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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty to All Nine Charges; New Evidence Against Trump May Be Released Before Election; Musk Agrees to Lead Efficiency Commission; Harris to Boost Small Business Tax Breaks; Super Typhoon Yagi Growing in Strength; Nippon Steel Proposed Takeover of U.S. Steel is a Bad Deal for America; Biden Set to Block U.S. Steel Purchase by Nippon Steel; New Details About Gun Used by Georgia School Shooter; Christie's New Hong Kong HQ. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired September 05, 2024 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: -- two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist. In the video, Morgan also revealed she is pregnant with her
second child. Morgan's been a mainstay on the U.S. Women's national team. She'll play her final match this weekend.
If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show whence you get your podcast. You can also follow us on social media everywhere.
The news continues on CNN with Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room. I'll see you tomorrow.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: It's 5:00 a.m. in Jakarta, 6:00 a.m. in Beijing, and 6:00 p.m. here in New York. I'm Julia Chatterley. And
wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
A warm welcome to "First Move," as always. And here's today's need to know. President Biden's son, Hunter, pleading guilty to all nine charges in his
federal tax evasion case. Elon's style efficiency. Donald Trump says the Tesla boss has agreed to lead a government body tasked with cutting waste.
Storm surge. Super Typhoon Yagi growing in strength as it heads towards the Chinese Coast. And Christie's christening, the auction house celebrating
the opening of its new Hong Kong HQ with a masterpiece moment. That conversation and plenty more coming up.
But first, the judge in Hunter Biden's federal tax evasion case in California has accepted his offer to plead guilty to all nine charges. The
dramatic admission of guilt comes after the U.S. president's son had first attempted to make a plea that would maintain his innocence. Prosecutors
accused him of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. They say he instead spent money on luxury cars, extravagant hotels, and sex workers.
CNN Legal Analyst Jennifer Rodgers joins us now. Jennifer, this has been a day of pretty astonishing legal wrangling, I think, as I mentioned there.
It started with Hunter trying to maintain his innocence, but also accepting some form of punishment. And it ended with him pleading guilty without any
kind of leniency deal. What happened?
JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST AND FORMER U.S. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Yes, it's really unusual, Julia. He tried to put in what's called an Alford
plea, which is a no contest plea. It's when they say, listen, I'm not going to admit that I'm guilty, but I'm willing to go ahead and be sentenced on
these charges. So, that's what the first gambit was. But DOJ objected and ultimately, said they wouldn't take that plea.
So, then he had to plead what's called pleading open. He just pled to the indictment as is with no deal in place. It means the judge will sentence
him without any sort of leniency. Although, it also means that he still avoids a trial. So, to the extent that there were lots of damaging things
that were going to come out at trial, of course, that won't come into the public sphere, but also, the judge won't sit there through all of that
testimony.
So, he may think that he has a little bit of an advantage now at sentencing because all of that damaging information won't come out, but we'll have to
see on that one.
CHATTERLEY: And sentencing is set to happen in late December. What's unique about this case is that the defendant's father, of course, has the
ability with this stroke of a pen to make this all go away. Although, of course, President Biden has said, at least in the past, and when he was
still potentially going to be a presidential candidate, let's be clear, that he wouldn't pardon his son.
What are the options here in light of the fact that he is no longer in the running for the presidency after the end of this year or January next year?
What might happen whether that's an adjustment of the sentence or indeed a pardon?
RODGERS: Well, either one. I mean, the president has the absolute authority to pardon someone for federal crimes or to offer what's called
clemency. So, he could, if he wished, although again, as you said, he has promised he will not, but he could pardon him altogether. Say these two
federal convictions, this tax offense and the prior gun conviction are going to be wiped away, or he could provide clemency, which is to say the
convictions would stay in place, but he would commute any prison sentence.
He hasn't yet been sentenced in either case, but he could commute those sentences so that Hunter Biden would still have those convictions, but not
go to prison for them. So, those things are technically on the table. Again, he has said he wouldn't do anything, but as you point out, he won't
be serving a second term. So, we'll see if anything like that happens.
CHATTERLEY: Time will tell. Let's speak about the former president as well, and specifically, the judge in the federal election subversion case
against him. He set a schedule now that will allow prosecutors to release evidence that's not been seen or heard of before, including potential grand
jury transcripts. And that now could happen based on that schedule before the presidential election. What might we see?
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RODGERS: Well, Judge Chutkan is having the party's brief this notion of whether the indictment still charges things that the former president is
immune from given the Supreme Court's July decision and whether any evidence that shouldn't be used pursuant to that decision is going to come
in or would potentially come in.
