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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Fans and Politicians Call Foul over Plans for a big Money Super League; Bitcoin Plunges after a Week of Crypto Hype; President Macron Says Europe is Working on Plans to Welcome U.S. Tourists. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired April 19, 2021 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:10]
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Live from New York, I'm Alison Kosik, in for Julia Chatterley. This is FIRST MOVE and here is your need to
know.
Football's Civil War. Fans and politicians call foul over plans for a big money super league.
Flash Crash. Bitcoin plunges after a week of crypto hype.
And opening up. President Macron says Europe is working on plans to welcome U.S. tourists.
It is Monday. Let's make a move.
Welcome to FIRST MOVE. Great to have you with us this Monday. Let's begin as always with a check of the market. U.S. stocks on track for a lower
start to the trading week. The Dow and the S&P begin today's session at record highs, and are coming off their fourth straight week of gains.
Stocks getting a boost from new signs that the U.S. economy is strengthening, as well as positive start to first quarter earnings season.
Coca-Cola kicking off the week with stronger than expected results. It says a key measure of global demand is back to pre-pandemic levels.
GameStop is another premarket gainer. Shares rallying more than 12 percent on word that its CEO, George Sherman, will be stepping down soon.
European stocks trading mixed right now, and it was a positive session in Asia with Chinese stocks, the outperformers.
All right, let's get right to the drivers. JPMorgan confirming it will be financing the so-called European Super League. This after Europe's top
football clubs announced their own league that could significantly change the sport's economics.
Twelve teams, including Manchester United, Liverpool, and Real Madrid among founding members of the breakaway competition. It is being met with strong
criticism from many fans and football's governing bodies, but investors are welcoming the news.
Shares of Manchester United up about 10 percent in the premarket here in New York. Alex Thomas joins us live now with more.
Alex, I don't know if you've had a chance to check out Twitter, but it is going crazy at this announcement, and it is an announcement that has
angered, you name it, politicians, fans, former players and the sports regulators.
Walk me through what the next step with all of this is and talk to me about the overall impact on the future of football.
ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes. There's a real contradiction, isn't there, between the outrage factor we are seeing on social media, the
loudest voices tend to be the critical ones right now, versus what you just said to our viewers moments ago about what the stock market reaction was
with Manchester United share price on the up.
And this comes down to what could be the most radical shakeup in the sport's history of football or soccer as a game that is arguably the most
popular on the planet, it goes back well over a hundred years, and has always been based in the main on merit.
You have leagues and you can get promoted to a higher league or relegated down to a lower league. You don't have the franchise system except with
Major League Soccer that you have in other U.S. pro sports.
It is no surprise that some of the teams that are driving this potential European Super League are mainly having American owners who use that
system, see a greater value for the teams and players in playing other big name sites more often, and playing less well known teams less often.
So, in terms of the products for a global digital fan, which is what they're after, it is certainly going to be attractive. There are a number
of hurdles and obstacles for the breakaway teams to get over first, and I think initially, we are going to see this play out possibly in the courts.
KOSIK: Alex, you know, I think there is a longing for maintaining the purity of the sport, but wasn't this inevitable?
You look at sports here in the U.S., they have become more of a business. Why is this coming at such a surprise?
THOMAS: Because the U.S. pro sports are set up like that from the very start. So they continue to try and drive their revenues upwards, for
example, in the NFL and in the NBA, when arguably, they have reached saturation point in their domestic market in North America.
They've looked to expand globally, you know, either physically taking games or even teams abroad or certainly in terms of improving their television
and customer base digitally and in terms of global broadcast deals.
Football and soccer has done that to a certain extent, but it still got handcuffs, if you like, of a dated structure. You know, you have a national
governing body in each country that controls the game. The clubs say, we want to have control of how we raise the money and where it is spent, and
the big issue with that is, does that mean, grassroots football or soccer is left out? The lower league teams, the teams that have got only a few
hundred hearty souls turning out week in and week out, these big super league clubs, potential super league clubs say, they will have solidarity
payments.
Those will be more than UEFA, European football's governing body. UEFA facing an existential crisis, really, no wonder they are going to take
legal action.
KOSIK: All right, Alex Thomas, my guess is the debate will go on. Thanks so much.
After a hype-filled week in cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin suffered a flash crash over the weekend, plunging 14 percent in less than an hour before
rebounding. Clare Sebastian joins me live now.
