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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Syrian Celebrate Amid Friday Prayers; Blinken's Middle East Diplomacy; Travis Timmerman Handed Over To U.S. Forces; Russian Media Praising Trump; Nancy Pelosi Recovering At Luxembourg Hospital; Drone In New Jersey Prompt Security Concerns; Macron's New PM Pick; UnitedHealthcare CEO Suspect "May Waive" Extradition; Managing Stress During The Holidays. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired December 13, 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: That's Sunday morning at 9:00 Eastern and again at noon only here on CNN.
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You can see me tomorrow night on dinner and a movie, "Die Hard." That's it. On TBS, and then I'll see you Sunday morning.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: -- New York. I'm Erica Hill in Julia Chatterley. Wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
Thanks for joining me here on "First Move." Here's today's need to know. Syrians celebrate Friday prayers and chants of Syria is free after the fall
of the Assad government. Diplomatic drive. Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarking on a new diplomatic push in the Middle East as Iraq
stresses the need for regional and international efforts. And bitter backlash. A healthcare CEO's murder prompts anger over the nine insurance
claims. Plus, keeping calm and carrying on. The CEO of the meditation and mindfulness app Calm talks to us about how to destress during one of the
most stressful times of the year. That conversation is ahead.
But first, we begin in Syria, where the country is now set to plan its future. Today, saw an important first for this war-ravaged country for the
very first time since the Assad government was overthrown last weekend, thousands gathered for Friday prayers.
Now, there is, of course, much work to be done during this political transition, and rebel leader Mohammed al-Jolani is urging people to use
caution and to avoid celebrating with gunfire. Clarissa Ward joined the crowds in Damascus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People are flooding into the central Umayyad Square from around Damascus. They're flooding into
squares across the entire country. This is the first Friday since Bashar al-Assad left the country. And you can see, understandably, so many people
here are celebrating what they see as the greatest victory of a lifetime, after 53 years of totalitarian rule under Bashar al-Assad, after hundreds
of thousands of dead and disappeared into Syrian prisons, finally, Syria, for these people, is free.
This is what you hear over and over, Syria Harra, Syria Harra. Syria is free. And the crowds are getting bigger and bigger here as people really
just absorbed the magnitude of this moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, thank God. We're so grateful that we finally can speak freely. We can criticize. We can help. We can feel like this country
is our country, you know.
WARD: What does this moment feel like?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a dream. It's like a dream. At the end, I felt like I'm going to lose the hope that he's going to leave. And now, we
got back the hope. Honestly, it's like a dream come true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, it's a great feeling. We are in Umayyad Square. We are in the middle of Damascus, saying freedom, saying we are still -- want
the same demands of democracy, of participation, of justice.
WARD: And everyone understands that there are a lot of question marks still. About what comes next, and what the new Syria will look like. And
yet, you see people from every -- chants that you heard and the very (INAUDIBLE) uprising in 2011. People would risk their lives to take to the
streets. And engage in this kind of chants.
This is the flag of the Syrian revolution. Most of these people, they never imagined that they would be able to do to chant these chants, and wave that
flag, right here, in Umayyad Square.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And our thanks to Clarissa Ward for that reporting from Damascus. Well, the U.S. is making a new diplomatic push in the Middle East,
following the collapse of the Assad regime. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken making a previously unannounced stop in Iraq earlier today.
Iraq, of course, a critical partner in the fight against ISIS. Secretary Blinken cautioning that after defeating the group years ago, and putting
it, quote, "back in its box, we can't let it out." Blinken also urged Iraq to crack down on Iranian backed militias. Of course, Middle Eastern
alliances can be messy. Those same Shia fighters played a key role in defeating ISIS just a few years ago.
[18:05:00]
State Department reporter Jennifer Hansler is traveling with the Secretary of State and joins me now on the phone. So, this unannounced but important
stop in Iraq, what more can you tell us about what was said in those meetings?
JENNIFER HANSLER, STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Erica, this was indeed an important stop in this flurry of shells of diplomacy were seen by
Secretary Blinken. Today, we've been in three countries. He started the day in Turkey to underline again, the need for a transition to an inclusive
Syrian-led government. He underlines four key aspects that the U.S. expects from that government, including ensuring that Syria did not become a safe
haven for terrorism.
He carried that message on with him as we traveled to Baghdad later that day as he sat down in that critical meeting with Prime Minister Sudani. He
urged Sudani to crack down on those Iranian-backed militias and to work together with the United States to ensure that they continue to fight in
that effort against ISIS. And then, he continued back to Aqaba, Jordan, where he started his trip just 24 hours or so ago.
And tomorrow, we expect to see leaders from across the Arab world convening on how to coordinate best for the next step in Syria, how to approach a
transition to a Syrian government. That includes those key principles.
