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Quest Means Business
Spain Says It Has Reversed Rush Of Migrants From Morocco; Citadel Buys Most Of Struggling A.I. Hedge Fund's Portfolio; CNN Delves Into The Peptide Trade; More Calls For FIFA To Drop Private Investment Plan; Evacuees Return Home To Find Devastation In France. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired July 31, 2026 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:15]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A stellar day for stocks at the end of a volatile week. The Dow rising 280 points. The NASDAQ finishing up
about one percent. Those are the markets and these are the main events.
Spain is in crisis as tens of thousands of migrants stream across the border to Ceuta.
Tech stock volatility forces a fire sale from a prominent A.I. hedge fund. Ken Griffin has now come to the rescue.
And the head of the Edinburgh Zoo would tell me about all the baby animals bringing crowds this summer.
Live from Atlanta, it is Friday, July 31st. I am Lynda Kinkade in for Richard Quest and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Good evening.
A sudden influx of migrants to a small Spanish territory in North Africa is sending shockwaves across Europe. An estimated 50,000 people surged into
Ceuta on Thursday. Spain now says most of them have returned to Morocco. Local authorities say at least 57 people died in the rush, many drowning.
A number of E.U. leaders are denouncing the Spanish government over this border emergency. Italy says it is suspending the European Union's Border
Free Agreement with Spain.
Nada Bashir takes a closer look at the migrants risking it all to make the dangerous crossing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(PEOPLE speaking in foreign language.)
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice over): This was the chaotic scene on Ceuta's coast on Thursday, as tens of thousands of migrants stormed the
border, separating the tiny Spanish territory and Morocco.
Thousands are said to have braved the sea in a desperate attempt to reach the enclave's coastline, some even climbing through barbed wire. Many of
them were young men seen here celebrating.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.)
BASHIR (voice over): "Two hours at sea," he says, pulling his little brother close, but among them are also families, women and children seeking
a better life in Europe. This man stops in a moment of prayer, relief mixed with exhaustion.
The crossing, while short, is far from an easy feat and not all were successful. Many are reported to have been killed in the perilous endeavor,
an all too familiar fate for migrants searching for salvation across seas.
The reason behind the surge in migrants attempting to illegally cross Ceuta's border is not immediately clear. Although Spain's Prime Minister
has accused human trafficking rings of exploiting a Supreme Court ruling issued in July, which prohibits Spanish authorities from immediately
returning migrants who arrive by sea without due process.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.)
BASHIR (voice over): "I understand why they come. They're told that there is a future in Spain, that there are jobs here," this young man, a migrant
already living in Spain says, "... and the truth is, there are. But when they arrive, they're faced with the harsh reality that they have nothing
and people treat them as if they were nobodies."
And it is not long before that harsh reality becomes apparent. Thousands of migrants are reported to have already made their way back into Morocco
according to the Spanish government, some returning through the border crossing under the careful watch of Spanish troops, others crawling through
breached fences along the coast.
Additional troops were deployed to Ceuta, according to Spain's Interior Ministry, to help respond to the crisis. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro
Sanchez, vowing on Friday to dedicate additional state resources to guarantee the region's security.
PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Ceuta is a Spanish city and what happened yesterday deserves our full re-approach, our
full condemnation at the strongest possible level of rejection, condemnation and consideration as deplorable the violation and the attack
on the territorial integrity of the Spanish city, namely the city of Ceuta.
BASHIR: But the Prime Minister is also facing backlash for his long- standing open arms approach to immigration, allowing migrants access to all of Europe. His Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni has called for Spain to
be expelled from the E.U.'s visa free travel zone.
France's Interior Minister, meanwhile, has pledged to strengthen the country's border with Spain, and while the summer months have long proven a
key pressure point in Europe's efforts to secure its borders, this latest crisis is further galvanizing the right in its hardline approach to
tackling illegal migration.
Nada Bashir, CNN in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Spain's Prime Minister is pushing back after those comments from Italy's Meloni. He wrote on social media that Italy has had the greatest
number of illegal migrant entries into the E.U. over the past five years.
I want to straight to our Barbie Latza Nadeau, who is in Rome.
[16:05:08]
Barbie, good to have you with us. It was just extraordinary seeing the tens of thousands of migrants rushing the border, Spain and Morocco working
together to try and return these migrants.
Just explain what exactly is happening on the ground at this hour and whether this might be a longer term cooperation partnership, or whether it
is just crisis management at this point.
