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One World with Zain Asher
Warning Signs For GOP As Early Voting Begins In Some States; U.S. Gas Prices Remain High Ahead Of Midterm Elections; South America Set To Receive U.S. Military Drones For Drug Ops; New Excerpts Released From Memoir By Princess Diana's Brother; Japan Has Record 100,000 Centenarians; Ed Sheeran To Resume Tour In Philadelphia; The Righteous Road Trip Honors People Who Saved Jews' Lives; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 18, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:31]
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)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a very inexpensive price to pay for what we've done. Remember that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Sixty-three percent of the country disagrees with the president's overall performance. How Americans are feeling as problems in
Washington follow Donald Trump across the nation.
ASHER: Also ahead, a brand-new detail, Princess Diana's brother says that King Charles sounded giddily elated on the night of her death. We're
expecting a new excerpt from his book at any moment.
GOLODRYGA: And later in the midst of hatred and evil, they chose good. How a man and his dog are honoring the men and women who risked their lives to
save Jews during the Holocaust.
And we are coming to the end of what is a very tough week for the Trump administration from spikes in gasoline and diesel prices to warnings over
A.I., all of this is creating a tough landscape for Republicans just 46 days before the midterms.
Let's start with the issue most painful for Americans' wallets, gas prices rose quickly after the start of the Iran war in February and have remained
high since then. According to AAA, the national average hovers around $4.40.
ASHER: Meantime, public outrage is growing as U.S. lawmakers fail to rein in the rapid advancement of A.I. The Trump administration is making one
thing clear as no appetite for regulation. This comes despite some tech leaders, including Geoffrey Hinton, who is known as the Godfather of A.I.,
sounding the alarm himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEOFFREY HINTON, GODFATHER OF A.I.: A.I. itself getting much more intelligent and taking over, A.I. taking control. A kill switch is no good
for that, because the A.I. will be much better than people at persuading people of things. It's already comparable with people at persuading new
things. When it's super intelligent, it would be much better than people. So it will be able to persuade the people in charge of the switch not to
pull the switch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, as campaigning ramps up for the midterms, Democrats are running attack ads against the Republican president, but one Republican ad
is standing out.
Florida lawmaker, Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican candidate is openly disagreeing with the president on immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-FL): Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50 percent of the 50,000
people that were detained had no criminal records.
Be careful what your advisors are telling you about immigration policies, the same Hispanics who help you get to the White House in 2024 feel
betrayed today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And next week, the White House will likely dominate headlines again with a special state visit. Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to skip
the U.N. General Assembly meeting opting for a one-on-one with President Trump.
There's a lot of drama happening in Washington ahead of the midterms. Let's discuss with Harry Enten live from New York.
So, Harry, what is so interesting in that Salazar clip is, A, this is somebody who the president campaigned for. I'm going to go through the
alphabet what you did last hour. B, she's standing on his front yard, literally, while she's filming that. And C, and I'm wondering if this
works, she's arguing that it is the president's advisors who are leading him down the wrong path.
Is it his advisor or, at this point, Harry, is it the president himself making these decisions?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Well, I think she's trying to balance things, right? She's trying not to perturb the president piss him off,
while at the same time -- look, the buck stops at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I mean, the president ultimately makes these decisions here.
But I think that Representative Salazar is very much speaking to the concern that a lot of Latino voters have. I mean, just take a look at these
numbers right here. Just take a look at Latinos on Donald Trump. Latino voters net favorability of Trump.
You know, you go back just before Trump started his second term in office. You go back to January of 2025. Look at that. He was on the plus aisle
edge. He was at plus six points.
Historically strong for a republic -- for a republican who is coming into office. I mean, these are the strongest numbers we've seen since George W.
Bush, you know, 20 years ago back when he won a second term in 2004, then going into 2005.
But look at where the numbers are now. Look at this rating. Now, we're talking about minus 34 points. That is and I -- look, I struggle sometimes
math. But that is a 40-point shift away from the president of the United States. Now, he is a way, way under water. I mean, you know, he's below --
below the Titanic, basically, now with Latino voters.
[12:05:13]
So, you see these numbers and you go, my goodness gracious, no wonder Representative Salazar wants to run away from the president of the United
States.
But as we broaden it out sort of as we look at the week that was, this is not the only problem that the President of the United States has, right?
You know, we started off talking about gas prices, right? Gas prices.
And just look at what President Trump is doing on gas prices. Sometimes I like a big number. I like a big number. I like a huge to put in a President
Trump's language.
And look here, Trump's disapproval rating on gas prices. He is the first President ever to 80 percent of the American public who disapprove of the
job that a president is doing on gas prices. No president before him did it.