So, it's Judge Chutkan's job to make sure that this indictment wouldn't do any of those things, that the Supreme Court has now prohibited. And so, to
do that, she has to understand more about what the proof will be and what proof there is to support the charges. So, there's really no way to do this
without learning about a lot of this evidence.
And I think the choice really was between doing it on the papers, as she has decided to do, or do it in a hearing, which would have been even more
explosive. Of course, she also could have opted to do what the Trump team wanted her to do, is to push the whole thing after the election. But as she
pointed out, her job really doesn't have anything to do with the election. She's charged with moving this case forward and the fact that he's a
presidential candidate doesn't have anything to do with moving this case forward, which, of course, is about what he did while he was president.
So, that's what we're going to see. It should be very interesting transcripts of witness testimony, documentary evidence. We could see a lot
of different things. The problem is, we don't know exactly what, because much of it was not part of the public presentations that were made by the
January 6th Committee in the House of Representatives.
So, you know, it's anyone's guess as to what it is, other than, of course, it's evidence relating to the charges in the indictment.
CHATTERLEY: Unique and historic moments, I think we can call them in both of these cases. Legal Analyst Jennifer Rodgers, great to have you with us.
Thank you.
Now, we're two months out from the U.S. elections and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he's found the man to get the
economy humming once more. None other than billionaire businessman and now Trump supporter Elon Musk.
Trump delivered what was billed as a major economic speech in New York on Thursday. He outlined his proposals to boost energy output, ease inflation,
and lower taxes. He says he'll build a sovereign wealth fund to help pay for infrastructure projects. And he said Musk, one of the richest men in
the world, has agreed to head up, as I mentioned, a new commission to cut red tape and improve efficiency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a
complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms. We need to do it. Can't go
on the way we are now.
And Elon, because he's not very busy, has agreed to head that task force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: Trump's opponent, Kamala Harris, unveiled fresh details of her economic agenda as well this week. She proposed new tax incentives for
small businesses and came out in favor of boosting their capital gains tax rate to 28 percent. That's actually well below the rate proposed by
President Joe Biden.
Both Trump and Harris are set to face off on the economy and plenty of other issues in their first face-to-face debate on Tuesday next week.
Rana Foroohar joins us now. Rana, Let's begin with president -- or former President Donald Trump. What was the most economically positive and potent
policy pronouncement that you heard from him today? Why are you laughing?
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST, GLOBAL BUSINESS COLUMNIST, FINANCIAL TIMES AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES: Well, you know,
that's a hard one for me, Julia.
CHATTERLEY: OK.
I hear him saying he's going to create an efficiency council. I hear him talking about cutting costs, but, you know, I'm looking out at the analysts
that are looking at his programs and his proposals, and most of them think that they're going to be bad for the economy. I mean, Goldman Sachs
recently came out and said, look, a unanimous Kamala Harris victory with also a Democratic House and Senate is probably what would be best for the
American economy.
So, I'm having a hard time right now coming up with something positive. I'm going to have to be honest about that.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's a challenge, isn't it? I was listening to a lot more of that speech actually, and he talked about, and has in the past, cutting
energy costs by half. And he talked about doubling the electrical grid capacity.
The problem is, and he does tend to understand and have at least ideas on things like infrastructure, to your exact point, we can get over some of
the biggest challenges and analysts out there are saying the same thing, whether it's the tariffs or the dramatic potential cuts to immigration and
the workforce in the United States, the challenge is that's both economically bad in terms of growth, but also potentially inflationary too.
And when you combine what is scarce details on both policies, I think for both candidates, he comes out in second place because of these two issues.
[18:10:00]
FOROOHAR: Look, there's no intellectual coherence to Trump's economic policy, OK? I mean, let's look at what's been done so far. In his first
term, essentially, he cut taxes on large corporations. He promised a huge repatriation of funds that would go into infrastructure and into the real
economy. What did we get? We got a lot of buybacks and dividend payments that benefited the top 10 percent that owns 85 percent of the shares.
You know, we've heard a lot about tariffs. You know, there are good geopolitical reasons for some of the proposals that he has. But across the
board, tariffs -- you know, not just on China, but on allies, is a recipe for disaster. And I would also look at the immigration part of Trump's
economic plans and say, that's very worrisome because one of the reasons that the U.S. economy has done so well in the last few years is that we've
had good levels of immigration. That's just the fact of it.
I just don't see a coherent plan here. What I see is a lot of desperate proposals coming at a time when Kamala Harris is rising in swing states.
And when surveys show that more Americans now actually approve of her economic handling than Trump's. So, I think that's what we're looking at
here.
