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One World with Zain Asher
Iranian President Pezeshkian Addresses World Leaders At UNGA; Trump Losing Ground With True Independent Voters; White House Promotes "Trump T.V." Amid Media ban Dispute; 100 Plus People Say Six Flags Roller Coaster Caused Brain Injuries; U.N. Chief Urges Leaders To Develop A.I. Safety Standards; Catholic Priests March In Rome To Protest Violence In Gaza; CNN Puts "Meta Muse" To The Test; Melania Trump Breaks With The President On Media Ban; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 23, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:24]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
"We will never bow our head." Iran's president hits the global stage with harsh words for President Trump. They say they came to ride a roller
coaster famous and left with life-altering brain injuries.
And later, the First Lady and the president don't always see eye to eye on everything. And this time, Melania Trump is taking her own path when it
comes to the press. We'll explain.
Well, the leaders of two nations grappling with an active war take center stage and address the world on the second day of the U.N. General Assembly
underway here in New York.
Ukraine's president is set to take the podium and make his case for his nation later today. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he's ready for
trilateral talks with Russia and the U.S. to end the war in his country. His speech comes as Russian drones struck the capital of Kyiv in broad
daylight and explosions echoed across the city.
And earlier, Iran's president said that his nation will, quote, never bow our head or bend at the knee. Masoud Pezeshkian's defiant speech at the
U.N. came one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said that he faces a decision between annihilating Iran or making a deal to end the war. The
Iranian president said Tehran has been the victim of terrorism.
Fred Pleitgen has done exclusive reporting from Iran and joins us now from Berlin. So, Fred, what stood out to you if anything from his speech that,
of course, following President Trump's speech yesterday where he threatened either complete annihilation or a road to diplomacy?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And -- and Masoud Pezeshkian, at the beginning of his speech, the Iranian president
also really making reference to President Trump's speech from the day before, where he said exactly what you just said right now, threatening
annihilation, at the same time, saying that the United States still wants to make a deal with the Iranians, and even said that he changed that
speech.
And I think there were two main messages that the Iranian president want to get across. On the one hand, the Iranians are saying that they're not going
to bow down to that pressure. We've been talking about that a little bit.
And they say that if the United States escalates once again, if it does come to another war, shooting war between the United States and Iran, that
the Iranians have new weapons that the Iranians are going to strike back in a very strong way.
At the same time, the Iranians are also saying that they believe diplomacy still has a chance and that diplomacy is still very much part of the
strategy that they have.
I want to listen into what Masoud Pezeshkian said about the fact that the Iranians say they are not going to bow to U.S. pressure but are still up
for a deal. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Iran must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready
for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Those who seek to bully us, obviously speaking about the United States, obviously speaking about Israel as well, the Iranians, of course,
in late February attacked by both the United States and Israel. And that was really the key second point that Masoud Pezeshkian wanted to bring
across, wanted to make clear in this very large international forum that the Iranians were the ones who were attacked and that Iranian civilians
were the ones who were suffering.
Of course, he spoke about Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, being killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike. but also about some of
those events that had those big civilian casualties like that school in Minab near the Persian Gulf that was -- that was bombed and then also
Lamerd where school hall was bombed. Of course, a lot of civilian casualties there as well.
And one of the interesting things that Masoud Pezeshkian then said is he took reference again to President Trump's speech saying that Iran, as the
U.S. president put it, was the main state sponsor of terrorism, where the Iranians are saying that they were the victims of terrorism because of
those attacks that took place because, obviously, they say that a war like the one that was unleashed on them is against all international norms that,
of course, the United Nations and the UNGA represents, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.
Let's take a closer look with Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics. He's also the author of
several books, including "The Great Betrayal: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East." Fawaz, always great to have you and your
perspective on the program.
So now, we've heard from President Trump, we heard from President Pezeshkian. Has anything changed in your view in terms of the trajectory of
the war and the timeline for either escalation or an off-ramp, in your view?
[12:05:14]
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Well, I think we are seeing the beginning of the revival of a
diplomatic path between Iran and the United States. That the fact that Iranian officials met with their American counterparts on Tuesday for three
hours is quite very promising. Both sides seem to be signaling that there is no really way, no military solution to this particular conflict.
