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One World with Zain Asher

Iranian President: We will "Never Bow Our Head or Bend at the Knee"; Witkoff: U.S. and Iran had Lengthy Talks on UNGA Sidelines; Trump Administration: White House can Ban Media at will for National Security; Trump Set to Meet with China's Xi Amid Global Concerns; Rare September Nor'easter Could Bring Coastal Flooding; Study: Warnings Could Deter Social Media Use for Young People. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired September 23, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World".

Iran's President is getting a rare opportunity to make his case to the world. Nearly seven months after U.S.-Israeli strikes plunged his nation

into a war.

President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the General Assembly just moments ago. His speech on day two of the diplomatic gathering comes as U.S.

President Trump appeared to offer a stark choice for Tehran, a peace deal or complete annihilation. The Iranian President said Tehran has been the

victim of terrorism. He accused Washington of not respecting international law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT: Yesterday, the United States President described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of

terrorism. I come from an Iran in which our esteemed supreme leader was assassinated without any legal framework or reason.

I come from an Iran where, in truth, they bombed a school. You see these children. These children perished under bombs with weapons used by the

United States and Israel. They were innocent. Had committed no crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: At least 120 children and 26 teachers were killed in the deadly U.S. strike on an Iranian elementary school at the outset of the war this,

according to Iranian officials. Minutes into the Iranian President's speech, the sole U.S. delegate in the room walked out.

And U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General

Gathering. He was asked about Iran. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: At the end of the day, the one thing you will find in the region is that virtually every country in the region

is facing the threat of some Iranian proxy that has, for years, not for the last few months, four years threatened the safety and security of these

countries, and on that, there's very strong consensus that Iran is a malign force in the region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: There's a lot to get to. I want to bring in our team of reporters. Fred Pleitgen has done exclusive reporting from inside Iran and

joins us from Berlin today. And our Chief International Anchor Christian Amanpour is at the U.N. for us with the very latest.

Christian, you have been there all week following all of these developments. Here we had the President of the United States yesterday

threatening total annihilation or diplomacy and set a target date of the midterms, in terms of when he would make his decision? What did you hear?

What did you make of Iran's President's case to the U.N. today?

CHRISTIAN AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, I think there are two very important aspects given the urgency of the nature, because this

war is not going well for the United States or for the U.S. allies in the region. You see all the political fallout, you see the economic fallout,

you see the energy fallout. It's just not going well.

So, the Iranian President said that, and I'm going to get it right by quoting it, Iran must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to

bully us that we are ready for dialog and diplomacy and negotiations, without accepting the language of force. So, they are not saying no to

negotiations.

And I think that's interesting, given that Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Envoy, tweeted or X-ed yesterday that there had been indirect negotiations for

several hours between Iran and the United States. And he seemed to indicate that there might be, without saying it outright. There might be some

progress.

We don't know whether this is just hopeful talk either by Iran or by the United States. But clearly, they want to keep the dialog open because it's

not working militarily for either side. And the economic squeeze by the U.S. on Iranian economy, the Iranian ports, is making a big impact inside

Iran.

And as I said, the Strait of Hormuz crisis, precipitated by the U.S.-Israel war, is making a global crisis. Then, to turn to what President Trump had

said in his speech yesterday, which Pezeshkian addressed. He inter alia threatened annihilation. You know that didn't go very well the last time.

He had to retract when he threatened to destroy Iran's civilization, if you remember.

A few months ago, now it's annihilation. Well, we don't know what that actually means?

[11:05:00]

But what we do know is that he did say, President Trump, that twice we tried in good faith to have negotiations with Iran over the nuclear file.

That was in July of 25, and again he said in in February of 26, twice he said Iran refused. Hence these wars.

Well, of course that's not correct. Iran did not refuse. Many of the intermediaries say that there was very close to being actually even maybe a

better deal for Trump on the table in February than even Obama had got under the JCPOA. Nonetheless, for whatever reason, history will figure it

out. Trump decided to go to war with Israel.

So, on that level, that's the record. About nuclear weapons, he said that - - again he said what Iran's position is, that we don't want nuclear weapons; we just want it for energy, and we have the inspectors, and we are

ready, as I said, to dialog over it. About terrorism, you played that soundbite where Pezeshkian said that they called us terrorists, but look

what they did to our children.

