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One World with Zain Asher
President Biden Marches With Auto Strikers; CNN's Christiane Amanpour Shares Her First Interview With Ukraine's New Defense Minister. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 26, 2023 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:31]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Making history, President Biden is just moments away from picketing alongside auto workers.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: "One World" starts right now. This hour, the American President is making his way to Michigan where he
will stand shoulder to shoulder with striking auto workers. What this means for his campaign and why Donald Trump thinks the whole thing is really his
idea.
ASHER: Also ahead, is he alive or not? A day after Ukraine claims to have killed one of Russia's top admirals, Russian video is raising fresh doubts.
GOLODRYGA: And later, the swift factor on how Taylor Swift is making a splash in the world of American football. Live from New York, I'm Bianna
Golodryga.
ASHER: And I am Zain Asher. We want to welcome you to a brand-new version of "One World." I am so thrilled to be joining my friend and co-anchor,
Biana, whose work I have admired for many, many years.
GOLODRYGA: Well, I'm equally thrilled and I'm so delighted to be part of this incredibly smart and thoughtful show, sitting side by side with you,
Zain. We will be bringing you the day's top stories and adding important context to global events. Zain and I are excited to begin this new journey
with you right now. And let's begin with our top story. No sitting U.S. President has ever done with a Joe Biden is about to do. This hour, he is going to walk a picket
line alongside striking auto workers.
ASHER: And what's really interesting about all of this is that presidents usually stay out of labor disputes entirely, only serve as mediators but
President Biden today making a bold bid to show support for union workers. This is a critical move especially in the run-up to an election year.
He is marching today in Michigan, an important swing state next November. And it's worth noting this strike is particularly important because a long
shutdown of the auto industry could, of course, have ripple effect on the U.S. economy. Let's get right to it. CNN Business and Political
Correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich, she is in Warren, Michigan alongside striking auto workers.
So, Vanessa, just walk us through what the scene is like there. I see people holding up signs there. Just walk us through what the scene is like,
what the mood is like in anticipation of the President's arrival.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we should see President Biden on the ground in just under an hour. He's going
to be heading to Wayne County which is where we are right now. No specifics yet on exactly which facility he will be meeting with workers in front of.
Today, we are this front of a Stellantis facility. This is one of the 38 new facilities that were authorized to go on strike on Friday. So, these
folks behind me had been out on the picket lines for a couple days.
Now, Ford and General Motors saying that they want to keep the conversation on negotiations and not so much on politics. But Stellantis saying that
President Biden from day one has called for an offer or contract that will help the middle class and Stellantis saying they have offered just that.
I want to bring in a Stellantis' employee. This is Erin Jones. She's been with the company for 13 years. The President touching down in under an
hour. How are you feeling about that? What does that mean to you if anything?
ERIN JONES, STELLANTIS EMPLOYEE FOR 13 YEARS: Well, I think it could be a positive change, letting the companies know that the government does back
our cause.
YURKEVICH: Do you think it will help move negotiations in any direction, his presence here?
JONES: Hopefully. I hope it will. I'm not sure because Stellantis has not cleaned up a hard fight but hopefully with the President here supporting
the UAW, it will help.
YURKEVICH: For you, what do you need to see in this new contract between Stellantis and the union?
JONES: I would like to see COLA and job security because COLA -- the cost of living for inflation is really high right now and also job security so
we can have jobs in the future and we could continue to help our families.
YURKEVICH: Is your family, your future family interested in being a part of the Stellantis workforce?
JONES: I have two sons, so, if they would like to work her, I'm perfectly fine with that.
YURKEVICH: Setting them up for the future then.
JONES: Yes.
YURKEVICH: Thank you so much, Erin. Appreciate it. So, in under an hour, we should expect President Biden to be here in Wayne County. Also of note,
tomorrow, former President Donald Trump will be coming here to Detroit.
[12:05:00]
But our source tells me that that is not an event that is taking place with the UAW. They did not extend an invitation to President Trump. They did,
however, extend this invitation to President Biden. We should see him with UAW President Shawn Fain taking to the picket line in what will be a
historic moment in an already historic strike. Zain.
ASHER: Right. We've never seen anything like it before -- a President actually standing with strikers. Vanessa Yurkevich, live for us there.
