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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Biden Pardons His Son Hunter; Nine Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Lebanon; Israel Strikes "Terror Targets" in Lebanon; Hezbollah Fires Projectiles into Israeli Controlled Territory; Syrian Rebels Deals Huge Blow to Assad; White House Announces New Aid Package to Ukraine; Ukraine Fights to Hold Kursk; Intel and Stellantis CEOs Steps Down; Fifth Night of Protests in Georgia; Controversial Choice for FBI Director. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired December 02, 2024 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: -- with their hands, ready for a story to find their villain to racist and Islamophobic fans and people, you don't
know my heart nor my character, which I don't see to prove -- need to prove to any of you.
Jake, Al-Shaair was fined on two previous occasions this season. So, we shall soon know what the discipline will be for Al-Shaair.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coy Wire, thanks so much. Good to see you. The news continues on CNN with Wolf Blitzer right next door in The
Situation Room. I'll see you tomorrow.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: -- New York. I'm Julia Chatterley. And wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
And a warm welcome to "First Move," once again. And here's today's need to know. Pardon me. President Biden provoking a bipartisan backlash as he
pardons his son, Hunter. Ceasefire strain, Israel strikes, quote, "terror targets" in Lebanon after Hezbollah launches projectiles into Israeli
controlled territory. Tbilisi turmoil. Georgia's president says a crackdown on pro-European protesters violates their basic human rights. And Miami
magic. Calling all artists, collectors, curators, and dealers to the final art flurry of the year. The Art Basel CEO will tell all plus what can
possibly beat Sotheby's $6 million banana. That conversation and plenty more coming up.
But first, a stunning reversal. President Biden pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, something he'd said he would never do. The younger Biden was due to
be sentenced this month in the tax and gun cases against him. Now, with a sweeping pardon, he cannot be prosecuted for any possible federal crimes
that may have been committed in the past 10 years.
President Biden says, quote, "In trying to break Hunter, they tried to break me." He also says, I hope Americans will understand why a father and
a president would come to this decision. President-Elect Donald Trump calling it an abuse and miscarriage of justice.
Michael Moore joins us now. Michael, good to have you with us. Just to be clear, this pardon is broadly crafted to cover both the tax and the gun
offenses against Hunter Biden. Plus, it covers the decade of his tenure on the board of Burisma, which was the Ukrainian gas company and any work for
China that was done in that interim period. This is broad.
MICHAEL MOORE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I'm glad to be with you. It is broad, but it's not, I don't think, unexpected for anybody who has listened
over the last, especially, couple of months to what Trump's plans are with his Justice Department and his FBI. And so, we watched as the Republicans
in Congress sort of held these hearings. They held impeachment hearings and inquiries and everything else about Hunter Biden and Joe Biden came up with
nothing.
And so, it's became clear as well in recent days, and especially with some of the public comments that have been made by his nominees, that the Trump
administration would continue to pursue Hunter Biden and everybody who had been a friend of Joe Biden and had worked in any way on the cases involving
Trump. And so, I just don't think it's completely unexpected.
You know, Biden had promised not to do it, but at the same time, there have been circumstances that changed, which I think probably justified his own
decision to change his mind. He -- Trump won the election. These folks were nominated -- or are going to be nominated, they've been named, at least, to
positions that could really be an abuse of power. So, I don't -- I'm just not that surprised to see this. He was completely within his prerogative as
president to do it. The pardoning process is nothing that should be foreign to the Trump administration, Donald Trump, or anyone else associated with
this.
CHATTERLEY: On previous --
MOORE: I'm laughing a little bit.
CHATTERLEY: On previous presidents as well. Well, let's be clear. I just wanted to ask though, because --
MOORE: That's exactly right, yes.
CHATTERLEY: -- in President Biden's case, what he said was, look, he's doing this because, quote, "his son was selectively and unfairly
prosecuted." Hunter was "treated differently," quote, from people who commit similar crimes. He also said that Hunter Biden was "singled out,"
quote, for prosecution because he is my son. And those allegations, of course, were raised by Hunter Biden's lawyers. And I think that two federal
judges rejected them. Is there merit in that, that he was correct in suggesting his son was treated differently?
MOORE: Absolutely. Absolutely there's merit in it. I mean, no reasonable or responsible U.S. attorney in my mind, at least, would have -- this would
-- would have taken these cases on individually and you just don't see that. I can tell you haven't had experience as the United States attorney
that you just -- when you have a case where a tax payment has been made, there are other ways to resolve that, such as some civil remedies and some
other administrative things. You don't necessarily go full bore on a criminal trial.
The same thing with this gun charge, it's often not used as a standalone charge but maybe joined with something more serious crime. So, it gave the
clear appearance. And you remember as well the plea deal that was thrown out, that was reached in the case. It gave the clear appearance that Hunter
Biden was being prosecuted because his father was president of the United States.
