN is on the ground for us in Nepal. And China and other leaders are staging their own competing show of global strength
at the SEO Summit. And jurors are deadlocked in the Lindsay Clancy trial. What the judge said to them coming up.
All right, along the Nepal-China border, there's shock, grief over the devastation of the past week, and fear, of course, over what could come
next. Last week's floods there have claimed more than 1000 lives, and 4,400 people remain unaccounted for. The UN says those numbers are short of
change as contact has still not been established in some of Nepal's hardest hit areas.
Many of those who did survive simply at this point have nowhere to go. On the Chinese side of the border, at least 16 people lost their lives in the
flooding and more than 500 remain missing. That's according to state media. The initial disaster was caused by a high-altitude glacier collapse.
Chinese authorities say that this particular barrier lake, formed after the mudslides, is draining. They warn more glaciers may still collapse near the
flood zone as well. Meantime, rescue crews are working against time to find the hundreds of workers still trapped in the area's many hydropower
tunnels.
You're looking at one of those rescues near one tunnel where 30 people are feared trapped. And amid the devastation, heartache, and pain, there have
been bright spots. Nepal's Prime Minister says that more than 11,000 people have been saved so far. CNN's Will Ripley spoke with one family about the
miraculous rescue of their five-year-old daughter. And let's get a sense of the humanitarian efforts. Will Ripley reports.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a pretty significant emotional milestone on the ground here to have the number of
deaths officially cross 1,000. But the reality that people are starting to process and wrap their heads around is it's going to be a question of how
many 1000 are dead by the time this is all said and done.
And the reason for that is simple, when you see a giant wall of water traveling at such a fast speed, obliterating buildings in a matter of
seconds, it's unsurvivable for most people who are in the path of that. Now there have been some exceptions to that.
We met the mother of a young girl named Manisha, a five-year-old girl who her parents thought she was dead when the flood swept their house away in
about five seconds, and yet rescuers found her two and a half days or 60 hours after the flood between two batter buildings wedged in an air pocket
that allowed her to survive. I spoke with her mother exclusively. Here's a piece of what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: It's miraculous that, given the force of that water, that she was able to have a place where she could survive.
GITA UCHAI MAGAR, MOTHER OF MANISHA: It was miraculous when the child was found. It felt like a miracle. I thought there is a God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: They are exceedingly lucky. Even though they lost their home, they lost all of their possessions. They know that many, many people here in
Nepal have lost so much more. And I have to say, from my trips to Bidar and other areas really heavily impacted by this flood, everybody who I met who
lost family members, I met a young woman who lost 17 family members.
I met a young man who lost eight family members. None of them have seen a body of these family members that they know are lost, that they are
grieving. And some of them hadn't even been recorded on the official list of the missing by the time that I spoke to them.
So, I think the reality that everybody needs to mentally prepare themselves for is that the numbers from this tragedy, as horrific as they are now, are
likely to get even more horrific in the days and weeks and months to come. And there is a very likely scenario that many, many people who are
relatives of victims will never get closure in terms of a body.
They're trying to do DNA testing, but that's pretty limited. And the fact that bodies are now decomposing so rapidly that they're having to bury them
in mass graves, hundreds of miles from where they were washed away, is a sign of just how grim and dire this situation is.
[11:05:00]
ASHER: All right now, to Russia's war on Ukraine, where Moscow is pounding the capital and surrounding region for a sixth day in a row. And a sign of
the times, children at the Ukrainian Global School in Kyiv began their school year with classes moved underground shelters. The Ukrainian
President visited a school in the capital region today.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that at least 12 people were killed, seven of them in a strike on a railway deport in Kyiv. Elsewhere, missile
and drone strikes in the Southern City of Odesa left thousands of homes without electricity. Moscow has been employing its new generation of jet-
powered drones to deadly effect in recent months.
Ukraine is urgently trying to develop interceptors to counter them. The wars in Ukraine and in Iran may have provided China some leverage. An
important summit is underway in Central Asia this week. The Leaders of China, Russia, India, and Iran are among the Heads of State meeting in
Kyrgyzstan today for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.
