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Quest Means Business
McCarthy And Taiwan's President Speak Amid China's Threat; World Leaders Make Personal Visits In US, China, Europe; Zelenskyy Visits Key Ally, Poland; Zelenskyy On First Trip To Poland Since Russian Invasion; "The New York Times" Tempts Subscribers With Games; Dash To The Bell. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired April 05, 2023 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:25]
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that brought it to a whole other level.
(voice over): Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have denounced Israel for what happened. The Jordanian Foreign Minister saying the world must clearly
condemn the attack..
Shortly after the raid, rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, the militant group Hamas, saying Israel's actions in Jerusalem wouldn't go
unanswered. The Israeli military said it had struck Hamas weapons sites in Gaza in response.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLD (on camera): And the US Office of Palestinian Affairs says that violence has no place in a holy site and during a holy season calling for
restraint and de-escalation.
Guys, there is a lot of concern this will spiral even further. In just the last few minutes, the IDF says two more rockets actually attempted fire
from Gaza into Israel. They didn't cross the border.
But as we speak, we can say that it is calm at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound where Islamic authorities say 20,000 worshippers are praying at this very
moment -- guys.
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Hadas Gold, appreciate it. Thank you.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: It is a top of a very busy hour on CNN NEWSROOM. Hello, everyone. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
HILL: And I'm Erica Hill.
GOLODRYGA: Breaking news for you right now, former Vice President Mike Pence will not appeal a Judge's decision that would require him to testify
to the grand jury about Trump's actions leading up to the January 6 insurrection.
HILL: CNN's Katelyn Polantz joining us now with this breaking news. So Katelyn, what more do we know, what specifically is the former Vice
President saying?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE SENIOR REPORTER: Well, this announcement today comes from a spokesman for former Vice President Mike
Pence and he is saying that Trump, or I'm sorry, the Pence will comply with a subpoena that he received from January 6 investigators based out of
Washington calling him to the grand jury operating out of the Federal Court here.
They are wanting to ask him about conversations he had with Donald Trump from the election on the whole way, leading up to January 6th at that time
that Donald Trump was putting pressure on Mike Pence, to try and block the election, a crucial piece of what the Special Counsel's Office is looking
into as they're investigating January 6th.
Now, the way we got here is that there had been an unprecedented subpoena of the former Vice President to testify about the President that he served
under, and initially there had been two core challenges over this, Donald Trump had tried to challenge and Mike Pence had also tried to challenge in
Court this subpoena.
We know that the Judge ruled essentially that he needed to show up and testify, that Donald Trump couldn't claim any secrecy around the presidency
over their conversations and also, that Mike Pence would not be able to not give testimony. He would need to go into that grand jury.
Now, Pence did win a little bit here, and he, in his statement today is underlining how the principle prevailed that he had argued in Court that
the Vice President can be covered by constitutional protections for Members of Congress because he was acting as the presiding officer over the Senate
on January 6th, but even so, at the end of the day, the announcement is that Pence is not going to appeal the Judge's decision saying he must go
testify, and thus he is agreeing to do that, as required by law.
He says now, Trump could also try and appeal some things, but he keeps losing in Court every time he has tried to block testimony in this criminal
investigation. We don't exactly know when Pence is going to go into the grand jury, but the Special Counsel's Office has been very aggressive in
getting witnesses in and right now, Mike Pence is going to be a key witness.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, we have been waiting for this decision. We've been told by people around him that that he will make this decision soon. And now we
know that that he will not be appealing this Judge's ruling and that he will be testifying to at least some of his actions, not on what he did on
January 6th, he views that as a victory, but on any conversations that he had with the former President in the days leading up to it.
POLANTZ: Exactly.
GOLODRYGA: Katelyn Polantz, keep us posted on any developments specifically on timing when you get them.
In the meantime, we want to take you to California where House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is giving remarks alongside Taiwan's President Tsai after
holding a meeting together, let's listen.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): We will honor our obligations and reiterate our commitment to our shared values behind which all Americans are united.
[15:05:01]
Today was a bipartisan meeting with Republicans and Democrats united together in a place that symbolizes the freedom and the commitment and the
bond that has only become stronger with the President with us today. President Tsai.
TSAI ING-WEN, TAIWANESE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Speaker McCarthy, friends, I am delighted to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, once again, this time with Speaker McCarthy, and
distinguished Members of the Congress.
I want to thank Speaker McCarthy for his warm hospitality and for his invitation to bipartisan congressional leaders who have taken time out of
their busy schedules to join us today.
