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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Trump on the Cover of Time Magazine; Trump Rings Opening Bell at NYSE; Syria's Interim Govt. to Dissolve Assad's Security Forces; Syrian Desperately Search for Loved Ones; U.S. Optimistic on Gaza Ceasefire- Hostage Deal; Worries Over Unexplained Drones Over Eastern U.S.; Trump Opposing in Using U.S.-Made Weapons to Strike Inside Russia; ECB Cuts Rates Again; India's Smug Puts Children at Risk; Oldest Known Ten Commandments Tablet on Auction; Amazon to Donate $1M to Trump's Inaugural Fund. Aired 6- 7p ET
Aired December 12, 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: -- says the girl is from Sierra Leone and was fortunately wearing a life jacket. She told rescuers the metal boat
capsized in a storm.
If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show whence you get your podcast, all two hours, just sitting right there. The news
continues on CNN with Wolf Blitzer right next door in a place I like to call The Situation Room. I'll see you tomorrow.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: It is 10:00 a.m. in Sydney, midnight in Brussels, and 6:00 p.m. here in New York. I'm Erica Hill in for Julia Chatterley.
Wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
Good to have you with me on "First Move." Here's today's need to know. It's Trump's time. The president-elect appearing on the cover of the magazine as
Person of the Year, ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to mark that honor. Just ahead, I'll speak with the man who interviewed
him.
Unidentified frustrating objects. The U.S. government says there is no national security threat, no foreign connection to mysterious drone
sightings along the East Coast. So, then what could they be? And if you're shopping for a tablet this Christmas, well, you are in luck. The oldest
known stone carving of the Ten Commandments is going on sale. If you've got cash. That conversation and more coming up.
First though, President-Elect Donald Trump taking a break from his inauguration plans to accept two big honors in New York. Ringing the
opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange, flanked by family members, Vice President-Elect J. D. Vance, as well as a number of executives. That
appearance, of course, part of Time Magazine's naming of Donald Trump as its Person of the Year. It's actually the second time Trump has been given
that honor by Time.
U.S. stocks, though, not seeing much of a Trump bump on Thursday, the major averages falling across the board after a key gauge of inflation came in
higher than expected. That said, though, Trump's re-election, well, the day since Trump's election, they've been pretty good for investors so far. The
Dow and the S&P up some 4 percent since Election Day. Tech stocks, as you can see there, up almost 8 percent. Mark is, of course, hoping for a more
investor friendly and business friendly tone in Washington.
Donald Trump discussed some of his economic plans earlier today on Wall Street.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: We're going to give tremendous incentive like no other country has. We're cutting your taxes. We're going
to cut them very substantially. We are incentivizing everybody to come back to the United States. We want you back here, car manufacturers, everybody.
And we have one product that nobody has really to the extent that we do, it's called oil and gas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: And he went on to say oil and gas he believed would bring other prices down, including those for consumer goods. Trump's Person of the Year
interview with Time, also making news on a variety of issues, including Ukraine, immigration, and the significance of his election win last month.
Time Magazine Political Correspondent Eric Cortellessa was one of the people who interviewed Trump for its Person of the Year issue, and he joins
me now. It's great to have you with us. You covered a lot in this piece. There is no president -- no elected official, frankly, who can fulfill
every campaign process -- promise, rather. But as we just heard from him at the New York Stock Exchange, he is talking about prices. And we missed the
tail end of what he said there, but he went on to say that with more drilling, with more oil and gas, he believes that would then, in turn,
lower prices.
You also asked him, about the cost of living, about lower prices, and whether he would see his presidency as a success if he couldn't bring those
down. He said to you, quote, "It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard, but I think that they will."
Is it your sense that he feels any pressure to deliver on that promise of lowering prices for Americans?
ERIC CORTELLESSA, TIME MAGAZINE NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I do think he sees that as an important promise that he has to fulfill. I
think he recognizes that there was a lot of angst over the economy, that he was writing a kind of post-pandemic restiveness that was ousting incumbents
around the world, and that people were upset about, the price of things like eggs, gasoline, meat, groceries, and that, you know, it's on him to
try and ease the cost for average Americans.
But as you saw in that portion of the interview, he recognizes that it's hard to bring prices down once they've gone up, even though he promised
that he would bring the prices of groceries down during the campaign trail. So, that's kind of a moving of the goal posts, if you will. But he's still
saying that he's going to try and lower prices.
And, of course, the other factor that we have to take into account is that he's planning to embark on a protectionist regime of high tariffs against
China and across the board tariffs on all foreign imports and that most economists predict that that will lead to a rise in prices. Trump's theory
of the case is that it will force foreign manufacturers to make their products here in the United States.
[18:05:00]
So, Trump will soon have to contend with whether or not he delivers on really making the economy -- the real economy better for the average
American.
