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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Manhunt For Gunman Who Killed UnitedHealthcare CEO; Hegseth Facing An Uphill Battle For Senate Confirmation; South Koreans Pressure President Yoon To Resign; South Korea Opposition Moves To Impeach Yoon; MPs Vote To Oust French PM Michel Barnier; PM Michel Barnier Loses No-Confidence Vote; Stowaway Back In The U.S.; Art Basel Arriving In Miami; Tariff Fears Hang Over Christmas; World's Top Cities Of 2024. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired December 04, 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]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, formerly known as Twitter. And on the TikTok, @jaketapper. You can
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JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It's 8:00 a.m. in Seoul, midnight in Paris, and 6:00 p.m. here in 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." As always, here's today's need to know. Manhattan manhunt. Police in New York are searching for the killer of the
CEO of UnitedHealthcare, who was shot in broad daylight on Wednesday. Korean chaos. President Yoon facing growing pressure to resign as
opposition parties move to impeach him. Confidence crisis. MPs vote to oust French Prime Minister Michel Barnier just months after he entered office.
And a fake fir frenzy? It's tree maker Balsam Hill's busiest time of year. But will tariff threats turn festive fear into festive fear? The CEO weighs
in. That conversation coming up and plenty more.
But first, we begin here in New York where a manhunt is underway for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Thompson was shot Wednesday
morning in Midtown Manhattan just outside the Hilton Hotel where his company was set to hold its annual investors conference. Thompson was 50
years old and had been with UnitedHealthcare since 2004.
Brynn Gingras is in Midtown Manhattan. Brynn, what more can you tell us about the investigation into this killing? And I know you're reporting
suggests some kind of threats potentially against the parent company.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Julia. So, investigators are looking into any possible threats that were aimed at the
UnitedHealthcare Group and in some of these executives as well, including Brian Thompson himself. They're trying to connect if any of those threats
have any connection to this shooter that, as you said, took place -- you know, fired at Thompson early this morning, right outstanding this hotel
right here.
We now know police have cleared the scene as this investigation and this manhunt continues at this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GINGRAS (voice-over): Stunning new video obtained by CNN showing the moments a gunman carries out a brazen attack in the heart of New York City.
The suspect waiting for Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, and then firing several shots, killing him.
JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: I want to be clear, at this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned
targeted attack.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Police say that gunman camped out for about five minutes before Thompson arrived. You can see from these images he's wearing
a mask, hooded sweatshirt and backpack. Sources say a silencer was attached to his handgun. Police say he watched as people walked by and then fired at
Thompson from behind, striking him before the gun jams.
JOSEPH KENNY, NYPD CHIEF OF DETECTIVES: It appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again.
GINGRAS (voice-over): He fires another shot, hitting Thompson again. Then the suspect fled, likely following this route, according to police, down a
back alley of a Midtown theater before jumping on a bicycle. Police losing his track after he entered Central Park.
KENNY: We're still tracking video. There are GPSs on those bikes. We'll be working with the company.
GINGRAS (voice-over): Investigators also recovering a cell phone, three shell casings at the scene and are asking the public for help in
identifying the gunman. 50-year-old Thompson was the CEO of the health insurance unit within the Minnesota based UnitedHealth Group. He arrived in
New York City on Monday for an investors conference.
As of now, police don't believe he and the gunman crossed paths until this morning. Thompson was a husband father of two boys, his wife, Paulette,
releasing a statement. Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives.
ANDREW WITTY, CEO, UNITEDHEALTH GROUP: There are no words to describe how so many of us are feeling right now. Brian was a truly extraordinary person
who touched the lives of countless people throughout our organization and far beyond.
GINGRAS (voice-over): The brazen murder happening at the start of morning rush hour in an area of New York City crawling with tourists for the
holiday season.
MICHELLE WYCKOFF, STAYING AT THE HILTON: So, we just heard sirens going off. I thought, oh, gosh, what's going on? I did not think it was actually
right here.
[18:05:00]
ANDY KENNY, STAYING AT THE HILTON: You know, we really don't know what it was about, but we're shocked that somebody would be killed in the broad
daylight in New York, that's really quite shocking.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GINGRAS (on camera): And Julia, as I said, they sort of lost his track once he entered Central Park, at least that's what investigators were telling
us. At this point in the investigation, they released a picture where it clearly shows a picture of the suspect wearing a mask and hoping that the
public can give some assistance and trying to identify this person and of course, locate this person.
We know that that picture was taken at the Starbucks just a few blocks from where we're standing. And we know it was also taken prior to the shooting
happened. So, that's part of the investigation as well, Julia, as investigators tracking his steps prior to the shooting and afterwards,
again, hoping to find him as this manhunt continues at this hour, Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. And we'll continue to follow this story throughout the hour, and we'll talk more about the investigation later on in the show. But
for now, Brynn Gingras, thank you for that report.
