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CNN International: Syrian Rebel Leader to CNN: "This Regime is Dead"; Police Piecing Together Clues in CEO's Killing; Sports Journalist Stephen A. Smith Weighs in on U.S. Politics; Examining History Through Rare Coins; Lions Clinch Playoff Berth with Lane Win Over Packers. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired December 06, 2024 - 09:00:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: It is 09:00 a.m. in New York, I'm Erica Hill in for Becky Anderson, this is "Connect the World". Coming up,

CNN speaks exclusively to the Syrian Rebel Leader as he makes gains across the country and vows to overthrow the Assad regime.

New clues emerge in the ongoing Manhattan manhunt after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO in broad daylight. And anti-government protests in

Georgia now adding into their second week as the government cracks down on -- the stock market here in New York set to open just about 30 minutes from

now, indices edging up a bit there, slightly after some positive numbers from the November jobs report.

We'll get into those just ahead. Clipping a close watch though, on rebel forces at this hour, who now have their sight set on Syria's third largest

city, Homs appears to be the next target on the main road to Damascus in what has been a lightning-fast southbound offensive against the Syrian

government.

A U.K. based monitoring group says thousands of people are now fleeing that city. Nearly 300,000 Syrians have been displaced since the fighting resumed

last week, and the U.N. says it believes that number could quickly grow to 1.5 million. This kind of upheaval, of course, is not new to the Syrian

people.

The country has been mired in civil war since the Arab spring of 2011 but the war had largely been dormant until recently. The militant leader behind

this offensive has largely lived in the shadows. His group was formed out of an Al Qaeda affiliate in 2018, the U.S. put a ten million bounty on his

head.

But Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani agreed to speak with CNN's Jomana Karadsheh. And in this exclusive interview, he made it clear, the primary goal is to oust

Bashar Al Assad from power.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Taking Hama after taking a look. I mean, how significant is this for you right now?

ABU MOHAMMAD AL-JOLANI, LEADER OF MAIN SYRIAN REBEL GROUP: From a military perspective, what comes after Hama will not be the same as what came

before. However, I prefer not to be overly optimistic during the battle. I like to remain cautious and vigilant to avoid complacency and ensure we

don't suffer losses while believing we are safe.

KARADSHEH: What comes after this? What's after Hama?

AL-JOLANI: The course of the battle, as for the secrets of the battle. Let's leave them to the unfolding events. You will witness them in reality,

which is better than discussing them now.

KARADSHEH: In a matter of days, you have taken major cities. What's changed? How are you able to do this, now?

AL-JOLANI: In recent years, there has been a unification of internal opinions and the establishment of institutional structures within the

liberated areas of Syria. This institutionalization included the restructuring within military factions. They entered unified training camps

and developed a sense of discipline.

This discipline allowed them, with God's guidance, to engage in a battle in an organized manner. The progress and execution of plans have been swift

with clear communication and adherence to commands. They stop where they should stop and withdraw where they should withdraw.

The revolution has transitioned from chaos and randomness to a state of order, both in civil and institutional matters and in military operations

alike.

KARADSHEH: Some believe this is happening because the allies of the Assad regime, the Russians, Hezbollah, Iran, that they are weaken. They are

preoccupied with other wars, and this is why we are seeing this happen right now, and the Syrian regime itself weakened. Is this what is happening

right now? Is this why you chose to launch this offensive right now?

AL-JOLANI: As you know, we are still in the midst of the battle, and discussing such details at this time is not wise.

KARADSHEH: But you faced more of a resistance in Hama than you did in Aleppo. What do you think happened? Why did the regime withdraw like it

did?

AL-JOLANI: The seeds of the regime's defeat have always been within it. It has been effectively dead since that time. However, the Iranians attempted

to revive the regime, buying it time. And later the Russians also try to prop it up, but the truth remains, this regime is dead.

KARADSHEH: In the last year, it seemed like Bashar Al-Assad survived the war. He was welcomed back into the Arab fold and on the world stage.

