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Quest Means Business
CNN Poll: 58 Percent Declare Trump's Second Term So Far a Failure; Trump Warns Countries Opposing Greenland Takeover; Iran Reels From Brutal Crackdown On Anti-Regime Protesters; A.I. Forensics: Women Main Target In Sexualized Images; Bobi Wine's Party Says He Was "Forcibly Removed" From Home; Nostalgic Social Media Users Post Photos From 2016. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired January 16, 2026 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: There you go, that magical sound ending the trading day and the week. We have got a little celebration of the Knicks there at
the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell markets, ending the week flat, just over 600 points shy of 50,000. That's a quick look at the
markets. These are the main events: One year into his presidency, a new CNN poll shows Trump's poll numbers tumbling.
The U.S. President is threatening tariffs on any country that opposes his plan to take control of Greenland.
And Bobi Wine's party says the Ugandan presidential candidate was forcibly removed from his home just hours after national election polls closed.
Live from New York. It is Friday, January 16th. Thanks for joining me. I am Erica Hill, in for Richard Quest. This is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Good evening.
Just one year into President Trump's second term and a new CNN poll suggests the honeymoon phase pretty firmly over. Fifty-eight percent of
Americans consider Trump's first year back in office to be a failure.
Look at those numbers. About two out of three say they doubt that Trump is actually putting their interests first when it comes to the economy, 55
percent say Trump's policies have made economic conditions worse in the United States, and even more say he has not gone far enough to reduce the
price of goods.
Harry Enten is here to break it all down.
That's all important, too, because the number one issue is still Harry, the economy.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, it still is absolutely economy. And we will break these numbers down a little bit more for you, Erica Hill.
I should note, I like those Knicks who were closing the stock exchange. I think I saw John Starks and Allan Houston there, guys from my childhood, it
makes me feel young again.
Anyway, anyway, talking about Trump here in the new poll that we have out. Look, it is just a disaster from all the way around. That's the only way we
can put it.
You know, you mentioned that 58 percent who say that they view that his term now as a failure, and that's what we see right here, 58 percent who
say a failure, 42 percent say it is a success. But I just want to note, what a shift! What a shift this was from how Americans saw his first term
back in April of 2024.
You know, these numbers haven't always been bad for Trump. Back in April of 2024, fifty-five percent said his term number one was a success, compared
to 44 percent who said it was a failure. These were the numbers. These were the numbers, Erica Hill that got Trump re-elected, right? The 55 percent
success.
Now, we are just talking 42 percent. What a switcheroo! And that 58 percent who say a failure, what a change from the 44 percent who said a failure
about term one.
Now I want to put this into some historical context, okay. Because you see the 58 percent who say failure here. I want to look back at other
presidents one year into term number two, because it will really sort of contextualize this data and just give you an idea of how bad it is.
All right, the term or terms have been a failure, about one year in a term two. Look, you see Donald Trump, 58 percent, who say one year into term two
that his second term is a failure. Look at that. That is the highest on record of any time that we've asked this question either CNN or Pew
Research has asked this question about success or failure, 52 percent said Bush's term had in fact, or his presidency had been a failure. And keep in
mind, this was after the Iraq War had been going on, turning into a quagmire. It was after Katrina, and yet Trump's number actually is higher
in terms of failure, certainly higher than Barack Obama at 48 percent and way higher than Bill Clinton at 26 percent, who said his terms in office
had been a failure.
This is just on a completely different planet than Trump's 58 percent. It is more than double. My goodness gracious!
Now, here is the question, why? What is going on? You mentioned it. You hinted at it at the top of just before I came on and you sort of said it in
that feed to me, which was the cost of living. And of course, it all comes back to the economy, the economy, the economy.
And again, I want to put this in historic context. All right, net approval rating on the economy one year into term two. I've got all the presidents I
could find in the polling database. The one who does the worst when it comes to net approval on the economy is Donald John Trump. Look at that, 19
points underwater on the economy. The key issue that got him a second term in office, the lowest, the worst in history, at least in terms of those
that we have actual records on. That's lower than George W. Bush at minus 15 points, lower than Barack Obama at minus 14 points. Ronald Reagan was 17
points above water at this point. And again, Bill Clinton leading the pack here, 35 points above water.
Again, this is just completely different planets. If we are on Earth, this is like, I don't know, on Mars or something like that.
But the bottom line is this, Erica Hill, this poll from top to bottom is just no bueno for the current president of the United States, and when
you're dealing at this point with, you know, 58 percent saying it has been a failure this term, I don't really know what you can do about that.
[16:05:12]
But if these numbers hold for the midterm elections, it is just going to be a disaster for Republicans. I just don't see how they can hold on to the
House and it even puts the Senate in play when 58 percent say Trump's term number two has been a failure.