Now, Erica, Blinken has said there is consensus in all of the meetings he's had in all of the phone calls you've had since that sudden collapse of the
Assad regime that there needs to be a coordinated approach here to ensure that no one is taking advantage of a vacuum, a lack of an established power
structure in Syria. They also want to ensure that people, minorities, women are protected and that the chemical weapons that Assad was known for using
on his own people are responsibly destroyed.
So, there is a lot on the table here for these conversations that we have seen thus far in Blinken's trips and as these key leaders will be meeting
in Jordan tomorrow, Erica.
HILL: Yes, certainly. I did also want to ask you, Jennifer, about the American who was found in Syria this week, Travis Timmerman, released from
prison and where things stand. I know his parents actually spoke to CNN earlier today.
HANSLER: Yes, Erica, it's really interesting. We were told that opposition forces actually brought Travis from Damascus to the U.S. base Al-Tanf in
Northeastern Syria. And from there, U.S. forces were able to fly him in into Jordan. And from there, hopefully, we will see him reunited with his
parents. I know they told CNN that they were very hopeful and they, at one point, didn't even know if their son was still alive. So, this is hopefully
going to be a happy reunion for them, Erica.
HILL: Yes, certainly. Jennifer, really appreciate it. A busy day ahead for you as well tomorrow. Thank you.
Well, new satellite images show Russia may be preparing aircraft to leave its military bases in Syria. Images from Maxar of a Russian airbase on
Syria's Mediterranean coast show at least two transport aircraft that appeared ready to load cargo, as well as a helicopter and a missile system
that appeared to be getting ready, getting prepared for transport.
At least one analyst said, saying it looks like a withdrawal. Images from Russia's naval base in Tartus show the situation there largely unchanged.
The Kremlin, of course, was a major backer of the Assad family for decades, and has said it is in contact with the new leadership in Damascus.
Meantime, in Ukraine, Russia launching another major attack on the country's energy infrastructure Friday, forcing emergency power outages.
The stepped-up pace of the attacks coming as Russian media heaps praise on the U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump, who, of course, has openly
criticized the billions in aid sent to Ukraine. Fred Pleitgen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As Ukraine's air defense frantically fights off yet another massive Russian
missile and drone attack, just hours after President-Elect Trump criticized the Biden administration for allowing Ukraine to use U.S. supplied ATACMS
missiles to destroy to strike deep inside Russia, Kremlin controlled TV praising the incoming president. More absolutely sensational news, the host
says. Donald Trump condemned the use of ATACMS for attacks on the territory of Russia. He asked quite a natural question, why are we doing it and what
are we trying to gain from it? He then answered, we're just fueling this war and making it worse.
State TV also airing an extended segment on Trump becoming Times person of the year, repeatedly depicting an Instagram post from the president-elect
son, Donald Jr., showing Trump kicking Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, off the cover of time.
The Kremlin itself openly saying they like what they hear from the future U.S. leader. The statement itself completely coincides with our position,
the Kremlin spokesman said. So, in this case, we share the same vision of the causes of escalation. Of course, it appeals to us. At the same time,
maybe we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves and try to predict his actions before the inauguration, time will tell.
[18:10:00]
Right now, time doesn't appear to be on Ukraine's side. Russian forces making major gains both in the east and in the southeast of Ukraine,
threatening to take several key towns in the Donbass area.
At the same time, the Russians vowing major revenge after Moscow says the Ukrainians used U.S. supplied ATACMS missiles to hit an aircraft repair
plant in Southwestern Russia earlier this week. As the Russian capital rings in the holiday season, some folks we spoke to were skeptical about
Trump's diplomatic initiative.
PLEITGEN (through translator): He said he wants to end conflict in Ukraine, do you think it will end soon?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I wish it would be the case, but I don't have a strong belief in it, seeing how the situation is developing
now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I hope for all conflict to end around the world, not only between Ukraine and Russia, we love Ukraine and
the people there love us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): In terms of Trump, he surely can help, but the future of Russia will depend on the situation here and in
Ukraine.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): For the time being, the situation in Ukraine appears to be escalating. Russian troops pushing forward as the Ukrainians struggle
to hold on.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is currently recovering at a Luxembourg hospital. Sources telling CNN the 84-year-old California
congresswoman was injured after a fall on the stairs. Pelosi is in Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. Her
spokesperson says she is receiving, quote, "excellent treatment," but notes that she will have to miss some of her upcoming engagements.
Just ahead, the New Jersey drone mystery widens now to other states as officials continue to push Washington to for answers.
