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Quest Means Business
Israel Preparing To Receive Body Said To Be Shiri Bibas; Howard Lutnick To Be Sworn In As U.S. Commerce Secretary; Trump Has Threatened A 25 Percent Tariff On Imported Cars; Mangione Appears In Court; Canada Beats USA 3-2 To Win NHL Exhibition Tournament; Luigi Mangione Facing Murder And Terror Charges. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired February 21, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:10]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: The Dow sliding nearly two percent. The NASDAQ over two percent as consumer sentiment in the United States
stumbles and many more are worried about upcoming tariffs. In fact. U.S. markets are on track for their worst day of the year.
Those are the markets, and these are the main events.
Israeli authorities say they are preparing to receive the remains of a body said to be that of hostage, Shiri Bibas.
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing the CEO of United HealthCare appears in a New York courtroom.
And Canada beats Team USA in a politically charged hockey game. We will speak with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Live from New York, it is Friday,
February 21st. I'm Paula Newton, in for Richard Quest and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
And a very good evening to everyone. We are following breaking news. Israeli authorities say they are preparing to receive the remains of a body
said to be that of hostage, Shiri Bibas.
Now, Bibas was supposed to be returned along with the bodies of her two young sons and an elderly Israeli hostage, Thursday, but Israel said it
instead received the remains of an unknown woman.
Israel has also accused Hamas of murdering the young boys, a claim the group has vehemently denied. Hamas has long said she and her sons were
killed in an Israeli airstrike back in 2023.
Nic Robertson has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Israel's heartbreak overflowed Friday, news the Bibas boys, four-year-old, Ariel and
nine-month-old, Kfir, whose tiny bodies were returned Thursday, were, according to Israeli officials, murdered by Hamas, who had said they were
killed in an Israeli airstrike.
REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL'S CHIEF MILITARY SPOKESPERSON: Contrary to Hamas' lies, Ariel and Kfir were not killed in an airstrike. Ariel and Kfir
Bibas were murdered by terrorists in cold blood.
ROBERTSON (voice over): The Bibas family, in a rare statement pushing back against revenge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): For Ariel and Kfir's sake, and for Yarden's sake, we are not seeking revenge right now. Save the lives of
the living hostages and return all the fallen for burial.
ROBERTSON (voice over): The IDF say a previously agreed hostage release Saturday will go ahead as planned. Hamas acknowledged and named the
hostages as 27-year-old Eliyah Cohen, 40-year-old Tal Shoham, 22-year-old Omer Shem-Tov, and 23-year-old Omer Wenkert, all abducted 7th October 2023,
plus two others captured around a decade ago, 39-year-old Avera Mengistu; and 36-year-old Hisham al-Sayed.
In keeping with other hostage exchange releases, the IDF said it would release 602 Palestinians, Saturday, 157 prisoners in Israeli jail and 45
Gazan men detained since October 7th.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: We want more on this story now, and Aaron David Miller joins us.
It has been nearly 24 hours since, you know, you and I discussed the fact that there was this just terrible, inhumane mistake with this body
transfer. If indeed the IDF does receive this body and it is confirmed that it is Shiri, will this do anything to heal the deep anger and outrage in
Israel right now, especially given the fact that the IDF continues to say that they know that Hamas murdered those little boys.
AARON DAVID MILLER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I think the answer is no, that the shadow of October 7th looms large and it will continue to loom
large for weeks, months and probably years to come.
I mean, the Israelis are faced with a very cruel, cruel dilemma: Redeem the living or avenge the dead? And the reality is, I am not sure, given the
fact that we are at the end of phase one. The exchange tomorrow of six living hostages will complete phase one in return for an asymmetrical
number of Palestinian prisoners. So that's 33 hostages, eight who have been returned were no longer alive, which will leave, what -- 59 by Israeli
estimates, half of whom all males, mostly soldiers, half of whom the Israelis judged to be dead.
So the real question, I think, is this: Phase two, if it were to be negotiated and implemented, would see the return of all of the hostages,
alive or dead, the end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
[16:05:16]
Under these circumstances, I think that the current government is prioritizing the end of Hamas and I think, the bridge may actually be an
extension of the first phase, that is to say, Hamas and Israel, for their own purposes, may want to continue this, return of a limited number of
hostages for asymmetrical number of Palestinians and the continued surging of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
That I think, may well be the path forward. How long it is going to last, however is anyone's guess.
