Return to Transcripts main page
Quest Means Business
Biden Urges Trump to Reconsider Tariffs on Mexico and Canada; Russia Attacks Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure; Australia Passes Social Media Ban for Under-16s; SAS Announces Direct Route Between Copenhagen and South Korea; New App Allows Fans to Follow Players and Learn More, Antiaging Pioneer Pushing the Limits of Human Longevity. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired November 28, 2024 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:08]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": No trading on Wall Street. New York is celebrating a soggy Thanksgiving, as you can
see, the parade, but it's still went ahead, and the cheer was all good.
So that's our closing bell for tonight, the main event of the day that we're talking about. President Biden hits back at Donald Trump's plans for
a tariff bonanza.
A million homes are left in the dark as Russia strikes at Ukraine's power grid.
And Australia has now passed a ban on social media for under 16 despite complaints, or maybe in spite of complaints from Elon Musk.
You're live from New York tonight on Thursday, November the 28th. I am Richard Quest and I mean business.
Good evening.
We begin tonight with President Biden, who has finally broken his silence on Donald Trump's threat of massive tariffs on January 20th. The current US
president was in Massachusetts greeting first responders as part of Thanksgiving. He called on the new president-elect to reconsider the
tariffs that he says he'll slap on Mexico and Canada.
Mr. Biden said his successor could hurt US relationships if he isn't careful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope he rethinks it. I think it's a counterproductive thing to do. You know, look, one of the things
you've heard me say before that we have an unusual situation in there. We're surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies,
Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Everyone from central bankers to heads of state are trying to get ahead of the trade Trump proposals, or the Trump trade proposals, Mexico's
president spoke with the president-elect about the issues that provoked his threat. The big one is immigration, and President Sheinbaum says she laid
out a plan to attend to migrants before they reached the border.
Donald Trump claimed she flat out agreed to stop migration through Mexico. She denied anything like that.
And at the same time, the ECB President Christine Lagarde has addressed the threat of tariffs, saying she's warned that a trade war wouldn't be good
for anyone. We'll talk more about what Christine Lagarde said in just a moment.
Steve Contorno is in West Palm Beach in Florida.
I want to talk about what President Biden said. He said, look, oceans on both sides, allies north and south. The last thing we want to do is screw
up those relationships. But Donald Trump doesn't seem to think either, he doesn't care or he doesn't think that will happen.
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Exactly. Look, it's clear that Donald Trump views tariffs as a negotiating tool, and he is wielding them like a cudgel
more or less, to try to get both Mexico and Canada to side with him on a totally unrelated issue to trade, which is immigration and he has said that
he will have a 25 percent tariff on goods coming through Mexico and Canada, until both countries do more to stem the flow of migrants and drugs across
the American borders.
Now, already, it is unclear what that will look like, because Trump is claiming victory in this early trade war with Mexico, based on a
conversation he had with the Mexican president, that she sees a totally different side to. He says that she has said what would effectively close
the border, she is saying that she's not even capable of that.
And what's really interesting to watch is how this relationship between these two countries especially developed because a lot of Donald Trump's
immigration policies are, in part, dependent on Mexico either playing along or, in some cases, turning a blind eye to what Trump wants to do.
He wants to build a border wall, parts of which may actually be on the Mexico side of the US-Mexico border. He also wants to put in place a
"remain-in-Mexico" policy that requires migrants to stay south of the border before -- while they are processed, instead of on the US side of the
border and that requires some allowances from Mexico as well, and he needs Mexico to do its part to prevent country -- people coming from South
America and Central America to cross through Mexico into United States.
So even as Trump is threatening a very or is putting forward a very threatening posture with Mexico, at the same time, he really doesn't need
Mexico's president to play along with him, and it will be interesting to see this sort of cat and mouse game that they have started here and where
it goes from here.
QUEST: Steve, thank you.
[16:05:10]
The ECB president is suggesting that Europe could buy more US products to ease Donald Trump's concern. Christine Lagarde gave "The Financial Times"
her first interview since the US election, and she warned against the tit- for-tat strategy when it comes to trade.
Hanna Ziady is from CNN Business and is in London.
Now, Christine Lagarde was the first one many, many months ago, last year or whatever, who basically said Europe needs to get its act together ahead
of a Trump administration in terms of being more prepared. Now, what is she saying on trade?
HANNA ZIADY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Well, as you said, Richard, it might surprise people, she is basically saying, buy more American goods. She is
urging negotiation rather than retaliation, and I think we might have a quote from her up there, but this is what she said. She referred to this as
a checkbook strategy, essentially saying, I quote: "We could offer to buy certain things from the United States and signal that we are prepared to
sit at the table and see how we can work together. I think this is a better strategy than a pure retaliation strategy, which can lead to a tit-for-tat
process where no one is really a winner."
