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Quest Means Business

FDA Reverses Course, Says Will Review Moderna Flu Shot; Cubans Face Economic Crisis Amid U.S. Oil Blockade; Ireland Makes Basic Income for Artists Program Permanent. Zuckerberg Gives Heated Testimony in Defense of Meta; ECB: Lagarde has not Made Decision about When She will Leave; Former Danish Foreign Minister Discusses U.S. Threats. Aired 4:00p-5p ET

Aired February 18, 2026 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:20]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Look, some modest gain, but the Dow is struggling -- struggling, but it is getting closer once again to 50,000.

Those are the markets and these are the main events.

Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg says Instagram was designed to be valuable, not harmful, as he takes a stand in a landmark trial.

Denmark's King visits Greenland as its Prime Minister warns President Trump is still serious about taking the territory. I will speak with the

country's former Foreign Minister and candidates are already jockeying to be the next ECB President, as rumors swirl that Christine Lagarde could be

headed for an early exit.

Live from New York, it is Wednesday, February 18th. I am Paula Newton, in for Richard Quest and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.

And good evening, tonight heated testimony from Mark Zuckerberg as he tried to defend his company from accusations of being intentionally addictive to

young users. The Meta CEO arrived to testify in a landmark social media trial earlier, lawyers questioned Zuckerberg over whether the company knew

it had users under the age of 13 and whether it specifically aimed to get people to spend more time with the app.

Now, parents who say their kids were hurt by social media traveled from right around the country to attend this trial. A group of them held hands

ahead of Zuckerberg's arrival. You see them there.

Veronica miracle is outside the courthouse for us in Los Angeles and good to have you here. At this point, Veronica, in terms of what we heard so

far, just give me a sense of the testimony, but also the mood in the courtroom?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, we have a colleague inside, Samantha Delouya who says it has been getting heated at times, but

we heard directly from the parents because they are on a break right now.

Mark Zuckerberg, he has been testifying all morning, and they are on lunch at the moment and so that group of parents that you saw who took that photo

outside before they went into the courtroom early this morning, they came out, and I did ask what exactly was said. What did they feel? What did they

see Mark Zuckerberg saying, hear Mark Zuckerberg say that stood out to them and so I just want you to hear directly from the parents. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIANNA ARNOLD, MEMBER, PARENTS RISE!: The things that came up were that he really didn't have very good answers and very clear answers as to why

the internal documentation stated that they were targeting under 13-year- olds, actively targeting under 13-year-olds that are not supposed to be on their platform anyway.

They were using filters and beauty filters, even though they knew that, you know, professionals and researchers that they hired told them that this is

harmful for girls' mental health. The third is that they say that they were -- he actually said and stated in his testimony that they were not trying

to increase user numbers for teens to increase profits. He said they're trying to increase the value, yet he never defined the value.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: That was Julianna Arnold, her 17-year-old daughter, she says was killed and died rather after she was on Instagram and met a man who sold

her a pill laced with fentanyl and since then, she has been advocating for safety for children and young children -- young, young children so that

they have a better and more safer experience on these platforms, and with all of those parents.

But this case specifically revolves around a 20-year-old woman named Kaley and her mother. They have accused Meta and other social media companies of

creating addictive behaviors on the social media app, and they say Kaley, she started using Instagram when she was nine years old, and her lawyers

say by the time she was a teenager, she was using the app more than 16 hours a day, which she says led to serious mental health issues.

Now, how this case goes will have serious implications. That's why you saw Julianna Arnold there and so many other parents, and that's why so many

eyes are on this courtroom today, because how this goes depends on how many billions of dollars potentially that Meta and other social media platforms

could be held liable for any damages. It could open the door to other cases. There are actually 1,500 other cases, just like this one going to

trial. And it could force these social media companies to significantly change the foundation in which these apps operate, including their

algorithms.

So, it will be very interesting to see -- we are expecting, we have heard that Mark Zuckerberg will again take the stand after lunch. And of course,

we will bring you more as soon as we hear.

Back to you.

NEWTON: Absolutely, Veronica, thank you so much for giving us that update. And as you said, they're on a lunch break. We will continue to bring you

more news from Los Angeles when it happens.