[09:05:00]

AL-JOLANI: The Arab country's evaluation of the situation was mistaken. Some Arab countries try to separate the regime from Iran's project. This is

impossible. Even if the regime wanted this, it can't implement it. It's a subservient relationship. Iran can disengage from the regime, but the

regime can't.

To describe the regime as victorious is deeply unjust to the many children, people, women subjected to rape in prisons, displaced individuals scattered

across the world, those drowning in the seas and those living in tents on the borders of other countries. What kind of victory are we talking about?

KARADSHEH: In the past, you have talked about strict Islamic rule. Is that still the plan?

AL-JOLANI: People who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly. We are talking

about something that aligns with the traditions and nature of the region. The most important thing is to build institutions.

We are not talking about rule by individuals or personal whims. It's about institutional governance. Syria deserves a governing system that is

institutional, not one where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions.

KARADSHEH: Many Syrians are happy and will be happy to see the end of the Assad regime, but they're also worried about what HTS rule would mean,

including minorities.

AL-JOLANI: No one has the right to erase another group. These sects have co-existed in this region for hundreds of years, and no one has the right

to eliminate them. There must be a legal framework that protects and ensures the rights of all, not a system that serves only one sect as

Assad's regime has done.

KARADSHEH: You know, listening to you speaking, you've gone through quite the transformation once an al-Qaeda leader, your group has had affiliations

with al-Qaeda, with ISIS. And now you are projecting this image of a moderate leader and a moderate group. What is HTS right now?

AL-JOLANI: Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham is one of the factions in the region, just like all the others. Now we're talking about a larger project. We're

talking about building Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is merely one detail of this dialog, and it may dissolve at any time. It's not an end in itself,

but a means to perform a task confronting this regime.

Once that task is complete, it will transition to a state of governance, institutions and so on. I believe that everyone in life goes through phases

and experiences, and these experiences naturally increase a person's awareness. A person in their 20s will have a different personality than

someone in their 30s or 40s, and certainly someone in their 50s.

KARADSHEH: So, are those days behind you?

AL-JOLANI: Sometimes it's essential to adjust to reality, and because someone who rigidly clings to certain ideas and principles without

flexibility cannot effectively lead societies or navigate complex conflicts like the one happening in Syria.

KARADSHEH: People listening to this are going to wonder why they should believe you. You are still a specially designated global terrorist by the

United States with a $10 million bounty on your head. Your group is a prescribed terrorist organization by the United States, by the U.N. by the

EU and others.

AL-JOLANI: I say to people, don't judge by words, but by actions. I believe the reality speaks for itself. These classifications are primarily

political and at the same time wrong. I define a terrorist as someone who intentionally kills civilians, harms innocents, or displaces people.

If we're being honest, many of the wars waged by major powers in Arab, Muslim and even non-Muslim countries have involved the deliberate killing

of thousands, the destruction of homes and the displacement of millions. Even the regime itself is guilty of such actions.

KARADSHEH: But the U.S. and others would say is that you were parts of groups that did exactly that.

AL-JOLANI: Personally, I have not done these things. The situation must be understood in its historical context. There was a massive war in Iraq that

deeply stirred people's emotions, prompting many to go there. The circumstances of that war led people to various places, and my path led me

to one of those locations.

Given my level of awareness and my young age at the time, my actions evolved to where I am today. I didn't go to Iraq with those intentions. I

went to defend the Iraqi people.

[09:10:00]

When I returned to Syria, I didn't want to bring what happened in Iraq into Syria. That's why there were disagreements between us and ISIS.

KARADSHEH: People would be wondering why you've agreed to speak with us.

AL-JOLANI: What is happening in Syria is significant for the entire world. This event has positive repercussions globally, because under the regime's

rule, Syria became a source of concern and trouble for everyone. Stabilizing Syria will bring many people back today in the liberated areas,

about 1/3 of the population lives in camps, approximately 1.5 million people.

