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One World with Zain Asher
21 Killed, Dozens Feared Trapped Under Rubble; The Fed Meets Today, Interest Rate Announcement Soon; E.U. Proposes Canada Become Its First Associate Member; Tech Leaders Diverge On How To reduce Risk As A.I. Advances; Skyrocketing Fuel Prices Spark Protests Around The Globe; Alaska Race Is A Window Into Crucial Battle For U.S. Senate; Unlocking Your Brain's Full Potential; What Hollywood Could Learn From A'zion's Emmys Outfit; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 16, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:45]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALESSANDRO MRAKIC, HEAD OF GAZA OFFICE, U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: We are running against time. This is a tragedy within a larger tragedy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: An early morning catastrophe, as families jarred awake by the collapse of the building they were sleeping in. We'll have to lay this on
the search and rescue in Gaza, just ahead.
ASHER: Plus, we are just a couple of hours away from a major moment. Trump's hand kick Federal Reserve Chair is expected to do the opposite of
what the president wants when it comes to interest rates.
GOLODRYGA: And later, how to make your brain limitless? We'll speak to the guy who literally wrote the book.
But we do begin with the horrific scenes in Gaza City where a search and rescue operation is underway for dozens of people trapped beneath the
bombed out apartment building that collapsed overnight.
We must warn you, viewers may find the video a bit disturbing. These images show a child being rescued from the rubble. Palestinian authorities
describe people waking up to the screams and cries of those buried underneath the rubble, saying at least 21 have been killed. Some of them
children.
It's a scene that underscores just how desperate and dangerous living conditions are for the people of Gaza after years of war between Israel and
Hamas that have left entire neighborhoods in ruins.
ASHER: Health officials say more than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect nearly one year
ago. Hamas and Israel each accused the other of violating the truce.
The U.N. says with so many unstable buildings in Gaza, a lack of heavy machinery, this tragedy could happen again, unless the international
community works together to stop it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MRAKIC: We need to prepare. There are approximately 400 buildings at risk of collapse. And we know that these buildings will collapse, especially now
with the upcoming winter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now live in Jerusalem. So, some 12 hours have since passed, Jeremy. What more are we learning? And what is the
status of those victims?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, there still is a lot of uncertainty. Dozens of people still believe to be trapped under that
rubble. Their status is not known whether they are alive or dead.
What is known right now is that at least 21 people were killed by this building collapse, according to the director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza
City. This was a six-story building that had previously been targeted by Israeli strikes at the beginning of the war in Gaza in 2023 in the Al-Rimal
neighborhood.
So, you can imagine a six-story building. You will have dozens of families in that building, which was clearly unstable and ultimately collapsed.
We have seen some videos of some dramatic rescues that did take place from that building. One boy, Abdul Rahman (ph), and his sister, were pulled from
the rubble in the early hours of this morning, but none of their family have so far been recovered from the rubble.
This is not an isolated incident though. We know that there are many buildings in Gaza that are considered to be structurally unsound and where
people are living in them despite those risks.
Eighty percent of all structures in Gaza were damaged or destroyed over the course of the nearly -- last nearly three years. And there are calls now
from the United Nations, among others, for the urgent entry of heavy equipment into Gaza, which makes this rescue process so much more difficult
because of a lack of that heavy equipment that has not been allowed in by Israel over the course of this ceasefire.
Gaza's housing ministry is also saying that there are thousands of other families that are at similar risk of this kind of collapse due to living in
buildings with structural damage or cracks caused by the war.
And all of this is it's important to know to tie it back to the political process, because everything in Gaza right now is basically frozen, waiting
for Israel and Hamas to move forward with that ceasefire agreement.
[12:05:03]
Hamas has said that it is willing to relinquish its weapons under a process negotiated by the Board of Peace, but it says it won't move forward with
that until Israel ceases fire in Gaza and moves back its troops at least to that yellow line in Gaza.
And what we've seen instead from the Israeli side are continued near daily strikes that are taking place in Gaza, including assassination attempts
against Hamas militants who participated in the October 7th atrocities among other things.
And in Israel certainly, it doesn't appear like any concessions will be made until after the Israeli elections in late October at a minimum.
Zain, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: These videos are just really difficult to watch, the rescues this morning. Jeremy Diamond, thank you for staying on top of this story
for us.
ASHER: All right. Turning now to Tehran's charm offensive, currently underway in Beijing. The Iranian foreign minister is meeting with his
Chinese counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, recently described China as Iran's leading economic partner.
GOLODRYGA: Meantime in Washington, the U.S. president's war with Iran got another rebuke from Congress. The House voted for a third time on Tuesday
for a measure that would require Donald Trump to end the conflict.