You know, you go back George W. Bush, he faced problems with gas prices. He never hit that number. Joe Biden never hit that number. Barack Obama never
hit that number. It turns out that the American people are seeing how much they're paying at the pump and they are taking their anger out on the
president of the United States.
Now, I will note that this is a part -- course part of a larger picture, a larger picture when it comes to inflation. Americans just don't feel like
they're able to keep up with how quickly the prices are rising.
So, how about this nugget for you? OK. The worst net approval rating of all time, any poll that I could possibly find, and we go through hundreds, if
not thousands of polls. We got the spreadsheets out. We're digging deep into the numbers.
Take a look here. The worst net approval rating of all time on inflation, Trump did it this week, 61 points underwater. I don't care how far under
the Hudson River, you go. You're not going to find a rating this low. Sixty-one points underwater. This is the lowest ever, lower than Jimmy
Carter, lower than Joe Biden, lower than Ronald Reagan.
And you put it all together, guys. And I just wonder, where are these Republicans supposed to hide? Because no matter what issue you look at, the
president is in significantly worse shape than he was at the beginning of his first term.
These numbers are worse than Joe Biden had. And, of course, Joe Biden was run out of town. And at this point, I think that's why you're seeing a lot
of Republicans trying to run away from the president of the United States.
GOLODRYGA: President Trump, who? Who?
ENTEN: Who? Who? I've never heard of from him. Who? Who? Who there? Who there? New number. Who this?
GOLODRYGA: I'll tell you who's there. Harry Enten leading us off today. That makes for a great way to end the weekend.
ENTEN: And it's casual Friday, too, though. It's casual Friday. Look, I'm not wearing the jacket. I decided to take the jacket off.
I could have had it on for the segment, but you know what I said? I said, I'm with my friends here. We're going casual today. The numbers are never
casual, but I can be a little casual.
GOLODRYGA: And I guarantee my mom will like the look, too. She always does.
ENTEN: Fantastic. You let me know what --
ASHER: Oh, yes. Bianna's mom always texts during the show to say how much she loves you. And --
ENTEN: We have to get a group chain with the four of us together.
GOLODRYGA: She'll come -- she'll come join you one day for the phone number.
ENTEN: Tremendous.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ENTEN: I love it.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Harry, thanks.
ENTEN: Enjoy the weekend.
GOLODRYGA: You, too.
ASHER: Thanks, Harry.
All right. Let's get everyone out on this from Lynn Sweet. Lynn Sweet, she's a special correspondent with the "Chicago Sun-Times." Lynn, thank you
so much for being with us.
One of the most important things that Harry said there, and there was a lot there, but he talked about the Latino vote and Latino support for Donald
Trump, how it is totally underwater compared to what we saw about a year and a half ago.
Trump was very explicit during his campaigning, what he was going to do in terms of tougher immigration policies, tougher immigration enforcement. He
made it very clear that he had plans for mass deportations.
Explain to us how much, just among Latino voters in this country, how much of what is happening today in terms of Trump's policies, is essentially
what they expected and how much of it is actually a surprise of just in terms of many of them believing the president has gone too far.
LYNN SWEET, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Well, I think the ad by Representative Salazar is an ad that Democrats should pay for to run
over and over and over again because she quite effectively makes the argument that Trump actually did not do what he promised.
If we hold him to his words to deport the worst of the worst, to deport people with criminal records, that's what he did not do.
So, if you voted for him saying, you know, I agree with what he said he would do, but he is not doing it. That is her whole point and a quite well
made, easy to understand and powerful ad. He went a different direction to a mass deportation, not using the very standards that he himself said he
would use. That's his problem. That's what makes him vulnerable in the Hispanic vote, which has been a crucial part of his MAGA coalition.
GOLODRYGA: Lynn, I'm wondering how you reacted to the vice president's sort of last-minute pitch, as voting has already started in many states with a
podcast just this week where he said, A, look at how much this administration has already accomplished. We're doing the A -- ABCs here. B,
give us another two years to work on what's not accomplished yet, and that is bringing down prices and inflation.
[12:10:23]
And then he ended on saying, you know, the other choice you have is voting for crazy, which is how he described Democrats.
For undecided voters, and even for some Republicans, is that a winning message in your view?
SWEET: It's -- it's too risky because voting for crazy, if you're -- it may not be a bad alternative to some people because it's just them fine, and
it's -- it's kind of baiting, it's whatever you think it is.
