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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Ukraine Calls Talks in Jeddah "Productive"; Philippines Protest China's Actions Against Ship; ECOWAS Demands President's Reinstatement; Defense Signals it wants to Relocate Trial; Viewership Rises as Tournament Continues; "Oppenheimer" Surpasses $500M at the Box Office. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired August 07, 2023 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST, FIRST MOVE: A warm welcome to "First Move" everyone. I'm Christina Macfarlane in for Julia Chatterley. Just ahead on
today's show, assassination attempt Ukrainian officials detained a woman they say was part of a plot to kill President Zelenskyy. During a recent
visit he took to Southern Ukraine a report just ahead.
Plus defiance in Niger, coup leaders in the West African nation show no sign of giving up power after Sunday deadline expires neighboring countries
working on a plan for a possible intervention.
And in the Women's World Cup action England heads to the quarterfinals after beating Nigeria on penalties Australia defeating Denmark too, all the
latest World Cup action coming up later this hour. Well invested hoping for some World Cup quality excitement on the global stock markets this week.
U.S. stocks on target for a higher open after last week's pullback. European stocks here as you can see are mixed and a volatile day on the
global oil markets crude hitting four month highs earlier today on fresh supply fears prices lower at the moment. And Saudi Aramco also announces
today that its profits fell some 38 percent in the second quarter as weaker oil prices hit the bottom line more on the markets later in the program.
But first Russian shelling in Ukraine's Kherson City killed at least one person early this morning, as another residential building was targeted.
Kyiv is accusing Moscow of "Endless assaults" right now saying Russian forces on the Eastern Front use nearly half a million munitions in the last
week alone. And now more on that alleged assassination attempt on Ukraine's President Zelenskyy. Nick Paton Walsh has this.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECUIRTY CORRESPONDENT: But it isn't clear how advanced this alleged plot indeed was and Ukrainian
Security Services quite active in the media over the past week claiming drone attacks on Russian cargo ships and amphibious assault vessels and
indeed a bridge to Crimea.
They are suggesting that they have intercepted a Russian informant unclear of her nationality, but she worked in -- in a military surplus store down
towards the Crimean Peninsula on the southern coast. They suggest that she was trying to convey information to the Russians about a likely visit by
Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Mykolaiv in the past. That's the key port city down on the south and some of the messages that were exchanged.
Apparently show them suggesting her interlocutors suggesting well, can you get a picture of where he might be going into the hospital? What time are
we talking about that sort of thing? And another reminder, I think too of the daily threats against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a man
who famously at the start refused to leave Kyiv saying I don't need ammo.
I don't think they're right. I need ammo allegedly when asked if he wanted an evacuation. And so this information coming out I say as we hear a lot
from Ukrainian security services about their activities in the Black Sea.
Another part of a really actually the war opening here and a time when nightly we're also seeing an exchange of barrages between the Ukrainians
and the Russians one killed in Kherson over the past 24 hours Ukrainians are saying the Russians are saying.
A Ukrainian drone may have got near Kaluga that to the South of Moscow and so this tension ratcheting up slowly, as the pace potentially of Ukraine's
counter offensive in the south may grow in the days ahead.
But no comfort to Ukrainian civilians on the receiving end of this Russian barrage but an interesting development today well the suggestions of a
targeted bid to try and hit the Ukrainian President Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Southern Ukraine.
MACFARLANE: Well, two days of Ukrainian peace talks have wrapped up in Saudi Arabia diplomats from more than 40 countries gathered in Jeddah to
discuss a peace plan backed by Ukraine. They agree that any peace treaty must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity. Nic Robertson is joining me
more on this now.
And, Nic, of course, it's significant to have so many of these nations sitting down together, some of them for the first time since the war broke
out. But were any concrete steps taken towards that peace plan formula put forward by President Zelenskyy?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, we don't know because there are very few details have actually been released that sort of
a few small tantalizing, if you will, lines that there was sort of open and frank discussion and everyone had a good conversation.
And the takeaway is that everyone should keep talking. It doesn't tell you very much. But it does tell you that there's a diplomatic track in motion
here. This was the second of these types of sessions.
The last one was held in Denmark about a month ago and this had more than doubled the number of participants. It's worth noting that more than half
of those participants already support Ukraine.
[09:05:00]
But you have countries like India, like South Africa, like United Arab Emirates, like China who have the ability to exert pressure over Russia and
Russia's ability to prosecute the war, they buy oil products in the case of China in the case of -- in the case of India, for and coal products from
Russia.