And I think that's super important because the killing of those 100 plus children and school teachers in the opening day of the war has had a huge

impact across the country, across the region, and still in the international community for several reasons.

One, that the United States has never fessed up to it. And two, that even CNN's most recent reporting on this in the last couple of months says that

they were operating on outdated intelligence. And not only that, let me get it straight by reading it for you, that they, the commanders, the U.S.

commanders, bypassed warnings about outdated intelligence ahead of that strike that hit the school.

So, all of this is the atmospherics around what is a major, major crisis that has to be resolved. And we just don't know what is going to be the

outcome of these indirect talks and what will happen. President Trump thinks that there's an end game after the midterms. The Iranians haven't

said that.

GOLODRYGA: No. And Christian, can I just ask you a quick follow-up? We heard Pezeshkian say that the country is still open for dialog. Is he

speaking, from your reporting and from your understanding, for the IRGC, sort of the more hardliners as well, with that line as there has been

increased reports of tensions even within leadership in the country now?

AMANPOUR: You're absolutely right. It's very difficult. The experts and the actual officials who I've spoken to are former security officials in Iran,

they say to me, don't get this wrong. You might think there's a division, and you might see a hardening, a harder line coming out of Iran since this

war.

And yes, the IRGC does appear to be leading, certainly the military aspect of it. We're not sure about the diplomacy, but we do know, according to

officials who I talk to, that there is a consensus that Pezeshkian is not saying one thing here with other people saying another thing in Tehran.

So, I do believe they have the authority to say negotiations are possible, and we want to still see them. But the IRGC is in charge clearly of its

military answers. So, when they think it's not going right, they go to escalation. So, this is the very dangerous dynamic.

And just one more thing. I spoke to a regional official, one of the sorts of regional mediators, who said to me that, in their view, that the IRGC

was essentially running the show, so to speak, and that the Pezeshkian, Araghchi Foreign Minister contingent are mostly the conduits. But in

general, it operates on one line.

GOLODRYGA: On one line, but it is the Pezeshkian and Araghchi line with which U.S. negotiators met yesterday for several hours.

AMANPOUR: Correct.

GOLODRYGA: I know you'll continue. Yes, go ahead.

AMANPOUR: No, just that that will go back to the IRGC, and then they'll make a decision on whether it's a good deal or not. So, when I say a

consensus, they all talk about it. All the bits that make up the ruling Iranian system.

So here you have the diplomats, there you have the military, and the two have to figure out whether the twain can meet. It's always been like that,

except they killed Khamenei, who used to play the final decision maker. There is no final decision maker right now.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, that is the regime change that I guess President Trump has been touting and saying that he's accomplished so far in killing the

Ayatollah on the first day of this war. Christian Amanpour a busy day for you ahead. You'll be covering President Zelenskyy's speech, also coming up

in a few hours' time. Thank you so much.

All right, let's go to Fred Pleitgen. You've been patiently waiting, Fred. You've been on the ground there in Iran, one of the few journalists that

has been there internationally since this war began.

[11:10:00]

Just give us a sense of where things stand now, from what you heard yesterday from President Trump's speech, and then today with President

Pezeshkian?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think for the Iranians, Bianna, it was extremely important to get the messaging

right ahead of the speech of Masoud Pezeshkian the President of Iran. And one of the things that Christian was saying certainly seems to be very

correct.

The messaging for them is very important in two key points. On the one hand, it is about the future of negotiations and possible escalation, where

we've heard in the past, I would say, 24 to 48 hours, the same message come from various places inside Iran. You had the Head of the Supreme National

Security Council, Mohsen Rezaee.

He is saying, look, they're ready for escalation. They have new weapons, if that is the case. But the Iranians are also ready for negotiations. The

same message coming from one of the leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in an Iranian talk show, news talk show last night.

Now we're hearing it from Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, saying the Iranians are not going to bow down to the Americans. Of course, referencing

that speech from U.S. President Donald Trump, but at the same time that the Iranians are ready for negotiations and are ready to move on to some sort

of negotiated settlement if they feel that it is in their interest.