And I think when you let somebody fill in the blank for you and you're running for office, you're trying to make a persuasive case. I -- I suggest
you are risking people thinking, well, all I know is my own lived experience, and the gas prices are too darn high. And you can understand
that. You don't have to, you know, jump into research to see if this is good or bad, like the A.I. regulation debate. That's a very needy topic,
hard to figure out exactly at this point, right or wrong policy.
But your pocketbook is your policy here. And when Vance just kind of blows it off and says, give us more time, I could counter, in my analysis and
say, time for what, to do more of the same? Show me what you're going to do. Don't tell me.
ASHER: And what do you make of Trump's messaging on some of the issues that voters care about, which is, I mean, of course, for Americans, it is -- it
is high gas prices. That is a very important political issue in this country.
And so when he says, you know, higher gas prices, it's such a small price to pay, and also just this idea of continually repeating and the war is
going to come to an end soon, we've heard that back on February 28th, that's not the case, it's dragged on for at least seven months now.
What do you make of the president's messaging here?
SWEET: Well, take it from the mouth of a billionaire to tell you and me and all the people watching us what financial pain is. I think that's just a
hard one to take since you're asking everyone to -- to share the pain, which is not a bad message if people understand why we are sharing the
pain, for a war of choice is not perhaps politically the best answer. And it's a war of choice in Iran with no end, dragging in other countries and
getting very, very, very expensive.
So saying, you know, take one for the team, in this case, I think it's just hard.
You know, the -- the Americans will do a lot, I'm convinced too share with sacrifice if you explain why it's necessary and the way it's unveiling, but
of all the things that Trump says, I think the things to watch the most right now.
You know, just a few weeks before the election and when some voting started, the most significant thing this week has been the Supreme Court
restricted Trump's ability to stop mail-in voting.
You know, and like, let's get to the bottom line here. That's what would probably impact the outcome to Trump more than any of the other factors we
talked about because that could seriously shake up an election system and, you know, the Supreme Court recognized it and wouldn't allow it to go
forward.
So, the -- the ace that Trump thought he had has been taken away from him. He has to play now with a weakened hand.
GOLODRYGA: So, Lynn, final question, how can Democrats mess this up?
SWEET: Well, I'm -- I'm just an analyzer here. I'm not the Democratic advisor, but history has shown that you could -- that the ability of a
party that seemingly is ahead to mess things up don't underestimate it.
Now, there are some candidates that may say the wrong thing, do the wrong things, but when you say Democrats, if we just look at the House of
Representatives, remember in the most contested districts, these are all separate stories.
So one size doesn't fit all. The mistake on one candidate in one place or one Senate candidate, may not have the ripple impact it has.
Now, there are some bigger things going on within the Democratic family, you know, the far, far progressive left, as opposed to just the traditional
progressive liberal left, and they're -- you know, whether or not they could close those goals that came up during the primary season, but it
looks like there's an attempt, such as in Michigan to say it's still that, you know, don't sacrifice the -- don't sacrifice the good for the perfect.
And that may be how a lot of democratic analysts are seeing it when they talk to voters in the most contested districts, where there are candidates
on the democratic side, that may be a little harder to sell.
[12:15:14]
ASHER: All right. Lynn Sweet, thank you so much for that analysis. We're grateful. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Great to see you, Lynn. Thanks.
SWEET: Well, thanks for having me. Nice to see you.
GOLODRYGA: And still they come on "One World."
ASHER: Further criticism aimed at King Charles from his former brother-in- law, Charles Spencer. Brand-new excerpt of his book was just released. CNN's Anna Stewart is reading through it right now. We'll bring you those
details later on this hour.
GOLODRYGA: And Washington is set to send drones to South America. What's behind the growing military presence there?
ASHER: Plus, she's 103, but still working five days a week. What she says are the secrets to a long life, up ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: The U.S. military could soon send drones to South America as Washington prepares to ramp up potential counter narcotics operations.
ASHER: Sources familiar with the matter say the drones would be shifted away from Africa and sent to the Latin American region. It's unclear how
many will be sent. It follows last year's deployment of drones, fighter jets, and a gunship to the Caribbean as part of efforts targeting suspected
drug boats.
GOLODRYGA: For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Haley Britzky. Haley, what are we learning?
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, guys. Well, six sources telling us here that MQ-9s are being sent from U.S. Africa
Command to U.S. Southern Command.
As you mentioned, we don't know exactly how many of AFRICOM's drones, one source familiar with it says most of AFRICOM's MQ -- MQ-9s will be going.
But this, of course, comes on the heels of administration officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, really
praising countries in South America for what they see as increased cooperation, inviting the U.S. to partake in some of these joint military
operations against alleged drug traffickers, counter-narcotic missions, counterterrorism missions.