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN ROME CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, it really does seem to be crisis management at this point and , you know, we are seeing
those images of those migrants going back into Morocco under that watchful eye of the Armed Forces and things like that, but the repercussions of this
are already spreading across Europe. We've seen here tonight in Italy that the Italian government has indeed suspended the visa free travel under
Schengen. That means that anyone arriving from Spain into Italy by land or sea is subject to border control.
Now, that's something that we haven't had, obviously, with the Schengen zone and the European Union. This is extraordinary, but it is not
unprecedented. Italy did the same thing with Slovenia a few years ago when they had a migrant crisis. But what is really quite, I think, most
interesting of all of this is, are those comments from the Spanish government.
Italy is generally the epicenter for irregular migration into Europe and Giorgia Meloni campaigned successfully four years ago on a very strong
anti-immigration platform and she has been quite successful. That said, Italy has still had more irregular illegal entries into Europe this year so
far, way ahead of Spain, except for, of course, the last 24 hours.
So, you know, you're hearing this really tough talk out of Italy, but in years past, this is the same kind of language that other European countries
have used against Italy. So it is quite shocking to hear Italy saying, you know, we need stronger border controls and things like that.
You know, we have seen in Italy, other countries, including France, who have tightened the borders within the Schengen districts using, you know,
at least saying now are targeted stops to control identities. But all of this doesn't bode well, obviously, for travelers and tourists who might be
just, you know, not a European member people, not be Europeans traveling from Spain to Italy. They are subject now to controls.
And we don't know what this looks like. Our cruise ships, our ferries, our roadways, you know, what is this really going to look like? And we are just
hitting the busiest travel season here in Europe of the year. So it is really -- it is really a moment where everybody is wondering what this is
going to look like and how difficult it is going to make travel -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly.
Good to get that update from you, Barbie Latza Nadeau, thanks very much.
Well, Sanchez says his government has been in constant communication with the Moroccan authorities. Ceuta with a population of just over 80,000
people, has been the subject of past diplomatic disputes between the two countries and as a result, the local population is highly attuned to the
issue of migration.
Now, to learn more about the territory and how it fits into the migration issue. I want to welcome Javier Zarzalejos. He is a Spanish member of the
European Parliament and the chair of its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
Very good to have you on the program. Thanks for your time.
JAVIER ZARZALEJOS, SPANISH MEMBER EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE CHAIR OF ITS COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS. Thanks for having
me.
KINKADE: So what we've just seen, according to Spanish authorities, is one of the largest mass migrant crossings, overwhelming the local services
there, prompting Spain to deploy the military.
From the European Parliament's perspective, what does this crisis tell us right now about the E.U.'s current migration and border policies?
ZARZALEJOS: Well, it is clear that it is an unprecedented situation. We had had immigration crisis in the European Union, but basically due to military
conflicts or people who were displaced or because they were part of some sort of hybrid war, strategies, this is not the case what has happened in
Ceuta, in which a very small city, 80,000 people of population has seen the regular entry of over 50,000 migrants.
And I said, this is unprecedented and it shows that the European Union has to be a chain in which all the parts have the same strength otherwise the
whole migration policy and our ability to manage our borders simply won't work.
KINKADE: You know, we are hearing from Spanish officials saying that smugglers may have exploited a recent Supreme Court ruling over
immigration. What is your understanding about that ruling and whether there was a misunderstanding or misinformation that was spread amongst these
migrants who made this crossing?
[16:10:16] ] ZARZALEJOS: Well, first of all, that ruling referred to crossings by sea, people have been swimming, not overcoming any sort of physical obstacle.
But most of the migrants that have entered Ceuta regularly have done so through border passing, not through the sea. So the argument has a very
little, I would say impact on that. But, you know, we know that there has been misinformation through the social networks encouraging particularly
young people to cross the border.
We do know that I mean, migrant smuggling rings and organizations do operate in the region, but I think that neither of those elements can
account for what is happening because -- and even if we think that the migrant smuggling rings are responsible for what has happened, I think that
if you follow that argument, I mean, you should conclude that the chaos brought about by a criminal organization operating from Morocco against
Spain, well, that's quite a worrying situation.
KINKADE: It certainly is. The European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, called the images we are seeing unacceptable, emphasizing that
stronger external borders are needed, dismantling of these smuggling networks must happen. And of course, the swift return to what is permitted
under E.U. law. But beyond all those statements, what concrete assistance can Spain expect from the European Union in the coming days and weeks?
ZARZALEJOS: Well, I think it is clear that, unfortunately, the Spanish authorities failed to anticipate what was going on, on the other side of
the of the border. First, Spain has resources, has expertise, but they haven't been used, they haven't been placed properly in this case in Ceuta
and so the first thing is that Spain can use their own resources and to apply them to ensure that such a situation simply doesn't happen again.