[16:05:10]

We do want to indicate, though, that today's testimony comes after the head of Instagram testified last week.

Adam Mosseri said he does not think users can be clinically addicted to the app. The company's lawyers also argued the plaintiff's difficulties and you

just heard Veronica telling us about that young woman's problems in her life -- in her young life and Meta is saying that look, it was a result of

a difficult childhood rather than Instagram.

Also worth noting here, Meta and YouTube are the only companies on trial. TikTok and Snap settled the lawsuit before the case even reached a jury.

Details of the settlement were not disclosed.

Domenic Romano is an entertainment and business attorney. He is also the managing partner at Romano Law, and he joins us now.

I want to thank you for being with us. I mean look, a lot of attention being paid to this trial. What do you think that you've heard so far in

terms of what it means? Again, understanding that we are just at the beginning of this testimony.

DOMENIC ROMANO, ENTERTAINMENT AND BUSINESS ATTORNEY, MANAGING PARTNER AT ROMANO LAW: Yes, I think you're right. It is still early, but it is not

looking good for Meta or Zuckerberg. It is going to all come down to what they knew, what the executive knew, when they knew it, and what they did

about it.

NEWTON: What do you think of the comparisons here that people have been making to what -- the kind of defense that tobacco companies would have put

up decades ago?

ROMANO: That's exactly the comparison I was thinking about earlier today. And again what does the internal research show? Does it show that children

and it does apparently, according to some sources, that there is a substantial number of children under 13 on the platform as far back as over

10 years ago. The company knew this. What did they do about that?

NEWTON: Now, for parents --

ROMANO: Just as AND tobacco companies, do we know now that -- sorry, that they knew about the cancer risk.

NEWTON: Right exactly.

ROMANO: The parallel is --

NEWTON: Go ahead.

ROMANO: No you're right. It is that they knew about the cancer. The tobacco company analogy is that they knew about the cancer risk for decades before

they did anything about it. When they were forced to by the government to put warnings on cigarette packages, et cetera.

NEWTON: Yes and I ask you because parents and users from this trial really want to know how this evidence, the outcome of this trial, how it could

possibly change social media, the way it is programmed, marketed and used in the future?

ROMANO: Yes, exactly. It is about the algorithms and whether they are harmful and whether they are ensnaring children in their ability to

encourage addiction, frankly. There is an unprecedented number of hours that youth teenagers and children are now spending on the screen, and it

has been going up every year if you look at the statistics and are the social media platforms in the algorithms that they are designing and

propagating using in the auto scroll features that they have, in the suggested content that they're pushing forward, are they encouraging that

type of addiction, that digital addiction amongst young people in particular? That's the question.

NEWTON: And of course, Meta and other social media companies say that they absolutely are not, but I am wondering, because we see so little progress

in the United States on any kind of regulation, you know, how could this affect the tech that the next generation contends with? Because Meta, if

you look at it now, they are in fact spending tens of millions of dollars to influence state elections in this country in the fall. They are trying

to convince politicians that things like A.I. regulation are a bad idea, not necessary.

Do you think that what happens in this trial could possibly have an effect here legally, in terms of setting the precedent? Because it doesn't seem

like you know politicians are really going to be regulating any of this any time soon.

ROMANO: No, it doesn't, but on the other hand, if you look at public opinion, the majority of people are concerned in this country and our

governments haven't taken the steps that some European governments have in Scandinavia of reducing the times that that young people are allowed to

spend on screens, even in school situations.

So, it will be interesting to see what kind of an impact that the verdict in this trial will have on public policy.

NEWTON: Yes, as I said very. We will very closely watch. We will continue to watch it. I want to thank you for your insights, Domenic Romano. Thanks

so much.

ROMANO: It is a pleasure. Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, the European Central Bank says President Christine Lagarde has not made any decision about when she will step down. There was rampant

speculation after "The Financial Times" reported Lagarde would leave before the French presidential election in April 2027. Now, her term doesn't end

until October of that year.

An early exit would give France's President Emmanuel Macron a say in Lagarde's successor.

Anna Cooban has been on this story for us and she joins us now from London.