I do want to take a listen to that sound bite from Masoud Pezeshkian from the Iranian President during that speech regarding all of that, and the

message to U.S. President Donald Trump. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEZESHKIAN: Iran must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialog and diplomacy and negotiations

without accepting the language of force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Without accepting the language of force, and that certainly is an important key part. You know, as I've been monitoring Iranian state media,

but also Iranian politicians ahead of this very important speech for the Iranians, is that they wanted to make the point. It was key for them to

make the point that they were the ones who were attacked and that they were the ones who have been suffering.

We saw that in Masoud Pezeshkian's speech, where he held up the picture of the slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and also spoke about the

civilian casualties in Minab, which was, of course, where many, many people were killed on the ground when that school was hit, and Lamerd, which was a

second town where a sports hall was also hit as well.

It was very important inside Iran in that messaging to bring that message across in front of the United Nations. And of course, Christian already

spoke about the fact that the Iranian President also talked about the fact that they want to continue their civilian nuclear program. They believe

it's their inherent rights to do that.

That the missiles that they have are for self-defense. But at the same time, that they also say that if the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

continues from the U.S. side, that naval blockade, that the Iranians are going to continue to choke that key waterway. However, they do believe that

there is a way forward and that there is a possibility for diplomacy to prevail, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and we are just getting some wire reporting that senior Iranian officials to Reuters said that during these indirect talks with

U.S. officials, Witkoff yesterday, as Christian had noted, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade being lifted were discussed with the

Iranian. So, we'll see if more progress is made on the diplomatic front in the days and weeks to come. Fred Pleitgen, thank you.

All right, let's dig deeper with Aaron David Miller. He is a Former State Department Middle East Negotiator and a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie

Endowment for International Peace. Aaron, always good to see you.

So, between what we heard yesterday with President Trump's position of either complete annihilation or diplomacy, and President Pezeshkian saying

Iran won't surrender either, but still believes in diplomacy, do you think there is a path, an off-ramp, here to ending the war soon?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: Yeah, I think there's an off ramp, but it's going to require an adjustment

on the part of both the administration and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. And right now, I don't think there is enough pain or prospects of

gain by either side to reach that sort of magic balance point.

I assumed wrongly that the negotiations with Mr. Kushner and Witkoff were direct. I'm now hearing that these are indirect negotiations. Bianna, I've

been around negotiations most of my professional life, and the reality is, you can't do this on the back of a cocktail napkin. You can't do it on a

cell phone, and frankly, you can't do it through intermediaries.

Look at the MOU, the June 17th MOU, which is one of the worst negotiated documents, probably in the history of Middle East negotiations. I think you

do need a measure of trust and confidence. You don't have that, but more important.

[11:15:00]

You need to find the balance point between what the Iranians want seven months into this war? And what the administration is prepared to accept?

And right now, given the price that oil, even though diesel is up, is still trading anywhere in the 80 to $90 range. I don't think either side believes

that there is real urgency to settle this.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah. If you could just go back to the point, you made a moment ago, most of our viewers are not very well versed in diplomatic speech and

phrasing. So, when you talk about indirect versus direct negotiations, just lay out and distinguish the differences between the two. And why indirect

perhaps leads you to feel a bit more pessimistic?

MILLER: I mean, mediators can play a role. Proximity negotiations, where in fact you have the parties in the same building but not in the same room or

in different hotels, some of the negotiations over the Joint Conference Plan of Action were done that way. But you also need direct contact,

because in the end, it is a question of trust and confidence.

I don't think it exists. I think the Iranians have a high degree of suspicion about Steve Witkoff and maybe even Jared Kushner. I think one of

the reasons that J.D. Vance got involved in these negotiations is because the Iranians viewed him as someone who wasn't interested in extending the

war, and might have adopted a position that was somehow untethered from what the Israelis were pushing.

So, there's no trust, there's no confidence, and the Iranians are determined. Seems to me, having weaponized geography and over the Strait of

Hormuz and encouraged their -- the Houthis are not proxies; these are not proxies. They are partners. The Iranians do not remote control them, but

having encouraged the Houthis to now basically constrain the Bab Al Mandab, the Gate of tears.