Some of the goods she suggested Europe could buy from the United States include LNG, natural gas, which, of course, it needs for its energy needs,
and also defense goods. But it is a slight change in tune, basically saying, look, let's get around the table with Donald Trump, because he's
using these -- he could be using the threat of tariffs as a negotiating tactic.
QUEST: Yes, but what she -- as I understand what President Lagarde is saying, and you know, she is being canny here. She's basically saying,
let's buy him off. Let's buy him off. We know the nature of the man. We know what he wants. Let's buy him off with a bit of this, that and the
other.
ZIADY: Right, a checkbook strategy. And that is -- it is surprising, because the EU is the kind of beacon of this multilateral liberal,
international trading order at which sits, you know, the World Trade Organization, Donald Trump's approach is very much a winner take all
bilateral negotiation, I want to get what I want to get, and Lagarde does seem to be suggesting that, you know, maybe Europe should adopt more of
that approach, because she doesn't want this retaliation, which is what we saw in Donald Trump's first term in office.
So you know, Trump, of course, put tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU. The EU retaliated with tariffs on Levi's jeans, Harley
Davidson, American whiskey. And also it forced the EU's hand in that it then had to put tariffs on other goods, not even from the United States, to
prevent this kind of flood of cheap imports, you know, being redirected to Europe. So I think she's trying to avoid a trade war here -- Richard.
QUEST: Well, yes, she is. But I was in Portugal last week. Oh no, sorry, I beg your pardon, earlier this week, and we were discussing this. And the
reality is, Europe is weak at the moment. You've got political crisis in Germany. You've got President Macron, who is enfeebled. You've got German
companies that will suffer if there are tariffs.
So this is not a strong position for Europe to start staring down and embolden the US, and anyway, there are many people in Europe who are
saying, well, maybe Trump's right, and actually we do need to get our act together.
ZIADY: It's a crucial point. This is terrible timing for Europe. As you point out, the European Union's two biggest economies, Germany and France
in disarray. Germany facing a snap election last year after the coalition government collapsed earlier this month, that economy also expected to
contract again this year, the second year in a row, and then France kind of having this looming budget crisis, the potential no confidence vote in the
current government and French government debt trading at levels almost close to Greek government debt earlier this week, so financial markets
quite unsettled on France. So it's not good timing for Europe.
And as you point out, a lot of people worry that Europe is really falling behind the United States and China in these areas of innovation, of, you
know, technology, and even in some of the industries that it has historically led in like car making, automaking, Germany's automakers
looking very weak indeed.
So Europe is not in a strong position, and I think that's why we are hearing these sorts of overtures coming from Lagarde -- Richard.
QUEST: Grateful for you tonight. Thank you very much for joining us from London.
ZIADY: Thank you.
QUEST: Russian President Vladimir Putin is praising Donald Trump. He calls the president-elect an intelligent and experienced politician. It follows
Russia launching massive air targeting energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, more than a million households left without power.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow.
[16:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In the early morning hours, Russia launching yet more massive aerial strikes
against Ukraine. The sheer size of the attack, more than 90 missiles and about a hundred drones laid out clearly by the Russian president himself.
(VLADIMIR PUTIN speaking in foreign language.)
PLEITGEN (voice over): "On our part, these strikes took place in response to the continuous strikes on Russian territory by American ATACMS
missiles," Putin said. "As I have said many times, there will always be a response from our side."
The Russians irate as the Ukrainians continue to use US-supplied ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia, after
getting the go-ahead, from the Biden administration.
top Russian politicians now accusing the US president of playing with fire. How big do you see the danger of escalation right now?
KONSTANTIN KOSACHEV, DEPUTY SPEAKER, RUSSIAN FEDERATION COUNCIL: I believe we are right now in the most dangerous stage for the simple reason, we have
a lame duck in the United States of America, with all my respect to Mr. Biden.
PLEITGEN (voice over): And the Kremlin threatening further use of their massive experimental multiple warhead ballistic missile, Oreshnik, which
they fired on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro last week.
(VLADIMIR PUTIN speaking in foreign language.)
PLEITGEN (voice over): "Everything that is in the epicenter of the explosion will be decimated," Putin said, 'Turned into elementary
particles, essentially into dust. The missile hits even well-protected objects located at great depth."
This, as Moscow is trying to maintain support at home for what it still calls its special military operation in Ukraine. The Defense Ministry
publishing the slickly produced video urging Russians to join the army.
(CLIP FROM RUSSIAN ADVERTISEMENT PLAYS)
PLEITGEN (voice over): "We are with our warriors until victory. This is our land," the narration says.
The Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin is willing to talk to US President- elect Donald Trump both about ending the Ukraine war and improving US- Russia relations, but they want Washington to make the first move, the spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry tells me.
MARIA ZAKHAROVA, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: We are open to normal relationship which are based on mutual respect and international
law. If the country, I don't know, United States or other countries, would like on this base, on this base to improve, to promote, to develop, to
reconstruct, rebuild relationship with us, we can do this.
PLEITGEN (voice over): Scores of Ukrainians spent Thursday morning sheltering from Moscow's latest missile blitz, and despite Kyiv saying they
were able to shoot down many drones and rockets, more than a million people had to deal with blackouts after the raids.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: As you and I continue tonight, a world first in Australia banning under 16-year-olds from using social media. But how in reality, is this
going to work?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:15:38]
QUEST: Australia's Parliament has passed a world first, a law banning social media for children under 16. The Senate has approved it, with
support from most members of the opposition. The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the legislation aims to safeguard children from the dangers
of social media.
This is the world's toughest response to a problem that's seen other countries impose restrictions, but not actually are the companies
accountable for breaches.
Now, under the Australian law, tech firms must take reasonable steps to prevent under 16-year-olds from accessing social media services. There's a
potential fine of up to $32 million if they don't. The law comes into force in 12 months.
Clare Fernyhough is a psychologist and co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood. She joins me from Hampshire in England.
This is a fascinating law, because everybody can agree with the aim, goal, and desire, but at the same time think it's a load of nonsense, the way
they've actually gone about it, because bans per se don't work. Where do you stand?
CLARE FERNYHOUGH, PSYCHOLOGIST AND CO-FOUNDER, SMARTPHONE FREE CHILDHOOD: Yes, I mean, you know, the word "ban" we tend to try to not use because
it's so divisive, as we know, but I think this is a really brave, bold step from Albanese. I think it's incredible leadership, you know, and he's an
absolute pioneer.
We don't know exactly how it is going to work, because we haven't heard full details yet, and there will undoubtedly be a big fight with tech
companies. There will be a lot of teething problems. It's not going to be easy.
I think what's really important is he's put a line in the sand here, and he sent a very strong signal to these companies that, actually, you know, our
children are not the product. They're not something that can be manipulated. And they, you know, he's done it to support parents as well.
You know, he says parents are worried sick, not just in Australia, parents everywhere are worried sick. So, you know, I think it's incredibly a bold
move. And yes, we definitely welcome it.
QUEST: Okay. Now let's assume, just for the purposes of this discussion, that it is workable and he can make it work. Let's not debate that for a
second. But is it wise? Are we not better off teaching them how to use them responsibly? Say, I mean, 16 is quite an old -- a mature age. To have a ban
on social media from 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, wouldn't it be better off teaching them how to do it properly?
FERNYHOUGH: So I think that's the approach that we're using at the moment. You know, that's what schools try and do, that's what parents try to do.
And the situation that we're in now is that that has not worked. And the reason it hasn't worked is because these platforms are designed to be
incredibly addictive.
So I feel like that premise is actually kind of misunderstanding brain development. Children, who are, you know, 13, 14, 15, they do not have
fully developed frontal cortexes. You know, their brains don't fully develop until they are in their mid-20s.
The center research that we've got is saying here's this incredibly addictive product which has been designed by the brightest brains of
Silicon Valley. Here, have a go and use it and regulate yourself. We know that children can't do that. And you know, our belief is that as a
civilized society, we protect children from harm. We don't say to them, well, why don't you drink alcohol at 12 just to see if you can get used to
it? Why don't you start smoking when you're a child? You know we don't do that, it would be awful, and you know we now know that actually it is
harmful, so it's not suitable for children.
QUEST: But Clare, you'd agree, and I think it is not a million miles apart in our in our discussion here, but you'd agree that teaching a child how to
have a little sip of wine at dinner is sort of when they're growing up, at an appropriate age is a good thing, because they get used to the idea, et
cetera et cetera, within the family context.
I'm just wondering, are we better off legislating against the companies on these algorithms, because I do remember I just read the book how to break
up with your phone, and it is illuminating, eye wateringly so just how these phones have algorithmic addiction built in. Should we be focusing
there instead?
FERNYHOUGH: I think that would be a wonderful thing to do, but it's very hard to do. You know, if we think about what's happening in the UK with the
Online Safety Act, they're not -- that's not tackling algorithms at all, it is tackling the content.
[16:20:12]
You know, absolutely, tech companies need to be much more ethical with the way they design their algorithms for adults as well as children, because we
are all pondering our attention. You know, most of us find it very hard to concentrate anymore because we're so used to checking, checking, checking.
So, yes, I think there's a real question around the ethics of a predatory algorithm.
