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Quest Means Business
Israeli Police: Seven Dead In Jerusalem Shooting; US Braces For Release Of Police Beating Video Tonight; Adani Group Shares Plummet Amid Fraud Allegations; Madison Square Garden CEO Defends Use Of Facial Recognition; California Court Releases Video Of Attack On Paul Pelosi; Seven Dead In Jerusalem Shooting As Tensions Escalate. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired January 27, 2023 - 15:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:08]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: We have an hour before the closing bell rings on Wall Street and as the Fed's favorite measure on inflation
eases so the markets have taken that and off we go to the races, up nearly half a percent, all looking strong in the markets.
The events of the day that we are following for you.
In Jerusalem, I will update you on the number of people who are now known to have died in the shooting that is taking place. We will have Hadas Gold
there for you in just a second or three.
The quote from the mother of Tyre Nichols, "I felt my son's pain." We hear from her. It is heart wrenching stuff. And then in a few hours of course,
the video comes out, so we'll talk about that.
And we'll also mention, $50 billion gone in three days. Shares in Gautam Adani's business empire continue to slide.
As you can see, it is going to be a very, very, very difficult hour together. We'll have the business news, we will also have these disturbing
events in Israel, and many other things on Friday, January the 27th. I'm Richard Quest, and I mean business.
Good evening.
At least seven people are now known to have died, 10 have been injured in Jerusalem. It is a shooting that officials they happened at a synagogue
and, of course, being Friday, it happened at Shabbat. Several victims are said to be in critical condition after the terrorist incident. These are
the latest pictures we've received.
The Israeli authorities say the gunman was neutralized at the scene, and it follows a day after Israeli raids in Jenin killed nine people, the
deadliest day for Palestinians in the West Bank in more than a year.
This is a live picture, by the way I've just been told off the scene that we're bringing to you.
Hadas is with me.
This was Friday night, so the start of Shabbat. It was at a synagogue. And it doesn't really get much worse than that.
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so what we know from Israeli Police is that this started around 8:15, local, so that's about an hour-and-a-half-
hour, an hour and 45 minutes ago, just outside or near a synagogue. We are getting reports that was potentially as people were leaving the synagogue
and there apparently were two different scenes.
The shooting began right around that synagogue and then the assailant got into his car, kept going, got out at a junction for some reason and was
engaged with police and that is where he was apparently shot and killed.
As you noted, we know that at least seven people were killed or several others who were injured. We are hearing from the hospital that among the
injured is a 15-and-a-half year old boy in moderate condition and a 24- year-old man in serious condition.
We are still trying to exactly understand the number of victims and who died at the scene and potentially at the hospitals. We are still working
all of that out.
We are getting some information potentially about the assailant, some reports that he is from East Jerusalem. We know that there is obviously a
massive police presence there, and also that just in the last few minutes, we have received pictures of the recently appointed National Security
Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is at the scene right now to take it all in.
There is a big question of course now of what will the Israeli response be? This is a major, major attack, an attack like of this scale has not
happened targeting Israelis in several years.
This is a brand new government, a brand new right-wing government. Itamar Ben-Gvir himself, he is one of the most extremist right-wing Ministers in
this government. He is in charge of police. This happened under him.
Now, the question will be, what will their response be? There will be a response. The question is what will it be? And how big will it be --
Richard.
QUEST: All right, so have we heard from the government yet?
GOLD: All we've heard so far from the government is you know, that they're assessing the situation, that they're looking at it. They're putting the
security posture at a high amount, and that they're sending condolences.
But I think, I mean, probably as we speak, Itamar Ben-Gvir is likely speaking to the Israeli media, and as soon as I'm off here, we'll find out
exactly what he had to say and what's going to happen. I mean, Israeli Police say that they're still conducting searches to see if there were any
more assailants, anybody who helped this person.
I can imagine that the Israeli Police and potentially the Israeli military will be going into the neighborhood where this person is from, trying to
seek out more information, anything more beyond that.
This is a quickly developing situation. And as you noted, it is coming at what has already been a very intense and violent period and in the hours
before this took place, I was on air talking about how there was a lot of concerns that the situation could just spiral out of control.
[15:05:09]
QUEST: Right.
GOLD: I think this is the beginning, if not, this is that spiral that people were so concerned about.
QUEST: Hadas, we will talk more as the hours move forward. Thank you.
America is bracing itself for the release of a very disturbing video that shows the police attack on Tyre Nichols.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Call out the culture.
CROWD: Call out the culture.
CRUMP: Call out the culture.