All right. Let's head to Capitol Hill now, where we've also been following the latest developments in Trump's pick for defense secretary, Pete
Hegseth. He's facing an uphill battle for Senate confirmation. Critics say he's unfit for office, citing allegations around sexual misconduct and
alcohol abuse. He's also been making his case to members of his own party meeting just hours ago with the incoming Senate majority leader. Hegseth
says he's not backing down and told Fox News' Megyn Kelly he has Trump's complete support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, PICK FOR U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I spoke to him this morning, Megyn. I mean, he's amazing. He's a fighter. He's been through this
himself. We love this country. We love Jesus Christ, our savior, and we're going to fight like hell. There's no reason to back down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: Kristen Holmes joins us now on the story. Kristen, he said there, I'll fight like hell to win this confirmation. The problem is he can
only have three defections from the Republican senators in order to win this confirmation. The question today and will continue to be, does he have
the votes?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Julia. And I think one thing to keep in mind here is the fact that they spoke,
Donald Trump and Hegseth, this morning, and that he was told to keep on fighting. The reason why that's so relevant is because we knew what
happened, and we know what happened when President-Elect Trump realized that Matt Gaetz, who has his nominee for attorney general did not have the
vote. He told him essentially that and waited for him to withdraw his name. It doesn't sound like that's what happened in this phone call with Hegseth
earlier today.
But one thing to note is that we know that Donald Trump, the transition team, they're watching these meetings very carefully. One person in
particular that they were watching was Senator Joni Ernst. She is somebody who herself is a sexual assault survivor. She is also on a shortlist that
has been floated around to essentially replace Pete Hegseth if he does not have the votes to get confirmed.
They had a meeting today, and she was rather tight-lipped afterwards. She had said they thought they were going to have some thorough and tough
conversations before they sat down together. And afterwards, she would not say whether or not she would support Hegseth. That's going to be a big
determining factor.
One of the things we know that Trump's transition team is currently doing is making calls to see whether or not he has the math. And as you said, he
appeared on television today. This is in itself a unique factor because Donald Trump's team has largely kept all of these nominees off of the
airwaves. They want them laying low in that sense until they are confirmed.
The fact that they put Pete Hegseth out there to try and make his case, that goes to show you that they are really trying to throw everything at
the wall right now to get this done. The other thing is that, Julia, wasn't just Hegseth that was on TV. They also put his mother on television, she
was on Fox. The reason why this is relevant is because over the last weekend, The New York Times reported about an e-mail his mother had written
in 2018, while Hegseth was in the middle of a divorce, essentially saying that Hegseth needed to examine his own behavior, that he treated women
poorly. She has since apologized. But clearly, the transition team there approved her going out there and thought it could help.
The large issue here is whether or not any of this works because, again, Donald Trump has been briefed, and he's clearly listening to the people
around him, that he does not want to spend his political capital all on one person, particularly when it comes to Hegseth. This is not somebody he's
heavily invested in. He was much more invested in Matt Gaetz, but we know everybody is watching everything very carefully right now as they seek to
navigate this.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, and to your point, Kris, and I was going to ask you, I'm sure that president-elect's allies are compiling a list of alternatives for
a quick turnaround if this doesn't work. I know Ron DeSantis' name, obviously the Florida governor, has been suggested at least. That would be
an interesting pick and an interesting alternative if this doesn't work.
HOLMES: Yes, and that itself is interesting just in the sense that they've had such a contentious relationship. I mean, Donald Trump himself really
turned on Ron DeSantis after Ron DeSantis has decided to enter the race. Ron DeSantis just, in the last year, has said some pretty nasty things
about President-Elect Donald Trump. And Donald Trump is not somebody who's soon to forget that. So, it'll be interesting to see how far that gets.
[18:10:00]
Another person on the list, as we mentioned, Senator Joni Ernst. And on top of that, Bill Hagerty, who's a senator from Tennessee. He is somebody who
is a favorite of the transition team, not for this job, but for a number of jobs. They've been trying to find him a high-profile job. But again, it
sounds as though, from the conversation Donald Trump had with Hegseth today, and again, we are talking about Hegseth's recounting of this, but
there hasn't been a pushback from the Trump side, A, that Trump is still expressing support, expressing that he believes Hegseth could get the
votes. He has not completely come to the conclusion that he does not have the math to get confirmed.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I guess one could argue it was the same for Matt Gaetz though, until it wasn't, and then it's next, move on and find someone else.
Quick.
HOLMES: Exactly, exactly.