Their presence and unwavering support reassure the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated, and we are not alone. It is especially fitting for us to
meet here to pay tribute to a distinguished American President and world leader, a man who also played a crucial role in partnership with the US
Congress in protecting and fortifying US-Taiwan relations at a time of changing diplomatic realities.
President Reagan's assurances of 1982, on top of the landmark Taiwan Relations Act, passed by the Congress lay the foundation for a strong and
unique partnership of over four decades, during which we have maintained peace and promoted prosperity, and welcomed the advent of Taiwan's
democracy.
However, it is no secret that today, the peace that we have maintained, and the democracy which we have worked hard to build are facing unprecedented
challenges. We once again find ourselves in a world where democracy is under threat, and the urgency of keeping the beacon of freedom shining
cannot be understated.
President Reagan said it best, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." It must be fought for and defended constantly,
really by each generation.
In the discussion with congressional leaders this morning, I reiterated Taiwan's commitment to defending the peaceful status quo where the people
of Taiwan may continue to thrive in a free and open society.
I also highlighted, I believe, which President Reagan champions that to preserve peace, we must be strong. I would like to add that we are stronger
when we are together.
For this, I also express our deepest gratitude on behalf of the Taiwanese people to members of the Congress on both aisle -- on both sides of the
aisle with a number of initiatives that have helped to make Taiwan and our partnership stronger. Specifically, initiatives in the realms of enhancing
Taiwan self-defense capabilities, fostering robust trade and economic ties between us and supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in the
international community, also to safeguard our shared interests in peace and prosperity across the Indo Pacific.
Taiwan strives to be a reliable partner to the world, a cornerstone for stability in the region and a force for good. There is a saying in the
Confucian Analects, that is, "one who is virtuous will not stand alone." In our efforts to protect our way of life, Taiwan is grateful to have the
United States of America by our side.
[15:10:09]
As we confront the unique challenges of our time, let us be mindful of the principles that have forged our great partnerships and bear in mind the
lessons of President Reagan's enduring legacy.
Once again, thank you, Speaker McCarthy, for your warmth, and for your friendship.
Thank you to all our friends in Congress for standing by Taiwan. Thank you.
MCCARTHY: Thank you very much.
HILL: And there you heard there a little bit from Speaker McCarthy and of course, from President Tsai there, talking about the appreciation for the
unwavering support, noting we are stronger when we are together.
We had heard of course, from our report, there will not be questions.
Back with us now, Will Ripley joining us from Taipei, Taiwan; Phil Mattingly, is at the White House.
Will, that message that was delivered there, anything surprising in those words to you?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not surprising, but you know, as someone who has interviewed Tsai Ing-wen and who knows how well prepared
she is, how much thought she puts into every word that she speaks, how careful she is not to say anything that could cross a line that could, you
know, push Beijing or give Beijing an excuse to go further than they already are going with their military activities near this island, this is
truly the pinnacle, I would say of her two-term presidency.
She has worked over the last almost eight years now, she is entering the last year of her second term to elevate Taiwan's international status and
to tell the story of Taiwan and Taiwan's democracy.
A lot of people don't realize that Taiwan's democracy is only 27 years old. It actually came to fruition in 1996, after decades of a brutal
dictatorship, under the US allied dictator Chiang Kai-shek who was the losing side of China's Civil War. You know, they were throwing some of the
people, some of the politicians in Tsai Ing-wen's party who are now in control, they were throwing them in jail for having these underground
meetings and accusing them of plotting against the government.
Taiwan went from that to now a young, vibrant democracy with a thriving economy producing, you know, more than 60 percent of the world's advanced
microchips, having relationships, albeit informal ones, with some of the most powerful democracies in the world, and none, of course, more important
to Taiwan than the United States, because of this bipartisan support, and also the billions of dollars in the sale of defensive weapons in the event
that China did try to invade.
So to have Tsai Ing-wen standing there right now with Kevin McCarthy, side by side that legitimacy, it is a huge win for Tsai and her party, the DPP,
after they lost the local elections to another party of the KMT, which is viewed to be pro-Beijing.
In fact, incidentally, the former President of Taiwan and KMT official Ma Ying-jeou, he was invited by China during Tsai Ing-wen's time that she is
transiting through the United States because China is hoping that in the presidential elections, Tsai's party will lose, which is very much moving
towards the United States, and this other party, the KMT could win, which might bring Beijing closer, a government that they feel that they can work
with, even though even the KMT cannot support what Xi Jinping has stated, is inevitable, which is that China will someday control this island.
