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One World with Zain Asher

Inside Trump's Campaign Strategy To Win Midterms; Nepal Hit By Fresh Disaster Weeks After Deadly Floods; Pope Leo XIV Heading Back To Rome After France Visit; Investigation Reopens On Alleged Gang Rape At Cornell University; A.I. Growing Threat Has Parents Worried For Kids' Future; Big Tech's Massive A.I. Spending Raises Inflation Fears; Inside A Women's Book Club On Rikers Island; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired September 28, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:39]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. You're watching the second hour of "One World."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): It's going to be a bloodbath in the midterms.

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): They're about to take a shellacking here in the general election.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're worried you guys may lose the Senate?

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): I'm not going to speculate on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: There are 36 days until the U.S. midterm elections. And sources tell CNN the Republican Party is expecting a rough sailing.

Plus, Nepal is facing another deadly weather disaster just weeks after those devastating floods killed hundreds.

And we go inside the women's book club at Rikers Island prison.

All right. Bracing for impact with the U.S. president warning of a final battle with just 36 days to go until the midterms. We're getting new

insight on Donald Trump's strategy to win over the crucial November elections. And we're learning that concerns within the White House are

growing.

Trump is not on the ballot, but the midterms are usually a referendum on the president himself. And some Republican candidates are now openly

breaking with the leader of their party as his approval ratings hit an all- time low and of, of course, the war in Iran rages on. Some advisers say they believe a best-case scenario is narrowly losing the House while

keeping control of the Senate.

Meantime, the White House is defending another television ad featuring President Trump and funded by American taxpayers as a public service

announcement. But the government watchdog group Common Cause suggests it could actually violate rules against using taxpayer money for propaganda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Joining us live now is CNN's Alayna Treene joining us from the White House. So, I'm going to get to the ad with our next guest, but just in

terms of a lot of Republicans having to now distance themselves from President Trump.

Trump is saying, pretend I'm on the ballot. And a lot of Republicans are thinking to themselves, that is exactly their problem. Walk us through it,

Alayna.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Look, I think, you know, I've had many conversations in this piece that I reported

out with my colleague, Kristen Holmes. And we've talked to the president's own advisor, members of his political operation, outside Republican

strategists, Republicans working on some of the committees here in Washington trying to get these candidates elect -- candidates elected.

And all of them pretty much had the same thing to say, which is that they have a pretty bleak outlook for how it is going to go for the party in

November. You mentioned that one quote, but I want to add the beginning of it from one Trump advisor, what they told me, they said it's going to be

quote, obviously going to be effing rough, citing what you mentioned, Zain, this idea that they believe the best-case scenario is what happened with

Democrats in the midterms under the previous president, Joe Biden, where they held on to control the Senate but lost in the House.

Look, I think what we're seeing is because of the president's poor polling numbers, because of the ongoing war in Iran, because of the economy not a

place that people want it to be, because we're seeing gas prices remain very high across the country. They recognize that it's going to be very

tough for Republicans to be successful in November.

But despite all of that and despite some of these Republicans distancing themselves, I should note we have people like the candidate running for

U.S. in Michigan, Mike Rogers. He's one of many Republicans who have started to say the quiet part out loud, which is that grocery prices are

too high, the Iran war needs to end, even though they are closely aligned with the president, breaking with them because they need to do what they

need to do in order to win their races.

[12:05:21]

But despite all of that, Trump is still going to be aggressively campaigning in the next couple of weeks. And part of the strategy there is

his team does believe that by juicing turnout as much as possible, particularly with his core supporters, that could actually help Republicans

overall.

Because it reminds you, midterm elections, you really don't see a lot of enthusiasm. It really does take the most politically motivated voters to

actually get out there and vote on election day, so that's their strategy.

But there's also a catch-22 to it. When I talk to some advisors, they say, look, the president, President Trump, is a great driver of enthusiasm among

his own Republican supporters. But he's also a great driver of turnout for Democrats, who similarly really do sometimes, you know, look at these

elections as referendums on him.

And so if they're trying to argue, you know, pretend his name is on the ballot, some Democrats might take that to heart as well and -- and use it

for the opposite goal that these political operatives working for Trump actually want. So, there's a lot that's going into this.