HILL: In terms of also delivering on some of his promises outside of the economy, the fact that Republicans now control, of course, the House, the
Senate, and the White House, that is seen as a boon for Donald Trump and for anything that he wants to push through. But he was also very clear with
you that if he can't get it all done through legislative means, he has no problem going to an executive order. We saw that in his first term.
Is it your sense, though, in this conversation that he now sees that power and the overall power of the presidency differently moving into his second
term, perhaps to be more expansive?
CORTELLESSA: Well, I do. I mean, I think -- you know, I also spoke with Donald Trump twice in April and a very consistent theme throughout our
conversations is that he plans to consolidate the powers of government inside the office of the presidency. He wants to concentrate power in his
own hands if he's president again. And this is what Arthur Schlesinger referred to as the imperial presidency, the design to restrict the power of
Congress.
You know, Donald Trump, as you said, a lot of governing trifecta going into January, and he really is not organizing his agenda around legislative
pushes. He wants to extend the tax cuts that will expire early in 2025 that he passed in 2017. He wants to pass an immigration overhaul bill, border
security bill. But other than that, he wants to take executive action. He wants to do executive orders.
When I asked him why his agenda was so executive driven when he had the ability to pass major legislation, he essentially said that it was easier
to sign executive orders that he didn't have to, you know, go through the complexity of Congress and no matter its composition, but he also
recognized limitations of that, which is that a successor could undo what he does through executive action.
But I think President Trump is really planning to expand the power of the presidency in this next term so that he can remove the guardrails that
hindered him the last time.
HILL: One of the things that I most enjoyed about your piece, too, is the way that you really bring us inside the room, I should point out -- but I
was struck by your description of the president-elect early in the piece where you write Trump appeared a little older than he had some seven months
earlier when he last met with Time, more subdued, less verbose, the same discursive speech patterns, but with the volume turned down. Did that
surprise you at all?
CORTELLESSA: A little bit. I mean, you know, but he really just is more subdued. There's a sense of vindication around him. He's kind of waged his
last big fight in a way, at least in the political space. He knows he's got a lot, a heavy lift ahead of him in the governing space. But you know,
Donald Trump was sort of wistful that his last campaign was behind him.
He started to ruminate on his final campaign rally. On how he had overcome obstacles that would sink any other kind of candidate, whether it's
scandals, criminal conviction, you name it. And he said it's sad in a way, it will never happen again.
So, I think that, you know, Donald Trump is sort of reconciling himself to the fact that he's no longer going to campaign for president again, which
is something he enjoyed doing.
HILL: Eric Cortellessa, great to have you with us tonight, thank you.
CORTELLESSA: Thank you.
HILL: Just ahead too, a bit later in the show, we're going to take a closer look at the global effect of the president-elect. Be sure to stay
with us for that.
But first, we do want to get you caught up on some of the global headlines on this day. The leader of Syria's main rebel group, working quickly to try
to form a new stable government. Mohammed al-Jolani telling Reuters he'll dissolve the security forces used by the Assad regime and close the
country's notorious border. And I'm going to talk about regime's prisons.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the region and has been calling for a, quote, "inclusive transition," saying the new government
must protect the rights of all Syrians.
Clarissa Ward is, of course, on the ground in Damascus and joins me now. And a number of those Syrians want answers at this point, Clarissa.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Many Syrians wanting answers. Many Syrians wanting closure and also Syrians starting to look
into the path ahead for justice and what that might look like and what the possibilities are for so many people here. We're talking about a prison
system that was basically industrial scale, arbitrary detention, torture, killing. Hundreds of thousands have been impacted and affected.
And when you're traveling around Damascus, around the country, and you visit the hospitals and morgues, you will find now people flooding in to
try to see if their loved ones may have turned up, may have been found in some of these prisons as they're finally being opened. Take a look.
[18:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WARD (voice-over): A woman wails on the floor of the Mujtahid Hospital.
My mother, she's been missing for 14 years, she says. Where is she? Where's my brother? Where's my husband? Where are they?
Dr. Ahmed Abdullah (ph) shows us into the morgue, where about 35 bodies have been brought in. Discovered in a military hospital days after the
regime fell, they are believed to be some of the last victims of Bashar al- Assad.
Take a look. This is the crime of the regime, he says. Even in the Middle Ages they didn't torture people like this.
Another man points to their tattered clothing. Evidence, he says, that most were detainees at the much-feared Sednaya Prison. Even in death, they are
still only identified by numbers.
Everyone here heard about the horrors that took place in Assad's notorious prisons, but to see it up close is something entirely different.
WARD: A lot of them have bruises, have horrible wounds that seem to be consistent with torture. I just saw one woman retching as she came out of
the other room. Families are now going through trying to see if their loved ones are here.