You know, they talk about Hong Kong, one country-two systems, people in Taiwan watched what happened in Hong Kong and a growing number of people,
certainly young people here not only don't identify as Chinese, but are absolutely unwilling to accept a Chinese takeover without a fight, and that
is why people are taking self-defense classes and they've expanded the military conscription or in the process of doing that. So people instead of
serving for a couple of months, they are going to have to serve compulsory military service for a year.
I mean, Taiwan is bracing itself for the worst, but they are hoping that this relationship with the United States and discussions and plans about
how to prevent a Chinese invasion will deter Xi Jinping, will make him think that it is going to be just too problematic to try to invade Taiwan.
That said, China undoubtedly probably will show some sort of military display as a result of this. The question is, though, how far are they
going to push it? They have their own diplomatic headaches to worry about, and they have the French President and the EU Commission President in
Beijing right now. Would she overshadow that diplomacy and potentially further alienate the West over this issue of this meeting in California? We
don't know because China is so completely non-transparent when it comes to these sorts of things. It is going to be anyone's guess what the military
and what Beijing does.
[15:15:07]
GOLODRYGA: Yes, and we know that President Macron is hoping to pressure President Xi to use his influence over Vladimir Putin to bring an end to
this war. Obviously, that didn't happen when President Macron attempted that same diplomacy with Vladimir Putin in the months leading up to the
war.
I want to get to Phil Mattingly on that point, because, Phil, we heard President Tsai earlier in the first leg of her trip mention in a speech in
New York, again, this trip they're calling a transit stop in the United States, on their way to Central America say that Russia's invasion of
Ukraine was a wake-up call to the country, they increased their military budget, it is about $20 billion, still a fraction of what China's budget
is.
But where does the United States stand specifically, Phil, with regards to this meeting? I know the language out of the White House has been not to
overreact for China, it was notable that there were no questions asked during this presser between the two, but how is the White House viewing
this meeting?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think the most public messaging has certainly been directed towards Beijing, making very
clear that this should not be viewed as out of the norm, it shouldn't be viewed as something that should drive any kind of escalation, and that they
want to maintain open lines of communication, something that's also been communicated behind the scenes at the highest levels as well.
But there is a reality here, and that is one that this has happened before, and there is always a balancing act between whatever the current US
administration is attempting to convey publicly as it relates to the bilateral relationship with China and the reality of where bipartisan
lawmakers and a large swath of them at that stand on this issue and have stood on this issue.
And I think the momentum behind Taiwan or behind assistance for Taiwan, both on the economic and defense side of things for self-defense purposes,
has only grown in recent years.
And I think in large part, you know, it is interesting what Will and what you guys were talking about in relation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
there is not a person inside this administration you talk to that doesn't view what is happening in Ukraine through the lens of what that may mean
for China and Taiwan, how that may shift, or maybe drive any calculations in the future made by Xi Jinping and China.
Military leaders are certainly discussing that in public, more so in private. Administration officials are as well. I think all of that kind of
converges into this very unsettled moment; unsettled, just on a simple bilateral basis between the US and China for any number of reasons that
have escalated tension over the course of the last several years.
But certainly on this issue, specifically, when military leaders go to Capitol Hill, they say in public forums, that conflict seems to be coming
to some degree that certainly they are planning for that.
Certainly, they are aware of that reality, and I think what's been most interesting when you talk to White House officials is publicly, they made
clear this shouldn't be viewed as escalatory. No administration officials are meeting with the Taiwanese President or anybody in her delegation while
they're here, but they also acknowledge the reality of lawmakers get to do what they want to do in this issue. They certainly consult with
administration officials.
And it's not just Speaker Kevin McCarthy. This is a bipartisan delegation that President Tsai is meeting with in California. She met with the House
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in New York. She met with bipartisan groups of senators, as well.
And so that balancing act, that dynamic at a very, very tenuous moment from a geopolitical perspective is something that administration has attempted
to balance and certainly is aware could lead to some type of escalation in the days ahead.
Their biggest question right now is A: What would that be? And B: They hope it's kind of contained to some degree and not reflective of what they saw
in the wake of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit last year.
HILL: Interesting to see. We'll be watching for all of it.
Phil, Will, I know you both will keep us updated as well. Appreciate it.
The family of the 17-year-old shot and killed by a Park Police officer is now speaking out. What they're saying about the body camera footage that's
been released. That's next.