NEWTON: You make such a good point that, of course, what is going on in Gaza also is important here because they have a reprieve now there, and
they have been getting the humanitarian aid. And yet, I point to what we saw in Nic's report there that, you know, whether it is the families of the
hostages have said in general and pointedly, the family, the Bibas family members said, look, we are not seeking revenge, save the lives of the
living hostages and return all the fallen for burial.
Do you believe that that will amplify for the Israeli government, at least for the next few weeks, that they need to continue, no matter how much they
want to press against Hamas residual capabilities here?
MILLER: I mean, I think it will, but there will come a point where that process is going to end and frankly, I think the current government has
made a decision to prioritize, the elimination of Hamas. The government is now calling for the expulsion of its senior leadership from Gaza.
I am not sure that it is possible to see the return of all the living hostages on one hand, and also pursue the war against Hamas on the other.
It is a circle that I don't think can be squared, and if you asked and polls have, the majority of the Israeli public prioritizes the redemption
of the living, not the destruction of Hamas, that will always be possible, at least the continued campaign -- military campaign, but the lives of
these hostages is a diminishing quality here.
It is a diminishing resource by any standard and I would think, even though I know better that Israeli public opinion will carry the day. I don't think
that's the case.
I think at some point, the war is going to continue, and you're not going to see the return of all the living hostages.
NEWTON: Yes, which is why you know, the families of the hostages continue to press so hard and has really been so resilient in what has been just so
tough for them over so many months.
Aaron David Miller for us, thank you.
I do want to pick up where we just left off with Aaron David Miller. We are now going to stay on this story with A.J. Hellyer. He is a senior associate
fellow in Defense and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute.
And I thank you for being with us, and I do want to start with a from Adam Boehler, he is the hostage envoy for the Trump administration and he is
saying, look, to Hamas, you either hand over all the hostages or -- in his words, "face total annihilation."
At what point now do you believe the Trump administration will give its blessing to Israel to say, look, if this ceasefire no longer work for you,
you can abandon it.
A.J. HELLYER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW IN DEFENSE AND SECURITY STUDIES, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Thank you, Paula, for having me on. I
think that blessing was frankly given many weeks ago. You saw at the outbreak of the ceasefire statements from the Trump administration, from
the president himself, expressing a very lackluster commitment to pursuing phase two and phase three of the ceasefire.
And on the contrary, Israeli media was reporting multiple times how there were assurances given to Israel to pursue the war whenever they saw fit.
And, of course, on the Israeli side, also, many reports in the Israeli media talking about how a commitment to return to war on Gaza was a virtual
certainty.
You had Cabinet Ministers who were staying in the Cabinet saying that they were doing so because they believed that the war would be pursued following
phase one. And, of course, the so-called Riviera plan, which actively calls for the complete displacement, otherwise known as ethnic cleansing of
Palestinians from Gaza, should be the way forward.
[16:10:03]
It doesn't bode well for negotiation when the chief mediator is saying, look at the end of this, we want all Palestinians out of Gaza in the first
place.
I don't think that it is likely that we get into phase two. Phase two includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces on the ground in Gaza
out and I just don't see that happening under this government.
NEWTON: Some sobering analysis there as we continue to see what is going to happen in the next 24 hours as the largest hostage release is still
scheduled for Saturday.
A.J. Hellyer for us, thanks so much.
Now, Donald Trump is expected to sign a batch of executive orders as a cloudy economic picture since U.S. markets plunging for a second straight
day.
Now, the Dow fell more than 700 points, its worst session of 2025. The S&P and NASDAQ, both dropping more than 1.5 percent, in fact, the NASDAQ there
more than two percent, and now an S&P Global survey shows U.S. business activity falling to a 17-month low. The PMI reading suggests the private
sector is barely expanding, and U.S. consumer sentiment has also declined.
Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is set to be sworn in this afternoon. The president himself will attend the ceremony. The former CEO
of Cantor Fitzgerald was confirmed in the Senate by a vote of 51 to 45. Lutnick has been a strong supporter of Trump's protectionist policies.
Jeff Zeleny is in Washington for us.
Jeff, listen, given everything we are about to see in the White House, certainly we know the president follows the markets. Is it starting to dawn
on the White House that following through on this Trump plan may be a little bit more pain than they had bargained for?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So far, it does not seem like that is the case, Paula. I mean, the president, as we know from
his previous administration and now does watch the market very carefully, but he also believes in the long term promise of tariffs and Howard
Lutnick, who was just sworn in, but he has been at the president's side virtually every day in the Oval Office, he is also a big believer in
tariffs.