WARD (voice-over): There's not enough room for all of them in the morgue. So, a makeshift area has been set up outside. More and more families stream
in, the light from their cell phones the only way of identifying the dead.
My only son, I don't have another. They took him for 12 years now, just because he said no. 12 years, my only son, this woman shouts. I don't know
anything about him. I ask Allah to burn him, she says of Assad. Burn him and his sons like he burned my heart.
A crowd swarms when they see our camera. Everyone here has lost someone.
WARD: All of these people are asking us to take the names of their loved ones, to help them try to find them.
WARD (voice-over): It is a mark of desperation. Such is the need for answers. But finding those answers will not be easy. At the military
intelligence facility known as the Palestine Branch, officers burned documents and destroyed hard drives before fleeing. But their terror was on
an industrial scale. Troves and troves of prisoner files remain. It will take investigators years to go through them.
Below ground, more clues, etched on the walls of cells that look more like dungeons.
WARD: So, you can see this list of names of it looks like 93 prisoners here. There's also a schedule for keeping the cell tidy and just graffiti
everywhere, people trying to leave marks for someone to find.
WARD (voice-over): Down here, insects are the only life form that thrives. It's clear that anyone who could survive this will never be the same again.
The cells are empty, but the doors are finally open. The quest for answers is just beginning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD (on camera): Now, the Assad regime did a very good job of documenting their own crimes, Erica, so the next stage really would be to get human
rights groups and investigators in to start combing through all those troves of documents that you saw in this piece, and to consider whether
Syria might go for a move like we saw Ukraine do, which is to open up their country to the International Criminal Courts jurisdiction.
But of course, for many Syrians, the big disappointment is that it is very unlikely that Bashar al-Assad himself will have his day in court because he
is now, of course, in exile in Russia. Erica.
HILL: It is such an important point, but again, incredible reporting from you and from your team, Clarissa, really appreciate you joining us. Thank
you.
Well, there is cautious optimism tonight when it comes to the prospect of a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. Earlier, U.S. National Security Adviser
Jake Sullivan meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top officials in Jerusalem to discuss securing a potential deal. This comes
as a diplomatic source tells CNN, Hamas and Israel are quote, "talking seriously." Jeremy Diamond has more from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, with just over a month left in President Biden's term in office, his national security adviser,
Jake Sullivan, sitting down with the Israeli prime minister to see if a hostage and ceasefire deal can be reached before Biden leaves office. And
Sullivan struck a tone of cautious optimism saying that he believes that there is optimism in the air, that there is cause to believe that a deal
can indeed be reached and that he believes the Israeli prime minister is indeed ready to reach a deal.
[18:15:00]
He gave a number of reasons for why things have changed for why there is more optimism in the air. He said that following the cease fire between
Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, that Hamas seems to have changed its negotiating posture somewhat, recognizing that it was no longer for
receiving the support of Hezbollah and that perhaps other actors that it had hoped would come into play in its defense ultimately will not.
At the same time, he also indicated that there were changes on the Israeli side as well, noting that Israel has killed Hamas's leader, Yahya Sinwar,
and that some of its other military successes in Gaza may have made Israel more willing to reach for an agreement.
Now, at the same time, Sullivan did caution that the United States has said that a deal was close, that a deal was at hand before, and ultimately it
didn't happen. So, here was that more cautious side that he voiced.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We have been in a place before where American officials have stood before podiums and said we are
close, and we were close, but we didn't get there. I believe we are close again. Will we get there? It is not yet clear whether we will or we won't,
but we are determined to try to drive this across the finish line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And I asked Jake Sullivan what new concessions Israel and Hamas have made at the negotiating table so far, he refused to confirm or comment
on any specifics about the negotiations, making clear that they are trying to keep this close to the vest at this critical juncture. But at this
critical juncture, he is now headed to Doha, Qatar, and to Cairo, Egypt, where, of course, the two key mediators in these negotiations are based as
he said it to try and, quote, "put us in a position to close this deal this month."
And so, that is ultimately the aim here of the U.S. administration to get to a deal potentially as soon as in the coming weeks. And of course, to get
the Americans who have been held hostage in Gaza out as well. He actually confirmed tonight that of the seven Americans who are in Gaza, we know that
four of those have already been confirmed dead.
The three other American hostages, Sullivan said, are indeed believed to be alive. Some hope perhaps now for their families that they can get out as
part of this deal, if indeed it can be reached.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Well, frustration is mounting here in the United States, in New Jersey, after weeks of mysterious drone sightings and still no answers. The
state's governor says there's nothing to fear here. The White House downplaying concerns. But there are plenty of questions about exactly what
people are seeing. Law enforcement still doesn't know where the drones are taking off, nor where they're landing. Here's Omar Jimenez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA ROSSETTO, WITNESSED DRONE: What are they? Who's sending them up there? What are they doing there? Why doesn't anybody know what they are,
you know? And why New Jersey?