So, you know, there are points here where Ukraine can impress upon those countries, why they need to do more to try to get Russia to the negotiating
table. And of course, Russia, not there and Russia saying that there nothing was going to be achieved here but the Russians also saying that
they hope that those members, those nations from the Global South, the BRICS nations, that they can exert their influence over Ukraine and the
United States to kind of drive home the message of Russia's position.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy National Security Council Chief said that Ukraine should come crawling on its knees, asking for peace, that this is
no time for peace talks. That's Russia's mindset, it appears. But this is a track of diplomacy absent anything else? I don't think we can say much more
than that about it right now. History might give us a few more details in a few years' time.
MACFARLANE: And Nic is it significant that those BRICS nations were in the room? Because as you say, Russia was not I mean, can they provide a sort of
bridge as it were to Russia in this and how significant too is it that China is reportedly saying it is in support of a third round of talks in
that regard?
ROBERTSON: These are significant, because the very minimum they say that this conversation we're having with Ukraine is not pointless. Let's
continue it. You know, China wants economic stability. India wants economic stability.
Its economy has been hit by Russia's war in Ukraine. It considers itself neutral. But United States Ukraine, their allies and partners would say
India is buying up oil and gas from Russia that European nations are not buying.
And there are allegations that India is actually on selling some of it to European markets. But the point being that, because India's position is
currently to buy products from Russia, it has an economic ability to either continue to sustain Putin's war in Ukraine, or to limit it if they were to
stop buying some of those products.
But that's not, you know, the economics of that for India don't really work out. They're having a tough economic time because of the war. So they want
the war to end too. I think that's a commonality of most of these participants around the table, that it's having the wars having a bad
economic effect on them.
And therefore they'd like to also put pressure on Ukraine to get more realistic in their view, and buckle up and get some kind of peace deal that
that's not everything that Ukraine wants. But the position at the moment is Ukraine was there to sell its 10 point peace plan.
And a key part of that peace plan, as you said, is that Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and integrity should be respected in keeping with
the UN Charter. And that does still seem to be the central tenet of these ongoing.
And therefore it's important because Ukraine's position is continuing to be held as an important central point of the narrative going forward and
that's a message for Russia whether or not they're at the table.
MACFARLANE: Yes, we will continue to watch this space as these diplomatic talks are continuing. Nic Robertson, there live for us thank you. Now new
this morning Air France has suspended flights to and from the Capital of Niger and neighboring countries due to the ongoing coup and the closure of
Niger's airspace, the airspace closure came Sunday.
That's the same day the deadline set by the regional bloc ECOWAS came and went. The block have given Niger one week to release and reinstate the
country's ousted President Mohamed Bazoum or face the potential use of force and now the clock is ticking with the possibility of military action
becoming a possibility.
Larry Madowo is joining us live here. So Larry, we know this self-imposed ECOWAS deadline has long since passed any indication yet as to what their
next move is going to be?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a really odd situation where ECOWAS allowed that deadline to pass Sunday evening and has not said anything yet.
They had the defense chiefs meeting for three days in the Nigerian Capital, Abuja. They finished on Friday.
And they said that they had worked out the when the how and the logistics of how a military intervention would take place. To be fair to them they
also said they would not announce it to the coup leaders in Niger when they would do that.
But this silence is kind of unsettling for a lot of people who don't know if there's going to be a military confrontation in Niger or this is all
past and ECOWAS just saber rattling. In the meantime, the cool Leaders in Niger insist that a military attack is imminent.
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And they have put their soldiers on standby a source telling CNN that other troops from other parts of the country are being brought into the Capital
Niamey in anticipation of this intervention. They have also closed the airspace that happened overnight suddenly, forcing many airlines like KLM
and Air France and Kenya Airways to try and reroute around Nigerian airspace or go back to base.
But in the meantime, we just haven't heard from the ECOWAS leaders, what will be the next play. Even when you hear this rhetoric coming from the
Military Junta in Niger?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMADOU ABDRAMANE, NIGER MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Niger's armed forces at all and our defense and security forces backed by the unfailing support of our
people are ready to defend the integrity of our territory and the honor of our homeland. To this end, the National Council for safeguarding the
homeland launches a vibrant appeal to the youth to the worthy Daughters and Sons of our country to stand ready to defend the homeland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: The neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Mali say they're sending a delegation to Niamey the Niger Capital as a sign of solidarity.
They're not saying they're sending military troops there. They're not sending soldiers. They're sending politicians. But they have said before
that any military intervention in Niger, they would consider that an act of war, and they would band together to defend the country.
