Return to Transcripts main page
Quest Means Business
White House To Reveal New Russia Sanctions Package Friday; Navalny's Mother Pleads To Putin: Let Me See My Son; North Korea Reopens To Russian Tourists; Political Leaders Face Uphill Battle On Public Opinion; Two More People Charged In Super Bowl Rally Shooting In Kansas City. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired February 20, 2024 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:33]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Now, we have one hour left to trade. Wall Street in the red at this hour, although I have to tell you, it is off
of its lows for the day. You could see there, I am going to make an executive decision and call that flat. Those are the markets these are the
main events.
The White House says new sanctions are coming against Russia after the death of Alexey Navalny.
What the return of Russian tours to North Korea says about the new dynamic between the two countries.
And Walmart wants to grow its ad business, so it is buying a TV maker.
Live from New York, it is Tuesday, February 20th. I'm Paula Newton in for Richard Quest, and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
And good evening, the White House says it will announce a new sanctions package against Russia this Friday. It is in response to the recent death
of Alexey Navalny, a well-known critic of the Kremlin. Now, US officials say the sanctions will also hold Vladimir Putin responsible for two years
of war in Ukraine.
Russia's president has been gloating about his resistance to international sanctions so far. Even Ukraine's former commander-in-chief wrote in an op-
ed for CNN this month that current sanctions are far too weak.
Jim Sciutto is with us from Washington and Jim, you've been following this closely now for two years. It is no secret that these sanctions aren't
working, and some of that is thanks to countries like China and India, but given all of that, what are US officials saying to you now about new
sanctions and how they might be more effective?
JIM SCIUTTO CNN ANCHOR: Well, the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan put it this way. He said that this is another turn of the crank, another
turn of the wheel. He says these sanctions will impact a significant range of targets. They are going to reveal more details when they are officially
announced on Friday, and that language captures it, Paula, in that the US has imposed a whole host of sanctions on Russian individuals, Russian
companies, and other entities, and also on Russian exports, oil, et cetera trying to not just punish, but also take away sources of revenue from
Russia, which the US says, of course, helped finance Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.
The trouble is that while those sanctions have had some effect and that they've seemed to have penalized Russia, they have not deterred Russia. The
invasion of Ukraine goes on. You have the death in a Russian penal colony of the opposition leader, Alexey Navalny just a few days ago, and you have
this attack on Estonia, this hybrid attack that the Estonian prime minister revealed today, just to name a few.
So you have all these aggressive acts that are continuing, so punish, yes, deter, not clear that it does, and to your point, there are a lot of other
actors that help Russia, at least lessen the blow economically, financially of some of these sanctions.
NEWTON: I mean, and that is the point. It has not made a strategic difference even if on the margins, it has made a difference in Russia. I
want to talk to you again, about though what has happened in Estonia, as I know, you've been learning more. That is Russia's way of actually fighting
back against the West and its sanctions.
What more have you learned about a so-called "shadow war" going on there?
SCIUTTO: Well, I spoke to the Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and she says she used that term that this is a shadow war. She described it earlier
as a hybrid attack and what this was, this was a series of attacks, incidents of harassment, including against the country's interior minister.
Some public monuments there.
A journalist, things like breaking the windows of their cars, damaging property there. The Estonians say they established -- they knew these
attacks were taking place for some number of weeks going to last year, but they recently were able to establish that this was directed by Russian
security services, directed by, coordinated with Russian security services.
They arrested more than 10 individuals, a combination of Estonian and Russian nationals, some dual nationals. As it was described to me, these
were criminal groups, but they were operating with Russian support and direction, and it is a format, an MO that Russia has used before to sow
fear and division inside countries.
And the Estonian prime minister told me that she is going public with this right now to help dull the effect of that, to let not just the Estonian
population know, but Europeans who have also experienced attacks like this, that this will not work in effect.
[15:05:11]
And Paula, it is a strategy that the US has used, US intelligence agencies have used before to against Russia. You may remember in the early days of
the Ukrainian war, the US exposed some false flag attacks, which Russia was attempting in the eastern part of Ukraine prior to them happening to say,
hey, we know what you're doing when this happens to dull the effect of it. And I think you could see some of that now in Estonia exposing this today,
but the trouble is the attacks, interference, political interference, they've gone on for years, a number of targets in Europe from Moldova,
Estonia, Montenegro, and elsewhere.