Plus, checking in during the most stressful time of the year. The one question the CEO of Calm says we should all be asking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:00]
HILL: A little bit of Friday fatigue on Wall Street topping today's Money Move. U.S. stocks finishing the week mostly lower with the Dow falling for
a seventh straight session. Wall Street pressured by rising bond yields as investors gear up for next week's Fed policy meeting. Another Fed rate cut
is expected. Traders, though, see lower -- a slower, rather, pace of cuts next year.
Tech giant Broadcom, the big winner, soaring 24 percent on strong quarterly results as demand grows for its artificial intelligence chips. The
company's market cap surging past the $1 trillion mark for the first time.
In Asia, sharp losses for Chinese stocks, investors underwhelmed by the government's promises of new economic support. The Nikkei also ending the
week in the red as South Korean stocks posted modest gains.
The mystery of unidentified drones in the skies over New Jersey now expanding to nearby states. Sightings in New York, Connecticut, even
Maryland's governor mentioning some. Federal officials, meantime, have tried to reassure the public and lawmakers saying the drones aren't a
threat. However, the lack of evidence to support that claim isn't doing much to calm nerves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): Yes. I think it's potentially our own government that may be doing some surveillance or counterterrorism, but
then be honest, because these are flying outside of the regulations, they are violating the FAA policy in terms of altitude and the time that they're
operating.
So, then, that leaves me to believe that it can only be our government unless it's a foreign nexus, which I think we would all hate to believe
could be the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: That's Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, who said she sat in on a briefing with Homeland Security earlier this week. Meantime, her colleague
from New Jersey now suggesting local law enforcement should actually be allowed to shoot those drones down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): I've made this very clear to the FBI, to Homeland Security, and the FAA, the agencies chiefly responsible for
monitoring drone activity. They must immediately disclose more information to the public. Today, I'm also urging federal law enforcement agencies,
which are led by the FBI and DHS, to allow state and local law enforcement to deploy assets that can safely take down drones that shouldn't be in the
air right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Omar Jimenez is following all these latest developments for us from New Jersey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOTTHEIMER: There has to be some explanation to the public for all this increased activity, and they must do so now.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And yet, there hasn't been, even as the federal government says there's no evidence of any national
security or public safety threats. And there have been growing calls for answers as drone sightings continue in New Jersey, and now, also the New
York metropolitan area.
GOTTHEIMER: They must immediately disclose more information to the public. It's totally and completely unacceptable. New Jersey can't become the wild
west of drone activity. No state can become the wild west of drone activity.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's now been a month since some of the first drones were reported near a military installation in Northern New Jersey. Since
then, there have been dozens of reported sightings, as some federal officials throw cold water on some of those reports.
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR: We have not been able to, and neither have state or local law enforcement
authorities, corroborate any of the reported visual sightings. It appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are
being operated lawfully.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): And in a joint statement, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said in part, they're working to confirm whether the
reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings. Despite attempts by officials to calm
concerns, videos of reported drones in the skies are still popping up all over social media.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have never seen that before.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Including these from New Jersey Senator Andy Kim as he went out with local police Thursday night. Former Maryland Governor
Larry Hogan also posting his own possible drone sighting, writing on X, I personally witnessed what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky
above my residence. I do not know if this increasing activity over our skies is a threat to public safety or national security. There was even a
downed drone that was reported in Morris County, New Jersey. But it was later revealed to be a hobby or toy drone.
All the while, without a definitive explanation, questions have filled the vacuum. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy writing to President Joe Biden
expressing concern about the reported drone sightings and asking for more federal resources. Saying in part, existing laws limit the ability of state
and local law enforcement to counter UAS or unmanned aircraft systems. It has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what
is behind this activity.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirming that drones have also been spotted in New York, posting on X, at this time, there's no evidence that
these drones pose a public safety or national security threat.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And our thanks to Omar Jimenez for that report. Colonel Cedric Leighton joining me now, retired U.S. Air Force officer, of course, CNN
military analyst. Colonel Leighton, always good to have you with us.
So, as we look at where things stand today, we just saw and heard from Congressman Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island here in New
York City, who said she thinks this could be the government, because what she has been shown and what she knows to this point is some of these drones
are violating FAA regulations, but it doesn't seem that anything's happening with that.
[18:20:00]
So, she believes that it could be some sort of a counterterrorism or surveillance effort by the government. Does that seem like this could be
what we're seeing here?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST AND U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): It's certainly a possibility, Erica. And it's great to be with you.
There are certain things that the government does. They will test their technical capabilities to include their drones and also test the ability of
their drones to work together in a coordinated way in order to either counter a particular action. like a particular drone attack, for example, a
hypothetical drone attack or they will, you know, use these as a way to exercise command control or monitor certain activities.
