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Quest Means Business
Modi Greet Biden; US-China Tensions; Precarious Rescue Mission; Deadly Police Shooting Leads To Murder Charge; U.K. Terror Fugitive Spotted; Flooding In Greece Kills Six People. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 08, 2023 - 15:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:34]
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Well, we are headed for a positive end to a very tough trading week. Let's take a look to see how the Dow is
faring. It's just in green territory. Can it maintain this? We'll see a little later.
Well, those are the markets and these are the main events.
The US and India deepen their economic ties as Narendra Modi prepares to welcome the G20 to New Delhi.
Hurricane Lee intensified with exceptional speed. Why monster storms are becoming more common.
Jimmy Fallon apologizes over allegations of a difficult work environment on "The Tonight Show."
Live from Dubai, it is Friday, September 8th. I'm Eleni Giokos. I'm in for Richard Quest, and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Welcome to the show, and tonight the leaders of the US and India are praising their country's cooperation on trade and technology ahead of the
G20 Summit marked by the absence of China.
President Biden arrived in New Delhi on Friday, one day before the gathering starts. He went straight to a meeting with Prime Minister Modi,
where the two announced a range of agreements.
The weekend Summit is expected to be more fractious. Look, discussions on potential joint declarations have been difficult. Chinese President Xi
Jinping is skipping this year's Summit as Russian President Vladimir Putin is too as well.
Ivan Watson is at the G20 in New Delhi. He joins me now.
Ivan, great to have you on. It's more about who is not going to be there, it seems for this year's G20. We know the White House has said it is
disappointing that the leaders of Russia and China will not be attending, but what can we expect? What are we expecting over the next few days?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the National Security adviser, Jake Sullivan has said that they expect that the African
Union will be invited to participate, be a member of the G20 going forward alongside organizations like the European Union, that would be a
development.
We did have Biden land here and go straight to a meeting with Narendra Modi, where the two leaders are celebrating what they say is the deepening
of their bilateral relationship which they described as the India-US Strategic Partnership.
The US leader clearly trying to promote the image that Narendra Modi has invested so much, personal capital in promoting India on the global stage
as the host country of the G20, an image that Modi is clearly also promoting inside India ahead of next year's expected elections, where he is
running for re-election. His image is plastered all over the capitol city on every block, multiple portraits of Narendra Modi.
Modi himself is talking, presenting India as a champion of what he describes as the global south, poorer countries and calling for a
sustainable, equitable economic development for everybody around the world and saying that the G20 can go some way to help with that.
Biden offering a message of support, announcing that there'll be an expansion of funding in the International Monetary Fund and in the World
Bank for investment in economies around the world. His top advisors talking about wanting to promote the idea of debt relief as well.
And all of this is coming, of course, in the absence of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, and clearly what is perceived as an effort by the US to fill
some of that vacuum.
The Chinese government has been offering large amounts of money and investment around the world as part of its Belt and Road project, and it is
clear that the US trying to offer more of an alternative and promoting it as funding that would come without strings attached as they've tried to
color the Chinese investment programs around the world.
[15:05:00]
We don't have a concrete answer from the Chinese government why Xi Jinping has not attended. That is not uncommon. The Chinese government is not very
-- it's rather opaque when it comes to trying to ask about questions like that. We also know why another G20 member, head of state, Vladimir Putin is
not here. He was not at the last G20 in Bali, and he is accused of war crimes, so he says his foreign minister to attend.
The war in Ukraine, Russia's invasion, one of the key polarizing issues at this meeting, and perhaps one of the reasons why it may be difficult for
delegates on the ground to be able to issue some kind of joint communique.
There are big questions about whether there will be consensus at the end of this weekend Summit -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: Consensus is going to be very important.
Ivan Watson, great to have you on the ground there in New Delhi. Much appreciated.
Well, Prime Minister Modi is hoping to shine a spotlight on his country's achievements at the event. Signs around the Summit show his face as he aims
to highlight his role as a global statesman.
Mr. Modi has been on a campaign to beautify the area. The government has cleared slums and removed stray dogs in preparation for the gathering. It
comes as the government seeks to wield its influence in both the G20 and among BRICS countries.
Ravi Agrawal is the editor-in-chief at "Foreign Policy." He used to serve as CNN's New Delhi bureau chief, and he joins me now.
Ravi, great to have you on.
It is quite an event that we're expecting in New Delhi, look -- and there's a lot that's happening. We're focusing on China, we know why the Russian
president will not be there and we see the US president arriving a day early.
How important is this G20 Summit in the context of what's going on globally on the geopolitical front.