HILL: These numbers are really something and the historical perspective, I think, just adds even more to that.
Harry, always good to see you, my friend. I am glad the Knicks are bringing you a little bit of joy there.
ENTEN: They are bringing me a little bit of joy, and I hope the Buffalo Bills bring me more joy this weekend.
HILL: Fingers crossed!
As we take a closer look at what is happening here in the United States, it turns out the frontrunner to lead the U.S. Federal Reserve this spring may
actually be out of the race.
President Trump suggesting today he will keep Kevin Hassett in his current role of National Economic Council Director. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I see Kevin is in the audience and I just want to thank you. You were fantastic on
television today. I actually want to keep you where you are, if you want to know the truth.
Kevin Hassett is so good. I am saying, wait a minute. If I move him, these Fed guys, certainly the one we have now, they don't talk much. I would lose
you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So Hassett, of course, has been a top candidate to take over from Jerome Powell when his term as Fed Chair expires in May.
President Trump had floated the idea of nominating Hassett in December.
Kevin Liptak is joining us now from The White House.
So how much of this is a surprise to folks at this point -- Kevin.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It is a little bit of a surprise and you could almost hear Kevin Hassett's heart sinking a little
bit when the President was saying that. You know, he very much does want the Fed Chair job. He had been jockeying for it. He even said earlier this
week that he was, yes, very much still interested in it.
But we know President Trump won, as he says, likes how Kevin Hassett defends his economic policies on television. But two, had been subject to
some concerns that perhaps he has been too close to President Trump, that as President Trump considers a Fed Chair and, you know, investors in the
bond markets try and assess how independent that person will be, that Kevin Hassett might just be too close to the West Wing and too close to the
President for comfort.
And I think that viewpoint may have only been aggravated when we learned just at the end of last week that the Justice Department was investigating
the current Fed Chair, Jay Powell, throwing even more questions about the Fed's independence into play.
And so whether or not this actually, definitively rules out Kevin Hassett, I don't think we know. Obviously, President Trump sort of likes to keep
people in suspense. We are kind of in the finale of "The Apprentice" at the moment, in the race for the Fed Chair, but it does seem as if some of these
other contenders may be gaining steam.
Whether it is Kevin Warsh, who is the former Fed governor you know, had been seen as a race between the two Kevins. He is the other Kevin in that
calculation. There are a few others, including Christopher Waller, who is a Fed governor at the moment.
And so it seems as if the president may be wavering on this. What we know is that he has said that he plans to make an announcement soon.
You know, Jay Powell's term is up in May. You know, we are coming up to the moment when it will, I think, be sort of conspicuous that the President
hasn't named anyone yet and so, I think people are anxiously waiting to see who it will be, and if they were looking for hints, certainly that was a
big one that the President offered up in the East Room.
HILL: It certainly was an interesting, too, in terms of how Kevin Hassett is receiving that message.
Stay with me, because I want to get some more of your insight and your reporting on this next story.
President Trump now threatening to impose tariffs on countries that disagree with his plans to annex Greenland, posting today, "I may put a
tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland because we need Greenland for National Security."
Another day, another threat of tariffs. How much is there behind this particular threat, Kevin?
LIPTAK: Yes, I mean, this was kind of an aside that the President made in a speech that was about something completely different. So it doesn't seem as
if this is something that he has put down on paper just yet. And I think one of the problems in this is that virtually every country in Europe
opposes his plan to annex Greenland.
You know, they have come out pretty forcefully in the last week or so to defend the that territory, to say that, yes, it is Denmark's, that any
attempt to acquire it by military force would essentially cause the rupture of the entire NATO Alliance.
And so, it is not precisely clear that the President is set to take this action just yet. And remember, we are also awaiting a Supreme Court
decision on the President's ability to enact these tariffs in the way that he has been doing it. And so it is not clear that he is ready to do this
tomorrow.
But, you know, it does, I think, underscore that the President is not backing off this bid to annex Greenland.
[16:10:00]
You know, you had the Foreign Ministers of Greenland and Denmark here at The White House earlier this week, and afterwards, it did not seem as if
they were successful whatsoever in getting their counterparts who Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance to back off the President's kind of maximalist
viewpoint that Greenland should be under the United States.
Now, there is a delegation of senators in Greenland right now who are trying or they're in Denmark, I am sorry, who are trying to make the point
that the President cannot risk this very critical Transatlantic Alliance for this aspiration to take over Greenland by force.