GOLODRYGA: And an arrest may be imminent in the murders of three teenagers in Central Florida. Stay with us.
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[15:21:47]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Good evening, I'm Zain Asher and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
It is a big day in terms of global diplomacy. In the last few minutes, we heard from the President of Taiwan and the US House Speaker after their
meeting in California.
French President, Emmanuel Macron has arrived in China ahead of the EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen. They want to reset business and political
ties with Beijing. Vladimir Putin is hosting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow. Last month, Putin said that Russia will deploy
tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy meantime is a neighboring Poland, one of Kyiv's closest allies over the past year.
Let's start with Beijing where Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen have an ambitious agenda. They want to persuade Chinese leader Xi Jinping
to use his ties with Russia's Vladimir Putin to help end the war in Ukraine. Here is what the French President had to say earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): And China precisely has proposed a peace plan, we welcomed it, but do we agree on all
of it? No.
Nevertheless, it proves a will to engage in the resolution of the conflict. And so, if this is not a plan for peace, it is a willingness to have a
responsibility and to try and build a path towards peace, and I hope to be able to participate in initiatives useful to the Ukrainian population.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Emmanuel Macron has brought dozens of French business leaders with him to Beijing, companies like Airbus, BNP Paribas, and L'Oreal are
part of the delegation.
Mr. Macron says that Europe must resist decoupling from the Chinese economy amid rising international tensions.
Jamie Metzl is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He joins us live now from New York.
Jamie, it's been a while. It is so good to see you.
JAMIE METZL, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Nice to see you.
ASHER: So let's talk about President Macron in Beijing, in China, obviously part of his goal. I mean, he is there for many reasons, but part
of his goal is to try to persuade China to bring about some kind of peace in terms of what's happening with the war in Ukraine.
How realistic is that? Is that realistic? Or would you say that was just wishful thinking at this point, given what's going on?
METZL: It's not very realistic. China has been very clear from the beginning that their no-limits friendship with Russia is essentially a
support for Russia's activity in the Ukraine. If China wanted to deliver a different message, they certainly could do so.
But there is an important interest certainly of Europe and the United States and others and that is keeping China out of the war more fully and
preventing them or trying to encourage them to not more fully militarily support the Russians, which would have the potential to be a real game
changer and a morale boost.
So that's what Macron and the European Commission President von der Leyen are trying to do, and what the Chinese are trying to do is to triangulate
the Europeans to separate them in many ways from the Americans and essentially dangle minimal help in Ukraine in exchange for greater
commercial ties and Europe not aligning with the United States on trade.
[15:25:12]
ASHER: Just in terms of Macron's goals when it comes to peace, though, I'm curious how much sway do you think Xi Jinping actually has over
Vladimir Putin? I mean, obviously, he does have leverage from a military aid, military assistant perspective, but in terms of actual sway over Putin
in terms of getting him to end this war, how much sway do you think he has at all?
METZL: If Xi Jinping decided that it was a high priority to end this war, he could end the war, literally in five seconds. All he would need to do is
to say that China a hundred percent does not support the war, calls on Russia to withdraw all of its troops from Ukrainian territory and will join
sanctions against Russia, if that doesn't happen. If Xi Jinping says those words, the war will be over in minutes.
ASHER: That is interesting. There are other experts that I've spoken to, especially today who have actually said that Xi Jinping doesn't have that
much sway in terms of ending this war, but it's interesting to hear your perspective.
In terms of Europe's hard-hit economy, how much does Europe need the Chinese market just from a trade and financial perspective?
METZL: The Chinese market is hugely important to Europe as it is to many countries and to many regions. The challenge that Europe faces is that in
recent years and decades, it is believed that it could get cheap oil from Russia, economic growth from China, and free essentially security from the
United States.
And Europe now recognizes that none of those three premises are viable, unless Europe takes a much more significant role in determining its own
fate. And so, that's why Macron, at least I hope, is recognizing that trade and security and military relations and transatlantic relations are all
bound together if the Europeans try to negotiate some kind of separate economic deals with the Chinese to gain benefits from this moment, that
would be a terrible mistake.
ASHER: Right. Jamie Metzl, live for us there, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right, speaking in Warsaw a short time ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the people and leaders of Poland for their
support since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I want you to listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Speaking with words of gratitude and strength, gratitude because there are no
moments when we will be apart, but we will be not united. Ukrainian and Polish hearts, they beat for one freedom for a common independence of our
country, for our common Europe, our common home, and we will win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Earlier Mr. Zelenskyy met with Polish President, Andrzej Duda. The two leaders have been focusing on the reconstruction of Ukraine once
the war ends.