So beyond the noise, beyond President Trump's threatening genocide against the Islamic Republic, which was really unprecedented historically, stunning
even for President Trump's own standards, you know, talking, you know, at the podium of the general secretary, whose concept idea is that forbids
nation-states from threatening or the use of force against other members unless in self-defense or with due unauthorization.
The reality is, I think the Iranian president turned the table on President Trump and he said, we will not bow our heads or bend at the knee.
But at the same time, he said, we are ready for dialogue without threats. He made it very clear that President Trump, while President Trump accuses
Iran of being a terrorist state, that Iran has been the victim of terrorism by the United States and Israel.
But beyond this particular noise on both sides, it seems to me that we could see the revival of diplomacy. And the new Iranian supreme leader just
made it very clear a few hours ago that he empowered the Iranian negotiating team to negotiate on behalf of Iran.
So there is some motion and movement, even though we have to be careful and -- and wait to see what's going to happen next.
GOLODRYGA: How important is it? How significant is it in your view that we have yet to see Mojtaba Khamenei, even hear his own voice, much less see
pictures of him? There have been reports about the state of his health, just how gravely wounded he has been. Give us -- give us your sense on that
front.
GERGES: Well, it's very significant because he is the commander in chief of the Iranian forces. He is also the spiritual leader of Iran. That is
Iranians, many Iranians are raising questions about his absence since, you know, February -- the 28th of February.
In fact, many conservative Iranians have called on Mojtaba Khamenei to come out and address the nation. And that's why it seems to me there's a bit of
model within the Iranian decision-making.
There are multiple -- well, there probably multiple sources or competitions or rivalries. So you're seeing the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, the
hardliners. You're seeing president -- the Iranian president who is considered basically who has been calling for dialogue and diplomacy from
day one.
And you're seeing multiple wings within the Iranian decision makers who are sending different signals, different messages. And that's why the message,
the perverted message by the Supreme Leader today is very important because he is basically signaling that he supports diplomacy and dialogue as has
been happening in the past 48 hours.
GOLODRYGA: And so to that point, we know that Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, who have met on the sidelines here with Iranian officials, they speak for
the President of the United States.
At this point, is it clear whether President Pezeshkian, in his comments, also speaks for the IRGC?
GERGES: Absolutely. I think what -- what we have seen in the past few weeks is that the Iranian leadership has reiterated its commitment to diplomacy
and dialogue.
But, of course, Iran wants the certain conditions. They want the American blockade, the exports basically lifted. They want some of the frozen assets
to be released. They want to be able to have a major say in the traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
I mean, I think Iran has been calling for dialogue and diplomacy and they want to return to the memorandum of understanding that was signed a few
weeks ago. It's President Trump who basically does not really want to return to the memorandum of understanding because he -- he feels that
basically the economic blockade of Iran, the economic warfare against Iran would basically force Iran to surrender, which as we know from the Iranian
president's statement, he said, the people, the Iranian people resistance will only increase in the face of increased sanctions, increased bullying
and increased threats of force against Iran.
[12:10:19]
So, without major compromise on the part of both sides, in particular on the part of President Trump, I doubt it very much whether we're going to
see any breakthrough in the near future.
GOLODRYGA: We know the president has continued to go back to his number one priority here. And what he says that the goal and the impetus behind this
war is to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon. He says he's doing something that every single administration, prior to his for the last
several decades, has been pursuing, except he's been the one that's actually followed through.
These are his words. I'm paraphrasing. Today, President Pezeshkian says that Iran does not need nuclear energy -- that needs nuclear energy and not
a nuclear bomb.
So, what would Tehran have to accept if they do return to the negotiating table in terms of inspections and limits for that assurance to become the
basis of a new deal?
GERGES: You know, apologies because your question takes for granted what President Trump has been claiming since he decided to attack Iran.
It was President Barack Obama basically decision that the agreement signed between Iran and the United States and the great powers that basically had
frozen Iran's nuclear program for 10 years. It was President Trump who violated the agreement signed by his predecessor.
In fact, Iran made some major concessions on its nuclear program just before President Trump decided he and Israeli Prime Minister decided to
attack Iran, believing somehow that Iran was vulnerable, Iran was fragile, and it would bring about a regime change in Tehran.