So he is not going to tell the president to slow down or know in any respect. So we shall see.
I mean, but there are enough indicators with inflation, you know, just the price of groceries and eggs. Our poll alone this week show that 62 percent
of Americans think the . White House has not done enough to bring down the price of goods, so adding all of that together, we are about coming up to
the end of the month long deadline where the president said, right when he came into office, that he will give Mexico and Canada one more month, so we
shall see if those tariffs are imposed or not.
But there has been more threatening language of tariffs than actually tariffs themselves, at least so far in the first opening weeks of this
administration.
NEWTON: Yes, in terms of those executive orders, is there anything really concrete in there that we know of right now? Because as you said, some of
it ends up being quite vague and also implementation vaguer still.
ZELENY: Look, in terms of tariffs, there has been nothing concrete with the executive orders, but the executive orders have largely been a mechanism
that the president has used to expand his presidential authority on a variety of things, but largely to reshape and remake the federal
government, so we shall see.
The President has obviously been quite sharp at his language about Canada. He is meeting with the nation's governors, the U.S. governors here, and he
joked earlier that he should have invited the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, because he says he is the 51st governor. Obviously, one more dig
at the nation of Canada from President Trump.
NEWTON: Yes, to be clear, Canada is not seeing it as a joke.
ZELENY: Absolutely.
NEWTON: Jeff Zeleny for us. Jeff Zeleny for us at the White House. Appreciate it.
Now, Donald Trump says Apple has pledged a massive investment in the U.S. as the President pushes businesses to expand their domestic production.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had Tim Cook in the office from Apple. He is investing hundreds of billions of dollars.
We are going to have a lot of chipmakers coming in, a lot of automakers coming in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, the President said, CEO Tim Cook made the pledge on Thursday during a meeting at the White House. Apple did not immediately respond to a
request for more details. Trump has used tariffs to encourage companies to move their supply chains to the United States.
Anna Stewart joins us now from London.
I mean, look, this could be really a significant investment from Apple on the heels of other deals that were announced. We've been through this with
the first Trump administration. Things are announced. But do they really come through?
What tangible signs do we have that this Apple investment is what they say it is going to be?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: This is a huge investment. Hundreds of billions of dollars, nothing yet from Apple, so nothing tangible at all, really. But
it was interesting, isn't it? Because Apple isn't a big manufacturer.
[16:15:10]
You have to remember that while they do have, I believe, a plant in Texas making MacBook Pros, generally they outsource almost all of their
manufacturing to places like Foxconn in China. They design chips. They have lots of R&D facilities in the U.S., designing chips, but those are made by
TSMC in Taiwan.
So this would be really significant, and we'd like a lot more detail about where exactly this money is going and what Apple plans to make in the
United States.
I think it might have been a surprise for Tim Cook, Paula, because there was one part where the President said, I hope he has announced it. I hope I
didn't announce this, but what the hell? All I do is tell the truth. That's what he told me. Now, he has to do it, right?
NEWTON: I guess, it is as simple as that.
Anna, being where you are located right now, there is considerable trepidation in Europe as well about what this means for them. We do have
Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer headed to the White House next week. A lot of that discussion will be about geopolitics, but you can bet the economic
and any kind of tariffs coming their way will be on the table as well.
STEWART: Absolutely. And I think these countries have been bracing for some time, even actually during the campaign for a Trump administration and what
they were going to do to curry favor with the United States, and from the perspective in the U.K., with the new Labour government, they are doing
whatever they can.
There has been a lot of discussions that perhaps the Chancellor will have to rethink something like the digital services tax, which taxes U.S. tech
companies, the big ones, on the revenue that they make here in the U.K. These are the things they know the president wants to see some action on.
And when it comes to tariffs in the E.U. well, his sights are very much set on Germany and France. It'll be interesting to see what President Macron
can talk about.
The E.U. Trade Commissioner this week has quite a hard line saying if the new administration does implement tariffs on them, they will retaliate. So
there are some negotiating to be done.
NEWTON: Yes, he definitely was categorical. The E.U. Trade Commissioner there was in Washington categorical.
Anna, it does seem that Reuters is reporting that Trump did sign a memo on digital taxes, what you had just discussed, pardon me, that he did sign.
Pardon me, I am being told that will sign a memo on digital taxes.
Things are going on in the Oval Office, I believe, and we are waiting to see. But the point is, this is in writing. Now, as we discussed previously,
just because it is an executive order doesn't mean it will happen imminently. Does Europe have a plan for this? Because it is a huge bone of
contention with Europe about what the digital tax is all about.