So, without knowing much more, it is a possible explanation of what's going on here. There are other possible explanations, but that is certainly one
that could very well hold true.
HILL: What do you think some of the other possible explanations are at this point?
LEIGHTON: So, there is the possibility of perhaps a company testing some of its drones for delivery purposes, you know, like a delivery service, like a
UPS or something like that. There could be the possibility of, you know, some other efforts, you know, in terms of mapping, going in and mapping
particular areas and determining kind of like a Google Maps but from the sky. There are certain other things like that.
And then. on the more nefarious side, there is certainly a possibility that I wouldn't completely discount, although I don't have any evidence for it
yet, that a foreign entity is using our airspace to fly drones in and to conduct intelligence operations. And so, all of these are possibilities.
And without any further evidence, we really don't know which one is the most accurate of those.
HILL: So, to your point on both of those, number one, if it was a company testing a drone or doing mapping, that's a very easy thing for the
government to say, oh, hey, don't worry about it, Google's working on its mappings or UPS is testing shipping capabilities with drones. That hasn't
happened.
LEIGHTON: That's right. And that's why that particular theory holds less water at the moment because there is no government explanation for what's
going on as far as we know, no FAA approval for a mission like that. And that is exactly what would be needed by a Google or a FedEx or something
like that to conduct operations of that type. So, that -- it makes that particular theory a bit weaker because we don't know of anything like that.
And if it is the case, then the government should definitely get out in front of this and say that's what's happening.
HILL: There's also, I know, concern over copycats. When it comes to potential foreign actors the DOD said there was zero evidence when it was
raised that there was a, an Iranian mothership offshore, an idea that was raised by a New Jersey congressman. And John Miller, my colleague John
Miller noting earlier that for either Iran or Russia to be behind this they really don't have the capacity in this moment, given what's happening.
I know there are concerns about China. Do you see any hallmarks here that this could be perhaps some Chinese involvement?
LEIGHTON: Well, in that particular area, yes, there is a possibility. There is one Chinese company that has developed a flying car. And basically, what
it is designed to do is it's a bit bigger than a normal drone and in at least one picture that somebody has purported to take from New Jersey,
there's some similarities with the flying car prototype and what they saw in the sky.
Now. The image is blurry. You know, there are a lot of things, you know, to -- that need to be done to determine the veracity of that, but it is
certainly possible that, you know, something like that could be done by a foreign entity.
Now, the one problem with that is how long can these drones fly? What are their legs as we call it in the aviation business? And if they don't have
the refueling range or the operational range to conduct operations like this, that makes it less likely unless these drones are launched from
either within the U.S. or immediately offshore.
HILL: We're still stuck with so many questions tonight, despite even some of these briefings that lawmakers have had, they're coming out of them
saying that they need the government to be a little bit more clear. With the president-elect also posting on social media that it's time for more
information, saying this couldn't really be happening without the government's knowledge and otherwise shoot them down. We know that has its
own set of issues.
I'm curious as you watch all of this, what is your biggest question tonight? How do you think the government could clear this up for everyone?
LEIGHTON: Yes. Well, I think it should be a whole of government approach. And I think the intelligence and law enforcement agencies should be
examining every possibility, even some farfetched theories, just in order to make sure that that's not exactly what's happening here.
[18:25:00]
We do know that, you know, when we look at cyber-attacks, which are somewhat analogous to what drones are being used for, they do tend to focus
on critical infrastructure and military installations. And the same kind of thing is happening at least with some of these drone sightings, at least
that's what's being reported.
So, my biggest question is, you know, is this an intelligence operation from another side? That would be the most significant thing. Obviously, if
it's a sabotage operation of some type, that would then up the ante from a national security standpoint. But my supposition is if it is a foreign
actor, it's more of an intelligence operation. If it is something domestic, you know, that somebody is doing, they need to get to -- the FAA needs to
basically step in and get them in line to make sure that all aviation safety protocols are being followed because that's a big issue, especially
with a huge airport like Newark International right there.
HILL: Yes, and this being such a densely populated area of the country as well, the tristate area, where these sightings have been reported. Colonel
Cedric Leighton, always appreciate your insight and your expertise. Thank you.
LEIGHTON: You bet, Erica.
HILL: For decades, weather forecasters have been unable to see really more than a week or so into the future, but now Google says its A.I. weather
model has smashed that barrier, accurately predicting weather up to 15 days in advance. One issue though, the planet's changing weather patterns could
still make predictions tough. Here's Chad Myers to explain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we've all seen weather maps that look just like this, but how do we know it's going to be clear in Texas? Well,
the weather models tell us this. We look at them. And this is one that I made a long time ago. I was an intern with the National Weather Service in
Silver Spring, Maryland, 39 years ago and this is what the weather model looked like.