Great to see you, Clare. What a weekend it was if you are a cryptocurrency investor.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, not a very relaxing weekend if you're heavily into Bitcoin, Alison. As you say, it fell
Saturday night 14 percent in less than an hour. It has since rebounded to just under $57,000.00. Nowhere near the dizzy heights that we saw at the
beginning of last week where it came close to $65,000.00 ahead of the Coinbase IPO.
And as for why this happened, well, it is not exactly clear. There are a lot of people pointing to different types of triggers. There is chatter
around the idea that there were possible blackouts in China where cryptocurrency mining is concentrated. That might have taken some mining
pools offline.
There is chatter around the fact that Turkey has recently banned cryptocurrency payments, and other people are saying that this market
simply got overhyped around the Coinbase IPO and it was time for a little bit of a pullback.
But what we saw is what we see often in all asset classes when you get these sort of flash crashes, it is that selling begets more selling.
According to Bitcoin analytics website, bybt.com, there were $9 billion worth of liquidations in people who were long Bitcoin. Those people who
were betting on Bitcoin to go up.
Now, those liquidations happen when people are leveraged in those trades, when they have borrowed money and then the value drops sharply and they
can't make those margin calls. So that's what we saw and that is why, the sort of the flash crash effect.
But as I said, this has rebounded a little bit. I think the lesson here is there is a lot of leverage in this market and it is still going to be very
volatile.
KOSIK: Very volatile indeed. And so, I understand that China is pushing ahead with a digital version of the yuan. Could China be warming to just
the broader scope of digital assets in general, which would be a 180 from its usual stance. It had a crackdown on crypto trading back in 2017.
SEBASTIAN: Yes, China has been working on a sort of e-version of the yuan for a number of years now. The news today is that the Deputy Governor of
Central Bank said that they might let foreign athletes and visitors use this digital currency in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
So that would expand the sort of practice pilot projects they have been beyond certain Chinese cities where they have already been rolling this
out.
And if this leads eventually or helps lead to a nationwide rollout of this digital currency, that would make China the first major economy to do this.
The European Union is also working on a digital version of the euro, and the reason why this matters is because, there's a couple of suggestions.
One is that China wants to sort of internationalize its currency and try to break the strangle hold of the dollar. This is something that the Deputy of
Central Bank pushed back on.
The other concern is that in a society that's already so cashless and dependent on sort of tech companies for payments, China -- Beijing wants to
centralize that and therefore, potentially some have suggested, use that as method of keeping tabs on its citizens.
So that is where we are now. They said that they might be able to use this during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics -- Alison.
KOSIK: Okay, Clare Sebastian, thanks for all of that great context.
India reported a record number of new COVID cases today bringing new infections over the past five days to more than a million.
The capital, New Delhi, faces an acute shortage of ICU beds and oxygen. It enters a strict six-day lockdown tonight.
Paula Hancocks joins me live now. You know, this just gets devastating and more devastating by the day. Is that six-day lockdown long enough to make a
dent in what's happening?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alison, I think at this point, officials are thinking, it will be better than doing nothing
because the health system is really overburdened and overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases that are being confirmed every single day, yet again,
again, another record number.
As you say, over a million in five days have been confirmed. So, it is a case of there is a lack of hospital beds. We know there are less than 100
ICU beds in Delhi itself and that was on Sunday and that is a city of more than 21 million people.
We know there is a lack of oxygen. We know there is a lack of the COVID treatment, remdesivir. In fact, speaking to our team on the ground, they
are saying that many people who have relatives that need help, that need medical attention are giving up on hospitals because they say they are so
overwhelmed, they are simply not answering the phone and they are turning to social media, asking people if they can provide help, if they can
provide treatment or the plasma and drugs.
[09:10:24]
HANCOCKS: So, it just gives you an idea of how overwhelmed this system is, and there is also, we are hearing a lot of complaints about the mixed
messaging coming from the Prime Minister Modi. Now, on the one hand, he is asking for millions of people who have been celebrating one of the key
religious festivals in India to not congregate, physically to do it, celebrations more symbolically.
And at the same time, he is going to political rallies. He is speaking to large crowds, most of whom who are wearing masks, not all, but none of whom
are social distancing.
So there is criticism being laid at his door as well that he is giving mixed messages -- Alison.
KOSIK: Talk me through vaccine distribution there.