RAVI AGRAWAL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "FOREIGN POLICY": It's really important.
I mean, look, this is a month of Summits. We just had the BRICS Summit in South Africa, the UN General Assembly meetings are coming up in September,
and all of this comes amid a very troubled time for multilateralism. The world is more fractured than it's been in three decades, really with
competition between the United States and China ramping up, and the world sort of fracturing into bloc, as it were.
Even Russia's war on Ukraine, which United so much of Europe has divided the rest of the world, as we've seen with countries that are unwilling to
condemn Russia and India as among those.
The G20 amid all of this is incredibly important because it brings together so many countries, and not only that, it is trying to expand.
I think, Ivan mentioned this, but if the G20 does end up also including the African Union from next year onwards, making it a much bigger G21, covering
a large part of the world that would make the G20 a much more powerful, more inclusive organization, kind of setting it up against the G7, the
BRICS, and other groups that have become more powerful on the global stage, especially the G7. That's one thing.
The other thing as again, Ivan alluded to, was debt relief. If the G20 under India's leadership is able to provide more instruments for debt
relief for the Global South, better interest rates, for example; more money for the World Bank and the IMF to deploy at better lending rates for
countries like Nigeria, which spends 90 percent of its GDP servicing debt, then that would be a huge accomplishment to emerge from this.
But as you pointed out, Eleni, all of this is a big PR exercise for India.
GIOKOS: Exactly. I mean, and it's fascinating. We had a map up that basically shows the G20 membership. You mentioned the African Union.
Look, a big, big point of contention here is having more African voices. The map clearly shows South Africa is the only G20 member from the African
continent. Giving the global south a bigger voice, does that amplify the strength of the G20, and perhaps, you know, do away with the conversation
and the fear that the global power axis might be shifting dramatically, of course, with what we've been seeing with Russia and Ukraine, and of course,
the rise of BRICS?
AGRAWAL: Well, I think the answer is yes and no, adding the African Union to the G20 would do several things. There's a moral reason to add the
African Union because so much of global policymaking gets done without including the global south and India has really made a point to try and
become the voice of the Global South, self-proclaimed, but still.
And remember, the previous host of the G20 was Indonesia. The next host -- the next two hosts are going to be South Africa and Brazil. So there really
is a move towards making the G20 more of a voice of the Global South and this is all a piece to that.
[15:10:00]
But the flip side of that, Eleni, as you well know is that this could end up making the G20 more unwieldy. You have organizations such as the United
Nations, which are riven by paralysis, mostly, because there are so many members and none of them agree on anything, and I think that's the other
big test we're going to see in the next two days.
Analysts have said that we don't expect a final communique, a joint communique to emerge on Sunday and that's because the French has said that
they won't sign one that doesn't strongly condemn Russia for the war in Ukraine. Russia, of course, is never going to sign that kind of a document.
GIOKOS: Yes, so Ravi, very quickly, in terms of China's absence, the president of China not attending. I mean, we know that they have friction
with regards to a border disputes, and the Chinese president was in South Africa, for BRICS, for example, what are you reading into his absence?
AGRAWAL: Well, I think it depends on how much they thought through how it would be read by the rest of the world. You know, Xi Jinping has traveled a
fair bit this year, after not traveling for a while. But two things really strike me. One is, China has an unresolved border crisis with India. This
shines a spotlight on that and that is not good for India. So India is quite upset by that, maybe China thinks it's getting something out of that.
But the other thing, I think, is that this is a missed opportunity in that Xi Jinping doesn't get to meet US President Joe Biden on the sidelines.
That's a setback for US-China relations and it's something that isn't good for the world.
Clearly, Xi Jinping has thought through these things, so maybe that's what he wants.
GIOKOS: Ravi Agrawal, great to have you on. Thank you very much for your insights.
While China's president is absent at the G20 ,the country is growing its presence across the American heartland. More Chinese businesses are buying
us farmland and lawmakers on both sides of Congress are raising concerns.
CNN's David Culver has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just a couple of hours into our drive from Seattle, we start to see the markings of American pride:
Stars and stripes lining the highways of rural Washington state. This is part of the agricultural backbone that keeps us fed. But as we look closer
here, we find what might be for America is, in cases, not American.
REP. DAN NEWHOUSE (R-WA): This is something we've kind of woken up to and though, we should do something.
CULVER (voice over): Dan Newhouse splits his time between Sunnyside, Washington, working as a hops farmer, and the other Washington, where he
serves on Congress' recently created select committee on the CCP.