Here we are now, more than six months after, the Iranian president made it very clear that basically the nuclear program is civilians, that they will
never accept any limits on their civilian use of nuclear weapons.
And his statement, he made a statement, very powerful statement. He said the nuclear weapons are in Israel, but the inspectors are in Tehran.
So, the reality is without major compromise, a major compromise between the United States and Iran on the civilian use of nuclear weapons in Iran, I
don't think the new Iranian leadership will ever give up its right to civilian basically use of nuclear technology.
But the reality is this is not about Iran's nuclear program. The war against Iran was really about regime change and it was a decision made by
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a grave strategic miscalculation that the entire world is paying the cost for.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, we'll be hearing from president -- Prime Minister Netanyahu tomorrow when he addresses the assembly.
Fawaz Gerges, thank you so much.
Well, Republicans have even more reasons to worry about the upcoming midterm election. The latest CNN poll tells the story of President Trump's
approval rating just hitting rock bottom.
Harry Enten joins me to run the numbers on this new CNN poll. I guess just when we thought they couldn't get any lower, Harry.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: How low can they go?
GOLODRYGA: It gotten lower. It keeps digging.
ENTEN: How low can they go? You know, it was the overall approval rating in this poll, like what, 33 percent?
But, you know, to me, the real story is, you know, I like to dig deep into the numbers, right? I like to dig deep into the numbers and I like to look
at a whole bunch of different polls, including our CNN poll.
And what struck me is pure independence. That is those independents who don't lean towards either the Democratic or the Republican Party. And the
story that they tell is the story of a presidency in free fall.
And you can see it right here. Just take a look at this. OK. Pure independent voters on Trump. You know, he won amongst that group back in
2024 by 15 points, by 15 points over Kamala Harris. As independents go, so goes the nation.
Look at his net approval rating right now with pure independent voters. It is 71 points underwater. You know, when you see numbers like this, you say
to yourself, wait a minute, there must be a misprint here. No, this is real. This is absolutely real. This is an approval rating minus disapproval
rating. He's 71 points underwater.
That is a shift. That is a shift, Bianna, of, get this, 86 points away from the President of the United States. He continues to find new lows with pure
independent voters. And the question is why? Why are those who are not aligned with either the Republican or Democratic Party abandoning the
President of the United States?
[12:15:59]
Well, as Jimmy Carville once said, it's the economy, it's the economy, right? And just look at these numbers. If you think minus 71 is low, how
about minus 77? Pure independents on Trump and the economy. His net approval rating right now is 77 points underwater with pure independent
voters.
He beat Kamala Harris on the issue of the economy with pure independents by 22 points. That is a shift of, well, depend -- there we go, of 99 points,
99 points away from the President of the United States. These -- these numbers are unbelievable. They're -- they're at the bottom of the ocean.
That's how low they are.
And what is driving the economic numbers to be so low? Well, you know, you were talking about the Iran war with your last guest. You know, one of the
side effects of the Iran war here in the United States of America is the gas prices skyrocketing.
And how do pure independent voters feel about gas prices here in the United States of America? Look at this. Oh, my God. I mean, pure independents on
gas prices and Trump, his disapproval rating is 92 percent. It's 92 percent. You can literally put on your two hands the percentage of pure
independents who approve of the job that President Trump is doing on gas prices. It is eight percent. It is eight percent.
To put that into some perspective, about 10 percent of Americans believe that the moon landing was fake. And the moon landing is very real. We are
below the moon landing line when it comes to President Trump, pure independent voters, and gas prices.
And when you tally it all up, this poll and all the numbers that are basically out there, spell a whole heap of trouble for Trump and the
Republican Party as we head into this midterm election, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: So, what are we just -- to keep the analogy going in JFK conspiracy theory?
ENTEN: We -- we -- we -- that's way -- that's way, way north of there. Another way, the -- the earth is flat. The earth is flat. It's about 10
percent of Americans. Telepathy is into the 20s, I believe. I believe it's like 28 percent of Americans believe in telepathy.
This -- that -- that number, eight percent, eight percent, you'd literally have to multiply that by three and a half to get up to the percentage of
Americans who believe in telepathy. That's how low this number is right here.
But you know what? The telepathy, I'm feeling it. I'm feeling it right now. It's saying -- it's saying your mom says that this was an excellent segment
and that she really enjoyed it.
