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First Move with Julia Chatterley

Trump's Sentencing Delayed Until After Election; Father Of Georgia School Shooting Suspect Charged; Foreign Investors Betting Big On Cuba; How Luxury Collectors Are Changing; U.S Open Semifinal Showdown. Aired 6:20-7p ET

Aired September 06, 2024 - 18:20   ET

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

[18:20:00]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: Of course, that's exciting, watching the Starliner on its way home. "First Move" now. I'm Richard Quest.

News to bring you on weather. Typhoon Yagi is heading towards Vietnam after ripping through Southern China and touching down on a popular holiday

island. It's the most powerful typhoon to hit Hainan in a decade.

Cabins on a Ferris wheel were spinning 360 degrees and this storm is expected to maintain strength as it makes landfall in Vietnam over the

weekend. Hotter waters from seas are causing storms to become stronger more rapidly, a troubling sign of the climate crisis.

Will Ripley is with me in Taipei. Where's it going and what's it doing?

[18:25:00]

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, it walloped Southern China, which, you know, just had those heavy rains and floods that

they're still recovering from. They're still trying to get the agriculture, the food supply, the supply chain disruption from this storm, kind of

adding to a weather created mess in this region.

There are flights from here in Taiwan to Vietnam that are being canceled today after a ton of flights were canceled in Hong Kong. This storm -- you

showed the video from Hainan, it also made landfall in Guangdong. You had almost 600,000 people and counting who were evacuated along with nearly a

million power outages, 800,000 plus.

So, Vietnam's next on the list here. And we're talking about these storms, as you know, Richard, more and more. And what's scary for people, even in

places like here in Taiwan where you get hit by typhoons a lot this time of year, you know, Hainan, it is called China's Hawaii, but this is not the

tourist season, that doesn't begin until November, because people here -- around here know that this kind of storms will happen.

You know, the coastal areas, after getting walloped repeatedly, they tend to build up, they tend to reinforce themselves. The last, you know, super

typhoon back in 2014, you had dozens of deaths, billions in damage, and everybody's hoping that things will be better this time around. But with

these storms getting more powerful, Richard, who knows?

QUEST: Will Ripley, in Taipei. It's early morning, sir. I'm grateful that you're up and doing duty. For more on Yagi and where it's heading and

what's next, Chad Myers is with me. This looks very nasty. And I think not only the ferocity, but the frequency is what's troubling.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. We had winds of 240 kilometers per hour. It was a super typhoon. This is a big event here for -- really, for

Haikou. This is the area here, all the way from Zhangjiajie. That's the area that really picked up the storm surge. We don't have great pictures

yet. And we may not get them for days because the infrastructure may not be in very good shape.

Making landfall at 230 kilometers per hour. So, losing 10 kilometers per hour before it made landfall. But there is the eye. There is Haikou right

there, right there, and it went right over the top. The people there along the shore may have actually seen blue sky, or stars there in the center of

the eye as it went over.

Now, watch the last frame here. This is very interesting and we see this a lot. See this stuff in the middle of the eye? Those are likely birds that

have been caught in the eye, picked up by the storm. They have nowhere to go and they're not going to get out of that eye until the storm dies. They

will end up in Vietnam.

Here's the pictures you're talking about. These little cylinders here are actually where people would be sitting in the Ferris wheel. And we're happy

that was not working. Here's Yagi right now, 194 kilometers per hour and it is still moving. And I can see the eye again, which means that the storm is

not losing much intensity. It's not a super typhoon anymore, but it's not losing anything. It's not really tearing itself up.

Look at the winds here at 255 millimeters. That's 10 inches of rainfall. Winds over 151. And I think it went well above that. That just -- that's

just one spot that picked up 151. I'm sure there are places that picked up 200 and may not even know it because the wind vane may not even be working

anymore. But 213 as it makes landfall later tonight there in Vietnam. Very close to Hanoi. And this is the problem. Yes, Hanoi is a little bit farther

inland, but there is still going to be a tremendous amount of rainfall.

There will be widespread rain over 250 millimeters. And I know if you played the other English, that's 10 inches of rain and some spots up to 15

inches of rain as we slide almost up there to 500 millimeters. So, a devastating night here for the people are morning -- early morning now for

the people of Vietnam. It's still to come. It's lost some intensity, but this was a big storm and it's still a very impressive storm even at this

hour. Richard.