Second, of course, the European Union is willing and suffering, very important resources through Frontex, which is the border management agency
and I think that we need to cooperate with this agency, and they can make the most of the resources that we are being offered.
As I said before, every link in the chain has to be strong; otherwise, the common management and the common migration policy of the European Union
will simply not work. That's why the President of the European Commission has made such a statement.
NEWTON: Well, we really appreciate your time and perspective. Javier Zarzalejos, thanks so much for your time, and good evening to you.
ZARZALEJOS: Thanks. Thanks for having me. Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, some called the founder of Situation Awareness, a tech hedge fund, the Nostradamus of A.I., but he just had to sell the bulk of his
portfolio after it suffered heavy losses. We will have that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:16:23]
KINKADE: Welcome back. I am Lynda Kinkade.
Investor, Ken Griffin is coming to the rescue of the struggling A.I. hedge fund, Situation Awareness. His firm, Citadel, has agreed to buy the bulk of
its stock portfolio for a reported $16 billion.
Situation Awareness fell victim to this month's steep sell off of A.I. and chip stocks, in particular. His portfolio value reportedly fell 67 percent
in July alone.
The fund was founded two years ago by Leopold Aschenbrenner, a former researcher at OpenAI. He had no prior trading experience.
Allison Morrow joins me now.
Great to have you with us, Allison.
So this fund was one of Wall Street's biggest success stories just a few weeks ago, worth about $45 billion. How did this all unravel so quickly?
ALLISON MORROW, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR EDITOR: Mistakes were made, Lynda.
The hedge fund sort of forgot to hedge. As you mentioned, this was an A.I.- focused hedge fund with a boss who had no professional investing experience and it was highly concentrated in a very volatile sector of A.I. So, you
know, this fund grew fast and it borrowed heavily.
And when you have a lot of leverage the way it did, you know, "The Wall Street Journal" actually reported that for every dollar of capital,
Situational Awareness had, it borrowed $3.00 or $4.00 from lenders to try to amplify its exposure and goose its profits, which works great. It is a
great strategy as long as the market is continuing to go up.
But when the mood sours, those losses get amplified in a similar way and that's what we saw happen when tech stocks started to turn this week.
And yes, you know, $45 billion in assets turned quite sour and lost about 68 percent of their value.
KINKADE: Ouch! It hurts.
Just tell us about the 24-year-old founder of Situational Awareness, because, you know, just a few years ago, he wrote that he was one of the
few people in the world that understood the future clearly when it came to A.I. He clearly didn't see this sell off coming.
Some have called him the wonder kid; others say he is more lucky than smart. How would you describe him?
MORROW: I think those are all valid. He was obviously very young and didn't know -- didn't seem to know a lot about investing though he did seem to
know a lot about A.I. and early on in the fund's life, it did get pretty lucky. It got, you know, huge returns, had a couple of stumbles that it
bounced back from, you know, kind of like the rest of the market in A.I. right now, you know, there was a lot of upside to be had.
And so he definitely had a cult following of sorts on social media. He -- you know, came from OpenAI and before that, he was with the philanthropic
arm of FTX, which we remember from the crypto winter and Sam Bankman-Fried.
So, I think he was exposed to these kind of like elite Silicon Valley worlds and I think people, a lot of investors intuited a lot of wisdom and
ability to see into the future that wasn't maybe all there.
KINKADE: And interestingly, Ken Griffin, the investor who has come to the rescue here, it wasn't long ago that he dismissed A.I. technology, calling
it garbage. So what changed for him and what opportunity does he see in this investment?
MORROW: You know, it hasn't been a bad strategy to buy the dip in this market for the last three or four years. Every time the market turns sour,
there is usually a dip buying opportunity and he saw those stocks coming at a discount and said, yes, that looks like a good bet. That's you know, what
I think he was thinking.
[16:20:06]
KINKADE: It is interesting. We will keep watching it closely. Always great to have you on the show.
Thanks so much for joining us, Alison Morrow.
MORROW: Thanks.
KINKADE: Well, there has been more reported incidents of A.I. models accessing the internet and hacking companies on their own. This time from
Anthropic.
The company says a misunderstanding with a testing partner allowed the models to get online. The discovery came only after rival, OpenAI reported
a similar incident, prompting Anthropic to take a closer look at its own tests.
Our A.I. correspondent, Hadas Gold joins us now from New York.
So how does just days after OpenAI disclosed its own A.I. security incident, we now have Anthropic revealing that it happened to several of
their Claude models. What exactly happened?
HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Anthropic said that it was prompted to review its own models after OpenAI disclosed that one of its
models escaped its testing environment and went on to hack Hugging Face.