In the meantime the French Foreign Affairs Minister confirming that these coup leaders in Niger have talked to the Wagner group, that private
military contracting group that's already active in Mali is not clear if any contract has been signed or the nature of these discussions, but
contact has been made Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, these are certainly crucial hours ahead, and I know you'll continue to follow it for us, Larry Madowo there live for us thank you. And
the U.S. Military has sent to four of its naval destroyers to Alaska after spotting ships from China and Russia, "Patrolling" near the Alaska Coast.
U.S. Northern Command Spokesperson says the ships were not considered a threat. Natasha Bertrand joining me now live from the Pentagon. Natasha,
what more can you tells us about the possible purpose of this patrol? And if indeed it did pose a threat to the U.S.?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes Christina, this appears to have been an exercise and of course, it is a yet another example
of the growing military partnership between China and Russia.
And what happened were roughly 11, Russian and Chinese vessels were operating very close to the Coast of Alaska near the Aleutian Islands,
according to the State Senators, Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski.
The U.S. then chose to respond sending for U.S. Navy destroyers, as well as planes to monitor the situation and track those vessels movements. But
ultimately, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command, those ships did not pose a threat to either the U.S. or Canada.
And importantly, they stayed in international waters now the Senators issued a statement that was a bit more concerned in its tone. And they said
that this is really an example of Russia and China showing authoritarian aggression in the region.
And they said that they had received a number of classified briefings by U.S. military officials about the transit of the ships near Alaska.
Notably, this is not the first time that this has happened. Russian and Chinese vessels also performed an exercise off the coast of Alaska last
year, and were met by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel that was just on a routine patrol, so Dan Sullivan, who is one of those Senators from Alaska.
He did say that he appreciates that the response this time around was a bit more robust, of course, sending those destroyers as well as the
reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the ship's activities. But we should note that the Chinese Embassy also released a statement telling CNN that
the activity there was not directed at any third party and had nothing to do with "The international or regional situation".
So obviously, they're trying to downplay it here, the U.S. reiterating the principle of freedom of navigation, emphasizing that they weren't
international waters. An important point, the U.S. has to make here because the U.S. of course, conducts these kinds of exercises off the coast of
Russia and China as well, pretty routinely, Christina.
MACFARLANE: That's great, great context. Natasha Bertrand there live for us from the Pentagon. Thank you. And first military tensions in the South
China Sea as well, the Philippine Government condemning China for taking what it calls aggressive action against a Philippine ship on Saturday,
Manila has summoned the Chinese Envoy in protest. Marc Stewart has the story.
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Philippines is condemning China accusing it of using water cannon on one of its vessels as a "Dangerous and
illegal practice". This video is from over the weekend showing a Chinese ship purportedly firing water at the Pilipino boat smaller in size compared
to the Chinese Coast Guard ship.
The much smaller Philippine boat was attempting to deliver supplies to a Philippine military installation in the South China Sea. Some context these
waters have been a source of tension between the two nations.
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Beijing claims it as its own, yet Manila feels it has a right too. A 2016 ruling from The Hague contends that Beijing has no legal basis to claim
historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea. China has ignored the ruling. The incident has prompted the Philippine Foreign Minister to
deliver a complaint letter to the Chinese Embassy on Monday.
The United States is showing support to the Philippines reaffirming its mutual defense treaty obligations. Australia, Germany and Japan have also
waited, calling the Chinese actions dangerous and destabilizing. Marc Stewart, CNN, Tokyo.
MACFARLANE: Now in Pakistan, an investigation is underway after a deadly train derailment. At least 30 people have been killed and dozens more
injured after the passenger train crashed on Sunday. CNN's Anna Coren has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The death toll from Sunday's train derailment in Pakistan is expected to rise due to the severity of
injuries according to local officials. And looking at the pictures of the mangled wreckage of the aftermath it's not difficult to understand why.
Yesterday the Hazara Express left Karachi, Pakistan's largest city at 8 am local with 950 passengers on board. More than five hours later, just after
1 pm the train derailed near the town of Nawabshah in Sind Province 170 miles from Karachi.
Authority say the train was traveling at moderate speed 28 miles an hour when it ran off the tracks 10 cars derailed. This is a remote farming area.
So the first people on the scene were local villages trying to pull survivors from the wreckage.
Eyewitnesses spoke of people screaming and body everywhere, including women and children. Local media reports it took hours for emergency crews to
arrive. They had to bring in heavy machinery to free passengers who were trapped the military also assisted.