And the sad fact is, those kinds of attacks have continued.
NEWTON: Yes, again, it does show a level of futility and even fighting back at this point, but as you said, wanting to expose it and give its some room
to breathe and exposing it does definitely make a difference.
We will wait to see the new package of sanctions from Washington later this week.
Jim Sciutto for us, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
SCIUTTO: Thanks, Paula.
NEWTON: Now, she said, "Let me see my son." That was the plea coming from Alexey Navalny's mother, four days after his death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYUDMILA NAVALNAYA, ALEXEY NAVALNY'S MOTHER (through translator): I haven't been able to see him for five days. They won't give me his body. They don't
even tell me where he is. I'm addressing you, Vladimir Putin. The solution to the issue depends on you.
Let me finally see my son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: "Let me see my son." Lyudmila Navalnaya there. She recorded that video outside the jail where Navalny is said to have suddenly collapsed and
died, Friday. Russian authorities have said they will not let Navalny's family recover the body for at least two weeks and that's according to a
family spokesperson.
We want to bring in our senior international correspondent, Melissa Bell in Paris, who has been following these developments.
I mean, look, Melissa, the police certainly moving, right? It is almost visceral in a way. It is coming from his mother who have shown up every day
wanting to recover her son's body. But is there any indication it will make any difference to Russian authorities?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. None at all. Most likely, in fact, the latest that we heard was from Dmitry Peskov this morning, Paula, before
that video was released but there is nothing to suggest it will change the minds of officials.
What Dmitry Peskov said in that Kremlin call was that these accusations that there was anything untoward about Alexey Navalny's death were boorish
and outrageous. Really the Kremlin pushing back on the suggestion that there was anything unnatural about his death, even as we've heard from
Russian authorities that they're going to be holding onto his body for another 14 days.
And I think that is behind a great deal of where the outrage that you've heard, not just from Alexey Navalny's mother and widow now, over the course
of the last 24 hours, but really the entire world. The United States, Europe, all lining up to speak of their outrage at the fact that the body
will not even be allowed to get access -- the family will not even get access to the remains of their loved one.
Of course, there is behind that also the suggestion from Yulia Navalnaya yesterday in that nine-minute video address that she made, calling Vladimir
Putin a killer and suggesting that the reason the body was not being released, Paula, was that the traces of novichok, that Soviet nerve agent
that's been used to such devastating effect over the course of the last few years with opponents inside and outside of Russia openly under the nose of
western allies at times, the traces of that novichok agent might leave his system.
So there is, on one hand, the determination of the family to carry on speaking on very bravely. Certainly, when you consider that the mother is
inside Russia when she delivers that video message, but also what appears to be the staunch determination of Russian authorities, to bash on
regardless, to ignore the pleas of the families. And in fact, to snuff out any sense of grief for public outpourings of sadness at the passing of
Alexey Navalny across the country -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and I know the EU itself and several other EU countries have now summoned Russia's ambassadors to protest Navalny's death, but we were
just speaking with Jim Sciutto about the futility of sanctions so far. So I ask, do you feel that they can go further with sanctions?
I mean, many of those sanctions do not even extend to Russian citizens themselves who have been able with visas to travel to Europe.
BELL: Well, the very latest round of sanctions that were being prepared before all of this happened, Paula and in fact European foreign ministers
met yesterday to discuss what would be the 13th package of European sanctions against Russia since the war began, they really target officials,
companies, individuals with travel bans, asset freezes, trying to ratchet up further those individuals that they believe are behind the regime.
[15:10:13]
And this to mark the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
Now, what has happened since the passing of Alexey Navalny is, are growing calls from Europeans that there should be a fresh round of sanctions
targeting specifically the question of internal repression inside Russia, and really what we heard yesterday as those ministers met, were repeated
calls that this should happen.
And what we understand is that the latest round of packages are likely now to include a great deal of more measures against individuals specifically
targeting that, the internal repression inside Russia.