It seems to me they are determined to create a new reality. Is the President of the United States prepared to accept a degree of Iranian

leverage and control over what or who gets through the Strait of Hormuz? And I think the answer right now is absolutely not.

And I do believe, as long as oil continues to trade in the 80 $90 range, I think that this conflict and the president's determination to somehow see

it through, emerging as a winner, not as a compromised loser, I think this could go on.

GOLODRYGA: It could go on as long as the president feels that he still hasn't achieved his initial goal, and that was to prevent Iran from

developing a nuclear bomb. And there, we heard from President Pezeshkian saying that they don't need a nuclear bomb, but they want nuclear energy.

And so, in that, in that, I think, that lane at least, when it comes to nuclear proliferation, we seem to be back in square one. So, I don't know

how much longer this can go back and forth, but this is clearly what the president set out to prevent.

And maybe hasn't sold the U.S. public as well as he should have on it, but he continues to say that this is something every U.S. administration has

tried to prevent as well. Aaron David Miller, we're going to have to leave it there. Thank you so much.

MILLER: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, a new CNN poll shows yet again Republicans are facing a bleak midterm election. President Trump's popularity is at a record low,

and that's even lower than it was during the 2018 midterms, which were dismal for the Republicans. And the economy has worsened considerably since

then.

Let's take a look at the numbers. Just one third of respondents say they approve of the job that Trump is doing. That continues a steady decline

throughout his second term. His previous low was 34 percent back in July. Let's break the approval ratings down by issue. 39 percent say he's doing a

good job on immigration, the same as in July.

Just over a quarter think he's handling the economy well, down from 30 percent over the summer. A little more than a quarter say Iran is another

sore spot, falling a bit in July, and just one fifth of respondents say he's handling inflation well. That's down from an already low 25 percent.

Let's take a closer look at the numbers with CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene. So, on the one hand, Alayna, the president says that he

doesn't care about deadlines or the midterms, that he's going to make a decision on Iran one way or the other after the elections, but he's not on

the ballot.

[11:20:00]

His party is, and this is quite an indictment on the head of the Republican Party right now.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, look, the president, and I remind you, actually, the one of the key strategies that

his political operation, the president's, I should say, is putting into place ahead of the midterms is to tell voters, and you heard the president

say this at the midterm convention in Dallas a week or so ago.

Pretend my name is on the ballot. The problem with that is we're seeing his unpopularity, particularly in a number of these key issues, drag down

Republicans across the ticket. And that is an issue that many in the party recognize is a major problem for them ahead of the midterms, especially

when you look at where things were back at the same time during his first term back in 2018.

Donald Trump was not all that popular then either, but he was popular on one of the key issues we're seeing, which is the issue of the economy. Not

so much right now, given what we've seen with the Iran war driving up gas prices, raising a lot of concerns about affordability.

I do want to get into some of these numbers with you, though, Bianna. One question that was asked in this poll is how is Trump handling his job as

president? 13 percent only 13 percent said that they strongly approved of how he's handling his job. 20 percent said they moderately approve. 16

percent moderately disapprove.

And then a 51 percent that is a huge number of voters saying that they strongly disapprove of how he's handling his job. Get into the next number.

Does the president have the right priorities? Only 24 percent of the American adults polled said yes, compared to 76 percent who said no.

On issues specifically those that are extremely important to their congressional vote in the midterms. 68 percent said the economy is the most

important issue for them. The next one was voting elections, voting an election. 61 percent said that is extremely important to them. 60 percent

on inflation, 54 percent on healthcare, 5 percent on immigration, 48 percent the war with Iran.

I'd remind you a lot of these are issues that we're actually not hearing the president talk a lot about. Then you look at how the approval looks of

how the president is handling certain issues. 39 percent say he's handling voting in elections well. 39 percent saying he's handling immigration well.

You got 29 percent for foreign affairs, 29 percent tariffs.

Helping the middle class only 28 percent approve of that, and then 27 percent on the economy. The economy one is the one to really focus on

because, in all these elections, you know I've covered many campaigns and elections Bianna, they always say it's the economy, stupid. That is going

to be a key driver for Americans. How are they feeling about their own wallets and pocket books?