CHATTERLEY: Do you see economic coherence, though, in her plans and a way to pay for them? Let's be clear, because there are a lot of policies that
she's talked about that for working families might prove to be positive, but at the same time, you've got to find a way to, to pay for them. And the
one of the ways, at least, to pay for what's been estimated at, what, $1.7 trillion worth of spending over the next 10 years is raising corporate tax
rates.
I mean, the Tax Foundation said recently, you know, that's the most harmful way in terms of economic growth of raising revenues. Debatable that the net
impact of what we're talking about with corporation tax rates. Rana, make it clear for us, is there coherence in her policies and ways to pay for it,
too?
FOROOHAR: Well, I think you're raising a couple of issues. One of them is what is Kamala Harris' economic vision and how close is it to Bidenomics?
Is it something different? I think the jury is still out on that. I've written a couple of columns saying that I would actually like to see less
air between what the previous -- what this administration has done, Biden- Harris, and what Kamala Harris might do on her own.
Right now, I'm seeing a little bit more ad hocness, you know, there's -- we're very close to the election, she hasn't had a lot of time to lay out
policies, and that's, frankly, politically probably the right thing to do. But going forward, she's going to need more systems thinking.
She's going to need to look at something like, for example, childcare. This is a passion point for her. She wants to improve the ability of Americans
to pay for childcare by increasing tax credits. That's great. But you're also going to have to look at things like the fact that private equity owns
eight out of the 11 largest childcare centers in America. That's part of a larger monopoly problem in America. You know, where does she stand on those
things? Those are I'm looking at.
But in terms of debt, look, you're raising a great point, and it's something that both parties are going to have to answer for. But I would
make this point, whoever and however you're going to pay for debt, you need growth to do it. And most people say, I'm talking about Goldman Sachs, I'm
talking about the American public, I'm talking about most economists, say that Kamala Harris' plan thus far is a better growth plan for America.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. Because no one can get past the tariffs. Rana Foroohar, someone in that campaign needs to understand this. Yes. Rana Foroohar,
great to have you on. Thank you.
FOROOHAR: Nice to be here.
CHATTERLEY: Now, Southern China is bracing for Super Typhoon Yagi, the second most powerful storm so far this year. It's expected to make landfall
Friday around an island dubbed China's Hawaii. The nation's weather agency has issued a red typhoon warning. That's its highest alert. While Hong Kong
has already cancelled dozens of flights. Right now, the storm is the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic.
Steven Zhang joins us now from Beijing. Steven, what further preparations have been made to protect people and more in light of what's expected to
hit later today there?
STEVEN ZHANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Julia, they are taking no chance. As you mentioned, it is the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.
But actually, at one point on Thursday, this storm peaked in strength with winds of 155 miles per hour. That's only two miles shy of Category 5.
That's why Yagi has already become the second strongest storm of 2024 globally, trailing only Hurricane Beryl, as you remember that Category 5
hurricane hitting the Caribbean back in July.
So, in Hong Kong, as we mentioned, the authorities there have issued their third highest typhoon alert, signal eight, very much shutting down that
financial hub for Friday and the same situation in much of Southern China, both in Hainan, but also in parts of Guangdong Province, where authorities
have closed schools and offices and canceled all public events and shutting down flights and suspending train services sometimes into the weekends.
[18:15:00]
And in some cases, they have preemptively evacuated residents in anticipation of severe flash flooding and of course, thousands of fishing
boats have also taken shelter in that part of country as they have been ordered to return to the shore by the authorities.
Now, one of the hardest hit cities appears to be Haikou, the provincial capital of Hainan, because it may end up in the so-called inner most ring
of destructive winds and torrential rings encircling the eye of the storm if we look at the weather map.
Now, of course, as Yagi moves westwards, it appears to be weakening somewhat. And the landfall, as you may -- as you mentioned, is expected to
happen in the coming hours in the waters between Hainan and the Guandong Province. And authorities they're very much bracing for impact, as you
mentioned, not only with storms, not only with the rains and winds, but also with a coastal storms and other type of destructive kind of effects.
Now, one thing we want to emphasize, of course, is that part of country no stranger to typhoons. But one message that keeps emerging from this season,
of course, is climate change has amplified the effect of extreme weather. Not only flooding -- and it becomes more frequent and increasingly deadly.
And not just flooding and the storms, but also other types of extreme weather like severe droughts and prolonged heat waves.
Julia, the government here actually said China just recorded its hottest August in over six decades. So, this country very much bracing for the
effect of climate change, like many other countries around the world. Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. Such a key indicator. Steven Zhang in Beijing, thank you so much for that update. And as Steven was saying there, let's get some
more on where Yagi is now headed. We're joined by Chad Myers. Chad, I know you were listening to that as well. Tell us more on what we're looking at
over the coming hours.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A 240-kilometer per hour storm right now. And the eye is getting smaller. If I look at it here on the satellite, I
can begin to see a tightening of the eye, which means we still have a getting stronger storm before we actually get it to go down just a little
bit, likely somewhere around 220 kilometers per hour as it makes landfall. But that's only just about 12 hours away or so.