But, you know, in the absence of that happening anytime soon, because that does require time and I can see why, actually a ban is, it's pretty good
option.
QUEST: You know, I refuse to have a discussion with my husband about looking at screen time on the phone, because I just dread to see what the
result will be and which one of us is probably on our phones the longest.
Do you have any idea how much screen time you've got per day?
FERNYHOUGH: My screen time tells me that it's between two and a half and three hours a day, which is way too much for me. But I like to think that
that's that includes maps when I'm driving, but yes, you know, we all do, we are all victim to it. I find it to read now. I don't really focus on my
work, you know, because I've got this thing that is incredibly addictive. We're all in this. I think we all as a society, need to take a step back
and go, hang on, do we want this or do we want to be able to actually live in the real world and focus? And that means having an algorithm that is not
quite so addictive.
QUEST: I'm grateful to you, Clare, thank you. I'm not even going to compare my screen time, and I'm not even going to look, it is too embarrassing for
both of us. Thank you. Good to see you now.
The chief executive of Zenith Bank says Nigeria has done an amazing job to attract foreign investors. It follows the bank marking a major milestone in
Paris this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We declare Zenith Bank Paris open.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The and with that, one of Africa's largest lenders now has its first outpost in the European Union. It already has a branch, obviously, a big
office in London.
Melissa Bell asked Zenith Bank's CEO, why now coming to Europe and the EU?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UMECJI, GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CEO, ZENITH BANK: We saw the need for our customers quest to actually have a representation outside
Nigeria, as their businesses are expanding. And for us at Zenith Bank, we don't want to just be a local bank, we want to be a global brand. So we
felt, oh, there's a need for us to actually move into Europe as a hub where most people from Africa, most African business people, as well as European
business people, to be able to foster trade relationship for both of them and to be able to harness their opportunities for skill.
For us in Zenith, it is very strategic, because we feel Paris, especially is a major economic hub. They have a strong economy, and we know they play
a pivotal role to the EU countries as well as Africa Francophone countries.
So we felt coming here, we help to improve business relationship between the two countries, as well as business relationship between customers and
individuals, as well as most of our diaspora Nigerians that live here, they need that opportunity to be able to have a bank that understands them, that
will promote their business and help them grow.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But your clients then will not just be African diaspora, it will also be European clients.
UMECJI: Those that want to go into Africa, they will start with us. We give them advisory services, support their businesses, and they see it as a
starting point to be able to go into those countries while we serve them too and give them unique products and services that we have that will
interest them to even do more.
So the business is not just for Nigerian businesses or diaspora, it's for European business counterparts that want to actually taste the kind of
service we have, because we are known for quality service and exceptional customer retention.
BELL: From the French economy to the Nigerian, there is facing a number of difficulties right now, the withdrawal of fuel subsidies, inflation. What
would the government need to do to create the kind of business environment for your bank, for instance, to be able to thrive?
UMECJI: If you do business in Nigeria, amongst the emerging economies, Nigeria has one of the highest return on investment and is a hub for
foreign investors. Most people that invest in Nigeria, they actually get high returns for their investment.
So for us, Nigerian government, they've created the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. They try to see how they can at least reduce
taxes to make ease of doing business better for Nigeria, for investors that come into Nigeria and make it easier as well for them to be able to take
their funds out.
If you look at what Central Bank is doing, they're doing an amazing job. They actually make it easy for investors to come in and bring in their
funds.
[16:25:09]
And take it back out after and whenever they desire to. So CBN has put a lot of process in place. They've harmonized the exchange rates. They have -
- we have just one single window now for exchange rates, and then they're bringing a lot of incentives that will attract investors to invest in
Nigeria. And Nigerian government is doing a lot in that regard, too.
So I feel we are working on it. We are very conscious the economy is growing, and Nigeria is a hub for investors.
BELL: Now, everyone is looking ahead to President-elect Donald Trump's presidency, the likely tariffs that he will bring. Is there concern on the
African continent about what that might mean?
UMECJI: For African continent, you know, one thing African continent is known for is their resilience. So the tax he is bringing in, all those
incentives he's bringing in for us, it will create an opportunity for us, because we have a lot of products that we can actually export.
The American government does not have everything. They need other countries to actually survive. So it is going to improve ties, because things we are
bringing into the country, of course, even if it has high taxes, it is good for them, but they will still give us return, as they are taking those in
export from us as well.
So for Donald Trump, he is a great leader, and we are very confident that he will do well, because every American president has always focused on
improving the lives and wellbeing of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The CEO of Zenith Bank.
Scandinavian Airlines know a thing or two about flying over the polar region. They were the first to do so 70 years ago. The SAS CEO Anko van der
Werff is with me to talk about that flight and the future of SAS in Sky Team and Air France-KLM in just a moment.
QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Hello, I am Richard Quest. A lot more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'll be talking to the chief executive of SAS, as the celebrate 70 years of flying
over the pole, and Magnus Carlsen wants to turns chess into the next big spectator sport. The man running his new app, in a moment. Before that,
this is CNN and here on this network, the news always comes first.
[16:30:23]
Israel and Hezbollah are trading accusations of ceasefire violations. But the uneasy truce between them in Lebanon appears to be largely holding.
It's day two of the ceasefire and thousands of displaced Lebanese are heading back home to the south of the country. That's despite warnings from
Lebanon's army and the Israeli military that it's not safe to return home yet.
President Vladimir Putin is praising U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. He's called him an intelligent and experienced leader. Mr. Putin was
speaking in Kazakhstan, where he criticized President Biden for what he's calling creating additional difficulties by approving Ukraine's use of
longer range American missiles inside Russia.
The Polish tennis star and five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek has been suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. The International
Tennis Aimed to Integrity Agency says a non-prescription medication she used for jet lag was contaminated, and that the violation was not
intentional. She has eight days remaining on her one-month suspension.
A Thanksgiving holiday favorite took place only a few hours ago here in New York. Thousands of people were on the streets of the city in the rain,
watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The actual parade started a century ago. This year Superman, Minnie Mouse, and all the others were
there. Dozens of giant characters and balloons. There were 11 marching bands and 700 clowns. And there's a minion for you, and I'll take a minion
any day.
Delta Airlines is investigating how a stowaway managed to fly from JFK in New York to Paris without a boarding pass on one of the busiest travel days
of the year. The passenger apparently evaded multiple airport security checks on Tuesday evening. And according to one fellow passenger they hid
in a toilet on the plane. Delta has declined to provide details on how the person evaded security.
Scandinavian airline SAS has announced the first ever direct route between Copenhagen and South Korea. Now the interesting thing about that, of
course, is the way they're going to fly there, because SAS has a history of bringing new routes to the world of aviation. This month it's the 70th
anniversary of its polar route between Los Angeles and Copenhagen, and to Europe.
This is an ad from the "TIME." The plane flying over the North Pole area. It made SAS the first airline to travel over the polar regions. It was a
difficult task at the time. First of all, the older aircraft had to deal with a few issues. The most obvious was extreme weather. There's not many
places to land. The poles also cause navigation issues with the equipment that they used back then. The magnetic compasses go back to front as you go
over the poles.
Anko van der Werff is the chief executive of SAS and is with me now.
It was no easy feat, were they? Was it? They had to have special outfits, special food. They had to be prepared in case they landed on the ice.
ANKO VAN DER WERFF, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SAS GROUP: Yes. You have to give it to these people, right? Complete innovation and the bravery of these people
that flew over the North Pole for the first time. We take it for granted nowadays. But seriously well done and hats off to them, right? This was a
remarkable feat in the 1950s, 1954.
QUEST: And the other interesting thing, of course, is the aeronautical challenges of flying. I mean, you don't -- airlines even today don't
willingly fly actually over the pole unless they have to for routing reasons because of the effect it has on them, on the magnets and the
compasses and all sorts of the navigational equipment.
VAN DER WERFF: Yes. And there was -- that's the beauty, right? The meticulous planning that went into this. Once again, you're talking about
early 1950s, and people were capable of doing this. We have a lovely museum in Oslo, and in that museum you have all those things that you just
mentioned, right? We had to develop new watches. We had to develop new compasses. It's a sleeping bag for four people because, God forbid, if
there was an incident or something that you had to go down, the warmest thing that you would find was, of course, another human body next to you.
So there were sleeping bags for four people in them. We had harpoons. We even taught the crew back then some words in Greenland, right. So they
could speak with the Greenlanders.
QUEST: Right.
[16:35:06]
VAN DER WERFF: It truly was a unique experience, I think, and not only just for SAS but it opened up I think really that golden era of travel, right? I
mean the world became much closer by flying over the North Pole.
QUEST: Sure. Now let's talk about today. So on that early flight, there were the three prime ministers of the three countries and the various
people who owned it. Today you have another three countries. You've got the various seismic companies, well, you've got more than three. You've got Air
France-KLM, you're quasi owned by the group. And they still haven't taken full control. And you still don't know whether they do intend to take full
control of the new emboldened SAS.
VAN DER WERFF: Yes, that's correct. And this of course a decision that really lies with the Air France-KLM Group, right? So they've been quite
specific about it. They would have that option at some point. And I think also from my perspective, from where I sit certainly, 25 years in the
industry, I think it's the most logical path and I think it's also something that I'm really trying to work towards to. right?