JANET MOSNER, WITNESSED DRONE: They actually flew in a circle around our building, both of them, and then across and then disappeared.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The FBI is now investigating weeks of reported drones over New Jersey, that's according to a document
given to state and local officials. As a growing number of people report seeing drones. Some described as six feet in diameter flying in the skies.
NICK TECCHIO, WITNESSED DRONE: You see like red and green, like flashing lights on the -- like the corners, they'll just change direction, like go
from like 90 to like 270 degrees, just like fly different directions and planes obviously can't do that.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): There have been questions about when these drones first started popping up. Reports seem to vary, but the Picatinny Arsenal,
which is a military installation in Northern New Jersey, has confirmed sightings in the area going back to November 13th. And public officials are
starting to get frustrated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're creating so much fear and uneasiness in the public.
MICHAEL MELHAM, MAYOR OF BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY: They appear to actually avoid detection by traditional methods. So, when our helicopter, our state
police helicopter, has gotten close, lights go off and they go away.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): So, far, authorities have stressed there is no known threat to the public. That's not enough for some.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really concerning. And quite frankly, it's not acceptable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: It doesn't seem that any of these answers are acceptable for a lot of those officials and for frankly a number of the residents. What about
Homeland Security, Omar? Is there any concern within the department?
JIMENEZ (on camera): Yes. So, obviously a lot of questions have been posed to DHS and other federal law enforcement and actually the Department of
Homeland Security put out a joint statement with the FBI saying that at this point they don't have evidence that the reported drone sightings pose
a national security threat, but also, they went even further to say historically they've experienced cases of mistaken identity in the case --
in this case, where people think they see drones, but they're actually manned aircraft, and they even say it appears that many of the reported
sightings are actually manned aircraft operating lawfully.
That said, that doesn't seem to account for what everybody has seen, as some of the eyewitnesses here in the New Jersey area have been very
convinced that what they saw based on the movements of the aircraft and how low the particular aircraft, whatever it might have been, was that they
don't believe it was a plane, especially as they saw planes flying above it.
[18:20:00]
So, DHS and federal officials seem to be approaching the reports with a little bit more caution as they seem to try and corroborate some of what
people have reported from the ground. But obviously, they're getting flooded with reports of varying credibility. And then, on top of that,
these sightings began about a month ago here in the New Jersey area, at least. And in that time, people's questions have been mounting, and no one
feels that they've gotten a satisfactory answer. And that's why -- it's part of why that assemblyman was so upset and that officials have said that
there is no known threat at this point, but then they have not articulated what exactly these sightings are.
And so, that in -- therein lies the disconnect, essentially at this point, we've heard that from people here and again, even from some public
officials in the area who seem to be getting a little bit more frustrated.
HILL: Yes, the disconnect and frankly, the understandable frustration with so many questions going on answer at this point. Omar, great to see you.
Glad you're there. Thanks.
Straight ahead here. Legarde on guard. The ECB president says more rate cuts may be needed as she views a world of instability.
Plus, the auction commanding a whole lot of attention. How about one of the oldest known copies of the Ten Commandments? It could be yours, for the
right price.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back. In today's Money Move, all eyes will be on the opening of Chinese markets in a few hours timely, Thursday. Officials in Beijing
wrapped up high-profile agenda setting meetings, reforming plans for looser fiscal and monetary policies next year to help boost growth. All this as
China braces for the threat of higher U.S. tariffs next year. Chinese stocks finished higher across the board on Thursday before those meetings
ended.
Over in Europe, stocks finishing mixed as the European Central Bank, of course, cut interest rates again and more cuts may be on the way next year
too, as Anna Stewart reports.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, it's the fourth rate cut for the European Central Bank and plenty more are priced in by markets for next
year. That said, ECB president, Christine Lagarde, made clear that the pace of cuts will be decided meeting by meeting and, as ever, depending on
economic data.
Economic growth has been lackluster for the Eurozone. Political turmoil in France and Germany, the two biggest members, isn't helping. The ECB has
downgraded its forecast for the next couple of years. Of course, it will also be keeping a close eye on the President-Elect Donald Trump and his
campaign threats of universal tariffs. Lagarde was asked how the ECB would react.
[18:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE LEGARDE, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK: Restrictions on trade, protectionist measures are not conducive to growth and ultimately,
have an impact on inflation that is largely uncertain. In the short-term, it's probably net inflationary probable, but the overall impact on
inflation is uncertain.
STEWART: In the FD interview, she went further, saying Europe needs to avoid a trade war and use a checkbook strategy if needed, i.e., it could
buy more of certain American goods to curry favor with the next U.S. president.
That's it for the ECB this year, but next week, the rate action will be on your side of the pond with the Federal Reserve. Erica.