I believe we can soon reach a point where there are no camps. With the rehabilitation of the liberated areas, people will return to their homes.

Many refugees in Turkey will likely return, as will a significant number of refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. Even refugees in Europe may return to

rebuild their country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: And our thanks again for, to Jomana for that exclusive interview, also with me this hour, Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman,

who, of course, has reported extensively on Syria, on the Civil War. What do we make of where things stand today? Right, we have the comments there,

which I found so interesting and insightful from that interview from Jomana as we're also watching these rebel's advance.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, watching what's been going on in Syria for the last week really gives you whip lash when

you consider how much has changed really in the past week. We now have after the opposition to Aleppo to Hama, they do appear to be on the

outskirts of Homs as well, the last city before the capital, Damascus on the M5 highway that links Aleppo with the Syrian capital.

Now, what we're seeing now is that there are signs of unrest in Daraa Province, which is in the south, where we see that the rebels in that area

seem to have taken over the Nasib crossing to Jordan border crossing to Jordan, where there's now a new group that's announced its existence, the

southern operations room.

And they say that their goal is to reach Damascus, keeping in mind, of course, it was in that southern province where the Syrian uprising began

back in 2011. Now we're also hearing from what's known as the military operations command, which is the coalition of rebel groups that started in

Idlib and is the one that has taken Aleppo Hama's 9 is now on the outskirts of Homs.

They have called on the Syrian army to pull out of Homs, out of Damascus and out of Syria altogether, according to the spokesman for the group. Now

we are seeing that the Syrian air force continues to launch air strikes on not only rebel positions, but civilian facilities as well, in those areas

where the government has lost control.

But in terms of actual fighting on the ground, they're pulling up relatively little resistance. And of course, yesterday, we heard the

Russians via spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, saying, basically, we're going to be watching the situation in Syria to decide how we're going

to assist Syria.

But certainly, at this point, after the dramatic events of the last week, it's questionable if there is even time left, the ability left, to save

this collapsing regime, Erica.

HILL: It is really incredible the speed at which all this is happening. Ben, appreciate it. Thank you. Well, as those rebel forces in Syria make

new gains, Israel's military is conducting air strikes within the country. The IDF says it targeted positions near the border with Lebanon, which it

claims were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons.

Syrian state news says a border crossing is out of service as a result of quote, Israeli aggression. Separately, Israel's military says it has killed

one of the leaders of last year's October 7th attack, specifically a person who led the attack at Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

The IDF says several other members of Hamas shot the battalion were also killed. Hamas has yet to comment on those claims. Elsewhere, eye witnesses

say four doctors at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza were killed, after Israeli forces stormed the compound.

Dozens are reported to have been injured. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. In New York, a flirtatious moment captured on

security camera just may turn out to be one of the most important clues to date in the search for the killer of UnitedHealthcare's CEO.

Take a look at this newly released footage of the man police are calling a person of interest in Brian Thompson's murder that happened, of course,

outside a New York hotel early Wednesday morning. This is really the only image we've seen so far of what is almost a full face.

[09:15:00]

You see him smiling there the man. Smiling at a female clerk at the New York hostel where he was staying after she asked him to lower his mask. The

source tells CNN, the man used a fake New Jersey driver's license to check in, and that he also paid with cash.

CNN's Omar Jimenez is following all these new developments for us from here in New York. So where do things stand in terms of the search this morning?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for starters, this is now a third day where we don't know who this person is. We don't know where this person

is, but authorities seem to be trying to focus in on a backpack that was seen worn by the shooter at the time of the shooting, then seen when he --

when this suspect was seen on camera, fleeing the scene on a bike towards Central Park and the city.

And then, in new video, leaving Central Park, the person that authorities believe is the gunman is seen without a backpack. And so, there were

searches throughout the park trying to figure out where this bag is, but also what might have been inside of it.