GOLODRYGA: Harry, all caps, three exclamation point.
ENTEN: There we go.
GOLODRYGA: That -- that's -- that's what you get. That's sort of that should be her new emoji.
ENTEN: I love it. I love it.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ENTEN: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: Harry -- Harry, you always have 100 percent approval.
ENTEN: There we go. I love it. Yes. Yes. Yes. I'll take a -- I'll take a nice bow for you right there. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Don't go too low, Harry. All right.
ENTEN: I won't.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
ENTEN: Bye.
GOLODRYGA: All right. In just over three hours time, CNN, MS NOW, and "POLITICO" will go before a federal judge appointed by Donald Trump and try
to get their access to the White House immediately restored.
The networks, which were banned from the White House late last week, call it a direct assault on the First Amendment. But in a court filing on
Tuesday, the Justice Department defended the ban, citing national security concerns.
The White House, meanwhile, appears to have its own solution to the media ban, replace established news networks the president doesn't like with a
live stream bearing his name.
CNN's Brian Stelter reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Heard about this Trump T.V. thing? Yes, it is real, but it's not what it seems. The White House has rebranded
one of its old YouTube live streams calling it Trump T.V., making it sound like some ambitious new venture.
The administration is clearly trying to capitalize on Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW, and "POLITICO." But whatever the White House is doing here, it's
not a replacement for real news.
Trump may try to use this live stream to do an end run around the media, especially around the three banned outlets that are now suing him.
But for the time being, Trump T.V. is just an endless stream of speeches, some of them quite old, by Trump and other officials.
California Governor Gavin Newsom saw the announcement and wrote, "This is literally state-run T.V. It's autocratic behavior from the president."
Others likened it to Chinese and Russian state-run T.V. channels.
When I checked out the YouTube live stream on Monday night, fewer than 5,000 people were watching with me. And when I checked again in the middle
of the day on Tuesday, the number was down to 1,400.
You know, there are lots of pro-Trump channels and streamers already out there, and some of them are pretty popular, but it seems that viewers are
not all that excited about the idea of actually government-run Trump T.V.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come for us on "One World," America's top diplomat wants an A.I. hotline with China. And the outgoing head of the
U.N. wants more A.I. safety standards. Why artificial intelligence is looming over the U.N. General Assembly?
And South Africa facing a growing problem with gun violence. We'll explain the manhunt underway after a deadly shooting at a house party.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[12:20:03]
PAMELA GUILLEN, INJURED ROLLER COASTER RIDER: You go in as yourself and then when you come back, you're a medical emergency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLDORYGA: Details emerging after a CNN investigation aired last month. Now more than 100 people are accusing Six Flags of causing brain injuries.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Now to a mass shooting in South Africa. Police say at least 11 people were killed at a house party Tuesday night. The manhunt is currently
underway after three gunmen opened fire at a house south of Durban.
For now, the motive remains unclear. South Africa has seen several deadly mass shootings in recent years. The latest official police figures estimate
that an average of nearly 60 killings every day.
Well, amusement park Six Flags is back in the spotlight this week. One of its notorious world famous rides once again being linked to life-altering
injuries.
Last month, the CNN investigation documented the heartbreaking stories of people who experienced brain injuries after riding Six Flags' X2 roller
coaster. Now, the iconic theme park is facing more than 100 new allegations.
Kyung Lah has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WILK, INJURED ROLLERCOASTER RIDER: It's not about the lawsuit.
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: It's hard for Michael Wilk to comprehend how so many people like him say they were injured at Six
Flags' Magic Mountain on a roller coaster called X2. He suffered a severe brain bleed and had to give up his lifelong career as an attorney.
WILK: I truly hope that by coming forward, changes will be made. That's my goal. That -- that -- that's why I'm here today.
LAH (voice-over): Wilk's lawyers announced more than 100 people planned to sue Six Flags. Three have already been filed, but many more say they were
seriously injured on this ride.
GARY DORDICK, ATTORNEY FOR RIDERS' FAMILIES: We were contacted by more than 300 people injured on the X2 ride. We couldn't take all of the cases. Some
were past the time limits in California, which is two years.
LAH (voice-over): A CNN Investigation first reported two women collapsed right after riding the X2 roller coaster at Magic Mountain this summer.