The group is often billed as a counterweight to U.S. influence. Chinese President Xi Jinping has presented Beijing as a source of stability as it
looks to expand its global influence. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just President Putin is now openly talking about providing material support for Iran as the war with the U.S.
escalates, adding further evidence that this is a partnership that's deepening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: We welcomed the conclusion of the Iranian-American ceasefire memorandum in June of this year. Unfortunately,
this truce has proven unstable and too fragile. During this difficult time, we are trying to provide you with the assistance you need. We have already
spoken with you about it, and we are supplying you with the necessary goods.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Kyrgyzstan, President Putin also said that Russia stands in solidarity with
the Iranian people in its fight for its national interests. Well, it was already clear that Russia was helping Iran.
CNN reported back in March that Russia had provided intelligence on the locations of U.S. troops and assets in the Middle East. But the necessary
goods suggest perhaps more concrete support than that. Concerning for the U.S. of course, though Trump has tended to play down Russian assistance for
Iran.
And even more so for Ukraine, because as Putin was given this international spotlight, shaking hands with world leaders, President Zelenskyy visited
children in Kyiv forced to celebrate the first day of the new school year in a bomb shelter. Tuesday, the sixth straight day of almost non-stop
attacks in Kyiv and beyond.
Many of them involving relatively new jet-powered drones, much upgraded versions of the original Shahed drones supplied to Russia, of course, by
Iran. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
ASHER: All right, one day after Donald Trump warned Iran the U.S. would hit back hard following the resumption of strikes on both sides, the president
is now downplaying the possibility of large-scale military action. The cycle of threats and pullbacks is a pattern we've seen repeatedly from the
White House as the war stretches into the seventh month, with simply at this point no end in sight.
On Monday, Trump called the conflict very limited and dismissed concerns that Iran was draining American munitions. But he added that doesn't mean
we won't smack them his words. The Iranian President says his country is ready to resume the U.S. peace deal if Washington honors its commitments as
well.
Meantime, the central flashpoint of this war is now back in focus. The maritime intelligence group says that two tankers were struck by
projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, raising the threat to shipping in the critical waterway.
CNN's Alayna Treene joins us live now from the White House. At this point Alayna, Donald Trump is downplaying the threat and the possibility of
further escalation, despite what we saw yesterday and over the weekend. Just in terms of what the president and the White House game plan is,
obviously he's talked about economic warfare as being a tactic. Assuming that doesn't work and military escalation doesn't work. What's next?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, look, I think they really are banking on the economic pressure that they are trying to inflict
on Iran as working, and that is currently the posture of this White House and the Trump Administration. I would note, and you mentioned that Zain.
But the president did say yesterday he actually did an interview with Fox News following those strikes. Initially, they were U.S. strikes on Iranian
launchers that looked like they were getting prepared to put sea mines back into the Strait of Hormuz. After the president days earlier had said that
essentially all of the mines were gone from the Strait.
Then of course we saw Iran retaliate with their own strike, sending drones into Jordan. And then the UAE, although all of those were intercepted. The
president then had said in that interview with Fox News that he was planning to hit back toward Iran even harder.
[11:10:00]
But then yesterday in the Oval Office said, actually, no, the U.S. military action here with Iran is going to be very limited. I want you to listen to
exactly what he said, Zain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It is very limited. Look, they're a failed nation. Yeah, they're a failed nation.
They've got 350 percent inflation. They have no currency. They're not paying their soldiers. Their leaders are largely dead. Their navy is gone.
Their air force is gone. Their surveillance equipment is almost entirely gone. That doesn't mean we won't smack him. We'll see what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Now, look, Zain, despite that being in contradiction to what he had said in that interview with Fox yesterday, it does make sense to me. In all
of the conversations I've been having with people in that building behind me, they do genuinely believe that this Operation Economic Outcast, as
they're calling it.
This push to really isolate Iran from the rest of the world when it comes to their finances, they believe that will lead to potential economic
collapse. And that will bring Iran back to the table in a substantial way. That is really their goal. That is what they believe is the way to find an
off ramp to this war.
But there are questions about whether or not, and I know there are some voices inside the administration that worry that that might not happen. We
know that Iran and the regime specifically, the hardliners, have been through this type of economic pain in the past, and at times the response
has actually been to harden their position against the United States.
So, there are questions about what this could mean moving forward. I think there's also been this shift internally from people inside the White House
that are less about you know wanting to put on a timeline on how quickly this will end. Obviously, this war has stretched beyond the six-month mark.