So Anthropic said it went back and looked at more than 140,000 different evaluations and in that review, they found that there were three different
times where their models gained access to the open internet when they weren't supposed to have it, and went on to hack actually, three different
company systems.
These models were being trained on a sort of capture the flag test, where they were told, you're in a simulated environment. There is a secret piece
of information or a flag on a different machine. You need to go hack into it and find it. But Anthropic says that in these situations that the models
gained access to the open internet because of a misunderstanding with one of their third party providers, that through that third party that helps
run their testing environments, that's how they gained access to the internet and gained access to these other companies systems.
Now, like OpenAI's situation, the security and safety guardrails on the models were lowered to be able to test their capabilities, but unlike
OpenAI's situation, these models thought the entire time that they were in their simulation still.
OpenAI's model escaped its testing environment, and Anthropic has been very careful to emphasize that their models thought that they were in their
simulation the entire time, and in fact, one of their more advanced models even stopped itself when it realized that it was actually in reality and no
longer in a simulated environment.
We've been reaching out to other A.I. companies to see if they've also experienced something similar, because that's now two of the major A.I.
companies have, in their testing, found that their models are just so capable that they're finding ways out, essentially, and are hacking real
companies.
Anthropic has not disclosed who these three companies are. They do say that none of the companies were seemingly aware of the hack, even though the
earliest incident was recorded all the way back in April. So it is amazing that anthropic didn't know that this happened, that the other companies
didn't know that it happened either, and that it had been going on now for quite some time.
So obviously, this brings up a lot of questions about these companies. How safe are their testing methods? How aligned are their models? Alignment
means, you know, how much do the models actually adhere to what a human wants them to do versus the model just sort of deciding what it wants to do
on its own.
And in response to all of this, OpenAI and Anthropic have both said that they have paused all of their testing and training while they try to
essentially fix their testing environments and make sure that they are safe going forward because you can imagine, this time, it was, you know, Hugging
Face or OpenAI or these other organizations for Anthropic. But I am sure there are A.I. models out there that are being tested on, you know, how
good can they -- how well can they hack into a utility or into a financial system? And what kind of chaos that could cause if a test model, you know,
unintentionally by the humans testing it makes its way into one of these critical infrastructures.
KINKADE: And what's frightening, as you point out, is the humans testing it didn't even realize that this was happening for many weeks. It is certainly
a wake-up call.
Hadas Gold, good to have you with us, as always. Thank you.
GOLD: Thanks, Lynda.
KINKADE: Well, peptides and the new obsession in some parts of the health industry, they are incredibly popular among wellness influencers and even
the U.S. Health Secretary. But beneath the viral hype lies a fast growing online shadow economy with little oversight or regulation. CNN's Bijan
Hosseini takes a look at the global peptide gray market.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CLANCY, WORKOUT COACH: This is the beginning. Here we go.
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONS SENIOR PRODUCER (voice over): Today, I'm doing a Hyrox workout led by Sean Clancy.
CLANCY: Okay, on to the run. Now we go.
HOSSEINI: What?
HOSSEINI (voice over): A four-time first place finisher.
HOSSEINI: This is not fun.
HOSSEINI (voice over): My workout partner is Marcello Ferri. He's a fitness influencer and a self-confessed peptide user.
He's one of the millions of people around the world now incorporating peptides into their wellness routine.
But what exactly are peptides and why is everyone suddenly talking about them?
In simple terms, peptides are short chains of amino acids. They act as signaling molecules in our bodies. They've exploded in popularity across
the fitness and wellness world. Proponents credit them with faster recovery, fat loss, better sleep, sharper performance, and muscle growth.
[16:25:10]
The problem with peptides right now is that the market is moving much faster than the science. While some peptides like insulin and GLP-1s have
been tried and tested, many of the most popular peptides haven't even started human clinical trials.
MARCELLO FERRI, WELLNESS AND LONGEVITY ADVOCATE: Are you ready?
HOSSEINI: No. I'm not.
HOSSEINI (voice over): Marcello represents a growing number of people who have chosen peptides as part of a doctor supervised wellness protocol.
FERRI: It's going slowly and you get your shoulders down as quickly as you can.
HOSSEINI (voice over): But for every Marcello, there are millions more navigating this market alone.
HOSSEINI: So it didn't take very long to get pointed in the right direction to order some peptides through the gray market. I got on a Reddit forum. I
reached out to one of the members. They gave me their contact, a guy named Bob on Telegram. I reached out to Bob and he immediately sent me his
catalogue.
I mean, there are dozens and dozens of peptides on here, and they are a fraction of the cost. This is why so many people are going to the gray
market, because they can get these peptides much cheaper. But the problem is the safety risk.