HILL: Anna, thank you. It sure will be. More to come here on "First Move" after the first break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back to "First Move." Let's get you caught up on some of the international headlines this hour. CNN has learned as many as three search
warrants have now been executed in New York as part of the investigation. They did a killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, at least two of
those for the backpack found in Central Park and also a burner phone. Separately, ABC News reporting New York prosecutors have already begun
presenting evidence against the suspect, Luigi Mangione, to a grand jury.
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden commuting the sentences of some 1,500 people and also pardoning 39 individuals. Mr. Biden, who of course
controversially pardoned his son, Hunter, earlier this month, has been under growing pressure to act before leaving office. Of course, it is
traditional for presidents to grant clemency and pardons for people before leaving the White House. The White House calling President Biden's actions
the biggest single day of clemency in modern history.
[18:30:00]
A senior Chinese delegation expected now to attend Donald Trump's inauguration next month, sources tell CNN. That delegation is expected to
attend in place of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, whom Trump did invite personally. President Xi congratulated Trump just days after his election.
The two have spoken by phone. The Chinese president has tried to promote a stable relationship with the U.S., though Donald Trump, of course, has
promised to raise tariffs on China.
Meantime, the U.S. president-elect saying he vehemently disagrees with Ukraine using U.S.-made missiles to strike inside Russia. Mr. Trump calling
it a, quote, "very big mistake" in his interview with Time magazine, and also questioned President Joe Biden's decision to allow Kyiv to use the
powerful long-range weapons known as ATACMS. He said the U.S. was, quote, "escalating this war and making it worse."
Russia is vowing to respond to Ukraine's latest attack on its missile strike on an air base in the Rostov region Wednesday. The recent escalation
putting leaders across Europe on edge. NATO secretary general issuing this stark warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I'll be honest, the security situation does not look good. It's undoubtedly the worst in my lifetime and I suspect
in yours, too. We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years. Danger is moving towards us at full speed. We must not look the
other way. We must face it. What is happening in Ukraine could happen here, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Well, Donald Trump, for his part, was in New York City on Thursday, ringing the opening bell at the New York City Stock Exchange as part of him
being named Time Magazine's Person of the Year. The president-elect making the most of that visit, a number of his cabinet picks, family members also
there for the moment.
He shook hands with employees on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Longtime trader Peter Tuchman telling me the strong Wall Street
rally since Election Day is important, but to make it last, Donald Trump needs to be mindful of those promised tariffs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER TUCHMAN, SENIOR FLOOR BROKER, TRADEMAS: Well, the markets couldn't be any better, it couldn't have been a better year. So, I'm hopeful that
Mr. Trump is going to surround himself by people who are bright enough to know that -- look, that whether he wants to raise tariffs or not, we do not
want to interrupt the incredible market that we've had over the last number of years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Well, Economics Analyst Rana Foroohar joining me now. Rana, always good to talk to you. In terms of those tariffs, of course, we're also
paying close attention to what happened to the ECB. Christine Lagarde citing concerns specifically about the possibility of these tariffs. While
she didn't mention Trump by name, she did said there is a risk of greater friction in global trade that could weigh on the Euro area growth,
dampening exports, weakening the global economy. This is a limbo period, essentially. How concerning is this limbo period as Europe specifically
waits to see what happens with this promise of tariffs?
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMICS ANALYST: Yes. It's a great question. I mean, Europe is really in the proverbial rock in a hard place. They are in
between promised tariffs from Trump but also EV, lithium battery dumping from China.
I mean, Europe's growth is really in jeopardy, it's being squeezed from both sides. I expect that in terms of the kind of tariffs you see, it's
going to be very ad hoc. You know, Trump sort of likes to use the U.S. market like a poker chip and he thinks of the global economy as his own
poker table, you know.
And so, it's not as though there's a 360 strategy that we can say this is exactly how things are going to roll out. I think that you're going to see
a lot of bargaining. I think you're going to see Trump threatening tariffs in exchange for perhaps increased defense spending on the part of Europe,
Europe taking more responsibility for its own defense and security.
You know, in terms of how the global economy is going to react, I have to say, yes, it's been a great year, particularly for the U.S. And the equity
markets have been incredible, but let's face it, even if we didn't have the threat of tariffs coming down the pike, we're overdue for a market
correction. There's a lot of froth in the U.S. market. A lot of people feel the U.S. market is overvalued. We're about six years overdue for a
recession.
So, the market has been propped up for a long time. I wouldn't be surprised to see a correction, maybe not in the first year, but certainly before the
end of the Trump tenure.
HILL: There were a number -- at that bell ringing today, a number of CEOs were also on hand there this morning. And look, you know, as I talked about
earlier with Peter Tuchman and as we know, Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange tend to be pretty friendly territory for Republicans. Certainly, a
good amount of support for the president-elect there.