[16:10:05]

You know, Anna, this may indeed be a personal decision, but the fallout of course, if not, the intent will be very political.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yes, and this is not the first time in the past year, Paula, that there have been these rumors that

Christine Lagarde might leave before the end of the scheduled end of her term. And yes, you've mentioned there the sort of suggestion that this

could be if this is true, this could be to do with the fact that Macron will not be in office in a few months, and he would like to potentially

have a hand in naming her successor.

And the context to that is that the far-right party, the National Rally is doing pretty well in the polls in France, and so it is not inconceivable

that they could, you know, take the presidency and this is a Eurosceptic party, the ECB is a major European institution. And I suppose the thinking

would be that they would want to install somebody pretty favorable to European institutions ahead of that potential win for this far-right party.

But I think, Capital Economics, this is a consultancy, said it pretty well earlier today in a note. They said Paula, that this is just not a good

look. Any sort of political engineering around the appointment of the ECB President is something which could potentially undermine the credibility

and the independence of this institution.

And this is a big issue we've seen in the U.S. over the past few months. The issue of Central Bank independence, President Trump pressuring the Fed

to lower interest rates. And so, this is a report that needs to be said Paula, but I think at the end of the day, the mere appearance that there

might be some political engineering here is enough to potentially lower the estimation of the ECB in many people's minds.

NEWTON: Interesting, and in terms of if this does end up happening and again, it might just be for personal reasons, are there thoughts on who

might replace her?

COOBAN: Well, "The FT" did a poll of economists towards the end of last year, and two names were really cropping up as potential successors. Youve

got Pablo Hernandez De Cos, the former Spanish Central Bank President, and then Klaas Knot, the former Dutch Central Bank President. So one is more

hawkish, that's Knot, which means that he is more likely to want to keep interest rates high whereas De Cos is more of a dove. He is more likely to

keep interest rates low to stimulate employment. But fundamentally, Paula, these are two mainstream candidates, mainstream Central Bankers. They are

known entities.

And I think it is fair to say that for many European leaders, they want -- they don't want more unpredictability. I mean over the past few years,

we've had several crises -- COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ECB's inflation is now back down to target around two percent, and

I think many people would like to see that trend continue.

NEWTON: Anna Cooban for us, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Now Denmark's King has arrived in Greenland as President Trump and his allies push for U.S. control of the territory. I will speak with a former

Danish Finance Minister after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:25]

NEWTON: Denmark's King Frederik has arrived in Greenland for a three-day visit. He was welcomed in Nuuk by the territory's prime minister. As part

of his trip, hell visit Denmark's Joint Arctic Command.

Now, just last week, the Danish Prime Minister warned that the U.S. still wants control over the island. Tensions reportedly flared between Mette

Frederiksen and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham at the Munich Security Conference.

Jeppe Kofod is the former Foreign Minister of Denmark, and he joins us now from Copenhagen.

Good to see you and I thank you for being with us.

As Greenland and Denmark still continue to be on the mind of many, I mean, you point out that, look the King's trip is highly symbolic. It signals

unity and reassurance at this very fraught time. But I am wondering, can the visit also help to pressure the United States, which still apparently

isn't about to back off?

JEPPE KOFOD, FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER OF DENMARK: Yes, I mean it sends a very clear signal that Greenland is not some bargaining chip or an island

that you can negotiate over. It is a people, it is a nation, it is a hundred years of institutions and traditions, including, of course, the

King of Denmark that is now visiting Greenland and the King's mother, the Queen. Both are very popular in Greenland and many, many Greenlandic people

feel this strong community, so therefore it is actually a very important thing that the King visited Greenland exactly at this time of geopolitical

turbulence.

NEWTON: It certainly offers some reassurance. I am wondering, though, Greenland as you say, wants respect for its identity and sovereignty, but

so does Denmark. And I am sure you'll agree with that. So, when President Trump dismissively says NATO allies "stayed a little back" in Afghanistan,

ignoring Denmark's significant contribution and I will say your losses there or we have Senator Graham, you know calling your Prime Minister a

"little lady."

I mean how best do you believe it is to really take the tone down here? At the same time, being firm with the United States that we are not backing

away?

KOFOD: Well, of course, I think it is very important to keep a good and constructive tone, and that is what the Kingdom of Denmark is doing --

Greenland and Denmark in this matter, despite whatever comes the other way. I think that is very important.