FERRI: I speak to people all the time that are using peptides, and I always say, oh, you know, where are you sourcing them from? And so many of them
are sourcing it from, from a gym, for example. And when you're -- when you're buying something from a Telegram group, you've got absolutely no
idea what's being injected.
HOSSEINI (voice over): A peer-reviewed analysis published in 2026, evaluated over 6,000 gray market peptide samples sold directly to
consumers. Between 42 and 71 percent failed to meet basic quality criteria, and bacterial contamination was present in 15 percent of those tested.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Peptides, you want to know more about peptides?
HOSSEINI (voice over): Despite the risks of the gray market, many people, including doctors, do see potential in peptide therapies, and clinics are
opening all over the world, including here -- inside one of Dubai's most exclusive addresses, Atlantis The Royal.
At AEON, the process begins with a full diagnostic checkup.
HOSSEINI: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know by any chance your height and weight, sir? Have you weighed yourself recently?
HOSSEINI: My height is five foot ten-and-a-half.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): Body scans, blood panels and heavy metals and mineral analysis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Circumference, measurement and progress.
HOSSEINI (voice over): These are just some of the tests I had to complete before seeing the doctor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay, let me know if it's painful.
HOSSEINI: Dr. Basanta.
DR. BASANTA KHATRY-CHHETRY, AEON CLINIC: Hello. How are you?
HOSSEINI (voice over): And there's a reason I had to get all this testing done. Some peptides work by stimulating blood flow and accelerating cell
growth. And in the wrong body, that can be life- threatening.
KHATRY-CHHETRY: If we see any indications of something being abnormal, we can act and intervene quickly. Again, if you're doing alone, you won't
know.
HOSSEINI: Well, that's the scary part, right? I'm not only getting the peptides because you don't know where they're coming from or what's in
them, but not having any of this data. So how do you know if they're working or if they're harming you?
KHATRY-CHHETRY: Exactly. Not only working, harming right? The hidden harm and who you're following up with yourself with Google, Doctor Google.
HOSSEINI: Yes.
HOSSEINI (voice over): At the end of my consultation, Dr. Basanta prescribed me four peptides and he taught me the proper way to inject
myself.
HOSSEINI: Disclaimer, this is for demo purposes only. I will not be injecting myself with peptide. We're using saline, right?
KHATRY-CHHETRY: Exactly.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): If you're considering peptides, the medical advice is consistent. Only use compounds prescribed by a licensed physician
sourced from a regulated pharmacy, and monitor your journey with regular blood work. It's a practice Marcello says he's been doing for years.
FERRI: Peptides. They hate to say they're not -- they're not going anywhere. But I think if it's something that you're interested in, make
sure you're doing your research, make sure you're working with licensed physicians and don't just copy. Don't just blindly copy something because
an influencer online has told you.
HOSSEINI: Yes.
Quick dip?
FERRI: Good.
HOSSEINI: Oh, that is good
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces a new fallout over his controversial plan to take on World Cup investors. We will have the latest
ahead on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:32:32]
KINKADE: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade.
There is much more of Quest means business in a moment. When FIFA is moving forward with a controversial plan to privatize parts of the World Cup,
despite growing backlash.
I'm going to speak to the head of the Edinburgh Zoo about what brings in visitors and what scares them away.
But before that, the headlines this hour.
Spain now says most of the estimated 50,000 migrants that rushed into its territory on Thursday have returned to Morocco. Prime Minister Pedro
Sanchez sent troops to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta to try to secure the European Union's border with Africa.
Italy is suspending the E.U.'s border-free agreement with Spain in the wake of this crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Israel is very happy with his new disarmament deal for Gaza. It requires Hamas to give up weapons and for
Israeli troops to withdraw. Hamas says Israel first must honor last year's ceasefire agreement, which calls for an end to targeted killings and a
surge in humanitarian aid. Hamas should disarm before both sides can move forward.
Anthropic says some of its A.I. models have accessed the open internet hacking into three separate organizations during a routine security test.
It says the models were not supposed to be online, but that a misunderstanding with a testing partner gave them access. The discovery
comes after rival OpenAI reported a similar incident.
More now on that migrant crisis in Spain. Helena Lins joins us from the Spanish territory of Ceuta. She is a reporter with our affiliate, CNN
Portugal.
Helena, authorities are describing this as a humanitarian emergency. What are you seeing on the ground there?