David McKenzie joins us live now from Kyiv.
Just explain to us, David, what the purpose of this trip was, the goal of this trip was for President Zelenskyy. I mean, obviously Poland has been a
steady and reliable partner for Ukraine, especially in terms of housing more than one million refugees since the war began.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Zain, I think that's one of the reasons for this State Visit was to symbolically show the thanks for
the Ukrainian people and the President for that opening of arms for Ukrainian refugees at the start of the war, and also for the ongoing
support of Poland, a very key European ally in this conflict at this stage of the conflict. You saw that rousing speech by President Zelenskyy.
In terms of practical things, according to the Ukrainian President's office, there were significant economic ties solidified during their
meetings, as well as an ongoing commitment by the Polish government to help supply and to sell weapons and ammunition to Ukraine in this long fight --
Zain.
ASHER: And in terms of another diplomatic push, we are watching Putin and Lukashenko meeting today as well. Just walk us through what was on the
agenda in terms of that meeting.
MCKENZIE: Well, their meeting will be again also trying to solidify that relationship Putin and the Belarusian leader have shown to be in lockstep
in many ways during this conflict.
[15:30:00]
Now what that will exactly entail beyond what has already been done, which is allowing Russian troops to push out of Belarus, Russia into Ukraine at
the beginning of the war and the possible placement of tactical nuclear weapons in that country, it remains to be seen.
I think what Zelenskyy was looking for in Poland today is particularly a kind of pledge of more ammunition. He admitted today that they will need
that to try and continue defending Bakhmut in the eastern part of the country.
He also said that if the Russians encircled that destroyed or largely destroyed city, they might have to withdraw. So the stakes are certainly
high for the Ukrainian leader.
ASHER: All right, Dave McKenzie, live for us. Thank you so much.
All right.
What is a five letter word that brings a lot of business to "The New York Times" games?
The head of "The New York Times" games that tells us how his section is bringing in subscribers. That's next.
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ASHER: All right. Just about 30 minutes left to trade on Wall Street. The latest ADP private payroll report suggests job growth is slowing in the
U.S. It's a sign that higher rates could be cooling off the economy.
The Dow is set to close a few points higher; it's pretty much flat right now. Only up about less than 100 points actually. Certainly recovered after
dipping in the red a few times today.
The other U.S. indices are lower. (INAUDIBLE) is down ever so slightly as well. And so is the Nasdaq down, a slightly more than 1 percent right.
"The New York Times" has long been known for its Sunday crossword. It has added more games in recent years, like Wordle and Sudoku.
[15:35:00]
ASHER: You might be able to guess this next one. The number of people who pay for the games alone. More than a million people pay for the games
alone. "The Times" hopes that including games in all-access bundle will help boost its overall subscriber numbers. It's trying to reach 15 million
subscribers by the year 2027.
Jonathan Knight is the head of games at "The New York Times." He joins us live now from California.
Jonathan, so good to be with you. My husband is a huge Wordle fan. Every weekend he's doing it. Just walk us through how key Wordle has been. I
understand that it was pretty much the most searched word globally in 2022.
How key has Wordle been in terms of boosting subscribers at "The New York Times"?
JONATHAN KNIGHT, GAMES, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Hey, well, thanks for having me on. I'm really happy to be here. Wordle's huge. It's been an awesome
year. We acquired Wordle at the end of January of last year. So it's been a little more than a year.
And yes, it's just, you know, tens of millions of people are playing Wordle. We're really happy with how many people are still playing it and
it's been very effective. It's just bringing a large new audience into our ecosystem and introducing those people to all the value that we have to
offer.
So it's been -- it's been massive and it's been a really fun year.
ASHER: Obviously "The New York Times" crossword is also popular. Just the fact that you've added Wordle to that.
I mean, has that taken over in terms of popularity?
Are we seeing people, you know, we've seen the crosswords essentially become a lot less popular as people turn to Wordle instead.
KNIGHT: So you know, we have a portfolio of games. We've got the daily crossword, which is iconic and we've been running that since 1942. We have
Spelling Bee, which is a really fun word finding game that's grown quite a bit in popularity. It launched a little under five years ago.
We have the Crossword Mini, which is a little bite-sized crossword you can do everyday in a minute or two. And now we have Wordle and we have a few
other games as well. And what I would say is that each one of those games plays a different role in the portfolio . And it plays a different role in
people's lives.