[18:05:00]
And to some somehow now contend that he shouldn't receive consideration for a pardon simply because his father is president of the United States sort
of strains credulity. So, I think that there's -- if you really look back at the history of these types of cases, you just don't see the weight of
the federal government going after individuals, especially when the restitution payments have already been made to the Internal Revenue
Service. And in a gun case like this, it's typically not prosecuted on its own.
CHATTERLEY: As we've said, this is not the first case. I mean, the president-elect pardoned his father-in-law, Kushner, who will now become
the ambassador to France. Bill Clinton, I believe, pardoned his brother as well. Do you think this is raising a question, though, of whether there
should be some form of limits to the presidential pardon power as it exists, and that would require Congress to act and a quorum of both
Democrats and Republicans to look at this in either cases or any of these cases and say, should presidents be able to pardon family members, allies,
those that will ultimately help them perhaps in the future? Do you think we get there or we're nowhere near?
MOORE: Yes, I don't think we're anywhere near there, and I hope not. I hope that we don't begin to sort of create a different set of norms simply
because we have this particular strife between the two different administrations coming in right now. I mean, presidents have the authority
to issue a pardon, and there are people who certainly well deserve it.
But again, I mean, when you think about pardons like to Mr. Kushner, that's a situation where, at this point now, if he's named to be ambassador in
France, the Senate could consider that as well. So, we watched as the Trump administration pardoned people and granted clemency to individuals with
like Mr. Manafort, Mr. Stone and we could go down the list, Mr. Kushner. So, again these are unique powers that a president has, and I would hate to
see us deny people who may be certainly deserving of pardon consideration simply because we want to make some kind of reaction to the present
circumstances, at least the present-day strife that we see in the quite partisan system that we're observing during this transition period.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, perhaps the only difference here perhaps is that the president said he wouldn't do this and then he chose to do it unexpected,
as you pointed out or expected as you pointed out. But perhaps that's the differing standards that we are discussing. Michael, good to have you with
us. Thank you. Michael Moore.
MOORE: I'm glad to be with you.
CHATTERLEY: Thank you. I know you're going to add something there, but I'm out of time. We could keep this going for the whole show. Thank you, sir.
All right. We're also following the situation in the Middle East. Israel carrying out new airstrikes in Southern Lebanon, saying it's targeting,
quote, "terrorists" and their infrastructure. The Lebanese health ministry says at least nine people lost their lives in the attacks.
It comes after Hezbollah fired projectiles into Israeli occupied territory for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect last week. Clarissa
Ward joins us now. Clarissa, good to have you with us. Clearly concerning signs on both sides. Is the ceasefire still formally believed to be holding
despite what we've seen in recent hours?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, certainly there are very real fears that the ceasefire could start to fall apart
after the events of this evening. There were strikes, as you mentioned, in Southern Lebanon. At least nine people killed, according to the Lebanese
health ministry. There were drones flying low. We could hear them very clearly here in Beirut and over the southern suburbs of Beirut. And there
were those two projectiles that were fired by Hezbollah into the Sheba Farms area.
So, certainly concerns that things could be unraveling. But so far, it has been quiet the last few hours. More broadly, the ceasefire has been holding
with, I should say, consistent violations. We spoke, CNN, to a source with UNIFIL, the peacekeeping force with the United Nations in Lebanon, who said
that they had counted roughly 100 violations coming from the Israeli side. The Israelis have said these aren't violations, that these are -- that they
are enforcing the ceasefire with these strikes. They said tonight that they had taken out infrastructure and rocket launchers connected to Hezbollah.
But certainly, it is fair to say, Julia, that there is frankly palpable desperation here in Lebanon. People very much want to see this ceasefire
hold. They are desperate to get back to their normal lives, to start rebuilding their homes. But still an open question as to whether that will
be possible. There are a lot of moving parts here.
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A lot of things need to happen during this 60-day truce period in which Israeli troops need to withdraw. Hezbollah needs to withdraw. The Lebanese
army needs to be in place to ensure that Hezbollah does not return south of the Litani River. And it's certainly a sense that there are a lot of things
that could still go wrong. Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, a lot of people watching this very nervously. This conflict and what we've seen in recent months certainly has Iran's
attention. Russia, of course, we know has been focused on the war in Ukraine. And while they've, in many respects, I guess you could argue been
distracted, what we've seen is a coalition of rebels pose the biggest challenge to Assad in Syria that we've seen, what, in this past decade.
What are the chances this offensive can be contained given their gains in Aleppo, whether that's military sites or even the airport, we now believe?