And so if the President takes this step of applying new tariffs, it is not just these countries in Europe that will be, I think, opposed. He will also
face some stiff resistance in Congress as well.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. Kevin, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, Canada's Prime Minister is now hailing a new strategic partnership with China amid trade tensions with the United States. Canada is set to cut
tariffs on a certain number of Chinese electric vehicles. This is a major shift in its policy toward China.
Just two years ago, it actually joined the U.S. in imposing tariffs of a hundred percent on China's E.V.s. Now, Beijing will enjoy a Most Favored
Nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent. And in return, China is expected to reduce tariffs on Canadian canola products.
Paula Newton joining me now from Ottawa.
I mean, a massive shift in the rhetoric, and of course even -- it was just, I believe in April at a debate when now Prime Minister Carney was asked
about the biggest threat to Canada, and he said China.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Carney's response to that, Erica, we need to take the world as it is, not as we
would like to see it. I am not sure that was a deflection on his part, but he is not making any excuses for trying to protect Canada's economy.
I want you to keep the issue of Greenland front and center. We will come back to it, but right now on this deal, remember that this was basically an
acknowledgment not just from the United States and Canada, but also some jurisdictions in Europe, that China was really going to be dumping all of
these E.V.s onto these markets, that it was coming with subsidized labor, and that they were really going to do damage to national auto programs, and
in the United States, that would be the Big Three and beyond.
Mark Carney here said that this was not a new strategic relationship, not getting something back on track. It is new tracks, he is saying.
What is interesting here, though, Erica, was the fact that President Trump didn't take the bait on this. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: That's okay. That's what he should be doing. I mean, it is a good thing for him to sign
a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, so many people will be wondering, what does he mean by that? Is he going to go back on that? Remember, and I know you do that that
USMCA, the agreement between Canada and Mexico and the United States will be negotiated -- renegotiated at some point in the summer.
I don't know, the United States still has it on the table. They might just call the whole trade deal off. At issue here, though, is the
predictability, right, Erica? We heard Mark Carney in a press conference in Beijing say, look, in terms of our relationship with the United States,
China is more predictable.
And for that reason, he continues, that is, Mark Carney continues to march around the globe looking for new trade deals and still wondering about what
a trade deal with the United States might look like.
HILL: Boy, how the winds have shifted in just a short year.
Paula, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Up next here, a stunning development in Uganda with reports that presidential candidate, Bobi Wine has now been forcibly removed from his
home, taken to an unknown destination, who his party says is responsible for that. The details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:16:15]
HILL: In Iran, an internet blackout is now in its eighth day. Information coming out of the country is scant following weeks of brutal violence
against anti-regime protesters. Iranian authorities say 3,000 people have been arrested for taking part in the demonstrations, while a U.S. based
Human Rights group estimates that number could be far higher. In fact, closer to 20,000, including more than 150 children and with more than 2,400
others killed.
The exiled son of Iran's last Shah is in Washington. Earlier, he said he is confident the regime will fall. Reza Pahlavi also laid out his plan for the
transition. He said it is being seen by many as an appeal -- this is being seen rather by an appeal of one man to another, President Donald Trump.
Meantime, some Iranians are telling CNN, authorities are allegedly charging people money to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones who have been
killed in the protests. It is a tragic repression tactic, one the regime has actually used before.
And before we show you this next report from Paula Hancocks, I do want to warn you, some of these images are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The cry of a generation robbed of their future. Twenty-three-year-old Mahan Ghadami, a
barber shop owner with a passion for rap, singing the pain of no freedom.
(MAHAN GHADAMI speaking in foreign language.)
HANCOCKS (voice over): Activist outlet Iran Wire says Ghadami was killed last Friday, the day after the internet was cut and Security Forces
launched a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
This shows just how bloody their response was. New footage sent to CNN of the inside of the Kahrizak morgue in Tehran, row upon row of body bags.
Distraught relatives saying farewell to lifeless loved ones, some of those killed with clear gunshot wounds to the head.
The body of Siavash Shirzad was one of those taken to Kahrizak according to Iran Wire and Hengaw, a Norway-based Human Rights organization -- a Kurdish
father of one. His family say he was part of this protest in Tehran's Punak Square on January 8th. They had begged him not to go.
Hengaw says he was shot and killed by Iranian Security Forces. He would have turned 38 this past week.
So many victims were young, like 20-year-old Setayesh Shafiei, killed on January 8th according to Hengaw and Iran Wire. Her last post on Telegram,
"I love you all. They may cut the internet soon."
So many risked their lives to fight for freedom. Thousands are believed to have been gunned down in the street, according to U.S.-based Human Rights
Activists News Agency on the order of leaders that value regime survival above all else.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Here in the U.S., President Trump says he may be forced to act if the protests in Minnesota continue. We have images here now of a protester
being arrested outside a federal building in Minneapolis. Tensions there, of course, have been flaring over the past several days. And frankly, over
the past few hours.