Secondly, there is this high level working group now established between the United States and Greenland and Denmark, which is now working on the

issues that is in a way dividing us, and therefore there is a diplomatic process ongoing. But that doesn't mean that the discussion over is

Greenland ended or anything like that as the Prime Minister of Denmark has said so yes, it is very important in these times that the King who loved

Greenland and also the Greenlandic people who love the King goes there and show the concern and reassurance, as you said that we are a part of a long

history, a part of a community that we now take care of each other in this difficult times because we don't have to underestimate how emotional this

has been for everybody, but most of all, for the Greenlandic people to have this you know, huge dispute over their land and their future.

NEWTON: Yes, and kind of it comes out of nowhere and I am sure there have been a lot of sleepless nights over it.

I do want to ask you, what can Denmark and Greenland do if the president, President Trump refuses to back down and begins a campaign of retribution?

Now, look, he has said, you know, he is not going to entertain any military action, but he can certainly do a lot of other damage.

KOFOD: Yes, I mean, what we can do is try to bring the temperature down and sit in the room as adults and talk about how we resolve the issues between

us. And as I understand, and it has been reiterated by President Trump many times, his concerns is national security of the United States, of North

America and Greenland is, of course, key and therefore, let's solve that issue and that's also why NATO has now, you know, a historical huge

deployment of troops and assets in the High North in the Arctic area, including Greenland, and the Arctic Century, this new operation is taking

place and U.S. is part of it with NATO allies.

[16:20:12]

So, I think on that front, there is a good development. But of course, it doesn't mean that White House and Trump will step down from his -- well,

from his wishes to take over Greenland unfortunately, not yet.

NEWTON: And given this, how important is it that NATO allies, E.U. allies are upping their contributions to defense? I mean, look, I visited with

Danish troops in Afghanistan, when they were and I understand in terms of that long tradition. So, how much does it mean to you that other allies,

most of them, are now coming to the table?

KOFOD: It means a lot. And as you know, in Europe among NATO allies, most people are talking about the Greenland moment where, you know, the way that

President Trump treated this issue was such a division that has shaken the trust and credibility of United States in Europe even for the most

transatlantic people in Europe, for the ones who are proponents of a very strong Transatlantic Alliance.

So, I think you will see that Europeans will come together. We already are very much together, E.U. and NATO countries, and also as you alluded to,

Afghanistan. I mean, we have veterans like you have veterans in the United States. We have families that lost their dear ones in Afghanistan, and per

capita, Denmark suffered actually even more than the U.S. in the operation in Afghanistan.

We were there in Helmand in the most dangerous and difficult environments with the United States, with U.K. and other key allies you know, and not

only risking but also paying the highest price for defending our freedom and defeating the terrorist threat. So that is something that is painful in

Denmark, I can tell you that to start questioning what veterans and what troops did because they made a big difference in Afghanistan with the

United States.

NEWTON: Yes, it certainly did reverberate there in Denmark and beyond with those other allies.

We will leave it there for now, Jeppe Kofod, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

KOFOD: You're welcome.

NEWTON: Now, in a controversial shift earlier this year, U.S. health officials slashed the childhood vaccine schedule from 17 vaccines to just

11. They are taking inspiration, though, from Denmark's approach.

CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta went to Copenhagen to find out why some Americans believe Denmark's model is worth following.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Denmark has long recommended childhood vaccines than the United States. Babies here

leave the hospital without any shots. By the time they're 12 years old. Most Danish children have received vaccines against 10 diseases.

Now compare that to the United States, until recently, American officials recommended children get vaccinated for 17 diseases. Now, six of those are

still available but no longer recommended. Hepatitis A and B, meningitis, rotavirus, flu and COVID-19.

Some of those, like hepatitis B, are still a serious threat in certain parts of the United States, but not so much in Denmark. About six in every

100,000 Americans are diagnosed every year with chronic hepatitis B, compare that to less than two per 100,000 in Denmark. That means around

18,000 Americans diagnosed every year, compared to about a hundred in Denmark.

GUPTA (on camera): So this is a referral hospital?

DR. JENS LUNDGREN, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, PROFESSOR OF VIRAL DISEASES, UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN: That's right.