WARD: There's no question, Julia, that this offensive took everybody by surprise, and everyone has just been astonished, frankly, at the
breathtaking pace of this rebel offensive. They've taken the whole of the City of Aleppo. This is Syria's second largest city. It is its industrial
hub. It's a city that they never managed to fully take even back in 2012 when it was sort of the height of the Syrian opposition.
Bashar al-Assad has been able to quash the rebellion. He's done that through his backers in the form of Iran, in the form of Hezbollah, in the
form, most crucially, of Russia and its air force, which launched a blistering campaign from 2015 that effectively ended the Syrian uprising.
Now, clearly, the tables have turned. Assad's proxies and supporters have been otherwise engaged or distracted with their own issues.
But as to the question of what happens next, we simply don't know. The offensive continues, lots of speculation that the City of Hama could be
next, that's Syria's fourth largest city in the center of the country, home to approximately 1 million people. Rebels tonight were putting out
messages, basically telling ordinary citizens of Hama that they should avoid any contact with regime figures or regime forces. So, all eyes on
that city next.
But we are definitely seeing sort of the Russian forces, at least Russian airstrikes continuing and growing more intense, dozens of people killed in
Idlib and in Aleppo Province today. So, an open question surrounding what happens next in Syria as this whole region really braces itself and wonders
whether it can possibly handle any more instability, Julia.
CHATTERLEY: And, Clarissa, quickly, what about for ordinary Syrians? I mean, we were just showing images there of what appeared to be civilians
being rescued from the rubble here. Where do they stand in the middle of the current regime and then the operation of a coalition now of rebels?
WARD: You know, Julia, it's such an important question, and it's one we forget to answer or even ask often, because the focus is on Assad, the
focus is on the rebels. Half of Syria's population was displaced by this civil war. The Russian airstrikes, Assad's regime has carried out
unspeakable war crimes, using nerve agents, Sarin gas against his own people. So, there's not a lot of love for Bashar al-Assad among a huge
swath of Syria's population.
At the same time, I think there is a lot of uneasiness as well about the makeup of these various different rebel factions. Some of them have ties --
or, you know, one of them was literally in allegiance with Al Qaeda. It has since disavowed that connection, but still, strong militant Islamist
contingencies.
And so, a lot of people, I think, feeling slightly queasy about this moment. On the one hand, jubilant to see Assad on the back foot, and on the
other hand, very anxious about what this portends for the future of Syria.
CHATTERLEY: Clarissa, great to have you with us as always. Thank you. Clarissa Ward there. Now, the White House has announced another military
aid package for Ukraine worth around $725 million. That's more aid than what's been recently sent by the United States. And it comes ahead of
President-Elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
Trump has said he may pause aid to Ukraine once in office, even though Ukrainian troops are fighting a crucial battle in the Kursk region. Nick
Paton Walsh reports from Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): They have a three-second window, rushing out with a U.S. supplied Stinger and an
aging anti-aircraft gun to shoot down Russian attack drones in the fleeting moment they fly overhead in range.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Three kilometers from us.
WALSH: Three kilometers from them.
WALSH (voice-over): They could hit that and prepare to. But the radar is wrong and they pause to hear it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Turn there.
[18:15:00]
WALSH (voice-over): So, reposition the entire truck, but suddenly, the drone has vanished. It sounded like a decoy. But that usually means others
are coming. And the sky is filling up with drones in the next region.
A month ago, the targets here seemed endless. November was a record month for drones across Ukraine, that usually crash into towns, not this empty
field.
Their sound slices through the dark.
WALSH: It was pretty low and close, and while they think this is Ukrainian drones headed for Russia, the Russians also used this moment to take the
same routes to try and sneak their drones in.
WALSH (voice-over): Right now, a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia is underway, so they've been forbidden, even if they could, to fire. Each
night, they watch Russian drones weave their complex way out of their tiny range.
When the defenses fail, the icy silence breaks. Moscow pummeling the border town Sumy, here with a cluster munition missile that killed 12 in an
apartment block because Ukraine is still inside Russia, holding positions in Kursk.
This thermal drone image shows, just hours earlier, the dawn's fight in Kursk for Oleksandr.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The assault teams came in the dawn grey. There was almost not contact. We worked with bird (drones). Then the
infantry simply swept them up.
WALSH (voice-over): In the positions they've hit, no sign of the North Korean troops meant to be in Kursk. Instead, Chechens, even African
mercenaries, but above all endless waves of Russians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have the impression they have unlimited people. It's like the next Russians don't know what happened to
the previous Russians. So, they go there, into the unknown.