CULVER (on camera): I think a lot of folks, Congressman, would look at where we are and say, how does that relate to the committee that focuses on
the Chinese Communist Party.
NEWHOUSE: I think there's a huge connection. We've seen a tremendous increase in the number of acres, for instance, being purchased by Chinese
businesses. The increase in the investments has grown by a factor of 10 over the last decade.
CULVER (voice over): A sharp rise he worries will continue.
NEWHOUSE: But the one thing that people need to understand is, China's not an ally. They're an adversary.
CULVER (voice over): Lawmakers on both sides fear that with control of US farmland, China could manipulate US food supply, surveil sensitive
military sites, or even steal valuable intellectual property.
China's Foreign Ministry says the U.S. is playing off of unwarranted national security fears to discriminate.
We drive about an hour from Sunnyside to see how close the business ties to China are.
CULVER (on camera): You're about to see the sign. It's called Syngenta. This is a seed and pesticides manufacturer. It's one of the largest in the
world.
And let me show you something else, as you look from the outside here. Nothing about this suggests that it's foreign owned. In fact, you can even
see, look right there, it's an American flag that's flying.
CULVER (voice over): Syngenta is headquartered in Switzerland, but owned by Chem China, which is 100 percent Chinese-state controlled and
designated last year by the Defense Department as a military company. Its CEO, a former government official and member of the Chinese Communist
Party.
Syngenta is operating here legally, and neither it nor its parent company have been accused of wrongdoing. In a statement to CNN they stress that,
"Syngenta has approximately 4,400 US employees in 43 states and all its activities are conducted on fields and farms in the US to benefit American
farmers."
Newhouse is sponsoring a House bill that would heavily vet and restrict future investment from Chinese entities. A similar effort passed the Senate
in July. And more than two dozen states have either passed or proposed their own restrictions on foreign ownership of land.
KEVIN KNIGHT, OWNER, KNIGHT ORCHARDS: They were all family owned. Now there's no families left.
CULVER (voice over): The restrictions on certain foreign investment could mean fewer options for family farms facing increased financial
pressures and needing to sell.
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Would you be hesitant in selling to any sort of foreign group that's coming in? Even if it was, say, a Chinese-owned company?
KNIGHT: I wouldn't like it, but money is money. And if they're the only check that you've got, what are you going to do?
CULVER (voice over): The legislation could also have wider consequences.
CULVER (on camera): One of the biggest counterarguments is, oh, that's going to lead to xenophobia, right? That's going to create a prejudice. To
that you say?
NEWHOUSE: I think we can make that distinction between the Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party. And we're not looking at trying to create
an anti-Chinese sentiment in our country, we're just trying to be smart about how we respond to the communist Chinese.
CULVER: Amidst that increasingly polarized US population, efforts seen as tough on China, particularly leading into the 2024 elections are among the
very few areas in which both Democrats and Republicans find agreement, a common ground shared or what they consider to be a common adversary.
David Culver, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: For nearly a week, he has been stranded a thousand meters below ground with a grievous medical condition, but soon an American caver may
start a long and the difficult journey back to the surface. Details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: An intricate and challenging rescue effort could begin tomorrow for the American caver stranded a thousand meters beneath the ground in
southern Turkey. Forty-year-old Mark Dickey fell ill with internal bleeding last week while exploring deep inside the cave, and while his health has
improved, it will require lots of help getting him back to the surface.
Nada Bashir explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice over): In the dark and cavernous depths of Turkey's Morca sinkhole, a welcome update.
MARK DICKEY, CAVE SPECIALIST: Mark Dickey from nearly a thousand meters.
BASHIR (voice over): American caver, Mark Dickey now said to be in a stable condition after falling ill some three-and-a-half thousand feet below
ground almost a week ago.
DICKEY: As you can see, I'm up, I'm alert, I'm talking, but I am not healed on the inside yet, so I need a lot of help to get out of here.
BASHIR (voice over): Rescuers say Dickey suffered gastrointestinal bleeding during his research expedition and required urgent medical attention at
base camp.
According to a officials, six units of blood had to be delivered to him. It is an operation which has drawn about 150 rescuers from across the globe to
Turkey's third deepest cave.
[15:20:10]
The Turkish Caving Federation says it typically takes a full 15 hours for an experienced caver to reach the surface in ideal conditions, but Dickey's
health is still in a delicate state and the narrow winding passages of the cave, as well as frigid temperatures could pose a major challenge to
rescuers.
GRETCHEN BAKER, NATIONAL CAVE RESCUE COMMISSION: The team on the ground is very happy that Mark's conditions seems to be improving, so that it looks
like that he will not have to be in a litter the entire way out, but there may be portions of the cave that he has to be in that litter.