There is also a hope, too, that this will be, of course, a more business friendly administration. That public support, though, really goes a long
way with Donald Trump, and we are really seeing it turn out ahead of this second term for him.
FOROOHAR: Well, 100 percent. And, you know, I think the fact that he's ringing the bell, he's on the trading floor, this is home for him. You
know, I think if there's anything Donald Trump cares about, it's how the U.S. stock market is doing.
[18:35:00]
And so, I think that you're going to see him walking a very fine line trying to, you know, please the base, please the MAGA crowd within his own
administration. You know, but threaten others with terrorists. But also, not do anything that's going to crash the market. And that probably does
argue for a strong bit of traditional Republican conservatism, right? Deregulation, tax cuts. You know, it is going to be a wild ride. I would
not be surprised if you saw lurching one way and then the other. You know, it's -- we're in for a lot of volatility. That is the trademark of this
president.
HILL: Yes, you talk about him needed to walk a fine line. It's also for leaders, not just business leaders, of course, who know and understand that
Donald Trump thrives on flattery. But it is world leaders as well. As we know, I mean, I think we saw a lot of that play out, probably one of the
first examples that we saw was over the weekend in Notre Dame when we saw him invited by President Macron, who, you know, really sort of elevated him
in that moment.
There is a sense that world leaders, on the one hand, sort of know how to work with and play Donald Trump, but there is that unknown angle to him and
whether it could be perhaps more emboldened in a second term. How do you see that balance playing out?
FOROOHAR: It's a really good question. You know, what I'm hearing is that he is being a little bit more thoughtful, strategic about appointments,
about plans, about how he's talking to world leaders than he was in the first term.
So, you know, we've heard one of the rumors coming out of Mar-a-Lago is that he wants the Nobel peace prize. You know, it could be that you're
going to see a Trump that is concerned about his legacy this time around, and perhaps that will make him more thoughtful, more cautious. But, you
know, we're dealing with a big personality here, and I think that there are just a lot of challenging -- seriously challenging global events that are
in play.
I mean, just think about Taiwan, for example. What if China, which is already sort of taunting Trump by calling Taiwan an orphan nation now that
he's in charge, because he's questioned, hey, does the U.S. need to care about Taiwan? What if China were to use this as an opportunity to blockade
or invade? What's he going to do then? He doesn't want to seem weak. He doesn't want to lose allies. He doesn't want to ruin, you know, supply
chains and chips, but is he going to act? Trump doesn't like wars. He doesn't like conflict in certain ways. He likes to provoke people, but real
conflict, not so much as games.
So, these are tough things, and I don't think he's going to be able to just really be as flippant as he was the first term.
HILL: We will be watching for all of it. Rana, always great to talk to you. Thank you.
FOROOHAR: Thank you.
HILL: Turning our attention out to Northern India. We have, of course, been following what is really some of the worst air pollution for the
region in the world right now, and has been terrible for weeks at this point. A lack of wind means toxins, frankly, have nowhere to go. It traps
them then close to the ground. The phenomena has become just another part of winter for people in New Delhi. It is placing the country's children at
risk. Hanako Montgomery reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For three-year-old Chahath (ph) and his baby sister, clean air is a luxury that their parents
can barely afford.
MUSKAN, RAGPICKER (through translator): I feel scared that my children might die. I'm filled with regret when I think about what might happen to
them.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Delhi's air is so toxic that Muskan says her kids have needed a nebulizer since birth. She spent months saving up for this
machine, rag picking the very trash that's also poisoning her children, earning just a dollar a day.
MUSKAN (through translator): During the winter months, their ribs start to hurt, mucus freezes in their chest, they vomit too. We're so worried. I
have three children. They keep falling sick in this dust.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But her children are the lucky ones.
DEEPAK (PH) (through translator): The doctor asked us to buy a nebulizer, but we don't have that kind of money.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): When Deepak's (ph) daughter struggles to breathe, they rush to a nearby clinic, where he says each breath costs more than his
daily wage. Nights are his worst fear. No doctors, just bombs and thoughts of mounting medical costs.
DEEPAK (PH) (through translator): I want to leave Delhi, but I can't because I need to pay off a debt for my daughter's health.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Every winter, toxic smog blankets Delhi. A deadly mix of smoke from crop fires, coal plants, and traffic. Officials block
cars and close schools, as air pollution can hit 60 times the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines. But like winter, the smog returns
every year, and its biggest victims are the tiniest lives.
MANJINDER SINGH RANDHAWA, PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT CONSULTANT: The human lung also develops until about eight to 10 years of age. It's not in
its mature form until that time. And a developing lung, if it's exposed to all these pollutants, that is when it causes long-term trouble.
[18:40:00]
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): While India's poor are bound to these slums, the wealthy rush to hospitals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Mama, I want to go home.