WALSH (voice-over): His Humvee is a mess. He hasn't slept for three days and shelling has damaged his hearing, but he knows what he'd say to
President-Elect Donald Trump, when Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the '90s, we a promise protection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You took away our nuclear weapons? You promised us protection? Yes, in simple terms, so keep your word. We're
being slaughtered, and you're still trying to play games, to defend your interests. You have to give everything your could to end this war in two
days. Who will believe the words of the U.S. or England, who are pissing themselves in front of Russia? Pardon my English.
WALSH (voice-over): Confident they can hold out in Kursk, less confident of how long the west expects them to.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Sumy, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Thanks to Nick there. Right straight ahead for us, CEO go. The heads of chip giant Intel and carmaker Stellantis are out the door after
troubled tenures. The latest on their hasty departures and what comes next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." A cold day on Wall Street, but a hot session for tech in today's Money Move. The Nasdaq and the S&P hitting
fresh records on the first trading day of this new month. All this after a November to remember. With stocks posting their best monthly gains of the
year, Tesla, of course, a big winner Monday rising almost 3.5 percent, but a setback for Elon Musk after the closing bell, a judge in the U.S. State
of Delaware once again rejecting Musk's $56 billion Tesla pay package awarded by company shareholders earlier this year. The judge upheld her
previous ruling saying Musk and the board failed to prove that the record compensation package is justified.
And a nice start to the trading week in Asia. Chinese stocks rallying as factory activity there hit its highest levels since April. Australian
stocks also finishing at record highs too. And in other business news, two troubled companies, two sudden CEO departures, the heads of chip giant
Intel and car colossus Stellantis, both announcing they're stepping down with immediate effect.
Shares of both firms losing roughly half of their value this year. Take a look at that performance. Intel head Pat Gelsinger criticized for his slow
response to the A.I. boom. Stellantis boss, Carlos Tavares, reportedly clashed with the board of directors over his cost cutting strategy.
Paul La Monica joins us now. He's senior markets analyst, writer -- analysis writer at Barron's. One day I'll get it right. Paul, great to have
you on the show. Let's start with Pat Gelsinger. I do like Pat and I feel sorry for him. It's really tough when NVIDIA is your competition and you're
constantly being badgered about how you're going to recapture market share and catch up or narrow the gap with a giant like that. And obviously,
manufacturing chips was his way forward and he took money from the Chips Act. What do we make of this decision, because it was a tough, tough
industry and a tough fight back?
PAUL R. LA MONICA, SENIOR MARKETS ANALYSIS WRITER, BARRON'S: Yes. I mean, let's be honest here, Julia. Intel was once the, you know, unavowed, you
know, the undisputed leader, the king of the semiconductor industry, but that was back in a time where a lot of the most high-end chips were being
used for PCs and servers. And that's maybe not a bygone era, but A.I. is what really matters at this point. And as you alluded to NVIDIA is the
leader there, but even within PCs and servers, Intel has lost ground to AMD to ARM.
So, there are rivals that have really caught up to Intel from a technological standpoint, and that has hurt the company. And I think Pat
Gelsinger is the fall guy as a result of that. And, you know, don't forget also Intel tried to become more of a player in selling -- you know, making
chips for other companies like Taiwan Semiconductor, but they lagged in that business on the fabrication side as well.
So, really, it's been a tough go for Intel for a long time. And I think, you know, the chip company is deciding, yet again, they need to go with
another executive because, you know, it's been a rotating, revolving door until for the past couple of years, really, where, you know, going back to
when Paul Ottolini was the CEO. Since then, there's really not been a lot of stability.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. And building fabs in order to make these chips and take on the likes of Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor takes billions and
billions of dollars and it takes time to achieve. I mean, to your point, the next CEO, whoever it is, has to take on competitors with greater
resources, with one heck of a head start in terms of A.I. computing.
I just -- I wonder whether it's a case of someone buying them perhaps rather than this --
LA MONICA: Yes, I think --
CHATTERLEY: What do you think?
LA MONICA: Yes, it's going to be tough. I mean, Intel is obviously a company whose glory days may be in the rear-view mirror. There are
obviously hopes that they can, you know, get back on track, but even with the stock price falling as much as it has, it's a company that has a market
valuation of more than a hundred billion. So, it is not an easy acquisition for another tech company. And it's probably not even an easy thing for a
private equity firm to absorb unless they wanted to buy Intel, take the parts of it they like, and then break it up, spin it off the whole classic,
you know, P.E. play of breaking something up. But I think it's going to be difficult. Intel is not a likely acquisition candidate.
[18:25:00]
It's also, you know, a storied company. One of the leaders of Silicon Valley. It would be, you know, a kind of a sad day if Intel were no longer
to be an independent company.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's going to be interesting. Let's talk Stellantis very quickly as well. A shock that the CEO is leaving so early. They just lost
the CFO as well. I mean, you can name it. Brands inventories are a problem. Challenges with workers after that big union contract that was signed last
year. And there's tensions over the execution of that. Paul, where next for the next CEO of Stellantis? Because it could take them a while to find one
there too.