STEWART: This is going to be really interesting, and to see what the plan is in terms of how the U.S. decides to retaliate against this. In a White
House fact sheet last week, they said Canada and France -- this is from the U.S., Canada and France use these taxes to each collect over half a billion
dollars a year from American companies.
American big tech giants who are charged a digital services tax in Europe are obviously upset. They feel it very much targets unfairly. U.S.
companies creating an unlevel playing field from Europe's point of view, and this also includes actually Canada and the U.K. They also have a
digital services tax, which you can see there.
They believe, while these companies are headquartered in the U.S., they are generating a lot of revenue in our countries, but corporate tax isn't
really cutting it because they so often book their profits in a low tax country like Ireland, which is 12.5 percent..
So this has been a bone of contention for a while, but there is now a President of the United States who is really listening to the U.S. firms
and this is likely to be part of all of the negotiations going forward. So it will be very interesting to see how the U.S. administration plans to
retaliate, what sort of tariffs there could be.
NEWTON: Yes, an interesting week ahead to be sure. Anna Stewart, appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Now Donald Trump's planned auto tariffs could threaten production right across North America. The president of Canada's Automotive Parts
Manufacturers Association joins us next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:21:26]
NEWTON: Not a great way to go into the weekend. U.S. markets fell sharply to close the week as investors brace for a wave of potential tariffs from
the Trump administration.
The Dow you can see there fell more than 700 points. President Trump recently said he plans to slap a tariff of 25 percent on car imports. He
says he will reveal more in April.
Many U.S. carmakers have plants in Canada and Mexico, meaning U.S. tariffs could raise prices and hurt the auto sector right across North America.
Flavio Volpe is the President of Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association. He says a 25 percent tariff would shut down the North American
auto industry.
Flavio, good to see you again. Listen, you have been hard at work of trying to get yet another deal on this. I will point out there is a deal on this,
there is a trade deal between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico that includes cars.
So listen, in your negotiating in the last few days, what can you tell us? How far are you guys getting? And do you think there is a deal to be had
here in the coming days?
FLAVIO VOLPE, PRESIDENT, CANADA'S AUTOMOTIVE PARTS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION: Well there needs to be a deal because what we are trying to
explain to everybody is, especially in Washington is, you can't make a car without all of the parts. And if you're in a business where everybody makes
six or seven percent and you suddenly put a 25 percent tariff on all the parts and the steel and aluminum that come in from Canada and from Mexico
into the U.S. and go the other way around, no one is going to pay that bill, no one is going to make those cars.
And we saw in the first day of the pandemic or when the Detroit Windsor Bridge, the Ambassador Bridge closed in 2022, when you don't get those
parts, everybody shuts down, and that's all across states in the Midwest and the Southeast as well.
NEWTON: Flavio, you've been preaching this for weeks. Is anyone listening? I think many of us find it difficult to really understand who Donald Trump
is listening to. Do you have a sense that whomever you're talking to in Washington, that they do have the ear of the President?
VOLPE: Well, I think a lot of people who are going to be useful, like Howard Lutnick, who in fairness to him is a real trade hawk, but at least
he deals in math and science. I am hopeful that people like that around him will understand that -- I don't care if you don't care about people in
Toronto or Montreal or Coahuila and Monterrey, but you should care about people in Huntsville, Alabama and Livonia, Michigan who as you take really
hard shots at people and industries and suppliers in Canada and Mexico, you're really going to shut down business for people in -- for, you know,
dozens of companies in Lisa McClain's -- Representative Lisa McClain's district in Michigan.
And so what happened last time was, you know, we had to wait until the pendulum swung a little bit more. I think a lot of this is an expression of
decades of what the Americans see as decline in manufacturing prospects for them.
You know, sooner or later they start listening to perhaps look in Canada, we are about 60 percent off peak automotive production since we joined the
NAFTA from 1994 to 1998. So it is not like, we took anything from you. We are working together to fight against the Chinese.
I am hoping that we get through this period, and then as we sit down, maybe ultimately to renegotiate that USMCA that he drove in his first term, that
the math gets to the table and the math is not bad.
NEWTON: And talking about the math, you and I have been talking the last few weeks, whereas I did not think that the market was really pricing any
of this in. I am not sure that they are even with, you know, as much as the markets have fallen today.
[16:25:07]
Do you think that what the President ultimately will listen to? That that's what it is going to take?