CHATTERLEY: Kristen Holmes, thank you. OK. We're also following the situation in South Korea. Of course, after six hours of martial law,
stunned the world. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the impeachment bill against President Yoon Suk Yeol this week. It requires two-thirds of the
300-person legislature. That means the opposition parties need the support of at least eight members of the president's conservative party. Then at
least six justices of the constitutional court must agree to approve the impeachment. This all as protests continue in the South Korean capital
calling for the president to resign. Ivan Watson has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A night of dramatic confrontation. At South Korea's National Assembly, troops face-
to-face with civilian protesters. A lawmaker challenging a soldier, grabbing his gun and shaming him. Yelling, aren't you embarrassed?
Hundreds of troops were deployed here in the pre-dawn hours on Wednesday, some landing by chopper, sent to enforce the shocking declaration of
martial law made by President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday night. But they weren't enough to stop 190 lawmakers, including 18 from Yoon's own party,
from voting unanimously to overturn the president's decree.
It may have been the shortest period of martial law the world has ever seen.
WATSON: President Yoon's martial law decree only lasted around six hours. He withdrew it before the sun even came up on Wednesday. And now, the
opposition is calling for his impeachment.
WATSON (voice-over): Opposition lawmakers are pushing for a vote to oust the president as early as Thursday. While his chief of staff and defense
minister have both submitted their resignations.
Yoon's aborted power play barely affected business in the Korean capital. And at the airport, international flights also faced no disruptions. But
there is anger among some ordinary Koreans.
WATSON: What would you like to say to President Yoon?
KIM HA-NEUL, PROTESTER: (INAUDIBLE) you.
WATSON (voice-over): 24-year-old Kim Ha-Neul came here straight after working an all-night shift at a convenience store.
KIM: If we don't speak up as a citizen who lives in Korea, then he will keep repeat the same situation and it will be more harder and harder for us
to deny him as our president.
WATSON (voice-over): Calls now for candlelight vigils across the country and a protest march through the capital.
WATSON: What are you chanting here?
SILYEON AHN, PROTESTER: Yes, yes. To arrest the president.
WATSON: Are you angry at President Yoon?
SILYEON: Yes, yes. Like because like martial law, it's very like serious thing, but he thinks that it's not this serious.
WATSON (voice-over): This country's president consequences of his failed attempt to overthrow decades of Korean democracy.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Our thanks to Ivan there. Joining us is Jeremy Chan, senior analyst of China and Northeast Asia at Eurasia Group. Jeremy, I'm sure you
were listening to that too, and the outrage, I think from people in South Korea, very clear in, in that report. You said this decision by President
Yoon verged on political suicide. It's tough to see him surviving this.
JEREMY CHAN, SENIOR ANALYST OF CHINA AND NORTHEAST ASIA, EURASIA GROUP: That's right, Julia. We think that he'll be impeached probably in a matter
of 24, 48 hours, and that will set off a series of events that will lead to a general election for the next president that will probably take place
sometime in March or April of 2025. That's the more orderly scenario. There are other ones that could play out as well, but we don't think that Yoon's
political life is much longer.
CHATTERLEY: And just to be clear, he'll have to be impeached rather than resigning, because there's no sense of that really?
[18:15:00]
CHAN: Well, yes -- so, there are other shoes to drop in this discussion. He could potentially resign if he -- or his advisers sus out that the
conservatives are going to break ranks and support the impeachment sort of movement, you know, and try to forestall that a bit by just getting ahead
of it and resigning. We don't think that's the most likely outcome. That's not really how Yoon is built as a leader. So, we think he's going to go to
the mat on this one.
CHATTERLEY: How did he think this was going to go, Jeremy? Do you think he just overestimated the support that would exist for this maneuver, whether
that's among politicians or the general public? Because again, I go back to the swearing of one of the individuals here that were making their views
very clear about how they viewed his decision.
CHAN: It's hard to see his decision as anything but an irrational action that was done with the heart and not the head. The timing of it suggests
the impulsiveness, the lack of coordination. It was poorly thought out. It was poorly executed. In some ways, it was the personification or the
perfect representation of all that has sort of doomed the Yoon presidency through the first half of his administration.
CHATTERLEY: And very quickly on the politics side of this usage. You believe this leads to fresh elections. Does it change the minds of how
people vote?
CHAN: Yes, I think that this will provide a groundswell of support for the central left opposition, which already holds a pretty commanding majority
in the National Assembly. We saw this play out in 2016, '17 when the last conservative, President Park Geun-hye was impeached and imprisoned, and we
saw a landslide victory for the center left candidate. We believe that a similar story is likely to play out in the spring of 2025 with obviously
some further developments and watch points in the interval.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's going to be a lively few months. Jeremy Chan, great to have you, sir. Senior analyst of China and Northeast Asia at Eurasia
Group there.