The storm surge, the wind damage will be tremendous with this storm. It's not going up toward Zhongzheng. This is the area up here, Taiwan, Hong
Kong. You picked up somewhere in the neighborhood of about 100-kilometer per hour wind gust earlier today.
There's the eye of the storm seen on radar now. This is ground based. This isn't from the satellite. They can actually see the rainfall and the eye
from the radar itself. So, as was mentioned, Signal 8 for Hong Kong, which basically means it is a tropical storm, but red alert for Hainan because
that's where the ground zero location for impact will be.
This storm -- and he talked a lot about climate change as well, this storm went up 110 kilometers per hour rapidly in 24 hours. That's incredible. And
that's only possible with an ocean that's already two to three degrees Celsius warmer than we should be. That's the fuel to the fire. It's the
high octane. When you go to pick what type of gas you're going to get, regular or middle or high or whatever, well, that's the high.
And we've already seen almost 500 millimeters of rain in the Philippines. People there are picking up this, just a mess. This happens when you get 18
inches of rain in 48 hours. Well, here it goes across Hainan, just probably south of Haikou. This is the area that will pick up the highest wind as
well. There are so many tall buildings in that city, 2 to 3 million people in that and the suburbs will be hit by these 180, 220-kilometer per hour
winds and those high buildings aren't a good sign. The higher you get into a hurricane, the higher the wind speed is as well. There's an awful lot
going on here.
Yes, it will probably miss most of Hanoi, but we're still going to get significant rainfall here. There will be places that get 500 millimeters of
rain before this is over, not including -- Philippines has already had that, but look at all of this rain across all -- even into Vietnam, because
even though it goes over an island, it goes over land, it's not going to lose a lot of intensity before it hits Vietnam as well.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. We wish everybody's safe and well in the path of that.
MYERS: Yes. A rough couple of hours to come.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. Chad Myers, thank you. As always. All right. Straight ahead, the president of the United Steelworkers Union says Nippon Steel's
proposed takeover of U.S. Steel is a bad deal for America. He's going to explain why when he joins us next.
[18:20:00]
Plus, Christie's Hong Kong christening. The auction house set to open its new Hong Kong headquarters as it courts young Asian buyers and more. We'll
hear from Christie's Asia Pacific president later in the show. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back. A cautious pre jobs day display on Wall Street topping today's Money Move. U.S. stocks finishing mixed on Thursday with
the S&P 500 posting its third consecutive loss as investors nervously look ahead to Friday's big U.S. jobs report.
And newly released data is fueling fears of a slowing U.S. jobs market too. The private sector adding less than 100,000 jobs in August. Just to give
you a sense, that was the slowest pace since 2021. And also, fresh numbers showing August layoffs hitting their highest level in 15 years.
Now, over to the commodities market too, oil gained on news that OPEC have agreed to keep production cuts in place. They've been discussing whether to
boost production, but that's not the case. You can see two-tenths of a percent higher there.
And a mostly lower day across Asia too. The Nikkei falling more than 1 percent after its 4 percent drop Wednesday. The Shanghai Composite ticked
higher on new rate cut optimism there.
And in other business news, the fight over the future of U.S. Steel remains red hot. The United Steelworkers Union accusing the company of making
reckless claims over why it needs to merge with Japan's Nippon Steel. The union says, CEO David Burritt's assertion that the very future of the firm
is at risk is, quote, "baseless and unlawful," and that they believe he wants to complete the deal merely to enrich himself.
The Biden administration is reportedly set to block the more than $14 billion takeover as soon as this week, calling it a risk to U.S. security.
U.S. Steel, for its part, says in a new statement that it will pursue all options to get the deal done, warning that thousands of jobs are at risk if
the deal fails.
It's mobilizing hundreds of employees in Pittsburgh to rally support. David McCall, the president of the United Steelworkers International Union, joins
us now. David, fantastic to have you on the show, sir. Thank you so much for your time. Do you expect President Biden to block this deal? And will
you see it as a win if he does?
[18:25:00]
DAVID MCCALL, PRESIDENT UNITED STEELWORKERS INTERNATIONAL: Well, thank you for inviting me. Look, I've read the same reports in the press that
everybody else has, that the president is set to reject the transaction, and obviously, if that happens, we'll be very happy about it.
