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First Move with Julia Chatterley
The Taliban Take Control of Afghanistan's Second Largest City; China's COVID Spread Disrupts the World's Third Largest Port; Newly Opened Theme Parks and Disney+ Push Profits Higher. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired August 13, 2021 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:07]
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: Live from New York, I'm Julia Chatterley. This is FIRST MOVE, and here is your need to know.
Afghanistan alert. The Taliban take control of the second largest city.
Trade turmoil. China's COVID spread disrupts the world's third largest port.
And Disney versus Delta. Newly opened theme parks and Disney+ push profits higher.
It's Friday. Let's make a move.
A warm welcome once again to FIRST MOVE and another jam-packed show for you as always this Friday, and it's definitely no Freaky Friday for Disney. The
entertainment giant, as I mentioned, posting an almost 50 percent rise in third quarter sales driven by theme park reopenings and a stronger than
expected jump in Disney+ subscribers, in particular in India -- all the details coming right up.
And speaking of classic Disney movies, the stock market has been looking pretty enchanted with the Dow and the S&P hitting their third straight
record high yesterday. Investors are shrugging off the week's pricing data, too. There is certainly nothing frozen about the global inflation outlook.
However, for now, investors are, yes, letting it go and choosing to focus more on encouraging jobs data and strong reopening profits. That optimism
on display again this Friday.
Wall Street trying for a Bambi-like bounce. Europe on track for its fourth week of gains, the strongest rally there in over 20 years. German wholesale
prices however, spiking over 11 percent last month. That in fact is the biggest rise since the 1970s.
And we stay in Germany, too. Adidas higher after selling its underperforming Reebok unit, two authentic brands for $2.5 half billion,
and actually that's less than they originally paid for it.
In the United States, meanwhile, Airbnb seeing a 300 percent Q2 revenue jump, that's a reopening recovery. But they also warned that the delta
variant could impact sales going forward. Shares down in fact, around two percent premarket.
It's a busy Friday. Let's get to the drivers and we do begin in Afghanistan where Taliban fighters are advancing towards the capital, have claimed two
of their biggest prizes yet, the country's second largest city, Kandahar and the capital of Helmand Province, Lashkar Gah. The militant group
released video of victory celebrations in Kandahar. CNN can't confirm its authenticity.
The Taliban though, now control 14 of the country's 34 provincial capitals. Western governments are urging their citizens to leave Afghanistan
immediately.
Clarissa Ward reports from Kabul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All these provincial capitals have fallen. Kandahar, the second largest city in the country, a
city with huge strategic significance, huge spiritual symbolism for the Taliban that used to be the capital of their Islamic Emirate. And yet we
are not hearing anything from the government about how they plan to deal with this situation.
As a result of that, we are seeing the U.S. taking swift action. We know those 3,000 U.S. troops arriving in country here today and tomorrow. They
are going to be withdrawing U.S. Embassy personnel on military aircraft to get them out of here as the security situation continues to deteriorate.
We don't know yet how many of them are being evacuated and they're not using the word evacuate, but from here on the ground, that's very much what
it looks like, an evacuation, and there is widespread panic here in Kabul, as people really try to work out what on earth they're going to do next,
whether they can stay? How can they leave? Where can they go for safety?
We've been contacted by a number of people desperate to get out of the country, a lot of also international actors, NGO workers et cetera, already
boarding planes and leaving the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Clarissa Ward there and CNN's international security editor, Nick Paton Walsh joins us once again. Nick, good to have you with us.
As Clarissa used the word there, and I'll use it, too. It feels like an evacuation. One can only imagine what it feels to the troops, to the
citizens on the ground that now are looking over the coming days and wondering, what does come next? Nick, what does?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: It is -- you know, first of all, let's just remind ourselves that approximately a week ago, I
was sitting in this chair talking about the fall of the first provincial capital. Now, we seem to have got to about 17, which include the second and
third largest cities, Herat and Kandahar, startling how this has rolled on quite so fast.
The American deployment does two things. It sends a signal certainly that they are getting out of town, make no doubt about that. But they are doing
it with the deployment of a very large number of troops, more actually than they were initially withdrawing as part of the decision to get out of
Afghanistan.
[09:05:12]
PATON WALSH: It's a practical security decision, certainly, but it will create possibly something of a security bubble in parts of Kabul while that
goes underway. It's unclear if the Taliban will choose to target American troops, they've certainly told them to get out. So, some possibility for
tension there, although the Marines will bring with them, enablers, airpower, et cetera to protect themselves, and the process they go through,
which may also include getting out tens of thousands of Afghans who have been of assistance to the U.S.