And so sources saying that these drones are being moved over in anticipation of more of those kinds of operations, particularly possible
operations in Ecuador.
And so we've obviously seen increased U.S. activity in this part of the world, particularly with the airstrikes on alleged drug boats in the
Eastern Pacific and in the Caribbean.
But this does raise concerns for some about the capabilities that exist within U.S. Africa Command. You know, military commanders always want more
assets and more capabilities to complete their missions.
[12:20:10]
But there are real concerns that Africa has kind of fallen down the list of priorities, particularly as the U.S is still actively fighting against ISIS
groups like Al-Shabaab, carrying out strikes on those groups in Africa.
So, this is something that is concerning some officials about the capabilities that we have, the MQ-9, which can collect intelligence. It
also carries out precision strikes, certainly a powerful capability for the U.S. military. And what this could mean for South America and that region
is still sort of to be seen.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you so much for bringing this to us. You'll stay on it for us. Really appreciate it.
ASHER: All right. Still to come on "One World," Ed Sheeran's tour has all been unfolded over Macklemore's Free Palestine stance, but there could be a
more positive end to the drama. Details after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. New revelations. Britain's "Daily Mail" has just released new excerpts from a memoir written by the late Princess Diana's
brother, Charles Spencer.
The new passage is scathing about the royal family's treatment of Harry, saying they let him spin out of control after Diana died.
Spencer tells the BBC he's, quote, telling the truth. He is heavily critical of the reaction to Diana's death by Prince Charles as well, as he
was in 1997. Spencer claims that during a discussion about whether Prince Harry and William should participate in the funeral procession, Charles
said, quote, "We'll forget her soon enough."
Buckingham Palace suggests Spencer's judgment and memory have been affected by grief for his sister.
ASHER: CNN's Anna Stewart is joining us live now from London. I mean, there's basically bombshell after bombshell, just in terms of the excerpts
that we are getting from this memoir. We're hearing, according to Charles Spencer, that -- that Prince Charles, rather, was giddily excited after the
death of Diana, and also the quote that we just mentioned there. He'll forget her soon enough.
[12:25:13]
What -- what more are we learning now, Anna, with the latest excerpts that have been released?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, from the latest excerpts from the "Daily Mail," it goes into great detail about how Charles Spencer
experienced the day of Diana's funeral. This was his sister. It was a clearly a very traumatic day for him.
And I should say that CNN has yet to read this book. This is purely from the excerpt we've had from the "Daily Mail" and we keep getting more
information. The book will be released next week.
Charles Spencer describes the procession behind Diana's coffin ahead of the funeral and describes it as the most harrowing moment of his life. He
questions why Prince Charles was there in the procession for his ex-wife and says the reason given was Charles wanted to support his sons.
He also describes traveling back on the train from London to Althorp Estate, which is where Princess Diana would be buried. And being told by
the Queen's private secretary that she was offering to restore Diana's HRH title, Her Royal Highness. That had been taken away following the divorce
and it caused a lot of upset as Charles Spencer says.
He writes, "I felt that I knew my bones how she would view this posthumous award. That's very kind of the Queen, of course. But what's the point,
Robert?" He said, "Now? I mean, Diana's dead."
There's a lot of reflection as well in this on Prince Harry being so young and having to walk behind the coffin in this very public procession,
something he was very against, he says, in conversations with Prince Charles ahead of the funeral.
And he says he was worried about the, quote, lack of obvious care for Harry. And he goes on to say, he needed Diana's hugs, of course, and they
would forever be denied him. Instead of calm and nurture, he was allowed to spin out of control."
Of course, that will generate a huge amount of interest, not at least given how Prince Harry's been very public about how he felt growing up in the
spotlight, the scrutiny of the media, how hard it has been, and ultimately would leave him -- would lead him to leave -- leave the U.K. and, you know,
leave his status as a working member of the Royal Family, and also lose his HRH title much like his mother had. And all that is fresh now. He has
returned to the U.K.
We will, of course, touch base with the palace, but we were under the impression from yesterday with the latest excerpt that they're not going to
comment beyond the statement we initially had which essentially said that grief can color memory very much like a statement we've had in the past
from the late Queen where she said recollections may vary, as you will remember when Harry and Megan did the interview with Oprah. It's the sort
of diplomatic royal denial, I would say.
ASHER: Anna Stewart, thank you for that. Appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Well, for the first time ever, the number of centenarian people ages 100 or older has surpassed 100,000 in Japan, and an overwhelming 88
percent of those are women.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery met 103-year-old who is still working.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fuku Amagawa is 103 years and seven months old, and she still works five days a week.
