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Quest Means Business
Temperature Records Smashed Across The World; Eight Dead As Flooding Hits Southern Europe; 17 Killed In Russian Missile Strike In Donetsk; U.K.'s Birmingham Halts All Non-Essential Spending; Prosecutors Lay Out Road Map For Trump Election Trial; Climate Change Affecting Amusement Parks; Rolling Stones Announce First New Music In 18 Years; Deezer, Universal Music Reach Royalty Agreement. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 06, 2023 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: But I've been told people close to him and even the former president, they acknowledge that
yes, it's important right now to keep these people in the fold, to the extent possible, help with their legal fees to an extent.
We know there are limits on his generosity there, but he definitely learned lessons from Michael Cohen and I'm sure he is not pleased that Mr. Tavares
is cooperating. But again, he is not necessarily in the same league as someone like Boris Epshteyn or Michael Cohen was at one time, but this is
not good news for him.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: All right, everybody standby. We have a lot more news we're following right now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Back to our special live coverage of the first televised hearing in the Trump election subversion case in the state of
Georgia, I'm Kaitlan Collins in New York alongside Wolf Blitzer in Washington, and this afternoon, we witnessed history in real time and on
camera.
As you could see, inside the courtroom, the arguments and the key rulings from the judge overseeing this case. The core issue that remains of course
is whether Donald Trump and 18 of his co-defendants will be ultimately tried together in a sweeping RICO indictment, or if the case will splinter
off into several trials.
We now know at least two defendants will stand trial together next month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCAFEE, JUDGE, FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT: Based on what's been presented today, I am not finding the severance from Mr. Chesebro or Powell
is necessary to achieve a fair determination of the guilt or innocence for either defendant in this case, and so I'll deny Mr. Chesebro's motions to
sever from Miss Powell, I'll deny in part Miss Powell's motion to sever from Mr. Chesebro. And the plan will be to enter a scheduling order for
Miss Powell mirroring that of Mr. Chesebro with the October 23rd date holding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That was the ruling from --
[15:02:20]
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, rising oil prices are bringing inflation fears back to the market. As you can see, the Dow Jones
Industrial Average losing ground today. We're in negative territory, down six-tenths of a percent. We're down 200 points as you can see at this
point. Those are the markets, I want to take you through the main events now.
A searing hot summer breaking records and bringing home the reality of climate change.
Britain's second largest city, Birmingham effectively declares itself bankrupt.
And still rocking in their golden years, the Rolling Stones releasing their first album of new music in 18 years.
Live from Dubai, it is Wednesday, September 6th. I'm Eleni Giokos. I'm in for Richard Quest. This is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
A very warm welcome to the show, everyone. And tonight, new data showing it has been the hottest summer ever recorded with extreme temperatures causing
havoc across the world.
The EU's Copernicus program says global average temperatures were significantly above the previous record. Estimates showed July and August
were 1.5 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels. Now climate scientists have long warned humanity must avoid heating the planet by more than 1.5
Celsius or the consequences could be catastrophic.
The impact is being felt everywhere. The temperature in Beijing climbed above 40 degrees Celsius in June, and one town in northwest China shattered
the country's all-time heat record hitting 52.2 Celsius, that is 126 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, in Spain, the Catalonia region clocked up its highest ever temperature of 45 degrees Celsius.
Bill Weir is with me now, hopefully, to break down some of these numbers and what they mean for the world going forward.
Bill, always great to see you. Look, we've had -- we have been having these discussions over the last few months. We knew that we were sitting at
record temperatures for the most part of July and August and here we have it now. It has been the hottest summer ever. I'm curious to find out what
this means for us in the longer term.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the big headline here sadly is while we are recording this as the hottest summer on record going
back to 1940, it is probably one of the coolest summers for the rest of our lives. And a lot of this is built into the system over a century of
industrialization, fossil fuel pollution, building up this thick blanket in the sky now and we knew that the heat was -- a lot of it was being absorbed
by the oceans.
[15:05:10]
Ninety percent of the heat hidden by the oceans, until it just jumped like a Jack-in-a-box this year. You can see on that chart there, it broke the
record. Over the last 30 years, it's almost two-thirds of a degree Celsius warmer than the last 30 years there, it looks like a hockey stick,
reminiscent of those sort of temperature graphs that went back a thousand years to show how the Industrial Revolution had spiked our temperatures.