GUPTA (voice over): Dr. Jens Lundgren is a specialist in infectious diseases. He sits on the panel that decides which vaccines to give

Denmark's children.

GUPTA (on camera): Did it surprise you when you heard that the United States is trying to emulate their vaccine schedule on Denmark?

LUNDGREN: Yes, I certainly didn't see that coming. You cannot just take what has been carefully thought through in one geographical location and

just extrapolate that and generalize that.

GUPTA: I think part of the reason that they emulate Denmark is because Denmark has the fewest vaccines on the schedule.

LUNDGREN: But, you see that's not a good argument, right? So, why do you want to condense your vaccine program against the fewest vaccine? You want

to have the right vaccines for the public health that you have in your population.

GUPTA: You believe these vaccines that we are talking about on the childhood vaccine schedule, you believe they are safe and effective.

LUNDGREN: Correct.

GUPTA: That's not the concern.

LUNDGREN: That's not the debate here.

GUPTA: So what is it fundamentally about?

LUNDGREN: We have come to realize after we have made some mistakes, also early on in how the vaccine program that its entirely based on trust. The

trust. The trust -- parents need to trust when we come with a new vaccine into the program, they need to trust that that's very sensible to do and

they would therefore adhere to that.

[16:25:13 ]

GUPTA (voice over): Lundgren and his colleagues are now considering adding another vaccine, the one for chickenpox. Most Danes trust their government.

Of the world's most advanced economies, it ranks near the top, and here is the United States, dead last. Just 28 percent of Americans trust the

government.

Danish trust in government goes far beyond vaccines. Even after parents leave the hospital, child rearing looks a whole lot different here.

GUPTA (on camera): I want to show you something pretty extraordinary. Weve come to visit two-and-a-half-month-old Ester. Of course, we expected to

find her inside the house, given how cold it is. But instead, here she is in a stroller outside, freezing cold temperatures. You'll see this

everywhere in Denmark.

Parents swear by the fresh air for their heavily swaddled babies. The family is waiting for a home health nurse to arrive, who will come free of

charge five to six times during the baby's first year of life.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: Oh, you're so strong! Should we start by weighing you or should we start by measuring you? Oh, am I getting a smile?

GUPTA (on camera): What I am struck by is Demark is so different than the United States. You're here. Parental leave, nationalized health care

system.

KENNETH SEJR HANSEN, FATHER OF THREE: Obviously, there a lot of people in the U.S. who are not that fan of the government, actually running anything

at all.

EDITH MARIE NIELSEN, MOTHER OF THREE: It is two completely different countries. Right? And its run differently. And politically, governmentally,

but I would want for the people in the U.S. to have some of the benefits that we experience, because I do believe it benefits me as a parent. I

believe it works, so I basically trust the system, right, that they have decided it for me and it works.

GUPTA: Vaccination isn't the only reason that outbreaks are less common here in Denmark. The National Serum Institute, or SSI here in Copenhagen

keeps meticulous medical records of all Danish citizens, helping them track illnesses to help predict and even prevent outbreaks.

What makes Denmark's superpower is data tracking.

LONE SIMONSEN, PROFESSOR OF POPULATION HEALTH SCIENCES, ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY: Whenever someone is tested for something it goes into one

database. Whenever someone is vaccinated, it goes into one database. It doesn't go to all kinds of places. It is one place, and then it is quite

doable to link all this together.

GUPTA (voice over): Americans might be uncomfortable with that level of tracking, but it is one of the many factors that makes the Danish system

work. It is easy to see reflections of the MAHA movement here. Danes emphasize personal health to ward off disease, and they are skeptical of

too much medical intervention.

But the success of the Danish system is based on so much more than the number of vaccines parents give their children, nationalized health care,

high trust and a lot of strong co-dependence on one another.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Copenhagen, Denmark.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now Moderna says U.S. regulators have now agreed to review its new flu vaccine. Shares in the drugmaker jumped six percent on the news.

Moderna is the first to develop a flu vaccine using mRNA technology. The Food and Drug Administration initially rejected the company's application,

a rare move by the agency.

Moderna has since proposed a revised regulatory approach. Jacqueline Howard is here with me.