But at the same time, they recognize they're only a couple weeks away. There's only so much you can do at this point to really change the tide,

apart from, of course, you know, one advisor said, if we could change anything, we'd go back in time and not go to war with Iran.

Obviously, they can't do that. And so it's kind of, I think, a management issue at this point over the next couple of weeks.

ASHER: All right. Alayna Treene, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. The U.S. Attorney General is doubling down on the controversial ban on three media outlets, including CNN amid a pending lawsuit. Todd

Blanche calls misinformation a national security issue, and in his words, enough to justify the move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The president has every right to decide who gets to fly on his plane and it is national security, especially

on Air Force One and especially at the White House.

And so it's not just -- it's not just the fact that they refuse to report anything accurately, by the way, that is what is a national security

problem, when you have completely misinformation, complete misinformation coming out of the White House, that -- that -- that affects our

relationship with our foreign partners, that affects our relationship with our foreign enemies. And so this is -- this is just not about the fact that

they're refusing to report accurate news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Todd Blanche there.

All right. Let's take a closer look at the press ban and the politics of the midterm elections with James Sample. He's a professor of law at Hofstra

University and legal and political analyst. James, thank you so much for being with us.

When you hear Todd Blanche, attorney general there essentially saying, this is a national security issue. I mean, never mind Trump's own words that

essentially he didn't like the coverage coming out from CNN, MS NOW, and "POLITICO," that it was unfavorable.

But the idea that Todd Blanche can equate that with a national security issue, what are -- what are the ramifications of that?

JAMES SAMPLE, PROFESSOR OF LAW, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY AND LEGAL AND POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Zain, it's great to be with you, and that is such a well-

framed question.

The notion that criticism of the government or that negative coverage of a president is a national security threat, if that were true, then the

framers of the Constitution included a national security threat, aka the First Amendment, squarely at the top of the Bill of Rights.

The notion that criticizing the government is a national security threat is completely anathema to our system of government.

And, you know, to your other -- the other half of your point about viewpoint discrimination and the president's own words, the best witness,

and Ted Boutrous, the lawyer for CNN, for MS NOW, and for "POLITICO" in the challenge last week at oral argument, made this very point.

The best witness for the plaintiffs in challenging the press ban has always been Donald Trump. Well, Todd Blanche just became witness number two,

because when he talks about what he perceives as negative coverage, that is textbook viewpoint discrimination.

And under the constitution, the First Amendment allows the government to engage in some regulation of speech. Content-based regulation is subject to

strict scrutiny, which is a very strict test. But within that strict test, there is an even stricter test and that is known as viewpoint

discrimination. That is almost never allowed. And both President Trump and Todd Blanche keep making the plaintiff's case for them stronger and

stronger.

ASHER: That is such an interesting point, because you're right. It is the president's own words. And also, I guess, Todd Blanche as well, this idea

that he didn't like CNN's coverage, and that is part of the reason why. I mean, he literally came out and admitted it. And that is part of the issue

of viewpoint discrimination, as you point out.

James, just in terms of some other topics that we are talking about from a political perspective. You have just about a month, over a month to go

until the midterms. And a lot of Republican lawmakers are in a very tricky position of still sort of trying to maintain favorable ties and a favorable

relationship with the U.S. president, while at the same time desperately distancing themselves before the midterm. How do they do both?

[12:10:14]

SAMPLE: It is a very difficult needle to thread and certainly one that they were not anticipating, given the extent to which the Republican Party has

rode the coattails of Donald Trump in 2024 in particular.

You know, the notion here is there are a couple things, and -- and your prior report just indicated this as well. Prices are driving the

electorate. The Iran war is driving the electorate. And the division of power in Congress is very close. You know, you're talking about a five-vote

margin currently in the House of Representatives, a six vote margin in the Senate.

And Tim Scott, who is leading the National Republican Senatorial Committee told members of the GOP, running for Senate around the country, to run as

if they were behind. He cited Texas, Iowa, Maine, and Alaska as seats that the Republicans are desperately trying to hold onto and save. That's just

trying to hold serve.

The Senate map does still tilt in their favor, whereas the House map, where you're going to see, I think, a greater swing, certainly it appears that

way now, is still tilting strongly in favor of the Democrats.