The Department of Homeland Security says 12 people were arrested last night for assaulting officers. President Trump has threatened this week to use
the Insurrection Act that would allow the deployment of U.S. troops. Trump adding this morning there is no reason to use it right now.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in Minneapolis with more for us. And, Shimon, you were obviously caught up in some of that activity last night. How are
things progressing today?
[16:20:03]
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: There have been some flare ups, but not many, and today, it is a very different crowd
here from what we saw yesterday. I was talking to one man here. He is like, we are the older folk, some of us are veterans. We are not here to agitate
or start any kind of trouble.
And then he said, you know, at night is when some of the younger folks come out and that's when you start to see more of the flare ups.
There was some arrests today. They did detain some people. What sparks arrests or what sparks, let's say, where law enforcement would come out and
there is a confrontation is when either protesters will go into this area here where there is the driveway into the building, or if they start
approaching vehicles that are occupied with federal law enforcement officials, if they're trying to go inside and they start to attack the
vehicles.
We saw that last night, which is what caused that teargas and flashbangs. Many of the agitators, they were attacking the vehicles, kicking and
throwing things. And then finally, the law enforcement here just reacted and said, enough is enough. You guys have got to clear out of here. And
today, it is early, we will see what happens.
But the other thing that is happening here, this community in Minneapolis, you know, I've been here now for two days and been able to go to some
stores and talk to people at the hotel and the workers. Everyone here is so sad over what is going on. They're upset and frightened and just scared at
what is happening.
And you can feel that. You can feel that when you go to places and everything is empty. People are just afraid to leave their homes, and
they're hoping that this comes to some kind of conclusion quickly so that they can go on and live their life.
And look, this area, this is the epicenter of protests. If this continues like this, I mean, I think it is going to be pretty hard to argue that this
is some kind of insurrection and that you need a military presence here, because right now, this is just basically what we are seeing here. We will
see the protesters come out into the street, the cars are going in, they'll yell at the cars.
And then for the most part, this group, they are behaving. They get right back on the sidewalk. So, you know, we will see as this -- obviously, as
this night goes on and the snow is probably going to keep some of the people away. It is really cold here.
HILL: I was just going to say, I know it is very cold there. We can sort of see the weather in the sky around you and the cold. I appreciate you being
out there for us.
Shimon, thank you.
PROKUPECZ: Yes. No problem.
HILL: Just ahead here, as the votes are still being counted in Uganda, we are seeing reports that presidential candidate, Bobi Wine has been
captured, taken to an unknown destination.
More on that after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:25:52]
HILL: I am Erica Hill. There is more quest means business in a moment when we will tell you why your ChatGPT search results could soon come with ads
and it is the year that brought us Brexit, the Tesla Model 3 and President Donald Trump, why the internet is suddenly so obsessed with 2016.
Before that, though, the headlines this hour.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he is considering new tariffs for countries that oppose his plan to take control of Greenland, insisting that
the Danish territory is vital for U.S. National Security. He is facing resistance, of course, from U.S. lawmakers, including some within his own
party.
A bipartisan group of senators actually visited Copenhagen Friday to show support for what they called trusted allies.
Venezuela's opposition leader is warning that her country faces complex, delicate and challenging times ahead, but is also signaling the first steps
of a true transition to democracy.
Just one day after her meeting with President Trump, Maria Corina Machado telling reporters she is grateful to the American people and the U.S.
President for their support.
A short time ago, Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wine was forcibly removed from his home and taken to an unknown location in an Army helicopter.
According to his party, Wine is running against the sitting president, Yoweri Museveni.
There have been outbreaks of violence around the election, as well as reports of repression and intimidation around the election as well.
The mother of one of Elon Musk's children is now suing xAI over sexualized deepfake images made of her on X. And X, in turn, is now countersuing
Ashley St. Clair for violating its terms of service.
So xAI, of course, is the parent company of X and Grok. This week, a number of countries launched investigations into the Grok chatbot. And just
moments ago, California's Attorney General says that he sent a cease and desist letter to xAI demanding it take immediate action to stop the
creation and distribution of deepfake non-consensual images.
Indonesia and Malaysia have blocked Grok, citing a serious violation of Human Rights and the safety of its citizens. On Wednesday, the company
announced Grok would no longer be able to edit images of real people in revealing clothing.
To discuss now, I am joined by Buse Cetin who is head of policy at A.I. Forensics.
A lot of what your research has found at A.I. Forensics is deeply disturbing when it comes to Grok and these images that are being created.