They are clearly beyond the timeline that they had set out at the onset of this war. And now it's more of a question of they still want to get some
sort of agreement, some sort of nuclear deal at the end of this, but it's unclear how that's going to happen. And they also recognize the politics of
this coming.
You know, we are just close to the midterm elections now about trying to bring this out into the open again as a main story when this war is so
deeply unpopular with Americans. So, all of that kind of I think weighing in to their posture right now. But they announced that Operation Economic
Outcast about last week.
Earlier in the week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there's going to be some sanctions. We are still waiting to see what those will actually be.
So, a lot of questions about really the path forward. And all of it coming as we know, there's been some grumbling from people in the military who are
arguing they are worried about readiness.
We know that the Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to the President and to the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegeseth over some of
those concerns, others included. But all to say, questions about readiness by putting so much attention on Iran and concerns about perhaps not having
enough attention on other countries.
So, all of that also, I think, playing a role in some of the deliberations that are happening behind the scenes, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Alayna Treene, live for us. Thank you. All right, still ahead on "One World", the jury weighing whether a Massachusetts mother is
criminally responsible in the deaths of her three young children. Say they are deadlocked. We'll have the judge's instructions after the break.
And we are also covering new details in the upcoming trial of the man accused of making the bomb that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie,
Scotland, as well.
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ASHER: All right, back to our main story, the devastating floods along the Nepal-China border that have claimed at least 1,000 lives. That death toll
certain to rise in the coming days. Let's get a sense of the humanitarian efforts taking place.
We're joined live now by Mike Ball. He's the Chief Operating Officer of All Hands & Hearts, a humanitarian group helping those who have been displaced
by this disaster. Mike, thank you so much for being with us.
You know, I think about the large number of families at this point that are waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. Many families at this point
have absolutely no idea where their; whether their loved ones are alive, whether they are barely alive, or obviously worse, essentially have passed
away in all of this? What are we able to do for them right now?
MIKE BALL, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, ALL HANDS & HEARTS: It's such a tragic, tragic situation at the moment. I think when you look at the context in
Nepal and the scale of the disaster and the region that it's hit, it's the army that has access with search and rescue and coming in.
And that's why there's such a -- I think a devastating wait for people to try and just understand through this torment since the event of what's
happened to their loved ones and any type of information. I think it's really hard to be able to do anything for people apart from to try to
support them at this point.
The army is out every day searching, rescue is happening. There's a massive push. It's just a really, really challenging situation. Obviously, our
thoughts go out to everybody who's tragically affected.
ASHER: Yeah, especially because a lot of the people who have loved ones missing. I mean, they've also themselves lost livelihoods. They've lost
their homes. You know, they at this point have nowhere to go. So, they're dealing with a multitude of crises at once. God knows what they're going
through.
But just in terms of what typically happens at the beginning of a disaster, you often have massive sort of outreach, just in terms of international
support. You have neighboring countries offering to help. What is the gap right now between what the international communities have actually
promised? What has been delivered? And what is actually yet to reach the people in the most remote and hardest hit areas?
BALL: Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest challenge again is access to the hardest hit areas. What we're seeing at the moment is that the army are
moving people where they can into displacement centers, which is closer down to the region that we're in Nuwakot and Barratt, and then trying to
have people supported there out of the region.
So, really devastating, I think, in that way for those families who have lost everything and then also being relocated at the same time. So, I think
what's needed is just the continued push to support in every way. We have search and rescue going in one area, which is absolutely necessary.
You accept the people waiting for news on their loved ones. You then have the area of displacement centers, which is in itself a small humanitarian
crisis where people are being moved and then need support to get the power, the light, the hygiene, the food, and everything to actually support them
during this time.
And then you also have the scale of people, like you say, who have lost their jobs. The communities have been devastated. And then they're looking
at just trying to how do you clean up a house in areas which are not the most affected. But still the businesses are gone. Your house is the full
floor is full of mud, and there's that scale as well.
So, and then roads and bridges out in the region. So, I mean, the one thing that disaster needs, like so many, is the immediate support from globally
and the international community. And then I think the sustained support from the community because this isn't weeks or months. This is years and
years of recovery.