European consolidation, you and I have spoken about that before. It's still in its infancy in many ways. Right? So we would had a wave but it's
definitely time for a second one. And so I think it is the most logical path. It is something that I'm really working hard to achieve. It should
happen.
QUEST: And how are you finding, you know, you've been -- you were a founder member of Star. Now you are in SkyTeam. I mean, it's all changed. How are
you finding it? How are you finding it?
VAN DER WERFF: We -- yes, I know. We're really having a good time. I have to say. Look, again, first of all, very respectful to of course Star
Alliance, we founded it. We've been a member for 27 years. Good professional and personal relationships. It's clear why we made this
change. It's very clear I think that it's also working very well for us.
In that new SkyTeam environment with the partners that we now have, Air France, KLM, Virgin, Aeromexico, Delta, and soon, of course, also people in
Asia, right, so the launch of the Incheon flight, the Seoul flight today has to be seen in that light. It's really working well for us, and I think
it's primarily seen in already the response from our EuroBonus members, our frequent flier program. We have already more people burning, now earning
and burning miles with these airlines.
QUEST: Yes. You've just reminded me, I'd forgotten about this. The million- mile challenge that you offered. Well done. You walked right into that one. And look, you offered a million miles. I can't remember the exact terms of
it, but you offered a million miles if you could fly all the SkyTeam members in a particular time or something like that. And then you withdrew
it.
VAN DER WERFF: Yes.
QUEST: Yes. And then you withdrew it. Why?
VAN DER WERFF: No, no, it's not. No, it's not withdrawn. No, no, no, no. So it's completely live. This is one of those things to make sure people get
acquainted of course with SkyTeam. Once again, 27 years with the Star Alliance, they knew exactly who our partners were. And they had their
connection points in the world. So for us to make sure that people know who our new friends are, who our new partners, we launched indeed "Who Wants to
be a EuroBonus Millionaire?"
But it's still live and people are actively trying to make sure that they get on the SkyTeam network and of course on the SAS network as a part of
it.
QUEST: So just to be clear, if I decided to, which I'm probably not going to but if I decided to do it, I can still do it?
VAN DER WERFF: You can still do it. It runs until the end of this year.
QUEST: I'm trying to fly all the SkyTeam members. All right. Thank you. Even I, with the amount of travel I do, it's too much.
VAN DER WERFF: You're more than welcome. And for some, it's really become a puzzle. It's quite interesting. We have these diamond events, right,
diamond and gold events here in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. We just had them over the last few weeks. It's typically 300 people per city that
attend. And there's actually really some people that try to go for it. But it's I think really for us an important way of showing who our new partners
are. And that's the beauty of it. Right? People try to puzzle all of that routing together, and it's working for them.
QUEST: Good to see you. You're teasing me to have a go at this, but I haven't got time before the end of the year today.
VAN DER WERFF: Try, Richard.
QUEST: Thank you.
VAN DER WERFF: Give it a go.
QUEST: Good to see you, Anko. Happy Thanksgiving and a good holiday season.
VAN DER WERFF: Thank you.
QUEST: Good to see you.
You and I continue tonight on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. A new kid on the chess block. The 18-year-old shaking up the game and the app that's looking to do
the same.
QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:42:08]
QUEST: Across the globe, more schools are including lesson plans that help their students engage with the natural world around them. So today on "Call
to Earth," we're going to visit a school in Hawaii with a hands-on, nature- first approach. It aims to inspire the next generation of those leaders who are environmentally conscious.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUAN GOMEZ, SSH TARO FARMS: We're very slowly, very gently. Remember walk carefully because there's snail shells in here.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: This group of schoolchildren on the island of Kauai are helping a local farmer rid his fields of an invasive and highly
destructive pest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm trying to find apple snails and get them out of the taro.
ASHER: Taro is a root vegetable that's considered a sacred plant in Hawaiian culture and is also a staple in the island's cuisine.
GOMEZ: Tell us what you're doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Collecting these.
GOMEZ: What are those?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snail eggs.
ASHER: By helping remove the eggs from the taro, these kids are not only helping protect their own food source, but they're also learning valuable
life lessons.
GOMEZ: I think it's important for the kids because it does teach them about the Hawaiian culture, where it all came from. That's why we say it's our
responsibility to take care of the taro, and it helps them with just the basic understanding of biodiversity.
ASHER: Nature-based activities like this are at the core of a curriculum that is the brainchild of educator Christina Zimmerman.
CHRISTINA ZIMMERMAN, FOUNDER, EARTH SCHOOL, HAWAII: At Earth School, Hawaii, our mission is to create children who will be game changers in our
world through environmental education, through small group education. You know, we live at a really unique place, being on a small island in the
middle of the Pacific Ocean. So we really try to cater to the individual child here and the individual needs of our island.