QUEST: Chad, I was looking at that picture of the thingamajigs going round and round on the Ferris wheel.

MYERS: Yes.

QUEST: You know, I'll bet, if they could, there'd be some idiot who'd want to be in one of them.

MYERS: Of course.

QUEST: You know, just --

MYERS: Not me. I'm good.

QUEST: No, no, me neither. But there's always one. All right. I'm grateful for you, sir. Thank you. Have a good weekend. Thank you.

It is "First Move." Julia is away. I'm at the helm. And on we sail. Donald Trump won't be sentenced in the hush money case until after the U.S.

election. The judge just said he didn't want to interfere in the electoral process. So, now, Trump's legal team factors what's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

QUEST: Friday night in the U.S., Saturday morning in Asia, and this is the look at the international headlines wherever you are joining me this

morning.

China is halting most foreign adoptions of its children, leaving hundreds of families uncertain about what happens next. The only exceptions will be

for those who already have a family connection. For decades, overseas parents have adopted thousands of Chinese children, many of whom were

abandoned under the country's draconian one child policy. Now, China is looking to reverse the country's population decline.

The former U.S. vice president, Dick Cheney, says he will be voting for the Democrat Kamala Harris in November's election. Mr. Cheney is a Republican

who served as former vice president, George W. Bush's vice president. He warned that Donald Trump, in his words, can never be trusted with power

again. Mr. Cheney's daughter, the former House Republican, Liz Cheney, also says she will vote for Harris and says she will campaign against Trump in

battleground states.

Donald Trump will not be sentenced for his criminal hush money conviction until after the presidential election. Judge Juan Merchan said he will not

sentence Trump until November the 26th. The delay is, in his words, to avoid the appearance of swaying the vote. Mr. Trump was originally set to

be sentenced this month. He was convicted in May on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to the adult

film star Stormy Daniels. Following news of the delay, Mr. Trump talked to social media. He called the case a witch hunt and a political attack.

The implications of this decision? I'm joined by James Sample, professor of law at Hofstra University. Interesting. Judge Merchan had been very clear,

very hard during -- I mean, you know, fair, but hard during the case that he was going to get on with it regardless. But eventually, it just can't --

it can't withstand the election, can it? It has -- the election has to come first in a sense.

JAMES SAMPLE, PROFESSOR OF LAW, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: I think that's right, Richard. I think Judge Merchan was very fair, firm, but fair during the

case, and he was trying to be respectful, both of the defendant, Mr. Trump, and of the jury, particularly once the jury was seated.

[18:35:00]

He had an impossible task, and he threaded that needle with integrity, with character. And I think what he decided to do today is to respect the

process and to, in a sense, mute in advance, preempt any arguments that whatever sentence that he might impose is a kind of -- another form of

election interference.

Now, Mr. Trump's response, which you just read, indicates that there's no scenario where Justice Merchan is going to be credited by Mr. Trump for

doing this. But what he is doing is insulating whatever sentence that he makes from the charge that it is election interference. It won't be that,

whatever it is.

QUEST: I sort of would like to -- I'd like Judge Merchan to write on a piece of paper the sentence he will give in either eventuality and put it

in a drawer so that we could see exactly where he is. Because I think -- look, you tell me, Professor, does it make a difference come the day if

he's sentencing a lost presidential candidate or a presidential -- president elect?

SAMPLE: Your experiment idea is a really good one. I don't know that we'll be able to get Justice Merchan to actually engage that experiment. But I

think that the answer is that it should not impact the decision.

And look, I think Mr. Trump has been -- Judge Merchan bent over backwards to be fair to Donald Trump in a way that very few defendants ever, very

have the opportunity. Donald Trump was held in contempt 10 separate times during the course of the proceedings here. No defendant ever, in any

context, gets 10 bites at the contempt apple without suffering consequences.

So, yes, Mr. Trump has been treated, in a sense, with greater deference because of who he is politically, but that doesn't mean -- that's not a

blank check. At some point, Judge Merchan, who's also been very respectful of the jury and even in his remarks today, noted that that is one of the

things that he's taking into account, that the jury's verdict, they devoted their time their energy, they're the ones who saw all of the evidence. He

is going to respect that verdict with a sentence. And after the election, it won't be clouded by the uncertainty around the election.