But it is a difficult -- difficult line to thread when you're trying to, on one hand, run against the leader of your own party and distance yourself

from the -- the clear standard bearer.

Now that being said, Donald Trump has historically had the ability to defy expectations. He's been a little bit like Lazarus. His political career has

been declared over many times. This might be a bit premature. Five weeks in politics is still a long time. And, you know, we're talking about races

that are mostly within the margin of error. So, it is still the case that this is very much a closely contested election.

ASHER: Totally. And I appreciate your point about five weeks is -- it's a short time, but it is a long time when it comes to politics. I mean, we can

only just look back to 2016 and we -- we saw how things sort of dramatically seem to change as we approach election day.

But when it comes to the two issues that are at stake, you brought up, there's multiple issues, but two main ones, the Iran war and, of course,

rising prices. They are of course linked, but inflation is a massive problem for a lot of people, particularly those who are living close to the

poverty line or who -- who are -- who are lower income in this country.

And so when you have a situation whereby these midterms are, of course, a referendum on the U.S. president and the war in Iran was something that,

you know, a lot of people would say America didn't need to get itself involved in, what would it take?

The people who have already made up their mind that they're not going to vote with the president's party this time around, what would it take five

weeks before the election to change their mind?

SAMPLE: Boy, that is the ultimate question. And then -- and you referenced 2016. I mean, is there the so-called October surprise? Is that in the

cards? I think, you know, it's a long shot. And a midterm election is typically -- particularly a midterm election, Zain, where we're talking

about basically not just all three branches of government, with the Supreme Court, the White House, and Congress, but both Houses of Congress as well,

are all basically with one party.

Now, obviously, that's taking a little bit of liberty when you're referencing the Supreme Court, but effectively with a 6-3 conservative

majority, that's also true.

And so in order to register meaningfully where Congress has not served as a check on the president and where the Supreme Court has been tepid at best

and where for the most part, with the exception of the president's most extreme policies, the Supreme Court has not been a particularly meaningful

check on the president.

This is really the one opportunity that democracy has, that voters have, to indicate whether they want to check the president who is flexing unilateral

executive power in ways that has never been flexed before.

It is difficult to imagine, given that context, what the October surprise might be that could actually swing the balance, but it is politics and

predicting the future, as Yogi Berra once said, is particularly hard.

ASHER: Yes, right. That it is. All right. We have to leave it there. Thank you so much, James. Thank you.

SAMPLE: Thank you.

ASHER: All right. The SpaceX Starship rocket has actually just returned to Earth. The mission was much shorter than expected after the company decided

to end it several hours early.

The rocket landed in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Hawaii after moving into orbit. The company calls the mission wildly successful.

All right. Nepal is dealing with yet another deadly natural disaster just weeks after that catastrophic flooding killed hundreds of people in the

region back in August. Fourteen people have died and 11 are missing following heavy rain, floods, and landslides.

Over the weekend, authorities warned Sunday that there actually could be more flooding to come.

[12:15:05]

CNN's Hanako Montgomery is following this story along with reports of a deadly avalanche as well in the mountains of central Nepal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More extreme weather is battering Nepal just weeks after at least 1,400 people were killed and thousands more

were left missing by deadly floods.

Now, over the weekend, we know that 14 people were killed in Nepal due to heavy rain and flooding. You can see in this video a multi-story building

falling into a gushing river.

And separately in this video, you can see residents taking shelter on their roofs because their homes were partially submerged in floodwater.

Now, rescuers have been trying to get people to safety using inflatable rafts and also ropes to rescue these individuals.

Now, separately, also in Nepal on Sunday, an avalanche hit a peak called Himlung Himal. According to some of the rescuers on the ground there, there

were several people at base camp setting up for an expedition that was set to take place from October 1st.

These individuals were all Nepali nationals. There were Sherpas and kitchen staff fixing ropes and setting up tents when again a torrent of rock and

snow came tumbling down the mountain.

Now, according to rescuers, at least four bodies were recovered, but 12 people still remain missing. We've seen helicopters dispatched to this

region.

But according to the rescuers on the ground there, due to the inclement weather, it has been difficult to get those helicopters to land.

We also have to remember this is a remote part of the Himalayan country, meaning communication is just that much more difficult.