Now, a huge political setback for the French president's party just hours ago. President Emmanuel Macron's handpicked prime minister, Michel Barnier,
losing a no-confidence vote in parliament after a fierce budget battle. The move plunging the second biggest economy in the E.U. deeper into political
uncertainty that could also affect its financial markets. Jim Bitterman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The government of Michel Barnier forced to resign tonight, not only the prime minister
himself, but all the rest of his ministers, after a vote of no-confidence in the National Assembly. 331 people voted against the government. It only
takes 288 to oust the government in the rules of the National Assembly.
So, Michel Barnier and his ministers are out. They will probably take over in a caretaker role until some new prime minister can be named. The
president of France, Emmanuel Macron, will be. The person who has to find that new prime minister. He arrived back in France just an hour before the
voting tonight from Saudi Arabia, where he was on a diplomatic mission.
It's unclear if he's going to be able to find someone who will be able to please all the factions within the divided, the much-divided French
parliament. Is -- before the vote was taken tonight, Michel Barnier stood up and told the members of the National Assembly that he was honored to
have served, but in fact, they were going to do something that would have some very, very drastic consequences. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHEL BARNIER, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): What I'm sure, ladies and gentlemen, what I say seriously before you, is that this motion
of no-confidence at the moment when you're probably preparing this coalition of opposites, this no-confidence motion will make everything more
serious on more difficult. I'm sure of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BITTERMANN: So, the caretaker government will take care of things until there's a new prime minister that has been named. It will be a prime
minister who almost certainly be challenged once again by this parliament, because is a vote today, tonight was, in fact, very much against President
Macron as much as it was against Michel Barnier.
So, another prime minister has to be named, and we'll just see if that is someone who could be pleasing to all sides of the various factions in the
National Assembly.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Thank you to Jim there. Now, a stowaway who snuck on board a flight from New York to Paris is now back in the United States, touching
down JFK Airport around an hour ago. This video shows 57-year-old Svetlana Dali seated on the flight back. Law enforcement officials say she's
expected to face federal charges. Dali boarded the Paris flight without a ticket during the busy U.S. Thanksgiving holiday travel rush.
Polo Sandoval is at JFK International Airport for us. This is an extraordinary embarrassment for airport authorities for Delta Airlines,
which was the airline that she flew. They clearly want to understand how she did this, but she could now face federal charges. That's correct.
[18:20:00]
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's correct. According to our colleagues that are in touch with several sources now and information that
we just received a few moments ago that federal authorities are planning, I should say -- and apologies for that. I should say that authorities have
announced their intention that they do plan on actually pursuing federal charges against this passenger who stowed away in a Delta flight just a
little over a week ago.
As you mentioned short while ago, Julia, she landed here within the last hour, currently being interrogated by federal officials on the U.S. side.
Our colleague who was actually on the Paris to New York flight earlier today on what was the third and eventual successful attempt to bring her
back to the United States, reporting that during the duration of the flight, she was calm, she was compliant. And this, of course, follows a
disruption that took place on another flight earlier this past weekend. On that being the first attempt by French authorities to bring her here.
But to your earlier point, this certainly has wider implications about what will be done to try to prevent this from happening again. We don't know --
we now know, based on information from authorities that she managed to basically skirt around stations meant to confirm her identity on not one
but two occasions. And just a short while ago, Delta Airlines, which, as you point out, is the airline that stowed away on and then the one that she
flew back on.
I'll read you a quick portion of a statement that they just released. They say that their safety management system framework is, as they describe it,
sound and that the deviation from standard procedures is the root cause of this event. The airline, Julia, says that they are addressing the situation
and continuing to work with other authorities.
So, that really speaks to the more long-term potential changes that will happen at least from Delta Airlines. Now, what's yet to be seen is exactly
what TSA, the Transportation Security Administration, will implement to try to prevent this from happening again.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, we shall see. Fascinating and an incredible journey nonetheless. Polo, great to have you with us. Thank you.
All right. Coming up for us here on "First Move," the art of Art Basel. The international art fair kicking off later this week in Miami, Florida. Lots
of buzz, plenty of pretender bananas in sight. We'll hear from the CEO of Art Basel later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." And a delightful December session on Wall Street. Topping today's Money Move. The major U.S. averages all at
record highs. The Dow closing above 45,000 for the very first time, and the NASDAQ up more than one and a quarter percent, too. Shares of Marvell
Technology, the big tech winner, soaring 23 percent after a marvel of an earnings report. Mizuho calling the chip firm, quote, "the next A.I.
winner."