I mean, some of the auto manufacturers have been forceful, some of them haven't been.
VOLPE: Yes, look, we had a deadline on February 1st when we first thought all of this, this 25 percent universal tariff was going to go in. And on
January 31st, the last day, I think, before the last shift, we saw the markets, the overnight markets down six or seven points in Japan for the
car companies, and then they opened in New York four to 10 percent down, and we saw deals through that day to buy another 30 days.
Important people like Jim Farley, who is the CEO of Ford Motor Company, the most American and the oldest automaker say out loud in the interim period,
look what your -- the tariffs you're threatening on Canada and Mexico are going to blow a hole through the American industry. Work with us. Let's
work together on how to do this.
We are so intertwined, like the two million cars that are made in Canada every year, half are by American brands, with 55 percent American raw
materials, 50 percent American parts. You can't separate the omelet after it has been made.
And so hopefully, more people like Jim will be heard.
NEWTON: Flavio, I think you need to speak to an audience of one. We will see if anyone in Canada or Mexico gets that audience. Maybe you should --
Canada should have just bet it all on the one game on the ice and bet the car industry on that. It would have worked out kind of well, no?
VOLPE: Well, he has got Wayne Gretzky, yes, listening to him, but we've got Connor McJesus here. Maybe he can be the negotiator.
NEWTON: We are going to move right into that Connor McJesus here in a moment.
Flavio Volpe, we will continue to check in with you. Thank you.
And yes, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS has moved on to hockey.
The National Hockey League scored huge ratings for its mid-season tournament. The Four Nations face-off last night's thrilling final between
the U.S. and Canada was laced with political overtones.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman joins us live right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:30:16]
NEWTON: Hello. I'm Paula Newton, and there's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment when, by any measure, the National Hockey League's mid-season
tournament was a wild success. Commissioner Gary Bettman joins me live.
And the man accused of killing the United Healthcare CEO appears in court.
Before that though, these are the headlines this hour.
U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart to make a deal with Russia or risk losing it all. In an interview on Fox News
Radio, Mr. Trump said there was no need for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend peace talks because "he has no cards."
After an agonizing day for the family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas, Hamas now says it has handed over her body to the Red Cross in Gaza and Israel
says is preparing to receive coffin. Bibas was supposed to be returned Thursday, along with the bodies of her
two young sons and an elderly man, but Israel says Hamas returned the body of an unknown Palestinian woman in her place.
Doctors caring for Pope Francis say his health is improving, but he's not out of danger yet. Well, wishers are gathered outside the hospital in Rome
where he's being treated for pneumonia. Doctors say the 88-year-old pope is not at immediate risk of death, but say his treatment does need time to
work. They say the pope will remain in hospital at least through next week.
The National Hockey League resumes tomorrow after a wildly successful mid- season tournament. Canada won. I'll say that again. Canada won the inaugural four nations face off, beating the U.S. three to two in overtime.
Superstar Connor McDavid scored the winning goal in a game laced with political overtones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Even the national anthems were charged. Some fans of Boston booed O Canada last night and the U.S. anthem has been booed and ranked right
across Canada in recent weeks. When teams played last week, three fights, think about this broke out in the first nine seconds. More than 10 million
people in North America were watching that game. That's the most viewers for a non-Stanley Cup final since 2014.
And after Canada's victory last night, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted, you can't take our country and you can't take our game. Gary
Bettman is the commissioner of the National Hockey League and he joins us now. Listen, we're going to do something here at CNN. We do not do often,
Commissioner. You're going to be able to take a victory lap here. The hockey was epic. I watched so much of it.
The ratings, we just said, amazing. You guys, how did you come up with this idea? And everyone wants to know, are you going to do it again?
GARY BETTMAN, COMMISSIONER, NHL: Well, let me take it in pieces and, you know, we don't like to take victory laps. We like to keep our noses to the
grind stone and figure out what's next. We actually -- we did over nine million viewers in the U.S. and over around seven in Canada. So, in North
America, we were probably around 16 million. What this event was about was international best on best hockey, which is something that has always been
important to our players.
Third of our players, roughly, come from outside of North America and Canada is about 40 percent, U.S. is about 30 percent and our players grow
up with a tradition of representing their countries and they really find it special. It's they're passionate about representing their countries in
addition to their NHL teams. We finally made an arrangement with the International Ice Hockey Federation and the International Olympic Committee
to resume NHL player participation in the Olympics next year in Milan.