CROWD: Call out the culture.
CRUMP: Call out the culture.
CROWD: Call out the culture.
CRUMP: We have to call out the culture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, that was his family's attorney speaking today after the five officers who were involved have now been charged with varying degrees of
murder and other offenses.
And you'll remember, Nichols is the 29-year-old Black man who died three days after the violent arrest took place.
The mother of Tyre Nichols gave her reaction, she said she had not seen the video, which will be made public at seven o'clock Eastern Time. However, it
has been reported that Nichols is heard screaming over and over again for his mother, and today she described her reaction to that heartbreaking cry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROWVAUGHN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER: I was sipping some wine, then I had this really bad pain in my stomach earlier, not knowing what had happened,
but once I found out what happened, that was my son's pain that I will feeling, and I didn't even know.
But for me to find out that my son was calling my name and I was only feet away, I did not even hear him. You have no clue how I feel right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Nick Valencia is in Atlanta.
Nick, it is, I would say impossible to overstate exactly the anticipation of this video that we're going to see, the awfulness that we've been led to
believe that it shows, and the deep concern of what might be the reaction.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Richard, everyone who has seen this video so far, which is relatively very few number of people describe
it as void of humanity, and you can see the pain on the parents of Tyre Nichols, you can see the pain on their face knowing that they saw this
video on Monday and had been living with these images for the last week. They are going to have to live with these images for the rest of their
lives.
The mother though, we know had trouble getting through this video, having had to stop after the first minute, the family telling the media that you
could hear Tyre Nichols at some point in this video ask officers, "What did I do?"
And the family and now the City of Memphis preparing not just the City of Memphis, but also the country for this video and just how violent it
appears to be as it has been described.
But it seems that at least up into this point, Richard, the family and the family attorneys are happy the way -- satisfied with the way that the City
of Memphis and the Memphis Police officers have handled this at a press conference earlier. It is something that the family attorney, Ben Crump
said, this is the blueprint for the rest of the country of how these future incidents are handled by other police departments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRUMP: We want to proclaim that this is the blueprint going forward for anytime, any officers, whether they be Black or White, will be held
accountable.
No longer can you tell us we've got to wait six months to a year. Even though we've got a video with evidence of the excessive force in the crime.
No more can you tell us that anymore because with these five Black officers, you all moved this swiftly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: The family went on to call for reform within the Memphis Police Department calling for the Tyre Law which Ben Crump said would be a duty to
intervene by officers if they see one of their colleagues committing a crime.
It is interesting to note here very quickly, Richard, that my producer Pamela Kirkland and I actually, we learned that less than a month after the
murder of George Floyd, the Memphis Police Department did take steps to amend their duty to intervene policy saying that any officer that witnesses
a colleague commit a crime or excessive force has the duty to intervene.
So there's already actually an amendment within the policy of the police department. Clearly, that didn't stop these officers from doing what they
were alleged to have done -- Richard.
QUEST: Okay, Nick. Now, you know, I trained as a lawyer, and so, know that there are two sides to every case, however, grim it might look when
you only hear the prosecution side.
In this case, the lawyers for the officers already saying look, you or there is a defense and they'll plead not guilty now. We are a long way from
that finality, however they must have a reason, I mean for the sheer five on one brutality.
[15:10:12]
VALENCIA: You know, I'm really glad that you brought this up because up until this point, we've only really heard the family's side of this. We've
heard the police department, which seems to have coalesced around a message that this was, you know, not okay, beyond not okay. I mean, this was
savage, they say.
We did talk to a family friend, though, of one of these officers, Emmitt Martin III. Benny Cobb, he is a retired Shelby County Sheriff's Captain and
he said that Martin, who is one of these officers charged with secondary murder showed up at his office in the days after this incident involving
Tyre Nichols, looking like he hadn't slept in five or six days.
He said that this was a very big man, brought to tears, and he said that this officer claimed to be remorseful. But at the same time, Richard,
defended his use of force saying that he had to do what he had to do in order to take Nichols into custody, repeating to this family friend that he
relied and leaned on his police training and did all the recommendations that he was taught during the police academy.
Clearly, though, the District Attorney and others who have seen this video disagree with his characterization of this. I mean, this was said to be,
again, void of humanity, and this tape and just a matter of hours will be released to the public. So we all get to see it for ourselves and decide,
you know, how we feel about it -- Richard.
QUEST: And of course, thank you, Nick Valencia.
We will of course, have a live report from Memphis later in the day in the hour and we'll consider all the details.