There is a possible room here, and I've been hearing lots of signals this afternoon for diplomacy to come in. The U.S. have long held out the idea
that they could possibly persuade the presidential administration in Kabul to accept a transitional government, to maybe engineer a ceasefire. It's
felt like a pipe dream for a number of months and possibly more so even now, as we see, essentially the next target for the Taliban being Kabul.
But we do have to wonder whether this deployment of U.S. forces buys a little bit of time for diplomacy to possibly work. None of that, though,
removes from the extraordinary dynamic here of the U.S., not only saying, "We are leaving." Period. Full stop. Reducing their escorts to Afghan
Security Forces, watching them crumble, then announcing that they will be essentially pulling their people out to a minimal level as quickly as
possible, and then it seems, wondering, really what might come next.
It is fairly obvious that the capital will be under intense pressure at some point in the next weeks. Whether or not there is a negotiation or a
way out of that, I don't really know, Julia. And I think it is remarkable, 24 hours ago, the debate was when or not Kabul might find itself pressured.
Now, a lot of questions are being asked as to whether frankly, the best way through this is to avoid a fight for the capital, and try and negotiate a
way the Taliban feel they have their hands on the levers of power.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, lack of available options forces that point to diplomacy, and perhaps a transition, too. Nick Paton Walsh there, thank you so much as
always for your wisdom on this.
Okay, let's move on to China now, where the world's third busiest port is partly closed after one worker tested positive for COVID-19. The government
has also issued toughened up -- has also toughened up its guidelines -- my apologies -- for the wearing a facemask as it tries to overcome its worst
outbreak in more than a year.
David Culver is live in Beijing with the latest. David, I think what we have to understand here -- and I'll just reiterate what I said there --
because I was a little bit mumbled with the words or muddled. One worker has tested positive, a quarter of one of the largest ports in the world has
been drawn to a standstill as a result.
I mean, it says a number of things about the challenges of global trade caused by this, but also again, this response that China goes to, zero
tolerance when they find a case.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You said it, I was going to hit on that right off the top. One freight worker, that's what shuts down a massive
portion of what is, as you pointed out, the third busiest port in the world. It is busiest based on container traffic. It's actually the biggest
when it comes to the amount of tonnage that goes through there. So, it is significant, and it is going to speak economically what they are willing to
do and sacrifice in order to stop the spread of this delta linked variant.
It's caused a lot of issues here as far as the targeted lockdowns returning, stricter measures back in place. You're starting to see gyms and
bars and restaurants closed in some of these medium and high risk areas. And you have residents who are once again sealed inside their homes. That's
kind of the equivalent of what we saw at a much larger scale in Wuhan, but still for those residents in those certain communities, it is just as
brutal. It's something they're used to, and seen others really deal with, but now, it's hitting all over the country, including right here in
Beijing.
And you mentioned the new mask policies, Julia, those are back in place. What's interesting about the mask policy here is the policy tends to come
after the practice is already in place. By that I mean, people have already been putting their masks on as soon as this delta linked variant started to
spread. The social acceptance here is very different than say what you would experience in the West or in places like the U.S., where it tends to
be politicized. Here, folks put it on whether you tell them or not. They like to have it -- Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. I mean, it has an immediate impact on activity, on output for the country on growth and we've seen analysts at Goldman Sachs this
week slashing their growth forecast for this quarter based on this immediate response.
It's quite interesting, David, that we've now also got as much as you can trust what we're hearing from the Chinese authorities, the numbers now in
terms of the proportion of the population that they vaccinated, there are around 55 percent, I believe, of total population, 93 percent in Beijing. I
just wonder if there's any discussion going on there of whether there needs to be a transition away from this policy of zero tolerance, and at some
point, you just have to get on with it when you're confident that you've vaccinated enough people.
[09:10:06]
CULVER: Yes, you would think and perhaps even open the borders eventually, but they don't want to move away from this zero tolerance approach to any
new cases. They are so adamant about it that there was even a teacher, Julia in Yangzhou, in one of the hotspots right now that's dealing with its
own outbreak, and that teacher posted online a suggestion that perhaps China needs to coexist, and speaking specifically about his own city, with
the virus. And that was to say, maybe this zero tolerance, zero cases is not realistic.
That post got him in trouble. Fifteen days, he was detained. He had to post apology online and say he was sorry for doing that and sorry for going
against what the country is pushing forward to do, and that speaks volumes.
Also, we've seen some 70 officials, according to state media be punished or fired, because they happened to be the ones who are in charge of a city or
jurisdiction or business area that is dealing with an outbreak and not massive numbers, thousands like you would see in places like the U.S.,
sometimes just single digits, and they're fired from their jobs. That's how serious they're taking it.