ASHER: Absolutely. I mean, it's not just you know. I mean, even after the story disappears from the headlines, you know, Nepal is going to need a lot
of help for many years to come, and it's not something that it can recover from its on its own. It will need years of international assistance as
well.
You talked about some of the long-term effects of this. People losing their jobs, their livelihoods, their businesses, just completely having to start
again. And then on top of that, you have children whose schools were completely wiped out as well.
[11:20:00]
That is also a very difficult thing for families to grapple with. What's the next step in that? Because getting the children back to school at some
point is going to be a necessary priority.
BALL: Completely, I think this is one of the things in any humanitarian crisis, and particularly in disasters, schools become displacement centers.
So right now, all around the region, schools are full of people, and education has stopped. And I think for us as an organization, so we arrived
in Nepal in 2015 after the earthquake.
We've been building schools here for the last 11 years. It's something that we do. We're looking at a campaign at the moment of $5 million for 20
schools to try and see how we can get schools and education back.
And in the short term, also looking at transitional classrooms, looking at spaces, trying to find a safe, dignified way for children to get back to
school, which enables parents also to try and get back to work or to try and clean their homes and for life to carry on.
So, as an organization, one of our specialties and priorities is education, and we'll be in Nepal for many years, rebuilding schools here and standing
with communities to make sure children get the education and then also the opportunities in life.
ASHER: Mike Ball, thank you. Thank you so much for the work you're doing there on the ground. And for more information about how you can help Nepal
flood victims. You can go to cnn.com/impact. And on the website, you'll find like a list of different websites where you can actually donate money.
A lot of organizations that are on the ground there in Nepal assisting after this natural disaster.
All right, there has been a new development in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial a short time ago. The jury told the judge that they are deadlocked
and cannot come to a unanimous verdict after deliberating for more than three days. The judge sent the jury back to deliberate further and try to
break the impasse.
Clancy is the Massachusetts mother who strangled her three children back in 2023. The jury, made up of nine women and three men, must decide if she is
criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Joining us live now from Massachusetts is CNN's Ivan Rodriguez. So, Ivan, the jury basically came out and said that they were deadlocked, and the
judge said, listen, you guys should just try to go back one last time. This is a really, really complicated case because nobody is denying that Clancy
killed her three children.
And then, obviously, afterwards tried to commit suicide. No one's denying that. It is where what her state of mind was at the time, whether she
should be held responsible for first degree murder, a lesser charge, man's daughter, second degree murder? And what that will mean in terms of whether
or not she spends the rest of her life in jail versus a mental health facility?
Just walk us through how, especially for our international audience who may or may not have been following this case from the very beginning. Just talk
to us about the complexity of this case, especially given the threat of postpartum psychosis and depression, which obviously a lot of women suffer
from.
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zain, you're absolutely correct. This trial has really captivated national and even international audience. It
was only about an hour into deliberations this morning that the jury told the judge that they're deadlocked and they could not reach a unanimous
verdict.
Now, we talk about the arguments, right? Because really, at the core of it is, could Lindsay Clancy still differentiate between right and wrong when
she killed her three children back in 2023? And that's the core of all the arguments. Everything that led up to that moment, has arguments on both
sides, and that is exactly what the jury has been going through.
They have been going through over 80 witnesses' testimony, more than 300 exhibits. And the judge himself has said even today that he understands
that there's a lot of work that they have to do. But again, he's pushing them to continue those deliberations. Now, in terms of them potentially the
jurors being deadlocked into the future, the judge could continue asking them to continue deliberating multiple times.
So, we could continue to see this process play out a few more times until we reach what's known as a dynamite charge, giving the jury a final attempt
to reach a unanimous verdict. After that, if there's still dead log, Zain, we could see a potential mistrial, and then we could even see another trial
further down the road.
Now, again, the jury, they do have multiple options in terms of a verdict. They can look at guilty by first degree murder, second degree murder,
manslaughter, not guilty in general, meaning that the Commonwealth was not able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt this case, and also not guilty by
lack of criminal responsibility, which here in the State of Massachusetts would be what is known broadly as that insanity plea.
ASHER: Thank you so much, Ivan Rodriguez. Appreciate it.