And we've decided with the Players Association who are partners in these endeavors, that two years after that, we'll bring back the World Cup with
at least -- with at least eight teams, two years after that, the Olympics, two years after that, the World Cup, and we're going to get back to a
regular schedule. These agreements came in relatively short time relative to where we are now.
And so, we said, why don't we give people a taste of what international best on best with our players is? And that was the genesis of four nations.
NEWTON: But again, it did take vision, and I'll say imitation is the highest form of flattery. All pro sports are having a look at this right
now. The fans are demanding more from their seasons. Why do you think this worked even beyond likely your expectations?
[16:35:06]
BETTMAN: Well, when you -- when you watch the games for all the teams, all seven games that were played but the two, U.S. and Canada, the passion that
our players show for playing, the authenticity, you know, they didn't treat this like an exhibition game. They treated this like it was a playoff game
and they were really serious about what was taking place. There's a real authenticity to our game.
There's a real passion that our players and our fans have for the game, and that's what you saw on display in Montreal and in Boston.
NEWTON: You know, that passion had authenticity. It really had a political undercurrent this time, especially with President Donald Trump continually
calling Canada the 51st state. Did those political undercurrents make you a bit nervous? I mean, the NHL, more than any other pro sport league I would
argue is built on that cross-border fan base. I mean, how does that work when the President wants to erase the border?
BETTMAN: Well, the politicians on one side want to erase it, and politicians on the other side seemingly don't. We view -- we stay out of
the political fray. I'm very sensitive to all of the issues. We're on top of them, because it may impact how our clubs, particularly our Canadian
clubs, the seven of them function. But we view our game as a place for people to come together and we try to stay out of the political limelight.
But there was a certain reality. The bullying was actually a lot more muted than has been reported. I was actually at all the games. Initially it was -
- it was a little louder, you know, going back to the regular season games but we made announcements before the national anthem, asking our fans to
respect the anthems and the players from the countries that were being represented.
And overwhelmingly, our fans did the right thing. But yes, there was some believe, but these are -- it's understandable, but it's unfortunate.
NEWTON: Passions are running high. I will say fans, though, were by and large well behaved, except for being audible in terms of booing. Listen, I
know you want to stay out of the fray of politics, but this is so much a part of what's going on in hockey and beyond right now. There was a team
missing that everyone missed, and that was Russia. When can you take -- where do you take the cue from that about when Russia will be back in to
international competition?
Even -- I know you're saying these deals were made, obviously, with world bodies, with the Olympic Committee. Do you have any say in that or you do
just have to wait for this to sort itself out geopolitically?
BETTMAN: We don't -- we don't have a definitive stay. And in fact, the IIHF two weeks ago, decided to continue the ban on Russian teams in
International Ice Hockey competitions at all levels, the World Championship, the World Juniors, et cetera. And the IOC has to make a
decision in the next few weeks as to whether or not they're going to let Russia participate in the Olympics. All we can do is take the lead from
them.
They haven't been asking our opinions. The good news is we've got some great Russian players in our league. They're playing for their NHL teams
and we respect the sanctions and everything else, because we're not doing business in Russia right now. We just have to sit back and wait to see what
the world governing bodies relative to hockey are going to do.
NEWTON: Listen, as a former hockey mom, I'm going to ask you about this now. So, on Saturday night, I was watching in a family atmosphere like
everyone else. Three fights, nine seconds, whatever the heck it was. The men in the room, I will tell you, Commissioner Bettman loved it. The women
in the room were appalled and kept wanting it to stop. You know, this is stuff on the rink that you would be charged with assault anywhere if it
didn't happen on the hockey rink. Can you explain this part of the game, especially people who are not aware?
BETTMAN: OK. Yes. And it's a great question. By the way, after the start of the game, we were the number one trending on every social platform around
the world. The fact is, we -- there used to be a time when fighting was an essential part of the game. It happened all the time, and teams had
designated fighters. We don't have that. Our game now is about speed and skill. And over 80 percent of our games don't have a fight in them.
When fights emerge, it's really in the heat of the moment and in the passion of the moment. And I think that both teams were pretty wired for
the start of the game on Saturday night.
[16:40:00]
Those were skilled players who were fighting, and it takes the temperature down. I sometimes analogize it to a thermostat, because, remember, we have
a very fast, physical game. Players are in courage to run into each other, and, oh, by the way, they're carrying sticks and so in terms of what can
break out in the heat of the moment. Players, who are skilled players, not there just to fight, tend to settle what they need to do to settle down the
game.