LA MONICA: Yes, it might. I mean, as of right now, the company says that they're just going to be working with an interim executive committee, and
they also have some challenges that are going to take time to work through. You know, my colleague, Al Root at Barron's, he wrote a great story today
saying that really the bottom line here is it's a company that just had bloated inventories at a time where demand was starting to fall.
So, when you look at the core brands, things like Jeep and Dodge and the core Chrysler brand, I mean, they just had inventories that were, you know,
almost four months' work on the lots for some of these brands. So, that really made it difficult for the Jeep, Ram, you know, Chrysler, and Dodge
dealers to get rid of these vehicles, you know, at a price that makes sense.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, one of the challenges. I read that actually. Maserati sales have plummeted 60 percent compared to a year ago. There was some
speculation that they might sell that off to the highest bidder. Cheap Maseratis going around there. Nice. Paul La Monica, thank you.
LA MONICA: It's a high-end brand. I'm sure there will be some people --
CHATTERLEY: I know, I know.
LA MONICA: -- who will find it attractive.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. Paul La Monica, thank you for your time. All right. The Great Lakes region is under a blanket of snow and more is coming. More than
five feet or 150 centimeters fell over Thanksgiving weekend, disrupting travel and burying homes. A short reprieve is expected before, uh-oh, more
of the same. Chad Myers is at the Weather Centre. Tell us more.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Another meter on the way for places that already picked up two. And so, just digging out where do you put it? How
far do you have to shovel it over your shoulder? Very heavy, wet snow. This is what we call lake-effect snow. there's ocean-effect snow that affects
Japan as well, because if you come over the ocean, you pick up all the humidity, all the moisture in that water, warm water, unfrozen, then you
get this. When all of a sudden, you're driving, you can see it, then all of a sudden, you really can't. It goes all the way to zero visibility. There
is a car or a truck right there and you can barely see it. And that was just about a one-minute loop from completely good visibility to nothing.
And the problem is it snowed in places for 60 straight hours. So, you don't have to do much math to get to 60 inches if you just get one inch per hour.
It's calming down now, but there are places with two meters already on the ground, without a doubt.
And so, Michigan, Wisconsin all the way over toward Illinois, Ohio, back into parts of New York State, that's where all of this snow really fell.
So, back into Buffalo. We'll talk about this for a second. 54 inches to the south. So, a meter and a half. And then back up to Buffalo itself, only one
inch, a couple of just centimeters here. But the Buffalo Bills don't play in Buffalo, they play in Orchard Park. And last night, they did. And that
was kind of a ho-hum snow angel from the quarterback there of the Buffalo Bills. But they did have fun in the snow. 35 to 10 was the score. So, I
guess they could have fun.
More snow again on the way because the cold air is coming back. It's that moisture. It comes across cold air, it comes across the lakes, picks up
that steam. You ever seen like the fog that comes off the lake at times and even the winter or the summer? Well, that steam turns into snow and then
that snow, if it falls in the same place for a long time, starts to pile up.
We lull for Tuesday, but then back in it again because the cold air is reinforced, picking up more of that moisture, that humidity that is still
in the water and places get hammered again. So, if you think you've got a big snow pile and you're not going to get any higher, you're going to have
to shovel it higher because here comes at least another 18 to 20 inches, and in some spots there will be a full meter.
Very cold air all the way to the south. 220 million Americans will get below zero centigrade. That is going to be the equivalent of Cairo getting
below zero Celsius as we talk about this time of year. Yes, it happens in January, but not typically this early in the seasons. Very, very cold air
all the way down to the south.
[18:30:00]
We'll have to deal with it. People thought they were going far enough south to go maybe play in the sun or the surf, but not really. It'll be 30
degrees, one below Celsius all the way to the beaches.
CHATTERLEY: Wow. I'm shivering just listening to you talk about it, Chad, but those players are going to get --
MYERS: Well, you're farther north than I am.
CHATTERLEY: I know, I know. On your behalf. But at least those players are going to get their second chance at those snow angels. A little bit deeper
this time around.
MYERS: Yes, a little bit more energy.
CHATTERLEY: Just a little bit. Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You bet.
CHATTERLEY: All right. Coming up for us, anger in Georgia. A fifth night in a row of protests in the country's capital after the government hits
pause on negotiations to join the E.U. We'll discuss. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move" with a look at more international headlines this hour. A political crisis is unfolding in France. The
nation's centrist prime minister pushed through a highly contentious budget on Monday without putting it to a vote in parliament. Opposition parties
have tabled no confidence motions against him that will be voted on later this week. It could lead to the collapse of the French government.