[11:25:00]
All right, a status hearing is scheduled in a Washington DC court this morning in the trial of a Libyan man accused in the 1988 airline bombing
over Lockerbie, Scotland. Abu Agila Masud has been charged with building the bomb that blew up Pan Am Flight 103. Last year, a judge put the trial
on hold just days before jury selection was to begin.
Lawyers asked for delay, citing newly discovered evidence. Masud was arrested by the U.S. in 2022. 270 people were killed in that attack,
including 11 on the ground in the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The bombing remains the deadliest terrorist attack in the United Kingdom.
Now to a disturbing case in England, a man accused of drugging his wife and allowing other men to sexually abuse her goes on trial today in Manchester.
CNN's Saskya Vandoorne reports.
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: 12 men from across Britain helped a husband drug and sexually abuse his own wife, according to prosecutors.
Today, all of them are due to go on trial alongside the woman's husband in a case expected to last until December.
Authorities say the husband, in his 60s, cannot be named to protect his wife's identity. He was charged with 48 counts spanning a 20-year period.
Initially denying them all, but he has since admitted to drugging and sexually assaulting her, according to court documents.
He's pleaded guilty to five counts of rape, six counts of assault by penetration, and three counts of sexual assault, as well as sharing
intimate images of his wife without her consent. But he still denies dozens of the other charges, including allegations that he conspired with 13 other
men to drug and rape her. Those men are aged between 28 and 73.
Most are accused of directly taking part in the sexual abuse, while others are accused of helping to supply substances intended to render her
unconscious. Among them is a paramedic, Jonathan Kirk, who was photographed shaking hands with Prince Harry? Another is a Former Football Club Chief
Executive called Karl Lindsay.
The men now going on trial deny the charges against them. A 13th man, Keith Fotheringham of Scotland, was also charged and has already pleaded guilty
to all the charges he faced, including conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to administer a substance with intent. Today, a jury in Manchester will begin
hearing the case against them. Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Manchester.
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[11:30:00]
ASHER: All right, welcome back to New York. I'm Zain Asher. Welcome back to "One World", rather. I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the
headlines we are watching for you today.
The death toll and the disastrous flooding along the Nepal-China border has passed 1,000. As rescue and recovery work continues to find thousands who
remain missing. The UN says that contact has still not been established in some of Nepal's hardest-hit areas.
The Leaders of Russia and Iran met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Kyrgyzstan. Russian President Vladimir
Putin says that Moscow stands ready to help Tehran as the U.S. truce remains fragile. Early, Iran's Leader signaled he was ready to return to
the Memorandum of Understanding signed in June if he says Washington honors its commitments as well.
And a jury in Nevada has found Duane Davis guilty of first-degree murder in the death of rapper Tupac Shakur. The conviction comes nearly 30 years
after the fatal drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Davis is expected to be sentenced next month. He has requested an appeal.
The U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Trump, according to multiple sources. Driscoll is reported to
have had a tense relationship with Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth. For now, it is unclear when he will leave the role.
And Driscoll's resignation comes at a very tumultuous time for the administration. America is six months in to the war with Iran, and there
are no signs of it ending soon. Pete Hegeseth's tenure at the Pentagon has been largely defined by his aggressive stance on culture war issues.
Meantime, Driscoll has appeared to focus on modernizing the army and its equipment as well. President Trump even referred to him as the drone guy.
However, Hegseth has viewed Driscoll's relationship with the White House as an effort to go around him.
Let's bring in Brian Todd, who is tracking the story from Washington for us. So, Brian, I mean, obviously, as I mentioned, this does come at quite a
tumultuous time for the Defense Department.
There has been quite a bit of upheaval, and that upheaval, obviously, coming at a time when America is in the midst of a war that you know it has
no way at this point, no visible of obvious way of extracting itself from it. It is not clear how this war is going to end. Just talk to us about the
impact of this resignation and why now.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's very impactful, Zain. And as you mentioned, this war shows no sign of ending. It is ending. It is entering
its seventh month now. And the removal, the resignation of Dan Driscoll, does come at a critical time for the U.S. military, and of course, as we've
just been discussing, not at a good time.
We have new reporting on all of this from our colleagues Haley Britzke, Kristen Holmes, Kevin Liptak, and Zachary Cohen, who spoke to multiple
sources familiar with the matter regarding Dan Driscoll's resignation? One source saying that his decision to step down now was not surprising, given
all the tension between Dan Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth over the past several months.