And the ocean-sea surface temperatures as well, the record was set in 2016 during an El Nino year, a naturally warm year, every day last month broke
that record. And so the effects on the oceans, on the currents, on sea life will be measured going forward.
We don't know the full effect yet. It's underway now, but the beginning -- we're just in the beginning of the new El Nino phase. So the worry is as
bad as it was this summer, it could be much worse next.
GIOKOS: Yes, and look to be clear, as well, what we're seeing every year in terms of warmer summers, it's the side effect, the consequences of what
we've done decades before today. So what we do today matters going forward, Bill.
But I want to find out, look that 1.5 degrees Celsius target, are we blowing that target out of the water here with what we're seeing?
WEIR: Well, if you listen to ExxonMobil, the biggest oil company in the United States, you can't even stop it at two degrees. They told investors
this week in projections that basically the pumping and the drilling, and the burning will remain unabated as population grows.
And as a result, the goals of the Paris Accords are our folly at this point. That's according to an oil company. And you should take them at
their word. I mean, these are the people who ultimately decide the fate. The big Petro states, the big polluters.
Individual action is noble, and we should all pay attention to how our lives impact things around us, but this cannot be done without global buy-
in and without huge economic shift, which may be the hardest thing humanity has ever done.
But it's clear what it looks like when it starts to happen, and these just may be the coming attractions of everything from what we're seeing in
Greece, the whiplash in North America, heatwaves in Asia.
Just this week of five major American insurance companies announced, there are parts of the country that can no longer cover. So if you live in
California, they won't cover fire. If you live in Florida, they won't cover hurricanes. The economic ripples are just starting.
GIOKOS: They are just starting. Something you said to quote you again, you said, this is probably the coolest summer for the rest of our lives.
Something to think about.
Bill Weir, great to have you on. Thank you so much.
WEIR: You bet.
GIOKOS: Well, at least eight people are dead after torrential rain and flooding in parts of Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria. Others remain missing
and Greek officials warn the worst may be yet to come after more rainfall on Wednesday.
The country suffered through deadly fires and scorching heat throughout the summer.
CNN's Katie Polglase has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATIE POLGLASE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A road in the city of Volos, Greece ripped apart by floodwaters. These cables are makeshift
system and the only way to carry this man across the chiasm to safety, hard and delicate work in this endless summer of climate emergencies in Greece.
For the past day and night, torrential rain from Storm Daniel has fallen on Volos and the surrounding area. The impact on residents has been
disastrous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The roof fell in from the rain. It's a huge damage. They should help us. I have a family and kids. How are
we going to sleep?
Last night, we slept here and there. It's unbelievable.
POLGLASE (voice over): The flooding follows a devastating summer wildfire season, which ravaged the same area. The barren ground unable to absorb the
water when the flooding came.
In Northern Greece, meanwhile, wildfires killed nearly two dozen people in recent weeks. Storm Daniel is now crawling slowly across Greece towards the
southwest. As it enters the Mediterranean Sea, meteorologists fear it will pick up strength from the unusually high sea surface temperatures and
develop into a medicane, a weather event with hurricane-like effects.
Greece is not alone. Neighboring Bulgaria and Istanbul and Turkey have also faced intense flooding. As wildfires and flooding impact parts of Europe,
Typhoon Haiku made landfall Sunday in Taiwan, before bringing heavy rain to Southwestern China and the Atlantic hurricane season is reaching its peak
with Tropical Storm Lee expected to intensify into an extremely dangerous hurricane by this weekend after Idalia battered the US Gulf Coast a week
ago.
[15:10:01]
MIKE BOYLAN, STORM CHASER: We are getting some intense winds and rains. Currently, protected by a building. Trees are going down.
POLGLASE: Events like this are becoming more extreme. Part of a global trend according to a new report from Copernicus, the EU's climate change
service, 2023 saw the hottest air and sea temperatures since records began in the 1940s, the report says, and they are clear that humans are to blame,
with the deputy director warning that we will continue to see extreme weather events until we stop emitting greenhouse gases.
In the meantime, the world continues to see more chaos and disruption from climate catastrophes.
Katie Polglase, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, well, Georgia Apolakiatis faced the destruction firsthand. She owns a restaurant with her husband on the Greek island of
Rhodes when fires forced tourists to get out of their hotels. She sheltered some of them in her restaurants and Georgia joins me now.