Can you just walk us through what has changed in what would seem like a very short period of time that we've seen this surge?
BUSE RAZIYE CETIN, HEAD OF POLICY, A.I. FORENSICS: Yes. Thank you. Thanks for having me.
We analyzed 86,000 images actually that were created by Grok on X over the past few weeks and what we have found was not isolated cases of misuse or a
few bad actors, but it was non-consensual, sexualized images at scale and 80 percent of these images were of women.
So what we see right now is the consequence of deploying a chatbot as powerful as Grok with without basic safeguards on a platform with hundreds
of millions of users. And yes, it is the users who prompt the chatbot, but it is the platform and the company has a big say in what they allow us to
see.
HILL: Is it your sense based on certainly, the reaction to your research and just what we've seen, I mean, Elon Musk said, I believe it was January
3rd: Anyone using this to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.
Have you seen evidence that xAI, that Elon Musk are taking these findings seriously? Are they working to install guardrails?
CETIN: Yes. Users have prompted -- made this request to Grok and there have been some fixes and improvements that we observe over the past few days,
but the company's first response was to limit this feature to only paid users, which actually did not stop the problem at all. And we have been
observing this issue since December, and there has been many moments where it was recognized by the company.
But the action that they took was not swift enough, and it was -- this was something that was actually foreseeable and it could have been avoided.
Yes.
[16:30:39]
HILL: Could have been avoided. It's also remarkable. I mean, we were just looking, you know, I was looking with the producer of the show here a
little bit earlier, at the increase in popularity, frankly, for this app.
I mean, we are just looking today, it's number five in the U.S. App Store. It was number one in the U.K.'s app store last week. It's almost as if the
attention on what is happening on Grok is really fueling it. How concerning is that?
CETIN: It is very concerning because it took actually, you know, really heightened scrutiny from multiple countries and global backlash for the
company to take action. And the problem is actually still not solved. It just changed platform. Now, we see, I think, less and less images of this
kind on X, but it is still possible to generate explicit images on groktalk.com, which is Grok's web and mobile app. So, the problem is here.
And even in its risk assessment report that X submits to the European Commission under the Digital Services Act, it recognizes that the
availability of generative A.I. tools make the creation of CSAM and image- based violence against women very easy and cheap, and it is surprising to see that the safeguards were really not at the level that would meet the
challenge when you decide to put this on a platform as huge as X.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Yes. It's incredibly disturbing.
Of course, it's important to note how different the laws are in different countries when it comes to content, when it comes to what can be posted.
You know, when Elon Musk took over Twitter, turning it into X, he basically wanted to make this the freest speech available online, and there were
questions about whether or not that has gone to the extreme. You mentioned the European Commission, a spokesperson calling this "illegal, appalling,
and disgusting", saying it has no place in Europe.
Based on what you're seeing. In reaction to this research, do you see, perhaps, other countries following in the footsteps of what we saw, for
example, from Malaysia?
CETIN: First of all, this is not about free speech. This is about illegal content. In our research, for example, we also documented instances of non-
consensual, sexualized images of minors, people who appear to be minors. Some creation of, for example, Nazi signs, or, you know, terrorist
propaganda items that are illegal under certain E.U. jurisdictions, such as, in France and in Germany, for instance. But CSAM is widely illegal
around the world, let's say so.
We are talking about very concrete harm here that is at scale. And the countries, some countries have chosen to block the app and some countries
such as U.K. also announced that they are investigating what is happening on X and Grok. We just hope that this is -- Grok is the most visible case.
But the problem doesn't end here. It's an industry-wide problem. We just hope that that we take the question of putting safeguards seriously before
rolling out these products, especially on platforms with a huge user base.
HILL: Yes. Absolutely, it is so important, as is your work. So, thank you for that as well. Buse, thank you for your time this evening.
CETIN: Thank you.
HILL: Well, in a statement on safety for its users, X says, "We remain committed to making X a safe platform for everyone and continue to have
zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content."
Up next, here ChatGPT with ads. OpenAI announcing a big shift for its users in the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:37:14]
HILL: There are questions tonight in Uganda about the fate of opposition leader Bobi Wine, just one day after Uganda's presidential election.
Wine's political party posting on X that he was forcibly removed from his home and taken away in an army helicopter. Partial results in Uganda show
that Wine actually finished a distant second in Thursday's presidential race. The fate of the opposition now unclear.
Some 75 percent of the country's ballots have now been counted, and that shows the current president, Yoweri Museveni is expected to remain in
power. The 81-year-old leader has actually been in power since 1986.
Violence broke out after the vote. There are different counts, though, about what happened and why. Police have said at least seven people were
killed. Oge Onubogu is director and senior fellow of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It's good to have you
with us tonight.