HANCOCKS: Well, certainly, it started fairly well and this was the hope, because we know that they are producing some of the vaccine within the
country as well, but the sheer numbers, if you think of over a million in five days have just overtaken what is possible to keep up with within the
vaccination system itself.
And we are hearing from officials what was really problematic in India, which is what we are hearing around the world is these different variants,
the more infectious variants which are causing this virus to spread through the population even faster, and then you do have events, for example, like
this religious festival where millions of people came down to the river banks of the River Ganges and what they do is they go into the waters, they
believe that they can wash away their sins, a very significant religious day for them.
But the fact is, you have an immense amount of people in the same area with very little social distancing, so events like that also cause more problems
-- Alison.
KOSIK: Okay, Paula Hancocks, thanks very much.
And these are the stories making headlines around the world. Russia's prison service says it has moved opposition politician Alexei Navalny to a
hospital for prisoners after reports that his health was deteriorating.
Officials say, he is in a satisfactory condition and is being treated with vitamin therapy. Navalny has been on a hunger strike since the end of March
and his allies have called for protests in support of him.
Let's get more from CNN's Sam Kiley. He joins me live from Moscow. So, what is his condition right now? Navalny's Press Secretary, Sam, said that
Navalny was dying in prison.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that may be something of an exaggeration, but it is not an exaggeration to say that his
own physicians have told us based on evidence that they have seen of blood tests that he has high levels of potassium in his bloodstream.
There are deep concerns indeed that he could suffer renal failure and indeed possible heart failure as a consequence, first of all, because he
has been very enfeebled by the Novichok attack on him back in August last year when he was poisoned with a nerve agent. And then of course, he is now
on Day 20 of a hunger strike.
Now, earlier today, the authorities here in Russia moved him from his penal colony where he was staying to the hospital of a nearby penal colony where
they are saying he is being treated with vitamin supplements.
They have not yet indicated one way or the other whether they are going to actually force feed him to try to keep him alive through this process, but
it is also very clear, and they have made it very clear among his supporters that they have brought forward mass demonstrations that they're
going to hold against Vladimir Putin's continued presidency and in support of Alexei Navalny to Wednesday because they are concerned about his failing
health.
And this all coming amid international condemnation from the United States, there are many people -- many governments across Europe with Jake Sullivan,
the National Security adviser to the Biden administration, saying that bilaterally, threats had been made to the Putin administration of
consequences that would follow if he died.
He would not say, Mr. Sullivan would not say what those consequences would be in a public forum on CNN, but he did say, threats had been made.
So, this is the medical state of this leading opposition figure, it is something both of national, but international concern right now as we look
forward to -- now, it is sort of a ticking clock issue for him, every day that goes by, when he doesn't eat, clearly his health is going to
deteriorate pretty rapidly -- Alison.
[09:15:10]
KOSIK: Okay, Sam Kiley live in Moscow. Many thanks.
Closing arguments will be heard later today in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Jurors have listened to three
weeks of emotional testimony, documenting the killing of George Floyd last year after Chauvin kneeled on his neck and back for more than nine minutes.
It is the last time the jury will hear from either side before deciding their verdict.
Authorities say a man has been detained in connection with raging fires in Cape Town, South Africa. The blazes began in Table Mountain National Park
and have destroyed buildings, including the University of Cape Town Library's historic reading room.
The fires are described as out of control.
David McKenzie has more from Johannesburg.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fire began on Sunday morning on the iconic slopes of Table Mountain. It is believed to have been started by a
homeless person, but there's at least one investigation into arson.
The fire ripped down the side of the mountain and got into the University of Cape Town where several buildings were ablaze, including a library.
Thousands of students were evacuated. They are sheltering in different buildings around the city.
Authorities believe they had it in control, but in the early morning hours, a strong wind picked up and ripped the fire around the mountain towards the
city where at least one neighborhood has been evacuated.
More than 250 firefighters are fighting the blaze. They think it might be difficult to use aerial bombardments with water on the blaze today because
of that wind, and it is unclear when they will get it under control.
David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: Still to come on FIRST MOVE, Toyota unveils its first EV. Can the pioneer of the hybrid car catch the competition with it is electric range?
And the sunny outlook for Americans hoping for a European holiday. France says the E.U. is working on a plan to let them in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:21]
KOSIK: Welcome back to FIRST MOVE. I am Alison Kosik live from New York where U.S. stocks look set to pull back in early trading.