Georgia, great to have you with us. Look before what we're seeing now in terms of the flooding, we saw the extreme fires, the wildfires ravaging
various parts of Greece. We saw it in Rhodes, you saw it firsthand.
Your business has been extremely affected. I want you to take me through what the fires have done to your livelihood. Remember, this happened at the
end of June. We're now close to mid-September.
GEORGIA APOLAKIATIS, OWNER, LIGHTHOUSE RESTAURANT: Yes, it's destroyed us. We work from summer to summer, so -- and our go on month, end of July and
August. So the tourists left because they were evacuated, and then it took us another two weeks.
We were damaged. We had -- we didn't have electricity for five days or water, so everything that we've bought to stock up because we do live on a
small island and it's difficult to get things in from the mainland during August, so everyone stocks up and I throw away something like 20,000 Euro
worth of lobsters, prawns, fish.
And then when we finally got the business up running again, the tourists were coming to the all-inclusives. They stay in the all-inclusives, the
villas and the apartments that we have around our area were burned and damaged. People canceled.
A lot of people canceled, and it's a very small island and it killed us it. As I said, we work from summer to summer. So we've lost all that as well.
GIOKOS: Yes.
APOLAKIATIS: And now there are no tourists around. I mean, if we do have --
GIOKOS: So, Georgia, I mean, you said something important. I mean, you said -- I mean, no tourists around and you said that it killed us, because as
you -- and to reiterate the point that businesses like yours rely on the summer months to pull you through the winter.
You know, you say you're a small island, but the Greek Tourism minister during the wildfire in Rhodes said, well, it's only 15 percent of the
island that experienced these fires. What do you respond to that statement?
APOLAKIATIS: Fifteen percent on an island that you can go from one end to the other in two hours with a car is a lot. It's a lot.
You can go from one site to the other in two hours. So 15 percent of the tourism is a lot for us. It's too much. It's huge.
It's huge for us when we have to -- we only have two full months of a season to work and to survive for the rest of the winter, because we have
to survive. We have to eat, we have to pay electric bills, we have to pay our staff. We had to pay our staff. I had 25 members. I had 25 staff
members and now I'm down to six and I can't afford to have the six staff members. So we're going to close early because I can't afford to have them.
GIOKOS: So Georgia, have you seen any -- so Georgia in terms of government intervention, since the fires, has anyone reached out to assess the damage?
Your mother's home was destroyed by the fire. Other people lost their properties as well, has there been any government intervention?
APOLAKIATIS: No, no, none whatsoever and they never will. My mom's house was burnt to the ground. She gets nothing for it. No insurance covers it
because it was arson. All of trees have been burned. The businesses have been affected.
There have been two businesses that were burned. There was houses that were burned. The government isn't going to give us anything. The insurance
doesn't cover it and they haven't been around and they won't come around. They won't come around because they don't care. It's our problem like olive
trees -- all of our olive trees have been burnt.
GIOKOS: Georgia --
APOLAKIATIS: Sorry.
[15:15:09]
GIOKOS: Very quickly, in terms of the flooding that you're seeing right now in Greece, are you worried about flooding that might occur now?
APOLAKIATIS: Of course, I am worried. Of course, of course, because my village was burnt to pieces and the trees and the greens that we had
around, I'm on the outskirts of the little village that has 250 people that live here.
The mountains, the castle is built on the -- you can see the rocks, they've come apart. When we have rain here, it's going to flood us. The rocks are
going to come down, they're going to bust our houses that were saved by the fire.
We're talking about huge rocks that are going to just fall.
GIOKOS: Georgia, thank you so much for your time. It was really good to touch base with you and important to hear from you what your experience has
been.
APOLAKIATIS: It's hard.
GIOKOS: It's really hard.
APOLAKIATIS: It's hard on the people, because as I said --
GIOKOS: So, Georgia, I appreciate your time.
APOLAKIATIS: Yes. Okay.
GIOKOS: Yes, we have to leave it there, but thank you so very much and I will try and come to Rhodes next year during my visit to Greece. Thank you
so much, Georgia Apolakiatis.
APOLAKIATIS: Can I just note that we do have a lot of GoFundMe for the people who have been destroyed and don't have any money to rebuild their
homes. So if you're looking out for the GoFundMe, it is for Rhodes. Every dollar helps. Every dollar helps for the people.