They ended up in the same hospital the same week and both women underwent emergency surgery for similar brain hemorrhages.
Pam Guillen was at Magic Mountain with her daughter Camille, celebrating her 16th birthday on July 5th.
[12:25:01]
GUILLEN: It was seconds. You go in as yourself and then when you come back, you're a medical emergency.
LAH: This was from a roller coaster?
GUILLEN: Exactly.
LAH (voice-over): Six days later, then 25-year-old Naomi Greer Wilkinson got on the X2 roller coaster. She collapsed after she got off the ride and
was rushed to the hospital where Pam Guillen was being treated.
Doctors who treated both Naomi Greer Wilkinson and Pam Guillen say the severe brain injuries were the result of a traumatic rapid acceleration-
deceleration event experienced while on the X2 ride.
ARTEMIS GREER, MOTHER OF HOSPITALIZED RIDER: I do remember one of the surgeons storming through the E.R. and yelling, how many is it this month?
They've got to shut that ride down. He was furious.
Naomi should have never --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
GREER: -- ever in a million years even had the option to get on that ride. It's absolutely insane.
LAH (voice-over): Here's what Six Flags says that makes the X2 roller coaster different. The seats spin 360 degrees forwards and backwards
independently around the track. Riders plummet 200 feet at speeds of up to 76 miles per hour with two so-called raven turns or half loops that turn
into sheer drops.
In three lawsuits filed against Magic Mountain, riders say the park deliberately hid evidence from the public and riders like them.
CHRISTOPHER BULONE, ATTORNEY FOR RIDERS' FAMILIES: It's the design of this ride that makes it inherently dangerous and makes it dangerous in a way
that no reasonable rider would expect. Time after time innocent people are coming off the ride with permanent brain damage.
LAH (voice-over): Wilk stood next to Pam Guillen and Naomi Greer Wilkinson's parents at the news conference filled with regret. He was hurt
just months before Naomi and Pam.
WILK: I cannot help feel if I had reported it maybe, maybe something would have happened, maybe Magic Mountain would have taken it more seriously and
they would not have been injured.
LAH: We did reach out to Six Flags, but the company says it will not comment about pending litigation. It does say that the X2 is no longer
running, but Six Flags did not say why it has stopped running.
The lawyers representing all of these clients say they will file about a hundred lawsuits and it'll be in the coming weeks.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:43]
GOLODRYGA: The power of A.I. is looming over events today at the U.N. General Assembly. It comes after outgoing U.N. Secretary General Antonio
Guterres issued a stark warning about artificial intelligence, saying A.I. autonomous weapons are going from, quote, science fiction to military
reality.
A meeting on A.I. was held a short time ago on the sidelines of the UNGA. It included some big tech names from Microsoft and Google.
For his part, Britain's Prime Minister told the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday that the U.K. will lead international efforts to develop global
A.I. standards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY BURNHAM, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I know how worried people are, so we have to rise to this moment. Fundamental decisions on this technology are
too important to be left to chance. They must be taken by elected governments who serve working people.
And we need to give people the support they need through this change, ensuring that it becomes an engine for re-industrialization and opportunity
as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: America's top diplomat is pushing for a potential A.I. hotline with the world's second biggest economy. U.S. Secretary of State Marco
Rubio says a hotline with China would allow both countries to warn each other about possible dangerous A.I. incidents.
Time now for The Exchange. Joining me is Kate Knibbs. She is a senior writer for the American magazine "Wired." Kate, welcome to the program.
So, President Trump told the U.N. that he would like to rename A.I., quote, superintelligence while dismissing international oversight as a globalist
scheme. Superintelligence has a specific scientific meaning we know.
But what is his rebranding obscure about the technology and its potential threats, which so many are now warning of?
KATE KNIBBS, SENIOR WRITER, WIRED: The rebranding is typical of President Trump and that it draws headlines but adds basically absolutely nothing of
substance to the conversation about how to regulate A.I.
And, in fact, does obfuscate the real issues because now here we are talking about the fact that he is attempting to rename the technology
instead of the actual harms that the technology is -- is likely to cause.
GOLODRYGA: We heard Secretary of State Marco Rubio say that -- that he would be open to, perhaps a good idea would be to establish some sort of
hotline between the United States and China, similar to the United States and the Soviet Union, during the nuclear arms race.