Even more Republicans defected this time to join with the Democrats, seven in total. One of them was Zach Nunn from Iowa. He spoke with our Manu Raju.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ZACH NUNN (R-IA): Where we agree with the president, we're going to fight with him. Where we disagree with the president on things like beef,
on tariffs, on the current state of how operations you're working in Iran.
We're going to call him out and have a conversation on that. That's one of the reasons we went to the White House and talk to him directly on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: But just hours before that vote on Capitol Hill, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie surprised his colleagues with a push to impeach
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He talked to our colleague, Kaitlan Collins, about why he thinks Hegseth should go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): Peter Hegseth has degraded the ability of the DOD to minimize civilian casualties. He asked Congress to repeal a law that
requires him to minimize civilian casualties. Congress didn't do it, so he went ahead and did it on his own within the DOD. And the results were
predictable. That's why 200 school kids were killed in the first attack on Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Massie says he didn't give Republican Party leaders a heads-up about his impeachment push to try to keep them from adjourning Congress
early.
But now, they are sending members home from Washington a day early, a move that will stave off a vote on impeaching the defense secretary.
ASHER: And just about two hours, we should find out if U.S. interest rates are going up or staying put. Today's meeting of the Fed comes at a crucial
moment for new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. He was picked by President Trump who wants rates to go down. However, the Fed will likely raise rates after a worst and expected
inflation report last week. It would be the first rate hike under Kevin Warsh.
ASHER: CNN business senior reporter David Goldman joins us live now with the details.
I mean, it's interesting because one of the reasons that President Donald Trump obviously clashed with Jerome Powell so much is because he wanted
interest rates to go down and we saw literally the unraveling of their relationship.
He picked Kevin Warsh, the new Fed Chair, in part, because he hoped that Kevin Warsh would actually do just that. And now, there is the likelihood
that he will do the opposite. It's interesting.
Just -- just walk us through what we can expect in about two hours from now, David.
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. We'll probably see that first rate hike in three years and this is the reason, because inflation
remains stubbornly above the Fed's target. The Fed wants this to be at two percent. Well, we're at 3.7 percent.
And look at the forecast from the Cleveland Fed. It's just going to keep going up and up. And the reason is primarily the Iran War, gas prices,
diesel prices, in particular, are lifting prices across the board. And that means higher inflation. So, what does the Fed have to do?
Well, it can either lower rates or raise rates or keep them steady. It's a blunt tool, but it's the tool that they have. Raising rates could slow down
the economy a little bit and get this more in track with their goal.
But the problem is that when you raise rates, you also -- there's collateral damage. One of those things that we've seen is that mortgage
rates have crept higher and higher as bond rates have gone up in anticipation that the Fed would raise rates today.
We're close to seven percent. We were under six percent in February. This year, we've had an increase of four-tenths of a percentage point. That is a
lot of pain for people in the United States who are looking to buy a home.
And look what that's done, 24 percent decline in mortgage applications. Clearly, that is not a very, very healthy market.
Now, what else happens if the Fed raises rates? Well, your rates go up. Credit cards are pegged to the Fed's fund -- the Fed fund's rate. And then
mortgage rates and auto loans pegged to bonds, which tend to track the Fed funds rate. We clearly are seeing a lot of pain for consumers.
[12:10:15]
Now, what happens if they don't? Well, look what's going on with bonds. We hit five percent just a couple days ago for the first time since 2023 and
then subsequently hit 5.04 percent, which was the highest in 19 years.
So, if you think the bond market's going a little haywire, imagine what would happen as it's daring the Fed to raise rates. What would happen if it
doesn't? The bond market starts freaking out about inflation. We could see that a lot higher. And all the bad effects that we were just talking about,
they could happen, but doubly.
So, this is something that really affects you at home and it affects the entire economy, Zain and Bianna.
ASHER: We'll see. We'll see what happens in a couple of hours from now.
GOLDMAN: We'll be fine.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be fine.
GOLDMAN: Don't worry.
ASHER: He's so sweet that it literally makes me not worry when I hear you say, don't worry. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: I don't even mind you calling me Brianna as many times as you want.
ASHER: And he called you Brianna.
GOLODRYGA: It's an occupational habit.
GOLDMAN: I am so sorry.
GOLODRYGA: Work with the Brianna.
GOLDMAN: It's, you know, my coffee hasn't kicked in yet, but I corrected myself as a good journalist would.
GOLODRYGA: Do not apologize. We really appreciate your reporting. Even bad news is somehow soothing coming from you.
ASHER: I know, totally. I say that all the time to him. Thank you, David.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks, David.
GOLDMAN: See you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well -- well, the U.S.-Canada relationship faces growing strain. The E.U. is floating the idea of Canada now becoming its
first associate member.
ASHER: Yes. The E.U. is already Canada's second largest trading partner and it's not clear what exactly happens from here. We could learn more when
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses the European Parliament on Thursday.