Now, we used some human intelligence and sorted that Celsius to Fahrenheit and kind of figured some things out and knew it was going to be a 55-degree
low. But then supercomputers took over and everything changed. It wasn't just digits. It wasn't just numbers. Now, we could make graphics. Now, we
could take all of this data and push it forward, five, seven days, make it so much better. But this was still human intelligence. Now, we have
artificial intelligence.
This is what our model looks like right now. This is how good we've come from just numbers to this. But can artificial intelligence make this even
better, make it more accurate? And the answer so far is yes. The Google GenCast looks like out to 15 days, it will help our old models do even
better. In fact, outforecast them in many locations.
Now, the problem here with this artificial intelligence model is that we're only looking back 40 years and saying, OK, if this happened today, what's
going to happen tomorrow? But is the last 40 years really going to be indicative of what the next 40 years really is going to look like? Maybe
not. But at least we have some hope, some increased accuracy hope that we could see things get better with artificial intelligence and the human
element here, obviously, with the National Weather Service working in tandem, keeping everything together, making it better for us and keeping us
even safer with the weather.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And our thanks to Chad. Still to come here, French President Emmanuel Macron announcing his new pick for prime minister. So, does Francois Bayrou
have what it takes to solve the country's budget crisis. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
HILL: Welcome back to "First Move." Let's get a look at some of the international headlines we're following this hour. The McKinsey Consulting
Firm reaching a $650 million settlement linked to its work on opioid painkillers. The firm advised Purdue Pharma on how to increase sales of
OxyContin. The settlement resolves a U.S. Justice Department investigation. McKinsey now says it is deeply sorry for its role in the opioid epidemic.
The head of OpenAI giving a million dollars to Donald Trump's inauguration fund. The CEO, Sam Altman, just the latest tech leader to back the
president-elect. OpenAI says the money is a personal donation from Altman. It, of course, follows similar announcements from Meta and Amazon.
French President Emmanuel Macron is having centrist Francois Bayrou as the country's new prime minister, replacing Michel Barnier. The 73-year-old is
the founder of the Democratic Movement political party, and his appointment comes after Barnier lost their no confidence vote last week over a budget
dispute. Here CNN's Melissa Bell with more from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: France has a new prime minister, the country's fourth this year. Francois Bayrou has taken over, named by
Emmanuel Macron after the collapse of Michel Barnier's government just nine days ago. It had been the failure of his government to get through the 2025
budget that had triggered a no confidence vote, and many of the same challenges are likely to face the new prime minister.
Francois Bayrou, though, considered a centrist. Someone who's been around for decades and who just might be the man to bring together the many
disparate parts of France's political spectrum right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCOIS BAYROU, INCOMING FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Faced with such a serious situation, my course of action will be to hide nothing,
neglect nothing, and leave nothing aside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: A nomination that brings to an end for the time being a period of political uncertainty here in France, still many of the challenges that
we're facing, Michel Barnier's government will be facing Francois Bayrou's namely a deadlock of parliament with three main blocs, none of which have a
majority, and all of which disagree on many of the main challenges facing the country. Still, it is considered that Francois Bayrou may just be the
man for the job.
Melissa Bell, Sienna in Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Back here in Manhattan, the district attorney says the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may waive his extradition from
Pennsylvania, and that would pave the way for a transfer to New York, where Luigi Mangione faces five charges, including murder. The suspect's attorney
anticipates his client will enter a plea of not guilty. The district attorney spoke with reporters a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALVIN BRAGG, MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I just wanted to say, indications are that the defendant may waive but that waiver is not complete until the
court proceeding, which my understanding from court officials in Pennsylvania cannot happen until Tuesday. So, until that time, we're going
to continue to press forward on parallel paths.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The CEO of UnitedHealth Group, meantime, acknowledging the troubling state of the U.S. healthcare industry in a New York Times guest essay on
Friday in which he also paid tribute to Brian Thompson. All of this as investigators try to understand why Luigi Mangione allegedly targeted him.
Brian Todd joining me now with more. Brian, a lot of questions and there is still a lot of anger, too.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Erica. And we have this just in as well. A UnitedHealth Group spokesperson says this suspect, Luigi
Mangione, was not a member of UnitedHealthcare, and the spokesperson says neither was Mangione's mother. Still, the overall sentiment of outrage
against insurers just continues to grow.
[18:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Along a Seattle area highway, a digital sign says, one less CEO. Then, many more to go. In New York City, posters were put up,
praising the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with a red X across his picture. Other posters singled out another executive. In
Florida, police say a woman who was on the phone talking with Blue Cross Blue Shield about recently denied medical claims said to the
representative, quote, "delay, denied, depose. You people are next."