So the more he can help, the faster the rescue can go. But even with him helping, we're anticipating that it will take days to get him out of the
cave.
BASHIR: For now, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Authority says the operation is running smoothly, and though this is a huge logistical
undertaking, there is cautious optimism for Dickey's safe return.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, just days after getting battered by a typhoon, Hong Kong has now been flooded by a record setting storm. More than 158 millimeters of
rain, that's about half a foot fell Thursday in a span of just one hour. Hundreds of people have been reported injured and that's coming from the
downpour.
Kristy Lu Stout is in Hong Kong and has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: It is a day of severe disruption here in Hong Kong as the heaviest rain since records
began in 1884 has effectively shut down this city. A highest level black rainstorm warning was put into effect Thursday evening, 11:05 PM local time
and that's why I'm reporting from home. All residents have been advised to shelter indoors.
Schools are closed, a number of bus routes and roads are closed. The Hong Kong stock exchange is closed. Earlier we heard from the Hong Kong
Observatory that issued an advisory saying this: "People should stay away from watercourses. Residents living in close proximity to rivers should
stay alert to weather conditions and should consider evacuation if their homes may become flooded."
Now we've been monitoring and vetting dramatic video that's been circulating online showing both the deluge and the damage.
In this video you see an example of how a Hong Kong street has been transformed into a river with cars including Hong Kong's iconic red taxis
submerged in floodwater.
And in this clip, you see the impact of the black rain from the perspective of resident, rainwater seeping into the stairway of an apartment building
after the street is flooded outside.
And in this final video, a dramatic rescue. A person had to be taken out of a partially submerged vehicle by Hong Kong firefighters.
Heavy rain also reported in southern China including the mega city of Shenzhen. We have learned that authorities there plan to discharge excess
water from its reservoir on Friday and that could potentially worsen the flooding situation in northern Hong Kong, including the northern new
territories.
This is just the latest extreme weather to hit Hong Kong. A week ago, this area was pummeled by Typhoon Saola, which was the strongest typhoon to hit
the city in five years.
Kristie Lu Stout CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well after making history by skyrocketing into a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Lee has lost a little bit of its power over the Caribbean, but
forecasters say it's still an extremely powerful system that could pick up even more strength in the coming days.
Right now, Lee is a Category 4 hurricane with winds of around 249 kilometers per hour. It grew at a mind boggling rate on Thursday, going
from a Category 1 to a monster Category 5 within 24 hours.
CNN meteorologist, Chad Myers is tracking the storm from the World Weather Center and joins me now.
Extraordinary move with this hurricane, but now, it has lost a little bit of power, but what are we anticipating?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We still think that this thing is going to make a right hand turn before it gets to the United States and that is
going to put the northeastern part of the United States and even into Atlantic Canada kind of into its crosshairs, at least for a bit, unless it
just keeps turning.
So yes, 250 kph right now down to about 215 kilometers per hour by Monday. Yes, I know it's Friday. So yes, it's going to take a long time before this
gets there, and the end of the cone is even on Wednesday. So this is a long event. We're going to be talking about this for a very long time. The
models are going very, very slowly and then that hard right turn.
Well sometimes, hurricanes don't want to turn, sometimes they just keep going straight. That would be a problem for the southeastern part of the
United States. If it turns too early, that would be a problem for Bermuda with a direct hit there at 225 kilometers per hour, that would be a
devastating storm.
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So we're hoping to go right between them and then on up toward Atlantic Canada and turn right, right out toward the ocean and miss everything. That
would be best case.
One thing that's going for us here, for the potential for it to get a little bit less strong is colder water that's in the Atlantic. I don't say
that very often. But there was already a hurricane there last week, Hurricane Franklin. It used up all of that warm water on the surface, and
so things could go a little bit downward when it comes to wind speed as it tries to make that right hand turn, and obviously, we're all hoping for
that.
GIOKOS: All right, Chad Myers, thank you so much for that update.
Well, the US state of Georgia releases the full report from the grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 US election revealing jurors
thought a lot more people should face charges including some prominent political names. Details on that just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Hello, I'm Eleni Giokos, and there is more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment when US auto giants are making big concessions to workers, but it
may not be enough to stop a costly strike.
And workers on the popular US late night show claim that Jimmy Fallon creates a toxic work environment. We'll tell you how that show is
responding to this, and before that, we've got the headlines for you this hour.