The injured were taken to local hospitals where an emergency was declared to deal with the influx of patients. Body bags lay on the ground next to
survivors. Let's now have a listen to one of those survivors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was so sudden and we were seated comfortably until then, we heard the growling sounds and I gathered that the train had
derailed. Then a storm of dust spread than a berth fell on my head and blood splashed.
COREN (voice over): The cause of the derailment is unknown at this stage. But the Railway Minister said it could be a technical fault or an act of
sabotage. An investigation is underway. Photo train accidents are frequent in Pakistan. And the country's decaying rail network has lacked funding and
attention despite promises from successive governments to upgrade the system. Anna Coren, CNN Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: All right straight ahead, defiance in Niger, coup leaders have closed the country's airspace and ignored demands to put the president back
in power. We'll discuss the ongoing crisis when we return. And turn off the laptops and come back into the office that's the message Zoom is telling
its employees the details of that later in the show.
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "First Move", questions and concerns are mounting as the political crisis in Niger continues. The country's airspace
closed Sunday the same day the deadline set by the regional bloc ECOWAS to reinstate the country's democratically elected President expired.
Coup leaders say the airspace was closed due to "the threat of intervention from neighboring countries". Thousands of protesters voiced their support
over the coup over the weekend, as you can see from these pictures here, but the mood in neighboring countries is quite different.
ECOWAS has warned that if the military junta does not stand down, it could face military intervention. Well, joining me now is Afolabi Adekaiyaoja
Research Analyst at the Center for Democracy and Development. Thank you so much for joining us.
AFOLABI ADEKAIYAOJA, RESEARCH ANALYST AT CENTRE FOR DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT: Thanks for having me.
MACFARLANE: We know that was not that long ago that the ECOWAS Chair in Niger's President said that ECOWAS would not allow coup after coup to
happen in West Africa and that they must stand firm. I mean, arguably Tinubu did not see this happening quite so quickly.
But as we've been saying that we know that deadline, their self-imposed deadline for military intervention has now passed. Why do you think we are
not seeing any military action or indeed any action yet?
ADEKAIYAOJA: So we believe that the original premise of the convention was done to try to be fair, the coup levers are going further when he started
classes, especially in regards to killing President Bazoum. Now, we know that within the different countries that don't have met the concerns about
the implications of the potential military intervention.
So for example, in Nigeria, even though the Nigerian President did not specifically ask the Senate for permission to go ahead. The Senate leaders
were very adamant in ensuring that the President was aware that they would strongly prefer a diplomatic resolution and they would not prefer a
military.
We also want our leaders in the northern part of Nigeria, which is primarily mixed borders, being Niger Republic. They were very adamant in
trying to stress the President that it was something that was likely to lead to, as you mentioned, humanitarian influx, very big issues in the
region.
So we know that domestic concerns are playing a very big role, and they're really trying to ensure that most regional powers are actively looking
inwards to try to find more diplomatic ways to really deal with the situation. Is something that was actually has been discussing so earlier
last week ECOWAS actually had a meeting of the senior military generals in Abuja.
So we do know that there have been plans and they have been preparations for any particular intervention. However, we do know the diplomatic
priorities are still really what many groups are going for, and something that we do hope will become the eventual way forward for resolution.
MACFARLANE: But the example that you cited before, was not centered on a coup. And in fact, if ECOWAS do respond militarily, this will be the first
time they have done so during a coup. Will it not damage their credibility if they do not intervene at this stage militarily?
ADEKAIYAOJA: Well, not necessarily, because part of the challenge like I was dealing with is a practice ethical set in responding to similar too. So
in this instance, what you're trying to infer comes in Mali and Guinea, Burkina Faso twice. And then in two particular situations, ECOWAS did not
intervene militarily.
He started just really apply sanctions that we drew, the advantages of being a bloc and it's tried in many of the situations to try to agree on
the timeline forward for return to democracy, Guinea's mentor have a similar election next year and even regards to Niger, the same institution
in 2010.
The loss of Niger after the coup and then a lot of similar new walks around with a similar transition to try to ensure it returns a democracy within a
set period of time. But we do note that it's possible that the new President -- ECOWAS chair.
[09:25:00]
And once I have a much more extensive foreign policy exists it is possible that this is something that has been really stated quite clearly to try to
put a deterrence towards any particular actions by doing during this despite that, we still have hypervisor allocation going to Niger to try to
address this situation.
MACFARLANE: And I just wanted to get your very quick thoughts on this, because we have heard that Mali and Burkina Faso have said that any
intervention in their minds would be a declaration of war. I mean, how credible is the threat that those countries would intervene, especially as
we know that they have the backing of Wagner military operatives?