And then, of course, as you were just showing, we learned new information about the circumstances leading up to the shooting that as they understand

the gunman arrived to the city days before the shooting, and then at the hostel where they believe the suspect was staying.

They released this photo of who they are calling a person of interest, wanted for questioning, unmasked. Well, we understand from law enforcement

source telling our John Miller, that the circumstances around this, based on law enforcement interviews, was that this person was checking in.

As we understand, he used a fake New Jersey ID to check in, was talking with the clerk there, and in a bit of a flirty moment, sort of pulled down

his mask probably saying, hey, like, this is what I actually look like. And this could end up being one of the most significant clues, if it ends up

lining up to be the actual suspect that police are looking for here.

And then when you sort of retrace what actually happened on, when the shooting actually happened, right after that, it was when authorities saw

the gunman fleeing north towards Central Park. And video and new video that we had seen in recent hours, really at this point, once he gets into the

park about 25 blocks north of that, he's seen exiting the park on the west side of the park, and again, without that backpack.

And so, the question is, where did this person go from there? If law enforcement knows doesn't appear that it's public in any sort of way, but

then also at the scene itself, a water bottle was left behind that contained a fingerprint, though law enforcement tells CNN that that

fingerprint was smudged, which might make things a little bit less conclusive, but also that a water bottle was found as well.

So those are the clues that law enforcement is sort of working with right now. They have put out pictures of a person of interest, hoping for public

help. They have put out pictures of what the gunman was wearing, seen on camera at a coffee shop leading up to the shooting, hoping for the public's

help.

Again, as we enter this third day of not knowing where this person is, and Erica not even knowing who this person is?

HILL: Yeah, excellent points. Omar, really appreciate the update. Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

HILL: Still to come, one of the biggest names in sports broadcasting isn't known for holding back. So, wait till you hear what Stephen A. Smith has to

say about the state of politics in the U.S. Plus, U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump returning to the world stage this weekend after a personal

invite from the President of France for a very special event in Paris.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:00]

HILL: An attorney for Donald Trump's pick for U.S. Defense Secretary says Pete Hegseth is filling out the paperwork for an FBI background check. The

Army veteran and former TV host still facing an uphill battle to win Senate approval after accusations surface of suspected alcohol abuse and sexual

misconduct as well as issues in the workplace.

For now, Trump is standing by Hegseth despite reports that he is also considering replacements. This weekend, the president-elect travels to

Paris to attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral at the invitation a French President Emmanuel Macron. First Lady Jill Biden will also be in

attendance on Saturday.

While Donald Trump is making preparations to return to the presidency, Democrats are still trying to figure out where they went wrong in this

election? And frankly, where the party goes next? Becky Anderson spoke about the state of U.S. politics with American Sports Journalist Stephen A.

Smith, who is also reportedly negotiating a mega deal with ESPN. Their wide-ranging discussion happening at the MELT Middle East event in Abu

Dhabi, here's part of that conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR CONNECT THE WORLD: You've been very vocal about the election.

STEPHEN A. SMITH, ESPN HOST: Yes.

ANDERSON: And Kamala Harris is lost.

SMITH: Yes.

ANDERSON: Where do you think the Democratic Party should go from here?

SMITH: I think they were an absolute mess. I think that what they did during this election against Donald Trump was nothing short of pathetic.

And they have to really, really go back to the drawing board and look in the mirror and take a long, hard look at who they are and whether or not

they are truly the representatives of the people, because right now, they're not.

The Democratic Party, for decades, has been seen as somebody that was connected to the working class. Somehow, some way, during the Trump

campaign, the Republicans stole that from them. And what happens is that you know too much hypocrisy is going on to, you know, too much leaning

towards the extreme left.

America, as I think, is the case, where most of the world are predominantly centrist. Your centrist, your center-left or your center-right, which means

that you might have your proclivities, you might have your tendencies, you might have your preferences.