But how does that actually become enforced? I mean, what kind of incident would trigger a call, especially when there is, to use the same analogy
really, a -- a space race that's continuing in terms of A.I. advancement between these two countries?
KNIBBS: You know, the hotline that Rubio mentioned that he would support is something that's being very actively pushed by the Trump White House. Scott
Bessent is really pushing for this hotline to be established between the U.S. and China. And it would be a good step forward. But yes, we don't know
lot of the specifics about what sort of incidents would actually rise to the level of the United States or China getting on the phone and calling
each other.
Would it be something like the incident that happened this summer where OpenAI's agents ended up hacking Hugging Face? Would it require, you know,
one of the labs hacking the other countries' labs? There -- there are so many details that still need to be ironed out.
And one of the most important details is, yes, what exactly constitutes an emergency that would, you know, require these two company -- countries
getting on the phone with one another?
It might be something that could be ironed out in the meeting that Trump and Xi are having this week. Hopefully, that would be something of
substance that actually comes from these talks.
Right now, there are a lot of very valid concerns that these talks are really nothing more than a very elaborate photo op. And I think that we
need to keep our expectations low about any actual line items of substance that will emerge from them.
But, yes, I am a little optimistic, cautiously optimistic that they might be able to iron out some of the details about the hotline.
[12:35:59]
GOLODRYGA: And where does that optimism come from? Because it does seem where these two leaders are aligned is that neither, least right now, view
A.I. as a threat, much less an existential threat. It seems that they are investing full throttle, that their economic growth over the next few
years, if not decades, will be based on the dominance of the A.I. industry.
You have the majority, I would say right now of major A.I. leaders warning that -- that there should be some sort of either self-regulation or an
agreed upon slowdown. But there are others that are in the Trump camp as well, like the NVIDIA CEO that are saying this has much to do about
nothing.
So, how are everyday consumers expected to understand the threat here?
KNIBBS: I mean, I think one thing that we need to keep in mind here is, as you're saying, neither China nor the United States, right now, is really
willing to make the sort of concessions necessary to pace the frontier, as the A.I. labs are calling for regulators to do.
We have President Trump saying that some of the A.I. safety concerns that are being raised by Anthropic and other leading A.I. labs calling them
overblown and accusing them of fear mongering. We have China doing the same.
So, when I say I'm cautiously optimistic about the hotline being established, I want to make clear it's not because I think the hotline is
really that important. It's because it's sort of low-hanging fruit.
Establishing a line of communication is something that's fairly easy to do, and maybe they'll do it. But what they really need to be doing is talking
more seriously about a regulatory framework. And I don't think that that's going to happen at this meeting, precisely because both countries are
really unwilling to actually put up the guardrails that many consumers want to make these technologies safer.
GOLODRYGA: So, how realistic is it when you have sort of these -- these middle powers, right, whether it's Canada, whether it's Andy Burnham in the
United Kingdom, say, you know, we will carry this mantle then, then -- then we will do the necessary work to prevent A.I. from being an existential
threat.
Do they really have the power, the authority to do that?
KNIBBS: I mean, it's definitely not ideal. It's -- it's something -- I -- I -- I don't know if they have the power to do that. I don't want to
discourage them because right now their voices are very important in this conversation.
And, you know, crazier things have happened in international relations. So, I don't want to completely discount it. But any conversation about
regulations that doesn't include buy-in from the United States and China right now is a conversation with major limitations.
GOLODRYGA: There so many similarities between this and climate change, right? Obviously two very different topics, but at -- at their most urgent
level, the -- the conversation about an existential threat, whether it's two years from now, five years from now, you know, a few decades from now,
that that is always what dominates so much of the concern, and it always comes back to the two major powers, the United States and China, being the
driving forces here. We'll see what comes out of this meeting this week.
Thank you so much. Appreciate the time.
Well, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived at the United Nations ahead of his speech to the General Assembly. His remarks will come
hours after large-scale Russian attacks on the capital.
At least two people were killed and nearly two dozen injured in a barrage of strikes on Kyiv. Railway infrastructure, warehouses and fuel stations
were among the targets.
And at least two people were injured after a strike set alight a Zaporizhzhia shopping center, sparking a 6,000 square meter fire.