ADEKAIYAOJA: Well, the situation is quite fluid. So it is the case where we do know that right now that they might be able to count on us -- . But then
going forward, especially as the geopolitics evolves, it's something that could easily change. So for example, there were posts about Senegal, and
even Algeria that borders Niger to not be much more averse to a particular intervention.
But there will also seem post recently that she has changed that particular perception and naturally Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, a part of the so
called -- , the particular area in West Africa, so it is quite likely that this is part of the situation to try to ensure stability in their
particular countries.
That being said, we do know that there's a much more strategic importance on Niger and something that many different parts, not just within the very
different Western -- , focus on many different publications that will focus on within the country and within the continents are really assuring are
working hard to make sure that Niger actually coming back to a much more stable democracy.
Not just for the country itself, but for the citizens who will definitely be more affected, if any, it's official to take place.
MACFARLANE: And we certainly hope that will be the outcome here Afolabi Adekaiyaoja Research Analyst for the Center of Democracy and Development.
Thank you for joining us.
ADEKAIYAOJA: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: Now stay with CNN coming up the clock is ticking from Trump's legal team and his election interference case we'll have all the details,
next.
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "First Move", U.S. stocks are up and running on Wall Street for the first session of the week a higher open in early
trading the bulls trying to bounce back from last week's losses. The tech heavy NASDAQ was the worst performer dropping almost 3 percent as high
yield hit sentiment.
Yields are rising as the U.S. government plans to borrow more the big events on Wall Street's calendar take place Thursday, when the U.S.
releases its latest look at consumer prices. Now the Trump legal team has just hours to respond to U.S. prosecutor's request to limit what Trump can
say publicly about the evidence against him.
On top of that the Former President's attorney is vowing to try and relocate the trial from Washington D.C., saying a jury in the Capitol will
not reflect the character of the American people. Meantime, a potential fourth indictment looms in the state of Georgia.
Well, Elie Honig is here and joining us here now to break this all down for us. Thank goodness. And Elie first of all, just talk to us about this
protective order. I mean, from what I understand it's very different from a gag order. Why did the Justice Department deem this necessary and how is
the judge likely to respond here?
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: So Christina, the Justice Department is asking for the judge to put certain limits on what Donald Trump can say
publicly about the evidence that he's turned over. They're not trying to live in any way, Donald Trump's ability to use that evidence at trial.
They're just saying there needs to be line drawn here about what he can say publicly about the evidence. The concern is that his comments may lead to
witnesses feeling intimidated or retaliated against there were a slew of social media posts over the weekend from Donald Trump, that certainly could
be construed to that effect.
So the judge has to decide what limits that am I going to put not on Donald Trump's ability to see the evidence and use it, but on his ability to talk
publicly about it.
MACFARLANE: Understood and as we were saying there, we are expecting a fourth indictment or Fourth Amendment's looking very imminent and the
Georgia election case. How much is this going to complicate an already very busy period for Donald Trump for you know during campaigning for the 2024
election and is there going to be time to fit in these trial dates ahead of the election?
HONIG: So we already have three indictments pending now against Donald Trump. Two of them are federal prosecutions brought by DOJ by the special
prosecutor Jack Smith. There's the January 6 indictment which came down last week. And then there's the indictment for classified documents at Mar-
a-Lago which came down in June.
That's to the third indicted case is in the Manhattan DA's office. That's a state level prosecution relating to hush money payments that Donald Trump
made to women before the 2016 election, if and when the Fulton County Georgia indictment drops. And I do think it's very, very likely we get that
sometime this week or next.
That will then be a fourth indictment against Donald Trump. All of these cases are jockeying for position on the calendar as it stands right now.
The first two cases the Manhattan DA case, and the Mar-a-Lago case, they're already scheduled for trial that will run March through April for the
Manhattan DA case, and then May, June, July for the Mar-a-Lago case.
So I don't even see an opening as it stands now, for the January 6 case, never mind for the Fulton County case. But it's important to keep in mind
with all of these trial dates, they can and do move. And so these prosecutors may need to get together and figure out which are the highest
priority, which ones do we need to get in before the election?
MACFARLANE: Yes, so its definite logjam going on, isn't there?
HONIG: Yes.
MACFARLANE: We also heard from Donald Trump saying that he thinks he won't get a fair judge or jury if the case is held in Washington. The judge in
this case is a Former Obama nominee. I mean, what do you make of that claim? And how likely is it to be moved out of Washington D.C.?