A bit of consolidation happening after hitting fresh records on Friday. The Dow and S&P and NASDAQ all rose one percent or more last week with almost
200 stocks on the S&P 500 hitting 52-week highs, a positive signal for the Wall Street bulls.
First quarter earnings season ramps up this week with earnings reports from Netflix, Intel, IBM, and Johnson & Johnson and other big names reporting.
This follows strong results from major U.S. banks last week.
And it is merger Monday in the office furniture space. Herman Miller is buying rival, Knoll, in a deal worth almost $2 billion. Knoll shares
surging in premarket. Herman Miller shares are pulling back.
Toyota's commitment to an electric future took a leap forward in China overnight. The Japanese automatic launched an all-electric SUV concept at
the Shanghai Auto Show. Toyota plans to offer around 70 electrified models globally by 2025.
Bob Carter is Executive Vice President of Sales at Toyota North America and he joins me live. Great to see you.
BOB CARTER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES, TOYOTA NORTH AMERICA: Good morning, Alison.
KOSIK: Good morning. So first of all, it is a big deal just to have an in- person conference. This conference happening in Shanghai. The big on-stage reveal for Toyota, the unveiling of this new battery electric SUV. Walk me
through what that SUV is like.
CARTER: Well, first of all, it is great to be back in a global auto show and see people gathering to view our products.
But last night, we introduced the BZ4X. It is our first re-entry back into the full battery electric market. It is an SUV, four-wheel drive,
crossover. It is a little larger than our most popular vehicle which is the RAV4.
But more importantly, as you mentioned, the BZ is going to be our new sub- brand, where we will be introducing not only the BZ4X, but other vehicles as they come to market between now and 2025.
KOSIK: So, with this SUV, how much is Toyota really playing catch up, at least in China to the no frills tiny car made by GM that's really been a
hit there. Why introduce a mid-size SUV to compete against that kind of tiny zippy one from General Motors?
CARTER: Well, Alison, we have been in the electrified automobile business for over 20 years with our hybrids, our plug in hybrids, our fuel cells.
In fact, if you take a look at all of our electrified vehicles, our sales have more than exceeded combined of all other automakers. We had been in
previously into battery electrics. Our first battery electric was introduced back in 1997 with the RAV4 electric, and then we reintroduced it
in 2012.
But now is the tipping point, we believe, for electrification. So, this is going to be one of our vehicles on a very broad portfolio of battery
electrics, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fuel cells because we don't believe any one technology is right for every customer.
So, it is our plan to offer all of these technologies to consumers and let them decide what fits their needs.
KOSIK: Now, so far Toyota has been largely unscathed by the global shortage of semiconductors as we have endured the pandemic. But last month,
Toyota actually halted production at plants in North America because of a squeeze in supplies including plastic components, petrochemicals and
semiconductors. What's the update on this? Have there been furloughs because of this squeeze in getting these supplies?
CARTER: No. No furloughs. That's outside our business model.
But we have fortunately been able to recover well. Our demand right now is near record. We had a record first quarter. We had a fantastic March and
April is showing to be much the same on a record pace.
Without a doubt, the supply chains are fragile at this moment, but we -- our production over the next two months, April and May, actually looks to
be very good.
June-July, a little cloudy at this time, but we have our manufacturing, our R&D and purchasing teams working on that. So overall, there will be some
minor disruptions expected, but overall, we remain bullish on the outlook for 2021.
[09:25:04]
KOSIK: Let's talk Tesla for a moment. Is Toyota looking to be more of a friend or competitor to Tesla?
I know that there is an operating system called the Arene that can go against the Tesla, essentially technology that allows new features to be
installed in the car's existing hardware, but this technology can also run in Teslas as well, right?
CARTER: Well, overall, Alison, we don't believe that one technology fills all of the needs of consumers in North America, so battery electrics and
electrification are the future of automobiles. However, there are customers that live in the Midwest, there are parts of the East Coast that are more
remote that a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid may be a better alternative for them.
The average consumer only commutes about 30 miles a day in the U.S. So, is it really necessary to have a BEV that has a 300 or 400-mile range where
you are carrying all of that expensive weight of batteries around.
So, our strategy is to really offer all four different technologies, and then let the consumer decide which technology best fits their needs.
KOSIK: Yes or no? Is Toyota considering restarting a partnership with Tesla to jointly create a small electric SUV or any other vehicle? Any
partnership here with Tesla in the future?
CARTER: Well, no announcements today, Alison, but we do have partnerships with many other brands. We have partnerships in different parts of the
globe with Suzuki and Subaru and Mazda.