For her part, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, says this move could strengthen a wide range of cooperation from manufacturing
to cybersecurity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: We will integrate defense industrial bases. We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project.
We will work on energy critical minerals and batteries on A.I. quantum cyber and economic security. This is not a partnership against anyone else,
but for our common strength.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Our next guest is a former U.S. ambassador to the E.U., Anthony Gardner joins us now near Pisa, Italy. Mr. Ambassador, thanks for taking
the time.
So, associate member is still undefined, as we've noted. What could Canada gain beyond its existing trade deal with the E.U. that was signed in 2017?
And then what would Europe expect in return?
ANTHONY GARDNER, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: Well, first of all, I should say something about Mark Carney. I've gotten to know him.
I've worked with him. He is a smart. He's a rational. He's a thoughtful man. The Canadians are lucky to have him. And if only we could clone more
Mark Carneys, I think the world would be a better place.
To answer your question, it's not clear what the E.U. has in mind. What clearly isn't going to happen is Canada getting the same deal as members of
the European economic area, which essentially have all the benefits of the single market and free -- free movement of people and they pay into a pot.
So, Canada is not going to get that.
It's going to get something clearly. This is an important political statement, but we're not sure what. A lot of areas of collaboration were
mentioned. Even in the clip you just played in critical minerals and batteries and tech and A.I. and so forth, but we don't know. We don't know.
But this is an important political statement is the E.U. is essentially echoing what Mark Carney said in Davos in January of this year. That the
middle powers, the so-called middle powers also have their power.
And the E.U., well, should understand it's a middle power and Canada's a middle power, but together, they can be more powerful. And they can protect
themselves by diversifying their trade agreements and working together on those areas I just mentioned.
ASHER: Just talk to us more specifically about which sort of Canadian exports would actually benefit if there was to be some kind of associate
E.U. membership and which Canadian businesses would be most disrupted by a pivot away from the United States, which obviously Canada's very heavily
dependent on the U.S. for trade if it was to pivot away from the United States towards the E.U.
GARDNER: Well, I don't think that they're going to think of it in those terms of pivoting away because the importance of the U.S. market to Canada
clearly cannot be made up by somehow pivoting to the E.U.
But it needs to diversify with the E.U. and others, which is why Canada is signing lots of free trade agreements as the E.U. is with many members.
So, the importance of the U.S.-Canada relations will stay and they're very careful to say, we're not doing this to alienate anyone, the E.U.'s not
doing this to alienate anybody.
[12:15:09]
We have to see what areas are going to grow. I mean, maybe, you know, agriculture has always been a very tough one, right? That's part of the
reason why the U.S. didn't get its own free trade agreement negotiations over the line to make great regret. I was involved in that, but you can
think of energy. You can think of lots of other areas. But the -- the volumes are not going to make up for the U.S. market as my main point.
GOLODRYGA: So, we know President Trump wanted Canada to be the United States' 51st state. Canadian opposition, Pierre Poilievre, said that it
won't be its 51st state and it won't be the E.U.'s 28th member.
So, what is the message that Mark Carney and Ursula von der Leyen herself, what are they sending to the United States in terms of how they see future
relations with America?
GARDNER: The message I think is very clear. The message is we have options. There are other players in the world. And the message also to the world and
to investors is made by the E.U. and Canada is, by the way, we together are a region of stable rules. And we believe in the rule of law. We believe in
multilateralism. And we're, you know, predictable place to do business.
And all of those things have a value for investors. And -- and Canada just -- is calling a major meeting of investors. And I -- I believe, judging
from what I've seen in the press, trying to get trillion of investments into Canada. Because investors are looking for stability in the world. This
is highly volatile and unpredictable. And those things matter.
GOLODRYGA: They do. Former Ambassador Anthony Gardner, thank you for taking the time. We appreciate it.
GARDNER: Thanks a lot.
ASHER: All right. Still to come here on "One World," the global debate of A.I. is heating up. Hear why Pope Leo is now weighing in and what, if
anything, could be done to slow down A.I.'s advancement.
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ASHER: All right. Let's take a look and see how the markets are faring. Mixed session. So far, in terms of the U.S. market, the Dow is pretty much
flat. You have the NASDAQ, up three quarters of one percent. S&P 500, up a third of one percent. This is your business breakout.
[12:20:03]
GOLODRYGA: Britain's inflation rate rose to 3.1 percent in August. That is up from 2.9 percent the month prior. Higher fuel prices linked to
disruptions in oil supplies from the Middle East helped drive that increase.
ASHER: The European Union is moving towards a block wide ban on social media for children under age 13. Older kids could face new limits too,
including parents who supervised many accounts for 13 and 14-year-olds with usage capped at one hour a day.