I mean, first of all, this news that's coming in. So, Bobi Wine's party saying that he was forcibly removed from his home, taken away in an army
helicopter. If the army is behind this, I mean, what does that tell us? What kind of threat would Bobi Wine have posed?
OGE ONUBOGU, DIRECTOR AND SENIOR FELLOW, AFRICA PROGRAM: Erica, thank you so much for having me. As we watch these elections unfold in Uganda, I
think, going into the elections, it was already clear, it wasn't a clear playing field -- a level playing field to begin with.
So, the outcome of the elections were some -- for the most part, predictable, so, it shouldn't really be a surprise for those who watch this
process very closely.
I think, for those -- for me, it wasn't necessarily about the election day itself or if President Museveni or Bobi Wine would prevail. But really,
looking at Uganda's institutions, and if the institutions, as they sit today will actually be able to handle this pre-election season that we see
ourselves going into. As you rightfully pointed out, Museveni is 81 years old, Uganda is among one of the youngest countries, has one of the youngest
populations in the world with an average age of about 17 years old.
So, this process, as we go into this post-election period, this is really a stress test, as we look at if the institutions, as they currently stand in
Uganda today will be able to handle the impacts of the outcomes of these elections.
HILL: So, give us an idea. When you talk about those institutions, what specifically are you going to be watching in this period as that -- as that
stress test?
ONUBOGU: I think, as you rightfully pointed out from the beginning, we have seen the role of security actors, the fact that you have had one individual
in power since 1986 has actually helped hollow out some of the institutions where power has become individualized, security actors now play stronger
role in the process, and you actually have some other actors too as well that have sort of held on to the center that are trying to position
themselves in this period of transition.
So, when you have all these actors at play, I think, and when it comes to who has to control power, these are the actors that, in my opinion, would
play a significant role in trying to shift the conversations during this period of transition.
HILL: It's going to be so interesting watch, because if we even look at what was happening during the election, right? It took place under an
internet blackout. Authorities said that was necessary to, in their view, prevent misinformation and violence. We know there was some violence.
You know, given what you've set up for us, given the fact that we are looking, you know, at the same leader who has been in place, who is, as you
noted, is 81, has been in power since 1986 it raises questions about whether Uganda can have free and fair elections.
ONUBOGU: And I think, again, as I -- as I said earlier on, it was already clear going into these elections, and we have seen this in the elections
before that the outcome was already predictable. So, for me, it wasn't necessarily about the process. It wasn't about the election day itself,
particularly, with these elections.
For me, it was the point you pointed out, this president is 81 years old, and as we look at him, his tenure in this next -- as he is set to win the
election so to be declared president, will he be able to see out this term, What the transition process would look like? And if the institutions as
they currently exist in Uganda today will be able -- will have the capacity to help this country evolve peacefully. Because I think we should really be
paying attention to this period of transition right now.
And considering the fact that this, as I pointed out, is a very young population. For so many of Museveni's supporters who look at him with
nostalgia and the idea that he provides a sense of stability, given the fact that the median-age in this country is an average of about 17, and you
are looking at about 70 percent of the population below the age of 30, for them, they do not look at Museveni from the perspective of stability, they
look at him as in tis is the only leader that they've always known, and in the period of knowing him, that we -- they have seen increased frustrations
and a lot of their needs not being met in terms of employment, in terms of education, and just social basic needs.
So, this -- this is the view going into this period post-election. And given these frustrations that we see in Uganda, considering the levels of
frustration that we also saw in neighboring Tanzania last year, and some of the happening in East Africa, will the institutions in Uganda be able to
sustain this period of sustained huge frustrations as we move past these elections.
HILL: Yes. Such important points and such critical insight. Oge, thank you. Really appreciate it.
ONUBOGU: Thank you so much, Erica.
HILL: The World Bank, says Africa's food and agriculture industry could be worth a trillion dollars by 2030 with the right investments. And one tech
firm is now aiming to help by creating an A.I. model that gives farmers better weather predictions.
CNN's Victoria Rubadiri, shows us how it just may allow them to improve their yields.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Developers in the free state province of South Africa, also known as the bread basket
of the country, are marrying the old and the new.
This team is combining generations of knowledge from local farmers with cutting edge artificial intelligence. With a rising threat of climate
change, their goal is to make accurate drought predictions for farmers across the continent.
The platform known as ITIKI Africa is the brainchild of Muthoni Masinde. It stands for information technology and indigenous knowledge with
intelligence.