ASHER: Based on the north shore of Kauai. Earth School, Hawaii has programs for kindergarten through eighth grade.
ZIMMERMAN: So our goal is taking our entire school day and focusing in on environmental education and teaching the language arts and the maths and
the science and all the common cause through environmental concepts.
ASHER: By partnering with local organizations, the school is able to provide a true hands-on approach to learning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing crab traps. That's the chicken.
ZIMMERMAN: We work with a lot of other nonprofits on the island who are also doing amazing things here and we try to get the kids involved and out
and doing as much as possible.
J. KAPULE TORIO, EDUCATOR AND STEWARD, HAWAII LAND TRUST: We've never done this, so.
GOMEZ: OK. If you let some of your rope out like this and you just grab your trap like this and you can kind of toss it gently like that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK?
TORIO: The crab traps is a way to give them some tools with tying knots and understanding the life and biology of decomposers inside of the stream.
Male or female.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Male.
TORIO: Male. So can we take these ones or no? These are the ones we can eat?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
[16:45:00]
TORIO: Yes. Then the lesson shifts to resource management and the species of crab that you're catching and size limits and then you know which ones
are legal to take.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So is that one big enough?
TORIO: I think it's a little shy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit shy.
ASHER: One of the biggest issues in Kauai is the water quality with high bacteria levels a cause for concern, according to the surf rider foundation
Blue Water Task Force.
ZIMMERMAN: We do a lot of work with Surfrider Kauai and our goal behind that is beach cleanups, but also the water studies, which is huge. We don't
have great results a lot in our rivers around here, so it's really important for the kids to learn what causes that to be off. What can we do
to help remedy that? And so they chart it, they do all their math studies through it, but also talk about solutions to that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. You think this is cool, huh?
ZIMMERMAN: They are so far ahead of where we were 20, 30, 40 years ago. And they're 5 and 6 and 7. They're just starting. And so in my mind it's like
what is it going to be like in 10 years or 20 years with these kids leading us? And that's the focus. We have to take these kids, get them educated at
a very, very young age. And I can only imagine what that looks like for our island or our world. But I feel like this has to be the focus. It has to.
This is our future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: And you can let us know what you're doing to answer this very call. Please use the hashtag "Call to Earth."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Now, we normally talk about board rooms. Tonight board games, and in one particular one, chess. The sport has a rising star in the form of 18-
year-old Indian prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju. He scored his first win over the reigning champion Ding Liren at the world championships in Singapore.
Brings the score between the two level leveled. They'll face off around four in the coming hours.
Now chess itself is biggest star is looking to capitalize on that buzz with a new app aimed at bringing the game to more fans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGNUS CARLSEN, CHESS GRANDMASTER: It's not just a game. It's a sport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The grandmaster Magnus Carlsen there leading the charge for the new app. It's called "Take Take Take." The app lets you learn more about the
sport, follow the players, compete against other fans in mini games.
[16:50:05]
Now the CEO of "Take Take Take" Mats Andre Kristiansen is with me from Oslo.
And I am surprised that this hasn't sort of been done before. I mean, spectator sport has chess when they have the big matches, there are many
spectators there watching not only in the room on camera, but in side rooms watching to see the various moves.
MATS ANDRE KRISTIANSEN, CEO, TAKE TAKE TAKE: Yes, I mean, everything is relative, like chess has 600 million players globally and there's not that
many following the biggest games as spectators. So I think there's still room for improvements there. And there's a high interest in the game to
play but what we're trying to do is get more fans to tune into the matches and follow the games live.
QUEST: This idea is it's not a game, it's not a match. It's a sport. And you're pumping that pretty hard. Why?
KRISTIANSEN: Well, chess is a fantastic game, but when you take it to the highest levels of Magnus Carlsen and Gukesh and Ding, it truly is a sport.
It happens inside the minds of two very highly intelligent people but you need to be physical, in your best shape. You need to be a true sportsman to
compete at the highest level. And we think then that the sport and the game deserves to be elevated to the level of other sports.
QUEST: Is it sexy?
KRISTIANSEN: Well, I hope we can make chess even more sexy, sexy than it feels. And I think Magnus Carlsen is the first true superstar among the
chess players and --
QUEST: Yes. You see --
KRISTIANSEN: Yes, it can be sexy. Definitely.
QUEST: Yes, I suppose so, you want to get this into this, into more of a mainstream mentality rather than the geeks who played it at school who were
part of the chess club. They weren't necessarily the cool kids. But now, of course, if you can get the app and you can get the app to be more widely
used, then you can give a coolness about it, can't you?