HONIG: Yes, I think those particular claims are meritless. And I think it's very unlikely to be moved out of Washington D.C. a party can get a case
moved out of a certain venue in the very, very rare instance where it's utterly impossible to get a fair trial.
Now, Donald Trump's got to be worried here because he only got 5.4 percent of the vote in D.C. in 2020, meaning 95 percent or so of D.C. voted against
him, but that on its own does not justify a removal to another district. There are procedures in place to safeguard the jury Donald Trump himself.
[09:35:00]
His legal team will have the ability to remove jurors who they believe are unduly, bias with respect to the judge. Yes the judge, Judge Tanya Chutkan
was nominated to the bench by Barack Obama that does not inherently mean she's biased any more than the fact that in Florida Donald Trump is in
front of a judge who he put on the bench judge Aileen Cannon.
In neither case is that enough to get the judge disqualified, but we are seeing continuing attacks on the judge and the jury process by Donald
Trump. I think those are corrosive, and I think they're unlikely to result in anything being moved.
MACFARLANE: Yes, we will wait to see on that. And on the protective order how the judge responds, Elie Honig, the hardest working man at CNN right
now it seems. Thanks so much for joining us appreciate that.
HONIG: Thanks Christina.
MACFARLANE: All right, coming up on "First Move", England clashing with Nigeria while Australia facing Denmark all the action from the World Cup
knockout stage, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "First Move", and the Women's World Cup team play England advancing to the quarterfinals after beating Nigeria on a
penalty shootout. The Lionesses held on an extra time after star player Lauren James received a red card in the 87 Minute.
Meanwhile, Co-host Australia defeating Denmark 2-0 in front of a nearly 76,000 home fans in the stadium. This all art of defending champion U.S.A.
crashed out of the tournament losing to Sweden on wild penalty kicks on Sunday. Well, Angus Watson is joining us live with all of this.
So let's start with the action today. Angus obviously England and Australia through Australia, Sam Kerr back in the side for this fixture and much the
light of home fans and obviously it was a convincing win for Australia but perhaps less so for England even though they did win on penalties.
ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: That's right, Christina, Nigeria had much of the attacking opportunities in that match particularly in the first half
but England are hanging on nil-nil of course after 120 minutes of play and when that happens as we know it goes to the lottery of the penalty shootout
and then it really is anyone.
So disappointment of course for Nigeria, England will be relieved Nigeria really one of the surprise pockets of this tournament. They've been
fantastic beating Australia of course 3-2 in that second game of the group stages. So the Australian public here knows Nigeria very well.
[09:40:00]
They'll go home very proud that team and absolutely sure here where I am at Stadium Australia in Sydney the Matilda's writing the next chapter of
Australian footballing history in front of 75,000 screaming fans here, Christina and as you say they did it well.
Going ahead 1-0 in the first half to Caitlyn Ford nicely tucked away for her goal sitting back allowing Denmark to hit them on the counter being
patient. And then the second goal came. Haley Raso in the second half, but it was that moment when Sam Kerr took the field that really got the fans
going here instead in Australia.
It was a really wonderful moment for Australian sport for the Australian public who has been so worried about her calf that's kept her out of the
competition. So far big hopes for Sam, big hopes for the Matilda's as the tournament goes on, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, her first game of the tournament, and she's only just is getting started. Now it seems. And Angus I'm sure U.S.A. fans are re-living
and re-watching that controversial VAR penalty moment from Sunday. I mean, how much of a shock exit was this for the U.S. Women's National Team?
And what is this spell for the tournament now given obviously they were big, heavy favorites and big favorites among the fans?
WATSON: Well, it certainly throws open the competition for teams like Australia and England who were fancied ahead of ahead of the games but of
course always had to contend with looming Team U.S.A. going for that three peat so dominant historically at these World Cups, but of course,
disappointment for them down in Melbourne losing that penalty shootout.
I've not seen a penalty shootout like that, Christina in a very long time. Both teams missing penalties there to each four penalties missed in a row
astonishing. You had Megan Rapinoe missing one you had Kelly O'Hara missing one these are thoughts people that don't miss it was astonishing.
And that VAR result at the end everyone with their hearts in their mouth and you've got a feel for the American -- who really would have thought
that she'd kept that out. So disappointing for her in the end so disappointing for the team, but they'll rebuild as you say, Team U.S.A. a
powerhouse they will be for a very long time bright future of course, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and real heartbreak for Megan Rapinoe as well to go out of her World Cup in that way. I really felt for her. Angus, we'll be back with
you for more. Thanks so much. And as the World Cup thrillers and upsets continue, the viewership is soaring in the United States alone.