HELENA LINS, REPORTER CNN PORTUGAL REPORTER: It looks just like that. It's been a difficult reality to absorb, because it's very difficult to get used
to what we are seeing. We have seen hundreds of people trying to cross the border, swimming on the beach during the afternoon, and we also seen the
Spanish military trying to block them, not necessarily with violence, but just standing in front of them, so it's just a game of trying to push back
and forth without really using violence, as journalists were standing by, seeing what would happen.
[16:35:00]
There were some moments of some people trying to cross by running through the military, and then, military grabbing these people and bringing them
here where we are right now.
And right now, we are at the border of Tarajal. This is really the other side of this gate is Morocco, and this is where these people are still
going through to -- from Spain to Morocco. This is happening since the morning. We have been hearing accounts, and then, we arrived here, and we
have been hearing this movement of people throughout the entire day, coming from the city center, walking through the entire sea line, and entering
these gates to go back to where they came from. And this is because Spanish authorities opened these gates since the morning, so people can pass
through.
And they have been also trying to persuade these people to pass either by pointing them the place to go, or by telling them that they won't find
food, they won't find water, and this is actually something we have been hearing from the migrants themselves. They complain, they didn't find any
water, any food, and some of them even complained that they have encountered some violence and also racism.
Truth is, throughout the day, a lot of businesses here in the Spanish side of the border have been closed, because locals feel overwhelmed; they
cannot cope with this big group of people sometimes entering the businesses, wanting to buy food, wanting to buy water, and also some
locals, they just feel -- they just say they have this feeling of invasion, because there is really a lot of people just standing by on the streets,
not necessarily knowing what to do.
KINKADE: Just the scenes are just extraordinary looking at those pictures. Obviously, we are seeing the Spanish military there, deployed there. But we
also know dozens of people died in the crossing.
We are going to continue to stay across this story, but we appreciate having you there. Helena Lins, thank you.
New pushback against the FIFA president's plan to inject private money into the World Cup. Gianni Infantino's senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned
in protest on Friday.
On Thursday, UEFA voted unanimously to boycott FIFA's competitions if the plan moves forward. Now, the North American and the Asian football
governing bodies have also announced that they will reject the plan.
Our Patrick Snell is following all the developments and joins us now.
Great to see you, Patrick.
So, FIFA still facing this internal battle over trying to push through this $20 billion commercial venture. And despite all the pushback from these
various governing bodies, it seems like Gianni Infantino wants to continue with his plan.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: He does, and that was the gist, really, the thrust lender of the FIFA statement in
the early hours of Friday morning. Very much so, making that clear, even citing erroneous reporting on the part of the media.
But look, go back to July the 19th of still of this month of July. What? Just a couple of weeks ago, Infantino riding the crest of the wave after
what was on many levels a hugely successful FIFA World Cup. Right? Really, really, $12 billion for the cycle leading up to the men's World Cup in
income. A record amount. $12 to $15 billion. That's a huge amount of money, no question about that.
So, on that level, it was a highly successful FIFA World Cup. But he must be feeling right now, two weeks later, in a very lonely place.
And I do want to pick up on that Carlos Cordeiro statement today. This is really significant news, because he's a trusted adviser of Gianni
Infantino, a former U.S. soccer president. There is something in that statement that caught my eye. It's the part where Cordero says, "Let me be
clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally." So, that's speaking volumes.
I do want to get to a really strong message as well from a UEFA vice president, Laura McAllister. She was actually on that UEFA call, that
pivotal, now historic UEFA call yesterday. Let's take a listen to what Macalister had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA MCALLISTER, VICE PRESIDENT, UEFA: Everyone was of one voice that this needed to be stopped. It's a catastrophic intervention in the way in which
our game is governed, and it threatens the very existence of the game. So, there was a pretty easy unity to build there.
Imagine having a tournament, whether it's the Women's World Cup next year in Brazil, or in 2030, the men's World Cup without European teams present,
and that is catastrophic for FIFA because sponsorship, corporate involvement, broadcast rights, all of that is cast in doubt when the major
teams are not present.
So, I really hope it doesn't come to a boycott, because nobody wants to do that. But I hope this prompts a really deep reconsideration of this.
And then, I guess, in terms of Gianni Infantino's future, that depends on the 211 federations in terms of their verdict on whether they see him and
his leadership as being the kind of trusted ethical leadership that the world of football needs going forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[16:40:05]
SNELL: Yes, it's going to be interesting to see as well who is Infantino up for re-election next year. So, that's going to be very, very interesting to
see how that plays out.
But another setback for the FIFA president on Friday, Lynda. Coming in the shape of Kevin Lamour. Now, Lamour is FIFA's chief operating officer. So, a
really senior official at FIFA, also speaking out against Infantino, saying, "It is the project of one person." This, in reference to the FIFA
proposal. "Not only must this project not go ahead, but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions
and make the right decisions. And if that means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well
tonight."