So leaving aside the war in Ukraine the people, the entities behind what Europeans believe maybe a system of allowing Russians inside the country,
those representing the regime to repress any semblance of free speech, political opposition. All that we've seen embodied in the passing of Alexey
Navalny.
We've also seen over the course of the last few days, successive European countries summoned their Russian ambassadors from Sweden to United Kingdom,
Germany, France, the European Union, as well in growing calls and outrage being expressed. It doesn't make much of a difference.
I mean, certainly for now, Russia has seemed to be able to withstand the sanctions, but it is another ratcheting up a notch of the pressure for sure
-- Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, at a time when Russia is feeling emboldened on the battlefield as well.
Melissa Bell for us from Paris, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Now, apparently, nothing cements a relationship like a new car. North Korea's news agency says, Vladimir Putin has delivered a Russian--made
vehicle to Kim Jong-un as a demonstration of the "special relationship" between the two leaders.
Now the car maybe similar to a limousine made by the Russian firm, Aurus that the North Korean leader saw on a visit to Russia in September.
The gift potentially violates UN sanctions on Pyongyang, we should say over its nuclear weapons program and mirroring their leaders growing ties,
Russian tourists are heading off to North Korea.
Pyongyang has opened its doors to 100 Russian nationals and it is the first trip of its kind since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. CNN's Will
Ripley spoke to some of those who were part of this tour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After years of near total isolation, North Korea is rolling out the red carpet for Russian
visitors. This group of 100 believed to be the first post-pandemic tourists visiting Kim Jong-un's hermetically sealed nation amid its deepening ties
with Russia.
They flew from Vladivostok to Pyongyang on a vintage Russian plane operated by Air Koryo, North Korea's only airline. I've flown aid more than a dozen
times when westerners were still allowed in.
Diplomacy with the US collapsed in Hanoi in 2019, when observers say Kim made a strategic pivot, bolstering his nuclear arsenal prioritizing ties
with Moscow and Beijing, both protecting Kim from fallout at the United Nations for his unprecedented missile testing binge.
Russia is reportedly releasing millions of dollars in frozen North Korean assets facilitating access to international banking networks, "The New York
Times" reports, setting the stage for a new chapter of Kim's nuclear ambitions possibly with the help of Russian rocket scientists.
This Russian tour and perhaps more to come is about more than sightseeing, it is about the bigger picture of international relations. Russia and North
Korea strengthening ties, icing out the west.
Ilya Voznesensky is a travel blogger from St. Petersburg, a tough job these days. Many European nations ban Russian tourists, the result of Putin's war
on Ukraine.
ILYA VOZNESENSKY, TRAVEL VLOGGER FROM ST. PETERSBURG (through translator): I signed up for this tour the moment I heard about it. It is like stepping
back in time, reminiscent of the stories my grandparents told me about life in the Soviet Union.
The empty streets, the lack of advertisement. Its surreal.
RIPLEY: Elena Bychkova is a marketing professional from Moscow.
ELENA BYCHKOVA, MARKETING PROFESSIONAL FROM MOSCOW (through translator): The meticulous preparations for our visit felt like being in a theater
production, but amidst the choreographed scenes, I couldn't shake the feeling that there another side to North Korea, one that remains hidden.
Beneath that carefully controlled facade, encounters with North Korean children revealing curiosity, genuine interest in the outside world.
[15:15:07]
RIPLEY (on camera): That same tour will happen again in March and these Russian tourists say they've heard its already sold out. They also say this
trip was about more than tourism. They say it was about breaking down barriers, meeting ordinary North Korean people who deserve understanding
and compassion despite the geopolitics at play and those rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Okay, when we come back, Walmart is buying the TV maker, Vizio. It is a multi-billion-dollar bid to compete with Amazon, in the -- get this --
advertising business. We will explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: So Capital One is shaking up the payments industry with a $35 billion offer to buy Discover Financial Services. The takeover could give
Capital One a leg up in the competitive credit card market. It is an all- stock transaction.