And you do mention the vaccination. That is interesting. We've been waiting for these numbers for the first time we are hearing that 55 percent
according to the government here, of this population, a massive population of 1.4 billion people has been fully vaccinated. That's what they're now
saying. That translates to 777 million people and the numbers are going up and right here in Beijing, yes, 93 percent of those 18 and older. It's
incredible.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's truly incredible what we've seen, this kind of feat done in China before, the beauty of a controlled economy, a command
economy.
David, thank you for that report. Great to have you as always. Have a good weekend, David Culver.
All right, Disney saying the delta variant may weigh on results going forward, but for now, tourists are flocking back to its theme parks and
shares are up more than four percent premarket after a strong earnings beat. The stay-at-home and reopening portions of its business both
performing well. The Disney+ streaming service now has a stunning 116 million subscribers. Lots of beauty versus very little beast in these
numbers.
And Brian Stelter is here, always a beauty to speak to you, Brian. Talk us through these numbers, because it is quite fascinating, despite some of the
concerns that we on CNN are talking about as we see COVID cases wise, at least as far as Disney is concerned, it is okay on all parts of the
business for them and the results are showing it.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: I think the biggest headline was about the parks because, of course, the shutdown in 2020 was so severe,
and there was so much pent up demand among Disney fans who wanted to get back to the parks from Orlando, to California, to Shanghai, all around the
world, people wanted to get back into these parks wanting to get back to these hotels, and that is what Disney is showing in this quarterly earnings
report.
They are, at the same time, warning of uncertainty ahead, however, saying that the next few months could be very bumpy, given the delta variant. So,
Disney you know, clearly very exposed to COVID in this situation, but also benefiting from a recovery in the U.S. and elsewhere.
CHATTERLEY: And, of course, all part of this as well, they continue to benefit and this was the sort of locked down phenomenon that we've seen,
but it's continuing. The subscriber growth that they are seeing for Disney+, who doesn't love a Disney movie? But India also a great spot for
them as well and obviously has been very much challenged or was challenged during the quarter with COVID and the way that they saw there.
But obviously, it plays to one of the big stories that we've spoken about over the last few weeks, and that is the challenges that they've faced with
talent like Scarlett Johansson saying, hang on a second, you've hurt me with pushing and promoting my movie on Disney+ rather than just putting in
the theaters. What did they say about that, if anything, and negotiations with talent?
STELTER: Bob Chapek basically suggested that Scarlett Johansson is the exception, she is the aberration. He said: "Since COVID has begun, we've
entered into hundreds of talent arrangements. And by and large, they've gone very, very smoothly." So, he is trying to suggest you know, there's
one thorn in the side of Disney and that'll get resolved through the legal process, but then all the other talent relationships are just peachy.
I think the truth is a little more complicated. There are certainly other A-list stars that are worried about the revenue breakdowns here. But when
you look at the streaming numbers for Disney+, you see the future. This company was at 103 million relationships three months ago, now 116 million.
So, look at the growth in just three months, you know, 13 million new homes signing up. As you mentioned a lot of those in India, 40 percent of these
signups in India with Star, but Disney is firing on all streaming cylinders. Hulu also showing growth. It is really creating this flywheel
where people have to stay subscribed because there's new shows premiering every week or every month, and there's new movies available every week or
every month.
[09:15:10]
CHATTERLEY: Yes, there is explosive Disney sparkle in these numbers. Right now, they feel like they're back -- well and truly back.
Brian Stelter, thank you so much for that.
Samsung's Vice Chairman has been released from a South Korea prison on parole. Lee Jae-yong has been convicted of bribery and embezzlement, but
was let out after business leaders argued his influence was vital to the country's economy. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The de facto leader of Samsung is a free man once again this Friday. He left the detention center
on Friday morning to many supporters outside calling his name. He did stop to make a speech to them saying that he was sorry for what had happened.
Now, he had been sentenced, and found guilty of embezzlement, and also of bribery.
This was part of a massive influence peddling scandal, which actually brought down the former President, Park Geun-hye. She is also currently
serving a prison sentence. But Jay Y. Lee has been given and granted early parole. So, he has served about 18 months, just over, of a 30-month prison
sentence. Now, the argument that his supporters were giving for him to be released was that it was in the national interest that he needed to be
present within his company to deal with future investments.
Samsung is a massive part of the South Korean economy, saying that it was in the national interest. We've heard that as well from the Blue House, the
Presidential Office, saying that they understand both sides of the argument, but they have had to accept that it was in the national interest.
But not everybody is happy that he has been allowed to have this early parole.
We've heard from the opposition party, the Justice Party saying that they are furious to find out that South Korea is a Republic of Samsung, saying
that it is just trumping on all fairness within the country, that there's one rule for the elite and another rule when it comes to the law for
others.