But ultimately, you want everybody to get along, and you want to be able to talk with one another, communicate with one another, conduct business with

one another, engage in compromising, et cetera. And unfortunately, we didn't see that from the Democratic Party.

They complained about it from the right. Then when they got hold of power, they lean to the extreme left, started engaging in a bunch of nonsense

where you're operating on the fringes. The mega right did it extremely with the right. The left did it extremely with the left, and you forgot about

the center.

And what happened was, is that it wasn't real, just like in 2020, it wasn't a vote for Biden, it was a vote against Trump. In 2024, it wasn't a vote

for Trump, it was a vote against vote culture. And that's what happened, and they got exposed for it, and now they've got to go back to the drawing

board, because the Republicans have control of the White House, the House and the Senate and the Supreme Court.

And as far as I'm concerned, with Musk and Ramaswamy in there. Wall Street as well. So, I'm looking at all of those different things, and I'm saying

you really, really, really messed up if you're the Democratic Party, because you took for granted the voters who have supported you all of these

years.

You forgot about them, lean into the extreme left, and you got your come up and you got what you deserve.

ANDERSON: What is the impact of an ineffective Democratic Party on America going forward?

SMITH: Well, I would tell you that in the lives of a lot of minorities in this country, it would be a step back in terms of the progress that has

been made as it pertains to civil rights, as it pertains to an abundance of other things. Whether that's factually correct or not, remains to be seen,

but that clearly is the fear.

When you look at things like Project 2025 there's a lot of things in terms of women's rights, a lot of things in terms of civil rights, not just for

African Americans and minorities in this country, but women as a whole, that people have concerns about. Now they might be overblown.

It might be people engaging in fear mongering, we shall see. But in the end, the fact is that when you look at the GOP, you know, they have

control, and if they're catering to their constituency, and there's a constituency that's what they're looking for, then that's a fear that you

have to address.

And again, the Democratic Party put themselves in that position, because what you really want. The reason, in my opinion, why Trump really won the

election is because, as chaotic and as divisive as he may be.

[09:25:00]

He was considered closer to normalcy than what the left was forcing us to inhale, if you can believe that in the United States. And so, when that

happened, and you saw America stand up, and you saw, even though he might have lost New York and California, he won the party, he didn't get 50

percent of the popular vote, he still won the popular vote.

He still won the electoral college vote. There were blacks, there were Latinos, there were women, and of course, white folks all increasing in

their numbers in terms of supporting him, compared to what they did in 2020. That is the ultimate indictment against the Democratic Party, and

then they tried to guilt us into voting for them by saying, oh, misogyny must be it.

You're not voting for her because she's a woman that made no sense. They voted for Hillary in 2016 she won the popular vote in the United States.

Where was the woman there stood then? Stop it. You lost because you didn't, I'm not talking about Kamala Harris. I'm talking about the Democratic

Party.

You lost because you didn't do what you were supposed to do. And as a result, you alienated the American public. Turned them against you. You

brought it on yourself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Again, that was Stephen A. Smith speaking with Becky Anderson. Becky, have more of that conversation when she returns to "Connect the World" on

Monday. Still to come here U.S. job growth bouncing back in November. So, what could those numbers mean? We'll take a closer look. After a quick

break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: The new U.S. jobs report for November is out. Job growth surging. 227,000 new jobs added last month, and that's of course, an important

rebound following what we saw in October. Those numbers were dramatically impacted by multiple hurricanes and also striking workers in the U.S.

As to the unemployment rate, it was expected to stay at 4.1 percent ticked up a bit to 4.2. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joining us now to break all this

down so that revision expected, but pretty strong, and also these numbers stronger than expected for November.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, economists were expecting about 200,000 jobs added in November. We're at

227, and that is the rebound that folks were hoping to see. That's the bounce back, as you said, from the dismal October jobs report, which only

had 12,000 jobs added.