Based on today's prices, it would give Discover shareholders Capital One stock at a premium. Now, the acquisition comes as US credit card debt hits
a record $1.1 trillion. That is a record.
The deal still, of course, needs regulatory approval.
Vanessa Yurkevich is in New York and has been reviewing this proposed deal for us.
Good to see you. We really want to know what this deal is all about. What does it mean for the credit card industry overall and if it does go through
and there is still going to be a question mark there, what will it mean for both consumers and vendors?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So you have two of the biggest players in the credit card space joining forces, a
$35 billion deal. Essentially Capital One saying, we are about to acquire $300 million more customers in this purchase of Discover.
Another thing to point out is that Capital One just issues credit cards, but Discover issues credit cards and brings in all of the merchant fees
that they get from people swiping at different businesses around the country and around the world.
Discover also has a very big footprint internationally, and that will help bring in some revenue into the Capital One portfolio. Also, it just makes
these two companies even stronger.
But what does this mean for consumers? Well, don't go freaking out just yet. No big changes coming in, at least the next year because as you
mentioned, Paula, this does have to go through regulatory approval by the FTC.
[15:20:05]
But in terms of credit cards and what your credit card is going to look like, they're saying -- Capital One is saying that their Capital One debit
cards will transition to Discover debit cards. And also, you could see some better perks even.
People do not want to lose their credit card perks. That's why a lot of people choose specific credit cards. No loss of perks, maybe better perks
with this deal.
And Paula, if there are any changes, the credit card companies do have to give consumers 45 days heads up. The goal is to expand Discover cards
across the world that may help with what merchant fees look like.
But consumer fees could go up a little bit and it is important to read the fine print when your renewal notice comes, just to make sure there are no
big changes.
NEWTON: Yes, and as you're indicating, there could be a lot of repercussions from this, but regulators do need to look at this deal. What
will they scrutinize?
YURKEVICH: They're going to be looking very closely. This is a big deal. This is one of the biggest deals we've seen all year. You're talking about
billions of dollars. You're also talking about competition consolidating.
So there is going to be fewer and fewer players in the credit card scene, and we know particularly the Biden administration has been going after
credit card companies because of hidden fees and junk fees that ultimately lead to credit card debt for Americans.
So while this is a big deal and folks do expect it to close, it is not going to be without a fine-tooth comb and really should receive that type
of scrutiny because it is such a big deal.
But the Biden administration and the FTC is going to just have to decide how hard to look at this. They will probably look at this very closely,
but there is a consensus amongst experts that this deal will ultimately close in the end, Paula.
NEWTON: Interesting. Vanessa, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
Now, Walmart has also announced a new acquisition. It is buying the TV maker, Vizio for $2.3 billion. The move gives Walmart a way to sell ads on
streaming services and it is in competition with its rival, Amazon to do that.
Vizio smart tv operating system has more than 18 million active accounts. Walmart made this announcement during its earnings call this morning.
Shares are up, in fact, three percent.
Nathaniel Meyersohn is following all of this for us from New York.
You've been able to put this deal in perspective for us and its very succinct what you're telling us. You say it is not about selling goods or
groceries or even TVs. So what is this about?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, Paula, this is not Sam Walton's Walmart anymore and look, it may be a little bit confusing to
people: Why does Walmart, a brick-and-mortar retailer want to buy a television company? But it is all about advertising.
The advertising industry is increasingly moving from television into streaming and Vizio makes televisions that have streaming services, about
18 million customers have these Vizio televisions, and so the acquisition is going to give Walmart away to sell ads through these TVs and rival
Amazon.
You know, Amazon started out as an online retailer, an online bookseller, and now Amazon's advertising business makes about 15 percent of its sales.
Meanwhile, at Walmart, advertising is less than one percent of sales. So Walmart is really trying to grow its ad business to supplement that core
brick-and-mortar grocery and clothing business.
NEWTON: Right where the margins are obviously slim. But what are the pitfalls here in terms of management? I mean, this is a strategic stretch
for Walmart at this point and they are entering the market quite late.
MEYERSOHN: They are entering the market quite late, Paula. But look, Walmart has been changing its business over the past decade. It is moving
into financial services, really strengthened online to rival Amazon as well.