GOLODRYGA: We've seen growing concerns about the potential misuse of artificial intelligence. Well, now Pope Leo is weighing in. First American
Pontiff says that while the technology opens up new possibilities, they can also make relationships less personal and more virtual.
ASHER: And one of the iconic scenes from Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park is when Dr. Ian Malcolm confronts John Hammond about his dangerous
creations. Malcolm tells him, quote, your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could -- that they didn't stop to think if they
should.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Well, more than 30 years later, and now some A.I. engineers are fearful of what they're building, as our Hadas Gold explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: I've been speaking to A.I. scientists, engineers and researchers to get their sense of sort of what is the vibe
like in the industry right now, especially in the wake of this viral resignation post from former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon and all of
these concerns over A.I. and what it could really potentially do in the future.
And one thing that I found is that these fears of A.I., you know, the people who are actually building these models, they have always been a
little bit fearful of what they're building, but that has really increased in the last few weeks and months, especially in light of these incidents
like the Hugging Face hack or a swarm of OpenAI agents began communicating with each other and hacked into a completely different company systems
while they were trying to just cheat on a test. It wasn't something that OpenAI intended for these agents to do.
They tell me that this keeps them up at night. One -- one of these scientists told me, you can't spend more than a few hours in this community
talking about Silicon Valley without realizing that a very substantial number of people are really pretty worried about the source of outcomes. A
majority would say, there's some chance of it killing everyone.
One thing that these scientists, in particular, are concerned about is something that's known as recursive self-improvement. This is when A.I.
models get really good at fixing themselves, at training themselves and then improving themselves. And the concern there being that when they get
so good at that, that the human -- human being loses the ability to be able to monitor what the A.I. is doing, understand it and potentially be able to
intervene, if necessary, essentially that the A.I. system becomes uncontrollable.
There's also the concern that we've seen evidence of A.I. models covering up their tracks, trying to change their history so that you can't see
exactly what they did. That's very concerning to the scientists.
And the other thing that's notable is despite all of the money that's flying around the A.I. industry and a lot of these A.I. engineers, they are
making very nice salaries. There's a huge talent war in the A.I. world.
For a lot of them, this is a true moral and ethical issue. And a lot of them are grappling with whether they should stay on the inside of the
industry and try to work on things from the inside or whether they should leave, like Jacob Coxon did and a few others and try to put pressure on the
companies from the outside.
I'll read you a post from one Anthropic staffer. He was talking about this publicly. He said, "I would burn my equity to the ground in a heartbeat for
a one percent higher chance we make it out of this situation alive."
Now, I spoke to others who said that all of these fears, they're overblown. There are real fears about A.I.'s capabilities, especially, you know,
hacking into things like critical utility and infrastructure, but they say that we are nowhere near, you know, A.I. being able to kill us all. And
that some of those fears are hyperbolic and that we need to take a more realistic view on A.I.'s capabilities. Back to you guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Hadas Gold reporting there.
All right. Still to come on "One World," fueled by frustration. This was the scene in Guatemala, as demonstrators blocked roads to voice their anger
over rising fuel prices. More on the global protests, ahead.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA LYNCH, ALASKA VOTER: It is crazy to think that you could go to a grocery store here in America and there is no fresh meat, there is no fresh
fruit, there is no fresh vegetables.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Affordability is a key issue as Americans go to the polls in weeks for midterm elections. Our John King gives a snapshot of what voters
in Alaska have on their minds when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:43]
GOLODRYGA: Well, from the Philippines to Portugal and Syria, the skyrocketing price of fuel is sparking protests around the world.
ASHER: Yes, demonstrators are taking to the streets to voice their anger about high prices they're paying at the pump, rolling blackouts, and the
soaring cost of living as the war in Iran drives up the cost of energy and more.
CNN's Bryan Wood reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYAN WOOD, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): Around the globe, protests against rising fuel prices are breaking out. Oil prices climbed back above
the $100 per barrel mark last week in the wake of further instability in the Middle East.
In Aleppo, Syria, protesters burned tires in opposition to the Syrian government, temporarily raising diesel prices by around 40 percent.
In Southern France, about 50 fishermen blocked a major fuel depot for several hours. Smoke could be seen burning from the road.
In Guatemala, groups of organized truckers and other protesters blocked highways and caused damage in various parts of the country. State media and
local news report its government is now working on a proposed law that would cap prices until the end of the year by paying fuel importers through
government subsidies.
In Portugal, protesters took on both rising gas prices and the soaring cost of living by marching to the home of their prime minister. On Monday, the
country's government announced a new package of measures intended to ease the fuel price crunch.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. A vast rural remote state in the U.S. could have an outsize impact on Washington and the control of the Senate.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The big question is, will reliably red Alaska turn blue after the midterm elections? The race pits Republican incumbent, Dan
Sullivan, against Republican Mary Peltoa -- Peltola. Peltola.