And one of the vehicles I mentioned previously, back in 2012, that was a direct partnership with Tesla. So we are open to collaboration with other
brands, and you will continue to see that from us in the future.
KOSIK: Okay, pleasure speaking with you, Bob Carter, Executive Vice President of Sales at Toyota Motor, North America. Thanks so much.
And you're watching FIRST MOVE. The opening bell is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:09]
KOSIK: Welcome back to FIRST MOVE. I am Alison Kosik and that was opening bell on Wall Street, and as expected, we got a lower open across the board
for U.S. majors with stocks pulling back from record highs.
Tech stocks seeing the biggest losses in early trading. Ten-year Treasury yields are ticking higher after falling last week for the third week out of
our, yields pulled back amid some concern that the U.S. economic growth that we are seeing may normalize later this year after this year's spring
surge.
The rate of COVID infections also playing into sentiment.
More than five million COVID cases were diagnosed globally in the past seven days. An all-time record driven by soaring numbers in Brazil and
India.
In the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci is saying a decision on the fate of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine should come later this week. He expects
officials will give the go ahead to administer the vaccine again, perhaps with new restrictions or warnings on the risks of blood clots.
Mark Zandi joins me live now. He is the Chief Economist at Moody's Analytics. Great to see you again.
MARK ZANDI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: Thanks, Alison. Good morning.
KOSIK: Good morning. So we are in April, 2021. I know I have spoken with you several times during the height of the pandemic. Talk with me about
your outlook now for the U.S. economy based on what you are seeing.
ZANDI: It is booming. The data from March was fantastic. You know, I have been an economist -- a professional economist for almost 30 years, I don't
think I have seen a month where the data has been as uniformly strong as it was in the month of March.
I think that's the beginning of a string of a bunch of good months, you know, all the way through this time next year. We have got the end of the
pandemic that's going to wind down and it is going to support growth. We have got lots of fiscal support from the government, the American Rescue
Plan and additional support and of course, there's a lot of pent up demand.
People have been sheltering in place for a year, particularly high income households and they have got a lot of savings, so you mix a lot of pent up
demand with a lot of savings and that's a lot of spending.
So I expect some really good things for this economy over the next year, Alison.
KOSIK: Yes, let me break out a couple of the things that you said here. First of all, the savings rates globally, what have you found just globally
how people around the world are saving their money?
ZANDI: Yes, I mean, during the pandemic, across the globe, we have seen households stay home, right, shelter in place. And again, these are mostly
high income households, high and middle income households who have the ability to work from anywhere.
They've got good healthcare. They could shelter in place.
And because they weren't traveling, because they weren't going to restaurants and ball games, or getting their haircut, they saved a lot of
money, and so over the past year, you add it all up, it is about 6.5 percent of global GDP. So over $5 trillion in excess savings, 6.5 percent
of GDP.
So that's a lot of cash out there that could fuel a lot of spending.
KOSIK: Now, you did mention the infrastructure bill that is on the table in Congress. What kind of momentum will that give to the U.S. economy if
that goes through?
ZANDI: That's big. It is not for this year or for next year. That will be likely passed at the end of this year and it probably won't take effect.
This is infrastructure spending, these are big projects, I think a lot of time to get going and for the money to get out there into the economy.
So that really won't have an impact on the U.S. economy until 2023 or 2024. But then, it will add a lot of growth. It is going to create a lot of jobs,
manufacturing and construction, transportation and distribution.
So, a lot of good paying jobs, and lots of niche across the country, but that's a little later down the road, and of course, it has to get passed
into law and there's a lot of work to be done there.
KOSIK: And you mentioned jobs, a lot of those jobs that it could bring into the fold would be male-dominated fields like manufacturing and
transportation. That kind of leaves out women, women who have really been impacted in this pandemic.
ZANDI: Yes, that's a good point. It is going to be male-dominated, by my calculation, about 60 percent of jobs created by the infrastructure plan
would probably go to men, about 40 percent women. But that is not the end of the story.
We are going to see the President unveil an American Family Plan, so call, this would extend out social services. This would be everything from
healthcare to education to child care, housing, that kind of thing and that would be more in female dominated industries like the healthcare industry
or the educational industry, for example. So that would be 60/40, women to men.
So my sense is when all of this comes together later this year and we get a piece of legislation, I think it will create a lot of jobs for both men and
women.