And again, for -- for context, this is yet another climate disaster to hit Nepal weeks after it experienced deadly flash floods. Nepal is still

reeling from that disaster. It still hasn't recovered from it, and yet it has to deal with yet another extreme weather event.

And this all comes amid tourist season. Revenue from tourist season is a huge part of the Nepali economy. And there's very real concern in Nepal

that will continue to hurt the country's economy as it again has to spend so much to recover from climate disasters.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Pope Leo XIV is headed back to the Vatican this hour following what's being called a hugely successful four-day visit to France.

The Pope was in Metz today where he led mass before heading to the airport.

In his speech earlier, he called for Europeans to welcome migrants as they would family. And without mentioning Russia's war on Ukraine, he said

negotiators must be willing to make concessions to achieve peace.

Let's go straight now to CNN's Melissa Bell in Paris. So, another thing the Pope talked about, I mean, he talked about a lot during this trip, but

another thing he talked about was essentially that he was or is rather against medically assisted dying. He referred to it as false compassion,

essentially saying also what is legal is not necessarily moral. What has been the reaction to that, Melissa?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This was always going to be the sort of underpinning theme of Pope Leo XIV's

visit to Paris, which came under the sort of slogan that the world may have life.

Of course, it was only this summer, Zain, that France made law this assisted dying bill, which essentially says that if someone is critically

ill with an incurable disease and in too much pain, they can seek assisted dying, which makes France a number -- one of the growing number of European

countries to approve this kind of legislation.

And we heard Pope Leo speak to it very specifically while he was in Lourdes yesterday, which is of course the town in the Pyrenees, which is famous for

the miracles that are said to have taken place there and very much associated with people going to seek help or some kind of cure from any

ailment they might have.

This is what the Pope had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): I know that for some of you, because of specific illnesses and at times terrible pain,

your horizon may appear dark, uncertain and hopeless, but no human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity.

It is impossible to consider causing death as normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: That was the message and which is has a long-standing message from the Catholic Church about the sanctity of life.

A lot of what Pope Leo XIV also spoke to, while he was here in France, was also fairly political. We heard him, as you say, on the question of

migration. He visited a migrant camp and spoke of the need for Europeans to do more to accept the migrants as they would their own.

[12:20:10]

And also speaking to that question of European integration, perhaps his most political speech in the four days. And the fact that the European

construction which is not something that is often spoken about by the American administration, for instance, as being something that is worth

continuing or to be praised, was very much at the heart of his speech today in Metz.

He explained that European integration, the entire European project, had brought peace to the world, but was also rooted in Christian values. So,

you had all of this political side to so many of his speeches, from his view on assisted dying, to his view on Europe, to his view on migration,

but also just a lot of very strong Catholic fervor that we saw on so many streets of France over the course of the last few days, a thing that is

rarely seen in such a secular country.

But 1.3 million people made their way to the streets of France, either in Lourdes or in Paris or in Metz, to hope to get a glimpse of him. And it was

really remarkable to see that fervor grip this country, Zain.

ASHER: Melissa Bell, thank you for that. Appreciate it.

All right. Still to come on "One World," parenting in the age of A.I. We speak to one researcher about the impact of artificial intelligence on

families.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. Prosecutors are reopening an alleged gang rape investigation at Cornell University. This comes after the accused's lawyer

filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month. The suit alleges that seven fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted a former student at

Cornell.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The alleged assault took place in October of 2024. The lawsuit filed by this alleged victim, Jane Doe, claims

that two of the seven accused Phi Chi members of this fraternity were expelled and that others received lesser punishment, including written

assignments, following a Cornell University investigation. The fraternity was also barred from the campus in 2024.

Now, the initial investigation into this incident resulted in no arrests and nobody was charged at the time. But now, the Tompkins County District

Attorney is telling ABC News, he is reopening the investigation. He will present new evidence to a grand jury and he is hoping to bring new charges.

[12:25:03]

He also said that back in 2024, he did not bring charges because evidence that the office now has was not presented. He also says that the victim, at

the time, did not allege that she had been drugged or assaulted.