MUTHONI MASINDE, FOUNDER, ITIKI AFRICA: Remember, indigenous knowledge come in as a story, so we pick that, and immediately artificial intelligence
kicks in. That we are able to convert what was originally a story into a number. We have access to professional weather station. We have our own
weather station. We check what are they saying, we compare them. So, with that now, we now -- we use artificial intelligence, specifically,
artificial neural networks to train and predict
[16:45:07]
RUBADIRI (voice over): Currently operating in South Africa, Kenya and Mozambique, ITIKI provides farmers with short-term and long-term drought
forecasts.
Masinde says some of their drought predictions can be made up to four years in advance. With 87 percent accuracy.
MASINDE: We use their local language to communicate this information, and for us, it's not just pieces of data, but we give them actionable plans.
This is what's going to happen, you should plant millet, not maize.
RUBADIRI (voice over): While its goal is to expand across the continent, the team says a seamless rollout has been difficult.
MASINDE: We are able now to scale up to across Africa. We are subscribing to services -- global services.
For example, we can get satellite data on weather for any country, and it's free. So, we use that now to scale up to other countries.
We just need to deal with that regulation issues, go through the regional economic blocks like East Africa Community or Sentech, and roll this out.
RUBADIRI (voice over): But for them, the efficiency, accuracy and opportunities A.I. has unlocked are worth persevering.
MASINDE: In 10 years, ITIKI on being every African country, predicting droughts ITIKI way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: So, it's likely you have noticed your social media flood -- a social media feed, rather, has been flooded with nostalgia. So, why? I'm going to
speak with tech journalist Taylor Lorenz about why there is such a yearn in this moment for 2016. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: OpenAI says it's now going to be in testing ads on ChatGPT for some of its users in the U.S. Those ads will appear at the bottom of the
chatbots answers. They will be introduced on the free and lowest paid versions of the platform.
Clare Duffy is on the story for us. How is this going to work, Clare? How is it going to not impact the results?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, Erica. This is a big change for ChatGPT users. As you said, logged in adult U.S. users will start to see
ads showing up at the bottom of their ChatGPT answers. For some queries, they will be labeled, and as you said, ChatGPT and OpenAI are trying to
reassure users that they will not be determining the answers to their questions based on the opportunity to serve ads.
[16:50:00]
They want to tell people that the quality is going to remain the same and not depend on its business strategy here.
What's also interesting is OpenAI says it will not be sharing user data or information about their conversations with advertisers directly, and users
will have the opportunity to turn off personalization.
And as you said, there will still be paid ad free tier. So, if you are already a subscriber to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, or its Business tiers, you will
not see ads. The ads are going to show up on its free tier, and this new $8 a month tier that ChatGPT announced today.
What I think is really interesting about this, is this is sort of a reversal for OpenAI. CEO Sam Altman has previously expressed reservations
about putting ads on ChatGPT. But this is coming at a time when OpenAI is really urgently trying to figure out how to generate more revenue from its
800 million ChatGPT users.
The company is on the hook to spend $1.4 trillion on A.I. infrastructure over the next eight years. And last year, it brought in around $20 billion
in annual revenue. So, this really is a business imperative. And you can see how this is a potentially lucrative opportunity for OpenA.I., given how
people tell ChatGPT really personal things about their lives, you know, if you ask chat GPT to help you plan a trip, that could serve you an ad for a
hotel.
But I do think this could be controversial with users for that same reason. They might feel uncomfortable about the idea of sharing personal
information and having that used to target them with ads. So, it is, I think, going to be really interesting to watch how users respond to this
move. Erica.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. We will be watching. Clare, appreciate it. Thank you.
Are you may have noticed a little social media trend? People posting photos from 2016 going all the way back in their camera reel. So, we thought we'd
take a look at the U.S. economy a decade ago.
Here is a snapshot. The Dow was trading at around 16,000 to begin the year. It's now, of course, around 50,000. Inflation back in 2016 2.1 percent, in
December of 2016. Of course, just last month, it was 2.7 percent here. The average U.S. salary 10 years ago, roughly $43,000. Last year, closer to
$63,000.
So, we thought we'd jump on the trend. Here is what we were up to back in 2016.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Powerball, Apple, Brexit, and, of course, Donald Trump. Just a few of the business stories that dominated 2016.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: President-elect Trump has vowed to overhaul the economy in his first 100 days in office. The orders are
flooding in for Elon Musk's latest Tesla. We already had the Model S, then, we got the Model X. Now, we have the Model Three.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Pokemon Go, Nintendo's wildly popular game played on smartphones. It's only about a week old.
QUEST: The State of California and the State of New York, well, they are planning to raise their minimum wage within the state to $15 an hour.
ASHER: After the initial success, Elizabeth Holmes and her medical tech company, Theranos, have been mired in controversy.