But the transaction from the start has been faulty. Nippon Steel is -- under our collective bargaining agreement with Nippon Steel, the ultimate
parent would have to sign on to the collective bargaining agreement. That's not the way the transaction is structured. It's structured with a
subsidiary of Nippon Steel, Nippon Steel North America would be the private employer, and that violates our successorship clause.
And our concerns are not only that it violates the successorship clause of our contract, but based on Nippon's trade practices that they've had over
the years, our concern about ongoing operations rather than continuing to dump steel in this country at below market prices and below the cost of
production.
Currently, we have 12 cases against anti-dumping and countervailing duties against Nippon themselves, and we think that this would just allow that
continuation.
CHATTERLEY: I mean, what you mentioned there, David, 12 open cases against Nippon Steel at this moment for dumping at below market prices in the
United States. What you're suggesting, I think, is a basic trust problem with Nippon Steel in that you don't believe they'll say what they'll do. I
mean, they put out a statement saying, look, U.S. Steel is going to remain a U.S. company. The headquarters will be in Pittsburgh. U.S. citizens will
be the majority of executives. No redundancies through 2026. That they'll prioritize. U.S. Steel production to serve the U.S. market.
I admit, prioritize. There is not any kind of promise that things won't change. Is there anything -- and I know you've been constantly talking to
them that they can say or do to convince you that they will follow through on anything that they've promised? Because I think that's the bottom line
here is a basic trust problem.
MCCALL: Certainly, we've had lots of meetings with them, numerous meetings with them in which we've detailed all our concerns about what the
transaction would look like. And they have not been able to respond to any of that. Their press releases and promises are much different than a
collective bargaining agreement for us.
We've had experiences back in the '80s and '90s where the steel companies restructured their businesses, bought other companies with the profits that
the steel sector brought to them, and then went bankrupt. And that's why in the early 2000s, all our collective bargaining agreements in the steel
industry required the ultimate parent to sign on so that our members weren't left with pensions going back to the PBGC or losing their entire
health care because the companies no longer existed.
Nippon was aware of it. U.S. Steel is aware of it, they simply ignored it. And there are real concerns for us about what their plan that they
announced on the day of the transaction would be in terms of national security and critical supply chain issues. They clearly said that they
would be transferring work out of where we make blasphemous material, blasphemous products to EAF, electric arc furnace facilities.
And there's certain products that cannot be made in EAF, such as tin products. You buy a can of food, it's made out of tin. It has to be made in
a blasphemous. Likewise with automotive, you know, exposed automotive products, and many military grades that are used for national defense.
So, if they discontinue blasphemous operations and send some of the 16 million tons of overcapacity that they have in Japan into this U.S. market,
it would be devastating to not only our national defense and critical supply chain issues, but also to our (INAUDIBLE) and our retirees.
CHATTERLEY: And, David, I hear what you're saying. I hear everything that you're saying. And I know you've also said, look, U.S. Steel is a
profitable company. But I think others could argue at this moment, and I've looked at the balance sheet and the profit of the company. There's a
difference between being a profitable company and having the cash to invest to future proof a company for the future.
And what U.S. Steel's CEO has said is, look, without this investment prioritized, promised investment from Nippon Steel, we're going to have to
cut jobs. We might have to move their headquarters from Pittsburgh. I know you've said it's an empty threat at this stage, but are you prepared to
have to go back to your workers if indeed the CEO is correct and say, look, guys, we're going to have to cut some jobs because that's the reality. Are
you prepared for that?
MCCALL: First of all, up until recently, U.S. Steel has talked about all their facilities being more class, and they have invested billions of
dollars in the facilities over the years. And steel is a capital-intensive business. There's no question about it.
[18:30:00]
But we continue to deliver quality products to our customers. Here in the Mountain Valley, we currently make the most low-cost hot band of all the
facilities. So, when he makes these idle threats, they are baseless and they're irresponsible. And frankly, part of the transaction is that he gets
a $70 million change in control bonus. And I really believe that much of what he said in the last couple of days, making these idle threats, have to
do with his concern about whether or not he's going to be enriched himself.
But the security, the economic security, the retirement security, and the job security is the number one issue for our members. Yes, we'll continue
to need investments and we'll continue to need capital, and not only that, but capital for depreciation as well.
But U.S. Steel is cash rich. And it's been very profitable over the years. Our numbers over the last few years, their annual profit sharing that we've
negotiated with collective bargaining agreements run anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000 on its handling. So, it's not like U.S. Steel is hurting for
cash.
If they quit buying back their stocks, and they thought about the long-term investment, not the short-term gain, U.S. Steel facilities where they're
standalone and acquired by somebody else will always be successful. Viable and sustainable.