Now, this has happened many times in the past. There have been chief executives of rich and powerful and influential companies within this
country who have been found guilty of crimes, who have gone to prison and who have been let out early. This has happened once again, although Jay Y.
Lee has served a significant amount of his prison sentence, but for some in this country, it simply wasn't enough.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Okay, let me bring you up to speed now with some of the other stories making headlines around the world. Twenty two people have been
arrested in Algeria accused of lighting deadly wildfires across the country. At least 69 people have been killed in the fires.
Wildfires in Greece tapering off though thanks to rain and cooler temperatures. The fires have destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and
around 65,000 hectares of forest since the start of August.
In the English City of Plymouth, police say, a shooting spree left at least six people dead including the suspect and a child. The attacks which took
place in multiple locations are the U.K.'s deadliest mass shootings in 11 years. Police named the shooter as 22-year-old, Jake Davison.
Britney Spears' father, Jamie Spears says he intends to step down as conservator of the singer's $60 million estate. It follows months of public
pressure from supporters of Britney and from the pop star herself, who has called the conservatorship, cruelty and abuse.
Football star Leo Messi has started training with his new club, PSG. He joined teammates including Neymar in drills and warmups earlier Friday. PSG
play at home against Strasbourg on Saturday, but Messi is not expected to be in the team just yet.
Okay, still to come here on FIRST MOVE, global stars working to tackle a global crisis. We speak to the founder of a major new fundraising event for
COVID relief in India. And also hear from a music icon who is taking part, that's all coming up. Stay with FIRST MOVE.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:21:49]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to FIRST MOVE. The Dow and the S&P remain on track to hit fresh records in early trading this Friday, and it is a Friday
frolic for the Bitcoin, too. It is up more than five percent intraday now, some 60 percent this year. It clearly has been volatile. Bitcoin believers
say we could retake that $50,000.00 a Bitcoin levels soon.
More big news though in the crypto world as Poly retrieves what was pilfered or plundered. Hackers have transferred back nearly all of the $600
million they snatched from the Poly Network platform this week, although Poly is still trying to access much of it. This week's hack was the largest
crypto heist on record, and we're still trying to find out who was behind the theft.
Some say it was done merely for fun. The hackers themselves, of course, said they did it for educational purposes.
Okay, let's move on. Following the U.N.'s Code Red warning on climate change this week, it is safe to say we need to dramatically speed up clean
tech innovation.
Well, California startup Arc has joined the effort. It plans to build an electric sports boat, but that is just the beginning it says. It will then
apply the technology to larger craft.
Joining us now is the cofounder and CEO of Arc Boats. Mitch Lee.
Mitch, fantastic to have you on the show. Just explain what this boat costs and what the technology is behind it.
MITCH LEE, COFOUNDER AND CEO, ARC BOATS: Well, starting with the cost is a tough one, but I am glad to be here, thank you for asking me that.
CHATTERLEY: Which is why I did it.
LEE: So, this is our first boat that we are bringing to market. It is called the Arc One. It's actually available for preorder right now at
arcboats.com. It is a very high performance boat. We put a massive battery pack in it. It's actually, for reference, call it twice the size of the
largest Tesla battery pack out there. It has a massive motor in it. This thing can zip. It is going to be a lot of fun.
And we are doing that because we want to get people excited about electric boats in a way that they haven't been before, and that's kind of the
starting point for us to expand into the broader market of all of watersport boats and then from there, taking that technology and as you
mentioned, expanding it to areas outside of just watersports.
So, going after larger boats, and then smaller ones, and eventually getting to the point where all the boats on the water are electric.
CHATTERLEY: I mean, we're talking about an electric motor, you've said with at least 475 horsepower, it is an 800-volt battery pack. Where is it
going to be in the boat?
LEE: So, this is one of the cool aspects of the boat that we're building is these battery packs are laid up underneath the floor. There are
structural elements of the boat, so you get a lot more space back in the boat by again removing this ginormous gas engine that typically sits in the
middle or towards the rear of the boat and replacing it by these flat battery packs similar to what you see in electric cars today.
So the motor, the battery packs, everything will be underneath the floor, and it will be an inboard so kind of that motor sits in the middle of the
boat.
CHATTERLEY: So, I've spoken to some boating enthusiasts about this and I didn't mention the price like you haven't, but we'll get back to it in the
beginning of the discussion. But don't worry, we'll get back there.
And they were sort of like, oh -- when I mentioned the price, they were like for that price, and it is $300,000.00, they said, I want something
that goes faster than 400 -- sorry, 400 -- 40 miles per hour, and I also want something that's got a bigger range than just four hours, because if I
want to travel on this thing or go and visit an island or something and I have a problem, the risk is I can't get back.
So for $300,000.00, convince me why someone who has that kind of money should be buying this boat.