And when we return, Gautam Adani became a millionaire -- a billionaire, forgive me, seemingly overnight. Now, one of India's richest men is
watching his fortune shrink after his company was accused of fraud.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Gautam Adani, one of India's richest men has now watched his fortune shrink amid allegations of fraud.
Shares linked to Adani's business empire fell heavily, again, you can see there look, it is down 20 percent, 20 percent, 20 percent.
Adani Transmission, Total Gas, they all were down. It comes after a report from Hindenburg Research alleged a company of brazen stock manipulation and
fraud, serious stuff, we have to agree. The group says the claims are baseless and it is considering legal action.
The stock movement accelerated after the activist investor Bill Ackman said he believes in Hindenburg's findings are credible.
[15:15:10]
Marc Stewart is with me, stayed up late tonight, and I'm very grateful that you did, sir. Thank you.
You know, these allegations, they're very serious, and if they are accurate, that this is nothing more than a shallow Ponzi and a nonsense,
the thing will disappear.
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is a very big concern, at least if you're in the Adani camp and his portfolio management.
Richard, this is what is attention getting about this. It's the accuser, it's this Hindenburg Research Group. It has a history of looking at
companies that it feels are over valuated, that has financials that may need a second look, and they have a track record.
If you think back several years ago to the electrical vehicle sector, Nikola had some issues about its operating, and it led to some changes. So,
this is an accuser, if you will, that has some weight, and it's being digested by the markets.
When the markets opened on Wednesday, we saw this market decline in its value. There was a selloff. The stock market in India was closed on
Thursday, and then when it reopened Friday, yesterday here at Asia, that just kept going and going.
So now Adani and his team are trying to plug the drain, if you will and that could be a very, very difficult task.
QUEST: So, the thing here is, I was just reminding myself, WireCard, the German company. I'm just looking at the details now that you remember the
fraud in Germany, and that all started because, I think it was the FT started the campaign against that and pointing out the fraud that was
there.
So these things as we know from history, Marc, they have a snowball effect, and I am not saying there is no smoke without fire or any other cliches,
but once this thing gets going, it'll be very difficult to stop.
STEWART: Well, and then, too as you mentioned, when you have investors like Bill Ackman, a billionaire, someone who is in the hedge fund world, when he
validates these claims by this research firm, by Hindenburg Research and says so very publicly on Twitter, the message is already out. And yes, as
you rightly said, it can create a snowball effect.
Now, Adani is mentioning perhaps some kind of legal action, but as our colleague, Rahel Solomon and I were discussing earlier, if you put yourself
out for legal action, well, that can create another fact-finding mission.
And Hindenburg is standing by its findings. It says it is standing by, it feels that there is credibility, and so it's almost saying "Bring it on."
QUEST: Good to be with you. Thank you. I'm deeply impressed that you've stayed up until 4:17 In the morning, I suggest, to, Friday night or Friday
morning for you, go and have a drink and send me the bill.
Thank you, Marc Stewart.
STEWART: Will do, Richard.
QUEST: Only one mind. Adani quit school to found his empire more than 30 years ago. The company's business plan spans energy, real estates, and
ports.
The increase -- net increase was $55 billion last year, according to Forbes. He is also a key ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ravi Agrawal is the editor-in-chief of "Foreign Policy." Ravi is with me.
Pull these strands together now, because not only do we have a cracking good business story, allegedly of fraud, you've got the makings of a
political whiff of scandal, too.
RAVI AGRAWAL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "FOREIGN POLICY": Yes, that's right, Richard.
Now, there is so much to this case that we do not know about. What we do know, as we've just been hearing is that Adani's rise has been nothing
short of spectacular in the last few years. His rise is also tied to the rise of Modi.
The two go back to their days from the State of Gujarat, which is where Modi hails from. That is Adani's center of business, of course, and over
the last few years, especially under Modi's Prime Ministership, anytime the Prime Minister has needed to invest in something big, think of giant
industrial policy projects, Modi's investments in coal, in energy, in ports, India needs to build more roads. India is now interested in solar,
in semiconductors, who puts his hand up? It is Gautam Adani and his group.
They tend to win these bids, competitively, I should say.
QUEST: Right.
AGRAWAL: And end up being instruments of the country's industrial policy.
[15:20:08]
QUEST: So, if we now have the Hindenburg Research, on the one hand, you have political connections on the other, but India cannot really afford, if
you like PR-wise to have a major scandal, which could put off external investors.