Thank you so much. And we want our audience to stick around because in just a few moments, we are going to look at how both Joe Biden and Donald Trump
are both using this strike as a key part of their 2024 election plans.
All right, the mystery surrounding the fate of a high-ranking Russian commander is deepening. Ukraine isn't backing off claims that it killed the
Viktor, Sokolov, the head of Russia's black sea fleet last week.
GOLODRYGA: But Russia's Ministry of Defense released this video earlier that appears to show Sokolov alive and well. Now, CNN can't confirm where
or when this meeting took place or even if it's Sokolov that we're seeing.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with Ukraine's new defense minister, Rustem Umerov wouldn't confirm or deny whether Sokolov had been killed. CNN
Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour joins us now for more on this from London.
Christiane, this is fascinating. I am interested in hearing more on what this new defense minister had told you and it's notable this information is
coming now, given that the U.S. did not seem to back up Ukraine's initial claims that Sokolov had been killed in this attack.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Bianna, exactly. So, there was an attack launched against Sevastopol which is the Russian Black
Sea Fleet headquarters on Friday. In that, the Ukrainians then claimed they had killed the commander, as you mentioned.
So, when I got the chance to ask actually Ukrainian brand-new defense minister today, he was a little vague. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: Minister, can you confirm that the head of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Viktor Sokolov, is in fact dead or alive?
RUSTEM UMEROV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: Well, first of all, he is in our temporary occupied territory, so he should not be there at all. So, if he
is dead, it's good news for everybody that we are continuing to de-occupy our territory.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: So, that is the word from the Defense Ministry. Obviously, they are having to really go into detail to see whether, in fact, their claims
can be borne out. But at this moment, we just don't know. So, we're going to wait and see what happens. But more importantly, he did tell us that
this is now entering a new phase, this war, for the war machine and for the whole country, for the economy.
He said the Defense Ministry would be in a reboot. They're going to increase localized manufacturing of arms as they see the signs - the
political signs from the West that they potentially might be slowing down deliveries to Ukraine. So, they're really getting into it for the long
haul. Bianna, we'll wait to see what happens.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, so fascinating, Christiane. Did he talk more about the timing of the change? As you noted, he is new to this position. He is well-
known internationally, especially among financial leaders. But what is he expecting to do now in this new role?
AMANPOUR: Well, you know, he wouldn't go into massive detail. He is brand new. I had just spoken to him as he had come out of a meeting with
President Zelenskyy, but already they have dismissed, as you know, six of seven deputy defense ministers. Already, they're talking in a slightly
different way to the people of Ukraine, getting them used to the fact that this is not going to end anytime soon.
He did say that they're really looking forward to finally getting the M1A1 Abram tanks, which they very much need. If you remember, they promised in
January. So, now, almost 10 months later, they're getting these tanks. He said they're really waiting to get the fighter jets.
They really, really hope that the United States will provide them with so- called ATTACMs, the long-range artillery, and they for sure need ammunition. And we even hear that the NATO countries in Europe, for
instance, may not be able to meet their very big promise of a million rounds of 155-millimeter artillery shells for Ukraine by the end of this --
or within a year.
They made that pledge in the spring and they're not near to meeting that target, which means the defense ministry really does have to gear up and
reboot what used to be a very prominent arms industry. But obviously in the post-Soviet era, it hasn't been so prominent.
So again, for obvious reasons, he didn't want to go into details, but I think you can tell that that's where the trajectory is. As to when the war
will end and what is the end game, he continues to say their maximalist goals, which means when Russia is pushed back to the borders that they
consider rightly theirs.
[12:10:00]
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and President Biden alluded to President Zelenskyy last week in Washington that these ATTACMs may be on their way in coming to
Ukraine soon. Christiane Amanpour, this is an interview that many had been hoping to see, and I'm glad you got this first interview with this new
defense minister. We'll be seeing more of you in the next hour with your interview. Thank you so much.