I'll end, Lynda, how I started. Gianni Infantino under much scrutiny now. A lot of pressure on him, and I would imagine he is feeling rather isolated
at this time. Back to you.
KINKADE: You think so. Patrick Snell, good to have you with us, as always. Thank you.
Well, still to come, drone delivery services are expanding rapidly.
Ahead, what it might mean for businesses and customers in the very near future?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, DoorDash is joining a growing number of companies developing their own drones for deliveries. The company announced this week that it
received FAA approval for its drone delivery program here in the U.S.
Other companies have already developed delivery drones, including Amazon Zipline, and Alphabet-owned Wing. Walmart uses other companies' drones to
deliver their goods.
It says it's already made more than 1 million drone deliveries. Most of those have come this year, and that number could grow rapidly.
Andreas Raptopopoulos is the CEO and founder of Matternet, a drone delivery systems developer. He joins us now to discuss how drone deliveries are
taking off.
Good to have you with us.
ANDREAS RAPTOPOULOS, FOUNDER, MATTERNET It's great to be here. Thanks for having me.
KINKADE: So, drone delivery has, for more than a decade. Been described as the future, but adoption certainly has been slower than many predicted.
What has changed that makes this moment right now different? Is this that finally what we are seeing is the beginning of this low-altitude economy?
RAPTOPOULOS: That's exactly right. There is a massive change that's happening right now in the United States, on how the lower part of the
airspace works, and that change will unlock the all-low altitude economy.
[16:45:07]
We will see drone delivery scaling very rapidly over the next few years. In my estimate, there is probably three to 5,000 deliveries done by drone in
the U.S. today, every day. I think that number by 2030 is likely to be three to 5 million deliveries every day by drone, and that's all due to the
regulatory environment that is changing for the lower part of the airspace.
KINKADE: It's quite incredible. Healthcare certainly appears to be one area where the real-world application is at its peak.
I mean, in London, you are using drones to move medical supplies right between hospitals and campuses within minutes, rather than relying on
traditional transport.
So, what does healthcare prove about drone delivery that other markets have not?
RAPTOPOULOS: Matternet has been operating in healthcare for several years. We started operations in Switzerland in 2017, in the U.S. in 2019.
Recently, a few months ago, we launched operations in central London for two of the world's busiest hospital campuses transporting urgent items.
It's very few companies. Matternet has a technology stack that has been proven where the only FAA type certified drone delivery platform in the
world today, and, you know, you need to show extremely high levels of safety and reliability to be able to fly in central London, and of course
to fly for healthcare.
The healthcare systems can rely on us to transport urgent items very reliably and very quickly. A transportation that would typically take two
to three hours can happen with a drone in like five to seven minutes, and this really changes how healthcare is being delivered.
Imagine if the diagnostic that is driving a set of healthcare decisions that is then driving patient outcomes. You know, instead of taking half a
day for it to be complete, for it to be able to be transported within five to seven minutes, and the decision being in the doctor's sort of -- in
front of the doctor within like a couple of hours.
It's really transformative, and it will really change patient outcomes as our services in London and elsewhere scale in healthcare.
KINKADE: And you mentioned the FAA-type certification. You have got operations across multiple countries. So, has regulation finally caught up
with this technology?
RAPTOPOULOS: Yes, yes. It's been a long process for the FAA and regulatory authorities around the world to really figure out what is going to be the
regulatory framework for drone delivery to scale in the lower part of the space.
We fly fully autonomous missions in altitudes up to 400 feet above ground level, and you know, for this type of technology to become ubiquitous,
regulatory authorities around the world really need to figure out how this can operate autonomously at scale. And this is now here.
There is a new rule that has been proposed by the FAA last August. It's called Part 108. We expect that rule will become finalized sometime this
year.
Matternet is one of the very few companies that already operates under the premise of this rule. We operate here in California, in -- for residents of
Mountain View in Senegal, for instance, doing deliveries of everyday items to them.
They can order something, and within five to seven minutes they can have it at their home. And, of course, we operate in many other places, including
London for healthcare. Doing these types of operations are very, very advanced.
Drone delivery is magical. When you get to experience it, the speed that you get out of an availability is really sort of you know, very, very
different from what you would expect from road systems, and it happens in a way that is very clean for the environment. Of course, it doesn't generate
any traffic or any emissions. It's really the future.
KINKADE: Andreas Raptopoulos, we appreciate your time today. It really is fascinating hearing you discuss what is the future. Good to have you with
us. Thank you.