And we're really happy with kind of the collection of games and different roles that they play. Wordle is about reach. So many people, not just in
the U.S. but internationally, brought in a younger, more diverse, more international audience to us.
And it's a great way for us to introduce people to some of our more, you know, indepth games that are more involved. And you know, some of which
requires subscription to play. So that's the role that it plays kind of in the funnel.
And we're yes, we're really happy with that.
ASHER: Yes. I mean, you touched on this already just now but how has Wordle change the demographic of your games audience?
KNIGHT: Yes, as I mentioned, it's younger. It's more international. I mean, I think it's -- you know, we're roughly, you know, anywhere from two-
thirds to three-quarters of Wordle players are in the U.S. But you know, relative to our other games, that's actually a smaller percentage.
So we brought in a much more international audience and younger. I mean, look, our crossword subscribers tend to be a little older. You know, that's
a really important user base for us. And you know, frankly, it's bigger than ever.
So we're not seeing like any weakness in the crossword following. It's kind of a generational product. And a lot of kids become adults and their
parents solve the crossword and still do it, sort of gets passed down generation to generation.
You know, we're finding Spelling Bee is a game that parents and kids play together and skews a little bit younger. And then, yes, Wordle is just kind
of for everybody.
ASHER: so I understand that 2022 was the second best year ever after 2020 in terms of subscriber additions.
Why is that?
I mean, obviously, Wordle is part of that fact.
But what else?
KNIGHT: Well, you know, 2022 was a great year. And I don't think we've necessarily published specific games numbers. And a big part of that is
because more and more we're bringing people in through the all access bundle of products.
And we're actually having people who start on games and look to subscribe to games actually just go straight to that bundle, which I think you
mentioned at the top. So in a way, it's really changing how we think about how we count subscriptions and subscribers.
So I wouldn't even necessarily say that that 2020 was better than 2022 in that regard; 2022 was a great a great year for us. And we do like attribute
a ton of that to that Wordle funnel.
And basically what we're finding is that, after you play Wordle, your appetite is whet for more word games. And we're right there with Spelling
Bee. We're right there with Crossword.
[15:40:00]
KNIGHT: And enough people are discovering what we have to offer with the full product. And it's just driving subscriptions. We're also seeing that
people are discovering the breadth of what the whole company has to offer.
You know, "The New York Times," our strategy is to be the essential subscription for people looking to engage with and understand the world.
Curious people. We have news obviously at the center of that.
But there's a great cooking product if Wire Cutter, which is about product recommendations. And we acquired The Athletic, which is a huge, you know,
premium sports journalism site.
And so people through Wordle are discovering the breadth of what we have to offer and it's driving great business.
ASHER: And Jonathan, one quick question I literally have about 10 seconds left.
What is your go to Wordle word to start with?
Mine is "clean."
What is your word?
WRIGHT: Clean, I like that. I may try that tomorrow. I typically --
(CROSSTALK)
WRIGHT: Yes, well, that's fair. I mean, you know, I like to rotate.
ASHER: OK.
WRIGHT: Every few weeks, I get bored and I try something. But I will say I've been stuck on S-T-A-R-E. And it's been pretty effective for me. So
that's my current go to.
ASHER: Oh, stare, OK, I'll try that one out too. All right. Jonathan knight. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
And that is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'll be back at the top of the hour as we make a dash for the closing bell. Up next, "CONNECTING AFRICA."
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[15:57:50]
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ASHER: Hello, everyone, I'm Zain Asher. It is the dash to the closing bell and we are just over a minute away.
Wall Street is set for a mixed closed after a new sign of slowing U.S. job growth. The ADP private payroll report for March was lower than expected.
The Dow is set to close about 75 points higher or so.
The other U.S. indices are lower. (INAUDIBLE) down a quarter percent and the Nasdaq is off over 1 percent.
French president Emmanuel Macron is in China. He will be discussing the war in Ukraine with Chinese president Xi Jinping. I asked Atlantic Council
senior fellow Jamie Metzl if Xi can help stop the fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE METZL, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: If Xi Jinping decided that it was a high priority to end this war, he could end the war literally in five seconds.
All he would need to do is to say that China 100 percent does not support the war, calls on Russia to withdraw all of its troops from Ukrainian
territory and will join sanctions against Russia.
If that doesn't happen if Xi Jinping says those words, the war will be over in minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: That is your dash to the bell.
END