ASHER: All right, I want to turn now to some other news that we are following. A deadly blast at a fuel depot in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in
West Asia. All of this adding to the brewing crisis taking place there. Armenian authorities say that the explosion killed at least 20 people and
that it injured hundreds more. The blast of course coming at a very volatile time for the region.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, it's barely a week since Azerbaijan's lightning offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh left hundreds dead and triggered a mass refugee exodus
into Armenia. Thousands are trying to flee at all at once, causing huge traffic jams. The breakaway region is home to some 120,000 ethnic
Armenians. The U.S. Aid Chief traveled to Armenia, where she's been talking about their plight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA POWER, USAID ADMINISTRATOR: We are calling on Azerbaijan to maintain the ceasefire and take concrete steps to protect the rights of
civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh. President Aliyev has promised to guarantee the rights of ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan must live up to that promise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Scott McLean tracking the story for us joins us live from London. Nineteen thousand people fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh. But let's just
talk about this explosion at this fuel depot that left several people injured. Just walk us through what more we know at this point, Scott.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so this was yesterday afternoon, as you said, 20 people are confirmed to have been killed according to state
news and hundreds -- 290 people wounded. And right now, part of the concern on the part of the International Red Cross is that there were already
severely, critically wounded people from the war who needed to get out of that region with limited success.
Twenty-three out of sixty people critically wounded only had been able to be airlifted from that region. And now with this explosion, there are many,
many more seriously wounded people in need of urgent healthcare. And that is a huge challenge right now, given the huge backlogs of people actually
trying to get out of the country.
It is important to remind our viewers, Zain, that of course, Nagorno- Karabakh is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan, of course, but because of this majority population in that small part of Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh, 120,000 ethnic Armenians, it is essentially operated as a de facto part of Armenia for decades in this delicate sort of gray zone has
maintained until 2020 when there was war three years ago and then again last week.
And now, it seems that Azerbaijan has completely regained control of this region. And you heard Samantha Power there talking about Azerbaijani
leadership living up to its promises to make sure that the minorities in those regions are treated the same as anyone else. And that is in fact what
they have promised. In fact, they've also been considering amnesty, even for those local separatist fighters who took up arms, though of course
there's still plenty to be discussed.
The European Union right now is hosting representatives from both countries in Brussels to try to normalize relations. There's a lot of talk right now,
there are some hopeful signs, but nothing concrete at this moment. But of course the much more urgent thing on the ground is that those who are
trying to flee can actually get out of the country.
You said 19,000 who have left for Armenia already and managed to cross the border. They are showing up shell shocked, tired, hungry and some have also
resigned themselves to the fact that they may never in fact go back. And of course, many others are bringing, you know, all the belongings that they
can bring with them and children, as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARINE SHAKARYAN, REFUGEE FROM NAGORNO-KARABAKH (through translator): It was horrible. Children were hungry and they were crying. Yes, a child
fainted. She has high body temperature, so we gave her some medication. We ran away just to survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: So 19,000 people have managed to leave so far, but the expectation is that there will be thousands upon thousands more, because right now,
cars are lined up through the switchbacks of the Lachin corridor, the main route out of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, and some people reported journeys
of 24 hours. One family spoke to CNN today saying that it seemed impossible to get out of that region toward Armenia, and so they actually turned
around resigning themselves to try again tomorrow or the day after. Zain.
[12:15:00]
ASHER: I mean, some of the video that we actually showed showing people trying to leave just extraordinary, just how desperate people are to get
out right now. Scott McLean, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Coming up for us, she lost an eye protesting in Iran, but she says she has no regrets. We'll tell you her story when we return.
ASHER: Also ahead, a one-on-one with Iran's President. CNN's Fareed Zakaria, asks him about his nation's strict dress code for women.
GOLODRYGA: And a Trump insider drops bombshell after bombshell in her new book. We'll look at how much, if any, damage it could do to Donald Trump's
re-election chances.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Iran's parliament passed new legislation this week imposing even harsher penalties for those who breach hijab rules.
ASHER: That's right. Women who don't wear the hijab properly or men who wear revealing clothing can get up to 10 years in prison. CNN's Fareed
Zakaria pressed the Iranian President about that in an exclusive interview with Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FAREED ZAKARIA; HOST, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS: It's around a year ago that there were those demonstrations across Iran that caused a great deal of internal
strife. The Iranian government often likes to say this was a small protest, but if you're pardoning 22,000 and you're still imprisoning many, many
more, it suggests these were large.
What I want to ask you is, at the heart of it is this issue of the hijab, about whether women should be -- should have their heads covered. And I
grew up as a Muslim in India. I've traveled all over the Muslim world. Hundreds of millions of Muslims do not believe that this is something women
should be told to do.