I want to get to statement from the district attorney Matthew Van Houten in Tompkins County saying, quote, "It is our intention to present the case to

the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe's cooperation. We want to reexamine whether there's additional evidence that there were not -- that

we were not aware of in November of 2024 that exists now that would change our assessment of the case and would result in the grand jury finding that

there was criminal conduct."

Now, Danny, let's get to exactly what's being alleged in this lawsuit. Because Jane Doe, who was 20 years old, at the time of the alleged assault,

says that she had been drinking at a party at her own sorority house the night that this all allegedly happened.

Then she arrived at another party at Chi Phi's house. And it was once she was inside that house that seven members of their fraternity drugged and

sexually assaulted her. Also new evidence, there is a group chat that was sent around among members of the fraternity where they invited other

members of the fraternity to join in the assault.

Now again, that piece of evidence is crucial and was not included in the first investigation.

Her attorney told us in a statement that other than her initial contact with Cornell University police, she was not contacted by investigators from

the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office or any investigators trained in interviewing rape survivors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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ASHER: All right. Turning now to the A.I. race. President Trump recently held dinner meetings with Anthropic CEO, but reaffirmed his push to keep

A.I. developments moving fast. This as Microsoft's co-founder, Bill Gates, warns of A.I.'s speedy advancement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:30:09]

BILL GATES, AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN AND PHILANTHROPIST: I don't think self- regulation is enough. You need law enforcement and the politicians to get into the discussion about what safeguards and monitoring look like. And

that has to be a required thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Meantime, parents are now faced with a new concern, the world their children will inherit, as artificial intelligence races forward.

A recent poll found 64 percent of Americans believe A.I. could become powerful enough to pose a serious threat to humanity.

Time now for The Exchange. Joining me is Molly Kinder, a former Brookings Institution A.I. researcher who became concerned about A.I.'s potential

impact on society while walking home her children from school, rather walking home from her children's school. Molly, thank you so much for being

with us.

I read your post. And I have to say, you know, as a mother, I totally resonated with this because when you become a parent, there is so much that

is beyond your control. And I don't know about you, but my disposition naturally is just to worry about literally everything.

And when you are talking about --

MOLLY KINDER: FORMER BROOKINGS INSTITUTION A.I. RESEARCHER: Same.

ASHER: -- the A.I. arms rate -- A.I. arms race, and this idea that AI could potentially pose a risk to humanity, maybe by 2030, maybe beyond.

The powerlessness that you feel as a mother is really disconcerting. Just talk to us about how, you know, just your reaction and to some of the

headlines that we've seen, not just as an A.I. researcher, but really as a mom.

KINDER: Yes, that was exactly my reaction. Not to see the news through my professional hat -- my professional hat, or even kind of in a cerebral way.

I really felt it in my heart as a mom. And the news really hit me just as it was breaking.

I dropped my kids off at school, held their hands as we crossed the streets, left my four-year-old in his pre-K four classroom. And I turned

around and was walking home and within a block opened my phone as I -- as one is prone to do and saw a river of just terrifying headlines about

frankly the risk of humanity facing extinction rates potentially or at least exceedingly dangerous circumstances.

And it was in reading that and having just dropped off my children, it really hit me as a mom and it made me quite fearful. You know, as my number

one job, obviously, I love my children, but really my responsibility is making sure they're safe.

And it felt really existential that while I'm worrying about things like did I microwave the oatmeal in plastic and could they potentially get

microplastic risks, here we have something that is far more dangerous that I don't feel we're actually addressing.

ASHER: And also, you know, there's very few people who really have the power to control this. You know, it's -- there have been other sort of

existential threats that have been talked about before when it comes to future generations, and the first one that comes to my mind is -- is

climate change, for example.

But A.I. is a little bit different because it sort of seems to have come out of left field. I mean, the rapid advancement that we've seen over the

past few years. I mean, we've been talking about climate change for decades.

But with A.I., it's different. With climate change, you sort of feel as though we could all perhaps chip in and do more. We know what to do.

Whether we do it is a completely different situation, but we actually do know what to do to sort of limit the threats posed by -- by climate change.

With A.I., it's really the level of power -- powerlessness. And when you think about some of the other threats to A.I. that I've been thinking about

as a mom, it's -- it's sort of like, well, what -- what kind of jobs will my kids have in the future? A.I. companions, privacy, that sort of thing,

but this is far bigger, Molly.