AGRAWAL: That's true. However, I mean, the thing is, the Adani Group is very interesting in that it's not so much that it's too big to fail, in as
much as it is too unique to fail.
If you think about its role in Indian society and Indian business, it is very closely tied to the administration. It has its fingers in every major
pot you can imagine.
Yes, the Hindenburg Research report that came out on Wednesday. We really had two trading days so far to see how the market reacts to the report.
That was Wednesday, and today, Friday. Thursday was a national holiday in India, so it remains to be seen how the rest of the market will respond on
Monday, Tuesday and onwards.
But beyond all of that, many of the things that we've learned are things we already knew. Yes, Indian companies have problems with corporate
governance. Yes, Indian companies can be opaque. Yes, they have problems with crony capitalism. You could say the same for many big Asian companies,
the Chaebol in South Korea come to mind.
The question is whether all of these things right or wrong, true or false, obviously, the Adani Group denies them, the question is, how will this
really impact investors, especially in India? Many of whom will look at this research and say, well, we knew all of this. We knew they were heavily
indebted as well.
QUEST: Would you expect, yes, finally, would you expect political cover? Would you expect political help? Is somebody going to come to the rescue?
I don't mean financial rescue, whichever way you want to define rescue? Or will the authorities say, okay, this is out there, we now need to get to
the bottom of it?
AGRAWAL: Well, it's hard to imagine how that would actually happen. I mean, obviously, India is a democracy. The judiciary is nominally free and fair.
The regulators would have a chance to look into Adani.
But again, none of this is new, I think, you know, many of them would have been looking into the Adani Group before, they could do so now. They could
perhaps draw on some of the research that has emerged in the last week. They might want to look into some of those offshore accounts.
You know, of course, the Modi government would not want to see Adani fail, but at the same time, they also wouldn't want to diminish trust in
corporate India.
So if there is a real problem that emerges, it will have to be explored either by the markets or by the regulators. The question is, what is
exactly the problem that has emerged? What exactly is illegal? And what happens next, given all of those facts when they emerge? There's just a lot
more to come out of this, Richard.
QUEST: And we'll be grateful for your assistance when we finally do get to it. Ravi, have a lovely weekend. Good to see you, sir. Grateful. Thank
you.
President Biden's Climate Bill has put a rocket under green spending in the US. And in Europe, it has set off alarm bells. This is the reason why. All
up, the so-called IRA Director on $370 billion to climate funding.
Now you can see on the screen, a long list of the sorts of things, most of it goes in the way of tax credits, clean energy, consumer incentives. For
instance, of $7,500.00 if you buy a new electric car, only and this is the key, only if it's made in the USA.
Rewarding companies setting up in America in fusion energy. Well now, German company, Marvel Fusion says its investors are pushing for the
startup to move to the US. Why? To get the subsidies?
I asked Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, if he thinks the IRA, the Inflation Reduction Act is fair.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THIERRY BRETON, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR THE INTERNAL MARKET: It took us a little bit by surprise, but overall, first, I think the IRA is going in the
right directions to help US to decarbonize the industry and energy, and it is good.
So then, of course, we have some trade irritants, if I may say so, like for example, the car subsidies, but we are used to it and I'm absolutely
convinced that we will find a way to solve it. And we have a team now working together with the US.
And I'm confident we'll find a way. And so of course, and certainly if I may say so, so of course there is a lot of subsidies now in the US, but of
course it's our coal, our job to make it also happen as a clean tech act like we did by the way for the CHIPS. You know I always said, we are here
not to compete, we are here to work together, so fair competition, of course.
[15:25:09]
But working together is definitely what we want to do. We did it for the CHIPS, there is no reason that we will not be able to do it coordinating
our efforts for the clean tech industry.
QUEST: When I was in Davos last week and in subsequent conversations, there is almost a dual view, isn't it? There is almost a begrudging from
Europe, a begrudging admiration at the way in which this act has been put together, even though it does have parts that Europeans find wrong or anti-
competitive.
And yet, at the same time, the EU is looking at ways it can replicate many of the things that the IRA does.
BRETON: Well, you know, again, what is important is to make sure that what -- we will invest huge amount of money here in Europe to make sure that we
will reach our goal by 2050, being a zero CO2 continent, 450 million euros a year to achieve this goal.
So of course, my job as a Commissioner for Internal Market is to make sure that this will create jobs in Europe. And that's why, we think that it's
important to have our response or let's say, a European sort of a European IRA, which is exactly what President von der Leyen presented in Davos, by
the way, and we are working on it now.