[09:25:40]
LEE: So there are a few tiers to think about this through -- or lenses, I guess. The first one is, this is a limited edition boat. This is our very
first boat that we're bringing to market. It's going to be something special. There's nothing that exists like it on the market right now. So,
if you are excited about the future of electric boating, this is the boat to get.
Now, the range that we want to target is a full day of usage on the water. But one of the important things to point out is that this is a freshwater
boat, where you are not going far from shore. So again, this thing, U.S. watersport market, maybe the biggest body of water you're on is Lake Tahoe
where you can easily get back to any shore point, even with a minimal amount of battery life left on this boat. So, there's no real range
anxiety, like there might be with a car. It is very possible to get back to any marina with even a small amount of charge.
And then the final point here is, this is just the starting point for us. We will continue to improve from here. The customers we're looking for, for
this first boat are people that are excited about the future of the company, excited about the future of the industry that wants to come along
with us for this ride.
But again, I guess that, my counterpoint there would be, we are targeting that full day of usage, and then you have all night or all week to recharge
it before using it again.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, and literally, you want them to come along for the ride. You're ready to target investor, I think for this one as well.
LEE: That's right.
CHATTERLEY: Because clearly, and what it feels like is that use the money that you raise for the sales of these initial and the early boats that you
produce, and you can tell me how quickly people will be able to get their hands on them. And then you use that money to invest in the R&D to
ultimately, I assume, bringing the price right down and expand the range as you're saying.
LEE: Exactly, exactly. So, these Arc One boats will go for sale by the end of the year. We will start delivering them to customers early next year.
So, this is not a far off dream. This is something that you can get in a matter of months rather than years. And yes, we are going to use this as
the basis to improve and funnel money into research and development, bring the cost down, so that we can get to a more mass market boat very quickly.
CHATTERLEY: And just very quickly, Mitch, what's it made out of? Just explain the benefits of this beyond the fact that it is green, which is the
clear point here versus another boat of this size, for example.
LEE: Yes, so I think one thing that sets our boat apart is it is built by a team of literal rocket engineers. Everyone on the team, but myself has
had prior experience building rockets before. The team specializes in building these large scale structures, making them very lightweight, and
doing it on a very fast timeline.
So, that's kind of one our advantages here is that team that we have assembled to do this. The boat will be made out of aluminum, which is not a
typical material to use for this size of boat, but it gives us an advantage because it's lightweight, it's strong, and we can build everything in-
house, and we can kind of integrate those battery packs like I talked about.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, and cheaper than carbon fiber as well, and I know it creates a wave response, if you want to water ski behind it, you also can
as well. Great to hear about it. Big price tag, big expectations. Mitch, come back and talk to us, please, when one of these is on the water and we
can have a look at how it goes.
Great to chat with you.
LEE: Will do. We'll have to have you out to ride one.
CHATTERLEY: Now that is the date. Thank you, Mitch Lee. Great to chat with you, cofounder and CEO of Arc Boats.
Can't get lost in a lake. It's perfect for me. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:32:27]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to FIRST MOVE. U.S. stocks are up and running on this last trading day of the week. Good job. I don't think I'm going to
make another day the way I keep stumbling. And we have green arrows across the board, fresh records for the Dow and the S&P 500.
Disney is a top blue chip gainer. Its shares rallying after a big Q3 earnings beat. Disney, however, not immune to delta variant fears.
Executives saying delta could impact results going forward calling the outlook uncertain.
Delta already beginning to upend Hollywood's fall release scheduled, too. Sony Pictures has announced that it is delaying the release of its latest
"Venom" film by another month from mid-September into October.
And vaccine makers meanwhile are moving higher early on in the session. Today, the U.S. has greenlighted a third vaccine dose for some people who
are immunocompromised, just them for now, but clearly it means demand for more doses.
Okay, moving on to an entirely different asset class now. Earlier this week, investors snapped up sports memorabilia in the form of NFT's, non-
fungible tokens, featuring sports stars like Tom Brady, Naomi Osaka, and Tiger Woods. They were sold on the sports betting firm, DraftKings
Marketplace. And just to remind you, once again, NFT's are one of a kind digital collectibles where ownership is recorded on a blockchain and here
is an example of some of those things that were sold.
Joining us now once again, Dillon Rosenblatt, CEO and cofounder of Autograph.
Dillon, thank you so much for making time. Our regular viewers will know that Leo Messi scotched you earlier on in the week. And we will start where
we began earlier this week as well, which was just explain what these products and these launches mean for sports memorabilia fans. What are they
actually getting their hands on here?