Australian police have announced their biggest cocaine seizure ever. Officials found more than 2.3 metric tons of the drug aboard a fishing boat
that broke down near the coast of Queensland. Thirteen people are under arrest. Officials believe they're part of a drug smuggling syndicate.
And officials in Northern Japan have caught a bear that ran amok in a supermarket over the weekend. The bear ransacked the meat section, attacked
a store employee who suffered minor injuries, and bear attacks are becoming a growing problem in Japan as climate change disrupts bears traditional
sources of food.
[18:35:00]
And a reminder once again of our top story today, the speedy offensive by Syrian rebel forces, who in just six days, have taken control of the
nation's second largest city, Aleppo. It's a lightning offensive that has led Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, to call on his friends for help. But
Iran and Russia have a weakened Hezbollah and the war in Ukraine approaching its third year. Fred Pleitgen has more from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Syria quickly descending back into all-out war. President Bashar al-Assad's
army seemingly caught completely off guard, retreating. As rebel groups make sweeping advances, taking much of the second largest city, Aleppo, and
capturing large amounts of arms as they move forward.
These are the tanks of the regime, this fighter says, the pigs. This is one, two, three tanks, four tanks of the defense forces, and there are
their buses.
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad calling on his biggest backers, Russia and Iran, to help bail him out. Meeting with Iran's foreign minister as Tehran
is already mobilizing regional forces for battle on the Syrian government's side.
The rebels will be confronted, Iran's foreign minister said, and I'm confident that this phase, like the previous ones, will also be passed with
pride by the government, the people of Syria, and the Syrian army.
In a show of force, Assad's military releasing this video, claiming to show their counter push in Syria's northwest, but acknowledging they're relying
on Russian air power to help their ground forces. The Russians now effectively fighting two major wars in Syria and Ukraine simultaneously.
Of course, we support Bashar al-Assad, the Kremlin spokesman said. We continue our contacts on the relevant levels. We are analyzing the
situation.
This as fighting in Ukraine grinds on at a steep cost in both lives and in money. President Vladimir Putin signing off on Russia's 2025 budget with
almost a third of the money now going to defense and military spending. And while Moscow's troops have been making steady progress in Ukraine --
PLEITGEN: Hello, sir, we're from CNN television.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- a senior aide to Vladimir Putin telling me the Kremlin hopes the incoming Trump administration will end the war on terms
favorable for Russia.
PLEITGEN (through translator): Do you think the Trump administration will be able to settle the Ukraine conflict?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Naturally, we hope that the new administration will approach this issue with a desire to maintain peace on
the planet, and not to incite war, pushing Ukraine to self-destruction.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Thanks to Fred there. Now, to Georgia and violent protests over the government's decision to delay talks to join the E.U. Most
Georgians support joining the E.U., according to polls. The nation's prime minister previously said that they would delay making a bid until at least
2028. However, he now says he's committed to making that bid.
Meanwhile, the nation's outgoing president spoke to CNN earlier, criticizing the government's crackdown on protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALOME ZOURABICHVILI, GEORGIAN PRESIDENT: All of that policy, it's not a reaction to some forceful demonstration, it's a policy to try to limit the
expression of the Georgian people that is expressed in many cities around the country. Will of the Georgian people not to go towards Russia, to keep
its European past, to keep its right to be an independent and free country among its European community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: Gabriel Gavin is a reporter for Politico and author of the forthcoming book, "Ashes of Our Fathers," and he joins us now from
Brussels. Gabriel, good to have you with us. This is the fifth consecutive day of what seemingly is violent protest. What are you hearing? Because
this does feel different.
GABRIEL GAVIN, REPORTER, POLITICO: Yes, absolutely. I mean, these are hugely significant scenes that we're seeing from the streets of the
Georgian capital, Tbilisi. I think the protests in themselves, and the protesters themselves aren't violent, but what they have been doing is
setting up block posts, blockades outside the parliament building, these kind of running blockades that we've seen in other conflicts like in Hong
Kong. While the police have effectively doubled down and are using every tool in their arsenal, from water cannons to completely indiscriminate use
of tear gas, violent beatings to try and disperse those crowds.
So, while we've seen months and months of protests this year many of us, me and my colleagues, have spent long evenings standing outside that
parliament building listening to speech after speech after speech, what we're now seeing, I think, is a totally new period where that violence from
the authorities and that anger from the protesters is really hitting a peak.
[18:40:00]
CHATTERLEY: Where does this lead, Gabriel, because we have the protesters saying, look on the one hand in the short-term fresh elections, but they
want a considered path to the E.U. to a future for NATO membership that they want to be closer to the west? It's sort of reminiscent of what we saw
back in 2014 with Ukraine in some respects. Where does this lead? Because the government kind of has two choices. It can sort of follow in that path,
and it can confirm what the voters are asking for and want, or we can continue to see more violent crackdowns, and they risk them being compared
to, I guess, the government in Belarus.