It is true that in the US, it can quickly, but I think we are not too late because we are finalizing it now, in just a few months after my wish, and
that's why also, I'm here in Washington, DC today is that now, we coordinate ourselves like we did, by the way for the CHIPS Act.
It was an EU CHIPS Act, a US CHIP Act, and we worked well together. There is no reason why we would not be able to coordinate ourselves now and our
efforts for the clean tech industry.
QUEST: Well, there is one reason, Commissioner, the US has now passed its legislation and it seems bearing in mind, the political realities in
Washington, it's unlikely that it would make major changes.
So you are in a position back in Brussels, of really wanting to do a tit- for-tat.
BRETON: Well, not exactly. I mean, because it will not be the same. We have also our own strengths. We have our own holes, and we will be able to
hopefully, to pass also our legislation, hopefully, by summer time. This is of course, what we want to reach.
But you know, the most important thing is that everyone in those industries understands that, of course, we are very serious when we are speaking about
clean tech, and we will do things our way for European companies, of course. And of course, for the companies who would like to invest also in
Europe.
We are welcoming all companies to invest in Europe. We need to make sure that they will find, let's say, an easy access for the Fintech industry,
and also the support that it requires.
QUEST: The EU has been very clear to social medias like Twitter, follow the rules, or you will pay a penalty. Now of course, we're looking at
TikTok where there is a slightly different issue isn't there? There is one of China and security and proprietary and you're basically taking the view,
play by our rules, or you will be out, is that a fair synopsis?
BRETON: No, that's pretty well said. We have now our rules. DSA -- the DSA -- Digital Services Act and the DMA, the Digital Market Act that will be
enforceable now within the next three to four months.
So now, we are finalizing the investigation to make sure we will be a big platform, a systemic platform, this is what we call them. So we will have
to follow our rules. Obviously, TikTok announced that they are prepared to be a systemic platform, so they will have to follow our rules.
And it's true that I had a meeting last week with the CEO of TikTok, and I told him that now of course, with everything we see, if it doesn't correct
the weaknesses, which are not compatible anymore with our law, you had mentioned, it is sanctions could be also a ban.
So they better change it very quickly, because there are only three more months left and then of course, we start to enforce and we will enforce.
QUEST: You will.
BRETON: Yes, it is my job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: And we will follow closely that enforcement as it happens.
Tonight, US cities are on the edge. Officials are worried and for good reason. The video of the violent police beating of Tyre Nichols is to be
released. The President is calling for protests to remain peaceful.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:04]
QUEST: Hello, I'm Richard Quest. More QUEST MEANS BUSINESS this Friday when we'll be live on the streets of Memphis as the city's getting ready for the
release of the new video of the police attack on Tyre Nichols. And in New York sports arena, Madison Square Gardens is under fire over reports it
used facial recognition technology to target lawyers who are suing the company.
We'll get to that story only after I've given you the headlines because of course this is CNN and here, the news always comes first.
The California Court has released the videos of the attack on Paul Pelosi, as well as interviews with the man alleged attacker, David DePape. And the
911 emergency call. It seems Pelosi subtly tried to tell the dispatcher he was in danger while the attacker was listening on. He told -- the attacker
told the police he was looking for Pelosi's wife, Nancy Pelosi at the time she was the Speaker of the U.S. House.
Israeli officials say at least seven people are dead and several are injured after a shooting in a Jerusalem synagogue on Friday night. It
follows escalating tensions after an Israeli raid in the West Bank on Thursday killed nine Palestinians.
U.S. Justice Department has announced three arrests in a plot to kill New York-based journalist Masih Alinejad who was being critical of Iran's
regime. Prosecutors allege that three arrests are part of an Eastern European criminal organization and that their plot was directed by Iran.
Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered what may be the oldest mummy ever found. It was discovered in an ancient necropolis just 32 kilometers from
Cairo. Inside a tomb that archaeologist say have been sealed for 4300 years.
[15:35:02]
Egypt's former antiquities minister says the mummy had been a rich important 35-year-old who was buried covered with gold.
President Biden is asking that any protests tonight remain peaceful as cities across the U.S. expect protests after the release of the video
showing the police attack on a Black man Tyle Nichols. It's due to be released in about three or four hours from now. Nichols was beaten by five
officers during a traffic stop. He died from his injuries later in hospital. Five former officers have now been charged with murder.
The video has yet to be seen in public. A short time ago, President Biden spoke to the parents of Nichols by phone.