They announced recently that they had crossed the $100 million threshold for online sales, excuse me, $100 billion of online sales. So really strong
growth there.
So this is not the Walmart business of old. They sell ads online and in stores. So they are not -- you know, they are familiar to the advertising
space and this is just going to be another way for them to test and try to find other ways to supplement, as you say, the low margin groceries with
higher margin advertising and other types of services.
And it could also mean that Walmart will go out and buy a streaming service as well, but to compete with Roku and Amazon and Apple, so look for more
moves in the advertising and media space with Walmart, it is not just going to stop here with buying this television company.
NEWTON: Yes, and that would be big news if and when it happens.
Nathaniel Meyersohn, thanks so much, really appreciate it.
[15:25:01]
Now, desperate for weapons and running out of time, against the odds, Ukrainians say they will never give in to Vladimir Putin.
An update from the battlefield, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: We want to bring you some new developments into CNN. Prosecutors now say two men have now been charged with murder in connection with the
shooting at a Super Bowl rally in Kansas City. You will remember what happened. It was at the end of the parade, absolute pandemonium and there
were two minors that were detained and were in custody, but it was unclear their connection to the shooting on that day.
We are awaiting to get more information from prosecutors and we will give you an update on that story when it comes in to CNN.
We now do want to switch though to South Africa, which has just announced its next national election will take place on May 29th. It is one of more
than 50 countries holding votes in a pivotal election year. More than half of the world's population in fact, is set to go to the polls.
The incumbent's re-election might be an uphill battle. Issues like slow growth and inequality are weighing on their popularity. I mean, just take a
look at Joe Bidens approval rating, just 38 percent in January. That was according to CNN's latest poll.
And in the UK, only 24 percent of the British public had a favorable rating of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He must call the next election by December.
[15:30:05]
Rishi Sharma is the chairman of Rockefeller International and he wrote an opinion piece for "The Financial Times" entitled, "Why Political Leaders
are so Unpopular Now." And he joins us now from Miami.
Good to see you on this. And what is a provocative opinion piece, this is as we were just saying a record setting year for elections worldwide and
you argue that politicians are very unpopular right now, especially when you stack them against historical comparisons. I mean, the question I have
for you is why?
RUCHIR SHARMA, CHAIRMAN, ROCKEFELLER INTERNATIONAL: Yes, I think there are a number of reasons for this. One has to do with the incredible amount of
negativity that we have today on social media. The polarization we have. So I think the example of the U.S. that today the number of Republicans who
will have anything nice to say about a Democrat is close to zero. And similarly the number of Democrats who will have anything nice to say about
anyone who's a Republican is close to zero.
This was not the case 20, 30 or 40 years ago when you had like around a third of the people from each party who would have a positive opinion of
the president from the opposing party. So we have seen this incredible increase in polarization, and it means that whoever goes out there, half of
the population is going to be against that person literally from day one to that because of I think social media, the negativity, there's so much focus
on the negative side of what our leaders doing.
And the third reason I will say is that some of the economic problems we have are very deep. Decline in social mobility, decline in economic
mobility, rising inequality, concentration of wealth, and corporate power at the top. So I think that these reasons have combined to ensure that
leaders across the Western democracies have record low approval ratings. And this is not just a Biden or Sunak problem, Macron or Germany, wherever
you look at it, their approval ratings are all close to record lows.
NEWTON: Is the problem though more insidious even than you may suggest, right? I mean, some voters seem convinced that, you know, they'll, quote,
saying, look, this system is rigged against us. So is it politicians or the very government institutions, you know, democracy itself, that people are
disenchanted with?
SHARMA: Well, I think it's the result that they're seeing. The result they're seeing is of incredible amount of concentration, this bailout
culture where the rich keep getting bailed out at the slightest hint of trouble. The same people have been at the top for so long in many of these
countries. So I think that there is a general anti-elitism feeling that runs through these various countries, and it's an interesting contrast in
some of the developing countries, whether it's India, Indonesia, or even Mexico, in those countries the approval ratings of leaders are relatively
high.