And one thing before we get out of this, I just want to address: is you know you brought up this idea that the president says he doesn't care that

much about these polling. He's going to wait to see, particularly on Iran, what to do after the midterms. But I can tell you, he cares deeply about

what happens in this election.

Yes, his name is not on the ballot. But if Republicans lose their majority, either in the House, the Senate, or both, that poses a number of different

issues for the president. One, he's not going to be able to get a lot of the policy items through that he wants. But two, that gives them the power

to do investigations into him, similar to what we saw back during his first term.

And that's something I know many officials are very much concerned about. So, the stakes are high for the president as well, not just the candidates

on the ballot.

GOLODRYGA: The stakes are high for the president, and one source bought specifically the economy, which they've traditionally done better than the

Democrats in terms of trust from the American public. At least recently, that's not what these new polls suggest. Alayna Treene, thank you so much.

All right, ahead on "One World", the biggest confrontation in years between the U.S. President and the media goes before a judge today in a case that

will further test First Amendment protections under the Trump Administration.

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[11:25:00]

GOLODRYGA: In just about four hours, the fight over Donald Trump's media ban will be heading to court. CNN, POLITICO, and MS Now are asking a

federal judge who was appointed during the first Trump Administration to declare the ban unconstitutional and immediately restore their access to

the White House.

But in a filing on Tuesday, the DOJ argued the ban shouldn't be blocked, citing national security concerns, and it claimed access to the White House

is a privilege, not a right, despite First Amendment protections around press freedom. Trump, meanwhile, is predicting a loss and won't say whether

he will comply with the judge's order.

It's not just the press ban; it is also the ballroom, Trump's proposed triumphal arch, and the war in Iran. U.S. national security is cited as the

reason behind all of these. CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: This is an astonishing filing on a lot of different fronts. One, the Justice

Department is arguing that 50 years of court precedent should be overturned. The type of precedent that was guaranteeing that reporters just

didn't have press credentials revoked without a formal process, due process that would be underlined by the Constitution.

That was law set 50 years ago. They say that it's time to throw that out. That's one argument we're getting here. The other one that is truly

astonishing in how the Justice Department is trying to set this up in court? They have the Press Secretary from the Pentagon.

They say the Press Secretary from the Department of War saying that it is a national security risk because of reporting CNN, MS Now, and POLITICO have

done about the White House and specifically about the White House complex, the ballroom that Donald Trump tore down, that becomes they say a national

security risk, and that is grounds for the president to decide based on that reporting alone, based on his dislike of those stories being

published.

That should be grounds to throw out those organizations from the White House Press Corps. We have not seen this sort of argument before in other

cases like this, where the press credentials were revoked of individual correspondents, or where outlets like "The Associated Press" lost their

ability to cover the president in private spaces like Air Force One because they refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

That did happen, and courts are still looking at aspects of that case. Ultimately, "The Associated Press" in that situation was not purged

entirely from the building, and the court said that press outlets couldn't be purged entirely from the White House. In this case, the Justice

Department is going far further than that in these arguments.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Our thanks to Katelyn Polantz for that report. Still ahead on "One World" trade, AI, and the war in Iran there are plenty of hot

button issues on the agenda when Chinese Leader Xi Jinping meets with President Trump at the White House. Details on the upcoming state visit

ahead.

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[11:30:00]

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York. Here are some headlines we're watching this hour. Iran's President says his

nation has been the victim of terrorism. His speech to the UNGA comes one day after President Trump said he faces a decision between making a deal to

end the war or, in his words, annihilating Iran.

Iran's President said the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of increased bullying. Ukraine's President will

address the U.N. later today. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he's ready for trilateral talks with Russia and the U.S. to end the war in his country.

Hours earlier, Russian drones attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

And in the coming hours, Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez will also address the U.N. General Assembly. This follows her Tuesday meeting

with President Trump, which she called historic. She says they discuss strengthening ties and increasing cooperation in energy and security, among

other things.

And artificial intelligence is in the spotlight at the United Nations. Executives from three top AI companies will brief the U.N. Security Council

on potential dangers of the technology. President Trump is against stifling AI innovation, and the administration will hold its own AI meeting today.