There are dozens of these Islamic countries where the governments are very pious and believe in Islam and they are devoted and they don't believe
this. They -believe women should have that -- the choice and the right to wear whatever they want and not have a patriarchal system tell them what to
do. Are all these hundreds of millions, maybe over a billion Muslims wrong and only the Islamic Republic of Iran is right?
[12:20:00]
EBRAHIM RAISI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): What occurred during the days that you spoke of earlier, that was the presence of a few, not the
presence of the people. The people of Iran did not support in any way, those that rioted in the streets of Iran. The people's lack of support
defeated their plans. There were some who were fooled. There were others who committed murder, conducted serious crimes. But what occurred last year
was a war conducted in the media by the enemy. I don't want to name TV networks or news networks, but networks who are headquartered in the three
European countries and in the United States of America who broadcast news 24 hours a day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: For his interview making a lot of news there, it has been just over a year since protests erupted across Iran after the death of Mahsa
Amini, the young woman who died in the custody of Iran's notorious morality police. Now, that of course sparked protests across the country with
hundreds of Iranians sustaining severe injuries from the security forces' brutal crackdown.
ASHER: Elahe Tavakolian is actually one of the hundreds of demonstrators who sustained severe eye injuries. She spoke to our Jomana Karadsheh in
Italy where she's actually now trying to lead a normal life despite the trauma of the injuries she sustained and also the fact that she had to
leave her children behind in Iran. I want to warn you that some of the images you are about to see in this report are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To the chance of death to the dictator, a protester tears down a poster of Iran's
supreme leader.
ELAHE TAVAKOLIAN, INJURED IRANINA PROTESTER (through translator): A young girl was murdered because of the compulsory hijab. We couldn't take it
anymore. It was like a fire hidden under the ashes.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): And like a wildfire, the protests spread to every corner of Iran. Their rage was met with violent repression. In the small
town of Isfaryan, the fear, the chaos captured in this shaky cell phone video also captured this. Security forces opening fire at protesters. A
scene so hard to watch as the crowd rushed to help a woman screaming in pain after she was shot in the eye.
TAVAKOLIAN (through translator): That moment when I got shot was the bitterest moment of my life.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): That woman is 32 year old Elahe Tavakolian. She was at the protest with her 10-year-old twins.
TAVAKOLIAN (through translator): My children were just shouting. They killed our mom. Help. When this person started shooting, we saw him. He was
30 or 40 meters away. I saw him aiming at us. I turned sideways to shield my children and I was shot. I could see only blood. I covered my eye with
my hand. I felt like if I take my hand off, it might fall out of its socket.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Elahe is not alone. Activists say Iranian security forces were using metal pallets and rubber bullets deliberately and
systematically shooting the eyes and blinding more than 500 protesters, according to rights groups. Many have shared their photos online, but the
regime's called them liars spreading propaganda.
TAVAKOLIAN (through translator): I'm in pain. It burns. I'm dying. I don't want to be blind.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Elahe lay in hospital in this agonizing pain for hours. Doctors reluctant to help her as security forces were hunting down
the injured and those who aided them. After a surgery to treat her wound, Elahe stayed at home in a dark room for more than three weeks.
TAVAKOLIAN (through translator): I could hear them from my room chanting slogans. Something was pulling me outside to speak, to shout, to demand my
rights. I felt like my fight wasn't over yet.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): But she also wanted to save her eye. With the help of an Italian journalist, Elahe made it to Italy where she's undergone more
surgeries. It was too late. Doctors discovered that the pellets still lodged behind her eye had moved and were forced to remove the eye. She was
fitted with a prosthetic, but life has never been harder for Elahe. She still lives with the physical pain, the trauma alone in a foreign country,
now relying on donations and friends to survive.
[12:25:00]
And hardest of all, not knowing if she will ever see her children again.
TAVAKOLIAN (through translator): I never regretted this and I never will. If I return to Iran, I will do it again. So many say this revolution is
over, but it is not over. All across the country, women are now going out without hijab because they are no longer afraid of them. This is our method
of civil resistance.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The regime may have crushed the protests, but the resilience of Elahe, like so many others, remains unshakable.
TAVAKOLIAN (through translator): No matter how many times they cut the flowers, they cannot stop the spring from coming. They shot my eye and they
shot others, but the struggle is going on. No matter how many they kill, they cannot stop the spring from coming. They cannot keep freedom from
returning to us.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Milan, Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Wow, her story just takes your breath away. Such bravery. And to sit there with Jumana without covering her eye just shows her strength.