So I think that this is a problem really afflicting Western democracies in particular, and it's because I think of the economic problems, deep
economic problems, deep rooted, amplified by social media, that will lead seeing these very low approval ratings and why most incumbents in fact had
been losing their reelection bid. One of the statistics I mentioned that "FT" op-ed you were referring to is that 20 or 30 years ago, 70 percent of
incumbents who would stand for reelection would end up getting reelected.
Over the last three years, that number has dropped to just 30 percent, only 30 percent of president and prime ministers --
NEWTON: Yes, and that --
SHARMA: Yes.
NEWTON: And that means that incumbency is not again a position to be in these days, that a challenger is very likely to take you on and win. I want
to get, though, to the issue of social media. Do you believe there is a causal link there?
SHARMA: Yes, I do think there's a link because I just see the incredible amount of negativity there. It's so easy to take anyone down. The last op-
ed I wrote, for example, was on Indonesia. I spoke about how Jokowi, their outgoing president, is very popular with approval ratings of 80 percent,
and here, sitting in the U.S., I got a lot of pushback saying this is wrong with Jokowi and that's wrong with Jokowi.
And I said, can you point out any leader in the world to me who you like? Any leader who you're willing to assign a good amount of praise to? And I
got a bit of a blank. So you ask people that, can you name people you like, and you get a bit of a blank.
NEWTON: Yes.
SHARMA: And you tell people to take someone down and you get a barrage of comments on that.
NEWTON: Yes. Deep cynicism as well. Before I let you go, I have to ask you, we talk about these attitudes. And yet at the end of the day, you also say
you need fresh fixes, but this goes counter to what you're saying because sometimes you need an incumbent, you need that time in order to fix what
you say are systemic structural issues in developed countries.
[15:35:04]
SHARMA: Yes, the only problem I feel there, in fact, I have a new book coming out on this on what went wrong with capitalism, is that people keep
doing the same thing, which is that every time there is any problem, they rush to the rescue. They offer a bailout. There's a sense that that bailout
is going to the same rich people, is not really going out to many people in the masses who are feeling that risk has been socialized, or we have
possibly socialism for the rich.
So I think the problem is that you keep off -- that the leaders keep -- they're offering the same solutions, the same policymakers doubling down on
the same policies. That I think to even greater cynicism about what the establishment could do.
NEWTON: Right. And we will leave it there for now. Thanks so much. Really appreciate. Fascinating point of view there.
And we want to go back to our breaking news just in, prosecutors now say two men were charged with murder in connection with the shooting at a Super
Bowl rally in Kansas City. The shooting, you'll remember, happened last week after the Kansas City Chiefs won the Lombardi trophy for that Super
Bowl win. One person was killed. More than 20 people though were wounded. And that included many children. Two minors have already been charged. That
was shortly after the shooting.
Josh Campbell is with me now, and Josh, I know you've been working your sources on this. Tell us what happened here because we were not getting a
lot of information from Kansas City Police and that was even up to two to three days after the shooting incident.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hey, my friend. No, that's exactly right. And authority say that they were trying to process this
massive crime scene that involve multiple people who were shooting in various directions. And so that work has been taking place behind the
scenes. This significant development that you just mentioned now involves new charges that prosecutors have just brought against two men who
authorities say were there on that day and open fire.
And I'll walk you through what we just learned. Two individuals, they're described as adults. These are separate from the two juveniles that we've
previously been reporting on that had been taken into custody. A new set of charges here. One individual, Lindell Maze, the second person Dominic
Miller, are both now charged with various charges. The most significant among them, murder in the second degree. If convicted, that carries up to a
life sentence. Another charge includes unlawful use of a firearm, specifically shooting at someone. If convicted, that carries up to 15 years
in prison.
Now we're learning more from prosecutors about the timeline that day. Authorities say as this massive celebration was wrapping up the first
individual Lindell Maze got into some kind of verbal altercation with an unknown person there. He then allegedly pulls his gun and prosecutor say
near simultaneous to that, multiple other people pull weapons and start firing. Now we know that as you mentioned there were nearly two dozen
people that were injured. One person was killed. Authorities have now looked at the ballistics from those recovered firearms they allege that the
second individual, Dominic Miller, fired the fatal shot that killed Lisa Lopez Galvin.