More than a hundred Catholic clergy members are calling themselves the priests against genocide and urging church leaders to take a stronger
stance against violence in Gaza and Lebanon.
CNN's Christopher Lamb reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: These priests aren't taking part in a traditional religious procession through Rome, they are
protesting against the war in Gaza. There are around a hundred priests from different parts of the world protesting what they say is a genocide taking
place in Gaza.
And if you look closely, there is a shroud with the names of what the priests say are children from Palestine and Lebanon who have been killed by
the Israeli military since the ceasefires in those countries.
The Priests Against Genocide group wants the Catholic Church's leadership to be more outspoken in what is going on in the Middle East and what is
happening in Gaza and Lebanon.
The priests march through Rome will stop at the Vatican embassies to Palestine and to Lebanon and end up in front of a major arms manufacturer
to protest all those who are financing weapons to Israel's military.
Now, Pope Leo has spoken out on the plight of Palestinians and has visited Lebanon, but he has stopped short of describing the war in Gaza as
genocide.
[12:40:04]
The priest group, which now has 2,600 members across 68 countries and includes cardinals, say they are specifically protesting the actions of the
Israeli political leadership and have absolute respect for the Jewish people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's go check on how the U.S. markets are doing. Right across the board, the Dow down a little over half a percentage point.
The NASDAQ, down a little over one percent. The S&P 500 down nearly three quarters of a percentage point. This is your Business Breakout.
Fast food chain McDonald's has set new standards and new plans to allocate eight and a half billion dollars to support franchises. The brand is
looking to revive sales. McDonald's stock has fallen nearly 18 percent this year and is trading lower today.
The OECD says the artificial intelligence boom is helping to offset the global economic impact of the energy price shock. But the global policy
forum warns of the risk of persistently high commodity prices along with weather-related supply issues.
Meta is expected to unveil new smart glasses today, including a version without a camera. The move comes as privacy concerns grow over A.I.-powered
glasses that can record people without their consent.
We're also expecting to learn more from CEO Mark Zuckerberg about his vision for Meta Muse, its personal A.I. agent during the company's Connect
Conference today.
CNN business tech editor Lisa Eadicicco tried it out. So, Lisa, you tried it out, what'd you learn?
LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: So Meta, like a lot of major tech companies right now, is really trying to create this A.I. agent that can do
things on your behalf. So not just answering questions, but browsing the web for you, making purchases on your behalf, sending emails on your
behalf.
And I had the chance to play around with this for quite a bit. And it did work pretty well when you're trying to do things that usually require some
kind of combination of looking things up online, coordinating with your friends and family, and then maybe making a planning document.
I used it, for example, to help me plan an upcoming trip that I'm taking with a friend and taking her suggestions from an email and putting it into
a -- a polished Google Doc.
And this really does feel like Meta's first true chance at competing with rivals like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, which do have a pretty long, I
guess, advantage ahead of Meta when it comes to market share, although the Meta Muse app did become the top free app in the app store, so there is
some momentum going there.
[12:45:20]
But it's also important to acknowledge that there are some real limitations that come with Muse and likely other A.I. agents as well. And I think one
of those big barriers is going to be consumer trust and privacy.
For Muse to be really useful and effective, you have to be willing to give it access to things like your email address, your inbox, your contacts,
other personal information that it needs to make payments, things like that.
And this could be a real barrier to adoption, I think, for Meta in particular, but also potentially other A.I. agents as well.
The other thing is that these agents really depend on how well they work with other online services in order to be helpful, because they browse the
web with just similar to the way a person would. They need access to different websites and online services.
And one example we're already seeing of some friction in that space is Amazon blocking news from browsing its online store. And that can make it
challenging to use the agent for shopping.
And then on top of that, it's A.I. It still makes mistakes sometimes. I asked it for some recommendations for restaurants in my neighborhood. And
in one instance, it did name some restaurants that had been closed for a couple of years.
So, I do think this is a little bit of a sign that -- that consumers, general consumers, are interested in the idea of A.I. agents, but I do
think there is still some progress that needs to be made before they can truly be trusted to handle everyday tasks.
GOLODRYGA: All right. You'll keep us posted on anything substantive that Mark Zuckerberg says as well. Thank you so much, Lisa.