Well, still ahead. The Edinburgh Zoo says weather and forecasts are hurting its bottom line. We are going to speak to the CEO of Scotland's Royal Zoo
Society about the issue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:51:57]
KINKADE: Well, people looking to enjoy the outdoors in Edinburgh, Scotland this weekend are in luck. The forecast is for sunshine, Saturday and
Sunday. Then, conditions are expected to get cloudy with rain. Oh, will it?
A group of vendors, including the Edinburgh Zoo, are pushing back against what they call misleading weather apps.
They say those clouds on Monday and Tuesday lead to real declines in visitor numbers, even if only it rains for a short period of time. And
while that means fewer people will come out to see the new capybara poppy, the first born in Scotland in 18 years.
David Field is the CEO of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the organization that manages the Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park.
Great to have you with us.
DAVID FIELD, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND: (INAUDIBLE).
KINKADE: So, hopefully, the connection's OK. I'm just want to ask you about this baby boom we are seeing at the Edinburgh Zoo. I think, we may have
lost you, but just talk to us about this baby boom and whether it's driving more visitors, if you can hear me.
FIELD: I can certainly hear you. I hope you can hear me, and I hope I can tell you all the wonderful babies that we do have in the zoo. From
capybaras to anteaters to the first ever sloth that's been born at the zoo, and it really is so wonderful for people to come (INAUDIBLE).
KINKADE: And the capybaras become a social media star. How important is that digital attention in driving visitor numbers and reaching new
audiences?
FIELD: Well, I think, in terms of getting access to people and for people seeing animals, you can't beat the real thing. And that's why the digital
reach is important. But so many people -- because -- the real-life baby bru, our little Cara is named after Irn Bru, the national drink of
Scotland.
KINKADE: That is cute.
Now, I understand the weather apps are costing you tens of thousands of pounds. Just how can a forecast icon change the economics of a zoo?
FIELD: Well, take it for day. It's been a lovely day in the zoo. It's been fantastic. It's had a couple of showers here and there. But the general
summary icon for the for the forecast today was rain and even thunderstorms, and it doesn't happen. That happened tonight.
So, (INAUDIBLE) causing fusion. They don't (INAUDIBLE) just the summary icon, and then (INAUDIBLE) think that's the weather forecast for the high
(PH). We need more accuracy. People need more accuracy. They need more than just looking out of the window or just looking one simple icon.
So, we need a little bit more information for people to make those decisions because they make those decisions and don't come to the zoo, and
they don't come and see Baby Bru and the day (PH).
[16:55:01]
KINKADE: Well, we hope they come and see all those beautiful babies, whether it's raining, sunny, cloudy, no matter what, they look absolutely
adorable.
David Field, thanks so much for your time.
Well, firefighters say they are finally making significant progress on those wildfires in France and Spain.
In France, evacuations have ended in 12 districts around Bordeaux. Tens of thousands of evacuees are returning home.
As CNN's Melissa Bell reports, some are finding total destruction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is what the village of Le Porge in southwestern France looked like a week ago.
These videos, filmed by Matthieu Plessis, one of a handful of locals who stayed behind to try and help firefighters.
MATTHIEU PLESSIS, RESIDENT, LE PORGE (text): There were flames jumping of over a kilometer; we had flames 25 meters high, or even taller. It was --
well, it was the apocalypse.
BELL (voice over): By Friday morning, however, this was all that was left of his home.
PLESSIS (text): We are at my home. We are at my family home.
BELL (text): You have been here for seven generations, and this is what's left.
PLESSIS (text): But the next morning, when we came back. Everything was still burning.
BELL (text): What was inside that house, which has belonged to your family for generations?
PLESSIS (text): My whole life, there was an aquarium with fish. I had a snake in a terrarium. I could not save it, I could not save everything.
Everything burned, even the animals. It breaks my heart.
BELL (voice over): Some locals here accuse authorities of sending firefighters elsewhere, just when the fire hit hardest for them. As it
spread, they were engulfed and felt abandoned as firefighters raced towards the popular tourist hotspot of the Cap Ferret Peninsula.
PLESSIS (text): Everyone deserves to have their home saved, to have their living space saved, whether they are rich or poor, we are all human beings.
BELL (voice over): His neighbors didn't fare much better. Many of their houses were destroyed as well. Overall, in the village of Le Porge, 180
houses were destroyed, making it the hardest hit by the Gironde Fire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (on camera): That trail of devastation that led to Le Porge began here just over a week ago at Gironde Fire. And here on the outskirts of the
village of Saumos, you get an idea as well of just how violent it was.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Saumos.
KINKADE: Well, that is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Lynda Kinkade Great to have your company. Stick around. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