CHATTERLEY: David, good to chat to you. And I will reiterate for balance that we've reached out to U.S. Steel. We are very happy to have the CEO
come on and talk to us and present his opinion of this deal and why it should go ahead. Fantastic to chat to you. So, we'll stay in touch. The
president of the United Steelworkers Union.
MCCALL: Thank you very much.
CHATTERLEY: Thank you. We'll be back. Stay with us. And I apologize for the sound quality there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move" with a look at more of the international headlines this hour. Prime Minister Netanyahu told Fox News
there's no ceasefire deal in the making, even though a senior U.S. official and others say a deal is 90 percent complete.
[18:35:00]
He also claimed Hamas has not agreed to a hostage exchange either. The Israeli prime minister has come under pressure for wanting to maintain
control of the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Gaza and Egypt. With Israelis protesting for a fifth day in a row.
France has a new prime minister, Michel Barnier, a veteran of French and European politics. President Emmanuel Macron appointed him two months after
an inconclusive snap election. Barnier is the former Brexit negotiator for the E.U. and a member of the moderate right-wing. His nomination has
sparked outrage among hard left parties who are calling for protests this weekend.
And this just into CNN, an update to the investigation into the deadly mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Two law enforcement
officials now telling CNN the father of the 14-year-old shooting suspect, Colt Gray, told investigators this week that he had purchased the gun used
in the killings as a holiday present for his son in December 2023.
Ryan Young joins us now. Ryan, astonishing developments in this investigation. What more do we know about it?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: It is astonishing. And of course, we've been trying to find out how this gun was purchased because,
obviously, a young man of his age could not buy a gun like this. CNN's Mark Morales and I have been working this and found out that the father did
admit that he bought this gun as a holiday present.
Now, let's also say this. There was an investigation by another county into this young man just last year for threats that were made online. He said he
didn't do it. But that's -- the gun was purchased after all this. And you got to think for the people who are behind me, this is astonishing news and
it's heartbreaking for this community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so, God, as we come before you tonight, we come before you with humble hearts.
YOUNG (voice-over): As the wider community grieves the killing of two students and two teachers from Apalachee High School --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just sad that people had to die.
YOUNG (voice-over): -- warning signs about the 14-year-old alleged shooter emerge. Colt Gray and his father were questioned by law enforcement last
year regarding several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting.
The FBI Atlanta and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said in a joint statement that they have received tips about online threats in May of 2023
and tracked then 13-year-old Gray as a possible subject and interviewed him. The subject denied making the threats online. The father stated he had
hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them, and there was no probable cause for arrest or further action at
the time according to their statement.
This afternoon, CNN obtained the incident report from Jackson County detailing that interview. Colt express concerned that someone is accusing
him of threatening to shoot up a school, stating that he would never say such a thing, even in a joking manner. Jackson County alerted local schools
for continued monitoring, but Gray later moved to neighboring Barrow County, where the shooting occurred.
That's where law enforcement sources tell CNN authorities found writings in Gray's bedroom, they believe he wrote referencing the 2018 Parkland,
Florida high school shooting massacre. Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the gun used in the school shooting was an AR platform weapon. Due to Gray
being a minor, he's being held at Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, but will be tried as an adult.
The school shooting has been heartbreaking for many, especially those who knew the victim. 14-year-old students, Mason Mason and Christian Angulo.
KATHRINE MALDONADO, APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: Why would you just shoot innocent people that you even know? And he's actually like a sweet
person.
YOUNG (voice-over): Teachers, Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, a former football coach.
MICHAEL GORDON, APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: He had a wife and kids. And that's just so wild to me now that I talked to him that morning and he said
he liked my shirt. And now, I just never talked to him again.
YOUNG (voice-over): One student telling us she feels unsafe to return to school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time I walked into school I never thought anything would happen to me. Like that's honestly a place I've honestly
felt protected. Now, I don't even want to be in the hallways alone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YOUNG (on camera): Julia, you can see behind us people praying, holding hands, crying, dropping off flowers. This has been the scene for hours.
People have made the march here more than a mile to get close to the school because they want to be a part of the community to say their goodbyes and
pay their respects to the loved ones who were lost here.
Yes, there's parts of this investigation that are moving very quickly. The one thing that we know that's not moving quickly is the pain that's in this
community. We have several people who are still in the hospital. You have several loved ones who are still trying to figure out funeral arrangements.
And then you have the investigative question about why this happened.
[18:40:00]
And of course, we were talking to the sheriff today, one of our colleagues, and they said this kid had barely gone to school. It's just a couple of
days. So, we're trying to add all this together to put this piece together in terms of the puzzle. But what we do know now is that father apparently
purchased the weapon for his son for a holiday gift. And that son was able to conceal it, bring it into a school, open fire and kill four people. Back
to you.