DILLON ROSENBLATT, CEO AND COFOUNDER, AUTOGRAPH: You're going to get your hands on -- well, first, thank you for having me, Julia. It was crazy to be
cut off by --
CHATTERLEY: No, upstaged.
ROSENBLATT: It was a lot of fun. But these actual -- these are going to be real authentic sports collectibles co-produced by Autograph and in the
example of our sales this week, Autograph and Tom Brady. He is the co- chairman and cofounder of the company. It's been incredible working with him. But we take that same approach to working with all of our talent
partners.
We sit down, figure out something that's meaningful to them and their career, co-produce the actual artwork, and then they have the ability
afterwards to add individual and personal unique signatures to each of the collectibles, which we think is a pretty amazing and compelling approach to
using the capabilities of the blockchain to provide a compelling and collectible offering.
CHATTERLEY: I mean, one of the things I think that still mystifies most people about these things and certainly when we saw these being created in
the art world and you're talking about digital images being made is, where do you view them? Where do you look at them? It's not like a piece of art
that you can put on the wall and admire when you walk past. What do you actually do with these things, Dillon?
[09:35:20]
ROSENBLATT: I think the future view in applications, they're going to be in a lot of different places. You look at the mixed reality spaces. You
look at the metaverses, that's down the line. But today, I think they're viewable on your phone. They're viewable on e-TV and existing screen in
your house, instead of having to take somebody somewhere to show them the collection, you can bring it with you anywhere you want from the boat, at
the top of a mountain, I could show you my Autograph collection in my wallet, and I think that's pretty compelling, because all of the digital
assets you own are extremely versatile and the ability to show them anywhere actually, I think is a benefit of owning them in the digital
world.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I have friends that collect these, and they've actually bought what looks like big TV screens, and they just upload whatever it is,
their digital, on there, so it's like a picture, but obviously, it moves or whatever it provides. So I do see the translation, you just have to see it
in practice really first.
Part of the idea of the purchase of this though, too, is it could be a good investment, like any kind of sports memorabilia, in this case going
forward. How are you creating a secondary market for people to perhaps one day be able to exchange these or swap these or sell these in the future?
ROSENBLATT: We truly look at this as just a collector's item, and that's the place and that's how everyone views it. That's how we talk about the
talent. And there are places where you can buy and sell and trade NFT's on the existing market. If you look at some of the biggest players, and if you
look at the DraftKings Marketplace that we're excited to sell our memorabilia on, users will be able to buy and sell what they own. And
overall, we just look at this as the same mechanism as selling any other collectible.
CHATTERLEY: You know, we had Gary Vee who is being seen as a bit of a NFT Sven Gali on the show a couple of times and he said to us, 99 percent of
these non-fungible tokens are going to be worthless in a few years, and you have to pick really carefully.
For people that are looking to invest in these things, do you see this specific marketplace with sports memorabilia, I know, Tom Brady, of course,
is also a founder of Autograph, of your platform. Do you see something different in this compared to the 99 percent of NFT's that he was talking
about that are just going to be a gimmick and a fad and won't be worth anything in the future?
ROSENBLATT: I appreciate that question, because that's where I think Autograph is so different. We've aligned an incredible team, we have tens
of -- we have tons of employees here that are all dedicated to providing an incredible and long term experience for our users. This is a no way a
crash, a cash grab or a one-time sale, we actually have multiyear exclusive deals with all of our talent partners and with all of our content library.
So, we'll be able to actually produce a collectible experience that is relevant tomorrow and is relevant three to five years from now. So, I think
it's actually the approach of our company that's going to allow our collectibles to be loved and to be valuable to the owner over the long
term.
CHATTERLEY: So, when people say to you, is this just a way for Tom Brady, for example, who is a huge sports star, let's be clear in the United States
and beyond -- just a way to sort of cash in on his brand? You're saying this is something completely different.
ROSENBLATT: Completely different. This is the new era of collecting. The blockchain has made digital collecting possible, fun, publicly verifiable,
all the incredible things that go along with blockchain technology, go along with digital collecting, and Autograph wants to be at the forefront
of that and produce official digital collections. From the way that we handled signatures, them all being individually and personally signed,
which takes a lot of time out of the talent's day, to the actual co- production in the highest quality possible of this content.
We're taking every step possible to ensure that these things are authentic, fun, and designed to be really cool pieces of memorabilia that just
happened to live digitally, first and foremost.
CHATTERLEY: Most important question, and I'm leaving it right to the end - - how much does one of these things cost? We were just showing some images there of Tom Brady and the NFT itself. How much is that going to cost?
Approximately? What do you estimate?
ROSENBLATT: On Wednesday, the primary sales started down at $12.00, twelve is Tom's jersey number, all the way up to $100.00. But today, we actually
have our individual and personal signed edition up, the Tom Brady signature drop where the starting price is $250.00 and the top price is $1,500.00.