[18:25:00]
Across Asia too, the South Korean KOSPI falling almost 1.5 percent amid the political turmoil still unfolding there. And the Nikkei and the Hang Seng
saying finishing unchanged. The Shanghai Composite falling around a half a percent too, as you can see there. We'll see what happens in Thursday's
session, as that begins very shortly.
Meanwhile, the northeastern United States bracing for a powerful storm with snow forecast from Wisconsin to Maine. Though, sadly, no winter wonderland
expected here in New York City, at least for now. Chad Myers joins us from the weather center. Chad, tell us more.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I would want to do my best Richard Quest, wait just a minute, that's not always going to be the case. I can't do
Richard.
CHATTERLEY: You're better than him. So, tell him.
MYERS: No. No one qualifies as that. The snow has already started across parts of Upstate New York, across parts of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, the
northeastern part of the United States, where the cold air picks up the humidity off of the lakes that are still unfrozen and still fairly warm,
somewhere around five-degree Celsius and dumps it in the form of lake- effect snow.
Winter storm warnings are already in effect, and we will see more snow. And this is on top of the areas that already picked up a meter or two of snow
from the last round of cold air that this happened with, and that was only last week. So, people aren't even done shoveling yet. And now, we're going
to get another spot here with one, two feet. So, at least two-thirds of a meter of snow coming down here. It will be windy as well, wind's going to
be blowing 50 or 60 miles per hour at times. That's almost up to a hundred kilometers per hour.
One good thing though, in West Virginia, the ski resort. Snowshoe, is going to open tomorrow with natural snow coming down, pretty early start for an
east coast, not so much for the Central and the Rockies. We see -- we always see those places open early, but I don't think I want to be skiing
when the winds are blowing 40 and maybe even some of those lifts won't be too pleasant to be on.
But look at the wind chill factors. Now, I know that this is in Fahrenheit. It's going to be a little bit warmer, but the wind chill in Fargo
approaching 13 degrees below zero. And so, if I do all the math, we're still talking about 20 below Celsius. So, frigid, frigid air coming down
with that wind. It only lasts a couple of days. You will get the threat, possibly, of seeing some snow in New York City. Temperatures will be cold
enough, especially in the morning hours. But for you, Julia, 29 will be your best.
For me down here, at least 900 kilometers farther south, we're going to get to 24. So, people are bundling up in Atlanta. We're not used to this. The
clothes in Atlanta are not made as heartily as the clothes made for the northern part or especially for Canada. So, we wear these little light
things and freeze. Where at 29, you just bundle up and go, OK.
CHATTERLEY: It's all about layers, Chad. At least 20 of them, then in your case. I was about to say, snow threat or a promise. You decide.
MYERS: And a couple of puppy dogs, you know.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, exactly. My dog said, why he gets lost in the snow, be careful of that too. Chad, thank you. Great to have you as always.
All right. Coming up for us, more on the manhunt in New York City for the gunman who killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. The motive remains a
mystery. We'll have the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move" with a look at more international headlines this hour. The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah is
holding, according to a top U.S. diplomat, Antony Blinken. Strikes between the two sides are putting pressure on the deal, however, which stipulates a
60-day pause in hostilities.
Cuba plunged into darkness yet again as the island's nation power grid suffers another collapse. Schools and businesses are closed as the state-
run utility company works to get the grid operational. It's the latest in a series of near total blackouts affecting millions of people in Cuba. The
government blaming economic sanctions while critics say it's due to a lack of investment in infrastructure.
And returning once more to our top story, police in New York City are searching for the gunman who shot and killed a health care executive. The
attack took place early Wednesday morning outside a Midtown Hotel. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was there for his company's annual
investor conference.
A newly obtained images show the suspect at a nearby Starbucks. The NYPD described it as a brazen, targeted attack, but the motive remains unclear.
Steve Moore is our law enforcement contributor. He's also a former supervisory agent in the FBI. Steve, good to have you with us.
I just want to talk about what we were discussing in the latest half an hour in the show and that is a source with knowledge of the investigation
suggesting that there were threats against the parent company. Can you tell us more on how that might play into how this investigation is being carried
out?
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: It will obviously be one of the first things that the investigative team takes a look at. But keep in
mind, you know, there's always this thing, a barking dog doesn't bite. Frequently somebody who is terribly aggrieved and maybe at the point of
having the mental illness where they would actually hurt somebody, they frequently do not telegraph their intentions.
However, you know, there are exceptions to every rule, and you have to plan on that being a possibility. But yes, one of the first things they're going
to do, especially in the health care industry, where decisions can affect a person's life or their finances and their health, people have very strong
feelings about this, and you're going to have to wade through this.
But how many policies do they have? How many people are covered? You're talking and an unworkable number to just jump right in and solve real
quick.