QUEST: Many more questions to ask you. They will have to wait until another day, Professor. I'm grateful. Have a lovely weekend. Thank you, sir.

The father of a 14-year-old school shooting suspect is facing criminal charges in the U.S. State of Georgia. Colin Gray was arraigned on Friday on

four counts of second-degree murder. He's accused of giving his son a firearm, knowing that he was a threat to others. His son is facing murder

charges as well. Neither have entered a plea at this stage in the legal proceedings. CNN's Ryan Young with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, sir. Are you Mr. Colt Gray?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a green T-shirt handcuffed with unkempt hair, the teenager accused of Wednesday's deadly

school shooting in Georgia made his court appearance today.

CURRIE MINGLEDORFF, JACKSON COUNTY JUDGE: The penalty for the crimes for which you are charged does not include death. It includes life without the

possibility of parole or life, with the possibility of parole.

YOUNG (voice-over): The 14-year-old is charged with four counts of felony murder and will be tried as an adult. But he's not eligible for the death

penalty in Georgia because he's under 18. Colt Gray did not enter a plea in court.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this time, your honor, there is not a request for bond.

YOUNG (voice-over): The teen is accused of opening fire with an AR-15 style rifle at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought I was going to die.

YOUNG (voice-over): Killing math teachers Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, along with 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian

Angulo.

Back in court today, devastated families of the victims embraced and cried. But the suspect's father, Colin Gray, also made his first court appearance.

Colin Gray was arraigned on multiple counts of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder, and child cruelty. An arrest warrant says the 54-

year-old allegedly gave his son a gun, quote, "with knowledge that he was a threat to himself and others."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't have to have been physically injured in this to be a victim. Everyone in this community is a victim. Every child in that

school was a victim.

YOUNG (voice-over): The FBI says in May of 2023, law enforcement interviewed the father and son after receiving several anonymous tips about

online threats to commit a school shooting. That interview was recorded by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have weapons in the house?

COLIN GRAY, FATHER OF COLT GRAY: I do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are accessible to him?

GRAY: They are. I mean, there's nothing loaded, but they are down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

GRAY: We actually -- we do a lot of shooting. We do a lot of deer hunting.

YOUNG (voice-over): Colt's father even told police he'd been trying to teach his son about gun safety.

GRAY: Yes, I want you to talk to him and just tell him. Like, I don't know anything about him saying -- like that. And I'm going to be mad as hell if

he did. And then all the guns will go away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

[18:40:00]

GRAY: And they won't be accessible to him. You know, we -- I'm trying to be honest with you. I'm trying to teach hm about firearms and safety and how

to do it all and get him interested in the outdoors.

YOUNG (voice-over): In December of 2023, two law enforcement sources say Colin Gray purchased the gun allegedly used in shooting as a holiday gift

for his son.

Colin Gray did not enter a plea and faces a maximum penalty of 180 years in prison. The charges against him are the most serious filed against the

parent of an alleged school shooter, and this is only the second time a parent has been charged in connection with a minor carrying out a mass

shooting.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: To be purchasing a weapon in December of 2023 under conditions where potentially your son should not have one is

troubling. But I do think we are in a world where prosecutors are looking to use all the tools available to them.

YOUNG (voice-over): The mother and father of Ethan Crumbley, the Oxford, Michigan school shooter who killed four students in 2021, were both

convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year. Of the charges filed against Colin Gray in Georgia, the Barrow County District Attorney

says --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not trying to send a message. I'm just trying to use the tools in my arsenal to prosecute people for the crime they commit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: You and I continue this evening and morning, in a moment, we're giving Cubans something to sing and dance about. Foreign investors are

determined to plow money into their economy despite a wealth of obstacles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Cuba may not be the first choice for many foreign investors. Those that do go there are choosing to put their money for good reason, despite

economic uncertainty and the possible ramifications of a second Trump presidency. Nevertheless, the money is going into small hotels and other

projects. From Havana, Cuba Patrick Oppmann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's open mic night at the Trevi Caribe Hotel in Havana. For the Cubans singing their hearts out here,

it's not just a chance to perform, but perhaps be discovered.