A Philadelphia police officer has been charged with murder for shooting a man dead during a traffic stop. Police initially said victim, Eddie
Irizarry was outside of his car and given multiple commands to drop a weapon. Body-camera footage showed otherwise.
Police officer Mark Dial has surrendered to authorities and has been suspended as well.
Now police in London have had a confirmed sighting of a man fitting the description a fugitive terrorist suspect, Daniel Khalife. The 21-year-old
escaped from prison on Wednesday by strapping himself to the underside of a truck. Authorities are currently searching London's biggest park for
Khalife.
[15:30:29]
Now in Greece, at least six people are dead and nearly 900 needed to be rescued from severe flooding. The Greek civil protection ministers said the
most severe aftermath from Mediterranean storm Daniel is in central Greece flooding there. Has cut off five villages.
A deadly violence in Mali is sparking fears of spiraling insecurity after a wave of attacks over the past 24 hours killed more than 90 or 60 people.
They happened in the African countries volatile Gao region. The interim government says Islamist militants are to blame.
Now Britain's King Charles released an audio message Friday to mark one year since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. Reflecting on her
long life and her devoted service. He thanked the public for their support since his ascension to the throne.
A bombshell new report today from the Georgia Grand Jury and investigated efforts -- all right. Let's take you back to that story. The grand jury is
investigating, of course that case that is undermining the 2020 U.S. presidential election. It reveals that grand jurors, recommended charges
against 39 people, the Fulton County District attorney ultimately indicted 19 including former President Donald Trump.
And there are some big names on that longer list, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and former Georgia senators David Perdue and Kelly
Loeffler. CNN Reporter Marshall Cohen is falling developments and joins us now from Washington. I want you to take me through the latest in terms of
what we've heard and what we're expecting.
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey, Eleni. A huge report. A bombshell report from the special grand jury that heard evidence in the Trump election
investigation for many months last year. They filed a report and it was released today in its entirety. As you mentioned, it contained
recommendations for indictments against 39 individuals. Only 19 ultimately faced charges in this case.
The people who didn't get charged, that's what's making news today. And at the top of that list, for current Senator Lindsey Graham. He's the senator
from South Carolina. The grand jurors there recommended his indictment, probably because of what he did in 2020 when he allegedly tried to pressure
an election official there to interfere with the results which he denies. Other senior officials like Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue who were both
sitting senators from the state of Georgia at the time of the election, they're now former Senators.
They were also recommended to face charges. Neither of them were ultimately indicted. But it's not just those three. There are other key figures like
former Trump White House Adviser Michael Flynn and current Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn. The grand jury recommended charges against both of them as
well. They have denied wrongdoing. And then there were also some pro-Trump attorneys who were involved in the meritless lawsuits that tried to
overturn the results.
And some of those pressure campaigns that targeted election officials in Georgia. Folks like Cleta Mitchell and Lin Wood. They also were recommended
for an indictment. But the prosecutor in Fulton County did not seek their indictment. She only decided to move forward with charges against 19
people, most famously Donald Trump and -- but we learned today that the case could have been so much bigger. Eleni?
GIOKOS: Bigger, yes. I mean, it's really interesting because it's just a recommendation, right? Of 39 people but ultimately, only 19 were indicted.
Why?
COHEN: Well, look, the special grand jury that heard evidence in the case is separate from the regular grand jury that has charging power that met
last month and approve the indictments. Between then and now, it's up to the prosecutor. You know, just because a grand jury offers a recommendation
does not mean that the prosecutor has to accept that recommendation. She has to evaluate the case, evaluate the evidence and decide on her own if
she thinks it's worth it.
If she can win a conviction, if it can be upheld on appeal. Some of those cases were a little dicer, more equivocal in the evidence that clearly, she
decided not to roll the dice, not to take her chances.
[15:35:08]
And then with the other people like Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows that did get indicted. Clearly, District Attorney Fani Willis
thinks that that is a case that she can win.
GIOKOS: All right. Marshall Cohen, great to have you on. Thank you so much. Now in the United States, major automakers known as the big three are
facing a potentially costly strike. The United Auto Workers says it's more than 140,000 members will down tools at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis
if there's no deal by the time their contracts expire next week. Vanessa Yurkevich reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready to rumble?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): There's a showdown in Detroit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want? Fair contracts.
YURKEVICH (voiceover): The United Auto Workers Union is less than a week away from a possible strike against the big three U.S. automakers, General
Motors, Ford and Stellantis, teeing up what would be the second largest U.S. labor strike in a quarter century. UAW says their demands have not
been met, waiting nearly a month on new proposals.