Chinese Leader Xi Jinping will soon arrive in Washington. The last time he met face to face with President Trump in the U.S. was in 2017. Nearly one

decade later, and China has emerged as a tech heavyweight. Xi's visit comes amid tense political discussions in the U.S. over AI regulation.

President Trump making it clear that he does not want to slow down development. Trade will also be a major topic at tomorrow's summit. Ivan

Watson explains the current trade frictions between the world's most powerful economies.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We must make it work and never mess it up. That's a quote attributed to the Chinese Leader Xi

Jinping in Chinese state media, where he describes the U.S.-China relationship as the most important bilateral relationship in the world. And

he's traveling to Washington to follow up on President Trump's visit to Beijing back in May.

[11:35:00]

These two economic superpowers are in the midst of a truce from what had been a trade war launched by President Trump in the first year of his

administration. So, trade is foremost a topic of conversation, which was addressed by the U.S. Treasury Secretary when he met with Chinese

counterparts in New York on Sunday. There, he suggested some kind of framework to help regulate the rapidly developing AI technology. Take a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We think that just like with any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more transparency between

the number one and the number two AI powers in the world very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Of course, China is involved in an AI race with the U.S. so not clear how open the Chinese are to seeing new regulations that could slow

down the development of this valuable technology. Bessent also said, and the U.S. Trade Representative that there was discussion of creating a Board

of Trade identifying products and commodities where the U.S. and China could potentially lower tariffs that slow down trade between the two

countries.

The two leaders are coming together with remarkably different positions. President Trump is flagging in polls. He is approaching midterm elections,

unclear what will happen there. The Chinese Leader Xi Jinping, while he faces some challenges in the Chinese economy, not enjoying the growth rates

of a decade ago, for example, and struggling with some high youth unemployment, he is not facing elections anytime soon.

And unlike Trump, the Chinese eater is not mired in a Middle East war with no end in sight, which Trump is facing with Iran, and where Trump would

likely seek some assistance from China. Of course, China is Iran's largest trading partner. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

GOLODRYGA: All right, my next guest is Christopher Hill. He's a five-time U.S. Ambassador and a Former Assistant Secretary of State. Ambassador Hill,

great to have you back on the program. So, we know that Trump is going through extraordinary lengths to roll out the pomp and circumstance here

for this upcoming visit in state dinner.

He's going to personally welcome President Xi at Joint Base Andrews. A gesture that, according to "The Financial Times", no president has made for

a visiting leader since 1962. Xi didn't meet Trump at the airport in Beijing when he visited. So, what does this extra sign of respect, I guess,

from President Trump signal to President Xi?

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FIVE-TIME U.S. AMBASSADOR: Yeah, I think to some extent it is an extra sign of respect, but it's really an extra sign of the

importance that President Trump attaches to this this meeting. He desperately, and I don't think that's too strong a word, desperately needs

some kind of cooperation with the Chinese.

No question that China has its own set of issues of slowing down economy. But they would like to see from the president kind of calming down of some

of these sort of daily clutch-less shifts in our tariff policy. So, they want a little more regularity there.

But I think you know often, well, as important as these issues are, especially the AI issue. Usually, at summits, the urgent becomes trumps the

important, and I think the urgent is the question of what can be done about this Iran war, because this is as we've seen in the last couple of weeks

with the Houthis in in Saudi Arabia.

I mean, this we haven't seen the peak yet of these gasoline prices, and this is really politically political dynamite for the president.

GOLODRYGA: We also know that members of his own party are expressing frustration and even speaking out publicly against the president welcoming

Xi this way. A Republican Senator Roger Wicker says he shouldn't have been invited in the first place and criticized this lavish welcome.

So where is the difference between in the line between making it clear that the United States is dependent a lot on China right now in a number of

spheres around the world, from technology to geopolitics, and the line of giving Xi perhaps too much of the upper hand.

HILL: Yeah, I think over the years the Republican Party has been conditioned to believe that China is the root of many of our problems. I

think the president, though, is taking the view that China is the route or route, really, toward some kind of solution.