[09:35:09]
KOSIK: Okay, we should only hope so. Mark Zandi, the Chief Economist at Moody's Analytics, great seeing you today. Thanks.
Peloton stock is falling this morning after the fitness company refused to recall one of its treadmills linked to 79 accidents. It follows multiple
reports of children being trapped by the machine.
Paul La Monica joins me live now. Paul, great to see you.
The story is -- it is a tough one for Peloton, isn't it? This is its business model. It basically is being told to recall machines that are in
households that have pets or children.
PAUL LA MONICA, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes. This is, I think a very difficult situation for Peloton right now particularly because, you know,
tragically you did have one child who reportedly died as a result of being too close to this machine.
Peloton has maintained that they don't need to recall the treadmills because they have already warned their users that they should not allow
young children and pets to be close to the machine. They have given the consumers all of the information that they need about how to operate it
safely, and that they think is a reason why they shouldn't have to actually recall the device.
I don't know if it is wise for the company to be getting into a bit of a row with regulators who think there should be a recall and clearly the
market agrees. The stock is falling today. It has been tumbling all year after a stunning run last year.
It was definitely one of the kind of work from home, stay at home beneficiaries of COVID-19 as a stock.
KOSIK: Yes, and the safety component will certainly be top of mind for consumers who are looking to go and let's say buy a Peloton. How does this
company overcome that?
LA MONICA: Yes, I think that, you know, clearly right now, it is a war of words between Peloton and regulators. I think the company probably may have
to eventually cave and follow the lead of regulators.
There aren't that many companies that defy Washington when consumer watchdog groups come out and say you should recall a product. You know, it
may not be sufficient for Peloton to just say we are warning our customers.
Obviously, keep in mind, too, that this is just one of Peloton's many products. The treadmill is not the only Peloton device out there that has
become incredibly popular in the past couple of years as people increasingly maybe dropping gym memberships and setting up their own
workout stations at home, particularly during the pandemic.
KOSIK: Yes, and I just want to point out the video you saw of children near the treadmill. There was a child that was injured. The child did not
die in that incident, I just want to point that out.
Paul La Monica, thanks so much for your reporting.
Up next, French charm. President Macron promises Americans a European summer holiday. Can he deliver?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:41:22]
KOSIK: Europe is working on a plan to reopen to U.S. tourists as early as this summer, according to the French President, Emmanuel Macron. The E.U.
is working on a travel pass for people who have been vaccinated or can show a negative PCR test.
Fred Pleitgen joins me live now.
Fred, you know, it is not lost upon really anyone about the need there is to get those tourism dollars, all of that revenue in. But is, let's say, is
France -- is Macron jumping the gun here?
I mean, you look at the COVID case numbers, the death numbers, and the death toll rising to more than 100,000 last week. Is he may be, you know,
getting ahead of himself and just even putting this in the planning stages?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Maybe he is, but I think you're absolutely right, and I think you used exactly the right
word there, Alison, I think "need" that is really a word that a lot of European countries certainly, the ones that have a lot of tourism would use
in that case.
France obviously, has a lot of tourists every year. U.S. tourists, a lot of people coming across the Atlantic to come to France, but also some other
countries as well. You look at Greece for instance, you look at Spain, and you look at Portugal. Those countries can't wait to open up because such
large amounts of their yearly revenues have been lost with people from America for instance, not being able to come there, but also quite frankly,
people from European countries as well.
And it certainly seems as though Emmanuel Macron seems to sort of making a bet on the future, if you will. As you know, a lot of the E.U. countries,
they had a pretty sluggish start to their vaccination campaigns.
Here in Germany, in France, as well, Italy for instance, they had a lot of trouble getting enough vaccine to vaccinate quickly. That has really been
picking up the pace though, and that seems to be one of the reasons why Emmanuel Macron seems quite confident that he could be able to possibly
make it happen, possibly even as early as maybe May or June to really get tourism rolling again.
You're absolutely right. The European Union has a plan as well for an E.U. vaccination passport. Now, that first and foremost is of course an intra-
E.U. thing where people from European countries will be able to travel within the E.U. more easily, but of course, also for people from outside
the E.U. like for instance the U.S., there will be certain standards, like for instance having been vaccinated, like for instance a PCR test.
But what I thought was really interesting is that the E.U. is also looking at people for instance who have gone through a COVID-19 infection and can
show that they have antibodies, those would also then be able to travel of course as well.