Those words were written on the shell casings found at the scene of Brian Thompson's murder. The woman has been charged with threats to conduct a
mass shooting or an act of terrorism.
TAMI LUHBY, CNN SENIOR WRITER, HEALTH POLICY: What we're seeing has been unleashed on social media and elsewhere is just all of this pent-up anger
and frustration. I mean, we're talking about people's health. This is a life and death situation.
TODD (voice-over): The head of the healthcare conglomerate Brian Thompson worked for, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty, tried to address some of
the growing frustration with an essay in The New York Times. He praised Thompson as a brilliant, kind man who was working to make health care
better for everyone, and wrote, we know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people's frustrations with it. Our
mission is to help make it work better.
Witty said his company is willing to partner with anyone to deliver better care at lower costs, but acknowledged, quote, "Clearly, we are not there
yet." Witty did little to appease thousands of people who replied to his op-ed with comments. One person writing, to think that the healthcare
providers do not also seek to maximize their profits is simply naive. Another saying, I don't know how he sleeps at night on his bed of blood and
suffering.
KEVIN O'LEARY, "SHARK TANK" INVESTOR: At this point, social media is now the jury. And it doesn't like what it sees. So, if you're an executive, you
know, in interim management, United Health Corp or any other health company, you've got to read the room.
TODD (voice-over): UnitedHealth Group is a for profit company that reported over $100 billion in revenue in the third quarter of this year, and is the
largest provider of health insurance in the United States. It has been facing a class action lawsuit since before the Thompson shooting, accusing
one of its subsidiaries of using algorithms to deny care to seniors. United says that assertion is false, but the horror stories seemingly never end.
Arete Tsoukalas tells CNN she needed a specific drug to treat the leukemia she was diagnosed with. She said her insurer, one of the nation's largest,
refused to pay for the drug entirely at first, then said it would pay part of it, but she'd have to pay a $13,000 a month copay. Tsoukalas says she
went without the drug for three months, then got it with financial help from the drug manufacturer.
ARETE TSOUKALAS, LEUKEMIA PATIENT: No one should have to fight cancer and insurance at the same time. Some aspects of the cancer treatment felt a lot
easier to deal with than insurance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): CNN's Tami Luhby says she spoke to several health policy experts who told her the most effective way to bring about real change in
the industry is only if the current consumer outrage is sustained. She says they told her if that ever dies down, then the insurers will have less
incentive to make any real changes. Erica.
HILL: Brian, really appreciate it. Thank you. Just ahead here on "First Move," if you're already feeling some of that holiday stress and maybe a
little burnout, well, as I'm sure you know, you're not alone. My next guest though has some advice on how you can maybe reduce that stress a little
bit. Our conversation after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
HILL: Welcome back to "First Move." With the holidays fast approaching. Your stress CEO of Calm. It's a popular mental health app. You may know
their commercials urging you to take a moment and relax. He can now also add author to his credits. His new book, "Recharge: Boosting Your Mental
Battery, One Conversation at a Time," is coming out. It's centered on mental health and the importance of better managing stress and anxiety. All
proceeds from the book go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
David Ko joining me now. David, it's great to have you here. I loved that one of the ways you're encouraging us in this book to really check in on
those around us, whether it's in the workplace or at home, is not to ask, how are you, but to ask, how's your battery level? This is something we can
all relate to.
DAVID KO, CEO, CALM AND AUTHOR, "RECHARGE": That's right. That's right. And we were just trying to take a really heavy topic and just trying to make it
simple for everyone out there. When I've had these conversations with friends and family, when I talk about how are you or how you're doing, you
typically get that standard response of, I'm fine, or I'm good.
But when you ask people, how's your battery, because they -- people have -- everyone has a phone, they can tell you I'm at 50 percent, 75 percent, 25
percent. So, it's a much easier way to check on yourself and your friends and your family.
HILL: Yes, it absolutely is. And it's great to give us sort of another tool to do that. I was struck by too your impetus for writing this and so much
of it comes from your own personal experience. And I think for so many people, not just in the U.S., but around the world, who have grown up in a
family and in a tradition that does not encourage people to talk about, you know, their battery being low, for example, or when they are stressed.
KO: Yes.
HILL: Tell me about that journey for you and why it was so important to get this message out.
KO: Yes. You know, I had -- thank you for asking that. And I had my first panic attack when I was 14 years old. I didn't really quite understand what
I -- what was happening to me in the moment. I think my mother, who's given me tons of great advice over the years gave me this one piece of advice
that probably wasn't the best, which was really just to power through it.
And it didn't take -- it really took until I was in healthcare and much later in life and here at Calm that I understood it was really a stress
induced panic attack. And so, I wanted to create something that would just make it a lot more easy and approachable to have a conversation. And so,
yes, this book was personal for me.