FUKU AMAGAWA, CENTENARIAN (voice-over): I'm truly happy. It's wonderful to still be able to work even at 103.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Her specialty is making ramen at a shop she and her family opened six decades ago.
MONTGOMERY: Oh, it looks so delicious.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Amagawa is just one of over a 100,000 centenarians in Japan, a new national record. Experts say the country's healthy diet,
low obesity rates, and universal healthcare are some reasons why people here live so long.
MONTGOMERY: But Japan's overall population is shrinking. The birth rate is at a record low, leaving few workers to support a growing elderly
population.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But Amagawa isn't ready to retire just yet. Most Japanese aged 100 or over are women like her. And while scientists don't
exactly know why, Amagawa has her own theory.
AMAGAWA (through translator): Maybe it's our willpower. I think men rely too much on women and say, I'm too old to do things now.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): She tells me she has a few tips for living long, drinking a beer every night. Eating, a lot. And most importantly to find a
reason to get up every morning.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
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[12:30:10]
ASHER: All right. Let's see how the Dow is doing. Not just the Dow but the markets across the board here. All in the red. The Dow is down by half of a
percent. S&P 500, down a quarter of one percent. This is your business breakout.
GOLODRYGA: The Bank of Japan has raised its interest rates to a 31-year high of one and a quarter percent from one percent. The bank's governor is
signaling more hikes could come. The move follows rate hikes by the Central Banks in the U.S. and in Europe. Central banks are focusing on tamping down
inflation triggered by the Iran war, which have led to soaring oil costs.
ASHER: Russia is further moving to cement its grip on foreign-owned firms since the start of the Ukraine war. Moscow has seized the assets of Nestle
and French retailer Auchan and amid a broad nationalization drive. The Kremlin says, the European companies are from unfriendly countries actively
involved in hostilities against Russia.
GOLODRYGA: The man known as the Oracle of Omaha will give up his post as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett ended his decades-long
tenure as CEO at the end of last year. The 96-year-old will remain on the board as Chairman Emeritus. His son, Howard, will take over the role as
chairman.
ASHER: All right. Ed Sheeran is preparing for his next performance in Philadelphia Saturday evening, as the pop superstar's first performance
since all of the controversy we've been speaking about this week with one of his opening acts, which put Sheeran on the defensive.
GOLODRYGA: Robert Kraft used his stadium-owned influence to remove opening act Macklemore from Sheeran's tour. That was following Macklemore's
statement, Free Palestine, during an earlier performance.
Kraft accused Macklemore of having an anti-Semitic history. In response to Macklemore's removal, Sheeran's other opening acts resigned in solidarity.
ASHER: Joining us now is Aaron Terr. He's the director of public advocacy and -- for the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression.
I mean, obviously, all of this has backfired on Ed Sheeran and he's the one who hasn't really done anything. And I think that that is the point. I
mean, people do want artists, in this day and age, to take a stand.
But when it comes to Macklemore using the Ed Sheeran platform in that stadium in New Jersey to speak about an issue that is dear to, in his
words, his heart, where does free speech end? And, you know, expectations of what the audience wants.
I mean, obviously, some of Ed Sheeran's fans are Jewish. Some of them are on one side. Some of them on the other side. It's a completely mixed bag.
Obviously, they have completely varying viewpoints. You know, how do you draw the line between, you know, free speech and what the audience is
expecting? I mean, this is a concert. Some people say it should just be about the music.
[12:35:01]
AARON TERR, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC ADVOCACY, FOUNDATION OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EXPRESSION: Yes. Well, there's -- there's a couple ways to look at
this, I think. One is that private venue owners have the right to freedom of association. They have the right to decide who's going to perform on
their own stages.
And, you know, that -- that's not -- they're not the government. So, they're not restrained by the First Amendment in making those choices.
And of course, fans and audiences, they have their own First Amendment right to criticize Macklemore, to boycott him, to decide whether or not
they want to go to one of his shows. And they can even call on venue owners to -- to not allow him to perform there. That's all free speech.
But I think we can also ask, you know, what are the consequences of -- of incidents like this for our broader culture of free speech when you have an
artist that isn't able to express a controversial political view without being excluded from multiple major venues?
And I think it's -- it's fair to raise concerns about what that means for the -- the willingness and ability of artists to honestly speak their minds
without losing access to their audiences.