SACHIN ARORA, SOFTWARE ENGINEER: But I don't think so that this kind of severity he has. So, it might be very painful at that time for me.
ARORA (through translator): Ready, please take it.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): He wants to send his three-year-old son, hospitalized with bronchitis, hundreds of miles away from Delhi to his
hometown, but even money can't save these children from the silent killer. When winter ends in Delhi the smog will lift, but the impact on India's
children permanent and lethal.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And to the climate crisis here in the United States where wildlife officials now plan to add the iconic monarch butterfly to the list of
threatened species. For years, environmentalists have warned this butterfly's population is shrinking. Many blame climate change as a major
factor to the decline. Scientists say the loss of pollinators, like the monarch, could have far reaching consequences for ecosystems and for the
people who rely on them. By protecting the butterfly under the endangered species act, officials hopes they can stabilize and perhaps even reverse
its population decline through a variety of methods.
Just ahead here, an ancient artifact on sale at Sotheby's, the oldest known tablet of the Ten Commandments being auctioned just in time for that last-
minute holiday gift. Stay tuned for more on that sale.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back to "First Move." If you are looking for a last-minute holiday gift, and you have, I don't know, maybe a few million dollars to
spare, I've got a little something for you. How about the Ten Commandments? Sotheby's is auctioning this stone tablet that you see on your screen there
next week.
Now, of course, this isn't the original version, but it is the earliest known carving of its kind, roughly 1,500 years old. It has survived wars,
the Crusades, even a few decades as a paving stone. If you want to get your hands on it, though, as you might imagine, history like this does not come
cheap. The opening bid, a million dollars.
Sharon Mintz is an international senior specialist at Sotheby's and joins me now. Sharon, it's great to have you here. So, we went through a little
bit of the history there. I'm sort of struck by the fact that this was actually a paving stone at one point. Tell me more about how this was
discovered.
SHARON MINTZ, INTERNATIONAL SENIOR SPECIALIST, SOTHEBY'S: This is just an incredible treasure. The Ten Commandments are fundamental and foundational
to the adherence of Judaism and Christianity. This tablet is inscribed with what is arguably one of the most widely known and influential texts in the
world, a history of texts.
[18:45:00]
And what's exciting is this fascinating background. It was uncovered when they were digging a railway line between the land of Israel and Egypt. It's
uncovered. It was dug up, excavated on the southern coast of the land of Israel. And at the time that it was excavated, its significance was not
known, probably because it's written -- the script of the Hebrew is written in Paleo Hebrew, which is not a script that people are as familiar with
nowadays. And it was taken by the local worker who had excavated it to his home for a paving stone. It's nice and flat. It works very well that way.
About three decades later, Jacob Kaplan, who was an archaeologist in Israel, who did read Paleo Hebrew script, recognized its importance and
purchased it from the original person who had found it. And then, he owned it for five decades and published about it and studied it. And it is just a
monumental treasure from antiquity that has come down to us. And it is -- it's very exciting.
HILL: It is pretty remarkable. I understand that one of the well-known Ten Commandments isn't there. What's missing?
MINTZ: So, what's missing is the third commandment, thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain. And the reason that it's missing is because this
tablet was likely created for the Samaritan Israelites who were living in the land of Israel. And they actually included a tenth commandment, which
is that one must worship on Mount Gerizim.
Mount Gerizim is a site sacred to the Samaritan people, and they included that one has to get to 10 for the Ten Commandments. And I believe that they
felt that the third commandment was probably included within the second commandment. If the Lord is God, one should not take his name in vain.
HILL: So, as I noted, opening bid is a million dollars. It is expected to go for far more than that. Is this something that would be more likely an
individual buyer, or perhaps somebody buying this to then donate to a museum?
MINTZ: We have institutional and private interest, and there's interest on behalf of privates to donate it as well to museum. So, we'll see.
HILL: And how much do you think it could ultimately go for?
MINTZ: You know, anything's possible at auction. It's -- we've seen dinosaurs that were estimated from $4 to $6 million go to $44 million.
We've seen bananas sell for $6 million dollars.
HILL: Yes.
MINTZ: We've seen conceptual live pieces do very well. And we think that the Ten Commandments is a wonderful -- is more than a conceptual art piece,
and it's going to be exciting to see where it lands.
HILL: It will be. Let me ask you something. If somebody if it is a private collector who ends up winning this auction, how does it need to be stored?
MINTZ: The wonderful thing is that this is a very durable object. We have it sitting in the front of Sotheby's window because we wanted people to be
able to access it and see it. And people were a little concerned, like maybe someone will be able to pick it up. It's 115 pounds and requires two
people to pick it up. It's lasted 1,500 years. And whoever buys it will be able to just mount it and enjoy it. It'll be -- you know, they might choose
to lend it to an institution.
HILL: Yes.