KINDER: Yes. And -- and actually in my day job, my job is to research A.I.s impact on jobs and -- and work on some of those solutions, this does feel

different. As a parent, when I think about A.I. and my kids, I'm often thinking about how do I protect them from ill uses of it?

For instance, a companion or, you know, I really don't want my children engaging at all at this point with -- with chatbots. They're too young and

there's a lot of risk there.

The way I think about some of this existential risk is different. It's not about, am I monitoring their uses at home? It's almost more like akin to

something like a nuclear threat that is not about my individual choices. It's about something much bigger than me, much more existential.

But like nuclear and many of our other threats in the past that feel out of my personal control, I think the reason why I got activated as a mom is

that it's obvious to me there are things our leaders and lawmakers can do.

[12:35:04]

There's lots of things that were unsafe for my kids that were out of my control. Whether or not a drunk driver goes down the street is out of my

personal control. Will a crazy driver hit my kid on a bike in -- in the crosswalk? Is the material in their -- in their pajamas flammable or not?

And did someone detect that?

We have all sorts of regulations and rules and safety standards so that things that are out of my control are kept more safe. And I think we need

to take that exact same approach with this issue. It's not about my choices at home. It's about whether or not as a country we're putting in really

strong safeguards so that my children and everyone's children are safe.

ASHER: One thing I thought was really interesting is Jensen Huang did an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN just a few days ago. And he was

essentially saying, and this was not -- this was not very encouraging, but what he was essentially saying, if I can sort of distill it down to one of

the main points, is that he believes that there is zero chance that A.I. will cause the end of humanity by 2030. He's not saying that there is zero

chance that A.I. will cause the end of humanity, period. But he's specifically talking about 2030, which for me was not reassuring at all.

What was -- what was your take when -- I mean, I'm assuming you saw the interview or you saw snippets of it. What is your take when you have one of

the key sort of supporters of A.I. advancement giving those kinds of caveats?

KINDER: I mean, I have three children. They're ages 11, 7, and 4. So, whether something catastrophic is at risk in 2030, 2031, 2041, for me, it's

irrelevant. I've brought life into this world. I'm a very loving mom. And it's my job to keep my kids safe.

It feels like some of these companies are playing -- they're gambling with our kids' lives. We might quibble, is it 10 percent risk? Is it 15 percent

risk? All of this has the potential to be catastrophic.

And I won't even allow -- I mean, imagine -- I mean, you're a mom, moms everywhere. When we're pregnant, we stay away from soft cheese. I mean,

there's an infinitesimal risk that that soft cheese could do harm to our -- our baby that we're carrying, but of course we do it. We will go to great

lengths to make sure the tiniest risks to our kids' health and safety that we avoid.

I mean, the way that sort of Silicon Valley and even our lawmakers in Washington can sometimes talk about this, it feels too flipped to me. These

-- these numbers, these -- these risks are so enormous. The consequences are so great that sort of pushing it back beyond 2030 for any parents, it

doesn't reassure us. I think what we want to see is that our leaders and lawmakers are taking this seriously.

ASHER: So, what is the solution then, Molly? I mean, you know, we've talked a lot in this conversation about the level of powerlessness that you feel.

And, yes, as a mom, there are some things you do have to accept as being beyond your control, but this one is huge. This is essentially existential,

as you talked about in your post. What can we do?

KINDER: You know, I -- I don't necessarily feel powerless in the sense that, well, I can't personally control all the solutions.

What gives me some optimism and some sort of agency personally is I know there are things that can be passed that will make things safer for my kids

and everyone's kids. And I think moms have a history of, you know, of coming together and calling for change when it comes to making sure our

kids are safe.

So, it's often moms who are out there advocating for laws or reforms with any aspect of health or kids safety. I think we could be doing the same

thing when it comes to A.I. safety. This is obviously a complicated issue. We're racing China. There's a lot of money on the line. There's the stock

market on the line.

And yet, the experts, the A.I. experts I speak to say, there are very clear legislative and -- and lawmaking steps that could be taken, that could keep

us safe. And I think that's where we should begin, is to say it's unacceptable for these A.I. companies to gamble with our kids' futures and

their lives without Washington setting the rules of the world and making sure there are safeguards.