[11:40:00]

And so, he's asking the Republican Party to kind of switch directions on China, and it's a tough sell with the Republicans who are really very

concerned by what they see as a China that whose ambitions they wear on their sleeves and who are seem to be willing to take us on in a number of

areas, including this crucial area of AI.

I think Trump, however, as is often the case with Trump, is looking at it on a more short-term basis, and that is to the question of whether China

can somehow be helpful to the U.S. in bringing this Iran war to some kind of calming down, such that oil prices will start coming down.

I mean, that's clearly what the president's focused on. And so, going to the airport, if that's what it takes, I think from the president's point of

view, that's a small price. Frankly, it's going to take a lot more than that. It's going to take President Trump assuring the Chinese that he's

going to stay on an you know narrow path and not create all these problems for China and its and its economy and for the other countries.

So, you know I think to some extent this is kind of payback for all the problems that Trump has created in the world in the last few months, I

should say. And I think the Chinese are in pretty good shape to be able to listen to these and explain to President Trump what they need, and we'll

see how this comes out.

But I think I think it'll probably be Bally Hoot is a pretty successful summit with both sides coming away to some extent with as winners.

GOLODRYGA: So where does that leave Taiwan now? I would imagine not a winner and quite concerned about that arms package that they're still

waiting for from the U.S.

HILL: Yeah, I think it's a very perilous course to predict what Trump is going to do, but he seems to like the concept of just delaying and putting

off. He feels it keeps his leverage. So, I don't think we're going to see any bold announcements on Taiwan. I suspect we'll see more of the same.

That is, he's announced the package, but I don't. He hasn't moved forward, and I think that will continue for some time. I mean, the Chinese would

like to hear some recitation of the long-standing U.S. policy of one China policy. I'm not sure they're going to get that in the way that they'd like

to hear it.

But I think certainly the president is going to be very careful about not poking them in the eye with more -- with the arms package.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we will be following President Xi's arrival, greeted there by President Trump in just a few hours' time, and obviously the summit

tomorrow as well. Thank you so much, Ambassador Chris Hill. Really appreciate it. Still ahead on "One World", the massive Hurricane Polo in

the Pacific has slightly weakened, but that doesn't mean it poses no threat to those living along the coast. That's up next after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:00]

GOLODRYGA: The Eastern U.S. is bracing for what could be a rare September nor'easter. Forecasters say a strong coastal storm could develop this week,

unleashing gusty winds and flooding. Let's discuss with our Derek Van Dam, who is joining us live from the CNN Weather Center. So, what's in store for

the next few days, Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, we're looking for significant impacts, especially across the coastline of Southern New England. So,

anywhere from Boston through Nantucket into Southern Rhode Island, Connecticut, Long Island, near New York City, stretching towards the Mid

Atlantic as well.

These are the areas we do have a lot of question marks on exactly where the path of this developing and strengthening low pressure system will go? And

that's going to help determine who will see the greatest impacts from it. But coastal erosion, strong gusty winds leading to power outages, also the

potential for inland flooding, depending on where the track of this system goes.

So, we're monitoring all of those variables right now, but here's the kind of general setup. You're looking at a live radar and satellite composite.

You've got high pressure to the north, low pressure to the south. These two are working together right now to put a pretty powerful northeasterly

component. That's why we're looking towards this as a -- this rare early September or early season nor'easter, and you can see it with the winds.

So, what this is doing is driving in parts of the Atlantic Ocean across the coastline here, especially when we reach times of high tide cycles through

the course of the day. That's why we have coastal flood warnings and advisories in place across much of the Mid-Atlantic coastline.

Again, this is really regulated to the coastal regions of this area. But as we go forward in time, things are going to change because that low-pressure

system I showed you a moment ago is going to take on some different characteristics as we head into the weekend. And once it finally gets its

act together, it's going to be a formidable storm.

Still, that northeasterly wind component, but it's going to be impacting places like New York to Boston and the Cape here. This is the region that

could get buffeted by powerful winds in excess of 50 to 60 miles per hour, especially near the coastline. But again, this is going to stick around for

several days, and that's the concern here.

So, as it drives up the rain or it drives up the Atlantic Ocean, the potential for coastal erosion certainly exists. There's another big story

that we're monitoring. This one for the other portions of our country in the United States. This is Hawaii, and we're monitoring Tropical Depression

15.