GIOKOS: Yes, yes, and that assistance will be greatly appreciated, I'm sure. I appreciate your time, Georgia. Thank you so much.
Well, one of Britain's biggest cities has essentially filed for bankruptcy and we'll talk about the equal pay issue that's left Birmingham in dire
financial straits.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: We start our Ukraine coverage with a graphic content warning. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling an attack on a market in the
Donetsk region utterly inhumanity and again we have to warn you that these images are disturbing
[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]
GIOKOS: Well this was the moment the Russian missile struck, at least 17 people were killed and 32 wounded.
[15:20:02]
According to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, the attack, one of the deadliest in months took place close to the frontlines of the fighting
around Bakhmut.
Now US secretary of State, Antony Blinken is in Ukraine with a new message of support from the White House. He made earlier with President Zelenskyy
and just wrapped up a news conference with Ukraine's Foreign minister, where he announced a new US aid package with more than $1 billion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, US SECRETARY OF STATE: Since I was last here, almost exactly one year ago, Ukrainian forces have taken back more than 50 percent
of the territory seized by Russian forces since February of 2022.
In the ongoing counteroffensive, progress has accelerated in the past few weeks. This new assistance will help sustain it and build further momentum.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, during his visit, Blinken conveyed his gratitude to the US embassy staff in Kyiv and stopped by a local McDonald's to reiterate US
economic support.
Joining us with more now, we've got CNN's Melissa Bell, who is in Kyiv for us.
Melissa, great to have you on.
We've just heard from Anthony Blinken, it was an interesting press conference. Look, he described a lot of his personal experience, but more
importantly, reiterating the US commitment.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, a commitment that took the shape of himself in terms of this visit. It wasn't, of course, his first.
It is the third time he visits Kyiv since the start of the war, Eleni and it is an important show of support at a critical time for Ukraine, even as
it pushes ahead with its counteroffensive.
It is also critical, of course, in terms of the message that Secretary of State Blinken is going to be taking back to Washington, the idea was that
he would come here, hear about what was happening in the counteroffensive, and then be able to go back to the United States with that message.
Of course, it comes at a time when American support for the continued financing this war effort has been softening according to some polls, so
critical in a number of different respects.
And what we heard from the American secretary of State was that renewed commitment, beyond the $24 billion that President Biden has asked Congress
just less than a month ago, this is an extra billion dollars in financing that the United States has pledged now. Part of that is military, part of
that is non-military aid.
But in terms of the military aid, this is very much a latest round of aid that is designed to help them on the frontlines of this counteroffensive.
So what we're talking about are the Pentagon's own stocks of things like air defense system components, munitions, all kinds of different forms of
ammunition. That's one thing that the Ukrainians have been asking for over and over again, and more and more of.
Also, multiple launch rocket system or HIMARS. They are providing extra support exactly targeted to what Ukraine needs, and perhaps most
controversially, what we've now had confirmed is that as part of that package, the United States is going to be just a few months after
confirming and beginning to send those controversial cluster munitions, now preparing to send depleted munitions.
Now, these will be able to be fired from the Abrams tanks that are due to arrive in the autumn. They're controversial, of course, because what you're
talking about is much stronger metal that can penetrate tanks, but because it comes from a nuclear power. Now, there is a bit of radioactivity in
them. They are controversial as a result, when the United Kingdom announced they were supplying some back in March.
The reply from the Kremlin was immediate, that if there was now that elements that contained radioactivity were being supplied, it was going to
look again at its own stance on nuclear power.
So they are controversial. Now, the United States and Secretary Blinken has confirmed that this will be part of this next round. And when you consider
what they can do, which is break through the armor of tanks, this is really about helping Ukraine to break through those extraordinarily difficult,
defensive positions that Russia has put up in so many different parts of the frontline -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Melissa Bell, great to see you. Thank you so much.
Well, meanwhile in London, police say a terror suspect is on the loose after escaping from prison. Daniel Khalife was awaiting trial in Wandsworth
Prison. He has denied the charges against him.
Geraint Vincent ITV News has more on his escape this morning and the manhunt that's currently underway.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERAINT VINCENT, ITV NEWS (voice over): Until shortly before eight o'clock this morning, Daniel Abed Khalife was awaiting trial on remand at His
Majesty's Prison Wandsworth.