A second source said Driscoll had quote brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness. And he was
also concerned with Hegseth's blocking of those efforts, specifically by firing generals who were responsible for those efforts.
So, Driscoll clearly frustrated with his boss. And the tension between him and his boss over the past several months had really escalated. Driscoll's
departure, as Zain had mentioned, had long been rumored after months of this tension between him and Pete Hegseth.
CNN had previously reported that Hegseth had been annoyed by the fact that Dan Driscoll had not been maybe deferential enough to Hegseth during
Hegseth's time as Defense Secretary. One source of tension between Hegseth and Driscoll was Driscoll's close relationship with Vice President J.D.
Vance.
CNN had reported that Hegseth had viewed Driscoll's relationship with the White House as an effort to go around Hegseth. So again, tensions clearly
there just had been rising in the last several months. Multiple sources telling CNN that almost from the beginning of his tenure, Pete Hegseth has
been distrustful of many officials around him and suspicious of their loyalties.
And when you look at a list of the people he's forced out, top generals and secretaries, that really kind of is a good illustrator of all this. Here's
how he's -- here's who he has forced out in recent months. Of course, yesterday Army Secretary Dan Driscoll announced his resignation.
[11:35:00]
In June Army General Christopher Donahue, who was the Commander of U.S. forces in Europe and Africa, a very highly respected commander, he stepped
down in June after Hegseth did not nominate him for a new position. Also, Navy Secretary John Phelan, he was forced out in April after repeated
clashes with Hegseth over ship building and other issues.
Hegseth, according to our sources, was also annoyed that John Phelan would often go to the directly to President Trump for certain matters, given his
close relationship with Trump. And again, Hegseth seeing that as an effort to go around him.
Also, Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, a very highly respected Army General, there was fired by Hegseth in April. George had worked
closely with Dan Driscoll on Army Readiness and Transformation. And again, was a very, very respected Commander and Army Chief of Staff.
So, and those are just four of the people who were kind of at the top of the list who Pete Hegseth has either fired or forced out in recent months.
But there are also Zain, a number of other top Army Generals who he's forced out. He's also blocked the promotions of some people of color and
women in the Army.
Pete Hegseth, very, very controversial during his tenure as Defense Secretary, really known for taking on culture wars issues and kind of
raising them to some prominence there in the Defense Department, all while the war with Iran is ongoing.
ASHER: All right, Brian Todd live for us there thank you. All right, let's bring in my next guest, Retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton, joins us
live now from Washington. I'm not sure if you actually caught the long list that Brian Todd laid out of the different personnel, the different sort of
senior leaders that Pete Hegseth has forced out or asked to resign.
But it was -- I was listening to him, and it was going on and on and on. And obviously, in any organization, you expect there to be some turmoil and
also turnover, right? It's normal. But how much turnover can the Pentagon actually absorb, especially in the middle of a seven-month war, before it
actually starts to affect military operations on the ground?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, that's a great question, Zain. And you know, I think one of the things to keep in mind is
there are around 24 senior generals who have been let go by Hegseth and basically just in the army, and that doesn't even count people in the navy
or air force. Some of which have been let go as well.
One of the ones that Brian did not mention in his reporting on the army side was General Hodne, who was the Commander of the Transformation and
Training Command. And this is precisely the area that General George, the Chief of Staff of the Army, that Hegseth fired. That Brian did mention
those.
That person was basically working with General George. General Hodne was working with General George in order to effect the transformation of how
the army fights wars. And that's something that's going to be particularly acute when you look at how the battlefield has evolved in Ukraine? How the
battlefield has evolved when it comes to the Iran war?
And you're right, you know, when you look at this kind of turmoil, this kind of change in top leadership at a time when we're ourselves engaged in
a war here in the U.S. Plus, there are other conflicts going on around the world, or at least simmering around the world. And to lose these kinds of
people at this particular moment in time is a very, very serious issue.
Because every time a four-star general move in the United States, there are about 80 or so people per general that are moved. And as a result of that,
because there are then subsequent commands that have to be filled. And then once you know it's kind of like dominoes falling, and when those commands
need to have their commanders replaced, it has a significant effect on leadership and on morale and on the ability to execute the mission.