And these are because they're signed individually by Tom Brady in the first edition of real autographed collectibles. So, we think these are incredibly
unique offering and we're just diving into the market and learning and testing and trying to provide the best experience for our consumers.
And I would say next week, I'm excited -- we're excited about what's to come as well as we roll out our next major athlete and their preseason
access passes.
CHATTERLEY: Very quickly. What did Naomi Osaka's go for earlier this week?
[09:40:07]
ROSENBLATT: Naomi Osaka actually haven't sold yet, but we're really excited for the Naomi launch to come.
CHATTERLEY: Interesting. Okay, Dillon, fantastic to chat with you. Thank you so much for explaining this as well because I think for most people,
their eyes sort of glaze over, but it's good to understand what's going on.
Dillon Rosenblatt, CEO and cofounder at Autograph there. Thank you.
ROSENBLATT: Thank you, Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Okay, next on FIRST MOVE, proving that we are truly a global family. We speak to a member of the iconic pop group, Sister Sledge, who
are part of a major fundraising effort to help India in its COVID crisis and beyond.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to FIRST MOVE, and to India now where the pandemic has seen more than 32 million people infected with COVID. It has
put enormous strain on hospitals, which have been running out of critical supplies and thrust countless families into poverty and hunger as their
incomes vanished.
This Sunday, which will be Independence Day in India, Bollywood stars will join music icons like Mick Jagger, Ed Sheeran, Annie Lennox, and Sister
Sledge featuring Sledgendary for "We for India," a three-hour Facebook event to raise funds for COVID relief across the nation.
Debbie Sledge from Sister Sledge joins us now alongside Natasha Mudhar, founder of The World We Want, and the creator of Sunday's event. Ladies,
fantastic to have you with me. Natasha, I want to begin with you.
I think the whole world was watching India go through the second wave crisis, and then the attention shifts, but the devastation that it leaves
and continues to leave remains. Just explain what you wanted to achieve with this event.
NATASHA MUDHAR, FOUNDER, THE WORLD WE WANT: Yes, so thank you. I think we all saw and witnessed the devastation that India was facing during the --
especially during the second pandemic, and I think during the time when you heard loads of, you know, stories, and I have a lot of friends and family
members and colleagues out in India as well, and every other day we were getting phone calls like, you know, my uncle's passed away or my uncle
needs an oxygen cylinder, et cetera that understandably was imperative and it was the call of you know, the need of the hour to get those oxygen
cylinders there to save lives.
But the idea behind the fundraiser is the fact that whilst we focus on saving lives, you know, we cannot forget the post COVID impact, the legacy
that COVID has as well. The devastation that it is creating for lives around the world.
[09:45:04]
MUDHAR: Then you started to hear very quickly stories of COVID orphans, COVID widows, and the economic impact when people were losing their jobs
due to the second pandemic. So that encouraged me, you know, to think of this idea to create a fundraiser, a global fundraiser, inviting
entertainers and icons like Debbie Sledge from around the world to stand with and for India during its time of need, to raise vital funds to support
post COVID missions.
And hence, we came up with the idea for We for India. I approached a very good friend of mine, Shibasish Sarkar, who is the Group CEO of Reliance
Entertainment, we co-produced the event, and we have over a hundred global artists coming together. And the globe is really important, because I think
it reminds you that the pandemic spared nobody, it's so non-discriminatory, and it didn't matter if you're a man or a woman, what the color of your
skin was, what your social status was, it affected everybody.
And that's why the fundraiser aims to bring everyone together to stand with and for India during its time of need.
CHATTERLEY: I mean, I couldn't have said it better myself. Debbie, come in here, because I know it truly is a family affair where your participation
is concerned. And actually, we were just showing our viewers, members of your family singing -- a number of our audience, of course, remember you
from Sister Sledge, but I know it's far bigger than that.
Obviously, Sister Sledge featuring Sledgendary expands it to other members of your family, just explain what it means to participate in this.
DEBBIE SLEDGE, SINGER, SLEDGE SISTER AND SLEDGENDARY: So, we feel very, very honored and we're very grateful to Natasha for inviting us to join
this effort. It's very important to us also. I think it's part of who we are, and that is a family. And we are part of a world family. And when one
of us is hurting, we all have to come together and that's what families do.
So, it's very important to us, and we're very grateful to be a part of the We for India, and The World We Want. We've seen the devastation, there's no
one who is exempt from it. So, we have to pull together. So, we're just glad.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I mean, I think whenever I hear, this is a Sledge song on the radio, you know, "We are Family," I think, there couldn't be a better
anthem, quite frankly, for this moment and the need for all of us to pull together.