KRISTIANSEN: Yes, I think so. And an app is of course, that's the platform where you want to check results, follow the games live. But I think chess
is yet to be commercialized and taken into the mainstream, where you could fill a stadium of fans following the match between the top grandmasters in
the world. I just came back from Singapore and Gukesh and Ding, they're fighting in a 14-game battle in a basement.
And that could easily be taken up a few notches and be presented in a way that allows more spectators to follow the games.
QUEST: Right.
KRISTIANSEN: And, yes.
QUEST: Now, but, when I think of the number of games online and the millions of people watching them and video games, people, you know,
millions of people watching two other people play a video game. Now, admittedly, you haven't got cars running around tracks but the potential
for getting this is quite good.
What do you think it's going to take to unlock the potential, to get people to try this app? Because that's really what you've got to do. You've got to
get people to try it out and then discover the beauty of what they've learned.
KRISTIANSEN: Yes, I think what's exciting about chess and comparing that to other sports is that there's so many people playing chess and knowing the
rules of chess, and if you compare that to Formula One or tennis or golf or other sports, there aren't that many people driving a Formula One car, but
they love seeing it. And I think that what's unique about chess is that there's so many people already playing the game, they want to get better at
the game, and that really is the perfect start for making that sport into a sort of a spectator sport.
QUEST: Yes. Excellent. Thank you for joining us, sir, tonight. I'll take a look. Thank you I appreciate it.
KRISTIANSEN: Thank you.
QUEST: The 18-year-old prodigy on chess to a man who's doing everything he can to feel 18 again. It's the tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson. He's become
the face of the biohacking movement and his mission to push the limits of human longevity.
Anna Stewart spoke to him about his work and the day-to-day routine that'll help him get there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYAN JOHNSON, TECH ENTREPRENEUR: It's like complete my entire morning routine by around 8:00 a.m., but by that point I've eaten my first meal of
the day. I've exercised for an hour a day. I've done red light therapy. I've done meditation. I have injected myself with a few things. I've taken
40 different pills. So it's just this sequence of steps.
And so if you look at my day entirely I maybe do 100 different things in any given day, but now I'm just unaware of them because it's all just
routine and habit.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So it's now pretty simple for you to go about this slightly extraordinary day. Some people would say it's not just
highly regimented, it's restrictive.
[16:55:01]
And I think one of the criticisms you get the most, at least I've seen online, is people saying, what is the point of living longer if you're not
really living?
JOHNSON: Yes.
STEWART: How do you address that one?
JOHNSON: It's such a funny thing that I am on the stand being prosecuted for being healthy.
STEWART: Yes.
JOHNSON: Right, like basically I'm sleeping well, I'm eating well, and I'm exercising.
STEWART: People want you to have a hamburger.
JOHNSON: They do, and they get so mad when I don't. So they're like, they use words like he's not living. So like the fact that I'm prioritizing
health, they then say he's not living life and so it's such a wild situation.
Now I've never in my life, I've never known someone who says, I'm so upset because I feel so great.
STEWART: Do you feel great?
JOHNSON: I feel great.
STEWART: So you feel like you are living to your best?
JOHNSON: My very, very best. I've never been happier. I've never been more fulfilled. I've never felt more stable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: You have to a million. It's all those years. You can see more of that interview this weekend on "DECODED." It's on Saturday at 6:30 in the
morning London Time, and of course, lots of other slots across the weekend on CNN.
We'll have a "Profitable Moment" on this Thanksgiving.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Tonight's "Profitable Moment," so many things I could talk to you about, but really it's what are you thankful for? Well, because I'm in New
York. So let's talk about Thanksgiving. It's always tempting when you're talking about Thanksgiving to talk about the big things. I'm thankful for
democracy. I'm thankful for freedom. I'm thankful for peace. I'm thankful for -- and so on and so on and so forth.
It's a bit like doing gratitude list. I'm grateful for this and I'm grateful for excellent. But the reality is what I'm really thankful for is
the small things in life. I'm grateful and thankful that I had a clean pair of socks, that the kettle worked this morning, and that the milk hadn't
gone off in the fridge because when we become thankful for the very little things, that there was hot water in the tap, that I didn't manage to slip
down the stairs because of ice or whatever, then I think you can become thankful for the bigger things because you learn to be appreciative.
You learn to be accepting, and you learn to realize what's valuable. Like, for example, a clean pair of socks. So today, what am I thankful for? I'm
thankful for the producer of this program, Tom Foster, who's been with me for the last 15 years, and tomorrow is his last day here at CNN. I'm
thankful for all the programs that we've made.
And I'm thankful for the man who's holding the bell in about 10 seconds' time. It's my husband, so whatever else I'm thankful for, I'm thankful that
he is still around because that's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for tonight. I'm Richard Quest in New York. Whatever you're thankful in the hours ahead,
thank you, I hope it's profitable.
END