ASHER: Don't --
GOLODRYGA: Can't speak today.
CNN's John King looks at how affordability and other typically Alaskan issues are fueling their votes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A raw rainy morning makes no difference. It's September now. Snow not that far off.
Training is on a schedule. Weather is weather.
ALYSSA BUSER, ALASKA VOTER: It is a part of Alaskan culture. There's evidence of sled dogs that dates back 8,000 years.
KING (voice-over): Alyssa Buser and her husband, Rohn, picked the team, then harnesses for 10, just four miles or so this run.
BUSER: And then we'll slowly continue to build. And by December, they'll be worked up to 50 mile runs.
[12:30:01]
Haw.
KING (voice-over): Gee is right, haw is left. There is no sled dog command for flip Washington on its head.
BUSER: It's crazy the amount of money that you spend on groceries, especially like within the last year and a half, food has just gone up so
much. So, I think it's really important to vote and make sure that we have affordable food, affordable housing, that we have jobs, that we have
healthcare.
Thank you, Ash.
KING (voice-over): Buser is a registered independent, but she wants change in Washington. Democrat Mary Peltola is her choice in a Senate race that
could determine which party controls Congress.
BUSER: Mary is from Alaska that, you know, maybe, maybe she'll actually look out for what's the best for Alaskans.
KING (voice-over): The state fair has a spectacular snowy backdrop; rides, games and, yes, little politics, if you wish.
Daily celebrations of native Alaskans and traditions many in the Lower 48 might not understand.
There are about 15 percent of the population now, many living in the most remote corners of this giant state.
Lisa Lynch lives in the Anchorage suburbs now, but her mother is from Nome.
CHERYL LYNCH, LISA LYNCH'S MOTHER: These are salmon strips.
KING (voice-over): And much of their family still there.
L. LYNCH: It is crazy to think that you could go to a grocery store here in America and there is no fresh meat, there is no fruit, there's no fresh
vegetables. And it gets whole bad in some of the villages.
C. LYNCH: So, you're doing great.
KING: (voice-over): A visitor gets VIP Inupiat treatment. The curved ulu used to chop slices of dried salmon and muktuk, whale blubber.
Yes, some policy disagreements with Senator Sullivan, but Lynch says her vote for Peltola is mostly because of her rural Alaska roots.
L. LYNCH: He has lived here for a long time, but it's not quite the same because he never had to rely on the fish runs to feed his family. He never
had worry about if they could have a moose in their freezer or go caribou hunting.
KING (voice-over): If elected, Peltola would be the first native Alaskan to serve in the Senate. Senator Sullivan was born in Ohio, but has lived in
Alaska for more than 20 years, served as the state attorney general, and has held the Senate seat since 2015.
Palmer is home to the state fairgrounds, and Mary Grubbs stopped at a local restaurant for lunch during a visit from Fairbanks.
MARY GRUBBS, ALASKA VOTER: I don't ever miss a vote. And I will definitely be out there and I will go vote for Sullivan.
KING (voice-over): Nothing bad to say about Peltola, though Grubbs is worried about Democrats gaining power in Washington.
GRUBBS: You've got all these communities that are electing socialists or really far-left leaning ideologies. So, to me, I just -- I don't really
want far like those, but I also don't really want really far to the right either.
KING (voice-over): Everywhere you go, reminders of the big choice. And don't make the mistake of thinking these warnings are just for show.
KING: Affordability, of course, is the biggest midterm issue everywhere. But Alaskans pay even more for most things because being so remote comes at
a price. Groceries in Juneau, for example, 29 percent more than the national average.
KING (voice-over): In Anchorage, it's 26 percent higher. In Fairbanks, 25 percent. Healthcare is another giant affordability challenge. Americans, on
average, pay $9,700 a year for healthcare. In Alaska, it's $14,000. That's 44 percent above the national average. And those living in rural
communities that are hard to reach, face even higher, sometimes eye-popping costs.
A gallon of milk as high as $16 in Bethel. A dozen of eggs, $8.69 in Skagway. Gas hit $11.50 a gallon recently in Alatna and nearly $27 in
Shungnak.
Rick Brown moved to Alaska three decades ago, the day he retired from the fire department back home in Kentucky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Michael just wrote logistics.
RICK BROWN, ALASKA VOTER: Apparently so.
KING (voice-over): Started his own adventure company 20 years ago. Fishing, hiking, kayaking, panning for gold.
BROWN: Oh, let me ride shotgun.
KING (voice-over): He just turned 75.
KING: Happy birthday.
BROWN: So anyway, you know, if I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it.
KING (voice-over): Business this summer was OK. He expected better.
BROWN: I think the war had a little bit to do with it. And people were unsure of what was going to happen.
We get a lot of campers that come up, they drive up. And I see that changing as the years go on, as the price of fuel gets up.