CHATTERLEY: And, Steve, tell us who the investigators are looking for in this manhunt based on the information that we now have. We were just
showing images of the suspect standing in Starbucks. He ordered a drink, the fact that we believe he used a silencer to carry out this killing, that
he also, at one point, suffered a jam with the gun and seemed to deal with that pretty swiftly. If you're piecing all of these things together, in
addition to the idea that this was, as law enforcement is suggesting, some kind of premeditated and pre-planned event, who is the person that you're
looking for and where might they now be and behaving?
[18:35:00]
MOORE: Well, I'm looking for somebody who is very well trained in firearms. When you fire a suppressed weapon, number one, not many people fire
suppressed weapons or have access to suppressors. The other thing is the suppressor can cause back pressure, which will take a pistol with a weak
loading spring -- or slide spring and cause it to malfunction.
In this case, he did have a malfunction and he did what's called a tap and rack drill where you take it, rack the gun, hit the bottom of the mag and
then come back up firing. That's not first grade stuff. That's very intense training. That's advanced training, military, police, special forces, all
of these could be possibilities.
So, you're looking for somebody who is either a professional at this or somebody who was aggrieved and just happened to be an extremely well-
trained gun handler. And by professional, I mean, it's always possible that this person was hired for this.
CHATTERLEY: That was going to be my next question, whether it looked like somebody was hired in order to carry out this killing. Move us on now.
because obviously we're talking about a manhunt. There are a lot of people, there are a lot of tourists currently in Manhattan, and now he's had
several hours to move in addition to knowing what he was going to do this morning, be in the right place at the right time in order to carry out this
killing and then leave the vicinity. Steve, what are authorities doing at this moment to try and locate him?
MOORE: Well, if I were running the case right now, I would think that the trail is cold. If this person is a professional or extremely adept at this,
or has researched how to do it, he's long gone. And here's the thing. This is the -- as an investigator, what I'm looking for is he making small
mistakes? Like, did he pay with a credit card at Starbucks? If he did, and we were able to trace that to someone, that to me would indicate he's not a
professional. He made a big mistake.
If we find out that he paid cash, even just assuming he would be on video, or if he's using a burner credit card, something where you can just buy it
without identifying yourself and adding cash to it. Those would indicate he's a professional and has planned this out. So, far that's what I'm
seeing.
So, I would think that your best role -- or best route at this point is to find motive for somebody and start going through the list. Unfortunately,
obviously, you're going to be looking at the bullets that came out of the gun. He ejected a couple while clearing the rounds -- clearing the jam.
Those things, when you put them in the magazine, they -- you can leave a thumbprint if you find out that he wore gloves while loading them, then
you've got a real problem because he's really a pro.
So, we're going to learn a lot in the next 12 hours or so. And it's going to tell us whether it's possible to get him right away or whether this is
going to be a long road to identify the person who paid for this or that person who was so aggrieved who was the shooter. But he's out of New York
by now.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I'm just looking at those images again. The hope, I guess, is that someone can perhaps identify him that's watching these videos. And
to your point about the gloves, he certainly wasn't 30 minutes before this took place wearing gloves in Starbucks. Many questions, Steve, we hope we
get answers. Good to have you, sir. Law enforcement contributor there, Steve Moore.
MOORE: Thank you.
CHATTERLEY: All right. Coming up for us on First World -- "First Move," get the show right, the art world arriving in Miami. This is why I'm excited.
The spotlight on budding artists as global collectors look for the next big thing. We'll speak to the CEO of Art Basel, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." Art Basel, Miami, kicking off later this week as collectors try to find the next top banana. This
provocative work of art debuted in Miami back in 2019, priced at around $120,000. And just a few weeks ago, if you remember, it sold at auction,
this time for over $6 million. Chinese collector and crypto founder Justin Sun made the winning bid and then promptly ate his prize.
While not all the pieces shown this week may go quite as viral nor sell for such a profit, there is plenty of exciting artwork for global buyers to see
both in person and of course online too. Noah Horowitz is the CEO of Art Basel and he joins us now. Noah. It's always a very exciting week. Just for
those who may not know who and what you are, just explain the concept of Art Basel and what differentiates Art Basel, Miami.
NOAH HOROWITZ, CEO, ART BASEL: Yes, well, good evening. Art Basel has been around since 1970, and we're the leading platform globally for the buying
and selling of modern contemporary art around the world. We started in Switzerland, alighted here in Miami in 2002, and now, have venues in Hong
Kong and also newly in Paris as well.