It doesn't look very organized now, but the latest data from the National Hurricane Center has this putting it on a track towards the Big Island of

Hawaii, about 200,000 residents call this home, and check that out. It could be a major hurricane upon its closest arrival this weekend. Remember,

this has been a very active hurricane season across the Hawaiian Islands.

No direct landfalls, but we've had four near misses that have been very impactful. If this one makes landfall, that'd be rather rare, could cause

some serious flooding concerns with mudslides and also wind damage, depending on its path Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: We'll be following it closely. Thank you so much, Derek Van Dam. Well, Hurricane Polo has weakened from a rare Category Five to a Category

Four, but it is still very strong. The storm is a few 100 miles southeast of Manzanillo, Mexico.

The storm's dangerous hurricane-force winds of up to 156 miles per hour are forecast to stay offshore as it moves northwest, parallel to Mexico's

coastline. Polo's most significant impact is the possible life-threatening flooding and mudslides in the region. The storm is feeding off of warmer

water, driven by the Super El Nino. CNN's Valeria Leon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The storm is already being felt along Mexico's coast, and authorities are warning of flooding and landslides. In the State of Colima, the effects of the hurricane are

already visible. Umbrellas flap under heavy winds along the empty beaches that are usually teeming with tourists this time of the year.

Navy search and rescue teams have been deployed to coastal areas with equipment ready if they are needed. The military has also mobilized to

respond to the storm. Heavy rain has already flooded some streets in Colima, and with more rain expected, authorities are warning of landslides

and flash flooding.

[11:50:00]

President Claudia Sheinbaum is urging people in the affected states to keep up with protection updates. The U.S. Embassy has also issued a weather

alert for Americans along Mexico's Pacific Coast and on the Baja Peninsula, warning of heavy rain and dangerous ocean currents.

And with a storm that has intensified this quickly, conditions can change fast. So, for communities along the coast, every hour to prepare matters.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: And still ahead on "One World", social media can sometimes pose a health threat to young people, but what if it came with warning labels?

Coming up, safe for scrolling online.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: A new study finds teenagers and young adults who saw warnings about social media's potential health harm said those messages discourage

them from wanting to use it. CNN's Ivan Rodriguez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new approach to protecting young people from potential social media dangers, warnings

designed to look like something you might actually see while using Instagram. Researchers recruited more than 1000 people between the ages of

13 and 29, roughly half teenagers and half adults, and showed them 15 different messages on a mock Instagram page.

The messages warned about possible harms, including depression and anxiety, negative body image, sleep disruption, addiction, and overall mental health

harms. There was also a neutral control message and one suggesting a voluntary social media break.

DR. THOMAS ROBINSON, PROFESSOR OF CHILD HEALTH, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: How much does this message discourage you from wanting to use social media? And

how much does this message increase your awareness of the harms of using social media? All of the messages, the health harm messages, were rated

more likely to discourage their social media use and increase their awareness of the harms.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): The strongest warnings focused on mental health warnings, including depression and anxiety. Researchers also found the

health warnings generally outperformed a simple screen time break message, the kind some platforms already use voluntarily.

But there is one key unanswered question. The study measured what participants thought the warning would motivate them to do not what they

actually did.

[11:55:00]

DR. ROBINSON: We believe that these results suggest that we would see meaningful change. However, we haven't tested that yet, and that's the next

step, is to actually test it because we need to then test in a real world setting what happens when these messages are displayed when you open your

social media.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): I'm Ivan Rodriguez reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: And finally, before we go this hour, money doesn't have to be hidden in a mattress. Italian police say they found more than 3 million

euros in cash hidden all over an apartment. It was under floor tiles, behind walls, and in secret drawers. Officers carried the bundles of 50-

euro notes in -- out in mop buckets. The raid in Naples led to 34 arrests.

Now, according to prosecutors, the suspects belong to the Angelino Mafia Clan. Police also seized 11 Rolex watches, guns, and drug paraphernalia.

The raid was part of a months-long sting operation, something out of a crime film. All right, stay with CNN. I'll have more "One World" after the

break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END