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, there's so. I mean, the ramifications are broad. I mean, you know, obviously, if you are in the field, you have to rely. I
mean, this is any organization. You're relying on clear and consistent guidance from your bosses, and if the boss keeps on changing, that's
obviously very difficult.
But on top of that, I also wonder. It's going to make I imagine you can answer this question, but I would imagine that it would make people a lot
less willing to be forthright, direct, and honest with either President Trump about how the war is going? Or sort of the willingness to sort of
speak truth to power as it pertains to talking to Hegseth about you know what's happening on the ground?
Because I imagine that a lot of leadership within the Defense Department is now going to say, well, listen, if we tell him the truth, if we speak up
and say what we think, then we might risk losing our jobs. How much of a concern is that for you?
LEIGHTON: I think it's a huge concern, Zain. One of the reasons for that is the military culture is one that is very rank dependent. And you know, for
us in the military, rank is a variable thing.
[11:40:00]
You know, you see those four stars that are on someone's shoulder, or you know -- and you know, on their on their chest, and that is something that
becomes really important. So, there's always been a reticence in military culture to speak truth to power because of the rank factor and how it can
impact a person's career.
But those of us who learn to deal with it, we do speak truth to power. And sometimes that has consequences. Sometimes you don't get that promotion, or
sometimes you don't get that coveted assignment because of that. So, these are the kinds of risks that people have to take when it comes to a military
career.
And it's unfortunate, but in many cases, when you have a situation where the boss doesn't want to hear the truth or believes in certain things, it
becomes really difficult to convince that boss that they are wrong and you are right. The best bosses, of course, of any organization, understand when
they're wrong and are, you know, free to admit it.
But it is something that you have to deal with. And I think now, given this particular situation, it's going to be a really difficult time for the
Pentagon not only to organize itself, but to be able to properly execute the mission, develop those innovative strategies that are necessary for
future combat operations.
And that is, I think, going to be a very difficult thing for a lot of people to deal with in the rank and file at the Pentagon and throughout the
Department of Defense.
ASHER: I mean, you bring up such an important point that because of the hierarchical nature of the army, anyway, this is an issue. Being able to
sort of speak the truth to those who are above you was already an issue. And now, obviously, given what we're seeing, it's even more of an issue.
And we're in the middle of a war, so there's lots of major issues here. Colonel Cedric Leighton, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate
it. All right, still ahead on "One World", leaders of the energy industry are headed for meeting with President Trump today. The big focus on gas
prices ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, let's see where oil prices are slightly higher today. Brent Crude is at $92 a barrel, WTI, the U.S. benchmark, $88 a barrel.
Sources tell CNN that President Trump is expected to meet with heads of several energy companies at the White House in a couple of hours.
The executives can expect the president to look to them to try to bring fuel prices down, even as Trump's war with Iran continues to squeeze global
oil supplies.
[11:45:00]
Also today, the U.S. Energy Secretary heads to Venezuela to meet with the interim president. They're expected to announce major investments in
Venezuela's oil and gas industry. Joining me live now from Caracas is CNN's Mary Triny Mena.
So, Mary, we do have Chris Wright headed to Caracas today, but just in terms of this deal that we have between the United States and Venezuela, as
it pertains to this oil deal, we are getting new details about how this deal will work. What can you tell us?
MARY TRINY MENA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Zain, it is important to say that inside of Venezuela there is little or insufficient information. We've been
talking with economic experts in order to find more details, but more information is coming from the U.S. the White House than Venezuelan authors
properly.
So, we are -- we know about the things that Delcy Rodriguez told on national television last Saturday. And she said that Venezuela will
preserve the sovereignty and the ownership of the oil fields that are being built with the U.S. For economic expert, this is a unique opportunity for
Venezuela to recover its economic wealth.
We need to remember that Venezuela used to produce 3 million barrels of oil per day, but now is producing 1.2 million, according to information,
unofficial information that is provided by economic experts. Right now, they say that Venezuela is storing completely its oil policy, the policy
that sustained the country for the last 25 years when Hugo Chavez came to power and changed the law.
But Delcy Rodriguez made some significant changes in the hydrocarbon law recently, and that is bringing hope for some people. But concern for
others, because even though the conditions now are favored to foreign investment, not all the companies trust in the current government, because
those are people that belong to the previous government.