Jacqueline, we just saw Sanjay Gupta's report, and through all this, we had the news that they would not take a look at it. Why the reversal now?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Exactly, Paula. So we have heard that Moderna has since met with the FDA. They sat down and had a meeting to

talk this through and it turns out that the FDA has reversed its decision.

Here is what we are hearing from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where the FDA falls under. And here is what we are hearing from

Moderna.

So, we did hear from the federal agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that "Discussions with the company led to a revised

regulatory approach and an amended application, which FDA accepted."

And then Moderna's CEO said this: "We appreciate the FDA's engagement in a constructive Type A meeting and its agreement to advance our application

for review. Pending FDA approval, we look forward to making our flu vaccine available later this year so that America's seniors have access to a new

option to protect themselves against flu."

But like you said, Paula, this back and forth did surprise many people and when you think about the review process for flu vaccinations here in the

United States, each year, the federal government, federal health officials review applications for the seasonal flu vaccine that's released for the

upcoming flu season.

So right now, federal health officials are reviewing applications for the flu shot that will be used in this upcoming fall 2026, going into the

winter 2027.

[16:30:24]

And we also know that this particular vaccine, it's one of a kind so far. It's Moderna's first flu vaccine that utilizes MRNA technology. So when

Moderna submitted their application for review about two weeks ago, the FDA sent the company a letter in which the FDA refused to review the

application. And as we just heard from both parties, a meeting took place and now that decision has been reversed.

So we're waiting to see what will happen next as this new version of the review process moves forward -- Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. We will wait to see because there's certainly a lot of hope that that new platform for vaccines will

prove to be highly effective.

HOWARD: Exactly.

NEWTON: Jacqueline Howard for us, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Now Ireland is providing a basic income for a select number of local artists. Details on the now permanent program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: The White House says Cuba is collapsing and that it's in the country's best interest to make dramatic changes soon. Now, the comments

come as Cuba runs out of oil under a crippling U.S. blockade.

Patrick Oppmann gives us a closer look at the fuel crisis from the streets of Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Owning a classic car in Cuba used to be a goldmine. Until recently, Mandy Pruna earned more from

one hour of driving tourists in his vintage 1957 Chevrolet than most Cubans do in a month. But he's no longer able to make a living.

[16:35:01]

Just before taking me out for a spin, Mandy canceled his permit to work as a chauffeur.

"Everything is uncertain at the moment," he says. "There's no fuel. We don't know if there will be any and how we will pay for it. There's no

tourism."

Cuba is becoming an increasingly paralyzed country, as the Trump administration's policy of blocking oil shipments from abroad cripples an

already ailing economy. Where just weeks ago cars lined up for hours at the pump, now there's no one because there's no longer any gas. Each day public

transportation is harder to find. Many switch to bicycles.

When I first came to Cuba, the Soviet Union had just fallen and there were more bikes on the road than there were cars. As this crisis goes on, it

feels more and more like we're returning to those times.

(Voice-over): The White House is strong-arming Cuba's communist-run government to open politically and economically in exchange for the fuel

shipments to resume. Cubans are seeing food prices soar as the crisis drags on.

"We are paying two, three times as much to restock and keep people happy," a vendor tells me. There's no food."

And there's no immediate solution in sight.

This is the kind of place that I buy vegetables for my family. And most of the products are coming from outside Havana. Transporting them from the

countryside is going to get more difficult, if not impossible. Cuban officials have responded by saying people need to start growing their own

food.

(Voice-over): Cuba may just be weeks or perhaps days away from running out of fuel. A humanitarian disaster could be on the horizon. Already, many

fishing boats sit idle.

"One can't work. The country is stuck. There's no industry. Nothing is happening," this fisherman tells me. "We will see how this ends."

Until then, the best many Cubans can hope for is to stay afloat as their country goes under.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana,

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Ireland's Jessie Buckley is among the -- this year's Oscar nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She already took home a Golden Globe

for her performance in "Hamnet." A new Irish show premiered on Netflix last week, "How to Get to Heaven from Belfast." That was recommended to me, by

the way. And the Irish band U2 released six new songs today. They just dropped. That was ahead of their album that's dropping later this year.