GAVIN: Well, I think the government of the Georgian Dream party, the ruling party, has kind of made a decision about its trajectory and it's
made a series of decisions that kind of show what its intentions are. Over the last two years, it's passed a slew of Russian style legislation,
branding western-backed NGOs and media outlets as foreign agents and in a move that's really reminiscent of what the Kremlin's done to silence
domestic dissent there.
They've basically introduced some of the most swinging restrictions on the LGBTQ plus community, insisting that, you know, same sex relationships be
censored out of content, because they supposedly fly in the face of Georgian values. We -- you have some of the Georgian Dream leaders, you
know, using very, very similar language to that we hear coming from the Kremlin.
So, I think that decision about where the government wants to go and it's signaling it's going to go has already been made. But I think the reason
that things are kicking off now is because at the same time, they've always said, well, we'll be joining the E.U. by 2030, which as you point out,
something that the vast majority of Georgians support, you know, it's a country that fought a war with Russia when Moscow invaded in 2008. There is
no love lost between your average Georgian and Moscow.
So, people really have started to feel like now is the time that they have to make their voice heard. And I think it's very clear the governing
Georgian Dream Party doesn't want to step down, is going to refuse to call new elections, has rejected the insistence from, for example, the European
Parliament in Brussels that it holds a new vote under international supervision because of alleged irregularities and that they're going to
continue on with their course of action. And I think that basically puts the government and the people on a collision course.
CHATTERLEY: What more can the E.U. be doing? And I'm sure given the noises that we're hearing at this moment from both Russia and Ukraine as the U.S.
president-elect takes over in two months, there will be brewing caution there perhaps that there'll be more hands off in this kind of environment
as well. So, support won't be coming from that side in any real sphere either.
GAVIN: Well, certainly a lot of Georgians that I've spoken to are really frustrated about the way that the E.U. is treating them at the moment,
because they're the ones standing out on the street corner, waving the E.U. flag, risking beatings for their European dream. And what they're getting
is kind of thoughts and prayers from Brussels, you know, condemnation, but not much else.
The U.S. has actually gone much further and introduced sanctions on Georgian Dream politicians, on police officers that it says are responsible
for a crackdown on -- and breaches of human rights. So, I think what a lot of Georgians want to see is the E.U. actually follows suit and put its kind
of money where its mouth is.
We have seen a small number of European countries, particularly Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, introduce specific targeted restrictions on
Georgian Dream politicians. So, there is some momentum building in the bloc, but NATO ministers are -- defense ministers from across NATO member
states are due to meet here in Brussels tomorrow, and it's expected that that's an issue that's going to be discussed on the sidelines.
But I think at the same time, you know, there is an awareness that a Trump presidency probably does mean less interest in human rights breaches or,
you know, protection for democracy and the rule of law in places like Georgia. It -- there's just not a sense that the White House will be
interested in the region, let alone have a strong opinion on it.
And actually, I think now the message that policymakers are hearing in Brussels is that Europe needs to step up, and Georgia is the right place to
start doing that, I think.
CHATTERLEY: Gabriel, great to get your insights. Thank you. Gabriel Gavin there in Brussels. All right. Coming up for us, he's promised to dismantle
the FBI and take on what he calls the Deep State. Now, he's Donald Trump's pick to lead the agency. A profile on Kash Patel, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:45:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the FBI is drawing opposition from Democrats and a mixed
reaction from Republicans on Capitol Hill too. Kash Patel is a longtime supporter of the president-elect who shares Trump's disdain for Washington
power structures. The question is, how would he rebuild an organization he's currently vowing to tear down? Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KASH PATEL, FORMER ADVISE, TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Thank you.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In planning to nominate 44- year-old Kash Patel as FBI director, President-Elect Donald Trump is elevating a loyalist and conspiracy theorist who's vowed to dismantle the
very agency he's now tapped to lead.
PATEL: I'd shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopening the next day as a museum of the deep state.
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Most people come into the government at least respecting the fundamental enterprise that they're going to be
managing. And what you're seeing here is a nominee who seems to have some measure of contempt for the very body that he would be charged with
leading.
TODD (voice-over): Considered even among Trump's allies to be an unrelenting self-promoter, Patel, according to The New York Times,
exaggerated his role as a prosecutor in the investigation into the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya that killed four
Americans. He's promoted Trump's lies about the 2020 election being stolen and vowed that Trump's Justice Department would go after Trump's enemies,
among them, according to Patel, members of the media.
PATEL: We're going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We're
going to come after you.