So, that's where I see the optimism. I personally can't make choices in my day-to-day life that will make my kids safe on this, but I can certainly

raise my voice as a mom and say I would hope my lawmakers and our leaders takes this really seriously.

ASHER: Yes. I mean, you've given me a lot to think about. And I, you know, just collectively, maybe one person can't make a difference, but

collectively, perhaps our voice can. And as we discuss, it's really eye- opening that the heads of one of the biggest tech companies is essentially saying, I don't think it will wipe us out by 2030. I'm not saying it's not

going to wipe us out at all, but certainly not by 2030, which my heart just sunk when I -- when I heard that from Jensen Huang.

[12:40:12]

Molly Kinder, live for us there. Thank you so much.

We'll be right back with more after the short break.

KINDER: Thanks for having me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. Let's take a look and see how markets are faring right now. Down across the board, right across the board there. This is your

Business Breakout.

The A.I. boom has fueled an unprecedented spending spree by big tech. In fact, the price tag for that massive A.I. build-out is expected to hit $1

trillion this year. That is according to JPMorgan, raising concerns that it could certainly add to inflation.

CNN business senior reporter David Goldman joins live now from New York.

So, David, A.I. infrastructure spending in the trillions. We actually had a very different conversation about A.I. with my previous guest, but it is

certainly in the trillions. And it is going to lead to higher prices literally across the board. A.I. infrastructure is now one of the biggest

categories in terms of national spending here, David.

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, it sure is. I mean, $1 trillion, as you mentioned, that's just this year.

But if you want something really eye-popping, Zain, $10.3 trillion through 2032. That is the forecast from Brookings, according to a new paper that

just came out last week. And that is massive. Obviously, $10 trillion is massive.

But what are we talking about in terms of the economy? Well, right now, A.I. infrastructure spending makes up almost two percent of the 2026 GDP

forecast. That's according to Goldman Sachs.

But look what happens over the course of the next seven years. We go to 3.6 percent every single year through 2032.

Now, to put this into perspective, there have been other investment booms throughout our history, obviously, but this puts all of those to shame.

Canals, building the canals was less than one percent of GDP. Railroads, the biggest, to date, infrastructure boom that we have had in this country

was only 2.2 percent of GDP.

You can see that even building out fiber, all of that telecommunication equipment that gives us broadband internet in this country didn't even make

the 3.6 percent A.I. economic boom. This is unprecedented.

[12:45:05]

And it's coming on top of an already very, very hot economy. 4.1 percent unemployment is full employment. That's what economists call that in this

country. It means that there's not a lot of room for more jobs.

We have 1.2 percent gain in retail sales. It's a lot of very wealthy people that are spending. And that is why we have all of this inflation on top of

the very, very high energy prices from the war.

So, what's going on with the stock market? Why does that matter? Well, tech represents an enormous amount of the stock market growth that we've seen.

This past month, tech stocks are up 5.2 percent. Just about everything else is down around three percent.

But because of the outsized impact of tech, we have a stock market that is in the green this month. So, why does this matter? Well, stocks are a

very, very important part of wealthy Americans spending, 40 percent. The top 40 percent of net earners own 88 percent of the stocks and that makes

up around 70 percent of consumer spending which is the backbone of the economy.

That is why we have such a strong economy, maybe an overheating economy, and irrespective of anything going on in the Strait of Hormuz, a ton of

inflation coming down the pike, Zain.

ASHER: David, you would have made a great teacher.

GOLDMAN: I got the costume and everything. It's perfect.

ASHER: And the blackboard. And your voice is so soothing. And really good at breaking everything down. And I understood perfectly, as did our

audience. Thank you so much.

GOLDMAN: Thanks, Zain.

ASHER: David Goldman, always love having you on. Appreciate it.

GOLDMAN: Thank you.

ASHER: All right. Still to come on "One World."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I write, it's like a boulder has been lifted off my shoulders.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel free. I don't feel like I'm in jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Women Join Hands to provide the healing power of reading, writing, and books to some of the most disenfranchised in our communities, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:01]

ASHER: All right. Nora Fried began the Rosebuds Reading Collective to offer incarcerated women at New York Prison, in Rikers Island, a chance to

express themselves through books and writing.