So, there are certainly plans. There are countries that are really keen to open up. The Greeks, for instance, are going to start opening up right now.
They are going to start letting people from the E.U. back in. They also said that U.S. tourists can also go to a lot of the Greek islands, can also
go to Athens for instance as well.
They definitely want tourism back because so much revenue depends on tourism, and quite frankly, so many jobs here also on the continent.
And really, when you speak to people in European countries, especially those countries where you do have a lot of tourists from the U.S., you can
tell they really want those tourists from the U.S. back because there was so much money also going to the countries from the U.S.
So maybe Emmanuel Macron is jumping the gun just a little bit, however, it does seems as though he is making a bet on that vaccination campaign here
in Europe really gaining steam, which it has been, and then just hoping that the summer will get a lot better than the past couple of months have
been here in Europe -- Alison.
KOSIK: Yes, we can only hope. Fred Pleitgen, thanks so much.
Elsewhere, signs of hope and progress in the battle against the virus. Just a week before ANZAC Day, New Zealand is now allowing Australians to travel
to the country quarantine free. Angus Watson has the story from Melbourne.
[09:45:02]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANGUS WATSON, JOURNALIST: A travel bubble opening between Australia and New Zealand on Monday with the first of 140 flights planned this week
across the Tasman Sea with no passengers having to quarantine on arrival.
That offer previously was available to New Zealanders traveling in to Australia; now New Zealand returns the favor making that one way travel
corridor into a two-way travel bubble.
New Zealand says that will means billions for its economy with Australian tourist dollars targeted, and of course, families split by this border
closures for over a year will be reunited again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is really important. We are going back for my dad's funeral and we are taking this little guy to meet his family for the
first time. So, he is just 10 months old. So, it is pretty exciting for us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no replacing the human touch and human relationships. We are looking forward to getting over to New Zealand,
speaking to our people, making sure that their welfare is great, but also that our business continues to prosper.
WATSON: Both countries entering into this agreement tentatively. Each say that they are willing to pop this travel bubble if there is an outbreak of
COVID-19 on either side of the Tasman Strait.
Both countries have had success with that sort of strictness when it comes to COVID-19. Just around 2,500 cases in New Zealand since the pandemic
began, and just under 30,000 in Australia. That platform means the countries want to extend these travel bubbles further into the region.
New Zealand wants to incorporate Pacific Islanders into its travel bubble, Australia has earmarked Singapore as a potential country that it could have
a travel bubble with.
But that will also rely on vaccine rollouts in Australia and New Zealand where governments have been criticized for being slow to get vaccines to
their people.
Angus Watson, in Melbourne, Australia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: Coming up on FIRST MOVE, furious reactions from football fans after Europe's top clubs announce their own league. That story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Back to our top story. Twelve European clubs planning to launch a breakaway football league. The President of Real Madrid who is the first
Chairman of the Super League, said this: "Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big
clubs is to respond to their desires."
But many fans say this is not what they want. I want to bring in Tim Payton. He is from the Arsenal Supporters Trust and he joins me live.
Great to see you.
TIM PAYTON, SPOKESPERSON, ARSENAL SUPPORTERS TRUST: Hello.
KOSIK: So talk with me about whether you think this will actually happen? That the Super League will happen, given you know, the biggest clubs in the
U.K. want it, investors seem to like it. Can it be stopped?
PAYTON: Well, we hope it can be stopped. The Arsenal Supporters Trust and all the Arsenal fans have spoken to and seen online, they deplore this. It
is the death of football as we know it.
Sporting merit is being ended, guaranteed entry competitions run for money and not the interest of the fans. We have to stop it.
[09:50:10]
KOSIK: But why are you so against it, especially since your own team stands to benefit from being part of this league?
PAYTON: It is a misnomer to think that I am automatically happy if Arsenal play in this league. I am only happy if Arsenal is playing in it because
they have qualified on sporting merit.
How can I look at a fan of Leicester City or Western in the eye and say, "We are playing in that league next year, you're not," even though they
finished higher in the league? What's the point in me going to games next week and the week after if it is also predetermined that Arsenal would be
self-selected into a league because they sat down in a room with JPMorgan and divvied up some money.
It is abhorrent. It is against everything that the English game is founded on, the principles of the English game, it runs rough shod over them.
KOSIK: So those who disagree with what you are saying, they ask, isn't football already run as business? Isn't this inevitable given that U.K.
football has welcomed in billionaires and the money that they bring?