In the audience is Grammy-winning Venezuelan-American producer, Andres Levin, watching for the next Cuban star. Levin says he chose this awkwardly

track neighborhood in Central Havana for the location of his boutique hotel because of its deep musical roots. He and business partner Chris Cornell

worked together for about five years to open the hotel

ANDRES LEVIN, HOTEL TRIBE CARIBE CO-FOUNDER: Because we're energizing the neighborhood where, you know, giving employment to a lot of locals and

we're inviting people from abroad to kind of experience the real Havana. You know, it's kind of like you're in the thick of it here. So, we love

this neighborhood.

[18:45:00]

OPPMANN (voice-over): It's a gamble investing in Cuba. Where the U.S. economic sanctions make every transaction a financial minefield. And Cuban

government bureaucracy often adds years towards completing the most modest projects.

But Levin says, so far, the gamble has paid off. As the hotel has hosted neighborhood street parties for guests and filmed music videos on site with

superstars like Jon Batiste. New projects like this one are a badly needed shot to the economy in a country where tourism still has yet to recover

from the impacts of the pandemic, and where a record number of Cubans are leaving in search of a better life elsewhere.

Architect Fernando Martirena Cordoves shows me the 19th century mansion he's restoring where he plans to open an art gallery and cafe. Cubans face

their own uphill battle creating new spaces. Fernando is self-employed in a country where all architects are supposed to work for the state. Sometimes

operating in a legal gray area can be liberating, he says.

Here you have a much greater level of control, but at the same time, it's a contradiction because here everything is chaotic. He says, it allows you to

make many decisions that in another country, for legal reasons for bureaucratic permit issues, would take much more time.

The U.S. election in November could determine whether these hard-fought projects turn a profit.

OPPMANN: If Kamala Harris wins, many Cubans hope she will lift restrictions on U.S. visitors to Cuba, potentially leading to a new boom in tourism

here. But if Donald Trump is re-elected, it is likely he will double down on the punishing financial sanctions of his first term. With just over two

months to the U.S. election, many people here feel like they're holding their breath as the next occupant of the White House could have a major

impact on the Cuban economy.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Ultimately, though, for many entrepreneurs to invest years and money in a project here is a labor of love.

CHRIS CORNELL, HOTEL TRIBE CARIBE CO-FOUNDER: There's something about the place that kind of hooks you. So, I know that's not, you know, factual but

it's kind of the emotional. It's an emotional reason, I think, that I'm here.

OPPMANN (voice-over): And the desire to make things just a little bit better in a place where there is so much need.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Now, on "First Move" on Thursday, Julia focused on high-end auctions featuring famous works of art in Asia.

Meanwhile, K-pop fans are eagerly lining up to snap up prized possessions belonging to their musical idols. Belts, sneakers, and the other bits of

memorabilia belonging to G-Dragon of K-pop group Bang Bang are going under the hammer, sold.

The singer-songwriter Pharrell, who is hosting the sale in South Korea, told Mike Valerio all about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHARRELL WILLIAMS, SINGER-SONGWRITER, JOOPITER FOUNDER: They're called possessions for a reason. And it's not just because you possess them, but

sometimes these things and there's -- the weight of the memory possesses you.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Pharrell Williams and G-Dragon have come together, not in a song, but for a sale of

the K-pop legend's treasured possessions.

WILLIAMS: This guy has opened up his trove of things that were very close to him, from the things that he's customized, to the jewelry that he's

created,

OPPMANN (voice-over): Since 2022, Pharrell's Joopiter Auction House has teamed up with numerous celebrities, those who not only shape culture, but

voraciously collect it.

WILLIAMS: Your possessions, they actually hold energy. The beautiful part about it is that as you're parting ways with it, somebody else is taking on

this energy.

OPPMANN (voice-over): The auction market is fast evolving, whereas major artworks and jewelry once dominated record-breaking headlines, non-

traditional objects are also fetching high sums.

CAITLIN DONOVAN, GLOBAL HEAD OF SALES, JOOPITER: What we consider a collectible and who we consider a collector has completely shifted and

changed.