But what I also found it was personal for so many other leaders that are out there today. I went out there and spoke to many leaders in the field
and others about their own journeys, and they all had similar things to share. And so, I wanted to share that with all -- everyone else that's out
there to make it simpler in their own journeys.
HILL: And it's such a broad range of folks that you have in that book, which I really appreciated. I was struck too. So, you're -- you know,
you're the CEO of Calm, which is all about finding your calm, whether it's helping you get to sleep, dealing with your stress during the day, with
your mindfulness, but you are still running a company, and that certainly not a stress-free job as a CEO. And you say that there is a way to balance
the purpose incomes mission with profitability. How do those two things live in harmony?
KO: Yes. So, you know, I'll start first. A lot of people think because I'm the CEO of calm that I am very calm. The fact of the matter is, I am not
calm. I'm pretty stressed out because every second of every day, somebody is relying on us and using the product, and I feel that's an enormous
responsibility for us in the company.
In terms of how we balance things in the company, you know, I often talk about this. You know, it's really hard to have a stress -- you're never
going to have a stress-free company. And the fact of the matter is, and a doctor, DT Nuracar (ph) speaks about this in the book. There's good stress
and there's bad stress. Good stress can build resilience. It could build a healthy workforce. It could build retention. It could build personal
growth.
[18:45:00]
Bad stress can lead to distress, and those can lead to anxiety, depression and then physical ailments as well. And so, it's really -- it's up to
leaders to have the conversations to have more good stress in a company and to understand that, you know, as you open up a dialogue and have
conversations around stress to really think about that as we, think about going into the holiday season, ending the year. And so, we try to create
environments where we have more good stress rather than bad stress.
HILL: Sort of walking the walk, setting that example and knowing when to take a break as well. David Ko, really appreciate you joining us. Thank
you.
KO: Yes. Thank you.
HILL: Well, for many that relaxing afternoon cup of tea or coffee can really feel like maybe the perfect break in a busy, stressful day. The
rising costs, though, of that pause, specifically for coffee lovers isn't exactly calming in this moment. Richard Quest spoke with the president and
CEO of V3 Gourmet or brands like batch of coffee about how the industry is now responding.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAHA BOUQDIB, PRESIDENT AND CEO, V3 GOURMET: If you know Morocco, it's very known for our hospitality first. And it means -- hospitality means the
moment I meet you or I welcome you at home, I need to offer you tea or coffee. And this is why I said this refinement, how can it be global? And
this is how I said, you know, let's create a luxury brands can grow from Morocco to the world.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: And you've done so extremely successfully here, the coffee
particularly. But I'm very interested in the price of coffee.
BOUQDIB: Yes.
QUEST: The price of coffee has been rocketing lately, particularly the Arabica. And then, both the Arabica and the Robusta. What is causing this
rise in the price of coffee?
BOUQDIB: Of course, I think this year, especially, was crazy like the price was just unbelievable because of --
QUEST: We can see, from January 1.90, it's now over 3.21.
BOUQDIB: Absolutely. Because you have the climate issues that -- you know you have two biggest producer in the world today. You have Brazil and
Colombia. The moment these two countries have some small issues and you have the demand plus the supply, it doesn't much. For example, we have this
year in Brazil some issue about the climate. You have in Columbia the same issue, but it's more rain. And you have some strikes, means the moment the
demand is so big --
QUEST: But how is that affecting your business? Because you're buying coffee.
BOUQDIB: Absolutely.
QUEST: I mean, you're buying coffee in very large amounts.
BOUQDIB: Yes, absolutely. But what we did from day one, we expand our sourcing from different area. This is why we are sourcing from three --
like 300 different kinds of suppliers around the world and from 35 countries. It means if I can see today that Brazil and Colombia have some
issues, I can still go to Africa. I can go straight to other countries that I can buy coffee.
QUEST: How much of this price increase is speculative, in other words, it's market, versus supply and demand versus what's actually going down to
growers?
BOUQDIB: Today, we -- this year increased by 60 percent, which is unbelievable. But what I did from the beginning, I have some deals with the
direct farmers to have a nine years contract. It means that I don't want to increase my price every year. It means I pay a price for nine years from
now some agreement and from that I can supply all the world with the same price.
QUEST: Which part of the world -- because you sell across the world, which part of the world is really booming for tea and coffee?
BOUQDIB: Asia.
QUEST: Asia.