SHAWN FAIN, PRESIDENT, UAW: I'll tell you what I'm going to do with their proposal. I'm going to file it in its proper place because that's where it
belongs, the trash.
YURKEVICH (voiceover): Tensions have been high between the two sides. The union, representing 145 ,000 workers at the three automakers, even filed
unfair labor practice complaints against G.M. and Stellantis, accusing the companies of not bargaining in good faith, which they deny.
GERALD JOHNSON, EVP OF GLOBAL MANUFACTURING, GENERAL MOTORS: These negotiations are serious and they matter. The outcome impacts all of us,
every team member and, quite frankly, every stakeholder across the country.
YURKEVICH (voiceover): G.M. sent a new offer Thursday with higher pay raises. UAW says it doesn't come close and to, "stop wasting our members'
time." Ford also sent a new offer the UAW is reviewing. The union called their previous proposal an insult. Stellantis says it will have a counter
by the end of the week.
FAIN: This trash can is overflowing with the (BLEEP) that the big three continue to peddle.
YURKEVICH (voiceover): For the first time ever, the UAW could strike all three automakers at once. The last strike in 2019 against General Motors
cost the company $2.9 billion over six weeks. A strike against all three could mean $5 billion in losses in just 10 days.
JULIE SU, ACTING U.S. LABOR SECRETARY: We respect their process and are hopeful that they are going to grapple through some hard issues and
hopefully come to an agreement. That's a win-win.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Rebuild the backbones --
YURKEVICH (voiceover): President Joe Biden and the acting labor secretary have stayed out of negotiations, but Biden appointed trusted White House
Senior Adviser Gene Sperling to keep tabs. Despite talks coming down to the wire, the president said he believes a strike can be avoided.
The union has some ambitious demands, asking for a 40 percent pay raise over the course of the four-year contract, restoring cost of living
increases and pension plans for all workers.
FAIN: They've had our demands from the outset and we told them we expect to get there by September 14th, and that is September 14th, a deadline, not a
reference point.
YURKEVICH (voiceover): And as the big three pivot to electric vehicles, they're planning 10 new battery plants not under UAW contracts. The union
is hoping these next contracts protect their members in the future.
FAIN: Workers can't be left behind in this transition. You're talking about 20 percent of the power train workers in the big three stand to lose their
jobs down the road if we go from ICE engines to the battery power.
Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And new era of young tennis stars is shining at the U.S. Open. All that's expected from this weekend's action-packed finals. Up ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:41:39]
GIOKOS: Spain's national prosecutor has filed a complaint against Luis Rubiales for the crimes of sexual assault and coercion. Rubiales has been
suspended as the Spanish football chief for kissing player Jennifer Hermoso without her consent at the woman's World Cup. Hermoso appeared in front of
prosecutors on Tuesday to begin the formal complaint process. It is the first step and what could lead to charges against will Rubiales.
Atika Shubert is on the ground for us to give us some inside look as we said, this paves the way to launch an investigation to start a case. Take
us through the next steps here, Atika.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is still the evidence gathering phase. So, you know, an investigation can be opened by the National Court.
Now this is what it allows. But prosecutors still need to gather more evidence. And keep in mind the incident actually happened in Australia. So,
one of the things prosecutors have said is that they actually need to look to Australian law as well.
I think what's key here is the exact wording. There are two issues here. Sexual assault and coercion. The sexual assault part, we've all seen the
photos, the video of that now infamous Kiss by Rubiales on Hermoso. Now, Rubiales has always maintained that was consensual, Hermoso says it was
not. That's very clear that section of the complaint. The other section coercion is more interesting.
And this really happened days after the incident. When questions about Rubiales' behavior at the World Cup started circulating online. That's when
Jenni Hermoso told the prosecutor that Rubiales began pressuring her and his associates began pressuring her and her -- those close to her to put
out a statement in defense of Rubiales saying that nothing untoward had happened. Now, that pressure, according to this new statement by the
prosecutor could constitute harassment and that's where that coercion part comes in.
It's still a while to go. It is a long legal process. We're unlikely to see a trial anytime soon. Rubiales himself has yet to put out a statement in
response to this new complaint by the prosecutor. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He maintains the kiss was completely consensual. And
he said in the past that he's been -- he wants to prove himself. And if this legal process goes through, he will have an opportunity to prove his
case in court, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes. Yes. And look, he's been suspended, but he's refusing to resign. Do you think he's going to get more pressure at the stage with this
complaint?