ASHER: And then when you think about the fact that the Iranian regime now doubling down on strict dress code rules, it just really puts what they
have gone through into context. A really powerful piece.
GOLODRYGA: Well, coming up for us, two rivals with a similar message. How Joe Biden and Donald Trump are trying to win over striking auto workers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:10]
ASHER: All right, welcome back to One World. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Just moments ago, U.S. President Joe Biden landed in Michigan. Here he is getting off of Air Force One, as you
see in this video just moments ago, and he is headed to join an ongoing strike.
ASHER: Something that we have never seen before. President Biden set to walk the picket lines with United Auto Workers in Michigan, who, by the
way, have been nearly off the job, rather, for nearly two weeks. Democrats watching this moment very closely. They are vying for this crucial voting
bloc. The White House says that the President isn't going to be involved in contract negotiations directly. There he is speaking with UAW President
Shawn Fain, but that he's just there to lend his support.
Mr. Biden isn't the only one attempting to win back working class voters in the crucial swing state of Michigan. Donald Trump has announced plans to
visit auto workers in Detroit on Wednesday, instead of attending the second GOP Presidential Primary debate.
GOLODRYGA: Now, the back to back events highlight the importance of unions in the 2024 election. President Biden and former President Trump both won
Michigan on their way to the White House. So, let's get right to CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kayla Tausche with more.
You can't deny the significance, Kayla, of the President there picketing side by side with these auto workers making history. He's doing this
because he said that he supports them, but also because he's got an election he's campaigning for, as well, and he needs these votes.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESONDENT: That's exactly right. It's a very core constituency for President Biden, who has called himself
the most pro-union president in history. So, now the White House is trying to put his money where his mouth is, and having him make this historic
move, the first president in modern history, to join workers directly on the picket line, to try to establish a split screen with other Republicans,
like GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, who is set to appear with workers tomorrow, and Senator Josh Hawley who appeared with workers at a
UAW picket line in Missouri.
There are some other Democrats who are appearing on picket lines, as well, but it's notable specifically for the President because there's a specific
reason why presidents do not often try to get involved in these debates.
That is because President Biden, from the early days of his presidency, has tried to establish a contrast with his predecessor that he and his
administration would not be seen as intervening in third-party independent negotiations, whether they are investigations by the Department of Justice
or labor disputes like those between the United Auto Workers and car companies. And reporters have asked the White House repeatedly why, if the
president supports both sides of this debate, he's not visiting with some of those auto executives when he's in Michigan, as well.
Now, he's sending a very clear message, but he's trying to walk a very clear tightrope, as well, in standing with these workers and saying that he
expresses solidarity for their position while refraining from offering a very clear endorsement of that specific negotiating position.
But just yesterday, President Biden was asked directly whether he endorsed to the pay raises that those UAW workers are pushing for. He said that he
supports those workers, but stopped short of saying that he supports their specific demands. Bianna, Zain.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and approximately 12 percent of UAW workers are currently on strike. They are threatening to increase that number in the days and
weeks to come. Kayla Tausche at the White House, thank you.
ASHER: All right, there are a lot of books written about the Trump White House, but there is a new one that vividly describes just the sheer chaos
that marked the last days of the Trump administration.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, we're talking about Cassidy Hutchinson's new book, "Enough". You'll recall she was an aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark
Meadows. Now, Hutchinson says Meadows burned so many documents in his office fireplace that his wife complained that his clothes smelled like a
bonfire. As Jake Tapper reports, that's just one of the bombshells that she's dropping in this book.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: It was just last summer that Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, became a star
witness in the January 6 Committee's hearing. And in her new book, "Enough", Hutchinson paints the closing days of the Trump White House as
even more chaotic and lawless than described in that shocking testimony.
Quote, "Cas, if I can get through this job and manage to keep Trump out of jail, I will I'll have done a good job," Meadows tells her. It's a front
row seat to madness. At a mask-free Trump rally during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, former presidential candidate Herman Cain contracts
the virus and later dies. "We killed Herman Cain," Meadows tells her. But this does not change the White House's mask policy. In fact, during a visit
to an N95 manufacturing plant, Herman Cain, Meadows tells her.