Our correspondent Sara Sidner is in Memphis, joins me now. Sara, throughout the day, we now know the awfulness of the attack. The video he apparently
has heard calling for -- in pain for his mother. At the end, we've heard from his mother who says that she was feeling pain at the time. So, the
scene in a way is set for the release of this video. And we cannot imagine the reaction it's going to get.
SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We can't know what that is. But I can tell you how it has been in the lead up. In this city, there has
been not a single very big protest, there was one large vigil. So, it's been prayerful and peaceful, nothing else. That's what's happened in the
lead up to this. Now, that being said, the video has not been released. And it isn't just this city and these family members that are asking for calm
and peace here.
They are worried about things happening elsewhere across the country. And they have said multiple times that they want to keep this peaceful.
However, we have heard some of the details of this video now. The -- they're excruciatingly painful even to listen to. The mother talking about
the injuries that his nose looked like it had been beaten into an S, that is neck looked like it had been broken, that he did not resemble the person
that she knew as her son.
And that in her words she felt like he was already a vegetable when she went to see him in the hospital. We've also learned that from the family
that they were initially told they say by police after this incident that he was pulled over for a DUI. Well, that is certainly not what they told
the police department in their report saying that it was about reckless driving. So, there's a lot of discrepancy. The police chief has said there
was a lot of discrepancies as well.
They can't seem to find evidence of reckless driving on the many cameras that they have on the light poles here across the entire city. We now know
that there were two kinds of cameras that caught this. There was body camera that caught this that was on one of the officers who pulled up to
the scene. That scene was already underway as we understand it. So, there's body cam video, the scenes already underway this, this officer comes up,
his camera is rolling and he gets the initial altercation where they pull Nichols over, they pull him out of the car and he ends up trying to run.
He gets a few yards or a few blocks away. And then there is another camera, that sky camera looking down on it, from a bird's eye view but very close,
showing the scene where the officers we are told are beating him mercilessly. So, that video is going to release in the next few hours. And
that video, we don't know how people will react. But it is a horrific thing for the family.
QUEST: All right. The phrase the Scorpion group that we heard time and again, this was a policing policy in Memphis, but what I think is
interesting here is of what we heard, as well from the group from the attorney, that this is all about a culture. This is a culture, and it
doesn't matter the race of the officers. It was their bias or alleged bias forgive me. It was their alleged bias on the assail on the victim.
SIDNER: The way that the attorneys for the Nichols family described this and we're talking about Benjamin Crump, who covers a lot of these and helps
the families in a lot of these scenarios. They have said that this is about the culture of police versus people versus the citizens. They You're here
to protect and serve but in so many cases that is not how black and brown folks are treated.
[15:40:05]
And it doesn't matter they said whether the officers are black themselves or white or of some other race, it only matters that they are police and
that the public, who was black and brown has seen a different way, treated a different way, treated more brutally and they are calling now for that
Scorpion unit, which by the way, was a unit that was supposed to suppress crime. It was a crime suppression unit because they have had some major
issues with crime.
By the way, the cameras that caught the police officers doing this, that was part of the community asking for some crime suppression. And it turns
out that it gets video of the very people that are charged with suppressing crime, doing something that Benjamin Crump, the attorney for the family
called oppression, not suppression.
QUEST: All right.
SIDNER: Richard?
QUEST: Sara, you'll be watching the events, you'll help us understand them afterwards. I'm grateful. Thank you.
Facial recognition used for personal vendettas. The head of Madison Square Garden has defended using technology to keep out his opponents. New York
State says that may well be illegal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Silicon Valley is known for its serial entrepreneurs, those that the founders you take the money from one success and funnel it to the next big
idea. The same model is taking root in Dubai, the sale of a tech company Careem spawned a generation of tech executives. They have the ingredients.
Money and startup experience.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Over two decades ago, and what some would say was a bold move, eBay bought PayPal in a $1.5 billion deal. The move
revealed the existence of several influential individuals, which Fortune magazine referred to as the PayPal Mafia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really new entrants that that drive innovation more than anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This group of PayPal's founders and former employees, including industry leaders, like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, LinkedIn cofounder
Reed Hoffman, and Peter Thiel, Facebook's first outside investor. Their contributions helped to transform Silicon Valley into a global hub for
innovation. And now, thousands of miles away from America's Golden State, a similar trend is taking place in the Middle East.
SAMMY HASSAN, COFOUNDER, NOLEMONS: I think in Dubai we -- and in the region we are seeing a similar effect to the PayPal Mafia.