[09:30:00]

But I'll get to that in a second first just going to this unemployment rate, as you mentioned, kicked up just slightly from 4.1 percent to 4.2

percent. The unemployment rate has now been above 4 percent for about six months now, that could give the federal reserve some indication that they

may want to cut rates to alleviate some of that, you just have more people out there looking for jobs right now, but the job is expansion.

We've had 47 months of job growth, job expansion. That's the third longest streak on record. But as far as where jobs were added in the month of

November, it's sort of the usual suspects, health care, leisure hospitality, government and then transportation and manufacturing, because

the Boeing strike ended, so you have more jobs being added in that sector.

Interesting that retail actually lost jobs in November around the holidays. But I just want to turn to October, as you mentioned, 12,000 jobs added,

but we get revisions in this report, and we saw that actually that number was revised up but, Erica, only by 24,000 jobs. So, a total of 36,000 jobs

added in the month of October.

That is dismal. That is not great. And that could be because obviously these two hurricanes impacted hiring, but it also impacted employers

reporting the hiring that they were doing. Now, of course, what does this mean for the Federal Reserve and what they're going to do with rate cuts in

the meeting later this month?

Well, Erica, essentially, they're going to look at this report, but they look at a lot of reports. And I think the key thing that the Fed is looking

at right now is borrowing rates for Americans. Are they still too high? And I think a lot of Americans would agree, yes.

And so, we have odds when we're talking about whether or not the Fed is going to cut rates. Before this jobs report came out, the odds were 71

percent that yes, we would see a rate cut once this report came out, it went up to 91 percent.

HILL: Oh!

YURKEVICH: So, I think taking a look at all of that, this report borrowing costs being really high, people economists specifically, are expecting that

we could see a rate cut come later this month, next year is a totally different story. We're going to have a different administration with

different policies. We'll have to see what comes in 2025.

HILL: Yeah, we'll take it one step at a time. But why would jump of -- 20 percent essentially.

YURKEVICH: Yeah --

HILL: -- that is something. Vanessa, appreciate it. Thank you.

YURKEVICH: Thanks.

HILL: Romania's top court just annulled the first round of the country's presidential election. So, you may recall that the far right Ultra

Nationalist Calin Georgescu won by a narrow margin. Well, the court now says the entire process has to be rerun. So, this means a second round run

off when Georgescu would have gone head-to-head with his political rival.

Elena Lasconi will no longer take place. CNN is following this developing story again. This all-just sort of unfolding right now, so we'll continue

to keep you updated on that. Every once in a while, there is a glimpse into an undiscovered past through a newly unearth painting.

In this case, a recently uncovered archeological find, or maybe a rare coin. Becky Anderson spoke with a rare coin collector, Alain Baron about

his upcoming auction showcasing Roman and Islamic coins. And also, the importance of physical coins in this ever-changing world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Digital currencies, decentralized ledgers, virtual wallets. The financial world is buzzing with the language of the age of

crypto, but long before Bitcoin and blockchain took over their headlines, coins looked like this, real gold, silver and bronze. You could hold them,

feel their weight, and they built entire empires.

ALAIN BARON, NUMISMATICA GENEVENSIS SA FOUNDER: From the little piece of metal that had only one punch on the side to the most sophisticated art

works that history delivered. Coins have been telling the story of the world. They've been saying everything about events of the time, fashion,

politics, war, the whole story of the world is being told, whether it's in Roman, Greek or Islamic period. You can have a mine of information that no

other field of art delivers.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Alain Baron is a world renowned numismatic. The fancy term for a coin collector. For him, coins are more than just mere

currency. They are a window into our collective past.

BARON: The Roman also used it more and more as a means of information. You would see the portraits of the emperor, the emperors, but also everything

was happening. At a time where there was no CNN, no radio, no nothing, coins were the greatest mean of information, and they have remained so

until the appearance of newspapers. That is basically mostly end of the 18th century.