[12:35:00]
But this does not change the White House's mask policy. In fact, during a visit to an N95 manufacturing plant, Hutchinson advises President Trump to
remove his mask because his bronzer is smearing it. At one point on the 2020 campaign trail, Meadows asks Hutchinson if she would take a bullet for
President Trump. "Yeah, sure, she responds. But could it be to the leg?" "I would do anything to get him re-elected," Meadows tells her.
And after the election, in the wild scramble to overturn its results, Hutchinson says Meadows was constantly burning documents in the Chief of
Staff's fireplace and at one point leaked classified documents to far-right wing media figures. Meadows constantly reassures his boss that he will work
to overturn the election that Trump clearly lost. Quote, "I was irritated that Mark gave the President false hope," Hutchinson writes. "Of course,
that's what the president wanted to hear, but he was damaging the country by concocting false rationales."
KEVIN MCCARTHY (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: Thank you all very much.
TAPPER (voice-over): This is a theme in the book. Soon to be House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy and Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, both
expressed concern to Hutchinson about the president erratically acknowledging he lost, then backtracking and saying he didn't. Both men
blame Meadows, but it's Trump who is most erratic.
After the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to take up the non-sensical lawsuit filed by Texas to overturn states that Biden won, Trump pushes Meadows,
quote, "Why didn't we make more calls? We needed to do more. We can't let this stand." Unquote. Trump continues in a statement that could have legal
ramifications, quote, "I don't want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing."
When multiple lawsuits and attempt to overturn the election do not come to fruition, January 6 becomes the failsafe. Much of Hutchinson's stories
about that day were part of her congressional testimony.
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER MARK MEADOWS AIDE: I overheard the President say something to the effect of, you know, I don't f-ing care that they have
weapons. They're not here to hurt me. Take the f-ing mags away.
TAPPER (voice-over): But in her book, Hutchinson reveals for the first time that she was groped by Rudy Giuliani backstage. Quote, "He moves toward me
like a wolf closing in on its prey," she writes, saying he put his hand up her skirt. Giuliani denied this happened. But even the horrors of January 6
were not enough for Hutchinson to resign. She stayed on with President Trump through the end of his term and sought to get a job with him post
presidency.
UNKNOWN: The witness will please stand and raise her right hand.
TAPPER (voice-over): When she was called to testify before the January 6th Committee, Trump funded Attorney Stefan Passantino told her to quote,
"downplay her role as strictly administrative. She was an assistant, nothing more." Passantino says he did not advise her to mislead the
Committee and Hutchinson says she was never told to lie. to the Committee, quote, "I don't want you to perjure yourself," Passantino insisted, quote,
"but I don't recall isn't perjury," she says he told her. Another time, Hutchinson says, Passantino tells her, quote, "We just want to protect the
president."
Jobs are dangled and then withdrawn from Hutchinson as she begins to cooperate with the Committee. She is ultimately shut out of and then
demonized by Trump World altogether. The rest, and her courageous testimony, is history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Absolutely riveting and you can actually hear more details from Cassidy Hutchinson herself. Jake Tapper sat down with her for an interview.
It airs 4 P.M. in Washington, 9 P.M. if you're watching from London and you are watching One World. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:41:14]
ASHER: All right, I want to turn back to our top story this hour. You can probably count on one hand, maybe even one finger, by the way, the number
of things that Joe Biden and Donald Trump actually agree on. But if nothing else, there is this. They both want to be on the side of the working class.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, that's exactly right. And the two leading contenders for the White House hope to prove that this week by reaching out to striking
members of the United Auto Workers Union in Michigan. At any minute, as we've been telling you, Joe Biden will take the unprecedented step of
actually walking a picket line with UAW members.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump will make his case in a speech to strikers. Trump actually announced his Michigan visit first, and now he says Biden is
just playing copycat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S PRESIDENT: So, I announced that I'm going to Michigan, and then he announced 20 minutes later, I'm going to Michigan.
That's where the people that run the country told him he has to go. Because he's not calling the shots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Oh, and if you are wondering why these two candidates are so eager to court the unions, take a look at these numbers. In the 2020 presidential
election, Joe Biden won union voters in Michigan by 25 points. The simple truth is this, Biden would not have taken the key swing state without them.
That is why this move is so important.
GOLODRYGA: And he won by 150,000 votes, to be exact. Time now for The Exchange and we are joined by Democratic Political Strategist Jeff Weaver.