The group stage matches average more than 4.3 million viewers setting a new record. Nearly 6.5 million Americans watch the U.S.-Netherlands match
that's over a 20 percent increase from four years ago. Great news for the sponsors and businesses, that purchased advertising space throughout the
tournament.
Marketing and sponsorship agency goals say sponsors of the women's sport reap better returns than sponsors of the men's sports. And joining us now
is the GOALS CEO Caroline Fitzgerald, great to have you with us. So first of all, I just want to say commiserations for the U.S. Women's National
Team exiting the group yesterday in heartbreaking fashion. How is that been felt there stateside?
CAROLINE FITZGERALD, CEO OF GOALS: Hello, first of all, thanks for having me. It is a tough moment here in the United States. Our hearts are with the
team and incredible performance by them though, and kudos to them. The legacy of that team is not just this one game it doesn't come down to just
a few penalty kicks.
We know the legacy of that team goes far beyond that with four World Cups under their belt. So we're definitely feeling it over here. But honestly, I
think that I'm leaving is a testament to the increased caliber of football that we're seeing in this world cup because of increased investment that's
going into Federation's across the globe.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and let's talk a bit more about that because it certainly has delivered on drama this World Cup. There's no doubt about it. But it's
also been delivering on record breaking attendance and viewership as we were saying at the top there. In what ways is women's football now
outperforming men's football?
FITZGERALD: Yes, absolutely. What we're seeing with women's sports is that it's a largely untapped market with high growth potential. You reference
some of the numbers at the top about record viewership, record sponsorship sales, record merchandise sales. The global fan demand that we're seeing
for women's sports right now is absolutely off the charts.
And as gender equality comes more into the forefront of societal conversations, brands are starting to see that investing in women's sports
is not only the right thing to do it's actually a great business move. The special thing about women's sports is doing what are right lives alongside
what is profitable.
[09:45:00]
And for these brands have invested in our sponsors of the World Cup I think they're actually going to start seeing better returns on their sponsorships
with women's sports than men's sports. And I know that's a bold statement, but there's data to back that up. So there are two big reports that have
come out within the last two weeks alone that prove that investing in women's sports is actually better business than investing in men's sports.
So the verse is a report from the collective at Wasserman, which is a global sports agency. And they found that fans of women's sports are 54
percent, more aware of brand sponsors, and are 45 percent more likely to make a purchase or consider a purchase from a brand sponsor that sponsors a
women's sports team, league or athlete than that of men's sports.
The other report is a report from the Office of Women and sport and recreation in Australia. And they found that women's elite sport sponsors,
outperform men's sports when it comes to brand awareness, customer conversion and brand consideration and that for every $1 a corporate
sponsor invest in women's sports, they see $7.29 in return. So it's the same, excuse me, an incredible business proposition for the sponsors.
MACFARLANE: And this is I mean, music to my ears with someone who's followed women's football for so long, do you think I mean, you mentioned
equal pay? Do you think that these will these figures are going to kind of undermine the long running argument that women don't deserve equal pay?
Because they can't attract the same sort of sponsors, advertising revenues, that the men's game? I mean, this is really undermining this, isn't it? And
how do you see that moving forward after this World Cup?
FITZGERALD: It is. And it's absolutely, you know, it's a growing market. It's an emerging market, women's sports, in many ways women's sports are
still in startup phase. So I don't think anybody saying that overnight, we're going to wave a magic wand and have equal pay.
But what we're proving here with this World Cup, and with the trajectory of women's sports that we've seen over the last few years, is that it's good
business. So as more brand investment comes in we're going to see that pay gap equal out, because it's a business as more money comes in, more money
is going to go out and that's going to return to the players.
MACFARLANE: Yes, well, it's all trending in the right direction, isn't it? And we're not even done yet with this full cup, plenty more action to come,
Caroline Fitzgerald, CEO of GOALS, great to have your perspective, thank you.
FITZGERALD: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: All right, still to come. It's Barbie's world and we are all just living in it. We talk the history making box office, after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back Zoom, the company famed for its virtual meeting technology is asking its employees to come back to the office. Now Zoom's
popularity exploded during the pandemic when the need for online meeting surged and working from home became a reality for many.
But now it's back to business. It seems Zoom is telling CNN that employee that live nearby need to be back in the office for a certain number of
days.
[09:50:00]
Matt Egan is joining us to discuss this, and Matt, I guess the irony of this will not be lost on many people. What is Zoom stipulating here for
their employees? How many days?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Christina, it is so telling that even Zoom wants its employees back in the office. I mean, perhaps more than any other
companies Zoom saw its fortunes just skyrocketed during COVID. Because its technology helped make remote work possible.