He is reported to have escaped from the prison kitchen where he was working by clinging to a delivery van. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and
red and white checkered trousers.
COMMANDER DOMINIC MURPHY, COUNTERTERRORISM COMMAND, METROPOLITAN POLICE: We have a focus of our effort in London at the moment. We are counterterrorism
command officers now leading the investigation, supported by officers from across the Metropolitan Police and our partners.
[15:25:13]
But we also have notifications out to every force in the country. We are working really closely with Borders' colleagues, to try and understand any
risk that might be posed by him leaving the country.
And so at the moment, you could describe this as a nationwide manhunt involving every force in the country.
VINCENT (voice over): Mr. Khalife, is a soldier who was based at these barracks in Stafford. He was arrested after allegedly leaving fake devices
at the base.
Magistrates in Westminster were told that he had done so with the intention of inducing the belief in others that the items were likely to explode. He
is charged with terrorism offenses, and is accused of gathering information which could be useful to an enemy.
Wandsworth Prison was famously escaped from 60 years ago by one of the great train robbers, Ronnie Biggs put a ladder over one of the walls.
More recently, problems at the Category B Jail persists. There was another escape four years ago, and the Chief Inspector of Prisons has described HMP
Wandsworth, as crumbling, overcrowded, and vermin infested.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I find it rather odd that this is a prisoner who's been charged under terrorism legislation and the Official Secrets Act that he is
in Wandsworth. But I find it completely inconceivable that somebody who is a potential national security risk has been allowed as we believe to work
in Wandsworth's kitchen.
VINCENT (voice over): The police think that Daniel Khalife is most likely still somewhere in London. They say the threat he poses to the public is
low, but that he shouldn't be approached. They describe their search for him as urgent and extensive.
Geraint Vincent, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Qantas has a new CEO. Vanessa Hudson today became one of very few woman to head up an airline. Her predecessor, Alan Joyce stepped down
earlier than expected. Our affiliates at SPS have the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NAVEEN RAZIK, SBS AUSTRALIA: It's the beginning of a new era for the flying kangaroo, CEO Vanessa Hudson taking the reins today from Alan Joyce.
She began at the company in 1994. Back then, it was government owned and operated. It's a very different airline now following Joyce's leadership.
In his 15 years, he has restructured the company, ripped out costs and after three years of COVID deficits, delivered a record profit. He views
that as his legacy at the company. But his swan song was cut abruptly short, he moved his departure two months early following growing scandals
surrounding the company.
Last week, Australia's consumer watchdog launched legal action against Qantas alleging it sold thousands of tickets to flights it had already
canceled. That's just one scandal the company is dealing with.
The airline is also accused of sacking 1,700 ground staff illegally during the pandemic. It also faces legal action over its COVID refund policy.
The company knows it needs to do better. That's the message from the CEO, Vanessa Hudson to staff yesterday. It knows it needs to rebuild trust with
the Australian public and the Australian public on the whole do hold Qantas in high regard or at least they used to. The brand has been damaged over
the past few years during the painful restart of the aviation industry.
There are still questions as well for the board to answer about Joyce's departure, those will be raised at the AGM in November.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, we're going to a short break. I'll be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GIOKOS (voice-over): Hello, I'm Eleni Giokos and there's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment.
Theme parks say steep temperatures are bad for business.
And the Rolling Stones released their first original album in almost two decades.
Before that, the headlines this hour.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GIOKOS (voice-over): The hunt for the escaped prisoner in Pennsylvania is expanding. Danelo Cavalcante broke out of prison near Philadelphia last
week. Investigators believe he escaped by climbing onto the roof. He was convicted last month for stabbing his ex- girlfriend to death in front of
her two young children.
The former coach of the Spanish women's football team calls his firing unfair. In a radio interview said his dismissal was unexpected after
winning the World Cup. That was followed by controversy when the head of Spain's football federation kissed player Jenni Hermoso without her
consent. She has filed a legal complaint against Luis Rubiales.
U.S. President Joe Biden again tested negative again for COVID-19 ahead of a planned trip to India. The White House says the president has no
symptoms, two days after first lady Jill Biden tested positive.
Next spring, the city of Venice will charge daytime visitors just over $5 to enter at peak times of the year. It will not apply to tourists staying
overnight and will begin with a 30 day trial. It's the first city in the world to introduce such a charge.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GIOKOS: The U.K.'s second largest city has effectively declared bankruptcy. The Birmingham city council says it doesn't have enough money
to cover equal pay claims. As a result, it has halted all nonessential spending. Birmingham owes up $954 million in legal bills from cases brought
by current workers.