[15:45:05]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirty-year-old Sammy Hassan was an assistant general manager at ride hailing startup Careem in 2016. He was among the youngest
at the company to take on such a role. And when Cadeem was bought by Uber for $3.1 billion in 2020, the resources he acquired gave him the tools to
launch his own company.
HASSAN: The Careem alumni are out and about setting up new ventures and really encouraging everyone in the ecosystem to hop on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aside from providing its alumni with a financial push for their own ventures, Careem symbolic exit also build confidence across
the region's entire startup ecosystem.
MUDASSIR SHEIKHA, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, CAREEM: All of a sudden, everyone saw this validation and started focusing on it. And hence we saw this amazing,
positive tsunami of impact that's happened last couple of years,
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Careem's alumni have launched over 100 startups in countries such as the UAE, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and many
others. Some are even giving back to the wider startup community. Like Danny Laczo who started his career with Careem as the head of sales and
partnerships.
DANNY LACZO, CO-FOUNDER, SWAPP: And get a lot of reach outs for advising businesses on business development. This is something I genuinely enjoy
doing. I tried to give back from this experience as much as possible to help and inspire other people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: According to MAGNiTT, the region's leading venture data platform, what happened with Careem created a ripple effect across the
Middle East startup ecosystem.
PHILIP BAHOSHY, FOUNDER, MAGNITT: And it's the success of Careem that really inspires others to see that there really is light at the end of the
tunnel.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From PayPal to Careem, homegrown success stories in the startup world have now set the stage as they continue to provide a
source of inspiration for other entrepreneurs who are driving the future of innovation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: One of New York's most famous arenas is under fire. Its chief executive is defending its use of facial recognition to deny and due to its
legal opponents. Our CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig is with me after the break. We'll deny him no access.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:02]
QUEST: The head of New York's Madison Square Garden has defended the group's use of facial recognition technology. The company has come into
fire after reported it used the cameras to stop lawyers who are suing the company from attending the events. Now New York's Attorney General and
several officials say they are looking into the matter. Speaking on Thursday, MSG's Chief Executive James Dolan said the issue is personal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES DOLAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: It's not only business, if you've been sued, you know that it's -- that it -- that it's a
personal thing, right? And at Madison Square Garden, right, the -- if you're suing us, we just asking you, please don't come until you're done
with your argument with you, us. The -- and yes, we're using facial recognition to enforce that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Elie is with me. Our senior legal analyst. I'm absolutely gobsmacked to use that local phrase. When I heard this, I mean, it's one thing to say
to the plaintiffs or defendants or to those people doing the suing, please don't come. But to say to the lawyers who are doing a job and, you know,
the cab rank principle, no, you can't come in. It's extraordinary.
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Richard. I'd share your gobsmackedness. If I can coin a phrase here. I think James Dolan and
Madison Square Garden are on very shaky legal ground here for a couple of reasons. First of all, Madison Square Garden is privately owned by the
Dolan family. But it is what is known as a public accommodation. It's open to the public same as a restaurant or a bar or anything else you might see
on the streets of Manhattan.
And therefore, they cannot discriminate on certain protected classes. Certainly, they cannot discriminate based on race, sex, gender, et cetera.
However, the problem here is, they're discriminating based on people using the court system which you have a right to do. So, if you're suing Madison
Square Garden here, if you're a lawyer who's engaged in that, you can be punished.
The other -- even more straightforward law here is New York State has a law that says if there is a public accommodation, like a circus, like a
theater, Madison Square Garden, certainly would qualify. You have to honor a ticket from anyone who shows you a ticket unless they're behaving in a
way that's threatening or dangerous.
QUEST: But isn't it -- I hear your point about the public accommodation and that, but that sort of is using the law to defend a point or to -- or to
get to a point that actually the point in my view is if you are a lawyer, who is merely representing somebody, you should not -- I mean, it's like
saying to a lawyer suing American Airlines on behalf of a client, you can't fly American.
HONIG: Well, that's exactly the slippery slope that we're worried about here. And one of the even bigger problems with MSG, with Madison Square
Garden's policy is it's so overbroad, it's not just the actual lawyer who is on the case, it's the entire firm. There are firms in this country,
Richard that has 500, 1000 lawyers. To give you an example. I'm part of a law firm that has about 350 lawyers.
If you and I were to walk over two blocks to Madison Square Garden, and try to go to the Rangers game tonight, I don't know, they might reject us or at
least me, not you. You're not one of the lawyers. Because what they're doing is they're going into the law firm's Web sites, they're doing what's
known as scraping the images of all the lawyers at the whole firm even if you have no idea what one of the other 300 lawyers is doing and saying,
you're all barred.