He is a longtime Senior Adviser to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Jeff, always good to see you.
JEFF WEAVER, SENIOR ADVISER TO U.S. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: So, aside from the optics here, as we have been describing, this is history in the making. Never before has a U.S. president actually been
shoulder to shoulder with striking auto workers there or any striking Americans on the picket line. Aside from that, what more does he need to
say that's different than what appeared to be a wholehearted endorsement we saw from him from the White House the day this strike went to effect two
weeks ago, nearly?
WEAVER: Well, let me just say this is a historic event. And those of us on the progressive side of politics, Democratic politics, who supported
Senator Sanders and then supported Joe Biden in the race, are very gratified that the President has demonstrated or is demonstrating today a
full-throated endorsement of the UAW's striking workers.
For too long, the Democratic Party has turned its back on working people, starting in the 1990s with their free trade agreements. And this really
represents a reorientation of the Democratic Party toward its traditional working class base. So, this is a very big day not just for the workers but
also for politics in America.
ASHER: Jeff, hey, Zain here. Just looking at Biden's policies specifically, obviously as you point out, you know, you have worked very closely with
progressives. Overall, do progressives feel that President Biden is doing enough for the working voters that you mentioned?
WEAVER: Well, look, Joe Biden ran as a centrist, but he has governed with a big-tent strategy of bringing in both the centrist in the party and the
progressives in the party. So, needless to say, neither side has gotten everything that they have wanted. But Joe Biden has really tried to be a
fair arbiter within the party between the two dominant wings.
So, would we like to see more? Of course. But, as you know, you know, one of the biggest initiatives that was going forward, the Build Back Better
program was ultimately killed by all the Republicans and two Democrats in the Senate. So, the President has tried to do much more than he has been
able to get accomplished, so far.
But, today, you know, this is outside the legislative process, so, you know, a couple folks there can't hold everything up. The President is going
to be standing shoulder to shoulder with labor, and this really represents a stunning turnaround. And, you know, in the days to come, the president
and his people will have to remain committed to working people.
[12:45:00]
Showing up once is not going to do it but we need to see a long-term commitment to working-class people in the Democratic Party.
GOLODRYGA: Jeff, if I could go back to my initial question about what more specifically the President needs to say here, because one of the sticking
points are electric vehicles. And you talk about legislation that has gone through, the Inflation Reduction Act really incentivizes automakers to
focus more on electric vehicles.
And the argument from autoworkers is that will take away some of their jobs and that will depend on non-union workers, many of who work for companies
like Tesla and other international companies. So, what does the President need to do here? He can't walk away from these subsidies and incentives for
electric vehicles. Former President Trump has trounced on this issue.
WEAVER: You know, look, absolutely. Look, these batteries need to be made in union factories. In fact, some of them are going to be made in union
factories. But there are a bunch of factories, particularly in the South, where the UAW will not be representing those workers. And we need to ensure
that those places are organized, as well.
And I think for workers across the country, if you look at what's been accomplished by unions this year, you have the UAW fighting for folks, the
screen actors. The writers have just gotten a contract. Hopefully, the Screen Actors Guild will soon. You know, we've seen the successes at
Amazon. We've seen successes across the country with unions. And I think what we're seeing here is the kind of labor activism we've had across the
country.
Now, the President is joining in, as well. This is going to be a good year for labor and workers, in general. And those people at those new plants
should look at the successes that organized labor has had and look to get unions themselves.
ASHER: Jeff, former President Trump, obviously heading to Michigan, is going to be speaking to this particular group, instead of, by the way,
being at the GOP presidential debate. When you look at Trump's policies, a lot of them were not aligned with union workers. He did not raise the
federal minimum wage, for example, when he was president. What is it about Trump that appeals to these workers and this voting bloc so much? It's not
policy. Is it personality?
WEAVER: Look, you know, workers have been taking on the chin for so, so long, and they've really lost faith in a lot of institutions, political
institutions, economic institutions, cultural institutions. And Donald Trump presents a sort of blow-it-all-up persona, a kind of pugilistic
persona, that appeals to the frustration that many working people justifiably feel.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump himself is a creature of the establishment. He had companies that were making products overseas. His record of labor
relations in his own companies is horrendous. His time as president, his tax plan was detrimental to working class people, benefited people at the
top. So, you know, I understand why people are frustrated in this country and why they have deep distrust of political institutions.