QUEST: This is the delight of Freddie Brexit camper van. It's a fine way to see the Britain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: The Brexit camper van. Taylor Lorenz is a technology journalist and the founder of usermag.co, also the author of "Extremely Online: The untold
story of fame, influence, and Power on the Internet". It's great to have you with us.
Can you tell me, as I'm seeing all this, and I'm actually loving seeing everybody's pictures, but why 2016, Taylor? What is it about that year?
TAYLOR LORENZ, TECHNOLOGY JOURNALIST: 2016 was kind of this pivotal role in culture and the Internet. I mean, some of what you were showing it was sort
of the last bastion of, you know, this liberal, progressive Internet, and the beginning of the tech lash, Donald Trump's election, and everything
just getting feeling a lot worse. Brexit happened as well.
So, there was just a vibe shift that year. And I think a lot of people are really nostalgic for, you know, the old kind of culture, our old political
system and our old Internet.
HILL: It's also -- I have to say, I found it too. It's a little bit of a break from the Daily Deluge. Right? Like the headlines -- the headlines to
kick off 2016 have been fairly heavy. This also feels like it's a bit of a break.
LORENZ: Yes, I think that -- I mean, in times of upheaval and crisis, we see people turn to nostalgia. Like this is a very well-known sort of
phenomenon. And I think, as you said, it's been a rough start to 2026. It's brutal out there. There is a lot of bad stuff happening. And so, I think,
people are just nostalgic for earlier times. Not like, I mean, 2016 was not all roses and sunshine, but I think a lot of people have emphasized it that
way.
HILL: I mean, hindsight is always 2020. Let's be honest. So, things always look pretty good in the rear-view mirror when you have enough time. Even
if, you know every year has its moments, of course.
The fact that brands are starting to jump in on this, does that say that it's over? Or are we going to see this continue?
[16:55:00]
LORENZ: Unfortunately, I think brands will just continue to push it, but I do think we are seeing it kind of like peak in terms of virality. I think
that over the past couple of weeks it's been spreading, I think, now, news organizations are covering it.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Yes.
LORENZ: The brands are hopping on board to be less (INAUDIBLE) to, you know, some of the Gen Z.
HILL: Yes, it was more of a Gen Z millennial thing. This Gen Xer may jump on board, which pretty much means it's probably over, as my teenage
children would tell me. It's also fascinating, though, that the Instagram of 2016 is not the Instagram of course, of 2026.
I mean, there were -- hello, algorithms. That's a big change.
LORENZ: Yes. So, 2016 was really the last year before we saw the rise of the algorithmic web.
So, Instagram, Twitter, a bunch of other platforms, basically, launched algorithmic feeds that year, for the first time. We also saw the shutdown
of Vine, the wildly popular video app that was never an algorithmic feed. Closed, announced their shutdown in October of 2016.
So, it was sort of this changing of the guard on the Internet, and I think we have seen the effects that, you know, algorithmic social media has had.
It's made it kind of brutal and intense. And I think people are just, yes, nostalgic for that old Instagram.
HILL: Yes.
LORENZ: 2016 is also when Instagram launched stories, by the way.
HILL: So, with life before stories, so, that we would have to go back to 2015. Do you think there is another year that is ripe for this kind of
movement online?
LORENZ: That's a really good question. We have seen previous kind of nostalgia, like people are already very nostalgic for 2020. You will see
this kind of come up a lot. I made a video last year on this, but people are really romanticizing the early days of the pandemic, when they had time
to just get home, relax, they were making sourdough bread, and now, they are kind of being forced, you know, back to work. It's not as fun.
So, you are already seeing a lot of nostalgia. I imagine we'll see that just kind of continue as we move closer to 2030 and then, it will be, you
know, the 10-year anniversary of when COVID started.
HILL: Ohm geez, I can't even wrap my head around that, because it will be here before I blink.
Taylor, really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
LORENZ: Thanks for having me.
HILL: When it comes to Wall Street on this Friday, not a ton of movement. The Dow shedding 83 points. Both the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ did manage to
edge slightly into the red. All three indices hitting bottom, though in early trading. That was right after President Trump suggested he may keep
Fed Chair candidate Kevin Hassett in his current role as the president's top economic adviser.
For a closer look at the Dow components, bit of a mixed day when we look at tech shares. IBM there at the top, as you see up more than 2-1/2 percent.
Microsoft and Amazon, also in the green. Walmart gaining four percent -- 44 percent rather, after announcing several executive changes. As for
Salesforce down at the bottom there off nearly three percent.
That is going to do it for this edition of QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks so much for joining us this hour. Stay tuned. "THE LEAD WITH
JAKE TAPPER" starts now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