Nearly all of them are women who say they earn less than their male counterparts. The debt threatens all basic services in the city. Some local
officials blame critics on cost cuttings by the U.K. government. Anna Stewart is in London, breaking this down.
Tell me what went wrong here?
Do we know?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was quite extraordinary. Local British politics as an international story but there's huge interest in the story.
It is Britain's second biggest city and people are quite shocked that the local government there would effectively have to file for bankruptcy.
Not the only local council in England to have done this in the past. But it's the biggest and in addition to the general financial strains, this
council has been facing quite a lot of pressure from a court case from 2012; it lost in the supreme court.
[15:35:00]
A. STEWART: This equal pay claim case, 174 mostly women claiming against them, saying they were in the same wage bracket as men but weren't paid
bonuses. And they have been paying out so far $1.4 billion with $950 million yet to go.
They said they were facing a deficit of $109 million this year. They filed a section 114, effectively bankruptcy. They will not be issuing any new
spending plans, just keeping the essentials. That includes picking up rubbish, education and libraries, adult social care.
So I wouldn't say it's panic stations in Birmingham at this stage but it's a really interesting story and highlighting some of the issues you do have
in local government, I suppose.
GIOKOS: Equal pay here because of the court case but also there's a political blame game on the go. Take us through that.
A. STEWART: They recognize that the equal pay claim is a drain on resources but also they said they had the implementation of a new I.T.
system, costly and not very happy with it. Increases in adult social care, decreases in revenue from business rates. There's inflation and also
politics.
And this is a majority Labour council. So unsurprisingly, they're pointing the finger at the ruling Conservative Party.
The deputy leader of the council said they had 1 billion pounds of funding taken away by successive Conservative governments. Then a spokesperson for
the prime minister, the leader of the Conservative Party, saying, "Clearly, it is for locally elected councils to manage their own budgets."
I would say though, lots of city councils and others within the U.K. are facing lots of issues. The chair of the local government association, he
says there is a funding gap of almost 3 billion pounds over the next couple of years. The headline has taken the world by storm and has ensued in a
spat politically.
GIOKOS: Absolutely fascinating stuff. Anna Stewart, thank you, great to see you.
In the U.S. state of Georgia, a televised hearing took place in the case against former president Donald Trump, from his efforts to stay in office.
The judge heard arguments about whether to break the case into individual trials.
All 19 defendants pleaded not guilty to allegations they conspired to interfere in Georgia's 2020 election results. Nick Valencia is outside the
courthouse.
Tell us what we heard today.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A fascinating day, as you mentioned, unlike the previous Trump hearings and proceedings, federal and the New
York charges, this was broadcast live, adding to the drama.
The former president was not in the court today but attorneys for the codefendants were. The big headline was Judge Scott McAfee ruling against
the motion for Ken Chesebro, the former pro Trump attorney, who was trying to sever his case from the former Trump campaign lawyer, Sidney Powell.
Chesebro's attorneys argued there's, in their estimate, three conspiracies in this indictment, to which their client is only connected to one, the
fake electors scheme, trying to subvert the Electoral College, saying Trump rightfully won in Georgia
Also saying that Powell is connected to something totally different, a conspiracy to allegedly accessing voting data in Coffee County. So Kenneth
Chesebro's attorneys said not only he had never met Powell, he never set foot in Coffee County.
The state pushed back and said, because it's a RICO indictment, evidence against one is evidence against all. And the over 40 counts, all of them
was each in a furtherance of the overall conspiracy.
They argue that was to keep Donald Trump in power. As it stands, these two codefendants will go hurtling into the October 23rd court date, just 47
days away. A lot of fireworks today, also insight into how Judge McAfee will handle the case and a sense of the potential timeline.
The lead prosecutor working alongside the district attorney in the case said this trial could at least take four months and include 150 witnesses.
And that is not counting the potential jury selection. So we're looking at a long road ahead in this case in Georgia.
GIOKOS: The timeline is what is fascinating here in terms of how long it will take.
What is the best and worst case scenarios that we are looking at here?
And what are the implications of the extended timeline?