Well, African Export-Import Bank and the Africa Trading and Distribution Company have recently signed a $500 million credit agreement to help move
African goods and products across the continent and also into global markets.
Zain spoke with the president of the bank.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE ELOMBI, PRESIDENT, AFREXIMBANK: Even the rating agencies, even the rating agencies which were supposed to be a little more level headed, cold
blooded, do some very serious analysis, are victims to that.
So, the load that risk perception, perception not reality, but they load all of that into the analysis of the African environment and then that
begins to increase the cost. And when we borrow at a high cost, we then unable to deal with the development. It sucks -- sucks into the -- the
actual level of investment that you have left, of resources you have left for the investments. That's where we see the risk and that's where we think
the narrative has to change.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: You have Afreximbank essentially launching a $1 billion dollar Pan-African film fund.
ELOMBI: That's right.
ASHER: You know, it's an interesting investment because obviously -- I mean, I'm from Nigeria, the home of Nollywood.
ELOMBI: That's right.
ASHER: Culture and being able to export African culture is so important. It's so important, not just to combat stereotypes, but really when it comes
to narrative, African storytelling, identity, our own history.
You talk about some of the things, some of the perceptions that people have of Africa that contributes to Africa being kept where it's at. And
obviously narrative is hugely important.
However, that $1 billion Pan-African film fund comes at a time when the continent is clearly dealing with other issues, whether it's high energy
costs, whether it's food scarcity.
ELOMBI: Rural infrastructure.
ASHER: Infrastructure issues. So, how do you justify that kind of investment given what's happening economically at the continent right now?
ELOMBI: This is the reality. We found out five years ago that we were financing large corporates in the country, sometimes middle-sized,
sometimes the states themselves directly, the government, large corporates (ph).
But the more we need to, the less we had to outreach to the -- to -- to the young. And we then had to think about a program to reach out to the young.
We then started what we call Creative African Nexus, CANEX, which we're most aware. CANEX is going to have a big feast in Nigeria this November,
November 5 to 7. And we're inviting the world to it, but you're going to have to go there and see what the African young people can do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: You can catch more of Zain's interview on "Quest Means Business" on CNN in about three hours time.
All right. Still to come on "One World," after Donald Trump's controversial White House press ban, the First Lady makes a surprising move. Is Melania
sending a message to the media? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:35]
GOLODRYGA: In just a few hours, we could know how a federal judge will rule on Donald Trump's media ban. An emergency hearing is being held this
afternoon to determine if CNN, MS NOW and "POLITICO" will get their White House access immediately restored.
Well, the First Lady, meanwhile, is making a clear break with her husband on the matter. CNN's Betsy Klein reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: A symbolic break from the President and First Lady on press freedom. President Trump has implemented
a ban on CNN, MS NOW, and "POLITICO" at the White House, seizing reporters' credentials for what he deems unfair coverage.
Melania Trump, however, is taking a different approach. The Office of the First Lady formally approved CNN and "POLITICO's" press credentials for an
event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly aimed at expanding her Fostering the Future Together coalition with spouses of world
leaders.
Now, this is notable because the First Lady is meticulously involved in the details around her events and public appearances from the substance of her
remarks to the diplomatic message she sends with her outfit selection to editing minutiae in press releases.
She is aware of her husband's ban on CNN, MS NOW, and "POLITICO," a source familiar with the matter tells me, and her office had discretion over
whether reporters from those outlets would be credentialed at her event.
The decision to approve these outlets underscores how Melania Trump operates independently of her husband doing things her way. She spends her
time largely away from the White House, keeps a small inner circle. And she has pursued a portfolio of her own initiatives.
She speaks out on a handful of issues she feels strongly about, including that stark, unexpected decision to distance herself from Jeffrey Epstein
earlier this year, but she remains one of her husband's most trusted advisors.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, a new exhibition is opening today at Paris' Grand Palais that focuses on the legacy of French artist Paul Cezanne. It
will feature 70 works by Cezanne, along with dozens of works from other artists as it focuses on his impact from the late 19th century to the
present day.
Cezanne is still regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern art more than a century after his death. The exhibition runs until January.
Incredible work to be seen there.
[12:55:42]
All right. That does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Don't go anywhere, "Amanpour" is up next after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