Now interestingly, right now, Paula, both of these men are not only in custody, they're still in hospital right now. They suffered injuries
themselves as this gunfire was erupting. Authorities say that there's no indication that they knew each other or that they knew the other individual
who was initially part of this alleged altercation. But you can see just a chaotic scene, people pulling weapons and starting to fire into that crowd.
Finally, it's worth pointing out that authorities say they're not finished yet. They believe that there are other potential suspects out there who
opened fire that day. They're trying to locate those individuals and they're also calling upon anyone who is at the scene who may have suffered
some kind of injury while fleeing to call prosecutors and to let them know. That tells us that they are really trying to build a case here that doesn't
involve just the gunshots, but anyone else who may have been injured on that day.
So a lot of chaos there, but we're getting a little bit of clarity, Paula, about what allegedly occurred.
NEWTON: And Josh, I only have about a minute left, but I do want to ask you, because people will be confused as to how this happened. This was in
fact not so much a targeted incident. If you could remind everyone about the gun laws there and the reason that if you have a dispute, many people
are carrying weapons and that's how they can settle these disputes.
CAMPBELL: Absolutely. As you mentioned, no indication that this was an attack itself on that Super Bowl celebration event that obviously something
that is concerning when you have a large group of people. But it appears as though this was a group of individuals that were trying to settle some
dispute adjacent to this large crowd. And of course, members of that crowd sadly injured and killed.
And then finally, as you mentioned, Missouri, the state of Missouri has some of the most lax gun laws in the United States as it pertains to
carrying weapons in public, as it pertains to actually obtaining weapons. I was talking with law enforcement sources who say that -- who told us that
their job made much more difficult because even if they recover a gun at the scene that doesn't guarantee that they'll be able to tie that gun to
someone who actually pulled the trigger because guns can transfer hands in the state of Missouri very easily without authorities ever actually knowing
about it.
[15:40:06]
So again, those lax laws certainly a factor into making this much more difficult for investigators to get to the bottom of what happened.
NEWTON: Yes, such an important point and I want people to remember this was a blissful day. It was the end of this parade. Children ended up in
hospital because they were innocent bystanders and were hit by bullets.
Josh, I know you'll continue to keep us up-to-date on the story. Appreciate it.
For now, though, this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'll be back at the top of the hour as we make that dash to the closing bell. Up next though for us,
"LIVING GOLF."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:58:21]
NEWTON: And hello, I'm Paula Newton. This is the dash to the closing bell. We are just about two minutes away and we have some company news for you.
Home Depot posted disappointing fourth-quarter earnings. Now same store sales were down about 3.5 percent and the main issues that the company
doesn't see them picking up in the year ahead.
The Dow, you can see it there, near session lows. In fact, it is absolutely struggling to find its footing after a three-day weekend. Meantime, the S&P
500 and the Nasdaq, as you can see there, also in the red. You'll notice the Nasdaq down more than 1 percent now, with people trying to figure out
whether or not AI can run those tech bulls a little bit longer.
And meantime, Capital One is up on its $35 billion deal to take over Discover. Discover shares have soared. That's because in fact Capital One
is paying a premium for them. That's only if the deal goes through.
Now earlier I spoke with the chairman of Rockefeller International about voters' sentiment worldwide. Ruchir Sharma told me why Western leaders are
facing a backlash. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARMA: So I think that there is a general anti-elitism feeling that runs through these various countries. And it's an interesting contrast that some
of the developing countries, whether it's India, Indonesia, or some, or even Mexico. And those countries, the approval ratings of leaders are
relatively high. So I think that this is a problem really afflicting western democracies in particular. And it's an interesting contrast in some
of the developing countries, whether it's India, Indonesia, or even Mexico, in those countries the approval ratings of leaders are relatively high.
So I think that this is a problem really afflicting Western democracies in particular, and it's because I think of the economic problems, deep
economic problems, deep rooted, amplified by social media.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: So a bit of instability there in elections and democracies, and also as you can see there on Dow components today. Walmart is on top.
END