[15:40:00]
VALENCIA: A daunting task to carry out a case against 19 codefendants. And the point brought up by the judge of double jeopardy. The 11th circuit
judge in federal court still has to rule on the motion by Ken Chesebro to remove his charges from state court and put them in federal court.
Those coming from the chief of staff, Mark Meadows, trying to change his case from state to federal court, arguing he was operating under his
official government capacity. So he should have his criminal proceedings moved to federal court in an effort to get the charges dismissed.
We're looking at a judge still not making a decision. So the judge here today bringing up the point, saying the state could be looking at the
potential for double jeopardy and a judge ruling in the middle of a trial going on.
That's a fascinating point and it's going to take a really long time to get 19 people to coordinate schedules. Four indictments in the last five months
for Trump and he has a lot of court dates on his schedule. That is causing a delay here, his attorneys trying to get the court case here, trying to
get the case in Georgia delayed to another day.
GIOKOS: A busy time. Nick Valencia, thank you so much.
It appears China has fired the latest shots in a trade war with the U.S. "The Wall Street Journal" says Beijing has banned government officials from
using Apple's iPhones and CNN's Marc Stewart reports there's apparently been an unwritten rule about the devices for months.
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MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is important to stress this reported ban surrounding iPhones involves central government officials
and not Chinese consumers. A source who deals with the government agencies told CNN that, for months there has been an unwritten rule of shutting
iPhones, despite the absence of a formal policy.
The source asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the subject. Last March we was Apple CEO, Tim Cook, here in Beijing. Last quarter nearly
a fifth of Apple's revenue came from China. It's also a manufacturing center.
We've seen a lot of back-and-forth between the two economic forces in recent months and, as we reported last June, some Chinese ministers banned
Teslas from entering the premises over security fears.
And looking back to November 2022, the Biden administration, banning approvals of equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE over security
concerns. CNN reached out to China's ministry of foreign affairs but we have not received a response -- Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Climate change is taking a heavy toll on the global economy and now major theme parks say they will be affected as well.
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[15:45:00]
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GIOKOS: Welcome back. Returning to our top story, this past summer was the hottest on record and that took a toll on major theme parks. Six Flags,
SeaWorld and others warned of lower visit numbers as temperatures soared. Many are building indoor rides in response to warm conditions.
And they're warning that more natural disasters could force more temporary closures. Nathaniel Meyersohn is with me, to explain.
To be honest, it's no surprise. Warming temperatures, you're worried about other extreme weather events.
But what are they saying specifically about the impact of climate change?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: So going to Six Flags or SeaWorld, Disney World, it's a ritual of summer but it has completely been
upended by the extreme weather and heat and rainfall we are seeing here in the United States and it's taking a toll on these businesses and forcing
them to change.
The three major regional theme park operators in the U.S. , SeaWorld, Six Flags and Cedar Fair, which owns Cedar Point in Ohio, they are saying that
attendance was down this summer because of some of these extreme conditions.
They had to close parks; people were not going to them. So that took a big toll on their business. Disney World has also seen a drop in attendance. On
July 4, we saw shorter wait times for the rides than we saw year ago, because of climate change and extreme weather according to Disney CEO, Bob
Iger.
GIOKOS: How are they planning to adapt?
Just thinking about the scenario we deal with here in Dubai. It gets hot, so most theme parks are closed for the very hot months.
Are they planning to change seasons or do something more indoors?
MEYERSOHN: I think the experience will start to look a lot different. Investors are pressing companies about how they are going to change and the
strategies they're going to take to adapt to climate change.
We'll start to see more indoor rides and more water misters at the parks and air- conditioned restaurants. SeaWorld has also implemented a new
policy for the first time. For extreme heat, customers can return three tickets if it reaches above 110 degrees.
Just some of the ways that climate change is impacting these rituals of the summer and daily life here in the United States.
GIOKOS: Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you so much.
The Rolling Stones are back and we will talk about the band's first new album in 18 years and new changes to streaming that could make it extra
profitable, coming up next.
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GIOKOS: That is so cool.
And that is the Rolling Stones, a song called "Angry," off their first new album in 18 years. They announced its upcoming release at a press
conference in London. "Hackney Diamonds" comes out on October 20th.
The group says it includes contributions from Stevie Wonder as well as Lady Gaga. The Stones may be able to make a little bit of extra money from the
album, thanks to some changes coming to one streaming service.