And that's how I think it acts like a thermostat. So be a little patient with us, and remember, you know, four-fifths of our games don't have fights
anymore.
NEWTON: And I know you guys have done a lot around that. I'm just pointing out that all the hockey commentators came on and said, the best start to a
game I have ever seen. I mean -- and you just -- you boasted, right? It was, you know, on social media, trending all over the world.
BETTMAN: Well, but part of that is what -- the people going into the tournament, particularly other commentators, not you, were suggesting, oh,
this is a meaningless exhibition. The players aren't going to try. There was no greater indication that, not just Canada and U.S., but throughout
the tournament that these players were playing for real. That this meant a lot to them and they were going to go all out, and they didn't.
We had a number of injuries as a result. This was the real deal and this was hockey best on best.
NEWTON: Yes, fans definitely saw that. Now I want to talk to you about the business of hockey, because it's tougher sometimes than anything we see on
the ice. Listen, Commissioner, nearly three decades here, you've seen it all. Labor disputes, franchise expansion owner disputes. The lower Canadian
dollar also always a problem. Low ratings, what challenge do you see coming up on the business side of things for the NHL?
BETTMAN: Well, first of all, we've never been in better shape. We're going to set a record when revenues over $7 billion for the current season, we're
playing to 96 percent of capacity on attendance. Our ratings are strong. We have great partners in Canada and the U.S. Rogers in Canada, and Turner
Sports and the Walt Disney Company with the ESPN and ABC in the States. We have 73 national sponsors which may be more than any of the other three
majors.
We're in a good place. What we're focused on is how to grow the game, how to grow it in North America, how to grow it internationally, getting more
young people of both sexes playing, and giving them opportunities to play, and making clear that we have a welcoming environment for anybody who wants
to be a part of the game. And we're going to continue to grow. We're on a great trajectory. Our franchises have never been stronger and I think the
best is yet to come.
NEWTON: And I'm happy that you mentioned the growth of the women's game, and it is certainly growing an impressive level. Commissioner Gary Bettman,
I do note that you did take your victory lap because you corrected us on how good your ratings actually were. We grant you -- we grant you that. And
I think everyone's looking forward to the Olympics as well in 2026. Gary Bettman, for us, thanks so much.
BETTMAN: Thanks for having me. I'm glad to hear your hockey mom.
NEWTON: Take care. And we'll be right back with more news in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:46:27]
NEWTON: Africa understands that it needs to manufacture more of its own medications, and that's including prescription drugs and vaccines. Advances
in technology are helping them do that. CNN's Eleni Giokos has today's edition of Connecting Africa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the small cluster of warehouses in Cape Town, scientists are busy at work researching and
developing new treatments for a range of diseases.
PETRO TERBLANCHE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AFRIGEN BIOLOGICS AND VACCINES: African is a biotech startup. We've been founded about eight years ago to
localize the manufacturing of the TB vaccine for the African continent. So ingrained in the strategy and the fabric of African is the quest for local
manufacturing.
GIOKOS (voice-over): In 2021, the mRNA technology transfer hub was established here. Its goal to develop, produce and supply a range of new
vaccines for the continent.
HAPILOE MARANYANE, SENIOR SCIENTIST, AFRIGEN BIOLOGICS AND VACCINE: It was set up here in South Africa, and the plan was to really disperse the
knowledge and the know-how for making mRNA vaccines to aid in our ability to respond to pandemics.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Vaccines to fight diseases have been around for over two centuries, with a smallpox vaccine developed in 1796. More than 200
years later, in 2020, during the COVID pandemic, scientists developed a new type of vaccine, mRNA or messenger RNA.
CARYN FENNER, MRNA HUB EXECUTIVE, AFRIGEN BIOLOGICS AND VACCINES: It does what its name says, messenger. Most people know COVID-19 and we say spike
protein with mRNA and the COVID-19 vaccine. We gave the message that says make the spike protein of the coronavirus.
And so it trains your body how to -- what to do when it sees a spike protein, and then when you get exposed to it, your body will naturally be
able to respond.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Afrigen scientists are conducting research that should lead to the manufacture of a range of vaccines to treat diseases that are
prevalent across the continent.
TERBLANCHE: We have prioritized specific disease targets. HIV, it's 30 years, we still don't have a vaccine, it's a priority, a difficult one.
Tuberculosis, again, there is a vaccine now in development from GlaxoSmithKline, but we need vaccines for TB.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Important research that could lead to improved healthcare across the continent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: OK. Coming up for us. Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson makes a court appearance in New York.