[09:35:00]

ANDERSON (voice-over): Next week, one of history's greatest villains will be on display in Geneva at the Numismatica Genevensis Auction. His likeness

etched into a rare gold Roman coin has caused quite a stir up in the rare coin world. Brutus, the infamous assassin of Julius Caesar, his step son

and would be emperor.

Coins, as it turns out, not only tell us the history that we know, the stories of famed emperors and battles, but in the case of Brutus, tells us

the history we may not know, a glimpse into the mind of a man on the precipice of power over 2000 years ago.

BARON: Brutus, as we know, is a little bit the James Bond villain of ancient times, because how can you be meaner and nastier than Brutus was? I

mean, he ended up killing his father. And so, we have this very famous phrase that Julius on his death bed said, Tu quoque mi fili means you too,

my son, you killed me.

Very interestingly, Brutus, so he now would have a shot to become the most famous Emperor of all times and the first Roman Emperor. So, Brutus

portrays himself as a Roman emperor, and on the coin, you have his portrait, and the legend around his portrait is Brutus Imperator, which he

never was.

So, this coin from the most famous villain of all times probably is being struck in the short year where he thought he would become emperor. So, it

is highly important, because it's like the Da Vinci of Numismatics. So, the gold coins to that day are awfully rare. They're less than 20 specimens

known, and most of them are in museum.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The sale isn't only special because of the rare Brutus coin. It will also include a never-before-seen collection of Islamic

coins at a time in the Middle East and the Gulf is in focus again, this collection tells a story of history, Empire and religion.

BARON: A lot of Sultans or viziers or important politicians at the time whose history has never been reported are reported through coins. So, you

have names, you have dates of mints of cities that disappear today, that are being reported on the coins.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Some of the rarest Islamic coins are gold dinars, minted by and began as part of the powerful leader Abdul Malik's coin

reform. The dinars of the Umayyad period are key insights into the world of the Islamic empire. Coming to auction in Geneva is one of these very coins.

BARON: The cover coin is basically a coin of the Umayyad period, struck in 92 -- so the first century of the Prophet, and is struck in the Holy City

of Medina. So, this is one of the really important kinds, early kinds of the Islamic period. As you see here, you have a whole description that puts

the whole coin into its context.

And we call it the earliest coin age of the Hejaz. And then the Hejaz and Mecca and Medina were very poor regions at the time, so they did strike a

very, very minimal quantity of these coins. And you have one coin here, struck 92 -- which is one of the earliest coins of the Hejaz and one of the

earliest coins struck in the holy cities of Islam.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Our modern world is suspended between the old world, the ancient world, and the new world, the world in which physical currency

no longer exists where digital wallets and cryptocurrency dominate. The impact of digitization is one that the numismatics world is watching

closely. Its effects still unknown.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: In the NFL, Detroit now the first NFC team to clinch a playoff spot. But it did not come easily on Thursday night. More on that Lions' victory,

just ahead.

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[09:40:00]

HILL: Time for "World Sports" now on this Friday, the Detroit Lions rather are play-off bound after a last second win over the Packers. Head Coach Dan

Campbell seemed to be in a bit of a gambling mood Thursday night, going for it five times on fourth down. Andy Scholes joining me now, that's a gutsy

move.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.

HILL: Especially five times, Andy.

SCHOLES: Certainly is. And you know, everyone's happy when you make four out of those five times. But you know, one of America was at the very end

of this game. They were in field goal range on fourth, and one could have just kicked the field goal and would have given the Packers a minute left

to try to go win the game.

Dan Campbell said, no, we're taking care of this ourselves. They, of course, get the first down. So, he's a hero right now, and I guess the

players, they love his confidence in them right to get the first down. But you know, could have been a lot of second guessing today if they didn't.

But Lions, hey, what can you say about 12 in 1. 11, straight wins. Dan Campbell, could be your coach of the year.

HILL: Not too shabby. We will have that and a whole lot more after a quick break, when we see it for "World Sport", Andy.

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(WORLD SPORT)

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