And it all goes to show how this mighty country of just five million people has an outsized influence on culture right around the world. The Irish

government is working to maintain this position. It's providing a basic income to 2,000 artists so they can afford to really focus their craft.

Now, the pandemic era program was just made permanent this month. It builds on a long standing scheme exempting some Irish artists from actually paying

income tax on the sale of their work.

Maria Fleming is the chair of Ireland's National Campaign for the Arts, and she joins us now from Dublin.

And this program is so intriguing to me. You know, artists and creators are no doubt national treasures. But you don't see many governments really

taking that sentiment and putting cold, hard cash behind it.

MARIA FLEMING, CHAIR, IRELAND'S NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE ARTS: No, that's true. And we are delighted and very pleased that our government is showing

this, their confidence in the arts in Ireland but, you know, we're about to head into the month of March and St. Patrick's Day, and our politicians

will travel all over the world for St. Patrick's Day. And when they do, what they bring with them is our culture.

It's what we're known for Irish dancing, Irish singing, and we do, as you say, we punch above our weight for the size of our country, and with the

culture that we have. And in the past, in our history, many of our artists had to leave Ireland in order to be successful. And what we're hoping now,

one of the aims of the Basic Income for Artists scheme is to retain our artists in our country and to provide culture for us that can be enjoyed by

others abroad, but that artists no longer have to leave in order to survive.

NEWTON: And I was going to ask you a little bit more about that. What does this -- because it's not a -- it's good money, but it's not a huge amount

of money. So what does it mean to those local artists?

FLEMING: Yes, and the fantastic thing you mentioned, we had a pilot scheme which is just drawing to a close, and that ran for three and a half years.

And the brilliant thing about that is the Green Party minister, Catherine Martin, who set that up insisted on there being gold standard research

alongside the pilot and what that's been able to show us is the artists that were on the scheme and in receipt of it cut back on the work that they

did that was outside their art so if they were also a barista or a teacher on the side, they cut back that work and they put more time into their art.

They invested 40 percent of the basic income that they received.

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They invested back into their art form whether that was through materials, marketing their self, booking studio time, and also their well-being and

their health improved. And with that, that allowed them to have more confidence and more ability to deliver art that we all in Irish society and

abroad get to enjoy.

And what was fantastic about the pilot was there was also a control group, so 2,000 people received the income, 997 didn't receive the income but

completed the same surveys. And we were able to see the different situations, the precarity and the difficulties for the control group who

were not receiving the income and the growth and surge in confidence and in increased productivity from those who were in receipt of it. And I can't

wait to see what the next cohort, the next 2,000 who receive it deliver for us.

NEWTON: We can't wait either, Maria. I mean, really, that's quite a bit of data behind that. It is very impressive. And it is your national heritage,

right? It is a bit like protecting a national legacy, a national endowment, even a landmark. Right? You wouldn't allow a landmark like the Eiffel Tower

or London Bridge to fall apart. So this is really protecting that endowment.

FLEMING: It is. And you mentioned there Jessie Buckley and U2. But we all know that, like, they are fantastic stars and they have really honed their

craft, but they have to come through a process. You know, Jessie Buckley, you know, she was involved in amateur dramatics and in musical societies

before she became an Oscar nominated actor. And what this is allowing us to do is to support the grassroots and the emerging artists and the mid-career

artists, you know, who are about to break out.

And we're delighted to see that retention of the artists. And it is a small amount of money like its 325 euro per week. But what's great about it,

compared to, say, an arts grant that you have to apply for, it's guaranteed income that's coming in. You're not having to, you know, fill out an

application and try and guess what the funders want you to deliver or stay within the, you know, a fashion or a phase that art is going through.

You really get to concentrate on the art that drives you, that is your vision, that is your passion, and that is what we are seeing artists really

coming into their own. And there's interest not just from yourselves, but all over Europe and Canada and our neighbors in the U.K. k everybody is

interested to talk to us about what is this and how do we get it.

NEWTON: Right. That is so interesting that you're getting, you know, that kind of interest right around the world.

Maria, we have to leave it there. But I certainly hope we make starving artists an oxymoron in a lot of countries that can't afford to do this for

their artists.

Maria Fleming for us from Dublin, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

And that is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. Up next, "MARKETPLACE ASIA."

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