Deezer announced a deal with Universal Music today that changes how much artists are paid based merely on their popularity. It is calculated by
stream, which is any listening over 30 seconds.
Artists with more than 1,000 streams per month will earn double than an artist who is searched for on the platform will earn quadruple. James (sic)
Aswad is the senior music editor at "Variety" and joins me from New York.
I spent a bit of time listening to the song; it's pretty awesome, I have to say. But a lot of Rolling Stones fans will be excited.
But I'm wondering how much traction that we are going to get from this?
How much are you anticipating?
The reality is, for artists who have already put out six or seven great albums, their creativity, momentousness does tend to wear off a bit. Now
there are certainly exceptions to that.
JEM ASWAD, SENIOR MUSIC EDITOR, "VARIETY": Bob Dylan has had a couple of later bumps in his career: Neil Young has. David Bowie's final album
released two days before he died was the most innovative thing he had done in 35 years.
On the basis of this song, it sounds like pretty much what we can expect. There's a big riff on it. I do notice that it does not seem to be Charlie
Watts playing. So that's a big change for the Stones. But these albums tend to be an excuse to tour.
GIOKOS: Exactly. I do expect them to tour.
Do you think that will be important?
I want to get to the streaming side of things but touring is very important to get traction.
ASWAD: Yes. Yes. And it has always been -- it's a very familiar thing with an established artist, that they will be -- they'll play a few hits and
they will be like, here's a new song and everyone goes to the bathroom.
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ASWAD: So there tends to be --
(LAUGHTER)
ASWAD: -- a bit less excitement around it. Like actually the last time I saw the Stones, which was 2012, they said, OK, here's a new song. And like
it was just one of two new songs on whatever greatest hits album they had just put out. And everyone got up to go to the bathroom and they started
playing "Miss You," and everybody went running back to their seats. It was very funny.
But it'll be (INAUDIBLE) yes, I do expect --
(CROSSTALK)
ASWAD: -- they have toured every year except for pandemic years, since, I don't know, 2002 or 1999, or something like. They're pretty constantly on
the road and they are not going to be able to do it for that much longer.
Charlie Watts passed away, which is the thought of the Rolling Stones without Charlie Watts is incredible. And Mick Jagger and Keith Richards I
believe are both 80. So there's only so many miles left in them. But they are going to make most of them.
GIOKOS: They look very energetic to me, I have to say, it's on my to do list. OK, I want to talk about Deezer teaming up with Universal.
Many are saying the question is, can they change the streaming model, where artists can in fact earn more?
ASWAD: This is a step toward that. Bear in mind that one of the entities behind this is the world's largest music company. So they are going to be
looking out for number 1 as well as their artists.
[15:55:00]
ASWAD: That's just the reality. But having said that, this model does look like at least a good start. OK. It is increasing emphasis on the artists
and the songs that listeners engage with the most.
The way the model exists right now, I could upload, you know, a recording of tap water running. And like if I can get somebody to stream it, I would
get paid for it and that's ridiculous.
And Deezer is taking steps to take care of that as well. One of the data points was to say that -- I think it's something like 2 percent of the
entities that upload their music, usually record companies, get 97 percent of the activity.
So that gives you an idea of how much trickery is going on, how many people are just like uploading nonsense, trying to collect royalties. And the
streaming services and the record companies are getting wise to it.
But it is very complicated. It's a game of Whac-A-Mole. So it is a start. And trying to put a number on what it's going to save them or how much more
artists are going to receive is illusory. It is impossible to pin down at this point. They say it will double or quadruple actual working musicians'
earnings.
But who knows?
It didn't say that in the press release. It said it in a couple of articles but to me that sounds like they're distancing themselves from making any
solid predictions yet.
GIOKOS: All right. Jem Aswad, great to have you on, thank you so much.
Just in to CNN, according to a new court filing, special counsel David West intends to seek an indictment against Hunter Biden related to gun charges
by the end of this month. The U.S. president's son previously reached a deal involving a gun possession charge that would have allowed him to avoid
prosecution.
But that plea deal fell apart. Hunter Biden's lawyers are expected to submit their own filing in the coming hours.
Just moments left to trade on Wall Street and we will have the final numbers as well as the closing bell right after this.
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GIOKOS: It is a red day for the U.S. markets, the U.S. Dow down almost 200 points. Thanks so much for watching QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Eleni Giokos
and "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts right now.
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