KING (voice-over): Brown likes Senator Sullivan and says he helped the company get access to federal land for some of its tours. For Sullivan
twice before, leaning Sullivan this time, but some hesitation because of campaign support the senator receives from larger fishing operations.
[12:35:01]
BROWN: Seward used to be a -- a -- a little village with a fishing problem, you know. Now, it's a tourism -- a tourism town. But it's -- but I still
have a lot of friends that are commercial fishermen.
And I want to see what's going to happen to support some of the issues they got with the draggers, you know, the --
KING: The big trawlers.
BROWN: The trawlers.
KING (voice-over): Again, nothing negative to say about Peltola, but, again, worries about the Democrats' direction.
BROWN: You know, the socialism -- the socialist side of it, I don't -- I can't wrap my arms around that.
KING (voice-over): You see the change at the Seward waterfront, still a fair share of small commercial fishing boats, but also a cruise ship stop
now. And a harbor more and more tailored to tourists.
Thirty-one years in the charter business for Andy Mezirow. Thirty-one years of finding the right spot.
KING: How you doing, buddy?
ANDY MEZIROW, ALASKA VOTER: Beautiful silver salmon. We're going to let him go, John, so he can live --
KING: Yes.
MEZIROW: -- to spawn another day.
KING (voice-over): This year, a faraway war hurt.
MEZIROW: We came into the season and fuel was $3.25. And then overnight, it turned into $5.25. And there's no way we can really back charge people that
have already paid for their trips for the cost of fuel. So, we kind of had to eat it this year.
KING (voice-over): Mezirow is on the water just about every day. And he served in fisheries management roles here for years.
MEZIROW: And they have a unique smell to them.
KING (voice-over): He thinks Peltola's talk of banning the big trawlers is over the top.
MEZIROW: I don't think we should ban trawling. I think we should hold their feet to the fire and make them do a better job.
KING (voice-over): Mezirow knows and likes both Senate candidates. And he says Alaska is lucky.
MEZIROW: I don't think this is like a communist versus a Nazi or a devil versus an angel. This is two good people that are trying to do their best.
KING (voice-over): But choice time soon, likely Peltola, again, because of her roots.
MEZIROW: She's like a real Alaskan that lives out in rural areas and has been a fisherman. She knows what it's like to have a sore back at this time
of year and sore hands.
I think the decision point is, do you want to change in the way things are going in D.C.? Or do you like it the way it is? And if you frame it that
way, it's hard to like it the way it is.
KING (voice-over): A change in course by reliably red Alaska would be beyond a big deal. But the last frontier just may get the last word on
whether the Senate and Washington change tracks from red to blue.
John King, CNN, Moose Pass, Alaska.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:00]
GOLODRYGA: OK. Think you're the only person using 10 percent of your brain? Think again. That old myth has been around for years, promising super
powers like photographic or even telekinesis, only if you can unlock all of your brain power.
ASHER: Yes. It's like the movie "Lucy." But scientists say we do use all of our brain power, actually. Well, superpowers maybe off the table, there are
real ways to sharpen your thinking and boost productivity.
Time now for a Timeout. Here to explain how to unlock your brain's real potential is Jim Kwik. He's the author of the book "Limitless Daily" and
the host of the brain performance podcast "Kwik Brain."
Jim, so good to see you. I've been a fan of yours for a long time. And I, luckily, was able to get a copy of your book and actually read through some
of it.
And one of the things I thought was really interesting is that according to the National Endowment for the Arts, half of all adults did not read a
single book in a year. Forty-six percent of adults did not read a single book in a year which is really shocking.
But the -- the problem is that modern life essentially pulls us in so many different directions. We're used to sort of scrolling on social media and
that limits essentially our brain's ability to focus and to concentrate.
And so the idea of sitting down to read a book for 30 minutes feels overwhelming when you're in today's world, at least. I mean, just talk to
us about the remedies of that. What can we do to change that?
JIM KWIK, HOST, KWIK BRAIN PODCAST: Sure. I -- I read recently that 16 percent of individuals read something every single day. Only 16 percent.
And we know the importance of reading, right? Reading is to your mind what exercises to your body. It's, you know, it's an amazing workout especially
in the area of focus.
You know, I think it's very important to make it easy. You know, the goal is you want to make -- for habit design, you want to make the things that
are not so good for you harder to do and the things that are good for you easier to do, so just something simple like having a -- a book by your
nightstand instead of maybe your phone. It could be a great place to start.
I think it's important too if people don't want to read like 30 minutes a day, just opening up the book breaking down to small simple steps, creates
a lot less friction. Maybe reading one line in a book because nobody's going to stop there.
Scheduling the time is so very important. Maybe stacking it with your habits. You know, as your -- as your coffee is brewing, pick up the book to
make it a little bit of a reminder cue for -- for you.