So, it's way overbroad here. And I think that's one of the reasons the state attorney generals getting involved.
QUEST: Which is very good for your new book. You had a book launch last night. I bought it. I was -- I was -- I was attending but I wasn't able,
but the book launch was very successful. And we even got a picture or two. This is the book. It's Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away with It.
Your very phrase gets away with it suggests that they are doing something that they shouldn't whatever. And you're described as a national
bestselling author.
HONIG: That is true. My first book was a national bestseller. We'll see how this one does. But yeah, one of the points that I make in the book is that
wealthy people, James Dolan is certainly a very wealthy person, often abused the court system here in the United States purely by overwhelming it
with money, with lawyers, by tiring out their opponents. Often the litigation strategy that you see from wealthy powerful people like James
Dolan is.
Come get me, Attorney General. You sue me, I have endless resources, I can go to court, I can sue you. I can intimidate anyone else who tries to sue
me. I can punish their lawyers. I cannot let them in the door. And James Dolan, we saw that clip is fairly unapologetic about that. So, it's a
feature of our court system that really does favor people who have seemingly limitless resources.
QUEST: Can you avoid it? I mean, this is -- what you're describing is something that goes back as long and as powerful as one can remember. But
is there a way around it?
HONIG: So, no, our system is not absolutely perfect, but I certainly think we can do better. I mean, the central thesis of the book here is that we
have a court system that inherently favors powerful bosses, rich people. We have certain people who are savvy enough to know how to exploit that. And
frankly, in the book, I also fault law enforcement. I fault prosecutors. Now, the James Dolan scenario is not a criminal scenario.
[15:55:02]
But I talked about all sorts of scenarios where prosecutors --- and I was a prosecutor for a long time, have been too afraid or have had policies that
are too timid to step up to powerful people. And as a result, you do see a two-tiered system of justice in this country. I certainly think we can do
better. And I hope that the book serves as a bit of a guide to how we can get there.
QUEST: I was intending to invite you and family to the Madison Square Garden someday. It's a great concert next week. Very hard to get tickets
but you know something, I am not going to take the risk.
(CROSSTALK)
HONIG: It's too risky. Yes. Leave me.
QUEST: Leave you. A good idea. All right, sir. Thank you.
HONIG: Thanks, Richard.
QUEST: I need to update you on the events that have been taking place in Israel. And our top story. We now know that gunman have killed at least
seven people at Jerusalem synagogue. And in Jerusalem -- one of those was a 21-year-old -- 21-year-old East Jerusalem resident. I do beg your pardon.
The government appears to have acted alone. Police say the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle. He was then killed after a shootout and a chase.
It comes a day after an Israeli raid in Jeanine killed nine people, the deadliest day for Palestinians in the West Bank in more than a year. It's a
big news story. Big news story of course of the day that we're following. The other stories that we're following, of course, will be later here in
the United States when the report comes out. The video comes out of the brutal beating of Tyre Nichels.
That will happen in about three hours. Two to three hours from now we'll have coverage of that. And as much as we can show on that of course without
causing further distress and grief. We will indeed do so. Busy day. I'll have a profitable moment after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Now to the events of Israel and police say they have now identified the gunman who killed people at a synagogue in Jerusalem. Hadas Gold is
with me at the moment at the scene of the attack. Tell me more.
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Richard. We just arrived here at the -- as close as we can to the scene of the attack took place on the
road just behind me up the road right outside of the synagogue. I can tell you that what we've seen coming up here is a major police presence. As we
were even pulling up, the first thing that approached us was a police officer drawing his gun at us before we could identify ourselves as press.
I'm hearing helicopters flying up above and we -- that just gives you a sense of how serious this attack is. What we know so far, seven people for
sure have been killed, as has the suspected assailant which police are now identified as a 21-year-old from East Jerusalem. We know that there are
several people in hospital right now in various levels of condition including a 15-and-a-half-year-old boy.
And we know that this attack took place around 8:15, 8:30 right outside of a synagogue before the assailant left, went to an intersection where he was
ultimately shot by police, Richard.
QUEST: Hadas Gold who is in Jerusalem. Hadas, thank you. And that's all report tonight. That's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Richard Quest. It's been a
busy week, but it's been -- well, we've been together throughout the week and we'll do it again next week.
[16:00:03]
We'll have "THE LEAD" coming up after a moment. I'm going to leave you with some live pictures from Jerusalem. Whatever you're up to in the weekend,
try to have a bit of a rest.
END