So, in each of the venues, we work with hundreds of galleries from dozens of countries from all different parts of the world and bring together
upwards of 80,000 to 90,000 visitors across all the shows with, you know, thousands of artists on view and price points from the thousands to the
millions and multimillions. So, we're a large platform and really, ultimately, service artists, galleries and extraordinary collectors, and
cultural interested audiences the world over.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's my first year not being there for a while, and I have to say I'll miss it because it really is an eclectic mix of all sorts of
people and all sorts of artists, and it's a very fun few days in Miami, I will say. I mentioned Comedian because it debuted back in 2019, and I do
think -- for many of us, it forced us to confront the concept of what art looks like and what we're trying to say and suggest with it.
Noah, what did you make of the fact that it sold that banana at Sotheby's for over $6 million? And then, of course, in another sort of hint at what
art is and can be, eating it on social media, the buyer?
HOROWITZ: Well, look, art is an idea. It's a mythology and it's a concept. And Maurizio Cattelan, who's the artist, is one of the great conceptual
pranksters of our generation. And with Comedian he's It's continuing a lineage of conceptual work that points to the very essence of what art is.
Is it a painting? Is it aesthetic? Is it saying something about society? It's sort of saying all of those things, value and so on and so forth.
And so, when it debuted with us five years ago, it sold for around $120,000. There were a few additions. And, of course, it made headlines
again a few weeks ago at Sotheby's in New York, selling to Justin Sun who bought it with crypto for $6.2 million.
[18:45:00]
So, the legacy continues. It could easily come back on the market in the years to come. Who knows? There's a great Catalan giant middle finger on
the booth of Larry Gagosian here in Miami, also by the same artist. So, the game goes on as they say.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. We'll move swiftly on from that one, but I hear what you're saying. You produce a survey as well each year to give us a sense of
what the high-net-worth individuals are doing sort of bananas aside, but it's included. Tell me what you're seeing, because I know the report
suggested sort of stable buying, but we often hear that this is a tougher market environment, particularly the top end that we're hearing about.
You're also seeing less impulse buying. Is that good news or bad news? Because I think Art Basel trying to get there early is to sort of snap up
the things that won't be there if you leave it a few hours.
HOROWITZ: Yes, well, Art Basel is a marketplace. I mean, the fundamental essence of the business is to gather buyers and sellers of art and create a
fleeting moment of urgency. And that's what we do better than anybody in the business. The market was really strong during the COVID period. There's
a lot of buying, a lot of activity with the higher interest rate environments and softness and a lot of political -- geopolitical
instability over the last 18 to 24 months, the market's been a bit softer, but we've seen a big rebound.
And in the last weeks, the market has tightened. There's a lot of focus. And Miami Beach, once again, as a reminder of, you know, how much interest
there is in culture and contemporary culture in particular. And you know, we've seen extraordinary activity in the show today. Visitors from all over
the world, from the U.S. and Latin America in particular, with buying from young artists from the U.S., Asia the MENA region, Africa through, you
know, the blue-chip masters that we know and love, Keith Haring, Rick Durr, and so on and so forth.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I mean, one of the things I loved in your report was that the buyers are spending half their cash on these new and emerging artists
and female artists in particular are taking a bigger and bigger share as well. Still less than half, but we'll get there. Noah, exciting times. I'm
going to look online and see what I can find even if I'm not there to see it in person. Great to have you on, sir, and good luck over the next few
days.
HOROWITZ: Thank you so much.
CHATTERLEY: The CEO of Art Basel there. Thank you. All right. Coming up after the break, the company dreaming of an artificial Christmas. Colson
Brands is hoping a dream season doesn't become a nightmare next year with the threat of tariffs from the incoming Trump administration. We've got
plenty to discuss, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to a very festive "First Move." And final preparations underway here in New York City ahead of the lighting of the
famous Rockefeller Christmas tree in just over an hour's time. It might be one of my favorite days of the year.
[18:50:00]
Now, after Thanksgiving, Americans start to think about putting up their own tree, whether it be real or artificial. This year, it's predicted 46
percent will choose the latter, with 26 percent going for a real tree. The rest plan to avoid trees entirely or remain undecided. But this year,
artificial tree makers like Balsam Brands have the threat of tariffs on imported goods hanging over their next season too.
In 2023, the U.S. imported, just to give you a sense, around $2.8 billion worth of Christmas decorations from China, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau. And that shows what a big deal Christmas is for Chinese exporters.
Mac Harman is the founder and CEO of Balsam Brands. He's also the lead tree designer. Mac, welcome to the show. Full confession, I am a huge fan of
your trees. So, I should state that first and foremost, just give us a sense of how busy you've been over the past week? Because I think I read
recently around 15 percent of your sales get done in this period.