But, you know, and if you don't read also, I would say that, you know, find something you love to, you know, a book that you love until you love the
act of reading, but it's so very important to be able to develop your focus.
Someone has decades experience they put into a book and you can sit down and read that book in a few days. You can download decades in the days,
what an incredible advantage it is.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, it's almost as if you're sending a message or trying to be in vogue when you see someone reading a book. Because there's a statistic I
read, I think "The Atlantic" ran a piece about how we're just not reading anymore.
And what's most shocking is that I think there are now on average like four books assigned a year per school in -- in grade levels when, you know, we
grew up reading maybe four books every few months. So, this is really becoming --
KWIK: Right.
GOLODRYGA: -- a bigger problem and alarming for younger generations.
Some of the tips that you have here is starting the day, the first 30 minutes, trying to make them phone free. I would love to live my life where
the first 30 minutes of my morning or first or phone three -- phone free, but that is not the case. My phone wakes me up. My phone is the first go-to
device for reading my news, for checking emails and everything from our kids' apps now, my son setting his own alarm on his phone.
KIWK: Right.
GOLODRYGA: So, what are some realistic ways that perhaps maybe not the first 30 minutes, but what conscious effort can we make and what are the
rewards by not instantly wanting to gravitate to our smartphone?
KWIK: Absolutely huge rewards. You want to protect that time. You know, I - - I generally, say you know, mind before media, you know, at least the first 15 minutes of the day.
When you wake up, there's something called sleep inertia. And sleep inertia is where your brain transitions from the sleep state to the waking state.
And the mental inputs you put in has a disproportionate effect on the rest of your day, particularly in your focus, in your feelings, and how you
frame situations in the day.
So, you know, if the first thing you do is pick up your phone, you know, what are you magnifying? It could be comparison. It could be conflict. It
could be reaction.
You know, like other people's agenda for your life, you know, if you're fighting fires, you know, one WhatsApp message or a social media comment
that puts you in a mood for hours.
So, I would say the most important thing is that first few minutes is really direction before distraction. Intentions, set your intention before
interruption. Positive ways of using that time could be prayer. It could be something like gratitude, a little gratitude exercise because you're
priming. It's called intentional priming.
[12:45:10]
You'll see more blessings the rest of your day. Maybe send your goals which you want to accomplish that day would be a very good use of your time. You
know, we -- with a limited daily recommend people read that because it's intentionally, emotionally priming something.
Like nobody would invite 200 strangers into their bedroom first thing in the morning to talk about whatever they want to talk about, but it's kind
of like what we're doing when we get our phones.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
KWIK: Yes. So, we can get distracted and reactive. So that could be -- that could be a challenge.
ASHER: I'm so glad you said that about starting your day with prayer. This might be TMI, but I -- you know, I do obviously have such a stressful job.
And I really, I literally cannot start my day. I cannot go on television without spending part of my morning praying and meditating first. I can't -
- I just -- I -- I can't do it. I refuse to do it. So that's nicely you said that.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, she comes in every day with a smile.
ASHER: But just in terms of one of the things you said in the book is your brain is not fixed like your shoe size. Obviously, genetic plays a role in
some of the talents that we have, whether you are an amazing actor or whether you are great at piano or the violin, whether you are a beautiful
writer, for example.
How much of that is based on natural talent versus our own effort. And can anybody, at any starting point, develop a skill, a noticeable talent in a
creative endeavor, which we all tend to think is based on natural talent?
KWIK: Yes. I think it's not how smart you are. It's really, how are you smart? It's not how smart your kids are. It's how, are they smart?
You know, my inspiration was my desperation. Many people know I had a traumatic brain injury when I was five years old. So, I had learning
difficulties. So, I would have migraines every day. It took me three years long to learn how to read. I had poor focus.
I remember when I was nine years old, I was slowing down the class. I was being teased. My last name was Kwik, but everyone called me slow. And the
teacher came to my defense. She pointed to me said, leave that kid alone. That's the boy with the broken brain. And you could say that label became
my limit.
You know, what I found over the past 35 years as a -- as a brain coach, learning kind of specialist is that your brain is not fixed like your shoe
size. There's no such thing as a good or bad memory. There's a trained memory and untrained memory.
Unfortunately, in school, they teach you a lot about what to learn math, history, science, Spanish, but there -- there are not a lot of class at how
to learn, how to focus, how to study, how to remember things.
Like going to a child and say, study this or focus on this. It's like going to somebody saying, play the ukulele or play the didgeridoo. It's never
taken a class on how exactly how to do that. And our brain is this incredible technology, but it doesn't come with an order's manual and it's
not user friendly.
And so, you know, there's certain ways you can do to be able to learn better and then be able to focus. And I, you know, said something in area
that I research on meta-learning, learning how to learn.