WILLIAMS: You know, the traditional and institutional auction house consumer and space could have been perceived as a bit stuffy. The average

collector now are into designer sneakers. They're into collectibles. They're into a whole lot of things that they probably wouldn't have been

into in the '90s. You all walking in wearing their Yeezys, right? So, that space has transformed that customer and consumer is much more curious about

culture and subcultures.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: All right. All right. all right. I know, Pharrell. As everybody has just shrieked in my ear, do not attack. I've got it, Pharrell, faroo,

farah.

[18:50:00]

As we continue tonight, the fight for the place in the men's finals. The latest from the U.S. Open where two of tennis brightest stars have been

battling it out and the drink that will cost you 23 bucks, but will go down a treat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: At the U.S. Open now, the world number one Jannik Sinner is through to the men's final. He beat the rising star Jack Draper from Britain in the

semifinal. It was a fantastic match between the two. Though, ultimately, the Italian bettered his British counterpart in the game's most decisive

moments. Andy Scholes was there for it all. Was it even matched or was it just sort of game set and match?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll say Richard for a match that ended in straight sets, it was very entertaining and very even in

those first two sets because the crowd was going pretty wild throughout those first two sets because Sinner and Draper, they would have these long

volleys, and Sinner just was proving why he's the world number one. He would just get to every single ball. And in the end, he proved to be just

be too much for Draper.

And, you know, once Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz lost here in New York, it was Sinner who became the favorite to win this tournament. And

now, he is the first ever Italian man to make it to the U.S. Open final. And now, you know, he's going to just sit back and watch the main event

tonight, which is Frances Tiafoe taking on Taylor Fritz. It's the first time that two Americans are going to face each other in the U.S. Open

semifinals since 2005.

And, you know, Fritz and Tiafoe both trying to make it to their first ever Grand Slam final, and they both are looking to end the long American

drought because an American man has not won a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick won back here in 2003 in New York.

Now, an interesting dynamic for this match is Tiafoe and Fritz, they're good friends. They've been playing against each other since they were 14

years old. You know, they're usually rooting for one another, but tonight, only one of them will become a U.S. Open finalist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCES TIAFOE, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER: I think we've kind of always really pushed each other. And now, I think it's great that we get to compete

against each other in such a big match. And you know, I'm happy for him. I know he's happy for me. So, let the best man win come Friday, man. It's

going to be epic. So, you know, it's popcorn, do what you got to do. It's going to be a fun one come Friday.

TAYLOR FRITZ, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER: It's going to be just electric. And yes, I think that would be awesome for the fans as well as to be guaranteed

that one of us is going to be going in the finals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, it is going to be the first time since Andy Roddick, back in 2006, that an American man is playing in the final here at the U.S. Open on

Sunday, Richard. So, who has the advantage here tonight? Well, Fritz, he is six and one in his career against Tiafoe, but he's never played him here in

New York where Tiafoe plays his best tennis and just feeds off the energy from this New York crowd.

So, I tell you what, it is going to be one fun night at Arthur Ashe Stadium watching these two square off for a spot in Sunday's final.

[18:55:00]

QUEST: How are you with a honey juice? Have you had one or two of these yet?

SCHOLES: I have not tried it yet, Richard. I saw the $23 price tag, and I was like, eh.

QUEST: You cheapskates.

SCHOLES: But now that I'm getting -- you're my last segment for the night, Richard. So, maybe I'll go get one right now. I'll let you know.

QUEST: All right. I'll make one for you. In fact, I'll make one for you. And I only charge you 20 bucks. This is how you make the famous honey juice

drink that's in there. It's the Open signature drink. It costs 23 bucks and it's likely to bring in $10 million, which is enough to cover the prize

money for the whole championships for the men's and women's singles.

And this is how you make it. You, first of all, take some grey goose or any vodka. You want some lemonade and some raspberry liqueur. I've switched out

the liqueur because I don't drink alcohol. And most important, melon balls. Lots of them. And of course, you scoop them out in the usual way. Scoop-a-

roo. And now -- look at that. You don't get melon like this one on other programs. I eat your heart out, Michael Holmes.

You put that on there. You have a drink and you say thank you for joining us and for Julia all week. Have a wonderful weekend. This is CNN. The news

never stops.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:00:00]

END