GOLODRYGA: I think there's been some pushback, on the one hand, that there's sort of a sense of double standards. There have been Jewish
artists, Matisyahu (ph), who have had their shows canceled and didn't draw nearly as much attention. Obviously, he's not as prominent of an artist as
Ed Sheeran.
But again, this is Macklemore who was an opening act for Ed Sheeran. And reading some of the background, it does appear that there had been a
conversation after the first time, Macklemore had said his views during a concert. And he said that he would not, or at least that's what's reported,
that -- that he would not follow in future events and concerts, and then he did.
So, what do you make about that argument? That, hey, there may be a double standard here. And this is Ed Sheeran's show. Macklemore can go put on his
own show if he wants.
TERR: Yes. No, look, my organization, FIRE, has been consistent on this. We actually did speak out about the cancellation of Matisyahu's shows as well
when he made comments that angered pro-Palestinian activists.
I think if there's a double standard, the answer -- the answer is to make it a single standard of promoting a culture of free speech and promoting
First Amendment rights, it's not to level down and say, well, then let's -- let's cancel everyone or let's try to silence every artist.
And, you know, and I think also this would be -- this would be a different case if Ed Sheeran himself had said, look, I don't want this artist to be
my opener anymore.
Ed Sheeran -- it's his show, right? So he has, of course, control over his own expressive product. And he can make an artistic or creative choice
about the content of his own show.
But, of course, that's not what happened here. And Ed Sheeran himself came out with a statement where he said he was trying to build bridges with the
venue owners and the promoter to -- to allow Macklemore to continue performing.
But they -- they were -- you know, they stuck -- stood there ground and continued to insist that he -- that Macklemore wouldn't be allowed to
continue on the tour.
ASHER: When you have a billionaire like Robert Kraft, essentially trying to silence an artist like Macklemore by saying, listen, you're going to play
at my venue, as you point out that it's his right, you know. It's his platform. He has a right to decide who can play in his venues.
But doesn't just for a cultural perspective, hasn't that backfired and that he has, by doing that, made Macklemore even more of a star?
TERR: That's right, yes. I think this episode is a great example of a phenomenon called the Streisand Effect, which is where attempts to silence
a speaker or suppress their speech ultimately backfired by bringing more attention to it. And that's exactly what's happened here, right?
I mean, this -- this removing Macklemore from the tour has brought tons of attention to his message. And it has led to other artists rallying around
him and support.
And, you know, if he had just been allowed to say his peace and the tour to continue, we wouldn't still be talking about this days later.
GOLODRYGA: How much agency does Macklemore have in this as well? There was a history here in terms of past comments or representation that he's made
by choosing to wear certain costumes that most anyone would find extremely offensive and anti-Semitic.
He -- there was a bit of an apology, I would say it was more of a -- that's not why intent, that's not what I knew or meant or -- or what have you. A
lot of people gave him the benefit of the doubt.
But when you even have Pink, who was a huge star, in her own right, a Jewish woman, who rarely speaks out politically, but say, hey, you know, a
line has been drawn here where someone comes out to a concert and basically tells a certain demographic that they should or shouldn't feel a certain
way.
[12:40:15]
How do you respond to that?
TERR: Yes. Look, there's an intense and ongoing debate about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and anti-Semitism, including when criticism of Israel crosses the line into anti-Semitism. And I think that's -- that's a debate
that we can and should have in a free society.
And I think ideally, though, in -- in a healthy culture of free expression, you know, people's instinct generally would be to respond to speech that
they think is hateful or offensive or misguided with criticism and more speech, rather than trying to prevent the speaker from being heard in the
first place.
ASHER: Just -- just following up in terms of, you know, what you said about a healthy society of free expression, which is so important. A lot of the -
- a lot of this has really backfired, not just Robert Kraft, but on Ed Sheeran, you know, himself.
You have all of these opening acts who have said, you know, we're not going to play for you, and not just opening acts, but including his band for the
shows, the upcoming shows.
And then, you know, aside from the fact that you have, you know, Instagram followers, sort of people un-following him, and then radio stations in
Europe saying, they're not going to play his songs anymore.
I mean, yes, we all have the right to speak to a certain extent, but we also should have the right to remain silent. I mean, if Ed Sheeran decides
that, listen, this is not an issue I want to wade into, that is also his right as well, no?
And -- and -- and it sort of seems as though he's now being forced to say something because we live in a world where it seems as though that people
want musicians and artists and celebrities to take a stand.
TERR: Yes, that's right. You're absolutely right that Ed Sheeran has every right to -- to not speak publicly about an issue just as Macklemore has the
right to speak out about it. And, you know, he may want to make the choice to -- to keep his shows apolitical, and that's a choice that he can make.