So, they believe it's necessary to transition to other areas in the country, especially to have elections in the country, in order to have a
proper deal in these terms. Also, according to experts, it is difficult for Venezuelans to see the truly impact of this. They need to wait for a little
bit, a couple of years or at least five years in order to see the growth of the country.
Venezuelans are currently facing high lows, high levels of inflation, and also low salaries. So that is impacting truly the country. And one
significant change they see is the speech in Donald Trump that used to say that oil, Venezuelan oil, was starved, was garbage, and now he's saying
heavy oil is a good thing for the U.S. Zain.
ASHER: All right, Mary Triny Mena, thank you so much. We'll be right back with more after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ASHER: All right, the legendary Lionel Messi has played his final World Cup. World Sport, Don Riddell has more.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I don't think this was a big surprise, but that doesn't mean it wasn't easy for his fans to take. Lionel Messi marked
the end of an era on Monday as he announced that he was retiring from international football. He says he will no longer play for his beloved
Argentina.
What he achieved, though, for his country is just phenomenal. Let's talk about it. He won the World Cup in 2022. Twice he finished as a runner-up.
He won two Copa America titles, and he was named as the best player twice in each of those two competitions. It was a career that spanned 21 years.
He played 207 games for Argentina and scored 125 goals. But what's really fascinating is that his best days with his country came after he retired
from the international game in 2016. After years and years of frustration and unfulfilled dreams, and he was criticized by a lot of Argentina fans at
the time who thought that he was putting more into his club team Barcelona than he was to his country.
But when he returned, and by the time he was in his mid-30s, that's when everything started to click. He appeared to address his critics when he
wrote that he had always given it his all, saying, I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey to bring you joy and make you feel
proud to be Argentine through football.
It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep down. But I understand that the time has come. Thank you, God, for making me Argentine. He
concluded. But we should state that this isn't quite the end of the road. Messi is still playing for Inter Miami, his club team in Major League
Soccer. Clearly, he's still got a lot to offer.
Get this, over the weekend, he scored four times in Miami's MLS win against Montreal. So, his fans can still enjoy this magical football player for
hopefully a bit more time still to come. Back to you.
ASHER: All right, two planes just flew above a stadium full of rugby fans ahead of a match in South Africa Monday. CNN's Pete Muntean reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE" They're so low. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a stunning stadium flyby over 56,000 people. Two jets from South African regional
airline Airlink, only feet from the top of Cape Town's DHL Stadium. One of the empty 98-seat passenger planes, low enough to fly through smoke from
fireworks launched from the roof.
Data from Flight Radar 24 shows the lead jet's lowest altitude, reported at roughly 210 feet. The stadium is about 164 feet high, putting the jet maybe
only 46 feet above it. Peter Goelz is the Former Managing Director of the National Transportation Safety Board.
PETER GOELZ, FORMER NTSB MANAGING DIRECTOR: It is an unnecessary danger, in part because it leaves no margin for error. You got to fly it right. You
can't have any mistakes.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): The airline celebrated the flyover in a post online, calling it spectacular. Airlink insists the flyby was carefully planned,
rehearsed, and approved by South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority.
GOELZ: This looks like a stunt planned by the PR department and signed off of inappropriately by the Civil Aviation Authority. It looks like the PR
people ruled the day, and that's not the way aviation safety ought to be run.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): And this wasn't a one-off. Airlink staged a similar formation flyby over Johannesburg's Ellis Park one week earlier using the
same specially painted jets. Low-flying airliners are part of South African rugby history.
In 1995, a South African Airways 747 famously flew over the Rugby World Cup final, a flyover featured in the film Invictus. And in 2024, an Emirates
A380 flew over the same stadium, though a few 100 feet higher.
[11:55:00]
Saturday's flyover in Cape Town punctuates a summer of low flyovers. In July, a pilot from the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels flew low over the crowd
during the Pensacola Beach air show, sending tents flying and military leaders scrambling to defend the maneuver. A month before, a Boeing 777 on
a test flight passed as low as 25 feet over a runway at Horseshoe Bay, Texas, triggering a federal investigation.
GOELZ: A flyby at 1000 feet is already impressive, and people enjoy it. And there's no reason to lower it other than unnecessary risk taking.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, stay with CNN. Bianna Golodryga will join me for more "One World" after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