PAYTON: It may have been inevitable when you let in Americans who care nothing for our sport, come over to meet with us, bring over their
franchise model which may work very well in the U.S., but it doesn't fit 150 years of tradition in the U.K., and quite frankly, all they want to do
is swoop pounds or scoop dollars out from our clubs.
So they are not going to care, but it is not inevitable. The British government is speaking up against this. UEFA and the FA are speaking up
against this and it is like a revolution of fans.
I really believe if we all stay unified on this, we will see these greedy people off, get their fingers off our game.
KOSIK: Let me hear your crystal ball idea here about what action you think fans will take. Do you think they will boycott the club? Will they switch
teams?
PAYTON: English football fans don't switch teams, but what we do though is we protest, we make noise, we may go to games and protest, we may not go.
We will boycott commercial activity. We will work closely with government who already have a policy commitment to introduce a regulator for football.
I think they might expedite that.
We are calling on the government to introduce the luxury tax or a so-called super tax, they think with a super league, let them pay more money back. We
are going to fight them every single level we can. They have declared war on English football and its fans and they will find we are incredibly
resilient, and we will not give up on the game we love mightily.
KOSIK: What recourse do you have though and what leverage do you have? And if you can talk to folks who are looking to make this into this kind of
business, what would you want to tell them right now?
PAYTON: Well, first of all, I'll tell them, it won't be a commercial success. Who wants to watch the same old team playing the same old team
each year, guaranteed entry, turn after turn of game to reach the knockout stage and we will come after you. We will challenge it commercially.
But we would also come after you through Parliament and through government. We will come after you by working with UEFA and the FA to exclude these
breakaway teams.
We cherish and love our clubs. They are institutions, but they are institutions that are based on sporting merit and competitive balance and
we will fight it in every way that we can, and you see that today.
I would be very surprised if your researchers and producers have been able to find you someone to come on and defend this model because I can't see
anybody out there that will do that.
KOSIK: Well, investors are defending it, but we will keep watch and see what happens.
PAYTON: Well, they would, wouldn't they?
KOSIK: Well, it is all about money, isn't it?
PAYTON: Of course.
KOSIK: Tim Payton, Arsenal Supporters Trust spokesman, pleasure talking with you and getting your perspective. Thank you.
CNN reached out to the Super League for further information about its proposals, but we are yet to hear back.
NASA's Mars helicopter successfully completing its first flight on the Red Planet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Landing. Touchdown and a spin down.
[APPLAUSE]
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: The helicopter named Ingenuity sent back a picture of the shadow it cast on the ground. This is NASA's first power controlled flight on another
planet.
Today's flight lasted about 40 seconds and it could change the way we study the Red Planet. Michael Holmes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is the little helicopter with a very big mission. NASA's mini chopper, named Ingenuity,
became the first aircraft to achieve powered controlled flight on another planet. Ingenuity's first flight is intentionally brief.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Perseverance images showing us, grounded at first. It is essentially a video, which is great. It is grounded at first and then
shows us hovering our three meters above the Martian surface and then touching back down. It is amazing and brilliant.
[09:55:00]
HOLMES: A short hop that is the culmination of many hits and misses. Ingenuity has so far survived the frigid Martian nights after separating
from the Perseverance rover relying on its solar powered batteries to fire up internal heaters.
But an initial spin test of its rotors delayed a scheduled flight attempt due to problems with a timer. NASA says the helicopter later successfully
completed the test, spinning its blades at 2,400 revolutions per minute, the speed it needs to take off.
Scientists say having a bird's eye view of the terrain could revolutionize the way we study new planets.
LORI GLAZE, DIRECTOR, NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION: Ingenuity will open new possibilities and will spark questions for the future about what we
could accomplish with an aerial explorer.
Could we images areas not visible from space or that a rover couldn't reach? Could a helicopter scout ahead for rovers and help plot the most
efficient course for the best science?
HOLMES (voice over): Flying on the red planet presented some difficult engineering challenges because of the low gravity of Mars and an atmosphere
that is one percent the density of Earth.
NASA engineers sent along a good luck charm attached to Ingenuity is a piece of fabric from the wing of the Wright Brothers' flyer which carried
the first powered controlled flight on Earth.
Michael Holmes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: That's it for the show. I'm Alison Kosik.
CNN's special coverage of the closing arguments in the trial of Derek Chauvin begins after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:00]
END