CHATTERLEY: That news just adding, I think, to the heartbreak you're describing behind you there. Ryan, thank you for that report. Ryan Young.
YOUNG: Thank you.
CHATTERLEY: All right. Stay with "First Move." We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." Three major auction houses proudly displaying their commitment to Hong Kong as a base for art in Asia.
Sotheby's and Bonhams are expanding their regional headquarters in the city. And this month, Christie's is opening a new Asia Pacific exhibition
at a new skyscraper called The Henderson.
Inaugural sales will take place towards the end of the month, led by a masterpiece by Vincent Van Gogh, with a record setting estimate of between
$30 and $50 million. This spectacular work by Monet, valued at between $25 and $35 million, and a stunning piece by the Chinese-French painter Zao
Wou-Ki, expected to fetch between $10 and $15 million dollars. Wowzers.
Francis Belin is Christie's Asia Pacific president, and he joins us now. Francis, fantastic to have you on the show. It's secretly my favorite show.
Yes, in the art calendar. And obviously this has an extra special feel given the opening of your new headquarters later this month. Is it about
matching, I think, the beauty of the infrastructure to the opportunity and the ambition perhaps of reaching Asian buyers?
FRANCIS BELIN, PRESIDENT, CHRISTIE'S ASIA PACIFIC: Good morning and thanks for having me on the show. It's also my favorite time of the year, but I
think it's probably the favorite time of my whole career at Christie's. It's really an honor to be opening this new space in Hong Kong. 50,000
square feet of gallery, offices, and auction room.
We're getting ready. We opening in just a few days from now to showcase these amazing works that you were showing and many others. Also, a
collection of the very prominent late collector, Au Bak Ling, a very celebrated collection of ceramics.
[18:45:00]
It's a perfect combination, a beautiful building by Zaha Hadid. And, you know, the best possible objects that we can bring to collectors. We've been
absolutely, you know, starting to see how enthusiastic collectors are to support the opening sale. The annual sale will be taking place on the 26th
of September. And yes, we are getting ready and very excited for this.
CHATTERLEY: I mean, this is about having a physical presence and allowing people to come and visit and see. But I know digital innovation is one of
the other things that you're promoting, particularly in this region and connecting with younger audiences across Asia Pacific, let me get my words
out, specifically.
I saw some of the Chinese tools that you're using, whether it's on WeChat or Douyin, of course, which is like the TikTok equivalent. Francis, talked
to me about the digital as well as the physical connection to buyers there and going for a younger audience as well, which is, I know, a crucial
subset of your buying base.
BELIN: Look, the -- our industry has been transformed, Christie's has been transformed during the pandemic. We have to move away from physical
presentation of objects and supporting transaction physically to, you know, moving into digital world. And now, in a world where both physical and the
digital world actually emerged.
We had last year 80 percent of our bids globally being placed online, whether it's our online set, but also our live sound. So, digital
innovation is absolutely core to our strategy. And I would say even more so in Asia, where we structurally have a younger audience, we account for 40
to 60 percent of the new buyers, the Gen Z buyers, the millennial buyers, you know, depending on how you get it and which period you're looking at,
and this is multiple of, you know, the -- you know, what Asia is accounting for the global buying base.
So, innovating in platforms across the world for us is key and being relevant to our audience in Asia is equally key. And you gave some of the
names of the platform. We are very active. There's another Little Red Books, Xiaohongshu, which is really getting a lot of traction for us here.
So, this is important for us to remain relevant and engaging with the new collectors that we see across the region.
CHATTERLEY: Wow. I'm listening to you, but I'm also watching the videos that you're showing as well. This new building looks pretty spectacular and
the combination of the physical and the digital. Yes, I'm mesmerized.
Can I ask about something that's tougher? And I think my audience certainly will be very aware of this, is the challenges of politics and the shift in
politics, certainly that we've seen and accelerated in some ways since you announced this new building and the investment in Hong Kong. Has it chilled
some of the artistic freedom that you're seeing?
Because I was there in Hong Kong earlier this year, and I was blown away, actually, by the relative freedom and quality of the art that I saw. I
mean, M+ was one of the places that I visited. Has there been a chilling effect on artists and the artistic talent that you see there?
BELIN: We've continued to be successful in putting together well curated sales across our categories here. We see, you know, a very vibrant market.
We see collectors really excited to be able to come back to Hong Kong, which was almost close for two years during the pandemic. And I think this
is really, you know, exciting to see this energy back into the city.
We continue to curate sales. You know, we are -- our commitment to Hong Kong is steadfast with the opening of that new building. And, you know, we
think it's a market that has a lot of potential and continue to be a very one for Christie's going forward.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, you're flying the flag. I'll be sure to come back soon. Francis, fantastic to chat to you and good luck with the sales. It's, as
you and I agree, I think a fantastic time of the year. The Asia Pacific president of Christie's joining us there.