BOUQDIB: Asia, especially for the youngest now, they are -- the demand is just unbelievable. And especially the youngest one. I think they have some,
you know, deep pockets and they want to buy expensive coffee, expensive tea, and they are willing to pay for the experience as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Just ahead here, it is actually one of the biggest rivalries in U.S. college football. The annual Army-Navy game kicks off on Saturday, and
we'll get a preview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
HILL: In our Sports Move, it is a rivalry, frankly, like -- unlike any other when it comes to American football. In just less than 24 hours, the
annual Army-Navy games, when the two teams will face off. This will be their 125th meeting. CNN's Coy Wire is there on site with a closer look at
the pop, the circumstance, the history, and frankly, the bragging rights on the line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: All right. We are here in the NFL's Washington Commander Stadium where it all will go down. The 125th Army-Navy game, one
of the greatest rivalries in the world dating back to 1890. This game features some of the best, brightest, most disciplined people fighting for
bragging rights of a lifetime. This is America's game, and it said it's the only game where everyone playing would sacrifice their life for everyone
watching.
COLIN RAMOS, NAVY SR. LINEBACKER: This game represents more than just us, the players of. All the people have come before us have served this
country, they've sacrificed their lives for this country. So, it's a great honor to play in this game.
DABA FOFANA, NAVY SR. FULLBACK: It represents a battle between two of the nation's best forces, honestly. You know, it's always the most physical
battle of the year, it's the most intense battle of the year. And that's what it represents. It represents the epitome of football.
BRYSON DAILY, NAVY SR. QUARTERBACK: I think it's everything for our program and our guys. You know, this is the game we'll remember forever.
WIRE: This game is so important, highlighting the future defenders of our nation that 10 sitting U.S. presidents have attended. President-Elect
Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the game once again. Vice President- Elect J. D. Vance, representing U.S. Marine Corps, secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth served in the Minnesota Marine Corps. And Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis, former Navy Jag Officer.
America's game, highlighting some of this nation's brightest young leaders who've committed themselves to serving their country. It's a rivalry like
no other game time is Saturday, 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Our thanks to Coy for that report. It is certainly a rivalry unlike any other. Well, how about this one? Rare fossils from three dinosaur
skeletons fetching more than $15 million at an auction at Christie's in London. An adult and juvenile Allosaurus from the Jurassic period selling
for -- as a pair, for $10 million. And a Stegosaurus skeleton, also from the Jurassic period, went for $5 million. The fossils were excavated in
Wyoming before being brought to London.
Samples of human tissue are currently in orbit on the International Space Station. Why, you ask? I promise there's a good reason. The experiment
there is to see just why the process of aging actually speeds up in space and whether age related diseases can be slowed down. Here's CNN's Nick
Valencia with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the spirit of exploration.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Outer space may hold the answer to some of humanity's greatest questions, what causes aging and can
the process be altered? Human tissue samples called organoids are now in orbit at the International Space Station. And identical samples are back on
Earth at Oxford University's Space Innovation Lab.
This experiment will allow researchers to compare and analyze data from both samples to study the aging process and the impact of microgravity on
it.
GHADA ALSALEH, SPACE INNOVATION LAB, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD: So, this is a very new project where we work between -- actually the frontier between the
space and biology.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Inside the International Space Station, a box containing human tissue samples serves as a controlled environment.
ALSALEH: The box have a small computer and all the detection material that we need to get the measurements we wanted and we can actually control that
and see all the data coming all the time.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Researchers don't require assistance from the astronauts aboard the Space Station, as they can automatically gather the
information from their laboratory on Earth.
ALSALEH: We could be able to measure few things without interacting anyone.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Over the years, astronauts have suffered from muscle loss, joint and bone issues and problems with their immune system.
Researchers found that this is similar to an age-related disease.
ALSALEH: And this lead us to ask the question if the space might provide us with an accelerating aging model, and if it is the case, that mean we can
actually be able to study aging very faster, because this has happened in very short time while aging in (INAUDIBLE) did need a different years.
[18:55:00]
VALENCIA (voice-over): With future missions planned to send humans to Mars and beyond, the impact of space travel on aging will become a key issue.
Nick Valencia, CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good luck. We estimate you've completed your marathon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Finally, on "First Move." Let's stay with space, shall we? Giving the term raising a new glass -- a glass, a whole new meaning with this next
story. A Japanese sake maker is going where no sake maker has gone before, outer space. The company behind the popular brand decide planning to blast
sake ingredients to the International Space Station to ferment a one-of-a- kind brew. Why? Well, there's some sense that the difference in gravity could affect how heat transfers in fluid, causing a different fermentation
process in space than what we see on Earth. But just to warn you, the price for this one will be out of this world. One bottle will set you back more
than $650,000. Start saving your pennies.
That's just going to do it for us. I'm Erica Hill and for Julia Chatterley on "First Move." Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to stay with CNN.
Much more news ahead. Enjoy your weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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