But Donald Trump is a fraud, frankly. And he is playing on people's justifiable frustration to try to advance himself. And so, I would
encourage working class people to look for those folks who are legitimately trying to protect their economic interests. And Donald Trump is not one of
those people.
ASHER: Either way, this is a make or break moment for the Democratic Party, as Bernie Sanders himself has pointed out. Jeff Weaver, live for us there.
Thank you so much. We'll have much more news on One World after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:51:13] GOLODRYGA: Environmental activists are challenging an Australian offshore gas project. They say it not only threatens to pump fossil fuel emissions
into the air.
ASHER: But it also may deafen whales living off Australia's west coast. CNN's Anna Coren has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is seismic blasting. It's a method fossil fuel companies use to find gas and oil under the sea. Air guns
launch sound waves towards the ocean floor. How long it takes them to bounce back gives an indication of the fossil fuels trapped under the
seabed. The bubbles and bangs may look harmless, but Greenpeace warns they can be deadly to marine life.
RICHARD GEORGE, GREENPEACE SENIOR CAMPAIGNER: And they're louder than an atomic bomb. Now, that's really problematic if you're a whale, because
whales depend on their hearing for everything, to navigate, to find their mates, and to look for food. So, a deaf whale is a dead whale.
COREN: The Western coast of Australia is a whale superhighway. It's also where energy giant Woodside Energy wants to blast this southern spring,
searching for gas for a huge new fossil fuel project known as Scarborough.
GEORGE: If it goes ahead, we're looking at emissions equivalent to 12 years of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions. So, it's a disaster for our
climate and it's a disaster for our oceans, as well.
COREN: Woodside provided CNN with its marine environment plan for the Scarborough gas project dated this June. There will be no lasting effect on
whales, however there could be short-term hearing impacts, the report reads.
"Woodside will have dedicated marine fauna observers and systems which can listen for whale song on some vessels," the company says, adding, "the
presence of whales can postpone activities". Another powerful concept is acknowledged in Woodside's report, the importance of the marine environment
to the traditional customs and culture of Indigenous Australians.
RAELENE COOPER, ACTIVIST: Those animals represent a song, a dance that we as indigenous people all over this continent hold.
COREN: Raelene Cooper is taking Woodside to federal court, arguing she has not been properly consulted on seismic blasting.
COOPER: And it's our sacred significant areas that continually get hammered. Our people are being attacked. Our ancient history, our wildlife.
our ecosystems, our water.
COREN: Earlier this month, Cooper won a temporary injunction against the blasting while her case is heard. Woodside could begin blasting on Friday.
In a statement to CNN, Woodside said, "We also welcome the federal court's proposal to hold a further hearing regarding Ms. Cooper's challenge" and
went on to say it had consulted extensively on its environmental plans and met regulatory requirements and standards.
The Australian government continues to back the project, saying it will be good for jobs and energy security. That is despite also pledging to be
carbon neutral by 2050. Scarborough is set to run two decades past that date. Anna Coren, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, there were more than 73,000 fans at Sunday's football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears, but only one of
them caused a surge in Jersey sales.
GOLODRYGA: Of course, we are talking about pop icon Taylor Swift. There she is, just a normal fan watching a football game. This afternoon, she sat
with player Travis Kelce's family there in the stands. Sales of his jersey, get this, spiked nearly 400 percent.
[12:55:00]
ASHER: Incredible.
GOLODRYGA: That's according to retailer fanatics. Now, there is speculation, but no official confirmation that the two may be dating. They
aren't doing much to refute the speculation.
ASHER: But we'll find out soon enough in a song, possibly in like six months from now, whether --
GOLODRYGA: Proves once again everything she touches.
ASHER: She normally is with actors, musicians. First time you've seen her with a sports star, an NFL player.
GOLODRYGA: I thought she was having fun.
ASHER: She did.
GOLODRYGA: You know who else had fun today? This one over here. That's the Zayn Asher and Bianna Golodryga effect. It is our first hour of One World
Together.
ASHER: Yes and I have had a blast with you.
GOLODRYGA: Me, too.
ASHER: I'm so happy that you're joining us on this journey. So, very grateful.
GOLODRYGA: Many more to come. Yes.
ASHER: All right. I am Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: Thank you so much for watching. Amanpour is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