Look at that stock chart, the stock was trading at around $68, late 2019. It got up to almost $600 at the peak in late 2020. And it's basically back
to where it started because this remote work boom has unwound to some extent. And so Zoom is saying that its employees do need to be back in the
office.
If they live close enough. Here's what the company says in a statement, "We believe that a structured hybrid approach meaning a set number of days,
employees that live near an office need to be on site is most effective for Zoom. So you know, in some ways, this is the end of an era, because it's
coming from Zoom, and it is symbolic of this broader shift.
A lot of tech companies have been trying hard to get employees to come back to the office at least a few days a week including Meta and Google owner
Alphabet. Obviously, this is disappointing to some employees who liked the flexibility of all remote work means less time commuting, maybe easier
childcare, easier to get stuff done around the house, so disappointing to that extent.
But it is noteworthy that even the White House wants employees back in the office just on Friday, the Chief of Staff of the White House sent in a note
to agency chief saying that they want federal agency workers to be back at least a few days a week and they cited the benefits of productivity and
Christina, at the end of the public health emergency.
MACFARLANE: Gosh, they're working from home fun times are over it seems no more working in our gym gems on a Friday. Matt Egan thanks for breaking it
down for that. So interesting precedent that seems seem to be setting appreciate it. Now it's a celebration in Barbie land.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I come to your house today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure. I don't remember anything they plan just a giant blowout party with all the Barbies and plant choreography and -- focus on
stuff -- .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So cool.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: A little over two weeks after it's released, Barbie has already ranked or raked in over $1 billion at the box office worldwide. The Pretty
in Pink blockbuster is the fastest movie to reach 400 million domestically and 500 million internationally. It also makes writer, director Greta
Gerwig, the first solo female director with a billion dollar movie.
The movie is one half of the viral Barbenheimer phenomenon the other half Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer also hit a milestone over the weekend.
Nathaniel Meyersohn joins me now to discuss this and Nathaniel no doubt that the Barbenheimer phenomenon has played into it. But that's not the
only reason. Walk us through how the Barbie makers have done this?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes. So this is the summer of Barbie, the summer of Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, Ken, Barbie and Greta
Gerwig, as you pointed out the first female director to reach a billion dollars in box office sales. I think that this is a sign of a phenomenon.
Clearly the marketing, all the marketing that went into this movie that was made by Warner Brothers' discovery, which is the parent company of CNN,
really has paid off. And it shows that people still want to go to the box office, they still want to see these big stars.
And that's translating into tremendous success for the movie and also the movie theater industry, which could use this boost as it tries to recover
from the impact of the pandemic and also faces this writers and actors strike that could delay movies and new releases.
MACFARLANE: And just briefly on Oppenheimer. I mean, I think they made what half a billion, which in itself was an achievement. Tell us how?
MEYERSOHN: Yes, so this is the fastest growing and first movie to reach half a billion dollars that is based on World War Two. I have seen
Oppenheimer hasn't seen Barbie but it really it is a tremendous success made by Christopher Nolan so worth seeing both of these, for sure, but
clearly of kind of a cultural phenomenon that we're seeing right now at the box office.
MACFARLANE: Yes, indeed, one that I have not seen either just Oppenheimer with me for the time being but I am working on Barbie. And Nathaniel, thank
you so much. Now, just briefly, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have been a bit cagey over the details of the cage match they appear to have agreed to
stage.
[09:55:00]
But Musk, over the weekend gave an update he says it will be streamed on his social media site X formerly Twitter and he says the money raised will
be donated to charity. Zuckerberg said on his Twitter I will cite Threads that he's still waiting from us to confirm his suggested date.
That he now knows Zuckerberg wants to stage the fight on August 26, saying he's ready to do battle right now. Meanwhile, 52 years old Musk says he's
been limbering up to predicts that he will win if the fight is short and on it goes. And finally you've heard about flights being delayed because of
bad weather, but what about a delay for a bad bear.
Passengers on an Iraqi Airways flight traveling from Baghdad to Dubai were delayed after a bear escaped from its crate in the cargo hold. The escapee
was eventually sedated and taken off the plane. The airline apologizes for the delay, but did not reveal why the bear was being transported or any
information of its well-being once it reached its final destination.
I think everyone was just more worried about the delay by the sound of it. That is it for this show. Thank you so much for joining us. "Connect the
World" is coming up next, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:00]
END