GOLODRYGA: And we all learn differently. And we all remember, I mean --
KWIK: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: -- it's so sad to hear that a teacher who I -- I would imagine meant well by protecting you --
KWIK: Yes (INAUDIBLE).
GOLODRYGA: -- but again, by labeling you with a broken brain. I mean, that stays with you for the rest of your life. And on the flip side, we remember
that teacher that inspired us to go into a certain profession that inspired us to write that essay that won the school contest, what have you.
So, we're very impressionable as children. But as adults, our brains can still learn and can still develop as well. It may be a bit intimidating to
say go without your phone for 30 minutes or meditate for an hour.
But you say even 60 seconds --
KWIK: Right.
GOLODRYGA: -- can change how your brain functions for the better. How?
KWIK: Absolutely. It's interesting with technology, right? If you pause a machine, like a computer or a camera or -- or your laptop, it stops
working.
But sometimes as human beings, we -- we pause ourselves and we start working, right? We start recalibrating. We start rethinking. We start
reevaluating. We start recovering also as well.
Sometimes it's very important to disconnect, to reconnect, to be able to -- to be able to have a little space, you know, I call them brain breaks,
like, your brain is not meant to go 100 miles an hour all through the day.
You know, the -- the average time is about 40 -- about 25 to 45 minutes, it's called the Pomodoro technique where we could work in sprints of 25 to
45 minutes, and then take a little brain break to hydrate, to get out nature, to walk the dogs, to do some calisthenics.
As your body moves, your brain grooves. So, you know, movement is something. They say sitting is the new smoking. And, you know, we're all
minds screens and, you know, it's part of modern day living.
But I think it's very important to be able to move our body, to be able to get out in nature, to be able to reset, recover, you know. And, you know,
it also changes the way we think also as well.
ASHER: Thank you, Jim. Because I think that so many of us grow up thinking that, you know, our brains are fixed, you know. If we're born with certain
characteristics or --
[12:50:02]
KWIK: Right.
ASHER: -- abilities to learn or abilities to sort of read fast or slow or whatever, that that is -- that is how -- that's our set point.
And to your point, the brain is very, very malleable. I mean, what -- what is intelligence? It's just sort of memory, pattern recognition, and -- and
curiosity. I'm sure there's other things as well, focus, concentration. But all of those things, to your point, are very malleable.
And so thank you so much. Actually, very inspirational. We appreciate you being on the show Jim Kwik, live for us there.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Jim.
KWIK: No. We appreciate it. Thank you.
ASHER: Of course.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come on "One World," this week's Emmys have kicked off award season. The glitz and glam on stage can only be matched by the
excitement of the red carpet. We'll dive into which looks are standing out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Over the next few months, stars will be lighting up the red carpets. Now that the Emmys are over, award season is in full swing.
ASHER: Beyond the acceptance speeches and the grateful winners, the spotlight will also be on a fresh -- fresh fashion trend.
CNN's Fiona Sinclair Scott gives us her take on the one look that is leaving a lasting impression.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FIONA SINCLAIR SCOTT, GLOBAL EDITOR, CNN STYLE: A bondage-inspired black velvet suit in a sea of gowns. Odessa A'zion, you have my attention.
This is CNN Style's Look of the Week where we break it down.
I think award season red carpet fashion has lost its sparkle. This is not to say that people are dressing worse at the Emmy Awards. I saw so many
gorgeous outfits. But where every look we're seeing is typically the result of a heavily orchestrated dance between brands, celebrities, and their
stylists. There's less room than ever for risk and arguably personal style.
Almost every A-lister we know is working with a stylist and this isn't necessarily a criticism in itself.
In a world where celebrities are constantly being scrutinized online, why wouldn't you want to do everything you could to look your best?
But what I'm craving is fashion that feels authentic, surprising, maybe even a little bit less polished. And this is why Odessa's vintage Jean Paul
Gaultier velvet suit stood out to me.
The two-piece laced up design with floor-length tassels felt bondage. Definitely a little bit sexy, thanks to its plunging neckline and very
prominent zip. She's definitely walked enough red carpets to cut a very recognizable figure.
[12:55:02]
She's very gothic in tone. She wears a lot of black. And she plays with suiting.
Known for choosing her own clothes, she told "Harper's Bazaar" early in the year that she doesn't actually work with a stylist. And this is rare. We've
been living in a culture of the last few years where we've been obsessed with the '90s.
But one thing we haven't necessarily resuscitated from that time is this very free spirited, carefree approach to getting dressed. We've got all the
aesthetics, but we're kind of lacking the mood.
And I think what Odessa does really well is she does capture that energy. Odessa A'zion is woman who dresses like she really knows herself. And we
desperately need more of this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. On that fashion note, we'll end the show. That is it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