It's blossomed into something so much more. She was joined by actress, Julia Fox, and other women who locked arms to support self-empowerment

while giving hope to some of America's most disenfranchised women in our communities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NORA FRIED, FOUNDER AND CEO, ROSEBUDS READING COLLECTIVE: How is everyone? Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. My name is Nora and we are the Rosebuds Reading

Collective. We have a lot of familiar faces today. Did we like the book?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

FRIED: Yes. No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little different than the other parts.

FRIED: It was really different than the other parts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I read, it is a form of escapism. And I get to escape my own reality because my own reality is just not cutting it.

FRIED: Do you guys ever feel like that? I feel like I'm always chasing things sometimes that are maybe not the best for me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They say, if the drugs don't kill you, then the lifestyle will, right?

FRIED: It started in February of 2025. I was going through a hard time at the time I was personally reading a lot. And I was spending a lot of time

with myself. And the idea of just basically starting a book club in a jail popped into my head.

JULIA FOX, CO-FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ROSEBUDS READING COLLECTIVE: And then I got involved because she read my book at the book club.

And at the time, my brother was actually here in the men's section. So, I also kind of saw it as a sign from God.

FRIED: Do you -- do you believe people get a chance to start over?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.

FRIED: OK. Yes, yes.

We don't just read the book and write. We also bring community and really speak with the women who are currently in custody.

I mean, I've been sober for -- it's -- I'm now coming up on three years, but I just -- oh, thank you. I know. You guys always clap for me when I say

thank you.

We see so many women come in here and you can tell they're just holding so much regret and shame and pain. And, like, I want them to see that like

there's another side of life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My life is horrible. When I write, it's like a boulder has been lifted off my shoulders.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel free. I don't feel like I'm in jail. I don't. And it feels good to express your feelings. You usually don't have nobody

to talk to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This club has given me an opportunity to express myself. You know, I never even thought about, like, writing my feelings

down on paper.

FOX: When we are doing something like this, it's about who needs it the most. And who could it help the most? And it's really it's something as

basic as reading, you know, and it can really change lives.

FRIED: OK. I'm passing the baton to Julia.

FOX: OK. I was just listening and I really loved what you guys were saying about, you know, boundaries and letting go of people.

I think we should write about a person in your life that you have to let go of even though you really didn't want to.

FOX: When I was a little girl, I would stay up all night writing. And I would write these stories, and again, it was escapism. And then, you know,

in adulthood, writing my book, "Down the Drain," I feel like that really kind of changed the course of my life. It was so cathartic.

So, this is written by Daisha (ph). My dad first. He didn't show me love. He ignored me. And even when I did reach out, he would keep me hanging from

a rope and would only pull or crawl on me when needed, but as soon as I needed him, he was nowhere to be found. So sad. Thank you for sharing that.

That's a really hard one.

OK. Who else wants to? Miss Angela's going to share.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really liked her and she really liked me and all we did was kiss. One week I came to school and she didn't show up the whole

week. And I looked on my MySpace and seen that she was killed in Kings Park (ph) by a gang member, a rival of hers.

I took a turn for the worse. Staying out late, doing real reckless things that I'm ashamed of now. And I never had a relationship with a woman ever

since.

FOX: Oh, wow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I was really young.

FOX: I just hope that they keep this practice up in their daily lives, you know, even once they're released. I think incorporating, reading, and

writing into your everyday life does wonders for people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have given me a place where I can express who I am without feeling judged. You know, I hold a lot of pain inside and -- and

I don't have nobody I can talk to. I don't have nobody. I outlet, I don't have an ear. So, it means a lot to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you getting to leave soon?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I leave Monday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I'm not going to miss the walls and the locks and the keys. I'm not going to miss that. This moment right here, I'm going to

miss, the book club. I'm not going to be on the outside and have no book club to go to.

[12:55:02]

FRIED: We're going keep the book club going on the outside for you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

FRIED: We're going to keep sending you the books.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to miss the ladies too.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Angela.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: It's such a powerful piece there.

All right. That does it for "One World." I'm Zain Asher. "Amanpour" is up next. I'll see you this time tomorrow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END