MINTZ: It might be purchased by an institution. You know, it's --
HILL: We will be waiting to see. Yes, it is --
MINTZ: I think Sotheby's will throw in the mount if they like.
HILL: Well, it is fascinating. Sharon, we will be watching to see how it all turns out. I appreciate you joining us with a little bit more of the
detail there. Thank you.
MINTZ: Thank you very much.
HILL: Just ahead here, how one Christmas tree farm in North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene is now working to overcome the odds. That's
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
HILL: This just in, the inauguration coffers are growing. A source telling CNN, Amazon is planning to donate a million dollars to President-Elect
Donald Trump's inauguration. The CEO, of course, Jeff Bezos, is expected to visit Trump, we're learning, in person in the coming days. You know, their
tech founders have been seeking closer relationships with the incoming U.S. president.
Important to note, too, the news of Amazon's $1 million donation to the inauguration comes after Mark Zuckerberg's Meta donated the same amount to
the inaugural fund. The inauguration takes place on January 20th.
With Christmas just around the corner, homes around the world are decorating Christmas trees again into the festive spirit. Here in the
United States, though, it's getting harder in some places to find a tree. A few months ago in North Carolina, Hurricane Helene dealt a major blow to
the year-round effort to grow those trees. trees, flooding farms littering them with debris and wiping out some of what would be the harvest. Elisa
Raffa reports on how they're now trying to bounce back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wow.
WAIGHTSTILL AVERY, CHRISTMAS TREE FARMER: Oh, yes, it's a mess. Come right on. We'll walk and look.
You can see how high the water was up in this tree, is here. And this is the knotweed we were talking about. It ain't supposed to be. It's an
invasive weed that you can't get rid of. And it all floated in with the storm.
RAFFA (voice-over): A nearby river sent eight feet of water rushing into this Christmas tree farm as Hurricane Helene ravaged North Carolina. Avery
Farm is the namesake of the county in the family for more than 200 years gifted by the English monarchy.
RAFFA: I literally see like pieces of sheds and homes and fences and --
AVERY: Yes, it's --
RAFFA: -- a whole trailer.
AVERY: You all, it floated trucks a half a mile down there. That's how much water. It was crazy.
RAFFA: You lost 60,000 trees, you say?
AVERY: Yes, yes. Everything you see from here to the green grass will have to be dosed. The money being made is half. If you get half, we're going to
be lucky.
JILL BIDEN, U.S. FIRST LADY: This beautiful Fraser fir was grown at the Cartner's Christmas Tree Farm nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains of North
Carolina. A region that was recently devastated by Hurricane Helene.
RAFFA (voice-over): North Carolina ranks second in the nation for Christmas tree production. Their Fraser fir gifted to the White House more
than any other tree.
RAFFA: Some tough decision making happening over here.
RAFFA (voice-over): But excess water from Helene's heavy rain could still cause problems in the future.
AVERY: So, we're about to walk over one.
RAFFA: Oh, no.
AVERY: Which you can kind of -- I mean, it's dead, but you can kind of see the root structure and everything there with it.
RAFFA: So, what happens with the floodwaters is this is way too waterlogged then, right? And it's got --
AVERY: And it gets --
RAFFA: -- stuff in it?
AVERY: -- stuff, all the pollutants and contaminants that came from the ground. And you know, we won't sell them because we think they might have
root rot.
RAFFA: How many of them?
AVERY: It's like 270,000. They're -- it's pretty much all gone. This is one year, two year, three years. I mean, and this making the fourth year.
There's five years to get them here and then to let them grow. And they only grow about a foot a year. We've got a 10-year loss is what this will
end up being. And you don't really make that up. It's a disaster that's coming later. You just -- you accept it, because there's nothing you can
change. You can't change anything.
We'll clean it up. Two years you come back, this field will be planted back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:55:00]
HILL: Our thanks again to Elisa Raffa for that report. Well, the holiday season, of course, is about giving. Author James Patterson is doing just
that. Once again, the best-selling novelist awarding bonuses to hundreds of independent bookstores, praising them for their hard work, saying simply,
booksellers save lives, period. Employees will receive a $500 bonus. He is a passionate advocate for not just literature, but also independent
bookstores, and has, of course, over the years, donated millions of dollars to schools and libraries as well.
Finally, on "First Move, checkmate. Indian teen Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest ever world chess champion after beating his Chinese rival in a
grueling best of 14 final in Singapore. The 18-year-old is four years younger than the previous record holder, the legendary Garry Kasparov, who
took his first world title in 1985 when he was 22. An emotional Gukesh breaking into tears upon his victory back in India. Plenty of celebrations
breaking out for the hometown hero.
Well, that just about wraps up the show here. I'm Erica Hill in for Julia Chatterley. Thanks so much for joining me tonight. We'll see you back here
tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