MAC HARMAN, BALSAM BRANDS, CEO, FOUNDER AND LEAD TREE DESIGNER, BALSAM HILL: Yes, this is really our Super Bowl. We like to say it's such a busy
time. My colleagues and I are working all through the weekend from really Black Friday morning through Tuesday night. Last night is our five biggest
days of the year. So, it's just a crazy period of time, sales coming in. And yes, we've got to make it happen and bring that joy to everyone who is
looking for a new tree this year.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I will reiterate my eldest oldest tree that I own of yours is now 12 years old, and it's still going strong. So, a week before this
busy period, and clearly, it's a happy time, I'm sure for the company as well, because you're busy and everybody's excited. The president-elect
starts talking about enacting tariffs on day one next year, Mexico, Canada. But the assumption, of course, is that tariffs will go higher on China.
Just give us an impact analysis for what this means for your business.
HARMAN: Well, this is something we've been concerned about going back to the Trump nomination because we've been through this before. We went
through this in 2019 with the Section 301 tariffs, and ultimately, pre-lit Christmas trees were moved onto the Section 301 4B list, which were not
tariffed. And that's because of a couple reasons. One, it's a non-strategic good. And then, secondly, it's a good that has never been made in the
United States.
You know, really, our industry of pre-lit Christmas trees exists. because we, as Americans, don't like spending a lot of time putting lights on
Christmas trees. And so, we've essentially outsourced that to other parts of the world that are lower cost to put those on. So, we were exempted
before. As soon as those truth social posts hit out there, our team sprung into action thinking about what we were going to do. It's something that
we've had kind of a contingency plan for. But it was really an interesting juxtaposition of thinking of how do we get ahead for next season and
deliver the best value we can to our customers while we're in the middle of trying to deliver that joy in our peak season this year.
CHATTERLEY: You raise an important point, which is that it's a labor-saving issue, perhaps for Americans that they don't want to string a tree or go
through the process of sorting through the lights and doing it each year if it's a pre-lit tree in this case. But I think what's critical for consumers
in America to understand is, what would be the cost of one of your products if you decided, and I think this is the hope of the next administration, to
reassure that manufacturing and bring it back to the United States? What would a tree cost in the future if it were manufactured in the United
States compared to the trees that you manufacture elsewhere and import today?
HARMAN: So, the administration asked us to look at this when we talked to them in 2019, and we actually had done a project from 2019 to 2021 where we
looked at what could we do to take the labor out to make these trees in the U.S.? And unfortunately, what we got to, working with some really
innovative manufacturers in the U.S., we were going to have to sell a tree that today we sell for $800 for $3,000 and that's just too big of a price
for consumers to pay. And so, we've really got to figure out how can we produce these trees elsewhere in the world in a place that is favored and
bring them in because it's just so expensive to do it here.
Part of that also is we couldn't even find some of the components that we needed to make the trees, and I understand the administration's goals would
be that those components would be available. A really simple one are the gloves we include with Balsam Hill trees. So, when you fluff the tree, your
hands don't get scratched by the needles. We actually couldn't find anyone that made that type of glove in the United States.
And so, there's just a lot of work to kind of do this reshoring project, which we appreciate. The interesting thing for us, though, with pre-lit
trees is reshoring doesn't even make sense because they were never produced here ever in history.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's fascinating, isn't it? But at least if you can have that discussion with the next administration, the way that you had last
time the impact analysis is crucial. Mac, I believe you're off for the -- off to go and visit the lighting of the Rockefeller tree now. It's an
amazing evening in New York City.
HARMAN: I'm really looking forward to it. Boston Hill's one of the sponsors this year, and I'm just excited to see that big tree come to life in just
over an hour.
[18:55:00]
CHATTERLEY: It's a very magical moment, I have to say. We'll try and air some on the show tomorrow. I think we'll certainly have recordings of it.
Great to have you, sir. We'll keep in conversation, and hopefully, as you said, the carve out will come again if indeed we do see more tariff hikes.
Mac Harman, the CEO of Balsam Brands there. Thank you, sir.
All right. And finally, on "First Move." Picture this, me in a car in Paris a year ago today, one of my favorite destinations officially recognized
shrugging off French political turmoil. Paris topped a list of 100 cities for the fourth year in a row, according to Euromonitor International.
Oh, there I am again. The city is still flying high after hosting a successful summer games and now ready to reopen a newly restored Notre Dame
Cathedral. Euromonitor uses 55 metrics including economic performance, sustainability and facilities for tourists too. Now, Tokyo came in third.
The city welcomed close to 13 million visitors this year. Actually, it's 13 million and one if you include my spring trip there. Yes, it was raining
heavily that day.
But London misses out on the top 10, the British capital relegated to number 13 on the list. Here's me in a deck chair near Tower Bridge in
February. And yes, it was a rather chilly day. Appropriate size chair, though, as you can see.
That just about wraps up the show. Thank you for joining us. We'll see you tomorrow.
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[19:00:00]
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