SHUBERT: I think you will get more pressure. I mean, the longer this goes on the more pressure it is. Not -- he seemed to be very resistant to that
pressure so far. I mean, not only has he been suspended by FIFA for 90 days, he's under investigation by FIFA as well. But the Federation has
actually cut his salary, his company car, his benefits, his mobile phone. They have urged him to resign. The team -- the National -- the Spain's
women team say they won't play until he resigns.
So, the pressure is only increasing on him. And now you have this apparently criminal -- this criminal investigation now underway. So, the
pressure is piling on. It's not clear whether or not this will force him out at all. So far, he's resisted.
GIOKOS: All right. Atika Shubert, great to have you on. Thank you so much.
[15:45:01]
Well, the U.S. Open is drawing to a close with the men semifinal starting today. On the woman's side, 19-year-old Coco Gauff won her semifinal
Thursday night and she'll be facing Aryna Sabalenka in the finals on Saturday. Novak Djokovic and the American Ben Shelton are playing right
now. That match is in the first set. And one of them will face off against the winner of tonight's highly-anticipated match between Carlos Alcaraz and
Daniil Medvedev.
Carolyn Mano is in New York. And I think Daniil Medvedev said it's going to be almost impossible to be winning against Alcaraz. Take me through what we
can expect.
CAROLYN MANO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's going to be a very difficult contest for Daniil Medvedev. But he is a great hardcore player.
And he's played the role of disrupter as well throughout his career, especially here at the U.S. Open and he's won here as well. He has a slam
title to his credit here in Queens. So anything could happen. Carlos Alcaraz has had a very smooth trip about as smooth as you can get to get to
this point.
So far, he hasn't been challenged really physically or mentally. So that one is a little bit up in the air, but I think a lot of people are
expecting Alcaraz to probably meet Novak Djokovic in the final. It was interesting to listen to both Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton come into
Arthur Ashe Stadium just a short time ago. The crowd really was -- I would say pro Novak at the beginning. They gave the 23-time Grand Slam champion a
huge ovation when he came in.
But there's a lot of support for Ben Shelton as well. This 20-year-old American who burst out onto the scene at this year's U.S. Open and who
right now looks a little bit tight. There are some nerves kicking in. We've seen that big surf that we expected from Ben Shelton, but this one still
TBD with Novak Djokovic leaving somewhat comfortably in the first set.
GIOKOS: OK. So, let's talk about the women's side. Coco Gauff, really exciting. Probably facing off with Aryna Sabalenka on -- tomorrow, correct?
Take me through the excitement around that match. I'll be watching that one actually tomorrow.
MANO: That's -- yes, yes. That's right. I mean, what's so exciting about the women's side is that it's so wide open, you have so many interesting,
unique women that you could potentially root for, from all around the world who come to these slams and content. And I think that's why your point is
so well taken. It's so exciting to watch women's tennis right now. For Coco Gauff, 19 years old on the very brink of winning her first slam right here
at home.
A home slam at the U.S. Open would just be sort of storybook and really full circle for her when you consider the fact that back in 2012 as a young
eight-year-old, she was kind of bouncing around the grounds here at Arthur Ashe Stadium during fan week. And who could know at that point in time,
what her life would look like right now. So many people have been waiting to crown her as tennis' next big player on the women's side.
And she's retooled her game over the summer. And now she looks very confident. She runs into Aryna Sabalenka who's an extremely talented power
hitter with a huge surf who has also made very deep runs at every single slam this year. So, this is going to be a tough test for Coco. It should be
very quality tennis. Whoever serves best is likely going to survive the contest, but I'm glad you'll be watching. I think a lot of other people
will be as well because it is -- it's too good to pass up.
GIOKOS: So, Carolyn, we actually have the video of Coco Gauff jumping around in 2012 as an eight-year-old. Feels like yesterday it was 2012 but
yes, look how cool that is.
MANO: I know. It's great. It's great.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: Awesome. Well, we wish everyone all the best.
MANO: She actually posted that to her social. Yes, yes.
GIOKOS: Oh, that's awesome. Good memories. Carolyn Mano, thank you so much. Good to have you on.
All right, tonight on The Tonight Show. Jimmy Fallon is accused of creating a toxic work environment. We'll tell you about the accusations in a Rolling
Stone article. And the response from Fallon and NBC. We'll be right back. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:40]
GIOKOS: Police in London have had a confirmed sighting of a man fitting the description of fugitive terrorist suspect, Daniel Khalif. Now, a 21-year-
old escaped from prison on Wednesday by strapping himself to the underside of the tracks. Salma Abdelaziz reports.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police are combing through London's largest park, Richmond Park. Some 2500 acres looking for a fugitive terror
suspect. Daniel Khalife, a 21-year-old who was awaiting trial on terror offences staged a bold escape from Wandsworth prison early on Wednesday.