Now, at the same time, you know, other -- other people, they do have the right to criticize them for that. And I think that's just all part of the
debate.
You know, we do -- we do live, I think, in a pretty polarized society. And -- and the Israeli Palestinian conflict is one of the most polarizing
issues in public debate to the point where there is this sort of mindset among a lot of people involved in that debate that you -- you -- everyone
has an obligation to -- to take the right side of it.
Yes. I mean, I -- look, it's a -- that's all part of people's exercise of free speech. And I think it -- it -- it can be -- you can reasonably
criticize it and say that, look, we want to have some people or artists just be able to perform their art and not have to -- to get dragged into
these debates.
But, yes, I mean, that -- that's certainly not the -- the type of society we currently live in, at least when it comes to these really contentious
political issues.
ASHER: I mean, it is interesting you had, you know, Robert Kraft trying to sort of, I guess, cancel Macklemore, and then Ed Sheeran is now a bit --
well, let's just cancel everybody, right? Let's just cancel everybody. That's -- that's the world we're living in where there's just so much, you
know, intolerance of different viewpoints that everybody is sort of getting canceled in their own way, it sort of feels like.
But, Aaron --
GOLODRYGA: Doesn't lead down to productive road. At the same time, some people just want to enjoy music as well.
ASHER: Exactly.
GOLODRYGA: Aaron Terr, thank you. Appreciate.
You know, the positive here is that --
TERR: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: -- you're reminding us that we all have rights, which is something we should never take for granted as well.
Thank you so much.
TERR: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come on "One World," after the break, you'll meet the filmmakers who are honoring a group of people who risked their
lives for complete strangers during the Holocaust.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:47]
ASHER: Would you risk your life for a stranger? That is the question posed by the makers of a new film highlighting the extraordinary people who did
just that during one of the darkest periods of modern history.
Jewish humanitarian, Jonny Daniels, takes on a tour across Eastern Europe to meet and deliver holiday gifts to the last living righteous among the
nations.
GOLODRYGA: That is the title given to the non-Jewish people who put their lives on the line to save Jews facing persecution and death during the
Second World War.
Fewer than 65 of them still survive. And in a movie shot around the last holiday season, Jonny joined with Oscar-winning filmmaker, Vanessa Roth, to
share their incredible stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONNY DANIELS, JEWISH HUMANITARIAN: The interesting thing as well as your mother, she's not so comfortable talking about it. It's like every time I
say that you're a hero, you see she just gets up and runs away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I -- I think I believed when they did it, they didn't want to be a hero.
DANIELS: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just -- they were just rescuing lives.
DANIELS: It's very easy to think that, oh, I would have done that, right? Of course, I would have done it. I'm a good person, right? I would -- I'd
hide people. I'd do anything that needed to be done.
But would you really risk your life for a stranger, a neighbor, a friend? And if not, how far would you go?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: That was the choice people were given not so long ago and we have very few of those heroes left with us. Thankfully, we are joined by
filmmakers Jonny Daniels and Vanessa Roth who continue to tell their story. Thank you so much.
This is such a lovely and touching film but so important both of you as -- and we'll get into the conversation.
Fewer people are educated about what actually transpired during the Holocaust. And there are fewer of these heroes left to tell their own
story.
So, Jonny, in 2022, you set off with your dog in Christmas sweaters and a truck carrying Christmas trees and -- and toys and gifts for these families
that you went to go meet with across Europe.
Why did you choose to honor them and get to know them through the holiday of Christmas?
DANIELS: Well, I've been doing this for about 10 years and I've been -- 2022 is when we shot it, but we're doing it long before then.
And visiting these heroes was just our way of saying thank you. You know, often when I'd meet and sit with them and interview them prior to bringing
them these gifts, there was always the question of what they did and how they stood up and -- and just this incredible heroism. And now these are
people in their 90s and even over 100 years old. And it just felt like this was the perfect season to give back to them.
You know, this 100-year-old isn't going to be schlepping his own Christmas tree anymore, so that's when I can come in as difficult as it is carrying
many Christmas trees, it's something that I was very happy to do.
ASHER: And, Vanessa, let me bring you into the conversation because one of the things that really touched me, in terms of what was said in that
snippet we just played is this idea of, yes, we all want to believe that we would be that person, right?
That - that if we, you know, were witnessing the Holocaust take place or slavery or any one of humanity's many atrocities over the last several
hundred years, that we would be the person to stand up and say, this is wrong. I'm going to do something about it.