TODD (voice-over): To install Patel, Trump would have to fire current FBI Director Christopher Wray, who has about three years left on his 10-year
term and who was appointed by Trump. Why has Trump turned on Wray? Analysts say it's Trump who believes Wray turned on him.
GARRETT GRAFF, FBI HISTORIAN: Donald Trump sees the FBI over the last decade as the agency, sort of, most to blame for his own legal troubles and
the troubles of those around him.
TODD (voice-over): Wray headed the FBI when the bureau launched a search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in August, 2022.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: They broke into my house.
TODD (voice-over): The search uncovered classified documents that Trump had allegedly stored inappropriately at Mar-a-Lago. It led to federal
criminal charges against Trump, which were just dropped by the special counsel. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
GRAFF: To him, a major sign of how the Biden administration was trying to politicize the FBI and use it for political payback.
TODD (voice-over): And Wray would be the second FBI director Trump will have fired.
TRUMP: Oh, and there's James. He's become more famous than me.
[18:50:00]
TODD (voice-over): In 2017, Trump dismissed James Comey, the then- president later saying he was frustrated over the ongoing Russia probe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: All right. Coming up after the break, Liverpool seemingly unstoppable in the English Premier League. I might be slightly biased, of
course, because it's my team, but we're going to discuss, next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." And it is with great delight I can inform you that Liverpool Football Club are on a roll in the English
Premier League, beating defending champions Manchester City 2-nil on Sunday. I heard my father's yells. The Reds now have a nine-point advantage
over second place Arsenal.
Don Riddell joins us now. I love when you join to talk about stories like this, Don. And I went to that Bastien of News journalism website, the BBC,
and it called them fading champions. I like that term. And we were not flattered, I will say, by that margin of victory either, in my amateur
opinion.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, Liverpool should have scored more, but it didn't really matter. I mean, they flattered Man City, I suppose. Yes,
Man City are kind of fading and fading very fast. They're in the midst of an absolute crisis, which I think many football fans around the country,
and perhaps around Europe, will be enjoying with a sense of schadenfreude because Man City have just had the run of the place for so long now. But
they're in a real rut, and Liverpool are just going from strength to strength.
And you talk about how well they're doing in the Premier League, Julia. They're doing absolutely brilliantly in the Champions League, too. They're
the only team in who's won every game in the tournament so far this year. So, they're bossing it in the Premier League, they're bossing it in Europe
as well. And this just was an absolute delight for the Liverpool fans at Anfield on Sunday.
Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah combining for a 2-nil win against the team that has won six league titles out of the last seven years. The Liverpool
fans just couldn't resist taunting. The City manager Pep Guardiola there, they were saying you're going to be sacked in the morning, which of course
he won't be, and he just reminded them that he has won half a dozen league titles in the last few years. All good fun.
But it is just looking so rosy for Liverpool at the moment. And Man City do really seem to be out of it, which is quite a bold thing to say given that
we're just in the first few days of December, but they have so many issues, so many injury concerns, and they really are just struggling for any kind
of form right now. It's hard to see that City will be mounting a challenge.
Liverpool perhaps need to worry about Arsenal, who are, I was going to say they're hot on their heels, they're not really, they're nine points back,
but Arsenal are a very, very strong team. They've come very close to winning the title themselves in the last couple of years. So, Liverpool
need to look out for them. But it's certainly a great time to be a Red.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, but always on the lookout, as you're saying. Do you think about the race, Man City? It's early in the season. I don't want to get too
excited.
RIDDELL: Yes, it is. I mean, what people who kind of pay more attention to Manchester City do than I do, people who watch them every week, say, you
know, it is obvious that they have major, major concerns. It is, in some parts of the team, an aging team. They definitely have injuries. Rodri is
out for the season.
[18:55:00]
Just a few weeks ago, he won the Ballon d'Or award. And if anybody was wondering why he won that award, well, now we know why. Because, I mean,
some people say he basically plays the role of two players in that team, and they're now going to have to do without him for the rest of the season.
No doubt they will strengthen the January transfer window, but that is still quite a few weeks away. So, they must hope that they don't hemorrhage
any more points, that they don't lose any more ground, and they can, you know, reinforce the team then. But they are struggling, there's no doubt
about it.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's a challenge.
RIDDELL: And, you know -- but honestly, it's nice to see something different happening at the top of the Premier League table because City
have dominated it for so long. It is nice to see these other teams. Obviously, Chelsea are doing well again. It remains to be seen if they can
see it through to the end of the season, but Liverpool and Arsenal brighten her up there as well. It's great to see different teams doing well.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it is. Good luck, Chelsea and Arsenal. Come on, Liverpool. OK. Don, thank you very much. Totally unbiased.
OK. Well, that just about wraps up the show. Thank you for joining us. We'll see you tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