According to authorities he left from the prison kitchen wearing a chef's uniform and clung to the bottom of a delivery van to make his jail break.
Now authorities have called it extremely concerning that Khalife is back on the loose and have staged essentially a nationwide manhunt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMINIC MURPHY, METROPOLITAN POLCE COUNTER TERRORISM COMMANDER: He could be anywhere in the country at the moment. And yes, of course we're mindful of
the risk of him potentially leaving the country. We're focusing our efforts in London at the moment. So we have counterterrorism officers now deployed
across London, working with colleagues from across the Metropolitan Police and our partner agencies to try and find him here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Now the Met Police Commissioner has said that the jailbreak was clearly preplanned and that investigations are underway to determine if
Khalife had any help from inside the prison. A 21-year-old who did serve in the British military stands accused of planting fake bombs on military
bases. He was awaiting trial for terror offenses and alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.
Now the last time he was seen he was dressed again in that chef's uniform, red and white trousers, a white t-shirt and brown shoes. And the hunt for
him has already triggered some delays in airports and ports across the country as authorities try to track him down.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, late night host Jimmy Fallon has apologized to his staff following a Rolling Stone article that described the tonight show as a
toxic workplace. During a Zoom, Fallon reportedly told his colleagues that he was embarrassed and hadn't intended to create that type of atmosphere.
Rolling Stone based its reporter on 16 current and former staffers who spoke to the magazine anonymously.
They describe living in a constant state of fear and said they hid in crying rooms and walked on eggshells. NBC responded saying it's proud of
The Tonight Show, and that the network's top priority is to provide a respectful work environment. We've got Oliver Darcy standing by to give us
what insight into this news. I mean, that Rolling Stone article really fascinating describing a very toxic environment.
Frankly, perhaps that happens far too often in the media industry. But interestingly, Jimmy Fallon coming out and apologizing and also saying it
was embarrassing.
OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Yes. These are really ugly allegations. And I think you're seeing Fallon move quickly to hopefully put
them to bed and move on from this episode. The Rolling Stone story goes into some detail about a toxic workplace environment, a -- an environment
in which employees were subjected to these flashes of anger from the late- night comedian and said that their mental health in some cases had deteriorated working on the show.
[15:55:10]
And so, Fallon coming out yesterday, he got his staff together on a Zoom call, he apologized. He said he was embarrassed by some of the things in
the article. And NBC also saying that allegations of inappropriate conduct have been investigated in the past and when necessary, appropriate action
has been taken. So, both NBC and Fallon trying to move on behind -- beyond this episode.
But with the allegations in that magazine article, really do -- they really paint a ugly picture of what it's like to work on that show, which is
supposed to be about comedy, supposed to be about laughing.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, and that's obviously a very different person that he portrays on air. In terms of his reputation or the way the world would now
perceive him with this article. What's your sense?
DARCY: You know, I mean, I think most people like Jimmy Fallon, because most people see the Jimmy Fallon that's on camera, that's Laughing. That's
making everyone else laugh. But the staffers again, they're telling Rolling Stone that off camera, behind the scenes, it's a totally different Fallon.
Someone who was quick to anger, someone who is difficult to please at times. And the story, you know, it was deeply reported.
It was relying on 16 current and former staffers, but the reporter said she reached out to dozens more. People looking for even just supports for the
late-night host. She'd said that most of the show runners, all the show runners, except the current one had not issued any support for Fallon which
is a little bit not usual. Usually, you would expect a former show runner to show their support publicly for the person that they work for.
And in this case, none of them did except the current one. And so, I think that speaks to really the environment that has taken place behind the
scenes at the Tonight Show, you know, in the industry, it's not known as maybe the best place to work. Hopefully now that this new showrunner is in,
NBC thinks that they can improve the workplace environment and since this is detailed how poor it has been behind the scenes.
Hopefully that also gives them additional motivation to really clean up -- clean up the workplace.
GIOKOS: Oliver Darcy, great to see you. I hope you have a great weekend. Thank you so much.
DARCY: Thank you.
GIOKOS: Well, we've just got moments left to trade on Wall Street. And we'll have the final numbers and the closing bell right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS:
[16:00:12]
GIOKOS: All right. We've got moments left to trade on Wall Street. The Dow gave up most of its gains in the last hour. It is trying to finish in the
green. We're up a quarter of a percent right now. And that is it for QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Eleni Giokos. And the closing bell is ringing on Wall
Street. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now. Have a great weekend.
END