But, you know, I think for a lot of people, many people probably thought, look, I'm not participating in it, so my hands are clean. But to actually
have the courage to risk your own life, to help somebody who, you know, where -- it could obviously backfire on you. You're risking your own life
to help somebody who needs your help is such a beautiful thing.
[12:50:35]
What did you learn from this -- this -- this documentary about where that courage actually comes from in a person?
VANESSA ROTH, FILMMAKER: Yes. You know, I think that's -- it may be an unanswerable question about where it comes from. But one -- one thing that
really touched me through our whole journey was that every single righteous that we met with, when we asked that question, their answer was simply
because it was the right thing to do.
And so these were people who, whether that was taught or nature -- nurture for them, it was something that was the right thing for them to do.
And I think, you know, as a filmmaker, I've seen lots of atrocities, horrific things that people can do to each other, but the thing that I do
find actually, more often to be honest, is the goodness of people to each other in intimate moments and relationships.
And that's why I was so drawn to going with Jonny to meet these people that I think remind us that legacy and memory of character and what's the
capacity we have for goodness.
GOLODRYGA: And these are ordinary people who did extraordinary things and acts of heroism for many years too.
And, Jonny, you traveled to Poland and to Hungary and you would talk to these heroes and their family members as well. And there was one moment
where you were speaking with the great grandson of one of these heroes and it just connected, their stories, because so many of them were exactly the
age of this great grandson when they stood up to Nazis and hid, hid their fellow Jewish neighbors because it was the right thing to do. And there's
so much concern about teaching that lesson and making sure we never forget.
Let's play that clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIELS: Did you tell one of your friends in the school about this story? Do they know about this? They know about the war?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like I didn't tell them whole story. I told them that I have great grandma. She was like hiding in militia (ph). And she was like -
- like whole three years in danger. And that she's very special. She has many medals.
DANIELS: I understand that you had a special visitor who came here a few.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: So, Jonny, how important is it? And is this what you're trying to accomplish with this film, which opens today, to make sure that these
stories are never forgotten?
DANIELS: This is what it's all about, right? It's all about educating and it's all about making sure that the generations that follow learn from this
past that we take these messages and we push them forward.
I started my foundation 12 years ago because of my daughters. My oldest daughter was named after her great grandmother who survived Auschwitz and
passed away just before she was born.
And it's about making sure that this continues. It's about educating from this past. And it's about making sure that we can give people this
opportunity to have a glimpse into absolute heroism and just the best that humanity has to give. And this really is the last chance that we have to do
this, as we said, under 60 or just over 60 still alive.
This is the last chance that we have to make sure that we educate on this matter and connect us to these remarkable people.
ASHER: Vanessa, it's rare that you can have a documentary that covers the Holocaust but from a very, I guess, to, you know, uplifting and inspiring
and positive perspective.
So, when people watch this documentary, I mean, especially people like myself who didn't know much about the righteous. It wasn't something that
we necessarily were -- were taught in school or anything like that.
What do you want the takeaway to be? And how can these sorts of stories help us when we are confronted with choices in terms of doing the right
thing and standing up for those who don't have power in society and don't necessarily have a voice?
ROTH: Yes. I mean, I think like Jonny said too, the main point of this is that -- is that legacy memory, not just of the individuals, but of the
character of these individuals. And that we connect to what they did for inspiration for what we can do.
And I -- I always say, you know, standing up being an upstander, practicing good and service to others doesn't have to be loud. It doesn't have to be
one way of doing it.
And so I think if we can use this movie to reflect to honor the people in the film and really understand what they did was something that is
incomprehensible. But to take the themes of that to ourselves and our own capacity for what we can do for another human life, I think that's the most
important.
[12:55:12]
And to make kids understand that they have power to stand up for another person and to see another person, you know, as human.
GOLODRYGA: Especially when the people, for the most part who had power at the time, did nothing, they failed. And it was these everyday heroes --
ROTH: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: -- who -- who did something and saved thousands of people. You look at the generations of people on earth today that have them to think
for being alive. There were some 28,000, 29,000 total, recognized as righteous among nations, as you said less than 60 of them survive today.
And -- and, Jonny, I know you grew quite close with them and even over filming this documentary, over the course of four years. Many of them have
since passed. But we are so grateful that you have told their story. Again, the film is out today. Everyone should watch.
As Zain said, you know, she -- she continues to learn as well, as do I. Thank you. Jonny Daniels Vanessa Roth. We really appreciate the time.
ASHER: Thank you both.
ROTH: Thank you for having us so much.
DANIELS: Thank you so much.
ROTH: Thank you.
DANIELS: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. That does it for "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. "Amanpour" is us up next. Have a great weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