We are live outside the courthouse after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:52:00]
NEWTON: The man accused of killing the CEO of United Healthcare appeared in court this afternoon. Luigi Mangione is charged with the first-degree
murder of Brian Thompson who was killed while walking on a busy Manhattan sidewalk in December. Mangione was pleaded not guilty to state charges, but
has yet to enter a plea on federal murder charges. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole.
Now, on Friday, the judge scheduled Mangione's next hearing date for June 26. Kara Scannell joins me now from the courthouse. Kara, I mean in terms
of what transpired there today, he is facing a lot of charges, and yet we're not even going to see a next court date until June.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula, that's right. This whole hearing took just 20 minutes, but the judge focused them in on what
evidence the prosecutors have and what they have turned over so far to Mangione's defense team. So, prosecutors say that they have obtained police
body camera footage as well surveillance videos, DNA evidence, they said they have given them the Forensic Files of the medical examiner's office,
cell phone data that was recovered from a phone found at the crime scene the Hilton Hotel where Brian Thompson, the United Healthcare CEO was gunned
down.
Said that has all been turned over to the defense, as well as some police body cam footage that was obtained from the Pennsylvania police who
arrested Mangione at that McDonald's. His lawyers have signaled that that is one area that they are going to challenge. She said in court today, as
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, his attorney, she said that some of that footage may have been improperly seized and she thinks it violated his
constitutional rights.
So, she's already teeing up but one of the defense arguments might be. She also told the judge that she's been spending a lot of time right now in
conversations with federal prosecutors because they brought similar charges against Mangione accusing him of murdering the CEO. She said the
discussions there have been about the potential death penalty being on the table, something that federal prosecutors are considering.
She said she's been trying to get them to mitigate that and not bring that is one reason why she wanted to postpone even when they would start
beginning the filing of these legal briefs. But the judge said he wants those legal briefs to be filed by April. He'll have them back in court in
June. But Paula, it was really interesting today. It's very windy, it's very cold, but a lot of supporters came out from Mangione.
They were holding signs outside of the courthouse. The floor where the courtroom is was lined, the hallway lined with dozens supporters, most of
them young and female. One woman wearing a free Luigi scarf, all there in support of him. When his lawyer came onto the floor, they erupted into
cheers and applause for her arrival. Really something you don't see in a lot of criminal cases, certainly someone accused of murdering a CEO. Paula?
NEWTON: Yes. What an incredible scene you just described. I mean, as you said, He is an accused murderer, and yet he has garnered a lot of support
all over the United States.
[16:25:00]
SCANNELL: Yes. It's really surprising. And we spoke with some of the supporters here today, and while one of them said he didn't condone the
violence. They did think that the murder and yeah, it's really surprising. And we spoke with some of the supporters here today and one of them said he
didn't condone the violence. They did think that the murder and what Mangione's -- the theory that investigators have that he was upset about
the health care system.
That is something that seems to be resonating with at least two of the supporters that we spoke with who said that they were here because of that.
Not so much that they were condoning a murderer. Otherwise, it seemed like other people were here just because of the interest in Mangione, the kind
of unexpected accused killer that he is being 26 years old, that's certainly a huge turnout for him.
NEWTON: Yes. Again, so much interest in this case is this continues. Kara Scannell, thanks for covering all of it for us. Appreciate it.
Now coming up, we will have the final numbers from Wall Street right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: U.S. markets slid sharply to end the week. The Dow Jones fell 748 points, marking its worst session so far this year. The S&P Shed 1.7
percent and the NASDAQ dropped more than two percent. Tech losses contributed to the DOW's drop. IBM and Microsoft shed more than one percent
and NVIDIA fell four percent. Wal-Mart was still stunted by the warning it issued Thursday it forecasted slowed sales and profit growth this year.
United Healthcare led the losses, shedding seven percent after reports, the Department of Justice is investigating the company for its Medicaid billing
practices.
And that is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Paula Newton, have a great weekend. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, one of the most infectious viruses out there, the alarming spread of the
Measles outbreak in the southwestern United States with dozens of additional cases since the start of this week.
Plus, Republican voters have some choice words for Donald Trump and Elon Musk over their job cutting crusade in the federal government, and they're
taking their message straight to Republican lawmakers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are all freaking pissed off about this. You're going to hear it and feel it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is a supposedly Conservative Party taking such a radical and extremist and sloppy approach to this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[17:00:05]
END