Natasha, I think one of the things that holds people back from donating money for causes like this is that they're not sure where the money is
going to grow. They're not sure that the money is going to find the right people and go to the right places. So, I guess the critical question here
is, how do you ensure those that you want to donate -- and this is why you're doing this, you want to raise donations and raise money -- that the
money will get to the right places, and to the people who need it most? And of course, the most important thing, how do people donate?
MUDHAR: Absolutely. So, that's why we have one of India's largest -- in fact, it's India's largest donation platform, GiveIndia on board as our
donations partner. So they will channel the funds to all of the relevant causes working with various other NGOs on the ground, working on their own
initiatives on the ground as well to deploy those funds.
And we're very clear, I mean, the name of the event is We for India, Saving Lives, Protecting Livelihoods. So the funds are kind of divided along those
sort of areas as well. So, the saving lives aspect is ensuring those funds are to provide critical facilities such as those oxygen concentrators or
cylinders, ICU units, right through to funding vaccination centers as well.
And the livelihood aspect is everything from providing humanitarian relief and providing even cash support for members of family who, you know, who've
had members of their family sadly pass away due to COVID as well.
So there was a very stringent process in place. You know, they would obviously have a very credible board as well to ensure that there is full
accountability and to ensure those funds reach the individuals that it needs to.
And in terms of donating, I mean, the event is this Sunday. We're streaming live globally on Facebook. So, you'll be able to see us 10 o'clock Eastern
Time for viewers in America. And yes, so everything is set up. The GiveIndia page, if you just type We for India, you'll find our donations
page. And yes, it's very open and available for everybody to participate.
CHATTERLEY: Fantastic. And we are just showing you some of the people that are going to be participating and the performing, and Debbie, really
quickly, I have to ask you, are you going to be singing, "We are Family"? Because I sort of gave you the big rise there and did not ask you.
SLEDGE: Of course, of course.
CHATTERLEY: Of course.
SLEDGE: We are going to be singing.
CHATTERLEY: Amazing. Amazing. I look forward to it. Both of you, thank you so much for your time and good luck on Sunday and let's pray that you raise
lots of money for the people that need it. Thank you, both.
You're watching FIRST MOVE. More to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:52:08]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to FIRST MOVE.
As we mentioned earlier on the show, just days ago, the U.N. reported that global temperatures are rising faster than expected, and that without
action, we will start seeing a severe impact on areas such as food production.
A center in the Dubai desert has been using cutting edge techniques with the aim of growing food in the harshest of conditions TO see how industries
may need to adapt. Nina dos Santos has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Extreme temperatures, sandy soils, and low quality water sources. It all makes the desert a very
tough place to grow food. That is unless you're a Salicornia, like this one, battling the brutal conditions and giving us a taste of what farming
will look like in the future.
DR. DIONYSIA ANGELIKI LYRA, AGRONOMIST, INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR BIOSALINE AGRICULTURE: Salicornia is a desert superhero in terms of the salinity
that it can tolerate and survive under such kind of harsh conditions.
DOS SANTOS (voice over): Challenging the types of food that can grow in the desert is the meat and potatoes of the International Center for
Biosaline Agriculture in Dubai. Here, they are on a global hunt for nutritious heat resistant crops that can grow in the harshest conditions.
LYRA: Using saline water resources and sandy soils, we can grow crops in an unconventional way to boost the food production on a local level.
DOS SANTOS (voice over): There's real urgency to this work -- extreme weather events and limited freshwater sources pose a real threat to global
food supply. The center boasts a unique collection of more than 13,000 seeds from all over the world. In the case of quinoa, the team tested 1,200
variations and found five that can grow in the desert.
From research to practice, the center has programs across the Middle East and in North Africa and it has big plans for Salicornia.
LYKA: We are looking into developing a Salicornia based food products. Salicornia based burgers, biscuits, crackers, hoping for these products to
be introduced in the market quite soon.
DOS SANTOS (voice over): Today, 41 million people are currently on the brink of famine. With farming lands turning into deserts, new agriculture
techniques are a real option for feeding the hungry.
JOSHUA KATZ, PARTNER, MCKINSEY & COMPANY: Countries and businesses will make choices about how they want to incorporate different growing systems.
We're going to have a role for almost every different type of cropping system and every different growing technique in different parts of the
world.
DOS SANTOS (voice over): As climate change intensifies, smart farming techniques like ICBA's prove that to achieve food security, adapting is the
only way forward.
Nina dos Santos, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[09:55:10]
CHATTERLEY: And that's it for the show. If you've missed any of our interviews today, they will be on my Twitter and Instagram pages. You can
search for @jchatterleyCNN.
In the meantime, stay safe. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is next.
And we'll see you next week. Have a safe weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:00]
END