BELIN: Thank you. Thank you, Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Thank you. All right. Coming up, American tennis player Emma Navarro readies for the biggest match of her career at the U.S. Open
semifinals just minutes from now. We'll preview, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." NASA's planning to bring Boeing's troubled Starliner spacecraft back to Earth on Friday, but its
crew will not be on board. There's been concerns the craft could collide with the space station when it disembarks. NASA has now ruled out the
possibility. It was decided the Starliner was too risky to fly astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back home. The pair remaining on the space
station now until February of next year.
And we're minutes away from the Women's U.S. Open semifinals here in New York, American Emma Navarro seeking just her second career title facing
last year's runner up, Aryna Sabalenka, and the second match, Jessica Pegula from Buffalo, New York, takes on Karolina Muchova, meaning there is
the possibility of an all-American final.
Patrick Snell joins us now. But will it be so, Patrick, that's the question.
Oh, he's not hearing me. I was getting all excited there and I don't think he can hear. Patrick, can you hear me?
Oh, dear. Now, what are we going to do? I love it when this happens. Oh, my goodness.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I could hear you now, Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Oh, I almost replaced you with some live pictures of the Eiffel Tower.
SNELL: I do apologize.
CHATTERLEY: Now, that would have been a shocker.
SNELL: Technical gremlins here. Yes, Julia, look, on the women's side of the draw, it is all to look forward to. Look, an All-American final. You
just couldn't script this. On Wednesday, let's recap. We witnessed an amazing performance from Jessica Pegula, one of those billionaires'
daughters. Her father, Terrence, actually owning the Buffalo Bills and the Sabers. Jessica was so impressive against top ranked Iga Swiatek.
After a long wait, she's now broken through to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal, upsetting world number one and five-time Grand Slam champ
Swiatek. Two and four at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night, just massive relief for the American. Why? Because she was previously 0 and 6 in
Grand Slam quarterfinals. Well, she next faces the unseeded Karolina Muchova in the semifinals, the 28-year-old Czech, dangerous opponent. She
booked her spot in her second consecutive U.S. Open semi with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against the 22-year-old two seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil.
That was earlier on Wednesday.
Now, Pegula joining fellow American number 13 seed Emma Navarro in the semifinals tonight. Navarro is the daughter of a U.S. businessman,
billionaire Ben Navarro. Emma at 23, through to her first major semifinal and she has a really tough task in her match because it begins in just a
few moments from right now. Who is she taking on? She's taking on Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who is many people's favorites to win this
tournament, including mine. She's also back-to-back as the Aussie Open Champ.
Aryna is in the U.S. Open semis for the fourth year in a row, Julia. She was runner up last year as well to Coco Gauff. So, I do believe that she
feels she has unfinished business in the Big Apple given that defeat to Coco in the final 12 months ago.
Navarro has nothing to lose, though, and I do expect her to make this a close fought contest. Julia, back to you. It's an exciting night ahead in
New York.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, can't wait. And maybe it's about time. She's been bridesmaid enough. It's time to be the bride. We'll see.
SNELL: We'll see.
CHATTERLEY: But meanwhile, another landmark achievement for Cristiano Ronaldo. We have to talk about this.
SNELL: Yes, we have to call him the 900-man now. Incredible history making achievement from an hour. It's just kind of what he does so effortlessly
for this superstar footballer from Portugal. Ronaldo, amazing to think he turns 40 years of age early next year, Julia, netting number 900. Here we
go. 900th goal in his illustrious career.
[18:55:00]
This in Portugal's Nations League group stage match against Croatia on Thursday. CR seven right there on time guiding the volley. And look how he
celebrates there. Just the raw emotion of it, dropping to the ground, clutching his face. His 131st goal for Portugal. That in itself extends his
record for most international goals in world football.
And in addition, as well, he's got 769 goals in his club career and the Portuguese skipper. One more time, there we go, that's number 900. And he's
the first men's player ever to get to that amazing tally, Julia, in official matches. He just makes it look so easy. The way he just dangled
out his right foot and the ball flew off it into the back of the net. 900 and counting.
CHATTERLEY: What a touch. Yes, that was a worthy goal. And his smile, I think, said it all too.
SNELL: Yes. He got emotional as well. He got very emotional.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. Well, that's one heck of achievement. We'll give it to him. Oh, once again, I'm being told to be quiet. Patrick Snell, thank you
so much. And thank you for working through those gremlins. We made it in the end.
And that just about wraps up the show. Thank you for joining us. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
